Karilyn Bentley's Blog, page 22

.@VickiBatman - Measuring Time: tick-tock #MFRWorg #RLFblog #milestone

Tick-tock

I reached a milestone in Jazzercise this month: I’ve been working out for 32 years. (Yes, I know this admission ages me. Feel free to go on thinking I look younger than I am. Lol.)
Milestone: I have been writing for ten years. I have a momentous birthday.Handsome’s company is 23 years old.My #1 son has a significant birthday.
When my sons began school, I found time was measured by holidays--school starts in mid-August, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, back to school, Valentine’s Day, Spring Break, April Fool’s Day, Memorial Day, school is out.
Every year was the same for a long time. And did it ever fly by.
Milestone: #2 son graduated from college.#1 son and wife celebrated their first anniversary.
Are your days flying by with hardly a thought? It's 2015 and already January is gone and February is half gone. 

Are you able to enjoy each to its fullest? I wonder. I wonder if life keeps flying by, will I even remember the important stuff?  I hope so.
When my sons were little and we sat together for dinner, Handsome always asked, “What was the best thing that happened to you today?”  In reality, this question made them think and come up with an answer instead of saying “fine.” It brought about a real conversation.
Milestone:My new car turned one year old. My “old girl” (kitty) turns 22—if she lives to July. Twenty-one is remarkable too.My friend passed eight years ago.
Do we consider each day what is the best thing that happened to us? I wonder.
Here’s your chance: what is the best thing that happened to you today?
Vicki Batman is also considering the weather and if it will change from pretty to ugly and bring much needed rain. Find her romantic comedy mystery, Temporarily Employed at: Amazon
New job. New romance. And murder.

# My True Love Story by Phyllis Middleton

Thirteen years ago yesterday – February 16th – I met my future husband for the first time. We both knew before we saw each other that we were destined to be husband and wife.  And you ask, “How did you know that?”  Well, it’s like this….
Frank and I both joined the Christian matchmaking site – eHarmony the year before.  We were one of the first to join the service and answered 29 separate sections with a total of 500 questions.  It took a while, but on November 27th, 2001, the computer matched us together.
We communicated through the site email at first and then exchanged personal emails.  Since he was in the Dallas, TX area and I was in western Kentucky caring for my mother at the time, emails were the best way at the time.  Then we decided to stop communicating until after the holidays. I was very busy making costumes and acting in the church Christmas play and he was equally active. So we set a time in the first week of January to continue our ‘talks’.  I finally agreed to give him my phone number and when he called on that Saturday, January 5th, 2002, we talked for about four hours.
For the next month, we talked by phone just about every night and sent emails to each other.  We asked and answered the hard questions.  Discussions included every topic, money, work, sex, hobbies, pets, children, etc.  We found that we were both on the same page.  Literally.  I pulled up his eHarmony profile and compared it to mine and there were like only two things different and they were not critical areas.  Frank and I seemed like we were preverbal two peas from the same pod.   




Then there came a time. He drove from Texas to Nashville, Tennessee to meet with me, my mother, my grandmother, and my aunt – all for the first time.  The man had guts!  When he got in the area, he called and I met him at the service station to drive lead him in to my aunt’s house.  We got out of our vehicles, went to each other, hugged, and kissed.  Our first kiss.
Frank wowed my family.  The supper table was full of ladies and he was wonderful with them all.  When I tucked my mom into bed later, I asked her what she thought.  With her little crippled fingers, she put her thumb and index close together and said, “Oh, I like him and a little bit in love.”  I lost my Mom in April, but she knew that Frank and I would be together.

He proposed in June and we were married October 12, 2002.  There was no sense waiting to marry when we already knew we were destined to be husband and wife. 



So for those out there who have found their true love, how did you find them?

#PlottingPrincesses host author Anne Conley What are her Best Laid Plans? #MFRWorg #RLFblog #romance

The Plotting Princesses welcome Anne Conley! Let's get to know Anne:
Anne has written her entire life and has the boxes of angst-filled journals and poetry to prove it. She's been writing for public consumption for the last four years.  She lives in rural East Texas with her husband and children in her own private oasis, where she prides herself in her complete lack of social skills, choosing instead to live with the people inside her head.

Speed Round:

Favorite movie:  Dead Poet’s Societ 
Favorite book:  Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See 
Last book read:  Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda by Tara Lee Reed 
Favorite color: Blue Stilettos or flip-flops:  flip-flops 
Coffee or tea:  Coffee 
E-book or paperback:  E-book 
Pencil or pen: Blue ink pen
Favorite song:  Hey, I Don’t Know by The Kongos
Streak or not:  Not
Favorite dessert:  Chocolate cake
Champagne or gin:  Gin
Paranormal or Historical:  Historical
Ginger or Mary Ann:  Ginger
Favorite TV show:  Friends
Hot or cold:  Hot
POV:  3rd
I'd die if I don't have: my kids




While 23 year-old Taylor is completely caught off guard by 41 year-old Alexander’s maturity and the difference between him and every other boy she’s dated, Alexander’s busy trying to figure out how to tell her he’s the lawyer suing her pants off. 
Excerpt from The Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men:

{Taylor} listened idly as the boy moved on to talk about the way the sun highlighted his hair in the summer time, wondering what the sun would do to Alexander’s hair.  It was straight, black, and shiny, flopping over his forehead where he kept it longer on top.  The sparse strands of silver at his temples lent him a distinguished air.  She could have run her fingers through the silky strands all afternoon.

“Well, well, well…”  Sandra’s gaze turned mischievous, and Taylor turned to see who had captured her attention.  And promptly lost all ability to breathe.  She was barely aware of Sandra’s muttered curses as she wiggled into the pocket of her jeans to extract the money, throwing it at Tess across the table.

Alexander had gone home to change as well.  Gone was the suit and tie.  A pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt graced his long, lean body.  The shirt fit well over his broad shoulders, sleeves rolled up to expose tan, corded forearms.

“Holy…” She took a sip of her drink, sucking it down to the ice to cool the pooling warmth inside.  Her heart was beating fast, slamming against her chest painfully.  Taylor watched his gaze travel the crowded club before finding them seated along the edge in the curved booth.  His arctic blue eyes flashed from searching to triumphant to predatory in an instant, and the pool of warmth spread through her core.


Find Anne at:  Website

Find Best Laid Plans at:  Amazon

Contact Anne at:  Email

@kellyleefiction - Romance and sad love stories #sadlovestories #tissueworthy

The other day, my husband and I were driving down the road listening to the radio, and I heard a music lyric...."I hope you fall in love, and it hurts so bad." 

At first blush, you'd think, Gee, that's not very nice.  But in context, the song was about doing and experiencing literally everything, and wishing someone a full-to-bursting life. '

I paused to think for a moment, and some of the rawest, most profound emotional moments of my life weren't just the moments I was happiest, like my wedding, or the birth of my children.  They were also moments where I thought my chest would literally cave in from the gaping wound inflicted from a traumatic heartbreak. Sometimes, even the purest, most passionate love stories don't end happily. The guy doesn't always get the girl. Or the girl gets the guy, and guess what? Life happens. Tragedy strikes.
In the world of romance, everyone loves a happy ending. But are they always satisfying? Some of my favorite romances don't have "guy gets girl, lives happily ever after" endings. 

Like Untamed Heart, where our strong, quiet hero with the baboon heart (spoiler alert) DIES at the end!


[image error] And Titanic...my GAWD, the tears that flowed at the end of that love story!!









And Ghost, which really doesn't even need a caption, right?
and perhaps the most tragic of all - Romeo and Juliet!!


Even without a tragic fate, sometimes two people who love each other simply aren't meant to be due to circumstance, family politics, or (gasp) they just aren't good for each other. Does that diminish the love story itself?  Think about some of the legendary or epic stories that don't end with wedding bells for two people who share a bone-deep, heart-wrenching, can't-live-without-you-but-I-do-anyway type of love ... like, Casablanca, Legends of the Fall, and The Thornbirds.


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Some would argue that a sad ending punctuates a story more poignantly than a happy one. I can tell you that I certainly think about them far longer.

What about you? What are your favorite sad love stories?

Kelly

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 5-O and Kindle Fire Giveaway

Ever since childhood I have loved the opening scene from the TV show Hawaii 5-O.  Seriously, hula dancers, surfers, beaches, and good looking heroes. All grown up, I added the memorial for the USS Arizona to my Hawaii must-see list.

When not long ago I had a chance to visit Kona on the Big Island, I made plans to 'stop' in Honolulu.  So starting at 5am was the mad dash to pay my respects and then time permitting check out those famed TV show opening scenes.

Fortunately for this night owl, five o'clock in the morning is around ten am back home so a crack of dawn tour of Pearl Harbor was no problem.  I was able to explore the submarine Bowfin and then the battleship Missouri where the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed. But the Arizona Memorial was the star of my day. I learned so much about the ship, the servicemen aboard her, and the people who visit her.  Finally getting a chance to share a bit of this with my readers in my new release the Look of Love was especially dear to me.

From Pearl Harbor it was a mad dash to take in the punch bowl, the Iolani Palace (5-O headquarters), Diamond Head (okay I cheated and stayed at the foot of Diamond Head) and of course, the surf at Waikiki. The day was one I will never forget and was thankful for the chance to revisit as I wrote the Look of Love.

Which brings me to more fun news for fans.  From now until Valentine's Day a group of 25 bestselling authors – including moi – will be giving away free books and a chance to win a kindle fire.

For more information on the Love My Book Boyfriend Giveaway, go to here .




Read more about Dan and Maddie's Honolulu experience in my newest release from the Aloha Series:  The Look of Love.

Aloha! And Mahalo!

More on Chris and her books can be found at www.chriskeniston.com
For buy links to Apple Barnes and Noble Amazon and Kobo click here

Groundhog Day -- Six More Weeks of Winter or Spring?

GroundHog Day
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania 2005Yesterday was Groundhog Day and in our area, the sun shone brightly, so we will see six more weeks of winter weather. Since I’m in Texas our winters are usually not that bad and this year we’ve been very lucky. So far, knock on wood, no snow or ice. But how did this custom get started? According to Wikipedia, a diary entry dated February 4, 1841 is the first documented American recording of this German custom.   In Scotland, the Poem: If Candle-mas Day is bright and clear, There’ll be two winters in the year.
If Candle mas be fair and bright, Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.

And yes, there are three different spellings of Candlemas. Here in the United States, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is the where the biggest celebration of Groundhog Day occurs with Punxsutawney Phil the celebrity groundhog. Crowds as large as 40,000 people have gathered to celebrate this holiday with food, speeches, and plays. At Grundsow Lodge, the holiday is celebrated with only the Pennsylvania German dialect spoken at the event. If you speak English, you pay a penalty for each word spoken.If you’ve not seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliot, I highly recommend that you rent it. Poor Bill Murray is trapped in a time loop and every morning when he wakes up its Groundhog Day all over again. It’s a film that will remind you of what’s important and how we can become trapped by our priorities.
So with Groundhog Days arrival, are you ready for spring or do you want six more weeks of winter?
 Look for Sylvia's latest release on February 13, Dangerous, book 3 in the Lipstick and Lead Series. Amazon   iBooks  Kobo  Google
 
Information and pictures retrieved from Wikipedia. Movie Poster owned by Columbia Pictures.

#PlottingPrincesses - An anthology about the 1920s: Rebellious, Ruined, Reckless, Runaway #MFRWorg #RLFblog #martinis

The Princesses are delighted to welcome 4 super dooper authors to the blog who are chatting about their fun anthology: Martini Club 4 – The 1920s http://facebook.com/martiniclub4



Krysta Scott, Amanda McCabe, Kathy L Wheeler and Alicia Dean have a unique friendship. Yes, they are all romance writers, and at different stages in their writing careers. But every Friday night, schedules permitting, they meet at the Martini Lounge in Edmond, Oklahoma where they chitchat, plan retreats to get away and for just a general get away. Over a period of time the idea to create a series of stories where the Martini Lounge would serve as a backdrop—well, as writers, that was inevitable. So there they are with their first go at it. Welcome to 1920s New York City where four young women run away from England excited to make their own way in a new world.All four stories are now available for the pre-order price of **$0.99** until February 26, 2015, the official release. And join our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/martiniclub4.


Rebellious by Amanda McCabe
 Can an aristocratic lady melt the cold heart of a Russian gangster? 
Lady Jessica Hatton fled her high-society London debutante life for one of investigative journalism in New York—only to be relegated to the fashion pages. Searching for a juicy story leads her to Club 501, the city's most glamorous speakeasy—and its handsome, mysterious owner, Frank Markov. But his past of war and revolution puts their hearts—and their lives—in danger... 

Excerpt: “Do you smell that, Meggie?” Jessica Hatton cried as she leaned into the cold, salt spray wind, her t-strap shoes perched on the lowest rung of the ship's railing.  She'd lost her hat, and the short strands of her hair blew into her eyes, but she didn't care.  England was far behind them.  They had escaped.          “It smells like freedom!” she shouted, and threw up her arms.  It felt like she could fly all the way to America.          “I only smell old fish,” Meggie said.  “Now come down from there, Jess.  If you tumble into the drink, it will all be over before it even starts.”          Jessica laughed and shook her head, but she did climb down.  She spun around to see Meggie stretched out on one of the deck chairs, the glossy mink collar of her coat drawn close around her.          The sky was grey and dismal-looking, the water not as glassy-smooth as when they slid past Ireland yesterday and headed out to open sea.  Several of the passengers had retreated to their cabins, but Jessica couldn't stand staying inside.  Not when there was so much to be seen.          “It smells like fish and freedom,” Jessica insisted.  “But we can go in now.  Maybe Charlotte and Eliza will want to play some cards or mah-jong.”          “Finally,” Meggie grumbled as she swung her feet down to the damp deck.  But her smile was broad.  Jessica knew Meggie was loving it all just as much as she was.
Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00RICWBC8 Contact info: http://ammandamccabe.com


Ruined by Alicia Dean
She vowed she’d be no man’s doxy, but fate had other plans... 
After the Earl of Goodwin attempts to force himself on her, housemaid Eliza Gilbert flees England for New York, hoping to build a better life. But the land of opportunity proves as harsh as the London docks, and she finds herself in a situation more dreadful than the one she escaped. 
Former boxer, Vince “The Fist” Taggart dreams of marrying, having a family, and living a quiet, peaceful life. But when a girl he's known since childhood disappears, he heads to New York in search of her and meets Eliza, a woman with a less than honorable reputation. Inexplicably captivated, Vince can’t force himself to stay away, especially when he learns Eliza is the key to finding his missing friend. 

Excerpt: Eliza lifted her gaze, then looked away when she met his eyes. They were just too…striking, too blue. “I’m afraid you’ll have to speak to Oscar. He handles all my transactions.” She could never have a normal outing with a man. A lump of regret rose in her throat. She turned and started up the stairs.Vince caught up to her in a few steps and grabbed her arm, taking the bag from her at the same time. “That was a lousy thing to say.”She opened her mouth to accuse him of going around Oscar so he didn’t have to pay. But that was ridiculous. He hadn’t taken what he’d paid for the first time. She lifted a hand and rubbed her forehead. His attention confused her. What was his angle? He didn’t want sex. Did he think she was hiding something about Cynthia and if he spent time with her he could draw it out? “What do you want from me?”“A picnic.”

Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00RICLM2IFind Alicia Dean at: http://aliciadean.com



Reckless by Kathy L Wheeler
 Lady Margaret turned Lady Bootlegger… 
Singer Margaret (Meggie) Montley needs money…fast. Her friend is in a dire situation with nowhere to turn. While Meggie is on the brink of stardom, it’s not soon enough to save her friend. 
Harry Dempsey is out to avenge the deaths of his father and brother at the hands of a ruthless gangster. But trouble spirals out of control when Meggie Montley shows up the night he meets his nemesis to settle the score. Saving the impetuous woman from a crime lord might be easier than saving her from her own reckless behavior. 

Excerpt: Meggie launched herself from her hiding place and threw her arms about Harry’s neck. Locked in his muscular embrace, she rested her chin on his shoulder. His arms tightened around her. “Oh, Harry. I came as fast as I could. Just as we’d planned.” The words, she’d intended to carry, came out breathless.“Fast, huh?” The whisper was against her ear where no one else could hear, raised goose prickles over her entire body. “Guess I’ll have to do something about that.” He lifted his head. “What are you doing with my girl, Joe?”Joey’s hands flew into the air, indicating his surrender. “Sorry, Dempsey. Had no idea she was anyone’s quiff—” Meggie’s cheeks burned, and she stiffened at the insult. Harry’s one arm gripped her closer. The other shot up, jerking her body like a rag doll. She couldn’t see Harry’s face with her own now buried in his neck, but she felt the corded muscles contract.  
Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00RICW0G0Contact info: kathy@klwheeler.com



Runaway by Krysta Scott
Can she prove her innocence before more than her dreams are destroyed? 
After escaping an arranged marriage, Lady Charlotte Leighton lands on a new shore, determined to realize her dream of opening her own bakery. But her plans are shattered when her former fiancé follows her to New York. Now, she finds herself in a fight for her freedom. 
Haunted by a string of failures, Detective Felix Noble is determined to solve his latest case. But his efforts to find a murderer are jeopardized by a forbidden attraction to his number one suspect. While he’s certain Charlotte Leighton is keeping secrets, instinct tells him she’s not the murderess he first believed. 

Excerpt: Long thin fingers curled around a glass and lifted it from the tray. Charli followed the direction of the drink. Derrick Chaunce, or as the local duffs referred to him, “Slick”, grinned, exposing yellowed teeth.“You … You…” Her throat closed. The rest of her diatribe wouldn’t budge. He winked. His thin hair slicked back in the latest fashion exaggerated the gaunt cheekbones and sunken eyes, tinging him with an unhealthy, dilapidated look. He gulped the whiskey. A bit of the amber liquid escaped through the gap in his teeth and down his chin. Her stomach lurched.“Thank you, sweet cakes. Put it on my tab.” He skulked off.Charli whirled around. How did the bounder get past Tiny? Ira fumed about customers who ran up a high tab without reconciling at the end of the night. Now she would have to explain yet another charge added to Slick’s mounting debt. She sighed and rolled her eyes to the heavens. The customer was always right. Even when they were wrong.
Amazon buy link: http://amzn.com/B00RIFHGPCContact info: http://krystascottauthor.com

To Kill A Mockingbird

Most of you know we downsized recently from a 5000 square foot home to one less than half that size. We were rudely introduced to the fact that moving isn’t for sissies, especially sissies who are no longer spring-chickens!   
But this is not a whining blog. I’m happy to announce that we’re finally settled in, and although there’s still work to be done, it looks like home again.
We moved to an “active adult” (AKA geriatric gang)  gated community north of Dallas where the amenities are awesome. There are clubs for just about everything, and if you can’t find what you’re interested in, you’re encouraged to start one yourself. I had already decided I wouldn’t go crazy joining everything. (Been there, done that at the last adult community.)  With two books under contract and another in the wings, I knew I had to get disciplined. I’d already wasted four months without writing one word.

Geez! This wasn’t supposed to be whiny. Sorry.
At any rate, one of the reasons we picked this house was that it has a great backyard with a fantastic sunroom, which will be the perfect place for me to write. (Remember me- dinosaur who still writes on paper with a blue pilot point pen!) Although it’s way too cold for me to do that now, I still have to spend a lot of time on the patio waiting for my dog to do her thing. (The little devil won’t stay out there unless I’m there as well.)

The house came with a purple martin birdhouse, inhabited by a lot of birds — probably 30. Since we’ve always enjoyed watching birds, we hung a couple of feeders. OMG! Word must’ve gotten around quickly among our feathered friends, because in no time, we had a slew of regulars at the smorgasbord — mostly purple martins, but also a cardinal family, two doves, and one split-tail mockingbird.
The other day I was out back when I noticed that the lone mockingbird had dubbed himself keeper of the food. Every time one of the birds tried to get a nibble, he chased them away. I stayed out there for over an hour in awe as I watched the little birds, only half the size of the mockingbird, keep going back to try to get the seeds, knowing the bird-feeder police was going to attack them.
Then to my amazement, the mockingbird flew away. I’m not sure if he got tired (he did get a workout,) if he heard his mother calling him, or if he decided it just wasn’t worth it. No matter, it was a victory for the little guys who gathered around the feeders to celebrate.
Got me thinking. How many times have I given up when things got a little too hard? Too many to count. So my new mantra is to kill the mockingbird that’s holding me back! (Not really, but I am going to outsmart the little bully.) From now on, I’m gonna be that little purple martin or baby cardinal and keep on trying.
New Year’s resolution #1—NEVER GIVE UP!
What about you? Any resolutions for 2015?

.@LindaSteinberg asks Do Looks Matter? #Beauty and the Beast #new release #contemporary romance

[image error] LINDA STEINBERG  asks  Do Looks Matter?
Do you judge a book by its cover?
Of course. We all do, literally. What’s the first thing that snags a reader’s interest in a book? It’s the cover. If that sparks our curiosity, we’ll check out the blurb and maybe read an excerpt before deciding to commit to a purchase.
Although we may try not to judge people the same way, we can’t help ourselves. If there’s a line of single women at a dance, which one does a guy approach? The prettiest, of course. And we can’t attribute that superficial attitude to just men. If we’re trying to meet someone on a dating site, don’t we click first on the profile of the best looking man? Although I believe women do rate other qualities higher than looks when searching for a partner, don’t we always give the handsome one the first shot at fulfilling our expectations?
How many romance novels have you read with an average looking hero? Not many, I’d guess. We want the man of our fantasies to be devastatingly handsome as well as possessing the qualities of honor, bravery, sincerity and kindness. Which is why it’s called fiction.
When developing the premise for Love Unmasked, I wanted to explore the difference in reactions to someone who is good looking compared to someone who is downright ugly, through the eyes of a character who has experienced both. To develop, through immersion in his world, the changes to his own psyche. RJ Parker was once handsome, charismatic, and a brilliantly successful litigator, until he was assaulted by a gang who objected to his political activism and sliced his face to shreds. Now the disfigured attorney only consults on cases for other lawyers, hiding away in the shadows. 
When beautiful rookie lawyer Christine Dawson first meets him, her involuntary shock at his appearance nearly destroys their relationship before it begins. Desperately needing his expertise to help win her case, Christine determines to reverse her thoughtless first reaction. She works hard to gain RJ’s favor, earn his trust, and learn his secrets. And in doing so, wins his love. Yet, if she hadn’t been forced to work with him, she might never have taken the opportunity to know this extraordinary man whose intense passion not only fires up her career but illuminates her ordinary existence.
At one point, RJ confides to her, "I'm ashamed to admit some of the things I used to say to women. Flirtatious-to-the-point-of-lewd comments any other guy would get slapped for. I got away with them because of my looks.” 
His eyes took on a faraway expression. "Everything came easy to me. To the point where I expected it, believed I deserved it. I never realized how shallow I was. I never expected to pay the piper."
RJ's emotional journey leads him to his ultimate wish. “I don't want to be the handsome golden boy anymore. I don't want to receive better than I deserve because of a gift I did nothing to earn. I just want to be treated like a human being. I want to be loved for who I am, not what I look like. I just want to be normal!” 

How much do looks matter to you? In our constant quest to be thinner and prettier, do we ever stop to appreciate just being normal?
 

I love all my heroes, but RJ is my favorite, and I hope you will enjoy reading his story. Oh, and of course, I hope you like the cover. 

@SloaneBCollins - How Do You Indulge? #notagirliegirl #indulgingmynails #plottingprincesses

Hi, everyone.  This is my first official post as a Plotting Princess, and I’m thrilled to be here.  I’ve been trying to decide what to write about instead of just talking about who I am, what I write (Contemporary Romance), etc. I came up with a subject that might be near and dear to many hearts. 
I’m not much of a girlie-girl, but I like to indulge every so often.  I love shoes, but due to a knee injury, I’ve had to give up all my gorgeous heels and wear flats.  I adore handbags, but I pretty much use a tote bag. For my job, it’s all business clothes.  So how can I indulge in something that feels extravagant and not go broke? 
Nail polish!  A few months ago I joined a “club” in which I get 3 nail polishes every month.  I adore trying the gorgeous new colors, and have stepped WAY outside my box with blues, silvers, purples, greens, metallics, glitters(!), and of course, my favorite: red. 
I decided to get organized, and make a swatch sheet with all the colors, so now it’s easy to decide which to use.  I can go elegant, romantic, funky, sedate, or wild. 
When I was through, the drawer looked like a treasure chest dripping with jewels.  Aren’t they pretty?  And the fact they’re in identical bottles makes my heart go pitty-pat.
How do you indulge your girlie-girlness?  Do you go all out, or pick one or two things to focus on? 

Sloane B. Collins is busy writing in France...well, writing a story set in France.  You can find her first book in the French Kiss Connection series at Amazon.