When you visit Memphis, TN, you have to...

...eat!

Memphis in May is coming to a close, but when you visit Memphis, you have to check out some of my favorite places.

Flight – this restaurant is one of the best date spots in Memphis. There’s an outdoor patio, if you want to sit and watch the sights and sounds of Beale Street.  The bar area is small, which adds to the intimacy of the small restaurant.  There are two levels, but it’s not a huge spacious building.

The menu. Delicious.  Elk.  Quail. Seafood.  There are plenty of choices. And, of course, there’s wine.  To top it all off, you can order tapas style, if you prefer!

Alchemy – I guess I’d call it an upscale bar.  It’s large with plenty of room to mix and mingle.  There’s music piped through, great drinks, and wonderful food.  You can pull up a chair at the bar, or be seated in any of the other areas of the bar.  It’s trendy and fun. 

Bhan Thai – Thai food, live music, and great people.  Whenever I have a friend come to town, I have to take them to Bhan Thai.  Crispy duck and a glass of wine while sitting on the patio listening to live music…it can’t get any better!

Now, when you come to my hometown, you’ll know a few places to visit.  And this doesn’t even begin to touch the barbecue.  That one is easy to find.  You only have to follow your nose.  I swear the air is perfumed with the scents of cinnamon, hickory, honey, and spice all year long J

What does the future look like?

While meeting over coffee with some friends the other day, the subject of a dystopian vs utopian future came up.  It was suggested that maybe one of the reasons people write the dystopian future is because it’s easier.

Then and now, I think I might agree with that.  Because even if on the surface you write a utopian world, by the time you drill down, there would have to be something happening to make it so.  I mean what qualifies as “perfect”? And how can it be perfect for everyone? 

It can’t can it?

With the success of TV shows and movies showing the struggle to survive, it would appear that there are a lot of people that prefer the dystopian tale.  But, I have to admit, I seem to be getting tired of it.  I also am tired of the young adult angle.  Why is it that the adults always seem so clueless?

I don’t write science fiction, so I haven’t attempted to write a futuristic tale, but as I sit and wonder what my story would look like, I can’t say I know.  Would it be based around children saving the world? Or, would there be one “all knowing” character leading the rest? Or, would we simply pick ourselves up brush ourselves off?

Maybe that’s what the dystopian world shows?

What do you think?

#BookReview - The Vampire, The Witch, and The Werewolf by @Louisabacio

I picked this book up at RT 2012.  One of the many things that comes from exhibiting at RT is that you meet great authors.  Louisa Bacio was one of the many authors that sat near me during the exhibit.

The longer she and I sat and talked the more I became intrigued about her writing and her books.  I can't tell you why this book captured my interest because I don't read much Erotica or Erotic Romance.  And books that feature threesomes never really draw my attention.

This book surprised me because of the romance.  Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of sex :-)  But, the sex fits the story, and you saw the closeness of the relationship between all of the characters grow with each encounter.

The story is set in New Orleans and the author uses New Orleans to bring in every supernatural creature: ghosts, demons, Voodoo priestesses, and of course, witches, vampires, and werewolves.  (Sometimes it seemed like creatures made appearances just because it was New Orleans, but hey, it's New Orleans.)

I enjoyed the story.  I think the story builds to a gradual climax, and then she tosses you right on over the cliff as the story winds up pretty quickly.

I would've loved to have seen Lilly learn how to use and control her powers.  I guess it's cliche, but the heroine, Lily, kind of went from not knowing who she was to knowing and quickly accepting it to knowing how to control and use the powers that grew inside of her.

My heart felt for Trevor, the werewolf, he seemed so torn and and lost, and so deserving of true love.  Lawrence, is your typical Alpha.  The three of these characters fit well together.

I'd love to know more about Lily's father, Trevor's sister.   And will there ever be a baby?