The origin of the phrase “jump the shark” comes from an episode of Happy Days. The phrase means that a television show has reached the end of its good ideas but is still on the air. In 1977, an episode of Happy Days had The Fonz water skiing in his leather jacket and he literally jumped over a shark. The phrase comes from that episode. If you google the phrase and The Fonz, you can see the video.
I think that’s cool.
Posted in Friday Facts | Tags: Friday fact, Frirday Facts, Happy Days, jumping the shark, The Fonz
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: wordless Wednesday
I was interviewed by the fabulous Kala Ambrose for her radio show. It will air on April 24, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. I say she interviewed me but it was more like a conversation between friends than a question/answer session. I’m not even sure of all the things I said since it was so relaxed and easy. I can’t wait to hear it myself (even though I hate the sound of my voice) so I can remember what I may have have said that I didn’t intend to disclose. LOL!
We talked about two of my upcoming releases, THE GAMBLER and THE SEASON OF THE WITCH. I’m afraid I may have nattered on too much about some of that, but it is what it is, right? Like I told my friend Sandy after it was over, I’ll be Monday morning quarterbacking until I can hear it and be sure I didn’t sound like an idiot. Let’s pray for some judicious editing.
Kala is awesome and so interesting. I was happy to hear she’s from a family of lawyers and law enforcement officers and even considered attending law school herself. I felt a kinship with her right away and feel like I’ve made a new friend. She’s definitely good at making people feel at ease. Check out her website and her shows. I think you’ll be pleased at what you find. http://www.exploreyourspirit.com/radio/
JILLIAN: Julie Lindsay is back today with the first stop on her blog tour for her latest release, Death by Chocolate. I’m very intrigued by this one and will be reading it for sure. Not a romance, but a murder mystery – I love the premise and can’t wait to dig in! Welcome Julie.
JULIE: Hi Jillian! It’s such a great thrill to be here with you today. You are my first stop on this nutty blog tour! I’m kicking off the crazy right here. So much has happened to my tiny writer life in the past twelve months. Lots of submissions and hundreds of rejections but ultimately – despite all the passers- I‘ve signed SIX contracts. I thought I’d talk a little about that.
Evolution of an Author
Four of the six contracts I signed were for sweet romances. Three novellas (ebook only) in my Seeds of Love series for Honey Creek Books and one is a contemporary YA romance/mystery. Romance is threaded and wound tightly in the fabric of each of those stories. Hopefully you’ll see a bit of my humor too, but let’s face it…they’re all about the chemistry.
Back before I fancied myself a romance writer, I was just plain old ornery. Mischievous. Silly. That’s where it started, and that’s where Death by Chocolate was born. For me writing is very representative of my season in life. When I wrote Death by Chocolate, I didn’t know enough to know it wasn’t right. Didn’t fit the mold. Wouldn’t blend in. I didn’t know not to try.
Now look what happened.
Here it is, a year later and I know more of the rules and how to better play the game, and yet here is Death by Chocolate, an exercise in over-the-top writing. And I love it. I love that I did this and that my publisher believed in it and it’s here. It’s 100% me. No, there’s no romance, but there’s humor and adventure and plenty of mischief. Characters you’ll love despite yourself I hope. I mean, we all blunder from time to time. Some more than others *cough* Me. I am Blunder personified. Trust me.
If you’re in the mood for a read that will make you smile and remind you it’s not so bad…At least the mistakes you make aren’t thinning the census numbers in your county LOL. You can find Death by Chocolate on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. I hope it makes you smile.
If you’re a writer, looking for a place to fit in, maybe take a chance, write from the heart. Tell the story you want to read. Sometimes we can’t play for the crowd. Sometimes we have to have our own drummer 😉
Death by Chocolate
Ruby Russell has reached her limit. When she discovers her hipster husband has a dirty little secret, she whips him up a Viagra-infused-chocolate mousse punishment, but in the morning, her husband’s a stiff. Armed with a lifetime of crime show reruns and Arsenic and Old Lace on DVD, Ruby and her best friend Charlotte try to lay low until after Ruby’s son’s wedding, but a nosy therapist, meddling minister and local news reporter are making it very difficult to get away with murder.
About Julie:
I am a mother of three, wife to a sane person and Ring Master at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you’ll find me online, amped up on caffeine & wielding a book.
You can find my blogging about the writer life at Musings from the Slush Pile
Tweeting my crazy at @JulieALindsey
Reading to soothe my obsession on GoodReads
And other books by me on Amazon
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JMOKfEQD8c&feature=youtu.be
Posted in guests | Tags: books, Death by Chocolate, guests, Julie A Lindsay, myrder mystery
First: I’m being interviewed here today:
http://www.scifiromance.info/
Yesterday, I finished reading Nothing to Lose, by Lavada Dee. It’s book one in a series and I presume there will be three more (I hope so anyway) since there are three brothers of the hero who need their story to be told.
The heroine, Galynn is fleeing an abusive relationship. She collapsed in the cold, wet weather as she tried to make it to the next bus stop. The hero finds her and obtains medical care for her. He has always been a rescuer of wounded animals and decides she needs to be taken care of in the same manner (I’m not saying he thinks of her as an animal – he immediately feels empathy for her and knows she shouldn’t be alone).
The story moves along at a nice pace and it’s a great read. I like the way Ms. Dee has the heroine and hero interact with each other. The hero’s family members are super and very supportive. The writer does a fabulous job of showing the angst the hero goes through as the book progresses. I was brought to tears over his pain on several occasions. I like a hero who isn’t afraid to show his emotions and Ms. Dee delivers such a hero quite nicely in Cooper Blackhawk.
I highly recommend this one! http://www.bookstrand.com/nothing-to-lose
Posted in Books | Tags: Blackhawks series, books, Lavada Dee, review, series, sirenbookstrand
FIRST: I’m blogging today here: http://macsmadmania.blogspot.com Come by and say hi!
A campanile is a bell tower and is usually affilitated with a church. Even if the tower actually holds no bells, it is still called a bell tower if it was designed to do so. Some modern ones have carillons (a musical instrument made up of bells that play songs) in them. If you’ve ever been to Stone Mountain, they have a beautiful carillon and the songs float over the river as the steamship makes its circuit. It’s lovely.
There’s a beautiful campanile in Venice, Italy and it’s quite impressive. Here it is: 
I’ve been tagged by numerous friends, including, but not limited to, Liberty Blake, Paula Marin and Liv Rancourt, to do this and I’ve already posted one of these on Facebook for the Gambler’s Brother which comes out in October, 2012. So, now, I’m posting from The Gambler which will be out April 15, 2012. YAY!
EXCERPT from page 77:
“Sure. Sure.” He motioned for the man to come in and turned back to Eden. “Meet you at the door in a couple of minutes. We’ll have breakfast and talk about last night.”
She nodded. “It may take me a few minutes longer than you since I need to put my hair in order.”
“Your hair looks lovely down like that.”
She blushed and swatted at him. “Oh, hush, you flatterer you.”
“Tis only the truth I speak, my lady.”
Eden giggled and turned toward the dressing room.
There you go! This happens in the pool area of the RMS Queen Mary ocean liner.
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: wordless Wednesday
Today’s guest is a friend from my RWA chapter. She’s always got a smile and a nice thing to say to everyone. I love that about her. She’s popped in before and I hope you enjoy her latest visit- she’s chatting about her new release with SirenBookStrand. Welcome Casey!
Italian Cooking with DANCE WITH A MILLIONAIRE
Thank you, Jillian, for having me and helping me celebrate the release of DANCE WITH A MILLIONAIRE!
Southern belle Campbell Layne is the rising star of the Manhattan Ballet Theatre, providing she lands the upcoming principal role. The stage heats up, however, when Rod Carrington steps in and teaches her more than she ever expected.
Campbell is determined to stay focused on the audition that will push her into stardom, but the dazzling attorney she meets at a gala proves to be a major distraction especially when he ends up being her professor in a college class she’s taking in her spare time. Campbell humiliates herself on their first date, but that doesn’t stop Rod from whisking her off to Italy and turning her into quite the vixen. Too bad he also had to use his powerful influence to secure the lead for her. Now she’ll never know if her talent was real or “bought” by the man she thought was the love of her life.
In DANCE WITH A MILLIONAIRE, Campbell and Rod are foodies. They wine and dine at Jean Georges in New York City and two other fabulous places in Italy. Amongst other things, they have manicotti, tiramisu, wine, and lots more wine. So to go along with this Italian food theme, I’m offering up my favorite pasta recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Penne Pasta with Chicken in a Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
3 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 ounces chicken breast, cooked, deboned, julienned
4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound penne pasta, cooked
1 1/2 teaspoon butter OR 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon fresh basil, julienned
DIRECTIONS:
Saute shallots in oil for 2 minutes or until soft. Add chicken and tomatoes and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add cream and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
To do my personal super quick and just as delicious but healthier version: While pasta is boiling, pour two cans (drained) of shredded chicken into a pan, add a jar of minced sun dried tomatoes (1/3 to ½ drained of the olive oil), pour in ¾ to 1 pint of FAT FREE ½ and ½, add a few shakes of dried basil and more than a few shakes of dried parsley, plus a little salt. Drain pasta. Add sauce. Fold in ¾ bag of grated parmesan. (I leave out the shallots and all the basil since I don’t really care for that, but that’s just me.)
*****
Now if that doesn’t wet your appetite, maybe this MAINSTREAM EXCERPT will:
“Thank you for attending the performance and for your generous donation to MBT.” His dark eyebrows shot up a notch, highlighting a definite mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Why did they have to be the exact shade of turquoise as the Caribbean Ocean at sunset? Stunning.
“That’s well-rehearsed, Miss Layne. Tell me, though, do you turn on the Southern belle charm for all your fans or only the male ones?”
Her mouth fell open, but thank goodness she had the presence of mind to snap it shut. “How dare you? First of all, I’m from Alabama which makes the accent genuine, and secondly, that’s…that’s the rudest, most ungentlemanly thing to say.”
“I never said I was a gentleman and readily admit to be undeserving of your sweet façade. I’d much prefer the real you.”
She propped her hands on her hips. “And precisely what, may I ask, do you assume to be the real me, seeing as our acquaintance has a life span of what? Thirty seconds?”
Rod glanced at an expensive-looking gold watch. “Forty-five.” He stepped closer.
She did not see that coming and stumbled back only to become trapped between the wall and his body. The hard, cold stone competed against his warm, harder presence. Damn it, the latter won out. She ground her traitorous fingertips into her palms in an effort to prevent them from brushing away the stray curl that fell across his forehead.
The hem of his jacket brushed her hip as he moved in to splay his hand over her waist. The pressure built as he gathered her an inch closer. She caught a faint whiff of his cologne. The clean, fresh scent permeated the air and reminded her of the Southern pines back home, but this was not the time to reminisce.
“In fact, I’d like to get to know every inch of you.” Another sharp tug had her chest pressed against his rock solid form.
Her blood boiled in a delicious rhythm. Obviously, the vibrator thing was getting old if this jerk was turning her on. She made a mental note to ask her best friend, Heidi, to set her up on a date. Any man would do—as long as it was not Rod.
She flexed her fingers and pushed against his shoulders. “Let go of me, you arrogant pig.” A lion, cougar, leopard—anything powerful—seemed a more apt description though.
Rod chuckled and loosened his hold. A fraction. Enough to insert his finger between them. It followed the line of fabric at her shoulder slowly, very slowly, across her chest. As he glided over her cleavage, he said, “But, my dear, you’re mistaken. It’s confidence I possess.”
“More like cockiness.” Even as she said it, Bella couldn’t take her gaze off his finger or steer her attention from the intense hunger sweeping through her. She instinctively arched her back, lifting her breasts to silently beg for more.
“Either way, but I always get what I want, and in case you need me to spell it out”—he slid his finger up her throat to tilt her chin, forcing her to look at him—“I. Want. You.”
He uttered the words with such conviction, her breath hitched. No, stopped. She literally thought she might pass out. Swoon, like one of those Regency ladies she’d thought of a moment ago, only she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
Feigning haughty sophistication was not in her repertoire, but there was a first time for everything. She raised a brow and allowed her gaze to wander his body as he’d done to her. The black tux cut a dashing figure, making her mouth water for a taste of what lay beneath. She imagined herself undoing each of the black buttons on his starched, white shirt. His bowtie was a little askew. She reached to straighten it, brushing against his neck. She heard his breathing deepen, sensed, rather than saw, the quickening of his jaw. She inwardly smiled and wiggled her toes in a victory dance, but those stupid, treacherous fingers battled back, wanting to still the muscle with a gentle caress. She balled her fists in reprimand, uncaring that her short nails dug into her palms.
When she reintroduced her eyes to his, she shot him what she hoped was a contemptuous glare. “Take your hand off me,” she said slowly and deliberately. She made a dramatic showing of enclosing her fingers, one at a time, around his wrist and tugged his finger away from her boobs.
Nothing happened. Well, almost nothing. He managed to do that trick when one eyebrow lifts higher than the other.
She sighed loudly and exceedingly unladylike. Then she pulled. Hard.
Finally, he broke contact by approximately six inches when twelve would have been much closer to the acceptable personal space limit. Too late to hide her puckered nipples, she still folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot in perfect tempo with her index finger. “An apology would be appropriate at this time.”
“Ah, but then I’d have to, in fact, be sorry.”
He said that? Seriously? She just stood there, gaping. It would’ve been so nice to find the words, any words to speak, but nope. A boa constrictor squeezed her throat.
“What? No response? I assume that negates the possibility of you actually wanting an apology.”
Again, robbed of speech. She felt like a fool, but her mind remained as blank as the sky on a cloudy night. So much for feigning haughty sophistication.
“Um…” Jackpot! At last. Okay, it wasn’t a three-point goal in the final seconds of the game, but her voice hit a few decibels nevertheless.
Rod’s deep chuckle reverberated throughout the alcove as he captured both of her shoulders. He laughed at her. Worse, he was going to kiss her. She knew it. Right here, right now. In front of everyone. A complete stranger. Well, not completely, she knew his name at least. Knowing the first name made it all right, didn’t it?
Lord, what am I thinking? She did not go around kissing strangers. Hell, she didn’t go around kissing people she knew. What would her mama think? She’d die of shame, that’s what.
But heaven knew she wanted to taste those beautiful, full lips. She purely ached to run her fingers through his wavy, chestnut hair and slide her hands inside his coat to see if his abs were as hard as she imagined they would be. She closed her eyes and barely swallowed the lump stuck in her throat before licking her lips, preparing for the inevitable.
*****
What’s your favorite Italian dish? I’d love to hear about it!
DWAM BUY NOWVisit Casey at http://www.caseycrow.com Follow on Twitter @caseyecrow and Facebook Casey Crow
DANCE WITH A MILLIONAIRE EXCERPTS
DWAM coming March 20 from Siren Publishing
2011 Best LRC Contemporary CAN’T FAKE THIS buy Kindle version on Amazon and all versions at Loose, Id.
CAN’T FAKE THIS Excerpt
See the CAN’T FAKE THIS book Trailer
Casey Crow is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from the University of Alabama with degrees in Business Management and Dance. She received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Mobile. A resident of the Deep South, Casey works as a pageant coach of twenty years, professional emcee and model, dance choreographer, and certified Miss America preliminary judge. In fact, she is a former Miss University of Alabama and NASCAR spokesmodel. She is addicted to CASTLE & REVENGE and works out constantly to compensate for her addiction to sweets. She enjoys playing pool, tennis & golf but never has the time and is therefore, pitiful at all three. Casey is an award-winning author of “Sexy, Sassy & Southern” erotic and spicy contemporary romances. Her debut CAN’T FAKE THIS was named 2011 Best Contemporary at Love Romances Café, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Finalist, and received a Gold Star from Just Erotic Romance Reviews. Visit her at http://www.caseycrow.com. Follow her on Twitter – caseyecrow and Facebook – Casey Crow.
Posted in Books, guests | Tags: casey crow, Dance with a Millionaire, friends, guests, Siren Book Srand Publishers, writers
I wrote a short story that’s called Surf Burger right now. It comes out this summer from Still Moments Publishing. I was encouraged by the publisher to change the name and I’m cool with that. It’s a story set on the beach and the premise of all the stories in the anthology is (from publisher’s website)- “Sworn off love after having their hearts broken, these heroines get more than they bargained for when they decide to spend the summer at the beach!”
The heroine of my story is a former professional surfer (yes, I know. I like to have surfer heroines- so sue me) who had her heart broken by her former husband. She left the surf circuit and got her PhD. She’s now a professor on a college campus. She decides to rent a cottage on the beach for the summer and enjoy that lifestyle again. To make the money to afford both her place in town and the cottage, she works as a waitress at a local hambuger joint called Surf Burger.
The hero is a local cop who serves as the deputy in charge of the sub-station on the beach. And that’s all I can say.
So, I need name suggestions. I have three so far. The prize if your suggestion wins is an e-copy of the anthology when it comes out. So, hit me with your best shot- I can take it!
Posted in Writing | Tags: Anthology, broken heart, burned, short story, Still Moments Publishing, summer
Jillian Chantal 