Penny Watson's Blog, page 22

Are Lederhosen Hot? And Other Updates

1. My daughter has been pouring over the Halloween costume catalogues. (At the moment, she is partial to Little Red Riding Hood.)

While looking at these fun costume selections, I ran across this one...



...and all I could think was--My husband would rather have scalding oil poured over his head than wear this get-up. Also, who exactly would wear this get-up? And finally, does anyone really look hot in lederhosen?

(See above photo...that's as good as it's gonna get).

Additional emasculating costume...

THE SEA QUEEN'S DAUGHTER by Ellis Drake: Review and Give-Away

I discovered the delightful writing voice of Ellis Drake when she sent me a beta read for The Lonely Hipster (which is not yet published, but hopefully soon). It was a quirky, funny, unexpected mystery.

As soon as I finished it, I purchased The Fornarina Affair , a mystery set in Rome that combined a bunch of my favorite topics...Italy, art history, and romance. I am a sucker for books that create a lush, inviting setting and make it part of the fabric of the story itself. Drake clear...

Review of My Sunshine by Catherine Anderson

A couple of days ago I was in the basement, doing the laundry, and I saw a bright yellow paperback novel on one of the shelves. It was dirty, dusty, and covered with dead spiders:  My Sunshine by Catherine Anderson. I have no idea if I bought this, someone gave it to me, or it was left over from previous house-owners. But it didn't look familiar, and I thought...Hey, let's give it a try!

The book started out harmless enough. Brain-damaged virginal heroine working in a dog kennel, bachelor...

Beard of the Day: Loving Liev

Liev with scarf.



Liev with gorgeous wife. And looking fab in a suit!




Liev with very big teeth. The better to EAT YOU WITH! Ack!



Liev looking quite serious.



Liev looking super cute in a cap.



Liev half-naked in a wet suit. Schwing!


And finally...

Liev and Hugh with big beardage! Woo hoo!



And a couple little extra bits for Friday....



Just wanted to give a shout-out to this excellent review by Ridley--examining Phantom Waltz by Catherine Anderson on the new blog Love in the Margins. For any author thinkin...

Yo, Publishers! I Gots An Idea! Yo!

I GOTS AN IDEA!YO!
Dear Mr. Big-Wig Publisher,
I know you're stressing out. The whole publishing industry is crumbling around your shoulders. Indie authors are taking over the world and causing volcanic tremors and tsunamis and stuff. Digital books are destroying the age-old, fine tradition of killing trees to make reading material. Agents can't afford their Mercedes payments. And books with fake BDSM themes have surpassed the bible as "BEST BOOK OF ALL-TIME."
Yes, it does sort of seem like the...

Thoughtful Reviews R Us!

Here is my history:

1. Started reading romance novels obsessively about fifteen years ago, participated on numerous reader boards.

2. Started a blog and reviewed romance novels for public consumption about five years ago.

3. Became a published author shortly thereafter...about four years ago.

4. Continued to read, review, blog, write, and publish.

So I started as a reader, I became a blogger/reviewer, and then I became an author. It never occurred to me to stop voicing my honest opinion about book...

Housekeeper, Housekeeper, Keep Me A House

For some inexplicable reason, I became obsessed with housekeeper romance novels.

(Actually, it's because I read this thread on the Amazon romance message boards).

I read about housekeepers all over the world. I read historicals, westerns, contemporaries, and erotica.

General observations about housekeepers in romance: Sometimes they are mousy and submissive, sometimes they are plain before having a transformation and turning into a sex goddess, sometimes they are efficient and well-organized, bu...

Updates from the Pen-Meister

From the Pen-a-mator, from the Pen-ster, from the Pen-a-rama, from the...

I'll stop now.

UPDATES
1. First update: I am in the midst of getting my rights back for SWEET MAGIK , the second book of the Klaus Brothers Series. I will eventually be editing and self-publishing this novel, but it won't happen until Christmas 2014. It will take up to four months for all of the digital and print books to be removed from other bookstores.
So, NO NEW KLAUS BROTHERS this Christmas!
(Penny ducks rotten tomatoes)...

Pumpkin Mania!

I might have a wee little problem with a pumpkin obsession!

And this is the perfect season to enjoy it. :^)

1. First, I found an ADORABLE shop at Etsy that has the most ADORABLE plush pumpkins, made by Kenda Montgomery (FULL FORK AHEAD), and sold at her sister's shop, WHOSITS AND WHATNOTS. They are super affordable and the perfect fall decoration. I want to collect a whole bunch of these!

2. While at Etsy, I made a new Treasury List called Pumpki...

HAPPY WORLD BEARD DAY!

Eric Bana would like to wish you a very merry HAPPY WORLD BEARD DAY!


...and so would Michael Fassbender...


...and of course so would Hugh Jackman, in lumberjack apparel.

HAPPY WORLD BEARD DAY!

All my best,Penelope