This is it! I’m heading out tomorrow for the RT Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. Can hardly contain my excitement!
If you are in the New Orleans area, or will be attending the conference, stop by and say hi! I’d love to see you at any of these events:
Oddities Emporium Masquerade Workshop, Wednesday, May 14, 12pm to 1pm
Series Soiree, Harlequin Authors, Friday May 16, 11:15am to 12:15pm
Ruby Slipper Burlesque Revue, Friday May 16, 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Giant Book Fair, Saturday May 17, 11am to 2pm
If you can't make it to Louisiana, but live in the southern US, consider joining me at the Heart of Dixie Romance Readers Luncheon in Huntsville, AL on June 14. I'll be hosting a table there with author Ella Sheridan, and signing books at the Charity Book Fair afterward. Registration is now underway here.
Dani
*Train Doors by Mark Ahsmann (WikiCommons)
*Canal St. Streetcar by Nicolas Larchet (WikiCommons)
If you are in the New Orleans area, or will be attending the conference, stop by and say hi! I’d love to see you at any of these events:
Oddities Emporium Masquerade Workshop, Wednesday, May 14, 12pm to 1pm
Series Soiree, Harlequin Authors, Friday May 16, 11:15am to 12:15pm
Ruby Slipper Burlesque Revue, Friday May 16, 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Giant Book Fair, Saturday May 17, 11am to 2pm
If you can't make it to Louisiana, but live in the southern US, consider joining me at the Heart of Dixie Romance Readers Luncheon in Huntsville, AL on June 14. I'll be hosting a table there with author Ella Sheridan, and signing books at the Charity Book Fair afterward. Registration is now underway here.
Dani
*Train Doors by Mark Ahsmann (WikiCommons)
*Canal St. Streetcar by Nicolas Larchet (WikiCommons)
Aargh! I’m drowning in work stuff, kid stuff, writing stuff…and now my brain has said its HAD ENOUGH!
Sound familiar? Or am I the only over-achiever wannabe in the room? I want to be the best Mom, wife, daughter, employee, writer I can be. Until I run down with exhaustion. Not good.
So I’m adopting a concept I’ve used with my kids and have heard of others doing. I take a “Mental Health Day”. As a planner, mine have an agenda, of course. They must involve some combination of the following:
1. No work.
That means no day job (if I have PTO, sometimes even if I don’t), but sometimes I schedule it for those oh-too-few Monday holidays. It also means no writing, typing, research, blogging, etc. Yes, writing is fun, but its work for the brain – which needs rest and recuperation.
2. Have fun.
No dishes or laundry. Only activities that I enjoy and refill my depleted energy and enthusiasm. Mine include: reading, watching movies, and scrapbooking.
3. Take a nap.
My perfect day includes an uninterrupted nap. That’s just me. You might have a different heavenly activity, but I love to snuggle down into a fuzzy blanket mid-afternoon and drift away for a while.
I don't get to indulge in them nearly often enough, but I think days whose sole purpose is to renew and refresh your brain are very important. Those are my 3 must-haves for a perfect Mental Health Day. What are yours?
Sound familiar? Or am I the only over-achiever wannabe in the room? I want to be the best Mom, wife, daughter, employee, writer I can be. Until I run down with exhaustion. Not good.
So I’m adopting a concept I’ve used with my kids and have heard of others doing. I take a “Mental Health Day”. As a planner, mine have an agenda, of course. They must involve some combination of the following:
1. No work.
That means no day job (if I have PTO, sometimes even if I don’t), but sometimes I schedule it for those oh-too-few Monday holidays. It also means no writing, typing, research, blogging, etc. Yes, writing is fun, but its work for the brain – which needs rest and recuperation.
2. Have fun.
No dishes or laundry. Only activities that I enjoy and refill my depleted energy and enthusiasm. Mine include: reading, watching movies, and scrapbooking.
3. Take a nap.
My perfect day includes an uninterrupted nap. That’s just me. You might have a different heavenly activity, but I love to snuggle down into a fuzzy blanket mid-afternoon and drift away for a while.
I don't get to indulge in them nearly often enough, but I think days whose sole purpose is to renew and refresh your brain are very important. Those are my 3 must-haves for a perfect Mental Health Day. What are yours?
SNOW BOUND BLOG TOUR
Have you ever wished you could be snowed in with someone really special? I'm sharing my favorite snow bound memories today at author Delilah Devlin's blog! As always, there will be a giftie to win! Comment and you may just be chosen for Snow Bound prize, including hot chocolate, a lap blanket, and $5 gift card.
Please join me as I visit with Delilah and her readers at http://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/
During the month of October, I've seen more than my share of pumpkins, hay rides, and scarecrows. But I haven't really delved into the heart of Halloween: spooky, scary, and screaming!
Now, I have to admit, I was raised a little too puritanical to get into the ghosts and goblins. My children will go neighborhood Trick or Treating as Trigger Happy (Skylanders) and an Eskimo princess (though I suspect we are almost to the end of Book Worm’s trips). But when it comes to adult Halloween indulgences, I absolutely love SCARY MOVIES!!! This time of the year, I'm reminded of all my faves when they start playing the 100 Scariest Movies on Bravo. Love that show! I could watch it over and over again (as long as the kids aren't up).
[caption id="attachment_180" align="aligncenter" width="209"]
Oldie but Goodie[/caption]
I know, I know. What is a sweet, innocent thing like me doing watching scary movies? I mean, really, I'm honestly scared of just about everything else! It is a true paradox. What amazes me is that none of my friends or family seem to like them, except my husband. He has the joy of being able to brag to his friends that I don’t drag him to see chick flicks – oh, no, he gets to go see horror and suspense/action flicks instead! My hubby knows that he turn any horror movie from Netflix, no matter how cheesy, and I'll watch it. Pack the kids off to bed, turn off the lights, put on the headphones, and check frequently over my shoulder in case the boogey man shows up.
Here are some of my faves:
Favorite slasher film: As a whole, straight slasher flicks aren't my first choice of watching material. I only like a select few and they have to be really well done for me to watch them again. Of course, the original HALLOWEEN must get a nod. Scary stuff. But my favorite is SCREAM, Wes Craven's clever spoof on slasher films. Intelligent and funny, this one gets my vote. The sequels weren’t bad either.
Favorite zombie movie: RESIDENT EVIL!!! Evil corporations, underground cities, zombie attack dogs, and walking dead people.... What's not to love? Milla Jovovich kicks serious butt! She has to, or she couldn't go on to make three sequels. The second was even better than the first, especially since it featured one of my favorite hotties, Oded Fehr. *fans self* I suggest you wait to rent the third if you must see it. I was disappointed. Maybe I’ll get to see the fourth in the theaters?
Favorite horror comedy: Want a little laugh with your horror? Try SHAUN OF THE DEAD. This movie cracked me up with its off-the-wall jokes, dumb zombies, romance, and great acting, all pulled off with cool English accents.
Favorite ghosts: ROSE RED, a made-for-tv movie written by Stephen King about a house haunted by Ellen Rimbauer and her servant Sukeena. A team of paranormal investigators spend the weekend trapped in the house, where they are killed off one by one. I have this one on DVD and have watched it many times.
Favorite Stephen King: ROSE RED, since it won in two different categories, see description above. Another one of King's I love is IT. I first watched this mini-series as a teenager in my future husband's basement bedroom, no lights, with seven other teens. Every little noise had us screaming bloody murder!
But my favorite part of the Stephen King movies is to watch and see if King will make an appearance. He usually does, except in 1408, I believe. But I've only seen that once, so I may have missed it.
Favorite Old School: Anything Vincent Price, but the one I always have time for is PIT AND THE PENDULUM. We have a movie collection of his on DVD.
Favorite psychological thriller: IDENTITY with John Cusack. I love him!!! This movie features a group of people trapped at a run down motel, and they have to figure out how they are connected. This one had me guessing until the end.
Favorite television series: THE WALKING DEAD. A group of survivors trying to live through a zombie apocalypse and have some sort of normal existence. Ups, downs, and lots of slaughter.
Show that scared me the most: Dark Castle's remake of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. It took me a really long time to rewatch this movie about people invited to an abandoned insane asylum, where they must survive the night to win a million dollars. Geoffrey Rush revises Vincent Price's role (and looks a lot like him, too). There are lots of flashbacks to the time when the asylum was open and experiments conducted on its patients. Just too freaky for me. Although, I find THE RING freakier, but since I haven’t actually been able to make myself watch it, it doesn’t count.
Well, I hope I've inspired you to go rent a scary movie for Halloween night and pile up on the couch with the hubby and some popcorn to watch it. In the dark. Even if it is only SCOOBY DOO AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER...
Tell us your favorite spooky movie or scary movie story!
Dani
Oldie but Goodie[/caption]
I know, I know. What is a sweet, innocent thing like me doing watching scary movies? I mean, really, I'm honestly scared of just about everything else! It is a true paradox. What amazes me is that none of my friends or family seem to like them, except my husband. He has the joy of being able to brag to his friends that I don’t drag him to see chick flicks – oh, no, he gets to go see horror and suspense/action flicks instead! My hubby knows that he turn any horror movie from Netflix, no matter how cheesy, and I'll watch it. Pack the kids off to bed, turn off the lights, put on the headphones, and check frequently over my shoulder in case the boogey man shows up.
Here are some of my faves:
Favorite slasher film: As a whole, straight slasher flicks aren't my first choice of watching material. I only like a select few and they have to be really well done for me to watch them again. Of course, the original HALLOWEEN must get a nod. Scary stuff. But my favorite is SCREAM, Wes Craven's clever spoof on slasher films. Intelligent and funny, this one gets my vote. The sequels weren’t bad either.
Favorite zombie movie: RESIDENT EVIL!!! Evil corporations, underground cities, zombie attack dogs, and walking dead people.... What's not to love? Milla Jovovich kicks serious butt! She has to, or she couldn't go on to make three sequels. The second was even better than the first, especially since it featured one of my favorite hotties, Oded Fehr. *fans self* I suggest you wait to rent the third if you must see it. I was disappointed. Maybe I’ll get to see the fourth in the theaters?
Favorite horror comedy: Want a little laugh with your horror? Try SHAUN OF THE DEAD. This movie cracked me up with its off-the-wall jokes, dumb zombies, romance, and great acting, all pulled off with cool English accents.
Favorite ghosts: ROSE RED, a made-for-tv movie written by Stephen King about a house haunted by Ellen Rimbauer and her servant Sukeena. A team of paranormal investigators spend the weekend trapped in the house, where they are killed off one by one. I have this one on DVD and have watched it many times.
Favorite Stephen King: ROSE RED, since it won in two different categories, see description above. Another one of King's I love is IT. I first watched this mini-series as a teenager in my future husband's basement bedroom, no lights, with seven other teens. Every little noise had us screaming bloody murder!
But my favorite part of the Stephen King movies is to watch and see if King will make an appearance. He usually does, except in 1408, I believe. But I've only seen that once, so I may have missed it.
Favorite Old School: Anything Vincent Price, but the one I always have time for is PIT AND THE PENDULUM. We have a movie collection of his on DVD.
Favorite psychological thriller: IDENTITY with John Cusack. I love him!!! This movie features a group of people trapped at a run down motel, and they have to figure out how they are connected. This one had me guessing until the end.
Favorite television series: THE WALKING DEAD. A group of survivors trying to live through a zombie apocalypse and have some sort of normal existence. Ups, downs, and lots of slaughter.
Show that scared me the most: Dark Castle's remake of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. It took me a really long time to rewatch this movie about people invited to an abandoned insane asylum, where they must survive the night to win a million dollars. Geoffrey Rush revises Vincent Price's role (and looks a lot like him, too). There are lots of flashbacks to the time when the asylum was open and experiments conducted on its patients. Just too freaky for me. Although, I find THE RING freakier, but since I haven’t actually been able to make myself watch it, it doesn’t count.
Well, I hope I've inspired you to go rent a scary movie for Halloween night and pile up on the couch with the hubby and some popcorn to watch it. In the dark. Even if it is only SCOOBY DOO AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER...
Tell us your favorite spooky movie or scary movie story!
Dani