Want a HOT Bod by Summer?

Do you realize summer is only a little more than 3 months away? Do you have a wedding coming up? Are you a writer with conferences scheduled over the next few months? Does the idea of shopping for a bathing suit make you cringe? Before you know it, shorts and tank top weather will arrive and those extra pounds you swore you’d lose after the holidays will be staring back at you. You won’t be able to hide those pounds beneath layers of bulky sweaters and jackets anymore. I know it sucks.

With a few changes you can get into the best shape you’ve ever been in. I work in healthcare and I know the importance of good nutrition and exercise and how it’s best to avoid the gimmicky ads that promise quick fixes or miraculous results in weight loss.

There is no magic pill. Exercise and good nutrition is the best plan for good health and a great looking HOT body.

DECIDE to make a change and COMMIT to that change and you will SUCCEED.

It doesn’t have to be boring or difficult or taste awful. Really. You don’t have to go to a gym or hire a trainer. Moms who have small children may not have the luxury of going to a gym, or a gym membership may be too pricy, or you may feel self-conscious about working out in front of other people. You could go to your super-Mart or fitness-Mart and buy a one hour DVD. But after a week or two, I’ll guarantee you’ll get bored. You can try one of those fad diets, go to meetings to get weighed, pay enormous amount of money for prepackaged processed meals. I’ve tried some of this myself, had minimal success for a while and added pounds back on. Sound familiar? There may be some advantages to some of these programs if they promote good nutrition and exercise. You have to find what works for you and stick with it.

The bottom line is: GOOD NUTRITION + EXERCISE = WELLNESS FOR LIFE.

NOTE: It’s always a good idea to check with your health care provider before starting an exercise or diet change.

Fitness: As an Independent Beachbody Coach, the biggest complaint I hear is: I don’t have time to exercise. My answer to that is: You can’t afford NOT to find the time, or eventually poor health will catch up to you.

Obesity is a major problem in this country. Google: USA statistics on Obesity and you’ll see what I mean. You don’t have to be obese to develop health issues from not working out or eating right. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, Type II Diabetes, risk for certain types of cancer, heart attack, etc. are all common problems. Everyone has 10 minutes to workout. Beachbody has a DVD called 10-Minute Trainer. Try it if that’s all the time you have. Then work up to 20 and 30 minutes. Skip one television program and workout to a DVD instead a couple times a week.

Beachbody has a number of DVD fitness programs and most of them have several different DVDs included so you’re doing something different, working different muscle groups. There’s a program for every fitness level (every ‘body’) Slim-in-Six, Turbo-Fire, Brazil Butt Lift, RevAbs, Turbo Jam, Insanity, ChaLEAN Extreme, P90X, etc. Find more here. You may have seen infomercials for P90X. These workouts help you get leaner, burn calories, build core strength. They also come with nutritional guides so you can plan your meals.

Nutrition: Eating right plays a big part in losing weight and staying healthy. Exercise along won’t do it for most of us. Crash diets don’t work and are dangerous.

Diet, ugh! It’s a four letter word. Change your eating habits a little at a time and you’ll be much more successful and be happier. I’m not a nutritionist, but here of a few tips that have helped me. Limit carbohydrates and sweets (I usually have one carb per day. That is 1 slice of bread or ½ cup brown rice), increase lean protein and eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. Limit or omit sodas, even diet. Nutrisweet is very bad for a number of reasons. If you need a sweetner use Stevia or Truvia instead. Shakeology. I’ve been drinking Shakelogy since August and I love it! It’s a potent nutritional shake with proteins, amino acids, antioxidants, phytonutrients, adaptogens, prebiotics, etc. I’m sounding like a commercial but I swear by it for losing weight, reducing cravings, increasing energy and promoting regularity.  I’ve lost 14 pounds.

My husband started drinking Shakeology after his doctor told him he had to take meds for high cholesterol. After three months, his doctor was amazed by how much weight he lost (20 pounds) and how good his cholesterol was. She said the meds should’ve brought it down, but she’s never seen it go down that low that fast. She thinks if it still looks good next visit, he’ll be able to go off the meds. True story. I drink Shakeology for breakfast or for lunch. It comes in three flavors chocolate, green berry and tropical strawberry. Check out the ingredients on this. It’s an amazing superfood. A whole natural meal at the cost of a Starbucks coffee ~$4.

 Here are two cool video links about Shakeology:

http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/kathykulig?bctid=637865717001

http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/kathykulig?bctid=29768318001

So here’s my formula for getting that HOT bod by summer:

A Beachbody Exercise DVD (4-5x week) + Shakeology (5-7x week) = Healthy HOT body

Contact me at FitForBeachATrcnDOTcom or kathykuligATrcnDOTcom

I can help you get started. Besides writing, fitness and health is my passion.

Cowboys & Aliens at Coffee Time

This Wednesday, February 15th, check out the chat at Coffeetime Romance on their Erotic e-Loop from 7:00 - 9:00 pm EST with authors:

• Desiree Holt
• Cerise Deland
• Tara Nina
• Allie Standifer
• Fancesca Hawley
• Regina Carlyle
• Kathy Kulig

We'll be talking about Cowboys and Aliens. Not the movie (although I guess we can talk about the movie too.) We'll be talking about characters in books. Cowboys and paranormal creatures. All these authors have written a number of HOT books with either sexy cowboys or a variety of paranomal creatures (shapeshifters, vampires, demons, gargoyles, etc.). Expect prizes, games, excerpts too.

I'll be talking about my Demons in Exile series: Book one: Desert of the Damned and Book 2: Damned and Desired. Book 3: Demon's Embrace is completed. More news on that one later. Also giving away a free copy of either book.

Log in here for the chat: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karendevinkaren/

Guest Author JK Coi

JK Coi is my guest this week. She's an award-winning, multi-published author of contemporary and paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She lives in Ontario, Canada. In her interview, JK offers some excellent advice for aspiring and all writers.

JK has an alter ego and writes Upper YA Dark Fantasy too as Chloe Jacobs.

Thanks so much for being a guest JK. Check out her new release with Ellora's Cave: Brazen Games

-Tell us a little about the book and where did you get the idea to write this story.

This book came to me a long time ago. I wrote the first chapter (a dark, sexy scene in a strip club) almost two years ago. But then the story had to be put aside. I couldn’t figure out what came next. And I had other writing commitments. And yet, Jack wouldn’t leave me alone. He was so tired, so damaged. He kept telling me that he wasn’t a very nice man. I tended to disagree and so did the heroine, Tasha. I had to see if he could be redeemed and if she was the one who would be able to redeem him.

- What’s the best and worst part of being a writer?

The best part of being a writer is the writing. It’s also the worst part.

I love writing, and it’s so very very hard. At least to do it right. I’m not one of those lucky writers who spends an hour tapping away and looks down to see that she’s written 3,000 words. OMG that would be like a whole week’s worth of work. I am interminably slow and methodical. I triple think every word. It’s a pain, but when I go back and read I might have to tweak a little bit, but I rarely have to rewrite whole sections.

- What is your writing schedule like?

Although it’s tight because I work a full time day job, I always bring my laptop to work and write through lunch. When I get home in the evening, it’s dinner and dishes and helping kiddo with his homework. By the time I can sit down to write again, everything is put away and he’s in bed…probably around 8:30 pm. Then I write as long as it takes to make my daily word goal. Sometimes that means I’m done by 10:00 and I can watch tv but other times I’m still working at midnight.

- How did you get started writing novels?

I got started when my son was still little. He was about three years old. It’s that stage when they’re in a good routine,  sleeping through the night, and when that time comes when you sit down to relax you feel like you could still function and not pass out from exhaustion (that exhausted phase lasted a LONG time) – but it’s not like you actually have a life. I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything...and television REALLY sucked. So I started writing. I’d done a lot of writing BK (“before kid”) and when I got back to it, I really enjoyed it. I finished a whole book and when I told my husband he said, “Great job! So now what?”

- What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I get asked for advice by aspiring writers quite often, and I always try to be encouraging but also honest. I tell them that this is not something that’s going to “pay off” quickly and unless they really love to write, they’re better off spending the time with their family. But if writing is the thing they’ve always wanted to do, then don’t be discouraged. Yes, there will be rejection (lots of it), and no, you won’t get rich, but a career in publishing is definitely doable if you make a solid plan and work toward it diligently.

- If you could write another genre other than romance what would you write?

It would probably be horror or fantasy. And of course, there might just happen to be a character who meets a girl…. (sorry, it’s gotta have romance)

- Are you seat of the pants writer or plotter?

I used to be more “seat of the pants” but these days I’m plotting more and more of my stories ahead of time. I need to. Deadlines mean I can’t waste energy trying to figure things out when I’m halfway through. I don’t want to go back and erase half the book to start over because the plot took off in a different direction. That’s not to say I don’t encourage enlightening developments, but by plotting as much as possible I’m hopefully able to work those in from the ground floor.

- Have any of your titles ever been changed from your original choice?

LOL—yes. In fact, I don’t think my editor at EC has EVER let me keep one of my titles (except maybe the very first one)

- What specific piece of advice would you give a would-be writer trying to kick start a career?

 

You can’t kick-start anything. Sorry. You’ve got to take it day-by-day. Learn your craft. Take your rejections and keep moving forward. It will feel like the sixth circle of hell, but if you really want it there’ll come a day when it feels like the cave opens up and you can see the sun again!

- A lot of people think that genre hopping isn’t a good idea. What do you think?

I think generally those people are right, unless you have a ton of time to build two separate brands. I don’t always write in the same genre, but the genres that I mix are similar. For example, I write contemporary and I write paranormal…but they’re both erotic. Then I write paranormal (not erotic) and fantasy…which are also similar.

Thanks so much for the interview! I had a great time with it!

J.K. Coi
www.jkcoi.com

Blog: www.jkcoi.blogspot.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jkcoi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JKCoiAuthor
 

Brazen Games

As Jack Trainer watches the dancer up on stage in front of him, all he can think about is that sultry green-eyed stare and the brazen way she moves, as if just for him. Trouble is, he knows this particular siren is a distraction he can’t afford, despite the gut-clenching desire she stirs in him. As right-hand man to a mob boss fighting a violent turf war, his life expectancy is already significantly reduced, and that’s if his damning secrets don’t get him killed first.

Tasha Morris is keeping secrets of her own, and she knows all about the real Jack Trainer, the one he can never afford to let anyone see. She also knows he’s close to the edge of no return. It’s her job to make sure he doesn’t implode and get them both killed, but to do that she’ll have to trust him with more than just her body, something she hasn’t been able to do with anyone.

As the risks multiply and the danger becomes insurmountable, Jack and Tasha will be forced to put aside their mistrust and work together. But when all their carefully manufactured lies come crashing down around them, the consequences might just be too much for either of them to bear.

Don't Read the Reviews, Janet!

I recently saw the movie, One For The Money, based on Janet Evanovich’s novel in her hit series. Here’s the blurb: Unemployed and newly-divorced Stephanie Plum lands a job at her cousin's bail-bond business, where her first assignment puts her on the trail of a wanted local cop from her romantic past.

This movie has gotten horrible reviews. I don’t know why. I enjoyed it. I thought it was great fun. I laughed out loud a number of times. And who wouldn’t want to be Stephanie caught between Ranger and Morelli? The characters were great and Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur was a riot.

Some movies are meant for fun and mindless entertainment. The film doesn’t have to be a theatrical masterpiece to be worth seeing. It’s every writer’s dream to see characters from their books come alive on screen—not to mention the financial rewards. So the reviews sucked. Reviews are opinions and everyone as a different one.

One bad review tends to feed off the other too. Have you noticed that? Bad reviews seem to replicate like a virus infecting future reviews on the same movie. Hmmm. For movies and books. Maybe the reviewer secretly LIKED it but doesn’t want to admit it. If they did that, they might then appear intellectually unsophisticated.

Maybe my tastes are eclectic (warped), but I like different. I like twists and sometimes a little dark, strange and unusual. You might see that in my writing.

Don't let bad reviews stop you from seeing movies or buying books you think you would enjoy. You might miss out on something fabu lous. I ignore the bad reviews, buy the books I think I like and go to movies I think I’ll like despite the bad reviews. Do you???

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

News:  I made a new sale this week to Ellora’s Cave! Yay! An erotic contemporary romance (tentative title) Spring Break XXX. I’m planning a series for this book.

Blurb: Spring Break beyond your wildest fantasies? If Justin Watkins can stop watching over his college students like Big Brother, he might convince the prim and proper Mariko Maquire to be his sex partner at the “invitation only” adult club called TropiX.
Mariko is in Fort Lauderdale on business, trying to secure new clients for her PR firm.
Abandoning prior commitments for one wickedly lustful evening—a one night stand of kinky sex—was not on her agenda.

Carter Bosworth is looking for an evening of sex games during his layover in the tropical playground. He’s a regular at TropiX and always open for a new thrill. His plans are sidetracked, but it may be to his benefit after all.

When potent heat develops between Justin and Mariko, she’s tempted into shedding her inhibitions, and an exploration in eroticism develops beyond her imagination at the fetish club.

USA Today Happy Ever After Interview

It was such a thrill for me to be interviewed by Joyce Lamb at USA Today - Happy Ever After blog.
If you'd like to check it out, here's the link: http://bit.ly/xjilVg

Joyce asked some really cool questions. Here's a sampling:

Joyce: Welcome to HEA, Kathy! Why do you write erotica?

Kathy: It's fun to write about sexuality with complete and open abandon. It's like riding a rollercoaster and racing down the big dip with your eyes wide open and your arms straight over your head. Some might prefer to hang on with eyes closed. You still get a good ride, but perhaps miss some of the thrill. Besides the explicit details, I enjoy writing the love story. I love happy endings.Why do I write erotica? What's the goofiest question anyone has ever asked me? My website says I'm a cytotechnologist, how does that and my interest in quantum physics feed my stories?

Joyce: Please tell us about your story in SWTWC, Tattoo Witch.

Kathy: Tattoo Witch is about a couple, Anita and Sam, who love each other, but their relationship is strained. They're argumentative and their love life has cooled. While vacationing in Ocean City, Md., they watch a couple having sex on the beach. Later, that same couple presents them with an offer they can't refuse — magical tattoos that will grant scorching sex beyond their wildest sexual fantasies. And it does. Their love life has never been better or more exciting, but there's a catch. This is dark magic and each tattoo comes with a curse. Like a drug, they want more despite the curses, until it gets out of hand. It's a love-conquers-evil story. Dark and sexy and romantic in a twisted kind of way. Of course, there's a romantic HEA. Recently, I saw a movie with a similar theme — Limitless. Instead of tattoos, the magic was a drug in the form of a pill that expanded the brain capacity. This pill had consequences, too.


Joyce: What's the goofiest question anyone has ever asked you about writing erotica? For example, someone once asked me how I do research for the love scenes in my novels. Naturally, I came back with a smart remark that left both our faces pink (had something to do with IRS tax deductions).

Kathy: I like the IRS tax deduction answer. I'll have to remember that one. Sometimes I get the question: Do I physically research all my love scenes to make sure they're accurate? I've responded a couple of ways like, "Stephen King writes about serial killers and ax-wielding, murdering writers. Would you ask him if he kills people for research?" On a rare occasion, I'll come back with a smart remark and answer, "Of course, every sleazy scene. The most exciting research I ever did was for scenes on planet Somerled in my sci-fi erotic book. I really enjoyed the interstellar travel to another planet, and oh my, a threesome with a shapeshifting dragon. Well, don't knock it until you try it."

Joyce: Your website says you're a cytotechnologist. A cytotech-who? (Imagine Joyce making the Scooby-Doo "ruhr?" face.) How does that and your interest in quantum physics feed your stories?

Kathy: As a cytotechnologist, I look for cancer under the microscope. I also assist doctors during biopsies. I guess I'm a bit of a science geek. I'm a huge sci-fi fan and have read (skimmed) a couple quantum physics books. I don't claim to understand it. Quantum physics is weird science. It's probably as much a philosophy as it is a science. How can you apply logic, never mind prove theories, to forces and events in the universe that don't behave logically? In my Demons in Exile series, I used an alternate universe (an artificially created world) that exists between dimensions. A couple quantum physics theories sparked this idea. One theory says that the universe is constantly splitting into parallel universes — billions of them. Another known theory says we inhabit 10 dimensions, 11 if you count time. How do they know that? Don't worry, I don't explain HOW the world was created or give readers lessons in quantum mechanics. Quantum physics is interesting, but reading more than a page or two at a time is a great cure for insomnia. Erotica is much more stimulating and entertaining.

For the full review, check out the HEA website for January 25, 2012 http://bit.ly/xjilVg
http://books.usatoday.com/happyeverafter/index

25 Healthy Snacks that Won’t Kill Your Diet

Eating on the run is one of the biggest enemies for people trying to stick to a healthy diet.

Fitness and Nutrition experts recommend eating small meals throughout the day (5 or 6). So what do you eat between breakfast and lunch and that long stretch between lunch and dinner that’s healthy and nutritious too? To help you keep on track with healthy eating with a weight loss program or weight maintenance program, skip the high carbohydrate, high sugar snacks such as pretzels, bagels, chips or cookies. Add in some protein, fruit or veggies to curb the hunger pangs. Here are a few suggestions.

1.      Green apple

2.      5 olives (45 calories)

3.      2 oz. turkey breast wrapped around a sliced tomato or pickle

4.      ¼ c. hummus, 3 carrot sticks (80 cal.)

5.      1 Laughing Cow Light Swiss wedge, celery sticks, or cracker thins

6.      6 almonds

7.      1 container Greek yogurt (unflavored-100 cal.)

8.      1 c. unshelled edamame (120 cal.)

9.      ¼ c. chicken salad made w/ chopped celery & low fat mayo

10.  2 pieces proscuito, 4 dried figs (154 cal.)

11.  1 (100 cal.) Balance Bar or low cal, low carb, low sugar protein bar.

12.   1 P90X Protein Bar (great before a workout)

13.   Shakeology shake

14.  1 hardboiled egg

15.  Non-fat cottage cheese

16.  Shrimp w/ cocktail sauce

17.  Celery and peanut butter

18.  1 string cheese

19.  Ham and low fat cheese slice roll-up

20.   Small piece beef jerky

21.  Orange slices

22.  Frozen grapes

23.  Sunflower seeds

24.  Roasted soybeans mixed with raisins

25.  1 Rice cake (brown, whole grain rice) w/ peanut butter or melted low-fat cheese

Carry healthy snacks with you to prevent over eating like unsalted almonds or trail mix. It’ll keep you from buying that giant cookie at Starbucks. And protein will give you added energy.

Pirates Get Published

If you get PublishersLunch, you might’ve seen the post on Thursday about “Plagiarized Titles Plague Kindle Stores”. Somehow this doesn’t surprise me considering I have to Google myself regularly to find pirating ebook sites giving away free downloads of my ebooks.

What’s the next logical step? Unethical people steal this material, re-title, slap a new book cover, add their name as the author and self-publish it on Amazon and on other ebook stores.

Erotica titles have been hard hit with this type of plagiarizing on Kindle.

FastCompany is investigating hundreds of plagiarized titles from Literotica, a free erotic fiction site. They found one author (thief) Maria Cruz had over 40 plagiarized titles, another Robin Scott had 31 books. Even after Amazon removed all 51 of Cruz’s titles, after all of the complaints, she posted new material days later.

Why? How? Why hasn’t Amazon and the other ebook stores banned her forever? And I do hope the money made off of those books will eventually be distributed to the rightful authors. Oh, and she is being sued right? At the very least. I have images of breaking fingers and smashing computers, and I’m not a violent person. I’m an ethical author. And any ethical author understands the hard work and time it takes to write a book.

It takes three seconds to steal one from the comfort of your laptop.

I don’t know if SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is the answer. There’s good and bad about that. But there has to be stronger enforcement.

Fast Company suggested a simple solution. Amazon would require an author to submit a valid credit card before self-publishing on Kindle. If later they’re found to have plagiarized, then $2,000 would be deducted from their CC. I don’t see that working either. For one thing, people can get debit cards with limited withdrawal amounts. And these “authors” are making a ton of money on these stolen ebooks, $2,000 is nothing. Not a deterrent. Ban them? Yes. Run content through plagiarism detectors like Turnitin or iThenticate? Yes, if they’re accurate. And legal action for theft.
I don’t mind competition with talented and honest authors, but it makes me ill to think thieves are on the Best Seller’s List with work they didn’t produce.