The Saucy Scribe

Another great review:

This one is from Chris at Night Owl Romance.

What’s a little unsatisfied lust? What is a wanton ice cream freezer slut? Read and find out! You won’t be sorry. And be sure to have some ice cream handy to cool you off!

4.25 hearts!

Read the whole review here!

A new way to win!

My publisher, Blade Publishing, has a really cool game to play on their website…”Win a free book the Vegas Way!” So if you don’t already have “The Kandy Shoppe” or have been eyeing one of the other’s on the site - why not take a fun chance today!

Holy cow - get a load of the size of these! My neighbor has a fabulous, drool-worthy garden (unlike mine - please see yesterday’s post) and he’s been keeping my family loaded up with all types of fresh veggies for a few weeks now.

But man, oh, man - what’s a girl to do with these?

The zucchini was just as big, but the kids like zucchini bread, so I can make that in bulk and freeze it.

But, I think if I serve the family squash sauteed with onions and olive oil one more time, I might have a revolt on my hands. Any sure-fire family friendly summer squash recipes out there? Please…If you got one, post it…I don’t want these beauties to go to waste, but the family is begging for some variety!

AUTISM IS JUST POOR PARENTING? Apparently talk show host Michael “Savage” Weiner thinks so and had the balls to use his position as a public figure to take his misinformed opinion to the masses! Now with this current public relations nightmare in full swing, the asshat is trying to backtrack - but maybe it’s time for him just shut up - with every comment he’s proving himself more and more ignorant.

As autism organizations and medical professionals alike voice their outrage at inflammatory comments made by controversial talk radio host Michael Savage, about most autistic children simply being “brats,” the head of the network that employs him appears to be taking measures to pull out of a public relations tailspin.

I think what this man needs is some public service time - time spent with kids on the spectrum and then let’s see if he changes his tune. In the meantime…
You can read the rest of ABCs comments in the article here.

MY ZUCCHINE ISN’T GROWING? Why? I have no clue. I water (I don’t think I’m drowning them…) they get plenty of sun. Yet the plants continue to flower and then wither and die? WTF is going on?

MOVIE TICKETS? OMG…now I get why the hubby refuses to go the movies and insists on waiting for the DVD. I took my daughter to a matinee (with supposedly reduced prices - yeah right) last week. A 1 pm showing of Kit Kitteridge - American Girl. Thank goodness I decided to stop at the local grocery store to buy snacks before hand. The price you ask for the two of us (and she’s a kid!) was $16. Come on. I think that’s the last movie I’m going to see this summer - I don’t care how great the movie is, it’s just not worth that kind of money. Netflix - We love you

BOOK THONGS! - On a recent trip to Michaels I picked up some beads and some really pretty colored hemp cording to make book thongs! Of course, I’ll be giving them away over the next few months to subscribers of my newsletter (which you can find on both the “home” and “win” pages of my website) along with some fun themed scrapbooking sticker pages. (Check out the sidebar for this month’s newsletter contest prize - you’ve got to be in it to win it…LOL)

The Romance Divas annual Not Going to Conference Conference will make you feel a bit less deprived! Amazing workshops, a star-studded guest list and awesome giveaways, all on the Diva forum! Don’t miss it!

Here’s a bit of a schedule update for the Q&As and Workshops…

Wednesday, July 30

Paula Guran, Editor, Juno Books
Q&A on Creating Kick a** Heroines

Laurie Rauch, Editor, Samhain Publishing
Workshop on What Happens After the Contract (aka Editors are People Too!)*

Thursday July 31

Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary
Q&A on Inspirational Romance Stories and the Inspy Market

Sandra Schwab, Historical Romance Author
Workshop on Historical Accuracy and Anachronisms

Friday, August 1

Yolanda Sfetsos, Author of Guarded by Stone
Q&A on Paranormal and Urban Fantasy World Building

Katie MacIver, KatieDidDesign
Workshop on Website Design and Color Selection

Saturday, August 2

Joey W. Hill, Erotica Author
Workshop on Plotting Erotica and Erotic Romance

Rhonda Stapleton, Editor and Author
Workshop on Style and Voice

How about if I list some door prizes?

• What Gwen said” mug donated by Gwen Hayes
• 3-chapter critique of a YA by Simon Pulse author Rhonda Stapleton
• 3-chapter critique of a YA, chick lit, or rom com by Golden Heart Finalist Amanda Brice
• An ebook of your choice from Nell Dixon’s backlist
• An ebook of either Second Sight (paranormal romance) or Dragons’ Choice (fantasy romance - dragon-shifters) from Debbie Mumford
• Ten dollar Amazon gift certificate from Jodi Henley
• Lush stuff from Seeley deBorn
• e-book copy of Chasing Shadows from Erin Richards
• Paperback copy of Iron Horse Rider OR Smiling Eyes from Adelle Laudan
• Book thongs from Angeleque Ford
• 3 chapter critique from Sela Carsen
• winner’s choice of ebook copy of “Not Quite Dead” or “Heart of the Sea” by Sela Carson
• e-book copy of HEATWAVE by Eden Bradley
• e-book copy of BREAKING SKYE by Eden Bradley
• a box of goodies, trade and paperbacks, bath products candles, etc… All for a fun and relaxing home spa day treat. courtesy of The Midnight Moon Cafe
• 1 download each of Natasha Moore’s Samhain books, The Ride of Her LIfe and The Passion-Minded Professor
• a copy of “Painted Soul” by Mary Quast
• e-book copy of HER CINDERELLA COMPLEX by Jenna Bayley-Burke - Samhain
• e-book copy of PAR FOR THE COURSE by Jenna Bayley-Burke - Samhain
• e-book copy of FOUND by Jenna Bayley-Burke - Wild Rose Press
• e-book copy of NIGHT OF INSPIRATION by Jenna Allen - Phaze
• e-book copy of ON AGAIN by Jenna Allen - Phaze
• $10 gc to Amazon from Kendal Corbitt
• ebook Vampire Oracle: Harmony by MG Braden
• Ebook ARC, Art of Sensuality by Jax Cassidy

Plus a lovely bar of wonderful Chagrin Valley hand made soap, Caramel Pralines jar candle, handmade jewelry, Tarot readings, a Lush box for European Divas/Dudes, a $10 fictionwise gc and much more!

I’ve got tomatoes! Yes, the pots of vegetables I planted out on my patio are beginning to actually yield something edible! So far the harvest has included a bunch of basil and two tomatoes, but since I have a habit of killing most things I plant - this a major feat for me!

A Playstation 3 that actually works! Wowza, it only took three return trips to Sony to get a playstation that works the way my son had hoped on Christmas morning. Maybe I shouldn’t jinx anything, but so far so good. I guess it’s true - 3rd times the charm.

I didn’t win at the casino? Sad, but true. Hubby and I did have a really nice two-day getaway alone and that was well worth the trip, but a girl can still hope the slot machines will pay out right? In all fairness to Foxwoods, I did enjoy myself at their expense for hours! They gave me a ticket for $30 in slot play since it had been three years (I couldn’t believe that!) since I’d graced their fine establishment. Hubby picked out the slot machine, I inserted my ticket and played on that machine for the 3.5 hours without putting a cent of my own money in - and walked away $130 richer for my time! I proceeded to lose that plus a bunch of our own the next day at Mohegan Sun. Oh well. The price of fun.

Writing, writing, everyday!While I might fall short some days of my 1000 word goal, I am making writing progress on my WIP every single day. Not an easy task with the kids home from school for the summer, but I’m proving it can be done with a little focus and maybe a bribe or two to “leave Mom alone just a little bit longer!” I expect my edits for my upcoming December release “Her Knight Before Christmas” anyday - we’ll see how that goes.

Got anything noteworthy this week? Don’t be shy - play along!

My usual morning routine goes something like this:

1. Walk bleary eyed into the kitchen and turn on the computer on my way to the coffee pot (which is on a timer and is ready to be poured waaaay before I make my appearance!)

2. Scan the emails in ALL my accounts (okay, I have a problem, I admit it.)

3. Check into the few groups that I belong to.

4. If I’ve decided to blog that day, I’ll do that - if not - I’ll just blog hop around for a bit (usually from my sidebar, but I do get sidetracked from my own and will generally hit a link from a blog I’ve enjoyed.)

5. Then I get down to business of writing.

Now this morning I read a really interesting post over at Karen Knows Best. This great post had to do with commenting or the lack of commenting and why.

So I got to thinking that the reason my blog is probably so dead is probably because that while I read a lot of blogs - I don’t comment all that often. Bad, bad, girl…I do see where I’ve gone astray on this. *So, I’m making a commitment to comment.* Be prepared, I’ll be spreading my rays of comment sunshine all around the blogosphere from now on.

Along with the posts thoughts on the lack of comments possibly being because many people read blogs now on readers - you know those little buttons we all put on our blogs to encourage people to sign up for? Sure it’s great to read all your blogs in one place - but it’s extra work to comment. So when you encourage people to “sign-up” are you really encouraging them NOT to comment? Are we bloggers losing touch?

Then there was the comment about the blogger commenting back *more bad news for me* Wow, smack me upside the head! I’ve been sabotaging my own readership because apparently reading the comments isn’t enough - I need to comment back!

Talk about the lightbulb moment!

What have we learned here at the Saucy Scribe today? Comments people. It’s about commenting on other’s blogs - it’s about responding to the comments you get. Not sure I’m ready to pull the “subscribe in a reader” button just yet - but I’d be curious to hear some of your thoughts on that.

Happy blogging and commenting!

Do you remember when this man hit the scene? Well, he started out as a teenage rap artist and before we knew it, he’d landed a tv show (Fresh Prince of Bel Aire - remember that?)

I’ll admit I was pretty darn surprised he could act. And act well.

From the Wild Wild West to Men in Black to Independence Day, I am always entertained by this fine actor (okay, so he’s nice to look at too ) I rarely miss a Will Smith movie these days. Even though I found the subject depressing, my son talked me into getting “I am Legend” from Netflix this weekend. While the movie gave me nightmares, I was impressed once again with Will. It takes quite an acting job to carry a movie pretty much alone.

There aren’t many actors these days that seem to have it all together - but Will Smith seems to be one of them. A sense of humor, a sense of family, and he pushes reading! What a guy!

I’m looking forward to “Hancock” which is in theaters now. Do you have a favorite Will Smith movie?

Gas Prices? I know Jennifer commented last week that she paid $4.79 a gallon, so I really shouldn’t be complaining about the $4.30 I paid a few days ago…but I will anyway. This has to stop. If someone would just explain to me why it’s okay for the oil companies to claim billions in profits at the expense of our nation, then maybe I’d feel better. Maybe not.

We have to return the Sony Playstation AGAIN? Do yourself a favor and DO NOT BUY a PLAYSTATION 3 (the 80g model anyway) - they don’t stand behind their products, they have shitty customer service and obviously their repair center has their heads up their asses. Three times I tell ya! Yeah, that was $550 well spent for Christmas this past year (yes, that means my son’s unit is only 6 months old and has seen more flight-time than I have in three years.) *Of course, I should add, this is my own personal experience and IF you have a problem, you may be satisfied with their idea of a reasonable resolution.)

I’ve finally figured out my writing style! I’m a linear writer. Not exactly a pantster, not exactly a plotter (I do have a very colorful chart with post-it notes on it with the flow of my story) - so I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. But the real challenge for me is always in the process, the editing. I can’t move on from a chapter until I’m really happy with it. Since I’ve done some plotting before I start I know where I’m heading. I polish and change, polish and change - until it shines before I move on to chapter two. Yes, it takes me a long time and sometimes I feel like I’m languishing in that chapter forever - but by the time I reach the end of the book, I’m generally pretty close to done. Some rearranging, some polish and editing - of course - but for the most part my first draft isn’t far from my finished version.

Been a slow week for me - have anything I wouldn’t believe?

A little slice of heaven that is! If you’re looking for a sweet romantic comedy - look no further than this heartwarming tale from the fabulous Gina Ardito.

An Angel With a Bruised Spirit…
After a humiliating breakup, Gianna Randazzo temporarily works at her family’s pizzeria and rescues the stray cats that appear on her doorstep. Until the night the stray on her doorstep turns out to be a man!

A Devil’s Bargain…
With educated speech and sterling manners, Kyle Hayden isn’t the average homeless man. Touched by his situation, Gianna offers him a place to stay and a job. And when he cleans up to reveal a super-hunk, he’s the perfect phony, doting boyfriend to escort Gianna to her ex’s upcoming wedding. Or maybe this time, love could be for real.

I’m so happy for Gina that this book is out and it’s the perfect summer-read.

School is over? My oldest is done, the other two have one more day - where did the school year go?

I sold another novella? Yes! I did. My Christmas time-travel, set in NYC ten days before Christmas will be a December 2008 release from Blade Publishing.

We had to send my son’s Playstation 3 back to Sony a second time for repairs? I wish is weren’t true, but it is. The unit was purchased back in October, wasn’t opened until Christmas morning and has been from NY to Texas twice already. The damn thing freezes in the middle of games and refuses to play blue-ray movies. All this joy for the asking price of $499!

Lobster Pants? Are you happy to see me or are those frozen lobsters in your pants? No, I didn’t make this up -read it here!

Got anything I wouldn’t believe?