"Bond. James Bond." and Other Iconic Movie Lines

Hubby and I were out at dinner the other night, and we started talking about great movie lines. Being a fan of Gone with the Wind, the first one that came out of my mouth was, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” GWTW has a few iconic lines, like “After all, tomorrow is another day,” and “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.”

The romantic movie, Casablanca, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, supplied many great one-liners:

• “Here’s looking at you, kid.” 
• “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she comes into mine.” 
• “Round up the usual suspects.” 
• “We’ll always have Paris.” 
• "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The Wizard of Oz delivered as well with lines like:

• “Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
• “There’s no place like home.” 
• “I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!”

You know these lines because so many of them have made their way into our daily lexicon. Here’s a list of a few more that come to mind:

• “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.” – Vito Corleone, The Godfather
• “Go ahead, make my day.” – Harry Callahan, Sudden Impact
• “E.T. phone home.” – E.T., E.T. the Extraterrestrial
• “May the force be with you.” – Han Solo, Star Wars
• “I’ll be back.” – The Terminator, The Terminator
• “Houston, we have a problem.” – Jim Lovell, Apollo 13

Romantic one-liners:

• “You had me at ‘hello.’” – Dorothy Boyd, Jerry Maguire
• “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” – Jennifer Barrett, Love Story
• “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” – Johnny Castle, Dirty Dancing

Scene stealers:

• “I’ll have what she’s having.” Customer (Rob Reiner’s mother), When Harry Met Sally
• “Here’s Johnny!” – Jack Torrance, The Shining
• “You can’t handle the truth!” – Col. Nathan Jessup, A Few Good Men

What are some of your favorite movie one-liners?

Stop the Treadmill, I Want to Get Off!

Do you ever feel like you're on a treadmill and someone keeps upping the speed and you can't seem to slow it down and you can't get off the damn thing, either? That's where I am right now, running as fast as my little legs can go, desperately trying not to fall off.

September, and so far, October have been insanely busy, and November isn't looking much better. And don't mention holiday shopping! Hubby and I have a non-profit foundation (in addition to my day job and this writing gig), and September included a historical fashion show fundraiser. Two weeks later I had a surprise birthday bash for Hubby. Last Saturday we had a new event for us, the Halloweener Derby, and this weekend we host our 10th annual sports camp for kids with cancer. Next weekend is Hubby's big Rotary Club fundraiser. In the meantime, I received my revisions from my editor for Dreams of Her Own.

And did I mention I have a day job?

Some days it's all I can do to hold onto the treadmill hand rails while the belt goes round and round at ever increasing speeds.

There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon, however. I have a couple of work holidays coming in the next two weeks, and I think I might just tack on some vacation days. Hang out at home with Hubby, sleep in, maybe catch a movie. Nothing big. Nothing fancy. Just a little down time.

If I survive 'til then.

Guest Author Samanthya

I'm pleased to welcome fellow Soul Mate author, Samanthya Wyatt. Samanthya writes hot sizzling

romance, and her book, The One and Only (Book 3 in the One and Only Series) is now available on Kindle.

In the first book of the series, The Right One, Katherine’s brother is missing. Book 2, The True One, is Stephen’s story—why he was gone for two years, what happened to him, and a love story all his own. And now—book three. Giles was introduced in the first book as Morgan’s best friend—the duke. In the second book, he is asked to rescue Kat’s brother, Stephen. The Only One is his love story.



Blurb:

A dangerous lord’s warning sparks devastating results

One impulsive kiss to prove the young girl flirted with danger shakes Giles’ firm resolve. The young American is wild and reckless, and before long he realizes, she’s too much to handle. He surrenders. A duke must adhere to his duty. His title demands his home is in England. Tormented with longing for the woman who branded his very soul, he forsakes nobility and returns to claim the love he has carelessly thrown away.

A girl’s determination triggers a woman’s desire

From the first moment Alexandria saw the duke she knew he would be hers. Determined to get the man she wants, she devises a plan, curbs her reckless nature, and presents the proper lady his nobility requires. The interference of her brothers disrupts her amours pursuit, yet the feisty girl seduces the lord with a woman’s passion, and brands the duke hers forever.





Excerpt:

“I was not spying.”

“Of course you weren’t. Judging from the conversation I interrupted, no young girl would know the subject they were discussing anyway.”

Her face flushed scarlet. He arched a brow. Surely she had no idea the boys were speaking of tupping a girl’s skirts.

“You’re handsome,” the girl stated baldly, expanding a breath as if she’d held her mouth closed too long.

He didn’t know whether to be flattered or feel concern at a possible purpose behind her words.

“What do you know of handsome men?”

“My brothers, I guess are handsome. But they’re my brothers. I don’t care enough about other men to consider them handsome.”

Care?

“So then, why are you here?” He gave her his best glare.

“I’ve grown out of pigtails. I’m a woman now.”

Swallowing his amazement, he nearly choked. “Donning a dress does not make you a woman.” His gaze dipped in a slow, silent perusal. The damn girl’s breeches emphasized her curves, leaving nothing to a man’s imagination. Not that he should notice, of course, but . . . Damnation. She didn’t look the least like a child.

“I see you’ve resorted to breeches again. After your brothers’ reproaching insults, I would think you’d learned your lesson.”

She thrust out her chest. “Papa always said I had spirit. I am not unwise.”

“You think it wise to hide in a tackle bin? To be alone here with me?”

“You’re a duke. A gentleman.”

He gave a harsh laugh. “Being a duke does not make me a gentleman.”

“But Aunt Cornelia said English aristocrats live by their honor. You’re a nobleman. You have integrity, and morals.”

“Morals? Honor? A man lives by his own decree. What if I were to take liberties?”

“I can handle you.” Her eyes lit up and she seemed too sure of herself.

The gall of the chit.

With one quick movement, his hands shot out and jerked her against his chest. A gasp rushed from her throat, but she boldly held his gaze. With deliberate daring, his arms imprisoned her.

He watched the emotions flitting over her face. He meant to punish, to teach, to frighten. His gaze lowered to her mouth.

He’d send her fleeing for good.

He captured her lips in a forceful kiss.

Her fingers twisted his shirt.

Good God, she kissed him back. With such enthusiasm, he was flabbergasted.

Unconscionable, that one so young should kiss with such skill. Had the damned girl been coached? She should slap him, call him a knave. Push him away, scream at him. Instead, she twined her arms about his neck while her warm, seeking tongue pirouetted a mating dance with his.

Chest heaving, he grabbed her shoulders and thrust her away.

“Where the hell did you learn to kiss like that?”

About Samanthya:

Samanthya lives with her husband in the Shenandoah Valley. She left her accounting career and married a military man traveling and making her home in the United States and abroad. Once she found historical romance novels, she couldn’t put a book down. She fell in love with the characters and needed to know their happy ending.

One day she put words to paper creating a story of her own. The more she wrote, the more she became involved with the characters, and they seemed to take a life of their own. She relishes the challenge of penning a story with strong characters, a bit of humor, and active scenes. She enjoys creating new characters and bringing them together in a romantic tale. It took years of writing, joining RWA, joining chapters, entering contests, submissions& rejections which created the author she is today. By keeping her spirit and turning criticism into drive she has achieved her career as a published romance author.

You can find Samanthya on the internet at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Life in the Fast Lane

Whew! I almost missed my Thursday blog post! Life's been a bit out of control the last few weeks. I threw a surprise party for my hubby last week, which was months in the planning, and had a houseful of out-of-town guests who came to the party. I'm working on the revisions from my editor for Dreams of Her Own, due out at the end of the year. The day-job has been a little insane, and I have two community events in as many weeks. Not to mention all the regular stuff that has to get done on a day-to-day basis. I don't even want to THINK about the upcoming holidays.

Do you ever wonder why events seem to converge into a narrow window of time? You can go for weeks or even months just bumping along at a steady pace, and then WHAM! Three, four, five things are crammed into a short period. Even if they're all good, the stress can take a toll on you.

As an introvert, I crave downtime. Alone time. Me time. And when life gets crazy, and I don't get that, I turn into a bitch, um, grouch. Just ask my hubby -- he'll tell you.

What do you do when life piles it on? Do you thrive under the pressure, or cave like a cheap suitcase?  What helps you cope?

Driving While Distracted

I don't usually do this, but I feel a rant coming on, and it's been building for the past several weeks. In my daily commutes to and from my day job, I encounter, on a regular basis, my top five driving pet peeves, and all five of them come down to one thing: driver inattention/distraction.

1. Stopping five car lengths from the car in front of you, prohibiting the car behind you from:

a. pulling into the turn lane (where there is a green light);
b. pulling into the turn lane, so as to avoid having the car's tail-end in traffic; or
c. blocking the intersection.

2. Texting or talking on the phone. I passed a car the other day who was going ten miles an hour below the speed limit. When I passed, I noticed the driver looking, no, STARING, at his smartphone (and wasn't even trying to hide it). It was right there, in his face, at steering wheel level. His passenger? Also deeply engrossed in whatever cat video/puppy photo/Kim Kardashian post was trending that day.

I pulled around in front of him and stopped at a red light, fearfully watching in my rear view mirror as he never looked up from his phone, certain he was going to rear-end me. He finally stopped, just inches from my bumper, without ever looking up from his phone. As I accelerated after the green light, he didn't even bother to look up then. Honestly, I don't know how he made it to his destination without an accident.

3. Applying makeup. Ladies, please don't be one of those women who finish getting dressed in the car. Aside from causing an accident, you could poke your eye out. Seriously. In a previous life, I managed an ophthalmology practice. I can't tell you how many women we saw with corneal abrasions because they were applying (or I should say, attempting to apply) mascara while driving. Apply your makeup at home, in the privacy of your own bathroom. Or wait until you get to the office.

4. Reading. I kid you not. I've seen folks reading their Kindles, a paperback, a magazine, even a newspaper, which, by the way, was spread across their steering wheel like a blanket over a bird cage. Even if it's one of my books and you're at a really juicy part, don't read and drive.

5. Failing to accelerate at a green light. The light turns green and the cars in front tentatively tap the accelerator, barely reaching the speed limit. This has become my biggest pet peeve. You wonder why there is a long line of traffic when there doesn't appear to be any traffic obstruction. I call these people "unintentional drivers," because they drive without intention. They never really reach the speed limit, they're hesitant, distracted, and very, very annoying.

Okay. Rant over. Whew! I feel better now.

What are your biggest driving pet peeves?

A Dose of Fashion

So, two Thursdays ago I took the day off from blogging because Hubby and I were busy with a fundraising event. In addition to my day job, and my writing, Hubby and I have a non-profit foundation that raises money for cancer patient support programs. And this post is all about that event, which we called A Dose of Fashion.

There is a woman in our community who puts on historical fashion shows and she tailors them (no pun intended) to your subject matter. In the case of our fundraiser, she developed a show about fashion, history, medicine and women, from the 15th century through the 1960's. And here's the really fun part for me -- I was given the opportunity to model in the show, and I had an absolute blast!

About six weeks before the show I went to her home where she has an enormous room filled with costumes from every era you can imagine, from the Middle Ages, up to present day, and many of them vintage. And the hats! Oh, the hats! Then there were the accoutrements -- gloves and parasols, jewelry and shoes, handbags and undergarments. In a constantly dehumidified room I tried on a Victorian half-mourning gown, complete with vintage hat, parasol, and gloves. Then there was the fabulous Roaring 20's ensemble, the coat and cloche hat also vintage. Finally, I slipped on a vintage wool suit trimmed with a chinchilla collar that fit like it was made for me. I tried on a few more gowns just for fun.

What a day! Like playing dress up when I was a little girl. 

The fashion show included high tea, a table decorating contest, and dozens of beautiful costumes. All very girlie. I've included photos of me in my three costumes below, but you can see more photos at our Facebook page.

And best of all, we raised a good deal of money to support oncofertility programs for cancer patients.

Did you love to play dress-up as a little girl? Inquiring minds want to know.

Guest Author RB Austin

I'm excited to have RB Austin, fellow Soul Mate author, on my blog today with an excerpt and the beautiful cover from her latest book, Fallen Darkness, Book 2 in the Trihune Series. The book is available now on Kindle.

Blurb:

The war between Apollyon and the Trihune has begun.

Lucas scours the street in need of a fix. He captures his enemy instead of kills. Spins lies instead of truth. Seeks darkness instead of light. So close to the edge with no concern for the fall.

The map was foretold. Its key long lost.

Sent on a mission to find the key necessary to defeat Apollyon, Lucas meets Kate. Fiery, powerful, unable-to-touch-any-object Kate. As his feelings for her grow, the addiction inside him wanes.

Until he learns she is not meant for him.

Find the key. Find the way and triumph.

His future with Kate is bleak. The darkness, too hard to control. The key, still lost.

Can Lucas win the battle raging inside his body in order to win the war rising on the streets?

Excerpt:

For the first time, Kate allowed the fear she’d felt in the priest’s house to trickle in. She’d kept

it under wraps after making her decision to work for him.

Her mind flashed to the high metal gate closing behind them. She hadn’t heard the clank of metal as it latched, but, now, in her head, she did.

Trapped. There was no way to climb the gate. It was too high. The surrounding trees were tall, but not close enough to use to get out. She hadn’t seen a fence on the drive up to the house, but she’d known it was there. No one installed an entrance like that unless it connected three other sides.

Always have a way out. It was the first part of her plan. More often than not she needed that escape.

Kate jumped when Lucas touched her arm, just above her gloved hand. She jerked back. Heard a loud, quick rasp fill the car and realized it was her. She was breathing heavy. She tried to slow it. To quiet it.

She couldn’t.

“Kate.” He spoke quietly. “I promise you’ll be safe.”

Her gaze latched onto his blue one’s. She’d trusted him. She never trusted anyone. But for some reason she’d trusted him. Had willingly got into his car. Allowed him to drive her across the country.

She was the kid taking candy from the dirty, perverted old man. For her own idiocy, Kate deserved whatever happened to her. She was street smart. Proud of it, ‘cause she never made it through high school.

She was a fool. And this place would be her downfall. She’d never get out. Never see Stacy again.

It was hard to breathe. The frickin’ heat was finally off but it was so hot. She had to get out.

Get out.

She grappled for the door handle. Spots danced in front of her eyes. Panic swarmed in full force.

Don’t faint. Not here. Don’t lose consciousness.

Noises sounded from her left. Lucas was leaving the car.

What would happen to her? They could do anything to her. She’d be helpless.

Her door opened and she’d have fallen out if Lucas hadn’t caught her by the shoulders. The urge to pull away from his touch was strong, but she’d fall flat on her face if she did. Cold air blasted her. She lifted her head. Allowed it to push back the spots. Clear her vision. She sat in her seat sideways. Lucas’s hands were still on her shoulders supporting her as she half leaned out of the car. She sucked in gulps of air. Her gaze sought his through no will of her own and stayed.

Kate didn’t know how long she sat. Lucas never once shifted or acted like his arms were getting tired. Slowly her breath evened out. She braced her arms on the door jam and slowly leaned back against the seat.

“Better?”

She wasn’t going to pass out now, so that was better. But the fear was still there. She was still trapped.

“Kate?”

Her gaze darted around the grounds, searching the perimeter. Hurry. Find a way out.

“Kate, look at me.”

Again, her eyes found his.

“What can I do to prove you’ll be safe here? No one will hurt you.”

She made her own safety. Didn’t rely on others to provide it for her. She jumped from the car, making him back up. Spots danced crazily in front of her eyes. Maybe she was still going to pass out? Kate reached out, clutched something. She would not faint. Her gaze latched onto Lucas’s and she used him as a focal point to steady her breaths. When the dizziness passed and her vision had cleared she realized her hand was in his, squeezing it tight. She dropped it quickly. Leaned back against the door.

“Come on,” he said softly. “Let me show you. No one will harm you in any way. If you’re still afraid afterward I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

She stiffened. “I’m not afraid.” Was that her voice, weak and high-pitched? She pushed away from the door, making herself stand on her own. Then had to lock her knees to keep from falling back against the car.

His lips twitched like he was going to smile, but he didn’t. He just offered his arm, as if she were some damsel in distress and he was the dashing hero ready to save the day.

Yeah, right.

“Let’s go inside,” he said.

She ignored his still raised hand and walked past, keeping her arm out near the SUV in case she had to catch herself. For the moment, the dizziness had fled. The cold wind battering her cheeks helped. From the number of trees surrounding the place, she’d thought it would act as a buffer to the elements, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Lucas stopped at the back of the SUV and retrieved his bag.

Her heart pounded faster as they neared the door.

Calm down. She could get out of anything. She wasn’t helpless. Would never be that way again. This was a job. Just a place to make money. Nothing more.

So why did it feel like if she walked into the mansion, she’d never leave?

The doors opened as they headed up the steps. Kate jerked, falling back two stairs until Lucas’s arm came around her. It was comforting. She moved to the side, breaking contact. Her heart slowed at the old man wearing a suit standing in the doorway. She could definitely take him. If it came to it.

“Welcome back, adohn,” he said and bowed.

Kate’s gaze shifted from the old guy to Lucas. What the hell?

Pick up your copy today. 

About RB:

RB Austin enjoys torturing dogs (dressing her Cairn terrier in knitted sweaters and booties), embarrassing her daughter (singing in the car . . . at the top of her lungs . . . with the windows open . . . at a stop light), and indulging in the second deadliest sin (chocolate, Swedish fish, chocolate, sour patch watermelons, and chocolate).

This author’s love of the sun puts in her in the more-than-likely-not-a-vampire category, unless you’re referring to the bloodsuckers in her Trihune series, then all bets are off.

Feeling stalkerish? You can visit RB at these internet locations:

Website | Facebook | Twitter