I probably blogged about this sometime before but for those who don't know, my daughter and I recently went on a cruise to Alaska. We had a wonderful time (oh, my gosh, who couldn't?) and saw things you can only imagine (and we ate A LOT of food, too).

One of the highlights for me was bingo - just kidding, I didn't win a thing. Actually, if I were pressed to say, the two coolest things were the glacier we visited and the canoe ride and rain forest hike we took on Prince Rupert Island.

Because of too much ice, our ship was diverted from the original glacier we were scheduled to visit. What at first seemed like a disappoint-ment turned into a history making day. Our captain obtained permission to take us to another glacier, one reserved for cruise ships one-tenth our size. He handled our giant ship like it was a VW Bug and got us to within 600 feet of the glacier, the closest a cruise ship our size has ever been. Yes, I took a million pictures.

Prince Rupert was absolutely the greenest and vastest place I have ever seen - remember, I live in the Phoenix area and am a desert rat. About 18 of us boarded a canoe and paddled across the bay to an isolated arm of the island. Besides the amazing lushness of the forest, the wildlife was incredible. I saw (and took a million pictures of) about a dozen eagles, most immature with brown heads but a few "bald". Our Native American guides caught fresh Dungeness crab right off the shore and boiled it for our lunch. I also learned how to survive in the Prince Rupert rain forest by eating local plants, should I ever be lost there (grin).

Here's on picture of my daughter and I getting off the ship at Juno. She's the young, very pretty girl if you couldn't tell. If anyone is going to be at the RWA National convention next week, stop to chat if you want to hear more about our incredible trip.

Warmest wishes,

Cathy McDavid

Waiting and Waiting

On Friday night, my son returned home from Europe. This two week trip was the culmination of eleven months of anxious preparation. We signed him up last August, and ever since, we’ve been paying for the trip and counting down days. Oh, he was so excited when he left. I was excited for him - and I couldn’t wait to get emails from him along the way, sharing all kinds of stories about his trip.

That didn’t happen.

See, we thought there were going to be all kinds of Internet cafes everywhere he went. If there were, he didn’t find them.(or didn't look very hard!) No, for two weeks, all we got were two texts from friends’ phones and one short paragraph from Austria.

One was a request for more money.

So, I worried. I wondered what he was doing. I missed him. And then well, I started getting irritated. I mean, honestly, couldn’t he have tried just a little bit harder to contact us?

All those grumpy feelings gave way to sympathy last Friday night. He had the worst flight schedule. He flew from Prague to Frankfort to Washington, DC to Chicago to Cincinnati, arriving bright and shiny at midnight. (yawn!) Even that crazy schedule didn’t go as planned.

But we did get a phone call out of it.

He called at 4:30 am from Frankfort. “There’s a bomb scare, so they closed the terminal,” said in only the way a 17 year old can alternately ask for sympathy and inform us to not make a fuss. After that phone call, we started hearing from him a lot. He got out of Germany. Almost didn’t make it through customs in Washington. Oh…his plane was delayed in Chicago. Actually, it was really delayed.

Actually it was two hours late.

So, that’s how I ended up being at the Cincinnati airport at two in the morning last Friday night-er Saturday morning. Finally, at 2:15 a crowd of kids came out of the terminal-each looking more exhausted than the next. There, in the middle, was my son. Six inches taller than me. Looking tired but happy. "Hi Dad," he said, but I got the first hug.

I reached up, kissed his cheek, hugged him tight, and finally breathed a big sigh of relief.

My prodigal son had come back home.

st, and ever since, we've been paying for the trip and preparing. Oh, he was so excited when he left. I was excited for him-and I coldn't wait to get emails from him along the way, sharing all kinds of stories about his trip.

I'm buying stock in Raid

People often ask me where I get my ideas. I guess I'm the type of person that drama seems to find. Wednesday I left for Commerce, Texas. I flew into Dallas and first I visited with a former student who is doing an internship with American Airlines. I got an insider tour of the pilot and flight attendant training areas, including getting to step inside a flight simulator and see the pool where attendants learn water evacuations. I was thrilled. All this stuff is great background and may be useful in a book someday.

From there I took Chris and his boss to lunch, and then Chris drove me to Commerce, where things went downhill. The Association for Texas Photography Instructors (ATPI) has been using the University Inn successfully for lodging for years, but since last summer the place has undergone a few changes, and not necessarily for the better. New management took over approximately two weeks ago and they have quite a few challenges. The mattresses outside and the trash by the dumpsters should have been a clue that something was amiss. But no, we conference attendees naively believed it would be fine like in previous years. I even reassured Chris, who left shaking his head.

Chris had it right. I wasn’t the only room where the beds were made (but with unclean sheets), the showers came with used soap and shampoos (although new stuff was on the counters) and the roaches came out at night (or in the case of one ATPI attendee, out of her folded towels the next morning). One instructor had a single room, but he didn’t sleep alone as two roaches woke him up when they crawled on his arm to check him out. Even though I’d gotten a new room and new pillows after complaining about the state of my room (and the roach on my door frame), I didn’t sleep well as I had the light on all night.

Needless to say over ten of us checked out the next day, but not without the manager first refusing to refund our unused stay (we were supposed to be there for three nights) until the ATPI director stepped in. The conference itself is held on the Texas A & M Commerce campus and they were wonderful hosts. As for the conference content and instructors, I have never attended a conference where I learned so much and had such a great time doing so. I highly recommend this conference, which will probably be moving hotels next year.

The Holiday Inn itself was nirvana compared to the other hotel; my room spacious and wonderful. The experience became the subject of my convergence journalism project and I even made a video about how great the place was. I remained paranoid, though, and never did unpack my suitcase. I kept it zipped unless I needed something. That was probably a good thing, since Saturday morning, one of those large tree roaches decided to visit and began crawling on the wall opposite my bed. Figuring my room fee covered bug disposal, I called the front desk. Housekeeping came and I’ve never seen anyone pounce so fast--those critters can really move but she was quicker. However, the irony rankled. Could it not have picked someone else’s room, especially after I’d made such a great video on how this hotel was bug free? I guess I wasn’t quite a liar, since in my video I’d stated that at the Holiday Inn at least the bugs die. Of course, housekeeping had to help. I'm sure she thought me quite the sissy, but I hate bug guts and had enough of them Wednesday.

Over breakfast, the Texans began educating me on the different types of roaches (and which ones are good and bad) and stressed you can’t ever totally get rid of them. While I love all these people dearly, I was never quite so happy to see Missouri and my own bed. I’m still quite creeped out, and planning on packing Raid for next Friday night’s hotel stay in Kirksville when I go pick up my daughter. I got the idea from one of the conference attendees who bought a can of Raid at Walmart and sprayed the perimeter of the room and around her entire bed. After a night from hell in the first hotel, she wasn’t taking chances.

So how does this relate to writing? After hearing bug stories since Wednesday (and everyone had them in abundance to share), I’m thinking that a hot sexy exterminator would make an excellent hero. I mean, the Orkin man of the TV commercials doesn’t quite do it for me, but I could give this guy six-pack abs and have him save the day (or maybe the heroine’s century-old house). I’m not sure. I can see the other hotel from hell factoring in somehow as well. While I never quite thought bugs would be characters in a book, after this past week, I’m starting to visualize the possibilities. Maybe that would help exorcise the twitches I’m still having. Or at least justify the paranoia.

Michele

Patience, dear

It’s raspberry season! I love raspberries, especially sprinkled over oatmeal or mixed with yogurt in the morning. To get them, all I do is walk out the back door, turn the corner, and head for the garden. Voila!

I am impatient to cram them into my mouth, and occasionally the berries I pick aren’t as ripe as they could be We all know that unripe berries are sour. Puckery sour. ☹ Thanks to more than a few unpleasantly sour experiences, I have learned to curb my impatience (negative reinforcement, I think the psychologists call it), and wait an extra day or two if the berries aren’t quite red enough. This strategy almost always pays off. ☺

Believe it or not, you can apply this same strategy to novel writing.

A novel (or any piece of writing) needs time to grow, ripen, and mature. Just like berries. Rush to finish and the end results are not the best. It’s ironic that a person as impatient as I am chose a career in novel writing. A craft that requires infinite patience and reworking. I’m embarrassed to admit that once or twice early on, I hurried through writing a book and sent it off before it was quite ready. Thankfully, the editors caught me. I know better now, knowing that through patience and persistence I do my best work.

Until next time and wishing you the patience to do your best work, whatever it is,

Ann Roth
www.annroth.net

Getting Things Done...or Not

I can so relate to what Barbara went through yesterday. It must be the alignment of the planets or today's full moon. Technology has hit me hard, too. Hey, I'll blame anything!

Time can be so hard to find. I understand that to get things done, one must make the time to do them, but when time isn't available, what's next? Skipping sleep? I've tried that, and it just isn't what it's cracked up to be. I just don't do well on two hours of sleep, and no one wants to be around me when that's all I've had. Even me.

I'm not and never have been a person who can live on a rigid schedule. I'm too flighty. Too...Gemini? (There's that planet thing again.) I try, I really do. I get up at the same time every morning, usually have lunch ready about the same time every day for my grandkids, am always happy to see their moms pick them up at night, and then after that... I move from one project to another, sometimes on a whim. Even during the day, I bounce from one project to the next, dodging little interruptions whenever possible.

It keeps life interesting, but it makes life more hectic. I admire those who know what they'll be doing when and follow their schedules with zeal and appreciation of having a handle on their lives. If I could do that, I might find myself reading a book from my ever-growing TBR pile. And I do so love to read! I might find myself watching a movie I've been longing to see--a movie I bought six months or more ago and never found the time to sit down, veg out, and enjoy.

But projects and ideas come at me like arrows, zinging me from all directions. It seems my mind is never still, always thinking of this thing or that, jumping from one idea to another. At this stage in life, I'd say it's getting too late to change. I've tried. And then I slip back into my old and comfortable (sometimes) ways of doing what comes naturally. I guess I've made it this far, so maybe it won't hurt if I just keep on keeping on. Things that really need to be done do get done. It's those extras that I wish I could squeeze in to fit. Right now, that means I'm going to go read another chapter, maybe finishing the book before the weekend, when I'm sure I'll find something (many things?) to keep me more than busy.

I hope your weekend is a great one! I'll do everything I can to make mine the same. :)

It's a conspiracy

Honestly and truly, I have no idea why technology plots against me. Nine times out of ten, when I'm doing anything connected to computers, I have issues.

This time, it was loading a new program onto my computer. Piece of cake, you think? Any techno-dummy can handle it, right? All you have to do is stick in the CD and follow the prompts.

NOT!

I put in the CD.... Things moved along for a while.... Then a new file began loading...and loading...and loading.... And never stopped.

Called Tech Support. Got cut off. They called me back. Got cut off again.

Can you feel the frustration building? LOL

On my own again, tried rebooting the computer. Attempted re-clicking the CD. Went through the cycle of start, stop, start again, stop again--and at last, success!

Finally finished installing the program.

The program that should have taken...oh, approximately thirty minutes to load. And actually took four hours-plus.

So, I ask you:

Do things like this happen to you, too, or is it *really* a conspiracy? ;-))


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Family Cook-Off

My mother was a fabulous cook and I swear she made the best gravy in the world. I wasn't much of a meat eater--still am not, but I ate a ton of mashed potatoes drowned in gravy when my mother cooked a pot roast. It wasn't until I married and she gave me a collection of her own recipes that I realized how inept I was in the kitchen. There are so many little tricks of the trade when it comes to cooking--like browning the roast in butter and onions until it's burnt on all sides before you put it into the oven to bake--how was I to know that was my mother's secret for making great gravy?

This week my younger sister is here visiting from San Antonio and my father from Wisconsin. Both are excellent cooks. I don't have many memories of my father cooking when I was younger, but once he retired he took an interest in creating his own recipes. So this week at my house we launched a cook-off. Me, my sister and father all love tuna fish casserole. My husband almost gets sick on the smell of it baking in the oven and neither of my kids will touch it. So when my father and sister are around, we three treat ourselves to a little comfort food.

Our cook-off challenge was creating a Tuna Fish Casserole recipe to-die for. Well, as you can imagine, most of mine found its way into the garbage disposal. My sister' was pretty tasty, but my father's recipe won hands down. We even made an extra batch to freeze. So for those of you who also love an old fashioned tuna fish casserole you'll have to try my dad's recipe. And be warned…it doesn't taste as good if you substitute low fat ingredients--this tastes best using full-fat everything!

Tuna Casserole

2 cans Albacore tuna
1 Package egg noodles
1 Med White Onion fried in butter with seasoning salt, lemon pepper
1-Lemon juice (4-5 Tablespoons)
1 small can Durkee French onions
1-Large package Sharp cheddar cheese
1-small sour cream
1-can 15 oz Lesueur Early peas (Silver can)
16 oz Whipping cream
1 Can cream of mushroom soup

Cook noodles and rinse, then mix all ingredients. Top with crushed Durkee French Onions and a few squirts of lemon juice, then bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes

Happy Cooking!

Marin
A Coal Miner's Wife *Hearts of Appalachia*August 2008
The Cowboy and the Angel Nov 2008
http://www.marinthomas.com/

My catless garden

This is my first summer in many years of gardening without a cat.

Wait, you may ask. What does a cat have to do with a garden?

Let’s back up. In December, Blue, the stray cat we’d adopted eight years ago, died of cancer. Losing a pet, as most of you know, is wrenching, and I felt his absence in many ways.

No furry gray face outside the French doors in the morning. No nonverbal questions meowed when I arrived home after an outing. No soft, purring body on my lap in front of the TV (unless you count my husband, but he doesn’t exactly purr).

Then there’s the garden.

Our standing joke, each spring when my husband fired up the rotary tiller, was that our cat thanked us for remodeling his bathroom. While Blue made himself scarce during the noisy part, he always reappeared to poke his nose into my activities when I began planting.

Many times, I had to lift and move his curious, attention-seeking self out of the way. Whenever I stood up for a few minutes, I invariably returned to find him curled on my kneeling pad. And, after planting, I learned to arrange old wire tomatoes cages across the freshly turned earth to prevent him from digging up what I’d so lovingly buried.

Once the tomatoes and zucchini sprouted, Blue went on patrol. He might not be big enough to tackle a possum or a raccoon, but we never had to worry about invading rodents.

This summer, for the first time in memory, there’s a squirrel hanging around our yard. I have nothing against squirrels per se, but in the last few days I’ve started finding a tomato here and there, laid out on the patio with a bite missing.

Call me stingy, but I’m not keen on sharing my produce with animals. It’s a daily scramble to pick every tomato that’s even faintly pink so it won’t attract unwanted attention.

As for stray cats to pick up the slack, they seem in short supply these days. While I realize most people would consider that a good thing, I could use a little help around here.

Still, I balk at importing a cat. These days, the received wisdom holds that cats belong indoors, and I don’t want an indoor cat. So I bide my time until one shows up who’s already proved he knows how to survive in the great outdoors.

Who knows? He might turn up any day now.

July Old-Timer Interview

Good morning! All of us Harlequin American authors are trying something new, which we hope will be fun for YOU--our readers--who are the most important part of our line!! (This pic is of Daughter and I.)



Twice a month, we'll be posting author interviews. One from a Newbie to the line, and another from an Old-Timer, which this month, happens to be me! Marin Thomas thought of these fun questions, so here we go:


1. When you looked in the mirror this morning, what was the first thing you thought?


How embarrassing!! But truthfully, I thought good Lord, I need a haircut and a diet--STAT!!!LOL!!!

2. Do you re-read your books once they're in print?


Never!! Who has time??


3. Did you ever eat paste or Elmer's glue when you were a kid?


Nope, but I did eat the plastic banana off of a stuffed monkey!! I display him proudly in my entry hall!! Also, I have a vague recollection of eating a few dog biscuits!!


4. What do you want to know about the future?


Will we ever fly to work? Do Bigfoot and UFOs exist? Atlantis? (Can you tell I'm a frustrated paranormal writer wannabe?) Most importantly, I want magic fat pills and exercise pills and anti-cellulite pills and oh yeah, world peace!!!


5. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?


Absolutely! Pepsi is sweeter. I prefer it, but for some warped reason think Coke is somehow cooler. Go figure.


6. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what kind of hero would you want with you? A cowboy, a Viking warrior, a CEO, a forensics investigator, a chef, or an accountant? Why?


This is HARD!! (Get your minds out of the gutter!! I'm not talking about all of those hard chests and abs!! LOL!! I'm seriously torn on this one. First inclination is the CEO, because he'd have the big bucks for folks to be out looking for him. But cowboys are resourceful guys. Real big on practical, common sense knowledge that would be important for island living. Oh--and when it gets too hot, I could borrow his hat!!


7. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be.


Some biggees, would be deaths. My husband's father died way too young, so I'd for sure erase that. I miss Grandma and Grandpa, so they're coming back, too. There are a few real estate moves I'd have skipped, and a few mean people I'd have preferred to never have met.


8. What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten?


LOL!! Please refer to question 3!! I think I ate chocolate-covered ants once. I can't even remember where. On a trip to the East Coast--maybe Maine--we ate smoked eel. It was actually pretty good.


9. How long have you been published?


In book form, since my twins were five. They turn sixteen this week--ARRGGHH--so I guess that makes eleven years. I sold quite a few magazine articles and stories before that.


10. Describe your writing space.


I used to write in a great office, but Son #3 is addicted to World of Warcraft, and the only computer in the house powerful enough to run it is the one in my office. Meaning, I'm usually on a comfy chair in the living room, using my laptop. I write better on my laptop, so I don't mind. My office is a gorgeous jungle green color, with white trim and piles of junk waiting to be organized!!


11. What advice would you give a writer just starting out?


Initially, figure out what line you want to write for and target it. Meet the editors, read the books, etc. I think early on, I had too much of an "I'll write what anyone wants to buy" attitude. While Harlequin American was the first line I ever submitted to, upon my first rejection, I gave up and tried elsewhere. Finally, it clicked that just because one book/idea didn't work, that didn't mean I couldn't try another and another and another!!


12. What comes first--the plot or the characters?


Characters. Because of them, my plots are constantly changing.


13. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?


My new contract brings me up to 31 books!! My favorite would have to be Saving Joe, which actually is one of my all-time worst sellers.


14. What are you reading now?


This is so sad, but the only thing I've read all summer are art books, art lesson plans, art websites, classroom management tips, etc. I know, yawn, yawn. I'm alternately thrilled and scared to death about my new job!!


15. Are you working on anything at present you'd like to share?


I'm in the home stretch of a book due August 5th!! ARGH!!! My working title is Baby Brigade, which I just heard is changing, and I'm not at all happy about it!! LOL!! It's about a Marine who has a one night stand appear with twins she says are his. He hires a nanny and mayhem and lust ensue!! Just kidding, it's actually turning out to be a much heavier, richer story than I'd first intended. The heroine lost her baby to SIDs, and her ex-husband blamed her for the infant's death. Ema's in a rough emotional place, but Jace,being a Marine, is coming to her rescue!!!


There you have it. Everything you didn't want to know about me!! LOL!! Seriously, let us know what you like/don't like about our interview questions. We're a work in progress around here!!

Have a happy Monday!! ;-)

Being Superwoman

If you are reading this on Saturday AM, I am in Houston, Texas, presenting to the West Houston Romance Writers of America. I'm doing a workshop on finding your inner superwoman, which includes a lot of introspection, prioritizing and goal setting. It's an up/back trip, and then I'll be flying to Dallas on Wednesday for a multi-media workshop.

I realized something this year. I had a lot of my priorities out of balance. For the past two years, writing has taken top billing over everything. I wrote six books in 18 months. I am only writing 2 this year, and I have 80 pages left to do (it's due August 1). I'm a bit of a last-minuter.

There's a lot on my plate right now. I'm joining a new church. I've given up my boyfriend of 7 years--I simply couldn't get him scheduled in and it wasn't really going anywhere anyway. We're still friends. My daughter is away at a gifted camp for kids--and she may skip the entire eighth grade and go straight into high school. I took over the school newspaper, adding to my teaching duties. I also added a weekly meeting with a personal trainer to my schedule.

I also teach full time. I go back to work July 29 and my first day with kids is Aug. 11. So I go non-stop, and this is the focus of my talk. What are your priorities, what are your goals, and how often do your goals get sideswiped by your priorities, and what you can do about it.

So I invite you to be a part of my workshop. Here are two of the eight activities the group is going to do:
Make a list of the top five things in your life with number one the most important and number five the lesser of the five. If you can, make a list of six through ten.
What is important to you? This is your mission. This is what you are about.

Next make a list of your personal strengths. Start the sentences with I am good at… I can…. People look up to me because… The key here is to realize how truly awesome you are. As my personal trainer says, you don't focus on what you can't do, but your strengths.

Michele

It takes a village

Every year during July, two events consume all of my attention. The first is the Tour de France. Since my husband and I are both cyclists (well, me not so much lately!) we’ve been obsessed with this grueling bike race for the last six or seven years. What I love about the Tour is that, to win, it’s not enough to be fast. You have to have skills in all aspects of road racing—time trailing, sprinting and climbing mountains. You have to be tough and resilient. That means three weeks of hours in the saddle, no matter the weather. You have to stay healthy. One bad day is enough to ruin your time. You have to be attentive riding inches from other riders and hurtling down mountains at 50 m.p.h., so you don’t crash.

But even heroic individual effort isn’t enough. You have to have a team, and you all have to be willing to work together, help each other get over the mountains or lead out a sprinter or travel back to the team car to get water bottles.

I guess the Tour is a lot like writing! Great writing alone isn’t enough to build a career. You have to have many skills—plotting, characters, a compelling voice, and being in tune with the market. You have to be consistent (which means writing every day even when you don’t feel like it). You have to be able to market your work.

And there’s the teamwork. I wouldn’t have sold any books without the help of my critique group, my agent, the RWA, the various editors I’ve worked with, my family, the people who print the books, distribute them, sell them, buy them. No one does it alone!

Oh, the second July event that consumes me? The RWA conference, which is sort of like our Grand Tour. It’s always fun to see who wins our “yellow jersey,” the Rita and Golden Heart awards.

PLEASE NOTE: I’m hosting a contest this month with fellow American author Victoria Chancellor. To enter, visit my website (www.karalennox.com) and click on the contest button. We’re giving away some nice prizes.

ALSO PLEASE NOTE: I haven’t received an email from the blog prize winner of last month. My e-mail server has been randomly sending emails to the trash without my ever seeing them, so please try again! Karalennox [at] yahoo.com

Summer Vacation

When I was a child, summer vacation consisted of piling into the car for a long, hot drive to Mississippi or North Carolina to visit relatives. I always looked forward to those trips, not only because I'd get to see my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins, but because I'd get to see new scenery and places along the way.

This summer, with high gas prices and the increased hassles of flying, we're sticking closer to home. (Except for a trip to San Francisco at the end of the month for the Romance Writers of American conference -- we're getting there by train.)

If I can't physically travel somewhere, the next best thing for me is to read a book that will transport me to that place. My question for you today is -- if you could go anywhere on vacation this summer -- where would it be?

Since this is Harlequin American, let's keep the locales in America. Bonus points if you can match your destination with an American book. I'll go first:

Alaska. -- I've always wanted to visit our largest state.

Montana -- I love the west and can't wait to visit Big Sky Country. American has had a lot of great stories set in Montana. I loved Charlotte Maclay's Montana-set books.

Vermont -- The northeast is gorgeous, especially in the fall. I have fond memories of Anne Stuart's American romances set in Crescent Cove, Vermont. Right now, I'm really looking forward to new American author Liz Daly's trilogy set in Vermont, out (we hope) next year.

Boston -- a great, historic city -- Penny McCusker's Emmy and the Boss is a fun story set in Boston.

Washington State -- another beautiful place in a country filled with beautiful places. Ann Roth's The Pilot's Woman is a terrific way to visit this fascinating locale.

North Carolina -- I haven't been back to visit since I was 14. I'd love to go again. Lynette Kent's Smoky Mountain Reunion, out this month, is at the top of my TBR list for my vicarious visit back to my mom's home state.

Now it's your turn? Where do you want to visit -- and what books will take you there?

Interview

I get to be the first author interviewed! (Get some caffeine.)

Q: How did you make your first sale?

A: I sent a partial (3 chapters and a synopsis of the rest of the book) to the Senior Editor, Kathleen Scheibling, in response to a "call for new Harlequin American authors" piece in Romantic Times magazine. She requested the complete, then bought it! I got lucky with the timing. The line had been "revamped" and finally my voice fit.

Q: If you had to pick one word to describe your writing, what would it be?

A: I'm a writer--I can't possibly pick ONE word! LOL I have many words for the writing process, depending on how it's going, :) but I'd hope the end result is "heart-warming." If I could have another word, I'd add "fun" because families and life are both.

Q: Tell us a little about your family and where you're from.

A: I have a wonderfully supportive husband and two great kids. We live near St. Louis, MO, and love to travel. Growing up the youngest of five children gave me lots of inspiration for escapism! :) My brother gave me his GI Joe action figure when he grew out of playing with it. Joe promptly starred in all my play stories with Barbie. When I first saw Ken, I thought, "No way." That Barbie knew a good provider for her little girls when she saw him!

Q: Tell us about your book.

A: I'm really lucky to have had two books out this year. The Fake Fiancee comes out tomorrow. :) I'm thrilled to have this book accepted for publication because the mom in the story gives her all for her kids. It's nice every once in a while to remember the sacrifices moms make, which we sometimes don't even know about. Of course, the heroine's sacrifice leads her to the man she'll come to love, but even moms deserve a treat! Joe Riley needs to tread carefully with his matchmaking mom until he's reassured of her recovery from a heart attack. Caterer Lisa Meyer agrees to pretend to be his fiancée in order to earn money for a special program for her son. Joe discovers parenting is nothing like heading up a company. It's way more work! So it'll stay strictly business for Joe and Lisa--unless love can find a way.

Marrying the Boss came out last April, but it's still available online. Mark Collins is driven to prove his worth to the powerful Chicago family that adopted him so long ago. But in order to earn his place, he has to win control of the family company in a contest with his late grandfather’s illegitimate daughter. Leanne Fairbanks, a savvy competitor with her own axe to grind, yearns to show the family what they missed by ignoring her all her life. This Apprentice-like showdown is soon overshadowed by the competitors’ interest in another prize—each other.

Q: What is your writing routine?

A: Ouch. I was hoping to skip this question. ;) I'm a deadline junkie (aka a procrastinator) so I barricade myself in my office when my deadline nears. I'd like to plot; it would make my life easier. But I've tried, and I get bored with a story if I know what happens, then I don't finish it. I start with a character or an incident, then plunge blindly ahead until I type THE END. Sometimes I have a vague idea or two for scenes, and I use them as guideposts. A couple of times, I've had the last line of the book figured out, which is very exciting. In Marrying the Boss, I typed that line, but the story didn't feel complete and wound up with an epilogue, which was more satisfying an ending. Here's the last line I've envisioned for my current work: "He grinned." I hope I'm not giving too much away. ;)

Q: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

A: Finishing Marrying the Boss was a whirlwind! Kathleen had requested the complete, and I just felt this was my last chance. Great motivation. But I started The Fake Fiancee sometime in the last century :0 and even though I only had three chapters to finish, I had a hard time getting to THE END. While stalled on this ms, I hit a "block" where I couldn't complete anything else. The "people" in my head left. One day about six years into this period, they just "came back." Marrying the Boss was the first ms I'd finished in years! So when it came time to propose a second one, I sent The Fake Fiancee, thinking if my editor bought it, I'd have to finish it. And I did.

Q: How long have you been writing? and What did you want to be when you grew up?

A: At seventeen, I knew I wanted to write category romance, but it wasn't until after the birth of my second child that I made the time. My first contest/conference/editor pitch/rejection was 14 years ago. That was the year I found our local RWA chapter.

Q: What got you interested in writing?

A: Reading books that didn't satisfy me. Long, long ago, when I was a young girl, the heroes were all alpha jerks. Honestly. A "hero" would treat the heroine like a doormat then declare his love at the end, as though she should have known all along. I got so frustrated, those books hit the wall. I thought, "I can write a better story." And while I can't claim mine are better, the endings are much more satisfying.

Q: Why did you target the American Romance Line?

A: My stories involve families and normal, everyday people. Marrying the Boss is the only story I've written without kids in it--and the mothers took over the scenes instead. American is the line that most closely fits my voice--heart, home, and family. I love to read them, and now I'm having a wonderful time writing them.

Thanks for interviewing me. I hope it wasn't too boring. I'll be doing some booksigning this month; please check out my website for the list. megankellybooks.com

Megan Kelly

Impressionists

From time to time we writers need to stop working and take time to fill our creative wells. A favorite way for me to do this is to spend an afternoon at a museum. Studying the art and artifacts, learning about artists and their mediums is always inspiring and replenishes my creative well in ways I can’t explain.

I’m amazed at the similarities between painting and writing. Each artist paints their own vision in their own unique way. (In writing, we call that uniqueness the writer’s voice.) Time and again, painters from times past broke with convention to create their visions. Despite criticism and sometimes ostracism their works withstood time and are as breathtaking and evocative as they were several hundred years ago. These courageous artists paved the way for other artists to break with tradition, unleashing all kinds of new schools and techniques. There are many examples of writers also breaking with tradition.

Whether I spend an hour or four in a museum, I return to my own work alive and refreshed. Not immediately following, as all that amazing mental stimulation leaves me brain dead. But after a good night’s sleep, my creative juices overflow.

Happily for me, here is Seattle our newly refurbished Seattle Art Museum is hosting an impressive art exhibit of Impressionist painters. And I do mean impressive. The colors, the various styles, the techniques. The artists themselves. Amazing stuff. My husband and I have been once and plan to go back several times.

For now, my well is lovely and full.
Readers and writers alike- how do you refill your creative wells?


Until next time and wishing you a well filled with creativity and joy,
Ann Roth
www.annroth.net

The Red, White, and Blue Game

First of all, I'd like to thank all our readers for their responses to my Father's Day blog (posted on June 17). I'm glad my memory of my dad helped trigger so many pictures from your past, too.

~~~

Here we are at another special day, the Fourth of July, a holiday that I'm sure is setting off many memories of its own--remembrances of cookouts with hotdogs and hamburgers; parades and fireworks; and flags flying high and snapping in the breeze, proudly flaunting their stars and stripes in red, white, and blue.

What comes to mind when you see those three colors?

You think for a minute about your choices; meanwhile, I'll tell you mine.


Red ~ fresh, juicy, ripe strawberries--especially since I'm being more careful about eating well and have discovered how much I love them.

White ~ diamonds! How could I leave them off the list--you know they're a girl's best friend! (grin)

Blue ~ a newborn baby's eyes, so innocent and clear.


Those are three favorite items that come to me when I think about red, white, and blue.

Now, how about you?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Happy Almost-Fourth of July!

Independence Day has a lot of good memories for me. Growing up in Houston, my father would host a big party every Fourth. Lots of his work and other friends would come to our ranch for the day. We’d have barbecue brisket, watermelon, potato salad, and all the usual fixings. My absolute favorite Fourth of July treat was pecan pie. There was something about tasting that first bite of pie at the end of a hot day that was just about perfect.

I think my dad’s last party was in 1998, so those parties are long gone. Since I love having things to look forward to, I usually have a little trip planned. Last year we went to West Virginia and went white water rafting. For a few years before that, we drove to Chicago and stayed downtown. When we lived out west, we used to drive to Lake Powell or Las Vegas.

But this year, we’re staying home. My son, who’s about to be a senior in high school (how did that happen?!) is going on a school trip to Europe on Saturday. So I’ll be packing him up and making fried chicken and apple pie (his Fourth of July favorites!).

Although I've tried my best, not all our Fourths have been fabulous. The worst was about six years ago. We were in Chicago with my sister-in-law and her family. A restaurant served my daughter their ‘special’ chocolate ice cream. Their ‘secret’ ingredient was peanut butter-which she is very allergic to! After two bites, her tongue started swelling up, and I was hailing a cab to the hospital. I watched the fireworks over Lake Michigan from a window next to my daughter’s bed in our hotel room.

One of our best holidays was two years ago. We met another family in Colorado and watched fireworks from the banks of Grand Lake outside Winter Park. It was a little chilly out, which felt great after a hot day hiking in the mountains. We sipped hot chocolate, piled on the blankets, and oohed and aahed over a batch of fireworks that looked so close we were sure we could reach out and touch them, if we really tried.

So,what makes the fourth special for y’all? Staying home, going to your parents’ place? Taking a vacation? Brisket, fried chicken, hot dogs?

No matter how you celebrate things, I hope everyone has a wonderful day, and happy Fourth of July!

Shelley

June winner!

This month's winner is Ivette!!!!!! Congratulations!!! To get your free, autographed books, please contact Kara Lennox and Victoria Chancellor through their websites.

Tell all your friends to visit us. To win, simply comment and your name is entered in our drawing.

Exciting Change

We are thrilled to announce that starting next month we will go indepth with two author interviews per month.

We will start in July with Megan Kelly, whose second book debuts. July will also feature the wonderful Laura Marie Altom. Look for Ann Roth and Lisa Childs in August.

Have a wonderful end of June (summer is going way too fast).

Michele

Author Road Trip

Romance authors know how to do a road trip better than anybody. Two of my critique partners and I recently proved that. Last Thursday we all desperately needed to get out of town. So we set a destination for historic Waxahachie, intent on doing a bit of antiquing and sharing lunch, perhaps at a tea room.

My partners in crime were Victoria Chancellor (fellow American author who also blogs here) and Silhouette author Rebecca Russell. And here are the reasons we are day trippers extraordinaire:

1. The schedule. We plan to leave at ten, but if we meet up at ten-thirty and spend twenty minutes trying to find some place to leave my car where it won't get stripped down to the chassis, that's okay. No one in this group worried about the time. The only thing we cared about was that we were getting the heck outta Dodge.

2. The car. We didn't just have an SUV, we had an Escalade. (I don't want to think about what the gas cost!) The Escalade had On-Star, which is GREAT for when you get lost. Which brings me to:

3. The route. We had all been to Waxahachie before. It's only about 35 miles south of Dallas. We didn't need no stinkin' map. We all knew to exit at the billboard. However, due to construction, the billboard was gone and we overshot our exit by, oh, another thirty miles. (Yes, we were talking.) In fact, we ended up in Hillsboro, another historic town with a cool courthouse. Did we care? Heck no.

4. The food. We found ourselves a funky diner on the town square (not exactly a tea room). We did not count carbs or fat grams. We used real sugar in our tea. (Strangely, they didn't offer "sweet tea," usually a staple in small southern towns.)

5. The shopping. We spent the next hour or so combing through an un-air-conditioned antique mall, ferreting out things we remembered from childhood and even bringing a few home with us.

6. The food again. Shopping burns a lot of calories, so we found ourselves a Starbucks on the highway and indulged in mochachinos.

7. The shopping again. If we'd gone straight home, we'd have hit I-35 in rush hour. No one does that on purpose. So we doubled back and hit Waxahachie after all. We took the requisite pictures in front of the courthouse (that's Victoria, left, and me. Rebecca took the picture.) We found an awesome scrapbooking store--all of us are crazy about paper. Must be a writing thing. Then more antiques.

Finally, exhausted, we headed home with our flea-market treasures and more bits of small-town trivia to add to our research arsenals. Don't be surprised if you see bits and pieces of this trip showing up in our future books!