Sweet Saturday Samples - Dec 17

Happy holidays! Welcome to our last Sweet Saturday post for 2011. Today we rejoin our friend Peggy from I.O.U. Sex as she rewards herself for all the hard work required to achieve both better health and weight loss. Tonight she’ll open the envelope containing the private investigator’s report on Mark, her first love. Peg has a unique approach to this momentous occasion.

Peggy had already used the cosmetics lined up on her bathroom counter—everything from moisturizer to mascara—until she looked like she was ready for a night on the town. She had washed her hair too, and styled it with care, even though she'd be the only one to see it. If Kiki and June were here now, she thought, they would say I've lost my mind. Sometimes she wondered if that would be far from the truth. Still, tonight would be a special occasion, and it demanded extraordinary measures. When the voice in her head said "the envelope, please," she wanted everything to be perfect. If that was silly, so what? Nobody else would know.

Peggy stood admiring her image in the full length mirror she had installed on the back of her closet door.

"Geez, Louise. I look pretty damn good, if I do say so myself."

She marveled at her new slender figure, still amazed that her bulging butt had shrunk enough to fit into size 8 jeans. An orange tank top, layered over a hot pink T-shirt, emphasized her curvy shape and perfectly fit her festive mood. She could hardly believe that was really the Peggy Marshall she knew and loved staring back at her.

The twinkle in her deep brown eyes turned into a wink aimed at the figure reflected in the glass. She couldn't resist striking a sexy pose, and that made her burst out laughing. Yep, I'm definitely going bananas, she thought. She turned to search for the silver loop earrings in her jewelry chest and hooked them on, then waved to her own reflection before heading down the stairs. At last, she felt ready.

Peggy's heart beat in time to her footsteps as she marched across the family room to the secretary desk in the corner. She'd felt this same way when waiting to hear if she'd made the Rayette drill team—excited, scared, almost afraid to look at the list posted on the wall of the gym. She knew that whatever she discovered would make a huge difference in her life, both then and now. With a mixture of trepidation and anticipation, she lowered the desk's front panel and reached inside until her hand rested on the oversized envelope she'd hidden there so many months before.

"Come to mama, you little devil," she said aloud.

With trembling hands, Peggy pulled the envelope from its hiding place and walked to the kitchen table, placing it on the wooden surface. She felt like an actress at the Academy Awards, waiting to see what the envelope held. She sat down, pulled it closer, and used a knife to slit one end, drawing the blade under the flap until it gaped open. With a deep breath and a silent prayer, she pulled out the contents.

The details of what was in the P.I.’s report, as well as what Peggy decides to do about her former love, are revealed in the pages of I.O.U. Sex. We’d tell you here, but that would spoil the surprise!

I.O.U. Sex would make a great holiday gift—for yourself or a friend. It’s available in both eBook and paperback formats from:

Amazon.com eBook ($2.99) - available here in paperback too

CreateSpace

Barnes and Noble.com

Smashwords

You'll find more Sweet Saturday Samples here: Sweet List

Sweet Saturday Samples - Nov 19

Those of you who have been Sweet Saturday Sample fans for the past few weeks have followed the weight-loss efforts of Peggy, one of our characters from I.O.U. Sex. As our excerpt below shows, sticking to her healthy weight loss plan not only means exercise, it also involves making good food choices as she goes about her daily life. Here’s a report on her progress.

Peggy now walked at a faster clip. As the days of eating healthy foods and exercising progressed, the pounds seemed to melt off her body like a dripping ice cream cone on a hot summer day. She remained diligent about writing in her food journal and counting all those pesky calories—keeping score, just like June had suggested. Sure, there were days when the scales seemed stuck on a number—days when she awoke with a taste for chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes on her tongue—days when she gave in to her cravings with a yummy taste or two. But thank goodness those days were few and far between.

With the nutrition labels on foods, it became an easy task to quantify each serving, and she found the calorie counts for fresh produce in her food counter paperback. There was even a website where she could look up all kinds of information for any type of fast food, although she didn't often eat at such places. When she did, she always chose healthy items, and even then, she tried to follow her throw-away-half rule—eating half and pitching the rest in the trash.

The ease of sticking to this food and exercise plan amazed her, making her want to kick herself for not doing it sooner. She now thought of this as her permanent way of life. It was healthy living, period. After all, Peg knew that if she returned to her former junk food days, those blubbery pounds would come right back, and they'd probably bring all their friends with them. She certainly didn't want that.

Our friend Peg is hanging in there! She’s learning to be aware of what she’s eating, even if she finds herself in a fast food restaurant. Ideally, she’ll choose a salad or other healthy item, but sometimes nothing but a burger will do. With Peg’s “eat half rule” she can cut 500 calories from her meal by simply choosing a Whopper Junior (340 calories) instead of a regular Whopper (670 calories)—and eating only half the Junior (170 calories). Yes, she hates to throw food away, but it’s much better for the food to go to waste rather than going to her waist, right?

If you’d like to know the calorie and nutrition content of your favorite foods or restaurant items, try the handy-dandy calorie counter at Calorie King. It also offers inspirational stories and advice.

To connect to all the other Sweet Saturday Samples participants, click here: Sweet List

Sweet Saturday Samples - Nov 12

Happy weekend! Welcome back to our little corner of the world where we are following one of the characters from  I.O.U. SEX on her journey to get healthier. Peggy has vowed to make better food choices and begin an exercise program, and she’s just set off on her first early morning walk around her Dallas neighborhood.

I'm taking my first steps toward a healthy life, she thought, smiling as she stepped onto the front driveway.

Barely half a mile later, sweat coated Peggy's body and her breath came in gasps.

"Whew. Walking's harder than it looks." She stopped and held her side.

Remembering what she'd read about starting gradually, and determined to complete her route, she slowed her pace but still forged ahead. Right away she realized why so many walkers and joggers wore headphones. Listening to music would be a welcome distraction, make the time pass faster, and probably lift her spirits too.

She thought back to her days as a Rayette and an Apache Belle.

Dancing and performing to music was so much fun. Of course, I was also a hundred pounds lighter back then.

She made a mental note to buy a portable CD player and some country western music. Ken always hated anything with a country twang, but she could listen to whatever she wanted.

Peggy stopped in her tracks.

That's the first time I've thought about Ken all morning.

That thought gave her a stab of guilt. Then she remembered something else she'd read about physical exercise—it was good for body, mind, and spirit—and she could think for herself now.

Peggy completed her first walk with an ache in her back, a twinge in her knees, and a smile on her face. When she returned home, she went straight to the refrigerator for another bottle of cold water, lifting it high in a toast to herself and her accomplishment. She finished the water and then climbed the stairs to her bedroom, eager to record her feat in her food journal. If what the weight-loss books and articles said was true, limiting her calories to 1,200-1,500 per day, drinking plenty of water, and exercising should result in a one to two pound weight loss each week. She just knew she could do it. In fact, she wrote that on the bottom of the page.

I can do it!

She underlined the sentence with three bold strokes.

Losing all this flab might not be as quick as a hiccup, but by golly, I'll stick with it no matter how long it takes.

Short term, all these things—eating healthy, limiting calories, exercising, keeping a journal—may seem like simple solutions. But the pathway to health is a crooked one with many turns in the road. Most people need an inspirational goal to keep them on the straight and narrow. What will Peggy’s shining light at the end of the road be?

Check out “Walk Off Extra Weight” and other inspirational articles on the Real Age website.  This site is the creation of Doctors Mehmet Oz (Oprah’s diet guru) and Michael Roizen, co-authors of YOU: The Owner’s Manual. Here’s the link: Walk Off Extra Weight 

To connect to all the other Sweet Saturday Samples participants, click here: Sweet List

Photo source: East Kessler Park (Dallas) Neighborhood Association

http://www.eastkessler.org/cgi-bin/photos.pl

Sweet Saturday Samples - Nov 5

“Exercise 101” is a class that should be offered for those of us who haven’t seen the inside of a gym since our school days. Our character Peggy falls into that category. With a plan to limit her calorie intake and get moving, she’s starting a new exercise program. In today’s excerpt, Peg laces up her walking shoes in preparation for hitting the pavement. She’s ready to go!

Peg got up early the next morning and dressed in her new sweats, eager to tackle her first day of exercise. Following an eating plan she'd outlined the night before, she measured out ¾ cup of Total cereal, sliced a banana on top, and added a cup of 2% milk. She read the nutrition information from the cereal box and milk container, then looked up the calories for a banana in her new book while she ate.

Only 320 total calories so far. Not too shabby.

After her healthy breakfast, she grabbed a bottle of water, locked the door behind her, and set her pedometer to zero. She'd already decided early morning would be the best time to walk, before anyone else in the neighborhood was out and about. She'd driven her intended route, measuring the distance to the corner and back with her car's odometer, just to get an idea of how far she wanted to go. She didn't want to bite off more than she could chew, but surely even a two-ton heifer could walk the mile-and-a-half round trip. If—no, when—she mastered that, she planned to gradually increase the distance. Her new pedometer would record how far she was able to go on her first day. Another way to keep score, as June had suggested.

Standing on the porch, she felt like an explorer starting out on a great adventure, full of hope and maybe a little fear. I'm taking my first steps toward a healthy life, she thought, smiling as she stepped onto the front driveway.

As we all know, every journey begins with a first step. If you’d like to learn more about Peggy’s foray into the world of healthy eating and exercising, join us here again next Saturday for another peek. Or you can purchase our book, I.O.U. SEX, from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords and read more about Peg’s determination to win this battle once and for all.

Note: For more information on starting a walking program of your own, check out the advice on WebMD’s “Make Your Walk a Workout.” It includes advice for beginners as well as ideas for kicking up the intensity of the exercise. Safety tips are listed too. Here’s the link: Walking

You'll find more Sweet Saturday Samples here: Sweets

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

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

WALKIE-TALKIE

Talking on a cell phone is a wonderful way to lose weight, but only if you walk while you’re doing it. A couple of years ago, Sandra A. and I discovered we share the same nationwide cell phone service, so we can talk until our batteries die – without it costing us a cent extra. Since then, we’ve walked and talked almost every day.

When there’s freezing rain in North Texas where Sandra lives, she stays indoors but will talk to me while I walk up and down the hills in my neighborhood. When it snowed one December in Washington State (my home), I walked on the treadmill while Sandra trooped up and down her street, telling me about the inflatable Christmas decorations in the yards she passed. Since we’ve both visited in each other’s homes many times, we can describe what we’re passing in our neighborhoods – the flowers blooming at the big house on the corner or the new construction at the top of the hill – and the other person can visualize what we’re seeing.

Just knowing we have a friend who will keep us company while walking has encouraged both of us to get out and get moving, even on days when we’d rather stay inside and watch TV. I’ve learned to walk in drizzly rain (a common occurrence where I live). On some days I not only have a BlueTooth but blue lips as well. Sandra braves the hot Texas sun or blustery Blue Northers, though thunderstorms will keep her safe indoors.

Without our walkie-talkie system I’m sure we’d have all kinds of good excuses for avoiding our daily walks. But with them we’re getting in shape, losing pounds, and keeping in touch. And, of course, it gives us an opportunity to discuss our book.