Saturday Seven – 7 Records I Discovered Because of the Library – with @MeganSlayer #satseven #saturday7 #music #records #librarymonth

Find the other Saturday Seven posts here!

To conclude my ode to the library and for the last Saturday Seven of April, I give you the 7 records (yes, those big, flat vinyl things) I discovered because of the library. I loved going to the record section and finding new discoveries. Hey, you can find some great stuff if you just go looking. These are in no particular order. 🙂

7. American Graffiti – the soundtrack – how can you go wrong with that classic early pop music?

6. Invisible Touch – Genesis – I already liked the band, but with the pops and snaps, this record…well, pops!

5. The Stranger – Billy Joel – I’d already known about his music because my mother had his cassettes, but to hear the whole album and with the nuances…it’s wonderful.

4. Jesus Christ Superstar – this isn’t an easy listen, even though it’s all catchy. But I loved every second. 

3. Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits – Patsy Cline – I never really got to know my maternal grandmother, but she loved Patsy Cline, so when I listened to her, I felt closer to the woman I didn’t know.

2. Huey Lewis and the News – Sports – they were all the rage when I was a kid. How could you not love their songs? If This is It and the Heart of Rock and Roll…besides, they mentioned Cleveland!

1. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Elton John – I loved his 80s music, but this was the classic stuff. I wanted this record so much. Like…a lot. I used to get this record out every time I saw it was back in. I’m pretty sure they hid it from me after a while. Lol.

Well, I love my library. Love it so much I joined my local Friends of the Library group. You should, too. Libraries are wonderful places and should be preserved.

What was your favorite thing to check out of the library, besides books?

 

Advertisements

Who Wants to Live Forever? @Queen #Queen

I’ve had this song stuck in my head and on my mind. It’s haunting and beautiful. It makes me want to write a vampire story. What do you think?

Saturday Seven ~ 7 Romantic TV Movies I Use for Writing with @meganslayer #romance #television #iamwriting

Look for the Other Saturday Sevens here!

When I write, I can’t have silence. I can’t. The quieter it is, the worse off I am. I’ve been this way as long as I can remember. When I’d do my homework in school, my mother would chew me out for having my cd player going and watching television while I sorted through Algebra 2. Oh yeah, I’d be busting out the tunes, working the math problems and watching whatever was on the TV.

I’m still that kind of worker. Silence is deadly for me. I get bored and off-topic. If I have music or a movie playing and can sing along…not very well because my range is so low, but hey, whatever…I’m good.

So as I’m writing this post, it occurred to me, I wanted to write a list of some of my favorite television romances. Don’t knock it until you’ve watched them. Maybe they aren’t your cuppa. It happens. I don’t mind. I do have to admit, some of these are Christmas shows. Shrugs. I’m okay with that, too.

Here’s my list and it’s not all-inclusive or in any particular order:

7. A Princess for Christmas – First off… the guy from Outlander is in this movie and he grooves. Yes, he dances. It’s silly, funny and they unwind like regular people, despite being royals. I love it.

6. My Secret Valentine – Lacey Chabert is the queen of the Hallmark movies. She always has at least one ‘huh’ moment, but it’s realistic. Plus, this story is cute because of the notes left on the chalkboard. \

5. A Christmas Kiss – I’d watched Brendan Fehr in CSI: Miami and kind of liked him, but kind of didn’t. I don’t know why, but he had magnetism in this movie. I started watching halfway through, then had to find another showing to get the whole story. It’s cute, quirky and I know I’ll get a happy ending.

4. On the Twelfth Day of Christmas – The 12 days of Christmas gift giving and the way the heroine pours her heart out through the movie is endearing.

3. All of My Heart – Another Lacey Chabert movie, but in this one, she inherits half a house. The hero inherits the other half. Oh, and there’s a goat. Just sayin’, the goat makes the movie. Plus, I see a lot of my cats in that goat.

2. My Christmas Love – I have to start this one by admitting this tv movie drives me crazy. The heroine is more than a little self-absorbed. Okay, like a lot. But I love the hero, played by Bobby Campo. He tries so hard to win over the heroine, only to be thwarted by her desire to find that illusive Christmas love. He plays the role with sincerity and humor. I love it.

1. The Normal Heart – if you want romance, then watch the first half of the movie. If you want romance and to cry, then watch the whole thing. It’s the story of an activist during the 1980s dealing with AIDS and the AIDS crisis. The characters are realistic and the love leaps off the screen. I know what will happen at the end of the movie and cry every time. It’s worth the watch, even though you know you’re in for a sad ending. Oh and the Mark Ruffalo/Matt Bomer love scene….damn.

Those are my titles. I warned you there were a lot of Christmas ones. My question to you is, what are you favorite romance TV movies. Not big screen ones, but the ones for the small screen. I’d love to know. You might have a few I haven’t seen and would make my list.

This post also shows up on the Sexy Dude and Divas blog: https://sweetnsexydivas.blogspot.com/2018/03/saturday-seven-7-romantic-tv-movies-i.html

Valentines and Hunky Guys… A List with @meganslayer #hunks #hotties #valentines #musicians

I’ve been watching way too much of the Monkees lately and thinking about Valentine’s Day. I have a confession to make. I’m a sucker for at least one of the Monkees. I’ve loved them since I can remember. But this post isn’t just about my love for an oldies (Makes me gasp to say that) band… it’s about those guys who always make me smile. It’s a simple list and don’t laugh. I already know I’m a big dork and this will be an eclectic list.

So to count down to Valentine’s Day on Wednesday…here’s my list (there will be a new list tomorrow):

Daryl Hall from Hall and Oates – I want him to sing to me. IMHO, he’s aged well, too. I’ve always loved Out of Touch. In fact, I’m listening to it right now. And yes, I realize the guy is over 70.

Bryan Adams – again, the guy can sing to me. Not the Robin Hood song, but the rock ones. He got a tad rough with age, but he always had that rugged look about him. Heat of the Night will always be one of my favorites. That and Please Forgive Me.

Peter Tork from the Monkees – he can give me that goofy smile and sweetness any day.  He’s the only one I know who can wear a leopard skin suit, then change into peace beads and flowy shirts with leather, then a business suit and look good each time. He could be the pinnacle of hippie-dom, then classy and dressed up and never miss a beat.

Huey Lewis from Huey Lewis and the News – hey, the guy was big when I was a kid and I thought he was cool because he was in the Back to the Future movies. My friends and I would pretend we were ‘married’ to various musicians. Now this was before the New Kids explosion. I always either got Daryl Hall or Huey Lewis. Don’t ask me why. I don’t even remember who else was on the list for us to choose from.

Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block – he’s the first and only celebrity I ever sent a Valentine. I decorated my Valentine’s Day box one year with New Kids pictures. Back in the day, I actually thought he’d reply to my letter. I was wrong.

Billy Joel in the 80s – yes, I thought he was handsome when he finally got a decent haircut. He writes music for the chicks in his life. Yeah, sign me up.

George Harrison and Paul McCartney from the Beatles – I was raised in a household where my folks played music, most of the time on LP. I was weaned on the greats like the Beatles from a young age. I always thought Paul was dreamy, but had a soft spot for George because, even as a teen, I thought he was misunderstood.

I told you this would be a strange list. I’m guessing you’ve probably got a few you’d rather forget, even if they were once on your hottie list. Let me know. I’m game.

Saturday Seven with @meganslayer #special #edition #lovesongs #saturday7

Find the other Saturday Seven posts here!!

Since this week is Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d pre-empt my theme of actors and actresses. I’m going to focus on my favorite seven love songs. Some of these might not be your idea of love songs, but they’re mine. Add yours in the comments. Grin. I’m always interested in new tunes.

In no particular order…

7. Moonlight Serenade by the Glenn Miller Orchestra – https://youtu.be/8TB_8H23EDI – it’s smooth, beautiful and reminds me of dancing in the dark.

6.  Dream a Little Dream of Me by Mama Cass – https://youtu.be/wahujVWNy_c  – I’ve always been a sucker for this song. I love Mama Cass and her heartfelt rendition always breaks my heart just a little.

5.  Lovesong by the Cure – https://youtu.be/hXCKLJGLENs – It’s the Cure. It’s heartfelt and I love it.

4. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel – https://youtu.be/kU8OJAOMbPg – I think of John Cusack every time. I kind of want to have a guy blasting this on his boom box, but then I second guess.

3. Gary Allan – Smoke Rings in the Dark – https://youtu.be/lYdXesvlGyU  – this song introduced me to Gary Allan. He’s handsome and the way he sings this song about love gone wrong…I don’t know. It’s just my kind of love song.

2. Gary Allan – Putting My Misery On Display – https://youtu.be/lNfD23Lr0zY – I think it’s the guitar portion at the end. It’s not a traditional lovey-dovey kind of song, but IMHO it’s darn sexy.

1. In the Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett – https://youtu.be/5KFYUJ63nk8 – it’s the sax in the middle. There’s just something about it. Shivers.

Honorable Mentions:

She’s Got a Way by Billy Joel

Something by the Beatles

Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John

Sacrifice by Elton John

Okay I could probably have a whole second list. Shrugs. I also listened to every one of these on youtube while looking for the links. I couldn’t NOT listen to them. I’m waiting for your suggestions. I need more tunes for my playlists!! And Go!

Play That Song and Turn Me On ~ Writing and Music with @MeganSlayer #songs #writinghot #eroticstories

When I was a kid, I LOVED the radio. I know, odd way to start a blog post that talks about turning me on, then I mention being a kid. I’ll get there. Go with me.

I loved the radio. I’d sit right next to the speaker to figure out all of the different parts of the songs. The top forty countdown was one of my staples. I knew all of the songs on the list and even the ones that weren’t my favorites. I still remember them. Not the order of the countdowns, but when I hear the songs, I know them. Those songs take me back and remind me of times in my life. Dances, trips, visits to places, kisses…you get it.

So now to the title of this post. When I hear those songs, even from way back, they remind me of stuff I’ve been through. They also bring characters to mind. I hadn’t really thought about it before until I was in the Wrangler listening to the radio. My tastes are a tad different than back then, but the 90’s channel is still a favorite. Anyway, I was listening and a pair of characters came to mind. Their whole story spilled out. Then the next song made up another part of their tale. Now had I not been driving, I would’ve jotted all of this down. But I did manage to memorize the songs. I wrote those down when I got to my destination. The next time I heard the tunes, the story came back. I knew when the sex scenes should be, the break-up and everything. I’m currently working on the story as I write this post. But it’s not done.

Are there song that take you right back to a moment in the past? Remind you of someone? Make you feel the way you did back then? Let me know!

This post is also up on the Dirty Birdies Blog: http://wp.me/p6bvcM-1K2

Writing to Music and Memories with @MeganSlayer #music #inspiration #iamwriting

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and trying to write. Sounds a little odd, right? Trying to write? Sometimes the words are there, but getting them onto paper or the screen isn’t easy. Life gets in the way, despite the characters not stopping to understand that, and I can’t always get everything jotted down.

So I was thinking, driving and listening to the radio… As I’m going along on my way to a sporting event for my tot, a song came over the radio that reminded me of my characters. Not from the current WIP, but a new one. I’ve usually got two WIPs going at one time, but this one was way out of left field. I have the general outline in my head and did manage to get it down on paper so I can get to it later.

But that driving trip got me thinking about how music has been so influential in my life and writing. I need playlists to write. I need to be inspired. When I was a kid, I used to sit right next to my gigantic boom box and listen to the nightly top ten countdown on my local radio station. I’d write down the songs because if I called in and was the tenth caller (or whatever number they requested that night) who could recall the list…then you won a free cassette tape. I used to try and win every night. I had the list mostly memorized. I never did win, but those songs are still with me. I hear them and think of being a kid again. I remember the thrill of listening to the new tunes, being inspired to create art and maybe get lucky enough to win. I never did, but hey, it was still fun.

Maybe I should use that story for one of my books. Grin. Speaking of being inspired, the highly anticipated next book in my Sanctuary Series drops this week. Saving His Roar!!

Saving His Roar by Megan Slayer

A Sanctuary Story

Book 9

M/M, Anal Sex

Paranormal, Contemporary

From Resplendence Publishing

Art by Tiffany Mason

Ryan ‘Blaze’ Burden knew his life wasn’t perfect. He’s a stripper at Stiff and a shifter, but he can’t tell anyone about his special ability. The popularity of shifters hasn’t come to Stiff or the town of Sugar Ridge, for that matter. Being a shifter is still frowned upon. Ryan knows he doesn’t fit in, but he does have one bright spot in his life—the mystery man who comes to the club and requests Ryan for private dances. The electricity between them is palpable, but if Ryan makes a move, will the hottie reciprocate?

Delaney Sullivan doesn’t come to Stiff for the ambiance. He’s there for one dancer—Blaze. He senses the shifter within the handsome young man. But Delaney works for the enemy—he’s the campaign manager for the mayor of Sugar Ridge. He doesn’t share the mayor’s desire to outlaw shifters because he’s a panther shifter. Can he get Blaze out of the club? To trust him? Or maybe even to love him?

These opposites certainly attract, but can they find the mutual trust to have a future together?

Available now from Resplendence Publishing

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2eXNrTN

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2h3oESD

Amazon Japan: http://amzn.to/2x2biKc

Amazon Germany: http://amzn.to/2h3DKHP

Amazon France: http://amzn.to/2f8yJNz

Amazon Australia: http://amzn.to/2x1dSjz

Amazon Canada: http://amzn.to/2h59snS

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2vVyfO1

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/3k0WqG

This post is also up at the Dirty Birdies Blog! 🙂