Yep, file another blog entry under ‘All Things Sticky.’ Of course, baklava – more specifically Tony’s Famous Baklava – is usually what I’m referring to when I bring up the topic of sticky stuffs. But in this case I’m talking about Facebook and the naughty goings on during weekly hump day celebrations on our wall.

What am I saying? To some extent, every day is hump day on Tori Carrington’s FB wall. There always seems to be some sort of wicked shenanigans going on, up to and including considerable ‘poking’…and I take great pleasure in making the experience as suggestive as I dare.

But every Wednesday is a free-for-all that includes numbered Hump Day Hotties (photos of male cover models in various states of undress), dirty jokes and raunchy YouTube music videos. Oh, and the aforementioned lollipop? It’s a fun application where you invite people to suck on your lollipop until it’s, um, sucked dry.

Gasp! Too suggestive for you? That was Tony’s concern. And it’s the reason why I scaled back a lot of my bad girl activities…save for Wednesday, that is. Although I enjoy pointing out that friends do not ‘un-friend’ us in droves: rather they eagerly come out to play. In fact, it’s become a version of ‘Girls Gone Wild,’ where we, the girls, reclaim and enthusiastically redefine a term originally established by the guys all in the name of fun.

While at the Romantic Times Convention in Columbus earlier last month I was asked if I thought Facebook and other social media were worth a writer’s time in terms of self-promotion. My response was a shrug and a smile. All too often

it’s easy for writers to get caught up in the professional angle of the business. Analyze how they should act, consider what is appropriate to say, focus too keenly on the brand they’re trying to create, and then respond accordingly. Over the course of our lives – much less our career – one important lesson we’ve learned is that if you’re not having fun…well, what’s the point? Readers don’t ‘like’ or ‘follow’ or ‘friend’ you because they want a dry litany of your available titles and coming appearances. They can get that information from a variety of sources. No, they want to know you; enjoy spending time with you. And what better way to do that than by being yourself? Inviting them to pull up a virtual chair and laugh and applaud and ooh and ahh along with you?

Having said that, I’m thinking I need to designate at least one more day a ‘free-for-all,’ girls day out. Today, maybe. What shall we call it? Funny Friday? Funky? Freaky? Oh, wait! Why not Free-for-All Friday?

What do you think? Comment with your response to my thoughts, as well as with your answer, and automatically qualify to win a copy of one of our backlist titles!

Oh, and while you’re at it, come on over to Facebook and give my lollipop a lick, will you? Or at the very least, poke me! http://www.facebook.com/toricarrington

I’m down to the last few days of a deadline, so I beg Blaze readers tolerance if I recycle an old blog from The Sizzling Pens Blog a couple of years ago (with a few updates) and save my brain power for the book.
This time of year it’s always sad saying goodbye to our favorite TV shows for the summer. But there is a positive side to the TV show hiatus. Think of all that free time I’ll have in the evenings. Maybe I’ll…

1. Write. Since there’ll be nothing to watch on TV, this is a good time to work. Especially since, beginning June 5th, my kids will be home all day, every day, for an entire three months (Ack!) and I certainly won’t get any writing done during the day.
2. Catch up on my reading. My To Be Read pile—ok, PILES–are getting so ridiculously high I’m afraid they might topple over and give me a concussion while I sleep. If I don’t start reading some of them, I might be forced to cull through the stacks and pare them down. And how could I do that?
3. Have meaningful conversations with my kids. Without new episodes of Medium or House to watch, I might talk with my kids. That is, about something other than homework, school projects, upcoming band concerts, volleyball schedules, PTA meetings, or their bad grades. Instead, we can talk about boyfriends, girlfriends, clothes, makeup, skateboarding, video games, movies, malls, and the money they need for all of the above. Um, when does the New Fall Season start again?
4. Ditto for my husband. Hmm, a conversation that is NOT about the kids. What does that leave? I’m not sure I remember how to talk about anything else with the man I’ve been living with for over twenty years. This may require a date night and alcohol. Who knows? Maybe he’ll get lucky.
5. Take a long soak in a Bubble Bath. Which leads to…
6. Paint my nails. I haven’t painted my nails since before I was pregnant with the last kid. How sad is that?
7. Go out to dinner with my girlfriends. Ahhh, more alcohol
8. Have long phone conversation with a friend who lives far away
9. Cook a magnificent gourmet meal. I’ve been dying to try one of Isabel’s yummy recipes.
10. Clean out my office closet. Okay, I’ve gone too far. I’ll NEVER be that desperate!

So, what will YOU do with your lazy, hazy summer evenings?

Dear Lost,

Six seasons ago, I heard about a new show starting by the guy who created Alias. It was supposed to be different than any other show out there. From the previews it looked a bit like a (more) scripted version Survivor, which I loved, so I tuned in for the pilot and was hooked from the first episode.

Yes, there have been some low points for us, Lost. Season three was a bit bizarre, focusing on characters that we’d never met before — sometimes more than the characters we’d come to care about. You almost lost me there (heh, no pun intended), but I stuck around. Much like reading a bad book from a favorite author, I trusted you to regain your momentum. And hoo boy, you did. You’re one of the very few television shows that I need to watch with complete focus every week — no talking or distractions. This is mostly because you’re so hard to understand, and…I kinda dig that about you. You’re complicated.

Since I write romance I was taken mostly by the relationships you created. My favorite one, and one that you have really dropped the ball on, in my opinion, was Kate and Sawyer. Kate was a twit, but her sexual tension with bad boy, con artist Sawyer was hot hot hot!! The scene in Season 1 with him tied up at the tree and conning her into kissing him? Probably the hottest kiss on a network television show I’ve every seen. “Baby, I’m tied to a tree in the jungle of mystery.”

Brilliant.

Alas, I think your writers preferred her with Jack, but there wasn’t nearly as much tension there. Oh well. Jack’s still pretty. Kate’s still a twit.

The other romance on the show was Sun and Jin, a married couple who fell in love again on the island. Well, anyone who’s watching the show knows what you did with them. Thanks, you jerks! Bad Lost! Very bad!!!

Also, a fantastic romance was Desmond and Penny, two lovers torn apart and searching for each other even when all seems lost (again, I pun). They got their HEA. Well, I thought they did. Now in season 6 with only one episode left, it doesn’t look good for them! Bad Lost! Very bad!!!

So Lost is not a romance novel. Got it. Too bad, since it might be just a little bit better. Not that it isn’t already great. It is. But a satisfying romantic arc(s) and a happily ever after(s) is a bonus, as far as I’m concerned.

I’m not counting on any happily ever after on your 2-1/2 hour season finale on Sunday, but I’ll be watching with full focus, hoping that everything works out in a — dare I hope for it? — satisfying conclusion.

And please don’t kill Sawyer. I him.

A fan,

Michelle Rowen xoxo

Do you love Lost? Are you looking forward to the season finale? Already in mourning for a show this intricate and complicated? Is there anything else on TV that you love as much? Were you a Kate/Sawyer fan or a Kate/Jack fan? Any predictions on how it’s all going to turn out? (no spoilers please!)

I have to admit, reading Joanne Rock’s post from yesterday really made me think, (and, btw, Joanne you can write anything you want and I’ll read it) what IS style exactly? I love that line in When Harry Met Sally when Carrie Fisher says to Bruno Kirby after she insists he get rid of his wagon wheel coffee table, “Having good taste is like having a sense of humor, everyone thinks they have one, but not everyone does.” I’m going from memory, so I might have the wording slightly wrong, but that’s the gist of it. Of course, Bruno immediately tells her in no uncertain terms that he has a sense of humor. It’s a great moment in the film and I always laugh. As I was reading Joanne’s post about style, and from viewing a few painful episodes of What Not to Wear, most people think they have a fashion sense and sometimes it’s so bad their friends have to stage an intervention. When I think about my style, I think I have different styles for different days. Different times of the month. Different moods. Okay, different versions of me. Which is what I love about fashion. 

As I always point out when I teach writing classes, the way we dress announces to the world a great deal of what we want to say about ourselves and often a lot of what we don’t intend to broadcast. Clothing can say: I’m a rebel, I’m rich, I’m so trendy I always have the latest look, I’m so eco-friendly I only wear rumpled hemp, I’m a conformist, I’m on a team, in a club, a cult etc. Or the wearer can unknowingly announce themselves as a wanabe, like the kid in school who copies the cool kids but never quite gets it right. I know I’ve mentioned Glee here before, but one of the things I love about that show is the clothing. The cheerleaders ALWAYS wear their uniform, because they are the it girls of the school and that uniform is like a constant brag. Sue Sylvester, the coach, ALWAYS wears a track suit because being head coach is so obviously her whole world. Kurt, the gay gleek always dresses with glamour in mind, except on this last week’s show he tried on a new look — I won’t spoil the episode if you haven’t seen it, but it’s worth viewing just as a reminder of how much our clothing choices say about how we feel about ourselves.

I bet we all have truly embarrassing moment stories around fashion. I remember one day in Grade 6 a few girls all decided to wear skirts the next day. This was a school where the uniform was jeans, jeans, jeans. So, I turned up the next day in my skirt — and the others had all chickened out. I felt like my naked legs were two blazing beacons of nerdiness. Even writing about it now I remember how awful that day was.

 

How about you? Do you have a clothing story you want to share? Or a favorite character who is defined by their style?

I think it’s fun when reading novels or watching TV and movies to pay attention to clothing and realize how much we assume about a character based on their clothing.

This is a shout-out to all the mother’s out there whether your ‘babies’ be two-legged or four-legged or any other variety. Motherhood isn’t a biological state, in my opinion, it’s an attitude and a caring. And oftentimes it comes with a craziness all its own.

When my daughter was in kindergarten she said to me, “Mom, you’re not like all the other mothers.”

I’ve never been one to follow the crowd so I had to preen a bit when I asked, “Oh, in what way, honey?”

“You’re more like a witch,” she said very sincerely and as if it was a great thing.

Maybe she meant I was kind of magical. I dunno. I thought it was terribly funny at the time and nine years later it still makes me smile.

So, Happy Mother’s Day and if you’ve got any goofy mother’s day tales to share, let’s hear’em.

Because I am currently on the very end of a book and need all my brain cells to make the last push, I’m going to leave you with a list today of things that make me happy and would invite you to do the same.

1.) Purple wave petunias
2.) The sound of my fountain bubbling on the deck
3.) A warm towel from the dryer
4.) Any meal I don’t have to fix
5.) Freshly mown grass
6.) Birdsong
7.) A good review
8.) Watching Pawn Stars with my family
9.) Books
10.) A friend’s laugh
11.) An unexpected kindness from a stranger
12.) Babies
13.) My dogs
14.) Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbena Counter Top spray
15.) Burt’s Bees Lemon Bath Oil
16.) Having my hair brushed
17.) Kettle Corn
18.) My Roku
19.) Getting new nail polish
20.) Watching the number on the scale go down

What about you? Will pick five winners for my June release, THE RANGER, which got a 4.5 Top Pick review from Romantic Times. (Jumpy claps!)

Apparently, I’m stuck on the TV kick, since I want to chat about Bravo reality show, The Millionaire Matchmaker. I want to be Patty Stanger in my next life. She’s what I flatteringly refer to as a “broad”. Most of them seem to be from Jersey, but she brings a great Southern California spirit to the species. My favorite line of hers– “The penis does the picking.”

I challenge you…is there a truer statement in the world of romance?

Between balls-of-steel Patty and her excellent, but just-to-the-left-of-center staff–Destin and his mile-high mohawk being my personal favorite–they try desperately to wrangle their wealthy, usually self-absorbed clients, match them with suitable women and send them on dates, which will hopefully lead to monogamous relationships, followed by marriages.

Unfortunately for Patty and the gang, these guys (at least the ones they show on TV) are single for a reason.

I oftentimes give my heroes money. Romance novels are about fantasy to a great degree, after all, so I figure why should money be a struggle? Why shouldn’t the hot guy have a great house, an interesting job and cash to spare?

Most of the guys on this show, however, wouldn’t qualify for hero status. They wouldn’t even rate the semi-cute, wisecracking sidekick in a lot of cases. (Case in point: You HAVE to see Vegas-resident-by-way-of-Chicago entrepreneur Jimmy D and his tendency to talk about himself in the third person. It’s priceless!) Hunt hint: They’re made by babes. Another guy can’t decide between one of two women to take on his big date, so he picks one, gets the other chick’s phone number, then invites her on the date, too.

You can subtitle these episodes as “What Not To Do in Creating a Romance Hero if You Want People to Actually Like Your Story.”

Patty herself would be a great romance novel heroine, though. She’s lovely, direct and doesn’t believe a word these guys say until she sees it for herself. She definitely wouldn’t fall for the crap a lot of the dates do, or accept their lousy, chauvinistic treatment simply because they’re willing to shell out so cash for a limo ride and an expensive dinner.

So here’s to Patty…oh, the stories she could tell.

Okay, I admit it, I’m a Glee addict. I am so excited about the second season beginning tonight. This show combines so many fun elements, the big musical numbers, the intertwining stories of high school ambition and heartache, the delicious villain Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch, who I think is one of the funniest women on the planet, and my personal favorite, Matthew Morrison. And here’s why I think my Glee gushing is remotely relevant to a Blaze post: Matthew Morrison is hot. And part of his appeal, to me, is that there’s an adorable geekiness to this high school teacher who puts his own time and money into reviving the seriously uncool Glee club. The kind of men who make a woman’s heart pound range from the pure alpha, a warrior who will sweep a woman off her feet in spite of hersel

f, and the more metrosexual guys who wear earrings and make cooking look sexy. Morrison is the latter kind of hero. He’ll listen when a young girl has a problem, will take on a second job as a janitor to help pay for his very unlovable wife’s whims, and will stifle his attraction to the much more lovable school guidance counselor. But, best of all, he sings.
And he dances.
And I can’t get enough of it. It’s not that I don’t mind the odd viking, CEO, hockey star, cop or other alpha hero, because they can make my heart pound too, but the older I get, the more I appreciate a lower key guy. One who will cook, and take out the trash without complaining, and sing and dance.

How about you?

There is an island somewhere in the Caribbean that two countries have been hotly fighting over. There was diplomatic tension, ongoing threats of attack, etc.

Enter global warming and last month the island dropped into the sea.
Gone…glub, glub, glub. No more dispute. Case closed.

That got me thinking about worry.
(Of course. Everything gets me thinking about worry.)
Specifically thinking about all the things I’ve worried about over the years that never happen at all. What’s the saying? Worrying about tomorrow only sucks the joy from today.

So true.
A friend of mine is very, very popular. She’s on numerous on-line groups, is active in clubs, well known and beloved everywhere she goes. Recently, her mother, a psychiatrist, mused, “You know, if I’d know how popular you would end up being, I wouldn’t have worried so much about you being lonely in college.”

That mother endured hours, months and years of needless worry. And she was a shrink, who, no doubt, knew better!

Meanwhile, the real troubles slam us out of left field. We’re wringing our hands and sweating in the completely wrong direction.

That means that when I worry about whether my son will do well in college, find a good job, be loved his life long, or whether my first SuperRomance, A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS, coming in November, will sell well, or if my editor will love the one I’m working on right now as much, I’m simply poisoning many lovely days, weeks, months and years. Right?

Absolutely. Gotta stop that.
Maybe I’ll worry about how much I worry for a while…
What pointless worries do you have? How do you banish them?
My advice is Bobby McFerrin’s: Don’t worry, be happy.
I double dog dare you.
Best,
Dawn Atkins
www.dawnatkins.com
A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS, HQ SuperRomance, 11/10

It’s true, I’m afraid. I am living in the technological Dark Ages. Prepare yourselves, people, for some frightening lack of electronic sophistication.

I have the world’s oldest, ugliest cell phone on the planet. It doesn’t flip or slide or any of that cool stuff — it’s just one of those oldies with the screen right above the keypad. Ring tones? Bwahahahaha. I think not. Camera? Nope. Whilst the rest of the world is clicking photos left and right and sending them hither and yon on their cellular contact list, yours truly doesn’t have that capability.

Over dinner the other night a friend was telling the rest of us how she has to “toss off” with her new cell phone. Not wanting to look any more pathetic than I already do, I said nothing but I was lost. I have no clue what “tossing off” is. Actually, it sounds like something…never mind, probably best not to go there.

Yet another friend was talking about setting the alarm on her phone rather than the alarm on her bedroom clock. I…uh, am pretty sure my cell phone doesn’t have an alarm. If it does I am dead certain I don’t know where/how to find it.

Bluetooth? Hands free chatting? Y’all know, I don’t even have to say it.

Okay, so let’s hear it. Where do you fall on the technological spectrum?