Things Unknown

We all put on a public mask, a view of ourselves we allow the outside world to see. But we all know that those masks aren't always accurate...aren't always completely forthright portrayals of our true selves, now don't we? There's always something hidden, some things we keep to ourselves. Some things...unknown.

Most of those things are best left unknown, I think. :-) But some can be shared. So that's what I'm going to do. I am going to share a few things about me that you probably don't know. And if you'll do the same, tell me a couple of harmless "secrets" about yourself, I'll enter you in a drawing for a download of one of my books. Just follow the link to the right, go to my website and click on the "contact Nina" link. Send me a short email, telling me...oh, let's say three secrets about yourself, and I'll enter you in the drawing. Simple and fun, and I'm looking forward to hearing all the nitty gritty you share with me!

Okay, here are my three secrets:

1- I love peppers. Any kind, but the hotter the better. Mickey is amazed and perhaps a bit disgusted, too, when I gobble hot peppers like candy. Yes, my eyes do tear but hey, that's part of the charm of a nice, hot pepper.

2-I am terrified--absolutely out of my mind screeching-until-my-eyes-pop terrified--of eggs. HA! You didn't expect that, did you? You thought my fear would be of something reasonable, right? But it's true, eggs gross me out. I can't stand to touch them, see them, smell them. ICK!!!

3-And the last secret of the day is...sometimes when I'm home alone, I turn on old disco music, strip down to my socks and undies and an old sweatshirt and dance around the house. Yep, it's the truth. I can't help myself, that old stuff makes me smile. I do the Hustle, the Bump and all the other Stayin' Alive-type moves until I'm too tired to move. Good exercise, great fun.

Now it's your turn. I'm waiting to hear from you!! Spill your secrets...they can't be nearly as silly as mine! Or can they??

Re-planning

Have you ever made one set of plans, only to find when the day arrives that the plans you've made are utterly impossible to carry out? Or that, at the very least, they'd be ridiculously impractical to adhere to? Of course you have. We all have. And that's what I'm facing as I wake this morning to the sound of ice pellets hitting our windows. A winter storm. In spring. Sheesh, only in New York! Oh, right. And the rest of the northeast, too! :)

So the dilemma. Mickey and I were planning to picnic in Central Park. It's part of his get-your-mind-off-the-cast-on-your-arm plan. Because, you see, the cast comes off next week but I'm a hairsbreath away from hacking it off myself, I'm so frustrated. Hence, the plan. But today things won't be going according to Mickey's fine plan, not unless I relish the thought of getting cold and damp--which I don't. So we'll have to make alternate plans.

Perhaps a picnic in our apartment? With the heat turned up really, really high so we can wear next to nothing? Yeah, right. Not feeling so romantic with this dratted cast. We'll probably call in for take-out and settle in with a couple of good books. Not a bad way to spend an icy day.

Not a bad alternate plan, especially considering the great selection of new books available at Cerridwen Press and Ellora's Cave. Recently I've read a lot of books by fellow authors. Some have made me laugh, some have made me cry and all have entertained me. We write a whole range of stories, so there's always something to please every taste. If one doesn't suit your fancy, try another. We've got a bunch!

Yes, today I'll find a new book or two to read from the EC/CP selections and it will be a good day, I know it will. Plans are meant to change, we're meant to adapt and me? I'm always meant to read. :)

Wherever you are, whatever your weather and whoever you plan to spend it with, I hope you have a great day today. And thanks for stopping in.

Here To Stay

I've been getting emails again asking about what I've been reading. Oh, I love it that you're all so interested and that you actually read some of the books I've recommended, but this time the list is too long to discuss. You see, in February I fell on the ice, fractured some ridiculous bone in my arm and have been in a cast for weeks. For me, that is nearly intolerable. No writing. But much reading...the proverbial silver lining, I guess!

So I've read heaps of books. Can't possibly dish about all of them. Besides, not all of them rate dishing. But this one does, so I'll share my thoughts with you.

Jenyfer Matthews' Here To Stay, a Cerridwen Press release, is a book worth reading. At least twice, which is exactly what I've done in the past few weeks. I enjoyed it so much the first time, I had to go back and read it again. Haven't you ever done that when a book is really good? Just tuck back into it, almost like a second slice of chocolate cake? Yummy.

Here To Stay has it all. A love story, with an intelligent heroine (my favorite kind) and a hunky hero (again, at the top of my fave list) it is also an intriguing mystery with all sorts of twists and turns. When Julia inherits an old house at the Jersey shore, it seems as if her aunt's gift will give her a way to make a fresh start. But what she hasn't counted on is finding her almost-ex-husband, Patrick, on her doorstep. He's come to convince her he still loves her and, almost against her better judgement, Julia falls for his smooth talk and sultry eyes. She listens to her heart. And really, how can that be bad?

I love this book because the characters are real, the mystery interesting and the love story is both sweet and sexy, all at once. Jenyfer Matthews has written a wonderful book and I believe that anyone who reads it a time or two won't be sorry. I know I'm not.

Maybe tomorrow I'll fill you in on some of the other things me and my cast have been doing. Until then...a word to the wise. Stay off the ice. It's slicker than it looks!