Book Love

So sorry about my recent and unexpected blogcation. Every now and then I just get completely overwhelmed.

One thing that helped me get through the chaos, it turns out, was sitting down with LisaRicard Claro’s first book in the Fireflies Series, Love Built to Last. When the going gets tough, I often reward myself in ways that would make Pavlov himself proud, and this book felt like therapy (along with a little mall-medicating). In this case I did in fact salivate…over the story’s main character, Caleb Walker. Ooh, Caleb! How I wish he had a real-life, gracefully aging uncle!

Every now and then I read a book that draws me in like a hug from an old friend. I think about it when I’m not reading and plan how soon I’ll be able to relax and sink into the story. That was exactly how I felt about Love Built to Last.

Part of the magic of this story was that it explored not just the relationship between Maddie Kincaid and Caleb Walker, but a number of other relationships as well. Because this book was much more than a romance for me. It had quirky characters who were all connected. It had warmth, light, and nostalgia. It had a touch of Southern charm that brought back my two years living in Savannah, Georgia—yet it never felt regionally distinctive. It even had a story line about something else that's near and dear to my heart: rescue animals. It had a sense of humor, relatable scenes, authentic dialogue, and just enough heat to make the relationship between the main characters sizzle.

And it was just a whole lot of fun.

I’ve always admired Lisa’s clever and thought-provoking writing, but turns out she is also a master at crafting characters and their relationships. She captured small gestures and nuance so well that I was right there in the scene…and with no intention of leaving.

So how long before the next book in the Fireflies Series is out again?

Also, I am excited to report that my piece, “Powwow at CampSmooshabosom” is over at Sasee along with Linda O’Connell’s “Halloween Cats on the Prowl.” Be sure and stop by for a real Halloween treat!  

Writing is seduction.  ~Stephen King, On Writing

Succinctly Yours Week 223: Skunked

It’s time again for Succinctly Yours, a weekly meme made possible by the lovely Grandma of Grandma’s Goulash. Each week, Grandma posts a photo with the challenge to come up with a story of 140 words or 140 characters or fewer to go with it. The bonus word this week was “gargle.” Ouch, Grandma! My second offering is the true story, written in 140 words, that inspired the first offering, written in 140 characters. Phew. Or is that, pew?                                                                                                                         

Gladys planned to steep a dead skunk in the wading pool so she could gargle before meeting the handsome new dog next door. She wanted to be at her best; that Dane was great.  140

She was Buddy’s best girlfriend ever, a blonde shepherd mix named Amiga who appeared from time to time in our yard sporting a new bandana that signaled a recent bath. She was a big gal who could handle his obnoxiousness and keep him in line. When she needed to rid herself of that spring-fresh smell, she knew he could be counted on to dispatch the insult toute de suite. The two of them made a great pair, leaping and snuffling and gargling in each other’s slobber. Then she’d go prancing back home, bandana torn and covered in dog spit.

Once she got skunked along the way and was thoughtful enough to return the favor. It was a skunking-by-proxy. After two baths, I had to resort to V8 because I didn’t have tomato juice.

It had been love at first sniff.   140

True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their worth and choice. ~Ben Jonson

The Delightful Layers of Momdom

Many thanks to Sioux for making me think of a memory. I read her wonderful Mother’s Day post while eating my grandmother’s soup out of a bowl I bought because it reminded me of my grandmother’s dishes.

Those dishes really captured her because we usually sat at her kitchen table. My grandmother was the kind of woman who was always doing for others. That is how I remember her—bustling. Cooking, tidying, moving. Always moving.

And then advanced age forced her to sit still. Forced others to do for her for once. It was hard for her, I’m sure, but that, too, she handled with grace. Even though it would be easy to say she’d earned the right to be waited on, I never got the impression that sitting still was any kind of reward for her.

Instead, the reward was mine. My grandmother had a live-in caregiver then, but when the caregiver was off on Sundays, my grandmother needed someone to sit with her. I lived out of town at the time, but when I came to visit, I’d sit with her on Sundays.

That was how I got to know my grandmother—really got to know her—after she’d turned 100 years old.

Because for the first time ever, we really talked. Not only did I get to ask her what she needed, I got to know her as a human being and not merely as a caretaker. I was surprised to learn just how smart and funny and wise she truly was. We chatted and conversed and giggled and gossiped a little. We reminisced. We debated and discussed. And when she did pass at 102, I felt those last two years had been the most precious. For me, anyway.

Here’s hoping you, too, have good memories or make good memories that last through the centuries and beyond. Happy Mother’s Day.

Who else but a grandmother ever fried bologna?  ~Cynthia Kaplan, Leave the Building Quickly

When It Really Is Unlucky to Have a Black Cat

It’s been a while since I’ve been on blogs. Part of the reason is that I’ve been even more overwhelmed than usual lately. The other reason is that I’ve had a horrible bout of writer’s block ever since our beloved little Catsby passed after an unexpected diagnosis of congestive heart failure a couple of weeks ago. It’s amazing to me how empty my lap feels now when I write.

I really didn’t want a cat at the time we found him living under a concrete bench in the yard a couple of years ago. Not only was I just not a cat person, I thought I was too busy. My social life is fuller than it’s been since I met my former husband over thirty years ago, and I won’t apologize for that. I’ve earned it. 

And Catsby had some abandonment issues. At first I complained about how needy he was, but it turns out his constant presence is what I miss most. It was endearing that he adored being with loved ones so much.

Once when I went in the closet and saw his tail protruding slightly from under the clothing, I impulsively said (in a peekaboo voice), “I wonder where our dear little kitty could be?!”

When he popped out and exclaimed, “MeOW!” it sounded for all the world like, “Here I am!”

That was our Catsby. That goofy critter converted a family of dog people into dog AND cat people. 

That's what made him The Great Catsby.

I can’t tell you how much your kind words meant to me during that time and still mean to me. Also—a block-shattering bit of good news—my NYMB…On Being a Woman story, “Worse Than Zombie Warts” will be featured on www.laughuntilyoupee.com this coming Friday. I’d appreciate it if you’d consider coming back and leaving a comment over there, and as always, thank you so much!

 Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with. ~Mark Twain

Succinctly Yours Week 203: Maybe Not Quite So One-Sided

Thank you to Grandma’s Goulash for hosting Succinctly Yours, a delightful little meme in which we are driven by Grandma’s compelling photo to come up with a story of 140 words or 140 characters or fewer. The bonus word was “jagged.”

She snuggled into him, her breath jagged with anticipation. His Pierce Arrow had struck her heart just as surely as if it had been fired from Cupid himself. 129

Her eyes might have been on his face, but her jagged heart was on the horizon, her hand ready to steer if he got out of line, and her foot ready to slam on the brakes if need be. 140

She leaned in, inhaled a jagged breath and gazed up. She couldn’t believe her heart could be filled with so much love! Plaid was her life, and his hat was exceptional.  137

Yet there was nothing jagged or rocky about their journey: when they were out of the car, it was his adoring eyes on her.  98

Oh sweet mercy! A lime green hatchback! It’s a thing of beauty! ~Cars.com commercial  

Succinctly Yours Week 196: A Christmas Carol: The Sequel

Thank you to Grandma’s Goulash for hosting Succinctly Yours! The purpose of this charming meme is to use the picture to create a story of 140 words or 140 characters or fewer. I’ve attempted to participate in SY for the past few weeks but always seem to end up too overwhelmed to get it posted—so here is last week’s as well. The bonus word this week was “grumpy.”

When Tim was no longer tiny, he and his family enjoyed singing Christmas carols. Unfortunately their singing was such that it made Ebenezer grumpy all over again. 136

Succinctly Yours Week 195: Tisn’t the Season

Bonus word was “urgent.”

It was no longer urgent to get all the Christmas shopping done, wrapped and mailed. They had made early January into their favorite season.   116

Ron and Edna liked to do their Christmas shopping in the middle of the night. A lot of stores were closed, but at such a romantic hour, nothing seemed urgent.  129

Some thought it odd that they had no urgent need to buy each other gifts. Few knew that for forty years, this stroll was their gift to each other on Christmas Eve night. 135

Far too many people are looking for the right person instead of trying to be the right person. ~Gloria Steinem

Succinctly Yours #180: Passionate Pair of Pears

Thank you to Grandma’s Goulash for hosting Succinctly Yours! Each week, Grandma picks a fresh picture to help bring a story of 140 words or 140 characters to fruition. I giggled when I saw this picture! The bonus word this week was “labor.”

They were a smitten pair of pears. His firm, ripe flesh turned her insides to jelly. When he called her his little tart, she blushed. There was no labor to this love. 134

Picking each other was a labor of love that grew, ripened, and then mellowed sweetly. It would never spoil…until she was caught in salad with a zesty passion fruit. 136

Anjou and Bart were excited about their modeling careers. Posing for still lifes was the opposite of grueling physical labor.  106

When Anjou told Bart she was going into labor, he secretly hoped it would be a little Bartlett.  78

“….it came to me that if I wanted to, I could have a little session with this young, young man and you would never have to know about it, he would be making love to history and so would I. But when I looked at him again, well, there he was with his gigantic knees and his unlaced sneakers and his carefully ripped jeans, his ice rattling around in his Coke cup—someone for a girl, not for me….I noticed he followed me for a while in a half-hearted, non-threatening sort of way, and please understand what I mean when I tell you that I hoped my butt looked good.  I mean I just hoped my butt looked good, that’s all.”  ~ Elizabeth Berg, The Pull of the Moon