Teen Celebrity Crushes

We've all had them, those crushes on the famous and oh-so-unattainable guys we saw on the Ed Sullivan show, whose movies we swooned over at the Saturday matinee, or whose records we listened to over and over again. You know the guy I mean.

At various times I had several teen crushes. James Darren as Moondoggie in the Gidget movies. I was too young to have a crush when the movie came out but when I saw it on TV in the '60s, I was in love! George Harrison, my favorite Beattle, and Herman from Herman's Hermits.

We lived in a small town in 1967 and I remember begging my parents to let me and a girlfriend go a Herman's Hermits concert in the city. I might as well have asked to go to the moon.

Instead I had to settle for listening to their records, over and over again. I knew all the lyrics, and I used my babysitting money to buy Tiger Beat magazine so I could pour over all the tantalizing details of Herman's life.

Last year, almost forty-five years after surviving the disappointment of missing the Herman's Hermits concert, my mother and I went to see Peter Noone (Herman) perform.

It wasn't the concert I so desperately wanted to see in the '60s but it was fun, and I even got my old LPs autographed.

I haven't played these records in years, but I did have a look inside the covers before I went to the concert. I'm so glad I did, because look what I found.

Two drawings I made of Herman when I was about thirteen.

They were drawn on looseleaf paper, no doubt while I supposed to be doing homework. Peter/Herman was a good sport and signed them for me, asking if I'd become any better at drawing over the years. Sadly, no! But I did discover that while I got over my crush, I'll always be a fan.

Okay, now it's confession time. Who was your teen crush?

Until next time,
Lee
www.leemckenzie.com
The Christmas Secret ~ available now
A Christmas present with a hidden past
The Daddy Project ~ December 2012

Giving Away Copies of Arizona Cowboy!

As most of us authors are doing with February releases…I'm out and about promoting the latest book in my Rodeo Rebels series…Arizona Cowboy.

BUY!

From the back cover…..

Last Cowboy—Or Cowgirl!— Standing...

Rachel Lewis is a bona fide city slicker. Still, when her estranged father asks for her help, she ends up in dusty Stagecoach, Arizona, to manage his rodeo company for the summer. Being clueless about rough stock is nothing, though, compared to the confused feelings Rachel has for sexy ranch foreman Clint McGraw... because he's also her main competitor for her father's affections.

Clint can hardly believe it when his boss hands over the reins to his long-gone daughter. What the heck does a spoiled city girl like Rachel know about rodeo? Why, she's crazy enough to offer a competition event to women bull riders! And for sure she's going to nudge her way back into her father's heart—leaving Clint high and dry. Even so, he can't help falling hard for Rachel. But only one of them can be the head honcho of this round-up!

 

Following are 5 ways you can win a copy of 

Arizona Cowboy

 1) Sign up for my Newsletter.  Each month I run a Wild West Trivia contest and select a winner from all the correct answers turned in. 

At the end of each month I'll send a copy of Arizona Cowboy to someone who…

2) Follows my blog  by email All My Heroes are Cowboys..

3) "LIKE"s  my Facebook page… 

4) Enters my GoodreadsGiveaway!  For the month of February only I'm giving away 5 copies of Arizona Cowboy.

5) And I'm also offering a copy of Arizona Cowboy to one lucky poster at the American Romance Blog.  Linda Warren will announce the winner at the beginning of March.

I speak for all of the Harlequin American Romance authors when I say "Thank You" for your continued support...buying our books, helping us spread the word about new releases, taking the time to post online reviews and stopping by our blogs to chat!  Our Fans are the BEST!

Happy Reading!

Marin

Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2012)

A Cowboy's Duty (Aug 2012)

Beau: Cowboy Protector (Nov 2012)  

Happy Ever After...The Cowboy Way

Lasting Impressions

I'm happy we have an extra day in February this year because, so far, it has been one fun, exciting, and busy month!

I'm on tour. A virtual tour around the Internet to celebrate my current release, THE RODEO MAN'S DAUGHTER. In this book, my hero takes a trip—back to his own hometown. It's a trip he'll never forget, as the visit brings him smack up against a number of memories, some good and some terrible.

Today, I'd like to talk about good memories.

I once took a trip—a real-life tour—that made a lasting impression: ten days in Europe with a large group of students. And with a smaller number of teacher-chaperones, all of whom actually survived to return home and teach again. LOL

Our adventure began in Spain, where we stood in hushed awe inside churches in Barcelona, felt our blood pulse to the rhythms of the Flamenco in Seville, and—for those who chose to do so—held our breath during a bullfight in Madrid.

We spent two beautiful, sunny days walking the beach and chasing the surf on Palma de Mallorca.

And before the trip ended, we took a ferry to Morocco, where we rode camels and ate exotic food and spent an afternoon at the Kasbah.

I sound like an ad for a travel agency, don't I? (smile) Sorry. But I can't help it.

In those ten days, we probably saw more breathtaking sites and came smack up against more history than I ever had in my life. The photos we took faded, but the memories have stayed bright.

Have you ever visited a place that's made such a lasting impression?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

V-Day Fairy vs. Fixing the Hot Water Heater

Hubby's sweet gift came early this year with this hot pink Oilers 
jersey from one of my fave players, Jeff Terminesi!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Funny, how over the years the day's meaning and/or events have changed.  When I was a kid, Mom and I couldn't wait for Dad to get home.  He'd always have one or two tin-foil-wrapped gifts for each of us.  For me, sometimes as simple as a teen magazine I'd been wanting and a big candy bar.  In my teens, I usually got a special piece of jewelry--my favorite, a tiny mouse set atop a gold ring.  He even has ruby eyes!  Mom and I were just talking with Dad about how much we looked forward to seeing him, guessing at what surprises he might bring.

As a teen, of course the big day was all about romance!!!  The year I received a bouquet from my boyfriend, one from my parents and another from my ex-boyfriend's mother who I'm pretty sure still wishes we were back together, was a super exciting year!!

In college, the day became less about what I got and more about what I could give.  Back then, the University of Arkansas choir sold singing telegrams for five bucks!  God bless Whitney Houston, as her songs were the best for wooing and landed my hubby!!  Music holds the power to transform all of us into time-travelers and for me, her voice and lyrics transport me to those special college times.

Fast forward a few years and the twins were introduced to the Valentine Fairy!!  I was always Little Terry's Valentine and hubby was Hannah's.  The Valentine Fairy always added a little extra sparkle--a Barbie or Pokemon cards.

Now, Hubby and I are pretty content lounging in our PJs in front of the fire and romantic gifts usually consist of fixing something broken around the house!!  LOL!!

This year, however, Hannah will be doing her Ice Girl thing at tonight's Oilers game, so we'll romance over a shared order of Billy's onion rings at the BOK Center!!  Wish the hot pink jersey we won at auction Saturday night would be ready to wear, but alas, it's still being fumigated!!  (Hockey players might look good, but wow, do they work up a sweaty funk!!  LOL!!)

What phase of Valentine's Day are you all in?  Whichever it is, hope you're surrounded by LOVE!!!    

Florida Has Cattle, Too

Fourth-generation cattleman Ty Parker looks into his childless future and wonders what will become of the ranch he’s worked so hard to preserve. His answer might be a five-year-old boy abandoned on DCF’s doorstep, but only if the rancher convinces a jaded social worker that he’s good father material on a two-week cattle drive through Florida’s version of the Old West.

I have to admit that my story about a cattle drive set in Florida raised some eyebrows when I first pitched the idea as a Harlequin American Romance. Cattle? In Florida? A state more known for its orange groves and theme parks didn’t seem like the best setting for a story about a fourth-generation rancher. And yet, it’s more fitting than a lot of people might guess.

Cattle ranching has been a staple of Florida’s economy for a long, long time. I think it’s fair to blame Ponce de Leon for that. He brought seven head of Andalusian cows with him on his second visit in 1521. People have been ranching here ever since.

Did you know that today Florida is the third-largest beef-producing state east of the Mississippi? Or that 1.1 million head of cattle graze its pastures?

We use term “Florida Cracker” when we’re talking about someone who was born and raised in the state. The term harkens back to the days when cowboys would snap long, braided whips over the heads of the cattle they were herding. “Crack!”

The cattle drive in Rancher’s Son, my December release for Harlequin American Romance is pattered after an old-fashioned drive that takes place across the state each spring. Over the next few months, we’ll talk more about Rancher’s Son and why Florida makes the perfect setting for a book about ranching.

RAIN. RAIN. LET IT RAIN!!

As I’ve blogged about before, Texas has been in the worse drought since the fifties. I don’t remember that one, but the last year has been brutal with parched pastures and lakes, ponds and creeks drying up. Everyone has been praying for rain for a solid year. Our prayers have finally been answered. In January we had several small showers and then a two inches rain, but Friday night we got the big one—at least five inches. Along with the rain though came bad weather. We were under a severe thunderstorm watch and then that turned into a tornado warning, which the weatherman was predicting would touch down near our neighborhood.

What do you do when a tornado is headed toward you? Panic is always my first choice, but luckily my husband is very calm. He gathered flashlights, bottled water and carried them to a bathroom in the center of our house. He grabbed a big comforter from the closet. I added Snicker bars. If I’m going to be stuck somewhere, I want a snack.

It was dark and pouring buckets outside, but the TV and lights were still on. Then the TV started beeping with an alert: People in these areas take cover. Our neighborhood was listed. The wind howled and rain pounded our roof, but other than that everything remained the same. The lights and TV stayed on. Strange. Then we got the news that the tornado had touched down about five miles from us. It did a lot of damage, but thankfully no one was hurt. Due to all the stress, I decided to eat a Snickers anyway.

The tornado has been the topic of conversation and it always ends with one sentence: But we got rain. Yes! Look at the difference. Lots of water.

I told my husband we needed to be more prepared. What would you do if a tornado was headed for your house?

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

Linda
www.LindaWarren.net