When I need inspiration, I watch movies. I love all kinds including foreign films. I watch not only for the plot, but for the pacing, the dialogue and the scenery. Any one of those things can be the impetus for some new inspiration for me. Sometimes even a character in the film may trigger an idea. I love cinema- of any era.
And then, there is always these two guys: 
MY DEAR FRIEND
Someone I admire is my friend, Margo. She has a lot on her plate but she seems to always pick herself up and keep moving past that stuff. She’s an inspiration because she never lets herself be held down too long. She’s an optimist and always believes things will get better- and they eventually do.
She’s a romantic and I love that about her. I tend to see the gritty reality too often and have a lot of cynicism and her belief in the absolute goodness of people is a trait I wish I had.
The Stuff I Don’t Get:
The following three things are things I’ll never understand:
1. How people can be cruel to children and animals. Both are so innocent and trusting, I just can’t fathom how someone could hurt either.
2. NASCAR- It’s grown people driving in circles for hours. What is the fascination? I don’t get it.
3. Mandarin Chinese- mainly because it’s got that whole other alphabet thing going on. It would be hard to learn a new language along with new characters, so I’m not even going to give it a whirl.
Jillian has a new book out today called The Gambler. It’s book one of a trilogy and has mystery, murder and romance. Adventure at sea and even a bit of the Duke of Windsor and Cary Grant (fictionalized of course!). http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-286/Gambler’s-Inheritance-Book-One-cln-/Detail.bok
Yesterday, I finished reading Nothing to Lose, by Lavada Dee. It’s book one in a series and I presume there will be three more (I hope so anyway) since there are three brothers of the hero who need their story to be told.
The heroine, Galynn is fleeing an abusive relationship. She collapsed in the cold, wet weather as she tried to make it to the next bus stop. The hero finds her and obtains medical care for her. He has always been a rescuer of wounded animals and decides she needs to be taken care of in the same manner (I’m not saying he thinks of her as an animal – he immediately feels empathy for her and knows she shouldn’t be alone).
The story moves along at a nice pace and it’s a great read. I like the way Ms. Dee has the heroine and hero interact with each other. The hero’s family members are super and very supportive. The writer does a fabulous job of showing the angst the hero goes through as the book progresses. I was brought to tears over his pain on several occasions. I like a hero who isn’t afraid to show his emotions and Ms. Dee delivers such a hero quite nicely in Cooper Blackhawk.
I highly recommend this one! http://www.bookstrand.com/nothing-to-lose
Spellbound Hearts just came out today- Jillian’s story is called Boxers or Briefs and takes place in Texas. The heroine owns a lingerie shop and acts as an amateur matchmaker for her customers. She can’t figure out this one guy, though and casts a spell that goes awry.
Available here: http://www.stillmomentspublishing.com/p/ebook-store.html
I’m a superstar at any game requiring the knowledge of vast amounts of trivia. Trivial pursuit, Jeopardy, etc are my forte. I have so much junk in my head, it’s kind of a scary place to be.
I’ve passed this love of facts, figures, history, geography, pop culture, etc on to my second son as well. He’s captain of his school’s academic team and usually wins trivia night at Mellow Mushroom.
Arcana is our drug of choice.
Today is the 100th anniversary of Oreo cookies! What a wonderful invention. I’ve had a love/love relationship with the chocolate wafers for my whole lifetime. I can’t imagine a world without these little yummies, can you? I’m not a fan of frosting but the cream inside an oreo is heavenly.
If I could only have the wafer or the cream for the rest of my life, I’d pick the wafer for sure. YUM!
Gotta go. Time to get a refill and pass the milk while you’re at it.
The first television show I remember having to leap off the school bus and run home to watch was Dark Shadows. My sister and I would fly down the road and to our house to catch the show. It was usually already on. She love Barnabas and wanted to be Angelique. I adored Quentin and wanted to be Daphe. It’s funny to look back on that as my sister is blonde and I’m a brunette and the woman we each wanted to be was typical of our type.
I have season one on DVD now and am shocked at how cheesy the show was. But dang, it was great gothic fun for two young girls.
Ramblings of a Writer 