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Monday, February 26, 2007

DREAMING THE DREAM - JENNIFER HUDSON


If you an American Idol fan and a Dreamgirl fan then you had a great night at the Oscars!

I'm sure Jennifer Hudson would be the first to admit that she couldn't have dreamed bigger dreams, to land such a great role and win almost every award she was nominated for, even after Simon from Idol hadn't the faith in her (shows he's sometimes wrong) that she had in herself.

I loved her responses to Barbara Walters last night. When asked if Simon's remarks about her limited talent had stymied her. She answered no, if anything they made her even more determined. I like that kind of never-give-up, never-say-die attitude!

Here's some fun facts about Jennifer Hudson.

She didn't think she'd get the role because she wasn't heavy enough! She had to add on 20 lbs.
She's been with her boyfriend since junior high school.
She was voted off Idol in the 7th round. (She was one of my favorites!)

She dreamed the dream, and exceeded her own expectations! Only goes to show what faith and trust in yourself can do!

Friday, February 23, 2007

COUNTRY RADIO ALIVE AND WELL


Last year, while I attended Tim and Faith's Soul2Soul concert at the Staples Center, Tim came out and looked around at the massive crowds, (three nights running, I might add) and said that they've got to get country radio back in L.A. He was met by an outstanding round of applause. Just two days prior, KZLA, our one and only, foremost country radio station suddenly, without any warning to the fans, just went off the air. I remember hitting the button in my car radio, turning the dial and saying "Something's wrong." I didn't get my daily dose of country music that day, or for months afterward!

Now for someone who loves westerns and writes western historical books, country music is a must have! I like other music, but I LOVE country music. I love it because it tells a story in just 3 or 4 minutes and often it inspires, rocks your emotions, shares innermost feelings and makes you think. The songs really have deep meaning, well, most of them. And some are just plain silly fun.

I remember emailing KZLA immediately when it went off the air, and apparently so had thousands of other fans. One of the disc jockeys, Shawn Parr, kept a constant vigil and communication with us, his fans, promising to try to get Country Radio back on the air waves. Over the months, he'd email us, the masses of frustrated country fans in Southern California, and finally, a new station was born. Country 540 and 1260 on the AM dial!
I can't tell you how happy I was that today. I smiled all day long, listening to the music from my favorites, Tim and Faith, Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts, Billy Currington, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Brooks and Dunn and a world of others. It's funny how we take things for granted in our everything life and it's only until they are taken away, that we realize how much they meant to us. I NEVER knew, just how much not having that radio station on the air affected me. I'd go around saying, "They can't do that! There's a radio full of pop and rap stations, and all we want is one country station. It's not fair." But the power of the people (loyal fans) prevailed this time. There's a whole growing market for country music and I'm only glad that LA recognized that fact. And, that Shawn Parr kept the fans informed and landed the AM Morning Show!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

So - You think you know everything- I bet you didn't know this!

SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW EVERYTHING?

"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and "lollipop" with your right.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt". (Are you doubting this?)

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet. (Now, you KNOW you're going to try this out for accuracy, right?)

The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes). (Yep, I knew you were going to "do" this one.)

There are only four words in the English l anguage which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. (You're not doubting this, are you?)

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious." (Yes, admit it, you are going to say . a e i o u)

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard. (All you typists are going to test this out)

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. (Some days that's about what my memory span is)

A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

A snail can sleep for three years. (I know some people that could do this too.)

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Babies are born without kneecaps They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. (Good thing he did that)

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men. (It's called flirting)

Now you know everything!

Losing a Day of Writing

There's nothing worse, is there? Yesterday, I had plans for the day and had to cancel it all, due to a head that wouldn't stop throbbing and a stomach on the blink. I don't know what triggered it all, because this morning, I woke up right as rain, as they say. But I lost a whole afternoon and evening of writing. With three back to back deadlines, that's not a good thing.

So what did I do? Nothing! I couldn't think much, not even to plot my next scenes in the chapters, not even to flesh out some new ideas. I watched TV mindlessly, without even the strength to put in a DVD. Thank goodness the remote controls were working.

The only good thing about the day, was that I didn't have much of an appetite. Jello and toast did it for me, all day. Hopefully, the scale will register differently today!

And I watched AMERICAN IDOL. Boy, Simon wasn't in a good mood. Ryan thanked Paula and Randy at the end of the show, but Simon's name wasn't even mentioned. Did you notice? They'd had words during the course of the show. For ratings, I'm sure.
But I have to say, Simon is right most of the time. Of course, he's rank and crude and could be nicer with his criticism, but nothing about the male performances rang out to me and screamed NEXT IDOL. I hope the ladies night will be better.

It's nice to be able to think today. And write! I'm not leaving this computer anytime soon today.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Romance Junkies Valentine's Contest


There's plenty of time to enter to win a beautiful ruby red beaded necklace and an autographed copy of Fortune's Vengeful Groom! Check it out. There are some other great prizes listed from publishers and authors. Contest ends April 4th.
Good luck!

Here's the link and be sure to click on the mirror!
Romance Junkies Charlene Sands' Contest

Another Nomination!





Every so often, you write a book you really love. You put your heart and soul into it and try your hardest to portray the characters you love in a way that readers will relate to. That's what happened with Bunking Down with the Boss. The title doesn't begin to depict the emotion that are relayed in this story of self-forgiveness, trust and grief, but they are all there and it's a story in which I'm especially proud. Yesterday Bunking Down with the Boss was nominated for the Cataromance Reviewer's Choice Award. I couldn't be more thrilled. I hope those of you who have read the book, agree and those who haven't will get a chance to read it.

Also, today I found out from my editor that my March release FORTUNE'S VENGEFUL GROOM will be available in e-book format at Eharlequin! That's also very nice news.


Today, I'm working on the Desire I sold last week. Not sure of the title yet, but it will have Corporate Raider somewhere in the title, which pleases me. It's going to be a fun and challenging story to write.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day! A new contest/Capa Awards

It's been a while since I've posted here, mainly because I've been writing, writing, writing. While working on the Spring Bride's Anthology "CALEB'S KISS" for May 2008, I received the go ahead for another historical, "TAMING THE TEXAN" (tentative title)and then I'm happy to announce the sale of another Silhouette Desire, coming in January 2008!

So life is crazy for me, but in a good way!

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Myspace Codes: MyNiceSpace.com



But I couldn't let this day go by without saying HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to lovers of romance and people who believe in happily ever after! It's the day to remember the good things about the people you love in your life. To show them you care. In a simple way, a big way or somewhere in between.

This time I went practical for my hubby, with a One-on-One Coffee brewer using a "coffee" pod insert which gives you a fresh cup of coffee in one minute, no mess, no fuss. And easy clean up. And the Styrofoam cup with lids will provide him coffee on the go, when he leaves for work.

It was all set up late last night while he slept, so this morning when he walked into the kitchen he could simply press the button and waa-laa! I have to admit I felt like Santa stealing around the house quietly putting it all together with balloons and bows too. It was great fun!

And for me - my husband went sentimental again, with an adorable stuffed animal holding a small photo journal depicting our life together for the past 30+ years- something he painsakingly put together while I wasn't looking! Very sweet. I love it!

Please be sure to check out my Valentine's Contest at Romance Junkies today where you can win a beautiful Valentine necklace and a signed book.

The Capa Awards will be given out today from THE ROMANCE STUDIO. THE WAY TO A MAN'S HEART from Cobblestone Press was nominated in the contemporary category, I'm proud to say.

HAVE A SWEETHEART OF A DAY!