HUGH JACKMAN IS MY NEW NEIGHBOR! - Joan Kilby

No, really, he is! Or at least he might be soon. He was in my town recently looking at a waterfront property for sale. Okay, it’s not right next door to me but it’s walking distance. And he was spotted having coffee at my favorite café!

Swoon.

But there's a downside. What if I ran into Hugh while picking up a quart of milk at the store and I was wearing my baggy track pants? With my hair all frizzy?

I can't take the stress. I may have to move.

Seriously, the whole thing got me thinking about story ideas as I toil on a new set of proposals. (Yes, there is a connection. I'm not just name-dropping.) As I mentioned in a previous blog, the setting for Summerside Stories is a small Australian town eerily similar to the town where I live.

So I imagined going to my editor with this story idea. "Hugh Jackman is living next door to the heroine, see..." (I am, of course, conveniently ignoring the fact that Hugh has a much-loved wife and two kids).

"No, Joan," Victoria would undoubtedly say. "Wouldn't work. It's not realistic enough for SuperRomance."

"Why not?” I whine. “Hugh's a real person. He's Australian. He has to live somewhere. Why not in Summerside? Why not next door to my heroine?"

Okay, by now Jackman's wife and kids are getting in the way of my fantasy. I'm not a home wrecker. And of course we can’t write about real people. We might get sued.

More than that, our stories need to feel real. The characters should be accessible, like people you might actually get to know in real life. That realistic journey toward a mature and lasting love is why we love writing--and reading--SuperRomance.

TWO AGAINST THE ODDS, the third book in my Summerside trilogy, is about an older heroine and a younger hero. She desperately wants a baby because her biological clock is ticking. He has plans, things he wants to do with his life. By the time he would be ready to settle down, she would be too old to have a baby. Things don’t turn out as the couple expect--as often happens in real life. This hero and heroine had to work hard to get to their happy ending.

So what does all this have to do with Hugh Jackman? Hugh’s wife, lovely Aussie actress Deborra-Lee Furness, is 13 years older than Hugh. And by all accounts they are still madly in love. My heroine in TWO AGAINST THE ODDS is 12 years older than the hero. Howzat for a coincidence!!! J

I had a little fantasy yesterday while I was grocery shopping, of reaching for a melon and hearing the clash of steel as Wolverine's claws shoot out and a gravely voice says, "Would you like me to slice that for you?"

It could happen. If Hugh Jackman moves to my town.

Since that flurry of excitement a month ago I haven’t heard whether he bought the house on the cliff overlooking the bay (On the same road that Brett, the hero of IN HIS GOOD HANDS lived on!). But if I see Hugh at the supermarket in his baggy track pants I’ll keep you posted.

I’m giving away three copies of TWO AGAINST THE ODDS, the third book in the Summerside trilogy. These books stand alone with a subplot that runs through them. Comment for a chance to win.

Have you had a close encounter with a celebrity? Any thoughts on older woman/younger man relationships? Personally, I’m all for them, although I don’t like the term ‘cougar.’ As my heroine says, “It sounds so predatory.”

For more information on the Summerside Stories, go to www.joankilby.com

This week's daily drawing winners...

Tuesday, February 22 , 2011

Kaelee

A copy of Can’t Stand The Heat? and Life Rewritten by Margaret Watson

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Ellen Too
Super "Surprise" pack (w/chocolate)


Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bri

A copy of From Friend To Father and Beginning With Their Baby by Tracy Wolff

**Please use our contact page to claim your prize**

And don't miss next week's bloggers...

Monday, February 28 , 2011

Joan Kilby

"HUGH JACKMAN IS MY NEW NEIGHBOUR!"

Joan will be giving away 3 copies of Two Against The Odds

Tuesday, March 1 , 2011

Wanda Ottewell, Senior Editor Superromance

Wanda will be continuing her discussion from last month about what makes a successful submission

Wednesday, March 2 , 2011

Helen Brenna

Thursday, March 3 , 2011

Rogenna Brewer

"THE ULTIMATE BOY TOY - KEN OR GI JOE?"
Rogenna will be giving away a "She Said Yes" Ken and Barbie combo, 
an autographed copy of The Marine's Baby, and of course chocolate!

Writing Tip of the Week

"Don't stop until you finish."

~ Kay Stockham

Kristin Noel Fischer

has won a Super Critique of her first 5-pages.

*please use the contact page on this site to claim your prize.

A new winner every Friday!  Comment here for a chance to win 

a 5-page Super Critique.

What Kind of Hero do You Like by Tracy Wolff

For those readers who have read my books, either as Tracy Wolff, Tracy Deebs or Tessa Adams, they know that I like my heroes tall, dark and angsty.  I mean, seriously angsty.  I love me a bad boy (and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.  But for my new book, Unguarded, the third in my recent Superromance trilogy, I thought I’d try something new.  Not only looks-wise (although Shawn’s looks are way different than my usual heroes since he’s a blue-eyed blond) but also in attitude. 

An archetype book by Tami Cowden claims there are eight main archetypes for heroes: the chief, the bad boy, the best friend, the charmer, the professor, the lost soul, the swashbuckler and the warrior.  I have a tendency, no matter what I’m writing whether it’s paranormal, YA, contemporary or erotica, to write the bad boy or the lost soul, although I have also done the warrior and the chief (both of whom were liberally sprinkled with bad boy, just to make me happy ;)  But this time around, I went totally out of my comfort zone and wrote a charmer.  A serious charmer with best friend overtones and I have to admit, I’m really thrilled with how Shawn turned out.

My heroine, Rhiannon, has a really dark past.  The survivor of a brutal rape that ruined her self-confidence, her career and her marriage, she has spent the last few years trying to make a new life for herself, but struggling under some really heavy obstacles.  I was completely intrigued with Rhiannon when she showed up in Beginning with Their Baby and knew that I had to give her her own story.  But when I started to give her a hero like I normally write, I knew that wasn’t going to work.  She didn’t need a dark hero with a terrible past—she needed some sweet and funny and absolutely crazy about her.  Graphic novelist Shawn Emerson was born, and though he has some darkness in his own past, he does an amazing job (I think ;) of drawing Rhiannon out of her shell and helping her find her way again.

So, how about you?  What kind of heroes do you like?  The chiefs who so often make up Silhouette Desire and Harlequin Presents?  The  best friend?  The swashbuckler?  Or are you like me—the badder the boy or the more lost the soul, the more I love him?  Leave a comment for a chance to win From Friend to Father and Beginning with Their Baby, the first two books in my Austin trilogy.

Real Life, Real Love

Real Life, Real Love
Megan Long, Assistant Editor

Today is my grandma’s 86th birthday. She’s a remarkable woman.  Things haven’t always been easy for her, but she always manages to come out on top. She and I have a special relationship, perhaps in part because I was her only grandchild for thirteen years, but mostly because she’s awesome. I’ve grown up hearing her stories about life in Northern Ontario, how she met my grandpa and the adventures they had together. One of the most amazing stories she has spans many decades and includes secrets, heartbreak and an inspiring conclusion. I hope you’ll indulge me as I share it with you.

Grandma was raised as the youngest child and only daughter with four older brothers. Her mother died when she was nine and as a result, Grandma was very close to her father. As a teenager, she found a birth certificate in a drawer for a baby born on her birthday, but with a different name and a different mother. When she asked, her father told her she’d been adopted because her mother had always wanted a girl. Grandma was devastated to learn that her entire family had been keeping this secret from her. Her father passed away when Grandma was in her late teens, so she never got the chance to ask him any more questions. It wasn’t until decades later that she learned the truth.

When my grandma was in her sixties, she discovered that her father was her biological father. He’d had an affair that went on for many years and my grandmother was the result of this relationship. She lived with her birth mother for two years, only to be taken by the children’s aid society and placed with her father and his wife. (This was back in the 1920s when unwed mothers were considered unfit almost by default. Her mother then moved to another town and I believe the CAS lost track of her.) For simplicity’s sake—and to preserve her family’s reputation—the truth about Grandma’s parentage was concealed.
At the same time, she learned that her birth mother had had other children—Grandma’s half siblings. One brother is older than my grandma but wasn’t home when the CAS came that day. He and the siblings that were born later were all raised by their birth mother, knowing that they had another sister out there somewhere, but not knowing where she was.

Grandma learned about her half-siblings, but didn’t know how to find them. Eventually, though, my aunt managed to track them down. A little over twenty years ago, Grandma was reunited with the two brothers and one sister she’d never met. A new chapter in her life had begun.
So, why am I telling you all this? What does this have to do with Superromance?  Well, it’s an example of what we try to achieve with our books.

Some of you might find this story familiar—it was the inspiration for our Diamond Legacy continuity back in 2009. That continuity looked at the possible repercussions of this discovery on subsequent generations. While there weren’t any consequences like that for my family, the situation was intriguing enough for the Superromance editors to ask, “what if?”

As many of you will know, the Superromance tag line is “Real Life, Real Love.” Balancing these two elements can prove challenging, so I thought I’d focus on that today. What do we mean by “real life” and how can it be made interesting?

To us, “real life” means situations that, while they may not be ones readers face every day, are relatable and feel like something that could happen. Even in the more outlandish ones—perhaps like my grandma’s—the human emotion needs to be there and needs to feel authentic. We have stories about rock stars, professional athletes and families with deep, dark secrets, but what they all have in common is that thread of humanity. Our stories look beyond the larger-than-life situations to the real-life people within them. The Diamond Legacy series started with a complex situation with secret families and a contested inheritance, but ultimately focused on the struggles of the individuals involved.

To accomplish this, a judicious eye for what’s included is crucial. What we want is to see the bigger picture of real life—the dilemmas and the challenges that people struggle through, not just the mundane details of everyday existence. We know that everyone (even rock stars and athletes) needs to do laundry and grocery shop, but we don’t need to see them doing it. If there are scenes of characters doing chores, these need to relate to and expand on the larger themes/conflicts. Let’s say I was to dramatize my grandma’s story. The only time I would show her doing housework would be the scene in which she discovered her birth certificate. Now, as the only daughter in a house full of men, she would have done housework all her life—but none of it is relevant until this discovery. If you want to show your characters doing ordinary things like dishes and dusting, see if you can layer the emotion and the other events happening around them to create a meaningful scene.

 Okay, I’ll stop here before this gets any longer. But I’ll be popping by throughout the day in case there are any things you’d like to discuss in the comments. I’ll be very interested in hearing what all of you think of this balance. If you’re an aspiring (or published!) author, what elements do you like to include in your characters’ lives? How do you use them to enrich the plot and conflict? If you’re a reader, what “real life” touches do you like to see? Which ones turn you off?
And a final message before I go—Happy Birthday, Grandma!

What's New With You?

A couple of weeks ago, I tried something new. I was visiting my in-laws, and they'd just had a big snowfall. They live on wooded land in the country, and my brother-and sister-in-law were going cross-country skiing. They asked me to come along.
I love downhill skiing – so much that I almost ran away to be a ski bum in Colorado after I graduated from vet school. But I'd never done cross-country skiing. I like to go fast, and as far as I was concerned, sliding on flat land on skinny little skis was boring. But the snow was beautiful and I wanted to get outside, so I said, sure. I'd give it a try.
I haven't tried a new sport in a long time. I hike, I walk, I exercise on my rowing machine. There are a few other sports I enjoy occasionally, and I hadn't even thought about trying something new. But for some reason, when my sister-in-law asked, I said sure. Strap them on. (See dorky picture).
Strapping them on was the first challenge. I felt like a total klutz. Snapping the toe of the shoe into the little latch should have been a, well, a snap. But it took me several tries. Then we started off.
While I was concentrating on keeping my balance, my brother-in-law reached a gate. There was too much snow to open it, so we had to turn around and go a different way. Rique showed me a complicated maneuver where I was supposed to raise the right ski straight up and cross it over the other. I lost both my balance and my dignity and ended up with my face planted in the snow. Then I had to get up.
I'm sorry to admit that Rique and Sue had to hoist me onto my feet. Then we were off again, and into the woods. While we were on the flat ground, I liked it a lot. I was managing to get into the rhythm of moving my arms and legs, and enjoying the late afternoon quiet in the snowy woods. Then we got to a hill.
Now, I know how to go uphill on downhill skis, but that method didn't work on a narrow path between trees. By the time I got to the top of the small hill, there was more snow on me than on the ground. Fortunately, we went downhill long enough for me to gather my composure and enjoy the rest of the (mostly downhill) path.
By the time I got back to the house, I realized I'd had a wonderful time, in spite of the snow packed beneath my socks and down the neck of my shirt. I loved gliding through the woods, listening to the quiet, breathing in the cold air. I loved seeing the deer tracks, and the places where the turkeys had roosted. I loved knowing I'd tried something new without being afraid of making a fool of myself.
And trying something new was good for my mind as well as my body. It shoved my brain out of its rut and forced it to figure out a new skill. It gave me several ideas for scenes in future books – you can be sure that my next book set in the winter will have a cross-country skiing scene!
After my cross-country adventure, I vowed to try something new at least once a month – a new activity, a new type of food, a new author. What have you done lately that was new, or outside your comfort zone? What new challenges have you taken on? I'll choose one post to receive copies of my June book, Can't Stand the Heat?, and my November book, Life Rewritten.

Why Do I Love Lucy? (Tara Taylor Quinn)

I love Lucy. No, I'm not stealing a line from the 50's television show - I Love Lucy, starring Lucille Ball. I'm right there, in the 1950's - on re-run because I wasn't alive then - loving Lucy. And what I really want to know is why...

I can quote episodes to you. Like 'Vitametavegemin.' "Do you pop out at parties?" There's the chocolate factory episode where Lucy and Ethel are standing at a conveyor belt shoving pieces of chocolate into their mouths because they can't wrap them fast enough. Or the one where Lucy is trying to smuggle a huge piece of cheese into the country via airplane and she wraps it and pretends it's a baby and then she and Ethel have to eat it because they're going to get caught with the cheese and then a seat mate accuses Lucy of getting rid of her baby. It's crazy. And stupid. And I love it.

I have an I Love Lucy coffee cup. An I Love Lucy calendar. A gazillion I love Lucy magnets. I have an I Love Lucy purse (no kidding), a mini television that sits on my desk showing a screen from the episode where Lucy flings seafood in a fancy restaurant. I have two I Love Lucy puzzles. I own I Love Lucy on DVD and still record it on my DVR! And my most prized I Love Lucy collectible - a cartoon book. I didn't even know they'd existed, but a very close friend of mine had an I Love Lucy cartoon book from the 1950's and one year for Christmas she gave it to me. It holds the place of honor on Tim's mother's telephone table in our antique living room.

We were watching an episode of I Love Lucy the other night. Ricky was yelling at Lucy - as usual. I laughed. And yet, I wondered, why? Why am I laughing at a man hollering at his wife? He puts Lucy down at every opportunity. He won't let her be on his show when she is so obviously a great comedian and a great actress. So she can't sing (at least on I Love Lucy, the character has a horrible voice) but there is so much she can do. And Ricky is constantly telling her no. It's wrong. And horrible.

So why do I Love Lucy? Why do I support a show that depicts a man denigrating his wife? I absolutely do not condone Ricky's treatment. I don't really even like Ricky. I'm not all that fond of Fred, either. But I Love Lucy.

Why is that? Just because I'm supposed to? Because she's a talented actress and so funny I don't care about the rest of it?

I don't really think that's it. I'm not one who takes things on a surface level. I never have been. (Hence a blog where I'm analyzing why I like a television show!) I try to just take things for what they appear to be on the surface, but I just can't stay up there. Most slapstick comedy passes me by. I don't even find it funny. But I Love Lucy.

I Love Lucy because she's a strong woman. One who is strong enough to go for what she wants - always. It doesn't really matter to Lucy that Ricky tells her no all of the time because she simply doesn't take no for an answer. Ever. No matter what. She just puts her brain to use and figures out a way to get what she wants or needs. To make happen whatever needs to happen. There's no stopping Lucy. And there's no keeping her down. She doesn't lose hope. Or heart. She believes. And ultimately, she makes things happen.

Lucy is my role model. She is my heroine. And my hope. I realize that Lucille Ball is just an actress. That the show isn't real. That the circumstances are carefully staged. Maybe no one involved with the show ever meant it to be more than light hearted entertainment. None of that matters to me. Because what I take from the show, whether intended or not, is very very real. I don't have to take no for an answer. I can make things happen. No one can take my hope from me. Or my ability to keep trying.

Just watch Lucy. She'll tell you!

This week's daily drawing winners...

Monday, February 14, 2011

Smshule

A set of bead bracelets

Tuesday, February 15 , 2011

Linda S

An autographed copy of A Child Changes Everything by Stella Maclean

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Sarah Tanner

A book from Molly O’Keefe’s backlist

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Laura Russell, Christy Olesen, Avoriana

A copy each of Maddie Inherits a Cowboy

**Please use our contact page to claim your prize**

And don't miss next week's bloggers...

Monday, February 21 , 2011

Tara Taylor Quinn

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Margaret Watson

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Megan Long,

Assistant Editor Harlequin Superromance

“REAL LIFE, REAL LOVE”

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Tracy Wolff

Writing Tip of the Week

"Reward yourself!  I mark my page progress with stickers on a calender.  It's a visiual that makes me smile."
~ Rogenna Brewer

PatricaW has won the 5 page super critique.

Please use the contact page to claim your prize.

Jeannie Watt asks When Will It End?

You know, it occurs to me that I should have called this blog “How Does It End?” rather than “When Will It End?” because with every book I write, I say to myself, “Oh, dear heavens, how does it end?”  

The worst time was when I put one of those count-down gadgets on my computer desktop with the book’s due date on it. I watched as the days ticked by…six days, five days, four days…No ending to the book.  I started leaving my computer turned off and writing on legal pads so I didn’t have to face the count down gadget. I was approaching  zero hour and I didn’t know how the book was going to end. Happily ever after, yes, but how? How? How? How?

Finally, the day before the book was due—or maybe it was the day it was due—I sat at the keyboard, placed my fingers on the home keys, closed my eyes (having taken several secretarial classes, I rarely look at the keys unless I’m doing numbers. My mother can do the numbers without looking, which utterly amazes me) and began to write. I just started slapping some words onto the page. Free writing really. Then it started taking form. Really? She’s going to do that? Huh. Who would have expected him to react like that? Wow—maybe these two have a chance to get together. Maybe I have an ending!

A week later, I got a note from my editor saying it was one of the best endings she’d recently read. I was hoping she’d read Gone with the Wind that week, but she probably hadn’t.

All of this has made me wonder about other writers and their endings, as well as favorite endings. I was going to ask about good endings in general, but in the interest of not spoiling any endings for people with giant TBR piles, I have decided to ask about classic endings—of movies or books.

The question:  What is your favorite classic ending?

The prize: A copy of Maddie Inherits a Cowboy or one of my backlist.

My answer: An Officer and a Gentleman.  All I can say is, wow, what an ending.

A Day In The Life - Molly O'Keefe

My son turned five this weekend. Five! Tell me, where have those years gone? Because I remember when I first felt him move in my stomach and that was YESTERDAY!

But anyway he's turning five and I am at his school to bring a birthday snack to his kindergarten class. Some fruit and cheese. There are three kids in his class with terrible allergies so no one fools around with cake. So, instead of a cake, I am attempting to poke candles in a PINEAPPLE. (A flaming Pineapple, I'm trying to make it a tradition). At the same time I am terribly behind on a deadline which, of course, is all I can think about. And the fact that I am both behind and it's not going well, has me feeling panicked like you would not believe. I have a family dinner party I need to get ready for (the in-laws, so, you know, that will be great!) I've somehow hurt my foot - that will teach me to try and exercise. My daughter has found the water table in the classroom and has crawled INSIDE. While there is water in it! And these candles will not stay where they are supposed to!

A mom comes over to help me try and poke these candles in the pineapple and she says with nothing but kindness in heart - "I don't know how you do it." I nearly started to cry. Because there are a lot of days I feel like in trying to do everything - I'm failing at all of it.

If I'm not yelling at my kids, I'm freaking out about my books. And feeling guilty about everything.

And I know everyone here can commiserate about some of this. At some point in her life, every woman stretches herself too thin. It's a law somewhere - and today I want to hear about it. I want to hear about how you're baking cupcakes at four in the morning or waking up at dawn to write a few words before going off to the job that pays bills. I want to hear about taking babies to important meetings or falling asleep while folding laundry. Because I know we've all been there.

The happy end of this sad day in my life is my son, sweet Mick, walked home after that kindergarten class, his gloved hand in mine and said "that was the best flaming pineapple ever, Mom."

Clearly, it's all worth it.

Post Valentine's Day Blues?

Post Valentine’s Day Blues?

How have I loved Valentine’s Day? Let me count the ways. Once, long ago, the heart-shaped box of chocolates, the hint of love driven by great expectations said it all. Who wouldn’t enjoy easing the lid off the red box to find chocolates nestled there? The coy sampling of the box, the sharing of a chosen few chocolates with the ‘one’, then tucking the box safely away for a later indulgence.

And before you ask—and thanks for the thought—the beautiful woman above does not in anyway represent me, only in the broadest context, meaning we’re both female. Some people are naturally gorgeous, I don’t happen to be one of them. From bust size to waist size to shoe size, I’m well outside the range of normal.

But back to my story.

When Valentine’s Day chocolates were new to my life I ate them with abandon, shoveling them in like so much firewood on a cold night. Today, it’s as if those chocolates can’t wait to make their way past my lips and plunk themselves on my hips! Thirty plus years of a pound of chocolate every Valentine’s Day makes for some pretty hefty hips...

And so it is this morning as I find myself scrounging around the various articles of clothing hanging from all sorts of objects in our bedroom, looking for something to wear that can expand Spandex-style to take the load resting on my hips…

Last night before the revenge of the chocolates scene, I had a date with the usual suspect—my husband of more years than I’d like to put in writing. As he so fondly states his case, “I could have done life without parole and been out sooner.” As I like to remind him, talk like that could get a guy a quick trip to court and a chance to be the glum recipient of a net-worth-ectomy.

But I digress. Back to my story. Last night, searching for the few things that might still slip effortlessly over my hips, I found a real gem in my closet, something I had forgotten I’d purchased.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the above sexy outfit—any attempt on my part to wedge myself into a sexy number like that would have resulted in my being arrested for lewd behavior. And before you ask, that’s not me either. But I couldn’t resist putting in something that we could all wish to aspire to in our journey through life.

And according to the hoards of marketers out there, lusting after youth is an older woman’s past time. Hint: This older chick isn’t lusting…not after youth at any rate. You see, having to hold my stomach in and my chest out got to be a drag about twenty years ago, and butt droop isn’t THAT big an issue, thanks to specially designed jeans and underwear.

But back to my story. So we get to the restaurant, we follow our usual routine of drinks, food and more drinks, only now instead of an intimate conversation one would expect between lovers, we talk about our kids, grandkids, our obese cat, all the while commenting on the various dishes placed so expertly before us. When the meal is over, we make our way to the car, carefully seat belt ourselves in (safety’s a major issue at our age), and head back home to yet another viewing of Shirley Valentine, our favorite movie, then re-submerge ourselves in our totally predictable life.

Sad, isn’t it?

Not really. It’s our life together in all its predictable, familiar parts. It’s the continuation of a life we’ve designed for ourselves, from the morning sharing of the newspaper to the long walks and quiet times when we rediscover how easily we fit each other. Sometimes love is simply about being there, in the moment, with the one person you’ve decided to share your life with.

Valentine’s Day is the day we celebrate the fact that without strict attention to the details of our love and our life, we would have nothing to celebrate.

Happy Post Valentine’s Day to all of you.

Stella MacLean

www.stellamaclean.com

Ah, Valentine's Day

by Mary Brady

Valentine's Day, loved, abhorred, and vehemently ignored.

Although florists, greeting card manufacturers and chocolatiers didn't invent this non-holiday, they did enhance it until most people feel some sort of passion for the day.

The first time my hubby forgot Valentine's Day, I'd like to say I was crushed, but I wasn't that sweet and I wasn't that innocent. Let's just say I was--ah--cross, and I told him so. He didn't forget for while after that. The next time it happened, I had one of those "I get it" moments. If he wasn't going to remember the day assigned to all of us for professing profound love, I didn't have to remember it either. If February 14th dawns and I haven't at least purchased the requisite mushy card/gift, it isn't guaranteed to happen.

Unromantic? Au contraire.

As are most people, we are busy and distracted, but that doesn't mean the bloom is off. We celebrate our own personal days of "hearts and flowers" many times during the month of February and every other month.

In addition to engaging in the usual activities of couples in love, we celebrate our Valentine's Days on dark snowy nights when we cuddle on the couch under a crocheted blanket, walk hand in hand on a shell strewn beach with the ocean breeze blowing the hair back off our faces (In my husband's case...well, we won't go there.) We laugh during our favorite movies until tears squeeze out the corners of our eyes, eat whipped cream directly from the can, hike until the trail ends, and capture digital images with dueling cameras.

We eat chocolate and buy flowers for ourselves--okay, hubby's likely to buy a new door knob set to replace the one on the bathroom door that's been bugging him for a long time or a new set of floor mats for his car, but we do celebrate often and well.

I did buy a card this year. Now if somebody would remind me to give it to my husband...


Ah, Valentine's Day.

What makes this day different for you than any other day?

Or tell me about the photo above.

Comment today for a set of Toss Ons beaded elastic bracelets.

Thanks for "blogging" with the SuperRomance authors.

"Promise to a Boy" available now!

This week's daily drawing winners...

Monday, February 7 , 2011

Laura Russell, JV, Mulberry

An autographed copy each of A Marine for Christmas by Beth Andrews

Tuesday, February 8 , 2011

Kaelee, Laney4

A set each of Best Laid Plans and The Last Goodbye by Sarah Mayberry, or backlist books of your choice

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Kristina Mathews, Jill, Marcie

An autographed copy each of His Wife For One Night by Molly O’Keefe

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Linda S

A set of Mary Sullivan’s first three books - No Ordinary Cowboy, A Cowboy’s Plan, and This Cowboy’s Son.

Please use our contact page to claim your prize.

And don't miss next week's bloggers...

Monday, February 14 , 2011

Mary Brady

“AH, VALENTINE’S DAY”

Mary will be giving away a set of bead bracelets

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Stella Maclean

“POST VALENTINE’S DAY BLUES"

Stella will be giving away an autographed copy of her most recent Superromance, A Child Changes Everything.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Molly O’Keefe

“A DAY IN THE LIFE”

Molly will be giving away a book from her backlist

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Jeannie Watt

"WHEN WILL IT END?"

Jeannie will be giving away 3 copies of Maddie Inherits a Cowboy, or one of her backlist books - reader’s choice.

Writing Tip of the Week

"Don't compare yourself, your stories, productivity or process to others. Embrace your writing style!"

~ Beth Andrews

Jill is our 5 page super critique winner!

To enter our drawing for a 5-page super critique simply comment here and check back next week.  

Winners please send your first 5-pages using our contact page.

SKATING ON THIN ICE

Mary Sullivan

I picked up skating this winter after many years away from it. As a child, I had never been very good—weak ankles. As an adult, I had forgotten how and had become a shuffler. I determined that this winter I would learn how to stop shuffling, let go of the boards and start to skate for real.

It came as no shock that I no longer have the balance I used to have. My second time out on the ice I fell and received a hard knock to my head. In fact, I’m recovering from a concussion.

So…next stop, the sports shop to pick up a helmet. I won’t quit. I’m determined. As soon as I feel well enough, I will head out to the rink again.

This is a graphic reminder of how my learning curve works. The first time I went out onto the rink I was nervous but did so well I thought, wow, this is a breeze. I’m going to be great in no time. The second time I felt shaky and wondered what had possessed me to take up skating again.

When I start something new, I start out well, but always get worse before I get better. Always. Then I persevere through my disappointment and eventually learn what I set out to learn and am glad I kept working away on it.

The same thing happens when I start a book. I come up with a premise I really like and characters who seem like people about whom I wouldn’t mind writing 70,000 words and spending months getting to know. I start with what I think is an interesting opening and write my first three or four chapters and then…lose confidence, realize that I’m writing about a couple of caricatures and really need to deepen their characters and conflicts.

Things become tough. I wonder why on earth I ever thought I could write a book—even though I’ve persevered in the past and have had three Superromances published and the fourth, BEYOND ORDINARY, coming out in July.

I’m currently at work on the fifth and the way in which I’m dealing with the problem this time is that I’ve put myself on a kind of continual loop. I’ve read the first six chapters so many times, but keep doing so because I figure out something new every time and then write the next scenes with a new understanding of my hero or heroine, and where the story needs to go.

I’m determined and will persevere, and sometime in the next year, the fifth book should hit the bookstores. It will be worth it. By the end of the process, I will like my characters and their stories. Sometimes, though, I wish I could skip that ‘getting worse before I get better’ phase.

Anyone else have this experience? Or is learning something new a long, steady climb uphill? Or is it a breeze?

Have you tackled anything new lately? How about something that you won't let age or common sense prevent you from trying?

To one of you who comments today, I’m giving away a bundle of my first three books—NO ORDINARY COWBOY, A COWBOY’S PLAN, and THIS COWBOY’S SON.

Based On A True Story

I have something I need to get off my chest and finally! Finally I can tell the truth. Writers get asked "Where do you get your ideas?" alot. And I make up something vague and try not to make eye contact because I steal all my ideas from Sarah Mayberry (shhhh! Don't tell her). But HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT was stolen from someone else - my cousin Caleb.

First of all, I should point out that Cousin Caleb is a romance hero brought to life. One of the good heroes - not one of the cads with terrible backstories. Handsome, smart, a total adventurer but for some unknown reason has a fear of commitment. None of us understand it, but there you go. Caleb is a hydro engineer who has spent the last several years drilling and repairing wells in Africa. One very tense summer he worked in the Darfur region of Sudan. For those of you who might not know, this area is terribly dangerous. A vicious boiling kettle of almost every motivation for war in the world; race, religion, politics - you name it, they're killing each other over it.

Caleb told us that if the area was dangerous the crews didn't go out to the villages and that he was safe. Most of the time. But because he's a total adventurer, there were some stories that had all of us worried about him and his inappropriate sense of fun.

My hero Jack McKibbon in HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT is based, loosely on my wonderful cousin. I found a way to explain his fear of commitment (a bad Mommy. When all else fails, give him a bad Mommy - though I should make it clear my Aunt Patti is a wonderful Mommy.). I gave him a crisis of faith, a terrible injury and then - just for fun - a wife. His best friend from childhood, Mia. They haven't seen each other in a year and have never had a real marriage, much less a wedding night. All of which Mia hopes to change. But that is for a different blog.

So, finally I can stop ripping off Sarah's books, and instead harvest my family members for story ideas. I'd love to give away three copies of HIS WIFE FOR ONE NIGHT - so please leave a comment. Writers out there - how many times have you based a character on someone in your life? And did they get mad? (Because Caleb is NOT going to to like that fear of commitment bit.) Readers - is there a story/person in your life you think needs to be in a story? Tell us because, what are the chances they read this blog? Really? I can't gaurantee I won't steal it...

I am a bad person.

Fantasy vs Reality - Sarah Mayberry

I had a great weekend a couple of weeks ago. The weather bureau were predicting a 40 degree day (that’s 104 fahrenheit), so I invited my sister and her kids down to our place by the bay to pick blackberries and swim in the pool. The neighbours also got an invite since their little girl and my niece have a friendship crush on each other (plus they’re pretty funny and nice in their own right!). We had an afternoon of squealing, laughing kids in the pool, with us adults jumping in to be just as silly as the kids when the mood took us. A few beers, lots of berries, and when the sun went down we ordered fish and chips from the local shop.

It was a perfect day - and exactly the kind of day that I imagined us having when we bought our house back in March of last year. When we toured the house for the first time I imagined a big family gathering, my niece and nephews enjoying the pool, everyone taking advantage of the beautiful garden. And that Sunday delivered on all of my fantasies. I love it when life fulfills my expectations in that way!

It reminded me of the time when my sister first told me she was pregnant. I was so excited - and nervous! - for her. And when I held my first nephew in my arms I fell head over heels in love. The same with my second nephew and finally with my niece. One of the pictures I had in my head when my sister first told me she was having kids was a pretty cheesy one - the idea of me arriving at their place (for whatever reason) and the kids being happy to see me. I decided very early on that, tempting as it was to give the kids lots of presents because I often thought of them when I was out shopping and saw little things I thought they might like, I would refrain from showering them with gifts. I wanted to be the aunt they enjoyed because I spent time with them and engaged with them and had fun with them, not the aunt who always bought them worldly goods.

So, I played Lego and trains and Barbie and had pretend tea parties and, as they got older, talked endlessly about who I liked best in The Lord of the Rings and which Hannah Montana episode was my favourite. And then, one day I arrived at my sister’s place and rang the door bell and I could hear the scramble inside as the kids raced for the door. “Aunty Sarah’s here, Aunty Sarah’s here!” Can I tell you, my heart just about exploded out of my chest. It was an awesome, awesome moment.

I think it’s probably human nature to project forward into the future and imagine the way things might pan out - for the positive or the negative. Depending on your mindset, it’s called daydreaming or worrying! The reason I’m rabbiting on about all this is because the hero in my February release, The Last Goodbye, has a few ideas in his head about how things are going to turn out. When he learns that his estranged father is very ill and not expected to live much longer, he makes the decision to make one last visit home to put the ghosts of the past to bed once and for all.

In Tyler’s mind, he’s going to look his father in the eye and force him to recognise the pain he inflicted on Tyler and his older brother, Jon, when they were children. He’s going to tell his dad that he was a bad father, tell him all the things he’s always wanted to say. But when he stands by his father’s hospital bed, he finds he can’t give voice to any of the cruel, hard things burning a hole in the pit of his stomach. He’s just not that kind of man, and he doesn’t have that sort of ruthlessness in him. Now, I happen to think that’s a good thing - I know my heroine does, and I hope you do, too - but it takes Tyler a while to reconcile reality with his fantasy.

While The Last Goodbye deals with some heavy issues - an abusive parent, the death of that parent - there’s plenty of lightness in there amongst the dark, I promise! When Tyler and the heroine, Ally, finally get it together, the weeks they spend getting to know each other are fun and filled with growing love. I had a great time writing this book, although there were definitely parts that I found challenging and emotional. I hope that means it makes for a rewarding and emotional read for you guys!

I’d love to give away a set of my two most recent books - The Best Laid Plans and The Last Goodbye - to two posters. All you have to do to be in the running is be part of the conversation. I’d love to hear about a time in your life that either met your expectations or surpassed them or even disappointed them (because life is a roller coaster, right?). I’m really looking forward to chatting to you all, so I’ll pass the baton over...

PS - before I forget, my FREE on-line read, Worth The Risk is now fully up over at Harlequin. All 20 chapters are now available, so if you're looking for a quick (FREE!) little read, pop on over and meet Nick and Ella.