My Favorite Super Bowl Commercials by Kristin Wallace

Last Sunday was the Super Bowl where the New England Patriots took on the Philadelphia Eagles. A lot of people watch for the game. I tend to watch for something else…the commercials. Since I work in advertising, it makes sense. I wanted to give you a round up of my favorite commercials in case you missed them.

My favorite Super Bowl commercials

It's all Tide ads

Every Super Bowl ad is secretly a Tide ad. Funny…clever…original. Bonus points at how they managed to play off other famous commercials like Mr. Clean and Old Spice. Another bonus is that it features (David Harbour) from Stranger Things, and I love that show and him.

Amazon Alexa

Alexa loses her voice so Amazon hires “fill ins” to provide answers with hilarious results. I especially love the Anthony Hopkins a la Silence of the Lambs.

Diet Coke Mango

Personally, I’m betting that Diet Coke Mango is super gross…but there is something about this strangely odd lady and her dancing that is both weird and weirdly mesmerizing. Maybe it’s her total deadpan expression.

Toyota  - Good Odds

Pulling at the heartstrings is a popular theme, especially for Super Bowl commercials when giant corporations (who are paying millions to run a 30-second tv commercial Super Bowl ad) want everyone to think they "care". Sometimes these feel good commercials come off as overly saccharine, fake or preachy. This one works, though. It’s emotional and inspirational, without being cloying or hitting you over the head with how you're supposed to feel.

Visit Australia

This clever spot looks like a trailer for a new Crocodile Dundee movie or maybe a spoof (it even has a cameo by the original Crocodile Dundee), but it’s really a tourism ad for Australia. Honestly, I picked this one mainly because it features Chris Hemsworth.

Universal Parks Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning on a trip to Universal Parks. Again, I picked this because I really like Peyton Manning and his delivery is great in this spot. I love how the little girl is trying to teach him how to use a wand a la Harry Potter, but Peyton can’t do it and is “uncoachable” in her words.

Groupon - Who Wouldn't?

A funny spot for Groupon, featuring comedian Tiffany Haddish who was probably the best thing about the movie Girls Trip starring Jada Pinkett Smith & Queen Latifah. 

Febreeze - #BleepDontStink

Bodily functions are always funny, no matter how “mature” we think we are.  This commercial is about a guy who’s #BleepDontStink done in the style of docudrama interviews. It’s cheeky and clever, and it makes a good point. You need Febreeze for the bathroom when you have all those guests over for the Super Bowl.  

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She is the author of two best selling series, Shellwater Key Tales (sweet contemporary romance) and Covington Falls Chronicles (inspirational romance). Her latest book, LOVING YOU AT CHRISTMAS, is available now at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble and Kobo.

Look for Kristin’s new series The Heiress Games, launching in April, (Least Likely Heiress, Not Quite An Heiress & The Forgotten Heiress). Get a sneak peek at the series with a FREE Chapter Sampler with the opening chapters of all three books. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD!

About Those New Year's Resolutions ... by Jean C. Gordon

How are you doing with your New Year's resolutions? According to a Nielson survey, on average, only 64% of you are still keeping them (the percentage of people who last more than a month). Fewer than half (40%) of people's resolutions will still be in place come July 1. And only 14% of people over 50 actually achieve what they resolve to do. Younger people fare better, with 39% reporting success with their resolutions.

But back to my question. I'm doing great with my resolutions because I didn't make any. Instead, as I've done the past few years with an online group of writers and readers I belong to, I chose a word for the year. My word is:

  

Not making any resolutions doesn't mean I don't plan. Incorporating my word for the year in my author planning, here's what I'm going to enjoy in my writing life in 2018:

• Finishing Sweet Entanglement, the book I'm currently working on for the multi-author Indigo Bay series. It will be released early summer.
• Putting together a new book proposal for Love Inspired, set in the Catskill Mountains.
• Writing a single dad novella for a multi-author book bundle that will be out in the fall.
• Adding to my Team Macachek series, with a Christmas novella.

In my personal life, I'm enjoying my family, my friends, and my volunteer work to the fullest. I'll also be enjoying a milestone birthday this year, but I won't say what one.

And on the immediate horizon, I'll be enjoying the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe's Valentine's Party on Facebook tomorrow. Catch me there hosting from two to three.

Be aware that new Facebook rules limits party participation to Sweet Romance Reads Cafe members only.  If you don't already belong, the link to the Cafe to join is below. Don't miss any of the party fun--games, giveaways, books, and more. Grand prize is a $25 Amazon gift card!

The Sweet Romance Reads Cafe Link

   The Party RSVP Link 

For My Future Releases

Follow me on BookBub
Sign up for my Readers Newsletter 
Visit my Website 
Facebook: JeanCGordon.author 
Twitter: @JeanCGordon

February is the Month of Love by Rachelle Ayala

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

We all search for love in one form or another. To be loved is to be recognized. To matter to someone out there. To not be so alone.

When we're in love, we are no longer frail. We see beauty and leave the ordinary behind. We no longer feel mortal, at least in the eye of the lover, and the vast universe of possibilities opens up to us.

The Irish poet and philosopher, John O'Donohue describes the awakening of love as

“When love awakens in your life, in the night of your heart, it is like the dawn breaking within you. Where before there was anonymity, now there is intimacy; where before there was fear, now there is courage; where before in your life there was awkwardness, now there is a rhythm of grace and gracefulness; where before you used to be jagged, now you are elegant and in rhythm with your self. When love awakens in your life, it is like a rebirth, a new beginning.”  - John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

 But what happens if you can't find love?

Fortunately, you have the wellsprings of love within yourself, in the nature of your own soul.

“You can search far and in hungry places for love. It is a great consolation to know that there is a wellspring of love within yourself. ... Imagine that nourishing stream of belonging, ease, peace, and delight. Feel, with your visual imagination, the refreshing waters of that well gradually flowing up through the arid earth of the neglected side of your heart. It is helpful to imagine this particularly before you sleep. Then during the night you will be in a constant flow of enrichment and belonging. You will find that when you awake at dawn, there will be a lovely, quiet happiness in your spirit.”  - John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

He then goes on to say that the only way to preserve love is to maintain that separateness of your own self. That lovers are drawn to the differences between them, and that to preserve your own difference in love, you need plenty of room for your soul to grow and expand.

“Love should encourage and free you fully into your full potential.”  - John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom

So, in this month of love, it profits us to remember that love is not found in the Other, but from within, and that while it's exciting and giddy and romantic to be loved by another, the vast possibilities of the universe are yours for the taking, because love comes from within and grows to fill all potentials.

Wishing you lots of love and may your wellsprings never run dry!

Rachelle
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Since February is the month of love, my three sweet Valentine romances, along with the rest of the Have Family gang, are on sale for 99c. The Harts are a large, caring, and busybody family of San Francisco firefighters. Book One, Christmas Lovebirds, is FREE, and all the rest are 99c.

Super Bowl Sunday...so where were you?

Did you watch the Super Bowl last night?  I'm not a sports fan, I admit it.  If my husband is watching sports, I'll be happily working on my computer or reading a book.  I usually do love the Super Bowl commercials, though.  Tonight, as soon as I heard another one starting, I abandoned my supper preparations and raced into the living room to catch it.

Usually, there are some doozies that make me laugh and think about them long after.  Did you see any you enjoyed tonight?  Do you fondly remember any from past years?  I especially adore the sweet, poignant Budweiser draft horse commercials, but I must have missed it this year.  Who could forget the Budweiser puppy one year, or the young horse dreaming of becoming a star on the hitch?  :)  Or...the  charming commercial with a horse pining for his girlfriend?  I know, it sounds silly in this retelling, but it was so cute.  I love that one can go to youtube and see them again.  :)  And in case you want to see some of the funnier Super Bowl commercials from yesterday, you can check them out here:

https://hellogiggles.com/news/funniest-2018-super-bowl-commercials-case-missed/

Tonight, I finally lost interest in football and headed back to the bedroom to enjoy two episodes of Victoria on PBS--the episode I missed last Sunday, and the new one that aired tonight. Do any of you follow the Victoria series?

As you can see, our two dogs joined me and were totally fascinated by both episodes.  :)

After they were over, I began to think about how amazing commercials can be--when the writers have been able to come up with an unforgettable phrase or song or storyline that one remembers years later.

    Who remembers the old commercials like "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" or "Sorry, Charlie, only the BEST tunas are Star Kist" or "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature" on television?   Or the happy little tune for "Rice-a-Roni?"

And continuing with that thought, who remembers wonderful lines from their favorite books?  Can you name some?

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Roxanne Rustand

A Tip for Those Who Clean House by @DonnaFaz

A clean house. Everyone would love to have one; we just don’t want to be the one who’s doing the chores. I’m just finishing up a new story, and during the final days and weeks of intense focus on getting to The End, I rarely do anything besides write, eat, sleep, repeat. My house grows dusty and grimy. Once the book is finished, there will be cleaning in my immediate future! Here’s a helpful tip that will make any major cleaning job easier.

I saw a post by a friend recently who gave a recipe for an effective cleaning solution that powered through the gray grime in the bottom of her tub. She used a 50/50 solution of blue Dawn dish detergent and white vinegar. She said she saw somewhere that the dish detergent must be the blue Dawn (although, there was no reason given as to why). She mixed the solution and poured the concoction on the bottom of the tub, let it sit overnight, and then used a Mr. Clean Eraser to scour the tub. Here are before and after pictures. The tub looks sparkly clean!

Warning! Mr. Clean Erasers should not be used on resurfaced porcelain. I had one of my bathtubs resurfaced and the installer said Mr. Clean Erasers are a no-no. If you've had your tub resurfaced, call the installer and ask if this cleaner is safe to use.

Have you tried this blue Dawn and vinegar solution? If so, how did it work for you? Do you have any tips, tricks, or miracle cures for keeping your house clean? Let’s share and help each other make housecleaning a little easier. 

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About the author: Donna Fasano is a USA Today Bestseller. She writes sweet romance novels as well as contemporary romance and women's fiction. You can sign up for her newsletter here.

Celebrate Valentine's Day with Sweet Romance Reads

Join the authors of Sweet Romance Reads on Facebook Thursday, February 8th from 2:00 - 8:00 pm EST for their yearly Valentine's Party. There'll be books, prizes, and lots of fun. Be sure to join the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe first, however, to be able to post at the party.

Cafe link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SRRCafe1

Valentine Party event page link: https://www.facebook.com/events/147365855968580