Sparks ~ Now I Mean BUSINESS...

...cards.

So, like, in my quest to learn all I can about romance publishing, the better to sell my mythological romance novel, I became a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA). This is a fabulous organization which provides all sorts of resources for folks wanting to go either the traditional publishing or indie route. There are local RWA chapters across the country too, so I connected with the NYC chapter and attended my first meeting a couple of Saturdays ago. I was THRILLED to be in a room full of chicks and dudes who love romance so damned much they write it. (Rock on!)

At the meeting, lots of great author news and info on smaller romance writer conferences was shared, there was a Q & A with a panel of digital publishing professionals, and then breakout sessions. The one in which I participated was a small critique group, which proved to be wonderfully supportive and inspiring. I had a fabulous time and can't wait for next month's meeting!

(Sorry I'm so exclamatory! I'm just so totally stoked about it all!!!)

Ahem.

Anyway, I wanted to exchange contact info with some folks before I left and was chagrined when a couple of them handed me their gorgeous business cards and I had to scribble my e-mail address on a dog-eared slip of paper. Ugh. I felt like such a loser. (Please understand, none of the gals made me feel like a loser—I managed to feel that way all by myself.)

But seriously, I realized that, if I want to be considered a professional writer, I should present myself professionally and whatnot. So...I ordered myself some business cards! Check out the "preview" of the front and back images:

Isn't this just the coolest?????

The funny thing is, when I selected this template, I really liked the sinuous image of the smoke but didn't see anything other than smoke, right? When I sent this pic to my sister, Star, to get her opinion, she wrote back:

i like it--but i want to check to see if this is on purpose because if it's there it should be intentional:  in the smoke on the front of the card i see something that looks like, i dunno, some kind of fantastical creature. if that's what you're going for, success! if not, do you see it? do you wanna?

And I had this Scooby Doo sorta, "Roh?" moment. Really? A fantastical creature and I missed it? I mean, how's that even possible?

So I called over a co-worker ('cause, you know, you're totally supposed to be doing this kinda shit at your day job) and she's like, "Is that supposed to be an x-ray of a leg and hip socket?" I had to LOL, but I could see what she meant.

After she left, I kept staring at the smoke and then the magic happened: I saw two figures, the one on the right taller than the other and smiling somewhat wickedly, while the figure on the left seemed to be holding a bouquet in her arm, which made me think of the hero and heroine of my upcoming debut novel, when Hades first encounters Persephone (and snatches her up).

Well, naturally, this appealed to me, but I wondered what other eyes might see. I hollered at another co-worker, who saw all of the above, plus a fetus. Surreal!

Hermann Rorschach was hawt.
By Anonymous [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Though it's not intentional on my part, I rather heart the whimsy of it—that the smoke appears as different things to different folks. It's like my own kooky Rorschach test! Dig it!!! (And ordered it!) (Well, them. 250 cards, to be precise, from Vistaprint.com.)

So what do you see
in the smoke?

Sparks ~ Comfort Foods

I reckon this post won't require too much explanation: below are the foods I turn to when I seek (non-alcoholic) comfort.

Buttery pancakes with syrup, sausages, and coffee with half & half.

Mac & cheese, crunchy Cheetos, and Diet Coke (just for the taste of it).

Bacon cheeseburger, salty rustic fries, and a raspberry iced tea.

Godiva's Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel Bar.

But if things are really rough, I bring out Da Big Guns:

Häagen-Dazs Rocky Road Ice Cream

Can you say, "Holy carb overload, Batman!"?

I knew that you could.

;-)


All pictures snapped by me, me, me...

Sparks ~ Parfums

For this edition of Sparks (things I dig), I'm focusing on perfumes that really ring my olfactory bells.

The first is an oldie that came out in the mid 80s. Poison by Dior intrigued me with its dark, mysterious sexiness (naturally), and deluged my mind with images of a sophisticated dinner party, held in some foreign land (probably England), on a cool and rainy Saturday night, where my destiny awaited in the form of someone tall, dark, and toothsome...

Now, when I wear it in winter (it doesn't seem right for warmer weather, to me), I remember putting it on it in 1987 and listening to Depeche Mode's If You Want as I made ready to go...somewhere. (Given that I was incredibly sheltered and my mom hardly ever let me go anywhere that wasn't somehow related to school or family, you'd think I'd remember where the hell I was going, but I totally don't. I blame Momnesia.) 

Next is Michael Kors by Michael Kors. I find this robust, exotic scent perfect for summertime wear, as it makes me think of beaches and ocean breezes, and moonlit nights with...well, a fella who's tall, dark, and toothsome. :-)

Last is Florence by Tocca. I sniffed it on someone working in my office one day and followed my nose to the source to learn the name of this elegant, almost candy-like scent. I love wearing it on a crisp fall or spring day (which is lucky, as now all my seasonal scent needs are covered). Oh, yeah; and I'd totally wear it for an impromptu picnic of buttery brie, sesame crackers, lush red grapes, and a lovely Californian cabernet sauvignon with Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Toothsome.

I've wondered what it is about these three perfumes that resounds with me on such a visceral level and learned that the one thing they all have in common is tuberose at their core. I can certainly detect this in the Michael Kors and Florence, but don't have such an easy time sniffing it out in Poison, possibly because of the many other notes in that perfume, as well as the emotional attachment I have to it...all I know is I take a whiff of Poison and my soul growls, "Woof!" Looking further into tuberose, I got a big kick out of Blogdorf Goodman's post on this scent...::sighs::, it's just so me (I like to flatter myself). :-D

So what do y'all like to wear when you wanna feel sexy?

All pics in this post were (poorly) snapped by me.

Sparks ~ Five Reasons I Heart New York

You might run into a dude dressed like Spidey at Grand Central, busking so he can pick up some new tights.

You can hang out with Harry Houdini at The Jewish Museum for your 40th birthday. (When he's in town, of course.)

Or you can have a blue Christmas in Times Square...

Though possibly not as blue as this fella from the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA, a few years ago.

But you can always warm yourself up with a spoonful of Stephen, as seen on this poster on a dumpster near NYU.

All pictures above are mine, mine, all mine.