dogs and books...what a great combo!

I did a signing and sale yesterday at Stroudfest, Stroudsburg's yearly arts and crafts festival. I had a great time, and not only because of all the wonderful people who came by and bought my books, but I also met some really great, non-human friends.

I set up a "doggy watering station" for all the thirsty canines accompanying their owners to the festival. I met dogs like Shiloh, who was up for adoption, Rex, who was going home with his new owners later that afternoon, Winnie, a huge Great Dane who could have kissed me on the lips without even standing on her toes (and was second only to a parched bulldog in the sloppy drinking contest!), but I have to say my favorite was Henry, my new best friend and infamous MilkBone mooch. And there were dozens more, whose names I don't remember, but who helped to make my day go quickly and enjoyably with lots of sloppy puppy kisses and wagging tails.

So, thanks to all the owners who brought their "babies" over to make my day yesterday. Hope to see you at my next event!

jlh sells out...or gives in

I was tossing around the idea of this blog yesterday, but I'm glad I waited, since now I've got even more fodder to discuss.

The first thing that triggered the idea of this blog was a comic in yesterday's paper. I think it's called Zits, but I'm not sure. It was only two frames long. The first frame showed two teenaged girls greeting each other. Out loud, they say, "Hi." But both of their inner dialogues go something like this.

"Weird haircut, did she shave her legs? is she really wearing that middy shirt? what's with those cuffed shorts, are you kidding me? omg, look at her shoes. seriously, tweeze much?"

The second frame is two teenaged boys greeting each other. Out loud, they say, "Hi." And that's it.

The second thing, the thing that really prompted me to write this blog, was a small entertainment news blurb. Jennifer Love Hewitt, after all her campaigning for natural body love after the critical reception of pictures of her looking nicely curvy in a bikini, lost eighteen pounds.

I'm 4'10' tall. I weigh 120 pounds. I'm a size five in jeans, a size three in skirts. I go running or biking an average of five times a week. I'm not gorgeous, but I'm attractive, so I'm told. I get compliments on my hair from complete strangers almost any time I wear it down.

I'm also an author. That's right, I write books. Full of words, arranged solely by yours truly. I can converse intelligently on almost any subject. I'm well-read, I keep up on current events. I'm funny. I'm loyal, and I like to think I'm a good friend. I'm a good wife to my husband, and a great doggy- and kitty- mommy.

So why is it that, every time I stand in front of a mirror, I don't see any of those things? I don't see an accomplished woman with great hair and a nice, perky booty looking back at me. I see a short, chubby chick with a stomach that, despite her best efforts, is always thicker than she wants it to be. My thighs are huge, and no pair of shorts in the world can flatter them. My hips jiggle. My nose is too big and too shiny.

The thing is, the body hatred doesn't just stop at mine. I am truly, truly ashamed of this, but do you want to know what I thought when Jennifer Love Hewitt, defending her bikini pics, said, "Size two isn't fat,"? I thought, "If she's a size two, I'm the queen of England." Nice, huh? Not, "Well, good for her." Nope. I jumped right on the haters' bandwagon.

When it comes to our bodies, it seems like women are always ready to think the worst. Rather than think about all the wonderful places my muscular legs have been strong enough to take me, I mentally abuse them every time I see them. I constantly compare myself to every other woman I see on the street. I don't focus on intelligence or humor or common sense, I focus on whether her waist is bigger than mine.

I hate it, but I don't know how to stop it. And no one else seems to, either. JK Rowling wrote a passionate blog about women's body image on her website last year, about how it shouldn't matter how big or small you are, but what you say and do. Last month, I saw a video blog of her commencement address to Harvard, in which she expressed gratitude toward the jitters she felt coming up to the speech, since it enabled her to lose weight.

I'd be interested in hearing everyone's views on this, so please leave a comment or message if you've got an opinion.

Book Review: Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer (Spoiler Alert!)

Breaking Dawn Review

I know it’s been a week since I promised my review of Breaking Dawn, but I like to read books like this twice before I submit my final responses. Actually, I read it two-and-a-half times. Yes, I know, I’m sick in the head.
As an avid fan of the series, I was not disappointed by Meyer’s fourth and final installation in the Twilight series. I was surprised by a number of the plot twists, but certainly not disappointed.
Some people seemed to feel this book was out of character with the rest of the series; I disagree. The primary themes that weave themselves through the books are still strong in Breaking Dawn; just represented differently. As usual, Bella finds herself torn in two different directions, fighting for the ones she loves, and preparing herself for the possibility of those loved ones slipping away from her. The only difference is that now, her decisions yield a crop of new and powerful weapons for her to draw upon. For once, Bella finds herself the hero, rather than the victim, of the tale. And, of course, woven over, under and through each thread of the story, is Bella and Edward’s timeless love for each other.
My favorite parts: (spoiler alert!)
The wedding: Meyer captured the emotion of this so well, I found myself reminiscing about my own wedding, thinking, “My God, she’s got it! That’s exactly what it feels like!” Except, of course, I didn’t marry a vampire.
The change: Bella’s transition to vampire life made me want to crow with triumph. Finally! All she’s ever wanted, even things which had nothing to do with Edward, delivered in one glorious sparkling package. Again, the emotion of this section was beautifully, beautifully captured.
My not-so-favorite parts:
Jacob’s narration: This is purely personal. I know it was a necessary evil, and telling this portion from his point of view gave the perspective of the story a better dimensional quality. But he irritates the liver out of me. Can’t help it; you’ll never see me wearing any “Team Jacob” tees.
The final conflict: A little too up and down. It’s not okay, oh, wait, it’s okay, no, wait, it’s not okay again, oh, hey, changed our minds, whoops, decided you’re going to die, oh, look, it’s Alice!—I felt trapped in some kind of ADD literary nightmare. The whole time, I was thinking, OMG, go away already! But, when they finally did, it was all worth it.

Even taking into consideration my few gripes, this book is one of my new favorites, and sits in pride of place on my bookshelf, next to its amazing sisters.

breaking dawn, part 1 (spoilers)

******SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE BOOK!*****

I spent last night reading the final book in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. I’ve fallen absolutely head-over-heels for these books, and have been eagerly awaiting the final installation for months. And I wasn’t disappointed. Not even a little bit.
So, imagine my surprise when I checked out Breaking Dawn’s Amazon page this morning, to see what other people thought. My first surprise was the average rating…only three stars. What? Then I delved a little deeper, and I was absolutely astonished to see that four out of five people completely trashed the book. Huh?
As I read through the reviews, I started to get angry. People are entitled to their own opinions, and if you didn’t like it, that’s fine. What annoyed me were the REASONS they didn’t like it. Again, you’re entitled to your opinion. But I’m entitled to mine, and so, I’m going to go on a little rant.
The first reason people stated for hating the book is that it’s “bizarre.” Okay, hi. It’s a love story between a vampire and a human. Aside from being bizarre in itself, most events resulting from such a pairing are also going to be bizarre. It’s a work of fiction. If they’re confused, they should look up the definition of ‘fiction.’ Maybe that will help clarify things.
The second reason, the main one I’m annoyed about, is that it had a happy ending. Like, a really happy ending. Apparently, some readers feel that Bella should have sacrificed more. Spending the past year and a half falling in love with a dangerous vampire, being chased, threatened, and attacked by other vampires, falling in love with a werewolf, and having to choose between him and a vampire, and making the decision to turn her back on the human world, including her beloved parents, isn’t enough. Nor is bearing a half-human, half-vampire child which nearly killed her in the process. What, they were rooting for her spine not to knit, so she could become the world’s first paraplegic vampire? Please. Poor Bella has gone through enough in her short life…how can you begrudge her a happy ending? And it’s not entirely happy, either…Bella states quite clearly that she won’t be able to see her mother again. That smells like sacrifice to me.
I will be writing an actual review in the near future, but I wanted to take the time to defend one of my favorite authors, and one of my favorite characters, from the massive hate-wave washing over them. As a writer, I can only imagine how painful it must be for Stephenie Meyer; to have worked so hard, for so many years, and to finally come to the long awaited conclusion of an immensely popular and acclaimed cycle of books, only to have this kind of reaction. For me, Meyer stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.
Can’t wait for the next one, Stephenie.