The new year is here and thoughts are turning to self-improvement. But how far are you willing to go in the name of beauty? Injections, unapproved drugs, laser treatments, surgery?
You may want to try one of the latest beauty crazes like anal bleaching. Yes, it’s true. Women are having treatments and using creams to lighten the color of the skin around their anus. Hey, if you’re willing to go that far, might as well go for the gusto and have vaginal rejuvenation so you can feel like a virgin. Trim those too big labia, unhood your clitoris, tighten the vaginal walls or give him the gift of popping your cherry by having your hymen restored. No need to do those pesky Kegel exercises. Just go under the laser or take a handy dandy pill.
Those of you who know me can vividly picture my eyes rolling back and my head shaking in disgust. I can maybe see having these procedures done if you’re a highly paid porn star and an in-your-face video of you will be airing on the big screen. Or if the procedures are deemed medically necessary for a true medical problem. But for cosmetic reasons…no way! Even forgetting the cost, think of the potential complications such as infection, decreased sensation, pain and scarring.
IMHO, many women go too far in their attempts to achieve perfection. The standards of beauty have shifted to unattainable extremes. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. What is pleasing to one person may be repulsive to another. Let’s be real—if we all achieved the current ideals of perfection what would be the point? We would all look exactly the same, and where is the beauty in that? Boredom would be the result, sparking a whole new ideal requiring a new battery of procedures to reach.
Twenty years ago the goal for women was to be a size 8 or 10. Today, many strive for the anorexic look of ultra-thin runway models who wear a size 0. The ultimate—tall, young and emaciated. Young women are getting the message. They are starving themselves and spending grueling hours every day with personal trainers to reach unhealthy proportions. Even the most beautiful models require hours of work in the makeup artist’s chair and still their photos have to be computer-enhanced. Movies, magazines, billboards and television bombard us with unrealistic images of beauty which can make even the most confident of women question their appearance. The result is an obsessive quest to achieve the impossible.
Don’t get me wrong—wanting to look your personal best is not a bad thing. Notice I said, your personal best, not what society deems as the current standards of beauty. Let’s face reality. Not everyone can be a size 10, and very few can survive as a size 0. Think about the people you feel are beautiful and what qualities they possess that make you feel this way about them. Is it their perfect body or loving heart? Their surgically perfected face or their unique spirit?
Real beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. It comes from within. One of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met was when I worked at a trauma hospital. This 72 year-old homeless patient had tough, spotty, wrinkly skin along with baggy, saggy body parts, yet she radiated with beauty. No matter how little she had, this woman would give her last morsel of food or warmest piece of clothing to someone she felt needed it more than she did. No matter how depressing her circumstances, she greeted everyone with a dazzling smile and laughter sparkling in her eyes.
Do what you can to have a healthy, attractive vessel. Eat right, exercise, take care of yourself. Then if you really want to shine, fill that perfected vessel with a beautiful soul.
are used to express emotion and common phrases are often abbreviated. There are hundreds of shorthand messages you must decode. The rules and protocols are different too, such as typing in all caps is yelling. Learn the rules of the road before trying to make a connection with someone. 
Jesse’s Challenge is book 3 in the Corralled series. Creating the Shooting Star Ranch, along with its rough and ready cowboys, has been great fun. Brock and Tink have been rather shy about telling me their story, but I want to ensure fans of the series book 4 is in the works. 
Read enough blog ramblings written by authors and you’re bound to hear about the voices in our heads—our characters. Yes, they really do talk to us. They don’t always talk as often as we’d like or at the most appropriate of times, but when they speak we listen. The alternative is frightening—writer’s block. 
The temperatures are rising and soon it will be summertime, when the livin’ is easy. Makes me want to kick back in a hammock with a good book and a cold drink. Have you made your plans? What are you doing this summer? Taking a family vacation or maybe going somewhere with a group of friends? Perhaps thinking of something a bit more…exciting?
Book 3 of the Corralled Western series releases today. Yeehaw! I am having so much fun with the rowdy folks of the Shooting Star Ranch. The next book, Brock’s Hellion, is currently a work in progress. 
While I highly recommend reading stories filled with romance and passion, reading about it should not be a substitute to having those things in your life. Never fear, even if you are currently unattached and not dating, there are lots of simple ways to keep romance and passion alive and kicking.
Margarita Day, the stand alone sequel to Mimosa Night, is available today. Yay! 
What would lead an author to writing erotic romance? For me, all it required was a bit of frustration. I got sick and tired of having the bedroom door shut in my face while reading romances. How frustrating. As the story builds, you are drawn into the hero and heroine’s lives. You share in their struggles and triumphs, sadness and joy, along with the building attraction. The author draws you into the sexual tension, shows you how hot they are becoming for each other.
