Celebrate the Small Things

This is the weekly meme hosted by Viklit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author.

Instructions: Each Friday, share things you wish to celebrate achieving for that week.

My celebrations:




*my 6th grader has an award ceremony today. I'm so excited for him! He worked hard to get the grades, and it showed him that it does pay off to work hard and have that drive, that determination to get things done.

*had a nice convo with my soul-twin. <3

*finished reading one of my crit partners fabulous ms's. LOVE it!


*<--Dani and I came up with the questions for our Express Yourself Meme for June. Woot Woot!




What celebrations do you have to be thankful for this week? Check out other bloggers that share their celebrations HERE.

Cover Reveal - Speak Easy by Melanie Harlow

Title: Speak Easy

Author: Melanie Harlow

Expected release date: July 22, 2013 Genre: Historical

Age Group: New Adult

Cover Designed by: Tom Barnes Design

July, 1923. The ‘20s are roaring, and twenty-year-old Tiny O’Mara is desperate for a little anything-goes excitement. But when her father is kidnapped by a mobster in Detroit's exploding organized crime scene, she’s shocked to find herself caught up in the bootlegging wars of Prohibition—and torn between two gorgeous gangsters on opposite sides.

To save her father’s life, she’ll have to choose between them. But deciding whom to trust isn’t easy in a world where everyone wants something—be it booze, money, power, or sex—and no one cares what it takes to get it.

Temptation is everywhere.



About the Author



Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her lipstick red, and her history with the naughty bits left in. SPEAK EASY was inspired by her cocktail-culture obsession, her affection for good gin, and the view from the end of her street. She lifts her glass to NA readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI.

Melanie Harlow | Facebook | Twitter

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Express Yourself Meme - Author Quotes

It's time for Express Yourself weekly meme. 

For the topic this week, Dani @Entertaining Interests and I would like to know: 

What are some of your favorite author quotes?

There are tons of quotes from authors that I could share, and it was hard to decide on which ones to list, but I finally chose these.

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. ~ W.B Yeats

It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does. ~ William Faulkner

Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. ~E.L. Doctorow

The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can. ~ Neil Gaiman

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. ~ Neil Gaiman
I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose. ~ Stephen King

Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win. ~Stephen King

I think that we're all mentally ill. Those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better - and maybe not all that much better after all. ~ Stephen King

Do you have any author quotes that you love? Sign up below and hop around to see what other bloggers have to say. 

Express Yourself: What are you reading?

It's time for Express Yourself weekly meme. 

For the topic this week, Dani @Entertaining Interests and I would like to know:  

What are you reading? It can be anything you'd like to share, from novels, to manuscripts, to food labels.

I'm reading/critiquing a fab manuscript by one of my critique partners.

I'm reading:
World War Z by Max Brooks and You Are Mine by Janeal Falor. 

And, I'm getting ready to read an ARC from one of my CP's -- Triangles by Kimberly Ann Miller. It is so cool to hold this amazing book in my hands!

Join in on the fun and sign up below. Then, share with us what you're reading. 

Best and Worst Movie Remakes Blogfest AND Celebrate the Small Things

It's time for the Best and Worst Movie Remakes Blogfest hosted by Al Diaz, Alex J. Cavanaugh, Stephen Tremp, and Livia Peterson.
List the best and worst remake you’ve ever seen. Added bonus – list the worst and/or best song remake you’ve ever heard.




MY picks for best/worst movie/song remakes

Best movie remake: Dawn of the Dead (2004) 
The original came out in 1978, thanks to the master of all things zombie, George Romero. Zack Snyder took the genius of Romero and incorporated some "up to date" things, making this an even better zombie flick.




The plot: a group of mismatched people hideout in a shopping mall because a zombie plague is running ramped. These folks have all they need to survive at this mall, and I found myself screaming at the TV when they want to leave, but that's part of the greatness of it. I mean, hello? They can't stay holed up in the mall forever. That would make for a bunk movie. Which this movie is far from. There are some cool tips in this movie, you know, in case a zombie virus takes over the world. Sort of like a "what to do" and "what not to do" during a plague. Hey, you never know what the future holds.



Worst movie remake: Halloween (2007)
The original Halloween came out in 1978. This is one of my favorite horror flicks of all time, so I was geeked when I learned that it was being remade. That euphoria was short lived after the first five minutes in to the remake. To me, the movie is about the unknown -  not knowing when Michael is going to show up. It's not about blood and guts. That's what separates these two movies. 

The plot: Michael Myers has been institutionalized since childhood for murdering his older sister. As an adult, he escapes the asylum and goes after his younger sister. Dr. Loomis knows the evil lurking in Michael's head and goes on a cat and mouse type chase to capture him.





Best song cover: Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails "Hurt" ...
brilliant.

Worst song cover: Celine Dion's cover of "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC.... really? I have no idea why this was even attempted. I couldn't listen to the entire song with her version. 


CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS

This is the weekly meme hosted by Viklit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author.

Instructions: Each Friday, share things you wish to celebrate achieving for that week.

My celebrations:

• Mother's Day (which is really a week long venture) was a success at the flower shop. We were busy, which means lots of people were showing their mothers/wives/sisters/aunts loads of love and honor.
• My ten year old son's travel baseball team won their second tournament last weekend! My hubby told me that when one of my son's teammates asked where I was, my sweet, sweet boy said, "She's making other mom's happy by making flowers." It crushed me that I couldn't be at this tourney with him, but that statement made by him makes me proud to be his mommy!

Any celebrations you'd like to share for the week?
What do you think are some best or worst movie/song remakes?

Express Yourself - which celebrity would you want to meet?

It's time for the Express Yourself weekly meme.
For this weeks question, Dani @Entertaining Interests and I would like to know:  
Which celebrity would you want to meet and what would you do?

For those that personally know me and for those that follow my blog and twitter, they should already know my answer. But for those that may not know, my choice would be Adam Levine. He's been my crush since 2003. 

As for what we'd do if we met, I'd probably do something totally uncool and dry heave. Yeah. 0_o
But what I'd wish I would do with Adam might surprise people... I'd like to go have coffee with him at some outdoor cafe and chat. For real. I just want to chill with him. 
Then I think it would be awesome to have a private Maroon 5 concert and invite a few of my close fam and friends to share the experience with.

Which celebrity would you want to meet?

Cover Reveal: Fixed On You by Laurelin Paige

Title: Fixed on You (Fixed, #1)

Author: Laurelin Paige

Genre: Contemporary

Age Group: Adult

Expected release date: July 31, 2013

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

 

Stalking and restraining orders are a thing of Alayna Pierce’s past. With her MBA newly in hand, she has her future figured out – move up at the nightclub she works at and marry the manager, David. He’s perfect for her because, although he’s attractive, he doesn’t get her all turned inside out and upside down like some other men have. It’s a safe plan, one that assures she’ll remain in control of her obsessive love disorder.

But what Alayna didn’t figure on is Hudson Pierce, the new owner of the nightclub. He’s smart, rich, and gorgeous – the kind of guy Alayna knows to stay away from if she wants to keep her past tendencies in check. Except, Hudson’s fixed his sights on her. He wants her in his bed and makes no secret of his plans to seduce her. Avoiding him becomes impossible after he offers a business proposition Alayna can’t turn down and she’s drawn further into his universe, unable to resist his gravitational pull.

Soon Alayna’s charmed by Hudson in every way possible and the control over her old behaviors slip. When she learns Hudson has a dark history of his own, she realizes too late that she’s fallen for the worst man she could possibly get involved with. Or maybe their less than ideal pasts give them an opportunity to heal each other and finally find the love their lives have been missing.

 

About the Author

Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Mad Men or the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine. She is represented by the wonderful Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook

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Express Yourself Meme is back!

Hello Blogging Buddies! Yes, Express Yourself Meme is back! Dani and I have missed doing this, but with the A to Z Blogging Challenge, we felt it was best to forgo our meme in April so that we weren't skimping on it. 

Here's what we came up with for May.

For this week, the Express Yourself topic is:  What was the best part of the AtoZ Challenge? If you didn't participate, then what was the best part of April?

The best part for me in participating in the A to Z Challenge was learning NEW things! 
I learned about:

• Aphrodisiacs - Mina Lobo @ Some Dark Romantic
• All things inspirational - Dana @ The Daily Dose
• Horror movies - Suzi @ Literary Engineer
• Lazy Housewife Tips - Tara @ Tara Tyler Talks
• Shel Silverstein Poems - Dani @ Entertaining Interests
• YA causes/tough teen issues - Rebecca @ Rebecca Green Gasper

What about you? Did you learn any cool things in April?

Celebrate the small things

It's time for Celebrate the small things - the weekly meme hosted by Vikki @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author.

Instructions: Each Friday, post something you wish to celebrate achieving for that week.

My celebrations:

*I celebrated 14 yrs of marriage with my hubby. <3

*Woke up this morning with an idea for a New Adult book. I cannot wait to get started! But I'm finishing up my revisions before starting any new projects. 

*My invisalign is working! Some fam and friends have noticed the difference. And bonus...I don't cover my mouth as much when I smile/laugh. It's a great feeling!

*Dani and I have had a great turn out for the sign-ups of our Heroes & Villains Blogfest. YAY!

What celebrations do you have this week?