Writing a book is like preparing for Christmas by Kate Walker

Being a writer is a lot like preparing for Christmas. Well, writing a book is very similar.

You spend ages just thinking about it. Thinking and planning. If you're like me, you make a list, or rather lists, and check them more than twice.

A list of characters and their backgrounds, their families and friends. Christmas is always about familes and friends. The ones you love and want to see a lot of - like your hero and heroine. And the ones who always cause trouble and start arguments, maybe drink a little too much - the villain or the 'other woman' - but you have to invite them anyway.

A list of conflicts and problems that you are going to throw in their way. There are always problems and hitches in the run up to Christmas. The special toys that the little ones want but the shop has run out of them already. The awkward brother who you just don't know what to buy for him.

A list of settings, houses, countries, perhpas even, in Presents novels, a palace and a penthouse. You have to know who is going to be where and when so that you can get everyone together if you want to - or, alternatively, arrange for some much needed private time so that you/your characters can . ..er . . . spend a little quality time together!

A list of all the nice little things that will also happen. After all your hero and heroine are going to fall in love so there has to be some reasons why this is going to happen. Some special meals togther with really nice food and drink.And all this involves planning and scheming, organsing and thinking, to make sure it happens.

Once your lists are written, all the planning done, then you start to work through them. And this is where the fun often starts. You often find that you have to keep changing things and adjusting, altering as you go along. Your heroine has decided - without telling you - that she's going to have a different job, a new name, that she won't go here or there . . and you have to make different arrangement to make sure she does even meet up with her hero.

The plot you've decided on doesn't quite 'fit' and you have to go looking for something different to fill the empty spaces, all in good time for the deadline when you have to have everything ready.

The setting - that wonderful palace you were going to make that everyone met in, has been overbooked - everyone's been using that setting recently - so you're looking for somewhere else. Somewhere warm and lovely that can fit all the characters you want to collect together.

And all the time the Big Day ( your deadline ) is getting closer and closer. You find yourself thinking about nothing else all day long. You work on your preparations/your writing all day, every day it seems. You get up early, go to bed late, but no matter how hard you try, you still find yourself wrapping or cooking - or slamming out words - in a rush on the very last day.

But at last, finally, somehow it all gets done. You get to Christmas day/the end of your deadline and all you have to do is to cook the dinner (or press 'SEND' on the email of your manuscript) and sit back and relax. You can have a glass of wine - or two - forget about work and word coubnts etc for a while. And you can look around and think how great it is that everything turned out well in the end.

Or at least you hope you can until your editor gets back to you with her 'tweaks' and revisions - which is rather like finding that the brand new gadget you were given doesn't work right or the underwear was in the wrong size and you have to take it back to the shop . . .

But hopefully these will only be minor hitches and you'll soon be able to say when anyone asks, 'Oh yes, I had a wonderful time - it was such fun!' (You always soon forget the stress and hassle when you look back at your memories)

So with the similarities betwen writng a novel and Christmas in mind, it's not really surprising is it that I chose a Christmas giveaway this year based on the Advent Calendar as we count down to December 25th. Over on my blog I'll be giving away a book a day - some old, some newer, some single novels, some 3 in 1 collections. And all you have to do is to come on over and chat, leaving a message in the Comments section.

But today you don 't even have to visit my blog. Today, the giveaway comes here to Tote Bags. Today's giveaway is one of those 3 in 1 collections. Mistresses Shackled with Rubies is a collection that came out at the start of 2010. It has stories by Lucy Monroe and Lee Wilkinson together with my own Her Secret Bridegroom which was originally published back in 2000.

Bride by deception!
After a whirlwind wedding in Venice, Amy discovered that her brand-new husband had only married her to gain a priceless old ring. Fleeing Italy, Amy never told anyone of her marriage to ruthless billionaire Vincenzo Ravenelli.
Four years later, while Amy knew she'd never really love another man as she loved Vincenzo, she needed to be free of the past. The time had come to return to Venice and confront her secret bridegroom . . .

And today's question is- m

Are you a planner or a dasherwhen it comes to Christmas?

One of my sisters will have bought all her presents - and wrapped them - by now. My brother in law will leave everything to the last minute and then dash around like crazy trying to find what he wants. Which sort are you? Calm, collected and prepared ? Or wouldn't it be Christmas unless you went out into all the crowds and the excitement in the last week or so?

Post your answers in the comments and Sid the Cat will get to work to pick a winner - he loves this Advent Calendar idea. He gets to have extra cat crunchies every day for 25 days! As far as he's concerned his Christmas has come already.

And for me my Christmas came early when I learned that my March Presents Extra title The Konstantos Marriage Demand has been short-listed for the Best Presents Extra award by Romantic Times. That really was a special joy.


I know it's a little early but I want to wish each and every one of you all the joys and happiness of the Festive Seasons, no matter what you're celebrating. I hope you all have a wonderful time with family, friends and those you loveclose to you - and hopefully a little something extra special and beautiful like the rubies in the title of this giveaway wrapped and put under the tree for you. Have a lovely time and I'll be back at the very beginning of the New Year to see you all again.

Happy Christmas!

Kate Walker's latest Presents title - The Good Greek Wife? - was out in Presents Extra in October and is still available now on Amazon, eHarlequin etc. You can get all her news and read the latest updates over on her web site or her blog.

Sid has chosen the winner and the name he picked out is EV - so Ev please email me kate AT kate-walker.com to let me know your postal address and I'll put your prize in the mail to you.

Just to remind everyone that you can still keep entering my Advent Calendar Giveaway over on my blog every day up to Christmas,

The Accidental E-Rom Author - Maree Anderson

Hi there! *Waves from New Zealand* I’m Maree Anderson. And I have a confession to make: I never intended to be an erotic romance author. Heck, when I first began writing even writing a sweet love scene made me blush.

It all started when one day, I decided to challenge myself a bit. I scrapped the first three chapters of the fantasy I was writing, and rewrote it in 1st person. At that stage I was a dedicated pantser — didn’t know how to do it any other way — so imagine my shock when my heroine morphed from a nice girl, to a mouthy, opinionated, kick-butt kind of girl. And as the story progressed, I realized that her between the sheets action was rather, er, hot. Yikes. Where did that come from?

Anyway, once I’d recovered from the shock, I entered that manuscript in a contest. It won. And I was told I’d found my voice.

Huh? My ‘voice’ resembles a really sarcastic twenty-something who burns up the sheets? In rather graphic detail? Sheesh. Are you sure???

I kept on writing whatever I felt like writing at the time, experimenting and challenging myself and trying new things. Sometimes my stories were sweet. Sometimes they were spicy. But they weren’t what I’d call erotic. Then came a new challenge when Red Sage Publishing announced details of their Alpha Male Novella contest.

I’d never written a novella before, so I figured, what the heck. But hang on…. Erotic romance. What exactly was an erotic romance, anyway? Only one way to find out: I bought a few and read them. And I was like, “Whoa. Where’s my fan?” And, “Wonder if I could write like that?”


Then I girded my loins — so to speak! — wrote Even Demons Get The Blues and sent it off.

To my delight, it finalled and I was offered a publishing contract. I joyfully accepted the offer, signed the contract, and didn’t even think twice about the author name on the contract being my real name. My DH and I figured that because I already had a website in my real name, it made perfect sense to be published under that name.

So there I was. Published. Invited to join the Red Sage authors loop. And whaddya know? Everyone had pen-names. Because it wouldn’t do for your kids’ primary school teachers to find out you write really racy stuff, would it?
Oh noes! Didn’t think of that. *Slaps herself upside the head* Ooops.

Luckily for me, when my kids’ primary school teachers discovered my secret, they weren’t fazed in the least. They just asked for signed bookmarks, LOL. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for the young customs guy at the airport. He looked over my customs declaration, spotted ‘author’ in the employment section and ‘business conference’ as the reason for visit, and asked me what kind of books I wrote. “Paranormal erotic romance,” I blithely said. The expression on his face was priceless.

(BTW, I don’t think my kids let the cat out of the bag to their teachers. I think I accidentally included my website link in an email and one of the teachers clicked on the link. Whoops!)
So that’s me: Maree Anderson writing as Maree Anderson. Accidental E-Rom author.
Am I going to keep writing erotic romance?

Well, my third Red Sage release, FROM THE ASHES, is most unashamedly romance of the erotic persuasion. Not only that, but I’m thrilled to bits because it’s my first ever novel-length publication. But you can bet your little cotton sox I’ll still be blushing and wanting to hide under the duvet cover at the thought of people actually reading ‘those’ scenes, LOL.

Here’s the blurb:

FROM THE ASHES

Calista’s a freelance space courier recovering from a disastrous marriage during which her ex sold her as a slave. Sure, she’s emotionally damaged, but you should see the state of her ex! She’s also an expert pilot who can illegally reprogram and augment all manner of tech. She’s been ripping off the system and flying under the radar her entire life. Until now.

Asher’s her “cargo”, the mouthwateringly gorgeous Phoenixae alien who accidentally hatched from the egg she was transporting, and bonded with her. He’s been bred as a sex slave and he can read her mind. Which wouldn’t be so bad if 1) she didn’t abhor slavery and everything it represents, 2) she wasn’t horny as hell, and 3) he wasn’t doubly tempting because of his extra er, male parts! Oh, and then there’s the small issue that if Asher is killed and his body burnt, he can be resurrected. He’s one hot commodity that illegals will kill to possess.

Take one sex-deprived space courier who’ll risk everything to save a Phoenixae alien from a life of slavery. Add one mouthwateringly hot alien sex-slave who knows her deepest desires, feels her pain, and lives to please her in every way. Mix with a ruthless ex-husband intent on vengeance. And stir in a sadistic Libertine noble who will do anything at all to get his hands on a Phoenixae.

From the ashes, an unexpected hero will emerge…and he’s full of surprises!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’d like to thank the lovely and gracious Lee for hosting me on Tote Bags ‘N’ Blogs, and letting me ramble on.

I’d also love to give away an electronic ARC of FROM THE ASHES to one commenter.

So here’s your chance to try an erotic romance and see if it’s your cup of tea. Just tell me what your own fabulously exotic pen-name would be. (I promise I won’t pinch it for myself, either, *VBG*).
Or, if like me, your brain is mush at the moment and you can’t think of a pen-name to save yourself, just ask me a question. I love questions!
Cheers,
Maree
http://www.mareeanderson.com/books
http://www.eredsage.com/store/MAREE_ANDERSON.html

How to win the Heart of the Falcon - Francis Ray

I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving, and are excited about the coming holidays. I can't believe that the year whizzed by so fast. My fifth and last book for 2010, HEART OF THE FALCON, came out November 30th. HEART OF THE FALCON is a beloved reissue that garnered a rare Gold Medal award from Romantic Times when it was first released.The Publishers Weekly review said— “This is a well-written, tender story about a man growing into respect and trust. It’s about, as Ray writes, how “sharing the warmth and comfort of another’s body [can] be as addictive as sex.”

HEART OF THE FALCON is one of those 'accidental' books. Daniel Falcon, the hero, was the best friend to Kane (FOREVER YOURS) Taggart and Matt (ONLY HERS) Taggart. Daniel was supposed to have a small part in ONLY HERS and then disappear. Readers had other ideas. I was inundated with requests for Daniel's story after he removed his pearl-gray Stetson and a waterfall of salt-and-pepper hair fell over his shoulders. His African-American mother gave him just enough curl in his hair to make it interesting. His Muscogee Creek father gave him the pride to wear it long and offer apologies to no one. But he's about to meet a woman who makes him question everything he thinks he knows about women and relationships.

HEART OF THE FALCON - A Falcon Novel

(November 30, 2010)

Madelyn Taggart, the baby sister of Kane and Matt, has shattered her share of glass ceilings. As a young engineer at a Houston, Texas oil company, she’s managed to make it in a mostly older, all-male industry. But her success has come at a high cost to her love life. So far this classic beauty has made zero headway in finding the man of her dreams...until she sees a photograph of one of her brother’s friends, and is determined to meet him. And once she does, she realizes he's the only man for her. But getting Daniel to agree is going to test her love and determination to the limits.

Daniel Falcon is a bit of a Lone Star legend. He’s off-the-charts handsome and very, very rich. All the ladies entertain fantasies about being “the one”...and soon find out he’s not the type to settle down. Then Daniel meets his friends' little sister, and he takes a closer look. She’s clever, funny, and ambitious, and sexy as the day is long. She's off-limits, but she's also irresistible. He finds himself fighting for control. For the first time Daniel can remember, he’s going to break a long-held rule—beginning with one slow, passionate embrace.

*****
I love watching a man fight falling in love, and cheering for the strong woman who makes him like it. Please join me in celebrating love - unconditional and forever - and watch Madelyn do what some thought impossible, win the HEART OF A FALCON.

Love & hugs,
Francis Ray
http://www.francisray.com/

Stiletto heels or comfy slippers? - CJ Lyons

The past few years I've been privileged to judge several contests: the Ritas, Daphne published, the Golden Heart, and the Thriller Awards. That adds up to almost 500 books I've read searching for excellence in fiction.

Did I find it? Yes, but it was few and far between.

I don't think I'm an overly-harsh judge. But maybe I've read too much? So many of the books blend together—flat, cardboard characters following clichéd, over done plots to the point where I have to double check my score sheet. Did I read this book already?

No, it's just like all the others is all…..

Many of these books are by multi-published best selling authors. Some broke new ground with their early books but now continue to follow in their own footsteps.

I can understand that—if you find what works for you and have a large following of fans wanting you to do the same old thing and paying you lots of money for it, who could resist?

And, many readers DO want the "same thing, just different". They demand it, complaining if "their" author tries a new direction. They like having expectations fulfilled, rather than being surprised. Reading is a comfortable escape for them, not a challenge or adventure.

I confess, I'm more of a thrill-seeker when I choose my books. Maybe because I now have so little time to read, every book I do finish must promise something new and exciting. Many don't deliver on their initial promise and end up being unfinished, but that's fodder for another post!

I think there's a time and place for both kinds of books. And bravo to everyone who is reading instead of watching TV or living their lives on-line!!

But as a writer, it's scary to think about. Your gut tells you to go one way, your brain tells you to stick to "what works", your heart wants to head in a totally other direction…what to do?

My last book in the Angels of Mercy series just came out. With each book, I've upped the bar as far as intensity and giving the reader an adrenalin rush of a thrill ride. Book #1, LIFELINES, was pretty much pure thriller with increasing stakes until the entire city of Pittsburgh was at risk.

Book #2, WARNING SIGNS, was a different kind of challenge: combining a coming of age story about a medical student suffering from mysterious symptoms with the whodunnit mystery behind the deadly symptoms.

URGENT CARE, book #3, was a true book of my heart and the toughest to write--in it, I explore the psychological effects of surviving a trauma. It's a dark, gritty suspense, very emotionally honest.

So for CRITICAL CONDITION, the finale of the Angels' quadrilogy, I wanted to go back to the intense pacing of the first book. Only I set myself an even bigger challenge--instead of taking place over 4 days, this book takes place over four HOURS!

Yep, you got it--you'll pretty much read this book in real time--which means juggling not only four characters and their story arcs but down to the second timing between each scene.

Plus, after the dark intensity of URGENT CARE, I wanted to give readers a bit of a smile, so there are all sorts of unexpected happenings (unexpected even to me, lol! Don't you love it when that happens, you're just writing along and you surprise even yourself? Talk about chaos!) and fun twists and turns.

But….there's always a but, isn't there?...will CRITICAL CONDITION excite and satisfy my readers as much as it did me? It's fresh, different, pushing all the boundaries…but is that what readers want?

What do you want from a book? A comfortable, familiar sweater that you know will fit perfectly?

Or a snazzy, new dress that may itch at first but gives you that feeling of ohlala?
Thanks for reading!

CJ

As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about. In addition to being an award-winning medical suspense author, CJ is a nationally known presenter and keynote speaker.
Her first novel, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), received praise as a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller" from Publishers Weekly, was reviewed favorably by the Baltimore Sun and Newsday, named a Top Pick by Romantic Times Book Review Magazine, and became a National Bestseller. Her award-winning, critically acclaimed Angels of Mercy series (LIFELINES, WARNING SIGNS, and URGENT CARE) is available now and the series finale, CRITICAL CONDITION, hits stores December, 2010. Her newest project is as co-author of a new suspense series with Erin Brockovich. To learn more about CJ and her work, go to www.cjlyons.net.

HOMECOMING DAY...and a contest!

Happy Hanukkah, everyone! Today, I'm celebrating the release of my December book, HOMECOMING DAY!

All my books start at exactly the same point. What if... This one specifically started with the question, “What if two people who’d loved completely, lost their loved ones?” I’ve dealt with people who’ve had other good relationship. I’ve dealt with people coming from bad or no relationships. But both the hero and heroine of this book, Seth and Laura, came from happy, loving relationships they assumed would last forever. Both are still dealing with the pain of their loss. The story explores how they help each other heal...and how they find a way to love again. Most of my books have some theme, motto or high concept. One sentence that keeps me on track as I write it. For Homecoming Day my sentence was, “Life gives second chances...sometimes so does love.”

This book takes readers back to Whedon, Pennsylvania and the Keller family. Unexpected Gifts and A One-of-a-Kind Family were also set in Whedon, and next year’s (9/11) A Father’s Name (a working title that’s subject to change) is also set there. I love revisiting towns and characters from previous books. Readers of the earlier books had asked for Seth’s story, and I was thrilled I got to tell it in Homecoming Day. The other character from those earlier books that seemed to strike a chord with readers was Eli’s (Unexpected Gifts) friend, Tucker. Her story is A Father’s Name and will be out next September. I hope everyone who asked for these stories feel I did them justice.

Seth is a cop. SuperRomance included Homecoming Day under their “Count on a Cop” miniseries umbrella. I was thrilled since I count on a cop daily...my husband. I have two brothers who are also police officers. I think it takes a special breed of person to put themselves out on the line, day after day. I’ve had readers ask why my police characters don’t solve mysteries and catch murders. They may someday. But I like showing them as everyday heroes. The kind person who goes out and talks about safety a local schools, like Lt. Chuck did in Once Upon a Valentine’s. And I love that Seth works with the local high schools–that he doesn’t deal with criminals, but he also tries to intervene with kids and steer them toward a better way of doing things. He cares. I think that caring shows through in all my police characters, and I know it definitely is evident in the police officers I know and love. It takes a special breed of person to be a cop...I’m lucky to have people like that in my day-to-day life.

The heroine, Laura, is another special breed of person. She’s a teacher. I also have many family members and friends who are in the teaching profession. Like police officers, I think most teachers are people who care, who want to make a difference. I know that Laura is. Her concern for her student, JT, shows how far she’ll go to try and help a student. I think these two special people who both were suffering from a horrible loss make a perfect couple, and their story, makes the kind of holiday story I love to tell...one filled with hope and love.

I hope you all enjoy it!


My Facebook and eHarlequin friends have followed my basketweaving saga. I promised them a chance to win one, so I’m going to run a contest to celebrate the release of Seth and Laura’s story, HOMECOMING DAY. I had a lot of suggestions on what kind of contest to run. Since Seth and Laura’s story is truly about that feeling of coming home, a feeling so many people identify with this time of year I took your suggestion for the contest. Just share a favorite Christmas memory...something that gives you that warm glow of homecoming and family. That’s all it takes to enter. (Of course, I do hope you’ll purchase a copy of Homecoming Day, too! LOL)

You can send it to me at HollyJacobs1 (at) aol.com. I’ll draw a name on December 15 and the prize is, as requested...one of my baskets. Please remember, I’m a novice basketmaker, so it will arrive full of flaws, but I can guarantee those flaws make it a totally one of a kind basket! LOL

So, Happy Hanukkah, Pre-Merry Christmas! I hope your holiday season is filled with love!

Holly

Read an excerpt at http://www.hollyjacobs.com/HD.html

Lisa Plumley Has a Christmas Confession

I’ve done it. I’ll bet you have, too. If you’re a parent, you might even have guessed what I’m talking about, especially since Christmas is right around the corner. If not, I’ll give you a hint: My name is Lisa (hi, Lisa!), and I’ve gone to absolutely crazy lengths to try to make sure my children have a wonderful Christmas.

I’ve baked cookies until I thought I’d go cross-eyed at the sight of another silver dragée. I’ve stayed up until the wee hours of Christmas morning wrapping gifts or helping to assemble brand-new bicycles. I’ve snacked on “Santa’s” cookies and milk, made sure the “reindeer” noshed on the carrots left for them, and left small, ashy, pretend “Santa tracks” on the mantelpiece. I’ve waited on line in the predawn cold at my local big-box store to get my hands on a coveted Pokemon video game (multiple times!). I’ve visited endless stores in search of exactly the right Lego model. I’ve taken sleigh rides and crafted homemade ornaments and raided the household for crucial last-minute batteries to power those Christmas toys. I’ve traveled approximately one zillion miles to visit family and friends. I’ve fashioned handmade bows and stamped my own gift wrap. I’ve even seen The Smurfs Christmas Special in its entirety. And why did I do all those things?

Because I thought they would make my kids happy. Of course! So I could really relate to Karina Barrett, who, in my newest book, Holiday Affair, is facing her first Christmas after her divorce and wants nothing more than to give her three children an extra-special holiday.

To that end, Karina accepts an all-expenses-paid vacation to snowy Kismet, Michigan, site of The Christmas House—a B&B that specializes in all-inclusive holiday packages, complete with tinsel, evergreens, eggnog, sleigh rides, and a few surprises. There’s a catch (of course!), but Karina doesn’t mind—especially not when she meets hunky stand-in innkeeper Reid Sullivan and his two daughters. As a globe-trotting adventurer, Reid is a little out of his depth when it comes to Christmastime traditions, but he’s promised to do his best at running the family B&B this year—and that includes making sure his guests (including Karina!) have the best holiday of their lives. Naturally, nothing goes smoothly for anyone, but good cheer abounds—and isn’t that what the holiday season is about, after all?

So tell me: What crazy, unusual, and/or tireless efforts have you made to try to perk up your family’s Christmas? I’d love to know!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lisa Plumley is the USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen contemporary, historical, and paranormal romances. Her newest book, Holiday Affair, is a featured selection of the Doubleday, Rhapsody, and BOMC2 book clubs and was awarded 4½ stars from Romantic Times magazine, 5 hearts from The Romance Reader, and 5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies. Her next book, Mail-Order Groom, is the latest in her popular “Morrow Creek” series for Harlequin Historicals and is on sale now. You can find her on Facebook or Twitter, or visit her Web site to read first-chapter excerpts from any of her books, sign up for new-book reminder e-mails, and more!

*****Leave a comment for the chance to win a book autographed by Lisa! Three winners will receive their choice of either Home for the Holidays or My Favorite Witch. Good luck!

Holiday Cheer! - Dara Girard

In my latest release PAGES OF PASSION, Noreen Webster is a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to the holidays. Bitter from a divorce and devastated by a betrayal and the loss of the man she loves, she can find no joy in the holiday cheer around her. It’s only because of her friends Suzanne and Claudia and her sister Arlene that she tries to get into the holiday spirit. Near the end of the book she ends up cooking a big meal and decorating the house—and reuniting with her true love.

Personally, I don’t need much to get into the holiday mood. I like the smell of fresh wreaths, the sound of holiday music, the sight of holiday movies and colorful candles. But what I like most about the holiday season is the food especially if it’s sweet—apple cinnamon pie with cream, dark or milk chocolate, red velvet cake and warm breads of all shapes.

Food makes me think about friends and family and how lucky I am.

So what do you like most about the holiday season?

http://www.daragirard.com/
Pages of Passion (Kimani Romance)

Creativity - Kieran Kramer

Creativity. Where does it come from? I mean, honestly. Don't you ever wonder? Why is it that sometimes an idea just pops into your head—a cool, great idea? I'd like to say mine always occur when I'm totally at ease, in sync with the universe. Sometimes they do. But other times, my best ideas happen when I'm agitated or frustrated or just plain tired.


I wish I could see a distinct pattern, some ebb and flow, a rhythm—something!--but I don't. My state of well-being seems to have little to do with my ability to be creative, not just in my writing but in other arenas, too.

After years of wondering, I'm starting to think I see no pattern because…maybe the essence of creativity can't be pinned down. It's unknowable. Random. Mysterious.

Magic.

Here we are headed toward Christmas, so I'll tell you about one magical creative moment I had: the family Christmas card, 2007. My husband, a reservist, had been unexpectedly called up to Afghanistan for an entire year and was given less than the usual notice. We were not prepared! He left two days before Halloween. I was a good military spouse on the outside, but of course, on the inside, I was not my usual self. I had to make major changes and was still trying to find my balance.

Enter my kids wanting to make a Christmas card in early December. Without a moment's hesitation, I saw in my mind's eye exactly what we would do: we love the Beatles, so we'd remake the Abbey Road album cover. I felt a burning need to do this thing immediately, so I took an hour to go to Good Will and look for a white coat. I was going to be John Lennon. Our youngest would be Paul: I decided to put a candy cane in his hand instead of the cigarette Paul had held in the real Abbey Road picture. Our daughter would carry my husband's military jacket over her shoulder to represent him while he was in Afghanistan (George had carried a jacket in the original). And then to make the photo really our own as well as a message of Christmas goodwill, our super-tall "Ringo" carried a sign that read, "Peace on Earth."

Well. You should have seen the cars slowing down to watch us as we took pictures!!

That Christmas card is the best one we've ever done.

Yes, the resolution isn't very good. I had a terrible camera and an inexpert photographer in the sweet teenaged neighbor who snapped the picture, but the feeling I get when I look at that Christmas card is one of total exhilaration. And we weren't the only ones who loved it. Perhaps our friends and family loved it out of sentimentality—after all, they care about us. But still. That picture shows one thing but means something much deeper. My kids and I had taken the loneliness and yearning we felt knowing we would have Christmas without their father and my husband and transformed those difficult feelings (which take up a lot of negative space) into something proactive and positive.

So where did that special creative energy come from in the case of the Kramer family Christmas card, 2007? Obviously, the Beatles had inspired us. But why did my conscious mind instantly pick that Abbey Road image out of the millions I had stored in my brain?

Who knows? There's no scientific equation that will explain my choice.

The cool thing about creativity is that—whatever Muse inspires us, whether it's a smiling old man, the setting sun, a dandelion, a burst of strong emotion, or a Beatles album cover—the creation, however humble, is bigger than the sum of its parts.

Thanks to the magic.

May the magic of the holiday season bring you and your loved ones all kinds of joy!

Kieran
http://kierankramerbooks.com/

A Little Bit of Letting Go

Every one of us on this planet has some big lesson to learn (I think a few of us have several!). One of mine is to learn to let go of things, to cede to something rather than to fight it tooth and nail, all the way to the end, my adrenaline pumping as I do.

So instead of just saying, "Okay. This is what is happening. I will follow plan A and see what happens," I follow plan A and then start plan B before plan A has even run its course. I will call everyone I know and talk about plan A and plan B, worrying them with my worry. I will hang up the phone and worry some more, thinking about plan C, which sounds better than the other plans. So why not start it now?

Meanwhile, I'll have spent so much time doing all of this, going back and forth, I won't see that the problem somehow resolved itself.

Case in point: This November in the San Francisco Bay Area, we had a week of almost 80 degree weather. It was the summer we didn't have this summer. We were all wandering around in our t-shirts and shorts, loving life. At least, I was until this type of fly I'd never heard about caught wind of the unseasonable weather, too, and started to emerge from its winter dormancy. Who knew about cluster flies? Well, I do.

For a week after the weather went back to normal, I had flies "clustering" in my windows. Plan A was to kill them. I did so all day long, going off on fly massacres. Plan B--that I began during the fly raids--was to research the darn things, and then find solutions. Poison didn't seem like a great idea, not with visitors soon to be living in the afflicted rooms. Traps, yes! So I FedExed one to arrive, well, it hasn't. Back to plan A. Plan B was to worry about them, going under and around the house, looking for the way they came in, which I found. Up went small screens, that will help with next year's batch, but not these in my house.

Worry, worry, worry.

And then, two days ago, the flies just stopped. Nothing I had done had effected them (except for those poor dead ones). Whatever clock that told them to wake up and go forth into spring was reset. All my worry, plans, machinations were for naught.

So my new metaphor is to think about the cluster fly. Things will happen over which I will have little control. And then, these things will end, often without whatever I might have tried responsible.

Cluster fly. I hope I remember.

Jessica Barksdale Inclan

(An aside: I made this fun video as a trailer experiment for my ebook Becca's Best. I hope you will give it a view)

Eat, Shop, Read - Laura Griffin

Greetings to you on Black Friday!


If you’re reading this, you probably either a) decided not to wake up before dawn to get trampled in a mad dash for discount electronics or b) crushed the competition, snapped up the goods already, and headed home for a round of turkey leftovers and Internet surfing.

Well, either way, I’m glad you’re here because I can tell you about my new romantic suspense novel, Unforgivable, which comes out Tuesday. It’s the third book in my award-winning Tracers series, and I’ve been thrilled with the early reviews:

"The science is fascinating, the sex is sizzling, and the story is top-notch, making this clever, breakneck tale hard to put down." –Publishers Weekly

Unforgivable is the story of Mia Voss. As a DNA tracer at a high-tech crime lab, Mia has made it her mission to help put away vicious criminal. When she suddenly becomes the target of one, she must turn to jaded homicide detective Ric Santos for help. Ric and Mia have a history together, which makes her wary of trusting him. But as the case becomes more complex and the danger escalates, Mia and Ric must overcome their personal issues in order to stop a ruthless killer.

People often ask me if it’s necessary to read the Tracers books in order, and I tell them not to worry about it. The characters overlap, but each suspense plot stands on its own, so feel free to dive right in! To read an excerpt of Unforgivable, visit http://www.lauragriffin.com/books/unforgivable.php#excerpt. And just in case you didn’t trample someone and score some cool electronics to give your relatives this holiday, be sure to stop by my contest page, where I’m giving away a free iPod nano.

Happy holidays and happy reading!

Laura Griffin

Grandma and the Prince - Part 23

ATTENTION: We have a winner! LIL, I need your mailing address ASAP so I can ship out your prizes. Email me by clicking here or writing to barbarabretton AT gmail DOT com and I'll get right on it.

And one more thing: SPUN BY SORCERY is in stores now and I hope you'll check it out. I'm running a BIG contest at my website: the lucky winner will receive a shiny new Kindle! You have until November 30th to enter. Good luck!

* * * *

I love preparing for Thanksgiving. Everything I do has been done before and, fates willing, will be done again. I can see myself back down the ladder of time polishing the silver that my mom polished before me and Grandma before her. I used to watch Grandma El handle her silver in the European fashion, fork in her right hand, knife in her left. No clumsy American transfer of utensils for her. No sirree. She’d do that nifty tines-down swoop of the fork to her mouth and I’d feel like bursting into applause.

I eat that way now. No, it didn't come naturally. I do it because she did it that way, because somehow when I do, I know she’s watching. "You’re very English, Barbara," she used to tell me. "More English than you know." Am I? I wonder about that. I’m not even sure I know what it means. But whatever it was, she saw it and approved and believe me, Grandma’s approval was very hard to come by.

Of course I make her turkey stuffing every year. It’s a very simple stuffing – no sausage or meat of any kind – filled with fresh breadcrumbs and lots of onion and celery and butter and broth and Bell’s Seasoning. It had to be Bell’s, according to Grandma El, the same way it had to be Colman’s English Mustard with the roast beef at Christmas. I still have the recipe she gave me. Written in her own hand, the curves and angles of her letters are so familiar to me, so strangely dear now that she’s gone and I can think of her without all of the family drama. She’s long gone and so are her clothes and her books and the smell
of her Tigress perfume but here she is before me, as real and immediate as she ever was in life.

All the photographs in the world couldn’t bring her back to me the way this simple little recipe does. Her recipe is my stuffing recipe. Sure I’ve changed it – recipes are starting points, not destinations – but the essence, the Grandma El-ness of it . . . oh, that remains.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Americans out there and to everyone else, I wish you many reasons of your own to be thankful.

Me? I'm thankful that you're here with me today, reading my stories and sharing your thoughts.

PS: Leave a comment and you'll be automatically entered in this month's drawing. Good luck!

My Favorite Day of the Year by Caitlin Crews

I love Thanksgiving.

I love it on the years I travel, driving miles and miles or flying across the country with thousands of others to make it home in time.

I love it when it's just me and my husband, on a small scale, making a meal for just the two of us to share.

And I love it when it's nearby, filled with family and friends and dish after dish of glorious food.

I love the food, of course. I grew up on green bean casserole, stuffing, gravy, creamed onions, and my Nana's sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Followed by pecan and pumpkin pies. That's always what I consider "real" Thanksgiving. But I can appreciate the differences in the meal, because everyone has a different "real" Thanksgiving meal template. One friend of mine makes a mean carrot souffle. Another makes a yam dish without marshmallows that is still somehow so satisfying. I've seen healthy Thanksgiving meals (no, really!) and meals that make the arteries weep. Both are wonderful.

I think there's something special about cooking all day (sometimes longer!) and then sitting down at a table with a big group of loved ones, no matter who they are. There's something special about sharing a day of feasting and merriment that isn't tied to any particular creed or belief--that's open to all of us. All you have to do is be thankful.

Which I will be tomorrow, in spades. I hope you will be too. Happy Thanksgiving to all who take part.

Only a week left to Nano - eeeek! By Natalie Anderson

I can't believe it's the 23rd of November already - ummm, like HOW??? I've no idea how the month has just fled ahead of me like this... and of course, there's that Nanowrimo challenge... anyone else thinking 'oops' about that?

Actually my nano challenge is more a personal one rather than the official 50k in 30 days - I've a deadline in December and thought I'd join in on the passion and sense of community in the Nano world and get my draft done. I do love the sense of spirit and togetherness - it's a crazy fun challenge and awesome achievement.

I started off okay - but then four days into it my editor and I discussed where the story was going... and really, it wasn't going any place good. Day five = new story. Much more fun story. So much more fun to write (which is the point for me!) and I was off...

But of course, as is often the way, there were then a few family challenges and I just haven't gotten the word count on the paper as high as I should (but the story is still a LOT of fun - yay!). Anyway, the likelihood of my getting to 50k by the 30th is pretty remote. But that's okay - I'll have almost finished and I'll certainly finish (and polish) ahead of my deadline. And then it'll be Christmas! Hmmm - not sure when I'll get organised for that one, but 'she'll be right' as we say in Kiwiland...

But to my way of thinking, there's no 'failure' in nano - not if you're writing more, or writing more often, than what you were when the month started. If you're now in the habit of writing daily (and you weren't before) then in some ways that's a better result than actually finishing your book. The key is just to keep going beyond the end of the month.

So, are many of you out there participating in the Nanowrimo challenge? If so, how are you getting on??? Remember - no panicking allowed - only grit ;) There are still seven whole days - and if you really wanted to 'win' the challenge proper and you've got a blank page, then you 'only' have to write 7143 words a day - easy peasy!

Or not. Either way, I do hope you're having a blast writing your book - if you're passionate about it, then your readers will get that vibe from the page. And in romance, we want passion!

Natalie's latest book, CAUGHT ON CAMERA WITH THE CEO is out in the US in DEcember. To win a signed copy of it together with the second story in the duo - REBEL WITH A CAUSE - and some choccie and charms in time for the party season, then head to her Facebook Page by November 30.

The Italian Sabbatini Brothers - Melanie Milburne

Hi everyone,

I am pleased to introduce you to the first two books of my first ever trilogy for Harlequin Mills and Boon Presents: The Italian Sabbatini Brothers.

Book One is Scandal: Unclaimed Love Child

Book Two is: Shock: One Night Heir

Book Three is: The Wedding Charade

I am eagerly awaiting the cover for Book Three but I adore the first two new look ones from the UK.

Writing a trilogy was a wonderful experience as it gave me the opportunity to link characters between books, delve a little deeper into family issues and get to know the differences in the relationship between each of the brothers. Exploring family dynamics is a useful tool for writers. We often don’t have to look very far outside our own family to find rich sources of material!

The things I wanted to explore in the Sabbatini brothers’ family was how each strong, ruthless and powerful man approached the issue of love, commitment and being true to themselves.

In Scandal: Unclaimed Love Child Luca (the middle brother) is a man who has conquered a huge personal issue in private, only to find that the young woman he cast from his life two years ago in order to deal with that issue is now the mother of his little daughter. He has a hard task ahead of him in order to win Bronte back given how cruelly he broke off their relationship. The poignancy of Luca and Bronte’s story is that he was only trying to protect her by ending their relationship. He thought he was doing the right thing but it backfired horribly. I think that is something we can all relate to. Decisions we wished we could remake. If only!

In Book Two- Shock: One Night Heir Giorgio and Maya have a quite different battle on their hands. Whilst in the throes of a difficult separation leading to an imminent divorce they have a passionate encounter on the night of Luca and Bronte’s wedding. Fireworks truly fly! But the biggest surprise of all is that after years of trying to conceive a baby that stolen night of passion has produced a potential heir. Can Maya carry this baby to full term and give Giorgio what he most wants? Again the poignancy of this story is Maya left the marriage because she felt such a failure. She could not provide the heir the blue-blooded family (and Giorgio) wanted so much. Again, like Luca, she thought she was doing the right thing.

And then we come to the third brother Nicoli and his feisty heroine Jade Sommerville in The Wedding Charade. I would have to say that this book was one of the most enjoyable books I have written so far. I had such a strong sense of who both Nic and Jade were as they had cameo appearances in Book One and Two. Nic was determined not to be a pawn in his late grandfather’s machinations, tying him to wild child Jade Sommerville for a year in order to inherit his share of his grandfather’s estate. Jade is equally determined to get Nic to marry her. She is harbouring a shameful secret she is desperate to keep out of the press, and marrying Nic is the only way she can achieve this now her father has cut off her allowance. It’s not just fireworks in this relationship but thunder and lightning as well!

I hope you enjoy the Sabbatini Brothers Trilogy and I will give autographed copies of all three books (will have to wait for Book Three to arrive, however) to a randomly selected comment poster who tells me what they love about trilogies.

Happy reading,

Melanie Milburne
http://www.melaniemilburne.com.au/

My Favorite Christmas Movies - Sarah Morgan

My first seasonal story for Harlequin Presents, The Twelve Nights of Christmas, is in stores now so to celebrate all things Christmassy I’m talking about festive movies that make me smile.

Here, in no particular order, are my favourites.

While You Were Sleeping – I know I’m not alone in loving this film. Sandra Bullock plays Lucy, a lonely ticket collector who rescues a man when he’s pushed onto the train tracks on Christmas Eve and ends up pretending to be his fiancée. It has humour, warmth, gorgeous family scenes, tears and best of all Bill Pullman as sexy Jack. And lots of snow.

It’s a Wonderful Life – an angel shows a despairing businessman what a difference he has made to other people’s lives. No Christmas would be complete without at least one showing of Frank Capra’s classic, which was nominated by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 top American films ever made.

Love Actually – eight stories in one film, some of which work for me and some that don’t (I cannot believe that Laura Linney would let the divine Rodrigo Santoro slip through her fingers), but it always puts me in a Christmas mood. I love the scene where Colin Firth stumbles his way through a Portuguese lesson so that he can tell the girl her he loves her.

Home Alone 3 – I can hear everyone shrieking ‘what? She cannot be serious’ but yes, I am serious. I love this film. It might be because I first watched it when my youngest son and I were ill at the same time one Christmas. We curled up together feeling sorry for ourselves and had a surprisingly happy time. I love the little boy (Alex D Linz, same actor who played the little boy in One Fine Day with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer) and the film as painful as every Home Alone film is supposed to be. And there’s snow.

Die Hard – yes, I know it’s a weird choice but it is a Christmas movie. Sort of. It has snow and Christmas carols and the incredible, inestimable Alan Rickman.

A Christmas Carol – I love the Dickens story in almost any version.

The Family Man – Nicholas Cage as a driven, workaholic investment banker who gets to see what his life might have been had he taken a different path. He goes to bed on Christmas Eve and wakes up in the life he would have had if he’d chosen to marry his girlfriend instead of putting his career first. Tea Leonie is gorgeous as his ‘wife’, the kids and the slobbering dog are sweet and yes – there’s snow.

What’s your favourite Christmas movie?

Sarah
http://www.sarahmorgan.com/

Oh, My Achin'... - Jenny Gardiner

“What’re you in for?” I asked an acquaintance I ran into while at physical therapy the other day.

“Bum hip,” she said, hobbling toward me as she winced. “You?”

“More like what am I not in for,” I groaned, pointing to my swollen knee and rubbing my aching lower back.

Seems I’m doomed to serve a life sentence in rehab (physical, mind you, not addiction-related), what with my perpetually disabled everything. And so far there are no signs of potential time off for good behavior. It’s gotten so bad, that I’ve had to triage my aching joints to capitalize on the hard-to-obtain appointments with the physical therapist to help mend my injuries-du-jour. I’d already had a standing date with a fabulous PT to work on my always-nagging lower back issues, but when I tore my meniscus (that’s in the knee, for all you age-related injury neophytes), all of a sudden the back issues had to take the back burner, in order to figure out how to work with a niggling knee problem instead. Like a medic on the war front, I’m dispatched to relegate the least of my injuries to the back, while refocusing on the worst of the worst just to get out of the line of fire and remain as intact as possible. Shame, too, because I always looked forward to my PT appointments for my hobbled back, as the therapist was masterful in loosening up those culprit hip flexor muscles that were causing my back to misbehave in the first place. And while the pleasure/pain factor was at a premium during that deep-tissue work (at times deep enough to nearly land me on the threshold of tears), the end results were worth the pain.

Sometimes I love physical therapy. Like when they hook you up to that fabulous e-stim and get your muscles tingling with the electrical zap being transmitted intra-bodily. Throw in one of those ultra-heated therapeutic warming pads and I’m sleeping like a baby in no time flat. But now the bum knee demands e-stim with ice, not such a stimulating event. Well, actually overly stimulating, as I sit there with my teeth chattering, watching my muscles jump involuntarily with the zap and counting the minutes till the torture is over.

Now, while all of this “kneecapping” (i.e. being cut off at the knees by physical limitations) is easily attributable to the lamentable deterioration of a body due to wear and tear (also known as aging, in layman’s terms), I fear that much of it is my own stupid fault: it’s thanks to me behaving as if I’m eighteen rather than not-quite-forty-eight. Refusing to accept that maybe kickboxing isn’t such a good idea at this point, for instance.

Although sometimes it’s due to other circumstances I should have controlled. Take, for instance, the Sam’s Club injuries. Who here hasn’t thrown out some bodily part while lugging an item far bigger than we need to purchase while shopping at Sam’s? Come to think of it, that’s how I originally threw my back out, years ago: hauling cases from shelf to cart, then cart to car, and finally car to home. Buying something in product-on-steroids volume that I don’t even need a case of, but only because it’s the only way you can purchase it for cheap: a gross of this, a palette of that and whammy, you’re wounded. The irony is that the cost savings of Sam’s Club acquisitions should go directly into the medical-insurance-physical-therapy fund, because guaranteed you’ll ultimately hurt something lugging that stuff around and need medical treatment for it, the cost of which will far exceed the ten percent you saved buying it there in the first place.

I’m convinced it’s no small coincidence that Sam’s Club sells bottles of Advil large enough to supply a small hospital for a month: most of their customers probably need the pills simply to ease the pain and inflammation from shopping-related physical damage. They might as well put Don’t Forget the Advil reminder poster at the exits, right by the little old folks who swipe those receipts with a highlighter marker to ensure no theft (God forbid the megalithic retail chain lose a buck or two along the way). I’m thinking the real theft is in Sam’s Club stealing my well-being away from me by forcing me to act in the capacity as a virtual longshoreman, hauling enormous cargo needlessly. Maybe Sam’s needs to contribute to my insurance bill at this point.

I remember as a child hearing my “elders” lament their age-related failings: the aches, the pains, the feet that hurt when rain was in the forecast. And I distinctly recall my smugly thinking at the time, “Well, if they’d only been more active and taken care of themselves they’d not be in this position.” Little did I know my cockiness would come back to bite me, dammit. More like chronically wound me. Trust me, I’m paying for it. And you know what they say about payback. Not only does it rhyme with witch, but it hurts like a rhymes-with-witch as well.

A little addendum to this: a day after my physical therapy appointment for my knee, my insurance informed me I had run out of allowable physical therapy appointments for the year. And so we limp along...



be sure to find me at www.jennygardiner.net

Taking the risk to reach potential - Nicole Murphy

Three years ago, I had come to something of a crossroads in my life. My options to continue my career as a journalist in the city I was living in were closing and with management and I at loggerheads, it was time to leave the paper.


At the same time, there was a growing need for me to return to my first love – fiction writing. I’d gotten into journalism as a way to make money until the fiction took off, but it had taken over my life.

I don’t regret this – those years in journalism made me a better writer, with a better understanding of people, story, the real world and the ability to write under deadline pressure. But it was blatantly clear that it just wasn’t in me to write for my day job and go home to do more writing.

At the same time, a friend had turned 40 and she asked via her blog about regrets and whether we had any. I had a vision of myself on my deathbed, thinking that maybe if I’d tried harder, I might have had novels published and a career as a writer. That vision made every cell in my body shudder.

With hubby’s support, I left the paper and went to work part-time in a supermarket in order to focus on my dream of being a published novelist. I haven’t looked back.

I chose my fantasy romance trilogy, Dream of Asarlai, to work on. Within twelve months, book one was ready to start shopping around. Eight months later, I sold the trilogy here in Australia to HarperCollins. Just a year after that, Secret Ones hit the shelves.

Making the choice to turn from easy options and give yourself the chance to be everything you can be is a big theme in the Dream of Asarlai trilogy. It’s a big theme in literature in general, really. When I think of the books I love – old loves like Lord of the Rings; in-between loves like Kate Elliot’s Crown of Stars epic; new loves like Sarah Rees Brennan’s Demon series – what they all have in common is the moment where characters have to make a choice, take a risk and try to be everything they’re meant to be.

In Secret Ones, Maggie Shaunessy thinks she knows what she wants in life and she’s very happy with what she’s built – she has her dream job as a teacher working with humans and at night can return to the village of Sclossin and live her secret life as a member of a magical race. However, Maggie has quite frankly been kidding herself and then the moment comes – does she believe enough in herself to become what she’s meant to be?

Sometimes, we let life happen to us and allow other people to make these decisions for us. Often, those people – parents, teachers, guidance counsellors – do so with the best intentions.

But at the end of the day, the person who should know us the best is ourselves. The person who knows what we’re meant to be is us. The question is – is that person prepared to do what is needed to realise that potential?

Nicole Murphy has been a primary school teacher, bookstore owner, journalist and checkout chick. She grew up reading Tolkien, Lewis and Le Guin; spent her twenties discovering Quick, Lindsay and Deveraux and lives her love of science fiction and fantasy through her involvement with the Conflux science fiction conventions. Her urban fantasy trilogy Dream of Asarlai is published in Australia/NZ by HarperVoyager. Book one Secret Ones is out now. She lives with her husband in Queanbeyan, NSW. Visit her website http://nicolermurphy.com

Peripheral Woes : : Anne McAllister

Peripheral woes, I am here to tell you, are not peripheral.

They may be 'peripheral' to a computer, but they need to work or Bad Things Happen.

Bad things are happening here. Or, rather, Good Things are not happening.

For four and a half years, my printer never let me down. It was right there, ready to print, copy and scan day in and day out. As long as I remembered to buy it ink and keep it full of paper, it was happy. And so was I.

Then I did the unthinkable. I bought a new computer.

This was not a capricious decision. I needed a new computer. The old one was S.L.O.W. It was stuffed with files, and it made noises no self-respecting computer should ever make. The minute I turned it on, it sounded as if it had a serious respiratory disease. It wheezed. It groaned. Its fan went wonky. I expected it to die at any second.

So I retired it and got a new one.

The old one is now resting comfortably on the floor of my office and a flash-bang whiz-kid of a computer has hustled along to take its place.

So far the new guy on the block is doing a great job -- with one exception. It can't run my printer.

Well, no, that's not true. It prints just fine. It copies perfectly.

But it can't scan to save my life. Or its own.

I've downloaded it new software. I've installed everything perfectly -- the online guides tell me so. And then when I try to scan, the hourglass just spins and spins and spins. And if I question what is happening, it says, "Software not installed." But then if I go to install it again, it says, "Software is already installed."

I have been saying several four letter words.

I have not said them to customer service because the printer is so long out of warranty that I'm sure they will laugh at me for even expecting it might work.

So, I need your help.

I either need better advice on how to get my scanner to cooperate (while still making sure my printing and scanning functions work), or I need to get a new printer.

Any advice on the former or suggestions on the latter?

If I have to get a new one, it will be an all-in-one like my old one. I don't have room in my office or my life for dedicated anything at the moment.

It would be nice if I could network it to my laptop and my husband's computer. It would be lovely if it were fairly fast. And if ink didn't cost an arm and a leg. And it was reliable. And if customer service was actually that -- service.

What's been your experience with your printer/copier/scanner peripheral? Does yours fax, too? Do you wish it did anything else? Like washed the dishes and mopped the floor?

Hmmm. Boy, is that a tempting thought!

Anyway, I really would appreciate your advice. If you have a particular brand to recommend, please tell me. A model? I'm all ears. One to stay away from at all cost? I really want to know that, too.

To say thanks I'll send a copy of one of my recent books to five people who make suggestions. I'd send you the newest one, Hired by her Husband, except I don't have my author's copies yet. So it could be The Virgin's Proposition or one of the other Savas-Antonides books.

Give me your opinion on printer/copier/scanners and I'll put your name in the drawing. Then check back on Friday and see if you've won a copy. If so, please send your snail address to me using the "contact Anne" tab on the right hand sidebar of my blog .

Thanks!