This I Know For Sure...

As much as I try to embrace new technology or changes to current technology, I really don't like it and try to avoid it if possible. 

Two recent examples are the Timeline view on Facebook.  I dragged my feet for as long as possible before changing over (about 2 days ago). I'd spoken to people who changed over long ago who love the new look etc but I still didn't want to change over.  I was just starting to feel comfortable with the old version and now have to try to get back to that comfort level with the new version.  Another example is Blogger.  A new, updated version of Blogger has been available for a while now, well now there's a deadline date that everyone who hasn't yet switched over will be changed over on.  Oh no! Not another new version of something to learn.

I think my biggest problem with it is there are no real directions on how to figure this stuff out.  It's pretty much trial and error.  I'm a linear thinker so I like to know what step one is, then step two, etc.  To just "wing it" or try something and see what happens is so not me.

I've been wanting to get on Twitter for a while now but am worried I'll do something wrong, make some grand faux pas for all the world to see.  If I'm going to make a mistake, or breach some type of etiquette, etc I'd rather do it in the privacy of my home and not on a social media site. 

But change in the technology world is inevitable so I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it...and stall for as long as possible.

Guest Blogging

Today I'm visiting the TBR blog and talking about writing short stories and how easy they are to write -- Not.  http://tbrtheblog.blogspot.com/   I hope you'll stop by.

Katherine

Spring Planting

I love the idea of having a vegetable garden.  There’s just something very satisfying in growing your own food.  But I have one very large drawback – I live in the city and have a yard the size of a postage stamp, okay if you rounded the corners off it’s probably the size of a half dollar, still not big enough to sustain a garden.

Try container gardening you say?  I have.  For the last two years I’ve tried growing tomatoes and green peppers in various pots on my back porch with little success.  Last year I even tried growing cucumbers, pumpkins (my nephew’s request) and yellow squash in long semi-flat containers.  I had a lot of blossoms on both the squash and pumpkin plants but nothing developed into actual vegetables.  I managed to grow about 10 tomatoes and 3 cucumbers which the squirrels promptly chewed on so no cucumbers for me but they seemed to enjoy them.

I’ve decided try again this year.  If anyone has any suggestions on container gardening, I’d love to hear them.  I’d love to grow enough vegetables to be able to have something to call a garden even if it’s a small one. And my nephew would be thrilled if I could manage to grow a pumpkin for him.  :o)

This I know for Sure...

In today's economy, anyone who has a job should be thankful for it, no matter how crappy they think it is. (I'm not saying I think my job is crappy, in fact I'm happier at this job than I've ever been at any other one.)

I know too many people who were victims of the recession who are struggling to get back on their feet so it bothers me when I hear people who make great salaries complain about how crummy their job is.  It also bothers me when someone makes a comment along the lines of  "you should just be thankful you have a job" or "money isn't everything" when hearing about the horribly low pay the other person had to accept because he or she had no other choice. 

While I agree everyone should be thankful for their jobs, I don't agree that money isn't everything.  Money is everything when your paycheck doesn't cover even the basic monthly bills of food, utilities, rent/mortgage, and gas to get back and forth to said job.  In today's world, it's even harder to survive when you are one of the working poor.  How do you support a family on $8 or $9 an hour?  Yet, many employers believe this is a reasonable salary and can get away with paying such low wages because they know there is someone out there desperate enough for a job that will accept the position.

Please welcome my guest

Today, I'm honored to welcome Sunny Kennedy, the heroine from Christine Warner's debut novel, Some Like It in Handcuffs.

Good morning, Sunny.  

Hi Katherine.  :o)  Great to meet you and thanks for letting me visit today.

       Would you tell us a little about yourself?

I live in Western Michigan, along the lakeshore.  I’ve been a private investigator for a few years and most of my work has been pretty tame.  You know, gathering evidence for divorce cases and locating missing persons, but I’ve decided to go for something a bit more challenging.  I’m working undercover to solve a cold case murder that happened in the 1980’s before I was born.

Unfortunately my father and four brothers all work law enforcement and it’s hard to keep them from finding out what I’m up to.  Can you believe that they actually are bribing me, yes bribing—well, okay, maybe forcing would be a better word—into working with Judson Blackwolf, one of their detective buddies, in order to keep working on the case.  If I don’t take his help, they won’t allow me access to some of the files from the case I need in order to get the job done. 

But they underestimate me.  I’ll let him help, but only to a certain point and just enough to allow me access to those files I need.

Do you have any siblings?  Do they play a large part in your story?

Oh yeah, cue the eye roll…lol…I have four overbearing brothers who watch my every move.  For some reason they think they can still run my life and tell me what to do.  But my main goal in solving this case is not only to help Mr. DeVito find out who murdered his daughter almost thirty years ago, but to prove to my family I can handle tougher cases.  I want to earn their respect so they’ll see me for the woman I’ve become and not the little girl I used to be  :o)

How would you describe yourself? 

I’ve been told I’m sassy and jump into things before I think them through.  I prefer to say I’m determined and ready to go!

I like determined and ready to go too. Describe what your typical day

would be like.

I’m not a morning person and have to admit a few cups of coffee usually remedy that.  LOL.  I’m an extreme note maker and prefer to spend my mornings plotting out my day and  how I’m going to work my case.  

Working undercover to solve the DeVito case required me to take a job as a bartender at Benny’s Backyard Playhouse.  The strip club is owned by the main murder suspect, so this is a great place for me to be for information.

I know exactly what you mean about needing a few cups of coffee. :o)

What was your first impression of the hero?  Did it change as you grew

to know him?

Judson Blackwolf…he’s easy on the eyes for sure.  I’ve always had a thing for tall, dark and handsome and he’s all of that and more.  But, he’s also a friend of my brothers, works in law enforcement and has been given the task of babysitter by my father and brothers. 

After growing up in a proud, card carrying family of law enforcement, the last thing I want in a romantic relationship is a another member, but I have to admit, the more I’m forced to work with Judson, his humor and dedication in helping me has softened me up.   

If you could do something forbidden, what would it be?  Why?

      Now that’s a tough one.  Something forbidden…hmm…definitely

     something to get the attention of the men in my family.  Especially

     my brother Derek.  For some reason—and I’ll be honest here, it’s

     because we’re similar—there is nothing better than getting the one 

     up on him.  He’s so overprotective that I can’t resist the chance to show

     him I’m my own person, and usually it takes me crossing the line to do it.

     I know that’s bad, but I can’t resist.  Basically I can’t pinpoint something

     in particular, but I’ll know it when the time strikes and go for it.  :o)

What is your favorite time of day?  Why?

My favorite time of the day would have to be evening, into early morning.  Being a PI, it seems like most of my work happens at night, and truthfully I’ve always been a night owl.  I love how the city comes to life in a different way after the sun goes down.  I feel more empowered of my own destiny  :o)

Thanks, Sunny, for spending time with us today.  I enjoyed getting to know you.  I'm looking forward to reading more about you in Christine Warner's book, Some Like It in Handcuffs, which will be available March 23, 2012 from The Wild Rose Press.

Blurb:

Some Like It In Handcuffs

Sunny Kennedy is a fledgling private investigator and the only girl in a family of protective male detectives. She’s out to prove testosterone isn’t the main qualification required to solve a cold case. The only things standing in her way are a sexy detective and a killer who will stop at nothing to keep a secret.

Judson Blackwolf, a seasoned homicide detective, thinks women in law enforcement should work behind the scenes. The prospect of working with his Captain’s sexy daughter doesn’t thrill him. 

But when their investigation takes a dangerous turn, they realize their feelings for each other, tangled in a web from the past, might not be the only thing to keep them apart.  

Excerpt:

“This isn’t how I wanted it between us.”  Judson grabbed the neckline of her sweater, dragging her body to meet his with a solid thump.  Sunny licked her lips in answer to the question in his eyes.  He lowered his head to move his mouth over hers. 

Sunny closed her eyes, a small whimper escaping her lips.  She didn’t want it like this either, but that wasn’t possible.  Unable to resist her attraction she accepted it wasn’t an affair, or a long distance romance she craved, but for him to love her back.  It was all or nothing for her.  Her heart sank.  She accepted this as their goodbye kiss.

With no thought to what was happening upstairs, Sunny rose up on her toes demanding more.  Her lips pulsated against Judson’s.  When his hand trembled against her cheek in a soft caress she lost touch with reality.

“Judson.” Sunny’s weakened body drifted farther into Judson’s as his fingers glided down her arms, pulling them to her sides where their fingers intertwined.  He forced them behind her before his tongue thrust into her mouth.

Their bodies molded together, she heard her own heartbeat and his as well when he curved his fingers around her rear and squeezed. 

That’s when the click of the handcuffs against her wrist connected her to the handle of the locked cupboard.

“What the hell…Judson?”  She looked up at him, her knees shook, her body still inflamed with fever. 

“Like I was saying, you wait here and I’ll go upstairs to check it out.  Backup’s already been called, so you’re safe until your brothers arrive.”  Judson winked before walking toward the steps to the third level.  Once he reached them he turned toward her and smiled.  “Gotcha,” he whispered with his notorious grin.

You can learn more about Sunny's creator, Christine Warner by visiting her on her blog, http://christine-warner.com, liking her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Warner/143430882396013 or you can follow her on Twitter at christineswords 

Thank you Christine for letting Sunny visit.  It was fun getting to know her.

Christine:

Thanks so much for having allowing Sunny and I to visit!

 

When did I grow old?

I went to my niece's 11th birthday party yesterday afternoon at a local VFW post. It was a dance party so music blasted in the background as a bunch of 10 and 11 year old girls ran back and forth laughing and giggling, and shouting at each other to be heard over the music. I never realized how high pitched young girls' voices could be.

I'd only been there an hour and I had a headache already. I could barely hear myself think. I kept wondering when the presents were going to be opened so I could make my excuses and leave.  When I walked out of the building a little over two hours later, I stopped in the parking area and listened---Ah, blessed silence.

Then as I walked to my car, it hit me. Somehow I had become one of those "old" women who hated loud music and hordes of screaming kids. And you know what, I don't mind. Don't get me wrong I enjoy music and love my nieces and nephews. I've just decided that in the future, I'd prefer not to experience the two together.

What I know for sure...

when you make plans to do things, something will come up to interfere with those plans.  I had planned on catching up on a lot of writing related things I let slide by the wayside while I was finishing up revisions, well it's Friday and I've accomplished one item.  I ended up having to work late a couple of nights, running errands that couldn't wait after work a couple of other days and here we are at the end of the week with nothing much done off the to do list.

Hope your week was more productive than mine.

Katherine

What I'm Reading Wednesday

I'm currently reading Love In A Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly. It's a harder read than I thought it would be. I find myself looking for other things to do instead of picking it up and reading.

I'm not reading anything for research right now. I'm taking a week break before I start my next manuscript.

My Apologies

When I initially started blogging, I decided I would blog three times a week with the occasional guest on Wednesdays. I’ve tried to keep to that schedule but unfortunately life sometimes intervenes.

I haven’t posted anything since Monday, February 27^th.  I was finishing up revisions that week for a manuscript that was due to my editor on Tuesday March 6^th and knew I would need every spare minute to finish up.

Unfortunately, a loved one also had a health scare that thankfully turned out to be a false alarm but it also threw off my schedule to begin posting blog entries again.  Things have settled down and I feel like I can breathe again so I’ll be back to my regular posting routine.

Katherine