The Liar Society Virtual Launch Party

HUGE congrats going out to Lisa and Laura Roecker, blogger superstars and authors of just-released The Liar Society!


Join them today on their blog Lisa and Laura Write, where they're celebrating their debut novel with a virtual launch party.  Throughout the day they'll share snippets of video from the live launch party held over the weekend and offer chances to win prizes.  It's going to be a blast!


See you over there!

                                    

Gone But Not Forgotten!

Today is the Gone But Not Forgotten Blogfest, hosted by the lovely Erinn,  Alicia, Holly, Pam and Quinta.  As Erinn explains on her blog, "Nothing is meant to last forever...Sadly there are many AMAZING shows no longer on the air.  Does this mean we forget them? No!...List your top 5 TV shows no longer making NEW episodes. They may still be on the air but in syndication.  These shows may be GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN."

Here's my List of Top 5 Favorite TV Shows No Longer in Production:

5.  ROSEANNE -- Every character: hilarious. Every episode: hilarious.  This cast never shied away from hard-core issues facing working class American families.  But while they tackled topics like teen pregnancy, debt, infidelity and masturbation, they infused every scene with irresistible humor.  If a syndicated episode is airing on TV Land today, my channel surfing halts and I watch, even if there's only seven minutes left in the show, to the end.  Still so good!   

 

4.  FRIENDS -- I'll never forget the first episode I ever saw of Friends.  I was in Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic, welcoming in the new group of Peace Corps volunteers, fresh off the plane from the States.  I'd been in the bush without electricity or running water for a year, so things like standing under a running shower or watching a television were bizarre luxuries.  The new recruits had brought a VHS tape with three episodes of Friends. "What's Friends?" I asked.  Their jaws dropped.  "YOU don't know FRIENDS??" they gasped.  I realized that day what a difference a year makes.

3. SEINFELD -- Thursday nights, all six of us 'house-mates' in Washington D.C. got together for the best TV line-up of the 90s: Northern Exposure (which was actually on CBS, I think...after which we'd switch to NBC), then The Simpsons, then Seinfeld.  We may or may not have partied through those evenings....all I remember is LMAO during Seinfeld.  Funniest show about nothing, evah.

2.  GUIDING LIGHT -- I started watching Guiding Light with my aunt, my cousin and my grandmother the summer I was ten.  In 33 years, I rarely missed an episode -- with the exception of the stretch between early 1994 and late 2000, when I lived overseas.  Even when I was a college student, I made sure I never scheduled a class between 3:00 and 4:00.  Some may say it's silly, but a cast you've known for so long, whose children you see born and raised, become your extended family.  I cried like a baby on September 18, 2009 when the final episode aired.  Still so sad...

1. LOST -- I watched the pilot of LOST in September 2004.  I was moved, mesmerized, and completely hooked on the show.  I never missed an episode, but I can't claim to have figured out, or even remember, a majority of the story-lines.  Everything about this show appealed to me: how at the outset the viewer was as much a stranger to the characters as they were to each other; how each character's layers were peeled away through flashbacks; how the themes of science and faith collided over and over.  I loved watching for "Easter Eggs," the important clues, images, and people inconspicuously present in the background of different scenes.  And to mark the turning point in the series, the writers introduced flash-forwards, where instead of seeing into a character's past, we saw him in the future.  As if that didn't twist our perceptions enough, the writers created flash-sideways, which offered glimpses into alternate realities.  The viewer was left, disoriented at times, to figure out what was really going on.  For me, it was all brilliant.  LOVED it!  Can't wait to watch the whole series again on DVD.

Any of your favorites appear on my list?  What shows would you add?

And to hop to the other participating blogs, check out Erinn's Mr. Linky list at Something to Distract Me.

                                    

Literary Fiction Crusaders

Short post today because I'm sooo behind visiting all my awesome fellow Crusaders' blogs this week.  It seemed wrong to keep posting on my own blog when I haven't reciprocated the lovely visits I've enjoyed.  So instead, I'd like to introduce you to the kindred spirits in my Crusading Group.


These authors are literary fiction's newest voices!  Check them out today  J

Group 12 – Literary Fiction 

1. Claire Gregory (All the World's Our Page) Literary fiction, adult fiction (focussing on Australian family saga and First World War topics) 

2. LV (Literary Friction) [Twitter] Literary fiction, erotic fiction, contemporary, psychological 

3. Pam Parker (Finding Meaning with Words) [Twitter] Literary fiction (novel and short stories) 

4. Nicole Ducleroir (One Significant Moment at a Time) [Twitter] Literary fiction, women's lit, mainstream 

5. Nikki (Raising Marshmallows) Picture books, YA, Literary Fiction 

6. Pensheep (A Writerly Pensheep) [Twitter] Speculative fiction, literary fiction 

7. Linda Katmarian (Scheherezade's Journal) Mainstream fiction, literary fiction

8. Danette (There's a place I dream) [Twitter] Literary fiction

9. Len L (Conversations with Self) MG, Literary women’s fiction

10. Tina DC Hayes (Tina DC Hayes, Author at Large) Romantic suspense, literary fiction

11. Alberta Ross (Alberta's Sefuty Chronicles) [Twitter] Dystopian (post apocalyptic post-climate change speculative science fiction) 




And for a full list of the talented writers taking part in this Crusade, visit this page at Rachael Harrie's blog!

Have a fantastic Hump Day!

                                    

Super 8 Debut Album Blogfest

New blog friend DiscConnected is hosting the Super 8 Debut Albums Blogfest today.  The idea is this:  Share your list of the Top 8 Debut Albums, based on your taste in music and how those artists touched your life with their work. I chose 9 (couldn't narrow it down more!)

I'm not a big music enthusiast.  I LOVE listening to music, but I rarely know which artist put out which smash hit.  And I can't write with music on.  Somehow the two areas of my brain involved with listening and composing are hopelessly mis-wired.

That said, I liked the idea of sharing the debut albums that were the soundtracks of my life's chapters, that influenced me on many levels.  With that in mind, here we go!

My Top 9 Debut Album List

9.  Pat Benatar's In the Heat of the Night (1979) -- I was a varsity basketball cheerleader when I discovered this album, although it was several years old by that time.  It played over and over during after-school practices and on the bus for away games.  It was the first time we'd heard a woman rocking out.  Benatar brought down gender barriers for me and made me realize women really can do anything we put our minds to.

8.   Guns 'n' Roses Appetite For Destruction (1987) -- My life went into transition shortly after this album dropped.  By the time the second or third single was released, my family had moved to a new town. It was the summer before my senior year. Yeah. It sucked. I found if I cranked Guns 'n' Roses loud enough, I could drown out some of the stress.

7.  Heart Dreamboat Annie (1976) -- My dad loved this album and used to blast it on Saturday mornings when our weekends were getting underway. It was the time right before our relationship started to unravel.  I always think of him when I hear cuts from this album today.

6.  Bon Jovi [Self-titled] (1984) -- The year I graduated from high school, the family was deep in debt -- the extent to which my parents hid from me and my sisters. I was accepted to a university, had my on-campus rooming assignment and had been corresponding with my future roommates, and had pre-registered for classes. With only three weeks to go until I left, my parents dropped a bomb on my future. They sat me down and told me there was no money for me to go to school. Bon Jovi's music motivated me to spend that year working my ass off, saving every penny.  The next year, with no financial contribution from my parents, I started college.

5.  Boston [Self-titled] (1976) -- Growing up, my family owned a very small cottage on Lake of the Woods, one of hundreds of small lakes near New York's 1000 Island region. The first time we lived at the cottage all summer long, we had this album on cassette tape. We played it, rewound. Played it, rewound. Played it....All.Summer.Long.  Priceless memories!

4.  The Cars [Self-titled] (1978) -- This was the first album I purchased with my own money. It was a hit at the same time I was coming into my teen years, when I challenged boundaries and began thinking about myself as an independent young woman.

3.  Kate Bush The Kick Inside -- Six months after I graduated from college, I moved out of my parents' house in upstate New York and began a crazy two-year stint living in Los Angeles. During that time, I glimpsed a bit of what I was made of. You see, the stress was immense, from navigating my first professional job (at Chiat/Day advertising agency), from managing my first apartment, and from being truly all alone. Juggling the balls of my life zapped all my energy, and there was none left to hold down the hurt from my childhood. I spiraled into deep depression, but I lived through it.  I survived.  Thank you, Kate and your hauntingly beautiful voice, for being there for me during those dark days. 

2. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995) -- I left for the Peace Corps in 1994. Friends sent me care packages with letters, candy, little gifts -- anything to make me feel closer to them and home. One package arrived with a homemade cassette, Natalie Merchant was recorded on one side and Alanis Morissette on the other. I fell deeply in love with Alanis's music. Here lyrics ripped me to the core. I was alone under the blazing African sun, but the Jagged Little Pill provided a unique sound backdrop that turned my experience into something eclectic and avant-garde.

1. Madonna [Self-titled] (1985) -- From the first time I heard "Lucky Star," I've been a die-hard Madonna fan.  The year I (finally) made it to college, my roommate had this album. We danced like freshman fools in the dorm hallway to "I'm Burning Up," nailing Madonna's signature toe-tap-hop move. Years later, when I lived in LA, I waited for hours behind the rope lining the red carpet at the Hollywood premier of Madonna's documentary Truth of Dare.  Limo after limo arrived, and the crowd would buzz, "Is it HER? Is it HER?"  Then we'd all sigh. "Oh, it's only Janet Jackson." or "Nope, just Christian Slater."  Finally, thirty minutes after the movie was supposed to start, a black stretch limo rounded the corner. Instead of pulling all the way up to the doors where the press corps was stationed, the limo stopped right.in.front.of.me.  The doors opened, and there SHE was. Maybe six feet directly in front of me. She was with Nicky and Donna, her backup singers, and several dancers including Gabriel, Oliver, and Carlton.  It was such a thrill!!

So, there you have it. My top 9 debut albums. Any of your favorites on my list? And, visit other bloggers participating in this blogfest, listed HERE.

I'll leave you with Madonna's video for Lucky Star.  Can't embed (disabled by request), but here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThHz9wlBeLU

                                    

I 'AM' not; I 'DO'

 ~My Mantra ~

I am not a writer.  I WRITE.

I am not a wife.  I SHARE my life with the man I love.

I am not a mother.  I LOVE my children enough to teach them to be awesome grown-ups.

I am not a super-fit goddess.  I WORK OUT and ENJOY EATING healthy, nutritious foods.

I am not organized.  I STAY ON TOP of my responsibilities.

I am not perfect.  I STRIVE for balance and ACCEPT my humanity.  And I LEARN from my mistakes.

I am not.  I DO.

What's your mantra today?

                                    

Pants on Fire

Well, the first 'get-to-know-you'challenge put before us by Rachael Harrie proved one thing: Crusaders are a bunch of talented liars!

Our challenge was to write a short entry that shared with readers our answers to a series of guided questions (what's your favorite thing in the world, interesting quirk, etc.)  There were four prompt words we had to incorporate in the post, which was not easy!  And, one thing we said had to be a lie.

You can read my entry HERE, should you have any desire.  My lie will be revealed at the bottom of this post.

I'm ecstatic and completely overwhelmed by all the new followers I've gained in the past week and a half!  Between the Bernard Pivot Blogfest and the Platform-Building Crusade, I've fallen behind in following you all  back.  I'll certainly get caught up this week, indulging in the pleasures of visiting your blogs and meeting you. Looking forward to getting to know you better!

And so, without further ado, here is my lie:  Although it's true they're usually shut in pictures, the eyes in my profile picture have not been Photoshopped.

Have a wonderful, creative, crusading day!

                                    

Crusaders First Challenge Entry!

One of my favorite things in the world is being a sister. Those who know me well recognize how defined I am by my family, so it seems fitting to introducing myself to new, Crusading friends by sharing a glimpse into my life with four sisters.

Our parents, more rabbit-like than fuliguline, had us one after the other, naming us Nicole, Natalie, Noelle, Nadine, and Natasha.  They stuttered through our childhood, resorting to pointing a trembling finger and growling, “You!  Get over here.”  Even our children have trouble sorting out our names.  I have a nephew who calls me Aunt Nic-Nack-No, our running joke which makes me smile.

Not surprisingly, there’s plenty of drama in our lives.  At any given moment, someone’s life is on the blade-edge of crisis.  And try as we might, we can’t keep each other’s secrets.  When one says, “Well, she-- Oops, never mind…” the other will pry the rest out, promising never to pass the info on.  Until she later slips to another: “No, I heard she– Oops! Never mind…”

 

I didn’t start social networking until recently, out of fear of sister drama playing out on Facebook.  It’d happened in the past, and I wanted no part of it.  (Plus, my sisters are beautiful and incredibly photogenic.  But me?  Systematically, as a picture is snapped, I feel the urge to talk.  I’m always captured with jaw swung to the side, nostrils flared, and eyes closed.  Those open eyes are actually Photoshopped in on my profile picture!)

Drama aside, I love my sisters to death.  They’re funny, stylish, quirky, and all-around awesome ladies.  Though in heated moments I'm accused of bloviating, I’m a very philosophical, even-keeled soul – a true Libra, through and through – and am able to offer perspective when the drama gets overwhelming.  Through it all, my sisters fill my heart with love, and they bring more joy to my life than words can express.

Thanks to Rachael Harrie for providing the prompts for this Crusader challenge!  Read all the participating entries here.  

And, within the paragraphs above, I have revealed something about me that isn’t strictly true, can you guess what it is?  The truth will be revealed Monday!  See you then J

Happy Weekend!