Live to Love on the Edge Blog

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Customer Service Reigns at Southwest Airlines

Thanks to both of my jobs and my family’s love of travel, I often have to fly to get to an assortment of destinations. You can imagine that in all that time I’ve faced a number of dilemmas. Cancelled flights. Lost luggage. Turbulent rides. The latter being one of the worst since I have a fear of heights and am not a comfortable passenger in those twenty-five thousand foot high roller coasters.

I know there is nothing that a pilot can sometimes do about those rough rides and I just wait them out as best I can.

But there is something airlines can do about the rest and to my very pleasant surprise Southwest Airlines did just that.

When floods in Nashville forced me to change my flight to Orlando, the only Southwest Airlines charge was the difference in the cost of the two tickets due to the change in destination. No $150 change fee the way my normal carrier charges when stuff happens and flights need to get changed. The change fee would lower to $50 if I waited to do it on the same day as the flight, but no one ever advised me of that. I discovered that fact online recently.

Did I mention that I was originally flying Southwest because their rates were so much cheaper than my normal carrier’s that it was worth the drive down to Philadelphia? 217 versus 337?

I had two big bags with me, one with clothes and one with promo materials. Cost with my normal carrier: $60 if checked at the airport or $55 if done online. Cost with Southwest: $0. Yes, you are seeing that right. Zero dollars for two bags.

Money saved so far: $240 (120 plus 120 in baggage fees).

When I arrived in Orlando I discovered that the handle on my bag had gotten ripped off on one side making it nearly impossible for me to lift it. I headed to the luggage claim area and within about five minutes was handed a brand new bag to replace the one that had been damaged. Nicer than my old beat up bag and with a TSA approved lock to boot.

No questions, no problems. A warm smile on the face of the rep as she helped me deal with the bag issue.

What more can you ask for?

How about roomier seats and more leg room? Yep, you got that, too.

Which leaves me with only one question: When are you coming to Newark, Southwest Airlines?

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RWA Conference 2010

Today is a different adventure on Travel Tuesday, this time pictures from my recent visit to the 2010 RWA National Conference!

I had a great time meeting with fans, fellow authors, editors and agents. The book signings went well and at the public book signing, RWA raised $55,000 to contribute to its literacy campaign. Awesome news.

The days were long and filled with appointments, even on Thursday when a few of us went over to do a run through all four Disney parks. Yes, four of them in one day!

It was wonderful to share the time with my friends and fellow authors, especially my buddy Shelley who was visiting Disney for the first time. Big hoorah to Rayna for organizing a whirlwind tour of the parks for us. Not only did we see so many interesting things and enjoy a mess of rides, while waiting in line we worked on book plots and titles and discussed market trends. We even met an interested reader on the little tram on the way back to our car!

So don’t be surprised if I end up doing a story titled ONE DAY PARK HOPPER. LOL!

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Guilty Pleasure Freddie Prinze Jr.

Copyright Miramax PicturesI’m back and I want to thank all of you who were able to drop by and visit with me at the RWA Conference. It was a pleasure meeting you and being able to share a little time with you. I’ll have some photos for you tomorrow!

I was exhausted when I got home, but it was great to be able to hang with my family again. One thing we did was catch up on some our favorite shows that I’d missed while I was away, including PSYCH (so much fun!). One of the shows featured Freddie Prinze Jr. as a nerd-in-hiding which of course prompted today’s Guilty Pleasure.

There is a boy-next-door dimpled cuteness to Freddie that is so hard to resist! My favorite movie of his is SHE’S ALL THAT with Rachel Leigh Cook (who also did some time on PSYCH as Shawn Spencer’s girlfriend). Yes, I know it’s that silly Cinderella girl-takes-off-the-glasses-and-becomes-hot story, but sometimes you just need to believe in the fairy tale!

Do you have a favorite Freddie Prinze movie? Do you hate or love those fairy tales kinds of movies? Inquiring minds want to know!

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Liz Fichera’s CAPTIVE SPIRIT

I’m on a jet plane on my way to Orlando for the RWA National Conference, so I have one of my friends and fellow Carina Press authors dropping by to help me out on this Wicked Wednesday! Give a big hand to Liz Fichera who is here to chat with us about her new release, CAPTIVE SPIRIT.

Without further ado, here’s Liz!

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I believe that we can thank Stephenie Meyer and the jaw-droppingly successful TWLIGHT SAGA franchise for the growing popularity of Native Americans in mainstream books and film. And unless you’ve been hiding underneath a rock, you’ve probably heard of the very talented and supremely hawt, Taylor Lautner (aka Jacob Black), who claims some Native American ancestry (specifically Ottawa and Potawatomi) through his mother. Definitely add me to the ranks of Team Jacob!

I adore books with Native American characters, legends, epic themes, rugged settings and, of course, a love story. These are also the type of books that I love to write.

CAPTIVE SPIRIT is my historical romance debut from Carina Press. It’s very much a modern-day love story set in the Sonoran Desert at the dawn of the sixteenth century among people known as the Hohokam Indians. I’m very pleased to be able to share a first chapter excerpt and a cool book trailer on Caridad’s blog today. I’d love to know what you think.

But first, here’s a tease:

Aiyana isn’t like the other girls of the White Ant Clan. Instead of keeping house, she longs to compete on the Ball Court with her best friend Honovi and the other boys. Instead of marriage, she daydreams of traveling beyond the mountains that surround her small village. Only Honovi knows and shares her forbidden wish, though Aiyana doesn’t realize her friend has a secret wish of his own…

When Aiyana’s father arranges her marriage to a man she hardly knows, she takes the advice of a tribal elder: Run! In fleeing, she falls into the hands of Spanish raiders and finds herself being taken over the mountains against her will. Now Aiyana’s on a quest to return to the very place she once dreamed of escaping. And she’ll do whatever it takes to survive and find her way back to the people she loves.

Click here to read the first Chapter Excerpt for CAPTIVE SPIRIT

Do you think there are enough Native American characters in books and films? Too much, not enough? Do you have a fav Native American actor? P.S. I harbor a secret crush on Adam Beach of SMOKE SIGNALS fame. Feel free to comment for a chance to win a free digital copy of CAPTIVE SPIRIT.

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About Liz: Liz Fichera is an author from the American Southwest by way of Chicago. She likes to write stories about ordinary people who do extraordinary things, oftentimes against the backdrop of Native American legends. When she’s not plotting her next novel, you can find her on Facebook or her blog, discussing writing, books, hunks du jour, LOST reruns or the best brands of chocolate. Please visit her web site because it can get real lonely in the desert: http://www.lizfichera.com/.

CAPTIVE SPIRIT is available through Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever digital books are sold.

For more information on Liz and her books, check out these links:

Liz’s web site: http://www.lizfichera.com/
Click here to purchase CAPTIVE SPIRIT

Take a moment to watch the book trailer down below or if you can’t see the video, please cut and paste this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZBockaqWas

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Forever Books to Raise Money for Breast Cancer in Honor of Author Jennifer Haymore

As many of you who visit the blog know, my Dangerous Woman buddy Jennifer Haymore was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her publisher and mine, Grand Central Publishing, is helping Jennifer and others fight this disease with a raffle. Here are the details and please feel free to share them!

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Forever Books will hold a raffle at the Romance Writers of America National Convention later this week to raise money for BreastCancer.Org in support of author Jennifer Haymore.

Haymore, author of the forthcoming A Season of Seduction, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer earlier this year. After undergoing a successful surgery, Haymore is responding well to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She has been able to continue writing through her treatments but she’s had to make other adjustments, including missing this year’s Romance Writers of America National Convention.

Haymore’s publisher, Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, is passionate about supporting their author through the disease. Because Haymore is unable to attend the RWA convention, Forever has decided to hold a raffle to raise money for Breast Cancer awareness. 100% of the proceeds will go to www.breastcancer.org , a non-profit organization selected by Haymore, which is dedicated to providing information and community to those touched by this disease.

“Between my family, friends and fans, I have an incredible support system,” said Haymore. “However, I know not everyone affected by the disease is as lucky as I am to be surrounded by such love and support, which is why I chose to support BreastCancer.org. The organization has been an invaluable resource, connecting me to others who can relate to my experience.”

The raffle at RWA will consist of four prizes: an editor critique, an agent critique, a character name in one of Haymore’s upcoming books, and a collection of books signed by bestselling romance authors. Tickets will cost $3 for one ticket, or $5 for two, and will be sold throughout the conference. The prize drawing will be held on Saturday, July 30 during the Grand Central Publishing Book Signing (Disney Swan hotel, Southern hemisphere, Salon 1). The drawing will be held at approximately 4:15.

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If you will not be at RWA, you can also help by clicking here to visit the Danger Women Writing Fight Breast Cancer store or checking out the products below.


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Guilty Pleasure Javier Bardem

He was serial killer scary in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, but this weekend, as I watched VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, my heart did a little pitter patter each time Javier Bardem stepped onto the screen.

Those sexy bedroom eyes, deep and mysterious. Dimples and a smile that transforms his face. Handsome in a rugged way, not pretty like Brad Pitt.

I’m not a celebrity watcher, but you don’t have to be to know he married Penelope Cruz recently. She was also in the movie playing his crazed gun-wielding ex-wife. Besides marrying an actress, Javier comes from a long line of people involved in Spanish cinema. I’m glad he made the transition to English-speaking roles so that we had a chance to discover him!

The movie was interesting. I might watch it again for more glimpses of Javier if time allows. The themes in the movie are definitely adult, so this is one for you and your hubby or girlfriends.

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Getting Organized Redux with the Butler Bag

It seems only right to continue with yesterday’s discussion of getting organized, especially since I came across (1) a nice blog about getting organized and (2) a great way to keep your purse in order (don’t you just hate digging through everything to find what you want?)

So you can click here to visit Launcher’s Cafe for a blog about taking 15 minutes to get organized!

Next, pop on over to the fabulous Butler Bag site for a look at some compartmentalized hand bags that will surely help you keep things in order. I learned about these great bags from my best friend who is interning with this company!

Maybe when it feels like 105 on Saturday you’ll decide to stay indoors and let your inner Felix out.

Have a great weekend!

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