Saturday Night Serenade–It’s What I Like About You!

How is it possible that this is the last weekend of July?  Where has the summer gone?  I’m back to work in less than two weeks and I’m walking into a mine field.  I don’t even want to think about it.

Instead, I want to enjoy this summer Saturday night with my love.  I’ve often said it, he’s my happily-ever-after, the yin to my yang, the carrots to my peas.  We laugh a lot, and sometimes I post his witticism here.

Besides that, we’re huge dorks.  For example, sometimes we play alliterative word games, often favoring P for whatever reason.  “It’s the perfect point to prune the plumosa.”  “Precisely!”

He can come up with absurd lyrics to “any song, any time, anywhere.”  The other day, he was humming the Mary Tyler Moore theme.  Then he started singing, “We’re going naked to the ma-all.”  You know Bohemian Rhapsody, right?  Does anyone really understand all the words?  His version:  “Bag of douche, bag of douche, will you do the fandango?”

He makes me laugh.  It’s what I like about him.  Which brings us to this punk classic for tonight’s serenade.  I hope you push aside all your cares and worries in favor of laughing with the one(s) you love.  Tell them what you like about them.

Happy Saturday night!

Random Thursday Thought

I think the writers of the song Kumbayah were overpaid.–Mr. R.

Yes, he greets me with this today.  Just one of the things I’ll miss when my vacation is over.

I’m going to have that song stuck in my head all damn day.

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Today’s The Day!

I’m so excited to be celebrating Launch Day for the Rannigan’s Redemption Collection! 🙂

Pandora Spocks

Finally Available in One Boxed Set!

The Rannigan’s Redemption Collection

by Pandora Spocks

Rannigan’s Redemption is the story of the complicated relationship between sexy high-profile Manhattan attorney Michael Rannigan and sassy red-haired fellow lawyer Maggie Flynn.

Michael and Maggie meet at a job fair, where he hires her practically on the spot.  She’s smart and good her job.  But there’s more to it than he’s willing to admit.  He’s attracted to her.  Which doesn’t make sense.  She’s nothing like the women he dates.  She’s way too smart, for one thing.

And Maggie’s in love with him, too.  Realizing the situation is all but hopeless, she contents herself with working with him.

One night tears them apart.  And from that point they’re both just running rogue, each making questionable decisions in their professional and personal lives.

A moment of desperation brings them back together.  After Michael has burned all his…

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Saturday Night Serenade–So Glad to Be Home

Seven days.  Seven states.  Maryland, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, and Florida.  It’s great to be home!

I left Mr. R. at home with temptation (don’t think I didn’t see the wedge of cheesecake he had) and Jack, our 85-pound land shark, while I visited the parentals, and my son and daughter-in-law.  And don’t get me wrong, I had a great time.  But I was incredibly happy to get home last night.

Home, as it turns out, is not just a place.  While I love my folks and my boy, Mr. R. is my home.  And he has been, for over a decade now.  I missed him.  Who else ‘gets’ me?  Whose touch do I crave, whose laugh do I covet?

I couldn’t decided between these two songs, so I chose both of them.  Because when I returned, I found my sunshine.  And I’m so glad to be home.  I hope you’re ‘home’, wherever you are.

Happy Saturday night!

 

Saturday Night Serenade–I <3 The Eighties!

 

Thursday night, Mr. R. and I took Date Night to the Lake Worth Playhouse in glamorous Lake Worth, Florida, to see their production of the hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages.  It’s a romance set on the Sunset Strip of the decadent eighties, with a rocking soundtrack to back it up.

While they did not have the best quality vocals we’ve ever heard, the band kicked ass and the whole thing was great fun.

One of the many awesome 80s songs they did was Pat Benetar’s Shadows of the Night.  In choosing tonight’s video, I found several live versions but not the original video we watched back in the day.  Which was a bit disappointing, because one of the best things about the song was the harmony at the very beginning.  Those are missing in this version, but this is Pat in her heyday.

Rock of Ages was made into a movie a few years back, and it remains one of my guilty pleasures.  It’s hopelessly cheesy and features über douchebag Tom Cruise as rock god Stacy Jaxx, but I forgave them for that because the music is awesome.

I’m including the Shadows of the Night clip from the movie, and it’s a tiny bit risqué.  Oh well, it IS, after all, Saturday night.

So get out your parachute pants, your leg warmers, and your Aqua-net, baby, we’re going to rock the 80s one more time.  Happy Saturday night!

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Rannigan’s Redemption Collection Cover Reveal!

Shameless book plug here! This is the cover reveal for the Rannigan’s Redemption boxed set, out July 26. There’s an excerpt, too, but be forewarned…it’s a little naughty. 😉

Pandora Spocks

Introducing…

The Rannigan’s Redemption Collection boxed set!

This set is Michael and Maggie’s entire story and includes all three novels: Resisting Risk, Running Rogue, and Ransoming Redemption.

In a nutshell, what is Rannigan’s Redemption all about?

Rannigan’s Redemption is contemporary erotic romance.  It’s the story of the complicated relationship between sexy high-profile Manhattan attorney Michael Rannigan and sassy red-haired fellow lawyer Maggie Flynn.

Michael and Maggie meet at a job fair, where he hires her practically on the spot. She’s smart and good her job. But there’s more to it than he’s willing to admit. He’s attracted to her. Which doesn’t make sense. She’s nothing like the women he dates. She’s way too smart, for one thing.

And Maggie’s in love with him, too. Realizing the situation is all but hopeless, she contents herself with working with him.

One night of passion tears them apart. And from…

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Good Neighbors

Cops are in the news a lot this week.  If your only context for law enforcement officers was what you saw on television, you’d come away with the idea that they’re either power-drunk thugs or, incomprehensibly, targets.

Our next door neighbor Joel is a deputy with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.  He’s a regular guy.  You know, he mows his lawn, walks his dog, has friends over for pool parties and barbecues.  He also puts on that green uniform and badge everyday and heads out into the scary neighborhoods to try to help keep people safe.

One day a few weeks ago, while Mr. R. was at work, a guy showed up at our house.  Understand, we live in the country with an acre and a half of land.  Our property is completely fenced and there’s a gate across our driveway.  Nobody ever comes to the door.  And we like it that way.

Anyway, our 85-lb. land shark, Jack, started losing his mind when this guy, a stranger to me, unchained the gate and proceeded to make his way to our front door.  Between Jack’s ‘I’m not playing with you, bitch’ protestations and the ‘Bad Dog’ sign we’re required by the county to display in the front window (an unfortunate reminder of the time Jack decided to sample a neighbor lady who showed the lack of judgement to stand in our driveway), dude decided to return to his truck parked out front.

From there, he started honking.  Repeatedly.  Again, I did not know this man and there was no way I was going outside to see what he wanted.  Anxious about the situation, I texted Mr. R., who was at work twenty minutes away.  He was very clear about my course of action.  “Do NOT, under any circumstances, go outside to see what he wants.  And let me know when he leaves.”

When nearly half an hour had passed and he hadn’t heard from me, Mr. R. called.  “No,” I assured him, “dude is still out there honking.”

So my love called…Joel, who just happened to be on his way home from work and was only a block away.  He sped to my house and settled the situation calmly and assertively.  The guy was looking for his runaway teenage daughter and someone had given him our address as where she was staying.  Can you imagine if I’d opened the door to him in the beginning?  Would he have believed me when I said no, she’s not here?  He’d have demanded to search my house.

Of course, I thanked Joel profusely, as did Mr. R.  We even sent him a restaurant gift card as thanks.  He reassured us that no thanks was necessary and he was happy to do it, we should call him anytime.

When I see police shootings, I think about Joel.  He has a wife and a baby daughter.  He has hopes and dreams for his future.  And he works hard to do his job to the best of his ability.  There are lots of Joels out there.  I, for one, appreciate them.

Saturday Night Serenade–Rock of Ages

I may or may not have mentioned my enjoyment of musical theatre.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I just posted about it a week or so ago.

The musical Rock of Ages is a cheesy treasure trove of the best of 80s music, and by best, I mean the hair metal rock and power ballads, not that dippy new wave stuff Mr. R. enjoys.  The Broadway show was made into a movie and it’s completely possible that I’ve seen it once or twice, and maybe, potentially I might have sung along.  Loudly.

A couple of years ago, the touring company came to town for one night only.  My girl Mo and I grabbed ourselves a pair of tickets.  Looking back on it, it’s possible that they were still in their rehearsal/soft launch phase, because to tell the truth, it had a bit of a high school production feel to it.  Which was slightly disappointing, seeing as how we paid more than we ever would have paid for a high school show.  But, the music’s the thing, and we had a blast singing along.

So…the Lake Worth Playhouse (where Mr. R. and I saw a stellar production of Spamalot) is doing Rock of Ages starting this weekend.  My love and I have tickets for Thursday night and I’m so excited.  As good as Spamalot was, I have high expectations for the caliber of the performance and I know we’ll have fun, regardless.

This video is from the 2009 Tony performance.  It’s energetic, fun, nostalgic, and features a freaky cameo by Liza Minnelli.  I hope you love it like I do.  So rock out with your…

Ahem, well, anyway…  Happy Saturday night!

If It’s July, It Must Be Shakespeare

July is always a bit of a downer for me.  That’s because past the 4th of July, my summer vacation is more than half-way over.

However…

Mid-July brings Shakespeare by the Sea, the annual performance by the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival at Carlin Park in Jupiter.  Each year, they choose a play by the bard and give it their own spin.  This year, they’re doing The Taming of the Shrew, and it’s set at the Kentucky Derby.  Which has me shrugging my shoulders a bit, but I’m happy to go along for the ride.

The play is performed at the Seabreeze Amphitheatre across the street from the beach.  Patrons of all ages are invited to bring picnic suppers, wine, blankets, and lawn chairs as they come to enjoy an evening of entertainment.

A couple of years ago, my folks were visiting along with my six-year-old niece, Lily, and I was so excited to take them to see Much Ado About Nothing.  They were not convinced that Lily would be content to watch a Shakespeare play.  But once we arrived and got settled, some of the actors came out and interacted with her.  When the curtain went up, she was riveted.

The event runs for two consecutive long weekends and is free, with a suggested donation of $5 to cover their expenses.  At last year’s performance of Hamlet, an actor performed a private sonnet in exchange for your donation.

I love everything about this video.  The actor is spot-on, his young audience handles the one-on-one attention with aplomb, and you get the feel of sitting on the hillside waiting for the play to begin.

So tonight, we take our picnic and enjoy opening night of The Taming of the Shrew.  I love this part of July!

2016 cast of The Taming of the Shrew

A 4th of July Freebie

I hope everyone’s having a fabulous Fourth!  I love this day–all the picnics, barbecues, trips to the beach (Unless it’s crusted over with blue green algae, don’t even get me started!).

There will be fireworks tonight.  Mr. R. took himself to the fireworks store and returned with enough pyrotechnics to power us into the next millennium.

But I wanted to let you know that today is also the last day you can get my latest book, a naughty little summer novella called Just One Night, for FREE.  It’s exclusively on Amazon and here’s the LINK.

If you like your romance spicy, follow my Pandora Spocks author blog for the latest news and updates.  I often post excerpts of my books and occasionally from my works in progress.

And…I’m having a major book launch before the end of July.  How’s that for a teaser?

For today, hurry on over and get a great beach book for FREE.  Happy 4th of July!