Moments with Melissa

Harlequin Launches Digital-Only Publishing House

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:17:20 GMT

http://www.cnbc.com:80/id/33785094
Now that's some seriously interesting publishing news.

Until later~
Mel

Friday five.

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:34:25 GMT

1. My sis, nephew Lee, and lil' J have all had Swine flu within the last two months. What are the chances that no one else in my family gets the illness?
2. Sam Cheever challenged me to get down to a size 12 by the Romantic Times convention in the spring. This is one challenge I plan to meet!
3. Watching Making The Team (Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders) has replaced The Girls Next Door as a guilty pleasure of mine. *Blush* Now don't say you don't have a guilty pleasure...
4. Movies I want to see
Hmm...I couldn't find a site for The Blindside.
Couples Retreat
http://www.couplesretreatmovie.com/
Old Dogs
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/olddogs/
The Fourth Kind
http://www.thefourthkind.net/
Paranormal Activity
http://www.paranormalactivity-movie.com/
And Clooney's new film looks interesting.
http://www.themenwhostareatgoatsmovie.com/
5. I need a vacation. :)

Until later~
Mel

Halloween pics

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:20:15 GMT

A lil' Ninja and his trusty side-kick Sadie.

Notice the cast?

My cute as a button niece Cat and her mom Brittney. :)

Babygirl with Sadie.

Until later~
Mel

Cheese!

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:59:27 GMT

Have I mentioned Jax calls Megs Little Mama? Lol...my mom taught him to say it cause she's so petite.

My lil' sweetheart.

Until later~
Mel

I won!

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:33:52 GMT

I won a raffle prize donated by author Adele Dubois at the RomantiCon Awards Banquet. My friend Sam Cheever http://www.samcheever.com/ who I travel with to conferences swears I'm lucky and always win something...I just can't recall if I am or not. Lol...so I'm going with not.

I was so thrilled to win! Sorry in my excitement of being in such close contact with Taylor (I hope I have the EC model's name right) I forgot to turn my prize around. *Blushes*

More pics on Adele's blog. :)
http://www.adeledubois.com/blog/

Until later~
Mel

RomantiCon this weekend!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:52:05 GMT

Dates: October 9-11, 2009
Location: Quality Inn & Suites, 4742 Brecksville Road, Richfield, OH
http://www.jasminejade.com/romanticon/index.html

If you're in the area come by and say "hello!"

Until later~
Mel

The new me.

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:44:57 GMT

I'm happy to say my effort to get fit and healthy has really paid off. I just can't bare to post a size 22 pic. But this was taking on the 26th. Me a size 14. :) My ultimate goal size is to wear a 10. :) Please wish me luck. This hasn't been a easy battle for me.

Until later~
Mel

Friday Five

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:42:05 GMT

Friday Five
1. I just had a birthday! *Sniffle* Which means fall is officially here. Sigh. I love fall but am not a winter girl.
2. In honor of my bday...

Thanks again, Paula! You tickled me. :)
3. I need to give Cupcake (Megs) and her boyfriend Branden kudos. They're helping me paint my house. They are way better painters than I am.
4. The new television season has started! Anyone else catch The Mentalist last night?
5. I just received print copies of True Blue Love! *Woot*

Until later~
Mel

Finally a Miley song I really like! :)

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:13:34 GMT

Well, besides the one she did with her dad. ;)

Babygirl is a Miley fan. I sort of endure as I did when Shorty went through her Brittney Spears phase way back when... You remember "Oops, I did It Again," and "Baby One More Time?" Now she was also a Christina Aguilera fan too. ;) I always encouraged her to listen to Christina since I still love her. The girl can sing!

Today Babygirl loves Taylor Swift (go Taylor) and some of Brittney's music but doesn't know who Christina is.

OH, both Shorty and Babygirl love this song.

And my Wildboy love Bon Joni! Lol...this tickles me. But I know it's cause they're part of some soundtrack to a cartoon he enjoys.

*Drum roll* Nick loves classic rock! We have the same favorite radio station Q95. :)
http://www.wfbq.com/main.html

Until later~
Mel

Views from preteens.

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:25:25 GMT

My Babygirl is a pessimist. (So unlike me) Today after volleyball tryouts she told her best friend, "I'm not going to make the team."

Her pal said, "you need to be positive."

Baby countered, "I'm not a positive person."

Best girl friend responded, "you need to become a optimist."

:)

Until later~
Mel

I'm visiting Ann Lory today.

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:55:54 GMT

http://annlory.blogspot.com/

Big thanks Ann for interviewing me. :)

Until later~
Mel

:(

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:52:56 GMT

My son's baseball coach Larry Davis passed away. :(
http://www.kokomotribune.com/obituaries/local_story_230215628.html He coached Alys and Rafe a total of five years and donated 25 summers to the youth baseball league. Larry was quality people.

My heart felt condolences to his family and loved ones.

Until later~
Mel

Friday five.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:28:59 GMT

1. I had to send a S.O.S to my fabulous web mistress. I've a problem with Facebook. A month of so back my language changed to Spanish. Now I can understand some spoken language but...I'm not fluent by any means.
2. Megs got a part-time job in a tanning salon. I'm a little concern her having two part-time jobs on top of full-time school but she assured me she knew what she was doing.
3. My babies will be 21 this month. Omg...seriously, 21!
4. Babygirl has a teacher this year that also taught the twins. I wonder if that makes him feel old. :)
5. I'm considering getting rid of my landline phone and just relying on my cell.

Until later~
Mel

Thursday's 13 randomness

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:25:31 GMT

1. School started back this week. *Sniffle*
2. Mark Harmon is my favorite TV actor.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis/bio/mark_harmon/bio.php
NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs is my favorite male character on television. Oh, did you know NCIS was a spin off of JAG? My dad was hooked on JAG. My mom gave me the complete series. I need to watch it to see the episodes Meltdown and Ice Queen Gibbs appeared in.
3. I read that there are four colors (eggplant, true red, Indian teal, and mellow Rose) that are said to work for all skin tones and hair colors.
4. My writing partner for Marissa Alwin has a wonderful blog entry up at TRSBLUE.
http://trsblue.blogspot.com/search/label/Marissa%20Alwin?zx=807eb527013274dc
If you're interested in what men think during sex check it out! ;)
5. The fabulous Mechele Armstrong just released her 20th story! Another Night, Another Dream.
http://mechelearmstrong.com/book_anothernightanotherdream.html
Big congratulations! :)
6. And my ultra superb web mistress celebrated a birthday this week! :)
7. Oh, and look here, http://www.sirenpublishing.com/corinnedavies/cd-bis.jpg my friend Corinne Davies has her first cover. Isn't it great? :) Congratulations!
8. Just read a good article. Ebook growth explosive; serious disruptions around the corner.
http://www.idealog.com/blog/ebook-growth-explosive-serious-disruptions-around-the-corner
9. After school today although wildboy had had a breakfast and lunch he came home starving. Can you believe we're out of peanut butter and jelly? So I made him a couple scrambled eggs smothered with cheese.
10. Alyssia has to wear a gym suit to PE. *Sniffle* My babygirl is growing up so fast.
11. Has anyone else heard of the recent teens to skip high school to play pro sports?
12. I had my first ever headache. After experiencing it I really feel for Megs with her migraines. I had no idea a head could pound in such a way.
13. And just cause. :)

Until later~
~Mel

Teddypig likes Melany! :)

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:48:44 GMT

http://www.teddypig.com/2009/07/loose-id-teddypig-treats/
http://www.loose-id.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=501

Bold Bride made it into Teddypig's top 10 LooseId stories. I think that's hot!

Until later~
Mel

Harlequin in Kokomo

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:30:36 GMT

Our local new & used bookstore Don's Books is having a party this weekend! :)
http://www.hazeltineandgraham.com/news/harlequin_event.html

http://www.hazeltineandgraham.com/news/Schedule.html

Until later~
Mel

Thursday's 13 randomness

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:24:41 GMT

1. My sister wants to celebrate her 40th birthday in Vegas! :)
2. I want to see the movie District 9.
http://www.district9movie.com/
3. I also want to see the movie GIJoe.
http://www.hasbro.com/gijoe/en_US/
4. Oh, I still want to see The Ugly Truth.
http://www.thetruthisntpretty.com/
5. Yes, I am a movie ho. :)
6. School starts for the peeps next week! Where did the summer go? *Sniffle*
7. How to Save a Life is Babygirl's new favorite song.

8. On Monday I had a nice lunch out with Sam Cheever.
http://www.samcheever.com/
9. I attended a block party for crime watch yesterday. It was a nice way to spend a few hours.
10. The peeps and I went swimming last night. Wildboy loves being in the water.
11. The Closer only has three more episodes left!
12. I had a mammogram on Tuesday. I discovered a suspicious lump in my right breast but I was thankfully giving a clean bill of health. :)
13. The following song breaks my heart.

For those that don't know, Kokomo (my city) is/was a automotive town. It's very, very sad to see giant car plants with empty parking lots. ;(

Until later~
Mel

Love this quote from an American Sex Idol.

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:07:53 GMT

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure, I make mistakes, I'm out of control and at times hard to handle, But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. "

Marilyn Monroe

Until later~
Mel

Flash back to the 80's. 1987 to be exact. :)

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:27:11 GMT

Yeah, this is me my senior year. Big hair, shoulder pads...Anyone else have them? :D

Just a few of the songs we listened to back in the day. :)

Until later~
Mel

Friday five:

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:20:26 GMT

1. I'm borrowing this idea from the fabulous Mechele Armstrong.
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com/
Have I mentioned I just love Mechie's new website? The superb website designer Paula did such a fantastic job. ;) Like always.
2. Mari Alwin has a great post about description up over at The Romance Studio
http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com/search/label/Marissa%20Alwin
3. It was brought to my attention that school shopping is fast approaching. *Whimper* Summer is flying by...
4. A personal note. I filed for divorce on March 3rd. The proceedings have been an excruciating affair that finally seems to be winding down. I should have my final documents within a couple/three weeks. Special big thanks to my good friends (you all know who you are) for supporting me during this extremely trying time in my life. You are truly the best friends a girl can have. Muah.
5. Song dedicated to Angie.

Sure wish I'd thought of it before I went to Maine. ;)

Until later~
Mel

Thursday's 13 randomness

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:32:10 GMT

1. Rafe's favorite snack is peanut butter and jelly.
2. Wildboy (Rafe) has a new nickname...snaggle tooth. Sigh. Nick hit him in the mouth a couple weeks ago and broke a tooth off. It's expected to cost more than a K to fix...
3. Alys is reading the third book in the Twilight series. I get daily updates on the stories.
4. Megs is now a blonde. Yep, she went back to her natural hair color. Any bets on how long she waits before the next color? :D
5. My sister, friend Heather and myaelf.

6. My sister moved down the street from me. How totally cool is that?
7. Anyone else watching the new series called Dark Blue on TNT?
http://www.tnt.tv/series/darkblue/
8. I want to see The Ugly Truth.
http://www.thetruthisntpretty.com/
9. Have I mentioned I'm officially a size 14? "I tell you what" slimming down has been a long process. But it's been well worth it. :) It's been stated that the longer you take to get the weight off the less likely you are to put it back on...
10. A friend made me weepy by describing me as "the sweetest, most accommodating, compromising woman they know." And to think I've tried so very hard to be a wild woman all these years. :) I must try harder to get in touch with my badside. ;)
11. Do you know what it means when a pre-teen says, "I'll get it in a minute?" Sigh.
12. Mari saw Nickleback and didn't take me. *Sobs* Okay, so she lives in Jersey. But that was the one concert I really wanted to see this year.
13. I love this song.

Okay, so as most of you know I love Kid Rock. But this is a new favorite of mine.

Until later~
Mel

In the blogsphere and a shout out to a friend.

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:48:17 GMT

Industry Notes.
http://edittorrent.blogspot.com/2009/07/industry-notes.html

Facebook Sez, "Don't Mind Us, We're Just Whoring Out Your Photos.
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/16/facebook-sez-dont-mind-us-were-just-whoring-out-your-photos/

Your Core Story. Write From Your Heart.
http://lucid-escapades.com/georgia/

Copyright Industries Warn Against Piracy Threat
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6672109.html?nid=2286&rid=#CustomerId&source=title

Agents and Writers
http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2009/07/vw-7-agents-and-writers.html

Erotic Romance is Lawyer's Second Act
http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/story/1145384.html

Writers and Social Media: The Shoulds
http://www.deadlinedames.com/?p=1355

And I want to give a special shout out to Mechele Armstrong my wonderful cp and writing partner for finaling in the Passionate Ink context!
http://www.passionateink.org/contests/
Well deserved my friend! :)

Until later~
Mel

Lordy Angie's 40! :)

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:37:19 GMT

I had such a awesome time in Maine! A scenic tour upon arrival. *Whisper* Ang got us lost. ;D The beach at Old Orchard. Perfect weather. Well, all but the morning of the ol' girl's birthday bash. Good music. Steak. Lobstah! The Fiji Restaurant in Oldport was cool! Champagne. Oh, lots of champagne! A midnight walk in the woods. A sunset. A coastal walk on Marginal Way. A day in Ogunquit's shops. A hottub. Lots of wonderful company! A comedy club. *Bangs head* I know I'm leaving activities out... Oh, major big thanks to Joe! Thanks so much for the awesome hospitality!

I can't believe how much fun we packed into the week.

A few links.
Bentley's Saloon is a cool place!
http://www.bentleyssaloon.com/
Night Rockers were fantastic! Yep, we saw them again. Only at another location.
http://www.nightrockers.net/
Yo Adrian...Lordy is Adrian funny! I made sure Angie was picked on for her birthday. ;D
http://www.mainelist.com/index.php?i=49

Until later~
Missy

Leaving on a jet-plane.

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:16:44 GMT

I'll be in Maine starting tomorrow for five fabulous nights! My best friend forever since high school is turning 40! ;D The BIG 40!

This means Angie and I have been friend for 25 yrs! I think that's amazing. :) I'm thrilled to be able to share this special birthday with her.

I've been told the champagne is already chilling so here's a little from Angie's favorite band to start the celebration early.

I'm guessing a few of my readers will remember the mention of High Way to Hell in Dark Sentinel. Lol...Angie sure noticed it. I got a phone call from a beauty shop as the chapter ended...

Now I'm off to find some 40 jokes. ;D *Blush* Of course I'm not the type of girl to rub in the fact that someone has reached an age that actually bothers some. Not me, (I'm happier now than I've ever been) but it sure does some...

OH, anyone have a 40 joke? Or a link to one? You're welcome to post here or send them to me: mel @ melissa - lopez .com (no spaces) I'll be printing them off. ;D

Until later~
Mel

Love Down Under

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:51:15 GMT

In the sadden of the passing of my cousin I forgot to mention Love Down Under is now in print.
http://www.melissa-lopez.com/book_lovedownunder.html

Cohen and Ethan Thorn stories going to print is something for me to be happy about. :)

Until later~
Missy