ALERT: CHOCOLATE MAKES TROLLS SICK

And we should all be very grateful.

'Morning, my flowers:

I got a bulletin from the North Pole (I have connections) warning me that there would be absolutely no fairies available for fairy-lovers this year because someone stole all wing-making materials, including the tools.

Frankly, I thought I would have to make this a sad warning to all that you'd better dust off even the mangiest of treetop fairies since you wouldn't be able to replace them anyway, but I do have some hopeful news. For the moment, anyway.

It was all the elves' fault from the start. They will argue over the silliest things, like whose jack-in-the-box jumps highest for instance. That was the problem this time. And the stupid little creatures took off from their workbenches, where they should have been hard at it given the way time is flying, to hold a jack-in-the-box jumping contest up on the reindeer practice tracks.

Well, guess what?

That caused Santa to leave his post to look for them and since his polar bear was in the castle kitchens helping Mrs. Clause with the popcorn balls, not a soul was around to see as much as an ugly hair of the intruders.

Disaster. Total disaster.

The elves rushed back to the castle with Santa, furious, clomping along behind them, only to discover that there had been a terrible accident. Polar bear had seen the signs of mischief in the workrooms and rushed out to look for the larcenous culprits. Not only the wing supplies were missing, but every toy making tool, every hammer and nail, every rubber band and piece of string, the lot.

So, the scene that greeted the returning miscreants was AWFUL. Bear had climbed the North Pole (which, for the uninformed is striped red and white--that's why we have candy canes) to take a loooooong look. He spotted a trail of something winding away just below the surface of the snow--figured it was the band of robbers (who were obviously quite short)--and got so excited he overbalanced and broke off the top of the pole.

And he broke one of his legs, too--not sure which one.

Although Mrs. Clause's sherry had barely taken the edge of the P. bear's pain, he was able to point Santa, the reindeer, and all the elves in the right direction. They set out at a great pace to rescue the essentials for filling the stockings of GOOD boys and girls all over the world.

And they caught up with those wretched thieves, they tracked them to the edge of an ice-covered lake.

Trolls! The same band the residents of Santa Castle, North Pole, have been fighting off for generations. There they were in high glee, falling around all over the ice with toys, tools and goodies to which they had no right.

Well, you think, that's that, then. Everything's fine. Not quite, my dears because you're overlooking a very important point: Trolls are short but elves are shorter and not nearly as strong. You should have witnessed the scene when the trolls noticed the elves and fell into a ragged formation to face off against their little enemies.

It was terrifying!

And that's where the communication I got stopped. I don't know what happened next, but we might want to cross our toes as well as our fingers and hope that if my source does make contact again it will be soon, and with good news. I'll try to let you know...

Yours, biting her fingernails,

Stella

Q: If you weren't who/what you are, who/what would you like to be?

Odds and Ends

Hey, all. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Mine was a lot of fun. We went to my oldest brother's house, where we visited with family, played Uno and put together a puzzle with the Trips, and as usual ate waaaaaay too much. I felt kind of sick by the time we came home, but boy was it yummy! As you can see by this pic of Hailey with her new baby sister, that tryptophan thing in turkey is true--it really does make you sleepy! Okay, Evie actually had breast milk, but work with me here.

Here's another pic of the triplets goofin' with their daddy

The soulmate's been traveling for work a lot this fall and it looks as though it's going to continue well into the winter. He got home Tuesday afternoon and is leaving again Monday morning, so he and I are taking off for our place in the mountains this morning to have a little catch-up alone time. All of which is a long way of telling you that I'm not ignoring your posts this weekend--I'm gone, gone, ga-wan. :) Poor guy--the traveling gets old, but given the economic climate, we probably shouldn't whine.

Which brings me to: (drumroll please)

DadadadadadaDa!

I, too, am employed for three more books with HQN. YAY!
My agent and I just agreed to a contract on Tuesday. This is a happy event, because I would have hated leaving Ava's story in the Sisterhood Trilogy hanging.

And on a completely different track, Bullwinkle, Heidi Betts' blog: WIPs and Chains received an I Love Your Blog award and was asked to pass it along to other blogs she loved and dadadadadadadaDA! (I know, I know, somebody's gonna take my drum away and probably bonk me over the head with it) she awarded one to us!!

It's official. You gotta love us. Well, okay, you actually don't. But Heidi does! And she sent us the award to prove it. Pretty cool, huh?

And with that, my pretties, I bid you a groovy weekend. I'll see you all in RunningWithQuillsville next week, when I return bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Elizabeth G: Turkey Quiz

Did you know that Ben Franklin thought the North American wild turkey should be the national bird of the USA? Of course, the turkey of his day was nothing like the domesticated descendants we are familiar with now. The wild turkey of Franklin's day was a brightly plumed bird of flight.

Did you know that only the adult male turkey (the "tom") makes the gobbler, gobble sound? The female or hen turkey makes a gentle clucking or clicking sound. She never gobbles.

Did you know that after the first Thanksgiving in 1621, it took over 200 years before Thanksgiving Day was officially proclaimed a national holiday in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln?

Do you know how the turkey got its name? Some say Columbus thought the land he discovered was connected to India which had a large population of peacocks and assumed turkeys were part of the peacock family. He decided to call them tuka, which is the word for peacock in the language of India.

Others claim that the name turkey came from Native Americans who called the birds firkee, which sounds like turkey.

Some say that turkey name came from the sound turkeys make when they are afraid - "turk, turk, turk."

Did you know that turkeys will peck at just about anything, including each other?

And on that happy note, the Quills want to wish all of those who celebrate turkey day a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

~EG
(Thanks to the University of Illinois web site for supplying me with all the turkey news fit to print.:-)

AND THE WINNER IS:

Eloisa James is giving away five copies of books from THE DESPERATE DUCHESSES series to five lucky posters to this blog. And the winners are: ZEUSLY, JANE, RAVEN99, LAURA, and KRISB.

Congratulations to all of you and thanks for visiting RWQ. Please send your names and mailing addresses privately to my assistant jaynespa@gmail.com . She will take care of forwarding the information to Eloisa James.

Sincerely,
Jayne

ELOISA JAMES: THE SURE THING

Jayne, here, to introduce ELOISA JAMES, New York Times bestselling author of sparkling historical romance to tell us about her new book, WHEN THE DUKE RETURNS. If you like your historicals laced with scandal, humor, great sex and terrific dialogue — yes, she does it all and brilliantly — you're going to love Eloisa James.

As a special bonus, Eloisa will be giving away five copies of books from her The Desperate Duchesses series to five lucky people who post comments to this blog. Winners will be announced Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 25 here at RWQ.

Now, please welcome ELOISA JAMES:

~ THE SURE THING ~

Remember that classic John Cusack movie, The Sure Thing? Gibson is a virgin who sets off across the country hoping for a teenage male’s Holy Grail: an easy blonde in a bikini.

We romance writers deal with Sure Things all the time. In the course of writing seventeen historical romances, I've created an array of female virgins; unlike Gib, my heroines actually do end up with a female version of the Holy Grail— i.e., a muscled duke. Not to be sarcastic, but at this point I could write a virgin’s first sex scene in my sleep. Just choose your preference:

a) Door Number One: Ultra sexy and wouldn't you know it, she feels nothing more than a tiny pinch and follows that up with three loud and enjoyable orgasms?

b) Door Number Two: Ultra shy and prone to saying things like “That will never fit!” while trying to wrap her delicate fingers around something that is apparently bigger than a breadbox. Luckily it all fits and she achieves three quieter orgasms.

c) Door Number Three: Ultra curious but (alas) destined for a not-all-that-much-fun first time. This is the door my heroines generally hide behind, simply because I think it’s a lot more realistic, as well as more interesting.

Sometimes if I'm in a good mood, my heroine gets one orgasm—but I promise she makes up for anything she misses later on (*g*).

The heroine of When the Duke Returns, Isidore, is definitely more curious than shy. Married by proxy as a young teen, she’s now twenty-six and more than ready to lose her pesky virginity, if she could just coax her husband back from the wilderness:

“I'm tired of sleeping alone. If Cosway turns out to be a horrible sort of man with whom I don't want to spend time, well, then I might leave him and return to Italy. But at least I won't have this talismanic virginity any longer. And I might have a child.”

So far so good: her husband, the Duke of Cosway, is about to show up and he’s definitely the male counterpart to a blonde-in-a-bikini. Since Isidore's mother wasn't around to give her “the” talk, I had a lot of fun with her reaction to the (ahem) aftermath of love-making.

But to get back to the classic movie, what about the Gibsons of the virgin world? Male virgins aren't so easy to include in a romance novel. Just check out this picture of Cusack all those years ago. He’s young and naïve. Not sexy. I can certainly see why he needed a Sure Thing.

It’s my firmest belief that a writer – whether of romance or literary fiction – needs to keep challenging herself. I might joke about Doors One, Two and Three, but the day I find myself phoning it in is the day I retire. So how to raise the stakes?

When you have one Sure Thing – why not TWO? Here’s the opening of Chapter One of When the Duke Returns, which just published:

“He’s a virgin.”
“What!”
“He’s a virgin and –“
“Your husband is a virgin?”
“And he won't bed me.”

So how’s that for turning a Sure Thing into double-the-fun?

One of my favorite male-virgin romances is an older book, Katherine Kingsley's No Sweeter Heaven. What do you think the best male virgin romance out there is?

And can you think of the Three Doors for male virgins? What kind of man ends up a virgin – and what can an author do to avoid having a hero with the sex appeal of a very young Cusack?

California!

I got home from California midday on Wednesday. Shew. I am soooo tired - but I had a GREAT time! So since my brain is still melting, I figured I'd just do a recap of my California experience.
Hope you're ready for lots of photos!

I started out in San Diego on Friday the 14th, my birthday, visiting the most wonderful writers' group!

I wish I had gotten a photo of everyone, especially author Judy Duarte who arranged my trip there, but I did more talking than photography.

Those are authors Sylvia Day and Helen Kay Dimon in the photo with me.


This is a slightly blurry photo that a reader sent me of Christie Ridgeway and Chris Green. They both took part in the booksigning with Helen Kay Dimon and me.
I got a book from each of them, and after I've read them all, I'll offer them up in a grab-bag for Christmas! (Already read Helen Kay Dimon's "Hot as Hell" on the plane ride home and it was incredible!)


A highlight for me was meeting reader Debby from the RT boards. That's her in the blue, and she smiled like that the entire time I visited with her. Nice, huh?

I've been chatting with Debby online forever, but this is the first time I got to meet her in person.

She brought her daughter, Teresa, (in red) and a friend, Mindy, (in white), and they were all super-terrific!


Because it was my birthday - and a momentus big FIVE-OH at that - the lovely writers' group got me a cake. And not just any old cake, but a super-fancy wonderfully delicious cake covered in fruits and decorated with 2 fat candles that represented 25 years each.

After two fab days in San Diego, I hooked up with my friend, Shana. She lives in Huntington Beach, which wasn't too far away.

Now, you all know what an animal fan I am, right? I LOVE dogs and cats, all of them, all shapes and sizes. But boy, I was in for an adjustment. See the photo of me with MY dogs, and then the photo of me with SHANA'S dogs.



Too funny, huh!? My dogs are no bigger than her dogs' noses! LOL

Shana and I had a long list of things we wanted to do while I visited. Top of the list was visiting two MMA schools; Brandon Verra's and Dan Henderson's. They're both popular, respected fighters.

The fires and Santa Ana winds made it nearly impossible to get to Henderson's school, but we did get to Verra's, and we had a great time!

That's Shana with Gary Padilla, one of the fighters from the school. He answered all my questions, let us look around and take photos, and was super nice.
I love that kind of research!
And watching the guys practice was very enlightening.

Next on the list was visiting a store that sold MMA apparel. I found a lot of great gifts for my sons and grandson. We also visited the Disney store and I bought even more gifts there.

You can't even imagine what it was like to leave freezing temperatures in Ohio, and land in 90 degree weather in California. Heaven!

Something else Shana did was to take me to where she works. I got to listen in on 911 calls, which was fascinating. It seemed there were more wrongly placed calls than true emergencies, but more than enough was happening to ratchet up my respect for law enforcement AND for the dispatchers who handle the calls.

Funny story: One woman called (her name was Carmen) and she asked for a particular officer. Now remember, this is a 911 dispatch.
Anyway, the operator asked her if it was an emergency, and she said, "No, but could you just tell him to give Carmen a call. He has my number."
Flirting over the 911 emergency line!

Hilarious - to me.
Frustrating for the ones who have to deal with that nonsense! But the operator was great, very patient and calm. I enjoyed meeting her.

After I listened to calls for awhile, Shana took me to the Long Beach Police Department, and I got to do a ride-along with Lieutenant Rick Colbert. It was already late, so the photo of the station didn't turn out too great, but you can see it still.

Talk about fascinating! There were many calls to break up gang activity, and we went to the scene of an assault, where a man had been hit in the head with something, likely a bat, and cut by something, likely a bottle. He was a mess, but still coherent as the ambulance tended to him.
I also met the Lieutenent's son, who went the next day to one of the sites ravaged by fire. He took cadaver dogs with him to search through the destruction for anyone who might not have gotten out. Luckily, dogs found no one, meaning everyone had been evacuated safely. They did, however, locate the ash remains of cremated relatives - which proves just how amazing those dogs are!

Just for fun, here are some views from California!

Beautiful, huh? I loved watching the surfers - and they were everywhere, not just on the beach. If you drove anywhere near the beach, you saw men in wetsuits, barefoot, carrying their boards, crossing the streets, walking along the sidewalks, etc... It took a little getting used to.

Of course I collected some shells, and let my toes dip into the cold wake. All in all, it was a most remarkable visit.

When I got home, I discovered that my husband had a surprise - all my Christmas lights were up! They look fantastic. We won't turn them on until after Thanksgiving, but that sure saves me some time.

And now, I'll leave you with a smile. California is a much freer place than Ohio. Wonderfully so. While I sat near the beach with Shana, waiting to take photos of the setting sun, this dancer came along, so I video-taped him with my camera.
You can hear me talking to Shana as I take the video - so to avoid having your ears accosted by my country twang, you might want to turn down the sound. LOL.
Otherwise...
Enjoy!

Did you like that!? FUN, huh? That kid looked like a real free spirit.

So... would you enjoy a quick trip to a warm beach right about now? If you got there, would you feel like dancing too? LOL

Or are you one of the lucky ones who lives in that climate year round?

Maybe the reverse is true and you'd like to experience our cold and snow? Shana wants to, so I told her to visit during the winter!

Hope you're all having a wonderful week filled with smiles.
Don't forget...

LORI
aka
L.L. FOSTER

Welcome Ann Roth!

Please welcome Ann Roth who has a wonderful new book out. SISTERS is a must-read. Good to have you with the Quills, Ann.

------------------------

Sister, sister

What is it about sisters? You love them, you want to strangle them, and vice versa. Regardless, you’re stuck with each other. Believe me, I know—I am a sister. The relationship between my sister and me, between all sisters, is a complex one.

That’s why I wrote My Sisters—to explore some of these fascinating complexities. I wanted to look into the lives of three estranged sisters, push them together when their mother dies, and see what happened.

The idea came to me after my widower father-in-law died and the family gathered at his house to empty it. As I watched our daughters sort through photographs and share loving memories, my heart felt so full. They are and have always been close. (A closeness I worked hard to foster.)

But what if three sisters could barely tolerate each other? What then? Enter Margaret, Rose and Quincy, so at odds and different from each other that they barely communicate. And yet, like it or not, through their blood and shared childhoods they are forever connected.

It wasn’t easy getting them to open up. Eventually though, they did. As the past unfolded through each sister’s eyes, as Margaret, Rose and Quincy wrestled with their demons, grew and changed, I hurt for them, sympathized and cried. When they finally figured what really matters most—I’ll let you read about that for yourself—I cheered.

In the end, I was glad for the chance to get to know these sisters and share their story.

What about you? Do you have a sister, and are you close?

Thanks for letting me visit, and looking forward to learning more about you and your sisters,

Ann Roth
www.annroth.net
ann@annroth.net

Responsibility. Guilt. Honesty. Okay, I need a good excuse...

Happy Monday Morning, My Flowers!!

That's a good start.

Yes, I'm responsible, have a horrible capacity for guilt, and I'm honest. But there are moments when the evil child within runs screaming free and demands to be released from all these demands. Even the ones she loves.

I'm at the very end of the first in a trilogy of paranormal stories set in New Orleans. This has been a blast but now it's just plain old "I gotta get it done in about three days and I know I've forgotten something really important."

All I can concentrate on is Marley, Gray, Willow, Gus, Boston Terrier Winnie and, of course, Sykes. Portals and fathomless lights, dangerous travels, do they see what they think they see, and is that a dragon, I see, or? . . . later. But I do just have to say that this had better work out or we're all going to be in mourning

So, I'm thinking about you and hope you think good thoughts for me. I'll do better next time. Meanwhile, anyone with a good recipe for de-sliming should send it along asap.

Love to all,

Stella

Sexiest Man Alive

Happy Friday! And. Oh. My. Gawd. It's about to get even happier. (Like you couldn't tell by the blog's title) Guest bloggers Diana Holquist and Julie James come to us bearing men, my pretties. Sexy men. Please give em a big Quills welcome.

Take it away, ladies!




Ah, fall. Time to turn our thoughts to turkey dinners. Radiant foliage. And, most importantly, People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 2008. Yes, the issue comes out November 21st and no one has given more thought to what makes the Sexiest Man Alive the Sexiest Man Alive than Julie and I. Why? Well, we both wrote books about it.

So we thought we'd put in our early predictions. Ready? Remember, you heard it here first: Sexiest Man Alive 2008…

Our husbands.

(Hi, honey! Hi, sweetie!)


Okay, are they gone yet? Good. Let’s get serious.

Frontrunner this year is a lovely young man named Patrick Dempsey.

Perennial favorite (and leader in our poll as of this writing) Mr. Depp.


There is always a strong pull among romance fans for Gerard Butler. Why is that, do you think? I mean, besides the obvious. He never seems to catch on in that huge way outside the romance community.

Romance fans don’t seem to like the next contender, Mr. Craig. Is he too cold? But this could be his year…



Or is it Will Smith’s turn?
Or perhaps another African American will steal the honors. Don’t laugh, the only other non-movie-star Sexiest Man Alive is John F. Kennedy. Not even an athlete has won.


What do you think? Who should be the sexiest man alive for 2008? Vote in the poll:




And if you want to win a signed copy of either Sexiest Man Alive or Just the Sexiest Man Alive, visit our website blogs and find out how to enter to win (http://dianaholquist.com and http://juliejamesbooks.com).

So, tell us in the comments as well what you think: what is it that makes the Sexiest Man Alive so sexy? And who should be this year’s pick?

--Diana Holquist and Julie James

AND THE WINNER IS...

Shirley Jump is giving away a signed copy of MIRACLE ON CHRISTMAS EVE to one lucky winner from among those who post a comment to her blog. The winner will be chosen at random Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. ET.

And the winner is ranurgis!!!!

Congratulations! Please send your full name and mailing address to shirley@shirleyjump.com and she will make sure you receive your copy of MIRACLE ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

Thanks everyone!
~EG

Elizabeth G: Precious Memories

Today my friend and fellow romance writer Shirley Jump shares some precious memories of her mother with us. She also shows us where the emotional inspiration comes from for her writing. Shirley's had 26 romance novels or novellas published since January 2003. Her current releases are CHRISTMAS WEDDINGS and MARRY-ME CHRISTMAS from Harlequin Romance. Please join me in welcoming Shirley to Running With Quills.

This week, my mother would have been sixty-one.

I had to write this blog two days ago, because I knew there was no way I could write it the day of her birthday (November 10) and make any kind of sense. My mother died three years and one month ago. I thought that it would get easier, but if anything it’s gotten harder--and easier in other ways. Easier, because I’m starting to accept it and recall more of the happy memories, rather than dwell on the grief. But harder in other ways that hit me when I least expect it. I’m 40, and before my mother died, I’d thought I’d outgrown the need for a mother. Sure, I called her when I screwed up making a pie crust or I was having a difficult day with the kids, but mostly, I’d figured I had this grown-up thing down.

After all, I had been on my own, married, since I was twenty-one. Running my own house. Raising kids, making dinners, shopping, trying to stick to a budget (ha-ha). Whatever could I need a mom for?

You realize pretty quickly what you need a mom for when you don’t have one anymore. My mother and I had our issues, our disagreements, but we were friends. Occasionally she’d call when I was working and I’d find myself wishing that she had waited an hour. Or I tried to get her off the phone because I was on deadline and the work seemed ten times more important than a chat.

Then a stroke took her voice and I spent three months at her bedside, tending to her most basic needs and I realized what I would give to have that voice back. For a little while, she seemed to recover and I could talk to her, sometimes calling her room at the rehab hospital, thrilled she understood me, but then her heart gave out and I lost her voice forever.

It’s been three years and I have yet to delete the phone number to her room on my cell. I know she’s not there, but I can’t erase this reminder of her. When I scroll past the number on my way to call my daughter or my husband at work, I remember I can still talk to her, in a one-way conversation with heaven.

As I raise my own teenage daughter, I realize now how much I need a mother. For the advice, for the sense that I’m not in this alone with the hormones and the mood swings and the joyful moments peppered between the frustrations. I need a mother to tell me I’m on the right path. To hold my hand when I’m sure I’ve alienated my daughter by laying down the law--and to reassure me our relationship will survive these years. Just as my relationship with my mother survived her rules, her protectiveness and most of all the love that circled around me like a blanket, shielding me from so much that could have hurt me during those same years.

But most of all, I need her voice. Her common sense, her wisdom, her soft compassion for bad days, her quiet pride on good days. She has missed a lot in the last two years, in my life, my husband’s, and my kids’, but I believe she is watching from up above. In fact, I’m positive.

At about my age, my mother lost her own mother, ironically, in the fall, too. My mother used to tell me she missed her mother talking to her, the two of them sitting around the kitchen table and talking for hours, long into the night. When my grandmother died, my mother told me Nana would always be watching from heaven. For an eleven-year-old, that became a sort of extra conscience. I’d think twice before I did anything, because I could just picture my Nana seeing me misbehave--and being disappointed.

So, today, I will raise a toast to my mother on her birthday and find a quiet place where we can talk. I’ll tell her all that has happened in the last year, and hope that if I listen very, very carefully, I can still hear the whispers of her voice.

I hope you, too, can share a special moment with those you love and give thanks this holiday season for the loved ones around you.

Hugs,
Shirley

EG: Shirley is going to give away a signed copy of MIRACLE ON CHRISTMAS EVE to one lucky winner from among those who post a comment to her RWQ blog. The winner will be chosen Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. ET. You can also visit Shirley at http://www.shirleyjump.com/.

Jayne's RUNNING HOT video

Hey, everyone, Jayne here to show off the new book trailer video for my December 30th release, RUNNING HOT, the latest novel in my Arcane Society series. I'm really excited about both the video and the cover art this time because the video uses the cover art and this has got to be the absolute best cover I have ever had. Woo-hoo!

Not only that, but the advance reviews on RUNNING HOT have been cool, too. Publishers Weekly called it "Fast, steamy and wildly entertaining". Booklist said: "Irresistible".

Folks, for a writer, it doesn't get any better than this. Okay, maybe it gets a little better if the book hits the NYT. But, still...

I want to take this opportunity to thank the creators of this trailer, Cissy Hartley of writerspace.com and author Paula Graves, who also writes romantic-suspense when she's not doing graphic art work like this. I adore the video, ladies!

Writing While Under The Influence

Yes, I've been writing under the influence. And no, I don't drink.
So what is influencing me?

Well, for starters, "the Menopause" as one doctor calls it. Not just menopause, but THE menopause. I like that because I think it gives the condition (affliction, blight, whatever) the recognition it deserves.

I'm not sure how many of you are old enough to have gone through it, or to be going through it, but I understand it hits everyone differently.
I'm sort of insane with it, and it's a strange insanity because I know I'm insane. I freely admit to it.
My temper is on a very short fuse so even when I know I overreact, I tell the guys that THEY know I will overreact too, so why provoke me? Makes sense, right?
I've finished with the night sweats apparently, so now I just can't sleep.
And I want to cry over everything. It's really pathetic. Especially when the guys (husband and sons) just pat me on the back and act very accepting. LOL. Grrrrr....

My joints ache all the time.
I keep a constant headache that goes from just annoying to laying me low.

Did any of you have the same problems?
If so, how did you deal with them?

I researched online to see what's what, because I'm not big on prescription drugs when I can avoid them. Man oh man, is there a lot of stuff about menopause!

One doctor says that the symptoms are mostly exclusive to North American women. Huh. Makes me wonder if that's because in many areas, women don't live long enough to go through the change. (See, I'm evil right now.)

Another doctor said that women with some extra weight on them seem to have an easier time with menopause issues, so it's not a time to diet.

We have a pharmacist as a friend of the family and he recommended some supplements that are starting to make a difference. Black Cohosh, Vitamin B6 and B12, and Melatonin. I'm supposed to give it 2 weeks before expecting major results.
Almost there.

So in the middle of these awful mood swings and emotional jags, I'm writing.
Heaven only knows what will be produced while I'm "under the influence."

But I seem to do okay writing under adverse situations. Some of my most popular books were written while my father had major heart surgery, while my mother passed away with cancer, during big house moves and other life-tilting experiences.
So... we'll see.

Luckily my current work-in-progress is for L.L. Foster, so it's darker and lends itself to bloodshedding. LOL

BTW, I might have some mispelled words in here and I don't care. If you point it out to me, I might cry. So let's don't test it, okay?

In other news, my son who recently moved into his own apartment with his very active 3 year old son, got an adorable puppy. Yes, much added chaos! Soon they'll also be taking my middle son's 3 cats so that my middle son can go to South Korea for a year.
So... Mason will have a houseful!

My dogs are territorial, but the pup, named Rancor (Something to do with Starwars?) doesn't care and just plays with them anyway.
It's hilarious - and loud. The cats are very disgruntled about there being a new doggie around.

Right now, with my two dogs, my son's dog who visits when my grandson does, and my other son's three cats, we have a menagerie that'll trip up anyone! In the photo you see my two dogs facing the new doggie and big old Liger watching on with boredom.
Liger is the only one of the cats who faces down the tiny dogs when they're yapping. He just doesn't care. Of course, he's bigger than the three of them put together, so that might have something to do with it.

And some fun stuff in the middle of the craziness...
My 2nd book as L.L. Foster, Servant: The Acceptance, is the #1 Amazon Editors' Pick in romance for 2008. Awesome, huh?
Yeah, I cried. I'm a complete sap these days.
It's like being a brand-new author all over again, and getting some recognition. It just thrills me - much more so than if one of my straight romances had been chosen.
If you're curious about the book was placed in romance, it was explained to me that since it has a romantic thread, it's categorized as Romance: Urban Fantasy, so... still a romance apparently.

My birthday is the 14th of this month, and I'm turning 50 - in San Diego. Yup, my husband keeps harassing me for going to the other side of the country to turn the big 5-0. But I was invited to speak and I didn't even think about it being my birthday. I figure at 50, I've celebrated enough. Now I just want to enjoy good health for my birthday, and count my many blessings.

I've done most of my Christmas shopping for extended family, and after I return from San Diego, I'll decorate.
What about you? Do you do much decorating? Have you started shopping yet? Christmas cards? Or are you a last minute, rush-it person?

Any suggestions on how to get through "The menopause" (I do like how important that sounds) without decapitating bodies?
How do you celebrate your birthdays?
How many pets is too many?
Am I rambling? Yes. Too bad. I'm menopausal.

Hugs to all!

Lori Foster
aka
L.L. Foster

www.lorifoster.com
www.myspace.com/mostlymam
www.myspace.com/llfoster

Janice Johnson is a readers' writer but she's also a writers' writer. Janice is multi-talented with many credits in a wide variety of genres under her belt. This year she was the very worthy winner of Romance Writers of Ameroca's RITA award for Best Contemporary Series Romance. SNOWBOUND is a wonderful book and I'm honored to have Janice with us for a visit. Please welcome her.

Stella

-------------------------

Thanks for having me as a visitor! I'm here to tell you about the thrills and chills of winning a RITA award, given annually by Romance Writers of America. Mine was for Best Contemporary Series Romance. I won for a book titled SNOWBOUND, a Harlequin Superromance published in November of 2007.

I've been a finalist before - in fact, often enough that I was beginning to think about the movie 27 DRESSES. Okay, I haven't made the finals that many times, but enough that I confess to thinking, Do I really want to spend the money (again) to go to the conference, buy a new dress, all so I can sit there sweating at my editor's side and clap politely for the (deserving) winner? And here's a couple of confessions - I really, really hate to fly, and I'm also rather shy. Shy enough that, while I'm sweating at my editor's side, I'm also conducting a furious internal debate about whether I actually want to win, so I have to go up in front of a couple of thousand people and express a graceful thanks, or would rather lose, so I can stay sitting in the dark anonymity of the ballroom. Of course, the choice isn't actually mine, which maybe is just as well!

I did go to this year's conference, held in San Francisco, partly because I enjoy the conference and love San Francisco. But also - I really had faith in SNOWBOUND. I've found the theme I most often return to in my writing is post-traumatic stress. I'm fascinated by the ripples spread by a single traumatic event. They keep spreading for years, even for generations. I know, because my father was clearly a victim from World War II. In those days, the men returned from war and went back to their lives with no recognition of what effect killing people, and seeing them killed, would have on them. His untreated PTSD undoubtedly effected me, and through me my daughters, and so on. But since I also write romance fiction, what I also write about is coming to terms with that trauma - and how powerfully love motivates us to examine ourselves. The hero of SNOWBOUND is back from Iraq, his psyche damaged not by the wounds he himself suffered, but by his sense of responsibility for others who were killed. He's hiding out from the world, until he meets the heroine - and the eight teenagers she's chaperoning when they get snowbound with a depressed, guarded, yet ultimately kind man.

So - back to the RITA. Yes, I was scared to death trotting up to the stage and speaking for my whole two minutes. But I loved that one of my daughters was there to hug me, and I loved the feel of that hefty statue (think of the Oscar), and I loved knowing that my fellow writers thought I'd written the most powerful series romance of the year. On Jennifer Greene's advice, I carried my RITA onto the flight home, expecting security to object (yeah, it could be a weapon) but having no problem. And now, admiring my RITA on her shelf, I'm starting to think she might like a sister...

Look for two releases by me in 2009, both from Superromance - SOMEONE LIKE HER in the spring, and an as yet untitled December book that will wind up a four-book series celebrating Harlequin's 60th anniversary.

IT'S NOT TOO SOON

To get started:)

Happy Monday, my flowers...

Yesterday I had a mad moment--yes, I know, I have many mad moments. My office walls seemed to get a little closer to me, I had a ticklish problem to work through in my paranormal plot, and all those changing leaves were calling to me.

So out I went.

With no idea where I was going or what I'd do although I did tell Jerry I thought I'd get some coffee and bring it back for us. That bought me a great big smile!

At the first shop I passed I remembered the Birthdays coming up in our family so I popped into Chalet Cadeau right here on Central Way in Kirkland. And my mood changed. Wendy, the lady who owns the shop, is a gifted buyer for her gift shop. I found the cards I needed for the five Birthdays that fall before Christmas, the most incredible set of pepper and salt shakers--they are gorgeous fish with delicate fins--Penguin Poop, Reindeer Droppings and Bah Humbug Drops to send home to England, and two very reasonable and absolutely adorable tree ornaments for the same purpose.

By the way, the Poop, Droppings and Drops are candy, of course:)

Off I went again, meandering toward Cafe Ladro where they really know how to make coffee. Of course, if you live in this town you can go to St. James, Tullys, Kahili, George's, The French Bakery, Starbucks and probably a number of other shops for fabulous coffee. The place may be a slightly European-looking village but "we got coffee."

Anyway, on the way to get my drug of choice, I passed--or almost passed--a bead shop. You know the kind of place. They have zillions of beads in boxes and all kinds of findings for the clasps, stuff for threading, including all colors of leather.

I went in and started poking around.

And I got one of those brain flashes you have to grab in case it doesn't come back. There were people at a table, a couple, working with someone who really knew what she was doing, and they were making a really unusual necklace out of a unique stone bead--quite large and mostly purple--and some small beads on either side--on a thin leather strip. I watched for a bit and noticed what fun the couple was having. They told me they were making a Christmas gift and they were going to make more for other members of their family.

Wow, what an idea and it was such an inexpensive thing to do. Thus the brain flash. I wonder how many entertaining, inexpensive ways there are to make gifts people will actually love to get. I would love that necklace with the dark purple bead. It was really funky, professional-looking and I think it cost less than $10.

Another flash--wow, I had two of them in short order. My granddaughters love to give gifts and they save money in their pigs so I can take them shopping for various family members. Why not take the girls to the bead shop and help them make necklaces, earrings, key chains (some of those beads are masculine enough for a dad gift) and anything else we can think of? I'm going to do it.

There are places where you can paint and fire pottery pieces--another good, inexpensive gift idea for the handy or even the not so handy. How about painting the inside of a bowl in a bright color, then plopping leaves in the paint and peeling them off to leave the patterns? Come on, anyone can manage that. And who has too many bowls?

This might be a really good year for inventive gift-giving ideas but we need an earlier start because they take something special, some of our own time to make them. And if you know any children--especially one or two who might not normally get to do something like this--talk to their folks and invite them to go do something fun. That's another gift all on its own.

Stella

PS: Books, books, books--books are super gifts and they're still a bargain. All that imagination, hard work, slogging hours in small, dark rooms, little food, mostly nothing to drink, deprivation for months on end . . . phew, I've got to get a breath here . . . for the price of the finished books they're a bargain. You could start by giving Jayne's new RUNNING HOT a whirl, cause it's one hot book:) And Lori, Susan, EL, EG and of course (humble lowering of lashes) Stella, all have temperature-raising stories out there to warm you up, inside and out, for the winter.

AND:

What are your ideas for interesting, inexpensive ways to put your hands on those gifts you need for the season?