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.

All we need is love ...

Love graffiti on Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge.

Today, 12/21/12, is predicted to be the end of the world. Well, if it is, this post will never be. On the other hand, the way I see it, all we need is love to set the world to rights. If we love one another, how can there be wars? How can there be hate? How can one kill another? So I'm sticking with my beliefs, that all we need is love.

Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge seems to be a sounding board for all kinds of thoughts. So I keep a running record of photos of the oft profound comments found there. I think the love graffiti says it all.

Love on the Graffiti Bridge.

There was a mixture of graffiti that day, so I'm including the original photo. The day was bright and sunny with strange little white puffs of cloud. I don't recall seeing a sky quite like that before or since.

I grew up in the '60s in the days of love, love and more love. Did we have hate back then? Yes, in the form of the Vietnam War which, in my opinion, never should have happened. That war and the draft changed us all. We had a sense back then of no future, that the end-times were near. So to counteract all that we talked of love and free love.

It's time, once again, to bring back the love. We need to love our families and friends in spite of all their flaws. We need to love those around us, those we don't even know.

I don't normally attempt to stand on a podium and preach anything.  But maybe it's time that I do? There's so much talk lately of end-times, apocalypse, 12/21/12 and the world as we know it coming to an end.  Well, maybe we need to take this day and make it a new beginning instead? Let's push for love instead of hate.

Since I'm talking about love, I thought this would be a perfect time to mention some of those books I love, old favorites and new. So here's my list, in no particular order.

The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Jamaica Inn by Daphne DuMaurier
Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
The Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice
The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners by Luanne Rice
A Prologue to Love by Taylor Caldwell
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensability by Jane Austen
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
Hawaii by James Michener
Caravans by James Michener
Pale Moon Rider by Marsha Canham
Through a Dark Mist by Marsha Canham
In the Shadow of Midnight by Marsha Canham
The Last Arrow by Marsha Canham
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Darkest Knight by Gayle Callen
A Brighter Dawn by Stobie Piel
Some Like It Hotter by Deb Stover
The Widows of Wichita County by Jodi Thomas
Whispers of Heaven by Candace Proctor
The Last Knight by Candace Proctor
Hunter's Moon by Karen Robards
Northern Lights by Nora Roberts
Angels Fall by Nora Roberts
The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
Swimming Lessons by Mary Alice Monroe
Charming the Prince by Teresa Madeiros
Midnight Rider by Kat Martin
The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey
A Veiled Journey by Nell Brien
The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans
The Salaryman's Wife by Sujata Massey
Mariana by Susanna Kearsley
Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware
Whispers in the Sand by Barbara Erskine

The common thread in all these books is love. In spite of all the obstacles and hardships, love survives.  As I was saying, all we need is love ...

The Inspiration of Spring

Easter Lillies on my Patio

The arrival of spring and with it more inspiration than a writer can ever dream.

Florida is known for its flowers, everything imaginable from camellias, azaleas, gardenias, jasmine, so many flowers I can't even name and wild flowers everywhere.

On my patio the Easter Lillies are blooming in a wooden wine barrel. The trellised patio is laced with wisteria. Jasmine blooms opened this morning. The air is fragrant with their scent.

A night of heavy rains and now the final drip, plop, drip. The sun is just starting to peak through the clouds. Birds are singing their varied melodies. Squirrels dart across the lawn searching for fallen acorns, of which we have zillions of acorns covering the ground.

As a writer, I draw inspiration and renewal from the flowers, rain, birds. It's a sense of "hope springs eternal."

What wonderful stories will pop into my head this season? Certainly ones of love, hope and dreams.