Today the weather is cold and makes me want to slide back under the covers and just...forget. To go to that peaceful place of sleep and dream about anything but the realities of daily life. The responsibilities that seem to overwhelm me at times, and the huge To-Do list that never seems to end.--Days like this are only good for coffee, hot cereal, and more coffee. Brrrrr.
But I can't.
I have way too much to do and way too little time. Every winter I feel the panic set in as I madly dash from place to place, struggling to find that perfect gift. I usually do it bitching and moaning the whole time. I am not a scrooge by any means--but Christmas doesn't usually bring out the Cindy Loo Who in me.
But today---I am happy. For several reasons:
First---My hubby comes home. He has been up in PA visiting with his brothers. Four of them--and his two sisters. He comes from a rather large family. Being 1 out of 10 kids, he is close with his family. And this past August, marked the first anniversary of his mother's death. So family comes to mean so much more and getting together when you can feels so much sweeter.
Second--today is our twenty-first anniversay. I am both blessed and happy to have such a man that today, still loves me and calls me on the phone to tell me how much he misses me. Even after weighing **cough** considerly more than the day we said "I Do", he still finds me sexy. I love you, Eric. ***blows kisses***
Third-tomorrow is my youngest daughter's birthday--she will be 8. For someone who thought she would never have kids, I have been blessed with two. Today I am thinking about all that God has blessed me with, and I am very thankful. I try to keep this in mind, when the both of them are screaming, fighting, and annoying the hell out of each other---plus, a xanax or two goes a long way. Don't judge me, peeps. I do what I do to survive, lol.
Why am I getting all sappy and sentimental? That is SOOOOO not me.
I just feel that sometimes we forget the little things. Especially this time of year. We all seem to rush around and become impatient- I know, I've been that person.
So this is just a friendly reminder--When you feel that rage build up because the person in front of you is taking too long at the light, or there is only two cash registers open at your local Wal-mart and the line is out the ying-yang....STOP. Take a deep breath. And think of all the things that you have good in your life. I promise you, you'll feel better for it.
So now that my maudlin moment is over-----
Here are some other reasons why I am so damn happy:
Yeah....I know. The cover alone can scorch your fingers. But I absolutely ADORE this author. One of my fave genres to read is BDSM.
But I don't like just any author. Some of them don't capture the feelings, the deep emotions that come with such a relationship. To those I say---DO YOUR RESEARCH. And stop with all the meaningless sex aka porn just to fill the pages.
The major difference of Cherise's books is that there is such a deep emotional connection with the Hero/Heroine-or D/s as it were- that the sex is phenomenal. AMAZING. BRILLIANT. All of her Doms are such gentlemen--they respect women, they have strong emotions, and --SUPER HAWT. If BDSM is your bag--I highly reccomend this author. She will blow your mind. Her Club Shadowlands series is an auto-buy for me and To Command And Collar, is book 6 of this amazing series. It is out now and you can order it from
Loose Id and
Amazon. So far, with 10 reviews at Amazon--it has received 5 Stars.
Product Description
Genre: BDSM Contemporary Suspense
Series: Masters of the Shadowlands; Previous Book: Make Me, Sir
Determined to find the human traffickers preying on Shadowlands’ submissives, Master Raoul gets himself invited to a small slave auction. Once informed, the FBI orders him to reject the limited choices so the slavers will invite him to the big auction. To Raoul’s shock, one of the slaves is the kidnapped friend of a Shadowlands sub. She has a scarred body...and an unbroken spirit. He can’t leave her behind. Ruining the FBI’s carefully laid plans, he buys her.
Kimberly’s freedom has come at a devastating price: the other women are still slaves. An FBI raid is their only hope for rescue. Desperate to help the Feds locate the big auction, she agrees to pose as Master Raoul’s slave. Wearing a collar again is terrifying, but under the powerful dominant’s care, Kim starts to heal and then to blossom. This is what she’s been drawn to—and fled from—her entire life.
She escaped the slavers who captured her body—can she escape the master who’s captured her heart?
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: anal play, BDSM theme and elements (including/not limited to: bondage, fire play, flogging), violence.
Another little happy dance was done when I received information on my all-time favorite author:
Suzanne Brockmann. I had the immense pleasure of meeting her during the RWA Convention in NYC this past June. She is simply AMAZING. What a great, motivational speaker. She made me tingle all over and squee like a major knob. I found the courage to approach her and talk with her about her books. This was such a momumental moment to me, because ALL of her books are must reads. If your favorite genre is suspense, military, and sprinkled with humor--doused with sexy, addictive heros-GO OUT AND BUY HER BOOKS. I have laughed, cried, and re-read her Troubleshooters series and I plan to never give them away. Seriously.
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| Me and the Amazing Suzanne Brockmann at the RWA Convention in NYC 2011 |
Okay---the best news since the release of her book, Breaking The Rules is that she has another 2 books coming out next year.
While this one is NOT a TroubleShooters series book--the premise sounds great--and I will be anxiously awaiting its release.
March 20, 2012BORN TO DARKNESSFighting Destiny book #1
NEW in hardcover
from Ballantine Books
Dishonorably discharged, former Navy SEAL Shane Laughlin is down to his last ten bucks when he finally finds work as a test subject at the Obermeyer Institute, a little-known and believed-to-be-fringe scientific research facility. When he enters the OI compound, he is plunged into a strange world where seemingly mild-mannered scientists--including women half his size--can kick his highly skilled ass.
Shane soon discovers that there are certain individuals who possess the unique ability to access untapped regions of the brain with extraordinary results-including telekinesis, super strength, and reversal of the aging process. Known as "Greater-Thans," this rare breed is recruited by OI, where they are rigorously trained using ancient techniques to cultivatetheir powers and wield them responsibly.
But in the depths of America's second Great Depression, where the divide between the haves and the have-nots has grown even wider, those who are rich--and reckless--enough have a quick, seductive alternative: Destiny, a highly addictive designer drug that that can make anyone a Greater-Than, with the power of eternal youth. The sinister cartel known as The Organization has begun mass-producing Destiny, and the demand is growing. But few realize the drug's true danger, and fewer still know the dirty secret of Destiny's crucial ingredient.
Michelle "Mac" Mackenzie knows the ugly truth. And as one of the Obermeyer Institute's crack team of operatives, she's determined to end the scourge of Destiny. But her kick-ass attitude gets knocked for a loop when she discovers one of the new test subjects is the same smoldering stranger who just rocked her world in a one-night stand. And although Shane quickly discovers he isn't a Greater-Than like Mac, as an ex-SEAL, he's got talents of his own. But Mac's got powerful reasons to keep her distance from Shane-and reasons to want him close. She's used to risking her life, but now she faces sacrificing her heart in the ultimate war on drugs.
And the second new release:
• Tough-as-nails Troubleshooters operative Sam Starrett learns the agony of loving someone in danger--and the hell of waiting on the home front--as his wife and fellow Troubleshooter, Alyssa, hurtles into a foreign hotspot that's about to boil over.
• Navy SEAL Frank O'Leary's ill-fated holiday reunion with his older brother takes a turn for the better-when a chance encounter on a rainy New Orleans street gives him a reason to be thankful after all.
• In a maze of tunnels deep beneath a military base in Germany, Jules Cassidy, Alyssa Locke, and their comrades in arms match wits with terrorists on a mission with explosive consequences.
• Plus more never-before-released adventures featuring Jenk, Izzy, Gillman, Lopez, Kenny, Savannah, and members of SEAL Team 16--along with Suzanne Brockmann's exclusive interviews with her beloved characters.
• Looking for the best kind of trouble? You've found it!
August 28, 2012
HEADED FOR TROUBLE
A Troubleshooters Anthology
in paperback from Ballantine Books
And if you haven't had a chance to read Breaking the Rules, the latest book of the TroubleShooters, the paperback release is coming up very soon.
I bought this on my Kindle, but I am seriously considering buying it in paperback just for the cover alone. Yes, I have an addiction--but it's not crack, people. Here is a blurb about Izzy---and may I add, he makes me swoon. Knees buckle. And I gigle like a school girl. Of course, Sam Starrett is still tops in my book as ALL TIME FAVE HERO. Just sayin'. And then there's Jules....sigh......
Izzy Zanella wasn't looking for another reason to butt heads with his Navy SEAL teammate and nemesis, Danny Gillman. But then he met Danny’s beautiful younger sister, Eden. When she needed it most, he offered her a place to stay, a shoulder to cry on—and more. And when she got pregnant with another man’s child, he offered her marriage. But Eden’s devastating miscarriage shattered their life together—and made the intense bad blood between Izzy and Danny even worse.
Now Eden's back, on a mission to rescue her teen brother, Ben, from their abusive stepfather. Even if she and Izzy can prove that their broken marriage is still in one piece, winning legal custody of Ben is a long shot. But they’re not alone: Danny and his girlfriend Jenn offer to help, and he and Izzy agree to bury the past and fight for Ben’s future.
As they plan their strategy, Izzy and Eden grapple with the raw passion that still crackles between them—while Danny and Jenn confront new depths in their own rocky relationship. But events take a terrifying turn after Ben befriends a girl fleeing a child prostitution ring. When the young runaway seeks refuge with Eden and Izzy, her pursuers kidnap Ben—and a deadly standoff begins. Now, they must all pull together like never before and strike back, swift and hard, to protect their unconventional little family and everything they hold most.
I am in such a great, super freakin', fantastic mood now---I'll think I'll tackle that Christmas list now. Cindy Loo Who--WATCH OUT!
Caio,
C.S. Maxwell
