Welcome to my daily blog. If this is your first time, I'm a romance writer and a misplaced city girl currently living in the wild Sierras. I tend to have a lot of I-Love-Lucy moments that I share here but sometimes we talk about books, TV, and our favorite cookies. Okay, my favorite cookies. In any case, please feel free to comment by clicking on the Comments at the bottom of any entry. If you're too shy, that's okay, just know I love having you.

A Most Serious Question

January 26, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

Bare chested …

or …

… not so bare?

And while we’re here, how about fair and smiling?

Or dark and broody?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Caption The Photo Contest

January 25, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

Update:
Thanks for playing! Loved your captions, all of them. Winners are:
1. Marc, who wrote “Here we see the Spotted Sadie camouflaged in her natural habitat. Proceed with caution, if awoken, she can terrorize an entire village into submission.”
2. Ashley, who wrote “You say downward facing dog, well how ’bout we try upward facing kitty.”
3. Melissa, who wrote “If I lie here looking all cute an cuddy maybe they won’t notice the dog missing ”
Email me with your snail mail and a few book choices.

Original Post:
Here’s Satan–er, Sadie. Owning the couch.

You know the drill, caption the photo. Youngest will be picking her favorites and three of you will win the book of their choice from my backlist. Now go forth and amuse us!!

Anatomy of a snow hike

January 24, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

The other morning I looked out window and saw SUN!

I grabbed the snow gear and snow shoes and suited up.

Those are my feet, just to be clear. I headed into the woods with Ashes, who grumbled the whole time about NOT having snow shoes. Diva.

We start walking the trail . . .

And then suddenly I begin to wonder about all the odd snow covered shapes.

Huh.

A little creepy, you know? I start to feel a little nervous, like maybe I’m in pod people country, or I’ve made a turn into the Twilight zone . . .

What the heck is that?? Or these:

I look around and suddenly realize Ashes is sitting on my feet with her hair all fuzzed up. I don’t know about you, but that’s enough for me really. If Ashes is scared, count me in too. I’m thinking it’s time to go home.

Now.

Then I turn around and face this:

Okay, I realize this is just a tree covered in snow, but go with me on this. Alone in the woods, the sun has vanished, the dog is a little freaked, and then I realize.

I have NO idea where I am.

None.

Now I might seem a little off my rocker but I’m not stupid.

Really.

I retraced my own tracks, running past this poor fallen tree (or at least as much running as you can do while wearing snow shoes which trust me, is about as easy as running in flippers)

And then I see it.

My oasis.

My favorite place in the whole world.

Home.

Yeah. Now that I’m not lost and potential bear bait, things would be perfect — if only the case of Girl Scout cookies I’d ordered (for medicinal purposes of course) had arrived . . .

Monday’s Feel Good

January 23, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

Middle made this poster for me. It’s her (on the right) and Special Edition, from their California road trip.

I’d like to know why they were standing on a railing above the streets of Los Angeles, but mostly, I am reminded that 19 years old or not, I can learn a lot from her ‘tude.

p.s. quote by Helen Keller.

p.s.s. do you have a quote that you love?

Aw, Winter, there you are

January 20, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

Poor Frat Boy. He doesn’t remember snow. He’s easily confused and doesn’t know where to pee.

He settled for my living room floor. This was actually preferable to yesterday, when he peed on a very small dog on our walk. It’s a good thing he’s cute.

Hey, what are you reading?

Time Out

January 19, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

I forgot to show you my March Harlequin Blaze cover! Probably because it’s been awhile since I’ve written one ….

Excerpt:
She’d just started to close her laptop when her gaze caught on the Yahoo news page. Hitting the volume key, she stared at a sports clip showing a seedy bar fight between some NHL players from the Anaheim Ducks and Sacramento Mammoths.

The clip had been playing all week, because … well, she hadn’t figured out why, other than people seemed to love a sports scandal. The clip was little more than a pile of well-known professional athletes wrestling each other to the ground in some LA bar, fists flying, dust rising.

Rainey gestured another car through, then turned back to the screen, riveted by the million dollar limbs and titillating show of testosterone. On the day the clip had been taken, the two teams had been in the Stanley cup finals. The game had been decided on a controversial call in favor of the Ducks, killing the Mammoths dreams for the Stanley cup.

That night at the bar, the Mammoth players had instigated the fight, holding their own against four Ducks until their head coach strode up out of nowhere. At thirty-four, Mark Diego was the youngest, most popular NHL head coach in the country.

On the tape, Mark’s eyes narrowed in on the fight as he walked fearlessly into the fray, pulling his players out of the pile like they weighed nothing. A fist flew near his face and he deflected it, leveling the sender of said fist a long, hard look.

The guy fell backwards trying to get away.

“That’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Lena murmured, watching the clip over Rainey’s shoulder.

Yeah. Yeah, it was. Rainey had seen Mark in action before, of course. He and Rick were close. And once upon a time, she’d been just as close, having grown up near the brothers. Back then, Mark had been tough, smart, and fiercely protective of those he cared about. He’d also had a wild streak a mile wide, and she’d seen him brawl plenty. It’d turned her on then, but it absolutely didn’t now. She was grown up, mature.

Or so she told herself.

You can preorder at BN or Amazon, if you’re so inclined, and want to make an author’s day.