Christmas Traditions--Zoolights

Since we moved to Arizona over a year ago I've had a difficult time capturing the "feeling" of Christmas out here in the desert.  I was born and raised in Wisconsin and the memories of my Christmas's there include snow, cold temperatures, the family car getting stuck in the snow after visiting Grandma and Grandpa Christmas Eve, building snow forts, sledding down the hill we lived at the top of and filling the freezer with snowballs for a fight with the neighborhood kids.  Don't get me wrong—Christmas in the desert is unique and beautiful in its own way, but I miss the cold and snow—just around the holiday.   

 

 

So I've started a new Christmas tradition since moving to Arizona.  Each Christmas Eve we head to the Phoenix Zoo—voted one of the top 5 zoos in the nation for children—and spend a couple of hours walking around drinking hot chocolate and eating roasted nuts while taking in Zoolights.  It's an amazing and beautiful display of lights and decorations in a desert setting.  The zoo is transformed into a little magical Christmas village with millions of colored lights and a now- famous Music in Motion light display—twenty-six trees that dance to music around a lake.

 

 

Here's a youtube video of last years' Zoolights  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B82MssZYuco

 

So tell me...what family Christmas traditions do you look forward to every year?

 

Happy Ever After...The Cowboy Way

 

Marin Thomas

Beau: Cowboy Protector *Harts of the Rodeo* Nov 2012

No Ordinary Cowboy *Rodeo Rebels* April 2013

The Cowboy Next Door *The Cash Brothers* July 2013

All My Heroes are Cowboys

A Year of Firsts!

I’ve come full circle. 

A year ago today, I sent off my first submission to Harlequin, as part of their So You Think You Can Write competition.  Nerves were an understatement, but three months later to the day, Kathleen Scheibling, senior editor of the American Romance line called me and changed my life. 

What a wonderful year of firsts…

December 13, 2011 – My first submission to Harlequin.  Actually, it was my first submission to any publisher.

My First Sale - March 13, 2012 – BETTING ON TEXAS made it to Harlequin’s American Romance Line.

First Celebratory Dinner – There was champagne, chocolate, flowers and Chinese food.  It was a night I’ll never forget!

First Blog – Fellow American Romance author Marin Thomas grabbed my hand and led me here.  I love visiting with all of you every month.

First Contract – I never saw a document more beautiful!

First Advance Check – You mean they pay me for doing what I love?

First Revisions – No author is perfect.  Our editors find the flaws and steer us in the right direction.  My editor is a dream come true.

First Art Fact Sheet (AFS) – This should have come with a warning!  This is a database where an author enters the fine details about their book, from a character’s physical traits, clothing, scenery, etc., which in turn allows the art department to create our amazing covers. 

First Title Change – For years, my book was known as Double Trouble.  The name had been previously used by another author (shame on me for not doing my homework) so I had to come up with another one.  BETTING ON TEXAS was born.

First Dear Reader Letter – I’ve read hundreds of these, yet when it came time for me to write mine, I had so much to say I didn’t know where to begin.  

First Dedication – Words can’t describe how I feel.  Thank you mom and dad!

First Line Edits – Editor extraordinaire, Kathleen Scheibling, read through and edited each line of my manuscript.  This was the final time for me to make any major revisions to the book.

First Copy Edits - A Copyeditor goes through the manuscript with a fine tooth comb and ensures every comma, every letter, every everything is in the right place.

First Author Alterations (AA’s) - This is the author’s final read through to double check for errors.  A proofreader at Harlequin simultaneously reads the manuscript and changes are made if necessary, before another proofreader runs through it again.

First Pre-Order – Nothing compares to the feeling of seeing your book become available for pre-order at all major booksellers.

First Book Cover – Squee!

I enlarged this puppy to a 16x20, framed it and hung it in my foyer.  People can’t help but notice my cover when they walk through the door.  Obnoxious?  Nah – just proud J

First Proposal – Fellow American Romance sister, Laura Marie Altom, guided me through the right and wrong way to submit a proposal (I am forever grateful!) – Things are much different when a contest isn’t involved.  There were many rewrites…and lots of rum! 

First Multi-Book Contract – The sequels to BETTING ON TEXAS, HOME TO THE COWBOY (August 2013) and LEGACY OF A LONE STAR (early 2014) are coming to a bookshelf near you!

Soon I’ll have my first review, first sales ranking, first time I hold my printed book in my hands and many more firsts I’m sure I don’t even know about yet.

If you had told me exactly one year ago today that I would have three Harlequin books under my belt with so many exciting opportunities ahead of me, I would have said you were crazy. 

I’m living my dream and I wouldn’t trade it in for anything. 

Thank you for coming on this journey with me, I hope you stay for the next one.  The next time we meet, it will be 2013.  Have a safe and wonderful holiday season and a Rockin’ New Year!

Amanda Renee
Betting on Texas (March 2013)

Home to the Cowboy (August 2013)
Legacy of a Lone Star (Early 2014)

www.amandarenee.com
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Cover Art Copyright © 2013 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Rules of Engagement--Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving horror stories--we've all got one or two or three disastrous family-gathering stories we could share with others.  Why is that the holidays tend to bring out the best and worst in people, especially among our loved ones? 

 

If you're the one hosting this year's dinner (lucky you) then it's important to set the ground rules and let your family and friends know you're the captain of the ship and they'd better follow your command at the dinner table. I know, easier said than done.  This year if I was hosting the dinner I'd tell everyone that before they came to my house they had to read my latest release, because we'd be discussing story structure, plot and characterization over the turkey dinner.  But that's not the case, we're heading to my sister-in-law's home.

 

Beau: Cowboy Protector

November 2012

 

 

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 Linda Lewis Griffith is a marriage and family therapist www.lindalewisgriffith.com who recommends the following... 

Rules of Engagement

Be pleasant at all times.

Do not bring up hurtful issues from the past.

Engage in appropriate dialogue.

Discuss only mutually safe topics.  

Avoid possibly contentious subjects.

Show up on time.

Be helpful.

Monitor your own consumption of alcohol.

Do your best to get along with everyone at the gathering.

Encourage children to play outside if the weather permits.

Be attentive to your own children’s needs and actions.

 

 

 ***

If you believe your family is incapable of following your rules or someone always sabotages your good intentions (you know your cousin Claire was jealous that you got asked to the junior prom and she didn't) then you may want to consider the following

 

Spend the holiday in a public place. (Wishful thinking, I know)

 

If you are the host, don't exhaust yourself before Thanksgiving dinner.
Right before the holidays, furniture and rug sales always go up. Many family members, especially siblings, are in competition over issues like who has the best and cleanest house, who is the best cook, etc. If you are hosting Thanksgiving, don't get into this kind of competitiveness: it will only exhaust you and ruin your holiday. It is okay to cut corners. Include ready-made foods along with homemade ones, close off messy rooms, and accept help in the kitchen. Your relaxed mood will set the tone of the gathering.

Spend time and energy on planning entertainment.
Thanksgiving is the slowest afternoon of the year, says Dr. William Doherty, a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota. The parade, the turkey, the football games and lethargy caused by overeating make it a long boring time, especially for children. Families get "cabin fever" and tensions arise. Let the dinner end by early afternoon so that people can go to a movie or take a walk, if they desire. Give children the freedom to play outside; allow teenagers to go out by themselves. Bundle up and go look at store windows together. Have board games and other entertainment available.

 

Have a clever seating arrangement.
Try using place cards to assign seats so that you can separate people who do not get along. Although you may be tempted to, don't seat family members who have been feuding for years next to each other. 

 

***

 

Depending on the "Host Home" our family can have a very eclectic group gathering each Thanksgiving--family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and possibly even a divorced spouse or two.  A few Taboo Topics at our family gathering: Climate Change, Politics, Body Piercings, Body Weight, Hair Styles & Religion. 

Now for the fun part...what topics are taboo at your Thanksgiving Table?

 

 

Beau: Cowboy Protector November 2012

No Ordinary Cowboy *Rodeo Rebels* April 2013

The Cowboy Next Door *The Cash Brothers* July 2013

www.marinthomas.com

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October: My Favorite Writing Month!

October

 

"Youth is like spring, an over-praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes.  Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits." - Samuel Butler
 

 Full Hunter's Moon.

The Native Americans referred to the full moon in October as the Hunter's Moon.  The  time to hunt in preparation for winter. The full Moon is also sometimes called the Travel Moon or the Dying Grass Moon.

 According to the Old Farmer's Almanac

 

--The crescent Moon hovers to the right of Venus on the 12th

--On Halloween, the Moon's in its spooky football-shape gibbous phase, floating above Jupiter.

--Corn planted under a waning Moon grows slower but yields larger ears.

--Babies born a day after the full Moon enjoy success and endurance.

--A new Moon in your dreams promises increased wealth or a happy marriage.

 

Best Days in October

For Harvesting: Above ground crops: 20, 21 , Below ground crops: 2, 3, 12

For Setting Eggs: 3-5, 23, 30, 31

For Fishing: 15-29

For Marin's Latest release 30th!

 

 

Beau: Cowboy Protector



4.5 Stars Top Pick 

October 30, 2012

 

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Beau: Cowboy Protector is book # 5 in the six-book multi-author Harts of the Rodeo--Born to Rodeo series from American Romance.  You can check out the Harlequin trailer for the series on my goodreads page.  You'll find more information on each book in the series, along with author interviews and book giveaways at harlequinjunkie.  I hope you'll help me celebrate the release of Beau: Cowboy Protector during the month of November when I'll be blogging at harlequinjunkie and giving away an autographed copy of the book plus a small cowboy gift each week throughout the month! 

 

Back to October....

Having grown up in the Midwest, I've always thought of October as the month when world settles down and finally becomes quiet.  The temperatures at night in Wisconsin got darn chilly and the dew on the grass in the morning was cold and thick—some mornings it was white with frost.  The days grew shorter quickly and October was when we began turning on the kitchen light to eat supper at five-thirty. 
 

Traditionally the month of October has been my most productive writing month out of the year.  Even though I now live in Arizona and the weather where the weather is warm and sunny every day in October….I still feel that "settling down" inside me.  When I sit at the computer to write during the day I don’t feel as antsy as I used to during the summer months when I'd stare out the window and wish I was digging in my garden or off hunting for antiques with a friend. 
 

 How about you?  Which is your most productive month of the year and why? 
 

A Cowboy's Duty *Rodeo Rebels* 08/2012

Beau: Cowboy Protector Harts of the Rodeo--Born to Ride! 11/2012

No Ordinary Cowboy *Rodeo Rebels* 04/2013

www.marinthomas.com

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First Day of Autumn

Autumn officially kicks off on Saturday September 22^nd!  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of autumn is apples.

The scent of a cinnamon apple pie baking in the oven.  School trips to apple orchards.  Apple jelly, apple butter, apple-cider donuts—Lord, if you haven’t had one of these, you need to get to your nearest apple orchard ASAP and try one.

Edwards Orchard, Poplar, IL

 

Before I moved from the Chicago suburbs to Phoenix, my former high-school friends and I met at the Edwards Orchards in Poplar Grove, Illinois, for an afternoon of apple-shopping fun.

We strolled through the over 100-year-old dairy barn that had been converted into a gift shop.  Everything you can imagine made from an apple or having a picture of an apple on it could be found in this barn.  Cosmetics, dishes, souvenirs, candles, salsas, linens and hundreds of other gifts.  We purchased our cider-apple donuts and watched young girls make the donuts in the barn kitchen then we checked out the hayloft and the display of farm antiques before eating lunch at a local café.

Each September I feel a little nostalgic as I remember that visit to the apple farm.  But it's also a time for me to celebrate friendships.  Whenever I eat an apple-cider donut, I remind myself how blessed I am to have been able to maintain a friendship for over thirty years with the girls I went to high school with. 

What do you do to celebrate the changing of summer to fall where you live?    

 

Happy Ever After...The Cowboy Way!

 

Marin

A Cowboy's Duty *Rodeo Rebels* 8/2012

Beau: Cowboy Protector *Harst fo the Rodeo* 11/2012

No Ordinary Cowboy *Rodeo Rebels* 4/2013

www.marinthomas.com

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Yes, Women do Ride Bulls

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This month I'm excited to announce that the fifth book in my Rodeo Rebels series, A Cowboy's Duty, is being released.  The 4th, 5th & 6th books in the Rodeo Rebels are tied together by a common thread--women's bull riding.  I blogged about where I got the idea for this unique story angle earlier this month at http://www.authorsoundrelations.blogspot.com I thought it would be fund to share the story here. 

Years ago when my family vacationed in Colorado I recalled meeting a really old rodeo cowboy who'd been a friend of the family for years.  I don't remember his name—only that it had sounded old-fashioned. Vern…Vick…Vance…not sure.   Anyway, this old cowboy had been a former bull rider and he had the bowed legs and crooked spine to prove it.  He competed in rodeo back in the day when no cowboy had heard of Kevlar vests and protective head gear.  He told stories of his days on the circuit and one tale in particular left a lasting impression on me.  He claimed a young woman had entered a bull-riding competition using a man's name.  As the story goes, she was "about as handsome as a sack of horse-shoes."  Today we call these women "plain Janes".  Supposedly, this young lady hid in the shadows until it was her turn to ride.  She rode the bull a full eight seconds and the fans went crazy until her cowboy hat popped off and exposed her long, blond braid.  The cheering turned to booing and as the legend goes….the cowboys chased her "halfway to Mexico". 

The memory stuck with me all these years so I thought.... why not incorporate women's bull riding into these stories.  I admit this is an unusual angle for a romance, but the sport calls for very strong heroines—both mentally and physically.  I've learned a lot about women's roughstock events while writing these books and have come to greatly admire the courageous women who compete in bare back, bull riding and saddle bronc events. 

So tell me, does an unusual storyline scare you away from buying a book or are you willing to read something a little off the beaten path? 

 Happy Trails!

www.marinthomas.com



National Day of the American Cowboy

Credit

I know...I know...I blog about this every year, but I love cowboys so I enjoy reminding the fans of American Romance books that the "U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating the fourth Saturday of July National Day of the American Cowboy.”

"Whereas pioneering men and women, recognized as cowboys, helped establish the American West...that cowboy spirit continues to infuse the nation with its solid character, sound family values, and good common sense; Whereas the cowboy embodies honesty, integrity, courage, compassion, respect, a strong work ethic, and patriotism."





If you visit All My Heroes are Cowboys you'll notice the following statement at the top of my blog...

"America needs the Cowboy both to remind us of how far we have come and to bring us back to the simplicity of the values he represents. He is also needed because he is a piece of who we are as a country. He represents a lifestyle and a time period that is a cherished part of our History. Little boys want to grow up to be him and the little girls want to grow up to marry him." ~cowboycrew.com



One of the more famous rodeos in the country is happening this month!  Cheyenne Frontier Days runs from July 20^th-29^th.  Started in 1897 and drawing more than 300,000 people to the area each year, this rodeo is billed as the World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo & Western Celebration.  Cheyenne Frontier Days is the “Daddy of ‘Em All”!

Country Western Music fans…check out this year's entertainment schedule:

Zac Brown Band with special guest the Marshall Tucker Band

Brad Paisley with special guest The Band Perry

Merle Haggard with special guest Chancey Williams

Reba with special guests Rodney Atkins and Hunter Hayes

Journey with special guest Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Loverboy

Hank Williams Jr. with special guest Chris Young

Blake Shelton with special guest David Nail

Cheyenne Frontier days is more than just rodeo and music.  There's an Indian Village to explore. There is also a carnival midway, Chuck Wagon Cookoff, and the Wild Horse Gulch western heritage area, and Behind the Chutes tours. Cheyenne Frontier days is a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) sanctioned rodeo with almost 1,500 contestants who will vie for more than $1 million in money and prizes

What are your summer plans?  Do they include a rodeo?

 

A Cowboy's Duty (August 2012)

Beau: Cowboy Protector (Nov 2012)

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Harlequin Junkie

Etta Place

This month at All My Heroes are Cowboys, I've blogged about one of my all-time favorite movies, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).  Since today at my blog I'm featuring the Sundance Kid, I thought Etta Place, the notorious woman who hung out with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, deserved her own blog appearance.

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Life with the Sundance Kid

According to a Pinkerton Detective Agency memorandum dated July 29, 1902, she was "said.....to be from Texas," and in another Pinkerton document dated 1906, she is described as being "27 to 28 years old", placing her birth around 1878. This is confirmed by a hospital staff record from Denver, where she received treatment in May 1902, which reports her age as "23 or 24," (therefore again, c.1878).

Even her real name is a mystery; Place was the maiden surname of the mother of the Sundance Kid, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh.  Longabaugh's mother, Annie Place, is recorded in various sources as Mrs. Harry Longabaugh or Mrs. Harry A. Place. The one instance where she is known to have signed her name, she recorded it as "Mrs. Ethel Place." The Pinkertons called her "Ethel", "Ethal", "Eva" and "Rita" before finally settling on "Etta" for their wanted posters.  It has been suggested that her name became "Etta" after she moved to South America, where Spanish speakers could not pronounce "Ethel".

Actress Katherine Ross

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In February 1901, Etta Place accompanied Longabaugh, whom she may or may not have married, to New York City, where at Tiffany's jewelers they purchased a lapel watch and stickpin and where at a studio in Union Square on Broadway she posed with him for the now famous DeYoung portrait, one of only two known images of her.

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The mysteries of Etta Place

Those who had met Place claimed that the first thing they noticed about her was that she was strikingly pretty, with a very nice smile, and that she was cordial and refined, but an excellent shot with a rifle. She was said to have spoken in an educated manner, and she indicated that she was originally from the East Coast, although she never revealed an exact location.

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Eyewitnesses indicated years afterward that Place was one of only five women known to have ever been allowed into the Wild Bunch hideout at Robbers Roost in southern Utah, the other four having been Will Carver's girlfriend Josie Bassett who also was involved with Parker for a time, Josie's sister and Parker's longtime girlfriend Ann Bassett, Elzy Lay's 's girlfriend Maude Davis, and gang member Laura Bullion.

There have also been claims that Place was first the lover of Parker, becoming involved with Longabaugh later, and that she met them both while working in a brothel as a prostitute. Both of those claims are possible, as members of the Wild Bunch gang often alternated girlfriends.

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In the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Etta Place is depicted as a schoolteacher and played by actress Katherine Ross.  Hop over to All My Heroes are Cowboys to learn about a interesting trivia fact that happened to Katherine during the shooting of the movie.

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So who was your favorite outlaw in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid—Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) or the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford)?  Cast your vote at All My Heroes are Cowboys. (Look for the poll in the sidebar of my blog)

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Happy Ever After...The Cowboy Way!

Marin Thomas

Arizona Cowboy Rodeo Rebels (Feb 2012)

A Cowboy's Duty Rodeo Rebels (Aug 2012)

Beau: Cowboy Protector Harts of the Rodeo-Born to Ride! (Nov 2012)

www.marinthomas.com