Surviving the Snow-in

Here in the South, we expect a little snow. It’s fun, it’s fluffy, it melts. This winter, however, has been a brute. As I emerge from a five-day forced respite from society, I have a few notes to myself for the next round of storms.

1. Buy emergency chocolate.

2. Make sure emergency chocolate (and anything else you may need) is not in the car when the freezing rain, ice and snow comes. Otherwise it’s like storing your treats in a snowglobe: you know they’re in there, but you’re not getting them anytime soon.

3. Whatever pre-storm shopping list you’re making, add liquor to it.

4. Cabin fever really isn’t a fever—it’s more of an all-over brain itch. And reality TV just makes it chafe.

5. No matter how small your living space, find a corner for a few minutes a day to spend some time alone. Maybe if you could get into the @!#$% frozen car.

6. Charge up all your devices so if the power goes out, you can tweet about how freakin’ cold you are.

7. Plan to buy secondary back-up emergency chocolate.

8. Learn that carrying wood, breaking through ice and making snow angels all count as workouts.

9. Take comfort that somewhere you will find a Buffy, Doctor Who or T.J. Hooker marathon. You did get liquor, right?

10. When you finally make it out into civilization, try not to attack the first person you see like a crazed weasel starved for conversation. It’s very difficult to buy chocolate when the grocery clerk has a restraining order against you.

So, what tips do you have for surviving this winter? Share!

First Friday AW Book Review: Touched By An Alien and Alien Tango by Gini Koch

What would it take to get you out of jury duty? For Katherine “Kitty” Katt, it takes aliens and lots of ‘em. By the time she sorts the good from the bad, she’s involved in a twisty love triangle with two hot Alpha-Centurions, and she’s the only human brave enough to save the world from evil, soul-sucking creatures with just hairspray and an attitude.

TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN is the first in the Katherine Katt series, and it is packed with action in every sense of the word. The story is told in first-person, and a lot of the plot falls into place through dialogue. This was difficult for me to wrap my head around at first, since there were several characters interacting with Kitty. Within the first few pages, however, I found the groove and fell for the Tracy-Hepburn patter between Kitty and Jeff Martini, an alien operative so gorgeous he makes SETI a worthwhile investment. In between dispatching bad guys with pens, cars and salt, Kitty finds time to enjoy some of the steamiest sex scenes in science fiction. There’s enough action in elevators to make Steven Tyler proud.

In ALIEN TANGO, Kitty and company once again set out to save the world, and face such scares as bigotry, jealousy and the dreaded school reunion. They learn along the way that the worst enemies aren’t from outer space, and that even alien-hating weirdos hope to get probed by a hot extraterrestrial.

Funny, fast-paced and sexy, the ALIEN series is a fantastic read and would make an incredible action/comedy/romance movie. I’ve read both books twice now, and I can’t wait for the next installment, ALIEN IN THE FAMILY, coming in April. If you want to get lucky with your geek girl this Valentine’s Day, forget flowers. Buy her these books, then go find an elevator. You're welcome.

TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN and ALIEN TANGO are published by DAW Books, and are available at Amazon and other bookstores worldwide.