Karen Rose's Blog

I went to a motivational talk once and the speaker put forth the idea that each one of us needs to have a theme song for our lives.

Huh.

She had one for her life and it really helped her to focus on want she wanted, to remember who she was and who she wanted to be, to be the sound-track in her head that played when she was lonely or discouraged or full of joy. This song was her song, her theme. Her identity in song.

Huh.

She encouraged each of us to think of our theme song, the song that defined us, the song that we wanted to define us. She told us to claim that song, to claim the promises written in that song, for our own. Find your theme song!

So, I did. The trouble is, I can't remember what I picked anymore. I need a new theme song. Do you? What's your theme song? I think The Goddess Blogs might need a theme song. What should it be?

Okay, I cry at books.   A lot.  Always have and I hope I always will.  The first book that made me cry was Little Women.  I read it over and over and every time Beth died, I'd sob.  (Sorry if that's a spoiler.)   I was eight years old and I thought my heart would simply break.  My parents told me that I cried even as a toddler while watching TV – every time Fred Flinstone would get thrown in jail and Barney would have to bring a cake him with a file in it, they'd play the "sad music" and I'd wail.

I still tear up at the thought of those AT&T commercials from the late 70's – "Joey said he called just to say 'I love you, Mom.'"  Still gets me, right here.  watch?v=7b3313ch6lU&feature=related

I just finished a wonderful book that made me absolutely sob in the end.  It was so beautifully done, the hero and heroine inexorably headed for a Very Dark Moment.  You knew they were done for, even though in the back of my mind I knew it would all be okay.  It was a romance, after all.   I cried so hard my shoulders shook and when they pulled through I sent up a mental cheer.  It was an emotional rollercoaster and I loved it.

I could lie and say there was something in my eye, but I won't.  I was moved, swept up in this couple's struggle, in their despair.  I was taken away, my heart broken for them.   So I cried.   I have to admit this was in the privacy of my living room.  When I'm on an airplane and my heartstrings are yanked, I usually do pretend there's something in my eye

I sometimes cry when I'm writing my own books.  There's a scene in my last-spring book, SILENT SCREAM, that had me sobbing as I typed.  I don't cry with every book, but when I do it's a joy, which sounds a little paradoxical, I know.  The first time was a scene in my third book, I'M WATCHING YOU.  I didn't even realize I was crying until my eyes started to burn.  I'd been eating pretzels as I wrote and I'd wiped my eyes without thinking.  Note to self: Don't wipe eyes with salty fingertips, LOL.

I love a book that yanks me so deep that I feel with the characters – because when I feel their pain, I'll also feel their joy.

Do like an emotional rollercoaster book?  What was the last book that made you cry or cheer or both?  Is there a scene that simply does it to you every time?  Do you tell people it's your allergies or that you have something in your eye?

Last Sunday was a day of which nightmares are made.  This is true.  I've been on deadline for a good while now and in the last few weeks have been burning the oil all round the clock.  At this stage I typically steal short cat naps in between 20-30 page days.  Friday + Saturday had been marathon days, netting 55 pages.  I was smokin'.  (Not in the literal sense.)

So Sunday morning a week ago, 6 a.m., I stagger out of bed after about 3 hours sleep, flop in front of my PC and frown.

The screen...

We did a blog a few days ago on cat people and dog people.  Well, I have both, but today I am a Dog Person.

I have a dog named Loki.  He is named after the Norse god of mischief and the name is perfect for him.  We had some bumps with Loki at first and there were days I wished I only had cats when he was at the height of his puppydom.  But now he's two and has settled down to be a nice, goofy, 75 pound lapdog who thinks he's a cat.

(Sometimes he tries to get into the cats' hideyhole, but only h...

I have a confession to make.  I am a bad friend.  Or maybe not.  You be the judge.

Last night, I picked my very good friend up from the airport.  Some facts in evidence:

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The airport is an hour north of my house.
It was dinner time.
The airport is about 15 minutes from the Cheesecake Factory in Tampa, where we never get to go unless we're in Tampa for a reason – like picking my friend up from the airport.
I love chocolate.
My friend is gluten intolerant.

Okay, so the family and I pick her up a...

"Time to make the doughnuts" means "Time to get to work," right? Of course it does, if you remember the Dunkin' Donuts commercial!  If you don't, here's my favorite Fred the Baker commercial:

"Where's the beef?!?" means "All flash, no substance," which you totally get if you remember Clara from the Wendy's ads in the '80s.

I love commercials.  Mr. R speeds through them or channel surfs during the ads, but I find them fascinating bits of cultural flavor, especially the ones that create...

They say "information is power."  Not sure who the "they" are, but "they" must be wise, right?

Hmmm.  Not so sure about that anymore.  In this age of info-at-a-click, we get deluged with data, and I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling any more powerful than I did before.  In fact, I'm feeling a lot less powerful than before.

"Before what?" you ask.  Ahh.  Before THIS (cue scary music):

This is a dust mite.  It lives in your carpet and feeds on your dust.  (ICK!)

"Eat my dust!" you might...

I just got a new Droid phone.  It's a very cool phone and I've been playing with it for days.  One of the apps I downloaded was ringtones.  My ringtone used to be the Law & Order theme, then the Mission Impossible theme, for years.

But a new phone should have a new ringtone!  So many choices!  I downloaded lots of fun tones.  Right now the main tone is Travis Tritt's A Great Day To Be Alive because it always makes me smile.  Dedicated tone for Mr. R is Martina McBride's My Baby Loves Me (just ...

I just returned from NYC, where I spoke at the NJ RWA convention.  (Waving to Donna and Elsie, who I saw on Saturday!)  I had a very good time and the NJ chapter members were simply wonderful.

After the convention, I spent Sunday with my oldest daughter, who'd come with me.  We walked around 5th Ave area on Sunday afternoon and then she asked to go to the American Girl Place.  For those who haven't heard of it, it's a doll store.  A freaking huge and cool doll store.   We walked in and said...

I needed a break from the revisions on this book I am trying to finish, so I left my computer in another room and watched While You Were Sleeping with my family.  I first saw this wonderful movie on an airplane and embarrassed myself by crying all the way through it.  I've seen it maybe ten or more times, and I cry every single time.  (So does Mr. R, by the way.) Lucy is such a fantastic character and she's so good with Peter's family.  She's lonely and needs them - and they need her.  Jack is p