Nuisance Animals

For the past three summers I have tried everything to "encourage" the rabbits to leave my yard. This spring I counted six of them--the most I've ever had. I've tossed moth balls under bushes--all that did was make the neighbors curl their noses when they strolled past the house. I've put up fences around my tulips--the rabbits jump right over to eat the plant leaves. I purchased a "rabbit spray" from the local nursery and that worked for a few weeks, then the critters ignored the smell. I've sprinkled blood meal on the ground around my plants but then the dogs roll in it and stink to high heaven. Speaking of the dogs--they chase the rabbits out of the yard, but as soon as I bring the dogs inside the house, the rabbits return.

Just once I'd like to plant flowers in the ground and not have to put them in pots and hang them from tree branches. I've also had to resort to using my birdbaths as planters and although they look cute filled with flowers, I'm sure the birds would rather have water.

If anyone has checked out my website this month, then they know I've declared an all-out war against the rabbits in my yard. This spring I obtained a permit to catch a "nuisance animal" and bought a live trap. Check out www.marinthomas.com for information on my Elmer Fudd Wabbit Contest. I've bated the trap with fresh carrots and leafy vegetables and have witnessed two of the rabbits sniff the trap, eat the grass around the trap--but the darn critters won't go in.

Has anyone ever dealt with a nuisance animal in their yard and if so, did you have any success getting it to leave?

Marin

A Coal Miner's Wife *Hearts of Appalachia* Aug 08
www.marinthomas.com

He grew up

When did this happen?

Sometime next week, when I get my act together, I’ll be posting a new photo on my Web site (www.jacquelinediamond.com). It features a handsome, dark-haired young man and a short, beaming woman (me). Oh, one more thing. The gorgeous guy is wearing a cap and gown.

Must be trick photography. The truth is, he’s seven years old, it’s the last day of second grade and I can’t find him amid the swarms of children eagerly rushing toward vacation. Finally, around the side of the school’s main building, I discover my precious little bear bawling his head off, with a friend’s worried mom keeping watch over him until I show up.

You see what I mean? If I’m not there to hold his hand, he might get lost.

Only … he’s twenty-two years old. He just graduated after four years at Vanderbilt University with, incredibly, not one but two degrees. The first is a B.S. in computer science and math. The second is an M.S. in computer science. This is the result of working his tail off for eight years, completing half his undergrad work while still in high school and spending late nights meeting the requirements of an accelerated masters program. After his first free summer since junior high, he starts work next fall at his dream job with Google.

How can this be? When did he grow up?

Wait! There was one moment, as we celebrated his graduation with my parents and other relatives, when I mentioned that I didn’t plan to cook much this summer. For just a moment, a look of utter childlike dismay flashed across his face. There! The seven-year-old was back.

Okay, so it takes the prospective loss of Mom’s lasagna and homemade, garden-grown minestrone soup to bring out the lost little boy, and then only for a millisecond. But he’s still there.

What a relief! Although now I won’t be able to avoid cooking like a fiend all summer, it will be worth it.

Fun News!!

For those of you who have been with us a while, you know I generally talk about my kids, but today, I'm just talking about ME!!! LOL!!! Seriously, I've had a fun month, and want to share.

For starters, my editor, Johanna R. just agreed to a new four-book deal, so it looks like you'll be stuck with me a while longer!!!! Three of the stories are a series, loosely titled, Love & Lamaze. It's about some unconventional single moms who meet up through Lamaze class. The fourth, is part of a series the line is doing. Now, I have no clue what the official name is, so for now, I affectionately call it Hunky Men Across America!! If anyone knows the real name, please chime in!! LOL!!

Next in my fun news is the fact that I just heard yesterday that I've landed an AMAZING Art Teacher position at my kids' old middle school. Not only is the thought of teaching art a dream come true, but the school is a few blocks from home, and I already know much of the staff from my PTA days. Don't tell anyone, but I'm both crazy excited and crazy scared!!! I have the same nervous butterflies I had when selling my first book on proposal. Like, I kind of think I can pull it off, but maybe I'm not so sure!! LOL!!!

The only down side to my new gig, is saying goodbye to all of the friends I've made at my current school. One of my favorite things about teaching, is making friends. Sounds corny, but I sat home alone writing for a decade, and it got lonely. Anyway, while I'll miss my *people* here, I can't wait to dig into this new position.

For Mother's Day, we did the Muskogee Renaissance Faire. I'm still full!!! Aside from all the amazing costumes, my fave part is the food. Gotta love the turkey legs, fried cheesecake (which I'm pretty sure wasn't around in medieval times ), roasted corn and funnel cake!!!

Tell me what you all did for Mom's Day!! One of my student's reported giving his mom a new car!! Hmmm . . . all I got was a new key chain--but it was from the pricey Coach store!! LOL!!

Economy

I've been thinking a lot about the economy lately, especially gas prices. I drive 28 miles door-to-door, one-way, to work, and I don't have the option of selling my house and moving closer. (My mom & I live 1000 feet apart, and I can't move until she does. That way I can watch out for her; she's 70.)

I paid $3.49 the other day, which is 20 cents cheaper than the area average of $3.69. Missouri is a bit in the middle, and usually cheaper than the national average.

As I won't see my economic stimulus check until after July 4, I've been penny pinching everywhere. I know, authors are supposed to be fabulously wealthy, but that doesn't necessarily happen unless you're Nora. And I have horse camp, bible away camp, and a three-week intensive summer gifted program to pay for. I fired my trash guys and got new ones (savings of $76 a year) and got my internet provider to give me a monthly rate of $14.95 instead of $21.95.

I also broke down and downsized my car. My 2004 Malibu Maxx (fully loaded) had over 100,000 miles on it and was starting to have mechanical issues. Since Chevy was offering loyalty cash of 3,000 and I get a supplier's discount, I saved over $3,700 on a new Chevy Cobalt. My Cobalt is no frills. No heated leather seats. No DVD system. No automatic climate controls.

However, my payment dropped by a good chunk, my gas mileage went up by 6 MPG, and I now have a car with another 100,000 mile warranty, which means repair is free. (And trust me, I use the warranty.)

The upfront outpouring of cash (title, taxes, payoff/trade in) was a huge bite. But in the end, in three years I'll be in better shape to give a 3-year old car to my 16 year old instead of a 7 year old car.

I remember those days of driving a clunker that died at every stoplight...but that's another post.

So what are you doing to save pennies here and there? I've also unplugged all unused appliances and changed to those energy saver light bulbs. Now if I could just get my daughters to turn off the TV when they leave the room....

Feeling Left Out!

Mother's Day always leaves me feeling a bit left out. I have no kids, so nobody gives ME presents. My own mother passed away many years ago, and I have no aunts or grandmothers still living. I have a mother-in-law, but she lives far away and, well, of course I sent her a card but it's not quite the same.

This year, I decided I would just celebrate anyway. Heck, most everyone else is celebrating, I might as well, too! So yesterday I bought myself a piece of jewelry (nothing grand, just a beaded bracelet from a craft fair). I've wrapped it up, and I'll give it to myself tomorrow. We'll say it's from my cat, who is so spoiled she might as well be my child.

I also have a rose bush in the back yard that is exploding in huge yellow blooms. So tomorrow morning I'll go cut myself a bouquet. I might even be able to con my husband into taking me out to dinner. (He won't buy the "I'm a mother to our pets" excuse, but I'll think of something.)

Finally, perhaps I'll dig out one of my favorite "motherhood" books from my keeper shelf and snuggle in for a good self-indulgent read. Maybe I'll even re-read one of my own. Oddly, though I never chose motherhood for myself, I've written LOTS of books about secret babies, unplanned pregnancies and single moms. I guess these situations appeal more in fiction than real life!

I hope all you moms, and/or children with moms, have a great day!

A shout out for Step-moms and Mothers-in-law

On this Mother’s Day Eve, I wanted to take a moment to praise some mothers who don’t always get a fair shake. We’ve all heard the jokes and horror stories about wicked stepmothers and evil mothers-in-law, but most of the women I know who fill these roles are good gals who try hard to do the right thing.
In my own case, I’m blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law. Loretta Myers has been a friend to me for over 28 years. She’s fun, funny, and always supportive.
As for step-moms, my hat is off to these women who walk a tight-rope between their children’s birth mom and their new husbands. It’s tough to find the right balance, I’m sure.
I hadn’t really considered the step-mother question much until I wrote the Superromance book that’s coming out next month, A Soldier Comes Home. My heroine, Chrissie, falls in love with a man who’s just returned from Iraq. Ray’s wife left while he was oversees and he has sole custody of a three-year old. Chrissie loves Ray and his little boy, but she wonders if she has what it takes to be a step-mom. Writing the book really made me think about everything that goes into being a good step-mom
To all step-moms, moms, grandmoms, mothers-in-law and friends of moms – I salute you and wish you a very happy mother’s day.
Now it’s your turn – do you have a woman in your life – your mom or someone else – who has been special to you. Let’s hear her story.

A new cover. And what happens next.

A new cover. And what happens next.


I received my September cover and I’ll share it with you (if I can load it). It’s always a nervous time when my editor sends the attachment for a cover. I take a deep breath and hit download. I imagine it’s something like looking at your baby for the first time. You’re anxious and prepared for anything. But secretly you're praying you have the most beautiful baby (cover) in the world.

Most of the time I’m very, very pleased. The artists do a great job. I’ve only had one cover I didn’t like and that was years ago. Thank the cover gods.

I’m pleased with the cover of Texas Heir and I remember to breathe again. The hero is much as I have him pictured in my head. I’m happy, very happy. After the excitement ends, I notice his shirt. Or more to the point, the cuffs on his shirt. I’ve never seen a man wear a shirt like that, at least not in Texas. Maybe it’s trendy. It still doesn’t damper my pleasure in the cover, but I was wondering what you think. Will readers even notice it?

Welcome to the neurotic world of an author.

Wishing everyone a happy and relaxing Mother’s Day. May you be pampered beyond your wildest fantasy. And hoping it involves lots of chocolate.

Linda
www.lindawarren.net
Always A Mother – Super Everlasting – June 2008
Texas Heir – Harlequin American – Sep 2008

Birdies, birdies everywhere

There’s a bird nest in our front porch light. I discovered this when I watered the impatience in the flower box beneath the light and mama bird flew off in a blur of wings. We’re trying to not use the front door for awhile, instead going in and out from the deck or the back yard.

You may not be able to see this in the photo, but the nest sits between the frame and the light bulb. Mama bird is quite smart—she chose a sheltered place that is protected from rain (our front porch is covered on top) and safe from kitties, crows and other predators.

My husband thought he saw the female’s mate on the deck railing. He found a photo in a bird book and believes our guests are house finches.

We’re honored that they family settled here and are excitedly waiting for the day when the eggs hatch and the babies begin their lives.

Does anyone have a special animal story to share?

Until next time,
Ann Roth
www.annroth.net

Almost Real

It all started out innocently enough. My husband Tom and I were in our small group at church and taking part in a discussion about workdays. It turned out that quite a few of us worked from home, and while weighing the pros and cons of this, a few people mentioned feeling isolated. Someone asked how I felt-after all, I’m home by myself most every day since my husband travels and my kids are in school.

Before actually thinking about how it would sound I said, “Well, see, I spend most of my days writing. And by the time I’m about 50 or 60 pages into a book, I really feel like I know all my characters. So, I’m rarely by myself-I’m with a whole group of people who I really like because, well, I made them up.”

Dead silence. Warily, I looked to Tom who shook his head slightly. It was the same kind of look he gives me when I have food or something on my chin.

Oops.

Suddenly, I realized what I'd just said. Not only do I make up people and pretend they’re real, but I um, actually prefer their company to most others.

No doubt about it, I sounded weird.

That conversation got me thinking about characters so great that you wish you did actually know them. I read Debbie Macomber’s Twenty Wishes this week and cried while reading the last ten pages. I loved those women! (Come on, Debbie…you don’t need to sleep! Write what happens next! :)

As for my books, one of my favorite characters is Claire Grant. She’s the heroine of The Mommy Bride, and was a secondary character in Simple Gifts. I’ve been with her through homelessness, pneumonia, her first interviews, and now…falling in love. She made a lot of days in my basement seem like the absolutely BEST place to be in the world. I’m going to miss Claire.

Until I get busy with another Harlequin, I think I’m going to concentrate on real, live people for a bit. Wish me luck. : )
Anyone else have a character in a book or movie that they’ve really liked?

PS. If you have time, take a visit to Brenda Novak's website. She's hosting an amazing auction! All the proceeds go to help research for children's diabetes! I have a set of books up for auction there...all five of my Harlequin Americans! There's also books by other American authors, and even meetings with Harlequin editors!

Shelley

Contest winner!!!

The April winner of our monthly contest drawing is..... Christa. Way to go! Please contact Michele Dunaway, Megan Kelly and Linda Warren via their websites to collect your free, autographed books.

And remember, every time you comment you are automatically registered to win. Tell your friends!

Welcome home

An author can’t help using her own life in her books. That’s a scary thought, considering that among my 80 novels are murder mysteries, a fantasy novel and even one horror tale dredged from the darkest corners of my usually sunny psyche. Of course, there are also romances set in Regency England, so maybe I was a friend of Jane Austen’s in another life.

If you’d like to visit my present neighborhood, you can do so starting this month, when my hometown of Brea, California provides the setting for my latest Harlequin American trilogy. The books begin with The Family Next Door and continue in August with Baby in Waiting. In January 2009, Million-Dollar Nanny concludes the trilogy.

Of course, fiction isn’t the same as real life – it’s much more organized (usually) and doesn’t leave loose ends. So I created the fictionalized development of Harmony Circle, a neighborhood populated by personalities I hope will keep you entertained.

In each book, a hero and heroine resolve their own issues. In The Family Next Door, widow Diane Bittner is distressed to discover that her handsome new neighbor, Josh Lorenz, was the holdout juror in the murder trial of her husband’s killer. Although he honestly believed the man to be innocent, she’s convinced Josh let a guilty man go free. But how can she resist when their preteen daughters begin making plans to bring the two of them together?

A subplot running through the three books concerns a small cottage that’s part of Harmony Circle’s history. When an heiress and her fiancé propose to tear it down and build a mansion, some residents see the plan as a disaster. Then an unexpected twist changes everyone’s perspective.

I hope you’ll enjoy your visit to Harmony Circle. There’s nothing like making new friends in a kind-hearted neighborhood!

Rachel's last recipe

It’s been a month of fun! If you’ve made the rounds, you found the third of Rachel’s recipes, for brownies, on my agent’s blog. If not, go here http://micheledunaway.blogspot.com

For the last recipe, I’m going to give you an egg-less cupcake recipe that I use. There are no eggs in these and they are quick and easy to make. This recipe comes directly from Hershey, my all-time favorite company as they make chocolate, my diet staple. I make these and don’t even frost them. You can using the brownie frosting recipe (on my agent’s blog) but I like them just dusted with powdered sugar or left plain.

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup Hershey’s cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt.
1 cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 375. Line muffin cups (2 ½ inches in diameter) with paper baking cups (I have also used silicon baking cups and had them stand alone on a cookie sheet). In medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add water, oil, vinegar and vanilla, beat with a metal whisk just until batter is smooth and ingredients are well blended. Do not over whisk. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

And for one last really awesome cookbook that I couldn’t live without, find the Hershey’s 100th Anniversary: 100 Years of Hershey Favorites at http://www.amazon.com/Hersheys-100th-Anniversary-Years-Favorites/dp/0785331646

So that’s it! I hope you have fun this month baking with Rachel and that you enjoyed both The Marriage Recipe and the romance. I don’t have any more Harlequin American novels out until January 2009, but don’t forget my two NASCAR books. Out of Line debuts in June. Check out my blog for a cover that's simply steaming. You may have to scroll a bit, but he's worth it.

Michele

Deadline Brain

Yesterday I turned in my completed manuscript to my Harlequin editor. The sprint to the deadline is always exhausting, but deadlines do something to my brain, too. I call it "deadline brain," and it causes me to have conversations like this:

Me: "Hon, I'm going to the store to buy some ...
Husband: "Some what?"
Me: "Some ... you know, the white stuff that comes out of a cow?"
Husband: "You mean milk."
Me: "Right, that's it! Milk."
Husband: "Okay."

The husband doesn't even blink anymore when I can't come up with the simplest words or remember something he just told me. Chances are, after the above conversation, I'll get to the store and buy a basketful of stuff ... and forget the milk.

Sometimes I'll catch myself just standing stock still, staring at a wall in a complete daze, and I'll wonder how long I've been standing there. Also part of this syndrome is a complete lack of interest in writing (and possibly the conviction that I'll never write another book, that I'm going to do something else now like weave baskets).

Fortunately, the condition of Deadline Brain passes in a day or two. A couple of nights sleeping long and hard usually helps. Gradually, a few creative thoughts will slip into my conscious mind, flashes of a new character or snippets of conversation, or something will stir a memory that will get me to thinking, "What if?" Then I'm off to the races again.

But not today. Today I'm lucky to get a blog post!

* * *

Writing News: My June Harlequin American, RELUCTANT PARTNERS, got a 4-1/2 stars TOP PICK from Romantic Times!

If you haven't yet entered my contest, you still have a couple of days. Visit www.karalennox.com, and click on the contest button. I'm giving away my January book, GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL, and a few other goodies as well.

Spring - where are you?

Spring has NOT sprung in the Pacific Northwest. While most of the nation has been enjoying sunny skies and shorts wearing weather, the webfoot residents of the PNW have had 2 - yep, you heard right - 2 days without something nasty falling from the sky. One minute it might be snow, and then before you can turn around it's raining. Ah, don't forget about the hail. Ay, yi, yi, yi, yi! Our heating bills look like it's winter, we're running the gas insert and our coats have not been put away for the season. Did I mention we dipped below freezing almost every night in April?

Enough of the griping. Yesterday was beautiful. It was sunny (sort of) and sixty. People broke out the motorcycles and bicycles. They donned shorts and sandals. Picnic baskets came out of hiding. The golden orb was in the sky, birds were frolicking and folks throughout the land were celebrating. And guess what? It was sucker spring.

But hope springs eternal (no pun intended). When you folks around the nation are sweltering we'll be having enjoying sunny and seventy. And with the number of writers we have in this area, I'm convinced there's something about the weather that makes us creative - or is that crazy?

Back to watching the rain and finishing the revisions on my May 1 deadline.

Ann DeFee

My love-hate affair with spring

I love spring. I hate spring. For the last several years, I've had a love-hate relationship with spring. I love it because everything is blooming and greening, winter is a memory, and I'm finally warm again. I hate it because of...allergies. I developed allergies after I moved to where I now live back in the mid 1990s. The city where I live is one of the top 10 cities for allergy- and asthma-related illnesses because we have such a high pollen count and we sit in a natural depression, which makes it more difficult for the pollen to blow away.

So while I love being outside in the spring, my sinuses have a different idea. All I can say is, thank goodness for allergy medication. I've been on two oral medications for a few years, started after the over-the-counter stuff just stopped working other than to make me so sleepy I nearly fell over onto my desk at work mid-afternoon. Yesterday, I added eye drops. I really don't like putting stuff in my eyes, so it's actually difficult for me to put an eye drop in my eye. I have to look in the mirror and do it, can't just look up at the bottle and let that drop fall. I know, I'm weird. It's been said before. :)

I've noticed that I set a lot of my books in the spring and summer. I think that's because I really don't like winter, and I like my characters to be able to do things outside like hiking and picnicking and boating. Maybe I'll have to think up a wintry story just to say I've done one. It'll have to be around Christmas since I love the holiday. But I'm always a little jealous of my friends in Australia and New Zealand who get to have Christmas in the middle of the summer. :)

So what about you? What is your favorite season and why? Is there one you'd rather be able to skip each year? And if you're a writer, do you notice yourself setting your books during certain times of the year?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Now that spring is here, I’m starting to plan my patio garden. Years ago I gave up on having a big garden plot because all the watering and weeding was too labor intensive. Containers generally stay weed free and require only a quick watering every day or every other day. That’s my kind of garden! So I’ve started to pour over seed catalogues, trying to decide what to plant this year.

I definitely want a few tomato plants. Even though the yield isn’t terribly high, I love being able to pick a vine-ripened tomato and have it in a salad just a few minutes later.

I’ll plant a few herbs—basil for making pesto, rosemary for seasoning biscuits and dumplings, and mint because it makes such a wonderful garnish. Green pea and mint soup is a summer favorite because it can be served cold—so refreshing, and such a great color!

This year, for the first time, I’ve also decided to plant some edible flowers. So far I’ve settled on lavender, nasturtiums and pansies. Lavender shortbread made with a little lemon zest is an all-time favorite at my house, and the other flowers will be fun to toss into salads.

I’m also thinking about plants that will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to my patio. Any suggestions?

Happy gardening!

Lee

Vroom, Vroom!

I've been bitten by the car bug. Actually, I've been talking with my husband for the last five months about getting a new car but it's only been this week I was suddenly motivated. The reason is, I fell in love. With a car.

Let me explain.

A few weeks ago my 18-year-old daughter was rear-ended by another driver (she's fine, just was scared). She happened to be driving my old Trooper for some reason and not her dad's car. The other driver's insurance assumed responsibility for the costs associated with the accident and made arrangement for me to have a rental car while my Trooper is in the shop. They gave me a PT Cruiser to drive.

I am in love.

Odd, this isn't a car that has ever appealed to me, though I see them on the road all the time. But from the moment I sat behind the wheel, I felt comfortable. It's an easy and fun car to drive, small, yet roomy, and has a lot of zip. It's also better on gas mileage than the Trooper. I've gone online to price out PT Cruisers and to read owner reviews. They're mixed, some love the car, others don't. Since I no longer have small children and the dogs don't care what back seat they're sitting in as long as they get to go on ride, most of the complaints don't apply to me.

Did I mention the car is fun to drive?

The best part about a PT Cruiser is that it's not a car the rest of my family would want to drive. It's too small for my husband's tastes. My son is into trucks and four-wheel-drive SUV's. And my daughter has her own brand new (used) car.

Yay! No having to share.

I'll keep you posted on the car situation. Because my husband and I are going fishing this weekend, I can't go car shopping until next week, dang it :-(
I'll just have to hope the repair shop takes a rrreeeaaalllyyy llllooonnnnggg time with the Trooper so that I'm forced to keep driving the rental.

Cathy Mc

Where Were You?

Last Friday, at 5:38 am, we had an earthquake. Okay, I better amend that. An earthquake hit in southern Illinois, but the tremors were felt all over the Midwest. Even here, where I live, in a suburb of Cincinnati. It was very exciting.

Here’s my story…I was actually working at my computer, determined to get revisions done on a book I’m writing for Avon Inspire, when my desk started shaking. Luckily, Phoebe the beagle was sitting right next to me, so I had a witness. We stared at each other, then looked at my desk again. Yep, the computer was definitely shaking. Next thing I knew, it was done. It lasted all of twenty seconds. I didn’t even think ‘earthquake’. No, I was thinking a train must be roaring by. Or a jet. I mean, really…we live in Ohio!

An hour later, after I woke up my family, I turned on the news. That’s when I heard the truth. It had been an earthquake! The tv anchors looked almost giddy with excitement. I felt the same way-something new and unexpected had happened and I was a part of it!

I made pancakes to celebrate. My kids and husband shook their heads at how easily entertained I was but wisely said nothing. Pancakes at 6:45 on a Friday morning is not a usual occurrence.

That wasn’t the best part. The best part was discussing the earthquake with everyone and anyone. Since no damage had been done, and no one got hurt, the ‘earthquake’ became a fun novelty for everybody around. “Where were you?” Became the question of the day, and boy, did everyone have answers! We discussed it during my critique group’s meeting. People brought it up in line at Starbucks. My friend at the gym was sorry she slept through it. Tremors woke up the guy doing my nails. The man at the framing store was in his car-he thought he was having tire trouble.

Obviously, it was just what everyone needed to perk up an otherwise ho-hum work week.

For me, it was kind of fun to hear a little snippet of other people’s lives so early in the morning. While discussing tremors, we talked breakfasts, coffee and tea routines, and sleep habits. People recalled visits to California, other natural disasters they were witness to, and everyone’s surprise to feel something here that happened so far away.

Today, we’re back to business as usual. School’s busy, there’s swim team practice this afternoon, and I need to go buy milk at the store. There's a chance of rain today. Oh, and I put out cold cereal for breakfast. My kids couldn’t help but wish something soon would uh, ‘shake things up’.

Anyone else feel the earthquake?
Shelley

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.