Welcome Francesca from La Mia Biblioteca Romantica

HI. Cindy here. We have a special guest today all the way from Italy! How cool is that? I hope you will all make Francesca feel welcome here at Top Down. Do ask her any question you want - whether it be about Italian tastes in reading, her wonderful blog or Italian men :o) We all want to know about Italian men, right? Since there is a 7 hour time difference from the East coast to Italy, you may not see her response right away depending on the time of day you post a question. She is so sweet, she told me she'd stay up all night so her responses would be immediate but I begged her not to. I don't want to have her staggering into her class room sleep deprived. But don't let that stop you from asking questions. She is eager to answer. Here's hoping we hear from some Italian bloggers too!! Without further delay, here's Francesca!

Hi everybody! My name is Francesca and I was kindly invited to blog with the ‘Riders’ by Cindy, who I contacted not a long time ago as I’m a great fan of hers. I told her some bits of my experience as a romance reader -- and a writer of a blog about romance books -- in my country, Italy, and she thought it would be nice if I could share my experience with the other readers of RWTTD, too. It was a chance I couldn’t miss and here I am! (Thanks, Cindy,I’m honored.)

I’m a high school teacher and I live in a town in the North of Italy. I’m a big romance fan. I like reading any sort of books, but romance books are the only reads I think of as a treat, a way to pamper myself with. I don’t know you, but reading a good romance book has the same effect as eating good chocolate on my endocrine system --- it makes me relax and feel in peace with the world. No calories and no contraindications, to boot!

I started reading ‘romanzi rosa’ as a teenager because my mom was herself a big fan of the genre. ‘Romanzi rosa’ (‘pink novels’) is what romance books are commonly called here in Italy. I don’t know much about the origin of the word, but I guess they were called so because since the beginning romance books have always been looked at as something ‘for girls only’-- Yeah, prejudice against romance books and their readers is the same here as in the States. Nothing new under the sun.

Anyway, most of the ‘Romanzi rosa’ I used to read were translations of romance books by American and British authors and I used to feel very frustrated every time I read a book I liked and realized it must belong to a series. Because it meant it had a prequel or a sequel I would likely never have the chance to read. I went on reading Italian translations -- sometimes bad translations, sometimes adaptations half the size of the originals -- until 1998. That year my reading habits were to change for good because I got connected to the Internet from home and I discovered ‘the joys’ of Amazon.com. I remember I felt like Alice in Book-wonderland. The choice was so huge I could hardly believe my eyes -- I would never have to depend on the whims of the Italian publishers for my romance books again!

Now, ten years later, I still buy my books from online bookstores and I still surf the net regularly in search of juicy bits of information about my favourite books and authors.-- I've found it’s a wonderful cure for everyday stress. -- As a result of my passion for the romance genre, I've recently started a blog --- ‘la mia biblioteca romantica’ / ‘my romantic library’ – in which I write about the books I read and the authors I love . My blog is in Italian , thou the books I deal with are almost all in English and lots of them haven’t even been translated into Italian yet. While blogs and sites about romance books in English are hundreds, there are only a few of them in Italian. I just wanted to contribute to the enlargement of the community of the Italian romance readers online. There are lots of my site readers who like to know about new books , even though they can’t read them in English. And the ones who can are glad to have the chance to talk about them in their own language.

When picking up romance books I’m not fixed on a single genre but I like changing stories and time periods according to the mood of the moment. I love historicals, but I’m also into romantic suspense -- Cindy, did I tell you how much I love your books?—and I’m sorry romantic suspense is not that popular in Italy. Apart category romances, which are the best sellers of the genre in my country, romance fans who want to read longer books tend to choose historicals or contemporary romance here. Chick lit and paranormals have also started gaining favour among some readers, but their diffusion is still limited if compared to the great success such subgenres have met in the States.

I know it might sound strange, but thou romance is one of the bestselling fiction genres in Italy, most of the romance books that are sold here are translations from American. The Italian romance writers who are able to sell their books for the mass market distribution are few. Some others prefer to label their works as ‘women’s fiction’ and be published in hardcover. As a consequence, Italian romance readers are used to reading about people and places they don’t belong to. We are used to American heroes and heroins and stories set in American cities . Does it bother us? Not at all. We Italians have a passion for foreign things. A hero called Mike or John sounds much more appealing to us than a Michele or a Giovanni. A love story set in New York or Chicago makes us dream more than one set in Milan or Florence. Despite our ‘taste for the exotic’, we love reading about heroes and heroins of Italian origins in the book we read. So, dear writers, why not choose an Italian heroin for your next book? Your Italian fans thanks you in advance!

Francesca

www.bibliotecaromantica.blogspot.com

Chocolate - in the name of science.

Here’s a study I could really get into. I just read that one hundred and fifty women in London will be eating chocolate every day for a year, as part of a research study into the health benefits of cocoa.

Okay – first things first. Where was I when they were asking for volunteers? If there’s anything I can relate to, it’s chocolate.

This study is being held at the University of East Anglia and the purpose is to determine whether compounds in chocolate can cut the risk of heart disease specifically in women with type 2 diabetes.

Since I am a woman and since heart disease is a huge issue with women I’m liking the idea that FINALLY doctors are incorporating not only innovative studies but studies a women can love. I mean, who can’t get into chocolate? And in the name of science? It’s win win all the way.

The kicker: Doctors have cautioned that the general population, and especially diabetics should not start eating large quantities of chocolate unsupervised, as it also contains lots of sugar and fat, which worsen diabetes and promote weight gain.

Chocolate promotes weight gain? Humm.

Back to the study. Cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolate, is a rich source of compounds called flavonoids, which have been shown to decrease risk factors for heart disease. Generally the process of making chocolate from cocoa destroys the majority of these compounds, however, a Belgian chocolatier has developed a specially formulated chocolate bar for the study with extra flavonoids and added soy, which is also a rich source of the chemicals.

The study is hoping to show that adding flavonoids to the diet of the 150 subjects, provide additional protection from heart disease and give women the opportunity to take more control over reducing their risk of heart disease in the future and possibly improve the level of protection against heart disease over and above that provided by conventional drugs.

We all knew that chocolate was good for us, right? It elevates moods, makes the mouth happy and looks so pretty in those gold foil boxes with pretty ribbons. I’ll be anxious to see the results of this study. In the meantime, I’ve already initiated my ‘chocolate kiss a day’ plan and I’m happy to report, I’m feeling better all ready.

Seriously, my mother suffered from heart disease for many years. I suspect all of us know someone special who has had type two diabetes or other heart related medical conditions. I’m trying very hard to take care of my heart – and no, not just with chocolate although chocolate does make my little heart sing. I’m attempting to exercise more, eat less saturated fats – you know the drill. So my question is, what about you? Young, old, or in between, we all face the potential of dealing with some level of heart disease. What are you doing to protect your heart? And if you aren’t doing anything, don’t you think it’s time you start?

NASCAR 101

It all started with Prohibition in the 1920s and 30s, bootleggers running moonshine from one place to another. And now?

42 % of NASCAR fans are women. Huh? Don’t get the popularity?

Once upon a time, I didn’t get it either, and then, some years back, I was in South Dakota one cold February for my nephew’s wedding and my sister and her husband made me sit down and watch my first Daytona 500. From then on, I was hooked.

No, these days I don’t watch the races every weekend, but 75 million other people apparently do. I catch the races when I can now. But I can tell you that after watching that first race back in South Dakota I couldn’t believe a romance hadn’t been written revolving around this fascinating and complex world.

This is not your average sport, baseball, basketball, football or hockey, all of which I have watched and have never gotten all that charged over. This is sexy, larger than life men, putting their lives as risk, week in and week out. This is adrenaline. Fast cars. Competition. Egos. Tempers. Alotta money on the line. And, most importantly, it’s a generational sport. So you’ve got history. Big time.

That means …

This crew chief’s daughter could be hot for that rival driver. A veteran may have been involved in a crash decades ago that killed the father of a rookie. The widow of a famous owner might now be dating a competitor. You’ve got step-mothers as owners, cousins as spotters, dads as crew chiefs, and on and on and on.

I drove home from my nephew’s wedding with characters and plotlines running through my brain like Red Bull. I could do this. I could do that. Susan Elizabeth Phillips set her books around a football team. I was going to set mine around racing. My fingers were flying across the keyboard the day I got back home.

You know why? Because when you watch a NASCAR race, you’re not just watching today’s competition. You’re watching the present build upon the past. And NASCAR’s past is one heckuva a colorful one!

Have you ever watched a NASCAR race? Did you find it interesting? What do you think about the whole concept of Harlequin NASCAR romances?

What about the drivers? Do you have a favorite?

My third book, Peak Performance, the 6^th in the 2008 Secrets and Legends Harlequin NASCAR series is out now. Check it out. I promise, you don’t need to like racing to love this book!

It’s been reviewed in Library Journal, Michelle Buofiglio’s myLifetime.com, CataRomance, and Romantic Times BOOKreviews.

Some interesting info for you:

NASCAR stands for the National Association of Stock Car Racing.

NASCAR is made up of the Sprint Cup (the highest level and most widely known Sunday afternoon races), the Nationwide (used to be called Busch series - Saturday nights) series and the Craftsman Truck (Friday nights) series.

William France Sr. started all hoopla, and his son Bill France Jr. brought the dream to fruition. Today, Bill Jr.’s kids, Brian and Lesa, carry on the tradition, and are quickly racing into as mainstream of a sport as it’s ever been.

NASCAR is the 2^nd highest rated regular season sport on TV with broadcasts in more than 150 countries.

NASCAR teams race 36 races over a 41 week schedule, running from February to November each year.

NASCAR holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the US.

43 cars start each Sprint cup race, compared with 22 in Formula One and 18-20 in Indy.

Mario Andretti is the only driver to have ever won the Indianapolis 500, NASCAR’s Daytona 500, and the Formula One World Championship.

Happy Monday!
Helen

The New Book

A few other riders gave me a gentle nudge that I'd neglected to blog about the fact that I have a new book out.

Okay, part of it is that I was out of the country. This works really well, by the way - very difficult to check your amazon numbers hourly if you're on the other side of the world! But a good chunk of it is I generally try pretty hard to forget I've got a new book out.

This is book number fourteen, and I still get really, really nervous. If I go to a bookstore and there are lots of books there, then I panic about the fact that they're not selling. If there aren't many, I mope because there aren't any out there. If I'm expecting a review, I get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. (Though I do get over a less-than-stellar one a whole lot faster than I used to.)

I've managed to grow out of a lot of nerves. I rarely get nervous meeting new people anymore; I almost never freak out about what I look like; and generally don't worry too much about what other people think about me. (Age has made me finally realize that people are too worried about themselves to really think all that much about you!)

But a new book sends me back to fourteen in a heartbeat. Exciting, but not terribly pleasant.

How about you? What nerves haven't you grown out of?

Oh, yeah, the new book . . . THE PAPER MARRIAGE. It's about a woman who had her whole life working perfectly, until fate dealt her a really nasty blow. She'd been frozen in place for twelve years, and the book begins when her life starts up again.

Susie

Hank Phillippi Ryan Winners!

Hey guys. Hank wants to send out two books! Virginia Lady and Crystalgb, email me at helenbrenna@comcast.net with your snail mail addresses and I'll forward to Hank.

Thanks to all for hanging with the Riders!!

One book, one DVD, one song, one man

It's always fascinating to me to know what's on everyone's All-Time Favorites list. So I thought we could do something fun today, and pretend we're stranded on a desert island. Okay, so the stranded part isn't so ideal. Sand in strange places is never fun. We'll make it a tropical island, fit out with rope hammock, hut and a neverending supply of gourmet meals that magically appear whenever you're hungry. How's that? So let's all take a breath and relax. Drag your mind away from the doldrums of work, and fantasize the perfect escape. I promise you won't be stranded forever. But, depending on how you answer, you may wish for an extended stay.

Assuming the DVD player and iPod would be provided (we won't worry about where the electricity comes from), what would you request for each of the following? Favorite book. Favorite movie. Favorite song. Favorite man (either for his conversation or, erm...well, you know, this is a fantasy). [Fav man doesn't have to be famous, but why the heck not?]

Here's my picks:

Book: The Three Musketeers (Dumas makes it seem so effortless. And the more I read it, the more I believe I can convince D'Artagnan to save Constance before Milady gets to her first.)




Movie: Dangerous Liaisons (I never tire of this gorgeous battle of the wicked hearts. And the costumes!)



Song: Oh, Holy Night (A classic that I listen to all year long.)


Man: Jean-Hugues Anglade (My fav French actor. He could teach me French, among other things. Can I extend my stay? Pretty please?) :-)

So tell! And no fighting over the menfolk, ladies. We'll make copies if necessary.

Michele

Debra: Idol-ing on Broadway

I’m playing TV Review Blogger today! As soon as I realized I was blogging on a Wednesday, a day we usually reserve for guests, I knew I had to take on this new snarky career.

First, can someone explain to me why Ryan has pointy hair? He doesn’t have a punk, spiked hair look and yet, his hair forms a point on the top of his head. Someone get him a mirror. I will give him props though because he has an incredibly difficult job. He starts trouble and then has to get the show smoothly out of it.

Second, I’ll confess to liking Broadway Week. Especially with Andrew Lloyd Webber. What a songbook. The man has certainly served it up over the years– Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Phantom, Starlight Express, and just keep going. Heck, Phantom has its own permanent theater in Vegas. Who’d have thunk it?

Mentor Grade: A+
Andrew Lloyd Webber is their servant. He’s going to make the words work for them ! How cool is that? The man turned up his sleeves and got to work.

Level of Difficulty: Right Bloody Awful

Great Bit of Snark: Seacrest called out Simon on his Broadway snipes. For years, if a contestant gets too musical theater, Simon says–in a let-me-depress-your-pretension-right-now voice, "That’s a bit Broadway actually."

Today’s redundant question: Why does Ryan have pointy hair ?

Syesha Mercado-
She rocked her look. (I’m channeling Paula. Sorry.) So, cool ‘tude, great figure, very retro for me and much too Broadway. Sorry. Can’t see this as a single on the radio. Great performance, but not American Idol. Not that she cares. Broadway will be calling.

Jason Castro
What’s with the dreads? How do you care for those things? I like this kid even though tonight was sooo not his night. This could have been one of "his" songs. But Randy called it when he labeled the performance a train wreck.

Brook White
Yikes!!! First the mentor says you haven’t got a clue and then you forget the words to the point you have to begin again. My heart goes out to her, but this isn’t the first time Brook has screwed up and started over. We saw it in the auditions, on the big stage and again tonight. Shouldn’t she be past the nerves by this point? Idol is a shake down. It’s a pressure cooker. I was a big fan of hers in the beginning, but I’ve cooled on her. I haven’t seen her become "more," which is what Idol is all about for me. My favorite moment for Brook didn’t come from her song but from Simon’s restraint and the fact he supported her choice to begin again after Paula bitch slapped her for it.

David Archuleta
How embarrassing to be ambushed by giggly school girls? Next, finally! Someone says out loud what we’ve all been thinking– "Dave...dude, open your eyes." Dontcha ever wonder what he’d sound like if he’d ever recovered 100% from that vocal paralysis thing? Interestingly, a quick cut to Andrew Lloyd Webber in the audience didn’t show a happy composer. He looked totally unmoved, still on that wrong foot. THIS JUST IN... Entertainment Weekly's Recap claims that David flubbed his lyrics again. The producers switched to a angle from behind him just as it was happening. That may be why Lord Webber was peeved.

Carly Smithson
Love her; hate the song. I know Webber told her to sing it and she loved singing it but I hated it. I much prefer her clear lovely voice instead of the shrieking stuff. I do love her though and want her to stick around. Her personality lit up that stage tonight.

David Cook
LOVE HIM. He is the perfect example of someone becoming "more" on Idol. He’s remained true to his essence but continually stepped up his game. He’s weathered scandal and put it to rest by showing he can be just as original (and fabulous) as any little known arrangement he might fnd. And he hit the money notes! Love him. Love him. Love him.

Okay, how about you? Have I been too hard? Too easy? Tone-deaf? Is there a reasonable explanation as to why they make Ryan’s head pointy?

Customer Service= You and Me!

Have you noticed lately that more and more, "customer service" means "serve yourself"?

Everywhere you look these days, you're asked to belly up to a kiosk of some kind and punch in or scan bar codes or enter a security code or ::shudder:: swipe a credit card to identify yourself so you can do business.

It started with banks. . . then came the gasoline pumps. . . then came airlines and e-tickets. . . and now places like Home Depot and Starbucks and the blessed LIBRARY! Where are all the people who used to help people? I like getting a smile with my latte! And I like handing my card to a clerk and chit-chatting while it processes. Heck it may be the only non-family interaction I get in a day! I'm a writer by trade, which ranks not far from "hermit" on the human interaction scale! When I go out, I need me some PEOPLE!

And you know what? It's only going to get worse. Fast food places are moving to phase out the folks at the counter who ask "you want fries with that?" In some places, they've introduced screens with pictures that you punch to place your order and out comes a bag or tray at the end. Libraries are going with automated self check-out. . . those librarians don't come free, you know. More and more grocery stores are going to self check-out for their Express Lanes. And try traveling anywhere without having to swipe and punch in. . . unless you're interested in standing in a record-length line to actually see a person.

Why are they doing this? Because for business "customer service" is one big headache. And costs money. And they figure that people will complain less if they do it themselves. And they're right. A big part of this growing industry is devoted to "training customers" to use the machines. It's a slippery slope, folks. Once you're trained, you can't go back. Take a lesson from the record of gas stations. How long has it been since you saw and employee pumping gas for someone? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Remember the days when you used to get a few pennies discount for pumping your own gas? You'd drive away with hands smelling of gasoline, but at least you had the satisfaction of knowing you'd saved money doing it yourself. Now if you want or need help at the pump ("full service" if you can find it) you have to pay EXTRA for it.

Giant Food Stores in Pennsylvania are now going self-check-out in a big way, even designing their new stores around "mobile scanners" that customers carry with them to tally as they go! I can't tell you now much I DON'T want to do this. First they take away the baggers and carry-out boys, then they take away the cashiers! Thank Heaven for Publix, here in the southland. Full service supermarkets. sigh.

And the automation industry says that even with the occasional glitch, it still saves companies money hand over fist. And the bottom line rules. Customer service is on the way out. . . even if it's just collecting money. They say it's faster, more confidential, and makes it possible for the store personnel to do other things. You also have fewer humans to blame. . . since you are your own check-out person.

Okay, I confess, the E-tickets make sense and have reduced lines at the airport. I use them all the time. And the automated gas pumps. And the ATMs at my bank. And now when I go to Home Depot, I usually use the self-check-out. I just never realized I was being "trained for a Brave New World.

And some things can't be automated. Despite the shrinking number of clerks in department stores, I can't imagine walking up to a kiosk and asking "Do these jeans make my butt look too big?" Or, "Do you think this will shrink much in the dryer?" Or "Is this navy or black?"

What about you? Any experiences with the shrinking world of customer service? What "kiosks" do you normally use? Do you like the trend, or does it make you feel lonely out there?

Guest Author: Hank Phillipi Ryan

Let’s Twist Again

Here’s the scene you’ve got to imagine. Me, and my dear husband, side by side on the couch. (He looks a bit like Donald Sutherland, if that helps. Not scary-spooky Donald Sutherland, but nice Donald.) We have wine. Some little snacks. And a movie.

Jonathan clicks the remote to ‘play’. The mystery thriller—you pick the movie--whirrs into life. Opening credits, big opening scene, setting the stage and introducing the characters. About five minutes in, a woman enters the plot.

“Dead,” I say.

Jonathan pushes pause. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” I say, taking the remote and pushing play. “I’m just saying, she’s toast.”

Four minutes later: KABLAM. Jonathan takes a sip of wine. “Anyone could have predicted that,” he says. “Plus, you guessed.”

I shrug.

Soon after, someone who is someone’s friend/lover/teacher/husband/neighborhood cop arrives into our plot. “I like him for it,” I say. “Guilty Guilty Guilty.”

Jonathan, who I might add is a criminal defense attorney and more used to real-life murder than any of us, is not happy. Pauses the video again. “Can’t you just watch the movie? Can’t you just wait and see what happens?”

I push play. Of course, the answer is no. For the rest of the movie, I—mostly—keep my suspicions and guessing to myself. Unless I just can’t stand it.

“I’m…,” the almost-heroine says.

“Pregnant!” I yell.

“Pregnant,” she says.

“Ha!” I say, raising a victory fist. “The twist.”

Jonathan’s face is some combination of annoyed, impressed and affectionate. He’s married an investigative reporter turned mystery writer, and we can’t stand not to predict what’s going to happen. Or think of a way that it could happen better. Or happen more interestingly.

It may have started with Perry Mason. When I was a little girl, with a lawyer for a step-father, when Perry was on, there were rules. Like: total and absolute silence. My little sister and I were not allowed to ask things like—who’s that guy? What’s embezzlement? Why is she crying? If we wanted to watch Perry on our 17^th inch Philco (or whatever it was) we had to be very, very quiet.

Even my dad was quiet. But my 12-year-old brain began to figure things out. Like—the pattern. Of course, you had a head start with Perry. His client, except for that one famous time (what was the name of the case he lost? Anyone?) was not guilty. And the most obvious second choice didn’t do it either. The twist was--it was always the third person, kind of the guy who was not in the forefront until abut two-thirds of the way in. And soon, I could always guess. And I was always right. Of course, I was never allowed to say it out loud.

((“Foreshadowing!” I say, all grown up now and on my own couch. “See the river in the background? Someone’s going to drown.”))

Figuring out Nancy Drew was a snap, even though I loved her. Sherlock Holmes? Yeah, even Arthur Conan Doyle had a pattern. I realized that after devouring every Holmes story I could find. It was kind of—a rhythm you could tap in to and figure out the end. Like Law and Order, right? They’re fun to watch. But get the rhythm, and you get the bad guy. (Tum TUM)

And when I read now, I still can’t just let go and let the author take me away. I do try. Try not to think ahead, nail the foreshadowing, find the clues, figure out whodunit before the author tells me. I always, always fail. (But that’s also why I don’t read mysteries while I’m writing. I can’t. I only want my story in my head. I don’t want to be trying to solve someone else’s puzzle.)

Of course, I don’t always guess the bad guy. And it doesn’t really matter. If I do, that’s okay. If the author has written a careful, fair and clever book, I give them props for that.

When I don’t, though, that’s just great. I go back through; looking for the clues I missed, seeing if it was fair. And when it is, when I’m fooled and deceived and misled, that’s the best.

But know what I’m wondering now? Is it fair to promise a “twist ending”? If I’m told there’s going to be a twist, I read the whole book differently. Looking for the twist. Which is somewhat distracting. Isn’t it twistier not to say so? All my promo material for Prime Time promises a twist ending. Which it does have. And people say they never guessed it. But I wonder—should I have left it a surprise? Or does promising a twist make it more of a challenge?

What do you think? Do you try to solve the puzzle as you read or watch? Or can you just—relax and get carried away? And if there’s a twist, do you want to know?

http://www.hankphillippiryan.com

Hank will be giving away a signed copy of one of her books, so check back here tomorrow to find the winner!

Award-winning investigative reporter--and now Agatha and RITA nominee--Hank Phillippi Ryan writes the Charlotte McNally mysteries: smart, funny and always with a twist. (Or two.)

Hank is currently on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate, where she's broken big stories for the past 22 years. Her stories have resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for consumers.

Along with her 24 EMMYs, Hank’s won dozens of other journalism honors. She's been a legislative aide in the United States Senate (working on the Freedom of Information Act) and at Rolling Stone Magazine (working with Hunter S. Thompson).

Her first mysteries, Prime Time (Agatha nominee for Best First Novel of 2007, double RITA nominee for Best First Book and Best Romantic Suspense Novel of 2007, and 2007 Reviewers' Choice Award Winner) and Face Time (Book Sense Notable Book), were best sellers. They'll both be re-issued in 2009 as MIRA Books. The next in the series, Air Time and Drive Time, are also coming soon from MIRA Books.

Kathleen Needs Advice

(Sing or hum along)

Hello, young mothers, wherever you are
I hope your troubles are few
All my good wishes go with you today
And I need the same--plus advice--from you...

(Music fades out)

So I just read that there are gobs of other grandmothers out there who are playing a major role in raising grandchildren. I'm glad I'm not alone. But here you see two precious little girls watching the spring rain fall, and they're thinking, "This is a fine how-do-you-do. We'll have to find a way to exercise Nana indoors today. Hmm..."

My problem has more to do with time than age. I was just getting used to having some for myself.

Things have changed so much since my kids were little. Kids don't go out and play. They have play dates. Dates? Dates have to be arranged, written on the calendar, prospects must be interviewed. Isn't play supposed to mean play? And Kindergarten is a major commitment. You've got your school choice, then your half day or full day choice, extra in-school activities galore (they had a sock hop last week), and homework! Kindergarten!

And then there are the lessons, starting age 3. (Is that too late?) My 2 granddaughters are taking dance class. The costumes they'll wear once cost as much as a prom dress, and the older one needed two. (I visited with the mother of a teenager whose daughter had to have 20 costumes this year--20!) The run-up to recital includes picture day, dress rehearsal day, ticket lottery day--fill out an order form, write a check, take it to the studio between 2 and 7:00 on lottery day for the drawing of seat assignments--Good grief!

But my current quandary has to do with a the 6th birthday party. I have no problem with activities--we're going to make jewelry and create fashions from fabric swatches, put on a little makeup and take some pictures. But I was thinking a few little girls from the neighborhood. Suddenly the almost 6-year-old is dealing with a 16-year-old's party tizzy. "I have to invite my best friend from school. But I can't leave my second and third best out because they're really best friends together, but all four of us are together most of the time." So I ask how many girls in class. Seven. How can you leave out the other 3--oops, don't say that out loud. How can I deal with the school crowd plus the neighbors plus...

She's only 5! (For one more week.) How did childhood get to be so much more complicated since just yesterday? We had a nice little family party for the younger gdaughter in February, but she's only 4. She was happy to dress up as Tinker bell. By next year, we'll probably need a seating arrangement and place cards.

Is it just me, or is childhood more complicated nowadays? How do you manage the commitments and activities? Lois blogged about family size the other day, and I'm wondering how people can afford big families anymore? Nana needs advice!

What Gets You Every Time?

I’m a sucker for certain kinds of romance stories. I tell you, mention a story where the heroine first entices the hero dressed as a boy, and I am SO there (figure on left is a woman dressed as a man!). I love it when this big alpha guy starts worrying when he finds himself attracted to the short, slim young “kid” in loose clothing. I never once consider he should maybe be worrying about his IQ for making that mistake in the first place. Think of Georgette Heyer’s These Old Shades (though I think the Duke of Avon claims he saw through Leonie’s disguise right away). Linda Howard (I think) wrote a wonderful western historical with a cross-dressing heroine and I was just combing through my keeper closet (yes, I said closet), to find it, but it’s not coming to my fingertips. Anyone remember?

Another fave type of romance for me is one that I think squicks some people out. But I love guardian/ward stories, which I attribute to my early love of the old movie (starring Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron) Daddy Long-Legs. I can’t forget an old Bantam Loveswept by Iris Johansen titled White Satin. IIRC, the guardian is her coach and a famous former ice skater. It’s one of those old-fashioned love stories with the guy who runs hot and cold and the heroine who is young and wide-eyed and I don’t care if it’s not politically correct. I love it.

I also love what I call All Grown Up romances. These are the ones where the hero and heroine have known each other “forever” but now the hero finally notices the heroine isn’t the gawky girl with braces and scabs on her knees. He might consider her a little sister at first, and like those heroes of “cross-dressing” romances feel guilty about his lusty feelings for her, but soon she convinces him she’s all grown up and all woman. Because I have an older brother, I think my enjoyment from these books comes from all my childhood daydreams that one day one of my brother’s friends would look up and find me irresistible. (And, it never happened, not really, though my niece was appalled and amused recently when she overheard one of my brother’s old college friends tell my bro he had a thing for me when I was in high school. I never knew! I can’t even picture him now.) I’ve written books with this All Grown Up theme, including my latest, Bachelor Boss. Another of my faves is an old Elizabeth Lowell book that I reread every year, titled Only Mine (which also has a Native American hero, another luscious romance subset that our own Kathleen Eagle does with such perfection).

Do you have a romance “subset” that makes your pulse beat faster? Do you like friends-to-lovers or May/December romances or virginal heroes or does an amnesia story get you every time? Please share!

Cait London Is On Her Toes

Who can resist these?

As an Aries, my creativity meter runs high and energetic; we're sort of go-for-it people. That is why I celebrate my April birthday all month long; I see no reason to confine it to one day. Ready to take on challenges, I'm blogging in 2 places today: here about Toes (as they apply to writing) and I’ll probably drop by my own blog. Check my website for further schedules.

Wilson, my pumpkin who is currently sitting in my bread bowl and watching television, has drawn much interest. Wilson was purchased last October, intended to be the content of one of my homemade pies. However, his longevity is attributed to my too-busy schedule. In February, he sat at my bread bowl while I drove to my daughter's in Lexington, KY, some 9-11 hours of snow and ice covered roads. We were too busy to attend to Wilson, named after Tom Hanks' Wilson, and he returned to my home, secure in his bread bowl. He's actually a great companion, and there are pictures somewhere of him wearing leis. I blogged about him at Love is an Exploding Cigar earlier, and he has developed quite a fan base.

He listened attentively while I debated my upcoming articles about Self-Talk, Reinvention, or Toes. All three topics are very pertinent to me now, in my high creative-Aries period.

While driving the other day (and I do a lot of that), I listened to a great podcast from the Writing Show. (Lots of good writing helps on podcasts now.) A shy writer described how she overcomes her difficulty when promoting her books. Basically, she does what every writer should do, be her own best supporting friend and does Self-Talk, affirmations, etc. But it's nice to have other support, of course.

Which brings me to Claire, the empath featured in the first book of my psychic triplet trilogy, AT THE EDGE. The youngest triplet by 3 minutes absorbs the emotions and physical problems of anyone close to her and of necessity, must be reclusive. This leads to a life of creating designer handbags in rural Montana.

I drove all over Montana and wrote several books from that research. I did not have Wilson then; he missed the experience. (I don’t know why he is a “he.” I guess there’s a pumpkin sex expert somewhere in the realm. If so, please comment.)

Wilson would have also liked my visits to Lake Michigan, the setting for Tempest's story, A STRANGER'S TOUCH, and April release. Tempest's gift, or her curse as she sees it, is in her hands. She’s also a sculptor. I identified closely with her because I am an artist. She must wear gloves to protect herself from psychically absorbing the history of an object, or something of the individual who held it. Marcus would like Tempest's naked hands on him, but he also wants her help in finding a cold-case killer. Lake Michigan ties into the danger any of these triplets face when near large bodies of water, a universal portal for psychic contact. And someone definitely wants to contact and kill her entire family. She's determined to find the agent relic that may protect her family.

Which leads us to Leona in October's FOR HER EYES ONLY, set in Lexington, KY, Bluegrass country. Leona is a precognitive and suspected to be the most fierce and strongest of the triplets. Leona’s story ends the story arc begun with AT THE EDGE.

Story arcs, each with individual romance and suspense, but with continuing, building threads toward the final conclusion, are not easy writing projects. Tension has to build, each story leading to the next.

Which brings me to the subject of Toes. In the photographs, they're all very individual with unique shapes and abilities, just like the contemporary triplets descended from then ancient Celtic seer (I use runes, rather than tarot) and Viking chieftain (love Vikings). But each toe leads to the next and has a function within the framework of the foot, just as chapters relate to the book as a whole.

With all of the books written, I think of how much I've enjoyed the journey for this departure from my usual. This trilogy "stretched" my skills, and every writer needs that. I am also reminded of how much of me and my family went into each book. (My sister and I suspect we are psychically linked, much as the triplets.) I think of how much intrinsic research each writer carries within them, all the makings of stories just ready to be tapped.

Wilson seems to have enjoyed the ride, too.

Kathleen says: My introduction comes at the end because Cait's obviously a woman who enjoys a good road trip, so I wanted her to jump right in and be her go-for-it self! Cait's been a good friend of mine for a very long time, so it's my special pleasure to announce that we're celebrating her first appearance on the New York Times extended bestseller list this month with A STRANGER'S TOUCH.

What do you really think about the paranormal or the supernatural? Have you had any experiences? Even second-hand from someone you trust? Do you believe any of it? Fear it? Wish you could exercise a power or two? In your fiction do you like scary, fairy, woo-woo, scary woo-woo, scary fairy, other world...what else? And what added elements--humor, gore, sex, mythology--what else? What works for you, what doesn't, and how does any of this relate to being human (which, at its heart, is what story-telling is all about)?

So who’s watching American Idol?

This topic has been noticeably missing from the convertible this year. I know, it’s no longer the phenomenon it once was but then neither is chocolate ice cream but that doesn’t mean we still don’t love it!

Are you watching this year? If so, what do you think? When the season started and they narrowed it down to the top 24 or so, I was thinking hands, down, little David Archuleta was going to walk away with the title. I mean, what is not to LOVE about this boy? I just want to bake him cookies or something. His humility just melts me. And that voice. He’s truly an amazing talent.

So, my vote has always been with David A, but now these others are starting to come into their own. David Cook. Can you believe that guy? He’s an amazing rocker. Carly’s voice is incredible. Sweet Jason’s eyes are to die for and Brooke White has that Carly Simon thing going for her that is at once nostalgic and refreshingly new.

Frankly, they’re all wonderful – I already miss Chikezie, and Michael and Ramiele. The Idol gives back show was touching and mobilizing. Who could resist giving to such a wonderful and worthy cause?

So tell me, out there in blogger land, are you over Idol? Or are you still loving it? Do you have a fav? Who do you think is going to leave this week? And have you ever voted? Details. Give me details.

A Little Spring Cleaning Website Style

Ooops. My day to blog and it was a crazy weekend. I spent most of it doing something I've put off for a long while - overhauling my website. I have the mousified sore right shoulder to prove it!

Not long after I sold my first book, I built my own website, and, while I have made additions and changes to it over the past year, the overall feel of the site had started looking dated to me.

I checked out a bunch of other author websites and the variety of sites out there is amazing. There's complicated, simple and everything in between. All kinds of cool stuff I didn't offer on my old site. So I bit the bullet and changed templates.

Of course, (this always seems to happen to me) the data on my old template didn't convert well to the news ones and none of my text and photos transferred automatically. I had to suck it up and either rebuild every page from scratch or import from my old website (which wasn't without it's own set of issues).

On a limited writing budget, it's hard to justify hiring someone to build, let alone maintain a website. I'm not sure there's enough of a payoff there, so, as a result, I'm managing alone for now. I know far more than I ever thought I'd know or ever wanted to know about HTML code and building websites.

I realize I should've asked all this before I spent all that work on my website. Too late now. But I'm still curious about how readers and other writers react to websites. The bottom line is I wonder if they're worth it.

For all the readers:
Do you go to writer's websites? How often? Does the way a website look, professional/unprofessional, have an impact on your perception of the writer's books? Do you expect frequent updates? How often? What are you most interested in reading about/looking at? Trailers? Photos? Info on upcoming releases? Research information?

For all the writers:
What things have you gotten responses to related to your websites? Have you set up emailing lists off your site and do you send out e-newletters? Do you do it yourself or hire out? Do you think there's been a payoff to having a website or is it simply a cost of doing business today?

I still have bugs to work out and issues between browsers, but if you're interested check it out:
http://www.helenbrenna.com/

Does Size Matter?

Lois Greiman

Huh! Fooled ya again with the hunky guy pic. I’m actually talking about family size. Because I’m really torn about this issue. On the one hand, I love big families. Wish I had a dozen kids and they were all just like the three I have. On the other hand, I saw the documentary, Planet Earth; the scientists on the program seemed to agree that the planet, our planet, should be sustaining less than a million people. We have 6 billion and growing. Houston…we got us a problem.

My brother Gary has nine kids, because of religious reasons, I believe. They live on a few hundred acres out in western North Dakota with a handful of horses, a herd of Angus, and a zillion of sheep. Gayle, my sister in law, bakes all of their bread, has a garden the size of a small county, and home schooled all the kids. One of Gary’s sons is a professional sheerer. Another is a shepherd…follows the flock around all day, beds it down at night. He travels with a gun, a horse and a dog. It’s almost biblical. All of their kids live close by…most of them, in fact, are still at home. And to tell you the truth, I’m kind of jealous. It makes some kind of inexplicable sense to me. It seems right and natural and cozy.


But my daughter, my third child (ever free-thinking and prone to opine) says that as much as she appreciates everything we’ve given her…“you know…life and all that,” she should have never been created. Three kids are too many. Two. Two’s what each couple gets. Two and no more. And that makes logical sense to me too. Environmental sense.

But what if it does take a village to raise a child? Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with a nice village. And what about siblings? Growing up, I absolutely adored my sisters. I still feel guilty about not giving my daughter at least one. I have three. A veritable feast of sisters. They have to listen to you when you whine, you know. Even if they’re grouchy or hungry or rushed. They share your DNA, they have to listen. The rest of the village might find better things to do when you’re in complain mode.

Anyway, I’ve been pondering this lately. What’s the answer to our swelling population? With shrinking resources, how long can our entrenched planet produce enough food? Should we try to come up with some method of encouraging people to limit the number of children they generate? Some kind of financial incentive given to those who comply, perhaps? And why do people with less education tend to have more kids? I never attended college. Doesn’t that mean I should have my own brood? I kind of want my own brood. Then again…a viable planet might be nice too.

How many is too many? And what do we do about it? Thoughts anyone?

www.loisgreiman.com

The winner of a copy of Demon's Fire is...

WolfPackGirl!

Please send your snail mail to Michele at: toastfaery @ gmail.com (no spaces) and she'll forward the info to Miss Holly.
Congrats!

Guest - EMMA HOLLY

Welcome Miss Holly into the convertible today! (Psst, but don't listen when she gives directions. I'm just sayin'...) Emma's latest release DEMON'S FIRE just blazed into bookstores. I've just started it, and what can I say but that it's hot, sexy, has an awesome, complex plot, and is an amazing sensory and sensual treat. Emma will give away a signed copy of DEMON'S FIRE to one lucky commenter, so ask her about her books, or hmm...those parts she mentions below. I'll stop gabbing now, and let Emma take control of the wheel.

Ah, manparts . . .

I started thinking about them--not that I need an excuse--when Michele informed me that abs on covers are Big.

Traditionally, men like to identify themselves as "breast men" or "leg men" or whatever their favorite female body part is. I admit to having fancied a nice, hard set of male abdominals since I first knew there was such a thing. Whoever invented the term "six-pack" caught my imagination immediately. I cannot, however, claim to be an "ab woman."

I like the whole package, you see.

When J.D. Robb talks about Roarke having the hands of a thief, I think, "oh, yummy." (See the cover of DEMON'S FIRE for my idea of sexy hands.) Well developed arms are lovely (not bulgy ones, just lean and hard). Strong legs are nice, and butts that don't disappear in a pair of jeans. The nape of a man's neck after he's had a haircut has been known to exert a strange pull on me. The primal appeal of broad shoulders can hardly be denied, or the furrow of a spine cutting through a muscular wedge of back. (Have you seen Jared Padalecki with his shirt off? That man's shoulder-to-hip ratio is what's "Supernatural.") Sometimes noses have character, and jaws, and interesting dents in chins. Even imperfections aren't without their charm. What could make a handsome man more accessible and endearing than ears that stick out? Of course, different traits become more appealing as the man who's attached to them grows on you. Voices, smiles, a certain twinkle in the eye . . .

Do you have a favorite manpart? Care to share? You know we'll enjoy being reminded how much we like them.

DEMON'S FIRE, the sequel to PRINCE OF ICE
Nothing could be harder than learning to love again . . .

visit www.emmaholly.com for excerpts, contests and news
Emma

[Stop by tomorrow for the winner's name.]

What I'm reading

When I'm writing a lot, I can't read romance/women's fiction. Too close to what I'm doing. I save them for a binge when I'm done.

So I read mysteries, mostly. And, to make my inner science geek happy, I really like those with a scientific bent. Forensic stuff, like Kathy Reichs, and books with a bit of science in them, Tess Gerritsen and the Lincoln/Child books.

But I'm still a historical fan, too. And THE MISTRESS OF THE ART OF DEATH by Ariana Franklin gave me the best of both worlds.

It's firmly a historical, set deeply and believably in the 1100s. The detail is rich, and Henry II is a strong character. But it's also a procedural; the heroine is an orphan, raised by two Jewish Doctors in Sicily. She's attended medical school and is, essentially, an early pathologist, a brilliant and unique character.

I'm reading the second one right now. (The Serpent's Tale) And it's great, too. Fair warning though: there's one of the grossest scenes I've ever read, so if CSI freaks you out, steer clear. In compensation, though, there's one of the most romantic lines I've read in a long time, too.

What are you reading? Anything particularly interesting?

Best
Susie

Stop by tomorrow to chat with Emma Holly about her latest release DEMON'S FIRE, and to discuss, ahem...man parts.

Infidelity. Le Trauma de jour.

Politicians and preachers, judges and gardeners, teachers and undertakers, plumbers and podiatrists, chefs and supermarket check-out clerks . . . it can and does happen to people at every level and circumstance of life. An anonymous phone call, a slip of the lip, a note on the windshield, unexplained charges on the Visa bill, or a pair of bikini underwear in your glove compartment (a la Crusie's book). . . and suddenly "cheating" is a factor in your otherwise happy life.

These days, it's called "infidelity," which sounds less sleazy. . . unless you're on the receiving end. Then, no amount of verbal-sleight-of-hand can cosmeticize the situation, or excuse, explain, or expunge the hurt. Infidelity means breaking a vow and jeopardizing the legal, societal, and moral contract that is marriage. It has legal ramifications, not to mention attendant emotional and financial complications. If economists could put a dollar figure to what it costs society in terms of legal fees, alimony and child support, health and mental health costs, and justice system costs. . . it would probably rival the national debt.

Interestingly, in this presidential election year, nobody has yet made stamping out infidelity a part of their political platform. Can't seem to get the politicians behind that one. Hmmmm.

According to a number of news sources, the recent revelations of "infidelity" in the State House of New York and the unsettling pictures of the governor making speeches with his wronged wife at his side, have set off a rash of talks between wives and husbands about extra-marital affairs and their consequences.

A surprising number of spouses have found themselves in agreement on the subject: infidelity is an irretrievable wrong, an unforgivable breach of trust. But an equal number have found themselves shocked to disagree. . . one partner believing it's unfortunate but understandable in this sex-drenched society and the other partner believing there is no excuse for seeking satisfaction outside of marriage.

Is it ever "just sex"? (Susie Law, you're so on the leading edge!)

I can't count the number of conversations I've had about watching Silda Spitzer stand there beside her free-spending, pro-loving husband, listening to him apologize to the voters and defend his "accomplishments" in government. . . hearing him say he needed to "heal myself and heal my family". . . putting himself first even when talking about who needs healing. I have yet to meet a woman who says she would stand by her husband as he apologized for his ten year habit of buying expensive prostitutes.

I remember a number of similar conversations when Bill Clinton got caught in his sex scandal in the White House. I don't recall Hilary standing beside him as he made his mea culpas, but she certainly did appear with him and their daughter immediately afterward, as they left for Camp David. A lot of women then said that in her place, they would probably feel they had to put a good face on it and try to work things out for the good of the country. But that after they left the White House, it would be splitsville. We all wondered if their marriage would survive a year after they left Washington for New York. Clearly, it did. Just goes to show, you never really know what goes on inside a marriage.

Do you think there is a difference in these scandals? One toyed with young, vulnerable interns, the other just flat-out paid some pros. Or is it the commercial angle-- paying extravagant sums for sex with no illusions of romance-- that makes so many women (me included) come down hard on this Spitzer guy? Or is it the fact that he had claimed the moral high ground in politics and had self-righteously prosecuted/pursued others while living his own dirty little lie?

And while we were watching the happenings in New York, some guys still weren't getting the message to watch their P's and Q's (especially where they put their P's!). . . because Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow's husband was caught in a police sting after having paid $150 for sex with a prostitute. A bit of a twist on the usual. . . the wife the politico and the hubby the errant spouse. Can't help wondering if that marriage will hang together after such a public wound.

A lot of people shrug and say it's no big deal-- a person's private missteps shouldn't disqualify him or her for public office. Especially when it comes to sex. Others say we have to take such behavior into account: a person who betrays the trust of his/her spouse and family surely can't be counted on to keep the public's trust. Is that naive in today's world?

Europeans think we Americans are ridiculously immature about this. Mistresses and affairs and semi-public dalliances have been the unwritten rule there for a couple of thousand years. To many Europeans, even today, marriage is a legal/social commitment that can be honored and upheld apart from the requirement of sexual fidelity. Is this the trend of our future, too?

And of course, there are those who point out that there have been infidelities in the White House before. . . Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson. . . it was just that we didn't KNOW about them at the time. Are we just getting too much information, here?

So what do you think? Is monogamy too much to ask in this "enlightened" age? Are we Americans hopelessly naive to expect decency and morality of our political figures? More importantly, do you think it's possible for a couple to truly put an infidelity behind them and have a loving marriage afterward? If you were Mrs. Spitzer, would you have stood by your man?