Confessions of a shop-a-who-me?

Malls glittering with Christmas trees. Shoppers shuttling back and forth to their cars, filling their trunks with presents. At work, avid cybershoppers clicking madly during their lunch breaks.

Yes, it’s that season. Then there are the shop-averse like me.

Is this possible in our material age? Sad (from a retailer’s point of view) but true.

I hate trying to figure out which gift to give which person. I persuaded my children, at a ridiculously tender age, that the best gift was money, which they could then spend judiciously on favorite items. They got very good at that.

As for the rest of the family, what a relief to discover I could create calendars online using digital photos. Also, that some of my relatives enjoy receiving my books. But a lot of the time, as my nieces and nephews will attest, I throw in the towel and simply give money. One size fits all.

In my defense, I will admit that I like receiving money too. That’s because I have weird taste and unless someone asks me what I want, they almost never guess right. (I like Celine Dion CDs -- in French. I ferret out other CDs in French, Italian, Spanish and Greek. Juanes and Mario Frangoulis, anyone?)

In a totally self-serving manner, I am now going to offer a suggestion to others who struggle to pick the right present. Please, please, please – give books! If you don’t know which one to select, consider gift cards to bookstores.

With money tight for many folks, book sales are suffering. Some bookstores have closed, while others increasingly focus on merchandise such as DVDs and stationery. Category romances like Harlequin American, while still popular with a core readership, have to compete against our own used-book sales.

So if you love our books, why not use some of that gift budget to share the love with your family and friends? You’ll do us authors a huge favor. And, I hope, do a favor for those who may discover something they, too, will enjoy.

The Christmas Date (AKA Inspiration Comes from Sex on the Beach)

Ha--I bet that got your attention. A journalism colleague of mine, Bobby Hawthorne, writes in his book The Radical Write that if you want to get someone's attention just start with one word: Sex.

So I did. I'll explain how it all fits in later (ha--I'm punny).

I got a card in the mail yesterday from Nick Kenig thanking me for sending him an autographed copy of The Christmas Date and for the dedication, which is, in part, to him. Nick was a photographer at Westlake High School (Austin, TX) long ago. My friends Bradley Wilson and Mark Murray raved about his photography and to this day I still use Nick's swimming photograph as an example of excellence when I teach my students.

Nick is one of the inspirations for The Christmas Date. I'd always heard tons and tons about him from Bradley and Mark. While at a journalism convention in Atlanta, the four of us went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlanta. The card Nick sent me reminded me the four of us had a round of Sex on the Beach shots. I was the one who suggested the type of shot since Bradley had some tradition that you had to do shots if you were a first-timer to the Hard Rock. (Atlanta remains the only time I've ever been in one.)

This was about nine years ago, and my memory has since gotten cluttered with more of life's happenings. Nick's card reminded me of that night and our talk (which I'd forgotten). That night I'd listened to his future plans and then gone home to St. Louis at the end of the JEA/NSPA convention and formed the idea for this book. I remembered that, but the night itself slipped from my mind and not from too many shots either. Since we were had convention duties later, we were quite restrained.

I'd took Nick's musings and projected them forward--the big what if as he ceased to be Nick Kenig in my mind and instead became Tyler Nichols (get the last name?). Tyler (who was originally named Nick Wilsen) then became another character in my head who demanded to have his own book.

It took a few tries, a move of location from Atlanta to Orlando, and a bunch of books (14 Americans and 1 NASCAR) in between before Tyler became the hero of my 16th novel for Harlequin American. I gave Tyler a family (I have no idea any of Nick's family, his marital status, etc.) and paired him up with the most opposite character I could find--and called her Kate Merrill, giving her my birth name for grins (I'm adopted). I also picked Kate in honor of Kate Walker and my daughter Kate, and if you read the book you'll discover a Sandra (for Sandra Marton) and a Nora (who is no way Nora Roberts). You'll also find a Wendy, one of my friends who owns a bookstore. Each name in this book is deliberately chosen, even though the characters are really nothing like (or represent) anyone whose name I used.

In fact, if I passed Nick on the street I wouldn't recognize or know him. And the guy on the cover looks more like a principal at my high school than either Mark, Nick or Bradley.

However, Nick's card was a great jog to my memory, letting me remember something I'd long buried deep and wouldn't have remembered without his jolt. The card go me thinking about the fun we all had that weekend, including visits to CNN, Centennial Olympic Park and Max Lagers. The funny thing--there were race cars in town that weekend. How's that for fate? All my books mean something to me, but this one really stands out as being special because it took so long to bring it to life and it's been so fun since it has. It's got one of my all time favorite scenes (something with candles) and I'll give you a hint that it ends with a little sex on the beach (sort of). You'll have to read it to find out what I mean.

I still keep in touch with Mark and Bradley (saw them just a few weeks ago in Philadelphia), and Bradley keeps in touch with Nick who is in graduate school in New York City. As for me, I'm plugging away writing my 20th book, now having finished #19, which I send to my editor on Monday.

Michele

Grinchy Christmas

Every year it's the same. The holiday season arrives way too soon and I'm never ready. I spend all of December running like crazy, trying to get the decorations up, the cards sent, the gifts purchased, the house winterized (we don't need that much here in Dallas, but a little). Then it's planning the Christmas dinner, visits from family, MORE shopping.

I always eat too much, don't exercise enough, gain that proverbial five pounds.

Aren't the holidays supposed to be a happy time? They were when I was a kid. I couldn't wait to break out those boxes of shiny Christmas ornaments. I loved the smell of the tree, the eggnog and hot chocolate, the breathless possibility of snow (usually not!), trying to stay awake through the hushed, incense-laden midnight Mass.

Alas, for me the holidays are more about stress than pleasure, and it shouldn't be that way. So this year I have an evil plan. I am leaving town for the entire month of December to live at the beach. I am going to ignore the holidays completely and spend my days lazing on my deck looking out over the ocean with a margarita in one hand and escapist literature (a.k.a. a romance novel) in the other. (I just read TEXAN FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Victoria Chancellor--fun book!)

Well, okay, already the plan has problems. I've started to receive holiday cards, and I realized I have to SEND cards. Then there are those cans of popcorn that just arrived, which I'd planned to give as gifts. Am I going to just let them sit? And what about outdoor lights? My block has won the neighborhood decorating competition two years in a row. I can't let my neighbors down. One final glitch--my family knows where to find me.

Obviously I can't escape after all. But maybe, just maybe, I can reach back to my childhood for those feelings of excitement and anticipation and joy, and ditch the stress. This year it's not all going to get done ... and I'm okay with that. So if you don't get a card from me, rest assured I'm still thinking of you ... while I'm lying on the beach.

P.S. As I write this, I have no running water and plumbers are digging up my back yard. I am leaving for a MONTH in two days and I can't do laundry or wash dishes. Is it Happy Hour yet?

Kara Lennox

Raising a Romantic Hero

As a writer, I get really attached to the men and women I create. Of course, they're nothing compared to the (eventual) man and woman I'm raising. My son is 6 and my daughter's 4, and I love them both dearly. It means a lot to me that my son has seen his dad be courteous to others and even help with the laundry, because hopefully he won't ever feel that it's un-masculine to do those things himself. (And to his future wife, you're welcome.)

What really cracks me up about my son is how he's a budding romantic but would rather suffer blood and gore than admit it. (Whenever there's a playground cry of, "I'm bleeding!" my son's response is, "I wanna see." And when he himself is wounded, he wants to show all his guy friends. He explained it to me once as, "We're boys, Mommy. We like gross stuff.") According to my son's reaction to one of my covers, my BOOKS are gross stuff. He calls them Mommy's kissing stories and makes gagging sounds.

And yet he was seriously off his game during the last soccer match of the fall because he kept sighing over the little blond girl on the opposing team. And when we recently rented the animated feature Happily n'Ever After (in which Cinderella's love for the prince blinds her to the attributes of a kitchen boy), my six year old wisely declares, "She should just decide to be with Rick. He REALLY loves her." My son even managed not to gag at the end when Rick and Cindy finally got their kiss.

It makes a mom so proud.

A trip to Toronto

Hi,
Two weeks ago Geri Krotow (a fellow Everlasting Love author) and I made a pilgrimage to the Harlequin headquarters in Toronto. It was a fabulous experience. We were treated to a tour of the entire facility, met with all the department heads, had lunch with the editorial staff and encountered so many nice people. I was blown away by the amount of work it takes for our books to progress from an idea to a finished product. So when you read a Harlequin book, know that it has been checked and re-checked by a cast of thousands. And a big thank-you to all those folks.

Ann

Ann DeFee
Goin' Down to Georgia - Harlequin American Romance, March 2008

Confession Time

Writers are always reading and evaluating—at least I am. Whether I like it or not, the quality of what I read often affects my own writing, regardless of the genre. As I read an especially good book I become so engrossed in the story that I forget about everything except the characters and what happens. I think about them when I must close the book and long after I finish it. A good novel inspires me to stretch my own writing skills and improve, and with every book I get better at it. Always a good thing!

On the other hand, on those occasions when the book is really bad, I find myself thinking, She could’ve said that better. Or... There isn’t much plot here. Or... There’s a hole there. Or... No heroine in her right mind would ever do that! You get the gist. I am so busy editing in my head that I never do get into the story. Sometimes I worry that in reading a bad book, my own writing will suffer. Of course, I soon toss the offending novel aside. Life is too short to waste reading a book you don’t even like. ☺

What can I say except, I am easily influenced by what I read. That’s it, my confession. (If you were expecting something lurid or gossipy, well, this is all you’re getting! ☺)

What about you? If you write, are you similarly affected? Or, would you rather confess to something else? Lurid or gossipy is fine. ☺ I’ll never tell.

Wishing everyone great reads, and until later,

Ann
www.annroth.net
All I Want for Christmas, November 2007

It’s a Dog’s Life

From some of my previous posts on this blog, you’ve probably figured out that I’m an animal lover, and a big supporter of animal rescue endeavors. So when I started to write With This Ring, my December Harlequin American Romance, it came as no surprise to me that the hero has a dog that he adopted from the SPCA. Max is an Old English Sheepdog, and he quickly became one of my favorite secondary characters in the book.

To be honest, I’d never actually met an Old English Sheepdog, but a little Internet research revealed an OES rescue facility in a town that’s about an hour’s drive from where I live. So I contacted them, and they invited me to come for a visit.

Ann Rambaud and Ray Salmon, the proprietors of Sheepie Hollow, are two of the most wonderful and amazing people you could hope to meet. They currently have one Old English Sheepdog and three Bearded Collies. Before I met the dogs I didn’t know the difference between an OES and a beardie—and there are differences—but they have a lot in common, too. Both breeds are very intelligent, extremely sociable, and require a lot of grooming!

Currently, three of Ann and Ray’s four dogs have been rescued. They have the perfect home and a lifestyle that’s laid back enough to allow four dogs to have the run of the house.

Summer is their only non-rescue dog. She’s a gorgeous championship-quality Bearded Collie, and Ann and Ray have had her since she was a puppy.

Penny, a twelve-year-old OES, has been with them for about nine years. Before that she’d been through four homes, and one previous owner even used a shock collar on her. After just a few minutes in Penny’s company, I was completely enchanted. She’s funny and affectionate, and it’s impossible to understand how anyone found it necessary to use extreme behavioral controls on such a beautiful girl.

Blue is a Bearded Collie who’d been found running the streets. He had only been at Sheepie Hollow for a few weeks when I met him, and he was already part of the family. Ann and Ray’s big fenced yard allows Blue plenty of room to run, but we’re happy to report his wild, wandering ways are a thing of the past.

Of all the dogs, Molly’s story touched me the most. Molly is an amputee—her left hind leg is missing. It’s well disguised by her long fur and tail, though, and because she has no problem keeping up with the other dogs, I didn’t even notice it right away. When I finally asked if she had a bit of a limp, Ann and Ray told me her story.

In 2003 she escaped from her previous owner on Halloween night and was found eleven days later on the side of a road. She had multiple injuries, the worst of which was a shattered hind leg. Her owner was contacted but refused to pay for her veterinary care, which included the amputation of that left hind leg. The vet performed all the necessary treatment anyway and within a couple of weeks, Molly was adopted by Ann and Ray.

To me, Molly seemed to have the sweetest disposition of the four dogs, and she’s the most patient, waiting her turn for pat on the head instead of insisting on it! And to say that Molly now has a full life would be a complete understatement. She has a wonderful, loving home, two devoted humans, and three lively companions.

You can follow the early weeks of Molly’s rehabilitation here, but I also want to share a couple of photos in this post.

Ann and Ray’s wonderful home is well equipped for large, energetic dogs. Within four months of being injured, Molly was leading an active life.

Ann and Ray provide lots of extracurricular adventures to keep their dogs mentally and physically stimulated.

I especially love the next two pictures and when I first saw them, I laughed until I had tears in my eyes! Molly’s herding instinct is not hampered by that missing leg . . .

. . . and I can actually imagine sound effects to go with this one. Engines revving, tires squealing, and they’re off. Go Molly!

And kudos to Ann and Ray for being such wonderful people.

And now I hope you’re as anxious to meet Max, the Old English Sheepdog in With This Ring, as I am to introduce him to you. Starting November 29 for six consecutive Thursdays, he’ll be guest blogging on my blog, The Writer Side of Life. Max and I will also have some fun prizes to give away, so we hope you’ll visit often!

Lee
http://www.leemckenzie.com
http://thewritersideoflife.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

All of the authors who write for Harlequin American Romance would like to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

We are thankful you are here reading and blogging with us and enjoying our books. May your home and hearth be warm and filled with fun and family today, or if you are enjoying the day alone, know we are thinking of you and hope you enjoy peace and solace and have the time to curl up with a good book.

And may you shop well if you will be out on Black Friday enjoying the sales tomorrow.

My November Release

All I Want for Christmas, my November Harlequin American, has the cutest cover ever! (See the sidebar, or visit www.annroth.net.) This is the first story that takes place on Halo Island, a fictitious island in the San Juans of the Pacific Northwest. The island takes its name from the halo-shaped fog that sometimes hovers over the sound.

Ryan Chase, the hero, is raising his young daughter, Maggie, alone. Thanks to a great deal of emotional turmoil, little Maggie suffers from nightly bad dreams. In an effort to help her, Ryan has given up his successful business in Los Angeles and moved to the island where life isn’t so hectic and he can focus on her.

Tina Morrell was raised on the island but has moved to Seattle. Her job means everything to her, and she is climbing the corporate ladder. She comes home to take care of the woman who raised her while she recuperates from hip surgery. This woman just happens to live across the street from Ryan.

I don’t want to give away the story, so that’s all I’m saying. ☺ Except to wish one and all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow I’ll be guest blogging at http://www.loveisanexplodingcigar.com/ with a Thanksgiving message for everyone. Please stop by!

Until later,

Ann
www.annroth.net
Mitch Takes A Wife, August 2007
All I Want for Christmas, November 2007

The Beginning of Thanks

It's been a rather wild month for our family. My second oldest daughter called on the Sunday morning before Halloween to tell us their house had burned. Since then, it's been nothing but adjustments for all and especially for the five of them. But in all of the craziness, we found "thankful" things. No one was hurt. Only one room was destroyed, although the smoke and water damage to the house was extensive. Their insurance company has been wonderful throughout, and they have a lovely home to live in until theirs is restored. The school system has offered help, which included new clothing for the Pre-Ker from a thoughtful organization. This Thanksgiving has us giving thanks for many things.

Then I started thinking. We give thanks for so many major things at this time of year. Shouldn't we be thankful for all things, big or small, throughout the year? Shouldn't we get up in the morning, thankful that we can, then go on to think of all the small things we are blessed with each moment? A place to live, food to eat, people to love can begin our list, but for each of us, there are so many more.

A couple of months ago, I discovered an e-course designed to find the positives in life, instead of dwelling on the negatives. One of the basic tasks to be done is to keep a Gratitude Journal. Each morning before getting up and each night before going to sleep, the particpant is to write three things he/she is grateful for. I admit that sometimes this means digging deep inside, because it means six NEW things each day, but it can be done. It's wonderful to be aware of the small glories in life, the ones we so often ignore, while dealing with the big bad ickies.

So in honor of our American Thanksgiving this coming Thursday, I'm suggesting that each of us, beginning tomorrow, start the day thinking of just one small thing we're thankful for and ending the day with another. If nothing else, it will bring a smile to our faces and a small bit of joy into our hearts each day, not only on one day a year, but throughout.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

TV and Reality

I confess that lately I'm having trouble enjoying TV shows. I find myself constantly picking them apart. Anyone watch Friday Night Lights?

I lived in Texas for several years and in one town where football was everything--except it wasn't as rural as Dillon, Texas. I don’t want to nit-pick the show; especially if some of you have TIVO'd the program to watch later. But every episode I end up muttering to my husband "Like a kid would get away with that in real life." Or "Yeah, right, school counselors always walk around flashing their cleavage." And yes I do understand that the cleavage shots are strictly to entertain male viewers…if anyone has any doubts just turn on the Ghost Whisper when your husband or teenage son is in the room and watch him suddenly find the storyline fascinating. My husband responds to my mutterings with …"Hey, its television" Or "It's entertainment, it doesn’t have to be real or make sense."

Maybe writing romance books is responsible for ruining my enjoyment of TV. Today's romance readers demand stories rooted in reality--they want to believe that what happens to the hero or heroine could happen to someone in real life and I strive for that in my books. So…does anyone else feel this way about TV shows or am I just plain weird?

Happy Reading and TV viewing!

Marin
*Hearts of Appalachia*
For The Children (Oct 07)
In A Soldier's Arms (Feb 08)
A Coal Miner's Wife (Aug 08)
http://www.marinthomas.com/

Fifteen minutes of fame

In 1968, artist Andy Warhold said, "In the future, everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes." In those pre-Internet days, that sounded like an outlandish claim.

Now, we see it happening all the time. In fact, it just happened to the son of a good friend of my family’s, in a sequence of events worthy of a Harlequin American romance

New York resident Patrick Moberg – whose parents live across the street from my parents in Nashville, Tennessee – saw a cute girl on the subway. Just as he worked up the nerve to introduce himself, she exited, and a knot of people prevented him from following.

So he did what any savvy 21-year-old Web site designer would do. He posted a site, nygirlofmydreams.com, featuring sketches of himself and the cutie, along with a description of her and some sweet, humorous remarks begging readers to help him find her.

Instead, the media found him.

Next thing he knew, he was being featured on ABC-TV (read all about it at http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3828525&page=1) and his parents were fielding calls from reporters around the globe. It wasn’t just New Yorkers who got a chuckle, it was also people as far away as Australia which, as it turned out, is where the young lady hails from.

Did they meet? Yes. And clicked, according to Patrick. The girl of his dreams is a 22-year-old magazine intern named Camille Hayton, and they’ve appeared together on “Good Morning America.” They also went out to dinner, on ABC’s dime.

All very well. Here’s the part of the story that should interest us authors, though.

The same week that Patrick was rocketing to fame, his sister, Julia Moberg, saw her first novel published. Entitled Skies Over Sweetwater, it’s the story of an 18-year-old girl who trains as an Air Force pilot during World War II. Suitable for all ages, it’s aimed at celebrating the Women Air Force Service Pilots and encouraging young women to take an interest in aviation.

Needless to say, Julia did not get featured on “Good Morning America.” ABC did not pay for her to eat a fancy dinner (let alone travel there by limousine), nor were her parents swamped with calls from abroad about her new book.

She’s just an author, like the rest of us. Hard-working and still dreaming of our fifteen minutes of fame.
Well, here’s a tip of the hat – and a bit of blog attention -- to Julia Moberg. Good luck with your book, and keep on flyin’!

Deja Vu--Or did I really do that already?

First, happy Veteran's Day. Yes, technically it was yesterday, but today was the day off/holiday. Most schools in my area were in session today and hosting ceremonies and remembrances.

I'm posting this a bit late because I swore I'd written a blog and emailed it to myself to post from work. I got to work and looked in my inbox. No blog. I went home, checked my outbox. No blog. Maybe I didn't write it.

I'm currently mailing out books. I swore I sent one out to Nick Kenig, but the more I think about it, maybe not. I'm sending another just in case. I think I'd written the card so many times in my mind that I thought I'd done it--but in reality, I hadn't. I did delete the email with his address, but perhaps that was a mistake too.

Do you get like that sometimes? That you swore you've done something, only to realize you really haven't?

For example, I swore I put the name Kathleen Kennedy in my book Nine Months' Notice (on final edits). I've looked all through, but can't find it. I'm going to have a friend look. It would simply be a one line reference. If you find it, let me know what page.

Perhaps my mind is slipping. Maybe it's simply overload, but I'm learning that, too, is normal. I guess I've been so wrapped up in reading reviews, sending out books, working on manuscripts that I can't remember what I've done and what I haven't. The brain really does toss out a lot of information if you don't store it properly. Right now I'm dumping everything that's not essential to breathing.

I just returned from a jounalism teacher convention in Philadelphia, so that's taken a bit out of my routine. While I was gone, some switch on my refrigerator fried, so I lost everything in the appliance. I used yesterday to clean the entire inside so it's like new. The repair is done--$121 dollars later.

Cheaper than a new fridge. I'm also sensing the "what if" premise for another book. I'm being a glass full person here. Maybe stress causes the mind to forget.

So speaking of, my website finally got updated and so did my blog. I don't think I've said that lately, so feel free to check them out at www.micheledunaway.com and www.micheledunaway.blogspot.com

Nothing fancy, but there are some new pics and such.

Michele

An Author's Reputation

I live in a small town, and most of the people here know I'm an author. The majority of them have probably never read my books, but they know I'm an author because of things I do. In other words, I have a reputation for acting like an author.

Example 1: I have a chiropractor's appointment once a month. It's the only way to keep control of the knots that form in my shoulders from sitting hunched in front of the computer. The chiropractor's office is a mere five minutes from my house. Good thing, because I am almost always late for my appointments. Sometimes as much as 45 minutes late. Same scenario every month -- I rush into the office, apologizing profusely. The doc and his receptionist laugh. "We know you," Doc says. "You were busy writing and totally lost track of time." Well yes, that's exactly what happened.

This has happened enough that my hairdresser now calls me when it's time to leave to show up at her shop to have my hair done.

I give all these people free books, as an apology for my lateness, and so they'll see what I've been creating during this time.

Example 2: I visit my local post office two and three times a week with packages to be weighed -- manuscripts I'm mailing, copies of books and galleys to reviewers, or donations or giveaway books. "You come in here more than almost anybody," the woman behind the counter tells me. "It's all those books and manuscripts," the postmistress says knowingly.

Example 3: Both UPS and DHL make regular stops at my house with boxes of books, galleys and other communications from my publisher. The boxes of books are conveniently stamped on the outside with the title and author. "So you write these, huh?" the UPS man asked one day. "You write for Harlequin?" DHL asked after delivering the umpteenth package from Toronto. "Wow, I never knew a real writer before." You may touch the hem of my sweatshirt, sir.

Example 4: At a local function I am talking with a new neighbor. Another person joins us. "Cindi's a writer, you know," she says. Understanding dawns on the neighbor's face. "I was wondering what you did that allowed you to hang around the house all day."

Ah yes, the glamorous life of a writer. Hanging around the house all day (in between trips to the post office) waiting for DHL and UPS to show up, always late for appointments. Oh, and I somehow find time to write books.

That time of the year...

The dreaded time change happened this weekend in Texas and other states. On Sunday I was rested, but for the rest of this week my internal clock hasn’t been on board. I’m awake before its time to get up and about ten o’clock at night, when I should be writing, my internal clock starts saying “bed time”. It’ll take about a week for my internal clock to reset. I really wish they would leave the time alone. Believe me, I don’t need anything else to confuse or irritate me.

How does everyone else feel about this? Do you look forward to DST? Or are you grumpy like me at having my internal clock reset by people I don’t even know? I’m beginning to really like Arizona.

Since I won’t be posting again until December, I want to wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Now that’s my favorite time of the year – a special day to enjoy family and friends and to give thanks for all the blessings in my life. By then I might even be more congenial about DST.

Wishing you all the best,
Linda Warren
Adopted Son – Sep 2007 Super Romance
Texas Bluff – Feb 2008 Super Romance (Book#5 Texas Hold ‘Em Series)

Living with a 2 year old

Hi guys,
I'm in the middle of a marathon trip to the east coast, and the first leg of this adventure is a stop at my daughter's house in Pittsburgh. That's where the two-year old comes in. My Pburg babies are 6 and 2. So, believe me, I'm getting the full treatment of My Pretty Pony, Carz, dinosaurs, Webkinz and Only Hearts Club dolls. There's nothing like playing a couple of dozen rounds of Candy Land to get your blood flowing.

From here I go to my son's house in the D.C. area (two more grandbabies). Then on to Annapolis where I'm doing a book signing with a couple of my Harlequin Everlasting Love friends - Geri Krotow and Linda Cardillo. If you're in the Annapolis area on Sunday, November 11, please stop by and visit with us at Hard Beans and Books (it's right downtown). We'd love the company.

From there Geri and I go to her hometown of Buffalo for another signing. I'm thinking I didn't bring enough warm clothes. And then on to Toronto to do a tour of the Harlequin offices.
After that I hopscotch back home through Baltimore. My tongue's hanging just thinking about it.

So wish me luck. I'll check in later - after I get home, wash my clothes and hibernate for a couple of days.

Ann

A Perfect Tree - One Magic Christmas - Harlequin American Christmas Anthology - available mid-November
Goin' Down to Georgia - Harlequin American Romance - March 2008

Creative outlets

We all need creative outlets. Mine are fiction writing and cooking. Just as I enjoy creating characters and telling their stories, I also love turning raw ingredients into savory dishes. Because cooking is fun for me, my food usually tastes good. (Yes, I love my own cooking.) If I didn’t enjoy the task, I’m certain I’d produce blah results. The same holds true of writing. If a writer doesn’t like what she’s writing, it shows!

Back to cooking. I especially like to bake. Once a week (and only once a week, except for holidays and special occasions—don’t want to get fat …☺) I bake from-scratch cookies or bread or cake or pie. Or several of each. That’s why God invented freezers. ☺

Now you know my creative outlets. What are yours, and do you have more than one? Please share.

Before I sign off, here are several announcements:
November 7 I’ll be guest blogging at Fresh Fiction (http://freshfiction.com/blog). Please stop by and post a comment.

November 9 I’ll be doing an internet radio interview from 11:30-12:00 est. Find the show at http://blogtalkradio.com/MelissaAlvarez. If you would like to call in, the listener call in number is 347-215-8473.

November 15 I’ll be the guest at Noveltalk. From 9-10 pm est. To join the chat (and maybe win a door prize) , go to http://www.noveltalk.com/chat/default.asp.


Until next time,
Ann
www.annroth.net
Mitch Takes A Wife, August 2007
All I Want for Christmas, November 2007

Who's got the time?

Everyone has the same twenty-four hours in a day, right?

Then why do I always feel as though I've gotten shortchanged?

Okay, there is that single day of the year when many areas of the country "Spring Ahead," move their clocks forward, and lose an hour. But after a lifetime living in an area that changes its clocks, I've relocated to a state that doesn't, so I don't even have that excuse!

(Worse luck, I don't "Fall Back," either, which means that last night I didn't gain an hour I definitely could have used.)

Still, my days seem as though they're getting shorter and shorter, my To Do lists absolutely are getting longer and longer, and I'm trying to find ways to lower my stress level by getting more done in less time.

One friend suggested I try using a timer, setting it for a specific number of minutes, jumping into whatever project or job is next on the list, and working flat-out and focused on only that one task until the buzzer goes off.

Have you had any luck with that technique?

Have you got any other timesaving, work-producing, To-Do-list-managing tips in your toolbox?

If you have, then you've probably got lots of time to share them. (grin) So, please do!


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Twilight Zone Time

So, I should probably start by admitting that I collect Christmas houses. I’ve bought one every year I’ve been married. (18) And, okay, I’ll admit it…sometimes I’ve bought more than one. Choosing the right house is a mini-big-deal for me. I really look forward to it. I wander around the store, look at past catalogs, pick up one, change my mind. You get the idea.

Yesterday was my day to get a house. Because it takes so long, I put my houses out right after Halloween. Anyway, there I was, happily celebrating an hour of house-hunting, relaxed. Sipping a latte. And…my cell phone rang. It was my daughter. She was at cheer practice. And she had questions.

I’m not one of those people who likes to talk on the phone in public places. So, my answers were clipped. Yes, Yes. Okay. Bye. Five minutes later, the phone rings again. Another question. Ten minutes after that…guess what, the coach let them leave early, if they wanted to. So, could I come pick her up? Now?

These are relatively normal things. After all, she’s 14. She’s a nice girl. She’s used to me being at her beck and call. But I wasn’t happy about it. And, well, I happened to be holding my new house…the North Pole Reindeer Spa. So, what did I do? I knew my husband was working from the house yesterday afternoon…so I told her she could either wait until I got back her way, or call her dad.

This little scenario makes me remember life without cell phones. I was on a drill team all through high school. What did I do when practice got out early? I waited. Now that I’m older and my high school years have that pretty sheen of nostalgia all over them, I recall hanging out with my girlfriends, thankful for thirty minutes or an hour of nothing to do. There was a drug store near our school. We’d pool money and buy ice cream, and sit on the sidewalks near the parking lot and talk. Flirt with all the boys who were waiting to be picked up, too. It was eerily fun. Secret, almost. Twilight Zone Time, where we could do things no one knew about because everyone thought we were occupied.

Sometimes, when it was time to be picked up, we’d all pretend that we just got out of practice…never admitting to eating rocky road. Now, I think I’d have a fit if I found out my daughter was running around town buying ice cream. And well, do teenagers even sneak ice cream any more?

So, maybe it’s good that my daughter doesn’t know about that twilight zone time of secret waiting. Maybe it’s good that she’s impatient, and has a phone to constantly communicate with me. But a part of me feels that she’s missing out.

End of the story? Tom picked her and her girlfriends up for me. I finished my latte, bought my house, and an hour later came home. I showed the Reindeer Spa off to my family-who pretended to think it was oh, so cute. Then I cooked dinner, supervised homework, and cleaned everything up.

And then it occurred to me…maybe I'm still attempting to have some secret time. Only now I’m buying houses instead of ice cream. But that ‘found’ time is as sweet as ever. So, anyone else remember waiting to be picked up when they were in high school? What did you do?

Holidays

Holidays…when we gather with family for fun times and a nice meal. Where we strengthen family ties and catch up on everyone's life--Yeah, right. More on that in a minute.

First, congratulations to Lily--our October HAR blog winner! Lily, please contact the following authors through their websites to claim your prize: Shelley Galloway, Cindi Myers and Marin Thomas.

Keep the comments coming. Authors will be giving away more books to a winner for the month of November.

Okay, back to Holidays--the good, the bad and the ugly….

More likely than not, many of us will attend gatherings with people we have little or nothing in common--Family. You got that right. How is it that siblings can be born to the same parents yet be so different? Sister Susie-homemaker bakes up storm and everyone praises her cooking skills. Sister Margaret is Ms. Career Woman who travels the world and makes more money than your own husband. Then Brother Bob slides through life effortlessly, always finding people to fish him out of trouble or loan him money when he makes bad choices. And then there's you--Ms. Responsibility--the one who goes through life playing by the rules but no one cares or finds you interesting. Sound familiar to anyone???

I thought it might be fun to make up a list of tips on surviving the holidays with family. I'll go first:

1) Lower your expectations (I'm talking way lower). The day is not going to be perfect. It never has been and it won’t be this time. Uncle Joe will still tell off-color jokes and your father-in-law will undoubtedly bring up politics at the dinner table. And don’t forget Aunt Judy, she'll have one too many drinks and spill her red wine all over your white tablecloth. Just think…if no one sets the Christmas tree on fire the gathering will have been a success!

Okay, who's got the next Holiday survival tip?

Marin Thomas

For The Children (Oct 07)

In A Soldier's Arms (Feb 08)

http://www.marinthomas.com/