Today I won’t be able to respond to comments because I’m out of town for the weekend on an annual retreat with my 2 critique partners.
I look forward to this retreat all year long. It’s fun getting away from my usual routine, and there’s always good food and wine and sitting by the fireplace chilling out.
We arrive late Friday afternoon and get settled into our rooms, then meet in the kitchen to catch up with all the non-writing news each of us want to share over chips, salsa, and homemade guacamole, (and wine, of course) And then we get to work.
With only 3 of us, we each get a 4-5 hours long session where we all 3 concentrate only on that person’s writing needs. One session Friday night. One Saturday morning into the afternoon, then we break and go out to dinner, then another session Saturday night. Sunday morning is reserved for anyone to address anything they’ve thought of since their session.
One can use a session to plot an entire book, or plot the bare-bones of a trilogy proposal, or to figure out a difficult black moment and resolution, and then just brainstorm ideas for a new proposal. Sometimes we might even use a session to talk about our writing life in general, deal with burn out, or changing strategies or goals, or even taking a time-out from writing.
The retreat helps start the year out renewing my love for writing, energizing my excitement for plots and stories, and generally refreshing and de-stressing my life. I love talking about writing with other writers. But especially with my 2 critique partners. We’ve been together now for 10 years! I can’t believe it. We’ve grown to be not only really good critique partners, but very close friends. We talk with each other weekly, if not daily, and we’ve all been there for each other through the good and the bad times. I can’t imagine my life without my 2 CPs. And I know I’ve said this many times before, but, Linda, Pam, I wouldn’t be published without you. I love you both.
HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY, LPJ!!!!
To celebrate my 10th anniversary with Pam and Linda I’m giving away a copy of my NEWEST BLAZE (It doesn’t even come out until March!) ONCE A HERO… to a random commenter. I’ll announce the winner as soon as I get back in town Sunday night or Monday morning.

Once a hero…always a hero
Subject: Captain Luke Andrews, M.D.
Current Status: On stress leave in beautiful Hawaii
Mission: Rest and recovery
Obstacle: There’s no rest from the wicked chemistry
Mission: Rest and recovery
Obstacle: There’s no rest from the wicked chemistry
he’s found with her

After a too-close-for-comfort brush with cancer, ocean
photographer Kristen Turner heads to Hawaii
for three months, where fate hands her a smokin’-hot
opportunity she can’t resist….

Captain Luke Andrews has to get some serious R & R,
but he can’t keep his hands off Kristen. She’s wild
and irresistible, and spending his nights with her
seems more dangerous than his last mission.
But is their hot little vacation romp an escape from
real life…or will the survivor and the hero battle it
out and learn to live each day as a gift?

In the Catholic church, the Christmas season has only just begun. The four weeks leading up to December 25th, liturgically speaking, is called Advent.
Advent is a time of waiting, of preparing. The first Sunday of Advent the scripture is usually John the Baptist calling out to the people, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”
And as adults, it’s all about preparing. Decorations, shopping, wrapping, mailing out cards, baking, cooking, and cleaning.
But as a kid, it was all about the waiting. I couldn’t wait for Christmas morning. And the waiting seemed to take forever. The month of December seemed to creep by one slow second at a time. Waiting and waiting for that wondrous day to come.
Now? Days fly by and my To Do list seems never ending. I wish for a personal assistant. Or a clone. And I tease my Jewish friend that I’m going to convert to Judaism.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love this magical season. I enjoy shopping for those perfect gifts and wrapping them with beautiful paper and bows. I love baking those special cookies and breads I only make at Christmas time.
But this month, I’ve been waiting eagerly every day for weeks and weeks for something. And I realized this anxious, nail-biting waiting, this longing for something to hurry up and get here was just how I used to feel as a kid waiting for Christmas morning.
Finally, the other day, I saw it for the first time. My NEW BLAZE COVER!
Isn’t it gorgeous? The book comes out in March and takes place on Maui and the background looks just like my research images. I’m a little anxious because I struggled with this story. Some books, (for me, it was Primal Calling) seemed to flow from my fingers like magic. Others seem to take their time in revealing themselves to me. But one thing I don’t have to worry about, thanks to the geniuses at the Harlequin Art Department (You all rock!) is the cover.
Anything you’ve been waiting for finally come or happen? Three commenters will win a copy of my September Blaze, NIGHT MANEUVERS!

This time last year I blogged about my list of things I’m grateful for. And that’s something that never gets old, I think. Being grateful, I mean. It’s so easy—especially in this economic recession—to feel depressed. To worry about losing a job, or to be scared because we’ve been laid off and haven’t been able to find another job. Nowadays it seems like we’re all just trying to keep our heads above water, just to pay the mortgage and put food on the table, much less afford Christmas or send a kid to college.
I’m not a worrier by nature and even I have been worried lately. I find myself looking around at the bankers who posted their “highest profits for the third quarter” and the Corporations like Exxon who make billions in profit and yet paid not ONE dime in taxes last year, or the famous 1% who make more money every year off the backs off the middle class, and I get angry.
But worry and anger are so negative they can be debilitating. If I let myself wallow in those negative emotions for long, I think I’d soon become a bitter old hag.
My only remedy is gratitude.
That old song from White Christmas still rings true today. “When you’re worried and you can’t sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep.”
So, I have to remember to look around at all the true riches in my life. My loving husband, a mom who’s always there for me, three healthy children, and many really good friends who would always be there for me. You can’t put a price tag on any of them.
When I remember to be grateful, suddenly things become so simple. Worries take a back seat to enjoying the gifts I’ve been given. The people I love and who love me.
And when it’s all said and done, it’s really all about the love.
I’m wishing you all love and peace and simple gifts this Thanksgiving holiday.
Enjoy a simple beautiful song here:
Simple Gifts

In one interview I gave to my local RWA chapter soon after becoming published, I said I loved the 3 Cs: Chocolate, Cowboys and Country Music.
You might be thinking, Chocolate? YES! Cowboys? You bet!
But…Country music?
Yeah, I know. But Country music isn’t all Mamas, Truckers and Coon dogs nowadays. It’s very romantic. Very…inspirational.
For instance, watch this music video for a song by Chris Young.
Tomorrow
There are so many wonderfully masculine “hero” inspirations in those few minutes and I’m not just talking about a tight black shirt and a cowboy hat.
How about that moment when he looks up and clenches his fist.
You can see when he takes a deep breath, and I especially love it when he pushes off the doorframe.
And oh, that kiss.
But, you say, this is a sad song. Where’s the romance in that? Okay, so this particular video is more inspiration for the black moment. I’d love to take this mini-romance gone wrong, give the blonde and the cowboy a backstory, and goals, and motivation and conflicts and then write my own happy ending to poor Chris Young and his Tomorrow.
For another super sexy Country music video with a Happy Ending there’s Billy Currington’s Must Be Doing Something Right
And for love gone wrong in a humorous way, watch this one by the cutie pie of Country, Brad Paisley with his future wife , Kimberly Williamson.
I\'m Gonna Miss Her

So, do you listen to Country music? If not, have a made a convert out of you?

Usually when the subject of guilty pleasures comes up, and everyone starts naming something wicked or decadent they enjoy, I draw a blank.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t have vices. I do. It’s just that I don’t particularly feel guilty over them. Why should I? We’re all human. We all have flaws, bad habits, or what I like to call NEEDS. As long as I’m not hurting anyone else, why feel guilty?
However, I must confess to one guilty pleasure I’ve acquired over the past couple of years: DROP DEAD DIVA.
I’ve never been one to watch soaps. They’re a little over the top for me. I tend to like my drama more realistic and gritty (like Southland for instance) And I realize Drop Dead Diva has a paranormal plot. But the MOST believable part of this show so far has been that a skinny model’s soul has been sent into a full-figured attorney’s body. The attorney meets with the client one day and they’re in court the next. I’ve been involved in a lawsuit. 2 years, people. TWO years. And that was a settlement that never went to court. I don’t know how long we would’ve waited to get a court date.
But I digress.
In Drop Dead Diva, the protagonist has her own Guardian Angel, right? Except he becomes human and starts dating her best friend. I mean, really? Then her fiancé just happened to get hired in the law offices where she works, but he thinks she’s dead and she can’t tell him who she really is. And don’t even get me started on all the trial cases the heroine wins that are so out there…
But I LOVE it. I get happy looking forward to watching it. It’s fun and clever, and silly and exciting, and…maybe it’s because I’ve always been that fat girl. I just love to see a full-figured chick save the day, win the case, get the guy, and generally live a happy, fulfilling life. But, you might argue, the heroine is really a skinny model living inside the fat chick. But the skinny girl has to live as a full-figured woman. She learns about inner beauty when she’s judged for her weight. And as a full-figured woman, she learns not to let a little weight keep her from going after all the things she wants in life. It’s like walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. Literally. And couldn’t we all benefit from walking in the shoes of someone we might’ve previously judged?
PS: OMG! I just watched the Season finale! Omg omg omg
So what’s your Guilty Pleasure?

I’m so excited about the release of my September Uniformly Hot Blaze NIGHT MANEUVERS (The conclusion of the Las Vegas trilogy featuring Captain Mitch McCabe and Captain Alex Hughes) that I want to celebrate in a BIG WAY. So, I thought it’d be fun to play a game where answering questions correctly about Mitch and Alex will win you a copy!
Since this couple was in the first two books of the trilogy, these questions will pertain to those two books, LET IT RIDE or SEDUCE AND RESCUE. The first TEN people to answer THREE questions correctly will win a copy of NIGHT MANEUVERS before it even hits the shelves! OK, are you ready? Here we go:

1. In Let It Ride, at the motor Speedway, how does Captain Alex Hughes wear her baseball cap?

2. What brand of expensive watch does Captain Mitch McCabe wear?
A) Rolex
B) Cartier
C) Tag Heuer

3. What is Mitch’s fighter pilot call sign/nickname?

4. In Seduce and Rescue, Mitch and Alex do something together they’ve never done before. (Hint: it’s not have sex and it takes place at a bar)

5. In Let It Ride, Mitch gets punched in the nose by his buddy, Cole, before they go rock climbing. Why?
A) Because Mitch insults Cole’s rock climbing skills
B) Because Mitch insults Cole’s fighter pilot skills
C) Because Mitch insults Jordan

6. In Seduce and Rescue, does Alex like or dislike Lily?

7. In Let It Ride, does Alex like or dislike Jordan?

8. In Seduce and Rescue, Mitch helps out Lily by:
A) Teaching her to swing a mean right hook
B) Delivering a card from her to Ethan after he returns from Iraq
C) Bringing in customers to her Herb Shop

9. Besides playing pool, what hobby do Mitch and Alex have in common when not working?
A) Four-wheeling in the desert
B) Working on Alex’s ’66 Mustang engine
C) Rock climbing

10. Alex is from the Texas Panhandle. What city and/or state is Mitch from?
Good Luck, everyone!

Ack! I’ve been in my deadline cave the past several weeks, with a book due mid-August, and I completely missed my day to blog!
I’ve never done that before! I’m actually on my way to take youngest to her orthodontisdt appointment and so the the only way I can see to make it up to you is to give away some books!
OH and I’ll show off my BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS, EYE-CANDY COVER for the long-awaited end to my trilogy of Las Vegas Air Force elite team of air combat trainers, NIGHT MANEUVERS! The first book was LET IT RIDE, the second was SEDUCE AND RESCUE.
Anyway, back to giveaways, I’ll give away 5 books out to 5 randonly drawn commenters today. Oh, and look for Blaze 10th Anniversary Blogs all next month–lots of special things going on!

*Portions reprinted from a Sept 09 Sizzling Pens Blog.
My husband and I got started on our family a little later in life, and as a result, hubby will be 65 when our youngest graduates from high school. Needless to say, he doesn’t anticipate retiring then, unless I, by some miracle, hit it big like Nora. Yeah, like I said.
But becoming the next Nora isn’t even a goal for me. I don’t aspire to be on the NYT bestseller list or even win a Rita. (Ok, I’d like to win a Rita, but I don’t see it happening) I just want to write a couple of sexy little romances every year and use the money to
A)fix up my house and
B)my great love–travel.
Those of you who follow my blogs know I checked off a couple of big ones off my bucket list the past few years: Disneyworld and DC. But there’s still so much more I want to do before I go “sing with the angels” as my mom always puts it.
There’s Europe, of course. London, Paris, the south of France, and Tuscany are on my “Must See” list.
Then there’s New York City, where I HAD hoped to be right now for RWA’s National conference. sniff sniff I’ve never been. But with a daughter starting college in the fall and several major appliances needing replacing lately, I just couldn’t justify the expense. So, look out NYC/ RWA 2015!

I’d also like to take my family to see the Grand Canyon. Hubby went before he knew me. I’ve been too, before I knew him, but we’ve never been together and the kids have never seen it. And one more place I’d like to see someday is the Bahamas. I’d love to lie around the beach under a swaying palm tree and take in the brilliant turquoise waters lapping onto shore while Daniel Craig brings me
another frozen Pina Colada. Ok, ok. I realize the Daniel Craig part is NOT going to happen. But the trip to turquoise waters should be doable someday. Until then, I guess I’ll have to settle for looking at all the pictures I used for researching my July Blaze BY INVITATION ONLY. It’s an anthology with NYT bestseller Lori Wilde, and Wendy Etherington called BY INVITATION ONLY. All 3 novellas are about heroines who each crash the celebrity wedding of the century. Texas Tycoon J. D. Maynard Jr. and famous actress Holly Addison are getting married on exotic Rapture Island . And you’re not invited! My story is called SECRET ENCOUNTER.

What’s a serious scholar like Dr. Peyton Monahan doing crashing a celebrity wedding? Though a disguise gets Dr. Peyton Monahan into the celebration, it doesn’t help her find the elusive philanthropist she’s seeking to fund her latest research project. But she does find one hot gorgeous guy. Too bad Quinn Smith’s hiding a few things of his own….

So, what’s on your Bucket List? Are you taking a trip this year? If you could go anywhere, where would you travel? I’m giving away 3 copies of BY INVITATION ONLY (or anything from my backlist) to 3 randomly drawn posters today.

Ever since I began writing there were always special songs that went with each book I wrote. Usually the words perfectly fit what my hero or heroine was feeling during a certain scene, or the song represented the characters journey from dark to light or from fear to courage, or from damaged to forgiveness. And I often wished I could give a tiny I-pod away with each book so the reader could hear the songs I’d chosen for, say, the love scene, or the final scene as the camera pans back on the kissing lovers and the credits roll.
I recently read about the future of books as e-readers become more and more prevalent. It seems there might already be e-books in development with audio or video attached, similar to how DVDs have “extras” like deleted scenes and director’s commentary. Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to listen to the songs an author listened to as she wrote a particular scene while or before you read the book? Maybe an author’s commentary on why she chose the hero’s name or how the idea for the story came about? The possibilities are as endless as our imagination.
I admit I’m a dinosaur. I don’t own an e-reader and cling tightly to my paper novels. But someday I will bow to the future and give in. I want to save trees. And I’ll enjoy all the “extras” when the time comes.
Here are some songs I listened to for each of my Blaze books.
LET IT RIDE
SEDUCE AND RESCUE
Alex Hughes’ song
PRIMAL CALLING
SECRET ENCOUNTER from the anthology BY INVITATION ONLY coming in July with Lori Wilde and Wendy Etherington
Alex and Mitch’s song in NIGHT MANEUVERS coming in September

What do you think? Do you have an e-reader now? Or do you, like me, cling to the paper version? And will you someday give in and get an e-reader as prices go down? And will you like the “extras” on your e-books?

This past weekend my seventeen year old son came in about 12:30 AM panicked because he’d wrecked his father’s car. It seems a drunk driver veered into his lane and he swerved off the road to avoid hitting him.
We have 2 teens and 2 adults trying to get to school and work everyday. Well, thank goodness, I work from home, but still, juggling 4 schedules and 2 cars every day is a pain. And now we’re going to be down to 1 car for a while, and facing some hefty repair bills when we’re trying to pay off credit card debt and have a daughter starting college in the fall.
And yet…
All I could think was, he could’ve been hurt! My baby boy! My precious son. He could’ve died. How many parents get a call from the police saying their child has been killed or seriously injured in a car wreck? I wanted to tell him no more driving! I wanted to wrap him in my arms like I used to and protect him from harm.
And this was my kid who had an emergency room trip once a year for the first ten years of his life. He’s had more stitches and staples than Raggedy Andy. But I still had more control over his safety when he was small. Cover all the electrical sockets, pad the fireplace, baby-gate the kitchen, lock down the toilet and the VCR, and watch him every minute when he was out in the yard. Hold his hand, only let him climb to the big, low branch on the tree, and only with Mama holding on.
Now, I have to let him go out into the big, bad world and take his chances with all the idiots out there.
I can’t imagine being the mom of a son who had to go off to war. Or, nowadays, a daughter. My heart goes out to all those mothers whose children are fighting for freedom around the world. Whether it be the rebels in Libya, or the youth in Iran, or our American soldiers.
For my next Blaze, I’ve been researching the military hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan and it’s a scary, dangerous world there right now.
I thank my lucky stars my son wasn’t hurt the other night. And I’m praying for the safety of all those young men and women–most of whom are not much older than my son—who are putting themselves in harm’s way out of duty to their country. Their sacrifice and the sacrifice of all military families can never be measured or repaid.
As for my son, I can only pray he will continue to stay safe as he ventures into the world. I can’t wrap him in a blanket and keep him home anymore. But if we could, we would, wouldn’t we-mothers of the world?