It's All About the Hats!

A few weeks ago was a wedding in England - lovely jubbly - and yes, I was up early taking it all in!  Made the cutie and I scones [with strawberry jam and clotted cream of course], and he made a pot of tea.

It was great coverage, but really BBC America nailed it because they actually knew who people were, and made sure to have great shots of those us fashion fans wanted to see - especially the hats!  Yes, hats are big over there.  The English ladies who traveled to So Cal for our wedding at the beach brought their hats with them - yes, it's that kind of a big deal.

So, who was I looking forward to seeing, and who picked fab hats?

Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Princess Letizia of Spain, and Lady Frederick Windsor looked wonderful from head to toe.  Who I was hoping to see and thought their choices were fabulous was Sophia, Countess of Wessex and Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne.  Those two always do it right!

Okay, I said it was all about hats, but I can't hold back from talking about the dresses worn by the bride.  Sarah Burton [now the designer for Alexander McQueen label and carrying on his vision beautifully] walked the line between being memorable, timeless, and tame very well.  The second reception gown was just as beautiful with it's angora bolero sweater and sparkling belt - loved it as much as the wedding dress!  All that said, I would love to see the pseudo-bustlel at the back of the latter, very oragami-ish - very intriguing.

Missed the Kentucky Derby, but it takes hints from Ascot - the wild hats are released!

Have Flowers on My Mind

Why?

That would be because of Homotography showcasing Jeremy Kost's Flowers for the Land of the Rising Sun photos, which, by the way, he is selling copies to benefit Japan Society's Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

Love it and makes me want to plant some flowers.

A new trend for me in books/ebooks

Much like illustrators, I've bought many books based on the translator.

Weird, but true.

If the language is dead or not mine, then I need help in reading it, and that's where the translator comes into play. When I was at University, Richmond Lattimore was my go to guy for Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles, Robert Fiztgerald for Homer's Illiad and Odyssey, and Allen Mandelbaum for Virgil's The Aeneid. These men translated many other works, but these were the ones I liked by them the most.

Let me bring the translator bit a little more current with JK Rowling's Harry Potter books. Did you know the first three were altered for the US market? They were! Someone went through and took out the strongly English words and rejigged them for Americans to read. An example of this would the title of the first book. In England it's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and in the US it's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. After book 3, the publisher finally realized it wasn't necessary to changes things, and left that Englishness alone.

While not technically translating, this bit of tinker-time helped ease me away from actively seeking who touched a book once first published. The final straw came with Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy as translated by Reg Keeland. No, the translations were far from perfect, but I enjoyed the books all the same, and my need to buy a book by translator was gone.

My current read has been translated and I'm liking it, alot, and will most likely get caught up in and read all of Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole series as translated by Don Bartlett.

Let me qualify all this by stating I would never want to be a translator as there is bound to be someone who picks it apart.  Beautiful or pretty, technically they're the same, but they also aren't.  Can you imagine going through an entire book of 90,000+ words and trying to find the right words and please everyone?  No thank you and I give anyone who takes it on credit and kudos for accepting a very difficult job.

Naughty Thought For Monday

Jewelry can often be used to express a mood and this piece called Tiny Hand by Delfina Delettrez [which I found on Trend de la Creme] does exactly that and maybe gives the wearer a moment to daydream about a handjob.

Now, when I visited Delettrez website, I liked what I saw - a few other frisky pieces, otherwise the macabre jewelry is clean, crisp, and modern with a hint of elegance.  That said, I couldn't find a way to turn off the music so am warning you here:  great pieces and worth looking at, maybe even buying, but be warned about music playing - can be turned off by clicking on moving musical bars in upper left corner.

Friday Funny Goes Naughty and SFW

So S sends me a daily digest from I Can Has a Cheezburger and it always cracks me up, and this one reminded me of what I write - erotic romances.



Under the picture it said but protekshun iz bery importint! and was followed by Faeborit Coment: “iz nawt eben ribbbed fer ur enjoymint!” – bluesfan473

HA!  Thank you S, you made my day again!

Fashion Addicts Rise Up!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted the Costume Institute Gala on Tuesday and I personally can't wait to go into NYC to see the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition [May 4th - July 31].  Meanwhile, there were some gorgeous gowns worn that will tide me over for a bit.

Now to the fashion of the night. I loved Iman, the woman looked like a gorgeous lion in a Stella McCartney sparkling gold jump suit, and her wild hair.  Christina Ricci is the only one who could carry off a gothic spiderweb like number by Zac Posen and look great doing it.  Jennifer Hudson has been fabulous in her body skimming gowns of late, but she wore a beautiful Vera Wang ball gown[ish] and looked wonderful.  Sofia Vergara in Carolina Herrara [one I liked for it's simplicity without being all that simple] looked the best I've seen her look.  Mia Wasikowska wore a Thakoon was my favorite [to the right], maybe because it reminded me of what I had the heroine wear in "Missing" - freaky weird - and maybe because I would choose this one in a heartbeat, along with the hair!

There weren't many who missed the mark, but I have to say, Daphne Guinness was my favorite wearing an Alexander McQueen creation.  The feathers are delightful and whimsical, and the train to die for - love this one!

Thank you Skinny vs Curvy for the Mega Gallery and StyleBistro!

Two For One Time

Often on Wednesdays I'll post something with a hint of hump day connentations and sometimes I'll post movie stuff on Fridays - well, today it's both.

Thor is coming out this Friday and I will be seeing it on Saturday or Sunday, and Chris Hemsworth looks absolutely delightful in the lead.  When I was going to school in England, an afternoon was not complete without watching Home and Away and Neighbours - Aussie soaps, of which Hemsworth was in the former.  Funny how things circle around.

There you go, two for one:  Hump Day Hottie Does Hollywood!

Everchanging Book/eBook Purchase Habits

There are close to 10 authors I automatically purchase their latest books.  What that means is that I don't read the blurb, don't care about the cover, just get it because I know I'll enjoy the read and afterwards will store it on my shelves.

Well, I'm ready to shake things up again.

A few years ago I donated over 3000 books to our local library and promised myself to buy only books I wanted to keep.  However, if I bought one, another had to go.  Space was of the essence.  The result was I'd chopped my auto-buys to 10 and the rest were ebook.  No problem, in fact, my tbr piles thrived.  What I hadn't counted on was the hardcover tbr pile not going down - just sitting there and growing with two years worth of books.

Here's the deal.  I'm cutting that 10 must have authors to 8, possibly 7 and maybe even 6, and I'll add them to my ebook purchases.

The format I read in doesn't matter to me and apparently the must keep to reread stack doesn't care either.

Naughty Thought for Monday

Neatorama recently showcased a courier bike called The Sperm Bike used by a fertility clinic in Copenhagen.  Bullitt are designed cargobikes from Larry vs Harry and they can add a personalized cargo holder [designed by Danish company who specialize in reconstructions 10 Tons] - in this case a freezer of sorts to carry sperm donations to clinics.  A useful billboard of sorts.

There's the details, so what's going on in my head when I see this?

What a hoot!

Tied Up For Love by Tilly Greene

Tied Up For Love by Tilly Greene
Tease Publishing
Paranormal Erotic Romance + Bondage

Available at ARe

Filla is a nymph used to the raucous ways of a Dionysian festival and allows a handsome newcomer, Marsyas, to strip her down for a passionate interlude while tied to a tree. After time spent alone, together, she knows little about him beyond the physical. However, her feelings for him are growing until he brings her back for the next festival, and suddenly she's not sure of anything.

Love is found in the most unlikely places, but will it last?

Excerpt

Ecstatic madness swirled around the clearing as Dionysus, god of wine and theater, skipped and danced through revelers with his mighty thyrsus in hand. Honey rained from the fennel stick and pine cone top onto random attendees, encouraging their passions to the surface, and ultimately to mate with whomever or whatever was closest. He whipped them further into a frenzied mindset and pushed them deeper into satisfying their lust for flesh. There were only two ways the frantic celebrants could shake loose the need infiltrating their minds and bodies, either through sex or violence.

Filla was a nymph, devotee of the god’s. Thankfully she’d never experienced the desire to tear another living being apart. She hadn’t been a follower for as many years as some, she wasn’t that old, but had been around long enough to discover a few of the secrets surrounding Dionysus and how he was worshipped. The disciples who were comfortable focusing on the wine and theater aspects saw little else, not the bad side of their favored divinity, and not his strong links to both life and death. Powerful and well supported, he was an immortal that shouldn’t ever be crossed.

As far as she was concerned devotion to the patron deity of agriculture and all the good he freely offered the community she chose to live within didn’t mean she had to compromise the standards she chose to live by. To both celebrate the final step in bringing the collective wine to fruition and to make it through an event in one piece, mentally and physically, would only be accomplished if she kept her distance from the people she knew to be unstable. The negative aspects of honoring the god weren’t enough to deny the sexual cravings that held her captive when it was festival time. Previous encounters had been gratifying, even fulfilling, but she’d had a taste of something better. Someone that made her happy and dreams appear possible, and he was at her side.

Marsyas.

They walked through the clearing, past a group of wild maenads eager for the sacrifice to start. She had her arm around his sleek warm waist and smiled feeling his around her shoulders, holding her close. They’d physically connected at the previous event and hadn’t spent a moment apart since. A Dionysian festival was not the place to find love, but their time since, spent at his place overlooking the sea had been filled with her feelings for him growing deeper, more complex. She wouldn’t label them love, there were too many unknowns to be discovered, too many questions to be answered, barriers in both of them to be knocked down, although her heart remained open for him to fill.

She’d always considered herself an adventurous woman when it came to embracing what life offered, but he’d shown her how much she’d been missing by giving her mind, body and soul over to the devotion of another. The past few months had been enlightening and full of pleasure, and she hadn’t wanted it to end. Happiness had wiped all thought of attending the big spring festival from her mind. She’d been caught off guard when he mentioned bringing her back to the temple in time for the celebration. The move left her with questions, doubts really.

Had he lost interest in her? In them and where they might have been headed? The attentive care he continued to treat her with didn’t support the concern, but sometimes actions hid the truth.  Filla knew she should ask him what was going on, but they were headed toward their special place, at least she thought it was special, and didn’t want to break the mood.

A startlingly loud yell broke into her thoughts and she looked around to see where the sound had come from. There were plenty of people shouting their fun, groaning their pleasure, but the cry had sounded like one of terror, and then she found the source.

Not too far from the tree where they’d culminated their relationship was a man stretched across a long stone who held his ass cheeks open for a centaur who stood between his legs. While she watched, he was slowly fed a long thin cock, and the yell turned into a moan. The man appeared to be enthralled by the others possession of his backside and she felt her body react to that discovery.

“You’re remembering when I first took your delicate sweet ass, aren’t you honey.”
Copyright © 2011 Tilly Greene

Buy ebook at All Romance [ARe]

Quite a bit has been happening lately

I've been interviewed by JoJo of JoJo's Book Corner fame [and am chatting as well as hosting a giveaway today] and also by Grace of the Livre de Amor.

In regards to writing, I stood up for the In-Betweeners with 'Grey is a Good Starting Place' on Selena Illyria's blog which hosted a month+ discussion on Hero, Villian or In-Between.

With AAD coming around the corner, I offered up the '5 Reasons Why I Love AAD' on the Authors After Dark blog, and now even more eager for August to get here.

On a personal level, I talked about my 'Favorite Things' on the Samhain Publishing Blog, and 'My Big Sin' on Leigh Ellwood's Me Want Food blog.

During all that, I also had "Tied Up For Love" released, and shall share an excerpt soon.

Phrew, need to catch my breath, and finish "Missing"!

Remember Marsyas...

...the hero of "Tied Up For Love"?

No?  Let me remind you of a few things.  Marsyas is the latest Ancient Greek mythological figure to be treated to a fresh ending, actually fresh start would be more apt, but then again, that is what the Mythological Messes Redux series is all about

The man is actually an ipotane, a mythical creature from before satyrs and centaurs. I might have shown you before, but I'm going to do it again because this is a stunning piece.  To the right is a picture from the Getty Collection of a remnant that also happens to be one of my all time favorite pieces of art.

He isn't big, less than 20", and the artist added horns which the real Marsyas didn't have, however, the man is very sexy as sin and I came to that conclusion long before I knew his sad tale.

To make this Friday even better than a normal TGIF, you can pick up "Tied Up For Love" ebook now at All Romance [ARe]!  SURPRISE!

Mythological Messes Redux Series
Hephaestus Lays Down the Law, LIP Vol. 1
Together Again?
Double Punch
Cyra's Cyclopes, LIP Vol. 3
Tied Up For Love, LIP Vol. 4 - OUT NOW!

Tilly Greene
WARNING!  Red hot romances ahead!
http://www.tillygreene.com/

Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe

Friday Funny!

A husband takes his wife to play her first round of golf.

The wife promptly whacked her first shot right through the window of the biggest house adjacent to the course.

The husband cringed, "I warned you to be careful! Now we'll have to go up there, find the owner, apologize and see how much your lousy drive is going to cost us."

So the couple walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

A man's voice said, "Come on in."

When they opened the door they saw the damage that was done. Glass was all over the place, and a broken antique bottle was lying on its side near the broken window.

A man reclining on the couch asked, "Are you the people that broke the window?"

"Uh, yeah, sir.. We're sure sorry about that," the husband replied.

"Oh, no apology is necessary. Actually I want to thank you. You see, I'm a genie, and I've been trapped in that bottle for a thousand years. Now that you've released me, I'm allowed to grant three wishes.. I'll give you each one wish, but if you don't mind, I'll keep the last one for myself."

"Wow, that's great!" the husband said. He pondered a moment and blurted out, "I'd like a million dollars a year for the rest of my life."

"No problem," said the genie. "You've got it, it's the least I can do. And I'll guarantee you a long, healthy life!"

"And now you, young lady, what do you want?" the genie asked.

"I'd like to own a gorgeous home complete with servants in every country in the world," she said.

"Consider it done," the genie said. "And your homes will always be safe from fire, burglary and natural disasters!"

"Now," the couple asked in unison, "what's your wish, genie?"

"Well, since I've been trapped in that bottle and haven't been with a woman in more than a thousand years, my wish is to have sex with your wife."

The husband looked at his wife and said, "Gee, honey, you know we both now have a fortune, and all those houses. What do you think?"

She mulled it over for a few moments and said, "You know, you're right. Considering our good fortune, I guess I wouldn't mind, but what about you, honey?"

"You know I love you sweetheart," said the husband. "I'd do the same for you!"

So the genie and the woman went upstairs where they spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other in every way.. After about three hours of non-stop sex, the genie rolled over and looked directly into her eyes and asked, "How old are you and your husband?"

"Why, we're both 45," she responded breathlessly.

"NO SHIT." He said, "Forty-five years old and both of you still believe in genies?"

For the chick, S!, who sends me cute kitty pics - hugs! Love the laugh :-)

Beauty of the Wetsuit Dance

Have you ever seen the wetsuit dance?

A guy wraps a towel around his waist and tries to put on or take off a very tight wet suit all without losing the towel and being done in for indecent exposure?

It's often awkward with limbs tugging and cursing, but ultimately fascinating to watch.

Thank you to the photographer Didio for showing a small hint of what could be revealed in the wet suit dance with model Augusto Coronado and Hunk du Jour.

Spending the week on the Tease Publishing blog

What am I doing over on the Tease Publishing Blog?

Talking about LIP, plot, ipotanes, locations, etc. In other words, everything that has ruled my mind for a few months is on the table!

Why?  Because "Tied Up For Love" will be out on April 15th!

What kind of bag do you carry?

Apparently if you live in Europe, you get some seriously cool and fun bags to carry your shopping home.  I'd buy Wheaties to get this bag!

An unexpected result of movie night

Over the past few weeks I've indulged my animation movie love and thought I'd share a few thoughts, but then last night's flick Tangled was up.

First of all I didn't know that much about the movie other than it was a take on Rapunzel.  In true Disney fashion, they pulled it off.  I loved it all.  The parents, sad rulers missing their lost daughter.  The old woman, a evil baddy to nth degree.  The hero, was a great twist in that he was an orphan who dreamed about a better life and yet was a thief.  The cast of outcasts, horrible and yet so loveable.  Then theres Maximus, a palance horse, such a hoot.  Great characters.  My favorite bit was the lanterns set off on Rapunzels birthday - loved it.

Yup, I really enjoyed this one, and apparently so did our neighbors kitty [Princess Bee].  We've noticed lately that she'll stretch out on the rug downstairs and watch television with us, but Tangled really captured her attention.  When the evil older lady came on screen with an older man floating around a pub full of ruffians dressed as cupid, she sat up, moved closer, and stared.  Shortly after that scene ended, kitty went upstairs to bed.  Half hour later, I went upstairs, and she was on her back, paws up, and I swear she was grinning.

Go Disney, I think you might have something for the feline set that's better than catnip.

Ellora's Cave Bollywood Bash at RT brought memories of...

our trip to India.

I haven't talked much about the trip, other than it helped shape An Invitation to the World:  India, but let me tell you it was a spectacular three weeks.  There was so much to see, smell, taste, hear, as well as learn, and after seeing a few pics from last night's party on Twitter, I wanted more of what I remember of India.

There was a wedding we went to while in Chennai and if only I could share the scents as well - everything was a true experience of the senses.  However, what I remember most is how wonderful everyone was to us, I even had a Bollywood actress help me with my hair.

Anyway, here is the couple in a swing decorated in flowers, and while I can't remember all that is going on and why - we always had someone come up and explain what was happening and why, told you they were sweet - there is throwing and cleaning going on, as well as some great music.

Another bit that was delightful where the meals - yes, meals, as the ceremony stretched over many days although we only made it to two.  A banana leaf was laid out in front of you while servers walked down the aisles with big bowls of goodies and ladled a portion onto your leaf to eat.  Okay, I'm not going to share me finally being able to use all five fingers to eat, but the woman next to me had a good laugh.  Seriously, all your life you're told don't use your fingers, and suddenly that's the only way you can eat and all five need to be used - I'm tell you, it's tricky stuff!

Something else we learned during the meals was when we were done and offered another helping, just say no!  I would say, no thank you, and get another dollop of something delicious.  Last words said is what they were going by.  Bloody hard to just say no, guess the polite thing is in me to the bone.

Oh, by the way, no napkins although there was the great wash basin outside to use.

All in all, a great trip, and all the senses were given treats to enjoy.

Today is Tartan Day - so...

get your plaid on!

In NYC, it's a week plus full of events, and last night was the annual Dressed to Kilt fashion event.  I can't wait to see the pics.  It always looks like such a blast and one of these years I'll go.

Why?

If Gerard Butler shows up again to walk down the runway in a kilt, I want to see it!

Confession Time

I never watched The Sopranos series, although I heard it was good.  Now, whenever I see one being shown, I'll watch it - although they always seem to be the same ones, but still interesting.

Nope, that isn't the confesson.

I was watching one the other day and Tony Soprano is in a thoughtful mood, sitting around the poker table with a few of his boys, and they're talking about one of his dad's mistresses.  The woman had apparently also been a plaything for President Kennedy.  So he's thinking and the shot was of him, close up, smoking on a cigar.  It was a really good lighting, angle, everything - very artistically done.  After two or three puffs with the smoke rather dramatically circling him, Tony takes a drink of whisky, and then another puff.

Here's the confession.  I don't smoke, never have, but I have pulled a Tony - smoked a cigar and sipped on a whisky while chatting with friends.  Can't remember if it was someone graduating, getting their first job, married, a baby, or just because we all felt like it, whatever the reason, it was fun.

Anyway, watching that scene on tv reminded me, and I thought I'd share the secret.