The List

Do you remember the episode of Friends when Ross and Rachel agreed to the list of celebrities they could sleep with if they met them in person? Then Ross laminated his list? lol That was an awesome episode. Well, the other day I got to thinking about who would be on my list if me and my husband agreed to one. Which I'm sure he would. If I asked him. Which I probably won't.

Anyway, I also wondered if I would even be able to narrow it down. I tend to be like a teenager who crushes on every celebrity she sees. Will I ever grow out of that? Do I even want to? But I am going to try to narrow it down. See how it works out.

1. Patrick Dempsey. Of course. McDreamy had to be first on my list. Do I even need to provide an explanation? That poor man would never had a chance. (Let's ignore the fact that if I ever did meet him in person, I would probably not say a word and hide until I stopped hyperventilating).

2. Jimmy Fallon. He's my sweetheart. He's funny and he has a cute smile. Not to mention, we were born the same year, which gives us a special connection. Like a stalker/stalkee connection.

3. Jimmie Johnson. Nascar stars count as celebrities right? I can't believe he moved down to third on this list. For so long he was number one! And that makes two Jimmy's on my list. I guess I just like a good Jimmy. Heh.

4. David Boreanaz. I love David and I love him as Booth. He plays a great guy who I was would love to hang out with, but, despite all that, I still think of him as Angel first. The vampire with a soul. Who gets a little nooky and turns bad. I loved him bad. He was hot bad.

Hmm... What? Where am I?

5. Chef Gordon Ramsay. There's a lot of passion there and I'm thinking it's not just for food. Shut it down, indeed!

6. Noah Wyle. He's relatively new in my life since Falling Skies started (he was a bit overshadowed by George Clooney in his ER days), but oh so hot with that beard and mustache. Thank God the aliens came down and took all their razors. That is what happened, right? I'm still having a hard time keeping up.

7. Garth Brooks. He's getting up there now, but still hot. And like Chef Ramsay, there's a lot of passion there. Plus, apparently he likes blondes. I think I have a chance! Watch out, Trisha!

8. Justin Timberlake. He's a younger man, but you know, I think I could handle it. Him, on the other hand...He'd probably have to run. I'm a special kind of awesome.

9. John Krasinki. I still have my "I love Jim" shirt. 'Nuff said! Of course I liked him better in the beginning of The Office with his floppy hair, but he's still cute! There are very few men I'll wear on my chest.

10. Brad Pitt. Yes, he was a jerk to Jennifer Anniston. Yes, he would have to get all kinds of shots and a chemical bath before I'd sleep with him since he's been with Angelina Jolie (who slept with Billy Bob Thornton! Eww!). But oh man, all I have to do is watch Legends of the Falls and I'm his again. He will be on my list forever!

That's my list for now. I do have some other people I could add. There's the Damon/Affleck duo. Yes, both. Oh and Ryan Reynolds is an up-and-comer on my list. Heh. Up and comer. Did you see his naked backside in that movie with Sandra Bullock? Hmm...

Can I have 10 more? Or would that just be greedy? Oh well...

Sunday Thoughts

I'm going to do something I haven't done in a very long time. I'm going to talk about racing. Really, Melly? Racing? That sport that you center your books around? That's what you're going to talk about? Yes, I am. Because despite the fact I can rarely watch an entire race anymore, I still pay attention to the big news and visit NASCAR.com frequently. Not daily like I used to...but a lot. There was a time I was on there every day and had a subscription to the weekly NASCAR Scene newspaper, which was then called the Winston Scene. Those were the days... Anyway, I digress.

I'm thrilled that it looks like Jimmie is *this* close to winning the championship for the third year in a row. I mean, seriously??? I admit that when I first became a fan it was mostly because he was hot in his fire suit while the racing came second, but I had no idea it would end up like this! I'm just so proud of my guy...even if he did marry someone who wasn't me...but it won't last. I know it. Anyday now! *fingers crossed*

BTW, did you know that Jimmie didn't even win Rookie of the Year? Nope, Ryan Newman did. How do I know? Because I'm awesome of course and know way too much about the man. Plus, that was the year I became a lifelong fan.

But that wasn't what I was going to talk about believe it or not. We all know Jimmie is awesome...that goes without saying. But if I had to pick the NASCAR driver I admire most in the world that would be Kyle Petty. He's just such a great man and does so much for the sport and the world. After his son Adam died racing in 2000, he didn't just quit while cursing the sport that took his son away from him. Instead he went back out and raced week after week using his son's number in tribute to him. He's not even that great of a racer...but just seeing him there week after week made my heart smile. Once in awhile I'd see him help out another driver even though he'd lose his position in the race (as bad or as good as that could be at the time). But he'd do whatever he could to help.

In fact, I modeled Jake from my books after him...not totally him, but just in the way his personality was much more important than his skills as a racer ever were.

Anyway, I wasn't sure what Kyle had been up to in the past few years until I saw an article about him today on NASCAR.com.

Basically it said he's been running a limited schedule while they test out different drivers and that he has a lot of things going on right now (including his awesome Victory Junction Camp he built in memory of his son) and that he wanted to race, but wasn't sure if he would. But what made me want to cry is this:

One minor issue is the use of the No. 45, which Petty began using as a tribute to Adam, who was killed at New Hampshire in 2000. If he remains at Petty Enterprises, the No. 45 would likely be used in only the races Petty drives.

But if he leaves for another team, the number won't go with him.

"The only thing I've asked is that if I'm not driving that number anymore, they put it on a shelf for a season and put some space between it before they use it again," Petty said.

Aww... It just brings tears to my eyes. I just can't imagine a world without Kyle Petty racing in it. The world needs more selfless men like him.

If you want to see what a great man* can do, check this out: Victory Junction Camp

(And his wife Pattie of course. I didn't forget her, I was just focusing on Kyle for the blog).

C-c-c-changes

There is a lot going on in my world right now, so if I seem a bit distracted on my blog, I apologize. In addition to my son starting high school (which has brought on its own changes, some good and some bad), we are going to be moving out again--probably this week, and my job is not going to be the same come October 1st. I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen with either of these things since it's still kind of up in the air at the moment.

But in the meantime, I don't want to neglect my blog, so if anyone would like a shot at guest blogging, let me know! Oh, and I'm always looking for interviews!!! Please put the word out there to any writers or anyone who you'd think would have fun with it.

Yesterday I was watching a NASCAR race. My first race in a long time and it brought me back to where my whole writing dream began. I want to find that magic again. I'm hoping I'll be ready soon. It's time.

Fall is upon us. A season of change. Whether we like it or not...

I miss summer already.

Raced out.

Sometimes I'm worried that people are going to see my books and think they're all about racing. Because they're not. In fact, to me, racing is just the setting. The people in the books are the story. I put enough racing knowledge in my books so that's it realistic, but I try not to overwhelm everyone with a lot of details.

I do this because I know that a lot of people aren't big fans of the sport. (Yes, it is a sport...ask any racing fan).

I wrote On the Run before Harlequin's deal with NASCAR and before a lot of other authors wrote NASCAR books. And yes, sometimes I pout to myself and think, "Hey, that's my idea!" But as you learn in life, if you snooze you lose.

I'll just keep telling myself I write them better. ;o)