Tuesday, March 26, 2013

For the love of Dad, 28 hours round trip in a car.

Over the past few months, my Dad's health has been an issue. He was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). At the time, he considered it a death sentence, which in many cases it is, if the patient gives up and has no drive to get better. At my current age, he had a quadruple bypass and really never did much to increase his health. He is now a diabetic as well. Being in the health care profession, I've come to notice many who have anything done to their heart end up with diabetes as an after effect.
This past weekend, my daughter, Casey and I drove down to Georgia to spend a couple of days with him. It took 14 hours, we were dead tired and a bit giddy by the time we got there, but it was worth the trip to see him.
We hugged, talked, caught up, shot the shit, played cards, and scrabble. In essence we made a few new memories. The weather was crappy so we were stuck inside for most of our visit. I even nagged him about his weight, his eating habits and the amount of dust on his exercise bicycle. Not to mention, I wasn't at all happy he's smoking again. UGH! I told him I'd rather see him drink a glass of red wine everyday than smoke a pack of cigarettes every 2 days.
Parent's just don't listen. LOL! I'm planning another trip to see him in September for his 70th birthday. He said he hopes he makes it till then. I told him I hope to not see a cigarette anywhere in his house and that includes his wife, Karen. Hopefully, they quit. If she actually stopped with him, I think he'd stand a chance at succeeding. I have no intention of not continuing to gently push him toward a healthier way of life without pissing him off at me. I'm not ready to be parent-less.
Just spending time with him made me realize how much I'd miss him if he were no longer here. He's my only living parent. I lost my Mom five years ago to Liver and Pancreatic cancer. The only vice she had were cigarettes. She died at 64.
The two of their health issues are the reason I try to change my future with exercise, eating healthier (I do as best as I can with this), and I don't smoke. My only addiction is Ice Cream and I'm really trying to avoid it. I was in Jazzercise this morning and plan to be there every morning as long as I don't have work. Sometimes the paths our parent's take are not the paths we as their children choose to follow.
Life is all about choices. Choose to be healthy. It may not guarantee a long life but at least you stand a better chance of feeling fantastic each day you do live.
My dad looked a lot better than I expected when I arrived and I'm hoping he only gets healthier every day. I plan to celebrate his 70th in style whether he likes it or not. LOL!
                                             My Daughter (Casey), my Dad and Me

Friday, March 15, 2013

The Human Condition

Recently, I was watching an independent film that was written by, performed by, and produced/directed by Inuits. The movie was in the Inuit language with English subtitles. (The English title is The Fast Runner, if you are interested.)

Now, I am not a movie person, and I'm especially not an independent film person, but this movie fascinated me. The storyline was based on an Inuit legend from the turn of the last millennium. What hooked me though was the love story at the core of it.

There were many other layers to the movie that touched me or made me think, but I realized, whether it is native peoples from the Arctic Circle, pioneers from the Western Expansion, business men from New York City, or space rangers from Planet X in the year 3000, the search for love is an intrinsic aspect of the human condition. As a species, we all want to love and be loved.

There are times when I feel slightly uncomfortable telling people about my writing. I've had people say, "You seem so smart, why are your wasting yourself writing romance?" or "Are you going to continue writing romance or move onto something more challenging?" as if writing romance was something I did in my sleep without any effort whatsoever. I think SOME people look down on romance novels as "less than" literature.

To them I say, you can kiss my left cheek.

Romance and the search for love is what ALL literature is about, in some aspect or another. Let's face it, unless you are writing about robots, people (and animals) have feelings and emotions and literature is an expression of emotion. (And hey, even the robots in "WallE" fell in love!) There is no plot without conflict, and I'd say a good majority of conflicts involve people with emotions.

So the next time someone asks me what I'm reading (or writing) I'm going to say I'm exploring the human condition.

And the sex isn't bad either.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Revisiting Old Friends

I buy a LOT of books, so much so that they are kinda taking over my house. I know some of you can relate to this. My friends say “Why do you keep all these books? Do you re-read them? Why? Don’t you know them by heart?”

They just don’t understand.

Aside from the fact that I can’t bear to see a book thrown in the trash, some of these books are like old friends. I love a new book. Losing myself in new characters and new worlds, continuing adventures of beloved characters. But… sometimes you just want to revisit old friends. People you’ve known for years and re-living memories. Experiencing those emotions again and spending time with people you love. This month I’m re-reading the Anita Blake series and it’s been long enough that it’s almost like the first time.

Who are your favourite old friends?

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Delicious Burn Coming Soon

My newest book, Delicious Burn, is in the editing-and-proofing stage. I expect to have it uploaded and ready to purchase at the online ebookstores by March 15th. In the meantime, here's a sexy little excerpt to whet your appetite.

* * * * *

Everett had wanted to taste Drew's mouth all evening. The reality topped his fantasy at least one hundred times. Soft, firm lips caressed his, a tongue peeked out to tickle the seam of his mouth. Everett gladly parted his lips to accept the other man's exploration. Drew sipped at his lips, nibbled at the corners, swiped his tongue across the gentle bites. Everett returned each caress, until his breathing became as labored as right after his last climax.

Drew ended the kiss with one last soft graze of his lips. He leaned back, but didn't release Everett's nape. "Does that answer your question?" he asked in a low, gravelly voice.

"Yeah." Everett's voice came out as gravelly as Drew's.

He set his bottle of Pepsi on the nightstand. "Do you have any other questions?"

"Yeah," Everett repeated. "Kiss me again?"

Taking Everett's bottle from his limp hand, Drew set it on the nightstand next to his. He tunneled his fingers into Everett's long hair and covered his lips again.

Heaven. Everett swore heaven couldn't be any better than the taste of Drew. He laid his hands on the firm muscles of the man's chest, not moving, simply absorbing the warmth and smoothness beneath his palms. He parted his lips, accepted Drew's tongue inside his mouth. The tang of Vella's pussy lingered on Drew's breath.

Pulling back, Everett peered into sky blue eyes. "Do you prefer women?"

Drew's hands flowed over Everett's shoulders and down his arms. "I enjoy everything about sex with a woman." He ran his hands back up Everett's arms and into his hair again. "But I love sex with a man."

Feeling the exact same way, Everett nodded. "I know what you mean."

"So do you want to keep asking me questions, or do you want to fuck?"

"I want to fuck."


And don't forget this week is National Ebook Week! Support your favorite author or authors by buying an ebook or two.



Have a great week!
Lynn