It's Launch Day!

Yes, the day I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Can you believe that I, Leona Pence, am now a published author? Pinch me somebody.

I’m planning a big Facebook Event soon with lots of cool prizes. I want my family and friends to celebrate with me. You are all invited— Instead of a launch party, it will be :

      Come  Celebrate With Me!

Date and Time details 

 Sunday November 3
12:30-4:30 CST

 Short excerpt:
They walked outside through sliding glass doors to the pool area.

“Would you like to go for a swim before dinner?”

“I don't have a swim suit with me.”

“We can skinny dip.” His eyes twinkled.

She grinned at him. “I don't think so.”

“There are a few more options. I could locate one of Katie's but...humm...I doubt
the top will fit.”

She picked up a towel from a stack and threw it at him.

“I can lend you a white tee-shirt that will cover you nicely.”

Stella laughed at that suggestion. She could tell by his face that he was visualizing
a wet t-shirt on her. “Next time, I'll bring my swim suit. I promise.”

They strolled around the pool and down a beautiful garden path that led to a
wooded area. A small pond came into view.

“We can fish for our dinner sometime in this pond. It’s well stocked and has to be
thinned out once in a while. Ducks are often gliding on the water. Katie loved to
watch them.”

“I’ve never fished before. Would I have to touch a worm?”

JB laughed and pulled her close. “No, I’ll be happy to bait the hook for you.”

MuseItUp Book Store : Hemphill Towers
Bump Off Your Enemies
The Darwin Murders
Facebook Author Page

Hemphill Towers Cover Reveal.

Woo Hoo! Hemphill Towers now has a beautiful cover, thanks to the talented Marion Sipe. Even though I’m deaf, I can hear the applause from my characters.

Quiet now, I know you’re happy. Riley, what do you think of the cover?

Riley: “I love it! Trent looks so handsome. Will Marion read this? If not, tell her she matched us well.”

I’ll be sure she knows how you feel. Are you excited that our book will be published soon?

Riley: “Oh yes! I can’t wait for people to read our story.”

Dierk: “Hey! Why am I not on the cover?”

Well, Dierk, you know everybody wouldn’t fit on there.

Dierk: “Yes, but without me, there’d be no book, and you know it.”

Trent: “Knock it off, Dierk. It was hard enough having to share book pages with you. We don’t need you to spoil our cover.”

JB and Federico in unison: “Amen!”

Stella: “Come on people. This is a time to celebrate. Let’s put the spotlight on our creator so she can tell us what comes next.”

Birdie: “I second that. Leona, a birdie told me (no pun intended) that we’ll celebrate the reveal with ‘Leona’ wine.”

Yes. I’d love to have a glass of wine with my characters. Even you, Dierk.

“No, thanks If I can’t share the cover, why should I share the wine?”

JB: “You’re absolutely right, Dierk. Goodbye, catch you later, maybe.”  (Door slams, followed by laughter.)

He might feel better when the book launches in Oct./Nov. We’ll have a big party then. Mayor Hemphill will be our honored guest. But for now, enjoy your wine.

Three cheers for my characters who made this cover reveal possible!

All:  "Hear! Hear!"

Hemphill Towers coming in Oct/Nov from: MuseItUp 
Anthology: Bump off Your Enemies 
Anthology: The Darwin Murders 

Wine...So Many Bottles, So Few Glasses

By now, you’ve probably guessed that wine plays a fair part in my book, Hemphill Towers. But wine is so much more than just a tasty sip from a beautiful bottle. It has a long, exciting, often sordid history, and has been a part of the cultural and daily life of nearly every group of people on the planet.

Here are a few fun facts you may not know about wine and its impact on just about everything it touches…Stella’s fancy blouse not excluded!

Old Wine…She Ain’t What She Used to Be
There are a great many things that get better with age…cheese, friends, George Clooney. But it is a common misconception that all wines fall into this same category. The vast majority of wines, more than 90 percent, in fact, should be consumed within one year.

My New Diet
According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, there are 100 calories in a 5-ounce glass of wine (compared to 150 calories in a 12-ounce beer). Plus wine is a fat-free and cholesterol-free drink. So skip the beer, have the wine, and half a chocolate bar.

Pour Me a Glass and Call Me Healthy
A report in American Journal of Epidemiology claims that those who drank red wine had 44% fewer colds than those who did not drink red wine.You get the corkscrew, I'll get the glasses.

A Mother’s Nose Knows
Women are typically better wine tasters than men. That’s because women, especially those in reproductive ages, have a better sense of smell than men. So, the same ability that allows us to detect the delicate nuances in the bouquet of a rich Cabernet also gives us the super-parenting skill of sniffing out a fully loaded diaper at a hundred paces. Go figure.

Wanna Party? All You Gotta Do Is Sign
After the signing of the US Constitution, the 55 signers hung around for a little celebration. On the bill? Oh, just the following: 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, 8 bottles of whiskey, 22 bottles of port, 8 bottles of hard cider, 12 beers and seven bowls of alcohol punch large enough that "ducks could swim in them.” And it would seem the party didn’t end there. During that time period, Thomas Jefferson’s salary was $25,000 per year of which he spent approximately $3,000 a year on wine! Give me a pen, and show me where to sign.

It’s Not Just In the Book
One of the subplots in my book looks at a scheme to sell inferior wine in bottles labeled with a
much finer vintage. And apparently I’m not the only one that thinks this is absolutely wrong. In the Code of Hammurabi (1800 B.C.), there is a law that specifically indicates that fraudulent wine sellers were subject to death if caught. They were to be drowned in the nearest river.

Wine…It Helps You Bink Thetter Occifer.
The ancient Greeks knew how to get a discussion going. At the center of Greek social and intellectual life was the symposium, which literally means, “drinking together.” Indeed, the symposium reflects Greek fondness for mixing wine and intellectual discussion...among other things, I'm sure.

Plato Called it As He Saw It
Plato argued that the minimum drinking age should be 18, and then wine in moderation may be tasted until 31. When a man reaches 40, he may drink as much as he wants to cure the “crabbedness of old age. Way to speak the truth, Plato, way to speak the truth.

Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Glass
In English pubs drinks are served in pints and quarts. In old England, bartenders would advise unruly customers to mind their own pints and quarts. It's the origin of "mind your P's and Q's."

I know, I know, you can’t thank me enough for filling your mind with all of these amazing facts. You can give me credit at your next party when your guests ask you how you know so much about wine. Cheers!

Should Stella Have Thrown Out Her Wine-Stained Clothes?

Just a few chapters into the book, my three main characters are enjoying a lovely dinner when the unthinkable happens. An entire glass of red wine is spilled right down the front of Stella's expensive white blouse.

From the book...

[A little later, Stella put down her fork unable to eat another bite. She was listening to JB tell Federico a story about his latest fishing trip. JB raised his arm in a mock casting of a line, and in doing so, hit the wine bottle with his arm causing it to strike Stella's full glass. The contents of both poured all over the front of her clothes.

Stella gasped when the chilled liquid came in contact with her body as it soaked through her white blouse and bra. JB jumped up, grabbed a cloth napkin and began dabbing at the rapidly spreading red stain. Then the inevitable happened. First one button then another popped from Stella's blouse and landed in the middle of the table.] (unedited)

Then later...

[Stella stepped into the warm shower to finish washing off the sticky wine. She had left her ruined clothes in the trashcan at the restaurant. She knew red wine would leave a permanent stain once it dried.] (unedited)

It turns out to be the perfect icebreaker for Stella and her love interest, but instead of treating the stain, Stella tosses the ruined blouse and bra in the trash. If only she had known a few of these tricks she might have been able to salvage them both.


For the most part, red wine stains can be removed, but it’s important that they be kept wet. Club soda or white wine helps dilute a red-wine stain. The garment should be blotted (never rubbed) from the outer edges to prevent the stain from spreading. If you don’t have white wine or club soda handy, mix dish soap and hydrogen peroxide in equal amounts. Using a clean cloth, blot the mixture on the material until the stain is removed. Wash the garment, but be sure the stain is completely gone before using a dryer. The heat would permanently set the stain.

Red wine spilled on a carpet is an emergency.  Sprinkle a layer of salt on it to halt the spread. Mix one tablespoon of dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water and blot the stain until it’s gone. Be sure to vacuum up the salt first. Dish soap mixed with hydrogen peroxide works well also.

And red wine isn't just the nemesis of well-dressed business women. My friend Kevin has a funny story about the staining power of red wine and I just had to share it with you.

"This being the first night of our time together I reached into a suitably gentle and respectful embrace.Unfortunately, forgotten in the passion of the moment was a glass of Merlot, sat innocently on the floor between us. As our teenage excitement overcame us, the vessel tipped upon the carpet of her parents, who were absent on their weekend break.

She screamed, I recoiled, thinking, am I that bad a kisser? Then, upon the immaculate floor covering I beheld the true reason for her dismay.In panic I searched her Pater's spotless (until then) apartment for cleansing agent.

I could find no salt, apparently they were averse to this blood-toxic condiment (made me wonder why they kept wine though). All I could find in their dust free, well organised cupboards was a canister of lighter fuel. Petrol! A universal solvent, this would do the trick.

Normally used to fill the tool for lighting their beeswax candles, I found for it the perfect use, under the unfortunate nature of our predicament. As quickly as I could I applied this magic liquid.

Sure enough in moments was the stain of vino gone.Unfortunately, the nylon carpet was - Unspun"

Kevin assured me, the parents were not angry. After all, said the father, ‘That’s what we have insurance for’. (Believe it or not)

And yes, I think Stella did the right thing.

(Kevin is a musician and a writer. Check out his site: http://www.reverbnation.com/kevinskinner)

A Cast of Characters

As writers, we all do it. We secretly imagine what it would be like to see our book turned into a major motion picture. And then we start to imagine who would play each role. Which actors embody the physical and emotional characteristics of the characters we painstakingly created in our writing?

So, I’m going to pretend that Hemphill Towers is already published and making its way up the best seller’s list. And that I'm lucky enough to be helping Leona manage her new-found fame. I get a phone call from a Hollywood producer asking if we’d be interested in seeing the book turned into a screenplay.

I try to keep my cool, I don’t want this guy knowing that under my extremely calm and professional exterior I’m jumping up and down like I would if I held a winning lotto ticket in my hand. “Of course we would be interested, but I have one stipulation.”

He gets a little quiet, but then clears his throat. I can hear the wheels in his head spinning. He thinks I’m going to ask to play the lead, but I’m not quite that vain...or that brave.

“I want to cast the actors who play the parts of the characters.”

He smothers a chuckle but manages to get out a reply. “Tell you what, send me your list of recommendations and I’ll see what I can do.”

He says he’ll be in touch and I race off to my computer to email Leona about the pending movie deal and to hammer out my casting list. Which I imagine would look a little something like this:

Stella
Played by Alexis Bledel

Talented, career-focused, and a bit of a romantic, Stella is a dark-haired, classic beauty who has no idea how attractive she really is. She’s got curves in all the right places, but is a little shy about flaunting them. She’s the kind of woman you want as your best friend -a great listener, loyal to a fault, and if she can’t help you solve a problem, she knows someone who can.

(Photo source: http://www.celebrityredcarpet.co.uk )

Riley
Played by Amy Adams

Gorgeous, confident, with a great flair for drama and a great eye for art, Riley knows how to use her long auburn locks and creative talents to her advantage. She’s also not afraid to stand up for herself, but hates to be a burden to her friends. She has a taste for the finer things, but only because she appreciates beauty and quality in all things…including men.

(Photo source: www.sheknows.com )

Birdie
Played by Rachel Weisz

Quiet, but adventurous, raven-haired Birdie isn’t afraid to go where life or love leads her. She’s good at her job, is quick to laugh, and is thankful for every opportunity to experience life to the fullest. If you are lucky enough to call her a friend, no matter how bad it seems, she always knows exactly what to say or what to do to make it all seem a little better.

(Photo source: http://wallpapers.fansshare.com)
  

JB
Played by Gerard Butler

As head of a successful advertising company, JB has the life most of us dream of. His success, his bank account, and his rugged good looks make him a magnet for women who want him for what he has and not who he is. If only he could find one woman who wanted to share his life, not just his money, he might be ready to settle down.

(Photo source: www.fansshare.com )

Frederico
Played by Antonio Cupo

Fiercely protective of his family and his business, he is the classic tall, dark, and handsome Italian dreamboat. He could tell you the exact number of vines in his vineyard, the best vintage in his cellar, but has had little time to focus on any kind of real relationship...that is until he sees Birdie. He wants to trust his heart, but only if his family approves.


(Photo source:  www.mostbeautifulman.com)

Trent
Played by Jake Gyllenhaal

Son of a world-famous artist mother and fine art purveyor father, he has both a keen eye for art and a sharp mind for business. His world is full of beautiful things and beautiful people so it will take a woman with more than just pretty looks to catch his eye. He’s not afraid to take chances, but he’s in no hurry to settle down...or is he?

(Photo source: www.fanpop.com )


Dierk
Played by Emerson Smith

A wolf in blue-eyed-blond-haired sheep’s clothing, he looks like a catch, but beauty is only skin deep. He believes he is entitled to the good life, no matter who he has to trample or threaten to get there. If he decides a woman is worthy of his attention, then she is expected to accept his affection, and God help her if she doesn’t. Greed and deceit are part of who he is, and ego will be his undoing.

(Photo source: www.magweb.com )