The Quirky Ladies is a group of eclectic (and dare I say quirky?) ladies who are passionate about writing romantic fiction. All types of romantic fiction...paranormal, fantasy, historical, erotic and contemporary. Bring it on!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Time for a little Christmas Spirit, and maybe a peppermint martini?


The Quirks have been discussing favorite Christmas movies. Some are humorous and some are serious tearjerkers. Here are our favorites....

Tara: Tara loves It's A Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. She thinks "It embodies all that makes the holidays so wonderful, especially family and friends pulling together to help someone in need. It also chronicles the story of a good man, who doesn't understand his own worth, who realizes with the help of his guardian angel that every person has a purpose and has value. Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends."
(excuse me while I wipe a tear from my eye.....sniffle, sniffle....)
Her honorable mention goes to A Christmas Story.

Kate: She casts a vote for Love Actually, as well as Holiday Inn, which she watched every year growing up. (She is now horrified by the "racially inappropriate/offensive black-face scene"). Woops!

Dalton: A Christmas Story. She says, "So many great scenes, I don't think I could pick just one. The leg lamp, the dogs, the bunny suit, visiting Santa, the tongue, xmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant, 'You'll shoot your eye out, kid!' I could totally go on." (I also love the scene when the little brother gets dressed in his winter clothes and can't get his arms down. Hee heeeee.....)

Michelle: Her favorite movie is also It's A Wonderful Life. The reason? According to Michelle, "Jimmy Stewart, so I need not say more. Plus it had a dark edge to it and magic and a less than pristine Angel."

Victoria: "It's A Wonderful Life, hands down. It was the first movie that made me cry and everyone needs to be reminded that 'no man is a failure who has friends.' I still cry when I watch it. I love A Christmas Carol, also. I like to watch the ending over and over, the scene when Scrooge redeems himself with Bob Cratchet. That one makes me cry, too."

What a bunch of crybabies!!!!! On the totally opposite end of the spectrum, here are my favorite irreverent and completely secular favorites....

Penny: First of all, if you have never seen Olive the Other Reindeer, you must go out and rent it ASAP. Drew Barrymore voices Olive, Joey Pants is Martini the Penguin, and Michael Stipe is a hilarious reindeer who sings. What more could you ask for??? In the same vein, Elf with Will Ferrell is fabulous...funny, sweet, quirky. Right up my holiday alley. And left over from childhood days is Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, narrated by Fred Astaire. It's the story of a young Kris Kringle and his bride Jessica. Sigh. Hey, that's a great idea for a romance novel....love in the Klaus family.....hmmmm......

Happy Holidays to All!
Penny





Monday, December 7, 2009

A BLOG BY ANY OTHER NAME



I need your help. As I embark on the journey which is my writing career post-publishing, I find myself running in a million directions. Popular opinion is that a published author needs to blog on their own blog site. If only to act as a forum to post promo updates and exciting, hot off the presses news. I am sure my readers stay up most nights holding their breaths waiting for my latest news. NOT. But still, there is an allure about an interesting blog post. Hence, I do blog. But what's a writer to do with limited time and a million decisions to be made about how to spend it wisely?

Hence, I need your opinion. What attracts you to read an author's blog? A catchy title? A contest? Humor? Do you click over to their weekly specials such as HOT HUNK day? Does the subject have to be provocative? Or perversely, would you click to a site posting a position with which you passionately disagree and spend your time ranting in the comments of the poster?
So what draws you more often than not? We all make random forays from time to time outside our typical patterns, but what is the typical pattern? Assuming it's not a blog you follow religiously, what topic brings you to that new site to peek?

Oh ye wise olde blog readers, help a gal out who needs to figure out how to use her precious time to fill the pages of her blog. So that when aliens visit our dead planet millennium in the future, excavate the remnants of our society, discover the gem which is my blog as they rig up a way to play our dinosaur computer and web structure, I'll give them only the best to read. I'm considerate like that (grin).

Comments? Leave them here or on my blog, just for the heck of it. http://www.michellepicardsblog.wordpress.com/

Oh, and I'm appearing at the Romance Junkies blogging (imagine that?) about Gateways and Portals on Tuesday, December 8th. Visit and join my contest for my book. Check out my blog at http://www.michellepicardsblog.wordpress.com/ and read how to double your chances to win the book.

Stay sane (relatively),
Michelle

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Sweet Inspiration Has Arrived!


My release day has finally arrived! Sweet Inspiration is now available for purchase at The Wild Rose Press. Yippee! Please stop by Penelope's Romance Reviews today to celebrate...I'm giving away some cool snowmen holiday ornaments, drinking egg nog, and probably surfing the net for photos of Hugh Jackman dressed in a Santa hat. Thanks to the Quirky Ladies for their undying support and excellent stalker-like tendencies as I begin my "virtual tour" of promotion.

Here's the purchase link for Sweet Inspiration at The Wild Rose Press.

A great review just got posted on Outlandish Dreaming! Check out this awesome blog.

Stop by Penelope's to par-tee!

Another great review...yay!  4.5 stars at the Romance Readers Connection!