Merry Christmas!

So here we are on the 21st of December, the shortest day of the year here in the UK and 4 days from Christmas. Are you ready yet? Done all your shopping, wrapping and preparing? I have (well almost). I don't have much choice since I'm working over Christmas. Unfortunately babies are still born on Christmas day (I myself am living proof of that) so I am doing a twelve hour day shift on Christmas Eve and 3 nightshifts after that. And it really sucks to work on Christmas Day AND your birthday.

In view of that I thought in this blog I would ask you all to spare a thought for the millions of people who are working over the festive period. Nurses, Doctors, Police officers, Firefighters and all the rest who are keeping you and your family safe and healthy while you enjoy your holiday celebrations. Perhaps even take a minute to drop in a card or some biscuits or sweets or something similar to your local emergency room, fire station, police station. I know it helps to see that people are thinking of you and are grateful.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you!

Oh, For The Love Of Freaking Shopping

With the holidays looming ever closer, I recently made that dreaded trip to Wallyworld. You might want to click on over and read this week’s resulting “The Vultures Are Circling” post at the Samhain Blog, which sort of goes along with this topic here. But not quite. Over there, I went into my unique “method” of shopping and emphasized my shopping pet peeves. Here, I’m just going to…how shall I put it?…muse (heehee) about my feelings on shopping in general. Strong feelings. Really strong feelings. :D

Okay, I am woman hear me roar, but I must confess… I totally. Completely. Despise. Shopping.

Any kind of shopping.

*gasp*

There, I said it. And yes, for the second time, I’m definitely a woman if you can believe it. But somehow, I didn’t inherit the OMG-I-lurve-shopping gene.

Food? *groan* I’d rather throw it in a food fight than shop for it. Shoes? Uck. Just give me my worn out old sneakers or hiking boots, thank you very much. Jewelry? Love it, but I just don’t have the patience to shop for rings and necklaces and baubles and such. (Most of the jewelry I wear, hubby, bless his sweet heart, gave me as gifts.) Clothes? Eeeek, I’d rather be yanking splinters out of my gums than spending my day trying on shirt after jeans after dress (even eeckier!) after hat after panties after…well, you get my drift.

And worst of all? Shopping at the mall—the Mall of America (near where I live), no less! *shakes uncontrollably with anxiety* Whoever invented that city-in-itself-madness-under-one-roof concept should be jailed. I go there maybe (kicking and screaming in protest) once a year, and it takes me two to recover.

*sigh* If only there was some way to make items I need magically appear in my house without having to drive hours, go price-compare, color-code, fashion-coordinate, coupon-clip, stand in looong lines, or make use of the chaotic fitting rooms.

Oh, wait…

There is a way: The Internet! Squeeeeeee!

Ah, now there’s a concept. Surf around, sip coffee in jammies, a few clicks here, nibble on a cookie there, a few credit card numbers entered here, and baby, do you ever have me at “Let’s go shopping!” Mmm, yeah, here I am in the privacy of my own quiet home, and voila! The next thing I know the loot’s sitting on my doorstep. Awesome. Amazing. Stress-free. Oh yeah, this kind of shopping I can definitely hang with.

Now, wait! Please hold the hate mail. I’m not a bah-humbugish Scrooge kinda gal, really, I’m not. In fact, I LOVE the holidays! If I could go to the mall and *just* stroll leisurely around gazing at all the gorgeous decorations and listening to the fun and cheery holiday music over the speakers (well, okay, throwing in a glass of wine wouldn’t hurt either), I’d be one happy camper. I adore the feel-fuzzy-inside kinda holiday movies, listening to the 24-hour Christmas music radio stations, baking yummy cookies and fattening candies, family and friends get-togethers, snow and a cozy fire roaring, yes, all of the above. It’s just that dang shopping part that gets my nerves all in a bunch.

So what about you? Did you inherit the love-to-shop-at-the-crazy-malls gene? Do you prefer Internet shopping instead? Or like me, would you rather just have a root canal than go shopping, period? LOL

Titania Ladley is a multi-published, best-selling erotic romance author. Her newest release, KABANA HEAT (Samhain Publishing), is a contemporary ménage set in Hawaii. Don’t miss this HOT love story! Mrs. Giggles on Kabana Heat: 90 and a Keeper, “…most charming naughty romp.” Please visit Titania at http://www.titanialadley.com/ for more.

Are you a Twit?

The Social Network Pick-Up
Setting: present day bar

Him: Hey, babe – what’s your SN?
Her: I’m a Facebook gal, so if you’re on MySpace, don’t even talk to me.
Him: It’s cool, I’m more a Twit, myself.
Her: Oooh…Twits are fun – buy me a drink?


Twitter anyone? How about Facebook? MySpace? IMVU? What’s your social networking choice?

For better or worse, online networking is here to stay. And it doesn’t matter what age group you fall into, either. Baby boomers have embraced the technology, perhaps more slowly than their younger counterparts, but they are making it all their own. Want to meet up with other people your age? Talk about grandkids and swap pictures? Check out the Grandparent’s Network based in Australia. Social networking isn’t just a young person’s game anymore, it’s a way of life.

There is a limit, however, as to how many sites one can actually keep up with. I keep a MySpace page, that, admittedly, I don’t do much with. Most of the networking there seems to be focused on the blog and, as many of you already know, I’m not much of a blogger. I prefer commenting on other’s blogs over writing a post of my own. So my MySpace page sort of just…sits. While I accept friendship with nearly everyone who asks, I rarely go out and search for others.

I like to Twit now and again – sound bites are easy to write. But then I have to ask – who cares if I just did the laundry? Isn’t there such a thing as too much information? Don’t I run the risk of becoming…mundane? And so I try to post everyday so people know I’m alive but not so often that people grow tired of my little bon mots.

Facebook is cool – I have an account there under my real name (sorry to disillusion you, but I’m afraid “Diana Hunter” is a nom de plume) and I do like all the applications one can get. My daughter and I are currently embroiled in a snowball fight (she’s winning), we talk like pirates just because its fun and I’ve caught up with people I haven’t seen in years. I’ve been thinking Diana needs an account there. Of course, then I’d run into the danger of spending time playing on Facebook instead of writing books!

IMVU is a new place I’ve just recently tried. A reader sent me an invite and I checked it out yesterday. It’s as if they took IM technologies, borrowed the social networking concept and then made it look like Second Life. You create an avatar that you can customize, but mostly all you do is visit people and have chats. I talked with a 20-year old yesterday who told me I shouldn’t lie about my age on my profile. I told her I hadn’t lied, I really am 51 years old. She told me I didn’t talk like any 51-year-old she knew and that old people don’t really get into this like I do. I took it as a compliment.

Web 2.0 will morph into something else in another five years and several of the sites I mentioned will either die or evolve. What will be fun to watch is how each one is used and whether everything blends together to become one huge social network. I’m of mixed feelings about having just one over having many, I have to admit. While there are too many now to keep up with, I’m also not sure I’d like a monopoly. Nor would I like networks divided into age or interest groups. Right now it’s sort of a wild west atmosphere out here in Social Network Land – and I for one, enjoy it.

After all, we don’t want our poor hero to have to develop a new pick-up line!

Secrets

I thought about doing a Thanksgiving theme...even though I'm Canadian and our Thanksgiving was in the sensible month of October. ;-)....but then I thought EVERYBODY does a Thanksgiving theme at this time of year. So maybe I should do something different...

A little while ago I posted a story about an incident that occurred to me with a Shuttle-Bus driver. How my candid approach to discussing my writing...was misinterpreted and got me into trouble. But...there is a flip side to that.

There's the innate trust that seems to come along with the knowledge that I write about things like m/m sex, anal toys and threesomes. It seems that along with that knowledge comes that assumption that they are talking to someone who is open to...just about anything. Who won't judge. Who will listen without prejudice or condemnation. Perhaps that's a big assumption to make, but in my case...for the most part...it's true! And thanks to that I have been trusted with some very privileged and deeply intimate information. For the most part I am honored by that trust, and I do my best to do it justice.

In the last few years I've been entrusted with secrets ranging from tales of childhood sexual abuse, to dabbling in the BDSM scene, to a young man's struggle with his own leanings toward homosexuality. It always amazes--and thrills--me how candid the conversation can become, and how people are so eager to share their deepest secrets. When they know it's safe to do so.

I don't take that responsibility lightly. I keep their secrets, and I'm as understanding and supportive as my own experience allows me to be. I've made some wonderful friends because of it. And I hope to make many more.

I'm curious if other erotica authors have had similar experiences...and how YOU feel about it?

Capsized coming Friday!

I'm so excited to announce my new book from Ellora's Cave, Capsized, will be released this Friday, November 28th.

Here's a little taste. This scene comes after Lance has admitted to Chris that he's bisexual.

* * * * *

Thoughts of Lance and sex didn't make any sense. He'd never thought of his friend in that way. Sure, he'd seen Lance naked, lots of times. He'd looked at his friend's body, sometimes longer than he probably should have. That didn't mean he'd thought of him sexually.

Well, maybe he'd been a little curious. Maybe he'd looked at Lance's full lips and wondered how they'd feel against his. Maybe he'd looked at Lance's dick and wondered how big it got when hard.

"Shit," he muttered.

He wished Lance hadn't said anything about his bisexuality. Chris could've gone the rest of his life without these weird feelings tightening his gut.

He loved Joni. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about that. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. And yet...

Yet he couldn't get the picture of him in bed with Lance out of his mind.

Ignoring his rapidly-growing hard-on, Chris undressed and slid between the sheets. He lay on his back, his hands beneath his head to keep from touching himself. He closed his eyes and pictured Joni sitting across from him at the kitchen table. They had a dining room in their house, but preferred the intimacy and comfort of the kitchen when they ate. She loved to cook, and especially loved to try new recipes. She'd spend hours surfing websites for unique dishes. Everything she prepared was delicious. Chris always showed his gratitude for her hard work...usually in the bedroom.

He and Joni had such a special relationship, the kind he'd always wanted. It didn't make sense for him to have fantasies about anyone else in his life or in his bed.

Especially his best friend.

* * * * *

I hope you fall in love with Chris and Lance, just as I did.

Lynn

Decaf in a Caffeinated World

So, a little over a week ago, I implemented the decision to stop drinking caffeine and all forms of diet soda. I’m not a coffee drinker but I do drink a lot (a lot) of soda so this was all part of a slow effort to make myself a little healthier.

I’ve learned a few things in the last week…

1) My body loves its caffeine and protests vehemently when I take it away. The headache only lasted for a day but I’ve discovered how much I relied on the false pick me up caffeine provides. One morning this week, I woke up at 8:15 and went back to bed at 10:30 (also in the morning). I was exhausted and couldn’t focus. The little nap helped but I was groggy all day.

2) It’s difficult to be uncaffeinated. Drinks are either caffeinated, filled with sugar, or filled with artificial sweetners (also part of the sacrificed list at the moment). I know water is the healthiest choice, but sometimes, I need flavor.

3) Caffeine has become such a part of our culture that people find it strange if you decide to remove it from your diet. The most common question asked when I’ve mentioned I’ve given up caffeine is “why?” Admittedly, in the realm of unhealthy addictions, it’s not the most likely to kill me, but in the quantities I was consuming, it couldn’t have been a good thing. And, when my 13-year old niece is drinking caramel lattes, I think we should consider our culture a little too caffeinated. There’s got to be a conspiracy theory here—something about caffeine keeping us so wired we can’t think—but you know, my brain is just too tired to think how it might work.

So, I’m moving a little slower than the rest of the world, not twitching quite as much and sleeping a lot better. Still, I feel a little out of sync, just a beat behind. Eventually, I know my body will rebound from its caffeine addiction but (yawn), right now, I need a nap.

Let's Step Back From The Madness

It’s been a wild past week here in the United States. Well, maybe the word ‘wild’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Frenetic? Extreme? Passionate? For me? I’M SO DANG GLAD THE ELECTION IS OVER! It’s back to our regularly scheduled programs and that’s ALL I’m going to say as far as politics.

Instead I thought I’d dedicate my blogging to softer, less passionate subjects. Just some musings, simply some thoughts that run through my mind when I climb into bed at the end of the day.

The holiday season is upon us and because of my busy lifestyle, I have to say I’m sooo looking forward to even the one day of the Thanksgiving weekend to spend with my entire extended family. The computer will be shut down, our business will be closed for the day so hopefully the interruptions of my usually fast paced days will be put on the back burner (along with the boiling potatoes).

Our family ‘get-togethers’ whether official holidays or a stolen afternoon to share one another’s company are often loud and joyful. No matter whose house we are at, there is always a room for the kids to play in with toy boxes and cardboard boxes hauled up from the basement. It’s wonderful to see where the younger members’ imagination will take them. They build forts, they form musical bands and march through the living room, they pretend they’re on a wild safari in Africa, sometimes even becoming the wild herds of zebras or giraffes. Sometimes they play school, each taking on the revolving role as instructor. And there’s always dress-up time, which I think is the most fun for them. Old adult shoes, draping jewelry and big floppy hats. Wherever it is or whatever persona they’ve taken up for the moment, they’re comfortable and happy and the smiles are wide. We as adults should learn from them. They’re never told to be quiet or to stay in the playroom because they’re allowed just as much say in the day as an adult has. It’s their holiday or their day off, too, so we all want them to enjoy the time as much as we ‘elders’ do. I hope you’re not imagining the perfect Norman Rockwell setting because family days with my group is so far off that mark! We’re loud and rambunctious and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

I’ve got another anniversary of sorts coming up on November 28th. For you animal lovers, it’s the first anniversary of my Kaydee’s passing. She was a great dog, a yellow Labrador retriever with velvet ears and eyes that would encompass your soul. We were fortunate enough to have her with us thirteen years. Man, I miss her and so does everyone else. She was such a clown, had a huge personality and was such an integral part of our family. In the boat, in the car, camping trips, hunting trips, trips to the dairy queen, special treats for her birthday…she was included in on everything. My kids grew up with Kaydee and hardly a visit passed from them (when they came to visit as adults) that they didn’t get down on the floor and wrestle with her. And when the granddaughters entered the picture she would just about turn inside out with joy when they came through the door. Her mantra was the more humans around, the happier she was. Kaydee was that once in a lifetime family pet that any animal lover would have loved to have. And as silly as it sounds, there will be a candle burning on the 28th in her memory.

Winter is right around the corner here in Minnesota. In fact I’m watching big fluffy flakes falling outside my office window as I type. We’ve done all the necessary steps to get ready for Ma Nature at her worst. The yard is raked and ready to be hidden beneath a blanket of snow. The snowplow is ready to be mounted on the truck to keep the driveway clear. Water hoses are wrapped and stored away, gardens have been cleaned out. And as those chores were being completed without too much complaint because they’re things that need to be done, we looked forward to those coming cold wintry nights when we can snuggle up nice and warm against the elements, to sipping on a hot toddy and disregard the eventual ‘sound of winter’ as it rattles the window panes. And yes, we’ll talk about the tasks of the coming spring and know that when the melt starts, we’ll be filled with the smug satisfaction that we made it through another cold winter without too much wear and tear on our bodies (or our livers. LOL)

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one more thing that I’m thankful for in this season of gratitude. My family has weathered one of the most horrific storms of our lives. My mother, who sits at our family’s center, has made it through her chemotherapy. Not so much with flying colors because that ‘rat poison’ just about did her in, yet she mustered her battle with extreme courage and her typical sense of aplomb that is so a part of her disposition. So far, it looks like she came out the victor. She’s definitely the first thing on my list of prayers. Mom is a trouper and has set an example for all of us to follow once more. And it is with great hope on my part that she’ll be here for many more family riots (what else can I call our get-togethers????). Go Mom! You’re my hero.

In closing, as I grow older I’ve learned to not sweat the little stuff. I know that sometimes in the moment, a certain event can seem insurmountable but it’s amazing how age grows wisdom. Life is life. Simple as that.

So. There’s some Ruby Storm musings for you to ponder. We didn’t talk books here today, we didn’t discuss erotica. And thank god we put politics back there with the boiling potatoes. Have a wonderful week and enjoy your holiday season. I know I’m going to—as long as I don’t get caught in a snow drift. Toodles!