Starting a new year, sort of

For me, September always marks a transition. For huge chunks of my life, it meant back-to-school--first for myself, then for my sons. Although they’re grown now, the end of summer and the fading of my vegetable garden (some of it, anyway) still make this feel like a shift into a different mode.

September is a popular launch period in the tech world, too. The Kindle Fire 2 tablet is expected to be announced September 6; the iPhone 5 release date is rumored to be September 21. That is, unless I misread the Internet search results and that all happened last year.

So I feel quite comfortable with the September 4 release date of the 9^th book in my Safe Harbor Medical miniseries from Harlequin American. That’s when The M.D.’s Secret Daughter will be hitting your bookstore or mailbox. By the way, you can see the whole Safe Harbor miniseries on my new Facebook page, JacquelineDiamondAuthor.

This week also marked another book launch for me. For years, as time and energy permitted, I’ve worked on a love story/science fiction thriller that spans two universes. It’s so different from anything else I’ve written, and from anything I’ve read, that I wasn’t sure people were ready for it.

 The popularity of the TV series Fringe changed my mind. The combination of suspense, wry humor, vivid characters and alternate universes really appeals to me. So I took one more swing through Out of Her Universe, which is the first book in a planned series.

This past week, I posted it on Amazon for Kindle ebook readers. Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free app for your computer, tablet or phone from Amazon and read it that way.  If you’re curious, please stop by my website and read the first chapter at Chapter One-Out of Her Universe.

To new beginnings and old friends!

Going-to-the-sun

Though I have revisions waiting to be done on one book, and another book to be written by December 1, I am still on holiday (or in denial, depending on how you look at it). This week my family drove from Calgary to our new cottage in Polson Montana. One way to get there is by driving through Glacier National Park on the Going-to-the-sun Road. It starts at St. Mary, Montana and ends at the town of West Glacier, about 53 miles. If you ever come this way, it will probably be the slowest 53 miles you ever drive. And the most beautiful. Driving this road is like taking a spectacular mountain hike in a car. First you start driving alongside a beautiful lake and forested roads.

Slowly you rise until you are skimming mountain tops and taking in breathtaking views with vertigo challenging drops just feet from the edge of the road. We stopped for a hike at Logan's Pass, which marks the continental divide. The hike took in some fabulous vistas, but what we got the biggest kick out of were the mountain goats. I've seen them before in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, but I've never been this close before!

photo courtesy of Tessa Binnion

Ah, these lovely final days of summer. What are you doing to enjoy them? (And what work are you putting off to do so?)

Summer Road Trip

Earlier this month we packed out bags and hit the road. Destination? Missoula, Montana. More about why in a few minutes.

The great things about a road trip, in addition to the final destination, are all the wonderful things to see along the way. Like this awesome view of the falls on the Spokane River from the deck a restaurant where we had dinner one evening.

You can imagine our surprise when, in the small and very quaint town of Wallace, Idaho…

…we discovered the Center of the Universe. There’s something you don’t see every day. Unless you live in Wallace.

A sign along the freeway…advertising a bookstore with 100,000 books in stock!...had us braking for the exit to Alberton, Montana. Who could resist?

In Missoula we stayed at the Gibson Mansion Bed &Breakfast, a beautifully restored home where we enjoyed the most amazing breakfast that started with coffee and scones delivered to our room and wrapped up with banana macadamia nut French toast.

And that brings me to the reason for our trip to Missoula.

Bob Dylan. Live. In Concert.

I couldn’t take my camera into the concert, but thrilled to find these professional photos on Ann Alhouse’s Flikr page, and I thank her for providing public access to them.

It was an outdoor concert on a beautiful summer evening, with the sun setting over the mountains, and one of my all-time favorite musicians. It was a night to remember, and my bucket list now has one less thing on it.

Gotta love a road trip! I hope you're having a wonderful summer, and that your bucket list is a little shorter, too!

Until next time,
Lee
www.LeeMcKenzie.com
The Daddy Project, December 2012
Daddy, Unexpectedly, May 2013

Yes, Women do Ride Bulls

Buy!

Read an Excerpt

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

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

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

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

 Happy Trails!

www.marinthomas.com



Let's celebrate!

This has been a fantabulous week and I've spent much of it happy-dancing around my office.  Why?  HONORABLE RANCHER, my August Harlequin American Romance, released last week.

I've been writing almost from the time I learned to print, then "published" my first short story at the age of nine.  Since then, I've written many stories and novels, each one of which is special to me.

A new book coming out is beyond special—it's worthy of celebration!  So I celebrate.  ;)

Nothing too fancy, such as a cruise or an exotic vacation or expensive jewelry, although something bling-y may come along later.  LOL  But you can be sure it will involve chocolate, flowers, dinner out, and chocolate.  No, that's not a repeat.  Great celebrations simply require lots of chocolate.

In fact, I'm sending you a cyber selection of them right now so you can help me celebrate the release of HONORABLE RANCHER.  I hope you'll take a look at the book, too, and if you pick it up, I hope you enjoy it.

Meanwhile...happy munching, and how about sharing what you do to celebrate special occasions.

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

GIRLY TALK – NOT!

First off, let me apologize for being so lax lately in making my blog days. Looonnnggg story and lots of excuses, but let’s just say that hopefully I’ll do better in the future. Life has been insane on a couple levels, but I am taking an Early Retirement Buyout from my company and after August 31, life will hopefully settle down. Fingers crossed.

Now, on to my day today. I’m burning some vacation days and checking things off my To Do List. Today was my day to finally find a new hair salon closer to home. It’s only been three years since we moved, and in my defense I did try one other before racing forty miles back to my old salon. I guess that statement makes me sound like a girly girl, but really, I’m anything but. I don’t ask much. An easy to maintain cut and natural highlights. It didn’t turn out bad. A little more blonde than the subtle highlights I requested, but all in all, it’ll do.

But I digress. At the risk of insulting all the wonderful women friends I have, what I learned today is that I really stink at girly talk. Not only am I not good at it, it makes me nuts.

Sitting in the quaint little salon, I absorbed all the chatter. Hey, I’m a writer and it is novel fodder, right?

One lady went on and on about how much she wanted her son, Jared? Jarett? Jaron? Whatever, one of the J names. (And I can say that as I have two sons and two grandsons, all with J names) Anyway, she desperately wanted Jay Whatever to realize that he should marry Natalie. I heard all her son’s wonderful attributes from his tall good looks, to his recently acquired accounting degree and fantastic new job, to how he played guitar in his church. Someone should nominate this guy for sainthood. Then we were on to Natalie and how perfect of a wife she would make for Jay Whatever and how Mom sent him pictures of Natalie and told him all about her and vice versa. How she arranged for Natalie to drop by this past weekend when Jay was home. These two people grew up together and even went to the same church, so I’m thinking they should know whether there was any chemistry between them, right? I so wanted to tell the woman that with all her motherly good intentions, she was signing poor Natalie’s death sentence with Jay Whatever. But I very diplomatically kept quiet. Aren’t you proud of me?

When the women behind me started discussing shoes, I wanted to fold my legs beneath me and hide my plain black Nike flip flops. But then I noticed the woman two chairs down had on the $3 variety you can pick up at any discount store and she seemed fine with the conversation, so I relaxed. Still, are there really that many varieties of flip flops? Who knew?

But here is the part that really interested me. The stylists were all young and there were a couple young girls in for cuts before they returned to college. So we were treated to the typical boyfriend and dating horrors. I felt sorry for any guy who even attempted to decipher what made these girls tick. But the fun part was watching the poor teenage boy who was in for a cut and highlight. The guy looked like a deer in the headlights and hardly opened his mouth. When the stylist was finally done with his hair, he raced out of there so fast he left a Texas dust devil of flying hair behind.

Wow, when my critique partners call me the token male of our group, I think I’m flattered.

Mini-Vacation--Skinny Butt Required!!

Me and my fab agent, Michelle Grajkowski at the Harlequin party!!

Hate being a Debbie Downer, but ever since returning from RWA I've been sick.  After lots of tests, my doctor suspects a kidney stone(s), but progress in fixing the issue is moving as slow as our horrible Tulsa traffic.  Anyway, I'm not in screaming agony, but I sure don't feel up to doing much of anything.

This wouldn't be any big deal save for the fact that Hubby and I have been planning an amazing trip to Belize since January.  We were to leave in two weeks.  Belize isn't an easy destination.  From Tulsa, takes two days to get there, and pretty much anything you do in the country requires a tiny plane or boat.  We were excited to explore caves, ruins and reefs.  Scuba and zip line.  Considering the fact that lately I need a rest stop every five feet, no Belize for us.  I canceled our international and domestic flights, our romantic luxury hotel and then pouted.  And pouted.  And pouted.

Because of other issues too ghastly to even discuss, it's been a seriously crap few days.  In the midst of our general Altom Crapstorm, my sweet, amazing, handsome hubby took me on a mini-vacation that lifted my spirits.

I was surprised by how small the plane was.

Loving anything vintage, when I saw that a restored DC-3 was on display, I wanted to go!  Now, for hubby, it was all about seeing the plane.  For me, it was about the people who flew on the plane.  I wanted to imagine how elegant air travel used to be.  Even as a kid, I remember my grandmother buying me a new dress to fly in.  The plane we toured is said to have carried only the mega-rich and travelers were dressed just short of Black Tie.  We flipped through photos and the most fun of all were the stewardesses.

Me at the controls!! 

I know, I know, they're now called Flight Attendants, but back when I wanted to be one more than anything in the world, I told everyone I was going to be a stewardess--sounded MUCH more romantic!! Back in the day, there were strict requirements.  From the pics, they were all roughly the same height, had perfect figures and hair and resembled living Barbie Dolls.  From the vintage photos, the glamor factor looks off-the-charts!!

Our tour literally lasted only ten minutes.  Me and my overactive imagination had conjured images of this massive luxury liner complete with a walk-up bar, lounge and huge comfy seats.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  The seats were so narrow, no one on the plane with us even fit in them except for a few little kids!!  Your butt would have to be ridiculously skinny for you to be comfortable!!!  LOL!!  The plane held 21 apparently emaciated passengers, two pilots and a lucky stewardess.

Check out those narrow seats!!! But plenty of leg room . . .

Sweet Hubby bought me a T-shirt and that was my big hour out of the house.  Back home, I was happy for a nap, but at least instead of pouting over our lost trip to Belize, I now had fun dreams of me being a stewardess who only works the routes to Paris and Rome!!

A SEAL's Secret Baby--finally in stores NOW!!!

P.S.  The first book of my new Operation Family SEAL series, A SEAL's Secret Baby debuts this month and should now be in stores nationwide!!  Happy Reading!! :-)    

Praise the pie and pass the whipped cream…

Pie.  My favorite dessert of all time.  My earliest pie memory was when I was five years old and we first moved to New Jersey.  A few feet from our back porch stood a cherry tree.  Mom and I would pick and pit the cherries and she would make the most amazing cherry pie. 

Growing up, my family made weekend jaunts to Cape Cod, where we frequently ate lunch at a small cafe called The Brown Bag.  Their specialty was Kentucky Sky High Pie.  Pecans, molasses, chocolate and pure heaven.  The Brown Bag no longer serves that pie and our backyard cherry tree is long gone, but the memories remain.

The Magpie luncheonette and bakery is featured prominently in the series I am currently writing.  For the sake of literary accuracy and not wanting to steer my readers down the wrong pie path, I find it necessary to research various types of pies.  I’m always on the lookout for new recipes to sample and add to my collection. 

While I can never duplicate my fondest pie memories, I have come to realize the ones that now win my heart over are the simplest to prepare, like my rustic apple pie.  Place three sliced apples with a smattering of sugar and cinnamon in the center of pie crust and loosely fold the edges over leaving the center exposed.  No pie plate necessary.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  You can easily substitute pears, peaches or other fruits.  I promise, you’ll never feel guilty about a slice. 

In the northeast, pie was reserved as a summer treat.  I live in South Carolina now, and pies are a year round staple.  Candles adorn birthday pies.  Pot luck suppers mean multiple pies.  I’ve even seen pies replace the traditional wedding cake. 

Pie crust is an art in itself.  There are even television cooking shows devoted to it.  The best one I’ve seen is the series Alton Brown did for The Food Network on the science of pie crust for his Good Eats show.  I have to admit, sometimes (not always) I cheat and buy the premade pie crust you thaw and unroll.  Shhh.  It will be our little secret.    

Now that I’m craving a slice, tell me, what is your favorite pie?  Feel free to share a recipe or two. 

Amanda Renée

Betting on Texas (March 2013)

www.amandarenee.com

www.twitter.com/TheAmandaRenee
www.facebook.com/AmandaReneeFanPage

BACK TO WRITING

After an exciting, busy and hectic RWA conference, I found it hard to get back into the grove of writing. When I’m pulled out of a story, it takes a while to get back into my character’s heads. I was sluggish and lazy and couldn't generate enough energy to write a setence. With lots of rest, I'm happy to say my mojo is back.  

It was a great conference. Met with some old friends and made new ones. I talked so much I was hoarse for two days when I got home. After the literacy signing on Wednesday night, The Texan’s Bride won The Bookseller’s Best Award. That was exciting. The rest of the time I spent in meetings, luncheons, catching speakers I wanted to hear and parties. Can’t forget the parties. I’ve had my quota of chocolate for the year.

On Friday evening I had dinner and drinks with the editors and authors of The Harts of the Rodeo continuity for Harlequin American. We celebrated finishing the books. The first book came out in July and will continue every month until December.  From l to r, Roz Fox, C.J. Carmichael, Johanna Raisanen, Kathleen Scheibling, Cathy McDavid and me.

From there we went to the Harlequin party at the Hyatt Regency. I saw Ann Roth and Barbara White Daille there. They were having a great time. “It’s Raining Men” was playing. Authors go wild when that song comes on.

Saturday was rehearsal for the Rita ceremony and then the actual ceremony. I wasn’t nervous until I was seated in the ballroom. Butterflies took over my stomach and I didn’t eat the cake or fruit they served. I was afraid I’d throw it up. Everything went smoothly though. I didn’t win and I wasn’t disappointed. I was happy to be there. Here’s a photo of me and Kathleen at the ceremony.

Now I’m back in the real world: laundry, planning meals and boring other household stuff. Last week I was fighting the temptation to relax a few more days. Anyone feel that way after a fun vacation?

Back to writing,

Linda
www.LindaWarren.net
Tomas: Cowboy Homecoming – Dec ‘12

 

Stop and Smell the... Snow?

Today, I'm starting a new project while I wait to hear if my latest proposal will be bought.  My problem is I'm going to write a Christmas story, and  it's been 100 plus degrees this summer.  Although today we're "only" getting up to 97.  :)  

Getting into the mood to write about the frigid cold, wet snowflakes, and Christmas romance when I can barely muster the energy to open my laptop?  Not so easy.

I was glad to read Ann Roth's post for tips on cooling down.  Perhaps if I do some of these things, getting into the holiday mood will be easier.

Maybe I should read some Christmas/winter books. My office is in the basement, which can be downright chilly, so I might have an advantage there. Obviously, readers in the Southern Hemisphere (for instance, Down Under) have the opposite problem.  It's summer for Christmas there, and our books depict a winter Christmas. 

Which got me to wondering about readers' habits. 

Does the season in the book matter to you?  Does it throw you off to read books "out of season?"  Do you ever pick up a Christmas book in the summer for the purpose of transporting yourself to a cooler time? 

Or have you accidentally started a winter book in the summer and had to put it down because you couldn't relate right now?

Thanks for the answers. I'm curious about offering a "Christmas in July" promo before this book is released (I self-pubbed a Christmas book last year that I could offer).  But if no one's interested, I won't do it.

Have a great holiday...er, week.  Stay cool out there.
Megan  Kelly

www.megankellybooks.com

Keepin' Cool in Hot Weather

This has been an unusually hot summer–just a glimpse of the effects of Global Warming. We all need tips on how to keep cool. Here are 10 great tips I found at ABC News  http://abcn.ws/T1ZRaX and Daily Mail (based in the UK) http://bit.ly/TJY4u

1. Stay hydrated by drinking fluids like water or Gatorade.

2. Avoid alcohol, since it can act as a diuretic and lead to dehydration.

3. Wear lightweight, light-colored cotton clothes. Heat is trapped by synthetic fibers, but cotton absorbs perspiration and its evaporation causes you to feel cooler. The light colors reflect the sun's radiation.

4. Eat small meals and eat more often. The larger the meal, the more metabolic heat your body creates breaking down the food. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increase metabolic heat.

5. Eat spicy food. Although this may be the last thing you fancy in hot weather, curries and chiles can stimulate heat receptors in the mouth, enhance circulation and cause sweating, which cools the body down.

6. Run your wrists under a cold tap for five seconds each every couple of hours. Because a main vein passes through this area, it helps cool the blood.

7. Take a tepid bath or shower just below body temperature, especially before bedtime. Although a cold shower might sound more tempting, your body generates heat afterwards to compensate for the heat loss.

8. Replace your usual body moisturizer with a cooling Aloe Vera After Sun product to use morning and night. This will help lower your skin temperature.

9. Buy a Chillow Pillow, a thin, soft, medical-grade device that pops into your pillow to cool it down.

10. Sit back, close your eyes and picture snow. Research has shown that the body reacts to these daydreams, reducing its overall temperature.

Great tips, indeed. I hope you learned a new thing or two. I did! I’d never heard of a Chillow Pillow or considered replacing my usual moisturizer Aloe Vera After Sun lotion. Other things I didn’t know: that spicy food actually contributes to cooling the body, and that daydreaming of cold places helps keep cool. I especially like that one. (smile)

What do you do to keep cool? If you have any good tips, please share them.

Until next month and wishing you all a keepin’ cool August,

Ann

www.annroth.net

JULY WINNER!!

CONGRATULATIONS BW! You’re the July winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact C.J. Carmichael, Marin Thomas and Laura Marie Altom 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.