Author, Cindy Cruciger, Stomps That Olive Branch Into The Ground...

Apparently the Ferfelabat Cindy Cruciger/Meangirls truce is over. I was sent a link yesterday to a site called Snark Underground. Apparently it belongs to Ms Cruciger. I wont bother linking, because I'm sure you guys will find it easy enough.

There were a couple of eye-brow raising posts on there, but this excerpt caught my eye:


"Let's check in, shall we? Earlier Karen Scott was having dreams about breaking every bone in a baby's body. Last year we learned that she only has her period once every six months or so and, in addition to making it impossible for her to reproduce (a good thing given that she dreams about abusing babies), when it happens, it is apparently so profound that she requires tent sized undies to contain it.

Not wanting to feel like a freak (I am guessing), she asks her always-willing-to-reveal-material- to-be-used-against-them-later-when-she's-ragging-it audience if they too switch out the stripper undies for more substantial granny wear when they are in non-reproduction mode."

Wow.... I'd definitely say the truce was over wouldn't you?

How Many New To You Authors Have You Discovered This Year... That You Loved?

I was thinking the other day that I haven't been as adventurous this year in terms of trying many newbie authors.

I used to try at least one new author a week, but just lately, I seem to be sticking to the authors I know and love.

I wasn't sure what was so different about this year, but then I remembered that a lot of my newbie authors in the past have been at EC, and since EC have stopped producing quality erotic romance, and seem to be doing the whole porn thing, I've stopped spending my money there.

My favourite find this year without doubt has definitely been Dorothy Koomson, but I have to say, I haven't found any other book that managed to move me the way My Best Friend's Girl did.

So, how have you guys fared so far? Have you found many to-die-for newbies, or like me, have you been sticking to the authors you already know and love?

Why Do You Visit People You Can't Stand?

I've always wondered about folks who get fixated on people they supposedly don't like.

Why would you constantly visit the blog of somebody who A, you don't like, and B, who equally thinks that you're the biggest fucktard ever?

Why?

Throughout this whole blogging lark, I've made it a rule to never visit the blogs of people who I think need to be put out of my misery. How is it that not everybody feels the same way? Is that not just common sense?

I don't really get it. What happened to the good old days of obsessing over something or someone for a day or two, then moving on? This is Romanceland for Oprah's sake. This is how it's always worked before.

I assume that because I find it difficult enough to post daily, and keep an eye out for interesting tidbits on the blogs that I do like, never mind reading the blogs of people I loathe, that everybody else is the same?

Well, apparently I'm wrong. Some people literally have nothing better to do with their lives than to obsess over people who think they are a little bit loco. AKA, a crumb short of a full loaf.

How do I know this? Because some of these people love spending hours on my blog. And I mean, hours. I find it quite sad, yet at the same time, highly entertaining.

Does that make me a mean girl? *g*

No Dearie, Ignorance Really Isn't Bliss...

Apparently Channing Crowder, Miami Dolphins linebacker didn't realise that they speak English in London.

This is what Crowder had to say:

"I couldn't find London on a map if they didn't have the names of the countries," he said.

"I swear to God. I don't know what nothing is. I know Italy looks like a boot. I learned that."

Ya see, this is why some Americans seriously need to get a passport and leave the country every now and again.

I wouldn't mind, but he's rich, so it's not like money is an issue.

How does one not know that A, London is in England, and that B, Londoners speak English? Is this not general knowledge?

Look What Arrived First Thing This Morning... And The Postie Wasn't Bad Either...

Caine's Reckoning is here at last!! Yippee!


"Caine Allen is a hardened Texas Ranger, definitely not the marrying kind. But when he rescues a kidnapped woman and returns her to town, the preacher calls in a favor. One Caine's honor won't let him refuse.

From the moment he beds Desi, Caine knows turmoil will follow. Desi might have the face of a temptress, but she also has a will of iron and while she needs his protection, she's determined that no man will control her again. They establish an uneasy bond, but it still isn't enough for Caine. He wants all Desi has to offer. He wants her screams, her moans, her demands…everything. Yet there's still a bounty on Desi's head and keeping her satisfied is proving easier than keeping her alive."


Read an excerpt, here, and buy the book here.

Erm... just in case you can't tell, this is an erotic romance, thus it probably has the power to make you blush like a priest in a whore house. *g*

Congratulations To La Nora...

For Angels Fall winning the Quill Book of The Year Award!

Yay!!!

Oh For God's Sake Number 1099...

I have a friend who's currently going through the adoption process.

Her and her hubby have been trying to adopt a little girl for the last 18 months, and it seems to me that the social workers are constantly coming up with ways to prolong things.

Last week, she was told by the social workers that she couldn't have the little girl, unless she gave up smoking for at least six months.

Oh. My. Fucking. God.

She's been trying to get this girl for 18 months, and they tell her this now?

In this country, there are thousands of children looking for adoptive parents, and the fostering and adoption agency are forever bitching and moaning about the lack of people coming forward, willing to take on somebody else's child.

No fucking wonder, with all the roadblocks they put up.

What gets me mad, is cases like this, and this, where the social workers could have prevented the murder of both of the little girls, had they been doing their jobs properly.

I can't help but think that being a good person doesn't get you anywhere. It just allows you to be screwed over more easily by the authorities.

It makes me so damn mad I could spit. Fucking yogurt-knitting-tree-hugging-vegetarian-do-gooders.

I bet they're the kind of social workers who believe that murderers deserve love too. Yech.

They Actually Paid Somebody To Edit This Book?

You know, it's irritating enough finding typos and grammatical errors within the pages of a book, but to find these errors in the synopsis, on the back cover of said book, is simply unforgiveable.

Every time I ignore my prejudices against Genesis Press, and buy one of their books, the fuckers always manage to piss me off.

Had I seen The Color of Trouble at a traditional book store, rather than at Amazon, I would have left it on the shelf for sure. Wanna see what I mean? Check out the blurb:

For seven years Kari Anderson has lived a lie. Because she's black, she assumes she can't be prejudice. She ignores her heart's reminder that she left Jonathan because he was white.


She also ignores the warning bells that tell her she's with her fiance, doctor Steven Anderson, because her parents approve of the color of his skin. With him, she can have the babies her parents will love, the babies she couldn't have with Jonathan.


Jonathan Steele finally has what he wanted, a promising career with a good law firm.
Love is the last thing on his mind. He thought he had it once, but spent seven months of his life in jail, betrayed by the woman who claimed she loved him. Kari's purchase of a timeshare brings Jonathan and his firm back into Kari's. Can they dismiss their past or will final judgment sentence them to try again.

(By the way, the paragraph breaks above are mine. In actuality, all the paragraphs were squashed together without relief.)

OK, for the people who may have missed the deliberate mistakes, let me talk you through them.

Deliberate Mistake 1 - the heroine wasn't called Kari Anderson, she was called Kari Thomas. And no, she didn't marry Steven Anderson.

Deliberate Mistake 2 - It should be prejudiced not 'prejudice', which is why the sentence, "Because she's black, she assumes she can't be prejudice" didn't work.

Deliberate Mistake 3 - "Kari's purchase of a timeshare brings Jonathan and his firm back into Kari's." Back into Kari's what?

Deliberate Crappy Grammar 4 - "Can they dismiss their past or will final judgment sentence them to try again." I know what the aim here was, but the attempt at cleverness totally fell flat on its face.



Now, if that's not bad enough, the book itself was littered with shitloads of errors. Errors like: "Mrs Dobis, I'm not in the mood for sparing with you today".

Sparing? Sparing? SPARING!!?

Good effing grief, the typos in this book made the mess that was Ben's Wildflower seem like a grammatical masterpiece in comparison.

Luckily for Ms Davis, unlike BW, the book itself was able to hold my interest, and I was able to ignore the shit, and concentrate on the actual story. Having said that, the errors were totally inexcusable, and any editor worth her salt, should have been able to spot them, before the damn book went to print. Sheesh...

Boredom, Thy Name Is Reading...

Seriously, I am bored with reading. No matter how hard I try, I can't get up the enthusiasm, nor the energy required to finish a book. I've had more DNFs in the past month and a bit, than I've ever had. Something has to give.

Even Kleypas' Mine Til' Midnight, failed to keep my interest. Not to say that what I read wasn't good, it's just that I am going through the worst reading slump ever at the mo.

Anybody empathise with me? Anybody know a cure?

What Chance Does Barack Obama Have Of Becoming President?

I watched a Panorama documentary the evening before last, about Barack Obama's attempt at becoming the first black US president. Well, I say black, but actually he's mixed race. The unfortunate thing for him though, is that people will still see him as black.

He comes across as a charming, articulate and most of all, conscientious man. A man who cares. All perfectly good attributes to have in a potential president, but I'm pretty sure it wont be enough to win over the majority of white America.

A political psychologist had this to say about Obama, and I found it quite interesting:

Obama is "every white person's fantasy of what they'd like a black man to be.


He's thoughtful, he's articulate, he's handsome, he doesn't fit any of the stereotypes of the dangerous dark skinned black male that people see every day on television,"

I couldn't help but think that this stereotype of the "dangerous, dark skinned black male" could also be one of the reasons why the black hero isn't popular amongst white romance readers. Sorry, I digress...

Apparently, no American president has ever won the election, without getting the Louisiana vote, (erm, or something like that) so the documentary makers went to America's deep south to see what the people there thought of Obama. The reception was not great. The blacks didn't know what to make of him, and the whites seemed to be saying hell no. I think one of the people they interviewed actually called him Barack Osama. (Although the guy in question was sporting a shaven head, built like a brick sh*thouse, tattoos everywhere, and looked like he hadn't washed in quite a while though, so I'm not sure he was ever gonna say anything positive about Obama. Judgmental? Moi? Never in a month of puffs.)

They also interviewed a black Louisianan (is that right?) woman, and she said her vote was going to Hillary.

The documentary makers also visited Jena, in light of Obama's emphasis on a United America, rather than a black/white America. There was a lot made of the fact that he didn't attend a rally organised by black campaigners, who were protesting against the imprisonment of The Jena Six. A black man trying to run a race-neutral presidential campaign can't afford to be seen rallying with other black folks, unfortunately.

Jesse Jackson was there of course, and gave his thoughts on Obama's style of campaigning. He wasn't particularly complimentary, and seemed to contradict himself somewhat. Nothing new there.

Obama was described as a man before his time, and others lamented that America had not yet reached the stage, where a black man could run for presidency, and have a realistic shot at winning it. A sentiment shared by a cyber pal who I spoke to recently.

I liked Obama, I really did. I mean what's not to like? He's handsome, (don't tell me that doesn't make a difference to somebody somewhere) he's well turned out, and he knows how to give a rousing speech. He struck me as somebody I could sit down with, and have a really good chin-wag.

The problem for Obama as far as I can tell though, seems to be that the black folks think he's not black enough, and the white folks think he's too black. Poor sod, he's got no effing chance. Maybe in a hundred years time he may have had a shot.

Oh by the way, they interviewed a woman from the deep south, who was clearly way below the poverty line, and initially, I felt a great deal of sympathy for her, (as any decent person would) until the documentary makers revealed that she was a single woman who had eight kids. My sympathy died on the spot.

You know what, if you know you can't afford to feed your kids, then it would have been a good idea to either go on the pill, or make sure you use an effing condom. Or even better, keep your effing legs closed. Having eight kids when you have no way of looking after them, is beyond selfish and irresponsible. Why couldn't she at least stop at four?

Aaargghhh!

For All The People Who Ever Told Me They Were Gonna Sue Me For Slander...

Over at Dear Author, Jane has an hysterical idiot's guide on to how to file a lawsuit the correct way, and the difference between slander and libel.

As one of those Mean Girl Bloggers, I have been threatened with lawsuits, and accused of slander a time or two, for one reason or another, so for those people who still secretly read this blog, even though they'd swear blind they don't (y'all know who you are), I'd get over there and read what Jane has to say. You never know, you may learn something new. *g*

I love it when she gets all lawerly, don't you? Heheh.

Oh by the way Jackie Kessler, your books arrived today! Yippee! I love receiving free books, (yes, even those kinds) it just doesn't happen enough, so thanks!

Apparently Genre Novels Are The Easiest Types Of Books To Write...

I came across this blog earlier. By the looks of things, the main purpose of the blog is to encourage people to write a book. A noteworthy sentiment I'm sure, but that didn't stop me from being slightly taken aback by her/his thoughts on writing genre fiction:

Genre novels are written for entertainment; they come with labels, like mystery, romance, thriller, and historical. In a sense, they’re the easiest types of novel to write, because each genre has expectations. In a romance novel, the romance must be the center of the book, for example. In a mystery, there must be a mystery to solve.

Easier to write than what? Non-fiction books? The bible? Political journals? What?

As for the bit about having a mystery to solve in a mystery novel, well knock me down with a fucking feather, ya don't say? *g*

Anne Stuart's, Ice Storm...

LLB has a fab review of Anne Stuart’s next book, Ice Storm. It sounds absolutely yummy, so I’ve pre-ordered it from Amazon. I’ve been looking forward to Madam Isobel Lambert’s book for ages!

(Look see, I've almost forgotten that she ever wrote the crapness that was Cold As Ice *shudder*...)

People Ask The Funniest Questions...

I was reading Tod Goldberg's blog earlier, and I came across a post that he'd entitled, Letters To Parade: The Three Dumbest Questions of 2007. The questions were from Parade readers, who Tod likes to take the piss out of regularly. The questions were highly amusing, but Tod's responses were even funnier:

Parade Reader 1:

"Why are there so few black country singers?"

Tod's response:

Hmm. Let's see. Could it be that country music hasn't exactly been accepting of black culture? Could it be that country music fans -- and we're not talking about people who listen to Garth Brooks in the front seat of their Explorer en route to Denim & Diamonds -- haven't always been what you might call "inviting" of other races inside their honky-tonks? You see any Asian country singers? How about Latino?


Now, true, there is a close relationship between the blues and country music, which makes me think (and here I have no proof, I'm just spouting off the top of my head) there must have been something concerning segregation here. (And now I think: Someone out there recommend a book on this, because someone must have studied the correlation between the two, right?)


Maybe it just boils down to the sense that country western music is filled with a bunch of shit kicking rednecks and hillbillies who don't like black people. Ah, yes, that's what it is. Walter found a young black country singer to explain it and, well, she doesn't do a very good job, either:


"Because there have been so few black role models in the genre of music," says Rissi Palmer, 26, whose hit single is titled "Country Girl." "But after I appeared on Star Search, Naomi Judd, one of the judges, encouraged me to go for it." To follow up her single, Rissi is releasing her debut CD in October.


So, there aren't any black country singers because there aren't any black country singers. Perhaps the most vexing issue here: Who knew Star Search was still on?

No offence to country music lovers in general, but I found Tod's comments very amusing.

Parade Reader 2:

"On the day he was acquitted, 12 years ago this week, O.J. Simpson said he'd spend the rest of his life looking for his wife's killer. How's he doing?"

Tod's comments were hil-fucking-arious. You can read the full response at his blog, but I've narrowed it down to this excerpt:

What was cut from this response, but which I've acquired through a source at Parade, is the rest of Walter's response, and it shows his true feelings:


"Not well...no, not well. Exceptionally well! OJ has narrowed his likely suspects to that fucking whore Katie Couric, that lesbian trash Hillary Clinton, that cheating slut JFK. Jr. married and a cabal made up of Bill Clinton, Terry Schiavo's widow and John Stewart. Oh, and the Jews! Go get 'em, OJ! Juice! Juice! Juice!"

Dear Oprah, I had to wipe tears outta my eyes after reading that.

I think I've stolen enough of his stuff, so for the full post, bob over to his blog. I find him effing hilarious, but that's possibly due to him being an irreverent sonofabitch. *g*

Some Photos...

Some photos of my lovely new garden...
(Click to enlarge)



Barbecue area - which TTG loves


Our very own garden gnome



The cute fishies in the pond


My fishies - we have lots of them


newly cut grass - rare nice day


The pond

Am I The Only Person...

Who thinks that Geeky Henry from Ugly Betty is totally hot?



Out of two, I'd certainly give him one. Seriously.

July The 2nd 2007 Was A Great Day In England...

Why? Because that's when smoking was banned in public (indoor) places, in this country.

I went into a pub earlier tonight, and marvelled that my hair wasn't stinking of somebody else's nasty dirty ciggy when we left. Halle-effing-lujah.

An Interesting Sounding Book...

Blurb from Eharlequin.com:

Trouble was her middle name…


Of the four Lockharts, Amber was the wild child, a part-time student and full-time groupie who gave her older sisters sleepless nights. But even Amber was surprised when her pre-Christmas getaway turned nasty, causing her to flee from danger—right into the six-pack abs of Paul Gutierrez.


His was danger…
Going home was not an option when Amber became the target of a man desperate to keep a secret. So Paul's L.A. home became her safe house, his strong arms her armor. After long nights with her macho protector, Amber was in danger, all right—from a hot, sexy Latin lover!

You can buy His Holiday Wedding here, and learn more about the author here. (Cute website btw)

Via Blogging In Black

In Which The Art Of Subtlety Is Totally Lost...

In response to this title, a cyber pal wrote:

"I'm going to write a threesome story about a girl who falls in love with twins and call it "The Assfuck Twins"

She's got a point, it would be just as catchy would it not? *g*

I guess they were going for the hard-sell huh? Heheh...

Thanks muchly to CM for the link.

Which Book Started Your Love Affair With The Written Word?

Well mine started with Anne of Green Gables, and I haven't looked back since.

I still love it today as much as I did all those years ago.

My questions for today are;



A: What was the one book that turned you onto reading, period, and how old were you at the time?

B: Which book turned you onto romance novels? How old were you?



By the way, does anybody remember the Seniors category books? I think they were supposed to be a slightly more adult version of Bantam's Sweet Dreams series.




Ahhh Sweet Dreams... my fave SD author was definitely Janet Quin-Harkin. I wonder whatever happened to her?

Jesus, those SD covers were pure cheese weren't they?

Updated: Found some more Janet Quin-Harkin books. By the way, she also wrote the Sister, Sister books. I never knew that. I guess you learn something new everyday.








Awww... aint Memory Lane grand?

Would You Date Outside Your Race?

Charlie Horse has an interesting post up on his blog.

He's talking about inter-racial dating, and why it's more common for a black man to date a white woman, and not so much the other way round.

He writes:

"So why the disconnect? I asked a black colleague at work and she said it was more "cultural" than racial. It could be that. I can also see why that wouldn't inhibit a black guy from dating a white woman since men generally aren't that concerned about cultural differences and are "just happy to get some."

I wonder how true it is that men generally don't worry as much about cultural differences as women?



I dated a white guy once. That didn't work out so well. The crazy bastard stalked me for months, and poured battery acid over my beloved car when I dumped him. He didn't understand that ringing me and my friends 100 times a day to find out where I was, and having his friends spy on me wasn't the best way to conduct a relationship. This is why I have an acute aversion to crazy people.

Anyway, I haven't got time to analyse Charlie's post further, so I suggest you bob over and read what he has to say on the matter.

I will say one thing though, if I was that way inclined, I would totally do Gabrielle Union too. *g*

If It's Got The Word 'Demon' In It, I Aint Reading It...

God I'm sick to death of books about demons.

Of course there are certain books about demons that I've bought recently, but those book buying choices were more about the author than my interest in the actual books themselves. Does that make me incredibly loyal or incredibly stoopid?

I know I've said it before, but I'm really hating (and I mean, really hating) the deluge of vampiric demon books out there. Everytime I see a book with the word demon in the title, I feel the need to stick a fork in my eye. It's painful, and I can't bear it. At this point, even the virgin-mistress-secret baby Harlequin Presents books are starting to look good in comparison. Big effing sigh.



Oh, and just in case anybody gives a crap, I'm officially in mourning over the fact that Lewis Hamilton somehow managed to fuck up an all-but-sewn-up Formula One world championship title this weekend. I've told TTG that I wont be able to watch the race in Brazil, my nerves wont be able to hold up under the strain.

Erm... any Aussies out there watch the Rugby World Cup this weekend? *smirk*

Anne Of Green Gables Rocks Like A Threesome With David Beckham And Will Smith...

I know I've mentioned this before, but I can't tell you enough how much I love the Anne of Green Gables stories. They were such a huge part of my childhood.

I wish L.M Montgomery was still alive so that I could write to her, and tell her that her 'Anne' books really impacted me on a spiritual level whilst growing up. It probably sounds sappy, and normally I try to stay away from anything that's likely to induce vomiting, but on this I'll definitely make an exception.

You know, I actually think that my love of romance books probably came from reading about the exploits of Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. Oh how I rejoiced when they finally became friends and Anne finally admitted to herself that she loved him. My little pre-teen heart fairly burst with the joy when they kissed for the first time.

Anyway, I bought the complete DVD set the other day, and watched them during my train journey to Scotland on Wednesday. I truly heart Megan Follows for 'being' Anne, and not butchering the story for me.

God bless you, Anne Shirley, and I'm so glad I met you during my pre-teen years. *Happy Sigh*

Are You A Classy Chick?

TTG and I had a major discussion the night before last, about class. (or was it the night before that?) The reason we even started debating this topic was because of a programme that happened to be on the telly at the time.

Basically, the programme was about our (Brits) obsession with class distinction, and what the main differences were between, the working class, the middle class, and the upper class.

I've always proudly considered myself working class, but then TTG reminded me that although we might see ourselves as working class, other people probably don't. We argued this point for a while, then I had to concede that possibly we were more middle-class than working class, which is apparently the worst class to belong to, because you're sneered at by the working class, and labelled as over-achievers, and yet you're not quite good enough for the upper class.

According to TTG, we guys over here are the only people in the world who have a class system. I of course told him that he was talking out of his arse.

He cited the US as an example of a nation with no inherent class system, so I told him to take off his US-coloured glasses, and see the sun.

Heated debate ensued.

Anyway, basically I do think that every nation has a class system, it's just that not every country has a name for the different classes, like we do over here.

There'll always be The Haves, and the Have-Nots, and I'd say that the majority of The Haves will always consider themselves superior to The Have-Nots.

The one thing that I will concede is that in the US, it is more likely for a Normo (erm, AKA Poor Average Joe) to become president, whereas over here, if you didn't cut your teeth on the blackboards at Eton, you've got about as much chance of becoming a PM, as Britney Spears has of keeping her knickers on.

What say you?

Where Do You Read Yours?

I've been waiting for a couple of books to be delivered from Amazon, and yesterday, they finally arrived. Yippeeee!

Usually, my favourite place to read is in bed, but the people who we bought the house from, left us the most fantabulous wicker chair in the master bedroom.

I decided to try out the chair yesterday to see if it went well with Maya Reynolds' book, Bad Girl.

Wow. I totally found a great new reading place.

I have a friend who only ever reads when she goes to the bathroom, so she always has lots of books next to the toilet. Let's hope her hubby has a better aim than TTG.

So, where do you prefer to read? Do you read in bed, or do you have a special place just for you and your book? Do you read with the music or telly on, or do you, like me, prefer total silence?

By the way, have I missed out on any scandals this past week? Anybody who needs to go on my ABLF list? Go on, you can tell me... *g*

This Post Is Brought To You By The Letters, V. P. L...

You know, the only time I ever wear big knickers is when the painters and decorators come a-calling, and that's only because thongs and sanitary towels don't really mix, or at least they shouldn't mix.

Earlier this week, I noticed a woman wearing jeans, and she had the biggest and baddest Visible Panty Line, evah. Even TTG noticed that her knickers were at war with her assets, and he's not the most observant of men.

Since that incident, I've noticed quite a few ladies wearing the afore-mentioned under-garments, and the one thing that's clear, is that they are not flattering to the female backside at all.

Whilst I don't really do G-strings, I can't bear wearing knickers that bunch up at the back, and make me look like I'm suffering from piles. Thongs are much more discreet, dontcha think?

So, are you a thong wearer, or do you prefer to keep everything packed up tight in big panties?

Come on, you can share, I promise I wont tell a soul... (g)

Packing My Books Took Longer Than Expected...

Hi guys, we're all moved in now, and my house is fabulous dahhlings!!

I have limited access to the internet, but hopefully, I should be up and running by the end of today, if not then hopefully, tomorrow.

I finally counted the number of physical books that I own, and the final count was 1850+ books, e-books not included. So quite a healthy number methinks.


Keeper box1 (click on all the photos to see large version)


Keeper Box 2


Memory Lane - yes that's a Diana Palmer book, *shudder*


No organisation whatsoever


My much depleted SVH collection. boo-hoo-hoo!


I thought I'd packed all my books, then I found these under the bed!


Some more books...