Melissa Senate

I'm not the type to complain (though I can see my dear ex-husband laughing his head off at that one) but I feel the need to vent about the song rotations on my local Maine radio stations. Every day without fail, you will hear: REO Speedwagon. Journey. Rush. Rod Stewart. 2 songs by Aerosmith: Dream On and Don't Want To Miss A Thing. Another Brick In The Wall. Another One Bites The Dust. As far as the top 10 goes, it's The Fray all the time. If Bruce is played (and I think a radio station should be devoted to all Bruce all the time), it's Glory Days.

You will hear these songs three or four times a day, every day. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh. I would play my CDs, but Max put a penny in the slot and the CD player never worked again! Then again, I really shouldn't complain because priror to the penny incident, we were listening to Toddler Favorites ("The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round" was played 25 times a day). 

I do love both Aerosmith songs though. But Dream On loses its greatness when you hear it three times a day.

:) 

Must. Do. Better. At. Keeping. Up. Blog

Why have I been such a bad blogger? 99% because I'm deadline, down to the last month! My next novel, still untitled, will be published in June 2008 (by my longtime publisher Red Dress Ink), but is due to my editor in mere weeks. I'm going to have a hard time saying goodbye to Ruby and Stella, formerly estranged twin sisters who embark on a long and bumpy road trip to Las Vegas. Stella is sort of kidnapping Ruby, an intervention of sorts from a blah engagement. Las Vegas doesn't seem the place to talk someone out of a marriage, but Stella has two very big reasons for heading there–one she tells RUby about and one she doesn't. I'm crazy about these two characters and their supporting cast!

The other reason I'm a bad blogger is that we can actually go outside now here in Maine. Until recently, the snow was piled so high that you couldn't walk a foot in front of you without disappearing into a snow cave. My four-year-old was thrilled by this, by the way.

If YOU are in Maine today, I hope you'll stop by the Falmouth Memorial Library for the Falmouth Authors Day. I and several other local authors will be talking books and writing from 1-3pm. I don't live in Falmouth anymore (two towns away now), but I LOVE the Falmouth library.

Happy Spring!

The Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit proudly presents!: 

SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD by Melanie Lynne Hauser

About SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD (NAL/Penguin), the sequel to the acclaimed CONFESSIONS OF SUPER MOM —   It's six months after the Horrible Swiffer Accident that left her a superhero, and Birdie Lee is still adjusting. For starters, she's hearing voices and having lustful thoughts about Mr. Clean. Then there's the fact that her daughter is suddenly sporting a bright pink streak in her hair, courtesy of her new friend Vienna (and if recent history has taught us anything, we all know that a girl named after a foreign city is going to be trouble). Birdie's son is experiencing his first case of puppy love, her nerdy scientist love interest has just proposed marriage, and her annoying ex-husband is suddenly less annoying. Which can only mean he's up to no good.

But things get even more sinister when her hometown of Astro Park gets Little League fever in a big way. Rabid parents, performance-enhancing Gatorade and a domed stadium on shaky - potentially explosive - ground are just the beginning of Super Mom's problems; throw in a ticked off school janitor and a corrupt mayor, and Super Mom has her hands full.   Can one superhero — one mother — struggle to keep her teenagers in tow with one hand while saving her hometown from disaster with the other — while trying to find time for herself as she plans her marriage to her very own Super Man?  Only if she’s Super Mom! 

What People are Saying —   Hauser's quirky characters sparkle brightly as a newly Swiffered floor, and her writing shines like freshly polished glass. (Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries and Queen of Babble) 

About Melanie Lynne Hauser —  Former member of the PTA, Melanie Lynne Hauser is a prototypical Super Mom.  In addition CONFESSIONS OF SUPER MOM and SUPER MOM SAVES THE WORLD, she is a contributor to the anthology It's a Boy.  Melanie is an active member of both the writing and "blogging mommies" blogger communities.  She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two teenaged sons, truly does love Swiffer products, and would like to thank Procter and Gamble for its marvelous sense of humor about all this.   Visit her website (www.melanielynnehauser.com); blog (www.melanielynnehauser.com/wordpress/) and MySpace page (http://home.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user&MyToken=28f1a9a4-b705-49b3-9e6f-596b6f35ff13)

the girlfriends' cyber circuit proudly introduces:  

CHINA DOLLS by Michelle Yu & Blossom Kan www.chinadollsnovel.com

With the traditions and family closeness of The Joy Luck Club and the sass, girl friendships and humor of Sex and the City, comes a novel about three Asian-American women balancing life, love and one another in New York City. CHINA DOLLS  is based on personal experience and introduces three remarkable characters named M.J, Alex and Lin.Ø      M.J is a tomboyish sportswriter struggling to fit into her family’s traditional Chinese culture and the predominantly Caucasian male world of sports.  Ø      Alex is a confident no-nonsense attorney fighting the submissive Asian woman stereotype and the fear of taking risks after a heartbreaking romance. Ø       Lin is the risk-taking stockbroker trying not to relive her mother's mistakes— that is until she falls for the office playboy. Authentic, intelligent and funny, CHINA DOLLS explores how culture can affect one’s personal and professional lives.  As if dating isn’t hard enough in New York City, these women have to balance the expectations of family and exceed expectations in the workplace, all while looking for Mr. Right.  China Dolls embraces the fusion of these two cultures – a phenomenon that will grasp bothcommercial and young Asian-American readers today.

“A fun tale that weaves together the journeys of three very different, yet deeply bonded, women in their search for love and professional fulfillment in the big city.”—Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus, authors of The Nanny Diaries 

“A smart, sassy saga that explores the bonds of female friendship and the cultural ties between generations.”–Emily Giffin, author of Baby Proof     

It's on my TBR list!