Petit Fours and Hot Tamales

Don't miss out on all the fun!

2011-03-16T00:09:00.004-04:00

Hello! Anybody out there?

I know we still have a few followers on Blogger (gotta love those stat recorders…grin…) and we really don’t want anyone missing out on all the fun we’re having over at the www.petitfoursandhottamales.com blog. We’ve set up a nifty little follow us spot on the right sidebar to make it easy. We’d love have a few more people friend us…

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In the meantime, come on over and check out the third round of the first ever Petit Fours and Hot Tamales Recipe for Success Write-Off Contest. We are open for up to 100 entries today from 6 a.m. EST until 9 p.m. EST. Please read the complete rules by clicking the link below. The contest started March 2nd, 2nd round was March 9th, and today is the last chance to enter! Again, please read the rules at the following link before entering.

http://petitfoursandhottamales.com/contest/

WHAT CAN YOU WIN: Grand prize is a critique from agent Chelsea Gilmore with the Maria Carvainis Agency of the first 20 pages of your manuscript and a two page synopsis. Four runners-up will receive a PFHT cookbook.

HOW TO ENTER TODAY: In the comments box below today’s post at http://petitfoursandhottamales.com/, put your entry of the first paragraph or up to 100 words of your story. The first 100 entries posted AT or AFTER 6 a.m. Eastern Standard time will be accepted. No entries posted after 9 p.m. will be accepted EVEN if we do not reach a full 100 entries by the deadline. You are not required to post 100 words. You may post less. Instead of just saying the first paragraph, we give you the 100 word option because you may have started with dialogue

And as a disclaimer, remember: By posting an entry, entrants agree to hold all members of PFHT, Chelsea Gilmore, and the Maria Carvainis Agency harmless for any comments or criticisms including those posted on the blog by guests or others. Winning is not a guarantee of representation.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Come on over and enter or stop by and read some of the awesome entries we’ve been getting.

Hope to see you soon!

We miss you!

2010-05-26T21:30:00.002-04:00

Is it lonely over here without us?

Our stats show we have a good number of readers still coming to the Blogger site each week and that is fine. We don’t mind. But if you’d like to see some of our newer blog posts (with some new blog members!!!), great book reviews, fabulous Guest Chefs, a unique writing resource with our Travel page, and a brand new free read (coming soon!); then hop on over to our new Web site. We’d love to see you there!

http://petitfoursandhottamales.com/

We are moving!!!!

2010-01-25T00:05:00.000-05:00

Wow. Can you believe it’s been a whole year since the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales started blogging? During that time, we’ve grown far beyond anything we could have ever imagined. Because of that, we are packing up and moving to a brand new space – one where we can spread our wings to match our imaginations.

In times when other blogs are folding, we are going strong. That’s because we’ve expanded our menu and changed our recipe. We will continue to offer free reads, The Saturday Review (books, movies, TV), weekly Guest Chefs and of course, daily posts by our own bloggers. This year, in addition to these successful offerings, the blog will feature Atlanta Exposé, the long-awaited sequel to its popular first blog novel, Aspen Exposé; a Sunday Travel section Travel the World in Words – a new research tool for writers that highlights cities around the globe to help them set the scene (It’s the next best thing to being there); the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales twist on popular fairy tales (February); a special Gift Ideas page; and much, much more.

To find out what’s on the menu and be eligible to win some great prizes during our Grand Opening Blog Party, you’re invited to join in the celebration and see what’s cooking at the new location for the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales. www.petitfoursandhottamales.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Saturday Review

2010-01-23T00:06:00.001-05:00

Bet Me

By Jennifer Crusie

ISBN 0—375-43356-2
Random House

I’ve read a couple of Jennifer Crusie’s books and wasn’t impressed. I mention this to a friend and she suggested that I read Bet Me. So I found a copy, read it and I loved it. I’m glad that I tried Crusie again. This is an older book, written in 2004, but it is good story telling and a good story is worth reading at any age.

Bet Me opens in a bar where women are looking for men and men are looking for women. Cal Morrisey, a successful man, who always gets his way with women, is bet by Min Dobbs, ex-boyfriend that he can’t get her in bed within a month. Cal doesn’t take the bet but does agree that he can get her to go to dinner with him. Min agrees to the dinner only because she has over heard the original bet suggestion and wants to prove that she can’t be had. Dinner is a battle of wills between Min and Cal and they agree to go their own ways. As hard as Min and Cal try to stay away from each other, they continue to be drawn together.

Min is smart and accomplished but has spent years with a mother telling her she is overweight. Cal sees Min for who she really is and embraces that person. Min is nothing like the regular women Cal dates, and he finds her fascinating. Their relationship isn’t an easy one but discovering that they each fill a needed in the other makes for a fun, heartwarming and sexy story. Without giving too much of the book away, they both win the bet.

This book is made up of great writing, funny moments, snappy dialogue and extremely likeable characters. The book is a keeper and I will also use it as a guide for my own writing.

Reviewed by: Susan May
5 Petit Fours 4 Hot Tamales

2010-01-23T00:05:00.001-05:00

Leap Year
http://www.universalpictures.com/leapyear/

Amy Adams
Matthew Goode
Romantic Comedy PG

I’m going to say it right up front that I’m a fan of Matthew Goode. I’m a member of his fan club. He is my favorite up and coming actor, so this review will be biased because he is the romantic lead in this movie.

Amy Adams, cute in anything she does, plays the female lead to the handsome Matthew Goode. As Anna Brady, she is the in-control yuppie girl from New York that can’t get her boyfriend of four years to propose. With her boyfriend gone to Dublin to attend a medical meeting, Anna’s father reminds her of the leap year tradition in Ireland of the female proposing. Anna makes plans to be in Ireland to propose on leap year day.

Bad weather brings her plane down in England where she gets a boat to Ireland but still needs to make her way to Dublin, which is all the way across country. Enter Declan, (Matthew Goode) a pub owner that she pays to take her to Dublin. He doesn’t want to go because he thinks there is nothing good in Dublin, because his ex-girl is there. When Anna offers him enough money to save his pub, he agrees to take her. After many mishaps and adventures, the two make it to Dublin. Each has learned something new about themselves along the way. Anna returns to American with her husband-to-be but realizes that she has left what she really needs in Ireland.

She returns to Ireland to propose to Declan.

This is a sweet movie. There are beautiful pictures of Ireland and the scene where Amy Adams climbs a large hill over wet ground to a castle in four inch heels is impressive. This is not the best romance I’ve ever seen, but it is a good one. At the risk of repeating myself, Matthew Goode is worth the trouble. I will buy the CD on the day it comes out.

Reviewed by: Susan May
4 Petit Fours & 1 Hot Tamales

Thoughts on Writing

2010-01-22T00:03:00.001-05:00

My Achilles’ Heel
by Nicki Salcedo

I write for myself. Everyone says, “Know your target audience.” I am my target audience. I tried to write for a specific market once. I dreaded writing. I never once had the urge to go back and re-read my words. Now, I’m back to writing for me. I always wished that my grandmother or mother kept a journal. I write for me and my kids. I hope they’ll be curious about the world and how other people experienced the world. I’m still figuring out how to channel my creative voice into my novel writing voice. Ignoring industry advance is my folly. Isn’t folly a wonderful word? I write joyfully. I write for myself. Write for yourself. Write something you think no one else will like or appreciate. Then see if you aren’t, for a moment, free.

Writing is work
by Susan May

I think writing requires talent, imagination, but most of all I think it requires desire. It is hard work. Want it and want it badly. Being a writer, a published one, means having to keep moving forward, even when I feel like quitting. I prevent myself from quitting by surrounding myself with people who write by attending conferences, regular writing meetings, taking classes, reading writing relate magazines, listening to other writers experiences and most importantly by writing daily. I know if I'm receiving rejections it is because I'm sending material out which is necessary if I want my work published. The reward for writing is being able to share my story which is always worth the hard work.

J PERRY'S VIEW ON WRITING (as gleaned from others):

I can't say anything about writing that hasn't been said before, but here are some of the bits of wisdom that guide me:

1) Everyone who writes, writes crap. Give yourself permission to shovel a draft full.

2) You can't fix a blank page.

3) Persistence is of utmost importance.

4) Only praise in public. If you must criticize, do so in private. (I think Warren Buffet said this)

5) The writing community is a great mother. All you have to do is ask, and she's there.

6) Everyone who is on the writing journey, deserves to be there. Treat colleagues (published, unpublished, and industry professionals) with respect.

Time to Win Back Your Space

2010-01-21T01:32:00.000-05:00

By way of introduction, my name is Kitty Grubbs, and no, I am not a professional writer. I am, along with my husband, Joey, however, a personal organizer as well as a professional musician by training and education. You may ask how I got invited to speak with you about organizing...that would be through my friend Debbie Kaufman, with whom I have had the privilege of working in her home. I hope that I will be able to offer you a number of organizing tips as well as enabling you to contact me with any questions regarding your personal workspace.

Recently, Debbie posted a blog about her former and present desks and how she works most effectively. I believe my job as a personal organizer is to find out how your work best in your space.

Now, I would like to show you my desk and some of the tools that are effective for me. I love to use baskets to organize "like" items in my desk area. Some of my baskets include items such as pens and pencils, batteries, scotch tape, glue sticks, scissors and notecards.

One of the shelves pictured in my photo includes an organizer for cards and receipts. Adjacent to the organizer is a row of "blank books" that I use to organize data for the many activities I participate in weekly. I also use these books to record the contents of my storage bins so that I know what I have available to offer others or to use myself. I also have a calendar stored in this area on which I pencil in appointments for the week.

On the third row from the top I store my budget notebook in which we keep track of our spending. This versatile desk unit additionally includes "hidden" hanging files. There are great books available on organization that include tips for workspaces that promote bulletin boards, labeling, and other useful ideas for making your space your own.

Our motto at Let's Get It Together, LLC is "Let Us Help You Win Back Your Space." May 2010 be your most productive year ever! I can be contacted with questions or to arrange a free quote at Kitg777@yahoo.com
Kitty Grubbs

A neat freak's domain

2010-01-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

This is my writing space. It's calming, packed with antiques and comfortable. I've always loved sitting here, knowing that every inch of this little nook will inspire internal thought.

The problem of course is that my internal thought, while reclining on my lovely hand carved chair, is more often centered on what decorator item I might add to the spot and my home in general instead of imagining romantic plots.

So what's wrong with this picture?

Basically this is an image of what your work space should NOT look like.

There are no colorful POST ITS tacked to the wall, scrawled with story ideas, character bio's or Editor emails. There are no easily accessible book shelves boasting a dictionary, thesaurus or any writer's help manuals.(The cute leopard print container, by the way, holds decorating magazines) There are no story boards or beneficial character collages any where in sight.

There's just a nicely decorated 1950's desk positioned beneath a collection of antique clocks, a 30's fan and some delicate French porcelain.

So I might be a contender for a spread in HOUSE BEAUTIFUL magazine, but I have yet to be recruited by HARLEQUIN or AVON books.

And isn't that the whole point for a writer's work space after all?

After a first hand look at my blog sister's work spaces I have decided to add a new goal to my 2010 list.

Get my office on track.

My writing track that is.

And then next year I can reveal a different nook, one that's carefully cluttered with the implements of my trade, filled with the inspiration I need to create readable works of romance.

I'd like to believe that romance reader's might benefit from my love of story telling far more than my compulsively neat and carefully decorated house.

Have a brilliant day and keep writing!!

Tamara

A Room With a View

2010-01-19T00:05:00.002-05:00

By Marilyn Baron

If where you work is a reflection of who you are, then I must be a mess. To say I’m a pack rat is a bit of an understatement. People often compare my work space to the desk of 60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney. In the old days (before advancing age syndrome struck) I could stick my hand in the pile and find any piece of paper I wanted. I knew exactly where everything was. In my mind, my desk was organized. That’s no longer the case.

I need to do some housecleaning. I tried it once. I moved everything into boxes and stored them in the basement. Then our basement flooded and all of the cardboard boxes were destroyed and had to be hauled away. Turns out I never needed that “stuff.” I don’t want another flood, but something of Biblical proportions needs to be done about my work space.

My desk is just a repository of paper and junk. I can’t sit at the desk, there’s no room to write there. And then there’s my husband’s desk. Most of the time when he’s not at work he’s on my computer. I can’t understand why he has to use my computer when he has a laptop he can use when he’s not at work. When my younger daughter visits and she wants to catch up on some work at the office, she uses my computer. When my older daughter visits from New York and she checks in at the office, she also takes over my computer.

Actually, I can understand why my office is where everyone wants to be. My office is bright, the walls are painted a soothing lemon yellow, my curtains are a yellow and blue striped and floral pattern and the rug is a diamond-patterned yellow hue. Hanging on the wall is my framed 2005 Maggie certificate for Third place in the Single Title Category for “The Colonoscopy Club.” I think I need to write a sequel because soon I’ll have to have another one of those procedures. A Bermuda print, called “Shutters,” depicts a pastel yellow cottage with a stepped pristine white roof against a blue sky background.

Probably one of my favorite things about my office is the view from the windows that open up to my backyard. When I’m not writing, I’m daydreaming, getting inspiration, talking on the phone and looking outside, and I can always count on seeing a lively squirrel chase; birds, ranging from red-headed woodpeckers and blue jays to hummingbirds; roaming coyotes and most often deer, sometimes five or six of them, walking on the trail by the stream in back of my house.

As far as inspiration, I don’t need candles. I don’t have a sense of smell so I would probably burn down the house and never realize it. I love music, but I don’t generally play it when I’m writing. To get me started, all I need is a phrase, an intro, a thought, a name and that sparks an idea and generates a story.

As far as the state of my office, I probably won’t change, not at this late date. I like order in my life and the rest of the house is in good shape. But my office reflects the chaos, ideas, creativity and excitement in my head. So maybe that’s not so bad.

What is your favorite thing about your office?

During the Reign of the Oak King

2010-01-19T00:04:00.003-05:00

During the Reign of the Oak King

March 1997 – Fall in love with the mother of all destroyed late-Victorian houses. Buy house. Re-construct house. Think graduate school would be a good accompaniment to soak up the spare time.
August 1997 – Rent out previous house to save money. Camp in Victorian house while re-constructing and managing graduate course work. Get fired from horrible teaching job = rejoice/panic.
September 1997 – Get hired to teach college English courses. Produce one poem per week for graduate school. Decide adding a baby would be fun.
1998 – Baby+Victorian House+Graduate School = Not Quite Enough. Sign on to be editor-in-chief of literary magazine. Type twenty page papers with baby on lap while shouting instructions to carpenters.
2000 – Graduate coursework done, time to sit for MFA Comprehensive Exams. Carpenter and painter make great nannies. Think to self – I could pass my exams and write my thesis if I had an office away from baby+carpenter+painter+MADNESS. Ask universe for magic.
March 2000 – Disturbing dream about the Space Shuttle landing in back yard.
April 2000 - Clear day. No wind. Carpenter and crew working. Sudden crack and hair standing up. Giant oak tree splits at the union and comes down – taking out an outbuilding and narrowly missing carpenter. Carpenter stands up, dusts off, grabs chain saw.
June 2000 – Outbuilding now studio courtesy of the Oak King (and State Farm Insurance, but really my carpenter).

And that is how I came to have a studio and office in an outbuilding. The space used to be a one car garage so it’s long and narrow. In my space I have all of my sewing equipment, my desk, plenty of cupboards, and my favorite books. I burn incense and play my music (which ranges from Loreena McKennit to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs depending on the day). I know my good fortune is courtesy of the universe and that my “room of one’s own” where I can do all manner of creative endeavors is rare and precious. My kids are not allowed in there except by invitation. Sometimes they stand on the outside of the doors and look in longingly as I shoo them out to play. Over the course of years I’ve decoupaged the walls with images and pictures - mostly gardens and topiary. I like color so I surround myself with it. I would never use such strong and feminine colors in a family space, but in my own space I can.

On one side there’s the remaining garage and on the other is an apartment where random relatives sometimes live. Glass doors open out into the garden and are framed by roses on one side and a rosemary bush on the other – the inside of my door is painted the exact shade of the roses courtesy of the Home Depot color-match system. My desk is made up of old doors I’ve decoupaged and painted then covered with glass – the legs are wrought iron window guards formed together with tubes in-between to hold rolls of paper. Everything in the studio is re-claimed from somewhere else – my desk was built in trade with my carpenter – he got my old wrecked Mercedes and I got this amazing work space. Because of the work I do I have a super-huge monitor and all kinds of office equipment hidden all over. I didn’t just clean my desk for the picture – I actually usually keep it like that as I get disturbed when things aren’t tidy and neatly organized. I love my space. It’s where my heart beats truest.

Creating a Writing Space – Considerations & Alternatives

2010-01-18T02:07:00.002-05:00

My husband and I both needed an office at home, so we came up with the brilliant idea to share a room. My portion of the office was going to be my writing space while his would be an old fashioned office. We divided the room up to accommodate our stuff and purchased a partner desk, which means we would be facing each other when we were both working. Things haven't worked out exactly as I envisioned. In our enthusiasm to create a nice office, I lost sight of the real goal – a small place to go to, slip into my imagination and create stories.

Things I failed to consider:

Work styles: We have opposite work habits that clash.
Size: The size of the office is not conducive to sharing, especially when all of our stuff is added to the room.
Furniture: A partner desk doesn't work for me. I can't stare at my husband across the desk and remain in my imagination. When I see him, I am jolted back to reality because he is so grounded. His world is all about business, computers, etc. My world, like most writers, is story oriented and in my head. My writing space was supposed to be my little corner where reality isn't a priority.
Choice of room: We chose the room in the front of the house. This room has a window that stretches down to the floor where my boys (the pups) can see cars and people passing by. When they see something, they bark. Obviously, my story world is destroyed by the loud crash into reality.
Chairs and space: My boys' special place is at the window, which is located a foot from the back of my chair that has wheels. You see the problem.
Climate: The front room is usually hotter than the back room.

We should have used both rooms as offices – one for him and one for me. The view of the backyard is filled with trees and other forms of nature. The view is so much more relaxing. My boys wouldn't bark so much because they can't see people or cars. The room is much cooler, and the lavender colored walls are more conducive to creativity.

The other issue I did not anticipate has nothing to do with the office. It is too much of a business environment. When I'm there, I constantly think of phone calls that need to be made, paperwork that needs to be done, etc. Additionally, whenever I sit in the office chair, my boys start to cry for attention. Needless to say, my creativity does not manifest itself here.

My solution is to write in the dining area, which we are converting to a sun room. It is in the back of the house, gets lots of light and the boys can sit right next to me, which makes them very happy.

Meet the boys:

Angus is on the left and Murray is on the right.

Atlanta Bread Company is my favorite place to write though. They have a couple of nice sitting areas with easy access to outlets. At least once a week, I meet some of my writer friends to write. Yes, we chat a little, but the focus is on writing. We affectionately refer to this time together as Write Night since we typically meet in the evening. Check out our favorite area:

The only thing missing are my little buddies, the boys, who aren't allowed in the restaurant :(

If you have a writing space, what would you have done differently? Do you have alternative writing places in or outside the home?

The Saturday Review

2010-01-16T00:05:00.001-05:00

No Nice Girl
by Penny Lindsay

Harlequin Special Releases, October 2009

Miniseries: Vintage Collection, Paperback, Suspense and Adventure
ISBN: 9780373837502

No Nice Girl is one of Harlequin’s 60 Anniversary throw back novels. I thought the concept was a pretty neat idea. They use the same ideas to celebrate football and baseball notable days, why not romance. I wasn’t aware that the books were available until I saw a few in the book store. I bought the one with the smallest number (#9 - or oldest book) I could find. That meant that No Nice Girl was written around 1949. Being a Georgia resident, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the book was written by a Georgian.

My impressions: Sex on the first three pages. Between two people not married. This was written before I was born and I had no idea anyone knew anything about sex until TV came along. I think some of the books written today are racy but imagine what was said 60 years ago about having premarital sex in a book. There were also cuss words in it, another surprise.

The story revolves around a young girl, Anice, who goes to New York to live with her cousin Phylis. Phylis has a difficult time liking Anice, as does the reader. Phylis has a good heart and a man friend, but believes she is in love with her rich boss. Anice is very judgmental of Phylis’s life style. Anice spends much of her time lying and creating havoc. The story ends with everyone getting what they deserve. Phylis realizes she loves her man friend and he returns her love. Anice marries Phylis’s boss after manipulating him into it.

The golden rule that good characters, conflicts and happy endings make for an interesting book hasn’t changed in 60 years, nor do I think it will in the next 60. No Nice Girl includes all three.

Review by Susan May
3 Petit Fours & 1 Hot Tamales

2010-01-16T00:04:00.000-05:00

If He’s Sinful

by Hannah Howell

Publisher: Kensington
ISBN-13: 978-1420104615

Lady Penelope is a woman who has a sixth sense. She can see dead people and she can feel what happened to a person by touching an object that person has touched. Kidnapped, drugged and chained to a bed in a brothel, Lady Penelope knows that someone has died in this very bed and it was not pleasant. As she glances around the room, her eyes land on a shadowy figure in the corner. The ghost makes herself known to Lady Penelope by whispering “Beware.” Fearful of who will walk in to the room, Lady Penelope tenses as the door opens. Shock replaces fear as Lady Penelope fixes her gaze on Lord Ashton Radmoore, her stepsister’s soon to be fiancé standing in the room in an ancient Roman outfit. But quickly, shock turns to utter disbelief as Lord Ashton begins to caress Lady Penelope’s legs and then completely disrobes in front of her. She never thought she would see this side of Lord Ashton.

When you are the eldest son of an adulterous father who leaves your family nearly destitute upon his death, you have to be a man who likes to stay in control and Lord Ashton Radmoore is no exception. He likes to be in control of the situation, in control of his emotions, and most definitely in control of his passion. Sworn not to be an adulterous husband like his father and trying to restore the family coffers, Lord Ashton begins courting a wealthy and beautiful yet somewhat cold young woman, Lady Clarissa Hutton-Moore. As the time draws near to ask for Lady Clarissa’s hand in marriage, Lord Ashton’s friends decide to surprise him with a night on the town, the pinnacle of the evening being dressing Lord Ashton as an ancient Roman and providing him with a woman for the night. Half way protesting this night of pleasure, Lord Ashton finds himself riveted by the beauty chained to the bed in the brothel. As he gazes into the mystical eyes of the beauty, Lord Ashton begins to realize he has met the one woman who will make him lose his control.

This novel is full of, well, everything. There is intrigue involved throughout the story (who would have Lady Penelope kidnapped, drugged and taken to a brothel). There is a cast of evil characters (the stepbrother and stepsister of Lady Penelope). There is a vast cast of secondary characters that are very entertaining and enchanting (a house full of innocent children who find themselves born on the wrong side of the blanket in the Wherlocke family but whom Lady Penelope loves and cares for). There is comedy (don’t get me started on what some of the little boys say and do). But above all of these things there is a consuming love story. A story of a man who gives up his control to enjoy the love of his life. A story of a woman who finds that one man to love her just as she is, sixth sense and all. As you can see from this passage, love and passion abound.

“This is madness,” Ashton mumbled as he realized he had begun to undo her gown.

“Tis a very sweet one.” She kissed his throat, savoring the taste of him, and heard him groan softly.

“Penelope, I am close to taking you right here, on the settee in your parlor.”

“Aye, it is, perhaps, not the best place for this.”

He lifted himself on his forearms to look at her. Her lips were kiss-swollen, her eyes a hot blue that now knew was caused by desire. She wanted him. He wanted her.“You are an innocent,” he whispered.

“Innocent, but not ignorant. I live a short walk from a part of London where every sin known to man can be purchased. I may be innocent in body, but I know more than I like to. I know where this will and I know I want to follow.”

It has been a while since I have read a Hannah Howell book, but I am so glad I did not pass up on this one. I found myself reading page after page and not wanting to put the book down. I am really looking forward to reading more of these series (Wherlocke Series) and seeing what other six senses the family members have been given. I hope you will pick up this book to see If He’s Sinful.

Reviewed by: Buffie Johnson - The Romance Dish

4 Petit Fours & 4 Hot Tamales

Writing Process

2010-01-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Susan May's Writing World

I’m still in search of my real writing process. I don’t know but I may always be in search of it on some level. My newest step is learning to embrace and appreciate a synopsis. Which I have done, and wish I’d done sooner. I begin a book by making notes about my characters, setting and story line. I use something similar to Deb Dixon’s GMC frame to start. It usually takes a week or so of making notes, thinking and making more notes before I can put something serious on the page. I would like to say I write on a new story every day but I’m more of a spurt person. Pages here and pages there.

J PERRY'S WRITING PROCESS:

I don't do anything without having ingested a giant cup o' Joe. That done, I reread ONLY the new writing I wrote the day before to oil my gears. I polish that up then forge on ahead. Wash, rinse, repeat the next day. After the whole draft is complete, I go through and polish 2-3 more times (I'm not a clean writer) and then I'm finished.

I write from a detailed synopsis I hash out with my critique partner before ever beginning the book. I don't do detailed charts--I'm too impatient to read through them--more of a bullet-point system of necessary plot details. Sometimes I stray from the details, but I'm usually pretty loyal to the plan. When I run into snags, again, my CP is my writing oxygen. She gives me a billion and one options, without ever getting getting too attached to the suggestions she's given me, and lets me pick and choose at will.

I Write in the Dark : Nicki Salcedo

Sometimes I turn off my monitor and write in the dark. When doing a deep revision, I don’t edit. I re-write every word of a chapter so I force myself to lose the extraneous words. It is difficult for me to write about things that I can see, but once I have an image in my memory I can create in on the page. I like to wake up at 3 a.m. and write. Well, I don’t really like this, but when I am awake at 3 a.m. I take advantage of the quiet and write. In this season of my life, I write long hand. I only recently went to this process. I think it reminds me of keeping a diary or journal growing up. I don’t write as fluidly when I type. I write better with pen on paper.

My Writing Process: CiCi Barnes

I started out with pencil and paper, writing anywhere and everywhere, especially when traveling with hubby. I have now graduated to the computer at home and a laptop or AlphaSmart Neo on the road. Pencil and paper creep back on the scene sometimes, but not often.

I have never been one to sort everything out before I start writing the story. I get a nugget of an idea and then start typing. My characters develop and lead me down the road they want me to follow. At some point, around the middle, I start to list bullet points of how I want to proceed to the end. Sometimes my characters agree; sometimes they don’t. I follow their whims, for they are usually right.

My writing day begins by 9:00 am and goes to at least 5:00 pm, if not 6:00 pm (depending on hubby’s empty tummy). I take a break around 12:30 for lunch. I also try to get up every couple of hours for about 15 minutes to do a quick household chore or just stop and breathe in some fresh air. I usually start out reading what I wrote the day before to refresh my memory and then move onto the next scene.

I used to edit as I went, but realized the process bogged down my writing. I fight the urge and leave the revising and editing until after I’ve written The End.

I’m blessed to be able to devote my days to writing without having to deal with a day job or children begging for my time and attention. My hat’s off to those who deal with life’s multiple juggles and writing too.

My writing process has evolved over the years. Some things I did at the beginning, still work, others have fallen by the wayside as I’ve learned, grown and attended more conferences to expand my knowledge. My advice: don’t be a slave to one way of working. Try out different methods and choose the one that fits your personality and lifestyle. Don’t scoff at trying a new way of doing things until you’ve tried it and it doesn’t work.

As in your writing, your methods of turning out the best book need to explore all possibilities.

Sandy's Office

2010-01-14T00:17:00.002-05:00

My Space, My Hideout, My Office
By Sandy Elzie

I've come a long way from sitting in a chair with a legal pad and a pen and then having to beg time on my husband's computer to type it up. He's a computer geek...even built one 30 years ago with parts he purchased from Radio Shack...so you can imagine that I had to whine occasionally.

After many years writing the Barney Rubble way, I advanced into the twentieth century and got my own computer, but I was sharing space in a tight little office (10x11 bedroom conversion) with my desk facing one wall and hubby's facing the opposite wall. (Back to back they faced each other....) And we still shared a printer.

Once I got into the Twenty-first century, I also got my own laptop and recently an Alpha Smart- Neo which means I can be creative ANYWHERE, but guess what? My favorite space is my office. I write faster and longer and just accomplish more at the desk. (although if the muse is slow I notice that I'm a little tempted to check e-mails more often than I should)

When we moved two years ago I was blessed with my own space. It's an octagon shaped room with 3 windows.

As you can see from this picture, I have a resident cat who owns not one, but two cat shelves so he can have a choice of which of the 3 windows to sleep in front of. (After all, the sun moves!) It isn't just grandchildren that grandmother's spoil. (I love you, Master Jack)

I also have a chair for visitors , note the framed certificate from Break Into Fiction on the wall. Hubby likes to join me in the morning with a cup of coffee since I tend to get up earlier and start writing and he gets up around seven and makes the coffee and brings it in. (I won't say that I've got him well trained...just in case he reads this. Shhhhhh, it'll be our little secret.)

This picture is my first cover framed with the Book Signing sign from M&M (my first official book signing)

Lastly, there is a short bookcase for my TBR books and a tall bookcase that holds service awards and books on the craft of writing as well as buckets for things like spare batteries, boxes of staples, tape, extra pens & pencils, ink cartridges, envelopes, etc.

Bottom line is that it's my haven, my place to relax and be creative. It tends to be messy on top of my desk, but it works for me. Oh, and the best thing is that my office has French doors that close to make me feel shut away and cozy in my space if there happens to be any noise in the house that I want to block out.

Happy New Year!

Clutter, Cleaners, and Concentration

2010-01-13T01:09:00.001-05:00

If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then, is an empty desk? -- Albert Einstein

A clean desk is the sign of a cluttered drawer. –Unknown

Work spaces are such a personal thing. When I taught school, my desk was always cluttered, mostly with piles of paperwork. I finally taped a sign on my desk that said “Einstein's desk was always this messy.” And indeed, it was.

When I began to write, I found that my “genius” fled in a state of clutter.

Strange, that.

I could sit in front of my computer to write, but found my mind cluttered and my concentration shot by the mess around me. Very little productivity came forth. So, I knew something had to change.

But frankly, you don’t take a woman whose only purchase of a decorative item beyond big ticket furniture is the sign pictured below and turn her into an organizational genius overnight. By the way, if any of you NEED a sign like this one, I found mine at a local Hallmark store.
I have compromised and now find that I work best if I can at least organize my own little space while I’m writing. Does it mean that I am now a total neatnik? Wait, I’ll stop laughing, pick myself up off the floor and continue this post in a minute after I consider that “neat” designation.

No, I’m not. But I have found ways to keep clutter or items on my “To Do List” from beating up my writing muse. Here, along with illustrations are my coping mechanisms.

1. I've limited my workspace. I used to write on this lovely, enormous antique writing desk. That's a picture of it to the left. It's missing it's drawers since I took this shot right before I sent it on consignment to a local antique store. Why? Because I soon I found that I had filled up the expanse of desktop with files and piles, virtually eliminating any space to work on. So, I got radical and bought this efficient little laptop table called "The Dave" at Ikea. Other than post-its with quick notes on it, I find it relatively impossible to clutter.

2. I designate my perimeter and, if all else fails, I pick up and move any clutter out of my work area. See? All neat and uncluttered.

2. Along with a laptop, I use an Alphasmart Neo. It is portable and I can write when I’m stuck in the dentist’s office or a carpool line. Oh, and I can also write by the pool when the muse strikes.

3. I go somewhere else and write. Usually I choose a local coffeehouse or my friendly, neighborhood library. This is a great workspace idea when there are other people in your home who will inevitably distract you. Let’s see. That would be my house. Almost always. But leave home and, except for the homeless lady who frequents the reference section, no one bothers me.

4. I hired Monica, the wonderful. Monica comes every two weeks and cleans my house for me. This has forced me into more and more organization. In fact, I’ve kept up with the house so well since hiring her, that Monica tells me she fears for her job. HA! Never fear, Monica. One of my few conditions in my upcoming house move is that Monica comes with me.

Yes, my home workspace is about to change. We are looking at moving within the next month. I have trolled the new house and can’t find my spot yet. I won’t have a whole room to myself, but like Carol Burnside said in her previous post, I will now have a blank slate. I am considering a computer desk with shelves for my reference books. If I go back to a "real" desk, I'm definiely heading to The Container Store since I can keep a desk neat if everything has a designated space.

I’m open to suggestions on how to set up a new spot. Clutter-free please.

Anna's Mind

2010-01-12T03:30:00.003-05:00

I don’t play video games. They bore me. But I’m quite diverted by machinima, a form of animation that uses 3-D graphics, often from video games, and then adds new voice-overs to tell a narrative.

One of my favorite examples of machinima is Freeman’s Mind.“Freeman’s Mind is a [online] science-fiction comedy series that follows the thoughts of Dr. Gordon Freeman, a 27 year old physicist and protagonist of the [video] game Half-Life...In the game Half-Life, Freeman is entirely silent and has no actual personality. In Freeman’s Mind, he is a highly vocal and neurotic individual with paranoid and delusional tendencies.” -- Ross Scott, creator of Freeman’s mind, www.accusedfarms.com

I was thinking how cool it would be to find a video game about a writer and add all the thoughts in voice-overs. Let’s imagine this scene – part of the series Anna’s Mind. The writer/heroine is jetting off to Puerto Rico for a thrilling week of writing, dodging bad-ass iguanas, and drinking staggering quantities of rum.

A tall, handsome dude sits next to the heroine on the airplane.

Heroine’s voice-over: “OMG, he looks just like the hero in my book. I can’t believe he’s sitting next to me. I can’t believe he exists in real life. Don’t turn red. Don’t turn red.”

She opens her laptop, mulls how to revise the sucky opening scene, and he asks, “Are you a writer?”

The adrenaline rush heats the heroine’s face.

In voice-over, she says with arm-pumping certainty, “YES! He talked to me and knows I’m a writer. He peered into my repressed little soul. He probably thinks I’m cool. I am cool. Well...I’ll pretend like I’m cool.”

Then Mr. Hero-lookalike asks the dreaded question, “What do you write.”

“About you,” she thinks aloud.

As the animator, I’m going to push button “A“ to move her laptop out of sight because she doesn’t want him to see that what she writes really is...crap.

Her voice-over says, “Jeesh, I hope he didn’t see what crap I write. I hate it when people try to read while I’m writing. It’s almost like having someone watch me go to the bathroom. I wonder if he’s a perv. He doesn’t look like a perv, but you never know. I hope he doesn’t put on those cheap-ass ear phones to listen to Kenny G. “

Hey, who invited that neurotic and paranoid Dr. Gordon Freeman into my machinima?

This isn’t going to work. No one will ever make a video game about the act of writing. It isn’t exotic or thrilling. It doesn’t involve guns or take place in underground tunnels full of aliens and radioactive goo. It involves lots of coffee and reward snacks and takes place in semi-daylight. For example, let’s look at where I wrote today. This morning at the coffee house, I sat facing an electrical outlet. The holes look like a sad face, like someone who’s disappointed that I ate the last piece of cheesecake. Voice-over: “Hey, you neither licked it nor put your name on it. It was so delicious.” Later, I plopped on the orange couch in the photo. It used to be a frou-frou, fugly country-blue plaid monstrosity, but I recovered into a mod masterpiece. Impressive, n’est pas? I wish someone would be that impressed by my writing. You put your soul into writing, but only your blood into upholstery (lots of blades, staples and big scary needles required, kind of brain surgery). By the way, that’s Pauline the Cat hanging on the window screen. Voice-over: “Get off the screen, you fat blob. I just let you out two seconds ago. You can’t want in already.” I stop everything I’m doing and let her in.

Alas, the act of writing will remain un-machinima-ed.

So, do you mind when people read your stuff while you’re writing?

PS – please leave a comment, but I might not be able to read it right away.

I’ll be in Puerto Rico on a wild writing adventure when this goes live.

Really.

Feng Shui or Phooey a la Hooey?

2010-01-11T00:15:00.000-05:00

by Linsey Lanier

packrat
- noun
1. a collector of miscellaneous useless objects
2. any of several bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Neotoma of western North America; hoards food and other objects

I have to admit I froze solid when Tami announced January's challenge was about our workspaces. Yes, I'm a private person, but that's not the reason I was filled with dread. The real reason is that I would have to admit to the world what a packrat I am.

It's true. My workspace is usually a mess. That's because (1) I don't clean in this office. I write in it. (2) As a writer, I generate paper. Lot's of it. Edits of my current wip. Notes about books I'm reading. Notes about books I'm writing. Stray thoughts. Contest feedback. Notes on a napkin from a cop show. Etc., etc. (3) I accumulate books and I like to have them around me for inspiration (see photos). (4) Also, like many of my blog sisters, I collect quotations and other bits of inspiration (on cards, usually) to keep me going. (Unlike my blog sisters, I don't put the quotations neatly on a cork-board. I just tape them to the side of my monitor. See other photos.)

I've recently added the one on the bottom: "You have a flair for adding a fanciful dimension to any story. I love that. If it sounds like it came from a fortune cookie, that's because it did. I've been collecting them for years. I used to keep them together with a paper clip, but as of a few days ago, they are now in a plastic bag on my desk.

Why, you might ask? Because... hold your breath... a few days ago, I cleaned up my office!!!

Yes, it was the end of the year and I usually do something like that, but this time, I went all out. I even chronicled my progress in an e-book I've been intending to write for ages and ages. I hope to make it available on my personal blog, soon.

Don't stop reading here. Today we've got a bonus post. Be sure to check out Sally Kilpatrick's quest for a workspace.

Someday my space will come. . .

2010-01-11T00:01:00.001-05:00

I would love to be the Felix to Linsey’s supposed Oscar, but alas I am not. If anything, I am more disorganized than she. I’ve been so busy carving out time to write that I haven’t given much thought to a place. Okay, so I tried writing in my closet, and that worked up until Christmas when my closet became the gift repository. Now, I can’t find my desk.

I have a front room, but it, too, is full of junk. One of my goals for 2010 is to clean out this room and keep it clean. After all, it’s just to the left of the front door, and it’s an eyesore for those who dare enter my house. Let’s face it, after eight years of teaching while going to class and bearing babies, my house is a wreck. I know others manage to do all of the above and then some while keeping a clean house, but I know my limitations. They say the first step is to admit you have a problem.

So, you can see the space that will one day be my writing space, and I will have my back to the strip of wall between the two windows. For me, the windows are distracting while I can easily stare through walls. Also, I have been known to get so into what I’m writing that, if my husband puts a hand on my shoulder, he sends me into orbit. Suffice to say, I like to keep my back to the wall.

Now, here is one of the two places where I do a great deal of my writing. This is one of the most cluttered corners in the house because there isn’t really a desk to keep all of my goodies. I also live in fear of forgetting to remove my laptop and having Lorelai fling a liquid substance on it because she eats in the spot just beside me.

I have also logged quite a few pages (over 500 in 2009) at Gabriel’s, a local bakery/restaurant. Gabriel’s doesn’t have Internet access, but they do have incredible muffins and breakfast sandwiches, and they have the added advantage of being just around the corner from Lorelai’s preschool thus minimizing time lost in travel. Sometimes I also write upstairs in the church where she goes to school; it can’t hurt to have a little divine intervention from time to time.

And that’s a sample of the places where I write. In 2009, I learned to squeeze out words wherever I could, so you can imagine me writing just about anywhere. Since we’ve been talking about writing spaces all month, I thought I might ask a different question or two. What’s the strangest place you’ve written 500 words or more? Also, anybody have any organizational strategies for the clutter impaired?

SCOUNDREL'S KISS CONTEST WINNER

2010-01-10T07:31:00.002-05:00

The winner of the signed copy of SCOUNDREL'S KISS is Linda Henderson!!! Yay!!! Linda, please send us your mailing information to pfhtbloggers@yahoo.com and we will forward it onto Carrie! Thank you, everyone, for coming by and visiting with us yesterday. And THANK YOU, Carrie, for blogging with us.

The Saturday Review

2010-01-09T00:05:00.002-05:00

Sand, Sun … Seduction!

By Stephanie Bond, Leslie Kelly and Lori Wilde

Harlequin ISBN-13:978-0-373-83734-2

This book is made up of three short stories that take place in hot tropical climates.

Enticed by Stephanie Bond
Kimber Karlton, a woman with the perfect job, perfect man, and plans for a perfect life is derailed when she has trouble meeting her boyfriend on a south Pacific island where she’s heard he plans to propose. With round-about travel plans and a free spirited pilot Finn Meyers as help, Kimber hopes her new companion can get her to the island. Finn has other plans, showing Kimber a new side to life. By the time she does reach her destination, she has found a new definition for perfect - life with Finn.

Propositioned by Leslie Kelly
In St. Lucia, putting her life back together after an ugly divorce, Liz Talbot is surprised to see Jack Beaumont, her ex’s old boss. Jack is there to get Liz’s help with a business problem but finds the feelings he hid from Liz while she was married are still beating strongly. Jack woos Liz, but when she finds out what his visit is really about she is devastated. Jack faces his fear of water just to get her to talk to him. Liz discovers Jack is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

Fevered by Lori Wilde
Macy Gatwick wants a news story bad enough that she is willing to track through the jungle of Costa Rica to talk to Armando Cutler. Licking his wounds from an experience with a dishonest woman, Armando wants nothing to do with another one. When a heavy rain storm develops, he has no choice but to invite Macy into his cabin until it passes. One day turned into three. Armando starts to trust again but when he finds Macy’s press pass he is furious. He wants her gone as soon as possible. Days later he wonders why his story hasn’t made the papers and finds out that Macy refused to release the story. Macy returns to the jungle and Armando’s welcoming arms.

I’m a little late (okay, a lot late) in reading this book. It was marketed for the summer as the perfect beach read but if you are cold and want to warm up during the Christmas season find this book. I like all three of these stories. I like them so well that the book is a keeper. If you are a writer this book is a good one to study to learn how to write romance well. These authors know how to do it.

Review by Susan May
4 Petit Fours and 5 Hot Tamales

2010-01-09T00:04:00.003-05:00

Notorious Eliza
By Barbara Monajem

Harlequin Historical Undone
e-book: 25 pages
ASIN: B002WEPC0K

Eliza Dauntry has been commissioned to paint over the bacchanalia murals frolicking over Lord Lansdowne’s ballroom walls. What she doesn’t realize, however, is that while she’s covering over the more shocking elements of the paintings, someone is secretly watching her--and uncovering her with his imagination.

Patrick “Trick” Felham is looking to remarry. He wants a respectable woman, one that will love him and teach his young daughter what it means to be a part of polite society. Surely that is beyond the reach of the temptress altering his uncle’s murals. She’s the Eliza Dauntry, after all--the same woman who paints portraits of courtesans, and who once painted herself in a legendary nude—the infamous nude Trick secretly purchased years ago. How could such a woman, unable to be “shocked when (she) should be,” satisfy the yearnings of his heart, as well as his body?

With this refreshingly original premise, Monajem crafts the perfect blend of historical accuracy and sexy narrative. The paintings themselves provide an interesting juxtaposition with the fledgling, albeit sizzling, attraction between the hero and heroine. If you’re looking for something spicy and new, read Notorious Eliza.

Reviewed by J Perry Stone

Hot Tamales: 4

Where Imagination takes Flight

2010-01-08T00:03:00.001-05:00

J PERRY'S WRITING SPACE:

I chose earthy colors for my writing space (to calm), and have decorated it with several items indicative of my genre: an antique bottle of actual Victorian smelling salts, a teacup and a little clay English cottage, to name a few. On my wall are several John William Waterhouse prints, as well as an actual leaf I filched from Hyde Park when I was in London two years ago (what customs doesn't know ... heh, heh). I have a candle on my desk that when lit, triggers my creativity (and makes me hungry), and I find I'm most productive when my space is organized. In that light, I take about 5 minutes to straighten up before I ever plant my tush in the chair.

The embarrassing detail I'll share with you is something I made. It's a picture of me holding a Rita award (read: my eventual Rita award). I've pasted it right at eye level on the window in front of my desk.

...because visualizing the mountaintop is half the climb, no?

I’ll Tell You What You Don’t Need to Know

Nicki Salcedo

I never listen to the radio when I drive, but I always wave to say thanks when another driver is courteous to me. I believe that controlling your own fate is your destiny. I try to remember to smile when no one else is around. I love seeing people read even if it is something I would never read. Cutting the grass is relaxing for me. I want to learn how to play the piano. I try to take the stairs when I can. I don’t watch TV. Part of enjoying life is observing real life. For me, writing is like telling secrets that belong to imaginary people.

"My Office" Susan May

My writing/office space is in the basement of my home. There are no windows but that may be a good thing because I don’t have to worry about staring out a window. I have pictures of flowers to posters from James Bond movies hanging on the walls. My newest item is a framed grouping of Harlequin romance bookmarks. Inspiration. Maybe one day I will have framed bookmarkers of my own. I have a large book shelf stocked with my keeper books. Close to my straight back chair and under the large winged table that I use as a desk is a dictionary and thesaurus. I’m big on organization so there are numerous file folders, along with different colored binders containing my manuscripts. My sewing machine also has a spot in my office. An antique sofa that belonged to my grandmother is used by my children when they come down to talk.

My Workspace: CiCi Barnes

I write in my study at a large desk with multiple draws, shelves and filing cabinets since I’m a bit of an organization freak. Over the computer are shelves with reference and research books. A large Thomas Kincaid lighthouse (the love of my life after my hubby, children, grandchildren and granddogs) picture graces the wall above the desk.
One floor-ceiling-window lets in the sun and gives me a great view of the pasture land in front of my house when I have the need to gaze out and think about my next scene or figure out what my character will do or say next.
There are multiple bookcases with all my keeper books. My non-keeper books have been relegated to the basement in seven huge containers. A rocking chair sits by the window along with an old elementary school desk my daddy acquired for me years ago from my old grammar school before they tore it down.
It’s quite a cozy abode for writing, thinking and playing on the computer. I use a candle for scent and always have a warm cup of green tea nearby. I’m not one to play music while I write, as a rule, especially music with lyrics. I tend to start singing along. But occasionally, for a super intense or romantic scene, I’ll put on “Robin Hood, Prince of Theives” or “Somewhere in Time” CD.
I also have a “Keep Out, Writing” sign on my door to keep hubby at bay. I would hate for him to lose an arm or a leg by interrupting at a crucial moment.

If It Weren’t For The Last Minute, I'd Never Get Anything Done."

2010-01-07T00:05:00.002-05:00

By: Maxine Davis

My wonderful brother gave me a plaque with that quote on it as part of my Christmas! It is so sad, but it’s true! My sister will pack for a trip two weeks in advance. My brother—being a typical man—relies on his wife. Me, the night before: “We’re going where, WHEN?”

I don’t know why, but I’ve always been that way. The blog (PFHT) can make me crazy. I have it on the calendar; I tell myself several times a day not to forget. Then, at the last minute, I get an idea and sit and write. Actually, I sit first and knowing it’s the last minute, an idea hits.

That is how most of my writing goes. Next year, I’m going to work on a minimum number of words a week. We’ll see if I get any sleep on Friday nights, because I will take some weekends off.

This all pretty much tells you how my writing space looks. Felix Unger, I am not. Oscar Madison, on the other hand, hmmm. My computer area, unlike the rest of my house, is a wreck. I had a visit from a colleague who had often groaned about my messy desk at work. When she walked in, she stopped, eyes wide open, and announced, “Your house is neat!” She quickly sputtered and tried to cover it, but there was no mistake, she expected the whole house to be a wreck.

So, ladies, does neatness help you? I’ve really got to try it one day. Actually, for 2010, that IS part of my resolutions. Maybe I’ll post a picture later in the year. On second thought, don’t count on it.

PS: There are plenty of pictures for you in Carol's post just below mine.

2010-01-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

Welcome to My Space by Carol Burnside

This was my writing space when I moved into my home just before Christmas, 2008. A blank slate, waiting for me to make it mine, all mine. For the first time I have an office of my own that doesn’t have to double as the laundry/junk room. It’s in the front of the house rather than the far back corner. I love the window and the French door. Trust me when I say it has never again looked so pristine.

The rest of the pictures have my touches on the room - both good and bad. Good because I painted it colors I like, bought new furniture, added feminine touches and feng shui’d it. I have a scented candle, a tabletop water fountain and a little pet bed for the furry friends who drop in to nap. Bad because it's not the neatest office in the world. Yes, I have a tendency to pile things, but that’s a comfort thing. I like it a little messy, though having it right next to the front door means I can't let it get too bad.

My bulletin board holds only positive things and inspiring quotes. It's in the Career area of the Bagua Map (Feng Shui) and reflects the things I do to promote myself and my writing, including a contest win ribbon, and compliments others have given me regarding my work. The basket contains my thumb drives and quotes on stars given to me by Margie Lawson, quotes that spoke to me. I'm rather careful about what I post here. Only my writing craft books and hard copies of my manuscripts go on the bookshelf in that area.

I have a tall bookshelf to the right of the one you see beneath the bulletin board. Yep, those are books teetering on the edge of those shelves. Right now they're two and three deep.

As Feng Shui encourages, I only put things in my office that I like and enjoy seeing. Things such as the Mother Earth poster, a statuette of a loving couple, a graceful vase from a friend (Thanks again, Darcy!), and pictures of friends and family. I didn't set out to collect them, but bears have found their way into my life, most of them from my hubby with various Valentines Day gifts. Those have a place in my office as well.

I won't go into all the things I placed in strategic places, but the one mirror in the room hangs in the relationship area and reflects the Wealth & Prosperity area. That can't be a bad thing, right?

There's just one other thing you should know. Now that I have my own space, I pay bills in there, I plan and plot and check e-mail and set up blog posts and...just about everything but write. Yeah, I don't understand it either. I love my office, love being in there. But most of the time I head across the foyer to the living room, middle of the couch and rest my feet on a big ottoman/coffee table to write. Go figure.

Please Welcome Guest Blogger Carrie Lofty

2010-01-06T00:53:00.001-05:00

1-7-10 6:42 am - - UPDATE!!!! The winner of the signed copy of SCOUNDREL'S KISS is Linda Henderson!!! Yay!!! Linda, please send us your mailing information to pfhtbloggers@yahoo.com and we will forward it onto Carrie! Thank you, everyone, for coming by and visiting with us yesterday. And THANK YOU, Carrie, for blogging with us.

Please welcome Carrie Lofty as our guest blogger today. Carrier blends her love of history, romance and research by writing historical romances set in unusual times and places.

Two reviewers describe her work the best:

"Carrie Lofty [mixes] a skillful chemistry of intrigue, action, explosives and suspense with just the right touch of sugar and passion..."Audrey Lawrence, Fresh Fiction

"With its atypical setting and unique characters, Lofty's latest sweeps readers into a historical plot that tackles many contemporary themes in a meaningful and thought-provoking way. Kudos to Lofty for her innovative approach." 4 Stars Kathe Robin, Romantic Times

Carrier's first venture into historical romance began with her manuscript that was set in 1804 Salzburg. Shortly thereafter, she wrote what became What a Scoundrel Wants--her swashbuckling contribution to the Robin Hood legends--and an Italian time travel called "Sundial," which won The Wild Rose Press's "Through the Garden Gate" short story contest. Both stories were accepted for publication in autumn 2007. The Castilian-set sequel to What a Scoundrel Wants, called Scoundrel’s Kiss, features a warrior monk and an opium addict.

During the busy holiday season while keeping up with her two children, husband, three tabbies and a fish, we were able to chat about her interesting writing career.

You have a passion for history. What is your favorite period of history to write about? Why?

My passion for history means that I'm a complete sucker for the new and different. Sometimes I think that writing romance is simply a way for me to research to my heart's content! There are very few times or places I wouldn't consider for a story if the right inspiration came along.

How far do you deviate from historical facts in your romance novels?

I try to stay as true as I can to fact while still telling a wonderful story. My take on the Robin Hood myth in WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS was a little odd because so much of our image of that era is colored by legend and Hollywood. But whenever I can, I let readers know when I've intentionally deviated from history.

Most of your stories have unusual settings. Were you nervous about trying to sell stories that are in non-traditional romance settings?

Again, this goes back to my butterfly attention span. I flit from one period or setting to another, mostly out of my own curiosity. But I don't get nervous about the business part of it, not while I'm writing. I simply try to tell a story that's so compelling that editors and readers can't help but go along with my daring.

In December 2008, WHAT A SCOUNDRAL WANTS was released. This story is about Robin Hood's rakish nephew. Tell us a little bit about the book. What inspired it? Is there a deeper message in here for your readers?

In WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS, Robin Hood's estranged nephew, Will Scarlet, rescues the alchemist who can clear him of murder, but she's blind, obsessed with fire, and sister to the woman he helped kidnap. I was inspired by, of all things, Christian Slater in ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES. He was such an unformed character--nearly noble, kind of selfish, borderline heroic. I amped up his heroism and gave him the spotlight.

As for the deeper meaning, I suppose that would go back to Meg and her blindness. She has a great deal of trouble trusting and depending on people, for fear of ridicule. She's very much a "no one is an island" parable, while Will's story is all about growing up and taking responsibility for one's own mistakes.

Do you have any advice for writers working towards publication?

Oh, keep working! I spent years fiddling with various ideas, never finishing anything. It was only once I took my own ambition seriously that I could expect my family to do the same. Just remember that your story is worth telling. Your job is to get good enough to tell it as well as you can.

New Release

Tell us your latest news?

My latest release is SCOUNDREL'S KISS, which makes me so happy. I love this book, and I'm excited to see how well it's being received.

What are the ISBN numbers?

ISBN-10: 1420104764 and ISBN-13: 978-1420104769

What's the book about?

SCOUNDREL'S KISS is the stand-alone sequel to my Robin Hood-themed debut, WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS. When last we saw Ada of Keyworth, she'd just been rescued from the Sheriff of Nottingham and had seriously burnt bridges with her family. She and a young admirer, Jacob ben Asher, head off to Spain together. But she's haunted by the unlawful and sickening torture she endured and turns to opium for relief...

Gavriel de Marqueda is a warrior on the verge of taking his vows with the Order of Santiago. Before he can do so, he must pass one final test: save Ada from herself. He's vowed obedience, nonviolence, and chastity, but Ada refuses to be held against her will, even for her own good, and vows to use every possible resource to thwart Gavriel's offer of aid.

Is it set in Spain? Why did you choose this location?

It's set in the Kingdom of Castile, which comprises part of modern-day Spain. Thinking back, I don't remember exactly what first started me thinking about Spain as a setting, but I knew I wanted to feature two elements to this story: a warrior monk and an opium addict. That meant I needed to find a place where their love could blossom. Spain was not only a hotbed of religious and military activity in the 13th century, but it was also along Arab trade routes. The Arabs traded with the Chinese, which mean that opium was available for purchase in Spain. Ta-dah! I'd found my setting.

What inspired you to write your book?

Ada, the heroine, inspired this book. She is a very selfish, terribly vulnerable and hurting woman at the close of WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS. I took her rather impetuous character to its natural extreme and thought her ripe for substance abuse--someone who doesn't want to look at past mistake and who'd very much like a quick end to pain. Then it was a matter of finding a man who was strong enough--and surprisingly, vulnerable enough--to set her on a path toward both recovery and love.

What, if any, obstacles did you encounter?

Oh, plenty! Writing this book was such a challenge. It was like tearing out a part of myself, then finding it completely inadequate to express what I was trying to convey. I wanted to give Ada a romantic happy ending, but first I had to make sure that I believed she would be strong enough to hold on to that happiness. And neither did I want to trivialize the struggle that is addiction. But in the end, I think it's the best story I've yet written.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

We can rely on others for aid and support, but the determination to overcome obstacles has to come from within.

Is there a story about the writing of this novel that begs to be told?

I initially conceived of Gavriel, the hero, as a warrior monk. To my thinking, monks meant celibacy! However, the religious order that Gavriel joins was actually exceptionally liberal. They allowed monks to keep their own property, to bear arms against Islamic opponents, and to get married! They only practiced celibacy during Lent and other holy days. So I had to find a way for my hero to make the vows despite the liberal attitudes of his order. I think the results are very interesting, in that it's his own will--not the will of an outside force--that determines his very strict actions.

Launching a publisher

Your work is going to be released during Carina Press's launch in June 2010. I couldn't find a title on your site. If I'm not mistaken, this is the very first book you wrote. Tell us about it. What inspired it? Why Salzburg?

The book is currently untitled. I know, it's a little frustrating for me too! Set in 1804 Salzburg, a widowed violin prodigy begins a steamy affair with a renowned composer, only to learn that he stole the symphony he's most famous for.

Yes, it was my first completed manuscript. I was inspired by the movie AMADEUS, which is one of my favorites, and to a lesser extent by IMMORTAL BELOVED. I adore Gary Oldman, and his intense, slightly psychotic Beethoven fired up my imagination. I didn't want to set it during Mozart's time, but that's where I got the Austrian setting. From there I imagined what it would be like to have an amazing talent, only to hide it purposefully for fear of what society would think, The hero's secret, that he may not be as talented as people believe, was the flipside of that question.

What made you decide to go with Carina Press? How do you feel about this being a digital only book? Is there any chance that Carina may release it in print at some point?

I submitted this book to Carina when it first opened for submissions. The premise that they were looking for the stories that weren't being published really appealed to me. I mean, Napoleonic Salzburg? Really? I took a chance in writing it, and I was glad to get on board with a house that wants to take a chance on publishing it. With this being all digital, I think we're part of a big experiment. I'm curious to see where it goes from here.

Upcoming Workshops

Snakebite Scenes and Hollywood Plots: Writing Action with Heart

You have the beginning. You know how it should end. But what to do with those hundreds of pages in the middle? Use my so-called "snakebite scenes" to help characters acknowledge their deeper passions and bond over moments of danger--even when surviving everyday dramas--and analyze movie classics to see how Hollywood tells a rip-roaring story. For plotters, pantsers, and everyone in between, this course can unblock your creative process and help you add action and heart to every page.

Writing Process

Can you describe your writing process when creating a novel?

I start with the setting. Always. Then I research and brainstorm in tandem, trying to find my characters. What sort of people *could* have lived in this time and place? Are they native? Just passing through? There for the long haul? Bored and desperate to get out? Once I have the setting and the characters very firm in my mind, then I start writing and never look back. You could call me a prepared pantser!

General Advice

What advice would you give to people who "run out of creativity" when writing?

When I start a book, I sit down and brainstorm every possible plot point that could go into that project. I don't care how ridiculous--for example, in SCOUNDREL'S KISS, Ada was supposed to a dancing girl at one point. I just write it down. I then save that list for when I get stuck. In going back to it, I get excited about what drew me to the story in the first place. I never use all of it, and many elements are radically changed along the way, but it's a way of jogging my memory and rediscovering my love for the story.

Writing Workspace

The theme for the month of January is writing workspaces. Please describe your special writing space. Pros/cons. What would you do differently? Do you have a picture? Do you have any special recommendations to writers just getting ready to set up their writing space?

I have a desk in the bedroom I share with my husband. We live in a small condo with our daughters, so that area is my office. Sure I'd love a room of my own, but that would mean cleaning it! However, I generally don't create while at my desk. I'm far too easily distracted by the Internet. I'll take my Alphasmart to the couch, or when I'm being particularly stubborn and unproductive, I'll go to a coffee shop or the library. The desk is for bringing it all together, for networking and screwing around, for revisions. I'd love a bookcase just for romance novels. Maybe one day! As for recommendations, do what makes you the most productive. I need few distractions, but others may work best with bits of inspiration gathered around. Don't feel obligated to do it any one way!

Free Reads

My best free reads are the two pastiche stories I contributed to:

"The Unfeasibly Tall Greek Billionaire's Blackmailed Martyr-Complex Secretary Mistress Bride"

And its sequel:

"The Italian Gourmet-Baby-Food Baron's Ironically Pregnant Virgin Mistress"

The other free reads can be found on the Freebie page of Carrie's Web site.

Contest

Carrie is giving away a signed copy of SCOUNDREL'S KISS. To qualify to win, leave a comment for Carrie. A random name will be drawn from the list of those who commented. If you are not in the continental U.S., Carrie will ship the book wherever the Book Depsitory ships to, but it won't be signed.

Closing

Carrie, thank you for joining us today. We have enjoyed the insight into your unusal approach to historical romances. I look forward to reading your novels.

To learn more about Carrie and her writing, visit her Web site: http://www.carrielofty.com/

Welcome to our writing spaces!

2010-01-05T00:06:00.003-05:00

by Tami Brothers and (directly below) Darcy Crowder

Once upon a time…

No, that’s not it. Too whimsical.

In the Beginning…

Nope, that’s not it either. How about….

The life and times of a romance writer…

Uuggghhhh! What am I thinking?

Hi. My name is Tami Brothers and this is where the magic happens.

Hhhmmmm. Better, but still a little stale.

~~~~~~

Have you ever wondered how it all begins? The above lines are exactly the process I go through each time I sit down to start a new story or even pick up from where I left off before. Yet until I have slogged through this jumble of indecisiveness, I’m unable to crawl into the heads of my characters. This routine can be quite frustrating, especially when there are so many distractions in today’s world.

As I sit at my computer desk (the same one in the picture above), I find myself constantly turning to the right to gaze out the window at the beautiful Knockout Roses planted outside. When that’s not enough to distract me, I can always turn towards the 42 inch TV attached to the wall on my left (hubby’s idea of a perfect office, not mine!). See where I’m going with this?

Something I love about my writing space that has quickly turned into the biggest distraction of all is its central location to the rest of the house. I’m smack dab in the middle of everything, just off of the living room (through a set of glass French doors). I love it because I feel like I’m a part of the family even when I’m working. On the other side of the wall behind the computer is the laundry room. This is great so I can, you know, multitask. Then there’s the kitchen located between the computer station and the TV, which actually I’ve been known to burn what I’m cooking because the computer tends to distract me from that. Finally, there are the little things like the bills stacked on the corner of the desk, the books lining the bookcases that surround the room and the internet access that flashes like a beacon calling my name. As lovely and wonderful as it all seems, is it a surprise that I honestly can’t write in this room?

Instead, whenever I’m deep inside the heads of my characters, I can usually be found sitting on the couch with my laptop or even on my bed with my Alphasmart. So, although I’m showing this nice computer desk and wonderful room as my writing space, I actually do all the real work when I’m not sitting there.

And that’s how it all really begins. Go figure…

2010-01-05T00:05:00.006-05:00

A Cabin in the Woods...

My writing space is a downstairs guest room that we’ve converted into an office. The family computer is located elsewhere, so I’m very lucky to have this room all to myself. I’ve decorated with earth tones and warm textured fabrics. One of my favorite things is the very large bulletin board that I covered with heavy placemats (for texture) and then framed. I painted the heads of upholstery tacks to look like ladybugs, to use as pins. You can see it on the wall in the background. You may also notice a few other ladybugs here and there. I can't help it, they have a very special meaning to me. Hint: Have you ever seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun? I also have shelves full of books by favorite authors, new books to be read, and books on craft. My favorite how-to's I keep handy on the credenza next to me for quick reference.

My desk has a glass top to keep the room from feeling too closed in, and underneath is a small floral print rug that my little Bichon, Cooper, loves to lay on while keeping me company. We live in the woods and I have a window to one side and another across from me, so I’m able to look off into the trees, surrounded by sights and sounds that inspire me as my mind searches for that perfect turn of phrase.

I also have a part-time job that allows me to work from home, so I keep those necessary papers and files in a designated area out of my line of sight as much as possible so it doesn’t interfere with creativity. One thing I’ve done is print out a copy of my dream book cover for my current work in progress and have it framed, sitting on my desk for inspiration. I believe in the power of visualization.

When it comes to writing, I’m most creative when I light a candle (I love the warm glow, not just the scent) and turn on my playlist. I create a playlist of songs for each manuscript, mood setting music and lyrics that get me into my story pretty quickly. I take a few minutes to listen while I set up my candle, take a sip of hot tea, breath deeply a few times and put fingers to the keys. Nothing feels better than when the music fades to the background and the words in my mind spill out onto the page.

What does it for you?

2010-01-04T00:10:00.000-05:00

By Ana Aragón and Cinthia Hamer

Ana here. Cinthia's blog post is just below mine and we're teaming today so that everyone in our blog group gets a chance to share their "writing space" this month.

I spend a good portion of my time at my computer, banging out stories, papers on special education issues and checking on my Facebook friends. Not necessarily in that order, of course.

In the three houses we’ve lived in since I began writing for publication, I’ve always placed my computer in front of a window overlooking the back yard. Twice it was in the sitting area of my bedroom; currently it’s a large office I share with my husband. I have to say I prefer the separate office, just because I can write until all hours of the night without bothering him. Even when I get together with my writing group at Atlanta Bread Company, I’ve noticed that I’m more comfortable looking out the window than with my back to it.

There is something about green trees and vegetation, birds flitting to and fro, and the occasional dog barking that keeps me focused and gets the creative juices flowing. If hubby is in the office, talking on the telephone or watching something distracting on television, I’ll put in my ear buds and listen to my vast collection of country music on I-Tunes. Gotta love Garth Brooks.

My desk is an old-fashioned office credenza with a keyboard drawer, and I managed to confiscate a relatively comfortable desk chair that allows me to rock back and forth while I contemplate my next sentence. The desktop is usually a mess, covered with bills, magazines, snack wrappers, half-drunk soft drink bottles and cans, and the book I’m currently reading—usually a historical, or a textbook for my online class. I try to clean it up every couple of weeks, but it’s usually messy within a few days. Surprisingly, the mess doesn’t seem to affect my production. Perhaps I’d be more prolific with a cleaner desk? Maybe I’ll give it a try in 2010!

Oh, and a hot cup of chai tea. Gotta have the chai tea. Which leads to my question—what is the one thing you must have when you sit down to write? All comments are entered to win a free copy of Beverley Kendall’s debut historical, Sinful Surrender, which is set for release tomorrow!

You get three chances to win if you post a comment in both mine and Cinthia's blog post!

Sacred Spaces

2010-01-04T00:07:00.000-05:00

We Hot Tamales have been asked by our Blog Mom to tell all you inquisitive readers about our writing space.

Well, I’ll tell you, mine is nothing like oh, say, Christina Dodd’s. I have no moveable bookshelves, my windows don’t overlook sweaty muscled men laboring in my yard (unless I happen to catch hubby mowing the hillside) and I have nothing that in anyway resembles a customized desk.

As you can see from this first picture here, my writing space has blue walls. I chose this particular color when I was writing women’s fiction and I wanted to imagine that when I looked up from the computer, I was staring at endless blue water. I still love the color, even though I’ve switched to historical romance set in the late Victorian Era.

My writing space is small, it only occupies about one-third of a room that is about 12’X 11’. But for me, it’s home. I have all the essentials that every writer needs—a computer, a light source (don’t you love the frog?), a window with a view (sort of, if you count the neglected hillside in our back yard), plenty of desk toys to help me think and an emergency stash of alcohol.

Since I believe that writing should never be done in a situation where one is physically uncomfortable, I have chosen to fore go the traditional desk and secretarial chair and follow the example of my mentor, Haywood Smith, and write in a recliner. This particular chair belonged to my father. He sat here to watch the news, MASH, and the occasional program on PBS. In this chair he rocked his fussy grandbabies to sleep, and took more than a few naps himself. This chair has history, it’s comfortable and comforting.

On the antique side table I keep a kitchen timer, a clock, a cup full of pens and pencils (the cup was bought in England and says “Lady of Manor”), a replica of an antique Scottish butter mold, a tiny antique picture of a Victorian antecedent cutting up with a couple of her friends, reading glasses, paper for jotting notes and a foam chicken, compliments of my dear friends at the now defunct, Squawk Radio.

In the open drawer you’ll spot a giant, fold-out map of Great Britain, a couple containers of yogurt because I forget to eat when I go on a writing binge, and a tube of pain relieving hand cream.

And down in the corner, leaning against the window is my portable office—a capacious backpack that holds just about everything I need to write away from home.

There’s even the requisite cat. This particular one is named Junebug. Other residents include her mom, Kit-kat and her sisters, Felina and Gin Blossom (Ginny to her friends). Occasional visitors also include Roxy (aka Rockhead the yarn stealing dog) and Pepper Ann, the world’s most cowardly rat terrier.

In this second picture, you’ll see a bookshelf. It’s not nearly big enough, but for now, it suffices. On the top is a replica of an antique beer bottle, a couple of shells I’ve accumulated over the years and a delicate candle holder my sister gave me. There’s also an interesting little pottery jar I bought in Honduras.

On the second shelf, I keep a few historical romances—whatever interests me at the moment. If you look very carefully, the first book on the left is a 1st Edition copy of Ashes In The Wind by the venerable Kathleen Woodiwiss. This was a gift from my daughter, Alana.

On the third and forth shelves are just a few of my reference books. Everything from People of the British Isles (1870 to Present) to James Michener’s Writers Handbook. I even have a tattered copy of John Lust’s (don’t you just LOVE that name??) The Herb Book.

So, there you have it, a virual tour of where I spend not nearly enough time, where I angst over every word I write and where I question the sanity at pursuing this longshot dream of becoming a Published Writer.

So, what about you? Do you have a Sacred Space? What, if I may be so bold to ask, do you do there? Do you meditate? Do you write? Read? Knit? Cook?

Oh, and there's a ten point bonus for anyone who can tell me the significance of the part about Kathleen Woodiwiss and the person who gave me the book. :)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:05:00.000-05:00

This week marks the first anniversary for the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog. This time last year we were just beginning this amazing journey with no real idea where it might lead. Now, as we anticipate all the excitement the New Year represents, we can’t help but be amazed at how much this experience has affected each and every one of us. We have all of you to thank for that!

We expect great things for 2010. Not only will we be sharing the writing and blog posts you’ve come to love, but we also have a few new surprises in store for the near future. We have some awesome Guest Chefs booked to bring you their very best tips and tricks for the new writers and teasers from their make-believe worlds for our readers.

We begin 2010 with another get-to-know us marathon by showing you our writing spaces. As January progresses, be sure to stop by often and let us know what you think; and if the mood strikes, we’d be thrilled if you shared a bit of your own writing or reading spaces with us.

Don’t miss the last week of January when we throw a fun filled blog party to celebrate our first year! Who knows what we will be doing or where we might actually be (….foreshadowing here….), but it will be a great time that you won’t want to miss.

Please, join us as we say farewell to 2009 and offer a giant welcome home to 2010. This is going to be an amazing year!!!

After The Two Minute Warning

2009-12-28T10:26:00.002-05:00

by Sandra Elzie

Okay, so the year is winding down, only a few days more to be able to write 2009 on your checks...assuming you have any money left to spend (g)

Since everyone looks at things differently, I'll ask the following questions.

Are you excited about the new year, a new starting line or are you lamenting the passing of yet another year without achieving what you promised yourself you'd do this year? Should you make new goals when you didn't even accomplish the old ones? Do you tend to look back more than you look forward?

Although I think it's good to learn the lessons of the past, never totally forgetting them lest we have to repeat them later on down the road, but I can tell you from a sports person's point of view, if you waste time and energy looking over your shoulder, it's not only a wast of time and energy, but someone behind you just might use that lapse in your focus to pass you by.

Forget what lies behind and press on toward the goal. Do your best and don't worry about yesterday. Each day can be a new beginning. If you missed your goal of writing 500 words yesterday, forget it! Write 500 today and move on!

So, with this in mind, we have four more days until the new year. Will you waste them...lamenting about other wasted days, or will you use these next four days to kick-start your new goals? In the words of many famous coaches and motivators, “ Get off the sidelines and get in the game!”

This coming year is full of opportunities for you to get your work in front of others. Besides your critique partner or group there are contests and a wide variety of agents and editors just waiting to see what this next year will bring their way.
Take a moment to think about this subject from their point of view. They just might be making a resolution to find the next great novel to break out, but I can guarantee that it won't be yours if you don't get your work in that agent or editor's hands.

Well, team, we're down one touchdown and we're at the two-minute warning. What are we going to do? Get in the game and execute one last fantastic effort or wimp out and allow others to carry our trophy home without a fight?

We can't control all the players...we can't control whether or not we make the goal, but we can control our own individual effort. The difference between a winner and a loser is that the winner gets up one more time after being knocked down.

The final score reflects your effort.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

2009-12-25T00:05:00.000-05:00

What is your favorite Holiday memory?

2009-12-24T00:05:00.002-05:00

Susan May - A white Christmas. I woke up at grandmother's house that was built in 1900 on Christmas morning with snow on the ground.

Michelle Newcome - Caroling with my neighbors. There’s nothing quite so magical as seeing people open their door to a ragged group singing their hearts out and seeing the holiday spirit fill them as they stand in their doorway. It’s so rarely done these days and is such a fun thing to do.

Tami Brothers – I have two favorite memories. My first one is when I was a kid. We were not very well off and my parents had to work very hard to provide all of our Christmases. The best one I remember was when they bought all of us girls brand new bicycles. I knew they couldn’t afford them and I honestly don’t know how they actually did it. But I have a picture of that day with all three of us sitting proudly on those bikes with smiles as big as Cheshire cats.

My second favorite Christmas was my son’s second Christmas. I remember Christmas Eve with him playing in a box while all those terrific toys sat untouched to the side. The next morning Santa had a shiny silver scooter sitting by the tree with a colorful array of Tele Tubbies lined up on top of them. What did my wonderful son do? He went right back to that big ol’ box and climbed inside it. That Christmas immediately reminded me of my first favorite Christmas and how my parents always knew just the right thing to get us and how much we always loved those items. It also reminded me that no matter what I think I can afford to buy for my son for the holidays, it’s more important to keep him grounded and understanding the true meaning of Christmas.

Debbie Kaufman - I know that my kids would think that it was one of their first Christmases, and indeed, all of those were very special. But actually, it was the first Christmas my husband and I had together. As a child, most of my Christmas gifts were strictly necessary things under the guise of presents that a beloved Aunt provided. There were no “wants” or “desires” under the tree. But, on that first married Christmas, my new husband bought me several books that I had been wanting. He had been paying close attention to my browsing habits on our visits to the bookstore. For the first time since I was six, there were things under the tree that were picked out with just my desires in mind. I still remember the book titles some thirty-two years later!

Sally Kilpatrick - This question is almost impossible to answer, but, as I thought about it, I realized that almost all of my memories involve food which could explain so much. I wouldn't trade anything for Christmas Eve with my Aunt Mae and Christmas Day with my Granny Rowlett. Those were days when the family gathered in around the table and laughed and ate everything in sight. We also have fondue on Christmas Eve after the kids go to bed; it's really special to be able to share Christmas with both sets of parents at the same time because both my husband and I are only children. Of course, I'm hoping we're creating wonderful memories for our children. Last year Lorelai started putting princess dresses over her pajamas, and I still remember Connor's wide-eyed look when he asked for one train from Santa only to get the train and the train table, too.

Ana Aragon - I’ve already given that in my blog this month—having a baby daughter in December!

Cynthia Hamer - For each daughter's first Christmas, my dad built them toy boxes and burned their names and the date into the wood. I love that they both have these enduring gifts from their grandpa.

Carol Burnside - It’s more like a collage of memories through the years, standout gifts given and received, sweet moments remembered that melt my heart, smells that never fail to evoke more memories and a feeling of familial love.

Nicki Salcedo - This happened one Christmas when I was about 12 years old. My family opened all of our presents in the morning, and then we had family and friends around for Christmas Dinner. Around 8pm , my mom realized that she forgot to wrap and give me my “big” present because she had hidden it so well. It was an awesome microscope kit. What can I say, I’m a science nerd. It was a wonderful surprise, and my Christmas had already been wonderful even without it!

Anna Steffl - In front of my in-laws, my husband gave me a set of Tupperware. I’d asked for it, but still, jeesh, just Tupperware? Then he asked, “Didn’t you leave laundry in the dryer?” The dryer is in the garage...so was my “new” red Volvo S70. I screamed and jumped up and down like I was on the Price is Right.

Tamara DeStefano - I definitely think the above Thanksgiving fiasco of 2002, as we fondly call it, is my favorite holiday memory. Even though it was a battle between snarling waiters and fiery Italians, and even though we were escorted from the premises, we found another restaurant, KILLER CREEK (they have awesome food and service!!) they tool us in last minute, gave us a huge warm room even though the restaurant was packed and fed us until we burst. We had a great time. And they didn't once call the police on us!

Sandy Elzie - One year we bought the three kids bikes and then sent them on a scavenger hunt through the house and ultimately into the garage to find their gift.

Marilyn Baron - My mother frying potato latkes for a family Hanukkah celebration.

Tammy Schubert - Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day. The excitement and festivities reach a high, and all the kids can't wait until morning.

Maxine Davis - Christmas with family was always special. Sort of the storybook version. Happy family, happy times, good food and good fellowship.

JP Stone - We once dressed my darling sheltie, Nessie (RIP, precious girl), in reindeer antlers and Santa boots Christmas morning. They were in her stocking. She looked like she was walking in quicksand—a high step and shake of the leg x 4--so we immediately took them off … but not before suppressing very painful laughter. Poor baby.

Darcy Crowder - Well, we’ve been blessed to have a lot of family around every holiday and most all of my memories are happy ones. But if I had to pick one that stands out, one that I cherish, I’d have to say the last Christmas we shared as a family with my mother-in-law. She’d been battling cancer off and on for many years and this time, we knew, would be our last Christmas all together. Everything we did, said, felt, was so much more poignant, yet there was so much joy. I think about her all the time, but especially at Christmas and how strong a woman she was.

Cici Barnes - 1) Getting TWO dolls for Christmas when I was six. 2) Spending two blessed days with all of my family, relating stories about each other, eating, snoozing and watching the kids' eyes light up.

Linsey Lanier - The first holiday season I spent with hubby right after we were married. Young love. Sweet memories.

Good times. Good times. We'd love to hear about your favorite Holiday memories!

What is it that you 'secretly' want for Christmas? And, do you think you might get it this year?

2009-12-23T00:05:00.003-05:00

JP Stone - I want an Alpha Smart Neo (used), but I know I won’t get it because I won’t tell anyone in my family. Everyone is a little strapped this year and anyway, sometimes it’s more fun to dream. 

Darcy Crowder - LOL. I don’t know that it’s really a secret, but I’ve been warning my husband I’m going to make some design changes on my office soon and this holiday (before the new year) is the deadline I set for myself. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I get enough time to pull it off.

Cici Barnes - Not really a secret: I want my lovable, always-on-the- go hubby back to normal. It won't happen by this Christmas Day, but I have every bit of faith that it will be so by next Christmas. It will be the best Christmas present for the rest of my days.

Linsey Lanier - That's easy $12 million. I figure it would be $6 million after taxes. The same amount my first advance will be. Will I get it? Hmm… I'll let someone else answer that. 

Susan May - I never keep my wants secret. If I didn't share what I want I would never get anything.

Michelle Newcome - Four years ago this month both of my children were hospitalized (one for emergency appendicitis and the other for nearly poking his eye out with a marker) within two weeks of each other. Spending time in Children’s Healthcare at Christmas will change forever what you think you “need” or “want.” What I do want is for my children to remain healthy.

Tami Brothers – Okay, so it’s not exactly a secret! I’ve wanted a set of cookie sheets for TWO YEARS NOW!!! Did you hear that, honey? TWO YEARS! I’ve added them to my Christmas wish list and my birthday wish list every year for TWO YEARS! I really hope he takes the hint…

On a side note, my family is not all that creative with their wrapping. I THINK I see a cookie sheet under the tree this year. If I’m wrong, then they did one heck of a job with the wrapping. And if it is not, I’m going to the store the day after Christmas and buying my own darn cookie sheets……

Debbie Kaufman - My “secret” desire is for a Nook. Sony E-reader, or a Kindle. However, my DH doesn’t see the value/understand, so I’m pretty sure I won’t get one. I think I’ll haunt any 2010 contests giving one away! I’d have a better chance!

Sally Kilpatrick - This is a tough one. The older I get the more I understand my grandmother's repeated Christmas wish of simply having everyone healthy and happy. I did ask that I be able to sing at the Christmas service this year because I almost always lose my voice long before then. On a more materialistic note, I've been without an ipod for almost six months. I've gained almost ten pounds and written a fraction of what I wrote the first half of the year. Coincidence? I think not.

Ana Aragon - I don’t need “things.” What I’d really like is an entire two weeks where everyone in the family waits on me and that all the Christmas decorations somehow get put away without my help. And, yes, I think I’m getting it this year (foot surgery)!

Cynthia Hamer - I'd love to quit working and write full time. But the chances of that are, oh, about the same as winning the lottery. LOL!

Carol Burnside - Jewelry, but that’s what I want every year and no I better not get it this year because it’s not at all in the budget.

Nicki Salcedo - It is a writing wish, and I’m keeping it a secret. :)

Anna Steffl - A “new” car. I won’t get it this year.

Sandy Elzie - I have everything I want for Christmas. I have my family, health and love. I have God in my life to lead me and take care of me. That's all I need or want.

Marilyn Baron - My favorite holiday present was one I bought myself. For a donation of $75.00, I adopted a whale shark from the Georgia Aquarium. With it came a personalized adoption certificate, a free pass to the Georgia Aquarium, a limited edition, custom plush whale shark, a whale shark fact sheet and a subscription to Georgia Aquarium's e-newsletter. The $75 gift supports the Aquarium’s ongoing whale shark research programs. When the adoption was finalized, I received notoice that #252 was on his/her way!!!! I e-mailed my two daughters and told them their brother or sister was about to arrive.

Tammy Schubert - This issue is driving my husband nuts. I cannot think of anything that I want for the holidays this year (anniversary, Christmas, birthday and Valentine's day). The pressure to provide him with the gift request lists starts in November and doesn't end until February. No answers come to mind. How long before March comes around?

Maxine Davis - It's a secret.

Now it's your turn. What is it that you secretly want for Christmas????

Any Holiday disasters you want to share with our readers?

2009-12-22T00:05:00.003-05:00

Anna Steffl - Nope. Disaster free, that’s me.

Tamara DeStefano - My family and I got kicked out of a restaurant on Thanksgiving one year. My mother was freezing because they had put us in a back room with a huge space under an outer door that was letting in sleet. We asked the manager nicely if we could move. He had a literal meltdown (I guess he was stressed because the place was packed) He grabbed my mother's arm (big mistake, we're a family of 22 Italians with tempers to match) Long story short, he called the cops and we were escorted out. The cops were actually annoyed with the manager because supposedly it was the second time he'd called them that day.

Sandy Elzie - Just the cat turning over the tree once.

Marilyn Baron - Thankfully, no

Tammy Schubert - To understand this frightening disaster, you have to understand where I grew up. My home is in the Appalachian mountains on the New York border. My family literally lived on top of a mountain in a remote area surrounded by acres and acres of woods. The local town is off the map because it is such a small place with nothing to do. Here everyone knows everyone else, and nobody locks their doors or thinks twice about crime. People are trusted until they prove they are up to no good. It is just a quiet place to live.

Our town had a part-time, volunteer police officer, who didn't seem to have any working hours. My family had no actual street address. In order to give directions to emergency personnel, we had to say something like, "it's the road in front of Joe's house about five miles down on the right. There's a hidden driveway on that corner by the third oak tree. Go up and to the right. You'll see the house." Assuming the road wasn't a sheet of ice, we could expect them to arrive in about forty minutes or so.

Get the picture?

When I was sixteen, I had a weird experience that just has to be shared. On this particular Christmas Eve, ice storms had passed through the night before. The ice had started melting off during the day, so the roads were clear for the moment. My family was home for the night, and my younger sisters were all wound up about Santa making an appearance later that night.

Around 3 p.m., a stranger showed up at our door. Although it was unusual, I assumed he was there for my dad. I let him in and my dad came out. I returned to my romance book, which was much more interesting.

As it turns out, this man, who was 21 or 22 years old, came to see me. In front of my parents, he asked for permission to go out with me that night. Remember, nobody knew this guy. He said he lived in town, but we had never seen him or heard about him before. My parents, receiving such a courtly request, were so impressed it was nauseating. He completely won them over.

So what's a shy, inexperienced, naïve you woman to do, especially when her parents put the pressure on? Against her better judgment, she decided to make her parents happy and go out with the stranger.

Off I went on this date scared, nervous and unsure. About 15 miles into our 30 mile trip to a nearby town, he confessed it took him six beers before he had the nerve to ask me out.

Did I mention he was driving?

He seemed to be doing fine, but it just made me more uneasy. We finally arrived at Pizza Hut, one of the most fine-dining establishments around. Conversation was stilted and awkward through the entire meal. When we were just about done, he let me in on what he thought was a sweet, endearing secret.

Maybe he'd been reading too many romance novels and misinterpreted how to impress his date.

"I've been waiting a long time to ask you out," he said.

"Oh, really." I blushed, which was my standard reaction back then.

He leaned forward in earnest. His hand almost touched mine. "I've been watching you since you were a kid. Waiting for you to grow up."

I barely suppressed the urge to throw up. Oh My God, were the only words to come to mind. All I could do was nod.

Did I mention I lived in a remote area surrounded by woods with no outdoor lighting? Do you remember what I told you about the town cop?

After a few minutes, I politely pointed out that the weather was changing and the temperature was dropping. I didn't even have to lie. Off we went back towards my home. He wanted to continue the date, but I told him I really needed to go home and spend time with my family. I think by the time he dropped me off he figured out I wasn't interested. His last clue was when I jumped out of the car and sprinted to my house.

To this day, nobody in my family has seen or heard from this guy again. Creepy, don't you think? The morale of the story is to go with your gut instincts, even if that means going against parents' wishes.

Maxine Davis - A friend of mine and I put up my Christmas tree one year while listening to carols and having wine. A loud crash woke me up in the night. The tree had fallen over. Now we celebrate after the tree is decorated.

JP Stone - Because I sport an extended family with strong personalities—and because I believe so very deeply in Karma—I’ll pass on this question.

Darcy Crowder - Actually, no. I can’t think of any disasters. We’ve had some last minute surprises and tight deadlines, but somehow the spirit of the season helps keep it all in perspective.

Cici Barnes - Near disaster: on the way to Grandma's house on Christmas Eve, our 6-year old announced that Santa was bringing him a bike for Christmas. "Santa" had no clue about this. He went to the local hardware store at 6 pm -- the only store still open -- and just happened to find a red bicycle to put under the tree. Whew! Disaster averted.

Linsey Lanier - The time my parents spent all day cooking the holiday turkey with all the fixings, only to cut into the bird at the dinner table and find it frozen in the middle.

Susan May - Tree fell when I was seven months pregnant and I had to put it back up by myself.

Michelle Newcome - When I was very young and newly married to my first husband we had just finished putting up our tree. He was napping on the floor under the tree when our cat decided to launch himself from the couch toward a particularly shiny ornament up high on the tree. Yes, you guess it. The tree came down – complete with yowling cat – right on my ex asleep on the floor. I laughed so hard I peed my pants – he did not appreciate that reaction.

Tami Brothers – The only real disaster I can think of is when my husband and I were first married, we adopted two young cats. As soon as we put up that Christmas tree, we knew we were never going to be able to keep them out of it and were we ever right. We were awakened several times during the month of December to the crashing of the tree each time they knocked it down.

Every year after that we had to figure out how to arrange the tree so that we could tie it to the stairway banister or nail it somehow to the wall. It’s funny to think that most people arrange their decorations by how they will look. Not us. We arranged our holiday decorations according to how easily we could tie the tree to something.

Eighteen years later, we now have to worry about the same type of thing with our new kitten. She’s already been halfway up the tree twice this year. This is the very same tree we had that first Christmas. This is fine because we know exactly what we need to do to keep it upright. It’s kind of funny. At least until the next ornament gets broken.

Debbie Kaufman - The first year I cooked a Christmas turkey, I failed to properly estimate the time it took to cook one. Our Christmas lunch became our Christmas dinner! We all scrounged for snacks and studiously avoided all the side dishes until the main course was ready. Let’s just say that the Christmas stocking candy was decimated by dinner!

Sally Kilpatrick - Early in our marriage, my husband's family traveled to Tennessee to spend Christmas with my family. We had my parents, his parents, and the two of us in one house, and we all passed around a particularly nasty cold. I can't remember opening presents, and I'm not sure how we even all drove home. When the pictures came back, over half of us were wearing Breathe-Right strips so we refer to it as the "Breathe-Right Christmas."

Ana Aragon - Watching my grandson upstage the entire Children’s program this year at church...he was a “little chickie” who flew the coop within 2 minutes and ran around the stage, climbing up on benches. Thankfully, he didn’t upend the set!

Cynthia Hamer - Um...thankfully, haven't had any real disastrous holidays.

Carol Burnside - Well, there was the year my family came to my house for Christmas dinner though it was really too small to accommodate everyone. This was in Texas and we got one of those ice storms that froze up the water lines. Couldn’t flush the toilets, couldn’t shower, no running water at all, but somehow I put dinner on the table for eleven people and we survived it all.

Nicki Salcedo - Spending Christmas Eve with my in-laws in California and Christmas Day with my family in Atlanta . It worked, but red-eye flights are brutal and I can’t really remember much from that Christmas Day because I was so tired.

That's all for us. How about you? Any Holiday disasters you want to share with us??

What is your favorite Holiday song, movie and/or book?

2009-12-21T00:05:00.001-05:00

Sally Kilpatrick - I adore It's a Wonderful Life. It makes me cry every time. I think we all hope that someone could point out to us how our mundane life has actually made a difference in so many other lives. George Bailey's story appeals to our need to make a difference in the world. On the other end of the spectrum, I really like Love, Actually although it pains me to see things work out so poorly for Emma Thompson's character.

Ana Aragon - My favorite movie is Miracle on 34th Street ; my favorite Holiday song is by Vince Vance and the Valiants...All I want for Christmas is you...

Cynthia Hamer - Favorite song is "Oh, Holy Night", current favorite holiday movie would be "The Holiday" and I don't really have a favorite holiday book.

Carol Burnside - I don’t know that I have an absolute favorite movie, but I love re-viewing the old staples plus a few new ones thrown in. Songs: O Holy Night and Jingle Bells (as sung by Bing Crosby).

Nicki Salcedo - “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Best. Movie. Ever. I cry every time I watch it. Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory” is a great read. For a laugh try David Sedaris’ “Holidays on Ice”.

Anna Steffl - Charlie Brown Christmas Special and all the great Vince Guaraldi music that goes with it.

Tamara DeStefano - "You'll shoot your eye out kid!" And I love White Christmas by Bing Crosby.

Sandy Elzie - I love music...everything except heavy-metal rock and most rap. So to pick one is tough. Contemporary is probably Pretty Woman and Inspirational is Holy Is Your Name. Top Movie is: Bourne Identity series. Favorite Book: Again, difficult since I love to read, but the one that stands out in my mind is a young adult book I read when I was about 8 or 9...On The Trail To Inca Gold. I've never forgotten it.

Marilyn Baron - "White Christmas"

Tammy Schubert - Without a doubt, it is the hysterical movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Chevy Chases tries to host the perfect Christmas celebration for his family and in-laws. Everything that can go wrong does, along with many more expected disasters. By the time his house is destroyed and kidnapping charges stress everyone out, they end up having a Merry Christmas after all.

Maxine Davis - My all-time favorite Christmas book is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

JP Stone - I like the Grinch theme and Rudolph song. I like the original cartoon Grinch movie, as well as Rudolph (who can resist the Abominable Snowman?), and my absolute favorite Holiday book is, HOW MURRAY SAVED CHRISTMAS –an holiday tale about Murray Kleiner, the Holiday Diner owner, who fills in for an injured Santa. The story is served best with a heavy side of pickles, pastrami and oy.

Darcy Crowder - The Christmas Carol with George C. Scott is my favorite holiday movie, but A Christmas Story (Ralphie) is a close second. It’s been a holiday tradition to watch them every year. We usually watch The Christmas Carol the same night we decorate our tree. As for a song, I absolutely love Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant and Grown-up Christmas List.

Cici Barnes - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – song. White Christmas and Holiday Inn – movies. No particular book.

Linsey Lanier - It's a Wonderful Life. It's old. It's corny. But I love it.

Susan May - Movie- White Christmas. Song - OH, Holy Night

Michelle Newcome - My favorite song is a Bing Crosby and David Bowie duet for Little Drummer Boy. It was done for one of those ubiquitous holiday variety shows of the 70’s. Bing died just two months after it was filmed. It’s one of the most beautiful duets ever – they sing in rounds and the skill represented in that little song is so immense it just makes you cry.

Tami Brothers – My favorite Christmas song is Where Are You Christmas sang by Faith Hill. I love listening to her sing. I also LOVE the song, Who Spiked the Eggnog by Straight No Chaser. See the following video. My favorite movie changes every year, but I’m always on the hunt to find a new Christmas Carol-type movie. My favorite book will always be Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.

He’s making a list. Checking it twice. Trying to find out…

2009-12-20T00:05:00.000-05:00

It’s almost that time! Christmas will be here before we know it.

We’ve had a wonderful first year sharing our thoughts and journeys with all of you. As we begin to wind down for 2009, we can’t help but remember all those great times, and we love that all of you were here to share them with us. Thank you for being dedicated readers to our blog!

Not ready to say goodbye, yet?

Never fear. There’s plenty more tips and treats to come in 2010. Until then, the ladies of the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog will give you another small peek into our various tastes. Check back next week for a series of questions and answers about our Christmas likes. Who knows, we might even surprise you.

Until then, if you didn’t see yesterday’s post make sure to take a look. Nicki Salcedo did a great job of summarizing our year.

Oh, and don’t forget. There’s still time to make that good list. Happy Holidays!

The Saturday Review

2009-12-19T00:07:00.001-05:00

Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner
Director: Mark Waters
Studio: Warner Bros.
DVD Release Date: September 22, 2009
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)

Conner Mead has it made. He’s rich, successful and can have any woman he wants. His love em’ and leave em’ attitude is well known in the circle he travels and is actually one of the quirks that draw women to him. For Conner, life just can’t get any better. When he’s invited to attend his brother’s wedding, he heads out with one resolve: to talk him out of making the biggest mistake of his life. What Conner doesn’t know is that he’s about to take a trip through hell and the choices he makes this weekend will determine just how good life could be.

After seeing his childhood sweetheart, Jenny, Conner is forced to take a trip down memory lane in a Christmas Carol-type adventure. He’s confronted with girlfriends from his past, present and future, and is left after each trip to ponder life without Jenny in it. With the end of the weekend fast approaching, his window of opportunity is starting to close. Will Conner make the right decision? Or will his skewed view on life end up ruining not only his future, but his brother’s as well?

I love anything “Christmas Carol.” It’s rare for me to find a Christmas Carol-type show that I haven’t seen, but each year I look for them. I was thrilled when someone told me about Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. As soon as I realized it stared Matthew McConaughey (oh my!), I knew it would be a keeper. McConaughey and Garner were perfect in their roles. Even though I knew how it had to end, the writers did a great job of giving this story a unique feel. If you are looking for a fun, sexy story where the hero gets exactly what he deserves (you’ll have to watch it to see what I mean), then Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is one you’ll want to see. I LOVED it!

Reviewer: Tami Brothers
Rating: 5 Petit Fours and 3 Hot Tamales

2009-12-19T00:06:00.003-05:00

The Princess and the Frog

Starring the voice talents of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, and Keith David among others (Oprah, John Goodman)

Link to imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780521/
Genre: children’s film

Disney is back, and I have a new favorite princess. The Princess and the Frog is a movie that will, blessedly, entertain the whole family. I wept like a baby at least twice and laughed even more. The three year old keep her feet tapping with all of the music and only got a little antsy with the darker moments. I had worried about whether the characters would end up being stereotypes, but I was pleasantly surprised.

As a writer, I was really impressed with the economy and pacing of the story as well as the emotions mentioned before. The movie is also an excellent study of GMC and of how a hero and a heroine undergo a transformation as a part of genuinely falling in love. I can’t really say enough about the well-drawn characters. Not only are a trumpet-playing gator and a Cajun firefly original ideas, but even supporting characters get some dimension. For example, Lottie, who could easily come across as an unsympathetic spoiled brat, has layers and is ultimately sympathetic. The ideas of racism and segregation are handled with kid gloves, but, hey, it is Disney.

When the film was over, the audience actually applauded, and I gladly joined them. I will definitely be adding this one to my library when it makes the transition from theater to Blue Ray. In the tradition of Enchanted, it takes the fairy tale concept and tweaks the story for a modern twist.

Reviewer: Sally Kilpatrick
Ratings: 5 Petit Fours/1 Hot Tamale

2009-12-19T00:05:00.001-05:00

The Alibi Man
by Tami Hoag

Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Bantam Books
ISBN-13: 978-0553583601

A little off genre, "The Alibi Man" is a terrific story by Tami Hoag. It's the second installment in what I hope to be a long series featuring Elena Estes, a tough as horseshoes and rawhide heroine-to-die-for (if you're a suspense writer) who now rides horses on the ranch of a friend who lives in a well-to-do area of Palm Beach, a place for millionaires and professional polo players.

Elena Estes is a former Narcotics detective who lost her job, and nearly her life, in a drug raid gone bad. She blames herself for the death of a fellow officer in the raid and the memories torment her. In the first book, "Dark Horse," a young girl asks Elena to help find her missing sister. Though Elena insists she is not a private detective, she takes the case.

Elena is still insisting she is not a private detective in "The Alibi Man," when she discovers the body of her friend's groom floating in the river, half-eaten by alligators, and determines to find the killer.

Hoag weaves an intricate back-story of parental neglect and an engagement gone very sour into an intriguing mystery. I grieved for Elena as well as the murder victim throughout the book.

Not only brilliant characterization, but one of the best mystery plots I've read. The ending was a shocking surprise, yet believable and full of pathos.

Tami Hoag is a master at toying with the reader's emotions. She's one to learn from.

Reviewed by Linsey Lanier
Rating: 5 Petit Fours & 1 Hot Tamale

2009-12-19T00:04:00.004-05:00

The Prince’s Captive Wife
by Marion Lennox

Harlequin Presents
ISBN 13:978-0-373-12851-8

Ten years have passed since Holly Cavanagh last saw Prince Andreas Karedes after he spent six months on her family’s Australian ranch. She never dreamed she’d be kidnapped and dragged into his presence.

With political and economic difficulties about to blow up in the kingdom of Aristo, Holly and Andreas youthful love affair and the loss of their baby could bring the kingdom down. Andreas convinces Holly that marrying him is the only way to avoid disaster.

There has never been anyone else but Andreas for Holly. The problem is she isn’t sure she can live in a royal fish bowl. Andreas finds that what he felt for Holly all those years ago is still alive. He just wishes he’d been there for Holly when their child died. He vows to make it up to her.
Realizing her need to live on the ranch in Australia, Andreas buys it and supplies Holly money to bring the ranch back to what it once was. Despite his royal obligations, Andreas knows Holly is his real family. He joins her in Australia to make a life with her.

The book is a nice little escape, with characters that are likeable. What’s not to like about being wooed by a prince.

Reviewed by: Susan May
Rating: 4 Petit Fours and 3 Hot Tamales

Guest Chef Margie Lawson on Refreshing Sleep

2009-12-18T07:19:00.005-05:00

Refreshing Sleep: Not an Oxymoron

Margie Lawson—psychotherapist, writer, and international presenter – applied her psychological expertise to dissect and analyze over a thousand novels. Her resume includes clinical trainer, adjunct professor, sex therapist, director of a counseling center, hypnotherapist, and trauma specialist.

Her psychologically-anchored Deep Editing tools are used by all writers, from newbies to NYT Bestsellers. She teaches writers how to edit for psychological power, how to hook the reader viscerally, how to create a page-turner.

In the last five years, Margie presented over fifty full day Master Classes in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. She also offers intense three-day Immersion Master Classes on Deep Editing from her home. She lives in a log home on a mountain-top west of Denver.

Refreshing Sleep: Not an Oxymoron

When is the last time you woke up refreshed?

Is sleep deprivation your norm?

If you are sleep deprived, your moods, relationships, productivity, creativity, health, and safety can be impaired. The cumulative effects of sleep loss are linked to an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke.

Just for fun, try this SHEEP DASH, and check your response time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/

BEWARE – The Sheep Dash challenge is addictive. Limit yourself to a few tries – and come back to the blog.

Now – click on the link below to assess sleep deprivation by taking the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/epworth.html

Now that you know more about your response times and your sleep debt, we’ll explore sleep dynamics.

If you’ve slept well, you have the potential to have a super productive, super creative, super happy day. Writers need all three going strong to optimize their success.

Do you have the gift of sleep?

Do you fall asleep within 30 seconds to three minutes of going horizontal?

Or – Does sleep elude you?
If it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep at night, that means you're sleep deprived. If it takes you between 10 and 15 minutes to fall asleep, you're still tired enough to experience deep sleep, but you’re not excessively fatigued. You don’t experience periods of exhaustion during the day.
Why do we need to get decent sleep?

There are five top answers – and I consider all of them important.

1. Memory Booster – During sleep, your brain organizes memories, which helps you access them when you’re awake.

2. Learning Booster – When you learn new things during the day, sleep helps you process what you learned, locks in the learning

3. Mood Booster – While you’re sleeping, emotions, decision-making, and social interaction get a break. They rest. The more rest you have, the more you may be able to problem solve the next day.

4. Neuron Booster – Neurons that are used each day repair themselves at night. If you don’t make your sleep quota, your nervous system isn’t repaired. When we’re sleep deprived, it’s no wonder we feel like our nerves are fried.

5. Immune System Booster – If sleep deficient, our bodies are open to invasion. We’re vulnerable. Infection and disease take hold.

Our memory, learning, mood, nervous system, and immune system all function better when we get enough sleep.

How much sleep is enough?

Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Refreshing sleep requires a good 7 hours to complete the sleep stages: Drowsiness, Light Sleep, and Deep Sleep, which includes Dream Sleep.

Some people seem to need less sleep, others seem to need more. If you’re sleeping more than 8 hours per night, it could be a symptom of depression. That topic is deeper than this lecture will go. Either talk to your doctor, pursue psychological therapy, or both.

If you consistently sleep less than 7 hours, you may have issues with weight gain as well as immune system problems. Work on improving your sleep patterns.

STOP and THINK. What did you just read?

If you don’t get 7 hours of sleep, you’re more prone to weight gain.

RIGHT.

That piece of data may motivate some people to get 7 hours of sleep.

The impact of sleep deprivation hits hardest 24 hours later. If you only slept 3 hours on Thursday night, you may feel a little tired on Friday. You could get 7 hours of sleep Friday night, but feel beyond exhaustion on Saturday.

That’s why students and athletes are encouraged to get good sleep for the two nights leading up to a college entrance exam or a demanding sports event.

What if you have insomnia? Either you can’t fall asleep or you awaken after a few hours and can’t get back to sleep.

What can you do to improve your sleep?

NO NAPS! Or – no more than a 15 – 30 minute POWER NAP

WATCH YOUR CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL -- none to some

CHECK YOUR IRON LEVEL – you may be low

GO AFTER SUNLIGHT EARLY IN THE DAY – or use one of those cool natural
sunshine lamps – sunshine will help regulate your bio-clock.

What if you wake up and you can’t get back to sleep?

BORE YOURSELF -- think of something mindless, like counting a mountain of cotton balls

LEAVE YOUR BED – read something bland, listen to environmental music, return to bed when you’re sleepy

SLEEP is a big topic with more areas to explore. There are dozens of things you can do to improve your sleep.

Here’s my TOP TEN LIST you can follow to set yourself up for refreshing sleep:

1. Limit caffeine -- none to little morning through mid-afternoon, and none after 4PM

2. Limit alcohol (none to one drink). Alcohol has a rebound effect. It may help you fall asleep, but you’ll pop awake 4 to 5 hours later, and have difficulty going back to sleep

3. Exercise 45 minutes each day, but not within three hours of going to bed

4. Give yourself a minimum of 15 minutes of TRANSITION TIME before bed. Read or do something simple or mindless before you go to bed.

5. Soak in a warm bath for 10 - 15 minutes before going to bed.

6. Drink warm milk (no chocolate) – OR -- eat turkey (on empty stomach)
That doesn’t mean have a turkey sandwich or turkey and dressing. Just a piece of turkey, plain.

7. Avoid over-eating at dinner time – AND -- avoid a sugar-loaded snack before bed.

8. Go to bed at about the same time each night.

9. Tell yourself five positive things before you go to sleep.

10. Give yourself FIVE minutes of STRESS FREE FOCUS TIME first thing every morning. Literally set a timer and think about how you’ll take charge of your day in a positive way. Knowing you’ve got this ease-into-your-day in your schedule each morning alleviates some of your subconscious stress at night. You’ll sleep better.

CHIME IN:

What do you do, or what can you do, to improve your sleep?

I will respond to posts several times today and this evening.

Anyone who posts a comment TODAY has a chance to WIN a LECTURE PACKET from one of my on-line classes

1. Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors

2. Empowering Characters' Emotions

3. Deep Editing: The EDITS System, Rhetorical Devices, and More

4. Digging Deep Into the EDITS System

5. Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues Like a Psychologist

6. Powering Up Body Language in Real Life: Projecting a Professional Persona When Pitching and Presenting

I’ll post the LECTURE PACKET WINNERS tonight, at 8:00PM Mountain Time.

In January, I’m teaching Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors, a power-packed on-line course that helps writers access their strengths—and empower creativity and productivity. Lectures from each of my on-line courses are offered as Lecture Packets through PayPal from my web site. Lecture Packets are $22; I donate $5 per Lecture Packet for ALS (my cousin).

Please visit www.MargieLawson.com and click on Lecture Packets to read the course descriptions.

If you’re interested in a sample of deep editing, I include Deep Editing Analyses in each issue of my monthly newsletter. To receive my newsletter, click on SUBSCRIBE on the home page of my web site, www.MargieLawson.com

A big THANK YOU to Debbie Kaufmann for inviting me to guest blog for the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales today.

A Year in the Life of Petit Fours and Hot Tamales

2009-12-17T00:00:00.014-05:00

by Nicki Salcedo

I wish you knew all of us. We are a diverse group of women brought together by a common goal. The love of writing. Since words are our passion read what we say to find out all you need to know about us.

Ana Aragón Thursday, October 15, 2009 Taking a Machete to your WIP
So when the editor I pitched to asked me to send the full manuscript, I knew what I had to do...yeah, get rid of the prologue and start the book with Chapter 3. If you need to get rid of 20,000 words, that's a good place to start.

Anna Steffl Tuesday, May 5, 2009 Having Cake and Eating It, Too
I do labor to find occasional metaphors and similes that match my characters’ ways of seeing the world. I like to think that when I do use them, they really sparkle, are my characters’ north stars.

Carol Burnside Monday, November 9, 2009 Subtext and an invitation
As we get to know each other, we compartmentalize our personal lives from business less and less. Some are more cautious than others, but eventually we expose tiny bits of ourselves.

Cici Barnes Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Now that the honeymoon is over . . .
So goes the way of entering into the wedded bliss of writing. You cross the threshold into the world of words, pecking out ideas that have sprouted in your mind.

Cinthia Hamer Wednesday, December 2, 2009 Looking Backward . . . Looking Inward
There are times in life when you must take leaps of faith; times when you just gracefully accept whatever gifts are given. . . .And to think, I almost let it slip through my fingers.

Darcy Crowder Thursday, August 13, 2009 The Little Things
It’s the small details that can have the biggest impact, show us who a character is, make us care. From the clothing choices they make, to the kind of art they have hanging on their wall. . . .The answers to these types of questions are what make characters come alive; relatable in their similarities, fascinating in their differences.

Debbie Kaufman Wednesday, May 20, 2009 SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER
By the time the time Captain Kirk started his famous “Space the Final Frontier” voice-over, I would be sitting cross-legged on my sofa within reaching distance of the TV dial. . . .Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Bones, Sulu, Uhura, Chekov, Scotty, and assorted others faithfully kept me company once a week.

J Perry Stone Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Why EQ Is More Important Than IQ
Even before an author can bang out a scene, she must observe interaction around her and participate in it if she ever has a hope of expressing genuine emotion through her words.

Monday, April 20, 2009 Making The Writing Muse Your Bitch
Try to write as best you can, of course, but don’t crucify yourself when you don’t. If you do, in the long run you’ll be hurting yourself far more than if you just shrugged and chalked it up to a crap writing day. Everyone writes crap. EVERYONE who writes, writes crap.

Linsey Lanier Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Beware the Smiling One
It might be an indication that I need therapy, but I love creating villains. I love getting into their heads and figuring out what makes them tick. The villains in my books have included a sadistic son of a Nazi, a psychotic wife abuser, and in my current WIP, a Chicago Outfit mob boss who's something of a cross between Tony Soprano and Hannibal Lechter.

Marilyn Baron Thursday, April 23, 2009 Would a Rose by any other Name Smell as Sweet?
I was born without a sense of smell, a trait I inherited from my grandmother. I think that puts me at a disadvantage. In writing workshops I learned the importance of capturing all of the five senses. How can my writing describe the hero’s “pungent aftershave,” or the fact that the heroine “carries the scent of cinnamon,” when I have no personal experience in that area?

Maxine Davis Monday, July 20, 2009 Conflict in Fiction
Conflict is what makes us want to read the story. Conflict creates suspense. It hooks the reader. Conflict makes us love or hate the characters. It is the plot, the reason we read the book. There must be a struggle that we fear will end the relationship, yet we must keep reading to see how the struggle will be resolved and that resolve can leave us laughing, crying, or sighing.

Michelle Newcome Monday, April 27, 2009 Faded Glory Stretch – The Way America Lives
Our glory has certainly faded a bit, both as a nation and as individuals. I could look at this through any number of lenses – political, economic, inventive – but I use words so I’m going to stick with the world of words.

Nicki Salcedo Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Some Dance to Remember
Why do we write (or read for that matter)? . . . . Some write to remember. Some write to forget.

Sally Kilpatrick Tuesday, April 28, 2009 It's All About the Story
Hi. My name is Sally, (Hi, Sally) and I’m addicted to playing with words. I’m addicted to letting my ability to turn a phrase distract me from crafting deep, heart-felt conflicts.

Sandra Elzie Tuesday, August 11, 2009 FICTION WRITERS ARE PROFESSIONAL LIARS
Your character must stay the course and your story must move with “singleness of mind” toward a conclusion, not straying down rabbit trails or getting bogged down with useless chatter.

Susan May Wednesday, May 6, 2009 Graduating
Graduating is a step forward to the next challenge. Enjoy your accomplishments but don’t stop what you are doing instead make the next step forward to where you want out of your writing life.

Tamara DeStefano Sunday, May 10, 2009 Aspen Exposé -- Group Novel -- Chapter Two
Kissing her left something to be desired—the rest of her.

Thursday, May 26, 2009 Tamara and the Three Critique Partners
As Tamara looks back on that fateful day five years ago, she doesn't remember a noisy tavern, a trio of witches, or their unending chatter. What she does recall are three irreplaceable women, Novel Knights, The Triple F's, who smiled warmly, welcomed her into their midst and taught her to believe in her talent.

Tami Brothers Tuesday, April 14, 2009 A Blessing in Disguise
I’m a full-time college student, a wife, a mother, and a writer. Add to that my recent addition of full-time employment in Corporate America and it’s easy to see how there isn’t time or room for a whole lot of extra in my life right now.

Sunday, March 22, 2009 Writing Challenge
Monday, October 5, 2009 PF&HTs Treasure Hunt Kickoff!

Tammy Schubert Monday, November 30, 2009 Pay it Back by Paying It Forward
Once his words of wisdom were conveyed, he promptly got up, waved and headed off. . . .How many of us would have done the same? How many of us would take a little bit of risk on without expecting anything in return?

Thanks for learning about my blog sisters through their words this year. Whose words have impacted you most in 2009? What did you write that you are most proud of? We hope to see you again in 2010. Happy Writing and Happy New Year.

Linsey's Year-End Review

2009-12-16T00:03:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it. I'm not so bright and cheery as I usually am this time of year.

I don't know why. End of year ennui. Fin de decade. Or maybe I'm just tired. As Juice Newton might say, 2009's been a little bit hard on me. Especially after events like Kate Duffy's passing and Mercer Crook's accident (thankfully, he's recovering - CiCi, you and your family are still in our thoughts).

But there were bright spots in 2009, too. Like contests. Blog sister Debbie Kaufman took first place in Chicago's Fire and Ice. I took second in Mid Michigan's Happily Ever After contest. And then there was Carol's grand slam - finaling in 3 out of 3 contests. Did I miss anyone?

Oh yes... That night in early October when Pam Mantovani switched the order of the ceremony, and the last winner of the night was announced. I can still hear the crowd exploding into applause and see them jumping to their feet as our own Nicki Salcedo took the stage, placing first in the Single Title category of the Maggies.

I'll look back to that night whenever I need inspiration.

And then, way back over a year ago, Tami Brothers caught me at a GRW meeting and asked me if I wanted to be part of a blog group she was starting. My brain said "Blog? I don't have time for a blog." But my head nodded, seemingly of its own accord. I'm glad it did.

It was December 31 when we began by posting our goals for the year. Remember? If not, take a look.

Now, it's almost a year later, and I have twelve months of wonderful memories with some fantastic ladies.

And my list for 2009? All in all, I'm pleased with what I've accomplished this year. I got a lot done. I feel I'm a better, stronger writer. I learned more than I ever could have imagined in 2009, not only here at PF&HT, but at events like Deb Dixon's workshop, Dianna Love and Mary Buckham's workshop, and other presentations at our own Moonlight and Magnolias conference.

Maybe 2009 wasn't so bad after all.

What will 2010 bring? Sorrow? Joy? A contract from an editor? Who knows? But I'm ready to face it with courage and hope.

How about you?

The End

2009-12-15T00:05:00.001-05:00

That title, The End, conjures a few images in my head. Especially now when 2009 is quickly drawing to a close.

The end of the year.

It's been a good one for me.

My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, her third child, second son.

My other sister, ten years my junior is pregnant with her second child. She wants a girl (cross your fingers)

My own children are healthy, thank God for that and I've been blessed, so far because they are also good kids. The pesemist in me says, so far. They're teenagers, 16 and 13 and I'm always wondering when they might start acting out, dye their hair green, peirce something, open a Meth lab in the basement.

But...So far, so good. No green hair, no nose, navel or tongue peircings, and thankfully, no Meth.

I have a wonderful family, sweet, funny, children, a devoted, loving husband and for that I am truly thankful.

To me, The End also means this...

I FINISHED MY SECOND NOVEL!!

Five years ago I came up with the idea for this novel. I started it like I do all of my books, with eagerness and excitement. But then in true Tamara form, the story fell by the wayside after another idea popped into my mind. So after only a few months of writing, I set aside my novel and started another.

A few times over the five years I revisited Sophie White (my heroine). I'd write a page or two, maybe a chapter and much to my critique partner's chagrin, I'd go weeks without handing anything in for them to read. I'd bounce back and forth, working on two or three novels at a time, not really putting much effort into finishing any of them.

For those of you who know me, I've mentioned this many times. 9 partially finished manuscripts languish in the darkest corners of my laptop's electronic brain.

So in September I decided that was enough. I'm going to finish Sophie White and enter her in the Golden Heart.

Half done, I was sure I could make the deadline.

But...

I didn't.

I missed the date without really having tried hard to make it.

I was so close though, more than half finished. So I decided to keep plugging along and complete the novel for GRW's finish the book contest.

I wrote everyday for 2 weeks. I even turned off the TV for hours and hours. (I have the TV on in the house even when I'm not watching. I'm a shameless boob tube lover)

The final week before the Georgia Romance Writer's annual Christmas party I shifted into high gear and wrote 115 pages in 4 days.
And then I actually did it. I finished Sophie White, a book I truly love, with characters I truly adore.
2009 is coming to an end, but I'm excited. 2010 will be a brand new year. Full of goals and hopes and dreams that I plan on fulfilling. In those last four days before the GRW party I showed myself, proved to myself, that I can do it. I can finish something.
Sure I finished one novel before, but I'd always thought of it as just a fluke. But it wasn't. This second completed manuscript is next in line, number 2. One of many to come.

The words, The End don't have to be negative.
They can be positive too.
Like with the end of 2009. January first will brings with it the birth of a new year and the bright future it holds for each one of us.
And of course the end of a novel brings closure, accomplishment and true joy.

Meet 2010 with open arms. Look at this new year as the beginning of something amazing so that you too will be able to write...The End.

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Keep writing, keep dreaming and keep doing your very best.
Have a brilliant, productive day,
Tamara

2009 . . . And Away It Goes

2009-12-14T00:05:00.001-05:00

by Maxine Davis

It’s the end of the year and, for me, nostalgia sets in about the year that’s nearly over or one of the years in the past. The other day my niece said, “My dress is the same color as my favorite dress of Grandmother’s. I miss Grandmother and Granddaddy.” I do too, but it got me to thinking about my own Grandmother and Granddaddy – and one very special dress that I had . . . .

Flour Sack Dresses and Colas in the Cooler

Nostalgia - The term nostalgia describes a longing for the past, often in idealized form. The key words here are “often in idealized form.”

When I was small, my sister and I, before my brother’s entry into the world, would visit my grandparents every summer. No TV, but we loved it. Using a broom to clear away the pine straw and use it for borders, we’d make ‘rooms’ in the pine thicket and play there for hours. Sometimes these were hospital rooms, sometimes a house. Two bricks and a board was the sofa. We’d sit there and enjoy make-believe tea and sometimes real cookies on pieces of broken plates. I loved that imaginary world where visitors would come for a visit and sit and talk. I knew everyone just loved Roopville in Heard County and thought the world of Walter and Christina (my grandparents.) It never hurt that some of these friends would often bring an imaginary handsome prince with them. Ah, the good life.

My grandparents loved it too, but to them it was life—hard work and all. Granddaddy and Grandmother had a huge farm, about 100 acres, where they grew cotton and raised pigs, a few cows, and always a few cats. Being so far out in the country, there was a Grocery Truck that came by every couple of weeks. There was also a Library Truck that came by. We could pick a book and get lost in an adventure. Although all that was—sort of—interesting to me, I really loved it when we got to walk up the road to Cook’s General Store. Now that was a place I loved!

After the long walk there (actually, you could see it from their yard) we’d sit outside on the benches that lined the porch and catch our breath. No one went with us; no need. We were perfectly safe. Of course, it was always coincidence that Granddaddy would stop by in the truck just after we got there. Inside, Elsie Cook would say, “You girls know where the Coke box is.” Inside were different sodas, NuGrape being my favorite. They were sitting in ice water. Now that is a cold drink. We could go back outside or sit on the benches around the coal heater. I can just imagine the things that old coal heater heard—crops, kinfolk, new babies. Back then I couldn’t understand why we girls weren’t allowed to spit in the spittoon beside it.

One of the staples of the general store was flour. After all, families had biscuits with just about every meal. These twenty-pound bags of flour came in ‘beautiful’ cotton sacks. Sometimes grandmother would give my mother some of the matching sacks and mother would sew us dresses. I had one that I called my Buttons and Bows dress. It was navy blue with pink and yellow buttons and bows. Beautiful! Even some of the girls at school asked where I got my Buttons and Bows Dress. No one cared that it was from flour sacks. It was just pretty.

Fond memories? Yes. Would I want to go back to that way of life? No. Visiting it in memory is enough for me. And somehow I don’t think that a flour sack dress would be as gorgeous today as it was then.

Do you have fond memories of growing up? Did you have a special dress that your mother had to sneak away from you to wash it? Now, if I only had a NuGrape to drink . . .

Winner of Debby Giusti's Christmas Peril

2009-12-13T14:14:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to LINDA HENDERSON, our blog winner for a copy of Debby Giusti's CHRISTMAS PERIL.

Linda, please contact me at dlkaufman@bellsouth.net so we can get your book to you!

Also, for those of you who left comments on Friday after Debby had to leave town for a friend's funeral, Debby has graciously returned to answer all comments and questions. Just check her blog post for your reply.

Don't forget to visit Debby at her website: www.DebbyGiusti.com

The Party's Over...Or is it just getting started?

2009-12-13T02:05:00.003-05:00

Join us again next week as we continue to look back on 2009. And pop in over the holidays for some surprises.

Monday, December 14: Maxine Davis –
Tuesday, December 15: Tamara DeStefano –
Wednesday, December 16: Linsey Lanier – Linsey's Year-End Review
Thursday, December 17: Nicki Salcedo – A Year in the Life of Petit Fours and Hot Tamales
Friday, December 18: Guest Chef:

The Saturday Review

2009-12-12T00:06:00.003-05:00

The Duke’s Boardroom Affair
by Michelle Celmer

Harlequin Silhouette Desire
ISBN 13-978-0-373-76919-3

Duke Charles Mead’s family destroyed Victoria Houghton’s family business and now she must work for the very man that planned the takeover.

Mallory wants nothing to do with the royal playboy lawyer despite his efforts to charm her. Charles pursues Victoria, but she pushes him away until she finds out that her father had deceived her about his part in the failure of their hotel. Victoria decides to live for herself, accepting Charles’s advances. At a birthday party for Charles’s father, Victoria discovers she loves Charles and tells him. He makes no response. Victoria leaves the party and makes plans to move away. Charles, after some soul searching, goes after Victoria asking her to stay, and marry him. Charles is a character that makes the reader smile. He is not the usual stuffy royal. He knows how to have fun.

A fun, quick read. The characters are very likeable.

4 Petit Fours and 3 Hot Tamales
Reviewed by Susan May

2009-12-12T00:05:00.005-05:00

Rainwater
By Sandra Brown

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-4391-7277-3
Genre: Women’s Fiction

This gem of a book is a departure for Sandra Brown. She usually writes hard hitting suspense and does a great job with her storyline and characterization. I have read everything she’s written, so I looked forward to her latest book, Rainwater. This was a short, but beautifully written story, more along the lines of women’s fiction. It is about a woman, Ella Barron, who runs a boardinghouse in Texas and the affect on her life of a new boarder, David Rainwater, who brings out feelings she doesn’t expect. There is a romance; an uplifting story about hardship during the Depression; a mother’s unflagging love for a challenging child, and how she fights to give him the best life can offer; suspense as we’ve come to expect from Brown and a twist at the end.

Sandra Brown took a chance by not sticking to the type of book she is usually known for and as far as I’m concerned, she hit a home run. She should probably try this again. Here is a story that is set in 1934 – not considered a desired time period for a romance – contains no torrid love scenes, but is beautiful and moving. That just shows as writers we don’t have to be pigeonholed; that we can succeed by trying our hand at something new. I’m glad Sandra Brown did.

Reviewed by: Marilyn Baron
Rating: 5 Petit Fours & 2 Hot Tamales

Guest Blogger Debby Giusti Guides Us To MAKING A SALE IN THE NEW YEAR

2009-12-11T03:04:00.000-05:00

MAKING A SALE IN THE NEW YEAR
By Debby Giusti

Thank you for inviting me to Petit Fours and Hot Tamales. You gals have created a fun blog community that is attracting interest in the writing world. Marketing guru, Seth Godin, in his book, TRIBES, talks about the far-reaching effectiveness of interactive online sites to generate sales for a particular product. Your product is the written word. People—including editors—are, no doubt, watching. The buzz you’ve created on the blog will lead to success with your submissions as well.

True story…in 2005, I banded together with fourteen other hopeful inspirational writers seeking publication. We call ourselves The Seekers, and since we’re spread across the country, we keep in touch on a yahoo loop. Two years ago, we decided to reach out to other writers on the road to publication and started our Seekerville blog, www.seekerville.blogspot.com.

Initially, our focus was on contests, but we eventually spread our wings and now interview editors, agents and best-selling authors and feature information on a wide range of publishing topics. The goal is for all the Seekers to get off our fictional “upubbed island” with a sale. Many Christian editors visit our site on a regular basis, and one even requested a submission when she was guest blogging.

To date, eleven Seekers have received The Call, and the others are close, with full manuscripts sitting on editors’ desks. I wish the same success for all of you, which brings me to today’s topic: Writing category books to achieve that first sale.

Shortly after I joined Georgia Romance Writers, I took Nancy Knight’s workshop, Once Begun is Half Done, at Arts Station in Stone Mountain, GA. As most of you know, Nancy is a fantastic teacher and encourager. She suggested I write what I know, and I took her words to heart.

As an Army wife, I had spent two years with my hubby at the National Training Center in the middle of the Mojave Desert at Fort Irwin, CA. The training area is as large as the state of Rhode Island, and maneuver units—tank and mechanized infantry battalions, cavalry squadrons and support units--trained in the grueling and dangerous environment on twenty-two day rotations. The man I love headed the Armor Task Force that put the visiting units through massive battles and provided minute-by-minute feedback and evaluation. Hubby and his men were only home four days between each rotation, and the schedule never varied so life was challenging for the military and their families as well.

When we left the desert, I wanted to capture the essence of that unique two-year assignment and set my first suspense at the NTC. I killed a general and wove a web of corruption that spread from the Mojave Desert to Forces Command Headquarters in Atlanta.

Needing to find a home for my newly penned manuscript, I attended my first M&M conference. An agent requested the story, and I thought my career was ready to explode. Of course, I had a lot to learn and was soon rejected.

Four manuscripts followed--all single title suspense. Although I received positive rejections, I eventually realized 100,000 words was too broad a scope. I needed to focus on a basic love story between a hero and heroine. My next manuscript was a category-length romantic suspense targeted for Harlequin Intrigue.

About the time I completed the story, then Steeple Hill senior editor Krista Stroever spoke at a GRW meeting and talked about the Love Inspired Suspense line. After the meeting, a few of us pitched, and Krista said she’d like to take a look at my partial, if I added a faith arc.

Once I incorporated inspirational elements into my work, I realized I’d found my genre. To test the effectiveness of my new direction, I entered three contests where Steeple Hill editors were the final round judges. I won the contests, received requests from each judge and before long the telephone rang. Krista wanted to buy my story.

With my sixth Love Inspired Suspense out this month, I know switching from mainstream to category was a good decision for me.

So what’s my point? For those of you writing single title books, if you are receiving good rejections letters and getting to the final round in contests but not making a sale, consider switching to category romance. The word count is short, the focus is on a powerful love story between the hero and heroine and secondary characters and subplots are kept to a minimum.

Bring the hero and heroine together in an action-packed opening and have the sparks fly. Create opposing goals and load on the conflict. Let the black moment seem hopeless and add a climax that has the readers—and the editors--on the edge of their seats. End with a happily ever after that leaves them yearning to read more. By focusing on the two main characters, you’ll identify weaknesses in your manuscript that can easily be strengthened and end up with a story that sizzles.

Another advantage to category books is the built-in readership and low price point. Distribution is great, and many lines have book clubs that increase sales numbers, especially for debut authors just starting out.

I’ll be online throughout the day so let’s talk about your writing and what you plan to accomplish in the New Year. My hope is that 2010 includes a sale for each of you.

Leave a comment and your email address to be entered into a drawing for CHRISTMAS PERIL.
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukah!

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
www.DebbyGiusti.com
www.seekerville.blogspot.com
www.ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com

Need stocking stuffers for friends and family?
CHRISTMAS PERIL is on sale now, featuring two action-packed stories: Merry Mayhem by Margaret Daley and Yule Die by Debby Giusti.
Here’s a peak at Debby’s Magnolia Medical novella:
It’s hardly a happy holiday for medical researcher Callie Evans…until she discovers her ailing patient is her long-lost brother. And he’s being watched by undercover police officer Joe Petrecelli. When the trio is abducted by a cadre of bad guys, Joe and Callie will have to fight to keep her brother—and themselves—alive.

Made Progress

2009-12-10T00:04:00.006-05:00

I’m a fan of goals. I set them for the year, for the month, even for the day. My biggest problem is I tend to set my goals too high. This year’s bar wasn’t any different.

Two thousand and nine was an interesting year for my family and me. In March, my youngest son had heart surgery again. We fully expected him to die, thankfully he did not, but he did put a kink in my goal plans. Six weeks after my son came home my husband had back surgery. I had turn from a writer into a nurse, fighting the job change all the way. In May, my daughter graduated from college and in August got married. Oh, I forgot, the child with heart problems got a pacemaker in June. My writing life didn’t really get started for the year until September.

Now, that I’ve shared all my excuses, I can tell the truth. No, I didn’t reach my goals. They were pray more. Can we ever do enough of that? Write two romances. I will have one of those finished by the time you read this. Sell one romance. I’ve not sold, but I did receive a request for a full manuscript and will be send it to London in January. Sell another nonfiction. I haven’t done that, but I do have the proposal written. I plan to polish it and send it out in January. Lose 60 pounds. If anything I’ve gained weight. Hospitals and worry are not conducive to weight loss.

I’ll be keeping the same goals for the new year, possibly adding a few more. Maybe 2010 is the year that I reach one of my goals, or if the stars a line, the family gets it together, I give up nursing and I just ignore anything that gets in my way--I can say I reached all my goals.

At least I have a plan.

Looking back at 2009

2009-12-09T00:02:00.002-05:00

By Carol Burnside

Last year, when we started the behind-the-scenes work for this blog, I could barely see tomorrow, let alone a year ahead, so I never posted my goals on the blog. However, I do set goals and keep up with them during the year. I have a whole spreadsheet devoted to it.

Due to the move, large chunks of the first six months were set aside for getting settled in my new house, unpacking, painting, and decorating until it was to my level of ‘livable’, so I didn’t get as much writing done as I’d hoped. It seems I’m always shooting for impossible goals and fall short, which is demoralizing.

That said, I have accomplished some things, which I’ve listed below.
• Feb. – received ‘pass’ on submitted full.
• Completed a novella that grew up to be a novel.
• I submitted 2 manuscripts in 3 contests and finaled in all. So far, the results are: 3rd place with a requested full from an editor; Revised that manuscript according to the editors notes and submitted it; 2nd place with notation from agent on what to revise. Gotta love that! and the last contest is yet to be determined.
• Submitted a short story to Glimmer Train – they passed.
• Participated in the October Treasure Hunt on this blog
• Began another novel (25% finished)
• Added 184 pgs to various short stories I have in the works. (My writing ADD kicking in here.)

I haven’t yet determined exactly what I’ll shoot for in 2010. I do know that it will include more submissions and more realistic goals. I would like to
• complete more pages than I did this year,
• finish another novel
• finish 1-2 of those short stories/novellas I have in the works
• blog more on my personal blog http://carolburnside.blogspot.com and
• enter more contests.

So, what do you think? Sound realistic and reachable to you?

The Magic Wand of Writing Success

2009-12-08T00:02:00.001-05:00

Some of us are already looking back at 2009 as if it were the last drunken party guest of a very tired host. While I’m enjoying the holiday season, I’m also just a little impatient to “get on with it,” as if the upcoming New Year were a magical transition into a whole new me.

Yep, a magical transition. Well, the truth is that maybe it could be if I could ever get organized enough to figure out where I put that damn magic wand. You know the one. The one we would wave -- if we could. It’s the same wand that would cheat us out of the growth that we can only accomplish through a plan and work. There, I’ve said it. Two four letter words. PLAN and WORK. That’s how to construct the real magic wand: plan and work . (I left out the “hard” for those of you who are especially squeamish about work.)

So, three days ago at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning, my critique partner and I sat down and had what we in the South like to call a little “Come to Jesus” meeting. For those of you without the drawl and a true aversion to grits, that means that we made a serious assessment of ourselves. We got real.

We first took a hard look at our 2009 goals and, for the most part, we were pleased. I had finished my first novel, entered the Golden Heart, and sent a partial to an agent. I also attended GRW’s Moonlight and Magnolias writing conference, took one on-line class, and strategically submitted my work to contests for feedback. My critique partner's accomplishments were more impressive, but I won’t steal her thunder in my post!

Next, we drew up our writing goals for 2010. Now, I could tell you all about my goals, but I’d rather talk about how to set them. What I’m hoping is that, with a few simple guidelines, you too can set realistic, practical goals for the upcoming year. No magic wand needed!

Here are four guidelines on how to set realistic goals:

1. Set a goal that you have a reasonable chance of controlling. For example, My goal is to submit my recently finished romantic suspense to anywhere between 6-10 agents whose preferences are in my genre and with whom I feel I would be compatible. NOTE: My goal is NOT to get an agent. Sure, I want that from a purely business point of view. But, I can’t control is whether or not one of these agents wants to represent my work. So, my goal is to research and make my submissions. Make sure any goal you set is under your control.

2. Set a specific writing goal and break it down with deadlines. One of my writing goals is to finish my revisions on Redemption By Blood no later than the end of February. I’m allowing for the fact that holidays and life are standing between me and my goal. I’m also allowing for the fact that without a deadline, it won’t get done. Practically ever

3. Plan for feedback, but choose your venues wisely. I plan to enter three specific contests next year because of the excellent, practical feedback I received from them last year. Oh, trust me, I know all about the “other” feedback that you can get from contest judges. I choose not to let that stop me. I also plan to continue in an online critique group and with my critique partner.

4. Choose your conferences and on-line courses based on your own professional development plan. For more on a professional development plan go read Tammy Schubert’s post on having one at http://petitfoursandhottamales.blogspot.com/2009/01/take-charge-of-your-writing-career.html

My guidelines aren't exactly new or innovative. But, I'd like to think that they'd help you to wrap up the 2009 party and get on your way to tossing out the last of those drunken guests so you can set realistic writing goals for next year without the aid of a magic wand.

Now, let's hear about what other guidelines you feel should make the list. Or tell me about one of your specific writing goals for 2010.

Comfort Zone or Rocky Waters

2009-12-07T00:05:00.002-05:00

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain

I’ve met some of my goals this year, seen some fall by the wayside and been happily surprised by a few unplanned successes. One of the most positive things I’ll take away from this year is that stepping out of my comfort level actually put me back on track. Let me explain.

I started off the year in a bit of a writing slump, feeling dissatisfied with my progress and realizing I needed to shake things up a bit. My first opportunity came when I was asked to join a group of wonderful ladies from my local chapter and put together a writing blog. I’d never blogged before. Can you spell intimidating? I looked back on my life and realized that some of the best things that had ever happened to me were when I met an opportunity head-on and didn’t “think it to death”. I joined petit fours and hot tamales and have loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together this coming year. They’ve challenged me as a writer and supported me as friends. Thank you, ladies, for allowing me to be part of this amazing group of dedicated women.

In pursuit of one of my goals I took a writing class given by one of our founding members of Georgia Romance Writers and discovered a new sense of direction in my writing. I stepped out of my comfort level one more time and decided to target my current novel in a different direction. Doing so has given me a new sense of freedom and excitement for writing. It also led to new and unexpected critique partners (and dear friends) who have been tremendously encouraging and insightful.

So, like I mentioned at the start, this year I didn’t meet all of my goals, but it’s been a wildly successful year for me in many ways. I plan to spend the days after Christmas plotting my strategy for next year and making a list of new goals. I’ll leave you with one more quote from a favorite author.

“Remember – people who seem to move through life with confidence aren’t confident of the outcome of a decision; they are confident they can deal with the outcome, good or bad. – Stephanie Bond.

Here’s to wind in your sails!

So what about you? Have you ever taken a chance and stepped out of your comfort zone? Did it pay off?

Has it really been a whole year?

2009-12-06T01:45:00.007-05:00

I can't believe we're in the last month of 2009. Do we really have a whole twelve months of blogging under our belts? I hope it's been as fun for all of you as it has for me.

Don't forget to tune in next year, especially the first week of January, when we'll be celebrating our 1st year anniversary!

And now, here's our bloggers for the coming week.

Monday, December 7: Darcy Crowder –
Tuesday, December 8: Debbie Kaufman – The Magic Wand of Writing Success
Wednesday, December 9: Carol Burnside - Looking back at 2009
Thursday, December 10: Susan May - Made Progress
Friday, December 11: Guest Chef: Debbie Guisti

The Saturday Review

2009-12-05T00:06:00.002-05:00

The Fire in Fiction
By Donald Maass

Genre: Craft
Publisher: Writers Digest Books
ISBN-13: 978-1582975061

Literary agent, Donald Maass’ new book, The Fire in Fiction should be in every writer’s toolbox. I had the privilege of attending his workshop, by the same name, this past summer at the RWA conference in Washington DC. I’ve only now had the chance to spend time pouring over this new, powerful text on how to not only write a novel, but write a novel readers can’t forget.

From the back cover:
We’ve all read them: novels by our favorite authors that disappoint. Uninspired and lifeless, we wonder what happened. Was the author in a hurry? Did she have a bad year? Has he lost interest altogether?

Something similar is true of a great many unpublished manuscripts. They are okay stories that never take flight. They don’t grip the imagination, let alone the heart. They merit only a shrug and a polite dismissal by agents and editors.

It doesn’t have to be that way. In The Fire in Fiction, successful literary agent and author Donald Maass shows you not only how to infuse your story with deep conviction and fiery passion, but how to do it over and over again. The book features:

Techniques for capturing a special time and place, creating characters whose lives matter, nailing multiple-impact plot turns, making the supernatural real, infusing issues into fiction, and more.

Story-enriching exercises at the end of every chapter to show you how to apply the practical tools just covered to our own work.

Rich examples drawn from contemporary novels as diverse as The Lake House, Water for Elephants, and Jennifer Government to illustrate how various techniques work in actual stories.

Plus, Maass introduces an original technique that any novelist can use any time, in any scene, in any novel, even on the most uninspired day…to take the most powerful experiences from your personal life and turn those experiences directly into powerful fiction. Tap into The Fire in Fiction, and supercharge your story with originality and spark!

A sure hit with any writer you know this Christmas!!

Rating: 5 Petit fours
Reviewed by Darcy Crowder

2009-12-05T00:05:00.000-05:00

Dark Side of Dawn
by Kathryn Smith

Genre: urban fantasy
Publisher: Avon
ISBN-10: 0061632716

Anyone who knows me knows how much I absolutely loved Kathryn Smith’s Before I Wake. It quite literally blew me away. I have always enjoyed Ms. Smith’s historicals, but her first person contemporary voice is top notch. Dawn Riley is one of those characters that just sticks with you. A character you’d love to be friends with. Heck, I found myself wanting to be her. I was actually a bit worried about whether the second installment would come close to the brilliance of the first. Have no fear, Ms. Smith does not disappoint. I could not put it down!

Dark Side of Dawn picks up right where the first one left off and continues the story of Dawn Riley (half-breed daughter of Morpheus, the King of Dreams, and a mortal) and her hero, Noah Clarke. Dawn is a Nightmare, a guardian of the Dream Realm. In Before I Wake, Dawn accepts that she is different -- she can exist in both worlds -- and starts to adjust to living life that way. In this one, she completely embraces what she is. She faces the Nightmare Council for her actions in bringing a human, Noah, into the Dream Realm, even though it was to save his life. The Council is basically freaking out because no one, not even Morpheus, has ever been able to do that. So, they are threatening to have her “unmade”. As if that wasn’t enough, she is trying to help Noah’s ex-wife overcome a life-changing event (and boy does that lead to some interesting scenes) and she’s also dealing with the fact that a specialist might be able to wake her mother up from a self-induced coma (so she could be with her lover Morpheus in the Dreaming). And through it all, her relationship with Noah is moving forward and becoming serious. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment in this book!

I don’t think I’ve ever read a more down-to-earth and real character than Dawn Riley. The fact that this book is in first person makes it so easy for the reader to slip into her shoes. She’s sarcastic, smart and an everyday woman. Her character continues to develop and evolve while embracing and honing her powers. I love her faults just as much as her strengths and when an author can do that, they have scored in my book. Dawn is insecure at times, especially when it comes to Noah because, after all, she’s already been rejected by her father’s people. I was so glad to see that she and her mother started mending fences, too.

Noah comes out of his shell a bit more in this story. He always knows the right things to say to Dawn and who doesn’t love that? We also learn that there’s more to him than meets the eye. And Verek (the hot Nightmare who trains Dawn) figures more prominently in this book . . . which is good. *g* The reader gets to know several returning secondary characters better and a few new characters are introduced – including one that will creep you out. Sure kept me on the edge of my seat! Plus, we learn more about the Dream Realm and its secrets. Ms. Smith has created such an incredible world that sometimes I would ask myself, how in the world is she going to do that? And then she does. She ends the book with a line that has me waiting with baited breath for the next book! Dark Side of Dawn can be read by itself, but I would suggest reading Before I Wake first as it will only enhance your reading experience. So pick up both because I cannot recommend them enough!

Rating: 5 Petit Fours and 3 Hot Tamales
Reviewed by: ~Andrea Williamson – The Romance Dish

Please Welcome Special Guest Blogger, La-Tessa Montgomery

2009-12-04T07:34:00.004-05:00

African American Romance, Your Thoughts?

When I first began reading romance, AA romance was nonexistent– meaning even if there were a few of them out there, they weren’t getting the publicity and attention the mainstream romances were. Until the early to mid 90’s, I’d never heard of, or seen, any romances in the library or on book shelves featuring minority leads. But as a lover of romance, I could (and still do) appreciate any good story, regardless of the race of the hero and/or heroine.

Over the last few years, as I’ve gotten closer to the industry as both a reviewer for RomanceInColor.com and an author, I’ve noticed that not all people feel that way. And some are, for whatever reason, very closed-minded about what they will or want read. I’ve often wondered why this is so and if this discrepancy will ever cease to be a main factor. The optimist in me hopes it does, a good story is a good story, regardless.

In the case of the African American readers I’ve spoken too, most, if not all, are open to reading culturally diverse novels because of the lack of AA romance novels that were available at the time of their introduction to the genre. So as times progressed and more AA romance became available, they began to read them more, but never totally abandoned the mainstream romance stories.

Of the non-African American romance readers and writers I’ve asked, I’ve never gotten an answer that wasn’t some variant of “Hmm…I don’t know.” So my response is usually “Do you plan on trying one out? ” I then proceed to recommend some of my favorite authors and titles in hopes of exposing them to some great stories that they otherwise would never have read.

Another interesting thing I’ve noticed is that the older readers I’ve spoken too (regardless of race) are more firmly rooted in their preference to either read or not read books by or featuring African Americans; while the younger readers have more of an open mind about it. The same can be said of readers of paranormal and urban fantasy. I’ve noticed that readers of these sub genres tend to be more open when it comes to the cultural diversity of the books they read as well.

You may ask, “Why am I so interested in whether or not AA romance has a widespread appeal?”

It’s simple, I recently had an editor that liked my story pass on it because she’s not familiar with how to market AA romance. I’m not mad at her at all, but her comment did get me to thinking about the climate of the current market, future trends and shifts in the market and consumer behavior, and how those trends can impact me as an AA author.

So I leave you with a couple of questions: What type of fiction do you read? Are you open and willing to read about characters of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds than you?

I look forward to hearing from you.
~La-Tessa Montgomery
www.LaTessaMontgomery.com
www.LaTessaMontgomeryAuthor.com
www.RomanceInColor.com

Out with the Old, In with the New: a Look at Writing Goals

2009-12-03T01:28:00.000-05:00

I just have to tell you that I love our theme for the month of December. Here in the maelstrom of Christmas, we Petit Fours consciously decided to take this time to evaluate how many of our 2009 goals were accomplished. I needed that. I needed to think about what I have finished rather than what I still need to do because the list of Christmas presents to buy is daunting, and the task of figuring out how to pay for them is more daunting still.

So, here goes. I wanted to finish the third draft of the novel that will be my Master’s Thesis. Check. I wanted to have business cards before Moonlight and Magnolias. Done. I wanted to enter the Maggies and finish that novel before the conference. Also done. I vowed to enter more contests. Mostly done—I entered three.

Thinking about what I have done now makes me think of what still needs to be done. What did I learn in 2009? I learned that I need to have at least half of my Maggie entry finished before I submit the partial, so one of my goals for 2010 is to have at least one hundred pages written before May. I learned that I need to change the point of view of my Master’s Thesis yet again. I’m over one hundred pages into that story, and I really don’t have much choice in finishing it. My goal is to finish it and to submit it to every place I can think of. Of course, the most important writing goal of 2010 is to keep on writing even though I’m co-chair of the conference. To tell you the truth, I want to curl up in the fetal position at the thought of spinning so many plates, but I’m still standing. And I have at least three of those plates spinning.

It’s going to be your turn in a minute, and I hope you’re chomping at the bit to tell me both what you’ve done and what you hope to do. Before you start making lofty goals for 2010, though, I would like to tell you something I learned from Missy Tippens when she spoke at one of the monthly meetings. She warned us all to set goals that we can accomplish—and this is a lesson I learned the hard way. Missy said you have to make goals that you can control. You can’t control whether or not you find an agent. You can’t control when your first sale will come. You can control how many pages each day you write or how many contests you enter. What I would have given to have heard Missy’s speech several years ago when I vowed to be published by thirty. I have to tell you that thirty has come and gone, and I’m still not published, but I have written four novels.

Here’s another tidbit of incentive. For 2010, the Georgia Romance Writers’ PRO members are going to sponsor a new contest. You already know about the great “Finish the Book” contest. We’re going to start the First Annual Rejection Collection Contest. We’ll all kick some money into the kitty, and the person with the most rejection letters at the end of the year will win what’s in the pot. You can’t control when you’re going to find someone who loves your work, but you can control how many noses you put it under.

So, now it’s your turn. What did you accomplish this year? What do you hope to accomplish in 2010? This is your moment, and if you type it here then it just might come true.

Looking Backward...Looking Inward

2009-12-02T00:03:00.000-05:00

We humans never need much of an excuse to indulge in that age-old pastime of contemplating our navels. Birthdays, anniversaries, you name it and we tend to automatically look back at where we’ve been and how far we’ve come.

For instance: a year ago, I was writing contemporary women’s fiction and bashing my head against the wall. Either my plots were too blah or the subject matter I wanted to write about was so controversial it bordered on taboo.

It was just after last year’s Moonlight & Magnolias Conference and a firm “no thanks” from the editor I’d pitched to, that my critique partner suggested I do something different and try writing, of all things, a historical romance.

I laughed so hard I thought I’d burst a blood vessel in my brain. But after thinking it over, I figured I had nothing to lose and if my CP was right, I’d have everything to gain. Besides I can easily convince myself that time spent surfing the net is absolutely necessary to my creative process.

So, I came up with a hero, a heroine, a villain and a plot. Everything was going great—for about three chapters. Suddenly plot holes sprouted like pimples before prom night. My characters weren’t motivated to do anything more than hang around annoying me. Just like that silly arcade game, “Whack-A-Mole”, every time I thought I’d conquered one problem, another one would pop up, leaving me gnashing my teeth, howling in frustration.

Something had to be done, and done quickly. I bought every writers “how to” book on the market, read them all until my eyes crossed, set up my sacred space for writing complete with candles and the color green (to stimulate creativity) and even put meditation tracks on my MP3 player to listen to as I slept.

Ironically, the thing that helped the most was the simplest—for me, anyway. I called my CP and talked it through. It’s amazing how the most unsolvable problem becomes nothing at all when seen through the eyes of someone who’s removed from it.

Some months I couldn’t write a word for over a week at a time. Then, I’d sit down in a marathon session and write an entire chapter in one day.

By the end of summer, my story had gone through about three different incarnations since I first came up with the idea. My plot, which at one time was simple, straightforward and boring, is now as convoluted as a rainbow-hued ball of yarn after the cat has played with it.

There are times in life when you must take leaps of faith; times when you just gracefully accept whatever gifts are given. I wasn’t going to attend M&M this year, but miraculously, I did. I wasn’t going to pitch but I went to the pitch workshop anyway.

Then, unbeknownst to me, a friend made an editor/agent appointment on my behalf. The agent requested a full manuscript—something that has never happened to me before. And to think, I almost let it slip through my fingers.

What about you? How has your writing life changed over the course of 2009? Will you do anything differently in 2010?

My Best Christmas Present Ever!

2009-12-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

Ana Aragón

Twenty years ago today, I was given the best Christmas present ever when my daughter, Jennifer, was born. Before she came into our lives, Christmas was always about the holiday trappings--presents, parties, the perfect yard and tree decorations, the yearly Christmas card/letter to a hundred friends and family, and lots and lots of baking. I LOVED the merriment, the music, the shopping trips and all the hoopla leading up to Christmas morning.

But from the moment they laid my precious baby daughter in my arms, I knew that none of that could compare to the joy of having a newborn daughter you didn't expect come into your life at Christmas and change it in, oh, so many wonderful ways.

As a mother of two boys, I assumed when I got pregnant that I'd have another boy. God had played a joke on me by not giving me the daughter I had always expected I would have. After all, as the firstborn daughter of a firstborn daughter of a firstborn daughter, I had always expected I'd have...well...a daughter. Poor Bryan had a beautiful peach and yellow room, complete with ruffled curtains; Mark had the pink bassinet. Fortunately neither of them suffered any ill effects from my expectations.

I loved my two boys and figured we were set. After all, I was a pretty good mom of boys and what would be wrong with having a third one (except for that one niggling thought that I'd also be the mother-in-law to three daughters-in-law.) This third boy who I named Scott Douglas had a plain brown crib and lots of hand-me-down clothes and toys waiting for him. He also had a mom who was a pro at all things boy--scrapes and stitches, trips to the emergency room, hockey sticks, football, jock straps and cups and, of course, everything baseball.

But then Jennifer Haley Doll arrived and what a difference! Where the boys screamed, Jennifer whimpered (the boys will say she whined). Instead of little boy suits with bow ties, Jennifer wore lots of lace and frills and a bow glued to the top of her head. She could mesmerize anyone with those smoky green eyes, that cupid bow mouth, and blonde curls framing her heart-shaped face. She wrapped us around her little finger and never let go. She's the princess of the family, and everyone knows it!

I'd like to say there weren't any scrapes or trips to the emergency room, but she was the only one to break not one, but both, wrists after falling from a 10-foot basketball goal. As a gymnast and cheerleader, she flew through the air with no regard for my pounding heart. She was every bit as athletic as the boys (probably because of them!) and gave us her share of nightmares.

But I'm happy to say that twenty years later--she's still the best Christmas present ever. Happy birthday, sweetheart!

Love,
Mom

For my readers--what is the best present you ever received and how did it change your life?

Pay it Back by Paying It Forward

2009-11-30T00:24:00.003-05:00

Have you received a helping hand lately? I'm not talking about somebody giving you money; although, that does count. My thoughts are headed more in the direction of someone stopping to help when you are broken down on the side of the road, a stranger's warm smile when you are having a bad day, a friend staying up all night with you to help ease your wounded heart and other things we take for granted.

Nobody has to extend an act of kindness to us. Where is it written that the people in this world are required to be nice to us? You won't find it. If you do, please let the world know so we can stop the horrific atrocities imposed on humans by other humans.

What we have here are good people who give us a little bit of themselves to make our day a little brighter, a little happier and a little easier. After all, we know life isn't easy. We all go through rough times. Some of those moments are longer than others, but we can move past them. It is always easier to move through the process when someone else appears and extends a hand.

This calls to mind the painful experience leading up to my divorce. The decision to move forward with the end of my marriage was overwhelming, and I was paralyzed. At that point in my life, I was always the people pleaser. Divorce is one of those tragedies that hurt so many people, I could not bring myself to do what I know had to be done. An unexpected friend joined me one day while I was sitting on the stairs outside my office. He gave me some advice that was the push I needed to make a final decision so I could stop dragging out the inevitable, which was only hurting those I loved. The wisdom he shared was just a phrase-one lone sentence, and it changed the course of several lives. As it turns out, those lives were all changed for the better. This friend didn't have to sit down with me. He certainly didn't have to provide a helping hand. Frankly, given the fact he was a friend of my current husband's, he probably shouldn't have gotten involved for even a moment. Once his words of wisdom were conveyed, he promptly got up, waved and headed off. We haven't spoken in years now, but I will always be grateful. He took a risk to help some friends. How many of us would have done the same? How many of us would take a little bit of risk on without expecting anything in return?

Once my decision was made to go through with the divorce, I was amazed at how many people stepped forward to spare a hug and give me a break when I had no place else to turn. None of these kind individuals wanted anything in return. They didn't gain anything by helping me. Their acts were inspired by basic human kindness.

The fact I was in no position to help them in any way to return the favors bothered me for a long time. Then it occurred to me that the best way to honor them was to provide a helping hand and perform acts of kindness for others. None of this had to cost money, which was a good thing since I was broke at the time. It came down to paying attention to people around me and jumping in when they needed a little help. From hugging friends down on their luck, offering bits of advice or coaching them to pursue something out of the ordinary that sparked positive changes, babysitting when some friends needed to get out and have some time alone and so many other things we all tend to take for granted. The more I gave, the more pleasure I received just seeing a person smile or get back up on their feet. To this day, I continue to be on the lookout for those small, almost insignificant moments and take action to help another.

I really didn't have a name for these general acts of kindness until I saw the movie PAY IT FORWARD. If you haven't seen this movie, I encourage you to take the time to watch it. Be sure you have a box of tissues nearby. The emotion in this movie builds and the climax in the end will make the tears flow when you witness the powerful impact one child had on the world around him and what he had to face. All to pay it forward.

If you have ever received an act of kindness, think about paying it forward. One thoughtful gesture can make a powerful impact on someone's life. You may never see it, but know that it happens. So always be on the lookout for those little opportunities to pay it forward. Do any of you have any experiences you'd like to share about acts of kindness and paying it forward? Please share them with us. You story may spark actions in others or give someone another idea on how to pay it forward.

Look Back with Us

2009-11-29T00:11:00.004-05:00

Where did the time go? Can you believe in another month it will be 2010? Join us next week as we wrap up November and look back at '09.

Monday, November 30: Tammy Schubert – Pay it Forward, Pay it Back
Tuesday, December 1: Ana Aragon – My best Christmas present ever
Wednesday, December 2: Cinthia Hamer-Omey - Looking Backward...Looking Inward
Thursday, December 3: – Sally Kilpatrick -
Friday, December 4: Guest Chef: La-Tessa Montgomery

The Saturday Review

2009-11-28T03:05:00.001-05:00

*** Note: May contain spoilers***

Death Angel
Linda Howard
Single Title
Ballantine Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-345-48655

A great writer can take characters with major flaws and make the reader cheer for them. That is just what Linda Howard does in Death Angel.
Drea Rousseau is the kept woman of a drug lord. When Simon ( the reader is never sure what his real name is) a hired killer, demands four hours of sex with Drea as payment for his services, the drug lord agrees. Drea is devastated to be treated as nothing. During her four hours with the killer she feels a connection to the cool, but gentle hit man. Afterwards she asks him to take her with him but he refuses. Drea knows she can no longer be the drug lord’s mistress. Not the bimbo she has made everyone believe she is, she escapes the drug lord and steals two million dollars of his money.

The drug lord wants her dead and sends Simon to do the job. Simon doesn’t know if he will actually kill Drea but he does chase her across the country. When Drea is in a serious auto accident and pronounced dead she discovers it isn’t her time. With a second chance at life, she wants to do it differently. Simon finds out she is alive and he watches over her. One night Drea catches him watching her. He goes to her house and they both realize meeting each other has changed their lives. They want a life together.

Drea also realizes that she can’t let her ex-drug lord boyfriend continue to hurt others. When she goes to the FBI to offer her help which will put her in danger, Simon refuses to let Drea do it. He kills the drug lord himself.

I’m a Linda Howard fan and therefore I enjoyed this book. These characters were not people that I would root for in my everyday life but being pulled into theirs I started to sympathize with them. I wanted them to get together and find happiness. Interesting read.

Rating: 4 Petit Fours and 4 Hot Tamales
Reviewed: By Susan May

Castle

2009-11-28T03:02:00.002-05:00

Castle
Airs on abc: http://abc.go.com/shows/castle

Mondays at 10

Genre: Whodunit—think Murder She Wrote with wittier repartee, a younger cast, and sparks flying between Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic)

Here’s the premise: Castle is a mystery writer who is shadowing police detective Beckett in order to do research on his latest protagonist, Nicki Heat, who happens to be a female police detective. Needless to say, Beckett is less than enthused to have Castle on board, but even she isn’t immune to his boyish charm.

This show has it all: mystery, humor, and a good love/hate romance. Anyone who is familiar with Nathan Fillion’s other work (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) will also love him here. Those who like mysteries will also like the show, although some mysteries are stronger than others. In particular, the Halloween episode is a must-see; it starts with Fillion in his old Firefly get-up and ends with him as Edgar Allan Poe. Everything in between pokes fun at Halloween conventions within the confines of an excellently crafted story.

One of my favorite parts of the show concerns the relationship between Castle, his daughter, and his mother. They all live together, and the daughter is clearly the “parent” of them all even if she does occasionally indulge in a little laser tag with dear old dad. Other members of the supporting cast are equally strong, and occasionally you might even glimpse a cameo of some of America’s greatest mystery writers in one of Castle’s poker games.

Reviewer: Sally Kilpatrick
Petit Fours: a solid 5/Hot Tamales: 3

Adventures in Shopping

2009-11-27T00:52:00.000-05:00

Today is Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. This day kicks off the traditional holiday shopping season, and the quest for perfect gifts for those special people in our lives.

Kids run around in excitement. Holiday music and decorations create a festive atmosphere. The happy holiday season kicks into high gear. Sales abound, and everyone knows the best deals are found during the early morning hours. Through all of this shoppers must deal with long lines, crowds of people – some pushy and rude while others deliver basic, free gifts through their acts of kindness.

Can you feel the increasing stress level? Doesn't this make online shopping much more appealing?

We have all heard news stories related to adventures in shopping:

People trampled to death
Fights over parking spaces, toys, etc.
Acts of good will and charity
Secret Santa's spreading a bit of cheer

What kind of shopping stories do you have to share? Are they funny, sad, adventurous, or full of action or a touching incident? Please share your experiences with us.

Happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

2009-11-26T06:00:00.004-05:00

I know everyone is busy cooking and entertaining…probably trying a couple of Carol’s yummy recipes from yesterday, but if you’ve taken a few moments out of your busy day, I thought today would be a great day to share how different families celebrate this special day.

Below is a story submitted by Maxine (Brenda) Davis. Enjoy.

What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year? Don’t you love it when you’re talking to friends about the holidays? “What do y’all do for Thanksgiving?” is often heard. It’s fun to hear who’s cooking, who’s coming, who’s going and who is frantic about preparing dinner for the first time.

Well, for over 20 years my family has gone to a big hotel in Marietta. No one cooks and no one cleans up. We all dress in our finest, relax and enjoy the family and a fabulous meal. We are always in a private room ‘off to the side’ of the dining room and don’t worry about disturbing others as we visit and eat.

Turkey and dressing? Oh yes, and vegetables, and shrimp and prime rib and every kind of dessert imaginable. We all visit the buffet, well, let’s just say, more than once.

What started it? When my parents’ health got bad, Mother couldn’t cook and even though we brought in a lot of food, the big crowd made Daddy nervous in their small house. He suggested the entire family going out. We have ever since.

That was a wonderful decision! It was very hard the first year after Dad died and years later, again after Mom. But my brother, sister and I all knew how much they enjoyed this holiday with family. It is something we treasure and celebrate.

About noon, we’ll all head to the restaurant. We’ll talk about how much the kids have grown, how handsome everyone looks and ask one of the waiters to make a family picture. After the food, there’s just the football and nap that’s left.

Enjoy your holiday, be thankful, celebrate family and think of me, not washing the first dish.

Sandy's Thanksgiving Plans

This year we have our youngest daughter and her family driving down from Virginia and our son and his wife driving down from North Carolina. I started cooking yesterday…at least the molded salads, cookies for snacking and the pumpkin pie.

I’ve written out a list of what we’ll be eating…to assure I don’t forget anything, and to remind me this morning just what I have to do to put a huge banquet on the table promptly at 2 o’clock.

Traditionally our day starts with the parade…while the turkey is roasting…and then the dog show. We love seeing all the breeds even though we no longer have a dog. Mainly because Jack the Cat wouldn’t like it and after all, he was here first and owns the house.

After the big meal, we’ll head out for a walk around the neighborhood…during a break on the sports channel…and then we’ll be back at it again in the evening for thick turkey sandwiches on white bread with mayo and cranberry sauce. Oh yeah, now that’s eating.

Our menu for this year is:Ham, Turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce…jelly type, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole w/marshmallows, deviled eggs, fresh green beans w/crumbled bacon, cranberry Jell-O molded salad, a lime Jell-O molded salad w/ pineapple and hot rolls w/ butter. Then pumpkin pie and/or pecan pie with cool whip or vanilla ice cream.

I fully expect my husband to fall asleep in the recliner and for the “kids” to beat us at Wii.

To sum it up, Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and friends sharing a good time and making memories. May each of you have a Thanksgiving to remember and please say a prayer for Mercer Crook, CiCi and the entire Crook family.

Talking Turkey and gravy and…

2009-11-25T00:05:00.002-05:00

By Carol Burnside

Ever wish you could cook an old-fashioned Thanksgiving Day dinner, but don’t know how? Well, here’s the scoop!

Never cooked a turkey? No problem. Log onto http://www.butterball.com/ and check out their ‘tips and how-tos’ section. They’ve got everything there you could possibly want to know about turkeys and cooking turkeys including temperatures and times for different weights. NOTE: If you’re running to the store today, buy a FRESH turkey, not frozen to prepare for tomorrow.

Now that the turkey is covered, you’ll need some gravy to go with it. At our house, the bird was always accompanied by mashed potatoes with giblet gravy. My granny believed strongly in the ‘waste not, want not’ philosophy, and with four kids to feed, my mother followed her example. This recipe reflects that philosophy.

Giblet Gravy
3-4 cans chicken broth
Packet of giblets from turkey (heart, gizzard, neck and liver)
2 eggs, boiled, peeled and chopped into 1/4” pieces
½ cup chopped onion
1 can Campbell’s Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
Poultry seasoning
Rubbed sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Put eggs on to boil in small saucepan. Next, empty chicken broth into a large (3-4 qt) pot, and bring to boil. Remove giblets from packet and add to boiling broth along with onions. Simmer about 5-10 min. until done. Remove from heat. Keep broth in pot, but remove giblets to a small bowl to cool.

Chop giblets organs when cool. Remove skin from neck and discard. With small knife, cut the meat from the neck bones and add to chopped organs. Return to broth and bring back to boil. Add eggs. Stir in soup with a whisk. Add poultry seasoning, sage, salt and pepper to taste. (Easy on the sage! A tiny amount goes a long way. )

If gravy is too thin, thicken with a Tbsp. or so of cornstarch dissolved in a ¼ cup of milk, repeat until it reaches desired consistency, giving it about 2 minutes between batches to thicken.

Mashed potatoes are easy. Fill a med to lg pot about ½ full of water. Put on stove to boil. Peel and cube potatoes (1 lb for every 2-3 people). Add to boiling water. When potatoes are fork tender, drain water off. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add butter or margarine and milk or cream. I like my potatoes creamy and light, so I use an electric mixer. Start on low and increase speed as the potatoes begin to puree. End by whipping for a couple minutes or until all lumps are gone. Add salt and pepper. Stir and serve. If you don’t want to make from scratch, there are really tasty prepared mashed potatoes and believe it or not, instant. Both are fast and easy.

Cranberry Sauce can be bought pre-prepared. Just chill and slice. Heat and butter purchased rolls, prepare a green vegetable and a dessert, and you’ve got a fabulous first-time Thanksgiving Dinner!

Still feeling confident? Okay, then let’s go whole-hog and do a Sweet Potato Delight. Ingredients:
3 cups sweet potatoes, cooled, peeled and mashed, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, 2/3 cup butter or margarine, 1/2 cup milk

And for the topping (delight):
1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup butter or margarine, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup chopped pecans

Mix sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk & 2/3 C butter. Pour in greased casserole dish.
Mix topping ingredients in small bowl. Pour or dot over sweet potato mixture. Do not mix in.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 min. Top will be crunchy.

Note: My family requests I add marshmallows to the top and brown for 5 min., but be warned, this makes it extra sweet! Enjoy.

What? You want a dessert recipe too? Okay, okay, but I must say, you must be awfully hungry. Let’s go with something that’s easy – a pie. Trust me, it’s mix and bake.

I’m from the South and there’s nothing more fitting at the Thanksgiving table than a…
Southern (Molasses) Pecan Pie.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
¾ c. Dark Karo syrup or molasses
¾ c. light corn syrup
2 Tbsp. butter or marg. Melted
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup pecans
1 unbaked deep-dish pastry shell

Combine eggs, molasses, corn syrup, melted butter salt and vanilla in mixing bowl. Make a paste of a ¼ cup mixture and flour; stir into remaining mixture. Add pecans. Pour into unbaked pastry shell and back at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour or until firm in middle. Cover edges of pie crust with thin strips of foil until the last 15 minutes so it won’t burn. Let cool some before serving.

Veggie tip from Susan May: An easy dish that’s very popular is the Green Bean Casserole. The recipe can be found on the back of any Durkee French Fried Onions can. If that doesn’t suit you, here’s another:

MAXINE’S GREEN BEAN RECIPE Buy the canned green beans (Kentucky Wonder or Pole beans).
DRAIN the water.
Pour beans in pan, add water to cover
Pour in some oil
Add a vegetable bouillon cube (I use 1/2 of a Knorr lg. cube)
Salt and either Herb de Provence, or, my favorite, Cracker Boy Seasoning (buy online) and sprinkle that on top.
Bring to boil
Stir once
Turn down temp, cover and cook "a little while."

There you have it, a Thanksgiving feast to please any family.

We at Petit Fours & Hot Tamales wish you and yours a pleasant Thanksgiving Day with your loved ones. Bon appétit!

Thanksgiving Reviews

2009-11-24T00:07:00.001-05:00

Title: Book - - Skipping Christmas by John Grisham – and –
Movie - - Christmas with the Kranks

http://www.jgrisham.com/
Video URL - - - http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1207108377/

Publisher: Doubleday
Film Company: Resolutions Studios
ISBN: 0-385-50841-7
Rating: PG

Luther Krank is fed up with all the hoopla of Christmas. He’s tired of the corny office parties, the cold weather, the decorations that would only stay up for a few weeks, and most of all the money they spend on frivolous things. With his only daughter away for Christmas, all he wants to do is get away from it all. A nice relaxing week on a Caribbean cruise will be just the thing to take his mind off of the holidays. He thought the hardest part was going to be convincing his wife this was a good idea. Little did he know that Skipping Christmas was not going to be an easy task, especially if their neighbors have anything to say about it.

Their neighbors have decided the Kranks lack of interest in the holiday is just plain selfish. They begin a campaign to get the couple back into the Christmas spirit. Whether they like it or not. When Luther is just hours away from winning, he’s thrown for a loop when his daughter decides she’s returning for a visit with her new fiancé. Now the Kranks must rely on the very people they have alienated the last month to help them bring the holiday spirit home. Not only do they learn the true meaning of Christmas, but they also learn the true meaning of friendship.

Skipping Christmas is my all time favorite holiday book and one I read every year. John Grisham allows the reader to feel the haunting loss of a family member during one of the most important holidays of the year, while tickling the reader’s funny bone with slapstick pranks pulled by both Luther and his neighbors. The battle over raising Frosty took on a life of its own. Since the release of the movie, Christmas with the Kranks, I’ve added watching it with my family as a new tradition. With Tim Allen playing Luther Krank, it has quickly become a favorite for the rest of my family, too. Allen’s quirky humor definitely makes this movie one you don’t want to miss.

The book and the movie bring different experiences to the story, so definitely check them both out. I think you will find them BOTH irresistible.

Reviewer: Tami Brothers
Rating(s): 5 Petit Fours, 1 Hot Tamale (tame but some sexual tension)

2009-11-24T00:06:00.001-05:00

Film: THE HOLIDAY (2006)
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black

Writer/Director: Nancy Meyer
Link to IMDB page (IMDB.com): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457939/
Preview: http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi3321037081/
Genre: Romantic comedy

SUMMARY: Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.--IMDb
I’ve watched this movie twice already and plan to see it again this holiday season. It is fast becoming a favorite. If you like holiday settings, character growth, a great story, romance or light comedy, you’ll like this movie. It has all of them. And if you’re sentimental, like me, you’ll find yourself getting misty-eyed in places. Definitely a heart-warming, feel-good movie.

Reviewed by: Carol Burnside
Ratings: Petit Fours: Recommended View! I love it. Hot Tamales: 2.5

2009-11-24T00:05:00.003-05:00

Emotional Structure by Peter Dunne

Publisher: Linden Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1884956539

For those of us who have trouble with middles, for those of us who struggle with internal conflict, for those of us who want to give our manuscripts more impact, Peter Dunne's Emotional Structure is the book to read.
Blog sister Tammy Schubert recommended it to me a few months ago, and I've been thanking her ever since. This book is so chock-full of gems and secrets, I almost don't know where to begin.

Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Behind the Plot is labeled "A Guide for Screenwriters," but it's just as valuable for novelists, as well. Dunne's premise is that the emotion is in your story, not your plot. And, though both are necessary, story is much more important than plot. Dunne contends that there is just as much structure to the inner journey your protagonist takes (the story), as her outer journey (the plot). He believes the outer should flow from the inner, not the other way around. Especially in the middle.

"The only way to look at the second act is in terms of its emotional content," he says. "The middle of the script is the movie." Or if you're a novelist, the middle of the novel is the book. "If you aren't dealing with the emotional undercurrent of the characters' relationships in Act Two, then you aren't writing the movie. You're doing something else. Usually something bad."
Dunne helps the writer think through her character's emotional journey, make sense of it, and find her own emotional truth. "No plot, no matter how clever, is worth anything if it doesn't ultimately connect your truth to mine."

I'm only halfway through Emotional Structure, but already I can see an improvement in my writing. Dunne's book is inspiring and motivating. It makes me want to write and write well. It's definitely a must have for the professional writer.

Rating: 5 Petit Fours and 0 Hot Tamales
Reviewed by: Linsey Lanier

2009-11-24T00:04:00.000-05:00

Suzanne Brockman's Troubleshooter Series

Web site: http://www.suzannebrockmann.com/

Brockman's Troubleshooter Series

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Available in print and for the Kindle on Amazon.com

Genre: Contemporary/Romantic Suspense
Reviewer’s Name: Tammy Schubert
Rating(s): 4 Petit Fours, 2 hot tamales

The Troubleshooter Series begins with Navy SEAL Lt. Tom Paoletti's, return home to recover from a head injury sustained on a mission. His action-packed love story lays the foundation for the rest of the series by introducing his love interest and the initial supporting cast of characters that readers follow through the series. Starting with the second book, the reader follows SEAL Team 16 as the men live, love, train and fight terrorists. Each book centers on a couple's love story with other complimenting, supporting, interwoven plot lines. Beloved characters reappear in books that follow, and not all of the troubles faced by various characters are resolved at the end of each book. These issues carry over to the next story, which enriches the series and character development.

Later the reader finds that Tom leaves the Navy and opens his own security firm, Troubleshooters, Inc. He employs members of his former SEAL team, some who left the Navy and those who remain but look for side work during down time. Troubleshooters handles government contracts, which mean select security missions involve the sexy heroes of SEAL Team 16.

Suzanne Brockman has an amazing talent for character development and weaving together multiple plot lines seamlessly. A reader cannot help but bond with her characters. So pick up copies of the Troubleshooter Series books, find a cozy place to cuddle up and experience the lives of Troubleshooters.

Troubleshooter Series Book List

Amazon's Troubleshooter Series easy access list: http://www.amazon.com/gp/series/93387?ref%5F=pd%5Fserl%5Fbooks&edition=mass%5Fmarket&page=1

1. THE UNSUNG HERO June 2000, ISBN-10: 080411952X
2. THE DEFIANT HERO March 2001, ISBN-10: 0804119538
3. OVER THE EDGE September 2001, ISBN-10: 0804119708 – My favorite
4. OUT OF CONTROL March 2002, ISBN-10: 0804119716
5. INTO THE NIGHT December 2002, ISBN-10: 0804119716
6. GONE TOO FAR July 2003, ISBN-10: 0345456939
7. FLASHPOINT March 2004, ISBN-10: 0345456947
8. HOT TARGET December 2004, ISBN-10: 0345456955
9. BREAKING POINT July 2005, ISBN-10: 0345480139
10. INTO THE STORM August 2006, ISBN-10: 0345480139
11. FORCE OF NATURE August 2007, ISBN-10: 0345480171
12. ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT October 2007, ISBN-10: 0345501527 – Another favorite
13. INTO THE FIRE July 2008, ISBN-10: 0345501527
14. DARK OF NIGHT January 2009, ISBN-10: 034550156X
15. HOT PURSUIT July 2009, ISBN-10: 0755355539

FREE From Suzanne's Web Site

Sam & Alyssa – Short Story 2: http://www.suzannebrockmann.com/S&Astory2.htm

Readers Guide to the Troubleshooter series: http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/PDF/IntoTheStorm_Sampler.pdf

2009-11-24T00:03:00.002-05:00

For more book and movie reviews from Petit Fours and Hot Tamales, check out the following links:

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Thanks for stopping by! Happy Thanksgiving!

Gift List for Writers and Readers

2009-11-23T01:20:00.004-05:00

Christmas is coming and the holiday shopping season is here. When preparing your shopping gift list, it is often difficult to find just the right present for your special writer or reader.

The ladies of Petit Fours and Hot Tamales have put together lists of suggestions that cover all price ranges. With a little investigating you can pull together thoughtful gifts your special someone appreciates.

Gift List for Writers

Small table-top water fountain
Special pen for autographing books (for a published author)
Special stickers for authors – "Autographed by Author"
Authors use them to stick on the front cover of books they autograph.
Scented candles
Tray for across the tub, bubble bath and champagne/wine
Memory stick/Jump Drive
Memory is getting cheaper, so check out the ones that hold gigabytes of information.
External hard drive for backing up files
Kindle or Sony E-Book Reader
Do your homework on this gift. Each reader has proprietary data security. This means books can only be collected from specific places or in specific formats. If your special person is a Road Warrior this is an excellent gift choice.
Digital recorder for making notes on the fly
Netbooks and laptops
AlphaSmart NEO - http://www.neo-direct.com/default.aspx
If you are checking out the high-end version, the Dana, consider a NetBook instead.
iPods, Nanos or other MP3 music devices
Egg timer
http://expatnovelwriter.blogspot.com/2009/03/on-egg-timers-and-creativity_28.html
Two-year organizer/calendar
Be careful, not everyone is a tech nut so don’t rush out and buy a PDA when an old fashioned calendar will do.
Starbucks, Amazon, iTunes and other interesting gift cards
Briefcase/laptop bag
IKEA office furniture
Clear a space in the house for your writer's private writing area
Do Not Disturb sign for the door
Special coffee/tea along with a cool mug
Electronic warmer for the cool coffee/tea mug
Nonni biscotti, cookies or special chocolate treats
Registration for a writer's conference – a fabulous option is Moonlight & Magnolias
Continuing education courses
Subscriptions to Writer's Digest, Romantic Times (for romance writers), or other magazines specific to the genre your writer is interested.
Shirt box full of pens, post-its, notepads, mechanical pencils, highlighters, etc.
Office Supplies: printer paper, printer cartridges, notebooks etc. A gift card to the supply store may actually be a better option
Gift certificate to a craft store like Michaels, assuming your writer is into collaging or other art forms to stimulate creativity
Coupon vouchers for babysitting, cleaning, spa day, massage, etc.
Writer's Resource Books
Membership to a Writers' Group
Romance Writers of America (RWA) and a Regional Chapter or Specialty Group (see RWA's Web site), Georgia Romance Writers, Georgia Writers, Sisters in Crime, etc.
Entrance to an Authors' Luncheon hosted by a local writing chapter
Gift card and/or assistance with the creation/support of the writer's Web site
Book light for reading at night
Variety of bookmarks
One of those microwavable neck massage/warmers(wrap around neck & shoulders), some come herbal scented
Book covers for privacy while reading in public
Snuggie versus Slanket (see the note in the Gift List for Readers)

Gift List for Readers

Book light for reading at night
Special coffee/tea along with a cool mug
Electronic warmer for the cool coffee/tea mug
Nonni biscotti, cookies or special chocolate treats
Snuggie or cashmere throw your writer/reader can cuddle under while reading
https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next
UPDATE NOTE:
According to the reviews on Amazon.com, check out the Slanket instead. The difference is in the quality of the fabrice according to a reviewer who appears to know her stuff. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dgarden&field-keywords=slanket
Do your research before you buy!
Small table-top water fountain
Scented candles
Kindle or Sony E-Book Reader
Do your homework on this gift. Each reader has proprietary data security. This means books can only be collected from specific places or in specific formats. If your special person is a Road Warrior this is an excellent gift choice.
iPods, Nanos or other MP3 music devices
Starbucks, Amazon, iTunes and other interesting gift cards
Basket full of books
Be careful. Your reader already has a lot of books.
Book light for reading at night
Tray for across the tub, bubble bath, bath gels and champagne/wine
Variety of bookmarks
Entrance to an Authors' Luncheon hosted by a local writing chapter
Get a signed book from a favorite author
Coordinate this in advance. Many authors will sign a book that they receive from you. You must pay for shipping both ways and supply the packing materials. Do not put a burden on the author. You may want to reconsider this idea if the author is from a foreign country. Shipping is expensive and a big hassle for both parties.
If a favorite author is local, coordinate a luncheon for your read and his/her friends with this author. Supply a gift certificate to cover restaurant expenses. Ask the author about her fee. Sometimes a small gift is the only thing you need. Book covers for privacy while reading in public
Coupon vouchers for babysitting, cleaning, spa day, massage, etc.
Microwavable neck massage/warmers(wrap around neck & shoulders), some come herbal scented

Other Resources for Gift Ideas

Ninth Moon
www.ninthmoon.com
Vie Couture
http://www.viecouture.com/petit-four-lip-balm-set/
Orly Diva
http://www.orlydiva.com/polish_pages/Petit_Four.htm
Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32925176

If you can think of some other ideas, please post them in the Comments section. We would love to hear about them.

Happy Holidays!

With Heart and Hand and Voices

2009-11-22T02:43:00.004-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all from Petit Fours and Hot Tamales!

Hope you'll find a few spare moments between shopping, cooking, and entertaining guests and relatives to chat with us about your holiday.

Monday, November 23: Gift Ideas for Writers & Readers
Tuesday, November 24: Book Reviews
Wednesday, November 25: Carol's Thanksgiving Recipes - Talking turkey and gravy and...
Thursday, November 26: Sandy and friends - Thanksgiving Family Stories
Friday, November 27: Adventures in Shopping

The Saturday Review

2009-11-21T00:16:00.003-05:00

The Girl on Legare Street

By Karen White

Publisher: NAL Trade
Genre: Woman’s Fiction with Paranormal elements

ISBN-13: 978-0451227997

Melanie Middleton is an old pro at renovating historic houses, but never imagined she’d have to renovate her own life to make room for her estranged mother. Though Ginnette Prioleau Middleton deserted Melanie thirty years ago, she has suddenly returned to Charleston to protect her, claiming she’s received a deadly premonition.

Melanie never wanted to see her mother again, but with some prodding from local author Jack Trenholm, she reluctantly agrees – and begins to rebuild their relationship. Together, Melanie and her mother buy back their family home. with their combined psychic abilities they expect to unearth some ghosts. But what they find is a dark spirit whose strength has been growing for decades – and who is ready for revenge. With the help of Jack, whom she’s grown closer to than ever, and her mother, Melanie fights to destroy this malevolent presence and save what’s left of her family…

Karen White doesn’t disappoint. The Girl on Legare Street is the long-awaited sequel to The House on Tradd Street, and book two of her four book Tradd Street series. You don’t have to read The House on Tradd Street to follow this story, but if you haven’t read it yet, you’ll want to go back and pick it up after reading The Girl on Legare Street. Count on it. Karen weaves another unforgettable story of check-under-the-bed, sleep-with-the-light-on paranormal intensity set amid the rich history of Charleston, South Carolina. Sprinkle in a good helping of dysfunctional family drama and a dash of romance and I guarantee you’ll be up all night!

Rating: 5 Petit Fours and 2 Hot Tamales

Reviewed by: Darcy Crowder