Kindred Spirit (Sweet Shop, part 4)

Read Sweet Shop, part 3 here.

He had watched her since the sweet shop, his favorite hangout since moving to town a few weeks ago. She had shown such unbridled joy when looking at the rows of treats. He didn't think anyone had as much appreciation for candy as him. He was wrong. She was obviously a kindred spirit. He had laughed quietly as he watched her dance around the store with her giant lollipop. The glow on her face had lit up his own heart. Since he had been on a mission to get gifts for his nieces, he turned back to the collection of chocolates. When he had looked up again, she was gone. 

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," he sighed. 

Then she had reappeared a few minutes later to pair up some cotton candy with her lollipop. He knew it must be fate. He quickly purchased his chocolates and ran outside to follow her down the street. He tried to act casual, keep his distance. Grown men didn't follow women around, watching their every move. Well, not sane ones, anyway.

At the flower stand she got that same glow, but this time it was bigger, if that was possible. She looked like a forest nymph gliding through a meadow, touching each bud, making it bloom. He wanted her to touch him, to make him bloom. He shook himself. What ridiculous thoughts. Next thing you know he would start writing romance novels. 

He wanted desperately to say something, but he didn't know how to approach her without looking like a stalker. Then she did something unthinkable. She threw her candy into the trashcan!

"You're killing me! How could you throw away cotton candy?" He teased. At least he hoped it sounded that way.

She looked startled, flustered. Finally she shrugged and mumbled something. It sounded like "Priorities?"

So, flowers were more important to her than candy? He watched as she blushed prettily and turned away. He walked up to the clerk and said softly, "I would like to pay for that young lady's flowers."

"Oh, that's so sweet," the clerk whispered back. "She'll love it! I see her here almost every day, but she never buys anything, just sort of skips around sniffing everything."

He snorted. Why wasn't he surprised? Since she frequented this place, he knew he would probably run into her again soon, so he decided to be mysterious. He paid the clerk and left.

Read Sweet Shop, part 5 here.

Roses (Sweet Shop, part 3)

Read Sweet Shop, part 2 here.

She walked down the street with her giant lollipop in one hand and her cotton candy in the other, licking sugar off her lips. She wasn't looking forward to her dentist appointment next week. Dr. Parker had some sort of sixth sense when it came to teeth. He could look at your less-than-pearly whites and just know exactly what you had been indulging in. She had lost count of how many times she'd promised to cut back on coffee/soda/candy. Take your pick. She wasn't giving up anything!

A beautiful fragrance filled the air. Roses! There was a little flower market up ahead. How long had it been since she had bought herself flowers? Too long. She stepped closer to the cart and was overwhelmed by the sweet aroma and beautiful colors. Swirls of pink, purple and yellow danced before her. She wanted to scoop them all up in her arms and hug them. They made her so happy!

She looked back and forth between her lollipop and her cotton candy. They were pretty, too, but the flowers were calorie free. That would please both her dentist and her bathroom scale. She dumped the candy into the nearest trashcan and grabbed two bunches of cheerful flowers.

"You're killing me! How could you throw away cotton candy?"

She whirled to face a smiling handsome man with a twinkle in his eye. He mock groaned and held his hand over his chest. She was momentarily speechless. She held up her flowers and shrugged. She cleared her throat and mumbled, "Priorities?"

She mentally kicked herself. Why did she forget how to talk around good looking guys? It's not like they ever took any interest in her anyway. Who was she trying to impress? She turned away and pretended to look at other flowers. A few minutes later she stepped up to the register.

The clerk smiled and shook her head. "They've been taken care of."

"What?"

"That nice man. He paid for your flowers."

"He what?" She turned to look for him, but he was gone.
--

Read Sweet Shop, part 4 here.

Puppy Beach Day

A day at the beach with our dog, Izzy.

It was a perfect day at the beach. The sky was clear blue. The sun was shining bright, but it wasn't too hot. A gentle breeze was blowing. 

Izzy didn't want to run in the sand; she was content to curl up in her mommy's lap. She watched her human friends play in the water. They shrieked and laughed. 

There were a lot of birds out today. She had never seen so many birds in one place. There were big ones, small ones, medium ones. They all concentrated on an area a few feet away from the people. 

At least they weren't flying over the people. That could get messy.

Izzy sat up straight, her ears twitching. What was that poking out of the water near the humans? There were two of them, little shiny black heads with whiskers, bobbing up and down in the water. She hadn't seen those creatures before.

"Look at the seals!" Mommy cried out. "What are they doing over here?"

"There must be a bunch of little fish nearby," Daddy replied. "They're probably following the birds."

Izzy lay back down. If her parents weren't worried, she shouldn't be either.

"Whoa! Dolphins!" Mommy squealed. "I've never seen dolphins here before!" She pointed at the curving back fins going in and out of the water. Izzy craned her neck to follow the movements.

"I saw one jump all the way out, when I came down the hill earlier," Daddy said.

"Wow! Luck-y! I always miss the good stuff." Mommy pouted. "Let's go get a closer look. Maybe they'll jump again." Mommy lifted Izzy off her lap and set her on the ground. 

The sand was hot, but she, Mommy and Daddy walked toward the water. It was cooler here. 

Oh, no! The water was rushing right toward them! Izzy ran back toward the hot sand, as far as her leash would allow, with Mommy and Daddy right behind her. They were laughing! Why weren't they scared? They could've drowned.

Izzy looked around and saw children running from the rushing water, then running back when the water receded. They kept playing this chasing game over and over.  Izzy decided to try again. She went back to the water's edge and waited. As the water rose and got closer she scooted away, again with Mommy and Daddy laughing like crazy people. Izzy wagged her tail. She liked seeing her family so happy. They walked along the water, chasing waves for hours.

Izzy liked the beach.

Package Theft

Thank goodness we went back home after breakfast before heading out to the beach today!

The mail carrier had balanced the corner of a large package into the top of our mailbox, so everybody going by could see it sticking out like a beacon saying, "Look at me! I'm too big for the mailbox! I'm probably something really cool, so come take me away before I fall over!" Not only that. It was heavy! The weight could have broken the mailbox. Why didn't they put it on the ground below? Why not put it behind the hide-a-hose?

ATTENTION ALL DELIVERY PEOPLE:  Stop leaving our stuff out in plain sight of the street!

There is an epidemic of conscienceless people who walk up to strangers' homes and steal their packages. (My family has had at least four things stolen off our porch!) Would it be so hard to set the item behind something so it is harder to see? The resident who opens the front door has a different view and will see items facing the house.

As mail-order shopping becomes more popular there will need to be new rules in place for all deliveries. Maybe new mailboxes will need to be created for homeowners, something large enough to hold big parcels.

My mom lives in a neighborhood that has group mailboxes on every street, a collection of small boxes, with two large parcel boxes. The delivery person leaves a key in the resident's box so they can open the large box. Maybe all neighborhoods should use them.

Delivery companies of America, please train your people to be more aware. Just because stealing mail is a federal offense doesn't mean thieves care. They are going to steal it if they see it. Stop making it so easy for them.

Clock Haiku

A haiku about time.

staring at the clock
hands moving around the face
seconds become days

Cotton Candy (Sweet Shop, part 2)

Thank you to my facebook friend, Paul Myers, for his lovely photograph!

Read Sweet Shop, part 1 here.

Still dancing, she did a pirouette out of the sweet shop door. There was a park across the street, the perfect place to enjoy her treat. She headed over to a large oak tree. It was a hot day, so a little shade was in order. She sat with her back against the tree trunk and peeled off the cellophane. The lollipop was so pretty, she almost hated to eat it. She stared at it, getting hypnotized by the colorful swirls. 

The next thing she knew she was lying on the ground, gazing up at the sky. There was a wide opening between the branches. The brilliant blue sky was painted with puffs of pink. She had never seen clouds like this. How strange. What would cause clouds to turn such a shade? Maybe the sun was setting. She had lost track of time.

She picked the lollipop off her chest and covered it back up in the plastic wrap. It no longer held any appeal. 

She was suddenly craving cotton candy.

Read Sweet Shop, part 3 here.

Too Tired To Write

Okay, so I'm still writing, but I can barely keep my eyes open!

I went to the gym tonight, then came home and took a bath. That completely wiped me out. I feel like I spent an entire day at the beach. Sunshine actually saps my energy. It's my Kryptonite. Weird, I know.

I really need to get back to writing in the morning. What the heck happened with that???

GOTHAM Returns!

My daughter's favorite show returned last night. We had to wait a day to watch it on Hulu, but it was worth it!

I'm not a fan of violence, honestly I'm not! But when you have a brilliant show like GOTHAM, you just let it go. It is basically a live-action comic book and the violence is so over the top and ridiculous at times, it's almost laughable.

I love every character on this show, from the random lazy police officers at the GCPD to the hero, James Gordon, to my favorite villain, Oswald Cobblepot (aka Penguin). Heck, even the character I originally couldn't stand has grown on me. Barbara Kean, Jim's ex-girlfriend, was just so uninteresting. Then she got kidnapped by a sadistic serial killer, had an affair with him and murdered her parents. Now she's in Arkham Asylum--or rather an escapee--and is about to become a psycho supervillain! I can't wait!

Meanwhile we have sweet misunderstood Edward Nygma (soon to be The Riddler) slowly going insane and having conversations with his "reflection". Let his story be a lesson to all the bullies out there. You can create people like this with your cruelty.

Then young Bruce Wayne and his loyal sidekick Alfred the ex-superspy-turned-butler discovered a secret room hidden behind the stone fireplace. The door was locked with a digital combination, so of course they had to build a fertilizer bomb and blow the thing of its hinges. Good times.

This is one of the only shows that has me yelling, cheering and talking to the characters. Sometimes my daughter and I shout out the same thing at the same time.

Welcome back, GOTHAM. You've been missed.

Lollipops (Sweet Shop, part 1)

This image, shared by an article about high-end sweets, really caught my eye. It brought on this scene...

She stepped through the door and her eyes went wide. She had never seen so many bright colors in one place. It made her deliriously happy. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten a lollipop. Was it when she was a child? 

She stepped closer to the massive display of the hard candy confections. They came in all shapes and sizes, from tiny spheres to giant discs. She ran her fingers along the rainbow swirls of the largest one. She picked it up and twirled it like an umbrella. She danced up to the register like Gene Kelly. 

Her diet could wait.

Have a sweet day!

I have continued this little story. Read part 2 of Sweet Shop here.

Talking to Myself

I just started reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and am enjoying it very much. The writer has a voice very similar to my own, so I totally identify with her. One of my favorite parts so far is the journal she uses for arguing with herself. She uses it to work out problems. I loved it when she lost faith in God. Her journal entry went something like...

"I DON'T BELIEVE IN YOU!!!"
'Then why are you talking to me?"

I thought that was so brilliant! It's like meditation in written form. You ask yourself a question and you keep writing until the answer unfolds. I really need to do that. I already keep a journal, but that's mainly for keeping track of events in my life. I think I will use a private blog page for yelling at myself and asking those tough questions that, hopefully, my inner-self will answer.

"WHY HAVEN'T YOU STARTED THOSE CHARACTER STUDIES?!?"
"ARE YOU EVER GOING TO DRAFT THOSE STORIES?!?"
"START FREEWRITING NOW!!!"
"JUST DO IT!!!"

You get the point.

Write on!

Leaf Pile

This video made me so happy today.
Here is my haiku dedicated to this carefree dog.

jump, romp, crunch, crunch, crunch
circle for another run
flying leap, heaven

Mother and Daughter Time

My daughter and I went to the movies tonight, just us. We saw a film adaptation of one of her favorite books, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. This was something for us to share together, since we read the book trilogy together.

Over the years my daughter has encouraged me to read books that she really loved. She's always been right. I have enjoyed every book she ever suggested. The first time was in fifth grade. Her teacher read The Hunger Games to the class. My daughter, even after the teacher read it aloud, had to get the book for herself. When she pushed me to read it I hesitated. It didn't sound like something I would enjoy. But I love my girl, so I gave it a shot. I was riveted from the very first sentence. The trilogy is now one of my favorites of all time.

Whenever your kids are passionate about something, be more than happy for them. Actually investigate it. You might find you also enjoy it. And then you can bond over it.

Jinkies!

This short story was inspired by this hilarious photo.

"You guys go on ahead without me. I'm going to the bathroom," Velma called out. She watched as Fred, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby headed off toward the concession stand. Detective work sure did make them hungry, especially Scooby...and Shaggy. She had more important things to do. This was Comic-Con! And she wasn't leaving without meeting her secret crush. She just didn't want her friends to know about it.

She sneaked back down the way they had just come. She had seen a few of the X-Men at the end of the hallway and had to get back there fast. She hadn't seen the one she sought, but he must be close by. Scott Summers (aka Cyclops); he was so dreamy. She heaved a sigh. It's not like he would ever be interested in a frumpy four-eyed nerd like her anyway. She just had to get a closer look at him, then she could check that task off her bucket list.

As she scurried around the corner she ran into something hard and bounced off. Someone grunted. Her glasses went flying! "Jinkies! My glasses!" She dropped to her knees and felt around for them.

"Stay back, miss! My visor has fallen off!"

Velma gasped. "Scott? Is that you?" She waved her hands around on the floor frantically. Finally she felt something plastic. It was her glasses. She quickly put them on and saw Scott's visor. She knew he couldn't open his eyes without it. "Hold on, Scott! I've got your back!" She picked up the visor and handed it to him. "Here you go."

Scott covered his eyes and looked at Velma. "It's you," he gasped. "I was just running to find you!"

"You were?" Velma gawked at him.

"Yes. My friends told me you and your friends came this way. I've been wanting to meet you for the longest time!"

"You have?" She was starting to feel like a broken record.

"I really have." He chuckled. "Say, would you like to go get some lunch?"

"Would I? I mean...I really would."

They walked off arm in arm to the concession stand. Velma no longer cared what her friends might say.

Working Out

My daughter and I just started going to the gym together. Her new school does not offer PE, since it is strictly academic college prep, so I had to make sure she was covered.

I've been a member at this gym for a couple years, but I only go to the group classes. They keep me motivated more than anything. My favorite ones are Dance Aerobics, SharQui (bellydance) and Zumba (I've been a dancer all my life). I had been trying to get my daughter to come to a class, but she refused to dance. She didn't want to learn choreography. Okay, there went Step Aerobics, too.

Recently the gym added Bodyshred. I actually own that Jillian Michaels workout video, so I was very familiar with the program. I knew it would be perfect for my daughter. No choreography, no fast routines to follow, just simple straightforward movements. The class consists of 3 minutes of weight training, two minutes of cardio and one minute of abdominal work. Each group is repeated twice.

I thought it was an hour class like all the others, but thankfully it was only 30 minutes. Halfway through we were both ready to collapse! It was great! Our whole body got a workout and it was over quickly.

It's fun to play at the Y-M-C-A!

Late Night Radio

I often help my husband with his work late at night. There are some great internet radio shows on at that time. One of our favorites is Midnight in the Desert, hosted by Art Bell (formerly of Coast To Coast AM). The show focuses mainly on the paranormal. This is something my husband and I connected on very early in our relationship. We are both fascinated by all things paranormal: ghosts, hauntings, Bigfoot, Loch Ness, UFOs, Nostradamus, alternate dimensions, etc.

Tonight's guest was talking about psychic ability and telekinesis. He believes that it's a lot like "The Force" in Star Wars. Rather than concentrating on something to make it move, you simply believe it will and see it happening. It's all mind over matter. And it's an ability we all have if we choose to work that part of our brain.

That reminds me of The Law of Attraction. If you believe in something and imagine it happening you can bring it about.

I need to work on my visualization, so I can manifest that writing career. What happened to that? I seem to have become a blogger, rather than a novelist.

Hey, it's a start, right?

Puppy Bath Night

My daughter and I washed our dog tonight. She is the most mellow little chihuahua I have ever seen. Here is how bath night usually goes...

"Hey, Izzy! It's time for a bath!" I call out, making it sound like the greatest thing since turkey jerky.
Izzy looks up at me in wonder. "Bath time? Free massage and pampering for the whole evening," I imagine her telling me telepathically.
"Yeah, let's go!"
"Okay, Mommy!"

She follows me into the bathroom and I lift her into the bathtub. I turn on the water and check the temperature to make sure it is just right. She likes it very warm. I run the sprayer all over her and she stands still for me. She has never once tried to jump out of the tub and run away. I find that surprising, since I've always heard dogs hate baths. (Even if she wanted to run away, I could totally catch her. She weighs next to nothing.)

During the shower bath, I slather her in flowery dog shampoo and give her a puppy massage. I try to discourage her from licking the soap, but she doesn't listen. It's non-toxic, so I don't worry too much. I rinse her off pretty quickly, anyway.

My daughter and I towel dry her, one of us at each end, so she doesn't get too cold. Then we wrap her in a big towel. One of us holds her bundled on our lap while she dries.

She is so spoiled.

As I type this, the dog is bundled on my lap, resting her head on my arm.

I love puppy bath night.

Technology

I love technology. I cannot remember a time before I had a computer in my life to help me look things up on the internet or create cool digital art or write a story and save it in a little easy-to-find file.

I sit and click on my document program. This little rainbow beach ball spins and spins like I had ordered the computer to perform microscopic surgery. I swear, I did nothing wrong!

I decide to go into my Finder and look at some of my old writings. I click on a file and get an error message.

Unknown file type.

Great. How am I supposed to open it?

Yeah. I love technology.

Math Haiku

Math was frustrating me yesterday, but writing a haiku about it was just as frustrating. Why did I write this?

adding subtracting
common denominators
what does x equal

Math Gives Me A Headache

Tonight I was trying to help my daughter with her math homework. In order to do that I felt I needed to go through the lesson plan to figure out how it worked. Halfway through I had a mini meltdown. I almost threw something. Actually, I did beat my just-washed pajama top against the bed a few times and shouted, "I hate static cling!!!" It's probably just PMS.

Back to math. My daughter is beyond frustrated, too. She wasn't taught any of these equations in 8th grade and now in 9th grade she is expected to understand it? Why isn't there an introductory lesson that leads into this stuff?

I'm so glad I'm not in high school anymore.

FYI, the image above is SIMPLE compared to what we were looking at tonight.

Just Do Your Job

The big news this past week is about the government official in Kentucky who refused to issue a marriage license to same-sex couples due to her religious beliefs. She went to jail for it. I thought that was a bit extreme. If she is not doing her job, why can't she just be forced to leave office?

Having certain religious beliefs does not give one the right to impose them on everyone else. If you cannot do your job, you should not be in that job. Period.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 9 (the end)

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 8 here.

The kennel was very nice. The puppies got to stay with Momma. There were nice warm blankets and they got all the food they could eat. People there were friendly, too. Lots of visitors came by and talked to them. Sometimes they even played with them.

"Oh, daddy, look at that puppy! She's so cute!" A little girl with blonde curls bounced up and down on her tippy toes, tugging on her father's coat.

The larger of the two puppies strutted around like a peacock for the man and his daughter.

"Do you want her, sweetheart?"
"Really?"
"I promised your mother I would bring home a pet."

The girl beamed at her father then turned to the prancing pup. "Would you like to come home with me and be my very best friend forever and ever?" She held out her hand to the dog and got some enthusiastic licks on her fingers. "I think she likes me," the little girl giggled.

Momma sighed as she watched the family take her proud daughter. The pup didn't even glance back in farewell. Ungrateful whelp. She turned to her son. Hopefully someone would want him, too. He was so quiet and shy...and scrawny. No matter how much he ate it didn't seem to affect him in the least. Where was all that food going? She whined and nuzzled her boy. He snuggled into her warmth and they both slept.

A few weeks later they were still there. Nobody wanted an old dog or a runt. Momma wondered if they would be allowed to stay even if they didn't get adopted. She hoped.

"I can't believe you're still here!" A middle-aged man with greying brown hair walked up to her cage. She recognized him from that night in the alley. He was the one who had brought them here. "I see your little girl got adopted. That's good, that's good. I'm going to keep tabs on you, black beauty. As soon as your boy gets adopted, I'm taking you home to my family. No offense to your son, but I just don't have the energy to train a puppy." He reached through and gave Momma a pat on the head. "Until then." He smiled down at her then walked away.

--- 

It was months later when a tall man with dark hair and deep blue eyes came to visit them. He knelt down and looked sadly at Momma. "Hey there, beauty," he said softly. "Sorry I haven't been to visit. I've been away."

Momma's little boy--who had finally grown to be quite large--walked over and stared at the man. There was something very familiar about him. When the stranger looked into his eyes he whimpered. It was their hero!

The man chuckled. "Is that you, ace? You sure have grown! You're bigger than your mother now." He held out his hand and the pup placed his paw on top. "It's good to see you again, too." He shook hands with the dog. "I have a young boy at home in need of a friend. I think you'll be the perfect candidate. I just need to go get the person in charge and I'll be back." He turned to Momma. "Don't worry, beauty, I know for a fact you're getting a home, too." With a smile, he walked away.

Momma rested her head on her son's neck. This was goodbye, but this time she was happy. She and her son would be with good people, true heroes.

The End.

Hero In The Night Haiku

This is about my last chapter of Le Grand Danois.

getting to safety
while evil lurks in shadows
a hero arrives

Okay, I'm sure these aren't technically haiku poems, since they're not about nature. Whatever.

Movie Review: Khalil Gibran's The Prophet

Just wow.

I think I sat through most of the film with my mouth hanging open in wonder and awe.

On the surface The Prophet is a children's film about a little girl who befriends a political prisoner who teaches her how to live life to the fullest, no matter where you are.

When you dig deeper it is really a philosophical essay on the meaning of life disguised as the Fantasia sequel Disney was afraid to touch.

The movie is a series of poems and essays by Khalil Gibran set to beautiful animation, like paintings that come to life and dance, with narration by Liam Neeson or songs. They are strung together by a simple animated story of a little girl, her mother, a poet/artist arrested for his "radical" writings and the townspeople who love him. To them his words make their lives more meaningful. They would do anything for him. Of course, the military see this as dangerous.

This is something everyone should see. Parents should take their children.

Then afterwards you can discuss philosophy and rush out to buy the book.

Here is some of the art from the movie. Imagine it on the big screen and dancing to music. Gorgeous!

Le Grand Danois, chapter 8

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 7 here.

Several more weeks had gone by and there were still two puppies left, one girl and one tiny boy. Momma hoped he wasn't sickly. He still walked on shaky legs and was so skinny. Maybe he was just a late bloomer.

They walked through the alleys as they always did at sunset, trying to avoid crowds and cars. Her little girl was proudly strutting in front of her, fearless as always, while her little boy stayed close to her back legs, often walking between them and getting knocked down.

A familiar sinister laugh came out of a nearby building. It was their old warehouse. How had she brought them back here again? She nosed her daughter to the side. "We need to get away from here, children!"

"Aw, puddin', look at the doggies!" a shrill female voice called out.

"Do you want one, cupcake? I'll get it for you!" The evil man was coming toward them!

Momma snarled at him, keeping her puppies behind her. He just snickered at her, while reaching out his blood-covered white gloved hands. She tried to usher her babies away, but the man was too fast. He threw his arms around her, throwing her to the ground. Her pups barked loudly, trying to scare the man away.

Suddenly, a big black shape swooped down and knocked the bad man away.

The tiny male puppy stared in awe, while his sister kept barking at everyone. A large man in a black cape loomed up out of the darkness. The villain ran off with his girlfriend, laughing maniacally all the way.

"Are you alright, beauty?" He pet Momma, who was standing up and shaking herself off. She nuzzled the strange man's black gloved hand. "We need to get you and your family off the street." 

Sirens blared in the distance, coming closer. Soon police cars surrounded them. One plain clothes officer came up to the caped man. "What happened?"

"You're a little late. Would you do me a favor and see that these dogs get taken to a kennel?" 

The caped man looked down and caught the eyes of the tiniest one. The puppy was still captivated, but managed to whimper softly. "Don't worry, ace. You'll be safe now." Then the man left and the dogs were ushered into the back of a police van.
--

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 9.

More About Romance Novels

I just read this great article by one of my favorite authors, Sarah MacLean. She mentioned that for career day project way back in high school she jokingly wrote down "romance novelist" as her dream job. I guess it was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now that she is one, she loves being part of such a wonderful community (romance fans).

I used to be embarrassed about reading romance novels. Most people think of them as trashy and of little substance. But like Sarah mentioned in her article, people who love romance novels just "get it". At the core, these are stories about people, who they are, what they want and how they go about getting it. Most of the time the hero and heroine are not setting out to fall in love and most are trying to avoid it, but fate always intervenes.

Like I mentioned in my previous post about romance novels, there are so many different types. No matter what genre you prefer, there is a romance novel for you: historical, contemporary, futuristic, fantasy, paranormal, spiritual, erotic, etc..

Here is a list of some fun plots I've read over the years...
Boys become blood brothers and unknowingly release a demon on a small town.
Shy young woman in nineteenth century England secretly writes an infamous gossip column.
Group of people with paranormal talents are called upon to protect the world from darkness.
Quiet professor in eighteenth century England is secretly a masked vigilante.
Family restores an old hotel together and in the process find peace for the ghost who haunts it.
Female scientist in nineteenth century England uses her male friend to masquerade as the man behind her work.

A good romance novel is about more than just romance.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 7

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 6 here.

Momma had been wandering the streets with her pups for a week. Each night they huddled in doorways or cardboard boxes or under cars. So far only one of the babies had been adopted, but Momma kept searching for likely candidates.

A commotion brought one of the puppies to the edge of their alleyway in front of her. She tried to hold her little girl back, but she was too curious.

A young woman with red hair covered with flowers was running--or rather stumbling--toward them. She tripped and fell into a puddle, crying out. The woman glanced back over her shoulder in fear, but there was nobody following her. Was she crazy?

The puppy whimpered, obviously wanting to go help. The woman heard the sound and gasped, looking up at them.

"Who are you? What do you want? Stay away!"

The little black pup ventured forward and whined.

"Oh! You're just a baby! You wouldn't hurt me, would you? But I might hurt you. I'm dangerous, you see. My skin is toxic to most people." She held out her pale shaky hand, staring at it sadly. The puppy sniffed at it, tilted her head and then licked her fingers. Both the woman and Momma held their breath, but nothing happened. They sighed in relief.

"You're not allergic to me!" She picked up the tiny dog and cuddled her close. She looked into Momma's eyes and with an unspoken agreement she took the baby with her.

This adoption was just as hard as the last one, but she was happy her little girl would have a home. She turned back to her four remaining puppies and led them down the alley to find a comfortable place to bed down for the night.
--

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 8 here.

Movie Review: TRAINWRECK

What can I say? I'm a Judd Apatow fan. My favorite comedy of all time is The 40-Year-Old Virgin, so it's no wonder I loved TRAINWRECK. It's almost the exact opposite story. Instead of a shy male virgin we have a totally promiscuous commitment phobic woman
(played by the hilarious but raunchy Amy Schumer). When she falls in love for the first time with a kind young doctor (played by the adorable Bill Hader) she gets so freaked out she keeps waiting for any excuse to break up. At first she is not a very likable character, but as we get to know her better, it's obvious she is in pain. She drowns herself in alcohol, drugs and meaningless sex due to her fear that she will never have the fairytale ending she secretly longs for.

I don't recommend this movie for people on a first date. It could be awkward. There is a lot of nudity (male butts) and sexual situations. I have no problem with that. Couples will enjoy this. Women will identify with Amy, while men will love all the sport cameos. LeBron James is very funny as Hader's best friend and fellow Downton Abbey fan. Tilda Swinton as Amy's boss is brilliant (but she's brilliant in everything).

On the surface Apatow films seem like immature comedies, but they really aren't. The characters might be immature, but the writing is quick and smart and very honest.

Cat and Dog Haiku

A haiku for the cat family that just adopted the puppy.

feline eyes glaring
as canine nose comes too close
a new dynamic

Le Grand Danois, chapter 6

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 5, here

The sun was just setting over the city. It was the best time to venture through the alleys. Momma kept glancing back to make sure her pups were following. They were still too young to survive on their own.

A loud hiss made her turn back around and stop short. Her puppies bumped into her and stumbled back like a row of dominoes. 

"We don't want any trouble with you, cat," Momma stated calmly.

"Don't worry about my little goddess," a female voice crooned. "She's just very protective of me." A woman in a tight black outfit stepped forward out of the dark doorway. She smiled at Momma and her pups. "I'm not much of a dog person, but you have the most adorable little ones. You should be very proud."

Momma breathed a sigh of relief, realizing this woman was not going to cause them harm. Suddenly one of her babies trotted forward to sniff at the skinny Siamese, who looked shocked. And when the puppy licked her she shrieked and jumped behind the woman in black. She chuckled and picked up her cat. With her other hand she scooped up the tiny dog. "You are a brave one, aren't you." She held the pup out to check its gender. "I think you and my precious will get along just fine. She likes men."

Momma whimpered.

"If that's alright with your mother." She lifted an eyebrow. 

Momma nodded. It was what she had wanted--homes for her babies--and the woman seemed nice enough. She wasn't sure about the evil-looking cat, though. Her boy reached out to the feline and when she licked the puppy's paw, Momma knew all would be well. She gave the woman a grateful nuzzle then continued on down the alley with her brood. When she turned back for a final look they had disappeared.

Well, that was one less to worry about. She just hadn't expected the feeling of deep loss that overcame her. Hopefully it would get easier to let the rest of her children go. 
--

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 7 here.