Missed Moments....

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday was a crazy day here in Texas. When my husband went out to get the paper at 6 a.m. it was snowing. I didn’t believe him at first but yes, it was snowing in March in Texas. It’s was mostly snow flurries and since it was 34 degrees the snow wasn’t sticking to the ground. But it was beautiful to watch.

My husband went to work and I sat in the breakfast room, drinking coffee and watching it. We live on a lake and I could barely see the water for the snow flurries. At times it was heavy and others very light. We have geese and ducks on the lake and they’ve been there since we moved here eleven years old. The geese are two white and one gray. I named the white ones Henry and Henrietta, the gray Harry. I know which are male and female because in the springtime Henry and Harry would chase Henrietta all over my background—looking for love. Sadly one night about five years ago a bobcat got Henrietta and almost got Harry, too, before a neighbor heard the ruckus and intervened. Harry now has a broken wing. Now the two males are alone and in the springtime they attack each other. I guess just to have something to do.

Yesterday morning I looked out and saw Harry, his neck strained toward the sky, his beak snapping at the snowflakes. I guess he thought it was food from heaven and he was going to eat his fill. Crazy goose. But I laughed myself silly watching him. At times he strained so hard his plump body shook, his broken wing flapped wildly and his web feet almost left the ground. Crazy goose!

When my husband came home I told him about Harry and his antics. He asked, “Did you get a picture?” It was one of those moments, like in the V8 commercial; I wanted to smack my forehead. I never even thought of the camera. The sun was out by 9a.m. (crazy Texas weather) so getting Harry on film isn’t going to happen again any time soon. I’m still smacking myself.

Does that ever happen to you? The older I get I’m afraid it’s happening more often. But that’s another blog. I’d love to hear about your missed moments.

Have a wonderful Saturday. We have Sunshine again. Yay!

Linda Warren
Texas Bluff – Super Romance Feb 2008
4 ½ Stars RT
#8 Waldenbooks Series Bestsellers List
Always A Mother – Super Romance June 2008
Texas Heir – American Sep 2008

Family Ties Warm Heart and Midwest?

My m-i-l celebrated her birthday over the weekend, bringing in two of my husband's four siblings from oot. The area reached nearly 80 degrees; the sunshine actually felt warm for the first time in a long time. Special weather for a special lady. (Two days later, we got 8 inches of snow.)
Today I just wanted to acknowledge the blessings of family, which brighten even the dreariest of gray winter days.

I’m a writer— who needs therapy?

When I was about 14, I was a serious student in several honors classes. In homeroom I sat near a girl from the popular crowd. Let’s call her Diane. For some reason Diane carried my picture in her wallet. I was thrilled. Until I saw what she’d written across the bottom: Persimmon. At the time I didn’t know what a persimmon was. A sour fruit, a friend said. Years later I learned that persimmons are actually sweet and quite tasty. But at the time…

Diane thought I was sour? I was devastated. Silly as it seems now, I carried that pejorative image with me for years, berating myself for my lack of humor when I thought I was too serious. Never mind that I sometimes laughed until I cried and often made my friends smile.

Then there was Larry, a man I worked with. I’d just earned my MBA and had landed a job in the finance department of a bank. Larry was one of those guys who smile while they sling cutting remarks your way and do what they can to make you feel inferior. Because I was no longer a 14-year-old girl, I refused to put up with Larry’s b.s. My work proved him wrong, and several times I told him to shove it. Which shocked and even silenced him for a day or two. Still, the man and his comments rankled, and I spent more than a few sleepless nights, wondering if maybe he was right.

I’m sure everyone can relate. There isn’t a person among us who hasn’t been insulted or hurt and emotionally scarred by someone.

Where is that biach Diane now? What’s mean Larry doing these days? Who knows, but you can bet she got hers and he got his—at least in my novels. When you’re a writer, you control the world you create. Some characters triumph, and others fail. I don’t mind sharing that both Diane and Larry have suffered fictionally for the pain they caused me. Sure it’s all made up, but in dealing with them through my writing, I was able to work through my hurt and frustration and move on.

I think that’s pretty darned cool.

Until later,
Ann
www.annroth.net
The Pilot's Woman, March 2008, a Romantic Times top pick!

Home Again

I met a woman at a party the other night who asked me where I was from. It’s kind of an inevitable question for my neighborhood. Cincinnati is home to Procter and Gamble, GE, and Kroger. Our sleepy town is filled with transferees from other places. I told her I was from Texas.

As we talked further, things got a little confusing. I had to clarify my answer. No, I didn’t just move from Dallas…we lived in Colorado before we moved here. And, well, that move wasn’t recent, either. We, uh, have lived in our current home for (gulp) nine years.

Suddenly, I had to face the truth. I have become an Ohioan. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’ve loved living here…but still in the back of my mind, in my heart, I drift back to where I spent the first 17 years of my life. Anyone else ever done that?

My son has! He spent his first years in Colorado. That’s where he wants to go! In fact, all his college choices revolve around Boulder and Fort Collins and Denver. My husband and I are thinking that is very far away.

I guess I’m thinking about Texas more because I just finished revisions for a Harlequin American that will be out sometime in 09. It’s set in a small town in north Texas, and boy did I love being back there….at least in my imagination and memories! In it, my hero Matt Madigan returns to his roots and attempts to settle in, but comes to find out that both he- and the town he’s living in-have changed. In fact, the only constant is a certain brown-eyed gal named Minnie who still has a crush on him.

Maybe like my hero, I’ve changed a bit, too. Lately I’ve been doing what so many native Ohioans do…anxiously await signs of spring! Today’s a good day for that. Snow has melted, the weather is warmer, and I spied a rabbit in our backyard this morning. Though that might all change tomorrow, today looks like a good day.

So, has anyone else moved around some? If so, where do you call home? Where you are now…or where you grew up?

By the way...Ann DeFee…hope your house hunt is going well!

Shelley

February Winner!

The lucky winner of our February drawing is Shawny Avery. Congrats!

To get your free, autographed books, please contact Cindi Myers, Cathy McDavid and Marin Thomas. For contact information, visit their websites.