Buffy's Ramblings

THE SECOND CHILD VS THE FIRST TIMER Having had a child already, you’re a lot more informed and prepared for the second one. There are a lot of things you don’t have to worry about or buy and that kind of thing. You typically don’t have a baby shower after the first baby. In our case, that’s a good thing anyway. Having moved to Minnesota from Virginia last year, we have very few real friends yet and no family around, so no one to plan or attend a shower to begin with. We didn’t take a birthing class this time around. We’re pretty informed now, and have even been through the whole birth thing, so we felt pretty confident that it wasn’t necessary for another course. We also have our workbook from our Bradley class, so we can skim that for a refresher. Plus I’ve already bookmarked the page with the “things to pack” list so we’ll be as prepared as possible when “D day” (as I like to call it, you know – D for delivery?) comes. We haven’t really talked about much regarding rais...

Thanks to Enchantress Design and Promo for hosting this blog tour. I'm sharing my review of Tara Lain's Knave of Broken Hearts today. Happy reading! ***************************** Summary: Jim Carney has a full time job—running from himself. Since he walked out on his wealthy family at sixteen because he’d wrecked his best friend’s life over some yaoi graphic novels, Jim has lived a macho, blue-collar existence of too much booze and too little responsibility. Then Billy Ballew, the man Jim most admires, gives Jim a chance to come through as his construction supervisor. For once, Jim is determined to make someone proud. Then Jim goes in for a physical for his new job and his yaoi dream comes to life in the form of cardiologist Ken Tanaka. Jim discovers he has two heart problems—a wonky mitral valve and a serious attraction to his doctor. But Ken is a major player, and Jim might be just a notch on the doc’s stethoscope. To Ken, Jim is unforgettable—but the living e...

Summary: Summer Crush: A wonderfully romantic boxed set of Upper YA short stories by today's hottest authors. Summer is the time for lazy days at the beach, sun-kissed hair, flip-flops, and sizzling nights with a new crush. Those stolen glances and first kisses can quickly spark a flame. However, the road to love isn’t always a smooth ride. Every Summer has a story, whether it’s a second chance on love, seeing a friend in a different light, or taking a step in a new direction with someone special. Love and long days create endless possibilities, but can a summer crush really last? Sutton Summer by Sasha Hibbs: After breaking Dylan's heart last year, McKenzie returns to Sutton Lake for another summer. McKenzie realizes love was in front of her the entire time, but is it too late for Dylan to forgive her? Exquisite Torture by S.D. Wasley: 16 year old Ryan thinks he's in for the summer from hell, stuck at his Gran's farm in a remote town ... until he meets the...

Thanks to Authors Taproom for hosting this blog tour. I'm sharing my review of Dianne Duvall's Shadow's Strike today. Happy reading! ***************************** Summary: The Immortal Guardians protect the innocent in secret. Sometimes the secret gets out... U.S. law enforcement agent Heather Lane can read minds. But not the future. The dream of battle and blood that recurs every night must be a fluke, some obscure terror from her own mind. What its significance might be, she can’t guess: an attack from seven psychotic vampires at once, only separated from nightmare by an eighth very different immortal. A handsome, brave man fighting at her side, a man she misses when she wakes. Then the dream comes true. Heather is flung into a war between predators and protectors of humanity, the man from her dreams beside her again. Except now that she’s awake, she isn’t sure she can trust Ethan, or the shadow organization he represents. The U.S. military doesn’t trust...

I'm sharing my review of Catherine Bybee's Treasured by Thursday today. Happy reading! ***************************** Summary: The seventh and final tale in the dazzling, heartwarming, and pulse-racing Weekday Brides series. Gabriella Masini: She’s a woman haunted by her past, with the scars to prove it. She believes that fairy tales are for other people. An elite matchmaker at Alliance, she’s great at crunching numbers, but something doesn’t add up with her latest prospective client: a billionaire bad boy with his own secrets. When Gabi refuses to be his temporary wife, Hunter forces her hand with an offer she can’t refuse. But marriage to a man like that could never last…or could it? Hunter Blackwell: Only his bank account is bigger than his ruthless ability to obtain anything he wants. These days, he has a secret reason to settle down, at least for a while—and he thinks the sensual and sassy Gabi will fit the bill perfectly. But when their marriage of conveni...

THIRD TRIMESTER With Tara, by this point I was still pretty ok. I had gotten some nausea back and had some heartburn, but ultimately I just don’t remember it being too bad. This time has been pretty miserable if I’m honest. It started early and hasn’t let up much. The nausea is occasional and not bad, but the heartburn has been GOD AWFUL. I take a Tums almost every single night and sometimes during the day too. Milk only sometimes helps. The belly has grown quite a bit and grows faster during this trimester, so sleeping is made difficult because I can’t get comfy, even with a body pillow. However, my weight gain is still perfectly on track and baby boy is measuring on track for his due date as well. I’ve been getting LOTS of Braxton Hicks contractions. Heat makes it worse and when they get really intense and frequent, it can take a lot of water to get them to chill. Rest helps too when possible, which isn’t too much with a toddler around. I have had more anxiety this...

Thanks to Bewitching Book Tours for hosting this blog tour. I have Carmen Fox, author of Guarded here today. Welcome! ***************************** DEVISING THE PERFECT BOOK COVER My publisher designed the cover of my first novel, DIVIDE AND CONQUER, largely without my input, and the result wasn’t what I’d imagined. Not that it was horrible, it just didn’t match my expectations. For a control freak like me, that was tough to swallow. With GUARDED, I was able to take charge, which proved a truly liberating experience. In broad terms, the covers that appeal to me most are uncluttered, with a definite feel for the genre. And that’s exactly what I was after. First I had to conjure a theme. Since GUARDED is a sexy novel, I wanted a sexy albeit not erotic image to grace the cover. No hot bod of a hunk or a semi-clad young woman for me. Even if my book is heavy on romance with an over-18 tag, the story primarily focuses on the character of Ivy, a sassy 25-year-old who chang...

Thanks to Bewitching Book Tours for hosting this blog tour. I have Jenna Greene, author of Imagine here today talking about character inspiration. Welcome and happy reading! ***************************** The Inspiration for a Character My latest novel, IMAGINE, has two main characters who vary a great deal in age, appearance, and personality. The question that follows is “Where did the inspiration for these two different personas come from?” Well, I might not have known about it while I was writing, but now that the work is completed, I’m fairly certain I know the answer. Katharine “Kat” Bowers : She is based on two roommates I had while I was in university. Their names were Kate and Cathy, so it’s pretty obvious why I chose the name Kat. Both of them had short, auburn hair, and weren’t super tall. Thus, Kat was given the same characteristics. Though my former roommates had different interests and talents, they were both feisty, not afraid to say what was on their min...

SECOND TRIMESTER & FINDING OUT THE GENDER Last time, I got that boost of energy that around 14 weeks that everyone talks about. “Oh the second trimester is the best!” Well, when you already have a toddler, that boost of energy isn’t nearly as noticeable. I still needed to nap when Tara napped almost every day. Things that should start around the second trimester had already shown up a couple weeks prior too, such as round ligament pain. Joint pain showed up nice and early as well. After talking with many other moms, as well as my midwife, I was assured that was normal…but it still sucked. I continued to feel like I grew really fast. Part of the reason for that was because I was gaining weight a little bit faster than I had the first time. You’re supposed to gain about half a pound a week and I was gaining about a pound (or more during a trip to visit family on the west coast :P). Part of it was also probably just my hormonal imagination, obsessing over feeling fat li...