Join Me

I'm having two booksignings in February....the first will be on Saturday, Feb. 6th at Boomerang Books from 10 - 4. The second is Saturday, Feb. 14th at Absolute Hair, Pasadena, TX from 10 - 1. Joining me at both signings will be the Roses of Houston gang: Emma Lai, Skhye Moncrief, Anne Marie Novark, and Elizabeth Pina.

There will be food, goodie bags, and drawings for prizes throughout both signings. I hope you'll make it to or the other, or both!

Anna Kathryn
Where Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats
www.annakathrynlanier.com

Wednesday's Chow - Black Forest Trifle

Here's another recipe from my September Recipe Extravaganza, curtsey of Robin L. I love Black Forest Cake, and now that I recently purchased a trifle bowl, I can make this! Won't this be a great dessert for Valentine's Day??

Black Forest Trifle

1 chocolate cake mix,
1 tin Cherry Pie filling
1 box Instant Chocolate Pudding
Whipped Cream

Bake caje according to package directions. Once cooled, cut into bite-sized pieces and put half in a Trifle bowl.

Mix up the instant pudding according to package directions. Pour half over the cake. Next put half the cherry pie filling as next layer. The last layer is half the whipped cream.

Repeat above layers, reserve a few dollops of pie filling for topping. When finished add a few dollops of cherry pie filling on top of whipped cream.

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Where Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats
www.aklanier.com

Guest Blogger - Jannine Corti-Petska

My fascination with Gypsies began more than 20 years ago after I read a historical romance that had a hot Gypsy hero. The culture's dark mystique lured me into the Gypsy's independent and nomadic lifestyle. Although I own a dozen books on Gypsies, they were well-known for not documenting their history. Researching Gypsies in the medieval period was definitely a challenge.

I had planned much more for this article; however, I had knee surgery two days ago and am rather groggy from the pain meds. So I will leave you to the blurb and short excerpt and, hopefully, I'll return in the near future to talk about what I learned from the Gypsies.

Blurb:
Charlotte Nikolos keenly feels the difference between the dark coloring of the Gypsies who raised her and her own pale hair and skin. When she learns she has two sisters somewhere who share her looks and psychic powers, she's determined to search for her lost family and find answers about her past. But how?

For three years, Rafael Cazares has been away from the Gypsy camp and the woman who makes his blood boil. He's determined to win back Char's trust and recapture her heart. He insists on helping her to find her true family, but someone or something is determined to keep them apart. When a deep dark secret is revealed, Rafael would do everything in his power to keep the only women he has ever loved out of harm’s way. Even if he must die.

Excerpt:

“Return me to my father at once.”
Rafael planted his hands on his hips and gazed down at her with a long-reaching light of amusement. A light that brought clarity to Char.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“But I did.”
“I’ll not be your wife by abduction.”
“You have no say in this, Char. I’ve paid the bride price. Your sire gave his blessing for our union.” He handed her a kerchief to wear.
Char refused to tie it around her head to show her acceptance. “You’ll not touch me.”
His raised brows mocked her.
Char straightened her shoulders. Rafael ignored her stubborn stance and gripped her upper arms, dragging her up his length.
“In time, you will beg me to take you to my bed.”
His mouth quashed her protest. No matter how much she abhorred Rafael, she succumbed to his meaningless kiss.

CHARLOTTE AND THE GYPSY is available in print and ebook at http://www.moongypsypress.com/.

ISBN: 1449976786
EAN-13: 9781449976781


Jannine Corti Petska
Assapora la passione (Feel the Passion)
CHARLOTTE AND THE GYPSY, Moongypsy Press, January 2010
CARINA AND THE NOBLEMAN, Available at http://www.eternalpress.ca/
KNIGHT'S DESIRE, Available at http://www.thedarkcastlelords.com/reviews-knight
REBEL HEART, 2007 Aspen Gold Finalist
http://www.jcortipetska.com/

Hell is Freezing Over - Whoo Hoo

The New Orleans Saints are going to the Super Bowl. Whoo Hoo! It's about damn time! Personally, I think the two teams who should be there will be there. Both teams went undefeated for much of the seasons, the Colts lasting out the longest without a loss. I think both teams will be evenly matched and I hope it's just as of an exciting game as tonight's playoff between the Vikings and the Saints. Tonight, both teams played a hard game and it went right down to the wire....well, actually past the wire, since they went into overtime when regulation time ended with a 28-28 tie. A field goal by the Saints finished off the game 28-31.

Congratulations to the Saints and the Colts!

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Where Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats
www.aklanier.com

New Me - Week 4

Well there's not much to report this week. My machine is broken and has been for a week. Yep, last Saturday I was exercising away and it started with the really weird noises again and a scrapping of plastic against plastic. I finally stopped after about 10 mins and my husband took the thing apart again. This time, the bearings were warped. I immediately sent an email to the manufacture (BH of North America, Bladez Fitness of Foothill Ranch, CA) asking for new parts. Of course, it was Saturday of a holiday weekend, so I didn't hear back until Tuesday, when they asked for "my name, address, telephone number, model, serial number, receipt and brief description of the problem." My husband faxed it to them on Thursday and on Friday, they 'claimed' they never received the fax. So, here I sit a week later, with a broken machine, less than a month old, in my living room. I'm a bit perturbed by their total lack of help. I told them in my first email what was wrong and which parts a needed. And I emailed them back before their closing time on Friday that the fax had been sent TWICE, because my husband got distracted during the first fax and wasn't sure it went through. No response.....

I did watch what I ate during the week and managed to lose a pound, even without the exercising. But I do miss my workouts!

One change I made this week - I am drinking vegetable juice in the mornings instead of orange juice, which anyone who knows me will tell you is what I drink in the mornings. But OJ is full of sugar, so I decided to give it up for a while and see what happens.

Have you made a change in your life style to achieve a more healthy you?

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Where Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats
www.aklanier.com

Wdnesday's Chow - Beef Tureen

This week's recipe comes from Carol Jo Kachmar, who also participated in my September Extravaganza. If you'll contact me Carol Jo, can arrange for you to get your prize.

Reminder: Visit my website's guestbook and leave a comment for for a chance to win An Anna Kathryn prize package: A notepad, notebook, 2010 Calendar and an electronic copy of A COWBOY'S DREAM. The guestbook link is at the bottom of the home page. http://www.aklanier.com/.

This is a simple, but healthy wintery dish.

Beef Tureen:

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 24-oz can beef stew
3/4 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8-10 oz frozen mixed vegetables

Drain tomato liquid into measuring cup and add water to make 1 cup of liquid. Put liquid in saucepan and add all the seasonings. Bring to a boil, add frozen vegetables and cook until they are crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and stew. Cook until heated through.
Serves 2-3 and is easily doubled.

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Where Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats
http://www.aklanier.com/

Guest Author - Lisabet Sarai

Playing with Words

All my life I've been enthralled by words. The family folklore claims, improbably, that I was talking at six months old. I remember vividly learning to read when I was five―my pride when I could make it all the way through Dick, Jane and Sally on my own. I wrote my first poems and stories when I was seven. Throughout my childhood, while other kids were outside in the fresh air, I lay on my bed with a book, to my mother's considerable consternation. They might have been playing softball or jump rope or dodge ball. As for me, I was playing with words.

It's no accident that I adore Scrabble. I can't remember when I was introduced to this game, but I know that as soon as I discovered it, I was addicted. It's funny, because I've never been all that attracted to crossword puzzles, but something about Scrabble clicked. Perhaps it was the intertwining of chance and skill―luck of the draw gives you a set of letters, but what you make of them depends on your knowledge and your vision. Maybe it was the opportunity to use all the vocabulary I seemed to so effortlessly acquire. Whatever the reason, I played through college and grad school, and still do, when I can hook someone into facing off with me.

I'd already written one Scrabble scene in my erotic romance Ruby's Rules. The hero and heroine in this tale are antagonists fighting for a lucrative business deal. The game is a proxy for their real world competition as well as an expression of the sexual tension between them. Then about six months ago, my publisher Total-E-Bound issued a call for a M/M anthology called Gaymes: “Give us hot, hunky guys, strong and sweaty, playing games―and we're not talking Scrabble here, ladies.”

Of course, I couldn't resist. I queried my editor and got her okay. “If anyone can make Scrabble sexy,” she said, “it would be you, Lisabet.” The result was Crossed Hearts my M/M BDSM erotic romance set in the world of tournament Scrabble, which comes out today, January 18th.

As I researched the topic of Scrabble competitions, I was disappointed to learn that linguistic skill and literary brilliance have little place in these contests. Apparently, the key to winning at the tournament level is memorization: learning every possible two-, three- and four-letter word in the English language, so that you can take advantage of tricky cross-relationships and gain points. That kind of spoils things for me. It takes away the thrill of discovering great words hidden in your random collection of letters, of seeing a fabulous opportunity on the board and making it real. Scrabble by rote lacks the creativity, the inspiration, the excitement that attracts me to the game.

However, there's plenty of excitement in my story. For the past six years, Jason Hofstadter has attended the Four States Annual Scrabble Tournament. Jason comes to the Four States for two reasons - to play Scrabble and to get laid. Every year since his first, he has managed to hook up with one of the other players for some sexual fun. This year he has a chance at the grand prize in the tournament. Meanwhile, he figures he has hit the jackpot when he spots handsome, bookish Matt Sawyer, who's competing at the Four States for the first time.Shy and seemingly innocent, Matt turns out to be full of surprises. First, he jumps Jason in the rest room at Starbucks. Then he reveals that he's into BDSM and encourages Jason to experiment with topping him. Finally, despite his lack of experience with tournament play, Matt ends up competing with Jason in the semi-final round. When Matt throws the game he should have won, Jason is forced to confront his own feelings - about winning, about casual sex, and about Matt.

You can read an adult excerpt at http://www.lisabetsarai.com/crossedheartsex.html

I had a blast writing “Crossed Hearts”. Of course, that's not surprising. After all, writing fiction is just another way of playing with words.


LISABET SARAI has published six erotic novels,two short story collections and dozens of individual tales. She also edits the single-author charity series "Coming Together Presents" and reviews erotica for Erotica Readers and Writers Association and Erotica Revealed. Visit Lisabet online at Lisabet's Fantasy Factory and Beyond Romance.

New Me Week 3

Happy Saturday...it's dreary here in Houston, cloudy, rain, not overly cold, but chilly. I had an interesting week. On Wednesday, I was doing my exercises on the machine, when it started making really odd noises, my husband came to take a looksee and said, "Stop exercising!" So, I did. Turns out that the bolt holding the foot paddles onto the rotator sheared off. Mind you, I got this machine for Christmas, so I've been using it less than a month. DH managed to get the sheared bolt out of the machine and find a replacement at work the next day. The machine still makes weird noises, but he looked it over as I exercised on Thursday night and said it looked okay.

Also this week, we started The Biggest Loser diet. I joined that website a year ago, did the diet thing for a while, then stopped, but on Monday, Jan. 11th, we started it again. It's not a bad diet, just time consuming. I belonged for years to ediets.com. I should kept up that membership. I was a charter member and only had to pay $5 a month to be there! No telling what I'd pay if I rejoined now. Both of these sites are great, because they prepare the menu for you. I don't have to do that myself. I do have to make changes on the menu, because there's just some stuff I'm never going to eat! The thing I liked about ediets.com was that they allowed you to write in 'pick my own meal' for a replacement, so you weren't stuck with having to choose one of their meals. They also let you replace a meal with a fast food meal. So say I wanted go to KFC for lunch, I'd plug that in and they'd tell me what I could order to stay within my diet. The Biggest Loser site doesn't do either of those things. It would be an improvement to their site if they did.

When I was on ediets about 10 years ago, and I exercised faithfully at Curves, I lost 15 pounds. I should have stuck with it.

So, here's the weekly update: I exercised 5 days for 20 minutes. On Thursday, I increased my time to 25 minutes and I'll stick with that for a week or so, then add another 5 minuntes. I also lost 2 POUNDS. I'm excited about that!

Weekly tip: From Dr. Oz - choose a lunch you like and eat that everyday. I'm not quoting him directly, because I can't find the article, but the idea behind this was that you'd know what you were fixing and wouldn't be tempted to grab a hamburger. If you like Caesar Chicken Salad, have that. If you like tuna on crackers with grapes, have at it. Make it simple and you're more likely to stick to the diet. And yes, I'd say, you can switch it up. One week, have the chicken salad, the next week turkey on whole wheat with carrots. Make this one change in your diet, if the idea of a whole new diet scares you.....change up lunch for now.

So, how are you doing? Any words of wisdom to share?

One more thing, on Sunday, Jan. 17th, I'll be Amber Leigh William's blog The Cozy Page. Stop by and say hi! I'll be giving away a copy of my historical SALVATION BRIDE.

Anna Kathryn Lanier
Where Tumbleweeds Hang Their Hats
www.aklanier.com

Wednesday's Chow - Potato Cheese Bake

This recipe comes to us from Lexie, who posted it during my September Recipe Extravaganza. Since I'm using her recipe, Lexie will get a prize, a copy of one of my stories.

Potato Cheese Bake (of Cholesterol Hell)*

5lbs yukon potatoes
16 ounces of cheddar cheese
1 package bacon (optional)
8 ounces sour cream
Salt
Oil

1) Add oil to the frying pan, half as much as you'd need to coat the bottom

2)Peel and dice up the potatoes into bite-sized chunks, sprinkle with salt and pan fry them until tender

3) take the sour cream and dump it into a medium sized saucepan. STir until loosened a little bit, begin to add the shredded cheddar in slowly, stirring constantly over medium heat.

4) Once all of the cheddar is melted, turn off the stovetop and set aside.

5) Put Potatoes into a casserole pan of some sort (I use my large lasagna pans). arrange flat and then pour the cheese sauce over top.

6) Heat at 350F for 10-15 minutes (depending on if you want the cheese to start burning or not).

To add bacon: do all of the above, cook the bacon and crumble it over top the cheese & potatoes.

Other options include frying the potatoes in the bacon grease.

*And that's the recipe's name my grandma gave it.

Lexie

Reality TV versus Fictional Romance

As a bona fide romance author, I’m constantly amazed by what passes as believable on television these days. The new generation of program creators have come up with shows that supposedly represent what happens in “real life.” I’m here to tell you if the shows I’ve watched truly fall under the definition of “reality,” I’m resigning as a female human being.

In working with editors, we authors are constantly reminded that what we write has to be at least somewhat believable despite the fact that we write fiction. The plot has to be ingenious enough to draw a reader in and hold them captive until the very end, but never make them scratch their head in disbelief. Television, it seems, can present the most implausible situation, broadcast it weekly, and garner humongous ratings, yet if an author presents something ridiculous, he/she is haunted for years with crummy reviews.

If you haven’t witnessed the boob tube insanity for yourself, picture a short, little black man who dresses in garish clothing, wears a giant clock around his neck, calls himself Flava Flave and entices a dozen good-looking but evidently brainless women to come on live TV and compete for his affections. One look at his ugly mug makes me ask, “Why?” There isn’t enough money in the world.

Or, how about Bret Michaels and his Rock of Love? The script is the same, except ex-not-well-known-rocker, Michaels, flaunts his bevy of beauties and his blond “weave” all over the country in buses that sport his name in big letters…usually two vehicles, but just until he narrows the field down enough to fill only one. The aim is supposed to be finding his true love, but since he’s been on three seasons now, you’d think he’d figure out what he’s doing isn’t working. Oh sign me up! There’s nothing like swapping spit with someone who’s just had his tongue down the throat of ten other women…and usually while they all stand by and watch. There is no length to which these women won’t go to in order to win their man. And what a prize he is. NOT! Part of the thrill is touring from county fair to county fair to watch him perform. Gag! Of course part of the allure may be all the different colored bandannas he sports to hold his fake hair on his head.

My most recent find was Real Chance of Love. Here, two brothers, Real and Chance, members of a not-at-all-heard-of band, The Stallionaires, are looking for the love of their lives. What a concept. Sure not a new one! They also entice a dozen or more beauties to come spend time in their “mansion,” and compete with the others and be the last woman standing. What constantly amazes me is that these bimbos stomp their feet, cry, and get pissy if they aren’t the center of attention at all times. I keep asking myself, “What did they expect when they signed up for this gig?” Since this was Real and Chance’s second season, I’m pretty certain we can expect a third. These two are definitely not my dream men… in fact, there isn't anything real about them except one uses the name. I’d rather read a novel and create a hero in my mind’s eye. Real is maybe five feet tall, wears spandex arm covers, has a black weave longer than Cher’s, and Chance has a Mohawk and a space between his front teeth almost wide enough to drive through. Someone should encourage the producers to at least find someone with sex appeal so these women don’t appear quite so stupid.

There are so many more ridiculous shows like this, and I’m ashamed to admit I know the names of most of them. Let’s just agree that I learned them by doing research for this post. *grin*. I Love Money, The Tool Academy, oh, and let’s not forget the Kardashian clan who somehow managed to wriggle into fame and fortune on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Really…the entire family, and now there’s a spin off for two of the sisters. Pah-leese…Do we really care what Khloe and Kourtney are doing?

What I have noticed during my “research” is that on most of these shows you earn a new name. It’s usually something given you by the “star(s)” because there’s no way they could remember common monikers. It’s much easier to call those in their harem things like: New York, Doll, Classy, Cornfed, Mamacita, Hot Wings, or Sassy. Just in case you wonder…New York started on Flava Flave, migrated to I Love Money, and then went on to get her own spin off. Cornfed was Real’s failing choice last season, while Mamacita and Sassy made the finals this year, but were left standing in tears when Chance choose Hot Wings and Real waltzed off with Doll. Oh God, help me…I know the entire cast and what happened to them.

So tell me; why would you want to watch something as ridiculous as reality, when you can read a great dose of fiction that’s believable? The only thing you can count on with reality TV is that there’s nothing original to be found. If you watch one show, you’ve watched them all. They just are filmed in different places, have different names, but believe me…all cast men no one would ever conjure up as a hero or leading man. Give me a good book any day!

Ginger Simpson
http://www.gingersimpson.com/
http://mizging.blogspot.com/

A New Me

Well, not yet, but I'm working on it. As promised, I'm giving my first weekly update on the 'exercise/diet' thing. Exercise - good.....diet - not so good. I exercised five of the last seven days for 20 minutes a day. I didn't lose any weight, but that's okay, I'm not dieting yet. There was still fudge in the house! It's all been eaten now (by me, as I don't think any one else was eating it). I did resist the urge, twice, to go through MickeyD's drive through and get a quarter pounder with cheese, so I'm proud of that. One day I came home and had a sandwich, the other day I went to Subway and got a ham sandwich, both of which, I think, were better for me.

Yesterday, I went shopping and spent $300 on food (diets are EXPENSIVE!) and will start the dieting on Sunday. I think this way is good. I remember reading several years ago that you should start exercising before starting the diet. In this way, you increase your metabolism before you cut your calories, so that when you start the diet, you're likely to burn the fat faster....sounds good to me!

BTW, I didn't start the diet today because my pastor was ordained a priest today and we had a reception....I knew I wouldn't resist the homemade cookies, so why try?

So, for this coming week, I plan to continue the 20 minute workouts on the elliptical machine and start the diet. Oh, I also plan to cut back on the diet cokes, which I don't drink nearly as much now as I did a year ago when diet coke was all I drank. Now I'm down to 1-2 a day. One of my future purchases may be a water purifier pitcher, so I don't drink as much bottled water.

How about ya'll ... how are you doing?

My tip for the week is this: Don't cut out your favorite food completely (for me, it's chocolate). Just cut back on it. Life should be fun, don't deprive yourself completely! But eat the five pound box in one sitting either....spread it out over a day or two .....lol.

Anna Kathryn
www.aklanier.com

VOTE FOR MY PUBLISHER

My publisher is up for nomination at Preditors and Editors, too. Please vote for them if you don't have another publisher to vote for. Click here to vote! Thanks.

And if you haven't voted for me yet, well, there's still time. Salvation Bride is up for Short Story Romance. Click here to vote for me! Double Thanks!

Anna Kathryn

Wednesday's Chow - Marie-Nicole's Vegetable Soup

Yee Haw! Wednesday's Chow is back from it's Holiday Cheer break. The good news is - I only have to come up with a recipe once a week now, not once a day! But I did have fun with Holiday Cheer and I hope ya'll enjoyed all the recipes.

Well, since it appears that 3/4's of the country is in a deep freeze....I mean, even Houston is expected to be BELOW 32 degrees for more than 24 hours....I decided to share Marie-Nicole Ryan's Vegetable Soup recipe posted during my post for appetizers during the September Recipe Extravaganza.



Try and stay warm!

Marie-Nicole's Vegetable Soup

½ pound of lean ground beef (93% fat-free)
½ to 1 onion, chopped
1 Tsp of chopped garlic
Pint of tomato juice
Baby carrots (best to cook them about 20 minutes before adding to soup)
½ green pepper, chopped
3 medium potatoes, chopped
½ cup frozen corn
1 can green beans, drained and rinsed (to get rid of the salt)
Any other vegetables you might want
Beef stock to thin if it’s too thick.


Spices:
Worchestershire sauce—season to taste—I like a lot
1 tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp dried basil
Sprinkle of ground thyme
2 bay leaves (remove after cooking)

While browning meat, throw in onions, garlic and pepper. Then pour off what little fat there is.
Add the rest of the ingredients. I like to rub the oregano and basil in my palms as I dump it in.
Cook in dutch oven or large soup pan for about an hour. Stir frequently and taste (of course!)
Serve with whole wheat rolls or crusty French bread. Mmmm.


Picture credit.

VOTE FOR ME - Salvation Bride

Anna Kathryn Lanier
http://www.aklanier.com/

Guest Author - J. Aday Kennedy

Today I'm welcoming inspirational and children's writer, J. Aday Kennedy.

1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
After my stroke I was completely dependent on others and bored. I had nothing to do. When I could not stand watching television a moment longer, I began to play on my computer cruising the Internet. I found some writing classes. The writing classes took me back to my childhood. I was always writing stories and drawing pictures when I was a kid. I loved it then and out of necessity I learned I still did. I regained a sense of independence and rediscovered my love for writing. That was in June 2006. I’ve taken fifteen classes since then. Today I’m a multi-published author. I’ve got four essays in Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, numerous pieces in magazines and five picture books under contract to be published by Guardian Angel Publishing.

2. Why did you choose to write for kids?
I love kids. My original goal was to become teacher. I became an author instead. The thought of getting a child to fall in love with reading excites me. The characters in books were some of my best friends when I was a kid.


3. What drew you to the subject of Klutzy Kantor?
My picture book idea started with a riddle a friend told me. I tried to submit it to over ten magazines, but had no takers. I set it aside. The idea of a clumsy, but intelligent Pegasus came from a sister. She is a total klutz, but lovable and smart. When I wrote the picture book I rolled the riddle into it. It won’t be out until early 2010. I can’t wait!

4. What was the name of the first book you wrote? Did you try to publish it?
“101 Ways to Torture a Quadriplegic: a Journey of Laughter Through Tears” is still being written. It’s a memoir of my stroke, rehabilitation and faith. I’m writing it for a young adult audience.

5. What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?
I think it’s my ability to write rich description wound around action and showing not telling. The way to do it is more than finding strong adjectives. You can do it without using any adjectives. Verbs are just as important when trying to convey a feeling. “The happy boy walked down the sidewalk.” or “The boy whistled and skipped down the sidewalk.” Have you ever seen someone sad skipping and whistling?

6. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?
I use a program called Inspiration 8. It is for brainstorming. It is a great tool. If you’re looking for something it has a free trial. Check it out.
Another program I use is TextAloud. I use it to read what I’ve written back to me. It’s better than reading your work to yourself, because it only reads what is there (you don’t fill in missing words unconsciously.).

7. What’s your writing schedule?
Without a schedule, I’m a scattered brained mess. I write for three hours. I answer email an hour and a half. I work on whatever project I’m working to complete (now it’s book marketing) for 2 hrs. I read for research (picture books, how to write books or visit websites to educate myself about writing, publishing or promoting for an hour. I network an hour. Then if I’ve got more time I’ll work on my memoir or blog.

8. What place that you haven’t visited would you like to go?
I’d like to go to Poland and visit the concentration camps, to Russia to see the cathedrals and to London to visit parliament and see anything that has to do with Winston Churchill.
Since I’m on a ventilator I have a tracheotomy tube and can’t fly. I’ll have to take a European cruise to get there. I’ll need to take 2 nurses/caregivers. I’ll need to pay for them, too. I’ll have to wait until I’m rich and famous.

9. Who is your greatest cheerleader?
My caregiver, Jackie cheers me. When I get down and out and want to quit she won’t let me. When I’m sad we cry together. When I’ happy we laugh. She’s a great friend. Everyone can use a cheerleader from time to time.

10. What would you like to learn to do that you haven’t?
I’d love to learn to punctuate. I’ve read books, taken classes, and I still can’t. I’ve taught myself to do all sorts of things, but I can’t learn to punctuate correctly. It’s frustrating.


Author Bio:
J. Aday Kennedy, the differently-abled author, is an award winning multi published author of inspirational/Christian pieces and of children’s literature. Five picture books are under contract eagerly awaiting publication. She is a ventilator dependent quadriplegic making her dreams come true a story at a time. As a speaker, Aday entertains, instructs, motivates and inspires audiences of all ages. To learn more about her and her writing, visit her website and blog. http://www.jadaykennedy.com/, & http://jadaykennedy.blogspot.com/


Book Blurb:
When I agreed to do this interview, I thought the book would be available. It’s not, but here’s the description. Everyday Klutzy Kantor Pegasus practices solving riddles. A tricky leprechaun attempts to outsmart him by giving him a next to impossible riddle to solve. To end his clumsy ways he must solve it. Children learn the benefit of practice and to focus on their strengths.

VOTE FOR ME VOTE FOR ME

Happy New Year! Just a short post to beg for votes! My historical western short story, SALVATION BRIDE, is in the Preditors and Editors Reader's Poll. If you don't have someone else to vote for, I'd really appreciate it if you'd vote for me. Just scroll down the page to SALVATION BRIDE and click on the circle. You'll need to fill out the form and then you'll get an email you have to respond to for the vote to count, but it's all very easy, really. There are several other categories in the Reader's Poll, so check them out to see if someone you know is in one of them!

Thanks!

Go here to vote:

Critters Writers Workshop

Anna Kathryn Lanier
www.aklanier.com

New Year Resolutions - New Me

I don't really make resolutions. I don't recall if I've done any in the past or not, but if I did, I didn't keep them. This year, I'm not actually going to make a resolution, but I am going to change my habits. My husband got me what I wanted for Christmas, an elliptical exercise machine. I am overweight, and by some accounts, probably obese (described as being more than 30% over your ideal weight). I jokingly call it baby fat. Unfortunately, the baby is 22 years old and getting married in May. Other than the facts that I'm overweight and out of shape, I want to look good for the wedding. I'd like to lose, eventually, 30-40 pounds. Whether or not my 50 year old body can actually be 120 pounds I don't know, but I'd settle for being a healthy 130 pounds. Since I did put on a few pounds during the holidays, I checked in at 159.6 on Christmas day.

(Me and my granddaughters, Emma and Lacey, making Reindeer Food)

I just read today an article by Dr. Oz, who said we really should chuck the scale and instead go by our girth to determine fitness. Measure yourself around your waist, over the belly button. That number should be half your height. I'm five feet, 60 inches, tall, so my girth should be 30 inches. Yeah, well, I haven't gotten around to measuring the damage there. But I can tell you, I'm no where near 30 inches in the waist....my thighs might be 30 inches....which, btw, I think I read years ago should be half the size of your waist.

So, why am I boring you all with this information? Because I plan to check in on my blog weekly to let you all know how I'm doing. I'll probably do it on Saturday, since I started my excising on Christmas Day, Friday. I will also be trying to change my eating habits, so I'll be discussing that some, too.

Everyone is welcome to check in with me and to share their own stories. Let's see how we can change ourselves together.

Anna Kathryn Lanier

http://www.aklanier.com/

Happy New Year

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