My List of All-Time Awesome Movies - Part 2

It turns out that my list of all-time awesome movies is soooo long that I had to break it down into two different blog posts. So if you are reading through Part 2, please be sure to check out Part 1 too. I think you'll find a lot of your favorite movies in my list below.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - Harrison Ford, Karen Allen*
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig
Last of the Mohicans, The - Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe*
Last Picture Show, The - Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd
Lawrence of Arabia - Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn
Li'l Abner - Peter Palmer, Leslie Parish, Julie Newmar, Stella Stevens
Little Drummer Girl, The - Diane Keaton, Klaus Kinski
Love Story - Ryan O'Neal, Ali MacGraw
Magnificent Seven, The - Steve McQueen, Yul Brenner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn*
Mama Mia - Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth*
Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, The - Burt Reynolds, Sarah Miles*
Mighty Quinn, The - Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend*
Moon-Spinners, The - Hayley Mills, Peter McEnery, Eli Wallach, Irene Papas*
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation - James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara, Lauri Peters, Fabian*
Mystic Pizza - Julia Roberts, Annabeth Gish, Lili Taylor
Out of Africa - Meryl Streep, Robert Redford
Pirates of the Caribbean - Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Penelope Cruz
Play It Again Sam - Woody Allan, Diane Keaton
Practical Magic - Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Evan Rachel Wood*
Pretty in Pink - Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer
Pretty Woman - Julia Roberts, Richard Gere
Pride and Prejudice - Keira Knightly, Matthew Macfadyen
Rebel Without a Cause - James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo*
Reds - Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton
River of No Return - Marilyn Monroe, Robert Mitchum
Rob Roy - Liam Neeson, Jessica Lang, John Hurt
Robin Hood - Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland
Robin Hood - Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Romeo and Juliet - Olivia Hussey, Leonard Whiting, Michael York
Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, The - Kris Kristopherson, Sarah Miles*
Sand Pebbles, The - Steve McQueen, Candice Bergen, Richard Crenna
Savage Sam - Brian Keith, Tommy Kirk, Marta Kristen
Searchers, The - John Wayne, Vera Miles, Jeffrey Hunter, Ward Bond
Shakespeare in Love - Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Ben Affleck
Shenandoah - James Stewart, Doug McClure, Katharine Ross, Philip Alford*
Shirley Valentine - Pauline Collins, Tom Conti*
Sleepless in Seattle - Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
Sound of Music, The - Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer*
South Pacific - Mitzi Gaynor, Rossano Brazzi, John Kerr*
Star Wars - Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher
Starman - Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen
Sweet Home Alabama - Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey
Swiss Family Robinson, The - Jon Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur
Tammy and the Bachelor - Debbie Reynolds, Leslie Nielsen
Terminator, The - Arnold Schwarznegger, Linda Hamilton*
Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Nastasha Kinski, Peter Firth*
Three Musketeers, The - Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Michael York
Three Lives of Thomasina, The - Patric McGoohan, Susan Hapshire
To Kill a Mockingbird - Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Philip Alford*
Top Gun - Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis
True Grit - John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell*
Truth About Spring, The - Hayley Mills, James MacArthur
Urban Cowboy - John Travolta, Debra Winger*
Viva Las Vegas - Elvis Presley, Ann-Margaret
Water for Elephants - Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson
West Side Story - Natalie Wood, Richard Beyner, Rita Moreno*
Witness - Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis*
Zabriskie Point - Mark Frechette, Daria Halprin, Rod Taylor, Harrison Ford

*The movies I love most of all.

I'm looking forward to watching the Academy Awards tonight. I love seeing all the stars and the fashions.

Thanks again for stopping by. Please feel free to add your favorite movies in the comments below. There are so many great movies and I know I've left out a bunch of them.

My List of All-Time Awesome Movies - Part 1

I have been in love with movies forever. There are so many awesome movies, the ones I watch over and over again. Since tonight is the Academy Awards, the Oscars, I felt compelled to put together a list of those movies that I love so much.

Before I start on that list, I want to give a little background. I was a sickly child, scarlet fever, tonsillitis, strep-throat, pneumonia, to name just a few. I had my tonsils taken out at the age of seven, which helped some, but I still kept getting sick. I missed a lot of school through the years, including two whole months at the age of fifteen when I was seriously ill with mono. I spent a lot of time on the couch watching movies. So I fell in love with movies those days and that love has never stopped.

Thank goodness that I'm an extremely healthy adult. I still don't understand why I spent all those childhood and teen years getting sick and then just the opposite as an adult, but I'll not complain about being healthy now. Anyway, through the years I've continued to love movies.

It's so very cool that these days I can actually own copies of those movies I've loved so much. I have more VHS, DVD and Blu-ray movies than I can count. Some I've bought myself, but most have been birthday, Mother's Day and Christmas gifts. For the record, movies, books and CDs are my favorite gifts. Oh, I love chocolate too.

Well, last night I started making a list of those awesome movies that I've loved through the years. I even got up a couple times during the night to jot down some I didn't want to forget come morning. As I sipped my cups of coffee this morning I added more movies to the growing list. Good grief, this is a really looooong list.

As I write this post I'm watching the Daytona 500. I have hopes that Danica Patrick will win. I think it's time for one of us girls to win. Just sayin'... Then they can make a movie of this race. Hmm! Which actors would star in this movie?

Well, back to my list of all-time awesome movies. In spite of this being a long list, I know I'll miss some of them. Anyway, for those of you who love movies, I hope you'll enjoy going through this list. And please feel free to add your favorites in the comments below.

My List of All-Time Awesome Movies (in alphabetical order):

A Streetcar Named Desire - Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The - Hugo Weaving, Terence Stamp*
African Queen - Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn*
Age of Innocence, The - Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Michelle Pfeiffer
American Graffiti - Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Richard Dreyfuss
An Officer and a Gentleman - Richard Gere, Debra Winger*
Anne of a Thousand Days - Genevieve Bujold, Richard Burton
Annie Hall - Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
Beetlejuice - Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Gena Davis, Alec Baldwin
Big Easy, The - Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin*
Big Sleep, The - Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall*
Billy Jack - Tom Laughlin, Deloras Taylor
Blind Side, The - Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron
Bloom in Love - George Segal, Kris Kristopherson, Susan Anspach
Blue Lagoon - Brooke Shields, Christopher Atkins
Braveheart - Mel Gibson, Catherine McCormack, Sophie Marceau
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard*
Breakfast Club, The - Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy
Bullit - Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Vaughn
Bus Stop - Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katherine Ross
Bye Bye Birdie - Ann-Margaret, Jesse Pearson
Cabaret - Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Joel Grey
Casablanca - Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman*
Cat Balou - Lee Marvin, Jane Fonda
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman
Cat on a Hot Tine Roof - Jessica Lang, Tommie Lee Jones
Catch 22 - Alan Arkin, Art Garfunkel, Jon Voight
Chicago - Catherine Zeta Jones, Renee Zelleweger, Richard Gere
Cold Mountain - Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Renee Zelleweger
Coma - Genevieve Bujold, Michael Douglas, Rip Torn
Damn Yankees - Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdun*
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend - Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell
Dirty Dancing - Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey
Dirty Harry - Clint Eastwood, Reni Santoni
Doctor Zhivago - Julie Christie, Omar Sharif, Geraldine Chapman*
E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial - Drew Barrymore, Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace
Exodus - Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo
Father Goose - Cary Grant, Leslie Caron
Far from the Madding Crowd - Julie Christie, Alan Bates, Terence Stamp*
Fiddler on the Roof - Topol, Norma Crane, Rosalind Harris*
Footloose - Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer
French Lieutenant's Woman - Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons
Friendly Persuasion - Gary Cooper, Dorothy McGuire, Anthony Perkins*
Full Monty, The - Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson*
Ghost - Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
Giant - Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean
Gidget - Sandra Dee, James Darren, Cliff Robertson*
Godfather, The - Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Diane Keaton
Gone with the Wind - Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable*
Graduate, The - Dustin Hoffman, Katherine Ross
Grease - John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing*
Hud - Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward
Hunger Games, The - Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

*The movies I love most of all.

Note - Be sure to check out Part 2 to see the rest of my list of all-time awesome movies. By the way, Danica Patrick finished 8th in the Daytona 500. Way to go Danica!!!

Think Pink

A neighbor's Pink Camellias.

Now I've never been all that crazy about the color pink until I had identical twin granddaughters who happen to love the color pink. After buying bunches of pink baby clothes, toddler clothes, little girl clothes, well, I've developed a kind of fondness for the color in all its varying hues.

I'm a redhead (now faded and almost blond???), so through the years I rarely wore pink anything. But these days I have pink t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks, undies (Oh,my!), alarm clock (a pink Hello Kitty alarm clock, a Christmas present from my granddaughters), silverware and even a set of pink cut-glass glassware.

In fact, as I write this post I'm sipping on a pink wine cooler (chardonnay and cranberry juice) in one of my pink glasses. So I've definitely started to "Think Pink."

I've always loved Pink Flamingos and even have a beach cover-up adorned with pink flamingos in sunglasses. Hey, I live in Florida and we love pink flamingos here. In fact, I've threatened more than once to decorate my front yard with plastic pink flamingos, but my BFF, Regina, says she'll stop being my BFF if I do that. On the other hand, my Dear Hubby, just shrugs and says to buy the pink flamingos if I really want them. So far, I'm just thinking about it.

I happen to love flowers and think that pink ones are absolutely gorgeous. So come spring I'll have an assortment of pink flowers in my yard and in flowerpots. At the moment, the azaleas in my yard are more red or fuchsia color rather than pink. But the pink ones should be blooming before too long. A neighbor around the corner has beautiful pink camellias (see photo above). Now I'm wanting to plant some pink camellia bushes in my yard too.

When I decided to write this post I put together a list of pink books. That's a list of fiction and non-fiction with pink in the title. Yes, I love to put together lists of books. Why? Because I happen to love books in every shape and color and in just about every genre.

My granddaughters, just turned four, highly recommend Victoria Kann's Pinkalicious Books. So if you're looking for some fun storybooks for little girls, then you might want to get these. I've enjoyed reading the books to my granddaughters, so I can recommend them too.

I started reading romance novels way-back-when on the day I discovered some of Barbara Cartland's charming romances in a used books store. I've loved her books ever since and read them from time to time. So I was totally delighted when Barbara Cartland's The Pink Collection was released. These are books that were previously unpublished. For fans of Barbara Cartland, this is a treasure trove of sweet romances. I read the first few published and absolutely loved them and definitely look forward to reading more.

One of my favorite "pink" reads is John D. MacDonald's Nightmare in Pink. This is the second book in the Travis McGee series. I love every one of the books in this series set in south Florida. These are definite keepers. Read just one and I know you'll be hooked. Check out my 11/1/12 blog post, "Florida is a State of Mind," for a list of the series in the order of publication. You may be able to find these books in your local library or in used book stores. Otherwise, these books are still in print and are also available as eBooks.

Now for my "pink" book lists. This first list is Young Adult Fiction (in no particular order):

My Life in Pink & Green by Lisa Greenwald
Only Girls Allowed (Pink Locker Society Novels, #1) by Debra Moffitt
Harsh Pink (Teen Series) by Melody Carlson

Pink Fiction (that's fiction with pink in the title and in no particular order):

The Pink Rose: Secrets, Love and Betrayal by Alicia Roberts
Pink Slips and Glass Slippers by J. P. Hansen
The Pink Lady (A Victorian House in Cape Cod) by Elaine Joyce
Pink Slippers (A Fun, Flirty Novel) by Gina Robinson
One Pink Line by Dina Silver
Pink Jinx (Jinx Series) by Sandra Hill
Shocking Pink by Erica Spindler
Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Cat in a Hot Pink Pursuit (A Midnight Louie Mystery) by Carole Nelson Douglas
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (Pink Carnation Series, #1) by Lauren Willig
Pink Balloons and Other Deadly Things (Mystery Series, #1) by Nancy Tesler
Death, Taxes and Hot Pink Leg Warmers by Diane Kelly
Pink (Shades of Style, #1) by Marilyn Griffith
Tickled Pink by Christina Jones
Pink Sky & Mourning (Ruth Chernock Series) by Kim Scott
The Pink Flamingo Murders (A Francesca Vierling Mystery) by Elaine Viets
Lawyer Geisha Pink (Rattlesnake Lawyer Series, #6) by Jonathan Miller
The Hot Pink Farmhouse (A Berger & Mitry Mystery, #2) by David Handler
Tickled Pink by Rita Rudner
Pink Freud by Patricia Barrett
The Cop with the Pink Pistol by Gray Basnight
The Pink Tricycle by Alan J. Oliver
Pink Satin by Jennifer Greene
The Pink Panther by Max Allan Collins

Pink Non-Fiction (books that looked interesting, in no particular order):

Pink Boots and a Machete: My Journey from NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer by Mireya Mayor
In the Pink: How I Met the Perfect (Younger) Man, Survived Breast Cancer, and Found True Happiness After 40 by Susan McBride
Running Pink: Deborah De Williams' Inspiring Story by Megan Norris
When Life Hands You Pink Lemons by Nicole Briamonte-Malato

I have to say that the pink non-fiction books listed above all sound quite inspiring.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoyed this "Pink" post. If so, you might want to check out a couple of my previous posts: "Passionate About Purple" (posted 2/16/13) and "Seeing Red" (posted 1/24/13). I'm an artist, in addition to being a writer, so I'm in love with color. So please check back from time to time as I write posts of every color in the rainbow and then some. In the meantime, don't forget to "Think Pink."

Passionate About Purple

Purple Pansies in my flowerpots.

  

Purple happens to be one of my all-time favorite colors. Why? I haven't a clue, except that the color seems to call to me. So you see, I'm passionate about purple.

As an artist, which is something I do when I'm not writing, I love to paint, which means I love colors. So I love using purple in all its many shades in my landscapes, seascapes and florals.

One of my favorite childhood books is Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neill. It's a book of poems about colors. I still have the book my mother gave me all those many years ago. It was a favorite which I shared with my daughter when she was young and which I now share with my grandkids.

Another kid's book that I've always loved is Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.

One of my very favorite books is Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage. Lassiter is a to-die-for-hero. And I swear I can smell the purple sage. I've read this book more times than I can count. It's simply awesome! Amazon offers a free Kindle version of Riders of the Purple Sage, but some of the original story was edited out when it was first published back in 1912. The Leisure Books Edition, if you can find a copy, is the restored version before those edits. I've read both. The Rainbow Trail  is the sequel, published in 1915. The Desert Crucible  is the Leisure Books Edition, also hard to find, which is the restored version.

If you want to know more check out:  Zane Grey and Riders of the Purple Sage (on Wikipedia)

Another one of my all-time favorite "purple books" is John D. MacDonald's A Purple Place for Dying. This is the third novel in the Travis McGee series. This is an awesome series of books, definite keepers. Unfortunately, the series is quite pricey in eBook or paperback editions, so you might want to check your library or used book stores first. In a previous post I listed all the Travis McGee novels in order (see post dated 11/1/12, "Florida is a State of Mind").

If you want to know more about this great series check out: Travis McGee (on Wikipedia)


Tiny purple and orange Violas in my flowerpots.

Now back to my passion about purple. I happen to love the color in all its varying shades. I particularly love purple flowers, so I currently have purple Pansies and purple and orange Violas in my flowerpots (see flower pics in this post).

I have a neighbor with a purple Dodge Charger, so obviously I'm not the only one who is passionate about purple. I haven't gone to that extreme with the color purple, but I do have a purple cover on my Kindle Fire and I have purple t-shirts, socks and even purple undies (Oh, my!). I'm also a big-time NFL football fan and have two favorite "purple teams": the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens. Hey, what can I say? I love the color purple.

Now for those who regularly read my blog posts, I usually add a list of books. This time it's a list of fiction that has purple in the title. Some of the books are well known and others not so well known. Although I haven't yet read any of the books listed below, they all sound like great reads. All of them are available as eBooks.

Purple Fiction (in no particular order):

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Purple Roads by Fleur McDonald
The Purple Cloud (Classic) by M. P. Shiel
Purple by Graham J. Sharpe
Night of the Purple Moon (The Toucan Trilogy) by Scott Cramer
The Purple Shroud (A Novel of Empress Theodora) by Stella Duffy
Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick
Knight of the Purple Ribbon by Jennifer Wells
Purple Moon (Shadow Guardian Trilogy) by Judith P. Vaughan
Kiki Loweinstein and the Purple Passion (Short Story) by Joanna Campbell Slan
Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters (Ellora's Cave) by Shelley Munro
Purple Shroud (A Yorkshire Dales Mystery) by Susan Parry
The Meaning of Purple Tulips by Blaithin O'Reilly Murphy

Purple Non-Fiction (in no particular order):

I Shall Wear Purple by Linda Mather
If It's Purple, Someones Gonna Die: The Power of Color in Visual Storytelling by Patti Bellantoni

If you've enjoyed my "Passionate About Purple" post, you might want to check out my "Seeing Red" post (posted 1/24/13).

Once again, thanks so much for stopping by. Since I love colors, I'll be doing other color posts from time to time. A special passionate shout-out for the color purple. GO PURPLE!

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Happy Valentine's Day on Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge.

In the words of Tina Turner, "What's love got to do, got to do with it ..." I'm sure that's a question we all ask, over and over again. Romance, lust, like, longing, love, get all mixed up together. Why do we want it? Why do we need it? Well, heck if I know, but when Valentine's Day rolls around we all get reminded of it real fast.

Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It (on YouTube with Lyrics)

Turn on the telly and we're bombarded with "Buy her this, buy her that ... perfumes, flowers, chocolates." Chocolates??? Now we're talking. I absolutely LOVE chocolate! So am I going to complain about Valentine's Day? No way! Will my "Dear Hubby" buy me chocolates? Maybe yes, maybe no. Is it wise for him to forget to buy me chocolates? Probably not. And what about flowers? Yep, I love flowers too, but particularly the live variety that I can plant in my flowers pots or garden.

It's all about hearts and love on the Graffiti Bridge.

Now I'm a realist. I've been married for ever so long. The shine has worn off all that romance. So I don't expect flowers, chocolates, diamonds or perfumes (by the way, I'm allergic to perfumes). But I do expect friendship, love and a bit of romance now and then. Hey girls, don't we all?

On the other hand, I'm a dreamer and I dream about love, romance, the whole nine yards. I love diamonds and yes, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." I swear that's true. Do I have diamonds? "You betcha!" Do I want more? Girls, what do you think? "Heck, yeah!" Will I get some this Valentine's Day? Of course not! I'm a realist, remember? I'm practical. I want more important things, like BOOKS.

Yep, I said BOOKS. Ask me any time of day or night if there's something I want and I'll tell you, "I want books. Lots and lots of books." But here's where you ask, "Don't you already have lots and lots of books?" Well, of course, darling, but there's no such thing as too many books. I love romance novels, historical fiction, short story collections, poetry, history books and everything in between. I definitely love books!

I read romances and I write them too. So if you all get a chance, I hope you'll check out my books and add a little more romance and love into your life. My books are all about love, in one form or another. Oh, and there's some adventure, laughs, a little sorrow, and a good amount of romance in there too. So here they are: Outback Love, Jetting Away, Moon Over Madness, Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows. Won't you "give love a chance" and read my books?

Now, as I was saying, I read romances too. Lots of them. Here's an assortment you might want to try for Valentine's Day!

On my Kindles (Read or TBR):

Candy Valentine (A Sensual Short Story) by (my BFF) Ruth D. Kerce
Kiss Me (A Contemporary Romantic Comedy) by Jan Romes
The Trouble With Valentine's Day (Chinooks Hockey Team) by Rachel Gibson
Candy Store (A Contemporary Romance) by Bella Andre
Cupid's Cupcake (A Romantic Comedy) by Ivy Sinclair
Chocolate Kisses  (A Contemporary Romance) by Judith Arnold

Some other Valentine's Day Romances that caught my eye (all available as eBooks and in no particular order):

Be My Texas Valentine by Jodi Thomas, Linda Broday & Phyllis Miranda
Valentine Babies (Holiday Babies) by Mona Risk
A Romantic Comedy Duo by Talli Roland
Cupid on Deck by Nancy Serofano
Tripping on Love by Carrie Stone
A Valentine Surprise by Lisa Page
Valentine Collection (Anthology) by Jennifer Conner
It Happened on Valentine's Day (An Avon Romance Sampler) by Eloisa James, et al.
Valentines Say "I Love You" (Anthology) by Denise L. Wyant, et al.
My Vegas Valentine by R. A. Lee
A Cupid Kind of Day by L. A. Dale
Stirred with Love by Marcie Steele
The WG2E All-For-Indies Anthologies: Viva La Valentine by Talli Roland, et al.
Heart Bouquets (Romantic Short Stories) by Stephanie Craig, et al.
The Valentine's Day Ball by Julia Parks
Kiss Me (An Avon Valentine's Day Anthology) by Codi Gary, et al.
Love is in the Air (A Valentine's Day Collection) by Carolyn McCray
Valentine's Dream by Sandra Kitt, Carmen Green & Felicia Mason
Burning Hearts by K. L. Morisen
Duping Cupid by Gina Ardito
Un-Valentine's Day by Kristine Cayne
Cupid's Revenge (A Chloe Boston Mystery) by Melanie Jackson
Heart Stealers by Patricia McLinn, Judith Arnold, Julie Ortolon & Kathryn Shay
Valentines (A Trio of Regency Love Stories) by Barbara Metzger
Straight from the Heart by Janelle Taylor
One More Valentine by Anne Stuart

Valentine presents from my Dear Hubby. <smile>

I'm sure I've missed listing lots of cool/great/fun/romantic reads for Valentine's Day, so please feel free to list more in the comments below.

Once again, thanks so much for stopping by. Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day! And just for the record, LOVE has everything to do with it.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop: ROMANCE IN A BOTTLE

 

Soon to be released.

Fellow author, Gae-Lynn Woods, invited me to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. How could I resist an offer like that? My latest book, Romance in a Bottle, will be released in time for Spring Break. So I figured the Blog Hop would be the perfect time to talk this fun beach read.

Many thanks to Gae-Lynn Woods for letting me be part of this Blog Hop. Be sure to check out Gae-Lynn's blog and her two Cass Elliot Crime Novels, The Devil of Light  and Avengers of Blood.

Gae-Lynn Woods - Blog: THE BIG HEAT - Texas Crime Fiction

THE DEVIL OF LIGHT by Gae-Lynn Woods at Amazon/Kindle

THE DEVIL OF LIGHT by Gae-Lynn Woods at Barnes&Noble


Now for my part of The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, which is to answer a bunch of questions about my new book, Romance in a Bottle.

1) What is the title of your book?

The title is Romance in a Bottle. This is the first book in my Beach Stories Series.

2) Where did the idea for the book come from?

I happen to live on the Florida Panhandle, just a couple miles from the sugar-sand beaches and emerald waters of the Gulf Coast, which is where I came up with the idea for Romance in a Bottle. I was walking along the edge of the surf, picking up seashells, when the story just popped into my head. I had to race back home and start writing. (Note - the cover design is from a photo I took on Pensacola Beach.)

3) What genre is your book?

The genre is Contemporary Romantic Comedy with some Paranormal/Fantasy elements.

4) What actors would you chose to play the characters in a movie rendition?

When I started writing Romance in a Bottle I had Maksim Chmerkovskiy of 'Dancing with the Stars' in mind for Max and Katherine Heigl for Allie.

5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

I suppose it's "Be careful what you wish for."

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Now this is a hard question for me to answer. I write fast, but then I have a bad habit of jumping around from one writing project to another. So it would be difficult for me to determine just how much time I spent.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I love the contemporary romantic comedy of Jennifer Crusie, Rachel Gibson, Emily Carmichael, Candis Terry and Talli Roland, to name just a few. So I hope that readers who love those authors will enjoy Romance in a Bottle and the rest of my Beach Stories Series.

9) Who or what inspired you to write the book?

I've always been a fan of the old TV series, "I Dream of Jeannie," so I know that added to my inspiration for Romance in a Bottle. Plus, I've been wanting to write a series of Beach Stories that are interconnected and set on Pensacola Beach.  I thought this would be a perfect start to that series.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Have you ever dreamed of finding a bottle on the beach? And what if you opened that bottle?

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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop is supposed to hop from one blog to another to let readers know about new books that have recently been released or are soon to be released. I had hopes of listing some writers/authors below so you could hop on over to their blogs and read about their new books. Unfortunately, the writers I contacted said they were too pressed for time and would be unable to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.

 

Once again, I want to thank Gae-Lynn Woods for inviting me to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Please hop back over to Gae-Lynn's blog to check out some of the other writers participating in this Blog Hop.

 

Gae-Lynn Woods - The Next Big Thing Blog Hop