Julia London's Blog, page 20

The Winter Lodge

Just finished a Susan Wiggs novel, The Winter Lodge, that I quite enjoyed, so thought I’d share it with you.  Although I suspect this book is defined as women’s fiction, the romance definitely drives the story and the secondary characters make you want to read more about them as well.  (Which is awesome because this is part  of a series (book 2).  So that means the reader has the chance to ‘live’  in Wiggs’s fictional world a little longer!!!)

Here’s the Blurb:

On the longest night of the year, Jenny Majesky loses everything in a devastating house fire. But among the ashes she finds an unusual treasure hidden amid her grandfather’s belongings, one that starts her on a search for the truth, and on a path toward a life that she never imagined. The Winter Lodge, a remote cabin owned by her half sister on the shores of Willow Lake, becomes a safe refuge for Jenny, where she and local police chief Rourke McKnight try to sort out the mysteries revealed by the fire.

But when a blizzard traps them together, Jenny, accustomed to the safe predictability of running the family bakery, suddenly doesn’t feel so secure. For even as Rourke shelters her from the storm outside, she knows her heart is at risk. Now, following her dreams might mean walking away from her one chance at love.

Great book–read and enjoy!!!

What other Susan Wiggs  books do you love?

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That Time of Year. . . .

Yes, it’s now officially time for Christmas shopping. . . commercials!! I am quite the aficionado of seasonal and holiday commercials and although I know the Christmas ads began some time ago, I will only begin to take notice of them now….

So, my first impressions of the new crop for 2012?

I am sadly missing the perky, wacko blonde from Target’s past couple of years….Their new 2012 couple just doesn’t do it for me and I’m hoping they’ll bring her back — one of my favorites has to be this one:

This year Honda is doing some very funny ones — clearly showing why getting phone calls over speaker phones is not always the best thing..(if the video doesn’t show, click the link!)

Honda Pilot

So, two questions — do you think about holiday shopping before or after Thanksgiving? And, do you have any favorite holiday ads?

BTW — I hope you’re all having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with your loved ones…! I have sooooo many people and things to be thankful for so I’ll be thinking about that today. Happy T’day to all of you!

 

Terri

 

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Since we won’t be getting a Maserati, what should we get?

This is not going to be the Kenner Family's next car.

Well, dang.

The Toyota is starting to wear down. We thought this week that it was all over, and we were going to be whining at the door of the Smart Car dealership (the kids could run along after the car–good exercise, and those things only have two seats!). But then we went car shopping and gasped at the prices and begged our mechanic to get her running again for just a little while longer.

I think it’s gonna chug along for another six months or so.

(So, sidenote for the season, I’m thankful to have two functioning–more or less–cars).

But the inevitable is pressing down on us like some heavy, unpleasant pressing down thing. Yes, soon we are going to have to suck it up and buy a new car.

What should we get?

I can’t stomach paying a ton for a car (unless it happens to be a Maserati. Or a Jag — I’d be okay with a Jag). And it needs to get good gas mileage because we drive the heck out of our cars.

We’re thinking a Honda Fit.

Or a Mini-Cooper (I really do covet the Minis).

Any advice? Horror stories? Words of warning?

Have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow! And to everyone who is traveling, be safe!

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Grateful for Bad Stuff

Sorry for the late post today, gang! Had a computer issue, which is (hopefully) resolved.

It might be predictable, given that Thursday is Thanksgiving, but gratitude is on my mind. I’m grateful for my family, my crazy dog, my friends and the health and happiness we enjoy. But I’m also grateful I know how to do more than boil water in the kitchen. My friends tease me that I must be part Italian, since I not only love to cook, I tend to take pictures of anything that looks especially great.

Lately on Thanksgiving these skills have come in handy, since there are those in my family who seem determined for everybody else to try the fabulous new dish they experimented with last Tuesday. Unfortunately, these dishes tend to be lousy. “And it’s so healthy!” are the cries of delight from the wanna-be Emeril. Give me a frickin’ break.

It’s Thanksgiving! Who wants healthy?!? Give me tradition! Give me fat!

Let’s boil some potatoes, add a vat of butter, some salt and gravy and get busy with the good stuff. Let’s do stuffing with more gravy and casseroles with soups, mayo and butter. Let’s enjoy yeast rolls and desserts with real sugar. Want a fruit? Open that can of jellied cranberry sauce and dump on a spoonful.

I don’t want salads with pomegranate seeds or dressings with no fat or sugar. Green beans with balsamic vinegar might be original, but it tastes horrible. Yes, you can tell the difference between brownies made with Splenda and applesauce instead of oil and sugar. Frankly, unless I’m having the big meal with Mario Batali running the kitchen, I’m giving anything “new, healthy and original” a wide birth.

I’ll climb back on the anti-cholesterol wagon Friday. Or maybe Monday.

Does anybody in your Thanksgiving crowd bring a horrible dish? Or, on the positive side, who makes the best thing you eat on the big day?

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Pasta Party!

We have a rule at Casa D’Alessandro–you get to pick what meal you want for your birthday dinner, be it an at-home feast, or an evening out at a favorite restaurant. Yesterday was my DH’s birthday. When I asked him what he’d like to do to celebrate, he said he wanted a homemade pasta dinner. Sounded good to me! I especially like celebrating my husband’s birthday because I’m eleven months older than him–so for the next 4 four weeks we’re the same age, LOL!

Fetuccini on the drying rack

We broke out the pasta machine and made fettucine which we paired with a light tomato-basil sauce. We also made ravoli stuffed with sauteed zucchini served with homemade pesto sauce. Both were SO good! There’s really a huge difference with homemade pasta–it’s so much lighter and much less filling. Dinner also included roasted asparagus and Caprese salad. I made the DH’s favorite dark chocolate gelato for dessert, but since it’s hard to stick a birthday candle in ice cream, I also made chocolate cupcakes with fluffy toffee frosting. Totally yummy! And fat free. Yup–fat free. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

Me, the DH, and the kid. Happy birthday, honey! xox

We had a wonderful time, lots of laughs, and a fabulous meal. So glad it was a special day for my man–because he deserves it.

How do you celebrate birthdays at your house? What was your favorite birthday celebration?

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Weekend Reading: Lunch Hour Love Stories

Introducing a new venture from some of my favorite authors (and friends)… Lunch Hour Love Stories. 

The idea of Lunch Hour Love Stories is that you can pop in and buy brand new stories from established authors, stories just long enough to fill a lunch hour or two. Julia London is a founding author. Some of us will be contributing stories now and then. Dee Davis offers one in February.

Keep checking back to see what your favorite authors are serving up next. A fun idea! I hope it’s a big success.

Are you a fan of short stories? Or do you prefer to lose yourself in a longer fiction?

 

 

 

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Wretched Creature Movies and the Writers Who Love Them

 

Last week, I mentioned several truly horrible SyFy “creature” movies and my bizarre fascination with them.  I believe that several years ago the executive at the SyFy Channel sat down and said, “You know what scares people?  Sharks.  And weather/seismic  phenomena.  And Corin Nemec, that kid from Parker Lewis Can’t Lose.  He’s terrifying.  Let’s combine all of those things into movies and scare the hell out of people!’

And so the weekend “creature feature” Syfy Original Movies were born. The general plot goes something like this.  A sleepy community, generally near some body of water, is eagerly anticipating tourist season/a festival/some event that will bolster the local economy.  An earthquake, hurricane, or weapons testing awakes a heretofore unknown species of shark, squid, snake, spider, alligator or some hybrid of those creatures.*A local grizzled fisherman disappears, but nobody pays attention because he’s known to be both grumpy and unstable.  Later, a comely scientist finds his body parts in an estuary, but the local officials pay the attractive biologist no mind, because they don’t want to spoil the tourist season/festival/event.   Generally, because local fishermen hunted down some small specimen of the shark-snake-mosquito hybrid and the officials are sure everything’s going to go back to normal now.  The tourists show up and its an open buffet for the creatures.

Some fantastic examples of this formula are Piranhaconda, Sand Sharks, Dinocroc vs. Supergator, Arachnoquake, and Mansquito.

The production values are not great.  Some of the creature effects are pretty laughable.  And the acting and dialogue are in some cases, ridiculously bad, which I blame on stunt casting former teen pop sensations like Debbie Gibson and Tiffany.  But for some reason, I can’t look away.  It’s like a cinematic train wreck.  When I find one of these movies playing, I have to stop an watch.  It’s the ultimate in escapist entertainment.  Sure, the economy may be bad.  I may have writer’s block and no hand-eye coordination.  But at least I’m smart enough not to be eaten by a giant snake-pirahna.

That’s not to say that the SyFy Channel doesn’t put together some awesome programing on occasion.  Face/Off, Paranormal Witness, and the original movies, Tin Man and Alice, immediately come to mind.  But I think there’s room for a little ridiculousness in our viewing schedules.

So my question is this: What is your favorite terrible movie?  What DVD do you have in your collection, but would never admit to owning?  Double points if the title includes the word “sharktopus.”  (The unholy genetic blending of octopus and shark.)

 

*Sharks seemed to be a particularly popular species to pick on, because 1) there are lots of available varieties of sharks to mutate and 2) people are really afraid of/fail to understand sharks.  If it’s a prehistoric species of shark, heretofore unknown to our terrified characters, even better.  Sand Sharks was a particularly awesome example, as it involved a prehistoric shark, which – if the comely scientist played by Brooke Hogan was to be believed – used tiny denticles on its skin to pull itself forward and swim through dry sand like it water, making no spot on the island it invaded safe except for parking lots and roadways.  And even then, the sharks could jump, so the people attending the beach rave thrown by Corin Nemec in the climactic scene were highly vulnerable.

 

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Best. Dog. Ever.

As many of you know we lost our Cardigan Welsh Corgi last week.  Max was almost twelve.  And quite honestly, the best dog ever.   Except for the final two days, I can never remember him being unhappy.  He approached life with a joy and abandon I can only wish to achieve.  Every single day was an adventure.  Whether chasing squirrels in Central Park, posing for his fans on walks, herding the cat, or just sleeping across my feet as I wrote, he was always happy.   And because of that, my spirits were usually lifted as well.   So just a few moments to honor my dog, who is hopefully somewhere up there running with big boys.  Max we love you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s your favorite pet story?

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Are we Chasing Mavericks? Or are we journeying on a Road to living our dreams and feeling Alive?

Chasing Mavericks

Recently, I have had the pleasure of several uplifting experiences that helped my creativity in simple ways, but meaningful enough that I wanted to share them.  They are Chasing Mavericks, Roads, and Alive.

First, let me say that no one’s journey in life is ever easy.  There are bumps and potholes all along the way for us all, and what appear to be bottomless pits or impossible mountains that stand in the way.  Sometimes those pits and mountains are real.  And anytime I have a clear picture of how to make my dreams come true and I am enthusiastic about it, a thousand and one obstacles appear.   Unfortunately, the greatest of those obstacles is often myself.

Sometimes chosen paths can make a journey harder, especially when reaching for our dreams.   In my very long journey to becoming a published author, and especially in my struggle to stay profitably published during changing and economically difficult times, there have been some who say I’m Chasing Mavericks.  And in my deepest, darkest moments, I must confess that I have wondered the same thing.  Am I Chasing Mavericks?

What’s Chasing Mavericks you ask?  In essence, from a movie I just saw titled Chasing Mavericks, it is running after, and putting all of your hope and effort into conquering what isn’t real or something that rarely ever happens.  In the movie—based on the true story of Jay Moriarity—a kid, single-mindedly sets out to find and surf that mythical gigantic wave every surfer dreams of conquering.  He doesn’t let anything stop him from doing everything he can do to prepare for that event and when that mythical wave really does appear, he was ready for it.

What uplifted me? LOL besides seeing hunky Gerard Butler?  The reaffirmation that if you have a passion and love for something.  That if something is your dream, then don’t let anything or anyone take that away from you.  Go for it.  A friend of my just did this in a big way.  Tim Parrish, the model for my upcoming books, Cocktail Cove and Unleash the Past, sold all of his belongings in Chicago and moved to LA to make his dreams come true.  His advice: “if you know what you want, go out and conquer until it happens.  The people that do aren’t super humans, they just went after it and never stopped believing.”

Last year on season two of The Voice, I watched the journey of a singer from his beginning audition to the very last show.  His name is Chris Mann, and he didn’t win the big prize.  He came in third.  But he is still moving down the road to making his dreams come true.  If you could imagine what an archangel, with all of his power and glory and perfection would sound like, that’s how Chris Mann sings.  He is talented, magical, and yet he has struggled for years without a large measure of success.  This week his debut album, Roads, was released and I bought it.  So now, his inspiration can be a part of my day anytime I need it.

What uplifted me?  LOL besides his great voice and good looks?   The fact that even though he didn’t win the big prize, he’s still striving down the road to his dreams, progressing a step at a time.  So, even though I’m not a NYT Bestseller (YET) and I am way behind in the books that I wanted to finish by the end of the year, I’m realizing that every sentence I can get on a page, ever paragraph, every chapter, is another step down the road to my dreams.

Finally, saving the best for last, during a recent trip to LA, I was privileged to meet with another up and coming singer from Australia, Aaron Hendra, and his savvy wife, motivational and fashion guru, Tiffany Hendra.  They are the most amazing and inspiring couple I have ever met who have a huge heart for helping others.   Aaron gave me a sample CD that has a few songs from his upcoming album.  They are all great songs, but two of them are phenomenal, Alive and One Man’s War.  Aaron wrote the song Alive for his wife and he wrote One Man’s War for the children in Sudan and the man who has fought for fourteen years to save them, Sam Childers, the Machine Gun Preacher.

What inspired me?  If you take the time to go to Aaron Hendra Project and listen to the two songs, you’ll be able to hear what I’m attempting to put into words.  But in essence it is, the depth and breadth and magnitude of love that Aaron has for his wife and for those in need.  It reaches deep into you when you hear him sing.  His song for Tiffany renewed my spirit about the very heart of what I write about –love.  Yes love is Alive!  His song for the Angels of East Africa, One Man’s War, is full of hope, for all of the proceeds on that song go directly to the children in Sudan.  So here’s a prayer for a million downloads of One Man’s War!

What about the journey to your dreams?  Have there been or are there bumps in your road?  What has uplifted you recently?

This Wednesday and Thursday I will be part of Thanksgiving Free Partay extravaganza.  Go to FreePartay.com for free books from great authors.

Currently, I am working on Aerik the Eternal: Point of No Return, the first book in my Crimson Thorn Series, paranormals set in Regency England.  Here is a small taste of the story…

Thickening forest kept the chill wind at bay and deepened the stormy afternoon’s shadows.  Rounding the bend to the graveyard, Christine smiled with anticipation as she passed the eight foot cross marking its entrance.

Her secret obsession was here, a man whose magnificent form she likened to that of a Viking or Roman warrior from ages past.  Even Zeus maybe, for he had stolen his way into her imagination like a powerful god.

The stories she wove about him had captured her heart as a young girl and as she matured into a woman, had given breath to her secret desires.

He stood in the center of the cemetery, tall and broad-shouldered, looking as if he could keep the devil at bay from all those buried within.  Courage, noble bearing, and–heaven help her—a forbidden sensual appeal filled every contour of his bronze likeness.  She couldn’t help but wonder how much more so had the man been in real life?

She slid back the hood of her cloak and breathed in, swearing she could actually smell the sandalwood she imagined him wearing.  She was in love with a statue, or more accurately the man she imagined him to be.  Most would consider her mad enough for an asylum if they knew, for even she had to question her own sanity.  But the stories he inspired gave her hope of a future beyond her grief, beyond this smothering village and the grave of drudgery she dug deeper every day she worked as a maid.

After a quick glance about to assure she was alone, she sauntered forward with a saucy step.  “So who shall you be this stormy day, sir?  A captain of a fine ship fighting pirates on a wild sea?  A noble soldier riding to the rescue of your king?  Or a knight slaying dragons to win the affections of the fairest princess in the land?”

She angled her head back and slid her palm against his chiseled cheek.  “Had I lived during your time, I surely would have loved you even if only from afar.”

She slid her hand down to press against the smooth curve of his breast where she imagined his heart would have beaten passionate and true then she traced the circle of thorns etching his upper left arm.  “Would that I knew your true story, my lone warrior.”

No one knew who he was or why he watched over the dead.  He stood naked, save for his loin cloth and weapons—sword held high, shield slung over his back.  Her hands had explored every part of him many times in her quest to draw him perfectly upon the page.  He was unlike any man she’d ever seen, and especially unlike the odiously obese Lord Stafford.  Sometimes Lord Stafford’s gaze was so bold Christine seriously wondered if she would have to leave Castleborough and her beloved moor for the stench and grime of London’s streets– the one place she could assuredly disappear from the man.  Any place smaller, she would be noticed, for the vibrant red of her hair marked her like a scarlet letter.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, reminding her that she should hurry.

“A kiss to hold you until I return again, my warrior.”  She lifted her lips to the breeze and waited a moment, imagining how a kiss would feel.  Then she patted his thick thigh and stepped back with a wink, before turning to leave.  The path would take her past the church, the village, and on to the Stafford’s estates.   At one time there had been a church adjoining the graveyard, but it had burned down years and years ago.  Many of the townspeople trapped inside had died.  Instead of rebuilding on the same spot, the villagers had moved the church closer to town and had built a large memorial on the edge of the cemetery.  Iron gates fronted the marble structure that was bigger than the bedroom she shared with two other maids upon the Stafford’s upper floor.

Carved across the top of the memorial was a phrase that comforted her and yet unsettled her in some strange way she’d yet to understand: “Death cannot kill, what never dies…”—Penn.

Aerik the Eternal waited in the shadows, watching his red-haired beauty as he had too many times to count.  Frustration and longing pulsed with every beat of his heart.  Bjorn had spoken true.  Watching over her had begun as a routine task, a favor to his uncle but as she grew into a woman, it had become an exercise in torture for him.

Everything about her had become ingrained in him.  The scent of her blood, the fragrance of her skin, the softly, sensual lilt of her voice.  From the darkness of the memorial-crypt in which he stood, he’d often observed her talking with his bronze-likeness across the graveyard.  At first it had been amusing to listen to her charm his statue as she drew.  But after the night her sensual dream had reached to him across the darkness, the way she spoke and touched the statue inflamed his passions.  It was as if she were enticing and caressing him.

And like the love-starved fool he’d become, he couldn’t turn away.  He ached to breathe of her essence, and imagined awakening her to all manner of pleasures.

Some watchguard he’d become.  He knew he’d reached the point that he’d have to go to his uncle and have another guardian assigned to her.  Honor demanded that he do so.  But he couldn’t stand the thought of another watching over her.  Of another falling in love with her.  Another who’d have no conscience.  Who’d seduce her, selfishly take her virgin flesh then leave her.  Or worse, claim her with a bloodoath and curse her forever to the darkness of the night.

No sunrises, no sunsets, no heated kisses from the sun, only a pale moon and the distant stars to illuminate the world night after cold night.  There was also the matter of extinction looming like a dark cloud upon the horizon.

Why couldn’t the Prefects see that?  Sometimes it seemed to Aerik that the ancients wanted the breed to die out.  Shaking off the black thought, he watched his red-haired angel poise her lips for an imaginary kiss.

He strained against the scrolled iron doors of the crypt to see more of her, so wanting to fulfill her wish.  He breathed in her soft scent of seductive flowers and sweet blood–a torture he couldn’t resist.  He shook and sank his fangs into the flesh of his mouth as desire rushed through him in a hot, muscle hardening wave of desperation.  No woman, mortal or immortal had been able to assuage his need for her.

He should be known as Aerik the Foolish for living in this tormenting limbo.

 

Happy Reading and Much Love,

Jennifer St. Giles

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M is for Monday, Memories, Manpris

Writing on Veteran’s Day, to all of the brave men and women who have chosen military service and have fought for our country, thinking of you with gratitude and respect. 

We’ve been whining since 2004. Some of you who have been with us since the early days (congratulations if so, also thinking of you with gratitude and respect) remember some of our brilliant fashion segments. Like the one in which we recognized a growing trend in men wearing shorter pants/longer shorts and coined the term “Manpris.”

Ashton Kutcher models manpris.

I thought we’d coined the term. We certainly felt clever at the time. But maybe other people were using the word, too. I don’t recall. But it did make me smile to turn to the Huffington Post and see them discussing David Beckham’s manpris. Also made me smile to look at the pictures. As long as he doesn’t speak, I can enjoy some David Beckham.

Click here for Huffpo’s David Beckham in his manpris (also, shirtless). 

Are you a fan of looking at David Beckham? Do you remember our manpri posts? Have you seen any mind-boggling new developments in men’s fashion lately?   

 

 

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