10. My Week – My youngest turned five. FIVE! How did this happen? And I swear he had fun on his birthday. The above picture was taken at his preschool and he doesn’t like to be the center of attention. It just cracks me up that he is wearing this huge crown and looks so…pissed. And I registered him for Kindergarten. It was a hard week to be a mom ;)
9. Today, the Rita and Golden Heart Finalists were announced. Go HERE to see the full list of nominees. Winners will be announced at the RWA conference in July. I haven’t read a lot of these noms, but I am so excited to see what I have read get nominated:
When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer (Best First Book and Best Regency Historical)
Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl (Best Contemporary)
Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis (Best Contemporary)
Open Country by Kaki Warner (Best Historical)
Killbox by Ann Aguirre (Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements)
Edited to add: Rebel by Zoe Archer (Best Paranormal Romance)
I think it odd I haven’t read any of the paranormal finalists (I’ve read Zoe Archer!)– I might have to check some of them out! (This list might not be 100% complete yet either….) Congrats to all the nominees!!!!
8. JR Ward has opened her merchandise store!! Hooray! I think I need the Blay & Qhuinn forever shirt for reals! Also:
A Fritz apron with a feather duster?? I die. Loves.There is jewelry, phone covers, all sorts of apparel etc. Y’all know I’m going to be sucked into some of this stuff. I will report back when I my shipment comes in :)
7. Cover Alert! One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost. No blurb yet. Out August 30th. Woot!
6. Nalini Singh announced she will be writing four more Guild Hunter books! Woo and Hoo!! Right now she is working on a novella for Galen and Jessamy. Very excited about this news – this is one of my favorite series.
5. Amanda Hocking, who has sold over a million copies of her self-published books, has signed a $2 million deal with St. Martin’s for a four book series set to come out fall of 2012. Awesome!!! Has anyone read any of her books?
4. My dirty secret – I’m slightly obsessed with the show Bethanny Ever After on Bravo. Am I the only one? Bethanny used to be on the Real Housewives of NYC. Then she found love and had a baby. Plus she is the creator of the Skinny Girl Margarita, with the tag line “The margarita you can trust.” I don’t know if I’ve ever met a margarita I could trust, but if she says so. Also, anyone who wants to make me drinks with less calories, is my type of girl.
3. This weekend, I’m having a girls night – dinner and a movie (and wine of course!) It is my turn to pick the movie. I am very bad at this because I don’t keep up very well with current movies. And in all honestly, if it was just me watching it, I would pick something from PBS or BBC America. I don’t think my girls would dig that however. So what do I watch? I saw The Switch is out, with Jason Bateman who I lurve!! But is also has Jennifer Aniston in it who I don’t lurve at all. There is also The Fighter with Christian Bale. I hear that is really good. Thoughts? Opinions? Help me!
2. I love Bluntcard.com. LOVE. I can’t wait to use the above phrase on the Hubs or someone. It’s the little things that keep me going y’all. A few more favorites:
Okay! I’m done. For now.
1. It’s Friday!!!! This weekend I’m reading Master and Apprentice by Sonya Bateman (Enjoyed her first book, Master of None!)
The switch was ok, but the fighter was really good, so I would say that one ;)
Hahaha I love that first Bluntcard. I'm trying to think of all the people I can forward it to :-)
Stephanie G
Paranormal Haven
I'm sad there's no engraved spoon at the BDB store.
LMAO-Your kidlet looks likes he ready to punch someone.
Have you seen Clash of the Titans? I watched last night. I liked it. And many smexy guys to ogle. :P
Bluntcard.com is fab and I will be using them this holiday season. Srsly. Just you all wait.
Amanda Hocking ROCKS!!! And all the naysayers should go take a hike.
My daughter's school-time photos always have that expression on them too…what's with that?! lol
I think the Fritz apron is adorable!
Happy Weekend!
Love the Bluntcards. I need to get some!
I love Bethenny Ever After. Her husband hot and the cast of characters that are around her are hilarious!
See the Fighter! THE FIGHTER!! It's got all boxing and working-class Massachusetts manfulness!!
I saw both The Switch and The Fighter recently. LOVED Jason Bateman in The Switch, but it was kinda slow and boring at times. Aniston was not that annoying. I was kinda surprised. The Fighter was excellent!
Blodeuedd – Got it!
Ph – srsly – I'm going to say it all the time
KB – snort! You are so obsessed with the spoon…you crack me up.
Tori – I have not seen Clash of the Titans..I fail at movies..for reals.
Julie – I totes want that apron!
Marq – Let's face it- her hubs is hot when he walks around in his boxers. And I want Gina for a baby nurse!!!!
Cara- Yes Ma'am!!!!
Bells – I think the fighter might be it!!!
Haha the bluntcards are awesome!
I really want a Blay/Qhuinn shirt :)
Oh those cards are just precious!
I found one that says:
"My Darling Valentine… I'm a romantic because I noticed the other night, when my balls were slapping you face, they looked like an upside down heart."
I would help you out with the movie but I have to go find out if they ship to Europe. ^.-
LOTS of good stuff today Mandi! Your little guy is freaking adorable!!!
I AM SO EXCITED for KILLBOX getting nominated!! And I am just finishing Scoundrel and moving to Rebel in Zoe Archer's series – I didn't realize this series was categorized as PNR???
The kitty on the cover of One Grave At a Time cracks me up. Meowr?
Oh shit, Bluntcard might just be as awesome as someecard!
And finally, PS: I love love love love Bethanny. She has a witty response to EVERYTHING IN LIFE.
Have a great weekend!
bluntcard.com… I'm going right now. <3 it!
Have an awesome girl's night Mandi! I wish I were any help with offering movie suggestions but lately everything sucks. I haven't really enjoyed a movie in ages. If my plans don't get destroyed I'm heading for a date night with my man to see Sucker Punch. I don't get the whole "oh that's a total guy movie" thing. Women kicking ass and looking good at the same time? How is that not girlpower? Ah well.
Lovin' the bluntcards! :D
Thanks for the headsup about the BDB store. I got my MIL into the series and she is so hard to buy a gift for. Methinks this might be a good place to find one. *thumbs up*
Hi Mandi, your kid is adorable.
Movies, I saw Unknown last week, I don't know if it's still playing in the US, but it's good. The PNR/Medieval chick in me is intrigued by Red Riding Hood, but It's not out yet here in Brazil, so I can't say much about it. Go to Youtube and watch a bunch of trailers before you decide, it helps…
The BDB stuff … I want….
Have a nice weekend.
Okay, okay, okay… so I've been stalking your smexy blog for a couple months, and I freaking love you!
That is all. Had to be said.
Oh! How much do you absolutely love BluntCards? If I don't pay attention, I'll spend 3 hours browsing all their wonderful bluntness!
DL – I'm sooo getting that shirt!
Sylvia – I actually sent THAT card to my friends for VDay – I'm so classy! ;)
Pamela – Yay for Killbox. And yes, Archer's books have paranormal aspects..not heavy (at least at first)
I LOVE Bethanny's retorts!
Melissa – It will suck you in!
Rhianna – Girls kicking butt is awesome! Also, buying BDB stuff for your MIL is just as awesome!
Dani – Thanks! I think The Fighter has a lot of votes!
Bookish – *waves* Hey – thanks so much!!! :) I also get sucked into Bluntcards for hours ;) Good stuff!
Never heard of bluntcard.com-hilarious. I love the eHarmony one! Gotta save my pennies for BDB stuff. I'm afraid to visit the site. I'll want it all!!!You'll have to tell us what you buy! Your son is adorable! Have a great GNO. I never get to the movies, so I haven't a clue. If you watch something good, let me know! :)
Oh, those blunt cards are brilliant!
I haven't read any Amanda Hocking yet, but I'm very happy for her.
And yeah, the kiddo isn't looking too happy. Poor guy. Pictures are torture when your young. Glad he had fun at his party. Hope you have a great girls night. ;)
Bluntcards were awesome! Love being able to just spit it out, eh? And I stalk your blog regularly although I don't comment often. Enjoy the posts so very much.
LOL! I love those blunt cards!
First of all my middle daughter was born on March 23rd too! YAY
Also, I am disappointed in the JR Ward shop. There wasn't a Tohr shirt and I was mad! *sulks* maybe it will be added soon.
I will be honest here, I read Amanda Hockings book My Blood Approves a while back. I didn't think it was well written. Granted, it was the first book in the series, and she may have grown in her writing of it and maybe even edited it since then, but I just didn't like it as much. I am happy for her though.
What am I supposed to trust skinny girl margaritas to do, exactly? Make me pregnant?
<3 Blunt Cards.
Have you seen this
http://www.brainlesstales.com/
I like these. A lot. My 21 year old daughter posts them all over my facebook.
Have a great weekend!
~LB
Happy Birthday to your youngest and that look made me laugh. My kid doesn't like his picture taken at all ao he always looks like that.
Those Blunt cards are awesome, especially the eHarmony one.
As for Amanda Hocking, last summer, she was pretty much unknown and posted on the Kindleboards forum for advance readers who would be willing to read Switched for free, then post a review once it was available on Amazon. I volunteered because I'm always up for a free book. I read it, and thought it was decent, but it had a fair amount of typos and tense changes. I did a quick proofread, plus made one or two suggestions on changes she could make to make the story flow a bit better and sent the file back to her. All of a sudden, a few months ago, I started hearing about how she'd sold so many books. It just goes to show that there is no way to reliably predict when a book will become a phenomenon.
I love the cover of One Grave at a Time! Is it me or does the cover girl look different from the previous ones??
I resisted watching the 1st season of Bethanny (the gets married one) because I'm not a big Housewives fan and I figured, not another spin-off, etc. But then I got sucked into an episode of Bethanny Ever After a few weeks ago and now I'm hooked! Love that show!! oh, why did I ever try to resist?
Oh that's such an awesome picture of your youngest! Mine turned 5 in Jan and I am taking him tomorrow for his Kindergarten immunizations. Registration is only a few weeks away. I am dreading the first day of school because I just know I'm going to cry.
Those bluntcards are hysterical!
LOL! Bluntcard.com is now my pressssious . I too will be frequenting JR Wards store. Can't decide what to get though….must think…
So I'm totally behind on my blog reading, but had to catch up on my Top Ten reads… Congrats to the baby… my youngest turns 5 this Friday (4/8).
I reviewed Amanda's first book and did an interview (I think) when I first got up and running. She showed a lot of promise back then and I am very happy for her! Thanks for sharing the news!
Congratulations Chuck and Ashley You will do a great job. You guys are a great team and have our support. Love you both very much! Dad
Very informative blog post.Really thank you! Will read on…
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