The birds and the bees

Several times a week, I receive emails encouraging me, as an
author, to use the Internet to stir up some buzz for my books. I do have a
website – www.jacquelinediamond.com -- but publicists, fellow authors and even
Harlequin encourage me to expand to Facebook and other social media sites.

To get that buzz, I should also use Twitter, they tell me.
Maybe if, like some celebrities, I frequently got arrested or chased by
paparazzi, I’d have interesting, short stuff to tweet, laced with expressions
like OMG and lots of !!! exclamation points. But I prefer to pour my creative
energy into my characters.

Also, buzz and twitter mean something else to me this time
of year as I plant my vegetable garden. I’m also putting in Easter lilies and
miniature roses received as gifts.

While I’m outdoors, digging away in the soil, I listen to
the buzz of bees, the twittering of birds and the rather intimidating Foom! of
rapid wing beats that I feared at first indicated an invasion of giant beetles.
Then one day I followed the sound to the tiny hovering figure of a hummingbird.

Ever since I discovered that these jewel-like creatures nest
in my flowering bushes, I’ve become fiercely protective. A gardener recently
proposed some heavy pruning and I practically threw my body in front of the
bushes, crying, Save the hummers!

I love writng my Safe Harbor Medical miniseries about the
human version of the birds and the bees -- a fertility program and the romantic
entanglements of the staff. But as for twitter and buzz, let’s face it: I’m
most at home with the garden variety.

Simple Things That Make Me Smile

In a world where we're often busy, stressed and tired, it's good to remember to take a step back and think about simple things that make us smile. So here's a list to get us started. You all add to it, and I bet we're all smiling a lot today.

1. The bunnies that live in our neighborhood. I've seen them in our yard and our next door neighbor's. I love bunnies, and so they never fail to make me smile.

2. The squirrels that chase each other across our roof and through the trees and yard. They're so cute.

3. The fact that Dairy Queen's mini Blizzards are on sale for a $1.99 this month. :)

4. LOLCats at ICanHazCheeseburger


see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

5. My favorite YouTube videos, including this new favorite that I can't seem to stop watching.

Happy Easter...

...to all of our wonderful American Romance readers!

However you spend the day, whether you’re at home or away, whether you’re with family and friends or on your own, I hope you have a happy and peace-filled day.

Easter and springtime are all about new beginnings, so I want to share this delightful vignette with you.

I captured this scene from the White Rock Bald Eagle Nest web cam, where two eaglets were welcomed into the world this week—the first on Wednesday and the second on Good Friday.

Those who know me well know I’m a bit of a nature nerd, and White Rock is now one of five bald eagle web cams conveniently iconed on my desktop.

Yes, I’m hooked. But can you blame me?

For me, family dinners are all-important, and this is one beautiful family dinner.

While I’m on the subject of feeding families, I thought I’d share my absolute favorite and super-easy recipe for make-ahead, oven-baked French toast.

And it's seriously easy!

You make it the night before, put it in the fridge, then pre-heat the oven the next morning, pop it in...and half an hour later brunch is served!

Lee’s Oven-Baked French Toast

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 one-inch-thick slices French bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup light cream (10%)
1/2 cup milk
1/ 4 cup orange juice


Spread the melted butter in a 9" by 13" baking pan. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle half the mixture in the pan. Arrange the bread slices in the pan. You might have to squish them a bit, but make sure they don’t overlap.


Beat the eggs, then add the cream, milk and orange juice. Slowly and carefully pour this mixture over the bread, being sure the bread is evenly coated.


Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


The next morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, remove the plastic wrap from the pan, and bake the French toast for about 25 minutes. Delicious when served with maple syrup and fruit compote.

By the time you read this, it will be too late to make this for Easter brunch, but it’s also great for Mother’s Day brunch or any other day brunch you can think of.

I hope you enjoy it!

Until next time,
Lee
The Christmas Secret (Nov. '11)
http://www.leemckenzie.com/

Yoga and Me

The title is a bit misleading.  Why?  Yoga and I aren't getting along as well as I'd imagined we might.  Actually, I like yoga.  Unfortunately, my body doesn't. 

It's obvious I should have tried this ten years ago.  Or maybe fifteen years ago.  Or maybe when I was fifteen.  Sometime back in the day when I could do a backbend from standing might have worked well.  I haven't tried that for a while.  In fact, the last time I did, I walked funny for several days.  Now I walk funny once a week after yoga class, once I'm able to get up from the yoga mat, that is.

You're probably asking why I even wanted to take a yoga class.  The truth is that I was hoping it would help give me more flexibility.  After all, I spend much of my time sitting in front of a computer and need a little exercise.  (I have not jumped on the treadmill that my youngest daughter and I finally put together a couple of weeks ago...after buying it two years ago.)  'Start out slow and easy' was my mantra.  I've discovered that I'm having to work my way up to slow and easy.

The 10-week class is a little more than half over, and I'm asking myself just how important being able to bend at will is.  Maybe meditation would be a better idea? 

Books and Babies

Before you read my post below, feel free to let your gaze linger on the man to the right.

This is Sam. Hot, isn’t he? ;)

I won’t go into details, but trust me, he has just experienced a life-changing event and is still reeling from it. You couldn’t tell by looking at him, though, could you? Anyway, on to my regularly schedule blog post...

~~~~~

I’m due in two weeks!

No, I don’t have a deadline two weeks from now. As if that’s what you were thinking! ;)

And, no, I’m not expecting a baby.

Or am I?

All right, I may not be the first person in the universe to compare publishing a book to having a baby. But the truth of the matter is, A RANCHER’S PRIDE, my fourth Harlequin American Romance, will be hitting bookstores shelves soon (and is already available online), and it’s not much of a stretch to say I feel as though I’m welcoming a child into the world.

After all...

~~~Warning! Pun Alert~~~

...I conceived the idea for this story, carried it with me for months, labored over the manuscript, and am eagerly awaiting its delivery. And I know, once it makes its first appearance in the world, I’m going to feel extremely happy and proud.

Baby or not, it seems like—and is to me—a very special event.

I’m sure many authors know the feeling and many mothers do, too.

Speaking of mothers... My next post here at the blog will be past the date to wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day, so let me do that in advance.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

To get us ready for the upcoming holiday, I’d love to hear about your best, most touching, or funniest Mother’s Day memory ever—whether you play the starring role or the honor belongs to another mother you know.

Please share!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

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

News Series Launches

He's Nothing But Eight Seconds Of Heartache...

The day Hallie Sutton dreaded has finally come. Drew Rawlins has found out the secret she’s been keeping--and he’s spitting mad! But the rodeo is Drew’s whole world and Hallie needs a full-time dad for their boy. Still, how can she deny the injured bronc rider the chance to get to know his son? All Drew wants is to carve out a place in his son’s life. Sorting out his feelings for Hallie isn’t as simple. The emotion simmering between them is just as strong—so’s the red-hot desire that got them into trouble five years ago. Winning the world championship is still number-one on Drew’s list. But he figures he can have it all. The title and the chance to prove he’s the man Hallie and Nick need.


I'm thrilled that the first book in my all-new series Rodeo Rebels, hits store shelves this month! Writing Dexter: Honorable Cowboy (July 2010) exposed me to the rodeo plotline, which I fell in love with. While living in Texas I attended several rodeos--small, local ones and larger ones like the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo—that was an amazing experience. There's something so romantic and sigh-worthy about cowboys who live to tame wild broncs and crazed bulls and the women who live to tame those cowboys. Of course real-life rodeo isn’t always glamorous and doesn’t always end with a win. But hey, we're writing romances so we're allowed to romanticize the rodeo plotline.

The first two books in the series, Rodeo Daddy (April 2011) and The Bull Rider's Secret (July 2011) take place in Texas while the third "untitled" book (Dec 2011) is set in New Mexico and Las Vegas. Following these three books is another group of Rodeo Rebel stories set in Arizona with plots revolving around ladies bull riding—yes there are a few women crazy enough to jump on the back of bulls.

To help kick off my Rodeo Rebels series, I've written a *FREE* online read at www.eharlequin.com called The Bull Rider's Surrender. Join the discussion after each chapter and your name will automatically be entered into a drawing for an autographed copy of Rodeo Daddy when the final chapter has been posted at the end of April.


You'll find a sneak-peek inside Rodeo Daddy at www.marinthomas.com and while you're visiting my website if you need advice on anything try out the new Magic Eight Ball at the bottom of my Home Page.



Happy reading!


www.marinthomas.com

Death and Taxes

Okay, I give, I don’t really want to talk about death, but it is Tax Day here in the USA. Well officially this year it’s April 18, but still. Maybe you can't avoid taxes, but some people do turn it into a game of sorts.

Are you one of those people who love to get back a large refund? Or like my prior boss, do you prefer to pay Uncle Sam each April? His game, and a valid one, was that he saw no sense in letting the government have use of his money all year. He wasn’t going to turn loose of a single red cent until the last minute. While most people I know tend to prefer a large refund. They use it like a savings account and rely on that large chunk of change each year to pay off bills. Me, I like to break even, preferably get $100 or so refund. In theory I agree with my boss, but when it comes down to writing that check, I find it irksome. After paying in all year, I do want Uncle Sam to pay me just that once.

My uncle is a CPA and talks about how some clients present their information in January, organized and ready to be worked. Others wait until the day before the deadline and lug in a grocery sack full of slips of paper and receipts. I believe he mentioned that this later group pays significantly more. Just sayin'...

I had another friend who regardless as to whether he had to pay or not, always trekked to the post office downtown each April 15 to have his return postmarked just before midnight. This was a social gathering. The same folks meet each year, all mailing their returns at the absolute last minute. I remember a newscaster interviewing them. Everyone was shaking hands and laughing. It was like a party.

That got me thinking. With the trend toward filing electronically, it’s the passing of an important era in US history. Kids growing up now will roll their eyes and laugh when we tell stories of trekking to the post office on April 15 to mail paper forms just like I giggled at my grandmother talking about party lines in her small town.

And what will these last minute people do without the annual social encounter with their fellow last minute friends? Maybe they will create a social network like Facebook to stay in touch since they will no longer be meeting up at the downtown post office. Do they now have their return ready to file and press the button at 11:59PM? Ha!

How about you? Do you file early or are you one of the ones we see on the news shaking hands and laughing with their friends at midnight on April 15? Do you like a large return or prefer to keep your money as long as possible and pay at the last minute? Organized spreadsheet or a grocery bag filing system?

I know, this appears to have nothing to do with writing, but it actually does. It's a character study. Ok, that may be a stretch, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I’m an accountant. Humor me.

Cover Art

Cover art.

So much rides on those two little words.

Readers tell us time and time again that they literally do judge a book by its cover.

I know I do. It’s the cover that draws me to pick up a book by an author I might not already know. If the picture or artwork on the front intrigues me, I flip it over and read the summary on the back. And if that “grabs” me, then and only then, will I take a peak inside where I might read the first line, the first paragraph, the first page. (And if I get to the end of the first page, you can bet that book is going into my basket.)

So, as an author, I get pretty anxious about the cover art. I try extra hard to paint detailed word pictures when I fill out the questionnaire for the Art Department. I talk with my editor about what I’d like—and what I wouldn’t like—to see on the cover. And then, I wait. Fingers crossed. Toes curled. Until the day I receive an email that says the cover of my book is ready. That’s when I squeeze my eyes tight, say a little prayer, and click on the attachment.

And squeal for joy!!!!

Because Harlequin’s Art Department is amazing. Because they absolutely nailed the cover of my June release, The Daddy Catch, with a gorgeous setting, the perfect hero and a little boy with a melt-your-heart smile. Because my editor, Laura Barth, suggested there should be fly fishing vests. And because she writes the best, most wonderful blurbs for the back of the book.

I create the story, but it really takes a village to shape my words into a book. I’m so glad that Harlequin is my village.

The Bull Rider's Surrender

Happy Monday!

Since today is an OPEN day on the blog I wanted to pop in and remind our readers that Chapter 6 of The Bull Rider's Surrender has been posted at www.eharlequin.com

I hope you'll stop by my *FREE* weekly read and join the discussion. I want to know your thoughts about how Olivia's father appears determined to keep her from having a relationship with Cullen.

Has anyone ever experienced a family member interferring with their life life? And if they did, what did you do about it?

Happy Reading!
Marin
www.marinthomas.com
Rodeo Daddy *Rodeo Rebels* April 2011
The Bull Rider's Secret *Rodeo Rebels* July 2011

AN UPDATE ON GOOFY THE GOOSE

Spring has certainly arrived in Texas. Everything has turned green in the last two weeks. Trees are budding out, wildflowers are blooming and the temperature is much warmer, which is a relief from the brutal winter we had.

Saturday was beautiful with a nice eighty five degrees. It was so nice my husband decided to put on his bathing suit and wash his dirty, muddy truck. Goofy the goose entertained him all the while squawking with his smoker’s quack. The wild geese haven’t returned to the lake so Goofy is still a nuisance, but a lovable one. It was the kind of day to be outside, but I wasn’t. I have a deadline that keeps me tied to my computer. I was stuck on a scene so I went outside and I had to take these pictures. After a break, I was ready to write again. I find I’d rather write in yucky weather, especially when it’s raining. I like to read when it’s raining too. When it’s pretty, I’m tempted to go outside—too tempted.

How’s the weather in your area? Writing, reading or fun weather? Hope Old Man Winter has gone to sleep.

Linda

http://www.lindawarren.net/

Aug '11 - The Texans Secret

Welcome Spring

Spring? I'm sure y'all are thinking I'm a little late here. Supposedly Spring came to North America several weeks ago. According to the calendar, the vernal equinox was March 20th. According to my nature-watching friend, Spring arrived with the first robin in her yard in early March, while another claims Spring popped up with the first purple crocus.

But for me, Spring officially arrived on March 31st with the first pitch of the Cardinals baseball season. aahhh The smell of the grass, the sun on the field, the thud of the ball hitting leather gloves, and the crack of the bat. Those signal the end of winter to me.

I even played hooky from doing my line edits (shhh) to go to the game yesterday. But don't tell Johanna, okay?

I've been tempted many times to write a baseball book, or two, or several. :) One of our American authors put one out a few years ago, so I know the editors wouldn't automatically turn down the idea.

I'd love to combine two of my favorite things, a love story and baseball. So I'm wondering... Do you readers like books with baseball players as heroes? Would they be interesting or would you see "baseball" and feel reluctant to read it, or maybe even downright uninterested because of the setting?

Thanks for the feedback. Play Ball!!

Megan

Megan Kelly The Marriage Solution, May 2011

www.megankellybooks.com

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April Recipe - an Easy Favorite

I love a good, tasty, easy recipe I can make in a hurry. I also like a recipe I can make without turning on the oven, but in this case, I'll make an exception. There's nothing to compare with cheese melting and potato chips toasting on top of a bubbly casserole. My friend Kara Lennox (http://www.karalennox.com/) spent the weekend with me in Texas after attending the "Dreamin' in Dallas" conference. Kara wrote numerous books for Harlequin American and moved to California over a year ago. She now writes for Harlequin Superromance. We took a drive to the lake with another writer friend, Rebecca Russell, and then it was time to come home and fix some dinner. Sunday night I made Paula Deen's Hot Chicken Salad, a delicious casserole type dish that is a snap to mix together and bakes in only 20 minutes. I usually have all the ingredients I need in my refrigerator and on my shelves. I'd like to give you my version of the dish, since I modified it for (1) a single can of chuck white chicken, and (2) eating for two and maybe a little left over.

Victoria Chancellor's Version of

Paula Deen's Hot Chicken Salad

1 - 10 oz. can of chuck white chicken, drained
3/4 c. diced celery
1/2 c. sliced or slivered almonds
2 T minced onion or 2 t dried minced onion
3/4 c. reduced fat mayonnaise
2 t. lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 c. (more or less) crushed potato chips (I use Baked Ruffles.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl mix together the first seven ingredients. Spoon into a 2 quart (approximately) casserole OR into three small individual casserole dishes. Sprinkle cheese, then potato chips, on top. Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese melts and potato chips are toasty. The hot chicken salad will remain a little crunchy from the celery and almonds. Note: You can also make this with panko bread crumbs rather than potato chips if you prefer.

Enjoy!

MARCH WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Shawntelle Madison! You’re the March winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Pam Stone and Barbara White Daille through their Web sites. To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS. So check back often and be sure to leave a comment. Good luck!