Bring It On - Feb 2012

The first book in my new Island Nights Trilogy, Bring It On, releases next week (although you can probably find it on the shelves starting this week).  The entire series is set at an exclusive adults-only resort on a private Caribbean Island.  Billed as the perfect tropical paradise, Escape is known for providing lush romantic settings not only for couples but also for successful singles looking for a little fun.

I had a blast writing this series because I got to escape right along with my characters.  Who doesn’t love the chance to cavort in warm tropical waters in the moonlight?  Or share a snorkeling trip with a sexy man and a rainbow of curious fish?  Or visit an ancient waterfall set deep into the undisturbed jungle?  I know I’m up for all three! Especially considering it’s freezing outside and my girls are currently arguing about who gets to play the Xbox first.  Yeah, sun, sand and running away sound pretty good right now.

And while I’ve been lucky enough to visit the Caribbean before, it’s been several years – way too long!  As much as I wanted another research trip while I was writing these books, I just wasn’t able to fit it into the schedule.  But I’ve made my husband promise me we’ll go soon…just the two of us.  Last time we went we had a headstrong 3 year old and I was 7 months pregnant with our youngest.  Somehow I missed the romantic opportunities that Lena, Colt, Elle, Zane, Simon and Marcy manage to find at Escape.  And I want what they have!

Do you have a dream vacation?  Someplace you’re dying to run away to?  Do you have a favorite romantic destination?

Kira

P.S. I’m giving away a signed copy of one of my backlist titles to one lucky commenter today.  Be sure to check the comment thread later this week when I announce the winner.

The girls and I have been watching a lot of classic Christmas specials in the last few weeks.  I’ve enjoyed cuddling up with them at night and sharing shows that were part of my own childhood.  Today we’re baking – cornflake cookies, peanut butter fudge and possibly buckeyes are on the agenda.  Along with baking I’m planning a movie afternoon for us to watch all of our Christmas favorites – A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, the Polar Express, Prep & Landing.  I’ve added some new shows to the repertoire, but  I think that’s part of letting my girls make their own traditions that they can share with their kids when they grow up.

DH and I also have a Christmas movie tradition that started long before we had kids.  He (and my mom) LOVE A Christmas Story.  I absolutely hate that movie.  To DH’s delight it plays for 24 hours straight starting Christmas Eve.  He torments me with it all day. Anytime I walk out of the room he turns the channel.  If I don’t hide the remote he turns the channel.  Once he snagged an extra remote just so he could do it the moment I’d been lulled into a false sense of security.  I have to admit that my feelings toward the movie have increased in vehemence over the years in direct proportion to DH’s relentless need to drive me crazy.  (although I did buy him the Hallmark ornament last year…the one with Ralphie dressed in the bunny suit.  It talks. I’m such a good wife).  This year I’ve given up trying to avoid the inevitable.  We’ll see how long my resolve lasts.

Do you have any favorite Christmas movies or specials?  Are there any traditional shows that you don’t care for?  Any classics that you’ve never seen?

Merry Christmas!

Kira

Yes, I enjoy spending time with my family and eating great food on Thanksgiving.  It’s been a crazy fall and I’ve barely seen my husband and kids let alone my parents, sister, brothers, spouses, nieces and nephews.  I’m looking forward to spending hours with everyone without that ticking clock in the back of my head telling me I really need to be heading to somewhere else.

And I wouldn’t be a good Southern girl if I didn’t relish the thought of hours of football.  We take our rivalries seriously here in Bama and this year the outcome of the Auburn/Alabama game could mean more than just statewide bragging rights.

But I have to admit that my favorite part of Thanksgiving is shopping.  I live for Black Friday.  I’ve been scouring the leaked ads for days.  I bought an app.  It lists all the stores and includes scans of their ads so if I forget what I need I can remind myself.  I even have a list.  For those of you who don’t know me, this is a HUGE deal.  I don’t make lists for anything.  Ever.  After an incident several years ago when I forgot something I really needed, I no longer leave things to chance.  The stores are so absolutely crazy it’s too easy to get distracted.  Black Friday is my list exception.

This year the stores are opening early.  I know a lot of people who aren’t happy about this.  My brother works at Target so I know what his hours look like and I have to admit if I worked in retail I might not appreciate the earlier timeline.  But from a shopper standpoint I’m loving the idea.  I’m hopeful that I might actually make it to bed by 1 or 2 in the morning and be able to sleep late.  It’s so much easier for me to stay awake than it is to get up early. 

So, are you planning on braving the stores this Thanksgiving?  Are you looking for something special?  Or are you hoping to stay in your PJs and grab what you need online?

Kira

I know Oprah made that phrase – favorite things – famous, but I’m going to give it a new twist today.  Over the last couple months I’ve been doing line edits for three books (my Feb, March and April Blaze releases – Bring It on, Take It Down and Rub it In).  And I’ve discovered something.  I tend to grab onto favorite words and phrases and just beat them to death.

Thank goodness for my wonderful editor.  She catches them all and gives me the chance to change them.  But it always amazes me that I don’t pick up on these repeats until she points them out to me.  Sometimes it makes me feel pretty oblivious.  But I’ve given up wondering why I can’t see them on my own.  I just can’t.

What I find funny about the whole thing is that the words and phrases change.  It isn’t like I habitually use certain words.  In one book it was in fact.  In another the characters kept spinning on their heels.  I don’t use these phrases in my regular life.  And they’re not specific to the characters or setting.  But they obviously got stuck in my head somewhere along the way.  I think it’s probably always been that way, but I didn’t realize it until I started working on these line edits back-t0-back.

So my question is, do you have a favorite word or phrase?  Do you know someone who uses the same words over and over again?  And when you’re reading, do you notice if an author repeats words and phrases?

Kira

As some of you might know, I live in North Alabama, the area that was hit hard by tornadoes on April 27th. I was lucky in that none of my family, friends or even acquaintances were injured or lost property.  There were a lot in this area that weren’t so lucky.  My hometown missed most of the destruction, but we were still without power for four days.  There were pros – spending more time with my family – and cons – difficulty cooking and entertaining my kids – but it could have been so much worse so we didn’t complain.  We figured a few primitive days was nothing compared to the total destruction some people were dealing with.  And we were right.

But there are invisible scars sometimes.  In fact, that’s why my blog is late this morning.  Last yesterday afternoon a storm rolled in and took out our cable, internet and phone service.  My parents, sister and brother all lost their power.  It wasn’t a bad storm.  Some wind, lightening and thunder.  In fact, all of our services went out before the rain even started.  But our system is so touchy that the slightest provocation has it dropping out.  In fact, the closest cities to me lost power last week during another storm and once again it took days to restore to all of the customers.  We weren’t even hit hard in April, but things are still a little shaky here.

And I didn’t realize just how anxious the entire thing had made me until the wind started howling yesterday.  My girls and my husband were down the street at the neighbor’s house and I could tell that it wasn’t going to be good.  I went outside and looked at the clouds and an unexpected wave of panic rolled through me.  I already knew that the storm wasn’t tornadic – I’d checked the weather before going outside – but I swear I looked up and saw swirling clouds right above our house the same way I did that day in April.  I called my husband and yelled at him to get home (I think I used a curse word or two.  I know, you’re all shocked :)). The first thing the girls asked me when they got home was whether they needed to get their bike helmets out and get into our shelter area.  The look of fear in their eyes helped to settle my own, I think.  At the first peal of thunder now, they start asking me if we’re going to have another tornado.  It sort of breaks my heart, the way they’ve lost that bone-deep sense of safety that’s supposed to come with childhood.

There are so many tragedies and disasters happening around the world right now that sometimes it’s hard to keep up.  The minute we seem to recover from one the news of another sweeps the rug out from under us yet again.  It’s difficult to know where to focus, how to help.  I thought everything would be better by now.  We’ve all moved on and our lives are back to normal.  My oldest had orientation at the middle school yesterday afternoon and the triumphant smile on her face as she figured out how to open her locker all by herself made me so proud.

You know, I think I needed this reminder, that despite everything the world keeps turning. Even if we have a blip here and there – that surge of panic brought on by old memories – that too will fade just like everything else.  The sun is bright this morning (and my cable and internet are back on which means my addiction to twitter can be fed once again) so things are definitely improving.  If only I didn’t have to go to work…

And because I don’t want to focus totally on the negative, tell me what things – big or small – make you smile. For me, it’s when my little girls laugh together.  My oldest is sort of reserved, but my youngest is infectious.  Her giggle could make anyone smile and my oldest is just powerless when she loses it.  She has to join in. and that shared moment between sisters always makes me happy.

Kira

Jingle Bell

Okay, I admit that we’ve had Jingle Bell since Christmas (hence the name that my girls picked out) so she isn’t quite new.  I thought I’d blogged about her here, but in looking back over my last few blogs I realized that I haven’t.  She is a sugar glider, a small marsupial, not to be confused with a flying squirrel which is what our local shelter sent us home with initially.  She does have the flaps of skin and she does glide like a flying squirrel…hence the need for her huge cage.  She is barely five inches long – including her tail – but her cage is five feet wide, three feet tall and two feet deep.  But she loves that cage!  She jumps and glides all over the place.  And don’t get me started on her little wheel.  See, the problem is she’s nocturnal.  As in doesn’t want to play until about 11 PM.  Luckily, we’ve put her cage in the living room but my youngest still swears she wakes up in the middle of the night when her wheel starts spinning.

The funniest thing about sugar gliders is that they seem to think they’re ten feet tall, at least when cornered.  They rear up on their hind legs and make this godawful racket.  Seriously, no matter how many times I hear it when she starts crabbing I automatically jump back.  I just can’t help the reflexes.  She also barks and several times I’ve  yelled at my Yorkie because I thought it was her in the middle of the night.  Poor Emma just looks at me like I’m crazy.

What I love about her is that she’s very loyal.  They’re troop animals so they bond very closely with their humans.  During the day I can carry her around in a pouch with me.  I give her a slice of apple and she just wakes up every once and awhile and gnaws on it before curling up and going back to sleep.  She’s been to work, to the park and even to my local RWA chapter meeting.  She’s definitely a conversation starter.  We’ve loved having Bell.  There are definitely issues with having an exotic pet though - like her diet.  Luckily I have a husband and daughter who love to feed her meal worms – her favorite treat.  Bleck!  At the moment we’re looking into finding her a friend.  Hoping to have her one by this summer. 

Have you ever wanted an exotic pet?  Had one as a kid and have fond memories? 

Kira

I’m currently at the RT Booklover’s Convention (if you’re in LA, come out and see me on Saturday at the book signing. I’d love to see you!). This is my first trip to LA. It’s been fun and eye opening and really not at all what I expected. I’ve mastered the public transit system, ridden a bus on the 10 – and thought I might die there – managed to find the PO Box where Pit Boss receives their fan mail and met the most wonderfully helpful people.

I dipped my feet into the Pacific for the first time in my life.

I had to make a fool of myself at the Kodak Theater.

I bought something on Rodeo Drive (shhh, don’t tell my husband).

And I managed to drip chocolate all over my shirt on the Santa Monica Pier.

I’m having a wonderful time! Have you ever been to LA? Is there something I missed that I should have seen? Any big city that you’ve ever wanted to visit?

Kira

So, I watched the big game on Sunday night. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a somewhat football fan. I prefer college (and could have been considered rabid this season since my team won the championship – War Eagle!). I tolerate the NFL. If pushed I’d say I’m a Titans fan since they’re close but I’m pretty ho hum about it. However, I always watch the Super Bowl.

I can honestly say that most of my joy comes from two things that have nothing to do with the actual action on the field – football food and the ads. Yep, I’m one of those. While the guys in the house hush the kids during those big plays, my rule is no talking during the commercials. Most of the rest of the year I channel surf during commercials, but not during the SB.

I have to say, overall, I was pretty disappointed this year. Most years there are several standouts that bring laughter and discussion to the group watching the game. This year, we talked more about how XTina screwed up the national anthem and how the Black Eyed Peas needed better sound equipment…and maybe a different stylist.

There were a few that stood out though – good and bad. Who wouldn’t love that little boy dressed as Darth Vader? And if you watched the Today Show’s segment on him yesterday, learning that he has a heart condition and had a pacemaker put in at 3 months just made him that much more adorable. If the only thing that comes out of the ads this year is that he gets a boom to his career then I say it was worth it. I honestly couldn’t even tell you what car he was advertising…but he was a screen stealer for sure!

The Doritos commercial where the guy licked his co-worker’s finger was funny for the shock value. I could have done without the second part of it where he tore off some guy’s pants though. I enjoyed the beaver spot – think it was a tire or car commercial? I’m a sucker for animated animals. I was a fan of the animated coke commercial too, but probably more because my girls liked it so they stopped running around for those thirty seconds. I even liked the Chrysler commercial with Eminem, although I think for the most part the celebrity spots were lacking.

I hated the Kim Kardashian commercial, the Go Daddy spot, the careerbuilder.com and etrade.com spots. That talking baby was cute…the first twenty times I saw him. Anytime I can see Rosanne Barr get knocked into the mud I’m happy. But there was no way Snickers could top their Betty White commercial from last year.

So, did you watch the game? Did you enjoy the commercials? Any that you liked? Hated?

Kira

My family and I just got back from a fantastic vacation to Disney World. We went so that we could see how Disney does Christmas and to help us all get into the spirit of the season. We weren’t disappointed! In fact, I really want to figure out how to make going back every year at this time part of our family Christmas traditions. Special parades, lots of fireworks, snow on Main Street… You can’t see these things and not smile. However, there was one event that really got me in the spirit of the season – the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

The Osborne Family (not Ozzy) used to put these lights up every year on their home. The display started small but grew every year. For whatever reason, they decided in the mid 90s that they couldn’t do it anymore but wanted to see the tradition continue. They donated all of their decorations to Disney with the understanding that they’d be used in one display every year. And let me tell you, it’s impressive.

Trust me , the pictures don’t do it justice. The night we saw them was unseasonably cold for Disney. In my mind, it was perfect. Not only did it feel like Christmas (in Florida) but it looked like it too. Periodically the lights ‘dance’ to holiday music. I stood in the middle of the street twisting around in awe with this goofy smile on my face. The fact that my kids were fussing because they were cold and just wanted to go back to the room didn’t detract from my joy in the moment.

I’m a sucker for Christmas light displays, and let me tell you, this one is the best I’ve ever seen.

Do you like Christmas lights? Do you have any traditions? They must go up the day after Thanksgiving? Do you drive around the city on Christmas Eve looking at the displays before Santa comes?

Kira

P.S. I’ve got a new release coming out on Jan 1st. If you like a little danger with your romance, you’ll love Caught Off Guard!

I’ve had food on the brain for the last week or so. There’s just something about fall that makes me want to eat. Maybe I’m trying to pack on the pounds before I hibernate for the winter. Or maybe it’s that there are just so many activities that revolve around food. It’s football season and we take that seriously here in Alabama! Saturdays usually involve a spread of chips, dip, cheese, crackers, hummus and chili all laid out before the TV. Of course then there are Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the parties that go with both holidays. The cooler weather just makes me want to pull out my warm recipes like soup and corn bread and fire up my crock pot.

Do you have any favorite fall recipes? Something you simply must have or it isn’t autumn yet? I’d have to say mine is pumpkin pie. Give it to me in the middle of July and I’ll turn my nose up at it, but in Oct, I’ll eat the whole thing myself. Here’s another of my favorite recipes that’s perfect for football games, holiday parties or just because. I’d love to hear about yours!

Beer Cheese Dip

1 large block of Velveeta cheese
1 can of Rotel (green chili’s mixed with diced tomatoes) drained
1 bottle of beer (the darker the beer the more flavor to the dip)

In a crock pot combine the block of Velveeta cut into small chunks.
Add can of Rotel.
Add about 1/4 of the bottle of beer. You can add more after the cheese melts if you need it but too much at the beginning and you’ll end up with soup instead of dip.
Cover and let melt, stirring occasionally to smooth out lumps.

I serve mine with tortilla chips and Fritos but my girls like theirs with carrots and broccoli.

Hope you enjoy!
Kira