Ann Everett's Blog, page 3

What Goes Around Comes Around

About books, movies, cooking, and advice

Decorating, shopping, and gettin’ the best price

Life, love and raising kids

Along with do-hickeys, what-cha-ma-call-its, and thing-a-ma-jigs

We’re just two Texas gals

Straight from the sticks

The only things we won’t gab about

Are religion and politics!

 

Susan: I’m what my grandmother used to call a clothes horse. I love colors, styles, and different fabrics. I come by it honest. My grandmother once spent a whole month’s salary on a skirt from France when she worked as a telephone operator in 1918.





I remember the dress Mama bought for me when I started school. A plaid shirtwaist with a white lace-trimmed collar. Maybe because it came from Sears. Most of my clothes were homemade. My grandparents had chickens, and the feed came in sacks with print material on one side that Grandma and Mama used for everything from dresses to kitchen towels to underwear.





When I got older, bobby socks were all the rage. And Poodle skirts. So were petticoats and full skirts. A few years later, I took a seam ripper to them and used the material to make fitted skirts and A-line dresses.

 

It’s incredible how the styles have changed over the years. But one thing I have learned. What goes around eventually comes around again. I never thought I’d see the day when girls wore bell bottoms, or tie-dye, or madras plaid again. But guess what? Never say never. You should see the look on my daughter’s face when she finds out her new outfit is just like one I wore years ago.

Ann: When I think of fashion, what stands out in mind are the three inch heels I talked my mother into buying me for my 8th grade graduation, the sacks of hand-me-downs I’d get twice a year from older cousins, and the borrowed formal I used when I was a homecoming princess my sophomore year. It had a boned strapless bodice with a full skirt of layered netting and a bustle-like tiered satin accent on the back. Talk about making your butt look big!

Currently, three-inch heels are all the rage, and we have re-sale shops where you actually pay for hand-me-downs. I no longer wear high heels, but I’m a frequent shopper at thrift/used clothing stores. As for the formal wear, I’m not sure if and when the big, big, skirted formals will make a comeback, but since big behinds are now in vogue, the bustle just might reemerge.

Susan mentioned wearing clothes made from feed sacks. I have a similar fashion history. My mom worked for Olive & Myers Manufacturing Company where she made mattresses. Yep, you guessed it. I had clothes made from mattress material. (photo below) Talk about making your bed and lying in…I wore mine.



Do you have a fashion memory you want to share? OR, maybe a photo of you wearing one of your faves? If so, post it in the comments. We’d love to see it!

For more info about Susan and her books, visit her website: https://www.susanaroyal.com  

 

Lovey-Dovey-Smoochy-Smoochy

Today is National Kissing Day. 

A friend once told me the minute a man touches you—you can tell if it’s for his benefit or yours. That’s pretty spot on. Ever had a guy hang on to a friendly hug just a little too long? That’s for his benefit…unless you’re crying your eyes out because your dog died or you got a bad haircut…then it’s probably for your benefit.

That got me to thinking the same thing might hold true for saying ‘I love you’ from habit and not sentiment.

When I was younger, my standard goodbye to my husband was, ‘love you, want you, need you.’ I meant it even though I didn’t say it with feeling. Because sometimes, you really feel the love when you say it, and other times you say it because it’s just the natural thing to say.

My husband told me he has no recollection of his mother ever saying she loved him. That doesn’t mean she didn’t. It just means saying those words might have made her uncomfortable. Or, maybe she felt she showed how much she loved him because of all she did and saying the words weren’t that important. As a writer, we’re drilled with “show don’t tell” so I suppose that can hold true with expressing our feelings too.

Some mothers are touchy-feely-smoochy-smoochy like mine was and some mothers aren’t. They’re both good mothers, just different.

Up until my parents died, we hugged and kissed hello and goodbye, even if I saw them more than once a day. I don’t know if Daddy was affectionate before he married Momma, but if not, her personality must have rubbed off on him, because Daddy was a hugger and a smoocher.

I looked up the word smoocher and the definition said it is a slobbery kiss. That doesn’t really describe what I mean. Our kisses were more like pecks, but describing Daddy as a hugger and pecker just didn’t seem right.

Most people in my clan are affectionate. Not so much on my husband’s side. One of his brothers would stiffen like he had a steel rod in his spine if you hugged him. I did it anyway. Because I inherited that TFSS gene and couldn’t help myself.

Over the years, I’ve had lots of people in my life I loved, but never told them because it would probably have been considered weird or inappropriate. That’s too bad because maybe they needed to hear it, and it would have been as much for their benefit as mine.

When I was in my 20s, I worked in a drug store with a soda fountain. Every day, a group of old men came in to drink coffee. I loved each one of them. That summer, I went on vacation and while I was gone, one of them died. When my boss told me, I cried and said, “I never told him I loved him.”

To which my boss replied, “Don’t worry. He knew.”

I hoped he was right, but I regretted it all the same.

In these times of social distancing, maybe we can’t be Touchy-Feely-Smoochy-Smoochy, but we can take every opportunity to say I love you, regardless if it’s for your benefit or theirs.

Dead as a Door Nail, Nekked as a Jaybird, Happy as a Lark

 

Two Gals Gabbin’

About books, movies, cooking, and advice

Decorating, shopping, and gettin’ the best price

Life, love and raising kids

Along with do-hickeys, what-cha-ma-call-its, and thing-a-ma-jigs

We’re just two Texas gals

Straight from the sticks

The only things we won’t gab about

Are religion and politics!

Ann: Is a nail only dead if it’s in a door? Since a jaybird has feathers, how can it be naked, and, is a lark always happy? We’ve grown up hearing and speaking these idioms, but what do they mean?

First, let’s define idioms. According to https://www.thefreedictionary.com/, they are the characteristic vocabulary or usage of a specific human group or subject. So, each country and region have their own idioms. In the US there are more than 25,000. I figure the south will claim a fair amount of those!

In book three of the Sweet Thangs Mystery series, Pretty Bows and Turned Up Toes, Sheriff Dan McAlister describes the body of Jay Roy Hobbs as dead as a door nail, nekked as a jaybird, and looking happy as a lark! Long after writing that, I decided to find out what those old-time sayings meant. You may be surprised by some. I was.

          Dead as a Door nail

One explanation is that back in the day, doors were built using only wooden boards and hand-forged nails. They needed to be long enough to attach vertical and horizontal wooden panels together so they wouldn’t pull apart. The nail was pounded in and bent-over which made it difficult to pull out. The technique was known as dead nailing—thus dead as a door nail.

Naked as a jaybird

In the 1920s and 30s, upon arrival, new prisoners went straight to the showers and then walked from there to their cells, naked. J-bird was slang for jail-bird. And all this time, I thought we were talking about a bird without feathers!

Happy as a Lark

Okay, this one was exactly what I thought. The lark sings a lovely melody which makes it sound mighty happy.

Crazy as a Loon

Even though, the bird is known to have a haunting cry which is compared to the howls of the insane. The second theory I found for this idiom makes more sense to me. It’s short for lunatic.

This next one is what got me to wondering about idioms in the first place. As I turned onto a street, there was a bucket in the road. I thought, someone needs to kick that out of the way. What? No. No one should kick the bucket! I couldn’t help but wonder why we say that. Why would kicking a bucket have anything do with dying? Maybe I’m the only one in the world who didn’t know. But, now that I do, it makes sense.

                Kick the Bucket

A common theory is that it refers to hanging…execution or suicide. You stand on a bucket and the pail is kicked away for the noose to do its job. Another theory is that a goat, after milking, may kick the bucket and spill the goods creating a ‘bad ending.’ The origin of the phrase might also refer to a Catholic custom of using holy-water buckets to sprinkle the blessing upon a deceased.

Well, that’s five I’ve grown up hearing. That leaves 24,995 more to check out! Let’s take a look at those Susan comes up with.

Susan: I grew up hearing all these sayings and more. I thought everyone knew what they meant. But sometimes I come across people who’ve never heard of them and give me a strange look. Most of the ones I’ve shared today are pretty explanatory.

I wouldn’t trust him any further than I could throw him

You couldn’t pick up someone and throw them very far, so you’d put very little trust in what they say. I always imagine someone trying to throw someone much bigger than they are.

So dry I’m spittin’ cotton

This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Especially when you’ve been out in the Texas sun during June, July or August. If you have, you know what I mean.

Got to get back to my rat killing

You use this phrase to end a conversation with someone when you’ve got to get back to whatever it is you were doing when you ran into them in the first place. I used this phrase one time in a conversation with a writer friend from up north and he didn’t know what the heck I meant.

I didn’t just fall off the (turnip, tater, watermelon truck)

In other words, I’m not naive. I know you’re trying to fool me, and I’m not falling for it.

This ain’t my first rodeo

Don’t be giving me advice. I’ve been in this situation before. I can handle it.

If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

Hang out with the wrong crowd and you’ll end up in trouble.

I love idioms. I think they make a conversation so much more colorful. Especially when you can picture them. Tell us some of your favorites. Leave them in the comments.

Find out more about Susan and her books at:https://www.susanaroyal.com

Some images in this post were purchased from Deposit Photos. Nails taken by: @Tamara_k, singing bird taken by: @lenmdp, kicking the bucket taken by: @blueringmedia

Drive-ins and Jesus

 

About books, movies, cooking, and advice

Decorating, shopping, and gettin’ the best price

Life, love and raising kids

Along with do-hickeys, what-cha-ma-call-its, and thing-a-ma-jigs

We’re just two Texas gals

Straight from the sticks

The only things we won’t gab about

Are religion and politics!

Susan: Drive-in movie theaters have started to make a comeback in recent years, and in light of the coronavirus outbreak, it could be a good thing. They were the brainchild of Richard Hollingshead. The idea caught on, and drive-in theaters popped up all over the country. Their popularity spiked after WWII and became an icon of American culture and a typical weekend destination.

Music to my ears when I was a child. We’d put on our pajamas and grab our pillows because it was going to be a long night. Daddy and Mama always went for the double and triple features. During the summer it got dark so late we’d be there until the wee hours of the morning.

I can smell the popcorn now! A cool summer breeze, the smell of the hot dogs on the grill, the crunch of gravel as cars pulled in. If we were lucky, we might get to go to the playground located in front just under the movie screen.

The advertisement for the snack bar flashing on the screen made my mouth water. (too expensive, Daddy always said so we always brought our snacks with us) The concession sat in the middle of the lot, along with the restrooms (which we avoided like the plague because Mama had a thing about germs)

When my husband was a teenager, he’d go to Floyd’s Dairy Bar (5 burgers for $1.00) and buy a six-pack of soda on his way to the show. He also told me the story of parking behind a kid who sneaked in a trunk load of friends (must not have been Bargain night)

My fondest memory is the time my uncles took a carload full of kids to see Cat Ballou. They took us to the snack bar and let us get ANYTHING we wanted. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! It’s a wonder I didn’t make myself sick.

I remember Cool Hand Luke, The House on Haunted Hill, Planet of the Apes, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, Shenandoah, and a whole lot of John Wayne movies. I saw a whole lot more, but those stick out in my mind.

Ann: Well, Susan, my parents never took us to the movies…drive-in or otherwise. And, once I was old enough to date, I wasn’t allowed to go to a drive-in.

However, I remember two exceptions to the rule and they stand out in my mind. Not because I was at a forbidden place, but because something memorable happened.

Drive-in visit number one: I went with a friend and her mother. I don’t recall what movie we saw, but I do remember the Lunar Eclipse that night! We spent our time watching it instead of the movie.

My second experience was the first date I had with the boy I would later marry. We’d gotten special permission to go…a one-time-only deal. Again, I don’t remember the movie, but I remember what I was wearing—a purple and white seersucker full skirt and sleeveless top. It was summer and even seersucker didn’t help.



Tom, my date, had a church hand fan in his car. Remember those? To my surprise, you can still order them as promotional products. They’re about the size of a sheet of typing paper mounted on a paint stir stick. Most of the time they had a picture of Jesus on them.

Well, Tom, being a gentleman, gave it to me so I could stir the air…which I did. But my hand got tired after a while so I laid the fan in my lap. When I raised it to fan again, it caught on the hem of my skirt, and pulled it over my head!

I was so embarrassed—but had a good excuse. Jesus did it.

To find our more about Susan and her books, go to her website: https://www.susanaroyal.com

 

A Blast From the Past

 

Ann: While doing some spring cleaning, I came across a book I’d bought many years ago, The Verse by the Side of the Road, The Story of the Burma-Shave Signs, by Frank Rowsome, Jr.

Some of you will remember this clever advertising campaign, which lasted from 1925 until 1963. The rhyming jingles for a brushless shave cream were displayed on a series of small wooden signs spaced 100 feet apart along roadways across rural America.



The company, Burma Vita Inc., was operated by Clinton Odell and his son, Allan, who suggested using the roadside idea. For the first three years, Allan and his father wrote the jingles, but when their poetic muse ran out, they sponsored a nationwide contest, awarding $100 for each of the 25 best. Some of the annual contests received more than 50,000 entries!

Some were naughty and never made it past the first round of judging. Boy, wouldn’t you like to read those entries! By today’s standards, I’ll bet they weren’t that bad!

Here’s one of the most the popular:

He had the ring

He had the flat

But she felt his chin

And that was that.

Burma-Shave

Wanna take a stab at writing one? We’re not paying any money, but it might be interesting to see a modern take on the jingle. And we’ll share the one we like the best on our next blog!

Here’s Ann’s offering:

His cheeks were covered

In five o’clock stubble

Canoodling with him

Was too much trouble.

Burma Shave

Here’s Susan’s:

Short, balding, chubby

And missing teeth

But with cheeks like a baby.

He couldn’t keep the girls away.

Burma Shave.

Susan: Talking about seeing these signs reminds me of road trips I’ve taken through the years—no fun when I was growing up. Three girls crammed together in the backseat of a mustang with black interior and no a/c. You either sat behind Daddy and got singed by flying ash (he smoked) or in the middle (with him yelling at you to duck your head because he couldn’t see) or behind Mama. He didn’t play the radio. And we drove for hours without a bathroom break. If I didn’t have a book, I read all the road signs. I knew exactly how far we were from the next Stuckey’s, Dairy Queen, or souvenir shop. (Not that we ever stopped) Things changed when I got married. My husband and I used to drive up in the hill country—nothing more relaxing than traveling down those back roads, listening to music, looking at the scenery.

Don’t forget to try your hand at writing a Burma Shave jingle. Leave it in the comments!

Winner of two eBooks from a previous post is Cindy Bright! BIG congrats, Cindy, and thanks for taking the time to read and comment on our blog.

Find out more about Susan Royal at: https://www.susanaroyal.com

Burn One,Take it Through Garden, and Pin a Rose on it

BURN ONE, TAKE IT THROUGH THE GARDEN AND PIN A ROSE ON IT!

 

Wonder what the heck we’re talking about? Well, May is National Hamburger Month. A staple at cookouts and greasy spoon cafes all across the nation, and the Diner lingo title to this blog is the way they used to be ordered.

“Burn one” refers to dropping the burger on the grill. “Taking it through the garden” means topping it with lettuce and tomato, and to finish it off, you pin a rose (onion), the most fragrant of flowers, on it!

Man, that diner slang just adds some fun to the order! Of course, in recent years the Fast Food King has been elevated to a ‘gourmet’ status. The origin is unclear, but burgers have been around for a long time. A recipe for a hamburger appears in a cookbook written in the 1700s, and in the 1800s, emigrants ate them on their way to America.

In 1896, the Chicago Daily Tribune mentioned a place called The Sandwich Car that offered a Hamburger steak sandwich ‘cooked while you waited on the gasoline range for a nickel.’

ANN: Hey, back in 1967, I bought hamburgers at McDonald’s in Austin, Texas for nineteen cents! Only a fourteen-cent price increase from 1896!!

J. Wellington “Whimpy,” Popeye the Sailor Man’s friend, helped hamburger popularity when he appeared in the cartoon as a hefty Lover of Hamburgers in 1930. His soft spoken and cowardly personality was in direct contrast to his willingness to do whatever it took to get one, or a billion, for free.

They come in all sizes, consisting of one or more cooked patties of ground meat; usually beef, pan-fried, grilled, smoked or flame broiled, served on a sliced bun with lettuce, tomato, red, white or grilled onions, pickles, bacon, cheese. Sliced avocados, peppers, mushrooms, along with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, or relish. 

SUSAN: The best burger I ever ate? October 3, 1969. On the way to Corpus Christi, my husband and I stopped at a little café. We’d only been married a few hours, and after being too busy and too nervous to eat all day, we were starving. Boy, did it taste good.

If burgers are your favorite fast food, then you’re in good company. Bruce Springsteen loves a good diner burger. Venus Williams prefers one from Mickey D’s, while Katy Perry fancies In-N-Out-Burgers.

SUSAN: My favorite is a well-done pattie on a toasted bun, mustard on one side, and mayonnaise on the other, grilled onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. Sometimes thin-sliced avocados. Sometimes melted cheese. 

ANN: Just so you know, to order that well-done burger in diner lingo, the waitress would shout, “One Hockey Puck.” My favorite thing about a burger is the sauce I put on it. I mix 3 parts mayo with 1-part mustard, add lots of ground black pepper, and slather it on both buns. I love to add grilled mushrooms and onions, along with lettuce and some good ol’ East Texas maters!

For more information about Susan: https://www.susanroyal.com  

GABBIN’ ABOUT BOOKS AND BOOBS

Two Gals Gabbin’

About books, movies, cooking, and advice

Decorating, shopping, and finding the best price

Life, love and raising kids

Along with do-hickeys, what-cha-ma-call-its, and thing-a-ma-jigs

We’re just two Texas gals

Straight from the sticks

The only thing we won’t gab about

Is religion and politics!

Since, we, the Gabbin’ Gals are writers, we have to mention some of the book/reading related holidays coming up this week. We’ve included links and a little bit of gab for you to check out! Also, be sure and read all the way to the end for a giveaway! 

April 21, 2020

National Library Day

www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek

April 22, 2020

National Bookmobile Day

www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek/national-bookmobile-day

***Please note: This post was written and scheduled prior to the stay-at-home order, so these event are cancelled, but we thought they were still worth mentioning. There’s always next year!!

 

Susan shares memories of what the bookmobile meant to her as a child.

I’ll never forget my childhood visits to the bookmobile. Dispatched every other week from the central library in downtown San Antonio, Texas, the unassuming airstream trailer sat at the local shopping center for the day. Inside, books filled floor to ceiling shelves. An attendant sat at a small table on one end, reading, of course.

 

The place beckoned me with as much excitement and anticipation as a picnic or a day at the pool because it represented adventure, escape, and fantasy.

I journeyed far away from that little trailer sitting in the parking lot under the hot Texas sun. My travels took me far north, sledding down an icy hill, building a snowman, or making snow angels. I sailed to tropical islands, ate pineapple, and slept in a hammock. I rode across the plains in a Conestoga Wagon and hunted buffalo with the Indians. Met King Arthur and Excalibur. But my favorite childhood trips were the ones where I visited magical places that only existed in the author’s dreams.

 

Those days are long gone, but I’ve never stopped experiencing that rush of excitement I get when I pick up a book and start a new journey.

April 23, 2020

World Book Night

https://worldbooknight.org/

April 25, 2020

Eeyore’s Birthday!

http://eeyores.org/

This one we just had to gab about!

Eeyore’s Birthday Party, Austin, Texas. Eeyore turns 57!! It’s a fun-filled day for kids, benefitting non-profits, but what we found interesting was in the FAQ section where one of the inquires was: Can I go Topless?

WHAT????

Well, you may be surprised by the answer:

Yes. Texas is one of 36 states that does not forbid toplessness. Austin also doesn’t disallow it. Many attendees choose to paint their breasts in celebration of Eeyore’s birthday. You might be inspired to the do the same. We offer face painting at the event if you find your painting skills are lacking. We also sell pasties for those of us that are more modest.

Check out last year’s photos here: https://imageevent.com/cbusch/eeyoresbirthday2019

Eeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh book series, written by A. A. Milne. He is characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, old gray donkey who suffers from anhedonia, which is the inability to feel pleasure.

So, Susan, would you go topless at Eeyore’s birthday? Or choose the more modest route of pasties?

Susan: I don’t know about you, but I have to wonder about someone sending a query whether or not they could celebrate Eeyore’s birthday topless. I could just hear Eeyore saying, “Ohhhh-kayyy.” It has to be someone young and/or perky. Or maybe they commented on the wrong thread. It’s not something I’d consider under any circumstances. As hot as it gets by the end of April in Texas, I’d get a serious sunburn!

Ann: I wouldn’t worry so much about sunburn. I’d worry that after the body painter finished, I’d have two sad basset hounds draped to my waist!!

                                                                                                             

  Find out more about Susan here:  https://www.susanaroyal.com

READERS, would you consider going topless at Eeyore’s party? Give us your opinions. We’d love to hear them, and one lucky commenter will win two eBooks of your choice—one from Susan, and one from Ann or her alter ego, Emma Ames.

Until next time, stay safe—stay well.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Laura Haley-McNeil shares her new release and experience as a Hollywood “extra.”  I loved reading about her brush with stardom!  I hope you do—and—you’ll check out her new contemporary romance, Call it Love, which releases today. To stay up to date with everything going on in Laura’s life, be sure and follow her on social media.

Lights! Camera! Action!

When my book Call It Love, Book 3 of the Beaumont Brides Series, started to germinate in my head, I knew I wanted to create a Hollywood romance for my two characters―Addison and Spencer. It was the perfect book for me to write. Because I’m a Southern California girl, I actually had a little bit of experience with the film industry.

The studios are always looking for background actors, and I learned about these opportunities by word of mouth. Many of the background actors were serious actors and hung out at the studios. They learned about the casting calls first and scooped up the openings that provided face time and could lead to something else. For someone like me who has no acting experience, these gigs were a great way to pad an income.

The jobs can vary in length from a day to much longer. The gig paid more than most high school jobs, and the studio supplied delicious, catered meals. When I would hear about the call, I’d try to find out what to wear that day―did they need bikini clad girls (my mother would never permit it), girls in dresses, winter clothes? Whatever they needed, I’d fit the call.

When we arrived, and if we were selected for a scene, we had to register. We were paid at the end of the day so they needed our information to make sure the checks were processed correctly. Once on the set, everything was locked. They were paying us to work, not leave then return when filming had been completed to pick up the paycheck.

And what was the day like? It could be pretty boring. We waited around for our scenes to be setup. We had to listen to directions and watch cues to make sure we performed correctly. The stars could make mistakes, but we couldn’t. We’d walk across the set or dance or pretend like we were afraid or angry. We had to be quiet. The sound was dubbed in later.

A kiss isn’t just a kiss …

Struggling actress Addison Duvall hustles background acting jobs at the Hollywood studios in hopes for her big break. When she’s cast as the stand in for the lead actress in a blockbuster spy film, she can’t believe her luck. The surprises rush in―her first test shot is with Hollywood heartthrob Spencer Kingsley. Her even bigger surprise is when the director yells, “Action!” and Spencer presses his lips to hers in a kiss.

Behind Spencer’s Hollywood façade hides the secret pain no one suspects. He’s the first to take a risk except when it comes to his heart. He can’t deny he and Addison have chemistry―chemistry onscreen and off―and he’s tempted to lower his guard. She seems real, not like the women he usually meets.

Once Addison’s star rises, so do Spencer’s doubts. She’s no different than the others looking for the connection to catapult their careers. He won’t let another woman damage his heart. His decision made, Spencer wishes her success. But it’s already too late. How does he heal this Addison shaped hole in his heart? Should he risk more heartbreak for another chance at love?

Wherever Love Finds You, Book 1

When Love Whispers, Book 2

Call It Love, Book 3

If you love sweet romance, download a sample or buy Call It Love now.

Chapter One

Addison Duvall stood apart from the cast and crew crowded across the Hollywood soundstage and ended the call on her cell phone. She dropped her head back against the concrete wall and closed her eyes, but that did little to still the emotions rising in her chest.

Her agent, Donny White, had just told her she didn’t get the part on the sitcom that she was sure she had. The director was looking for someone tanner, blonder, shorter. She could be all those things if given a chance. She could go to a tanning salon, dye her dark hair, and slouch.

Donny laughed and told her he’d scheduled her for another audition. “Don’t worry, kid. I’ll get you something,” he said. But he said that every time they talked.

Sometimes she wondered if she should’ve accepted the teaching job she’d been offered and stayed in Colorado―even if it was January and freezing.

Conversations on the set silenced. Addison’s eyes flew open, and she clutched her copy of the screenplay for When We Say Goodbye to her chest. She’d been hired as the stand-in for Irene Wayne, the female lead in this top-budget spy film, and she didn’t want to miss her cue.

A tall, powerfully built man stepped onto the set. Spencer Kingsley, the film’s star, was the grandson of Hollywood great Mirabelle La Marr Kingsley and the hottest actor in town. His parents would’ve been acting legends had a tragic accident not claimed their lives.

Addison’s heart beat rapidly. She might be Irene’s stand-in, but this was the closest she’d ever get to Spencer Kingsley. When Irene’s scenes were shot, she’d be with Spencer in nearly every scene. Lucky girl.

A native of California, Laura Haley-McNeil spent her youth studying ballet and piano, though her favorite pastime was curling up with a good book. Without a clue as to how to write a book, she knew one day she would.

After college, she segued into the corporate world, but she never forgot her love for the arts and served on the board of two community orchestras. Finally realizing that the book she’d dreamt of writing wouldn’t write itself, she planted herself in front of her computer. She now immerses herself in the lives and loves of her characters in her romantic suspense and her contemporary romance novels. Many years later, she lived her own romantic novel when she married her piano teacher, the love of her life.

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LauraHaleyMcNeil/  

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/laurarmcneil

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lauramcneil/

Website:

https://laurahaleymcneil.com

Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com/lchm4115/

BookBub:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-haley-mcneil?list=author_books

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Haley-McNeil/e/B008S3WD10

Audio narrator Sandra W. Parker

Today, I am so pleased to feature an interview with Sandra W. Parker, audio narrator of Emma Ames’ Sweet Thangs Mystery series. The first two audio books are finished, and the third will soon be in production. I love how Sandra captured the ‘voices’ of the characters. The covers are shown below along with a url where  you can hear a sample. I also have some free codes you can use to download a copy of your choice of audio books. If you’d like one, please leave a comment here on the website, and I’ll send you a code.

                                                                                                                                                                                                    https://adbl.co/369sONS          https://tinyurl.com/sl3uayy

 

How did you get started in the voice-over business?

I saw an invitation to see if I have the chops for voice-over from the Such A Voice website. I had been a performer for many years in community theater and a soloist in the church choir, so this looked like a good fit for me. I worked with a private voice coach and attended many workshops and conferences on the business end and started auditioning. My first break came several months after that with an offer to narrate and produce an audiobook via the ACX platform.

Do you work out of a home studio?

I have a home studio which I designed with some help from some sound engineers.

Have any photos you’d like to share?

Sandra’s workspace

 

What’s your favorite genre to narrate?

Hmmmm….I really don’t have a favorite. I would say a well written story, both fiction and non-fiction. However, I like Historical fiction and autobiographies.

As an author, I rarely meet a person who doesn’t want to write a book. Have you ever wanted to write one? If so, what genre would it be?

I have thought about it, with the encouragement of my son. I would write about my life as “an accidental teacher”.

What time of day do you work best?

I am a morning person! I run out of gas around 3:30. Probably comes from 20 years of teaching.

Just in the past few years, books published each month, have gone from 50,000 to over 80,000. This means, authors, especially self-published authors, have a ton of competition. Has the voice-over business seen a similar growth?

Oh my yes!!!! The good news is how accepting the industry is now of home studios. In fact, many companies that I contract with require a home studio.

Now for some fun questions

If a famous restaurant named a sandwich after you, what would it be called?

The Sandrich. It would have sprouts, avocado and pimento cheese on it and be on some kind of artisan bread.

In the Sweet Thangs Mysteries, you’re narrating, my character, Rayann, is afraid of everything from skunks to garden gnomes. What unusual thing/things are you afraid of if any? I’m not talking spiders or snakes, etc.

Bridges!!!!!! They fall!!!!!! I have discovered that this phobia is not that uncommon; not like the goofy things Rayann is afraid of! She has a healthy respect for skunks, but I still scratch my head over the gnome thing. Kinda like her fear of clowns.

If you were shipwrecked on a deserted island, other than food and water, what two items would you want to have with you?

Duct tape and very sharp knife. 

According to world news, it won’t be too far in the future until regular folks can travel into space. Would you want to go?

NO THANK YOU!!!!!!

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

I would live in the mountains of Colorado. I love the seasons: ski in the winter and golf in the summer. The weather is spectacular!

What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?

My children, mostly. I wonder how they are doing; what they are doing; if they are happy. (they are all grown)

In the animal world, would you be a sheep or a wolf? Why?

I would rather be a wolf. I do not have the herd mentality of sheep.

People always ask me what book I’m reading. I think they expect authors to only be writers, not readers. But the truth is, you can’t be a writer if you don’t read. So, I’m generally reading at least 10 unpublished works from fellow writers, and one published book for my own enjoyment. I know you have to read the books you narrate, but do you read other books…or, do you listen to other audiobooks? If so, who is your favorite author?

I do love to read for fun. I love the books that Dorothea Benton Frank writes. I also listen to audiobooks for inspiration. My problem with listening to audiobooks is that I also hear the small mistakes that are missed in editing; mispronunciation and such as that.

Who has been the biggest inspiration in your life and why?

Probably my dad. He was a man of virtue, but was also funny and quirky. He also was a performer, as was my mom. Dad said to take what life gives you and don’t overthink it! Just go with it! I really think he was trying to teach me perseverance.

Thank you, Sandra! I’ve loved learning about your process!

 

COVID19 Produces Bestsellers

The other day, I heard someone say there are two kinds of people. Writers, and those who want to be writers!

I agree. I rarely meet anyone who doesn’t say, “I’ve always wanted to write a book.”

My advice is always the same. “What’s stopping you?”

“Time,” they reply. “I just don’t have the time.”

Well, guess what? Because of COVID19 confinement most of us have lots of TIME on our hands. So why not put the seat of your pants on the seat of a chair and give it a whirl? Besides, in this difficult situation, we need to find things that inspire and encourage us. And, a little bit of humor doesn’t hurt.

If the thought of writing an entire novel causes you to break out in a cold sweat… and hopefully, that is the cause, then start small. Why not record some funny moments from your past. My son spent last week transferring recordings from video to digital and enjoyed every moment of the trip down memory lane when his kids were toddlers. I’ve actually used some of their shenanigans in my books! 

Or, perhaps this is a good time to start a journal or write a short story.

That’s how I started. I never intended to publish anything but during a visit to my hometown, I encountered a landscaper in the cemetery who made me laugh at just about everything he said. I wanted to put that experience on paper before I forgot it. But what began as a short story, quickly turned into 25,000 words and I wasn’t finished! That led to my first novel.

I’m wondering, how many bestsellers will emerge from the COVID19 pandemic? There’s bound to be a few. Who knows? You could be one of them.