CYBER SECURITY TIP

In this world where Artificial Intelligence is capturing more and more of our time and attention, we are faced with puzzling questions and frightening scenarios.

How do we protect our family in a world where privacy seems to be declining?

FAMILY PASSWORD

This is something we've had in our family for a couple of decades. Create a secret password that each member of your family can remember.

If that password is ever used in what seems like ordinary conversation, it means: "I'm in trouble. Call 911. Send help."

If you receive a late night phone call from one of your kids: "Help. I've been arrested. Wire $5000.00 for an attorney to SOME WEBSITE." If the call is really from one of your kids, he would say the password to verify it's really your child.

WHY IS ALL THIS IMPORTANT?

Because we live in a world where people put their real birthdates and private information on social media. They have their phones set so they can take calls from social media followers. 

They post pictures and videos of spouses, siblings, children, and grandchildren. They log their daily movements and restaurants they frequent, vacations they take, and so much more.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

All of the above is fodder for scammers and crooks who can take those images and information and use Artificial Intellience to take advantage of you.

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Exciting New Book - Devil's Advocate - MJ Schiller

Looking for an exciting book full of passion and romance? Look no further—I've got a book for you, and it publishes today.

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE by MJ Schiller is Book #11 of the Devilish Desires Series, and it will thrill you.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The verdict’s in. He’s guilty of falling for opposing counsel.

Nick Adams doesn’t have time for the existential crisis he’s having. 

But when I wind up being charged with contempt of court and discover her at the shelter where I’m serving community service, she brings out a side of me I’ve never seen. Could this be the true Nick?

B.J. McCaffrey doesn’t form attachments with anyone. And playboy counselor Nick Adams would be the last person on the list if I did. But, then again, this isn’t exactly the Nick Adams that people have made him out to be.

Could he heal his broken heart by discovering that, despite outward appearances, she has one? One thing’s for sure. It’s hell being the DEVIL’S ADVOCATE!

LET'S READ AN EXCERPT

(Warning: Language!!! Nick's a bad boy.)

I have it all, and it means absolutely nothing to me.

I can still feel the punch to the gut that was Zack’s returning to claim Zoe, just as I was about to seal the deal and make her mine. I can still smell the exact fragrance of the air when I stepped out onto the balcony, still hear my voice as I told her, “I can be whoever you want me to be, Zoe.”

What the hell was I thinking? I wasted eight years of my life on one woman. 

A woman not unlike B.J. McCaffrey, who was sitting across from me now, acting as opposing counsel. I looked at her. As drop-dead gorgeous as she was, she was just another woman. 

“Mr. Adams? Are we boring you?”

I could hear him somewhere on the edges of my thought, but it didn’t matter to me. Change myself. For a woman. Where was my pride? Where is my pride?

“Earth to Mr. Adams.”

I turned my head slowly to face the judge. He was a prick.

“Does the accused need another lawyer? Or are you going to continue to sit there and let him destroy himself on the stand?”

I looked at my client. He didn’t even wear a tie. “Yeah. I think I am.” 

At first, I couldn’t believe the words came out of my mouth. But they felt good. Felt right, somehow. “I’m sick of working my ass off on cases and having my clients ignore everything I tell them about their demeanor on the stand.”

Judge Walters looked at my rival, B.J. McCaffrey. She shrugged. “Mr. Adams. Your job is to defend this man. Are you incapable of doing that?”

“I don’t know.”

Again, the judge and my opponent exchanged a look.

Pull it together, Nick. Find that damn pride of yours. “Wait.” My eyes ricochetted around the desk in front of me and finally fell on the yellow legal pad with my scribbled notes for the case. “I apologize, Your Honor. It’s been a rough—”

Eight years? Two months? Life?

“—day. My apologies to the court.”

“I repeat, your job is to defend this man. Are you capable of doing that?”

Damn. I just apologized. Can’t you let it go?

I didn’t have the time or patience for the existential crisis I was going through, but it would have none of it. It was bound to torture me all the same. 

Of course, the reason for it was undoubtedly her. The woman I loved—or thought I loved—was on her honeymoon with my best friend. And I was beginning to see how crazy it had been for me to wait around eight years for her. 

As a result, I was approaching thirty and still didn’t know who I was. I straightened my back. This is what Zoe had brought me to. 

“Yes, Your Honor. It won’t happen again.”

“It better not, Mr. Adams, or you won’t see the inside of my courtroom again.”

Yeah, yeah. You’re in charge, big boy. We all get it.

“Now I’m going to do you a solid, Mr. Adams. It’s late. I’m—”

He likes to use slang. He thinks it makes him look cool. I managed to roll my eyes inwardly this time.

“—going to adjourn this court until one. I suggest you take the time to pull yourself together.” He looked at my client. The rail-thin, gray-haired, unshaven man sat with his mouth hanging open like a guppy. “You can get down now.” 

The man nodded and Walters pounded his gavel. He glared at me. “The court is adjourned.”

I gathered my things, cursing quietly.

Can't wait to the end of this post to get DEVIL'S ADVOCATE? Okay, you can get it from these booksellers at Books2Read or from Amazon. 

But read on and let me tell you about the Author, MJ Schiller.

M.J. Schiller is a retired lunch lady/romance-romantic suspense writer. She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. In her mind everybody has a romance.

M.J. is the mother of a twenty-eight-year-old and three twenty-six-year-olds. That's right, triplets! So having recently taught four children to drive, she likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon. 

Visit M.J. Schiller Online: 

Website: https://mjschillerauthor.blogspot.com/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/m-j-schiller

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Schiller-Romance-Author/286382241460365

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mjschiller/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mjschiller

Tumblr: http://mjschilz.tumblr.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mjschiller

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6479377.M_J_Schiller

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M-J-Schiller/e/B009JOQFQQ

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for a new book or a new author to you, grab a copy of DEVIL'S ADVOCATE by MJ Schiller. You'll be glad you did!

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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Hang Tough

I've been coping with some challenges lately. Just thought I'd remind myself and my readers of this truth.

Sometimes, you have to look for something good when what you see and hear are bad.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Hang tough, baby. Life isn't for sissies.

Deciphering Online Typograpy Characters

Here's a quick tip to help you identify the difference between a lower case L and the number 1 when seen online.

To many people, those two look the same. Example, I'm typing l and 1—which was which? In this blog window what I typed looks identical.

In actuality, the first character I typed was the lower case L (l) and the second one I typed was the number 1— side by side, lower case L and number 1—l1l1l1.

It all depends on the font. In the compose font on my blog interface, they both look the same, but when you read this, the font will show a difference between the two with the lower case L being a straight line and the number 1 having a little slanted line at the top.

On Google apps, the lower case L has straight line at the top and the number 1 has a slanted line at top.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Hope this keeps you from making mistakes with passwords and other important information.

Review - Better Off Dead - YouTube

If you're looking for a quirky, absurd, hilarious movie kind of like Airplace, then you'd probably enjoy the John Cusack film BETTER OFF DEAD.

This eighties film full of teen angst and suburbia cliches is ridiculous and laugh out loud funny in so many places you'll want to jump back and see the scenes again.

Written and directed by Savage Steve Holland, this 1985 American film was billed as a teen black comedy. 

When it was first released, I don't think anyone knew what to think about it because the reviews were mixed, but it's become a cult film since then for the very things critics didn't get back in 1985.

Joining Cusack are David Ogden Stiers as his dad, Kim Darby as his weird mom, Diane Franklin as the French exchange student, and Curtis Armstrong as the wacko Charles de Mar.

What's the film about? Let's just talk tropes: high school misfits,  popular girl heartbreaker, bullies, French exchange student, weird parents, 80's music, genius psycho little brother, awesome muscle car, sports competition, and complete absurdity.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

When you need a good laugh and don't want to over-analyze something, watch Better Off Dead free on Netflix.

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Monday Magic - Character Count Tool

In creating my latest Facebook ad, to make sure I had no more than the specified characters allowed, I plugged my proposed Headline into an app I've used for years.

In fact, every time I must fill out an online form that limits the number of characters, I use this app. 

I can't remember if I ever shared it with you so I'm doing that today.

Online Character Count Tool is free and it's priceless!

You can use it to count actual characters or characters and spaces. It's invaluable for anyone who has to restrict the size of text to a certain number of: Characters, Words, Sentences, Paragraphs, or Spaces.

In fact, I plug in what I want to say and then edit in the app until I hit the magic number allowed. You can use it on the website, no registering or download required.

Yes, it's ad supported, but the ads aren't popping up all over the place. They're not that intrusive.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I think you'll find this is one of the most useful website apps ever.

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Sunday Thoughts - 15 More Things Money Can't Buy

A while back I wrote a post, Top 15 Things Money Can’t Buy based on a quotation by Roy T. Bennett.

That post was full of wisdom. Nothing on the list above can be purchased, but anyone can possess each item shown.

Today, I thought I'd add to the list if I could.

This is today's list of things you cannot buy, but you can possess.

Knowledge. Resilience. Wisdom. Friends. Self-Confidence. Sense of Humor. Good Judgment. Generosity. Creativity. True Success. Compassion. Empathy. Innate Talent. Optimism. Gratitude.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

That's my list. Do you have some qualities to add to my list or Mr. Bennett's list in my original post? If so, leave them in comments.

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Saturday Share - Baked Potato Casserole

Does this describe your daily routine? You work all day then it gets late, and you realize you need to cook dinner.

That's when you get that sinking feeling of "I'm too tired to cook" and all you want is an easy way out.

What can you cook?

If you have potatoes ad cheese, then there's an easy casserole you can cook that will get rave reviews.

In fact, if your family loves mashed potatoes, this will become a family favorite casserole. Even better, if you have leftover ham or roast beef, you can dice that and add it to the casserole.

Today's recipe makes 6-8 generous servings.

BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

Ingredients

• 8 medium size potatoes (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds if you want to weigh them)
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded chedddar cheese + 1/2 cup shreded cheddar, separately
• 6 slices bacon, fried, drained, and crumbled
• Chives for garnish

Directions

1. Peel the potatoes. Place in a laarge saucepan and cover with water. Sprinkled in a couple of teaspoons of salt. Cook over medium-high heat about 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

2. While potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Prepare a 3 quart casserole dish with baking spray, butter, or neutral oil

3.  Return the potatoes to the saucepan, add the milk, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Beat with a hand-held mixer until smooth.

4. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cheese and half of the bacon. Then spread the mixture into the casserole dish.

5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of cheese and the rest of the bacon. Bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Let me know if you love this recipe!

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The Faster I Go, The Behinder I Get

Like Dr. Seus once said,  "How did it get so late so soon?"

I can't believe my blogging fell off a cliff.

I've been so busy with an authors' group I'm in plus writing my current book and trying to figure out the best cover for that new book, that I've ignored you beautiful SlingWords Readers.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I promise not to ignore you again. (I sincerely hope that's a promise I can keep.)

APRIL FOOL BRIDE, a Modern Marriage of Convenience Romance

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Severe Case of Spring Fever

Yes, I guess I've diagnosed myself with spring fever. It's been a week since I've blogged because I've been overcome with all things spring.

My purple iris are blooming and so are my knockout roses—so many roses covering the bushes that it's breathtaking.

The vitex trees in our patio pots have grown a foot and have leafed out. They're so green and pretty. The plumes of purple won't be far behind.

Yes, the world is alive with fresh green leaves and blooming flowers. It's SO difficult to stay inside in the office when I want to be outside installing a new flower bed on the west side of the back yard.

So pardon me for not "chatting" with you since last week. Today I forced myself back inside and to the computer. After all, I'm supposed to be a writer, not a gardener.

Ah, Spring Fever has me in its grip. Torn between two loves. But, I've plugged away and pulled 700 words out of my brain this afternoon. Alas, I won't have this book finished by the end of March. Now I'm aiming at the end of April. 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Sometimes being your own boss is a problem—especially if the boss (me) is easy-going. This first week of Spring? That's me. Easy-going and refusing to put my nose to the grindstone.

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Review - War Machine - Netflix

War Machine starring Alan Ritchson aka Jack Reacher in the popular Prime series, Reacher, premiered March 6 on Netflix.

The film is a 2026 Australian-American science fiction action film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Patrick Hughes. In addition to Ritchson, Dennis Quaid pops in and out with co-stars, Stephan James, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Daniel Webber.

War Machine was released to theaters in Australia on February 12, 2026 and received generally positive reviews from critics, praising it as "a fun, old-school, throwback action movie despite its familiar, formulaic storyline." 

What the critics said pretty much sums up what Darling Hubby and I thought about the film. 

Regrettably, much of the dialogue seems aimed at an aaudience that might not know much about the military, military vehicles, or tactical actions. 

The characters are basically stereotypes you've seen in many films, and the plot mines the usual cliches. It's just good escapism that doesn't require you to tax your brain.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

So toss a bag of popcorn into the microwave, turn on the movie, and enjoy the flick.

April Fool Bride, now on SALE.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Summer Lemon Pound Cake

When the weather turns chilly as it has the last few days, I think it's a good time to bake something.

Since I have a lot of lemons left from the bag I bought at Costco a few weeks ago, let's bake something that's light and delicious and delightfully lemony. To me, something lemon flavored suggests summer.

This is an old-fashioned cake with a fine crumb and a dense texture yet it doesn't taste heavy.

It does require a lot of ingredients, and it is not a low calorie cake. Having said that, it is delicious and satisfying unlike a cake you buy because it has real ingredients not a lot of fake chemicals.

Let me know if you make this old-fashioned pound cake and think it's worth the time and the wealth of ingredients.

SUMMER LEMON POUND CAKE

Ingredients - Cake

• 
  3 cups AP flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup soft butter at room temperature
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 5 eggs
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions for Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.  (165° C.)

2. Prepare a bundt pan by spraying with baking spray or buttering it and dusting lightly with flour.

3. In a large mixing bowl place the ingredients in the order given and turn on your mixer to low and beat for a minute.

4. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another 2 minutes.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.

6. Bake time is 90 minutes, but after an hour and 15 minutes, check the cake. I recommend looking at it through the window in the oven door if possible.

You should be able to tell by the appearance of the top of the cake if it might be done or still needs another 15 minutes.

7. When done, check with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.

8. Let it cool in the bundt pan about 15-20 minutes.

9. Invert the pan onto the plate from which you'll serve it and remove the pan carefully.

10. Cool the cake completely before glazing it with the recipe that follows.

 

LEMON GLAZE

Ingredients

• Juice and zest from 1 large lemon (or 2 small lemons)
• 1 to 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Into a medium-sized bowl, zest the lemon.

2. Then roll the lemon on the counter with your hands. The heat of your palms and the slight pressure from rolling it on the hard surface increases the amount of juice that can be squeezed from the lemon.

3. Squeeze the lemon juice into a strainer held over the bowl. Any seeds fall into the strainer rather than the bowl.

4. Check the powdered sugar. If it's lumpy, stir it around to break the lumps or sift it. Add it to the juice and zest in the bowl a little at a time until the glaze is at a pourable consistency.

5. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, and it's ready to serve.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I was once a chocolate cake fan, but my taste has changed over the years. Now, desserts that are lemon-flavored are my favorite.

Phtotpgraphs from Pixabay  (1) Lemon-Limone-Lemon Tree by Hans  (2) Lemon-Squeezer-Lemon-Juice-Citrus by Stevepb

April Fool Bride, now on SALE.

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Life in Shades of Blue - Just Ask Liz Flaherty

Life is what the bestselling author Liz Flaherty writes about in one emotional, compelling novel after another.

Liz is my guest this morning so grab a cup of coffee or other essential morning drink and let me tell you about Pieces of Blue, a book you'll want to read.

FIRST, A LITTLE BACKSTORY

This book was originally published in 2024, then it went out of print because sometimes that’s how things go in publishing, but Liz decided she wasn't ready to move on from this book. She said: "Pieces of Blue is one of the stories I hold closest in my heart."

Smart lady. Bringing this book out again is a good thing. Even better, Liz is offering the ebook on sale for only 99¢. For you print readers, you can also get Pieces of Blue in print at Amazon.

LIZ'S JOURNEY IN WRITING PIECES OF BLUE

My intent, once I got rolling on this book a few years ago, was to write Maggie’s story. Just that. She’s a natural-born loner, so maybe just this once, I could keep the character count in a book at a manageable level. Lots of others writers do it; surely I could, too.

But everyone—at least everyone who makes herself at home in my keyboard—needs a best friend, so we met Ellie Wentz, a nurse practitioner whose been Maggie’s “ride or die” since they were in second grade. 

Then, when Maggie was walking around the lake, she stopped to look at the pristine little church and, before she kept walking, she met its pastor. Young Cari Newland went to culinary school, worked in stained glass, and ended up in the pulpit—go figure.

Then there’s Sam, who’s Maggie’s lawyer and friend for over half their lives. Who suddenly gives her frissons. She’s a writer; she really likes the word frisson. When he appeared to me, he looked like Mark Harmon in his 50s, but to Maggie, he just looks like Sam. And he gives her frissons. Who knew that would happen?

I hope you love Maggie’s story as much as I do, and…hey…if you get a frisson or two along the way, all the better.

WHAT'S THIS BOOK ABOUT?

Life comes in shades of blue...

Self-imposed loner, Maggie North, has worked for bestselling author Trilby Winterroad her entire adult life, starting as simply his assistant and ending up as his ghost writer. 

Through ups and downs--including a divorce from an abusive husband--he has been the one person on whom she could always rely. So when Trilby dies suddenly, Maggie finds herself adrift, not sure what she’ll do or where she belongs in the world any longer. And the confusion continues when she discovers he’s not only left her his beloved dachshund, Chloe, but a house she knew nothing about, on a lake she’s never heard of.

It only takes one visit for Maggie to fall in love with both the house and the small lakeside community. The longer she’s there, the safer she feels and the more her life begins to expand...as do her feelings toward her friend and Trilby’s attorney, Sam Eldridge.
But is she really safe? Or are the glistening pieces of her new life about to shatter as an old danger returns?

HOW ABOUT AN EXCERPT?

  
There were ten of us that night, all women. A few drove together from Placer to join us. Several of them had been at coffee that morning. We entertained each other by explaining why we were or were not wearing the same clothes we’d worn then.

The night was warm, the air soft. I looked at them as we walked and talked. I listened to their stories—Trilby taught me a lot about listening and its importance.

We’ve all known struggles and heartbreak; several of us have known physical abuse. Sadie had lived in her car for a while. Rose had left Colby in Detroit and come to the lake, saying he could come or go; it was up to him. Adrian told the story of her Uncle Henry’s father beating his wife half to death because their son “wasn’t right.”

Maxine said her husband had raised his hand to her exactly one time and she told him he’d better not let it fall or he’d never, ever be able to go to sleep again. We laughed at that, but she didn’t. “I was scared to death and so was he. Not that I’d kill him, but that he’d gotten so angry over something minor. He got himself to an anger management therapist and I went along with him. But I’m aware every day that we’re the lucky ones. Our lives could have gone a whole different way from that day forward than what it did.”

We’ve laughed together at the images people have of others’ lives. While Harper Loch doesn’t look anything like a resort or even a high point on rural Michigan’s social scale, it does look like a place where bad things can’t happen. Where marriages are all good, no one uses illegal substances, and everyone is safe.

But we know better—and it’s not lost on me how often I use the word we when I talk about the lake. We’ve absorbed each other’s pain. I didn’t know how Cari could bear the weight of the secrets she kept.

“How many women around here have been abused? Not just on the lake, but in the area.”

“More than we know,” Rose acknowledged. “Just like anywhere. Some talk about it, but more than a few don’t.”

“Many,” Haley agreed. “Because they think it’s their fault or it’s never going to happen again or they don’t have any alternatives.”

I thought of those women. Of their children. I thought of the people who’d circled the proverbial wagons around me to keep me safe. I thought of Cari and Ellie and the confidences they kept and carried with them. I thought of Aunt Lin and Claire and Annabelle and how strong they’d been when their lives turned on them.

I thought of the ashes. And of the sapphires.

Click to get Pieces of Blue from Amazon.

If you buy books from other online bookstores, click here to get Pieces of Blue from other sellers.  

ABOUT LIZ FLAHERTY, THE AUTHOR 

Liz Flaherty has spent the past several years enjoying not working a day job, making terrible crafts, and writing stories in which the people aren’t young, brilliant, or even beautiful. She’s decided (and has to re-decide most every day) that the definition of success is having a good time. Along with her husband of lo, these many years, kids, grands, friends, and the occasional cat, she’s doing just that.

You can reach her at lizkflaherty @ gmail.com or anywhere on https://linktr.ee/LizFlaherty. She’d love to hear from you!

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for a book for the weekend, you won't go wrong in picking Pieces of Blue.

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Old Books Are Old Friends

Some Hump Day Thoughts.

The other day I saw a Facebook post about Shanna, a historical romance novel by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, the housewife who started the romance revolution with the 1972 publication of her first novel, The Flame and The Flower.

That first book sold over 2.3 million copies in the first 4 years of publication. It's still selling. I don't know if her genre-busting early books have ever been out of print.

(I'll confess that I didn't care much for the book which is the Forced Marriage trope, a polite way of saying sexual assault.)

As soon as I closed Facebook, I went to the armoire in my office and pulled my copy of Shanna from the shelf of paperback books in there. Yes, it was on my keeper shelf along with several other vintage novels.

When Shanna was published, it sold over 3 million copies and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for a full year.

I remember the first time I read this book probably a decade or more after it was published in 1977. It was filled with lush  descriptions of characters, setting, and the sexuality and passion of the characters. 

We're talking thrusting loins and heaving bosoms and bodice ripping—by the villain, never by the hero in Woodiwiss's novels.

I started reading it again. Yes, it's dated, and I had to smile at the flowery analogies used far too often. However, it's still a page turner.

Eventually, over the years before I was published, I read all of Ms. Woodiwiss's early books. Life and writing got in the way, and I became enmeshed in the contemporary romance world so I never got to her later books. I plan to correct that oversight this year.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

A keeper shelf is a place of delight and comfort. Reading an old book is like visiting with an old friend.

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Review - Dropping Names - Podcast

Today's review is a little different because it's not for a movie, TV series, book, or  music album.

It's for a Podcast viewable on YouTube. Dropping Names With Brent and Jonny is hosted by Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes.

The episode I watched on Dropping Names was Once We Were All Spacemen, and it's funny, smart, and a great showcase for the personalities of all involved as they swap war stories on their respective careers.

The delightful episode I stumbled across and stopped on was because the guests were Alan Tudyk, currently starring in Resident Alien, and Nathan Fillion, currently starring in The Rookie. Both Tudyk and Fillion are not only wonderful actors but also highly entertaining in their own personas.

I'd seen the teasers featuring the cast of Firefly but didn't really know what they were pitching. I was delighted to discover it was Fillion's and Tudyk's own podcast, Once We Were Spacemen which debuted in November 2025.

The hour-long conversation, which is what it seemed like rather than a podcast, was a nice afternoon break with NO political or other divisive hot-button issues discussed or argued—just a free-ranging conversation with people who genuinely seemed to like each other.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Check out both podcasts if you're looking for something intelligent and entertaining.

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Monday Magic - Free Meal Planning App

I, like most of you, lead a very busy life. I work all day at writing, marketing, graphic design, and publishing—yes, it takes all of that to be a successful author in today's world.

I try to plan meals a week in advance, but sometimes I just can't get that done. I really hate it when six o'clcok in the evening rolls around, and I'm scrambling for something to prepare for dinner.

With that thought in mind, I checked out meal planning apps and found one that I think might work for most people.

EAT THIS MUCH

This website app is more than just a meal planner. Eat This Much creates personalized meal plans based on your food preferences, budget, and schedule. It can help you reach dietary and nutritional goals with their calorie calculator, weekly meal plans, grocery lists and more.

You can use it to create 3 meals a day based on the amount of  calories you want to consume—carbs, fat, etc. The FREE Forever level allows you to generate daily meals plans, track what you eat, add foods from barcodes, and create custom foods and recipes. 

You can click Generate, copy the meal plan, click ti again to get another meal plan, etc. until you have 7 days of meal plans.

There is also a Premium level for $5.00 a month if you want to unlock extra options, and a Professional level with a price that varies.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Solving the "what's for dinner" problem is huge and that's a big relief for me.

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Daylight Savings Time Strikes Again

I like Benjamin Franklin, but I wish he'd kept his thoughts about time to himself.

Yes, he's the culprit we can blame for making us spring forward in the spring and fall back in the fall.

He came up with this daylight savings concept in 1784. Actually, he wasn't really trying to "save" daylight. He simply made the statement that Parisians could save money on candles if they changed their sleep schedules.

If you recall your history, Franklin was in Paris as the first U.S. Ambassador to France. He was there for the ratification of the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War.

I guess he had time on his hands and rather than twiddle his thumbs, he came up with his daylight savings concept to help Parisians save money.

The rest, as they say, is history. The U.S. adopted it in 1918, but it was repealed in 1919 because it was so unpopular. Then in World War II, it was instituted again as year-round "War Time."

In 1966, the Uniform Time Act signed, but in 1974-1975, it was temporarily made year-round again due to an oil embargo. In 2007, the current biannual schedule began.

The bottom line? We're stuck with it, and, despite grumbling from the general population, daylight savings time continues.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

The first couple of weeks are the worst. Be careful. Sleep more. Make sure you're awake before you zoom off to work each day. Take care. We're all in this together, but we can get through it. Again.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Creole Sauce

Today I'm going back to my roots again and sharing a recipe for what we called Creole Sauce.

I love sharing recipes for the food my family ate when I was growing up.

This is easy to make, and it's good on just about everything from scrambled eggs to pork chops to hamburger steak to anything you want to try.

This receipt makes about 2 cups. It's easy to make and stores in the fridge about a week.

It also freezes well if you want to make a big batch. Simply defrost however much you need when you wish to serve it.

CREOLE SAUCE

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper, any color 

I always choose the Original

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup chopped green olives

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons butter (or extra virgin olive oil if you prefer)

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato sauce

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 bay leaf crushed

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Salt to taste

For extra spicy, add a few drops of Tabasco Sauce.

Directions

1. Saute the bell pepper, onion, olives, and garlic in the butter until they are translucent and soft.

2. Add the other ingredients to the sauteed vegetables and stir. Simmer 20 minutes on low.

3. Serve hot.

4. Store any leftover sauce in refrigerator or freeze until needed.

Why do I always choose McIlhenney Tabasco Sauce? Probably because that's what my Mom and all the othr home cooks used. The sauce is still made at Avery Island, a little dot on the map off the coast of New Iberia, Louisiana, where I lived when I was a kid.

We toured Avery Island and the factory long ago. I don't know if that is still allowed in today's world, but it was exciting and memorable to me. The air would nearly singe your eyeballs and nasal cavities.

So I choose it because it tastes better than any of the other hot sauces, and because it's rooted in tradition and memories of my Mom.  

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

 My mother was an amazing home chef, and I love sharing her recipes with the world.

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