Inspiring New Arrival

Greetings from Texas. I just arrived home after spending the night in my daughter's hospital room, helping her with their new daughter. Yes, my second granddaughter was born on Saturday, a few days before her scheduled delivery date. She and her mother are fine, getting to know each other and napping whenever they can.

In times like these (and really, how many "times like these" do we have our lives?) I do think of the values and premises of Harlequin American Romances. Heart, home and family. The themes of destiny, surprise pregnancies, humorous and near disastrous weddings, opposites attracting, families pulling together, and making a home together are all evident in our family, and that's just the past two years!

My two granddaughters are named after a grandmother (Lillian) and two great-grandmothers (Roxie and Grace) on my husband's side of the family. That continues the family traditions and gives them a link to the past, even though they will never know these women. Roxie lived to be 101 years old and kept her own home until she was 100. Grace was the oldest daughter and moved with her family from their comfortable farm in the Brazos River valley to a "soddy" in Oklahoma in the late nineteenth century. What stories she could tell! I wish she'd been a writer.

I thought about those family links a lot when I wrote my June release, An Honorable Texan. At the beginning of the book, the hero is an unhappy veteran who returns home to find everything changed. For someone who tries hard to maintain the past, this is a difficult pill to swallow. I hope he redeems himself with his love for his surprise son and his respect for the baby's mother, but he was a difficult hero to write. I like to write the happy-go-lucky heroes a lot, but like our relatives, we don't always get to decide. Sometimes, a character just walks through the door and says, "write about me!"

Thanks for reading about my good news. Roxie Grace will be coming home on Wednesday, and now I'm going to take a nap to get ready for that happy event. Best wishes!

Victoria

Rachel's Recipe #3

In the spirit of the first post celebrating the release of The Marriage Recipe, I am giving you another yummy recipe that both Rachel and I use, one for sugar cookies. Trust me, these are the world’s greatest and easiest sugar cookies. By the way, if you go to http://freshfiction.com/blog/ tomorrow, April 21, I am blogging about what food reveals about characters.

This recipe is modified from Just a Matter of Thyme, which is at Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Just-Matter-Thyme-Collection-Satisfying/dp/0740765345 (and while you’re there, don’t forget to pick up The Marriage Recipe if you haven’t already).

And if you missed the first two recipes, they are at www.micheledunaway.blogspot.com


Sugar Cookies

Main bowl
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Side bowl
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Using a mixer (stand preferred), cream together 2 sticks butter, 1-cup-powdered sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar, and 1 cup cooking oil until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, and beat after each. Add 1-teaspoon vanilla. Set aside

In the side bowl, using a fork or sifter, blend together the flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda.

Add the ingredients in the side bowl to the main bowl a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then turn mixer to high speed and beat until light and fluffy. Using two teaspoons, spoon out quarter-sized dabs of dough and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Take a glass, wet the bottom and dip it in a bowl filled with one-quarter inch of sugar. Press each dough blob lightly with the glass (once it has sugar on it, you do not need to rewet each time, just dip in sugar first before each cookie). Feel free to sprinkle on sprinkles or extra sugar at this time once cookies are flat. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 6-8 minutes or until the sides are a light golden brown. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

Baked Beans Fiasco

Shelley Galloway always shares her stories... so here’s mine. My grandson’s third birthday was last week. His parents had his kids, other parents and we grandparents over for barbecued chicken. I offered to bring baked beans. Not just any old beans, but homemade. I have a great recipe from the Barefoot Contessa I wanted to try.

These beans took 6-8 hours to cook. First problem: My bean pot wasn’t big enough. No problem, I crammed everything in, anyway. Of course a few hours later my oven was a disaster. The sad part came later. When it was time to go to the party, the casserole was still piping hot. I placed it in one of those shopping bags with handles, the kind you get at Macy’s or Nordstrom. The plan was, carry the beans in that. When my husband parked and I reached for the bag by the handles. My thought was to put my hands underneath the bottom. Before I could, the bottom of the bag ripped out. The casserole crashed onto the sidewalk and broke. Beans everywhere! I just about cried, but was too busy helping my husband scoop beans into the half of the casserole dish that wasn’t smashed to bits. “At least we won’t add to methane gas pollution tonight,” he joked. Ha ha, right? We dropped the mess into the trash, then headed inside. The pun part was that everyone there shared similar stories of their own food disasters, even my daughter, who’d once dropped a cake she’d made for a friend’s baby shower.


It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. What about you? Any food disasters you want to share?

Until next time,
Ann Roth
www.annroth.net

Writing Conferences

I'm preparing to attend the Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling Conference. www.chicagonorthrwa.org
They're hosting a great line up of authors this year--one of my favorites--Debbie Macomber.

As much as I enjoy the workshops, the multi-author book signing, schmoozing with area librarians and booksellers and touching base with other published authors… what I really enjoy most about smaller conferences is having more opportunities to chat with aspiring writers.

Writing a book is a challenging, exhausting and emotional endeavor--for me anyway. After the first few books, much of the glitz and glamour of the whole "Published Author" world disappears as we settle down to overlapping deadlines, proposals and promotion work. Is it any wonder some of the passion earlier in our writing career ends up smothered by the demands of the job? Conferences are a great way for writers to re-fuel, re-energize and get back the excitement that fizzles after those first few sales. I love being around aspiring romance writers. Their enthusiasm is contagious and serves to remind me again why I love what I do. It's even fun answering the same questions over and over: How long did it take for you to sell your first book? Your second book? Is such-n-such character going to get their own story?

If you've attended any...what inspires you most about writing conferences?

Marin
In a Soldier's Arms Feb 08
A Coal Miner's Wife Aug 08
The Cowboy and the Angel Nov 08
www.marinthomas.com

Fascinating People

The image of a writer used to be (and in some circles still is) a highbrow in a tweed jacket, smoking a pipe and discussing the literary scene with professors in literary salons. Yet after selling eighty novels, I still don’t own a tweed jacket and the only salon I frequent is the one where I get my hair cut.

On the other hand, as a writer, I do encounter fascinating people. For example, last Saturday, at a meeting of the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America (www.occrwa.org), I ran into an old friend, D.P. Lyle, M.D., who was our guest speaker.

Doug is the author of several suspense novels and a number of nonfiction works. He wrote Forensics for Dummies and maintains a Web site that addresses medical matters of interest to writers (http://www.dplylemd.com/).

A practicing cardiologist, Doug gleefully tackles even the most obscure – and sometimes gruesome – details of true crime cases and fictional supposition. For instance, on the subject of DNA, he told us that the recipient of a bone marrow transplant would have the donor’s DNA in his or her blood cells (white cells only, he noted; the red ones don’t contain DNA). The person’s teeth, skin and other organs contain the original DNA.

How does a cardiologist get interested in forensics? Doug said that, at parties, just as the general public buttonholes physicians to ask about medical ills, writers cornered him – as a doctor and novelist -- to ask about forensics situations in their novels.

He began researching the subject and taking notes, and became so immersed that after a while he decided he had the makings of a book. Thus was a second – or, actually, a third -- career born.

Doug’s latest book is Forensics: A Guide for Writers, published by Writers Digest Books. I’m sure you’ll find his work as fascinating as I do.

(By the way, sorrow for the messed-up partial post below. Blogger hiccuped this morning and I can't figure out how to delete it)

Fascinating people

While it doesn't seem possible that another month has passed, here we are! LOL!! Of all the things I'd hoped to accomplish over Spring Break, the best I can remember is that I did a lot of lunching with friends!! Oh well, there's always next year to clean closets!!

With Spring testing all week at school, I'm guessing fun's not going to be in my vocabulary, so to liven things up after school, I bought a new Video game--Need For Speed Underground 2. Actually, it's not new, but pretty old in gaming terms, but still fun. I was not happy about having to go to bed last night just as I'd earned hydraulics for my car!!

Hubby just returned from LA. He stayed downtown and had quite a few run-ins with homeless folks, which was sad. Daughter's busy preparing for the upcoming cheer tryouts, and I've volunteered to be Cheer Booster Club president--pray for me now!!! Next year should be interesting!! Son #1 was promoted to the Dairy section at the grocery store where he works, so that was exciting, as he constantly complains about how much he despises checking out groceries. Son #2 is off to Atlanta this week for a school trip. Judging by the amount of grumbling he's doing, I'm guessing he's not all that thrilled.

In writing news, I'm awaiting word on some new proposals I've worked up for the Harlequin American line. My May release, THREE BOYS AND A BABY, is one of my favorites!! The cover still makes me smile!! Thank you, Cover Gods!!

In diet news, I'm failing miserably. Nothing much new there--LOL!!!

In garden news, it's been too cold here in Oklahoma to plant much of anything. Grumble, grumble!!

Sorry to not have more exciting news of any kind, but I'm kind of mired in a holding pattern of waiting. Waiting for warmth, waiting for summer vacation (six weeks and counting!!), waiting for exciting new book contracts, waiting for Matthew Mcconaughey to realize I'm the woman for him!!! Anyway, you get the picture!!!

So until Matthew calls, I'll keep eating Cheetos and playing my new racing game. As for all of you also stuck in Spring holding patterns, have fun, and don't do anything I wouldn't do--which pretty much opens you up for plenty of mischief!! LOL!!!

P.S. I'm at school right now, and don't have access to my May cover, but as soon as I get home, I'll post it, so you can hopefully smile at my cute baby, too!!!

Rachel's Recipes Part 1

As you know, the heroine in The Marriage Recipe is a pastry chef. Thus, to entice you to read (and to cook!), today I’m going to whet your appetite with one of Rachel’s favorite recipes. In fact, all month I will be blogging about food. If you follow me around (sort of like a virtual pub crawl), you'll pick up four recipes and one blog on characters and food. I will be at http://toberead.wordpress.com/ on April 14 with the next installment.

So back to that recipe.

Gooey butter cake is a St. Louis tradition and favorite. There are two ways to make it—with the evaporated milk, flour, etc., or the just-as-good cheat/shortcut version using cream cheese. Here is how you make that second gooey butter cake (the easy version).

1 box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter—melted

Blend these together until smooth (it will be thick). Press into the bottom of a 9x13 greased (Pam is fine) cake pan.

8 ounces softened cream cheese (use the bar, not the spread stuff and do not use fat free)
2 eggs beaten
2 cups powdered sugar

Blend softened cream cheese, the 2 eggs and the powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Don’t worry if there are a few cream cheese lumps. Spread this mixture over the first mixture pressed into he pan. Bake for 325 for 40-45 minutes until the cake edges are light brown. There may be a few brown patches on the cream cheese mixture—if there are, you are also done. Do not let the cream cheese mixture get more than a few or it’s overdone The middle will sink a little upon cooling. Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. It gets tastier being one day old—so making it the night before is actually recommended.

Are you an Innie or an Outey?

I'm talking "introvert" or "extrovert." I think most writers are introverts. We turn to writing because we spend a lot of time alone, exploring our own thoughts. Most of us read a lot as children, which didn't do much to turn us into party animals.

It's not that I don't like people, or that I don't like to socialize and party and meet new people. In fact, I went to a writer's conference last weekend (Dreamin' in Dallas) and I looked forward to it for weeks. A couple of days in a hotel with other writers, away from day-to-day responsibilities, always sounds like a lot of fun, and it was. I reconnected with people I hadn't seen in a long time, made new friends, soaked up some good information, got inspired by some great speakers (Lori Foster and Kresley Cole). I got to wear some new clothes. I gave two workshops and had a pitch meeting with an editor. I ate large quantities of bad-for-me food and hung out in the bar drinking gin-and-tonics.

But by the time the conference was over (Saturday night) I was ready to go home. I was more than drained; I was genuinely exhausted. It took me several days to recover, and I grumbled if my husband even suggested I might want to leave the house for any reason.

Right now, I feel I could be very happy stranded on a desert island, never talking to anyone. (Well, okay, a desert island with a plug for my computer and an Internet connection. And a couple of good restaurants.) The older I get, the more I exhibit these hermit tendencies.

Being an introvert is great for writing--I get lots of it done. On the other hand, if I don't get out occasionally and live life, I run out of things to write about. I've been known to build an entire book around a chance comment made by a stranger.

I believe most writers are a little bit crazy, too, but that's a subject for another blog!

So how about it, fellow writers and readers. Introvert or extrovert, and are you happy with what you are?

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

As I sit here in my office, it's snowing hard outside my window. Spring still seems a long way away here in the Colorado Rockies.

Hard to believe that last night I was in the stands at Coors Field, watching another Colorado Rockies win a baseball game. Such is Colorado weather.

I love baseball. I started watching the Houston Astros as a girl growing up outside of Houston and have followed the game ever since. I love the history and traditions of the game, the strategy involved in every play, and the deliberate pace that allows for conversation between innings.

I love sitting in the stands at a game, the green playing field spread out below, the players in their crisp white and gray uniforms. I love listening to the music,and standing to sing along to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" at the seventh-inning stretch. I love eating peanuts and letting the shells fall at my feet, and hearing the patter of the refreshment vendors. I love visiting with the fans around me. I love the crack of a bat hitting a ball, and watching the ball soar into the stands.

Many other writers have referred to baseball as a metaphor for life. I draw inspiration from the game for my writing life. A baseball player can strike out 2/3 of the time and still be considered a great player. I can think of rejection slips as strike outs -- as long as I keep stepping up to bat (sending out submissions) my batting average is bound to improve. Baseball players have streaks and slumps. I think writers do too. When I'm in a streak, selling well, everything is wonderful. But when I'm in a slump (and I've definitely been there) it's helpful for me to remember that 'this too, shall pass.'

Every team in baseball starts the season with the same chance to get to the World Series. Sometimes the underdogs really do win. The Rockies were predicted to be in last place of their division when last season started and they ended up winning the National League Championship. Every writer has the potential to go on to be a bestseller. If not this season, then maybe next season.

In the meantime, I'm focusing on enjoying the game --whether in the stands at Coors Field, or here in front of my computer, working on my next book.

Any other baseball fans out there? What team do you root for?

WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING...

I’ve been bitten by the TV bug. Normally I watch very little TV except for the news. Scrubs is on late at night and I watch it to unwind from a day of writing. It’s crazy and funny, just what I need at the end of my day. Usually my story is running through my head as I try to figure out if I’m going in the right direction with my book. So I don’t invest too much energy into the show.

For the past few weeks March Madness has taken over our TV. Texas A&M, our local university, men’s and women’s basketball teams made the NCAA tournament and the women went on to become one of the teams in the Elite Eight, but lost to Tennessee. But we were hooked. I’m not that much of a sports fan so I’m excited I’ve widened my horizons. I wrote during the day so I could watch basketball with my hubby. I do believe someone has taken over my brain.

Of course, while commercials were airing I had to see what else was on. This annoyed my husband because he didn’t want to miss any of the action. About the third game I think he was secretly wishing I’d go back to writing. He wouldn’t admit that, though. I had to check in on American Idol, too, because a local kid, Jason Castro, is still surviving. Have to support the local kid. That’s what I told the hubby. He doesn't understand that women can multi-task without a problem.

Now I’ve really gotten hooked on Dancing With The Stars. I love that show. I had to go the bedroom to watch it. The hubby was getting really, really annoyed. It took me awhile to recognize Priscilla Presley, but she can dance. She said Elvis taught her a lot of dance moves. I found that interesting since the man seemed to have rubber hips. Kristi, not even attempting her last name (the gold medalist figure skater) is a natural. But then she knows all those graceful moves. Jason Taylor. Wow, he’s a hunk. I could look forever into his beautiful eyes. The rest of him is not bad either.

Well, basketball season will be over tonight and I’ll be holed up in my study again as I have deadlines ahead. It was nice to go TV crazy during March madness. I may have to record Dancing With The Stars, just to see who wins.

So what are you watching…

Anticipation

Does it seem the longer you wait for something, the more acutely you feel those last hours and minutes until it happens? Like baseball season starting (finally!) or Christmas morning as a kid, waiting for my parents to open my bedroom door, signalling Santa had come. (If we opened our doors, Santa would know we weren't sleeping and wouldn't stop at our house. My parents were wicked/clever!)
Why am I recalling Christmas when I'm eagerly awaiting a long-delayed Spring? Because I'm also eagerly awaiting the release of my first book, which should hit bookstore shelves tomorrow. The pit in my stomach (which, trust me, I'm trying to fill with any snack I can find!) just grows. I've had good reviews, but it's still like waiting on Christmas morning. I'm pretty sure there will be presents under the tree, but until that door opens, there's always the "thrill" of anticipation, watching for the turn of the doorknob, wondering what I'll find when I venture (run!) down the hall.
Does this happen to you? The minutes creep and you swear the clock ticks slower, even after you replace the batteries? Is it just me, being a crazy first-timer, or is this universal?
I'll be guest blogging at Lee McKenzie's blog on Thursday the 10th, so please stop by and say hi. http://thewritersideoflife.blogspot.com/
Especially if you have a method or any tricks to speed time!
Sincerely,
Megan

The Trouble With Superb Restaurants

I recently visited New York City for a conference. (Novelist’s Inc, one of the best professional authors’ groups around). The conference was exceptional and I came home energized and ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

And I will... after I share something about a very special restaurant. Does anyone besides me watch Top Chef? If you do, you know that the winner of the first season is Harold Dieterle. I found out that he used his winnings to open a restaurant in Greenwich Village called Perilla. Because watching that show always makes me wish I were there, tasting the delicious-looking concoctions the chefs whip up (with a little sweat and ingenuity ☺), I decided to dine at Perilla. It was pretty easy to book a reservation through the internet site, Open Table. (The fact that I reserved a table three weeks in advance probably helped.)

The restaurant is smallish with a warm ambiance and good acoustics that made conversation easy. From the start the service was impeccable. The wait staff made us feel as if were royalty, pampering us and seeing to our slightest needs. They didn’t rush us through the meal as happens in some restaurants. They let us split an appetizer. Presentation is key, and our fresh seared sea scallop appetizers were presented exquisitely.

At one point I dropped my knife on the floor. Before I could pick it up, someone did it for me and another person brought me a new one. It was like they were watching to anticipate our every need. Wow!

I hope no one is offended if I use the term ‘food orgasm’ here. That’s how it felt with every bite. The most delectable food imaginable. They didn’t heap our plates, either, or serve too-small portions. The portions were perfect, and along with a glass of excellent wine I savored that scallop appetizer, a piece of the freshest bread imaginable (soft inside and wonderfully crusty outside), a lovely roasted guinea hen served with squash, chestnuts, persimmons and spaetzle, a fabulous Brussels sprouts side dish (the sprouts were flaked into individual leaves and sautéed with dried raisins, cranberries and almonds), and a fabulous frozen milk-chocolate mousse. And a little homemade cookie and excellent decaf coffee, to finish off the meal. I left the table full but not overly so.

My only problem is that this was my first dinner in New York. Nothing else compared, not for me. I just hope eating at Perilla hasn’t ruined all other restaurants for me. One thing I know for sure: when I return to New York for a conference next spring, I will definitely return to Perilla.

I’m always looking for good places in cities I don’t know. Does anyone else have an outstanding restaurant experience to share? If so, speak up.

Until later,
Ann
www.annroth.net

The exciting life of a romance author

Hi!

This is going to be a drive-by blog posting today, because I'm late getting out the door on my way to Desert Dreams, a romance writers' conference sponsored by the Desert Rose chapter of the Romance Writers of America. The conference is held in the chapter's warm and sunny home state of Arizona.

Desert Dreams is held every other year, and I look forward to it as a place to reinforce the tools of the writing trade, learn new publishing info, visit with old friends, and meet new friends, too.

This year, the conference will be extra-special for me because I'll be spending some time with my editor.

If you're attending the conference, please look for me! It's always great to be able to meet cyber-friends in person and finally put faces to names.

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Sometimes, You Just Know

Next weekend, on April 12 and 13, I’ll be in the St. Louis area. I’m going to be a MSketeer, participate in a walk-a-thon, and be part of a multi-author booksigning.

Here’s how it came to be. One of my critique partners is Heather Webber. She’s good friends with Laura Bradford. Over the years, Laura and I have become fans of each other’s books. Fan mail became email, which became, oh, I don’t know...cyber-friendship. Well, about a year ago, Laura was diagnosed with MS~ multiple sclerosis.

Laura’s a brave girl. She’s warm and funny, an incredibly hard worker, and a mother of two. She's also just the type of person to take what many would view as a very difficult situation and turn it into something positive. See, Laura decided to get a group of writers and friends to form a group and walk. She asked Heather. Heather asked me, and I said yes! So did a bunch of other writers!

Readers on her Good Girls Kill For Money blog (did I mention she writes mysteries?!) came up with our group name…the MSKeteers. That’s how I became one. And Laura-being Laura-decided to give us writers a little perk and is putting on a book signing at Borders on Saturday the 12th.

The best part of the weekend? I’m going to finally get to meet Laura face to face.

I bet we all have stories of friends of friends becoming friends of our own. Sometimes…you just know when a new, lasting friendship is about to happen. That's me and Laura.

So, next weekend, think of me. I’ll be the gal with the red acrylic nails and sore feet, walking proudly in my Team MSKeteer t-shirt.

I’m looking forward to the trip for a lot of reasons…but mainly because I want to help out Laura, my new friend who just happens to have MS.

Interested in learning more about the walk? Click on the site below.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/MSWalkEvents?pg=team&fr_id=8152&team_id=113626

Shelley

March winner!

The winner of the March drawing is ....... Estella. WTG, Estella!!

Please contact Judy Christenberry, Tanya Michaels, and Ann Roth (visit their websites- see sidebar- for email contact information) to get your free, autographed books.

And tell all your friends to comment on our blog. All participants are automatically registered for the next drawing.

April Unfool

Big news! In a couple of days – Thursday, to be exact – I’ll be celebrating my 29th birthday.

Okay, since I’ve been published for about 25 years, I guess you wouldn’t buy that. Remember, this is April Fool’s Day.

I’m actually turning 59. Just beyond hovers the specter of 60, but so what? I’ve been dyeing my hair for years, so I’m not turning gray. And 58 has been a good year. Here are the highlights:

--Our younger son graduated from high school and successfully completed his first semester at college (yay!).

--Our older son plans to graduate in May with both bachelors and masters degrees in computer science, and has accepted a terrific job starting in September – only an hour’s drive from us (double yay!).

--I wrote three books for Harlequin American, of which the first, The Family Next Door, comes out in May.

--We celebrated my mother’s 90th birthday in Nashville, Tennessee. She’s not only going strong, she’s better than over (Google the name Sylvia Hyman and see for yourself).

--I signed with a new (to me) agent, the talented Laura Bradford.

--My niece Jessy and her husband Frank had the first baby of the next generation in our family.

Do I wish I looked like I did twenty or thirty years ago? Sure. Would I want to repeat those years? Nope. Once was enough. Besides, life’s way too interesting right now.

Happy birthday to me, and to all of you April babies!

My NC trip

Over my spring break I got to leave the rainy and floody weather in St. Louis and fly to North Carolina. As part of my day job as adviser to an NSPA All-American yearbook (that means it's pretty good), I'm also the holder of the purse strings. This year it's bid time--we are seeking a three-year yearbook printing contract. So I've been touring yearbook plants among other things.

On my trip to Winston-Salem, I flew into Charlotte, and got a rental car. That was an experience in itself as first I went to the wrong counter (oops) and then at the correct one, the woman tried to put me first in a car I didn't want. I'd driven that model before and sworn never again. So then she tried to sell me a more expense one. Uh, no thanks, even though I wasn't paying rental, I was paying for gas. Finally I told her to downsize me, and she put me in a Chevy Cobalt. I was fine with that--I averaged 35 miles highway.

I spent the first night in Mooresville, meeting in the hotel lobby happy hour a whole bunch of Lowes project managers. These are the guys who are in charge of opening stores and reconfiguring stores. They live all over the country and this was their two-week corporate meeting. The next morning it was off to PIT: http://www.5off5on.com/welcome.html

I'm a NASCAR fan, but even I didn't know that you can actually attend school to learn how to be a pit crew member. PIT also does a lot of "think inside the box" workshops for business executives. They even put my book cover on the front page of their website.

I also got to go on a shop tour of Red Horse Racing. What impressed me the most was that the race shop owner himself stopped what he was doing and gave us a personal tour. That's me with one of David Starr's trucks above.

I also got to very briefly meet Jeff Hammond, champion crew chief, who is a partner in PIT. He's a very busy guy and extremely nice.

The day was fabulous. I can't thank them enough. The funniest part was at lunch--where everyone found it quite "interesting" that I'd never had hush puppies and didn't even know what they were. Being me, I in turn asked them if they'd ever had toasted ravioli or gooey butter cake--which are local to St. Louis. No one had Ah, see, those regional differences. Since everyone was so wonderful, I've had a bakery ship them a gooey butter cake; they'll get it next week.

And, if you are curious about gooey butter cake I sent them, you can go here: http://www.hollyberrybaking.com/

Happy end of the month!

Michele

People are People

Last night I attended a crafting circle, and I discovered that writers and artists share some very similar challenges. The whole "selling crafts" world is new to me, so I mostly keep my ears open when I'm around the artists and try to absorb their collective expertise.

But here's what struck me last night: Selling art is every bit as challenging as selling books, and the same sorts of characters inhabit the art world as the writing world.

1. Every artist's product is unique, just like every writer's book is unique. It's not like selling Mary Kay or Tupperware, where years of experience and research have led to THE ONE WAY to sell the product. Every artist's path is different and what works for one artist might not work for another. This is also true of writers. I may love a certain agent or publisher, but my friend may have a miserable experience with these same people.

2. When artists get together, they all complain about how they can't make enough money, and brainstorm ways to attract more buyers. They brainstorm promotional ideas, they do link exchanges, they do paper giveaways (much like the bookmarks writers are so fond of giving away). They use the same cheap printers that writers do!

3. The art world is peopled with some standard characters--the ones who suffer for their art and never expect to make any money because that's crass; the ones who do it as a sideline but dream of someday making enough money that they can quit their day job and stay home all day doing art; the professionals, who actually do make a living as artists. These are rare, probably even more rare than self-supporting writers.

4. They complain about bad advertising. Whereas writers often are appalled by the grammar or spelling in an ad, the artists complain about the typography. ("He used Comic Sans for the whole ad, can you believe it?")

5. Artists are supportive and nurturing. As the newbie in this group, I feel completely welcomed. Everyone is free with their advice and resources. I've always found romance writers to be the same way.

6. And finally, artists like to eat and drink when they get together. Yes, we all want to work on a project as we network, but first things first--the gumbo and cheap wine! (That's what our host served last night.) With writers it seems to be chocolate and fancy martinis, but I imagine there's some cross-over.

I guess people are people, whatever their avocation. (Although I don't imagine gatherings of doctors, lawyers or engineers would bear much resemblance to gatherings of writers or artists. For one thing, doctors dress better.)

***

Writing news: I recently received the cover for my June book, which, if I did everything right, is posted here. I love the bright colors!

Thanks for spending this time with me,
Kara

The Conspiracy to Freak Out Tanya (or, gee thanks Trish!!!)

I posted not too long ago on a group blog that I've been watching DVD eps of Supernatural. Fellow HAR author Trish Milburn got me hooked even though she knows darn well what a wuss I am. I caught part of an episode on TV once and decided that perhaps the show was too scary for me, but Trish insisted I'd like the byplay between the brothers. She was of course right--the brothers alternately bring tears to my eyes and make me laugh out loud when they're harrassing each other. Sibling interactions are one of my favorite things to write, which is why a family/community oriented line like HAR is just perfect for me!

Anyway, I'm now working on a Supernatural essay for BenBella Smart Pop that requires me rewatching certain episodes, including a few that freaked me out the first time. So, last time I blogged about this conspiracy to keep me awake for the next ten years, I mentioned that my daughter came to complain that there was "something in her closet" the same night that an episode started with a little girl--you guessed it--telling her mom there was something in the closet (which, of course there, was).

Well, it's gotten worse. I don't watch anything scary until after my kids are asleep in their rooms, but it's like my daughter has a sixth sense (pun not intended) that I'm awake watching paranormal stuff late at night. Her most recent complaints were that there was something under her floor and that her bed was moving!(Creepy, but at least she doesn't claim to be seeing clowns. Once that happens, we sell the house).

The topper, however, was the other night, when one of the March storms blew through...and we lost power right in the middle of a 'sode!!!

It's not weird to sleep with a teddy bear and night light at 33 is it? Just, um, hypothetically...

Moving/real estate angst

Hi guys,
We're in the middle of real estate angst - buying, selling, new construction, resale, staging, yada, yada, yada. Did you hear my primal scream? In the fall we decided it was time to move back to the East Coast to be closer to our kids and grandkids, and that was the beginning of our odyssey. In early March we made a marathon trip that included 3 states (MD, VA and NC), 8 communities (Easton, MD, Columbia, MD, Fredericksburg, VA, Virginia Beach, VA, Chapel Hill, NC, Pinehurst, NC, Raleigh, NC and Williamsburg, VA), and heaven only knows how many houses. That reconnaissance trip was to help us decide exactly where we wanted to go. And the winner was Williamsburg. All we have to do is get the puzzle pieces to fit. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Now we're in the selling phase. Yikes! Talk about painful. We've interviewed 5 realtors. Yeah, I know - major overkill. But a couple of those were friends or friends of friends - you get the drift. Once we decide on the realtor, the listing/showing fun really begins. Whew, I'm already tired. And I have a May deadline. Guess who isn't even halfway finished. If someone should walk in and want the house ASAP I'm in big trouble. But considering the market, I think that's highly unlikely.

So wish me luck - I'm afraid I'm going to need it.

Ann DeFee

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

Spring has sprung

Spring has arrived here in the Pacific Northwest. I actually live in Canada, so I’m even a little further north than the Pacific Northwest. Most people—me included!—associate Canada with long, cold winters but here on the west coast, spring arrives early.

Last weekend my husband mowed the lawn for the first time this year, and this weekend he swept off the patio and set up the patio furniture. Other signs of spring are everywhere, from gardens to duck ponds. Ornamental fruit trees are in full bloom, there are daffodils everywhere, and ducklings will soon be paddling around our ponds.

I’ve lived on the Canadian prairies and I know a thing or two about winter, so I especially savor an early spring. Still, this year we’re worried about family and friends who live in places that still have severe winter weather conditions and the threat of floods and tornadoes. If we could send a little springtime your way, you can be sure we would.

We’ve had a grey Easter weekend and I'm one of the world's worst photographers, but I thought I'd post these pictures anyway. No matter what your weather was like, I hope you had a wonderful Easter!

Lee
Lee's website
Lee's blog

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday. My husband and I are at our cabin in Young, Arizona, this weekend. My phone reception is minimal so this is going to be a very brief post and my fingers are crossed that it comes through :-)

For any who's read His Only Wife and The Family Plan, my first two Americans, they are set in the town of Blue Ridge which is based on Young (Blue Ridge is a little bigger and has better phone lines). We got a letter in the mail recently that the town is putting in new phone lines during the next six months, and we'll have high speed internet. Part of me is glad - this dial up is a pain - and part of me is distressed. My lovely small town is growing bigger by leaps and bounds.

I think the turkey is finally done, it sure smells good, so I'm going to sign off. We're heading out early in the morning and I still have a few pages to edit. Happy Easter to all.

Warmest wishes,

Cathy McDavid

Happy Easter, Happy Spring

I'm sorry I'm just getting online to blog tonight. My wireless network apparently had a meltdown while I was gone this morning and I finally convinced it to cooperate. I just wanted to take a few minutes to wish everyone a very happy Easter weekend. Family, friends and community are so important at this time of renewal, and I hope that you have every opportunity to enjoy those you hold dear.

My thoughts are also with those affected by the flooding and the continued bad weather in the north. In Texas, we got a lot of rain, but nothing like the midsection of the country is experiencing. In 1992, my daughter and I went to the RWA conference in St. Louis and watched the phenomenal flood from our hotel room window and the foot of the Arch. I'll never forget the sight, and I hope it doesn't get that bad again.

My best wishes for a happy Easter weekend, a pleasant first weekend of spring, wherever you are and whatever the weather.

Dave and Church and Cell Phone Services

So, there we were, standing in our pew last night for Maundy Thursday services, listening to the pastor, when well, my son’s cell phone started singing. Yep, instead of having an annoying ringtone like mine, Dave Matthews sings a few bars every time Arthur gets a text.

I should probably back up a little bit and give y’all some background information. First, to my family’s dismay, I’m a front-of-the-church gal. If we sit in one of the back pews, I find myself looking around becoming distracted, so we almost always sit front and center in the third row. Also, I have never been especially nice to people who don’t turn off their cell phones in church, movies, theaters, you name it.

My kids know this. My son was ‘sure’ he’d turned off his phone. I can’t remember a time he hasn’t turned off his phone. Well, except for last night. But there it went-Right when the whole congregation was standing, respectful and silent. Right in the middle of communion.

Oops.

In a flash I went from concentrating on the service to worrying about what to do. Yep, within seconds I went straight into Mom Mode. The church was quiet. Our pastor began to speak. Dave Mathews had just made an appearance. I was not happy.

As soon as the choir began to sing, I whispered, “Turn. That. Phone. Off.” I wasn’t sweet about it, either. Has anyone else perfected that perfect Mom Order…used only in dire emergencies…the kind that your kids know NEVER to disobey? That was me last night.

My son swallowed. As the organ played, he whispered right back. “I can’t, Mom. If I turn it off the music will go off again.”

Oops!

Right as the choir sings the last chorus, off goes ‘Crash’ again. With one hand in his pocket, Art opens and shuts his phone. Dave Matthews stops. My daughter starts giggling. My son, who hasn’t blushed since he was well, 8, is beet red.

People are giving me that look. That same look that I usually give to people who can’t settle down. I’m now red, too. Talk about bad timing! This is terrible!

As the whole room drifted back to silent as our Pastor spoke again. I realize Yikes! We’re stuck! I can’t tell my son to leave. Nobody can leave! Now all I’m thinking about is ‘please no one text my kid during the next two minutes.’

Right as another prayer starts, Art somehow manages to pop out the battery with one hand. Hooray! The phone situation is finally taken care off. But, by now we’re all sweaty. Yes, my 16 year old’s problem has now become my problem. The stress of doing exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time has gotten to me.

Finally we get to sit down and the service continues. But the whole situation has taken a life of its own. Every so often, my kids and I whisper. The one thing we all agree on was that it was good my husband was out of town. “Dad would have been so mad,” my son says. “Dad would have taken that phone,” my daughter proclaimed. I know they’re both right. So I made an executive decision. “We just won’t tell him about it.”

The church service ends. Everyone around us is teasing us, teasing my son. Now that the panic is over, I’m thinking the ‘cell phone service’ was a good thing to happen. So often, I forget that accidents happen, and sometimes things just don’t go as planned. Either I can be upset and worry, or settle down and just go with the flow. This was one of those times.

After the service, the three of us walk out to the parking lot. We’re relieved. We still can’t believe Dave managed to sing right at the absolute worst time. Talk about an intense church service!

Then, my son starts laughing. “I just found out who texted me. It was Dad. He was wondering what I was doing. When I didn’t answer, he kept trying. You know how you and Dad get when we don’t answer our phones.”

I know. I also know how mad I get when they don’t turn off phones at church. Now I also remember that sometimes accidents happen, but it’s okay. I still got my teenagers to go with me to church on a Thursday night. We still managed to laugh about an embarrassing situation.

And, well, now we have a good story. Something fun to share in a...blog. I’ll take that!

Happy Easter!
Shelley

Congratulatons!

Congrats to Megan Kelly whose Marrying the Boss (Harlequin American) received a 4 star review from RT! Megan's very first book debuts next month!

A Quick Note

I spent today (March 20) driving from Winston-Salem to Charlotte (NC) and then catching a 5:20 PM flight home to St. Louis. I'm high and dry, but the flooding is very close to where I live, about 15 minutes away.

So sorry for no fancy post, and a late one at that, but I've been visiting my mom and watching the news and trying to catch up.

I do want to wish everyone a wonderful Easter weekend!

Michele

What my GPS has taught me

Recently, my husband bought me a GPS. As a directionally challenged person, I appreciate this amazing tool. My GPS is female and talks in such a sweet voice. Very polite and genteel... Unless I fail to follow her directions.

“Recalculating,” she states in a slightly less pleasant tone. If I still ignore her, she becomes terse. By the third or fourth time she sounds both angry and... slightly drunk. It’s funny to me, but not to her. ☺ I have angered her several times..

The secret is to learn to trust her. It’s taken months, but I finally listen to her. She’s taken me to places using routes I’d never have thought of, avoiding traffic and getting me there much faster than normal. I’ve grown to like her very much.

But if I know where I’m going and want to do things my way, I turn her off. That makes us both very happy. ☺

What does all this talk about a GPS have to do with writing? you may ask. There are writers out there who know more than I do, or who know a different route to reaching a goal. Listening to them could get me there faster or help me become a better writer—something every writer wants.

On the other hand, trusting your gut instinct, that voice within that says, “Yes, that’s a good suggestion, something I’ll use,” or “No, I’m not going to do that” is equally important. Learning how to combine the two—that’s the trick.


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

The Changing of the Seasons

After reading through the most recent posts here, I see a trend. Yes, the seasons are changing, once again. What a relief to hear rain hitting the roof and windows and not having to worry about driving on ice or snow the next day! Not that we won't be blessed here in Kansas with either of those one more time before Spring really does, well, spring. It happens, but it seems more like a reminder from Mother Nature that she has the upper-hand, not us mere mortals.

Spring cleaning was on my list, along with a dozen other chores that have waited since before Winter began, but those will be put on the back burner for several months. Writing will take the place of the mundane. With two books to write before October and the rest of what life throws my way, I may even miss all the new episodes of my favorite TV shows, now that the writers' strike has finally ended. I won't complain though. What could be better than listening to characters tell me their story? But discplining myself to BIC-HOK, after several months of taking it easy on the writing front, means taking stock of all there is to do with family and friends, and then making sure the time that's needed is set aside for all. What's BIC-HOK? It's an old CataRomance phrase that means "Butt In Chair, Hands on Keyboard". That's where I'll be for the next six months, living the ups and downs of characters born in my mind and growing into stories I hope readers will love as much as I love writing them. And it gets me out of Spring Cleaning! :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone, and may Spring bring new blessings to you and yours!

Spring Cleaning Treasures

The other day we had mild temps (low 50's), lots of sunshine and I caught the spring-cleaning itch. I promised myself I would re-organize family photo albums, scrapbooks and cookbooks that had been tossed every which way inside the basement storage cabinets. I came across a tiny little book that had belonged to my great-grandmother called West Bend Cook Book, copyright 1915.

The opening paragraph: If I were asked the greatest need of the American housewife of to-day, I should answer without hesitation, "A wiser and more complete training for services in the home."

The back of the book contains a section of "Helps To Young Housekeepers". After reading through the book I wondered how many of the recipes my great-grandmother had used. The book is worn and there are old food stains on some of the pages. Following are a few tips I found interesting--not that I've ever used them.

1) A piece of charcoal, tied in a muslin cloth, and put in the water in which cabbage, cauliflower, onions or ham is boiling will remove the unpleasant odor.

2) To remove skins from tomatoes, peaches or plums, dip them in boiling water a minute or two.

3) Boil a few onions, sliced, in a pint of new milk, with a sprinkle of oatmeal and a very little salt, until quite tender; then sip rapidly and go to bed. Excellent for colds.

4) Cure for Hiccoughs: swallow one teaspoon pulverized sugar without water

5) Diet for the sick: In serving a meal to an invalid, one cannot be too fastidious: too large a portion, a suspicion of grease on the broth, will often spoil the appetite. The linen, glass, dishes etc., should be the best in the house; a tiny flower laid on the folded napkin will do much to render the meal pleasant.

6) Coffee: one and one-half quarts boiling water, one-quarter pound best coffee, one egg. Break the egg into the coffee and stir until it is entirely absorbed, then put into the boiling water and let boil three minutes. Strain through flannel and serve.

What treasures have you come across during spring cleaning?

Marin
In a Soldier's Arms Feb 08
A Coal Miner's Wife Aug 08
The Cowboy and the Angel Nov 08
www.marinthomas.com

Ah, the glamorous life

Everybody knows how romance writers live: daily bubble baths with champagne on a tray, boxes of miraculously calorie-free chocolates, and gorgeous guys in tuxedoes awaiting our emergence (speaking of gorgeous, has anyone seen that incredible hunk on New Amsterdam? But I digress…)

Let me tell you what it’s really like.

On a recent day, after spending the morning working on a book, I set out for the dreaded California ritual of getting the car tuned and then having it smog-checked. Since I drive a car that predates 1995 – a 1993 Honda, to be exact -- it has to undergo extra testing, at extra cost. This, even though I work at home and drive a grand total of four thousand miles per year.

Okay, that part made me grumpy. But then I returned to find a box of books from Harlequin. It contained my May release, The Family Next Door, the first of my Harmony Circle trilogy. What’s especially fun is that, since the heroine’s a teacher, I’d dedicated it to my younger son’s biology teacher, who went out of her way to encourage him and write him college recommendations.

So I composed a note, packaged the book and got it ready to mail, along with copies for half a dozen Web sites that regularly review my books.

No sooner had I finished when a thud! on the front porch announced the arrival of my weekly teaching packet from the Long Ridge Writers Group (www.longridgewritersgroup.com), where I teach a distance-learning course. Half a dozen students had completed their writing assignments, so of course I wanted to start reading and commenting on those.

But first I figured I’d better check my e-mail. There I found an invitation to write an article for a new Web site that Romance Writers of America is posting for its published authors network. That’s quite an honor, and I was happy to agree. Ideas began running through my head…

Wait! Another e-mail! A friend reminded me that I’d volunteered to speak to a writing class she teaches. So of course I wanted to respond, picking a date and letting her know what topic I’d be covering.

Time to fix a cup of coffee and get back to work. Except … we ran out of milk, and I can’t drink coffee without it. We were also low on my favorite caramel-flavored frozen yogurt. Got to have that calcium, right? So I made a little trip to the supermarket.

It was close to five, which meant I had to prepare a casserole for dinner. Just throw a few items into the baking dish … You guessed it. An hour later, I was still downstairs, fixing the salad.

Never did get around to the bubble bath. But after dinner, my husband -- still handsome after nearly thirty years together -- rubbed my back while we watched a taped episode of New Amsterdam.

What more could a romance writer ask for?

Spring Has Sprung!!!

Happy Spring Break!! It's funny, but now that I'm back on an official "school schedule", Spring Break has regained its magical status. My students have been super hyper all week, but then I have, too, so I guess we've been great company! LOL!! (This month's pic is of Daughter and her cheer squad at Disney, but the looks on their faces is pretty much what I've faced all week!!)

Now that the big event is finally here, I've got such plans. I'd like to organize every room in the house, weed the gardens, trim all of the bushes, and finally clear the last of the ice storm remnants. I'd like to paint Son #1's room, and finish painting the downstairs hall and my office. I'd like to get my toenails painted, and do lunch with friends I haven't seen in forever. I'd like to finally sew the slipcovers for the holey sofa, and get the brakes on my car fixed and my laptop fixed and the hall bathroom leaky toilet fixed and the broken master bath outlets and--whew. I'm exhausted just thinking about all that needs to get done!!!

Alas, knowing me, I'll be lucky to get one closet cleaned out, let alone all of them!!! And I'm thinking maybe weeding the whole garden seems a bit ambitious. How about just sweeping the front porch and switching my decorator flag from Autumn to Spring?

Let me know if any of you have fabulously exotic Spring Break plans! While you're lounging on a beach or schussing slopes, think of me here . . . cleaning, cleaning, and er--all right, you got me. What I'll really be doing is lounging in the sun, losing myself and my chore list in the pages of a good book!!!

Spring Break

As of this belated post, I am on spring break. You'd think after having five snow days since January I wouldn't need a break, but believe me, I do. While I'm not looking forward to the eight straight five-day workweeks that start March 24 (no break again until Memorial Day), I'm still ready for a week off. My students put to rest the March issue of the school newspaper--which features 4-5 stories on drugs. It's powerful, but with any sensitive topic, I'm going to be nervous as I wait for the reader feedback.

As for me personally, I won't get to sleep in until Sunday. That's my first do nothing, set no alarm day. Monday I have to be up to go tour a yearbook plant. Tuesday I take my mom to the doctor and then fly to Charlotte, NC, to tour another yearbook plant. I come home Thursday night--and my kids come back from visiting their father on Friday. Then it's Easter...

I'm also halfway through my American revisions, and so I have to finish those. I also have to overseed my yard (no fun feat as the grass portion is about 1 acres and I go out there with the push spreader), and I also have to work out--something I haven't gotten around to lately and my stomach is proof. I'm hitting the gym at 7 AM tomorrow morning.

I've discovered time is most precious commodity and that I do like Easter being in April. On the happy note, the candy will all be gone (as are the girl scout cookies) a month early.

And before I forget, may you have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

Michele

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.