Wine, Women, and Song

 

Today most bloggers take to their keyboards about Friday night’s attack on Paris. I think it would be virtually impossible not to – this is akin to September 11, 2001. A country devastated, its people feeling unsafe and unsettled, mourning the loss of so many innocents, not knowing what’s coming.

What can I bring to this subject that is new, different, or otherwise? Honestly, I don’t know. I just think back on the memories I made in this beautiful country, and its capital city over the course of my life and all I can think of is its beauty, its mystery, its joie de vivre.

I was about nine years old the first time I went to Paris. My siblings and I dutifully shuffled along behind our parents and oohed and aahed at all the right things – the Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triumph, the Louvre… I’m guessing the Seine and a handful of other things. To be honest, these are pretty vague.

What stuck in my head was this:

·         People sitting at cafes drinking coffee and smoking and laughing. Mostly laughing. Engaging with each other.

·         Women dressed beautifully, gliding down the street, going somewhere and that somewhere felt like it ought to be fabulous and where I needed to go, as well.

·         One single glance into a boulangerie forever cemented my love affair with all things bread and pastry. Since this past spring, when I gave up gluten, I have many a time wondered how people in France could possibly go gluten-free. I can only assume that gluten intolerance doesn’t exist. Which makes me wonder if many or any French people are lactose intolerant. I can’t imagine anything stranger.

My father introduced me to Edith Piaf that summer. My love for her will last a lifetime. A woman whose pain and determination allowed her to sing the words to this song like no other.

 

 

I think back to the summer of 1995, an epic, “quality” summer and returning to this amazing corner of the world. We were a large group of Architecture and Landscape Architecture students loose on the world, traveling with backpacks, stumbling about because we were continually looking upwards or in the distance, always pointing with fascination and delight. We were poor, so we didn’t see many glamorous spots, but we saw the people, the buildings, the roads, the avenues, drank wine, ate at farmer markets, peered through shop windows, and sat at cafés drinking coffee. We slept on the beaches of Saint Tropez, ate exquisite calamari in Sète while watching gondola jousting. We walked every step Cezanne took, we lingered at Giverny, and we wished for money to partake in wine tours! Each and every one of us fell madly in love with France, in one aspect or another.

For myself, I wanted three things to happen. I made a wish list for myself. I wanted to buy lingerie and perfume in Paris. I wanted to visit the ancient Roman Pont du Gard aqueduct which crosses the Gardon River in Remoulins, in southern France, and picnic. (Weird maybe, but in college I wrote a paper about Pliny the Elder and this seemed like something he would do.) Thirdly… I wanted to fall in love with a Frenchman and stay there forever.

I didn’t marry a Frenchman from France, but I did have a fling. Does that count? On the streets of Paris I met a lovely boy who took me to a bar next to the launderette where my clothes whirled about, and proceeded to dazzle the pants off me.

Well past the years that I would wander into a dark corner in pursuit of l’amour, I still find myself passionately in love with the city, the country, its people. There are endless people clacking away on their keyboards saying the same thing, and my only hope is that the citizens of France and those across the world who lost loved ones in the attack on Friday night, feel our love, because I know they are too busy, too sad, to read our blogs.

Je me souviens.

Thanks for reading.

 

Knickers in a Twist!

Alrighty then! Today we are taking on shape wear, underwear, foundation garments, personal support systems, brassieres, pantalettes, or whatever else you call the layer between your skin and your outerwear.

Not to get too personal, but do you look like this?

 

OR this?

 

Under this?

 

Many years ago I read some romance novel and the heroine hoisted herself into her bra and slipped into her matching panties and the earth sort of spun out of orbit for a second and then settled a little wonky on it’s axis. I dashed to my dresser, peeked inside my undies drawer and realized I had nothing! Nothing! Functional, plain, somewhat distressed (okay, mostly manky) underwear lay limp in the drawer.

True, no one (cause I was a young teen) knew what my under garments looked like, but I suddenly became a tad bit obsessed. Not because I had been indoctrinated by unrealistic heroines that I couldn't possibly emulate, but because there was something, to me, inherently womanly and feminine in slipping into a delicate and  functional layer, that was private.

Because you can look like this

 

 

OR this

 

While granny panties are making a strong comeback and there a few catchy phrases surrounding them (if it is possible to surround them) - I think with most of todays fashions you'll find yourself camouflaging a lot of excess material. I mean, they make low-rise underwear!

Really, the only person it should matter to is you, I sincerely mean this.

Then came the day I got a roommate from Paris. That was a wake-up call on many fronts. The book, French Women Don’t Get Fat… well, my roommate was the quintessential Frenchwoman. She could eat buttered baguette with Brie every day of her life and not have an extra ounce on her. Of course in addition to being petite she was well groomed, a fashion plate, funny, smart, and… well, what else is there for her to be?

One day, about two months after she moved in, she received a parcel from her mother. She opened it, and pulled out matching bras and panties. That’s it. No homemade treats, no photos of the family, no mementos. Undies. Just as I was about to ask her why, she passed me a stack. I slid the material between my fingers, I tugged at the waistband, I feel the velvety soft straps of the bras and I was convinced. The French know what they are doing. I passed the stack back, and she said, in her lilting and elegant voice, “Mais non! These are for you. Ma mere sent you a gift for making me feel so welcome.” (Make sure you roll your “r’s” and speak through your nose as you read this, maybe mutter a little ‘unh, huhn-hunh.)

 

While writing Cognac & Couture, which takes place during Fall Fashion Week in Paris, I had the opportunity to explore the world of French lingerie. You should take a peek at this link, French Lingerie! To be fair, there is gorgeous lingerie to be found worldwide.

 

 

So! What is the moral of this story? Treat yourself. Get measured. Wear what fits and what feels comfortable. Wear what speaks to you, what you need… and then when there are days where the world tries to make you feel like this

 

 

You can say, “Mais non! Beecuz, I have dis.”

 

 

Thanks for reading!

Women and High-Heels, What's to wonder about?

Shoes and Possibly Travel!

It’s a toss up. To be honest I was trying to decide between writing a blog about shoes or comedy writing. Why? I dunno. When confronted with these conundrums I always turn to doing a little research. I’m a very visual person, so when I see something, things gel and I can get some focus. I went in search of inspiration on the interweb. Shoes and travel related topics kept popping up on the screen, not comedy writing. I decided to listen to my inner voice – persistently warbling on while my brain somersaulted into action – telling me what to write about. (In truth, I think the coffee kicking in helped a bit.)

 

Let’s start with shoes. I love them. Have you met a girl who doesn’t?

I am currently obsessing over these!

 

My first legit job was selling shoes at Payless Shoe Source. I was so nervous. I mean honestly, what did I know about shoes? Other than the fact that I loved them, what made me an authority on shoes? My first day was a Saturday in November, somewhere around the fourteenth of the month. It was soooo long ago it is a bit difficult to remember, but it was so momentous that I remember that much. I can’t remember my first kiss. Kinda sad when you think about it.

Anyway, the manager put me on the sales floor and I trolled the vacant back corner, which was where the men’s department was located, and proceeded to straighten shoe boxes and keep myself busy doing pretty much nothing. A few men staggered in and out, prodding at shoes, and looked at price tags, before stuffing their hands in their pockets and leaning back, looking quite contemplative. I quickly came to understand that meant that the ratty shoes they were wearing sufficed and my sixteen-year-old insights weren’t going to budge them.

Seriously? I don't get this.

When I eventually mustered up the courage to wander into the women’s department (99% of the store), I strategically picked the quintessential little old lady; blue hair, frail, short, big smile, who rested her bony hand on my forearm and called me “dear”. I figured I could be honest with her and she’d be patient and understanding. Within thirty seconds of chatting with her, I told her I would ask my manager to assist her. It turns out she had some major foot issue and in my teenage mind, that little old lady and her foot deformities were way out of my league. I am not proud, but I will admit, that I was not looking forward to seeing what was ensconced inside her shoe. I kept a wide berth the rest of the time she was there.

It was not lost upon me, even at that tender age, that if you had a foot deformity, shopping for shoes at a budget chain was not a good idea. As I write this blog the thought gels that many a foot deformity has evolved from wearing certain shoes, discount or spendy. But for the most part, women will withstand pain, comparable to childbirth, in order to wear a rocking pair of heels.

From previous blogs you’ll know that I subscribe to evolution and trying to understand why our ancestors selected mates with certain tendencies. Why do men pick women who like, no, love, high-heels? Really, it’s their fault when you think about it.

 

Taken straight from the Urban Dictionary: Fuck Me Shoes: High spikey and cutaway women's shoes. Often abbreviated to FM shoes. Please note that flat shoes were NOT mentioned. If you think I am making this up, please refer to this really well written article:

Science of high-heels and their affect on men.

 

How does traveling fit in to this? No matter where I am, what my budget is, once I’ve managed to make my way through the by-ways, museums, tourist traps, and authentically amazing sites, I always hit shoe stores. There is something absolutely decadent and exquisite in caressing a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti heels in Rome or Christian Louboutin’s in Paris.

In case you’re wondering, the first thing I bought with the money I earned from working at Payless Shoes was a pair of Ferragamo’s! I even took up ballroom dancing so I could justify buying more heels!

 

And because I love all things fashion, I implore you to look at these gorgeous shoes. Shmexy shoes from 2015 runway shows.

Thanks for reading!

The Scariest Trick or Treat Blog Hop EVER!!

 

*´¨✫)

¸.•´¸.•*´¨)✯ ¸.•*¨)

✮ (¸.•´✶ Hello scary hoppers! I’m so thrilled you’ve stopped on my page today. As your TREAT I’m giving away an ebook copy of The Cat, The Crow and The Cauldron to every single one of you. It is currently #4 on Amazon for Anthologies and #10 on Amazon for Holiday Fiction. Anyone can get their copy. All you have to do to collect my prize is LIKE my FB page and Follow me on Amazon.

 

My Facebook link is: Click here to follow Celia Kennedy on Facebook. 

My Amazon link is: Click here to follow Celia Kennedy on Amazon!
 

My prize is available during each day of the hop!

 

Amazon US: CLICK HERE!

Amazon UK: CLICK HERE!

 

So now that you’ve gotten your treat, comment below with your favorite Halloween candy. I really love Flake Chocolate Bars. Can’t get enough.

 

 

 

 

Remember what you have to do, or I will find you. I will take your candy.

 

 

Thanks again for visiting me, and if you’re new to the Halloween Book Hop you can start over on the event page and hop to all of the 130 authors giving out treats and tricks. Happy Halloween!

https://www.facebook.com/events/474319562772748/

 

Remember this...  

 

 

 

Or

… This.

 

 

Happy Halloween!!

 

 

 

 

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Celia?

I believe that most of us are very curious about what makes others tick. What moves, motivates, and impedes us? What makes us smile? Makes us cry? Over the last few years I have hosted a number of author interviews on my website, but instead of asking them questions about their books, I like to ask questions about the person and find out who they are, because their essence goes into their work as an author. Today, I thought I would ask myself some of these same questions. But first, let's start with a song! Cause' there's nothing quite a well crafted to song to make me smile... Brad Paisley, Ticks. He's everything in a songwriter and singer that I want to be as an author.

 

 

How would your best friend describe you?

We call it ADOCDD. It’s true. Attention Deficit Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Disorder. But in a fun, you-never-know-what-you’re-gonna-get kind of way. Loyal. Hardworking.

Your most embarrassing moment in four words.

Middle-school, pee, basketball practice.

Actually the real question calls for three words, but since I am the author and host, I can change this to four.

 

Most unexpected question a reader has asked you?

Is it hard to write sex scenes? Well, I wouldn’t say it is the easiest thing to talk about, but no, they aren’t hard to write.

What is the biggest lie you've ever told?

I convinced a rather sweet boy, when I was in the eighth grade, that I had been raised in a convent. I would have left it at that, but he persisted with questions. If my memory serves me, this is the entirety of what I told him, “I had wanted to be a Catholic nun from an early age, convinced my parents to let me enter the convent, and had lived amongst an order that had taken a vow of silence. I had only recently realized that wasn’t for me, and was now attending public school for the first time, and my clothes felt strange to me, as I had been wearing a habit for several years.”

What makes this truly funny is that at the time I lived in a very small town and had gone to the school the previous year. I think I was irritated he hadn’t noticed me, so I created this wild story to see when it would become too absurd or when he’d remember I’d been at the school for quite some time. Neither of those things occurred. I recall letting this go on for a week or so, and then finally fessed up to the truth. He wasn’t angry with me, he was disappointed that it wasn’t true. Apparently my fictional self was a whole lot more interesting to him. It was quite the blow to my self-esteem.

 

Full Disclosure: I apologize to the girl in the sixth grade that I convinced I was blind. I know, I know… overactive and very strange sense of humor.

Have you ever been in trouble with the police?

Yes. Was it my fault? No, of course not. More than once? Yes. But to be fair, loads of strange and amazing things have happened to me in my life, so these incidents were just par for the course.

So, have I scared you off or am I more interesting? I’d like to think that when combining the aforementioned overactive imagination with my disclosure, that you are intrigued, that you want to send me an email and ask me to elaborate.

Have you ever gotten into a bar fight?

Yes, hasn’t everyone? The scene was included in a book I wrote. One goddess, three men, a bar in Amsterdam, and all hell broke loose. I was the friend who pulled the goddess to the floor and crawled along the floor, under the table, to get us the heck out of there. One of the men’s friends, a lovely man named Thijs, helped get us home. I swore to never travel with her again. I haven’t.

What is your biggest fear?

Every parents fear. Something will happen to my children. I cannot bear the thought.

What do you want your tombstone to say?

I hate to ask, but will you water my plants while I’m gone?

 

If you were an animal in a zoo, what would you be?

A hippopotamus. I love them.

 

Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros

Do you have any scars? What are they from?

I have many. The best one, the one that will make you squirm a bit, is the one just along my hairline, near my temple, where part of a badminton racket got stuck. Yup, it’s true. Not my overactive imagination. 1970, worn out rackets, two brothers playing badminton, one little sister in the way, one long trip through the German countryside looking for a doctor, one scar about an inch long.

What’s your favorite line from any movie?

Smile and wave boys, smile and wave! Why? Cause sometimes, that's all you can do.

Interested in the author interviews? They are available on: www.celiakennedy.weebly.com/interviews

Thanks for reading.

Make You Feel My Love

Who is inspiring me this week?

Sam Bailey! First, you just gotta watch this video, and then subscribe to Sam’s channel and watch all her videos…

 

 

IF you don’t have time for that, the short version is this, thirty-five year old prison guard who can keep up with Celine, Beyoncé, Whitney Huston and Donna Summers.

It absolutely boggles my mind that there are people, all over the world, going about their daily lives, loaded with extraordinary talent. I can assure you that if I had even the slightest inkling that I could sing like this woman, I would be belting it out, everywhere!! Everywhere. Okay, maybe not, but I can’t sing like that, so we’ll never know.

What inspires me? Some people really do have the courage to lock the front door, drive their car, park it, get out, and walk through a door that could change their lives forever. Their passion, the core of who they are, cannot be suppressed and it feeds me.

 

 

If you have a passion and a talent for something, let it loose, let it go, the worst thing that happens is you’ve tried, had faith in yourself. The best thing that happens is that you go to work happily, every day.

It’s been two weeks, and I’ve gotten past it.

Today marks the two week anniversary since the harrowing event of turning fifty years old. I just wanted to assure all of you who haven’t arrived at this auspicious mark on the timeline that you will survive. Perhaps even thrive – have a magical experience where you feel empowered by reaching half a decade, set goals for yourself so that the next fifty years are vastly superior.

Ha-ha!! Okay, I got a little overzealous. Superior? Yes. Vastly? Maybe not so much. While I can easily believe that the content of my character will continue to improve, I sit here with a bottle of muscle relaxants for persistent muscle cramps in my lower back and buttocks. IF sitting still breaks parts of me, what happens if I decide to take up skateboarding or rock-climbing?

 

 

It’s been four months, and I’ve blown it.

I gave up wheat, sugar, all artificial foods and additives in June, and I’ve never felt better. BUT, it was raining hellaciously on Saturday, here in Seattle, and blah, blah, blah – my son and I had a great bonding experience over burgers, fries, milk shakes and… yes, doughnuts. In one afternoon, I threw caution to the wind and consumed all forms of additives, fat, sugar, and wheat.

I’m not gonna lie, it tasted really good. However, I think what made it absolutely worth it was hanging with my son. I’m all about seizing the moment, and if eating 15,000 calories of my sons favorite food gives me the chance to sit down and have a heart to heart, I’m gonna do it.

Some of you may be thinking, “Why didn’t you just have a salad, skip the shake and doughnut?” The answer is, “When in Rome…” Salad would have created an environment of mom and son, where what you really want is friend to friend. Sometimes, you just have to throw yourself on the grenade.

It’s in one week and I’m so nervous.

Prosecco and Paparazzi releases October 21^st! Yikes!! I think I could release a thousand books and feel nervous every time. You put your heart out there when you upload a book.

He reached out gently to the rhythmically beating red orb, the means through which her life and love was created. She waited, sweat beading on her brow as butterflies flittered about her belly. She waited for his reaction. Would he lovingly caress the red orb, and give her a, “There, there.” Or, would he caress it and say, “Wow!! Amazing.” Or, the third option? Grab it, squeeze it tightly, wring it out, and leave her gasping.

Yup, I’m just a little bit nervous. But, if you'd like a little taste, check out chapter one on Wattpad.com - http://w.tt/1gp7Fnu

 

Just before I say goodbye, another video for you to watch. Another Sam…

I love this dichotomy. Two vastly different people, two dreams, two paths intersecting.

 

 

Happy Birthday to Me!

Since it is my birthday today, I thought I would share some memorable moments in my life, some big, some small.

Favorite birthday? It wasn’t mine, but since it was my sons, and I gave birth to him, I think it counts. For his second birthday I bought him, The Birthday Bird by Dr. Seuss.

 

My daughter, who’s seventeen months older than him, was much more invested in the book than he was. My husband was reading the book to the kids, just after dinner, and when he got to the following line:

“Then, the moment the Horn’s happy honk honk is heard,

Comes a fluttering flap flap. And then comes THE BIRD!”

we howled! In sync, both of us had the image of being the recipients of a rude gesture. Our children looked at us in confusion as we struggled to get ourselves under control. Phew! When we finally did, a few pages later Dr. Seuss mentions how on your special day the bird arrives and off you go to Katroo.

Well, our daughter was beside herself in glee! Had we been to Katroo? What did we do? Did we do all things promised in this book, did we fly, did we soar, did we cook?

Still in quite a silly mood from “THE BIRD” incident, my husband wove an elaborate tale about his trip to Katroo. Her eyes were riveted on him. In all the discussion of the celebrations and amazingness of Katroo, it occurred to our three and a half year old that her brother hadn’t been Katroo that day. A few minutes later, after more weaving of tales, we convinced her that  because there are so many children, you only get to go once. Her dad had been, but I had not. She asked me when I thought my turn would come. I shrugged, wanting to convey a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ about the experience. I needed to buy us some time.

I knew this beautiful girl was going to ask me every birthday for the next five or so years when her turn would be… I must report that she figured it out, shared the news with her brother, and as I expected, they were more than a little bummed.

 

 

Wouldn’t it be great if it were true? That a technicolor bird showed up, flew you to some fantastical land where all your favorite foods waited for you, after being welcomed by trumpets!

So… what song heralded me in that day? Barry McGuire’s, Eve of Destruction was at to the top of the charts. I kid you not. I just watched the video on YouTube and it is just too sad and awful to post. Suffice it to say that the Vietnam War was taking place, on the news, and on the minds of everyone in the world. Since I don’t want to think of that, I will choose one of my own. Tell me if you think I made a good replacement! When I think of how people were responding to the world then, the evolution amazes me. Are things perfect? No. But, better in some respects. I love what this song conveys.

 

 

Who do I share my birthday with? Confucius, Herman Melville, Georges Clemenceau, Mira Sorvino, Gwenyth Paltrow, Ed Sullivan, Marcello Matstroianni, Bridget Bardot and Janeane Garofolo, to name a few. I think that is an excellent assortment of fine individuals – now I can imagine all of us, scattered across the world (and throughout time) blowing birthday candles out!

 

What was my favorite childhood TV show? Hands down, Family Ties.

 

But, before they had a fourth child. I got completely confused at that point.

 

Who/What did I think I would be when I grew up? I was never one of those people who understood certainty, I perceive(d) life as a series of experiences. Somehow I understood that I would be many things. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast…” so I hold on tightly to the tilt-a-whirl of life and take things in and add them to the kaleidoscope of experiences. Including my daughters vision of birthdays. Life is often as colorful as the world of Katroo, and when it's not, I feel like I am in a different Dr. Seuss book.

What piece of advice can I offer? Read The Birthday Bird, because it reminds us of how we should herald in our birthdays, then read The Places You’ll Go, because no matter hold old you get, you are on your way to somewhere.

Happy Birthday to me, and thanks for reading!

 

Resolutions and Prince Harry

I have made some resolutions in the last week and I thought I would share them with you. I’ve heard that if you write down your resolutions you are more likely to keep them – we’ll find out! And yes, I will be honest if I succeed or fail.

 

To get us in the mood!

 

Instagram seems the latest and greatest social media format to add to my repertoire. Yes, I should have done it long ago, and to be fair, I kinda did last summer, but my goal is to do it! I think it is interesting to get a (literal) snapshot of someone’s life, so that’s what I’m gonna do. No promotions. Just me, being me, doing my life. Let’s hope it’s interesting.

In that effort I contacted my social media support person, my sixteen year old daughter, and got a lesson. She was patient (mostly) and walked me through all the do’s and don’ts. Since she follows me I am sure I will find out in no time at all if I’m doing all right. You can too, I am @KennedyCelia.

If you don't have a social media expert, I have been assured that doing artsy things with your photo is, "So Out!"

In closing on this subject, I will simply say, she did go on to ask me if when she is my age if she’ll be better at this kind of thing, cause’ she is first generation all things social media. I assured her the spirit would be willing, but the brain cells, maybe not so much.

I will love fall and winter. I just will. I have spent the past 49 years, 11 months and 51 weeks a spring and summer girl, but I’m willing to turn over a new leaf. Like the pun?

Who’s with me? Are you a fall and winter girl? I live in the Seattle, Washington area, and honestly, to not embrace the fall and winter is a bit ridiculous, considering that’s what we have for nine months of the year. More specifically, we have the following seasons (beginning September 1^st) summer, fall, winter, fall, winter, spring, fall, summer, repeat.

I was mentioning this resolution to the same sixteen year old daughter because she loves fall and winter. When she asked me why I didn’t love them so much I said, “lack of color.” Her arguments about the greenness of the evergreen trees and shrubs, the bright colors of the changing leaves, bundling up, hot chocolate, well, they are all good. But when I pointed out that green becomes monotonous, and we have to clean up the soggy, grey mats of decaying leaves, and that her hair gets poofy with the increased humidity, I might have affected her opinion. So, I resolved, she re-resolved.

I am going to chill when it comes to kids and puberty. MUCH easier said than done. And since it isn’t my right to divulge the details, let’s just say, having two teens going through puberty and entering high school is akin to have a root canal sans anesthetic. (If I had to have this done, I would choose to be put out completely.)

I am going to watch more TV! Most weeks, at most, I watch an hour of TV per week. Last week I had a slightly atypical week and watched about three hours’ worth. There’s some really interesting stuff out there. I fell in love with The Mind of a Chef, Mad Men, and Fringe.

 

 

In the non TV watching, resolution making world that inhabit, we (the folks at Booktrope and I) are thrilled to unveil the new cover and series title for what was, The Accidental Series.

Prosecco and Paparazzi, The Passport Series, Book One will release 10/21/15, while Cognac and Couture (book two) will release in December.

Chapter One available on Wattpad.com,

Link to Prosecco and Paparazzi

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! In closing, I'd love to share my latest favorite song! Forever, a James Arthur fan.