Happy Friday Hint!

Art!  ART!  Yes, art is very easy to view and it may make you happy as well.

You can sit at home and search out a favorite painting or artist of yours, look at the pic and absorb every little nuance.  Also on the computer that I've done is search eBay by style and voila, you might find a piece you love ... the canvas below is a great example ... I've done this a few times and just need to get it, okay, them framed.

End of a Perfect Day by Dan Brown

Another way you can get an art fix is by visiting a gallery or museum.  I was reading a fashion magazine the other night and it noted Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring was going to visit a museum out this way starting in October.  I know my sister is a huge fan of Vermeer and so let her know she needed to add a visit to her November trip.

Watercolor, Venice by Walter Berton

Something else you can do is actually take a walk through that town or along that scenic route and if you see someone painting the sites, talk to them, look at what they've done and you might end up purchasing a piece.  We did this quite often during our trip to Italy and I brought back many memories in a different format ... like the one to the right.

And if you don't have a favorite period or artist, pick up a book and read about it, them, and tell your friend you learned something new.

Art is a snapshot of one person's view of something and how they see it may open your eyes to so much more than what is there.

Show a Cowboy some Love!

Today I have Montana and the Wilson brothers in mind, well them along with Court and Jon.  I've donned the cowboy hat and boots and moseyed over to GraveTells where I'm talking about how It's Easy to Love a Cowboy and it definitely is!

The glory of shopping is HERE!

Taste for Blood
by Tilly Greene

If you have or haven't ever shopped at All Romance, now is the time to because Monster Max is giving away thousands, yes, THOUSANDS of prizes just for shopping.  Already they've given out 600+ prizes and one of them is my contemporary vampire + blood lust and piercing Taste for Blood!

So very cool!

Start by finding ebooks by Tilly Greene and then go wild, Max would love that :-)

Happy Friday Hint!

My hint is to carve time out of your busy weekend, an hour will do but more would be even better, and spend it doing what you want to do, not what you HAVE to do.

Sleep in, read, go out for lunch and eat it in a park, see a movie ... whatever, just do something for you and be happy doing it.

I have a couple of hours, at least, because the cutie is working his homebrew and then getting ready for another trip.  I plan to finish, hopefully, In Cold Blood.  Banned Books Week is done but the book I chose to read isn't.  It's been good, interesting, but devoid of emotion.  Capote took cold hard facts, molded them into a pseudo-conversational tone and then took a step back.

Despite the remote approach, I feel for the family and, yes, even the killers ... well, one of them at least.  I know how this book ends, but, like those who went to see the Titanic movie, I want to read to the end.

It's Throwback Thursday and so I'm sharing ...

... a pic of  our home in England.

We lived in Knaresborough, an old village in North Yorkshire that existed before the Domesday Book. There's a renovated barn on the road in front which meant it was a quiet sanctuary. The row home was built from the stones taken from piles created when Oliver Cromwell tore the local castle down.

For the first 300 years the house was actually a foundry and then it was eventually made into a home. Besides the wild fuscia tree [yes, a TREE that bloomed beautifully even though it was the north of England] in the front yard, there was another gem down the right side. You can see a hint of it in the picture, a pathway, well, it holds the outhouses for the 3 homes in the row ... we stored our garden stuff and trash can in it.  Behind the cottage is a dry moat owned by the Queen and the remains of the castle.

Yes, it was three levels and tiny! In the cellar was the kitchen with a stunning Rayburn, first floor housed the living room and study [in extension] and upstairs in the attic was 1 1/2 bedrooms and a bathroom [in the extension ... that's how they moved the facilities inside]. It suited us just fine ... just had to walk up the road about 2 blocks as the crow flies to our favorite pub :-)

We loved this house, easy to see why and the Virginia Creeper on the front was beautiful but in actually it was a menace as it ate the pointing [cement] between the lime stones.

Fun to live in an old treasure, but we love our baby now ... she's only 100 years old.

FYI

My Angel from Good, Bad and Kinky, a paranormal erotic romance + bondage, was set in Knaresborough!

Order from All Romance|Amazon|Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

In the October Frame of Mind!

Taste for Blood
by Tilly Greene
Cover design by Robin Ludwig Design Inc.

Taste for Blood by Tilly Greene
Contemporary Vampire Erotica + Blood Lust and Piercing

Order from All Romance|Amazon|BN|iBooks|Sony

People visit Whitby to enjoy an old English seaside town, eat fish and chips and possibly see a vampire or two. Ella lives there and is hunting a fake vamp that uses a famous young adult book series to ruin many young girls’ lives. One night a man she’s been watching shows his true colors and she puts her plan for revenge into action. Everything was in place for an anonymous act until an unpredicted twist flips things on their head. With only seconds to decide, she’s forced to make changes and ends up getting something she hadn’t bargained for—a sexy man who wants nothing except her body.

Revenge is sweet, but is a night of wild sex too high a price to pay for murder?

WARNING: Slightly gruesome erotica with sex during and after killing, plus a bit of blood lust, self-pleasure and a sexy piercing.

All Romance has a special treat going on this month.  Shop and you may find a treat greeting you in your library and Taste for Blood is one such treat!  Make a purchase and everything from a free ebook to a mini iPad are being given away ... my suggestion is to GET SHOPPING!

The Bookies are HERE!

Mythological Messes Redux
by Tilly Greene

The Bookies are the awards handed out during the readers convention, Authors After Dark.  They're unique because only attendees of one year can nominate and vote for those who are up for an award the next year ... so very cool!

So, the fabulous news ... drum roll please ... I was nominated for Single Author Anthology with Mythological Messes Redux!

Yes, I'm doing the happy uncoordinated dance and it's working!

The other two authors nominated with me, Heather Long and Jayne Rylon, are great and wither one will win, but I am happy to be nominated.

Banned Books Week - Day 7

Let's talk numbers on this last day of Banned Books Week.  According to the American Library Association, there were 464 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2012, and many more go unreported.

Out of 464 challenges as reported by the Office for Intellectual Freedom

1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey.
   Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie.
   Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
3. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher.
   Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group
4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James.
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
5. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.
   Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group
6. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
   Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
8. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
   Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence
9. The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
   Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
10. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
    Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence

Over this recent past decade, 5,099* challenges were reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom.

• 1,577 challenges due to "sexually explicit" material;
• 1,291 challenges due to "offensive language";
• 989 challenges due to materials deemed "unsuited to age group";
• 619 challenged due to "violence"' and
• 361 challenges due to "homosexuality."

Further, 274 materials were challenged due to "occult" or "Satanic" themes, an additional 291 were challenged due to their "religious viewpoint," and 119 because they were "anti-family."

1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries; 1,811 were in classrooms; 1,217 took place in public libraries. There were 114 challenges to materials used in college classes; and 30 to academic libraries. There are isolated cases of challenges to library materials made available in or by prisons, special libraries, community groups, and students. The vast majority of challenges were initiated by parents (2,535), with patrons and administrators to follow (516 and 489 respectively).

Too, too many, but the light is brightly shined on what's happening during Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week - Day 6

There is only one law that you need to know in regards to Banned Books Week.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment Center goes into the history of censorship and highlights a few cases to explain where the law stands now in regards to banning books in libraries ... yes, it is still happening.

Be aware of what's going on in your libraries!

Banned Books Week - Day 5

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Children's books are subjective in how the reader views them.  A reader brings their life experience to the endeavor and children don't have that much to bring.  On the other hand, books for adults can be about anything and everything ... they've lived longer, know more and can imagine beyond what they know.  Also, adults can decide for themselves if a book offends them or not, and can walk away if need be.

Apparently not to challengers.  This year four of the top ten challenged books were for adults and I find that mind twisting.

The books are:

"Fifty Shades of Grey" by E. L. James

BESTSELLER

Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit

 

"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

BESTSELLER

Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit

 

"The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls

BESTSELLER

Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit

 

"Beloved" by Toni Morrison

BESTSELLER

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER

Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence

Banned Books Week - Day 4

Women on Top by Nancy Friday

por•nog•ra•phy n. 1. Sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal.

It is also one of the many reasons used for banning a book from a library and yet it's someone’s personal definition of what is pornographic, nothing more.  A few examples are:

Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday.  Pocket Bks. The book was removed from the Chestatee Regional Library System in Gainesville, Ga. [1994] because the book on women’s sexual fantasies is “pornographic and obscene” and lacks “literary merit”. After months of protest and maneuvering, the library’s only copy was destroyed when the child of a patron accidentally dropped it into a dishpan of water. The book is out of print and the library does not plan to replace it.

As a woman and author of erotic romances, I found this challenge particularly offensive. Sexual fantasies, be it a woman’s or a man’s, are healthy and should be embraced, not denigrated with ignorance.

Trailsman Series by Jon Sharpe.  NAL; Penguin. Challenged, but retained at the Springdale, Ark. Public Library [2001] along with other “western” novels because the writing include “pornographic, sexual encounters.”

Okay, confession time, I laughed when I read this challenge. Obviously someone has an issue with cowboys and sex, of which I definitely don't.

The Joy of Gay Sex. by Charles Silverstein and Edmund White.  Crown; Simon & Schuster/Fireside. Challenged, but retained at the Nampa, Idaho Public Library [2006] along with seven other books, including The Joy of Sex with a complaint that said: “they are very pornographic in nature and they have very explicit and detailed illustrations and photographs which we feel doesn’t belong in a library.”

This was interesting because the challenge included a similar book for heterosexuals so the challenge can’t be viewed as being entirely anti-gay. As these books are often viewed as instructional, I think in this case details are a necessity.

It seems as if one person's pornography is not another's.  Banned Books Week is all about celebrating the First Amendment. No one should have their opinions, good or bad, silenced.  What we need to do is respect the right for everyone to have their own views while the books remain available for whoever wants to read them.

These examples, and many others, were pulled from Robert P. Doyle’s Banned Books.

Banned Books Week - Day 3

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Every year for many years I've read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ... a banned book, but this year I've shaken things up and bought a new banned book, one by Lee's friend Truman Capote called In Cold Blog.

In Cold Blood is about a real murder that took place in 1959.  It was gruesome and the murderer of four people stunned the local community.  Truman Capote read an article about the murders in the newspaper and decided to go to Kansas to investigate. Harper Lee, a childhood friend, joined him on the trip.  Capote did not finish the book until after the two men convicted were executed in 1965.  Because he got close to the two men while interviewing them, there is supposedly a feeling of humanity that is not expected when it comes to dealing with murderers.

We'll see.

The book was banned in Savannah, GA after a parent complained about sex, violence and offensive language, but was eventually overturned.

Banned Books Week - Day 2

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

The book to receive the most challenges in 2012 was the entire Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey for "offensive language and unsuited for age group".

Okay, back when I worked in a small town independent book shop, the kid's section was always a hot bed of activity.  Parents came in to look on their own as did kids with parents in tow ... always a good sight to see.  We always noted what books the kids asked about and there was a group of a certain age [6-8] who came in to ask for the latest Captain Underpants.

Personally, I loved it when a kid had the guts to come up to me and talk to me about books, those moments made my day.  Anyway, we always knew when it was a first time request because parents would open the book to check it out, laugh and get a couple for the son to read.  Yes, it was generally a boys book, but not totally.

Scholastic Publishing is a major publishing house that puts out mostly children's books en masse.  Humor is difficult for some people to get, that is no reason to challenge a book.

Go ahead and pick up the first five books in the series for your child, grandchild or friend's child.  Read them and then sit with the child while they read them to you ... laugh and have fun!

Banned Books Week - Day 1

Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence

I hate that we even have a Banned Books Week [September 22-28, 2013], but since we do have such a week, we shouldn't hide from it ... let's talk about it and do something.

Today I read an article on NPR Books about Romance as a genre in this week and it reminded me of something I heard from my mother-in-law.

While the book had been partially released in 1928, it was in 1960 the full unexpurgated Lady Chatterley's Lover was published and the publisher sued for obscenity.  During the trial, a local newspaper obtained a bunch of copies and sent them to the North of England to a group of ladies who worked everyday.  They were told to read it and offer their opinions of whether it was obscene or not.

My mother-in-law lived her entire life in the North, but wasn't one of the select few to get the book.  She read it though because the book made the rounds.  As soon as one woman finished, she passed it on to a friend to read.  The outcome of the unscientific experiment was that the book was entertaining, not in the least bit obscene.  Thankfully a jury also found it not obscene and the book was once again published.

Back in 1930, the US wrote a law to help keep banned books from being imported.  It wasn't until 1959 that the Supreme Court considered the practice to withhold books a violation of the First Amendment and it's protection of free speech.

I'm still surprised that a book can be considered obscene because of adultery.

So, in response to those who prefer to ban, might I suggest you go out and get a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence at Amazon, BN or OmniLit, read it, and enjoy being able to read the book!

Great Day for a Surprise and a Contest with Prizes!

Let me share a something about me.

I am a fashion hound, love it, but don't necessarily need to wear it.  However, in recent years I have found an affection for purses.  Who knows why this has started, but it has and I am enjoying the bags I have acquired.

The brown one to the far right you can hardly see, its a small bag on a long strap and one I've had for 20+ years.  Told you I wasn't that into purses.  Next came the red bucket ... love it because it is color and the perfect size.  The blue was a total random "love the color, love the bag, love it and I want it now" purchase.  I've used it the most and it has an ink stain on the bottom :-(.  Then there's the pretty shiny pink little bucket that just makes me smile when I carry it.  The big backpack I use to travel when I need to carry my laptop and the smaller one on top is for the serious travel and plan to do the tourist thing.

Now there's a new bag in town!

It's my birthday and the cutie has given me what I'm calling a trophy purse ... it is absolutely stunning, sophisticated and unlike any of my other purses.  There is a shoulder strap but I'll never use it and I promise to take care of it ... it's LOVELY!

Because I'm feeling so giddy, I thought I'd share the fun with bags by I'm giving away the two bags I brought back from this summer's AAD in Savannah.  They are stuffed to the brim with goodies and books.

So, get working the Rafflecopter form!  There are two ways to gain extra entries:  Like my Facebook page and Tweet about the contest ... easy stuff ... now GO!.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Sorry, no international entries ... these bags are too BIG!

Fashion Week in NYC

Marcus Tondo/Indigitalimages.com

Last week was Fashion Week in NYC and for the first time ever I relied on Pinterest for pics.

It was good, but not great.  The magazines I follow offered the best coverage, although I had to rely on what they think it the best garments, which aren't always the ones I like.  I think that was the problem.

In frustration, I found other pinners not related to the industry and they offered better views.  I was surprised by the lack of designer posts.

Right now London's Fashion Week is going on and it is only marginally better.

I had such expectations, never mind. The kinks are still being worked out.

My favorite garment of the week was by Oscar de la Renta: the print, color, design ... all were fabulous!

Giddy Up by Tilly Greene is OUT!

Giddy Up by Tilly Greene
MC Contemporary Erotic Romance + Ménage a Trois, Bondage, Piercing, Toys and so much more

Order from All Romance|Amazon|BN

Sakura Nakamura and her best friend packed their bags and are traveling around America by car. It’s been mostly work, but the chance for what she wanted most, the pleasure and kinky passion with two men she’d dreamt about, is right there to take.

The Wilson brothers, Ted and Matt, own a cattle ranch in Montana and want their beef in the Japanese market. Hard work is nothing when the woman they want comes to their doorstep and says yes to all they want.

Matt met Saki when he was in Japan connecting with Nakamura Enterprises, an import/export firm. They spent one night heating up the sheets and now she was on their turf. Promises of bondage, ménages and so much more were made if she came to their house and she was there to play.

Being in love and kinky is everything they wanted, but can they have the white picket fence lifestyle as well?


Click for an Excerpt


Branded series
Book 1 - Ride 'em order at Ellora's Cave|All Romance|Amazon|BN
Book 2 - Konnichiwa Cowboy order at All Romance|Amazon|BN
Book 3 - Giddy Up order at All Romance|Amazon|BN
Book 4 - Jon Black's Woman ... coming Spring 2014
Book 5 - Branded anthology ... coming in both print and ebook Summer 2014

An Interview with Drogan!

I recently read a story by Selena Illyria called At Drogan's Command and I have a few questions for the hero, Drogan, who is seriously hot and a thinker, what a mix!  Anyway, I thought I'd share the interview with you all and suggest you pick up a copy of the book ... out this September 20th at Etopia Press ... for your own enjoyment!

Without further ado, here's the QandA I had with Drogan from At Drogan's Command by Selena Illyria.

 

 

TG: Drogan, nice to have you here and thank you for answering my questions which, I should warn you, will touch on the intimate side.

Drogan *grins and settles back into his Captain’s chair*: I have nothing to hide, fire away.

TG: First of all, I was intrigued by your having a private fantasy suite on the ship.  Your visit to it was a delightful surprise, but I was wondering:  Is there one available for the other staff to visit and work off their frustrations? 

Drogan: Of course, do you think I’d be able to keep all these misfits in line without a few fantasy suites? They’d jettison me out into space or worse play the whole Pirates of Penzance over the ship’s intercom non-stop until I capitulate. 

 

TG: That makes sense, smart man.  Okay, since we’ve touched on the sexual side of life on the ship, I must ask:  Did you not feel guilty in watching all 36 hours of Rena’s sex disc?  It’s hard to tell with how much you get off while watching it.

Drogan: Oh, I felt guilty all right, but I was also so desperate for her that well, I let my inner demon make the call. I kept wanting to return the disc but I’d find some excuse to not do so. No time, what if the copy didn’t come out right, etc. Excuse I know but I’ve never claimed to be a saint. *his lips curl into a devious grin*

TG: No, I wouldn't think of labeling you a saint, far from it!  Now, if we stay with Rena, from what I can tell, you weren’t going to get anything but frustration by sending her away, physical and mental.  So how were you able to stay so together and remote while wrecking her world with a suspension?

Drogan: Honestly? *he strokes his stubble* my first Officer Jason Mercy will tell you, I barely kept it together. I was a bit of hellion, hard to admit. I growled at the crew, hid my suite when I wasn’t on deck. I was a complete bastard. But I didn’t fall apart, couldn’t, not with my plan in motion. Rena was the end game and even if she hadn’t come to me I would’ve gone to her.

 

TG: That's very good to know.  As a woman, I would probably think you just wanted me for sex after viewing a disc showing a week session of sex, not once but multiple times.  So, after all is said and done, do you think you did enough to make Rena believe you want her for her, maybe even love her?

Drogan: I will never think I’ve done enough until she says she can truly trust me with all she is, her heart, her love, everything.  I may have gotten the woman but I still have to do a lot to make it up to her. I’m not proud of what I did but in the end I have her so ends justifies the means, eh? *he raises an eyebrow in question*

TG: Yes, I suppose it does, in the end.  My last question for you is on a different note entirely.  I’m a fan of tattoos and, well, I need to know about your ink, the skull.  What can you tell us?

Drogan *strokes his stubble once again*: Depends, can you keep a secret? Okay, I guess I can tell you. I’m sure you heard of the Space Pirate wars? When space was a lawless frontier my family became space pirates to make a living. We brought supplies to Earth colonies and bartered for gas and food with Intergalactic ships while evading the Intergalactic sheriffs who wanted to keep things official. The skull and crossbones is something my family has done to remember our origins and where our money has come from. One day I’m sure the historians will set it all down for posterity or whatever. *he waves it away* But I like to make everyone think I’m really still on the pirates side. *he winks*

TG:  You are a wicked man, Captain.  I like that, a lot!  Thank you for answering a few of my questions and I wish you nothing but happiness with Rena.


At Drogan's Command is now available at All Romance ... fly over and get reading!

 

Giddy Up News!

There have been fabulous cover reveals of Giddy Up done by the Romancing Rakes, Zany PNR Addict and For the Love of Bookends - thank you all!

There's also been two reviews ... two, at last minute!  Thank you for raising your hands and taking the time to read and write up your thoughts.  Now for some highlights from those reviews:

Shari at Delighted Reader said "...a very sweet love story with a little cowboy kink thrown in to spice it up." and gave it a B+.  RiN at Zany PNR Addict said "...when these Wilson brothers fixate on something they are hell bent and determined to make it happen which naturally only leaves you squirming in your seat and dripping wet with lustful desire." and gave it a 4.

In case you didn't know, Giddy Up [3rd book in the Branded mc contemporary western erotic romance + ménage a trois, bondage and toys series] is available for $0.99 if pre-ordered from All Romance eBooks ... jump on your horse and ride on over to order a copy!

Branded series
Book 1 - Ride 'em order at Ellora's Cave|All Romance|Amazon|BN
Book 2 - Konnichiwa Cowboy order at All Romance|Amazon|BN
Book 3 - Giddy Up order at All Romance|Amazon|BN ... released September 17th!
Book 4 - Jon Black's Woman ... coming Spring 2014
Book 5 - Branded anthology ... coming in both print and ebook Summer 2014

Happy Friday Hint!

While I'm writing I like to have something playing in the background. Sometimes I fall into the show and other times I just blank it out entirely. What I am currently watching, sort of, is Anthony Bourdain: The Layover.

What a great concept for a show. He has 24 hours, sometimes 36 and occasionally 48, to see a city. The first one I saw was London back in 2011 and I still remember a street truck/shack for early morning bacon sarnies and 2 restaurants ... one in The City where you have the same waiter every time you go.  I want to visit these and many others as well.

I love how he takes the viewer to a city and not do what's not in the tour guide. The restaurants are a large part of the show, Bourdain is a chef after all, but he visits both posh and street trucks for an overall taste of what is offered. Then there are the bars he visits ... all look fun for a variety of reasons.

So, what did I do to get my layover fix? I downloaded The Layover App so it goes with me, everywhere, and I now have the places to try at my fingertips.  Thank you Travel Channel!

Travel fix taken care of and an idea for the 20th anniversary trip ... happy Friday!