Friday 'Fuscius

Mr. Cornfuscius Himself had this freshwater pearl to share. It's a deep philosophical question:

If tomatoes are a fruit, why aren't they ever served with ice cream?

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. May your leftovers dissappear unusually fast this year!

Autumn
Got romance?

Special thanks

Probably not exactly an "original" notion, but time out today to be thankful...

• For preteens with a sense of humor, bosses with a sense of justice, and husbands with a sense of direction
• To Lyrical Press, who provides awesome opportunities for writers and editors
• For job security in times of uncertainty
• For a cozy fire on cold winter nights
• For internet access
• For lower gas prices
• For Jack Johnson's music
• For a paid-off truck that actually still runs
• For iPods, laptops, and ebooks
• For daughters who think Mom can "unstain" any garment, and sons who think Mom is pretty and NOT fat
• For contact lenses, alpha-hydroxy, and Miracle Bras
• For microsuede, fleece, and stretchy denim
• For Enrique Iglesias, Orlando Bloom, and Hugh Laurie
• To wonderful critique pals: Maya, you always make time to help out whenever asked. Jasmine, you have a knack for seeing what the rest of us miss. Sutton, so happy to have you as a "star" partner in crime - thanks for always being there! Kim, all bow to you as Trivia Queen Extraordinaire. Mary, when it comes to deep critiques, nobody does it better. And dear Felicity, kind friend, understanding and able to see the big picture. You certainly aren't afraid to roll up your sleeves and work hard on your writing, or anybody else's. We all appreciate you, very much.
• To feline friends, who give us a reality check whenever we start thinking humans are the top of the food chain.
• For girlfriends - in no particular order and by no means a complete list: Amanda, Doreen, Vanessa, and Lisa brighten the "real" world. Daily doses of Kate, Mary, and Twyla via the net make life livable.

Now, a quick laugh, courtesy of MadTV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80bcDhLfh50

Happy Turkey day to all in the U.S.

Kate and Rose - have a magnificent Thursday!

Autumn and Piper

Copy editing for frauds?

Okay, I'll confess: Even with the paperback version in my hot little hands, I'm STILL not finished with Duma Key, but I'm getting darn close.

So instead of a book review today - a funny instead.

I got this email - Abu from Dubai, who has more money than God, and wants to share it with me now because he's got cancer. Cancer that, in his own words, "has defiled every type of medicine".

Kinda reminds me of a keychain I saw today. It said, "Everybody's entitled to be stupid, but you're abusing the privilege."

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Weird But True 'tube Tuesday

I'd like to know who in the heck decided toilet cleaner should smell like wintergreen? Is it truly necessary to make me think of Certs while scrubbing the bowl?

Which made me wonder...

Yep. Youtube has a plethora of videos about toilet cleaning. 2270, to be exact.

Here's one I can say I've never tried, not even at my cleanest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96UlWKADpe4

Nope. I am NOT freaking kidding you.

Autumn
Got romance?

These all suck more than Mondays

• Pulling a loose thread, only to create a gaping hole in the armpit of your shirt
• Toothaches
• Wisdom teeth
• Dentist fees (seeing a pattern?)
• A burned out lightbulb wayyyy up high
• Oversensitive smoke detectors
• Last, but not least: Losing touch with old friends

Have a suck-free Monday!

Piper Denna

Romance is sexy!

Friday 'Fuscius

Another freshwater pearl of wisdom from our resident wiseacre farmer, Cornfuscius.

This from young Cornfuscius, wise old farmer in the making:

Karma is like a tetherball - it comes back to you, and if you don't watch out, it might even hit you in the face.

Eyup. He nailed that one.

Autumn
Got romance?

Scary Hair

A few deep thoughts on aging:

Whiskers and unibrows and belly hair, oh my! And for what reason?

Autumn Piper aka The Happy Tweezer
Got romance?

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

Still working on Stephen King's Duma Key.

It's awesome; life just keeps taking away my reading time.

Here's the trailer that inspired me to read it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC7WGD8PaP4

Sufficiently creepy unto itself.

Autumn
Got romance?

Tube Tuesday

I've got a new way to bait my muse:

Play her some Bonnie Tyler. Especially Total Eclipse of the Heart

I'm not talking about soft music in the background. I go all out - headphones, volume jacked up, repeating, until I'm virtually drowning in all that heavy duty emotion, singing at the top of my lungs (sometimes the back-up parts "Turn around...turn around..." and other times doing Bonnie herself, parading round the living room with my arms out like I'm ready to swan dive from the top of a steeple somewhere) and totally feeling the angst, baby!

Did I mention it's best to do this when the two pre-teens are not present?

Going back to my iPod now.

Autumn
Got romance?

More Things That Suck More Than Mondays

And here we are again...

• When the new toilet paper roll is all screwed up and won't tear off right
• A cracked Billy Idol CD (and no, I'm not over it yet!)
• When you simply cannot find that old photo you're looking for
• Bad breath
• Growing out of jeans
• Stretch marks

See? Mondays are totally doable.

Autumn Piper

Got Romance?

Freakout Friday

So my mom and I were talking about the "old days" when I was a kid - my brother and I used to sled with our older cousins down this big hill by our house. And by "sled" I mean, try out any conceivable object or material, large or small, to see if it would slide on snow.

We had this homemade trailer on skis made to pull behind a snowmobile - the thing probably weighed 200 lbs - we'd all climb in and fly down the hill in. Was it ever a bitch to pull back up the hill! Not all that safe either, I might add. We tried out black garbage bags, inner tubes, pieces of plastic cut from a big roll, of course the store-bought discs, an old Radio Flyer toboggan my dad refurbished for us one year - did I mention the old car hood? Oh yes, it's true. They slide like mad. But like the snowmobile sled, they're quite heavy.

So eventually we got to the part of the conversation where I, as the make-my-kids-wear-a-helmet-or-life-vest mom, realized how scary and dangerous some of those things were! I mean, how hard would it be for the corner of an old car hood to slash open a squishy little kiddie? Or that other welded-up death trap? What if had overturned on us? Oh my God.

Winter is well on its way here and we now live in the hills where we've got potential for a lot of snowfall. My kids will be sledding...

Maybe I should go out and clear a safe path for them. Maybe we'll skip the old fashioned wood-n-metal sleds. And what about those brittle plastic discs - suppose one of those snapped in half and became little more than a slippery stabbing waiting to happen? I like my kids' faces the way they are!

I don't want to ruin all their fun by being overprotective, though. I wonder if they'd settle for riding down the hill on a pool noodle? My mom (who perhaps was poking a small amount of fun at my expense) suggested I provide them with bubble wrap... do you think she meant for them to sit on it or for me to wrap them in it?

Overprotective and proud of it,

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

The Zone

There's nothing quite like that state of mind known as "the zone". It's where creative types lose themselves in their work, possessed by the Muse and generally oblivious to the world. Slipping into the zone is just as great a getaway as any substance-induced high. Kinda makes me wonder whether anybody has done brain studies on artsy types to see if our brains' pleasure zones are activated during frenzied creativity.

And is there a relationship between these inspired highs and the high number of depressed writers?

Food for thought.
(is that a brain snack?)

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Watcha Readin Wednesday

This week I'm thrilled to spotlight Sutton Fox's newest release, Book 2 of the Traveling Circus series: Center Ring.

The teaser:

Can missing family ties replace murder as a common bond?
Bereft of family as a child, Julia Cameron finally has everything she's ever wanted. Her billion dollar racing empire and FASPRO team in line for their first championship seems the trophy in the center ring. But, her enviable life came at the price of her adopted parent's lives, and now Julia has also inherited the responsibility of her teenage twin brothers.
Roane Jameson, the new head of FASPRO security, is determined to solve the Cameron case, and fast. Desperate to keep this job to pay his child support, he needs to create a glowing reputation to conceal his shadowy past. He's willing to do whatever it takes. How hard can it be when he's only got one suspect?

Center Ring is a fast-paced, suspenseful, steamy read. Julia and Roane are totally at odds; she's peeved to have him around as her "security" and he's out to prove she had her parents killed in order to inherit their empire. As her predicament gets deeper and he becomes more conflicted over his job, their inconvenient attraction will make you root for their happily ever after.

Thank goodness this book is part of a series - can't wait to see more of Julia and Roane.
My rating?

Get your own copy! A book you love so much, no way are you loaning it out. Worthy of high praise and frequent recommendations – but trust us, if you let someone borrow this one, they’ll “forget” to return it. Don’t miss the next title by this author.

Buy it here.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

On the nightstand: Duma Key by Stephen King. Yes, I'm still reading it and yes I'm loving it. Found the paperback edition in Wal-mart today so now I can tote it around with me!

'Tube n Trailers Tuesday - Jasmine Black

Check out this trailer for my pal Jasmine Black's upcoming new release, All For An Angel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjLg5m-DqZY

Happy tubing!

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Things That Suck More Than Mondays

By no means a complete list - we'll be adding to this weekly

• Pantyhose
• When your favorite show gets cancelled
• Dialing the wrong number
• Computer trouble
• Water splashed on your freshly-cleaned mirror
• Receiving mail marked RETURN TO SENDER
• Pelvic exams

If you've got none of these going on today, then happy Monday to ya!

Autumn

Got romance?

Friday Funny

Time for a bit of friendly advice from our resident wiseacre farmer, Cornfuscius. From time to time, he shares freshwater pearls (not to be cornfused with gems) of wisdom.

Today's tidbit:

Cornfuscius says, "If you're going to step over an electric fence, you should make sure it's unplugged from power."
(This public service announcement brought to you by Experience.)

Autumn
Got romance?

You Know Your Kids Are Getting Big When

You know they're growing up on you when they can rearrange their rooms all by themselves.

Growing pains are for moms.

Autumn
Got romance?

Time out for life

Big apology to my faithful followers. Due to life having me by the, er, vital parts, Watcha readin' Wednesday will recommence next week with a review of Sutton Fox's Center Ring.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Awwwwsome Heath flick for Tubesday

My daughter and I just spent our “morning off” re-watching 10 Things I Hate About You, with Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles.

It’s one we own, and well worth the investment. Many laugh-out-loud moments, fab music (I’m looking to buy the soundtrack) and a wonderful story. As long as I live, my heart will race and swell with romance every time I watch Patrick dancing and serenading Kat through the school PA system. Be still my throbbing heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6XGUhzfutc

Yum.
We miss ya, Heath. We really do.

Second-favorite scene? Kat purposely bashing her vintage Mustang into the side of Popular Jerk’s shiny new muscle car because he’d double-parked her in. I positively adore a kick-ass heroine. Add an erotica-writing principal, pot-and-Cheetos “confiscating” detention teacher, and an overprotective obstetrician dad, for chuckles all around. If you haven’t seen it, you should. Don’t we all enjoy a great high-school romance movie?

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

It's official - I'm chopped liver.

My fifth grade daughter, who only 2 weeks ago would beg to join me for lunch when I subbed at her school, has taken to shooing me away when I approach. Good lord. In only a fortnight, I’ve gone from Sought-after Company to The Uncool Plague.

No wonder moms need romances to keep believing in everlasting love!

The Uncool Plague
Got romance?