The best classic Hollywood noir films: 'Love With The Proper Stranger', 'North By Northwest', 'Rebel Without A Cause', 'Rear Window', 'Pillow Talk', 'The Grapes of Wrath', 'It's A Wonderful Life', 'Bell, Book & Candle'...

Happy Monday! I've had a somewhat busy weekend so hence the woeful lack of posting. Last Friday I was perusing the antiquated, cavernous confines of one of my favorite haunts and came across two absolutely delightful pieces of furniture and a lovely looking glass edged in gilt trim with a design of roses. I was discussing with one of the employees the furniture I was considering and she informed me that it had came from the estate of someone who had recently passed away and the person had been born in the 1800s, the late 19th century. As I wandered around more I came across a delightful array of fabulous hats obviously from the 30s, 40s, & 50s. I also noticed a pair of beaded clasp purses and various glass objects. They had all belonged to the same person. Anyways to end my long rambling story I found it quite sad that one's family would dump one's lifetime collection of things so callously. I also felt as if I had suddenly strolled into an episode of 'Antiques Roadshow.' And in other events I satisfied my thrifty, intellectual epicurean side by purchasing cookbooks that I will probably never use since they were on sale. And I'm thinking about changing the cover on 'Pistols, Whiskey & Corsets', I like the current one however my skills as a photog aren't as adroit as I wish they were.

Hello world Happy almost Tuesday! In random news I was out and about the other day and purchased a whole excellent box full of books for only $2! Not only that but the quality of the books were quite wonderful-Amanda Quick, Diana Palmer, and Lisa Kleypas. They most were of a romantic variety but there were a few other suspense slash action thrillers thrown in for good measure. In a rather unusually slow day I polished off a quirky, mystery novel set in the Thirties London by Rhys Bowen called 'Her Royal Spyness' and it was charming. I also partook of a friend's homemade seven layer dip- I can't wait to attempt this on my own however I fear it may not turn out all that smashing. I also spent too much time saturating my brain on Pinterest. In my haste I also threw on a blouse that I vaguely recollected later had a slight rip in the elbow area and was thusly the reason for elicitng slight stares. It is quite too bad that one is judged by one's clothing, alas. And I am falling for all things retro in the rockabilly subculture once more. Now I'm off to write...

New Book

Hello everyone, I have a new novella that I've written and uploaded on Amazon, it's called 'Pistols, Whiskey & Corsets' so check it out! It's a genre mashup of cowboy western, with a bit of romance, and vampires thrown in for some fun!

The official start of summer is almost here, is your house ready for it? Summer is more than just a change in your wardrobe, its a frame of mind. Its also a great season to mix up and air out your living space to reflect an easy, breezy new you. Whether you have a mansion or a modest dwelling like myself its easy to change a few things and spruce up for summer. The first change and one of the easiest you can do is put up new curtains. Muslin, cotton, and linen are some of the best material fabrics for summer. Choose light or soft bright colors and if you like prints use them but don't over do it-you don't want to blare you want to be more muted. Tie them back in the daytime to allow sunlight in. Switch some furniture pieces our and for example replace them with a rattan foot rest, or a white wicker loveseat. Put a fresh bouquet out every week- not something elaborate and expensive, just something simple like a mix of peonies and carnations. Put a few seashells out, maybe on a fireplace mantle, a table, or in the kitchen. When you have company put out a clear glass pitcher of pink lemonade mixed with ice and lemon slices. Use a different, simple set of dishes. More to come... :)

Summertime...

Hey everyone I'm back again! Twice in the same day-are you as shocked as me?! Anyways, just some news I wanted to impart. I was reading the L.A. Times online this weekend and read an interesting fashion related article. Apparently Quiksilver is opening a lady surfer geared boutique along the beach-yay! Also I was reading THR today and saw that WB bought a studio near London. I saw on TV the other day that the Twitter bird is getting a makeover. In other random news the trailers for the newest Batman movie, Skyfall {James Bond}, and Looper look great. Also am kind of disappointed there may not be another Batman movie...Christian Bale is an excellent Batman. I've also been reading about speculation as to a Justice League flick which would be totally awesome. I also learned via LAT that a certain major designer's newest pet is all the rage on Twitter. It's a fluffy kitten and its name is Choupette and its Twitter handle is ChoupettesDiary. And...that's all for now.

Happy Monday again y'all! I don't have that much to say except late last week I wrapped up a couple of new stories I was working on. Then after making sure everything looked okie doki I went to go and upload it and I got an error message. {headdesk} Now I'm having to wait until the computer place reopens so I can go try again. I really wish I could've gotten it done sooner in the year but it seems there's never enough time in the day for me to write. By the time I've done everything that needs doing and work etc it's usually late and I have to fight falling asleep at my computer with the aid of Dr. Pepper or McDonald's Sweet Tea to stay awake. And now I'm worried if the format'll look alright b/c I don't really have a way to check after I upload..ah well. More later when I have time.

Good Morning! Did anyone watch the MTV Movie Awards last night? It was awesome! Anyways I know this is an early post but who cares? I have some book recommendations today! Having spent every free moment this weekend consuming a decadent Regency by Galen Foley called 'Devil Takes A Bride' I must say it did not disappoint. In her usual fashion she weaves an exquiste tale of action, adventure, and love against the glittering backdrop of the Regency era. Even the cover on this is superb; it rather reminds me of a Nicholas Sparks movie poster yet slightly more daring and with beautifully costumed Regency people. I also unearthed a book I hadn't seen in quite some time, 'Ten Things I Love About You' by Julia Quinn. It's a light and fluffy confection of love during the Regency. I'm also wishing I had a new Lisa Kleypas novel or Eloisa James one to keep my voracious reading tendencies occupied. In the meanwhile I at least have a new Theresa Medeiros novel 'The Devil Wears Plaid' to busy me. I've adored Regency Romances forever and I am trying to write one but it is quite a feat and I've been plodding along at it off and on for a few years now. Garters, Gunslingers & Grace began in Oct. a couple years ago before I put it away for a year and then picked it up and finished writing it last year. Anyway I bid you adieu!

Happy Friday readers! I just want to give a shoutout to the anonymous person who left a comment the other day! I'm glad some people find the little anecdotes I write about entertaining and interesting! And in other news I really am trying to diet but find the afternoon munchies hard to beat especially when one is used to supplementing ones diet with Dr. Pepper and Cheetohs Puffs. Sigh. Today I watched some of GH and absolutely adored the Todd/Tea scenes. I spent some time browsing the KDP Board forums. Then I wandered over to Cheezburger and I think I was looking at the Party Fails section when I stumbled across the most awesome L.A. based manga-ka who makes the most kawaii, glomp worthy doujinshi (manga/anime) fan art ever! The site is omo-cat.com and it's so freakin` fantastic. I really like the Cowboy Bebop artwork. And I was surfing for makeup later and re discovered Shu Uemura. Good quality makeup but you have to be willing to spend a little bit too. And...I'm contemplating tweeting more actively. I created it back in like Jan. yet since then I haven't said a peep on there!