Scroll down on the right side of this blog to the icon for the Sweet'N'Sexy Divas website, where I blog the 16th of each month.  I list the books I've been reading lately, with mini-reviews.  It's an eclectic list, to be sure.  And in case you are thinking, "Read?  Who has time to read?", let me tell you how I manage, while working 2 jobs and trying to squeeze in time to write and promote. 
I leave books all over my house, including in the bathroom.  Whenever I have a few minutes, I'm reading.  I also have a book in my car, so that if I'm ever early to an appointment, I can read a few pages.  My kindle sits next to my laptop, for easy downloading of new books, though I usually find a more comfortable place to sit to read.
How about you?  What have you been reading lately that you might want to share with me, so I can add it to my TBR list?  Inquiring minds want to know!

I was reading about UNESCOs Share a Book Day, also read in the paper that in 2011  a Scottish book publisher came up with the idea of World Book Night, when everyone was to give a book away for free.  Publishers worried that it would hurt sales, but instead it inspired people to buy books to give away!  So in honor of both events, and to apologize because I didn't get on-line last night, I'm going to give away 4 copies of Secret Love.
Winners: Marci, Debi, Faith Bicknell and Garce.  Happy reading!

Okay, I'm going to weigh in on the kerfuffle raging on about various pundits claiming that the success of the "50 Shades of Grey" books is due to women's secret desires to be dominated by men.  Feminists are said to be dismayed, while traditionalists are claiming it's about time we accepted the real truth (so they can turn back the clocks about 60 years.)

Forgive me if I gag. 

I was in high school in the 70s, when feminism told us that freedom was the right to say "No", as well as the right to choose when and if to say "yes".  I thought this whole issue would be over by now, and males and females would be able to relate to each other as equals.  Boy, was I naive!  My kids are young adults and they learned from their peers/surrounding culture, but not from me, that the old adage is still true: A man who does is a player, to be admired...a woman who does is a slut to be abused because she is worthless.  Sigh.  So to me it's no wonder that some women are still reading those old fantasies about alpha men who "force" them to enjoy sex...after all, they aren't sluts if they had no choice, right?  And the purity and wholesomeness of the woman makes the alpha man realize this is the only one he will ever want to torture (excuse me, pleasure) from now on.  Yeah...right.  This is like believing we need to send our country back to the halcyon days of the 50s...which were only good if you were a white male.  Not so good for people of color or women of any color.  But TV is now rife with shows about the "good old days" back then...coincidence?

C'mon, people!  I'm a feminist who spent years working crummy part-time jobs while I raised my 4 kids to be erudite, contributing citizens.  Women are not a monolithic group to be analyzed and put conveniently into their "proper place", which is not the boardroom or any other place of power.
Sometimes I want to wear the fur-lined handcuffs...other times I want to be the one holding the key.  Why can't we acknowledge that we all have vibrant and exciting fantasy lives that enhance our reality, which might have nothing in common with our dreams?  Let's enjoy our fantasies then return to the serious business of building a future for our kids that allows everyone to achieve according to their potential, not according to some out-dated playbook that should have been burned along with bras almost a half-century ago?

Hint: It's related to triskadekaphobia, which is the fear of the number 13.  Yes, that's right, it's the fear of Friday the 13th.
Why are we supposed to fear the number 13?  It's only a fear in the western culture, so it has to be something only we accept...the digging I have done relates back to the Last Supper, when there were the 12 disciples plus Jesus at the table, hence 13 diners.  Since we all know how unlucky some of the diners were, the number fear relates to that.

If you do have paraskevedekatriaphobia you are having a particularly angst-filled year.  There was a Friday the 13th in January, now 13 weeks later we are having another one.  And yup, in 13 weeks we will have another one!  So 3 in one year, separated by 13 weeks each!  Pretty scary, eh keeds? (Obscure SCTV reference...smile if you remember their TV host, The Count.)

And if you are the superstitious kind, you are probably already squigged out by this being the year the Mayans supposedly ended their long-count calendar on, so December 21, 2012 is the important date.  I don't waste my time worrying about things like that, because with 3 kids in college and multiple jobs, I don't really have time to write books AND worry! 

Speaking of books, I've got one already done, and I'm about to finish my first paranormal romance dealing with Mayans, blood sacrifice, and vampires.  This one stems from two dreams...the first one presented me with the heroine and I wrote notes on a scrap of paper.  I had already written the first chapter when I had a second dream, mind you, months later.  This one had a vampire who informed me that HE is the hero for her, not the guy I had already envisioned.  I tried to explain to him that I've sworn off of vampires because they've been so over-done, but he was insistent.  Then she chimed in to agree with him.  So I had to agree. 
No title yet, but the story is so interesting that even my sons who never want to read Mom's porn, have expressed interest in reading it when I'm done.  There will be a sequel, but I'm not sure about that story arc yet...I'll wait for another dream.

Happy Friday the 13th.  Me, I'm just happy to have some time off to get some writing done.  Make your own luck today!

 ALL HAIL QUEEN DREA!  She hath created a blog site which allows authors to connect with eager readers, and eager readers to win lots of free stuff, including books!  She offers this opportunity during holidays, so the maximum number of us can participate!  SHE ROCKS!

Okay so what am I offering to whet your appetite this time?  How about an autographed copy of Secret Love, along with some chocolates from a local emporium, for you to tingle your taste buds with while my words tingle you in other places?  (Grin) 
Not enough?  Okay, okay.  Then I'll add an eBook of the sequel, Undercover Lovers, so that once you are done reading about one spy's search for love, you can read about spy and her erotic adventures.

You know you want to!  So leave me a comment below and I'll choose my winner after midnight on Easter Sunday!
Then click on the picture and hop right to it to see what else you can find!