Enjoy this guest post about living your life to the fullest! It’s where we authors get ideas for books. 🙂

Many people dream of being rich and famous and living the high life of glitz and glamour. While for many of us it will remain a mere dream, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy a taste of the high life without the millionaire’s salary. If you want to get away from the daily grind, here are five experiences to make you feel like a VIP:

Champagne tasting

Champagne is the drink of choice for many a celebration and is quaffed in huge quantities by the rich and famous. If you want to find out more about the famous drink and impress your friends with your knowledge of the finer points of this fine tipple, then Champagne Tasting sessions will arm you with plenty of knowledge to impart on others next time you’re at a swanky party. Plus, you’ll get to spend an afternoon sipping the good stuff and trying different varieties, which certainly beats the bargain bottle of bubbly from your local supermarket.

Spa days

Guilt-free indulgence, a day or weekend trip to a luxurious spa will leave you feeling healthy and refreshed even if you’ve been quaffing champagne and dining out on fine foods as well. Being pampered by a professional is the perfect way to make you feel special and spending the day enjoying massages and facials before relaxing in a hot tub is a surefire way to make you feel like a very important person indeed.

Helicopter ride

From horse racing tracks to music festivals, the helicopter seems to be the transport of choice for celebrities looking to beat the traffic and make an entrance in style. You can see what all the fuss is about and simply enjoy the thrill of the ride with a helicopter tour, taking in some incredible sights along the way, whether you want to enjoy a serene swoop across the countryside or a sightseeing tour over London’s famous skyline.

Supercar driving experience

Nothing says ‘money and power’ like a fast car. Playthings and status symbols for the wealthy, supercars are a luxurious way to travel. But the finest automobiles on the planet were built for more than just posing and you can really put their power to the test at a range of driving experience days which give you the chance to put your pedal to the metal in a high range Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini or classic car of your choice.

Enjoy a glamourous photoshoot

Getting snapped by the paparazzi may seem like a grind for the modern day celebrity, but there are plenty of them who love to lay on the style in front of the camera. Cover star photoshoots may be reserved for the beautiful people but you can still get a taste of the glamour of being photographed by professionals with a deluxe makeover and shoot at a pro studio, for star treatment and pictures you can treasure.

These experiences can also be found as great Gift Ideas at Activity Superstore , the leaders in gift Experience Days in the UK. With a massive range of gift experiences from supercar experiences to pamper days, your sure to find the perfect gift.

When Daniel Shak recently separated with his wife and divorce proceedings began he was astounded to find that his wife had a secret collection of over 1’200 pairs of designer heels including over 700 pairs of Christian Louboutins. The sheer amount of shoes staggered many but, more than likely, would have made a large number of women jealous, not least reality TV star Kim Kardashian who, in a recent interview, stated that her personal collection of Christian Louboutins only extends to 224 pairs. To men owning triple figures of shoes in and of itself is astounding but considering all these items were designer brands makes this situation as hard to comprehend as something as existentially challenging as the big bang.

Whereas Shak’s incredible, $1million shoe collection is something of an anomaly it does draw attention to the stereotype that women are obsessed with shoes and have so many more than their male counterparts. Whilst Shak’s trove is undoubtedly far more exaggerated than any average woman’s collection will ever be, it is also worth noting that an average woman, according to a number of studies, will own seventeen pairs of shoes in comparison to most men owning four or less. So, why are shoes so important to women? And why are men happy with so few pairs? A large degree of women will have to try on multiple pairs of shoes with each outfit they put together whereas men are just as likely to throw on whichever pair of trainers are nearest to them regardless of the occasion and regardless of whether they suit what they are wearing – it is not uncommon to see men wear the same pair of trainers with tracksuit pants to run in, a pair of jeans in a mistaken belief they are cool and even with smart trousers in an insane calculation that this makes them look both smart and trendy.

What is astounding about women’s relationship with shoes is that they will purchase them even during times of austerity – a luxury product that is not essential, particularly if they already have 16 other pairs. On average, a lady will own 17 pairs of shoes, as mentioned, but also, 1 in 10 women will own more than 30. In the 1980s Imelda Marcos admitted to owning 3’000 pairs of shoes – this amount is so impractical as it would take her nearly ten years to wear each pair just once each. This is a great example of the fact that the actual reason for the popularity of footwear is less to do with utility, practical use or even fashion but rather is more likely to be psychological.

Many women relate shoes not to just how they look but also how they will feel – a pair of high heeled shoes can make their wearer seem taller and will help extend their legs and straighten their back. This, in turn, can help improve self-confidence and even self-esteem. Psychologists have also pointed out that many women will have more memories, and even emotional feelings, attached to their shoes than any other item of clothing and it is this powerful attachment that provides the link between shoes and women’s attachment to them.

One thing that many men also do not understand with women is the amount of pain they are willing to put their feet through. It is a not little known fact that wearing towering shoes such as stilettos can be seriously painful on the feet and can misshape them and even, ultimately, cause bunions. Yet, as noted by the trainer example detailed above, men are much more likely to favour comfort over nearly any other criteria when purchasing shoes – a completely polemic view to many women. Women will often state that they wear high heels not to impress other men but for their own sake or even to impress other women; this suggests furthermore that women’s attachments to shoes is more a psychological one rather than an attempt to appear more attractive in the eyes of men, although this can often be a side effect or minor consideration too.

Women will now often travel to work in one pair of trainers, before changing in to their stilettos or heeled work shoe on arrival – an admission that oftentimes their favourite shoes are actually impractical to travel in or even walk in. Whereas even the most expensive and formal styles of men’s shoes are practical, high fashion for women often is designed with seemingly the exact opposite purpose in mind. Yet for many shoe shopping represents to them feelings of liberation and joy and wearing the shoes gives off feelings of self-empowerment and liberation. Whether these feelings have been, as Germaine Greer has suggested, manufactured by advertisers (who have a history of peddling harmful goods on the public such as cigarettes who will purchase them regardless of the known health problems associated with them) , exploited by marketers or are a real, organic source of euphoria for women can, and no doubt will, be debated for some time to come.

Kieron Casey is a fashion writer and a shoes online blogger who, whilst loving footwear, is often astounded when hearing of tales about Kim Kardashian’s shoe collection. He is often astounded by Kim Kardashian in general.

I just finished reading The Housekeeper’s Son, by Christopher Loke. This novel just came out in May. Sad to say, I bought it when it first launched, but have been too occupied with work and kids to have any time to sit and read it. My anticipation in reading this book stems from more than the interesting synopsis on the cover; it’s the first book that my publisher, Jolly Fish Press launched. So there was a lot of excitement around this novel for more than one reason.

So after owning it for a month, I was finally able to make the time to read it last week. If you’re not familiar with this book, it’s the story of a woman, Eleanor, who’s in her seventies. She killed her son forty years ago and is now on trial for the murder of her employer’s daughter. I don’t want to give you much more than that, because you should read it for yourself to find out what happens.

It has some very soft paranormal elements to it. If I had to pick a genre for this book, I think I’d just simply call it a drama. But I would like to point out that there is a lot of intrigue throughout the story. The dynamics of the characters will have you speculating all through it.

As I picked up the book and began reading it, the first thing that struck me was the literary style that Loke exuded. He was almost poetic with the descriptions of the places and people in his book. If I had to compare it to another novel, the only thing I can think of is To Kill a Mockingbird. I don’t mean to say that both books cover the same political issues, nor are they from the same character perspectives (Mockingbird is from the perspective of a little girl, and Housekeeper is from the perspective of an old woman). The reason why I think they are comparable is because they are both so eloquent in their writing while covering some foreboding issues.

The Housekeeper’s Son is somewhat dark in the content it covers, while still maintaining a clean read. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book becomes a literary classic. I appreciate that the author doesn’t try to gloss over the pernicious happenings that the characters do and experience. This makes the book feel more alive to me.

Loke’s portrayal of the small Utah town is ironically true. It could be any Christian small town in America, and any reader could imagine the characters of the town behaving in just such a manner.

The only downside to this book is that I wanted just little bit more. The ending was well done, but my mind wasn’t ready to leave the story yet. I think I would have liked just a few more pages to see what had happened to the other characters that were involved. Maybe I needed to have an epilogue or something to make me feel more satisfied.

Anyway, despite this small complaint, I did enjoy the book. I give it four out of five stars. Check it out – I’ll bet you’ll get sucked into it like I did.

Hi everyone! Enjoy this fun guest post. Isn’t it amazing where inspiration can come from?

Cars have become embedded in every facet of our society, maybe even more so then computers. Think about it. There have been TV show’s, movies, books, video games and even music all devoted to cars. In fact some songs about cars are so famous that nearly everyone knows them and they have earned their place in history. Here are just a few of them.

Don McLean’s “American Pie” is hands down one of the most iconic songs in American history. Okay, it may not exactly be about cars, but everyone knows the phrase, “drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry.” The song was originally written in 1971 about the deaths of rock legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. However, McLean later wrote another version to include numerous other living artists. The song was a huge hit and has come to symbolize the good old days of rock ‘n roll, and America. In fact, the song was number one on the Billboard charts for four weeks straight. It also inspired Roberta Flack to compose and record the also famous song, “killing me softly.” Few songs are considered to be as important as American Pie.

Moving a decade forward into the 1980’s will give us another hit about a car. Not only are we moving up in time but also in car quality as “Pink Cadillac” was play on the radio. Okay, you might think this is a tribute to Mary Kay cosmetics but it wasn’t and ironically enough the song wasn’t originally a hit. Bruce Springsteen wrote and released on the B side of “Dancing in the Dark” in 1984.  It received nominal play on rock radio and peaked the Billboards at number 27. It wasn’t until four years later when Natalie Cole covered it that it hit the top ten charts. That being said, in case you wondering, yes, it is a sexual reference as well.

Keeping with the 1980’s theme finds us with yet another hit song also about a Chevy with Prince’s “Little Red Corvette.” Debuting in 1983 on Prince’s album 1999, it was his first album to hit the top ten on the Billboards’ Hot 100 list finishing at number 6. Surprisingly, it was also his first song to do better on the pop charts then the R&B charts, thanks largely in part to the poppy chorus. Once again this song is also a sexual euphemism but like Pink Cadillac, most people don’t realize this. Chevy could hardly ask for a better promotional song.

Of course there are many other famous songs about cars, many continuing the sexual theme such as Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” and “Drive My Car” by the Beatles. Of course don’t forget any number of country songs about used cars trucks. Who knew that cars could provide such creative inspiration?

Rusty Jefferson like in the golden state of California. He writes about pop culture, music and life. Enterprise Car Sales is one example of where to find your own car to inspire your music.