Actually, the title of the days exercise was "Unlocking the Mind". 20 minutes of free writing, no censorship, no edits. So if I misspell something or my grammar is atrocious, so be it. So of course, I misspell grammar, notice it in the middle of typing atrocious, and go back and fix it. Now, I could get down on myself for already breaking the rules, but I really don't care. There again, I almost didn't type "don't care" and wanted to change it to something else that sounded less exasperating, but I decided not to.
I just finished baking ham and pork for supper. I added a Thai basil sauce, and Szechuan (ok, so I used spell check on that one) spicy sauce and some other kind of sauce that I really can't remember right now. I swear I washed my hands afterwards but they still feel kind of sticky, but just between the fingers. It's not like I'm getting gross junk all over the keyboard.
My son came in and asked if the cat could have the ground beef that was sitting on the drain board. I stopped writing momentarily and answered him. Of course, with him, a one word answer will never do and he goes off talking on another tangent. That boy (ok, young man, he's 17) goes off, no I already said that, and now I can't remember what I was going to put before.
Ah, the beauty of free-writing and no edits. I'm also watching Fifth Element on DVR while I'm typing. I'm guessing that's a big no-no. A part of my trunk is also itchy. And my left hand and my right forearm. Of course, that's probably because I'm out in the garden so much these days. Mostly in the morning, before the sun is up and it gets beastly hot and humid.
I was not made for very warm or very humid climates. Um, Um, Um. More itching. Seeing shadows of explosions and wrecks from the floating taxi chase scene in my peripheral vision.
Did you know that I already have a couple of posts up today? One is the Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First paragraph Tuesday link-ups. But I'm not going to stop to link them up in this post, because that's a little like editing, isn't it. Those posts are a lot more interesting than this one, because really I'm just blathering on. I'm good at blathering on. Now I know where my son gets it from. Only it's concentrated in his generation. In both boys actually. Our daughter does not speak nearly as much and speaks so quietly, we have to ask her to say things over numerous times. Of course, maybe it's just because we are old and/or going deaf.
Now my finger itches. But I think it is just my mind trying to distract me from writing, or trying to make me think about the writing, in which case it would have a chance for me to stop and then the whole exercise would fall apart. I had someone tell me once that I tend to catastrophize this. Assume the worst.
Now she puts a gun to his head (on the Fifth Element). A guy in a Cadillac drove into the yard today. He had seen the boat from the road and wanted to know if we wanted to sell it. My husband had actually just listed it on the local radio station "Stop and Swap" or "Shop and Swap" (whatever it's called). We've actually never used it, but it was given to us by a former landlord who also didn't use it and whose wife just wanted it out of their yard. Then they sue us after we move out.
Sheesh. It's not like he was great shakes at maintenance. We had to call many, many times and wait weeks to get things fixed sometimes. And come to find out that everyone else was paying comparatively a LOT LESS for rent than we were.
But the more I think about that, the more I get pissed off. And I worry about typing pissed off because it might offend people, but short of words that might get censored on national tv, I've sent the inner censor out for coffee ... for about twenty minutes or so. Boy is she gonna be upset when she gets back. Too bad! I remember a friend's mother saying once that it was perfectly ok if you talked to yourself as long as you didn't answer back. It's when you started having conversations with yourself that the problems arose and people tended to think you were crazy.
Five more minutes. I know. I stopped typing and looked at the clock on my monitor. Sue me. No wait, you'll have to stand in line. La-la-la. I'm feeling a little 'off' today, can you tell? I was worried yesterday that I might need to go to the doctor, because I've had a dull pain in my left side just under the rib cage for a couple of days. My husband had pancreatitis a few years back and I wanted to make sure it wasn't that. I really don't think so, it's more likely it's just because I'm getting old and the work in the garden is the most physical exercise I've had in a long time.
Ok. Four more minutes. Now my left shoulder (back) itches. It's been drizzling off and on today and the air feels very moist. This whole exercise reminds me of "morning pages" from "The Artist's Way" (I think that's what it is called. If anyone has made it this far in the reading and knows and doesn't think I'm to crazy to comment, I'd be very grateful.
That one alien race on The Fifth Element is really ugly. That's probably an unkind thing to say. Maybe they look hot to each other. To each their own, and all those similar platitudes. I know they are all in my head in their respective little memory boxes, but someone tied those boxes with knots and I can't get them open right now, so you'll just have to be satisfied with the one.
One ... one minute! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. (Did anyone just have flashbacks to "The Count" on "Sesame Street"? Because I sure did.)
~~~oOo~~~
What I like about free writing is like it power-washing the mind and cleans out a lot of junk so you can sit down and get to work. :O) Anyway, there's day one. I'll probably have to double up on a couple of days' posts to catch up, but that's life.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
BOOK REVIEW: 100 Proof Stud by A. J. Lapes
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SYNOPSIS
Just ask Darcy Walker.
100 Proof Stud picks up four months after No Brainer’s cliffhanger ending, and Darcy discovers the aftermath pales in comparison to the crisis her heart is in. All of a sudden it’s raining men, and this teenage heroine’s personal life turns her inside out.
Before she can sort out her feelings, she chases a spray-painting vandal and stumbles upon a case of identity theft right in her own backyard. Darcy jumps into the fray headfirst to prove she can hang with the big boys. But it’s not just to hang…nope, she’s chasing reward money. Tapping her band of misfit brothers for help, she turns Valley upside down trying to unearth the criminals. Problem is, the cloak and dagger goes high-octane, and she raises the bar on “crazy” in the process. Bullets ring out…dead bodies appear…and Darcy rubs shoulders with the ultimate sociopath. In the midst of murder and mayhem, will she finally follow her heart or build a fortress of lies around it? Will she even get the chance?
REVIEW
Reading "100 Proof Stud" is like having a fear of heights and getting in the roller-coaster car anyway. It's a white-knuckle, half terrifying/half thrilling ride. Once your hair settles back onto your head and you realize you are at a full stop, still breathing and heart still beating, a hint of a smile appears on your lips. You might need help to a nearby bench until your knees work properly again, but eventually you will say "Let's do it again."
Frankly, "100 Proof Stud" is probably not the kind of book I would normally have chosen to read. I'm *ahem* middle-aged and don't have much patience for the antics and attitudes of some young adults. But they say 'with age comes wisdom' and I've learned that I'm not always right in my first impressions. Go figure. "Stud" is definitely quirky. But if I would have passed it by because of that, it would have been my loss. I will be reading all of Darcy's other adventures at some point.
Darcy Walker, the 16-year old main character, also serves as narrator. Reading about her antics and adventures is sometimes like reading a whole other language - but let's face it, she's a teenager. If we are not experiencing those days for ourselves at the moment, we probably remember them. A young adult of that age is not necessarily the most logical animal in the zoo. Who else would buy a book on the migratory patterns of the cuckoo to get the free hot dog that comes with it?
In the space of a few months, Darcy is injured in two separate vehicle 'incidents'. They have to be called that because in the first one, the car in which she was riding was intentionally struck. In the second occurrence she absent-mindedly steps out in front of a car. Of course, the first time she may have been a target, and the driver of the (other) vehicle was intentionally trying to harm her. In the second, the driver of the vehicle was a handsome young man, and she worries at least as much about her awkwardness as her injuries.
Darcy is just plain crazy ... the good kind. She gets in over her head at least a couple of times a day. Some of those over-the-heads are harder to come back from than others. But she's also the kind of crazy that hides her boss's keys so he'll have to sleep in the store and not try to drive home drunk. The world needs more of that kind of crazy, so I guess we need more Darcy. Luckily, I don't think we have long to wait.
~~~oOo~~~
AUTHOR INFORMATION
She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two feministic daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola, with a lifelong love affair with bacon. She studied English, Journalism, and Political Science at Morehead State University and left the business world when her daughters were born. Her love for suspense and a good story was born from watching Mystery Science Theater with her sister during childhood. That and any B movie with comedic undertones they could get their hands on.
When she’s not riding that razor-thin line between creativity and insanity, she likes to read, watch too much cable TV, or cheer like a banshee at her daughters’ sporting events. She’s a huge hometown sports fan and loves to watch the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds whenever she can.
A. J. loves to connect with fans! If you would like to receive emails of upcoming releases, please sign up for her distribution list by visiting her homepage at http://www.ajlape.com and clicking the “contact” tab.
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(Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from the author and publisher via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest opinion. No other compensation was offered, requested or received.)
Teaser/First Chapter Tuesdays - Thread End
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
p. 215
"You weren't ready for your mother and me to meet when she came into the shop the other day."
"You sound like we're going to a war zone rather than out to dinner."
~~~oOo~~~
My selection for today is from the above book, "Thread End":
It was almost lunchtime on Friday, and I was pacing. The museum exhibit I'd been anticipating for two months was finally opening that evening! My boyfriend, Ted; my friend Rajani "Reggie" Singh; her husband, Manu; and I were all going together. The guys weren't overly excited about the Padgett Collection textile exhibit, but they knew we were - and they were great guys, so they were taking us. Reggie was library director for Tallulah Falls's one and only library, Manu was chief of police and Ted was his head detective. I almost felt that we should be VIP guests, given the extra security Reggie and I would be bringing along.Another book in this series, "Thread on Arrival" was one of the first books I read when I discovered reading for myself again, and reading challenges. It is also one of the first cozies to land on my shelf.
Angus, my Irish wolfhound, could sense my excitement, and he paced with me. I perched momentarily on one of the red club chairs that helped make up my embroidery shop's sit and stitch square, and he sat and placed his head on my lap.
"It's all right," I said soothingly as I scratched his head. "I'm just excited about tonight. Reggie will be here to see you soon. Yes, she will! She's bringing lunch!"
Come back next Monday for my review of "Thread End".
BE Society June Challenge - Days 2 and 3

I only found out about the challenge yesterday, so I started out a day behind. Going to take care of that today by combining days 2 and 3.
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Prompt for June 2: Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
1. Falling / especially backwards.
When I was little, I fell down our basement steps. The steps were bare wood and did not have a railing. The basement floor was bare cement (or is that concrete). I can never remember which is which. I can't even be sitting in a rocking chair and have someone come put their hand on the back of it.
2. Something bad happening to one of my children in some sort of traumatic event or illness.
Just call me Mama Bear. If someone can be pin-pointed as the cause of my child's injury or illness? Even if it was unintentional, they should probably run and hide and give me a chance to cool down. If it was intentional? They should run and HIDE. Or just go straight to the police and turn themselves in. Get some locked iron bars between us ... for a good long while.
Sometimes fears make you crumble. Sometimes they provide a platform for you to grow in strength of character. Obviously this is something on which I am still working, because I chose "door #3" - letting fear fuel anger.
3. Reaching 300 lbs. (a fear that no longer exists).
I have been within the same 10-20 pound range for at least a decade. The last time I had a large increase in weight was when I was pregnant with my daughter. If I kept going the way I started out, I would have topped 300 lbs. When I took the 1-hour test for gestational diabetes, I did not have to go back for the 3 hr test; they sent me straight to the diabetes nutritionist. The more I weighed, the worse it would have been for my daughter. I gained (and lost) the same 8 pounds for the length of the pregnancy.
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Prompt for June 3: Describe your relationship with your spouse.
Chris (my husband of 17 years as of May 9th, 2014) and I complement each other - as in where one of us is weak, the other is usually strong. IMO (in my opinion), that is why couples who are both celebrities, or doctors or politicians have a rough go. There's too much ego and competition involved.
We support each other when one of us is struggling. We celebrate each other's successes.
We are not perfect. Far from it. Take education for instance. I have a degree. I have a B.S. in Finance from Westminster College in Salt Lake City. I graduated with honors - magna cum laude. My husband went to college for a semester or two after graduating high school, then stopped. He had been given the idea that he could not hack it. I believed in him. And I believe in him now.
He started back to college 2 years ago. For the first year, he maintained a 4.0 GPA. I think he got a "B" or something this last year, but he has been invited to be a T.A. for one of his 1st year professors. And when he transfers to UK, he will have a similar opportunity. I couldn't be prouder of him.
But I also admit to a 'little twinge of envy'. You see, I started back to college, with an eye towards getting my Master's Degree. I thought since it's been 20 years since I got my degree, I should take some undergraduate courses to dust of the skills. This time it's me that's struggling. I bit off more than I could chew, and it's costing me. *sigh*
But that is my problem. And I'm certainly not going to allow it to become an issue in our marriage.
Both Chris and I have the opinion that marriage is not a destination vacation. We don't arrive and live in paradise for the rest of our days. Marriage is more like driving cross-country in the middle of the night, over roads you we have not travelled before. It's kids saying "I gotta go", even though you just stopped 10 miles ago. But it's also being able to look back and see what you have accomplished together. It's kids running to you when you come home from work and giving you a big hug.
Our relationship is the type where we still come together to embrace and dance every time our song comes on the radio ... the song that (in a sense) brought us together more than 17 years ago.
Monday, June 2, 2014
June Be Society Challenge and Monday What Are You Reading
Click the button above for more information and to sign-up, or participate in a daily challenge!
Today's topic is "20 Random Things About Me"
1. My mother was born in Switzerland. My father was born in West Virginia. I guess that makes me an alpine hillbilly.
2. I thought if I didn't find "the one" with whom to have children by the time I was 35, I would investigate artificial insemination. I found out I was pregnant about 4 months before my 35th birthday.
3. I had my first child when I was 35.
4. I had my second child when I was 36.
5. I had my third child when I was 41.
6. My favorite color is purple.
7. I have been to three popular contemporary music concerts in my life: The Osmond Brothers (back in the day, y'all), Terence Trent D'Arby and Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.
8. Last year, we bought my husband's paternal grandparents' home from his Dad and Uncles. We are thrilled to be able to keep it in the family.
9. I once spent 2 weeks in the Orlando area and did not go to Disney World. (Isn't that just sad?)
10. I met my FIL (father-in-law) face to face for the first time when he drove from Kentucky to Wheatley, AR, to rescue us after our vehicle died. (DH and I were already married with 2 children.)
11. I have a bug bite on my left hand right now that is driving me NUTS!
12. I recently started my own business as an Independent Mary Kay Consultant!
13. The first time I studied the Russian language, the class was taught in German.
14. I was once told I spoke French with a Spanish accent. (I think I'm culturally confused.)
15. I once completed a 30K (18 mile) walk-a-thon. Later than night I went to a BBQ and had to ask people sitting in a hallway to move, because I could not lift my feet to step over them.
16. When my oldest child was about 6 months old, I broke my arm at a local park (I was alone) and had to drive myself to the hospital.
17. I LOVE acting on stage!
18. "To visit Scotland" is one of the things on my bucket list.
19. I'm working an an Appalachian cozy-mystery series of books.
20. I am compiling my posts from this year's Blogging From A to Z Challenge into an e-book!
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(It's Monday! What are You Reading is a weekly bookish link-up where you can share your reads, reviews, and other book-related shenanigans. It is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)
Most of the books I read in May were ARCs, or Advance Reader Copies. When you accept an ARC, you make an agreement to post a review. I just did a monthly wrap-up/sneak peak post yesterday, so I'm going to do this post a little differently.
One of the books I reviewed last month was:
On the actual release day, I 'attended' an FB party at their event page and won print copies of Lethal Lily and:
With a couple days' break in reviews, yesterday I decided to start reading this book 'just for fun', which hasn't happened in quite a while. I finished "A Thyme to Die" around noon today and enjoyed it immensely.
Which leads me to a new bookish goal ... to read the rest of the Peggy lee Garden Mystery series. In their correct order would be nice, but I'll read them however I can. :O) So far, I have been going in reverse order, which is more than a little odd at times, but Peggy, her 2nd husband Steve, Peggy's son Paul and his wife Mai are such regular folks that reading about them ... in any order ... is a wonderful experience.
~~~oOo~~~
I'm also sharing at one of my favorite link-ups on the planet:
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Wrap-Up
"Monthly Reflections" is a bookish month in review, hosted at Christian Bookshelf Reviews
"Clean Sweep ARC Challenge" was a concerted group effort by 84 bloggers to reduce the number of ARC's (Advance Reader Copies) of books on their real or virtual shelves. Accepting an ARC shows one's commitment to posting a review of the book or material. This challenge was hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Angela's Anxious Life.
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Here are the books listed in my Clean Sweep sign-up post linked to my review post of each:
1. Lethal Lily by Joyce and Jim Lavene - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
(I had an e-ARC, but went to their launch day FB party and won paperback copies of both Lethal Lily and A Thyme to Die - both autographed with purple (my favorite color) pen!)
2. Let Loose by Rae Davies - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
3. The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson - Virtual Author Book Tours
4. Two Performance Artists Kidnap Their Boss and Do Things With Him by Scotch Wichmann - WorldWind Book Tours
5. To Sleep...Perchance to Die by Donald R. Grippo - iRead Book Tours
6. The Lens and the Looker by Lory Kaufman - iRead Book Tours
7. Love's Sorrow by Terri Rochenski - Roane Publishing
8. Hypocrisy by D.M. Annechino - iRead Book Tours
9. The Bronze and the Brimstone by Lory Kaufman - iRead Book Tours
10. When Camels Fly by NLB Horton - Virtual Author Book Tours
11. The Loved and the Lost by Lory Kaufman - iRead Book Tours
Extra ARCs/Reviews:
1. Death Runs Adrift by Karen MacInerney - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
2. Murder in Merino by Sally Goldenbaum - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
3. Ritual Tea by Mario Zeleny - Pump Up Your Book
4. Moving Day by Jonathan Stone - TLC Book Tours
5. Murder is Academic by Lesley A. Diehl - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
Some days I had two reviews in one day, or more than five in one week. That is too much (for me). So I'm making a conscious effort not to have so crazy a month of reviews from now on.
Here's whats on the plate for June:
1. 100 Proof Stud by A.J. Lapes - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
2. Lemonade Revealed by Will Chluho - TLC Book Tours
3. Sense of Entitlement by Anna Loan-Wilsey - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
4. Someone You Know by Brian McGilloway - Partners in Crime Tours
5. Thread End by Amanda Lee - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
6. A Photographic Death by Judi Culbertson - Partners in Crime Tours
7. Drive Bye by Amy Saunders - Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours
8. The Bone Church by Victoria Dougherty - Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Week in Review/Week Ahead
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here:Sunday Post Meme
LAST WEEK'S NEWS
1. When Camels Fly by NLB Horton (guest post & review)
2. The Loved and the Lost by Lory Kaufman (review)
3. Murder is Academic by Lesley A. Diehl (author interview & review)
COMING UP THIS WEEK
1. 100 Proof Stud by A.J. Lape (review-Tuesday)
2. Lemonade Revealed by Will Chluho (review - Wednesday)
3. A Sense of Entitlement by Anna Loan-Wilsey (review - Friday)
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