Well, first off let me say I finished the entire Twilight series. I enjoyed it, but definitely enjoyed the second the best. And after all is said and done, I’m still team Jacob. Feel free to throw tomatoes. I think I just can’t tolerate vampires. Blood…puncture wounds… SHUDDER! Anyway, glad to be done with the books! Now I can write again  

So we’re, what, five days into the New Year? How are those resolutions–or non ones–working out for ya? I’m doing okay. I haven’t actually MADE it to a gym yet (it’s snowing again! Gah!), but I have successfully gone without any fried food. And have eaten pretty okay (yes, there were vegetables!).  Not a bad start to getting back on the healthy eating track. I refuse to weigh myself, though, until I can wear my small jeans without the risk of the button popping off and hurting someone.

My resolution not to attempt to date/get any is progressing nicely. Though I had a moment of weakness on New Year’s Eve or early New Year’s morning when I drunken texted an acquaintance/friend who also happens to be male and we started discussing sex and dating. I’m fairly sure it was the vodka/red bull combination. Which, by the way, is a very bad thing if you’ve given up caffeine for six months and forgot to realize Red Bull has caffeine. Lots and lots of it. My heart is just now recovering. Never. Drinking. That. Again.

And my newest resolution is to grow a pair. There was a situation at my local chapter meeting that involved me having to be aggressive and firm and authoritative. I think I somewhat handled it with the help of others–including the police–but I was pretty much shaking the whole time. *Sigh* Why can’t I be like the fearless heroine I’m writing right now? I’m a second degree purple belt for goodness sake. Or used to be. But I’m sure I remember something. Maybe. Hmm.

Anyway, that was me checking in. Anyone else want to share what’s new?

Okay, so I went for nostalgic/sappy since it’s the New Year. :)

Every time I get ready to come up with a new heroine, the choices are endless.  Hair color… eye color… personality, etc.  And then there is the big dilemma… is she gorgeous or rather plain?  Was she a beauty queen in high school or was she a shy wallflower?

The truth of the matter is - we females are shaped by the experiences we had growing up. Every heroine remembers painful moments in her life.  And how she has dealt with those (or not) has a lot to do with how she sees herself as an adult woman.

I think it’s fun to write a sexy, beautiful heroine who brings men to their knees, but I’m also a sucker for the woman who doesn’t see herself as very attractive.  And I love seeing a man fall for her and convince her that she’s the only star in his universe!

In Hot Mail (January 2009) my heroine, Jane, is almost six feet tall.  She fell in love with Ethan when they were both in middle school and he was the only boy taller that she was.  They ended up being buddies for years until Ethan had the bad judgment to get engaged to someone else.  Fortunately, he had the good sense to correct his mistake almost immediately, but the damage was done.  Now it’s four years later, and Jane wonders if he’ll ever see her as more than the girl next door.

Hot Mail is super sexy but also unabashedly romantic.  I set it in a small Tennessee town that is modeled after Sevierville near Gatlinburg.

I’d love to hear what kind of heroines are your favorites.  And I’ll give a way a copy of my July 2008 release, By Appointment Only, to one of the “posters”.

I’ll be traveling today (the 2nd), but tonight when I get home I’ll draw a name and say hello.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year,

Janice Maynard

P.S. If you like the really hot stuff… perhaps a story you might share with a lover, my alter ego has a new book out called “Free Pass”… you can see the cover at www.myspace.com/authorelizabethscott.

Both books are published by Penguin/NAL.

From all of us here at Naughty and Spice we wish you a year full of joy, prosperity and much naughtiness!

We do nothing for New Year’s. Do you? I’ve gone out and partied in the past. I’ve hosted small get togethers too. One time we went to a friend’s house who lived close by because we wanted to avoid the crazy drunks on the road. Guess what? Some crazy drunks came out to the country and parked on a back road, got rip roarin’ extra drunk and drove themselves into a fence, straight into a muddy pasture. We had to call the cops! Yeah good times. The drunks came to us that year.

This year as usual we’ll stay home. Probably watch the ball drop (though I’ll miss Dick Clark. Ryan Seacrest you’re no replacement! I miss you Dick!!! Hugs and kissses!), most likely stay up to midnight. Husband I’m sure won’t make it. Hey maybe I’ll even watch a movie. We have Tropic Thunder (I heard it is hilarious) and oooh I bought Eagle Eye featuring my boyfriend Shia! I love you Shia — you’re so dreamy!

I HAB A COWD! Why is this news? It’s the first in like two years! Thank goodness I don’t have to go to work!

Needless to say I was, once again, grasping for a blog topicwhen I found this great blog post by Michael Hyatt (Pres of Thomas Nelson Publishing) called The Not to Do List!Instead of making resolutions, or along with making resolutions, you make a list of things you WON’T do in the new year. Now, Mr. Hyatt’s post is work-related, butI thought it might be kinda interesting…what activities could you cut out of your life? What activities do you DREAM of cutting out of your life?

My New Years resolution is to try and be a more giving person. So I’m not sure what I’d cut out, but I’m goign to give it some thought…

As for dreaming of cutting out–that’s easy. Housework, laundry, cooking…not necessarily in that order  :lmao:

Well, I did it backwards recently. I was totally not into the Twilight fad at all. Then I saw a trailer for it on television. I was like holy heck this looks fun. So of course I went to see it. I loved it. LOVED IT. So much I went and ordered the first two books in the series (I wanted to just pick up two in case I couldn’t stand the writing).

So the books arrived and I decided to read the book Twilight and see just how off the movie was. Because usually the movie gets it all wrong or tweaks it enough so it’s different. Now here’s where I’m honest. I didn’t like the book much. I was bored. It was too fluffy and teenage angsty for me (probably why I didn’t like it and I rarely read YA) and didn’t really seem to match up with the movie that much. Not to mention–and I probably shouldn’t admit this ’cause it makes me look bitchy–but the thing was drowning in adverbs. To the point I noticed. And I’m not the type to notice unless there’s so many the red flag goes up.

And I made the mistake of telling my 14 year old niece who is a Twilight junkie that I didn’t like the book. My niece who was on MTV2 as one of the ‘excited fans’ who sent in their reaction to the Twilight trailer and got on tv. How did she react when I told her my thoughts? RABID DEFENSE! ANGER! ALMOST TEARS! How DARE I? It was my fault for seeing the movie first. I probably just didn’t like it because I only like my stupid erotic romances. And then…silent treatment and she buried her nose in her latest book. *Sigh* I think she’s calmed a bit since.

But sadly it’s true. I just couldn’t get into the book Twilight and almost couldn’t finish–I was thinking I’d have to skip the second book. And then about 3/4ths the way through it got good. Seemed to match up with the movie pretty well and hold my attention.

So I decided to read the second book on good faith and my niece’s assurance. Yesterday I picked up the second book to start. And…I can’t put it down. I’m enraptured. I’m ignoring my writing/internet and reading hundreds of pages at a time. It’s good. Really good. And the author’s adverb adoration has faded. I know Twilight was her first book and she was probably just learning her craft. And by the second book I think she nailed it. I’m so close to the end, that I couldn’t fathom ordering the last two on Amazon and waiting a week or so. I hopped in my car and drove out and bought them today.

I’m curious now, though…when the second book becomes a movie, will I hate it? Like many readers of Twilight seemed to? (My niece didn’t hate it but she didn’t really like it). I can’t wait to find out. I hope they stick close to the book. New Moon is my crack. I can’t get enough. I’m literally going to finish this post and pick up and finish New Moon.

So what do you think about the movie/book? Did you have a preference? Or if you haven’t seen/read either, how do you generally tend to fall. Book or movie? I tend to be book. (Pssst and please don’t tell me any spoilers about any of the Twilight books! Yes, I’m behind. But I’m enjoying this too much!)