Friday, December 21, 2007

Best-selling author RaeAnne Thayne is in the Bandita’s Lair!

by Anna Sugden

I’m delighted that one of my favourite Silhouette authors, RaeAnne Thayne, is able to join us today.

RaeAnne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her husband and three children. She has written more than thirty novels for Silhouette Special Edition, Silhouette Intimate Moments/Romantic Suspense and Bantam Loveswept.

Her books have won numerous honors, including a RITA nomination from Romance Writers of America, the 2007 RIO award for best short contemporary from Reviewers International Organization, a career achievement award from Romantic Times Book Reviews for series romantic adventure and the RT Reviewers Choice award for best Silhouette Special Edition of 2006.

Check out her current series The Women Of Brambleberry House, published by Silhouette Special Edition. Set on the Oregon coast, in a beautiful rambling house overlooking the ocean, all three books feature a match-making ghost and a dog who’s so smart it’s spooky. The first book, The Daddy Makeover was a wonderful read - full of the rich characterisation and emotional depth RaeAnne is known for. Book 2, His Second-Chance Family is available in January.

For more information please check out RaeAnne’s website: http://www.xmission.com/~rthayne

Welcome RaeAnne

Hi Anna and the rest of the Banditas! I’m thrilled to be here.

Can you tell us a bit more about what inspired you to write this wonderful series?

Two different things, actually. A few years ago, my family had the memorable experience of spending a week camping along the Oregon coast and I truly fell in love with this area. I’ve always lived in landlocked areas (Indiana and Utah. You can’t get much more landlocked!) and while I love my mountains, I’ve also truly come to love the ocean. Visiting the coast soothes my soul in ways I can’t really explain. I knew I wanted to set a series in Oregon but it took a little time for the idea to simmer in my head.

The other life experience that definitely came in handy when writing this series about two women who inherit a rambling old house on the ocean was the 15 years my husband and I spent trying to restore a 1904 Queen Anne Victorian. We built a new house two years ago that better meets our family needs but I still miss that graceful (but drafty!) old place.

Your previous series was for Silhouette’s Romantic Suspense line. How different was it to write ‘home and hearth’ books?

Actually, not different at all. Many of my books for IM/RS had that home-and-hearth feel with perhaps a little bit of danger sprinkled through the book. My books have always very much focused on the emotional journey the hero and heroine make toward each other. My SSEs may have a little gentler pace but that journey is still the same.


The third book in this series is connected to some of your Romantic Suspense books. Can you tell us which ones and how it is connected?

I’m pretty sure this is a universal experience with writers but I have to confess sometimes I create characters I expect to be kind of throwaway people and they end up having minds of their own, siblings, deep histories I have no idea about when I first use them as placeholders in other books. That happened when I created the character of Sheriff Daniel Galvez, who appeared briefly in my 2005 SIM, The Interpreter. I loved Daniel in that book and I wasn’t really surprised when he showed up again in High-Risk Affair, which came out in January '07 from SRS. Eventually I knew I had to write his story and Daniel became the hero of Shelter From the Storm, a June SRS.
And of course in the process of creating that book, I realized Daniel had several younger siblings –Ren, a sexy researcher in the wilds of Costa Rica who became the hero of my SRS, High-Stakes Honeymoon (August '07) and a younger sister Anna whom I sent away to live somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. When the idea for the Brambleberry series was percolating in my mind, I suddenly knew exactly where Anna Galvez was – living in a rambling Victorian on the northern Oregon coast! Anna will be appearing in her own book, the finale to the Brambleberry series, set to be released in August '08.

One of the things I love about your books is the emotional depth you give your characters. Have you got any tips on how to achieve this?

It’s not easy, especially with shrinking word counts. But that emotional intensity is what takes a book from good to truly memorable. Three of us - Deb Salonen, a fabulous writer for Harlequin Super, my editor at Silhouette and I - have actually pitched a workshop to National for San Francisco about punching up the emotion in your writing. I haven’t heard yet whether it’s been accepted. But just for the Banditas, here are a few of the areas we hope to cover if we do end up doing the workshop …

* Intense stories start with powerful characters.
* Ramp up the conflicts -- twist that knife hard!
* Don’t forget setting! Sometimes picking the right time of day, weather, or location for a scene is just as important to building the emotional intensity as the scene itself.
* Pace yourself and your characters. Think of a roller coaster ride in reverse, with several smaller hills and valleys leading up to a huge, stomach-clenching drop.
* Careful use of point-of-view can work wonders in times of great emotion. Showing the emotion through the other character’s POV often works better and gives the reader a little more space to breathe than showing it through the angsty character’s POV.
* See it, smell it, taste it: Use five senses to layer in emotion.
* Dialogue! When it comes to long sections of moody introspection, less is usually more.
* And finally, don’t be afraid to dig deep -- in your characters or yourself! Many writers are afraid to explore those emotions too deeply but you have to tap into your own deepest fears, worries, hopes, etc. in order to make your characters real and worthy of empathy from your readers.


As well as the final book in the Brambleberry series, you have a novella in the Mother’s Day anthology and a Silhouette continuity book. How do you manage to juggle the writing with three kids?!

It’s not easy, I’ll admit. Many days the only writing time I find all day is at night after everyone’s in bed. I often work from about 9 p.m. until 11 or so (and yes, there have been nights I’ve actually fallen asleep with my hands still on the keyboard!). My older two are in school so when the 4-year-old naps, I write. When he has a playdate with friends, I write. He goes to preschool two mornings a week and they’re sacred writing times!

I had four books out in 2007 and will have five out in 2008. Though I’m thrilled to have the work, I always seem to have a deadline looming. It can be very frustrating to block out that sacred time to write and then have unavoidable family stuff get in the way. But I try to remind myself when I’m gnashing my teeth and keeping my eye on the calendar that my husband and kids are the most important thing in my life right now.

My 4-year-old is only going to be at this magical age once when the whole world is spectacularly exciting to him. My 17-year-old daughter will be going off to college next year and when she actually wants to sit down and watch a chick flick with Mom, I can’t turn my back on those rare, ephemeral moments.

A couple of things help me cope:

1) The egg timer. I love these little things and buy them by the dozen at the dollar store! If I can get three thirty-minute segments of writing done throughout the day, I can usually write about six pages of rough draft. It also helps me stay on task by setting a time limit of ten minutes of email or web browsing before I sit down to work. When the timer goes off, I know it’s time to get down to business.

2) I try to make the rest of my life as efficient as possible to free up more time to write. I almost hate to write this because I’m still so scatterbrained most of the time but even one or two changes can make a huge difference. A few years ago I started doing freezer cooking (Once A Month Cooking) and I’ve been amazed at how much that simple thing helps the flow of my day, to know there’s always something in the freezer my family can have for dinner if I get too wrapped up in my characters to remember to shop that day.

With the holidays almost upon us, do you continue to write or do you abandon the writing until the festivities are done?

Wrong time to ask since I just had a party for 25 people at my house Saturday and I’m still recovering from it! I haven’t written a thing in a week. But I can’t abandon the writing entirely because I have a book due Jan 15. I try to get up a little bit earlier in the mornings and I use my old friend the egg timer. I’m lucky if I manage to squeeze out a couple of half-hour stretches of writing amidst baking and shopping and wrapping but that can still be 3 or 4 pages a day. Writing sprints can definitely pay off!

Do you have any special holiday traditions?

Lots of them! We love Christmas at our house and having kids around makes it all seem new and exciting all over again. We love taking outings to see lights, dropping secret presents at the neighbors’ houses, going to visit family and friends. Last year I read a great idea in a magazine to help kids countdown to Christmas – an Advent read-a-thon. Thanksgiving weekend, I wrapped up 24 of our Christmas books – everything from Jan Brett’s gorgeous Wild Christmas Reindeer to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Starting Dec. 1, my boys get to open one book a night and that’s our bedtime story that day. Part of the fun is trying to guess which book we’ll open that night.

We started a new one this year I’m sure we’ll do again. We live two hours away from most of my husband’s family but they all came up this year to our house for our annual Christmas party. We’re lucky enough to live in a fairly rural area and a neighbor and friend hitched up his big wagon and Clydesdales for us and took all 25 of us on a hayride. My husband’s aunt is 78 and said this was the first wagon ride she’d ever been on! It was a priceless memory.

Wow! Love the sound of those traditions - especially the Advent read-a-thon.

Christmas in the mountains of Utah must be beautiful. If you could spend Christmas anywhere else, where would it be?

Really, anywhere with family. That’s the important thing to me. The older I get, the more important these rare, transitory moments seem to me. I love nothing more than sitting down with my family playing games or watching a DVD or enjoying a great meal.

I can understand that - I feel the same. We never travel on Christmas, though anyone is welcome to visit us. Being with those you love is the best! But if I had to choose something totally different, I'd like to go to Lapland one year and see Santa!

Let's throw that question open to our visitors. If you could spend Christmas anywhere else, where would it be? RaeAnne has got some fab prizes - two lucky commenters will win a copy of both The Daddy Makeover and His Second-Chance Family!

And RaeAnne has a delicious recipe too! It's for her husband's famous:

Black Bean Dip

1 16-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed.
1/2 cup prepared salsa, hot or mild
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

In a food processor, combine black beans, salsa lime juice, cilantro, and cumin. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Makes about 1-1/2 cups. Great with tortilla chips or as a topping for Mexican pizza!

42 comments:

p226 said...

bok?

doglady said...

Black bean dip sounds great! p226 I am SO going to get you! You rooster napper you!

Fedora said...

Congrats, p226! ;)

And yum on the recipe! We love black beans and chips--we'll have to try this one...

Hmm... Christmas anywhere else? We're kind of homebodies, so in general we like being in the comfort of home, with the relaxed don't-have-to-be-somewhere-else mode of the holidays (once the kids are out of school and the cards mailed, cookies baked, gifts wrapped, etc.)--those days between Christmas and New Years, for instance :)

Maybe Disneyland? Or for a change, Disneyworld, since we haven't been there yet--our kids are the right age, and would love to see the park looking festive for the holidays! Plus they'd get to do all the rides and see the shows, and what's not to love? ;)

Fedora said...

BTW, I meant to say, thank you so much for sharing today, RaeAnn! I love learning more about what goes on behind your scenes :) Your latest series sounds wonderful! (And I have to say that I'm amazed at you moms who write--I can barely do just the minimum mom-things, much less create new works at the same time!)

doglady said...

Now that I am over my pout about just missing the GR! Rae Ann, I loved your tips from your proposed workshop. Definitely printing it out and putting it on my writing desk. I love the visual of your family and especially your great aunt on the hayride with those lovely Clydesdales. What a great memory for everyone. I would have to say that I would dearly love to spend one more Christmas in England. The three years my family lived there we actually got to have a white Christmas - not something we see in the wilds of Alabama. But it wasn't just the snow. The little village was just like something out of a Dickens themed postcard and Christmas was just magical there. The other place I would love to spend Christmas is in Salzburg again. They have this neat folk festival around Christmas called the Christkind Markt. Artisans from all over Austria and Germany come in and set up stalls around the town square (with the statue of Mozart in the middle) and sell all sorts of gorgeous handcrafted Christmas ornaments and gift items. Again there was snow and I got to eat actual roasted chestnuts from a street vendor!

jo robertson said...

Oh, p226, you are a sly one! Just three words: Surrender. The. Rooster!

Love black beans, Anna, and the dip sounds delish.

Now back to read the interview since I didn't win the GR!

jo robertson said...

Wow, RaeAnne you're like a small tornado! What a busy, whirlwind life you lead. But I know you must be very organized to be so efficient with your writing.

I love the Advent Readathon. What a lovely idea!

You're right. Being with family is the only thing that really matters during the holidays. But, if forced to choose, I'd love to go back to Berlin, Germany, and spend a Christmas in my childhood home. If it's still standing LOL.

Amy Andrews said...

Love the advent read-a-thon too. What a nifty idea!!

Hey doglady - been to those markets in Salzburg. Bought some gorgeous bells for the Xmas tree. It takes me back to Austria every December.

Well Xmas anywhere, hmm let me see. Well, da! Somewhere with snow. Lots and lots of snow. A log fire, a mantelpiece, snowmen and snow angels.
Bliss.

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

Where would I like to spend Christmas? ANYWHERE WARM! All those piccies of a white Christmas are lovely, but in reality I'm not keen on cold.

Last year I celebrated Thanksgiving on a cruise ship, and I just returned from another cruise this week. What I really wanted was to extend the cruise for another two weeks! Maybe next year...

Or better yet, I'll take a trip Down Under and party on the beach with Foanna, Christine and all our Oz Bandita Buddies! Trade me places, Amy?

AC

Caren Crane said...

Congrats, P226! Great interview, Anna! RaeAnne, I am a little awed by your Monthly Cooking. It's one of those things I read about and think about but never actually do.

I have been thinking about it for years, because I work full time. But in order to actually do that, I would need to dedicate a weekend to it. Somehow, when the weekend comes, I don't want to spend it in the kitchen! *g* I mean, I could write or run errands or do a million other things around the house, run the kids around, etc. I greatly admire your stamina!

Christmas elsewhere? Well, we have to travel to see my family every Christmas, but I would rather be there than home. My dream Christmas would be in an English village! Though Salzburg sounds fabulous and Berlin is close behind. *g*

Kirsten said...

Thanks for the great interview RaeAnne and Anna! I for one am tickled that you liked the Oregon coast so much. I remember way back when I was an East Coaster and Oregon sounded so lovely and exotic. I pictured big green mountains and lots of lovely trees. Which was true, but now that I live here, I love the coast just as much or more than the mountains. Even though the beach is pretty cold and rainy much of the time.

At least, that's what we tell all those people from California who want to come live here. ;-)

Great ideas for building emotional depth. I hope I get to go to your workshop in San Francisco! And the readathon is a fabulous idea. Definitely something I will have to try with my kids next year.

If I could be anywhere? Some snow would be nice. There's an amazing cross country ski resort in Tahoe called Royal Gorge that I would love to stay at some year for Christmas. Except then we'd miss our church, so I guess we'd have to fly them all out as well. And our friends, couldn't do Christmas without friends. And the dog. And cat. And...oh, okay, I can't imagine being anywhere but home for Christmas!

Joan said...

Pffft, doglady. He probably used those "green army men"

Donna MacMeans said...

I love having a white Christmas as long as we - or other family members - don't have to drive through it. To me, family is Christmas. So if we went anywhere, the entire family would have to go with us. Not sure I'd want to be in a warm climate for Christmas day, but I wouldn't mind being there everyday for the following three months *g*

Donna MacMeans said...

Oops, forgot to say RaeAnne that I love your workshop proposal. Crossing my fingers that you get the go-ahead and I get the opportunity to attend.

Joan said...

RaeAnn,

Welcome to the lair.

Thanks for all your insights. A writer can always use them. And even with your egg timer (I couldn't do that. I bake too much. Every time it dinged I'd go to the oven LOL)you made it "seem" so seamless and yes, even easy. (Hope I didn't make your eye twitch with my observation)

I have two alternate Christmas destinations. Ireland (sigh) and I'm with flchen1...Disneyworld at Christmas would be awesome!

But since I didn't win the lottery last night I guess it'll be my old Kentucky home again this year.

Good luck RaeAnn with all your series!

Maureen said...

I would pick a tropical island and we could spend the day on the beach which would be very different from our traditional Christmas celebration.

RaeAnne Thayne said...

All your Christmas destinations sound lovely! Especially England and/or Ireland. Last year, we actually took the kids during Christmas break to Bryce Canyon for a few days and it was absolutely stunning. My husband's passion is photography so he wants to go to southern Utah for a few days after Christmas to shoot slot canyons.

About 10 years ago we spent Christmas visiting my dh's parents who were living in Hawaii. It was very cool -- we were there right in the middle of the big surf competitions on the North Shore and had a great time.

re: the overwhelming-ness of freezer cooking -- it can be daunting to think about doing it all at once. I prefer now to kind of break up my cooking. I cook dinner maybe two or three nights a week and I always make triple or four times the amount I usually would and then freeze that. I had to defrost my freezer yesterday since the door wouldn't close for all the ice and I was so delighted to see all these soups and casseroles I can reheat next week when I don't feel like doing much of anything!

Hope you all have a great day!

RaeAnne Thayne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nancy said...

p226 grabs the rooster! Congratulations.

RaeAnne, your books sound wonderful! I found your tips on emotion interesting, and I hope your workshop is accepted. Emotion is the component of the story I probably have to work hardest on. After all the sweets we've been offering in the recipe department, the black bean dip looks like a nice change. I love black beans and am happy to have a new way to use them.

We read Dickens' A Christmas Carol every year. This year, it will be a marathon because we haven't started yet!

If I could be anywhere for Christmas, I think I'd pick London. Or possibly York, with the Christmas service at beautiful York Minster to entice me. The dh's family lives in Colorado, and it's always beautiful, but we go there every year anyway. So I'd pick England.

Great interview, Anna!

Anna Sugden said...

Hi all - sorry I'm late to the party - been laid low with a migraine!

Congrats P226 - guess those green army men did a sneak attack!

Flchen1 - I can barely do the minimum and I don't have kids!

Hey Doglady - where in England? We'll more than likely be back home in our Cambridge village next Christmas. Our old home town of Beverley was wonderful at Christmas - it's an ancient market town in the north of England, with market square, cobbled streets etc. Snow at Christmas, though, was very rare!

If all goes well, my husband's daughter will be teaching in Germany so we can make those Christmas fairs!

Jo - Berlin is a lovely city isn't it?! Had a great trip there last year.

Amy - you can have our snow! It won't go away and it's freezing here in northern NJ.

AC - I'll come with you to Oz! We did Thanksgiving in the sun and it's great *grin*.

p226 said...

Don't worry.

The GR is in .... "protective custody" in an undisclosed location. He is unharmed. For now. Dinner's at six, though.

At first I laughed at the "egg timer discipline." Then I thought about it. Then I stopped laughing. That's a damned good idea. I get focused and distracted on essentially random intervals with nearly every undertaking. Forcing discipline in chunks with a timer.... Hmm... I might have to try that!

Anna Sugden said...

Caren - I know what you mean. I do a halfway kind of thing - I always make double quantities and freeze the extra, so there's always dinners in the freezer. (Course I don't have to worry about feeding a houseful!)

Kirsten - guess you'd have to hire a jumbo jet! Tahoe is so nice. Loved visiting when Nationals were in Reno.

Donna - I'm with you - warm Christmas doesn't quite ring right. But once Boxing Day is over - bring on the sun!

Joanie - great minds! LOL on you checking the oven. We could do a Banditas Christmas in England at our house *grin*.

Maureen - you go girl! A suntan for those Christmas pics would be cool.

RaeAnne - welcome again. Utah is so gorgeous. We loved our trip there this year. The Arches, the slot canyons at Lake Powell - fab! My hubby took tons of pics, so I can see where yours is coming from.

Nancy - hugs for posting the blog for me! York is lovely at Christmas ... though I'd say Beverley is nicer *grin*. And I'm betting Cambridge will be awesome too. I remember going to a carol service at one of the colleges years ago and it was spectacular.

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

In my hasty post last night, I forgot to say: WELCOME TO THE LAIR, RaeAnn! Thanx a BUNCH for taking time from your busy schedule to hang out with us today.

Loved your workshop proposal! Deb Salonen is a chapter mate of mine and a super nice person. I'm sure your workshop would be well-attended.

FYI, we Banditas also submitted a workshop proposal for RWA National... on group blogging of all things! *vbg* We'll be sure to let everyone know if we are selected to present in San Francisco.

AC
who LOVED Bryce Canyon, but visited in the fall

Nathalie said...

I would love to go to Lebanon to spend christmas with my grand-parents :)

Lily said...

I would stay home with my family... meaning that I would stay where I am!

Helen said...

Loved the interview some wonderful books RaeAnne.
Congrats p226 on the GR

A place I would like to spend Christmas a nice cold place with lots of snow but I would need all of my family with me so I would have to be very wealthy to pay for us all to go on a holiday.
It is so hot humid and rainy here at the moment a nice cool place sounds wonderful.
Have Fun
Helen

Anna Campbell said...

RaeAnne and Anna, what a fantastic interview! Thanks so much for posting it. That's fantastic advice about how to ramp up emotional intensity. I've printed it out and I'm going to keep it! There - I haven't read your books yet (although they sound great and I intend to add them to the TBR pile!) but already you've written a keeper for me!

Have a wonderful Christmas. I'm envious. I bet you get snow!

Hey, P226, clearly that Rooster wanted some male bonding time!!!

Helen said...

Aunty Cindy you can come and party with us anytime I would love to have you visit.

RaeAnne that read-a-thon sounds wonderful must do that next year with my grandchildren.

Have Fun
Helen

Beth Andrews said...

Welcome to the lair, RaeAnne! Your new series sounds wonderful as does your workshop proposal. Fingers crossed it gets picked up in San Fran :-)

I love the idea of having an Advent read-a-thon! Every year I buy my kids a hardcover Christmas book so we have plenty to choose from *g*

I'm a homebody so I would actually prefer to stay home at Christmas. But if we went anywhere, my son and youngest daughter would love to go to a ski resort but the rest of us would pick someplace warm ;-)

Great interview!

CrystalGB said...

Hi RaeAnn. Your new series sounds great.
If I could go any where for Christmas, it would be to a tropical location. I love warm weather.

catslady said...

I don't think I'd like to be away for Christmas either but any other day of the year would suit me fine - a cruise would be nice lol. Great interview!

Anna Sugden said...

Nathalie - I hope you get to go to Lebanon to visit your grandparents some day.

Lily - there's no place like home!

Helen - sounds like you need to get in on that jumbo jet for hire!

Foanna - I can highly recommend RaeAnne's books and workshops! *grin* For those of us who are fans of the old Intimate Moments (and I mean pre-The Change) - RaeAnne is one of those writers!

P226 - is the Verizon van at the bottom of your drive protecting the GR? I'm with on you on giving the egg timer a try!

Beth - a ski resort sounds like fun .. there's all that apres-ski! But it sounds like we need to get the Bandita's tropical island ready for a Christmas invasion!

Crystalgb - warm weather works for me ... someone send some my way!

RaeAnne Thayne said...

Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome! And we definitely have snow here. It snowed about four inches -- the ski resort in the mountains east of us got 2 feet and will finally open tomorrow. My dh and dd are thrilled. They have season passes and have been dying to get out.

I'm not much of a skier. I used it enjoy it pre-kids, when I was much younger and skinnier (and before spinal fusion surgery!). I haven't done it in years, though. I think I'd probably be afraid to try.

But everything is so gorgeous right now with the snow dripping off the trees and the mountains gleaming pink in the last of the Solstice sunshine!

p226 said...

P226 - is the Verizon van at the bottom of your drive protecting the GR?

Hahahah, yeah.

I just realized I forgot to tell you guys part of that story. A funny part of it. We think it actually EXPLAINS the Verizon van.

LOL, I'm laughing pretty hard here.

Whenever I want to get a message to the GR, I just pick up the phone and talk to the dialtone.

hahahah, wooo

Anna Sugden said...

Catslady - so we need to get a Banditas cruise too?!

Oooh RaeAnne - it sounds gorgeous in Utah. Here we have the snow and ice, but it's sluchy and horrid. Skies are grey and it's cold. *shiver*.

P226 ... ah, so that's the secret. Maybe your wife should try that method of asking the Verizon van if they want donuts?

doglady said...

Joan, I THOUGHT I saw little green men lurking around last night! p226 I have a flamethrower and I am not afraid to use it! (Actually it is a can of hairspray and a lighter, but you get the point!) Anna S - I lived in a little village in Suffolk called Kelsale. It is near Saxmundham, about 22 miles from Ipswich. The funny thing is that they told us the three years we lived there 1967 thru 1971 were the three coldest, snowiest winters they had had in 20 years. We still have a number of friends there and I would LOVE to see them again!

Anna Sugden said...

OMG Doglady - I know it! One of my ex-boyfriends is from Saxmundham! What a fun coincidence!

Our house is in a small village a few miles outside Cambridge. Hope you make it back over to the UK some day.

doglady said...

How funny is that, Anna! We actually visited Cambridge a number of times because of the American military cemetery there. Have you been to the lovely grounds and that glorious chapel. We have old 8 mm, now on video, film of our family at the memorials there. We went every Memorial Day. The area is really lovely. Now the Anglican church in Kelsale dates back to Norman times. It has one of the most beautiful lynch gates you have ever seen. I want to go back so badly and I would love for my mother to go back and visit with her girlfriends from the village.

Trish Milburn said...

I hear you on the landlocked thing. I wish I lived closer to a beach.

All your books look great, RaeAnne.

Amy Andrews said...

Yep, Aunty Cindy. I'll trade.

Send me the snow Anna- I'll stick it in my freezer :-)

Anna Sugden said...

We have been there, Doglady. Lovely, peaceful.

You'd love Beverley - it has two gorgeous 11th century churches - the Minster and St Mary's.

Let me know if you come back - we'll have to meet up!

Anna Sugden said...

Landlocked but pretty, Trish (and you have a good hockey team *grin*).

I'll send it to you with plasure, Amy! It's another cold day, but it's going to warm up, so we won't even have snow on the ground for Christmas *sigh*