Another 13 and DVD Series I Own

Hey, look at that. It’s my 13th post of the month and Monday is August. Awesome. Another month with 13 posts. Now, August has 14 M-W-Fs, so I’ll have to miss one if I want to keep that goal…

Oh, lookee there—I’ll be at a convention on Friday the 12th, a perfect day to miss. I love the way this is working out!

Hubby and I have watched all the shows we recorded on the DVR. I still have to watch Gotham with my daughter, though. Before Dragon Con. Hopefully soon. We’re running out of time!

Anyway… Now that we’re done with the DVR, we’re now watching DVDs of series. Hubby picked Big Bang Theory (we’re on Season 5). He wanted to watch something that we’d get through quick, especially since the Olympics start up soon and we tend to watch that. BBT isn’t my favorite, but I can tolerate it. Otherwise, I’d tell him to watch it on his own.

I know you’re asking: What other DVD series do we have to watch? Right now we’re alternating between BBT, Bones, Castle, and NCIS. I’m watching American Horror Story with my son (I don’t have them all yet) and Hubby and I are watching Batman (Adam West) with him, too. We have yet to start on Cosby, The Dick Van Dyke Show (probably watch this with the son), Lost, The Monkees (probably watch this with the son, too), The Partridge Family, Rizzoli & Isles, True Blood (only own the first 5 seasons so far, which Hubby won’t watch), and WKRP in Cincinnati. We’ve already watched Alias, Friends, Get Smart, Home Improvement, Moonlighting, Star Trek (OS), Star Trek (TNG), and Veronica Mars. I started season 1 of Will and Grace and have season 2, but I doubt I’ll ever finish it. That series never really was a favorite of mine and it was a gift.

Whew! Think we have enough? Problem is, I keep finding series I want (like Dark Shadows)! And I’m borrowing from my daughter (Roswell and eventually The X Files).  I know. I need to seek help, huh?

But I’m good. I don’t watch during the day. I save that for writing. And social media-ing. Although I should probably cut some of the social media-ing. But once I’m on Facebook or looking at blogs, I’m hooked. Ugh.

On Monday I should have some pictures to share. I hope anyway. Of what, you ask? Well, you’ll just have to come back and find out, won’t you? J

So… Any of my TV series you wouldn’t mind owning? Do you like watching DVDs of series? If I weren’t so impatient, I’d just wait for the series to come out on DVD and watch it then. No commercials!! No zipping through commercials!! But I’m not that patient. Yet. Although, you’d think I would be since it takes a while to watch them all. **sigh**

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and Sweaty Corn

Here’s what I read the past week:

July 20: “A Taste of Midnight” by Lara Adrian, book 9.5 in the Midnight Breed series, a paranormal romance novella at 80 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: A shimmering holiday gala lights up an ancient castle in the Scottish Highlands, but beautiful widowed Breedmate Danika MacConn feels alone in the crowd. Even among the friends and festivity of the Darkhaven celebration, she can’t forget her lost love, a fallen warrior of the Order. Her brief return to her mate’s homeland has become treacherous after rejecting the advances of a dangerous Edinburgh crime boss with a taste for blood sport. As Danika seeks to expose the vampire and his dark trade, she discovers an unexpected ally in his forbidding, enigmatic henchman, Brannoc, a man who exudes heat, danger, and dark menace--and seems somehow achingly familiar. Bran has his own reasons for wanting to keep Dani out of his employer’s business . . . and his own secrets he means to keep buried. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a woman who tempts the wildest part of his Breed nature--especially when that woman is Danika MacConn, the one woman capable of bringing him to his knees. This little novella was packed with suspense and was a quick read (which is good, I need some books under my belt!). I kind of wish I’d read this before book 10, but as it was bonus material, I’d already started #10  when I realized the novella was #9.5. Oh well…

July 25: “Don’t Tempt Me” by Lori Foster, a contemporary romance at 330 pages. Blurb from book: Jason Guthrie has no time for entanglements—between helping out his widowed brother and teenage nephew and getting his hometown back on its feet, his days are spoken for. But his nights are another story… And when his lovely new neighbor, Honor Brown, reluctantly accepts his help in remodeling her house, Jason finds himself wishing his handyman skills could knock down the defenses she keeps building around herself. Martial arts teacher Sullivan Dean knows real danger when he sees it—even when it takes the form of the gorgeous blonde helping her friend move in across the street. After putting his wayward past behind him to focus on teaching control to troubled kids, Sullivan has learned to avoid party girls like Lexie Perkins. But Sullivan can’t seem to keep his hands off the real woman behind that flirty charm—or keep his heart from landing at her feet… This book has two romances in one! I won a copy of this book (which is an uncorrected ARC) from Lori Foster at RAGT this year, so I thought it only fair I read it fairly soon. I enjoyed this story very much, but then I do like Lori Foster’s writing. If you’re a big contemporary romance reader, you’ll definitely love this one.

Apparently I have the corn to blame for the humidity around here. Did you know that stuff sweats? Explains a lot. It never got this humid in Santa Barbara, probably because not a lot of corn is being grown there. What I used to think was humid (when I lived there) wasn’t anything close to humid.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

It Was Worth a Try

Well, apparently I suck at taking pictures. Anyway, here’s proof I was at the Ohio Expo.

Donna MacMeans and I shared a table.

Kind of on the blurry side, huh?

Yeah, pretty bad, huh? I would have taken pictures of all the readers who stopped by to take a look at my books, but there weren’t any (although one person did sign up for my newsletter). Not one person picked up a book and read the blurb, but then most of the people who walked past weren’t even romance readers. I know this because I asked.

Kind of a bummer.

But I had a good time anyway. And I surprised myself. I was able to actually talk to some people and not be nervous. Even during the panel.

I mean, who am I???

Of course, only 5 people attended the panel (way more than I expected, though), and there were 4 of us on the panel, so there wasn’t a lot to be nervous about.

Would I do another Ohio Expo? Probably not. Of the few people who came, they weren’t my audience. I’m glad I went though. It taught me something: I’m better at sticking with those events specifically aimed at romance readers (especially if I have to pay for a table).

Hmmm… Will I see more romance readers at Rust City Book Con (my next event, Aug 11-14 in Troy, MI, which has multiple genres)? I can only hope.

Sunday’s celebration turned out wonderful. Food was yummy and the company even better. I even have leftovers! Yay!

So… Has this heat gotten to you yet? It was too hot & humid on Friday for me to walk to the fitness center (although I managed to get my 10K steps in because I spent the day doing the laundry and cleaning the house). Not so sure I want to walk outside this morning, either. Boy, I knew winter would stop me, but summer? It’s amazing how much energy the heat will take from you. Ugh.

Have a great Monday and try to stay cool!

Stacy

Ohio Expo, Finding Treasure, and a Music Video

Tomorrow I’ll be in Akron at the Ohio Readers and Writers Expo. I’ll even be on a panel!

Hopefully I’ll talk, too. At least they gave me some questions ahead of time, so I’m somewhat prepared.

As long as I don’t lose that piece of paper…

I’m driving up there with my author-friend, Donna MacMeans (she writes historical romances, some with a paranormal twist) and she’ll be on the panel with me, so it shouldn’t be all that bad. In fact, it should be fun. That’s right. Fun! It’s all in the attitude, right?

Now, to figure out what I’m gonna wear… Aaack!

On Sunday my friend is coming over to cook. Which means I have to clean the house before I leave here tonight. Yesterday I started with the front of the fireplace. Would you believe I found an unregistered $35 Visa gift card in that mess? My husband got it at work for Christmas. I must have put it on the raised hearth to register and then it promptly got buried (magazines pile up quickly, as do books). So glad I found it before the expiration date.

Yep, that puppy is now registered and ready to spend. I’m thinking it’ll come in handy when we go up to Wisconsin later this month to buy our Kringles. The freezer is pretty much ready for them, too! J Don’t know what Kringles are? Here’s a picture.

Mmmmm… Kringles. Can’t wait!

We get ours at the O&H Bakery in Racine. We’ll actually be staying in Chicago for that weekend, but the detour home isn’t all that inconvenient. Not for those yummy goodies!

I just love the Backstreet Boys, but never really watched any of their videos before (it’s not like MTV actually shows music videos anymore, right?). The “Larger Than Life” video played on the big screen before the Dragons game on Monday. Thought since the new Star Trek movie was releasing today (which I won’t be able to see for awhile L), this would be a fun video to share. Sure, it looks more like Star Wars than Star Trek, but it’s all science fiction, right? Enjoy!

So… Which boy band from the 90s did you enjoy listening to? Ah, come on. There had to be one!

Have a great weekend! If I take any pictures today, I’ll be sure to post them on Monday.

Stacy

Wednesday Reads, TV Shows, and Pictures from my Birthday

I didn’t get to read as much as I thought I would on Monday. I was sitting in the waiting room for over an hour (Hubby’s PET scan), but the TV was on and it was showing episode after episode of Flip or Flop (on HGTV channel). Damn, that show is addicting. I couldn’t look away!

I must remember to NEVER turn that show on at home. I’d never get anything done.

Since I didn’t get to read much on Monday, I decided to finish reading the book on Tuesday (because I wanted a book to report! And plus, I was close to the end anyway).

Here’s what I read the past week:

July 19: “Darker Than Midnight” by Lara Adrian, the 10th book in the Midnight Breed series, a paranormal romance at 360 pages. Blurb from book: In the dark of night, a blood war escalates within the hidden world of the Breed. After maintaining a fragile peace with the humans who walk beside them unaware, a single act of retaliation has put the vampire nation at risk of discovery. It falls to the Order—a cadre of Breed warriors pledged to protect their own and humankind alike—to stop Dragos, the power-mad vampire, before his push for domination explodes into catastrophe. At the center of the Order’s quest is Sterling Chase, whose biggest battle is the one he wages against his own savage nature. But when his eyes meet those of Tavia Fairchild, Chase finds himself drawn to the woman—and convinced she is something much more than she seems. And while everything logical warns Tavia against getting close to Chase, she cannot deny that he stirs something ravenous within her. As the Order’s enemy mobilizes for the battle of the ages, Chase and Tavia are thrust into the heart of the violence. With time running out, they must find a way to defeat Dragos once and for all—or die trying. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume this is the last book in the series. Except I know better. This was a very enjoyable read for me. I love suspense. And paranormal. And romance. This has it all packed into a whopper of a book. Can’t wait to find out what happens next. J

Monday evening turned out to be super fun! The Dragons actually won, as did the Reds. I guess both teams really wanted me to have a fun birthday! Anyway… here are some pictures I took at the Dragons game.

A much different perspective than we're used to.

Hubby got me a birthday button and I took a selfie to show it.

That's my daughter behind me.

Hubby even got my name added to the birthday board!

 

The only things that didn’t show up in all the pictures: the little flies. They were everywhere! Bugged the heck out of me. Honestly, I don’t remember having that kind of problem in our regular seats. Maybe those buggers like the height better?

Have you ever watched Roswell? My daughter brought over her copy of the complete series (on DVDs) for me to watch, since I’ve never seen it (I’ll blame my hubby for that). She likes it, so I assume I would, too. Only problem is: finding the time to watch it. I might be able to sneak in an episode (or 2) during my hubby’s walks (he’s not interested and I won’t torture him). Hmmm… I can see this taking a LONG time. Then again, he’s away on travel Aug 8-10.

Binge watching!

So… Have you ever watched Flip or Flop? Do you enjoy home renovation shows? I didn’t think I would, but man, I couldn’t stop watching it!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Happy Birthday to Me?

Yep. Today is my birthday. And as birthdays go, this one is rather quiet.

That birthday dinner we were supposed to have last night? Cancelled. The hospital called to remind Hubby of his PET scan and I happened to answer. Seems he was under strict orders not to exert himself the day before the scan, which is this morning. Yeah, that even meant driving to a restaurant and socializing with the family (I asked). Who knew that could cause unwanted results? Not me! Glad I asked, though.

To top it off, Hubby could only eat protein and veggies (no starches, sugars, or caffeine), so I basically had to cook for him.

Me. Cook. Without using pasta. Or rice. Or bread. Ugh!!!

My birthday dinner was turning into a nightmare.

I survived, though. Hamburgers aren’t my all time favorite meal, but they are pretty easy (especially on the George Foreman grill!). And I like broccoli, too.

I’ll still have a birthday celebration dinner, though. My friend is coming over next Sunday to grill/cook (her present to me): grilled shrimp, corn on the cob, potato salad, and CAKE. But I’m opening my presents today!! Well, at least those that are here, like the box I received from my parents (I’ve been looking at it for a few days now, itching to open it!).

It just doesn’t feel like a birthday unless you open a present. Right?? But the best present I can get will be a clean PET scan from my hubby. Keep fingers crossed for us!!

Since I’m trying my best to add more pictures to my blog (I might not have told you that, but I am), here are two pictures I took at Friday’s and Saturday’s Dragons game (I posted these on Facebook, but if you aren’t there, you’re not about to see them, huh?

The sky turned really pretty on Friday night.

I love our new scoreboard. Okay, it's not that new.
They put it up last year. Still love it, though.

 

As you can see, our seats are pretty awesome. Tonight we’re also going to a game, but we’ll be sitting in the upper section (we got those tickets due to a rain out). I’ve never been in the upper section, so I’m excited to experience it. And I’ll be sure to take at least one picture (the one I post to Facebook most likely).

Remember… my Goodreads Giveaway is coming to an end TONIGHT (11:59 pm PDT to be exact). If you know someone who might be interested in winning a copy of Bite Me, I’m Yours, please let them know.

So… Did you watch the British Open yesterday? Quite an ending with some great golf. Glad to see Henrik Stenson win. First major win for him at 40 years old. First major win for a male Swede. Pretty historic.

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

Giveaway Ends Monday

My Goodreads Giveaway is coming to an end on Monday (11:59 pm PDT to be exact). If you know someone who might be interested in winning a copy of Bite Me, I’m Yours, let them know. Odds of winning aren’t too shabby.

The giveaway isn’t working like I thought it would, but it was worth a try. It’s not like it cost a ton of money (price of book + shipping). And who knows, maybe the winner will LOVE my book and then buy all the others. It could happen. J

I went and did it again. I signed up for another book signing convention. Sometimes I think I must have a problem and maybe I should go to Convention-holics Anonymous. It’s like I find these conventions and can’t resist registering!

Anyway, this one is called Angels and Sirens and will be held in Washington, PA on March 4th. It’s a one-day event (11-4) at the Meadowlands Casino and Race Track. I probably am crazy signing up for it, but hey, it’s near Pittsburgh. And there’s a 5pm Penguins game on the 5th. Wonder if I can talk Hubby into going. Guess I better ask him before tickets go on sale, huh?

Tonight I’m attending a Dayton Dragons game. Tomorrow, too. And Monday (my birthday!!). I’ll probably be all baseballed out after that.

Naahhh! J

Still, the Dragons are doing just about as well as the Reds this year. Yep. They stink! But I enjoy going to the games. Besides having AWESOME seats (5 rows behind the Dragons’ dugout), I love seeing those Single A players and wonder which ones will end up on the Reds. I can usually tell. This year not so much, though.

So… Got any plans this weekend? Or do you just plan to veg out in front of the TV (or a book)? I’ll be celebrating my birthday with the family on Sunday. Should be fun!

Happy Friday!

 

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and Upcoming Movies

I’m still way behind in my reading. But at least I’m making progress on my revisions of Ghostly Interlude. Sort of. Slowly. But hey, it’s progress!

Here’s what I read the past week:

July 9: “The Curse of Tenth Grave” by Darynda Jones, the 10th book in the Charley Davidson series, an urban fantasy at 342 pages. Blurb from book: As a part-time PI and full-time grim reaper, Charley Davison has asked a lot of questions throughout her life: Why can I see dead people? Who is the hot supernatural entity following me? How do I get gum out of my sister’s hair before she wakes up? But How do I trap not one but three malevolent gods? was never among them. Until now. And since those gods are on earth to kill her daughter, she has little choice but to track them down, trap them, and cast them from this dimension. There’s just one problem. One of the three stole her heart a very long time ago. Can the Razer—a god of absolute death and destruction—change his omniscient spots, or will his allegiances lie with his brothers? Those are just a few of the questions Charley must answer, and quick. Add to that a homeless girl running for her life, an innocent man who’s been charged with murdering the daughter of a degenerate gambler, and a pendant made form god glass that has the entire supernatural world in an uproar, and Charley has her hands full. If she can manage to take care of the whole world-destroying-gods thing, we’re saved. If not, well… Holy guacamole! When’s the next book coming out? I want it NOW. I think when this series finally ends (and I guess it will have to eventually), I will cry. This is one of my most favorite series. Charley is a hoot. Reyes is hot. And I just love them all!

I noticed that the new Ghostbusters movie starts on Friday. I still haven’t decided whether or not I want to watch it. The first one was so good, why mess with it? Plus, the new one has Melissa McCarthy, who I’m not all that fond of (not a fan of her humor). But if it gets good reviews, I might go out and see it. Maybe.

What I will DEFINITELY go out and see is the new Star Trek movie (which comes out next week). I might even watch the previous movies (of the reboot) beforehand, just to get into it. Plus, I wouldn’t mind watching them again. I do love Star Trek!

So… Any movies you’re looking forward to this summer?

Happy Reading!

 

Stacy

A Surprise and a Disappointment

I can’t help to think I got lucky Friday. First I get the biggest surprise ever by being Blitzed (thanks to DL Hammons http://www.dlhammons.com). Even better, I managed to have a decent post. Whew! So glad I had some fun pictures to share.

Hmmm… Maybe I should start a theme: Friday Fotos. It’d give me something to shoot for each week.

Haha. Shoot—camera. Get it? J Nevermind. I can hear you groaning from here.

But what would I take pictures of? If I had a pet, that would be so easy to do, but I don’t have any pets. I think this will require more thought, or some suggestions from you readers (and maybe a stock pile of photos).

* * * *

I’m so jealous. My daughter was given a ticket to see the Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh (even though she has touched it when we went to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto--see picture). Then, when she gets there, realizes that the ticket was for a group (not a person). We could have gone with her. Waaaaa!

I know, I know. I saw the cup in Toronto, too. Still… It’s Pittsburgh. And it’s not like I had anything pressing to do yesterday. We could have gone to Peppi’s to eat, too. And I could have taken some pictures…

Ah man, now I’m really bummed.

So… Is there anything (or place) you would drive 4 hours to go see spur of the moment?

Have a happy Monday!

Stacy

Pictures From My Columbus Zoo Trip

Here are some pics we (Hubby and I) took while at the Columbus Zoo (clicking on the picture should enlarge it).

This is Nora. She was born at the zoo on Nov 6, 2015. Five days after her birth, they had to pull her from her parents (who are still at the zoo), since the mother was no longer caring for her. They still keep her separated from the older polar bears. When she gets bigger, she'll probably end up at another zoo.

 

We managed to get to the zoo early enough to see her swim.

 

She's such a cutie!

 

Here's a video about her from YouTube (in case you want to see more).

 It always seems like the animals are sleeping when we go to the zoo. But these lions just cracked us up. Looks like they had partied hard!

 



They're zonked out all over!

 

Couldn't resist taking this one. :)

 

This here is Oswald Cobblepot. He was named via a naming contest (the little fella was born in March). Gee, I wonder why that name won?



 These are Humboldt penguins.

 My daughter just loves penguins of all sorts!

 

The hyena in the pond is searching for some goodies (even though there aren't any fish in the pond!). You can also see the zebras in the background.

So... Do you like to visit zoos? If you do and you're ever in the Columbus area, this is a nice one to visit. We may go back some day (Hubby goofed and didn't clear his memory stick and he ran out of room, so he didn't get all the pictures he wanted).

Hope you have a great weekend!

Stacy





Wednesday Reads

Spending the day (Sunday) reading helped me get a book closer to my reading goal (and gave me something to blog about today!). Here’s what I read the past week:

July 3: “Deeper Than Midnight” by Lara Adrian, the 9th book in the Midnight Breed series, a paranormal romance at 387 pages. Blurb from book: At eighteen, Corinne Bishop was a beautiful, spirited young woman living a life of privilege as the adopted daughter of a wealthy family. Her world changed in an instant when she was stolen away and held prisoner by the malevolent vampire Dragos. After many years of captivity and torment, Corinne is rescued by the Order, a cadre of vampire warriors embroiled in a war against Dragos and his followers. Her innocence taken, Corinne has lost a piece of her heart as well—the one thing that gave her hope during her imprisonment, and the only thing that matters to her now that she is free. Assigned to safeguard Corinne on her trip home is a formidable golden-eyed Breed male called Hunter. Once Dragos’s most deadly assassin, Hunter now works for the Order, and he’s hell-bent on making Dragos pay for his manifold sins. Bonded to Corinne by their mutual desire, Hunter will have to decide how far he’ll go to end Dragos’s reign of evil—even if carrying out his mission means shattering Corinne’s tender heart. I enjoyed seeing Hunter transform from a “robot” to a “person.” The end was a bit abrupt (setting up for the next book) and I think it could have been less jarring if the ending was swapped with the last scene of the main characters. But then, I like the ending of a book to include the main characters. Does that make me weird?

I had fun at the Columbus Zoo on Monday. Got to see a baby polar bear (Nora) and some Humboldt penguins. And I walked and walked and walked. My feet weren’t too happy with me at the end. Neither was my back!

But you know what the kicker is? I walked the same park as my husband and friend and we all wore our Fitbits. Hubby and friend got over 17K steps a piece while I logged in 14K. Talk about depressing. I’m tempted to toss this Fitbit in the trash. It’s apparently malfunctioning, cause I can’t imagine my stride is longer than Hubby’s (friend’s, maybe, but not Hubby’s).

Anyway… I’ll post some pictures from the zoo on Friday.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Happy Independence Day!

My sad attempt at taking a picture of fireworks.
(taken a few years ago)

The weather doesn’t appear to be cooperating this holiday (rain, rain, go away), so our trip to the zoo today may not occur. We’ll determine that later. Still going to Columbus for breakfast and dinner, but we may end up playing games instead.

Which means, I better take some!

On Saturday I did manage to catch a glimpse of our fireworks (the finale) as we drove home from the baseball game. It was such a nice night, too (not too hot, not too cold, and no humidity!). If the Dragons had won, it would have been a GREAT night.

Sunday was rainy, so I spent the day reading. Haven’t done that in ages. Boy, did that feel good. But it’ll be back to work revising on Tuesday (since I won’t be home today).

Last week I didn’t get much work on Ghostly Interlude and by Friday I didn’t even want to get out of bed (or exercise—which I really didn’t do). I made the mistake in taking Zyrtec again. This cold has aggravated my allergies and I thought the pill would help. It turned me back into a zombie instead. It only took two pills, too! Won’t make that mistake again. I’ll just suffer with the dripping and coughing.

Although… a co-worker of my husband’s suggested I take children’s Claritin. He had the same problem as I did and found a lower dose worked much better. I may look into that the next time I go to the store. It’s not so much that the coughing gets to me, but that it seems to irritate (or concern) other people (such as hubby). But if the med makes me zombie-like, I won’t take it again. I’ve got a book to finish revising!

I know one thing—I feel much better now (despite the dripping and coughing) and look forward to getting back to the fitness center. On Tuesday. Won’t have any time today.

So… Do you have allergies? What do you take? Did you have to try different brands before you got something that worked?

Happy 4th! Go have some fun.

 

Stacy

Adding Another Vendor (I Hope)

Happy July!

I love July. It’s my birthday month.

I’m getting ready to upload Blind Temptation and A Vampire Wedding to All Romance Ebooks (ARe). My other three books are listed there (through Kensington) and I thought it was time to put my self-pubbed books there. For all I know, most of my readers buy from them, so it would be foolish not to have them listed. My books also show up in Google Books, but they don’t take indies anymore (that I know of), not that I would put my books there. They mess with prices and screw things up with other vendors that it’s just not worth the hassle.

Of course, as I went to upload the books to ARe yesterday, I ran into some technical difficulty. Not surprising, since I’m technically challenged. Hopefully I’ll get it figured out today.

The Goodreads Giveaway for Bite Me, I’m Yours is still on, so if you know someone who would be interested, let them know. The link is in the sidebar.

So… Got any plans for the long weekend? Seeing any fireworks? I’d love to see a fireworks show, but the one in our city is the same night that we’ll be going to a Dragons Game (which is Saturday). I was hoping Dayton would have theirs after the game, but no. They’re having them the NEXT day. I’m not driving down there just for fireworks. So I guess I won’t see any this year. Bummer!

Stacy