Guest Blogger Cara Summers

I absolutely love the Blaze Babes. I admit, I might be a little biased but I think we're awesome. And Cara Summers is no exception to the rule. Not only is she a fabulous writer, she's one of the sweetest people I've had the pleasure to meet in my journey as a writer. So dust the sand off the swings and please give her a warm Playground welcome!

Wedding Bell Blues

You wouldn’t think a romance author would have them. Weddings are practically our business. I may not end all of my books with a walk down the aisle, but that scenario is a pretty sure bet for each of my heroes and heroines. And I love weddings. But right now my life is a continuous series of crises because my son is getting married in three weeks.

Three weeks! The knot in my stomach just tightened. Don’t get me wrong. My son and daughter-in-law-to-be are a perfect match. Their story is one that I could develop a book about. They met through an online dating service, and they are so right for each other. I love both of them.

But each day brings a new detail to check off my to-do lists. I have four of them—scribbled on paper plates on the island in my kitchen. One list for each life that I lead. First, the teacher. As an instructor in writing at Syracuse University, I have essays to read, and grades to turn in (all before the wedding). Then there’s the author, and I have a deadline for my next Blaze—in June! As Cara, the person, I have to get a new car by the end of the month because the lease on my current one is running out. But the longest list, by far, is for the mother of the groom.

And the one thing that seems to be giving me real anxiety attacks is deciding what I’m going to wear to the wedding! I ordered the dress out of a catalogue a couple of weeks ago, and last Sunday, I finally found the courage to try it on. (It was the only item left on that particular paper plate. I was very busy, finishing my taxes, and throwing a bridal shower. I thought those were perfect excuses for postponing the day I would have to face myself in the mirror.

The dress is pink—okay Rose Dore (a deeper shade of pink.) It’s a sleeveless sheath with a jacket. Perfect, I thought for the mother of the groom.

Only it’s not right for me. Pink? Okay, it’s a good color for me, but when am I ever going to wear the dress again? Certainly not at my day job where dress jeans and a good blazer work very well. And as far as the “writing job” goes, I can do that in my sweats or even better—my pajamas.

The dress fits—sort of. My goal is to lose five pounds before the wedding. I’ve already added to my MOG list: walking every day and digging out the Wave thingy I purchased while watching an infomercial on The Firm. But whenever I look at the scribbling on those four paper plates, I get an almost irresistible desire for chocolate!

I asked two of my doctors what I could do to survive and minimize the stress. One suggested yoga. The other wrote me a prescription for Xanax. (Love him! But the Xanax could interfere with paper grading and car shopping, etc…)

So my question to all of you is the same that I put to my doctors. Yoga and Xanax aside, what can I do that would help me through this stressful time? And if it would also allow me to breathe in the “pink” dress, that would be a bonus.

To the authors of the top five suggestions (the ones that make it onto yet another paper plate), I will send an autographed copy of my May Blaze, Led Into Temptation.

As an added motivation, let me tell you that Led into Temptation is my most wicked forbidden fantasy yet. And I had a lot of fun writing it.

Don't forget to visit Cara at her website www.carasummers.com.