Not-So-Guilty Pleasures: The Scarlett Cole Edition

Good morning, all!

The time has come for another author to spill some secrets! And I am so very, very excited to be
hosting one of my extremely talented beta readers, Ms. Scarlett Cole. Spoiler alert, this woman's writing is the bee's knees. But today isn't about her fantastic stories, but the lovely lady herself. Let's see what she revealed....


Not-So-Guilty Pleasures

Hi Everybody,

Thanks so much to Kelly for inviting me to swing by her blog. It’s nice to meet you all. Settling on five guilty pleasures was tougher than I thought. So here goes:

Live Music

My husband and I love live music. It’s our date night. They don’t have to be big and fancy. Often, the grungier, seedier, and smaller the venue, the more personal the concert feels. One year, we went to over thirty concerts. There is something about the atmosphere of a concert, feeling your chest reverb from the volume, and sharing that experience with other fans. There’s no judgment about who you are, what you do, or where you come from. You are just there for the music. It’s a great equalizer.

My Christmas Tree

I am a sucker for the holidays and the dysfunctional mayhem that comes with families crashing together in the spirit of goodwill.

My guilty pleasure is a fabulous looking tree. Over fifteen hundred lights, thirty meters of ribbon, and hundreds of hand collected baubles are hung with, shamefully, zero assistance from my children. I won’t let them help because I hate people messing with my tree. I like balance, equally spaced colors, and variety in textures. I buy them their own trees, and we decorate them at the same time but they know better than to touch mine.

Broadway Show Tunes

In an alternate universe, I am convinced I am Idina Menzel. I love singing along to soundtracks from great musicals.

My sister and I used to perform in the school Gilbert and Sullivan productions. She has a way better voice than I do and I was often relegated to singing the harmony when we were younger. To this day, I can only sing Barbara Dickson’s part in I Know Him So Well from Chess.

Unfortunately enthusiasm is not a replacement for talent.

Dark Chocolate Digestive Biscuits

At 82 calories a pop, these really are the guiltiest of guilty pleasures on my list. I have this timed to perfection. I make my tea and like to get my first dunk within two minutes of the kettle boiling. The dunk can be no less than seven seconds because the biscuit is still too hard but no more than nine seconds or else the dunked bit drops off into the tea, which is gross. I eat half the biscuit in one bite. If the words aren’t coming or I am having a rough day, I allow myself four biscuits in one sitting but then I add fifteen minutes to my workout the next day.

Pens and Notebooks

I love stationary shops. When I discover a new one, I get the closest thing to a legal high. I could spend hours in one trying to find the perfect notebook, notelets and pens. I edit my manuscripts by hand. For some reason, I feel like I pay more attention when I am holding a pen. I use a Pilot Dr. Grip Gel pen in black. Not the fanciest pen out there, but it doesn’t bleed at all and allows me to write in very tiny print. When I am plotting story lines by hand I love color. I use Sharpie fine point pens and assign different colors to the hero, heroine and external threat so I can keep track visually of pacing.

Want to know more about Scarlett Cole? Of course you do!

www.scarlettcole.com

@ItsScarlettCole

Now, while you're checking out more of her awesome, I'll be figuring out how to swing a visit to Scarlett's house this holiday season. Three trees!! *swoon*