Friday, January 29, 2010

New cover yumminess!


Tell me what you think of EC's new cover model, Angelo. And try not to drool on your keyboard! LOL

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

International Travel

Yesterday, I completed the last step in my preparations to go to India...my shots. Ow. Or maybe I should say, Ow, ow, ow, ow. I had four injections. Two in each arm. I'm not a very big baby when it comes to a little physical pain. But at least it's over.

I have my visa, my passport and my health records. Now all I have to do is pack and look forward to a 24 hour flight. Can you say, 'jet lag'?

I think it will all be worth it to visit a country so rich in history and culture. When I was young, I studied the Hindu religion for a semester. It's fascinating, and I'm thinking I might set some stories there. (That Brahma really got around!) LOL

There are literally thousands of Hindu Gods, but I was taught that 3 reigned supreme. Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Not everyone in the western world would recognise depictions of these dieties. But the most popular God you'd recognise in a second.

Ganesha--the elephant-deity riding a mouse. Ganesha is one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is depicted as having a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of knowledge, wisdom and wealth.

The last time my husband was in India, he brought me back a beautiful carved statue of Ganesha. And bringing this back to romance, that trip was an eye-opener for both of us. We had never been apart that long since we met in 1990. (Yup, we're going on 20 years.) We were miserable without each other. We talked on the phone a few times, and then the power went out. I had a cell phone with spotty reception, so talking became impossible. I finally went to my in-laws house and used their phone--but I woke up my husband. Oops. Time difference. He didn't mind. We were both just so glad to hear each other's voices.

When he got home, he vowed that if he had to go there again, he would take me with him. Now, two years later, we're going over there together. There's a 3 day weekend because of an Indian holiday, so we'll have a few days to get out and explore. I may stick close to the hotel while he's working just to be on the safe side.

I'll have my laptop with me so I hope I can take some notes as I soak up the atmosphere. I've set books in places I've visited before, like Maui; New Orleans; Daytona Beach; Las Vegas; San Francisco and always found it helpful to do a little brainstorming while I was there--even on vacation. So, don't hate me because I'm on vacation in eighty degree weather. I'm working. Really. Honest. I mean it.

Ash

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year to my peeps! AND happy anniversary to my wonderful hubby!

I hope you all had a nice, safe celebratory New Year's Eve. We did! It was our 16th anniversary and we returned to the scene of the...er, well, not crime--because it was one of the best things I've ever done. We went to the Sheraton in Protsmouth NH where they were having a New Year's Eve dinner party complete with great entertainment (stand-up comedians) and dancing. When one of us left the room, the others at our table said, "Okay, now that your other half is gone, how's it been? Really.

I'm happy to say we both told them the truth. It's been awesome. The best, most fun, years of our lives.

Marriage takes maturity. You need to know when to let things go and never bring them up again. It takes a sense of humor. Even if you're having a disagreement sometimes you can crack a joke and wind up laughing. Very few decisions are all that important. It takes respect and love--that means thinking of the other person's happiness as much as your own. I think that's been the success of our marriage.

We're each other's best frinds, biggest fans and ultimate supporters. My hubby loves to fly. I'd be happy if my feet never left the ground, but if a pilot's license is what he wants...more power to him. Similarly, he knows we'll never get rich off my royalties. But writing makes me happy, so he's fine with me building my career from the ground up.

How about you? What do you think is the secret to a good marriage?

Ash