Friday Funny video -- Black Friday & Cats

I hope everyone had a grand Thanksgiving! Our neighbor told us yesterday that she and her daughter, who's visiting from Atlanta, were going to get up at 3 A.M. (!!!) this morning for their traditional Black Friday shopping adventure. I've NEVER understood Black Friday shopping, but cannot, for the life of me, fathom getting up that early for anything. (Well, in full disclosure, I did once. But only to go to the hospital to have our son, Patrick.)

Thinking back on it, there was a time when we went to the mall on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but not to shop. We'd spend about an hour while the turkey was cooking going through the newspaper, searching for the mall with the very best Santa. Since we were living in Phoenix, that usually involved waiting with crowds in the parking lot as Santa arrived in a sleigh drawn by reindeer, by helicopter, various decorated floats like the ones in the Macy's Parade, and once on a Harley. ( Which, while cool in its own way, wasn't exactly a traditional Jolly Old Elf. )

I spent a little time yesterday doing researching on-line for the still untitled second book in my Shelter Bay series. My hero, Gabriel St. James, is a Marine, and the heroine, Charity Tiernan, is a veterinarian who runs an animal shelter. While reading various vet blogs, I found this LOL video on cats which proves they're not always as cool and collected as they pretend to be.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving, soup, and a new website!!

Exciting news! After many months work, and amazing patience from the fantastic guys at Project A, in Ashland, Oregon, my newly designed website has just launched! I hope you'll find time to check it out, especially the Shelter Bay photos, many of which I took during our recent trip to the Oregon coast, where my upcoming series is set. Also cool is that the NAL art department actually used my photo of Sax Douchett's house as a model for the one on The Homecoming's cover!

I love Thanksgiving! Mostly because it's all about tradition and hasn't become overly commercialized like so many other holidays. It's a time to pause, reflect, and be grateful for all our blessings. This year, of course, our thoughts will be with our deployed troops, especially our nephews Kyle and Patrick, who are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of our traditions is to use an ivory lace tablecloth my Aunt Toni, who's no longer with us, gave us for a wedding present. We only use it on Thanksgiving, so every year, as I iron it and set the table, I remember her with great fondness. I also think about Fig Newtons, because she was the first person I knew who had them in her kitchen, and, being mostly a chocolate chip girl, I was amazed at how tasty they were. Or maybe they were so good because she was the one who shared them.

Our dinner has always been pretty much the same. We go with a fresh turkey and link sausage dressing I learned to make from my mother. It's made with whole wheat toast, instead of stale bread because it's a bit crunchier. I long ago quit caramelizing the sweet potatoes, and for a while went with the ones with the marshmallows on top, but in recent years we've gone a healthier route, whipping them with orange juice and cinnamon. Mashed potatoes and gravy are a must and I blogged here on the perfect, no-fail gravy recipe that amazingly works with both turkey and beef last December. Peas and pearl onions, rolls, and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream, because you've just got to splurge every once in a while. It's also the first day of the holiday season eggnog makes an appearance at our house.

We always make the dressing the night before, so Wednesday night supper is sausage sandwiches. Some things have gone by the wayside over the years -- the shrimp cocktail starter, the fruit salad and coconut ambrosia our son, Patrick, would insist on when he was growing up and still prepares for his kids, along with the creamed carrots and the mince pie only my sweetie ate.

I also set the table with our Friendly Village china and glasses, which depict scenes of autumn mists, a covered bridge, hay field, lily pond, school house, Sugar maples, and a village green. They create such a warm and welcoming feeling to the table and personify that old song about over the river and through the woods.

This year, I'm bringing back the carrots, but in a different way. I've decided that instead of having both mashed and sweet potatoes on the same plate, I'm making a carrot and sweet potato soup from Cooking Light magazine.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

3 Tbsp butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
4 3/4 cups cubed peeled sweet potatoes (1 1/2#)
3 1/2 cups water
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I make my own and freeze, but canned works)
3 cups chopped carrots (about 1#)
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Move onion mixture to side of pan (actually, I'm going to take them out for this part); add remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter to open space in pan. Increase heat to medium high; cook 1 minute or until butter begins to brown. Add sweet potatoes, water, broth, and carrots (I'm putting the onion back in) and bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Place half of soup mixture in a blender. Remove the center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape. Secure blender lid on blender, but place a clean towel over the opening in lid to avoid splatters. Blend until smooth.

Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup mixture. Stir in half and half, salt, and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 2 teaspoons of sour cream and 3/4 teaspoon parsley.

Enjoy!

So, what are your family's MUST HAVE traditional Thanksgiving dinner items? And do you have something you always do? Such as go to a movie? Watch football? This year I'll be making Christmas cards for troops while watching the games. Fortunately, with a gazillion replays, I'm not in any danger of missing a vital, game-changing play.

For those who'd also like to send cards to show your appreciation to our military men and women there's still time and you don't have to actually make a card (bought cards are hugely welcome!), you just need to make sure it gets to the Maryland sorting site by Monday, December 7th. For more information, check out the Holiday Mail for Heroes website.

Three visitors, chosen at random, who share a Thanksgiving tradition, or even comment, will received an autographed backlist book of their choice. Winners will be announced on next Tuesday's blog and on my website.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, however you spend it!

SPINNING FORWARD

Today's guest is Terri DuLong, a fellow member of RWA-WF, and the Author of Spinning Forward, a book I really want to read. Even though the only thing I've ever been able to knit is a long, lumpy rectangle.

Welcome, Terri. Why don't we begin with you telling us about your book?

A New Englander born and bred, the last place Sydney Webster expects to find herself starting over is on an island off the west coast of Florida. Yet here she is in Cedar Key, trying to pull herself together after her husband's untimely deathand the even more untimely revelation of his gambling addiction. Syd takes shelter at a bed and breakfast, leading her to discover her true identity and feminine soul. Her passion for spinning and knitting draws attention due to the unique composition of her wool and a door is opened. She finds herself in the embrace of a community rich with love, laughter, friendship . . . and secrets. A tale of new beginnings, old friends and lives forever bound.

I love stories that revolve around community relationships. And secrets are always fun. What pulled you into the story and made you think 'I have to write this'?

The actual people of Cedar Key, the small town where I now reside, made me feel I wanted to write about the closeness and caring of a small community. As far as my main character, not all women have the final say-so when it comes to decisions or financial matters in their marriage and although it may seem fine and easy at the time, my story deals with the fact that women owe it to themselves to be aware of these issues. For Sydney, her uninvolved attitude came back to bite her.

When did you first begin writing?

I've been writing all my life. As an only child, I had an imaginary playmate and looking back now, I feel that's when my creative process began. I've kept diaries and journals and I began writing professionally for Bonjour Paris about eleven years ago. I did over forty travel articles based on my travel to France through the eyes of a fictional canine character.

What's your writing process and where do you write?

When I'm on deadline, I begin around ten in the morning and generally work six to eight hours a day. When we moved to Cedar Key, we had a writer's studio built for me, detached from our house but connected by a screened lanai. So this is where I work.

What's your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

I'd have to say my favorite thing about writing is all the feedback I get from my readers. Their comments on my characters, plot, how my story affected them, etc. Least favorite? Call me Pollyanna, but I really don't have one. I love writing and the feeling of accomplishment when I finish a story.

How do you fight writer's block?

I've never really had writer's block. I've had episodes where I momentarily get stuck about where to go and what will work to take my plot forward, but when that happens I get away from the manuscript for a few days. Give it time to percolate a little. However, I'm constantly thinking about it the entire time and somehow I find my way back to where I want to go.

Movie time. Who do you envision playing your main character? The love interest? A bad guy? And you can be in the movie too--what part would you play? And why?

For Sydney, my main character, I envision a few actresses. Sally Field is the major one but I could also see Michelle Pfeiffer or Rachel Ward being my Sydney. For the love interest, Noah, I envision Richard Gere or Kevin Costner. I honestly can't see myself as any of the characters. Ah, I know! Maybe Miss Polly, the hairdresser in town because she gets all the gossip and as a writer, I love gossip and details!

Okay, let's imagine you're stranded on a desert island. What five movies and the five books you want with you?

Five books would be: A Woman of Substance, To Kill a Mockingbird, The House at Riverton, The Shellseekers and The Thornbirds.
Five movies would be: Casablanca, Pretty Woman, Saving Private Ryan, Ghost and Steel Magnolias

Do you have any advice to aspiring writers?

Don't ever give up. If writing is your passion, then keep writing. Believe in yourself and make great things happen.

So, true! What's next for you?

My Christmas novella that I'm doing in the anthology with Fern Michaels headlining will be released November 2010 at the same time that my second book in the Cedar Key series will be out.

Thanks for visiting, Terri, and good luck with Spinning Forward!

Got Freedom? -- Veterans Day video

Got freedom?

Thank a Vet and all those men and women currently serving our country, who selflessly put themselves in harm's way so the rest of us don't have to. Also heartfelt thanks to their families, who await their return home.

And with special thoughts on this Veterans Day for our own deployed nephews, Patrick and Kyle. Take care and come home safe!

Friday Fun Video -- This car is SWEET!!

Here's this week's Friday Fun video, which I found on twitter from @SweetThingsTo, a hugely imaginative baker in Toronto whose website is: http://www.sweetthings.ca She's also the model for an upcoming heroine in my Shelter Bay series.

I think the video pretty much speaks for itself, so I'm not going to set it up. I've now watched it three times and it continues to amaze me.




Oh, for those who haven't entered Yankee Barbie's contest from yesterday, the deadline is at 5 P.M. EST today!

Yankee Barbie says, "And NOW it's home!"

Hello. I'm Yankee Barbie and I'll be guest blogging today for JoAnn, who's still celebrating her Yankees' 27th World Series win.

When JoAnn was seven-years-old, she had no doubt whatsoever that she'd grow up to play center field for the New York Yankees. Writing would be her backup occupation, something she planned to do after retiring from baseball. Those were, in her mind, her only options. While waiting for the Yankees management to call, she wrote her first novella -- a tragic romance about two star-crossed mallard ducks -- for a second grade writing assignment.

The paper earned a gold star. And JoAnn kept writing. She even wrote to Mickey Mantle. Who wrote back! (Okay, some skeptics might suggest that a team secretary actually wrote those letters, but JoAnn prefers to keep the fantasy alive. And I don't blame her.)

Although the Yankees have yet to call her to New York to platoon center field, she has written a lot of books for a bunch of publishers. Including her first published novel, Stardust and Diamonds, for NAL, which was about -- what else? -- a baseball player.

But enough about her. . .

As you may have noticed in this photo, due to an unfortunate problem in scale, I appear a bit like Godzilla hovering over Tokyo. But to paraphrase a line from Sunset Boulevard (one of my fave movies!), I am NOT too tall. Department 56 made Yankee Stadium too small.

Yankee Stadium, known to true believers as The House That Ruth Built, was built in 1923. The first game in the stadium was held on April 18, 1923, with the Yankees beating the Boston Red Sox (from whom the Yankees acquired Babe Ruth, which is another story) 4–1. In its inaugural season, the Yankees also -- yay! -- won the World Series. (Though neither JoAnn nor I were around to witness it.)

This Cathedral of Baseball hosted thirty-seven World Series, more than any other baseball stadium. It also hosted the major-league All-Star Game four times: 1939, 1960, 1977, and last year, 2008.

But times change. Life moves on. This season the Yankees moved into a new home across the street. To bring tradition with them, last November, four members of the 1998 World Series championship team and kids from Bronx based youth groups ceremoniously dug up home plate, the pitcher's rubber mound pitching plate, along with the surrounding dirt of both areas and transported them to their new home. As this is being written, burly men with huge machines and sledge hammers are tearing down The House that Ruth Built to make way for a 10-acre Heritage Park that'll stand in its place. But I'm still sad to see it go, so I'll take a page from my dear friend Scarlett O'Hara Barbie and think about that tomorrow.

I understand how the new stadium might have been a little intimidated. After all, as I just pointed out, it had a LOT to live up to! I totally understand this, having to compete with Bridal Barbie. And don't even get me started on Malibu Barbie!

But the new stadium lived up to its heritage. Just like its big brother, it hosted a World Series in its inaugural year. And what a Series it was! There were times I was sitting on the edge of my seat!


There were also some GREAT plays! (Johnny Damon, the highlight reel people called. They're including your super brilliant steal of third base.)

The Pittsburgh Pirates proved to be super adversaries. For a while, I even used JoAnn's autographed Mickey Mantle ball to work out my Pilates, in case I'd be called in to platoon Center Field.



But that didn't prove necessary. Just like in 1923, our boys in pinstripes prevailed to win their 27th World Series and left me sitting on top of the world. (And a stack of champagne boxes!)

And to the Phillies fans, don't feel too bad. As the Yankees have learned twenty-seven times, there's always next year.

To share the celebration, JoAnn will be giving one reader who comments (chosen at random) a copy of the Mills & Boon edition of The Return of Caine O'Halloran, her 1994 Rita finalist HQ Temptation, featuring -- what else? -- a NY Yankees pitcher! To allow fans more time to celebrate and watch the tickertape Victory Parade down the Canyon of Heroes tomorrow, I'll be announcing the winner at five p.m. EST Friday afternoon.

Love to all baseball fans, whatever your team,

Yankee Barbie

Guest Deb Stover talks about The Gift

I realize this blog has been way too quiet lately, but have decided that it's time to get back to posting more often. And I couldn't think of a better way to resume than to invite a long-time friend, fellow member of RWA-WF, and guest author, Deb Stover, to post for me. (I know, talk about passing the buck! LOL) She's generously agreed to take time to talk about the writing process, and her new, long-awaited book that's on sale NOW!

Deb, please tell us a little about THE GIFT.

Certain members of the Dearborn Family are born with some variance of an empathic gift. Beth's "gift" manifests in a particularly frightening manner, by enabling her to experience the final moments of those who've died violently. As an adult, she chooses a career as a homicide detective, and--obviously--is very successful. However, the experience of being "murdered" repeatedly takes a terrible toll and she turns to alcohol for solace. When she hits bottom and seeks treatment for her addiction, she is convinced the only way she can stay sober is to somehow suppress her gift-turned-curse by avoiding places where the spirit of someone who died violently might contact her. She leaves her position and takes one as a nomadic insurance investigator.

Her new career keeps her safe and sober for three years. Convinced her gift has faded from lack of use, she finally accepts an assignment involving possible life insurance fraud, which leads her to a small town in eastern Tennessee.

Ty Malone's wife, Lorilee, disappeared over seven years ago. Though the town and his father-in-law remain convinced she ran away to pursue a career as a painter in Europe, he has always maintained that the only thing that could keep his wife away from her children is death. It's time to learn the truth, so he petitions the court to have her declared legally dead. The life insurance claim brings investigator Beth Dearborn into his life.

THE GIFT is part mystery, part ghost story, part suspense, part romance, part thriller. The novel also touches on the issue of women and alcoholism on various levels. Beth is a recovering alcoholic, and the reader will also meet a character who is a practicing one.

Both Beth and Ty will be forced to face their greatest fears to learn the truth, and to find happiness.

Sounds super! What pulled you into the story and made you think 'I have to write this'?

A protagonist always pulls me into a new story. In this case, I "met" Ty's wife, Lorilee, first. She introduced herself to my muse, and I wrote a scene that appears very late in the book (it would be a spoiler if I told you about it) as a prologue initially. Then I saved it and used it later. From that scene, the entire story evolved. She is the catalyst who brings about all the events.

When did you first begin writing?

I think I was about eight. My first publication was a letter to the editor of the WICHITA EAGLE at age eleven. I majored in Journalism, then worked for a newspaper. I wrote my first romance manuscript in 1984. It was a monster of almost 200,000 words. I still need to burn it.... I dabbled for a few more years, then joined RWA and got serious in 1991. I sold my first book in December 1993. SHADES OF ROSE was published by Kensington in 1995.

What is your writing process and where do you write?

I prefer to write at my desk, mostly for comfort. Since I have rheumatoid arthritis, ergonomics are extra important. I have a special keyboard, keyboard tray, chair, mouse, etc. I love my laptop, but if I spend too much time on it, I pay the price. I'm typically a very early morning writer--a lark--and often wake hours before dawn to work while the rest of the house is sleeping soundly. I love quiet, and rarely listen to music while working--especially in first draft. While editing, I can listen to
anything, but in first draft I can't have any lyrics. They pull me out of the story.

I'm very much a "pantser"--and I have to say I hate that term. I much prefer Jo Beverley's "writing into the mist" description. I start with a character in a situation, then start writing. Once I have a global idea of the general plot and the cast of characters, I write a narrative synopsis and send it to my agent. Once we go to contract, do any revisions to the proposal, if requested, I plunge ahead. I confess my finished product does not always follow that synopsis verbatim. And I NEVER outline. Perish the thought....

What is your favorite thing about writing? What is your least favorite thing?

My favorite thing is that it's my favorite thing. Okay, seriously, I love being able to work in my pajamas. I stagger out of bed in the morning, get my fuzzy slippers and robe, my mug of strong coffee, and plop myself in front of the computer with an adoring dog at my side. Much better than dressing up and fighting traffic on the freeway.

My least favorite thing would have to be worrying about the business side of this, and promotion. In a perfect world, writers could just write and not have to worry about numbers and promo and covers and... ::sigh::

How do you fight writer's block?

I wish I knew. Once upon a time, I didn't believe in writer's block. Then life kicked me in the teeth and taught me otherwise when my husband's cancer came out of remission. Losing him to cancer gave me a case of "writer's block" that lasted years. I'm just now climbing out of that deep, dark hole. I'm not sure there's anything a writer can do to fight it, other than nurture our muse and keep trying. I finally had to ask my editor to give me a new deadline. She had left it at, "Whenever you finish it..."

Ha! I finally said, "If you don't give me a real deadline, I'll never finish this
book." She did and I did. I guess I'm one of those writers who has to have a deadline to get anything done.

What's your advice to aspiring writers?

It's your book. Trust your instincts. There are no rules. Critique is a smorgasbord--take what you want and leave what you don't. There are a thousand how-to books, workshops, and know-it-alls out there dying to tell you how to do your job. There is no special handshake. There is no secret potion. There is no magic elixir. You only have yourself, your muse, and the blank screen/Big Chief Tablet/whatever medium you choose. Keep throwing the spaghetti against the wall until something sticks.

So, what's next for you?

I am currently at work on the sequel to THE GIFT--working title is THE SECRET. When you read THE GIFT, you will meet Beth's cousin, Sam Dearborn. His "gift" manifests in a different way. He jokingly refers to himself as a "psychic errand boy."

Thanks so much, Deb, for dropping by. And meanwhile, here's the video trailer for The Gift. Enjoy!