All These Things That I Love - 2017 Gift Edition

I'm just starting to put my gift lists together but I thought I'd share the surefire wins that any one should love this year. 

For the whole family

Amazon Echo/ Amazon Dot – we got these this summer and they’ve come in so handy. We use them as alarm clock, stereo, shopping list maker, landline. We’re going to get another one for the kids’ room to hack an intercom system.

Instant Pot – um, I feel like I’m always recommending this. From perfect ‘boiled’ eggs to amazing pot roast (in about an hour!) every busy family needs one.

For him

Sous vide precision cooker – if your man loves steak and technology get him this. Then you get steak too. WIN.

Wonder Woman – an action movie every couple can enjoy together. Win. Win.

For travel

White noise machine – I was sold on this on a recent church camp retreat. A mom next to my bunk used one and I slept through a bunch of middle schoolers giggling through the night.

Kelly Clarkson’s new album – Meaning of Life  Amazon | | iTunes – not a bad song on this album. Put it on during your road trip and the miles will fly by.

For youth (or young at heart) 

Bluetooth speaker – it’s the jam box of 2017 (did I just date myself?)

Teen Vogue – it’s the Washington Post of 2017. {But it just went all digital. BOO!}

Ticket to Ride – a game that everyone in the family can enjoy with a little strategy and a little luck.

For HER –  buy her something luxe she won’t buy herself. We’ve been through a lot this year. We deserve it.

Jo Malone Diffuser- I got one of these two years ago and it’s almost out. (HINT HINT MR. EMORY) It’s strong, smells amaze, lasts and makes a bathroom or side table look totally sophisticated.

Nest Box – a subscription box that will send high quality candles to soothe and invigorate your best friend/ mom/ sister as she persists.

Mistletoe Key – Amazon | | iBooks

Or give your favorite nasty woman  a copy of my holiday novella. It’s like a Hallmark movie she can read while on hold with UPS about that missing fruit cake delivery.

All These Things That I Love - June 2017

A monthly roundup of things that give me life…

Wonder Woman!!!

After writing about it last month, I got to see Wonder Woman two weeks ago! We took the kids (part of a birthday week (c) celebration) and I really can't stop thinking about it. Gal Gadot as Diana was luminescent, and strong, and brave and vulnerable and smart.

As an author, the movie and the characters have given me a lot of inspiration, but then I read this quote by the director, Patty Jenkins in the New York Times and I wanted to share it:

Cheesy is one of the words banned in my world. I’m tired of sincerity being something we have to be afraid of doing. It’s been like that for 20 years, that the entertainment and art world has shied away from sincerity, real sincerity, because they feel they have to wink at the audience because that’s what the kids like. We have to do the real stories now. The world is in crisis.

I wanted to tell a story about a hero who believes in love, who is filled with love, who believes in change and the betterment of mankind. I believe in it. It’s terrible when it makes so many artists afraid to be sincere and truthful and emotional and relegates them to the too-cool-for-school department. Art is supposed to bring beauty to the world.

I agree with Patty but now I'm wondering... what kind of stories should I be telling? What's my responsibility to be sincere and truthful as a fiction writer? How do I show heroes and heroines that fight for right and love and justice in an unapologetic way?

It's a great discussion around a great movie and a great start to Summer 2017.

Grapefruit Cocktails

If there's a grapefruit martini or margarita on a menu at a restaurant, I usually order it. So this summer, I decided to start trying out faux-Paloma recipes at home to enjoy in the pool.  This one I invented and it's currently my favorite.

Lindsay's 2017 Pool Drink

2 oz. gin (or blanco tequila) (or vodka) (I'm not picky)

half a lime, squeezed

2 oz. pink grapefruit juice

8 oz. ICE calorie free grapefruit soda

With My Hobonichi

After years of using my personal size planner, I realized at the end of May that I just needed more space. Writing all the deadlines and various publishing related notes didn't fit in my old planner anymore so I decided to spring for an April start Hobonichi Techo.  It fits great in a Louis Vuitton desk agenda and it gives me TONS of ways to plan out my life.  I'll share more about my system in the 2017 version of #ReadWritePlan, coming in September but for now you can get peeks on my Instagram.

If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know that I'm doing something crazy this week... I'M WRITING A BOOK IN A WEEK!!! (WHAT?! HAVE YOU HAD YOUR HEAD CHECKED, GIRL?)

I know, I know, I just wanted to see if I could do it. I started a Christmas novella yesterday and all week long I'll be posting snippets of un-edited 100% fresh book parts to keep me accountable and at the end of the week, hopefully I'll have a book that I'll be publishing later this year.

Check out my Pinterest inspiration board here.

If you're interested in getting updates about my Christmas novella/ Book in a Month click here.

If you want into my monthly update newsletter to get information about giveaways, new releases and sales, click here.

Let me know if you try my cocktail recipe or if you have a better one to recommend - or what you thought about Wonder Woman! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

She was warned, she was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she watched a movie.

As I talked about on Facebook recently, my family took me to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for Mother's Day (which I thought was fun, creative and funny). Love 'em or hate 'em, we got to see lots of preview trailers for all the upcoming shoot 'em up superhero action movies. The one  I found myself weirdly engrossed in was this one: The Mummy trailer:

Now I loved the first Mummy movie, it's my favorite kind of romantic adventure crack. Ancient curses and a bookish, stubborn heroine and a wise-cracking hero. FLOVE. So I was watching this new trailer to see if/how they were referencing the original.

Strangely, I found myself completely rooting for the evil woman who was wrongly entombed and is now returning to wreak revenge on the world (using Tom Cruise as her pawn. As one does.)

I mean, come on. Go girl.

Then on Twitter a few days ago other women authors were also reporting feeling... feistier than normal. Their heroines started kicking dudes, their manuscripts were getting a little bloody, that kind of thing.

So I started making a list of movies to watch, to capture this girl power in the air, when you feel like resisting... something... everything...

Women with Guns. Swords. Trucks.

Spy: Amazon  || itunes   

Mad Max Fury Road: Amazon  || itunes

Mulan: Amazon  || itunes

Women with Smarts

Legally Blonde: Amazon  || itunes

Erin Brockovich: Amazon  || itunes

Hidden Figures: Amazon

Women with Plans

9 to 5: Amazon  || itunes

Elizabeth: Amazon  || itunes

There are some upcoming girl power movies I'm really excited to see, too.  I already got my Wonder Woman (in theaters on June 2!) stamps and gleefully used one to post a card to The Ripped Bodice (a woman-owned independent book store. Shop here!)

And how amazing does this trailer look for Battle of the Sexes? It's one of my favorite tropes to write although... maybe not with Steve Carrell as the hero... but it still looks like a great movie.

So what do you think? What gets you pumped up?  What's your favorite girl power chick flick?  Are you rooting for the nasty woman who's going to bully Tom Cruise into doing her bidding? Answer below or connect with me on Facebook - we've always got something fun to discuss there.