A Little Southern Comfort...


Designing Women - my favorite bit of southern comfort!
I love my life. Seriously. I have a wonderful husband, an amazing daughter and the career I always knew I wanted but never had a clue how to achieve. I work most days in my jammies or my most comfortable jeans and tees, I talk to really interesting people all over the world and I have a supporting cast of friends, CPs and family who push me to be better.

My debut, What a Texas Girl Wants, releases on June 4 and that has me absolutely flying!

And yet, I have those days. You know, the not-enough-chocolate-in-the-world days? Those days, I need a comfy blankey (my Coke blankey is my fave), my super-duper Betty Boop pjs and a great story. Most times I pick up a book. Nora is always a feel-good read, maybe Lisa Wingate -- especially if I'm in a wanna-sniffle-a-bit mood or Jayne Ann Krentz if i want some action mixed in with my drama. But there are days when a book just won't do it. When I'm too overwhelmed to engage my imagaination enough for a take-me-away read...or I'm sick. Those days I reach for feel good television and - 9 times out of 10 - I reach for 1 specific show writer. Linda Bloodworth Thomason, the creator and original writer (all 35 episodes of the first couple seasons) of Designing Women...a show that is still my favorite sit-com. Sure, I love all the 'today' favorites, but Designing Women holds a very special place in my heart. I think its a kid-from-the-80s thing.

Four women talking about life, figuring out love and telling people off on a weekly basis? I was in heaven!! I could escape from farm-ville (not that I didn't love it) and be part of oh-so-glamorous (to me) Atlanta, where Scarlett O'Hara might still be found...where adventures happened every week (even if the adventure was just a washed up baseball player finding himself in Suzanne's bedroom or Mary Jo confronting a purse snatcher or Charlene giving her singing dream another shot) and the characters always knew exactly what to say at the exactly right moment to really get their point (or zing) across.

I kind of was Charlene -- a naive, country girl. But oh, how I wanted to be as glamorous as Suzanne, as mouthy as Julia or as innocent-yet-tough as Mary Jo. I still do, actually. I want to be all the Designing Women wrapped up in a Kristina bow. And that is why Linda Bloodworth Thomason is one of my favorite writers...sure, I can't pick up a copy of one of her books, but I can pop in a DVD and revisit those characters that helped me figure out who I was, who I wanted to be and what I would believe in. Things I still believe in to this day.

Friendship. Honor. Love. Family. Isn't that what we all strive for? Who is your comfort read - or watch, as the case may be?

Comments

  1. I LOVED Designing Women and can see why you wanted to be all of them. My favorite comfy read? I go for an old time romance, the first ones I read when I was fourteen. I have all of her books-Emilie Loring. And I turn to Dick Francis mysteries. I adore those!

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    1. I *love* Emilie Loring's books, Vicki! The summer between my sophomore and junior years in High School I found an old box filled with them in my grandmother's house. Devoured them - the pages had yellowed and the spines were cracked, but I loved every second of them. Thanks for stopping by today!

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  2. Nora is always a comfort read but a comfort TV show would be either M*A*S*H or Seinfeld.

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    1. Oh, M*A*S*H...I was such a sucker for Hawkeye! But I *still* can't watch the final 3 episodes without completely breaking down... Thanks for stopping by, Sharon!

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  3. A comfort read is more of a story type for me...a contemporary romance...one that I can envision myself in...something that can truly happen. I don't have one particular author I love...it just depends on the story and my mood. If I read the back blurb and it grabs my attention, I'm there :)

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    1. Good points, Christine! Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. Oooh, I grew up on Emilie Loring! My comfort read is Betty Neels. But do I ever agree with you about Linda Bloodworth Thomason--I think she was a closet romance writer who got caught up in TV by accident! She wrote about strong, funny women, and there just isn't much better than that.

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    1. Exactly, Liz! Julia's relationship with Reese, Charlene's marriage to Bill, Suzanne's on-going 'friendship' with her ex Dash and Mary Jo falling for JD - and then letting him go. *sigh* PS: love Betty Neels, too.

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  5. On my way to the DDJ. Love that show, and those characters. Hot in Cleveland reminds of it a bit!

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    1. I haven't watched that one, D'Ann...may have to check it out. Hope the DDJ isn't horrible today!

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  6. Great minds think alike....http://montanaromancewriters.blogspot.com/2012/05/comfort-reading.html

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  7. You pegged my comfort read - Jayne Ann Krentz. I don't know why, but when I'm really down that is who I reach for. I'll take any of her incarnations - JAK, Jayne Castle, Amanda Quick. Her heroines are strong, her heroes are interesting, and you always know things will work out in the end.

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    1. JAK/AQ/JC is a definite comfort read for me...My un-secret guilty pleasure of late is the Arcane series, in which she writes trilogies as each of her pen-names. So yummy!!!

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  8. Great post! Whenever I cuddle up to watch a sitcom it's Everybody Loves Raymond and Three's Company. Love 'em! Any book off my keeper shelf will suit me :)

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  9. I love Designing Women, but my comfort show has always been The Golden Girls. As for a comfort read, I just close my eyes and pick anything on my book or cyber shelf.

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