As I pry my eyes open, both from the lack of sleep and the false eyelash glue from the New Years Eve festivities of last night, I can’t help but reflect on the year that’s past. 2011 was a hell of a year, and more than I ever expected. Some things I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around. Some things are still works in progress and my superstitions won’t let me talk about them for fear of jinxing them. But here is a list of some of the random, but memorable things from the year past.

• A fan telling me when they Google ‘hot naked cowboys’ my picture comes up right along with the hot naked cowboy pics.
• The cute cable guy calling his romance novel-loving mother to tell her I was an author and her not only knowing my name, but having read my Red, Hot & Blue series.
• Signing a contract for a super secret and very exciting project with the lovely and talented Amy Reiley (chef, author and owner of the Eat Something Sexy blogs).
• My first original self-publishing eBook ‘experiment’ which sold 6,000 copies in 6 weeks.
• Watching, live and in person, the bull rider I sponsored compete in the NBR Finals in February in North Carolina.
• Hitting an all new sales high, thanks to my publisher Samhain making my TREY a free read on Amazon.com back in March.
• Watching my fellow Samhain Publishing eBook authors hit the NY Times Best Seller list and knowing it is possible!
• And finally, the opportunity which I hate to say ‘fell into my lap’ since I worked damn hard to prepare for this moment, but it did kind of fall from the sky–an amazingly, unprecedented opportunity. I’m going to have to work damn hard to take advantage of it, and  I still won’t talk about it since it could amount to nothing at all OR it may make my career… Anyway, yeah, this surprise opportunity which happened just before Christmas, may be the most amazing of all and I hope to one day soon have an announcement for you. But even if I don’t, that’s okay, because it was amazing, nonetheless.

There are so many more things, meeting some of my PBR (professional bull riding) fans live at Madison Square Garden last January, having the father of one of the top riders in the country fact check my last cowboy release, the surprise gifts my generous readers send me, meeting so many great people both live and online. It all adds up to memories I’ll always cherish.

Happy New Year to all. If 2012 holds even half the magic that 2011 did, we’re in for one hell of a year.

Cat

Christmas time–it’s been crazy, hectic, and at times a bit of a blur this year. As I sit nursing my hangover from last night’s festivities, and plot my day for tomorrow–post office, food store, cooking, wrapping–I reflect on the past week.

My friends and I have already exchanged gifts. As we speak I’m wearing my new leopard print lounging pants from my friend Donna, she knows me so well. I’m now the proud owner of a new bluetooth keyboard for my iPad from my friend Leesa and her kids so I don’t have to curse the virtual keyboard anymore. And even more amazing, my friend Whitney procured the luxury box at Madison Square Garden and 14 of my closest friends and I will be watching the opening event of the 2012 Pro Bull Riders season from our own skybox with private bathroom, fridge and wet bar. And from my fans, surprise envelopes are arriving in the mail steadily. A custom-made leather cowboy boot Christmas stocking with my name on it from the book club I visited on Long Island. A cowboy boot ornament for my tree from my bull rider-loving fan Shannon, who knows both my own boot and cowboy fetishes. And just today I got an iPad case with my book cover on it sewn by Helen, a reader who makes beautiful quilts and other fabric works of art. Merry Christmas to me!

My gifts to my friends were hits as well, if I do say so myself. For Donna, a chef’s wife who just began a food blog, I found a handmade bracelet on Etsy made out of an actual fork, bent and curled into a unique beautiful piece of wearable art. Whitney, a serious connoiseur of homemade margaritas, got a lime squeezer, agave and tequila from me. Leesa, a Scrabble efficiando and the person who keeps getting the 7-letter words and pissing me and Whit off, got Scrabble pajama pants.

That’s just a sampling of the holiday goodies and treats that brought joy to me and hopefully to my friends. I wish all my readers good friends, good food and good gifts!

Cat

In 2006 I’d sold my first romance to a small indie publisher. It was a romantic comedy featuring computer geeks, firemen, and the women who loved them, but what I was reading at the time was military romance from authors such as Suzanne Brockmann and Alison Kent. So I asked my editor if I was to write a military romance, would she be interested in it. She said yes and so I started to research and write. I was fortunate there was lots of info on the internet, and in 2006, just as today, the war and the troops were all over the news. I was lucky enough to find some info on Special Task Force 145 and based my team of SpecOps on them.

I boldly (and probably foolishly) went ahead and published that first book and it was a hit with readers so I of course planned more. It was while I was writing the second book in the series that I stumbled upon a troop support site called Books for Soldier. How absolutely perfect! I had books, I liked soldiers, and I was interested in hanging out with others who did as well. So I started sending packages…everything from flip flops for the showers, to candycanes for Christmas, to books for them to read, both used paperbacks I purchased at the library sale and my own and in every package I’d stick one of my cards so they’d know who’d sent it.

Then the thank you notes began to come. Some paper, some emails. Among them, two servicemen emailed– one Army from Iraq, one USMC from Djibouti– both intrigued that a real live romance author was sending them books. (They had no idea I had about 3 books out at that time and was an absolute nobody, but they were impressed none the less.)

And so we became pen pals, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect since, as I said, I was writing my next military romance and this time, I had men living in the world I was writing about at my disposal for research instead of just Google and Wikepedia and MSNBC. And not just two men either, but a whole platoon in Ramadi and a whole squadron on the Horn of Africa, plus various military wives and children, became my resource. It made all the difference in the world. I wrapped up my second SpecOp book and moved on to my new passion–GIs. Not the elite BlackOps but the ground pounders. Not the SEALS but the tankers. They were true heroes as well, and they had stories to tell me, which I in turn wanted to tell.

Real life stories from my Army muse from his tank days in Ramadi and later his two tours as ground infantry in Afghanistan became the makings for A Few Good Men, Model Soldier and A Prince Among Men (all currently out of print but rereleasing soon). Real tales of a heavy helicopter squadron deployed at the Joint Forces camp on the Horn of Africa became Crossing the Line. A real life leadership training in Georgia became the basis for my free short read Fireworks. Of course I tempered the reality of war with a heavy dose of romance–Sean often jokes how he recognizes his deployments in the descriptions in my books but he doesn’t remember having any of that sex I write about. My excuse? Who needs 100% reality? Now is the time we need the fantasy the most.

Anyway, these men (the original two and some of their men as well) have become more than research resources, they’ve become friends. Sure it’s real nice to have them on IM (today’s version of speed dial) ready, willing and able to answer all my burning questions, but I’m even more grateful that I can call them friends. And because of my association with these men, the story of the everyday soldier–of mail calls and chow halls, of loneliness and fear, and of great bravery and sacrifice–gets to be told even if it is stuck in there between all the sex in my romance novels.

Cat

I wanted to take a roadtrip from NY to NC to watch the professional bull rider I just started sponsoring compete in the NBR Finals. Guess what? I got my wish. The hubby and I made the decision Tuesday night and Friday morning, predawn, loaded SUV and all, we headed south and kept going until we hit Raleigh, NC and the Hunt Horse Center.

Did we stay at a 4 star hotel? Nope. I found one for $59 a night with free breakfast and WiFi. Did we eat dinner out at fancy restaurants? Nope. We  fell in love with the drive-in burger joint, Cook Out, across the street where they made the best damn burger, hush puppies, onion rings and shakes we’ve ever eaten so that we went there each night after the rodeo to eat. Did I dress up in nice lingerie? Nope. Didn’t even bring a dress. Jeans and cowboy boots were the uniform of the weekend, for both of us.

Did I have the best time of my life? Hell yeah! To each his (or her) own, I suppose.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone!

Cat

Confession~ I never got around to sending out holiday cards this year. Why? Well I can spew you out a list, such as a book deadline, my harp gig, how the days of the calender seemed to spiral away from me faster in my house than they did in all of yours. Mostly I just didn’t seem to have it in me, and a writer without inspiration is nothing.

But being one of those creative sorts, I began to think out of the box. Why do holiday greetings have to be on paper and mailed through the post office? After all, I, as an author of eBooks through an indie press, am on the cutting edge of the new age of the publishing industry. Why can’t Christmas cards follow paper books into the new digital age? A greeting is to show the recipient you’re thinking of them during this season. To bring someone’s day a bit of joy. To share your love.

So at this late date, when no paper card would make it to all those people I care about in my life, to all those who went to the time and effort to mail me a holiday greeting and make my day a little brighter, I offer you this–a special musical video greeting from me to you. Yes, in my ‘other’ life I’m a harpist.

WATCH HERE

[Please remember it's the thought that counts when you see the less than optimal quality of the audio and video. Turn the volume slide all the way up on the video window, and earphones may help!]

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a Healthy and Properous 2011 to everyone!

Cat

But in the midst of it all, when I least expect it and am feeling most down, holiday cheer will (like Cher in Moonstruck) smack me in the face and say “Snap out of it!”.

That’s happened a few times over the past week, these little glimpses of magic or sudden holiday inspiration. Once was last weekend. I play the harp for holiday tours at a local historic site. The mansion is decked out in gorgeous holiday decorations, and even without those, the architecture and setting along the Hudson River would be enough on its own. However, playing Christmas carols for 3 1/2 hours at a stretch every Saturday and Sunday in a very cold mansion wears on both my body and mind. I leave there twitchy from the carols, frozen to the bone, and sore in all sorts of places.

So anyway (hang on, here comes the magic, I promise) last Saturday I was dragging my tired butt out of the mansion after playing for 3 1/2 hours straight with only a ten minute break all night, late for a friend’s Christmas party and dreading getting into my cold car when I heard the distinct clip-clop of a horse, accompanied by the jingle of sleigh bells. It was pitch black, the only illumination on the property the lights from the windows of the mansion and the old-fashioned lamp posts lining the drive, so I heard the horse and carriage long before I saw it. And that was all it took to raise my spirits. I paused in my rush to leave, watched it pass, then got in my car, turned up the radio and sang along to the songs all the way to the party.

It wasn’t really magic at all–in reality there was a private Christmas party being held on the property in the carriage house and they’d brought in a horse drawn carriage for their guests–but it worked magic on me and that’s all that matters.

OPERATION BBQ FOR THE TROOPS -Watch the Video on FoodNetwork

Watch barbecuing US Marine style in this Food Network video.

JARHEAD RED WINE

Jarhead Jarhead Red is a wine made by Marines on Californiaís Central Coast. It offers flavors of plum, cassis and black currant with fine tannins on the finish. It is aged in French oak barrels for eight months. Net proceeds from the sale of the wine benefit the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, which provides educational assistance to children of U.S. Marines, with special attention given to children of fallen Marines. For more information on the foundation, please visit www.mcsf.org. Visit www.jarheadred.com for more fun facts, info and ordering information.

What does this all mean? In my eyes it means we are becoming more distant from each other, separated by modern conveniences that isolate us in a technology bubble. It appears we have more communication, but in reality the distance between people has grown.

Here is what I propose… This Valentines Day instead of going online and ordering an overpriced dozen roses, sit down and write a letter… and I mean with a real pen and piece of paper. Cook your lover a meal and eat it together, at home where it’s quiet and there are no waiters and other patrons to disturb your conversation and whatever else may follow the meal. Turn off the technology and simply be together. Love is free, and sometimes it needs to be free from modern conveniences as well.

Happy Valentines Day!

Cat

Being Italian/Catholic, Donna’s family does it up big, with the meal of the 7 Fishes and all. Sigh, now I need to go Google the significance of the 7 fishes…hang on…okay, looks like you can’t eat meat so you had to eat fish, and the reason for the 7 is not confirmed but it could relate to the 7 days of creation or possibly the number of Sacraments. Thank you, Wikipedia. Moving on…

Anyway, the trip to Arthur Avenue signals I have very little time to finish my gift shopping. Yes, that was a confession, I’m not done yet. Luckily I am down to just a few gift certificates and a quick trip to the liquor store and I will be done, but for those of you in a tighter bind, here are a few suggestions of some of my favorite gifts to give.

FOOD- Who doesn’t love a big basket packed full with tasty treats? And unlike the unattractive sweater that you have to wear or risk insulting the giver, food gifts can be easily eaten, donated, or re-gifted at one of the many holiday parties you’ll be attending. I personally like a theme. I’ve put together a ’spicy’ basket with various fun hot sauces, chocolates I found online that contained hot pepper, and even beer made with chili peppers. Throw in an attractive bottle opener, perhaps a tree ornament or cute cocktail napkins or bowl and Viola! Fun, unique, done! With not much time left for shipping, you procrastinators will have to go to a local gourmet shop or beer importer and buy your basket purchases there.

BOOKS- I’m an author, of course I love books and bookstores are open late during this season and the larger chains even email you 30% off coupons if you sign up. Children on my list have gotten the Eloise books since I LOVE The Plaza Hotel in NY. My nieces have also received a fun book I found “Auntie Claus” about a child who finds out her aunt is Santa. For adults, cookbooks are fun. Amy’s Fork Me, Spoon Me Aphrodisiac cookbook is a great gift, wrapped up with a serving fork and spoon perhaps?

WINE – It’s no secret I buy wine by the name and the label. I’ve gifted wines by the name of Bitch, Fat Bastard, Il Bastardo, Menage e Trios, Old Fart, Seven Deadly Zins, Daddy’s Day Off, Mad Housewife, even Big House (with a sketch of a prison on the label for my lawyer friend)… you get the picture.

Use your imagination, connect it specifically to the person you’re giving it to and wrap it attractively, and even a last minute gift won’t look like it.

As I plot out my day and its errands, I wish you all a wonderful holiday.

Cat

]]> http://eatsomethingsexy.com/blogs/catjohnson/2009/12/22/tis-the-season/feed/ 2 http://eatsomethingsexy.com/blogs/catjohnson/2009/12/07/when-love-and-life-was-black-and-white/ http://eatsomethingsexy.com/blogs/catjohnson/2009/12/07/when-love-and-life-was-black-and-white/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:58:34 +0000 Cat Johnson http://eatsomethingsexy.com/blogs/catjohnson/?p=87 Sometimes the simpler things seem better.

For instance, to me it seems that times were simpler back in the old days. Like back in the day when problems on TV were solved in 22 minutes (ala the “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha” episode from the Brady Bunch). Before today’s teen shows where 15 year olds are pregnant or in rehab.

Or even further back when movies, and life, were truly black and white. It’s extra prophetic perhaps that on this, Pearl Harbor Day, I’m in particular thinking about one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time, Christmas in Connecticut. It starred a young and lovely Barbara Stanwick and a storyline that is just as relatable today as it was back in 1945 when it was first released to a nation of movie goers embroiled in World War II and looking for comfort.

The premise was this, Stanwick portrays Elizabeth Lane, a famous magazine writer, the Martha Stewart of that day. She is expert in all things regarding homemaking, setting the impossibly high standard all housewives of the time strive to live up to. So of course when her publisher, seeking publicity, seeks the perfect home for a hero returning from the war to spend Christmas, he thinks of Lane’s farm in Connecticut, where she writes of cooking incredible meals for her husband and baby. The only problem is, Lane is a fraud. She lives in an apartment in Manhattan, has no husband, no baby, no farm and worst of all, she can’t cook. All of her recipes are fed to her from her restauranteur uncle. So what does she do when faced with being exposed and losing her job? She fakes it all and gets herself a farm, and a husband, and a baby (or two) and attempts to throw the perfect Christmas for both her boss and the incredibly sexy and charming war hero who is bound to capture her heart at first sight.

Of course it all works out all right in the end. The heroine falls in love with and gets the hero sailor, but not without a series of misunderstandings that lead to hilarious situations.

Watching Stanwick/Lane sweeping through her bucolic, bedecked, borrowed farmhouse in her long gown playing holiday hostess, I had to sigh and think life looks so lovely back then. None of the glaring harshness of today’s problems. War in Afghanistan. The struggling economy. Tiger Woods’ marriage. What to order online for my long Christmas list and will it get here in time. Will the needles stay on my tree until Christmas or will I have a bare stalk with a pile underneath it? How much longer before they invent a pill to cure gray hair? Whatever, you get the picture…

Of course, this movie was a product of Hollywood in its hay day, and I have to remember it was made as an escape for a country still reeling from their losses and a wartime economy. But it still makes a person grateful that just for a little while we too can escape back into a time when things, on the surface at least, were simply black and white.

Cat