Sue's Time Wasters

Why is it when I'm working to a deadline I can find the time to play Suduko? A ten minute game seems like nothing until I realise I've wasted an hour on six games. 'Just one more,' is a constant phrase of mine.
There are also other time wasters in my life that use up minutes faster than an hungry dog empties his bowl.

 

Word puzzles of any kind keep me busy for lots of precious minutes.

 

 

A jigsaw is another thing that keeps me distracted which is why I rarely start one. They take up more than minutes, in fact they eat hours. Strange really when all I'm doing is putting weird shaped pieces of cardboard together to create a picture that I'll then break up and put away in the box again.

 

 

But there is one time waster that I'll happily give up days for. My grandson, Austin.

 

Last week my DB and I got an SOS from our daughter. Could we babysit for three days as she had to work very long days and go to a work dinner one of those nights. What deadlines? The book could wait. We were in the car within a very short time and five hours later were in Christchurch ready to enjoy our wee man. The time flew by and every minute was fun. Okay, not when he fell over the edge of the step into the garden or when he decided sleep was highly over rated and playing far more enjoyable. But I'm happy to waste time with this little guy. I did take the laptop with the silly idea there might be half an hour here or there to work towards that deadline, but did it come out of it's carry bag? Nah. Not once. Do I care? Nope. Not at all.

What is your favourite time waster? Or are you so organised you can avoid them?

How BDSM and Sweet Romances are connected...

by Michelle Douglas

The Chocolate Box authors are holding a Spring Blog Hop Giveaway. Just look at this box of goodies that's up for grabs! To enter see the link below.

So in honour of the Spring Blog Hop, today I'm hosting fellow Sweet Romance author, Barbara Wallace, with her take on how BDSM and Sweet Romances are connected. :-) Take it away, Barb...


Recently Esquire Magazine published an essay by Stephen Marche entitled, “The Sex Scene is Dead” in which he noted that graphic movie sex had become old hat.  This got me thinking, would the same thing happen with romance novels?  Is it happening already?

When Fifty Shades of Gray first came out, the romance writing world went crazy.  Granted, erotica had been around for a while, but suddenly, there was real money to be made in pushing the envelope.  Grab your leather and whip, baby, because BDSM was where it was at.  You couldn’t log onto Facebook or Twitter without seeing at least one reference to domination.

Lately, however, I’ve suspected readers might be becoming less enthusiastic then they were two years ago.  Like with the actual Shades of Gray books, BDSM books have gotten repetitive.  I saw one tweet the other day chuckling over how the characters in a book were shocked by sexual activities that she considered ‘been there, done that’.  And on some message boards, a few readers have complained about BDSM and erotica creeping into their romances.  (Thus denoting an important difference between romance and erotic romance, btw.)  To me, these are subtle signs of reader fatigue.  I predict that, in another couple of years, the erotica boom will decline.  Will it disappear?  Never.  Subgenres might shrink, but they never truly dry up.  But the wagon jumpers – the writers who piled on because there was money to be made – they’ll start to depart, leaving the dedicated erotica writers – the ones who were there all along – to satisfy their readers.

So, why do I, a sweet romance writer, care about the BDSM trend?  Because, my friends, the pendulum swings both ways.  You know how, when you’ve had too much candy, you suddenly want something healthy?  Well, that’s how it works with romance novels too.  After awhile, readers want something different.  At conference this fall, a well known contemporary author commented that she saw a growing interest in sweet romances.  A new trend is coming, and for once, I might actually be ahead of the curve.  I’m looking forward to it.

What about you? Do you think the erotica craze is slowing down?  Do you even care?  Do you think readers will be looking for sweeter, gentler romance?

Click here to enter the Spring Blog Hop!

Six of My Favourite Things

by Bronwyn Jameson

Inspired by the recent posts of Helen and Rachel, and also by my fabulously talented niece's star turn as Maria in her school's production of "The Sound of Music", today's blog is a few of my favourite things.  I'm tempted to start with raindrops on kittens, because Lovecats. But...no. Although I am sensing a theme...

1.  Musicals.   Not only because of my inspiration, but because I don't believe I've met a musical I don't adore.  A long time ago I started buying the souvenir coffee mug from each show but the number was getting ridiculous.  Being a country gal, one of the added benefits is the trip-to-the-city, usually a girls weekend because my menfolk couldn't be dragged, bribed or cajoled into a musical.  Last year we did Grease; next weekend it's off to The Lion King.

2.  Rain(drops).   Okay, so I might not always include the wet stuff on a list of my favourite things, but after a long, extremely dry and brutishly hot summer, the droughtbuster rain this past week was spectacular.  The soothing beat on the roof at night.  Waking to soft grey light.  The sight of green shooting all over our barren paddocks.  Sheep and horses gobbling up the sweet new growth.  The smile on my farmer husband's face.  What is not to love about a good autumn rain?

3.  My Herb Garden.   This is a gift from my youngest after I mused about the scarcity of decent herbs at our local supermarket.   He resurrected the old barrow from our junk-depository and despite my poor record with plants, four months later it's still going strong.   Barely a meal goes by without the addition of a little something from the barrow.

4.  Summer Fruit.   I tried to narrow this down, but how can a person choose between mango and peaches and cherries?  They're *all* my favourites, whether fresh and stand-alone or poached/stewed as part of a dessert dish, or for breakfast with Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of toasted muesli.  Yum.

5.  My Kindle.   An obvious choice but how could I not include the source of so much enjoyment?  I've been wanting the Paperwhite since it was first released but told myself I had to wait for my Nook to expire.  It's still going but there are books/deals only available on Amazon.  I *needed* a Kindle.  So.

6.  The Real Book Experience.    Despite my intense love of the Kindle, I have not given up on paper books.  I still love the new-book smell, the weight of a hefty hardback in my hands, the beauty of a skilfully produced picture book.  Cooking/food books are a particular favourite as well as travelogues and memoirs.  At the moment this is on my bedside table:

What is your favourite type of book that you must have in paper?  Whether to read or to flick through the glossy pictures?  

Sunday Smooch with…Louisa George

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from Louisa George, but first ...

the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is --SHARLENE!

Sharlene, can you please contact Robyn Rychards : robynrychards (at) yahoo(dot) com to receive your copy of Her Knight in Shining Armour!

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Louisa George's KISS romance Her Client From Hell

Back cover blurb: Her Customer Satisfaction guarantee…!

Cassie Sweet has a new mantra in her life- failure is not an option! Her good-for-nothing ex might have run off with all her money, but she’s determined to make her new catering business a success. So no distractions. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Which means her infuriatingly rude-and exasperatingly handsome!- new client, filmmaker Jack Brennan, is definitely off the menu…

KISS scene…Cassie and Jack have just spent an evening at an Awards dinner, spending most of the time trying to ignore each other and not giving in to the attraction fizzing between them….

An hour later with fifty bread tartlet shells cooling on a rack, lamb meatballs rolled and resting and humous whizzed to within an inch of its life Cassie leaned against her kitchen bench and took a long slow breath. Damn the man. Even heavy duty cooking hadn’t been able to save her from her thoughts. It would have been very easy to slip into those arms, to feel the strength emanating from him. To rest her head against that crisp shirt. To breathe in that male smell. Too easy.

But she’d scraped together every scrap of self control and left. 

Yay, me.

Geez, self control was a real doozie. 

She still wanted his hands on her. To taste him again. But wanting and having weren’t part of her plan. Her business was. Strictly business. And by the look of her to-do list the business would be keeping her up into the small hours tonight.

She hauled a large bag of kiwi fruit from her pantry cupboard and began to peel, jumping when her front door buzzer blared through her daydreams.

She pressed on the intercom button. ‘Hello?’

‘Hey, Cassie.’ The voice was unmistakable. Her heart skittered and jumped despite the knowledge that having him distract her again would probably mean working through the night. All she needed was dream-boat man in her house and her self control would spoil like over-microwaved chocolate. A sticky unusable mess.

‘Jack? What do you want? It’s late. I’m busy.’ Her own voice was thready and high, yet hoarse. She leaned her head against the wall. Lead me not into temptation.

‘You forgot something.’

‘Oh? Okay, thanks. I’ll come down.’ When she opened the door he was standing half-sheltered by her first floor balcony, rain falling in thick sheets onto the rest of him. His penguin suit thoroughly and totally soaked, no tie, his open-necked shirt sticking to him, hair slicked across his forehead. But his eyes were lit with a bright heat.

His expression was dark and intense. ‘You got changed. Pity.’

Whoa. That was unexpected. The man was usually so uptight. Now he was here saying things that made her hot and jittery.

‘Cooking’s hard in a cocktail dress. Those domestic goddess types don’t really exist, you know. Don’t believe everything you see on the television. You of all people should know that.’ Although she wished she hadn’t chosen her slouchy yoga pants and a washed-out singlet topped off nicely with a sexy devil apron. She watched his gaze travel down her front, to the slogan Too Hot To Handle, the cartoon picture of a semi-naked hot body clad in tight red bikini, large comedy boobs and forked tail. And winced. Always the dream was better than reality, in so many ways. ‘It was a gift.’

‘Very thoughtful. Very interesting. And are you? Too hot?’

Looking at him? Off the damned mercury. ‘Just fine thanks.’ Confused, she noted his empty hands. She had her bag and her shoes, that was everything she’d taken out with her for the evening. Through that strange hoarse voice that was thick with want she spluttered, ‘So, what did I forget?’

‘This.’ Without any hesitation he stepped into the hallway, hands circling her waist as he crushed his mouth onto hers, filling her with his taste. There was no time to resist- not that she could have if she wanted to. This time he branded her with his mouth- scorching kisses across her lips, her neck. There was nothing tender or gentle. His face was intense, shadowed, his smell of elemental man and heat firing all her senses.

Breath stalled in her chest. He was here. For her. Taking what she’d tried so hard not to give. But how could she resist this? Him? She’d pushed him away earlier, she sure as hell didn’t possess enough restraint to do it a second time. Snaking her hands around his neck she pulled him closer.

‘God, Cassie.’ His mouth was close to her ear, his voice a wicked whisper that somehow hit every hot spot between her head and her toes. ‘Still no bra?’

‘You noticed?’

‘You’re joking? Every guy in the room noticed. Every guy watched you. Every guy wanted you.’ For a man so usually controlled there was nothing in his demeanour that showed turning up wet and uninvited was stepping out of his comfort zone. That saying words that made her belly fizz was in any way unusual. Every step was measured, intent. And hot. So hot. Was this a glimpse of the real Jack?

You can find Louisa’s book at Amazon and in book stores now!

Louisa is giving away a copy of her book to one lucky commenter!  So her question to you is:

Daylight saving has just happened here, we put the clocks back over night. This means autumn is definitely here. I don't mind too much, I love autumn with its cooler nights and bright (shorter) days…which is your favorite season and why?

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced -- and a smooch from Melanie Milburne will be posted!

Her Client From Hell Giveaway…winner!

The giveaway winner is………



Mary Preston!


Congratulations, Mary, if you could contact me on:

louisageorgeauthor@gmail.com

I will post your book to you!

Brides, bouquets and book deadlines. Opa!

I'm up to my neck in weddings!  Not mine, and I don't even have to plan an outfit or buy a new pair of shoes. I'm living and breathing my latest book which is due to my editor next week. This is the first in a series about a family wedding business set in Westchester, New York. The parents have suddenly left, it's up to the three children to run things, and it's not as easy as they first thought. This is a Greek-American family and they specialise in weddings for Greek families so there's lots of beautiful Greek inspired food and Greek customs and traditions.

Although I was married in New Zealand, I had a traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony - well actually not completely traditional. My DH was born in New Zealand to a Greek father and a Greek Cypriot mother and was brought up in a household with very rich traditions. While we wanted to have those elements as a big part of our day, we also wanted to celebrate my New Zealand heritage of outdoors, sun and a relaxed approach to the wedding ceremony.

We ended up with the very best of both world. We were married in a traditional medieval herb garden and our reception was on the verandah of the colonial cottage nestled amongst the rosemary and thyme. A Greek priest officiated and the whole ceremony was in both Greek and English with a traditional "chanter" singing parts of the ceremony. We had the candles and the "stefania" - the decorative crowns to link us - and when the priest said in Greek that I would be expected to obey my husband, I did what generations of Greek women have done and stepped on my husband-to-be's toes...

It's been fifteen years since our big day but I've loved spending time this week looking over our photos and remembering what an incredible day it was.

Have you been involved in wedding ceremonies from another culture? What did you enjoy about them?

Toy Boy: Part 3!

Gadgetman's Phone Box!

by Sharon Archer


Nope, this "phone box" isn't something that Gadgetman races into so he can turn into a super-hero!  

This is a box full of mobile phones and mobile-phone "bits"!  My dh (aka Gadgetman or Mr Gadget) was having an "organise" in his office and very proudly brought these out to show me!

I couldn't resist having a rummage around to see how many different phones there were which made me think of sharing another "Toy Boy" blog with you!

The annoying thing is that each of these phones has it's own charger -
 

- with a plug which is not compatible with most of the other phones so there's no possibility of having a "spare".

And the headsets come in a variety of shapes and sizes, too....

 - as do their plug-ins so, again, often not able to transfer to different phone!

What I think is, wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a "universal" plug that all the phone makers used!  Then, I'd be able to charge my mobile phone using the same cable my dh uses!  How efficient would that be!

What about you - do you have a stash of mobile phones lurking in a "phone box" at your place?  Or any revolutionary thoughts to suggest to the manufacturers to make updating your phone more streamlined and user friendly!