#ProjectPurseDump - Week 4 - A Bottomless Pit of Useless Items by Rosanna Leo (@LeoRosanna) - #WritersLife

This week, the torch is passed to the inimitable Rosanna Leo. I first (virtually) met her back when my debut novella came out, and I don't think I'd have stuck around without her encouragement. In other words, I'm dying to find out what's in this author's purse!

When I heard about #ProjectPurseDump, a part of me rejoiced and laughed out loud. After all, what an original idea for a blog hop!

The other part of me shivered in horror. After all, this means I'm offering viewers a look inside my purse. Some days, even I don't know what's in there. And I swear, sometimes, in its deep recesses, things move...

I can only attribute it to the fact I have what my sons call a "mother's purse." In other words, a bottomless pit of useless items that you very well might need in a life-or-death situation one day. I can't find my wallet most of the time, but if you randomly pick three items from my purse, you'd be able to MacGyver your way out of many situations.

OK, I suppose I am exaggerating a tad. Every good storyteller does (my story and I’m sticking to it). And I will freely admit I did a little clean up. With an industrial vacuum. You see, every time I look in my purse, I feel a little like Oscar Madison from The Odd Couple. It’s not that I’m messy. I just don’t clean up … right away. However, for the purposes of this post, I removed the “unidentifiables” from the bottom of my bag.

Thanks to Tracey Gee and Jessica Cale for allowing me to be part of this interesting tour. I am only a little scarred, and after you take a closer look at my belongings, you might be as well.

So (deep breath). What do I have in my purse? Well, fair traveler and lover of the weird, let's have a look.

1 - Yogurt (usually two small tubs). I often eat on the run. Bad for you, I know, but mornings are hard and I don't usually sit down for breakfast. Instead, I cart yogurt around with me. It does grow warmish, I concede, but I like it that way. If it's too cold, it hurts my teeth. One of the yogurt tubs did once explode, covering the contents of my purse. It was gross. I did clean that mess, but I smelled blueberries for weeks.

2 - Spoons (for afore-mentioned yogurt). A girl needs spoons! My problem is I often forget to take them out of my purse at the end of the day. This means, by week end, my purse is a bacteria-riddled cutlery stomping ground. Seriously, I swear they're multiplying.

3 - Tissues. I blow my nose a lot. I hate drips. However, where most neat and tidy ladies carry those cute little Kleenex pouches, I tend to stuff a bunch in my purse willy-nilly. So, yeah, some of them might be old...and used. I did warn you, didn't I???

4 - A wallet full of reward cards I always forget to redeem. The only one I use religiously is Starbucks. Seriously, don't touch my St. Arbuck's card. I really should throw out the other cards for Payless, Hallmark, Cineplex, Hane's, Ricki's...you get the idea. Someone, cut me off.

5 - Five lipsticks and a lip balm in the shape of a pink skull. My mother always said, "Never go out without lipstick." I have heeded her words since I was 18. My preferences are reds and pinks.

6 - Paper calendar/writing notebooks/pens. I'm a writer. What can I say? I always have a notebook and writing utensils with me. And my paper day timer is a godsend. I'd be lost without it. Although I am tech savvy (enough), I still like a paper calendar. And I always write my name and number in the front, like a third-grader, in case it gets lost.

7 - A discreet black pouch to carry maxi pads. I’m in my forties. Things are unpredictable. 'Nuff said.

8 - My glasses case. It may look fancy with the Versace label, but it is covered in blue ink...because I carry pens for scribbling in my notebook. Sigh. I am constantly covered in ink, dairy products and old, wrinkled tissue bits.

9 - My cheap Walmart sunglasses. I never buy expensive sunglasses because the minute I get them home, I accidentally sit on them and break them. Whenever I buy them at Walmart for $10.99, they last forever. I could jump up and down on those suckers and they’ll refuse to break.

10 - Oh, and a very basic phone (with which I am photographing this mess) so I can stalk my children on Instagram. Seriously, boys. You have no secrets, my friends. I know everything and I see what you "like." And, by the way, you're grounded.

About Rosanna Leo

Rosanna Leo is a multi-published, erotic romance author. Several of her books about Greek gods, selkies and shape shifters have been named Top Picks at Night Owl Romance and The Romance Reviews.

From Toronto, Canada, Rosanna occupies a house in the suburbs with her long-suffering husband, their two hungry sons and a tabby cat named Sweetie. When not writing, she can be found haunting dusty library stacks or planning her next star-crossed love affair.

A library employee by day, she is honored to be a member of the league of naughty librarians who also happen to write romance. Rosanna blogs at www.rosannaleoauthor.wordpress.com

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#ProjectPurseDump - Week 3 - Lip Stuff by Gemma Brocato (@GemmaBrocato) - #WritersLife

This week's spotlight lands on Gemma Brocato's purse. She's a hybrid author with an ever-growing list of books, and she does seem to have a weakness for lip stuff. Without further ado...

Hiya, hiya, hiya! I’m Gemma Brocato and I’m here to reveal the cluttered contents of my purse (or pocketbook as my Nona used to call it). Please don’t take the contents of my purse to be a sign that my mind is equally cluttered. You might however agree that my purse shelf is a bit of a mess. I have more handbags than I use. But honestly, I might need that little yellow bag, or the beautiful red one at some point in the future. I can’t bear to part with them.

Here’s a list of what I dug out from the bottom of my bag (I tossed the used tissues, straw papers, candy wrappers and old receipts before I took the picture).

A - I carry six types of lip stuff. I don’t use five of them. But one item I use frequently from this grouping is the blue tube of Friction Block. My love for this product surpasses even the Magic Eraser. This miracle substance keeps blisters away from my toes when I wear those toe-pinching, heel-rubbing high heels I love. Find this one in the aisle with other bandage products. Trust me - you want this in your bag.

B - My wallet. It may not look it, but that thing is at least 20 years old. It fits well in the smaller purses that I carry but isn’t too small to get lost in my oversized bags.

C - Sunscreen with SPF 30. I am so pasty white that I never chance getting caught in the sunlight without it. I might burn up like Luke Evans in Dracula Untold.

D - My business card holder. True story, the TSA does not like it when this goes through their airport screener. My purse is searched almost every time. For them I leave the used tissues in it. Ooh - I’m not so nice afterall.

E - My sunglasses and Sylvia Day pouch from RWA 2014. I fangirled all over that lady in San Antonio. And held my head up after. My eyes are blue-green and glare bothers me, so I go nowhere without my sunglasses (PSA here - save your eyes from macular degeneration - wear sunglasses whenever you are outside).

F - An expired postcard for a discount at Designer Show Warehouse. I keep those bad boys way past their expiration dates. I can’t explain it.

G - Author SWAG. Never leave home without it.

H - Mints. No explanation necessary. But I should say, this brand is now my dad’s favorite.

I - A contact lens case. Don’t know why I carry this because I don’t generally have solution or even my glasses. I guess it just makes me feel more prepared to have it.

J - A traveling pill box because I always carry pain reliever, allergy medication and acid reducer. I do not like to feel icky and this little item has saved my life on many occasions. The lives of many of my friends as well, since they know I’m always packing. Another item the TSA doesn’t approve of.

K - A travel sized, folding hairbrush. I received this in an Estee Lauder Gift With Purchase 20 years ago. What can I say...when I like something, I keep it.

L - A spare USB drive. Hey- my life’s work is backed up on this scrap of plastic.

M -  Car keys with the entry fob for the gym I very rarely attend. Honestly, I typically only go when I need to catch up on my reading. I hop on a treadmill and go to town.

N - A key chain with all the other fobs and loyalty tags I’ve amassed over the years.

O - My pad of dreams. No more notes on napkins, or receipts (remember, I cleared those all out). I’m high class all the way. I also carry lots of pens.

P - Bandaids, for those times when I’m careless and injure myself (or I put my friction block on too late and don’t stop the blisters). Again, my friends know I have these and will always ask if they need it.

Q - Another Estee Gift with purchase. This one is like my own little tool kit. I have super glue, Velcro, dental floss, a nail file, and anti-itch cream.

I know, I know. I carry the mommy bag. In spite of the fact that my children are grown-ups, the contents of my purse ensure I’m still prepared for whatever emergency arises.

About Gemma Brocato

Gemma Brocato was born with a book in her hands, and learned to read shortly after. She Able to read in a moving car without getting motion sickness, a fact she’s proud to share. After spending too many years making financial products and advisors sound sexy, she quit her full-time job to focus her efforts on contemporary romance novels. As a hybrid author, she has several indie titles as well as traditionally published work, with plans to add four more titles this year to her growing list of books.

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#ProjectPurseDump - Week 2 - 22 Lipsticks by Jessica Cale (@JessicaCale) - #writerslife #cat #photobomb

The second week of Project Purse Dump delves into the mysterious lipstick addiction of my Liquid Silver pub-buddy and historical fiction author Jessica Cale. And without further ado, here's her purse! 

Twenty-two lipsticks. Eleven bottlecaps. Seven black pens. Five magnets. Three tins of Altoids. Hello Kitty bandaids. A Mucha compact mirror from Paris, and a coin from House on the Rock.

These are a few of things I found this week when I emptied my purse out onto the floor.

In my defense, it is a very large purse. I have a few you might call “sensible” purses, brightly colored leather with understated embellishments and clever pockets, but the one I keep returning to is an oversized, flimsy thing I got at World Market for I think $8. It’s grey and it has crows on it. Size aside, it’s fairly nondescript, and goes well with my worn out jeans and band t-shirt aesthetic, plus I can fit half a library (and a hoodie!) into it should the occasion call for it. All of the things you see here were in it on a day that it was fairly empty, apart from my cat there, but he could have fit into it, too.

So what’s inside? It’s a kind of survival kit, plus a few extra bits and pieces I picked up along the way. Let’s take a closer look.

The essentials:

Seven black pens and two packs of post-its: I usually also carry a notebook full of graph paper with me for story ideas, but post-its and pens will do in a pinch. If I get story ideas--anything from bits of dialogue to major plot points--I write them on post its and stick them to the cards in my coin purse if I don’t have a notebook handy. Apparently I can also write notes on my phone, but this still feels too futuristic for me most days, and I usually forget.

Makeup: I don’t intentionally have twenty-two lipsticks on me at all times, it’s just that they gather in my purse. I don’t have any anywhere else in my house. I have them in my purse, in the coin purse inside, and more inside the Union Jack makeup bag. This makeup bag also contains hair pins, more ponytail holders than I have anywhere else, two eyeliners (one black, one purple), face powder, blush, mascara, orange scented roll on perfume, and a souvenir Mucha makeup mirror I got in Paris ten years ago. Because you never. fucking. know. Some days you just need eyeliner, and lots of it. I once loaned one of my friends a fire engine red Stila lipstick to write down her number for a random guy, and a couple years later, loaned the same lipstick to another friend when he was hosting punk rock karaoke as a kinky sailor. Who wore it better? My vote’s on Dave.

Coin purse: I haven’t carried a wallet in many years. In Britain, coins are far more common than paper bills, so carrying a coin purse was far more practical. I’ve been back in the states for a couple of years now, but I still carry the same coin purse I bought at New Look for a pound almost ten years ago. Today it’s full of all of my cards, some random change, a spare set of earbuds, post-its covered in story ideas, a customs declaration, a list of Edith Piaf songs (really), a guitar pick, some fortunes from cookies (“Don’t put off till tomorrow what can be enjoyed today…” in bed (snicker), hair pins, and more lipstick. Could you fit all of that into a wallet? Didn’t think so.

A coin from The House on Rock: How else will I make the crazy music play?

Randoms:

Bottlecaps and magnets: Okay, there’s a reason for this, I promise. My friend Lily gave these to me a couple of weeks ago so I could make some bottlecap magnets for my fridge. She made some and they look awesome, so I’m going to give it a shot.

Three tins of altoids: Why have three when one should be curiously strong enough? None of these are actually mine. My husband keeps buying them and asking me to hold them, so I put them in my purse. He forgets they’re there and buys more, asks me to hold them, and voila. Three tins. Can I offer you a mint?

Not pictured: The phone I use to obsessively ignore my email and ogle pictures of macarons on Instagram, my work badge, and my keys.

This might seem like a lot, but if you need to be minty or photo-ready, I’ve got your back. You know, just in case.

About Jessica Cale

Jessica Cale is a recovering journalist writing historical romances out of a grey bedroom in North Carolina. Originally from Minnesota, she lived in Wales for several years where she earned a BA in History and an MFA in Creative Writing while climbing castles and photographing mines for history magazines. She kidnapped (“married”) her very own British prince (close enough) and is enjoying her happily ever after with him in a place where no one understands his accent. You can visit her at www.authorjessicacale.com.

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