4 1/2 Stars from RT Book Reviews!

Of course, I think my August release Operation Prince Charming belongs in your beach book bag.

But I realize I might be a tiny bit biased.

So here's what RT Book Reviews - the top dog in romance novel reviews had to say:

"This charming romance is filled with realistic characters and real-life situations, making it a story readers will identify with. This is a pleasure to read, a story without unnecessarily high drama, but instead about people that readers can imagine themselves knowing. Bourne supplies the satisfying happy ending we all wish for and joins Rochelle Alers and Brenda Jackson as a crossover author with appeal for a wide audience."

It's HOT!

For a week now, I've been living the life of a vampire.

Staying cool in my dark basement, only surfacing when the sun's gone down.

But as a beauty blogger I feel compelled to somehow maintain the pretty.

Fortunately, author and former stylist Katrina Spencer is dishing out tips on helping your hair beat the heat.

Check 'em out on her blog, and while you're at it check out her July release Unbeweaveable!

Well, it's back to the basement for me. See ya at sundown!

Product Review: DERMAdoctor Body Guard SPF 30 Sunscreen

I’m a big girl, so I know the first rule of summer.

Use plenty of sunscreen.

But for me following this edict hasn’t been as easy as picking up a tube from my local drugstore and slathering it on. They’re either too greasy, cause breakouts or worst of all leave me covered in chalky residue.

This year, I bypassed my drug and discount store haunts and headed to Sephora. I explained my concerns to a SA, who marched me right over to the DERMAdoctor display and handed me a tube of their Body Guard SPF 30 sunscreen for face and body.

I glanced at the $25 price tag and started to place it right back on the shelf. Then she squirted a dollop of the stuff on my arm and rubbed it in.

The light cream immediately vanished into my skin without leaving a telltale coat of oil or white-tinged residue. EUREKA!

Body Guard’s oil-free, sheer formula offers broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection, along with free-radical fighting anti-oxidants. I use it on both face and body with no hint of the clogged pours or breakouts I’ve experience with other brands.

Also, the 4-ounce bottle lasts a surprisingly long time.

For me, it’s worth the more-than-I-want-to-pay-for-sunscreen price tag.

So what products are you using to protect your skin from the sun this summer?

I Only Spent $2 at Target – For Real!

Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you.

Also, don’t bother checking my temperature or giving me a lie detector test. I’m not ill, and I’m not lying.

I indeed went to Target, pushed a red cart all over the store and only came out with $2 worth of merchandise.

Here’s what I got (from the cheap trinkets section in the front of the store, can’t remember what it’s called????):



Cool, huh? And perfect for those of us who were raise to share - but have kinda forgotten how.

The Truth About Booksignings

Don't let the grin on my face fool you.





Click on over to Novel Spaces, and see what a booksigning for a midlist author is REALLY like!

Watch Out Project Runway!

Last summer, I was totally inspired by author Kristi Belle of the elegantly fabulous lifestyle blog - La Bella Figura.

Kristi whipped up a wrap skirt so cute it stirred up my long-dormant sewing skills, and I bought a beginner’s sewing machine of my own!

To give you an idea how long it’s been since I’ve touched a sewing machine - Saturday Night Fever was tops at the box office and Lionel was still a Commodore.

Yep, that long.

I opted for the Janome Hello Kitty 11706 Size Freearm Sewing Machine pictured below:
Don’t let the cutesiness fool you. It’s genuine sewing machine - not a toy.

So far I’ve made a cut and sew apron:


Next up is a pillow for my office chair from this fabric:


Here’s the pattern for Kristi’s adorable summer skirt. I’m working my way up to making it.


Okay, soooo maybe the title of this post was a touch ambitious, and Project Runway candidates have nothing to fear – YET!