Top Five Shoes by Cooper West – Guest Blog


Long and Short Reviews welcomes Cooper West who is celebrating the recent release of the revised edition of Mixed Signals.

Top Five Shoes

I was asked to do a “top five” list and lordy, I did not want to cycle through movies or books or stuff you can find on any listicle. I thought hard and then I remembered what I just bought this past weekend and BAM! There it is! Top 5 SHOES!!!

I’m a writer, so I do a lot of sitting. What’s with the top five SHOES, then? Because…I love shoes. Do you love shoes? Of course you do. Let’s do this!

1. Dansko clogs. I mean, I get it — I spent most of my younger years looking down on clogs. So clunky! So style-less! Nurses wear them, right? Totes not cool, yo’.

Then, in 2012, I came down with whooping cough. I know, that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with shoes, until you find out that I coughed so hard, for so long, that I ended up with a herniated disc. Being sick was awful, but that back pain was excruciating. I literally crawled around my house for three days, and then had to use a cane for months just to get to work. Gone were my nice, pretty, professional pumps and IN were my ratty old sneakers. But that couldn’t last forever, I needed to wear shoes to work that at least looked a little professional but also gave me necessary back support. My friends who were, yes, nurses but also the ones who were hairstylists insisted that Danskos were my only sensible option, and I’m glad they did. I love my clogs and when they wore out after three years of daily wear, I bought more. I have two pairs in rotation now. The clunky look has grown on me, and quite frankly, I’ve never worn a more comfortable shoe. Danskos 4evah, y’all!

2. Converse All Stars. I’m not a punk, and never was, but I love my beat up old high-top Converse. In black, of course, because I have pretensions of goth! They are not the most supportive shoes, honestly, and I always have to put inserts in to get them comfy. The older I get, the thicker the insoles! Still, as a basic accessory, they are perfect. They go from running errands to dancing at the club without a hitch. In my opinion, they are the “little black dress” of shoes, you can wear them with jeans or a formal gown and still look amazing like a rock star. When I don’t know what to wear, I wear my Converse All Stars.

3. Jambu “Alicante”. This is a platform shoe with a low rise (about 1 ¾) and a wedge heel that I got when I decided I could get back into wearing heels again. I love the rounded toe and the mary-jane style, but mostly, it’s comfortable. Most Jambu shoes are just as comfortable, and I’m not getting a kickback for saying that! This has become one of my favorite brands for comfy but modern and stylish shoes. I don’t wear them every day but when I need a bit of pizazz at the day-job, out they come!

4. Any sneaker by New Balance. I have honestly been married to New Balance sneakers since I was a teenager. I had fallen arches back then and NB saved me. I’ve tried a lot of other brands, and yes, I own Asics and Sketchers for the stylin’, but when I need a good, solid, supportive, all-round sports shoe I always come back to New Balance. They will never, ever be the “cool shoes” of athletics but they have my undying devotion. After I hurt my back, if I wasn’t in my Danskos, I was in my NB sneaks.

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Thanks for joining me on this tour through my shoe box, and thanks to Long and Short Reviews for hosting my ramblings on their blog! Please check out my new release or maybe sign up for my newsletter to be updated on upcoming books!

○ Devastatingly handsome pilot Frank Sheldon is doing his best to avoid his inheritance of money, charm, and good looks by rebuilding his life on his own terms after being discharged from the Air Force just before the repeal of DADT. When he unexpectedly meets the eccentric geek Benjamin Kaplan, sparks don’t quite fly, despite Benjamin’s obvious interest. Frank is not one to back down from a challenge, but what does any of that have to do with his sister’s campaign for governor, or the muckraking political website attacking her opponent, who just happens to be Frank’s unlamented, very closeted, ex-boyfriend? It’s hard to fall in love when all you are getting is mixed signals!

About the Author: Busting out of the fanfiction scene in 2012 with the publication of her first original full-length book, Dawn in the Orchard, Cooper West writes stories that capture the heart and imagination. She is now known for her bestselling book The Protector, set in her unique Guardsman’verse of weredogs and bonded pairs, and plans to continue to release more books in that series but also enjoys writing modern, quirky contemporary romance stories.

She’s still a fangirl at heart, with an everlasting crush on Chris Evans and an ever-rotating list of OTPs. Bisexual and raised in a queer household, Cooper has been writing “slash” since she was a teenager and did not understand much about biology. She’s learned a lot since then! *wink wink nudge nudge*

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