Jennifer Bray-Weber's Blog, page 64

Hump Day Kick Start – Hold Me Edition

Song of the day:  Up In The Air by Thirty Seconds to Mars

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.

 

If I had to title this prompt, it would be “Don’t Leave”. Just look at his expression.

Tell me about this couple. Who are they and what’s going on? Did he just get her back? If so, from where or who? The brink of death? His enemy? Is he losing her? Was this his decision or hers? And why? Does he have a dark secret he is about to tell? Maybe they are in a hopeless, tragic love where they each belong to another, with no hope of being together again.

You tell me. What’s your take? I’d love to hear it.

Link of the Week – Grammar Rumble

More video grammar fun, this time with Grammar Rumble 50s greaser-style.

 

Friday Fun Facts- Need Some Credit?

We love credit. We hate credit.

Those plastic cards allow us to get the objects of our desire anytime we want something. Sooner or later the bill arrives and it’s time to pay the piper. Sigh.

So, when did this idea of credit come around? Who started it? I think you might be surprised to learn about today’s facts.

-1894 B.C., the Babylonians extended credit using carved clay tablets for bartering. If you wanted a fence built, the builder would mark on a tablet what you would owe (let’s say, four chickens and a bucket of grain).

=The Romans refined the process of borrowing and lending.

-By the time we get to the Middle Ages, the idea of credit was well known and they used “bills of exchange” issued by banks.

-Credit was a popular way of doing business in the 17th to 19th century England. Talleymen sold items on instalment and marked the transactions on a talley stick. (Which is where we get the idea of “tallying up the bill”.)

-The first credit cards appeared in Europe around the 1880s.

-The United States jumped in the 1920s. (But you had to pay your bill in full every month.)

-A man named Frank McNamara, head of a large credit company, was out to dinner in New York in the 1950s. He was terribly embarrassed when he went to pay and discovered he had no cash on him. He and his friends sat there and came up with the idea of the Diners Club card and an empire was born. **This guy wasn’t very smart because he sold out to his partners two years later for only $200,000. Sheesh, makes you wonder how he got to be the head of a large company. He thought it was just going to be a passing fad!

-1958 marked the new age of plastic when American Express and BankAmericard (Visa) was born.

 

Hump Day Kick Start – Haulin’ and Hot Tire Edition

Song of the day:  Follow You Home by Nickleback

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.

Because I recently had work done to my truck, I give you today’s prompt.

Who is our delectable greasy monkey? Who/what is he looking at? And what is his expression? Is he the mechanic watching the sway of her hips in her flirty sundress as she walks away to the diner to wait for him to fix her car which broke down just outside his small town? Did he just spot his estranged girlfriend drive past and is wishing he could replace his wounded heart for a new one, like changing truck tires?  What if he was tired of being a part of her pit crew? Perhaps he is about to suggest to the smoking hot customer she needs a lube job. *wink, wink* Maybe he is getting ready for the town’s annual festival of games, notably the tire toss.

What’s your take? Let me hear from you!

Link Of The Week- Playing With Amazon

If you’ve ever wondered (or smashed your head against the keyboard) about getting on the selling board at Amazon- here’s the link you desperately need! I confess that the whole marketing and manipulating metadata intimidates the heck out of me, but this article breaks it down into bite size chunks! I hope you find it useful.

 

 

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2014/07/playtime-with-amazons-search-engine-and-selling-prompts/

 

The Dog Days Of Summer

Yesterday was 98 degrees, with a heat index that made it feel like it was 102. That’s hot.

We are in the long, sultry, humid days of summer. The dog days have always been associated with uncomfortable heat, unforgiving sun, booming thunderstorms and sidewalks that make you feel like you’re a roast in the oven.

Ancient Romans took note that really hot days occurred with the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, in the Canis Major constellation. The scientists of the day decided, since it was the brightest star in the heavens, it must be connected to the sun and the sweltering heat. Not true. (In fact, the stars change over time and if we wait another 10,000 years, it will appear in the middle of winter.)

Even so, the “dog days” stuck and it was also noted there was a large increase in rabid dogs during this time. Attacks on humans became common place and the results were anything but pretty. It caused an acute inflammation of the brain, uncontrollable jerking, confusion, a fear of water and ultimately death. Their answer to this? Feed the dogs chicken droppings.

Really??

In 1729, a British publication called The Husbandman’s Practice preached that during this time “men should abstain from women” and “take heed of feeding violently” (Who feeds violently?) It also goes on to say, “The heat of the sun is so violent that Men’s bodies at Midnight sweat as at Midday: and if they be hurt, they may be more sick than at any other time, yea very near Dead.” (I think they thought everything was violent.)

It is hot out there. Take care of yourselves, Musetrackers and try to keep your cool!

 

I Should Put Pants On – RWA 2014 in Pictures

Song of the Day: Without You by Motley Crüe

I should put pants on. Yes, that seemed to be the running theme of MuseTracks in San Antonio. But in our defense, we’re too carefree (and perhaps too old) to care.

Have you ever just been so spent that the moment you get home you take off your pants? Sure you have. Stacey and I both had intense activities we attended in San Antonio prior to the (RWA) Romance Writers of America’s four day conference. By lunch on Wednesday, we were both ready to strip down to our skivvies and crawl under the down comforters of our beds. Never mind we had visitors who stopped by our hotel room. But did we put our pants back on? No! What an eyeful they received, especially since my green undies were emblazoned with “Lucky Angel” across the bum.

The next day, I couldn’t keep my favorite stretchy jeans on. *sigh* I’d forgotten to pack a belt. Thus, I repeatedly tugged at the pants. Ultimately, I gave up on them, changing into a dress. The following day, I wore a skirt. But the workshops were so frigid, I wished I had my pants back on.  Saturday, after several more workshops and a seminar, I headed for the room to, you guessed it, remove my pants and rejuvenate before night’s festivities. Damn pants! I was so comfy without them, I dozed off and missed dinner.

Here are a few pictures of the conference – all of which clothing was worn.

The Alamo – a different view.

All I needed on this river walk boat trip was a frosty Margarita.

The unsuspecting hotel lobby – before the hordes of romance writers.

Signing books! Both awkward and exciting!

My bestie and partner in crime. Making pacts and being generally awesome.

Only a portion of my local Northwest Houston chapter. There were a bunch more not pictured. Can you imagine us running loose?

Great workshops galore! This room was so packed, people were sitting on the floor.

Hobnobbing with Boroughs Publishing. And look! Musetracks follower and killer friend (to use the term loosely) Ruth, too!

Editor Chris – always fun!

Speaking of editors…my slave driver, er, I mean, A-freakin’-mazing editor, Mallory!

Divas spotted!

Took a spooky ghost tour and heard chilling tales. Hotels, street corners, and even churches were plagued by otherworldly happenings.

One of the most haunted places in San Antonio.

Liquor, s’mores, and fluffy socks. Jealous you weren’t at the Harlequin party?

Made to order banana splits, too! *sigh* Heaven…

Put your hands in the air like you just don’t care! Dancing at the Harlequin party!

MuseTracks Hump Day Kick Start diva, Golden Heart finalist, and beauty queen, Sarah!

The view from a terrace at a super secret party on the last night.

My book booty!

 

Hope you enjoyed the tour. Watch your step as you exit to the left. And be sure to leave a comment for your tour guide – me!

Link of the Week – Weird Al Yankovic’s Word Crimes

This is just for fun. And why not? We all need to laugh, everyday.

Watch your grammar, yo!

Friday Fun Facts- Get Your Liquor On!

Oh My! Seriously?

 

I don’t know about you but I love a glass of nice wine with a good meal. However, by the pool on a hot summer evening, give me a margarita, pina colada, or a rum and coke! I distinctly remember the first time I tried a Tom Collins (Gin, limeade and sugar).My family was in Bangkok at the Siam Intercontinental and we went to the piano bar for drinks before dinner. Why that memory is so crystal clear in my brain, I don’t know. It was a lovely evening and one I will always cherish. (The drink was really good too!)

I’ve found some interesting bits of information for you today on liquor and I hope you enjoy them. If you wish to get a cold Manhattan, Martini, Cosmopolitan, Harvey Wall Banger or gin and tonic, go ahead, I’ll wait……………..Oh, here you are!

Glad you’re back!

 

Sit back, take a sip and enjoy learning some Friday Fun Facts.

1. Even though Islam forbids drinking alcohol, the whole distillation process producing pure spirits was perfected in the Arab world. An alchemist, Geber, did this in the 8th century!

2. There are four elements in the process- yeast, a carbohydrate, the fermentation process, and the distillation process.

3. Liquor has a higher concentration than beer or wine because the distillation process increases the ethyl alcohol. (No wonder the Long Island Iced Teas in college knocked me for a loop!)

4. The gin and tonic was one of the only cocktails created for medicinal reasons. When British troops were stationed in hot, humid climates back in the 19th century, they often fell prey to malaria. Tonic water made with Peruvian quinine was found to be the best way to combat the disease. Unfortunately, the quinine water was very bitter so those young chaps came up with a solution! Add gin, sugar and some lime juice and the bitterness dissolved into a lovely cocktail. Brilliant!

5. Prohibition in the U.S. lasted for nearly a decade and created a whole sub-culture. Speak Easy much?

6. The Cotton Club which opened in 1922 was a well known Speak Easy. Most were just hidden rooms with barely drinkable whiskey and run by gangsters and the Mob.

7. As Al Capone put it, “All I do is to supply a public demand … somebody had to throw some liquor on that thirst. Why not me?”

I just love word games!

Hump Day Kick Start – Texas Edition

Song of the day:  Round Here by Florida Georgia Line

Hump Day Kick Start – for your muse, a writing picture prompt, or just a visual treat.

 

MuseTracks is taking San Antonio by storm this week for the annual Romance Writer’s of America conference. But don’t let that stop you from paying tribute to this sexy Texan prompt. Drool, stories, snarky comments from male followers, and one-liners welcome.