A Fun Book - Hot Flash by Kathy Carmichael

I just finished reading a different type of romance book. Instead of a twenty-something, skinny miss, the heroine of this story is forty - and pre-menopausal - and plagued with hot flashes, a teenage son, a horrible ex, a flighty mother and a father in jail. In other words, a normal life.

Jill Morgan Storm, a chef, is searching for the man of her dreams, but so far, she hasn't had much luck. So she writes to couples who have been married for a long time in order to figure out the secret. In the meantime, she keeps looking.

The one man who keeps cropping up is Davin Wesley, who was her son's third grade teacher many years ago. He is so what she doesn't want. Isn't he? But somehow, the school teacher creeps under her radar, and shows her that heat isn't all from kitchen fires or hot flashes.

This story is a fun read. It's so nice to read about someone closer to my own age and who's life is spinning out of control, but in a normal, hilarious way. There are no evil stalkers, no paranormal beasts (though I do love both), no secret baby she's keeping from the real father. Just a real (albeit fictional) story that had me giggling and nodding in agreement, and empathy.

If you love romance books but want something a little different, give this one a try: Hot Flash by Kathy Carmichael from Medallion Press.

Birthdays

Today is my birthday and, no, I won't tell you which one! :)

But I love birthdays. The excitement of the day - all centered on you. For me, it's a day of celebration, no matter if you're one or one hundred; no matter if you're with a crowd, or sitting by yourself. Celebrate.

Like the new year, it is, for me, a day of reflection. Of looking back over the past year to see what I've done and consider what changes I need to make, or what was right that I can rejoice in. It is also a day to look forward to the coming year, the challenges I will face and how to use my experience to cope with them. It is a day of quiet contemplation, and celebration.

As I look over the past years, I can remember the best and worst presents I received. The best was a surprise trip to the nearby RenFaire. Though I was feeling lousy, the day was lovely and I had a grand time. The worst? A bag of rice cakes from someone who knew I was trying to lose a little weight. The person's heart was in the right place, but come on. Really? For a birthday? :)

So celebrate with me. Tell me about your best and worst birthdays. And what is your fondest wish for your next one?

Being Thankful

Over the past few weeks, life has tossed my family some lemons. We are attempting to make lemonade, but as anyone who has ever made it from scratch knows, the real stuff takes a lot more time than the instant. Then I received an email from the newsletter editor for my local writer's group.

Each month, she sends a question to the group for us to answer for the newsletter. Usually, they are something like "How did you get started writing?" or "How long have you been writing?" or something like that. Something dealing directly with writing. Something I can usually dash off a couple of sentences for in a minute or two. But this month's question was different. This month's question has made me stop and think. And it's not even an involved question. It's actually quite simple. It's: "What are you thankful for?"

Five words. Only five simple words. And yet they carry so much power. They have made me look at the way I've been looking at life of late. Almost like I've been sucking on the lemon slices without benefit of water or sugar. Palatable, but barely.

So, I will answer her question.

I am thankful that I have a warm, dry, comfortable little house. I am thankful that I have a wonderful family who love me and each other and will help each other in times of need. I am thankful I have friends who stand behind me and nudge me or hug me when either is needed. I am thankful I have food on my table. I am thankful for the ability to read - and the books to read. I am thankful I have the ability to tell a decent tale and that people actually pay me for this privilege.

I am thankful for a lot more. But this is a start.

What about you? What are you thankful for?

Books to be Read

When I'm not writing, I work at a small independent book store. Part of my job is to read books. I know, the horror of it all. But it does create a problem. There are just too many books out there that I want to read and there are only so many hours in the day. As I sit here in my office at home looking at my shelves, I now have over 300 books on my "to-be-read" shelves. Yes, you read that right - not piles, shelves. My husband put up bookshelves so the huge stacks wouldn't crowd the floor.

I try to go at the shelves logically - by starting at the beginning. But then another one comes into the store and it looks soooooo good! And then another. And another.... you get the picture. :)

To alleviate this massive pile up, I could do several things:
1. I could quit my job - but I kind of need the paycheck and, besides, where would I then get free books? Not an option.
2. I could quit writing. Definitely not an option.
3. I could quit doing promo. But if I do that, then my books wouldn't get "out there" - it's a necessary evil. So, unfortunately, not an option.
4. I could quit spending time with my family. No, guess I shouldn't do that.
5. I could quit sleeping. As a person with chronic insomnia, I already do enough of that. Not an option.
6. I could quit reading. Like writing, definitely NOT an option.
7. I could quit adding books until I read the ones I have. But the ones that came in yesterday look so good! I can't do that.

You see my problem? So I guess my shelves will keep growing and I'll keep reading during my free moments.

Sorry this blog is so short. But I have a book to read! :)