Random Wednesday Post . . . Shitty Jobs I've Had or I'd rather eat a bug then go back to that job

Hello!!!  Can you believe it's Random Wednesday Blog time?? The weeks are flying by, it's totally crazy. So anyway, this week's topic is all about the shit jobs I've had in the past. Ohhhh, but before I talk about that I gotta toss out some major male hotness for my friend, Kris Norris. And who doesn't love a man in a kilt??? Right??

*sigh* Looking at him makes this blog post just a little bit better . . . . . .  what? Okay, where was I?? Ummm, that's right, crap jobs. I can tell you that I've never worked any kind of food service. That was something I said I just wouldn't do. So I never ever asked anyone if they wanted fries with that. I know that we must have food service people and personally I think they are close to gods for putting up with the crap they do. But I don't have the temperament or patience for something like that.I 

I did, unfortunately, work as a sales associate or whatever you want to call the people that wait on others in store like establishments. Now that sucked. I worked in the bed/bath department in an unnamed department store that no longer exists. Hated it! I was very part-time and since we got no benefits whatsoever the store policy was that basically we could take off when we wanted. But see I had this manager that didn't believe that. I asked for a day off way way way in advance and she told me I couldn't have it. Another amazing incident that happened there was that my nearly 16 year old dog (who I'd had since I was 1st grade) was incredibly sick. I knew I had to take her to get her put down, which almost killed me since my dad had died only 5 months before. When I called to tell them I'd be late the response was, "Well can't you get someone else to do that?" Ummmm, no, no I can't. 

This was me right after that phone call. I left the job very soon after

I did work retail again, but ended up at a bookstore which was sooooo much more wonderful than words. I loved it and even continued to work there while I was teaching full-time. Yep, you read right. I am a certified teacher. So I worked in the amazing bookstore while I was teaching 5th grade. The place was so much fun and it was even haunted, but that's a story for another time.

The other shitty job I had was my last teaching assignment. Let me just say that the principal was brand, brand, brand new and she imagined she was going to take a school that was the lowest performing in the district and make it the highest performing. O_O Yeah, I don't know what she was smoking, but believe me she really imagined it was going to happen. If you ask any of my friends they will tell you I love to teach, love it!! But after that year I was done, done, done. I said I never wanted to go back to the classroom again. And I haven't since I'm a teacher in a history museum now.  And because of this my cats don't have to greet me at the door all . . .

So, those were some of my truly crappy jobs. Go visit the other Random Wednesday Bloggers (Jessica, Bronwyn, Kris, and Tess) and find out about their adventures. 

See you next week!!  --GC

Random Wednesday: These are a few of my favorite things . . . BOOKS!

Welcome back to Random Wednesday where today's topic is all about my favorite books. Jeez louise, I could go on for days and days with this topic. Oh, but before I do, I just wanna toss in some major hotness for my friend, Kris Norris.

Ooookay, now that I have all of your attention I'm going to talk about books. LADIES, eyes down here on the words please. Thank you. So, I love to read and I've always loved to read. In fact, the very first book I remember reading all by myself was a Goldenbook Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I was probably 5 and I read it over and over. The next book I fell madly in love with and still love to this day is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I still have the first copy I ever received from my beautiful Gramma and, I believe, another 3 or 4 more editions.

This looks like my exact copy, but mine is way more loved on

I started reading romance novels when I was probably 12 and, believe me, during the 70s they were horrible!!!!  The men were assholes and the women were wimps. Every book I read I thought, "I can so do better than this." I wrote my first book when I was maybe 13. Thankfully, that got lost, but I never lost my love of reading and writing. Also, romance novels have improved a billion percent since those early days. Now there are so many authors I love that I can barely keep up. 

Right now, I have a handful of authors I automatically buy without even looking at what the book is about. In no particular order here they are: 

Nalini Singh - I love her Psy/Changeling series and Angel series. Jeez louise, her stuff just keeps getting better and better. Her last Psy/Changeling Heart of Obsidian I finished in one day. If you haven't read her books I highly recommend them.

Shelly Laurenston - She always makes me laugh! Her shifters are so amazingly fun and they get into totally ridiculous situations. I also love that her heroines are tough as nails and do not mess around. If you're looking for something funny to read, she's it for me.

Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb - Hello, it's La Nora! Everything she writes is gold. I finished her last book The Collector in a very short amount of time. I think it's one of her best books. I loved the characters and the story. So much fun.

Jeanine Frost - Love her Cat and Bones books as well as the other books that connect the series. I can't wait for her next book about Vlad Tepish. He is hot . . . literally.

Jayne Anne Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle - I've been reading her since the very beginning and have all of her books under all the names. She never lets me down.

Kresley Cole - I discovered her when I bought her 3 ebook release The Professional and it was hot, hot, hot. I am now starting her Immortals After Dark series and love them.

J.R. Ward - Black Dagger Brotherhood . . . yeah I don't need to say anything more than that. :-)

Chevy Stevens - She doesn't write romance. In fact, she's found in General Fiction and her books are more psychological suspense. I love them and they are really different. Her first book called Still Missing was so amazing that I read it in one day and it blew me away. It's told in first person and the narrator was kidnapped and held for a year by her kidnapper. I won't tell you any more than that, but I am telling you, you have to read it.

Best book ever!!!!

Okay, so I could keep going on and on and on, but I won't. I will let you get to the other amazing Random Wednesday ladies to see what they read. If you don't know who they are you're so missing out! So go over and see Bronwyn Green, Kris Norris, Jessica Jarman, Jenny Trout, Kellie St. James, and Tess Grant right now. 

Happy Reading --GC

Soooo proud to present . . . . If Ever I Would Leave You by Bronwyn Green, Jessica Jarman and Jenny Trout

Today, authors Bronwyn Green, Jessica Jarman, and Jenny Trout unveil the cover of their upcoming anthology:

If Ever I Would Leave You

(July, 2014)

Keep reading for a chance to win an Arthurian-themed DVD prize pack or a $25 Amazon gift card!

Surfacing

Bronwyn Green

A year after Tabby Nolan's sister vanished from the Lake Michigan shore with her boyfriend, Liam, Tabby visits the spot where the two were last seen-- and finds herself pulled into the crumbling world of Avalon.

Since his disappearance, Liam has been trapped in the mythical land, with no link to the world he knew. Now, their shared memories of Tabby's missing sister are all they can cling to as Avalon dies around them.

But Tabby doesn't want to be a replacement for her sister, and her growing attachment to Liam feels like a betrayal. As Avalon fades around them, Liam and Tabby must rely on each other-- or be lost with the ancient kingdom forever.

Albion’s Circle: The Deepest Cut

Jessica Jarman

For nineteen years, Anna has been plagued by dreams of lives lived only in legend. Finally free from the family that believed her hopeless and worthless, she’s ready to start her life over—alone.

When Anna meets an enigmatic stranger claiming to be the legendary wizard Merlin, she is forced to question the very reality she’s struggled to accept. With the mythic figures from her dreams intruding on her waking life, Anna learns that she’s been reborn to fight an ancient evil alongside King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Caught in an ages old conflict, Anna is the key to stopping a dark magic that will destroy the world—and Merlin wants to make sure that this time, Anna isn’t alone.

A Choice Fit For A Queen

Jenny Trout

writing as

Abigail Barnette

For perpetual overachiever Madison Lane, a summer studying Arthurian mythology in the Welsh countryside with professor Thomas Evans is a dream come true, and the adventure of a lifetime.

Of course, the enormous crush Madison developed on the professor after a semester of his lectures at U of M has absolutely nothing to do with her desire to learn more about the enduring legend of Camelot. At least, that’s what she’s telling her parents.

When Madison meets fellow student Rhys Crewe, sparks fly, throwing her plans for wild fling with Professor Evans completely out of whack—as do her unexpectedly complicated feelings for Thomas. With tales of Arthur and Lancelot haunting her every waking moment, Madison has to make the most difficult choice of her life.

Add If Ever I Would Leave You to your GoodReads.com shelf

Jessica Jarman is an author, blogger, and rather obsessive fangirl. Having grown up in Upper Michigan and currently living in Minnesota, she is a Midwestern girl through and through. And wouldn’t have it any other way.

When Jessica isn't working to get words on the page, she passes the time with her amazing husband and four children, attempting to be crafty (and failing miserably), squeeing uncontrollably over her favorite shows or curling up with a good book. 

Bronwyn Green is an author, blogger and compulsive crafter. She lives Michigan with her husband, two sons and three somewhat psychotic cats. When not frantically writing, she can be found helping in her youngest son’s classroom or binge-watching Netflix while working on her latest craft project.

Abigail Barnette (Jenny Trout) is a writer, blogger, and funny person. She has written award winning and bestselling erotic romance as Abigail Barnette. Writing as Jennifer Armintrout, she made the USA Today bestseller list with Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her novel American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online. She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to strangle her. Visit her on twitter (@Jenny_Trout) or at her blog, jennytrout.com.

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Random Wednesday: You Couldn't Pay Me To . . . . .

Okay so this Random Wednesday blog is just what it says above. You couldn't pay me to . . .  probably do a lot of things. I'm not the most adventurous person, though I will tell you I have danced on a bar in New Orleans so my friends got free drinks. ;-)  I've also gone into a cave multiple times of my own free will. I live in Kentucky and we have the largest cave-system in the world here, Mammoth Cave. It is pretty spectacular.

Anyway, what you couldn't pay me to do in a million years is jump out of or off of anything. You will never hear me speak about skydiving or bungee jumping or hang-gliding. I am deathly afraid of heights and it takes a lot just to get me into an airplane.So the above picture, yeah never ever ever going to happen. If it did happen, somehow, like if someone tricked me and somehow made me think we were going to a huge bookstore and they were giving away books. Then they told me we had to strap into this contraption because that's how you got to the bookstore and I stupidly did (which I wouldn't, but let's pretend) and then the doors opened and I was presented with the above view. My face would look like this:

Then I would scream and leap back onto someone's back and wrap my arms around their head. Yep, and this is why you couldn't pay me, now matter how much money, to jump off of or out of anything.  Besides, if the plane is working, why would you jump out of it????? It's working!!  And since it's working you don't jump out because it would be PURE MADNESS!!!!!!!!

Wow, now that I have that off my chest check out the other Random Wednesday ladies and see what you couldn't pay them to do.

Bronwyn 
Jessica
Kris
Jenny
Kellie


Until next time!!  --GC

Random Wednesday: Behind the Scenes of My Latest Project . . .

Happy Wednesday!!  Or, as we say from where I'm from . . . Happy Gwensday! :-) I want to thank all the amazing Wednesday Bloggers for inviting me to join the fun.

Okay, my latest project is called Dangerous Promise and it's the 3rd book in the Promises Series. If you haven't read the other books I highly suggest you do since the other books are really great. And really have I ever steered any of you wrong?? No! I haven't, so see trust me. The first book is called Dark Promise and the second is A Hunter's Promise. The covers are way amazing!!

Anyway, this new book is about Grimm and Kate. Grimm's a vampire and a Hunter working for an organization called the PIA (Paranormal Investigative Agency) think NCIS, but with fangs. The organization is the police of parakind and the Hunters are sort of like Special Forces. They're sent after the bad of the bad. Kate is a human woman with two small children and she gets pulled into this world Grimm lives in. In the last books I introduced a blood cult that believes that if they drink human blood they will become these powerful beings. Yeah, it just doesn't work out for them though. Only Hunters can drink human blood. Regular vamps drink a blood substitute so drinking human blood doesn't do good things to them.  Now the blood addicted are displaying even more oddities and that puts everyone is major danger. New friends are brought in to help and, of course, Kate and Grimm fall in love in in the middle of the madness.

I don't want to give too much away, but I can tell you I'm well over half way through. I love the world and am already plotting the next book, which I think will be called Broken Promise. But I'll talk about that later.

Now that you've listened to me ramble and ramble it's time for you to go visit my Random Wednesday peeps:

Bronwyn Green
Jessica Jarman
Jenny Trout
Kris Norris
Kellie St. James
Tess Grant
Leigh Jones

Party On, People!!  --GC

Crushing on Some Boy Part 2

A year or so ago . . . or it could have been last week. Who know? This damn time change has really screwed me up. Anyway, sometime in the past I wrote a post about a crush I had when I was a kid. My very first crush, Tony De Franco of the De Franco Family. *sigh* I think I was maybe 7 or 8, anyway if you get the urge, check them out on YouTube, but remember the lead singer is mine! As I was saying, as it will happen tastes change. I outgrew Tony, who was a mere boy, and found Parker Stevenson.

I loved and love Nancy Drew! I read all the books. My mom bought me the entire set and I read them again. So when they created a show around the series I was all over it. I watched it faithfully. Then came the Hardy Boys. Now I didn't read those since I didn't care about boys solving mysteries, but when I saw Parker Stevenson, ohhhhh buddy, did my tiny 11 year old hormones flutter. Whatever night that show came on I was stationed in front of the TV to watch my man solve mysteries. My younger sister loved, loved , loved Shawn Cassidy and he played the younger Hardy Boy. She and I were in total heaven.

And, Parker can totally rock a turtle neck, right?? Oh the acting was superb, I'm sure. But then again I wasn't watching it for the story now was I?? Nope I just wanted to see my man run and jump and solve mysteries no one else could. As you can tell from the pic they spared no expense with makeup and costumes. And the hair . .. wow, feathered bangs never looked so good.

If you're asking, what's the point of this blog? I'll tell you. Once again, think back to who you had a crush on when you were a kid. If you are STILL dating that kind of person RUN AWAY!!!  And this was my public service announcement for today. You're welcome

Huge Headache

Jeez louise! First it's been a crazy summer. I'm still with the museum so we just finished with weeks and weeks of summer camps. It was fun. I really love it, but damn is it exhausting. In the middle of all of this, the cable company I'd been with changed to Time Warner. Now usually this wouldn't affect me. I have DirecTV and couldn't care less, but and this is huge all my email accounts are of course with the other place. Not I have to struggle to change everything over, which has been a huge pain. I didn't realize just how much stuff I had coming to me. But I didn't do it for just one account, but two. I have one under this name and one under my real name . . sort of like Bruce Wayne and Batman, but not that cool. So I have been struggling and nothing has been easy. I think I've cursed more tonight than I have all summer long. *hitting head on keyboard* I hate computer stuff. I used to love it, but I don't anymore. I want stuff to just magically happy. When it doesn't it totally frustrates me. So here I sit, finally . .. FINALLY back into my blog account after struggling over it for nearly 45 minutes. Now that I've done this I am so going to bed. I'm exhausted. LOL