Amusing Conflicting Proverbs

Actions speak louder than words.
The pen is mightier than the sword.

Look before you leap.
He who hesitates is lost.

A silent man is a wise one.
A man without words is a man without thoughts.

Clothes make the man.
Don't judge a book by its cover.

Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Better safe than sorry!

It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered.

from Jokes-A-Day

~Anna Kathryn

The Shot Heard Around the World

Now, I thought this was a real shot, but in reality, it's a baseball home run and it lasted three (3) seconds. In "It's About Time: How Long History Took" by Mike Flanagan, he talks about the world famous game winning hit on page 2 of the book:

"Baseball's Greatest Moment" came on October 3, 1951, at New York's Polo Grounds. In just over seven weeks, the New York Giants had closed in on the Brooklyn Dodgers' 12-game lead to finish tied for first at season's end. In the third and deciding playoff game, Brooklyn was up 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth when Bobby Thomson came to bat with two men on base and sent Ralph Branca's second pitch into the left field stands. Radio listeners heard the crack of Thomsons' bat followed almost immediately by commentator Russ Hodge's first burst of "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"

I found two sites, among many, that had good sports information:

If you scroll down to No. 2 on this site, you'll see a video about and an interview with an author who wrote a book and talked to a few of the players about an alleged controversy over the hit:

http://vidfan.com/top10sports.php

The second site has the posters top 50 sports moments. He lists "The Shot Heard Around the World" as No. 15:

http://www.jamescampion.com/greatest_sports.html

So, do you have a great sports moment? One that involved you or one you witnessed? Offhand, I can't think of one of my own, as I'm not a big sports playing person. I am a big Houston Astro's fan and was delighted when they went to the world series a few years ago. I'd really like them to repeat that!

~Anna Kathryn

Tessy won the Calendar

The winner of the Southwest Cooking Recipe 2009 calendar is Tessy. Thanks again, Tessy and Robyn, for the recipes. I can't wait to try them out. Congrats!

Tessy, e-mail me at annaklanier@aol.com so I can get your address and send you the calendar.

Robyn, if you'll e-mail me too, I'll send you a copy of my short story The Priceless Gift as a consolation prize. :-)


Anna Kathryn

My Books' Trailer

Broccoli Slaw

Here's a really good, simply recipe....great to beat the summer heat:

1 bunch of broccoli, stalks discarded, heads chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds bacon, cooked crisp


Dressing:

1 cup of Mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons vinegar

Mix dressing ahead of time (3 hours ahead or overnight), but don't pour it on the salad yet. Mix chopped broccoli, onion and bacon together. Within an hour of serving salad, pour dressing over it.

Do you have a good salad recipe? I'm been looking for a pea salad recipe for years. I love pea salad, but have never made it. I know, I could find one on the net, but if you have one to share, please do. And not just pea salad, any salad.

Mmmmmm, we'll have a contest today. Anyone who posts a salad recipe will be eligible for 2009 Sourwest Cooking Calendar - a new recipe every month.

~Anna Kathryn

Top Ten Signs You're a Lousy Cook

10. Your family heads for the dinner table when they hear the smoke detector.

9. Your kids know what "peas porridge in a pot nine days old" tastes like!

8. When your toddler goes outside to make mud pies, the rest of the family grabs forks and follows.

7. Your kids' favourite drinks are Alka-Seltzer and Pepto Bismal!

6. Your family is perpetually jealous of the delicious-looking food in Fido's bowl.

5. Your kids got even with the neighbourhood bully by inviting him for brunch.

4. Your kids got suspended from school for smuggling toxic waste into the cafeteria.

3. Your husband refers to that smoke detector as the 'dinner bell'.

2. No matter what you do to it, the gravy still turns blue!

And the SUREST SIGN you are a lousy cook...

1. You cause kitchen fires when making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

*From Jokes a Day

BTW, I'll be posting a recipe tomorrow...

~Anna Kathryn
www.aklanier.com
www.myspace.com/aklanier

The Winner of a Donna Michael's download is...

...Cathy!!!

How cool is that? My son drew the paper with your name on it to win a free download of your choice from any of my released titles. You can find the blurbs and excerpts on my website: www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

Woohooo! Now you'll get to sample my work.;)

Please email me with your choice at donna_michaels @ msn. com (without the spaces)and I'll send it to you.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated today. I had a great time and appreciate your support. A special thank you to Anna Kathryn for allowing me to spend the day on her blog and share some Fated Hearts with you.

And as always, thanks for reading.

~Donna

Another FATED HEARTS excerpt

Fated Hearts
ISBN 1-60154-300-X
View Trailer
Purchase
=======================


Fated Hearts has acquired two wonderful reviews already and I'd love to share them.

5 Hearts/ Reviewer Top Pick--NOR

Click HERE for the full review:

Ms. Michaels penned a remarkable story that was heart wrenching and heartwarming at the same time. The characters were extremely believable and I was hoping the entire time that Jordan would be the one to break down Cole’s walls and make him start living again. This is a story that you shouldn’t pass up. I would love to see a sequel dedicated to Kerri and Connor, Jordan’s sister and Cole’s brother. You outdid yourself, Donna. Fantastic job!


Fantastic Stays on Shelf--WRDF

Click HERE for the full review:

When I first started reading Fated Hearts, I found hints of Diana Palmer(whom I love) in Donna Michaels voice. Fated Hearts is the type of story that got me hooked on reading and writing Romance. The internal struggles Cole and Jordan strive to overcome are heart wrenching. Jordan is a force to be reckoned with and I don't believe Cole knows what hit him. She doesn't let him get away with wallowing in self pity and some of her antics are laugh out loud funny.

When I got to the end it was with a sigh, a very wonderful love story with a sweet ending. I would recommend Fated Hearts to anyone who loves a good contemporary love story with a couple of feisty characters. I also hope to see Connor and Kerri's story soon.

****

Here's another Fated Hearts excerpt as promised. This one is in Cole's POV and he's not happy with his body's reaction to Jordan's...body.

****

Stilled to the point of not breathing, Cole halted his horse next to Connor’s mount, under the shade of a willow oak tree. Damn. As big as this ranch is, over a thousand acres, and we have to stumble across Jordan and Kerri having their picnic. Pounding increased in his head. The girls squirted on sunscreen and proceeded to rub the lotion all over their nearly naked bodies.

Cole’s groin bypassed tight and jumped straight to throb. Closing his eyes, he cursed his weakness. He hadn’t had an erection since his wife died; except for the few caused by thoughts of Bess or the dreams she’d haunted.

Not that he’d lacked opportunity the past two years. He knew without conceit he’d had plenty. But he never gave the flirting a second thought. He felt nothing.

Until now.

He swallowed. Now his body betrayed his heart and all at the sight of Jordan who, by the measure of the bikini she wore, was practically naked.

Blood raced to his groin as he gazed at his curvy ex-neighbor. He’d always known she’d grow up beautiful but, taking in her ample curves and long torso, what he saw was a knock out.

And that’s exactly what she was doing; knocking out a piece of the carefully built wall he’d erected around his emotions. She attacked his libido like a heavyweight in a title match—he didn’t stand a chance.

Leather groaned under the stress of his clenching fists. He didn’t want to feel. Not now. Not with her.

Jordan stood and lifted her arms above her head to stretch.

Hunger ripped through him and gripped tight. Tall and lean, she made him sweat as her curvy butt, barely concealed under her blue bottoms, dried his throat. Damn near perfect. Her top, which at that angle didn’t cover her abundant, more than a handful bust, twisted his gut. I take it back. She is perfect. He would’ve salivated if he had any saliva left. She had him fully aroused without even touching him.

Her hands returned to her sides and everything fell back into place. He expelled the breath he hadn’t realized he held and, Heaven help him, continued to survey her body. A strong urge to place his mouth in the curve of her waist and trail kisses to the bottom of the tiny blue triangle awakened the rest of his long dormant cravings. Did she taste as hot as she looked?

Hell. He wanted to strip off the blue cloth and feel her flesh quivering beneath him. Desire turned so fierce, need nearly doubled him over.

Was this intense response from being celibate for the past two years...or just his reaction to Jordan?

He gripped the reins tighter. I owe Bess. How can I even think these thoughts, let alone allow myself to be driven into this state?

Self-loathing lessened the intolerable need. He swallowed and turned toward his silent brother. A pulse pounded in Connor’s neck as he gazed at Kerri in a similar manor. At least he wasn’t alone in his tortured state.

Another quick glance at the girls and Cole’s heart stopped altogether. Incredibly, Jordan shielded her eyes and looked straight in their direction. Remaining still, he prayed the trees shaded them enough from her view. Now was certainly not a good time for a confrontation.

When Kerri stood and joined her sister in the search, he thought for sure they were busted. Relief swiftly flooded his body when the girls stopped and began to playfully romp with each other before disappearing down the ocean trail.

That’s what he needed—a cold soaking.

He cleared his tight throat. “I uh vote we high-tail it to the stable. I’ve seen more than enough.”

Connor lifted his hat, swiped an arm across his sweat soaked forehead, then placed the hat back on his head. “I’m with you little brother. Those California bikinis sure don’t leave much to the imagination, do they?”

“No, they don’t.”

“Still.” Connor lips grew into a mischievous grin. “Those two sure can fill them out, or should I say—fall out.”

Groaning at the images those words conjured, Cole turned his mount. “Let’s just go.”

Without waiting for his sadistic brother, he galloped toward the stable, putting as much distance as he could between Jordan’s sexy curves and his pent up body.

Share some fun with author Donna Michaels

Thanks for spotlighting me today, Anna Kathryn! I appreciate the opportunity to talk a little bit about my writing, my latest release and a few contests.

For those of you who don’t know, Donna is my real name but I used my husband’s first name ‘Michael’ to come up with my pen name Donna Michaels. You know, for when I hit it real big and want to keep my private life private. I’m an author of Romaginative Fiction. What in the world is that, you ask? Well its simple really, Romaginative comes from a mixture of my imagination and romance. As of right now, I have 16 contracts between The Wild Rose Press and Forbidden Publications and write all lengths from very short to epic. More variety…what can I say? lol

Before I get to my latest release, I’d like to take a second to let you know, like Donna Marie Rogers who was here last week, I am also a participating author in the Summer Sony eReader promotion going on until this Friday, August 31st. For full details check out the Wild Rose Press homepage: http://thewildrosepress.com/

And if you like Multi-Author contests, then you’ll love this one—Dog Days of Summer—going on until August 30th. Check the contest page on my website for details. www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

And finally, to celebrate my latest release, Fated Hearts, I’ll give away a free download of any of my released titles (winner choice) to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave me a comment on any of my posts today and I’ll draw a name later this afternoon.

Okay, on with Fated Hearts. Six years ago, when all four of my children were finally in school all day, I was started to pursue my writing dream. FH was the very first story I wrote.

Here’s the blurb and an excerpt:

Thanks to fate, Jordan Mitchell-Ryan’s heart is tattered. Having kept her from the man she thought she’d always marry, the same fickle fate took away the man she eventually did. Thrown back into the path of her fist love, she finds hers is not the only heart fate has damaged.

Widower and software CEO, Cole McCall fills his days with computer codes and working the family ranch. When his visiting former neighbor sets out to delete the firewall around his heart, he discovers there’s no protection against the Jordan virus. Though she understands his pain and reawakens his soul, will it be enough for Cole to overcome his past and embrace their fated hearts?

****

“Wait up, Cole. I’ll walk with you.”

Broad shoulders rose and fell but stopped at the door and waited while she said her goodnights.

“Thanks,” she told him as they began their ascent upstairs. Worried about his pallor and the fatigue slumping his shoulders, she put her hand on his arm when they reached the top. “What are you trying to do? Work yourself to death?”

“Drop it, Jordan.” He yanked his arm out of her grasp. “I’m not in the mood.”

She brushed his irritation aside and searched his face. “You have to stop doing this to yourself, Cole. You need to slow down.”

“And you need to mind your own damned business.”

She ignored him. “There’s more to life than just work. What happened to that mischievous boy I knew?”

“He died.”

Her hissed breath echoed down the hall. “Cole McCall! That’s a horrible thing to say and I refuse to believe it.” She gripped his shoulders, hard. “He’s still in there and I’m going to find him. And when I do…I’m going to kick his ass for letting you take over.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me, Jordan,” he scoffed. “I grew up. You should try it.”

She released him and laughed. “Yeah, you sure got me pegged, McCall. I’m very immature and not responsible at all.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. “Maybe you are as far as work is concerned, but you need to stop trying to change me, Jordan.” He dropped his hand and his gaze bore into hers, flashing a silent warning.

She hated warnings.

“No.”

“What do you mean no?”

“Just what I said. I won’t stop trying to change you because I don’t particularly like you. I want you gone and the old Cole back.”

He grasped her upper arms and sneered. “Too damn bad. This is who I am now. The old Cole might’ve put up with your antics but I won’t.”

Her heart raced out of control. Damn, his hands were strong…and big. They covered most of her upper arms.

She drew in a breath. Not smart, her mind screamed while her nose rejoiced. Mmm…Was that fresh scent soap or body wash? Desire flooded her fluttering stomach and pooled between her legs with a sudden vision of Cole lathered and wet.

“Did you hear me, Jordan? I won’t put up with your nonsense.”

He increased the pressure on her arms, and the warmth amplified between her thighs.

Whoa. Back the reaction train up. I’m not the one who needs to feel.

She straightened her spine. “Oh no? Well, I’m not going to stop just because you tell me to, Cole. You’re way over due for an emotional overhaul and reality check. So, what are you going to do about it, Mr. Personality?”

“This.” He pinned her against the wall and pressed into her with his body.
Sensations—hot and frenzied, scorched a path to her core. The resulting shudder had her dazed, wide eyes staring up at him.

Triumph gleamed in his darkened gaze.

He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Apparently, you like me after all, Jordan.”

Anger erupted and cancelled her yearnings.

She pushed out of his hold. “Don’t try to turn this all around and put the focus on me, pal. It won’t work. I’m not one of your unsuspecting victims. But, you’re right. There is something about you I like. Your body. Or should I say Cole’s body,” she corrected, looking him up and down. “It’s grown up quite nice. But I still don’t like you.” Pivoting on her heel, she drew in a steadying breath and walked as nonchalantly as she could to her room.

His deep chuckle echoed down the hall and rumbled through her like a Southern California tremor. It was great to hear genuine amusement from him…although she could’ve done without the Me thinks she doth protest too much remark uttered with it.

Damn sexy Texan. Okay, so I’m not as immune to him as I’d hoped. That changes nothing. Shivers covered her skin. She ignored them.

Jordan Mitchell-Ryan never failed a case and Operation Heal McCall would be no exception.

Donna Michaels

Welcome on Monday my guest blogger, Donna Michaels. Donna is a multi-published author, in a variety of genres. It's going to be fun getting inside her head and learning how she ticks.

Spruce up on your knowledge and get those questions ready by visiting her website:

http://www.donnamichaelsauthor.com/

And remember, anyone leaving a comment will be eligible for the $15 The Wild Rose Press gift certificate I'll draw for after the end of the month.

~Anna Kathryn
www.aklanier.com