I’ve been feeling pretty lucky the last couple weeks…in a roundabout sort of way. Maybe more grateful and appreciative than lucky, but Thanksgiving’s half a year away, so we’ll call it luck, for seasonality.

I recently started a new day job. In a former life I was a full-time graphic designer, and for the next few months I’m going back to that, freelancing at an ad agency in downtown Boston. The opportunity came out of nowhere, literal hours after my husband and I had been talking about how we could stand to bank some extra money this year. I got offered the gig because my contact at a staffing agency had e-mailed me by mistake, then wound up realizing she had a job that just might be a good fit for me. Seemed serendipitous. So I thought, why not go for it? Good money, and though it’s full-time with a long train-and-walking commute, it’s a temporary contract, so I can leave when I want to and go back to writing as my primary vocation, which is how it’s been for the last not-quite-three-years. I’ve been awfully spoiled, after all (and awfully broke, but my job satisfaction’s been through the roof!)

So I’ve been at the new job for two weeks now, and it’s good gig. I’ll likely keep it up until summer, for the money and the new skills I’m acquiring. But man, is it ever exhausting!

Because I’m determined not to lose momentum on the books I’m working on, I’ve been getting up at five, showering and making coffee, shoving toast in my face, writing from 5:45 to 6:45, doing my hair and scooting out the door a little after seven to catch the train. Ride into the city, then walk a half hour or so to my office (the subway takes about five minutes less at rush hour, but I’d much rather get the exercise and do some story brainstorming along the way.) Stare at a screen for eight hours, walk to the train station, home around 6:45 to make dinner, eat, and pass out around nine with a book on my face. Then up again at five to do it all over.

But like I said, it’s worth it, and not just because of the money. Though I’m sacrificing a ton of unstructured time for the opportunity, it’s actually made me more productive. Or more efficient, anyhow. I may write a thousand new words on a weekday now, instead of three thousand as I’d gotten accustomed to, but I write them way quicker and make the most of my little sliver of precious writing time. And this morning I sat down and hammered out about 3,500 words, way more than I usually have in me on a Saturday morning. I’m super concentrated! Like orange juice or laundry detergent.

I appreciate the writing process in a way I haven’t the last year or so, recognizing it for the necessary luxury it is. I don’t think I ever took for granted how awesome a day job I had as an author, but now I realize that with all the more clarity. The way you appreciate a partner or friend with a new intensity when they’re away. So in a sense, though the new day job’s physically exhausting, it’s charging my projects with a fresh energy and importance. I spend so much time thinking about my characters as I’m moving pixels around on the screen, my creativity well is as full as it ever was…even if I’m not able to toss a buckle down there and haul out as many daily words as I might wish. And when I go back to full-time writing in a few months, it’ll be like summer vacation to a grade school kid. Bell ringing, binders jettisoned, locker combination forgotten, and me flailing headlong toward the nearest work-in-progress.

So anyhow, I guess I’m feeling pretty lucky! Now excuse me while I go collapse.

Wishing you all the best of luck this St. Patrick’s Day,

Meg Maguire

Before I could decorate, I needed to weed through some of my treasures and part with a few that couldn’t be salvaged.  I was sorry to see them go, but a little relieved that I wouldn’t have to put out anything overly faded and worn this year.  That is, I was relieved until I realized I didn’t have much in the way of new decorations to take their place.

Welcome to my barren home for Christmas 2011! Now, I know that Christmas is an advertisers’ dream and that I’m targeted by companies large and small to buy extra stuff I don’t need at this time of year.  I try to be a good consumer and not load up on too much excess.  I can decorate with pine boughs from the great outdoors, after all. They look great and smell amazing, even though I sometimes have a nightmare cleaning up lost needles afterward. But who can decorate a whole house on pine boughs alone?  I’m not that crafty to make homemade decorations, nor am I creative enough to sort through my possessions and find *just* white and silver tidbits to put on the mantle in some Martha Stewart inspired themed extravaganza.

So I’m going to have to give in and shop. I was really looking forward to that until I peeked at a few catalogs and saw the prices on some cute things.  Geesh.  Can I really justify sixteen dollars on a wooden bird to sit on the mantle?  Eight-fifty for a linen dish towel embroidered with holly berries? Hmm.  Already I’m debating what more I can do with pine boughs.  And hey, remember our grandmothers used to string popcorn to hang on the tree?  I’m thinking that sounds like a wonderfully nostalgic approach.

While I’d like a welcome mat with a big snowman face on it, where do I put it the rest of the year?
Remember, I refuse to buy the color coordinated storage containers…   It looks like I’m going with the simple approach this year.

So I’ve got to ask, what’s your best economical decorating tip? Do you hang cookies on the tree? Put votives in used spaghetti jars for homemade lanterns? I’d love some ideas for simple things that even I could do
to make the house look cuter this year.  I’ll probably wait and buy those wooden birds for seventy-five percent off after Christmas so I can upgrade my décor next year.  But right now, I need something to tide us
over!

I’ve got my holiday themed Blaze, Under Wraps for one random poster.  Happy Holidays, all!

I have two cats, both adopted from the local humane society. One is a lovable, loud, purring mass of male cat called Bandit. Here is a picture of Bandit in his usual habitat. Yes, he’s asleep on my chair taking up all of the chair. His other natural habitat is sitting in front of his food bowl crying for more food. Just because he ate ten minutes ago doesn’t change the fact that he’s hungry now.

What gifts do I typically receive from him? Well, mostly laughs. He’s not the brightest feline on the planet. When my other cat is chasing things, he’s usually about ten minutes behind. Yes, a full ten minutes. He’s the one looking for the mouse underneath the couch when the creature has run past him and into the kitchen and is now lurking behind the refrigerator. But he’s adorable in his stupidity…er, less than brilliance. And his purr never fails to cheer me up.

My other cat is Tali. She’s my huntress. She’s fast, smart, and has a talent for bringing me gifts of another sort. Here’s a picture of her (on my desk) with her most benign kill. That’s a Kathy Lyons keychain lion at her feet there. It has been appropriately killed and gifted to me. Other presents have included all manner of rodent and bird, both living and dead. The most Bandit ever killed was a full box of Q-tips. But he was quite proud of himself. He walked around with one hanging out of his lips like a cigarette.

Suffice it to say that I adore my cats, no matter what they give me. I have been known to tell my husband to be careful because he might disturb the cats when he climbs into our bed. I should note that they’re usually sleeping on his pillow when I say this.

So what presents have your pets brought you this holiday? Hopefully it’s an abundance of love and affection. But there are other joyful things that they bring too. Tell me, tell me! (Or confess that you’re pet free but think my cats are adorable). One lucky commentor will receive a free Kathy Lyons book like Taking Care of Business, my November release.

Our furkids, that is.

So check out all the little darlings below. Animals and children are the only creatures I know of that can be naughty and nice at the same time. And we love them all the more for it.

There’s something about this time of year that brings out the best in people. And that’s why I’d like to tell you all about something we’re starting up in January. We’re calling it the Blaze Authors Pet Project. Since most of the Blaze authors have multiple pets (I have six myself), this is a subject very dear to our hearts. And we thought you might feel the same.

Throughout the year, we’ll be showcasing animal shelters and rescue organizations across North America, places we think do a fantastic job. If you’re in the market for a new bundle of fur of your own, be sure to check some of these places out. You’ll also meet some of the pets needing forever homes in a few of our Blaze books, starting in June 2011.

So keep posted. I’ll be making the official announcement in my January blog. And in the meantime, I wish you all the happiest of holidays.

Brenda Chin
Senior Editor
Harlequin Blaze

Christmas is when I pull out the cookie recipes I got from my mother and her Italian, Polish, and many other friends. They’re the kinds of recipes people keep in the family, and usually the kind you have to show someone how to make, because there’s always some trick or tip that defies being explained in the recipe. That means they’re made of memories as much as sugar and chocolate.

I can’t even begin to think of how many hours I spent in the kitchen with my mother, to all hours of the night, making all kinds of baked goods. She was a stickler, too — it had to be perfect, and you used every little bit of dough in the bowl. I can still hear her say “There’s a whole cookie in there — get it out!” LOL I say that to anyone I am teaching to bake, or baking with, if they don’t scrape all of the dough out, too.

At Christmas I make her date breads, her Italian Fudge Cookies, Biscotti, the Mexican Wedding Cakes (which she called Snowballs), the Rum Cakes, the Khrustyky, and others, and making these recipes is more than just the urge for a sweet treat, though they are definitely that, too. They are the way I connect with my mom and all of those memories every year, and how I keep her with me even though she’s been gone for almost fifteen years now.

Growing up, every Christmas Eve was also a birthday party in our house, as Christmas Eve was my mom’s birthday. I hope you’ll send a little birthday wish up for my mom this week, and then tell me about your favorite cookies and cookie memories (share and I’ll pick someone to get a signed copy of my December Blaze, I’ll Be Yours For Christmas).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!

So I ask myself (and you), what is sexy about winter?

Well, for one, there is Blaze. I am very psyched about my December Christmas book, I’LL BE YOURS FOR CHRISTMAS, (Romantic Times, 4.5). It’s the first book I have set here in Central New York, at a pair of wineries set on Cayuga Lake just above the city of Ithaca, and it is very sexy (RT called it “Naughty…” ). The wineries I write about are fictional, but there are many wineries in the area, and a glass of Finger Lakes Wine will really warm you up. This could be another sexy thing about winter if you are curled up with a Blaze or your honey.

I guess the other thing I enjoy in the cold months is being able to haul out my quilts. If I lived in a warm climate, I would never have use for them. Cuddling under a big quilt on a cold night is definitely a sexy part of winter.

I do like flannel shirts. I don’t know if mine are all that sexy, but I love a man in a flannel…. That’s it. I’m out of sexy winter things, so you will have to help me out.

So. . .what do you think is sexy about Winter? Share, and I’ll pick someone Sunday evening to win an early copy of I’LL BE YOURS FOR CHRISTMAS. I’ll also add in one of the bars of soap I have had made for the book and some bath items (since a nice hot bath with someone could be a very sexy thing to do in winter!).

I have a love/hate relationship with fireworks. As a kid, I loved sparklers the best, especially the large or multi-colored ones, and those little weird tablets you could set a match to on the sidewalk, and it would explode into a long black snaky-thing. Too much fun. I never get tired of a big fireworks display, either, and try to see one each year, though we’re lucky enough to be able to see one of them from our house, so we can just peep out the window on years we don’t want to fight crowds and traffic. What I don’t like is when the neighborhoods are alive with the sound of firecrackers at 3am, or for several days, especially as it can spook pets. To that end, if you haven’t read it, check out this link to the Humane Society for how to keep your pets safe and comfortable this weekend.

I am not much of a parade fan, either, I have to say. I don’t go to them, but I do love the cookouts. We’ll have one with the family, but also, I have bought groceries with a mind to cooking out all weekend. Bring on the macaroni salad, the sausage sandwiches, and the lemonade! To that end, I want to share one really good dessert recipe we have made for years. I am not a Jell-O fan — it’s never been my favorite, but I love this particular dessert, so I’ll be making it this weekend. If you don’t like strawberries, you can use raspberries, too, and add in blueberries for a red, white, and blue theme! Enjoy!

Jell-O and Pretzel Dessert

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tub (9 ounce size) Cool Whip
1 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
2 packages (3 ounce size) strawberry Jello gelatin
1 package (16 ounce size) frozen sweetened strawberries
1 cup boiling water

Bottom Layer: Combine pretzels, butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Press into 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Middle Layer: Cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzel crust.
Top Layer: Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in frozen strawberries, Chill until partially set, about 1 hour and spread over white layer. Chill until set and serve.

If you have any traditions, recipes, or favorite fireworks, please do share! And have a safe and wonderful weekend,

Sam

Now days when asked my favorite holiday, I half-jokingly answer; Labor Day. It’s the only holiday I don’t have buy, wrap, bake, cook, or cater to someone else. I still love Christmastime, but as an adult, I have a lot more work and a lot less time to play during the Christmas break.
And yet, there’s still something special about Christmas. I still believe in Santa Claus, and in the magic of this season. Every year I feel the ghosts of Christmases Past—my grandmother, my grandfather, and my father–surrounding me with their love, living in my heart.
I feel the excitement of Christmas Present, the anticipation of all my loved ones opening their gifts, eating a wonderful meal, and sharing the day.
And I can envision Christmases to come, when I might be dangling a beloved grandchild on my knee and watching with unspeakable joy as she experiences her very first Christmas.
Oh yes, I still believe in Magic.
After all, there’s nothing more magical than love.

I thanked her for her advice, of course, because that’s what polite people do, but inside I was thinking: would you tell a trial attorney that he ought to be in tax accounting because there’s money to be had there? Or perhaps you would suggest to a successful oil painter than he should slide into computer graphics because that’s a big market. Please tell me that this is true! Then I won’t think that writers get the bulk of the well-meaning but clueless advice.

Now if this was a one-time thing, I wouldn’t even be blogging about it. But over the years, I have gotten a few doozies. One of my relatives asked who reads my books. Ignorant secretaries? My mother once firmly told me that I should stop writing that historical romance trash and write real literature like Gone with the Wind. And my uncle, God love him, told me that I should stop writing romance and do something like the movie Sabrina. Oodles of money to be had there.

I know I should be grateful. Honestly, they’re taking an interest in my career and at least making conversation beyond, “Wow, the Bears really suck this year” and “why the hell did you dye your hair red?” I love my relatives and know that they don’t mean to hurt me when they ask, “So when do you plan on making the NY Times list?” (I’ve decided to schedule it in for 2012). I just needed to rant somewhere, so here it is. You’re subjected to it.

Now it’s your turn to share. Surely someone else has gotten well meaning but clueless advice this holiday season! Tell me! Please!

I really love the holiday season. And I don’t buy into this idea that we’ve moved away from what the season means. I personally think one of the coolest things about the holidays is that this month encompasses so many ancient religious beliefs bound up with newer ones. No matter if you’re Jewish or Christian, pagan or atheist, you can find something to celebrate this time of year. I don’t think that any of us have the market cornered on the meaning of the season. We celebrate the things that are meaningful for each of us. How cool is that?

If things feel over-commercialized this time of year, I recommend turning off live TV and sliding in a DVD or Bing Crosby in White Christmas. Or turning off commercial radio and testing out Loreena McKennitt’s gorgeous Midwinter Night’s Dream for some holiday tunes. Light some candles and remember to enjoy a few of your favorite things this time of year. Bake your mom’s perennial favorite holiday cookie recipe. Or simmer some nutmeg and cloves on the stove to just make it smell like your baking. The effect is as heavenly and calorie-free. For me, it’s not the holidays without hunting for the perfect tree, watching my kids sled down a snowy, or hosting a big shindig for the whole family.

Beyond those traditions, I have a few faith-based acts that help bring the meaning of the season home to me and my family. But I don’t discount the outward trappings of the celebration that make it so memorable and joyous every year. I hope you remember to pull your family close to you this holiday and enjoy a few of your own favorite things. Happy Holidays!

What are a few of your favorite things this time of year? Favorite holiday CD or film? Beloved holiday tradition? Share with me the sweet and simple things that make the season fun for you and I’ll give away a copy of Blazing Little Christmas along with the NYT Bestseller The Thirteenth Tale, to a random poster, sure to make for fun fireside reading!