National Lazy Day

It’s National Lazy Day.

How many of us need a push to be just lazy for one day?

I once read a book, a feminist book, by Jane O’Reilly or Ingrid Bengis or Tillie Olsen or someone whose name I have forgotten. The author was recalling her childhood family holiday gatherings and how the children always preferred hanging out with the men drinking beer and playing horseshoes than with the women in the kitchen, who were just bitchy. The author’s moment of truth came when she realized the women were bitchy because they didn’t have the holiday off. They still had to watch the children, prepare the feast, clean up afterward.

Why do we need permission to take a day off?

I frequently find my “vacation time” from day job usurped by household chores.  And I resent it.

I’m reminded of The Parable of the Mexican fisherman and the Investment Banker.

And of the many Facebook memes advising us to build a life we don’t need a vacation from.

That’s not lazy.

Writing is the best part of my day

National Grab Some Nuts Day

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Yes, that really is one of today’s observances, and the latent Gutter Girl in me snickers and thinks: “SPLASH!”

But this is a PG-13 blog, so I’ll haul myself out of the gutter, dry myself off and be a responsible adult.

Nuts.

I am not a huge nut fan. Especially walnuts. Don’t know why people have to ruin perfectly good brownies or chocolate chip cookies with walnuts. All of my life I thought I didn’t like banana bread. A friend made some with almonds instead of walnuts, and I loved it!

Another friend substitutes pecans for walnuts when she knows I’m on the agenda. It’s an acceptable substitute, but the foods would still be better without them.

Nuts I do like:

Cashews don’t offend me—especially in Chinese food. And what about that divine mixture of hazelnut chocolate, Nutella? Addicting! Macadamia nuts with white chocolate in a chocolate cookie? I’m dying here!

I’ll eat peanuts (not technically a nut, but rather a legume), but almonds are my favorite. Too bad growing almonds requires so much water.  Something so healthy shouldn’t be an ecological disaster.

Because almonds are a healthy food choice.

Most nuts (in their pure state) are a good food choice. Unfortunately, chocolate (even though it’s made from cocoa beans, which are a fruit) is considered an adulteration. Nuts are a great at-the-desk snack—high-protein with omega-3 fatty acids, easy to eat, and very filling.

So go grab some nuts!

Snarky Sunday

July is automobile inspection month for TV Stevie and me. We schedule the appointments around my must-take vacation (when Day Job shuts down for a week), which is the most convenient way to handle it. Because when my car is in the shop, I don’t have a car. When his car is in the shop, I don’t have a car–he needs wheels for his Day Job.  If I’m off work, I don’t have to think about packing a lunch (I usually come home to eat) or leaving on time (I usually have to wait for him to pick me up or try to catch a ride with a co-worker).

This year, I forgot to tell our mechanic to uninstall the app in TV’s car that prevents it from stopping at the supermarket when he runs out of something.

Stealing Home

My second contemporary baseball romance, Stealing Home, came out yesterday.

It’s actually the first baseball book I wrote about the Syracuse Saltboilers, but I didn’t submit it to my publisher until after Summer Fling  came out. Mostly I was worried my publisher wouldn’t like all the movies referenced in the manuscript. The heroine grew up on movies, which helped shape her life.

In fact, there are at least seventeen real movies referenced or named in the novel. Oh, and one made-up title.

My publisher never blinked.

Here’s the cover by artist GD Leigh.

Stealing Home

Isn’t it gorgeous?

She went to Cooperstown for the opera . . . and stayed for the baseball player.

Chelsea Lyndon isn’t about to let a minor thing like being abandoned by her date in a strange town get her down. Maybe she grew up on romantic comedy movies, but she’s a self-reliant realist. No man is ever going to control her . . . not even a too-sexy-for-her-peace-of-mind retired baseball player. But Tripp Shaneybrook is determined to rescue Chelsea, whether she wants his help or not.

Reluctantly accepting Tripp’s assistance when she discovers her bank account is empty and her credit cards maxed out, Chelsea lets herself enjoy being pampered and seduced. The weekend plays out like one of her favorite movies: pure fantasy. And the sex is incredible. But she needs to go home and resume her dreary life.

Tripp has other ideas about that, too.

And when that life begins to fall apart, Tripp is there to help pick up the pieces. Chelsea begins to trust the man whose actions backup his words.

Until his past collides with her reality in a series of incidents that threaten to rip them apart forever.

Buy links for different formats and retailers are gradually becoming available, but my publisher, Loose Id, has all formats available on their website.