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

SHARK WEEK HAS BEGUN!

Okay, maybe, I’m just really geeky, but I look forward to Shark Week all year along. Anyone else with me?

A clip from one of the new documentaries. Its short and pretty interesting.*

*ITS THE ULTIMATE FIGHT BETWEEN THE WORLD’S TOP PREDATORS: SHARKS AND ZOMBIES!!!!

…I’ve never seen empire waisted underwear, but its apparently what a ‘getting-around guy needs.’

Hey, doesn’t the guy in the tightie-whities look like Mr. Big from Sex in the City? Weird.

My deep thoughts are rather simple today. With all the annual crazy bitterness of the RWA national conference, I was thinking that we could all use a pick me up. When something like this happens in fandom, the thing that I always try to do is pass some good on. I try to give feedback to writers and say thanks to the readers. Maybe that is something that would be good for Romancelandia.

Say thanks to your readers. Write to your favorite author or even an author whose books you enjoy and tell them why you like their books. Leave a comment on some blogs to let them know that you always get a laugh when you go to their site. These are the people who turn writing and reading from a solitary activity into a community effort.

My Big Props Go To: (more…)

I have a new series of blog entries called Vintage Ad Thursday. Gee, I feel a little like Conan O’Brien. If you read the fine print you’ll notice that Mrs. Ruth Long wants your picture and in exchange she’ll send you these miniature mammals. Obviously, this woman is a marketing genius. I think this would be the best promotion for a new writer because who doesn’t want a monkey or a tea cup Chihuahua? And, with limited supplies, you’ll have the readers rushing for it like its 1996 and you have the last Tickle Me Elmo! I wonder why magazines today don’t try to give you tiny creatures in exchange for your picture and address?

I’m thinking about getting this haircut, but I want it a little longer, like, at the shoulders. Isn’t Rihanna gorgeous? She may be our only hope is breaking the R&B juggernaut, Beyonce, hold on the pop charts.

Cathy Clamp gives the “straight scoop about the RWA changes”

 I’m alive! Hey, ya’ll! I haven’t posted here for awhile, but I have posted vaguely incoherent posts and replies at Romance Divas. I blame the painkillers the doctors put me on.

Anyway, I’ve been reading during my convalescence. I’ve given the Nocturne Silhouette category a try and have enjoyed the hell out of them. Another thing I’ve read is the Phaze Fantasies 3 anthology which is a m/m book. That was a fun read. My two favorite stories were by Selah March and James Buchanan. They were both so unique. Selah’s was a hardboiled noir-y tale with grit and darkness and a lot of wit. James’ was different because it was a romance in the magical realism genre which suited the historical Mexican time frame. Both stories had a good romance with complex characters and really brought something new to the table. Great reads both.

The RWA is having its national conference so, of course, drama  is on the horizon. All the RWA recognized epublishers have lost recognition in a stunning change of policy which equates epublishing and vanity press because epublishers tend to sell most of their books through their websites. Ouch. Naturally, Romancelandia is up in arms.

I’m going to be out for a bit because I’m getting my tonsils taken out and I am a whim about pain. The doctor told me that it hurts worse for adults than children so I am preemptively worrying.

Anyway, I wrote a nice juicy blog about anorexia and its online culture to keep ya’ll busy while I am gone.

*disclaimer: I’m not any kind of medical professional. This is just an article born of my own experiences, opinions, and what I have found on the net. This is about education. I encourage everyone who reads this is continue on to the links at the bottom to get more information.

I don’t care if it hurts,
I want to have control.
I want a perfect body

[Creep by Radiohead]

Ana and Mia aren’t people, but they are extremely popular. Ana and Mia are codewords for two mental illnesses that get a lot of attention, but the same understanding that other mental illnesses get– none. Ana and Mia are internet codewords for anorexia and bulimia. Google them and you’ll see sites that will sicken you from seeing what vulnerable, depressed, and anguished girls are doing to themselves. You will see sites like the Pro-Anorexia livejournal which boasts that its the largest pro-anorexia site on the net and House of Thin and PAM(Pro Ana & Mia).

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