Penny Watson's Blog, page 80
February 4, 2011
Beard of the Day
Happy times for sci fi geeks everywhere! The SyFy Channel has been showing lots of episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I am in heaven! I've watched pretty much every episode of this show. Jean Luc is the bestest, baddest captain of all time, and I love the whole crew. It's interesting how Worf, the first Klingon main character in Star Trek, changed physically over the course of seven years. At the beginning of the series, he looked sort of dorky--his hair was short and he had a certain vulnerability in his expression. By the end of the show, he had bad-ass long hair, a super intense gaze, and an extremely commanding presence. His hyper masculinity and deep, delicious voice were so very sexy! And, he's rocking the whole facial hair thing with a funky beard/stache ensemble that only a Klingon could carry off. In fact, Worf (and the Klingon males in general) are sort of the ultimate alpha males of the universe.
(Mindless bit of trivia about Klingon beards...they were "designed to be Elizabethan, combining prehistoric and aristocratic elements"...from Wikipedia. I find this fascinating...since the Klingons really combined that caveman feel with a regal, sophisticated vibe. Very cool tidbit. Thanks, Wikipedia!)
For those of you not on the Star Trek bandwagon, you will probably by stymied by today's Beard of the Day choice. But for those of you who stay up until 1:00 AM to watch re-runs of the Next Generation, you'll totally be getting it.
Qapla' (Good bye in Klingon, hee hee!)
Penelope
February 2, 2011
Groundhog Update
Happy Groundhog Day from
Today I'm reading
All my
Penelope
January 31, 2011
New Logo!
Screw winter! Here's my new logo, designed by the amazingly talented Anne Nydam. It's sunny yellow and filled with some of my favorite flowers. Any gardeners out there? Do you recognize some of the plants? I'm ready to start incorporating my botany background into my romantic fiction. I am affectionately referring to my current WIP (Diabolical) as "Botanists In Love." More details later.
Good luck to everyone battling Seasonal Affective Disorder. I just bought a bouquet of daffodils. I hope it helps!
Penny
January 30, 2011
Review of Warrior by Zoë Archer
Warrior by Zoë Archer
I am in love with this book.
I am so in love with this book, I want to marry it, have a honeymoon, give it a dozen roses, and buy it lingerie.
After a rocky beginning to 2011's romance reading--DNFing Touched By An Alien, almost DNFing Beast Behaving Badly, and discovering that Roarke, hero extraordinaire of JD Robb's In Death series, is actually a metrosexual pansy ass--I have discovered a treasure.
Zoë Archer has created a thing of beauty with this novel. It is the perfect balance of adventure, lush scenery, magic and sorcery, larger-than-life characters, and extraordinary acts of love and heroism. It's Indiana Jones if it were jacked up on romance steroids, and a billion times better in every way. It is full of surprises, which is so very welcome to this jaded romance reader. It has the most incredible love scenes I've read....in a long time. Possibly ever. Sexy, intense, emotional. Everything a romantic encounter should be, but rarely is.
The hero and heroine are just perfection. Huntley is Indy--strong, scrappy, capable, sexy--not as cerebral in a scholarly way, but very well experienced in strategy and war. He is a man of action, a man of honor. Not only does he risk life and limb for the woman he loves, and for her cause, he also does the "right thing" (saving a life) for a perfect stranger. I have a weakness for heroes who have a strong moral compass. For characters who see beyond their own needs, and do the right thing just because...well, because it's the right thing to do. There aren't a lot of people in the world like this, and those who are, in my mind, are truly heroes.
Thalia is his ultimate match. Beautiful, determined, strong, talented in ways that matter in Mongolia. Her loyalty to family, country (which is not England, as it turns out), and cause are undisputed. The love that blooms between these two characters is wonderful to watch....they complement each other, they fight side by side. They are both heroes.
This book magnifies the problems I just had with Naked In Death. While Eve battles the bad guys, Roarke drinks gourmet coffee. There wasn't a satisfying balance between their abilities and their actions. Huntley and Thalia make an incredible team. Huntley soon realizes that his lukewarm dream of settling down with a shy English maid pales in comparison to the reality of being with his warrior lover.
"I like this very much," he said, nibbling on the tips of her fingers. "An army of two."
"Who's in command?" she answered as she fought for breath.
What a wicked smile he had. "Let's take turns."
Archer is a very painterly writer. Some of the scenes in this book were pure magic. The unveiling of the secrets of the tea kettle, with a backward history of Genghis Khan, was just phenomenal. Absolutely spell-binding and beautifully written.
The suspenseful storyline, the gorgeous imagery, the fascinating secondary characters, and the incredibly satisfying love story between two heroic characters make Warrior one of the best books I've ever read. I can hardly wait to read the rest of the series...Scoundrel, Rebel, and Stranger.
2011 just got a whole lot more interesting.
Grade: A++++++++
Wondering if Zoë Archer is a pen-name, because it's totally kick ass,
Penelope
January 28, 2011
Beard of the Day
Here he is....Beantown's Golden Boy, Ben Affleck. Honestly, I never thought he was that hot until I saw this photo. Here's a perfect example of how a beard makes the man.
Rock that beard, my man. Looking fine!
Good things about Ben.....
1. He won an Academy Award.
2. He's a huge fan of the Boston Red Sox.
3. His middle name is Geza.
Bad things.....
One word: Bennifer.
Happy Hairy Friday,Penelope
January 26, 2011
Review of Naked In Death by JD Robb
Naked In Death by JD Robb
I am close to speechless. I had two authors I wanted to check out in 2011 because I'd heard such fantastic things about them....JD Robb and Nalini Singh. Well, I decided to start with Naked In Death, fully expecting to love it so much that I would become obsessed with the whole series and enter a Robb-reading frenzy.
I expected good quality writing, a suspenseful story, and amazing characters, especially Roarke, a hero who countless readers gush on and on about.
What I wasn't expecting was a bunch of the most incredibly disturbing topics in one book that I have ever seen in my life. Violent, bloody rape and murder, child abuse, child rape/mutilation, incest. Vile, foul, dark and disturbing images. I got a stomach ache reading this book, and it still isn't gone. Not only did Robb toss all these delightful topics into one book, but the reader gets to re-live the incestuous abuse not once, but twice, through two different characters' recollections of events. And top that off with Eve's nightmare case with the three year old being tortured and abused by her father...I don't think a prilosec is gonna fix this upset stomach.
Disturbing material aside, the book didn't impress me. The writing wasn't stellar. The futuristic setting was just blah. After recently reading some books with impressive futuristic world-building details (Ella Drake's Jaq's Harp and Julia Barrett's Captured), I was expecting something pretty cool from JD Robb. Honestly, it felt like a contemporary suspense story with a few interesting details thrown in for good measure. Nothing that great.
The characters? Eve is a bad-ass heroine--an alpha, tough cop who has risen to success in her department despite her horrible past--and Roarke is....well....a pansy-ass. He's a rich, pampered billionaire. I'm sure there is more to him and his history that will be revealed in later books, but in this book, I didn't see any of the hot Irish guy I was expecting. While Eve is taking down villains, investigating corrupt politicians, being stalked by a deranged murderer, and obsessing with the bloody and gruesome details of a serial killer, Roarke is.....
....putting out bottles of vintage wine to "breathe."
A lot.
Like, in every freakin' scene.
Oh yeah, he also likes to wear impeccable clothing and fly around on his super sonic jet and go "off-planet" for some wheeling and dealing.
Can you say metrosexual pansy-ass?
In the final scene of the book, Eve is threatened with rape and murder by the killer, back-handed, punched in the ribs, head smacked against the floor, choked, and shot while she scratches, hits, kicks and punches her attacker, breaks his nose, bloodies his mouth and pins him to the ground. After she has already incapacitated him, Roarke comes running into the room, picks the near-lifeless guy up off the ground and slugs him in the face. Hee hee...well, gee, thanks for that! I think Eve had it pretty much under control..... Somebody's got big balls in this story, and it ain't Roarke.
I keep hearing about this sexy, Irish character. Huh? Not seeing it in this book, at all. I loved Nora Robert's Jewels of the Sun. Aidan was a super hunky, romantic Irish hero. I swooned every time that guy said something. Roarke might as well be from Zimbabwe.
And the attraction between Eve and Roarke? Totally not buying it. She's a scruffy cop, he's an elegant and sophisticated man. The instant sexual attraction between them is inexplicable, really, and the love that develops makes no sense. They hardly even know each other! Roarke is obsessed with Eve...why? Never quite sure, and at the point in the story where he admits he's in love with her I almost snorted out loud. Why would Roarke fall in love with her? I have no freaking idea, nor do I care to find out, since I will never read another one of these books.
The one positive thing I will say for Naked in Death is that the storyline was quite suspenseful, especially at the beginning before the icky factor got turned up. (Rape is a difficult topic for me, but child rape/incest is beyond horrifying.)
I have never given anything less than a "C" rating on my blog. But I just can't give this book a good grade. Thanks to an overabundance of foul and disturbing material, a pansy-ass hero, lack-luster futuristic details, and an unbelievable romance, I am dinging this book. Ugh!
Grade: C-/D+
Another thing: Maybe the series gets better. Maybe Roarke grows a pair and loses his metrosexual vibe. But a series is only as good as its first book....that's the one that's gotta hook you. I'm not hooked....this one is a catch-and-release for me.
And now I need a mega-dose of some alpha-male hero action, and something light and fluffy to offset this read. Unicorns, rainbows, and maybe a Julie Garwood Scottish dude. Yep, that sounds good.
Not Feeling The Love,
Penelope
Part 2 of Penelope's I Wanna Stay Alive Plan: The Diet
Welcome to Part 2 of Penelope's I Wanna Stay Alive Plan! Part 1 (which was posted yesterday) was all about exercise. (Walking!) Today's post is about my new diet. After having a heart attack in August, I completed re-vamped my eating. No more McDonald's french fries. No more nacho platters at the Mexican restaurant. I have 2 main health concerns to address: heart health and diabetes. So, according to the nutritionist at the hospital, my diet needed to be low-sodium, low-cholesterol, low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie (low-taste....hee hee). After I compared the Do Not Eat List and the Okay To Eat List, I was left with....
Celery Sticks.
And Water.
All right, maybe not that bad, but pretty damned close. Some things were okay on one list, but not okay on another. So, what did I do? I took all the lists and made up my own diet, with a heavy emphasis on the super-foods, and stuff I liked. Here is what I eat every day. You might think that eating the same thing every day sucks, but actually it's great. I don't have to think about it....I know it's healthy. And of course, I can mix it up a bit when I want to!
Breakfast: 1 piece of whole wheat toast w/ lo-fat, lo-sodium peanut butter, some walnuts, tea or coffee
Morning Snack (if needed): half an apple w/ peanut butter, or banana, or 1/2 container fat-free Greek yogurt w/ blueberries and wheat germ, or handful of walnuts; water
Lunch: mini whole wheat pita pocket stuffed with veggies (cuke, tomato, sprouts, greens, mushrooms, avocado, and hummus) or mini whole wheat pita grilled on panini maker (with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, 1 slice lo-salt, lo-fat cheese, avocado). 5-10 "healthy" chips, such as Food Should Taste Good olive chips. Water. (fruit for dessert if I want it)
Afternoon Snack (if needed): hummus and pita chips or carrots/celery to dip (part skim ricotta cheese also a good dipper!), 1/2 container fat free Greek yogurt (w/ fruit if desired).
Dinner: Bowl of greens! Use different kinds of greens...spinach, mesclun with herbs, red-leaf, whatever; add on top, grilled salmon, chicken, steak, small portion--whatever I am cooking for the family; plus, sprinkle of cheese, such as goat cheese, feta, or blue; plus walnuts, pumpkin seeds or other nuts; plus dried fruit if desired--such as dried cranberries, etc. Sprinkle olive oil and a dash of vinegar on top. Water to drink (add slice of orange in water to spiff it up a bit!) This winter I have also been roasting veggies (squash, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, fennel, beets, etc) and plopping them on top of my bowl of greens, just to have something nice and warm to eat.
This diet works for me. I love veggies. Well, I love food. But I've learned that my life can't center around my meals anymore. Being healthy is more important.
Here's my new motto: Nothing tastes as good as being alive.
Here are some more tips and ideas...please leave a comment and let me know some of your tips, too!
**Your diet needs to be about quality AND quantity. Sure, you could lose weight by eating crap at McDonald's all day--if you ate small amounts of food--but eventually you would still die from a heart attack. It's not just the number of calories you consume, but the quality of calories. You need to eat heart healthy stuff...walnuts, salmon, blueberries. Check out this great website (Heart Healthy Living) for more info about heart healthy foods.
**Sodium is a killer. Prepared foods and restaurant foods are on the no-no list. This was really hard for me. I love eating out and I love the convenience of prepared foods. Even supposedly "healthy" foods and soups have astronomically high amounts of sodium. DON'T EAT THEM. Freeze your own home-made soup, make a healthy sandwich for lunch, if you go out to eat order a salad with no dressing--ask for oil and vinegar and make your own. Also, try appetizers...better portion size. Veggie sushi is good (no soy sauce!). You'll get used to it.
**You don't need to join Jenny Craig. Any diet plan that uses prepared foods is bad (and expensive)....and worst of all, the probability of gaining all the weight back after the "diet" is over is pretty high. That totally sucks. Weight Watchers seems good to me because it's teaching people to eat healthy without using prepared foods, and there is a good support system.
**Red wine is heart healthy!--have half a glass. So is dark chocolate...have a tiny square.
**Find recipes you like and make a batch for the week. My two favorites are chick pea and feta salad (I make it with whole wheat couscous and stuff it in my pita pocket) and homemade chicken soup.
**I eat a lot of chick peas and nuts for protein. If you need more protein in your diet, try lean turkey on your sammie, or tuna (make your own salad w/ fat free mayo and lots of veggies) or egg salad (make your own!).
**Going to a party? Is it Thanksgiving? Fill up on a big salad, then have one bite of something tasty...one bite of the cake, or pumpkin pie, whatever. That's all you really need. You'll already be stuffed from all the veggies!
**After every meal, I walk. It burns up calories, it increases your energy level. It makes you feel better.
This is what has been working for me. I gave up white pasta and white bread, which hurt like a bitch. I love that stuff! But I got used to this new diet pretty quickly, and I noticed right away I felt better eating this way. I no longer have horrible acid reflux, I don't get tired so easily.
I would love to hear from all of you and find out your diet tips. What works? What doesn't work? How do you incorporate healthy eating if you have a family, and your daughter only eats chicken nuggets? Stuff like that.
Let's chat!
Penny
January 25, 2011
Penelope's I Wanna Stay Alive Diet and Exercise Plan
A lot of folks have been asking me how I lost 48 pounds. Honestly, the threat of impending death is a super great motivator. It makes you go for a walk in the pitch dark and freezing cold when you'd rather be home in bed watching TV. It prevents you from eating a brownie with your kids (just picture a skull and crossbones on top of the brownie pan). Having a heart attack at 44 was a wake-up call like no other. The fear of death jump started my diet. But common sense is keeping it going.
Today, I'm going to talk about my exercise plan. Tomorrow, my diet.
All right....here it goes.....(drum roll please).....
I walk.
That's it. I walk.
I don't do any fancy-pants machines at the gym. I don't take hot yoga or spinning class or karate or high-impact aerobics.
I just walk around the block.
I don't walk with weights or a pedometer, or fancy lycra pants, or sporty pull-over jackets. I wear a t-shirt and black pants, and in the winter I wear lots of layers, a dorky hat, scarves and my sneakers.
I know. This is boring. It's not glamorous, or sexy, or exciting. But frankly, I don't give a rat's ass, because it works.
Walking is free. All I need is a pair of sneakers and I'm all set. I get fresh air, I can listen to my music if I so desire, I say hi to my neighbors. Sometimes I see cool birds. If it rains, I wear a rain coat. If it snows, I wear a parka.
Walking is easy, low impact, and works like a freakin' charm for weight loss. I lost almost 50 pounds just by walking around my neighborhood.
I walk for 30-45 minutes in the morning. I take another walk at lunchtime...maybe a quickie 15 minute walk, maybe longer if I have time. Then, I take another walk later in the afternoon...sometimes walk the dog, or walk with the fam (son on his skate board, daughter on her scooter, hubby hanging out with me). If I can hack it, I squeeze in one more quickie 15-min. walk at 7 pm before I wind down for the night.
The way I see it, my sedentary life needs to be offset by moving. So if I spend time writing or reading, then I need to compensate by doing something. It could be going grocery shopping, walking into town to mail a letter, pulling weeds in the garden, whatever.
There are 2 states of being. Moving. And Not Moving.
Moving=working out my heart, burning calories, toning my body, producing endorphins, making my head clear and focused, all good things.
Not Moving=sedentary lifestyle=bad, bad things. Death and Destruction. The Apocalypse. Diabetes. Heart Disease. Big, fat ass. You get the idea.
The hidden benefits of all this exercise.....1) my skin looks really good, 2) I never get sick, and 3) I have fantastic brain-storming sessions where I work out all the kinks in my WIP, including pages of dialogue.
So, that's it. I try to move around a lot, burn calories, keep my heart rate up. So far, so good. The diabetes is gone, my heart has healed, my blood pressure is great, my cholesterol is excellent. I'm on the right path.
What are you guys doing for exercise? Any cool suggestions? Things you love to do? Let me know!
Tomorrow....Part 2 of Penelope's I Wanna Stay Alive Plan: The Diet.
Not Embarrassed To Be Walking Like A Little Old Lady,Penelope
January 24, 2011
Bucket List Update
So, how am I doing with my bucket list?? (see side bar and this post). I put together a list for myself after being inspired by Mia Marlowe's list....hers included taking ballroom dancing lessons and going topless in St. Maarten! Ack! More power to her.
Here's how I am doing.....
Penelope's Bucket List for 2010-2011....
1. Attend the opera with my husband. (Not happening this year. None of the operas look appealing. Maybe next year.)
2. Plant hundreds of daffodil bulbs in my garden to enjoy next spring. (Did it. Can't wait for spring.)
3. Write a quickie botanical paranormal story with a bearded hero. (Decided to work on my full-length botanical mystery/romance. With a bearded hero. Of course.)
4. Heal my heart. I want to hear these words from my cardiologist "Your heart is back to normal!" (Did it! My heart is back to normal...yee haw!)
5. Go for a run. (Did it. It wasn't very long, but it was good enough for me.)
6. Visit the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. (Not yet, but I'm still planning to do this one soon. Can't wait.)
7. Attend the NJRWA conference this October and the NECRWA conference next spring.(Already did the NJRWA meeting. Looking forward to NECRWA and probably the national RWA meeting in NYC, too. Also attending the Empire State Book Festival in April and will be moderating a romance panel...yay!)
8. Go birding at the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel, Florida. (Oh boy, am I looking forward to this...coming up in April!)
9. Plant a terrarium this winter. (Not yet. Still on my to-do list. My daughter wants to add a turtle or frog into the terrarium. Uh oh.)
10. Lose 50 more pounds (already lost 30) and reverse my diabetes diagnosis. (I have lost 48 pounds, and I no longer have diabetes. I am so stoked about this. I am still working on losing 30 more pounds by summer. I feel so much better.)
11. Go to the Nutcracker ballet with my daughter this Christmas. (Daughter nixed this one. Instead, we are going to the Westminster Dog Show in NYC on Valentine's Day!!!!!! Sooooo fun....watch out weenie dogs, here we come!)
12. Finish edits for Sweet Magik and look forward to my 2nd book publication next year.(Sweet Magik is all done. Will be released in both digital and print format on Nov. 4, 2011. My first book in print...yay! I am very excited about this!)
13. Spend hours puttering around the fantabulous antique mall in Quechee, Vermont, followed up by a glass of sparkling apple cider at Simon Pearce. (Did it. Had a fabulous weekend with my hubby, as a belated celebration for our 20th anniversary. Had the most incredibly delicious dinner at Simon Pearce...holy cow, after eating such a strict diet for months, that meal was magnificent.)
14. Walk Sachuest Point in Middletown, Rhode Island and see the harlequin ducks. (Not yet...hopefully soon...when the weather is no longer -24!)
15. Become involved in heart health education. (Working on it...I will have some more posts soon, and I'm helping my daughter to raise $$ for the American Heart Association right now.)
Well, working on this bucket list should be keeping me busy for the next several months. This week I'm reading Naked In Death by JD Robb (first time reading her...can't wait to meet Roarke) and an erotica by Amber Skyze called Naughty St. Nick. I thought I was finally finished with my holiday reads, but evidently not.
Happy Monday,Penelope
January 22, 2011
Reinvention and Inspiration
I read a terrific piece about Sigrid Olsen this morning in the Boston Globe I wanted to share. She is 57 years old, a breast cancer survivor, and faced the failure of a once-thriving fashion design career with quite the intrepid attitude. Instead of wallowing in defeat, she decided to reinvent herself. She's an artist, an entrepreneur, and a yoga instructor. She is a source of inspiration for women of all ages, someone with the chutzpah to embrace change and see hidden opportunities where others would see failure. The thing that really captured my attention in this article (which is not included in the online version, unfortunately) is her 8-Step Guide....this is so close to my own approach to living I can't believe it.
These are her steps of "essential practices" to "regain equilibrium and redefine themselves after a major life change"---(can you say heart attack?)
1. Connect with nature. Next to the grandeur of nature, your problems seem very small.
2. Inhabit your body. Breathe, move, dance, run--anything that helps you feel awake and alive.
3. Find a community. Seek out people who are honest and fun, who will listen and tell the truth.
4. Clean house. Literally and metaphorically, clear the clutter that complicates your life.
5. Cherish beauty. Try to put beauty in your path each day and take the time to enjoy it.
6. Open your heart. Give of yourself. Generosity breeds abundance.
7. Create. Make something. Paint, sculpt, cook, plant a garden, keep a journal.
8. Celebrate life. Eat good food, have a party, travel, laugh a lot.
(From And Now For Something Completely Different, by Linda Matchan, Boston Globe, January 22, 2011).
This is so right up my alley, it's not even funny! This is why I walk outside everyday. Why I connect with my on-line friends, fellow romance writers, neighborhood friends, family, college buds, and Quirky Ladies as often as possible. This is why I take a single violet from my front lawn and display it in a teeny, tiny bottle on my windowsill. This is why I write. This is why I offer free advice to colleagues and revel in their success. This is why I love my little home and garden, and try to make my living space as "Vermonty" as possible. This is why we entertain so much, not with good china and crystal, but micro-beers and grilled veggies. This is a great way to live a life.
Rock on, Sigrid...I love your attitude! And this concludes our touchy-feely segment for the day. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Embracing life in all its glory,Penelope
