Bark is running a blog series for two weeks called Bad TV Fortnight. I’ve had a blast reading about my fellow “Barkers” guilty pleasures, which includes Doogie Howser, The A Team, Gossip Girls, The Simpsons, Dual Survival and so many more.
If you’re not familiar with the show, here’s the premise: Aspiring model Deborah “Deb” Dobkins dies on the way to an audition for The Price Is Right and a mix-up at the gates of Heaven sends size-one Deb into size-sixteen lawyer Jane Bingum’s body. New Jane has Deb’s personality and memories, including the caloric count of every food and the current couture of every designer, combined with Old Jane’s intelligence and legal expertise.
Everything about the show, the soap opera plot elements, the focus on girls loving fashion, and the shallow way the story deals with serious and complex problems should turn me off watching. And yet, I can not get enough of Brooke Elliot’s portrayal of Jane Bingum. Watching a plus-sized character strut her stuff as if she looks—and more importantly feels—as sexy as someone of a much smaller size is empowering.
Come join our conversation on Bark. So far the comments have been about body issues, women’s portrayal in the media, and guilty pleasures. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Just caught up on my favorite cartoon site, xkcd.com, and laughed my butt off.
This one summarized exactly how I feel about ratings on book purchasing sites. I’ll read actual reviews, but don’t pay much attention to the star ratings. I’m very suspicious of any book that has a very low rating, or a very high rating. Either someone’s out to get the author, or all his/hers friends reviewed it.
This one made me think about the ongoing debate in the romance world about whether a book is sweet, sexy, steamy, or erotica. I enjoy all of those genres as long as they are well written and there’s not too much “sketchiness.”
Hope you are having a good Wednesday. I’m spending mine writing at my favorite coffee shop while the car is at a service appointment. Then I’m off to get a massage before writing some more. School starts on Monday and I have to get as many words as possible on the page before it’s time for lesson plans and grading.
My dog Sammy plays well with other dogs, for the most part. Being a shepherd mix, he tends to want to herd all his playmates into one convenient group by nipping them on their neck. If the dog is a large dog, he has to get on top to nip them, which is a dominance sign, which means there will be a fight if the other dog doesn’t want to be bossed around. He also doesn’t like other dogs in his home, touching his toys, drinking out of his water bowl.
The exception is Sid. For some reason, Sammy has no problem having Sid around. He doesn’t like it when Sid decides to interrupt swimming to fetch sticks—that’s a job Sammy takes very seriously—but other than that, Sid can do pretty much whatever he wants to. Including eating up all the pieces of rawhide bones Sammy leaves around the house.
According to Sammy, a new bone must be carried around for a while and mature before one chews it. After chewing has commenced, there is a stage—and it is unique for each bone—at which the raw hide can no longer touch one’s mouth, ever. But, one must hide the leftovers such that the humans can’t throw it away.
And so, Sid’s having a great time finding all of Sammy’s hiding spots.
I thought it marvelous to get rid of the half-chewed bones I know litter my house but can’t for the life of me find. Everybody wins!
Or maybe not. It turns out rawhide gives Sid gas. Extremely pungent gas.
So in addition to ball chasing, hide-and-seek, and barking at the jetskis, we now have a new game going. When Sid the labradoodle finds a rawhide bone, he runs past me so I can’t grab him. If I chase him, Sammy runs interference and trips me.
Well played Sam and Sid. Well played!
Ps. I’m not giving away books today, but the Free Friday Nook Book is PETS IN A PICKLE by Malcolms D. Welshman. Very fitting.
Welcome to the first free book day on this blog. I have a huge stack of signed copies by fantastic authors. Many more chances to win your favorite writers’ work are forthcoming.
Where did I get all of these books, you ask? Mostly from attending the amazing book signings at the national RWA conference, but also from signings in my local bookstores, and other writing conferences. And now I want to share them with you.
Speaking of the RWA conference, I just got the huge box of books I shipped from this year’s event in Anaheim. I love writing conferences for many reasons: attending workshops, pitching to editors and agents, meeting my favorite writers, getting free books, and more. Mostly though, I go because I always get a swift kick in the pants of inspiration (and motivation). There is something magical about a large group of writers in the same location. Because of their talking and thinking about writing, creativity lies thick in the air. Like a sponge, I soak it all up.
One person that inspired me greatly this year was Darynda Jones. Her debut novel FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, won the prestigious RITA Award for Best First Book. The second book in the series, SECOND GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, won the Paranormal Category of the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, as well as the overall prize of that contest. I just finished reading the first book and completely agree with all the judges’ decisions. Her protagonist, Charley Davidson—part time PI and full-time grim reaper—is sassy, funny, and endearing. The plot and world building are unique and engaging. And most of all, the writing is fantastic. There are phrases and dialogues that had me laugh out loud. Here’s a short snippet to give you an idea of the main character and the fabulous voice of the writer:
“Hi,” he said nervously. He had a wrinkled suit, round-rimmed glasses, and mussed hair that made him look part young-wizard-we-all-know-and-love and part mad scientist. He also had two bullet holes on the side of the his head with blood streaking down his right temple and cheek. None of those of those details were a problem. The problem resided in the fact that he was in my bedroom. In the wee hours of dawn. Standing over me like a dead Peeping Tom.”
If you have not yet read this fantastic new author, now is your chance to get a signed(!) copy of FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT.
Whether you are a writer, reader, artist, teacher, or just need some help getting up in the morning (face it, we all have days like that) tell me what inspires you. What makes your spirit soar? What motivates you to keep doing what you do?
Leave a comment below and I’ll pick a winner on Monday night, 10 pm Pacific Time. Don’t forget to include your email (not publically shown) so I can contact you if you win.
Back in December last year, Huffington Postwrote about the highly popular “Shit Girls Say” videos created by Kyle Humphrey & Graydon Sheppard. Their work had already inspired tons of spin-offs: Shit Students Say, Shit Italian Mom’s Say, etc.
I’ve now found my favorite parody of a parody: Cerise d’Amour of www.sohighconcept.com (who is really Regency Romance Writer Sara Ramsey) created “Sh*t Romance Writers Say.”
My favorite line from the video: “Well your face is a dark moment!”
Bark is running a blog series for two weeks called Bad TV Fortnight. I’ve had a blast reading about my fellow “Barkers” guilty pleasures, which includes Doogie Howser, The A Team, Gossip Girls, The Simpsons, Dual Survival and so many more.
