Mr. Tough Guy

Sometimes, as parents, we wonder if we’ve done our job well enough – or too well.

As an empty nester, I suppose I should stop thinking about parenthood. However, I write a lot about parents: would-be parents, adoptive parents, unexpectedly pregnant parents, surrogate parents (as in my upcoming August release, His Hired Baby), and so on. So the topic feels very immediate.

Right now, I’m working on the fourth book in my Safe Harbor Medical miniseries from Harlequin American, tentatively titled Officer Daddy. This one incorporates a surprise pregnancy, so the whole parenting issue remains in the future, but it’s definitely on my heroine’s mind. Plus, she and the hero – who’s still in the dark about his impending fatherhood – volunteer to counsel teen parents.

Also, being an empty nester may mean the kids are out of my sight, but they’re hardly out of my mind, especially when the one in college. There are, for instance, those urgent NM phone calls and emails. NM, as you probably figured out, stands for Need Money.

Lately, we’ve received numerous nerve-wracking NM calls for $100 hospital emergency room copays. It seems our younger son’s shoulder, dislocated in too many tumbles off the skateboard, developed a will of its own. It’s been popping out even when the guy’s only lying in bed, perhaps dreaming about skateboarding.

Next week, my 20-year-old baby of the family is scheduled for outpatient shoulder surgery. And – here’s the did-we-do-something-wrong-or-right part – he doesn’t want his parents to come. Neither of us.

This tough guy is certain his friends and roommate can help him get home and that he can handle everything else by himself. That includes, two days later, getting on a plane and flying here for spring break.

I’m glad he’s independent. I respect his self-sufficiency and the fact that he’s charting a responsible course toward the future, doing well in his classes and planning to become a high school science teacher. I remind myself that not wanting us there doesn’t mean we’re lousy parents, only that we can be annoyingly fussy sometimes.

In fact, if he hadn’t received the love and emotional support he needed as a child, he’d probably be clinging to us a lot harder. Hmm. Makes me wonder if I should have hugged him less.

But that wasn’t really a choice, now, was it?

A REMINDER - REBECCA LYNN

Rebecca Lynn, as our January winner we have free autographed books waiting for you. Please contact Laura Bradford and Roxann Delaney through their Web sites.

Thank you.

Wow!

I just got news that I have to share: An Unexpected Father, my April release, was chosen as one of Romantic Times Book Reviews ‘Top Picks’. They gave it four and a half stars, too! I am stunned and honored.

For me, writing a book and sending it out for publication feels a little like sending my children off to school. How are they going to do? Will the other kids like them? Will they behave? Will anyone understand the effort I put in to raising them right? I know that you have to just send it off and hope for the best, but it’s difficult mothering such an unruly child. When a review and kudos like this come along, they bring grateful tears to my eyes.

When I was a teenager, my dad came home one night from work and hugged me. Just out of the blue. Now, my dad’s not really a demonstrative guy. I’d never had any doubt that he loved me, but hugs were for special occasions: birthdays, injuries, good report cards. If you’d been away on a trip—not just a weekend sleepover—yeah, a hug was due. He was glad to see me and I was glad to see him. But his return home from just another day at the office was not a ‘huggable’ event. A kiss from my mom was enough of a greeting for him.

On this particular evening, as far as I knew, I hadn’t done anything spectacular. I was a teenager; no one expected spectacular from me. Getting through those teen years was sometimes all anyone hoped for really, me included. Mostly, I think I was a relatively easy kid to raise—especially after my older brother. My parents didn’t pull their hair out too much over my moodiness, I paid attention in school, I was popular enough. You know, normal. So, I had no idea why my dad hugged me. When I asked, I was embarrassed by his answer. In a good way, though.

I had just spent the weekend with a close friend and gone out on a hike with her family. I didn’t know it, but my dad, a forester, was managing a timber sale with my friend’s father. At work that day, this father asked my dad if I was his daughter. After my dad admitted it was so, the guy shook my dad’s hand and congratulated him on having a good kid. He was impressed because I had picked up some trash on our hike and carried it back out of the woods.

This wasn’t a special thing to me; it was the way I had been raised. But it sure was to my dad. He got to find out—from a complete stranger—that all the hard work of being a parent had paid off. I feel that way about my book. The characters I loved writing went out into the world and did something good. It’s a small thing, like picking up a piece of trash, but they made me proud.

Of course, after I read the review, I hugged them, too.

Spring is a tease

Last weekend was a wonderful reprieve from our long, cold winter. It was in the mid 60s, sunny, birds were singing, and I don't think anyone was left in their houses. People around the neighborhood were jogging, walking, working in their yards, filling the bays at the car wash, etc. Finally, here was that hint of spring we'd all been waiting for. Sunday, it was 65. Monday, 45. By mid-week, we were struggling to get above freezing, snow showers filled the air, and the nights were dipping into the teens. Ugh.

Anyone who knows me knows that winter is, by far, my least favorite season. I get cold easily, I hate gray days, and I've had some bad experiences traveling in wintry weather (like doing unintentional 360s down the highway until I ended up in a ditch). Even a normal winter here in the South has me layering up in fleece and watching for the earliest sign of spring -- my daffodils popping out of the ground. Of course, lately my daffodils, which popped up a few weeks ago, have been shivering. It's been a cold, gray winter with more snowfalls than we typically have. I nearly had a stroke when I saw my last natural gas bill.

But this year, I don't think I'm the only one experiencing winter fatigue. People on the East Coast of the U.S. have been buried by one giant snowstorm after another. Residents of Texas and the Deep South even got a taste of winter -- a foot of snow in Dallas and snowfalls in atypical states such as Louisiana and Mississippi.

At times like this, I try to look for consolations and things to look forward to in order to get through the winter blues. For instance, I tell myself that it can snow and be cold now because I have to be inside reading RITA entries anyway. Maybe by the time I turn them in, the weather will have improved enough that I can start walking outside again instead of on the treadmill.

I think about where I'll be in less than a month -- Disney World! I LOVE Disney World, and it'll be a nice treat in between two deadlines and a board meeting. And at the end of next month, I'll get to enjoy a visit with my sister and nieces when they fly in for a week. Yes, my entire March is full to the brim, but there's a lot to enjoy in there. And hopefully, it won't be cold and there won't be a snowflake in sight and the daffodils will be in full bloom.

So, how has winter been where you are? Are you looking forward to spring? What do you do to get yourself through winter? Or are you a winter lover? And for our friends in the southern hemisphere, what is the weather like where you are now? It's odd for me to think that Christmas and Valentine's Day fall during your summer.

Tipsy Robins

I had planned to regale you with stories about our drunken robins today. This winter’s record lows froze the berries on our palm trees. When that happened, the palm berries fermented on the vine or, in this case, on the frond. Those same record lows sent huge flocks of robins into our heavily wooded, Central Florida back yard, and kept them there longer than usual. The birds gorged on the berries. Result—a goodly number of tipsy robins. So, we were going to talk about my drunken birds who, when they do manage to get off the ground, can’t fly straight. But…

I set off the house alarm at five a.m. this morning. So, instead of tipsy robins, I have some heavy duty apologies to make.

Especially to Dear Hubby. Last night was one of “those nights” when insomnia got the best of him. He was finally drifting off to sleep when the claxon sounded loud enough to give us both heart attacks.

I am sooo sorry about that.

I’m sorry, too, that, even though I punched the code and hit the cancel button, the monitoring company called…an hour later.

And I’m very sorry that by then I was on the treadmill and didn’t hear the phone ring. I’m sure that nice young police officer was just doing his job when he banged on our door. And no, it wasn’t my idea to invite him on a tour of the house. He just wanted to make sure no one was holding a gun to anyone’s head.

As long as I’m apologizing, I’m sorry that thieves broke into our car just before Christmas and that the house behind ours was robbed. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had the security system installed in the first place.

Most of all, I’m sorry that, despite living in a normally quiet neighborhood in a very small and very quiet town, we also live in a world where security systems are necessary.

I promise not to set ours off at five a.m. anymore. All that racket disturbs the robins. And if there’s one thing worse than a drunken robin, it’s a tipsy robin with a hangover.

Fitness 101

posted by Lee McKenzie

I hate exercising. I really do. As a kid, I was actively involved in all kinds of physical activity—swimming, cycling, skiing, skating, field hockey, track and field. As an adult, I pretty much turned into a sloth. I became busy with family and work commitments, and I stopped making time to exercise.

Oh, I would go through periods when I had good intentions, sometimes I even went so far as to sign up for an exercise class. Tried aerobics. Hated it. Tried aquacise. Hated it. Also not a big fan of public swimming pools, but that’s a separate issue. Took out a gym membership. Hated it.

Two years ago, I had surgery for melanoma followed up with a grueling year-long course of immunotherapy. There were days when I felt not bad and other days when I felt like staying in bed. One of the profound effects was a total loss of stamina. I couldn’t walk more than a couple of blocks without being spaghetti-legged and completely out of breath.

The recovery period has been long and gradual, and in the last couple of months I have finally started to see noticeable improvement. Over the Christmas holidays, my husband and I spent a week in San Francisco and we did a lot of walking. In spite of its hills, San Francisco is a very walkable city, and I realized I could actually walk up one of those hills without requiring emergency resuscitation!

When we arrived home after New Years, I decided I really needed to get moving again. It wasn’t so much a resolution as a realization that at this stage of my life, fitness is important. That realization took me back to the dilemma of finding some form exercise I would enjoy and not quit after two sessions.

So I signed up to walk in a 10K race.

Yes, that’s 10 kilometers or 6.2 miles.

I also signed up for a training clinic and for the first time in...well, pretty much forever...I’ve found something I really, truly enjoy. The group is made up of runners, run/walkers, and walkers. The instructors and group leaders are wonderfully supportive and motivating, but best of all they remind us that they’re not just there to teach, they’re on the same journey we are. Further along, but still journeying!

Each session starts with check-in and a guest speaker. Last week it was a yoga demonstration. That’s followed by warm-up exercises, a walk or run with the appropriate group (each week the walks get a little longer), and cool-down stretches.

I’ve been properly fitted for footwear and even learned some basic techniques for walking properly—posture, stride length, arm position, and most important of all...breathing!

The race itself will be held on Sunday, April 25, so I still have a couple of months of training ahead of me. To facilitate that, and to challenge myself a little more, I signed up to walk in a 5K fun run on Sunday, March 7. My daughter has registered to run the same race, and last Sunday we decided to check out the course. I went online, printed the map and we walked the 5K route together. According to our wrist watches, we completed the course in 55 minutes.

Let’s face it, at 11 minutes per kilometer I am not breaking any records here, but on race day I now have something to aim for—walking the route in a record-breaking 54 minutes!

Until next time,
Lee
The Writer Side of Life

Promotion Updates

Promotion is the bane of some authors' existence, and, I freely admit, I'm one of them. Between writing, family, and my job, finding those few hours a week to devote to promoting myself is impossible. Right up there with finding those few hours a week to devote to exercise and losing weight (another bane of my existence).

I am happy to announce that, after six months of working on it here and there, I have a brand new website with a completely updated look. I'm really pleased with the results, and I hope you'll stop by, have a look around, and let me know what you think.

www.cathymcdavid.com

In addition to the website, I've also joined Facebook in the last couple of weeks. I've resisted for a year now, convinced online social networking was yet another task that would require too much of my time. It does, but I'm also having fun and connecting with people I haven't see in YEARS.

That also means I'm currently on the lookout for new friends. If you're a member of Facebook and you'd like to be my friend (she asks in a small voice), let me know or search my name. I'd love to connect with you and have the chance to, yet again, avoid exercising (ha, ha).

Warmest wishes,

Cathy McDavid

P.S. The promotion fairy would scold me if I didn't tell you to check out my newest release, TAKING ON TWINS, out this month!!

My Birthday Confession

Today is my birthday. That's reason enough to reflect on the past year, the past decade, or my entire adult life. Here I am at age 7, a good year in childhood because I was always looking forward to being age 10, which seemed sooooo mature. Believe it or not from this photo, I was a tomboy.

In many ways I'm not a very good adult. If I don't have to get up, I sleep late, especially because I stay up late. Way too late, actually. If there are "bad" foods to eat around the house, I will usually eat them. If there's a way to put something off, I'll find it. And don't even get me started on how I avoid exercise.

I think I just never developed any good discipline, which is ironic because I had fairly ordinary, motivated, depression-era parents who did get up early, worked hard, and served balanced meals.

Please don't tell my granddaughters, but their "Mimi" is a slacker. She would much rather run around the backyard, hide Easter eggs in January, go out for pizza, create something artistic, go for a drive or ride a carrousel than do laundry, clean house or run errands. You might say, "Well, of course. Everyone would rather do fun things than work." The problem is that I actually DO the fun things instead of work! (This is especially a problem when I'm on deadline for a book, which I am now, and I have to read eight more romance novels for the RITA first round judging. Oops.)

That's my big confession for my birthday. I'm hoping that I can finally improve over the next year. As of Feb. 21, 2011, I will reach one of those milestones that get you discounts at movie theaters and Early Bird Specials at restaurants. Doesn't it seem as if I should grow up sometime before I grow old? I think so, and I'm going to work on it. But only if it seems like fun.

Thanks for reading my confession, and if you're around or online, lend me some of your fortitude and encouragement this coming year. Best wishes, Victoria.

Serious About Series

Okay, I’ll admit it. I love reading series books. I love sequels, too. It must be because I read Trixie Belden books when I was young. I could always count on reading about Trixie, her brothers Brian, Mart, and little Bobby, and her best friends Jim, Honey and Diana. I so envied her for being a part of the Bob-Whites of the Glen, the “club” they created. There was always a good mystery in each book, but it was the friendship they shared and the comfortable feeling I had when reading. Many years later, I read Stephen King’s books, and the one thing I especially liked was that characters from previous books often made small appearances. Reading about them always made me smile.

I know I’m not the only series reader. Look at the popularity of the Twilight series and, only twenty or so years back, The Baby-Sitters Club. Little House on the Prairie, Amelia Bedelia, The Boxcar Children, even Mercer Mayer’s Little Monster books. There’s more. Oh, lots more!

Let’s face it. We’re all readers here. We all have likes and dislikes, favorites and not so favorites. Just for grins and giggles—and to appease my curiosity—here’s a list of questions that have been rolling around in my mind.

Are you a series reader?

Do you like reading about characters from past books who slide easily into and out of stories?

If you had a choice between a non-series book and a series book by, say, your favorite author, which would you buy?

Do you read each series book as it comes out, or do you save them to read one after the other?

What’s the one thing you especially like (or dislike) about series?

With the poor economy we’re dealing with, would you forego buying a series book, feeling that once the first is bought, you’re locked into buying the rest?

Have you always, like me, loved series books?

What’s your favorite series, whether from childhood or as an adult?

Have fun!

THE GREAT CHOCOLATE DEBATE

In my previous blog post, I talked about one of my hands-down, no-holds-barred, all-time-favorite subjects, chocolate.

And I confessed I’m a chocoholic.

Just to recap: this New Year’s Day, I gave up chocolate, and with my previous post, many people weighed in on my question as to whether or not I should put that sweet treat back on my menu. In case you were wondering...

...the answer is...

YES!!!!!!!!!!

(Oh, the relief! LOL)

Of course, you know it wasn’t an easy decision. I agonized, weighed all the pros and cons, even considered alternative suggestions. What I came up with was a list:


The Top Three Rules for Chocolate Consumption

1. Dark chocolate trumps any other kind, as it’s practically a health food.

2. It’s best to keep chocolate out of the house and save it as a treat away from home.

3. Chocolate (dark, of course) should be eaten in moderation.


Well, it’s confession time again, folks.

#1 I can live with. Sometimes.

#2 seems like it will be doable--just as soon as I polish off those last few candy bars in the pantry....

#3 is not something I can even think about at this time. (I told you I was weak, didn’t I? At least I’m honest.)

But, hey, two out of three ain’t bad.

Thanks to those of you who weighed in with your opinions and comments and have made me a better, stronger, healthier woman as a result!


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

Earthquake in my backyard--practically

I live in the Chicago area so cold weather and lots of snow are the norm during the winter and compared to the East coast we've gotten off easy this season (knock on wood). I think Midwest driver's are some of the best driver's in the country when it comes tooling down the road in snow and ice--doesn’t mean we're immune to accidents, but as a population we seldom panic or change our plans when the weatherman forecasts snow. We bundle up, shovel the drive and head to work and school.

So snow had never been a big deal in my life--I grew up in Wisconsin--plenty of cold and snow there, too. What I'm not used to are earthquakes. On the 9th of this month an earthquake shook the corn fields not far from the development we live in. Around four in the morning the headboard on our bed banged against the wall and our two little yappers sleeping at the bottom of the bed began to whine. I though a plane was going to hit our house. I ran into the hallway just as my two teenagers opened their bedroom doors and asked, "What's going on?" It's difficult to explain how loud the rumble sounded, but you know it was loud if it woke teenagers out of a dead sleep.

I peaked out the windows--all my neighbors we're doing the same thing. I searched the sky for a spiraling plane when my daughter informed me that it was probably an earthquake. She then named the faults that run through Illinois before yawning and returning to bed--smarty pants. Anyway we were fortunate--no cracked walls or broken vases. But I have a new appreciation and sympathy for people who've suffered through much bigger quakes--I can't imagine how frightening those were. My deceased father-in-law survived the famous San Francisco Bay area earthquake back in October 1989.

How about you--have you experienced an earthquake or any wild weather events where you live?

Marin
A Cowboy Christmas Dec 2009
Dexter: Honorable Cowboy July 2010
www.marinthomas.com

Snowbound

Well, like Laura in Tulsa, Texas has been hit with a pretty insane winter. Twenty-four hours of the fluffy white stuff fell on Thursday. Gorgeous! At our house in a rural neighborhood close to Dallas, we ended up with a foot of snow. It was impossible to concentrate on the day job for wandering to the window to look out. But if watching it fall Thursday wasn’t pretty enough, we awoke Friday to a winter wonderland. See the picture out the small leaded glass window on our front door. Looks sort of like one of those Christmas snow globes, doesn't it?

Friday my mom and I were warm and cozy and I was working away, glancing out at nature's beauty. Hubby got to drive his truck to work and I don’t think you could have paid him to stay home. Alpha male, 4X4, and a foot of snow! WooHoo! Right up his alley. Then my aunt called and they’d been without power since Thursday night and couldn’t get out of their steep drive. So DH swung by when he got off and picked them up. Friday night, warm fire, good food, and we were five.

Saturday, my son and his two boys showed up. Then my younger son and daughter-in-law popped in and my granddaughter tossed a fit to stay and play with her cousins. Granted our youngest son and DIL went home and our oldest and his two boys planned to do the same after dinner, but voila, his brother left with the keys to his truck. (Or so we thought, as they turned up later. Long story.) Minus the snow, this revolving door is a pretty typical weekend at our house. But still, Saturday night and we were nine.

We enjoyed a weekend full of food, fun, and family. What else could we do except cook and eat? Play in the snow. Feed the birds.

For Valentine’s Day on Sunday, the power came back on at my aunt and uncle’s house. Grandkids went home. And we were back to three. Although it's been an entertaining, fun, white adventure, I’m looking forward to the sanity of a normal routine.

I'm not sure where we're living. This doesn't even resemble a Texas winter, but isn't the front yard gorgeous.

Happy Valentine's Day!!! Hope you're all having a super romantic day!!

Alas, I just put hubby on a plane bound for Toronto, Canada so looks like I've only got kids and dogs to hug and smooch!! This month's pic is of Hubby on a trip to Cozumel. We rented a Jeep and found this hidden beach bar that looked straight from a Corona commercial. Pure bliss!!

Tonight, my oldest son is making me a steak dinner, so that'll be yummy!! I've been baking cookies for two days, helping Hannah with her Valentine gifting. We made sugar cookies and peanut butter blossoms with Hershey Kisses on top. I'm supposed to be dieting, but somehow sweets keep ending up in my mouth!!

This morning we had a surprise snow, which was exciting. Tulsa has had a bizarre winter. Lots of ice and snow. I was born in Michigan and remember blizzards that kept us in the house for days. The neighbors would hide out together, sharing board games and great food. Now, while everyone else grumbles, I secretly love every beautiful flake!!

So what's everyone doing for V-Day? Any big surprises or impromptu trips? Let me know so I can live vicariously through you!! LOL!!

Confessions of a Hedonist!

When my husband recently deserted me to go heli-skiing in Canada, my daughter suggested that instead of staying home alone, I should spend the week at a Spa. Why this had never occurred to me to do before, escapes me. Firstly, because I love being pampered and secondly, because it turned out to be one of the best weeks of my life!

A quick google search of Spas in Colorado brought up St. Julien’s in Boulder. This funky, college town is nestled against the foothills of the Rockies and enjoys over 300 days of sunshine a year. I’d only spent the day here before, but I’d liked it and the thought of spending time close to home, but not too close, appealed.

Within minutes of picking up the phone I was booked into a kingbed room with a view of Boulder’s famous “Flatiron Mountains”. And less than two hours later, down the Interstate from my home in the Rockies, I was being warmly greeted by the hotel staff and shown to the Spa where I had a pedicure booked.

Positive the therapist would run screaming when she got a glimpse of my feet that had been squashed into ski boots for a good part of the season, Renee, was instead the picture of discretion. I was given a glass of water, offered grapes and dipped my feet into a swirling, warm bath. An hour later, my lower legs and feet, scrubbed, massaged, primped and nails painted, I emerged feeling as if a quarter of my body was already on the way to feeling restored. In an effort to feel fully restored I booked a sugar body scrub and revitalizing facial for the following day.

Proud of my pretty pink-painted size tens, I padded around the hotel in the hotel provided robe and slippers and went to check their restaurant menu. Not in the mood for dressing up – or dressing at all, for that matter, I opted for room service.

I caught up on emails via the free wireless internet in my room and my smoked salmon walnut salad was delivered 20 minutes later with a smile and the good wishes of my waiter to have a good night. There’s something wonderfully decadent about lounging across the bed, eating and watching really trashy TV programs. Ever wondered where they find those people in the People of Walmart emails – just take a look at some of those reality television shows – particularly ones dealing with repossessions, bounty hunting and anyone who lives outside the law!

Dinner finished, I decided on an early night as I had a book to write during my sojourn. However, sleep didn’t come easily as the plot of a new story teased at my consciousness. Midnight found me typing the first words of book four of the O’Malley Men series, about firefighting brother, Adam. Two hours later, I had over 3,000 words down and was ready for sleep. This time it came blissfully quickly as I sank into the soft-as-a-cloud mattress and pillows. Such bliss!

After a late breakfast of smoked salmon bagel, which was so delicious, I couldn’t wait for breakfast the following morning to order it again, I wandered into the spa for my Body Scrub and Vichy Shower. Having never experienced one of these before, I had visions of myself glowing in the dark, I’d be scrubbed red raw.

I was greeted by my therapist and directed me to lie on a bed in a room that looked like an enormous shower. I was draped for modesty and Mary set about massaging the rare as hens’ teeth (apparently) sugar into my legs. Far from being rubbed raw, this was an amazingly relaxing experience. I tried not to think how much dead skin was being rubbed away after a winter spent two miles high in the dust dry atmosphere of the Colorado Rockies. Backs of legs, back, shoulders and arms rubbed, it was time for the Vichy shower. As I lay on the bed, several gentle jets of water washed the sugar away as my therapist used a hand-held spray to gently wash away the last of the sugar crystals. Then it was time for my tummy, front of legs and arms to be given the treatment. I was then toweled off and massaged with a soothing palm oil butter. I emerged feeling re-energised and extraordinarily clean and smooth!

Kerrie welcomed me into the facial room where I lay on a heated bed and it was deemed my skin was in desperate need of a Revitalizing Treatment – recommended for mature, fatigued, dull, sun-damaged, pigmented, and sluggish skin types. Since I felt my skin pretty much slotted into all those adjectives, I lay back and let Kerrie do her best. I tingled when the alpha-hydroxy exfoliant was applied and felt nicely burned when she applied a paprika mixture to help the alpha absorb. None of this was unpleasant and I satisfied myself with the knowledge that the more it tingled, the more help my skin probably needed. A soothing cream was then massaged in, a honey scented mask applied and hands massaged while this did its magic. An hour later my skin felt like a two year old’s bottom and I was practically drooling with pleasure. But wait, my ecstasy dose wasn’t over yet. Then followed a hot oil head massage and foot reflexology. By the time I left the salon I was floating on air.

Back in my room I ordered a Caesar salad for lunch, then took a restorative nap. I awoke at dusk, took care of emails and started work again. I was so absorbed in my new story, that I forgot about dinner and worked till 3am.

This pretty much became the routine for the week. Wake late, take a walk around historic Boulder, shop, back to the hotel for lunch followed by an afternoon of indulgence at the spa. Dinner in front of the TV and then back to work!

By day three, I was making plans as to how I could stay in this magical place for the rest of my life. I’d gladly sell my first-born (and subsequent issue) in order to do so. I was loving being able to go to bed when I wanted, rise when I wanted and eat what and when I wanted. No children asking: What’s for dinner? No husband saying: It’s late, come to bed!

I finished up my week of indulgence with more massages of body, feet and head, facials, splurged on a body mud masque but didn’t care for it nearly as much as I’d enjoyed the sugar scrub. By the end of the week, I'd worked my way through just about every therapist at the spa and left the hotel vowing to return soon.

By the end of the week, I’d written over 20,000 words towards my new book and felt revitalized, re-energized and ten years younger. As Ryan, one of the many wonderful staff at the hotel, opened my car door, wished me a safe journey home and hoped he’d see me again soon, I decided that if I had a money tree, I’d live in a spa hotel forever!

What’s your secret indulgence? What would you do, where would you go if you had a week completely to yourself, to do as you wished?

Cheers!
CC Coburn

I remembered...

to blog! So sorry I missed last month. I have been busy with kids' activities and deadlines and life in general, like drooling over the cover for my April Harlequin American, HIS BABY SURPRISE. I uploaded it to share. And if he wasn't adorable enough on his own, he's holding a baby. She reminds me so much of my oldest, who is now driving. *gulp* Where does time go?

As you can tell, from my missed blog last month, I've already broken my New Year's resolution of getting more organized. Sad that I didn't even make it 9 days, huh? How about the rest of you? How are the resolutions going? Kept? Broken?

Reply and I'll pick a winner from the responses for an autographed set of all three Citizens Police Academy books!

Happy Reading!

Lisa Childs

ROMANTIC QUOTES

I don’t have much to blog about today. I’m busy trying to make a Feb 15 deadline. But I was reading our local paper this morning with breakfast and there was an article about Valentine’s Day and some favorite romantic movie quotes. They caught my attention and I thought I’d share some with you.

This one goes right to the heart.
"I’d rather spend a lifetime with you then to live all the ages of this world alone."
Arwen
Lord of the Rings

Ah, true love.
"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with a person, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
Harry
When Harry Met Sally

What romance novels are all about.
"You make me wanna be a better man."
Melvin Udall
As Good as it Gets

This quote is true in life; not just on Valentine’s Day.
"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others."
The Wizard
The Wizard of Oz

This next quote fits the book I’m writing. The hero and heroine are on opposite sides of a legal matter but love finds a way to bring them together.
"Even if we never speak again after tonight, please know that I’m forever changed because of who you are and what you’ve meant to me…"
Holden McNeil
Chasing Amy

And my favorite…
You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how."
Rhett Butler
Gone With the Wind

Gotta love Rhett. I never got what Scarlett saw in the wimpy Ashley.

Do you have a favorite quote? Or which is your favorite from the above?

Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day filled with love.


Linda
www.lindawarren.net
Skylar’s Outlaw Jan ‘10

Are You An Oreo? by Megan

I am.

I have the pleasure of taking care of my mom while having children at home. My friend calls me part of the sandwich generation, wedged between different responsibilities. Now, if I'm going to be a sandwich, I'm going to be the sweet, creamy center of a cookie!

I'm already double-stuffed, lol, so an Oreo seems like a natural choice.

Raising my children is a responsibility of love. So is caring for my mom. She was in the hospital last month while I was on deadline and had bronchitis. After some antibiotics for me and my sinus/ear infections, and three heart stents for Mom, we are mending.

I prefer when everyone is well (DH had a 101.5 fever for three days during this time; now my children are coming down with ... something), but I'll take what comes. I feel extremely lucky to have my mom still with us. I'm incredibly blessed with two children and the man I love as my partner.

That same friend's children are grown and gone, and her parents are independent and live far away also. She has a different life than I, not a richer or poorer life, but different. Someday my mom will be gone and my children out on their own, and it will all come sooner than I'm ready for. In the meantime, I will enjoy the ups and downs and feel blessed for each fevered brow, straight A report card, and moment I spend with them.

Here's wishing you a happy day, no matter what stage of life you're in. If you must be "wedged" between two generations, remember, you're the sweet, creamy center.

[Just watch out for that giant cup of milk!]

Megan Kelly
megankellybooks.com

"Stranded" Plotlines

I drove to the lake house on Thursday (in the rain) and saw quite a lot of water on US Hwy 80 on the way there. The lake was also the highest I've seen it. I think it has covered part of our neighbor's dock.

This high water made me think of all those books I've read where the hero and heroine are stranded together in a house, a "cabin in the woods" or some other isolated place due to flooding, a hurricane, snowstorm, etc. Also, I suppose the super snowstorm along the eastern coast made me think of natural disasters.

I've read some great stories with "stranded" plotlines or situation, and I've read some real clunkers. I'm not sure exactly what makes the situation work in some cases and bomb in others. I know that the conflict between the hero and heroine must be strong enough to carry the plot in these types of stories, but what else? Is it sexual tension or a ticking clock? What do you think?

I hope the water in Lake Holbrook doesn't get too high.

The only ones enjoying it seems to be the ducks!

I'll look forward to your comments about the plots.

Stay warm, safe and dry, wherever you are.

Oh, and GO SAINTS. (Sorry, Indy. I love you too!)

Recipe of the Month

This month's recipe is from a former Butler High School (Go Bears!) classmate, Deborah McNulty Hughes. We were talking about cold weather food on Facebook and she highly recommended this recipe for winter soup. Please note that there are a few variations in case you want meat in this hearty soup. Enjoy!

Deborah McNulty Hughes' Quick & Easy Winter Vegetable Soup

2 pkgs. Knorr Vegetable soup mix or 8 C. vegetable broth
1 or 2 cans, mild or spicy to taste, Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
4 or 5 small parsnips
1 C. shredded carrots
1 med. zuchinni
1 med. yellow squash
1 C. chopped onion (use frozen to reduce prep time)
2 Uncle Ben's wild & long grain rice 90 sec. microwave packs

Optional: Laura's lean top sirloin, broiled and chopped into small pieces. You can also add fresh or dried mushrooms.

Make the Knorr soup according to package directions. Use food processor to thin slice parsnips, zuchinni, & squash. Cook rice according to package directions.
Once soup mix is boiling add all ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes to let flavors marry.
Add other winter vegetables such as rutabaga, turnip, spiniach etc. as desired.
If adding the meat, add at the same time as the other ingredients.

Very low fat, low cal if made as directed. Chicken can be substituted for sirloin. Recipe freezes very well.

Engagements

Baby Makes Six, my January release (that’s still on shelves!) is a story of an estranged couple with three young girls, a baby on the way. It’s a sweet story that focuses on long lasting love, the kind that grows and matures over time. There’s a conversation in the novel between Shawn and Eddie that focuses on the first time they met. There’s also some thinking about the first years of their marriage. And, of course, getting engaged.

Here, so close to Valentine’s Day, I’ve been thinking about romance and engagements, too.

I got engaged on my 22nd birthday. I remember the moment well-not only for the obvious reason-but because of everything that didn’t happen. See, even back when I turned 22, back before I was ever brave enough to try writing, I was still a dreamer and a planner.
I knew that a proposal was on the horizon. And I was determined for it to be perfect.
Here’s what I knew: 1) Tom, my boyfriend, had flown to Houston to have lunch with my Dad. Tom never told me, my Dad did. We weren’t jet setters, so there was only one reason Tom was hopping on planes for lunch.
2) I had plane tickets to visit Tom in Dallas, in just two weeks. (I was living in Arizona at the time.)

So I knew, of course, that was going to be the big proposal! I pictured dinner, roses, wine…candlelight. Tom on his knees, telling me I was impossible to live without.

Um, it didn’t quite happen like that.

By 9 am on my birthday, I was in a mighty bad mood. And sad. I had a very good reason. No one had called me. All my life, birthdays were a big deal. We called each other. We celebrated! There was always a race to see who was going to be the first person to send birthday wishes. All during college, I was woken up at 6 and 7 am by a phone call, with someone in my family telling me happy birthday.

Anyway, that morning at 9am, no one had called. I. Was. Not. Happy. I had only arrived in Mesa, Arizona two weeks earlier for a teaching job. I knew nobody. And it was hot. We’re talking August in Arizona hot. The only thing I had planned for the day was Tom’s phone call at 11.

By 10am, I was in a bathing suit and off to the pool. Still no one had called and I was sick and tired of staring at that quiet phone. I sat out in the sun until 11:30. Then, deciding I was too sweaty to even hop in the pool, I wrapped myself in a towel and walked back to my apartment. I was going to shower, finally wash my hair, and do something during the day, even if it was just going to the bookstore and out to ice cream.

And that’s when I saw Tom. He was standing on the sidewalk in the sun, in khakis and a blazer. Sweating. And pretty darn ticked off. I stared at him in shock.

He scowled. “You were supposed to be home at 11,” he said.
I answered with my only explanation. “No one called me this morning.” Like that was going to explain everything.
Tom sighed. “Do you know how hot it is?”
I glared right back. Pointed to my sweaty, stringy hair. “Obviously.”
Then he walked right up to me, thrust a diamond ring my way, and glared. “Do you want to get married or what?”

Yes. That was my proposal.

I nodded and burst into tears. I’m still not sure if I was crying because a)my boyfriend of 4 years had proposed, b)I looked absolutely horrible for the Biggest Event of My Life or c) someone really had remembered my birthday.

I didn’t think it was the stuff of romance novels, but now, 21 years later, I think maybe I was wrong. The whole thing was symbolic of the two of us. Tom’s a good guy. He tries hard and does things like fly to my hometown to receive my father’s blessing-and calls my family to tell them what he’s going to do…so no one would call and ruin the moment. I’m the dreamy one, full of romance and big plans. Things don’t always turn out the way either of us imagine, but, as my son would say, ‘it’s all good.’

I still can't help but smile as I think about standing on that sidewalk, smiling and crying. Now I’m glad I wasn’t proposed to in any other way.

Anyone else have an engagement story to share?

JANUARY WINNER!!!

Congratulations REBECCA LYNN! You’re the January winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Laura Bradford and Roxann Delaney through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Easy and painless. And FREE BOOKS.

So check back often and be sure to leave a comment. Good luck!