Z is for … ?

Posted on April 30, 2013 by lashellcollins | 5 Comments

Ok, so as the title of this one suggests, I have no clue what to write about for today’s letter. And I am not at all happy about it. I feel like I’ve failed. But trying to come up with a romantic or sexy word or notion that begins with the letter Z is not an easy thing to do.

I know, I know … I probably set myself up for it by choosing romance as a secondary theme for this challenge. But I had a plan and I stuck to it. And it worked out for the most part. I mean … I did get to the letter Y! And I did take the challenge seriously. I committed myself to it, in spite of all the other things going on in my life right now. I made the effort to post, and to visit other blogs each day, and I was faithful to the task. That in itself could be considered somewhat romantic or heroic, right?

All right, perhaps I’m reaching a little bit there but, I refuse to believe that it was a complete and total failure. Besides, I honestly did have a lot of fun and I can’t wait until next April so that I can do it all over again. I’ve already started thinking about what my secondary theme will be!

Y is for Yes!

Posted on April 29, 2013 by lashellcollins | 2 Comments

First of all, I just want to say that I am so shocked and proud of myself for sticking with this A to Z blog challenge. I cannot believe that I have actually made it all the way to the letter Y. Now, on to today’s topic….

YES. It’s a potent little word that opens up a whole world of opportunities when used with proper, careful thought. It can spark excitement and turn on your sense of adventure:

Yes, I’d love to take sky diving lessons with you!

It can satisfy your raging hunger:

Yes, I would love some ice cream!

When used correctly, ‘yes’ can even become one of the sexiest, most romantic words in the English language:

Yes, I’d love to go out with you sometime.

Yes, I would love to dance.

Yes, I will marry you!

Such a simple little word with so many romantic possibilities!

Oh Technology!

Posted on April 27, 2013 by lashellcollins | 2 Comments

So, you all remember how with book 1 of my Pierced Trilogy, I had so many Technical Difficulties? And then even more Technical Difficulties? Well, in an effort to avoid all of that with book 2, I decided to go through BookBaby this time around so that all the technical file conversion and what not would be their problem, not mine. And let me tell you, it has been a great experience thus far! The conversion went smooth as silk. They even ask you what date you would like your book to be made available for sale. I chose April 30th. So imagine my shock this morning when a reader tells me that she purchased book 2, Pierced By Love, last night!

Oh technology! Always so many surprises! But at least this one is a pleasant surprise and one that I can deal with without feeling the need to pull my hair out or curl up in a corner to cry. So, book 2 of the Pierced Trilogy, Pierced By Love, is now available for purchase on Amazon and will soon be available at other outlets (Barnes&Noble, iBookstore, etc.) as well. Yikes!!

X is for X-Rated!

Posted on April 27, 2013 by lashellcollins | 4 Comments

Ok. Let me just say that it’s not at all easy to come up with a romantic or sexy topic to write about involving the letter X. To say that my choices were slim would be a huge understatement! Therefore, I chose the only topic that made any kind of sense to me.

So, what is it about the phrase ‘X-Rated’ that gets our attention? Well, the simple answer is that it’s naughty. Or at least, it promises or implies that something naughty is afoot. And most of us just can’t help ourselves when it comes to the naughty. We can’t stop ourselves from rubbernecking; we all become voyeurs to some degree when we think we’re about to see something we really shouldn’t. We want desperately to get a small peek at those sexy images on the screen, or to read a few pages of that steamy erotic novel, or even to listen to those explicit song lyrics. We can’t help ourselves, it’s human nature. It’s just the way our dirty little minds are made to work.

Which reminds me, I saw the cutest quote today on some social media site (I honestly can’t remember which one because I’ve been taking a social media class this week and visiting/getting familiar with various platforms). Anyway, it said something like, “I don’t have a dirty mind; I just have a really sexy imagination!” I like that. I think it’s the perfect tagline for a spicy romance author!

W is for Weddings!

Posted on April 26, 2013 by lashellcollins | 1 Comment

For most women, nothing screams romance like a wedding. Why is that? What is about weddings that we women seem to fall helplessly in love with? I’m honestly not really sure. The only thing I do know for certain is that it’s true. Most of us love a good wedding. We just can’t seem to stop ourselves from getting all caught up in the romance and the splendor and the beauty of it all. There’s just something about a wedding that makes us hopeful and starry-eyed. When we see the happy couple standing at the end of the aisle, promising to love, honor, and cherish … it does something to us on the inside. It calls to something deep and basic within us. That desire to love and to be loved in return. And it makes us believe that happy endings exist and that people really do live happily ever after. We attend a wedding and we dare to dream. And we believe that those dreams really can, and will, come true someday.

Weddings make us think about promises and commitments, love and devotion, always and forever, and they make us wonder about the wisdom of leading a solitary existence. Weddings, as much as the men in our lives, make us want to say ‘I do.’

V is for Violins

Posted on April 25, 2013 by lashellcollins | 2 Comments

Okay, so you all know by now that I am a HUGE music fan. What you might not know about me is that my musical tastes are extremely eclectic, sometimes bordering on schizophrenic. I am every bit as in love with disco and ’80s pop as I am with heavy metal. In fact, it might actually be easier to tell you what genres of music I don’t like (because there aren’t many). I honestly listen to just about everything. And that includes classical. I love classical music. I love Beethoven in particular. That’s why for today’s appointed letter, I have chosen the classical, and very romantic, Romance for Violin and Orchestra No.2 in F major, Op. 50. Or simply “Violin Romance,” as it is sometimes called.

Incredibly romantic (as the name implies), and beautiful enough to move one to tears, it is one of my favorite pieces of music. And it always brings up a very puzzling question for me: what is it about the violin that is so unbelievably romantic anyway? I’ve been trying to figure that one out for years. To me, it has to be the single most romantic musical instrument ever! I mean, there are instruments I would call sexy – like the guitar, or the drums, or even the saxophone. But there are very few instruments I would consider truly romantic. The violin is pretty much it. Can you think of others? Enjoy this musical interlude by Ann Fontanella while you ponder it.

U is for Unrequited Love

Posted on April 24, 2013 by lashellcollins | 5 Comments

There is no situation as miserable as being in love with someone who doesn’t love you back. It is quite possibly the worst feeling in the world, and we’ve all been there to some degree at some point in our lives. Like that schoolgirl crush you had on the high school football star who didn’t even know you were alive? Yep. We can all totally relate. And really, whether you are the one who loves or you are the beloved, it can be an equally painful and awkward experience. Trust me, I’ve been on both sides of this equation before.

For some, unrequited love can turn toxic and creepy. Or even criminal (think stalking). But for most, it’s just constant heartbreak and frustration. As Rick Springfield once said, “Love hurts when only one’s in love.” And here’s another sad tale of unrequited love from Mr. Springfield. Enjoy!

T is for Trust

Posted on April 23, 2013 by lashellcollins | 1 Comment

It is one of the most essential elements of any long-lasting relationship. We hear that all the time but, it really is true. The dictionary describes trust as, “the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability or strength of someone or something.”

Without that “firm belief” in each other, there is almost no point in continuing. True love can’t exist without trust. If you can’t trust in one another to be there, if you can’t lean on each other and know without a doubt that your significant other will be there for you in any situation, then love becomes fraught with uncertainty and doubt. It’s not only difficult to build a loving relationship without trust, it’s pretty near impossible.

Here’s a musical interlude from Etta James on the subject.

S is for Special

Posted on April 22, 2013 by lashellcollins | 3 Comments

Ok, I know. Another curveball. But this one is … well, really special. So, no matter who we are or where we come from, deep down we all want the same things out of life. We all want to be loved, we all want to be happy. We all want to feel like we belong. It’s human nature. But for some of us, it’s not always so easy to find those things, or to figure out how to attain them or how they all fit together, and life becomes a struggle. But what we need to remember is that love and happiness … and even acceptance … they all have to begin on the inside first.

So my topic for today’s letter of the alphabet is “Special,” a song by Janet Jackson. Not romantic? Maybe not in the traditional sense. But it is a love song to ourselves. Because everybody needs to feel special.

Book Tour Finale

Posted on April 22, 2013 by lashellcollins | 4 Comments

So my virtual book tour for Pierced By Danger ends today, and I want to say a special thank you to Faerie Tale Books for hosting the final day of the tour. They are featuring the book on their lovely site today along with a great review, calling Pierced By Danger “a promising start to a new series.” Yay! Be sure to hop on over and check it out.

Also, you can always go back and have another look at each of the stops along my tour by clicking one of the links below.