Artist: Jean Pierre Ceytaire

I was in an erotic mood when choosing this week's Friday artwork. This piece really appealed to me. I love the composition and the rich color of her garment. The blue of the water behind them contrasts so nicely with that rust color. Then, also note her grip on his tie and how she's guiding his hand inside her dress. She's a woman who knows what she wants. If you look closer, you'll see that his fingers are tickling her nipple.

The artist, Jean Pierre Ceytaire, was born in 1946 in Paris. He had severe learning disabilities, including dysgraphia, dyslexia and a selective memory. Poor man! As a result, he had a difficult time in school, but his imagination and talent compensated for this, if you ask me.

I hope you like this painting as much as I do. Have a terrific weekend!

There's a popular meme called Thursday 13 in which every Thursday you make a list of thirteen things. I did this for a few months, but I don't have time for thirteen! So, I whittled it down to Thursday 3.

I tried a new pizza restaurant this week because I was too tired to cook and we had a coupon. I like to patronize mom and pop joints when I can. Unfortunately, the crust was tough. Bummer. But, here are three toppings I like:

1. Pepperoni
2. Sausage
3. Olives

If it were only me and not my family, I'd get mushrooms, too, but no one likes those but me.

And isn't this Yoda pizza hilarious?

Just Boots

"Do you like my rockin' croc boots? Or are you distracted by my manly flanks? Perhaps you are amazed at my sense of balance. It takes manly talent to pose just so on a bike like this. Too bad my ass is stuck to the leather. I may need a manly skin graft after this photo shoot which I will get without anesthesia."

Water Water Everywhere

I haven't posed a question in a while, so here we go. What is your preference? Cruise ship, powerboat, sailboat, rowboat, kayak, or inner tube?

I just went on a cruise, and I have to say, that's my preference. However, I really enjoy driving powerboats. We used to rent houseboats on Lake Shasta every summer, and friends we knew who lived in nearby Redding owned a boat. I water skiied a couple of times, but am not a thrill seeker and didn't really enjoy the worry that I was going to get a Lake Shasta enema, which I did one time. Not fun, let me tell you. Give me the luxury of a cruise ship any day of the week.

What type of water vehicle do you like best?

Story: Hearts and Flour

What follows is an analysis of a Woman's World story with suggestions and observations for people who want to sell stories to WW, peppered with some personal opinion, too. :) If you truly want to get the most from this weekly blog feature, it's best to have your own copy of the story to refer to. (And no, I don't get a kickback for pimping the magazine here!)

Story: Hearts and Flour by Andi Davenport, from the June 9, 2008 issue

Tagline: Katherine thought that the kitchen was the most romantic room in the house...

In A Nutshell: An avid baker, Katherine attends a party because her best friend wants to set her up. Before she can meet Andrew (I'll call him "Mr. Maybe"), she talks with one of the caterers, to whom she's attracted. He asks about the dessert she brought and she lets him taste it. But afterward, she dutifully speaks with Mr. M anyway. They have nothing in common, but when she goes to leave, she encounters the caterer again. He wants more of the dessert she brought, and she wants more of him!

Teaching Points: I thought this was an excellent story. It had a matchmaker, but contrary to the usual plotline, the heroine doesn't end up with the person the matchmaker intended. So trained am I by the typical WW plots that I expected the caterer to somehow be the other matchee. I thought maybe he was just in the kitchen because he liked it, but when he introduced himself with a different name, I knew I was mistaken!

I thought the title was especially clever. If I were Johnene, the editor, that would catch my attention right off the bat.

And then, at the end, she even has the guy kneel. Shucks. I'm such a sucker for romance!

Woman's World Standbys: A matchmaking friend.

In My Humble Opinion: I found nothing to pick at in this story!

Story: Collision Course

What follows is an analysis of a Woman's World story with suggestions and observations for people who want to sell stories to WW, peppered with some personal opinion, too. :) If you truly want to get the most from this weekly blog feature, it's best to have your own copy of the story to refer to. (And no, I don't get a kickback for pimping the magazine here!)

Story: Collision Course by Barbara Wohlschlegel

Tagline: Toni's offense: paying too-close attention to the man walking in front of her...

In A Nutshell: A woman literally bumps into a man on the sidewalk. They joke about it, connect over coffee, discovering that they have the same name.

Teaching Points: This story had some cute banter. I liked how Toni had the guts right off the bat to flirt with him. That's unusual in a WW story. Usually the woman is shy and gets over it over the course of the story.

Artist: Artemis

I have always been enamored of geisha and loved Memoirs of a Geisha until the ending, which sucked. But I digress. Here is a beautiful photo of two geisha.

According to ImmortalGeisha.com, "the word Geisha literally translates to "arts person" or "one trained in arts" (gei = art, sha = person). It is also sometimes described as "women of arts, which is exactly what a Geisha is - a woman trained in the traditional arts of Japan such as dance, music, singing to name a few."

A few interesting tidbits:
--Contrary to popular belief, they were not prostitutes and were forbidden by law to sell sex.
--It could take up to an hour for a geisha to dress.
--In order to preserve their elaborate hairstyles, they slept with their necks on raised supports.
--A geisha was paid for their time in increments measured by how long it takes an incense stick to burn.

Enjoy your weekend!! (And Happy Father's Day to any dads out there!)

Sold!

I just got word that my new editor, Sue-Ellen Gower at Ellora's Cave, wants to buy my menage quickie, titled TOPAZ TRIAD. Yippee!! Doin' the Happy Dance! Can you dig this utterly phallic topaz I found? LMAO. She really liked it and the only major change I need to do is to add a little nookie to the ending. This is my fourth sale to Ellora's Cave.

Story: A New Cycle

What follows is an analysis of a Woman's World story with suggestions and observations for people who want to sell stories to WW, peppered with some personal opinion, too. :) If you truly want to get the most from this weekly blog feature, it's best to have your own copy of the story to refer to. (And no, I don't get a kickback for pimping the magazine here!)

Story: A New Cycle, by Wendy Hobday Haugh

Tagline: Meeting Jeremy again felt something like destiny, Ellie thought.

In A Nutshell: A motorcycle shop opens in town. Ellie, owner of a bakery, sends over some muffins to welcome the new business. When the bike shop owner comes into the shop the next day to thank her, she realizes it's a boy she knew in high school. He gave her a ride home once on his motorcycle, and today, offers another ride.

Teaching Points: It's easy to predict that the boy Ellie reminisces about in paragraph seven has to be the owner of the bike shop. Still, I liked how smart Ellie was. She put together the nickname "Bullfrog" with the Jeremy she knew. And she also predicted that he was going to ask her to ride with him. Remember to give your characters some brains. :)

Also, it's a challenge to insert backstory sometimes, like the fact that a character is divorced. Haugh does this neatly in paragraph eight.

Stories usually have a major turning point, where everything suddenly changes direction. It often happens midway. This story is no different. Right about halfway through the tale, Ellie realizes the bike shop owner just might be the motorcycle boy from her past.

Woman's World Standbys: A small town setting

Artist: Deborah Tidwell

I've blogged this artist before and still enjoy looking at her work.

This is called Reflecting (2007). Tidwell's portraits are usually in an unusual point of view, and a wonderful example of photo-realism. This painting costs $1800. You can buy it here.

One of the reasons I chose this image is because I will be cruising to Ensenada on a ship until Monday. The last time I went to Mexico, I got a bad case of Montezuma's Revenge, but that was in Rosarito Beach. Because Blogger allows us to schedule posts, I will still be able to post on Monday. Adios, amigos!

Thursday 3: The Silver Screen

There's a popular meme called Thursday 13 in which every Thursday you make a list of thirteen things. I did this for a few months, but I don't have time for thirteen! So, I whittled it down to Thursday 3.

Here are the last three movies I saw...

Lars and the Real Girl - Very strange, but funny. At first, I thought, I don't think this is my type of movie. This guy is too out there for me to identify with, but the more I watched, the more it grew on me. If you rent this, give it a decent chance. The doctor in the movie, played by Patricia Clarkson, has the very best line the whole flick. I still chuckle when I think about it.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I was afraid this would suck, like the Temple of Doom, but it wasn't horrid. Got a little too spacey for me, but you can judge for yourself. It was really nice seeing Karen Allen come back.
Dan in Real Life - Funny. I liked the familial interaction. Steve Carrell surprises me and even made me tear up at the end.

Free Association

I say ... and you think ... ?

Gossipping ::
Misplaced ::
Spaceship ::
Ignore ::
Bodily ::
Tweezers ::
Goodnight ::
Curls ::
Faucet ::
Right? ::

Respond in the comment section. Mine are there already!

Farewell, Mary

I recently received some horrible news. I won't be working with Mary Altman anymore. She was my editor at Ellora's Cave and I loved her. She and I had a fantastic rapport and she was so very skilled at pointing out just where my books were lacking. I will miss her a lot.

Story: Better Than Perfect

What follows is an analysis of a Woman's World story with suggestions and observations for people who want to sell stories to WW, peppered with some personal opinion, too. :) If you truly want to get the most from this weekly blog feature, it's best to have your own copy of the story to refer to. (And no, I don't get a kickback for pimping the magazine here!)

Story: Better Than Perfect by Maggie Forsyth from the May 12, 2008 issue.

Tagline: Mike was becoming a habit with Jody. A good habit...

In A Nutshell: Jody waits tables at a truck stop. She makes friends with a trucker, Mike, who's working on eating healthier and exercising, per doctor's orders. Jody is inspired by him and does the same. They go out to a nice dinner together.

Teaching Points: This story has a the "perfect" concept for WW--a romance paired with healthy habits, a topic that is a mainstay in their publication. I did something similar with my first WW published story in which the heroine was perusing her horoscope. So if you're looking for story ideas, page through one of your issues.

Woman's World Standbys: A good old beta hero. He's sweet and complimentary, a little nervous.

In My Humble Opinion: Mike "blushes" some dialogue in that first column.