Becka's Hottie of the Week

Rarely do I know who my Hottie is going to be days in advance. I usually pick someone I've seen or heard about within the week in my own life. What you may or may not already know, I've submitted a proposal to Cobblestone Press for their new Vampire Oracle series. I've chosen the TOMB theme according to a story idea I've had for awhile now. I announced this submission on my author loop and my good friend Phylis asked me if I had a picture of what my hero looked like. (waves at Phylis) Anyhow, I thought and thought until I finally came up with someone. Who did I choose? Mr. Ioan Gruffudd.



Ioan's name is one of "those" names you stare at for ten minutes but have no idea how to pronounce. It's pronounced "Yeoh-an Griffith". He played the sweet, yet sexy, Horatio Hornblower, one of the best historical high seas shows I've ever seen. If you've never taken the time to watch this show, please make the time. It is excellent watching Horatio transform from a naive, green officer to a kick-ass captain throughout the course of the show.



Not to mention Ioan's curls are just too dang adorable! :) Mr. Gruffudd also stars in two other movies you may have seen. King Arthur as Sir Lancelot:



And Mr. Fantastic in the Fantastic Four:



Loved King Arthur, not so much the Fantastic Four. Too campy for my tastes, but watching Ioan on screen is never boring. :P He seems like one of those men who are impossibly nice and too dang polite for their own good. But that's the reason he's so charming--because he really *is* that charming!

Congratulations, Ioan Gruffudd. You're Becka's Hottie of the Week!



~~Becka

Thursday Thirteen #14 ~ Becka's Favorite Scents

This week, I'm going to be telling you about my favorite scents. I'm not sure where this idea came from, but I'm running with it. :)

1.) Coffee. I love the scent of ground coffee still in the bag. My favorite so far is Starbucks Colombian blend coffee grounds. I love the scent in the bag better than brewed. Gives me a coffee-gasm every time.

2.) Rain. Sounds cliche, but I love the scent of rain. I remember from my childhood, when my family lived in the sticks (Dayton, NV), and a thunderstorm would roll through... I'd sneak outside and lay on the driveway underneath my mom's broken down Chevy (don't ask me why I'd hide UNDER the car... Talk about an accident waiting to happen - I was an odd child). But I would just lay there and breathe deep.

3.) Givenchy perfume - Very Irresistable. DH gave me this perfume for my birthday a few years ago and I've gone through three large bottles since then. For a woman who doesn't wear much perfume, I sure did give this stuff a good run. It's expensive, but it smells SO GOOD... It's in a tall, pink, rectangular bottle if you ever see it at your local department store.

4.) Roses. Just like any other woman on Planet Earth, I love the scent of roses.

5.) Rose-scented perfumes. Which leads me to this scent. I love rose-scented perfumes (of which the above-listed Givenchy perfume is based.)

6.) Sauteed onions & garlic. OMG, this scent makes my stomach dance and sing. I love the scent of onions and garlic sauteed together. Mmm...

7.) Puppy breath. No, not DOG breath, puppy breath. Like newborn puppy breath. It has it's own unique scent, probably because they're not yet eating the nasty storebought dog food just yet.

8.) New Car Smell. Yup, this is probably cliche, but there really is nothing like getting into a brand new car and taking a deep breath. Ahhh.

9.) Newborn Baby. While you might think eeww, baby smell? Let me first say that a newborn baby, while breastfeeding, does NOT have stinky poos. I've had four kids. I'm an expert on this. It isn't until you give them formula and solids that they stink. But I'm not talking about their poos. I'm just talking about the heavenly smell that seems to waft off of newborn baby skin. It goes far beyond Johnson & Johnson's or baby powder. I'm not sure what it is, but they smell so good.

10.) Old Spice - Whitewater Aftershave. This is the aftershave that is blue. It is not the traditional Old Spice smell, but something more wonderful than that. I love this scent, probably because my DH wears this (I buy it for him-that's why he wears it), but I could literally smell his pillow all day long because I love the scent of this aftershave so much. It's not a cologne, however. But it reminds me of my sexy, hunka hubby. :)

11.) Fresh-Cut Grass. While my son is highly allergic to grass, I find the scent of fresh-cut grass highly appealing. I love being out there when DH is mowing the lawn, smelling the odor that reminds me of spring freshness.

12.) Gasoline. I told you I was odd. For years, my sister and I have each loved the smell of gasoline. I don't smell it too much any more (good thing because I hear it can kill braincells lol), because here in Oregon, you don't pump your own gas. In an effort to create more jobs, we have people who pump your gas for you, therefore, I rarely smell the vapors rising from my gas tank anymore. But I remember... And dear Gawd, at the gas prices nowadays, SMELLING the stuff is pretty much all I *can* do, as my van is constantly running on fumes. lol

13.) A charcoal BBQ. Maybe it's the lighter fluid, I'm not sure, but a gas grill just doesn't have the *smell* a charcoal BBQ has. So many possibilities, so many yummy foods. I smell a charcoal grill and my tummy is a'growlin', even if it's the neighbors who are cooking out. I usually then have to grill something myself for dinner. But DH and I have a gas grill. Dammit.

And there you have it, 13 of my favorite scents!

~~Becka

Goodbye, Stargate SG-1

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you'll know I'm a Stargate geek through and through. DH and I never watched SG-1 when it first began. We liked the movie well enough, but thought the show always looked cheesy. (Didn't it start out on Showtime, then move to the Sci-Fi Channel?)

Anyhow, in about season 7 of Stargate, we were somehow convinced to watch the show, and with 7 seasons available for purchase, we quickly bought them all, watching many episodes a day on the weekends. Yes, we're couch potatoes.

But we came to love the show, because unlike the movie, it delved into a rich, deep mythology behind the gates, the goa'uld, the jafa... And having endless possibilities of stepping through the gate and going to a different world every week was just too compelling.

True, every world looked like Canada (lol) and you couldn't suspend your disbelief that when the team stepped through the wormhole, that one Medieval village (why was it always Medieval? :P) spoke for the ENTIRE planet. And the fact everyone spoke English in the galaxy was a bonus.

But despite all that corny campiness, the show never took itself seriously and ALWAYS had fun making jokes about itself. The "Wormhole Extreme" episodes were a testament to that, as well as the classic 200th episode, which had my DH and I literally rolling on the floor.

Even though we haven't been around for the entire ten year run of the show, DH and I have watched every single Stargate episode (even Atlantis), and we love it dearly. The addition of Claudia Black and Ben Browder were genius, in my opinion, and only seeing them hang around for a season or two is disappointing to say the least.

It would seem Amanda Tapping (Samantha Carter) will be joining Atlantis next season, but truth be told, DH and I want to see Vala or Col. Mitchell over there instead. Atlantis already has a brainiac in Dr. McCay, and personally, I'm not too looking forward to McCay and Carter's battle of brains, unless McCay is leaving the show (which would SUCK because despite his annoying character, I love the guy).

There are so many things I could say about this show, about how Michael Shanks did a better James Spader doing Daniel Jackson than James Spader himself... About how I always thought they'd give Bra'tac some heroic death scene, but they kept him around season after season (good for them)... About how Teal'c's grasp of human pop culture never ceased to make me crack up...

So many good memories. What a great show. I'm sad to see it end, but happy Atlantis is still going strong. Ronin is a sweet-ass character, and you all know how I feel about Col. Sheppard. :P Here's to many more seasons of Atlantis, and may we see some of our old friends from time to time. Many thanks to all involved with Stargate SG-1, the networks, the actors, the writers, who made the show come alive, and thanks for entertaining us for so long (10 years) and so unfailingly week after week with compelling episodes that made you laugh and cry.

Goodbye, Stargate SG-1. I'll miss you. **sniffle**

~~Becka

You'll Never See This on the 5 o'clock News

NASA in Houston plays "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin as the astronauts' wake up call.

Awesome.



~~Becka

I've Been Tagged!

Many "thanks" to Ciar Cullen for tagging me with this. Bah.

Here are the rules:
A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.
B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


1. I used to own a crocheted teddy bear business called "BeccaBears". I had a store on eBay, the whole nine. Folded the business to write books, not to mention it took me about 3 days to make 1 bear. I couldn't sell them for what I might charge for labor. Who's going to pay more than $20 for a handmade teddy bear? But who wants to make $20 for three days' work??

2. I homeschool my kids. Third grade, second grade, first grade, and soon-to-be preschool. It's the early grades. Right now, it's easy. :P

3. I don't listen to much secular music. I have a few select bands I listen to, but I mostly listen Christian music - Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, Third Day, Newsboys.

4. I don't watch American Idol, but I adore Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry (two of the select secular artists I listen to. :P)

5. I have a little black kitty named "Ninja", so named after we brought her home from the shelter and she proceeded to kick our dog's ass. LOL They've since called a truce, but she still manages to remind him she's queen of the house. Nothing funnier than a tiny kitty beating up a 90 lb. chocolate lab to the point of him running away yelping...

6. All of my real-life girlfriends don't read - much less romance, irony of ironies. Heck, I'm lucky if my family buys my books.

7. My favorite color is a lavender shade of purple. Used to be a sage green ever since I was a teenager, but since I've had children who are in LOVE with Disney princesses, not to mention a daughter that adores purple herself, the color has grown on me.

8. My favorite food is Mexican. The entire menu. I'm convinced Heaven is an endless Mexican buffet, with perhaps, Italian and Chinese/Thai weekends. :)

~*~*~

I'm tagging: Beth Williamson, Kate Davies, Melissa Schroeder, Donica Covey, Diane Craver, Cindy K. Green, Diana Bold, Karyna DaRosa

~~Becka

Disney Vacation Videos

If y'all wanna see the grand ol' time my family had at Disney World, you can go to my hubby's website and watch all the videos he's been uploading for the past few days. There are more to come (since we were in Orlando for 10 days - at the parks for 7 days), and there's already a few up there. You'll have to scroll down a bit to watch them in order 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

Each video is in the 10 - 20 minute range, so just be fore-warned. :) Hope you enjoy 'em!

http://www.jimgoings.com/

~~Becka

Garage Sale Goodness

So I held a garage sale this weekend. My neighbors, seeing what a grand idea it was, decided to haul their sh*t out of their garage and try to sell it as well. Yup, we had a garage sale 2-fer.

Now, lemme tell ya, DH and I had some awesome stuff for sale. You know when you go to one of these shindigs and they're all clothing that smells like moth balls, costume jewelry and half-used bottles of nail polish? Well, DH and I sold a window air conditioner, window fans, a sweet stereo with USB ports, a double stroller, a single stroller, loads of children's clothing, books, computer games, DVD's that people would actually want to watch (Titanic, Lady and the Tramp, Young Guns, etc **our duplicate DVD's**)...

Anyhow, I really wish I could have had the *ultimate* garage saler. You know the type, the diamond in the rough customer, who browses these sales for treasures. Because lemme tell ya, I had a few that I thought would sell like hotcakes.

I used to frequent eBay back in the day, and I hung out with all the crocheters and knitters (because I had a crocheted teddy bear business) and I've procured a LOT of yarn. Sad thing is, I never crochet anymore and every member of my family has an afghan. :P So I decided to sell my yarn stash. **SOBS** The ladies on eBay always said they wished more garage sales had good yarn. My yarn rules, I must say. Non-smoking home, kept in storage, no odors, no stains, awesome colors (because I collected rare and out-of-print variegated yarns), etc. I only had three people of the many many people who stopped to peruse buy any skeins. As hard as it is to say goodbye to my beloved yarn, THREE PEOPLE?!?

I also had pretty cloth swatches out for potential quilters, and a plethora of rubber stamping supplies. Even two Australian cross-stitch kits. But alas, no crafters came by and I'm still stuck with my crafty goods. :(

I did manage to sell our strollers. But hardly anyone bought any of the kids' clothing. I had a garage sale a few years back and the clothes then were DEVOURED. This time, not so much. Weird, I know. I did sell a few of my kids' old shoes, however. I had some pretty cool appliances as well, such as a coffeemaker and crock pot that didn't get sold, along with pretty much ALL of my romances.

I had such high hopes for my romance novels. It's mostly women who garage sale anyway. But they'd all flock to my hubby's fantasy/sci-fi table. Keep in mind, I'm selling LOADS of Johanna Lindsey, backlists of Desires and Intrigues, romantic suspenses by Maggie Shayne... And I only sold ONE romance the entire day. ONE, folks. Where the HECK are all the romance readers? Stores say it's their number one selling genre, and used bookstores won't buy them off of you because they have so many. SO WHY AREN'T PEOPLE BUYING THEM AT GARAGE SALES?! LOL

Please excuse the frustration.

We even had two (count them, TWO) computer monitors that were FREE that nobody took. Couldn't even give the damned things away. *sigh*

All in all, however, we had a great sale. My kids even had their first lemonade stand. They made about $5.50, for 22 cups of lemonade. But they were so excited. :P I'm not sure how the neighbors did on their garage sale, but they went back out there today. I said F that! lol It was sprinking on and off today, and it was funny watching them cover their junk with tarps, then uncover it after the sprinkles. LOL Despite the overcast weather, there was still a lot of traffic on the street, but I didn't set up again. Figured we'd sold the "good" stuff yesterday.

Still, I couldn't help but wish I'd had a crafter or a romance lover stop by. :( Now, I'm stuck with all this stuff. LOL Any of y'all missing some Lindsey from your bookcase? :D

~~Becka

Becka's Hottie of the Week

This week's Hottie is a man I actually had never seen before this very morning. Shocking, I know. I was chatting with my publisher at Champagne Books via Yahoo IM, and asked her to suggest a Hottie for me this week, as I just wasn't "feelin" anyone. She came back with this man, who, in all honesty, is pretty smokin', I must say. What's his name? Mr. Eduardo Verastegui.



Don't ask me how to pronounce his last name, because I've got absolutely no idea. All I know about this guy is he was born in Mexico, was in some kind of Mexican boy band, and starred in a few Mexican soaps. (I bet that was wildly entertaining. I love watching those over-the-top soaps. You don't even have to know Spanish to be entertained. LOL)



But this Eduardo guy... He's got "it", whatever "it" is. He's a handsome guy, what can I say? He's a little older than me, which is a bonus, because it seems anyone who's anyone cool nowadays is younger than me. :P Yup, I'm gettin' old. But he was born in 1974, same year I was, but in May, as opposed to October.



I love his thick, dark hair and expressive eyes. Perfect for the portrait of a romance hero, don't you think? :P Many thanks to Ellen at Champagne Books for pointing him out to me. Imagine. I could have gone my entire life without ever seeing this man's face. Heh. Congratulations, Eduardo Verastegui. You're Becka's Hottie of the Week!



~~Becka

Thursday Thirteen #13 ~ Thirteen Fantasy Cliches

This week's T-13 will be posted over on the Fantasy & Enchantment blog. I wrote this week's T-13, so in the effort of saving time by not writing another one for this blog, hop on over there and take a gander. :P

http://fantasyandenchantment.blogspot.com/2007/06/thirteen-fantasy-cliches.html

~~Becka

Novels vs. Novellas

Okay, for those who are in the same circles I...circulate, you'll know I've been asking a lot of questions about reviews lately. Whether the snarky reviewers are laying on the snark a bit too thick for the sole purpose of entertainment and ripping a book apart rather than actually reviewing said book, or whether reviewers toss around the word "cliche" when the book is merely predictable, etc.

Anyhow, I got another one to talk about. Novels vs. novellas.

Novellas, by their nature, are short stories. We all know this, we all get this. Novels are, by their nature, longer stories. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's get to the meat and potatoes of the point.

I think most every review I read on novellas says something along the lines of, "This book would have been better had it been a longer story" or "This novella was a fast, quick read, but I wish it could have been longer" etc.

This baffles me, though, because is there any novella on Planet Earth that *wouldn't* be improved upon if it had been a full novel? The point of a novella is to jump into the story, not for drawn out character development. True, you should have some development so your readers can connect with the characters, and sometimes, that's why reviewers want the book to go on for another 100 pages, because they loved the characters so much. Other times, they want the book to go on for another 100 pages, because the plot wasn't fully fleshed out, or what have you.

But a novella, as we established above, is a short story. That is its essence, so changing it into a full novel would defeat the purpose of the light, quick read. But there are so many reviewers out there who wish these novellas were longer.

I gotta say, I've written a few novellas myself. They are fun to write and they are fun to read, especially for me because I rarely have time to read any more. Something that's quick, punchy, to the point is what I'm looking for in a book. But I'm tired of the reviewers who lament about the length of novellas. I'm beginning to believe reviewers don't *like* novellas much, since I've seen the "I wish it was longer" comment on a LOT of reviews.

So what's the deal here, folks? Are THAT many authors writing unbelievable novellas that cannot get off the ground in a short amount of time? Or are there THAT many authors writing compelling novellas that readers "want more of" because it was so darned good? **OR** are reviewers merely jaded, wanting an "all nighter" rather than a "quickie?" LOL

What do you think?

~~Becka

Becka's Hottie of the Week

It's Friday, folks, time for a new Hottie of the Week! This week's Hottie comes from a movie I saw last night - Hot Fuzz. My gawd, if you like Simon Pegg, Shaun of the Dead, and the British comedy Spaced, you HAVE to see this movie. It was so damned funny. Of course, I love their geeky humor, because I get just about every pop culture reference they make. In this movie, they made a reference to "Point Break", as we all know is a movie with surfer dudes on patrol. LOL And, of course, it stars this man, Mr. Keanu Reeves.



I must admit, the first time I saw Keanu in Bill & Ted's, I wasn't that impressed. Of course, I was like 13 years old and I didn't know a damn thing about life. LOL Now that I'm older and wiser, I must admit Keanu is a Hottie with a capital "H".



Granted, some of his movie choices are eccentric, and at times you wonder if the man ever really *stopped* channeling the infamous "Ted" on his infamous "Adventure", as people make fun of his acting chops all the time. But you know what? I don't care if Mr. Reeves can act or not. Just stand there. Look Sexy. Thank you, Keanu. LOL



He seems like a down-to-earth kinda guy, not at all like the weirdos of Hollywood nowadays (was Hollywood *always* so...weird?) One of my favorite movies of his is "A Walk in the Clouds". That movie always makes me sigh and smile like a goofy idiot. I have to admit, I like Keanu better in the chick flicks rather than the shoot-em-up action flicks. Don't get me wrong, "Speed" was a great movie. But I like seeing the tender side of Keanu more often than not. Probably because the man has a smile that lights up the room, and whenever you see it, you just want to give him a great big hug. **dreamy sigh**

Congratulations, Keanu Reeves. You're Becka's Hottie of the Week!



~~Becka

Thursday Thirteen #12 ~ Thirteen Things I Cannot Live Without

Thirteen things I cannot live without. (In no particular order)

1. Diet Coke. I prefer the caffeine free, but only because I got used to drinking that while pregnant.

2. Coffee. When the hell did I turn into a fogie?

3. My iPod. I have been assimilated. Whether I'm late or I've already left the house, I WILL turn the car around if I forget it.

4. My computer. Let's face it. Without my computer attached to the Internet, I feel like Helen Keller.

5. My hubby. He's good for a few things. ;P

6. My children. They light up my life.

7. My notebook. Because I have to find ways to write when I'm not in front of the computer.

8. The radio in my kitchen. I have to listen to music at all times, even when cooking dinner and/or cleaning the house.

9. Good friends. Because there's nothing better than hanging out, barbeque-ing with the people who know you best, and shooting the breeze. (and maybe a good game of Nertz to get the adrenaline pumping. lol)

10. Family. Because they give you gifties on holidays and birthdays. :D

11. GOD. Because let's face it. I can't go through life alone, and He's the Best Friend I've ever had.

12. Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. Obvious.

13. Phazyme. As I get older, I find my body isn't quite as forgiving as it used to be... lol

And there you have it. Thirteen things Becka cannot live without.

:D

~~Becka

The Best Disney Villain EVAR

I'm sitting here wondering what the heck to post when I glance up at my Maleficent plushy sitting on my computer. Yes, I have a Maleficent plushy. Be jealous. :P I thought I'd find a picture of her for my Random Pic of the Day, but Maleficent is just too darn bad ass for "just" a picture.

She's the BEST Disney villain ever, and there's nothing you can say that will convince me otherwise. From Wikipedia: She possesses a range of magical powers and artifacts, which allow her to--for example--use the crystal ball on her staff to taunt Prince Philip with images of a bleak future. She also casts spells, such as inflicting Aurora with a curse of death (weakened to a curse of sleep by the good fairy, Merryweather), creating thunderstorms, sending frosts, projecting lightning, teleporting, and changing shapes. Some of Maleficent's forms in the film were that of a spinning wheel, a Will o' the wisp, and a dragon. Maleficent was often surrounded by eerie green flames; in the final battle she cries "Now shall you deal with me, O Prince, and all the powers of Hell!" implying that she had phenomenal powers of evil at her disposal, even providing viewers with a demonstration by subsequently transforming into a tremendous black-and-purple dragon.

Yup, she's so awesome, she's the finale in Disney's Fantasmic show, which of course, you MUST see if you're any fan of Disney. They show it at Disneyland on the Rivers of America and at Disney World, at the MGM Studios. She's so cool, she literally LIGHTS THE RIVER ON FIRE. In honor of the Best. Disney. Villain. Evar, here is a clip from Sleeping Beauty.

Maleficent, the original dragon-shifter.



~~Becka

Young American Day

Yesterday, we traversed to the Portland Military Air Base right next door to PDX (our local airport), for "Young American Day", where families and friends of those in the armed forces can come and check out some sweet aircraft. DH works with a man who's in the service, and he invited us. It was a BLAST. Literally.

First, we got to see 6 (count them, 1-2-3-4-5-6) gate climbs. Six different pilots took up six F-15 Eagles (not at the same time, but at different times of the day). A gate climb is where the plane takes off at full augmentation (akin to the afterburner), hugs the ground while they pass the crowd, then rocket STRAIGHT UP into the air. We're talkin' vertical here, folks. It was fricken' AWESOME. And loud. But I love the rumbly feeling inside when the jets streak by. Here's some pictures my hubby snapped of one of the gate climbs. Very impressive these pics weren't a blurry mess, since these planes were bookin' FAST.



Here he comes!~*~

Good Gawd, that's loud! (but SWEET!!!)

~*~

There he goes!
~*~
Keep in mind we saw SIX of these. :P It NEVER gets old, folks, I'm sorry. The power of these planes will never cease to amaze me.

The cool thing was they had an F-15 on the ground and you could sit in it. (Well, not me or DH because they don't make F-15's in Super Size lol) but the kidlets got to sit in it. Very sweet. We did, however, get a picture of us under the wing right next to the landing gear. Can't see much of the plane in this pic, but I think it's a good one of my family.



I think my son enjoyed the Blackhawk helicopters they had better than the F-15, as he keeps saying he wants to be a helicopter pilot when he grows up. The kids got to sit in a Blackhawk as well, the Oregon Coast Guard Rescue Chopper. :P Too cool. Unfortunately, it was cold, windy, and rainy this day, and we'd only brought light jackets, so we didn't stay too long. But we had fun none the less.

Oh, and one more thing, lest you forget who's kicking your ass:



:D

~~Becka

Becka's Hottie of the Week

Posting my Hottie just after midnight on Saturday morning. I remembered I hadn't done it yet. Sorry folks. But I shall make it up to you for who I've picked this week. For whatever reason, I've "bumped" into this man in the last few days, and therefore, I knew it was a sign to pick him for my Hottie. No, I did not literally bump into him, although I wouldn't complain if I did. LOL Who did I pick? Mr. Matthew McConaughey.




Mr. McConaughey is a man who is so dang hot he makes you shiver with antici............pation. :P He never ceases to make me swoon in each movie he stars in, even the really cheesy chick-flicks, of which I happen to really like. LOL




However, if there's one thing I've noticed about this man... He's a player. He's a man who knows he's HAWT and he flaunts it. He flaunts it well, mind. But he flaunts it nonetheless.

I've always been turned off by a man who knows he's God's gift. However, irony of ironies, that's usually the plot of some of our most beloved romance novels. :P Perhaps Mr. McConaughey is merely comfortable in his sexuality and isn't ashamed to acknowledge that he's aware women drool after him like he's "Grade-A Top Choice Meat." Heheheh...




I gotta wonder, too, if a man that good looking ever curses his good looks. Honestly. I know I would be constantly wondering if someone genuinely liked me for ME, or for the eye candy on their arm. Do they love me for the person I am, or do they like me only for my body (and/or face?) Seriously, I wonder if beautiful people think like this, and I don't mean they're conceited. In a way, being beautiful would be a burden, with people staring all the time, tripping over their words, blushing, etc. How do you separate the wheat from the chaff?

Well I certainly don't know all the answers. I just know that regardless of the way Matthew views himself and his sexuality, he's a very attractive man, and he knows it. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen--I'd have to meet the man in order to make that decision. :P So for now, I'll sit back and admire.

Congratulations, Matthew McConaughey. You're Becka's Hottie of the Week!



~~Becka

Interview With Resplendence Publishing

I recently sat down with Leigh Collett, publisher and owner of Resplendence Publishing (http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/ ), a brand new publisher to the business. She was willing to answer a few questions I had for her, and I thought I would share them with all of my friends!


RG: Leigh, I had not heard of your publishing company until just recently, but I must say I went to your website and I love it. I have many author friends who would be interested in learning about a new publishing house, and I thought I might ask you some questions to share with them, as I know they'd be interested.

LC: Hello Rebecca! Thank you so much for the lovely compliments. :) We are very excited to begin our publishing endeavor, and plan to be around for a very long time. I would be delighted to answer any questions that you and your friends may have.



RG: When did you open your doors?

LC: We conceptualized Resplendence Publishing in January of this year (2007), and opened our doors for submissions in February. The response was spectacular, and we've been receiving regular submissions ever since. We will begin releasing titles October 1st, and will have weekly releases thereafter.



RG: Will your books be available in stores other than your own store on your website? (ie, Fictionwise, MobiPocket, etc.)

LC: We will be offering e-titles on Fictionwise and Mobipocket after a minimum amount of time in the Resplendence store. We will also be offering most titles in print, after having met the minimum e-book sales requirements. We realize the importance of having print copies for signings and convention promotion, but first and foremost Resplendence Publishing is an e-book publisher. We will make print overstock available for sale on Amazon.com.



RG: You mention you'll be doing print books as well. What is your print policy? Will your books be going to brick and mortar bookstore shelves?

LC: We realize the importance of having print copies for signings and convention promotion, but first and foremost Resplendence Publishing is an e-book publisher. We will make print overstock available for sale on Amazon.com.

***Addendum: Resplendence is a Lightning Source partner (ie. Ingram’s) so our titles will be made available to all brick and mortar stores.



RG: How do you pay royalties? Every month? Every three months? Every six?

LC: Per our current contract we pay royalties on a monthly basis. We know that certain publishers have added addendums to their contracts changing royalty payouts, but we have no plans to make any such changes to ours.



RG: You mention doing some promo for your authors. What can an author with your house expect in the way of Publisher Promo?

LC: Resplendence Publishing has designed a Six-Point marketing strategy for their authors. As we only present the marketing package to contracted authors, I will reveal that we do purchase some promotional materials (ie. pens, postcards, bookmarks, etc.), print and e-advertisements, and aid our authors in setting up a strong internet presence. :) I feel certain that Resplendence is the only e-pub with this sort of marketing strategy.



RG: Do you accept partial submissions and/or proposals or only finished manuscripts?

LC: We prefer finished manuscripts to partials, unless the author has been previously published. We do accept proposals from our in-house authors, and they get first dibs in specialty lines such as WICKED, Shivers, and Handcuffs and Lace.



RG: Do you have a list of authors currently contracted?

LC: Our authors are listed on our website, please check out the Authors page (you'll find the link on the Home page).


RG: Thank you, Leigh, for taking time out of your day to answer my curious questions. Your website is VERY professional, and with Trace Edward Zaber as your cover artist, I'm sure you'll be making waves in NO TIME. :)

LC: Thank you for your interest! And if you have further questions please don't hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Leigh Collett
CEO, Submissions Editor
http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/
www.myspace.com/resplendencepublishing

Have You Ever Been Royally Pissed at Yourself?

Have you ever been so damn angry at yourself that you wanted to kick your own ass? Kept telling yourself over and over to do something and it slips your mind? Why is it that when you're pissed off, every little minor infraction becomes magnified until it turns into some Major Drama Beast with 10 ugly heads? It's like your anger is refracting the...infraction into tiny stinging barbs, which might not hurt too badly on it's own, but combined with the thousands of other barbs pricking you... Gah. Forget it. Fricken' cheesy-ass analogy.

Today, I was royally pissed at myself. Why? Well, because I attended a loop chat, and spent the afternoon posting excerpts of which no one replied to. Which is fine, there are lurkers, I'm so not complaining. But it did eat some time. So when I'm finally ready to emerge from my cave and take my kids to Karate, I realize the kitchen isn't clean. Crap! I thought I'd DONE that already! Nope, all I did was empty the dang dishwasher, I didn't actually LOAD it.

So there I am, trying to load the thing at light speed while my kids are wrestling with their Gi's (Gee?) I don't know how to spell it. It's got a hard "G". It's the black (or white) (or red) uniform you wear in Karate. Anyhow, they don't know how to tie bows yet, and each Gi has two of them. One on the inside of the shirt (because it wraps around the belly) and one on the outside of it (because it wraps around the other way). Then, each kid has a belt I gotta tie.

So after tying 8 bows (two per kid) and 4 belts, I look up and holy crap, it's 10 after 5pm! Class is at 5:30, and I still gotta drive in work traffic. I jet out the door and realize in the driveway - I forgot my ***damn notebook.

For those of you who read this blog, you'll know that sometimes, writing long-hand in my kids' Karate class is the only time I can write without other issues pressing on me. But there's literally NO time to get it, because it's downstairs in our daylight basement and we have a big house, it would take too long to go get without being even more late, like don't even bother going to the class you're going to be so damned late.

So I'm cussing up a blue streak and my kids are gasping. "Mommy, you said a bad word!"

"You're @$#&!*$# right I did!"

At this point, my kids are scared. I've grown horns. (See pic above)

So I'm driving like a madman, er, woman, and I'm literally stuck behind this ONE FRICKEN' PERSON who apparently seems to be going the same ****ing way I am - the whole entire way. Now, this person isn't slow, they're not a maniac. They're driving just above speedlimit, but it's the fact that it seems like I'm "following" them that's pissing me off all the more. What are the **** odds they'd be going the same exact way as me? I mean, my route takes me on some twisty streets. Turn here, turn there, go here, go there. From almost my front door, people, I followed this one black SUV. If the lady driving could hear me yelling at her, I think there would have been some serious road rage.

Dear God, I was so pissed off today. Needless to say because of my ding-dang blunder, I didn't get ANY writing done today, I just sat in Karate class staring at the clock. Joy of ****ing joys. If I could have kicked my own ass, I would have.

Ugh.

~~Becka

Becka's Random Pic of the Day

This one was good for a chuckle. I stumbled upon this when I was looking for pics for a hot biker dude for last week's Hottie. LOL If you don't "get it", right-click on the picture to see the file name. I wonder how long it took to get that chick to sit there quietly. LOL

~~Becka

Becka's Hottie of the Week

No, I didn't forget to post my Hottie on Friday. I was just too damn busy. Then yesterday, I spent the entire day doing yardwork with the family. So today, instead of wracking my brain trying to think of someone cool for my Hottie, I'm going to give myself a break and give you the generic "every man". What am I talking about? Why Mr. Motorcycle Dude.



I have no idea what makes this man sexy, but I'm sure you've seen him, blasting his way down the freeway, weaving in and out of traffic, or perhaps riding serenely on the Interstate. He doesn't ride a "chopper", but rather a "motorcycle", and in some cases, he rides what's affectionately known as... The Crotch Rocket.



Honestly, folks, I don't make this stuff up. If you're not driving a chopper (think Hell's Angel's or American Chopper here) or a "motorcycle", then chances are, you have a crotch rocket. LOL Funny, I know. But my God. Every single solitary time these men shoot by me on the road, my heart palpitates. Is it the thrill of it? The speed? The fact that most of the men who ride these things are in good shape?

I think for me, it's the thrill, thinking about clutching onto this man for dear life while he weaves down the road... And the helmet, for me, is what makes this man sexy. Why? Because I can't see the "real" man's face. LOL I can "imagine" him to look exactly the way I want him and hot damn, that's the true thrill. For all I know, he could be old and ugly under there, but he's still fricken' sexy to me.



So the next time you see a man on a motorcycle barreling down the roadway, think of this post and remember that man, whoever he may be, is sexy as all hell. But only in our imaginations. :P

Congratulations, Mr. Motorcycle Dude. You're Becka's Hottie of the Week!

~~Becka