Posts Tagged ‘humor’

Death By Spanx

Tuesday, January 1st, 2013



Congratulations to contest winner Karen Lange.


For those readers who consumed the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, please note this blog post is not about a physical relationship which incorporates any form of bondage or discipline.

Or is it?

I recently had an encounter that left me tormented and imprisoned. I’ve never felt such anguish before and hopefully will not suffer any permanent scars from this experience.

I’m talking about my visit to a local department store in search of a dress for a holiday party. The life of an author is fraught with peril.  You are forced to remain sedentary for hours on end, hoping to achieve your desired word count by the end of the day. Unfortunately on most days, my carb count exceeds my word count.

At the store, I found dresses galore in every shape and color. Unfortunately none of them came in my shape. That’s when the saleswoman leaned in and whispered, “Why don’t you try Spanx?”

At first I thought she said Spankys, and I couldn’t figure out how eating pizza would help my current situation. Then I realized she was referring to the line of firmware that had made the female founder a bazillionaire.

When I hesitated, she confided that Katy Perry wore Spanx and was proud of it. If the singer of “Teenage Dream” could wear firmware, so could a card-carrying member of the AARP! I told her to bring on the Spanx.

Seconds later she produced a beige garment about the size of a toddler’s mitten.  My expression must have appeared doubtful because she smiled and reassured me it would do the trick. My curves would miraculously realign.

I’m not the most scientific of souls, but I did ponder where exactly those curves would realign themselves.  Hopefully at top mast!

After shimmying left and right, up and down, and sweating more profusely than a hot flash moment, I was firmly encased in an item that must have been designed by someone who also built torture chambers on the side.

I decided I would rather pull my upper lip over my forehead than wear this item for another second.

That’s when I discovered that the torture of getting into the Spanx item was nothing compared to getting out of it. After a ten-minute struggle, I was ready to have the store call for the Jaws of Life. With a final tug, I sent the miniature girdle down to my knees.

At last I was free. Unfortunately, I could not straighten up and celebrate because I’d pulled every single muscle in my back.

The bad news was I didn’t end up purchasing a new dress. The good news was that I no longer needed one, since it’s quite difficult to foxtrot when you’re bent over at a ninety-degree angle.

Anyone else suffer a “fashionable” moment? I’d love to hear your tale.

CONTEST ALERT!
Leave a comment by midnight January 6th, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card of your choice. Here’s to a safe and Spanx-free New Year.



Trick or Treating Is Not for Sissies

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012



Congratulations to contest winner Cathy Ann Adkins.


Written by Guest Blogger Heather Haven



Cindy Sample - Clowning Around!

I love Halloween.

1. You get to dress up in crazy costumes, even when you’re giving speeches at the office! Anyone notice a similarity to the clown costume Laurel wore in DYING FOR A DATE? What detective wouldn’t want to smooch with a gal who looked like that?

2. And then there’s all that candy. Really, does it get any better than that? But not everyone feels that way. My guest, Heather Haven, a master at combining homicide and humor, shares her own childhood horror story. Heather is the author of the award-winning Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries. Murder is a Family Business, the first in the Alvarez series, won the 2011 Single Titles Reviewers’ Choice Award. A Wedding to Die For, the second in the series, was a 2012 finalist for EPIC’s Best eBook Mystery of the Year. Heather recently released Death Runs in the Family to rave reviews.



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I have a thing about witches.

 

Author Heather Haven

Clowns don’t scare me, witches do. I remember seeing the Wizard of Oz on TV as a kid and absolutely freaking out. The Wicked Witch of the West – or is it the East? – was one nasty broad wielding a mean broom. And she had green skin! All over. Nightmares for days.

A short time later, Halloween found me sitting at the kitchen table cramming a giant Tootsie Roll in my mouth. I had made quite a haul, thank you, and while scarfing down my booty, happened to glance out the window. There was the hideous and repulsive face of a witch gaping at me through the windowpane! Bushy eyebrows, bulbous nose, beady little eyes, hairy warts everywhere. Green, green, green.

Have I mentioned how I freaked at seeing Margaret Hamilton in the Wizard of Oz? Nothing like the freak out when my nine-year old eyes clapped onto the horror staring back at me.

After swallowing the chocolate bar whole, my shrieks caused my dripping wet mother, covered only in soap and a towel, to come running from the upstairs bathroom. Our next door neighbor dropped her clothes basket in her backyard after hearing the screeches of her own terrified nine-year old daughter scurrying to hide under the bed. Dressed as a witch, my pal had been peering in my window to show me her costume. The episode ended with me throwing up on my entire stash of candy.

I have a thing about witches!


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Contest Alert!


Heather and I would love to hear your scary and/or funny Halloween stories. Leave a comment by midnight on November 2, and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a box of Sees fine chocolates!


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Persephone Cole and the Halloween Curse by Heather HavenHeather’s most recent endeavor is a 1940s holiday vintage mystery series starring a five-foot eleven, full-figured gal named Persephone Cole. ‘Percy’ Cole has the same hard-boiled, take-no-prisoners attitude as Sam Spade, Lew Archer, and Phillip Marlow, but tops it off with a wicked sense of humor. The first of the series, Persephone Cole and the Halloween Curse, takes place on New York City’s Broadway stage during World War II.


CLICK THE BOOK COVER TO PURCHASE AT AMAZON!

You can email Heather@HeatherHavenStories.com.

Check out her website http://www.heatherhavenstories.com/ or her blog at http://tinyurl.com/4nensnp http://www.facebook.com




Killer Recipes Even a Klutz Can Cook!

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012


Congratulations to contest winner Linda Lovely.

Cindy Sample's Hot Cha Cha Cha Chipotle CakeThere’s a nasty rumor going around that I can’t cook.  I’m not sure where this rumor started, but I’m guessing it began somewhere in my kitchen. Maybe near that burner that ignited the last time I tried to sear a salmon.


Possibly it originated in the microwave. Have you ever seen a hot dog explode? It’s quite a sight.


I’m still peeling dried sweet potato fluff off my kitchen cabinets from last Christmas. They did add a nice orange luster to the oak, though.


The cooking gene seems to have skipped a generation in my family. Fortunately, my children determined at an early age that they preferred to eat food that did not come packaged in Styrofoam cartons, so they learned to cook to avoid starving to death. My daughter particularly excels in baking any recipe that involves chocolate, while I excel in eating any recipe that involves chocolate!


When All Romance e-books asked if I wanted to be included with the hottest romance authors in town, and all I had to do was contribute a recipe to their new Passionate Cooks, I immediately said yes. I wasn’t going to let a little thing like my inability to distinguish between a TSP. and a TBSP. stop me from swapping recipes with other romance authors.


These ladies have crafted sizzling recipes with even more sizzling titles. Who could resist Sensual Sticky Buns, Date Me – Baby, Passionate Pesto Pasta, Smokin’ Hot Bourbon Beef, and my particular favorite, Sexy Stromboli.


I have no idea what Sexy Stromboli is, but I definitely want one. I’m just not sure if I want it in the kitchen or my bedroom!


My own contribution is a recipe that was not handed down from generation to generation. It was handed up from my daughter. With a slight tweak from moi. In honor of my passion for ballroom dancing, I’ve named it Hot Cha Cha Cha Chipotle Cake.


Once you’ve eaten a slice, you’ll need to cha cha off those tasty calories.

Passionate Cooks DownloadCLICK HERE for the FREE cookbook, and get yourself a copy today.






CONTEST ALERT: If you leave a comment (before midnight – PST – on Friday, October 5th about any entertaining cooking mishaps you’ve encountered (I know I’m not alone), you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a $10 gift card to All Romance eBooks.