I love Thursday!

It's THURSDAY!!
Thursday has long been my fave day of the week. Over the hump, but not yet the weekend...
Thursday still offers the hope that the weekend won't be entirely consumed by laundry and scrubbing toilets. Thursday is a day where possibilities are still endless -- you may win the Friday night Super 7 lottery, you may get a call to come to a fantastic pool party, you may go out for a fabulous dinner, you may see a movie with your girlfriends that makes you laugh until your sides hurt.
There are no long waits at your favorite restaurant (with the kids, we don't even bother trying to get in to the good spots on Fri/Sat nights!), the television line up is still decent (yeah - LOST tonight!!), and you don't worry about the weather because hey, it's only Thursday... as long as the sun comes out by Saturday morning!

This weekend looks very promising from the Thursday chair: we've got some friends to catch up with, visitors from Bermuda, then our little Kinson family is heading to Niagara Falls on Sunday for a mini-holiday.

Two questions for you, blogland: What's your fave day of the week and what are your plans for the weekend?

Aubrey's Shindig, Wii Fit Update

If you're not busy tonight, tune into Aubrey's Shindig on Calgary's CJSW 90.9 FM -- that's where I'll be, chatting about lust and rock 'n' roll in Law of Averages -- 9pm mountain time... which I think is 11pm eastern. I hope. Gee, I'd better get that figured out before tonight!

No writing was done this weekend (for reasons below) but I did receive some very nice emails from Law of Averages readers. Comments from readers are just about the best thing in the world, so if you've read a good book lately, don't be afraid to email the author. They'll appreciate it and you just may provide the spark they needed to get through a slump :)

At risk of sounding like a spokesperson for the Nintendo Wii...
When I look around the house at all the 'toys' (treadmill, bikes, trampoline, gym membership, video games, computer games, etc...) the Wii Fit is by far dollars-and-cents (and sense!) ahead of the pack by far.
Even through father-in-law visiting and youngest son's birthday party, it's gotten non-stop usuage. We've had to practically lift Grandpa off the balance board so we can get some Wii time ourselves (and he rocks, btw -- shattered most of our records!); and all the party guests, both adults and kids, had a go. How many other gaming systems can people from 4 years old to 'Grandpa' use?
Someone is almost always on it. We haven't watched television since American Idol last Tuesday.
And though I can't speak to the benefits in terms of weight loss yet (between eating out, bbq-ing and birthday cake, it's not been a typical week), at least it's getting our collective butts off the couch!

It's a busy week ahead, but I'm determined to get some writing-time in. What's on your agenda?

Shopping List: Amy Ruttan's Fox's Bride and Wii Fit

Congratulations to AMY RUTTAN on her latest release in the Ellora's Cave 'Oh Yum' (older woman-younger man) series, Love Thy Neighbor. BUY IT HERE.

I haven't read it yet (I have a house guest at the moment) but can't wait to delve in as soon as I find a peaceful moment.

And she's got Fox's Bride coming out next week from Cerridwen Press!!

Go Amy, go Amy, go Amy...

This weekend we're having my youngest son's belated birthday party. Grampa arrived from Bermuda with a bag of fresh Bermuda fish so we'll be throwing some wahoo steaks on the BBQ (seriously... my mouth started to water just writing that bit!) and, if the weather stays sunny and warm, getting out all the water toys for the kids to enjoy in the backyard.

In other weather news... did y'all hear about those twisters across the American mid-west yesterday? FOUR DOZEN of them! Un-freaking-believable. My heart goes out to those whose properties were damaged/destroyed.

And because I'm feeling exceptionally chatty this morning...

My Darling Hubby got me Wii Fit as a prezzie and I'm completely LOVIN IT!! It's the coolest little device EVAH. It has forty different games/exercises in four categories: yoga, strength training, aerobics and balance games.

The aerobics section has these terrific little 1 to 3 minute nuggets (or longer) of fast paced activity like step aerobics, hula hooping (a BLAST!), running, boxing, etc.

The balance games, by far the most fun, has slalom skiing, ski jumping (I am the household master in the jump- bwahahahaha) soccer, penguin balancing, and even tightrope walking.

The whole family (including Grampa - who has now shattered most of my records - grrrr) has been having fun with it. If you're thinking of getting a Wii - this program should have you convinced. If you already have a Wii - GET Wii Fit. You won't regret it.

Release Day Contest Winner and Prince Caspian: A Rant of Unusual Proportions

Oops!
If you stopped in earlier and saw no names, just placeholders, you were looking at a draft version of the post. Sorry -- my bad.

Thanks so much for entering my Law of Averages Release Day Contest. The winner of a beach bag, Bermuda photo calendar and a "Discover the Wylie side of romance" t-shirt is... *queue drumroll*

~ * ~ * KRISTY * ~ * ~

And because I had such positive response to the contest, I decided to throw in two runner up prizes. The following two win a Bermuda photo calendar.

TIFFANY

and JANE

Please email your mailing address TO THIS LINK and I'll pop your prizes into the mail asap.

~~~
And now, my rant:

I took my eight year old son to see Prince Caspian. This movie is being advertised to children though it is rated PG - parental guidance - for some fighting.
Okay - some fantasy fighting we can handle, right? We're not that over-protective...

Well my heavens, the opening scene is a woman on a bed, screaming as she gives birth. We see the splayed legs (the bits were hidden behind a fat bed-post, thank God, but it was obvious what was happening.
WTF?!!? Gee, explain that one to the son, HOW? (he was quite freaked by that, btw)

And had I known that the movie was over 50% fighting -- and I'm talking swords, bows and arrows, hand to hand combat -- all of it very brutal, I would not have taken eight-year-old boy.
The plot was painfully thin, the camera closeups a second too long (and that second turned wow moments to utter cheese) and the acting second rate (yes, yes, I know they're kids - but even the grownup centaur could have used a little better direction).
I understand that the story is a metaphor for Christianity/coming of Jesus to save man, but my GOD, I felt like I was getting my face slapped with it.
The business of Aslan (the lion) not coming to help them for no good reason except "things don't happen the same way twice" (or something to that effect) had me thinking WTF?? Why not, oh powerful LION? Why did you let half the Narnians get slaughtered in battle? What lesson was learned except that Your Almighty Ferociousness has entirely bad timing and a sadistic streak. Where the hell where you? If the movie/book was to serve as a vehicle to instil faith, it fell ridiculously off mark.
How do I leave a movie like this and explain it to my son who's asking - "Why didn't Aslan come and protect them at the beginning?"

"Well son, Lions work in mysterious ways..."

Have you seen it? I invite you to leave your reaction in comments, whether you agree or not.

It's release day!!

Is it hot in here or is it just

RELEASE DAY!!

Law of Averages is now available at Ellora's Cave and I'm celebrating in New Zealand!!
Alas -- only virtually ;) Drop by Shelley Munro's, where I'm guest blogging about exotic locations, and say hello.

Before you go, answer this one little question and you're eligible to *win a beach bag, a gorgeous picturesque calendar and a "Discover the Wylie side of romance" t-shirt.

What exotic locale is the setting for

Law of Averages??

Email your answer to lawofaverages AT rogers.com and I'll post the winner right here next Thursday. *random drawing of all correct answers

The answer can be found on this blog (scroll down), the Ellora's Cave link, or on my website.

Thanks for playing and good luck!

Thursday Thirteen (The one about Gabriel Law)

Thirteen Things about the HERO in Law of Averages

1. The hero is a very sexy rock-star named Gabriel Law.


2. He is from London, so if you're thinking sexy accent, you'd be correct.


3. Mastering both piano and violin by age seven, many would have called him a musical prodigy, but instead of following in his mother's footsteps, classically trained pianist Marguerite Law, he chose a wilder path.


4. He's the founder and lead singer of Grammy award winning rock band, Rough Cut.


5. Early in his career, a Rolling Stone interviewer asked him if he was named for the archangel Gabriel, to which he laughingly replied “Did you say arch angel or dark angel”, unwittingly giving himself the nickname that he’s since become known as -- The Dark Angel of Rock.


6. He's got an angel wing tattoo on his right shoulder and bicep.


7. His band, Benny Heven (drummer), Luke Malone (bass guitar) and Melvin “Grinder” George (guitar) have been with him ever since he recorded his first demo album at age seventeen.


8. Rough Cut's first hit, the anthemic Win or Die is still played at sporting events worldwide, twenty years after its initial release.


9. Twelve multi-platinum albums, always mysteriously named after gemstones, have garnered the band numerous music industry awards. Fans are anxiously awaiting the follow-up to their 2006 RUBY Album.


10. Gabriel's struggling to finish his next album so he retreats to peaceful, picturesque Bermuda for in search of his muse.


11. His muse appears in the form of a naked woman in his holiday cottage.


12. Restaurateur, Megan Frost, manages to get his creative juices simmering.


13. Gabriel's fave flavor of ice cream is vanilla, as seen in the following excerpt...
    

By reading any further, you are stating that you
are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, it is necessary to exit this site.
An Excerpt From: LAW OF AVERAGES
Copyright © WYLIE KINSON,
2008
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

“Vanilla?” she asked when he came out holding two cones, the chocolate one for her.
“What’s wrong with vanilla?” he asked, taking a seat beside her on a bench in the shade.
“Nothing, I guess. It happens to one of my favorites, but I’m surprised that you would pick something so,” unremarkable, boring, “average, plain. I had you
pegged as a mint chocolate chip kind of guy, or maybe rocky road.” She purposely
didn’t order the vanilla lest she knock her average status down to mundane. There was simply no imagination in vanilla, or so she thought.
“There’s nothing plain about it, Megan, and contrary to popular belief, vanilla is a flavor.”
“Technically, yes.”
“Vanilla is rich, pure, creamy.” He drew the last word out before running his tongue up the
side of the rounded mound. His eyes, flashing a mixture of mischief and lust, locked on hers, sending her wicked thoughts of other mounds under that tongue.
“And I don’t like to have to chew my ice cream. I like it smooth, so it melts in my mouth and slides down my throat.” His eyes grew dark as the corners of his mouth twitched up. His thigh brushed against hers.Megan gulped, his innuendo was as clear as the cloudless sky. Heat pooled between her legs, making her sorry she didn’t wear panties. She squirmed in her seat, felt the slickness between her thighs.
“You’re dripping.”
Gah! How could he know? She was dizzy with excitement, embarrassment, and the feverish
heat that began between her legs rose all the way up her body until her cheeks reddened in a full-on blush. She pressed her thighs tightly together. Maybe he could smell her. She inhaled deeply, searching for that telltale scent of arousal, but all she smelled was flowers, ice cream and him—his masculine, sun-touched skin, like a breeze from heaven.
“You’d better start licking,” he said, holding out a napkin. His eyes locked on her lips.
Megan glanced down.

Ah, dripping.

Her knuckles were covered in rivers of chocolate as the ice cream succumbed to the heat.

Law of Averages - buy it May 16th from Ellora's Cave!

Contest Winner! Law of Averages Release Week :)

Thanks to everyone who took part in last Friday's contest.

The winner is... *queue drumroll*

* ~ * ~ * ~ * JK KOI! * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Congrats Kris. Please email me your address and I'll send your goodies :)

Law of Averages releases this Friday, May 16th so it's an exciting week in Wylie's World:

Join me back here this Thursday, May 15th, for another shot at a prize.

There are FIVE releases from the Six Degrees of Sexy's this month so you know we're cooking up something fun for y'all. It goes without saying that there will be... PRIZES!

Please stop by Shelley Munro's blog this coming Friday where I'll be chatting about Law of Averages and yes, you guessed it... MORE PRIZES!!

And here's one that's going to push yours truly right out of her comfort zone... I'll be doing a guest spot on CJSW 90.9 FM Calgary. You can listen in to Aubrey's Shindig from 9 PM to 10 PM (Mountain time) on Monday, May 26th to here me make a complete ass of myself (it's inevitable - trust)

Now, if you'll kindly mosey over to Six Degrees of Sexy, I've done the 'On the Nightstand' on the correct blog this week ;)

Law of Averages: CONTEST 2

There is nothing as romantic as a midnight picnic on a secluded Bermuda beach. In Law of Averages (available May 16 from Ellora's Cave) the rock-star hero, Gabriel Law, uses his culinary skills (just one of his many talents *wink*) to impress Megan Frost. The main course was this casual but culinary delight.

Fish Sandwiches:

1 egg

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

3 pounds Bermuda snapper fillets (wahoo works just as well)

3 tbsp combination of paprika, seasoning salt, and pepper (to taste)

1 cup flour

1 cup crushed cornflakes (bread-crumbs work too)

Oil for frying

12 slices fresh bread or buns

Beat the egg and milk in a bowl. Add the fish and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or two. Combine flour and cornflakes in another bowl. Drain the fish, sprinkle generously with seasonings and coat with cornflake/flour mixture.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy skillet. Fry fish until golden brown on both sides. Drain on a paper towel. Serve on bread with tartar sauce (recipe below) and your choice of lettuce, tomato and cheese. (Serves 6)

Homemade Tartar Sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp dill pickle, chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped Bermuda onion

CONTEST QUESTION:

Simply describe what would be in your perfect midnight-on-the-beach picnic basket for a chance to win. If you like the beach picture above, you'll love the prize of a picturesque Bermuda calendar. I'm also throwing in an ARC of my last novella, Destiny by Design. Winner, drawn randomly, will be posted on Monday morning.

Book News, Movie News

In books...

Christine d'Abo's The Bond that Heals Us is now available from Ellora's Cave.
It's the long-awaited sequel to last year's The Bond that Ties Us. I can't wait to dive back in to the Eurus Colony and see what awaits the lovely Dr. Sara when she meets a smokin' hot alien named Davin. Click HERE to buy.

In movies...
Saw the movie Baby Mama starring SNLers Tina Fey and Amy Pohler. I was a little worried that they'd showed all the good bits on the trailer, so I didn't have particulary stellar expectations from this one. Surprise! The movie was better than the trailers. It was 1 1/2 hours of laughs with some 'ah shucks' sweetness and a touch of romance. Very enjoyable. I especially liked Greg Kinnear's role -- is it just me, or is he highly underrated as an actor? Oh, and he's very hot in that 'husband next door' kinda way. Okay... that was creepy, but you know what I mean, right? He's more 'average' than hunky, yet he totally does it for me as a beta-dude. *sigh*
I posted more about Mr. Kinnear at Six Degrees of Sexy. In fact, I gave him the esteemed honor of being our Humpday Hunk!!

I'm eager to see Iron Man. Has anyone seen it yet? Let me know what you thought in comments!

Finally - COME BACK TOMORROW, May 9th, because I'm doing a Law of Averages contest. Anyone who comments gets thrown into a draw for a prize!!

On the Nightstand

I finally got deep into the TBR pile and pulled out Harlan Coben's The Woods. I've been looking forward to that one since picking it up last Christmas and it did not disappoint. Harlan's a master -- his plots are so fast paced they're un-put-downable. I ignored everyone and every thing -- the kids, the hubby, the cooking, the laundry -- nothing was done until I turned the final page. If you're looking for a break from romance, I highly recommend this author. Any of his books will do, though if you're a newbie to Cobenland, Tell No One is the perfect introduction.

If you haven't read Red Garnier's latest Ellora's Cave Exotika, Seven Sinners, your in for one sexy ride! Ms Garnier's talent for mixing fever-hot eroticism with deep emotion hits new heights. For a quick story, her characters are surprising well-drawn and multi-faceted. How does she cram so much into these quickies? Maybe a 'how-to' book is in her future ;)
I'm waiting for the sequel so I can find out more about the very intiguing Anna. And there'd better be a follow-up, Red! It's not nice to keep your readers wondering ;)

This week I look forward to Kimber Chin's debut novel from Champagne Books, Breach of Trust, Debra Glass's Gatekeeper, and Belle Scarlet's The Woodsman. Btw - Belle is holding a contest and the grand prize is a Kindle! Go see her website for details.

Another site to check out is our very own Julia - whose been doing wonderful book reviews for her Thursday Thirteens. Informative and comprehensive, Julia is doing a great service to her featured authors as her TT readers are adding heaps to the TBR piles.

God who?

Last year - April 27th 2007, to be exact, I posted about my friend's 2 year old son who was diagnosed with cancer -- a nasty brain tumor. Original post is here.
A year long battle that included 3 brain surgeries (the sucker kept coming back), 3 rounds of aggressive chemo, a bone marrow transplant, and finally, radiation to get rid of any lingering cells, and Owen seemed to be fine.
The family went on a fab trip to Disney, thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation, in celebration of Owen's return to good health.
Upon their return, Owen had one last MRI, just to make sure all was well.

All isn't well.
It's back.
There's nothing they can do.

My heart is breaking. I can't write, I can't sleep, I'm afraid to be alone with my thoughts... but this isn't about me.
Please pray for Owen and his family, to whatever higher being you subscribe.