Okay, here is the final installment in Fact and Fiction. It’s been fun sharing what’s been based in reality. The fun thing about writing is that yes, I really do write all of those 65,000 plus words you are reading, so a lot of thought and care goes into every one.
My next two books are both out simultaneously in December 2007. Hart’s Victory is a Harlequin Special Release—Stories set in the world of NASCAR. My daughter and I decided to go to Nashville for the first ever Sound and Speed in 2006. It wasn’t organized very well, and we, being silly novices, didn’t realize that Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans are rabid and they started lining up at 6 AM for the 9 AM autograph bracelets you needed to get in. While I adore Dale Jr., I won’t stand three hours in subzero temperatures to get his autograph. (We met Jeff Green.) Still, we made the best of the event, toured the Country Music Hall of Fame where an employee took a shine on my daughter and gave her a personal tour, and trotted back over for the last Q & A of the day, which featured Jo Dee Messina, Dale Jr., Montgomery Gentry, Keith Anderson and some others. My daughter got to ask a question of Dale Jr. While the question she asked is not exactly the same one that Charlie, my heroine’s son, asks in the book, she did, however, manage to stump Dale, and all of the sudden the wheels started clicking and on the drive home from Nashville, the entire story came together in my head. I wrote a proposal in two weeks, and sent it to my agent and it became my 15th sale.
The Christmas Date is a Harlequin American and it was actually inspired by a high school student I met at a scholastic journalism convention once. Nick Koenig graduated from Parkway Central High School in St. Louis and went to the University of Texas—Austin. He was determined to be a professional photojournalist at all cost. I wrote the book long ago, but when it finally sold just last year I rewrote the whole thing. While I’ve never seen Nick again, or even remember what he looks like, I’ve heard through a mutual friend he did all he set out to do, including climbing Mount Everest. Ten years later he’s no longer working as a globetrotting photographer (I guess after Everest, what’s left?), but ever since hearing his determination his senior year, he’d always had me wondering, what type of woman would that type of guy settle with? So you’ll find out when you meet Tyler Nichols in The Christmas Date, out next December. PS—I needed a southern city with a law school with night classes. Orlando fit the bill and I’d been to its airport. I have to admit, this is one of those books of the heart, and has a few funny moments in it, too.
Last, I’m scheduled to have a Harlequin American out in April 2008. Titled The Marriage Recipe, Rachel is a professional chef who graduated from the CIA. I have made the coconut cake she makes in the book, including scraping the coconut out of the shell myself. As for the plane Colin co-owns, that’s the very one I went flying in last February. For this book, I went back to Morrisville, Indiana, which I’ve since learned from a reader is a real town. However, the Morrisville I made up is just east of Batesville, the place where all the hospital beds and caskets are made, and where my cousin lives. So everything in Morrisville is very made up, but I was excited to go back there fictionally since I love the town so much.
Okay, that’s the end. I hope you’ve enjoyed some of these little tidbits.
And PS—don’t forget that today is your last day to comment to be entered in the contest. You don’t necessarily have to answer me this post. You can feel free to answer such things as, how have you liked the blog this month? What else would you like to see? Etc.
Also, because my next post isn’t until the 12th, Happy 4th of July.
Michele
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
I love it, I love it not
Every book I write goes through several predictable stages. When I first come up with the idea, I love it. It's the best idea I've ever had, and it will be the best book I've ever written. I love it until I finish a proposal and send it off to my editor, at which point everything changes. The moment the package is transferred from my hands to the postal worker's (or I hit the "send" button) I am sure I've made a terrible mistake. The book is the worst idea I've ever had, and it's going to end my career.
Then, a few weeks or months later, I get a call. The editor loves it and she's buying it. Yay! The book is wonderful again. I am so clever. But then I have to write the thing. Suddenly I'm seething with doubts. Why did I think this was a good idea? I can't write this book. I'll have to send the advance money back.
Yet somehow I do finish it. I've never not finished a book that was under contract. I lovingly polish the manuscript, falling in love with the idea all over again, and send it off. And immediately I am sure the book will not be accepted and I'll have to start from scratch. My career is once again over.
Happily, the editor usually likes it, and I feel like a genius again--until I receive the edited manuscript and I see in black and white all the mistakes I made, all the changes the editor wants me to make, and I feel dumb again. But somehow it gets done, though I'm positive readers will hate it and never pick up one of my books again. As if I'll ever sell another one.
I don't love the book agaiin until I receive the final page proofs. It's only when I read it again from start to finish, as if I were a reader, that I can see the story as a whole with fresh eyes, and fall in love all over again.
Of course, I continue to feel insecure about it. That's just how most writers are. Once the book is released I have to deal with reviews, comments from readers, and worries about whether it's selling well. It's a continual up and down. One day I'm brilliant, the next day I'm the village idiot.
Fortunately today I'm a genius. I just read through the page proofs for GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL, my January 2008 book, and I love it again. For this week, anyway!
Then, a few weeks or months later, I get a call. The editor loves it and she's buying it. Yay! The book is wonderful again. I am so clever. But then I have to write the thing. Suddenly I'm seething with doubts. Why did I think this was a good idea? I can't write this book. I'll have to send the advance money back.
Yet somehow I do finish it. I've never not finished a book that was under contract. I lovingly polish the manuscript, falling in love with the idea all over again, and send it off. And immediately I am sure the book will not be accepted and I'll have to start from scratch. My career is once again over.
Happily, the editor usually likes it, and I feel like a genius again--until I receive the edited manuscript and I see in black and white all the mistakes I made, all the changes the editor wants me to make, and I feel dumb again. But somehow it gets done, though I'm positive readers will hate it and never pick up one of my books again. As if I'll ever sell another one.
I don't love the book agaiin until I receive the final page proofs. It's only when I read it again from start to finish, as if I were a reader, that I can see the story as a whole with fresh eyes, and fall in love all over again.
Of course, I continue to feel insecure about it. That's just how most writers are. Once the book is released I have to deal with reviews, comments from readers, and worries about whether it's selling well. It's a continual up and down. One day I'm brilliant, the next day I'm the village idiot.
Fortunately today I'm a genius. I just read through the page proofs for GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL, my January 2008 book, and I love it again. For this week, anyway!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Gone Fishin'
Why is it that vacations sound so relaxing...until you actually have to go on one?
Even if my husband and I were going to spend the next week and a half lazing near the water (him fishing, me reading), there's still all the last minute stuff involving the house sitter, cat care, making sure we don't let any bills fall through the cracks and come home to no electricity or water, and I of course had to finish a book (Fed-Exed it today...yay!!!!)
So we have all that done. Is it time to relax? No. No, it's time to get in the van with our four year old and five year old for a drive through four states and down--way, way down--the Texas coast. At which point, tired and cranky, we will pile into a beach house with lots of in-laws and a single restroom.
So, someone remind me, as I stand in the middle of my room trying to get packed, why did I think this sounded restful when I agreed to it? Clearly, I had us confused with some other family's vacation plans!
Even if my husband and I were going to spend the next week and a half lazing near the water (him fishing, me reading), there's still all the last minute stuff involving the house sitter, cat care, making sure we don't let any bills fall through the cracks and come home to no electricity or water, and I of course had to finish a book (Fed-Exed it today...yay!!!!)
So we have all that done. Is it time to relax? No. No, it's time to get in the van with our four year old and five year old for a drive through four states and down--way, way down--the Texas coast. At which point, tired and cranky, we will pile into a beach house with lots of in-laws and a single restroom.
So, someone remind me, as I stand in the middle of my room trying to get packed, why did I think this sounded restful when I agreed to it? Clearly, I had us confused with some other family's vacation plans!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Spandex
Hi guys,
I've been toying with the idea of naming my latest WIP Tough Guys Wear Spandex. The hero of the book is a pro football player with great buns, so that seems appropriate. In general I think spandex is a yucky fashion statement, but think of some of the folks (primarily of the male persuasion) who look darned good-football players, Lance Armstrong and crew, baseball players, Olympic swimmers, etc. And that brings me to the subject of people who should, and people who shouldn't (even under the threat of torture) wear that particular fabric.
I love to play tennis, and I avidly watch all the Grand Slam tournaments. There's a famous American player who really belongs in the "shouldn't" category. Unfortunately, she either doesn't know it, or is in denial. Yikes!
So, the moral of this story is if you don't look like Cameron Diaz, stick with natural fabrics-preferably cotton!
Ann DeFee
Georgia On His Mind - Harlequin American Romance - August 2007
Summer After Summer - Harlequin Everlasting Love - September 2007
The Perfect Tree - Harlequin American Romance Christmas Anthology - Nov. 2007
I've been toying with the idea of naming my latest WIP Tough Guys Wear Spandex. The hero of the book is a pro football player with great buns, so that seems appropriate. In general I think spandex is a yucky fashion statement, but think of some of the folks (primarily of the male persuasion) who look darned good-football players, Lance Armstrong and crew, baseball players, Olympic swimmers, etc. And that brings me to the subject of people who should, and people who shouldn't (even under the threat of torture) wear that particular fabric.
I love to play tennis, and I avidly watch all the Grand Slam tournaments. There's a famous American player who really belongs in the "shouldn't" category. Unfortunately, she either doesn't know it, or is in denial. Yikes!
So, the moral of this story is if you don't look like Cameron Diaz, stick with natural fabrics-preferably cotton!
Ann DeFee
Georgia On His Mind - Harlequin American Romance - August 2007
Summer After Summer - Harlequin Everlasting Love - September 2007
The Perfect Tree - Harlequin American Romance Christmas Anthology - Nov. 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
In the grand scheme of things
We’ve been remodeling around here and the dust and chaos are wreaking havoc with my preferred writing schedule. I have managed to write though. As an early riser, mornings are my most productive time. Now I write whenever I can, often in the afternoon and evening. It’s good to know I can work then, but I’m looking forward to returning my usual routine.
The company we hired said the job would take ten days. But remodels and repairs never go as planned, and we’re now into day sixteen.
As a glass-half-full woman, I’m working hard to make the best of the situation. Noise and dust? What are those in the grand scheme of things? When the work is over the improvements to our home will be worth the upheaval.
This is my last post before the end of the contest. Lots of luck to everyone!
Good news: At last I have a title for my second Halo Island book, out in March, 2008—The Pilot’s Woman. Whoever suggested that one, thanks!
Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net
The company we hired said the job would take ten days. But remodels and repairs never go as planned, and we’re now into day sixteen.
As a glass-half-full woman, I’m working hard to make the best of the situation. Noise and dust? What are those in the grand scheme of things? When the work is over the improvements to our home will be worth the upheaval.
This is my last post before the end of the contest. Lots of luck to everyone!
Good news: At last I have a title for my second Halo Island book, out in March, 2008—The Pilot’s Woman. Whoever suggested that one, thanks!
Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Comfort Food
Whether comfort food is a guilty pleasure or a delectable treat that soothes the soul, I’m guessing we all have at least one. I have several!
American Romance editor Johanna Raisanen (remember her guest blog on April 13?) and I recently had a conversation about comfort food. She told me about her mother’s Christmas gingerbread cookies (my mouth is watering already) and her pulla—a Finnish sweet bread flavored with cardamom—and how delicious it was, especially “slathered with butter, right out of the oven.”
My grandmother used to make that bread as well! I don’t remember her using the Finnish name for it, but I do remember it warm from the oven. Oh, my.
That conversation with Johanna got me thinking about comfort food, and I realized that mine are all associated with my Finnish grandmother, who passed away in 1982 but lives forever in my heart. She was an amazing cook, and everyone in my family still raves about her breads and pastries.
She also made rice pies called piirakka, and although I haven’t had them in years, they are still one of my comfort foods. Piirakka are oval-shaped pies made from unleavened rye dough and filled with rice that has been cooked in milk, so its nice and creamy. I wish I knew how to make them, but my grandmother never used a cookbook and none of her recipes were ever written down.
My two other comfort foods are peanut butter cookies and butter tarts. Not specifically Finnish, but my grandmother made them all the time. She rolled peanut butter cookie dough into little balls and flattened them with the tines of a fork, so the tops had a crisscross pattern. To this day, a peanut butter cookie just doesn’t seem right if it hasn’t been flattened with a fork.
As for those butter tarts, what can I say? Still slightly warm from the oven, sweet and gooey with melt-in-your-mouth pastry . . . I can taste one now!
Wikipedia describes comfort food as “any food or drink to which one habitually turns for temporary respite, security, or special reward.” Accurate, but kind of cold sounding, don’t you think?
My comfort foods literally transport me back in time. My grandmother baked every day, and her kitchen was always filled with sweet, wonderful scents, not to mention a ton of love and laughter. A butter tart will take me there, every time.
What are your comfort foods? Do you associate them with someone or someplace special? I'd love to hear about them!
Lee
www.leemckenzie.com
PS: For more about my grandmother, please check out my SuperHeroine article at WetNoodlePosse.com.
American Romance editor Johanna Raisanen (remember her guest blog on April 13?) and I recently had a conversation about comfort food. She told me about her mother’s Christmas gingerbread cookies (my mouth is watering already) and her pulla—a Finnish sweet bread flavored with cardamom—and how delicious it was, especially “slathered with butter, right out of the oven.”
My grandmother used to make that bread as well! I don’t remember her using the Finnish name for it, but I do remember it warm from the oven. Oh, my.
That conversation with Johanna got me thinking about comfort food, and I realized that mine are all associated with my Finnish grandmother, who passed away in 1982 but lives forever in my heart. She was an amazing cook, and everyone in my family still raves about her breads and pastries.
She also made rice pies called piirakka, and although I haven’t had them in years, they are still one of my comfort foods. Piirakka are oval-shaped pies made from unleavened rye dough and filled with rice that has been cooked in milk, so its nice and creamy. I wish I knew how to make them, but my grandmother never used a cookbook and none of her recipes were ever written down.
My two other comfort foods are peanut butter cookies and butter tarts. Not specifically Finnish, but my grandmother made them all the time. She rolled peanut butter cookie dough into little balls and flattened them with the tines of a fork, so the tops had a crisscross pattern. To this day, a peanut butter cookie just doesn’t seem right if it hasn’t been flattened with a fork.
As for those butter tarts, what can I say? Still slightly warm from the oven, sweet and gooey with melt-in-your-mouth pastry . . . I can taste one now!
Wikipedia describes comfort food as “any food or drink to which one habitually turns for temporary respite, security, or special reward.” Accurate, but kind of cold sounding, don’t you think?
My comfort foods literally transport me back in time. My grandmother baked every day, and her kitchen was always filled with sweet, wonderful scents, not to mention a ton of love and laughter. A butter tart will take me there, every time.
What are your comfort foods? Do you associate them with someone or someplace special? I'd love to hear about them!
Lee
www.leemckenzie.com
PS: For more about my grandmother, please check out my SuperHeroine article at WetNoodlePosse.com.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Top Ten Favorite Movies
The other night my daughter and I watched the TV special, AFI's Top 100 Movies of All Time. It was fun guessing the movies on the list. I did pretty good, impressing my daughter. I agreed with some of those selected and not with others. When my daughter asked me what my favorite movies of all time were, I made my own top ten list. After I finished, I realized my list said a lot about me as a person (and not just that I grew up watching old movies on TV).
1. Spencer's Mountain
2. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1964 version)
3. Beauty and the Beast (Disney animated version)
4. Star Wars (the original)
5. Planet of the Apes (the original)
6. Little Mermaid (Disney animated version)
7. Dirty Dancing
8. The Quiet Man
9. Black Beauty (1994 version)
10. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) version
All right. So, what does this list say about me? Certainly that I love movies — and books for that matter — with a happy ending or, at least, a hopeful ending. The AFI's number one movie was Citizen Kane, and I certainly didn't think that movie had a happy ending. Every movie on my list is either a romance or has a strong romantic element. Yes, even Black Beauty has his horse girlfriend (grin). The movies I like best aren't necessarily deep or thought provoking but rather they're entertaining, which is how I like my books, too. This isn't to say I'm not a deep person, rather that movies are an escape for me.
How did I choose these movies? Well, despite having seen them again and again (the top two 25 or more times), I'd sit down and watch them today if you asked me. Also, they each evoke a strong emotional response in me, either making me cry or giving me chills.
Now I'm curious. What are some of your all time favorite movies and why?
1. Spencer's Mountain
2. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1964 version)
3. Beauty and the Beast (Disney animated version)
4. Star Wars (the original)
5. Planet of the Apes (the original)
6. Little Mermaid (Disney animated version)
7. Dirty Dancing
8. The Quiet Man
9. Black Beauty (1994 version)
10. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) version
All right. So, what does this list say about me? Certainly that I love movies — and books for that matter — with a happy ending or, at least, a hopeful ending. The AFI's number one movie was Citizen Kane, and I certainly didn't think that movie had a happy ending. Every movie on my list is either a romance or has a strong romantic element. Yes, even Black Beauty has his horse girlfriend (grin). The movies I like best aren't necessarily deep or thought provoking but rather they're entertaining, which is how I like my books, too. This isn't to say I'm not a deep person, rather that movies are an escape for me.
How did I choose these movies? Well, despite having seen them again and again (the top two 25 or more times), I'd sit down and watch them today if you asked me. Also, they each evoke a strong emotional response in me, either making me cry or giving me chills.
Now I'm curious. What are some of your all time favorite movies and why?
Friday, June 22, 2007
UDDERS AND PUTTERS
Something happened yesterday that my husband and I are still reeling from. Our son went to Udders and Putters without us.
Udders and Putters is a miniature golf course in southern Ohio in the middle of a dairy farm. Years ago, while on one of our summer car trips, we stopped and fell in love. Udders and Putters has two little putt-putt courses, a corn maze in the fall, lots of fake cows, a gift shop, and the best thing of all…a HUGE ice cream parlor with fresh-from-the dairy ice cream. Yeah. Miniature golf and ice cream and fake cows. You don’t need much else to make me happy.
Well, it’s been a family tradition ever since then to go at least once a year. We drive the ninety minutes together, always saying that it takes longer than we remembered. We play cutthroat putt-putt. (I’m the designated cheater) We tease my daughter about her fear of corn as we tromp through the maze and inevitably get hopelessly lost. Finally we celebrate another trip well done with bowls of ice cream.
To say I was in a bit of shock when my son called me from his friend’s car to say that he was going to Udders and Putter’s on his own (WITHOUT US!) is an understatement.
Part of me was really glad that such a place meant enough for him to take a friend. Another part was worried he would suddenly see the place through another teen’s eyes and discover that maybe it wasn’t quite as neat as the memories made them out to be.
Most of me was just plain jealous. My schedule yesterday involved swim team practice, volunteering at church, running to the grocery store and post office and finally writing seven pages. All were good things but…no dairy farm at all.
He got home about an hour before dinner with a full report. He told us all about Udder and Putter updates. He said he had a good time. No, he didn’t say anything sappy like “It would have been better with you, Mom.” But he didn’t say he wouldn’t go with us in August, either.
So maybe this is the first ‘turning point.’. Perhaps it’s one of our crazy, evolved traditions that he’ll carry on…Or maybe it will just be one of those things he’ll always remember about growing up in Ohio.
Please tell me that we’re not the only family who has a favorite quirky summer activity. Anyone else want to share?
Shelley
Udders and Putters is a miniature golf course in southern Ohio in the middle of a dairy farm. Years ago, while on one of our summer car trips, we stopped and fell in love. Udders and Putters has two little putt-putt courses, a corn maze in the fall, lots of fake cows, a gift shop, and the best thing of all…a HUGE ice cream parlor with fresh-from-the dairy ice cream. Yeah. Miniature golf and ice cream and fake cows. You don’t need much else to make me happy.
Well, it’s been a family tradition ever since then to go at least once a year. We drive the ninety minutes together, always saying that it takes longer than we remembered. We play cutthroat putt-putt. (I’m the designated cheater) We tease my daughter about her fear of corn as we tromp through the maze and inevitably get hopelessly lost. Finally we celebrate another trip well done with bowls of ice cream.
To say I was in a bit of shock when my son called me from his friend’s car to say that he was going to Udders and Putter’s on his own (WITHOUT US!) is an understatement.
Part of me was really glad that such a place meant enough for him to take a friend. Another part was worried he would suddenly see the place through another teen’s eyes and discover that maybe it wasn’t quite as neat as the memories made them out to be.
Most of me was just plain jealous. My schedule yesterday involved swim team practice, volunteering at church, running to the grocery store and post office and finally writing seven pages. All were good things but…no dairy farm at all.
He got home about an hour before dinner with a full report. He told us all about Udder and Putter updates. He said he had a good time. No, he didn’t say anything sappy like “It would have been better with you, Mom.” But he didn’t say he wouldn’t go with us in August, either.
So maybe this is the first ‘turning point.’. Perhaps it’s one of our crazy, evolved traditions that he’ll carry on…Or maybe it will just be one of those things he’ll always remember about growing up in Ohio.
Please tell me that we’re not the only family who has a favorite quirky summer activity. Anyone else want to share?
Shelley
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Fact & Fiction 2
Since the first post was so much fun, here’s another installment in Fact & Fiction. (For those of you who missed the first post, it was dated June 12.) I find it fun coincidence that I get to follow Ann Roth’s post on where she gets her ideas, for you’ll see that I’ve gotten a lot inspiration from events, and a lot of what happens in my life or the world around me makes it into my books in some form. It’s amazing how a writer can take reality, put a new spin on it, and come up with something totally fun and fictional.
From my book Legally Tender (January 06), the entire opening scene where the firefighters show up at an elementary Brownie troop Halloween party is completely real. Smoke machines set off fire alarms. It happened at my high school, my daughter’s school, and the YMCA during their Fright Fest. While airing out the gym at my daughter’s school, the firefighters showed them the truck. Add some what if, and Christina and Bruce’s story was born. In fact, my best friend was there and she told me, “you’ll use this in a book.” To which I said, “uh huh.” (PS—the end scene, where a beam comes down on his arm is also based in reality. That happened in my little town of Labadie when the Hawthorne Inn burned to the ground, a few months before I moved here.)
In Sweeping the Bride Away (2002), I’ve been through most of those home repairs poor Cassidy Clayton goes through. I actually spilt latex paint all over the ceramic tile in my very first house. My mother helped save the day. I also based both of Blade’s trucks on my contractor’s first Ford F150 and the new one he bought. One of my favorite things to do is research what cars my characters are going to drive.
From Emergency Engagement (Feb 05), where the younger daughter eats the cold medicine, the entire ER scene happened to my older daughter when she was about three and a half years old and ate two of my Drixoral pills thinking they were candy. My younger daughter fell and bit entirely through her lower lip once, and she’s the patient mentioned in the other room. However, Quinton and Beth, my heroine and hero are very made up, and although I’ve run across three Quintons in my life, none of them are a sexy ER doctor.
Nine Months’ Notice (April 2007) ended my three-book American Beauties mini-series. I set the story in Kansas City, but Jeff brought Tori Ted Drewes. This is a historic frozen custard stand on Chippewa, which is Old Route 66—the Mother Road. If you are ever in St. Louis, you have to go there. While other custard stands are just as delicious, you have to go to Ted Drewes and experience the original for yourself. Also, if you’re ever in St. Louis, the A.G. Edwards headquarters building is the place I set Jacobsen Enterprises (and Jacobsen is maiden name of one of my best friends) which is found in Catching the Corporate Playboy, About Last Night…, Capturing the Cop, and The Playboy’s Protégée. The park I took Darci and Cameron too really does exist, only further south than I set it. (I like to move things around.) By the way, Henrietta’s Restaurant pays homage to Tony’s, the fine dining establishment that is a landmark in St. Louis, and a place in which I have yet to eat. Maybe someday.
On June 30th, I’ll talk about my upcoming works and give you some teasers . (I am at 99.9 percent finished writing my April 2008 book—hooray!)
Michele
From my book Legally Tender (January 06), the entire opening scene where the firefighters show up at an elementary Brownie troop Halloween party is completely real. Smoke machines set off fire alarms. It happened at my high school, my daughter’s school, and the YMCA during their Fright Fest. While airing out the gym at my daughter’s school, the firefighters showed them the truck. Add some what if, and Christina and Bruce’s story was born. In fact, my best friend was there and she told me, “you’ll use this in a book.” To which I said, “uh huh.” (PS—the end scene, where a beam comes down on his arm is also based in reality. That happened in my little town of Labadie when the Hawthorne Inn burned to the ground, a few months before I moved here.)
In Sweeping the Bride Away (2002), I’ve been through most of those home repairs poor Cassidy Clayton goes through. I actually spilt latex paint all over the ceramic tile in my very first house. My mother helped save the day. I also based both of Blade’s trucks on my contractor’s first Ford F150 and the new one he bought. One of my favorite things to do is research what cars my characters are going to drive.
From Emergency Engagement (Feb 05), where the younger daughter eats the cold medicine, the entire ER scene happened to my older daughter when she was about three and a half years old and ate two of my Drixoral pills thinking they were candy. My younger daughter fell and bit entirely through her lower lip once, and she’s the patient mentioned in the other room. However, Quinton and Beth, my heroine and hero are very made up, and although I’ve run across three Quintons in my life, none of them are a sexy ER doctor.
Nine Months’ Notice (April 2007) ended my three-book American Beauties mini-series. I set the story in Kansas City, but Jeff brought Tori Ted Drewes. This is a historic frozen custard stand on Chippewa, which is Old Route 66—the Mother Road. If you are ever in St. Louis, you have to go there. While other custard stands are just as delicious, you have to go to Ted Drewes and experience the original for yourself. Also, if you’re ever in St. Louis, the A.G. Edwards headquarters building is the place I set Jacobsen Enterprises (and Jacobsen is maiden name of one of my best friends) which is found in Catching the Corporate Playboy, About Last Night…, Capturing the Cop, and The Playboy’s Protégée. The park I took Darci and Cameron too really does exist, only further south than I set it. (I like to move things around.) By the way, Henrietta’s Restaurant pays homage to Tony’s, the fine dining establishment that is a landmark in St. Louis, and a place in which I have yet to eat. Maybe someday.
On June 30th, I’ll talk about my upcoming works and give you some teasers . (I am at 99.9 percent finished writing my April 2008 book—hooray!)
Michele
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
I get ideas at the weirdest times
When I’m driving through congested Seattle traffic, I always get to thinking. Often about my current work-in-process, interspersed with whatever happens to be on NPR. Sometimes I think of a brand new story idea or figure out a new facet to a character or a clever twist in the plot.
It’s weird how this stuff fills my head when I’m stuck in traffic.(Probably somewhat dangerous, too, as stories can be so distracting.) The unleashed creative ideas pour forth at other unexpected times, too, like when I’m making the bed or doing any dreaded housework. (Except when I’m changing the kitty litter box. That requires my full attention. ☺)
The experts say that when we work at mindless or repetitive tasks that don’t actively engage the mind, our brain is free to work out issues or solve problems. I guess that’s what I’m doing. That’s not to say I don’t get ideas other times. I do—first thing in the morning, after I wake up. On occasion while reading a book, or watching TV. But the majority of my ideas come when I’m busy doing something.
I’m curious about both writers and readers. When you get your best ideas and do your best problem solving?
Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net
It’s weird how this stuff fills my head when I’m stuck in traffic.(Probably somewhat dangerous, too, as stories can be so distracting.) The unleashed creative ideas pour forth at other unexpected times, too, like when I’m making the bed or doing any dreaded housework. (Except when I’m changing the kitty litter box. That requires my full attention. ☺)
The experts say that when we work at mindless or repetitive tasks that don’t actively engage the mind, our brain is free to work out issues or solve problems. I guess that’s what I’m doing. That’s not to say I don’t get ideas other times. I do—first thing in the morning, after I wake up. On occasion while reading a book, or watching TV. But the majority of my ideas come when I’m busy doing something.
I’m curious about both writers and readers. When you get your best ideas and do your best problem solving?
Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net
Monday, June 18, 2007
Wisdom
Something we all need a little of sometimes, right?
A friend posted this to his blog this morning, and I thought it was worth sharing. Some made me chuckle, and others made me go hmmmmm. Which are your favorites?
* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumblebee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Meanness don't just happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
* It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about,
ain't never gonna happen anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Don't interfere with sumpin’ that ain't bothering you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Have a wonderful day!
A friend posted this to his blog this morning, and I thought it was worth sharing. Some made me chuckle, and others made me go hmmmmm. Which are your favorites?
* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumblebee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Meanness don't just happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
* It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about,
ain't never gonna happen anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
* Don't interfere with sumpin’ that ain't bothering you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Have a wonderful day!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Happy Father's Day
My message today will be short and bittersweet.
Today's a wonderful day to celebrate the men in your life: your grandfathers, dad, stepdads, and the father of your children. Enjoy the holiday, and treat these men the way they deserve to be treated—at least this one day out of the year. (smile)
Today's a sad one for me, as I lost my dad less than two years ago. Things get easier with time; they always do. I'm learning that the hard way. Still, anniversaries and holidays bring back the memories, making those events "touch and go" for years.
Since it's been such a short for me, things are pretty much "go" around my house today: go do something to distract yourself so you don't have to think much about it.
I'm glad my turn to blog fell on Father's Day, though, so I can ask all of you who have dads to love them and appreciate them, today and all days.
And when you give them a hug, give them an extra big one for me.
All my best to you,
Barbara
~~~~~~
Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Today's a wonderful day to celebrate the men in your life: your grandfathers, dad, stepdads, and the father of your children. Enjoy the holiday, and treat these men the way they deserve to be treated—at least this one day out of the year. (smile)
Today's a sad one for me, as I lost my dad less than two years ago. Things get easier with time; they always do. I'm learning that the hard way. Still, anniversaries and holidays bring back the memories, making those events "touch and go" for years.
Since it's been such a short for me, things are pretty much "go" around my house today: go do something to distract yourself so you don't have to think much about it.
I'm glad my turn to blog fell on Father's Day, though, so I can ask all of you who have dads to love them and appreciate them, today and all days.
And when you give them a hug, give them an extra big one for me.
All my best to you,
Barbara
~~~~~~
Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Saturday, June 16, 2007
First Meets
Summer Lovin' Contest update…..had to ditch the cowboy hat and use a paint bucket from Home Depot for all the names I'm keeping track of daily. I want to fill the whole bucket, so keep posting away!!
I invite all of you to join me June 25th when True Confessions begins…my daily on-line read at http://www.eharlequin.com Come meet Patrick and Dolly, two characters that make an appearance in the last of my McKade Brothers series, Ryan's Renovation (August 07).
Okay, today's topic…First Meets--when the hero and heroine meet for the first time in a story.
One of the most fun "meets" I've ever written was in my first book, The Cowboy and the Bride, when the heroine gets caught up on a barbed wire fence in her wedding gown and the hero (rancher) has to figure out a way to get her unhooked before the bull in the pasture charges to fence. In the end the poor guy has to rip half the dress off to free her and just in the nick of time! The bull is left trotting away with the lower half of the heroine's wedding gown hanging from his horns.
Your turn…share one of your favorite "First Meets" that you've either written or read!
Happy Reading!
Marin
The Preacher's Daughter *Summer Lovin* June 07
http://www.marinthomas.com/
Friday, June 15, 2007
Rites of passage
Eighteen years ago, I was sitting on a curb in the small California town of La Habra where I lived, watching an old-time parade pass by in honor of the local Corn Festival. There were decorated convertibles, school marching bands, and members of the Shriners club riding in funny little cars.
Along came a clown who tapped my extremely round abdomen and said, “I bet you’ll deliver that today!”
She was right. About an hour later, my waters broke and I was on my way to the hospital to deliver a ten-and-a-half pound baby boy. By Caesarian section, thank goodness, considering his size!
Yesterday, on a sunny afternoon a few miles from there, I sat in a football stadium at Cal State Fullerton with my husband, older son, mother and two wonderful mothers-in-law (my husband’s mother and stepmother) and watched that young man graduate from high school.
Here’s how, as a novelist, I might have expected one of my characters to react: with nostalgia, a longing for loved ones who didn’t live to see this day, and an intensified awareness of the cycles of life. Plus, of course, joy.
Well, I experienced all those emotions. And another I wouldn’t have expected: amusement.
Before the ceremony, I couldn’t help chuckling at the guy behind me on a cell phone, loudly struggling to guide a relative who showed up at the wrong campus (Fullerton College) and couldn’t seem to figure out which streets ran east-west so he could join us. Okay, I shouldn’t laugh at someone having an even worse sense of direction than I do, but I’ve never actually gone to the wrong campus for an event!
I was also amused by my older son’s observation that, since his brother had to buy his robes and mortarboard, we now have a Halloween costume lined up. My husband and I then had a playful argument about which of us will go as The Graduate and who gets to be Mrs. Robinson (I won. I think).
Later, watching the graduates arrayed in the school coldors of green and gold, I reflected that, when my older son went through this ritual, I was grateful not to be finished yet with the parenting years. Yesterday, though, I saw what a difference three years has made. Come fall, I’ll miss those boys when they go off to college, but I’m ready for that empty nest.
It occurred to me that not only the students were graduating; a lot of us parents and grandparents were graduating, too. For us, too, I see this as a commencement.
We’re moving on to the next stage. I look forward to seeing what the future will bring.
Along came a clown who tapped my extremely round abdomen and said, “I bet you’ll deliver that today!”
She was right. About an hour later, my waters broke and I was on my way to the hospital to deliver a ten-and-a-half pound baby boy. By Caesarian section, thank goodness, considering his size!
Yesterday, on a sunny afternoon a few miles from there, I sat in a football stadium at Cal State Fullerton with my husband, older son, mother and two wonderful mothers-in-law (my husband’s mother and stepmother) and watched that young man graduate from high school.
Here’s how, as a novelist, I might have expected one of my characters to react: with nostalgia, a longing for loved ones who didn’t live to see this day, and an intensified awareness of the cycles of life. Plus, of course, joy.
Well, I experienced all those emotions. And another I wouldn’t have expected: amusement.
Before the ceremony, I couldn’t help chuckling at the guy behind me on a cell phone, loudly struggling to guide a relative who showed up at the wrong campus (Fullerton College) and couldn’t seem to figure out which streets ran east-west so he could join us. Okay, I shouldn’t laugh at someone having an even worse sense of direction than I do, but I’ve never actually gone to the wrong campus for an event!
I was also amused by my older son’s observation that, since his brother had to buy his robes and mortarboard, we now have a Halloween costume lined up. My husband and I then had a playful argument about which of us will go as The Graduate and who gets to be Mrs. Robinson (I won. I think).
Later, watching the graduates arrayed in the school coldors of green and gold, I reflected that, when my older son went through this ritual, I was grateful not to be finished yet with the parenting years. Yesterday, though, I saw what a difference three years has made. Come fall, I’ll miss those boys when they go off to college, but I’m ready for that empty nest.
It occurred to me that not only the students were graduating; a lot of us parents and grandparents were graduating, too. For us, too, I see this as a commencement.
We’re moving on to the next stage. I look forward to seeing what the future will bring.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I don't know about you, but when I think of summer, I'm envisioning long, lazy days at the neighborhood pool with the kids, great reads, Popsicles and plenty of watermelon. After finally getting all three kids successfully through their freshman year of high school, getting my new Harlequin American contract and setting the deadlines just right for allowing plenty of time for fun, my happy train has now come to a screeching halt. Why?
The January ice storm that's still haunting us even though it's ninety!!! ARGH!!!! Okay, so this winter, we had this crazy ice storm that lasted FOREVER, and coated our house in ice. An ice dam formed around our chimney, forcing melting water into our living room, which ruined the ceiling. After waiting FOREVER for the insurance company to make their move, we're finally all set to go, when the contractor who calls me "Darlin'" says we have trouble. Never something you want to hear in conjunction with having no living room ceiling!!! Turns out the roof the insurance guy said was fine, has been leaking since January!!!! The insurance guy insists nothing's wrong. Oh--but if there were something wrong, it'd be a $200 easy fix. Right.
The January ice storm that's still haunting us even though it's ninety!!! ARGH!!!! Okay, so this winter, we had this crazy ice storm that lasted FOREVER, and coated our house in ice. An ice dam formed around our chimney, forcing melting water into our living room, which ruined the ceiling. After waiting FOREVER for the insurance company to make their move, we're finally all set to go, when the contractor who calls me "Darlin'" says we have trouble. Never something you want to hear in conjunction with having no living room ceiling!!! Turns out the roof the insurance guy said was fine, has been leaking since January!!!! The insurance guy insists nothing's wrong. Oh--but if there were something wrong, it'd be a $200 easy fix. Right.
This pic is of our living room after the ceiling was torn down. I asked the contractor why no drop clothes were used. He said, Hubby told him we're getting new carpet. After a few moments of wild laughter, I told him, "Um, not unless he won the lottery and didn't tell me." At this point, he says, "Darlin', don't worry, it'll all just vacuum right up." Uh huh.I'm now switching writing genres from romance to horror!!! LOL!!! Guess who's going to be my first victim??
On to a waaay more fun topic, thanks to all of you entering Marin, Ann & my (is that grammatically correct?
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Summer Sales
Now that's a subject that makes me crazy - sales that start before the season is even in full swing. In our part of the world (the Pacific Northwest), the kids aren't out of school and the stores are already emptying the shelves of everything pertaining to summer. Next thing I know, they'll be advertising back to school supplies. Yikes!! By August you can't buy a pair of shorts for love nor money.
Not to mention the fact that we're probably the only place in the western hemisphere that hasn't had a glimpse of summer - lows in the 40s, highs in the 60s. Yep, I know - you're all playing
Poor Pitiful Pearl on your smallest violin. LOL But, when winter rolls around, we have RAIN!
So that's my rant for the day. It has nothing to do with writing, but I did make a pilgrimage to Coldwater Creek to their 60% off sale. Big smile - I got some cool stuff.
AnnDeFee
Georgia On His Mind - August 2007
The Perfect Tree - Christmas Anthology - November 2007
Not to mention the fact that we're probably the only place in the western hemisphere that hasn't had a glimpse of summer - lows in the 40s, highs in the 60s. Yep, I know - you're all playing
Poor Pitiful Pearl on your smallest violin. LOL But, when winter rolls around, we have RAIN!
So that's my rant for the day. It has nothing to do with writing, but I did make a pilgrimage to Coldwater Creek to their 60% off sale. Big smile - I got some cool stuff.
AnnDeFee
Georgia On His Mind - August 2007
The Perfect Tree - Christmas Anthology - November 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Fact & Fiction
Okay, we all do it. There’s an old adage that says you have to write what you know. Now that doesn’t mean you have to commit murder to write a mystery, for example, but writers are students of human nature.
There’s also an element of truth in a lot of writer’s works. Just look at John Grisham, who used his insider view of the legal world. And we all know that The Five People You Meet in Heaven was inspired by Mitch Ablom’s uncle Eddie, and that Nicholas Sparks used the romance of family members to create The Notebook. For today’s blog topic, I thought I’d share some insider secrets as to what was real, sort of, in two of my works.
From my first book, A Little Office Romance (Oct 2000), the scene at Busch Stadium (the old one) where Alex is in the bleachers and Julia’s in another section and the bleacher section starts calling her name: real. This actually happened to my friend, Lisa. Her friends couldn’t find her, so as the game time neared they abandoned her, and she didn’t have a ticket to get in as they’d taken it inside. Some nice businessmen gave her one of theirs and she sat with them on the third base line since the bleachers and the rest of the stadium didn’t directly connect. When her friends saw her on the Jumbotron, they got the crowd to call her name. I was up in the nosebleeds with the kids I was babysitting. When I wrote my story, it seemed a fun way to actually take the hero out of his element. As for where Julia went to college, it was Webster University, my master’s degree alma mater. (And this Lisa is the one to whom Nine Months' Notice is dedicated.)
The Wedding Secret (Dec. 2006) ranks as one of my favorite books. The entire scene at the wedding where the Luke declares Cecile to be his date is based in reality, right down to the switching of the bridesmaids because of height. This all took place at my friend Jane’s wedding, many years ago when she was the first of us to succumb and marry a great guy named Joe. The sad thing is, I showed up an hour late to the rehearsal. I felt like a real heel until I asked where Jenny was, and Jane admitted that her other bridesmaid hadn’t showed yet either. (Oops. That’s what you get for putting a rehearsal at 5 PM on a Friday and have poor working girl bridesmaids who can’t afford to take off.) So Saturday, before the wedding, we were jostling for who had to walk with whom, since we weren’t there the night before to get this important detail nailed down. I ended up with Paul, who thankfully was cute and sweet since I had to eat dinner next to him. (You know how those head tables work.) As one of my very single sorority sisters went by in the line for the buffet, which wound past our table, she started asking him all sorts of questions, including where his date was. He declared it me. Okay. First I’d heard of it, considering I’d just met him a few hours before. However, unlike Cecile, I didn’t imbibe in a magical sleepover or ever see him again as he lived in New Orleans. Mostly we danced and he spent the night pulling up the front of my dress which didn’t fit very well and kept threatening to fall down. Such was my life, and when I started this book, I knew that I simply had to use the memory as it simply would set the tone for the rest of the work. As for the rest of it, all made up.
More insider secrets in my next blog post!
Michele Dunaway
There’s also an element of truth in a lot of writer’s works. Just look at John Grisham, who used his insider view of the legal world. And we all know that The Five People You Meet in Heaven was inspired by Mitch Ablom’s uncle Eddie, and that Nicholas Sparks used the romance of family members to create The Notebook. For today’s blog topic, I thought I’d share some insider secrets as to what was real, sort of, in two of my works.
From my first book, A Little Office Romance (Oct 2000), the scene at Busch Stadium (the old one) where Alex is in the bleachers and Julia’s in another section and the bleacher section starts calling her name: real. This actually happened to my friend, Lisa. Her friends couldn’t find her, so as the game time neared they abandoned her, and she didn’t have a ticket to get in as they’d taken it inside. Some nice businessmen gave her one of theirs and she sat with them on the third base line since the bleachers and the rest of the stadium didn’t directly connect. When her friends saw her on the Jumbotron, they got the crowd to call her name. I was up in the nosebleeds with the kids I was babysitting. When I wrote my story, it seemed a fun way to actually take the hero out of his element. As for where Julia went to college, it was Webster University, my master’s degree alma mater. (And this Lisa is the one to whom Nine Months' Notice is dedicated.)
The Wedding Secret (Dec. 2006) ranks as one of my favorite books. The entire scene at the wedding where the Luke declares Cecile to be his date is based in reality, right down to the switching of the bridesmaids because of height. This all took place at my friend Jane’s wedding, many years ago when she was the first of us to succumb and marry a great guy named Joe. The sad thing is, I showed up an hour late to the rehearsal. I felt like a real heel until I asked where Jenny was, and Jane admitted that her other bridesmaid hadn’t showed yet either. (Oops. That’s what you get for putting a rehearsal at 5 PM on a Friday and have poor working girl bridesmaids who can’t afford to take off.) So Saturday, before the wedding, we were jostling for who had to walk with whom, since we weren’t there the night before to get this important detail nailed down. I ended up with Paul, who thankfully was cute and sweet since I had to eat dinner next to him. (You know how those head tables work.) As one of my very single sorority sisters went by in the line for the buffet, which wound past our table, she started asking him all sorts of questions, including where his date was. He declared it me. Okay. First I’d heard of it, considering I’d just met him a few hours before. However, unlike Cecile, I didn’t imbibe in a magical sleepover or ever see him again as he lived in New Orleans. Mostly we danced and he spent the night pulling up the front of my dress which didn’t fit very well and kept threatening to fall down. Such was my life, and when I started this book, I knew that I simply had to use the memory as it simply would set the tone for the rest of the work. As for the rest of it, all made up.
More insider secrets in my next blog post!
Michele Dunaway
Monday, June 11, 2007
Ducks and Books
I am up at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday, in front of my computer. No, it's not because I have this creative urge to work on my current book (which is, by the way, 94 percent done). It's not because I'm doing online promotion, or even obsessively checking e-mail or my Amazon rankings.
No, I am watching wood ducks. Via webcam.
Wood ducks are a brightly-colored (males, anyway) species that nest in hollow trees as much as 60 feet up. After the baby ducks hatch they get to spend one night in the nest. Then the mother duck leaves the nest and calls to her babies to join her. They must jump or climb up to the exit hole (see picture), then take a big leap of faith and JUMP down onto land or into water.
Many people build specially designed nest boxes for wood ducks because they are declining due to habitat loss. Some clever person in Greenville, Texas, has put a webcam in her nest box. I've been watching since the first eggs were laid. Yesterday they hatched! There were 19 eggs (laid by two different females) but I don't know how many actually hatched. At least 10.
Anyway, today is the day. At some point this morning, these darling little fuzzy chicks will have to make that leap of faith, braving that jump and predators to join Mom, who will escort the brood to the pond for their first swim and their first meal. Those that can't get out of the box on their own will not survive.
That's how I think of my books. (You knew I would bring this back to writing, right?) Each one is lovingly brooded and hatched, but ultimately it has to go out into the real world and sink or swim on its own merits. Some won't hatch at all. Those are the half-baked ideas and stray chapters that I give up on because they're no good. And some, sadly, will be sent out into the cruel world, only to be eaten by crows (those mean editors who send rejections!) But no matter how scary it is out there on the pond, no matter how low the chances of surival, it's still better than staying in the safety of the nest box.
Better to risk rejection than sit in a box under the bed to starve from neglect.
By the way, before I even finished this blog, all of the ducklings--15!--made it out of the nest and safely to the pond.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
One Word
WOW!! I want to thank all of you who have commented on the blogs this month. The discussions have been great! And boy am I keeping busy each day collecting names for our Summer Lovin' Contest!
So let's keep talking....if you had to describe an American Romance novel in ONE WORD what word would that be and why?
Happy Reading!
Matin Thomas
www.marinthomas.com
So let's keep talking....if you had to describe an American Romance novel in ONE WORD what word would that be and why?
Happy Reading!
Matin Thomas
www.marinthomas.com
Friday, June 08, 2007
More Shameless Gushing
Oh boy! Yesterday was a great day for me. And then when Linda Warren offered to let me post this morning in her place (she's under deadline), the day got even better. Because now I get to tell everyone what I did after work. I went to my local Barnes and Noble and bought two copies of my first Harlequin American. Whee, hee!
I had a $10 B&N gift certificate someone gave me a while ago and couldn't think of a better way to spend it. So, off to the store I went. Good news, bad news. When I got to the store, the June Harlequin series books were there, all pretty and shiny in the rack. But, darn it, there were only two copies of each book.
I debated, not sure if I should buy both copies or leave one for the hoards of fans that were sure to come wandering into the store, looking for my book. I decided to take a chance and buy both books. I mean, oh boy! There was my book. In the flesh (or is that paper?) How could I resist? Hoards of fans would just be out of luck, I guess.
To celebrate, I bought a couple other books, one of how to housebreak a puppy in seven days. If you're wondering why I need advice on that, just take a look at the adorable cutie who came to live with us a month ago and hasn't quite gotten the knack of doing his business outside. I finished up my great shopping excursion by getting a Starbucks for the road.
I'm planning another trip to another bookstore in the near future. This time to Borders. Not to buy, just to look. Maybe take a picture of my book in the rack as a keepsake. Please don't laugh. I promise not to be this goofy and pathetic every time I have a new book. But, oh boy, what a great day it was yesterday!
Cathy McDavid
for free promo stuff check out my website
www.cathymcdavid.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
