Fun_Stuff

Frebbies:

Short stories written by Lissa Larer, free for your reading pleasure.

Click on the link below:

One Christmas Wish

To The Stars And Back

Little Miss Peacock

Long Lost Kin

Recipes:

Lissa's Shrimp and Brown Rice

What you will need:

4 cups prepared, cooked brown rice

40 deviened shrimp

1 Green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 Red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)

Handful shelled sunflower seeds

Garlic salt to taste

Old Bay seasoning to taste

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray, or sesame oil

Procedure:

Saute shrimp in skillet with a few sprays of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Old Bay and garlic salt until shrimp turns pink. Add green and red peppers, sunflowers, and the mushrooms if you wish. Cook for 4 minutes, uncovered, over medium heat.

Serve over brown rice. Makes 4 servings. Serve with Margaritas. Enjoy!

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Random Stuff About Lissa:

1. What she's reading right now: Cosmo. And is trying to get to her TBR pile of books.

2. New fave song: "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven

3. Favorite food: Seafood, or salads. Mexican and Chinese food.

4. Favorite flower: Daisy.

5. Favorite movies: "The Holiday" and "How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days."

6. Is a night owl.

7. Favorite color is yellow.

8. Hates shallow and fake people.

9. Shops too much.

10. Loves to decorate and has an addiction to HGTV. Love gardening, too!

11. Loves hard rock music. Hates Country music (no offense)

12. Believes in fate and karma.

13. Has been to over 150 + rock concerts.

14. Is secretly plotting a movie script.

15. Has been known to pull over on freeways to pick wildflowers.

16. Plans to move to Deadwood, SD someday.

17. Loves to travel.

18. In college she planned to be a 5th grade teacher, until her Profs reined in her first love of creative writing. (Thank you Patricia and Nancy.)

19. Remembers her dreams each night. (Yeah, crazy, but she does.)

20. Family and friends mean the world to her.

Dream Holiday: Paris.

Next road trip: Destination Grand Canyon.

Favorite Quote:

"Don't just think about, do it. Don't just talk about it, do it." - Phyllis Diller

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FAQ:

Q: Where do you get your ideas for your books?

A: From everywhere! I can be driving down the road and an idea will pop into my head. I once got an idea for a book this way...How To Lasso a Cowboy...by the time I got home, I already had the basis mapped out. I write the kind of books I would love to read.

Q: How do you begin your story?

A: I start with a character sketch...the hero and heroine. From there the characters come alive and take on a life of their own -- what's their purpose, why do they 'need' to be together or meet. From there, I draw on ''what if'. What if they did this or that? How will this further the story, build up the climax. Once I start writing, the characters seem to take on a life of their own and I have to write to get them from point A to point B. They tell me where they want to go.

Q: How much research do you do before writing?

A Lots. I like to do hands-on research and visit places to get a feel for what I'm writing about. I live in the Northwest, a perfect place for a western backdrop filled with much history.

Q: What advice do you have for writers?

A: Write what you know. Study the craft and read books on writing. Take writing courses, find a good critique partner or group and listen to them. 9 times out of ten, they're right. Edit, edit, edit. "The Elements of Grammer" and "The Elements of Writing" are my bibles. Your first book, or even your fourth might not be the one editors are looking for. But writers never give up...like my young daughter once said: "I would hate to be old and look back and think, I could've wrote a book for people to read..."

Q: How to Lasso a Cowboy would make a great movie. Who would you want to see play Justin and Kate?

A: Ooo, definitely Josh Duhamel (I think he's got cowboy appeal written all over him) and the lovely Catherine Zeta Jones. Kate is actually based on her.

Q: Will there be a sequel to How to Lasso a Cowboy?

A: I received many letters from readers wanting to read Sonny's story, and I was touched that they enjoyed him as much as I did writing about Kate's ranch hand. Maybe in the future.

Q: How do you pronounce your first name?

A: Just like "Lisa" with 2 S's. 3 S's would have been too long.

You know you're a writer if...

- You always carry a notebook with you.

- You say, 'I should write that down.'

- The sun is up but you haven't gone to bed yet.

- You stare out the window going over ideas in your head.

- You see a total stranger and instantly can 'describe' them in your head.

- Your ears are always open to conversations around you.

- You have files and files of research documents.

- Your morning ritual is coffee, check e-mails, surf the net, write, check e-mails, plot,

research, check e-mails.

- You have certain music you listen to for different scenes in your book.

- Pajamas are your work clothes.

A few of Lissa's Favorite things...

What Your Favorite Color

Tells About You!

READ ALL and FOLLOW the directions and then choose the color your first and second color choices to see what your choice reveals about your personality.

Color is very important part of your life. Your favorite colors are reflected in your home and in the clothing that you wear. Thus your emotional and physical well-being is strongly influenced by the colors around you. Few people are aware of the amazing accuracy of color in analyzing personality. But scientific study has shown that color psychology is a simple and effective clue to who you really are. Color can actually be a key to unlocking the secrets of your personality. Since the earliest days of human kind, color has been a significant force in people's lives; it has been used to chase away evil, gain comfort, heal the human body, and much more. The impact of color is universal, cutting across both time and culture barriers.

This simple color test below can show you new and interesting facets of your innermost feelings, goals, and behavior. Be sure to read the instructions before taking the test.

HOW TO TAKE THIS TEST

1. Choose the color you most prefer from the following choices: Blue, Red, Black, Green, Brown, Yellow, Gray, Purple. (I know black isn't a color but I didn't write this preference test!)

2. After choosing your favorite color, choose the color that you like second best.

3. After making the two selections, Go to Section I of the test and locate the paragraph describing your first color choice. Read the description.

4. After reading the appropriate paragraph from Section I, Go to Section II of the test, locate the paragraph describing your second color choice and read that.

You will now have a composite description of your basic personality in terms of behavior and goals. Read the introduction to each test section to clarify the meaning of each color you selected.

SECTION I - - First Color Preference

Your first color choice--the color that you like the most--describes your basic personality traits. These traits form the image that you project to other people, and they are the means or methods of behavior by which you attempt to reach your goals. They describe your basic behavior style.

From the following section, read carefully the personality profile that corresponds to your color preference. It will describe your basic personality traits.

If your first choice is red: Your are an aggressive, extroverted person with strong desires and a craving for action. You are energetic, impulsive, have a tremendous drive for success. You are quick to take sides and make judgments. However, you are not unreasonably stubborn, and in fact, may sometimes be too easily swayed in your feelings and attitudes. You dislike monotony in any form, and your search for activity may sometimes make you appear fickle. You tend to lack perseverance but my reach success through sheer energy and force of personality. You tend toward extremes in all that you do. This also applies to your temper, moods, attitude and emotions. Be careful to avoid blaming others for your failures.

If your first choice is blue: You have a basic need for a calm, harmonious, tension-free existence. You are inclined to be somewhat cautious in the way you dress, act, and speak. You are generally a conscientious worker in whatever it is you do. While you make a loyal and trustworthy friend, you may sometimes tend to be impatient with the ideas of others, especially if they differ from your own. You are skeptical of strangers and prefer people with backgrounds similar to yours. If you are a blue personality, happiness is not viewed as a natural state; therefore, you are delighted when it does occur.

If your first choice is green: This indicates stability, balance, and persistence, when you start something, you finish it! You are a good citizen, a respectable neighbor, and a concerned parent. You are inclined to be frank, moral, and sensitive to social etiquette. Your reputation is highly important to you, but you do delight in hearing of the scandals of others. You are an affectionate and loyal friend, lover and spouse.

If your first choice is yellow: Yellow indicates a yearning for the new, the modern and an expanding future. You are inclined to be intellectual, idealistic, and highly imaginative. Yellow is the color of the creative and artistic individual. However, you may be rather shy and hesitant with other people, causing you to appear aloof. You are driven by lofty ideas and are more likely to dwell in theory than to take concrete action. If you are a yellow personality, you should take care to avoid overindulgence in fantasy.

If you first color is purple: You may believe that you are set apart and unique from other people. You are highly sensitive and observant and may be quite temperamental. In fact, although you are generally tolerant, you can be quite sarcastic. It is very likely that you are highly talented artistically and prefer a world of fantasy to the world of reality. Often your behavior is inconsistent or indecisive. You enjoy impressing others with a display of creativity, glamour or authority. You may confide freely in close friend, but it is often difficult for them to completely understand you.

If your first choice is brown: This indicates a steady, reliable character. You have a keen sense of duty and rarely shirk responsibility, which may lead others to take advantage of you. You have a natural talent and shrewdness for managing money, both your own and that of others. You have a strong need for physical well-being, security, and a sense of belonging, so you place great emphasis upon home and family.

If your first choice is black: You are greatly dissatisfied with existing circumstances. You feel pressured by forces beyond your control, and you rebel against accepting things as they are. You want to be master of your own destiny. You carry yourself with dignity. You are inclined to conceal your real personality and emotions from others. You find it difficult to be carefree, but in public you may put forward an image of wit and cleverness.

If your first choice is gray: You have a deep desire to conceal yourself from the world. You are reluctant to become involved and therefore avoid committing yourself completely to anything. Thus, your participation in most things is superficial and detached, and often you simply go through the motions.

SECTION II--Second Color Choice

While your first color preference shows the behavior by which you attempt to reach your goals, your second choice points out what your goal is. By combing the meanings of your first and second color preferences you arrive at a clearer understanding of your personality. From the following paragraphs, locate your second color choice. After examining the description of your goal, weight this goal against the profile given in Section I. When you have examined both the personality and goal descriptions of your first and second color choices, you will have more complete understanding of your basic goal and of the methods you use to achieve that goal.

If your second choice is red: This indicates that your basic goal is to achieve an exciting, adventurous life-style that is filled with activity.

If your second choice is blue: This indicates that your major objective is having a harmonious and tranquil existence that is free from strife.

If your second choice is green: This indicates that your major goal is to gain recognition and acceptance of your views as an individual.

If your second choice is yellow: This indicates that your objective is to be involved in things that are new and promise a better future.

If your second choice is purple: This indicates that your major goal is to fascinate and enchant others. You also seek stimulation from others.

If your second choice is brown: This indicates that your major drive is for complete security and physical and mental comfort.

If your second choice is black: This indicates that your major drive in life is to avoid being dominated or influenced in your life-style.

If your second choice is gray: This indicates that your goal is to be uninvolved in the pressures of life and society.