You sit down at the computer and open up your word processor. You stare at the blank screen before suddenly remembering that you forgot to tend to the cactus in the bathroom. Cursing the hustle and bustle of modern life, you go and water the cactus, ignoring that the house is quiet and that the cactus doesn’t really need to be watered. Finally back at the keyboard, you bite your lip as the blank page stares at you. Thats when you remember that you haven’t organized your CD collection in years. You make a note to write later, but things keep popping up.

That happen to anyone else? I’ve been riding high on a bad case of writer’s block. The silver lining is that I have a very clean closet. Where does it hit you? I, usually, am fine until I get to the climax of the story and then every word is like pulling teeth.

I’m a perfectionist in weird ways. I don’t really care if things are cluttered. I don’t have great handwriting. I’ll go to the store in sweats and big sunglasses without a problem. But, I have to get the resolution and climax of the story just right. That means in an hour I’ll have around two paragraphs written because I’ll re-write older sections or re-write new sentences again and again. By then, I’ll be so frustrated that giving the dogs a bath seems like fun.

I have my word processor open, but I just remembered that I have clothes in the washer.

I saw Stardust on Friday and I loved it! Stardust is a fantasy adventure that is perfect for romance lovers. Tristan (Charlie Cox) is a hopeless romantic who vows to go on a quest to prove his love for a girl in the village. An this quest, he grows up and becomes a man. Claire Danes plays sassy heroine who doesn’t let the hero, Tristan, get the best of her as she is dragged along on his adventure. Michelle Pfeiffer  and Robert De Niro give great performances and you can tell that they had fun with the material as they chew the scenery. Genres are mixed and matched in this one. The movie is based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, who is a genius, so Stardust is one of the few original movies out today.

My personal kudos to Michelle Pfeiffer who has been in not just one, but two good movies this summer. Hairspray was also a blast. We all cheered at the end of it in the movie theater.

Pulse by Anisa Damien is like falling into a James Bond movie or something directed byMichael Bay which isn’t a bad thing. Its a Tryst so the story is short so the plot moves very quickly. Though there is a big silly misunderstanding, I don’t mind since in the heroines’ shoes, I would have scurried about like a chicken with its head cut off. Except I would have already jammed a hand into my purse, looking for my phone so I could call myMama. Pulse is a solid C+ book.

Gabe and Cassidy Sabastien nee Raleigh are divorced, but even with the papers filed they still have a strong attraction to each other. They divorced because Gabe couldn’t providethe stability that Cassidy needed. So, when Gabe disappears for a while, Cassidy says ciao. Little does she know that Gabe is a secret agent with the US government.

Maybe, I’m biased because I’m recovering from having my tonsils removed, but Pulse was just what I needed. Its sort of cheesy, it doesn’t push any boundaries, and the HEA never reallyseems too out of reach, but its a good light read to pick you up. The dialogue is pretty slick and gives the characters a little more depth than they would have with another author. Its the sort of read that you want on a sick day.

This is my first AA romance, but, shock and gasp and surprise, it wasn’t different from anything with a white couple. I may not check out more of Anisa Damien, but I’m sure to check out more AA romance. Hopefully, with a paranormal twist. No offense to Anisa Damien, but she seems to write more suspense than I am into.

Pulse is a respectable triller. Its not rocking the romance boat, but it doesn’t insult the reader’s intelligence. Cassidy and Gabe are a fun couple that you know are going to get back together and they don’t annoy you while they’re doing it

What do you think of this book? You can buy Pulse by Anisa Damien at Cobblestone Press

Do both guys and girls get tattoos on their lower back in the UK? I’m looking at a badly photoshoped picture of him and Robbie Williams grinding (don’t ask) and he has one so I’m a little confused because in America that is strictly a lady’s tattoo area.

This is a navel gazing sort of meme, but what aren’t? I was tagged by the lovely, Celia Kyle. I’m not going to tag anyone per say, but if you want to do this meme then just comment and I will link to you.

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Instructions: When this meme is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside the tips you especially like.

Add the next number (1. 2. 3. 4. 5., etc.) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

After that, tag five other people. Some peeps say ten, but whudeva!

1. Look, read, and learn. - http://www.neonscent.com

2. Be EXCELLENT to each other.- http://www.bushmackel.com

3. Don’t let money change ya! - http://www.therandomforest.info

4. Always reply to your comments. - http://chattiekat.com

5. Link liberally — it keeps you and your friends afloat in the Sea of Technorati. -http://chipsquips.com

6. Don’t give up - persistence is fertile. - http://www.velcro-city.co.uk

7. Give link credit where credit is due. - http://www.sfsignal.com

8. Pictures say a thousand words and can usually add to any post. - http://scifichicki.com

9. Visit all the bloggers that leave comments for you - it’s nice to know who is reading! -http://stephaniebooks.blogspot.com

10. When commenting on others’ blogs, a few kind words go a long way. **** - http://shelflifeblog.blogspot.com

11. When you’re starting out, comment on all the blogs you like to read; that way the bloggers will know that you exist! - http://astripdarmchair.blogspot.com

12. Make sure you check your links! http://superfastreader.com By way of explanation–when you cut & paste the text of a meme, you don’t get the underlying links. If you just see text, you need to turn the text into links manually. If you see hyperlinks, you can cut & paste from the Page Source to get the HTML code and preserve the links. In Firefox, you can use Command/Apple-U to see this. The whole point of a meme is to spread link love, but you need more than just the text to do that.

13. Give your blog a theme/focus; make a niche for yourself. - http://www.theaccidentalnovelist.blogspot.com

14. Post on your blog daily and if not daily then at least 3 -4 times a week. Readers will not continue to come to your blog if there is not something new to read and comment on. And while you’re at it throw in a contest or two. - http://vickilane.blogspot.com

15. Be yourself. When you’re acting like something you’re not, people see through it. Nobody wants to read a fake blog. http://www.avarosejohnson.literalseduction.com/blog

16. While being yourself, sharing info, and educating others in what it is you know…don’t share too much personal information. Blogs swim in a big world of crazy and we don’t want to wake up with a big ass crazy fish on our front step, now do we? http://celiakyle.com/pornwithaplot

17. Pictures of attractive, half-naked people is always good. http://arinrhys.literalseduction.com