How Far Would You Go?

What is one to do when a favorite (actor/writer/director/creative person in general) goes in a direction that maybe isn't your cuppa?

I've been pondering this lately, as my favorite actor has a new movie out today. I've followed him from a soap to a sitcom, and been interested in his stage work as well (though never lucky to see any of it in person). But his new movie is (gulp) a horror film. And I absolutely, positively, unequivocally, avoid horror movies like damn and whoa.

So I'm stuck between wanting to see him on the big screen, and wanting to crawl under a big fluffy comforter and forget the movie exists.

Now, I'm sure he's great in the film. (Yeah, I'm biased. But that's what being a fangirl is all about, right?) But can I sit through an hour and a half of horror to experience it?

This has happened in my reading life, too, on a different scale. A favorite author in one genre switches to another genre I don't usually read. Sometimes I'll follow; sometimes, the switch is too drastic and I find their books falling off my auto-buy list.

Of course, this is all on me. Anyone in the creative arts has the absolute right to follow their muse wherever it takes them, and doing something different - even 180-degrees different - may be exactly the right thing to do creatively, professionally, and personally. And for every viewer/reader/fan who just can't bring themselves to go there as well, there are plenty more who may be thrilled to discover someone new in THEIR favorite genre.

And I also have to remind myself that being too closed off to trying something new - even if it's something I've avoided in the past - can keep me from discovering new favorites as well.

So I'll be going to see the film, even though I'll spend most of it cowering in my seat peeking through my fingers. I may regret it, but I think I'll regret it more if I don't give it a chance.

What about you? How far would you go - genre-wise - to support a favorite writer/actor/creative type?

Waiting for Harry Potter

For my darling 7-year old stepdaughter, I’m doing something I’ve never done during an entire lifetime of obsessive reading.

I’m waiting for her to grow up so I can finish a book series.

See, together we’ve gotten hooked on Harry Potter. I’m late to the Potter Party. When everyone else was reading the books and standing in line for the first movie showings and putting posters on their walls, I was keeping my distance from the whole phenomenon. First of all, I wanted to make sure J.K. Rowling finished all the books before I got totally addicted. Besides, I grew up with the great British children’s authors like E. Nesbit and C.S. Lewis and didn’t think she could possibly compete (got that one wrong!) And then it became a point of pride --- I was possibly the only person in the English-speaking world who hadn’t read any of the books or seen any of the movies.

Turns out, I was waiting for the perfect moment, which came when the kiddo got into the books. I’ve had the incredible pleasure of reading the first three books out loud to her, experiencing them for the first time along with her. I’ve forced myself to put the book down when it’s time for her to sleep. I’ve exercised gargantuan willpower in not reading ahead. I’ve refused to watch each movie until I’ve finished its book. And I’ve been drawn into this fascinating, intricate, wonderful world of magic the way a child would be, seeing everything through her eyes, feeling her anticipation, her emotions, the immense satisfaction the stories bring.

In Hawaii we finished Book 3, “The Prisoner of Azkaban,” the morning my stepdaughter went back to Alaska. Afterwards, I drove past the library, my fingers itching to swing the steering wheel into the parking lot so I could snatch up Book 4. But I’ve been told it’s a little intense for a nearly 8-year old. So even though I’m a hopeless book addict and usually read through the night if I’m deep into a story, and know I would gobble it up like a binge eater at a buffet, I’m refraining. I’ll wait until she gets a little bit older so we can indulge ourselves together.

So what do you think? Can an eight-year old handle Book 4, “The Goblet of Fire”? She’ll turn eight in two and a half months. I'm fairly sure I can wait that long. Or am I overthinking this? Should we head down to the library this second and check it out?  Because I will. Say the word and I’ll be after Book 4 like a Quidditch seeker after the Golden Snitch.

Hey, a Harry Potter reference! That felt good.

I have to be the first Naughty to post after the steampunk sex toys?

Well, I can tell you now that this is not as funny. Or creative. Or steam-punky.

This post is called: Reality TV in my house… or Save Me, Please

I have an observation about reality tv: some of it really sucks.

I know, I know… brilliant observation, Erin. Really genius. But the thing is, I don’t really watch reality tv. No, seriously. I have never seen an entire episode of Survivor, Real Housewives, or Jersey Shore (on a side note—none of these shows resemble *my* real life in the least… thank God). I used to watch American Idol and I have become a huge fan of The Voice (but I’d argue that those don’t really count as reality tv--whose reality is it to sing on stage in front of millions of people on a daily basis? Well, besides Katy Perry. And Tim McGraw. And Kelly Clarkson. And... okay, there might be a few).

*Anyway*...that’s not to say that reality tv is never seen in my house. Hubby and son have been avid fans of Ax Men for a couple of years. For those of you who don’t know, it’s about a bunch of lumberjacks. That’s all I know. Oh, and 75% of the dialogue has to be bleeped out for profanity. Now they’ve started watching Swamp People. I think that has alligators in it. Not sure. Don’t care.
See, there are two things that the success of my marriage has depended on for almost 18 years. Separate checking accounts and separate televisions. So, typically, we split up for tv watching (no, trust me, it’s not sad. It’s nice. It’s good.). I don’t need to know what Ax Men and Swamp People are about.

But… last Friday night I found myself in a hotel room with my two kids and husband. And nothing on tv. Except Mud Cats. (Which of course was totally not true… Phineas and Ferb—one of the best cartoons ever made—was on).

Mudcats. History Channel. Look it up. Come on, you know you want to.

Okay, it’s about hand fishing. Yes, these guys fish. By hand. And we’re not talking a trout or a nice salmon. These are catfish. They hide in dark crevices and stuff. So these guys are sticking their hands in all kinds of… ahem, interesting… places trying to grab a slippery fish that does not want to be caught. Oh, and did I mention that these fish are thirty pounds plus? The “winner” on Friday was fifty-four pounds. (oh, God, how do I know that and how can I erase this knowledge? I need this brain space!)

I’m amazed not only that there are actually people doing this stuff in the world, but they made a tv show about it. And my family watched it.

Okay, I’m a reality tv snob. I don't really like it. I’m surrounded by reality. I spend every day in reality (no, seriously :)) and honestly, reality is kind of overrated. I like fiction. I like making stuff up. I like making people do what I want them to do, what they should do. Good things. Things that make sense. (come on… it does not make sense to try to catch a fifty-four pound catfish by hand).

I just really like getting away from reality. I don't read non-fiction, I don't watch documentaries, hell, I barely watch the news. I don't even read sad or depressing fiction-- at least not on purpose. I want happy. I want uplifting. I want an escape. I want to immerse myself in a world the way I wish it was, rather than how it is.

But now I want to hear your confessions—do you watch reality tv? Which ones? And why? Help me understand! :)

Guest Blogger Cynthia D'Alba - Breaking the Rules

This post is proudly a stop on the TEXAS TWO STEP Blog Tour. For a complete listing of all stops on this tour, please visit here. All contests are for U.S. residents only unless otherwise noted. Comments left on this blog will be counted toward the Texas Two Step Faithful Follower Gift Certificate. To see a complete listing of Blog Tour Prizes, click here. Be sure to check out the freebies. Yours for the asking as long as they last.

Thank you to Meg Benjamin and the other eight Naughty Novelists for having me here today. I confess to being a little intimidated by all the talent these nine authors have. I feel like a first grader standing with the big kids in the sixth grade! Gulp!

When I was trying to come up with a blog topic applicable for this blog and its readers, I realized the theme for Nine Naughty Novelists is breaking the rules between the covers. Snap! Breaking the rules and being naughty. Could anything fit these ladies’ worlds better? I think not. So that’s our topic for today…breaking rules and being naughty.

I was always an obedient child. Just ask my parents. (*wipes sweat from brow relieved that my mother will never read this.*) But then, what my parents don’t know won’t hurt them, right? So let’s share some fun stories. I’ll start then you chime in with a few of your own.

Starting about the fourth grade, I used to forge my mother’s signature on notes to my teachers stating I was sick and could not go out for recess. Why? Well, I wanted to read! I’d sit in the gym risers with all the other sick kids, except I’d make sure I was far, far way from the really sick kids. I wonder now if those teachers even looked at those notes or question that signature or even really cared.

When I was in the ninth grade, all the girls I ran around with used to sneak out our parents’ cars when they weren’t home. I bet some of you did that too, right? Somehow I’d get my hands on my mother’s set of keys (which of course had the car key on it) and once the parents were gone, so was I! The gas prices back then were cheap. I can remember putting $0.35 to $0.90 in gas back in the tank so the gas needle would be where mom left it. That was probably two or three gallons of gas. We’d usually cruise over to a boyfriend’s house or do the popular drag down Central Avenue. Sometimes we’d just drive around the neighborhood. Just being behind the wheel made us special

We “discovered” alcohol by our senior year of high school. Any girl who could sip a beer or put Slo Gin in their Coke was hip. ☺ One night we had a beer bust way out in the middle of nowhere. The road was dirt and almost single lane. Car after car filed down that road into the middle of a field. There was a bonfire and lots of beer. Not liking beer at that time. (My taste buds have grown to love a cold Rolling Rock!) I hadn’t had anything to drink. When it came time to leave, I was riding down the hill in a car with a couple of guys and another girl. As we reached the road, two flashlights came running toward us. Cops! The little old lady on the road had called the cops because of the extra traffic. The cops were busting everybody as they came down the hill to exit. The problem for the cops was that the “everybody” was comprised of the football starting line-up, most of the cheerleaders and many of the dance/drill team. Our football team was in the running for state champs so no one was arrested and no police record of this night exists. My friend and I were the only two were who NOT hauled into the police station and were let go on the spot. I’m sure it was all my clean living.

In my debut, Texas Two Step, my heroine, Olivia, is definitely a rule-breaker and an excellent secret keeper. In fact, she’s able to keep her most important secret for almost six years until a fateful weekend when her old lover, Mitch Landry, comes to town and discovers what she’s not told him. Tempers and emotions flair as each struggle to adapt to the changes that will be required in their lives.

Melinda B., Fallen Angels Review gave Texas Two Step 5 angels and a recommended read. She said Texas Two Step is packed with passion all the way to the end.

Didi, Guilty Pleasures Book Review gave Texas Two Step 5 stars and a recommended read. She said Texas Two Step kept me on an emotional roller coaster...Texas Two Step is an emotionally charged romance.

So now you know a couple of my naughty stories and know that my heroine Olivia is a rule-breaker, tell me about a time your broke the rules or were naughty.

If you’ve stumbled across my Texas Two Step blog tour over the past month, you may be aware that many of my author friends volunteered books for me to give as prizes. Today’s Blog Tour Author Sponsor is best selling author Myla Jackson. Myla will send One Up On You to one lucky person who leaves a comment. To find out more about today’s Blog Tour Sponsor, you can visit her Website, Twitter or Facebook.

To learn more about me check out these links:

Website , Facebook. Twitter, Group Blog , and Personal Blog

And if those aren’t enough, Sign up for inside scoops and special contests by receiving the newsletter I share with my blog buddies.

Remember! Leave a comment for a chance to win Myla’s book!

Texas Two Step is available at Samhain, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble and other online outlets.

Don’t forget I have freebies just for the asking. If you want a Texas Two Step Romance Trading Card or a boot-shaped jar/bottle opener, just send your name and mailing address to me through my contact page.

Thanks for coming by and leaving a message. And thanks again to the Nine Naughty Novelists for having me here today.

Steamed

I love the Nine Naughty Novelists! A group blog who gets into as much trouble together as The Smutketeers do. (and when you get the two groups in one room-say for RT 2012 Cover Model Karaoke?—look out)

I hear PG and Kinsey will be talking about steampunk sex toys. I’ll definitely be around to join that discussion. In my new Berkley book Geared for Pleasure, I have a few interesting rooms and devices designed for that kind of…fun.  And in the next book in the series? It gets even wilder *wink*

Thank you wonderful ladies for joining in my Geared for Pleasure Countdown Party/Scavenger Hunt today!  Be sure to post a comment here for the chance to win a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card and come back to the Smutketeers for a chance at the grand prize!

In case you didn’t know, PG Forte (rhymes with foreplay) recently had a steampunk novella published with Carina Press as part of their Clockwork Christmas anthology. (It’s very good – and we’re not just saying that, seriously. We’ve read it, and it’s good.)

And Kinsey is (according to her, anyway) working on a steampunk novel that really won’t suck, if she ever manages to finish it—which isn’t a bet any self-respecting bookie would take right now.

So when RG asked us if we’d like to spend a day talking about steampunk, we were all Sure! We love steampunk!

Then we went, “Wait. What are we gonna talk about?”

Then we went, “Oh, of course – sex toys!”

Then it got…weird.

Kinsey: I keep thinking of speculums - actually I think it's specula, in the plural. Steampunk stuff has a tendency to open, unfold, unwind, enlarge, pop out, etc., right? I keep thinking of that happening internally, with all the attendant whirring and clicking and snapping, and it doesn't make me hot.  In fact, it sounds worse than Amish (i.e., wooden) sex toys.

PG: You just had to mention the Amish thing, didn’t you? I still want us all to write that Amish-erotica, Paranormal Sheep-shifter serial story.  I don’t know why no one likes that idea. 

Kelly: How about steam-powered anal plugs?

Kinsey: Oh hell, here we go with the buttsecks again...

Kelly: Okay, okay, maybe not steam-driven - that could be painful. And dangerous. And not in the good way. So maybe clockwork? No - windup! Windup anal plugs! See, you insert and--

Kinsey: Lalalalalalal I can't hear you!

Erin: Clockwork nipple clamps?

Kinsey and Kelly, together: Ooooh...now that might work

PG: Hey look! A steampunk vibrator!

Syd:  Oh. Um, yeesh.

Kinsey: Reminds me of a vibrator Hubs showed me – belonged to his grandmother, from her second husband. Looked like something Frankenstein would’ve used to reanimate the corpses – had, like, actual electrical wires that you touched together to produce a spark or something. Talk about yeesh…

PG: Actually, the earliest vibrators were steam-powered—back when sexual arousal in women was deemed a disease: http://www.null-hypothesis.co.uk/science/straight-talking//history_of_vibrator_orgasm_female  I love research.

Kinsey: Speaking of which, has anyone seen Hysteria yet?

Kate: Didn’t General Hospital do a steampunk fantasy sequence once?

Meg: Where’s the wine?

Syd:  How about clockwork? But then, clockwork implies gears, and gears sound as painful as steam, if you've got a particularly visual imagination, as I do.

PG: Yeah, I'm so with you there--ouch!  But if the gears were enclosed? Like for instance, clockwork Ben-Wa Balls. 

Kelly: Amish Ben-Wa Balls! No, wait…splinters.

[Everyone shudders.]

PG: Actually, if you crossed Ben-Wa Balls with an alarm clock, so they could be set to go off at a particular time…I could so get into something like that—for a story, of course! LOL!  Or, you know --- maybe a wind-up vibrator?  

Kinsey: Wind up vibrators sound awesome!! Hey, did I ever tell y’all about the time Diva was doing her homework in my bed while I wrote, and she lost her pencil, and wanted to look for it in the space between the mattress and the bedboard on my side? And I said no, I’ll look for it? And she insisted, and started sticking her hand down in that space, and I knocked her hand away and she put it back, and was getting all upset that I wouldn’t let her look, and then we heard this rattling kind of sound, and she looked at me and said “What was that?” and in a moment of sheer, panicked genius I said “I farted,” and she said “Mom!!!!” and died laughing, and that’s why I longer leave my little bullet vibrator in that spot? It’s not steam powered or clockwork, though. Just regular batteries.

[Silence.]

Meg: All right, now we all need wine. Where’s the fucking wine?

Kelly: The Merlot?

Meg: Yes.

Kelly: I drank it.

Meg: Die, bitch.

Juniper: What are y’all talking about?

Everyone (but Meg, who left to get more wine): Steampunk sex toys!

Juniper: Ooh, fun…let’s see. Clockwork cock rings? How about a steam powered orgasm machine, like that thing Duran Duran put Barbarella in?

Syd: I haven’t seen Barberella in forever.  Who’s got Netflix?

PG: What's this nonsense about our being out of wine? Y'all know I'd never let that happen. But never mind about that. Have you all read the blurb for RG's new book yet? It sounds awesome! Take a look:

Geared for Pleasure:

The world of Theorrey runs like a well-oiled machine. The

elements are in balance, passion is tamed and the young queen

is the heartbeat of it all. But in these two all-new stories of

elemental steam, nothing is ever as it seems…

Earthly Desires

Demeter “Dare” Senedal is the Queen’s Chalice-her protector and closest companion. So when the queen goes missing, Dare rushes to locate her, even though the search leads her straight into trouble.

A gentleman who trades in secrets and sin, Bodhan revels in carnal delights, but when a naked and bound woman appears on his shore, he finds his hunger to possess at odds with his need to protect. As Bodhan shares his knowledge of pleasure, Dare must decide if she can trust him, both with her mission and her heart.

Fiery Temptations

Seraphina always lands on her feet. After all, she is a Felidae-more feline than human-and an excellent thief. There has never been a job Phina wouldn’t take or a man who could tame her…until she meets Cyrus Arendal.

As the Queen’s Sword, Cyrus should have known better than to fall victim to a beautiful bandit. Now, to find and retrieve the moonfire dagger, he’ll need to convince Phina not to judge a man by his station, but rather by how completely he can satisfy her desires.

Buy it now at:

Amazon 
http://www.amazon.com/Geared-Pleasure-Elemental-Steam-Romance/dp/0425245667/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/geared-for-pleasure-rachel-grace/1102496117?ean=9780425245668&r=1&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10%3a1&


RachelGraceRomance.com

RT2012 Cover Model Karaoke!

To see why we're so excited, CJ Hollenbach and Scott Nova.

Time Sense and Nonsense

My hubs has no sense of time. He never has had one. When he estimates how long it will take us to go somewhere we’ve never been before, he’ll underestimate most of the time. Now sometimes this truly pisses me off, as when his tendency to screw up times makes us late. But after being married to him for a good many years, I’ve gotten to the point where I can usually just let it go with an eyeroll and an occasional grind of the teeth.

Because, you see, I’m the exact opposite. Where my hubs underestimates how long it will take us to get anywhere, I inevitably overestimate. And I’m a stickler about being on time for things, which means I’m frequently early. Which means that, since I don’t want to show up at your door before you’re ready for me, I’ll probably drive around the block a few times before I arrive at your party. And if I get struck in traffic, I’ll be increasingly frantic as the minutes tick away.

Punctuality is usually regarded as a good thing, and I believe that it is. But it’s really tough sometimes for a habitually (one might almost say obsessively) punctual type like me to chill out when it comes to lateness. And it’s even harder for punctual me to understand people who aren’t.

When I was teaching, I had students who used to show up for class five or ten minutes late on a regular basis. If they did it often enough, I’d call them on it after class. And their excuse was always something like “The traffic is really bad near my apartment.” The logical rejoinder here—“Then why don’t you leave earlier”—never seemed to occur to them. Lateness just didn’t strike them as a problem. But for those of us who are big on punctuality, lateness a deal breaker.

Some of our relatives always assume if we’re late it’s because of me because, you know, women just can’t be on time. I don’t bother to correct them because 1) they’re related to my hubs and they ought to know by now that he’s time challenged, and 2) they’re pretty much dodoes to believe that in the first place. But just to make my point clear—punctuality has nothing to do with gender.

The only good thing about this situation is that the hubs and I tend to cancel one another out. As I grow increasingly hysterical about making sure we leave on time, I can nudge my hubs into leaving a bit earlier than he’d originally intended. And by dragging his feet in his usual fashion, he can keep me from getting us there with half an hour to kill.

I presume there are couples out there who don’t have this problem—who are either both fanatically punctual or both habitually late. I envy you, but hey, at my age I can almost promise I’m not going to change.

Besides, why should I? I know I’m absolutely right. Just ask my hubs.

So what about you—punctual, late, or somewhere in between?