WHO LOVES YOU, Baby? Award! Thank you SO MUCH! I don't believe there were any rules with this award, but to pass it on to another great blogger. I'm going to send it on to my friend JoJo at JoJo's Book Corner. She's got a hot post on Angel's right now... Check it out!

So without further wait.... Here is my award:

The Sugar Doll Award. I am supposed to list 10 things about myself, then pass the award on to some other bloggers. Since I am still learning my way around the blogging world, I’m going to save passing the award on to someone else for just a little while.

Okay, here it goes:

1. I am married to a wonderful, sexy man. We met in 1995 and were married in 1998. We lived in Seattle, WA until 2000 and now live in New England.
2. I earned a BSE in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington.
3. I grew up in Michigan and I am a HUGE UofM - Wolverine fan.
4. I have two wonderful children who fill my life with joy and several headaches (as they dump toy cars all over the floor next to me as I type).
5. I have two fluffy cats. Nicky (the darker cat) turned 10 last October and Oscar (our “blonde”) will be 10 in April.
6. I have made the closest of friends via the internet. My life would not be complete without them, even though we’ve never met face-to-face. It is my dream to meet them all in real life.
7. In case you didn’t know... I just purchased my first MAC - I got a 15” MacBook Pro, and I’m still learning how to get around. I am already in love. I haven’t decided if I should name her Maci or Marci or something else all together!
8. My ideal vacation would be to go someplace sunny and warm, where I could lay by a pool, have someone wait on me-bringing me drinks with flowers and umbrellas-someone else to take care of my kids. I would have Kendra (Kindle), my iPhone, headphones and lots of free time.
9. I am a very lazy person, but try to get to the gym at least 3 times a week. Thats to support my eating and drinking habits!
10. I am heading on vacation this week - going to visit my parents in Ft. Myers, Florida. I can’t wait to see them and enjoy some warmer weather.

Thanks for the award, Janna. This was a lot of fun. I look forward to playing again sometime!

I'm so excited!

My little blog is 3 weeks old. I'm finding that I am enjoying it much more than I thought. I just wish I was HTML savvy and could find my way around PhotoShop. So to celebrate my blog I've updated its look. I went from the Google Standard layout to a layout with a little pizazz (thanks to the Cutest Blog on the Block)! In addition, I am going to share the story of how Twimom227 come to be.

My story is probably similar to a lot of you out there. Other than email, I didn’t use the “social Internet” at all before 2008. Then, in the fall of 2008 a couple things happened. First: my high school was planning its reunion and set up a Facebook page. We were encouraged to join Facebook so we could give input in a group setting. I had heard about Facebook, but I was reluctant to join. But, I did jump in and never looked back. When I signed up for Facebook in September 2008, there were maybe 20 of my classmates online. Last count, there were 268 classmates on Facebook… and that is just my high school class. Facebook has been a fun way to reconnect with friends and family and to stay in contact with the same group.

The other thing that happened in the fall of 2008 is I read the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. How did this expand my online presence? Well… After I finished reading the books, I couldn’t get enough. So I went to Ms. Meyer’s website and took in as much information as possible. It was there that I read about the Twilight Lexicon. I’d never used an online forum before, but thought it was worth a look. Quickly I realized that it was a fun and safe place to discuss my love of the books with other like-minded folks. They even had a thread for us “older fans.” So I decided to join up.

Which brings me to my name… WHAT DO I CALL MYSELF? I was unsure how to proceed. I didn’t want to use my real name – playing it safe and all. So I thought… “Hmmm, I’m a Twilight fan and a mom. How about Twilightmom?” Oh, I thought I was SO original. I really did. And so... Twilightmom was born. It was only after about a month of online activities did I learn there was a whole group of “Twilight Moms” and they even have their own popular website. UGH! So much for originality! (And no, I’m not one of the crazies that chase down underage Taylor and ask him to sign my underwear!) Over time my name got shorted to Twimom, which I like much better.

Next comes Twitter. I had heard some things about how Twitter was fun. I decided last spring/summer (2009) to give it a go. I used the name Twimom as a base and ran with it. At first I just followed “famous folks” like Kevin Smith, Ellen and Lance Armstrong. I also got headline news and followed a few friends. Then I figured out that a bunch of my favorite authors are on Twitter. That was such a joy to find. I love that I can have simple “hellos” and “mini chats” with people like Larissa Ione, Meljean Brook, Jill Myles, Anya Bast, and Nalini Singh (just to name a very small sample). From that, I figured out how to “meet” other great folks that have similar interests to mine. I look forward to my daily chats with folks such as: Bellie7, Gigib88, IntenseWhisper, JoJosBookCorner, larissa_sarah, RexRobotReviews, TeresaDAmario, and Tigris_Eden. (and SO MANY MORE LOVELY FOLKS!!) In all seriousness, there are so many Tweeps that take good care of me… I have a question, they answer it for me. I need a hug, I get it. I love Twitter!

And now finally… a blog. I NEVER thought I would blog. I’m not a writer. I’m not good with them word things. (I am an engineer by degrees and planner by practice.) But meeting so many fun/great bloggers via Twitter encouraged me to give it a try. It’s small. It’s start. I just learned a little about HTML from Bellie7 this weekend. (Notice I’ve added a couple buttons? I’ll add more as soon as I figure out more space.) I updated my look and I'm excited about where my little blog is headed.

So, who is TWIMOM227? My Twitter bio says “wife, mom, friend. Book lover: paranormal romance & UF. Kindle owner!” That’s a good summary, although MOM feels like it’s taken over pretty much 24/7. I started as a “Twilight Mom,” but now I’m a “Twitter Mom.” Just don’t call me a twit! I look forward to expanding on my 3-week old blog and I hope you will help me.

Now, what do you think the 227 stands for?

EDITED on February 19, 2010 12:50 PM:

The 227 is a date: February 27 is my birthday! Thanks for playing along!

Are you looking for something sexy and fun to read? Well, let me point you in the right direction... Meet new author, Jill Myles and her wonderful males: Noah and Zane. Together, they make my ideal book boyfriend!

Jill Myles is the author of a great new series, The Succubus Diaries. The first book is Gentlemen Prefer Succubi. From Jill's website:


Jackie Brighton woke up in a dumpster this morning, and her day has only gotten weirder. Her breasts grew overnight, her sex drive is insatiable, and apparently she had her first one-night stand ever . . . with a fallen angel.
Of course, she only remembers gorgeous Noah’s enormous, er, package. And their steamy shower sex. Hmm . . . and the dark stranger whose bite transformed her into an immortal siren with a seductive Itch.

With help from Noah and fellow succubus Remy Summore, Jackie adapts to her new lifestyle—until she accidentally strikes a deal that sends her lover into the deadly clutches of the vampire queen and lands Jackie, Remy, and the queen’s wickedly hot right-hand man into the middle of a fierce battle for an ancient halo.

But how’s a girl supposed to save the world when the enemy’s so hard to resist?


Her second book is Succubi Like It Hot. From Jill's website:


With a flirtatious new figure, her dream job as an archaeologist, and two gorgeous boyfriends to scratch her seductive Itch—an angel and a vampire—Jackie Brighton is totally getting the hang of life as a succubus.

Then her need for sex spirals out of control, and she accidentally knocks the pizza guy unconscious with her touch. Great, she’s cursed. Unfortunately, neither of her jealous lovers is exactly talking to her right now.

So after Jackie strikes a deal with a crafty demon, she and her best friend Remy take a cross-country road trip to deliver a cryptic message to the nation’s oldest succubus (who doesn’t look a day over eighteen.) Their journey gets weirder with every mile—demonic possession, a charming stalker, a deadly hotel room warning—but when they get to New Orleans, Jackie discovers a dangerous catch to her supernatural bargain. Someone wants her dead (again), but has she been sleeping with the enemy?

Or do the forces of evil think they’re some kind of match for a vixen in a miniskirt?

So, where to start? First... Look at Noah's hip dents!! Who can resist a man with gorgeous hip dents? Both males are wonderful characters and the covers are sexy. Let's just spend a few moments drooling over, er... looking at these males!


The books are told from the first-person point-of-view of Jackie. This is not a common feature of paranormal romance, but it works for these books. Although Jackie can be a bit annoying at times (she's sort of a whiny, "why me?" kind of girl), I can see her concerns and feelings from her side of things. Because we never get any other POV, we accept her feelings as genuine and learn life as a succubus through Jackie's (mis)adventures. I don't know if any other succubi have this kind of luck, but Jackie seems to attract trouble.


However, Jackie has something most succubi (and humans) do not: two males that care deeply for her. Where Noah is light, Zane is dark. Where Noah decides what's best for Jackie, Zane let's Jackie decide. Where Noah sleeps at night, Zane sleeps during the day, and Jackie NEVER sleeps - well... yea, those two boys together make the ideal male. Too bad they don't really care for each other, nor do they want to share Jackie. Both males exhibit some truly beautiful moments, and without spoiling anything, there is a scene in Book 2 that just brings me to tears because it is so touching.

I highly recommend these books. The third, unnamed Succubus book is scheduled for release in early 2011. (Just between you and me, I'm desperately trying to get details from Ms. Myles, but she is not giving up anything! Except an amazing snippet - on her website.) They are not your typical paranormal romance series. The mood is light, the adventures are zany, and the first person POV is fun. The books are full of humor and the lovin' is HOT! If you are in mood for a sexy, fun read please check out both Gentlemen Prefer Succubi and Succubi Like It Hot!


And you are in luck... Right now at The Odd Shots blog Jill is giving away 10 books (winners pick either Book 1 or Book 2). Contest ends on Thursday, February 18th, 2010. Good luck and ENJOY!!

Last week I blogged about the books that were ready and waiting for me to read on my Kindle. Those books are on hold while I finish my paperback To Be Read (TBR) pile. And that pile is getting smaller.

I love my Kindle!


I'll say it again, I LOVE my Kindle! Even with the big, SCARY mess that Amazon and MacMillan Publishing have gotten themselves into, I still have faith that my Kindle isn't going to leave me anytime soon.

Background Information:

First about my book buying habits: I love to read book series. I'll blog on my favorite series another time, but just know that I have at least a dozen paranormal romance series in paperback (I started reading/collecting the books in October 2008). I love to collect the books, referring to earlier books in the series, re-reading my favorites from time-to-time, etc. I am also very obsessive-compulsive about how my book series look... the books all need to be in the same format (hardcover, paperback, electronic).

Now about my venture into ebooks: I have an iPhone and about a year ago, I downloaded the free Kindle application. I was instantly smitten. I loved that I could get a book at anytime - day or night - and just read it from my phone. I loved the fact that the phone has backlighting and I could read in the dark: like in bed while my husband sleeps or on the airplane at night. I immediately started to download New (to me) Book Series like Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld and her Amazon series and free books like Jennifer Stevenson's The Brass Bed (which then led me to buy more of her books). Again, keeping with my OC tendencies, I would only buy individual books or whole series. Until last April... That's when J. R. Ward's Lover Avenged was released in hardcover. HOW DARE SHE MESS UP MY BOOKS! For those not familiar, Ward's series, Black Dagger Brotherhood, Books 1-6 were all paperback format. The 7th book was released in hard cover. I couldn't wait 7 or more months to read the book (and I can't get from my library, which is an entirely different matter to blog about), so I decided to pay the $9.99 and download the book onto my phone. It was wonderful... I took the book with me everywhere and could read anytime. BUT I still preferred my books and series in a more traditional format, for the most part.

This leads me to 2010... I decided that I wanted to give a formal ebook reader a try. After research and consideration, I decided to go with a Kindle. It made the most sense, especially since I already owned several Kindle titles. When I got the Kindle, I still had about a dozen paperbacks that needed to be read, and I felt a bit guilty, but I made my first "official" purchase. (Buying Jill Myles' Gentlemen Prefer Succubi). OH MY GOD... I was in LOVE! I didn't think it possible, but I PREFERRED to read on the Kindle - even without the backlighting! In fact, when I tried to go back and read on my phone, I didn't like it. And when I tried to read a paperback, the book seemed all bulky and unruley! SO, needless to say, my OC book buying tendencies went out the window! I've already started preordering and buying my beloved book series on Kindle - even midway through the series!! Now I am desperately trying to finish my paperbacks so I can get back to my Kindle (her name is Kendra)!

I am traveling to Florida to visit my folks later this month and instead of the 4-5 paperbacks that I usually bring, I'm taking my Kindle. Here is my current electronic TO BE READ list (on Kendra and ready to be read):

• Riding the Storm (ACRO #1), Sydney Croft
• Azazel, Dawn McClure
• Kiss Me Deadly, Michele Hauf
• Mortal Temptations, Allyson James
• His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik
• Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter #2), Nalini Singh
• Of Crimson and Collars, Stella and Audra Price
• She Wolf, Teresa D'Amario

Some of these books are free downloads, some I've won in Twitter contests and others I've purchased. And Archangel's Kiss - that is my first "break" in a series. I own the first book in the Guild Hunter series in paperback, but this one is all Kindle.
I am so excited to have my Kindle and watch the library grow. Sure I can't display them (in piles in my closet) or ogle pretty covers, but I can take my entire library with me almost anywhere. Do you have a ebook reader? Are you OC about your book purchases? What is in your TBR pile? (I'll do another post about my paperback TBR pile... it's slowly getting smaller).