Build Your Book Boyfriend

I'm pretty sure everyone has either seen or done this meme already, since I'm usually on the tail end of these things. But Lucy Monroe tagged me, so I'm jumping in! In return, I'm tagging Maia Strong and anyone else who wants to play along.

Originally, it came from The Gutter Girls and here is their blurb:

We all have our favourite book boyfriends and now you have the chance to create one just for yourself and your fantasies! How do you play? Fill out the quiz below, post a picture of a sexy man and tag five (5) other book addicts to do the same. Don't forget to pop to their blogs as let them know they have been tagged! Once tagged... you have to do the same, grab the button, answer the questions, and keep it rolling! But don't forget the picture of the sexy man! It doesn't have to match your fantasy man, just a little eye candy for the rest of us... heheheee! - The Gutter Girls (a blog)

So without further ado, here's my Book Boyfriend:

*Hair Color & Style

Dark brown, on the shorter side, with a hint of curl at the edges.

*Eye Color & Facial Features

Brown eyes the color of dark chocolate, fringed with long dark lashes (side note: why do men always seem to get the gorgeous eyelashes? SO not fair!). Strong features, from sharp cheekbones to chiseled jaw. Full, kissable lips.

*Height & Body Type

At least 6'. Well-toned, but more on the slim and fit side than overly muscled. Swimmer's body, or skater's. :)

*Visible Age

30's.

*Bangability (kinky/bi/size)

A little kink is perfectly acceptable! He's not afraid to bring out his box of toys when it's playtime. And he's been known to appreciate male beauty as well as female -though when we're together, I'd prefer his attention be on me!

*Human or Other

Definitely human, unless Sex God gets its own category.

*Paranormal Skills

Ability to read my mind.

*Interests

Me! Oh, and music, ice skating, swimming pools, locker rooms, red couches, and making baklava.

*Special Skills

Multilingual. Skating skills = figure and ice hockey. Being absolutely adorable at any given point in time.

Enjoy!

Tagged! Three Lists of Five

Yes, I know, I've been MIA for a while now.

Big deadline coming up SOON, so I'm hunkered down in my writing cave for the time being. But the lovely Diane Craver just tagged me with this interesting meme, so I didn't want to wait to post it.

I am going to list three categories of books.

5 MUST Read Books, 5 Books on Your Nightstand, and 5 Look For These Soon.

Anyone I tag should put these same lists on their blog but SUBTRACT one book from each list and ADD one of their own. (My added titles are in RED.)

Then they should tag at least 5 more bloggers. It will be fun to see how the lists change as it goes around the blogosphere.

Please come back to this post and leave a comment so I can see how the lists are changing as they go around the blogosphere.

Since this is Book Buzz…please keep your lists to titles released in 2007-2009.

MUST Read Books:

Freefall by JoAnn Ross

It Only Takes A Moment by Mary Jane Clark

A Mile in My Flip-Flops by Melody Carlson

Yellow Moon by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon

5 Books on the Nightstand:

My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson

Sun Kissed by Catherine Anderson

Crazy in Love by Lani Diane Rich

From Harvey River by Lorna Goodison

Trading Dreams at Midnight by Dianne McKinney

5 Look For These Soon:

Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Wanted by Shelley Shephard Gray

Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

Midnight: A Gangster Love Story by Sister Souljah

The Hood Life: A Bentley Manor Tale by Meesha Mink and De’nesha Diamond

And since I'm on deadline, I'm going to tag anyone who stops by the blog and wants to play. Have fun!

I've Been Tagged!

The lovely Jami Davenport tagged me, so I'm playing along -- but because just about everyone I know has been tagged with this one, I won't be passing it on. Instead, anyone who reads this post and wants to play can consider themselves tagged. Fair enough? :)

The rules:

Tell seven random and/or interesting things about myself. Get five blog buddies to play, too and link to their blogs. Don't forget to post the rules.

1. I once sang The Theme from Mahogany in a Philipine restaurant in the middle of Munich, Germany. Under duress.

2. In my varied employment history I have been a movie theater ticket salesperson, a newspaper folder, a day camp counselor, an ice cream salesperson at festivals, and the Easter bunny.

3. In junior high, I went to Washington DC as a state finalist in National History Day with an individual performance about Chief Seattle (Sealth).

4. I taught junior high English for six years before staying home with the kids and pursuing a writing career.

5. My first foray into romance writing was fan fiction. A favorite TV show ended on a most annoying cliff hanger, and then was cancelled. I had to write an ending that gave the main characters their HEA. From that point on, I was hooked!

6. At WesterCon one year, I dressed up as Krissy Kochanski. If you can name the series that character is from, you win a prize! (Oh, and Maia, you're not eligible, since you were there! LOL)

7. In Lessons In Trust, the ambassador who throws the dinner party that Lucia and Eric attend is from Isole dei Re. If you've read Lucy Monroe's books, you may recognize that as the setting for her trilogy that includes The Prince's Virgin Wife, His Royal Love-Child, and The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain. She was nice enough to "loan" it to me for a fun little in-joke!

So there you go. Some are new, some I may have mentioned before -- now, does anyone have any interesting items to share?

Back -- Tagged and TT!

So we're back!

I had a great time at the conference. One of my closest friends moved last year to the town where the conference was held, so I got to spend a lot of time with her. And we even had a babysitter for two of the nights so I could join my hubby at evening events.

My TT this week is a bit random, thanks to Becka Goings' tag. I'm supposed to list eight things about me, and tag eight people. Well, I've already done this meme within the last couple of months, so there isn't much to tell, and I think I've already tagged everyone I know (and a few I don't).

So, instead, I'm doing thirteen things about me and/or my trip, and tagging anyone who stops by today who wants to be tagged. Hope that works!

1. One of the things we usually love about this conference is the nice weather. It's on the other side of the state, and tends to be really warm and sunny. This year, the weather, to put it politely, SUCKED. Windy, cold, cloudy, bleah.

2. We have a portable DVD player, but I never got around to setting it up, even though the trip usually takes about six hours each way. And the kids survived.

3. I refused the dessert menu at the big district dinner this year. Last year, I ordered a yummy-sounding dessert, only to discover it was a foot-tall tube of pastry filled with cream. STANDING UP. Aspiring romance writer with a phallic-looking pastry? The jokes never ended.

4. I write under a pen name, and only one person in the entire district knows I'm actually published. The rest think I'm still trying to break in to the traditional/sweet romance market. I'm starting to really hate the question, "So how's the writing coming along?"

5. I really don't mind hanging with the kids while the hubby is at sessions or luncheons. We walk downtown, play at the park, enjoy the pool (well, most years).

6. I'm also looking forward to RWA next year, when that situation will be reversed. :)

7. On long car trips, I hardly ever drive. My DH loves to drive, so I'll only take over if he's really tired. That's more than okay with me.

8. Now, more random facts: In high school, my nickname was Bob. After Senator Robert M. "Fighting Bob" LaFollette.

9. I once attended Westercon dressed as Crissy Kochanski, Dave Lister's love interest from Red Dwarf.

10. I'm currently re-reading Suz Brockmann's Troubleshooters series in preparation for her newest release this summer. She's one of the few authors I'll auto-buy in hardcover the first week of release.

11. Harry Potter 7 is another first week hardcover for me.

12. A very good friend of mine has made it to round four of Samhain's Best First Line contest. I've read the whole book and it rocks. Fingers and toes are crossed for ya, babe!

13. My kids can, while listening to the radio, identify the Beatles, the Stones, blues music, and "The greatest scream in rock and roll history" (The Who, Won't Get Fooled Again) Sadly, none of that is due to my influence. :)

Okay, done. Consider yourself tagged, if you so desire.

Tagged Again -- Eight Things About Me

I've been tagged by Kate Johnson/Cat Marsters to blog about Eight Things About Me.

Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.


So here's my list:

1. I once sang karaoke, under duress, in a restaurant in the middle of Munich, Germany. The theme from Mahogany, which I didn't actually know, but was one of the few English-language songs available.

2. I have a new yellow fuzzy bathrobe that gets so much static electricity in it, when I take it off in a darkened room it throws off blue sparks.

3. My eldest is annoyed with me that I won't wake her up at midnight to show her the sparks.

4. I do most of my best work late at night. My children, however, don't see that as a good enough reason to sleep past 6:30. Even on weekends.

5. My 20th high school reunion is this year, three days before my print anthology is released. I'll be carrying bookmarks and trying not to be too obnoxious.

6. On a weeklong horseback-riding camping trip the summer before I started high school, someone stepped on my glasses in the middle of the night and broke them. The very first night. I was almost completely blind for the entire trip. I have pictures of places I don't remember visiting.

7. I actually belong to a health club that runs a wellness challenge, similar to the one described in Challenging Carter. No strip aerobics, though. :)

8. I hate following rules. That's why I'm only tagging two people -- that, and the fact that most of the people I tag for these things either just did a tag from me recently, or have already done this meme.

So I'm tagging Diane Craver and Linda Winfree. Have fun, ladies!

I've Been Tagged! -- Five Things I Obsess About

Thanks to the lovely and talented Selena Kitt, I've been tagged with a new meme -- five things I obsess about.

Oh-kaaay... I'll give it a shot!

1. Reading series books in order. I used to be able to read a book even if it was in the middle of a series. No more. If I'm going to read Sue Grafton's mysteries, I've got to start at A, baby! It just drives me crazy to find myself in the middle of ongoing storylines and wondering who the heck that person is who just dropped in. And, of course, I adore series, so I have to spend that extra bit of time searching out the books in order.

2. Like Selena posted, I'm obsessed with Netflix. Is my queue up to date? Am I balancing choices for me, my husband, and my kids? Am I forgetting some new release?

3. Cooking Light magazine. I rarely actually try a recipe from it, but I've got stacks of 'em with gorgeous pictures and intriguing menu ideas. Then I go make chicken tacos like every other Tuesday of the year.

4. Entertainment Weekly. With three kids, I hardly ever get control of the remote, let alone enough time to watch a show on a regular basis. (Although I do make exceptions for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, which I listen to in the background most nights while finishing up work for the day job.) And forget about movies in the theater! But with my subscription to EW, I can keep up on pop culture, and even talk half-knowledgeably about what's going on with the latest reality show! (Plus, it helps me fill out my Netflix queue -- see #2.)

5. Technorati. What can I say, I'm insanely curious about what other people are blogging about! (And yes, I have been known to ego-surf from time to time. )

So there you go -- my obsessions. In return, I'm tagging Diane Craver, monkeybard, and Stacy. Have fun, ladies!