Julia London's Blog, page 19

Poof Obsessed

I’m obsessed with poofing. It’s okay, I guess. I mean…I know I have a problem. Admitting it is the first step, right?

Thanks to a generous Pinterest contributor (for those of you who haven’t joined the amazing cult that is Pinterest and have no idea what I’m talking about, I have visual aids), I learned how to make magical creations out of rolls of mesh glitter fabric and pipe cleaners–and now I can’t stop.

Mind you, my Christmas decorations needed a serious update (which prompted my call for help in the first place), but after finding all the necessary craft props, I sat on my living room sofa and poofed until I could poof no more. Which is how I wound up with this:

 

 

 

And this:

 

 

 

And this:

The dog drew the line when I tried to add a poofed bow around his neck.

SORRY, PICTURE NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO THE LAW AGAINST UNNECESSARY EMBARRASSMENT OF SHIH TZUS

I’m sure my next move will be to poof the packages under the tree, but, for now, I have revenue-generating work I should get back to. (Though only so I can support my habit.) See how bad it’s gotten?!?

Do you have a favorite holiday decoration? (Be warned: I withhold the right to email you and ask you how you made such an amazing thing if you choose to share.)

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Who Knew??

You know that saying, “you learn something new every day?” Well, I’ve learned a couple of things lately and thought I’d share my newfound knowledge with the Whiners. My first new item of knowledge concerns aluminum foil. And plastic wrap. And wax paper. Basically anything on a roll that comes in one of those long, rectangular boxes where you tear off the amount you need with the serrated edge on the box. I’ve always had trouble keeping the roll inside the box. Every time I’d pull out a piece of foil or plastic wrap, I’d end up pulling the stupid roll out of the box.  But not any more. Not since I learned that there are these little punch holes on the ends of the box that you’re supposed to push in to hold the roll in place (insert my completely nonplussed expression here). Seriously?? Did you all know about this? HOW did I get to be the age I am and not KNOW this?  And just in case you can’t visual what I mean, here’s some photographic help:

 

Did you know you had those punch holes on the ends of your foil box??

 

Please, someone tell me I’m not the only person on the planet who didn’t know about those hold-the-roll-in-the-box thingamabobs!

The other thing I recently learned is Epic. Really. Epic as in if you’re not sitting down, you probably should. Okay–everybody seated? Here it is: you can freeze cupcakes.

Yes, you read that correctly. Freeze. Cupcakes. Again I must ask HOW did I not know this? Did the rest of you know this life-changing information and simply choose to keep it from me?? I discovered this only a few weeks ago. It was my DH’s birthday and I’d made gelato for dessert for his b’day dinner. But as delicious as gelato is, it doesn’t scream Birthday Cake. Since I didn’t want a bunch of cake leftover, I decided to make cupcakes, figuring the kid could bring them to the fitness class he was going to teach the next day (yeah, yeah, I know cupcakes and fitness don’t go together, but the class was for a group of middle school kids and kids love cupcakes, so that’s the way it was going to go).  So I made a batch of 24 chocolate cupcakes with fluffy whipped cream and chocolate toffee frosting. YUM! I was telling the friends we’d invited for dinner that I was going to send the cupcakes away, when the wife said, “You know you can freeze them.”

Um, no. I didn’t know.

But I do now!

That little sentence changed my life. The middle schoolers missed out (hey–it’s a fitness class! No cupcakes allowed!). I set my precious leftover darlings in a nice deep Tupperware (didn’t want the frosting to get smushed) and popped them in the freezer. And guess what we had for dessert tonight–three weeks after the b’day party?

If it looks a little lopsided it's because I'd already eaten half of it when I decided to take the picture, LOL!

I hope these two tidbits are as useful to you as they’ve been to me. Spread the word. And please share any useful knowledge you might have garnered recently (or not so recently) with us. And if you have no useful knowledge, just let us know what your plans are for the week. We Whiners want to know!

 

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Sometimes you just want to jump into the danger zone

After enough of these pile up, I have to confess ... sometimes I just want to live dangerously and follow the dang link!

I am not one to live dangerously. I don’t zip in and out of traffic. I always wear my seatbelt. I toss deli meat after the expiration date. I don’t skydive, with or without a parachute. And I absolutely, positively, don’t visit websites that come through my spam filter.

But Twitter, ah, Twitter …

Those spam messages that end up going straight to my Direct Message feed … Those messages that so compellingly ask what I was doing in that video … that question how, how, how someone was able to catch me doing that (or, for that matter, that promise an easy way to lose belly fat) … well, sometimes I have to admit that I’m tempted.

I mean, what if it’s a secret door to another world? Like choosing the red pill? What if folks who click automatically win a million dollars? I mean, a million dollars could come in REALLY handy. What if I really am doing something in that video, but I know it’s not me, and it turns out that a secret government agency has cloned me and is sending the alter-me out on vile missions?

I mean, it could happen, right? So maybe I should bite the bullet and find out?

Except, no. I like my computer too much.

But maybe if I could log on at the Apple store. Or, no, better the Microsoft store. After all, I’m a Mac girl!

How about you? Are you ever tempted by spam (the web-based kind, not the processed meat product)?

And be sure to visit my website! I’ve got lots of stuff going on right now, including a fabulous blog hop with a giveaway of my upcoming Release Me!

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Friday book day–Holiday reads!

My favorite holiday gifts–to both give and receive–are books. On the one hand I hope no one in my family is reading this blog because if they are, they’re gonna know they’re getting a book for Christmas. On the other hand, in case they are reading this, I’ll just throw it out there that I’d love to see Ina Garten’s new cookbook under the tree. Just sayin’.

I also love books where the holidays figure into the story, so I thought I’d post an excerpt about my holiday-themed romantic comedy ebook, Mine at Midnight, which is on sale today through this weekend at Amazon for only 99 cents!

The story is about Merrie Langston, a free-spirited caterer looking for a bank loan to expand her business. Tom Farrell is her buttoned-down accountant who’s trying to get her finances in order–no easy task as she keeps her receipts in Baggies. Sparks fly when these opposite realize they attract!  Here’s the excerpt:

Tom wasn’t sure how a caterer dressed in an elf’s costume could look so sexy. His gaze dropped to her mouth and he barely refrained from groaning.

One taste. One kiss. Just to satisfy this inexplicable, insatiable curiosity. He lowered his head, slowly, giving Merrie the opportunity stop him, but instead she lifted her face and rose up on her toes.

He brushed his lips over hers, once, twice, experimental touches that enflamed rather than satisfied. He lightly ran the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip, a favor she instantly returned. And in a heartbeat he was lost.

She tasted exactly the way she smelled– sweet, seductive, and delicious. He heard a low groan. Him? Her? He didn’t know. Didn’t know anything beyond the satiny, luscious warmth of her mouth, the erotic friction of her tongue rubbing against his. The bewitching feel of her pressed against him as he drew her closer and she wrapped her arms more tightly around him.

Heat, want, desire, pumped through him, rapidly depleting his control. His hands glided slowly up her back, and he plucked off her elf hat to sift his hands through her silky soft curls. Everything about her was curvy, feminine, and soft and fit so well against every part of him that was so… not soft. She strained closer, shifting against him, and his erection jerked in response.

Some small, barely audible kernel of common sense worked its way through the fog of lust clouding his judgment and reminded him that they stood in her client’s kitchen and that this had gone far enough.

He lifted his head and fought to control his ragged breathing. Merrie clung to him, short puffs of breath emanating from between her moist, parted lips. A hint of crimson stained her cheeks, and she slowly opened her eyes. A growl of want rose in his throat. She looked glazed, dazed, and thoroughly aroused. Much the way he assumed he must look.

“Holy cow,” she said in a breathless whisper.

Personally, he didn’t think ‘holy cow’ did that kiss justice, but damn, he was impressed she was capable of speech. He sure as hell wasn’t there yet.

She blinked several times, her stunned gaze searching his face as if she’d never seen him before. “I, um, didn’t know accountants could kiss like that.”

He had to swallow twice to finally locate his voice. “I didn’t know elves could kiss like that.”

“I’m not sure they normally do. Seems like it would melt the north polar cap.”

She could say that again. He felt as if he were roasting from the inside out. And if he didn’t step away from her, he was going to kiss her again. Which would definitely be unwise– for some reason he couldn’t think of right now, but he was pretty sure there was one.

After slowly releasing her, he took a step back. Her arms slipped from around him, then settled at her sides. He immediately missed the feel of her against him, which was bad. Really bad. But now that she wasn’t touching him, his brain was kicking back into action, shouting recriminations at him. Since he felt responsible for starting this… whatever it was, it was up to him to cut it off at the pass.

He raked his hands, which weren’t completely steady, through his hair. “Look, Merrie, as pleasant as that kiss was, I think we can agree that it wouldn’t be a good idea to repeat it.” He forced himself not to wince at using a tepid word like “pleasant” to describe a passionate exchange that had steam all but exuding from his pores. “You’re my client, and I wouldn’t want to start anything that could be construed as a conflict of interest, especially where your loan might be concerned.”

As soon as the words passed his lips his inner voice scoffed and shoved the reasoning aside. Hey, he was her accountant, he prepared her financial statements, but it’s not like he was the loan officer. Now that would be a conflict of interest. He could imagine that Merrie’s kiss would induce the loan officer to not only give her the money she requested, but also the keys to the freakin’ vault.

She nodded, slowly at first, then more vigorously. “You’re right, of course. Besides, it’s not as if that kiss could go anywhere. Let’s face it, personality-wise, we’re like oil and water.”

“Exactly,” he agreed, wondering why he didn’t feel quite as relieved as he should. “Like night and day.”

“Like wet and dry. So we’ll just forget it. Go on, business as usual. Blame the last few minutes of insanity on that common holiday malady, Mistletoe Madness.”

It took him several seconds to answer because he was still trying to figure out which one of them was ‘wet’ and which one was ‘dry’– a difficult task because nothing about their kiss could be labeled ‘dry’, and when he thought about wet… hell, his train of thought completely jumped the track.

I hope that whets your appetite for some holiday cheer! So tell me–what’s your favorite type of gift to give and receive? Do you have any favorite holiday books? Have you started shopping yet? Hope you have a wonderful weekend! xox

p.s– here’s the link to Mine at Midnight at Amazon in case you’d like to jump start your holiday reading/shopping!

http://www.amazon.com/Mine-at-Midnight-ebook/dp/B004TAUYSK/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_f_20

 

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Ch…ch…ch…changes!

photo by Ian Muttoo

I’m going to admit a dirty little secret of mine—I hate change.  That’s right, change.  In any form.  I like life predictable and dull.  Now I’ll tell you a completely different story when I’m not in a mood (like now) but the truth is that my life has taught me that change is bad and stagnation is good.  Okay maybe it’s not quite that dire.  But believe me, I like normalcy.  Big time.

When I was a kid, we moved basically every two years.  And before you ask, no, my father was not in the military—although there is a story that goes along with that (another post).  He worked for a company that followed the up or out theory of promotion and so we were always on the move.  Just to make the point, I went to three high schools.  THREE.   Every time I felt like I was finally fitting in, it was time to move again.

I dreaded my father coming in all stony-faced to tell me we were going somewhere new.   Now, to be fair, my family was/is amazing.  And my father and mother worked really hard to make each move an adventure.  And our family was always a unit.  Four of us against the world.  So in my heart, I know that I am a better person—or at least the person I am—because of all the moving.  But still… I hate it.

I always swore that I would find someone and settle down and never move again.  Which of course explains the fact that I’ve moved six times since I’ve been married.  To some admittedly exciting places, I’ll grant you, but still it’s been a lot of packing and repacking.

My husband will tell you that in my house everything has a place and it had better stay there.  He learned that early on when he’d try to put something away in the wrong place or rearrange

photo by Kamal Hamid

furniture only to find that I’d stubbornly moved it back almost as fast as he’d changed it.   Everything in my house is where it’s supposed to be.  In any one of my kitchens the glasses, the baking tools, the pots and pans…they’re more or less in the exact same place they’ve been in every house we’ve ever lived in.  And to be clear, they’re also in the same place my mother kept her pots, pans, tool and glasses.   And in certain cases, my grandmother.

I like knowing some things are always the same.

But then a funny thing always happens.  I get itchy feet.  All that sameness gets, well, boring.  And suddenly the idea of  moving on, finding a new adventure, doesn’t seem so bad after all.

Heck of a dichotomy right?  And therein, I suspect you can identify the core to most of my “issues” in life.  :)

So as we contemplate moving, yet again.  I find that I am torn, needing the sameness and wanting the adventure.  Oh well, I suspect that’s the spice of life—right?

What about you?  Do you embrace change or hate it?  Are you more flexible now or were when you were younger?  Do you like your glasses in the same general location no matter the kitchen?  Inquiring minds…

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Thankful and Blessed

Coming Soon

I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU!  To everyone who is a part of and has played a part in making the life that I have possible.  I am so very blessed and thankful.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are a special season.  It is a time of the year where we gather with friends and family to share special things and to remember the ones we love.   So in the midst of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and the rush of the Holiday Celebrations take a look at your life in the broad perspective of the history of mankind and give thanks for your life today.  Yes, we have problems today, hardships, and heartaches.  No, we may not have the perfect life we envision, but if you look into the past and what the lives were like of others before us, you’ll realize we are blessed.

As I am writing Aerik the Eternal:Point of No Return, I have lightly delved into some of the history of the French Revolution and the reign of the Roman Empire.  There were many reasons why different things happened, but the brutality of those times still shocks me.  I have read about these eras before and each time that I do, I ache for how painful life at that time must have been.  I know we have our problems in the world today.  I know there is still horrible things happening, but in so many ways on a global whole, life today is better for everyone.

Hope lives!  So take a moment and share what you are thankful for.  My list is too long to write, but it begins with loved ones and ends with everyone who loves story enough to read books because I love writing them.   I am thankful and blessed.

Happy Reading

Jennifer St. Giles

Remember Every Day to Dream, Believe, Create, Inspire, Love, and Heal.  Then you will have true success and prosper greatly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Double Danger

ON SALE December 18th!

As the newest member of A-Tac, a black-ops CIA unit masquerading as Ivy League faculty, ex-SEAL Simon Kincaid races against the clock to save lives—and outrun his wrenching past. But preventing a major terrorist attack will plunge him and the one woman he’s never forgotten into a desperate fight for survival.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Ignoring his instincts once cost Simon a vital op—and the life of his best friend, Ryan. Now as escalating, violent attacks hit A-Tac, another person he loves is in danger. Homeland Security agent Jillian Montgomery’s investigation has brought her back into Simon’s life, and unless they can learn to trust each other, their dangerous mission will fail.

After her husband Ryan’s death, Jillian dedicates herself to saving others. She can’t afford to be tempted by Simon, even though his every touch reignites the desires they once shared. But in the last desperate minutes before disaster strikes, their second chance at love might be the most lethal trap of all …

Don’t miss the other books in the series: Dark Deception, Dangerous Desires, Desperate Deeds, Daring, Deep Disclosure and Deadly Dance.   And watch for the final installment (Avery’s book) coming in July – Dire Distraction.  For more information check out www.deedavis.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Endgame

They  both know the games killers play…

FBI criminal profiler Madison Harper understands dangerous minds. Tough, tenacious, with nerves of steel, she’s the best of the best. So is her new partner, Gabriel Roarke, a crack CIA operative who likes to do things his way. When the two are forced to jointly head up a task force investigating murder in high places – it’s no surprise that sparks begin to fly.

As they race through a shadow world of power, politics and deadly secrets, the passion that simmers between Madison and Gabriel soon ignites. But a clever killer at the top of his game has challenged Madison to play to the very end.  Now all she can trust is her instincts—and Gabriel, the one man reckless enough to keep her alive…

Rio Award winner, Endgame is the first novel in Dee Davis’s newly re-released Last Chance Series.  Amazon B&N

Don’t miss the other books in the series: Enigma and Exposure.   And for more information check out www.deedavis.com

Amazon  B&N   Amazon  B&N

 

 

 

 

 

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Christmas Is Coming!

It’s safe to say Christmas now that Thanksgiving is over, right?

Stockings hung by the chimney with care...

Sadly. I love Thanksgiving! It’s my favorite, favorite holiday.

My turkey... with the huge jar of olives my stepdad brought over. Um, thanks?

We bust out the good dishes and have all the family over for dinner and we’re all happy happy and maybe just a little tipsy tipsy. Maybe. Just a little. My husband makes a mean chocolate martini. And no one has to worry about presents, who got who what, who went cheap, who spent too much… No worries.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Christmas. My daughter, who loves Christmas (strangely enough, my kids do not share my preference for Thanksgiving), insisted that I promise to have the tree all ready to decorate when she comes home for winter break. Yeah yeah yeah. I promised. So that’s in my near future.

Last year's tree ( and darn, I still don't have curtains in those front windows).

But I know, now that I started a Christmas Is Coming blog, what’s really on all of your minds right now. What can we get Sherri for Christmas? OH! Right. Thank you for asking.

I want:

1) A white noise machine. My dad lives in my house now. Granted, he has his own space, but it’s attached to my space and I can hear his TV at night when he falls asleep in front of the Military channel or that American Pickers show that he loves. And it drives me crazy. I actually knocked on his door at 3 a.m on Saturday night to ask if he was going to bed any time soon. Naturally, he was already sound asleep, TV blaring. UGH.2) Keurig milk frother! Jacquie, this one’s your fault. What model do you recommend?

3) Anything in zebra print! I’m mad about zebra. It started as a throwaway comment on my Facebook profile when I checked the mail (hey neighbors) in my zebra pajama pants. But, somehow it became a thing. My thing. I write in zebra pants and I’m proud of it. So now I find zebra print inspiring. I want slippers! A throw blanket! Manicure? Anything zebra. Send it my way.

4) A replay of LIZ AND DICK! I missed it the other night and I really want to see it. Why? Because I can’t resist a good cheesefest and something with so many turbans, caftans, and furs (and fur turbans!) has got to be it. 

5) World Peace. No, really.

Or, anything you happen to think I would like. I’m not picky! Gift cards to bookstores, Sephora, Starbucks. All good. Wine? Yes, please. Wine glasses, always handy. Headphones, iPad or Kindle accessories, fancy bookmarks, yes yes yes!

You see? I don’t ask for much. Let me know if you need my mailing address.

Have you made a list? What’s on it? Do you prefer shopping from a list or going off the cuff? It’s the thought that counts! Did you see Liz and Dick?

 

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Notes from the Nightstand

When I’m struggling with a plot issue, the solution always comes to me when I’m in the shower or half-asleep.  This is, as you can imagine, inopportune.  My husband gets tired of running to the bathroom so he can take a note about blowing up a car the “right” way while I’m rinsing conditioner out of my hair.  But until he relents on my plan to put a dry erase board by the shower door, he’s stuck.

As for the half-asleep, half-waking ideas, I keep a notebook and pen in my nightstand and scribble down some note to remind myself of my brilliance(ish) when I wake up.  Unfortunately, between my personal shorthand and penmanship that was forever ruined by a journalism career, these notes can come across as somewhat sinister.

For example, last night, I had an idea for a story I’m working on.  I need my male character to have a genuinely disturbing reason for avoiding his werewolf pack.  So I came up with a backstory and wrote, “SHE HAS TO DIE.”   It was enough of a hint that “6 a.m. Molly” would be able to interpret it.

I rolled over, found what looked to be a very threatening note in my serial killer scrawl, and then threw it away. That’s the sort of thing that disturbs my family.

But the system is hit or miss. A few weeks ago, I found an old note that said, “NO MORE NANA.’”  I didn’t even know what book this was for. Was I planning to kill off a grandmother character? Is one of my characters allergic to bananas?

And yes, it would make more sense to keep a voice recorder handy, but that would mean suddenly murmuring things like, “Kill the wife in flashback” or “Fifth chapter sex scene” in a dark room while my husband sleeps.   And that seems wrong somehow.

So, my fellow writers, when do your “plot fixes” come to you?  What tricks do you use to preserve your good ideas?  And to our readers, have you ever found a note you wrote yourself and had no clue what it meant?

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