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.

September 28, 2009 | Filed under: Stuff

So why do I hang out with Alpha Man again? Anyone? On Saturday afternoon he talked my sorry tired ass into going to the lake for a paddleboard ride. Because I had claimed “tired”, I let him haul both paddleboards from the truck to the lagoon’s edge.

I carried the paddles.

Hey, someone had to do it.

The lagoon is shielded, protected and very very quiet waters. After about two minutes of this, Alpha Man decided that the lagoon was for little girls, and he wanted to get out onto the open waters.

Actually, he didn’t say “little girls”, he said something else that I’m pretty sure I can’t type here. Then he flashed me the coaxing smile and tried to get me to agree to leave the lagoon. Which is a little bit like leaving a bathtub for the Nile. But because I’m a sucker, I followed.

Followed.

Because Alpha Man has to be in the lead, in charge and in control. Damn Alpha-ness.

I looked across the huge lake and took a big gulp. It was like a mile and it was deep and choppy and there were big boats and I didn’t wanna. I wanted to keep going along the quiet lagoon, you know, where it was SAFE.

So not a complete jerk, Alpha Man slowed down and gave me that charming smile and the “honey you can totally do this” when really he just wanted me to hurry the hell up so he could get his adrenaline rush and thrill.

So fine. I went. We were about a quarter of a mile across, with me going ”oh god oh god oh god I’m going to die” all the way and he’s trying to be all encouraging with the “you’re doing great, your paddle is backwards, you really are doing great” and ruining the whole thing by cracking his ass up every time I dropped my paddle.

And then he made it all worse by yelling back a vague sort of “last one across owes” and we all know what he meant by “owes”, just as we all know exactly who was going to be last one across. The guy is like a foot taller and had a hundred pounds on me.

I might have snapped. I might have yelled “just once I’d like it if you were sweet and sensitive and … and BETA!”

And he blinked, all surprised to find me a tad bit out of sorts. Men. Are. Clueless.

Oh and just so we’re clear, I did win, even if to secure the win I flat out cheated and there might have been flashing involved. Point is, he had to buy me Panda Express. Although if he happens by here today, I’m just kidding. I didn’t cheat at all and I owe nothing.

September 26, 2009 | Filed under: Stuff

September 25, 2009 | Filed under: Stuff

Update:
I went to random.org and asked for five numbers between 1 and 87, which is how many comments I had for this post. Here’s what I got back:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
30 43 75 80 47
Timestamp: 2009-09-27 19:28:05 UTC

So if you are comment #30, 43, 75, 80 and/or 47, email me with your snailmail and a few book choices!

Original Post:
Okay I’ve been a very bad blogger. I messed up the last contest and never named a winner. I have lots of excuses. I was trying to finish a book. I have five teenagers in the house, all hormonal and all PMS-ing. My sweats are too tight …

But the bottom line is I let you down. And now I owe you. So I will draw FIVE names from all the people who comment today, and I will PROMISE to do it by weekend’s end. I’ll mail those five the book of their choice from my backlist.

In the meantime, before you go off for your weekend, can you let me know a few things? First, the last book you read. Second, the last book you LOVED. And third, what’s the next book you intend to buy, if you know it.

Inquiring minds would like to know.

Now go forth and have a great weekend. Oh, and fyi, I don’t recommend two chicken enchiladas and three margaritas, and then yelling and cheering and jumping up and down at a football game, and then two chocolate bars and a brownie, AND a trip to the hottub. Trust me on this.

September 24, 2009 | Filed under: Stuff

1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you..
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses .
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen.
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12.. You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #9 on this list.

September 23, 2009 | Filed under: Stuff

It was just a regular old walk along the river, I was just minding my own bid-ness.

But I had cookies, and therefore crumbs.

And therefore, I shortly had friends. It started out with the one scout.

And he brought a friend.

And so on … But this little guy? He latched onto me and kept asking “Are you my mother?”

And since all I have at home these days are very grumpy, sullen teenager girls (OMG, I am not kidding), I was tempted to tell him yes, I’m your momma. Especially since you can’t talk.

September 22, 2009 | Filed under: Stuff

VERY rough peek at my next summer’s Blaze. Remember, ROUGH:

Startling her out of her own thoughts, there was new movement outside the pastry shop as the ME was finally ready to have the body removed. Once again, Bella set her head down on her knees, feeling a wave of emotion for whoever the guy had been, for his family, for whoever would grieve him.

A pair of athletic shoes appeared in front of her, topped by faded Levi’s, and she closed her eyes, not up for more unanswerable questions. She heard a rustle and knew the owner of said shoes and jeans had just crouched in front of her.

When she peeked, she saw long legs flexing as he set his elbows on his thighs and waited on her.

He finally spoke. “You okay?”

Wait a minute. She knew that voice. That voice had coaxed shocking responses from her only last night, and she lifted her head, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her.

Nope, it was Tall, Dark and Drop-dead Sexy, no longer wearing board shorts and a relaxed, easy grin.

Instead he wore a light blue button down that emphasized his lean, hard body, the one that had taken hers to heaven and back.

The man she’d told that she was moving to Siberia so he wouldn’t come looking for her.

Oh, God.

She really wished she’d have picked any other location than Siberia, because he had a detective’s badge on a hip, and he was either carrying a gun on his other hip or was very happy to see her, which she sincerely doubted given the expression on his face.

Gulp.

“Hey,” she whispered with a little smile.

He returned the little smile, his eyes warming, but he didn’t “hey” back.

Yeah.

She’d had it right last night. She was in trouble with this one.

Deep trouble.