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.

Chocoholics

May 3, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

I realized the other day that I haven’t really told you about The Chocoholics. How remiss of me! Back when I was writing Head Over Heels, I added a mysterious character to Lucky Harbor. And from the very first moment I put Mysterious Cute Guy on the page, I fell in love. There’s just something about a big, bad, sexy guy that you know nothing about that fires the imagination. But I have to be honest. When he made a cameo in Head Over Heels, (literally a walk-on role only; in fact I believe he only gets a mention or two) I knew nothing about him. Nothing. I never intended to either. He was just one of life’s little (okay big, bad, and sexy) mysteries.

Then my editor called me. She said the first three Lucky Harbor books had done so well that they’d like three more please. And maybe one of the heroes could be Mysterious Cute Guy. It was fun coming up with a story to go with this enigmatic figure, not to mention a name – Ty Garrison. More fun still to give this ex-Navy SEAL a rough, tortured, bad-boy past and a sweet, giving, good-girl heroine (Mallory Quinn, ER nurse). Oh the fun I had with these two: a bad boy trying to go good, and a good girl looking for a walk on the wild side. Hope you have as much fun reading their story, Lucky In Love.

Which, yay, is finally almost here. 5/22!!!

And then, stick around. Because Mallory’s two Chocoholics-in-crime partners, Amy and Grace, get their own love stories on 6/26 and 7/31 with At Last and then Forever and a Day.

The Latest I Love Lucy

May 2, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

I have a lot of travel coming up and since I can’t really go on business trips wearing my favorite sweats and bunny slippers, it was time to get some clothes. So the other day I was in the shoe store looking for cute heels that would feel okay on a twice broken foot. They don’t exist by the way. But when I came out of the store, a huge truck was blocking my car. The driver was working the lift in the back and it was a very noisy lift. I called out “hello? How are you? Would you mind terribly moving your truck?”

He didn’t even look at me.

So I waved my arms. “Um, hi! Hello? Excuse me?”

More nothing. So I stepped off the sidewalk and stopped in the middle of the parking lot and waved my hands some more, no doubt looking like an idiot.

He finally looked up.

“How long are you going to be?” I asked.

And I kid you not, he went hands on hips and glowered at me. Me, the blocked in party!! And he said, “no hi how are you, would you please mind moving? Just how long are you going to be?”

A sensitive truck driver. Who knew. “I said all that but you didn’t hear me.”

“Well I had my lift going. It’s noisy.”

No kidding!!! But he was just looking at me. So I sighed. “Hi how are you, would you please mind moving?”

And he beamed at me. And then he went back to his lift.

“Hey!” I yelled.

“You can get out,” he said. “You have enough room.”

OMG. I would have liked to strangle him but I hear the authorities frown on that. So I went back to my car and sweated twenty pounds off trying to get out of the spot without hitting his truck. You’ve heard of 3 point turns? Try a thousand. And whoever you are, sir, I’m still mad at you!!!

Today’s Office View

May 1, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

Update: Commenters #4, 36, and 78 … email me with a few book choices and your addy!

Original post:

While I’m sitting on that picnic bench writing away on my next book for you, make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter from this page or my home page.

And then before you go, I need blog help. Tell me your favorite kinds of posts. The ones about my books, or my I Love Lucy adventures, or the pics, or when I ask what you’re all reading, or pretend boyfriend days … or maybe you’d like to see else? Speak up! Inquiring minds want to know.

p.s. I’ll draw names from the commenters for a book from my backlist…

End of an era

April 30, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

Just went through our last prom with Youngest. Here she is with Alpha Man, who came home from work in time to make sure she hadn’t surpassed his own 6’2″ …

I asked this on Facebook, because I remember loving my dress my more than my prom date … what’s your prom memory?

Pretend Boyfriend Day

April 27, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

Him: How long did you want me to stare deeply into your eyes?
Me: All day. You don’t mind, do you?
Him: Of course not. You’re so beautiful in your sweats and ponytail.
Me: Aw, thanks. Do you by any chance also cook and clean?
Him: For you, baby, anything.
(from the fantasy life of Jill Shalvis)

Today’s page

April 26, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff

What am I reading? Myself. It’s hard for me to read my own stuff, but when I get the last pass pages from my publisher, it’s just something I have to do to see if I can catch any mistakes. I’m bad at catching my own mistakes but I have to try. Thought I’d give you a little peek at a page I just fixed.

She was crazy, he decided, a crazy cutie. He had way too much on his plate for this, too many people to take care of — and she had “take care of me” written all over her.

And yet she thought that he was a chicken. Interesting.

Infuriating.

And a little bit of a turn on. But screw it, he was done thinking. The woman wanted a kiss, and hell if he’d try to talk her out of it. So he leaned in and brushed his mouth over hers. Peach. Her lip gloss was peach, and it was more delicious than anything he could remember.

So was the kiss, chaste as it was, which rocked his socks right off.

It’s from FOREVER AND A DAY, out 7/31. Now don’t give me grief, I’m writing as fast as I can. But if you want a Jill fix sooner, then go for LUCKY IN LOVE, which comes out next month.

In the meantime, what are you reading?