Guilty Pleasure ... sun, sand and surf

Sorry to have been the silent bee of late...

It's been busy in the Gibson hive of late. But it's been all good stuff. I post to you from my hotel room in South Beach Miami where I've been since Sunday. Before that, we were up in Clearwater Beach for the wedding my wonderful friend and critique partner, Diana Peterfreund. I can't download my pics yet, but let me assure you, she was the essence of a bridal magazine bride...tres gorgy!!!

But yeah...I missed out on the guilty pleasure post because I was experiencing my guilty pleasure...the beach. For me, it's so much more than just a vacation away from the cold New England weather that's set in. It's a total mind and body getaway. The sun it soothing to me. Yes, I wear sun block, but I've got Indian blood in me and I seem to come alive in the sun. I feel better when I sit out in the sun. The surf...wow...I could sit and listen to the waves all day pounding the shore and slipping back out in to the ocean. And who doesn't like squiggling their toes in the sand?

Here's a view from where we stayed in Clearwater. The sand there is sugar...honestly. White and sifted like flour. I highly recommend a visit there.



And here's a picture of our spot in Miami Beach. Every time we visit here, this is where we plop down to spend several hours. The art deco designs of the whole beach decor is just gorgeous.



So...what is your favorite beach and why?

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega?
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters
May 2008, Puffin Books
writing as Kate Harmon

Checkin' the System

BuzzBlog readers may remember a few months back when Growing Up Godly became OH. MY. GODS. (a way better title anyway). Well, the reason it changed at that time, my editor said, was that the info was due to the catalog that goes out to book buyers and other folks responsible for ordering books.

Oh my gosh, I thought. If the catalog is going out, surely I'm going to show up on bn.com any day now!

So I started checking. Not every day. I'm not as obsessed--er, devoted as some people. Still, once or twice a week I would log on, type in my name, and cross my fingers. Nothing. Nada. A bunch of random books that have absolutely nothing to do with me. Sometimes I would pop over to Amazon and try there. Or fetchbook.info, which searches bunches of sites simultaneously. Like I said, I'm not obsessed.

Then one day (okay, day before yesterday) I was with my mom at the local Borders by my parents' house in OKC. We had run in so I could grab a research book, and on the way out I said, "Hey, I'm gonna check their system real quick."

And that's when it happened. I was there. My book was there. OH. MY. GODS. was available for pre-order!!!

As soon as I got home I logged on to Amazon. Yep, I was in there. Books-a-Million? Uh-huh. Barnes and Noble? Well... I'm still waiting on that one. But for the last forty-eight hours, all I can think about is the fact that people all over the world can order my book right now. (And, at least on Amazon, at a totally amazing 32% discount!)

My guilty pleasure? Feeling like the distant dream is finally becoming a reality.

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (Dutton) May 2008
Available for pre-order!
teralynnchilds.com

It Is About the Accent

Okay, so my tweak on Caridad Ferrer's fabulous book title (It's Not About the Accent) is not at all related to ethnic identity struggles. I'm talking about guys with accents, and how they can make any guy suddenly beyond attractive.

It could be a Scottish accent, a la Sean Connery...


Or a Spanish one, like Antonio Banderas...


There's Colin Farrell's Irish brogue...


Australian-born Troy hottie, Eric Bana...


And super-sexy Israeli, Oded Fehr.


Face it, blogsters, there's just something magical about an accent. Who are your favorite foreign-born actors? Bonus points for actors who aren't native English speakers!

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (Dutton) May 2008
teralynnchilds.com

My guilty pleasure...hockey players!

Loves, loves, loves me some hockey! What's not to love? Men in pads going thirty miles an hour with sticks, bashing each other into the boards, slamming to the ice and scoring with only a few seconds left. It's testasterone at it's best!


And my favorite team is the Toronto Maple Leafs...my favorite player...Darcy Tucker. What's not to love? He shoots, he scores...





He fights...





He's a leader and a team player...





And he's sooooooo cute!





What's your favorite sport? Favorite player? Let us know!


And a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge CONGRATS to Stephanie Hale for her new sale!!!


Hugs
Marley = )


SORORITY 101: ZETA OR OMEGA?
SORORITY 101: THE NEW SISTERS
writing as Kate Harmon
May 2008, Puffin Books

Guilty Secrets is Back!

After taking a couple weeks’ break to reintroduce ourselves and talk about the our own Simone Elkeles’ book, How to Ruin a Teenage Vacation, being nominated for a YALSA Top Ten Book award, we’re back to our Guilty Pleasures theme.

This week, our subcategory is Boys. This was something I had to think long and hard about, revisiting different times in my life, trying to zero in on one male trait that makes a guy stand out in my mind.

I realized it was listening.



What stops my clock is when a guy will block out the world to pay full attention to a girl who needs to talk. Who will concentrate on what’s important to her, hear her, and become part of her world.

Even if what she is saying seems trivial to him. Even if he doesn’t have much to contribute on the subject. Because sometimes all a girl needs is to vent...and in doing so, the problem at hand disappears, or she simply feels better.

In any case, listening really does it for me.

And there’s some cyber chocolate (sorry, the real giveaways were last week) to whoever can identify the celebrity whose ear I used. (Hint: I took the picture myself, and there aren’t many celebs I’ve gotten that close to.)

What I’m Reading: How to Take the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend, Janette Rallison

Tina

Tina Ferraro
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
How to Hook a Hottie, January, 2008
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys, Spring, 2009
www.tinaferraro.com

Guilty Pleasures...Anything Food Related

My name is Marley Gibson...and I am a Foodie. (Everyone say: "Hi Marley!")

Yes, my guilty pleasure in life is food. And more particularly cooking. I think it all started in Girl Scouts when I went for that Cooking badge and had so much fun learning how to boil water, break eggs, and peel potatoes. I know it sounds like a life for a mess haul cook, but I was hooked.



In college, I had a microwave and a large coffee pot/boiler and I used to make all sort of concoctions in my doorm room. Things like "tuna noodle surprise" (tuna, Ramen and cream of mushroom soup...surprise!) When I had my apartment senior year, I moved to more creative things like Beef and Potato casserole (that I got off the French Fried Onions can) and homemade spaghetti sauce (my brother's recipe that I expanded on.)



In 1996, two things happened to me. 1) I was diagnosed with a pepcid ulcer (eww...) and 2) the Food TV Network came on cable. The two things coincide, because I had to make a conscious effort to know everything I was eating, therefore eliminating a lot of "crap" from our lives. No more red meat, cut down on acidy things, no more caffeine, and lower fat foods. I thought this was going to make our mealtimes extremely boring until I started watching shows like Ready, Set, Cook and Emeril and Sara Moulten. Through these shows, I learned knifing techniques, how to pair foods and how to substitute lower fat items for higher fat items and not lose any of the flavor.



Thus began my "cheffing" career. I bought all the best products -- knives, pans, pots, bakeware -- and got serious about having fun. Since then, I am the queen of retooling recipes to make them more healthy. Cooking is my stress relief. I love the chopping and slicing and preparing of the mise en place (French term for all the prep work ahead of cooking.)



I love cooking for friends and having them over for my stuffed chicken breast with red pepper coulis, grilled grouper with tropical salsa or traditional paella. (Leave a comment if you want any of these recipes.)



On my wedding anniversary last year, I made lobster thermador with chateau potatoes and grilled asparagus.



We also had a Mardi Gras party, complete with jambalaya and King cake.





Cooking is such a guilty pleasure because it not only gives me joy to put my creativity and love into a dish, but then to serve it to people and see their enjoyment when they eat it. It's quite satisfying.

Do you have a favorite dish? Something you enjoy making for friends and family? Please share!

Hugs,
Marley = )

SORORITY 101: ZETA OR OMEGA?
SORORITY 101: THE NEW SISTERS
writing as Kate Harmon
May 2008, Puffin Books

What I'm reading right now: Sadly, nothing...but I finished a new book proposal!