Match Socks in the Summer? I Simply Say 'Nay’

Summer in Minnesota. The glorious time when we peel off the layers and bask in the sun…while covered in sunscreen and insect repellant.

With summer comes a little thing I love: shoes that don’t require socks. With three kids, socks finding, washing, matching, folding and putting away is a time consuming task. I’m sure some moms and dads out there have it down to a science and rock it like it’s nobody’s business. That’s simply not me.

So, come June when school is out and sandals and flip flops are the uniform, my sock box (you know, for the stragglers and mismatches) gets lower and lower on my dresser. It gets blocked by swimming suits and the random sweatshirt until finally, it’s completely out of sight and blessedly out of mind.

Right until September when the thermometer readings get lower and lower and school begins again—but I’m not thinking that far ahead. No, my friends, I’m in the not-washing-matching-fussing with socks mind set and I’m loving it!

All the best,

Stephanie Beck

www.stephaniebeck.net

Socks aren’t the only things that are optional!

Panties Optional - a 1NightStand Story

Maggie Chase has a wild night of passion planned with the help of Madame Evangeline’s dating service, 1NightStand. A single night with an incredible man, what more can a busy girl ask for?

Sam Peterson requests that Madame Evangeline help him find a woman who isn’t after him for his money. Maggie may just fit the bill, but with her list of fantasies in hand, she may be more than he bargained for.

Forever isn’t on either one of their minds, but maybe it doesn’t have to be.

Classic Tunes and Romance Novels

by Stephanie Beck

Lately, I’ve had an oldies station playing in my head. When my mom used to drive me to school she’d always have the ‘classics’ radio station on and in high school I was in a choir that did a lot of doo-wop tunes, so I actually know a fair amount of lyrics. I’m not going to compare music from back in the day to today, it is what it is, but while there are tunes out now that can fire up my imagination—it’s the old school ones that can trigger a story line.

My Boyfriend’s Back by the Angels: The boyfriend went away? Where? How long? What was this other man doing to hurt the girl’s reputation? Just how bloody will this bad guy be once the boyfriend breaks out his ‘kinda big and awful strong-ness’?

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by The Platters: First off—gorgeous song. I love it. But, it gives a cast of characters with lots of blanks to be filled. Who is this mysterious woman who fired his flames? Who are ‘they’ who warn about love? Are they snarky, bitter, love scored people or well meaning friends? And how does the fire burn out? Very, very interesting possibilities.

The Twist by Chubby Checker: Okay, this one is just fun, but I do notice that he is encouraging his twist partner to dance with him while her daddy is sleeping and mama isn’t around—a little naughtiness there? Perhaps. If nothing else, it’s a good one when you’ve been writing or reading all day and need to wiggle!

These Boots are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra: So, this one is a little newer than the others, but it really trips my trigger. “Truthing”—love this! Just ask my editors how often I make up words—I can respect a woman who goes for it. And it’s just so darn sassy! I love how she found a ‘brand new box of matches’ and he’s super duper (my words there). This song brings to mind a sassy finding new love story…with a healthy dose of lighting a bag of dog poop on the ex’s front step.

Music is a beautiful thing and music, both good and, well, questionable, can tell a story or leave the listener with options to fill in the blanks. I could spend an afternoon jumping around youtube watching and listening and imagining what could happen with a little more filling.

All the Best,

Stephanie Beck

www.stephaniebeck.net

Maggie Chase has a wild night of passion planned with the help of Madame Evangeline’s dating service, 1NightStand. A single night with an incredible man, what more can a busy girl ask for?

Sam Peterson requests that Madame Evangeline help him find a woman who isn’t after him for his money. Maggie may just fit the bill, but with her list of fantasies in hand, she may be more than he bargained for.

Forever isn’t on either one of their minds, but maybe it doesn’t have to be.

It’s my birthday and I’ll sing copyrighted songs if I want to.

by: Stephanie Beck

 Twenty-seven. It’s a little hard to believe that I’m actually out of my teens, because I pretty much feel the same as I did when I graduated high school. Sure, now I have a husband, kids, a mortgage, and career—but I’m still a smart mouthed kid who eats too much candy and likes to make people laugh.

I’ve always really liked my birthdays, but as the third child in a family with four kids, I never really got the huge brouhaha you see sometimes for kids. Our simple parties were always full of family and friends, with good food and lots of love—the best kind of celebrations for kids.

As an adult, I want to be able to say that I’m all grown up and view my birthday as just another day. After all, if I want something I am perfectly capable of saving money and buying it for myself. If I want a cake, I can make it or purchase one from the bakery down the block. I’m able to get into my car and drive to the restaurant of my choice and enjoy my favorite meal any time I choose (you know, when I get a babysitter).

However…if someone were to cover my house in balloons, send me roses, sculpt me a princess castle cake with raspberry cream filling, get me a new party outfit with matching shoes, hire an onsite sushi chief, set up a pasta bar and make an ice cream sundae bar, I’d be a super happy camper.

So many people I know say ‘don’t make a fuss’ about birthdays, my husband included. But dang it, I want the fuss! I want to be driving down the road listening to my favorite radio station and hear “Happy Birthday, Stephanie Beck!”. I would love to open my mailbox and find it stuffed with cards from the people who thought of me, but couldn’t join me. I want to walk into my house, hear a huge shout of surprise and have a table full of prettily wrapped gifts with a few balloons in the mix. And then maybe we could have pony rides-my pony, naturally, would be the cutest.

Le sigh, twenty-seven years old and I’m still a kid at heart.

Instead of dwelling on the ‘I wants’ I’m going to give today! Two commenters will get eBooks of their choice of my Decadent Publishing titles--Panties Optional or Felines and Flowers. Thanks so much for helping me celebrate my birthday!

Panty Tales

By Stephanie Beck

 Underoos. Skivvies. Panties.

I didn’t realize underwear didn’t have to come in plastic bags hanging on a Wal Mart wall until I was nearly eighteen. Up until then, all of my underwear came in the packs of seven or eight bought at the beginning of the school year and meant to last until the next round of school shopping. Sure, there were more options in the stores, but we never bothered to look at them, let alone buy them. My mom wasn’t big into spending on fancy undergarments. Bras were white and if those packs of underwear had a few pairs with flowers on them, well that was kind of cute-right?

My first pair of special, not from the Hanes Her Way collection panties came from Victoria Secret. Two of my friends insisted I go with them one afternoon when we were at the mall looking for shirts. Spending money on underwear hadn’t really crossed my mind at that point. Why in the world would I pay nearly five dollars for a pair of underwear when I had a drawer full of perfectly good granny panties?  I succumbed to peer pressure and spent twenty dollars at the store on garments that would be hidden under my clothes at nearly all times. At the time I didn’t think it was a great investment.

Then I started wearing them. I didn’t buy anything too risqué, just a few pair of bikini-style panties. I hadn’t thought much of the colors or design, but by comparison, my old ones were plain and boring. Before long, my plain jane undies had been pushed to the back of the drawer, replaced by several new pair of panties in bright purple, green, yellow, even tiger stripes. I bought silk ones and even tried a few in lace.

I soon learned that a girl could spend a whole lot of babysitting money on underwear, but as that girl, well, I was one happy camper.

In Panties Optional, Maggie Chase chooses to leave her panties at home in anticipation of a wild night of sex and debauchery after signing on to Madam Eve’s 1 NightStand dating service. Her date, Sam, doesn’t mind the decision at all and the lack of obstacles help things turn hot and heavy very quickly.

Now, for me, I don’t know if I’d go the commando route. I’m more of a satin and lace kind of girl when it comes to planned seduction. Or, in the event of not-so-planned seductions, cotton covered in Care Bears seems to serve me well. What about you? What’s your favorite in your undies-arsenal?