Lip Service by M.J. Rose
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Lip Service by M.J. Rose

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Lip Service by M.J. Rose
Recently I was in Portland, Oregon for a wedding. I went alone because my husband had work stuff and anyway, someone had to stay with our little one.

Early in the afternoon, with several hours to spare before the much-anticipated headline event, I wandered down to the university area to check out the farmer’s market.

The sun shone, warm and yellow, through a high sibilant canopy of rich emerald leaves. The air was playful on my skin. I meandered through stalls of glistening red raspberries, juicy bursting blueberries, and gleaming purple blackberries ready to squish open on my tongue. There were heads of pale green fennel so fragrant and sweet, and rows of perfect round tomatoes, and long ripe squash… I was soon a little soft in my knees.

I found myself breathing faster and deeper. I felt both vaguer and keyed up, all at once.

A fantasy like a ball of yarn unraveled in my mind. I say ‘mind’ not ‘head’ because my whole body was involved, in the most emollient way.

I was walking indoors with a man I know, someone I hadn’t thought of in this most interesting context. We were inside and we were alone and he leaned down and wove his fingers through my hair. Then he pulled me close to his body, which was warm and taut.  When he kissed me, his mouth tasted salty but also sweet.

There was more, which led me back to my hotel room and some private moments. After a luxuriant nap, I texted my husband: “Really REALLY wish u were here.”

This lush diversion led me into some pleasant reveries: a memory of lying on a couch in the sun in Cape Cod, with the smell of bayberry thicket and sea on the wind, and the wonderful release I’d enjoyed then; a night early in our relationship that I’d spent telling my then-boyfriend-now-husband funny stories that were not G-rated, and which evolved into the kind of sweaty, rollicking good time I usually only read about; a sense of wonder at the pleasure and power inherent in sensual fantasy.

Reading MJ Rose’s delicious and often poignant and always intelligent “Lip Service” has brought all this back to me.

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Great New Review of COLD LIGHT on Gimme the Scoop Blog
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Great New Review of COLD LIGHT on Gimme the Scoop Blog

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“I have long awaited this second book, Cold Light, after the way Fallen ended. I was NOT disappointed!” writes Jennifer in this impassioned review. Check it out!

Emma’s daughter has been kidnapped by a rogue group and she goes on a suicide mission to get her back. I was very excited to be reunited with a few of the cast from Fallen and am still in anxious need of book three now to see how this all wraps up.

Emma is one strong and determined woman but Arthur is just as determined. I am torn on which way I want Emma to go because with the one man her husband she has the strong history and children but she shares something with Arthur that I dont think she and her husband ever really had or ever will.

I can’t say much more without a spoiler comment but I will say I didn’t really like the way Cold Light ended. I would not want to be in Emma’s shoes and have to make the choices she is being forced to but it’s time…. there can be only one victor in this war.

And to Jennifer and other readers who are asking for Book 3: it’s coming!

Gimmethescoopreviews.blogspot.com

Gimme The Scoop

Loving Dirtyyogaco.com
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Loving Dirtyyogaco.com

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A few months ago, I had a serious beef with my yoga studio, Pure Yoga of NYC, when I discovered them squirting “Industrial Strength Cleaner” on the mats between classes. Yes, that’s exactly what I saw: workers liberally spraying the mats with liquid from bottles marked “Industrial Strength Cleaner.”

Not okay.

Pure was not forthcoming about the ingredients in those bottles when I asked to study the labels. I guess Pure Yoga does not want yogis to know what they are lying on, inhaling, and absorbing.

The moral of that story is: bring your own yoga mat. The other moral, for me, was not to trust a studio that calls itself “Pure” and then secretly applies probable toxins to its mats.

But I wasn’t going to quit yoga. I’ve been doing yoga for 10 years; at this point, I can’t imagine my life without it.

To my utter delight, I discovered a new online virtual yoga studio: Dirtyyogaco. I signed up for Dirtyyoga as soon as possible. I’ve been thrilled with it ever since.

Three new sessions show up online every Monday. If you don’t use the prior sessions, they are gone, sayonara, arrivederci, au revoir. Use ’em or lose ’em.

Classes last from about 30 minutes to about 38 minutes. The teacher is a most appealing Jess Gronholm, one of the creators of DirtyYoga, along with Susi Rajah. The website relates that Susi had a dream, one of the kind that plays in your head when you’re sleeping. She roused herself just enough to write it down, and then shared it with Jess the next day.

What a dream to manifest! For me, as a mother and author, I have a hard time getting away for two hours in the middle of the day. That’s how long it takes to go to a studio, do a 1.5 hour class, and rush home again. Every minute that I’m away from my iMac is a minute I’m not writing. And let’s not mention weekends, when my little one vociferously announces that she wants my undivided attention for the entire day.

So for me to be able to run down the hall any time, lay out a mat that has NOT been sprayed with industrial strength cleaner but has been washed in my washing machine, and then work up a good sweat with a solid yoga class in under an hour–well, that’s satchitananda bliss!

Classes move through warrior 1, 2 and 3, triangle and rotated triangle, extended side angle, crescent pose, chair pose, vinyasas, etc–the basics. Poses flow well and Jess’ instructions are thoughtful and articulate. My body builds up heat and I get a good sweat going, which is my favorite thing.

There is some room for improvement. Dirtyyoga classes do a lot more twists than hip openers, and I really need the hip openers. I’d love to see some pigeon and some shoulder stands. Would like some full wheels. Yes, I stay a few extra moments on my mat to do those poses, but it would be great to see them incorporated into the session.

Best of all, there’s no spiritual moralizing from twenty-eight-year-olds who haven’t been around the block, twice, and had the sh*t kicked out of them, bounced back, and kept going while raising four kids and writing books–as I have. I mean, I know I have something to learn from everyone I meet; I just don’t always want to hear deep thoughts from an earnest kid.

Instead, there are cute, clever, and inspirational quotes from famous people–little sayings that always make me grin. Today I saw this one from Abraham Lincoln:  “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”

This quote typifies the dirtyyogaco approach: whimsical while serious, fun while sweaty.

I love dirtyyogaco.com, and I heartily recommend it!

 

Fictitious Musings review of COLD LIGHT
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Fictitious Musings review of COLD LIGHT

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A fun new review of COLD LIGHT, just in time for my birthday….

Check out the intriguing and lively Fictitious Musings Blog “where  bookish people share their thoughts,” and read what they have to say about COLD LIGHT….

“The After trilogy is a post-apocalyptic romance story that is as heart-breaking as it is realistic. …Slatton once again has created a brilliant post-apocalyptic world that will have you on the edge of your seat. I couldn’t read it fast enough.”

 

Tynga’s Reviews: Review and Giveaway of FALLEN
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Tynga’s Reviews: Review and Giveaway of FALLEN

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Tynga's Reviews

Tynga’s Reviews is a fun and far-reaching blog out of Ontario. Here’s the link to the Giveaway for FALLEN and COLD LIGHT and here’s the link to the review:

“Emma is one of the few who has survived and she has gained the ability to heal with the touch of her hands. I loved her as a main character because she is so solid and strong…. Some type of romantic relationship develops between Emma and Arthur. I love the basis of the relationship, although I totally didn’t expect what happened between them in the first chapter. I have to admit, their bickering and their fighting is quite engaging and it’s the reason the love story behind the book is so interesting. I don’t want to spoil any surprises but it’s quite obvious, as you read the book, that secrets will create a lot of tension, not only between Emma and Arthur, but between the whole group of survivors. … As a whole, I really enjoyed this novel. It’s quite dark at times with the death of so many people and the fighting amongst gangs of survivors…Traci L. Slatton added a great amount of these details, creating a realistic image of a brutal world…Slatton is  a wonderful discovery and fans of the genre will be satisfied with FALLEN since, not only is it very original, but it also has a good solid love story at the heart of the book.”

A new great review of COLD LIGHT
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A new great review of COLD LIGHT

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COLD LIGHT on Night Owl Reviews

I have wonderful readers. I’m grateful to them all.

Here’s a thoughtful and impassioned review of COLD LIGHT on Night Owl Reviews.

By the way: I love getting emails from readers!

COLD LIGHT on Night Owl Reviews

Cold Light

After, #2

It has been over a year since Emma returned to the safe zone. She and her daughter Mandy have been reunited with Emma’s husband, Haywood and Beth, her oldest. For a year they have been living as a family in a relatively secure area in Canada. That is until bandits raid the town and kidnap Beth. Now Emma must go alone into treacherous subzero temperatures and travel many miles on foot to save her. Along the journey she runs into Arthur, who sailed across the Atlantic with their friends to find Emma. As she travels with them she is torn between the love of her husband and Arthur, who she has never been able to forget. With their destination drawing near, she must make the hardest decision of her life.

The last time Emma had seen Arthur on the shores of France, she was heartbroken and certain he was as good as dead. Having Arthur in her life again is sweet torture. How can she return to a life with Haywood when Arthur owns her heart and soul? The only thing she is sure of on the entire journey is that she must save her daughter. Everything else would have to wait.

Arthur has only ever loved Emma. He dreams of ridding the world of the mist, permanently and he knows he needs Emma with him if he is to succeed. Not only to complete him emotionally but also to use her special psychic powers. The mist is stronger and has changed somehow. His power to control the mist is not enough without her.

This series continues to haunt me. I fell in love with the characters in the first installment, Fallen. Within this story, the characters have changed for the better. The tension was high throughout the story. As the reader joins in the adventure, they continue to wonder if Emma will be in time to save her daughter, if she will give into the overwhelming love and desire between her and Arthur and if the mist will catch them. The surprises were thrilling and sprinkled within the story adding fun to an already compelling plot. The ending is left open allowing for the possibility of third installment. For which this reader, hopes is more than a possibility. I have loved both books in this series.