Release Day Rituals

Recently on a different blog, a debut author asked what she should do on the day her book went on sale. I figured someone would say do a booksigning or go on a blog tour. Other authors suggested the typical answers: celebrate with chocolate, wine, and/or champagne. Go out to dinner. Buy herself jewelry. My answer is always the same: go write on your next project. It affirms you're a writer, no matter the sales or reviews.

I wasn't sure if I have a ritual for celebrating the day, although chocolate is always on the menu for good times. (Or bad times or indifferent times...) Going out to dinner is one of my favorite things, but we do that on the day I sell a book and/or the day my first advance payment comes in. (Or, as my husband claims, any Wednesday. Or Friday. Or...well, you get the point.)

So I paid attention yesterday when Stand-In Mom hit the stands. I spent the morning reading in bed--a sure indulgence and definitely not a ritual. Then I did laundry. Changed the sheets on our bed. I lead a wild life, I know, lol. When I posted it on FaceBook, Harlequin author Shirley Jump replied that she was doing the same thing to "celebrate" the release of The Princess Test. Another author suggested chocolate, so I ate chocolate Oreos. I looked into a few blog posts I'm doing later in the month. I checked out the reviews--okay, I know reviews don't mean anything (and only the glowing reviews are true, right?), but I can't help being curious. Not only were the reviews uplifting, but I received an email yesterday regarding a review of my May book, The Marriage Solution! I hadn't expected that. So of course, I updated my website.

I was waiting for my new bookmarks to arrive so I could take them to the bookstore where I'm signing on Friday. They came after the store closed, so that's on the list for today. My plan to actually see the books on the shelf (my only real ritual) was delayed. I watched the Cardinals play (and win), which is a bonus, as it isn't always a baseball night on book release day. We ate leftovers, so I didn't have to cook, which is almost as good as going out. And I did find dessert in the fridge from going out last week, and I shared it with my husband.

Now I'm preparing for next time. Do you have any suggestions or any rituals I can adopt?

Megan Kelly
www.megankellybooks.com

Contest of Interest

Our own Laura Barth, assistant editor, is the finalist judge at the Gateway to the Best contest. It closes Sept 9th. Here's what she's interested in and how to enter.

***Permission to forward granted and appreciated.*

Gateway to the Best has a Series Contemporary Category. And as of right now, we are very low in entries for this category.

The final judge for Gateway's Series Contemporary Category, Laura Barth, Assistant Editor/Editorial Assistant for Blaze and American Romance at Harlequin had this to say about what gets her excited in a submission:

For me, the most important elements when considering a contemporary series submission are fit, voice, characterization, conflict and freshness.
The first thing I look at is whether or not a new submission fits the line to which it’s targeted. Does the plot work with our editorial guidelines? Are the hero and heroine within the right age range? Is the setting appropriate? What role do secondary characters play, if any? Is the novel the right length?
If the submission is a good fit, I look at the author’s voice and writing style. The prose should be smooth, clear and natural. The tone should be right for the story and the author should engage the reader without intruding into the story.
Characterization is also very important. The hero and heroine must ultimately be likeable and believable. I want to see a heroine who’s strong enough to stand on her own, but vulnerable and human enough to make me care about her plight. I want to see a hero who’s masculine, but self-aware and mature enough to show compassion and concern for others.
A good romance cannot be compelling without conflict, and this conflict should be organic—it should not be based on misunderstandings and coincidences. For home and family lines, especially, there needs to be true internal conflict, not just external conflict.
Finally, it can be difficult, to say the least, to come up with a totally new idea for a romance novel and still have it fit within the parameters of your targeted line. But your approach still needs to be fresh. And hopefully your story will at least have a new twist, something that makes it stand out from the crowd.


Act now! Entries for Gateway to the Best are open until Sept 9th. No extensions.

For more information, go to: http://www.morwa.org/gateway.htm

Megan Kelly
Stand-In Mom, Sept 2011

AUGUST WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Linda S! You’re the August winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Cathy McDavid and Shelley Galloway through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS.

Every Book a Challenge

One of the joys of writing books under contract is finishing one on deadline and sending it in. Somehow, miraculously, the plot threads have tied together, the hero and heroine worked out their issues—but not until the conclusion—and the author can collapse on the sofa with a well-earned dish of ice cream (my indulgence of choice).

There she will lie until the editor asks for revisions. Oh, wait. There’s another book on the contract? And it’s due when?

People ask me if writing books gets easier when you’ve sold ninety of them. My reply is that, as with ballet, it becomes not easy but possible.

Exposition or back story continues to be a challenge, especially with a continuing series such as my current Safe Harbor Medical. Book six, The Surgeon’s Surprise Twins, comes out in October and last month I started writing book nine. (Book seven, The Detective’s Accidental Baby, is due in February 2012, and book eight, The Baby Dilemma, in April.)

The trick to making each book fresh is to write as if this were a single book, standing on its own. I try to include only as much background and only as many characters as the reader needs. Learning to handle this is one of the skills I’ve acquired in nearly thirty years of published writing.

This brings me to a promise I made here last month, to show you a cover I designed using my fledgling knowledge of Photoshop. I turned my years of writing and teaching experience into a short book (roughly 80 pages if it were published in print) called How to Write a Novel in One (Not-so-easy) Lesson. I posted it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble for $2.99, and designed the cover myself. My husband took the photo.

Lest you think I simply paused in front of my bookcase one day, this is not my usual bookcase, which has a mirrored back incompatible with photography. I had to haul all ninety books and umpteen zillion foreign editions upstairs, strip a wooden bookcase of its assorted books, and set this up. Then I had to put everything back. Ouch.

So here’s my self-made cover to go with my self-made book. Meanwhile, it’s back to my favorite medical center’s fertility program, where everyone is guaranteed a happy ending (don’t we wish!).

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Sly and the Family Stone sang about it in 1969, but “fun” isn’t the appropriate word for this year’s summertime in the Midwest, Mid-South and eastward.  This is the year that spending a vacation on the West Coast would be cool.  And I do mean cool.

Where I live, smack in the middle of the country, we had our hottest days in July, breaking records right and left.  The day after a record breaking official 111 degrees, my AC went out.  It was repaired the next afternoon and we thought we’d never get cool again.  Ten days later, it quit again, and the temp in the house made it to 98 degrees.  It was all anyone talked about for weeks.  And as you can see, we still are!

I shouldn’t complain.  I spent twenty-four years in a farmhouse with no AC.  My oldest was born in what was the hottest summer on record—1980—until that record was broken this summer.  We set several records this year, beating the ones that were set back then.  It was the hottest July we’ve ever had, with twenty-four 100+ degree days.  There have been thirty-six 100+ degree days this year thru July 31.  I live a few miles from the Air Force Base, and the temperature there one day was 114, although not official for the U.S. Weather Service.

It has finally cooled off, at least for a few days.  Today was 91 with a heat index of 98, thanks to 50+% humidity.  Tomorrow will see triple digits again, or at least that's the rumor.

Those in Texas have had it even worse, with no rain since May and drought conditions only getting worse.  I’ve heard there’s been a little rain in some areas.  Linda Warren, I hope you’ve gotten some of it!

We’re expecting a few more 100 degree days here before this is all over.  School started today, and I’m thankful that most schools are air conditioned.  Trying to stay awake in a hot school building can be a struggle, even for the younger set.

If your summer has been hot, hot, hot, relief is on the way…in a few weeks.  And if you’ve been one of the lucky ones with cooler weather, your turn will come, sometime in the future, I’m sure. ☺

New and improved...or is it?

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

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


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


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


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

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

I was crushed. LOL

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


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Stress

Everyone has stress, no doubt. One person’s is a little different than the next, but we all have it at times. And we all deal with it differently. I have a young friend who shuts down when things get on top of her. She just doesn’t deal with any of it. A boss I had years ago said she methodically dealt with it. She’d pick up something off her desk or open an email and wouldn’t move on until she’d successfully dealt with that one thing. Then she’d go on to the next until she was done. In her mind it was a waste of time to keep opening the same thing numerous times. Just deal was her approach when things were too much. My mother gets snippy and angry. Snaps at anyone about anything and if you try to help her, you’re the one who gets snapped at the loudest. I admit, I learned a bit of that technique growing up, but I’ve tried hard to break it.

When I have a bad time like this summer when it seems that one thing after another goes wrong, I feel out of control. Being somewhat of a control freak, that does not work for me. Often I can’t control the things that are really stressing me out, but I can control a few others. When my grandmother died years ago, I cleaned my house, my car, my mom’s house and her car. And I don’t mean surface cleaned, I mean, deep down get the cobwebs out of the corners clean. Later in years when my boys were teens, my house was always full of kids and chaos. Whatever I organized, just as quickly got disorganized. When I got stressed, I had the cleanest, best organized underwear drawer in the country. It was the only thing in the house that nobody but me touched. But hey, I was totally in control and it helped.

After putting in some extremely long hours at work this week, I was exhausted when I got off Friday night. But did I relax and maybe turn in early? No! I started cleaning. I vacuumed the bugs and spider webs out of the windows, washed the inside of all the windows and shutters, cleaned out a closet, cleaned and polished the kitchen counters, cleaned baseboards, even scrubbed the shower down.

I’m exhausted and my back hurts, but feeling a little less stressed. Since I fully realize that stress is just something we all have to deal with, I’d love some suggestions that maybe are a little less strenuous. Any thoughts?

Stuck on the sofa instead of my big green chair!!

In the hospital, my toes were the only thing looking good!!

Where to start . . .  Right after returning from NYC, I finally went to the doctor about a nagging stomachache that'd been dogging me for a few weeks.  My doctor ordered a gazillion tests, most of which came back fine.  Meanwhile, my formerly nagging tummy was now screaming!!  Weeks and more tests passed and I had surprise gallstone surgery.  I was actually pretty pleased about this, as now that I finally knew what was wrong, I could finally get back to living instead of frowning on the couch!!  The surgery was a great success and soon I was back on my couch, only with the promise that in a matter of days I'd be mostly back to normal.  Hubby was a fantastic nurse and my dogs even managed to stay off the worst of my ouchies!! 

Fast forward a week and I'm off pain meds and guess what's back?  My original stomachache!!  Screaming louder than ever!!  Grrr.  Meanwhile, Hubby landed an amazing new job, which is great, but the downside is a transition in health insurance.  Do we even have it?  Once we got documentation proving we're insured, back to the doctor I went, and next week I'm all set up for a flurry of new tests with a new specialist.  Yay!!

Daisy pouting when I wouldn't let her sleep on my tummy!

Until then, I'm still on the sofa instead of my big green chair.  Seeing friends for a few hours at a baby shower yesterday reminded me how much I'm missing my usual life.  Being upright for three hours might as well have been running a marathon.  I went straight home to sleep.  So far, the only good thing to come of all this is losing a few pounds, but as a diet expert, I know there are far easier ways to diet!!  LOL!!

Have any of you had a mystery illness?  If so, if you don't mind my asking, did it ever get fixed?  I could really use a happy ending about now!!

TEXAS IN CRISIS

I’ve lived in Texas all my life and we’re in the worst drought I’ve seen in my lifetime. The other day the headline in the newspaper read: Texas is on fire, which is partly true. There have been wildfires everywhere due to the severe drought. A few weeks ago one was about fifteen miles from our house. Too close for my peace of mind.

Now we have these insane high temperatures that are unbearable. It was 107 degrees yesterday (Thursday) and I think today was the same. When I go outside it feels like I’ve stepped into an oven. If you live in Texas, you know what I’m talking about. And the temperature keeps rising. Lakes and ponds are drying up and the rivers are low. Fish and wildlife are dying. If we don’t get rain soon, I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Well, I do. In our city they’re talking about limiting water usages and I heard on the news last night that if we keep having the high temperatures, rolling blackouts will start. Not looking forward to that.

Since the lakes and ponds are evaporating in the intense heat, it’s revealing things hidden beneath the water. We live on a lake and now all these stumps are showing which used to be hidden under water. Only the taller dead trees were showing. We never knew all that was under the water. And in an east Texas lake that is low they discovered a part of the space shuttle Columbia that exploded.

I’m going on the theory that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So I decided to channel all this frustration into a book. I can write about the heat and the fires realistically. I think. It may not be much fun though, but it will create a lot of conflict and angst.

How’s the weather in your area? Please tell me it’s raining somewhere.

Linda
http://www.lindawarren.net/
The Texan’s Secret – Aug ‘11

Garden Woes

I do not have a green thumb. That's why I'm thrilled my daughter and husband wanted to grow some veggies this summer. We planted late, due to the tornadoes and endless downpours. While they dug and seeded the ground, I tried one of those upside down hanging tomato planters. I bought a nice healthy plant, the more expensive soil, and fertilizer as the instructions suggested. My DH agreed to let me hang it on the birdfeeder pole, which he had to reinforce so it wouldn't fall over. But it started to bend anyway. eeks So I bought a special hook for the back fence, which put the plant in the sun all day. Then the weather turned deadly hot--in the high 90s for a week (which turned into high 90s most of summer--except when we hit the low 100s), and it had to be watered twice a day (although, I admit, my daughter did it 98% of the time). In three days it was paper dry and shriveled anyway.

I have a grape tomato plant in a bucket on my porch. I call him Gilbert. (It's okay if you don't think that's funny, but it makes me laugh.) He's been cossetted like an only child--watered twice daily, talked to, moved around to protect him from getting too hot. He had some pretty yellow flowers which turned into lovely nuggets.

My husband's tomatoes and lettuce fared better, although we haven't picked many tomatoes yet. One Roma, two grape. :( But the lettuce was delicious. He served it wilted (which I find amusing), but it was terrific.

Squirrels and chipmunks are enjoying my daughter's plantings. The baby bunny is plump now with a beautiful coat. I haven't seen a zucchini yet, nor a squash, but my daughter's been shooing out the critters. We have had green beans at least, which start as pretty purple flowers.

A new visitor arrived last week, this praying mantis. He's (well, I don't know if it's a boy) cute and harmless, so we left him alone. I hope he eats bugs and scares away the bigger critters, but I'm not holding out much hope for that last bit. (I don't begrudge the animals their meals, but they could have left me one of Gilbert's tomatoes.)

This is why we rely on the farmers and their local produce. Last week, we went to Wisconsin and had amazing fresh corn off a stand that was replenished from the field several times a day. Funnily enough, the white peaches everyone raved over were from southern Illinois, not far from St. Louis. I made sure to find some when I returned--they're sweet as candy.

So although our small garden is suffering, we're blessed with the farmers in the nation who keep food on our table. Have you grown anything this year? Do you have any tips to share for next year's garden? I need all the help you can offer.

Megan Kelly
Stand-In Mom, Sept

JULY WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Barbara Scott! You’re the July winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Shelley Galloway, Leigh Duncan and Victoria Chancellor through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS.

New friends and a bit of humility

If you read my last post, you saw that I’m learning Photoshop to create covers for the Regency romances, mysteries and other
out-of-print novels I’m reissuing in digital format for e-book readers like Kindle and Nook.

I also announced that I’m running around taking pictures of flowers and beach scenes, seeing the world in a new light. My plan was and is
to use them for my covers.

Well, I’m learning a lot. Some of that includes how difficult it is to create exactly the right cover images. And how much work is
involved in fixing photos, moving images around, and so on.

Then a fellow author, Lex Valentine, turned me on to a
wonderful site called stock xchng (http://www.sxc.hu/).
Here, photographers and graphic artists from all over the world post images that you can download and use for free, with only a few reasonable restrictions (like no pornography).

I found some exquisite images that are perfect for my covers and better than anything I can create at this point. All I had to do was add the text with Photoshop and I was set to go.

In the process, I’ve “met” generous and talented photographers from Romania, Croatia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, New Zealand and several states in the U.S. What a small world this has truly
become. I feel privileged to be able to make these connections.

The cover I hope to post here (if I can figure out this Blogger software), for my Regency romance A Lady of Letters, uses a photographic image created by Michael Faes of Switzerland. He doesn’t list a
website, or I’d provide that so you could see more of his work.

Next month, I’m going to do my best to show you a cover I really did create from scratch (with a little help from my husband). But in the meantime, I hope you’ll go over to the Kindle store at Amazon.com and take a look some of my new Jacqueline Diamond covers such as Danger Music, The Eyes of a Stranger, Lady in Disguise, Song for a Lady, Shadowlight and The Forgetful Lady. Please let me know what you think!

Wild Hog Explosion

This month the second book in my Rodeo Rebels series for Harlequin American Romance hits store shelves. The Bull Rider's Secret takes place in Bandera, Texas. Known in the Hill Country as The Cowboy Capitol of the World, Bandera is a unique town with lots of western flavor and a tradition of welcoming the Biker community. I love adding a bit of reality to my stories and that's exactly what I did in The Bull Rider's Secret when my hero Brody enters the Wild Hog Explosion contest at Mansfield Park in Bandera, Texas.

This real life event features a wild hog catch. Teams of two enter a ring to try and catch a Texas wild hog and stuff it into a burlap sack. I haven't had the fortune to attend this event in person but one day I hope to return to Bandera to watch these crazy hog-catching people!




I found this description for the town on the web and I can attest to it being 100% TRUE—right down to the cold beers served in the local saloons!

In a rugged county filled with hills, rivers, and a sprawling lake, the small town of Bandera holds a really big place in the hearts of Texans. Located in the beloved Texas Hill Country less than an hour from San Antonio, Bandera reminds us of a different, more authentic, era, when a handshake was all the contract you needed, self-reliance was the norm, and chivalry was a given. There is a spirit of independence and individualism here that speaks of the cowboy tradition of hard work and hard play. Bandera embodies the cowboy in its strong rodeo tradition. Even today you'll often see horses tied to downtown hitching posts. At local honky-tonks, the music is lively, the dance floor is full, and the beverages are cold.






And the former Bandera County Jail



You can read an excerpt for The Bull Rider's Secret HERE!

Happy Trails!
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
Buy a Marin Thomas Book!

The Magic of Music

I have a new friend on Facebook from my high school days. He’s become my own personal DJ. Every evening he posts link after link to songs from our past. What he’s reminded me of is my eclectic taste in music. I love so many kinds. New Flash: I can’t carry a tune. If I were to sing in the shower, the glass walls would shatter, and not in a good way. The first time I went to church with my husband when we’d just started dating, he leaned over and whispered asking if I could lip sync. Grrr.

You couldn’t pay me enough to get up and sing in a karaoke bar, but I LOVE to listen to music.

Music changes my mood. If I’m having a down day, I start with music that fits my mood and gradually gravitate toward songs that are more upbeat. Almost always works to turn my mood around.

When I’m writing, I choose a couple songs that speak to my characters. At times a particularly well crafted lyric will even inspire a character of its own. Depending on the scene I’m working on, there are certain songs that fit, that help me stay in the mood of the scene.

When I was growing up, my dad always had music playing. He loved to dance and had a wonderful collection of the big band music from the WWII era. I know the lyrics to all the 50’s tunes. Classic rock, country. My oldest son is the same way. From time to time he and I will be on YouTube and we IM each other links to songs. He swears that he can’t clean house unless music is playing. The funny thing is that thanks to me, he cleans best to Neil Diamond or Barbara Streisand. Drives his wife nuts. But she gets help cleaning. Ha!

What kind of music do you enjoy?

My Top 10 Petty (and not so petty) Annoyances!!

I miss winter!!

It hasn't just been one of those days, but one of those weeks.  In that spirit, rather than bore you with details of how every single day has been chock full of ick, I figured why not compose a list of general annoyances and see how many of them bug you, too!!

10. Stomachaches

My stomach has hurt for a solid month!!!  I've tried every kind of antacid and potion, but nothing helps.  My mom keeps telling me to go to the doctor, but I know it's stress.  I'm worried about so much I'd need a Top 20 to even partially cover the angst in my life--and we lead a fairly calm life.  My heart goes out to any of you who have really horrible stresses!! 

9.  Magazines that Look Great in the Check-Out Lane, but Don't Really Say Anything

Petty, but annoying.  I LOVE all of Bravo's Housewives series, so when I saw a copy of In Touch with New Jersey housewife, Teresa, opening up about her husband going to prison for ten years, I was on auto-grab!!!  I HAD to know what was going on!!!  Alas, nothing was going on other than a possible lawsuit that hadn't yet happened and probably won't.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy she won't be without Joe for ten years, but I'm now without $2.99, because In Touch got a little too aggressive with their cover story. 

Another magazine gripe while I'm on a roll--the diets promising to lose ten pounds in a week!!!  LIES!!!!  (But I'm a dufous and fall for it every, stinkin' time!!)

8.  Cleaning the Bathrooms

We have three of these beasties in our house.  The master, the guest and the kids', which I haven't set foot in for three years!!!  Honestly, it's only been a couple weeks, but even that's too much!!  I trust the kids are tidy down there, but who really knows?  I try so hard to keep the rest nice, but why can't someone invent a cleaner that does everything?  I'm tired of needing separate cleaners for the toilet, shower, marble counters, laminate counters and mirrors.  I'm also tired of toothpaste spots on said mirrors.  Why does someone in my home feel the need to brush so aggressively that toothpaste explodes all over the mirror???  Warning--I WILL find you, and when I do, get ready to scrub!!!

7.  Fleas

I just adore this summer treat that seems to invade every May--NOT!!!  This May, I bathed all three dogs in Frontline only to still have fleas.  $70.00 more dollars and another month later, I repeated the drill.  Still we had fleas.  My mother lives in Arkansas and swears by a new flea product called Comfortis.  It's a miracle!!!!!!  I've tried getting it in Oklahoma, but our vet says it doesn't work.  I say, bull.  We will from now on be setting up an anti- flea pipeline to Arkansas. 

6.  Exercising

I could literally walk eight hours a day and gain weight.  We joined Gold's Gym and weigh more now than when we joined a year ago!!  I've tried Wii Fit, but hate that, too.  Now, if I could snorkel, scuba, hike-in-a- real-forest-that-isn't-a-hundred-miles-from-my-house or snow ski here in Oklahoma, then I'd be happy and skinny.  Until then, I will protest all forms of movement--especially in the heat of summer!!!
 
5.  Dieting

This should probably top my list, but I have so many other things bugging me right now, that this one doesn't seem so bad.  I loathe counting calories or points or carbs.  Hubby and I were just talking about when the kids return to school, we'd like to purge the house of anything naughty.  Lately, I've been using watermelon as my go-to treat.  It's good.  But then I have to pee a lot.  Which reminds me I need to clean the bathroom.  Which gets me grumpy all over again!! 
 
4.  The Yard

We live in the kind of neighborhood filled with mostly rich, retired people who have nothing better to do with their time or money than worship their yards.  They have grass people and flower people and tree people.  I have two, lazy teen boys and no money.  I offer to pay them and they say they make more at their real jobs.  I've tried being nice about it, but no more.  If the backyard isn't mowed by this weekend--for free--I'm turning off cell phones.  (Hubby and I pay for the front yard to be mowed by a nice man who actually does a lovely job.  If only he weeded flower beds and/or trimmed bushes and trees . . . )

3.  Kids who Don't Pay Their Bills

On the fridge, I keep a markerboard that has a running tab of how much The First National Bank of Mom and Dad is owed.  All three kids owe monthly for cell phones, car insurance and two owe for car payments.  Some months we get paid, some months, we don't.  I understand if something important comes up and they can't pay in full, but when two months go by with no payment, it makes me crazy.  Again, I'm thinking it's time to get ugly.

2.  Insurance

If added together--car, home, health, life--we pay WAY more for insurance per year, then we do for our mortgage!!!  Combine that with agents who don't return calls and bills and fees that make no sense and I'm losing my mind!!!  This could launch a whole new debate, but as a kid, I don't remember my parents even having medical insurance--let alone dental.  I was paying bills the other day and it dawned on me that a huge portion of our income is consumed by fees for technologies that didn't even exist when Hubby and I were kids.    

2A.  Thieves

This week we experienced bank fraud.  I'm pretty sure my bank is covering our losses, but not for a while.  I have the info available on my statement to track down these people in their California lair.  That said, why can't my bank find them?  Cuff them?  And put them in jail forever?
 
1.  Heat

I HATE excessive heat!!!!!  I'm a typically calm and rational, good-humored person.  Hit me with weeks and then months of temperatures over 100 and I feel crazed.  Our AC never stops running and I'm still hot.  What happens to folks who don't have AC or can't afford it?  In the winter, I can put on a coat to stay warm outside, but with this kind of weather, I feel so helpless.  Usually, this type of heat doesn't strike Tulsa until the end of July, but we've had HOT, HOT, HOT weather now since early June.  I water my porch plants at six AM and by noon, they're already drooping.  I'm ready to move.  NOW!!!  Only first, I'd need to mow and clean bathrooms and change insurance and I'm pretty sure even exercise, since I'd have to pack boxes.

Okay, whew . . .  That's pretty much it.  But if #1 dropped to eighty degrees, I'm guessing all of my other complaints would vanish!!!

All right, come on, people!!  Tell me what's bugging you!!!

Book Sightings

Last month, my post on this loop focused on the ways in which seeing your book on the shelf is a little like seeing your child off to their first day of school. It’s a scary time, a time when any mom wonders if their child will do well on their own. Well, I’m very happy to say that my “baby,” The Daddy Catch, is getting along well with all the other books on the book shelf. I think that’s due, in part at least, to the fun I’m having promoting it.

One of the most enjoyable ways I promote my books is by holding a book signing. I love meeting people who enjoy my books or, failing that, indulging in a little people watching. For The Daddy Catch, I’ve had a few book signings.


Starting with a signing at my favorite Barnes And Noble. Kaori Suzuki Fischer is the Community Relations Manager at this store and, since she just won RWA’s Steffie Walker Bookseller of the Year Award, a book signing in her store is always special.

That’s my dear friend and a wonderful author Lara Santiago on my left and another good friend, the amazing Rachel Hauck, on my right.



Next up was a book signing at a rather unusual location, a fly fishing shop in Titusville, Florida. Anyone who’s read The Daddy Catch will understand, though. The Fly Fisherman was the inspiration for the heroine’s fly shop in the story, so this book signing was a special treat for everyone involved. The owner of The Fly Fisherman, Gary Kokaisel, went out of his way to make me feel welcome. Thanks so much, Gary!

After a terrific book signing at The Fly Fisherman, it was on to Tallahassee where women’s fiction author Maria Geraci and I spent a lively afternoon signing books and talking with fans at the Books-A-Million on Thomasville Road. I have to admit, I was a little worried about this book signing. Not because of the awesome venue or the incredibly helpful sales staff, but because the manager of the store ordered 144 copies of The Daddy Catch. Wow! Fortunately, only half the order arrived...and I sold every single one of them. What a great afternoon that was!

There’s just one more book signing on my calendar for The Daddy Catch. And it’s one I’m really looking forward to because, on July 24th, I’ll be signing books at Fish Tales and Cocktails, a fund raising event for Casting For Recovery. This fabulous group sends breast cancer survivors on fly fishing retreats free of charge, so I’ll be donating a portion of the proceeds from this signing to a very worthwhile organization. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do on a Sunday afternoon than spend time with avid fly fishers in support of a wonderful cause.

Living it Up in NYC by Megan

"I <3 NY." It's a classic ad, and now it's true for me, too. I have the T-shirt proclaiming it. (Five bucks at a street cart.) Was I surprised that New York grabbed a piece of my heart? Absolutely. I'm not one for big cities, and I tend to avoid noises, crowds, and in-your-face anything. So to say I was reluctant to go to New York City for the RWA National Conference doesn't start to describe my feelings.

Still, I had a book to sign, so I registered. I made my Romance Trading Cards to hand out to eager collectors. I even worked up a proposal for a presentation, which was accepted, so I had a third reason to go: pay-back time. Or pay-forward, whichever. I rode up to the top of the Empire State Building, but saw neither Cary Grant nor King Kong. Not even Tom Hanks. :( Still it was amazing, and the perfect start to my first day. I even wandered around, looking for a Miracle.

And no, I wasn't hoping for designer miracles--I'm no fashionista. (pause while I lmao) But you know, it was the wrong season for the miracle I hoped for. lol Still, I went to Macy's and took a pic of the sign. Alas it was closing, so I never made it inside.

Wandering around on my own might have kept me safely and sensibly in my hotel room, but even at midnight there are thousands of people on Broadway, the location of my hotel. Yes, Times Square! It's incredibly bright and well-policed. People of all sorts out all night. "The city that never sleeps" is accurate. Over the next week, I was out at 11pm and 1 a.m. (don't tell my mom; she's a worrier) and I didn't think it any more dangerous than walking in my hometown. Maybe less. I visited the Met, I partied at both the Algonquin and the Waldorf-Astoria hotels, and I was planning to eat my breakfast when a concert broke out! Alicia Keys appeared on the Good Morning America show, singing "Streets of New York" in New York, right outside my hotel. How cool is that? :D I was roughly four people back from the performers, which being short, means I was thrilled she wore a green dress so I could find her over everyone's heads.

So what captured my heart in particular? The lights? The people? The amazing food -- oh, don't get me started on the food!! The history? The sights? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. The energy of the place is incredible. For a small town girl, being in a huge city like Manhattan, and only several blocks of it at that, should have been overwhelming. All I can say is I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced it. So, like all the amazing cities in America, I suggest you visit and discover its wonders for yourself. You never know if you'll like it until you've been there. Next time, I'll take my husband and we'll see a show.

What's the most surprising place you've visited? I'll add it to my list of "must sees." Megan

Megan Kelly
www.megankellybooks.com

JUNE WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Obe! You’re the June winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Leigh Duncan and Laura Marie Altom through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

Seeing the world afresh

My recent project, in the minuscule amount of spare time
between writing my latest Harlequin American medical romance and teaching
writing, has been reissuing my Regencies, mysteries and older romantic comedies
in digital editions. This has been a learning experience, fraught with errors.
But while I did figure I’d learn a lot, I never imagined I’d be seeing the
world in a new light.

Here’s how this latest twist came about: I was delighted
when one of my friends, Golden Heart-winning author Debra Holland (who has
self-published her wonderful sweet historical Wild Montana Sky), read my
Regency A Lady of Letters and posted a five-star review on Amazon, which
helps readers find the book. But while I appreciated her enthusiasm for the
story, I was bummed to learn that the scanned text contained annoying hyphens that
didn’t show up in my Word documents.

She wasn’t crazy about my homemade cover, either.

I figured out how to un-hide the hyphens, which I’ve learned
sometimes result when copy is scanned from printed text. After deleting them
and re-posting all my Regencies on Amazon (for the Kindle ereader) and Barnes
and Noble (for Nook), I decided to cope with my covers. Wiser folk suggested
hiring designers at $50-$75 a cover, which is certainly reasonable. But I’m stubborn, and besides, that’s a
lot of money, since I’ll be posting at least 20 books and maybe more before I’m
done.

So I gathered my courage and decided to tackle a truly scary
(to me) computer program: Photoshop Elements 9.

Right now, I’m about a third of the way through the book
that describes how to use it. While I haven’t actually begun to work on my
covers, something strange has happened.

Although it’s possible to buy stock images online, I started
seeing things around me in a different way. I grow a lot of flowers—roses,
lilies, and so on. I’ve begun taking photographs of flowers and thinking about
how they’ll look on covers. At my mother-in-law’s historic home, I noticed
fascinating details of windows and antiques. In my head, I began figuring how I
might use these, too.

Did I mention how much more I appreciate morning light? Or
how aware I’ve become of shapes, angles and composition?

Stay tuned. One of these days I’ll make and post an actual
cover to share with you!

Or run screaming into the hills. But if I do, I’ll
take my camera.

You're gonna make it after all

Back in the early '70s I was like a lot of young women—single, self-sufficient, working nine-to-five, and enjoying everything a big city has to offer. And I loved my job as an advertising copywriter. I was living the life of my television heroine, Mary Richards.

I loved the Mary Tyler Moore Show! It seemed each of my co-workers reflected a character on the show...and of course I was Mary!

I had a great apartment, although not quite as cool as Mary's attic apartment at 119 North Weatherly Avenue in Minneapolis (a fictional address). Anyone remember the apartment number?

And then of course there was the famous hat-toss, which is still, all these years later, my favorite television moment.

I recently had my own Mary Tyler Moore moment...and was really, really sorry I didn't have a hat with me!

Then again, sometimes it's better to let the perfect metaphor be just that, especially when it's now cast in bronze.

Do you have a favorite fictional heroine? I love to hear about her!

Until next time,
Lee
THE CHRISTMAS SECRET (November 2011)
www.LeeMcKenzie.com

Happy-Ever-After Advice

What do you do if your hero and heroine need some good ol' fashioned relationship advice? Since I write a lot of cowboy books I turn to my favorite source for cowfolk advice. Thought it would be fun to share some snippets from...

Just One Fool Thing after Another
A Cowfolks' Guide to Romance by Gladiola Montana and Texas Bix Bender.



Attention without intention is flirtation.
To bring somebody into your life, take a step into theirs.
The ranch is work from sun to sun, but loves work is never done.
If your mind's set to ride a buckin' bronc, you'd better be prepared for the bruises.
When you fall into somebody's arms, you're fallin' into their hands as well.
A heart that ain't been broke thinks it's okay to go round breakin' others.
There's no cure for lovesickness, and nobody really wants one.

A man can build a house but it takes a woman to make it a home.


If you wanta stay single look for a perfect mate.
It may be more romantic to be the first love, but it's better to be the last.
When a woman makes up her mind you can always be sure she's gonna do exactly what she says—or not.
Women flirt to be appreciated; men mean it.

A woman wanted by men but disliked by women is nothin' but trouble.


The only time a woman can change a man is when he's a baby.


Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight it out.


When you're pickin' flowers everybody gets along. When it's time to muck the stalls is when you find out how true your love is.

Stolen kisses require an accomplice.


When you can't keep anything from 'em, you love 'em.

Big problems will pull you together. It's the little things that tear you apart.


Your turn! Share some of the advice friends or family have given you on personal relationships and marriage—was it good advice or poppycock?


Marin Thomas
The Bull Rider's Secret July 2011
A Rodeo Man's Promise (Dec 2011)
Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2012)
www.marinthomas.com

North to Alaska

Okay, so I'm a little bummed about not going to New York this year for National. I must admit though that Alaska was worth the sacrifice. My hubby and I took our moms on a week long cruise through the inside passage to Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan and finally Victoria BC.

The weather cooperated beautifully. Scenery was amazing. Although I missed the black bear that some folks saw, we did see plenty of whales in Glacier Bay, a mountain goat and two babies on the train ride out of Skagway, plus an upclose and personal with an eagle in Ketchikan.

Probably the highlight for me though was that hubby joined the spa the first day out and we were able to relax and take in much of the scenery at sea from the whirlpool or sitting in the loungers, just watching Alaska pass by. Being a warm water sort of gal, that one thing helped make Alaska more my type trip.

We ended the adventure in Butchart Gardens in Victoria the last evening and all I can say is that I wish we'd had more than three hours to wander through and take in the array of color and landscaping. Awesome.


For those of you like me who are sweltering here in the south, maybe the pics will give you a moment's relief. For everyone headed to New York at the end of the month, wishing you a wonderful time. Will miss you.

Anybody else out there have any trips planned this year?

Mean Lady in Green Shorts!!/Contest

Please help find my missing book!!  This is what it looks like!!

Good morning!! Hope your summer is off to a way cooler start than ours here in Oklahoma!! One summer ritual I've had for a good ten years--probably more, but I'm too old to count--is my annual trek to the Romance Writers of America conference. This year, we're back in Manhattan, which means extra pressure to look polished and professional, rather than like I-haven't-left-the-house-in-three-days-and-dribbled-Spaghettios-down-the-front-of-my-shirt!!!

As part of the last push to prepare for my trip, I've been going to the gym--a lot!! I think my butt's a little smaller, but other than that, I haven't seen a whole lot of results. Anyway, yesterday was a half treadmill/half weight day, so Hannah and I schlepped from the movie-treadmill room to the ladies weight area.

In the ladies only area was a woman wearing annoying green shorts. They were bright, ill-fitting and kinda ugly considering how gorgeous she was!! If I had her body, you'd better believe I'd be wearing something seriously hot all the time!! (See what kinds of crazy ramblings fly through my head while on those horrible weight lifting machines??)

I'd just finished strengthening and toning my luscious thighs when the woman sneezed. As I would with any human--usually my dogs, too--I told her, "Bless you." Not only did she not reply, but she gave me a squinty little glare!!!! What was that about?? Was she an atheist? Or just generally not in the mood to be blessed?

Literally, a minute or two later she left, and we never saw her again. So now, I'm asking you--am I wrong in blessing folks when they sneeze? I appreciate every blessing I can get, and assumed everyone felt the same!! Comments? Other blessing experiences?  Grrr. 

In happier news, I supposedly have a book out this month called, A Cowgirl's Secret. That said, I have yet to see it here in Tulsa, because all of the May releases are still on the shelves. If you've seen my sweet story anywhere--Poughkeepsie, Mongolia, Detroit--please let me know!! First person to tell me where they found their copy wins their choice of any two books on my backlist, plus a romance-themed charm bracelet!!  (Amazon doesn't count!!  LOL!!!) 

The First Day of School

Oh, that first day your little one goes to school. You hold their hand, tell them everything will be okay and secretly cross your fingers, praying that you’re right. Your mind runs a million miles an hour. Have you done everything to get them ready to solo in the big, wide world? Do they know their manners? Are they wearing the right clothes? Will the other kids like them? Finally, the time arrives. You see them off. Tears gather, and you’re not sure who cries the most—them or you.

Release day for THE DADDY CATCH, my second book for Harlequin American, was earlier this week. Its launch felt an awful lot like the first day I sent my little one off to school.

By the time this book appeared on store shelves, I’d lived with the story for several years. I nurtured Jess, a fly fishing guide, from a vague image of blonde hair and sun-drenched skin into a fully-fledged single mom, a widow who wants to preserve a piece of old Florida as a legacy for her little boy. Dan burst onto the page fully-formed, but we still went through a few rough patches until he learned that Jess’s love was worth more than the acceptance of his peers. There were edits, lots of edits. They made the book stronger, better. The Art Department dressed it in a beautiful cover. And the day finally arrived when the book was out there, on its own.

Fortunately, the early reviews of THE DADDY CATCH have been great. Romantic Times gave it 4 stars, calling it “a charming romance with a solid plot.” It was voted Book of the Week at Long and Short Reviews. Dear Author listed it as a “Recommended Read” for June.

Like a mom on the first day of school, I’m relieved my little one is off to a good start. And tomorrow, I’ve been asked to talk a little more about THE DADDY CATCH on the Harlequin blog (www.harlequinblog.com). Join me there, won’t you?

IT'S SUMMER!!!

IT’S SUMMER

And wow is it summer! We had 100 degrees here yesterday and today it’s supposed to be higher. That’s just too much heat for June or anytime of the year. Crazy weather all over the country. My heart and prayers go out to the people of Joplin, Missouri and the Mississippi flood victims.

But on a lighter note, vegetable gardens are coming in with fresh veggies due to being watered religiously because we’ve had very little rain. We went to my brothers on Sunday and raided his large garden. No, really, we were invited. We brought home tomatoes, potatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers and squash. There’s nothing like eating a home-grown tomato fresh from the vine (washed, of course). Can’t wait for the green beans, peas and corn to be ready.

When I was growing up, my mother always had a garden and I really miss the fresh veggies. She was part Polish and made dishes that I haven’t seen since. With tomatoes, she’d slice them and sprinkle sugar on top. It was like a dessert. Delicious. And cucumbers she’d also slice, add salt and let them sit for a minute and then add mayonnaise, a little vinegar and pepper. Then mix. You have to really like cucumbers to like this dish. She’d also slice squash, lengthwise, salt and let sit. When they were wet and limber, she’d dip them in cornmeal and fry. Absolutely delicious. Not very healthy, though. But it’s fresh squash and summertime so I’ll indulge—a little.

Do you like fresh vegetables? If you have any recipes, please share.

Chillin’ at 102 degrees here in Texas.
Linda
The Texan’s Secret – Aug ‘11

America's Greatest Asset by Megan

As most of you know, I live in St. Louis, in the heart of the country. Ah, the Midwest. While too many people view it as "flyover country," our area truly has some wonders. The Gateway Arch. The St. Louis Zoo (still free!). The St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. lol

We also have mighty unpredictable weather. On New Year's Eve, a tornado struck. Yes, I said New Year's Eve. While we expect and are pretty much used to storms during our tornado seasons, that one took us all by surprise. Trust me, a power outage in the winter is not fun.

Storms continued to plague us throughout the spring. Tornadoes, rain, hail, rain, floods, and more tornadoes. The fun doesn't seem to stop. I'm sure you've heard of the tragedy across the state in Joplin, MO. It's hit every news source.

I thought my favorite Joplin story of recovery would be the circus elephant helping with cleanup. See, instead of leaving town after the storm cancelled the show, the Picadilly Circus stayed~~and helped out. You can watch the video on YouTube; the story was carried on the major network news shows.

Which brings me to the title of this post. The greatest asset in America. No, not elephants, lol. People. While we sometimes worry about the youth of today (it's our turn, since we are the youth our parents worried about, right?), and we shake our heads at government officials and CEOs, and we grit our teeth at identity theft stories, especially against our senior citizens, I have to argue that our people are our greatest asset.

All the national news stations carried the story of this circus staying behind and helping out. Sure, the elephant made it a cute and unique video. But I won't believe the national networks would have carried the story if they didn't think people would watch. People watch because they care. It's why a small town dentist loaded up his truck and went to Joplin. It's why people hit the special code on their cell phones to donate money to the Red Cross. It's why lemonade stands are set up, bake sales organized and blood drives well-attended.

Today is a special sale day. When you buy at a certain major book-writing resource site and its 19 sister companies, the proceeds go to Flood Relief along the Mississippi Delta. Visit them. Buy lemonade from the kid down the street or a brownie at the bake sale. Those in the flood areas or devastated by tornadoes are going to need our help for a long time. I believe in the goodness of American people. I know we'll come through.

Oh, and my favorite news story coming out of Joplin? A high school athlete whose family could no longer live in their home found the strength to compete in the state championship. Even though her family couldn't come watch her. Even though her school had been destroyed. Even though her coach couldn't accompany her because she's a first-responder. So who went with her? A coach from a nearby town stepped up. That's what Americans do. The girl tied her all-time personal best record. Because that's what Americans do~~our personal best. Her event is the pole vault. I know it's corny of me, but I could almost see the caption as she cleared the bar: Joplin Rises Again.

She didn't take first place. But she won that day.

Megan Kelly
The Marriage Solution, May 2011
www.megankellybooks.com

MAY WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Linda s! You’re the May winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Megan Kelly and Barbara White Daille through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS.

Abundance and abandonment

This is the sexy, dramatic and romantic story of two
gardeners, mother and son. And two gardens, one in Arizona and one in Southern
California.

Let’s get the sex scene out of the way up front. I (the
mother and the Californian) have been faithfully nurturing my baby squash
plants. At the first sight of male and female flowers … wait. Back up.

Some of us highly gifted gardeners – highly gifted at
looking things up on the Internet, anyway – know how to tell a male from a
female blossom. The gals have little baby squashes beneath the flower, and the
center of the flower looks like, well, female organs. (After what I saw Lady
Gaga do on TV in the American Idol finale, I suppose I shouldn’t be shy, but
some of us retain a trace of modesty). The males have long stems and the
flowers contain organs that look like … you get the idea.

So there I was, poking the male blossoms into the female
blossoms to assure fertilization. Well, my squash got the idea. Boy, did they
get the idea. It’s barely June and I’m already going to the neighbors, bags of
zucchini in hand, begging them to adopt a squash for Jackie.

For my 21-year-old son, who’s enrolled in a masters in
education program at the University of Arizona and plans to be a high school
biology teacher, matters took a more dramatic turn. Much to my surprise, he too
has become an avid gardener, starting with a love of pesto and the discovery
that it’s fun to grow your own basil.

This year, he went all out in the small garden plot behind
his apartment. Then, just as his tomato plants were ready to produce in that
hot climate, he decided to move. I don’t know all the details, but he and some
friends are getting a new place. Yes, there’s room for a garden, but it means
leaving behind the beautiful corn and tomatoes he’d planted.

Heartbreaking.

A gardener loves his or her plants (this is the romance
part). It’s not just a matter of producing food or being out there with the
dive-bombing hummingbirds that keep my life interesting. Why else would I drag
myself out of bed in the early a.m. to weed, prune, feed and sprinkle black
pepper to keep the squirrels away? Or sneezing, anyway.

And so, across the miles, my son and I share a love of
growing things in the earth. And eating them. For those of you who share this
love, may your garden be bountiful and may you never have to abandon it.

From the Heart

I love homemade gifts. As cliche as it may sound, they truly are gifts from the heart. They can be little (like a hand-drawn card) or big (like a homemade quilt), but, no matter what, the gift giver put something of themself into the gift and had you in mind as they went through the process.

In just the past month alone, I've been the recipient of three such expressions of love/friendship.

The first came from my 16-year-old who presented my new husband and me with a "love jar." This particular gift made me teary-eyed for several reasons. First, it's a variation of the "summer fun jar" I made for both my girls each summer when they were a little bit younger. Only my daughter's gift to me, contained slips of paper with date ideas for my husband and I to do together (rather than the summer outing ideas mine once had). Second, it (along with the note) was one more shred of proof (in a long line of them) that she is happy for us. Priceless, that.

She spent days leading up to the wedding working on her jar, writing ideas on paper, glittering up the outside of the jar, and making it something special.

The second homemade item came from my youngest just two days ago. She walked into the kitchen with a necklace for me. She'd put it together using a chain she had and the dual heart charm we'd put around the favors at the wedding. She thought it would be a way for me to remember the wedding and to keep it close always. Very sweet (I'd show a picture of this, as well, if blogger wasn't being a bit difficult/I wasn't being a bit inept).

The third homemade item came from a fan-turned-friend of my mysteries. She reads my personal blogs and Facebook page and knew that I love certain types of candy. So, when I went down to her town for a speaking engagement, she presented me with a bouquet of my favorite candies alongside little placards depicting the covers of all of my books. It was great!

So tell me, what are some of the best homemade gifts you've received?

Laura