The writings and ramblings of Colette Saucier

Welcome to my special Oscar edition of the Thursday 13! The 85th Academy Awards airs on ABC this Sunday, February 24th. In honour of this momentous event, I have compiled a list of thirteen of my favourite movie moments. I've done my best to avoid spoiling anything, but read (and view!) at your own risk... 13. A Few Good Men – Jessep: I felt that his life might be in danger once word of the letter got out. Kaffee: Grave danger? Jessep: Is there another kind? 12. Bram Stoker’s Dracula – Mina says, “Take me away from all this death!” and drinks Dracula’s blood to join him in eternal life. 11. Gladiator – “Are you not entertained!” 10. Monty Python and the Holy Grail – The argument about the velocity of unladen European vs. African swallows. 9. Casablanca - Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! [a croupier hands Renault a pile of money] Croupier: Your winnings, sir. Captain Renault: Oh, thank you very much....

Welcome to the Thursday 13 for 1- 24 -13!   This is a collection I had planned on using for Valentine's Day, but since the amazing romance writer Jean Joachim just had this article published in USA Today and listed the favourite romance films of her fellow Secret Cravings authors - including yours truly! - I decided to publish this list early.   My Thirteen Favourite Romance Movies 13. Moulin Rouge - This is my favourite film of all time, but certainly not because of the romance since we know from the first scene that the heroine is going to die.  Sorry - If the boy doesn't end up with the girl, it is not going to be ranked high on my list. Ditto Casablanca . Lovelovelove the movie, but no Happily Ever After (unless Rick and Louie are going off for an M/M sequel!). 12. Ghost - This is one of those films that, if I ever catch it while running through the channels, I'll stop and watch it. Alas, again, no HEA.   11. Meet Joe Black - Happily Eve...

Welcome to the Thursday 13 for 1-17-13!     Here are 13 places I have been that begin  with the letter "T" (in alphabetical order): Thailand  1.    Tacoma  2.    Tampa  3.    Texarkana  4.    Thailand   The Sacred Valley   5.    The Netherlands   6.    The Sacred Valley  7.    Thibodaux  8.    Trenton   The Netherlands  9.    Troy 10.    Tucson 11.    Tunisia 12.    Tuscaloosa 13.    Tuscany Tuscany The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comme...

Welcome to the Thursday 13 for January 10th, 2013 ! I love figures of speech! In writing fiction, I enjoy using puns, metaphors, alliterations, etc., to add richness to the prose - as well as to have a little fun.  For example, in Pulse and Prejudice , the vampire Mr. Darcy is so disgusted by his affliction, he refuses to utter the word. Hence, when he is forced into the company of Mrs. Bennet early in the novel, I punctuate the paragraph with other "V" words: The vagaries of fate never ceased in their vexation of Fitzwilliam Darcy. I—a gentleman of rank and good breeding—face impalement or incineration for an affliction not of my own choosing, yet Mrs. Bennet exhibits her vulgarity and vainglory without censure. Another favourite figure of speech is the oxymoron , so today I offer my top thirteen: 13. Passive aggressive 12. Act naturally 11. Boneless ribs 10. Virtual reality  9. Deafening silence  8. Alone together  7. Random order  6. Aw...

  Welcome to the Thursday 13 for 1-3-13!   Here are 13 things I am looking forward to in 2013: 1 - No more talk about those stupid Mayans and the end of the world . And can we drop the Zombie Apocalypse while we're at it? 2 - Arrested Development ! 3 - The 200th Anniversary of Pride and Prejudice on January 28th. 4 - We are finally going to figure out what Fringe is all about . 5 - Fleetwood Mac is coming back! 6 - The end of the presidential debates, ads, predictions, and pundits. 7 - I will finish writing Dearest Bloodiest Elizabeth , the sequel to Pulse and Prejudice . 8 - My husband learning to cook and preparing all our meals. 9 - I'm going to lose 25 pounds. (Any relation with #8 above is completely coincidental.) 10 - Seeing Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock . 11 - The Rolling Stones either will or will not go on tour for their 50th anniversary.  I'm OK either way. 12 - The return of Sean Payton - Could that mean a Saints Superbowl in...

Tomorrow is December 21st, 2012, and marks the end of the current Mayan calendar. Many have speculated that on this date, it will be the end of the world as we know it. Hence, I present 13 things I would want to do before the end of the world. Please leave comments - I would love to hear some of yours! 1. Go to Australia and Antarctica. One of my goals is to visit all of the continents, and these are the only two I have left. 2. Have a romantic dinner with my husband at Victoria and Albert's Restaurant. 3. See the Grand Canyon from a hot air balloon. 4. Go to India and get a hug from Mātā Amṛtānandamayī Devī , the "hugging Saint." 5. Say confession at the Vatican and be absolved by a Cardinal (end of the world - better cover all my bases!) 6. As long as I am in Italy, drive as fast as I can on the Autostrada in a convertible. 7. Have birthday cake. Since I won't be having any more birthdays... 8. See the Saints win the Superbowl. Oh wait! That...

Welcome to the Thursday Thirteen for December 13th, 2012! This week, I offer a recipe of my own creation, which just happens to have 13 ingredients.  A few years ago (before all of the current turmoil), my daughter and I vacationed in Tunisia for a week, and I went absolutely mad for the couscous they prepared there. When I returned to the States, I went on a mission to recreate the couscous I had eaten there; and after multiple attempts, I finally got the flavour just right! Enjoy~             Colette's Tunisian Couscous Olive oil 1 Onion, chopped into large pieces 6 chicken thighs 4 tbsp. Tomato paste 2 large potatoes 1 cup baby carrots 1 tbsp. harissa   (can substitute other chili paste or chili powder) ½ tbsp. cinnamon ½ tbsp. cumin ½ tbsp. paprika 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper 2 c. uncooked couscous (quick-cooking)  In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté onion in olive oil until slightly soft.  Add chicken thigh...

Welcome to the Thursday Thirteen for December 6, 2012! Here are 13 useless items (out of hundreds) I own. I did not include small kitchen appliances as that could be a future Thursday 13 on its own. 1. Manual Coffee Grinder - I don't even use my electric coffee grinder. 2. Cassette Tapes - We literally have well over a hundred of these, but no player. 3. Absinthe Spoons - I purchased a set of 6 of these when I got a bottle of absinthe when it first came out. I had no idea it tasted like liquorice.  I hate liquorice. And I hate absinthe. 4. Tortilla Keeper - This is meant to keep tortillas warm at the table while assembling Mexican fare. This purchase assured that I would never make fajitas or soft tacos again. 5. Bagel slicer - Likewise, once purchased, we never had unsliced bagels again. 6. Random Unidentifiable Keys 7. Salt Cellar - Hey - Did you know they have salt shakers now?? 8. Magic Wand from Ollivanders - This would not have been usel...

Welcome to the Thursday Thirteen for November 29th, 2012 Here are thirteen things you probably don't want to know about my dog: 1. Although he is a purebreed ( PBGV ), he is always mistaken for a mutt. ( Is that a cross between a basset hound and a schnauzer? ) 2. Because of his preposterously short legs, he needs to use steps to get on the bed; but when my daughter's chihuahua was able to leap up with ease, his pride wouldn't let him use the steps anymore. Now he spends 5-10 minutes trying to jump up before he finally makes it (or my husband gives in and puts him on the bed). 3. His favourite foods: Shoes & panties 4. He gets carsick unless he rides in the front seat, which means on a road-trip, I'm in the back 5. The volume of his bark/howl rivals that of a jet engine but with the pleasantness of nails on a chalkboard. 6. He watches television, especially enjoying procedurals, but he does not like American Horror Story . 7. He desperately wants to ...