Sweet Saturday Sample - Oct 29

            This week we’re again following Peggy, a character from our book I.O.U. SEX. Peg has finally decided this is the day to start getting healthier. We have all experienced that moment of clarity when change is upon us, but what will Peg do with hers?

            With new resolve and inspiration, Peggy dressed and marched down to the kitchen for her first healthy breakfast. She filled the teakettle with water, set it on a burner to boil, then went in search of something low calorie to eat. She found an orange and several apples in the fridge, leftovers from when she’d made an apple cinnamon cake with citrus glaze topping. Choosing the orange, she stood at the sink and removed the peel with her thumbnail. She bit into the juicy pulp—mmmm, delicious—and wondered how long it had been since she’d eaten fresh fruit without whipped cream or sugar on it.

            While waiting for the kettle to whistle, she went to the pantry for a teabag. In her search, she found two boxes of pop tarts, some sugary cereals, and a container of pancake mix, her usual breakfast choices. She threw it all into the trash. Wherever she looked, junk food lurked on the shelves. She attacked the high-calorie items in the same way she weeded her rose beds—without mercy. Ten minutes later, the trash can overflowed and the pantry’s shelves were almost empty. She reached for a pen and started a list of all the things she’d need to buy at the grocery store later that afternoon.

            Sipping her tea, Peggy added other items to her list—workout clothes, walking shoes, socks, pedometer, notebook, as well as a book that listed the calorie content of foods.

            She’d have to do a lot of preparation to really begin attacking her fat in earnest. Rather than be daunted by the work ahead, Peggy felt energized and optimistic. She grabbed her purse and keys. The Farmer’s Market sounded like a good place to start.

Even though she didn’t have a lot of healthy foods on hand, Peg made the most nutritious choice available to her—a fresh orange. She’s off to a great start, because she’s now aware of what she’s putting in her mouth! But as many of us know, the real challenge comes as the days turn into weeks. Can Peggy hang in there with her healthy eating plan? Is there some exercise in her future? Will she find something to inspire her to stick with this major lifestyle change?


Book Title: I.O.U. Sex
Genre: Women's Fiction / Romance
Book Rating: R (sex between consenting adults M/F)
Available in paperback and eBook formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  CreateSpace and Smashwords.


Thank you to J. Gunnar Grey for once again hosting Sweet Saturday Samples. To read posts from other blog hop participants, click here: Sweet List 

BAH-HUMBUG & HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween 2011! I live in a little town in far North Texas, population 1,579. There are a few "neighborhoods"--I live in one of them--and everyone else lives out in the country or near the lake. Therefore, all the children from our town and others nearby just LOVE to come "trick-or-treating" on my street. It's a real zoo around here on October 31st! But most of my neighbors have risen to the challenge and decorated their homes and yards for the occasion, as you can see from the photos above.

For several years now I have shopped at Sam's for some really good Halloween treats to give out, not those tiny candy bars, but full size ones. Needless to say, my house was a popular stop for all those kiddies. However, the year before last I gave out almost 200 treats before I ran out and had to turn the lights off!

Therefore, last year my husband and I decided to take a Halloween "holiday". We turned out every light inside and outside the house and buttoned down the hatches. Then we left just before dark and drove to a nearby city to have a nice, leisurely dinner. After that we went to Target and strolled the isles in virtual isolation--the place had almost no customers! I guess we were being a bit "Scrooge-like", but we enjoyed the experience so much we've decided to give a repeat performance again this year. "Bah-humbug & Happy Halloween" everyone!

~ Miss Pickles (alias Sandra)

SPOOK-A-LICIOUS BLOG HOP TOUR - Contest Winner

          

     We're pleased to announce that Nay Nay is the lucky winner of an ebook download of I.O.U. SEX. Nay Nay said her favorite Halloween costume would be a Regency ball gown, and she doesn't care if she has the figure for it or not! We feel exactly the same way.
     Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave comments and enter our Spook-a-Licious contest. If we invited everybody who entered to a Halloween party, we'd have: a gothic demon, an Amazon warrior princess, Xena, Cleopatra, a Doraemon character, a Victorian vampire, Scarlet O'Hara, an angel, an Egyptian priestess, a Greek goddess, plus party-goers dressed in gothic fey, a regency ball gown, and a glittery dress with a feathered mask. We'll be the ones in the Annie Oakley and Elvira (Mistress of the Dark) outfits. Wouldn't that be a fun group?
     To find out how to order I.O.U. SEX (as an ebook or in paperback), click on the Buy I.O.U. SEX tab above. And have Spook-a-Licious Halloween!

Sweet Saturday Samples - Oct 22

We’re here again with another Sweet Saturday Sample. Thank you to everyone who follows this weekly blog hop, and welcome to newcomers who are visiting for the first time today. We appreciate your interest and welcome your comments.

For the past several weeks we’ve been posting excerpts about Peggy, one of our characters from I.O.U. SEX. This sweet lady just can’t seem to get her weight and related health issues under control. We join her the day after she’s had a heart-to-heart conversation about these topics with her best friends, June and Kiki.

The next morning, bright Texas sunshine streamed through the plantation shutters in Peggy's bedroom, waking her from a night of restless sleep. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

Peggy looked down at the mounds her body formed underneath the white sheet, thinking they looked like the foothills of the Rockies, with bumps and bulges galore. She sighed. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she control herself?

Her thoughts went back to Kiki and June's visit the night before. With their words fresh in her mind, Peggy climbed out of bed and walked into the guest bathroom. She took a long look at her face in the mirror and made a promise.

This is the day.

As of right now I am going to eat only healthy foods, keep a food and calorie journal, and start walking. Losing all this flab might be slower than cold molasses, but it's taken me a lot of years to gain it. One way or another, I'm going to get healthy.

Cross my heart and hope not to die.

Peggy removed every last stitch of clothing and stood in front of the Weight Watchers scale she'd purchased in one of her lost-cause diet attempts. She followed the directions printed on the front, tapping the scale with her big toe to activate it. When the read-out said "00", she climbed aboard and braced herself for the shock. The glaring truth flashed back at her—217 big ones. Somehow she'd lost three pounds since her last doctor's visit, but the huge number still made her cringe. It's a start, she thought, and I swear I'll never see a number that big again.

As you’ve probably realized, Peggy isn’t your typical glamorous character from a romance novel or from women’s fiction, but she’s definitely representative of a large segment of the real world. Anyone who’s ever been on the diet merry-go-round understands the challenges Peggy faces. We hope you enjoy following her story as she works to lose her excess pounds, and at the same time joins her two friends in tracking down their high school boyfriends.

Book Title: I.O.U. Sex

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Romance

Rating: R (tastefully written sex scenes between consenting adults – M/F)

Available in paperback and eBook formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  CreateSpace and Smashwords.  

To connect with other Sweet Saturday Sample authors, click here: The Sweet List

SPOOK-A-LICIOUS BLOG HOP TOUR

Where Boo-ks Devour You (October 17-24)

Thank you for stopping by our blog on the Spook-a-licious Blog Hop Tour. Our post features an excerpt from I.O.U. SEX where Kiki has hatched a daring plan under cover of darkness and enlisted the help of her friend Peggy. Though it isn’t Halloween night, they’re both in disguise and gearing up for their caper. Here’s the scene:

     At 1:00 a.m. on Monday morning, Kiki and Peggy sat in a black rental van behind the Westwood Hotel. An array of electronic equipment filled a black rolling suitcase resting on the seat behind them, concealed beneath Peggy’s patchwork quilt. Kiki folded back the covering, opened the case, and examined the items inside, explaining for the third time that day how everything worked.

     “I know, I know,” Peggy answered.

     Having experienced her friend’s ineptitude with anything electronic, Kiki could only hope that was true.

     The trip to the spy store off Harry Hines Boulevard the week before had opened Kiki’s eyes to a whole new world she’d never known existed. The salesman had eagerly demonstrated the features and uses of each camera in his showcase, telling Kiki more about surveillance than she ever wanted to know. She left with two high quality video systems—one disguised as a smoke detector and the other, a fully-functioning radio alarm clock. Both systems were expensive but offered high-quality video and audio components and included wireless transmitters and receivers. The salesman said both cameras were motion activated, easy to install, and would transmit color photos to receivers in a remote location. Kiki also bought two of the shop’s best digital recorders—part of the equipment she’d leave in the car with Peggy while she went inside. She had spent the night before reading the manuals, checking the built-in monitors, and familiarizing herself with how everything worked. She felt as ready as possible.

     Inside the dark van, the two women looked at each other and shared a nervous giggle. Peggy wore a black turtleneck and slacks with black tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled up underneath a black baseball cap with her brown ponytail sticking out of the hole in the back. Kiki wore a housekeeper’s uniform, her red hair covered with a black wig. She felt like an overgrown kid preparing to go trick-or-treating.

     Kiki looked at her friend and gave a wolf whistle. “You really look skinny in that outfit, Peg. How much weight have you lost?”

     Peggy gasped. “Are you nuts? This is no time to be discussing my size. You’re about to commit a crime, and I’m an accomplice.” She gripped the steering wheel with both hands and stared at Kiki with wide eyes. “Now that we’re here, I’m wondering if maybe we should reconsider. I’m not so sure this is a good idea. The way you described it, it sounded simple. But now that we’re doing it, I feel as jumpy as a skillet full of fleas.”

     “Courage, girl. This is just like when the three of us papered Greg’s house back in ninth grade. We got away scot-free, remember? This is a great plan.”

     “Hmph. That’s what General Custer said and look what happened to him.”

What’s Kiki’s devious plan and will it succeed? The winner of our giveaway will find out with a free eBook copy of I.O.U. SEX.

To enter our GIVEAWAY, follow these two steps:

1.    Leave a comment below telling us what your fantasy costume would be. 

2.   Include your email address so we can contact you on October 25th if you are the winner!

The Official Blog Tour Rules are listed below. To continue on the tour and connect with other Spook-a-licious writers, click here: 

OFFICIAL RULES:

1.  Have fun!!
2.  Invite all of your friends. Spread the word!
3.  this tour starts: Monday, October 17, at midnight (Arizona Time)
     This tour ends: Monday, October 24, at midnight (Arizona Time)
     Winners will be drawn and their names posted October 25 ***
4.  Meet and mingle with all the authors on their book pages. Experience
     a new destination at every stop. Participate in every blog contest, and
     be entered for chances to win multiple prizes. Every blog visited is
     another opportunity to win.
5.  Participation at all blogs is recommended but not required. 
     Remember,the more blogs you hop, the better your chances of 
     winning prizes.
     Every author and book page is waiting to meet and interact with you,
     so please be sure to show them some love.
6.  Did I mention to have fun? Whoo! Hoo! Here we goooooo!


*** Authors and book pages have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog tour is subject to these rules.

Sweet Saturday Samples - Oct 15

Our thanks to everyone for coming to our blog to read this week’s Sweet Saturday Sample. We really appreciate your interest! In this week’s scene from our book, friends June, Peggy, and Kiki are rocking in the chairs on Peggy’s front porch, sipping iced tea, and discussing life.

Book Title:  I.O.U. SEX

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Romance

Rating:

    This Excerpt: G

    The Book: R (Sex between consenting adults and some mild profanity) 

       Kiki hesitated, then spoke again. “Peg, what’s the one thing you’ve always wanted to do?”

Peggy looked up in surprise. "Gosh, I don't know. I've spent so many years thinking like a married woman, I guess I'm not used to considering what I want." She paused to think before continuing. One regret came to mind immediately. "I always wanted children, ya' know? But it's a cinch that's not going to happen now."

Kiki and June sat quietly, listening while Peggy voiced her feelings.

"What I should do, and what I would really like to do, is lose this flab once and for all." Peggy surprised herself with her own words, but as soon as they left her mouth, she realized just how true they were. "I would like to be a healthy person who doesn't have to stop and catch her breath at every turn. I want to get my cholesterol under control and, doggone it, I want to feel good about myself for a change." Peggy looked from Kiki to June, eager to see their reactions to her announcement.

June spoke first. "Then that's exactly what you should do."

Peggy's defeatist attitude surfaced again. "Of course, that's easier said than done. How do you two keep so slim?"

"Hell if I know." Kiki shrugged. "I've never been one to eat sweets. I guess I take after my mother, and you know how thin she was. Her skinny gene is the only good thing she gave me."

June shook her head. "Not me. I'd live on ice cream and chocolate chip cookies if I could. I have to really watch it."

Peggy laughed, surprised to hear June shared her weakness for sweets.

"And I exercise too. I have a couple of workout tapes I use several times a week—the kind where you dance to music." June laughed. "To tell you the truth, they remind me a little bit of our Rayette dance routines."

Peg wondered if she could do something like that.

June continued. "I also do little things, like take the stairs instead of the elevator and park far away from store entrances, so I have to walk farther. Things like that add up. For me, it's a mindset, an awareness."

Kiki nodded her agreement. "I read an article in the Dallas newspaper last week, and it said you should just remember 'calories in, calories out.' It also said you should write down every bite you put into your mouth. You know, keep a daily food and calorie diary." She smiled. "Sounds like a lot of trouble to me, but I can see how it could work."

Peggy listened, wondering if she really could eat healthy and exercise.

The true question may be – Can she find the dedication, stamina, and self-control to take charge of her life? Or will Peggy be like a cat trying to cover his crap on a marble floor – attempting the impossible?

Available in paperback and eBook formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.  

I.O.U. SEX on Amazon

To connect with other Sweet Saturday Sample authors, click here:
Sweet Saturday Samples

Sweet Saturday Samples - Oct 8

 

Title: I.O.U. SEX

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Romance

Rating:

This Excerpt – G

Novel – R (Sex between consenting adults and some mild profanity)

Peggy, one of our characters from I.O.U. Sex who has decided to search for her old high school boyfriend, eats when she’s happy, when she’s sad, and when she’s bored—in other words, she’s an emotional eater. In this scene, she’s munching absentmindedly on foods that would make her doctor shudder.

       Peggy sat on the patio by the pool eating Krispie Kreme doughnuts and drinking a Coke, wondering what Kiki and June were up to. She hadn’t heard a peep out of either woman since their lunch, and she was dying to hear the latest in their boyfriend saga. These days, their lives rivaled As the World Turns for drama, and she hated to miss a single episode.

       Since their last conversation, Peg had attempted to find where Mark was living without any success. She’d tried Kiki’s approach and done a computer search, typing “Mark William Smith” in the Google search box. When she hit “enter,” millions of hits popped up. Overwhelmed, she clicked on the big “X” and turned off the confounded machine. Given her computer ineptitude, she knew she’d probably done it wrong somehow. With only Mark’s name to go on, finding him on the Internet would be like searching for a needle in a haystack the size of Texas.

       The solution came one sleepless night when Peggy turned on the TV and saw a Rockford Files rerun.

       “Why didn’t I think of hiring a professional before?” She said the words out loud to the empty room.

       She wondered how much an investigation would cost, and what she would tell the detective. Peggy laughed, imagining herself explaining Kiki’s crazy idea of payback sex to a complete stranger. The guy would probably fall off his chair laughing at the idea that a fat broad like her even had such fantasies, much less intended to act on them.

Will Peg ever get a grip on her unhealthy eating habits? Or is she fixin’ to wake up when life comes knockin’ on her door?

For more Sweet Saturday Samples, click on this link: Sweet Saturday Samples

Praise for I.O.U. SEX

I.O.U. SEX received another really nice review recently. This one was posted on the "Boomer Women Speak" blog by Anne Holmes, Boomer in Chief of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women. She wrote:

"I just minutes ago finished reading your novel, "I.O.U. Sex," and I thoroughly enjoyed the way you and co-author Sandy Allen wove together the three women's stories into one satisfying novel."

"And to everyone on the forum reading this post, I urge you to check out Sandy's hilarious book about three lifelong friends who've stuck together over the many decades since high school, and make a pact over drinks one night to look up their old high school boyfriends -- and "make amends" for the sexual frustration their virginal behavior caused."

You can read all of Anne's comments here: Boomer Women Speak

Click on the "Buy I.O.U. Sex" tab above for ordering information.

Sweet Saturday Samples - Oct 1

Over lunch the three main characters from I.O.U. SEX--June, Kiki, and Peggy--discuss their progress in tracking down their former high school steadies. Both Kiki and June are hot on the trail of their old beaus, but Peggy swears she isn't interested in finding Mark, her first love. This might have something to do with the fact that she thinks she is the size of a heifer. However, that doesn't stop Peg from ignoring her doctor's advice to eat healthy foods. Her order of chicken fried steak with all the fixin's has just arrived, and she's diggin' in.

   Embarrassed by the whole conversation, Peg turned her attention to cutting up her steak. She used the largest piece to sop up a glob of mashed potatoes, along with some gravy, before stuffing the bite into her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring the heavenly combination of tastes and textures.

     For a few moments, the women ate in silence. Peggy glanced down at her chest and dabbed at a drop of gravy with her napkin, then reached into her purse to retrieve the Tide pen she kept there. She frowned, wishing food didn't always land on her boobs like they were a baby's bib. She used the pen to erase the stain and blotted the spot with her napkin again.

As they finish their meal, Peggy makes a decision.

    If June and Kiki can look for their old boyfriends, maybe I can search for Mark too. I really am curious about him and have always wondered how his life turned out.

    She stirred her drink with her straw and stared into space.

    Besides, I don't have to act on whatever I find and actually meet him in person. Other than Kiki and June, no one will even have to know. This will just be a way of finding an answer to a question--a question I've had for a long, long time.

    Where did Mark go and why did he leave without a word?

Peggy's challenge is not only to find her old boyfriend but also to get her weight and related health issues under control. Like approximately 70% of the U.S. population, she's overweight and, at this point, she's losing the battle. But that could change.

Thank you to everyone who reads our Sweet Saturday Samples, especially those people who leave comments! We treasure your input. For more Sweet Saturday Samples, click here: The Sweet Saturday List.