USA Today Best of 2012

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Is April finally over?

Between tons of work, learning the ropes with editing reviews for Coffee Time Romance (now I know why their reviews don't sound amateurish!), and winter weather that just kept hanging on, this has been a heck of a month. Capped by Total Laptop Failure.

I'm sooo ready for May!

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Watcha Readin Wednesday...

Well. I've been spending lots of time perusing my Dell owner's manual and Windows HELP files. (they haven't helped)

I did have a book finished to review, but it's rather difficult to do now. My laptop crashed and burned. Going to see about repair/warranty for it tomorrow.

Finally got a day off and it looks like I'll be headin' to Best Buy - 70 miles each way.

Awesome.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Tube Tuesday

The starlet's fairy tale:
I was digging for romantic clips and (not surprisingly) ended up in Notting Hill. Hugh Grant... be still, my beating heart. Well, not still, just slower... anywhooo. Spike the Flatmate is one of my favorite secondary characters of all time so I had to include this bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUjIYX9IAYs&feature=related

Spike is worthy of so many laughs.

And okay, here's the wildly romantic clip, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x8vN6WcRWA

In case you didn't know, the soundtrack for this movie is phenomenal. Awwwwesome tunes.

Happy Tuesday!

Autumn
Got romance?

Monday, April 27, 2009

Thing That Sucks More Than Mondays

This "thing" sucks when it blows.
It disturbs sleep, ruins picnics, sends everyone scurrying home from a day at the lake, closes amusement parks, sinks ships and can cause helicopter rescues to fail. It grounds flights and delays planes landing, knocks power lines out, kills trees, intensifies storms and is probably the reason Aqua Net was invented.

I'm talking about wind, m'friends, and I'm damn sick of it. Remember that Schwarzenegger movie, Total Recall, where he was at the colony on Mars? Whenever humans left the Dome, they were subject to hurricane-force gales. Yeah, that's what it's been like around here lately.

I'm on the look for the place on planet Earth with least wind. And planning to move there.


Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Friday, April 24, 2009

Friday Funny

In a trial, a southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman, to the stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"
She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."
The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"
She nodded. "Why, yes, I do. Iv'e known Mr. Breadley since he was a youngester, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with andone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with threee different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him."
The defense attorney nearly died.
The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you ideots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair!"

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Good news Thursday

It's mid-April, maybe not the most widely known time for romance, but hey - 'Fuscius and I got engaged in April.

So I dug up this slideshow of lasting celeb marriages, which always makes me happy to see (and a couple of the women even became Mrs. HunkyHunk instead of keeping their own names):

http://www.parade.com/celebrity/slideshows/lasting-celebrity-marriages/lasting-celebrity-marriages

For a chuckle at the expense of some whimsical, spontaneous celebs, click on the tab labeled "Quickie Celebrity Marriages".

Ah, infatuation.

Happy Thursday!

Autumn
Got romance?

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day

So. Since I'm still only about halfway through my current reading selection - Voyager, 3rd in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series... no book review today.

Instead, I'll just wish my fellow Earthlings a healthy and happy Earth Day.

Enjoy!

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Tube Tuesday

The identity crisis sufferer's fairy tale.
More Roberts/Gere action. This time, Runaway Bride. And not the finale - just an awesome scene about two people totally blindsided by love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QEeXNiJ4Cg

Autumn
Got romance?

Monday, April 20, 2009

Things That Suck More Than Mondays

Ugg. How about:
  • Heading off to work on Monday knowing you only finished a fraction of the things you needed to, over the weekend.
  • Leaving the house a disaster on Monday morning, knowing you'll be in no mood to deal with it when you get home from work.

Jack Johnson sings a song where he hopes "this ole train breaks down" because he wants off... yeah. I'm so there.

Happy Monday, though. Looks like a sunny one, here.

Piper Denna

Romance is sexy!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Friday funny

Whew. This week has kicked my heiney.

I'm ready for the weekend and looking for a laugh anywhere I can find one. Hopefully this will give you a chuckle:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.
They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.'
'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.' Poof! She's gone.
'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.' Poof! He's gone.
'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'
Moral of the story? Always let your boss have the first say.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Amazon did what?

If you're anywhere close to the publishing industry or are a regular Amazon customer or just generally like books, you may have heard the hoopla this week regarding Amazon stripping sales rankings from anything remotely homosexual.

Well. I was slow to jump on the bandwagon when I saw the "calls to action" to sign a petition and be mortally furious with Amazon, in part because the evidence given just didn't make sense or add up. It rather looked like some people patched together a few comments from Amazon spokespeople, but still didn't manage to make the case. These folks insisted Amazon had taken sales rankings from anything gay (including a children's book about a little girl with two moms) but left rankings on hetero porn and erotica (e.g. Playboy books, which appear to be the ultimate nemesis of all GLBT writers). The hoopla crowd also claimed these books wouldn't come up in searches anymore, or if they did, they placed way down the search list.

Low and behold, after two days of viral forwarding and shouts of "censorship!!", Amazon steps forward to announce they'd had a technical problem which had dumped thousands of items, not just GLBT material. The roar has settled to a few mumblers who insinuate Amazon is "covering its tracks" due to the uproar. Uh-huh.

Newsflash: If a company decides to take a particular "moral" stance, it's not going to simply change its mind and lie about it days later. If the issue is important enough for a behemoth company like Amazon to stand up for, then said company will surely expect and deal with complaints.

Geez. You know, I'm pretty rile-able, when I find something that seems like it needs some backing. What I don't get is people who are so wishy-washy that they'll let themselves be riled at the drop of a hat, just because somebody tells them they should be.

Signing off and heading to middle school again (where someone is always riled!),

Autumn
Got romance?

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

This week's review title is Mine Till Midnight, by Lisa Kleypas. This book is first in a series (I'd previously read and reviewed the sequel, Seduce Me At Sunrise, and loved it).


Kleypas weaves a gripping story and likeable characters. This is a historical series with an unusually fast pace. I have a confession - which will probably rock the historical readers of the world, but I must get it out in the open: I'm not so big on historical description. Tell me what color dress she wore and maybe the type of fabric and be done. I don't need to know every last detail. Nor do I care about her coiffe. Is it up or down? That's all I want to read. Tapestries, schmapestries. Puhhlies. Get the story moving already! Kleypas gives us a minimum of description and keeps the plot rolling.

Thanks to these books, I now have a bit of a sweet spot for gypsies. And this installment is a perfect opener for book #2, so I feel like now I must go back and read Seduce Me At Sunrise, to properly experience the tension build-up as Kleypas intended.

I love these books. Can't wait to read more about this family. This book is a Keeper. You won’t regret either time or money spent with this book. It has a permanent spot on your shelf. Recommend it freely and lend it carefully to that trustworthy “inner circle” of reader friends. Lisa Kleypas is on my To Be Read list.

On the nightstand: Charlie All Night, by Jennifer Crusie.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Tube Tuesday

A fairy tale for any woman in dire straits. Pretty Woman. Roberts and Gere, oh my.

Here, the finale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIl-h6IQKn0&feature=PlayList&p=2CE65861CB7BF551&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=11

And just for good measure, the smokin' hot Piano Scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNOz7cfQoC0&feature=related

Happy Tuesday!

Autumn
Got romance?

Monday, April 13, 2009

Manic Monday?

I couldn't get my head around any "things that suck" to write about today. Sure, I could bitch about the weather and how sick I am of snow (and clouds in general) and definitely wind. Or I could whine about my crazy work schedule for the next two weeks. And God knows I'm not very happy about some changes and issues I'm having with a publisher right now.

But you know.... 'Fuscius and I both have (mostly) steady jobs, we can feed and clothe our kids, we got another load of firewood to keep our house warm, and I've still got a little Cadbury creme egg in the corner of my mouth (yes, I'm writing this Sunday night instead of Monday morning!). We're much better off than lots of people. We've got great friends nearby, lots of family (enough that we avoid some of them whenever possible, LOL), we're healthy - health and dental insurance only a couple short weeks away, woohoo! - and I've got a brand new laptop battery so I can keep on churnin' out books. Heck, yeah. It could be much worse.

So no bitching and whining this Monday.

Piper
Romance is sexy!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Friday Funny

More music mix-ups from young Fuscius-etta

Uncle Kracker's Drift Away: Give me the Beach Boys, and free my soul....

Always good for a laugh, that one.

Autumn
Got romance?

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Better off not "Knowing"

Fuscius and I went out last weekend, the works (sans kids): Dinner, movie, hotel (yeah, I was easy and totally let him seduce me, LOL). Well. Our friends saw I Love You, Man, which would have been a better choice than the flick we ended up seeing: Knowing, with Nic Cage.

I'm a big Cage fan. And the synopsis looked okay, the trailers looked intriguing where his son held these sheets of paper covered in numbers, which correspond to all the major disasters in the last 50 years. Cool. A number puzzle. Somebody's gonna be a hero. The previews showed lots of action scenes and this clever scientist who'd solve the mystery and prevent some greater tragedy. And this week I've seen lots of trailers pimping it as a movie about hope.

Not so much. This was the most depressing movie I've seen in like... ever. Nic's character drank himself into oblivion every night after tucking his boy in, and was only half there before the kid went to bed, not that it was the point of the movie. I found a huge disconnect between the numbers and the final, devastating event. What was the point of anyone knowing what the numbers meant? None of the events could be prevented! How could the Power who gave this information to the little girl predict the future anyway? On the upside, I really hate stories where humans destroy the planet, but in this movie the humans did not affect their outcome for good or bad. So hey - relax about global warming! The End is near and there's not a damn thing anybody can do about it!

Tag line should have used been: Life sucks and then you die.

One kudos: The little girl in this movie is probably the scariest kid EVER. Totally freaky. She makes the Children of the Corn look like Gerber Babies.

This review isn't about thumbs up or thumbs down. I wish I'd have had thumbs for my eyes and ears during it.

Save your time. Save your money. Watch An Inconvenient Truth - it's more uplifting. And if you think I'm rude for spoiling the movie, truly, I am trying to spare you!

Autumn
Got romance? (Knowing does not, by the way)

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

This week's review title is Once a Cowboy, by Linda Warren. ** I read it on the Sony Reader, **and guess how much I paid for it? Nada. Zip. Zilch. It was a freebie in Harlequin's big anniversary giveway. And hey, let me be totally honest. I wasn't expecting much from "free" books. In the past, I've read a few stinkers pubbed by the big house that starts with an H with a Q in the middle. In part, I think the shorter length novel isn't my thing because I have a hard time connecting deeply with characters in so few pages. This wasn't a problem with Once a Cowboy, though.

PI Alex is hired to determine whether rodeo champ-gone-rancher is the son of a family whose baby was stolen when just two days old. To say her intrusion is unwelcome in his life would be an understatement. Their chemistry is great, though, and the story is fully developed, complete with well rounded secondary characters. Alex deals with everyday family problems of her own, while feeling a realistic compulsion to help Brodie cope with bigger issues.

Thanks to this nicely written and well-edited novel, I'll give that Harlequin rack a second glance the next time I'm shopping for something new to read. When we don't have many dollars to spend, it's nice to know we have affordable options. And I won't forget that Harlequin titles are all available as ebooks now, too.

This novel is a Nice Bang for Your Entertainment Buck. Worth your time and money, but not necessarily worth a re-read. Pass it on to someone who’ll enjoy it and keep the author on your radar.

Just finishing up: Mine Till Midnight, by Lisa Kleypas

Autumn
Got romance?

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Tube Tuesday

High school fairy tale:

Another romantic scene... full of top-notch acting and heart-rending dialogue, the finale of 10 Things I Hate About You.

All the components of a classic romantic HEA. Prepare to choke up (and not just over seeing the irreplaceable Heath Ledger in action):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGYRw6v4nSo&feature=related

Autumn
Got romance?

Monday, April 6, 2009

Things That Suck More Than Mondays

This one rates pretty high on the suck-meter:

I wrote a reader review for a friend's book on a retail site. Review came out fine, but somehow the "star" rating posted as 1/2 star. Yeesh.

Surprisingly, she is still my friend.

Am currently working with the site to see if they'll edit it or remove it so I can try again.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Friday Fuscius Funny

Cornfuscius dropped another freshwater pearl today...

He wishes women did not wear shirts.

Oh yeah. He's still okay on testosterone.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy (even if the breasts of women who never wear shirts/bras are not)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

April Fools?

Did anybody else notice an unusual proliferation of April Fools jokes yesterday? I'm wondering if it's because the economy sucks and humor is free? It just seemed like lots of silly jokes and cutting up on TV last night.

Nickelodeon has been suggesting pranks for weeks during commercial breaks, so young Fuscius-etta had a long list of ways to torture her brother yesterday. He didn't seem particularly receptive.

Neither was Fuscius senior, when we photocopied her report card, whited out 2 of her straight A's and changed them to a D and an F... but hey, you can't blame us for trying!

I'm going back to my self editing hole now. Have fallen into nonstop revision mode. By the time I get done with this manuscript, it's not going to be much like the original. Here's hoping that's a good thing!

Autumn
Got romance?

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

This week's review is for a book by a friend of mine, Morgan O'Reilly. Halo In Her Pocket is available from Cobblestone Press. It's a novella, perfect length to take along on a short trip.

For any woman who’s had her heart broken, been jilted, or suffered a break-up that left her feeling less confident, this story is a dream come true.

Devyn is a heroine any woman can relate to, as she picks up the pieces after a recent self-image-destroying breakup. Shane is a man any woman can lust after. The “toys” he has at his house… well, maybe not everybody has dreamed of using them, but they are fascinating, right?

Morgan weaves a smokin’ hot, action-packed story set in an interesting locale (summer in Anchorage? Perfect for a looong evening of sex play!). Halo is a fast, fun read for any girl who likes to live vicariously through a very adventurous heroine.

It rates a Keeper. Put Morgan Q. O'Reilly on your To Be Read list.

On the Reader: Snowbound, by Janice Kay Johnson

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!