I’m fighting off another migraine, so instead of me talking TV today, you get to see one of the best proposals I’ve seen in a long time. I love the song he used. In fact, it’s part of the sound track for my current WIP, even though I’m not sure my characters will get married.
And don’t forget, you still have one more day to enter the Diamond Jubilee blog hop raffle:
What is the best proposal you ever saw or heard?
As I type this, my kids are tucked safely in bed and we’ve had a good day together hanging out with friends. For many, this day is nothing more than a day free from work, a day to celebrate the beginning of summer. But this day is meant for us to remember those who gave all so that we can enjoy our lives. I don’t take much seriously, especially when I post on my blog, but this is something important.
Please take a moment to remember those who serve. They all leave someone behind.
image from http://www.blackfive.net/
How did you celebrate Memorial Day?
Don’t forget, you still have a few days to enter the Diamond Jubilee blog hop. Click on the Queen’s photo.
Another week gone and only one more until the kids are out of school. I’m beginning to worry about keeping up with 3 posts a week while they’re home. I’ve gone back to teaching part-time (college level writing) and although it’s only one night a week, I spend hours prepping and grading. Add in the kids and keeping them busy, and something’s probably going to give. Usually my writing suffers over the summer, but this year, I have a deadline, so that can’t really happen. Right now, I’m ahead of schedule and I’d like to keep it that way.
Anyway, onto great links for the week.
Modern relationships:
Samantha Warren likens modern online romance to romance when back when. She has some interesting ideas about how contact through email mimics communication only via letter. Since I’ve been married a long time, I don’t know if this holds true, but I do agree with her that the idea of building a relationship with words is far more fascinating that jumping into bed together.
Mike Stolar is guy getting his 15 minutes of viral fame for sending a survey out to his dates when things didn’t work out. Some articles call this creepy, but isn’t this the stuff of a fine romantic comedy?
Speaking of romantic comedies, Fabio Bueno has an excellent post on building your own romantic comedy. I’m thinking I should bookmark it for future book ideas 🙂
Writing:
Chuck Wendig has one of his fabulous 25 things post up. This time it’s 25 reasons you should quit writing. I know most writers will tell you that they can’t NOT write. I don’t know if I fall into that category. It’s certainly true at this point in my life, but I stopped writing from the time I left college until about 5 years ago. I was busy building my career and writing didn’t enter the picture. I don’t know if that would happen again if I went back to teaching full-time. I tend to throw myself 100% into whatever I do. Chuck’s points are great, though. Writing is tough and it’s not for everyone.
On the other end of advice, Ingrid Schaffenburg was recently at a conference and she shares the advice she learned from seasoned professionals. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: conferences are a great way to fuel yourself as a writer (even if you’re an introvert like me)
Tonya Kappes writes about how often writers are expected to produce books. It used to be that an author could be successful writing one book a year. Susan Elizabeth Phillips writes one about every 18 months. But with the advent of self-publishing and ebooks, readers have gotten impatient. They want it NOW. I get it. I hate having to wait for a favorite author’s new book (I’m looking at you Julie James) and we want them to write faster. I’m currently set to release 2 books a year. I hope that’s enough to build a following.
TV:
Tiffany White has a post this week about the return of one of my summer favorites, The Glades. When I posted a couple of weeks ago about returning TV shows, I talked about The Glades. It’s a cop show with a lot of sexual chemistry and conflict between the main characters. Tiffany does a great job explaining everything if you’ve never watched. (plus, you can catch up on Netflix)
(this one’s a little TV and more on writing, but…) Over on Romancing the Naked Hero, Paula Altenburg writes about secondary characters who steal the show. She opens with talking about Boyd Crowder from Justified. How could I not include this?
Fun:
So Bad So Good has a post on words that don’t exist in the English. My favorite?
Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan): A look between two people that suggests an unspoken, shared desire
OR maybe…
Meraki (pronounced may-rah-kee; Greek): Doing something with soul, creativity, or love. It’s when you put something of yourself into what you’re doing
Here’s another list of relationship words that don’t exist in English (I’m getting the idea that our language is quite boring)
And finally, a little inspiration to find happiness from Pink Chocolate Break.
Who is your favorite secondary character either from a book or movie/TV?
So, last week I wrote about shows that are canceled that I’ll miss and the week before I talked about shows that are returning for the summer. Today, I’m talking about shows that are new, premiering this summer (some have already started).
image from imdb.com
First up, Common Law. This show premiered a couple of weeks ago on May 11. I’ve watched the first 2 episodes and I’ll continue because it’s pretty funny. The premise is that 2 cops, who are partners, are forced into couples counseling. Of course, the idea is ridiculous, especially when you take into consideration that everyone else in the group is married. But the main characters are fascinating. We don’t have all of the backstory yet, but it is unfolding. Wes is a former lawyer who became a cop because of something bad that happened that he feels responsible for. We don’t know yet what that thing is, but we know that the career change ended his marriage. (He has shared custody of the lawn.) Travis is a player. He’s slept with too many co-workers, which causes issues while he and Wes are trying to work. Travis grew up in a string of foster homes and because of this, he has a lot of connections that help solve cases. The banter is funny and keeps me watching.
Duets airs tonight, and although I can’t say that I’m really looking forward to it, my daughters are. They got so caught up in watching The Voice, that they can’t wait for Duets to start.
Longmire is a show that I haven’t heard much about, but I think I’ll give it shot. It airs on Sun 6/3. It’s a contemporary crime drama about a sheriff in Wyoming. He lost his wife a year ago, and he’s just starting to put his life back together, when one of his deputies decides to run against him for sheriff. I’m thinking this might fill the void left by Justified. Just check out the cowboy hat. 🙂
BBC America is bringing in a BBC show called Inside Men. BBC tends to be hit or miss for me, but I might watch this. It’s about 3 security depot employees who plan and execute a heist. The story is told from all of their points of view, so that’s interesting. This has a little Leverage feel to it, for me anyway.
TNT is starting 2 new crime dramas: Perception and Major  Crimes. Major Crimes is a spin-off of The Closer and my initial reaction was that I’m not that big of a fan to want to watch a spin-off, but the main character is Capt. Raydor, who played a by-the-rules bitch in The Closer, and I might tune in for her.
image from http://www.seat42f.com
Perception is about a neuroscientist with paranoid schizophrenia who helps the FBI solve crimes. The thing is, he sees things that other people don’t. Seriously, sometimes he hallucinates. I might watch just for the crazy factor.
Finally, TBS is airing a new comedy called Sullivan & Son. Now, if you’ve paid attention to my viewing habits, you’d notice that the comedies are almost non-existent. It tends to be a timing thing. This one caught my attention because it’s about a guy who goes home to visit and ends up taking over the family bar. Since a family bar is the setting for a couple of my books, I think I’ll watch just for inspiration. Plus, I was always a fan of Cheers.
What new TV show are you most looking forward to?
Don’t forget the Diamond Jubilee blog hop and raffle are still going on. Click below:
Since I’m participating in the Diamond Jubilee blog hop (kind of, since WordPress won’t let me use the java script to include the links and raffle spot here), I thought I should do a post on America’s love for British royalty.
I remember the buzz when I was a kid about Charles and Diana’s wedding. I remember watching clips of it on TV. I was never a girly-girl, so I didn’t get the appeal.
Fast forward many years and now it’s buzz about William and Kate. I do admit a certain fascination for these two, only because for me they seem pretty normal. Up until the wedding, Kate struck me as a pretty down to earth girl, even though she was dating a prince. My interest is not so much in them being royalty, but in how being royalty seems to have changed her. It’s not a bad change. I don’t think that she’s all of a sudden become a bitch. She just looks different. Maybe more stuffy and formal?
I know a lot of people fell in love with them as a couple and couldn’t get enough. They’d read newspapers and magazines and they absolutely couldn’t miss the wedding. Not me, I couldn’t miss the sleep.
I don’t know that there was anything spectacular about their relationship that would make it noteworthy. Is it just because they’re royalty that makes it interesting? I suppose some people just treat it like they would any other celebrity couple, but for some reason it doesn’t have the same National Enquirer/paparazzi feel to it.
Are you fascinated by all things royal? What is it about them that makes Americans swoon?
Don’t forget the Diamond Jubilee blog hop in celebration of Ruthie Knox’s new book. Lots of prizes to win.
Hi all — I’m posting on a non-regular day because I’m participating in Romance at Random’s Jubilee blog hop. There are tons (okay, 26) of prizes, so hop around to gather your entries. The Diamond Jubilee marks the 60 anniversary of the Queen of England’s reign. The blog hop is to celebrate the release of Ruthis Knox’s new book ABOUT LAST NIGHT. I’ve been waiting for Ruthie’s next book since I read her debut months ago. I’m really looking forward to this book. Click on the photo to register to win one of the great prizes. (10 people will be winning Ruthie’s book, which doesn’t come out until next month). You can also hop to other blogs to increase your chances of winning.
The hero of About Last Night is Nev.  He feels trapped and miserable in his family’s banking empire located in downtown London, England. But beneath his pinstripes is an artist struggling to break free. Albeit, his bohemian-self is trying to emerge, Nev is respectful of his roots and tradition & we want to help him celebrate his queen.
I found so many great blog posts this week via Twitter, I don’t know how I found time to write. I found myself laughing a good deal this week, which was much needed since I chaperoned two separate field trips on back-to-back days.
Love–
Moriah Densley has a post on the modern gentleman. I’ve never thought much about it, but there is something to be said for a man who acts with manners. Some of the things she mentions, I don’t take notice of, but the sight of a big, strong man holding a baby? Totally hot.
Over on 400 days ’til 40, there’s an awesome post on love vs. lust. Part of what I love about being a romance author is the rush of new love. By the end of the story, readers have to believe that the characters will survive together beyond the newness of lust. The post points out that it’s in times of hardship that a relationship is tested. Excellent points.
Writing–
Kat Latham has an interview with one of my favorite authors, Louisa Edwards. I love Louisa’s books. I haven’t yet read her current book because when I met Louisa at RT last month, she said it was a cry book. Although I really want to read it, I need to be in the mood for crying.
Merry Farmer has a post on how difficult it is to come up with a good title. As much as we’re all told not to judge a book by its cover, the title is our first impression of a book. I, too, suck at titles. When I’m working on a WIP, the file is saved under the heroine’s name. The book that Kensington will be publishing later this year went through 3 titles with me, and then my editor said it would change again. I was totally okay with that because as I said, I suck at titles. We finally did come up with a new title. I’m excited to say my debut release will be called MORE THAN THIS.
400 days ’til 40 also had a post this week on ebooks. I’m a pretty new convert to ebooks. I bought a Kindle last summer and began reading ebooks because I saw a huge market there and so many books sounded interesting and I wanted to read them. Now, of course, being an ebook author, I’m even more invested.
Jenny Hansen had Margie Lawson do another guest post, this time on using humor in your writing. Really, you can’t go wrong with a post on Margie. Every time I take a class with her, or read a post, I learn something new.
Laughter ––
On feeling old. Over on Buzzfeed, there’s a list of 48 things that will make you feel old. Admittedly, most of the items did make me feel old.
Then, on Limecello’s blog, Carolyn Crane wrote about pop culture references and why so many of them won’t work. (They’re too old)
And finally, this brief article about Will Smith’s visit to the White House, made me smile. Will’s son Jaden really wanted to ask Obama about the existence of aliens. Will told him absolutely not. Jaden’s response? How much trouble will I get in for asking? That’s the kind of response I’d get from my kids. They’re all about weighing weather the crime is worth the punishment.
Do you read ebooks? Or do you still only hold paper? What would make you switch?
I’ve been hearing for the last week or so about shows that are being canceled and those that are being renewed for next season, and I’m a little depressed. A bunch of shows that I decided to try (many of which I like) are being canceled.
Some of the cancellations are not surprising, like NYC 22. I’m also not that surprised that Breaking In and Bent are being canceled, although I really liked them. GCB was one of my guilty pleasures. I didn’t look forward to it every week, but when I had some extra time, I’d catch up. Some shows I won’t miss, even though I watched regularly. Unforgettable tops that list. I liked the premise of the show, but something about the main character bugs me. Maybe it’s the actress, but there have been too many times that she’s come across as an airhead. Awake is a show that I’ve watched, but I have a bunch of episodes on my DVR to catch up on. Now I’m questioning if I should bother.
There are three shows that are chopped that I will miss. Missing doesn’t surprise me. I mean, really, how long could you draw out a single kidnapping? But I watched it every week. The Finder is another show that’s a little on the weird side, but since it aired on Fridays, it gave me something to watch over the weekend. The one show that’s being canceled that I think I’ll miss the most is Alcatraz. I like everything about that show. It had unique characters with some baggage, small conflicts in the search for the weekly criminal, and the overall plot arc of how and why the 63s were in 2012.
image from http://15strawberrylane.com/my-stories
Image taken from Amazon
I will say that I’m happy that my truly favorite shows have been renewed — Revenge, Castle, Blue Bloods, Mentalist, Criminal Minds, and Bones. I have all of the episodes of Scandal on the DVR but haven’t watched them yet. Since it too is being renewed, I think I’ll catch up. Body of Proof has also been renewed, and I’ve watched pretty regularly, but if I could trade this for Alcatraz, I would.
The list I used to double check things I heard on Twitter is here. With all of these cancellations, I certainly hope there are good shows in the works for next year, otherwise, how will I fill all of my free time?
What show are you sorry to see go?
It’s Sunday night and I’m going use this post to vent a little. Mother’s Day around here wasn’t just a typical day. It was a typical day leaning toward bad. Like I’ve said before, I don’t expect big celebrations and lavish gifts. But today was a tough one.
My godson spent the weekend with us because my friend was out of town until Sunday morning, so my morning started with a 30-minute drive to get him to his soccer game by 10. I stayed for the game because otherwise no one would be there to cheer for him. I didn’t mind doing this because my friend is a single mom in need of a break. I made my youngest go with me because both my son and my husband were sick (and we do call her Trouble).
Then I found out that Shorty made my husband breakfast in bed because he was sick (WTF?). Later she told me that she had made the breakfast for me, but then hid it and forgot about it until after I left. 🙂
Trouble and I had lunch at Sonic on the way home from the soccer field. Once I got home, I finished my editing for the day job and took my son to the Walgreens clinic to make sure he didn’t have an ear infection like his father (who went to the clinic earlier in the day, but didn’t think to bring our son with him).
After an hour at the clinic (no ear infection – YAY!), I went back home to get some grading done for my Thursday night class. Did I have to do it today? No, but since both of my daughters asked me to chaperone their field trips this week (one on Monday and one on Tuesday), not only am I losing writing time, I’m losing all my work time.
Dinner involved me going out and picking up Wendy’s for the kids and tacos from the neighborhood Mexican restaurant for me and my husband. At least I didn’t have to cook.
Before you think that my life is totally miserable, I did get a card from my husband and a dozen roses and a recorded book from my kids. The book made me laugh, especially the parts that weren’t supposed to be recorded.
I finished my evening by going grocery shopping so that I would be able to make lunches this week. And then I threw in a load of laundry.
Really, when you think about celebrating what moms do, I believe I covered almost all of it today.
How was your Mother’s Day? Did you get anything fun and fabulous?
I’m running late with today’s post because my modem decided to go crazy yesterday. Just stopped working (while I was in the middle of finalizing lesson plans for last night). Then it started working again hours later. Needless to say, a new modem is in my very near future.
So many good things to read this week!
First up, TV–
I talked yesterday about how excited I am that there’s less than a month until the return of True Blood. Chelsea Mueller over on Heroes and Heartbreakers has a post about one way in which the show improves on the books. I agree that having the story told from multiple points of view is great. I think the show gives us a better feel for all of the characters and their separate plots.
Over on Popwatch Denise Warner does a side-by-side comparison of the love stories of two of my favorite shows: Bones and Castle. The comparison only looks at the first 4 seasons, so it leaves out Booth and Bones getting busy, but for those of you who watched the Castle season finale know that Kate and Castle finally got together too.
Tiffany White has a post about the new shows that will be premiering this summer. I’m sure I’ll be checking some of them out.
Love and writing–
Since I write contemporary romance, I spend a lot of time thinking about couples and falling in love. Because of that, I thought it was silly to separate these categories.
Ingrid Schaffenburg writes about finding true love and how your soulmate will find you no matter what. I don’t know that I believe in the idea of a soulmate, mostly because that means that there’s really only supposed to be ONE person for us out there. I like the concept, and it certainly serves me as a writer, but I don’t know that I totally buy into it.
Emma Burcart had an enlightened moment when she discovered that personality really is more important than looks. She questions if you can be attracted to a guy who’s a jerk and I can absolutely claim that it’s a very real possibility. I’ve done it — lots 🙂
Over on the Lady Scribes blog, Andris Bear describes the meaning of different kinds of kisses. I think this is fascinating and something I will definitely incorporate into my writing.
Alisa Kwitney has a post about the flawed hero in contemporary romance. I found this really interesting because it touches on a couple of things I’ve talked about in recent weeks. While at the RT convention, Susan Elizabeth Phillips talked about the old school romances and why they were so popular — because the little secretary was able to conquer the shipping magnate. This post goes along with that idea and how heroes are presented today. Alisa also mentions a m/m book written by Damon Suede, who is the author that coined the term “come hands” that I mentioned in my post from RT about writing sex scenes.
Fun–
For any mom who has ever had her own words thrown back at her, I give you Erin Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms. We’ve all been there 🙂
I found this post from Pink Chocolate Break especially timely because I’m working on creating a workshop for writers. A friend of mine commented on my ability to remain calm during my journey to publication and she suggested I create a workshop on Zen in Publishing. It’s only in its infancy (like I have notes scribbled down haphazardly) but this post might give me more ideas. Zen tips to live by.
And finally, I couldn’t finish this week without mentioning the loss of Maurice Sendak. I didn’t know his books as a child. I didn’t grow up in a house of readers and we had few books. But my children know his books and we’ve shared a lot of great times reading about the wild things.
What is your favorite children’s book?
Shannyn Schroeder's Blog 