Diva Salon and Spa

I went to Diva Salon and Spa for the first time ever last week. Until last week, I had a hairdresser whom I adored and have never seen the need to go to a salon. Always sounded charming and like something out of the movies, but do I need that? Exactly. Anyway,  about a month ago I happened to see a contest on facebook to enter to win a free spring makeover. I never win anything. Ever. But I entered, because that is the type of perpetually hopeful person I am.

To my shock... I won! What? That never happens.

I was so excited to get this 'hair makeover', if only for the fact that I could save my usual $175 when I go to my hairdresser and get myself some new clothes or something with that money. Excellent!

I made my appointment and went in. My stylist was one of their instructors, which was a good omen. If she's teaching it, she's gotta know it, right? (Absolutely!) I wasn't expecting anything outstanding... I figured it would be a typical hair appointment like the hundreds I have had over the course of my life. But it ended up being so. much. more.

 I arrived a few minutes early and they asked me to sit and wait, offering beverages and taking my jacket. A short while later, my stylist appeared. She led me to the chair and asked what I wanted done.

It was quite simple... I am growing out my hair so not too much off the length, and I wanted to go lighter for summer. She commented on a few things... the colour I should go that would high-light my skin tone, something I could do for the cut to make it more "fun" while still growing it out. And she said that my hair seemed a little dry so she would do a hair therapy treatment of some kind.

The salon was relaxing, nicely lit, fun music. I didn't feel too much like chatting, and my stylist picked up on that and politely allowed me to read magazines and veg without unnecessary babble.  After my foils were in, my stylist then pulled up a chair and gave me a hand massage, one of their complimentary services. Ahh, that was nice. Then, after the haircut was complete, she gave me another complimentary service, free makeup touchups and recommendations.

It was such a great experience, and I wanted to thank this salon for such a wonderful gift. Truly a celebrity treatment. If you are in the Calgary area and are looking for a new place to get your hair done, check them out! Highly recommend!

BEFORE: boring, bland and dark

AFTER: light, easy to style and a gorgeous colour

Whitney Boyd is the author of two women's fiction novels, Iced Romance and Tanned, Toned and Totally Faking It. Her third romantic comedy is a work in progress. When she's not writing, Whitney enjoys catching up on celebrity gossip, running and spending time with her one year old.

Book Review - Replacing Gentry

I just finished Replacing Gentry by Julie N. Ford, and I really enjoyed this book. It is being released on April 9, 2013 and is available for pre-order on Amazon. Honestly, this is a 5 star book and a true joy to read.

 

When Julie asked me to review her book pre-release, I accepted without really knowing anything about the book. Julie herself is an author of several books, including chick lit, and I thought that this book would probably be in that genre. As I read, however, the book drew me in and I couldn't put it down.

 

So what's it about? Marlie Evans, a Cali girl, meets Daniel Cannon, a southern widower with two twin boys and it is love at first sight. Marlie, a social worker, usually prides herself in using her brain and not leaping into things, but when it comes to love, it's hard to stay strong. Daniel proposes the day after they meet and she agrees. Without knowing much about her new husband, a state senator, she soon finds herself unwanted in the South... by her inlaws and by Daniel's associates. Mysteries surround her husband's late wife, Gentry, a woman who appeared to be beloved and yet whom nobody will talk about. Marlie begins digging deeper and is shocked at the answers she digs up.

 

Conspiracies, secret societies and people who will kill to keep their pasts in the past, this book is the perfect women's fiction... mystery blended with real emotions as a woman tries to connect and integrate herself into a new family and new society.

 

I started this book during my toddler's afternoon nap and couldn't put it down! There were twists and turns and it was far from predictable. It reminded me of classic novels such as Jane Eyre or Gone With The Wind in the development and attitudes of many of the characters, and yet was modern and addressed many issues that face us today.

 

Marlie's interactions with her stepsons made me think about how I would deal in that situation. The title itself speaks to this... how do you replace a mother in the lives of her children? How do you replace her in the life of her husband? And how do you keep from feeling like you are second best?

 

This is an excellent novel and I highly recommend you go out and get yourself a copy! 

Book Three Accepted for Publication!

Exciting news this week... my third women's fiction novel, The One Who Got Away, was just accepted for publication! I am thrilled about this book... not only is it a story I truly enjoyed writing, but it is also the best of my three novels. Just like anything, the more you do it, the better you get, and I feel like I have gotten better with every book I have written.

No release date yet, but if it follows the pattern of my first two novels, it should take between eight to twelve months to come out. I will, of course, keep you posted as I learn more.

I am also very excited to continue to work with WiDo Publishing. They are such a professional and dedicated publishing house, and yet they are small enough that I never feel like just another number, just another author, just another book. My editor, Karen, pushes and prods me until the book is better than I could have ever imagined on my own. I know that WiDo will only get bigger as more and more excellent authors continue to find them and I am honoured to be a part of it. Thank you, WiDo, for once again believing in my story.

The One Who Got Away is a first for me... it is the first novel I've written that is set entirely in Canada, my home. Both of my previous novels have been set in places where I have lived and/or visited several times, but this one was alot more personal. It is about a girl, Charley, who had just hit rock bottom. She was a lawyer at a high powered law firm, but was fired (unfairly so, in her opinion) and is now out of money and very down on her luck. She looks at her life and realizes that everything bad started after she and a boyfriend, Drew, had broken up five years earlier. With her best friends, Josh and Heather, Charley sets out to make things right and to find the one who got away.

This was a joy to write. I think most people in life have regrets from their past... whether those regrets are missed opportunities, failed relationships, chances you didn't take or things you wish you hadn't done. I know that I have a few things I regret. Looking back, I realize that most of these shaped me into who I am today, and so I shouldn't regret them as much as I have when I get in my wallowing moods. Charley, in the novel, comes to understand this as she finds true love with just a little confusion, heartbreak and mishap along the way.

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think. Do you have one who got away in your life? Have regrets shaped you or do you just regret? Which of my first two novels is your favourite? (If you haven't read them yet, you can find them on Amazon. Tanned, Toned and Totoally Faking It, about a young girl swept up into Hollywood overnight and having to hide who she is in order to fall in love, and Iced Romance, where a woman finds her life turned upside-down after discovering her fiance was cheating, so she decides to escape it all and start over.)

Have a lovely day, everyone!

PS - I am also very excited to announce that I will be a guest author speaker at the Alberta Association of Library Technician's conference to be held in June! I will have a one hour guest lecture, followed by a book signing. Very grateful to have been asked. Thank you and I look forward to this event!

Book Review - Predator Girl

I read this book about a month ago. And I meant to write a review sooner, but life kept getting in the way. Predator Girl by SB Roozenboom was a great read. I give it a full 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy books like the Twilight series.

Here's what it's about: Jared Ferlyn is a Finder, a human who works for the government tagging and tracking unusual beasts... faeries, vampires, shapeshifters, witches etc. They do it to protect humanity from unnecessary fear and danger. One day a strange new girl comes to town and Jared knows she is different, but is not sure what she is. He tracks her, she gets the better of him and decides on a whim to bring him with her rather than kill him. She kidnaps him and carries him to the wilderness of Canada, where he learns exactly what she is and why she needs his help.  

 

It's a thrilling book. It had twists and turns, good guys turned into bad guys and bad into good. It was empowering to women yet also had a lovely romance, a jilted lover, and plenty of action and mystery. I usually am not a huge paranormal fan, but this was a joy to read.

 

I completely recommend this as a must-read. Go buy it now. :) You will thank me.

 

As a side note, the author, a fellow writer at WiDo Publishing, my publishing house, is super young! She started writing in high school and is now published at 21 years old! I love this! So support a new talent and check her work out! And for those of you who love a good romantic-comedy chick lit book, feel free to check out my two novels, Iced Romance and Tanned, Toned and Totally Faking It. They are 'witty, seamless and have plenty of laugh out loud moments' that will keep you turning pages.

 

xox

Chick Flick Quiz! Are You a True Fan?

In honour of my newly released romcom novel, I have decided to see who among you are true chick lit and chick flick aficionados. Can you, like my brother, quote Mean Girls word for word? Do you drag your boyfriends and husbands out to theaters to see your favourite Jennifer Aniston movie? Is Katherine Heigl your secret girl crush? How do you rank in the world of chick flicks?

I'm watching you... don't mess up!

 

Let's find out!

1. What movie is the following quote from?

"Do you believe in love at first sight? Nah, I betcha don't, you're probably too sensible for that. Or have you ever, like, seen somebody? And you knew that, if only that person really knew you, they would, well, they would of course dump the perfect model that they were with, and realize that you were the one that they wanted to, just, grow old with. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you haven't even talked to? Have you ever been so alone you spend the night confusing a man in a coma?"
          a) While You Were Sleeping
          b) How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days
          c) 13 Going On 30


2. Who is best friends with Kate Hudson's character in Bride Wars?
        a) Jennifer Garner
        b) Anne Hathaway
        c) Drew Barrymore


3. Which movie did Jennifer Aniston NOT star in?
       a) The Break Up
       b) Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
       c) Just Go With It


4. What book by Sophie Kinsella is the following quote from?
   
“There's genuine pain in Eric's eyes. And I feel a stab of guilt. But you can't stay with people because of guilt.” 

     a) Confessions of a Shopaholic
     b) Twenties Girl
     c) Remember Me?


5. Who is the author of newly released and five star rated novel 'Iced Romance'?
     a) Sophie Kinsella
     b) Meg Cabot
     c) Whitney Boyd


6. What novel is the following quote from?

"If I want to get over Todd, I’m definitely going to have to let go of all the hate I’ve been bottling up. And then there is the small fact that I really want David to be proud of me. And if he knew that I’m living my own real-life Carrie Underwood song, I know he’d think less of me.

"Jesica follows me into my apartment where we gather together all the pieces of the jersey, then carry them back to her place. She gets a bulky, ancient-looking sewing machine out of the closet by the door, and we kneel on the floor, doing our best to put the jersey back together. Every few minutes Jesica shoots me a sideways glance and mutters things like “Men who cheat should be shot,” “He’s lucky the jersey is the only thing you rip to shreds,” and “If I ever get my hands on him…” "

    a) Iced Romance by Whitney Boyd
    b) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
    c) Something Borrowed by Emily Griffen


7. Who said it?

"Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be”

   a) Elizabeth Gilbert, author of 'Eat, Pray, Love'
   b) Jennifer Weiner, author of 'Certain Girls'
   c) Helen Fielding, author of 'Bridget Jones' Diary'

8. What Sandra Bullock movie is the following quote from?

Margaret Tate: "What am I allergic to?"
Andrew Paxton: "Pine nuts, and the full spectrum of human emotion."

    a) The Proposal
    b) Miss Congeniality
    c) Hope Floats

9. What classic novel and film have the unlikeable yet tough as nails Scarlett O'Hara as the heroine?

   a) Gone With The Wind
   b) Valentine's Day
   c) A Walk To Remember

10. What chick flick takes Cinderella back to France with Drew Barrymore as the beautiful, intelligent heroine?

   a) My Fair Lady
   b) Ever After
   c) A Cinderella Story

Bonus... for one extra point...: Who is your favourite chick lit or chick flick heroine of all time?


Answers: 1-a, 2-b, 3-b, 4-c, 5-c, 6-a, 7-a, 8-a, 9-a, 10-b

So, how'd you do?

1-5 points = You need a manicure, a girlfriend and a subscription to People magazine, because you need help!

6-8 points = Meh, you're doing okay, but you definitely need to ask Santa for a new chick lit novel for Christmas. Time to brush up!

9-10 points = You're on fire, girlfriend! Keep reading and watching and dreaming and Prince Charming will be waiting for you right around the corner. Possibly on a white horse. Or something.