Memorial Day Weekend is definitely one of my favorites.

Whether my family heads to the pool or the beach, there’s always great food involved–one of my beloved pastimes is cooking. (And eating, of course.) To me, it’s also one of the best race weekends of the year. But I’ll get back to the racing in a minute.

Really, though, the weekend is about freedom.

Freedom to sun your buns or grill them. To play softball with your kids or lay on the sofa and watch movies or sports on TV. For some families, they’ll be free to visit a grave and lay flowers.

And the reason we all have those freedoms is because of our armed forces.

Lincoln referred to the dead of the Civil War as giving “the last full measure of devotion.” As human beings (not just Americans, as all countries have a way of remembering their fallen heroes), it’s natural for us to reflect. To think about the past with pride, and maybe even regret. At no time is that more important than this weekend. As busy as we all are, as unstable as the times seem to be, there are those who fight everyday to make the world a better place. And some won’t live to see the changes they sacrificed for.

Those who served in my family and my husband’s did so in the Army, Navy and Marines. Neither of us lost a loved one to war–for which we’re incredibly grateful. But they still put on their uniform and left their homes and families for far-away places, unsure of the future and praying their dedication would preserve their way of life.

Way back, many generations ago, my ancestor, John Reese (born 1809), fought for the South in the Civil War. Fast forward several generations to my mother’s father, Staff Sergeant Phillip Lankford, who was in the Battle of the Bulge. His commander was killed and my grandaddy was left to command his unit and hold his position, which he did–one of the few instances of this occurring.

I’m also proud to claim and thank Captain and Dr. Clifford P. Phoebus (a physician to the Blue Angels), Lieutenant Preston Phoebus, Jr., Commander Richard Phoebus, SEAL-team member Jim Phoebus, Sergeant First-Class Larry Dunn, Tech-Sergeant Robert Dunn, Major David Etherington, Sergeant Cynthia Etherington, and our most recent veteran, Marine Corps medic and University of Georgia Sophomore Joseph Herring, who served two tours in Iraq, one on the front lines.

By the time you read this, I’ll undoubtably be on my way to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coke 600. Besides those attending the race, military personnel all over the world will be honored with a flyover. And though there’s a flyover at every NASCAR event, this one is more solemn and uplifting than any of the others.

As it should be.

Enjoy your freedom this weekend–I know I will. And say thanks to someone who’s served.

Apparently, I’m stuck on the TV kick, since I want to chat about Bravo reality show, The Millionaire Matchmaker. I want to be Patty Stanger in my next life. She’s what I flatteringly refer to as a “broad”. Most of them seem to be from Jersey, but she brings a great Southern California spirit to the species. My favorite line of hers– “The penis does the picking.”

I challenge you…is there a truer statement in the world of romance?

Between balls-of-steel Patty and her excellent, but just-to-the-left-of-center staff–Destin and his mile-high mohawk being my personal favorite–they try desperately to wrangle their wealthy, usually self-absorbed clients, match them with suitable women and send them on dates, which will hopefully lead to monogamous relationships, followed by marriages.

Unfortunately for Patty and the gang, these guys (at least the ones they show on TV) are single for a reason.

I oftentimes give my heroes money. Romance novels are about fantasy to a great degree, after all, so I figure why should money be a struggle? Why shouldn’t the hot guy have a great house, an interesting job and cash to spare?

Most of the guys on this show, however, wouldn’t qualify for hero status. They wouldn’t even rate the semi-cute, wisecracking sidekick in a lot of cases. (Case in point: You HAVE to see Vegas-resident-by-way-of-Chicago entrepreneur Jimmy D and his tendency to talk about himself in the third person. It’s priceless!) Hunt hint: They’re made by babes. Another guy can’t decide between one of two women to take on his big date, so he picks one, gets the other chick’s phone number, then invites her on the date, too.

You can subtitle these episodes as “What Not To Do in Creating a Romance Hero if You Want People to Actually Like Your Story.”

Patty herself would be a great romance novel heroine, though. She’s lovely, direct and doesn’t believe a word these guys say until she sees it for herself. She definitely wouldn’t fall for the crap a lot of the dates do, or accept their lousy, chauvinistic treatment simply because they’re willing to shell out so cash for a limo ride and an expensive dinner.

So here’s to Patty…oh, the stories she could tell. (D)

I’m jumping off the topic of great fiction in book form to talk about TV, specifically a show that’s a genius in casting, character and humor.

Glee.

If you haven’t jumped on the Glee bandwagon, I’m here to grab hold of you and pull you aboard. The writers have done something very clever in that, on the surface, nearly every character in the cast begins as unlikeable.

The episodes follow a high school show choir, and the teenage mantra is–naturally–it’s all about me. (Trust me, I know this. I have two of them.) So the attitude of the young characters is both believable and interesting. In this world, though, the adults act the same way…

The show is a marvel of writing from specifics points of view, as every character acts in his or her’s own self-interest. This happens constantly, every scene, every character. There are sweet moments of sacrifice, but they’re generally few and far between, making them all the more poignant. There are cliches that work. There are despicable–yet hilarious–characters played by Jane Lynch (cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester) and Jessalyn Gilsig (Terri Schuester, wife of the glee club director). There are guest stars–Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked) and Josh Groban (“cute as a buttermilk biscuit”) being the best.

The resulting show is farcical at its core, but also real and powerful and wildly entertaining.

And I haven’t even gotten started on the the music. Broadway, pop, early rap, rock, cheesy-80‘s-that-have-become-classics (hello, Journey!). Plus a male soprano (played by the amazing Chris Colfer) who can believably sing Defying Gravity. It’s hard not to find something you’ll enjoy and possibly even love more than the original.

The single funniest thing I’ve seen in years is the episode where Kurt and supporting female cast perform Beyonce’s All the Single Ladies into his mini cam.

With all the stress and uncertainty in the world today, Glee does exactly what all of us in romance fiction strive to do–create an escape, relish a sweet moment, create the unexpected.

New episodes start April 13th, so you still have time to buy the DVD and catch up to the hilarity.

Hey, all! This is going to be a short one. I have a Blaze due Feb 15th, and my editor is going to be wildly annoyed with me if it’s not on time.

I just wanted to pop in and say how awesome our Blaze babes are. I can occasionally come up with a good title, but I generally suck at them. I put out the SOS to my fellow writers a couple of weeks ago for a title, and they came up with HER PRIVATE TREASURE. Great, yes? (My hero is a lawyer and my heroine is an FBI agent, and they’re trying to solve a jewel robbery/smuggling case—in addition to finding lots of beachy places to have steamy sex.) It’ll be out in September, so be sure to look for it!

And thanks so much to my girls for bailing me out—again. You guys rock!! (H)

As 2009 comes to a close, I’ve spent much-appreciated time with my family over the holidays, and one of the gifts we received from Santa was the 6th Harry Potter DVD (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). Unless you’ve been living under a literary rock over the last decade, you know this is the movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s book of the same name.

I’m a serious student of the HP series. I think Rowling is one of the most talented storytellers of our time. And I’ve read the books so many times, I can easily recite lines, plots, motivations and themes.

It’s the themes I’d like to address. While Harry’s obvious battle of good versus evil doesn’t translate to the average romance novel (hey, not every hero can literally save the world), a theme is critical to a great book. Rowling’s theme is certainly good versus evil, but it’s also (and maybe more importantly so) the power of love. Love as a mother’s sacrifice, a character’s compulsion to defend his or her friends, a hero’s ability to find and return love that’s offered.

Whatever we, as authors, write plot-wise, the real story comes down to theme. What’s the story beneath the tale? What overlying compulsion drives the story? What do these characters really care about, want, need…have to have to survive?

The rest is movements on a chess board.

Rowling, her characters and her message are clear. As readers, we spent years trying to discern her purpose, her goal and endgame. When you complete the series, it’s obvious she stayed true to her story from the first word to the last. That’s theme. That’s what separates good, interesting and entertaining from great and epic. While I have no illusions that I’m the author of epic stories, I’ve learned through much trial and error about the importance in keeping my theme true and clear.

So I, as weird as it seems, have something in common with J.K. Rowling. We’re both storytellers at heart. That theme bonds us, no matter how different the tales we tell.

We writers can’t cure cancer, or bring peace on Earth, but I know many if not all of us think the world is a better place with a few more stories about the power of love.

Hey, all! Hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving!

I just got in from out of town with the in-laws, and I wanted to share my Feb 2010 Blaze cover with you. Awesome, huh? Ah…to be a fly on the wall of the art department at Harlequin—pretty much any day of the week. (H)

God bless those lawmen,
Wendy

The Yamaha and the Nuvo!

Since my peeps are bestselling authors Jacquie D’Alessandro and Jennifer St. Giles, they’re people you know, too. We’re talking about the screenwriting class Jennifer is taking and how it relates to fiction writing (lots more complications!) Mine and Jacquie’s heads are about to spin off.

We’re also cooling off (Yes, I know it’s October, but it was 75 when I pulled into Jacquie’s driveway. Welcome to Halloween in the South!) with this fantastic drink called Nuvo. (see picture) According to Jacquie’s college-age son, this is what all the rappers drink. A pink fizzy cocktail. O-kay. Just one more reason I’m officially old.

Which is why our musical choice is Jacquie’s new Yamaha player piano (with Disklavier—don’t ask, I have no idea what it is either). Her musical tastes veer more toward tunes that were sung on The Lucy Show. (If you don’t know what that is, then you’re too young.) While the songs are lovely, I’ve decided when I have my mid-life crisis I’m getting a Corvette. Jacquie’s husband claims I’ll come out cheaper than buying the piano.

The Nuvo is calling! See ya!
–Wendy

I admit it, I’m blogging, so I don’t have to work.

At the end of the week, the final line changes are due for my February 2010 Blaze (Tempt Me Again). This, in my opinion, is one of the worst things about being an author—reading my own writing. At this stage of the production process, I’ve read through the darn thing so many times, there’s no way I can catch too many remaining mistakes. (Thankfully, my editor and the copy editor have also read through the manuscript several times, so they’ve likely already caught most everything.)

This last read is also the moment of truth. The actual printing process begins, the moment of no returns, no exchanges and certainly no refunds has arrived. Since only minor changes are allowed, if I hate it, too bad. If the conflict sucks, oh, well. If the characters are idiots, they’re not getting’ any smarter.

By the time I get the cover, I’ll be excited that the book is coming together and will soon be on the shelf. At the moment, though, my stomach is in knots, and I wonder why anybody in their right mind would pay me actual money to do this job. (If my editor is reading this, please disregard this last statement.)

You guys will be there with a shoulder for me to cry on if I hate it…right?

He’s portly, balding and unyielding, but Hercule Poirot—dramatized most distinctly by English actor David Suchet—is a romance hero most should aspire to.

Poirot is, of course, a consummate Agatha Christie protagonist. The Belgium detective, a refugee of WW I, starred in thirty-three Christie novels and many more short stories. The British TV series that brought those mysteries to light is beautifully set in the art deco era of Europe in the 1930’s. Find these gems. Buy them; rent them. Whatever you have to do.

If my hero is having a Alpha-male moment (which, let’s face it, all romance heroes are prone to do), if his temper or ego is driving his actions, I find myself wondering, what would Poirot do? How would he charm the lady? How would he smoothly turn the conversation to his advantage? How would he get the deed (whatever that deed happens to be) done?

He’s consummate in his manners, methodical in his approach to his work and complete in his respect of everyone, especially women. He holds them on a pedestal (something a modern hero or two could take note of). He flatters them, respects their opinions and reveres their beauty and style.

Of course Poirot also has a significant touch of OCD, is fussy, self-congratulatory and certainly too effeminate for modern tastes. But, oh, that brain! Clever, intelligent, quick and decisive.

Christie was certainly a woman who knew that a man’s worth lay in the depth of his character and not necessarily the breadth of his shoulders.

I spent yesterday at the amazing world of IKEA. If you haven’t experienced this universe, get yourself there ASAP.

Hands empty, you can wander in this place (which, by the way, is large enough to warrant its own zip code) and hours later wander out with a fully-furnished two-bedroom apartment on a pallet. It’s a dizzying trip, and one that might not change your life, but can certainly change your surroundings for the better.

While looking for a new bed for my youngest daughter, I was distracted by a bunk bed group that featured a double bed on top and a den (yes, a den) underneath. Below the bunk was a comfy loveseat, desk, lamp and chair. The coup de grace were these cool panels that hung from the top bunk over the “doorway” to the den, leaving the space in a tiny world of solitary creativity. In a flash of inspiration, I could have happily curled up there all day with my laptop and written the greatest novel on the planet.

I’m sure the IKEA staff would have had an issue with this plan, but I fantasized anyway.

The cozy use of space reminded me of dorm rooms and shared apartments from my past, when my life occupied a 12×12-foot area and little else. Life has gotten much bigger and more complicated, but my job can still be done in that comfy, intimate area.

And that’s pretty cool.