Lauralynn Elliott's Blog, page 25

Pride and Prejudice

Awhile back, I saw that Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin was free on Audible. So I downloaded it. I just remembered a couple of days ago that I had it. And I started listening. Okay, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit I’ve never read any of Jane Austin’s books. I’ve watched the movie, Sense and Sensibilities multiple times, so I knew I would like the story. And I have Pride and Prejudice on my DVR. But I’ve really not enjoyed many of the classics I’ve read. I usually find the writing stiff and too formal.

So here are my thoughts so far (I’m not too far into the audiobook). Jane Austin has a good sense of humor. She can be quite sarcastic, and I love that. The writing is definitely formal because this book was written a LONG time ago (early 1800′s). But it’s not really too stiff. When I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, I HATED it. But I’m kind of enjoying P & P. The worst thing is that the language is so different than what we’re used to in the present times, I have to listen very carefully to understand what they’re saying. This is a challenge since I’m driving while listening. Usually, this isn’t a problem, but with this book, it’s a balance between concentrating on my driving and on the book.

How about you? Do you like Jane Austin’s books? Yes, Susan, I know YOU do. What about other classics?

How Soon Should Your Characters Have Sex?

I was having a discussion at lunch today with my cover artist, Anya about a book I was reading where I thought the characters had sex way too soon. She kind of disagreed, I think, because she loves the series I was talking about and has no problem with it.

So here’s the thing. I NEED the romantic build-up. I need the characters to get to know each other. I need the sexual tension. Honestly, I would rather have the romance and sexual tension and NO sex at all than to have the sex WITHOUT the build-up. The book I’m reading has a situation where the hero sort of assaults the heroine, but he thinks she’s someone sent to kill him or something. Later, he apologizes, they agree to have lunch, then they have sex. The sex scenes didn’t do a thing for me, even though they were well-written, because the build-up wasn’t there. Now, in defense of the book…it’s a good, well-written book, and I’m planning on finishing it and will probably read others by the author. The basic story line is good, it’s not JUST a romance. And many people would be fine with the early sex. It’s just not what I like in a romance. So please don’t think I’m trashing the book at all.

What about you? Do you like a build-up of romance, or do you want them to just get down to it? I’m very interested in the different opinions on this. I wonder if I’m in the minority or the majority. It would be fun to know.

Sunday Update 6/2/13

We got back from our trip last night. Although I enjoyed my vacation thoroughly, it was good to be home. Well, it WOULD be good to be home if our air conditioner was working. We had it set on 78 while we were gone (couldn’t turn it too high because of the cats), so when we got home, we turned it back to 75. It was 79 in the house. It pretty much STAYED 79 in the house. The air was blowing out the vents, but it wasn’t cold enough to cool the house. I hope all it needs is Freon. That is probably expensive, but not as expensive as a new heat pump. We can’t take any more big financial hits. We’ve gotten most of the hospital/doctor bills in, and there was one that looks like it involves the hospital, but not directly, that apparently wasn’t “in network”. Like we had a choice. So the out of pocket expense and deductible is MUCH higher on that bill. We’re calling the insurance company to find out WHO that bill is actually from (we don’t have the actual bill, just what the insurance company says we have to pay to a “K Beard”). We already have the bill from the hospital itself and one of the doctors who saw him there. What a mess it’s going to be. Then the air conditioner. Grrr. So right now I’m sitting here sweltering. We have all the windows open, and it’s storming.

I’m going to try to get all my sponsor duties done sometime today, visiting all the blogs I’m supposed to. I just want to say a word about that. Please, please, PLEASE make sure your blog is friendly to people who use WordPress, Blogspot, etc. I’ve tried to visit two blogs that required me to sign in with something else and set up an account. So, if your blog doesn’t recognize my WordPress credentials, I’m not going to be able to comment.

My Reading List While on Vacation

These are the books I read while on vacation. I had already started a couple of them before I got to Florida.

Kiera’s Moon – Lizzy Ford

Crossing – Stacey Wallace Benefield

Her Reluctant Groom – Rose Gordon

His Jilted Bride – Rose Gordon

Suddenly a Bride – Ruth Ann Nordin

Runaway Bride – Ruth Ann Nordin

I found all of these enjoyable. The romances by Rose Gordon and Ruth Ann Nordin were sweet and sexy. Crossing was very different, deep, sad, and touching. With a little fun thrown in, because Stacey can’t help it. I was very pleased with the first book I had ever read by Lizzy Ford. Kiera’s Moon was a great SciFi romance.

It was so nice to be able to just read. I’ve read so much romance this week that I finally had to pick something else. At the moment, I’m reading Draculas – Jack Kilborn (aka J.A. Konrath), Blake Crouch, F. Paul Wilson, Jeff Strand. This book is NOT for the faint of heart. I might have nightmares. *shudders*

Living More Naturally

I’ve never been obsessed with being natural. And, quite honestly, I’m still not obsessed with it. However…I’m beginning to see how making your own natural products can be beneficial. Not only are you keeping harmful chemicals out of your body and home, you’re saving money! I’ve always thought living more natural would be more expensive. In some ways it is. Organically grown food is more expensive for sure. Although I wonder if it might save on doctor bills later on. But making your own products is cheaper in the long run. I’ve made my own moisturizer, deodorant, shampoo, and insect repellent. I actually LIKE these products better than the store bought items. I’m going to try to make dusting spray and room deodorizing spray. The best part is that it’s FUN. And you feel such a sense of accomplishment. And it really doesn’t take that long to make these things.

Now about the vodka. I mentioned yesterday I needed vodka. It’s because it’s the base of things like room spray and…deodorant. I found THIS website that gives lots of recipes and info. They actually use a deodorant that is just…vodka. Yeah, you heard that right. They no longer recommend rubbing alcohol for long term use because they say it has some toxicity. The idea behind vodka deodorant is that it kills the bacteria that causes odor. I’ve also seen vodka as a base for perfume.

Now, here’s my favorite website for buying ingredients. Mountain Rose Herbs. I wish I could afford to buy more from them. Eventually, I’ll be able to stock up if I buy a little at a time. Especially if I’m saving money in the long run.

So am I going to go completely natural? Nah. I like Sweet N Low too much. LOL. But I want to do this as much as I can.

Sunday Update – From Panama City Beach!

I’m sitting here on the balcony of the 20th floor of our condo listening to the waves and feeling the breeze coming in from the ocean. I’ve been reading recipes to make natural products and just placed another order with Mountain Rose Herbs. Now I need vodka. No, not to drink. More on that another day.

I’ve been a BAD WRITER. Yeah, because I haven’t written anything since week before last. I had so much to do to get ready for this vacation that I just decided I was going to take time off from writing until vacation is over. Now if something about my WIP happens to hit me, I’ll jot it down. But this week is about relaxing and reading. No work.

This morning, I got up and made everyone biscuits, gravy, and eggs (I make it all with canola oil, no saturated fats), then we all went to church. Tonight, after evening church services, we will find a good seafood restaurant to go to. Last night, I had the best stuffed grouper I’ve ever had. There was absolutely NO fishy taste.

This vacation was much needed. I’m SO glad we had it mostly paid for before hubby got sick, or we might not have been able to go. He started back to work on a totally different job (at the same company)last week, so he’s still in training. His boss actually told him he should have used his vacation time while he was out of work! We would have lost our money if he had done that! Plus, after all the stress, he needed this vacation. Some people have no heart.

If I have time, I’ll post a little bit about my thoughts on natural homemade products tomorrow. But if I happen to just want to lie around on the beach and read…I might not. LOL

I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend. Or if you’re in a country that doesn’t celebrate this holiday, I STILL hope you’re having a great weekend!

Fitness Friday – Still Need to Improve

I’m not going to post stats because I’m in a big hurry. I’m trying to go on vacation tomorrow, and a bunch of stuff has fallen into my lap (not literally, lol) at work. Stats haven’t changed from last week anyway.

I went to the doctor yesterday to get my prescription for my insulin so I won’t run out on vacation. My doc is out “indefinitely” because he hurt his foot, so I saw a nurse/practitioner. She was so pretty I wanted to smack her. LOL. Seriously, she was very nice. She looked at my last A1C test and decided she wanted to do another one. It’s not high like when I first found out I had diabetes (it was over 13), but it was still 7.2 and she wants it to be under 6.5. So if this test still shows it’s high, I have to up my dosage of Metformin, which is the medicine I take in addition to insulin. It helps the insulin work better. I don’t know if she will up the dosage of the actually pill, or if I will have to take 3 instead of 2 a day. Grrr. Anyway, since my husband’s illness, I’ve been under all kinds of stress…emotional, physical, financial…and I just haven’t been as careful with my eating and exercise. So my weight loss has been at a standstill. I really need to cut down on fats. That’s my main problem. I just like so many fatty foods. I don’t like veggies much at all, and I don’t like too many fruits. I may just have to start choking some things down whether I want to or not. Bleh. Or at least make a list of veggies I DO like and concentrate on figuring out different ways to eat them. Okay let’s see, onions, cucumbers, lettuce…that’s mostly it. I like squash, zucchini, and okra…but fried. *shakes head in exasperation*. I DO like beans (legumes, not green), so I need to substitute those for meat sometimes. I need help here! Does anyone have any good recipes involving onions, cucumbers, or beans???

At least while I’m in Florida, I’ll be eating seafood instead of beef. I LOVE crab! My friend whose family is going with us owes me a couple of dinners because I sold her my cat cage, so it’s going to be crab legs, baby! LOL

Wednesday Update 5/22/13

I haven’t written anything this week yet since I’m going back to my Thursday, Friday, Saturday writing schedule for awhile. And then I’m going on vacation next week, so I’m going to READ instead of write that week. But I DID do something I’ve needed to do for a long time. In fact, I’m really ashamed that I hadn’t done this yet. It’s been hanging over my head for a while. When I proofed Haunted Lake for print, I found several errors in the original manuscript. Errors that had been missed before publishing the ebook. I fixed them and had others look over it before publishing in print. However…I never got around to replacing the manuscript for my ebooks on Amazon, B & N, Smashwords, etc. I’m am SO not proud of this. So last night, I went into my office and got the printout of my book where I had corrected the errors, and got to work. I fixed all the errors and made a couple of small changes I had made for the print version. And I got it uploaded everywhere.

The only snag I ran into was with Smashwords. Since all retailers have changed the requirements for book cover sizes, Smashwords couldn’t distribute the new version to Apple, Sony, etc. until I sent a new cover. (Amazon and B & N didn’t make me send a new cover.) My wonderful cover artist, Anya Kelleye, is super, super busy right now since she’s picked up several new book cover jobs, so I hesitated to ask her to fix this for me. I emailed her, told her the situation, and asked how long it would take to change the cover size. She dropped what she was doing and immediately fixed this for me. What a friend she is! So I was able to upload the cover and now Smashwords is happy. And I feel better knowing that an error free (I hope) version of Haunted Lake is now out there. This is still my favorite of all the books I’ve written. I don’t know if it’s the BEST one I’ve written, but this story is still close to my heart.

How You Can Help the Tornado Victims in Oklahoma

I’ve never tried to do a reblog before, so I hope I’m doing this right!

How You Can Help the Tornado Victims in Oklahoma.

Health Stuff and Kitty Cat Picture

I finally got back to the gym today. I’ve been walking on the treadmill at home, so I’m starting back with weight work at the gym. I’m still experimenting on the best time to go. I’m limited on time at lunch, so I’m trying to find the least busy time. I had to wait on a machine today, and that’s the reason I stopped going to the bigger gym I used to go to. This one is pretty small, but I think it’s getting more popular. It’s inexpensive ($15 a month) with NO contract.

I went to the health food store and got some liquid vitamins/minerals. I was so tired of swallowing those two humongous pills. I looked at a couple of different kinds and then sought the advice of the girl that worked there. She actually recommended the least expensive of the two and explained why. The one she preferred was made from ALL whole food, rather than only partial whole food. Let me tell you, that is the worst tasting stuff I’ve ever taken (except maybe V-8 juice). It’s green, kind of the same color of the liquid fertilizer we sell where I work, and there’s STUFF floating around in it that wants to STAY in my mouth. But, hey, all in the name of good health, right?

So I’ll leave you with something pleasant. Here is the latest picture of Willow and Oz. Willow’s not really that fat, it’s just the angle of the camera. LOL