WINNER !! (Marilee Brothers)

Hey, folks! We can now post the winning posters from the Marilee Brothers guest blog.

MINNA and TRAVELER

First come first serve on the two books offered!

Email Debra at: BelleBooks AT BelleBooks DOT com

Wordle

Just a fun post today.  I just discovered Wordle.  Do you know about this site?  You can enter the URL for your blog or website and it makes a really neat bit of art using the frequently used words from that site.  I plugged in the URL for Riding and got this:  (Couldn't figure how to make image on this page bigger, but if you click on it, it takes you to the large image, and then you're at the site, so you can try with your own URL.)  Once you type in your URL and get a design, try the randomize button, and then adjust fonts and colors, and...well, it's fun!  If you have a color printer, you could print up a neat design for your office.

Emmy Fashions

Okay, I'll admit that I didn't watch the Emmys. But I did get online afterwards to see what people wore :) since that's always the highlight for me. Which of these are your favorites?

30s Rock Katrina Bowden wore a teal Christian Siriano (Project Runway alum). Love the color on her, but not as big a fan of the design.

Another 30s Rock actress is shown below. Jane Krakowski wore Versace. This dress got lots of glowing comments from the fashion critics but still isn't quite as glamorous as some as the others, in my opinion. (This coming from a woman who spends most of her time off in sweats and shorts!)




If I were in the habit of spending thousands of dollars on long dresses, LOL, I'd be following Grey's Anatomy's Sandra Oh around to see where she shops. She always looks so elegant at these events, and this year was no different. The beaded dress was Marchesa. (And I have to admit, other than Versace the names of these designers mean nothing to me!)

Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter also rocked in the black beaded / nude Zuhair Murad. I'll have to check and see if she won anything. I love her in that show.




I'm not familiar with Rose Byrne or her show Damages, but the sparkling nude Valentino (yay I recognize another designer's name, LOL) has a really stunning hemline.





In my next life, I want to look like Kate Walsh, of

Private Practice. I think she's stunning. And she certainly looked it her strapless J Mendel dress the other night.

And for all you Madmen fans out there (sorry,
tried to watch it. Don't get it.) here's January Jones wearing Versace and doing the designer proud in a mint green corseted dress. The picture at the right doesn't do it justice. It's really fabulous!

At left, Olivia Wilde of House obviously embraces the 'show skin to win' philosophy and looks pretty amazing doing it. Something tells me that if she dressed like this at the hospital, House would be a little nicer to her.

So do you have any favorites on the page? Others that I didn't include? Does it sound like fun to be able to be glamorous once in a while ? Or are you cursed with my (Catholic) guilt that has me wondering how many starving children in Africa could be fed with the cost of just one dress like this, LOL?

Which one makes you smile?

Hi all--

No one was scheduled for today so thought I'd lift a funny post from Marie Ferrarrella over on the SRS blog to share with you all. Hopefully at least one of these will make you smile!

Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light!

1. My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't.
2. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
3. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.
4. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
5. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

Any woman can have the body of a 21 year old—as long as she buys him a few drinks first.

6. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.
7. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
8. Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.

Getting older is like visiting an all-you-can-eat buffet. What should be hot is cold, what should be firm is limp and the buns are the bigger than anything else on the menu.

9. I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.
10. Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.

I’m starting to wonder how bad four years with no president would be.

11. NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine.
12. God must love stupid people; He made so many.
13. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
14. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.
15. Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

It’s scary when you start to make the same noises as your coffeemaker.

16. Being 'over the hill' is much better than being under it!
17. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up.
18. Procrastinate Now!

Men are always whining about how we’re suffocating them. Personally, I think if you can hear them whining, you’re not pressing hard enough on the pillow!

19. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?
20. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
21. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.
22.Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!
23.They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.
24. He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.

I keep hitting “escape” on my computer, but I’m still here.
25. A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.

Ever get the feeling that your stuff strutted off without you?
26. Ham and eggs...A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
27. The trouble with life is there's no background music. Ever notice how people who tell you to calm down are the ones who got you mad in the first place?
28. The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.

29. I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on.

Any of these resonate with you? Or do you have a better one to start off the week with? If so, please share!

"Ah, Wilderness!" Kathleen sighed.

This week we've talked about Lois's trip to the Black Hills and the TV shows Cindy's looking forward to this fall, so I thought I'd continue with a look forward to a PBS series that begins on Sunday, some thoughts on the Black Hills (setting of many of my books), and a little family vacation nostalgia.

I just watched Colbert's interview with Ken Burns--two of my favorite people to spend TV time with--and set aside the next 6 Sundays on my calendar for Ken Burns's "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." (With "Mad Men" that'll be 3 hours straight tube time. Hmm.)

Here's what Tim Goodman says in the San Francisco Chronicle:

In "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" [Burns] once again teams with author and historian Dayton Duncan to get at the nature of how a country, in the midst of a land grab and increasing development and all kinds of political ambition, was able to step back, see the beauty in various spots across the country, and devise a plan to set those areas aside for future generations."

I love American history, and I love the way Ken Burns tells a story, so I know I'm going to enjoy this. I agree from the get-go with the premise. Had good ol' TR not "bullied" lawmakers to set aside some of the most beautiful places on the continent as public land, most of those place would have been destroyed. We take the parks for granted now, but this was a radical idea at the beginning of the 20th century. We'd been operating under the notion that land, like everything else, is there for the taking. The king or first flag (backed up by the biggest army) or the highest bidder got the goods. But a visit to the Black Hills gives us an idea of what would have happened to all these places without the National Park system. You've got the Black Hills National Forest, which is beautiful (with the exception of a few over-sized monuments, but that's just my aesthetic) and then you've got the
land of a hundred tourist traps and a thousand billboards. Yes, we've taken lots of family vacations there, and the kids loved panning for gold, but, really, way to ruin God's Country, folks. The contrast between national park land and the rest of the Black Hills is pretty astounding.

There are some privately owned places in the West that are protected and preserved by their owners. Lois blogged about the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, which inspired two of my books and counting. And Robert Redford has devoted his fortune to preserving a good chunk of the Rocky Mountains. But those places don't belong to the American people. The national parks do.

Hasn't everyone tucked away a trove of memories and photos from these places, from our own childhood and with our children? Here's one of mine: first family camping memory. I must have been five or six, and we had just moved to Idaho. We were camping beside one of those gorgeous mountain streams, and Daddy was fly fishing. He was used to fishing in the Potomac, but he was really getting into this casting thing. My little brother and I were playing on a big fallen log when we heard Daddy yell, "Duck!" Pretty sure it was duck. I dove for cover. Hadn't seen a bear yet, but I knew the mountains were full of them. Turned out Daddy had caught something on his hook. His nose. I remember watching Mama fuss over it--the thing had gone all the way through--until she cut the barb off and worked it back through. Then Daddy soldiered on--Clyde would've cowboyed up--with a new hook. And we had rainbow trout for supper.

Ah, Wilderness. Yep, I can do 12 hours with Ken Burns.

Family wilderness treks, anyone? Do you like to rough it, or are you strictly a hotel with all the amenities vacationer? How about when you were a kid? Did you explore the Mickey-less parks?

P.S. The first montage photo is from the PBS website. The other three are from the Black Hills area.

FEEL THE HEAT WINNER

Congratulations Ann Dougherty!! You're the winner of FEEL THE HEAT from Cindy's Sept 24th blog.
Please contact cindy at: www.cindygerard.com with your mailing information.

Happyville – My FAV TV shows are back!

Once upon a time there was no such thing as good TV. Now, it seems we are blessed with a treasure trove of great shows that should accommodate every taste, passion and appetite.

While I love to go to movies, the trouble is I just don't manage to find the time to go see them so, the next best thing is TV. The cable summer line up was fantastic. I started watching new programs like Hung and True Blood, Deep Blue and my standby favorites, Rescue Me, The Closer, Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, and Saving Grace. God love the inventor of the DVR because often I have several hours of shows taped and I watch them AFTER I’ve shut down writing for the day. I hated to see the season finale’s of those programs. Oh yeah, there were a few great fill ins that started and ended – like Project Runway and Design Star but it felt like my good buddies were moving out of town and hated it.

But THEN …. Oh Joy! The new fall shows started in earnest this week. Yeah, baby! My winter buddies are back! Bones, Castle, Dancing with the Stars, Criminal Minds to name a few and last night my all time hands down favorite NCIS started off with a bang! If you’ve never watched NCIS, oh, boy, I just feel sorry for you :o) Mark Harmon alone as Special Agent Leroy Gibbs is worth the time but when you add Michael Weatherly as the sexy and irreverent special agent Tony DiNozzo and Cote de Palo as an Israeli Mossad agent in the form of the mysterious and beautiful kickass Ziva David – well, you have an OMG dream team. And the rest of the cast is great too! Remember David McCallum from Man from U.N.C.L.E? Well he rocks as Dr. ‘ducky’ Mallard, the chief medical examiner assigned to the team. Add the quirky Pauly Perrette as the forensics specialist and Shaun Murray who is fast coming into his own as the straight-laced computer nerd Special Agent on the team and it’s a recipe for great drama with just the right amount of humor and romance thrown into the mix.

The things I love about NCIS are the same things I love in a good book. The originality of the story lines, the complexities of the characters and the dovetailing of action and romance that sizzles beneath the surface between DiNozzo and Ziva. Truth be told, DiNozzo was the inspiration for my Black Ops Inc. alpha man/boy, Johnny Duane Reed, the hero from WHISPER NO LIES. Like Johnny, DiNozzo is all smart mouth, macho ego and little boy ornery on the surface but what he doesn’t want people to see, yet is apparent to anyone who watches the show, is that he’s intelligent, has the courage of a lion and the heart of a romantic. Big sigh. I think I just officially admitted to a huge crush :o)

So, besides wondering what TV shows you're looking forward to start up again, I’m also wondering what draws you, specifically, to those shows or to a good book or a particular author. It takes a lot of parts to make up the sum total of something special. What is it, in your opinion, that pushes a TV show or a movie or a book to that ‘something special’ level? There’s a copy of FEEL THE HEAT, my October release, (that’s right – win it before you can buy it!) in it for one lucky commenter.

GUEST - MARILEE BROTHERS

Help me welcome Marilee Brothers, a fabulous writer in both adult and YA fiction! How do I know? (You mean besides publishing her first YA novel?) Take a look at what the major trades are saying about her newest book THE ROCK AND ROLL QUEEN OF BEDLAM...

From Publishers Weekly: "Readers will want to see more of this dynamic teacher/teen crime-solving duo."

From Booklist: "At turns funny, suspenseful, and touching, this novel of romantic suspense will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers."

One lucky commentor is going to get a copy of the book.

Welcome, Marilee!

-------------------------------------------

My schizoid life as a writer in two genres would likely make a normal person crazy. Sixteen-year-old Allie Emerson is the main character in the young adult series (Moonstone, Moon Rise) I write for Bell Bridge Books. Allegra Thome is the teacher protagonist in The Rock and Roll Queen of Bedlam, an adult mystery to be published by Medallion Press in October. True, I’ve been on both sides of the desk, most recently as a teacher. But, it seems like only yesterday I was on the other side, gazing at the teacher with what I hoped was a look of rapt attention, while busily checking out the cute guy two rows over. Consequently, I find it easy, even beneficial, to head hop back and forth between the two.

To further complicate matters, you may have noticed both my ladies have names that start with “A.” What was I thinking? Is my brain not already suffering from information overload, not to mention swirling madly with half-baked ideas for new books and plot twists yet to be written? Did I set out to complicate my life even more? Um, no. Apparently I just love the letter “A” because it was completely unplanned, like many things in my life including three children. Yikes, that sounded bad. Rest assured, I’m not sorry I had them! My theory, though slightly flawed, was - if you wait until the right time to have babies, you never will.

Oh yes, there’s a third leg on my stool. I started out as a writer of medieval romance. You gotta love hunky guys with big swords! Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to castles, knights and feisty maidens with magic crystals when I became committed to writing my other books. There is a limit to how much my brain can handle. And, no, my heroine’s name did not start with an “A.”

I have developed a method that makes writing two different genres a tad simpler. Both Allie and Allegra live in the same imaginary region of Central Washington state which happens to be my stompin’ grounds. Yakima Valley became Vista Valley. Parker and Parker Heights became Peacock Flats and Peacock Heights, an area I drove by each day when I commuted to my job as a counselor for behavior-disordered teens. Therefore, I’m able to use the same fake names in both books along with some real ones like: Cascade Mountains, Columbia River, Space Needle, Snoqualmie Pass and Lake Keechelus. Will Allie ever meet Allegra? Who knows, it could happen.

What about you? Have you figured out ways to deal with the complexities in your life? Does it involve a bottle of wine? A chick flick? A long soak in the tub? If you care to comment, there could be a book in your future, one starring a hunky knight with a big sword and a feisty maiden with a magic crystal whose name does not start with an “A.”

Questions? I've got the answers!

So - filling in a little white space here to let you all know that I'm the featured author at Romantic Time's until October 4th on their Ask The Author forum. Great timing, huh, since FEEL THE HEAT comes out this coming Tuesday, Sept 29.


So please stop by and ask me a question. Or two. Just don't ask my age. Or my weight. Or possibly what I sleep in or if I really believe that moon is made of green cheese. You know. Deep and provocative questions like that. :o)

Romantic Times Ask the Author

So Don't Read My F***ing Blog!

Ready for some controversy this fine Monday morning?

This may seem like a topic geared more toward the writers amongst our readers, but I’m curious about what everyone has to say, readers as well as writers, both published and yet-to-be-published.

There’s been a lot of buzz on some writer loops about an article screenwriter Josh Olson (The History of Violence) wrote for the Village Voice about strangers/acquaintances asking published authors/working screenwriters to read their writing. You don’t have to read the article to get the drift of his opinion. The title pretty much speaks for itself. He’s not going to read your script. A follow up article was written by David Gerrold, another screenwriter, a few days later.

While I agree with both articles, I probably would’ve found a more tactful way to express my opinion. I guess it shows how frustrated Mr. Olson was over the situation he described. As my dad says, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

What I find amazing about this issue is the range of opinions on a subject that seems so clear cut to me. Normally I wouldn't step out there on this kind of a topic, but people have written some of the nastiest comments I’ve ever read on the Internet and it bothers me.

Last time I checked, none of us had a right to expect another person to help us with anything, especially someone we don’t or hardly know. Suppose a person does ask. Is he/she at all justified in getting angry at being turned down? That justification would imply that we are somehow entitled to another person’s time, energy or expertise. Are we entitled?

Let’s say I see Gerard Butler (hehehe) sitting quietly on a bench in Central Park. I ask him for his autograph and he politely explains he prefers to be left alone. (I saw a YouTube video of some folks running into him for real in Central Park and he spent a long while not only signing autographs, but also visiting with them and posing for pictures. Of course, I’m insanely jealous and have been wanting to go to NYC and hang out in Central Park ever since then, but that’s beside the point.) Do I have a right to expect Gerry to spend time with me? And if he refuses, is it okay to think he’s a jerk? Does the fact that he’s an actor somehow make him public property?

Let’s say you’re a writer and someone you either don’t know at all or know casually asks you to read something they’ve written. What then? Are published writers public property?

I’ve been asked to read things a couple of times by people I have just met, never met, or know casually. Although I wasn't the slightest offended by the question (I might have been if they'd gotten upset) I’ve said no every time. And while I sincerely hope I’ve not hurt anyone’s feeling, the crazy thing is that I’ve think I’ve done them a favor. For a lot of reasons.

I am not a cheerleader. And I don’t mean that in a snarky way. I really do not have a positive, look-on-the-bright-side personality. If I try to blow sunshine up anyone’s *** it’ll be immediately apparent. You’ll bum out. I’ll bum out for bumming you out, and no one will be happy.

A critique worth getting is very likely a critique that took a lot of time away from the work that earns a writer his/her living (assuming he/she doesn’t have to work another job just to pay the bills). Every writer who offers a critique – as long as it’s a person with a conscience – understands how difficult criticism can be and will try to do his/her best to frame things properly. And that’s extremely time-consuming and emotional business. I’ve donated a couple critiques to my local RWA chapter and have not only sweated over what to say and how to say it, I’ve lost sleep over those critiques, and I'm not sure my advice is worth precious sleep.

Simply because I’m published does not necessarily mean I know anything more than you do about writing and getting published. I know lots of wonderful writers who are not published. A contract does not make me an expert. I get rejected, too. And edited. A lot!

Having a published author read and critique your work might be helpful, but it is no substitute for hard work. The best thing you can do for yourself and your writing is to join a critique group and learn the craft. There’s no easy route to publication. But you will learn how to edit your own work by critiquing the works of others.

Published writers are not harboring any secrets. I’ve never met a published author who was not willing to share her knowledge with others. Through the proper channels. Workshops, Q and A sessions at conferences or local events. Even emails work, if the expectations aren’t too high.

Bottom line? I can not sell your work for you. And neither can any other published author I know. I can not get you a contract/editor. I can not get you an agent. My agent and editor make up their own minds. I have no influence over them. They might be a little more polite in their rejection of your work, but it you’re going to get a rejection you’ll get one whether you are my best friend, my sister, or my mom. And if you’re going to get an offer, knowing me won’t make a difference. I’m a nobody. (So is Josh Olson, in the scheme of things.) I’m not even sure Nora Roberts could coerce an editor to buy someone.

This is not to say that a referral from a published author means nothing. I once had a published author, who I didn’t know from Adam, read my work in the Georgia Romance Writer’s Maggie contest for unpublished authors. She enjoyed my story enough that she sent it to her agent, a biggie in the industry. Later, her agent called me and spent a good half an hour on the phone with me, but the end result was the same. She very politely told me that while she enjoyed my writing, she could not represent me. She didn’t think the story would sell.

The only thing that experience did for me was tell me I was getting closer. But I didn’t ask for it. My work did the asking for me.

If you think a published author’s input is going to do you some good, given where you are in your writing career, then there are a couple things you can do. Enter contests that feature published authors as judges. Buy critiques from published authors through your local chapter’s fund raising efforts, through contests writers offer themselves, or through auctions like Brenda Novak’s annual diabetes fundraiser. There’s one going on right now to benefit Janice Reams Hudson a past RWA president. Our own Cindy Gerard has donated a critique plus. The opportunities are out there. I swear.

For various reasons this topic brings out intensely emotional and quite varied opinions. Writing is an intensely personal experience. We’re putting a piece of ourselves out there and to have someone reject it, either by refusing to read it or saying it sucks, hurts. It can’t not feel personal because our writing is so personal.

Getting published – hell, these days getting read—is so damned difficult. But, honestly—and this is going to sound harsh—if you can’t handle the heat, get the hell out of the kitchen.

I used to envy those writers who sold the first book they ever wrote. After being in this business for only a few years, I don’t envy those first timers anymore. Selling that first book is a big hurdle, but the road to making this a career is a rough and rocky road and the more ready you are for that journey, the better your chances of survival.

So what do you think about this issue? Josh Olson’s article? Gerry in Central Park?

And if you're interested in a thought-provoking counter-point to my post check out Franzine Kafka's blog. She sheds light on this topic from the perspective of someone who's been trying to make a go at a writing career in Hollywood. And we thought we had it bad in the world of book publishing!

Just for Fun!

Check out the kid vs marshmallow experiment on youtube!

What's Your Passion?

Passion. As authors we often have it in spades. Whether it’s about politics, quilting, or organic foods, there is generally something we feel strongly about. And it’s always interesting to learn of others' passions, whether similar or wildly different.

For instance, I spent last week in the Black Hills of South Dakota, one of my favorite places in the world. My husband and I hauled a couple of our horses nearly 600 miles so we could explore the Hills from our saddles.

While we were there I was charged by a buffalo, took 154 pictures of wildlife (antelope, wild burros, bison, etc.) and marveled at the inky night sky. Did you know there is still a Milky Way?

But I digress. What I want to talk about is the Wild Horse Sanctuary near Hot Springs. http://www.wildmustangs.com/

I had never been there before, but had heard the story of a man named Dayton Hyde. He had a dream, a passion, if you will, for all things wild and for horses in particular. He had visited the Bureau of Land Management and seen how they were treating the mustangs that were in their care. Basically the animals lived in a feed lot and were getting just enough fodder for them to subsist on. They looked, he said, “depressed.” Moved to make a better life for them, he worked out a deal with the governor. If Dayton could find a space for them and find sponsorships, the government would pay $1 a horse per day for him to care for the animals. So, after a fairly extensive search, he bought some land in South Dakota. In fact, he bought 13,000 acres. Just so you don’t have to do the math, that’s more than 16 square miles…a veritable equine paradise of rugged, rocky, gorgeous country. Most of which is dedicated to the Spanish Mustang, the horse directly descended from the mounts brought here by the Conquistadors back in the 15th century.

You see, although the horse first originated in North America 48 million years ago (when they were about the size of a dog) the species became extinct here after they crossed the ice bridge into Asia. But when the Conquistadors came to this continent they brought their horses with them. Horses that had been bred to be hardy and aggressive in battle, horses with zebra striping on their legs. (You’ll see them if you look closely at some of the pictures.) Horses with attitude and intellect and natural camouflage. Some of those horses escaped and formed herds that lived, mostly undisturbed, for the past few hundreds of years. These are the horses Dayton Hyde felt compelled to save.

Perhaps Mr. Hyde is a very wealthy man. (He IS the author of 17 books, after all, and everyone knows all authors are rich.) I’m not sure what his circumstances were. But even at the age of 84, he is obviously one of those people who knows how to get things done…how to make things happen. He has a passion for horses, for the environment, for justice and lives right there on the property. As for the 600 horses he cares for, they‘re supported by donations, tours and the sale of foals. Me, I’m not brave enough to ‘take home a living piece of the west’ as they call it. But it was a thrill to be allowed to view a little bit of living history.

So, passion, most of us have a cause we feel strongly about. Something that twangs our heart strings What’s yours?

www.loisgreiman.com

Critters and Such

I have a feeling you all may be a little tired of me promoting yet another book here at the blog. It's really odd that I have three releases this month. But it's also cool! How often does something like that happen? As a writer I just have to smile and enjoy the month. And try to devote equal promotion time to each of my babies.

So have any of you noticed the book cover for CRITTERS OF MOSSY CREEK and wondered, "What the heck is Hauf doing writing for something like that? I thought she did scary critters that suck your blood?"

I know, I wondered the same thing, too. But when offered the chance to write a short story for the Critters anthology, I jumped. I'm not all about the dark and brooding, you know. I like to do fun stuff too.

The Mossy Creek series of books is an amazing adventure into a little town in Georgia that's populated with an eclectic cast of characters. As a new writer to the series, I read through all six previous books, and was asked to pick one character to write a story about. It was fun getting to know the townfolk of Mossy Creek, and I ultimately decided to go with a lesser-written-about character who is a college girl on spring break. And of course all the stories are about pets, so cats it was. (I used my daughter's cat as the star of the story. At the time I was writing this, that darn cat was a young, un-neutered male who liked to jump out at people and cling to their legs—with SHARP claws. His name is Butters, but I changed it in the story to protect the not-so-innocent. Yes, that's him to the left, looking appropriately smug because he thinks he's the star of the book, or something.)

So I don't want to gab too much about the story, because I want Deb to step in and tell a little more about how Mossy Creek came about and her story in the anthology as well. But if you're looking for a fun, touching, heart-warming read, I highly recommend any and all the books in the Mossy Creek series!

Hello! Deb here! How did Mossy Creek come to be? I think we were young and stupid and had no idea how hard it would be to coordinate a "collective novel" series. The devil is in the details, not the broad strokes! A core of writers works on the series. Character arcs and storylines continue from book to book. And occasionally we reach out to another "voice" we think might be fun for the readers.

Who are some of the New York Times bestselling and award winning authors who've taken a turn in Mossy Creek? Patti Callahan Henry, Karen White, Sharon Sala/Dinah McCall, Sabrina Jeffries, and Deborah Smith and... See? We love bringing people into our world. In CRITTERS OF MOSSY CREEK, we're debuting a couple of first timers and some old hands in publishing. Carolyn McSparren (SuperRomance) has a couple of stories and one of them is the prequel to her new Mossy Creek mystery series-- CART BEFORE THE CORPSE (10/09).

Oh, and before I close, I guess I should confess that there is not a pet in my story. My character has a parakeet, who was so graciously given to my character by Anne Bishop-- without my permission. (back in SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK) I was sobbing my eyes out at the end of her story and pretty much had no choice but to accept Tweedle. My character had also been involved in a story about a foundling dog. So, I pulled a diva and decided no pet focus in my story. No pets. No animals in the plot. Unless you count a cougar. My police chief and the mayor (a sexy older woman) are getting ever closer to sealing the deal. Followers of the Amos & Ida relationship should be pleased with this installment. And hopefully you'll laugh out loud too.

And since we've been on a bit of a pet streak here at Riding, let's talk dream pets. If you could have any kind of pet in the world, say a fancy breed that had been rescued from a shelter or some kind of colorful bird or lizard, what would it be?

Michele

DEBRA - 5 things that rock

#1 We recently had to change our newsletter. "Our guy" was no longer in the business so we had to scramble to find a new way to do things. And I love the new system. Check out our newsletter and you can even sign-up to receive it. You'll find a link at the bottom.

#2 I loves me some Skippyjon Jones. These books are about a Siamese kitten who thinks he's a chihuahua. These take concentration to read. Be prepared to sling Spanish and English and laugh out loud. And by the way, the sand in Egypt is kitty litter. See picture at the right.

#3 I'm overjoyed that CRITTERS OF MOSSY CREEK is now out so fans can stop beating me up or making me feel guilt with sad, sad letters of heartbroken waiting. Michele is going to post some about that on her day.

#4 One of my quilts recently won a ribbon in a show. Small show. 1st place in its class. Didn't win the category or the show, but hey, I wasn't sure it'd win anything so, woohoo! Here's a pic with my hubby trying to hold it up straight and a little detail of the center.

#5 Patrick Rothfuss - THE NAME OF THE WIND
I'm not so jazzed to still be waiting for # 2 to be published, but his blog is a right treat. And I've thought about this book for months now. I linked to his reviews. Just take a gander at the high and mighty (trades and authors) who agree with me.

Got something you'd like to get off your chest? Come on. You know you've been dying to tell us about the "last best thing" you've found.

Fostering a Love of Reading

Research shows that one of the biggest influences on children's reading success is their parents having read to them. This was always my favorite part of my kids' bedtime routine. Although they took turns getting to pick out the bedtime book, I had my favorites, too.

My favorite class in college was Children's Literature, famously nicknamed Kiddie Lit. Maybe it was because I had two very young children of my own by that time (yes, I graduated alpha-beta-baby ). But assignments that involved combing through books and evaluating them made it a dream class. I discovered authors who became favorites for my kids. And then there were other books that they demanded whose charm has forever been lost on me. Some of the books were requested by my sons when there own children were born because of their fond memories of the stories.

Mercer Mayer was one of my first discoveries. I loved the charming little monster critters he illustrated his books with. I can't begin to count how many of his books my children had but I certainly tried to get them all. My favorite was Professor Wormbog in Search of the Zipperumpazoo. The professor has every beast from A to Y but alas, no beast for Z. Because the zipperumpazoo had never been caught. My oldest son loved the picture where the bathtub is overflowing at the end and the disappointed professor falls asleep, dejected by his failure, while all the little zipperumpazoos dance around his house.

All of my kids loved The Monster at the End of This Book, starring Grover of Sesame Street. We had the oversized board book but I haven't been able to find a big one for the grandchildren. Grover doesn't realize he's a monster and he's so afraid of monsters that he goes to great lengths to not get to the end of the book. Finally, as the kids keep turning pages Grover discovers that 'he' is the monster at the end of the book. This was always a big favorite at bedtime.

Dogs. Big Dogs. Little Dogs. Black and white dogs. I think I'll be able to recite Dr. Seuss's Go, Dog, Go to the end of my days. No use describing the plot. There isn't one, other than dogs driving around in cars and ending up at a big dog party. But the children loved it. It's also in each of my grandson's libraries.

For whatever bizarre reason, my third oldest son was fond of Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? I will be forever convinced that that he merely liked to hear me run through the different sounds, including the dibble-dibble-dop-dop in the 'story'.

I've re-discovered my love for children's literature with the births of my grandsons. For a pre-birth gift I always present them with a good start to a library. There are some darling books out these days! And like their fathers, the grandsons have favorites.

Rylan likes the Bear stories by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman. Bear and his forest friends star in several books, including Bear Stays Up for Christmas, Bear Feels Sick and Bear Wants More. The illustrations are gorgeous and the text is a treat for the reader, as well as the child. That's important when mom or gamma is reading at bedtime!

Kasen's favorites are the If You Give...books by Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond. I'm trying to keep track of which ones he has, so I can complete the set for Christmas.
They all have the same pattern: If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want a... Or if you give a pig a pancake, he's going to want a... The stories detail the animal's demands as they get more and more outlandish. There are several in the series now and each is as cute as the next.

Keaden's favorite these days is Llama, Llama, Mad at Mama.
Look at the expression on the baby llama's face! The illustrations are a hoot. The text rhymes, as baby llama goes to the shoparama with mama llama and gets progressively angrier when they stay too long. Anne Dewdney is the author, and there are a couple more books in the series. Of course, he's equally fond of the board book Moo, Baa and La-la-la. Which only goes to show that seventeen month olds don't require plots with their night time reading!

When the three youngest were in grades four and six, I read them the Judy Blume Fudge books, Twain's Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird. And it was always a tradition in the house to read T'was the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. The oldest ones would scoff when they were in high school. But I'd still find them lingering in the hallway outside the twins' bedroom while I was reading it.

These days we continue the tradition with the grandchildren. I can only hope that my love of books can be passed down through the generations.

Do you still recall your favorite books from your childhood? Do your kids/grandkids have new favorites? Which books did you 'graduate' to when you started reading on your own?

Kathleen Adopts

Cisco was my loyal companion, my confidante, my writing buddy, my dear friend. He joined our family as a puppy, and we got him mainly for our daughter, who suffered with migraines. She says Cisco was her salvation. Australian shepherds are active, smart, protective, and devoted to their people. Cisco wasn't perfect--didn't do well with young children, had a mind of his own off leash--but he loved me unconditionally, and it broke my heart when we had to put him down at the age of 13. I love dogs, but I wasn't sure I wanted another one.

Several years ago I wrote a novella called Waiting For Mom that featured a heroine who ran a pet adoption program. I got the lowdown from friend and fellow writer Connie Brockway about being a foster mom for dogs. What a terrific program.

Another friend--my daughter's sister-in-law--has been fostering dogs, too, taking the time to work with her charges in whatever discipline they're lacking. When the grandkids started

wishing for a puppy, I could feel my resistance dissolving, especially when they got Grandpa on their side.

But we agreed, no puppies. Been there, done that, got the chewed furniture. When I was a teenager, I used to say I was going to adopt rather than have babies. So many children, not enough homes. "We'll see," said Mama. And she did, of course. Three childbirths. She knew me.

Well, here's Beauty. I started cautiously peeking at the local pet adoption web sites, and when I saw her picture, something clicked. I told my daughter (who says she's having dogs rather than children, and she means it) about her, and she contacted the foster mom. Before I knew it, Elizabeth and I were headed for a Petco adoption event. It was meant to be. It's been only been about a month, but she's family. We bonded immediately. Brought her home the same day, but we had 2 weeks trial period to make sure we were right for each other. The kids named her Black Beauty.

She's about a year old, and she's amazing. Gorgeous--silken coat glistens like a raven's wing. Knows all the basic commands, perfectly house trained, great on and off leash, plays ball, loves kids, shadows me, walks me, listens to me--what a joy!

The agency we used is Homeward Bound of Minnesota. Just look at all those dogs. (There's a cat page, too.) Each one is

described in detail. You have to fill out an application, and you do pay for the dog, but it's a donation to the program, which is non-profit. The dog is neutered and completely vetted--vaccinated and treated with all the usual preventive stuff. Many of the animals have had more extensive medical care, and that figures into the cost of the animal. We were told that there's an over-abundance of Labs in our part of the country and that black dogs are the ones who often end up getting put down in the pounds or kill shelters. (Homeward Bound is no-kill.) Beauty is mainly Lab, but the consensus is that she has a touch of Dobie in her.

Here's the greeting she got from the youngest grand at the end of her first day of kindergarten. She was thrilled to find Beauty waiting for the bus. And Beauty was thrilled to have her kids back home. Thrilled to have a home.

She was a stray. Homeward Bound rescued her from the pound. She's so we behaved, we know she didn't run away. And she's so well trained, we can't imagine anyone letting her go. But there's been a run on shelter space with the downturn in the economy, and there are some wonderful animals waiting for homes. We're glad Beauty found ours.

And see, Mama. I did adopt!

Time for more pet talk. Any other adoptive pet parents riding with us? Tell us about it. I'd love to answer any questions about our experience with pet adoption. And thank you, Cindy, for pointing us to The Animal Rescue website this morning. Click this link and then click the purple button to make a no-cost donation of food to a shelter.

What a GREAT line!

Just for fun, the authors on one of the loops I'm on has been posting the first lines from their first books. It's been fun. Got me thinking about iconic lines from other books and commercials (Where's the beef?) and movies. And that got me surfing around the net for movie lines. I ran across some really fun ones that brought back memories and made me grin.

So, I thought we'd have a little fun here today. Below I've listed 23 of my favorites. Check them out and see if any of your favs are on the list. If not, tell us your best remembered line - be it from a book or a movie.

"I've always thought a good lashing with a buggy whip would benefit you immensely. "

Now, just to make this a little more interesting, I've left off the title of the movie, who said it and the year of released. Want to see if you can remember? Care to guess? For those of you who don't like suspense, scroll down to the bottom of the list for a repeat complete with details. Have fun! Oh - and if you ARE guessing what movies these lines are fun, I'd be interested to know how many of them you got right. Nothing like a little early morning competition :o)

1 ) "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me."

2) "Hey, don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love."

3) "He won't come after me. He won't. I can't explain it. He would consider that...rude."

4) "Kid, the next time I say, 'Let's go someplace like Bolivia,' let's go someplace like Bolivia."

5) "You shoot off a guy's head with his pants down, believe me, Texas is not the place you wanna get caught."

6) "And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper."

7) "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

8) "You want me to strap her to the hood?...She'll be fine. It's not as if it's going to rain or something."

9) "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together...and blow."

10) "What we've got here...is failure to communicate."

11) "They call me Mister Tibbs!"

12) "I bet you can squeal like a pig."AND"Get them panties down."

13) "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

14) You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man."

15) "It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage."

16) "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

17) "Have fun storming the castle!"

18) "Is this heaven?" "No, it's Iowa."

19) "I'll have what she's having."

20) "He didn't get out of the cockadoodle car!"

21) "You can't handle the truth!"

22) "And in the morning, I'm making waffles!"

23) "Why does it cry, Sméagol?"

DON'T GO ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE THE ANSWERS!!!

1) "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me." - BEN BRADDOCK (Dustin Hoffman) in The Graduate (1967)

2) "Hey, don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love." - ALVY SINGER (Woody Allen) in Annie Hall (1977)

3) "He won't come after me. He won't. I can't explain it. He would consider that...rude." - CLARICE STARLING (Jodie Foster) in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

4) "Kid, the next time I say, 'Let's go someplace like Bolivia,' let's go someplace like Bolivia." - BUTCH CASSIDY (Paul Newman) in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

5) "You shoot off a guy's head with his pants down, believe me, Texas is not the place you wanna get caught."- LOUISE (Susan Sarandon) in Thelma & Louise (1991)

6) "And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper." - MARGE GUNDERSON (Frances McDormand) in Fargo (1996)

7) "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
- DEAN WORMER (John Vernon) in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

8) "You want me to strap her to the hood?...She'll be fine. It's not as if it's going to rain or something." - CLARK GRISWOLD (Chevy Chase) in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

9) "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together...and blow." - MARIE BROWNING (Lauren Bacall) in To Have and Have Not (1944)

10) "What we've got here...is failure to communicate." - CAPTAIN (Strother Martin) in Cool Hand Luke (1967)

11) "They call me Mister Tibbs!" - VIRGIL TIBBS (Sidney Poitier) in In the Heat of the Night (1967)

12) "I bet you can squeal like a pig."AND"Get them panties down." - MOUNTAIN MAN in Deliverance (1972)

13) "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." - KILGORE (Robert Duvall) in Apocalypse Now (1979)

14) You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man." - MATTY WALKER (Kathleen Turner) in Body Heat (1981)

15) "It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage." - INDIANA JONES (Harrison Ford) in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

16) "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." - JOHNNY CASTLE (Patrick Swayze) in Dirty Dancing (1987)

17) "Have fun storming the castle!" - MIRACLE MAX (Billy Crystal) in The Princess Bride (1987)

18) "Is this heaven?""No, it's Iowa." - RAY KINSELLA (Kevin Costner) in Field of Dreams (1989)

19) "I'll have what she's having." - FEMALE DINER (Estelle Reiner) in When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

20) "He didn't get out of the cockadoodle car!" - ANNIE WILKES (Kathy Bates) in Misery (1990)

21) "You can't handle the truth!" - COLONEL JESSUP (Jack Nicholson) in A Few Good Men (1992)

22) "And in the morning, I'm making waffles!" - DONKEY (Eddie Murphy) in Shrek (2001)

23) "Why does it cry, Sméagol?" - GOLLUM (Andy Serkis) in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Remember, I want to hear YOUR favorite lines too :o)