Bosom Envy, not Penis Envy by Karla Stover

 

                                

                        https://bookswelove.net/stover-karla/

 By the Same Author:

Parlor Girls , based on the lives of the famous Chicago madams.

Wynters Way, historical novel with a touch of paranormal.

Murder: When One isn't Enough, set on Washington State's Hood Canal.

A Line to Murder, set in Tacoma, WA.

Available through BWL Publishing

    "I found it uncomfortable and ridiculous. Believe me, he ( Howard Hughes ) could design planes, but a Mr. Playtex, he wasn’t.”

                                                                                    Jane Russell

   When Howard Hughes was making The Outlaw, a film about Billy the Kid, Doc Holliday, and Pat Garrett, he decided Ms. Russell's breasts would be the star of the show. The movie was a massive hit as was Jane Russell.

   Designers seem to love creating new bras. Consider this: A Pocket Bra. Since getting out your keys, spare change, credit cards, etc. is a trifle awkward, a pocket bra does eliminate the need for pockets or a purse. Lumpy but effective.

    Ta da! Keep your hands free too with the wine bra. The idea is to fill the bra cups with wine and drink from the attached tubes. However, this bra does have two issues: You can see the tubes as they creep out of your neckline, and they drain one cup at a time, leaving a lopsided look. 

    Then there is the Fishbowl Bra. It's known as a "super-cool" design because its "gel material on the padding helps keep the wearer cool during extreme weather conditions."

    The Concealed Carry Convertible Sports Bra (right hand draw only) has an interchangeable strap to customize the fit, and a concealed-carry holster which also has a zipper-close security pocket suitable for cash, credit cards, a passport plus a cell phone.

    And finally, as promised in a previous blog, lingerie maker Triumph International Japan which "has regularly designed bras aimed at drawing attention to social issues (and to raise its own profile). . . unveiled three interesting concept bras: one that can be heated in a microwave so as to help save on indoor heating costs during cold water: two, the "Bra Rangers" — named in a nod to the television characters that morph into superheroes and [which] comes with matching underwear whose pocket has the inscribed message, "No more plastic bags!" and a bra-turned-bag [which] is made of polyester fiber created" from recycled plastic bottles. The cup padding pulls out and converts into a shopping bag, and the bra straps can be tied onto the bag as.

    Right now, cleavage seems to be out, replaced by showing breasts' side tissue. And as for Jane Russell, she threw Hughes's design across her dressing trailer saying it was ridiculous. "I just padded my own bra with tissues and Hughes was none the wiser." 

New Year’s Resolution – No Texting in the Bathroom / by Barbara Baker

 

 

Searching through Google sites I learned that 4,000 years ago the Babylonians started their year off by making a resolution. They believed if they honoured their goal, good fortune would follow them throughout the year. A typical resolution back then would be to pay off a debt or return borrowed farm equipment. 

Probably not quite this modern 

Current resolutions typically involve exercise, weight loss and saving money.

Well darn it all. My 2025 resolution doesn’t fit any of those categories. The only reason I even chose to make one this year is because I have a bad habit and I’m ashamed of it.

Back to Google to do research on the success rate of keeping a New Year’s resolution. Brace yourself. It’s dismal. One site states 88% of people fail within the first two weeks. That bit of information was almost enough to stop me from even attempting to start mine, but I love a challenge

My bad habit started innocently enough many months ago when the quiet ping from my iPhone, sitting on the kitchen counter, caught my attention while I was on the way to the bathroom. I grabbed it because it could be an important message. So, I read it while I was on the toilet. It wasn’t important. But I sent a response anyway. How efficient am I?

From then on, I got in the habit of taking my phone to the bathroom. Every time. In fact, I would look for it as if my body functions would not co-operate without its presence.

Not only did I read messages, I checked Facebook, swiped left to Instagram, scrolled news articles and I even read emails. Bathroom breaks took longer but I felt quite clever with my multi-tasking efficiency. Plus, I was keeping on top of all that was happening with friends and strangers, globally and locally.

In the middle of December, I responded, from the throne, to an email. I used full paragraph format, correct salutation and even added a P.S. That’s when I realized I had a problem. I may even have glanced over my shoulder to be sure no one saw where I’d sent the email from. 

If phones were still this big, it would never have become an issue 

Who did I think I was? And when did I think my life was so busy, I needed to respond to friend’s messages and scroll social media in the bathroom. I will admit here and now that I did not ever participate in this activity in a public washroom. Eww, the germs in there. 

 

Hence, my New Year’s Resolution evolved.

I Googled do people text while on the toilet? Surveys say 75% of people admit to texting while on the toilet. Phew. What a relief. The old saying ‘misery loves company’ is applicable here and now.

In order to break my habit, I knew I had to be held accountable.

I told my husband, “My New Year’s resolution is to not use my phone in the bathroom. No more texting or reading emails. Nothing. I’m quitting cold turkey.”

“You text in the bathroom?” he said. “Really?” And he walked away without saying another word. I think I’ve mentioned he’s a wise man.

To ensure success with my resolution, I practiced a few days at the end of December. I was confident it would be super easy to stop. But it wasn’t. I argued with myself to leave my phone in the kitchen. My husband would smile at me when I was successful. Other times, when the power of missing out on something took hold, he looked the other way.

Now, here I am, ten days into the New Year and I can guarantee that no phone use is happening in my bathroom. I have five days left to beat Google’s failure rate and hopefully continue on from there till the end of the year. Yes, I’ll admit I have been tempted but so far I haven’t caved. I’ve also noticed the baseboards in my bathroom could use a paint touch up and the ceramic tile floor needs buffing. I'll add those tasks to my things to do list.

Regardless, whether you made a resolution, I wish all the best for 2025 and may the year be kind to everyone. 

Baker, Barbara - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)

bbaker.write@gmail.com

Dead of Winter by J. S. Marlo

 

Undeniable Trait

is available now!

Click here

   

 

  

J. S. Marlo's BWL Books

Hubby and I just spent Christmas in Victoria, BC, with our son and his growing family. The magic of Christmas shone in our two little granddaughters' eyes. House was decorated, tree was full of ornaments with some of them ending up on the floor. The food was delicious and plenty. I even wrote a child story featuring my eldest little one. The youngest little one will get her own story next year.

We had a wonderful time and made precious memories, even though it rained every day. In all my years, and there are too many to count, I've always had a white Christmas. It was the first time there wasn't a single snowflake on the ground or swirling in the air.

Now I'm back home in northern Alberta, in the snow, in the dead of winter.

I love looking out the window and seeing snow. I also enjoy shovelling. It feels like I'm exercising and I feel less guilty about eating chocolate.

Truth be told, I spend most of my winter days in front of the fireplace with my laptop. January and February are my two most prolific months when it comes to writing.

My latest novel "Red in the Snow" will be released in Sept 2025. Like the title suggests, it takes place in winter.

I also have another story in progress tentatively titled "Misleading Truth" which I'm hoping to finish by this spring. The next two months will tell if I'm on target. 

Happy Reading & Stay Warm! 

J. S. 

 

 

J. S. Marlo's Website

Meet Smokey and Autumn Amelia by Eileen O'Finlan

 

                           

Click here for purchase information

All in the Furry Family, Book 2 in the Cat Tales series is scheduled for release in February. The main characters of the series are two sister cats, Smokey and Autumn Amelia. For those who have read the first book. All the Furs and Feathers, this is a refresher and for those who haven't read it, an introduction.

Smokerina "Smokey" Koshkyn:

Smokey is the elder of the two Koshkyn sisters. She is a Russian Blue cat, taking after her father's side of the family. Smokey is an architect employed by Fluffington ArCATechure, a highly successful business owned by Abigail Fluffington. Her best friend is Jasmine, also a Russian Blue and a web designer.

Coloration: Solid bluish gray

Strengths: Highly competent at her job and most other things, self-confident, formerly a superb mouser

Weakness: Terrified of coyotes
Quirks: She gets the zoomies about an hour before a storm and when excited. If it happens at work, she has to go to the basement to keep from zooming around the office.

Regrets: She feels responsible for making Autumn Amelia believe she's not a real cat.

Autumn Amelia Koshkyn:

Autumn Amelia is Smokey's younger sister. She's a calico Maine coon like their mother. Autumn is a baker and chef. In All the Furs and Feathers she works from home for Furry Confections, a bakery owned by Tabby Furry.

Coloration: Calico - white, burnt orange, and various shades of gray

Strengths: She is a culinary genius. Her lovable personality naturally brings furs and feather together.

Weaknesses: An overload of odd quirks and the fact that she's not sure she's a real cat because she's never caught a mouse.

Quirks: She snacks without realizing it while she's cooking because it gives her inspiration for new recipes. She can't go to restaurants because the aromas put her into a trance-like state that makes her take food from waiters' trays or other patrons' plates without knowing she's doing it. More than once, she's found herself in a restaurant's kitchen improving their recipes. She has a secret fantasy about being the Pirate Queen of the High Seas.

Regrets: She has never caught a mouse, not that she'd know what to do with it if she did catch one.

The characters Smokey and Autumn Amelia were inspired by my own cats of the same names. Sadly, the real Smokey went to the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago. Autumn Amelia, though getting on in years, still lives with me. She does not cook, but she does like to eat.

The real Smokey and Autumn Amelia

Scottish Penicillin by Paul Grant

 

https://bookswelove.net/grant-paul/

My name is Paul Grant and my first novel with BWL Publishing, Astraphobia, will be released in June of this year.  Please visit my BWL Author page by following this link to learn more about me and my novels: https://bookswelove.net/grant-paul/

Astraphobia follows three generations of a Scottish family who move first to Ottawa and then to Saskatchewan trying to outrun the curse of lightning.  I'm proud of my Scottish heritage, which includes a love of home-made marmalade or, as we call it, Scottish penicillin.

Marmalade is considered by some to be an aphrodisiac. Others think it enhances the effect of certain hallucinogenic drugs. 

Sherlock Holmes ate it with prawns, calling it brain food.  Of course most people prefer it spread on toast. And some, like D.H. Lawrence (and me), prefer to make their own. 

“I got the blues thinking of the future,” Lawrence said, “so I left off and made some marmalade. It’s amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor.”

The steam from the simmering citrus peel is a mid-winter tonic, and the final product will keep scurvy at bay.  March 10 is National Marmalade Day, marking the Sunday in 1495 when the first shipment of marmalade arrived in Britain from Portugal. That batch was made from quince, a hard and bitter pear-shaped fruit that’s almost inedible raw. But for centuries, people including the Romans, Greeks, 

French and Portuguese have made a sort of jam by slowly simmering quince with honey. In Greece the result is melimelon. The Portuguese call it marmalada, and still consider quince (marmelo) the only fruit worth using. But for millions around the world, marmalade means thick chunks of Seville orange peel suspended in jelly like burnished gold. 

Whatever its origins, marmalade is often associated with Scotland, thanks partly to a Dundee grocer called James Keiller and his canny wife Janet.

In 1777 a storm stranded a Spanish ship in Dundee Harbour. Keiller got a good deal on the ship’s cargo of Seville oranges.  But when he took delivery, he found the skin of the oranges to be thick and coarse, and the pulp sour, stringy and inedible. Janet had the idea to make a jam from the peel – like quince marmalada. More than two centuries later, Keiller & Sons still ship Dundee thick-cut Seville orange marmalade to half the world.

There are many other international and local purveyors of marmalade now, of course.  You can get ginger marmalade, three-fruit marmalade, even marmalade made with Scotch, which I think does a disservice to both. I prefer my marmalade straight up –oranges, water, sugar and pectin. Seville oranges are the best, but navel oranges are quite acceptable. Even the venerable marmalade-makers at Tiptree admit that using simply oranges and sugar makes it “...more time consuming and more difficult to make a consistent product, but it is still the best way and done properly, gives the very best results.”

Marmalade keeps well, and improves with age. At least, I’ve heard it does. Mine rarely lasts long enough.  Email me and I’ll send you my father’s recipe: homerink9@gmail.com  

                                                                    Marmalade in the morning has the same effect 

                                                                    on taste buds that a cold shower has on the body.
                                                                                Jeanine Larmoth - Harper’s Bazaar