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

 



 

      

FAMILY TIME

It's June, and although summer doesn't officially begin for another couple of weeks, kids are finishing up the school year, people are firing up their backyard barbecues, and families are heading out on vacations. 

When I was a child, summer vacations were always spent on my grandmother's farm in southern Alabama.  There, my cousins and I spent long, hot days hoeing acres of butter beans,  field peas, tomatoes and okra.  We rose early to pick the ripest fruits and vegetables, then spent hours in the kitchen, canning the harvest for the winter.  Evenings found us rocking in the double-swing on the wide front porch with enormous bowls in our laps.  While the swing rocked, we popped peas out of their shells or snapped beans into the bowls. 

And we talked.  About the boys and the stores and the adventures of our city-lives.  Listened to our cousins from Alabama share their own tales of boys and cows and what Ol' Man-this and Ol' Lady-that had done lately.  Hung on every word that fell from our Massachusetts cousins who spoke so differently from the rest of us but had the best stories to tell. 

As I grew older, I missed those summer days.  I went to college, which meant I needed a j-o-b during the summer or there'd be no money for brain food, aka pizza, once classes started again.  I married a Navy man, and we moved...a lot.  We had children and spent our vacations visiting their grandparents. Too many years passed.  My grandmother's house changed hands several times and, although family members still own it, it's no longer the gathering place it once was. 

This weekend, though, a bunch of us cousins did get together again.  And though it had been a l-o-n-g time since many of us had seen each other, we made ourselves at home on a front porch where we shared the stories of our lives...and vowed not to wait so long to get together again. 

Family, it's one of the central themes of Harlequin American Romance.  I so enjoyed touching base with my family this weekend.  How about you?  Any plans for a family reunion this summer? 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Throughout the U.S. and Canada, we set aside the second Sunday to celebrate mothers and motherhood.  But have you ever stopped to ask why? 


Mother's Day has its roots in ancient Greek and Rome.  Greeks honored the goddess Rhea, mother of many Greek deities, in spring celebrations that coincided with the lambing season, flowers in bloom, new life.  

 

Romans dedicated one of their spring celebrations to another mother goddess, Cybele.  This tradition was continued by early Christians who dedicated the fourth Sunday in Lent to the Virgin Mary and, by extension, to all mothers, on Mothering Sunday. 

 

But Mother's Day, as we know it, has far more recent roots.  One Sunday in May of 1908, Anne Jarvis brought armloads of her mother's favorite flowers, carnations, to her church in honor of her mother, the late social activist Anna Marie Reeves-Jarvis.  That day, every mother in the congregation received two carnations.  A year later, the church repeated the celebration in honor of all mothers...and a tradition was born.  This day of special recognition was so popular that Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday in 1914. 

 

Today, carnations are still associated with Mother's Day.  White, to honor those who've passed on.  Red or pink to honor the mom's who are still with us.  We celebrate this special day with cards, gifts, by getting Mom out of the kitchen and taking her out to eat (my favorite part).

 

 

To my own mom, and to moms everywhere,  I wish you a Happy Mother's Day! 

 

 

 

 



Coming Home

When my husband and I finally returned to central Florida after twenty years of moving about the country, I have to admit, I envisioned the whole town turning out to greet us. 

I quickly squelched such utterly foolish ideas.  I'd settle for a banner strung across the front door, I told myself.

I could practically taste my mom's fried chicken and the made-from-scratch banana pudding she'd serve for dessert.  I imagined Dad taking the tarp off the old Chevy I'd left in the barn.  By the time I got home, he'd have it road-worthy again.

But once again, I'd let my imagination get away from me. 

In the first place, there was no barn.  No Chevy, either.  And since Mom had spent five of the last twenty years moving from place-to-place with my family, if I wanted my favorite meal, I'd have to fix it myself.  Or, more likely, pick it up at the grocery store.

Once reality sunk in, I realized that coming home is rarely what we imagine.  In my mind, everything I'd left behind had stayed the same while I was "out there" exploring the great big world (or moving from one mundane job to another).  But my parents, sister, cousins and friends hadn't exactly been sitting around waiting for me.  They'd moved on with their lives, too.  I didn't fit as neatly back into the scheme of things as I thought I would.  I had some adjusting to do.

In the Rancher's Homecoming series, the next three books I'm writing for Harlequin American, Seth and Doris's five sons come back home to the Circle P, the setting for Rancher's Son. 

 

But, they make many of the same discoveries I made when I finally moved back "home." 

 

 

Things are different on the ranch they left behind.  There's a new cook in the kitchen and, not only does she make a mean fried chicken, she looks mighty fine while she's doing it.  The neighbor's daughter, the one all the boys loved to tease so much, has exchanged her tomboy looks for quiet sophistication.  The nearby town has grown, and the owner of the new music store on the corner has every cowboy within fifty miles strumming a guitar.

 

 

Yes, things have changed.  And I'm having a lot of fun seeing how these rugged ranchers react to the changes that have taken place on the Circle P in the years they've been away.  I hope you will, too, when the Rancher's Homecoming series reaches store shelves next year.  

Delivery Day

It's delivery day, the day I send my newest baby, my pride and joy, my current manuscript for out to meet the world.  As with the birth of a child, there's a flurry of last-minute activity.  A final read-through of the story, the careful administration of a few finishing touches, followed by huge sigh of relief that, yes, everything came together the way I imagined it would.  Then, one final push to get the manuscript out the door.

Of course, as with a birth, that's only the start.  There'll be revisions and several rounds of edits, dedications and letters to write before my baby slips into a beautiful new jacket (cover art).  But all that is down the road.

Because, today is delivery day.  Catch you later.

Time to Celebrate!

Ever have one of those weeks?  The kind where everything goes right?  Don't you love them?  Well, this has certainly been one of those weeks for me.

Rancher's Son hit #1 in sales of all Harlequin American Romances in Amazon's Kindle Store.  For that, I owe a huge, huge thanks to all the readers who made it happen.  Thank you, from the top, bottom and middle of my heart.  

Next, I've accepted an offer to write four more books for Harlequin American.  Squeeee! 

In the first, sparks fly when a former Minor League baseball player offers to help a young student lose the boulder-sized chip on his shoulder.  The catch?  His mom is the widow of baseball's baddest bad  boy.  She wants nothing to do with the sport...or the men who play it.  Even if one look at this one sends her heart soaring over the outfield fence.  

The next three books continue the story of the Circle P Ranch, the setting for Rancher's Son.  We're calling these books the Rancher's Homecoming series.  You'll hear lots more about them in the coming months.  


Last, but not least, I came home healthy after a week with my grandkids.  Now, that might seem hardly worth mentioning, but I get sick so often after seeing these little lights-of-my-life that I actually set aside a week to recover.  Not this time.  Hooray!

Hmmm, the way my luck is running this week, maybe I should buy a Lottery ticket.  Anyone want to suggest some numbers to play?

'Tis The Season For...

 

Yes, it's that time of year again.  Flu season is upon us.  According to Florida Today, my local newspaper, this year's strain is hitting and hitting hard. 

 

We've all heard the news that there are over 700 confirmed cases in Boston. Well, I don't live in Boston, but in my little corner of Florida, one doctor reports seeing six possible flu cases a day.  Six!

 

How do you know you have the flu?  Symptoms include high fever, aches and fatigue.  Two of my critique partners caught it.  They both whisper that this year's flu strain can lay you flat for more than a week.  But the little bugs don't stop there.  They keep on giving, weakening the immune system until you fall prey to secondary infections, like bronchitis or other complications. 

 

It's enough to make you want to hole up in the house until spring time!  Unfortunately, we do occasionally need to venture out, if only to buy more cough syrup and nose tissue.

 

So, what's a person to do? 

 

According to the newspaper, the second best defense against the flu is to practice good "hand hygiene."  What's that, you ask?  Well, use hand sanitizers; they really help. And cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze (and hope everyone else does the same.)  If you feel sick, stay home!  

 

Okay, that's the second best defense.  But what's the best defense? 

 

A flu shot.  Get one before it's too late and you wake up one morning feverish and achy. 

 

So far, I've avoided catching the flu.  Instead, my g'kids shared their usual mishmash of cold and cough germs with me over the holidays.  As soon as I recover from that, I'm going to get a flu shot. 

 

I just hope it's before I see them again next month. 

Come Along On A Florida Cattle Drive

In Rancher's Son, 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.

Wait a minute.  “Florida’s version of the Old West?”  Did I hear that correctly?  Why yes, yes you did.  While Florida is better known for its orange groves and theme parks, as a setting for a cattle drive, 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.  We should blame Ponce de Leon for that.  He brought seven head of Andalusian cows with him on his second visit in 1521.  And, despite the mosquitoes and the floods and the heat, 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 nickname harkens back to the days when cowboys would snap long, braided whips over the heads of the cattle they were herding.  “Crack!”

 

In 2006, over 500 riders took part in the Great Florida Cattle Drive, taking more than 500 head of cattle on a mid-winter drive through the middle of the state.  That drive became the inspiration for my December release, Rancher’s Son. 

 

Of course, a story about a cattle drive wouldn't be very romantic by itself.  For this romance, I needed a heroine.  And there stood Sarah Magarity, the social worker who'd appeared in two of my earlier books (The Daddy Catch and Rodeo Daughter).  She was just waiting to find the man of her dreams. 

Not that Ty Parker looked like Sarah’s ideal hero.  Especially not when the cowboy flatly denied fathering the five-year-old she’d taken under her wing.  And since Ty bailed on the last two foster children she’d placed in his care, Sarah has no choice but to go along on Ty’s mid-winter round-up while they wait for the results of a paternity test. 

 

Over the next two weeks, Ty and Sarah grow closer while they face stampedes and angry rattlesnakes, but will their new love survive the truth about the boy they both want for their own?

Sarah And Ty Drop In For A Visit

      Down here in sunny Florida, fall is (barely) in the air. No, we haven’t turned off the air conditioner. At our house, it runs practically twenty-four/seven twelve months a year. But the temperatures outside have dropped into the very pleasant mid-seventies, and the humidity isn’t quite as oppressive as it was in the middle of the summer.  With palm trees and evergreens dominating the landscape, the occasional flame tree provides a burst of bright red against all that green. 

 

Citrus ripens on the neighbor’s orange and grapefruit trees. The fruit promises a taste of sunshine when the temperatures drop lower.  

      Which they’ll do for, maybe, a day or two.  

      In January or February.   

      In the midst of all this fall-ish Florida weather the Chinese Ting that grows outside my office window has produced a bumper crop of berries.  Flocks of robins and butterbutts that have escaped colder, northern temperatures are drawn to the tree.  The birds cover the ground and roost in the wooded lot behind my house. 

      All these visitors remind me of the way I get the heroes and heroines for my books.  They drop in sometimes when I’m going about my business.  That’s how it was with heroine in Rancher’s Son, available later this month.  You’ve all met social worker Sarah Magarity before.  She played minor roles in The Daddy Catch and Rodeo Daughter.  But, when I sat down to draft the proposal for Rancher’s Son, Sarah practically took up residence in my visitor’s chair.    

      Over tea she told me about the cattle drive she’d sent two older foster kids on, and how a certain hunky cowboy had let her down when he abruptly returned the boys to DCF’s custody.  She showed me how passionate she was about improving the foster care system.  Unfortunately, her tendency to go out on a limb for the children in her care had not only broken her heart, but jeopardized her job.  So, she’d sworn to remain aloof, to keep her distance the way her boss insisted.  All her pent-up love went into raising orchids and plumeria instead. 

      The more she “talked” the more I thought Sarah deserved her own Happily Ever After.  But to give it to her, I needed a hero.  And I didn’t have one.

      I was at a loss until the Christmas Eve a five-year-old orphan landed on DCF’s doorstep with nothing but a birth certificate naming Ty Parker as his father.  Right away, I knew my hero had arrived on the scene. 

      Of course, a piece of paper didn’t prove anything in Ty’s book.  Any more than the protests of a self-righteous social worker.  A fourth-generation Florida rancher, this cowboy demanded paternity tests.  And as much as he insisted the child couldn’t be his, on the off-chance he was wrong, Ty refused to let the little boy go into foster care while they waited for the results. 

      Taking a young boy on Ty’s cattle drive made perfectly good sense to someone who’d grown up on a ranch.  But not to a city girl like Sarah.  She insisted on accompanying the boy.  To watch out for his safety, and see for herself if Ty Parker was daddy material.

      Clearly, Ty and Sarah both needed each other as much as they needed the little boy who’d been dumped in their laps.  That’s where my job—and a cattle drive through Florida’s version of the Old West—came in.  The result was Rancher’s Son, a book I hope you’ll enjoy when it’s released, just in time for the holidays, on November 27th.

 

 

      Don’t forget—we give away copies of recent Harlequin American releases by drawing the names of people who comment out of a proverbial hat each month.  So leave a comment to be included in the drawing. 

 

     Oh, and another surprise—the printer sent a double order of bookmarks for Rancher’s Son!  Would you like one?  Or a dozen?  (LOL)  If so, send me an email (leigh@leighduncan.com). Include your snail mail addy in the email—not here on this loop—and I’ll drop a signed bookmark in the mail to you.    

     

The Other Side of Writing

 

I love to write. Which is to say I live to write. I’ve known I wanted to be an author ever since I penned my first story in the second grade. For a long time, though, writing wasn’t the top priority in my life. Putting food on the table, keeping a roof over our heads, raising my kids—those activities forced my writing into the back seat for a lot longer than I wanted them to.

But now, finally, I’m able to do what I love full time.   

Except...sometimes not.  

This week, a wonderful package arrived at my house. See the Harlequin logo on the side?

Squee! Inside were copies of my December release, Rancher’s Son. Much celebration ensued!

 

Aren’t they beautiful?

Soon after I finished dancing around with books in my hands,though, it was time to get to work again. But this part of my job as an author didn’t involve much writing.

See, nearly everyone of those advance copies had already been promised—to reviewers, to immediate family, to my editor, my agent. There were contests to enter and books to ship. And ship. And ship. And ship. 

So, away went the notes on the story I was writing, and out came piles of bookmarks, envelopes, tape, scissors, pens, markers and note pads (‘cause my mama said you can’t just slip a book in an envelope, you have to send a note!). Soon, my desk looked like a shipping office.

 

I have to admit, this isn’t my favorite part of being an author. Oh, I love the notes part, but the shipping? Not so much.

I’ve gotten pretty good at it though because I know that the sooner I finish, the sooner I can get back to what I really want to do—tell the story of how my next hero and heroine overcome the odds to fall in love.

By the way, I do have a few Rancher's Son bookmarks left over. If you'd like one, drop me a line at

leigh@leighduncan.com. Include your snail mail addy, and I'll slip one in the mail to you.

Spreading the Word

A flurry of activity kicks off the day a new book is released.  Especially when that new book is a Harlequin American Romance, like my June release, Rodeo Daughter.  By the time the book is available, I’ve spent more than a year writing and revising it with the help of my fabulous editor, Laura Barth, and  keeping my fingers crossed that the Art Department comes through with another terrific cover (for my first three books, they’ve hit three home runs).  Despite the efforts of so many people who come together to make each book perfect for our readers, Harlequin American Romances are only available in book stores for a short time.  So, I try to make the most of it. 

Long before the actual release date, I send out review copies and start bending the arms of my good friends, hoping they’ll let me kidnap their blog for a day.  But the fun really gets under way at the first book signing.  Here, I’m very lucky because Kaori Suzuki-Fischer, RWA’s 2011 Bookseller of the Year, is the New Business Manager at “my” Barnes & Noble, and she loves nothing better than filling the store with romance authors and their readers.  This time, the phenomenal Roxanne St. Claire (Barefoot in the Sand), Rachel Hauk (The Wedding Dress) and I teamed up to do exactly that. 

That’s me.

That’s Roxanne on the left, Rachel on the right.

Did you notice the bags of caramel corn I gave away to anyone who stopped at my table?

A family reunion in St. Augustine meant a chance to share Rodeo Daughter with some of my cousins and the only aunt I have left on my dad’s side of the family.  That’s Aunt Doris, off to the left.  She’s a great fan of the Oakridge Boys, and there are stories I could tell you about that, but they’ll have to wait for another day. 

From St. Augustine, hubby and I trekked up to Tallahassee where our son and his lovely bride make their home.  This time the trip, which normally takes about three hours, took quite a bit longer because I insisted we stop at every Wal-Mart and Target along the way so I could drop in and sign books.   Another book signing, this time at Books A Million, closed out the trip before we headed for home. 

Once we were back, I spent several days dropping in at book stores, Wal-Mart and Target department stores (pretty much wherever Rodeo Daughter was on sale in Central Florida).  But since I was on my home turf, so to speak, I found these drive-by book signings a tad on the expensive side. 

One problem with writing full time is that, strange as it might seem, I don’t get out much.  When I do, I tend to take advantage of it.  A blue ray player, a new phone system, books by authors I’d been wanting to read, fishing gear and several full shopping carts later, I decided that drive-by book signings, as much fun as they are to do, might not be the healthiest choice I can make for my pocket book. 

Now that July is upon us and four more terrific Harlequin American Romances are available, my promotional efforts for Rodeo Daughter are winding down.  As with all Harlequin releases, Rodeo Daughter will always be available as an e-book.  If you’d like an autographed book mark, just email me at leigh@leighduncan.com, and I’ll drop one in the mail to you (N. America addresses only, please).  In the meantime, I’ll be hard at work on my next book for Harlequin American Romance and looking forward to the release of Rancher’s Son in November. 

An RT Top Pick

A couple of weeks ago, when my good friend Elle Saint James returned from the awesome RT Convention, she brought with her several copies of RT Book Reviews.  Looking over this leading review source for all things romance, Elle and I oh’d and ah’d over her publisher’s full-page spread featuring a book in her latest series along with the writings of another good friend.  Then, we set the magazine aside and got to work.  She was writing the tenth book in a series.  I was working on a proposal for my next Harlequin American. 

At lunch that day, I picked up the May issue of RT Book Reviews again and flipped through it.  Hmmm, I noted.  Historical Reviews for June releases.  Then it hit me, this was the issue that would list my June release, Rodeo Daughter.  I paged to the Series Romance section and... I confess.  I squealed! 

Rodeo Daughter had received a coveted 4 1/2 star review!    

“Turn the page,” said Elle.  “See if it’s a Top Pick.” 

I did and it was!  Much shouting and jubilation followed!

“Readers better hold on to the tissue box during Duncan’s heart-wrenching look at modern custody issues,” wrote reviewer Pat Cooper.  The heroine of Rodeo Daughter, Amanda Markette, rode her way to a gold buckle in Las Vegas before walking away from the professional rodeo circuit to earn a degree in family law.  After spending years performing in one arena after another, Amanda longed to put down roots.  She swore that, if and when she ever married, home and family would be her number one priority.

 His career is lead prosecutor Mitch Goodwin’s number one priority.  He stands on the brink of achieving all he’s ever wanted when the DA plans to name Mitch as his successor.  But the last person Mitch expects to represent his ex-wife in a custody suit for his adorably head-strong daughter is none other than Amanda Markette, the girl he fell head-over-heels for one summer at rodeo camp.  When a playground mishap forces Mitch and Amanda to spend time together, they walk an ethical tightrope as old feelings come to the surface again.  

I hope you’ll take a chance on Rodeo Daughter when it hits store shelves in a few weeks.  If you do, I’d love to hear from you. 

Cue the Marching Band

You’d think that I’d be used to it by now. After all, Rodeo Daughter is my third book for Harlequin American Romance. Yet, I can’t deny it. When I open the front door and see a box from Harlequin on the porch, I get goose bumps. Truly. Goosebumps. I only wish I'd known the books were on their way. I'd have hired a marching band to accompany the UPS man on his way up the sidewalk.

Opening the box, pulling that first copy of a book—my book!—from it. Well, that makes my tummy all a-flutter. What’s the first thing I do? Yes, I know. I should start contacting reviewers and sending them advance copies--that's why I get these books ahead of time, after all.

But for a few minutes, I can't resist. I fan the pages and inhale deeply. There’s nothing like the smell of a freshly printed book. Especially when you’ve poured your heart and soul into it, the way I did with Rodeo Daughter.

I guess that’s because Amanda and Mitch’s story included so many aspects of my own life. No, I’m not a lawyer. Or the divorced single parent of a four-year-old. But growing up on Florida’s east coast, I looked forward every year to the big Silver Spurs Rodeo in nearby Kissimmee. I spent the intervening months mucking stalls at a local riding stable. Each weekend, I plodded down dusty trails on horses that wouldn’t know what to do in a barrel race. But at night, I dreamed of becoming a rodeo star.

Rodeo Daughter is the closest I’ve come to achieving that dream. The heroine of this book, Amanda Markette, rode her way to a gold buckle in Las Vegas before walking away from the professional rodeo circuit to earn a degree in family law. After spending years performing in one arena after another, Amanda longed to put down roots. She swore that, if and when she ever married, home and family would be her number one priority.

His career is lead prosecutor Mitch Goodwin’s number one priority. He stands on the brink of achieving all he’s ever wanted when the DA plans to name Mitch as his successor. But the last person Mitch expects to represent his ex-wife in a custody suit for his adorably head-strong daughter is none other than Amanda Markette, the girl he fell head-over-heels for one summer at rodeo camp. And when a playground mishap forces Mitch and Amanda to spend time together they walk an ethical tightrope as old feelings come to the surface again.

I hope you enjoy reading Amanda and Mitch’s story as much as I loved writing it. Rodeo Daughter is slated for release in early June.

A Cover Story

Ah, firsts...They play an important role in our lives, don’t they? From the moment the stick turns (pink? blue?), the newly expectant wait anxiously for that first stir of life. We wonder if that first word will be “Ma-Ma” or “Da-Da.” Parents watch with camera in hand for their child’s first step. Grandparents fly in to watch their grandchildren head off for their first day of school, the first prom, the first graduation.

In Rodeo Daughter, my June Harlequin American Romance, four-year-old Hailey’s first horseback ride becomes a pivotal moment in the blossoming romance between former rodeo star, Amanda Markette and Mitch Goodwin, a stern prosecuting attorney who—thanks to a playground accident—struggles to regain custody of his daughter while earning Amanda’s love.

What child doesn’t love that first chance to ride a horse. I’m tipping my cowboy hat to Harlequin’s Art Department for capturing that excitement for the cover of Rodeo Daughter.

Recently, I ran across this picture of one of my firsts—my first horseback ride.

Yes, that’s me riding Biscuit. What a thrill! I just knew I was going to grow up to be a rodeo star like Amanda in Rodeo Daughter. I didn’t, but from that moment through my late teens, my sister and I spent most weekends at the local riding stables where we groomed horses in exchange for rides. And just a couple of years ago, when we wanted to celebrate a significant milestone, sis and I went on an all-day trail ride.

How about you? Have you ever been horseback riding? Was it a pivotal moment in your life?

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.

My Not So Glamorous Writing Life

For several years, I attended a writers’ retreat that was held in a somewhat rustic location. Among the lists of what to bring (and what not to bring) where instructions that encouraged attendees to “dress in whatever you wear when you’re writing.” That always gave me a laugh ‘cause no one—not even door-to-door salesmen—see me in my writing clothes. I’ve heard there are authors who dress, wear makeup, select jewelry and shoes for the day before sitting down to the keyboard. I’m not one of them. My writing day, and those of my writing friends, is more about hard work than glamour.

A couple of months ago, I told you about attending Blaze author Candace Haven’s Fast Draft workshop, and how that amped up the pace of my writing. Candace encourages writers to form groups that hold individuals accountable for meeting daily word counts. Lately, several graduates of her course have taken that accountability to a new level by working together. No, we don’t write each other’s books. But we do meet frequently in each other’s homes for days we like to call writing marathons.

Of course, we all know what happens when you put three or four women in the same room—we talk. And email/internet shopping/texting can be such a distraction. Then there’s lunch and coffee and breaks to deal with. We found out quickly that we needed rules to keep our get-togethers from dissolving into coffee klatches. So here they are:

Arrive on time. 15 minutes, max, of chit chat while we settle in, power up our laptops, grab a cup of coffee. The house phone is taken off the hook, internet connections are severed. Cell phones are muted and stored out sight (where, hopefully, they’ll remain out of mind). No Spider Solitaire, Mah Jong or other computer games.

Here’s the kicker--Each participant must write 1000 words before the group can stop for lunch. (I’ve heard a few tummies rumble as everyone waits for me to make that goal.)

After a quick lunch break, it's back to work. The afternoon session is usually even more productive, and several of us routinely hit the 3000-word mark before the day is over.

So, no, writing for a living is not a glamorous life. It’s hard work. It requires persistence, dedication and it’ll put calluses on your gluteus maximus. :)

But seeing your work in print, especially as a Harlequin American Romance, that’s what makes it all worthwhile.

It's Party Time!

No doubt, at this time of year some of us attend catered soirees where waiters in black tuxes circulate trays of canapés and caviar among the gowned and bejeweled guests. Much as I'd enjoy those events, the parties I'm usually invited to are much simpler affairs, gatherings of friends or family or--best of all--both. Events where I'm typically asked to bring "a dish."

What to bring? Each year, I search my recipes for something a little different, a little “out of the box.” Which is a challenge since I’m not a fancy cook. A good one, perhaps, but I wouldn’t know a piping tool if it bit me. So forget anything that requires carving radishes into roses or creating them out of icing.

This year, I’ve chosen a spinach artichoke dish as my to-go selection. To be honest, it started out as an Emeril Legasse recipe, and you can’t go wrong with Le Bam! I have, however, played around with the ingredients a bit. His version called for Brie and marinated artichokes. My crowd prefers Swiss and skips the marinade. Whichever suits your fancy, serve with good chips and enjoy.

Leigh's Version of Kicked-Up Spinach Artichoke Dip

2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed, rinsed and drained
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1 cup extra sharp, white cheddar cheese, grated
2 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 strips of bacon, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Green onions, sliced (optional)
Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9-inch ovenproof serving dish with cooking oil. Set aside.

Fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Squeeze excess liquid from thawed spinach and drain well.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne and cook for another minute.

Sprinkle flour over onion mixture. Slowly add cream and milk, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat while continuing to stir, for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thick and creamy.

Remove from heat. Add the Swiss and Cheddar. Stir until melted.

Add spinach, and lemon juice. Stir.

Set 1 tablespoon of bacon side. Add the remaining bacon and artichoke hearts to the spinach/cheese mixture and stir well.

Pour into greased casserole. Top with Parmesan cheese, reserved bacon and, if desired, sliced green onions.

Bake about 15 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with chips.

Deadline Writing - Finding the Love

My son once told me that a Chick-fil-A Biscuit would “change my life.” So, I traveled twenty miles to the nearest Chick-fil-A in time for breakfast and ordered up a chicken biscuit. It was good. Yummy, even. But it wasn’t life-changing.

Not like Candace Havens’ Fast Draft Method.

If you read my post here last month, you know I’ve hit a new stage in my writing—writing to tight deadlines. I have to admit, at first, I wasn’t all that thrilled with this new challenge. Oh, I was beyond happy with a two-book contract. I was super excited that my editor had so much faith in me. I’d already fallen in love with the characters. I knew their stories and really, really wanted to bring them to life on the page. But writing a book in two months? Ooooh, scary stuff for an author who labors over each manuscript for a minimum of half a year.

That was before I met Harlequin Blaze author Candace Havens who introduced me to her concept of Fast Draft writing.

Believe me when I say that, for an author, this method will “change your life.” And I’m not the only one who feels that way. My good friend, Roxanne St. Claire, experienced true epiphany when Candace spoke to our local RWA chapter last month. The author of thirty books, Roxanne put the Fast Draft method to work for her. Much better than I ever could, she talked about the experience yesterday on Murder She Writes.

If you write and are looking for a way to do it better, faster, check Roxanne's column at: http://www.murdershewrites.com/2011/10/11/standing-on-my-skyscraper-sampling-some-crow out

Writing By The Numbers

Numbers.

Even if we aren’t very good at math, numbers play an important role in most of our lives. From the moment we’re born, nurses measure and weigh us, providing that first critical set of numbers for moms, dads and grandparents to bemoan or boast.

As kids, our growth is proudly recorded on the kitchen door frame or inside a closet, a yard stick or tape measure used to chart how tall we’ve grown. In school, we learn our 1-2-3’s along with our A-B-C’s while teachers carefully log our progress. Scores on standardized tests tell us whether we can progress to the next grade, graduate, get into college, go to graduate, law or medical school.

We have social security numbers, drivers’ license numbers, account numbers and phone numbers. We watch our weight, our cholesterol, our BMI. We exercise in reps, log miles on treadmills, count calories. We shop according to unit pricing, and in these days of high fuel costs, we compare price-per-gallon to miles-to-gallon before considering a new car.

All numbers. All important to our lives.

This summer, I added a new number to my daily record keeping when Harlequin American Romance bought my latest two book proposals. Because, in order to turn these books in on time, I had to write a certain number of words-per-day.

Now, I’m not big on math. Numbers aren’t my favorite thing. But I counted these because I wanted to share Mitch and Amanda’s reunion story with you.

He’s a driven prosecuting attorney, a single dad with a mercurial four-year-old. She’s a former barrel racing champion who never got over her teen-age crush on the boy she met at rodeo camp. But Mitch’s carefully structured world crumples when, following a playground mishap, a family court judge permits this doting father only supervised visitation…under the distrustful gaze of his former girlfriend, the woman he ditched at last year’s Saddle Up Stampede.

Mitch and Amanda's story should be available some time next year. I hope you'll watch for it.