Category: Commentary

No Group for You!

I’ve been posting a lot of music-centric stuff lately-either because I’ve been garnering inspiration from certain tunes or just because it makes me happy. Regardless of how downright gritty or lonely our lives might be right now, music always has the power to lift us up and take us away for awhile.

When I post something about a group or performer, inevitably I’ll get a comment from someone who was fortunate enough to see that act in person. I’m always so jealous.

Growing up in the Texas panhandle without much money, I didn’t always have opportunities to see artists perform live. I’m grateful for the ones I did see: Huey Lewis and the News, Three Dog Night, the Cowsills, Foghat, Marshall Tucker Band, Garth Brooks, and The Chicks among others, but I’ll always wish I could’ve seen The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Chicago, and Justin Bieber. (Okay, I threw Justin in just to see if you were paying attention. I have no interest in seeing him; although, having once been a teen-aged girl, I get it his appeal.)

What group or artist have you dreamed of seeing live but never had the opportunity or the means to do so? What’s the best act you ever saw perform live? Did you ever do anything crazy to get tickets? I mowed lawns for two months to save up for Huey Lewis—and I was a grown woman.

Most importantly, do you think we’ll ever get to go to concerts again?

Peace, people.

Wednesday Morning Eagles

It’s 7:17 a.m., and I’m still in bed. Alexa is playing an Eagles’ playlist just for me, and I’m singing along. The cat has taken refuge in the hallway, watching me with a wary eye, while my bed has become my own private time machine.

I remember singing along to “Take it Easy” from the backseat of our family’s car when I was 16 or so, and begging my parents to not change the station to a country channel. And when “Witchy Woman” played, everyone had to be quiet so I could try to understand the lyrics. What was that woman up to? No good, that’s what.

A favorite Eagles’ song? I can’t name just one. That would be like saying I have a favorite child or grandchild, or even a favorite husband. But, I do know the songs I enjoy singing along with the most.

“I Can’t Tell You Why”—my voice blends beautifully into this one. At least in my mind. Reality is a different matter.

https://youtu.be/mseS0C421cU

“Witchy Woman”—howling along.

https://youtu.be/nc0988XxoXI

And “Peaceful Easy Feeling”—nobody sings this as well as I do. That’s a blatant lie, but a relatively harmless one as lies go.

https://youtu.be/n-0lRkuNyj0

Young and innocent. Ha.

What a great way to start my day, right? Now, back to writing and editing and cursing a lot. Here’s hoping your Wednesday is good, though.

Peace, people.

Seven Bridges Road

Surely someone besides me needs this song today. It never fails to make me smile, and this is a great version, recorded live at the Grand Ole Opry.

https://www.facebook.com/grandoleopry/videos/535862247174975/?vh=e&d=n

My Writing Playlist

On a writing day I get the music started early and crank it up loud. I’ll bet my neighbors are glad our homes aren’t all that close together.

Here are my go-to songs for the romance I’m writing. I’m not sure there’s a theme here, but these songs speak to my characters.

“Lay, Lady, Lay,” by Bob Dylan

“Tomorrow,” by Chris Young (link below)

https://youtu.be/ETVjll5eR88

“Give Me One Reason,” by Tracy Chapman (link below)

https://youtu.be/V6hQ9HSKlIE

“Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress,” by the Hollies

“Shameless,“ the Garth Brooks version; although, I really like Billy Joel’s, as well. He did write it after all.

“Cross My Heart,” by George Strait

“Girl Crush,” by Little Big Town

“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” by Aerosmith

“I’ll Make Love to You,” by Boyz II Men (link below)

https://youtu.be/fV8vB1BB2qc

“As She’s Walking Away,” by Zac Brown Band

“Cowboy Take Me Away,” by The Chicks

Peace, people.

Feeling Hopeful

For the first time since November 2016, I feel like we might overcome Trump’s toxicity.

Vote Blue!

Rocking Country

I’m always behind the times when it comes to music. By the time I get turned on to a song it’s likely been on the charts for months and on its way into the archives.

In the case of Zac Brown Band’s “Heavy is the Head,” featuring the late rocker, the incredibly talented, Chris Cornell, I’m at least five years too late. I found the song while listening to country music on my Amazon Echo as research/mood enhancement for a romance novel I’ve been working on. “Heavy is the Head,” though, is definitely not a country tune, and it immediately got my attention, albeit half a decade after the fact.

Damn, Chris Cornell was something special. And Zac Brown Band has become one of my favorite country groups these last few weeks. What else am I missing?

Chris Cornell

Peace, people!

Want to See a Grown Woman Cry?

I’m roughly three paragraphs from completing my second novel. The groove is right, the words are flowing, and bam! My keyboard stops communicating with my laptop. I started pushing buttons. Nothing happened.

I’ve tried all of the easy suggestions:

Now I’m going to bring in the experts:

Thank goodness I’ve backed all but the last 500 or so words up on a thumb drive, but I’m still frantic to get my computer up and running again.

Peace, and HELP, People.

The Cigarette Girl

I’m very near the end of the little romance novel I’ve been working on, and my main characters finally consummated their relationship. Without giving away any details I’m just going to say that I needed a cigarette after writing that last scene, and I don’t even smoke.

Peace, people.

Living Vicariously

If I’d known before how much fun it was to live vicariously through one’s characters, I’d have gotten involved in writing books years ago.

My life hasn’t held all that many remarkable moments, but my characters’ lives are full of excitement and drama, adventure and romance. And when I’m in their world, I’m totally engaged.

As I nudge the characters in my little romance novel towards a satisfying ending, I’m already pondering where my next characters will take me. Best of all, there’s no virus in their world.

Peace, people.

Peace, people!

Sometimes Bad is Bad

My copy of Manhandled by E. L. Scobie arrived in the mail on Saturday afternoon. Studly brought the mail in, and I didn’t see the book until Sunday.

This is me before reading the book.

Immediately I set about reading this salacious looking novel that was published in 1963, a Midwood Book, by Tower Publications in New York City.

Having read my share of romance novels over the years I imagined this particular book would be tame in comparison to the bodice rippers I’d devoured in my twenties and thirties. I was both right and wrong.

This novel is hardly tame; however, the sex scenes aren’t titillating at all. With one really sweet exception, they’re just sad and tawdry. The front and back covers had more campy sexual appeal than the entire contents of the book combined.

I tried googling Scobie, with no luck, and I’m certain the author used a pen name. This seems to be his/her only published work, but it was, indeed, published which makes me think the author might have been trying a different genre. I’ll give the author this much—he/she wrote lyrically about the beauty of the area in which the book is set.

The book was disappointing. It didn’t make me want to lure Studly Doright to my boudoir for a night of passion, which had been on my mind. Instead, it inspired me to daydream about fishing in a cold mountain stream. And I dislike fishing. Go figure.

Peace, people!