The thing about technology...

Technology is a beautiful thing. I love my computer, couldn't live without the word processing program I use to do my writing, and—as my husband would no doubt be very quick to tell you—I am...oh, let's say...just a teeny bit captivated by e-mail. LOL

When you're a writer on a deadline, technology can be a wonderful thing. Or not.

Recently, I was plugging away at the work-in-progress when a new program I'd installed on the computer began acting up and my screen froze—and proceeded to freeze every ten minutes.

As I continued to plug away, the program began to spontaneously combust and shut itself down every five minutes.

Then, even though I had set the backup feature to do its thing every two minutes, I discovered it had decided not to do its thing at all. So I lost countless pages of writing.

And this program's designed to help make the writing process go smoothly! Grr...

But wait, there's more.

A few days later, I was deep into the best part of drafting a story, the part where thoughts burst into your brain so quickly, you can barely type fast enough to get them down before you lose them, and...and... The keyboard died. (sigh)

The computer settled down, finally, and that seemed the end of the catastrophes.

Although, today—I suppose just to make sure I didn't get too complacent—this blog post refused to go live....

Yes, technology is a beautiful thing, isn't it? When it works. LOL

Well, despite all the recent frustrations, the good news is that being on deadline means I'm due to have a new book out. (smile) That's just one of the many things I have to be thankful for in this week before Thanksgiving.

Another of them is you.

Thanks so much for stopping by. And, if you celebrate it, I hope you have a wonderful turkey day filled with family and friends and good food.

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Growing Old Gracefully...or Not

How many of you like to watch Doctor Oz's TV show?  I've become an Oz junkie.  There's just something about his no-nonsense approach to good health that appeals to me.  He understands that being human is just that—human, not a machine.  And even when we "know better" we still make bad health choices on occasion.  But he forgives us and encourages us to keep trying.  No matter what the topic on his show, by the end of the sixty- minute segment I already feel better about myself and I feel like I have control over my health.  One episode that made a big difference for me was a show about hair color and how choosing the right color can make you look younger.   
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/hair-colors-take-decades-your-face

For years I used boxed hair colors and I usually chose a dark shade of brown…the color my hair had been in my youth.  Dr. Oz's show taught me to "lighten up".  Now I'm a lighter shade of brown and have highlights that add depth and dimension to the color and make my face appear less harsh. 

It's been a process of sorts, but over the past few years I've learned to embrace getting older….to be the best I can be for whatever age I am and the Dr. Oz  show has been a great motivator in encouraging me to take care of myself.

Is there someone…a show…a book…that's given you sound  advice on growing old gracefully? 

Marin

A Rodeo Man's Promise (Dec 2011)

Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2012)

All My Heroes are Cowboys

Veterans Day and WWII

After living in Waxahachie over two years, my husband and I finally went to the Veterans Day festivities this year. They had set up both an American and a German camp and they did battle for the bridge coming into town.There were vintage vehicles and airplanes. People dressed in vintage WWII uniforms and costumes. Even an evening USO show with Georgie Burns. Sorry, Bob Hope couldn't make it this year.

Such a wonderful opportunity to honor all the men and women who have served this great country, both past and present. So proud of my dad, sons, daughter-in-law, uncles and all the other people out there who have served.

WWII has always seemed like such a romantic time period to me. I grew up listening to my parents stories about how my dad was a tail gunner in a B-17. How my mom left her parents’ farm during the war and moved to Dallas to find a job. Looking back at my dad’s pictures from overseas. Many of the war and the planes and even a few of him dancing with women he met while in the military. He actually returned after the war ended and taught dance for a time. He was the king of the jitterbug. Our house was always filled with music . He’s been gone nearly twenty-five years, but I still treasure his vintage big band record collection.

Anyone else have a particular era that they find romantic.

Hockey is Waaaay More Fun Than Lounging on the Sofa!!

Remember our Romance Road Trip?  Gorgeous Louisa and her

super-talented Oilers goalie, Ian, are still an adorable couple!!

After a freakishly hot summer here in Oklahoma, it's cooling down and time for Oilers Hockey!!  I've been sick for so long with that *&^%$ mystery tummyache, I was beginning to doubt if I'd even make it to the first few games.  Finally, the last test with the last specialist showed a not-so-little problem that landed me in surgery a few days later.

Fast forward a little over a week and while I tire easier than I'd like and still have twinges of surgical pain, the mystery knife pain that's held me prisoner since May is gone.  Can I get an Amen? 

I'm not just being a drama queen when eluding to pain being the ultimate warden.  After a while, I felt caged.  Pain pills made me nauseous, which only made me feel worse.  Thus, I've spent months on the sofa and it was getting old.  Now that I'm sprung, I've been deep cleaning the house that's felt dormant and at least trying to catch up on laundry.  Hannah and I went girl-shopping Saturday afternoon and I did lunch with Russell Sunday afternoon.

Another task Hannah and I tackled is buying silverware--more specifically, forks.  We were down to three.  How does that happen?  Where did they go?  We now have a nice, new set I'm counting after meals!!

Wish I had some clever moral to this story or a definitive reason for what I went through.  I have gained a new respect for anyone suffering from chronic pain.  Having had one doctor tell me it was all in my head, don't take that sort of disrespect!!  Only you know your body and insist the search for the problem doesn't end until you say!!

Quick shout-out of thanks to my amazing family and friends who've suffered this with me--Big Terry, Little Terry, Hannah & Russell, Mom & Dad, Margaret, Winnie, all of my fab Facebook friends local and far away, and of course Sweet Pea, Cocoa and Daisy--at the worst of this, you all made life worth living.

As for my Oilers, they're doing great!!  Yesterday, since Hubby's out of town and Hannah was doing her Ice Girl thing, Louisa and I cheered them on to a HUGE win over Wichita!!  Let's Go Oilers!!! 

 

 

 

SMELLY THINGS AT OUR HOUSE...

The drought in Texas has caused many problems, the least of which is an armadillo rooting up our yard. Every time my husband waters the grass the next morning the yard is rooted up with deep holes. The armor-shelled creature is digging for ants, beetles, worms and other unpleasant little insects. In the photo below he burrowed into the ground. It’s ruining our lawn so the hubby devised a plan. He was going to trap the armadillo and take him far far away deep into the woods away from houses.

He went to Lowe’s and bought a trap. The instructions were to bait it with table scraps, fruit or sardines. Well, I wasn’t giving the armadillo my fruit and we didn’t have any table scarps so he baited it with stinky sardines. Three days went by and nothing. The armadillo rooted all around the trap but didn’t go in it. On the fourth morning my husband came in and said, “I caught something.”

“What?” I asked.

“Come out and see.”

I had on my robe and didn’t want to go out at 7 in the morning, but I did. This is what he caught. A SKUNK!!

I looked at him and he looked at me. ‘How do you plan to get that out of the trap?” I asked.

“I was hoping you’d have a suggestion,” was his response.

“No,” I told him. “I’m going into the house and lock the door and not let you in if you’re all stinky.”

“Thanks,” he called.

I went into the house and made my way to the front bedroom so I could see what he was doing. He got his long rod and reel he uses on the Texas Gulf Coast. He stood as far away as he could and slowly lowered the hook. The skunk couldn’t see him because of the solid aluminum piece in the middle. Several times the hubby tried to catch the latch with the hook. I was holding my breath. Finally he caught it and reeled the hook upward and the latch popped and opened. (photo taken after skunk was released. Didn't want to get too close) Hubby slowly laid the rod on the grass and walked several feet away and watched. The skunk turned around and trotted out of the cage and into the woods without spraying that foul stinky scent on anything. Ingenious. I was so proud of the hubby.

So far it’s armadillo 28. Hubby 0, if you don’t count the skunk. But fall has arrived with cooler temperatures and a few showers so he hasn’t watered lately and the little devil has moved on to someone else’s yard.

What’s happening at your house? I’d love to hear some stories.

Thanks,
Linda
http://www.lindawarren.net/
The Texan’s Bride – Oct ‘11

Only Precious To Me by Megan

When I returned from the RWA National convention in July, I had strep throat. Bad. Coming home on July 2, a Saturday, meant my doctor wouldn't be in until Tuesday! I had three excruciating days of throat pain to endure. So I watched TV. lol

Yes, I watched Cardinals baseball--no surprise there. YAY to my team for their amazing comeback and World Series win!! (Y'all knew I'd sneak in a mention of the boys, didn't you?) However, I watched a lot of TV, and I tried different shows, one of which was "Storage Wars." For those of you who haven't seen it, when renters fail to pay for three months, their storage lockers are put up for auction. The show centers on four main buyers--two own thrift stores, one is a collector and one (I think) takes stuff to thrift markets. After winning a locker, they go through it and evaluate its worth.

I admit, I thought it was a trashy, low-class version of "Antiques Roadshow," the PBS program where people have their "treasures" evaluated by experts. And it may be, lol, but I've become hooked. I don't care for the bickering, but I love to see what's been stored, what treasures or unique items are found, and of course, how much they're worth. It's kind of like a pirate of old opening a chest to discover if it's clothing or doubloons.

My family didn't have antiques,--or doubloons for that matter. :) But we had some cool traditions that had props. On Thanksgiving, we would use the turkey salt and pepper shakers. Only on Thanksgiving. That's when my mom would also make Whipped Cream Salad, which I later learned was similar to Ambrosia, but since I never ate it, I had no idea. Whipped cream and the unused mandarin oranges and pineapple bits from the sweet potatoes, and sometimes coconut. [shudder] Had she thrown in chocolate, I might have at least tried it, but honestly, none of those things appeal to me, and coconut is a deal-breaker. She served it in what we called the Whipped Cream Salad bowl, a carnival glass dish she received as a bonus for buying gasoline or something back in the 50s.

For several years, I searched for a cute Thanksgiving turkey set to continue the tradition in my home. The only sets I found had two toms and no hen. No hen? I don't think so. Almost twelve years passed when my mom gave me the turkeys for my birthday. I've never had a more special present! No, they're not valuable, except for the memories. A couple of years later, she gave me the Whipped Cream Salad bowl. To me, these are priceless items. (I serve mashed potatoes in the WCS bowl,)

The other item in my picture is a potholder my mother-in-law made, which we only use in the fall. The guys on "Storage Wars" would no doubt throw this stuff out (even the carnival glass bowl isn't valuable), but these things remind me what I'm truly thankful for--my family.

And if I can keep my brother or sister from stealing them when they visit, I'll pass them down to my children. LOL

What beloved item/s do y'all treasure? I'd love to hear about them.

Best,
Megan Kelly

www.megankellybooks.com

OCTOBER WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Jo! You’re the October winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Laura Marie Altom 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.

Far-flung friends

I hesitate to use the phrase “It’s a Small World,” because every time I do, that theme from the Disneyland Small World attraction gets stuck in my head and won’t go away. La-la-la-la…oh, just shoot me.

No, wait! I mean, shoot me over to Europe for a visit.

Once upon a time, I spent six months in Italy and another six months traveling on a playwriting fellowship. These days, I stick close to home in Southern California with my husband of 33 years, my garden and my wonderful writing friends from Romance Writers of America’s Orange County Chapter (check out www.OCCRWA.org. If you’re in the area, come to a meeting).

But it is, as they say, a diminutive globe.

I teach writing through Long Ridge Writers Group, and some of my students email their lessons from far-away places. South Africa, for instance. The UK. All over the U.S. and Canada.

The characters in my books, who often seem almost as real to me as the people I know, also come from a variety of places—almost always somewhere I’ve lived or visited. In my October release, The Surgeon’s Surprise Twins, the hero, Dr. Owen Tartikoff, is from Boston. He just moved to Southern California to head the fertility program at my fictional Safe Harbor Medical Center. As for me, I went to college near Boston (Brandeis University).

Then there’s Croatia. Never been there. But I have a friend in Zagreb.

It all came about because of a photograph. If I post it right, you can see the beautiful cover of my Regency romance, Song for a Lady, which I’ve reissued in a digital edition.

I found this photo on a website that allows people to download and use images for free. So far, so good. I credited the Croatian photographer, Darko Skender, in my publicity.

Then I heard from him. He never lets people use his photos commercially and was unhappy to discover his photo on my cover. Of course, I offered to take it down. Then this kind man—a retired police officer—decided to be generous and let me use it anyway. We emailed a bit, and ended up as friends. We even Tweet.

As it happens, my mother also has a friend in Zagreb, Hanibal Salvaro, a distinguished ceramic artist. No, he and my new friend aren’t acquainted, but I have a feeling they’ll meet one of these days.

After all, it’s a minuscule sphere.

Fall Quick Five

Quick, give me your five favorite things about fall. To give you some ideas, here are my five.

1. Perfect temperatures. When the temps are between 65 and 75 with clear, sunny skies, it's perfect weather for outside activities, whether that's going for a hike in the woods or doing yard work.

2. Harvest festivals. When I worked for newspapers and magazines, I covered a lot of harvest type festivals. I loved the walk through yesteryear filled with blacksmiths, women cooking on wood-burning stoves, harvesting crops, the making of beeswax candles and cornshuck dolls.

3. The smell of the woods with the leaves falling and even the smell of fires if the smoke isn't too strong.

4. The color of the fall leaves. My favorites are the orange and yellow ones.

5. Pumpkin-flavored treats, particularly pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread.

Okay, your turn!

Happy Holidays!

It’s only October and we haven’t even had Hallowe’en yet, but it’s already starting to feel a lot like Christmas. My next Harlequin American Romance, The Christmas Secret will be out next Tuesday and I’m having a lot of fun getting ready for the release. Great cover, don’t you think? I’ve loved all my covers but this one’s my definitely my favorite.

To help readers celebrate this new release with me I’m sending out holiday recipe cards. If you would like one, please send your mailing address via my website.

I’m also inviting readers to join me next Monday, October 31 at the Pink Heart Society. For their Male on Monday segment I’ll be blogging about one of my favorite kinds of heroes—the nerd. I do love a man who can talk nerdy.

Happy reading!

Until next time,
Lee
http://www.leemckenzie.com/

Seasons Changing and So Do We

While the temps have just begun to reflect the change from summer to fall, the last few days are hinting that winter isn't far off. I don't mind the cooler weather and am happy to have turned off the AC.  After surviving far too many recording breaking days of 100+, anything under 80 feels like heaven.  But the newest addition to our family isn't very happy.

Toby, a 2 1/2 year old gray cat, came into our lives a month ago.  Several times throughout the year, when the cat population becomes too high, our local Humane Society gives away free kittens and cats.  I hadn't intended to take a new pet home, but out of curiosity we decided to see what was available at the latest give-away.  After getting a number and walking through the crowd of people hoping to adopt a new pet, my youngest daughter and I weren't able to tear ourselves away, even though we were told that it was entirely possible there wouldn't be any kitties left by the time our number was called.  As it turned out, Toby, who was being fostered by one of the employees and wasn't in the facility at the time, was the last cat available at the end of our four hour visit.  We took him in a heartbeat.

Toby's description mentioned that he was a great personal assistant, and he's already proved that to be true.  His favorite spot to snooze quickly became the window that overlooks over my desk.  This was fine with me, until the temps started to dip into the low 50s at night, and the daytime temps stopped reaching 75.  To Toby's utter disgust, the window had to be closed.  All the windows had to be closed.  So now when he discovers that his favorite sleeping spot will no longer accommodate his bigness, he gives up and settles for the top of my desk.  At 34 inches stretched out from head to tip of tail, that's more than half of my desk, and I've spent quite a lot of time moving him so I can see the bottom of my computer screen.  He still doesn't understand that assisting doesn't mean keeping me from working.

We're happy that, instead of a tiny kitten that would have needed training, we found Toby.  Or he found us.  It appears that he and I will be enjoying the changes of the seasons together.  I'm already curious to see what he thinks of the view out the window when the snow begins to fall.

What's your favorite costume?

It's almost the end of October, and Halloween will soon be upon us.

I love Halloween. And yes, it's partly because I'm a candy kind of girl. Don’t even get me started about chocolate! LOL

But for the blog today, how about we stick to something less fattening?

Let's talk about getting dressed up for the Big Night of trick-or-treating. Of course, like me, I'm sure you've worn many, many costumes over the years, from the most simple to the extravagantly elaborate.

As a teenager, my favorite costume was dressing up as a hobo. It was easy. It was cheap.

Heck, it was do-it-yourself:

Torn jeans, one of my dad's old flannel shirts, a pair of filthy, stinky sneakers my mom thought I'd tossed out long ago, and a worn-out bandana from the rag bag—and I was good to go.

Oh, along with the liberal application of black marker and eyebrow pencils to add that special down-on-my-luck touch. (smile)

My all-time favorite costume, though, was comprised of an old billowy ball gown with a "diamond" inset at the waist and a long gauzy train, strappy sandals, a pair of elbow-length gloves, and a "diamond" tiara. I felt regal and royal and really, really grown-up. That was probably the year I turned seven. LOL

And it does show that I've always been a romantic at heart, doesn't it?

How about you? Please share your favorite costume ever—one worn by you or one of your kids or grandkids!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Halloween...Scary Story

October…

The month when leaves change color and begin to fall.


When farmers finish harvesting their crops and prepare the fields for winter. When days are cold, then warm, then rainy, then sunny all in the same week. The month when birds fly south, and apples and pumpkins are picked. The month when football hockey and the World Series compete for TV viewers.

However….it's Halloween that steels the show in October.


A night when wherewolves, Vampires and Witches walk together. When Princesses, Fairies, Batmans and Supermans share the sidewalk with Harry Potters, Hermonie's , Buzz Lightyears, Green Army Men and Aliens.

In honor of Halloween I thought it would be fun to share a scary tale. I came across Campfire Tales - The Scariest Urban Legends Ever at
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/horrors/ss/Campfire-Tales.htm
and recognized a story from my youth—a slightly different version but the same general premise.

Scary Story #6 "The Boyfriend's Death"



A Girl and her boyfriend are making out in his car. They had parked in the woods so no one would see them. When they were done, the boy got out to pee and the girl waited for him in the safety of the car. After waiting five minutes, the girl got out of the car to look for her boyfriend. Suddenly, she sees a man in the shadows. Scared, she gets back in the car to drive away, when she hears a very faint squeak... squeak... squeak... This continued a few seconds until the girl decided she had no choice but to drive off. She hit the gas as hard as possible but couldn't go anywhere, because someone had tied a rope from the bumper of the car to a nearby tree. Well, the girl slams on the gas again and then hears a loud scream. She gets out of the car and realizes that her boyfriend is hanging from the tree. The squeaky noises were his shoes slightly scraping across the top of the car!!!


I bet you remember a scary story from your childhood...want to share?

Marin
www.marinthomas.com
Check out my new Blog "All My Heroes are Cowboys" at
www.marinthomas.blogspot.com
A Rodeo Man's Promise (Dec 2011)
Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2011)

Witches, Goblins, and Falling Leaves

I never thought I’d be so ready for fall. I’ve always enjoyed all the seasons, but I’m a summertime gal at heart. I love warm weather and trips to the coast and all the things that come with summer.

But after a terribly hot, dry summer, I’m really enjoying the cooler nights. I’ve been on vacation this week and have taken time to sit outside on the patio in the evenings with my coffee and watch the gorgeous moon rise. And it’s been downright chilly. The house is decorated for fall, with Halloween spooks and lots of rich fall colors. We’re looking forward to fireplace weather, and Thanksgiving. I’m pushing my hubby to help clean out the greenhouse to make ready for the potted plants.

It's fun to watch the high school kids all dressed for Friday night football. And to think about some of the planned activities we have with friends. I'm even ready for the time to change so it gets dark earlier. Okay, that's not entirely accurate. I'm looking forward to an extra hour of sleep each morning. My grankidos are planning out their Halloween costumes and the stores are full of candy. I have this unhealthy addiction to corn candy.



How about you? What is your favorite season?

A Harley and a Girl Named Gypsy . . .

Sweet Pea, who at the ripe old age of 98 dog years is the senior citizen of our family!!

Happy Friday!!

So excited for a mini-road trip to Arkansas I'm taking today with my kiddos and Daisy to meet a new family member--Gypsy!  But before I tell you who Gypsy is, you have to suffer through the back story of how this 9lb baby entered our lives . . .

The last book in my Buckhorn Ranch series, A Baby in His Stocking, is released next month.  UPS brought my author copies yesterday and I got all misty over the dedication.  (I turn in books a good six months or more before they're published, so a lot of times what the dedication is has nothing to do with my current life, but was meaningful to me when the book was turned in.)  We're a dog family, so I dedicated this story to Noodle, my parents' dachshund who lived to the grand, old age of eighteen. 

When you think about how much happens in our lives over eighteen years it's mind-boggling.  Our kids grew from infants to college, I think we've had three presidents, MTV stopped playing videos, cell phones are now postage stamps instead of bricks and TVs are flat as stamps!!  Raise your hand if you remember how exciting seeing your first big screen TV was!! 

Noodle the Wonder Wiener was there through it all, most importantly the passing of both of my grandparents and my favorite great-aunt and uncle. . . . Here I go again, making myself all weepy.

Losing Noodle was crazy hard on my mom.  I think if she'd had her way, she'd have gotten a puppy right away, but my parents do a lot of traveling and Dad put the kabash on getting another dog. 

Fast forward more than a few months and Dad is out riding his Harley--yes, you read right!!  Mom loathes it, as the helmet musses her hair, but she does have all the latest Harley fashions that she sported for Fayetteville's Bikes, Barbecue & Blues.  (I cannot keep that name straight, so sorry if I got it wrong.)  Anyway, Dad's on his bike and sees this little dog weaving out of the weeds on the side of a country road.

He was in a fairly desolate area, and since it looked like a dachshund, he got off his bike to investigate.  Sure enough, he'd found a starving, dirt-covered wiener!!  Mom reports her being skin and bones, but still wriggling and kissing in true dachshund style.  They asked all over Farmington if anyone had reported losing a dog, then took her to a vet for a check-up and to see if she had an ID chip (those weren't around when Noodle was born, either!).  With no chip and my mother already in love, the vet urged them to give the dog a new home.

Mom called to discuss names and decided the usual Heidi and Pretzel wouldn't do.  Dad refused to stand in the front yard in his robe yelling for Cupcake or Cutie so I suggested they name her something that told the story of how they found her.  A few hours later, Mom called back and made the formal announcement that our new family member shall be christened Gypsy!!

Welcome anyone to your family lately? 




   

Deadline Writing - Finding the Love

My son once told me that a Chick-fil-A Biscuit would “change my life.” So, I traveled twenty miles to the nearest Chick-fil-A in time for breakfast and ordered up a chicken biscuit. It was good. Yummy, even. But it wasn’t life-changing.

Not like Candace Havens’ Fast Draft Method.

If you read my post here last month, you know I’ve hit a new stage in my writing—writing to tight deadlines. I have to admit, at first, I wasn’t all that thrilled with this new challenge. Oh, I was beyond happy with a two-book contract. I was super excited that my editor had so much faith in me. I’d already fallen in love with the characters. I knew their stories and really, really wanted to bring them to life on the page. But writing a book in two months? Ooooh, scary stuff for an author who labors over each manuscript for a minimum of half a year.

That was before I met Harlequin Blaze author Candace Havens who introduced me to her concept of Fast Draft writing.

Believe me when I say that, for an author, this method will “change your life.” And I’m not the only one who feels that way. My good friend, Roxanne St. Claire, experienced true epiphany when Candace spoke to our local RWA chapter last month. The author of thirty books, Roxanne put the Fast Draft method to work for her. Much better than I ever could, she talked about the experience yesterday on Murder She Writes.

If you write and are looking for a way to do it better, faster, check Roxanne's column at: http://www.murdershewrites.com/2011/10/11/standing-on-my-skyscraper-sampling-some-crow out

Password Pandemonium

Password Pandemonium
The digital age is truly a wonderful thing, I love the way I can communicate with people around the world by email and skype (although I haven’t yet ventured into tweeting). I love being able to Google just about anything and find the answer. We’re presently contemplating a move to the UK from Australia. Being able to look at properties online and then take Mr.Google (I’m not sure if this is his real name) for a walk down the street the property is on and see if we like the neighborhood as much as the house is an incredible facility. I can keep up with friends on Facebook, view their latest albums and whatever wonderful things are happening in their lives and share ours with them.As one of our children lives overseas, we can keep in touch by email, skype and Facebook. We can share in her life, exchange ideas, take a walk around her new London flat with skype and feel almost as if she’s in the same room as us.Said daughter is marrying in England later this month. A few years ago, organizing a wedding from 12,000 miles away would’ve been impossible, but through the wonders of internet I’ve been able to search venues, then pop an email off to them and have an answer waiting in my inbox the next morning. We’ve been able view the galleries of venues, florists, photographers, cake makers, caterers, bridal boutiques and accommodation. Within a month of the engagement, everything was booked and invitations issued. Three months later, we’re about to board our flights from Australia to England, all courtesy of the Net. We’ve viewed and chosen our plane seats, chosen the meals we’d like to eat during the flights, booked transport to and from the airports, rented a car, a holiday flat in London and B&B’s throughout England. It’s truly marvelous!


BUTAnd yes, there has to be a BUT…While I love the internet and spend way too many hours trawling websites for any number of things, I absolutely HATE the whole password thing. Yes, I know it’s supposed to protect me, but if I can’t remember my password, or indeed which of the three email addresses I registered with, then it becomes all rather vexed. And useless. And sometimes downright nasty!One site I use a lot asks me for a number. If I don’t put that number in correctly and the password (the one I can’t remember) it gets very snippy at me. And then if I mess things up three times, it completely shuts down on me saying dire things about “failure” and “banning” access!And I know you’re going to say I should write down all my passwords somewhere, and I did, the only problem is, instead of calling the file something sensible like, oh… Passwords! I decided that would be a bit silly if I lost my laptop, so I’ve called it something else altogether. AND I’ve made it password protected…I’m on semi-friendly terms with sites that ask me politely, “forgotten your password?” and provide a link to security questions. Except on one of these sites, I’d accidentally mis-spelled my mother’s name in the security question. Took me months to work out where I’d gone wrong (and I have to confess I only discovered it when I retyped my mother’s name incorrectly) Of course I have no idea how to change the spelling in the original question. Other sites’ security questions are completely useless. One demanded I provide the name of my favorite sports team. I don’t have a favorite sports team, so I made it up. Now I can’t remember the name of that fictional sports team.It’s all very stressful when you really need to access one of these sites and are denied simply because you’re too silly to remember your password, or too lazy to write it down somewhere you’ll remember.However, I do remember my first ever telephone number (it’s only three digits, so not so hard, but it’s something I’m proud of and never get wrong!)So if I manage to post this blog, then you know I’ve successfully remembered my password and/or login name.What do you love and hate about the digital age? Do you have trouble with passwords, or do you have some helpful tips about them?

Till next month – and if I can manage to navigate my pictures album and upload a few photos of my daughter’s wedding in next month’s blog – did I tell you she’s getting married in a castle? (because she’s a princess of course) - I will. And if I can’t remember the password, then I won’t.CC!

LET IT RAIN!!

I’ve blogged a lot about the drought here in Texas. Not today. It’s raining. A slow steady rain is tap-tapping against my window screen as I type. Wonderful. I went outside to smell it. There's not a more pleasing scent than fresh much-needed rain. I hope it keeps drizzling on into the night. It’s going to take many, many more days of this to repair all the damage that has happened in the last few months with wildfires and lakes and ponds drying up. But it’s fall and a new season is here. No more 110 degree days. Our mornings have been in the low 50s. That’s a blessing because that hot sun was scorching everything. Our green lawn has taken a big hit. We water and water, but it’s not the same as God’s water. So let it rain. Let it rain!

I love to write in this type of weather. I love to read in this weather too. What type of weather gets your creative juices flowing?

Let it rain.

Linda
The Texan’s Bride – Oct ‘11

Sisters by Megan

I've had some hectic days lately. After attending the Georgia Romance Writers' conference, Moonlight and Magnolias, I spent three days with my sister, who lives in the Atlanta area. At the M&Ms, I presented two workshops. At my sister's house, I ate and slept and watched my Cardinals baseball team on TV (Y'all knew I was going to mention them, right?) and talked with my niece and nephew and my sister. I played with her grandchildren, and I walked with the new baby until he fell asleep in my arms. Is there anything more precious than a sleeping baby? (Except of course for my two kids, although they've long ago left the newborn stage behind.) Even after my niece rounded up her children and went home and I changed into my pajamas, I could still smell that newborn baby scent on my skin. What a lovely way to fall asleep.
NOTE--I did not have to stay up with him all night, or change his diaper, or soothe his tummy ache, or any of the myriad chores a new parent has to do. Trust me, I have not forgotten how tiring that is, and in no way am I wishing I was going through that again! But I love being an aunt, who hands the baby back when he cries. lol

When my sister and I were younger, we shared a bedroom for many years. I wore her hand-me-downs. We had sort of matching dresses (she had blue velvet and I had red velvet for Christmas, but they were the same style. The next year, I wore the blue velvet.) We bickered, we played together, we endured the same upbringing, we went to the same schools. There's so much about me I don't have to explain to her because she experienced it also. Our father passed away when we were young, and our lives changed. As the youngest, I had some of her teachers, and I had the "legacy" of all my siblings to live up to -- or to live down, lol. [waving to a certain sibling!]

This past week, I started out wearing my writer hat, presenting workshops, meeting other writers who I hope become new friends, and promoting my work. Then I was simply myself, enjoying my far-away family. I thoroughly enjoyed both ends of my vacation, and now I'm more than ready to be home.

I hope this post makes y'all think of the happy moments of childhood.
Megan

SEPTEMBER WINNER!!

CONGRATULATIONS Cynthia D’Alba! You’re the September winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Megan Kelly, Roxann Delaney and Linda Warren 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.