When life's kicking your butt, how about a theme song? It's all about the ukulele!

I just realized it's November! It was the spectacular show of color this morning that clued me in. Plus the very unhappy kid raking a mile of yellow on the sidewalk. I smiled huge at the thought of sending my petulant teenager to rake and scoop leaves. My mind jumped from that thought to the first fall I spent in Washington. I was homesick and surrounded by strangers, but the colors fed a part of my soul that has never gone hungry since. There was this one day I was determined to rake leaves just like in the movies. Since I didn't have a lawn because I lived in the dorms I walked and walked looking for some old person who should not be raking leaves in the first place. Apparently, Tacoma is filled with spry elderly because I had not a single taker. So happy fall! Here's to yummy hot coffees and colors that make our hearts sing. And on that note (I'm killing with these puns!), here's my November theme song. It's all about the ukulele (for no good reason).

Joe Brown singing I'll See You In My Dreams

Writer or collector?

This week while I measured and cut a thousand times making flashcards for the team I work with a teacher down the hall read a story to his class. Maybe his door was open, probably not. The man can project. But while I counted and cut, I smiled and kept smiling because he was creating memories. He was cementing his presence as a teacher who loves teaching and I cataloged him for my writer shelf alongside my eighth grade math teacher who told my mom not to worry about my grade. "She'll get it."

It got me to thinking about the rest of the memories on my shelves. A hoarder of feelings and senses ready to be dusted off and carefully held in a story of my choosing I sometimes feel like I should come with a disclaimer: I will collect you in some way. Sorry.





By mat Walker from Brighton, UK (Video archive) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

Grit

There's this hill at the end of my weekend bridge runs I call John's Hill. My 6 year old told me I can make it up the hill, but I have to think I can. So I named it after him. It's a beast and I am not a graceful runner. My blindingly bright shoes clop. My lungs crush air into this terrible sawing noise I do my best to hush if another runner crosses my path. My undermining thoughts try to convince me I could walk the dang thing faster. Then I remember one word. Grit. I'm running the hill because I decided to. Nothing more is needed. I figure reaching certain dreams are like that too.






"By RustyObjects (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"

When life's kicking your butt, how about a theme song? Movie trailers have the best songs!

Happy October! I drive by a park on my way to work with the best trees for fall. Tall and ancient, standing stoically beautiful in a tight traffic zone. Last week the colors took my breath away and had me daydreaming at the start of my day. So I think it's time for a wistful dreamy kind of song. The second I heard it during a preview for the movie Pan, I was hooked (haha, get it, hooked, Peter Pan). Here's I Believe by Christina Perri.

More Kristen Ashley Love! Buddy read time with Fire Inside!

Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley rocked. Laney Heron decides it’s time to start living again, at least the hot steamy sex part of living, and chooses Hop Kincaid to volley her into this new world. Hop’s never touched class like Laney. She’s always been this untouchable beauty and then he touches her (and more). He’s upfront with her. She’s explosive with him. Honesty and drama. It’s an addictive combination once you throw in a motorcycle club and romance. Bookworm Brandee and I buddy read it, which means we ignored our family, holed up and went on a reading bender, and then tore ourselves away from the book long enough to gush about it with each other. Here’s our chat.



(Brandee) I've been waiting for you to start this conversation but I thought I throw a few of my thoughts your way. :)

Can you believe how Lanie just propositioned Hop? This woman...she has cajones. And she definitely bit off more than she thought she could chew. I liked that Hop really had to consider the ramifications of what would happen if they got together. I'm still waiting for the shit to hit the fan.

I don't remember how far I was into or what exactly Hop was saying, but I thought that I love how simplistically he looks at things. Not like everything is simple but that in his world, things are this way or they're not. I like his way of looking at the world and his place in it.

I adore Lanie's inner monologues. Getting to know her history, what went down that was alluded to in Own the Wind, I can see why she was fighting Hop. And I could see why her brain was "fucked up", as Hop said. So getting to hear her thoughts on how she saw herself and why she thought she had nothing to give...yeah, that was some good stuff.

Hop's kids are AWESOME! Sometimes when authors put kids in a story, it feels wrong or like it's a plot device. But seeing Hop with Molly and Cody, seeing how they all interact, seeing Lanie with them...it feels right. And it shows this whole other level to Hop. One that I like A. LOT. And I agreed with Lanie when she told him, "You're a good man, Hopper Kincaid."

I'm really liking that although Hop and Lanie come from different worlds, and kinda live in different ones, they just work. I know it's because they both don't give a shit what people think - and that's an attitude I'd love to adopt - but don't you think it's something that a badass biker, who's obviously all Alpha, can deal with the fact that his woman is a corporate success? That she can provide things for herself? Most men would be intimidated by that. But Hop is all "Anything you need, lady, I'm there for you one way or another."

Which reminds me about when he first started using "lady". I didn't quite know what to think and was thinking it was kinda derogatory. When he explained, I melted. MELTED.

Lanie has a backbone, which I really like. Her standing up to her Dad? That was excellent!

Oh, and getting Hop's life story was also excellent. I melted some more when he told Lanie he didn't learn from his parents...he'd learned from doing. But he *did* learn and knew what he wanted to keep forever. *swoon*

Okay, I don't want to go on and on...I hope you're enjoying this as much as me. I have a good feeling that you are. You're so right...KA just does *not* disappoint.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two more things....

The mustache...you know I'm not a huge fan of facial hair. And I have to say that I didn't imagine Hop looking like he does after meeting him in OtW, but he's sex on a stick, even with the 'tache.

Aaand, he's my new book boyfriend. Because... "Music is poetry, babe. Each note is a word that's uniquely crafted to go with the next note. For me, the only way it gets better is if you put that to lyrics." Yep. Gotta love a man like that. ;)


(Rob) Oh, KA, I love you so much. Okay, now that the fangirling is out of the way...I could not believe Lanie's boldness when she walked up to Hop and propositioned him. And then the no strings attached bit was so convincing I was taking it one day at a time with them. Hop's reaction, his respect for her and ability to see trouble walking won me over immediately. When he walked through her place and told himself he didn't get to have a look around and get to know her that way, the gesture was generous in a way I wasn't expecting. He wasn't going to take what wasn't given to him. Book girl crush time.

It's a strange layout again with this one where we get bits and pieces of this big drama in Lanie's past but it worked even better in book two. The bits we were given we needed to understand the push and pull she was doing with Hop (and herself). Didn't you just love Hop's role as shield? He wasn't down with her losing all that beauty and life to the "monster." He was all about being part of a team in whatever way he could support her. And you are so right that her money didn't seem to play a factor with him just as much as him being a biker and member of an MC didn't bother her.

What about Hop's honesty? I was so shocked the first time he brought up a previous hookup and than even more shocked at her ultra grown up reaction. Do you think she could be like that because he made it so clear she's a lady to him and nothing less and he's never had anything but less? I'm thinking I'd tell the guy not to tell me about a bathroom stall bang. There is the age factor. He's 40, she's 38. Gotta say, that rocked! Plus he's a dad. You don't get that very often and the kids were awesome. There wasn't a forced parent makeover for a few pages in the book whenever Hop had his kids around.

Oh, the freaking tache! I'm so annoyed that KA has finally done it. I actually find it hot that Hop has a tache. Ugh! But he is so hot and man. I hated it on Luke and pretended to miss all facial hair references. Man!

Okay, I'm off to read more. Love being back with Chaos!
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I finished! It feels like I went on a reading bender and read it in a single day, maybe it's just that the story is right there, taking over my thoughts.

The music is poetry business was huge! Epic! In book one I wasn't impressed with the tidbits we learned about Hop, which was through Shy's and Tabby's eyes. I remember Tabby hoping the best for Lanie and it's so cool at the same time Lanie was thinking the same thing. That's one of the neat things about KA and always has been, girl solidarity. I loved the part early on with Lanie doing that stupid thing going to that rough neck bar and being sold out by a fellow girl. She was mostly pissed about that. And then how Lanie didn't like Hop's early descriptions of Mitzy. What a piece of work that one. Even Lanie's mom who has a long way to go to redeem herself never lost her girls' support when she needed it. KA also gives men credit too, not just with the brotherhood, but she lets them be deep and shallow at the same time and she lets them be so over the top alpha they get what they want, but boy do they work/pay for it.

Did you catch the part about the song doesn't have to be eternal, but if you have a rhyme to share, a story to tell, it's worth it? That had to come out of the heart of an indie writer. Well, and Debbie Macomber because she says the same thing.

For whatever reason I got a Rock Chick Revolution vibe, Ally and Ren's story, not the action, but the push and pull of the relationship maybe. Not sure, but now I want to re-read that one.


(Brandee) So, I had to wait until you were done because there were things I wanted to say but I couldn't remember where these things were in the timeline and I didn't want to spoil anything. :)

I believed Lanie when she said 'one night' too. But that admission she makes towards the end. Damn! That and all the things Hop had to say had me tied up in knots. Oh, and the "I don't get this" that they both felt - I broke my heart, honestly, because we could see how much they both wanted all those things they didn't feel they 'got' because they didn't have *that* kind of relationship. Even though they totally did.

The layout was similar but I didn't get lost in the timeline this time. I think it was because it was usually 1 week or 2 weeks later. I did like how KA presented the backstory in bits and pieces. I liked that those bits were usually given when Lanie and Hop were sharing honest moments and were laying it all out. It was interesting that they both had monsters that needed slaying - and that they were both able to help one another slay those monsters...they gave each other that.

So I was wrong about Lanie's job not being mentioned because it did end up being mentioned but that they each accepted one another, respected one another, just how they came was something. I think we *all* look for that in our friendships and relationships. Those two could definitely jump into the deep end over words, but I admit to being irritated when Hop told Lanie she should know what kind of man he is. Yes, that's true and she did, in her heart. But her monster would of course raise it's head over the information she'd learned because of her history. And yes, she pulled a drama over it - but Hop knew her and her reactions, so even though her words were awful, it shouldn't have surprised him.

Hop and Lanie were very intense...and although they kept certain things from each other, at least initially, they were nothing if not honest. No, I wouldn't want all his honesty if it were me. But I like that you said Lanie reacted in a grown up way. Because she absolutely did. I'm not sure I could be that mature. *ha* His words about how he'd never do her in a stall because a lady shouldn't be treated that way...crude but sooo swoonworthy!

And I was absolutely tickled about their ages being so close to ours. It's nice to read hot romances with couples who are 'mature'. *winks* I loved watching both Hop and Lanie with his kids. And you're right - he was always just Hop whether he had his kids or not. I admired that about him. But with Hop, you got what you saw.

So KA won you over to the dark side, huh? I admit I kinda thought Luke rocked the stache but Hop...H.O.T. I have such a vivid image of him in my mind and he rocks a 'tache like no one else. Mm-mmm!! (not that I want my man to grow one!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm still thinking about Lanie and Hop too and I've had to move on! But I gotta say I have a heckavu book hangover. KA always does that to me...

I'm glad you enjoyed the music element as well. I had to youtube You'll Accompany Me because I didn't recognize the title. And it must be said that after listening to the lyrics, it made that scene all the more poignant. I'd have been standing up in my chair yelling to Hop that he's the shit too! Man!! KA knows how to incorporate good music, doesn't she? It meant to much that Lanie was spending every night drinking wine and listening to Bob Seger when she and Hop were apart. Seger's lyrics really speak volumes about those two.

I have to tell you something...when I finished and I told my kindle to 'go to' the beginning, I realized that my copy of Fire Inside was an ARC from Netgalley. So those extra things you talked about with what Hop said about music? They weren't in my copy. And I'm thinking I'm going to have to buy a copy just so I can read it again - and see what changed. (yeah, that's totally the only reason why *winks*)

KA does have a way of conveying the importance of sisterhood - how did you say it? Oh, girl solidarity. Yeah. I do like how all her heroines have their girls at their backs. It is important. And girls should always back their girls - whether they know each other or not. You're right that she does the same for her Alphas. She stresses the loyalty factor between them and they do all have each others' backs...maybe more so than the girls, at times. I've not experienced a 'family' of friends having my back but I like the idea. And chickie, I've ALWAYS got YOUR back, distance be damned.

I didn't get the Rock Chick Revolution vibe while reading but I can see where it would have come from. There was a lot of push and pull between Lanie and Hop, just like with Ally and Ren, if for different reasons. I liked the push and pull between Lanie and Hop better because it wasn't just a matter of a misunderstanding or just being plain ornery. (sorry, Ally!) Lanie and Hop had been through a lot of shit. They had their monsters to contend with. But they had something special and I was so glad they fought for it. Although, I had my doubts a few times.

I'm thinking the second week of August for the next Chaos book. What do you think? My kids have band camp that week and it'll be a nice to lose myself in the Chaos world and not have to think about the fact that my kids will be scarce for the next 2 months. :)

(Rob) So you thought Luke rocked the tache? Luke. Mmm. Okay, back to Hop. When he went up on stage, weren't you right there with Lanie saying What? What? How could you add rock star to the already long list of awesomeness? I had to youtube the song too. You're right about KA knowing her music. She always seems to incorporate music into her books and in different ways.

One thing I'm still missing is the zaniness. I want some crazy and not just Lanie's brand of crazy that makes her break up with Hop a million times. But I get it, this is a motorcycle club and they can't all have a thing for fancy coffees and old bookstores. We did get a RC world cameo. Teeny cameo and it still made me grin.

Now we have book 3 calling out to us and this massive book hangover that is still hanging. So mid-August and we'll see who these two new characters are since they are both a mystery to us. Lexxie gave it 5 stars though. Oh, last thought, isn't it always a surprise how many pages KA's books are because we read them like they're novellas?

More KA. More buddy reads. I hope we get more of the Beneto storyline because I'd like to see his ass severely kicked. He is not nice.


(Brandee) I did think Luke rocked his 'stache. Man, he's all kinds of yum. Yet still not my favorite Hot Bunch guy. ;) I'm thinking Hop is my favorite Chaos guy though. But it is a close race because Shy...that is all. But Hop has so much going for him - his age, his kids, his honesty, his former rock star status, his knight in leather armor status...see what I mean? Totally my newest book boyfriend. :)

The zaniness is not there - I don't count Lanie's behavior - and I do miss it. I think KA tried to inject some of it with Elvira but since she's seen so little, it's not much zaniness. But I also like that there's a little more seriousness in this series. The Chaos brothers set a different tone than the Hot Bunch. They don't have a Tex or a Duke. But I'm thinking that's okay. I do really, really like that KA gives us glimpses of those characters though. ;)

Mid-August baby. We'll hit #3. I admit I'm kinda nervous since it's new characters but hey, I was nervous to start this series and it's been an amazing ride so far. I was glad to see Lexxie gave it 5-Stars because that means KA is *still* rocking. I don't know how I'll feel if she ever disappoints me. I don't even want to think about it, honestly. Oh, and yes I am always shocked at how long her books are. Because they absolutely do *not* feel long. I inhale and devour them and I know you do too. She's just that good. And I'm looking forward to a good ass kicking of Benito. He is not a good guy...

Rachel Caine rocks the planet with Ink and Bone! Review time!

I tore through this story, not quickly, but with this hunger to be in the middle of Jess's world, to be inside his head and know the people around him. From the beginning your heart will pound. Even as a young kid his introspection crawled into my heart and took over. The world is an alternative here-and-now with this all-seeing, all-knowing Library that controls all information, even controls how, when, and where you have access to it. You can imagine not everyone liked that plan for society. So there are your activists, the Burners. Then you have the black market traders who like that plan because it's their bread and butter. The idealists are a danger to everyone, especially themselves. The bad guys range in degrees. But throughout there was this creeping dread that no one had it right yet. The Burners have some thoughts on the right track, but mostly they are a bunch of crazies. The Library scholars live in golden towers far removed from the real world. The young idealists who desperately want to become scholars fight to serve the Library, but fight even harder to hold onto their long held vision of an ideal run amuck. Rachel Caine's Ink and Bone had a very Orwellian vibe all the way down to the feeling that this could have been performed over the radio with static and voices that drew you in. There was also a steampunk slash hopeless dystopian feel. The world building was phenomenal. The characters will be with me...forever. I'm hooked. On a book girl side note, I remember reading an emotional post from Rachel Caine years ago about censorship. I think it was in response to hate mail or some internet troll and when I started reading Ink and Bone I thought of my walkaway feelings from that post of Caine's, that any kind of censorship is a suffocating band around freedom. She didn't say it like that, but I had to breathe deeply after reading it. If I was a betting girl I'd say Caine spun those feelings until an amazing intricate world was formed and created Ink and Bone.

Friday funny!

Happy Friday people! Here's a funny youtube video to send you on your way to good times!

#LGBT Reading Challenge sign up post! Plus a music video.

I'm doing it. Committing to a reading challenge. Yep. Last year I participated in LGBT month and as a result discovered so many wonderful books I just had to read. I added them to my TBR list and they have remained there patiently sitting through one reading bender after another. My most recent has been Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles. So good, but not LGBT at all unless things switch up pretty drastically. There's still a chance Cinder hooks up with Scarlet, but I doubt it. If you're interested in signing up, click on the pretty purple graphic to learn more about it. I plan to hit the Genre Hopper category of reading 3-10 LGBT books from any genre. 

Oh, and just because here's a Shane Mack song from the movie Shelter. Good stuff. Happy reading, people!

Author talks, they really do reach new readers. Honest.

I love author talks, can't get enough of them (not that I have a fangirling problem or anything). It all started with Debbie Macomber sharing her story at my library. I had seen her books at the grocery store, but never snatched one off the shelf to read the blurb. When she walked up to the podium and smiled, I instantly thought of my Aunt Sherry and became a fan. She said something along the lines of 'If you write a book, others should read it.' So far I've read Starry Night and Mrs. Miracle. Loved them!

Then I went to a couple writers' conferences. Ann Aguirre and Victoria Dahl are so cool. That's what I thought when I listened to them. Aguirre made me laugh and dream. She also wore a plush unicorn hat on her head during her speech. Dahl made me laugh and cry. She told us she belonged to a secret writers' group, but if she revealed any of the members she'd have to wear a penis hat for an entire day. Ann Aguirre nodded enthusiastically to this (I'm thinking she's one of the secret members). Their books rock the planet. Total fan here. 

A couple months ago I went to listen to mystery writer J.A. Jance talk. I hadn't even heard of her. She has this laugh, this crazy laugh that bursts out of her. I jumped in my seat the first time I heard it. Her author talk made me laugh (because of her laugh) and cry. What is up with these authors cracking my super tough exterior? A coworker of mine loaned me one of her books. Loved it! I told my mom and we just did a buddy read of Edge of Evil. I confess I read it in a couple days. I tried to pace myself, but Jance has an easy writing style and a great main character in Ali Lawson.

Do you have a list of authors you would love hear talk? Here are few on my list. Craig Johnson, Katie McGarry, Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, Kristen Ashley, Richelle Mead, Nalini Singh....

How about all you authors and future authors out there, can you see yourself giving an author talk? I can totally see myself standing up at a podium cursing at the microphone/sound system and having a great time.

"By Victorvoice (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"

12th Man girl on her wobble board

So I'm new to this whole loving football thing. I started out sitting in my big chair with my laptop clicking away and checking the game every time my mom and sister told me to look at the replays. Today the computer sat downstairs while I stood on my wobble board (those balance boards you always trip over if you have one in your home) for the whole game. I shouted and cheered...along the lines of "Get em'! Negative yards! Intercept! and of course my staple because I'm a mom "Have fun guys!" I jumped up and down, twisted back and forth like some oldies tune was playing, and stood on one foot in total kick ass Zen mode. I was voted loudest in the house and when we won, and boy did the Seahawks win, I jumped on my mom and sister who were sitting on the couch, I mean crowd surfing jumped. How the hell do people sit and watch a game? It's impossible.

Go Hawks!

"By SeahawkScreamer (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"

Sidekick Showcase [55] National Homeless Youth Awareness Month

Sidekick Showcase is a monthly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on the first Saturday of the month, then whichever day during the month that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in the week's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, click the 'Sidekicks' link in my header and enter the link for your post. Here, you can also see anyone else that posted during the month to visit their Sidekick Showcase's as well.

Topic ideas for November are Soldier (November 10 is the birthday of the United States Marine Corps), Children (National Homeless Youth Awareness Month) or bearded folk (No Shave November).

My sidekick pick this month is Julie from the world of Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. We first meet Julie in Magic Burns. She's a tough street kid you could accuse of being broken, but the girl never quits. Despite the total crapfest that is her life, she lights up ever scene because she is just that kind of person. I guess she's like Kate, just not beat down in the same way. I'm not sure what would have happened to Kate if she hadn't met Julie, but my guess is that Kate would have continued on the path of no attachments. She would have run from love or even the chance of love. She would have died somewhere around book 3 and then we wouldn't be biting our nails for book 8! Go Julie!

If I were to cast Julie, I'd choose Shailene Woodley (think her angsty role in The Descendants). 

"By Nick Step (Shailene Woodley) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"

Simple Pleasures

A while back I decided to write a sports book. I love sports movies. I love YA contemporary romances. And I freaking love basketball. My five year old had just joined his first basketball team. It was inspiring (and adorable).  

Obviously I needed to get into the head of my main character...meaning I had to get back to shooting hoops, something I hadn't done in over a decade. So I escaped every chance I could get and shot around. Forty-five minutes here, an hour there, and man, sore bloody fingers everywhere. I became obsessed. 

Then one day with the sun setting and the outdoor hidden away court getting dark, I tried a hook shot. I do not shoot hook shots because I sort of suck. And it dawned on me. I didn't give a shit about writing this story, not really. I didn't even have a name for my main character. I stood frozen with the ball locked in place with my feet and a scene running over and over in my head. My dad visiting from Colorado passing the ball back and forth with my son in the garage because it was raining outside. "The leukemia makes me tired," he said as he bent down to pick up the ball. Shit. 

My dad wasn't going to teach John how to play when John reached his high school years the way he taught me. Those nights on the court with my dad built a relationship I'd never had with him. We talked and laughed. One time I cussed, but we were playing 2 on 2 so it was okay. I wasn't good enough of a player to teach John. That's all I could think before I shut it down, before I gave myself the lie that a paranormal romance writer who loved the world of weird was suddenly going to go straight up contemporary. 

I shot around here and there, but it broke my heart a little each time. Then the boys were back in school. I was back at work. Life distanced me from the lie that drove me and the truth that stopped me, and the ball sat in the trunk of my car.

Yesterday after growling at my flat ball, I walked across the street and asked my neighbor if he had a pump. He did. It was the very best feeling to dribble that ball again. I smiled and shot. Maybe I bounced a little I was that happy. And then I tried a terrible hook shot and laughed. It was good stuff. 

Pick me ups for your Friday!!

If you need a boost just in case it being Friday isn't enough (crazy talk!), here are a few pick me ups!

Say It, Just Say It by The Mowgli's 

I first heard this song at the end of the movie Blended with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore (fun movie). It's a dance with both arms while bouncing around and smiling kind of song.

Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt is an awesome ride! The preview and that song make it out be so dark and desperate. But it's funny too! The first time I laughed I replayed the scene because I thought I was possibly just loopy. Nope. Not loopy (people who know me don't even). And the relationship between Cruise and Blunt is a slow build. In his previous sci-fi movie Oblivion, Cruise scored with 2 different chicks even though the world had ended and the human population was close to nil (uh, I still liked it). If you want a fun, action packed movie, with tons of shit that blows up, and a dose of dark humor, jump in!

I'm late to the party, but The Mysteries of Laura is so good! Debra Messing rocks as a working mom in a tough job with a new ex-"man child" husband, two kids, and a badge. Check it out because the writing is fresh along with the snark.

And finally a book because...no because.

This looks like your typical paranormal/urban fantasy/sci-fi romance. Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews is not so much a romance as a kick ass book with a kick ass girl who kicks ass. A bit much? There's humor, family bickering/bantering, a shitty hot guy, magic, a messed up caste system, a hot guy who throws around fire so much he always ends up shirtless (don't blame him, it's his magic's fault), and to top it off, you'll fall into a mystery that only builds as the story moves along.

You all have a great weekend!! Any pick me ups you can share? Cats falling off furniture vids? Those really get me.

When life's kicking your butt, how about a theme song? [11] Foreign language time!

Did November sneak up on anyone else? The year is almost over and I haven't been the most productive author girl. But the kids are good and I'm loving my job and it's fall! So it's all good. I've been wanting to do a foreign language song theme for a while now and here it is! I'm cheating and doing a runner up just so I can have two songs. hehe

I fell in love with Via Con Me by Paolo Conte from the French Kiss soundtrack.

And I just had to include "I Love You for Sentimental Reasons" by Karl Zero from the X-Files episode titled "Improbable" guest starring Burt Reynolds. It's one of my favorites!

How about you all? Are there any songs you love that you try to sing along to even though you have no clue what the words are?

I think middle school/puberty/7th grade homework is going to kill me.

Ever wonder how you made it out of middle school alive? My 7th grade days were not pretty, not with the cussing, bad hair phase, and determination to dismiss any and all authority. I had two best friends. One had fresh ketchup stains on her uniform shirt by the morning bell every day. The other was a living angel. Seriously a beautiful person. I had a certain rapport with the teachers. They didn't like me and I didn't like them. They actually got together and agreed to fail me if I ever turned in another paper written in cursive. Well, fine, my print was pretty terrible too. And I had an arch nemesis. She insulted me every day and I flipped her off (in my head). But I made it. Now that I'm a mom, I wonder how my mother survived my middle school years.

See where this is going? My oldest is in 7th grade. He is no longer the smiley sweet little guy who gave me pats on the back. Now he tells me, "Fine, I'll follow your lame-o rules!" He's actually very unpleasant, swears like a sailor, and can't stand anyone telling him what to do! What is that about? And school? Forget about cooperation to get him through that particular chore. Let's take his science class. 

"Will, do you have science H/W for tomorrow?" 

"Dunno." 

"Check." He checks after telling me he's tired of people bossing him around. 

"Yep." Since he doesn't have a textbook (budget cuts), I ask him what we're supposed to do. "Well Mom, you require five things to complete the task." 

"Uh" 

"First, you need a rubber band." 

"Wait, I need five things?" 

"Yes, first you need a rubber band. Second you need wax paper." 

"Uh." 

"Third you need a block of wood." 

"Wood? What?" 

"Fourth you need a force scale." 

"No, that's not even a real thing." 

"Fifth, you need a meter stick." Well, shit.

"Darrin Antrobus [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons"

Feeling giddy anyone? Check out this song.

Crushing on anyone new or looking to crush on the one you've been with forever? Fall into this song (I like you by Ben Rector) and get giddy. It's a little bit of magic I tell you!

I'm a terrible football girl

Some of you know I'm a total sports movie girl, but my mom and sister have been on a year long push to suck me into the world of the Seahawks and everything else football. I used to hang out on my computer during the games and now I growl if they change the channel to watch one of their shows before a game is over. That is not right. I'm not even sure what's happening here, but it's possible I love football. I love it when there's a loose ball and the guys just keep jumping on top of the pile. It's even more fun when the refs have to toss the players off the pile. I'm starting to have favorite players on other teams too. That has to be a bad non-football girl sign. Like Cam Newton. Wow. A few weeks ago Jon Ryan faked the other team out and instead of kicking the ball (punting?), he ran it in for a first down. I jumped to my feet, "That's just like in the movies!"

"By Doublezero at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons"

Double Review Time, Folks!! robgirlbooks' reviews of Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles and Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews

4-ish STARS! Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles is a hard one to rate. Ashtyn doesn't have an easy life. Her father has completely checked out and she's pretty sure love means running away. There is one thing she truly believes in...football, not watching it, but playing for her high school. Derek is a spoiled arrogant jerk, but he's loyal, introspective, hot, and totally damaged. Love means running away for him too. You can guess their lives crash into each other and not smoothly either. Derek won me over pretty quickly. Ashtyn drove me crazy. She said she's this tough chick, but never once showed me that. She loves football, but we never get the chance to play a game with her. I wanted inside her head. I wanted to smell the grass and dirt, even the locker room. I just wanted her to pull me into her world because it's one I've never known. I had a lot of issues with this book, but I read it in a day. Elkeles also wrote the Perfect Chemistry Series (one of my favorites). I enjoy her writing and look forward to the next installment. I have to say the grandma completely stole the show. She could have her own story and I'd read it for sure.

5 FAT STARS!! Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels 4.5) by Ilona Andrews is so awesome. When I first met Dali I couldn't wait for her to have a novella. She's a rare white tiger. She's nutty. She acts more like a cute insecure petulant teenager than a brilliant shapeshifter. And she has the biggest crush. I love crushes! Shapeshifter Jim, AKA Scary Jim, Asshole Jim, Head of Security Jim is a mystery wrapped in a beautiful man. He makes hard calls and doesn't cry in his beer about it. See where this is going? Well, now Jim's life is at stake and Dali has to save him. Yay! As a total bonus, we get insight into Kate (who I'm pretty sure is still in the dark about what we learn-hehe). Read this novella. If you haven't started the series, come on! 

Thanks for stopping by! In case you  missed it, I just released Shadow Town: Maggie Lane Chronicles #1, my first foray into New Adult Paranormal Romance. You can find Maggie's story on Amazon and Smashwords.