Posted by Leslie on April 29th, 2007 | No Comments
You Are From Jupiter
You are exuberantly curious – and you love to explore newness.
Enthusiastic and optimistic, you get a kick out of stimulating intellectual discussions.
Foreign cultures and languages fascinate you. You love the outdoors, animals, and freedom.
Chances are you tend to exaggerate, so try to keep a lid on that.
If you do, you’ll continue to be known for your confidence, generosity, and sense of justice.
Posted by Leslie on April 29th, 2007 | No Comments
You Are a Normal Girl
You are 50% Good and 50% Bad
Sure you’ve pulled some bad girl stunts in your past.
But these days, you’re (mostly) a good girl.
Posted by Leslie on April 28th, 2007 | No Comments
for all of you Fantasy readers out there!
Posted by Leslie on April 28th, 2007 | No Comments
at Sandra’s Blog where I talk about Secrets and how SECRET INTENTIONS came to be! If you didn’t win from the contest I held here a few weeks ago, you still have a chance over at Sandra’s blog. So stop on over and post a comment!
Posted by Leslie on April 27th, 2007 | No Comments
sex. In case you’ve been wanting to know, a type of mite has decided that sex was the way to go when it comes to reproducing. Apparently, other types of mites reproduce without sex. The females give birth to young without having sex with males. “The most important implication is that contrary to general opinion, sexual reproduction can be regained long after it is lost,” evolutionary geneticist Bill Birky at the University of Arizona told LiveScience. Whew! Well, that’s good to know! My question is that if we don’t need males for reproduction, exactly what DO we need them for? 
Posted by Leslie on April 27th, 2007 | No Comments
I’ll be the guest blogger tomorrow at Sandra Barkevich’s blog. Not sure what I’m going to say yet – LOL – but I’ll come up with something. Other than that, I’m suffering through a spring cold, praying for the sun to return, and trying to get my yard into shape. We moved a few months ago and we’re still figuring everything out. One of the things that attracted me to this house was the pond outback, surrounded by a stone wall, with a running waterfall. There’s even a little bridge crossing it. However, the previous owners took the pump out for the winter and before we could get it all set up and working again, we had a huge nursery for mosquito larvae! ACK! Yes, even *coughfamouscough* If I think of anything more interesting to post about today, I’ll be back. But for now you get to read about my Real Life woes! writers have to deal with crap every now and then!
Posted by Leslie on April 26th, 2007 | No Comments
Dollars, that is. Apparently, that’s what it’ll cost you if you want to take a “holiday” into space. Although, according to this article, soon tickets can be as low at $200,000. Hmmm, I think I might save for retirement instead.
Posted by Leslie on April 26th, 2007 | 1 Comment
Once again, Jennie Crusie has brought up an interesting and thought-provoking topic. What defines beauty? What shape of woman is the true definition of a “womanly shape”? She brings up the latest Dove commercials, the ones that encourage to embrace aging – NOT to hide it. What’s so wrong with a few wrinkles? What’s so wrong with looking older than twenty-five when you are, in fact, over forty? Dove states that “beauty has no age limit” and Jennie certainly agrees: Okay, this is freaking brilliant marketing for several reasons, not the least of which they’ve just made every product out there labeled “anti-age†the bad guy. I am stunned by the genius behind this concept. But it’s not just neutering the competition that makes this campaign so great; this ad is positive in the way it sells the product and the brand. I’m fifty-seven, and after watching the commercial, I’m loving Dove. And it’s not even the company that makes the chocolate. Her other post refers to the Spanish cover for her book BET ME. The cartoonish woman depicted clearly has hips. She’s not skinny, not even slender. She’s shapely. She voluptuous. And it’s clear that Europeans embrace fuller sized women. Why does America focus and encourage women the size of bean poles? Jennie says: Almost makes me wonder if society’s insistence on narrow, childlike hips and its condemnation of the sexual aspects of romance novels don’t stem from the same place: a real fear of the uncontrolled power of women’s sexuality, especially of older women’s sexuality, women who have been around the block a few times and know things. That’s quite an interesting sentence in varying ways. First off, are women who don’t have fuller hips (but do, indeed, have the narrower ones) less womanly? Are they less in control of their sexuality? I’m sure that’s not what Jennie intended. What we need to say is that women come in ALL shapes and sizes and all of them are beautiful. There isn’t a single one that defines us as a gender. I find her mention of older women interesting too. Books with older heroines are becoming more and more popular and it’s easy to see why. As women age, they want to read about other women who have power, strength, and the fortitude to survive ordeals. I’m certain there are many women who read romance novels who are tired of reading about the virginal (or not) young, skinny, heroines in our books. Yet, I’ll admit that I continue to write those types of heroines. But you’d better believe I’ll think more and more about my heroine’s figure and age as I create new stories. Yet, already I create my heroes with an eye for more than just waif-like women. As Andreas in TABOO (by Jordanna Kay) says: No, all women, no matter their size, had bodies made for worship. What are your thoughts on the definition of beauty or on reading about older, not-”perfect” heroines? (Ignore the code behind the curtain: Technorati Profile)
Posted by Leslie on April 25th, 2007 | No Comments
if there really is a habitable planet out there elsewhere in the universe! Scientists have discovered a planet circling a star that “seems” to have what it takes to be habitable. Until now, all 220 planets astronomers have found outside our solar system have had the “Goldilocks problem.” They’ve been too hot, too cold or just plain too big and gaseous, like uninhabitable Jupiter. The new planet seems just right — or at least that’s what scientists think. The new planet is five times heavier than Earth, but circles a star smaller than our sun. This star is dimmer and cooler than our sun, too. But since that planet is closer to its star than Earth is to the Sun, the temps could still be right to support life.
Whether further study finds this planet truly habitable by life or not, it does open the door to more research and raise hopes. After all, is it really true that Earth alone in this vast and never-ending universe is the only planet to support life?
Posted by Leslie on April 25th, 2007 | No Comments
This time at the Samhain Cafe loop. We’re having a Home Alone Party for those of us not attending the Romantic Times Convention. Many prizes are being given away and there ooodles of excerpts to read. If you don’t already belong, send an email to samhaincafe-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and join us today!
