After All This Time

About a year ago I wrote this message and today it's still true.

After All This Time

After all this time, 23 years to be exact, my sweetie, we’ll refer to him as Mr. R., still knows how to make me scream. See, you need to clean up your mind that is not what I’m referring too. I’m a moaner, not a screamer. LOL! On to what I want to share with you. 

After all this time, I’m still amazed that Mr. R can still surprise me with his compassion, sense of family and understanding of how to love.  From the moment I met him, it was clear that the man had the ability to make me laugh when all I want to do is cry. 

After all this time, Mr. R and I still wonder at how our family has grown. He has two sons, I have one. A few years after we became a couple, we inherited four other children. We did everything as a family. Vacations, baseball games, holiday dinners, you name it we did it. Never once did he say, I’m taking my boys. He would say, “Load the kids up in the car. We’re hitting the road.”  When it was time for college, anyone that wanted to go went. Never once did he ask how we are going to pay for. He simply did what was needed to get tuition paid. The man was and is about family.    

After all this time, it still amaze me how Mr. R is still teaching me how to be compassionate toward others. Any of my friends will tell you, if you say you need something done in Mr. R’s presence, he is going to get it done himself, or he will connect you with someone to get the job taken care of. My girlfriend went into the hospital to have surgery. He knew I couldn’t get away during the day to visit with her and I did not want her to feel like she was alone. Mr. R went to the hospital; made sure she had decent food for lunch and kept her company until I arrived. She appreciated the company and I appreciated Mr. R for being compassionate to her needs and mine.

After all this time, it still amaze me how Mr. R’s eyes still have the same affect on me as they did the day we met. That his smile still sends a punch to my gut, that his thighs still make me shake my head and say, ‘Thank God for men’.  His hands are still warm and soothing when he rubs my body down with oil. That his kisses still stir the juices and his body still satisfies the urges.     

After all this time, it still amazes me how Mr. R understands that making love begins with all the things he does in and out of the bedroom. The love he shows day in and day out with the touches, the looks and the smiles gives me the warm and fuzzy that leads to hot and heavy later. 

After all this time, it still amazes me how much love Mr. R has to give.  

Sharing a little part of me. 

Until the next time,

Iris

www.irisbolling.net   

Daring To Dream...

In this crazy world we live in, many things can distract us from pursuing our dreams. It all starts with an idea, a thought, some random thing that is said in a conversation to spark such audacity.

Once that envelope in the brain has been opened, what will you choose to do?

The option of being rejected and hearing the word "No" is more likely than being encouraged to dare yourself beyond the usual.

After all, it is a mindset--your mindset.

I want to encourage you today. Carry a notebook with you and write out your dreams. Rely on your smartphone, tablet or other electronic device to keep up with your comings and goings? Take advantage of them and make notes, too.

Having the will to dream, to accomplish something, anything is passion within itself to fuel the energy to execute.

Keep your circle small, everyone is not meant to know your dreams. Be exclusive and remain focused.

Plan, pray and execute, by all rightful means!

Here's a line from one of my favorite songs by the Sounds of Blackness that always keeps things in perspective: "As long as you keep your head to the sky, you can win! Be optimistic!"

In closing, I wish you well in the dare to dream and forthcoming fruition.

Rule your dreams!

--Loretta R. Walls
Author of "The Majestic Dynasty" #nucherte

Random Summer Thoughts. . .

Is it me or does it seem like summers are getting shorter and shorter? 
Or maybe it's just me because I can't wait to wear my thigh high boots.

Is it me or is it radio that ruins a hot song? Blurred Lines was hot, now you can't turn the radio on without out hearing it on every station. I swear I heard it on a country station yesterday.

Is it me or is the person who came up with the What Rhymes With Hug Me web site a genius?
What rhymes with hug me? Stop trying to drug me. Too Funny.

Am I looking forward to winter because Love After War comes out in November? Yes, I am!

When club owner Adrian Bryant discovers his biological father is hotel magnate Elliot Crawford, his life unravels. Shunned by Crawford while he and his mother struggled, Adrian hatches a high-profile plan to destroy the Crawford name--and the reputations of his two half-brothers. But to shield the woman he loves from the hell he intends to unleash, Adrian has to let her go.
Photographer Dana Singleton is heartbroken and confused by Adrian's behavior. But just when she's given up on their relationship, she begins to discover the truth--and a dark side of Adrian she never knew existed. As the stakes get higher, she will have to ask herself if she can love a man who is capable of such vengeance--or if he can learn to forgive...


Is it me or is everybody ready for some real football?  Can we just end the preseason already?
And finally, 2 Guns was really the best movie of the summer!

Forget Grammar and Just Do Me

Once upon a time, writers HAD to be grammatically correct. An editor would rework every single sentence until it was according to American English standard even though nothing was left of an author’s voice. During the beginning of my career, I noticed I could get away with an occasional “ain’t” but only in dialogue, and even then it was still irritating to read the way my sentences had been restructured to a point that it was killing my characters’ swag and personality. But over the last few years, I noticed how things have changed. All that woulda, coulda, shoulda is now possible. I can now write like “real” people talk. There will always be those who prefer not to read “slang” but now that I am an author who is in control of what she writes, I’m gonna tell it like it is. All of my books center around dialogue because that’s where my scenes begin. With my upcoming release, Do Me Baby, Rance Beaumont is a NBA player and a cocky one at that. Once you get the pleasure to read my newest edition to the Beaumont Series, remember it was dialogue driven. And when Rance speaks, it’s going to be “What’s up wit ya,” not “what is up with you” cause that just how I do. LOL

 

Angie

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Hello my sexy babies!

Before I get into the post, I have to update you all on what's happened since last month when I posted. I FINALLY finished the first shitty draft of my full-length contemporary interracial BDSM novel Licorice Whips, which will be out through Phaze Books in November 2013. I had to separate myself from it for a little bit before I go back in to do my first round of self-editing. Then I'll send it off to my Phaze Books editor, Kathryn Lively. Let's hope she digs it and it won't require a lot of edits...unless she asks for more sex. I can do that.

So as I was thinking about today's post, I thought about my post from last month and how I mentioned what songs inspire me when I write. I don't know about any other author, but as I write, I can see the movie rolling in my head. I cast all of the characters. So who would be my dream cast? Well, you know I picture Bradley Cooper as my Sweet Hawkes, the hero, and Paula Patton as Nikla Dearwood. I haven't asked my fellow author, Yvette Hines, about her hero in her book, Red Hots, who is the brother of my hero. I picture Masaun Hawkes looking like Jon Hamm. He's hot, has that glint in his eye like he could snap at any moment and be Dom sexy (yeah, I said that), but he still looks like a businessman. I know. Too much "Mad Men." For her heroine, Kindle Langston, I see Kerry Washington. Yvette probably has other actors in mind for her folks. That's just what I envision.

So that's my question for authors. Do you picture actors, actresses, models, athletes, etc. when you write your stories? I know a lot of authors who have pegboards with pictures, houses and other inspirations. I guess the modern version of that would be Pinterest.

My question to readers is while you're reading a story, do you automatically cast it in your head? When I read Gwyneth Bolton's Sweet Sensation, I pictured the leads looking like LL Cool J (mmm, those abs) and Jada Pinkett-Smith. It surprised me when I attended a reader event that Gwyneth hosted that she admitted that she pictured Will Smith as the hero. Totally different than who I thought. That's the beauty of the mind. You can create your own vision.

I have to get going on revising my manuscript. Here's something to chew on. If you would like to cast characters for your favorite books, there's a great website for that called StoryCasting.com. If you would like to see my fantasy cast for several of my books and stories, check out my page here. You can also make suggestions for your own characters for the same books. Who knows. You might inspire us authors for a future story.

Stay sexy,

BridgeT
www.BridgetMidway.com

Closer to My Dream...

Hey, Y'all,
So, since I last blogged, a lot of things have happened in my little corner of the world. Some have been on the mundane and annoying side- like the long days I've been spending trying to juggle my books with my freelance writing, keeping the house, and keeping my kids alive. Argh.
But, some of it has been pretty awesome. From July 17-21, I was in Atlanta for the RWA national conference. I've been very active in my local chapter for the past 5 or six years (barring my time in Alaska, during which I was active in their chapter), but this was my first national conference. I gotta say,  I had a great time. I think it was because of several factors:

1. The attitude about self-publishing among RWA members has improved greatly over the last few years. Very little snark, and a whole lot of excitement about it.

2. I got to spend a lot of face time with authors I admire, but don't see very often. Had coffee with Wayne Jordan, ate lunch with Farrah Rochon, Seressia Glass and Vanessa Miller, and also chatted with Valerie Wilson Wesley, who is a mystery author now dabbling in romance. It's the first time I've met her and she's a real sweetheart. :)

3. Saw some friends of mine who I also don't see often, like Kaia Alderson-Tyson, my crazy ass crit partner who lives in the ATL area, and Claritta Stinson, my awesome buddy from Little Rock.

4. Great workshops. I came home with a legal pad full of notes.

5. Great networking. I also came home with about 40 business cards. ( I marked on the back when and where I met the person, so my post- conference brain could get it together later. Some cards had a photo on them, which I find very convenient.)

But probably the best part of RWA for me was getting time with my idol, Beverly Jenkins, and the equally illustrious Brenda Jackson. OMG- I can't even describe how much I admire these ladies. I got to sign books with them and eat dinner with them, and partake of their wisdom in a workshop, all on the same day. My po' heart was just pounding, I'm sure my pressure was up. But to have people you look up to take you under their wing is a very awesome feeling. I suppose you could say I felt special, even validated as a writer.

After I got home from the conference, it took more than a week before I fully recovered from the excitement. And about time I started to feel normal- ish again, around came release day for Freedom's Embrace. Let me tell you, the pressure went up again!

Then, last Sunday, I discovered via a tweet from Kaia that my little novella had a mention in USA Today. Yes, the national newspaper.

Know what I did? Cried like a big 'ol baby. I was just overjoyed that the writer (Joyce Lamb) at USA Today thought enough of my book to mention it. I don't know what it will mean for sales, but I'm certainly honored- I was in impressive company in that article! You can see it here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2013/07/30/historical-romance-new-releases-august-2013/2597295/

So, now I'm just starting to come down from that- I wonder what's around the next bend? I have been working so hard at this writing thing for so long, and I'm finally starting to see some of my efforts be validated in a big way.

Hopefully this is a continuing trend of bigger and better things for me. And just in case the excitement gets to be too much, I'll have my inhaler nearby. :)

Until Next Time,
Kianna

How Do They (WE) Do It???!!!

      HOW DO THEY DO IT?

          The remarks in this article came to me on a Saturday afternoon during a late showing of Sex and the City 2. Charlotte and Miranda were discussing “Mommy Woes” for lack of better phrasing-This in spite of the fact that both women have nannies. Charlotte; completely bewildered asked the question, “How do women with no help do it?!”

          I knew I was one of the loudest to laugh with my wine in hand there in the cool dark theater located in the heart of the small artsy town where I live. Later, however, the question crossed my mind again. How do we do it? I, for one, don’t have a nanny. Even though I only have one child, he still takes a hefty toll on my time-many times my sanity. I suppose not allowing myself to really think about all that makes

up a typical day for me, which is one way I do it. Another major way is having my own interests. Writing is my passion and it’s been a blessing to me in so many ways.

          Writing saved my sanity when I was a new mom with no idea how to take care of the small man who had just come into my life. It saved me when I was out of work and it definitely saved me when I embarked upon a new career. Now, the small man isn't so small and writing has become more than just my sanity saver. Still my passion, it’s also part of what I do and it’s what allows me to handle my other obligations so well- in my humble opinion.

          The way I see it, we all need an outlet. Doing all that's expected of us isn't possible if we have nothing to focus on beyond it. I know that I could definitely be consumed by all that's required of me as a mom-keeping up with my son’s social schedule, healthcare appointments and school  responsibilities (Aggh! Don’t get me started!). It’s enough to keep me busy full-time days, nights and weekends. 

          Don’t get me wrong, motherhood is a wonderful experience. For those of us who care about doing it right, being a mom; as Miranda so eloquently put it, "Can kick your ass". With that being said, we can’t be afraid to say- "Time Out!" And it is possible to have that time; you've just got to be creative with it. When my son was smaller and at his neediest, bathroom breaks became my best friends. While he was settled down with a snack, mommy ventured off to ‘use the potty’ and those brief getaways were surprisingly rejuvenating. Small feats-but they work people!

          The great thing about taking on the job of being a mom is that there is no job description. 

It is what you make of it, but making time for yourself is essential. Anything from sticking your head inside the freezer for a momentary eye-opener (yes, folks that does have its benefits) to taking a vacation day from work while the kids are in school (go on, you know you've thought about it). These things benefit no one but you-and that’s the point. We spend countless hours nurturing our kids, spouses, pets… and forget about ourselves. 

So my lesson here? Nurture Yourself! That’s not selfish- it’s survival.

AlTonya Washington

Author, Writing Instructor, Librarian and Mom.