I decided to give up making New Year’s resolutions. I know, you’re wondering what took me so long. Like a lot of people, I see the New Year as a fresh start and a chance to make positive changes in my life. And the resolutions work, well in a way.

I did complete one of my resolutions by finishing my Master’s degree in Humanities. And I sold a series of steampunk books, which was my resolution to write outside my comfort zone. I didn’t lose much weight, but I did lose some. And I never made it to Paris.

This year I’m trying something different. I’m writing down fun things I want to do. Here’s what I have so far, but the list is something I plan to add to as the year goes on:

1. Finish office makeover

2. Learn French (read 3) at least enough to ask where the bathroom is, and how to find my hotel if I get lost

3. Go to Paris in the late fall

4. Read a book a week (when I’m writing as much as I am right now, that’s a tough one)

5. Spend more time with my favorite people

6. Ride a really scary roller coaster

7. Make a music video

8. Sleep more

9. Learn how to relax (I honestly don’t know how.)

10. Find one fun thing to do every single day that makes my heart lighter.

So that’s it, so far. It’s not a particularly great list, but it’s mine.

So what fun things to you have planned for the coming year? What are some fun things I should think about adding to my list?

I’m hungry. As I write this post I’m thinking about Thanksgiving and all the great food that comes with it. Sure, the whole point of the holiday is to remember why we should be thankful for our many blessings. And I am. No really. I am. I’m also thinking about what Captain Will Hughes and Hannah Harrington from my new book Model Marine might have for their first Thanksgiving feast. She’s a New York fashion designer, so I’m thinking she would want a catered meal from a schmancy restaurant. Will would want a traditional home cooked meal with all the fixings, as we like to say in Texas.

My husband is big on the traditional Thanksgiving meal, and I honestly don’t mind. Though, I do like to throw in something new each year. Last year it was a really easy cranberry dish. This year, I’m thinking about two different dishes one for the holiday and one after.

On Thanksgiving, I’m going to make some stuffed mushrooms. One of our favorite Italian places has the best stuffed mushrooms. I’m stealing their sauce, which is vodka sauce, but I’m going to try something different on the inside. Since I’m making stuffing, I’ll just put some stuffing in the mushrooms and sprinkle some cheese on top and some sauce. What do you guys think?

After Thanksgiving, I want to try to make a Turkey Shephards Pie. Doesn’t that sound good? I’m thinking I’ll start with a good pie crust (good as in I bought it at the store). Then in a big frying pan I’ll mix the left over turkey, gravy and any veggies we might have left over. I’ll add some sauteed onions and mushrooms. I’ll add a bit of garlic, cajun seasoning and cumin (I love the combo of cumin and turkey) and heat everything through. I’m hoping the gravy will thicken around all the goodies. Then I’ll put in the the pie crusts (maybe two) and put the left over mashed potatoes on top. Then I’ll stick it in the over for a half hour or so on medium heat.

I don’t know if either one of these will work, but they sound good in my head.

What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving and do you have a favorite dish? Feel free to share recipes. And someone who comments here will win an autographed copy of Model Marine, and all who comment will be entered to win an e-reader and other great prizes. (You can find details on my blog at www.candacehavens.com)

And tomorrow is Veterans Day, so let’s take a moment to remember those who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms.

I live in Texas so when the weather cools down it is such a blessing. That’s one of the many reasons I love fall so much.  I love the colors of fall. We don’t have the changes of seasons like many of you, but we get our fair share of red and yellow leaves. I love the smells, the apple candles, the pumpkin pies the fireplace smoke coming from the chimneys.

Fall is always a time of new beginnings for me. I usually start a new writing project in the fall. And I love to go to the office supply store, like it’s the start of school, and spruce up my desk. I usually clean out my office in the fall. Well, at least sort of clean. (I’m still searching for storage solutions and flooring for my space.)

I love Halloween. One of my favorite things to do is sit on the porch and give out candy. We live in beavercleaverville so there are lots of families with small children. There’s always a great variety of superheroes, princesses, animals and spooky creatures stopping by. This year, I’ve been thinking about holding a Black Widow party. I saw the idea in a Rachael Ray magazine. All girls, dressed in black, eating amazing goodies and talking until we go hoarse. That’s my kind of fun.

I like to watch all the old horror movies, even though many of them still give me nightmares. At least one Saturday or Sunday in the month of October I’ll sit watch scary movies for at least six hours straight. And there are usually fun snacks involved.

Then comes November. I mean, what’s not to love about November? Cooler temps. Thanksgiving. Time for soft sweaters and cool boots. Did I mention Thanksgiving? This girl loves her some turkey and sweet potatoes.

I have a couple of questions for you this month? What is your favorite season? What is your favorite thing about the season? Are you dressing up for Halloween and what will you be? Do you have a special memory from fall? Tell me, I really want to know.

This fall is littered with hot guys on new television shows. I’ve picked some of my favorite guys from the new season to share with you.

First up, is the handsome Jason O’Mara, who plays a father willing to do anything to protect is family in the new world of Terra Nova. (Cr: Michael Lavine/FOX)

David Giuntoli plays a detective who is also a Grimm. He sees supernatural creatures when others don’t. (CR: Scott Green, NBC)

Sure we’ve seen Eddie Cibrian before, but never quite like this. He looks good in his 1960s attire for The Playboy Club. (John Russo/NBC)

Josh Dallas is the perfect Prince Charming on Once Upon A Time. He can kiss me awake any time he wants. (ABC/Jack Rowand)

I would fly on Pan Am with Mike Vogel anywhere he wanted to go. (ABC/Donna Svennevik)

SPECIAL NOTE: My friend Penni became a foster dog mom this summer and the dog was pregnant. Now she has seven puppies plus the mom and she needs help to find them loving homes. I’m heading over there to look at little Stripe myself. Please spread the word http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1947089361018.2098601.1356086569

Many of you know my day job is as a television and film critic. I’ve been out in Los Angeles the last couple of weeks talking to actors, writers and producers about their new fall shows. And there are some really interesting ones on the way. Even though we are inundated with reality programming these days, it seems as though television is the place where real creativity is taking place in Hollywood these days. You can see by the big name actors on television that it is now the place to be.

Jessica Lange, who stars in one of my favorite new shows American Horror Story, said that American entertainment industry is moving toward more of what they do in Britain. There the big name stars move between movies and television all the time. And speaking of American Horror Story… When they say Horror, they mean it. This is a freaky, twisted mess that is also scary. It’s written and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who did Glee, but it couldn’t be more different. Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott star as a couple who move into a creepy old Victorian in L.A., and weird stuff begins to happen. Lange and Frances Conroy are only a few of the actors from a strong supporting cast. This isn’t for the faint of heart but should be a hit for fans of horror.

ABC has two of my favorite new shows Revenge and Once Upon A Time. Revenge stars Emily Van Camp as a young woman determined to make those who wronged her father, pay. This one has a great underlying mystery, a good romantic triangle and there is also a soapy aspect that makes it fun.

Once Upon A Time is set in two worlds. The really world and one where Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin), Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Rumplestilskin (Robert Carlyle) all exist. I won’t ruin the premise for you but I will say that the fairytale characters are forced to live in the real world and they can’t remember who they really are. There are so many layers to this show and if the rest is as good as the pilot, we are in for a treat.

Keeping with the fairytale theme, I’m also interested in NBC’s Grimm. Detective Nick Burckhardt (David Giuntoli) begins seeing strange things while on the job. There’s a crazy turn of events and he discovers the world he thought he knew is a much different place. It’s a police procedural set against the Grimm fairytales and I’m excited to see where they go with it.

There were a few comedies a I liked a lot, but the only one I loved is New Girl on Fox. Zooey Deschanel, who might be the most adorable woman on the planet, plays Jessica Day who has just broken up with her boyfriend and moved in with three male roommates. It’s a great mix of actors and good writing.

I’m also fond of the new CW series’ Hart of Dixie and Secret Circle. These appeal to the inner 16-year-old in me. Hart of Dixie stars Rachel Bilson as a big city doctor who must do her residency in a small town. It’s a fun southern vibe, fish-out-of-water story and I kind of love it. Secret Circle is about a young girl who discovers she’s a witch. Funny, I just wrote a book about that same subject. But I love this and think it will be as big as Vamp Diaries.

And those are just the network shows to check out. There are many, many more on cable. More on that soon.

Do you have a show you are excited about that is coming up? Or tell me about your favorite show. I want to know.

It’s hot outside. Really hot. But I live in Texas, so this time of year it’s the norm. I wonder sometimes what it would be like to spend the summers in Maine or on a beach somewhere. I tell my husband this every time the temperature hits above 90. I’m a native Texan, but I’m not made for this kind of weather.

I go on these binges where I watch a lot of House Hunters International. I watch and try to decide if I want to live there or not. I’d always thought that I’d want to summer in Italy but I found out that where I’d like to live it’s hot in the summer and they have adders. That one was checked off the list, as were Fiji, Thailand and the UAE (all had the hot factor.)

I thought about somewhere in the South of France. I don’t speak the language, but I could learn. But you have to be a millionaire several times over to afford a summer house in the countryside. The English country side seemed like a good place, but they too have heat waves so that is out.

I saw some great properties in Slovania, but dang that’s far away.

Austria has possibilities. It’s nice and cool in the mountains and the people seem nice. But there didn’t look like there was a lot to do there. I have to be close enough to a city where I can shop, go to movies, concerts and get good coffee. Scotland and Ireland are on my still to check out list. I’m thinking Scotland would be cool all summer long and it’s so pretty there. Ireland is gorgeous, but I don’t know about the summer weather.

Montreal is really pretty, so that too is a possibility. I don’t know. There’s a whole world to check out, so it might take me awhile. I’d love to hear some of your suggestions. Do you have a dream place where you want to live?

I’m posting some pics that show summer around the Havens house. You’ll see some beasts who prefer the air conditioning to the outdoors. Some rose that are already feeling the heat. The crepe myrtles, which are gorgeous. And the best smelling flowers ever — gardenias. They make my front porch a little slice of heaven.

Gorgeous crepe myrtle

Gizmo prefers the AC

People ask me all the time how I get the ideas for my books. The truth is, from everywhere. I’m inspired by music, television, film, pop culture, people I see on the street, airports, restaurants, people from my past, the past, present, what I think the future might be and dreams. I never lack for ideas — ever.

My May release, Truth and Dare, was inspired by my past and my love of the television show Bones. I don’t actually want to see Booth and Bones get together on the show. It would would ruin it. But I do sometimes wonder what would happen if they did get together. Would it be explosive fireworks? Would we see the passionate side of Bones?

Of course, my story is very different from the show. My hero is a business man/cowboy who is helping Patience, a forensic anthropologist who seldom gets out of the office, solve his father’s murder. A murder that took place 20 years ago. Funny thing is, when I called her Patience, it didn’t dawn on me until someone mentioned it that I’d played on Temperance on Bones. Funny how that stuff happens.

The my story part: I lived in Houston but every summer as a teen I hung out at my grandparent’s farm in a small East Texas town. It was surrounded by lakes and so much of my time was spent on the water. I had my share of cowboys for boyfriends and I have to say there’s something sexy about a guy who can ride a bull. It was fun thinking back to those days. There were street dances on July 4th, and all kinds of festivals in nearby towns. I love small towns.

So today I would like to hear from you. What inspires you? Who inspires you? If you post here, you could win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

It feels like I’ve been waiting forever to tell you about my new book “She Who Dares, Wins.” It’s about a former Bronx detective, Katie, who is assigned as the bodyguard and investigator on a case in involving a hot professor, Mac. When these two get together it’s steamy, sexy happens. I have to tell you, I’m in grad school right now and if I had a professor like Mac, I wouldn’t get anything done.

I’ve been trying to remember where the idea for this book came from, but I can’t for the life of me. I had the character Katie from the first book, but Mac, he sort of appeared in a pub early in the book and that’s where he was born. Honestly, I wrote that first chapter not knowing much of anything and then POW! There he was. Mac. Surfer boy stuck in London trying to save the world. I fell in love with him instantly, even though he’s a little sneaky in the beginning of the book.

I came up with his field of study when I was doing research trying to find a University in the heart of London. I ran across an article about various ways to grow plants without soil, and then I sort of made up the rest. Luckily, being in school helped me out with some of those scenes.

I was at the Romantic Times convention this past week and I had several people ask me where I come up with these crazy ideas for my book. They smiled, so I’m pretty sure that crazy really meant interesting. Most books begin with a character for me. Sometimes I dream about them, and yes I know how crazy that is. For one of my books I met a waitress, and her name inspired a secondary character who had a storyline that was integral to the book. Another time a voice popped in my head and said, My name is… and I just started writing down everything she said.

With this book, Katie was so uptight and I knew it was time for her to take some risks. She had to get out of her comfort zone and boy does Mac ever make her do that. I hope you enjoy their story.

Oh, and I have crazy cool contests happening the next two months to celebrate She Who Dares, Wins and the May book Truth and Dare. Take one of my Dares!

You can find out about those at: http://www.candacehavens.com/index.php/contests/

And tell me here about some fun dares/risks you took that turned out to be crazy good! (But keep them clean.)

I don’t know what it is about spring, but it feels like new beginnings to me. Maybe it’s all the sunshine after so many cloudy days. Could be the thawing of my feet, which seem to stay frozen through winter. I always feel like cleaning house as spring begins to bloom outside. It’s that spring cleaning, need a fresh start, I guess. I say I feel like, it but right now I don’t have the time. I have a book due in another month, two (She Who Dares, Wins and Truth and Dare) coming out over the next two months and grad school is CRAZY with deadlines this month. Still, I had to at least clean off my desk. It always makes me feel so much better if I can see the wood underneath. And as the weeks go on I’ll do a bit more. When the book is finished, I’ll go through this mad cleaning spree (I always do). When this happens, my husband comes home and says, “Who are you? And what have you done with my wife?” I’m not kidding.

I took a few moments to take some pics so I could show you some of the other signs of spring around the Havens’ household.

Gizmo loves to play in the mud as you can see from his face and paws. Time for a trip to the Beauty Shop.

If we don’t brush Scoobie every day, we end up having dust bunnies the size of Godzilla as her winter coat sheds.

I woke up the other day and the pear trees had bloomed overnight.

It won’t be long before those gorgeous smelling Gardenias bloom. They make the front entry so fragrant.

My husband’s rose bushes are also starting to green up. I love the way the flowers make the house smell.

Tell me what spring means to you.

Happy Spring Y’all!

I know we are all about hot romance and love here at Blaze. And goodness knows I’m all for that! But when it comes to Valentine’s Day, well, I think we should get rid of it. There I said it. I, Ms. Romantic USA wishes the whole commercialized goop would go down the drain.

Couples put so much pressure on that one day. It’s insane what we expect out of one of another. I personally think we should have a LOVE DAY once a month. I’m talking about a day when we all appreciate one another and do kind things. Yes, I know I sound like some kind of whacked pollyanna. But think about it. If we made loving and caring for one another a habit at least one day a month, it might accidentally spread to more days.

My husband does this in little ways. Sometimes he brings flowers home for no reason. Or he cleans the kitchen without being asked. I have to say the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen him do is laundry. There’s something about a man cleaning house that just gets me going. To me love is really about those moments when he gets it. He gets that I’m tired, worn out and brain dead, and he wants to help make me feel better. I make his favorite dinners for the same reason and help set up his appointments because he has to sleep most days and works nights. It’s these little things we do for each other all the time that are romantic to me.

One of the sweetest things that ever happened cost us less than $5. We didn’t have a lot of extra money and we’d sworn that we wouldn’t buy gifts that year. My husband had been off work for several weeks for appendicitis and times were tough. After we put the kids to bed, I made dinner at home. He set the table in the dining room and when I brought the food in there was a small gift bag by my plate. I rolled my eyes. And then went back to the kitchen where I’d hidden a gift for him.

When he saw the bag he started laughing. We each opened the bags and we laughed so loud we woke up the kids. He’d given me a can of whip cream and I’d given him a jar of maraschino cherries. An inside joke from one of our first dates in college. Neither of us knew what the other was doing, which is what made it the perfect moment.

Don’t get me wrong. My husband is good with the gifts. He bought me an iPad for Christmas, which I adore. I have him an iTouch which he looks at like it’s an alien. (The man is not into technology. Anything more complicated than a remote has no purpose in his life. LOL.) But when I showed him how all his old people music could go with him wherever he goes, he perked up a little. Any way, he’s generous in that way.

But for us, Valentines is just an excuse to eat a good dinner, which we pretty much do every weekend. And at some point this weekend flowers, probably yellow roses, will show up in the vase. (I’m his yellow rose of Texas. I know, I know. But we all have our cornball moments.) But those things won’t happen because it’s Valentine’s Day.

In fact, on Valentine’s Day I’ll probably be alone. (He has to travel.) He’ll make sure the dogs have their special biscuits since we want them to know how much we love them. I’ll put a little extra in my kids’ accounts so they can take their girls out, but for the most part it will be just another day. Like all the days when you’re with someone you love.

So tell me how you feel about Valentine’s Day. It’s okay if you love it. Has your significant other ever surprised you with an amazing or funny gift? What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for a loved one?

Tell me, I really want to know.

Happy Love Day to you all!