Book BIN Tuesday - Playing Dirty

Eeeeee! Susan Andersen has a new release!

I'm a huge fan of her work, and a new book is reason to celebrate. Especially when it sounds as good as this one!

*****

When high school golden boy Cade Gallari publicly revealed he’d slept with “fat girl” Ava Spencer to win a bet, he broke her heart. Now a decade older and a head-turner with her own concierge business, Ava isn’t the gullible dreamer she once was—and she plans to prove it when Cade, hotter than ever, breezes back into town with an offer she can’t refuse.

A documentary film producer, Cade is shooting a movie about the mysterious mansion Ava inherited. And he wants her as his personal concierge. She’s certainly professional enough to be at his beck and call without giving him everything he wants. Like another shot at having her in his bed. But Ava doesn’t count on Cade’s determination. Because he’s never gotten over her. And he’s not above playing dirty to score a second chance at a red-hot future…

*****

Doesn't that sound fabulous? So why not pick up a copy and Buy It Now?

Monday Movie Musings - So Many Movies, So Little Time!

Like many parents, I've fallen out of the habit of seeing films in the theater. The cost of tickets, added to babysitting costs and assorted sundry expenses, not to mention the time involved, made it more alluring to wait for the video or cable release and watch movies then. Some films, though, don't translate well to the small screen. And, of course, as my kids have gotten older, they've wanted to go to the movies instead of watching them at home.

So I'm looking at the movies that are in theaters now and making a list of films I want to see in their bigger than life incarnations.

1. Harry Potter, 7.2. This is a no-brainer, especially since FutureStar and Midkid have been chomping at the bit to see it, too. We'll probably go this week (though I'll never fully win them back after missing the midnight showing for the LAST HARRY POTTER MOVIE EVER.)

2. Cars 2. Not one I'm dying to see on the big screen, but GPS is, so to keep the movie-going-with-kids in balance, we'll be heading out to the multiplex for this one as well.

3. Cowboys & Aliens. Harrison Ford. Daniel Craig. An old-fashioned western until the spaceships arrive. Can't wait!

4. Captain America. Intrigued by the positive buzz I've been hearing lately.

5. Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty. Okay, this one's a wish list movie, since it hasn't been released yet (it hasn't even hit the festival circuit!), but I'd love to see this one on the big screen.

How about you? What movies are you looking forward to, or have enjoyed already this summer? And do you prefer seeing films in the theater, or in the comfort of your own home?

She's Baaaa-aaack!

It's been a month since I last blogged?

Seriously?

*checks calendar*

Dang.

*checks calendar again*

Oh, of course. That was the end of the school year. Makes perfect sense now.

Since then, I've:

1. Spent time with the family (all home for the summer);
2. Gone on vacation across the state;
3. Traveled to Oklahoma City for a day-job-related conference;
4. Read some great books;
5. Taken up golf (with the hubs);
6. Written!

...and there's more where that came from, with a camping trip and various day excursions planned for the rest of the summer. But I'm adding blogging back in, both because I've missed it and because I've got some exciting stuff coming up.

Including a new interview that's in the works! I think you'll be as excited as I am once you see who I get to chat with next. :)


In the meantime, here's a great deal I found out about yesterday. My Siren-Bookstrand erotic romance, Hooked, has been selected for their Retro Romance promotion, which means it's on sale here for only $1.99 until August 2. Pretty cool, huh?



Stop by tomorrow for a new Inspiration Friday post, and next week I'll be sharing some of my summer vacation pics, including one with me standing next to a giant metal chicken.

See you then!

VSC Auction, and Come See Me on NNN!

Just got back from a weekend fastpitch tournament, and I'm wiped, but wanted to let you all know about a couple of things.

First, if you (like me) were a fan of Reid Oliver on ATWT, there's a great auction going on over at ESS.com for some memorabilia from his time on the show. You can bid on the Harvard diploma that was seen hanging on his office wall in his very first episode, or the script from his final appearance on ATWT, autographed by Eric himself. Proceeds benefit the Vermont Shakespeare Company. Bidding will be taking place until June 26, so if you're interested, be sure to take a peek!

Also, I'm blogging over on Nine Naughty Novelists today about the Four Stages of Internet Embarrassment. Stop by and say hello!

The End is Nigh...

School gets out next week, and I'm on the last stretch of no-kids-at-home time before the horde descends for the summer. I'm really looking forward to the family time, but until that happens, I've got paperwork from the day job up to my eyeballs and not enough hours in the day to catch up.

So long story short, I may be scarce from the blog for a while. Look for me on Inspiration Friday, and I'll try to pop in with other posts when I can. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook. Wish me luck!

Book BIN Tuesday - Restraining the Receptionist

There's a new book out this week from the pen of Juniper Bell! Here are the deets:

Every deal has a loophole.

…the Receptionist, Book 2

Dana Arthur’s new job with the firm of Cowell & Dirk is going well. Translation: the occasionally kinky ménage with her two bosses, Ethan and Simon, has been several months of politically incorrect bliss.

Except the relationship feels unbalanced. While Ethan is the undisputed master, the partners’ iron-clad agreement stipulates that Simon must be present as she performs her “duties”. And she senses there’s a subtle, powerful tug-of-war developing for more than just her body.

Simon had agreed to share the firm’s fiery, sensually daring receptionist…to a point. With Simon out of town, Ethan plans a feast of erotic temptations designed to have Dana begging him to break the deal. He didn’t realize his heart would be a casualty.

Once she surrenders to his wicked demands, Dana realizes there’s no going back. It’s time for a three-way renegotiation…this time, all or nothing.

Product Warning

NSFW!! Do Not Try This at Your Job. Contains highly inappropriate workplace behavior including m/f/m, m/m, bondage, creative use of office space and a high-stakes trip to Atlantic City.

****

Whew! That should heat up your week, don't you think? So why not head over to Samhain and Buy It Now?

"Hi Kate" Inspires a Birthday Surprise!

Exhibit A

Okay, I know, it can't be much of a surprise if it's being planned and executed publicly online, but the thought is there, right?



In any case, fans of Eric Sheffer Stevens are putting together a photo collage birthday present/card for him, asking people to send in pictures of themselves holding "Happy Birthday Eric" signs with their name and town on them. If you're a fan and want to participate, send in your pic by Friday the 17th to k.5weet@yahoo.com. Easy peasy, right?



Have a great week!

Seriously?

Okay, someone out there who watches One Life To Live - is Jean Passanante really recycling the tragic-death-leads-to-heart-transplant storyline on that soap as well?

That's the rumor I've been hearing, and if it's true, I'm absolutely disgusted.

It was bad enough that she was responsible for the ridiculous, anvil-laden, offensive killing off of one of the most popular new characters on daytime at the end of As The World Turns. She and her team took a promising storyline - the Luke and Reid romance - and shoved it on the backburner, destroyed its momentum, dialed down the heat and sexual tension until it almost disappeared (it's a testament to the talent of the actors that they were able to maintain any romantic spark through months of "I want you and I will show you how much by brushing lint off your shoulder" bs), and shifted the focus to Reid the brain surgeon trying to save the life of a self-centered jerk who refuses proper medical care and exacerbates his own health issues. Followed by a meaningless death and the character assassination of almost everyone involved in the storyline.

And now she's doing it again? On another show?

And I hear this is actually the THIRD time she's done the same storyline?

I have a hint, OLTL team - GET SOME NEW IDEAS.

And if your writing team is incapable of doing that on their own, it might be a good idea to GET SOME NEW WRITERS AS WELL.

*wanders off, grumbling under my breath*

Glitter!

FutureStar has been working on a poster this week, for school, that apparently required large quantities of glitter. Glitter designs, glitter over glue, glitter glitter glitter.

Of course, we now have glitter everywhere. Kitchen floor, family room carpet, kitchen table, pretty much every pair of socks in the household, even FutureStar's eyebrows (don't ask).

It's a great poster, and it's been fun watching FS really focus all that energy on making it the best one possible.

So the proliferation of glitter is a small price to pay, really.

It also reminds me of my first-ever published work, a poem that was included in my college literary magazine. I'd written for years before that, but this was the first time I'd ever held my own work in published form, and it was magical.

Funny thing is, I'd submitted a bunch of poems, almost all of them emo and "deep", and they picked the light-hearted one I'd tossed in on a whim. And a year later, a friend told me that they'd been sharing favorite poems in class and someone had read mine. Just goes to show that you never know what's going to make the biggest impact.

So here it is! My first published work:

Astronomy

somebody spilled
glitter on the hallway rug
bare feet scuff up a cloud of stars
galaxies sparkling
I dance
through the Milky Way
(wrap Orion's belt around my big toe)
and waltz off to bed
Cassiopeia clinging to my heels

Monday (Not Quite) Movie Musings - My TV Week

(<--- This guy's got a busy week ahead. I think that's why he looks so serious in this picture.)

Sorry, don't have a movie to feature this week. But it's a busy TV week, so that's a decent replacement, right?

MONDAY marks both the start of the network upfronts (when the networks unveil their schedules for the fall season) and the season finale of Hawaii Five-0. I'm excited (and nervous) for the finale, but even moreso for the upfronts, as Fox is revealing their schedule at 3 pm. Will I Hate My Teenage Daughter be on the schedule, or will they hold it as a midseason replacement? With only two hours of programming a night, and large chunks of primetime real estate already claimed by the X Factor and American Idol, nothing is guaranteed until the schedule is out there in black and white.

Oh, and I'll be watching the second to last episode of Chicago Code and sniffling.

ETA: FOX has released their primetime schedule a few hours before their upfronts! I Hate My Teenage Daughter will be on Wednesdays at 9:30 following The X Factor. This is excellent scheduling because a) following a sure-fire ratings juggernaut will bring a built-in audience to the show, and b) I don't already watch anything during that time slot so I won't have to make any hard decisions!

Then there's TUESDAY, with Glee (only a couple of episodes left!) and more upfronts. Not sure which networks roll out the schedules. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with ABC, since soap fans are planning to protest outside. Also have heard that The Chew and The Revolution, the shows destined to replace All My Children and One Life To Live, are looking pretty lame. Awesome work, ABC Daytime!

Then, at 10 pm, there's a new episode of Body Of Proof, with this guy named Eric Sheffer Stevens in a guest role. If you've ever read this blog, you may have heard of him before. I think I've mentioned him once or twice. (translation: OMG SQUEE I'VE GOT IT SCHEDULED ON MY DVR ALREADY CAN'T WAIT.)

WEDNESDAY is set aside for CBS upfronts, which I'm really only interested in because of Hawaii Five-0 (and now that it's been announced ahead of time that it's been renewed for next year, I'm just waiting to see if they've switched nights.)

Nothing more really exciting that I know about until SUNDAY, when apparently that guy I just mentioned is also guesting on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. (translation: OMG HOW DID I NOT KNOW THAT UNTIL TODAY I HAVE FAILED AS A FANGIRL BUT AT LEAST I'VE MANAGED TO SCHEDULE IT ON MY DVR NOW.)
ETA #2 - First promo pic for IHMTD! ESS is second from the left. That's the costume he wore in the pilot. Wheee!

So there you have it, my TV week in a nutshell. What are you watching/following/looking forward to?