All over the net I’m sure you’ve been reading what a great time was had by all at RWA. As I said last week I had a great time too, but unfortunately one souvenir I wasn’t planning on bringing home came with me. An illness that has taken me forever (at least in my mind) to get over! The good part of being sick…my doctor put me off work for this past week so I got to nap when I wanted and attempt to catch up on my reading. I also found out just how protective of the house my dogs, Oreo and Travis really are! I’ve included a picture of Travis protecting the house (well, maybe in his dreams). I read an entire book on my Iphone even though I dedicated ebook readers. It was so easy to grab my phone and move from room to room, and be able to do more than just read! I read Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts on my phone. My thoughts…I really didn’t mind reading on my phone, and have moved on to The Inn At Eagle Point by Sherryl Woods, and while I can read it on my Kindle I’m…

Let’s just get this straight: I do not set foot outside during the daylight hours of August unless I absolutely have to. Fortunately for me (and you) there are some fabulous books to spend the day with in air conditioned comfort. Paranormal Most of the fun is taking place in the SF side this month, starting with The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June, by Robin Benway. Three sisters (April, May and June) with very different personalities–and extremely different ways of dealing with a new school and their parent’s recent divorce–unexpectedly each develop supernatural abilities one day. (Redevelop, actually.) One can disappear, one can see the future, and one can read minds. Their abilities help them navigate the hell of high school, but when April gets a vision of disaster, they must band together to save the day, and bring peace to their strained family. This is a paranormal for readers who don’t automatically reach for paranormals. It has magic, but it’s not aboutmagic. Or rather, it’s about the magic of family and sisterhood, and rediscovering those bonds. I adored all three sisters, who take turns narrating the tale. The tone is fresh and funny, but also heartwarming and…

Montana #2May 2010 On Sale: May 1, 2010 Featuring: Marilee Trainor; Wyatt McCord 352 pages ISBN: 0446548634 EAN: 9780446548632 Mass Market Paperback $6.99 Add to Wish List Romance Buy at Amazon.com Montana Destiny by R.C. Ryan Love is the most dangerous game… Wyatt McCord has spent his adult life looking for a place to call home. His parents craved adventure so they took him from his family’s Montana ranch–the only place he’s ever called home–to show him the world, one exotic country after another. Now, years after their deaths, he’s returned to the Montana ranch he loves, and joined his cousins to fulfill their grandfather’s legacy and search for the hidden treasure on their family land. But man cannot live by legacy alone… Wyatt has never had any trouble with the ladies. In fact, his easy charm and irresistible smile have always gotten him any and every woman he’s ever wanted with no commitments. But Marliee Trainor, the gorgeous redhead medic, captured his eye from the moment he wandered into town and it’s the first time he’s ever wanted to give a woman his heart. So when Marliee joins the McCords in their search for the family treasure, Wyatt is…

Fresh Pick is COWBOY TROUBLE by Joanne Kennedy a little sizzling mystery and romance for this cowboy! http://tinyurl.com/2ea6vah # Lunch at newly opened Chuy's. Food good but suffering from too much mgmt too little servers — at Chuy's http://gowal.la/r/22rBG # Powered by Twitter Tools

Who love pancakes? Raise your hand! I’ll bet you all have special memories associated with a tall, hot stack, drenched in butter and swimming in sweet syrup. When I think of pancakes, I think of firefighters. Why? Because although I now live in big, bad NYC, I was born and raised in a little town in Western Pennsylvania. Unlike the Big Apple’s 11,000-member force of professional firefighters, my tiny town had a volunteer fire department that raised money with fish fry dinners and pancake breakfasts. (Hence that pancake connection.) I was going to put this tasty recipe in my new Coffeehouse Mystery, Roast Mortem. The book’s storyline was inspired by New York’s firefighters. Of course, we all know about the FDNY’s heroism during 9/11. But I wanted to go deeper. I see these hunky, heroic guys almost every day in my Queens’ neighborhood and decided to research how they work and live—the research is layered into my latest mystery. If you’re not familiar with the Coffeehouse Mysteries, watch the trailer below. I just put it together to help new readers understand the series’ basic set up. What do you think? Oscar worthy? Now for that blueberry pancake recipe! Just click…

Kandy Sheperd is talking "Heroines Who Cook –or Not" have any culinary disasters you want to talk about? http://bit.ly/cV5TOW # Fresh Pick is HEART OF A COWBOY by Margaret Daley time for a softer guy w/; home schooling tendencies http://bit.ly/12OIV # Happy for @candachavens good news. Elmer Fudd is not that bad and better than other option # love cooking books? Kandy Sheperd chats about "Heroines Who Cook — or Not" http://tinyurl.com/24nqncx stop by and say hey! # HELP need your vote! SXSW panel Book Blogs, Better Than NYT Books Reviews http://bit.ly/duTSy9 pls vote by 8/27 & RT, # RT @thehistorychic: someone take the #twizzlers away from me…..<- you and @ReelVixen twizzlers are addiction # RT @ReelVixen: Thinking what to get me next month for my birthday? Gnome soap on a rope!!!! http://twitpic.com/2e4wbe <- if only so easy # @BeckyTalks hope you're doing well, we miss you and think of you! in reply to BeckyTalks # Powered by Twitter Tools

March 2010 On Sale: March 2, 2010 Featuring: Luke Rawlins; Libby Brown 416 pages ISBN: 1402236689 EAN: 9781402236686 Mass Market Paperback $6.99 Add to Wish List Romance Buy at Amazon.com Cowboy Trouble by Joanne Kennedy It’s her turn to rescue him…if they don’t both get killed first… Fleeing her latest love life disaster, big city journalist Libby Brown’s transition to rural living isn’t going exactly as planned. Her childhood dream has always been to own a chicken farm—but without the constant help of her charming, sexy, cowboy neighbor; she’d never have made it through her first Wyoming season. Handsome rancher Luke Rawlins is impressed by this sassy, independent city girl. But he yearns to do more than help Libby out with her ranch…he’s ready for love, and he wants to go the distance. When the two get embroiled in their tiny town’s one and only crime story, Libby discovers that their sizzling hot attraction is going to complicate her life in every way possible… Previous Picks

Things get blown out of proportion in our culture. It’s like when my kids howl “I’m starving!” and I look at them and say, “Children in Ethiopia are starving. You are hungry.” They roll their eyes, but I place great stock in the power of perspective and the leverage of point of view. Lots of things are out of our control, but how we react is always in our control. Enter the Epic Disaster. In this case, the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fires. Definitely “epic,” on a scale rarely seen even though the word “epic” gets tossed around a lot these days. The city suffered crisis on every level–buildings, food, clothing, civil services, even social barriers were demolished in a handful of truly “epic” days. Rich people lost their homes alongside desperate families. Worthy people died while criminals survived–and vice versa mere feet away. The ruthless randomness of it all left people struggling to cope. We often miss that the disaster also unearthed new ways to hope. Did you know a record number of marriage licenses were issued in the wake of the disaster? America experienced philanthropy on a scale seldom seen. When I unearthed the story of…

Helping Hands Home Schooling July 2010 On Sale: July 1, 2010 Featuring: Jordan Masterson; Zachary Rutgers 224 pages ISBN: 0373876092 EAN: 9780373876099 Paperback $5.50 Add to Wish List Inspirational Fiction Romance Buy at Amazon.com Heart Of A Cowboy by Margaret Daley Ten years ago Jordan Masterson left her hometown heartbroken—and pregnant. Now, yearning for connection with her family, the single mother returns to Tallgrass, Oklahoma. But she’s shocked to find her son’s father—unaware he has a child—a vital part of the community. Zachary Rutgers owns the ranch that the local homeschoolers use for riding and recreation. Which means little Nicholas, Jordan and Zachary will be spending a lot of time together. Jordan must tell Zachary the truth about their son—and ask for answers herself. Hoping the heart of her cowboy will still be hers for the taking. Excerpt The horse in the corral reared up, jerking the rope from his wrangler’s grip. Standing next to the hood of her car watching the interplay, Jordan Masterson stiffened. The animal’s hooves plunged down toward the man. Barely missing him. She gasped. Even from a distance the flare of the animal’s nostrils indicated agitation. She glanced at her ten-year-old son as he climbed…

RT @HVLong: now I have Bust a Move from #Glee in my head (u b a Gleek?) (via @JoyfullyReviewd) Guilty! <- did I really need that today? # Fresh Pick is SHOULDA BEEN A COWBOY by Lorelei James Now we're at the HOT cowboy of the week part http://bit.ly/9UiWdP yummy # @JoyfullyReviewd @HVLong ha! I just got the "RAIN ON MY PARADE" by Streisand out of my head to be replaced by Busta Move? sheesh in reply to JoyfullyReviewd # Breaking news: New authors appearing at @ReadersNRitas @mariannemancusi @ann_aguirre @SharonAshwood we're SO excited! # HELP need your vote! SXSW panel Book Blogs, Better Than NYT Books Reviews http://bit.ly/duTSy9 pls vote & RT, You don't need to go to vote! # RT @TheJenya: …I worked with @FreshFiction for many years and They. Know. Books. so go vote! http://bit.ly/duTSy9 <- ah thanks # RT @thehistorychic: Tonight Twisted Root for dinner–best darn hamburgers anywhere 🙂 well I love gorden biersch hamburgers too <- jealous # Powered by Twitter Tools