The Sizzling Scribes and the SWEET SPOT SERIES

Today I had a different blog subject planned but immediately changed my idea once I sat down with the computer. Today I would like to give a shout out to my Scribes sistas! We are a group of seven who have been together for quite some times. I’ve written about these six fine ladies before, but I guess today I’m just really feeling the love again. LOL

I thank god for writing. It was creative genes and love of books that brought the Sizzling Scribes together, but after all these years it has become only one of the things that KEEPS us together. We’ve grown as a simple generic clutch of friends to something amazing. We’ve tested the waters of friendship and watched that rapport explode to an all-encompassing trust and respect for each other. At one time it was only books we spoke about, now it is daily emails and phone calls. We share emotions of the ups and downs of everyday living, the joy of the birth of grandchildren, the frightening dark days of cancer and the bright days of remission. We share a bond that is special because it involves seven unique personalities. Lynn, Diana, Tara, Ari, Tielle, Cait and myself. We’re sort of like the recent lottery, a 1 in 175 million chance that we could happen!  I’m thankful that we did. What can you say when you understand on a deep level your life is better because these six woman are a part of your daily existence?

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, let’s talk SERIES! If you haven’t had a chance to pick up the Sweet Spot Series you really need to do so. Just a quick catch up: the series was developed by the seven Sizzling Scribes and takes place in the imaginary town of Port Clef on the east coast. Each book is unique in genre and main characters, but you will revisit the secondary characters in every sexy hot self-published story! To read about each story you can visit our shared SIZZLING SCRIBE website!

My addition to the series is called SUNDAY LOVE. It’s my second gay romance, which I discovered I really enjoyed writing. Tony and Jake….ahhhhh, two hunks meant to be together. So hope you have a chance to read the books!

Have a great week and one more cyber hug to my sistas!

Ruby

Happy Mother's Day!

Good Morning to everyone on this wonderful Mother's Day!
Some consider this to simply be a Hallmark holiday, another reason to spend money on a card.
But really and truthfully its not the card that matters. It's the time spent with each other. I love my
kids even though they are the reason I have gray hair and lose sleep some nights. All in all, they've
turned out to be decent semi-adults. Not sure how we managed to accomplish that feat but damn glad it
happened.
The only thing I'd like for Mother's day is time with my kids. Since they've shifted into this semi-adult stage, our schedules have kept us apart. I'm hoping to spend the day with my feet in the garden dirt, planting my veggies for the season with my kids helping. I plan to hold them to the fact they said they were cooking me dinner. Yippie! Gotta make sure that includes them cleaning up afterwards. LOL.
How are you hoping to send your Mother's Day? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear how everyone plans to celebrate Motherhood.

As a little side note:
This past month I was at the Romantic Times Booklover's Convention in Kansas City. I'm sharing a few pictures here of  the fun I had while meeting some wonderful people.

EC's Cavemen 

 Jose & Ramrod Disco Down

I was lucky enough to be seated at the giant bookfair event between two awesome writers. Erin Nichols on the left and Brenda Novak on the right. Brenda Novak started the Diabetes auction event several years ago and has raised a ton of money. So let's continue the fight and go to the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction site for a little bidding fun.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Mother's Day!
Tara Nina

Christmas in May?

Last summer, I wrote a book. My first full length novel since before my daughter got sick. She’s been in remission for two years, but it took me forever to get the writing mojo back. This particular story, SON OF A PREACHER MAN, was one that was in my head FOREVER. 

Or so I thought.

I started the story with a basic idea that sprung from listening to the Dusty Springfield version of the song. As I started picturing the story in my head (I see my stories like movies and then I madly scramble to write down what I “see”) it morphed and changed. Suddenly, my heroine was a gypsy. 

What? What did I know about gypsies?

Not much, so I researched and researched and researched until I felt like I could at least try to write a believable character without insulting anyone. (And I really did try, so if I screwed up, I apologize.) As the story moved along, characters who were going to be villains turned out to be nice, new characters sprang up, and people I was going to just mention briefly demanded bigger roles in the book. 

Who’s writing this thing anyway? I mean seriously, there were times I felt downright possessed. I wrote and wrote and wrote and when I wasn’t writing, I was thinking about it. The story consumed my life for all of last summer. 

Next week, it’s coming out from Samhain Publishing. I feel like a kid before Christmas. I’m counting down the days waiting for it to go live. I stalk review sites in a vain hope someone has an advance review for the book (no one has so far) and I stare at the cover art every day. 

Seriously, I feel like a girl with her first crush, wondering if the popular boy will like me as much as I like him. I loved writing the book, I loved the characters, even if they were a bit strong willed, and I LOVE my cover. I so hope people will read it and will love it too.

In the meantime, the countdown continues.  

Cleaning - and Keeping

My parents are getting on in years and Mom’s thoughts have recently turned to cleaning out the house. She wants us kids to have certain things before the two of them pass on. One, she wants the joy of seeing us get the stuff we can use/like/want and two, they’re going to downsize soon and this will be less she has to pack/get rid of later.

The problem is, I’m at the same stage. I’ve been going through our own attic and consolidating and donating “stuff” for the past year. My husband and I have been married for thirty-two years (come this June) and we’ve managed to amass FAR too many possessions over the years.

Some of what I’ve kept is for my kids’ places, when they get them. When Steven and I first married, we decorated with a combination of Early Garage Sale and Parent’s Attic. It was great! Mismatched table lamps, a gaudy couch that didn’t match anything, a kitchen table that had seen several generations of newlyweds – they all found a home with us. When our kids leave us, many of those same items will move on a generation further.

Which is why I came home from my parents’ cleaning with a trunk full. Some 1000-piece puzzles we’ll make and pass on, a table that my mom remembers being her mother’s, more than one bottle of liquor (unopened and old...but then, whiskey never goes bad, right?)...all things we’ll use or use up and a few things we’ll pass on to our kids when they leave.

Because, no matter how old we get, sentiment gets us – and more stuff comes into the house.

Sigh.

Play safe!

Diana

Springtime in Texas

Springtime in Texas means the bluebonnets are in bloom. They start blooming in early April and only last about six weeks, darn it. I would love for them to last longer.

Bluebonnets aren't the only wildflowers we enjoy in our beautiful state. There are also pink primroses.

And Indian Paintbrush. Their orange color is so striking against the green grass.

Plus these cute little yellow daisy-looking wildflowers. I'm not sure of their name, but I don't need to know the name to enjoy them.

And many more. If you want to see something truly beautiful, visit Texas in the springtime. You'll love our wildflowers as much as we do.

Lynn

Collective Nouns!

For years I’ve had this strange fascination with collective nouns. Now, I didn’t realize they were called “collective nouns” until recently but that’s beside the point. A collective noun is a group of things, like a flock of seagulls (the birds not the band), a herd of caribou and (because I went to a Catholic university) a gaggle of Nuns. 

Here are some of my favorites.

An Unkindness or Conspiracy of Ravens (Appropriate because truly I think ravens are the thugs of the bird world.  Tell the truth...don’t they look like little mafia hit men?)

A Murder of Crows (And what do you call two crows? Attempted murder!)

A Prickle of Porcupines

A Parliament of Owls

A Charm of Finches (several bird groups are called “charms” which I think is just adorable)

A Cowardice of Curs (another brilliant collective noun!)

An Ostentation of Peacocks

A Murmuration of Starlings

A Dazzle of Zebras

A Blessing of Unicorns

An Ascension of Skylarks

A Clowder of Cats (I used this in Jackson’s Rise. Reign is a cat shapeshifter and when all the cats get together—basically for an orgy—they call it a Clowder)

There are many lists available on the Internet.  Below is a link to one that I found particularly enjoyable!                                           

Have fun,

Tielle

http://animal.discovery.com/animal-facts/22-peculiar-names-for-groups-of-animals.htm

For the love of Dad, 28 hours round trip in a car.

Over the past few months, my Dad's health has been an issue. He was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). At the time, he considered it a death sentence, which in many cases it is, if the patient gives up and has no drive to get better. At my current age, he had a quadruple bypass and really never did much to increase his health. He is now a diabetic as well. Being in the health care profession, I've come to notice many who have anything done to their heart end up with diabetes as an after effect.
This past weekend, my daughter, Casey and I drove down to Georgia to spend a couple of days with him. It took 14 hours, we were dead tired and a bit giddy by the time we got there, but it was worth the trip to see him.

We hugged, talked, caught up, shot the shit, played cards, and scrabble. In essence we made a few new memories. The weather was crappy so we were stuck inside for most of our visit. I even nagged him about his weight, his eating habits and the amount of dust on his exercise bicycle. Not to mention, I wasn't at all happy he's smoking again. UGH! I told him I'd rather see him drink a glass of red wine everyday than smoke a pack of cigarettes every 2 days.
Parent's just don't listen. LOL! I'm planning another trip to see him in September for his 70th birthday. He said he hopes he makes it till then. I told him I hope to not see a cigarette anywhere in his house and that includes his wife, Karen. Hopefully, they quit. If she actually stopped with him, I think he'd stand a chance at succeeding. I have no intention of not continuing to gently push him toward a healthier way of life without pissing him off at me. I'm not ready to be parent-less.
Just spending time with him made me realize how much I'd miss him if he were no longer here. He's my only living parent. I lost my Mom five years ago to Liver and Pancreatic cancer. The only vice she had were cigarettes. She died at 64.
The two of their health issues are the reason I try to change my future with exercise, eating healthier (I do as best as I can with this), and I don't smoke. My only addiction is Ice Cream and I'm really trying to avoid it. I was in Jazzercise this morning and plan to be there every morning as long as I don't have work. Sometimes the paths our parent's take are not the paths we as their children choose to follow.
Life is all about choices. Choose to be healthy. It may not guarantee a long life but at least you stand a better chance of feeling fantastic each day you do live.
My dad looked a lot better than I expected when I arrived and I'm hoping he only gets healthier every day. I plan to celebrate his 70th in style whether he likes it or not. LOL!

                                             My Daughter (Casey), my Dad and Me