By: Robin Brande,
on 5/17/2015
Romance! Who doesn’t want that streaming into your ears? Now here’s your chance to win a free audio book edition of my romance novel FREEFALL.
But hurry! The giveaway ends Thursday at midnight so the 20 lucky winners will have their audio books ready for download at the start of the holiday.
By: Robin Brande,
on 4/13/2014
Now that I’ve outed myself as the secret author of books by Elizabeth Ruston, I can freely talk about one of the concepts in the book Love Proof.
We writers always hear “Write what you know!” Well, I’ve known many of the things I wrote about in Love Proof, including the life of a striving law student, the beginning uncertain years of practicing law, the sometimes disgusting personalities of some of the lawyers you have to deal with, and yes, even the unexpected excitement of accidentally falling in love with your opposing counsel. Yeah, that happens.
But I’ve also known the kind of poverty Sarah Henley experiences in the book. And that was really interesting for me to write about, because I know I still have some vestiges of that poverty mentality deep inside my brain. And I have to actively make choices to move myself past that way of thinking.
One of the things Sarah does in the book to deal with her own poverty mentality is to create a Flourish List. It’s an idea that came to me a few years ago, and something I tried for myself before ever putting it into my fiction.
The name comes from both definitions of flourish: “an extraneous florid embellishment” (or as Sarah puts it, “something I want, but don’t actually need”), and “a period of thriving.”
I don’t know about you, but at times I am MUCH too stingy with myself. I call it frugality, but sometimes it’s just being harsh for no great reason. Perfect example from last night: I was down to maybe the last half-squeeze on my toothpaste tube, and I could have forced out that last little bit, but I decided to make a grand gesture of actually throwing it away–that’s right, without it being fully empty (call the frugality police, go ahead)–and treated myself to a brand new tube. I’ve had to give myself that same permission with bars of soap that have already broken into multiple parts that I have to gather together in a little pile in my palm just to work up a decent sud. Lately, out they go, fresh bar, and if I feel guilty, I know it will pass.
So where did this new radical attitude come from? A few summers ago while I was backpacking in a beautiful section of the South San Juan mountain range in Colorado, I had an afternoon to myself when I sat out in a meadow, my faithful backpacking dog at my side, while my husband took off to fish. And as Bear and I sat there looking at the small white butterflies flitting over the meadow flowers, the thought occurred to me that those butterflies were not strictly necessary. Not in their dainty, pretty form. They could have been ugly and still done the job. Or they could have left their work to the yellow and brown butterflies–why do we need the extra? But having pretty white butterflies is a form of nature’s flourish.
And that led to the companion idea that if flourish is allowed in nature, wouldn’t it be all right to have some of it in my own life?
So right then and there I pulled out pen and paper and started making my Flourish List. Spent an hour writing down all the things I’d wanted for years and years, but never allowed myself to have. I’m not talking about extravagances like a private jet or a personal chef, I’m talking about small pleasures like new, pretty sheets (even though the current ones were still in perfectly good shape); new long underwear that fit better; a new bra; high-quality lotion from one of the bath and body shops; fancy bubble bath. The most expensive item on my list was a pillow-top mattress to replace the plain old Costco mattress we’d been sleeping on for the past twenty years.
I gave myself the chance to write down everything, large or small, just to see it all on paper. And you know what? It wasn’t that much. I had maybe fifteen items. Then, still sitting out in that meadow, I did a tally of what I thought it would all cost. I knew the mattress would probably be very expensive, so I estimated high (no internet connection out there in the wilderness, otherwise I could have researched actual numbers). I think I ended up estimating about $3,000 for the whole list. And that sounded pretty expensive to me. So I just put the list away and promised myself I’d start buying some of the cheaper items when we got home.
And I did. New underwear. Vanilla lotions and bubble baths. New sheets. And finally, a few months later, a pillow-top mattress, on sale, less than $400. By the time I checked off the last item on my list last fall, I had spent less than $1,000. That might still sound like a lot, but in the greater scheme I felt like it was too small an amount to have denied myself all those little pleasures all those many years. Especially if I had bought myself one of those items every year–I know I never would have noticed the cost.
So that’s my suggestion for today: Create your own Flourish List, just like Sarah and I have, and give yourself the pleasure of writing down every small or large thing you want for yourself right now. All the little treats. Maybe they’re not so little–maybe this is the year you need a new car or some other big-ticket item. But that’s a “Need” list. This is your Flourish List–everything you want but don’t necessarily need.
And then? Treat yourself. Choose one item every week or every month, and give it to yourself. And if you feel strange about replacing something you don’t like with something you know you will, then remember to pass on that other item to someone else who might love it more than you did. I’ve done that with clothes, kitchenware, books: it feels so good to take everything you don’t want and give it to a thrift store where someone else can be happy to have found it, and found it so cheaply. Maybe there’s someone out there with a Flourish List that includes a pair of boots like the ones that have just been gathering dust in your closet. Stop hoarding them. Move them on to their new, appreciative owner.
And by doing that, you make room in your own life for things you’ll appreciate and enjoy. It’s hard to invite abundance when you’re chock full of clutter. Make some room. Make your list. And then start treating yourself the way you deserve by no longer withholding those little items that you know will make you smile.
I felt pretty great throwing out that nearly-empty tube of toothpaste last night. It doesn’t take much to make me happy. But I didn’t really realize that until I sat in a meadow and enjoyed the simple sight of some unnecessary butterflies.
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| Girl of My Dreams by Morgan Mandel |
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| MORGAN MANDEL |
By: Robin Brande,
on 10/29/2012
PARALLELOGRAM 3: SEIZE THE PARALLEL is coming soon, but while you’re waiting you can enter to win a new adult…
By: Robin Brande,
on 9/29/2012
HEART OF ICE and FIRE AND ICE
The Hearts on Fire duo by Elizabeth Ruston
Who is this Elizabeth…
By: Evil Editor,
on 9/28/2011
Guess the Plot
Beauty and the Bouncer
1. HE'S a high-class fashion model. SHE'S a pogo-stick champion. Will she ever stay still long enough for him to win her heart?
2. The depressing tale of why you're not cool enough to get into the trendiest club in town, even if you slip the bouncer a twenty, while that harlot in the miniskirt doesn't even have to wait in line.
3. Bree Taylor loses everything in a bad investment except the one asset she doesn't want: a biker bar in the hinterlands of Northern California. She takes it over reluctantly, realizes she can't handle the customers herself, and hires a bouncer. Happily ever after?
4. A lovely and brilliant cat named Beauty shares her house with a slave human named Melissa, who exists solely to bring Beauty's food, keep her litter box fresh, and provide something warm for the feline to lounge upon. Life is good until Melissa brings home an idiot dog: a distracting pestilence known as "The Bouncer," who intends to stay, but must be eliminated at any cost. War ensues.
5. She's a type A med student with an adorable drinking problem! He's a tough guy from the wrong side of the tracks trying to put his past behind him! Can they look past their differences and find love? It's a romance novel, so, yeah, probably.
6. When Elissa's friends set her up with the rough, hunky Jake, she knows he's bad news. Until the day he flattens some bikers trying to get too friendly. Now she can't get enough of him. But can she at least housebreak him before she takes him home to meet her mother?
7. Norman is the lanky dork who gets hired as a bouncer at Jezebel's Bar. Lucy is the slutty shot girl who already works there. Their boss has a strict no-dating rule, especially between bouncers and slutty shot girls. So you just know they're gonna hit the sheets posthaste.
Original Version
Dear Benevolent Editor,
I am seeking a publisher for “Beauty and the Bouncer,” a contemporary romance, complete at X,000 words, [Never combine Arabic numbers with Roman numerals; use one or the other. And try to expand this to at least LX,000 words.] that should appeal to fans of the wry humor and playful sexiness in the works of Jennifer Crusie, Victoria Dahl, and Rachel Gibson.
Lucy York is an aspiring mechanical engineer moonlighting as a slutty shot girl at Jezebel’s Bar & Lounge to pay her bills. [Is that the actual job description? Was she looking through the help wanted ads and answered one for a slutty shot girl? If a bar owner advertised for a slutty shot girl I would expect women to be boycotting and picketing the place.] [If the reader is familiar with the term "shot girl," I don't see the need to add "slutty" to the description. And if she's not familiar with the term, she'll probably think bartender.] All she has to do is keep the job—and keep herself from smashing a keg over some stupid frat boy’s head—until her student loans come through and she can flee north to live her dream of attending UC Berkeley.
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By: Evil Editor,
on 3/30/2011
Guess the Plot
Sundown
1. Belleville is the nicest town in the state. Perfect weather, friendly people, no crime. Or so outsiders think. But that's because no outsider has ever stayed around Belleville until sundown . . . and lived to tell about it.
2. After 500 years, the slow rotation of the planet Ficksia is finally taking Lurhon City - and the last slice of land on the lit hemisphere - into the dark zone. If Ariadne and her ragtag team of werecats can't reverse the planet's spin by engineering a supervolcano explosion, it'll be sundown for everyone... forever.
3. Only daytime is experienced by the people of Helianthus, for at sundown they must return to their pods and be frozen again. When Arden breaks the rules and sees night, he discovers the evil secret the Controllers have been keeping from the populace. Has Arden seen his last . . . Sundown?
4. On tour with the Sundown Music Festival, guitarist Louise Stelland wears a ring to show she's not available. Gotta keep all the groupies and fans from bugging her. But then hunky rock star Jared Pearson shows up, and suddenly Louise can't lose her ring fast enough.
5. When Jeri and Patrice head for the Sundown Dude Ranch for their summer vacation, they're both secretly hoping to land a sexy cowboy. Turns out Sundown Dude Ranch is located on Brokeback Mountain, if you get my drift. Hilarity ensues.
6. Mankind ended the devastating vampire war long ago by stopping the rotation of the Earth and living on the bright side. But now the vampires have found a way to start the world spinning and humans who have never seen a vampire will have to face their first . . . Sundown.
Original Version
On tour with the Sundown Music Festival, guitarist Louise Stelland plans to be Mistress Cool and rock the nation. Nobody will care that twenty-six year old Mistress Cool still carries her boyfriend's ring five years after his death. [Whattaya mean "carries"? Does she wear it?] They won't bug her to go on awkward blind dates, either. Mistress Cool will be left the hell alone. [Rock guitarists don't get left alone just because they're wearing rings. She could wear a nun's habit and a chastity belt and guys would be all over her.]
But on Day 1 of [the] tour, famous rock star Jared Pearson shows up and throws Louise completely off her game. Whenever he's around, Mistress Cool is nowhere in sight. Her attempts to avoid him keep failing. And she's starting to like his company a little too much.
Suddenly, she's fiddling with her ex's gold ring and wondering if it's time to put the thing away.
Which is so NOT cool. [Why?]
Complete at 105,000 words, SUNDOWN is a contemporary romance novel.
Notes
I don't understand Louise's conflict. She's had time to get over the death of her ex-boyfriend. Was her ex also a rock star, electrocuted by his Stratocaster? Is she afraid a romance will cost her this gig? We need to see why she's fighting against a relationsh
By: Evil Editor,
on 10/11/2010
Guess the Plot
In Love and Law
1. Written in the style of a Regency romance, an in-depth exploration of the consequences of twenty-first century information technology on intellectual property law as it specifically pertains to the Regency romance genre.
2. It's a case not even John Grisham wants to solve. Who murdered the in-laws?
3. How will straight-laced lawyer Jimmy Halpern manage the brothel his grandmother just bequeathed him--when he can't even seduce the new judge?
4. Allison puts off a social life to become a major player at a big law firm. Then she goes looking for love. But after falling for Brian she discovers that he's a judge! Should she dump him on the grounds that she can't try cases in front of a guy she's romantically involved with, or should she quit the law and try med school?
5. Ginevra has never met her sister's fiance, David--until the wedding. Ginevra is maid of honor. During the ceremony her eyes meet his, and when he says "I do" she feels he is speaking to her. Before David and his new wife leave for the honeymoon, can Ginevra make him see that he was meant to be with his . . . In Love In-Law?
6. Erica hires a divorce attorney who turns out to be the wife of her husband's divorce attorney. Not only that, she falls in love with her husband's divorce attorney, and her husband falls in love with her divorce attorney. It's kind of like they're all trapped in a Shakespearean comedy.
Original Version
Dear Evil Editor,
Allison Knowles has dedicated the last five years of her life to establishing her career as a litigator for a large Indianapolis law firm, sacrificing her social life in the process. Now that Allison has reached her dream career, she’s ready to shift her focus to finding love. She quickly meets Brian, her ideal man, and soon believes she has everything she’s ever wanted, until she discovers Brian is a federal magistrate judge. [She discovers it? Surely his occupation came up no later than their first date, so did he lie?] Allison knows the rules—attorneys can’t try cases before judges they’re dating, but is true love worth jeopardizing her career? [I assume one normally hires an attorney before knowing which judge will be presiding, so it would have to be the judge's responsibility to recuse himself if his lover's case were assigned to him.
Judge: Sir, I'm afraid you'll have to hire a different attorney.
Accused: Why?!]
Judge: Because I'm sleeping with that one.
Accused: Hey, why do you think I hired her?]
When Allison learns there are other secrets in Brian’s life too, [He's also a professional expert witness and was once convicted of jury tampering.] her decision is easily made, and she breaks up
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By: gaby317,
on 3/30/2010
The blurb:
When an anonymous letter stuns shipping magnate and confirmed bachelor Ben Sinclair with the news that he has a teenage son, he's determined to make good on the past. But Emma Sands doesn't trust him. The beautiful, fiery blonde has raised her nephew in the peaceful woods of Maine since he was five, and just because fifteen-year-old Michael is the spitting image of his tall, handsome father doesn't give Ben the right to march in and change their lives forever. Or so she thinks, until his return mysteriously unearths a dangerous small-town secret. With Michael's help, Ben will do whatever it takes to prove to fiercely independent Emma that he can be the fearless protector she never knew she wanted . . . . and the passionate lover that she always thought she could resist.
Review:
Janet Chapman's Tempt Me If You Can is a fun contemporary romance!
Ben Sinclair, the romantic lead, is likable from the start. Upon discovering that he has an illegitimate son, his first reaction is to investigate and then to acknowledge the son. He travels to Maine, treading carefully, and slowly reveals his identity - he takes care not to disrupt his son's life. Gorgeous, considerate, filthy rich, and a respected force in the business world, it's easy to fall in love with Ben Sinclair! Meanwhile, Emma Sands is equally endearing - she takes on her older sister's obligations and raises her nephew as her own. Emma is independent, intelligent, protective, beautiful and level headed. We are rooting for Emma and Ben from the very start!
As Emma, Ben, and Ben's young son Michael slowly get to know each other, they come across a dangerous secret. Their group approach to the problem draw you in to the action - and make this book a fun, romantic read! I very much enjoyed Tempt Me If You Can. It'll provide a nice, fun escape on a rainy evening or a day at the beach!
ISBN-10: 1416595449 - Mass Market Paperback $7.99
Publisher: Pocket Star; Original edition (February 23, 2010), 368 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:
Janet Chapman is a native of rural central Maine, where she lives in a cozy log cabin on a lake with her husband. Three cats and a stray young bull moose keep them company. The winner of the Pearl Award and a two-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award, she is the author of six contemporary romance novels, including The Man Must Marry, as well as the enchanting Highlander time-travel series and a sexy new paranormal romance series, both set in modern-day Maine. Visit her website at www.janetchapman.com
Thank you so much to Sarah and PocketBooks for this review opportunity!
By: gaby317,
on 1/16/2010
The blurb:
He'd be Mr. Perfect if he wasn't a perfect mess. . .
Rich Ronaldi is almost the complete package - smart, sexy, great job - but when his girlfriend dumps him, Rich swears he'll learn to cook and clean just to win her back. . .
She'll be happy to make him over, but not for another woman. . .
Rich is the only guy Becca Larsens ever met who hasn't tried to change her. She's glad to help him master the domestic arts, but she'll be damned if he'll start cooking in another woman's kitchen - or bedroom. . .
Review:
Breakfast in Bed is a fun, contemporary romance. Rich Ronaldi is a sympathetic romantic lead. He's attractive, willing to to learn to cook, clean, and do laundry to win back the woman he loves. Becca Larsen is independent, down-to-earth, and deserves a good man. I enjoyed watching these two characters fall in love and handle the hiccups along the way. If you're looking for a light, fast and romantic read, give Breakfast in Bed a try.
ISBN-10: 1402218958; mass market paperback $6.99
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; 1 edition (December 1, 2009), 384 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
About the Author, courtesy of her website:
Robin Kaye was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge next door to her Sicilian grandparents.
Living with an extended family that's a cross between Gilligan's Island and The Sopranos, minus the desert isle and illegal activities, explains both her comedic timing and the cast of quirky characters in her books.
She's lived in half a dozen states from Idaho to Florida, but the romance of Brooklyn has never left her heart.
She currently resides in Maryland with her husband, three children, two dogs, and a three-legged cat with attitude.
By: gaby317,
on 1/6/2010
Anna and Hatchette Book Group are generously sponsoring this giveaway of 5 copies of Susan Crandall's Sleep No More.
By: gaby317,
on 1/6/2010
Anna and Hatchette Book Group are generously sponsoring a giveaway of 5 copies of A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine.
By: Evil Editor,
on 8/5/2009
Guess the Plot
Trust Me, Love Me, Let Me
1. Vienna Hampton never suspected her boyfriend was a con artist, even when he whispered, "If you trust me, if you love me, then you'll let me borrow your credit cards."
2. Tom Langton, self-help guru, is scheduled for a massive publicity push to support his new book. His rival threatens a counter-campaign to reveal Tom's failed personal life, so Tom asks his beautiful new neighbor to pretend to be his girlfriend. Hilarity ensues.
3. Rock star Jacob Lindsey hasn't noticed that his personal assistant, Beth, has been in love with him since she was in a training bra. Maybe if she quits he'll realize that there's more to life than fame, fortune, groupies, and being worshiped by millions.
4. A warts-and-all look at modern romance, from the first meeting, one enchanted night on a moonlit beach, to the discreet appointment at the specialist clinic for diseases of the rectum.
5. Memoir of fraud literary agent Nick Chambers, focusing on how he seduced would-be romance authors and fleeced them for thousands of dollars in "reading fees."
6. A young girl tries to convince her overprotective parents that if they really loved her, they'd let her get piercings, take birth control and date the hot construction worker down the street.
Original Version
Trust Me, Love Me, Let Me is a completed 73,000 word contemporary romance set in Los Angeles, CA.
Jacob Lindsey is this year’s big thing in music. ["Big thing" is pretty general. Try this: Jacob Lindsey is this year’s Hootie and the Blowfish.] As his personal assistant, Beth Lawson sees sides of him the public never gets to witness. Lately, that means covering for his excessive partying as he rides the smashing success of his first album. [Music stars don't want their partying covered up; they want it covered by . . . the press.] She’s been his friend since she was fourteen, but loyalty only buys so much patience, and she’s sick of being taken for granted. [That makes sense only if he's the one who's been loyal. He can't buy her patience with her loyalty. He can buy it with his friendship.]
After a car accident sets Beth up for months of recovery, she quits her job, [When you haven't shown up for two months, chances are you were replaced five weeks ago anyway.] [Somehow, after two months of hospital bills and physical therapy bills and no pay checks, quitting your job doesn't seem like the brightest move.] reconnects with her estranged father, and starts over. When Jacob orchestrates a reunion months later, she thinks he’s going to beg her to come back to work, instead discovering he’s determined to prove he can’t stop thinking about her. [How can he prove that?
[Jacob: Beth, I can't stop thinking about you.
Beth: Prove it.
Jacob: Okay. I'm thinking about you right now.
Beth: What about now?
Jacob: Still thinking about you.
Beth: And now?
Jacob: Still you.
Beth: Neat. So I was wondering . . . What'reyouthinkin'boutnow?
Jacob: Tiger Woods. SHIT!]
She fears she won’t be able to keep up in his world, but she’s loved him since she was in a training bra and [he's loved her since she moved into a C cup and she] can’t turn him down. [What is it she can't turn down? Did he ask her to come back to work? Did he propose? If she's not going to be working for him, why is she afraid she won't be able to keep up in his world?]
I am an unpublished author looking for representation. The synopsis and manuscript are available upon request. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. [You can drop the first and last sentences of that paragraph.]
Sincerely,
Notes
She's been his friend since she was fourteen, and she's loved him since she was in a training bra. First tell me how old she was when she was in a training bra, and then I'll ask my next question.
The reconnecting with her estranged father does nothing for the query since we know nothing about why they're estranged and it's never mentioned again.
Does Jacob take Beth for granted despite knowing she loves him, or has she kept this fact from him? It sounds like she's upset because she has to cover for him so he won't look like a jerk. But if that's one of the duties of a personal assistant, and she's getting paid, then what's really annoying her is that he hasn't professed his undying love for her.
So maybe the main plot is that Beth has long loved Jacob, but he sees her as just a friend, so she quits her job as his personal assistant. He soon realizes that fame and fortune aren't bringing him happiness because Beth isn't there to share it with him. Wait, sorry, that's the plot of Jerry Maguire.
But if that's also your story, the covering for his partying and the car accident are obscuring the romantic angle somewhat. We don't need to know about the accident; we need to know she gave up on his ever realizing they were meant for each other. Focus on the romance.
By: ms. froggie,
on 8/19/2007
hiya, all! working on a set of blank h20color bday cards for an ad agency but i'm wondering, how silly should i go? :)
should they have google eyes? should the cake look terrified?
should an army of paper bday napkins be dropping down from above, like wwII parachutes over quiet french village?
:)
tx! :)
Oooh, fun! I know I have this in book form, but I don't think I have it on my Kindle...now I will!
Wonderful! Hope you get lots of hits!
DL
Morgan,
Wishing you many 'sales'. I have Kindle, will download.
Margot