So summer is winding to an end. All over, I see mention of kids back to school (we don’t head back till the first week of September) Kathleen blogged about it yesterday, as a matter of fact And a lot of friends are taking end of summer get-em-while-you-still-can quick vacation trips. There is always such a bittersweet feeling when summer ends. Relief since the heat and the sometimes intense expectations of vacations and entertaining are coming to an end. Maybe a little regret that a vacation or some grand plans that started the season didn’t pan out. And sometimes a few cringe-worthy oopses, from blistering sunburns to drunken beach parties (I only had one of those this summer (H) )

Personally, I’m planning to celebrate the end of summer with the release of RIDING THE WAVES. I had a great time with this story, since it kicks off with some of my favorite things. Vacation, the beach and a forbidden fantasy. My heroine, Drucilla, finds herself giving in to her ultimate fantasy – a vacation fling with a young, sexy surf hunk. She figures its the best of all worlds. Fabulous sex and an incredible vacation memory. Since my vacation memories include photos of a sunburned me with a six foot mouse, I’ve got to admit I envy her a little

Of course, I come home from vacation with a suitcase of laundry, a camera card filled with photos waiting to be scrapbooked and a houseful of tired family who need a vacation from the vacation. Drucilla? She came home to find out her fling is now her new boss. It’s like the vacation thrill that just keeps giving!

How about you? Are you ready for summer to end or are you hanging on to the last weeks with clenched fists? Do you have fun vacation memories to preserve this year? What was your best summer memory?

Aaaand, I know this isn’t my regular blog day but I switched things up a little. Now the awesome Jayne Hoogenberk from eHarlequin will be hanging out with us on the 28th. So be sure to come back and say hi!!

Is there anyone who doesn’t love cookies, or who doesn’t have a special cookie in their life? Maybe one your mom made, or one your family loves? Or decadent ones at the store that you only let yourself buy for a special treat?

In my spankin’ new release, MAKE YOUR MOVE, Jodie Patterson owns a Chicago bakery, and the frosting on her special “Passionate Hearts” cookies is very popular. With the help of a special formula created by her best friend and business partner, Dan, a scientific genius, the frosting provides a little erotic kick to female pheromones, helping women who eat them get any man they desire.

Now, I have never had a cookie that did that, exactly, but a few that come close. One family recipe for a cookie we often make is my husband’s favorite, and when I make them, he certainly gets a spark in his eye — a rich cookie wrapped around a mix of fudge and nuts, dusted with powdered sugar. I brought some to the Toronto Harlequin offices on my last visit, and I don’t know if they sparked any libidos, but I did get notes from people who seemed to like them just as much as my friends and family do. My own personal favorite is a simple but delicate sugar cookie I make (and I do shape them into hearts and frost them) and they really melt in your mouth. I grew up making cookies, especially all kinds of ethnic, Italian and Ukrainian recipes that I learned from my mom and her friends, and they are a regular fixture at Christmas and holidays.

However, I love store cookies, too. Pepperidge Farms make the most sinful ones, I think, especially their Amaretto Milanos, though Brussels are my absolutely favorites. On a more everyday level, I won’t pass up an Oreo, and love Nutter-Butter cookies, too! I will say one cookie I never did enjoy was a Fig Newton, but I know several people who love them.

So what is your favorite cookie? Does your family have special cookie recipes you always use, or that everyone loves? Share, and one commenter will win a copy of MAKE YOUR MOVE along with these gorgeous Harry and David cookies (US shipping only), and two others will win signed copies of MAKE YOUR MOVE (all eligible).