Summer reading -- just for fun!

Every year, newspapers and magazines run lists of recommended beach or poolside reading. I hope you’re all buying the releases from Harlequin American, but I thought I’d offer a few additional recommendations.

My all-time favorite is Pride and Prejudice. And I recently ran across the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, a charming coming-of-age story by Mark Haddon, written from the point of view of an autistic boy.

But mostly, I’m recommending books written by friends, because I love their work. You can find these at your favorite bookstore or on-line at www.amazon.com.

In the field of romantic suspense, Kat Martin’s The Summit is a fast-moving read about a woman whose dreams lead her to a rescue mission. Dead Shot by Annie Solomon tells the gripping story of an art photographer, her bodyguard and a dangerously obsessed fan. Don’t overlook Suzanne Forster’s The Arrangement and Diane Pershing’s One Cool Lawman (from Silhouette Romantic Suspense).

For an exciting foray into the vampire genre, try One With the Night by Susan Squires. A lighter venture into the paranormal comes from Maureen Child. Her More Than Fiends features a maid service owner who discovers that her centuries-old cleaning solution has hidden powers.

Looking for historical romance? Don’t miss A Lady of Scandal by one of my favorite Regency authors, Nicole Byrd. In the Western genre, you’ll enjoy Karen Kay’s Red Hawk’s Woman.

For a private-eye story with a humorous touch, check out The Sex on the Beach Book Club by Jennifer Apodaca and Meow Is for Murder by Linda O. Johnston.

As you can see, I’m blessed with wonderfully talented friends. Once you’ve read their books, I hope you’ll consider them your friends, too.

Fact & Fiction 3

Okay, here is the final installment in Fact and Fiction. It’s been fun sharing what’s been based in reality. The fun thing about writing is that yes, I really do write all of those 65,000 plus words you are reading, so a lot of thought and care goes into every one.

My next two books are both out simultaneously in December 2007. Hart’s Victory is a Harlequin Special Release—Stories set in the world of NASCAR. My daughter and I decided to go to Nashville for the first ever Sound and Speed in 2006. It wasn’t organized very well, and we, being silly novices, didn’t realize that Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans are rabid and they started lining up at 6 AM for the 9 AM autograph bracelets you needed to get in. While I adore Dale Jr., I won’t stand three hours in subzero temperatures to get his autograph. (We met Jeff Green.) Still, we made the best of the event, toured the Country Music Hall of Fame where an employee took a shine on my daughter and gave her a personal tour, and trotted back over for the last Q & A of the day, which featured Jo Dee Messina, Dale Jr., Montgomery Gentry, Keith Anderson and some others. My daughter got to ask a question of Dale Jr. While the question she asked is not exactly the same one that Charlie, my heroine’s son, asks in the book, she did, however, manage to stump Dale, and all of the sudden the wheels started clicking and on the drive home from Nashville, the entire story came together in my head. I wrote a proposal in two weeks, and sent it to my agent and it became my 15th sale.

The Christmas Date is a Harlequin American and it was actually inspired by a high school student I met at a scholastic journalism convention once. Nick Koenig graduated from Parkway Central High School in St. Louis and went to the University of Texas—Austin. He was determined to be a professional photojournalist at all cost. I wrote the book long ago, but when it finally sold just last year I rewrote the whole thing. While I’ve never seen Nick again, or even remember what he looks like, I’ve heard through a mutual friend he did all he set out to do, including climbing Mount Everest. Ten years later he’s no longer working as a globetrotting photographer (I guess after Everest, what’s left?), but ever since hearing his determination his senior year, he’d always had me wondering, what type of woman would that type of guy settle with? So you’ll find out when you meet Tyler Nichols in The Christmas Date, out next December. PS—I needed a southern city with a law school with night classes. Orlando fit the bill and I’d been to its airport. I have to admit, this is one of those books of the heart, and has a few funny moments in it, too.

Last, I’m scheduled to have a Harlequin American out in April 2008. Titled The Marriage Recipe, Rachel is a professional chef who graduated from the CIA. I have made the coconut cake she makes in the book, including scraping the coconut out of the shell myself. As for the plane Colin co-owns, that’s the very one I went flying in last February. For this book, I went back to Morrisville, Indiana, which I’ve since learned from a reader is a real town. However, the Morrisville I made up is just east of Batesville, the place where all the hospital beds and caskets are made, and where my cousin lives. So everything in Morrisville is very made up, but I was excited to go back there fictionally since I love the town so much.

Okay, that’s the end. I hope you’ve enjoyed some of these little tidbits.
And PS—don’t forget that today is your last day to comment to be entered in the contest. You don’t necessarily have to answer me this post. You can feel free to answer such things as, how have you liked the blog this month? What else would you like to see? Etc.

Also, because my next post isn’t until the 12th, Happy 4th of July.

Michele

I love it, I love it not

Every book I write goes through several predictable stages. When I first come up with the idea, I love it. It's the best idea I've ever had, and it will be the best book I've ever written. I love it until I finish a proposal and send it off to my editor, at which point everything changes. The moment the package is transferred from my hands to the postal worker's (or I hit the "send" button) I am sure I've made a terrible mistake. The book is the worst idea I've ever had, and it's going to end my career.

Then, a few weeks or months later, I get a call. The editor loves it and she's buying it. Yay! The book is wonderful again. I am so clever. But then I have to write the thing. Suddenly I'm seething with doubts. Why did I think this was a good idea? I can't write this book. I'll have to send the advance money back.

Yet somehow I do finish it. I've never not finished a book that was under contract. I lovingly polish the manuscript, falling in love with the idea all over again, and send it off. And immediately I am sure the book will not be accepted and I'll have to start from scratch. My career is once again over.

Happily, the editor usually likes it, and I feel like a genius again--until I receive the edited manuscript and I see in black and white all the mistakes I made, all the changes the editor wants me to make, and I feel dumb again. But somehow it gets done, though I'm positive readers will hate it and never pick up one of my books again. As if I'll ever sell another one.

I don't love the book agaiin until I receive the final page proofs. It's only when I read it again from start to finish, as if I were a reader, that I can see the story as a whole with fresh eyes, and fall in love all over again.

Of course, I continue to feel insecure about it. That's just how most writers are. Once the book is released I have to deal with reviews, comments from readers, and worries about whether it's selling well. It's a continual up and down. One day I'm brilliant, the next day I'm the village idiot.

Fortunately today I'm a genius. I just read through the page proofs for GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL, my January 2008 book, and I love it again. For this week, anyway!

Gone Fishin'

Why is it that vacations sound so relaxing...until you actually have to go on one?

Even if my husband and I were going to spend the next week and a half lazing near the water (him fishing, me reading), there's still all the last minute stuff involving the house sitter, cat care, making sure we don't let any bills fall through the cracks and come home to no electricity or water, and I of course had to finish a book (Fed-Exed it today...yay!!!!)

So we have all that done. Is it time to relax? No. No, it's time to get in the van with our four year old and five year old for a drive through four states and down--way, way down--the Texas coast. At which point, tired and cranky, we will pile into a beach house with lots of in-laws and a single restroom.

So, someone remind me, as I stand in the middle of my room trying to get packed, why did I think this sounded restful when I agreed to it? Clearly, I had us confused with some other family's vacation plans!

Spandex

Hi guys,
I've been toying with the idea of naming my latest WIP Tough Guys Wear Spandex. The hero of the book is a pro football player with great buns, so that seems appropriate. In general I think spandex is a yucky fashion statement, but think of some of the folks (primarily of the male persuasion) who look darned good-football players, Lance Armstrong and crew, baseball players, Olympic swimmers, etc. And that brings me to the subject of people who should, and people who shouldn't (even under the threat of torture) wear that particular fabric.
I love to play tennis, and I avidly watch all the Grand Slam tournaments. There's a famous American player who really belongs in the "shouldn't" category. Unfortunately, she either doesn't know it, or is in denial. Yikes!

So, the moral of this story is if you don't look like Cameron Diaz, stick with natural fabrics-preferably cotton!

Ann DeFee

Georgia On His Mind - Harlequin American Romance - August 2007
Summer After Summer - Harlequin Everlasting Love - September 2007
The Perfect Tree - Harlequin American Romance Christmas Anthology - Nov. 2007

In the grand scheme of things

We’ve been remodeling around here and the dust and chaos are wreaking havoc with my preferred writing schedule. I have managed to write though. As an early riser, mornings are my most productive time. Now I write whenever I can, often in the afternoon and evening. It’s good to know I can work then, but I’m looking forward to returning my usual routine.

The company we hired said the job would take ten days. But remodels and repairs never go as planned, and we’re now into day sixteen.

As a glass-half-full woman, I’m working hard to make the best of the situation. Noise and dust? What are those in the grand scheme of things? When the work is over the improvements to our home will be worth the upheaval.

This is my last post before the end of the contest. Lots of luck to everyone!


Good news: At last I have a title for my second Halo Island book, out in March, 2008—The Pilot’s Woman. Whoever suggested that one, thanks!


Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net

Comfort Food

Whether comfort food is a guilty pleasure or a delectable treat that soothes the soul, I’m guessing we all have at least one. I have several!

American Romance editor Johanna Raisanen (remember her guest blog on April 13?) and I recently had a conversation about comfort food. She told me about her mother’s Christmas gingerbread cookies (my mouth is watering already) and her pulla—a Finnish sweet bread flavored with cardamom—and how delicious it was, especially “slathered with butter, right out of the oven.”

My grandmother used to make that bread as well! I don’t remember her using the Finnish name for it, but I do remember it warm from the oven. Oh, my.

That conversation with Johanna got me thinking about comfort food, and I realized that mine are all associated with my Finnish grandmother, who passed away in 1982 but lives forever in my heart. She was an amazing cook, and everyone in my family still raves about her breads and pastries.

She also made rice pies called piirakka, and although I haven’t had them in years, they are still one of my comfort foods. Piirakka are oval-shaped pies made from unleavened rye dough and filled with rice that has been cooked in milk, so its nice and creamy. I wish I knew how to make them, but my grandmother never used a cookbook and none of her recipes were ever written down.

My two other comfort foods are peanut butter cookies and butter tarts. Not specifically Finnish, but my grandmother made them all the time. She rolled peanut butter cookie dough into little balls and flattened them with the tines of a fork, so the tops had a crisscross pattern. To this day, a peanut butter cookie just doesn’t seem right if it hasn’t been flattened with a fork.

As for those butter tarts, what can I say? Still slightly warm from the oven, sweet and gooey with melt-in-your-mouth pastry . . . I can taste one now!

Wikipedia describes comfort food as “any food or drink to which one habitually turns for temporary respite, security, or special reward.” Accurate, but kind of cold sounding, don’t you think?

My comfort foods literally transport me back in time. My grandmother baked every day, and her kitchen was always filled with sweet, wonderful scents, not to mention a ton of love and laughter. A butter tart will take me there, every time.

What are your comfort foods? Do you associate them with someone or someplace special? I'd love to hear about them!

Lee
www.leemckenzie.com

PS: For more about my grandmother, please check out my SuperHeroine article at WetNoodlePosse.com.

Top Ten Favorite Movies

The other night my daughter and I watched the TV special, AFI's Top 100 Movies of All Time. It was fun guessing the movies on the list. I did pretty good, impressing my daughter. I agreed with some of those selected and not with others. When my daughter asked me what my favorite movies of all time were, I made my own top ten list. After I finished, I realized my list said a lot about me as a person (and not just that I grew up watching old movies on TV).

1. Spencer's Mountain
2. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1964 version)
3. Beauty and the Beast (Disney animated version)
4. Star Wars (the original)
5. Planet of the Apes (the original)
6. Little Mermaid (Disney animated version)
7. Dirty Dancing
8. The Quiet Man
9. Black Beauty (1994 version)
10. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) version

All right. So, what does this list say about me? Certainly that I love movies — and books for that matter — with a happy ending or, at least, a hopeful ending. The AFI's number one movie was Citizen Kane, and I certainly didn't think that movie had a happy ending. Every movie on my list is either a romance or has a strong romantic element. Yes, even Black Beauty has his horse girlfriend (grin). The movies I like best aren't necessarily deep or thought provoking but rather they're entertaining, which is how I like my books, too. This isn't to say I'm not a deep person, rather that movies are an escape for me.

How did I choose these movies? Well, despite having seen them again and again (the top two 25 or more times), I'd sit down and watch them today if you asked me. Also, they each evoke a strong emotional response in me, either making me cry or giving me chills.

Now I'm curious. What are some of your all time favorite movies and why?

UDDERS AND PUTTERS

Something happened yesterday that my husband and I are still reeling from. Our son went to Udders and Putters without us.
Udders and Putters is a miniature golf course in southern Ohio in the middle of a dairy farm. Years ago, while on one of our summer car trips, we stopped and fell in love. Udders and Putters has two little putt-putt courses, a corn maze in the fall, lots of fake cows, a gift shop, and the best thing of all…a HUGE ice cream parlor with fresh-from-the dairy ice cream. Yeah. Miniature golf and ice cream and fake cows. You don’t need much else to make me happy.
Well, it’s been a family tradition ever since then to go at least once a year. We drive the ninety minutes together, always saying that it takes longer than we remembered. We play cutthroat putt-putt. (I’m the designated cheater) We tease my daughter about her fear of corn as we tromp through the maze and inevitably get hopelessly lost. Finally we celebrate another trip well done with bowls of ice cream.
To say I was in a bit of shock when my son called me from his friend’s car to say that he was going to Udders and Putter’s on his own (WITHOUT US!) is an understatement.
Part of me was really glad that such a place meant enough for him to take a friend. Another part was worried he would suddenly see the place through another teen’s eyes and discover that maybe it wasn’t quite as neat as the memories made them out to be.
Most of me was just plain jealous. My schedule yesterday involved swim team practice, volunteering at church, running to the grocery store and post office and finally writing seven pages. All were good things but…no dairy farm at all.
He got home about an hour before dinner with a full report. He told us all about Udder and Putter updates. He said he had a good time. No, he didn’t say anything sappy like “It would have been better with you, Mom.” But he didn’t say he wouldn’t go with us in August, either.
So maybe this is the first ‘turning point.’. Perhaps it’s one of our crazy, evolved traditions that he’ll carry on…Or maybe it will just be one of those things he’ll always remember about growing up in Ohio.
Please tell me that we’re not the only family who has a favorite quirky summer activity. Anyone else want to share?
Shelley

Fact & Fiction 2

Since the first post was so much fun, here’s another installment in Fact & Fiction. (For those of you who missed the first post, it was dated June 12.) I find it fun coincidence that I get to follow Ann Roth’s post on where she gets her ideas, for you’ll see that I’ve gotten a lot inspiration from events, and a lot of what happens in my life or the world around me makes it into my books in some form. It’s amazing how a writer can take reality, put a new spin on it, and come up with something totally fun and fictional.

From my book Legally Tender (January 06), the entire opening scene where the firefighters show up at an elementary Brownie troop Halloween party is completely real. Smoke machines set off fire alarms. It happened at my high school, my daughter’s school, and the YMCA during their Fright Fest. While airing out the gym at my daughter’s school, the firefighters showed them the truck. Add some what if, and Christina and Bruce’s story was born. In fact, my best friend was there and she told me, “you’ll use this in a book.” To which I said, “uh huh.” (PS—the end scene, where a beam comes down on his arm is also based in reality. That happened in my little town of Labadie when the Hawthorne Inn burned to the ground, a few months before I moved here.)

In Sweeping the Bride Away (2002), I’ve been through most of those home repairs poor Cassidy Clayton goes through. I actually spilt latex paint all over the ceramic tile in my very first house. My mother helped save the day. I also based both of Blade’s trucks on my contractor’s first Ford F150 and the new one he bought. One of my favorite things to do is research what cars my characters are going to drive.

From Emergency Engagement (Feb 05), where the younger daughter eats the cold medicine, the entire ER scene happened to my older daughter when she was about three and a half years old and ate two of my Drixoral pills thinking they were candy. My younger daughter fell and bit entirely through her lower lip once, and she’s the patient mentioned in the other room. However, Quinton and Beth, my heroine and hero are very made up, and although I’ve run across three Quintons in my life, none of them are a sexy ER doctor.

Nine Months’ Notice (April 2007) ended my three-book American Beauties mini-series. I set the story in Kansas City, but Jeff brought Tori Ted Drewes. This is a historic frozen custard stand on Chippewa, which is Old Route 66—the Mother Road. If you are ever in St. Louis, you have to go there. While other custard stands are just as delicious, you have to go to Ted Drewes and experience the original for yourself. Also, if you’re ever in St. Louis, the A.G. Edwards headquarters building is the place I set Jacobsen Enterprises (and Jacobsen is maiden name of one of my best friends) which is found in Catching the Corporate Playboy, About Last Night…, Capturing the Cop, and The Playboy’s Protégée. The park I took Darci and Cameron too really does exist, only further south than I set it. (I like to move things around.) By the way, Henrietta’s Restaurant pays homage to Tony’s, the fine dining establishment that is a landmark in St. Louis, and a place in which I have yet to eat. Maybe someday.

On June 30th, I’ll talk about my upcoming works and give you some teasers . (I am at 99.9 percent finished writing my April 2008 book—hooray!)

Michele

I get ideas at the weirdest times

When I’m driving through congested Seattle traffic, I always get to thinking. Often about my current work-in-process, interspersed with whatever happens to be on NPR. Sometimes I think of a brand new story idea or figure out a new facet to a character or a clever twist in the plot.

It’s weird how this stuff fills my head when I’m stuck in traffic.(Probably somewhat dangerous, too, as stories can be so distracting.) The unleashed creative ideas pour forth at other unexpected times, too, like when I’m making the bed or doing any dreaded housework. (Except when I’m changing the kitty litter box. That requires my full attention. ☺)

The experts say that when we work at mindless or repetitive tasks that don’t actively engage the mind, our brain is free to work out issues or solve problems. I guess that’s what I’m doing. That’s not to say I don’t get ideas other times. I do—first thing in the morning, after I wake up. On occasion while reading a book, or watching TV. But the majority of my ideas come when I’m busy doing something.

I’m curious about both writers and readers. When you get your best ideas and do your best problem solving?

Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net

Wisdom

Something we all need a little of sometimes, right?

A friend posted this to his blog this morning, and I thought it was worth sharing. Some made me chuckle, and others made me go hmmmmm. Which are your favorites?

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumblebee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Meanness don't just happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
* It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about,
ain't never gonna happen anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Don't interfere with sumpin’ that ain't bothering you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Have a wonderful day!

Happy Father's Day

My message today will be short and bittersweet.

Today's a wonderful day to celebrate the men in your life: your grandfathers, dad, stepdads, and the father of your children. Enjoy the holiday, and treat these men the way they deserve to be treated—at least this one day out of the year. (smile)

Today's a sad one for me, as I lost my dad less than two years ago. Things get easier with time; they always do. I'm learning that the hard way. Still, anniversaries and holidays bring back the memories, making those events "touch and go" for years.

Since it's been such a short for me, things are pretty much "go" around my house today: go do something to distract yourself so you don't have to think much about it.

I'm glad my turn to blog fell on Father's Day, though, so I can ask all of you who have dads to love them and appreciate them, today and all days.

And when you give them a hug, give them an extra big one for me.


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

First Meets

Summer Lovin' Contest update…..had to ditch the cowboy hat and use a paint bucket from Home Depot for all the names I'm keeping track of daily. I want to fill the whole bucket, so keep posting away!!

I invite all of you to join me June 25th when True Confessions begins…my daily on-line read at http://www.eharlequin.com Come meet Patrick and Dolly, two characters that make an appearance in the last of my McKade Brothers series, Ryan's Renovation (August 07).

Okay, today's topic…First Meets--when the hero and heroine meet for the first time in a story.

One of the most fun "meets" I've ever written was in my first book, The Cowboy and the Bride, when the heroine gets caught up on a barbed wire fence in her wedding gown and the hero (rancher) has to figure out a way to get her unhooked before the bull in the pasture charges to fence. In the end the poor guy has to rip half the dress off to free her and just in the nick of time! The bull is left trotting away with the lower half of the heroine's wedding gown hanging from his horns.

Your turn…share one of your favorite "First Meets" that you've either written or read!

Happy Reading!
Marin
The Preacher's Daughter *Summer Lovin* June 07
http://www.marinthomas.com/

Rites of passage

Eighteen years ago, I was sitting on a curb in the small California town of La Habra where I lived, watching an old-time parade pass by in honor of the local Corn Festival. There were decorated convertibles, school marching bands, and members of the Shriners club riding in funny little cars.

Along came a clown who tapped my extremely round abdomen and said, “I bet you’ll deliver that today!”

She was right. About an hour later, my waters broke and I was on my way to the hospital to deliver a ten-and-a-half pound baby boy. By Caesarian section, thank goodness, considering his size!

Yesterday, on a sunny afternoon a few miles from there, I sat in a football stadium at Cal State Fullerton with my husband, older son, mother and two wonderful mothers-in-law (my husband’s mother and stepmother) and watched that young man graduate from high school.

Here’s how, as a novelist, I might have expected one of my characters to react: with nostalgia, a longing for loved ones who didn’t live to see this day, and an intensified awareness of the cycles of life. Plus, of course, joy.

Well, I experienced all those emotions. And another I wouldn’t have expected: amusement.

Before the ceremony, I couldn’t help chuckling at the guy behind me on a cell phone, loudly struggling to guide a relative who showed up at the wrong campus (Fullerton College) and couldn’t seem to figure out which streets ran east-west so he could join us. Okay, I shouldn’t laugh at someone having an even worse sense of direction than I do, but I’ve never actually gone to the wrong campus for an event!

I was also amused by my older son’s observation that, since his brother had to buy his robes and mortarboard, we now have a Halloween costume lined up. My husband and I then had a playful argument about which of us will go as The Graduate and who gets to be Mrs. Robinson (I won. I think).

Later, watching the graduates arrayed in the school coldors of green and gold, I reflected that, when my older son went through this ritual, I was grateful not to be finished yet with the parenting years. Yesterday, though, I saw what a difference three years has made. Come fall, I’ll miss those boys when they go off to college, but I’m ready for that empty nest.

It occurred to me that not only the students were graduating; a lot of us parents and grandparents were graduating, too. For us, too, I see this as a commencement.

We’re moving on to the next stage. I look forward to seeing what the future will bring.

I don't know about you, but when I think of summer, I'm envisioning long, lazy days at the neighborhood pool with the kids, great reads, Popsicles and plenty of watermelon. After finally getting all three kids successfully through their freshman year of high school, getting my new Harlequin American contract and setting the deadlines just right for allowing plenty of time for fun, my happy train has now come to a screeching halt. Why?

The January ice storm that's still haunting us even though it's ninety!!! ARGH!!!! Okay, so this winter, we had this crazy ice storm that lasted FOREVER, and coated our house in ice. An ice dam formed around our chimney, forcing melting water into our living room, which ruined the ceiling. After waiting FOREVER for the insurance company to make their move, we're finally all set to go, when the contractor who calls me "Darlin'" says we have trouble. Never something you want to hear in conjunction with having no living room ceiling!!! Turns out the roof the insurance guy said was fine, has been leaking since January!!!! The insurance guy insists nothing's wrong. Oh--but if there were something wrong, it'd be a $200 easy fix. Right.

This pic is of our living room after the ceiling was torn down. I asked the contractor why no drop clothes were used. He said, Hubby told him we're getting new carpet. After a few moments of wild laughter, I told him, "Um, not unless he won the lottery and didn't tell me." At this point, he says, "Darlin', don't worry, it'll all just vacuum right up." Uh huh.

I'm now switching writing genres from romance to horror!!! LOL!!! Guess who's going to be my first victim??

On to a waaay more fun topic, thanks to all of you entering Marin, Ann & my (is that grammatically correct? ) contest for our anthology, Summer Lovin'!!! The book was so much fun to write!!! I hope all of you enjoy reading it during what is hopefully turning out to be a way more peaceful summer than mine!!!

Summer Sales

Now that's a subject that makes me crazy - sales that start before the season is even in full swing. In our part of the world (the Pacific Northwest), the kids aren't out of school and the stores are already emptying the shelves of everything pertaining to summer. Next thing I know, they'll be advertising back to school supplies. Yikes!! By August you can't buy a pair of shorts for love nor money.

Not to mention the fact that we're probably the only place in the western hemisphere that hasn't had a glimpse of summer - lows in the 40s, highs in the 60s. Yep, I know - you're all playing
Poor Pitiful Pearl on your smallest violin. LOL But, when winter rolls around, we have RAIN!

So that's my rant for the day. It has nothing to do with writing, but I did make a pilgrimage to Coldwater Creek to their 60% off sale. Big smile - I got some cool stuff.

AnnDeFee
Georgia On His Mind - August 2007
The Perfect Tree - Christmas Anthology - November 2007

Fact & Fiction

Okay, we all do it. There’s an old adage that says you have to write what you know. Now that doesn’t mean you have to commit murder to write a mystery, for example, but writers are students of human nature.

There’s also an element of truth in a lot of writer’s works. Just look at John Grisham, who used his insider view of the legal world. And we all know that The Five People You Meet in Heaven was inspired by Mitch Ablom’s uncle Eddie, and that Nicholas Sparks used the romance of family members to create The Notebook. For today’s blog topic, I thought I’d share some insider secrets as to what was real, sort of, in two of my works.

From my first book, A Little Office Romance (Oct 2000), the scene at Busch Stadium (the old one) where Alex is in the bleachers and Julia’s in another section and the bleacher section starts calling her name: real. This actually happened to my friend, Lisa. Her friends couldn’t find her, so as the game time neared they abandoned her, and she didn’t have a ticket to get in as they’d taken it inside. Some nice businessmen gave her one of theirs and she sat with them on the third base line since the bleachers and the rest of the stadium didn’t directly connect. When her friends saw her on the Jumbotron, they got the crowd to call her name. I was up in the nosebleeds with the kids I was babysitting. When I wrote my story, it seemed a fun way to actually take the hero out of his element. As for where Julia went to college, it was Webster University, my master’s degree alma mater. (And this Lisa is the one to whom Nine Months' Notice is dedicated.)

The Wedding Secret (Dec. 2006) ranks as one of my favorite books. The entire scene at the wedding where the Luke declares Cecile to be his date is based in reality, right down to the switching of the bridesmaids because of height. This all took place at my friend Jane’s wedding, many years ago when she was the first of us to succumb and marry a great guy named Joe. The sad thing is, I showed up an hour late to the rehearsal. I felt like a real heel until I asked where Jenny was, and Jane admitted that her other bridesmaid hadn’t showed yet either. (Oops. That’s what you get for putting a rehearsal at 5 PM on a Friday and have poor working girl bridesmaids who can’t afford to take off.) So Saturday, before the wedding, we were jostling for who had to walk with whom, since we weren’t there the night before to get this important detail nailed down. I ended up with Paul, who thankfully was cute and sweet since I had to eat dinner next to him. (You know how those head tables work.) As one of my very single sorority sisters went by in the line for the buffet, which wound past our table, she started asking him all sorts of questions, including where his date was. He declared it me. Okay. First I’d heard of it, considering I’d just met him a few hours before. However, unlike Cecile, I didn’t imbibe in a magical sleepover or ever see him again as he lived in New Orleans. Mostly we danced and he spent the night pulling up the front of my dress which didn’t fit very well and kept threatening to fall down. Such was my life, and when I started this book, I knew that I simply had to use the memory as it simply would set the tone for the rest of the work. As for the rest of it, all made up.

More insider secrets in my next blog post!

Michele Dunaway

Ducks and Books

I am up at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday, in front of my computer. No, it's not because I have this creative urge to work on my current book (which is, by the way, 94 percent done). It's not because I'm doing online promotion, or even obsessively checking e-mail or my Amazon rankings.

No, I am watching wood ducks. Via webcam.

Wood ducks are a brightly-colored (males, anyway) species that nest in hollow trees as much as 60 feet up. After the baby ducks hatch they get to spend one night in the nest. Then the mother duck leaves the nest and calls to her babies to join her. They must jump or climb up to the exit hole (see picture), then take a big leap of faith and JUMP down onto land or into water.

Many people build specially designed nest boxes for wood ducks because they are declining due to habitat loss. Some clever person in Greenville, Texas, has put a webcam in her nest box. I've been watching since the first eggs were laid. Yesterday they hatched! There were 19 eggs (laid by two different females) but I don't know how many actually hatched. At least 10.

Anyway, today is the day. At some point this morning, these darling little fuzzy chicks will have to make that leap of faith, braving that jump and predators to join Mom, who will escort the brood to the pond for their first swim and their first meal. Those that can't get out of the box on their own will not survive.

That's how I think of my books. (You knew I would bring this back to writing, right?) Each one is lovingly brooded and hatched, but ultimately it has to go out into the real world and sink or swim on its own merits. Some won't hatch at all. Those are the half-baked ideas and stray chapters that I give up on because they're no good. And some, sadly, will be sent out into the cruel world, only to be eaten by crows (those mean editors who send rejections!) But no matter how scary it is out there on the pond, no matter how low the chances of surival, it's still better than staying in the safety of the nest box.

Better to risk rejection than sit in a box under the bed to starve from neglect.

By the way, before I even finished this blog, all of the ducklings--15!--made it out of the nest and safely to the pond.

One Word

WOW!! I want to thank all of you who have commented on the blogs this month. The discussions have been great! And boy am I keeping busy each day collecting names for our Summer Lovin' Contest!

So let's keep talking....if you had to describe an American Romance novel in ONE WORD what word would that be and why?

Happy Reading!
Matin Thomas
www.marinthomas.com

More Shameless Gushing

Oh boy! Yesterday was a great day for me. And then when Linda Warren offered to let me post this morning in her place (she's under deadline), the day got even better. Because now I get to tell everyone what I did after work. I went to my local Barnes and Noble and bought two copies of my first Harlequin American. Whee, hee!

I had a $10 B&N gift certificate someone gave me a while ago and couldn't think of a better way to spend it. So, off to the store I went. Good news, bad news. When I got to the store, the June Harlequin series books were there, all pretty and shiny in the rack. But, darn it, there were only two copies of each book.

I debated, not sure if I should buy both copies or leave one for the hoards of fans that were sure to come wandering into the store, looking for my book. I decided to take a chance and buy both books. I mean, oh boy! There was my book. In the flesh (or is that paper?) How could I resist? Hoards of fans would just be out of luck, I guess.

To celebrate, I bought a couple other books, one of how to housebreak a puppy in seven days. If you're wondering why I need advice on that, just take a look at the adorable cutie who came to live with us a month ago and hasn't quite gotten the knack of doing his business outside. I finished up my great shopping excursion by getting a Starbucks for the road.

I'm planning another trip to another bookstore in the near future. This time to Borders. Not to buy, just to look. Maybe take a picture of my book in the rack as a keepsake. Please don't laugh. I promise not to be this goofy and pathetic every time I have a new book. But, oh boy, what a great day it was yesterday!

Cathy McDavid
for free promo stuff check out my website
www.cathymcdavid.com

Time to Clean

With summer around the corner and the sun shining, it’s impossible to hide the grime on the windows. I’ve been putting off washing them—too many deadlines. But I really do need to carve out some time for cleaning.

I’ve made a deal with my husband: if he washes outside, I’ll do the inside. I also need to clean my office, which is a disaster. Of course I know what every pile holds, but the mess gets to me. We’re about to get new carpets, so I don’t have much choice.

I used to be so meticulous, washing the kitchen floor daily and never letting the clutter pile up. Now it’s more important to write than keep everything neat.

Sometimes I shake my head at the changes in me and wonder where that tidy woman went.

Who out there is like me?

Like a kid out of school!

Last time I blogged, I was looking forward to the end of my day job with a school district and the start of my summer break. Now, hard as it is to believe, a week of that precious time has already passed. How can that be?

When I was a kid, summer vacation seemed to last forever, filled with trips to the park and the sprinklers, days at the local pool, long bicycle rides around town, and even longer trips to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

For the times we felt lazy, we chased butterflies and fireflies, played box ball, and balanced on homemade skateboards more likely to tip us off than to take us anywhere.

And on those sweltering hot days, we had cold foods and drinks that felt sooooo refreshing: Lemonade. Kool-Aid. Popsicles in red and orange and purple that turned our mouths and lips and tongues all those same colors. And juice-dripping watermelon loaded with seeds we could spit across the yard...or at each other.

Sometimes, I miss those carefree days. Don't you?

Feel free to post some of your favorite summer memories. I'll be back to read them—as soon as I get my hands on a Popsicle.


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

GETTING OUT AND GETTING TOGETHER

The other day I was reading Jane Porter’s blog and she wrote something that just struck me as so ‘right’ that I’ve been thinking about it for the last week. In a nutshell, she wrote about making more of an effort to actually visit with people, face to face.
I can completely relate. Lately, I’ve had quite a few projects I’ve been working on, and therefore, I’ve been spending lots and lots of time in front of my computer. With uh, made-up people. When I get tired of writing, I go on the Internet and catch up with on-line friends. Phone calls, for some reason, have seemed to take up too much time, never mind actually having coffee or a dinner out with girlfriends.
With this in mind, I knew that Lori Foster’s and Dianne Castell’s 3rd Annual Get-Together was going to be very needed and appreciated. I went yesterday, and it was just terrific.
For those of you that haven’t heard about this, Lori and Dianne host a reader-writer get-together every June. Lots of readers come from all over, and even a couple of agents and editors attend, too. It’s casual, like Lori. People wear t-shirts and jeans. There’s a limited schedule…it’s all mainly just a time to reconnect with people.
But because Lori and Dianne are just so great, it’s also about helping other people too. Authors donate baskets and critiques to be raffled. 90 authors also contributed recipes for a cookbook. All the proceeds from these things go to two very worthy causes…soldiers and a local battered women’s shelter. This year, over $3000 was made just on the gift baskets alone!
I had a great time visiting with members from my local RWA chapter, other authors and readers. I met a great gal who’d flown all the way from San Diego to be there, and ate lunch with another woman who’d never wanted to write…she just loved to read romance! Especially Harlequins! I loved her!
Little by little, I found myself feeling more energized and excited as the day went on. I laughed and talked and listened…and realized Lori and Dianne are two very smart ladies.
They’ve found a way to help a whole lot of women reconnect and remember what is important: other people...readers and friendships and soldiers fighting for all of us. And a group of ladies in a shelter who really need a helping hand and a few extra prayers.
Tomorrow, I’ll go back to my made-up people. But today I think I’m going to spend another couple of hours recalling just how nice it was to get out and about. And laugh and talk. Face to face.

Summer Lovin' HAR Blog Contest

Dear Readers

June is finally here and that means Summer Lovin' hits the shelves this month! To celebrate our anthology, Laura Marie Altom, Ann Roth and myself, Marin Thomas have decided to run a month-long contest on the Harlequin American Romance blog. We hope the contest will encourage readers to stop by and participate in the daily blogs.

Here's how the contest will work: Visit the HAR blog--we hope daily--and comment on the post of the day. We'll keep track of the names of those who have something to say. Each time you comment (one entry per blog per day will be eligible) we'll add your name to the list of participants. At the end of the month, the names will be tossed into a hat and three winners will be chosen. The more blogs you comment on the better your chances of winning! I'll announce the winners on the HAR blog July 2nd, then Laura Marie, Ann and myself will each take a winner and send them a prize.

Here are the Prizes:

Marin Thomas will be giving away her McKade Brothers series, Aaron Under Construction, Nelson in Command and Ryan's Renovation.

Laura Marie Altom will be giving away her US Marshals series, Saving Joe, Marrying the Marshal, His Baby Bonus and To Catch a Husband.

Ann Roth will be giving away the first and second books in her To Wed…Or Not to Wed minisieries, The Man She'll Marry and It Happened One Wedding.

To start our first discussion….Summer Lovin' takes place in Silver Cliff, a small town in the Colorado Rockies. Tell us…what do you like most about small-town settings?

Happy Reading and we hope you have fun with this contest!
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
Ryan's Renovation *McKade Brothers* Aug 07
For The Children *Heart of Appalachia* Oct 07

On little cat feet

Cats are sneaky. Wait! I’m not a cat-basher. Anyone who’s read my books has come across characters who own cats. Some of them also rescue strays.

I never expected to own a cat and certainly not to find myself dosing one with medicine twice a day. This involves sticking my fingers in his mouth to pry his jaws open.

How did this happen? He sneaked up on me.

At various times before I got married, I owned small, portable animals. Hamsters. A couple of chinchillas. These having all expired, my husband requested a No Pets policy. In return, he agreed we could have kids. (He was joking. I think.)

Many years later, a cat showed up in our yard. Sweet, shy and – I thought – pregnant. Turned out she was faking it, but by then we’d adopted her. Actually, she’d already been spayed. A few years later, along came Cat No. 2, an obviously non-neutered male.

Our children adored them, so my husband tolerated the creatures. Cat No. 2 got neutered, while, in the course of time, Cat No. 1 grew old and died. Who helped me tend her during her final days? My formerly reluctant hubby, now a convert to cat fandom.

When Cat No. 2 first arrived, he seemed like an overgrown kitte, and seven years later, we still think of him as a youngster. So it came as a surprise when what we believed was an injured nose turned out to be cancer.

Currently, our freedom-loving but doting cat resides in our downstairs bathroom, wearing a flexible cone to protect his face and receiving medicine twice a day. His odds aren’t good, but we’re giving him every reasonable chance.

The problem is that we love him. Cats are like that. They sneak up on you.

School's Out for Summer

As I write this, my classroom is quiet except for a bit of music playing over the smartboard speakers. The desks are empty. Out the window, a group of custodians is cleaning up the toilet paper decorating the courtyard trees. School let out today at 11:25, and by 11:25 tomorrow school will be officially over for the 2006-2007 school year.

Over the summer my room will be cleaned. The desks will be removed to be replaced with tables. I'm teaching all journalism courses next year and am thrilled with the change. I'll also sponsor the school yearbook and the school newspaper.

Summer is the time when I make my goals. I'm not really a "New Year" type of person. My new year begins in June, when I finish up, say goodbye to seniors I'll miss dearly, and turn my attention to renewing myself and recharging my batteries. My personal goals that I've set for myself include working my way up to running 3 miles and biking at least 40. Okay, 20. That's a good number. I live by the Katy Trail, a rail-to-trail, so I'll ride that a lot. My daughters and I all have bikes to ride.

I'm also attending a journalism advisers' workshop in Manhattan, KS. I'll be at RWA. I'll be writing at least 2 books by August, and the first three chapters of another. The summer calendar is mostly blank, but it's going to be very busy.

I'll try to do some gardening, will live quite a lot at Six Flags, and will see the Police and Goo Goo Dolls two days apart when they come to St. Louis for their respective concerts. I'll also simply sit around and relax. Hopefully I'll read a lot of great books. That's the plan, anyway.

As May ends and we move into June, as the AC goes into high gear, as spring slides into summer, be sure to enjoy every minute.

Michele

Heroes and Heroines in Uniform

Did you have a nice Memorial Day?

In honor of our men and women in uniform, I rifled through my keeper shelf and revisited some of my favorite authors who write military heroes and heroines. I love soldiers and pilots and special forces guys, probably because these types of characters are so far removed from my own experiences. I've never even tried to write a military romance because I know nothing about the military.

Probably at the top of my list would be Merline Lovelace. Love her books, love her characters, and this retired Air Force colonel knows her stuff! Then there's the inimitable Suzanne Brockmann and her yummy Navy Seals. Of course this list wouldn't be complete without Catherine Mann. I read WEDDING AT WHITE SANDS as a contest entry, before Catherine had sold her first book, and I remember thinking Oh, my gosh, this woman is good! Then there's Cindy Dees, who writes with such depth and realism because she's been there! She was a U.S. Air Force pilot and actually flew in the Gulf War (the first one). Debbie Macomber has done some wonderful military-themed books, especially early in her career.

Of course I can't forget our own Laura Marie Altom. HER MILITARY MAN (January 2007) was wonderfully quirky. Another Harlequin American author, Bonnie Gardner, wrote one of the Millionaire, Montana books in which the hero, Sam, is a retired Navy Seal. That one made me cry!

Now those are just a smattering from my own shelves, and certainly not an all-inclusive list. Do you love heroes (and heroines) in uniform? Any must-reads you'd like to mention?

Hope your holiday was fun! (Mine was rainy.)

Kara

Memorial Day weekend

Hi guys,
Memorial Day is one of my favorite holidays. I know - that's kind of weird considering it's such a solemn occasion. But I have an excuse. It's my birthday! Plus, it heralds the beginning of summer. When I was growing up in south Texas that was a big deal. It meant school was out, and we could swim all day long - in the river, the lake, the ocean, anything that had a puddle of water. Now I live in the Pacific Northwest and swimming is dicey, at best. In fact - now don't laugh at this, especially if you're living where the summers average 95 degrees and 65% humidity - we frequently have to wear those cute little summer sweaters. I still think that's amazing!

So check out my September Everlasting Love book, Summer After Summer that - as you can probably guess - is a celebration of summer in the south.

Have a wonderful weekend and a great summer. Ann

Memorial Day

Those who know me or who have read my books know that I like irreverent one-liners, quirky characters and don't take myself too seriously. However, if you'll permit me just this once, I'm gonna get serious on you. It's Memorial Day and as an Army brat who is also the niece of a Veteran, that means a lot to me. Our country may not be perfect, but I believe that it's special and unique and I love America. I'm so grateful to those who've sacrificed to make the country what it is and to protect our ideology--the men and women in our military services, of course, but also those of us who worry about them when they're gone and try to send good thoughts, care packages and anything else we can think of to give them a little piece of home. My prayers are with all of you.

So, happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone and I promise, next time I blog, I'll bring the funny :-)

Unhappy Endings

Anyone out there a Grey’s Anatomy fan? I am… or was. That last episode, the season finale, really bummed me out. Not one upbeat moment in the entire 75-minutes! And the behavior of some of the characters was totally uncharacteristic. Contrived, even. McDreamy turning down the offer of Chief of the hospital? Smart George, flunking his exam? Callie, named chief resident? Grey and McDreamy breaking up? Burke, canceling the wedding only seconds before the ceremony? Don’t even get me started on the Chief’s wife being pregnant with his baby when they’ve been separated all season!

Give me a break! I haven’t decided whether to tune in next season or not. And this is (was) my favorite show! (Notice all the exclamation points?! That means I’m rather... peeved about all this.)

The thing is, the writer(s) broke some cardinal rules. One is that viewers don’t like contrived situations, written in simply to add conflict. We feel cheated, and wonder just how dumb do the writers and producers think we are. The second is, we need at least something to hope for. Hopelessness does not sell, people!

The Grey’s Anatomy writers could learn a thing or three from romance novels and authors. Our genre guarantees an upbeat, or at least optimistic, ending. The stories grow out of the characters’ behaviors, not some forced plot contrivance that adds phony conflict.

Next year, when Grey’s Anatomy starts a new season, I just might pick up a romance novel instead.


Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net

An Introduction

This is my first blog as a Harlequin American Romance author. I am so excited to be here, and to be one of this year’s debut authors. In a few weeks I’ll be shamelessly trolling the book stores, looking for sightings of The Man for Maggie. It’s a June release and yes, I’m counting the days!

A little about me. I’m not sure, but I might be the only Canadian American author. I am the product of a Canadian mother and an American father, with a huge network of aunts, uncles, and cousins that spans the border and both countries, coast to coast. No matter where I go, it always feels like home.

I live on Canada’s west coast, in a city with miles and miles of coastline, gorgeous beaches, beautiful gardens, and virtually snow-free winters. Really, it’s paradise, and I am so fortunate to be where I am.

I’ve read romance and dreamed about being a Harlequin author for what seems like forever. Finally started writing about eight years ago, and after six full-length manuscripts and four Golden Heart finals, here I am.
The Man for Maggie is a story about two very different characters, one who leaps without looking and another who has both feet firmly planted on the ground. Writing this book was a lot of fun, although not without its own ups and downs. It started as a short contemporary, was lengthened for American Romance, and then needed to be shortened again. Math was never my best subject but after all that adding and subtracting, I finally came up with the right answer! Two secondary characters from this book have a story of their own. With This Ring will be out in December.

Huge thanks to everyone at Harlequin American Romance for the warm welcome I’ve received. Can’t wait to meet all of you in Dallas!

Lee McKenzie
www.leemckenzie.com
www.WetNoodlePosse.com

The Best Kind of Review

Well, it's almost here. The release of His Only Wife, my first Harlequin American book. In — oh, my gosh — about two weeks. This is a pretty exciting and scary time for me. On the one hand, I can't wait to walk into stores and see my book (I'm hoping even grocery stores). On the other hand, I'm on pins and needles as the reviews start to come in.

So far, so good. I hope no one minds if I share a couple of snippets here:

"A sweet second chance at love story. Gage and Aubrey have a great deal of baggage that they must dig through in order to find that happy ending, and this story is a pleasant way to spend the afternoon."
Romantic Times

"This entertaining second chance at love is a fine contemporary tale starring two likable protagonists. Each of the lead pair carries plenty of emotional baggage making a permanent adult relationship seem unattainable. HIS ONLY WIFE is an pleasurable read."
The Best Reviews

Hmm, anyone besides me notice a similarity in the two reviews? Here's the review that means the most to me:

"It was the best Harlequin book I ever read!"
Cathy's Mom

Yes, my mom. Okay, I know, she's supposed to love my books. It goes with the territory of being a mom - unconditional support of your children. But she meant what she said. I could hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes. And I can't tell you how great that made me feel. I might be all grown up. My kids might be almost grown up and be having kids of their own in a few years. No matter how old I get, having my mother be proud of me is still really important and probably always will be.

Sappy, I know. I don't care. Hey, this is Harlequin American. We're allowed to be sappy. Maybe even encouraged!

Cathy McDavid

FAMILY DAY AT THE GALLOWAY HOUSE

Back when my kids were small, people used to tell me to enjoy those days because the teenage years would be twice as hectic. I’m afraid I didn’t believe them. With two children born eighteen months apart, I’m afraid I spent a lot of their toddler years wishing for five minutes of peace and quiet.
Now I know what they meant. Life with two teenagers is hectic, to say the least. They’re busy and far more interested in cell phones and their friends than spending quality time with my husband and me. But every so often, everything aligns, we get a break in between work, sports, and traveling schedules—and we plan a ‘family day’.
My daughter gave these infrequent times the official name, and I have to say naming these days worked. Our scheduled family days are pretty sacred—all four of us look forward to them and have never yet tried to reschedule. This past Sunday was our most recent.
We decided to go downtown to Joe’s Crab Shack. It’s a chain restaurant with a good atmosphere. The one near us is on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. We sat outside, watched barges go by and teased our son about his current ‘it’s not serious’ girlfriend. Everyone also ate a bunch of crab. Next we shopped a little, then came home and sat outside in the backyard. My husband puts up a badminton net every spring, so he and the kids played round after round while I did my usual Sunday afternoon activity…read and nap.
So far, so good. Another successful Family Day. No arguments, no homework assignments suddenly remembered. Everyone was happy .
Until a robin decided to fly under the net. Phoebe the beagle (who previously only moved fast for ham and pizza) jumped up and caught the poor thing. The bird squawked.
Well, you can imagine what happened next.
My husband Tom started yelling and my daughter shrieked. The bird flew out. It had almost scampered away when Suzy, our miniature dachshund, did a mad dash and caught it. In no time at all, all we could see of the robin was a wing sticking out of the weiner-dog’s mouth.
Now Tom had the awful task of getting one very proud, very small dog to drop the bird without touching either her or the bird. The beagle began howling.
My daughter’s screaming reached new decibels. The neighbors on either side wandered over to see what was going on. Out came my son, who-I’ll go ahead and say it-had snuck in the house to get a break from Family Day.
All that was left of the bird were the remains, and they weren’t pretty.
Our next fun family activity involved working together to bag the bird. My son and husband started arguing. The dogs circled, wanting praise for disposing of the intruder. Tired of the hysterics, I told my daughter to go settle down inside.
After all that--well, ‘Family Day’ was officially over. It hadn’t been perfect. Or pretty. But, well, we’d been together…and it was certainly memorable. That counts for something, right?
Anyone else have a ‘family day’ activity that didn’t turn out quite like you’d hoped?

Summer's Around the Corner

Summer's around the corner. I have exactly 10 teaching days left. My students are preparing for finals.

The Dunaway household is getting ready as well. This past weekend we purchased new bicycles so that we can ride on the Katy Trail. We live only 10 minutes away. The Katy is a rail-to-trail and it's great. For many parts we'll be riding along the Missouri River. We also visited Camp Cedarledge, a Girl Scout camp that my daughter will be attending for two weeks in July. It'll be her first time being away that long, and guess what, she gets to bring her new bike. We walked all over camp yesterday, and a bike will definitely help.

My oldest is going to a two-week drama day camp. As for me, I'll be attending RWA in Dallas and a 5 day workshop in Manhattan, KS.

So what is everyone else doing?

Michele

Frenzied in my chair

If you walked by my office and saw me sitting at the computer, I’d look busy, but calm. The truth is, I’m frenzied! Deadlines for a contracted book, a proposal for a new novel, plus a synopsis for another. I want to include the proposal and the synopsis with the contracted book. Then there’s an e-Harlequin promotion and the text for that, due soon. All these things are keeping me busy, busy, busy. Now don’t get me wrong. I like to be busy, setting goals and striving to meet them—that’s my preferred mode.

But sometimes all the work gets to be a bit much. You know the old adage, all work and no play makes Jane a dull girl? Well, it’s an adage because it’s true. In light of that, I’m taking most of the weekend off to play. Seattle is hosting its third annual Cheese Festival this weekend and I’ll be there, wallowing in cheeses from all over the world. Hopefully when I come home I’ll be ready for a week of hard work.

Wishing everyone an enjoyable, stress-free weekend,
Ann

Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net

P. S. To date there is no word on the title of that book you helped me with. I hope to find out the title soon, though, and will keep you posted.

Better Late Than Never

That will be my epitaph, I'm sure. But what counts is that I am here and very excited about being a part of the Harlequin American family.

My first book for HAR, Family by Design, will be a January '08 release, so we have lots of time to get to know each other. Having written five books for Silhouette Romance, I'm especially happy to have found a new home where I can continue to write stories about families and communities.

I'm a Kansas girl, born and raised in the Sunflower State and have lived here all my life. From big city to small town to a rural farm, I've come full circle and am now back in the big city and loving it. The only thing I miss is the solitude of the "country", where I enjoyed walking up and down the road anytime I felt like it and never had to worry if the neighbors might see me in my pajamas--or worse. My four daughters moved to the city with me, and the two oldest have gifted me with three grandchildren. #4 will arrive this fall. We're very big on family and get together every Saturday night (all 11 of us, counting spouses and fiances!) to play board games or just enjoy talking and laughing together.

Besides writing, I also design websites and baby-sit the aforementioned grandkids. Life is full and wonderful! Well, except for the bottle of wood glue spilled on the carpet and the cell phone that was flushed....

Have a wonderful start to the summer!

Five days and counting...

I work as support staff for a school district. The year is drawing to a close, and all the students in my classes are getting antsy.

To tell the truth, so am I.

There are a million and one things I need to do in these next five days before school ends, and a gazillion things I have to do in the weeks after. And don't you just know those three long--and loooooong-awaited--months will fly by?

My summer days are made for catch-up, work and around-the-house chores, errands and appointments. In July, I'll be at the national conference of the Romance Writers of America, held this year in Dallas. My husband and I are still thinking about what trip we'll take together. Planning it is always half the fun. And my number-one priority this summer--already highlighted all through my calendar--is to write, Write, WRITE!

How about you? Have any plans? Going somewhere special--to a well-loved spot you visit year after year or to a location that's new and different?

Vacation time will be here before you know it!


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Sigh-Worthy Heroes

What makes a hero sigh-worthy?

Is your favorite sigh-worthy hero a cowboy? Lawyer? Doctor? Bad Boy? Pirate? DEA Agent? Soldier? High-powered businessman?

What about tax accountants, pharmacists, computer programmers, realtors and managers of department stores? Granted, there's a certain image associated with a cowboy that makes it difficult for a department-store manager to compete with…tight jeans, boots, cowboy hat and swagger.

What's missing in an "Average Joe" that they rarely make an appearance in romance novels? Is it because many of us women are married to one of these guys? Or is it because it isn't as easy for authors to make Average Joe jump off the pages and into the hearts of readers?

What traits or characteristics--besides a HOT body--do you believe Average Joe, who drives a Saturn, needs to possess to become sigh-worthy?

Happy Reading,
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
The Preacher's Daughter/Summer Lovin' Anthology June 07

Love and the small screen

It’s mid-May, the time for endings, and, by the same token, for beginnings. My older son just arrived home from his junior year in college and my younger son is preparing for high school graduation. So it's the start of a summer full of family get-togethers -- and preparation for fall enrollment!

Meanwhile, the spring planting season is winding up here in Southern California, and the summer vegetables are beginning to poke into view. This year, I’m growing tomatoes, along with zucchini, lettuce (if the snails don’t eat it all!), green beans, basil, parsley, cucumbers and eggplant.

May also marks the end of the TV season. Goodbye to old favorites, although many will return. Hello to summer replacements.

Re the old season: Those of who love romance appreciate how the writers on Smallville have managed to keep the sparks alive between Clark and Lana, even after her marriage to Lex. Other favorites: the shenanigans on Desperate Housewives, which I just discovered this year and am frantically catching up on, and the stylish and touching turns on Grey’s Anatomy.

I’ll also miss Jericho, which somehow manages a touch of romance amid the carnage, and 24, where poor Jack Bauer just can’t seem to get his hands on Audrey. Plus, I really enjoy the husband-wife relationships on The Unit.

While I’ll miss them this summer, this means the start of more time to catch up on my reading. I’ll see you at the bookstore!

Mother's Day Hangover!!!

Is it possible to have too much fun on Mother's Day? I'm exhausted!! LOL!! For starters, all three of my sweeties made cards with actual handwritten notes inside!! You may laugh, but getting teens to write from the heart when they're not being given extra credit isn't easy!!

We then headed off to the Muskogee Renaissance Faire. Son #1 took his girlfriend, so they promptly ditched us, but Daughter and Son #2 were smart and stayed with the money!! (The only time we saw Son #1 all day was when he ran low on cash!! )

The pic is from left to right, Son #2, Daughter, Son #1's girlfriend, Son #1. We happened upon the happy couple practicing archery, and needing cash for ice cream!!


After weeks of rain, the day was gorgeous and sunny--just right for munching on all of the yummy food!! The hands-down family fave was chizlicks (I know I'm spelling this wrong), which is elk steak. AMAZINGLY tasty!! We were at the grocery store last night, and Daughter asked the butcher if they're able to get elk. He'd never heard of an elk!!! We found this funny, but then seeing how we had the giggles from too much sun and sweets, pretty much anything would've made us laugh!!

I made pasta salad for dinner, then we all sat down for a movie. Turistas convinced me to never EVER again leave the country!! Wow, was it scary!!!

I was sad that I didn't get to see my mom on Mother's Day, but she and Dad were planting trees to replace the ones our late ice storm killed.

Anyway, I hope all of you other mothers out there are feeling as hungover on happiness as I am!! Now, it's back to reality. I'm working on a fun new writing project, but I'm thinking it may have to wait until after I take a nap!!

Anyone else have any Mother's Day fun to share??

Book signings

From left to right, Connie Brockway, Michele Dunaway, Alexa Hunt (aka Shirl Henke) at MORWA's after-the-meeting book signing.

I don't do many book signings anymore. I don't play much golf either. I consider the reasons for both about the same.

First, let me say I love both golf and book signings. I see the chance to sell even one book to a new reader as a thrilling experience. The trouble is the time factor. Book stores expect you to sell mega books in two hours, not just five to ten. Since I'm not Nora or John Grisham, that's probably not going to happen. After my first signings, I noticed my numbers sold at signings went down. My family and friends came to my first signings, but now they don't stop or blink an eye. My being published is "old hat," just like them being journalists, or teachers or something. Just another day at the office.

Golf is about the same way. I discovered that my second time playing, I birdied on the second hole. I've never done as well since. For me, the ideal golf date is tooling around, tearing across the course in the golf cart trying to see who can be the first one to the next green. Since you're not supposed to do that, well...you get the idea.

Book signings can be the same way. The first ones are fun and exciting. Doing one for every book can get old quickly, and if you aren't Nora or someone "really" famous, you'll sit there and smile a lot. The only people who talk to you want directions to the bathrooms. There are others who hover at the end of the aisle and whisper about you. You keep smiling anyway.

Don't get me wrong. Both book signings and golf can be a lot of fun when done properly. With signings, you have to be willing to get out from behind the table and pimp yourself. Yep, that' s the only word for it. You have to be willing to talk to everyone who glances at you. Think of walking through all the sales booths in the middle of the mall. That person who jumps out and offers you hand cream--that has to be you with your book.

Just as golf is more fun to play with someone, so are book signings. Having someone there to chat with while people are chatting about you makes you feel a bit less conspicuous. It also makes the time fly, and if you tag-team the reader who stops for one author, you can often get them to buy both books. You're also guaranteed at least one sale--the other author at the table.

Now I've been a little tongue in cheek here, but all of the above is true. If the other authors are willing to share some of their funny signing experiences.....

And, if you are at RWA this summer, come see me and chat. If nothing else, I promise to know where the bathroom is.

Michele

A hundred lives to lead

Anyone who reads my personal blog (http://karalennox.blogspot.com) knows I'm into bird-watching these days. In fact, I've already included something about bird-watching in two of my books. In A SECOND CHANCE (April 2007, Hotel Marchand series) I had a couple of characters who were staying at the hero's B&B in Louisiana, intent on looking for the rare (and probably extinct) ivory-billed woodpecker. And in an upcoming Harlequin American (GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL, Jan. 2008) my heroine has lots of birdfeeders and loves to sit and watch birds out her window.

But bird-watching is just one of a whole string of hobbies. The fact is, I am a serial hobbyist. I'll take up something for a year or two, tire of it (or discover I'm no good at it) and move on to something else. But though I never get really good at anything, the hobbies serve a useful purpose, aside from getting me out of the house: I include them in my books! To date, here are some of my hobbies that have made it into my books: scuba diving/snorkeling, cooking, archeology, growing roses, renovating old houses, astrology, storm chasing, oil painting, bicycling, jewelry making.

Some of the hobbies I only tried briefly. Storm chasing, for example, was too scary, too time consuming, and required expensive equipment. My roses all died. I was dreadful at oil painting, and I decided jewelry making wasn't all that much fun. Some hobbies became lifelong pursuits--bicycling and renovating old houses are two I've stuck with.

But, believe it or not, I still have a few hobbies I haven't yet used. I've never had a character who was an antiques dealer, for instance. Or a mosaic artist. Or a treasure hunter. Or a rock climber. I've shown dogs and dug for crystals. I was into stargazing for a while. Played the guitar, mandolin and electronic keyboard (none of them very well). I even (gasp!) used to hunt birds.

If only I had a hundred lives to lead, maybe I could get good at all of these activities. Unfortunately there's only me, and only twenty-four hours in a day, so usually I don't do more than skim the surface and move on. But by living vicariously through my characters, I can get a taste of what it would feel like to be a real archeologist. Or a chef. Or a ... I dunno. I could use a new hobby. Any suggestions?

COLORFUL CHARACTERS

COLORFUL CHARACTERS

Once A Cowboy came out in February and I received mail about the sexy cowboy on the cover. Yes, he was sexy! But I also received mail wanting to know if my grandmother was like Naddy in the book.

No, absolutely not. She was just the opposite. And since readers have asked, I’ll tell you about her. And if you have a colorful character in your life, please share. They make our life interesting and fun.

My grandmother, my mother’s mother, was a devout Polish Catholic and she lived with us. She prayed in Polish and as kids my brothers and I tried to be very good around her. We didn’t want her talking to God about us in a language we didn’t understand. Every Sunday at seven a.m. we were in church for mass. My grandmother had her special seat, on the end of the row and my brothers and I jockeyed not to sit by her. I somehow always got squeezed in by Grandma.

We loved our grandmother, but she was very strict about church. You had to stay awake. We played hard on Saturdays and getting up at 5:30 a.m. to go to church was difficult for little kids. Every time I would doze off my grandmother would pinch my cheek. Hard. My right cheek was numb most of my growing up years.

She passed away when I was seventeen-years-old and I can remember her funeral vividly. It was late October, cool and drizzling rain. I remember standing in the light rain and wishing she’d pinch my cheek one more time. It was the first time I became aware of death and it’s finality.

Wherever Grandma is she’s praying in Polish and probably shaking her head at my romance novels. I’m not sure what she would think of them. She’d probably pinch my cheek.

Linda Warren

I Need Help!

I am terrible thinking up titles for my books! My editor wants me to come up with something for the second novel set on the fictitious Halo Island, and I’m hoping you’ll help.

In a nutshell, here are the particulars:

The hero, D.J. Hatcher owns Island Air, a seaplane company that flies tourists from Seattle to Halo Island and back. The flight takes about one hour. (The company is modeled on a real-life seaplane company in Bothell, Washington, near where I live.) Island Air is suffering financial problems, and D.J. may be forced to sell—something he does not want to do.

The heroine, Liza Miller, teaches second grade, but not on the island. She grew up there, and has come back to help her grandmother move from her home of fifty-four years into an apartment in a retirement complex. The move is for the best—a smaller place with a dining room and medical care is just what her grandmother needs. But leaving one’s home is never easy. An added burden is that Liza has been let go and must find another teaching job.

Both D.J. and Liza have had painful pasts. Four years before the story opens, D.J.’s wife ran off with his business partner. The following year, Liza’s fiancée left her at the altar for one of the guests. Imagine!

I won’t go into the details (you can read the story when it comes out sometime in 2008), but as you might have guessed, Liza and D.J. fall in love.

My editor would love to use the word “pilot” in the title. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I’m counting on you, and will report back on my next blog date, May 19, with the title my editor chooses.

Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net

Spring Cleaning

I have three sets of visitors coming to stay for a few days this summer--end of May, *sometime* in June and the week of July 4th, which includes a big family reunion at my home. When do I do my spring cleaning and still have the house in good shape by July?

Spring cleaning in my house includes…cleaning the carpets (I have my own carpet machine and do the rugs in my house) cleaning the blinds (damp cloth and wipe every slat), washing windows, curtains, flipping bed mattresses, wiping baseboards, cleaning the bathroom vents and washing shower curtains, spraying dried flowers arrangements, dusting all those goofy roosters I collect, washing doors, cleaning the garage out, getting on a ladder and dusting the lights and ceiling fans) then of course all the normal stuff like vacuuming and dusting.

I'm tempted to hire a maid service to come in and do the whole house in one day, but I hate spending money on something I can do myself. I'd rather use the money I save to buy flowers for the yard. If anyone has any shortcuts, tips or suggestions on spring cleaning, I'd love to hear them.

Happy Reading!
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
Summer Lovin' The Preacher's Daughter June 07

You can go home again

I just returned from a week in Nashville, Tennessee. Although most people associate Music City with its country performers, I grew up there, so a return has a very different meaning to me. This trip in particular was packed with landmark events.

My mom, Sylvia Hyman, is an internationally known ceramic sculptor, and the first weekend of my visit, I attended the Nashville Film Festival to view the world premiere of a half-hour documentary about her by filmmaker Curt Hahn. In addition to my stepfather, we were joined by my brother, my stepbrother and his wife, so we enjoyed a mini-family reunion along with the screening.

The film, “Sylvia Hyman: Eternal Wonder,” is beautifully made, informative and amusing, although my mother wishes it had been titled “Eternally Wondering” instead of “Eternal Wonder” (it should be available on DVD by mid-June from www.filmhouse.com). Curt is also cutting a shorter version to accompany an exhibit of Sylvia’s work at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, June 22-Oct 7, in celebration of her upcoming 90th birthday.

Not the usual sort of visit with one’s 89-year-old mother! And she’s still working, exploring new ideas and techniques.

My visit also encompassed my fortieth high school reunion, a chance to catch up with old friends. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we had a blast! About twenty fellow students from a graduating class of seventy attended, along with perhaps a dozen spouses. Our class comedians haven’t lost their touch (in fact, I think they’re funnier now) and everyone seemed warm and upbeat. I almost wish I were back in high school so I could enjoy their company without the teenage angst.

It’s hard to believe so much time has passed. All the same, I feel like I’m just getting started in my own life and career. My mother has done her best work since she turned eighty. So tune in – I’m revving my engines!

Best Harlequin American--05 (or why you shouldn't be embarrassed to google yourself)

Okay, admit it. You've taken your name, stuck it in the google search bar and pressed enter. If you haven't, you should start.

As an author, I do a search of my name about every two months. I've also signed up for google alerts, but usually I get information about movies that star Michelle Pieffer and Faye Dunaway rather than something about me.

However, the other day I did a google search and discovered that cataromance.com named Emergency Engagement their best Harlequin American of...2005.

I had no idea. No one ever notified me, so it was a fun way to end what has been a pretty good month.

Google searches have turned up some other interesting things. I've found reviews of my books, foreign editions, my bio written in French, blogs about my books, and authors who have credited me for inspiring them to write something (which is always fun). Most things I'd never know, had I not "googled" myself.

I'll also admit to googling family members, exboyfriends, coworkers, etc. It's fun to see what's out there on the world wide web, and I've located former students via their posts on myspace, by finding it first on google.

So have fun. Don't be embarrassed. You might discover you've won something, or that someone with your name is "famous" too (the other Michele Dunaways are a painter and a newsbroadcaster).

Michele

My "Writer's Spa"

My husband, Rob, also a writer and an e-publisher, signed up to attend the Romentic Times Booklovers Convention. I decided to go with him. I mean, he was paying for the hotel room. I could hang out in a luxurious room, freed from the mundane activities of meal preparation, paying bills and housework. I could eat healthy salads and fruit for every meal, take long walks, and sleep in a king-size bed with massive numbers of feather pillows. Under such conditions, I was sure I could crank out at least 50 pages.

We drove down to Houston on Wednesday afternoon. By the time we got settled in our room I was much too tired to write. I watched "Mythbusters" and "Dirty Jobs" and planned to start my serious spa work the next day.

Thursday got off to a promising start. I woke up early and went for a nice long run/walk in the beautiful spring weather. About a mile from the hotel I found a bagel shop, where I bought a bagel and coffee to go (I couldn't find any fresh fruit, honest!). On the way back to the hotel, I fell off the curb and twisted my ankle.

I hopped/hobbled/limped about eight blocks back to the hotel, put ice on my ankle, and ate my cold bagel and drank my cold coffee. That was the end of the fitness portion of my spa. Now there was nothing left for me to do but write. I propped myself on the bed with my foot on a pillow, and I wrote and wrote and wrote--thirty pages.

As for the salad plans, I had great intentions, but Subway was the only place close enough to limp to. Subway sells potato chips. I was doomed.

That night I went to bed early with a couple of aspirin.

Friday I wrote some more--17 pages--and ate all the candy Rob brought back from the conference Goody Room. At three o'clock I packed up and started for home--and was stuck in traffic for two hours. Not exactly the relaxing conclusion I was hoping for.

At least I got a lot of writing done, which was really the point. And okay, the feather pillows were nice. But next time I want a spa, I'm checking into Elizabeth Arden!

(P.S. The picture is me with legendary Romantic Times publisher Kathryn Falk. I did attend one reception, given by www.allromanceebooks.com.)

The real Las Vegas

Hi,
Just a quick post as I'm on my way to catch a plane to Las Vegas. My LV is not Bellagio, talking fountains, and the Eiffel Tower. The real Las Vegas is soccer moms, band concerts and weekend flea markets. In other words, it's where folks live, work and play. And how do I know that - that's easy. My extended family lives there.

I have to say, the real Las Vegas is a treasure trove of inspiration for writers - great eccentric characters, funky settings and events that are almost too hard to believe. I've used it several times. So hopefully I'll get another inspiration.
I know I'll probably be the only person on the return trip to have made only a minimal contribution to the economy. I somehow can't resist dropping a few nickels on video poker.

Ann DeFee

Georgia On His Mind - Harlequin American Romance - August 2007
Summer After Summer - Harlequin Everlasting Love - September 2007
The Magic of Christmas - The Perfect Tree - Harlequin American Romance - November 2007

Introducing Myself

I'm so happy to be here, I'm probably going to start gushing clichés right and left. Please bear with me. I'm a brand new Harlequin American author, and it only took me eight years to get here.

My path was not only long but fraught with ups and downs. For any of you unpublished authors out there, take heart. The book I sold to Harlequin American last August, His Only Wife, was a two-plus year process that involved two separate revisions. It was hard work, but well worth it. And now that I'm here, I hope to stay for a very long time.

My hero in His Only Wife is a wilderness firefighter, specifically a Hot Shot. I got the idea for the book a few years ago when my family and I went on a weekend trip to our cabin in Young, Arizona. That summer, the state suffered the worst wilderness fire in its history. We could see the mountains blazing and the many columns of rising smoke from the front porch of our cabin. At one point, the fire got so close to Young, we were put on alert for possible evacuation.

I had the honor and pleasure of meeting the Payson Hot Shots when the eleven men and one woman, on a short reprieve from fighting the fire, came into the local restaurant where we were having dinner. The town was hosting the Hot Shots, feeding them and putting them up for the night in the community center.

One look at them, and I knew I'd found inspiration for a book.

The good news is that the fire was contained before it reached Young and our cabin. Unfortunately, thousands and thousands of acres were lost. Writing the book was, in small part, my way of paying tribute to real-life heroes who put their safety on the line for others every time they report for duty.

I want to thank Michele Dunaway for inviting me to participate in the Harlequin American Blog and all the Harlequin American authors who have made me feel so welcome. This really has been a dream come true for me (there goes another cliché!).

HOME TO HOUSTON

I’ll be flying to Houston this Thursday to attend part of the Romantic Times Magazine Convention. I’m really looking forward to the trip. Simple Gifts, my October 06 release, won their reviewer’s choice award. So, I’ll get to attend the awards luncheon on Friday and also be a part of the booksigning on Saturday.
Another reason I’m looking forward to the trip is because I’m from Houston. I rarely get an opportunity to visit since no one in my family lives there any longer. However, just the thought of spending some time there makes me smile. Okay, I’ll say it--returning to Texas always makes me smile.
On Friday night, I’m planning to see Tiffany, one of my best friends growing up. Tiffany and I met when we were placed next to each other in sixth grade choir. Through the years, we did a lot together~dance classes, vacations, sleepovers, dinners at each other’s houses...and drill team. My favorite memories of Houston revolve around high school. I had a close group of girlfriends from the drill team, and I don’t believe I’ve ever had a group of friends like that since. I laughed and cried more with those girls than I do believe I have with anyone else since.
After graduation, I never really went back. My father moved away. Later on, my brother did too. I was in a hurry to finish college and get married. Since then, we’ve been transferred several times and have concentrated on making our home wherever we might be. Memories faded and new ones in other places took their place. Little by little, ‘y’all’ became ‘you guys’ and drinking ‘Cokes’ became ‘soda’ or ‘pop’.
Three years ago, my husband and I took our kids to Houston, to show them where I grew up. Kelly, another wonderful friend, threw a little get-together for us, complete with really good Tex-Mex. Before I knew it, Kelly pulled out a photo album, and then, there we were…looking back twenty years. In a matter of minutes I was laughing and crying just like I used to. My accent came back a bit. And my children had a very quick glimpse of a whole different person other than the one they thought they knew.
So, I’m really thankful to Romantic Times Magazine. Winning their award for my book was unexpected and truly gratifying. Having another reason to visit Houston is an added bonus. I’ll let you know what happened on the 3rd, when I blog again. And, if you happen to be going to RT, too, I hope you'll stop by and say hi!