Harlequin American Romance Day at Cataromance.com

If you love Harlequin Americans, you won't want to miss this event--tomorrow (Wed.). Here is the notice, as posted on the Cataromance page:

Be here March 12th for a fun filled day spotlighting Harlequin American Romance. At the heart of each of these books is an incredible love story set somewhere in the beautiful US-of-A and some of the most talented authors in the industry write for this line, so you’re in for a treat.

Grab your favorite beverage, a pen and your To-Be-Bought list and grab a seat! Watch our home page for excerpts. And feel free to ask questions in the comments section below!

Kara adds: Hey, fellow authors! If you didn't get an invitation, it's probably because you were flying below the Cataromance radar. (They found me only because we're on MySpace together, I think.)

Anyway, this notice is also posted on their site:

Harlequin American Romance authors, please contact me for info on how to join in.

Kara adds: It's not to late to join in--they have a handy-dandy form to fill out, and you can include your covers and excerpts.

# # #

I am busy this month working on the third book in my SECOND SONS trilogy. The first book, RELUCTANT PARTNERS, will be out this June, and the second installment (THE PREGNANCY SURPRISE) is due for release in December. I especially love the hero of this second book because he's a sexy nerd!

Meanwhile, I am trying to survive this crazy Texas weather. We went from snow (we actually had some accumulation) to 80-plus degrees to 30s and thunderstorms in the span of a couple of days. I'm telling you, my sinus cavities can't take much more of these fronts coming through!

I've also launched a new business that has nothing to do with writing. (If you're curious, go to www.memo-pause.com.) It's really just a cottage industry, a form of creativity that uses a different part of my brain than writing does. I've found the two activities compliment each other well. While I'm busy glueing and beading, my mind is fomenting with plots and characters. When it's time to write, I'm ready to wash the glue off my hands and get cracking!

My days are pretty full, though.

One last note--I'm on MySpace now. If you're a fellow MySpacer, please come say hi and friend me! (Yes, the grammarian in me shudders at using "friend" as a verb.)

'Til next time,
Kara

Missed Moments....

Good morning everyone,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Family Ties Warm Heart and Midwest?

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

I’m a writer— who needs therapy?

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

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

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

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

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

I think that’s pretty darned cool.

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

Home Again

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shelley

February Winner!

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

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

Can I get there from here?

After a week of frustrating attempts to check plane schedules and conduct related research, I wish to publish a poem of praise to travel agents and airline clerks.

Here it goes:

When your fingers click the keys,
You sure set my mind at ease.

That might not qualify for any awards, but it comes from the heart. Doesn’t that count for something?

This year, various family members are jetting off to destinations around the globe.
For reasons too complicated to detail, I – who hate organizing anything more complicated than ordering a take-out pizza – have been put in charge of trying to determine the following:

--how to get two unaccompanied college boys from their Athens hotel to the airport at a ridiculously early hour, when everybody knows college boys can’t be awakened before noon with anything less than a stick of dynamite.

--how to fly from Los Angeles to Shanghai by way of Nashville, Tennessee (don’t ask why. Your brain might explode).

--I am not making this up.

As you may have gathered, I completed my tasks only with the assistance of some very gifted, very patient travel professionals.

To them I say, thank you.

No wonder my next trilogy from Harlequin American begins in May with a book entitled The Family Next Door. Next year, that’s as far as I’m venturing.

Welcome Back, Author

While I've written books set in various cities and states, like Ann, our blogger yesterday, I keep returning to the South. I live in Georgia, was born in Tennessee, and spent my childhood moving around a lot but always on this side of the Mason Dixon line. But I'm particularly attached to the setting of my upcoming March book (An Unlikely Mommy) because I'm returning to Joyous, Tennessee...which exists only in my head.

My first ever Harlequin American was Trouble in Tennessee, set in Joyous, and my editor and I both liked the town's female mechanic, Ronnie Carter, so much that we knew she had to have her own book. It was such fun to revisit her and the other characters from the earlier book! In fact, after selling twenty something books, I'm shocked that this is the first time I've ever followed up with a linked book (it certainly won't be the last.) Unlikely Mommy isn't really a sequel--the plots aren't attached and readers of the second one will have no trouble following it if they didn't read the first--it's more a reunion, dropping back into town to see what everyone's up to or, if this is your first visit, getting to meet the citizens of Joyous.

The reason I'm so surprised that I've never done this before is because, as a reader, I LOVE books that feature ongoing characters/settings, whether it's Harry and Hogwarts, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum New Jersey adventures or fellow HAR author Cindi Myers' Crested Butte series. In high school, I read almost entirely historicals and it always gave me a thrill when a previous favorite couple by Julie Garwood or Judith McNaught got a cameo appearance. (Now, I'm reading JD Robb's futuristic In Death and love all the characters, right down to the cranky butler.) I've read thousands of cumulative pages in George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice & Fire series and penciled in the release dates of upcoming Eloisa James (a historical duchess series) and Shana Abe (a paranormal drakon seris).

What about you guys? What sagas/series have you enjoyed in books or movies? Was there ever a favorite secondary character you wished an author would revisit that hasn't got his or her own story yet?

Back to Dixie

I love to set my books in the South. Not only does that venue provide for wonderfully eccentric characters (usually based on someone real) there’s a colorful saying for every situation. Such as bless her heart, she can’t help it she’s fat as a tub o’lard. Or my favorite, he’s as cute as a speckled pup. It’s a treasure trove of rich language.

I grew up in a small south Texas town and as an Air Force wife I lived in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and the panhandle of Florida. Now we’re planning to add to our list of Dixie states. Friday we’re heading out for a marathon house hunting trip. The problem is we’re not quite sure what area we want to live in – so in ten days (including travel time) we’re meeting with realtors in two places in Maryland, three towns in North Carolina and one in the Tidewater of Virginia. Whew - it makes me tired just thinking about it.

So as soon as we sell our place in the Pacific Northwest we’re back to having grits at breakfast, hearing yes ma’am and no ma’am, and enjoying that wonderful Southern hospitality.

Wouldn’t you know it – I just heard they’re having record cold weather. And I was looking forward to short sleeves and Capri’s. LOL

Ann

Ann DeFee

Goin’ Down to Georgia – Harlequin American Romance – March 2008

People and their stories

Most, if not all, writers have heard the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" The asking of that question is always a mystery to me. Story ideas are everywhere because people and their lives are everywhere. I'm currently on a road trip, and I drove through a state and a half yesterday. Part of the way through Arkansas, I wondered how many people I'd passed during the day -- not just on the road but in all the towns and cities through which I'd traveled. Each of them has a story -- dreams, desires, hurts, secrets, faults. Each has some aspect of his or her life that could spark a tale of fiction.

Now, I don't suggest lifting someone's life story wholesale, but just think of all the people you know or the people you see on the news or read about in the papers or magazines. A handful of those jumping off points might be the couple who adopts a little girl from China, the singleton who is enjoying her life until a tragic accident leaves her responsible for her nieces and nephews, the man who comes back from military service overseas to find his girlfriend hasn't waited for him. There are stories literally everywhere, and those of us who write have the wonderful job of taking a piece from there, a tidbit from there, and mixing in our own imaginations to create a completely new story, one we hope readers will enjoy. Seriously, what could be better than being paid to make up stories, something we've probably been doing since we were little kids.

Love Letters

There aren’t many things more special than a love letter. The only thing that might make it extra special would be a postmark from, oh, let’s say . . . the village of love. Love, Saskatchewan, that is. Population: 55.

Yes, it’s a real place, located on the Canadian prairie, about 225 kilometers northeast of Saskatoon. Just follow the signs.

You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the heart-shaped welcome sign that proclaims “You are now in Love.”

For years people have been making the trip to this small village so they could mail a special letter or a Valentine and have it postmarked from Love. As requests for this service began to increase, former postmistress Pauline McKinnon suggested to Canada Post that Love should have its very own cancellation stamp. She came up with a design and Canada Post agreed.

Visit the blog of wedding photographer Kirstie Tweed to see a photo of the postmark and to read a romantic little story about a bride and groom’s pre-wedding trip to Love.

Love’s current postmistress, Joanne Munroe, has kept up the tradition and she receives hundreds of requests every year. To have your Valentines, love letters or even your wedding invitations postmarked from Love, simply send them to the Love post office. The envelope can be pre-stamped if you have Canadian postage, or you can include an international reply coupon. Then mail them to:

The Postmistress
Love Post Office
Love, SK S0J 1P0
CANADA

Thinking about making the trip yourself? Wondering what to do while you’re in Love?

If you plan to be there in February, you can take in the annual Valentine Winter Festival, beginning with a pancake breakfast, followed by competitions ranging from pillow fighting to trap setting, and ending with an evening cabaret at the community center. Just be prepared for winter weather on the Canadian prairie!

At any time of year you can stop for coffee at Cupid’s Café or shop for gifts and antiques at The Love Barn.

And of course you’ll want to stop by the post office and mail that special letter. From Love. With love.

Lee
www.leemckenzie.com
thewritersideoflife.blogspot.com

Valentine Ladies

What’s new with me? Not too much. It’s been snowing here-pretty much like everywhere else in the Midwest. We’ve had lots of snow days which don’t bother me at bit because it means my two teenagers will be home. We made it through another wrestling season and my son is now quietly eating me out of house and home. My daughter broke up with her boyfriend of two months, cried on a Saturday and now has someone else in mind. My husband has continued to do what he does…travel for his job. I’ve been spending the month working on revisions for a Harlequin that should be out about a year from now.

Actually, the best thing that happened recently didn’t even involve me at all, but I thought y’all might enjoy hearing about it. February brought forth our town’s newest Valentine Lady.

Yep, you read that right. At the end of January a Valentine Court is selected and on February 1st, an honorary Valentine Lady is chosen. It’s a big deal. The lady is someone who has usually lived in our town for quite some time and has contributed in countless amounts of ways over the years. This year’s Valentine Lady was actually someone I know…the mom of one of my neighbors. She’s also a cancer survivor, a tireless volunteer and an all-around thoughtful person.

You might ask, what does a Valentine Lady do? She stamps the annual town Valentine, of course! Yep, every year a local artist designs a new card. It’s sold for a dollar at most any local store, and after you fill it out, you can take it to the post office and either this year’s lady, one of her court, or a past Lady will stamp the envelope for you. The Valentine Lady also visits schools and nursing homes and gets honored at a Valentine breakfast on…you guessed it, Valentine’s Day. These ladies are truly beautiful women, inside and out. They wear red for these public events and lovely smiles. They must have a whole collection of red sweaters and blazers and cute heart necklaces.

As you can probably tell, I like everything about this whole process- a lot. I love that women are being honored for just being all around nice people who care. I love that there’s a table in the post office manned by these minor celebrities. I love that I got my Valentines and got them stamped just because I knew the lady and wanted to wish her well.

Valentine’s Day is over and all the hoopla that surrounded the day has come and gone. I imagine all the Valentine Ladies are probably still trying to recover from their very busy month. I’ve heard it’s hard work being a mini celebrity!

I, for one, will miss them. Every once in a while I think we all need a reason to take a deep breath and walk outside our lives…and celebrate the many people who just quietly do what needs to be done. Do any of you know a person like this? A person who’s thoughtful, caring, and usually under the radar?

Shelley

Happy Birthday; Now Get to Work!

This week has been one of highs and lows because today is my birthday. I'm very lucky to have family and friends who provide me with multiple lunches and dinners to celebrate, but unfortunately, I also have a book due. I'm torn between having fun and sitting bottom in chair! I simply can't do enough of both!

To complicate matters, I'm at that point in the book, right before the black moment where the romance seems doomed, where I must make things temporarily "nice" for my characters. The calm before the storm, so to speak. The momentum I'd gained by escalating the tension in the relationship has slowed as I prepare them for a big letdown. The problem is that I don't really want to do this to my characters. Wouldn't it be okay to let them just live happily ever after?

No, they must resolve their issues and EARN their happily ever after ending. This means more angst for them, more work for me. I really, really want to get to that resolution so they can be happy. After all, I'm not exactly sure how the book is going to end. Should my heroine give up her position as mayor so she can travel and spend more time with the love of her life, or should he give up his beautiful home in Carmel, California to move back to their small Texas hometown?

I once wrote a time travel romance (Across the Rainbow, Love Spell Timeswept) where my hero was an air cargo pilot who flew out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming into the past. At the end of the book, my heroine had to make a decision to stay with everyone and everything she loved in her time, or take a chance on flying off into the future with him. She had a horse that she especially loved, but she left it behind. A writer friend asked me if I couldn't just give the hero a bigger plane, so the heroine could take all her animals with her. That, I told my friend, would defeat the purpose. My heroine had to make a huge sacrifice in order to gain ultimate happiness. (By the way, all the animals were okay as she found out through a journal kept by the old mountain man who took care of them, but I still cried as I wrote about their lives.)

So, my heroine will have a huge adjustment to make, as we all do, when we get married. But I'm not going to be too mean to her. This is an American Romance, and I'm not expected to make her suffer too much. Just enough. Hopefully, I can find that right balance within the next 35 pages. Please, wish me luck! I'll be back in my chair after dinner tonight.

Snow Days

My students are tired of snow days.

I'm in St. Louis, and this year's weather has been nastier than normal. By nasty, I mean rainy, gray and snowy. While our water table needs it, everyone is ready for spring.

Forecasters are predicting more snow, sleet and general mess Thursday night into Friday morning. This may mean another snow day, pushing us back behind Memorial Day as to our summer vacation. I think we've used two already this year. Maybe it's three. Usually it's only one, if any at all. If we have a snow day on Friday, it will distrupt yearbook work night, district basketball, play tryouts and a host of other things.

The first snow day is fun and everyone catches up on needed sleep. The rest get to be annoying since everything has to be rearranged and rescheduled. Now even the kids are complaining.

I guess it wouldn't be so bad if we could hibernate like the bears.

Anyone else ready for spring?

Animated Shorts

With the Academy Awards just around the corner, my husband and I recently watched the 2007 nominated animated shorts at a local theater. We did this last year, for the 2006 shorts, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Animators do amazing things, and you wouldn’t believe how many people it takes to make a 15-minute film! Interestingly, my favorite short last year, The Danish Poet, won. This was a heart-warming animated short of how the narrator’s parents met. I wish everyone could see these films, but unfortunately animated shorts aren’t easy to find. Here in Seattle, they’re only shown, billed as the 2007 best animated shorts, for about five days. Then poof! They’re gone. (However, I did find it on UTube. Type in UTube The Danish Poet and it comes right up. When that clip, the first half of the film ends, click on 2/2 below the screen to see the rest. If you see it, let me know what you think.)

This year’s selections were just as fun. Lots of incredible animation. Claymation folks now make their figures with realistic human faces, especially the eyes. I love that. However story-wise, some of these shorts are severely lacking.

As a writer, I am hyper aware of what makes a good story. The main characters each need a story goal. Each character must deal with conflict of some kind and either surpass great odds or fail. By the end of a good story the main characters should be in some way transformed.

All the glitz and animation tricks in the world can’t make up for a poorly-written story. A writing course or two, and a few good books on craft, would do these folks—and we, the viewers—a world of good.

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

Now that the flowers are fading...

Another Valentine's Day bites the dust, and I'm battling the blues.

Oh, I had my share of flowers and chocolate this year, along with a beautiful card and the promise of a nice dinner out when our schedules slow down and coincide--sometime next week, maybe! All in all, I really can't complain.

The reason I feel like whining, though, is this:

I love presents--big or small, expensive or not, fancily wrapped or in a plastic grocery bag--any present will do. As you might imagine, I love Christmas. I have a great time about six weeks later, when my birthday rolls around. And I'm in chocoholic heaven six days after that, on Valentine's Day.

And then, oh no, it's such a long time until Christmas again!

I know, poor little me, right?

Actually, not. I've got a wonderful husband who surprises me with gifts all through the year. Still, there's something to be said for those days you know well in advance you'll be getting something special. Anticipation is half the fun, isn't it?

Now that Valentine's Day is done, I'd love to hear what romantic, funny, or silly things you'd given, gotten, or done this year. Please share!


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

To Shovel or Not to Shovel

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude this winter where the weather is concerned, but it hasn't been easy. We've shoveled more this season than in the two previous winters combined. We live on a corner along the route to the elementary school, so lots of dog walkers and kids go by our house. I'm the kind of person who gets out there to shovel as soon as the snow is done falling. I do have help on occasion--two teenagers--but as Laura Altom will probably attest to, we'd rather have a root canal than ask a teenager for help.

The other day I was googling--I google for fun when I'm stuck in my writing--and I came across a message board here in Chicago where people vented about neighbors who didn’t keep their walks shoveled.

Here's what I learned:

You may want to shovel your walks because in many communities there's a number one can call to report the address of an unshoveled sidewalk. The city then sends out workers to shovel your neighbor's walk and the charge for the service appears on the owners property tax bill.

You may want to shovel because one woman's way of getting back at her neighbor for not shoveling during the winter is to let her dog poop on their front lawn during the summer.

You may want to shovel because one woman says she leaves nasty notes on front doors threatening to sue if she falls on their walks.

One man complained about people using snow blowers and blowing the snow onto their neighbor's already shoveled sidewalk. That same man complained that his neighbor should wait at least until eight in the morning to run the snow blower so as not to wake everyone up with the noise.

We've all heard of road rage…well after reading the long list of gripes and proposed retaliations I'm beginning to believe we all need to be on the lookout for people in our neighborhoods suffering from SNOW RAGE.

Which leads me to ask….are you one to shovel or not to shovel?

Marin Thomas
In a Soldier's Arms *Hearts of Appalachia* Feb 08
A Coal Miner's Wife *Hearts of Appalachia* Aug 08
www.marinthomas.com

The call of the cat

Readers of this blog may recall that, in December, our cat died of cancer. A former stray, he’d been patrolling our house and yard for eight years, during which he’d driven off any cats foolish enough to encroach into his territory.

It’s only taken a few months for his scent, and reputation, to fade.

Lately, two cats have taken to prowling across our yard and – in one case -- yowling at night. While some of these felines may have owners, at least one lacks a collar, and the yowler sounds like she’s in heat, which implies either the lack of a human or the presence of a very irresponsible one.

These felines – both black, with different lengths of fur -- seem to like the freshly weeded, currently unplanted soil of my garden and the warmth beneath my husband’s car. Nevertheless, they keep their distance from us, and we keep ours.

During the past dozen years, I’ve adopted two strays, and suffered through their deaths. Now that they’re gone, I find myself reluctant to undertake the duties of ownership. Befriending, trapping and hauling cats to the vet for neutering. Taking care of twice-daily feedings, which involves dragging myself out of bed early on weekend mornings. Arranging for our neighbors to feed them when we go on a trip.

I don’t want another cat. Yet they keep prowling and yowling.

Maybe they just want me to pick them up and pet them a little. I suppose I could do that, as long as I’m wearing something that goes well with black.

But that’s all.

No more cats.

Not this week, anyway.

Hmm . . . Another Valentine's Day.

This year, Hubby and I will have been married 20 years. After just finishing four weeks of jury duty on a double murder trial, I'm now up at 4 AM with a sinus infection--a remnant of last week's flu. Hubby's still coughing, too. The second I got back to my day job, 3rd quarter grades were due, and guess who hadn't graded a single paper in four weeks?? ARGH!!! LOL!!

Yesterday, after having been at work since ten Monday night and eight last night, I came home, excited to finally have found time to write, when Son #1 tells me he's been coughing up blood!! (He's had flu, too.) Off to the doctor we went. After getting antibiotic for us both, I was relieved to hear Son#1 has been hitting the nose spray a little too much, which caused his sinuses to bleed. Yuck, but whew. Bet you're in the mood for love now, too, huh??

Okay, so here we are, back at Valentine's Day. Hubby's in bed, snoring. Daughter--just back from a pricey week in Disneyworld with her cheer squad--is furious with me for not letting her skip school yesterday because she was tired, and then deigning to ask her to do dishes!!! The horror!!! All of which got me to thinking about the characters I love to write about, and presumably--if you're hanging out on the Harlequin American blog--you love to read about!! I've often wondered what happens to these magical couples?

You know what I'm talking about, like after the initial rush of love fades and the mortgage is due, the hall bathroom toilet breaks (add that to my anti-romance list), work's long and tiring, and kids who were once cuddly and cute turn into pricey teen spit vipers!!! Do you think Harlequin American couples throw in the proverbial towel, screaming "Enough's enough? Get me off of this ride?" In all honesty, sometimes, they probably do.

But then there are other days, like yesterday, when you're sitting at your desk at work, and the school secretary strolls into your classroom with a huge vase brimming with roses. Not any old roses, but gorgeous, dusty orange ones, because Hubby knows I especially enjoy "wierd-colored" flowers!! My sixth-grade students all went, "Oooooohhhhhhhh, Mrs. Altom's got a boyfriend!!"

Breathing in the scent of my roses, it occurred to me that damned straight! I do have a boyfriend! He's been all mine for the past twenty years, and while at the moment, our lives seem to be mired in a "for worse" phase, once spring rolls around and we're all feeling our usual selves, we'll be back in the land of "for better." (For a glimpse of what this might look like, see the above pic!)

Until then, I'm thinking a Valntine's Day spent at home on the couch, sharing a blanket with Hubby, both smelly dogs and the cat, watching History Channel or Discovery sounds like a perfect night. It may not be especially romantic in the eyes of the rest of the world, but for us, it works. And sometimes love isn't passionate and wild hot, but comfortable and cozy--like trading your work clothes for sweats and slippers. Not glamorous, but just right!!!

My wish for all of you is just that. A love that has it's ups and downs, but in the end, not only on Valentine's Day, but everyday, feels just right!!

Another Snow Day

Today's another snow day in St. Louis. This time it's less snow and more ice on the roads that have schools closed. We haven't been hit like those in Washington State or Louisville, KY, this year, and St. Louisans are pretty laid back when it comes to school closings. We like rolling over and going back to sleep and cancelling everything for the day. We're fine with working two extra days past Memorial Day.

As I type this, at 1 PM, I'm finally up, showered and ready to go. Not that I really have any place I must be. I have things to do, like laundry and such, but days like today are not days I catch up on chores. They're the found, lazy days where I sit around and do nothing. Both daughters are playing video games. The cats are doing whatever cats do.

I have my manuscript revisions here--maybe later, as revisons are as exciting as getting teeth pulled. I have books to read--which is much more appealing. I finished a Rachel Gibson novel this morning and will pick up something else this afternoon as I loaf the day away. I'll work out, take my daughter to guitar lessons if I'm able to drive up the road. I do have to try that here in a little bit, I guess.

However, I'm much more interested in relaxing than trying to catch up. That's what the upcoming three-day weekend is for.

Michele

Chicken Dressing Catfish

You've probably heard of the highly readable grammar book, Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. As a writer in love with words and their relationships to one another, I devoured this book and I'm always on the lookout for writing samples that are ambiguous and unintentionally funny.

Alas, I often find them in my own work. I was going over the rough draft of a proposal the other day, and the first sentence of the first chapter read something like this: "Jane Selwyn's knees wobbled as she made her way across the parking lot toward the tallest office building in town wearing an expensive but slightly outdated suit." I had to stop and wonder: How did the building find a suit big enough to fit it? (This sentence is so hideous, not even punctuation could save it.)

Thank God for revision, especially the ever-popular delete button.

Oh, you're probably wondering about the headline. A few days ago I went out to dinner at a neighborhood café with my husband, who is also a writer. We saw "Chicken dressing catfish" on the chalkboard menu, and we both immediately received the same mental picture: a chicken putting a coat and scarf on a catfish. (Turns out a bit of punctuation went missing from that menu.) Neither of us could stop laughing, and we couldn't even explain to the waitress what was so funny. (You had to be there.)

Writers often collect these unintentionally funny phrases. (I have a list of hilarious newspaper headlines that I unearth once a year or so and laugh until I cry.) Do you have any grammatical, spelling or punctuation funnies you'd like to share? (Please withhold authors' names unless it's your own. We don't want to embarrass anyone!)

Finally a title...

I finally have a title for my September American. We played name that book back before Thanksgiving. Do you remember? Kathleen has chosen TEXAS HEIR. What do you think?

This story is about the plane crash in west Texas. The hero is the heir to a chain of department stores. The heroine works for him and has been in love with him for a long time. He’s engaged to someone else. The plane crash suddenly changes everything as they are the only two survivors. Out in the middle of nowhere they are no longer boss and employee. They are two people trying to survive and discovering love in the most unexpected way.

Does the title fit? The original title was DOWN IN TEXAS, but that title had been used recently. I really liked DOWN IN TEXAS but TEXAS HEIR has grown on me. Yes, I think I like it.

What do you think?

Miss TV?

Are we suffering? I'm not sure the writers' strike is affecting my TV viewing that much. Sure I miss getting new episodes of Supernatural (gotta love that Dean!), but I've got both seasons on DVD. I read more, rent more videos, and have "more time" to write. PBS is airing new Jane Austen telecasts on Masterpiece Theater. (This week starts the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice.) The writers may have valid complaints, but I hope they're not waiting for me to add my voice to the outcry. I'm doing fine.

How about you? Missing TV?

3 Dreaded Words

What are 3 words you never want to hear? You’re getting fat. Whoa! That one works. But no, that’s not it. Lately mine have been “It’s not working.” So far this year has been a rebellion of household goods, cars, technie stuff – you name it and around our house “It’s not working.” That phrase is always accompanied by a pithy expletive and a heart felt wail. It’s amazing how dependent I am on 21^st century technology. When the microwave went out I almost went into spasms. What? I can’t put the kettle on? Ditto for cars. When the car broke down it was like losing an appendage. And don’t get me started on the TV and the internet. Our internet tanked yesterday and when (company name deleted so I don’t get sued) came out to fix that problem the technician messed up the TV. All we get now is a picture that looks like a smeared 1^st grade watercolor. Don’t they realize that American Idol is back on!! So it’s back to waiting for the magic 1-5 PM appointment and trying to get my cyber Genie back up on long enough to post this to Blogspot. Wish me luck. I'm beginning to think the Luddites had it right.

Ann

Goin’ Down to Georgia, Harlequin American Romance, March 2008

A little slice of heaven

Here in Seattle, cupcakes are all the rage. There at least two cupcake stores (one with three locations) in the area. And man, these little babies are excellent quality at both stores. Cleverly, the stores offer multiple flavors and frostings to choose from, (naturally these change with holidays and seasons), and the cupcakes are made fresh once or twice a day. You can get yours to go or sit down at one of the comfy tables and enjoy your treat with great coffee, tea or cocoa. The stores even offer wireless internet. And the wait staff! Cute, young and friendly men and women. It’s not hard to figure out why every one of the stores is generally crowded.

For the second year in a row, the store with three locations has made a special chocolate confection just for Valentine’s Day. The ingredients are the highest-quality, including organic chocolate made at Theo, a local chocolate factory recently featured in O! Magazine. I have toured this factory twice. Fascinating, and they offer lots of free samples of their delectable product. (Are you salivating yet? I am!)

But I digress... Back to the Valentine’s Day cupcake. After reading an article about the aptly named Deathcake Royale, offered only from February1-14, I had to try the stuff now. I bought two, one for me and one for my hubby. At $6 each for a smallish cupcake (actually it looks like a tiny rectangular cake covered in rich ganache), this is quite the pricey treat. The woman behind the counter assured me that one Deathcake was enough for two people. But as a true chocoholic, I wanted a whole one just for me.

I hurried home, gave my hubby his, and eagerly opened mine. Mouth watering, I put it on a plate, grabbed a fork, and sat down. Let me tell you, it was a little slice of pure heaven. Without a doubt the best chocolate cupcake I have ever eaten. I ate it slowly, groaning each time I forked a new bite. About 2/3 of the way through, I was sated. But I simply could not stop until every bite was gone. Amazingly, I didn’t even feel sick when I finished. (Actually, I felt terrific.) Maybe there’s something to be said for the petite portion.

The big question of the day is, how many times will I go back between now and February 14? Or, not wanting to burst out of my jeans, will I rein in my cravings and wait until next year? Time will tell. ☺

Anyone out there with a chocolate story to share? I’m already licking my lips, waiting to hear it.


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

January winner

The winner of our January drawing is... drum roll, please... TAWNY!!!!

Tawny, you win free books from Roxann Delaney and Kara Lennox!

Please contact them through their websites.

Icy Obsessions

I have a sports obsession. But it isn’t the Super Bowl. It’s ice skating.

I once tried to stand up on ice skates. Talk about muscle memory! My muscles remember very well the sensation of plopping onto my derriere on a very hard, cold surface.

But watching the competitions and performances on TV fascinates me, even though I have a smallish set and those twirling, leaping figures are the size of ants. Somehow, even during the warmup sessions, I can recognize the styles and identify my favorites.

Oh, what a year this is! How can so many of my friends and relatives fail to recognize how everything depends on the way skaters perform at the World Championships? Don’t people realize that the skaters’ placements this year will determine the size of their national representation (one, two or three skaters in each of the four disciplines) in 2009, and that having fewer skaters next year might adversely affect the size of the nation’s team at the 2010 Winter Olympics?

Nobody seems to care except Dick Button and me. I’ve never met Dick Button, but the sportscaster/multiple Olympic gold medal-winner has personally attended 55 U.S. Championships. I’ve personally attended exactly zero.

But I’ve been watching on TV since 1980, when I was three years old (NOT).

Perhaps I’m a little overly emotionally involved. When 14-year-old skating whiz and former World Junior Champion Caroline Zhang moved from my hometown of Brea, Calif. to nearby Irvine, it broke my heart. When Kimmie Meissner flubbed her jumps at the U.S. Nationals, I wanted to cry for her. But my spirits leaped when I heard she’d been named to the U.S. world team anyway. A second chance!

Not that I’m blind to the brilliant talent from other nations. I swoon over hunky Swiss former World Champion Stephane Lambiel and Canada’s Jeffrey Buttle. I love the German pairs team of Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, and thoroughly enjoy the talent and grace of Korea’s Yu-Na Kim and Japan’s Mao Asada. I want them all to win.

Okay. Splash a little ice water on my face and I’ll come down to earth. By April, the season will be over, anyway.

Just in time to get ready for this year’s Summer Olympics in China and those absolutely fabulous gymnasts from around the world! (Did I mention that I have two obsessions?)

My New Editor, Part 2

I got a chance to finally talk on the phone with my new editor. We'd been playing phone tag, mostly on my end as my daughter has been sick and I've been pretty busy.

Anyway, I wanted to give you a follow up.

I have to first say I'm excited to be working with her, and not just because I'm supposed to say that. She seemed like she got me. I have to tell you, that's probably pretty hard. But she's excited about having me as an author, and she's already read the proposals my agent turned in. Next week I'm getting revisions.

So she's working fast. I love that.

I was also able to talk frankly with her, and that's very important to me. I'm a "tell me how it is" person. I teach--I don't play corporate politics as I work in a place where there really isn't any. Maybe there is, but then that's my principal's job. And he's great too.

So everything seems pretty exciting. As for me, it's supposed to snow here tomorrow night and all the students are praying for a snow day.

Happy end of the month!

Michele

Top-Ten Post-Deadline Tasks

I turned in my latest Harlequin American manuscript to my editor yesterday (four days early, thank-you-very-much) and now I get to do all the things I've been putting off because I was "on deadline." Here is my top ten list of things to do after deadline:

10. Laundry. This one is essential or I will have to go to the store and buy socks and underwear.
9. Get my hair and nails done. The UPS man always smiles at me, but I'm sure he doesn't find gray roots and ragged claws all that attractive. The rest of the world wouldn't, either, and I do have to venture out of the house one of these days.
8. Buy groceries. When you're down to a block of moldy cheese, stale tortillas and some mustard, it's time to visit the store.
7. Pay bills. They haven't turned off the lights or water ... yet.
6. Answer e-mail. My box is getting so full, I'm threatening the one-gig max I'm allowed.
5. Exercise. Okay, I'll use any excuse not to. But it's time to dust off my sweats, brave the cold, and get my blood pumping again. I may even have to step on the bathroom scale.
4. Clean my office. Yes, there is a desk under there somewhere.
3. Clean the rest of the house. The dust bunnies have turned into mutants, and I haven't seen my cat lately.
2. Do more than wave distractedly at my husband. Yes, he's a very tolerant and understanding man, but he has his limits.

And the #1 post-deadline activity: START A NEW BOOK! I have one more Remington cousin to marry off.

Son of a Writer Mom

Because I spend so much time creating characters, it’s interesting to look at the “characters” in my family and note the personality traits that get passed on. My mom and I are loads alike—-people who see us generally assume we’re sisters (my mother has always looked annoyingly young *g*), we read a lot of the same authors, we have the same favorite stores and go to the same church. But I got my dad’s sense of humor. We have a shared love of standup-comedy and usually laugh at the same Monty Python or Mel Brooks lines that just make my mom shake her head.

My own kids are 4 and newly turned 6, and it’s just been amazing to watch their (very different) personalities emerge and take shape. I sold my first book, a romantic comedy, about two weeks after my son was born. At the time, almost all of my stories were intended for Harlequin’s humor line (no longer in publication, so it’s a good thing they don’t me cracking the occasional joke at American.) I’ll never forget the day that I saw clear evidence of my son’s burgeoning sense of humor. He was my colicky baby with a zillion allergies (many of which, thank goodness, he’s outgrown) and he wasn’t the outwardly happy baby that his little sister would turn out to be (she had an almost startling deep belly laugh by the time she was two months old, and it’s a sound I never get tired of.) But on this particular afternoon, in our kitchen, when my son was four months old and I was spoon-feeding him oatmeal cereal, he thought up his own joke. As soon as I fed him, he’d clamp the spoon between his lips and wouldn’t let me have it back, and his eyes would just light up as he giggled. After the first two times, when I went to give him the spoon he cracked himself up. He was anticipating the joke and couldn’t stop laughing. At that moment, I foresaw that the (somewhat warped) sense of humor had been passed on and one-liners, pranks and parent-teacher conferences were in my future. (By the time my son was five, he could recite three Bill Cosby routines and he often makes me laugh so hard it’s difficult to stay mad.)

My daughter, being the girl, has a lot of my similar interests and we are both counting the days to our first ever Disney vacation and dinner with Cinderella! But she’s actually more like her dad in his easy-going temperament. My son can be very…um, sensitive. His Lego tower once fell down and he stood with a flourish, announcing that it was the worst day of his life, his efforts had failed. My husband raised one eyebrow and asked, “So, where do you think he got his dramatic streak?” It’s true. Occasionally, some writers can be a bit…well, neurotic. I’m trying to temper that in our son, but I have to admit that I’m proud of his creative gifts. He’s already writing stories with beginnings, middles, ends and complex plots. And the very coolest part? When they put together little books in his kindergarten class, he had the TA help him write “dedicated” and then he wrote TO MY MOM.

So what about you? What traits or gifts do you think you’ve inherited from your family or passed on to your own kids?

Waiting for Spring

It's cold, it's rainy and there's record snow in the mountains - welcome to winter in the Pacific Northwest. And we wonder why so many people wander off to exotic destinations like Hawaii, Palm Desert, Arizona and the Virgin Islands. I'll admit it - I'm jealous and I'm also ready for spring. I want to see a little sun that's not accompanied by a 24 degree burr factor. and to be able to walk in the park without looking like Ralphie from The Christmas Story. But woe is me. Spring is far, far away. The good news is that every day the sun stays around a little bit longer.

So going with the glass is half-full optimism - I get a lot of writing done when it's nasty outside, and that's a very good thing. The moral of this story is if it's sunny and seventy, enjoy it. If you live in the UP of Michigan or New England or upstate New York or North Dakota - keep your chin up, this too shall pass. LOL

Ann

Goin' Down to Georgia - HAR - March 2008

Favorite heroines

I've seen lots of blog posts lately about favorite fictional heroes, and that makes sense because we often read romance or watch movies and/or TV programs because of the heroes. I have to say, I like a heroine who can hold her own too. I like heroines, and even write some of them, who can kick butt and take names and still be feminine at the end of the day. All you have to do is scan the bookstore shelves, the TV Guide or the DVD selection at Best Buy to find that this type of heroine is popular. I think it's because we, as women, want to feel that we can hold our own with men, we can be in control without giving up those aspects that make us uniquely women (oh, say, like enjoying buying cute shoes).

Let's take a look at some popular gals who fall into this category:

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- I admire show creator Joss Whedon a great deal for the strong heroines he writes and his dedication to showing the strength a woman can possess. Buffy was a cute little blond teenager when she came into her powers, but looks were deceiving. She could kill vampires and various demons with an ease the grown men in her world couldn't even dream of. And the vast majority of the time, she was stylin' when she did it. Even if she was a badass, she still dealt with things like dating problems, losing her first love, and sibling rivalry. Willow Rosenberg, her good friend, was a very powerful witch who could even kick Buffy's behind if she fully tapped into her power.

2. Wonder Woman -- She was the first superheroine I remember, both on the Superfriends cartoon on Saturday mornings and in the Lynda Carter primetime show. Being a fan of Wonder Woman led to being a fan of other superheroines like Elektra, Firestar, Jean Grey, Rogue, Storm, Sara Pezzini/Witchblade, and Xena.

3. Max Guevara -- from the show Dark Angel (one of Jessica Alba's easier roles); she was a genetically enhanced super-soldier.

4. Bionic Woman -- Lindsey Wagner's version of Jaime Sommers was a childhood favorite, and I've been enjoying the new version played by Michelle Ryan.

5. The heroines of urban fantasy -- Urban fantasy is a very popular genre right now, and many of the protagonists are women. Authors such as Patricia Briggs, Rachel Caine, Laurell K. Hamilton, Tanya Huff (her Blood books have made it to the small screen in the form of Lifetime's Blood Ties), Rachel Vincent and others bring strong heroines to the reading public.

6. If I think about just the TV shows I watch now, there are very strong women in Bionic Woman, Blood Ties, Heroes, Supernatural, Smallville, and Stargate Atlantis.

Even though many of these heroines either have superpowers or are just trained to be able to handle themselves in tough situations, that isn't the end all and be all of strong heroines. An everyday woman like those who appear in our Harlequin American novels can be strong too. They can face adversity, weather it, and come out the other side even stronger. I'm in the midst of writing my second American (actually that's why I'm late blogging today -- oops), and the heroine has had to be strong because her life was totally turned upside down by something someone close to her did. She's having to start over even though she doesn't know if it'll work out. That takes a different kind of strength, but strength nonetheless.

Give me a heroine who is strong any day, whether that strength is superpower in nature or just the strength of the Average Jane. Just don't give me a wimpy, whiney heroine. That will make me close a book or click off the TV faster than anything.

Okay, now it's your turn. Who are some of your favorite fictional heroines from books, TV or movies?

The Power of Positive Thinking

No one likes to be sick and I’m sure there isn’t a person on the planet who likes being in the hospital, but I’m of the opinion that the power of positive thinking goes a long way to helping a person feel better and get well. This philosophy of mine was put to the test two weeks ago when I had surgery, followed by a two-and-a-half day hospital stay.

I was in a room with two other patients, a man and a woman, both elderly. The man had recently recovered from pneumonia, probably had emphysema, and was in the early stages of delirium. He kept taking off his oxygen tubes and getting out of bed without calling the nurse. The staff was concerned he’d fall break a hip, so even my first night, while I was still coming out of the anesthetic, I was having to buzz for the nurse to come and help the poor old fellow.

On my last night there, a nurse pinned the call button to his gown so he couldn’t get out of bed without calling her. But in the middle of the night he took off his oxygen and the gown and went to the bathroom, stark naked! Then the next morning, after yet another trip to the bathroom, he said to the nurse, “There’s a water problem on the floor in there.”

“What kind of water problem?” the nurse asked.

“I peed on it,” he told her.

In my opinion, the nurses all deserved gold medals. They had infinite patience with him, and although they seemed to be run off their feet, they did their very best to keep a close eye on him.

The other person in my room was one of the most cantankerous old women I’ve ever met. There didn’t seem to be much wrong with her, yet she never stopped talking about how terrible she felt, how much pain she was in, and how the incompetent doctors and nurses were doing nothing for her. She even complained to the cleaning staff, the people who deliver meals, and other patients’ visitors. It turned out that her malaise had been brought on by taking too much of two different kinds of medication. She lived alone, but I suspect needs to be in a care facility where her medication can be monitored. The nurses did their best to make her comfortable, although how they kept their patience with her I’ll never know. She didn’t acknowledge anything they did for her, and her litany of complaints never let up.

While I was recuperating, I did my best to let the staff know I appreciated the care they were providing and all the attention they were giving me. And because of that, I think I got even more attention than I deserved. One nurse helped my daughter fix my hair, which had managed to turn itself into a matted mess. Seriously, I managed to take a bad hair day to a whole new level. Another nurse helped me have a shower.

In spite of the great care I was receiving, it was a huge relief when my surgeon consulted with the nursing staff on my third morning there and decided I was ready to go home. Home! I was finally able to get a good night’s sleep, which further strengthened my resolve to think positively. Now, two weeks later, the surgeon says that as far as healing goes, I’m in the top five to ten percent of the population, and that I’m now at the stage where the average person would be in two months.

So yes, I do believe in the power of positive thinking. It’s working for me!

And while I’m at it, I’ll send a huge thank you to the nurses and other health care providers who did such an excellent job of caring for me. Thank you is something they don’t hear often enough.

Lee McKenzie
www.leemckenzie.com

One Chore I Don't Mind

The other day I was standing at the stove fixing breakfast for my twin son and daughter (they're seniors in highschool and will graduate in May). My husband came into the kitchen, stopped in his tracks, and said, "What are you doing?" Though I thought it was obvious, I patiently explained (grin). He couldn't believe it and started to lecture me on how the kids were old enough to fix their own breakfasts and hadn't they been doing exactly that since starting school in the fall.

Okay, he was right. I won't argue the point. But I'd been struck with a sudden and overwhelming case of my-children-are-almost-grown-and-will-be-out-of-the-house-soon. I can remember when they were in first grade and I'd fixed French toast sticks or scrambled eggs with cheese, then hurry them to finish eating before they ran outside to catch the bus. For just a little while, I wanted to be that mommy again. Not the one with a son who's a full nine inches taller than her or an absolutely stunning daughter who looks twenty-five when she's all dressed up.

I know my children are old enough to take care of themselves. Heck, I hardly see them anymore except in the mornings before they head to school. To my husband, fixing them breakfast is an extra chore to add to my already long list for the day. But to me, it's a chance to sustain the magic for just a little longer because soon enough, they'll be going off to college.

I guess when that day comes I could fix my husband breakfast but he just doesn't have the same happy reaction when I serve him French toast sticks.

Cathy McDavid

PS - how funny that Shelley's post is about breakfast, too. Must be on our minds.

The Pancake Breakfast

Lately I’ve been on deadline. Actually, I’ve had a lot of deadlines…so I haven’t been doing much other than writing and looking out my office window.

However, I do have yet another installment in my continuing drama as a wrestling parent volunteer. This involves the annual pancake breakfast, of which I was in charge.

I’m a very hard worker, but I’ve never been particularly organized. So, it was with a little bit of trepidation that I accepted this job. It basically involves getting about ten volunteers together, buying a bunch of pancake mix, orange juice, milk, and sausage, then making and serving it all to six wrestling teams after weigh-ins on a Saturday morning.

Now, I’ve helped with this before. Actually, I’ve helped every year my son’s been in high school. Last year’s parent in charge actually made a binder listing everything to do. I just had to do what she said. But still I was nervous.

Last week, in between writing and well, writing…I went to Sam’s Club and bought all the ingredients. I went to a parent meeting and solicited parent volunteers. I stressed over griddles, crock pots, extension cords, and storing five gallons of milk. Luckily, my husband helped with the heavy lifting.

On Friday night, it all began. I had to cook 250 sausage links. It took three hours. I finished at 1am. I had boys over who were running on the treadmill in the basement because they had to make weight for the weigh-ins. No, they did not appreciate the smell.

And, boy, did my house smell! The dogs were barking and begging. Grease was everywhere. I worried about keeping those darn sausages relatively moist until six am the next morning. It was a pain. My husband and I and all the boys were back up at five, loading cars, then going to the high school. You can imagine the next few hours. Setting up griddles and syrup stations, making pancake batter, carting those sausages around.

Finally, at 7:30, we were ready. Our team’s boys got to eat for free. Boy did they eat! The other teams, well, they elected not to pay the $3 for breakfast and brought their own food.

That’s when my pancake breakfast came to a screeching halt.

Yep, that’s right. Imagine 7 volunteers, two large containers filled to the brim with pancakes. Over 200 sausage links (still moist and very edible, I might add!) ready to go. 8 o’clock came. 8:30. 8:45. We only sold another 7 breakfasts. That’s when things got desperate. The emphasis went from making money for the team to getting rid of the food. Parents started eating pancakes. We asked the janitors and referees if they wanted free breakfasts. Only about half did. At 9, we had to clean up. I gave away four gallons of milk. We uh, threw the sausage out.

I ran to Starbucks, got more coffee, ran home and put on orange and black, and went back to watch my son wrestle. He won his first match. Yay! He uh, also threw up. Yep, several of the boys found that the pancake breakfast wasn’t really the best thing to have before wrestling in five matches. It was a pretty nasty thing to watch. The coach shook his head in dismay. I wished I could slink out the back door.

My husband looked at me and shrugged. He told me it wasn’t my fault this breakfast had become, well…The Worst In the Team’s History.

But I know better. There’s a reason I spend most of my days sitting in an office, staring out the window, making stuff up. Things just go a lot better that way!

Shelley

New Editor

On Friday, I found out I was getting a new editor.

As an author, getting a new editor can at first be like losing your boyfriend or spouse. You’ve grown accustomed to having that person in your life. You don’t want them to go. You have rapport and friendship. You’ve been through many books with them. You’ve leaned on them, and they’ve pushed you to make your writing better. You know what to expect.

The first time I got a new editor was immediately after I’d sold. Melissa Jeglinski bought my first book way back in Sept. 1999, and soon after I was shifted to Patience Smith since Melissa already had a full list of authors. I loved having Patience as my editor. She and I did many a book together, and while with her I got to work with a few other editors as well, for at times someone else in New York would guest edit a particular book. I remember the day Patience called me to tell me the line was moving to Toronto and that she would no longer my editor. I wanted to cry. I might have once I hung up the phone.

Then my new editor called me and introduced herself and we started working together. At first the transition was rough, but everyone kept telling me how lucky I was to have her. I’ll admit, it took a few books for me to know what her other authors were talking about. My new editor pushed me in new directions and made me work harder than ever before. She was demanding and relentless. Still, she worked tirelessly with me to sharpen my prose, and suddenly I was no longer a one or two book per year author, but a three-four book per year author. I’d reached a new level, and all because of her tutelage and refusal to let me settle. Then one day she called and said she was moving to a new line and I was getting a new editor. I wanted to cry again.

My new editor and I did three books together before she ended up being downsized in a Harlequin restructure. I went back to my former editor—hooray!—who I was with until the call came on Friday that she had left the company.

This time I took the news in stride, but still, I was depressed. I’ll miss her and I’m always nervous because now my new editor and I have to get accustomed to each other. It’s like getting a new English teacher. Each one teaches the same language skills, but all have slightly different techniques.

I’ll officially meet my new editor via a phone call next week, although we’ve chatted before. She’s reading a few of my books now to learn my voice. She’ll start by editing the book I just turned in, and on Monday she’ll have the proposals my agent just sent. Thus, we’re going to jump right in.

When it comes down to it, I’m sad to have lost my editor, because she taught me much more than I ever thanked her for. At the same time, I’m very excited and looking forward to working with my new editor. Each editor has pushed me in a new direction, and ensured my continued growth as a writer. I have no doubt my new editor is going to do the same, and I can’t wait.

Goodbye, Lizzy

For nearly 17 years our cat, Lizzy, was a part of our family. A long-haired tortoiseshell with a short manx tail, she was petite and adorable and pretty much ran things. At least she thought she did. When she was happy, that little tail vibrated with excitement, just like a dog’s.

That changed around the age of 14. Lizzy turned cranky. Mean, even. She’d as soon scratch you as cuddle. That was no fun for us or any of the well-meaning friends who ended up with claw marks on their arms or hands. The vet told us Lizzy’s thyroid was off, so we had to buy and feed her thyroid meds twice a day. Expensive, and quite a daunting taks. After a week or so of meds (and doling out a few nasty scratches), my husband and i got the hang of things. Lizzy never did like those pills, but her temper mellowed out some. Though not enough that we ever trusted her again. We let her tell us when she wanted petting, and it wasn’t often.

About six months ago she stopped grooming herself. For a long-hair cat, that means knots and filth and grossness you don’t want to know about. In November I found a wonderful kitty groomer who shaved her all over (she was that filthy) and washed her thoroughly. I made plans to bring Lizzy in once a month for a bath and combing.

Early Wednesday morning I headed for my usual workout at the gym. When I got back all the lights were on. At 6:00 am, this was strange. My husband met me with a sober face. Lizzy couldn’t move her hind legs. I sat with her, stroking head, which seemed to calm her, while my husband dressed to take her to an emergency vet.

Putting her down was the humane thing to do, the vet said. “Then do it,” my husband said.

After raising three daughter and numerous dogs and cats, hamsters, chameleons and fish, neither my husband nor I wants another pet. Lizzy was our last.

We buried her in the flower garden out back. She is at peace. We won’t be dealing with cat hair everywhere or those nasty hair balls or clawed-up furniture or kitty litter. No more twice-a-day battle to make her swallow those pills. We’ll be able to travel without worrying about her.

But I miss her.


Until later,
Ann
www.annroth.net
The Pilot's Wife, March 2008

2008? Already?

As the old saying goes, time flies when you're having a good time. As I get older, I've come to believe that it doesn't matter how good it is, time is going to fly, no matter what. And 2007 made me think of Gone in Sixty Seconds.

When I was younger, I was convinced that the moment between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day was magical. It was in that moment that certain things would change, just because I wanted them to...wished them to. The same was true for birthdays, when I'd stay up to see "my" day arrive at the stroke of twelve. But I'm older and wiser now, and I've come to understand that it's nothing more than a date on a calendar page and a number on a clock. Magic is what you make of it. Goals and hard work can help.

I'm not much of a goal setter. Oh, I have been. Too often I've set my goals too high or set too many, and failing to reach them was discouraging, at best. It's taken time and disappointment, but I've learned that small goals, taken one step at a time, help me succeed, even if it sometimes seems like baby steps. Especially when the goal is to get through a day without losing what's left of my sanity. And then another saying comes to mind: A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. So maybe those baby steps aren't so bad, after all.

I'm sure by now you've all realized that I didn't set any New Year's goals, nor did I bother with New Year's Resolutions, which I would break in record time. But if I were to make a resolution, I think it would be to take a deep breath whenever stress or frustration or worry start to overwhelm me.

So let it be said--eighteen days late--that my New Year's Resolution is to BREATHE. Besides, if I don't do that (breathe), I won't be around to avoid making more resolutions. And what fun would that be?

Have a happy one (year, that is) everyone!

Web woes...

Hello, and a belated Happy New Year!

Hope your holidays were wonderful, you got everything you wished for, and your new year has started off with a bang!

My old year ended in a fizzle....

Before the holidays even began, my computer started acting up, my e-mail followed shortly after, and I was unable to access the Internet for over a month. Talk about frustration!

Since my link to the Worldwide Web was broken, I had plenty of time to wonder how everyone else felt about working and playing "out there" in cyberspace.

Are you completely attached to your e-mail, your Instant Messages, your downloaded photos, and your chat loops?

Or are these things you can live without?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Reunions

Today I'm blogging about reunions. Some of my readers know from the Bio Page on my website that I played Division I women's basketball for the University of Arizona…way back when. I graduated from college in 1986. I returned to Tucson this past weekend for my first ever women's basketball reunion. What an awesome experience! Five of my teammates during the mid-80's made the reunion. We hadn’t seen each other in 22 years!!

In the above picture we're standing in the corner of the weight room at the U of A. I'm wearing the white western shirt.

It was as if no time had passed since we'd last taken the floor together. We waxed nostalgia--the good, the bad and the ugly of playing a collegiate sport. We reminisced about games, players and coaches and what they were doing today. We talked about our 7-21 season my junior year and how we got a new coach my senior year and turned the program around with a 21-7 season! It was an awesome feeling to go out a winner the year I graduated.

We were treated to a tour of the athletic facilities which made us all drool. We agreed that the athletes today don’t appreciate how good they have it. When I played we were given one pair of basketball shoes and one pair of running shoes for the entire year. The women's player's today get at least three pair not to mention a TON of athletic wear. (I'm positive the guy's basketball team gets even more than that). They have access to state of the art medical facilities--there's an x-ray machine right in the training room. The U of A has 1 of only 3 underwater treadmills in the country. I kid you not. When an athlete is injured and rehabbing their ankle or knee, they submerge the athlete in this pool and have them run on a moving belt while underwater video cameras record the movements of injured body parts to monitor proper healing.

The locker rooms had leather couches and flat screen TV's. The only thing we used the locker room for was to change into our uniforms. The weight training room had a Gatorade bar for athletes--we had a drinking fountain in the corner. There were enough exercise bikes for an entire basketball team to use at once--we had to wait our turn. It truly is amazing how far collegiate athletic programs have come. And they have academic advisors that now travel with each team to make sure the players are keeping up with their studies and to provide tutoring assistance on the road.

For a few days I felt like I was twenty again with a world of choices in front of me. But in the end when I walked off campus that weekend I knew that I wouldn't have traded my experience at the university for anything. I worked hard and played hard and was so very grateful for the opportunity to have my college education paid for. I will never forget what a privileged it was to play for the U of A.

I can’t wait until we meet up again in four years!

Marin
In a Soldier's Arms *Hearts of Appalachia* (Feb 08)
A Coal Miner's Wife *Hearts o Appalachia* (Aug 08)
http://www.marinthomas.com/

Me? Isolated?

Quiet descends.

Our two sons have returned to college after Christmas vacation, and the round of parties, meal planning and laundry has suddenly shrunk. It’s been leftovers and easy meals all week for my husband and me.

Many people believe writers work in isolation. In a sense, that’s true, yet I don’t feel isolated, even with the post-holiday letdown.

Last Saturday, at a meeting of the Orange County chapter of Romance Writers of America, I heard the ever-delightful Carly Phillips discuss how she consults with a critique partner and a plotting group on her best-selling novels. Also, over lunch, I enjoyed catching up with several writing friends, including popular Harlequin Spice author Jina Bacarr.

Tomorrow night, I’ll be attending a meeting of my critique group, the Fictionaires, which has about twenty members. This group – with a changing roster – has been around for more than forty years, offering constructive criticism as well as emotional support.

Plus, I’m teaching a writing course through the Long Ridge Writers Group. Through individual lessons submitted by mail or on-line, I meet eager students who share their insights and creativity. We may not confer face to face, but their personalities reverberate across the miles.

And that’s not all.

My husband once commented that I’d spent all day alone. That surprised me, even though I had in fact been sitting in my office that particular day, working on a novel – no on-line chats, no teaching. But my had hero flirted with me. My heroine confided her problems. Their friends and colleagues and relatives paraded through my brain, reminiscing and squabbling and demanding their own share of the spotlight.

What I really needed, after a day at the computer, was some peace and quiet.

Misc. Rambling!!!

Hey All!

Sorry for the late post, but I just walked in the door after a loooong day of jury duty. I REALLY wish I could discuss the case, but no such luck.

In other news, my new job is going great! I think I mentioned it in the last blog, but I'm now teaching reading at a local middle school. It's fun sharing my love of reading with kids. We just finished a lesson on urban myths which made me crave trying my hand at a paranormal. One thing about the Har. Am. line that I miss, from a readers' standpoint, are the great spooky reads. Anyone remember some of Anne Stuart's? Anyway, seeing how I enjoy featuring kids in my stories, it's big fun being with kids all day! Although it has been tough fitting in writing time.

If anyone happens to be in the OKC area this weekend, I'll be signing copies of my January anthology with Merline Lovelace and my best bud, Margaret Daley. Margaret just retired from over twenty years of teaching, and it's like some alternate universe thing for her to now be off from school and me to be teaching!

My own kids are doing great! Daughter's getting ready to attend UCA's National Cheerleading competition in Orlando. The boys aren't too happy about her getting to go to Disney again. Last year, I went with her and had a blast, but with this being my first year of teaching, I was too afraid to ask my principal for a week off!! (This month's pic is of Daughter and a friend during last year's trip.)

Hubby's been traveling a lot. Last week, he was in DC, and next week, he's off to Napa. I've always wanted to go!!! Although, in his defense, I doubt he'll have much time for wine tasting or seeing the sights.

Okay, time to get back to work on my wip, but in the mean time, stay warm by cuddling up with a great Har. Am read!!!

My resolutions

Unlike Kara, I made resolutions this year. I admit, normally I don't because I fail miserably within the first week, so I usually boycot them. However, this year, I made set some goals and decided to really stick with them. I started before Christmas the following:

#1. Sell 5 books this year, bringing my total to 25. This is one I do have control over, sort of. I've got 3 of the synops needed done, and as to the 4th, I'm struggling a bit. My editor and Kathleen have already seen my Harlequin American ideas and like them, so now I just have to nail everything down and get the 3 chapters I need to write done (so they can say yes!!!). As for book 5, I have until December to figure that one out.

#2. Lose 10-20 pounds. Yeah, this one's always on the list, but this year I'm serious. For the first time in years I've changed my diet and now find myself eating less and more healthy, while still enjoying foods I love. I'm working out weekly with a trainer and getting myself on the treadmill in between sessions. I'm doing yoga/pilates poses while watching TV. I also can't wait until spring, when I can get my bike out. Unlike those diehards, I don't do cold. Thus, I came off the holidays without gaining any weight and actually losing inches.

#3 Spend more time with my family. This is always a priority, and this time I'd like to see my daughters and I doing more things together aside from riding around in the car. I'm seeing if we can go on vacation over spring break. Somewhere warm sounds great. I'm skipping RWA (I have to teach that week anyway) and using the $$ for a family trip.

#4 Eliminate the negativity that often surrounds me. This one's the hardest of them all. I've discovered that the further I get in my writing career, the more insecure at times I feel. I mean, how do you keep being fresh and interesting to your readers? How do you get new readers? The above proposal was eye opening because, as I plotted, I was like, "I've already done that, so I need something else." This year I've discovered that the writing world is becoming very similar to the high school students I teach-- it's containing too much drama and being a little too illogical. So I'm stepping back from chapter listserves and relying more on my friends-for-life who could care less what I do or how many books I've written. I've found I'm a lot more productive that way. I need to stop comparing myself to others, the biggest flaw I think I have. I mean, I can easily get sucked into "my nose is too big, I'm too fat, I'm getting older, and I'm not making the progress I want compared to Writer X who seems on fire." So I'm stepping off that negative spiral and unsubscribing from the lists, especially since I'm not one who can usually keep my mouth shut.

5. Pay down debt. Ah, another goodie. I need to be a little more choosy, but I've already decided to keep the old junk heap that has 93,000 miles on it rather than buy new. I need to prioritize better. I also need to say no to my kids when they want something they really don't need. That's the tough one.

6. Sleep more. That one's obvious.

All six things above are designed to bring about one thing: a relief from the constant stress that was 2006 and 2007. I'll keep you posted as to how I'm doing.

Say No to Resolutions

By now, lots of you out there have already given up your New Year's Resolutions. Admit it! You swore you'd cut back on soft drinks, and you did ... for a couple of days. You were going to work out three times a week ... stop eating Cheetos cold turkey ... be nice to your mother-in-law if it killed you. And where did all those good intentions get you? Disappointed in yourself, probably.

Yeah, I've been that route. But this year, I haven't reneged on a single resolution! Eleven days and I'm exactly on track. No, I don't have extraordinary will power or a personal coach to keep me on the straight-and-narrow. My secret? I didn't make resolutions this year. My apathy was in keeping with my entire boycott of the holidays, and it's the best decision I ever made. This was the most relaxed, stress-free December of my life, and January is shaping up to be much the same. (At least I didn't start it with five extra pounds, which is how my New Year usually begins.).

I only have one goal for this month, and that is to finish my latest Harlequin American. It's the second in a trilogy (SECOND SONS ) that starts in June with RELUCTANT PARTNERS. This one doesn't have a title yet, but my hero is, well, a nerd! I'm having a great time with it. It's scheduled for December 2008.

Now, if anyone has any ideas for how I can give up Cheetos, I'm all ears.

The power of January

I'm still wincing over Linda's poor broken toe. Ouch! A little thing like that can really bring us low. I spent Christmas and New Year's fighting the flu. I'm still a little congested, but I feel soooo much better than I did. Just in time for a new year.

January here in the Colorado mountains means c...c...cold temps and lots and lots of snow. (Which you can see my dog, Katie, loves.) I know people who would gladly spend the whole month huddled under a quilt, like daffodils waiting for spring, but I find the weather invigorating. I love bundling up and taking the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood, or hitting the ski slopes. The whole world looks white and clean under its blanket of snow -- white like a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen.

Perhaps I'm feeling this way because I started a new book this week -- another Crested Butte-set American. This weekend I'm headed there to ski and do 'research.' Starting a new book is both exciting and intimidating. I'm getting to know new characters and I'm looking forward to telling their story. But I always wonder if I'll do them justice. Will I be able to pull off writing a whole book again?

January is a time when we begin again, and I find such power and comfort in that. No matter how badly we screwed up last year, this year can be different. Of course, realistically we start over every day. But the beginning of the year seems a particularly auspicious time to begin anew. The days are gradually growing longer, and no matter how cold it is outside now, we know warmer days will arrive eventually.

Are any of you excited about a fresh start, new projects or new goals for the year? I hope 2008 brings you many wonderful adventures and blessings.

Cindi Myers
The Right Mr. Wrong, Harlequin American, Feb. 2008 RT Top Pick!
A Soldier Comes Home, Harlequin Super Romance, June 200

Better late than never...

Better late than never…

That’s true, isn’t it? Today is my day to post and I’m just now thinking about it. Sorry. But I have a good excuse, besides senility. I broke my blasted toe. And I really didn’t want to start 2008 this way. It’s better today not so purple and swollen. I’m still trying to get a shoe on without making faces.

That’s what I get for trying to take the ham out of the freezer to thaw for New Year’s Day. I should have waited for my husband, but oh no, I had to do it just then. It wasn’t on the top shelf, but the next, and as soon as I tried to lift it out, it came sliding out of there like a greased pig and land on my foot. I saw stars and said a few words I’d only heard other people say.

The thing thawed on the utility room floor until my husband got home. And, yes, we had the blasted ham for New Year’s Day dinner. Somehow I didn’t enjoy it as much as in other years.

My slogan for this year is to watch out for those flying hams!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!
Is everyone enjoying the new year?

Linda Warren
www.lindawarren.net
TEXAS BLUFF—Feb Super Romance
ALWAYS A MOTHER—June Super Romance

New Year's Goals

Greetings!

Ann commented Saturday on a big issue for most women, and certainly for me: Time management. What to do, when, and how to do it all?

I'm preoccupied with goals and goal setting right now, as I'm due to give a mini-talk on that subject at my RWA chapter meeting later this month. I'm not great at it--I admit it. I'm a deadline person (as in, I don't do anything before I have to). LOL

But I'm also a list-maker, which is a way of goal setting. Last week, I had line edits due, I had to get a picture (yikes) and bio in to eHarlequin and to a website I just joined as an author, and I needed to get info to my web person for my newsletter to be properly set up (oops-missed that one). Reminders had to go out to the goal group I moderate (which is why I was asked to do the mini-talk) and to the critique group I moderate. As you'll notice, there's nothing personal on this list, such as laundry, cooking dinner, running errands for my mom, seeing a movie with my kids (a real priority--we saw I Am Legend), taking down the tree, etc. So I put the essentials on my list, with due dates or goal dates if no one else cares when they get done.

And I didn't do too badly. Of course, the edits had top priority and got completed (3 a.m. counts, right?) and I got the pic and bio in on time to eHarlequin. I saw the movie and ordered pizza, which is sort of like making dinner. The tree came down and my mom's errands got run. Sure, I have a few leftover items for this week, and more will be added, like plotting the next book, but I feel a real sense of accomplishment.

Do you set goals? Are you good at it? Maybe you have a tip or two I can use in my talk. I'd love to hear them.

Till next time,
Megan Kelly
www.megankellybooks.com

Where does the time go?

Is it already January 2008? By my calculations, it should still be summer of last year. The holidays and the months leading up to them passed in a blur. But nobody asked me, and alas it really is January.

It’s a funny (not really!) thing—the busier you get, the faster time passes. When I was a child time seemed to crawl. I remember waiting and waiting and waiting to turn six, which I thought was the magical age when I’d know more and be so much more knowledgeable and skilled than I was as a mere five-year-old. Of course I soon learned that six was nothing special. When you turned ten, then you knew it all. At ten, the magical age became thirteen. And so on. But that’s a discussion for another time.

There’s that word again: time. Supposedly time is infinite. When we’re all dead and gone time will continue to march on. (This is a good place to mention global warming and how our days may not march by, after-all, at least not as we know them now. But I’ll leave that lecture to someone else.) Here’s the question that plagues me: if time is infinite, why aren’t there enough hours in the day to get everything done? Why is it then when I finally have an hour to spare, it passes in a blink?

Stuff fills in the time. It always has and always will. For me, the only way to make sure I get things done is to make that list Trish mentioned back in December. And I do, almost every night before bed. If not then, first thing in the morning. Somehow, when it’s written down and I can see it, it gets done. Amazingly, I often have time to do even more than I planned.

Whether you use lists or not, I’m curious. How do you accomplish it all in twenty-four hours? How do you make the best use of your time?

Until later,
Ann
www.annroth.net
The Pilot’s Wife, March 2008