#SaturdaySeven Facebook Interests

Somedays I find myself scrolling through Facebook…and occasionally, I find myself chuckling and laughing or even a bit mesmerized. For a wee bit this afternoon that happened to me. So I think I will show you a few things that caught my eye as I wasted….several minutes [or more]…scrolling through social media.

This one made me laugh because I still recite the prayer I learned in 2nd grade…and only this year was I told that most adults don’t…they pray spontaneously, heartfelt offerings of apology, remorse, and change. LOL Well, not sure this is what they want, but I may try it.

Without being directly political, this one makes an interesting point. Why IS the government shut down?

Hey…wait a minute!!

I shared this with my workout group. Sometimes, that medal is worth it!!

Speaking of the workout group… this image from 2017 that came up on social media today made me very grateful for 2018 and how I changed my life around. Sometimes we need that reminder. Not me so much…. but it is a funny thing to realize and know that no one who meets me right now will understand who I am. They might think I’ve always been a workout nutball. #dontforgetthepast

Um, helloooo!! This is amazing book inspiration. I love every part of this…the famous brother, the pilot, the shadow he lives in. How do you really feel about this? Are you close? How can I make you suffer? <—All questions an author would ask herself. :D :D

So many truths. I think sometimes we experience these all at once. From both sides!! :D

I hope you enjoyed this third edition of #SaturdaySeven.

Read something!! Get off Facebook! And have a great weekend.

Beth

The Next Big Thing

Okay, so I wasn't actually tagged for this Blog Meme. But I hopped over to David Powers King's blog where he'd been tagged by the awesome Ilima Todd. David didn't tag me either so I stole it. Just out and out stole it from his blog. ...but it really is a great way to give you a heads up on what I'm working on...

The Next Big Thing.

1-What is the title of your book?
Final Intention[s], it's working. Give me a break. I just don't do titles well.

2-Where did the idea come from for the book?
It popped in my head...this one kind of came out of know where. I'd been looking for something short to write during the month of October. It started with a paragraph about a witch...

3-What genre does your book fall under?
Paranormal Romance

4-Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie?

Mila Kunis, I like her sass in That 70's Show, and that stands out to me more than how pretty she actually is...and she is pretty--on screen. :D

I'll admit it, my first thought for male lead would be Heath Ledger. That could be pretty telling for how I need to change up my male leads--his face comes up often... So, I'll stretch my imagination and pick this young actor Daniel Burda. Not much on his resume, yet... but he's got a nice smile.



5-What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
With only 2 weeks left before crossing over to the afterlife, Rachel has nothing to lose when guardian angel, Aarden Marks, comes begging her to change the weather.

6-Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
No agent for me, and I will probably send to an epublisher or two before I decide if I want to self-publish this one. There's something about allowing an editor and company to guide you through marketing and promotion that is truly appealing. Still, I'm game, either way.

7-How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
I’m still drafting it – about a week in with 6,000 words down.
But here’s the first bit of it:

The shimmering lights of the rooftop affair twinkled against the autumn New York sky line. A familiar tune thudded against the waist high brick wall that surrounded the party on three sides and the soaring exterior wall that rose another level on the fourth side. The caterer had chosen barbecue  a southern tribute, which had been approved several weeks in advance. The savory aroma drifted on the still, cold night air, enticing complete strangers from the street below to make their way up.

8-What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I hate to admit it, but I don't know. I've never read an angel/demon novel...I don't think. I read paranormal occasionally. Hopefully that doesn't end up being my downfall.

9-Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I just wanted to do something fun and different that I could draft up quickly. <--this is exactly what David said, btw. But it just fits so well. I wanted something I could do in October. A sort of warm up for Nano in November. I intended the story to be short, short. It'll be closer to novella length at the rate I'm going....and I might end up writing into Nano a bit, too.

10-What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
This book has an element of fun to it, putting aside the darker tones of a lot of other paranormal demon stories. As a gal of Faith, I like the idea of featuring a guardian angel [instead of a Fallen Angel]...well, at least, he's not fallen yet!

To pass this great Meme along, I'm going to tag a few people from my critique group:
Moira Keith
Silke
Debora Dennis
Tina Vaughn
Ava Delany

Have fun with it, gals!
With Love,
Bethanne

Meme, Now and Then

This isn't true anymore for most people...but there were times when people would print out their emails! I know! How crazy is that?! My mother sent me an email I sent to her. One of those Q&A types in order to get to know the people in your address list. Copy and Paste... Forward to the people you know, including the one who sent it to you. yadda, yadda, yadda. I guess I wasn't always so anti-social. :D haha. On the other hand, this one came to me in 1999. I only had one kid... I might have been bored. hehe.

Now we'll see what's changed, eh?
Full Name: Bethanne (Patrick) Strasser SAME
Nickname: Betty Not many people call me that anymore
Birthplace: Islip Can't change that one, either
Hometown: Denver Now: Columbus [that's going to change, though]
Spouse/kids: husband, Matt and daughter, Virginia Now: Matt and 5 kids
Croutons or Bacon Bits: Croutons Now: Bacon Bits
Favorite Salad Dressing: Balsamic Vinagrette Now: Sesame Something or other 
Red or White Wine: White Now: Oh, definitely RED!
Have you had your appendix and tonsils removed? Nope. SAME still got those suckers. Looks like they'll be with me for life.
Favorite Shampoo and Conditioner: Suave (for only 89 cents) Now: Wish it was still 89 cents. And I sound like I'm lying to myself. :D I still buy suave today, but I sure do wish I was buying something else!
Have you ever gone skinny dipping?: Certainly NOT! Now: still true... but I wouldn't say it that way. Now I'm thinking, "Boy, I wish I could find a nice private lake somewhere so I could go skinny dipping"...preferrably with someone I've been married to for 13 years. :D
Do you make fun of people? occasionally...against my better judgement Now: Absolutely, whenever the occasion arises. 
Have you ever been convicted of a crime? just the 72 dollars worth of a speeding ticket. Now: Nope...and look at me trying to be my bad self back then.... pfft.
Best type of on-line friends: the kind that keep in touch! Now: the kind that keep in touch. (notice the lack of exclamation point...)
One Pillow of Two: Two Now: One 
Pets: None SAME
Favorite Types of music: Country, classic rock, oldies Now: now, oldies is classic rock and eighties rock and all the stuff I listen to. So, Oldies.
Dream car: Wagoneer SAME, I would sure love to own one of those... maybe I'll find one in Colorado.
Type of car you drive now: Ford Taurus Now: Dodge Caravan Crap


....I'm sorry, here's something about me. Too long emails and blogs DRIVE ME CRAZY!
I guess I'll have to continue to be something of a mystery to you people out there, cuz there is no way I'm going to sit here and finish this Meme.
Have a great week.
With Love,
Bethanne

Bethanne-ology

I picked this up from a fellow blogger and I'm not sure where she got it... but I thought it would be fun filler for this week.

Let others know a little more about yourself, re-post this as your name followed by “ology”.

***********FOODOLOGY***************
What is your salad dressing of choice? – Ranch <--BORING! I know! Raspberry vinaigrette is tied for first, depending on my mood.
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? – Olive Garden
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? – Ice Cream
What are your pizza toppings of choice? – Bacon, mushroom and Chicken
What do you put on your toast? – Butter and strawberry simply fruit

***********TECHNOLOGY***************
How many televisions are in your house? – One.
How many computers? – Two, now. A desk top and laptop.
What kind of cell phone do you have? – Samsung with Net10 pre-bought minutes.
Do you have an iPod? – No.

***************BIOLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed? – Right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? – a cyst on my lip and one on my shoulder.
What is the last heavy item you lifted? – laundry basket
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? – KNOCKED? No.

************BULLOLOGY**************
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? NO!
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? – I already got lucky enough to change my name... I made it STRASSER.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? – Hmm, everything in me wants to say yes, but I probably couldn't do it.

************DUMBOLOGY******************
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? Two.
Last time you had a run-in with the cops? – We had an issue once while living in Denver. That was 2000, maybe '01?
Last person you talked to? – Daughter
Last person you hugged? – Matt
Last person you kissed? – Matt

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************
Season? – FALL!!!!
Holiday? – Christmas
Day of the week? – Sunday
Month? – September

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************
Missing someone? – It's hard to miss people when they are only a click away.
Mood? – Raring to go
What are you listening to? – The kids chat
Watching? – My computer screen
Worrying about? – Nothing

***************RANDOMOLOGY*****************
First place you went this morning? – Church
What’s the last movie you saw? – The Sandlot
Do you smile often? – Yes
Sleeping alone tonight? – No

***************OTHER-OLOGY*****************
Do you always answer your phone? – No.
If you could change your eye color what would it be? – More Blue, LOL
Do you own a digital camera? – Yes.
Have you ever had a pet fish? – No.
Favorite Christmas song(s)? – Golly! Um, White Christmas. O Holy Night.
What’s on your wish list for your birthday? – A haircut... or an e-reader.
Can you do push ups? – Yes
Can you do a chin up? – Maybe ONE or TWO.
Does the future make you more nervous or excited? – EXCITED!
Do you have any saved texts? – No
Ever been in a car wreck? – No. A fender-bender, yes.
Do you have an accent? – No, everyone else has an accent.
What is the last song to make you cry? – Lots of songs make me cry when I'm pregnant.
Plans tonight? – WRITE and watch That 70s Show
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? – Yes.
Name 3 things you bought yesterday? – Calculator, phone card, diet cola
Have you ever been given roses? – Yes
Current worry? – None, duh. See above.
Current hate right now? – I can't think of anything, except the fact that they're building a mosque at ground zero. I DON'T GET THAT!!!
Met someone who changed your life? – Yes. My son.
How will you bring in the New Year? – Even I don’t plan that far away
What song represents you? – I don't do thoughtful and philosophical. I have no idea.
Name three people who might complete this? – I can't.
Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? – Definitely! there is so much cool stuff in history!!
Have you ever dated someone longer than a year solid? – Yes
Do you have any tattoos/piercings? – Pierced ears
Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now? – Most definitely.
Does anyone love you? – Yes.
Would you be a pirate? – Yes!
What songs do you sing in the shower? – Not very often.
Ever had someone sing to you? – Yes.
When did you last cry? – Recently, just not sure when, exactly.
Do you like to cuddle? – Yes
Have you held hands with anyone today? – Yes. Church is good for that.
Who was the last person you took a picture of? – Family
What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? – I have no idea!
Do you believe in staying close with your ex’s? – No.
Are most of the friends in your life new or old? – Both.
Do you like pulpy orange juice? – Yes.
What is something your friends make fun of you for? – Hmmm... my friends make fun of me???? :D

Picture Challenge

From Janice!! Thanks for thinking of me Janice, my one constant blog companion.

RULE: The rules are simple. Use google image to search the answers to the questions below. Then you must choose a picture in the first page of results,and post it as your answer.

The Age of my next Birthday:

Lockheed Martin's 1998

X-33, A ROCKET... :D

Place I'd like to Travel:

Mackinac Island -- picture courtesy of http://www.teamshackchicago.com/ from Google Images.

I love this place. Haven't been there since I was a child. Would LOVE to go back.

A Favorite Place:

You won't believe this... this is an avatar from a forum. The Google search brought me this picture from a member whose location was: In my husband's arms. :)

A Favorite food:

A Favorite Thing:

City I was born:

West Islip, New York -- don't ask me what that picture is off... LOL

Nickname I had:

Name of My Love:

Apparently there's a Matt Strasser in the military as well... 1st Sgt. in the US Army.

*shrug* Lots of people out there...

Favorite Color:

Hobby:

A Bad Habit:

That would be SWEARING. Like i'm doing right now, because blogger can really drive me crazy!!!! CRAZY!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Wishlist:

SELL A NOVEL.

One thing I learned while doing this...blogger formatting does NOT stay true when inserting images. I can NOT believe how long it took me to do this...with all the backspacing and rearranging that needed to be done. Why doesn't the picture go in where the cursor is? why does it default to the top of the page? am I the only one with this problem???? UGH!

Tag, I'm IT

Okay I got tagged by AJ Chase and Teresa D'Amario, two very good friends of mine from Romance Divas, to do one of these meme things. I hated IT, the movie. Way too scary for me... also, my mom just called me from her room two floors above me. HOW strange, this new world we live in... okay, it's not that new, but still, in the grander scope of things... it's new.

The rules:
Link to the person who tagged you;
Leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours;
Post the rules on your blog;
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog;
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post;
Include links to their blogs;
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


7 things about me...

1. I had an inguinal bilateral hernia when I was a baby.
2. I’m really organized…despite what anyone else says. :D
3. I refill the dishwasher almost everyday because it hasn’t been done correctly the first time.
4. I have Type I Diabetes and wear a pump.
5. For an entire 9 months, I lived in a van with 8…or was it 9 other people?
6. I met my husband’s former fiance before he and I started dating. She pointed him out [I had already admired him from a distance] and I was disappointed when she showed me her ring... My ring's better!
7. I’ve lived in 6 states and 15 different houses.

Now I will tag 7 people...
Leigh Royals
Kris Yankee
Dianna Street
Ally Kendall
Michael Klein
Kate Fifelski
Lucinda, LK Campbell

...now to blog hop, I go. :D