Nap Time!!!

Whew!!! Nothing spells exhaustion better than R-W-A!!! For anyone out there who doesn't know, RWA stands for Romance Writers of America, and every year they hold a super fab party--um, I mean conference--for two thousand or so members. This year's was held in Dallas, so me and my BFF, Margaret Daley (who writes for Harlequin's Steeple Hill line), drove over and roomed together.

I was supposed to spend the week working on a project that's due August 1st, but then my other BFF Winnie Griggs showed up, and then Joanne Rock, and Lenora Worth and Connie and Donna and Eve and Pat and Denise and another cool Pat and Jan Hudson and Michelle and Cathy and Kara Lennox and Ann Roth--I could go for days!!! Bottom line, I didn't get nearly as much writing done as planned, but I had a SUPER time!!!!

Highlights of my trip were getting to chat with Shelley Galloway--a Har. Am. author I'd talked with online, but hadn't really gotten to know. Turns out we have tons in common. Alas, she lives in Ohio, so nice, long ladies luncheons are out!!

Also big fun was our swanky lunch with line editors Kathleen Scheibling and Johanna Raisanen. I had tenderloin brochettes and seafood bisque!! For dessert, Cathy Gillen Thacker and I split a peanut butter pie that was roll-your-eyes-back-in-your-head yummy!!!

Harlequin hosted a massive booksigning, and lots of free books were given away, then signed by the authors. My boys weren't too happy about having to haul in my heavy bags, but I'm excited about getting all those great reads!!!

Best of all was Friday night's Harlequin Party held at the Fairmount Hotel!!!! We danced barefoot and drank cosmos and gobbled strawberries dipped in the chocolate fountain till midnight!!! We arrived at the party in a stretch Hummer Limo, then left in a regular limo with a ceiling that sparkled like stars!!! LOTS of pics were taken, but not with my cam, because my BAD kids forgot to put the memory card back in my digital camera. I did have lots of other folks take pics for me, though, so I'll be sure to post those either here, or on my regular blog and/or web site.

Anyway, sorry to be late with my post, but I just got in, and now I'm going to bed for a week!!! ;-)

P.S. Until I get conference pics, here's a pic of our recent family trip to Colorado. Son #2, Daughter and I are somewhere on the raft. Our hunky guide Byron is in red. Hubby and Son #1 went on the scarier ride!!! This one was plenty nerve-racking for me!! :-)

P.S.S. Congrats to all of our Summer Lovin' contest winners!!! I haven't been home in a while, but now that I'm back, I'll get any prizes I owe folks right out!!

My very first sale

Right now I'm at the RWA national convention in Dallas, so Holly Jacobs is being a wonderful friend and posting this for me. Since I made my first sale because of RWA, I thought it would make a good blog while I'm away. So here goes!

I sold my first book as part of an editor appointment at the 1999 RWA national convention in Chicago. It’s rather funny. I have never owned a watch, so I showed up early like they say you are supposed to, checked in, and when some rather harried and stressed out volunteer told me to get in line and go in, I did. I was so nervous that I asked the editor if I could read her my pitch. Before I began, she said, "What line?" in this rather tired tone. See, she'd been moved to the line that spring and had tons of people trying to pitch her stuff for her old line. I can imagine her frustration.

So I said, "Harlequin American" to which she perked up and said, "Really?" and I said, "Yep," and named two top Harlequin/Silhouette authors who had helped me know she was the right editor to whom to pitch. The statements were true, although both authors had simply been kind enough to email me the information since I was a fan who loved their books. (We've since become friends.)

But before I could read my pitch, that harried volunteer was back. Seemed she'd put me in early, so I was in someone else's time slot! When they realized I was next, RWA just switched us since I'd already started. So I read my pitch, the editor requested it, and then we had about five minutes of chat time. So she asked me what Harlequin American books I'd read in the line lately (uh, none--they'd all been about two years old), so I named the Judy Christenberry book I'd picked up in the goodie room the day before (and which I promptly read that night). Then we talked about the line's upcoming direction--a much safer of a topic.

I got home from conference, mailed the book within the week, and in the middle of September (yep, that’s all it took), I got the call--and wasn't home. There was a 212 area code on my caller ID on a Friday afternoon. I had a local chapter meeting and everyone told me I'd sold, but I refused to believe it until I'd heard it directly.

So I got the call Monday at work, and went screaming out into the office--the school nurse where I taught thought someone was dying. The funny part is, during that call, the editor she said, “I met so many people that day, can you remind me who you were?” So I replied, “The one in the wrong time slot” to which she replied, “I remember you!”

But I sold my second manuscript right before convention 2000 and A Little Office Romance came out in October 2000, so I guess my mishaps turned out okay. I've sold a total of seventeen Harlequin American Romances, hit the Waldenbooks Series Best Selling list a few times, won Cataromance Best HAR of 2005 and been nominated for an RT award. The best part though, is I've done all this in eight years and you, the reader, have been with me all the way. So thank you. Dreams can come true if you're willing to follow them, no matter what mishaps occur along the way.

(PS--I never did tell anyone but my roommates about the tray of dirty breakfast dishes that my purse caught getting off the escalator following the appointment--and upended--after leaving that appointment. I don't claim to know anything about those and still don't.)

Michele Dunaway

Hart's Victory, Harlequin Stories Set in the World of NASCAR, 12/07

The Christmas Date, Harlequin American Romance, 12/07

The Marriage Recipe, Harlequin American Romance, 4/08

I'm off to the conference

As you read this, I'll be on my way to the Hyatt downtown for the RWA conference. (Or I'm already there!)

This is the highlight of my year, and lots of my fellow romance writers agree with me. We prepare for weeks and months: The clothes, the hair, the fingernails. We make the travel arrangements and check them ten times. We coordinate with our friends. We make plans for meals, shopping and touristy stuff. We practice pitching our books, in case we get stuck in an elevator with an editor.

I love immersing myself for days in this "other" world where I am Kara Lennox, author. I love sitting in the bar 'til all hours laughing myself sick with old friends and new. I love wearing my "dress-up clothes."

After running on adrenaline for four days, I'll crash when it's all over, barely able to stumble to the fridge and back to bed. I'll ask myself why I do it. Why do I spend all that money and time? But then I'll arise like a phoenix from the ashes, overcome by this incredible urge to write, write, write. THAT's why I do it!

Monthly Contest

Because of the success of the Summer Lovin' contest, the Harlequin American authors have decided to hold a monthly contest. The entry is simple--just read the blogs and post.

Here are the complete details:

Be sure to post your comments! Each month those readers who have posted comments will have their names entered into a drawing to receive autographed books. Details of who won and what you won will appear in actual blog posts. So check back often and be sure to leave a comment. Good luck!

(Please note, the blog administrators reserve the right to remove any inappropriate or bogus comments from both the blog and the contest.)

So that's it. Each month we will give away at least one book, if not more. The contest opens on the first day of the month and ends on the last. Winners will be posted after that and will need to email the authors (we promise you'll know who they are by then) who are giving away that month.

While this may sound a tad confusing (who am I, a writer? Sheesh) I promise it will all be easy and painless. Those of you already having posted--you're entered.

Good Luck!

Movies and Packing

Like Victoria I’m getting ready to attend the national Romance Writer’s conference in Dallas. The rain has finally stopped and the sun is out and shining brightly. We haven’t seen much of it lately and for once I’m glad to see it.

I’ll be signing Once A Cowboy at the Literacy Signing so if you’re in Dallas stop by and visit with all the American authors at the Hyatt Regency. We’d love to see you.

I’ve been packing for two days trying to figure out what to wear. (I hate that part) There’s a lot of parties, luncheons, meetings, workshops and just visiting with old friends and making new ones. It’s a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to it. On Sunday the fun ends and it will be time to go home and back to writing. Being around so much creativity recharges my batteries and I’ll be eager to see my computer and start weaving stories again.

As I was packing I got sidetracked with a movie on television—Jeremiah Johnson. I saw about the last forty-five minutes. I’d forgotten how incredibly handsome Robert Redford was in his younger days. He’s not bad now but, wow, I found myself staring at the screen a lot. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an old western set in the Colorado Mountains in the 1800s. I missed the first part and I don’t know how he ended up in the mountains by himself. I don’t even know if it was an actually movie or a movie made for television. I’d look it up, but I have to finish packing. Grrr!

Has anyone seen this movie? How did Jeremiah end up all alone? I enjoyed watching something a little different than what’s usually on TV. And Robert Redford was enough to keep me spellbound. I guess I like the strong, silent, gorgeous type. (sigh) Now back to the dreaded suitcase. I don’t think I can close it. Everyone, have a great week.
Linda Warren

Hello from Sunny Texas

Greetings from Texas, where the rain has stopped (for now) and we're looking forward to the Romance Writers of America conference here next week. If you are in the Dallas area, I hope you will come to the Literary Booksigning on Wednesday evening, beginning at 5:30 pm at the Hyatt Hotel. You can get more information on the RWA website - www.rwanational.org.

I hope to sign my July release, TEMPORARILY TEXAN, at the autographing if the books arrive. Publishers donate the books and all the proceeds go to literacy efforts.

TEMPORARILY TEXAN is the first book in my new "Brody's Crossing" series for HAR. Brody's Crossing is a fictional town in a real part of Texas, near the Young County seat of Graham. This is an interesting region where cattle ranches, oil and mineral reserves, and gravel pits exist with rolling hills, rocky mesas, and rampant wildflowers. My friend and fellow writer, Rebecca Russell, and I went to Graham, TX for a research trip last winter. The area hadn't changed much from the first time I visited with my late mother-in-law years ago to attend the wedding of a cattle rancher's daughter. I hope to have some of the photos uploaded on my website, but probably not until after the RWA conference!

Our July Harlequin American Romances will be out starting Tuesday, so please take a look. One thing about my book cover, though; the heroine's "real" haircolor is black. (Hint: Her name is RAVEN!) On the cover, she has light brown hair. I have no idea why the art department does this sometimes, but the setting is really nice inside Dewey's, a regular meeting place in Brody's Crossing, Texas. Come visit me there!

Victoria

Mistake made... and comments, anyone?

Unfortunately, Marin posted an incorrect email address for me. My contact info is ann@annroth.net. So Abamabecky, if you've emailed already and have gotten no reply, this is why. Please email again!

Here is a question for today. What are you reading this week? I was gone last week and picked up Sandcastles by Luanne Rice. So far it's excellent!

Bye,
Ann Roth
www.annroth.net
Summer' Lovin (A Reunion Story), June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August 2007

I'm gone but not my post!

As you read this, I am in Ahsland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare festival. This is our fifth time there. The festival opens in February and closes in November, but we always go in the summer. Ashland is a great town that boasts nature walks, a small university, and the best theater I've ever seen. (the acting! The sets!) There are three theaters and the festival offers plays by Shakespeare and other great playwrights, both modern and old. You can take a backstage tour and learn about what goes on behind the scenes. And it's only 12 miles from Medford, home of Harry and David and Jackson & Perkins roses. Touring the gardens where they develop new rose varieties is a real treat..

We love to drive down the Oregon coast and spend the Fourth of July in Ashland because the town puts on the best little parade ever. All the kids participate, and it's just plain fun. At night we skip the fireworks to see a play at the Elizabethan theater, which is a theater with no ceiling and looks out on the starry sky. Talk about fabulous. This year, Romeo and Juliet. How romantic.

I've left my laptop behind and won't be responding to any comments. But I'll look forward to reading them when I get home. (For a mere three days before I leave for RWA in Dallas!)
Congratulations to the June winners of books by Laura Altom, Marin Thomas and me! I don't even know who you are yet (I left town July 1, before the winners were chosen) and am excited to find out!

Ann Roth

Summer Lovin' Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net

My New View

Not long ago my son and I switched rooms. His bedroom is now in the basement, and my office is upstairs, overlooking the backyard. I didn’t particularly want to switch rooms, but it meant a lot to him…and well, you know how it goes.

So now, instead of looking at four walls and seeing light pour into a little window, all while listening to the washer and dryer, my desk now faces the backyard. And because sometimes the words don’t come as easy as I would like while I write, I’ve recently begun to take notice of a lot of things outside.

We have two new things in our backyard this summer. The first is a bird feeder. It's hanging on a black iron holder right next to a maple tree that has recently grown by leaps and bounds. Birds have discovered it, and I’m constantly filling the thing. And constantly watching for my new favorite pair of birds…a male and female cardinal. Now, Kara Lennox is a bird watcher extraordinaire! I’m just a cardinal watcher, I’m afraid. But I do get a kick out of seeing them together. I’ve never really been a fan of birds, but this pair is making me wonder if maybe I’ve been missing out on something and didn’t even know it.

The other new thing in our backyard is a garden my husband and son planted. There’s all kinds of things growing in it~ tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers. But the star of the show is my son’s pumpkin plant. Oops, excuse me, GIANT PUMPKIN plant. When they put the little plant in the ground, it was kind of cute. It fit in the little area, and we all envisioned a pumpkin or two for Halloween. Boy, were we wrong! I am pretty sure it grows at least a foot a day. It’s grown outside the wooden ties that border the garden, and just keeps growing…and going!

Frankly, my daughter and I find it a little scary. Its leaves are bigger than Phoebe-the-beagle’s head. We have to check it often to make sure it doesn’t go through the fence and into our neighbor’s yard. And so far, we’ve counted eight blooms. Eight! The thing’s enormous. People who know plants and gardens more than we do (which is pretty much everyone!) say we were idiots~I guess pumpkin vines need a place of their own. Right now, I’d guess that it’s trying to take over our whole backyard. I’ll let you know if it wins.

Oh, on another note…for those of you who might remember my Day of Extreme in Costa Rica…our family leaves for West Virginia tomorrow, with the highlight on Thursday being Class V rapids on the New River. However, I will not be white water rafting. Nope, I have a pedicure scheduled at a nearby spa.

I can’t tell you who’s more excited. : )

Shelley

And the Winners Are.....

Now that I have your attention….Before I announce the Summer Lovin' contest winners I'd like to invite you all to stop by www.eharlequin.com and check out my daily serial, True Confessions.

What happens when a confirmed bachelor falls for a girl he knows is the marrying kind? Turn to his parish priest to confess his sinful thoughts, of course!

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned!

I, Patrick Felch, confirmed bachelor, have been having impure thoughts about my hot new neighbor, Dolly Mathews. She’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, and has a body that…Well, anyway Father, I can tell she’s not the type to be interested in just a fling, but how do I keep myself from asking her out and trying to get her into bed? After all, there’s no way I’m looking for a serious commitment, not this guy, no way!

A new chapter is posted M-F until July 20th. Hope you'll stop!

Okay, back to business….I want to thank each and every poster for the month of June! Our Summer Lovin' Contest was a huge success. I hope all of you will continue to stop by our blog and share your thoughts and comments.

Brethe is the winner of Laura Marie Altom's US Marshals series, Saving Joe, Marrying the Marshal, His Baby Bonus and To Catch a Husband.

Abamabecky is the winner of Ann Roth's The Man She'll Marry and It Happened One Wedding, the first two books in her To Wed ... Or Not To Wed miniseries.

Kathleen is the winner of Marin Thomas's McKade Brothers series, Aaron Under Construction, Nelson in Command and Ryan's Renovation.

Each winner will need to contact their author with their full name and address.

lauramarie@lauramariealtom.com

annroth@comcast.net

marin@marinthomas.com


Congratulations ad thanks for participating in our Summer Lovin contes!!

Marin Thomas
www.marinthomas.com
Ryan's Renovation (Aug 07)
For The Children (Oct 07)

Summer reading -- just for fun!

Every year, newspapers and magazines run lists of recommended beach or poolside reading. I hope you’re all buying the releases from Harlequin American, but I thought I’d offer a few additional recommendations.

My all-time favorite is Pride and Prejudice. And I recently ran across the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, a charming coming-of-age story by Mark Haddon, written from the point of view of an autistic boy.

But mostly, I’m recommending books written by friends, because I love their work. You can find these at your favorite bookstore or on-line at www.amazon.com.

In the field of romantic suspense, Kat Martin’s The Summit is a fast-moving read about a woman whose dreams lead her to a rescue mission. Dead Shot by Annie Solomon tells the gripping story of an art photographer, her bodyguard and a dangerously obsessed fan. Don’t overlook Suzanne Forster’s The Arrangement and Diane Pershing’s One Cool Lawman (from Silhouette Romantic Suspense).

For an exciting foray into the vampire genre, try One With the Night by Susan Squires. A lighter venture into the paranormal comes from Maureen Child. Her More Than Fiends features a maid service owner who discovers that her centuries-old cleaning solution has hidden powers.

Looking for historical romance? Don’t miss A Lady of Scandal by one of my favorite Regency authors, Nicole Byrd. In the Western genre, you’ll enjoy Karen Kay’s Red Hawk’s Woman.

For a private-eye story with a humorous touch, check out The Sex on the Beach Book Club by Jennifer Apodaca and Meow Is for Murder by Linda O. Johnston.

As you can see, I’m blessed with wonderfully talented friends. Once you’ve read their books, I hope you’ll consider them your friends, too.

Fact & Fiction 3

Okay, here is the final installment in Fact and Fiction. It’s been fun sharing what’s been based in reality. The fun thing about writing is that yes, I really do write all of those 65,000 plus words you are reading, so a lot of thought and care goes into every one.

My next two books are both out simultaneously in December 2007. Hart’s Victory is a Harlequin Special Release—Stories set in the world of NASCAR. My daughter and I decided to go to Nashville for the first ever Sound and Speed in 2006. It wasn’t organized very well, and we, being silly novices, didn’t realize that Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans are rabid and they started lining up at 6 AM for the 9 AM autograph bracelets you needed to get in. While I adore Dale Jr., I won’t stand three hours in subzero temperatures to get his autograph. (We met Jeff Green.) Still, we made the best of the event, toured the Country Music Hall of Fame where an employee took a shine on my daughter and gave her a personal tour, and trotted back over for the last Q & A of the day, which featured Jo Dee Messina, Dale Jr., Montgomery Gentry, Keith Anderson and some others. My daughter got to ask a question of Dale Jr. While the question she asked is not exactly the same one that Charlie, my heroine’s son, asks in the book, she did, however, manage to stump Dale, and all of the sudden the wheels started clicking and on the drive home from Nashville, the entire story came together in my head. I wrote a proposal in two weeks, and sent it to my agent and it became my 15th sale.

The Christmas Date is a Harlequin American and it was actually inspired by a high school student I met at a scholastic journalism convention once. Nick Koenig graduated from Parkway Central High School in St. Louis and went to the University of Texas—Austin. He was determined to be a professional photojournalist at all cost. I wrote the book long ago, but when it finally sold just last year I rewrote the whole thing. While I’ve never seen Nick again, or even remember what he looks like, I’ve heard through a mutual friend he did all he set out to do, including climbing Mount Everest. Ten years later he’s no longer working as a globetrotting photographer (I guess after Everest, what’s left?), but ever since hearing his determination his senior year, he’d always had me wondering, what type of woman would that type of guy settle with? So you’ll find out when you meet Tyler Nichols in The Christmas Date, out next December. PS—I needed a southern city with a law school with night classes. Orlando fit the bill and I’d been to its airport. I have to admit, this is one of those books of the heart, and has a few funny moments in it, too.

Last, I’m scheduled to have a Harlequin American out in April 2008. Titled The Marriage Recipe, Rachel is a professional chef who graduated from the CIA. I have made the coconut cake she makes in the book, including scraping the coconut out of the shell myself. As for the plane Colin co-owns, that’s the very one I went flying in last February. For this book, I went back to Morrisville, Indiana, which I’ve since learned from a reader is a real town. However, the Morrisville I made up is just east of Batesville, the place where all the hospital beds and caskets are made, and where my cousin lives. So everything in Morrisville is very made up, but I was excited to go back there fictionally since I love the town so much.

Okay, that’s the end. I hope you’ve enjoyed some of these little tidbits.
And PS—don’t forget that today is your last day to comment to be entered in the contest. You don’t necessarily have to answer me this post. You can feel free to answer such things as, how have you liked the blog this month? What else would you like to see? Etc.

Also, because my next post isn’t until the 12th, Happy 4th of July.

Michele

I love it, I love it not

Every book I write goes through several predictable stages. When I first come up with the idea, I love it. It's the best idea I've ever had, and it will be the best book I've ever written. I love it until I finish a proposal and send it off to my editor, at which point everything changes. The moment the package is transferred from my hands to the postal worker's (or I hit the "send" button) I am sure I've made a terrible mistake. The book is the worst idea I've ever had, and it's going to end my career.

Then, a few weeks or months later, I get a call. The editor loves it and she's buying it. Yay! The book is wonderful again. I am so clever. But then I have to write the thing. Suddenly I'm seething with doubts. Why did I think this was a good idea? I can't write this book. I'll have to send the advance money back.

Yet somehow I do finish it. I've never not finished a book that was under contract. I lovingly polish the manuscript, falling in love with the idea all over again, and send it off. And immediately I am sure the book will not be accepted and I'll have to start from scratch. My career is once again over.

Happily, the editor usually likes it, and I feel like a genius again--until I receive the edited manuscript and I see in black and white all the mistakes I made, all the changes the editor wants me to make, and I feel dumb again. But somehow it gets done, though I'm positive readers will hate it and never pick up one of my books again. As if I'll ever sell another one.

I don't love the book agaiin until I receive the final page proofs. It's only when I read it again from start to finish, as if I were a reader, that I can see the story as a whole with fresh eyes, and fall in love all over again.

Of course, I continue to feel insecure about it. That's just how most writers are. Once the book is released I have to deal with reviews, comments from readers, and worries about whether it's selling well. It's a continual up and down. One day I'm brilliant, the next day I'm the village idiot.

Fortunately today I'm a genius. I just read through the page proofs for GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL, my January 2008 book, and I love it again. For this week, anyway!

Gone Fishin'

Why is it that vacations sound so relaxing...until you actually have to go on one?

Even if my husband and I were going to spend the next week and a half lazing near the water (him fishing, me reading), there's still all the last minute stuff involving the house sitter, cat care, making sure we don't let any bills fall through the cracks and come home to no electricity or water, and I of course had to finish a book (Fed-Exed it today...yay!!!!)

So we have all that done. Is it time to relax? No. No, it's time to get in the van with our four year old and five year old for a drive through four states and down--way, way down--the Texas coast. At which point, tired and cranky, we will pile into a beach house with lots of in-laws and a single restroom.

So, someone remind me, as I stand in the middle of my room trying to get packed, why did I think this sounded restful when I agreed to it? Clearly, I had us confused with some other family's vacation plans!

Spandex

Hi guys,
I've been toying with the idea of naming my latest WIP Tough Guys Wear Spandex. The hero of the book is a pro football player with great buns, so that seems appropriate. In general I think spandex is a yucky fashion statement, but think of some of the folks (primarily of the male persuasion) who look darned good-football players, Lance Armstrong and crew, baseball players, Olympic swimmers, etc. And that brings me to the subject of people who should, and people who shouldn't (even under the threat of torture) wear that particular fabric.
I love to play tennis, and I avidly watch all the Grand Slam tournaments. There's a famous American player who really belongs in the "shouldn't" category. Unfortunately, she either doesn't know it, or is in denial. Yikes!

So, the moral of this story is if you don't look like Cameron Diaz, stick with natural fabrics-preferably cotton!

Ann DeFee

Georgia On His Mind - Harlequin American Romance - August 2007
Summer After Summer - Harlequin Everlasting Love - September 2007
The Perfect Tree - Harlequin American Romance Christmas Anthology - Nov. 2007

In the grand scheme of things

We’ve been remodeling around here and the dust and chaos are wreaking havoc with my preferred writing schedule. I have managed to write though. As an early riser, mornings are my most productive time. Now I write whenever I can, often in the afternoon and evening. It’s good to know I can work then, but I’m looking forward to returning my usual routine.

The company we hired said the job would take ten days. But remodels and repairs never go as planned, and we’re now into day sixteen.

As a glass-half-full woman, I’m working hard to make the best of the situation. Noise and dust? What are those in the grand scheme of things? When the work is over the improvements to our home will be worth the upheaval.

This is my last post before the end of the contest. Lots of luck to everyone!


Good news: At last I have a title for my second Halo Island book, out in March, 2008—The Pilot’s Woman. Whoever suggested that one, thanks!


Ann Roth
Summer Lovin’ Anthology: A Reunion Story, June 2007
Mitch Takes A Wife, August, 2007
www.annroth.net

Comfort Food

Whether comfort food is a guilty pleasure or a delectable treat that soothes the soul, I’m guessing we all have at least one. I have several!

American Romance editor Johanna Raisanen (remember her guest blog on April 13?) and I recently had a conversation about comfort food. She told me about her mother’s Christmas gingerbread cookies (my mouth is watering already) and her pulla—a Finnish sweet bread flavored with cardamom—and how delicious it was, especially “slathered with butter, right out of the oven.”

My grandmother used to make that bread as well! I don’t remember her using the Finnish name for it, but I do remember it warm from the oven. Oh, my.

That conversation with Johanna got me thinking about comfort food, and I realized that mine are all associated with my Finnish grandmother, who passed away in 1982 but lives forever in my heart. She was an amazing cook, and everyone in my family still raves about her breads and pastries.

She also made rice pies called piirakka, and although I haven’t had them in years, they are still one of my comfort foods. Piirakka are oval-shaped pies made from unleavened rye dough and filled with rice that has been cooked in milk, so its nice and creamy. I wish I knew how to make them, but my grandmother never used a cookbook and none of her recipes were ever written down.

My two other comfort foods are peanut butter cookies and butter tarts. Not specifically Finnish, but my grandmother made them all the time. She rolled peanut butter cookie dough into little balls and flattened them with the tines of a fork, so the tops had a crisscross pattern. To this day, a peanut butter cookie just doesn’t seem right if it hasn’t been flattened with a fork.

As for those butter tarts, what can I say? Still slightly warm from the oven, sweet and gooey with melt-in-your-mouth pastry . . . I can taste one now!

Wikipedia describes comfort food as “any food or drink to which one habitually turns for temporary respite, security, or special reward.” Accurate, but kind of cold sounding, don’t you think?

My comfort foods literally transport me back in time. My grandmother baked every day, and her kitchen was always filled with sweet, wonderful scents, not to mention a ton of love and laughter. A butter tart will take me there, every time.

What are your comfort foods? Do you associate them with someone or someplace special? I'd love to hear about them!

Lee
www.leemckenzie.com

PS: For more about my grandmother, please check out my SuperHeroine article at WetNoodlePosse.com.

Top Ten Favorite Movies

The other night my daughter and I watched the TV special, AFI's Top 100 Movies of All Time. It was fun guessing the movies on the list. I did pretty good, impressing my daughter. I agreed with some of those selected and not with others. When my daughter asked me what my favorite movies of all time were, I made my own top ten list. After I finished, I realized my list said a lot about me as a person (and not just that I grew up watching old movies on TV).

1. Spencer's Mountain
2. Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1964 version)
3. Beauty and the Beast (Disney animated version)
4. Star Wars (the original)
5. Planet of the Apes (the original)
6. Little Mermaid (Disney animated version)
7. Dirty Dancing
8. The Quiet Man
9. Black Beauty (1994 version)
10. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) version

All right. So, what does this list say about me? Certainly that I love movies — and books for that matter — with a happy ending or, at least, a hopeful ending. The AFI's number one movie was Citizen Kane, and I certainly didn't think that movie had a happy ending. Every movie on my list is either a romance or has a strong romantic element. Yes, even Black Beauty has his horse girlfriend (grin). The movies I like best aren't necessarily deep or thought provoking but rather they're entertaining, which is how I like my books, too. This isn't to say I'm not a deep person, rather that movies are an escape for me.

How did I choose these movies? Well, despite having seen them again and again (the top two 25 or more times), I'd sit down and watch them today if you asked me. Also, they each evoke a strong emotional response in me, either making me cry or giving me chills.

Now I'm curious. What are some of your all time favorite movies and why?

UDDERS AND PUTTERS

Something happened yesterday that my husband and I are still reeling from. Our son went to Udders and Putters without us.
Udders and Putters is a miniature golf course in southern Ohio in the middle of a dairy farm. Years ago, while on one of our summer car trips, we stopped and fell in love. Udders and Putters has two little putt-putt courses, a corn maze in the fall, lots of fake cows, a gift shop, and the best thing of all…a HUGE ice cream parlor with fresh-from-the dairy ice cream. Yeah. Miniature golf and ice cream and fake cows. You don’t need much else to make me happy.
Well, it’s been a family tradition ever since then to go at least once a year. We drive the ninety minutes together, always saying that it takes longer than we remembered. We play cutthroat putt-putt. (I’m the designated cheater) We tease my daughter about her fear of corn as we tromp through the maze and inevitably get hopelessly lost. Finally we celebrate another trip well done with bowls of ice cream.
To say I was in a bit of shock when my son called me from his friend’s car to say that he was going to Udders and Putter’s on his own (WITHOUT US!) is an understatement.
Part of me was really glad that such a place meant enough for him to take a friend. Another part was worried he would suddenly see the place through another teen’s eyes and discover that maybe it wasn’t quite as neat as the memories made them out to be.
Most of me was just plain jealous. My schedule yesterday involved swim team practice, volunteering at church, running to the grocery store and post office and finally writing seven pages. All were good things but…no dairy farm at all.
He got home about an hour before dinner with a full report. He told us all about Udder and Putter updates. He said he had a good time. No, he didn’t say anything sappy like “It would have been better with you, Mom.” But he didn’t say he wouldn’t go with us in August, either.
So maybe this is the first ‘turning point.’. Perhaps it’s one of our crazy, evolved traditions that he’ll carry on…Or maybe it will just be one of those things he’ll always remember about growing up in Ohio.
Please tell me that we’re not the only family who has a favorite quirky summer activity. Anyone else want to share?
Shelley

Fact & Fiction 2

Since the first post was so much fun, here’s another installment in Fact & Fiction. (For those of you who missed the first post, it was dated June 12.) I find it fun coincidence that I get to follow Ann Roth’s post on where she gets her ideas, for you’ll see that I’ve gotten a lot inspiration from events, and a lot of what happens in my life or the world around me makes it into my books in some form. It’s amazing how a writer can take reality, put a new spin on it, and come up with something totally fun and fictional.

From my book Legally Tender (January 06), the entire opening scene where the firefighters show up at an elementary Brownie troop Halloween party is completely real. Smoke machines set off fire alarms. It happened at my high school, my daughter’s school, and the YMCA during their Fright Fest. While airing out the gym at my daughter’s school, the firefighters showed them the truck. Add some what if, and Christina and Bruce’s story was born. In fact, my best friend was there and she told me, “you’ll use this in a book.” To which I said, “uh huh.” (PS—the end scene, where a beam comes down on his arm is also based in reality. That happened in my little town of Labadie when the Hawthorne Inn burned to the ground, a few months before I moved here.)

In Sweeping the Bride Away (2002), I’ve been through most of those home repairs poor Cassidy Clayton goes through. I actually spilt latex paint all over the ceramic tile in my very first house. My mother helped save the day. I also based both of Blade’s trucks on my contractor’s first Ford F150 and the new one he bought. One of my favorite things to do is research what cars my characters are going to drive.

From Emergency Engagement (Feb 05), where the younger daughter eats the cold medicine, the entire ER scene happened to my older daughter when she was about three and a half years old and ate two of my Drixoral pills thinking they were candy. My younger daughter fell and bit entirely through her lower lip once, and she’s the patient mentioned in the other room. However, Quinton and Beth, my heroine and hero are very made up, and although I’ve run across three Quintons in my life, none of them are a sexy ER doctor.

Nine Months’ Notice (April 2007) ended my three-book American Beauties mini-series. I set the story in Kansas City, but Jeff brought Tori Ted Drewes. This is a historic frozen custard stand on Chippewa, which is Old Route 66—the Mother Road. If you are ever in St. Louis, you have to go there. While other custard stands are just as delicious, you have to go to Ted Drewes and experience the original for yourself. Also, if you’re ever in St. Louis, the A.G. Edwards headquarters building is the place I set Jacobsen Enterprises (and Jacobsen is maiden name of one of my best friends) which is found in Catching the Corporate Playboy, About Last Night…, Capturing the Cop, and The Playboy’s Protégée. The park I took Darci and Cameron too really does exist, only further south than I set it. (I like to move things around.) By the way, Henrietta’s Restaurant pays homage to Tony’s, the fine dining establishment that is a landmark in St. Louis, and a place in which I have yet to eat. Maybe someday.

On June 30th, I’ll talk about my upcoming works and give you some teasers . (I am at 99.9 percent finished writing my April 2008 book—hooray!)

Michele