Shelley Munro, Author of Paranormal Romance

This week I read about a British couple who have recently celebrated eighty years of marriage. I think this is amazing. Their story inspired me to search for ways to make a marriage last through the years.

1. Spend at least 10 minutes a day focused on one another without the distraction of your kids, the TV, the phone etc.

2. Say I love you. My hubby will ring up and tell me just out of the blue. It always makes me feel good.

3. Affirm something your spouse said or did and say something nice.

4. Laugh together.

5. Don’t criticize your spouse.

6. Kiss your spouse in the morning, before leaving the house, when you go to bed, and several other times during the day and evening.

7. Do a few things together, like working in the yard, taking a walk, watching a favorite movie or planning and cooking dinner.

8. Fight fair.

9. Be willing to forgive.

10. Plan and have a date with one another.

11. Don’t try to change your spouse. Note – it doesn’t work! He can’t change me either. :grin:

12. Don’t expect your spouse to be a mind reader and don’t try to be a mind reader.

13. Accept that there will be some small issues that you two will never resolve and that it’s normal in successful marriages.

I’m sure there are heaps of other things I haven’t mentioned. If you have another suggestion, please add it in the comments section.

My guest today is Jenyfer Matthews who writes for Cerridwen Press. Her recent release, All The Way Home recently received a Golden Blush recommended read from Literary Nymph Reviews. The reviewer said, “In my opinion, a book as beautifully written, heartfelt and sweet as All the Way Home truly deserves the Golden Blush Recommended Read award. It just makes you hope that Ms. Matthews keeps writing with the tenderness, understanding, and compassion that she showed here. Brilliant!”

Today Jenyfer is talking about life in Cairo, Egypt and in particular transport.
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Today’s Thursday Thirteen is brought to you by the color blue. (because it’s my favorite)

1. Blue is my favorite color. I like it because it’s calming. There’s nothing better than looking at the sky on a day when there are no clouds. The clear color just makes me smile. I also have blue eyes.

2. Pantone has selected the color Blue Iris (PANTONE 18-3943) as the 2008 Color of the Year telling us: “Combining the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple, Blue Iris satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement.”

3. In Iran, blue is the color of mourning while in the West the something blue bridal tradition represents love.

4. Blue conveys importance and confidence without being somber or sinister, hence the blue power suit of the corporate world and the blue uniforms of police officers. Long considered a corporate color, blue, especially darker blue, is associated with intelligence, stability, unity, and conservatism. From the About.com site.

5. Blue is a favorite color of both men and women of all ages. However, men have a much stronger preference for blue than women. It may be the calming effect of the color blue that makes it a popular color for both men and women or it could be the association of some shades of blue with authority figures, intelligence, and stability. About.com

6. You can feel blue, which isn’t a good thing. My Oxford dictionary says blue in this context means nervous, depressed, melancholy, dismal.

7. In Australia you can have a “blue” which means you argue or row with someone.

8. Once in a blue moon – a saying that means scarce or hardly ever or a rare event.

9. Blue moon can also mean an extra full moon in a year. Generally there are twelve full moons per year, one per month. Every two or three years there is an extra full moon due to the eleven extra days in each year.

10. There’s a song Blue Moon. Here’s the 1961 version by The Marcels.

11. Blue gemstones promote peace and are used to calm ragged emotions. They are used to provide relief to people who have difficulty sleeping or who have nightmares. They offer inspiration and enhance the quality of communication. Check out the meaning of other colored gemstones here.

12. What color are you? A quiz – surprisingly I was yellow :?:

13. Something can happen “out of the blue” meaning the something happened without warning. You can be “between the devil and the deep blue sea” which means you’re in an impossible situation.

Have I missed any common blue sayings or things? Oh, I just thought of something blue – The Blues Brothers. Man, I love that movie.

I enjoy some of the Maori myths and legends. This one, telling of Maui and the birth of New Zealand, is one of my favorites. As with all legends, there are a few variations.

Maui was a demi-god who possessed magical powers. Not all his family knew of his magical powers, and he used this to his advantage.

One day, he hid in the bottom of his brothers’ boat in order to go out fishing with them. Once out at sea, Maui was discovered by his brothers, however they weren’t able to take him back to shore because Maui made use of his magic powers and made the shoreline seem farther away than it was in reality.

The brothers continued rowing, and once they were far out into the ocean Maui dropped his magic fishhook over the side of the waka (canoe). After a while he felt a strong tug on the line. This seemed to be too strong a tug to be any ordinary fish, and Maui called to his brothers for assistance.

After much straining and physical effort, up surfaced Te Ika a Maui (the fish of Maui), known today as the North Island of New Zealand. Maui told his brothers that the Gods might be angry about this, and he asked them to wait while he went to placate the Gods.

However, once Maui had gone his brothers began to argue about the ownership of this new land. They took out their weapons and started pounding away at the catch. The blows on the land created the many mountains and valleys of the North Island today.

The South Island is known as Te Waka a Maui (the waka of Maui). Stewart Island, which lies at the very bottom of New Zealand, is known as Te Punga a Maui (Maui’s anchor), as it was the anchor holding Maui’s waka as he pulled in the giant fish.

So, there you have it – the story of the origin of New Zealand.

Do you have a favorite myth or legend?

Today it’s my turn to blog at The Danger Zone. Check out my post about my adventures in Rwanda while viewing the mountain gorillas.

The secret of writing a great romance is to take a classic plot and twist it to make the story unique. Here is a list of the classic plot tropes used in romances:

1. Secret Baby – a pregnancy results from a romance and the father doesn’t know about it.

2. Cinderella – a rags to riches story.

3. Beauty and the Beast – one of the main characters is physically marred in some way.

4. Good Girl/Bad Boy – opposites attract. This can also be reversed with a bad girl/good boy.

5. Stranded – a couple is stranded together and the enforced intimacy leads to more.

6. Marriage of convenience – an arranged or forced marriage leads to love.

7. Family feud – think Romeo and Juliet.

8. Mistaken Identity – one of a couple isn’t who he or she appears to be on the surface.

9. Lady and the Cowboy – a class difference sets a couple apart.

10. Secret – a secret stands between romance.

11. Twins – lots of possibilities here.

12. Kidnapping – an abduction.

13. Business competitors – two people fighting for the same prize and only one can win.

14. Friends to Lovers – a friendship leads to more.

15. Masquerade – pretending to be someone else.

16. Amnesia – where one of the characters has lost their memory.

Which type of plot is your favorite? The one you most dislike? Have I missed any from my list?

During the last couple of weeks I’ve tripped across lots of quotes by Mae West. Wow! She was a fascinating lady, and one who has left a legacy of some great quotes that cut straight to the heart of the subject, whatever that may be.

1. Mae West was born Mary Jane West on 17 August 1893 in Woodhaven, New York, US. She died on 22 November 1980 at age 87 in Los Angeles, California, US. West made a name for herself in vaudeville and on the stage in New York before moving to Hollywood to become a comedian, actress and writer in the motion picture industry. Here’s a link to some photos of Mae West. She was famous for her large number of quips, some by herself and others by her characters. Below are some of my favorites from the lady who said, “I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.”

2. His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.

3. Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution yet.

4. A man in the house is worth two in the street.

5. When I’m good, I’m very good. When I’m bad, I’m better.

6. Every man I meet wants to protect me. I can’t figure out what from.

7. I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.

8. I’m no model lady. A model’s just an imitation of the real thing.

9. Look your best – who said love is blind?

10. Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, I’m tired.

11. I like my clothes to be tight enough to show I’m a woman… but loose enough to show I’m a lady.

12. Men are my hobby, if I ever got married I’d have to give it up.

13. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

Have I missed any of your favorites or is your favorite one of the above?