Gwendolyn Cease's Blog, page 20

Random Wednesday Blog: The First 5 Things I'd Buy If I Won a Million Dollars

Hello and welcome back to Random Wednesday Blog. Did you miss us??? I'm sure you did, I mean where else can you find such amazingly fun women along with male hotness???
Oh wait!!  I wasn't supposed to post my husband's pic. Okay, I'll leave it there as long as none of you say anything. ;-) He's shy, you know . . . .

Anyway, the topic being kicked around today by the Blogger Girlz is the first 5 things we'd buy if we won a million dollars . . . . Bwahahahahahaha

1. I am way boring so I would pay off all my bills. I have student loans coming out the wazoo . . . which is not a good place for student loans to come out of.

2. I really like my SUV so no new car, but I think I'd take it to a dealership and let them give it the star treatment. You know, really buff and shine and such. But I would get my sister a new car because she needs one.

3. I'd take a trip . . . to the most amazing place on Earth . . . that's right . . . Walt Disney World
I love that place and I haven't been in forever. So yeah I'm a kid at heart and I'd go and stay in the parks. Probably at the Contemporary since it has the monorail running through it. Major coolness.

4. I would rent a house on the beach maybe someplace like the Outer Banks. My sister and I are always talking about going there, but we never do. So yeah I'd rent a house for a week and invite the Blogger Girlz so we can get together and write and visit and eat and drink and . . . have a majorly good time.

5. I would build onto my house. Right now it's my sister, 4 cats, and me and we need someplace a bit bigger. We don't want to move, since that's such a hassle, but if we built on we could each have large bedrooms as well as a much bigger living room and kitchen. Win win for us.

Okay nothing very stunning, other than my hubs up there, but beyond that I'm not all wild and crazy. I wouldn't buy 7 cars or try to back pack around the world. Yeah, right, I couldn't even make it out of my neighborhood without calling my sister to come pick me up.

If you are interested in what the other Girlz would spend their hard earned winnings on go check them out: Bronwyn, Jessica, Kris, Jenny, and Leigh

See you next week!! --GC

Random Wednesday Blog: To Write I Need . . . .

Hey!!  Happy Gwens-day and welcome to another week of the Random Wednesday Blog with the Blogger Girlz! So this week's topic is all about what I need to write. *snort* Yeah, ummm, before we do this let's get in some gratuitous male hotness for my friend Kris Norris.


Ummmm, wow, okay . . .I think we should pause for just a moment to appreciate all this man is giving to us. Yep, there it is, that's all I need to write. :-)  Okay, so seriously, I don't need too much. Hell I've written in the middle of a busy doctor's office. When you gotta get the words in you do what you have to. But when I am out someplace like that the first thing I have to have is:

1) MP3 player and kick ass earbuds - because the noise of people talking and kids screaming doesn't lend itself to writing hot sex scenes. You know. I used to use the MP3 player all the time, but now I find that if I'm home and in my bedroom I don't need them anymore unless the scene calls for some awesome music.

2) Someplace comfy. I have written, like I said, on crappy office chairs, but it doesn't make me happy. I hate being squished up against people because I always think they're reading what I'm writing. And being out in a crowd while trying to be creative is incredibly draining. I'm an introvert so I NEED my space and quiet.

--True Story Time -- So Jessica Jarman and I have been friends for a very long time. We've spent close to 2 weeks with each other nonstop and I still love her to death, but the thing is, she's an introvert too. So when we were staying at my house she was in one room and I was in another and we were writing. But as we're writing were also messaging one another. Also when we go out to say someplace awesome like Starbucks or Caribou we sit across from each other with our laptops and it really looks like we're playing a huge game of Battleship. We each have our headsets and drinks and we write.

3) To just do it - see here's the deal I love to write, but often by the end of the day I am dead tired. I'm a teacher in a museum and the summer is our busiest time. So by the time it's 9:30 (like it is now) I'm lucky I'm making fairly coherent sentences. After I'm with those people all day long (kids) I just need to rest. But I also need to quite pissing around and get moving. So the biggest thing I need is:

A Kick in the Ass!!!  And that's usually where Jessica, once again, comes in.

So, there you have it. Nothing earth shattering or bizarre. I don't need handsome, half-clothed men fanning me (though it would be nice) or to be sitting at my fantastical desk in my awesome office. . . yeah, don't have either one of those. I just need to get my ass some place comfortable, open the laptop, and go.

Check out the other Blogger Girls to see if they need anything amazing. If you don't know who they are: Bronwyn, Jessica, Kris, Jenny, and Kellie.

See you next week! --GC

Random Wednesday Blog: A Few of My Favorite Things - Movies!! Or Stop Watching TV and Get Back to Writing

Hey!!!  It's Random Wednesday Blog time again and the Blogger Girlz are I are going to talk about our favorite movies. Wow! I don't know if there's enough space for me to list every single one of them, but I will cover the top pics. Now, I'll admit, I used to go to the movies all the time. But recently, not so much. It's not that the movies are any less good or whatever, but I feel as if I have too much to do and not enough time to give up 3 hours of my life. And this is why most of the movies are older. Also, they aren't in any kind of order. So enjoy!

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy - need I say more?? I mean fantastic story, amazing visuals, and awesome cast.   And I know what you're thinking . . . someone other than Viggo was in the movies and I say, "Really? I didn't notice."



 2. Donovan's Reef - If you haven't seen this movie I highly recommend it. It was made back in 1963 and starred John Wayne, Lee Marvin, and a host of other people. It is so funny and I remember my dad and I watching it all the time. I still watch it around Christmas since the holidays are a big part of the movie.
Whoops, how did handsome Viggo get in here???3. Raiders of the Lost Ark - I remember going to see this in high school with my girl friends. We had an absolute ball. I think we saw it together at least 5 or 6 more times. And it has Harrison Ford in it so need I say more.
There he is again4. Star Wars - The Original and the best. I saw this movie when it first came out in 1977 . . . I was barely an embryo, but saw it just the same. The special effects totally blew me away and I loved the story. Nothing like this had ever been made before and, as a writer, I was hooked.
Yum, this is him looking so earnest and sincere. Please Gwen, come away with me. Of course, Viggo . . . 
5. The Heat - I saw this not too long ago and laughed and laughed. I love Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock. If you haven't seen it you need to especially if you need a laugh. These women are amazing.

6. High Plains Drifter - Clint Eastwood movie released in around 1973. This was another movie my dad introduced me too. In fact, any time this movie is on my sister and I sit transfixed and watch it. We love this movie with it's paranormal elements and story of vengeance. Yep, it's got everything you would want.

7. Thor & Thor: Dark World - loved them, hell I love all the movies based in the Marvel Universe. And yes Chris Hemsworth is so beautifully yummy.But the ever awesome Tom Hiddleston is even more yummy because he makes bad Loki look soooo good.

I could keep going and going, but I won't. I'll let you go so you can see what the other Blogger Girlz are up to. If you don't know yet they are: Jessica, Bronwyn, Kris, Kellie, and Tess.

See you all next week!!  --GC

RIP Maya Angelou

I love Maya Angelou. The effortless flow of words that say so much without fuss or bother. The imagery and fire in every line. This is my very favorite poem and, the older I get, the more I can relate to it. Thank you, Ms. Angelou for blessing us with your talent.Phenomenal Woman by Maya AngelouPretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Random Wednesday: My Dream Yard

Hello!!  Welcome to the Random Wednesday Blog. Our topic this week is what our dream yard would look like. This is an awesome topic since I've been imagining my dream yard forever so to finally talk about and share it is amazing. Oh!!  But first I must post hunkey man for my friend Kris Norris. Here you go, Eh!


Ooookay, so yeah, yards. I know it's certainly not as exciting as Abs up there, but what can you say. I don't think any topic is as exciting. So my dream yard would be large and bordered by woods. I would love to have a really cute house out far enough to have privacy, but not too far that I couldn't go to the Barnes & Noble when I wanted. This one is close, but the porches would have to be bigger and screened in. Sorry I do not like bugs.

Anyway, I would want the back of the house to have another amazing porch, which would back up to woods. The woods would have a creek running through and be close enough to the house so I can hear it. The creek must have a waterfall of some kind because I love the sound of water. It's so relaxing.

I love this waterfall (right) and obviously it's not natural, but I'd want mine to look like this anyway. My cousin has a 15 acre farm and she has a creek and waterfall and wow, it's amazing. You can hear it from her front porch.


Next you gotta have plants and by plants I mean a lot of flowers and trees. Right now, in reality, my yard does have plants. I have 4 boxwoods and 3 miniature spruce in my front yard. My sister and I just planted 3 azalea bushes and flowers also in the front yard. We are currently planning a small garden in the back and then a Japanese garden she wants. I have a very large yard, but it's crappy. The back is all up hill or down, depending on how you look at it. So the more we plant the less I have to mow.

Wait! We're talking fantasy so my dream yard has woods and a creek and a waterfall. None of this I have to mow. I also have a lovely garden close to the house. In it will be crepe myrtle, flowering cherry trees and a lot of flowers.  See there are my flowers.




If you don't know about crepe myrtle check to the left. They smell so damn good. I have wonderful friends that live in Memphis and when I go to visit, these trees are everywhere. They are gorgeous and just make everything smell wonderful.




And that if you don't know what a flowering cherry looks like, there it is to the right. They smell awesome too and they are really pretty. I planted one for realz a few years ago and it was doing great until we had a killing frost at the end of April. Yep, you guess it. Killed my poor baby tree. Bastard weather!!


So there you have it. My dream yard/house. When I finally purchase it and move in everyone is invited to my house for a cookout!

Now head over and check out the other Blogger Girlz (Bronwyn, Jessica, Kris, Jenny, Leigh, and Kellie)  to see what kinds of yards they dream of having.

Random Wednesday Post . . . Shitty Jobs I've Had or I'd rather eat a bug then go back to that job

Hello!!!  Can you believe it's Random Wednesday Blog time?? The weeks are flying by, it's totally crazy. So anyway, this week's topic is all about the shit jobs I've had in the past. Ohhhh, but before I talk about that I gotta toss out some major male hotness for my friend, Kris Norris. And who doesn't love a man in a kilt??? Right??


*sigh* Looking at him makes this blog post just a little bit better . . . . . .  what? Okay, where was I?? Ummm, that's right, crap jobs. I can tell you that I've never worked any kind of food service. That was something I said I just wouldn't do. So I never ever asked anyone if they wanted fries with that. I know that we must have food service people and personally I think they are close to gods for putting up with the crap they do. But I don't have the temperament or patience for something like that.I 
I did, unfortunately, work as a sales associate or whatever you want to call the people that wait on others in store like establishments. Now that sucked. I worked in the bed/bath department in an unnamed department store that no longer exists. Hated it! I was very part-time and since we got no benefits whatsoever the store policy was that basically we could take off when we wanted. But see I had this manager that didn't believe that. I asked for a day off way way way in advance and she told me I couldn't have it. Another amazing incident that happened there was that my nearly 16 year old dog (who I'd had since I was 1st grade) was incredibly sick. I knew I had to take her to get her put down, which almost killed me since my dad had died only 5 months before. When I called to tell them I'd be late the response was, "Well can't you get someone else to do that?" Ummmm, no, no I can't. 
This was me right after that phone call. I left the job very soon after
I did work retail again, but ended up at a bookstore which was sooooo much more wonderful than words. I loved it and even continued to work there while I was teaching full-time. Yep, you read right. I am a certified teacher. So I worked in the amazing bookstore while I was teaching 5th grade. The place was so much fun and it was even haunted, but that's a story for another time.
The other shitty job I had was my last teaching assignment. Let me just say that the principal was brand, brand, brand new and she imagined she was going to take a school that was the lowest performing in the district and make it the highest performing. O_O Yeah, I don't know what she was smoking, but believe me she really imagined it was going to happen. If you ask any of my friends they will tell you I love to teach, love it!! But after that year I was done, done, done. I said I never wanted to go back to the classroom again. And I haven't since I'm a teacher in a history museum now.  And because of this my cats don't have to greet me at the door all . . .

So, those were some of my truly crappy jobs. Go visit the other Random Wednesday Bloggers (Jessica, Bronwyn, Kris, and Tess) and find out about their adventures. 
See you next week!!  --GC

Random Wednesday: These are a few of my favorite things . . . BOOKS!

Welcome back to Random Wednesday where today's topic is all about my favorite books. Jeez louise, I could go on for days and days with this topic. Oh, but before I do, I just wanna toss in some major hotness for my friend, Kris Norris.



Ooookay, now that I have all of your attention I'm going to talk about books. LADIES, eyes down here on the words please. Thank you. So, I love to read and I've always loved to read. In fact, the very first book I remember reading all by myself was a Goldenbook Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I was probably 5 and I read it over and over. The next book I fell madly in love with and still love to this day is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I still have the first copy I ever received from my beautiful Gramma and, I believe, another 3 or 4 more editions.
This looks like my exact copy, but mine is way more loved on
I started reading romance novels when I was probably 12 and, believe me, during the 70s they were horrible!!!!  The men were assholes and the women were wimps. Every book I read I thought, "I can so do better than this." I wrote my first book when I was maybe 13. Thankfully, that got lost, but I never lost my love of reading and writing. Also, romance novels have improved a billion percent since those early days. Now there are so many authors I love that I can barely keep up. 
Right now, I have a handful of authors I automatically buy without even looking at what the book is about. In no particular order here they are: 
Nalini Singh - I love her Psy/Changeling series and Angel series. Jeez louise, her stuff just keeps getting better and better. Her last Psy/Changeling Heart of Obsidian I finished in one day. If you haven't read her books I highly recommend them.

Shelly Laurenston - She always makes me laugh! Her shifters are so amazingly fun and they get into totally ridiculous situations. I also love that her heroines are tough as nails and do not mess around. If you're looking for something funny to read, she's it for me.
Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb - Hello, it's La Nora! Everything she writes is gold. I finished her last book The Collector in a very short amount of time. I think it's one of her best books. I loved the characters and the story. So much fun.

Jeanine Frost - Love her Cat and Bones books as well as the other books that connect the series. I can't wait for her next book about Vlad Tepish. He is hot . . . literally.
Jayne Anne Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle - I've been reading her since the very beginning and have all of her books under all the names. She never lets me down.
Kresley Cole - I discovered her when I bought her 3 ebook release The Professional and it was hot, hot, hot. I am now starting her Immortals After Dark series and love them.
J.R. Ward - Black Dagger Brotherhood . . . yeah I don't need to say anything more than that. :-)
Chevy Stevens - She doesn't write romance. In fact, she's found in General Fiction and her books are more psychological suspense. I love them and they are really different. Her first book called Still Missing was so amazing that I read it in one day and it blew me away. It's told in first person and the narrator was kidnapped and held for a year by her kidnapper. I won't tell you any more than that, but I am telling you, you have to read it.
Best book ever!!!!
Okay, so I could keep going on and on and on, but I won't. I will let you get to the other amazing Random Wednesday ladies to see what they read. If you don't know who they are you're so missing out! So go over and see Bronwyn Green, Kris Norris, Jessica Jarman, Jenny Trout, Kellie St. James, and Tess Grant right now. 
Happy Reading --GC

Soooo proud to present . . . . If Ever I Would Leave You by Bronwyn Green, Jessica Jarman and Jenny Trout

Today, authors Bronwyn Green, Jessica Jarman, and Jenny Trout unveil the cover of their upcoming anthology:
If Ever I Would Leave You (July, 2014)
Keep reading for a chance to win an Arthurian-themed DVD prize pack or a $25 Amazon gift card!


Surfacing Bronwyn Green
A year after Tabby Nolan's sister vanished from the Lake Michigan shore with her boyfriend, Liam, Tabby visits the spot where the two were last seen-- and finds herself pulled into the crumbling world of Avalon.
Since his disappearance, Liam has been trapped in the mythical land, with no link to the world he knew. Now, their shared memories of Tabby's missing sister are all they can cling to as Avalon dies around them.
But Tabby doesn't want to be a replacement for her sister, and her growing attachment to Liam feels like a betrayal. As Avalon fades around them, Liam and Tabby must rely on each other-- or be lost with the ancient kingdom forever.

Albion’s Circle: The Deepest Cut Jessica Jarman
For nineteen years, Anna has been plagued by dreams of lives lived only in legend. Finally free from the family that believed her hopeless and worthless, she’s ready to start her life over—alone.
When Anna meets an enigmatic stranger claiming to be the legendary wizard Merlin, she is forced to question the very reality she’s struggled to accept. With the mythic figures from her dreams intruding on her waking life, Anna learns that she’s been reborn to fight an ancient evil alongside King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Caught in an ages old conflict, Anna is the key to stopping a dark magic that will destroy the world—and Merlin wants to make sure that this time, Anna isn’t alone.

A Choice Fit For A Queen Jenny Troutwriting asAbigail Barnette
For perpetual overachiever Madison Lane, a summer studying Arthurian mythology in the Welsh countryside with professor Thomas Evans is a dream come true, and the adventure of a lifetime.
Of course, the enormous crush Madison developed on the professor after a semester of his lectures at U of M has absolutely nothing to do with her desire to learn more about the enduring legend of Camelot. At least, that’s what she’s telling her parents.
When Madison meets fellow student Rhys Crewe, sparks fly, throwing her plans for wild fling with Professor Evans completely out of whack—as do her unexpectedly complicated feelings for Thomas. With tales of Arthur and Lancelot haunting her every waking moment, Madison has to make the most difficult choice of her life.
Add If Ever I Would Leave You to your GoodReads.com shelf


Jessica Jarman is an author, blogger, and rather obsessive fangirl. Having grown up in Upper Michigan and currently living in Minnesota, she is a Midwestern girl through and through. And wouldn’t have it any other way.
When Jessica isn't working to get words on the page, she passes the time with her amazing husband and four children, attempting to be crafty (and failing miserably), squeeing uncontrollably over her favorite shows or curling up with a good book. 






Bronwyn Green is an author, blogger and compulsive crafter. She lives Michigan with her husband, two sons and three somewhat psychotic cats. When not frantically writing, she can be found helping in her youngest son’s classroom or binge-watching Netflix while working on her latest craft project.







Abigail Barnette (Jenny Trout) is a writer, blogger, and funny person. She has written award winning and bestselling erotic romance as Abigail Barnette. Writing as Jennifer Armintrout, she made the USA Today bestseller list with Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her novel American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online. She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to strangle her. Visit her on twitter (@Jenny_Trout) or at her blog, jennytrout.com.a Rafflecopter giveaway

Random Wednesday: You Couldn't Pay Me To . . . . .

Okay so this Random Wednesday blog is just what it says above. You couldn't pay me to . . .  probably do a lot of things. I'm not the most adventurous person, though I will tell you I have danced on a bar in New Orleans so my friends got free drinks. ;-)  I've also gone into a cave multiple times of my own free will. I live in Kentucky and we have the largest cave-system in the world here, Mammoth Cave. It is pretty spectacular.


Anyway, what you couldn't pay me to do in a million years is jump out of or off of anything. You will never hear me speak about skydiving or bungee jumping or hang-gliding. I am deathly afraid of heights and it takes a lot just to get me into an airplane.So the above picture, yeah never ever ever going to happen. If it did happen, somehow, like if someone tricked me and somehow made me think we were going to a huge bookstore and they were giving away books. Then they told me we had to strap into this contraption because that's how you got to the bookstore and I stupidly did (which I wouldn't, but let's pretend) and then the doors opened and I was presented with the above view. My face would look like this:


Then I would scream and leap back onto someone's back and wrap my arms around their head. Yep, and this is why you couldn't pay me, now matter how much money, to jump off of or out of anything.  Besides, if the plane is working, why would you jump out of it????? It's working!!  And since it's working you don't jump out because it would be PURE MADNESS!!!!!!!!

Wow, now that I have that off my chest check out the other Random Wednesday ladies and see what you couldn't pay them to do.

Bronwyn 
Jessica
Kris
Jenny
Kellie


Until next time!!  --GC

Random Wednesday: Behind the Scenes of My Latest Project . . .

Happy Wednesday!!  Or, as we say from where I'm from . . . Happy Gwensday! :-) I want to thank all the amazing Wednesday Bloggers for inviting me to join the fun.

Okay, my latest project is called Dangerous Promise and it's the 3rd book in the Promises Series. If you haven't read the other books I highly suggest you do since the other books are really great. And really have I ever steered any of you wrong?? No! I haven't, so see trust me. The first book is called Dark Promise and the second is A Hunter's Promise. The covers are way amazing!!



















Anyway, this new book is about Grimm and Kate. Grimm's a vampire and a Hunter working for an organization called the PIA (Paranormal Investigative Agency) think NCIS, but with fangs. The organization is the police of parakind and the Hunters are sort of like Special Forces. They're sent after the bad of the bad. Kate is a human woman with two small children and she gets pulled into this world Grimm lives in. In the last books I introduced a blood cult that believes that if they drink human blood they will become these powerful beings. Yeah, it just doesn't work out for them though. Only Hunters can drink human blood. Regular vamps drink a blood substitute so drinking human blood doesn't do good things to them.  Now the blood addicted are displaying even more oddities and that puts everyone is major danger. New friends are brought in to help and, of course, Kate and Grimm fall in love in in the middle of the madness.

I don't want to give too much away, but I can tell you I'm well over half way through. I love the world and am already plotting the next book, which I think will be called Broken Promise. But I'll talk about that later.

Now that you've listened to me ramble and ramble it's time for you to go visit my Random Wednesday peeps:

Bronwyn Green
Jessica Jarman
Jenny Trout
Kris Norris
Kellie St. James
Tess Grant
Leigh Jones

Party On, People!!  --GC