So nice to be here.

I am truly blog handicapped! But it's so nice to be here. I just finished Love Always, and I found myself crying at several points in the story! It's a wonderful story, written from the heart and to some degree based on my family experience. I enjoyed writing it, but there always seems to be this feeling when I finish a book that I'm standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking across the steep walls that drop to the Colorado River. What a beautiful site and also such a magnificent view.
And so it feels with a book that's ready to go. I'm on the edge of a writing canyon and there's no going back...
Stella MacLean

Thoughtful Thursdays

Is anyone watching Ken Burn’s wonderful PBS documentary series, The War? If you aren’t, you should be. As usual, he makes history and the people who lived it come to vibrant life right in your living room. I’m learning things I never knew before--seeing how the ordinary people, both soldiers and the people at home, coped with the unexpected events that changed most of their lives forever.

Several of my uncles were in the Pacific on ships and my husband had uncles on the ground in Europe. Luckily, they all came home. Others didn’t. Many, many others didn’t. I do remember my mother talking about how sugar was rationed and what it was like to try to keep every bit of light from escaping at night during the blackouts.

What really hits home with me, though, is how through most of the years of fighting we were never sure that we were going to win. There was real fear that we might not. If those fears had come true, what kind of world would we be living in right now?

Makes me really appreciate my uncles, my husband’s uncles, and the men like them for all that they did. As well as those determined women who also went to war—both in far-away lands and on the home front.

How, exactly, this ties in with our stories of Everlasting Love, I’m not sure. Except that bravery and sacrifice through good times and bad, the ability to make the best of what you have at the moment, the fierce determination to survive and to overcome, the sensitivity to know when to look the other way, the blessings of forgiveness along with the power to forget … isn’t that a great part of what love does?

Ginger

The Writing Zone

One of the perks of being a full-time writer (which doesn’t describe me yet) is that commuting to the job is a simple matter of walking from bedroom to home office – an idea every working writer dreams about. Think of it – no more pantyhose, no more high heels, no more getting up in the dark of night to beat the morning traffic. And yet, the commute to my day job on Houston’s heavy freeways provides me with a special perk - the “dream time” I need to create my books.

What better way to spend time while stuck in traffic than to work out a scene, figure out a plot problem, or think about my character’s backstory a little more so I can really get under her skin? Worried about my driving? I’m not going fast enough to cause an accident - at least, I haven’t had one yet. I have, however, driven right past my exit on a number of occasions. I guess I was involved in a very good story :)

I enter the zone at other times, too. One of the best for me is around 5:00 a.m. during that half-awake/ half-asleep period before getting up to face the day. Somehow, thorny problems with my story get resolved as I lay there dreaming. Psychologists suggest that if you concentrate on a problem right before going to bed, your unconscious works on it while you sleep. Upon awakening, your problem is solved, and you feel like a genius!

Zoning out with writing is nice, but if I depended only upon these moments to create a story, I’d still be unpublished. While the story stays in my head constantly, most of the hard work takes place at the computer in my office. That’s right - the office. The room in the house that will soon be the daily destination of my commute. I’ll miss the freeway dreaming, but not the high heels and pantyhose.

Wishing each of you the career of your dreams,
Linda Barrett

Tasty Tuesday

Woe is me! The creeping crud - aka, a nasty virus that made me feel like (oops, better not go there) - hit early around our house. So last weekend I indulged in a sport's marathon. I watched college football, pro football, the Davis cup (for you dedicated couch potatoes that's tennis) and when all the games went to a commercial, I even caught a few rounds of golf.

No doubt about it - football players are really fit! And the tight - yikes, regressing again - pants are quite impressive, too. In case you think I'm a voyeur, there was a method in my madness. I'm in the middle of doing a book with a pro football hero, so I'll chalk up last weekend to research. Wide receivers, tight ends, nickle backs, passing routs, picks - I've got the jargon.

This is our Tasty Tuesday blog, so my conundrum is whether to share a comfort food recipe or go with something more appropriate for football tailgating. Think, think, think a moment - yep, football it is.

Chorizo Con Queso Dip
(Sausage with Cheese Dip)

1/2 pound Mexican chorizo or regular bulk pork sausage
8 oz. fresh mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tbs butter
1 pound monterrey jack cheese or 1 lb pasteurized cheese (Velveeta)
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
(Substitute a 10-oz can of tomatoes with chilies, chopped, instead of the mushrooms and green chilies)

Cook sausage until brown. Drain and set aside. Add mushrooms, onion and butter to skillet and saute until soft but not brown. Add cheese, green chiles and reserved sausage to skillet. Heat until cheese has melted and mixture is hot. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Enjoy!

Ann DeFee
Georgia On His Mind - Harlequin American Romance - August 2007
Summer After Summer - Harlequin Everlasting Love - September 2007
The Perfect Tree - Harlequin American Romance Christmast Anthology - November 2007
Goin' Down to Georgia - Harlequin American Romance - March 2008

Happily Ever After

It's Monday, so I'm supposed to talk about my love affair with my husband-- how we met and all that good stuff. So here goes.

I met him at a dinner party when I was in my first year of grad school. I had been dating another man pretty seriously at that point but the second I met the man who has now been my husband for eleven years, I was well and truly hooked. Thank God he felt the same way.

He asked me to marry him on our second date (four days after we met). I laughed at him and told him there was no way that was possible (after all I had fallen asleep on him at the midnight movie on our first date-- although, I guess it had to be love if he was willing to forgive that--LOL!) Anyway, though I turned him down originally, he asked me to marry him again one week later and this time-- even though my best friend and I had agreed it was nuts that he'd asked the first time and decided I would cool things off-- I said yes because I couldn't imagine a time when I wouldn't love him.

We were married two months later (I was just twenty and my parents were completely freaked out). I got pregnant on the honeymoon, had a baby nine months after we got married, and though we've had our share of ups and downs I've never looked back. Three kids and eleven years later, I love him more now than I ever did then and am so grateful that he stuck around despite our inauspicious beginnings. We've created a pretty good life for ourselves and our family and I've never once regretted saying yes when the whole world thought I should say no.

Fun Friday--Give Myself the Oxygen First!

Hello Everlasting Love readers! It's the day we all hold our breath for--Friday.

I try to keep things in perspective when I have a rough week. I'm not serving on the front lines of Iraq or Afghanistan, my family is healthy, I'm realizing a life-long dream by publishing the stories I love to tell.

It's still relative though, isn't it? With a pre-teen and teenager in the house, life is never dull, slow, nor boring. We have periods of peace, even serenity. When we're all asleep. No, not just then, but sometimes it feels that way.

I love my family. The root of it all is the marriage I've been blessed with for several decades. But it's not without work, nor without preening. Lately I've been tending to everyone else's part of the garden--making sure my dh has peace and quiet to study (he's taking very intensive courses for his career), ensuring that the kids are where they need to be, and picked up when they need to be (this is probably the most important part!).

Today is going to be a little weeding for me. Maybe a pedicure. Definitely some knitting. Leisurely shopping for a dinner party we're hosting tomorrow night. I love to bake, so I'm focused on a white chocolate cheesecake for the adults, and the chocolate mousse trifle Tracy Wolfe posted last month, for the kids. My kids enjoy baking and cooking as well, so they'll take care of the trifle.

I could opt to run around the house and clean, or fume over the state of my children's rooms, or spend most of the day studying my own courses. But instead I'm going to take care of the writing, then go take care of me. I used to think this was so self-serving. Now I KNOW that it's self-serving--and that it's a good thing.

Because if Momma Bear is happy, we're all happy!

Peace,

Geri Krotow

Who Wrote the Book of Love?

My husband was singing in the shower this morning. I couldn't make out the words - or the tune, either for that matter as he often forgets to put that part in. I came into the picture when he just said some words out loud. Who wrote the book of love? I heard. I, being lost in serious contemplation, thought the question was directed at me, and, in all seriousness, answered it. God. I said.

And then I actually came up for air and heard a replay of what had just taken place. My husband had been singing a Monotone's oldie. I'd been so lost in the voices in my head, the chapter that I had to write today, that I hadn't been present in my real life romance.

God, my husband repeats. Well, then, that pretty much ends that song right there, doesn't it? Takes away all the mystery.

Sorry, Monotones, didn't mean to dispel any magic from your oldie but goodie.

My husband laughed. Teased me. And by the time he was shaving I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. And a heart overflowing with love.

And I started to think about that, too. How could sharing something so everyday mundane as a song in the shower mixed with a healthy dose of preoccupation fill me with such magical peace and joy? Who really wrote the book of love?

All of us here write books of love. Many of us do it full time. Eight hours a day. Five days a week. (Or the equivalent thereof.) Many of us work overtime writing books of love. And so many times, when we go out into the world to have dinner with friends, or to the dentist's office, to give a workshop or do a booksigning, we're asked time and again, where do we get our ideas? Who wrote the book of love?

My first Everlasting Love book, The Night We Met, an April, '07 release, was a book of love. I computered the words, but the book, the story came from my parents. I changed things, fictionalized the circumstances, but the love - that was straight from the source. The final scene in that book was almost pure fact. Except that I wasn't the heroine in real life. I was one of the kids standing at the end of the bed. The Night We Met. A book of love. But did I write it?

And the book I'm working on now. I'm putting words down as the voices in my head tell me to do so, but am I making up the feelings that will somehow lift up off the pages and touch a reader's heart? I can't possibly be. I can string words together. I cannot invent warmth that emanates from the inside out.

Over the years of my career I've had countless people come up to me and say something like, 'you write books? I've never met a writer!' There are many variations, but the words are always along that vein and accompanied by a tone of near awe. And every single time I'm left feeling awkward, inadequate, fake. I don't do anything but type the voices in my head. I relay circumstances, I don't create them. I don't write the books. I merely tell the stories.

So who writes the book of love?

I'll tell you who. We all do. You do. Every single reader who reads them does. Every human being on this earth who allows themselves to feel, who opens their hearts to the universal power of connection and charity, who lives, writes the book of love. As authors, we merely tell your stoies. Our stories.

Where do our ideas come from? Ask ten authors you might get ten answers. And yet, in reality there's only one. We get them from all of us. From the living that goes on around us. In some fashion or other, we view the world around us and write what we see.

And this next year, I get to write the ultimate book of love. Harlequin Everlasting Love has just contracted me to write my real life love story. It's going to be pure fact - other than the fictionalized parts! - a true story. I'll be changing things that deal with others in our lives, but the relationship part, the love that survives all, the personal circumstances that love survived, will all be completely as we lived them. And as we're living them.

Because, after all, we wrote the book of love.

Tara Taylor Quinn

Birthdays and Ideas

When I signed up for today, it vaguely registered I would be writing on my dad's birthday. I was busy with other things, namely finishing the manuscript that was due September 1. Now it's time to write my blog entry and it is, indeed, my dad's birthday.

Birthdays were big in our house. We had a special family dinner, received presents -- usually books -- and had a cake. My sophomore year in high school, we had so many students, they divided us into two groups and we had to share the building. I went to school in the afternoons while a new building was being built. My dad was a minister and worked mostly evenings and weekends so we had time together in the morning when he was in town. He and I decided to bake a cake for my mom's birthday. All went well except that we forgot to wait long enough for the layers to cool before frosting. I can still see my dad trying to repair the damage as I left for my classes. He was patching the huge chunks that had come off the cake with bigger chunks of frosting. I don't remember the party that evening. I do remember his intent look as he tried to fix that cake.

So, how does that fit into writing? That image is so clear in my mind, I keep thinking I should use it in a story. A character will want to give a cake, perhaps a birthday cake, to someone who matters. The scene could be used for some comic relief during an intense story or it could be poignant, showing how much the character cares for the cake's recipient. I haven't used the actual scene yet, I do know I've used my dad's intent emotion and the expression on his face while he was working to add layers to at least one scene in a book.

My dad passed away before I published any of my books but he always encouraged me to use my writing abilities. He pushed all of us to think of possibilities and 'what if?' I'm often asked where my ideas come from. For me, they're everywhere and I know it's partly because of his prodding. I have hundreds of scenes like the one above tucked in my brain. I don't know if it's the chicken or the egg: "Do I see ideas everywhere because I write? or "Because I see ideas everywhere, that's why I write?" Possibilities, puzzles, and patterns intrigue me. For instance, since I'm still on the subject of birthdays, the last digit of the birth dates of my mom, my siblings, and myself is either a 4 or a 5. My dad's birth date is the 19th -- the 9. 4+5 = 9. Will I ever use something like that in my stories or an article? I don't know. But maybe. . . And I like the way the numbers/dates tie us all together.

Writing for Everlasting Love gives me a wonderful opportunity to look at families, life, and love. I can pull in all kinds of ideas and show how love and commitment can lead to a happily-ever-after ending. I don't want it to be an easy road, though, for my characters or my readers. So I'll keep pulling out those memories and have my characters fix crumbling birthday cakes or deal with family losses.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Apple-Picking Anyone?

I live in Texas, where it is still in the high eighties and nineties most days-- even though fall is almost officially upon us. But I was born in Detroit and have many fond memories of going apple picking at the end of September and the beginning of October, as the air turned crisp and the apple crops came in. My mom's favorite place to apple pick was Blake's Apple Orchard, where we would start the day with warm cinnamon-sugar donuts and fresh apple cider before spending hours plucking MacIntosh and Granny Smith apples from the trees. Then we would return home and mom invariably would make the biggest, fullest, best apple pie in the whole world. I still can't smell the combination of apples and cinnamon without thinking of those days.


But as it is still hot here in Austin, instead of giving you my mom's apple pie recipe I am instead sharing the absolute best apple dip you'll ever taste. Bring it to your next gathering or simple keep it in the fridge for your kids' after school snack attack. Mine absolutely love it.


1 package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup Heath Toffee Chips (next to chocolate chips in the baking aisle)
Splash of vanilla


Let the cream cheese come to room temperature and then mix all of the ingredients together. Let chill for half an hour to an hour, and then serve with sliced apples.

Try it-- you'll get rave reviews :)

A Special Friday

The older I get, the faster time flies. I didn't think it was supposed to be this way! In my grandmother's day, growing older meant a woman had a surplus of free time on her hands. She'd been through the wars of raising a large family and was due the rest. Today, grandmothers often have busier lives than their daughters. They're running companies, managing small businesses, bungee jumping, parasailing, taking adventure vacations...and writing.

Is it already September? Where did the past nine months go? I remember last Christmas and a week or two in March, but not much else. For most of that time I was writing my Everlasting Love and so deep into the story that days slipped past me. I was in the Zone, that magical place where the characters and story take over a writer's life.

The Zone can be a little hard on a writer's mate, though. Someone has to pick up the slack. My husband is a wonder. He cooks the meals, washes the dishes, even cleans the bathroom. He's a keeper! And today is his birthday.

Happy Birthday, my love. More today than yesterday and less than tomorrow!
Ginger

Real Life, Real Love

I’m fascinated by what makes love last. What is the glue that binds two people together? They may be separated by great distance and long, empty periods without one another, such as the lovers Marielle and Tomas in my upcoming novella in THE VALENTINE GIFT (February 2008), who are kept apart by the realities of the Cold War and their own sense of duty. Or they may be a couple who have weathered the compromises and challenges of decades spent together, yet still nurture and sustain the spark that initially brought them together.

Sometimes it’s the BIG IDEA that has a profound effect on a couple—a shared loss, forgiveness offered and accepted, or the stunning realization that one has found one’s soulmate. But just as often, it is the accumulation of small gestures and moments of tenderness and humor that weave strength into a long-term relationship. When I was growing up, I witnessed such gestures between my parents. I can still see my mother in the kitchen every evening preparing dinner—frying meatballs or stirring a pot of Neapolitan “gravy” (what the rest of the world calls “tomato sauce”). When my father arrived home from work he headed straight for the kitchen and took her in his arms for a passionate kiss. Every time they exchanged gifts on birthdays and anniversaries, they signed their cards to one another with the initials “ILYWAMH” (I love you with all my heart). If I’m remembering correctly, I believe my mother slipped a card into my father’s casket with those code letters.

In my own marriage (heading toward its 25th anniversary), my husband and I never part or return to one another without a kiss—whether we are leaving for work in the morning, taking off for a business trip or simply going outside to weed the garden. Those kisses punctuate our day with tiny moments of connection. When we’re apart, but at our computers, we send each other brief notes—sometimes just a phrase remembering something funny from the morning that only the two of us can appreciate. And we put into practice Leonardo DiCaprio’s line as Arnie Grape from the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape—Say “thank you,” Gilbert. “Thank you.”

Let's Talk Writing Today

It's Wednesday and a good day to talk writing. What makes the Everlasting Love series books different from other series books? We who write them know it's that the love between the hero and heroine spans a longer time period than in other series romance books. Many of these books go back a lifetime. Some of the stories begin when the couple met and life got in the way so they didn't get married. Other of the main characters rediscover their first love after a long separation. Sometimes it requires a flashback into the early lives of the hero or heroine, or both. We as writers have always heard that flashbacks are jarring. That they upset the smooth flow of a story. Yet more and more mainstream books work with the lives of more than the two main characters. So the question I have---do readers like to see the story start, then have it revert back to the time the couple met, or is it preferable to readers to see character A's life to the start of the story, then see how character B reaches the same point, and so forth through all of the major story characters. Or does it matter if a reader gets invested in the first focal character? I don't mind flashbacks. I like to find out what has gone on in the hero and heroines' lives that kept them apart. But, I'd like to know what other people think about the subject.

Tasty Tuesday

Today is September 11, the anniversary of an event that had a profound impact on our society . But as unsettling as current events might be, there are two absolutes. One, the sun will rise tomorrow - yep, even in the Pacific Northwest where the rain falls at least 300 days out of the year. The sun is still up there somewhere. And two, no matter what might be happening, chocolate will always make you feel better. So here's my best kept recipe secret. I share it only with good friends. This one is beyond yummy!

Ann DeFee
Summer After Summer - Harlequin Everlasting Love - September 2007
The Perfect Tree - Harlequin American Romance Christmas Anthology - November 2007
Goin' Down to Georgia - Harlequin American Romance - March 2008


Baby Ruth Cream Cheese Brownies

1 box brownie mix (19.8 oz)

Cream Cheese Swirl
4 Baby Ruth Bars (2.1 oz)
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Make the brownies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 - spray a 13x9-inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. Chop the candy bars into 1/4-inch chunks.
3. Prepare the brownie mix as directed but don't bake.

Cream Cheese Swirl

1. Cream the softened cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla. Fold in the chopped candy bars.
2. Spread the brownie batter in prepared pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture on top and swirl the cream cheese and brownie batter together for a marble effect.
3. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before cutting. Makes 18-24 brownies.

Free Online Everlasting Short Story, The Moments

By now, most of you know about Everlasting Love. I'm so excited that my first book, THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD, is released in just a few weeks. It's a book about the Conway family. About their ups and downs...about their pulling together and sadly, about them falling apart.

I was thrilled when I was afforded a chance to do a short story for eHarlequin.com. "The Moments" is tied to my October book. It features the main characters' daughter, Livie. At the end of THOBHR, Livie said, "My mother always said life was made up of the small moments and it was punctuated by the big ones." I knew that sentence had to be the theme of her story. But how to present a broad scope to her romance in a short story? It was a challenge, and really pushed me as a writer. But I think the story shows those moments. You can find it at https://www.eharlequin.com/article.html?articleId=1299

What about you? What sort of moments do you treasure? Not the big, found-the-love-of-your-life, got-married, had-kids sort of moments. But rather the read-the-Sunday-paper-together, walk-the-dog-in-the-evenings sort. (Uh, those are two of my favorite kinds of little moments with my dh, btw! LOL)

So, what about you?

Holly

"The Moments" 9-10-07 through 10-29-07
THE HOUSE ON BRIAR HILL ROAD, 10/07

About Last Night . . .

How do my husband and I keep the romance alive? Geez, this week is not the week to ask me that! With all three of my boys going in twelve different directions each, my husband's insane work week and my laying the foundation for my brand new classes while I finish up my latest novel, my honey and I have been like ships passing in the night. If we even get that. But last night, my husband reminded me that love and romance is often in the small stuff and not the grand gestures.

I walked in the door at ten-thirty last night after teaching for five hours straight-- after spending the day taking my youngest to two different doctors and a physical therapy appointment while at the same time trying to take care of my other two, do lesson plans for my evening classes, help my oldest with his science project, talk to an agent, make dinner and squeeze in a few minutes to write. The house was a mess when I left and I expected it to be worse when I got home (as it usually is on my late nights) but to my surprise and everlasting gratitude, the kitchen was cleaned, the house was straightened and all three of my wonderful little monsters were in bed.

The joy was indescribable. And when hubby logged off his work as soon as I came upstairs and settled on the couch with me to watch Jay Leno and give me a foot massage, it made up for all the bad things that have gone on this week (and there've been a few really terrible ones). The fact that he knew how exhausted I was-- and how sad-- and took time from his own busy schedule to make me feel better meant the world to me, because it meant that he was really paying attention to what I needed despite the fact that his pacehas been almost as frantic as mine lately.

So while I appreciate being surprised with a bouquet of flowers or a picnic in the park or dinner at my favorite restaurant, in my book nothing compares to the romance of a clean house and a good foot rub :)

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

Yesterday I finish the first draft of my May Everlasting, ALWAYS A MOTHER. Yay for me! The story is about a forty-three year old woman facing an unplanned pregnancy. Her other two children are grown and she has a hard time handling the thought of starting over at her age.

As I wrote this book I thought about mothers and all the love they give their children, and the sacrifices given out of that love. It also made me think about my mom and her unconditional love my brothers and I took for granted. I thought about a lot of things that made me tear up, but I also thought about the funny things, thing that made us laugh.

I was married when my mom went through menopause. My dad’s theory was to humor her and it would go away. He had an Archie Bunker attitude. Remember the episode where Archie said, “Edith, I’m going to snap my fingers and I want you to change.” Well, my dad did a lot of silent snapping of his fingers.

I remember one time vividly. She’d invited us for Sunday dinner. My mom was a great cook. You could gain five pounds by breathing the smell in her kitchen. That day she made chicken fried steak with all the trimmings. Well, almost. My baby brother and nephew were there, too, and we sat down to eat. My dad looked at the food on the table and asked, “Where’s the gravy?”

Mom replied, “I wasn’t in the mood for gravy.”

My dad looked at us, his eyebrows knotted together. I was trying to give him a look that said just let it go, but it didn’t work.

“How in the $$$$ are we supposed to eat chicken fried steak without gravy?” he snapped.

“With a fork,” she said, and got up and went to the refrigerator and brought back ketchup. She plopped it onto the table without a word and took her seat.

We all waited for what my dad would do. He grabbed the bottle and mumbled, “I’ll be glad when this is over.”

We laughed a lot about that dinner over the years and I always wished I could have helped my mom more during that time. I was young, though, and didn’t quite understand the emotional upheaval she was going through. Boy, I do now. Women are saints, I tell you. So here’s to mothers everywhere. And may you always have gravy with you chicken fried steak.

Or not.

Chicken Soup in Texas?

Today is Tasty Tuesday, so here's what's going on in my life foodwise:

I'm hosting a dinner for twelve people next week in honor of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. In the past, my husband and I enjoyed the holidays in Masachusetts or New York where the weather is delightfully autumn. Now we live in Houston where autumn is defined by one brown leaf in December. And it's hot. Hot as in 90 degrees every day.

A few years ago, when I was a newcomer to Texas, I hosted a Rosh Hashana dinner and because of the weather, omitted serving chicken soup. Oy vey! What a mistake. A definite no-no. It was like having an empty seat at the table. So, I've already made the soup for next week - and froze it. I'll make the matzo balls on the morning of the dinner and refrigerate.

My mother taught me that the secret to good chicken soup is to make it with a lot of root vegetables - onions, carrots, parsnips and leeks. She said the vegetables give it "strength." When the soup is finished, I remove the vegetables except for the carrots before serving. I must be doing something right - everyone wants seconds.

Despite this soup discussion, I'm not offering you a recipe. Not because I don't want to share, but because everyone in the world has their own favorite ways of making chicken soup, and they're all good! In fact, my new favorite is Chicken Tortilla soup with lovely avocado slices right next to the chicken. After all, I'm in Texas now...

...and wishing all of you a very sweet year no matter when you celebrate.

Best always,
Linda

P.S. In THE SOLDIER AND THE ROSE, Rose makes a Hanukkah dinner of brisket and potato latkes.

Memory Monday

Memories – I have so many, but naturally my favorites feature the people I love most. My hubby is my partner, my best friend, my lover, my confidante and (how about this) my housekeeper. His bathroom cleaning skills are a bit iffy, but he’s an ace at vacuuming. Plus, he does most of the cooking. And he does it all to give me more time to write. Now that’s a keeper!

We met on a blind date, and before we knew what hit us – zap, we were goners. Since that fortuitous Mayday – yep, it was May 1 – we’ve lived through the good, the bad and the downright funny. We moved twenty-six times (nope, we weren’t running from the law, we’re an Air Force family) and been through hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, blizzards and teenage hormonal angst. Whew!

But, the good times have definitely rolled. Every one of our moves was a great adventure. We’ve been privy to the inner sanctum of the British Parliament, ventured out on a Maine lobster boat, descended into a Welsh coal mine, and heated our entire house with a coal stove (now that was a kick in the pants). Yep, I’ve had a ball and the best part is I’ve had a wonderful person to share it with.

In Summer After Summer (my September Everlasting), Charlie and Jazzy prove that high school love can transcend numerous barriers and endure through the decades.

That’s the kind of love we all want.

Happy reading,
Ann

Ann DeFee
Somewhere Down in Texas – Harlequin American Romance – March 2007
Georgia On His Mind – Harlequin American Romance – August 2007
Summer After Summer – Harlequin Everlasting Love – September 2007
The Perfect Tree – Harlequin American Romance Christmas Anthology – November 2007
Goin’ Down to Georgia – Harlequin American Romance – March 2008