Time For A Change

For a number of years, American Romance authors have shared successes...and a few failures, joys...and a couple of tribulations, hopes and the very best of dreams with our readers right here on the Harlequin American Romance Authors' blog.  More than any other single location, this has been the place where we reached out to you, our readers.  The place where we introduced you to the heroes and heroines in our stories.  The place where we talked about the small towns, the communities and the families that are central to American Romance.  

Today, though, there are so many other avenues for you to reach us, that this site isn't as effective as it once was.  So, the time has come to board up the windows and move on.  Instead of continuing with the blog, we invite you to visit us on our websites, drop in to chat on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and look below for a special good-bye from some of your favorite authors.  

We're in the process of setting up a new home on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AmericanRomanceAuthors), but it's not quite ready yet.  In the meantime, we'll continue to write the wonderful, heartwarming stories you've come to expect from Harlequin American Romance.  You can find all our new releases at the Harlequin website. 
 

Wishing everyone a happy Fourth of July while bidding adieu to the Harlequin American Romance Authors' blog makes for a bittersweet day to be sure.  It's been my honor to meet so many wonderful readers over the years, both here on the blog and at various booksignings and other events, and I hope you'll keep in touch. 

You'll always find my current and new releases on my website at www.LeeMcKenzie.com, and from there you can also link to me on Facebook and sign up for my mostly monthly eNewsletter, Life in the Slow Lane, featuring recipes, writing news, giveaways, and contests.

Wishing you many long and happy hours of reading,

Lee McKenzie...writing fifty shades of pink!

www.LeeMcKenzie.com
 

Thanks to all the loyal Harlequin American Romance readers.  It's been a pleasure connecting with you here.  Please visit our personal websites for updates on future books.  My Facebook and website links are listed below.

 

Megan Kelly

www.facebook.com/MeganKellyAuthorPage

www.megankellybooks.com

 

 





Thank you to everyone who's stopped by for a visit over the years!  Selling my first story to the Harlequin American line well over a decade ago was one of my Top Ten most favorite life moments.  The fun that's followed in meeting so many warm and funny and caring readers has been another tremendous blessing.  Please remember that, even though our blog is retiring, our line is still going strong!  As are all of our talented authors!  Please feel free to find us on Facebook and Twitter, or on our individual web pages.  Happy reading!

Laura Marie Altom
www.lauramariealtom.com
 

 

Happy Fourth of July, and a fond farewell to the Harlequin American Romance Authors' blog.  It's been my great pleasure to have participated in this group blog for a number of years and to have met so many wonderful readers here.  But this isn't a final good-bye! 

 

 Please drop by my website, where you can get in touch via e-mail and stay up-to-date with all my writing news.  I hope you'll visit me there and will also stop by to chat with me on Facebook and Twitter. 

 

All my best to you.

Until we meet again,

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille

https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

 

 

The first entry I wrote for the Harlequin American blog was in December, 2006, so I bid farewell to this blog with much fondness.  I'll be guest-posting elsewhere and including links at my JacquelineDiamondAuthor page on Facebook.  Thanks to all of you for reading!

 

Jacqueline Diamond

www.facebook.com/JacquelineDiamondAuthor

 

 



 

All good things end.  It's been fun writing for this blog, and I'm sad to say goodbye.  But I'm not gone.  Visit www.annroth.net anytime, or drop me an email at ann@annroth.net.

Ann Roth

www.annroth.net

www.facebook.com/pages/Ann-Roth



The day I received an invitation to post on the Harlequin American Romance Authors' blog I literally danced for joy!  And I've loved participating here and meeting all our wonderful readers.  I hope you'll keep in touch!

Leigh Duncan

www.leighduncan.com

www.facebook.com/LeighDuncanBooks

 



 

      

What's on your "Mom" list?

Last week, I'm sure many of you had a list of reasons to wish your mother the happiest of Mother's Days and to thank her for all she has done. 

So did I.  

Here are a few of the things I'm most grateful for.  Thanks to my mother, I became:

  - a book lover

  - a lifelong reader

  - a writer

One of my earliest happy memories is of the day my mom took me to get my first library card.  And I do mean took me to get that card, because she couldn't get it for me.  According to the rules of our tiny local branch library, I needed to be able to print my own name on the application. 

Even at five years old, I knew just how much getting my very own library card would mean to me.  I practiced my printing every day, because I so wanted that small, yellow, rectangular piece of cardboard with my name on it.

And I aced the test, first time around!

Getting that library card eventually led me to become a student volunteer in the elementary school library.  Much later, it led me to selling a book—well, actually, two books—to Harlequin American Romance.  And not long after they were published, I found both of them on the shelves of my local library.  Can't you just imagine what a thrill that was!

I wish my mom had still been with us to know I'd gotten "the call."

A big thanks, Mom, for everything...

And a big thanks to you, Readers, for stopping by the blog.

Want to share something special your mother has done for you?

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

April Fool's...just a bit late!

All of my books for Harlequin American Romance focus on home and family, which means they always feature babies and/or children.

Kids in romance novels? Yes, of course! They can increase conflict or, at the other end of the spectrum, lighten the tension between the hero and heroine. In my stories, I hope they do both somewhere along the line and wind up leaving the reader smiling.

In my post today, I'm sharing children of another type with you.  Sort of an April Fool's joke, as you'll see below—although these babies are foolin' around. (smile) 

They've been hangin' around for a while, too. And they're just too cute not to share. Enjoy!

~~~

 

All my best to you,

Barbara

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

How lucky can you get!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all the Irishmen—and the honorary Irishmen—who celebrate the holiday!

Every year when this date rolls around, I'm happy my once-a-month blog post here falls on the 17th because it allows me to share with y'all on St. Patrick's Day.

In past years, I've talked about food, luck, corned beef and cabbage, my Harlequin American Romance featuring an Irish heroine (Kerry Anne MacBride and the rest of her wild and crazy clan in Family Matters), and...well...more food.

Food and writing are pretty much my favorite topics.  J

March 17th allows me to toss in my thoughts about luck, too.

I am lucky...to celebrate a holiday that carries on the traditions of my family.  To share part of this fabulous day with you.  And to have a career I love.

I can't tell you being an author is the most fun job I've ever had, because it involves a lot of work, sweat, and tears. 

The work stems from trying to bring the ideas in my head to life on the page and not lose anything along the way.

 

The sweat comes from waiting to see how my editor reacts to those ideas.  J 

And the tears—oh, the tears! They're the best part of the job. 

Sad tears when I learn what has happened to my characters in the past and when things go wrong in their lives now.  Frustrated tears when the hardheaded hero and heroine can't see beyond their conflict to realize they belong together.  Uncontrollable tears when one or the other of them—or a character who plays an important role in their lives—gets hit with a heartbreaking dose of reality.  And the best tears of all, the ones that flow when the hero and heroine have finally reached their happy-ever-after.

No wonder I say I'm so lucky!

And as if that's not wonderful enough, I must add that I'm married to my all-time favorite hero, which means I'm also lucky in love.  J

How about you?  Irish or honorary Irish, what makes you a lucky person today?

All my best to you,   

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

Latest release: Honorable Rancher

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille

https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

'Tis the season to be jolly...

Let me tell you, I'm living that phrase from the well-loved Christmas carol!

Although life has thrown many different opportunities—and, not to mention, a good number of curves—my way, the one constant since I was a little girl has been the knowledge that I wanted to be a writer.

I started scribbling stories well before I knew my ABCs—and I'll bet you can just imagine the trouble that gave my parents when I asked them to read my efforts.  LOL

After I learned how to use the alphabet to make spelling words, I knew the only thing better than being a writer would be becoming an author so I could share my stories with people outside my elementary school.  That wish came true a few years ago, and with two more books out this year and the recent sale of another Flagman's Folly story, I feel as though Santa came early to my house!  This explains why I'm so happy this holiday season.  J 

Along with the above, I have a lot to be thankful for, including the fact you've taken time out of your extra-busy schedule to stop by and read this post. 

I hope you'll also take a minute, maybe by sitting down with a glass of eggnog or a cup of tea and a cookie or two, to stop and think about what made your year wonderful.  And please share that with us!

To you and yours, I wish happy holidays and a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous year ahead.

All my best, always,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

The latest Flagman's Folly books:

The Rodeo Man's Daughter

Honorable Rancher

Holiday Cheer...or Not

This begins the season of holiday parties, and you know all the good things they include.  I'll steer away from the dangerous topics of casseroles and desserts and chocolate—although really, those are some of my favorite subjects for discussion at any time of the year!

Instead, let's talk about gifts. 

Not the kind you love to give.  The kind you love to give away.  You know, in those grab bags and games you play where everyone receives a gift from an anonymous giver.

One year I participated in a "Silly Santa" grab bag and received a pair of fuzzy animal slippers.  Envision this:  they were purple, with red eyes and long black claws, and—I'm not kidding—from front to back, they were two feet long.

Let's just say I found them...

Umm...

Spectacular! 

The slippers received a lot of attention at that particular Christmas party.  And you'd better believe they went right into the very next grab bag I could find.  (grin)  The winner absolutely loved them and wore them the rest of the night. 

Obviously, one person's "umm...spectacular" is another person's favorite gift.

To be fair, these games—and gifts—aren't all bad.  I'll admit I've been lucky, too.  At another party, I received a pair of holiday earrings that I still wear during the Christmas season every year.

Got any grab-bag stories, either for the best or worst gift ever?

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who will celebrate it later this week!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

August 2012

Too tired to think of a title...

Oops.  I was offline for a few days and set my blog to automatically post on my date.  But I guess I hit the wrong button.  I must be more tired than I thought!  LOL  

Anyway, here's the post....

Lately, when it comes to rest and relaxation, I've had none.

Insomnia has hit.

Not a gentle tap nudging me away from the threshold of dreamland, but a fifty-pound anvil dropped from a great height and making sure I don't spend more than three straight hours in bed between nine p.m. and six a.m.  And usually, not more than two hours.

As a result, I'm snatching pockets of time during the day whenever possible to squeeze in a nap, but let me tell you, the pockets aren't very deep and neither is my sleep.

This deprivation has been going on for so long, my days and nights are getting mixed up.  Just like a baby.  And I'm EXHAUSTED!  Wah!

The list of remedies so far has included:  warm milk, warm baths, chamomile tea, crackers (carbs), sweets (sugar), and cheese (protein).  So far, my weight's gone up but my snooze time has not. 

Now, normally, this isn't something I'd complain about in public...  But it can't hurt to tell you, can it?  Maybe you've got the perfect cure to help me get some zzz's?

If so, pleazzzzzzzze share!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

August 2012

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

HONORABLE MEN

I love it when my blog date falls on Father's Day because it gives me an opportunity to honor my dad as well as yours.

Happy Father's Day to all the important men in your life!

Today, I'd like to talk about two men in my life. One's real. The other's fictional, but so real to me I feel as though he's stepped off the page and stolen my heart.

First, my dad.

Along with the wonderful traits of being a good husband and father and family provider, he had a few quirks. One of them was being the eternal fixer-upper.

From a couple of pieces of plywood and a few two-by-fours, he could make a set of bookshelves that doubled as a room divider. From a snarl of old twine, he could crochet a sack to keep his extra cash safe when he went off on a road trip on his motorcycle. He could transform a pile of chicken bones and a handful of herbs into the best soup you've ever tasted.

But my dad could never take a set of directions or a recipe and follow along step-by-step. Oh, no—he had to do things his way.

So does the hero of my August Harlequin American, HONORABLE RANCHER.

Ben Sawyer's way is to offer a hand in friendship, to be there when folks need him, to live up to everyone's expectations. To be the boy next door to the woman he's always loved from afar. The widow of his best friend.

Until...

Until he realizes he can't live his life following along step-by-step.

Until, like my dad, he decides to throw away the directions and do things his way.

This decision changes his life and that of the woman he loves...and just about everyone else's in the small town of Flagman's Folly!

Hmm...

I think it has suddenly hit me why I love and respect and look up to Ben Sawyer.

And why I dedicated HONORABLE RANCHER to my dad.

~~~

On this special day, I hope you'll take a moment to honor the special men in your life—and to leave a comment or share a story about one of them here.

 All my best to you,


Barbara


~~~~~~


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

Technology...How Did We Ever Live Without It?

IPOD's. MP3 players. Smart phones. Laptops. E-readers.

What would our lives be like without all that? Nowadays, could you even imagine a world without microwave ovens?

Without home computers?

My grandmother could.

Grandma, who passed away a few years ago, was born very close to the turn of the century. Not this century, of course—the previous one! And according to my favorite online encyclopedia, she was born before all of the above.

Also before the jet plane.

Before the airplane.

Before TELEVISION!

That's hard to believe, isn't it?

In a relatively few decades, so many new things have been invented that have changed our world forever. In just a few short recent years, technology has evolved so rapidly that even my twentysomething nieces and nephews were born before many of the inventions listed above.

Sometimes, I'm not so sure that "new" necessarily equates to "new and improved"—but I do know there are some things I can't imagine living without.

Number One, no doubt about it, is my desktop computer.

As a full-time writer who spends most of her day alone in a room with the imaginary characters from her books, I'd have to say my computer's a lifeline. I'd be lost without it!

How about you? What piece of modern technology could you absolutely not live without?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

What's Cooking for St. Patrick's Day?

Are you Irish today? (smile) On March 17th, everyone's entitled to celebrate this grand holiday.

My family's a good part Irish, and when I was growing up, St. Patrick's Day was always a special holiday in our house.

The highlight of the day was gathering everyone together for our big dinner. Of course, you know what we ate. Corned beef. Cabbage. Carrots. And potatoes.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

There are various recipes, but the simplest is this:


Put corned beef (3-4 pounds) in a pot, toss in a couple of bay leaves*, and cover all with water.

Bring water to a boil.

Cover pot and lower heat to a simmer for about 3 hours, or until corned beef is fork-tender.

Remove beef from pot and reserve on a platter, covering beef with foil for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, to the water in pot, add a head of cabbage, quartered; carrots and potatoes (about 5-6 medium of each), peeled and cut into pieces.

Cover and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.

Slice the beef and dish up the vegetables.

* After cooking, discard bay leaves. Do not eat.


And you're done.

See? It's so easy, anyone—Irish or not—can enjoy this traditional dinner. I hope you will. (smile)

And I'd love to hear if your family celebrates with this or any other special foods or traditions.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

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

Holiday Wishes

This year I'm on deadline during the holidays, which means the tree is half-trimmed, only a few packages have been wrapped, and the cookies may not get baked at all. Oh, well. I can't regret any of that, when I'm so happily immersed in the lives of my characters. (Besides, fewer goodies around the house means we'll get a jump on our New Year's diet resolutions!)

Still, for your sake, I hope your preparations are moving along much better than mine are. LOL

One not-to-be-missed event is writing my Harlequin American Romance Authors blog entry.

My December appearance here never gets old—to me, anyway (smile)—even though I say some of the same things from year to year. How could I not? A blog post almost smack in the middle of December requires some very specific messages, don't you think?

The first is a huge thank you for your support of my books and for your letters and e-mails and social media posts throughout the year.

I look forward to staying in touch, both here at the blog and "out there" in cyber space.

Meanwhile, no matter what special days you celebrate, I wish you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.

See you next year!


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
THE RODEO MAN'S DAUGHTER (February 2012)
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

The thing about technology...

Technology is a beautiful thing. I love my computer, couldn't live without the word processing program I use to do my writing, and—as my husband would no doubt be very quick to tell you—I am...oh, let's say...just a teeny bit captivated by e-mail. LOL

When you're a writer on a deadline, technology can be a wonderful thing. Or not.

Recently, I was plugging away at the work-in-progress when a new program I'd installed on the computer began acting up and my screen froze—and proceeded to freeze every ten minutes.

As I continued to plug away, the program began to spontaneously combust and shut itself down every five minutes.

Then, even though I had set the backup feature to do its thing every two minutes, I discovered it had decided not to do its thing at all. So I lost countless pages of writing.

And this program's designed to help make the writing process go smoothly! Grr...

But wait, there's more.

A few days later, I was deep into the best part of drafting a story, the part where thoughts burst into your brain so quickly, you can barely type fast enough to get them down before you lose them, and...and... The keyboard died. (sigh)

The computer settled down, finally, and that seemed the end of the catastrophes.

Although, today—I suppose just to make sure I didn't get too complacent—this blog post refused to go live....

Yes, technology is a beautiful thing, isn't it? When it works. LOL

Well, despite all the recent frustrations, the good news is that being on deadline means I'm due to have a new book out. (smile) That's just one of the many things I have to be thankful for in this week before Thanksgiving.

Another of them is you.

Thanks so much for stopping by. And, if you celebrate it, I hope you have a wonderful turkey day filled with family and friends and good food.

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

What's your favorite costume?

It's almost the end of October, and Halloween will soon be upon us.

I love Halloween. And yes, it's partly because I'm a candy kind of girl. Don’t even get me started about chocolate! LOL

But for the blog today, how about we stick to something less fattening?

Let's talk about getting dressed up for the Big Night of trick-or-treating. Of course, like me, I'm sure you've worn many, many costumes over the years, from the most simple to the extravagantly elaborate.

As a teenager, my favorite costume was dressing up as a hobo. It was easy. It was cheap.

Heck, it was do-it-yourself:

Torn jeans, one of my dad's old flannel shirts, a pair of filthy, stinky sneakers my mom thought I'd tossed out long ago, and a worn-out bandana from the rag bag—and I was good to go.

Oh, along with the liberal application of black marker and eyebrow pencils to add that special down-on-my-luck touch. (smile)

My all-time favorite costume, though, was comprised of an old billowy ball gown with a "diamond" inset at the waist and a long gauzy train, strappy sandals, a pair of elbow-length gloves, and a "diamond" tiara. I felt regal and royal and really, really grown-up. That was probably the year I turned seven. LOL

And it does show that I've always been a romantic at heart, doesn't it?

How about you? Please share your favorite costume ever—one worn by you or one of your kids or grandkids!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Back-to-School Celebration!

All around the country, our kids are back in school again. By this time—hopefully!—the students are settled into the routines of their new grade levels and the teachers have survived the new-school-year chaos. And it is chaos. I know too many teachers not to realize that!

Even a couple of my heroines are teachers. Kerry Anne MacBride, from FAMILY MATTERS, teaches high-school art classes. Kayla Ward, from A RANCHER’S PRIDE, teaches American Sign Language.

Of course, for the most part, it’s not the teachers or kids who are celebrating the start of the school year, but the parents. LOL

I’ve always been a student and probably always will be. There’s so much to learn in this great, big world—something as kids we don’t always appreciate.

But even as an elementary-school student, I looked forward to going back to school in the fall.

Did you?

There’s so much going on at the start of a new year. New teacher, classroom, textbooks. New classmates. New clothes! :-)

To this day, I get most excited over brand-new, never-been-cracked-open notebooks and an array of brightly colored pencils and pens. (I guess I was always meant to be a writer.)

How about you? What are your favorite items—or memories—from your first days back in school?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

New and improved...or is it?

We recently went to see a little theatre production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. For those of you not familiar with the story, here’s a brief description:

Ten people are invited to an isolated mansion on a private island. On prominent display in the mansion are copies of a poem about the deaths of ten little soldiers, as well as a grouping of ten small ceramic figurines representing...you guessed it. The soldiers. Not long after the guests arrive, they’re cut off from the mainland—and then someone begins murdering them one by one. The circumstances of the murders match the deaths in the poem, and as each victim is claimed, one of the statues goes missing.


The actors were great, the set appropriate to the time period, the mystery as intriguing as ever. They’d even found a clever method of eliminating the statues at the time of each murder. But...


The ending of the play didn’t match the ending of the book.


As a romance writer, I have to say, the different ending to the play satisfied me. But as a long-time mystery reader and a huge Agatha Christie fan, I’ll tell you truthfully, I was crushed. It didn’t help at all for me to learn that the new ending for the play had been written by Agatha herself.

FYI, all this didn’t come as a surprise to me; I’d read the book and seen both the play and movie versions many times before. But, still...

I was crushed. LOL

How do you feel about it when one of your favorite books is turned into a script for the stage or the big or little screen? Are you okay with the new version? Or do you wish they’d stayed true to the original?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

What's a Picture Worth?

What is a picture worth?

A second look? A hands-on exam? Drooling over? LOL

Above and to your right (I hope!) is the cover of A RANCHER’S PRIDE, my May 2011 Harlequin American Romance. Is Sam Robertson drool-worthy or what?

In my humble opinion—which may be just a teeny bit biased—he’s a hottie. A hunk. A honey. Or whatever word you’d like to describe a hero of your dreams. And he’s getting quite a bit of attention from readers. Wonder why? (smile)

A RANCHER’S PRIDE is part of the Men of the West miniseries from Harlequin American Romance. The covers have been fabulous. And if you ask me, American makes a habit of that!

All the May Americans look great, too, with a cowboy, a wedding, and babies times three.

I’ve been lucky from the start with my covers.

Here’s a shot of my very first book, THE SHERIFF’S SON. Isn’t it adorable? And it was so perfect for the story, I got teary-eyed the first time I saw it.





My second book, COURT ME, COWBOY, also had a cover that matched the story perfectly. I’ll give you a hint with this one...the package is very important. (Well, the full package, Gabe included, is special, too.)






And the cover for my previous book, FAMILY MATTERS (October 2010), catches both my hero and heroine at a perfect moment. In addition, though I hadn’t seen the cover before my website was revamped, the flowers just happened to tie in...perfectly!

Are you noticing something they all have in common? LOL I'm very happy with perfection. (smile)

When it comes to the differences--kids, couples, hot heroes--they’re all good, too, as far as I’m concerned.

How about you? When you walk into a bookstore or browse online, what's the first thing that catches your eye? What do you most like to see on a cover?

Leave a comment or question to be entered in a drawing for a copy of either THE SHERIFF’S SON or COURT ME, COWBOY. Here’s the scoop.

By Wednesday night:

1. Leave a comment or question for me here.

2. Visit my website http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/ and send me an e-mail from the comment form, letting me know which book you’d like to receive if your name is drawn.

The winner’s name will be posted here in the comments section of this blog post on Thursday.

Also, while you’re at my website, you might want to check out the blog tour I’m currently on to celebrate A RANCHER’S PRIDE. There are more tour stops and book drawings ahead.

Thanks!

All my best to you,
Barbara
~~~~~~
Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/

Books and Babies

Before you read my post below, feel free to let your gaze linger on the man to the right.

This is Sam. Hot, isn’t he? ;)

I won’t go into details, but trust me, he has just experienced a life-changing event and is still reeling from it. You couldn’t tell by looking at him, though, could you? Anyway, on to my regularly schedule blog post...

~~~~~

I’m due in two weeks!

No, I don’t have a deadline two weeks from now. As if that’s what you were thinking! ;)

And, no, I’m not expecting a baby.

Or am I?

All right, I may not be the first person in the universe to compare publishing a book to having a baby. But the truth of the matter is, A RANCHER’S PRIDE, my fourth Harlequin American Romance, will be hitting bookstores shelves soon (and is already available online), and it’s not much of a stretch to say I feel as though I’m welcoming a child into the world.

After all...

~~~Warning! Pun Alert~~~

...I conceived the idea for this story, carried it with me for months, labored over the manuscript, and am eagerly awaiting its delivery. And I know, once it makes its first appearance in the world, I’m going to feel extremely happy and proud.

Baby or not, it seems like—and is to me—a very special event.

I’m sure many authors know the feeling and many mothers do, too.

Speaking of mothers... My next post here at the blog will be past the date to wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day, so let me do that in advance.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

To get us ready for the upcoming holiday, I’d love to hear about your best, most touching, or funniest Mother’s Day memory ever—whether you play the starring role or the honor belongs to another mother you know.

Please share!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/

Happy New Year!

Here I am, wishing you all a happy new year, and the first month of that year is already more than half over. Hard to believe, isn’t it? I hope you had wonderful holidays and that your 2011 has gotten off to a great start.

This is the time of year I, along with most of the population, like to make resolutions.

You know what the number-one goal is, don’t you? Of course, you do. Say it with me:

“LOSE WEIGHT!”

I’d recently attended a workshop where the speaker announced how many people actually follow through on the resolutions they set for a new year. The answer:

Two percent.

That’s right.

Two.

And I’m proud to say I can’t be counted among them.

Last year, I went for the weight-loss goal, among others. In 2010, I lost almost two pounds. :-) That’s not so wonderful, is it? But it’s much better than going in the opposite direction!

Fortunately, I made more progress with my writing goals.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog on goal setting (http://bit.ly/f4F8k4). It must have been even more of a challenge than I'd planned, as many readers stopped by the blog that day but only a couple of them left comments. Either everyone was recovering from Christmas and getting ready for New Year’s Eve or else the idea I’d presented was more than people wanted to take on.

Or maybe the problem was that the post involved homework. :-)

Whether or not those people who read the blog entry have found time to do the homework, I hope they’ve taken a look at their goals. I have, and it’s been worth it. Among my aims for this year, I’ve vowed to lose weight—of course!—and to do a heck of a lot of writing.

As of yesterday, I’m down 1.3 pounds. That’s well on the way to beating last year’s goals already. But I’m taking the weight loss a week at a time.

As for the writing, I’m working on that every day.

How about you? Have you set any goals for yourself this year? If so, how are you doing with them?

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Happy holidays!

Christmas is right around the corner and New Year’s just down the road. Hard to believe the year is almost over, isn’t it?

I hope 2011 brings you all the good fortune you can handle—and then some.

I’d like to take this post to say thanks to my fellow Harlequin American Romance authors here at the blog and to all the readers who have stopped by to chat and swap stories.

I'd also like to say how thankful I am for my own good fortune. With FAMILY MATTERS out just this past October, 2010 has been a wonderful year for me. The book garnered some great reviews and an award nomination. Even better, it has reached new readers who have written to me to say hello.

With A RANCHER’S PRIDE due out in May 2011, I’m looking forward to fabulous times ahead, too.

Hope to "see" you again soon. Meanwhile...

Best wishes for

a wonderful holiday season

and

a happy and healthy new year!

As always,

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com