The Conversation Can Wait

Hey there, me again.  It's my day to blog, so if I want to do two posts, well then.  I just got done watching Oprah and had forgotten today is her national No Phone Zone day.  And seriously, this topic is far more important to me than promoting another book.

How many of you talk or text on a cell phone while driving?  And if you do, what's your excuse for doing so?  Do you think it's safe?

It's not.

I don't have to tell you why it's not.  We're all adults.  We know better.  Texting and talking on a cell phone while driving is distracted driving.  But I do have to say this.  How dare you—how dare you—take the lives of others and your own, in hand by driving while distracted?  That conversation you're engaged in is not that important.  It can wait until you stop and park, or can pull over to a safe place.  We got along just fine 10 years ago without having to chatter in the car as we drove.  The two technologies—cell phones and cars—don't mix.  Yes, I know some of you younger people have grown up with a cell phone in hand.  You know nothing else.  Texting is a principle means of communication.  But is a text or phone conversation worth risking your life, or the life of someone you don't even know?  Almost 6000 people were killed last year as a result of driving while distracted, or being in the path of a distracted driver.

Think about it.  And pledge not to text or talk on your cell phone while driving.  Ever.

Here's a link to Oprah's pledge sheet.  That's the way to make it official, but you don't need to sign anything, you just need to make a promise with yourself that you will not be stupid while driving.  Senseless deaths caused by distracted drivers are 100% preventable.

Michele (who keeps her cell phone, turned off, in her purse, while driving)

Coming soon: Action, Adventure, Skulls and Swordplay!

Hey all!  In about a week or so, my next release hits bookstores, cleverly disguised under the Alex Archer pseudonym.  This is the second book I've written for the Rogue Angel series, and I just can't get enough.  I love this series, the action and adventure and the capable and very smart heroine.  I allows me to explore plots I wouldn't normally get to in romance.  And I do love to mix together odd ideas.  For example THE BONE CONJURER involves a missing infant's skull rumored to be the Skull of Sidon, a Ukrainian bone conjurer (or necromancer), a Forbes 100 businessman on the rise who suffers debilitating migraines and has a daughter dying of brain cancer, a 500-yr old immortal man with abs of steel (hee), much swordplay and a fun action scene on the NY subway, and a rockstar professor who likes to play guitar and cruise the young girls when he's not teaching archaeology.  Toss in a sniper or two, an awesome battle with the heroine wielding an air nailer as a weapon (Yes!  I so wanted to shoot someone in the head with an air nailer!), and I think this is a pretty fun and action-packed story.

Whew!  With all that going on, there should be something in there to appeal to everyone, eh?  Add to it the recurring character of Annja Creed, archaeologist and adventurer, and that's my kind of read.  Think Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft.  For me, it's a nice break from writing romance because I don't have to think too much about developing a new intimate relationship for the heroine (that's not allowed in the series), yet she can flirt and have relationships on her own terms (when she has time; but who has time when you're always chasing down adventure?).  In other words, it feeds my inner Bombshell.  :-)

So do you like that cover?  I love it.  Though I have to say nowhere in the story does the Statue of Liberty ever make an appearance.  I assume that was the artist's means to quickly and easily show the story is set in NY.  (Cover art is by the amazing graphic artist Tim Bradstreet.)  And I had hoped for a skull, and didn't actually find that until I'd had the cover for weeks.  Can you all spot the skull?  Also, the story is set around Thanksgiving, and it's snowing.  A lot.  I promise you I would never send my heroine out in the chilly weather wearing a short leather mini skirt, but...sigh...  The audience for this series also includes men, so you know, it's all good.  ;-)

So this is what I want to know today.  I believe the majority of Riding's readers love romance.  But when you need a change of pace, what genre do you like to read in?  (And did you spot the skull?)

Michele

Box Office Draws

Every once in a while I get on a Didn't-You-Know-Women-Rule-the-World-Hello! soap box. Something mundane usually kicks it off. This last time it was hearing that Sandra Bullock broke a box office record with The Blind Side. (And no, I don't want to talk about her not-worth-the-time-it-took-to-type-this husband or the new baby.) The Blind Side is the first ever "driven solely by a top female star" movie to top the $200 million mark at the domestic box office.

I had a similar reaction when the Sex and the City movie came out and the media was all abuzz with the turn-out. That flick grossed over $150 million.

What I don't get is what is so darned surprising about any of this? So I decided to set out and do a little research. Do chick flicks routinely under-perform when compared to the manly-man movies? Let's see a comparison. And I'm just pulling movies off the top of my head. I swear.




Chick Flicks Box Office Gross (lifetime):

Pretty Woman - 178 million
While You Were Sleeping - 81 million
Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightly version) - 38 million
When Harry Met Sally - 93 million
The Bodyguard - 122 million
It's Complicated - 113 million
Thelma and Louise - 45 million










Manly Man Flicks Box Office Gross (lifetime):

The Hunt for Red October - 122 million
Master and Commander - 94 million
Rambo - 43 million
The Godfather - 134 million
The Departed - 132 million
Rocky - 117 million
Patton - 62 million







For the heck of it, I added them up.

Total Chick Flicks - 670 million
Total Manly Man Flicks - 704 million

Interesting, isn't it? Now are there any guesses as to how much those movies cost to make? Hollywood. Pay attention.

One might argue that Titanic (box office gross of $600 million) was a chick flick. How many guys do you know have watched it more than once? That is ... without the promise of a reward!

Helen

Guest: Karen Rose Smith

Please welcome Karen Rose Smith to the convertible today, to chat about writing and other passions!

Hi, everyone. I'm so glad to be here blogging with you.

            Whenever I write a blog, I like to give a few details about myself. I live in Pennsylvania but the Southwest is my favorite place on the planet. The scenery fills me up creatively and spiritually the way nothing else can. Cooking is my favorite hobby and I once won second place in a national Bisquick contest! I find recipes can be as interesting to put together as plots. Early on—in my teens—I wrote poetry and began a book manuscript. Music fed my creative bent then and still does today. Favorite singers? Taylor Swift, Adam Lambert and Josh Groban. What can I say? My tastes are eclectic.

            Are any of you watching American Idol this season? Aaron's one of my faves. His songs really touch me.

            So what's going on in my life now?  Weekends spent with friends and family, along with lots of writing the rest of the time.  I just finished one series and will be starting a new one.  But my passion right now—with the snow melted and the sun finally shining—is planning summer gardens, planting herbs, and creating recipes that will be tasty with what we grow. This year, I even bought a hanging strawberry plant.  Then there are the twenty tomato plants I grew from seed that are sunning here, there and everywhere.  I'm really into "preservative free," so I like to freeze them for winter.  But this Memorial Day I'll probably give away plants to friends and family because I can't possibly grow and use that many.

            By the way, has anyone tried the TASTE OF COMFORT FOOD "Diet" cookbooks?  They're terrific. Everything from cranberry-orange pork loin in the crock pot to turkey sausage lentil soup with tortellini.  I grew up in Italian households.  My grandmother and mother were wonderful cooks and food meant comfort and love.  The challenge now is to incorporate their recipes—I have boxes of them in their handwriting which makes me feel close to them—into a healthier way of eating.  It's a challenge, but I'm enjoying it. 

            Do any of you find comfort and remembrance in using family recipes?

Speaking of enjoying spring weather...  My kitties Ebbie and London love sitting at the window listening and watching birds, squirrels and rabbits.  When they aren't doing that, they are my constant companions overseeing my transplanting or purring as my hero and heroine fall in love.  They keep me company and make me smile.  If any of you have pets who enrich your lives, I'd love to hear about them.

            On to writing.  My latest series, The Baby Experts, is still keeping me busy.  In the last three books of this series, I tackle issues more serious than the others. My March book, THE TEXAS BILLIONAIRE'S BABY, is the fourth in the series and deals with a heroine who has date-rape in her past. The fifth book, THE TEXAN'S HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER (May) spotlights a heroine who is a 9-11 widow. The sixth book in the series, TWINS UNDER HIS TREE, will be released in December and focuses on an Afghanistan veteran's widow. The hero is an Iraq war veteran. I located the books in Sagebrush outside of Lubbock, a medical center for West Texas.  Most of my heroines in this six-book series have practices in a health center there.  An old Victorian house seemed to be the right place for all of them to live.  This house appears to have started a rumor—any woman who lives there will find true love!  The series is about women forming sister-like bonds and supporting each other through the milestones in their lives. It's also about healing...emotional as well as physical.

            Today  I'm hoping to start a new chapter and do some editing. Then tonight... Maybe we'll have some healthy comfort food! I hope all of you have a terrific day.

Best,

Karen Rose Smith

Award-winning and best-selling author Karen Rose Smith will see her 70^th romance published this year.  She grew up in Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley and still lives a stone's throw away with her husband--who was her college sweetheart--and their two cats.  She especially enjoys researching and visiting the West and Southwest where her latest series of books, The Baby Experts, is set.  Readers can visit her at www.karenrosesmith.com for info about her latest releases and excerpts or at her fan page on Facebook.

THE TEXAN'S HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER

            Raina Gibson never expected to be attracted to one of her little patients' dads. But Shep McGraw isn't a dad to ignore. The Texas rancher is adopting three boys and he cares about them with all of his heart. But Raina's husband had been a hero, a firefighter killed on September 11. She never intends to fall in love again.  Yet a day with Shep on his ranch in a secluded glen when passion takes over leaves her pregnant.  Shep's proposal of marriage is both a solution and a challenge...because Shep guards his heart all too well. She doesn't realize he's keeping a secret about his youth that he feels prevents him from becoming hero-material. 

            Will Shep's secret destroy their new marriage?

Find out in THE TEXAN'S HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER, a May Silhouette Special Edition available at the end of April.  

The Joys of De-Junking

I know I talked about seasons and spring a couple of weeks ago, but bear with me while I wax enthusiastic about another wonderful thing about spring in our town: Spring Clean Up Day. At least that's the community's name for it, but it's commonly referred to as Junk Day. And I love it!

One day a year residents have permission to haul our crap out to the curb and have it picked up for free. There are parameters, of course. No large appliances, computers, TVs, tires, or hazardous waste. But it really isn't about what's allowed or disallowed. I get giddy at the opportunity to de-junk the house. A family of seven accumulates an obscene amount of stuff. Raising five kids ensures that most of it is junk by the time they leave home :) Spring cleanup provides motivation to clear more of it out of the house.

My husband needs plenty of motivation :)

In many ways, we're polar opposites. I'm a thrower, he's a stuffer. Drawers, containers, entire rooms...no space is safe from him. I blame it on his farm background. I swear he'd be perfectly content to live in a nice machine shed, one corner outfitted with a recliner, TV, table and frig. Spare parts, sheet metal, scraps of lumber, random nuts and bolts are all stored handily nearby. What more could the guy want?

His wife, however--ahem--likes order. I'm partial to nice things. Things that don't make me cringe even to have them sitting on the curb, lest people realize we actually had them in our house.

Many years when this day rolls around my husband is in the field and I happily haul stuff out without consulting him. He has yet to miss anything that has 'disappeared' when he wasn't here. This year, however, he was present and it was a battle to get him to part with anything. Everything had a possible purpose: we could use this in the garage for storage! (the fact that we haven't for the last dozen years doesn't faze him). Or, 'I use that sheet of plywood to cut spare pieces of wood from.'

This year's pile included old carpet; the old screen door; a pile of rocks (don't ask me why he had rocks stored in a room in the basement--his reasoning escapes me); an old humidifier; two old mattresses; a TV that doesn't work; a metal filing cabinet; some broken toys; and several boxes of random junk that would have been tossed long ago had I realized he still had it around.

There are two stages to Clean Up Day: the day items actually get picked up by the trash men and the preceding days filled with 'junkers'. Prior to pick up day, people can (and do) drive around town and paw through other people's discards, taking anything they want. It's not unusual to have someone come to the door to ask questions about the junk: "Does that TV work?" or "Do you have any 8-tracks for that stereo?" (Sadly, we do. And they didn't make it to the curb this year either.)

It gets to be sort of a game to see what people will pick up. When they were little, my kids would stand in front of the front window peeking out, watching the junkers look for treasure. "They're taking the broken fan!" they'd yell with equal parts excitement and wonder. We're still thrilled to death that people can salvage things we can no longer use. The less that goes to the land fill, the better for all of us.

Does your town have a Clean Up Day? Do you have anyone in your household you have to battle with before discarding anything? If you could get away with tossing out one item from your house (and not get caught!) what would it be?

Guest – Kathryn Magendie

(Help us welcome Kathryn Magendie, who “was born a West-by-god Virginia Hillbilly (and proud of it), moved here, there, and yonder," before landing in "Western North Carolina, where she spins tales, drinks Deep Creek Blend coffee, an occasional vodka tonic with lime, and contemplates the glow of Old Moon.” Seriously, that’s her public bio. )

Dear Cheesecake:

Didn’t I tell you not to come round here no more? Didn’t I tell you I couldn’t resist your charms? And do you listen? No. You flaunt yourself in front of me—all luscious and tasty, decadent and . . . and . . . You Yankee You! Why would this West Virginia born Hillbilly fall for a rascal from New York? Smooth . . . oh you are smoooooth.

Yes, yes, I know; I’ve called upon your charms in the darkest hours of my sad and lonely *heavy sigh* writing life. You were there while I wrote Tender Graces; you were there when I released that baby to the world—I thought I could just walk aw ay, but there you were again those long lonely minutes and hours and days and weeks and months while I wrote Secret Graces. My friend, you were, through those two books and beyond. Not asking anything of me but for the enjoyment of you. My muse, you were. My sweet writing muse.

When Secret Graces flew out of my hands and out to ever ever land, there came the fateful day I stretched my bones, sighed with a job done, and changed out of my writing pants, those loose and dreamy pants that have no defined waist. But wait. What is this?, I screamed. Unnggghhh. Unggghh. Why is not my zipper zippering? My button buttoning? You . . . you . . . you betrayer of waistlines! I thought I could consume you without consequence! Through two books you were my best buddy, and this is what becomes of that great friendship? Oh heaviest of sighs!

You won. Is that what you want to hear? With your silky voice calling. With your soft yet firm outer crust molded against the springform pan. The cream cheese! The vanilla! The touch of lemon zest! The thousands of tiny granules of sugar! The eggs—both golden yolk and slippery whites. And, you devil you; you even added a thin fine layer of sweetened sour cream on top, and then . . . oh then . . . you scamp; you held atop fresh plump strawberries oozing sweet red love.

And I, unsuspecting, tappity tapping away upon the computer. Creating my fiction worlds where my characters can eat whatever they want and run around gleefully, yippee yi yo kai yayyy . . .and all the while my own butt is slammed against a chair, spreading ever onward! Because of you, Cheesecake.

Time after time—Tender Graces draft, Tender Graces rewrites, Tender Graces Galley, Tender Graces released, lather rinse, repeat with Secret Graces—I dipped my knife in hot water, and then sliced into you. You offered no resistance. One side, then another side, then I lifted a piece of you onto my plate. Then, with my fork, I cupped you onto the tines. And the first perfect bite as the creaminess spread across my tongue.

And now, now I cannot sit at my computer to craft the next book without the Pavlov’s Dog’s response to you, Cheesecake. Again and again and again—you and me Cheesecake, you and me.

I go mad with you, Cheesecake. Yet, you rogue, you tempter, you sweet sweet sprite. You wild wonderful Muse, you. Please say you will not call to me each time my butt slams against the chair and my fingers poise on the keys and the refrigerator hummmmms . . .

Please say you will quieten the siren call of your sweet succulent love.

As ever, you know I am yours and you are mine. Damn you.

Yours,

Kathryn Magendie
-----------------------

Debra here… Kat’s too polite to ask, but I’m not. What food trips you up? Haunts your mind and says, “Oooh baby, come to Mama!”

Grandma Kathleen On Skates and Other Distractions

Party time tonight. Once again I'll be biting off way more than I can chew, but it's a habit that keeps me young, not to mention fat and sassy. So tonight I'm going roller skating with 20 eight-year-olds. Oh, yes, I can still rock while I'm rollin'. But here's the amazing part: She's 8 years old! My oldest grandchild was just a baby...wasn't that last week? Heck, the week before that her daddy was just a baby. Wait, the week before that I was just a kid. Or maybe that last one hasn't changed. Anyway, tonight the Eagle boots are made for rolling. Wish me luck...

But I digress. Did anyone see the "Project Runway" finale last night? Did you think they picked the right winner? Just curious.

So I thought I'd suggest a couple of goodies for your weekend viewing pleasure in case you have some downtime in store.


We rented "Crazy Heart" as soon as it came out. Meant to see it in the theater but never quite got there. It's based on a novel, definitely character-driven. My kind of story. Excellent performances. Has anyone seen it? What did you think?



But this one is a must-see. It's one of those terrific indies that good actors clamor for and will do almost for scale. "Pirate Radio" is the funniest movie we've seen in a long time. My cowboy and I laughed aloud throughout, and our senses of humor are like night and day. Terrific cast--Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branaugh, even Emma Thompson. It's set in 1966--lovely year it was--back when the BBC had a stranglehold on music played on the radio. "Pirate" stations broadcast rock'n roll from ships off the coast of Great Britain. The movie is a celebration of rock music. It's delightful. Has anyone seen it? Your thoughts?

Don't miss the outtakes. They're wonderful in and of themselves, but terrific for the writer in us. You know those scenes you love but end up having to take out because they don't really move the story along? The director narrates, explaining where the idea came from, why it was left out and how hard it was to edit. You'll identify!

Finally, has anyone been watching "The Pacific"? This is a labor of love for Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, and it's every bit as good as "Band of Brothers." I've mentioned a time or ten that Daddy was a WWII vet and a career AF pilot. We were stationed on Guam for 2 years in the 50's, and I've been to Iwo Jima, so the war in the Pacific is really interesting to me. But I grew up with John Wayne war movies. This is different. This is real. It's character-driven, but the characters are 3 real WWII vets, who appear in interviews. The viewpoints are compelling. Yes, it's sometimes hard to watch, but I think it's important to for us to try. There's little doubt that we had to engage in WWII, but what soldiers endure in war is unimaginable, which might be why we still don't do them justice when they come home. This series is another Hanks/Spielberg masterwork.

So now I'll go strap on some extra padding.

Any comments on these shows? Recommendations for more? Or is the weather where you are just so gorgeous you can't spend a minute indoors?

Guest – Andria Bramlett

(From Debra- Sometimes people come unexpectedly into your life. Andria did. She’s an avid reader and a “grabber of life.” I got a travel email from her one day and laughed my way through her trip. Now I’m in the list of people to whom she sends travel emails. And I urged her to dip her toe into the blogging world by visiting us. Today’s blog reminds me that I don’t do enough looking up and grabbing the world right in my own back yard. Writers MUST travel and research and grab life. Period.)

Welcome Andria !

If your budget has been as crimped as ours has, you might consider traveling close to home. This spring in an effort to get us out of the house without breaking the bank, we have been making weekend excursions to places nearby. One of my favorite resources is the State Parks website for my state and the ones surrounding us. I particularly like the parks that have cabins for rent; even though most all of them are painted in some type of “government issue state park brown” color, I prefer them to tent camping these days.

I like to pay close attention to all the things we drive by on the way to our destination. For instance, pretend that you are traveling far away or even to a foreign country and that this is the first time you have been to the region. Stop and ask for directions just to see what people will tell you, or strike up a conversation at the gas station or grocery store. For instance, if I had not struck up a conversation with a lady at the gas station last weekend in north Georgia, I would not have known that cooking bear meat in the crock pot with barbeque sauce was a great and popular menu item for Christmas dinner at her house this past year. Also, asking for dining recommendations never fails to amuse me, especially when I ask, “What’s your favorite item on the menu?”

Another thing that never fails to amuse me is the names of local business’ along the way. Like the “Salon and Spa” sign posted in front of a mobile home, or the “Curl up and Dye” hair salon on the main street of town, or the “Sew and Sew Alterations”. See what the local church has posted on the marquee road sign that will either make you laugh like hell or scare the hell out of you.

Road names can be quirky and amusing as well. Possibly even irritating if they are like the streets in Georgia, where one minute you are on Elm Street and without turning left or right you are suddenly on a road named Main Street or Long Branch becomes Hightower at a stop sign.

My family recently traveled to the Okefenokee Swamp (which I highly recommend) in south Georgia and the following account is about a place near the Suwannee River where we stopped for some lunch and the local culture that we observed… or perhaps, they observed us…

The last town before the Stephen C Foster State Park is Fargo, GA. Fargo has one (as in ONLY one) restaurant known as the Suwannee Café, or you can get something to eat at the Gas N Go like fried chickin’ and tater lawgs. We decided to try the café, not because we were super hungry, but because we wanted to experience this little slice of Americana. When we first drove past it there was a man out front in jeans and a t-shirt with long messy grey hair, kind of waving his arms and talking to himself; clearly a “must do” experience. I pulled into the gravel parking lot amongst several large pickup trucks, and a couple of commercial pine tree grower company trucks (I should disclose that we own 3 pickup trucks) and a few tired sedans. My son, Nick and I were the first to step up onto the porch, and a mom and her little girl were sitting out front while dad had a smoke in the parking lot. The little girl had the most beautiful red hair and when I spoke to her she looked at me like, “You ain’t from aroun’ heah arrya”.

Once inside there was that moment of hesitation where you look around and try to get the lay of the land to figure out where you should sit; you know, when you try not to stand out too much. Directly in front of us was a support pole covered in little wooden hand painted signs with southern sayings on it like, “If you want home cookin’, eat at home” and to the right was a wall full of arrowheads, deer heads, snake skins, and pictures of Jesus; below all of that was one lone booth in the corner and that was where Nick headed. It was mauve and teal in color and the décor screamed 1980’s and it was enticingly right next to a big picture window facing the main thoroughfare.

When we sat down the backs of the booth kind of tipped backwards, so that your feet almost left the floor and you had to grab for the table; OOOOFFF!!! The top pivoted and whooshed into my stomach. We kind of blew the chance to not stand out.

My husband Rusty came in, took one look at us and headed for a table with chairs, Nick and I sorted ourselves out and kind of launched from the booth. I was careful not to bump anything that might fall from the walls and hurt or stab me. Once we were seated again, I could really survey all of the artifacts and whatnot on the walls. WOW, I have actually never seen that many arrowheads, tomahawks, and spears in one place. The Seminole Indians had left behind a lot of stuff near the Suwannee River and the owner had collected a surprising amount of it.

The waitress asked us what we wanted to drink, water, or sweet tea? Nothing else…oh, and we could “help ourselves to the buffet”. Mmmm, mmmmmh. The selections were, fried chicken, butterbeans, canned corn, white rice, collard greens, sweet potato nuggets (battered and deep fried pieces of sweet potato) gravy, corn muffin, and a big sticky batch of Hamburger Helper Cheesy Macaroni. I had some beans and rice with 3 chicken wings.

To our left was a large table of eight men talking about hunting and spraying the berries. (What berries?) This reminded me a little of Ireland in that I know they were speaking English, but I could not really understand but every third word. Plus, Rusty hates it when I listen to other people’s conversations, so I have to pretend like I’m listening to him and Nick and hear what the patrons are saying too. It’s tougher than you might think, but I don’t want to miss anything! On the way to the car we passed several men enjoying an after lunch “dip” as in snuff, not swimming, and just visiting in the parking lot.

I adore traveling and like Mark Twain said, “nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people.” Amen to that, sister!

GUEST – Jean Brashear

“Jean Brashear’s wholly original, funny and poignant novel has a heart as big as Texas. Told in a warm and intimate voice, it’s like a road trip with your best friend. Don’t miss it!”~#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs


Sometimes life gives us gifts of pure grace; one such for me has been meeting Pea O'Brien, the protagonist of THE GODDESS OF FRIED OKRA. She began as an exercise in sheer fun—sitting on my deck in a wicker rocker, taking a few weeks off from my contracted writing to see if, after several years as a working writer, I still remembered how to play, how to write for the simple pleasure of it, a joy too easily lost under the pressure of deadlines and expectations.

I knew nothing about Pea, even her name at first—only that a psychic had sent this woman on the road to search for the reincarnated soul of the sister she desperately missed. It all seemed like a lark those first few days, drinking this killer Mexican iced coffee recipe I got from Barbara Samuel (so much of said coffee wound up practically eating a hole in my stomach, but it's not Barbara's fault I brewed it so dang strong.) I'd sit and sip and type on my Alphasmart while listening to birdsong under my live oaks...and see where Pea would take me next.

When it was time to get back to my deadlines, Pea was never far from me, and over the next few years I returned to her often, letting the flight of fancy take me away whenever I could scrape up a day here or there.

Sometimes flights of fancy lead to real life experiences...and vice versa. My husband and I love taking back roads whenever possible (he has a whole collection of photos of oddball sights) and on one of our rambles, I spotted a sign for the Conan the Barbarian Festival in Cross Plains, Texas. Who knew?!? We were too late for that year's festival, but we detoured to Cross Plains, anyway, and indulged in such landmarks as the mural on the side of the library (wanna see the picture of me and Conan?) and Robert E. Howard's homeplace.

The year following, I'd forgotten all about the festival until I ran across a notice that it would be occurring in three days' time. Ring, ring: "Lover man, I know you're trying to make a living, but this is important—how would you like to go to Cross Plains this weekend?" Long silence. Then laughter. "I'm sure that's exactly what I was thinking, I just didn't know it." Never let it be said that this man doesn't love me. (Also, don't ask him where else on God's green earth I've dragged him in the name of research, OK?)

Three days later, we were in Cross Plains, watching the parade. (I cannot tell you how disappointed I was not to find cowboys in furry leggings with breastplates and helmets, brandishing broadswords—and okay, it's my dirty little secret that there is no sword-fighting competition at the festival as there is in my book.)

But there should be.

Speaking of Conan's daddy REH...I cannot positively recall how Howard's bloodthirsty, sword-wielding women got involved in my story, but I think it began with touring the tiny library and looking at first editions and manuscripts, then coming back home and ordering some of his books. I read the one called Sword Woman, and—voila!

There was Dark Agnes on the cover, nosecone breastplate and all, trying to take off this big burly brute's head with an evil-looking sword. She'd been her father's work animal, then sold to a husband but escaped, only to wind up befriended by a man who taught her swordplay—then tried to sell her, too. Heck, she had to become bloodthirsty just to survive. She seemed to me to be exactly the sort of spirit guide the lost and lonely Pea needed.

But how to connect the two? Well...on another back roads meandering a few years earlier, I'd spotted this gun shop housed in a portable building (pictures of that, too, on my website) that never quite left my mind. Presto—Guns 'N' Glory, owned by a ferocious former Marine named...yep, Glory. She's the person, in the story, who decides Pea needs toughening up and hey, doesn't it seem perfectly in character that she's a big fan of warrior goddesses and good ol' whack job REH? (Gimme a big Heck, yeah!) I never went inside the real gun shop (closed every time we drove by) but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have crystals hanging from the ceiling or a lunch box collection.

But it should.

(Are you seeing a trend here? Ah, the godlike powers we writers wield!)

This book probably sounds a wee bit quirky—and, okay, it is—but I think I became the truest me as a writer I've ever experienced in the process of writing it. I went through a lot of agonizing and reworking and second-guessing myself (to say nothing of all the other people who second-guessed me) but in the end, I zigzagged and wrung my hands and got as stubborn as I was scared until I listened enough to my gut to unearth the version that I hoped like the dickens the amazing Debs of BelleBooks would "get" because I just felt in my heart that they would do right by the story.

Well, they did get it—and like it enough to buy it, these women I have so admired for years—which made every low point worth it, every moment of trying to hold onto my faith and keep going. And since then, I've experienced the enormous pleasure of spending several months playing with these fascinating and brilliant women in the most author-friendly environment I can imagine. To then also have some fabulous writers love it enough to give me killer quotes, well...as a writer, I don't know how life gets any better than this.

Mission accomplished. Joy rediscovered.

Jean Brashear is the author of 23 novels in romance and women’s fiction, with sales of more than 1.6 million copies, she is a three-time RITA finalist and Romantic Times BOOKReviews Career Achievement Award winner.

Book Trailer: http://bellebooks.com/books/GoddessofFriedOkra.asp

WINNER!

Okay Riders-- Laney4 is the deliriously happy winner of a pack of our beloved post-it notes! You're in the big time, now, girl! Just send your snail mail address to me at bkrahn007@gmail.com!

Thanks Riders for a fun blog day!

Post-it Notes. Civilization defined.

Lo, the humble Post-it Note. My vote for one of the great hallmarks of civilization. Such an amazing little thing and so necessary. I can't imagine how we ever got along without them.

You know the story, right? How Spencer Silverman of the 3M Company had invented a "low tack" adhesive that didn't seem to be very useful. Nobody wanted it. But a fellow scientist at 3M, Art Fry, needed a way to temporarily attach bookmarks to the pages of his hymnal (no word on whether he was an organist or something) and used some of Spencer's "failed" adhesive to do it. It worked so well, he proposed making pads of little repositional "notes" to use as memos. Initially, another division had lots of scrap yellow paper and they used it to make pads of the notes. Voila. A legend was born.

Interestingly, as ubiqutous and ever-present as the notes are now, they were kind-of slow to catch on. Who wanted memos, they said, that stuck-- but not very hard? They were first produced in the 80's but didn't make it big until the 90's. . . when they took off and have now become part of our culture. What does it say about us as a culture/civilization that we love the temporary sticky-note so much and find it so useful?

Those little sticky notes have been used to slip notes to presidents in high-level international negotiations and to decorate office mates caught sleeping on the job. Everything from serious notations in legal cases to comedy sketches and scenes in movies. My most recent scene was in the Josh Hartnett movie about lovers with Asperger's Syndrome, "Mozart and The Whale". . . a great scene, as unexpected as it is funny and poignant.

I confess, you'll find Post-it's peeking out of the pages of many of the books in my library. I use them constantly to mark interesting/useful passages. . . so much neater than underlining or highlighting. And since I often share books or pass them along to others, I have left the text pristine for others to read without having to slog through my defacements.

I also use them to sop up messy inspirations that occur in places that make them hard to capture. I keep a pad in my purse and jot things down while waiting for an oil change or in a doctor's office or even driving down the road. Yes, it's risky, but I have been known to attach a pad to the center of the steering wheel on long trips and jot down the ideas that leak out of my brain.

I even use them to plot books. Somewhere after the introduction of a book, I sit down with a stack of larger Post-it pads (the 4x4's) and start jotting down scenes and actions I want to include. . . stream of consciousness style. Just let it all flow. And in a later session, I lay them all out around me and start putting them up on a blank wall in various orders that may or may not make sense. I arrange and rearrange and see where gaps occur. . . I brainstorm to fill the gaps with. . . you guessed it. . . more Post-it notes filled with ideas. As the story is written, I take Post-its off the wall when each idea or scene is completed. By the end of the book, I have a blank wall again!



Lately, space is at a premium, so all of the notes get transferred (in order, of course) to a cardboard display board from Staples. Which I leave against the wall in my study and consult regularly. Sticky notes still get torn off when the scene or action is written.

Then there are the usual grocery lists-- which I stick to my purse or the car dash or the buggy handle. And reminders and "to do" lists. I have even stuck one to the dog and sent him to my sig other with a message! Okay, admittedly I'm a little obsessed with office supplies. . . always have been. There's just something about pads of paper and new pens and folders and desk gadgets. . .

Now, of course, the patents have run out and there are lots of "repositional notes" on the market now. All shapes and sizes and colors. Some with funny sayings. . . my sister got me a pad some years ago that says "Eat, Drink, and Re-marry." Post-it humor. You gotta love it.

What about you? Do you love Post-it Notes as much as I do? How do you use them? Do they help in your writing/reading? I'm giving away a package of my favorite Post-it's to a commenter. . . so you writers, get it there and post a note!

WINNER!

Hey Topdowners, CarolNWong is the winner of Greiman's 6 pack of books!
Carol, please email me at lgreiman@earthlink.net.
And thanks to everyone who joined in the fun.

Six Book Giveaway!

Fantasies. We’ve all got them. Right?

I hope so, because I just agreed to write a story for the Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance, and God knows Scotsmen are supposed to be one of women’s big fantasies.








Which got me thinking about other fantastical guys. Like knights. That whole age of chivalry thing has been making damsels sworn for centuries.






Then there are firefighters. Come on, whole calendars are devoted to them.























What about cowboys? Is there one of us who
hasn’t read (or written) the ‘lone cowboy’s secret stolen gazillionaire baby’ story?













Anyone for doctors?








Rock stars?







Cops? How about cops? I’m not usually crazy about law enforcement, but ever since I got writing the Chrissy McMullen books, I’ve been pretty wild for Lieutenant Rivera.








So how about you? What’s your fantasy? And what books have you read that portrayed him the best?

To celebrate the APRIL 27TH release of Not One Clue, I’m giving away the whole six book series (Unzipped, Unplugged, Unscrewed, Unmanned, One Hot Mess, and Not One Clue) to some intrepid commenter, so please do share.

Do you cast the books you read?

I couldn't resist.  I had to put up a link to this cool new site, StoryCasting.  It allows readers and authors to cast the characters of their favorite books as if a movie were to be made of it.  I've got a whole page of my books.  If you have a favorite author, nudge them to go put up their books.  I think it's great fun!  If you've read any of my books, go and cast the characters!

I'm holding a contest through the end of April.  If you go cast one of my stories at Storycasting, you'll be entered to win a copy of ANGEL SLAYER!

And just for a chat topic, do you cast the characters when you read?  I always do, whether it's my book or someone's else's book.

Debra – Random Thoughts

I make no claim to wisdom, but important thoughts do cross my mind on a regular basis. Here’s a sampling from today:

1) Do not insult the people who prepare your food. Even if they’re too stupid to live.

2) Little white lies are like a gateway drug.

3) Moderate your praise for purple pig figurine gifts unless you want more pigs or purple.

4) Cutting your own bangs is risky.

5) Scottish savory puff pastries are YUM!

6) Weird is rarely the best choice.

7) The Pocket Book of Boners? Seriously? Language is truly wondrous and changeable.

8) Tomato plants don’t mature faster if you think mature thoughts at them.

9) I need to laugh more.

10) I need chocolate.

So how about you? What important thinks have you thunk today? What 10 truisms have sprung from your daily life in the last couple of days?

Titles, Titles, Titles

I just started a new book last week. I get to go back to Mirabelle Island for three more stories (5, 6,and 7 in the series) coming out in 2011 and I'm excited. They're coming out back to back, like a lot of books that are a part of a series are doing these days, so I'd like titles that tie together. Needless to say, it's driving me crazy.

The first four Mirabelle's work well, I hope. First Come Twins, Next Come Love, Then Comes Baby and Along Came a Husband, coming in June 2010. (I just got the new cover a few weeks ago in case you hadn't noticed it along the side bar.)

My editor and I have already agreed that to try and add onto those first four titles would be insane. Of course, if you've got any totally insane ideas, I'd love to hear them.

I need the titles so that I can start doing promotion. Yeah, I know. Already? For 2011? I'd like to be able to include the titles at the end of my November book. Readers will, hopefully, want to know what's coming up. And include the upcoming titles on promotion that I'm doing for the my upcoming June and November books.

The first consideration is whether or not to include Mirabelle in the title. Since it'll be a while between the 5th and 6th book, I'd kind of like to remind readers that we're going back to Mirabelle. But I have a feeling my editor will nix these ideas out of hand. Not sure why, though. In any case, a few ideas -

Moon Over Mirabelle
A Mirabelle Winter
Home Sweet Mirabelle
A Mirabelle Wedding
Once Upon a Time on Mirabelle
Once Upon a Mirabelle Winter

Can you guess that one of the stories takes place during a nice, frigid Midwestern Winter? The best part is that I get to write it this spring! Having fun with it, too.

Then I have a couple non-Mirabelle ideas that tie together.

Her Favorite Mistake (I know it's a song, but it works so well for this book)
His One and Only
Her Life, Her Love

Or
One Heart, One Love (or One and Only)
Second Chances
Third Times a Charm

What do you think? How important is the title to you when considering buying a book? I just got word that the title for my November book will be The Moon That Night. Like it?

And, most importantly, got any great ideas?

Helen

How Do You Read?

Yep, that's what I want to know today.  Do you read sitting in a chair?  While in bed?  Soaking in the tub?

I was thinking about this last night as I was turning the pages in the bathtub.  I don't read as often in the tub anymore, but sometimes a page-turner will insist I not ignore it.  Usually, I read right before bed, in bed.  I have a handy-dandy little nightlight that clips to the bedframe and I can twist it to shine on the pages.  I will read about half an hour to forty-five minutes.  Yes, it takes me a loooong time to read a book.  And generally I have 3 or 4 books going at a time, a couple fiction, at least one non-fiction.

Now, I know some of you out there can read a book a day.  That fascinates me!  Are you a speed reader?  Or do you just have the time to do that?  Or are some like me, and it takes forever to read a whole book?  Do you steal a half hour here or there, or do you find long periods of uninterrupted reading time?  Or maybe you snatch five minutes while stirring the spaghetti?

What about place?  Chairs, couches, hammocks under the sun, the middle of the kid's playroom while they're battling it out with nerf sabers and sound effects?  Where's your favorite place to read?

And what form do you read?  A paperback?  Do you crease the spine (please say no, please say no).  A hardback?  Do you slip off the dust cover (like I do) before reading the hardcovers to keep it pristine?  Or maybe you have an electronic book reader?  I use my Kindle about 30% of the time, the rest of the time it's divided between paperbacks and hardcovers (sans dust jacket).

And lastly, what genres are your favs to read?  Romance here!  But I like a mix, so fantasy, fiction and non-fiction as figure in.

Let's talk about how we read today!  This should be fun!

Yikes

Yikes. Just realized I'm up to post today. And I've got nottin'. It's been several weeks of chaos, kidney stones and flu, remodeling and knee surgery around the Gerard house so I'm hoping you'll forgive me. All is well now, but jeez, what a ride.

So, I give you this - how about a recap of Dancing with the Stars??? Did I hear a groan? I, for one, have been groaning a LOT this season. I love this show but seriously, most of the contestants this year have 2 left feet!

Poor Kate + 8 minus John. Not only 2 left feet but she seems to be wearing cement shoes. How much distress can one woman take? Why would she subject herself to yet more public scrutiny that cannot possibly end well for her? One thing I will say - she is trying - but the girl's got no rhythm.

My favorite couple is Derek Hough and Nicole Scherzinger. Man, that girl can dance. And Derek is such a cutie pie

But the most fun couples to watch are Max and Erin and Cheryl and Chad Ochocinco. I think that man is really smitten with her!

So what about you? Are you still watching the show? have you ever watched it? Do you have a favorite couple? Anyone you'd like to see gone ASAP?
And would you ever have the guts to get up there and face those judges on national TV?

Too Much Paradise?

I know, right? Too much paradise? That's almost an oxymoron. After all, how could you get enough? Can you get enough? That's what I'm wondering.

The last couple weekends were the first nice ones we've had in Iowa. The trees are budding, the lawns greening and spring flowers blooming. It's hard not to want to just go outside and bask. I found myself just staring out the window a lot when I couldn't be out there. There's no season as welcome, as awe-inspiring as spring.

And that always makes me wonder about the places in the country, or the world, that really don't have highly differentiated seasons. Oh, some seasons may be rainier. Warmer. But the temps stay relatively balmy all year and it never gets cold. There are actually places, I'm told, where residents don't have to weigh whether wearing a woolen hat is worth the damage it'll do to the hairstyle. Where women don't have to debate fashion vs. warmth when choosing outerwear. (It's a little known fact of aging that the older we get, the more likely we are to chuck fashion in favor of comfort and warmth. Last winter I even started wearing snow boots to school. Sometimes. But the day I ever don one of those plastic rain bonnets is the day you have permission to put me away for good!)

On days like last weekend I frequently wonder if people in sunny warmer climes can feel the same sort of joy at spring's advent as do those who have suffered through a hellish winter in snowy frigid areas of the country. If every day is mild, with plenty of blue skies and sun, can you really have that same arms-wide-open-face-tipped-to-the-sun-happy-feet reaction to the first nice day in spring? As a midwesterner my entire life, I'm asking here.

I marveled on the way to church yesterday at the complete absence of cars in the streets. There was no traffic. Streets were nearly deserted. The church was half full. And I knew, I just knew, that most of those missing people could be found in their yards. Because there's even a sort of joy working on those first nice days in spring. Being outside in the beautiful weather becomes a sort of spiritual experience of its own.

If you're a sun bird, living in one of the more temperate states, how do you herald spring's approach? Is it much different from winter? And for those who suffer with me through winter (and what has surely been the longest last two winters in my life) do you have anything special you like to do once spring arrives in your neck of the woods?