Favorite TV Shows

We all have them—our guilty pleasures that we watch every week on TV. I didn't watch nighttime TV for years, other than one or two favorite shows (I never missed 24) because I worked at the newspaper during the day and wrote at night. Now that I write all day, I've discovered some nighttime TV shows that I enjoy.

Castle! Oh, how I love Castle. The chemistry between Castle and Beckett is so palpable, I swear I can touch it. And he's just so darn cute.

Other shows I enjoy include:

NCIS

NCIS: Los Angeles

CSI: New York

Blue Bloods

The Mentalist

Bones

Dancing With the Stars

Body of Proof

Hawaii Five-O

Harry's Law

I've also discovered some wonderful shows on the cable networks, like USA and TNT. They don't have a very long season, but I'm going to enjoy them while I can.

White Collar

Covert Affairs

Leverage

Necessary Roughness

Royal Pains

Franklin and Bash

Suits

I still watch M*A*S*H reruns whenever possible. I wish I could find a comedy I enjoy as much as M*A*S*H. Anyone have a suggestion for a show that will make me laugh without using stupid jokes about bodily functions?

Have a great week!

Lynn

Hawt, Sizzlin' Summertime!

Hi all! There’s a good chance that 70% of you reading this is experiencing just that! The states have been immersed in abnormally record highs that don’t seem to want to temper down at all. This Minnesotan is having a hard time with the heat so I’ve found myself perched before my computer and doing the one thing that I love with a passion! Writing!

Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve been awol in that area, but sometimes that’s what life does to you. Family, business and life in general has a way of completely discombobulating a perfectly planned schedule. I am happy to report though that the sizzling temperature isn’t the only thing having to do with hot! Yup! I’m heating up my keyboard and having a ball! I’m back, baby, and I couldn’t be more thrilled!

So what’s on the table? I recently submitted to Ellora’s Cave and am waiting for an acceptance on that story. Also, I decided to delve into the world of self publishing. My story, One Chance, is just about done and I can’t wait to get it up and running.

It seems that a lot of authors are dipping their toes into this new age of writing and simultaneously striking out on their own. Some are doing great. Others? Well, the numbers speak for themselves. Bad editing, numerous errors and weak plotlines. So my major concern becomes an issue of quality control. I want to put out my finest. That’s where my Sizzling Scribes sisters come in. This author group that I belong to is absolutely phenomenal. We talk daily. We exchange ideas daily and we also edit, edit, edit daily to assure that the books we finish have a professional quality to them that is unsurpassed.

So enough said. I’m working hard to produce stories that will have you thinking about them long after you’ve read THE END. Whether those tales are erotic romance, sweet romance, or stories about strong women, I hope you’ll enjoy them all.

So sit back, grab a cold one and get ready. I’ve got some heat planned for you!

Day Off

I apologize for this not being posted sooner. But I've been distracted. My children are no longer children. They both work, they drive, they've got friends and to quote my daughter "they've got lives." So where does that leave me?

This spring I tore up part of my backyard and created a rather large garden. Hey, my kids don't play back there anymore so why not make it useful. My daughter even helped. This has been a rather nice way to transform from the yard for all the kids to just the yard for the old fart.

But this morning with coffee in hand I realized, I miss the swing set days. The kids playing ball or hide 'n' seek. It's a tough transition from young kids, boo-boos and band-aides to who's got the beer and 18 to 20+ year old pool parties till all hours of the night.

When did this happen? I swear I didn't blink. I really tried to keep them little as long as I possibly could but it didn't work.

Not to mention, their friends have grown up too. They've gone from these awkward, lanky children with squeaky voices to adults. Geez it happened too fast.

But I am grateful for one thing...My two are close. This past Sunday, my DH invited a few of his work buddies over and their wives whom I didn't know. It was an adventure to say the least.

But during this busy, chaos, I spotted my two out by the tree swing chatting. Not sure what they were discussing, really don't care. But it was a special moment for me. One sat in the swing while the other sat in the grass and they were simply having a conversation. It was a beautiful sight. it made me realize that maybe I haven't done a bad job. It's not easy keeping brothers and sisters close.

Then on Monday, when I said I'd get this posted, I ended up spending a quite day with the two of them. Not a bad day. Burgers on the grill, great conversation, and swimming in the pool. I tried to nap on a float in the pool. They tried to drown me. Just like when they were little, drown the mama was the game of the day or a least flip her float and watch her sputter. LOL.

And best of all, they obviously believed me when I told them last week that I was no longer the maid and they had to do their own laundry because I was sick of doing it all. No kidding, they would walk through the giant ever-growing pile in the laundry room and not stop to put a load in or toss one in the dryer. So, I sat them down, explained how the machines worked and told them they were on their on. My daughter actually has been doing her own laundry. My son didn't believe me until he had to basically dig his way out of his room through the pile of dirty laundry. Yesterday, he met the washer and dryer, separated his clothes and did his laundry. I was impressed that he even listened. I consider this a small victory. It's one less thing I've got to do.

Now if I could figure out a strategy to get my husband to finish at least one of the ninety projects he has started over the years in my house then I'd truly be a happy woman.

Like falling off a bike. . .

As many of you have noticed, I haven't written much in the last three years.

Okay, let's be honest, I haven't written bubkis in the last three years. Nada, zilch, schmatz.

Anyway, since I live in the northeast, I decided to visit my friends who were at the Romance Writers of America conference in New York City. It's been a while since I've hung out with any writing buddies and I wasn't quite sure how many people would even remember me. I wasn't sure how I would feel when everyone was talking about writing and I had nothing to offer. I was even a little uneasy about how I would react when people were discussing career moves and my writing career has pretty much stalled.

I shouldn't have worried. I can honestly say, Romance writers are some of the most amazing, caring, and just awesome people around. Everyone asked me about my daughter (she's doing fantastic, 10 months since her last chemo and her counts are still great) and when I was going to write again.

No one had forgotten me, no one ignored me because I couldn't do anything to further their career, and my publisher, Samhain, even bought me dinner and breakfast and it's been years since I've written anything for them.

I was humbled and overwhelmed by the caring so many people showed me.

I was also inspired to write again! With any luck at all, I'll actually FINISH writing something this summer and who knows? Maybe the next conference I go to, I'll have something to talk about.