"The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing."

Michael E. Gerber
Author of The E-Myth Revisited

Hope this rings a bell with you as much as it did me today! I've been much to passive lately. I needed that kick in the ass.

Have a great day, everyone!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

What I'm Reading...

Well, technically I'm not reading it anymore because I finished it last night. And, like all the others, it kept me turning the pages, unable to put it down. This is the last of the series that has been released so far. The next comes out in July and I'm thankful for the break. LOL If it was available now, I have no doubt I'd continue to put off my writing to read.

Here's the cover and blurb from Nalini Singh's website:



HOSTAGE TO PLEASURE
BERKLEY BOOKS
September 2008

“The overarching plot continues to thicken in Singh’s extraordinary series as dangerous new players emerge. One of the greatest pleasures of these books is their ability to deliver both an intensely personal love story as well as a riveting societal drama. Singh is on the fast track to becoming a genre giant!”

(Top Pick!) ~ Romantic Times

With her darkly seductive Psy/Changeling world, Nalini Singh has created "a sensual, dangerous adventure not to be missed" (New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh). Now, as the deadly Psy Council tightens its grip, a rebel Psy scientist finds herself at the mercy of a changeling who has sworn vengeance against her kind...

Separated from her son and forced to create a neural implant that will mean the effective enslavement of her psychically gifted race, Ashaya Aleine is the perfect Psy--cool, calm, emotionless...at least on the surface. Inside, she's fighting a desperate battle to save her son and escape the vicious cold of the PsyNet. Yet when escape comes, it leads not to safety, but to the lethal danger of a sniper's embrace.

DarkRiver sniper Dorian Christensen lost his sister to a Psy killer. Though he lacks the changeling ability to shift into animal form, his leopard lives within. And that leopard's rage at the brutal loss is a clawing darkness that hungers for vengeance. Falling for a Psy has never been on Dorian's agenda. But charged with protecting Ashaya and her son, he discovers that passion has a way of changing the rules...


I love this series and encourage everyone to read it. Like I said last week, almost makes me wish I was a changling!

Have a great weekend!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

This is a great recipe and it's so easy. It's one of the few things that everyone in the family really likes (meaning, it's on of the few nights I don't hear any complaints about dinner).

INGREDIENTS:
2 pork tenderloins
1 Cup soy sauce
1 Cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 package dry Italian dressing
1 Tablespoon tarragon vinegar (I don't know the right way to do this, but I just dump tarragon leaves into 1 tablespoon of vinegar) LOl

INSTRUCTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a Ziplock back. Marinade 2-3 days. Cook on the grill or in the crock pot 4-4 1/2 hours on high.

Silver, I got the packages of Crescent rolls at the store the other and then forgot they were in there. This weekend I'm going to fix your recipe from last week.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Peace and Love,
Alannah

Hump Day Humor...

I realize that I'm easily amused, but this is just too funny to me. Hope y'all enjoy the show!!



Have a fantastic Wednesday!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

Food For Thought...

...Perseverance

My kids teach me a lot of lessons. My oldest son started teaching me lessons when he was as young as three. We were at a California vs. Arizona football game. The California Golden Bears mascot wasn't very...hmmm...realistic. It was a painted on face, and not a very good one. I remember making a derogatory comment. I can't even remember what I said now but I distinctly remember what my son said, "But Mom, look at him. He's happy." And he was. The painted on face was a huge smile and who was I to judge him. Even if he was just a mascot.

That has been a regular occurrence with my oldest over the past nineteen years (he's now 22).

And now it's my youngest sons turn to become the teacher.

He plays on his middle school's baseball team. At this age, they make a lot of errors. It's not like the Bad News Bears or when they first start off playing T-ball, but they still let balls get by them and have bad throws.

Now, when I make a mistake (or do something less than perfect) I beat myself up for it. A lot. These guys get frustrated and angry, but the next time the balls in play, they've let it go, moved on and are back in the game. Hmmm...a great lesson for when I get a bad review or a rejection letter.

But the coolest thing in the world happened last night!

Three years ago my son decided he wanted to be a catcher. He wasn't even playing on an organized team at the time, not even Little League. But did he let that stop him? Nope. He told Grandma for his birthday he wanted catcher's gear and she got it for him.

Last year, he tried out for his middle school's baseball team and made it. Every game he asked the coaches if he could catch. It didn't matter that he'd never done it. Well, it didn't matter to him. He still asked. He carried his gear with him to every practice and every game. He never got to put it on.

This year, he made the team again and they started letting him catch some during practice. In fact, he catches most practices. The whole practice. But he's never played in a game.

Until last night!

The stars aligned. They got a big lead over the opponents and the regular catcher hurt himself sliding into 3rd base. A group of parents that have seen him carry that gear with him every single day started cheering and yelling for him. As soon as they started warming up for the third inning it became obvious to everyone. He's good. Really good. The parents started questioning why the coaches don't let him catch all the time.

The coaches constantly complimented him on how good he was doing. The teammates cheered for him. He got everyone out that he was supposed to. He only let one or two balls get by him and when they did, he hustled back and got them. Correcting the error as quickly as he could. Then he shook it off and got right back in the game.

I can't remember a time that I've ever been prouder of him. Not because he was good at catching. But because he was determined that was what he was going to do and he never gave up. And what a great lesson for me.

Sorry this post is so long. But thanks for sticking through all the way to the end (lol..if you're still reading). And remember, if you want something, even if you don't see any possible way right now - even if you're not on a team - don't give up!!!

Have a wonderful day!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

What I'm Reading...

Barnes & Noble finally got my order in! I was in dire straits for a few days but all is well again. A couple of weeks ago I told you I was reading one of the books in Nalini Singh's Psy-Changling series. I'm now reading the fourth book in the series.

I will tell you, this one is darker than the others have been. And this one involves children. So far, nothing has happened "on scene." But just the references have been a little disturbing for me and sometimes I've skimmed over them.

As a writer, I understand the reasoning for it. She needed something that the heroine was willing to fight fore. Something so compelling and important that she would seek out her childhood friend. Who is now a man that terrifies her.

Here's the cover and the blurb from Nalini Singh's website:

Nalini Singh pulls away another dark layer of sheer desire, revealing passions unknown, in her latest novel about the world of the Psy. A ghost returns from a leopard changeling’s past, making him question everything—even his base animal instincts…

Clay Bennett is a powerful DarkRiver sentinel, but he grew up in the slums with his human mother, never knowing his changeling father. As a young boy without the bonds of Pack, he tried to stifle his animal nature. He failed...and committed the most extreme act of violence, killing a man and losing his best friend, Talin, in the bloody aftermath. Everything good in him died the day he was told that she, too, was dead.

Talin McKade barely survived a childhood drenched in bloodshed and terror. Now a new nightmare is stalking her life--the street children she works to protect are disappearing and turning up dead. Determined to keep them safe, she unlocks the darkest secret in her heart and returns to ask the help of the strongest man she knows...

Clay lost Talin once. He will not let her go again, his hunger to possess her, a clawing need born of the leopard within. As they race to save the innocent, Clay and Talin must face the violent truths of their past...or lose everything that ever mattered.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

Something New...

OK...as fun as Purple Prose Thursday was, it was a lot of work. I never seemed to be in the right frame of mind to come up with something good.

So, I'm going to try something new. For months now I've been using my crock pot to cook not all, but most of our meals. Those who swing through the jungle probably remember Janelle blogging about this on Monday.

I'm right there with her. I despise cooking. I have a floorcloth that says, "I kiss better than I cook." But I also like to eat. As does my family. So I use the crockpot more than anything else.

In place of Purple Prose on Thursays, let's do a recipe swap. I'll post something simple. And believe me, if I know how to fix it, it will be simple. And you guys can share some of your favorites if you like.

I shared this recipe on Janelle's blog on Monday, so I'm sorry it's a repeat for some of you, but it's 9:45 on Wednesday night and at this point it's the best I can do.

4 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar of your favorite salsa

Put chicken in the crock pot. Pour salsa over top. Turn on low and cook all day. When you come home you can pull the chicken apart and use it for tacos or fajitas. Add a box of Spanish rice or a can of refried beans and you're good to go.

It's very simple and very yummy.

If you work a regular M-F workweek, only 1 more "get-up." Yay! Hope it's a great day for everyone.

Peace and Love,
Alannah

Hump Day Humor...

This video clip has been around for years but it's still funny as can be (at least to everyone but the guy in the chair). LOL



Maybe it's so funny to me because it reminds me of a similar prank I played on my cousin. He's a few years older than I am and he and his friends used to come out to our farm and camp. One night I waited until about 2:00 am, when I was sure they were good and drunk and asleep!

I zipped the zippers up real tight on the tent. Slowly pulled all the spikes out of the ground so the tent fell gently on top of them, then set off a string of firecrackers that wrapped the tent.

Watching my 6'6" cousin and his 6'2" friend crawl out of that tent was the funniest thing I'd ever seen in my 15 years of life. And they were so pissed I was pretty sure I wasn't going to see my 16th year of life!

They were way in the back of a field and it was about 1/2 mile walk back to my house. I'd parked about 3/4 of the way to where they were camping - I didn't want my car to wake them up. I was running back to my car but he got in his car and beat me there. He let the seat all the way back - knowing I couldn't move it forward without some help and also knowing I couldn't reach the clutch from where he'd repositioned the seat.

Then he chased me all over that field with his car while I ran home. Almost 30 years later we still laugh about that night!

Have a great hump day!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

Food For Thought...

Instead of a quote, I've got a video to share with you guys. It's as sweet as it can be and a real warm-fuzzy moment.

Enjoy!!



In case you missed my comment yesterday, I've updated my website and under the "Fun" section we've included pictures from our trip to the Daytona 500! Here's the link if you want to check them out.

Have a wonderful St. Patrick's day!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

What I'm Reading...

I have enjoyed all of Susan Donovan's books but her latest, "The Girl Most Likely To..." was (in my opinion) the best so far.

I was sucked in from the very first page and literally couldn't put the book down. I carried it with me any time I left the house, in case I caught red lights or had to wait a few minutes for hubby. I found myself sneaking away from the computer multiple times through out the day to go read a few pages. Finally, yesterday, I just stopped everything and finished it.

Here's the blurb from Susan Donovan's website:

THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO . . . , sixteen-year-old Kat Cavanaugh hitchhikes out of Persuasion, West Virginia and vows never to return. Who could blame her? She’d just stumbled upon her father’s adulterous affair, found out she was pregnant, got dumped by her boyfriend, and kicked out of her house and school . . . all in a single afternoon. Twenty years have gone by and Kat’s back—gorgeous, rich, and looking for an apology from everyone who’d turned their backs on her. First on that list is Riley Bohland, the boy who broke her heart before she could tell him about the baby. But Kat didn’t count on Riley having his own axe to grind, or that he’d be just as delicious as he was at sixteen. She also didn’t count on her heart opening at the sight of him. When their anger ignites a passion intense enough to burn through two decades of secrets and lies, Kat must question everything she thought she knew about her past. And what about her future? The only place to find the answers may be in Riley’s arms…

It's touching and at times I cried along with the heroine. It was funny and at times I laughed out loud causing the cat to look at me like I'd lost my mind. There were fun little trinkets of information dropped in here and there that cropped back up later in the book. I honestly can't say enough good things about this book and it's on my keeper shelf.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

Seeing Red instead of Purple

A few weeks ago I had someone do something to me that wasn't very nice. It was a betrayal of sorts and before I had the full explanation I shared what had happened with Cara and Luanna.

Well, they were both angry on my behalf and this was Cara's response:

"I hope they stew in the agonizing, boiling hot juices of guilt that seeped out of their insidious act. And I'd let them simmer there for a bit before picking them up and letting them grovel for your forgiveness."

And this was Lu's

"I hope they feel lower than shit on a snakes belly. And they’d better apologize whilst groveling at your feet. IMO."

If I ever go into battle, I want these two at my back!!!

So, anyone do anything to hurt or anger you lately? Feel free to vent those hurts and frustrations here. Get it all out. Make it just as Purple Red as you can.

Then let take a deep breath, let it go and refuse to give another ounce of your power or energy to them or the situation.


Have a fantastic day!!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

Food For Thought...

"Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you; be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them."

W. Clement Stone
1902-2002, Author and Businessman


W. Clement Stone had so much wonderful advice to share and I'm always amazed when I think about how advanced his thinking for the time he lived.

Have a wonderful day!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

What I'm Reading...

I love Nalini Singh's books. They are so rich on detail and so incredibly sensual. If you've never read one, run to the nearest bookstore or library and pick one up. The first in the series that revolves around the "changlings" and the cold-hearted, emotionless Psy-race - THE PSY-CHANGELING SERIES~BERKLEY BOOKS - is "Slave to Sensation." WOW!!!







The second in the series is the one I'm reading now, "Visions of Heat."




Here's the blurb from Nalini Singh's website:

Go deeper into the world of the Psy and the changelings, where a gifted woman sees passion in her future-a passion that is absolutely forbidden by her kind...

Used to cold silence, Faith NightStar is suddenly being tormented by dark visions of blood and murder. A bad sign for anyone, but worse for Faith, an F-Psy with the highly sought after ability to predict the future. Then the visions show her something even more dangerous-aching need...exquisite pleasure. But so powerful is her sight, so fragile the state of her mind, that the very emotions she yearns to embrace could be the end of her.

Changeling Vaughn D'Angelo can take either man or jaguar form, but it is his animal side that is overwhelmingly drawn to Faith. The jaguar's instinct is to claim this woman it finds so utterly fascinating and the man has no argument. But while Vaughn craves sensation and hungers to pleasure Faith in every way, desire is a danger that could snap the last threads of her sanity. And there are Psy who need Faith's sight for their own purposes. They must keep her silenced-and keep her from Vaughn...

I've also read the third in the series:







And soon...very, very soon...I'll be adding the rest of the series to my collection. These are keeper books. As a writer, they're great books to read and enjoy and then to go back and analyze and learn from. What makes them such great books? Why are the characters so real? Why can't I stop reading them long enough to sleep?

Hope y'all have a great weekend!! It's finally going to get warm at my house this weekend. Hope you have the same great weather that we'll be having in SE.

Peace and Love,
Alannah

Hump Day Humor...

I love this video. It'll make you laugh, but it's also a great reminder for how great we really do have things. Even when things seem to not be so great these days...yeah, they are.

I can't embed the video into this blog, but you can click on the link and it will take you there.

Have a great day!!
Peace and Love,
Alannah

Food For Thought...

"Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything - whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out."

Tina Turner
Entertainer

Hope it's a great day for everyone!
Peace and Love,
Alannah