Clothes have been on the Playfriends’ minds recently. Have I written my pitches for my editor appointment? Looked at the conference schedule to choose workshops? Made a list of networking goals? NOPE. Do I have a fabulous dress to wear to the Rita and gorgeous shoes? You bet. I’ve already decided what I’m wearing each day and have it all itemized on my packing list.PM made an excellent point about trying on your clothes to make sure that they haven’t developed a hole somewhere, but may I suggest (plead) that you also make sure you’ve packed the appropriate undergarments for each outfit?
No, really. I’m serious. I know many of you hate your bra. You may feel it’s itchy or constricting, or (like my Women’s Studies teacher) feel it’s a restrictive garment designed by a repressive male-dominated society in order to keep women in their proper place—barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Look, if you’re in your kitchen—barefoot or no, preggers or no—you have my blessing to go braless. Go commando, if that makes you feel good about you.But Conference isn’t your kitchen. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you the key words to remember about your Conference wardrobe are “Professional” and “Comfortable.” You may define Professional and Comfortable as a suit or Capri pants and a twin set, but trust me, nothing says “I’m a professional” like proper foundation garments.
But it’s more than keeping the girls under control. I’ve seen beautiful evening dresses ruined because the wearer didn’t invest in the right bra (or slip, or whatever). I, for one, will be wearing a girdle under my Rita dress because the dress is designed to be form-fitting and should create a specific silhouette. Bulges left over from AC ruin the line of the dress and the silhouette isn’t pretty if I forgo the girdle. (Relax, it’s not one of those 1950s industrial girdles—it’s more like Super Panties.) My other dress has a halter top, and my girls aren’t big enough to fill the cups correctly. In steps Victoria with her best Secret, and viola! Dress fits properly. (Trust me, I knew the underwear requirements from the moment I tried these dresses on and made a conscious choice to wear a dress that would require a girdle or fancy bra. There were plenty of options that would not have required girdles or bras, but they weren’t as pretty. We all make our choices.)I’m not trying to be the underwear nazi. Really. But think as you pack. I’m from Alabama—I understand that pantyhose and July are not a good combination. But I’m not bringing a business suit that looks unfinished with bare legs. If you don’t want to wear pantyhose in 98 degree heat (but it’s not that hot in the hotel anyway, and how often do you leave the hotel?) then wear a pantsuit. Being comfortable in your clothes is important, but remember the “Professional” part as well.
Remember, it’s not just about wearing clean underwear; it’s about wearing the proper underwear.(This has been a public service announcement from the Problem Child.)
****************************************Now for lots of winner announcements!
Smarty Pants has two winners as well: robynl for her Travel Adventure Story and crystalg for her Spooky Edinburgh submission.
Angel picked catslady's story.
Instigator chose ChristyJan and Lois as her winners.
Our email addresses are easy: playfriend'sname@writingplayground.com. Email the Playfriend that picked you with your shipping address so goodies can go in the mail.
We have the coolest blog friends and we really appreciate your comments! Thanks for hanging out with us!
And finally, Marilyn will be drawing the winners of her Sugar and Spice contest today. Check tomorrow to see if it's you. And with the start of the new month, we have another contest on the Playground--this time, the theme is Highland Fling!
I am looking forward to a long stretch of peace in my new house, sprinkled with paint swatches and new furniture. What are you looking forward to this summer?
SP
Kelley St. John has always been a good friend to the Playfriends, and we're so excited to have her back on the Playground! Kelley's new series from Blaze is hot, hot, hot, and we're loving each book. She's here today to talk about the series and what scares us, so give Kelley a big welcome to the blog.(You can check out her earlier Playground visits and get to know Kelley a bit better in the Sandbox archives.)
I’m so excited to be guest blogging on the Playground today! Thanks so much for having me! And first and foremost, I want to congratulate Kira Sinclair, one of the amazing Playfriends, on her recent Blaze sale. I’m thrilled to have a fellow Blaze Babe hanging out on the playground, and I am SO looking forward to see where each of the Playfriends land in the publishing world. It won’t be long until you’ll see all of your friends on the shelves, and like me, you can grab those books pronto!
Okay, now to today’s blog topic – quick – what movie is this from?“I see dead people.”
I bet you didn’t need the first two beats of the Jeopardy music to answer that one, did you? Since the movie The Sixth Sense grossed over $600 million worldwide, chances are you saw it and immediately thought of Haley Joel Osmont speaking those now famous words.
While I didn’t know it at the time, those words and that movie generated the premise for my first Harlequin Blaze mini-series, The Sexth Sense, a series about a Cajun family whose heritage involves helping ghosts who can’t find their way to the other side. All of the current Vicknair mediums (six cousins—three boys, three girls) are in their twenties, at the peak of their lives, and to-die-for sexy (this is a Blaze series, so you know there’s lots of sexy going on.) Oh, but don’t think that the sizzle stops with the family; those ghosts have plenty of heat going on as well.I’ve had a blast writing about the Vicknair family and using my knowledge of Louisiana and Cajuns (I’m married to one, btw) to depict the beauty of the state that faced so much devastation not so long ago with Katrina. In fact, a thread that runs solid throughout the series is the family’s beloved plantation, which was nearly destroyed by Katrina, and their determination to save the home from destruction.
Here’s the movie trailer for the first three books in the series (three come out this year, and three more next year)…Let me know what you think of the book teaser!
Now
for my questions to you: I love intense, spooky movies, but I don’t like gory. Examples of my favorites are The Sixth Sense (Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osmont) and What Lies Beneath (Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer). And I’m always looking for great books and movies that are along that line. So…tell me your favorite books and movies that are intense and spooky (but not gory; I do like to sleep at night). I’d love to add your favorites to my “to be read” and “to be seen” lists.Kelley St. John
Kelley will be dropping in all day, so be sure to comment, ask questions, etc. As always, we'll be giving away a book to one lucky commenter!
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my fridge, an ornament for my Christmas tree, and something special (and usually expensive) just for me. Second, I try to sample the regional foods and drinks, regardless of what my picky palate may have to say about it. I have to at least try it, even if I high tail it back to the Munich McDonald's later that afternoon. Third, I have to do that special thing, regardless of cost or potential cheese factor, that is outside of the norm, outside of my comfort-zone - something I can't do back at home. Hence - adventure of some sort or another.
ent to Austria, I took the very creepy hillside train up to the Salzburg Fortress and spent a fortune on crystal from the actual Swarovski factory. I ate this horrible white sausage in Munich, knowing full well what was in it and drank beer because that's just what they do. When I went to Alaska, I went kayaking in the ocean and blew big bucks on whale watching and hot stone massages. I ate salmon, although it isn't my favorite, because it should be the best, freshest salmon I'd ever eat. When I went to the Bahamas, I swam with manta rays, drank lots of rum and let little island girls overcharge me to braid a few strands of my hair with beads. If I went to Venice, I'd have to ride in a gondola. In Paris, I'd have to climb to the top of Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower. You've just got to do it because the chance may never come up again.
What has been your biggest travel adventure? Have you flown in a helicopter over a Hawaiian volcano? Swam with dolphins? Rode on a donkey to the bottom of the Grand Canyon? If you haven't got a story to share, what is your dream travel adventure? Share your story and one commenter will get a Scotland magnet for their fridge.
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I'm passing this on to you because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace. Dr. Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished." (Note from me: Does the man have a clue about how many unfinished stories I have on my hard drive?????)
So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of merlot, a bottle of white zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, a bottle of Kahlua, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how good I feel right now!
Please pass this on to those whom you think might be in need of inner peace.
Garden Grass Snakes also known as Garter Snakes (Thamnophissirtalis)can be dangerous. Yes, grass snakes, not rattlesnakes. Here's why.
A couple in Sweetwater, Texas, had a lot of potted plants. During a recent cold spell, the wife was bringing a lot of them indoors to protect them from a possible freeze. It turned out that a little green garden grass snake was hidden in one of the plants and when it had warmed up, it slithered out and the wife saw it go under the sofa. She let out a very loud scream.
The husband (who was taking a shower) ran out into the living room naked to see what the problem was. She told him there was a snake under the sofa. He got down on the floor on his hands and knees to look for it. About that time the family dog came and cold-nosed him on the behind. He thought the snake had bitten him, so he screamed and fell over on the floor. His wife thought he had a heart attack, so she covered him up, told him to lie still and called an ambulance. The attendants rushed in, wouldn't listen to his protests and loaded him on the stretcher and started carrying him out.
About that time the snake came out from under the sofa and the Emergency Medical Technician saw it and dropped his end of thestretcher. That's when the man broke his leg and why he is still in the hospital. The wife still had the problem of the snake in the house, so she called on a neighbor man. He volunteered to capture the snake. He armed himself with a rolled-up newspaper and began poking under the couch. Soon he decided it was gone and told the woman, who sat down on the sofa in relief. But while relaxing, her hand dangled in between the cushions, where she felt the snake wriggling around. She screamed and fainted, the snake rushed back under the sofa.
The neighbor man, seeing her lying there passed out, tried to use CPR to revive her. The neighbor's wife, who had just returned from shopping at the grocery store, saw her husband's mouth on the woman's mouth and slammed her husband in the back of the head with a bag of canned goods, knocking him out and cutting his scalp to a point where it needed stitches. The noise woke the woman from her dead faint and she saw her neighbor lying on the floor with his wife bending over him, so she assumed that he had been bitten by the snake.
She went to the kitchen and got a small bottle of whiskey, and began pouring it down the man's throat. By now the police had arrived. They saw the unconscious man, smelled the whiskey, and assumed that a drunken fight had occurred. They were about to arrest them all, when the women tried to explain how it all happened over a little green snake. The police called an ambulance, which took away the neighbor and his sobbing wife. The little snake again crawled out from under the sofa.
One of the policemen drew his gun and fired at it. He missed the snake and hit the leg of the end table. The table fell over and the lamp on it shattered and as the bulb broke it started a fire in the drapes. The other policeman tried to beat out the flames, and fell through the window into the yard on top of the family dog who, startled, jumped out and raced into the street, where an oncoming car swerved to avoid it and smashed into the parked police car.
Meanwhile, the burning drapes were seen by the neighbors who calledthe fire department. The firemen had started raising the fire truck ladder when they were halfway down the street. The rising ladder tore out the overhead wires and put out the electricity and disconnected the telephones in a ten-square city block area (but they did get the house fire out).
Time passed! Both men were discharged from the hospital, the house was repaired, the dog came home, the police acquired a new car, and all was right with their world. A while later they were watching TV and the weatherman announced a cold snap for that night. The wife asked her husband if he thought they should bring in their plants for the night.
That's when he shot her.
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The Writing Playground blog received it's 50,000th hit today!
Many thanks to our loyal readers who drop by every day
to swing or slide or just chat with us. The hits are all about YOU!
Angel, Instigator, Playground Monitor, Problem Child & Smarty Pants
After we finish touring the castle, we’re going to make our way down the Royal Mile. There will be much shopping, whisky tasting at places like the famous Scotch Whisky Heritage Center, and touring of beautiful old buildings like the St. Giles’ Cathedral. A more grisly turn might take us to Mary King's Close. In 1645, plague victims were barricaded inside these narrow tenament rooms and left to die. City Chambers was later built on top of the closed off area and its said to be one of the most haunted places in Scotland.
This should take up the bulk of today. Fortunately, the sun doesn't set until about 10PM, so we can go as long as our little bodies (and gift shop hours) will let us. That evening, after a good Scottish dinner (maybe some haggis, maybe not) we may take one of the haunted Edinburgh tours - either the Murder & Mystery Tour or the Ghosts and Gore tour. From what I've heard, Edinburgh has a grisly and dark history, so there may be trouble sleeping tonight, despite being totally exhausted.
There are several live webcams set up around Edinburgh, so click to try and catch a peek of us (note the time change - Scotland is 6 hours ahead of CST!).
The streets of Edinburgh are thought to be haunted (and not just by the tourguides that jump out at you as you go by). Have you ever had a run-in with what you believed was a real ghost? If not, what's your favorite ghost story? One commenter will receive a spooky treat from a Royal Mile gift shop courtesy of me!
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