My Recent Comments

I don't have time to read.  Too much work to do, two jobs (one self-employed so on-call 24/7), three kids, trying to finish writing a book for submission, and the garden/canning is no longer a hobby this year, it's a necessity.  The sad part is that I've got boxes of books stacked under my desk in my TBR pile.  The lounge chair on my back deck doesn't beckon me any more; it's flat out taunting me.  Go ahead, be lazy.  Find a good book to read and relax for a couple of hours.  You can do it.  You deserve it.  Oh, wait.  You have to host yet another huge family barbecue (the second in less than a month), bake several cheesecakes, go to the grocery store, finish two jobs for clients, and weed/mulch the gardens.  Today.  Before 6:00 p.m.  So why am I on the Internet?  Oh, yeah, break time.

Do nonfiction books count? LOL  That's about all I've read this year.

I read romance because I love a happy ending.  Honestly, I skip over quite a few of the sex scenes.  I like the twitterpation aspect of falling in love, not descriptions of the physical act of love.

Woo hoo!  Good for you!  As for the two tiny little mistakes, pshaw!  At least you actually FINISHED and submitted!  That's more than I've done yet...

Oh, cute, cute!  I'll bet you're loving the short hair in the summer heat.

Aw, it'll grow back before you know it!  I donate mine about every 5 years to Locks Of Love.  Just did it a year ago, and my hair is finally long enough again to pull back into a short ponytail.  I may have a bad 'do for a while, but somewhere out there are a couple of kids with my hair!

I just don't do book reviews any more!  And I'm really disappointed when I read several positive reviews, buy a book, and then find out it's not a very good book.  Did the other people just not notice the problems with the story?  Are they all friends of the author?  Members of the only say nice things or say nothing club?

I've been criticized for being critical before, you know, the old "put your money where your mouth is" thing.  I know I'm not perfect and I haven't had a book or ebook published yet.  However, how can you overlook numerous spelling/grammar errors, abrupt endings, plot holes, telling instead of showing, etc?  As a consumer, I don't like being misled.  As a reader, I don't want to pay money for something that reads like a first draft.  (Of course, nothing from Harlequin or Silhouette falls into this category for me.  Their editing staff rocks!)

What's that saying about turning criticism into a sandwich?  For every critical/negative thing you mention, sandwich it between two positives.... 

I know!  The hero has hazel eyes in one picture and brown in another!  LOL  Just kidding...

Belt buckle!?  How in the world could you possibly see that?  LOL  As it was, I described three of the items as "blotches."  And I thought I had good eyes.  Well, congratulations!

When I come to paragraphs or pages of books that I don't care to read, I just "fast forward" or skim over the parts that I'm not in the mood for.  I skip over a lot of the prayers, song lyrics, poems, recipes and sex scenes in romance novels because I want to read the actual story.  Certain things don't necessarily need to be spelled out for the reader to understand.  That's just me, tho'.

Alternatively, I've read some really great "Christian" themed romance books that felt as if the prayer aspect of it was just stuck in the middle to make the book fit the line.  It's like the story just breaks in the middle for a quick prayer and then picks up again.

To look at me in a waiting room, you'd think I'm a nonreader, too, but my TBR pile is several boxes high.  Sadly, I'm also a poor planner.  I always forget to throw a book in my purse.  If I do have one, I've probably already finished reading it.  TV and magazines aren't that appealing, so I sit and people watch.  I come up with ideas for my next story.  I might jot down some notes, and people would think I was updating my "To Do" list, but I'm actually writing about a torrid love affair with the doctor or mechanic.  Sit there and play the "what if" game about other people.  It's also nice to just have quiet time doing absolutely nothing and with nobody demanding of me.  I downloaded the Harlequin podcasts so I can listen to them on my cell phone/MP3 player while waiting, but I forget to throw my headset into my purse, too.