Sorry, my mother shared this video with me and I found it quite entertaining. I needed a piece of mind moment and this kind of gave me just what I was looking for… a smile. This is a great animated short by Lucas Martell, a man who will undoubtedly have more in store for us in the future! Just click on his name to go to his site!
The gauntlet was thrown. Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was. You all know I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for my fellow author Teresa D’Amario. HUGE. Well I had mentioned that I needed to find my motivation. Being the wonderful person she is, she found it for me. She challenged me to a duel. A fight to the death. The woman with the most words wins (and not this blog post does not count). She threw off the gloves and let me tell you, it was not a pretty battle. There was hair pulling, bitch slapping….
This was me about two hours in—–>
Okay so it wasn’t all THAT, but it was fairly intense. The challenge she gave me was that we would both write. Whoever had the most words written at the end of the night prevails. Becomes Queen of all that is Writing (sparkling crown not included) and will rule for all of five minutes. Well actually, the winner would get fifty pages of their work critiqued by the other. Pretty sweet deal right? Inspiring and motivational? Most definitely.
How did I make out? I have to start by telling you it was a nail biting experience. I had lots of distractions. My loverly sister was visiting and staying the night, there were midnight margaritas, Practical Magic, and did I happen to mention a video of a grown man replicating the baby dancing to Beyonce’s All the Single Ladies (which had me in tears)?
Who won, right? That’s all you want to really know, isn’t it? Don’t know yet. My word count started at 62,096 and it finished at…. well I will update you on that later. I am an author still hard at work, just taking a mental pause and writing this. Check back and update the number before I turn in for the night.
Update – Ending word count for the night 64,101. Not too shabby.
Hey everyone! I just wanted to drop a quick line to let you all know that I am guest blogging over at Coffee Time Romance today. I will be blogging about one of the things that inspire me as well as talking about Buckling Down. So please stop on over and show a little love, it would be most appreciated. While your there, visit their contest page and enter for your chance to win a copy of Buckling Down! In the mean time, I know I owe you all an update. Hang in there and I will get one to you shortly (like the next day or so.) Now off with you…Coffee Time Romance….go…now.
That’s right! If you hop on over to Coffee Time Romance and visit their contest page… scroll down until you come across my oh so fabulous cover and enter to win. (Of course I am expecting that you all rushed to purchase your copy already, but just in case…)
While you are there… check out my good friend, Teresa D”Amario, on the contest page for a chance to win a little paranormal love. 
That’s all for now folks, because we are keeping it short and sweet today.
Okay, not that I have heard that one, let alone any of the other thousands of horrible pick up lines any time recently, but they are still funny to hear/read. So to start off this week with a smile, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of these little gems. Take a look at these little pearls-
I can just see the hero in a romance novel making off with the heroine’s heart and some hot and heavy entanglements after delivering one of these lines. Surely she would swoon after hearing number nine. What are some pick up lines you have heard, used, or written? Come on, play along….you know you want to.
Sláinte!
My mother sent me an email today with the following story attached. I found it so poignant, that I thought I would share for those of you who may not have seen or heard the story. The link to the original story reported in The Washington Post follows.
~*~*~
..something to think about…
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was
repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin valued at $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the price of seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common
place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. what else are we missing?
~*~*~
If you would like to see the story please visit The Washington Post. Whatever else you may take away from this story, please take at least this… live in the moment, do not rush through it.
some of the best stuff to entertain me when I am in need of a laugh. This did it for me. I had never seen this before and couldn’t stop laughing. Hope you enjoy.
And for once it is not with a pair of shoes.
I kid you not.
At the ripe ol’ age of ‘I’m not telling’ I have discovered a love for baseball. I come from a family of football fans. Niners fans to be exact with a straggler or two rooting for some other team. My twins… well somehow at the age of four they decided one was a Packers fan and one was a Cowboys fan. Needless to say their grandfather and aunt have not disowned them yet and it has been almost two years since they decided who they were cheering for.
One of my boys is a huge fan of baseball on the wii. So being the mom that I am (and having a best friend who is a HUGE Cubbies fan), I decided that the only thing I could do was learn a little about the sport. Low and behold I fell in love. Not with the guys in uniform, though I will admit they do add a little something to the game. I actually enjoy the game. Vegas has no claim to a major league sport of their own, however we do have sports here. We have hockey with the Wranglers, arena football with the Gladiators, and then we have baseball……where our beloved (even though they are not performing well) 51’s are currently the official farm team for the Toronto Blue Jays. But to my darling Cub-loving best friend, I will let you guess what team I root for.
Yep, that’s right ladies and gents. It is a Red Sox hat I am wearing. No the photo is not from a Sox game, but a local game before the 4th of July. Regardless it was a blast and we had awesome seats compelete with entertainment two seats over. So as my nephews are headed to watch the Angels play the Stankees… I mean the Yankees tonight, I am hoping the Angels can pull a little West Coast magic out of their hats and help keep the Sox ahead. Oh come on Yankees fans you’ve heard worse than that I am sure. Boston fans do too. It’s all for the love of the game. Hmm story idea brewing here….better get outta here.
Sláinte!
You ever have someone totally surprise you? It doesn’t happen often for me which is a shame considering how I love a good surprise. Though the few I have had the pleasure of receiving were quite memorable. One will always stick out in my mind from my childhood. When I was in junior high, I wanted a ten speed. My parents gave me a card. A card! Okay, well there was more to this card than met the eye. In the very corner of the envelope was a paper clip and a string was tied to it. I had to follow the string to find my gift. In between our house and the neighbors….yep you guessed it! My ten speed was waiting tied to the end of the string. There were other surprises, but that one in particular is one that sticks out for me. Now years later, I have another memorable one to add to the list.
I am a HUGE Laurell K Hamilton fan. (I have all the Anita Blake and Gentry series in hard back if that gives you any indication to my level of appreciation for her writing.) Laurell K Hamilton was here in Vegas about two weeks ago for a book signing at the local library. (Not entirely surprising seeing as Laurell is a woman of great taste and she appreciates the draw the Vegas valley has. ) Well, I was unable to make this book signing, much to my disappointment. A co-worker was planning to attend and told me if I brought in one of my LKH books, she would have it signed for me. I didn’t have any of my books at the house where I am currently staying. So Friday came and went, as did the weekend and Monday, with an occasional thought on how much I might have garnered from attending an event with an author I hold in high esteem. Truly both fan and writer in me would have benefited. Tuesday I got to work and there on my desk sat Laurell’s brand new Anita Blake book, Skin Trade, autographed to yours truly with a special little inscription:
“To M, best wishes from a fellow writer, Laurell K Hamilton”
Now if that isn’t just pure awesomeness topped with awesome sauce I don’t know what is. I have adored LKH since I picked up my first Anita Blake. I know there are fans out there who do not like the direction the series has taken, but as a writer, I can see and appreciate the growth Anita has undergone in the series and no one can deny the talent that Laurell posesses. A special and very heartfelt thank you goes out to Carol for giving me another surprise to add to my memorable surprises list.
Yes, implementing such a day may just bring a smile to my face. (I know it will please my darling Row more than words could ever say.) Here’s how it will work. I will randomly select a quote from the current WIP. Obviously out of context, some may not make sense, but I never promised sense? This is me we are talking about right? Oh did I mention I have three WIPs at the moment? Just kidding, although I do have three in the works, I am focusing all (well almost all) of my attention on one. So without further adieu… I give you a slice of my current WIP ~ Chosen.
“Uneasy?” The brogue lacing his words elicited sinful and unwelcome thoughts from my mind. With a slight flare of his nostrils, he sniffed the air and smiled as he raked a hand through his short, mussed, raven colored hair. His gaze rested on my desk and he picked up the overturned picture of my mother. “Miss Morgan, your unease is understandable. However, I’m here to speak on your father’s behalf, not to get shot.”
That is from Devlin, my hero in this tome and that is all I am giving you. I will do this once a week until I finish the novel. Sorry, begging and chocolates will not garner you story quotes on off days, though I do appreciate them.
Sláinte!
