Welome, Clare London

As the song goes...
It’s only words…but words are all I have, to take your heart away.

I’m so glad that there’s an opportunity to give thanks on Ginger’s blog this month, and she’s been extra generous in offering it to us all. Ginger’s been my dear friend for almost 2 years now. We’ve never met, we live on different continents and exist in different timezones, yet we keep in touch with each other’s life – through words!

That’s what I want to give thanks for today. Words. I’m thankful that I can speak and hear, that I’ve had the education and environment to learn how to express myself, that I’ve had the eyes to read and the hands to write. Words are a treasure and a treat to me, and I’m thankful daily that I can use them to communicate.

They can bring us joy and knowledge, they can create worlds, they can hurt or heal, each as strongly as the other. They allow us to cross boundaries of distance and age and background. We used to have letters and cards to communicate, and some of us still love those. But now we also have the internet, email, blogging.

I love the internet. Ask my family, who have to peel me from the screen to eat supper LOL. I know its dangers and I know its lack of moderation. It’s not for everyone. But it’s been a boon for me, in opening out the world. I’ve learned about other lives, about other worlds, I’ve made friends, kept in touch with their lives and loves, and I’ve been encouraged to find myself another career and pleasure in writing fiction. All based – partly or wholly - on words.

They’re everywhere! Who doesn’t love a favourite song? Or laugh at a particular kind of joke? It all hinges on words. I don’t Tweet, my blogging is erratic, I’m not what I’d call a social ‘networker’. But I love writing and communicating, whether it’s through email or through my stories. I have made some truly good friends, whom I’ve never met face to face, but whose style and generosity in their correspondence allows me to see and love the real person.

Believe me, it doesn’t mean I have *more* friends – because a ‘friend’ on the net may only ever be a passing acquaintance. Because words have their shortcomings, too. They can be misunderstood, they can come across too baldly. They can’t replace the importance of seeing someone face to face, of reading body language, of smiling to ease potential hurt, of frowning to express caution. A *hug* is never the same as a real one, but to a trusted friend who’s far away, an emailed *hug* is still a treasure. I know it is for me.

So that brings me back to my thanks for the gift of words, and articulation. I’ve always written stories, but at the end of 2007 I finally plucked up courage to submit some for publication. I’ve been lucky enough to have several novels published and plenty of short stories. I love my m/m romance genre, I take great strength from learning from others’ writing and improving my own, and it continues to be a joy to take two characters who inspire me and then create conflict, passion and a Happy Ever After for them!

And how do I see words in my own world?

I visited my mother at the weekend. She’s always been a strong, articulate, witty, intelligent woman, who brought up me and my sister for many years on her own until she remarried, who started in a fairly modest job but after encouragement from her boss and her own mother, found herself an important career in education. She’s not old – she’d kill me if I told you her age LOL – but she’s had a lot of physical problems for a few years, and now she’s struggling with her memory and thought processes as well. It frustrates her horribly. Now, when I talk to her, I’m never sure if she’ll remember it an hour later. She can’t join in the whole conversation because she can’t remember the words for certain things: she forgets names and repeats herself, and hates herself for it. Believe me, I love her the same, but it’s heartbreaking to watch her loss of vocabulary and ability to chat easily.

Then I talk to my Sons at home and see them beginning to develop their own vocabulary and the powers of reasoning and debate. And not *always* about pocket money LOL. Son#1 is a beautiful singer, he accompanies himself on the guitar and the words he sings are evocative and powerful. He talks intelligently and persuasively about current affairs, especially environmental issues, even if he has inherited his father’s doggedness ^_^. Son#2 has done drama for a while, is a great joker, he also has a strong singing voice, and his conversation is like an express train – it rarely slows down!

I was out with Son#2 in town the other day and we were stopped a few times. People asked directions, or chatted to us in a queue, or they knew us from the boys’ school days. At the end of the trip, Son#2 turned to me and said – “We always end up chatting to people, don’t we? It’s good fun.” It was one of those moments when a Mum goes ‘awww’.

Words are all around us, available for our pleasure, comfort and excitement, with new ones always waiting to be discovered, old favourites to be savoured.

Thanks for them – and for the extra special delight they bring, keeping me in contact with my friends!


You can contact me or find out more about my work here:
http://www.clarelondon.co.uk
http://clarelondon.livejournal.com/
http://bookworld.editme.com/Clarelondonbooks

I Cannot Tell A Lie

I received the "I Never Tell A Lie" meme from my dear friend, MaryAnn Miller...boldly posted on her It's Not All Gravy blog. I suppose I must abide by the following rules provided:

Sometimes you can learn more about a person by what they don’t tell you. Sometimes you can learn a lot from the things they just make up. If you are tagged with this Meme, lie to me. Then tag 7 other folks (one for each deadly sin) and hope they can lie.

I'm not a very good liar, and neither is my youngest son, even though he tried to perfect it for years. I can still tell by the look in his eyes when he's being untruthful. Most of the time his eyes are brown...but sometimes they're a crystal clear pool allowing me to see right into those turning wheels in his brain. He thinks he can fool me...in what century? I really have nothing to lie about. My life is an open book as evidenced by my blog.

Pride: A pack of lions... or what I feel at having been a runway model at the age of 20. Maybe it's that bursting feeling I had when I was crowned Miss California a year later. Nah, it had to be appearing in the swimsuit issue of....oh, the name escapes me.

Envy: Something I never feel. The ten commandments tell us not to covet, so I stifle those feelings when I see a thin woman with good hair, someone flashing a huge wad of cash, or another new book by that damn Nora Roberts who gets away with head-hopping in all her novels.

Gluttony: I can honestly say I'm no longer a glutton. In 1991 I had my stomach stapled and I eat only small amounts or else I throw up. So, it's not HOW MUCH I eat...it's become WHAT I eat. I stick with what I think is safe and won't get stuck, so my diet sucks. I eat potato chips, mashed potatoes, pop corn, and all those things that go right to your butt. I lost over five hundred pounds, but over the years it's creeping back despite my vow to never be fat again. My diet is even more complicated since I started taking blood thinning medication. I'm limited on eating leafy greens because the vitamin K interferes with the dose. You know how I realized I was fat again? The elastic band on my underwear used to say HANES....now it says HAAAAANNNNNNNEEEEEEES! *lol*

Lust: What really lights your fire?
Nothing....I don't care if Tom Selleck and Mel Gibson wrestled for me on my living room floor. I've reached the age where lovemaking is a chore and not worth the leg cramps and painful friction. Of course, as my doctor so kindly pointed out to me when I mentioned my lack of interest, "The grass needs to be mowed occasionally," so I try to be considerate on occasion. But honestly, nothing can light this fire...sort of like trying to ignite wet kindling in the middle of a rainstorm. And as for those products that purport orgasms like erupting volcanoes or fireworks, may I say...bullshit! (oops, did I say that?)

Anger: Oh, absolutely nothing angers me. I'm the calmest person you'll ever meet. I'm so very happy with our current president and his administration. I love the fact that our elected officials see their posts as careers rather than a term in office, and I couldn't be more elated about the questionable people that have been appointed to cabinet posts. I also think it is so admirable that network news reports only the positive things, and we enjoy all that promised TRANSPARENCY in everything our new president does.

Greed: Name something you keep from others. I have nothing anyone wants, I'm sure, so I've really never been greedy. In fact, when I divorced my husband of 32 years, I made sure to leave him with all the furniture he needed and took only the spare stuff for myself. I think I would have re-considered when he moved out and left it all behind. I need to work on my greed skills. Okay, okay...so I do hide a candy bar occasionally.

Sloth: What's the laziest thing you've ever done?
According to my family, I have become a sloth. Since my sister moved in, I do absolutely nothing. She does all the housework, most of the yard work, and more. She's a perfectionist so I dare not try to interfere. You have no idea how hard it is to sit in the recliner with my laptop while she's frittering back and forth, vacuuming, dusting, plumping pillows. Yesterday, I tried to help out, and actually mowed 1/4 of the front yard before I felt faint. Later, I rolled the empty trash can back from the curb (actually, we don't have curbs...just a place where the grass ends and the street begins), but then I had to go in and rest for a bit. I think I spend most of my time polishing my crown and wasting my time on the computer. At least that's what they think I do. :)

I apologize, but as I said...I absolutely cannot lie! It was I who chopped down the blasted cherry tree. Bwaaahhhaaaa!


Now I'm supposed to inflict this on seven more people. Maryann stated she didn't believe I own a gun. Well, I do. I just bought one. Let's see who shall I pick on....who might actually do this: Anita Davison, Diane Wylie, Anna K. Lanier, Tabatha Shay, Clare London, Lisabet Sarai, and Cheryl St. John. Sorry Ladies, but if you actually take the time, it's great blog fodder. Remember, don't come stalking...I'm armed and I know how to shoot. *lol*

A Bouquet of Roses for My Guest

I'm leaving behind a bouquet of red roses for my dear friend and Thursday Tourist, Clare London. It was my lucky day when Clare and I both signed with Eternal Press. She's been an inspiration, a support, and a truer friend that any I can imagine. My door is always open, and I hope you'll make her welcome.

I know she won't mind if I pirated a little information from her website:

Clare took the pen name London from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash, waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day job as an accountant. She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter 3 stage and plenty of other projects in mind . . . she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home.

Happy Holidays from Clare London

I've really enjoyed reading the Christmas posts on your blog, I don't know if I'm too late to join in! I just wanted to let you know about one small addition I made to my annual decorations, starting a couple of years ago. My online life had really taken off and I had many new friends whom I considered close, even though we'd never met in person. By the way, that's still the case now! LOL

Some of us exchanged Christmas cards, but for those who didn't, or who celebrated a different holiday, I created a special tree (attached photo, excuse my poor skills with the camera!). I asked each of them to send me a picture of something to represent them - maybe a personal photo, or a symbol, or their online avatar. Anything they liked, and it didn't involve cost or postage, they could just email it to me. Then I made them into small tree decorations and hung them on a small but special tree of my own.

Maybe my family thought I was mad! But I felt I had all my friends with me all through the Holiday season.

I hope everyone is looking forward to the season - I know that's not always the case, but I personally enjoy the opportunity to catch up with friends and family, though there's few of us. And I love th

Woo Hoo!

Tomorrow, while I take time off and cry all day because I'm turning 63 (sort of sticks in my throat to even type it), I'm throwing open the doors and welcoming some of my Eternal Press friends.

Since NaNoWriMo is going on, many are busy, trying to meet the required 50,000 words in a month, so I lucked out and snagged a few who aren't. Please come and help me welcome:

Jannine Corti Petska
Clare London
Carol Shenold
Cornelia Amiri
Rhonda Parrish
Rita Karnopp
Janet Elizabeth Jones

This is a wonderful chance to get to know some new authors, read some exciting excerpts, and console me. *lol* I'm only kidding. It's painful to have to admit to being this old, but I'm thankful for every day I can be here to share with you via my posts. Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who stick around and continue to read my blog and support my work. That's more than anyone could wish for on any birthday.

The Final FIVE

Queen of Hearts by Phyllis Campbell







Play It Again Sam by Maryann Miller









Sparks Fly by Clare London










Dragon Lord of the Kells by Brenda Weaver







Change by Rhobin Lee Courtright

Welcome, Clare London

As the song goes...
It’s only words…but words are all I have, to take your heart away.

I’m so glad that there’s an opportunity to give thanks on Ginger’s blog this month, and she’s been extra generous in offering it to us all. Ginger’s been my dear friend for almost 2 years now. We’ve never met, we live on different continents and exist in different timezones, yet we keep in touch with each other’s life – through words!

That’s what I want to give thanks for today. Words. I’m thankful that I can speak and hear, that I’ve had the education and environment to learn how to express myself, that I’ve had the eyes to read and the hands to write. Words are a treasure and a treat to me, and I’m thankful daily that I can use them to communicate.

They can bring us joy and knowledge, they can create worlds, they can hurt or heal, each as strongly as the other. They allow us to cross boundaries of distance and age and background. We used to have letters and cards to communicate, and some of us still love those. But now we also have the internet, email, blogging.


I love the internet. Ask my family, who have to peel me from the screen to eat supper LOL. I know its dangers and I know its lack of moderation. It’s not for everyone. But it’s been a boon for me, in opening out the world. I’ve learned about other lives, about other worlds, I’ve made friends, kept in touch with their lives and loves, and I’ve been encouraged to find myself another career and pleasure in writing fiction. All based – partly or wholly - on words.

They’re everywhere! Who doesn’t love a favourite song? Or laugh at a particular kind of joke? It all hinges on words. I don’t Tweet, my blogging is erratic, I’m not what I’d call a social ‘networker’. But I love writing and communicating, whether it’s through email or through my stories. I have made some truly good friends, whom I’ve never met face to face, but whose style and generosity in their correspondence allows me to see and love the real person.

Believe me, it doesn’t mean I have *more* friends – because a ‘friend’ on the net may only ever be a passing acquaintance. Because words have their shortcomings, too. They can be misunderstood, they can come across too baldly. They can’t replace the importance of seeing someone face to face, of reading body language, of smiling to ease potential hurt, of frowning to express caution. A *hug* is never the same as a real one, but to a trusted friend who’s far away, an emailed *hug* is still a treasure. I know it is for me.

So that brings me back to my thanks for the gift of words, and articulation. I’ve always written stories, but at the end of 2007 I finally plucked up courage to submit some for publication. I’ve been lucky enough to have several novels published and plenty of short stories. I love my m/m romance genre, I take great strength from learning from others’ writing and improving my own, and it continues to be a joy to take two characters who inspire me and then create conflict, passion and a Happy Ever After for them!

And how do I see words in my own world?

I visited my mother at the weekend. She’s always been a strong, articulate, witty, intelligent woman, who brought up me and my sister for many years on her own until she remarried, who started in a fairly modest job but after encouragement from her boss and her own mother, found herself an important career in education. She’s not old – she’d kill me if I told you her age LOL – but she’s had a lot of physical problems for a few years, and now she’s struggling with her memory and thought processes as well. It frustrates her horribly. Now, when I talk to her, I’m never sure if she’ll remember it an hour later. She can’t join in the whole conversation because she can’t remember the words for certain things: she forgets names and repeats herself, and hates herself for it. Believe me, I love her the same, but it’s heartbreaking to watch her loss of vocabulary and ability to chat easily.

Then I talk to my Sons at home and see them beginning to develop their own vocabulary and the powers of reasoning and debate. And not *always* about pocket money LOL. Son#1 is a beautiful singer, he accompanies himself on the guitar and the words he sings are evocative and powerful. He talks intelligently and persuasively about current affairs, especially environmental issues, even if he has inherited his father’s doggedness ^_^. Son#2 has done drama for a while, is a great joker, he also has a strong singing voice, and his conversation is like an express train – it rarely slows down!

I was out with Son#2 in town the other day and we were stopped a few times. People asked directions, or chatted to us in a queue, or they knew us from the boys’ school days. At the end of the trip, Son#2 turned to me and said – “We always end up chatting to people, don’t we? It’s good fun.” It was one of those moments when a Mum goes ‘awww’.

Words are all around us, available for our pleasure, comfort and excitement, with new ones always waiting to be discovered, old favourites to be savoured.

Thanks for them – and for the extra special delight they bring, keeping me in contact with my friends!


You can contact me or find out more about my work here:
http://www.clarelondon.co.uk
http://clarelondon.livejournal.com/
http://bookworld.editme.com/Clarelondonbooks