How many pairs of jeans do you own?

Thought provoking Tuesday question wants to know "How many pair of jeans do you own?"

Most folks have at least one pair. I mean, a wardrobe isn’t complete without at least one pair, right? Well, my mom may not agree…but she is my mom.

I’ll go first and I’ll lie because OH-MY-GOSH I own too many. I admit it I am a jeans fanatic.

I own over 30 pair. Yup, you read that correctly. Three-zero pair.

I own about ten pair of Polo Saturday jeans, which they no longer make. I bought a bunch of them when I heard they were discontinuing them. I even have some that I have not ever worn still on the hangers. Not to worry though, these are the jeans that I will wear until they wear out and then I use them for painting or staining or I cut them off in the summer and use them for yard shorts. That way it doesn’t matter if they get dirty or ruined. And let me tell you, I have destroyed my share of jeans with the way I play in my garden or decide to stain a deck or paint a wall.

I have petite jeans because I am short and so I don’t always have to wear heels in order for my jeans not to drag on the ground. I have plenty more that our regular length so I wear boots or some type of heel with them. Makes me look taller too.

I also own about twenty pairs of J. Jill jeans. Hm. Talk about obsessive. With these, I have about three different colors. I own dark-wash, medium-wash, and a pair or two of faded-wash. Mostly I wear the medium blue color because they go with everything.

This sounds like a lot, but I live in New England so except for summer, I can easily wear jeans ten months out of twelve. As a matter of fact, I own a few pairs of calf-length jeans for summer evenings outdoors. Bonus - I can wear jeans to work. . .thank goodness.

The thing about jeans is that you can dress them up or down. I can wear them with a T-shirt or Boston Sox baseball shirt, toss on a pair of cute white sneakers and I look casual and ready to go to a baseball game. Or I can wear a silk blouse and a pair of leather boots or leather, high-heeled sandals and look fabulous enough to go out on a date or to work or anywhere.

How many pairs of jeans do I actually wear? I probably rotate about ten pair at a time.

Now that I have admitted my jeans vice, tell me about yours. How many pair do you own?

Thought provoking Tuesday

Tuesday is the day I ask a question that provokes a little thought.

Today's thought provoking question: If not now, then when?

Thought Provoking Tuesday - What makes you smile?

Every once and a while it's a good idea to ask a question. Not just any question, but a question that will make you think and hopefully make you respond.

This should be a fun and easy one. Try it out and leave your answer to the Thought Provoking Tuesday question.

Thought Provoking Question: What makes you smile?


What makes me smile. . .

Seeing a friend,
Watching a little girl trying to eat an ice cream cone that's too big for her and getting chocolate all over her face,
Being called 'sweet-cheeks' by my dad,
Watching the sun rise on a warm summer day,
Seeing my garden bloom,
Watching a little boy kick a ball that is almost as big as he is,
Hearing that a friend is safely back from overseas,

the list could go on and on. What makes you smile?

Thought provoking question...that will make you write

If you could put a thought or sentiment in a fortune cookie, what would you write?


Now if that doesn't make you think or write an idea down, I don't know what will. Come up with an idea and share it.


Here is my fortune cookie sentiment:

Happiness comes from the heart, not the mind. Follow your heart.

What can you NOT live without?

Look around you and notice your surroundings, the objects you've surrounded yourself with.

Maybe you have a large flat-screen TV, an old green recliner, a scarred wooden desk, an iron skillet you bought when you were first married so you could make those Sunday morning eggs and bacon. Maybe you have a lamp you found at a flea market you went to when you were in college, and a stuffed dog your first boyfriend gave you in high school.

These are all things that you've worked hard to purchase, some more than others, but you worked to earn the money for each and every one of them. Perhaps someone gave you a special something.

Now look at those things and tell us what could you NOT live without. This is purely a "material thing" question. If you came home tomorrow and found some or all of these things missing what would you do? Is there any one thing you could positively NOT live without.

By not live without, I mean it would drastically affect you and your life. We could live without most "things", but how will it change you and your future or would it?

Difficult part of writing

This evening I went to hear a friend, author, and mentor read at UMASS Lowell. David Daniel is a terrific writer and when he reads his own work it is truly a treat for your mind and ears. BTW - find out more about David and his books at www.daviddanielbooks.com

At the end of the author readings, the speakers opened up for questions from the audience. So first, you have to picture this old room with built in wood cabinets, gigantic old-paned windows that you know are not energy efficient, and this freaky statue sitting behind the speakers staring back at you. Outside the wind is whipping, rain is falling, and steam from some smoke stack is rising in billowing clouds of gray. Then you notice all these college students, some older, most young and completely shy when among a strange group.

So when the writers ask, "Does anyone have any questions?" There is a distinct silence that hits the room like a thud without sound. Too funny.

Of course, I sit there and murmur to everyone around me that they need to ask a question. They all look at me with that glassy-eyed gaze, like no, not me, uh-uh.

I raise my hand and ask, "What do you find is the most difficult part of writing?"

The authors concurred in their response, "Finding time to write."

Now I ask you. . .What do you find is the most difficult part of writing?

Share your experience and how do you overcome that writing challenge.

The Perils of Research

How many of you have to or need to do research for the book you are writing?

On my current WIP, I had to do some research just to get started because I know very little about how the Intelligence organizations work.

Well, in doing so, I found some great and interesting information. The peril for me came when I would look up one thing that led to another and another, and even another. All of it became too interesting that I forgot the "scope" of the book.

I didn't forget the book because I have been writing like crazy, but I forgot what the hero/heroine's goal was, where I wanted to end up.

I got to about page 175 and became confused. (Okay, that may not be because of my story.) Anyway, I had to revisit the story and get an answer to one basic question. "Why was this one guy dead?"

It actually took me 2 days to state why.

Why did it take me that long to answer the question?

Because all the interesting facts I found became a puzzle in their own right so I wanted to put those together rather than my book's puzzle.

Thankfully, once I had the answer to that single question, I could answer all the other questions and move the story forward. Of course, I did have to go back and tweak a few chapters and even added another one in the middle yesterday.

Moral of this story. . .BEWARE of the perils of research in book writing.

Working on an interview with an author - ME!

Last night, as part of my effort to self-promote I started to work on an "interview with the author" that I want to send to the local papers.

I got a few questions down then started to wonder what kinds of things would people really want to know about me and my very first romantic-suspense novel.

So, here I am, requesting that if anyone has suggestions to feel free and post a suggestion or send an email from my website.

The one question I know, is the question I have already received from many friends. . . "Did you pose for the cover?"

Do you honestly expect me to answer that? HA!