Last weekend I read the book, Marley and Me, by John Grogan. I have to say it was one of the best books I’ve ever read! I’d always put off reading this book, because I have my own personal Marley. Two of them, in fact. A black Lab named Nick, and a yellow Lab named Ranger (pictured below). They’re both exuberant, high-energy dogs that have a lot of the same characteristics as Marley.

But Marley was not the main character of the book. No, it was about John Grogan and his wife and their life together … the ups and downs, the difficulties and joys that came their way, with a continuing thread of Marley’s antics that ran through the entire book. By page three, I felt as though I knew this couple, and by the last chapter, I felt like one of the family, and as though Marley were MY dog!

I can’t tell you the last time a book touched me the way Marley and Me did. It made me laugh out loud, and choked me up – and I’m not a sentimental person! Our pets weather every storm, and witness every happy occasion in our lives. They’re with us when we bring home our babies, and when those babies start kindergarten. They’re with us when we lose family members and friends, and give comfort during those sad times.

Tell me … is there a book that touched you as dramatically as this one touched me?

If you would come to my house, you wouldn’t see much clutter or even what my mother used to call “knick-knacks” around the house. And, unlike the picture below, you wouldn’t see disorganized open shelving with everything hanging out.

No, if you would stop by, everything would look great UNLESS you opened my sock drawer or my junk drawer or the drawer where I keep old medicines etc.

Lately I’ve been thinking that I need to get more organized. That I need to attack these hiding places and just get rid of the stuff I’ve forgotten is even in there. My worry is that I’ll find something I thought I gotten rid of years ago and won’t be able to let it go.

I read somewhere that you shouldn’t overwhelm yourself by thinking you have to unclutter in one day (yeah, right, as if that would happen )

So I’ve been trying to decide where to start. I’m actually thinking of doing my sock drawer because that should be simple…after all, there have to be some in there that I no longer need, right? From then I’ll move on the the drawer that holds the old medicines. That should also be easy…because if the drugs are expired, I HAVE to (for safety sake) dump ‘em….so at least those would be gone.

How about you? Is there some clutter in your house that needs to be controlled? If you could just do one bit of de-cluttering this weekend…where would you start?

USF took me to a sandwich shop today called Which Wich? Maybe you’ve been there? It’s new to Houston, so this was our first trip.

The concept behind Which Wich? is that you design your own sandwich. You choose a bag based on the filling you want (meat, vegetarian) and then check off the other ingredients: type of bread, condiments, veggies, cheeses, etc. Then the cooks prepare your sandwich.

It’s not that different from Subway, but it feels like you have more choices because you can ponder all the selections on that bag and create something unique. Something your own. I bet there’s like a million different kinds of sandwiches you can create at Which Wich?

Coincidentally, yesterday we also attended a show about building and remodeling homes. USF loves to look at home plans. He can bring up any number of sites and go through a checklist to design a dream home: numbers of bathrooms, bedrooms, type of exterior, detached or attached garage, and more.

With the way everything is so custom designed nowadays, I started wondering if that would be a good way to choose a novel to read. Like what if you could go to Borders or Barnes & Noble or wherever and go down a checklist, hand it to the clerk, and get a book in return.

You could choose genre:
romance, horror, mystery, science fiction, literary, poetry

You could choose characters:
doctor hero, lawyer hero, sports hero, millionaire hero

You could choose setting:
Illinois, Paris, NY, London

There would be an overwhelming number of choices, but you get the idea, right? So what do you think? Would you like to custom order books or is it more fun to see what the author’s chosen for you?

It’s been a real struggle to get time (not to mention mental energy!) to write since I had a baby last year. Lately it’s been even more of a struggle because of some family issues, my husband’s health, Mom’s three flat tires in two days … stuff just keeps happening and piling up.

Last week I realized time was running short to meet the goal I’d set in critique group. I usually work through lunch when I’m at the office, and just sneak enough time surfing the web to check this blog and maybe see where Johnny is filming, then get back to work. But last Friday it was quiet, I’d handled the latest crises (yes, plural) for my boss, and I decided I would take a bit of ‘me’ time. I grabbed my lunch, opened Word, and began working on my manuscript.

Heaven.

I spent an entire hour worrying about Harriet and Nick and their adventure, their romance, and not about purchase orders and P-card receipts and the Canadian currency exchange rate.

There are times when the story doesn’t work and I just want to bang my head on the keyboard and wonder why I ever thought I could write a book. But last Friday every word was perfect, every line of dialogue was witty, the description sparkled. When I needed it most, writing was there for me as a respite.

How about you? Is there something you escape to when you just want to yell “Calgon, take me away!”

Jaunty Lolz strike back!

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

I don’t and wish I did. I love to read in my spare time, but is that really a hobby? When I think of hobbies, things like quilting and knitting come to mind … and painting watercolors, making pottery, that kind of thing. I exercise every day, but I don’t think of it as a hobby. I put a meal on the table every night, but I don’t think of that kind of cooking as a hobby, either, although I could probably get into cooking as a pastime.

I have a friend who makes jewelry, another who collects artwork, and yet a third who’s into gardening in a big way. Her yard always looks fabulous.

But I’m not that interested. I want a relatively maintenance-free yard, one that’s pretty and inviting — a place where I can sit down and read. I was never much of a collector, although I collected coins for awhile (I still have those coins somewhere, too!) but I’m not really that into that any more. Not that it was ever a really big interest for me.

In fact, I’d rather not collect anything else. I’ve got so much stuff around here … things I’ve collected for my three kids over the years. It occurs to me that I should probably buy three big storage boxes and put all their school and sports memorabilia in them and let them take it away, just like my mom did with all of my treasures. Isn’t it amazing how much you can accumulate over the years?

I guess I could feel like an uninteresting slug, but here are my excuses.

I’ve been busy raising three kids, and even though I’ve got two just out of college, my third has one year to go. My two sons are home for the summer, which means grocery shopping, cooking, regularly-scheduled clutter-reduction efforts.

I did a lot of volunteering in my community, and I’m burned out. Need some time off before jumping in again.

I work full time.

I’m taking care of an elderly aunt who has no immediate family of her own.

I AM an uninteresting slug!

I want to know what your hobbies are? What are the things you like to do in your spare time?

Don’t you hate moving? There’s all the packing and labeling and then unpacking and… well, none of this actually applies when the new home in question is really just your home page. Have you checked out www.RobynDeHart.com today? Go ahead, go check, I’ll wait. Oh, it doesn’t look any different? Clean your cache.

Now you see. Isn’t it beautiful? With the new series coming out next year, I really felt it was time for a new change and I couldn’t miss an opportunity for working with a new company from my home town. They did a fantastic job and I just couldn’t be happier. The new design really evokes the atmosphere for my writing and especially my Legend Hunter series.

In addition to the new design I’ve reorganized and streamlined existing content to make the site more user friendly. I hope you all love it as much as I do.

So what do you think makes a great website? What makes you bookmark a site to visit again and again?

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Forget baseball…kissing is practically the national pastime. In romance novels the type of kisses the heroine and hero share tells us a lot about them and the direction their relationship is headed. Is it a chaste kiss? A tender kiss? Or a hot kiss that is deepened?

Most of us have had some experience locking lips but I wonder how much we really know about kissing.

The following article is by Laura Schaefer
Courtesy of Match.com’s Happen magazine

Think you know a thing or two about kissing? You probably do. But the facts below are so off the beaten path, we’ll bet you don’t know them all — and they could come in handy. Not only could they provide some steamy “Did you know…?” chit chat, but they’ll help you see all the benefits a satisfying lip lock can bring into your life. Happy smooching!

1. Two out of every three couples turn their heads to the right when they kiss.

2. A simple peck uses two muscles; a passionate kiss, on the other hand, uses all 34 muscles in your face. Now that’s a rigorous workout!

3. Like fingerprints or snowflakes, no two lip impressions are alike.

4. Kissing is good for what ails you. Research shows that the act of smooching improves our skin, helps circulation, prevents tooth decay, and can even relieve headaches.

5. The average person spends 336 hours of his or her life kissing.

6. Ever wonder how an “X” came to represent a kiss? Starting in the Middle Ages, people who could not read used an X as a signature. They would kiss this mark as a sign of sincerity. Eventually, the X came to represent the kiss itself.

7. Talk about a rush! Kissing releases the same neurotransmitters in our brains as parachuting, bungee jumping, and running.

8. The average woman kisses 29 men before she gets married.

10. Is on first-name basis with mail carrier, UPS and Fedex drivers; thinks postal holidays are a horrible idea.

9. Has more online friends than those she sees in person. Communicates with many of these friends daily.

8. Favorite stores: Barnes and Noble and Office Max.

7. Refers to imaginary people as if they’re real. “Today I realized why Mark is so reluctant to get involved with Candace.”

6. Choreographs love scenes – for said imaginary people.

5. Plots revenge on her enemies by killing them off in her books.

4. Friends are reluctant to invite you over ever since the time she asked, in the middle of dinner, “Do you think it would be possible to poison someone at a dinner party and make it look like an accident?”

3. Attention wanders at dinner in restaurants, riding in elevators or on public transportation or while shopping at malls, as she strains to eavesdrop on the conversations of those around her.

2. You can predict how long she’s been waiting to hear back on a submission by her mood: one week — no discernable change. One month — mopes around house, eats copious amounts of chocolate. Three months — has developed a nervous tic, occasionally snaps at children or dog. Six months — subject to crying jags if confronted with empty mailbox; children and dog duck for cover every time phone rings.

1. Hears voices in her head – and writes down what they say.

***

Hi, my name is Cindi Myers and I want to thank the Jaunty Quills for inviting me to their blog toay. My dear husband is familiar with all of the above ‘signs, having lived with this writer going on 29 years now. My 32nd book is out this month. A Soldier Comes Home is the story of Captain Ray Hughes, who receives a Dear John letter while he’s serving in Iraq. He comes home to an empty house and a three-year old son he scarcely knows and has to pick up the pieces of his life again. He meets Chrissie Evans, the young widow next door whose husband was killed very early in the war. They’re attracted to each other, but each has to get past their own private pain in order to love again.

I definitely think a sense of humor is a requirement for anyone living with a writer. My dh has grown used to my odd questions, my eavesdropping, and my getting out of bed in the middle of the night to write down ideas. While I was working on A Soldier Comes Home, he grew accustomed to large holes cut in the daily paper — The Rocky Mountain News was running a series of articles about our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and I save these as research material.

He’s accepted that publishing operates like no other business on earth, and he’s my biggest cheerleader when I’m feeling down. But he still shakes his head and laughs when I mention my characters talking to me, and he’s as curious as anyone else about where I get my ideas.

Captain Ray Hughes returns from a tour of duty in Iraq, but not to the home he knew. His wife has filed for divorce and left Ray to raise their three-year old son. Ray must learn to be a father to the son he hardly knows and pick up the pieces of his own life. He turns for help to the young widow next door, Chrissie Evans. They become friends and then lovers. But having lost one husband to the war, can Chrissie risk her heart again?

Do you have any writerly quirks to add to the list? Or any questions about me or my books?

When I first started practicing yoga, I went the DVD route. A couple of years ago, I took my first yoga class with a woman named Meg. To be honest, the only I reason I took the class was because they offered child care and I was desperate to have a few minutes of peace and quite even if I had to stand on my head to get it.

Do you remember the nineties sitcom Dharma and Greg, featuring the free-spirited yoga instructor Dharma? Well, Meg was like Dharma on Prozac. She was so soothing to be around, I wanted to follow her home like a stray dog. I loved yoga with Meg, but my schedule changed and I drifted away from her class.

Seven weeks ago for Mother’s Day, my husband bought me pass for an eight week beginner yoga class with a woman named Connie. Connie is great. She’s a phenomenal yoga instructor. Completely knowledgeable and very generous with sharing that knowledge. However …

Connie is from a somewhere in Europe, from her name, I’m guessing Germany. In normal conversation, her accent is hardly noticeable. But when class gets started, she starts barking out orders. “Your buttocks must be tight! Tight!” “You must roll your shoulder back. Roll your shoulder back.” As class progresses, her accent gets stronger and stronger. In the end it’s like taking yoga with an Eastern block dictator.

And let me set this straight about the term “beginner’s yoga.” This class was a beginner class the same way boot camp is beginner exercise. Connie has us twisting our bodies in ways I never imagined possible. And then holding the position. I spend half the class worried I’m seconds away from tipping over backwards. And needless to say, the next day I can hardly move.

At last night’s class, there was someone new. At the beginning of class, Connie asked the new woman what she wanted to get from the class. The poor woman said she wanted to relax. Um, sorry, hon. Wrong class for that.

So what about the rest of you? Anybody else taken any crazy exercise classes?