Almost an entire month has zoomed by, and I haven't stopped in to say hello. Shouldn't summer be lazy? Not here! And not for me!

It appears I haven't been blogging, but that isn't true. Besides here, I also blog at Bits & Bytes: Romance...the Writers Way, my writers group's blog. The 29th is my day to blog, but I'm constantly posting comments on everyone else's posts. It's very interactive, and we're having tons of fun talking romance writing. If you aren't a writer, that's okay! Readers are more than welcome to share their thoughts, and maybe learn something along the way.

Want to meet your favorite Harlequin American Romance authors? Check out our blog! News, recipes, writers' tips, cleaning tips, and all kinds of good stuff can be found there. My blogging date at HAR is the 19th, but I missed it this month. :( Must do better!

Last weekend, two of my daughters, my oldest granddaughter, and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie. I was sadly disappointed. I've only read the first book, so I'm not privy to all the ins and outs, but I have seen every one of the movies. I had a really hard time following what was going on in this one and even dozed off at one point, which resulted in a poke from my daughter. :) Mallory, my youngest, said it was because so much was left out, yet there were things in it that weren't in the book. (Mallory is an HP expert, having read each book multiple times. DO NOT play HP Trivial Pursuit with her unless you want to lose, big time.) Maybe I should start reading those books!

Sad things going on here. I posted earlier about our new puppy, Willow. On the 4th of July, someone stole her from our backyard. :(( She was playing out there in the early evening, while the neighborhood fireworks were going off. I could hear her howling at one point and went out to check who was making all the noise. (The fireworks, not the pup.) Discovered it was a neighbor, three houses to the south and muttered some unkind words under my breath, then went inside. Willow was fine. The next morning, she was nowhere to be found, her collar laying open just inside the fence. She's chipped, so if she'd run away and someone found her, a trip to the animal shelter would be all that was needed for her to be returned to us. No more pups for us. I'll stick to our two cats, Tosca and Mocha. They're tortoiseshell calicos that look like mother and daughter, but aren't related. One of these days, I'll post some pictures of them. Oh, and there are the four betta fish we have. Two belong to my daughter Chelsea, a male (the fish, not the daughter and whose name I forget) and Harley, the female. My two are both males, Shrimp and Spock. Watching them swim around can be soothing, and they notice when I'm paying attention. Maybe a bird someday? Who knows?

I've just finished writing the first draft of the third book in the Desperation, OK series. I hope readers love this one as much as they seem to love the first one, The Rodeo Rider, available in stores next month. Hearing from readers adds such a spot of joy to my day! Don't be shy to let me know what you think!

Last but not least, if you haven't met the Ditzy Chix, my very very bestest friends, stop in at our website. Or even better, come visit us on our Facebook page! We've just gone from 10 of us to 11, and will probably have another new chix or two in the future.

Yes, you can find me on Facebook! (How did this happen?) I love chatting with others there!

Until next time, have a lovely summer! Fall will be here soon--my favorite season--so what's left of the lazy (ha!) days of the last of summer should be savored. Make some memories!

Labels: Book News, Fab Friends and Fun, Family Ties, HAR Books and Authors, Holidays, This n That

Labels: Book News, Fab Friends and Fun, Family Ties, This n That

I've been very busy! Working on galleys for THE RODEO RIDER and finishing last minute details on BACHELOR COWBOY have been a huge priority. It's so amazing to know that in only a few months, THE RODEO RIDER will be available in bookstores. I'll have more to share on that as the release date draws closer.

I've also recently completed a new website for Inspirational author Patricia Davids, who writes for Steeple Hill Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense. Pat and I would love to have you visit her new website and get to know her and her fantastic books.

But there's one other thing that's kept me away.

My local writers group, Wichita Area Romance Authors (WARA), started a blog on April 1, and you're invited to visit!

Bits & Bytes: Romance...the Writer's Way is all about writing romance. We're discussing all aspects of writing romance, from romance genres & sub-genres to the ups & downs of the publishing world and everything in-between.

Whether you're currently a romance writer, thinking about writing a romance, or a reader interested in the fascinating world of romance novels and romance authors, we'd love to have you visit our blog and let us know what you think or add to our discussion via a comment.

Labels: Book News, Fab Friends and Fun

This isn't about someone I know, but it is something I felt should be shared.

I stumbled across a video from ABC's Good Morning America that aired on Dec. 22. The story is about a man who gave up his job for a coworker who was targeted to lose his.

Grab a hanky. This will tug at your heart and bring tears to your eyes. And make you smile.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/HolidayTheme/story?id=6509844&page=1

Thanks to GMA and ABC for sharing this story.

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun

Wow. Gail and I spent a memorable evening at the ballet, performed at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Wichita. It was beautiful! So instead of me telling about it, see for yourself.




And another...

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun, This n That

As I posted earlier, if you haven't seen The Bucket List, you should. It's the perfect time of year for reflecting on our lives, and this movie definitely make one think. Rent it, buy it, whatever it takes, do it.

I realized a few days ago that if I had a bucket list (those things you want to do before life's end), one of them would be something I'm going to do next Monday. My best friend since Jr. High and I are going to see the Moscow Ballet perform The Nutcracker Suite. I love listening to the symphony of this beautiful work at any time during the year, but especially at Christmas. Going to see the ballet performed has always been something I've wanted to do. When my girls were young, it always crossed my mind to take them to it, but the cost of 5 tickets was mind-boggling, so we never did. And, of course, I was certain they would all beg for ballet lessons afterward, if we'd gone. Maybe the time will soon come when I can take my granddaughters, and they can beg THEIR moms for lessons. (Is that wicked or what?)

I'm excited and looking forward not only to seeing this ballet and hearing the fabulous music, but to enjoying an evening out with my best friend. (There's a photo of the two of us almost fifteen years ago that I posted here on July 16.) Gail has just been through a very tough week, having lost her younger brother a week ago, just before Thanksgiving, and attending the funeral service. Having something special we can enjoy together will, I hope, make this time a little easier for her. It's our Christmas gift to each other. I can't think of a better gift than to spend time with someone close.

I'm wondering what else I might put on a bucket list, but I probably won't know until I actually get to do it. Besides, I have enough lists as it is.

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun

First, I'd like to congratulate my friend Lisa Childs on her upcoming October book, Always a Bride, and the Romantic Times Top Pick review! Always a Bride is the fourth and final book of her Wedding Party series for Harlequin American. And what a great series!

Today is my best friend's birthday. She will now be caught up with me, number-wise. After the age of thirty, birthdays become more of a nuisance than anything, reminding us that youth has been left far behind with bodies that were once more agile and less wrinkle-free than now. Sooner than we expect it, we hit the big 5-0 and then quickly move to the even bigger 6-0. Don't ask me why they're bigger. No one really cares after 30 anyway.

But with age comes wisdom. The mind stays alert, and we're still able to learn new things. We have the advantage of having learned from our mistakes, and even though mistakes can and will be made, they're fewer and less major. We don't tend to risk as much, and we expect people to accept us for who we are. Yes, even our family.

Another friend (Kathie DeNosky) sent me the following, and I'd like to share it. No matter what your age, whether perky 20's or the golden years of later, it says it all.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother/father!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less grey hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with ageing.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .. I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when some body's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, I don't mind being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GAIL! (And to Dr. Steve, too!)

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun

It would be almost impossible to get through life without friends. No, it would be impossible. Friends are the sunshine of my life. They're there when I need a shoulder to cry on, advice, or to share the latest joy. I hope I do the same for them. I try.

With the advent of the internet, friendship has taken a new direction. When I was in school, I had several pen pals. Remember them? A few were former classmates I kept in touch with after moving to a new town, another was in Alaska, and there was another in the Netherlands. I thought my world was broadened as much as possible! I was wrong. Now I have friends all over the U.S. and the world, and at the click of a button--and without sticking on a stamp--it's almost like being there.

Without email and the internet, I don't know if I'd be writing, and since I love writing, that wouldn't be good. The internet put me in touch with others who had the same dreams and goals. Kathie DeNosky (Desire author) was one of the first writers I met online. It didn't take us long to become friends. We're both crazy as loons! We met in person in Dallas, TX at RWA's national conference in 1996 and not only became critique partners, but the very best of friends.

A group of writing friends began to form and grow. In 2001, half a dozen writer friends created a Yahoo group to stay in touch. We called ourselves the Ditzy Chix, the name saying it all. Our numbers have increased and decreased in the seven years since then, but we're staying steady at ten now. All of us live in the eastern half of the U.S. Except for Bronwyn Jameson, our favorite Aussie. We're always there for each other to share the triumphs and defeats of life, and although we've never all been able to get together at one time in person, it doesn't change our friendships. If you'd like to get to know my friends better (and who wouldn't!), you can check us all out on the Ditzy Chix website. You may find you already "know" some of us. Feel free to drop us an email to say hi. We love hearing from new (and old!) friends!

Email: The next best thing to being there.

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun

Although I would have loved to have visited San Francisco again (it's been over 30 years!), the cost of airfare, hotel, and time just wasn't within my budget, so I wasn't able to attend RWA's annual conference this year. Of course that didn't stop those of the Ditzy Chix who did attend. Thanks to technology, those who stayed home and those who didn't were able to keep in contact via a phone call or two and email. The one thing they agreed on was that San Francisco can be cold in August!


Those Ditzy Chix who were able to attend were (in photo at right) Carol Stephenson, Bronwyn Jameson, Lisa Childs, Kristi Gold, and (not in photo) Roxanne Rustand. There are a few more photos from SF or check out all the photos from past conferences.


And for an extra special treat, visit Carol Stephenson's blog for a photo journal of Napa Valley and a hot air balloon ride!

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun

Next to Friday, Wednesday is my favorite day of the week. Once I get past lunch time, it's all downhill. Only 3 more hours to lunch!

I had every intention of blogging yesterday. I even had a topic for a topic-less day. And then I forgot what it was. My short-term memory is getting worse. Could it be because there are just too many things that need to be remembered? I do write myself notes on the most important things. It's the only way to stay sane and get anything at all done. But too many things are falling between the cracks, so it appears I'll need a new system.

NEWS FROM FRIENDS IN SAN FRANCISCO--
Friend Kristi called last night, laughing about being lost in the hotel. I wondered how they'd managed to get lost in the hotel. Was it that big? Later, I called her back and learned they were actually trying to get directions to Fisherman's Wharf, but she and the others--Vicky Dreiling, Leigh Riker, and Lisa Childs--had been relaxing in the Executive Conference Room, before deciding on the trip to Fisherman's Wharf, so that explained it. (Check out the photos at DitzyChix.com for a definition of the ECR.) They were having a wonderful time, and I wished I could be there with them, but their antics and giggles made me smile, so envy, such as it is, is manageable. :) They did take a trip to the aquarium and had a nice time there. Kristi said the temperature in SF is more like Texas in the winter, around 55, and they were all scrambling to find suitable jackets, even though most had brought something. While 55 degrees isn't exactly cold, when coming from 100 degree summer temps in Texas, it certainly can seem like it! I'm happy to know they're having fun, not that I thought they wouldn't. Being with friends is always fun, no matter what we're doing, and I consider myself blessed to have the wonderful friends I have, even if I don't get to spend a lot of face-to-face time with them. When that does happen, it makes for some really special times and memories.

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun, This n That

I guess the title is testament to the fact that I've been busy and haven't posted for a few days. I've been mired in work and decided to get caught up with other things today, if possible. But because I have been able to cross a couple of things off my To Do list (the one in my head, not on my desktop), I have that little extra time.

That was the This 'n That for Monday.

One of my very good friends, Kristi Gold, will be leaving early next week to attend RWA's annual conference, this year being held in San Francisco. Although I would have loved to have gone, it wasn't in the cards for me, and I'll miss Kristi while she's gone. She and I and Kathie DeNosky have a weekly phone conversation, utilizing the three-way calling option, but next week, we'll have to skip it. We talk to each other throughout the week, too, but it's nice when we can all be "together" with the one phone call, too. Our fingers are tightly crossed for Kristi. She's a RITA finalist for her fabulous book, Fall from Grace, so it's extra hard for Kathie and me to not be there to cheer her on at the awards ceremony and calm her nerves before it.

And that was Fab Friends and Fun...fun that will be sorely missed by Kathie and me, but we'll survive.

Movie mania? Who has time? Yes, I'd planned to set aside during the week for at least one movie, if not more, but the best laid plans and all that... A couple of weeks ago, my youngest and I watched Little Women. This was the version with Winona Ryder as Jo and not a terribly bad one. My oldest memory of LW was one in 1933 which starred Katherine Hepburn. No, I wasn't born then, but I've seen it. Then there was the 1949 version, starring June Allyson as Jo, Janet Leigh as Meg, and my strongest memory of Margaret O'Brien as Beth and Elizabeth Taylor as Amy. Of course, casting those two was a reach, since Amy was the youngest of the March girls, not Beth. I noticed on IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base...the absolute BEST source for all movie and TV info) that there were also two silent versions, the first released in 1917 and the second a year later in 1918. Not being a silent movie fan, I didn't recognize any of the actors listed, but I thought it was interesting.

My daughter is always disappointed when Jo turns down Laurie's marriage proposal. I can remember feeling the same. And said daughter is sorely disappointed in Jo's choice of Professor Baer, just as I was when I was young. Now that I'm older, I understand both so much more. Jo could never have made Laurie the wife he would need in the future. She would have hated it and so would he, no matter that she understood his music. Amy would understand his music later, just as Jo had. And the professor was the perfect man for Jo, calm and stable, while Jo tended to be wildly emotional at times. Too, he would understand her writing, which was not something Laurie ever would have done, even though he would have accepted her need to write.

I reminded my daughter that Little Women was not the only book Louisa May Alcott had written about her family. My daughter was surprised. I'm not. While women my age were encouraged to read the classics, the next generation didn't fare so well.

And because that brings me up to tomorrow's "Latest Reads", of which there are none, I'll stop for today and call it done.

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun, Movie Mania, This n That

My friend Gail sent me a link to the following, and in many ways it defines our friendship.

1. When you are sad --I will jump on the person who made
you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever
is choking you.

3. When you smile -- I will know you are plotting
something that I must be involved in.

4. When you're scared -- we will high tail it out of
here.

5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible
stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big
baby!!!!

6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.

7. When you are sick --Stay away from me until you are
well again. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall -- I'll pick you up and dust you off.

9. This is my oath...I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you
may ask -- because you are my FRIEND!

Gail and I have been friends since we were 12. It person years, we've been friends for over 45 years. And not just friends, but "best friends".

The way we met was a little strange. When I was in seventh grade, my family moved to a small town where my mother's family was from. I knew a few people. I have TONS of cousins, and I ended up going to school with many of them for six years, so I wasn't a complete "new kid" in school. Before we moved, a friend from grade school visited the town with me one weekend. She knew Gail from Campfire Girls, and we stopped by Gail's house so Pam could say hi. It wasn't long that the final made the move was made and, because we'd met each other earlier, Gail and I became friends.

Forty-five years is a long time. We know each other well. Sometimes, too well. :) We've shared giggles and tears and everything in between, making more memories than can fit in my head. Her youngest son is the same age as my next-to-oldest daughter and were in the same class in school. There was a time when we weren't in contact much with each other, when we both had young children and spent most of our time raising them, but when we did talk on the phone, it was as if only a day or two had passed by, instead of several months.

We're not alike. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses, our own dreams and fears. But we're always there for each other, no matter what. I suspect we always will be. It's too late to change friends now. :)

I've included the only photo I can find of the two of us together. How very strange, after all this time. The picture was taken almost 15 years ago at our 25-year Class Reunion, when we still had some youth left in us. I'll be sharing some stories here on our past and present. I'd love to hear about your friends too!

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun

Labels: Fab Friends and Fun