#SCENTsational Saturdays- Favorite #Lotions

My favorite lotion is Jergen's Original Scent, with its cherry-almond hydrators and rich moisturization, its my go-to lotion I can rely on to soften my skin, time after time.

I've tried different styles of Vaseline Intensive Care, but none do so well as Jergen's, which is probably why I keep coming back to it. that and its wonderful fragrance, which reminds me a lot of my Cherry Vanilla perfume.

It's also a comforting reminder of my childhood that makes me feel safe and taken care of because it reminds me of my mom. She used this lotion when I was young and it's scent reminds me of home and family, of love and care in a warm way that makes me feel good and leaves my skin nourished and healthy.

Now, I do like this brand I get at Wal-Mart- if you want very thick, buttery lotion, try one of the bodycology body cream. The one pictured here is Vanilla Buttercream. It smells like thick delectable vanilla frosting and a little dab will do you. This one is especially good for hydrating and moisturizing your legs and armpits after you shave.

Stick around and tell me- What's YOUR favorite lotion?

Have a SCENTsational Saturday!

#FFF- #Ariel by @gabrielmadison @FictionWitches #TMPress

Click Image to purchase on Kindle

Angel Santos just wants to be an average seventeen year-old girl. That’s kind of hard for a reincarnated Archangel who’s hiding her powers. It gets even harder when God vanishes from Heaven and her old friends turn to her to find the last angel to see Him. Now all she has to do is stop the impending apocalypse and fend off her best friend’s attempts to make her popular. All in a week’s work.

Author Bio:

Gabriel Madison started writing when he was in high school, mostly short stories and poetry, and then developed a passion for screenplays. He attended a private art University in Atlanta, Georgia for Media Production. There he studied script writing and film making. He wrote a few screenplays, and made a few short movies, including a twelve-minute vampire movie he adapted from a short story called Midnight Diner. After leaving school, his passion shifted mainly towards writing stories, rather than shooting and directing them. He writes short stories, novellas, screenplays, graphic novels and full-length novels. He was once asked to define himself: he answered... ‘storyteller.’

You can find Gabriel online at http://gabrielmadison.blogspot.com/

My Ideal #Writer's Cave- My #FortressofSolitude #Writing #Officespace

All writers want that "Cave" a writing space that's just for them, where their stories can come to life in a setting that suits their personality, their own style- a place where they can write in comfort. Most of us, especially starting out, don't have that luxury, but boy oh boy do we dream about it. At least, I do.

As a wife and mother, I don't really have too many areas in the house that are just mine. I can't take up residence in the only room I can ever have completely to myself- the bathroom. Truth is, after having my daughter, I've not even had that room to myself completely in years!

But between mine and my husband's bedroom, each of the kids', a spare/JUNK room, the kitchen and living room, I don't technically have a room to call my own. I'd take over the spare room, but, where would I put the "junk," the extra bed, the Christmas decorations, etc? Besides, what writer wants a room without a single view?

My ideal writer's cave would be nothing without floor-to-ceiling bookcases, built into at least one wall, and this picturesque view with the window seat, surrounded by books is exceptionally nice. Yeah, I'm there, in my mind....Color scheme would definitely come into play as well. I've looked at images all over the web of home offices and realized that, though I like the idea of classic wood bookcases and hardwood floors, I found myself drawn more to a white, blue and black theme. Here I go again with the blue and black, though I could go for shades of lavender or possible sage.

I didn't find a desk image that suits me, but for that, I would simply want basics, something perhaps in black, that would have space enough for my laptop, paper and writing supplies, perhaps storage or file drawers. Something that could house my essentials.

Shelf space would be a must, or decorative areas where I can put my writing totems, like my fairy figurines and other trinkets like my cats and blown glass roses. On the walls I'd like space to put up my inspirational posters, or butterfly decals and wall art. I love this little item I saw on Lakeside.com. I'm tempted to order it now for later on down the road.
I'm especially fond of this wall border, which we actually do have in our house, in my stepson's bedroom. Originally his room was going to be my spare bedroom, so I painted the walls a soft powder blue and put up this border of Nantucket Hydrangeas.
I love lilacs and butterfly bushes, for obvious reasons, so any of them would work for border or decoration. I like this very rustic window seat with the lavender walls and cushions.

That's one thing I would definitely love—a bay window, with a seat- a place where I could enjoy the view of my yard- a spot to place a Christmas tree in December or just have a wonderful view any time of year- bright summer mornings, listening to the birds outside, cool autumn mornings sipping hot coffee looking out over a blanket of gold and brown leaves, or sipping cocoa while it snows. I do like the looks of the room below, but I'd have to have curtains over those windows, perhaps with tie-backs, and the sage walls are warm and inviting, but it still feels like a living room, rather than a writer's space.
Another accent I would love to have would be a fireplace. Isn't this image below lovely in the shades of white and blue?
It just begs me to come sit in that window seat and decorate that mantlepiece with garland and Christmas lights and decorations. I like the blue of the walls, but would probably go with a much softer shade myself, perhaps, more like in the next image. Isn't this just a lovely sitting area? I could totally see using it for a reading nook, curled up under a soft blanket.I think that's the biggest thing for me, is that I want a room that is warm and inviting, something that would not only inspire me, but would represent who I am. Perhaps someday, I'll be able to design a room of my own, fill it with my writerly things and truly be able to enjoy it.

The truth is though, all writers have their thing- some can write anywhere, some need that special space, but all of us work with what we have because it's not about the place you write but what you write and the most important writer's space you have is that wide open space in your mind. So, for now, I'll drift off to my dream writing cave, enjoy the solitude of my imaginary office, but then I'll get back to work.

#WIPlash Wednesdays- #Advice for #Aspiring #Writers

What advice would you give an aspiring author who wants to be published?

1. WRITE- Get those words down, build those worlds up and bring your characters to life. Prove to yourself you can finish that first manuscript and give it wings to expand from there. Write more...
2. NEVER GIVE UP- No matter what anyone tells you, believe in yourself and keep moving forward. There will be bumps in the road no matter what your dreams or goals, it's up to you how you navigate those potholes.
3. BUILD YOUR BRAND- Know what you write and promote yourself. Whether you write romance, mystery, suspense, general fiction- find your niche and work it. Decide early if you're writing under your real name or a pen name. This helps build the brand.
4. BLOG- Talk about your writing, things that interest or inspire you- things that make your writing life YOURS. Do you write with music? Do you have sentimental writing totems? Special habits?
5. SOCIALIZE & NETWORK- Join online groups, follow other authors if you're on Twitter. Post your blog links where others will see them. Interact with authors and readers alike. Join writing associations where you can talk "shop" with other authors about the craft, the industry. Socializing and putting yourself out there is the only way to gain followers of your own & build your reader base. Guest blog and host other authors on your blog.
6. SUBMIT/GO INDIE- Work hard and get that manuscript or manuscripts polished and then submit to publishers who are looking for your kind of stories. Or, take the wheel of your own writing career and drive the self-pub highway. Investigate, talk to other Indie authors. Do you want to go Big House or Small Pub? Or would you rather strike out on your own? Ebook or print or both? Know what you want and go for it.
7. TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE- Most importantly- write for yourself- the stories of your heart. Yes, challenge yourself as a writer, but never try to "shape" yourself or your stories in a way you can't live with. If it makes you uncomfortable or makes you feel you are writing to suit someone else with something you're not proud of, don't do it. Some will tell you to pay attention to what's popular or sought after, but also be true to yourself and write what touches your heart. Paying attention to what's out there is important, but don't let the "popular today" handicap your writing or your confidence for your career future.

When it all boils down to it, do the thing you enjoy most- write. Then pursue this dream with all you have.

Have a great Wednesday! Write on-
I can see the weekend from here.

#TuesdayswithTaryn- Q&A with Margaret Ethridge @MKEthridge #TMPress #Author #Interview #readers

Tuesdays with Taryn

Click image above for Kindle version

Please help me welcome Margaret Ethridge, fellow Turquoise Morning Press author to Tuesdays with Taryn. Margaret is author of several short stories, as well as Paramour and Contentment.

What book(s) most influenced you as a writer? Wow. I’ve read my way through so many authors over the years: Nora Roberts, LaVyrle Spencer, Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood…I could go on and on. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with Sarah Addison Allen’s books. They’re so charming and magical. She makes me want to be a better writer.

What book do you read over and over again? There are a few that I consider classics: Perfect by Judith McNaught, Scruples by Judtith Krantz, and Carnal Innocence by Nora Roberts are long-time favorites. In the past year I have read and re-read Outlander & Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon as well as Garden Spells and The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen.

Tuesday Trio-

1) Movie- Gone With the Wind

2) Music- Duran Duran

3) Decadent Dessert- Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

What’s the most interesting or bizarre bit of trivia you’ve learned from researching for a novel? I can’t think of anything bizarre. Most of my research tends to be about physical/medical conditions.

Novel on your Nightstand:

Who/what are you currently reading? An Affair with Mr. Kennedy by Jillian Stone

Whom would you cast as your Hero & Heroine if your book became a movie?

I hope you’re allowing time travel in this casting call.... While writing Commitment, I saw Maggie McCann as a Maureen O’Hara type – feisty, beautiful, and not afraid to follow through once she makes up her mind. Tom Sullivan would be harder to cast, but I think Aiden Quinn could handle it nicely. Or I could handle him… With my April release, Spring Chickens, I definitely had a young Paul Newman in mind the moment I conjured Bram Hatchett. Lynne is definitely the Renee Russo type.

Commitment

Tom Sullivan wants a woman who is willing to accept him as he is. The successful divorce attorney has seen enough of the flip side of love to know better than to promise forever. Women have tried to pin him down, but none have managed to make it stick.

Until Maggie McCann.

Maggie is only interested in one thing. Her fortieth birthday is looming and the tick-tock-tick-tock in her head means her biological clock is about to strike midnight on her dreams of finding Prince Charming. Armed with a new plan for her happily ever, she foregoes the Fairy Godmother routine and makes an appointment with a fertility clinic for a rendezvous with a sperm donor.

The last thing Maggie needs is to get mixed up with a player like Tom Sullivan.

A chance encounter and the opportunity to scratch a decade-long itch prove irresistible, and what starts as a one-night stand turns into a game of cat and mouse when Tom learns of Maggie’s plan to start a family on her own.

To Maggie, messing with a guy like Tom Sullivan is the single-girl equivalent of playing with fire, but she convinces herself to take what she can get for as long as she can and expect nothing more. But Tom falls hard and fast for Maggie, and now that they’re planning to have a baby together he starts banking on his own a happily ever after.

If only he can get her to commit…

To find out more about Margaret and her books
click the image above to go to her website

To find Commitment in other formats or through other sites or more-
Amazon Print

Barnes & Noble
Smashwords
Turquoise Morning Press Bookstore

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting with me Margaret!

#MemoryLane Monday- Sexy #Excerpt #GuestBlogging at @MadisonJEdwards #Blog

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Memory Lane Monday because Madison J Edwards invited me to share a little something over on her blog, so flutter on by to read a sexy excerpt from Castaway Hearts!

Please stop by to enjoy this extra little snippet, only a week before Castaway Hearts is released!

Madison J Edwards Blog

#SCENTsational Saturdays- #Fave 3- #CherryVanilla

Cherry Vanilla Perfume

Surprise yourself with the unexpected allure of Cherry Vanilla, the deceptively simple fragrance that blends the innocence of pure vanilla essence with the tart temptation of cherries to create an almost magical effect on your emotions. Wear Cherry Vanilla and feel totally delicious, amazingly self-assured and refreshingly romantic.

****

Yes, that's an empty bottle. Rarely do I make it through a bottle of my favorite fragrances before the age and just don't smell as good as they ought to, but this was a very small bottle and it just smelled SO good. Always does.

Cherry Vanilla is a simple fragrance,- soft, feminine and reminds me of the holidays, my momma, and home. It's such a warm comforting scent it makes me want to curl up on the couch under a fuzzy blanket and watch Christmas movies and sip eggnog while the tree lights twinkle, even in the middle of July.

Of course, I don't have my tree up in July, but I still enjoy wearing this perfume year-round.

Hope you have a SCENTsational Saturday!

#FFF- Buried in Briny Bay by Bobbye Terry @FictionWitches #TMPress

Click Image to purchase on Kindle

A Briny Bay Mystery, Book One

Roxie Turner finds herself up to her neck in trouble when her lifelong nemesis, Georgia Collins, is discovered buried in the town’s landfill. To make matters worse, with her characteristic Southern sass, Roxie has been saying she’d kill Georgia for more than twenty years. In fact, she listed the ways to do the woman in, constantly reminding prominent citizens of her intent. It was all a joke, or so she thought. But the joke turns on her as, suddenly, other dead bodies begin to pile up, all murdered with a technique from Roxie’s list.

Enlisting the assistance of handsome hunk, Greg Norris, Roxie’s sister, Trixie Frye, comes to her aid, bent on uncovering the killer and the truth. Can they find out both before Roxie goes to the big house?

"Sweet Southern sass and screwball mystery... Nobody does it better than Bobbye Terry." --Maddie James, romance author

Author bio: A native Virginian, Bobbye Terry now resides in the cotton fields of West Texas with a Chocolate Lab that has a sock fetish. Bobbye is a multi-published author of romantic comedy, fantasy and suspense. Now, writing solo, except for a possible collaboration on special projects, she continues to write with extensive humor, even in suspense, where southern charm meets macabre reality.

#Strut by Bruce & Carole Hart (#Favorite #Book #Spotlight)

She's not going to stop till she's rocks to the top.
Ignored by her police chief father and feeling betrayed by her older brother, Bryan, seventeen-year-old Holly Hanna devotes all her energy to realizing her dream of becoming a rock star.

****

"Ladies and Gentlemen...Holly and the Heartbreakers!"

The kid, riding the tiger, grabs the microphone, pumping it up, taking it higher, making it hotter, rounding the bend and racing for home.

They say I'm bad,
But you know better.

Arranging her hair with a shake of her head, so that it falls about her shoulders, the kid spins around, spreads her legs wide, props her fists on her hips, beaming a knowing smile and sings—

And baby, baby, baby
I'm your hearts desire.

The spotlight snaps off.

The stage is black.

The crowd sits a moment, as if they were stunned and catching their breath. And then they go totally wild!

****

From the same husband and wife team that gifted me with Sooner or Later, Waiting Games, Now or Never and Cross Your Heart (I never got to read Breaking Up is Hard to Do), Bruce and Carole Hart's Strut rocked my world as a young adult.

Holly Hanna is 17 years old and all she wants is to be a rock 'n' roll star. And then she meets Jasper Rollins, a young and sexy rock star from the 60s who just happens to be a ghost. Holly soon discovers that the women in her family sometimes have the psychic ability to see ghosts and about how unfinished business sometimes keeps souls from moving on.

Jasper is certain his unfinished business has to do with becoming a famous rock star, so he sets out to help Holly and her band win the Cobblestone Inn's Amateur Nights Playoffs and the Showdown for a record deal. If he helps rocket her to the top, he will be able to reach the great beyond.

The thing I love most about this, is not just that the main character's name is Holly (my IRL name) but she was also a redhead (like me) but also because of the poignant definition Holly's aunt gives her about Jasper's "unfinished business," though neither Holly nor Jasper take heed to it in the pursuit of her rock star career aspirations. Her aunt's explanation that our "life's destiny" is this- that

"...in each lifetime, every soul needs to love and be loved, to know the sorrow of a love that isn't meant to be and the joy of a love that's returned in kind."

I cry every time I read this book. It doesn't sugar-coat coming-of-age. Bruce and Carole Hart handled adolescence in their novels with realism and heart. Their stories always amazed me with how easy it is to love the characters and cherish them as though they were real people you might know in your daily life.

This novel is young adult fiction and does have mild to mature language and situations. I think it is a wonderfully fantastical story that young adults, even now could relate to and would enjoy tremendously. If you can find it, I highly recommend it.

#WIPlash Wednesdays~ There'll Be #LoveSongs...#MusicalMusings

♫Have love songs ever inspired an idea for a book?♫

I honestly can't think of any songs that have directly inspired any ideas for my books, though music is part of my writing. Generally it plays more of a secondary role, almost a persona of its own—it is part of the flow and undercurrent that plays in the background like a soundtrack to the movie playing in my head.

If there were any song that has been inspiration, in general, it would have to be Sara Bareilles' One Sweet Love.

I have actually used that song during the writing of several of my books because it depicts the main theme of all my stories and that is the eternal desire we all have to either find true love or our soul-mate and it expresses the hope that it hasn't already been found and lost without realizing it.

Music is a good medium for drawing forth strong emotions. sometimes all it takes is a song's handling of a topic or lyrics that speak straight to the heart of you to move you to tears of joy or heartache. Music is a vessel through which we experience new and old emotions. We are reminded of our youth, that first crush, the first kiss, the first heartache. It can provoke memories of the first kiss we had or our wedding day, the moment we realized we were truly in love.

Music opens up those parts of us—those portals—that can take us back in time or remind us of what we've lived through. That's probably why I enjoy having playlists of music while I write that, for me, defines the characters and the emotions that are embedded in my storytelling. Music is an audible way of storytelling and when meshed with my written word, it embraces the living flow of feelings that emerge.

There might not be a song which has inspired a certain story, but there are plenty of songs that are woven into the fabric of what I write.

I can't hear certain songs without thinking of certain characters or scenes because even when I read back what I've written, I can still hear the melody—the soundtrack—even when I'm not listening to the music.

Have a great Wednesday! Write On!
I can see the weekend from here.

#TuesdayswithTaryn with @MadisonJEdwards #Author #readers #Excerpt

Tuesdays with Taryn
with a very sexy twist-

Please help me welcome Madison J. Edwards to my blog today as she shares with us how she became a writer and a very sexy excerpt from According To Plan.

About the Author

The Prairie dust is in my blood, but no longer on my shoes.

Having grown up around ranchers and farmers, I always assumed I’d become a farmer’s wife, raise the requisite four boys, and make sure there was always enough pie at community social functions. Imagine my surprise when I found myself married to an Air Force pilot, moving around the country every two years on the government’s ticket and my family of four boys was decreased by two.

With hubby deployed all over the world, I became father and mother. I soon discovered, with two active, thriving, can find trouble anywhere – did I mention active? – boys that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Boo yah. Ask my sons. Don’t mess with the Mama.

My sons and I survived. They’re now grown, with families of their own, and I finally had the chance to pursue my dream, which was to put fingers to keyboard and write a book. January 25, 2011 I sold my manuscript, According to Plan, to Turquoise Morning Press.

What have I discovered through all this? Choices make you who you are. More often than not, we find ourselves not at a crossroad, but a frickin’ freeway exchange. My crossroad decision was – should I take that job? I’m glad I did, because somehow I found myself living in a town, near an Air Force base….

---

According to Plan

What do you do when things don’t go According to Plan? For starters, you’d trick, deceive, and lie to the very person who’d ruined your best laid plans.

Welcome to the world of Shelby Stewart, P.I., who’s been hired to find Harrison Grant. To complicate matters further, her ex-partner, ex-lover, ex-everything Tank has shown up looking for Harrison as well, albeit for a very different reason. Harry is the prime suspect in the grisly murder of a call girl, Lulu, in L.A.

That wouldn’t be so bad, but Tank plans on staying at her house, and has made it obvious he’s quite willing to help her heat the sheets, again. Shelby knows that sex with Tank is dangerous, fast, and sometimes a little dirty. Now is not the time to become side tracked. Besides, this job could launch her company into a whole new stratosphere, so it’s imperative she remain focused on the job at hand.

Frustration becomes Shelby’s newest partner as she makes plans to out manoeuvre Tank in their parallel quest. Tank on the other hand, always seems to be one step ahead of the game, and is not what, or who Shelby thought.

Excerpt

He stood behind me and placed a hand on either side of my body, effectively boxing me in against the pool table.

"Loosen your shirt babe, I think you're time has come." He drawled against my heated cheek. Ripples of anticipation careened through my midsection as he dropped a kiss behind my ear.

In dumb horror I watched while Tank picked off all his remaining balls, making it look easy. With cocky confidence, he called and sank the eight ball in the side pocket.

Because Tank won, he’d get what he wanted. If the tight bulge in his jeans was anything to go by, he wanted me... now. I was so screwed; figuratively, and soon to be literally.

What went wrong? I have always played pool better than Tank. This was not supposed to happen. From nerveless fingers, he took my cue stick and leaned it against the wall.

"Come here." He pulled me against his chest, the ridge of his erection hard and implacable against my stomach.

Head lowered, my forehead touching his chest, I whispered. "How did this happen? I've always won at pool."

"Yes, because I always let you. It was more fun that way."

I couldn’t stop the shivering when his fingers blazed a trail down my back and warm hands grabbed my hips and bare cheeks, leaving a fiery imprint. Pushing one leg between mine, pressing against my sweet spot, there was no mistaking his intentions.

"Do you want it hard and fast, or soft and slow?" His deep voice, thick and heavy with desire, flowed over me.

"Yes." I whispered.

God help me. I wanted it all.

You can find out more about Madison at the following links-

Madison's Blog

Follow Madison on Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads