by Heather the Jane

These ones aren't even candle holders (well ... one sort of is now). There is so much positive symbolism of course in a heart-shaped box – wow, even the name conjures up wonder and mystery. Promise and hope. A little bit of sadness, perhaps. Here are three lovely little heart-shaped treasures I've picked up over the years.

I could never claim one to be my favorite. Each has its own little meaning to me/feeling to me. But check out this one.

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By Norah Wilson
(the Wilson in Wilson Doherty)

Yep, everybody has them. Straight or gay, we have crushes on girls. Today I’m going to confess mine. It was an interesting exercise, putting these names together. I wondered if a “type” would emerge, but I don’t think so. The only thing these women have in common is they are exceedingly beautiful.

10. MILLA JOVOVICH

Because she has a great face and looks incredible when she’s kicking @ss. Like here, in this scene from Ultraviolet.

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by Heather the Jane

Not the best picture of me, but still a pretty good picture overall. And definitely – definitely – a snapshot from this writer's life.

I have two great sons. Brandon is my eldest, and the tall, handsome man in this pic is my youngest son, Conor. He's 14 and severely autistic. Did I mention I'm proud as I can be of them both? Well, I am.

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by Norah Wilson (the Wilson in Wilson Doherty)

I posted earlier about must my kids had introduced me to. Believe it or not, I actually introduced my kids to a couple of artists they still love today. And when I say love, I mean it in the sense that they think these artists totally rock, not in the sense that concede they don’t completely suck.

Warren Zevon. Warren made amazing music for three decades until his death in 2003 at the age of 56 from mesotheliomia. In the face of his inoperable disease, Warren made one last album (The Wind), in which he was joined by dozens of fellow musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam and many more. He won two posthumous Grammys for that CD. Warren is best known for “Werewolves of London” and “Lawyers, Guns and Money”, both of which he must have been heartily sick of performing. Here’s a young Warren singing “Jeannie Needs a Shooter”, which he co-wrote with The Boss.

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by Heather the Jane

Best four words in the English language? There's a story there.

It's true. As a writer, it's the best feeling ever to find the threads of stories around me. And they are so crazy plentiful in this fascinating world. Seriously, they're everywhere!

Sometimes it is an idea for a short story, fully formed, that pops into my head (though I'm not a short story writer at this time). Often, a novel idea will spring forth – just a plot line or intense character or a hinging sentence or two.

Sometimes it's something I've read in the news that'll prompt that great feeling. Often it's a betraying look on a person's face, or a comment made in passing that can never be taken back. A folklore. A tragedy. A lie. A dream. A superstition! Or just something my dad said years ago, that I can't help but remember now.

And of course, sometimes just something I see unravels those creative threads. Like this amazing pictures I came across the other day.

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