Robyn Jones's Blog, page 22

Sidekick Showcase [26] One Third of a Love Triangle

Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:
• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fit's in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as wellThis week's challenge is ONE THIRD OF A LOVE TRIANGLE! Goodness me. I tossed characters around in my head, saying no to all of them until Bookworm Brandee referenced our favorite hero in a duster, Dimitri. Then my sister mentioned the Adrian, Rose, Dimitri drama, but decided to stick with Darynda Jones and the Charley Davidson series. I forgot the names again, but I blame how hard and how many times I hit my head yesterday on a carnival ride gone wrong. But back to Richelle Mead who can't help herself with these tortured romances. I'm choosing Kiyo, Dorian, and Eugenie from the Dark Swan Series. This four book series should have been at least five because the wrap up chapped a lot of hides. Eugenie is a romantic train wreck. She's the friend you can't give advice to because the girl is going to screw up no matter what you say or don't say. And yet I love her. I love the series. It's re-readable for me.
“Dorian used to watch you like a starving man who wants meat. Now he looks at you like he wants seconds.”
― Richelle Mead, Thorn Queen
“I looked around at us all: me in my nightgown, Kiyo bare-chested, Dorian in his extravagant robes, and Tim in his Native getup. God, I muttered, standing up, we all look like the village people.”
― Richelle Mead, Storm Born
“He stepped forward and punched Dorian in the face, hard enough that I heard a thwack.
"Ow," moaned Dorian, wincing from the pain. "My greatest asset.”
― Richelle Mead, Shadow Heir

Cowboys, Cross-Dressing Whips, and Young Love! Marathon Review Time!

4 STARS! Stagecoach drivers, or whips, were heroes of the old west, and Charlie Parkhurst was one of the best. The world knew Charlie as a man until her obituary announced the truth. The Whip throws us into this amazing woman's life from the moment her infant body was left at church door steps in 1812 all the way to her death in 1879. With tenacity and a gentle heart, she survives childhood, falls in love with horses, hides away in the doldrums of life as an unmarried woman in that day, and finally ventures into uncharted territory with no map. Author Karen Kondazian somehow created an epic in 302 pages because my heart soared and tore to pieces. I cheered and cried and boy did I blush. I wanted so badly to know Charlie. The Whip is a striking tale of a girl who always went the way of her heart. She's a new hero of mine that's for sure.

4 STARS! Sheriff Walt Longmire is always my hero. Whether he's struggling with flashbacks of his time in Vietnam or clumsily dating someone he shouldn't, he's always on the side of right. And he's not just my hero either. In The Dark Horse (book 5 in the Longmire Series) a woman who's repeatedly confessed to unloading a rifle into her husband seems an unlikely candidate for Walt to choose to save, but there he goes riding off with his badge, gun, and dog ready to rescue the damsel. I love that Walt travels to a rundown town where even cars prefer not to tread. I enjoyed seeing a glimpse of cowboy Walt Longmire, and at the same time I struggled with all that cowboy stuff, especially the horse talk. But I'll tell you, the last third spun me around and led me by the nose all the way to the end. Craig Johnson continues to be one of my favorite authors and Walt one of my favorite characters.

4 STARS The First Time is not your typical teen chick flick. The depth and easy dialogue reminded me of YA contemporary romance novels. I loved the flow and authenticity of the characters' emotions and reactions. The girl has an older boyfriend (a relationship that totally bothered me) and the boy has an insane crush on the girl next door who is more interested in washboard abs than her super cute and sweet guy friend. Not original, but no one turned into a raging anything. There was no backstabbing or cattiness, just teens figuring things out and not all that gracefully. The parents weren't evil pod people. They were part clueless, part helpless, and part wonderful. The boy was respectful with just a dash of stupid. The girl was the same. I'd watch it again for sure!

3 STARS for The Oranges. We have two families who live across from each other. The girls grew up best friends until high school. The socialite in the duo moved up the social ladder and then moved out of her house as soon as legally possible. The one left behind stayed behind. The husbands are best friends. They're kindhearted and unhappy. The wives appear to be close. They're controlling and bitchy. Of course. Social/party girl returns home with a broken stupid heart. She thinks her former best friend's dad is the hottest thing since the last guy she dated. They throw caution to the wind and make out. This movie pissed me off. There's no way around it. The reason I'm giving it 3 stars and not 1 is because the left behind daughter gets just as pissed as me and calls her former friend such vile things, I cheered. The insults were ripped right out of my head I tell you. I loved the swear combinations and that alone is why I'm awarding the 3 stars. Clever swearing! 

Think Out Loud [19] Birthdays

My mom's birthday is coming up in a couple weeks. I asked her what she wanted. "Nothing, really." (Mom, if you're reading this, stop and come back after your big day). 
What makes a birthday special? I figure thoughtfulness is a huge component. A couple years ago I wrote her a short novella. It went over so well I decided to do it again this year. I'm tackling Billy from my Anna books. I'm not sure if giving someone a story for her birthday is super lame or not. My all time favorite birthday memory has nothing to do with presents. Actually, most of the day was total shit. 
My fifteenth birthday started out with everyone forgetting my big day. We rushed out of the house to catch the bus. My friends forgot. I got in an argument with my best friend. In the middle of it, I lost my balance on the curb and ended up getting grazed by a car. I wasn't hurt, just scared. But that's how the day went. Everyone forgetting and then getting bumped by a car. When my mom walked through the front door from work, she didn't sing "I'm home!" I'm pretty sure it went something like this, "I'm such an asshole. I'm so sorry I forgot. How about Double Rainbow ice cream?" How easy am I? That easy. We piled into her car while my stepdad grumbled. We had an apathetic teen/Goddammit Robyn kind of relationship. 
Double Rainbow is straight from San Francisco. On the islands everything is shipped in, but shipped in from the states adds a whole 'nother level of awesomeness. No one was there because it was expensive as hell. I ordered It's A Goody. Oh my goodness. I still think about this ice cream. I sat down in the uncomfortable chair at the wobbly table. My mom and sister quickly joined me. There was no talking, just enjoying. Somewhere pacing around was my stepdad, grumble, grumble, grumble. I took one lick. Heaven. Another and I swear it felt unstable. The third lick sent the scoop falling into my glass of water. "Goddammit, Robyn," I heard in the background. "Just scoop it out," my mom said, but this was the last straw. I started to cry. "Go on, get another one. Go, honey." I hopped up and ordered another while my mom with her devilish grin scooped out my ice cream and happily ate it. I sat back down. Amazing, sooo freaking good, shit, it's going to fall! I could tell the damn scoop was going to tumble into my water again! "Oh, oh, oh," and bam. I slammed the cone into my forehead. My mom and sister froze. Until they broke out in roars. "What-" hahahaha "What were-" hahaha "I mean what-" No one could say anything because we were laughing so hard we were falling out of our chairs. More grumble, grumble, grumble from you know who, but us girls were crying in the very best way. "It was going to fall again," I said tumbling us into another episode of "I can't breathe," and "My face hurts," and "I'm dying here." It is my very favorite birthday memory.
I want to thank my friend Think. This is such a neat meme. I look forward to posting what's on my mind. I find myself paying more attention to the world around me. Come and join Think Out Loud and see what I'm talking about.

Are you a people watcher?

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I've always been a cross between an observer and a space cadet. Three scenes play over in my mind at random times, I'm guessing because each one was emotionally charged and each one was riveting to me.

Years ago while I was washing dishes, screams outside my kitchen window yanked me out of my head. Three women ran out of the unkempt yellow house two doors down. The husband/father was a drinker and I stayed clear of him as a rule. He came charging after them. He caught one of them by the arm and hit her across the face so hard she flew back into the recycle container.

Years ago again I was at the grocery store waiting in the self-checker line. I couldn't stop watching the couple in front of me, young, beautiful, and more subdued than I'd ever witnessed in people actually walking around. They didn't talk to each other when the computer wouldn't cooperate, instead they had this strange nonverbal back and forth that had me tilting my head in confusion and curiosity. Eventually it was my turn to check my groceries, so I left the puzzling duo in favor of my own business. Just as I was climbing into my car, there they were at their car. She waited at the passenger door as he walked around to open her door. I had my belt clicked, keys in the ignition before he finished closing her door. Goodness, they were on a different plane of existence. I leaned over the wheel to watch more because what was happening in their universe? How could they look so calm and move as if walking through mud? He finally finished loading the two bags of groceries and climbed in. He looked at her. She looked at him. Then with a sudden move of total claiming he slipped his hand behind her head and pulled her into a kiss.

A few months ago on the last day of elementary school for my oldest boy I checked myself for any wayward emotions that would have me hugging unsuspecting teachers and parents and possibly even crying. Nothing. With the coast clear, I found Will and hurried to the car because I could feel the sneaky emotion rising to the surface. I made it to the car. Will was elated to be done with school. Just as I shifted into reverse I saw a father of one of the kids walking down the front steps. His face was twisted in agony, compelling my foot to step off the gas. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and folded over slightly. Again the look on his face compelled me to stay put. I had my hand on the door. He looked like he's dying. And then I saw what I can't stop seeing in my mind because I've never witnessed it in my life, tears streamed down his face. The man was crying his heart out and I realized for the first time no man has ever cried in front of me.

So I people watch. How about you?

(By Singer Ron, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

Sidekick Saturday [25] Leather Clad

Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:
• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fit's in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as well
This week's challenge is LEATHER CLAD! Yikes! I'm a total paranormal romance girl and I can't think of any of those hunky reckless men in leather. I checked my Goodreads shelf but it went like this, "Surely he wore leather. He's a total leather kind of guy. Or him, no wait, is a duster a leather coat or just a coat?" So I went with duster and Dimitri from Vampire Academy. I bet in the movie the coat will be made of leather for sure. I also thought of Kist from The Hollows Series because he rides a bike and because I can just see his ass in leather pants. Okay, sidetracked there. I thought of Ivy because it seems vamps in Kim Harrison's dark world love their supple leather. Rachel constantly mentions her "vamp boots." I'll do better next week. Promise!

I asked my mom and sister, but my mom has her thoughts focused where mine should be, the big move coming in three weeks. Shan's been on a Darynda Jones kick and she chose Donovan who doesn't show up until the third book. She told me he's the leader of a biker gang. Her eyes lit up when she talked about him, so I'm guessing he's a hottie, a mix of good and bad, and a potential love interest for the main character. I haven't started this series yet, but it's on the never ending list.

That's all I have. Next week is 1/3 of a love triangle. I got that one. I'm sure of it.

I'm moving. Ack!

Goodness, I'm moving in three weeks. I haven't started packing, mostly because I just decided to switch things up in my life. I've been doing my best on my own with two boys on an extremely limited budget. And in almost two years of post divorce life, I've published two books, found wonderful friends all over the world, and discovered I have impulse control issues when it comes to Netflix TV marathons and Pinterest. But I haven't built a more stable life for me and the boys. So...I'm taking a step in the direction of comfort and love, my mom's. Yep, I'm moving home. It's going to be crazy, but how wonderful it will be to have help. Goodness. I sigh just thinking about it. I have felt too many times I'm just not enough. I'll be a busy girl and hopefully I'll have the strength to resist hopping online constantly. I'm also finally writing again. We'll see if I can write a first draft this summer like I planned.

To help me pack and think my way through the big change coming, I'm preparing a media blitz. 
Each week I'll be checking out a handful of movies from the library that don't require my full attention, but will help me keep things light and fun. 
This week I have...I haven't seen this one...
Gotta love earth-invasion movies!

One of my favorite action movies where there is no bad guy.

I haven't seen this one, but it looks sweet.


That's it for movies. I need ideas for next week. I like romantic comedies and action. Suspense requires too much focus, so it wouldn't serve me well here.

Now for books...
I'm finishing up

I have this one waiting...

I have no idea what I'm in the mood for reading-wise. I've been starting and stopping a lot of reads lately. I'm past the frustrated stage. Grrh. Fire away if you have a good escapism suggestion!

Wish me luck, I suck at packing. I suck at change. But that's okay.

Think Out Loud [18] Killer Spirit

I rowed crew in college. I loved my girls, didn't give a shit about the boys. I loved the sound of oars cutting through glass, the shouting commands of ten more strokes on top of the twenty we just finished. I loved how the coaches yelled at you from their power boat and then when you shot them an incredulous look they punished the whole team with twenty-five push-ups. I loved seeing who could spit the farthest. I was so bad at that. We once rowed on a river against the current. I hated that day on the water. We fought for our seats. I was happy where I was, but I raced and won. At the following regatta and the only race that counted, we lost by a fraction of a second. The "A" boat had the killer spirit, a "destroy them!" kind of racing mentality. I was more like, "What a pretty sunrise."
I wonder about that day and my thinking. The killer drive, the take no prisoners mentality. As an author, I feel like I'm still looking at sunrises and smiling. I love my books, creating the characters, laughing with them, even crying. I love my blog. But I feel like I'm supposed to be hardcore, gung-ho, industrious. . . different than I am. 
Join Think Out Loud. No rules, just you and what's on your mind.

Marathon Review Time! Thank you Katie McGarry, Bear Grylls, & Bruce Willis for an entertaining week!

Since I'm a book girl who loves her TV shows and her movies, I thought I'd branch out with my review marathon.

5 STARS!! Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry is a wonderful novella in the Pushing the Limit Series. Can a friendship truly evolve into something more through the simple act of writing letters back and forth? What if one person is scared of her own shadow and the other person would rather skip out on the real world than feel pain? Echo's best friend Lila barely left an impression on me in book one of the series. And I'm not sure Lincoln was ever mentioned. Now I want more of both of them. I love novellas that explore side characters in a series I'm following, but few authors can turn a short story into a favorite read. McGarry has now joined the ranks of Rachel Caine, Nalini Singh, and Patricia Briggs for this particular talent. I can't wait for more!

5 STARS!! Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls is the latest reality TV show on NBC and I love it! We're three episodes in, but this is a show you can pick up at any point. The premise is wonderful; teams of two work together and with the other teams to get out of extreme wilderness situations alive. The last team standing wins $500k. Wow. There is no voting, no tribal council, no finish line. Bear watches, aids when necessary, councils, and decides who wouldn't make it on their own. He's looking for spirit and strength of character. He's looking for smarts and ingenuity. The message behind the show makes it great for the whole family and Bear makes it great for me because I love him. I would like to thank Jaclyn from JC's Book Haven for telling me about the show. She loves Bear too. It's not just me.

3 STARS! I didn't love A Good Day to Die Hard, but that's okay. It was nice spending time with John McClane and company. We meet his (pissy) son in this installment. There are so many special effects, I wondered if they just said, "have at it, guys" and let the two main characters make up their lines as they went along. John's always been a gutsy guy with more survival instinct than brains, but this time it seemed like he was going out of his way to appear dumb. I didn't like that. I also didn't like how pissed off his kid was with him, but I was fine with his daughter hating his guts in Die Hard 4 (Live Free or Die Hard). I'm not sure why the double standard there. Jai Courtney is awesome and I can't wait for more from him, but he came off as bratty to me and I do not find bratty men (or women) entertaining. There was one funny moment and it earned the movie 3 stars. I'm that easy. If there's another installment, I want to laugh. I want my heart pounding. I want there to be dialogue.

Sidekick Saturday [24] COWBOY!!

Sidekick Showcase, previously known as Sidekick Saturday, is a weekly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on Saturday, then whichever day during the week that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:
• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fit's in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, put your link in below and grab the code for your post so you can see the others that post their's throughout the week as well
This week's sidekick challenge is COWBOY! Jaclyn chose Warren from the Mercy Thompson series and honored him with a fabulous drawing of him. I have to say I've been spinning around on this one. So I have my mom and sister's contribution to this fun meme first because they fired off with their picks, no fuss, no muss. My mom said, "That's easy. Cowboy." Cowboy is the only name I've given so far for a certain vamp in Soul Bender. He wears jeans so tight you really can't see how any movement is possible. He's cute, hungry, and has hat hair. Shannon chose Roman from Richelle Mead's Succubus series. Oh, Roman. He's more of a yippee-ki-yay M-F-rrrr kind of cowboy. Tall, gorgeous, good-maybe not, seductive, vengeful, hot.

Now for me...I choose Jack Devaux from Poison Princess by Kresley Cole. Jack is a wild thing. The rumors floating around school paint the picture of a total bad ass bad boy. And for once they're spot on. He takes what he wants, leaves the rest behind. He's a scrapper. He hates much easier than he loves and they both come out looking the same. And I'm not sure there is a more loyal man you could have at your side when civilization turns to ash. I found this awesome post. Jack Devaux's Top 10 Tips to Win Over a Girl!

“The corners of his lips curled. “You and your secrets. Ah, peekôn, just when I think I’ve solved one mystery about you, up comes another one. I will figure you out one day. En garde, cher. Consider yourself warned.”
― Kresley Cole, Poison Princess

“If you touch me like that again, Evangeline,” he began in a husky tone, dropping to his seat once more, “in the space of a heartbeat, I will have you off this bike and onto the closest horizontal surface. And I woan be picky, no.”
― Kresley Cole, Poison Princess

Think Out Loud [17] My Recent Family Adventures!

I'm under the weather right now and I have a dang jammed pinky finger, so I thought I'd dive into some fun times I've had in the last few months.
The boys at the Sea-Tac Airport in Washington state on our way to visit my dad in Colorado during spring break. This was John pretty much the whole trip. Poor guy just came off pneumonia, double ear infections, and then a fever that came with a full body rash that I only discovered five minutes after this photo.  My dad and his fedora. The view any place you looked. Family visits (my stepsister made the very best BBQ turkey burgers ever)
My skiing debut. Snow boots suck balls. I'm telling you I hated walking in those shoes so much, but not as much as John who dropped his skis in protest and refused to take another step. 


Oregon Zoo with my mom, sister, and the boys. They said it was going to be 72 degrees. It was 89. Oops. Every chance Will got, he slipped into the shade. Look at those bats! Amazing. My favorite part of this zoo trip.



Iowa was as hot as I remembered and just as wonderful, though we painfully missed a certain little old lady. Day two we hit Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa. It was in the nineties with scattered thunderstorms out and about and I loved it! 
The ostriches were my favorite animals to get to see. The black one followed me around the fence.
My Aunt Sherry is one of my superheroes. This trip she helped me grieve at my grandma's grave and another time told me it was time to find a man. How can you not love someone who says what they want to say? Sisters who live too far apart!
Cousins and more cousins. I adore them!

Thick as thieves we were, driving my grandma crazy, chasing each other in the town pool, talking, talking, talking until we fell asleep. We grew up together every summer. Then we grew up.
Check out all our kids!
What happens when a bunch of wild girls turn into bossy women? They organize a picture like this one. I'm up in the top right window with the boys, but I started out on the grass below. I was inching away from all the orders, deciding to let everyone else run the show when my sister, my freaking sister shouted, "Where do you think you're going, Missy? Get your ass up here." So there I am smiling.

Summer of firsts for the boys. John's first ice cream cone ever and it's at McDonald's. John just learned to kick in the water. This is his swimming face. Will's first time in a pool. 

Painful goodbyes. At least the flight was delayed and we got the chance to visit a little bit longer. That's how a trip should be I think.