A Year Later

In 2011, I went on a diet with a Dr.'s help and lost a lot of weight. The Dr.'s plan was so expensive, I had to quit before I reached my goal. Yes. I've gained a little weight back but I know what I have to do to get back on track. Anyway, I wanted to show you a picture of me with Susan Elizabeth Phillips (one of my favorite authors) in 2010 BD (before diet) and then in 2012 AD (after diet).  See both pictures below.

2010 BD

2012 AD

And think. Maybe a handful of people I know even noticed I had lost weight.  LOL! (Oh, I had heels on in the second picture.)

Re-Run #10

Avon Romance: Introducing Carla Swafford (October 26, 2011)

I'm going to cheat on this one and make you click here and you'll go straight there. It's just so cool as this one was on Avon's blog. Yeah. Cool, isn't it?  I never dreamed I would be with the same publisher as Susan Elizabeth Phillips. In fact, the other day, all of the Avon authors had a conference call to hear a presentation on Social Media and Susan spoke up. When she said her name, I had to cover my mouth from squealing. Considering how often I roll my eyes when other people do that, that's got to tell you something. LOL!

Funny And Smart

I'm presently reading Susan Elizabeth Phillips's newest book, CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE. So good. So funny.

You know, the main theme I see in people who are so funny is that they are smart. Now I'm talking about people who can come back with truly funny remarks (not snide), write hilarious scenes, and see the world from a wacky angle.

Oh, I do wish I was that smart.

Love This Funny and Talented Woman!

How To Goof Off The Right Way

Boy, oh boy, I’ve been a goof off lately. Very little writing. Like only twenty something pages in one month. That’s extra slow for me. The reason is that I’m reading. I believe deep inside I needed the break. A bit of feeding the creative juices too. So far I’ve read eight or is it nine of Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s books in the last two months. I enjoyed some of them more than others, but all were well written. Even with the revised GLITTER BABY, I could tell it was an older book. Her style now is tighter (storyline in particular) with more romance. The way I like it.

Next I’ll read Kresley Cole’s newest one PLEASURE OF A DARK PRINCE. After that will be Christy Reece’s NO CHANCE. And then I’ll return back for more of Susan’s books. A little break from SEP’s with other wonderful authors is the way to do it.

Being a Fan

I'm a fan of a good many authors. Almost all of them you're heard me mention on my blog. Just for the heck of it, I'll see if I can list those who are automatic buys for me without missing too many: Anne Stuart (Love her bad men heroes. She teeters on that dark edge so well.), Susan Elizabeth Phillips (New author to me I've been going on and on about. I never loved football before, but she's making me reconsider.), Victoria Dahl (My goodness I love her sense of humor and her books are hot! The latest hero has tattoos that just make you melt.), Jenna Black (I don't usually like demons as good guys, but hers are hard to resist.), Kresley Cole (Ditto what I said about Jenna's, plus her books are so fast pace, I have to remember to put the book down to breathe), Shannon McKenna (Hers is like crack sex and her men are so alpha male.), Debra Webb (Her single title books are my favorite. She gets on the gritty side with those and I love that.), and Christy Reece (I love spy/undercover books and she does them right).

There are others but I don't read everything they write, mainly because they write such diverse books, the stories don't alway hit the spot with me. Some of these authors I've read for more than twenty years. Maybe they've changed and I've changed and we've kind of gone our separate ways. I do still keep an eye out for their books but costs of books being what they are, I've learned to look at the story first.

Analyze This

I’ve discovered a new author (to me) recently. Her books are packed with strong emotions, delightful humor, and layered characters. Those layers astound me with the brilliance she used in crafting a novel I could only aspire to. Her most recent novel had a heroine who was SO NOT the typical woman I would root for or expect to admire. But with each layer she deftly made me wish to be in the heroine’s shoes as she stood strong and faced her enemies and got her man. All without being a bitch.

I love to read a book that surprises me and since that first book, I’ve read two more from her backlist and haven’t been disappointed. I plan to take each book and tear them apart and analyze how she made me tear up and then laugh out loud. How she made me sympathize with her characters and ache for their pains. How she made me blush during the love scenes and sigh when it was over.

Few authors have that type of talent. So it’s time for me go back to the book and start breaking it down and maybe, just maybe, I can improve my own.

Oh, you want to know who I’m talking about? I mentioned her recently. Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Wow! What an author!

New Author

This author has been around for a while, but I finally decided to give her a try. LOVE HER! Susan Elizabeth Phillips's WHAT I DID FOR LOVE is wonderful. Yeah, yeah. I know I'm slow, but for some reason...I won't get into it. She's an excellent writer and I should be ashamed of myself for waiting so long to read her books.

Now to check her backlist.