Guilty but in a Good Way

I'm usually not one who procrastinates or loses focus when I'm taking care of household tasks or at the office. The same holds true whenever I'm at the writing desk and plotting, researching or actively writing a manuscript. Notice I said "usually not...", but I'm human and prone to the caving in when tempted by certain distractions.

Tonight, the thunderstorm earlier was a major distraction but passed as quickly as it stirred.

Whenever my favorite Rock band is on television, whether in an interview, video or movie, I'll set aside whatever I'm working on to watch them with rapt attention.



The same holds true when the handsome face of the star of "24" appears on the screen. Can't wait for the movie to hit the theaters and to catch him "live" in a Broadway performance.



Cowboys and rodeo men don't need lassos to capture my attention...especially when they have moves like this rhinestone stud.



Batter up! Oh, yes, I grew up watching baseball with mom and cheering on the best birds to ever fly into any ballfield--the Baltimore Orioles. Gotta catch as many of their games as possible, whether on the radio or t.v. or, best of all, at the stadium.



One of the best things about distractions is the way they energize me and heighten my creativity. Even the most mundane task finds me returning to it with a smile on my face, a song in my heart, a spring in my step or all of the above after I satisfy the urge to succumb to those distractions.

Truth be told--all we need is love and some wonderful distractions to make our days and lives the best they can be!

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
TO HELLE AND BACK AGAIN -- Ellora's Cave
TORMENTED (Recommended Read) -- Ellora's Cave
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave

Three Sure-fire Distractions You Didn't Know About Me

I really liked the topic last week as well as the one for this week, so I thought I'd combine them just for the fun of it. Therefore, my blog post will be about three things you didn't know would sure-firedly distract me (and, yes, I am aware that sure-firedly may not even be a word, but it sounds kind of fun and funky, so I'm keeping it...lol).

The first and foremost distraction I must guard against is dresses. I'm a dress aficionado and have been since I could crawl into my baptismal gown--a lovely little white number with crocheted rosettes. I adore dresses, and when I'm writing and need a break, guess what I do? Yep, I go dress shopping online. I rarely ever actually buy a dress, but I can sit and stare at the pretty sparkles and posh fabrics for hours. Today I was searching for something on Yahoo that was completely unrelated to dresses, and an article popped up about Princess Diana's spare dress. What? A spare dress, you say? Why, I wonder what that looks like?

So I clicked on the link to find out.

I read the article, which I found fascinating and which you can read by clicking here, and before I could stop myself, I'd clicked on a link to a slide show of royal wedding dresses through the years, which is here if you want to see it. I could go on all day about these dresses, and that's the problem. You could stand a naked man with a million dollars in one hand and a diamond ring in the other in front of me, but if I hear the crinkle of the folding of taffeta seven miles away in a bridal shop, he's gonna have to stand in line for my attention.

Speaking of needing attention, my second sure-fire distraction is my cats. They climb all over me when I'm typing, and most of the time at least one of them is sitting in front of my computer monitor or nibbling my fingers as I type. Sometimes they tag team me, with one sitting in front of the monitor while the other dances on my keyboard. The most fun is when they sneeze on the monitor or do the butt-dancing thing where they lift their rears to get a good back scratch and their little butts rub across my computer screen. I can't tell you how interesting that's turned out to be in the past. It's all good, though, because I just blame my little leaky-butted, emotionally needy felines for all the typos you see in my blog posts.

Which leads me to my last sure-fire distraction--blogging. I love it, and even when I'm supposed to be doing other things, like bathing, exercising, fixing dinner, doing laundry, typing around my cats, dress shopping online, etc., I'm always thinking about my blog posts. I post on about 4-5 blogs, so I've always got ideas clattering around in my head. As a matter of fact, I think that anymore I even think in blog posts, at least when I'm not daydreaming about, well, er, never you mind what I daydream about. You get the idea.

So there you have it. Three things that you didn't know would sure-firedly distract Cameo. What about you? Do share!

Guest: Katie Reus - Distractions

Thank you Nicole for inviting me to guest blog here at Fierce Romance! When Nicole told me the theme this week is distractions, I knew exactly what this post would be about. Distractions come in many forms and even though I’m usually pretty good at keeping a steady schedule, there are four sure fire things that have the ability to distract me.

1. Hulu.com – I don’t have cable and I think we only have one or two basic channels so I’ve never been a big television watcher. However, since discovering hulu.com I’m a bit of a junkie at times. I get to watch shows like Human Target and Bones when I choose! Watching Mark Valley and David Boreanaz are good for research though…or at least that’s what I tell myself.

2. My Kindle – Part of writing means socializing on online networks etc. which means I’m introduced to more books now than before I was a writer. And ever since I got the Kindle for Christmas it’s been so much easier to feed my addiction to books. Now I get my books delivered instantly. The only bad thing is my TBR pile has grown crazy big and I never seem to put a dent in it.

3. My husband – His work schedule isn’t always typical so when he’s home during my regular work hours, he likes to distract me. And not always intentionally. If I can’t concentrate on a scene or feel like slacking off, having him there is the perfect excuse to not work. I’ll drag him to see a movie or for a stroll downtown to a deli I’m obsessed with. I can’t claim any of this is for research but it’s usually a nice break.

4. The Sun – I work from home and my office is attached to our back deck which means I get lots of wonderful natural sunlight streaming through the sliding glass doors. In the summer months around noon I start to get antsy seeing all that brilliant light and just can’t help myself. So I’ll usually take a half hour mental break listening to my iPod and soaking up those rays.

These are my four sure-fire distractions. Luckily I don’t get distracted that often or I’d never get anything done!

What are your favorite distractions? Since Nicole has been cool enough to let me blog here today I’m offering a digital copy of Dangerous Secrets to one commenter who answers my question. I’ll choose the winner from a random number generator after 12 (noon) Eastern tomorrow and announce it in the comments section.

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Dangerous Secrets by Katie Reus is now available from Carina Press.

Isabelle Ballantine has been fighting for independence since she was old enough to walk. Now that she's finally out from under her father's shadow, she won't let anyone stand in her way. It's tough living on her own, working in a bar and keeping her true identity a secret, but things start to look up when a sexy new stranger walks into her life. After working side by side for weeks, Izzy can't figure out why he won't make a move.

To cinch the deal of a lifetime, Adam Marcellus agrees to help Izzy's eccentric father convince his daughter to move home. He'd assumed Izzy would be another spoiled rich princess, but he's surprised to discover his feelings for her are stronger than anything he's ever experienced. When a deranged stalker targets her, Adam finds himself fighting not only an unknown threat—but an unexpected attraction to the one woman he can't have.

Katie Reus has been reading romance since she was a kid and the addiction stayed with her into adulthood. She writes sexy paranormal romance and fast-paced romantic suspense. Dangerous Secrets released from Carina Press last month and in February 2012, her first book in a paranormal trilogy will release from Signet Eclipse (NAL/Penguin). If you’d like to learn more about her please visit her website, blog, or find her on twitter @katiereus.