My #1 Thing I Would Like to Try is...

...stay in an Igloo Hotel.

I know, the cold is so not my thing and this kind of cold is not something I'd normally seek out to spend time in, but I'm intrigued by the ice hotels sprouting up and looking fun.

The Schneedorf in Austria [to the right] even looks romantic.

The only problem I foresee with staying in an igloo is that fish would most likely be on the menu and I eat nothing from water, otherwise, I'm there!

My #1 Perplexing Intrigue is...

...why this?

I'm not a horse fan, in fact I'm terrified of them, although I do like Bodo Sperlein's work, very smooth, elegant, and with enough whimsy to encourage a smile.

All that said, why do I keep going back to his Ascot Collection tea set for Lladro?  And please don't ask me what I think about the latters figurines.

There's disjointed horse limbs kicking out in weirdly useful positions and heads used as stands, and yet I'm oddly drawn to it.

My #1 Designing Idea is...

...to put this Tokujin Yoioka Bouquet chair in a cozy Ladies Reading Salon.

Okay, no surprise, my version of a Man Cave would be a nook for me to sit back and read.  This chair looks comfy and fun for curling up with a good book whilst sipping on something fruity.

There's also dark red version that screams out for a more private salon.  Actually, there's a variety of colors, and all of them just make me think they'd be a nice place to spend time.

My #1 Frivolous Fashion Lust is...

...minaudière!

These are defined as "a small decorative case for carrying small articles (as cosmetics or jewelry)."

Told you it was frivolous and yet I'm drawn to them, would love to own many of them, but am content to look at and enjoy them from afar.

This all started with Judith Leiber, the first designer of the little jewels that I discovered as a teen, and have been looking out for her offerings ever since.  Something I recently heard about was the Leiber Museum which houses both Judith's minaudieres and Gerson's modern art offerings.

Road trip!

[Thank you Merriam-Webster for definition and snippet on the origins.]

Something New!

This past weekend the cutie and I went to an AMC Dine-In Theater to watch Hangover II because the times worked for us, but it was a fabulous experience.

The seats were very comfy, [while we didn't order anything] the menu offerings looked decent, there were a variety of beverages - including cocktails and beer on top, and the matinee price was the best!

With quite a few flicks coming up that we'd like to see, we'll definitely be going here again!

Food as Fashion is here!

Beef and Chanel, who knew they'd mix so well, but Art Center College of Design in Pasadena student Nancy Wu managed to pull it off with style!

No, I wouldn't buy this bag - I'm not into labels or jerky - but I see a story potential here:  A cowboy is asked to add some legitimacy to a western photoshoot for a top Parisian haute couture designer and ends up falling for the model wearing the gowns.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again:  Inspiration is everywhere and I found this one in the Daily Mail.

Need to wear a tie?

There are times when a tie is needed and others when it's not, but that's where the fun begins.

Not sure where I found this pic or who the photographer is, but the model is Tym Roders.

What have I read lately?

I've been reading this month [May], lots of it, and can't say any of it has been anything more than done simply for the joy of being able to read what I want, when I want, and where I want.  Okay, the cutie bought a Kindle, and I tried a few on it and others I added to my cyber TBR shelf for later, but I read* a few because I do that - READ!

Selfish, I know, but I've enjoyed myself which is what reading is all about.  So, what have I bought and what have I read?

• Grace Under Fire by Jackie Barbosa*
• A Gentlewoman's Predicament (1) and A Gentlewoman's Ravishment (2) by Portia Da Costa*
• Pleasing Sir by Delilah Devlin*
• Long Hard Ride (1) by Lorelie James*
• The Bosses Pet: The Contract (1) and Office Training Goes Home (2) by Tonya Kinzer*
• Boy Toys by Brynn Paulin
• Glorious Enslavement by Anya Richards*
• Dex's Claim by Mandy M Roth*
• Club Shadowlands (1), Dark Citadel (2) and Breaking Free (3) by Cherise Sinclair
• Feral Cravings by Jenika Snow
• Seducing Jane Porter by Dominique Adair*

Most of these were new to me to read authors [I've read Devlin and Adair before] and I've had varying degrees of enjoyment, either way, it's been a good month to buy ebooks and read!

Time to think about honor

Enjoy your day and take a moment to remember those who served and paid the ultimate price for us to have all the freedoms we have.

Playing Away From Home Today!

I'm over on the fabulous Delilah Devlin's blog talking about a man who inspired me for months and I finally wrote his story - yup, his sexy and hard, but maybe not in the way you're thinking!

Come over and lets talk about who it is :-)

I'm Guilty As Charged!

I'm not someone who is in to lots of self-denial, which means I happily embrace my guilty pleasures and I'm about to indulge myself.

The Hangover passed me by for sometime and I was okay with that.  I heard it was funny, but didn't rush out to find, and then I was cornered.  Actually, I was on an airplane, and thought why not kill a few hours watching it?  Well, I loved it!  It was so wrong and I laughed so hard :-)

This weekend the cutie and I will be seeing The Hangover Part II!  Fingers crossed the release isn't held back because of the tattoo lawsuit pending.

Feeling Blue?

Is the week not going the way you'd hoped it would?

Not to worry, Steve B and photographer Jason T Jaskot have a solution!

Sexy hot blue!

Thank you Oh La La Magazine for brightening this hump day!

Cover Talk - Again!

Not too long ago I mentioned cover art needed to make a Come Back, well, I'm sticking with that and pleading the publishers to do something.

Besides title and authors name, covers need to tell me genre, mood, and a few hints that will tempt my inner-reader to buy.

I've just been shopping on Amazon.co.uk for a family member in England and found a few books that interested me.  I swapped over to the US site and the cover of one made me doubt it was the book for me, and I decided they can wait until I'm in the UK next.  That's bad because, as far as I'm concerned, those were sales lost because of the publisher.  They chose to package the books in two entirely different ways which made me, in turn, doubt they were the right choices for me. 

What do you think?

Colin Cotterill is the author and while I seriously dislike the quote used, I do like the covers for both the hardcover and paperback as they appear in the UK.  Without the unkind comparison, they tell me the series is light and fun, which is the complete opposite of the vibe I get from US paperback cover on the bottom [hardcover was much the same just a slightly muter coloring].

I enjoyed Tarquin Hall's The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator [1st book] and plan to get The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing when it comes out in paper on June 21st.  Shamini Flint's 'Inspector Singh Investigates' [1st book is A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder] books looked good as well [same covers in UK and US].  Both these books recommended I check out Colin Cotterill's 'Dr Siri Paiboun Mystery' [as above, the 1st book is The Coroner's Lunch] offerings and they also interested me.  They all see like good summer reads, but I'm holding back on the Cotterill book until I can find out more information.

Covers count publishers!

Weirdly Intriguing

Condoms are used for safe sex and this chainmail condom from the Anevern Artchicks put a twist on its construction - now I can't get it out of my head.

Can I somehow work this into a story?

Probably, but not sure I will.

Like I said, weirdly intriguing.

Thank you Erotic Romance for, um, this.

The Number Game

Sometimes it's two, often it's three, and then there are those times when it's four.  Numbers don't matter, plot matters, right?

There's your hints for what's on my mind and I guess, since it's a day of numbers, I'll let you know I've been dropping hints this week on three different tales, in three different genres.

Space it is!

Not outer space, I'm talking outdoor space of all sorts, and all that can happen in those dark nooks.

Hunk Time!

No surprise that Hump Day is Inspiring Hottie Day for an erotic romance author - um, me - and it also shouldn't be a surprise that such a man would find a place to play in my week of hints.

Beauty of a Plot

Sometimes a physical element of a character dancing around in my head is all I have and am content to let it be.  Then there comes a time when that one thing starts to grow like a tree into a story that needs to be written.

Now that is exciting stuff!

What is and isn't present

Shoes of all sorts are present, but these aren't, although parts play a big part.  These are by Void of Course.

Dropping Some Hints...

There's quite a bit going on right now and I thought I'd share what they are, but make it more fun by dropping hints instead of giving it all at once.  Wicked, I know, but that's the kind of mood I'm in :-)

So, get ready, starting tomorrow it's Hints Week!