Movie Review: The Mechanic

The Mechanic


Basic Premise
Arthur Bishop is a mechanic, another name for a hitman. He's decided to take on an apprentice, who just happens to be the son of a man he killed.

Contests Countdown Box

I've added a box to the blog called "Contests Countdown". Don't you just love widgets? They are the new "it" thing to do. And they come in so handy.

These last few months I have entered ERIS into quite a few contests. So many that I forgot I had entered one or two until I checked my mail to see just how many I had entered.

To keep track, I've added a few countdown widgets. The names of each contest are listed but here's the links for each:

2011 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence
hosted by Southern Magic - Birmingham, AL Chapter of RWA

Finalists announced 09 March 2011

2011 RITA
hosted by Romance Writers of America

Finalists announced 25 March 2011

2011 National Readers' Choice Awards (NRCA) Contest
hosted by Oklahoma Romance Writers, RWA Chapter

Finalists announced 25 April 2011

2011 Booksellers' Best Award
hosted by Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America, RWA Chapter

Finalists announced 06 May 2011

Winners announced July 2011

2011 Indie Book Awards
hosted by The Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Finalists notified 15 May 2011

2011 Holt Medallion Contest
Virginia Romance Writers of America, RWA Chapter
Finalists notified June 2011

2011 Maggie Award of Excellence
hosted by the Georgia Romance Writers, RWA Chapter
Finalists notified 16 July 2011

Updated: 09 February 2011 to add another contest

2011 Prism Award
hosted by the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal RWA Chapter
Finalists announced 20 May 2011

Updated: 21 March 2011 to add another contest

The Suvudu Writing Contest
hosted by Random House, Inc.
winner and finalists announced 18 May 2011

Updated: 14 April 2011 to add another contest

2011 Golden Leaf Contest
hosted by New Jersey Romance Writers
finalists announced early Septemer 2011
winners announced during the NJRW Put Your Heart in a Book Conference being held on October 21-22, 2011


Wish me luck.

Snow + Shoveling = Exhausted

Okay, so I dug myself out. I'd say there was about 6-8 inches out there. It was higher than that at one point, but it compressed by the time I got out there. All the streets are drenched with melting snow that will re-freeze tonight thus making a lovely sheet of ice beneath the snow we're supposed to get tomorrow. Fun. Fun.

I managed to get myself to the post office to mail off my contest entry for Holt Medallion and out to the Wally World for some supplies. Nothing really that major, but I figured since I was already out I might as well. :P

After all of that, I am wiped out. Keep in mind that I've been up since 8pm last night. For some strange reason, despite not having to work nights, I'm still on a sleep-days-awake-nights schedule. I think I just prefer it. Everything is quieter at night. I can concentrate better.

My last two or three nights have been spent concentrating on a stupid widget when I should have been writing. You can see my handiwork here. If that link doesn't work, the widget is also on my site. Let me know what you think.

Snow + Lightning = Bad

Well, here in MD, we're being snowed on. It's been snowing off and on all day. I just saw lightning about twenty minutes ago. Lightning in the middle of winter is never a good thing.

My street is buried. Everything is white. There has to be at least twelve inches out there (give or take an inch or two). And normally this wouldn't even be a blip on my radar since I'm not working outside of the home any longer, but I have stuff I have to mail out. There's a literary contest with a deadline of 30 January that I really want to enter.

Hopefully tomorrow will look better, and I can drive up to the post office real quick.

Widgets and Site Updates

So I have spent the better part of the morning (by morning I mean midnight - 4:27 AM) adding metadata to my website and creating book widgets. This is why I hate coding. Time just gets away from you.

Actually, all that time wasn't spent coding. It was spent trying to figure out how to code a widgetbox widget and then realizing simple HTML would do.

DOH!

So I cobbled something together that is simplistic and functional (what more could I ask for?). I also hope widgetbox approves it. Then I can add it to my site and hopefully others will do the same.

Ahhh the things I do for marketing. I still have to update my links page. But first, I need to move around. It's Wii time.

Maya on ARe

Rite Men for Maya is now available at All Romance eBooks

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-ritemenformaya-507386-140.html

It's also on sale for $4.27 (down from $4.49). Don't know for how long so don't miss out.

Thursday Funny

If you can't tell, I have nothing worthwhile to say so I'm posting random clips of funny stuff until I do. :P


Ice Age 4 Teaser

Wednesday Funny

A little past the season but no less funny...


Simon the Cat in 'Santa Claws'

Funny: Honest Food Prep

I got this link on FB, shared it on FB, but not everyone keeps up with me on FB so here it is...

HONEST FOOD PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS by College Humor

Anyone who knows College Humor knows that the above link leads to hilarity. Totally work safe, though there is a language advisory (few f-bombs). Feel free to share it around the office if people aren't prudes about mild language.

First Review - WC: Rite Men for Maya

Rite Men for Maya has gotten its first review from Whipped Cream Reviews:

"...a good read for those days where a reader wants a quick story with an erotic bent in an unusual locale... I was entertained throughout and was satisfied with the happily ever after."
~ Xeranthemum, Whipped Cream Reviews

Golden Globes

I am watching the Golden Globes and happy that I am.

I used to watch awards shows religiously when I was younger, then I started working retail and my work nights always fell on the award show nights. No more. Woot.

There are some lovely dresses. I loved Milla Jovovich's dress, and not just because she's one of my favorite actresses. I'm also really partial to that style. Halle Berry's outfit was nice too. My favorite dress is Olivia Wilde's dress. That was surprising and very pretty. The hubby and I were like, "WOW! That is a lot of taffeta... or chiffon... or whatever it is. Wow."

Seeing Emma Stone with platinum blonde hair was a shock. I didn't recognize her until they announced what she was nominated for. She's one of those people that looks totally different when you change her hair color.

Jennifer Lopez looked very stunning in her simple ensemble. I love that drape. Just the right touch of class. Anne Hathaway and Natalie Portman were another two that caught my attention in a good way. I love those dresses.

Robert Downey, Jr.'s little presentation was hilarious. I'm happy that Jim Parsons from Big Bang Theory won. That is a show that has crept into my heart thanks to him. Ricky Gervais was as irreverent as I heard he was last year. But hey, they invited him back so they knew it was coming. It was like being at a mini-roast for every person he talked about. Very funny.

And last but not least, How to Train Your Dragon got ROBBED!! What the hell!? That was completely crap. I love the Toy Story franchise like everyone else but there is no way that it beat out How to Train Your Dragon.

For a full list of nominees and winners, visit the Golden Globes site.

Home Body

I think I'm turning into a hermit. This is what happens when I don't have a job to go to. I haven't left the house since Wednesday. And I wouldn't have left the house then (still sick at the time) except I had a doctor's appointment to attend.

I do have places I need to go (kitties are running out of food, stuff to mail, need some small food items) but no inclination to leave the house. One huge factor keeping me at home is the gas prices. Even with my Yaris being so fuel-efficient, it's still expensive.

Eh well, I'll try again on Monday. :P

HISHE: Predator

How It Should Have Ended is the best idea EVER. These things are hilarious!

Well most of them. And this is one of them

Tron: Legacy in 30 Seconds

Because you know you wanted it

Random Previews: January 2011

It's that time again. :D

- The Resident (17 February 2011)
Ummm this is a candidate for the "shortest movie ever" award. Main character gets video proof of some strange guy in her apartment while she's sleeping. She takes footage to police. Guy goes to jail. End of movie. Or that's how the movie should end. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's the case.


- The Housemaid (21 January 2011)
South Korean film about a maid who is taken advantage of by the master of the house, gets smacked around by the master's wife for getting pregnant, and then seeks revenge. Sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to the DVD.


- Ice Age: Continental Drift (13 July 2012)
In true Ice Age format, this isn't a trailer for a movie. Rather it's a bit of the writers and animators torturing poor Scrat, which is always hilarious. This is no exception. I know nothing about the new Ice Age and probably won't see it since I didn't see the third one, but the short was great.


- Fast Five (29 April 2011)
O.O!! OMFG! This is going to ROCK! And not just because Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is in it. That does help though. I am totally looking forward to this movie. I did notice Han, however. So this would be another Furious sequel that takes place (timeline-wise) before Tokyo Drift. How much did that man do before he went to Japan?


- Summer Wars (24 December 2010)
Wow. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this looks good. It's more than just a slice-of-life story of computer geeks finding love. There is action, romance, drama, and end of the world mayhem. I'm going to look for this on DVD.


- The Mechanic (28 January 2011)
This is a remake of a 1972 film by the same name. I never saw that film. I don't intend to see that film. I do intend to see this one. I love Jason Statham. I especially love Jason Statham when he's in a movie kicking butt and killing people. I plan to enjoy this unless the writers really screw up the plot beyond belief.

Writing Update 12 Jan: New Release Coming Soon

You read the title right. I have a new release as Zenobia Renquist coming out with Changeling Press in February. Yup, just that soon. I didn't want to say anything to anyone until CP posted the buy page. They did. So, now I'm saying something.

No cover yet and I'm still in edits so there isn't an excerpt either. But here's a blurb for my contemporary, erotic, menage (m/m/f), bisexual, interracial romance:

Harley on the Rocks

Her heart has a choice between loveless sex or sex-less friends.

It started out innocent. An easy solution to help spice up a marriage. Friends with benefits, nothing more. Harley's heart has complicated the issue. She wants to be more to Koijirou and Davis than a temporary fling, but she doesn't want to ruin their friendship to do it. It comes down to a choice between loveless sex or sex-less friends and whether or not she can handle the consequences of the choice she makes.

*****

Keeping you posted as it happens... sort of. :P

Cleaning Demon

Cold is almost gone. To help it along its merry way, I started cleaning everything. Stripping the bed and washing the sheets, washing all my "sick" clothes, hosing the house down with Oust, and wiping down every surface I touched so there is no chance of re-contamination.

My Nose Hates Me

Okay so the lingering cough has pretty much gone away and left nasal congestion and sneezing in its place.

WHAT THE HELL!!?

What is this -- a cold in phases?

Hopefully this is the last phase of this mess. I'm getting sick of sneezing.

Feeling Better

A day and a half of rest just about did it. I'm feeling much, MUCH better. I still have a lingering cough that seems like its just sticking around to annoy me more than anything else.

Thanks to everyone for the get well wishes. I think one more day of rest should just about knock this out. Then I can go about my life as usual. At least I got some much needed editing done on one of WIPs. :)

Ugh...

I am typing this while lying in bed as I am sick. Symptoms include headache (not a migraine this time woohoo), tickle in the back of my throat that makes me cough if I don't keep my breathing even (did I mention I hate coughing?), chest ache that has now migrated to my back (possibly because I was up and about. tell you about that a little later), and a temperature that is higher than it should be. I have no idea what that temperature is since I don't own a thermometer. I don't get sick that often.

I think this might be a fever instead of a cold since I don't have any congestion. No sniffling, runny nose, sneezing or any of that. Just pain and really hot.

I have been laid up since 5pm yesterday (08 January). I got up around midnight to use the potty and then had to go downstairs to turn off lights since the hubby didn't feel the need to do so before going to bed. I figured, since I was already up and about, I might as well go down to the basement and get the Aleve. Ah wonderful Aleve.

Thus starts Sunday. Here I am, bemoaning my sorry state in bed when the hubby comes in around 9:40ish am (don't have a clock handy in the bedroom) and says we'll be rolling out to meet friends for brunch in half an hour. I tell him to have fun to which he reminds me that I said I would go. That's when I tell him that I've been in bed since 5pm the day before, what makes him think I'm going anywhere. He copped an attitude and left.

As it turns out, I did end up leaving the house. I was in dire need of vitamin C in some shape or form, so I had to go to the Dollar Tree about a mile up the road to get it. So, I gear up -- tie a scarf around my head to hide my stocking cap since I don't feel like taking it off, put ankle warmers over my socks, my jeans go on over my sweat pants (yes, they are that loose), I have my night shirt on with a sweat shirt over that and then put on my hoody and then my trenchcoat on top of that. I'm ready for you, Mother Nature.

A little too ready, as it turns out, since I was dripping sweat by the time I returned home. But I have my grapefruit juice and cranberry juice, so I am happy. After a quick change of clothes and some food (chicken noodle soup courtesy of Progresso), I am back in bed. I just wanted to write this real quick before I take another dose of Aleve and get some sleep.

Movie Review: Season of the Witch

Season of the Witch


Basic Premise
A disillusioned crusading-era knight is given one last task by the very church he has abandoned -- deliver the witch into the hands of the monks who will break the cursed plague she has wrought upon them all.

Thanks, Dennis!

So, I spent New Year's Eve at The Gold club with my hubby, Stephanie "Flash" Burke, and her husband Dennis. That was a largely forgettable evening that doesn't even bear being repeated as a funny anecdote. The reason I mention it is because the DJ kept playing the snippet of a song that sounded really good. He never played more than a snippet, which ticked me off.

Well, I mentioned it earlier today to Flash and Dennis, hoping they would know the song. They didn't, but Dennis said he would go searching for it based on the five second snippet we heard. About two hours into running errands, Flash got a call from Dennis saying he'd found it.

And here it is:

Shots by LMFAO ft. Lil Jon



To reiterate the subject line... THANKS, DENNIS!! :)

2011 Reader-Author Get Together

Lori Foster's Reader-Author Get Together is now open for registration!!

It's the 7th Annual Get Together in the first weekend in June -- 03 June (Friday) to 05 June (Sunday).

Register Here

At $52, it's one of the most affordable conventions you'll ever attend. Come on out to beautiful West Chester, OH to meet some of your favorite authors (myself included).

Fall/Winter 2010 Movie Recap

2010 is OVER! And that means that my Fall/Winter 2010 Top 5 Movie list must come down to make room for the new list.

I went to the movies a LOT this past season. Thankfully the movie schedule for the next few months is pretty lax until this summer. Then May hits and it's like movies every single weekend.

There are FIVE comic book movies this summer. Count them FIVE: Thor, Captain America, X-Men: First Class, Green Lantern, and Priest (which is technically a Korean manwha but I still count that). I'm looking forward to seeing them all.

So, without further ado. Here's a last look at my Top 5 Movies for Fall/Winter 2010. And what do you know? There are actually five this time. :P

Top 5 of Fall/Winter 2010

#1 - RED

#2 - Tron: Legacy

#3 - MegaMind

#4 - Morning Glory

#5 - My Soul to Take

Manga Review: Suggestive Eyes

Suggestive Eyes by Momoko Tenzen

Publisher: DMP June
Price: $12.95
Genre: Drama, Romance, Yaoi
Themes: College
Rating: Mature 18+
Volumes: 1 Volume
ISBN: 978-1-56970-045-7


Basic Premise
Megumu Okazaki lands in bed with Hisashi Kina on the rebound and a relationship starts, but Megumu doesn't want to continue sleeping with someone he doesn't love.

Manga Review: You Make My Head Spin!

You Make My Head Spin! by Kazuhiko Mishima

Publisher: DMP June
Price: $12.95
Genre: Drama, Romance, Yaoi
Themes: High School, student-teacher, delinquents
Rating: Mature 18+
Volumes: 1 Volume
ISBN: 978-1-56970-586-5


Basic Premise
Shindou is a new transfer student to a school known for its delinquent students. That's where Shindou meets Yousuke, a rough and ready type looking for a fight around every corner... or is he. Shindou knows there is more to Yousuke than he lets on and Shindou is just to man to find out what.

Drive By Post

I'm in and out this time. I have a book that needs finishing so I can get it to my editor in time for a February release date.

Wish me luck!

It's 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

A new year means taxes and a new budget.

I've got plans for 2011. I hope you all will stick around to see them come true.