Linda O. Johnston is in the Lair!!

Posted by Kate

I'm pleased to welcome my friend Linda O. Johnston to the Lair today! She writes the popular Pet-Sitter mystery series and is debuting her new Pet Rescue series this month with BEAGLEMANIA. Welcome, Linda!

Red Is For Hearts

I’m very impressed with and supportive of the Romance Bandits’ theme this month. What writer wouldn’t be?

Go Red for Women is the very appropriate slogan of The American Heart Association. And writers, especially those who write romance or mystery, always have hearts in mind.

Why? With romances, it’s obvious. They’re all about finding the right person and overcoming conflicts and hurdles to achieve a happily-ever-after. That means risking, and losing, one’s heart. My latest romances are paranormals for Harlequin Nocturne, a mini-series about Alpha Force, a covert military unit of shapeshifters. In each story, at least one of my protagonists loses his/her heart to a shapeshifter, which throws another hurdle between them besides the usual, but, hey, they find a way to deal with it.

Yes, happily ever after.

I also write mysteries. My first series, the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime, always had cute animals helping to move the mysteries along. Well--maybe they weren’t always cute. Sometimes they were snakes and iguanas. But cuteness is in the eye of the beholder, and these animals were always someone’s beloved pet--which meant their hearts were involved.

Now, I’m writing a spinoff from the Kendra series: the Pet Rescue Mysteries, also from Berkley Prime Crime. Yes, hearts are always involved in these stories. The protagonist of the Pet Rescue Mysteries is Lauren Vancouver, a very dedicated pet rescuer introduced in the most recent Kendra books, HOWL DEADLY and FELINE FATALE. Lauren runs a private no-kill pet shelter in L.A. ’s San Fernando Valley .

The books each center around a particular pet rescue theme. In the first, BEAGLEMANIA, a March 2011 release, a lot of cute puppies and their parents are rescued from a puppy mill. The second, THE MORE THE TERRIER, which will be released in October 2011, focuses on an animal hoarder. In both, a lot of animals are endangered. That wrenches Lauren’s heart--and mine, too.

Of course, in the Pet Rescue Mysteries, “no-kill” means pets, not people! They’re cozy mysteries. People get killed--but animals get saved.

So... keep those hearts beating and caring and doing great. And keep reading, too!

Come visit me at http://www.lindaojohnston.com/ and KillerHobbies.blogspot.com. Friend me on Facebook, too! I’m also the L.A. Pet Rescue Examiner: www.examiner.com/pet-rescue-in-los-angeles/

So, in case it wasn't obvious, Linda is a true animal lover! So let's talk animals. Have you ever rescued an animal? Ever brought home a rescue dog or cat? And the age-old question: are you a cat person or a dog person?

Linda's giving away a copy of FELINE FATALE, the most recent Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery, in which the protagonist of her new Pet Rescue series, Lauren Vancouver, makes her first appearance.

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Romance Writers of America and the American Heart Association have partnered to raise awareness of heart disease in women. Visit Go Red for Women to learn how to fight heart disease.

Your healthy heart tip for today is: Go for One! Make one change – pick one small thing you can change about your daily diet – start buying skim milk, order the nonfat latte, skip the afternoon vending machine visit or add an extra veggie to your dinner plate.

We're giving away an AHA Go Red pin for one commenter today!

Sign up for the Go Red Better U Program and receive two free romance e-books. From Feb 1 through May 31, 2011, receive one free romance e-book when you sign up for the American Heart Association's Better U Program and one after you complete week six of the program. And look for the Eat Smart for Your Heart limited edition magazine (that features this offer) on newstands and in a grocery store near you.

Go Red for Women is trademarked by the American Heart Association, Inc. Romance novel downloads provided by Belle Books.

MORE Booty!

Sorry to be a bit tardy with naming my winner from the 18th but--

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

Congrats to JANGA!!

You are the winner of the lip gloss and the Go Red pin!

Please send your snail mail address to Aunty at our Romance Bandits email:
romancebandits AT gmail DOT com

Red Carpet Time!

by Susan Sey

Well, friends, it's almost time.

Time for the biggest event of the celebrity gossip hound's year.

It's time for the Oscars, baby.

Now I'm not going to lie to you people. I love celebrity gossip like kids love candy. We geek out for the Oscars like royal watchers geek out over Prince William & Kate. We'll celebrate the opening monologue with a make-it-yourself sundae bar set up in front of the TV. But never fear. We'll eat dinner during the red carpet coverage. Probably popcorn.

What? It's a whole grain.

Now I like a Hugh Jackman song-and-dance number as much as the next girl but what I really like? It's the speeches. Remember the year Phillip Seymour Hoffman won? I don't remember what for, just that his hands were shaking. You could see them on camera, trembling, as he rambled through a really genuine & heartfelt moment. I loved it.

And Sally Field's "you like me!" thing? Cringe worthy. And as a result? Instant classic.

The dresses are fun, too, though. Hilary Swank's all-but-backless dress the year she won for Boys Don't Cry had me choking on my popcorn. I thought we were about have butt cleavage for sure.

And I'm still in love with Julia Robert's vintage black-and-white number the year she won for Erin Brockovich. The one where Benjamin Bratt fixed her train for her as she ascended the steps? Swoon.

So what about you? What do you love most about the Oscars? (I'm not even going to ask if you love them. Of course you do. Come on.)

Are you a monologue/opening number type? Do you print out the ballots & try to pick winners? Are you in it for the acceptance speeches? Or when the camera cuts to the losers trying to look all pleased for the talentless hack who stole their award? Share!

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Hey, it's Go Red month. (You may have noticed my clever tie in--red carpet, go red, etc.) The Romance Bandits are partnering with the American Heart Association to promote awareness of women's heart health, which means we have give aways!

First, because everything is all red & stuff, I'm giving away a signed copy of my book Money, Honey to one lucky commenter. It's got a cute red cover & a red-hot love story, so wheee!

We also have an AHA Go Red for Women pin for one commenter today.

And just because we're givers, we also have this heart-healthy tip: Rekindle an old flame...on the grill! Try preparing a not-so-favorite food in a new way. Like, hey, not a banana fan? What if you threw one on the grill? It's a great dessert! Or chill out with some frozen grapes. Yum!

From Feb 1 through May 31, 2011, receive one free romance e-book when you sign up for the American Heart Association's Better U Program and one after you complete week six of the program. And look for the Eat Smart for Your Heart limited edition magazine (that features this offer) on newstands and in a grocery store near you.

Go Red for Women is trademarked by the American Heart Association, Inc. Romance novel downloads provided by Belle Books.

'Rithmetic WINNER!

by Caren Crane

Okay, I did all the complicated math in my head (NOT!) and came up with a winner for my Readin', 'Ritin'...where's my 'Rithmetic blog. The winner of an AHA Go Red for Women pin is...Jennifer Tanner! Congratulations, Pink! Yes, you won my heart with your enormous Girl Scout cookie order. I'm shameless!

Please send your snail mail addy to: caren AT nc DOT rr DOT com. Congratulations (and enjoy your cookies)!

Readin', 'Ritin'....where's my 'Rithmetic?!

by Caren Crane

I'm pretty sure I used to know some math. I studied engineering in college and took many semesters of calculus, plus fun math electives like linear algebra back in the day. Still, arithmetic seems to have leaked out of my brain sometime in the past twenty years. Saturday, I was called upon to help separate Girl Scout cookie orders and count (and recount and re-recount) boxes of cookies. To make it "easier", we tried to make up full cases of twelve boxes each. Um...but then we had to count by twelves!

I don't know about you, but I learned the twelves times table in third grade when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Asking me to recall all that on a Saturday morning, without benefit of caffeine, seemed a bit much. Still, I persevered and we managed to get the orders resolved somehow, though it was slow, painful going.

It made me wonder, though, what else I might have forgotten. Do I really still know how to ride a bike or have I lost that, too? Do I remember how all the chess pieces move on the board or the best strategies to use when playing Yahtzee? Could I still play Hearts or would I have to relearn? These things used to be second nature to me, but I'm afraid all that knowledge may be a "use it or lose it" deal.

Now I'm a bit worried about all the things I don't do on a regular basis: cross stitch, drive a stick shift, French braid hair, perform CPR. Will I know how to do them when I need to? I mean, someone might forgive my poor embroidery but people sort of count on you to remember how many chest compressions to how many breaths when restarting someone's heart! (That, by the way, is a skill that could help you save someone's life, so please consider getting your CPR certification, like all of us Girl Scout leaders!)

What about you? Do you have any skills you fear may be rusty? Any that have deserted you (like knitting – I've learned three times!)? Please share and let me know it's not just my brain dumping things like it's been watching Hoarders!
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We have an AHA Go Red pin for one commenter today.

The healthy heart tip for today is: One of the best things you can do for your heart is to give up smoking or help a loved one quit. Smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death.

And just in case you missed it...

Sign up for the Go Red Better U Program and receive two free romance e-books.

From Feb 1 through May 31, 2011, receive one free romance e-book when you sign up for the American Heart Association's Better U Program and one after you complete week six of the program. And look for the Eat Smart for Your Heart limited edition magazine (that features this offer) on newstands and in a grocery store near you.

Go Red for Women is trademarked by the American Heart Association, Inc. Romance novel downloads provided by Belle Books.

I Just Go Walking, After Midnight...

by Joanie

...out in the moonlight..... la, la, la la la la...

Ahhhhh...Patsy Cline. She had the right idea. Walking is a great way to a healthy heart.

As we are celebrating the American Heart Associations Go Red for Women's heart health here in The Lair I thought I'd talk about some walking benefits. I'm not going into great detail, because you can find out LOADS of information through our link to the AHA below. But some highlights.

Walking:

*Maintains a healthy weight *Improves blood pressue and lowers cholesterol
*Reduces/manages Type II Diabetes *Decreases risk for a heart attack and stroke
*Decreases stress and prevents
depression

We already know that walking is important for our health. And there is a pleathora of information out there about the proper shoes. But what about...socks?

Socks are a very individualized preference. There are practical white cotton socks, moisture wicking socks, athletic socks, Socks the cat. :-D But there are lots of fun socks out there that really reflect a persons personality. For instance, which Banditas or resident of The Lair do you believe own these socks?

Socks make the woman! So slip your favorite pair on, tie up those shoes and let's go walking!

Now what about you? What do your socks say about the woman you are? What would you have on your socks?

One lucky reader will win a special Valentine package of fun socks from Cricket and Grayson.

The comment link is below the healthy heart tip for today and the AHA BetterU information.

**Before embarking on any exercise program, check with your doctor.

Go Red Tip for February 13: Don't forget to love Fido, too! Give your pet a Valentine and remember to walk or exercise them daily-getting active will benefit your health and your bond with your pets.

And...Sign Up for the Go Red BetterU Program and Receive Two Free Romance Novel E-Books

From Feb. 1 through May 31, 2011, receive one free romance novel e-book when you sign up for the American Heart Association's BetterU Program and one after you complete week six of the program. And look for the Eat Smart for Your Heart limited-edition magazine (that features this offer) on newsstands and in a grocery store near you.

To sign up for the BetterU program, visit:

http://www.goredforwomen.org/betteru/index.aspx

(Go Red For Women is trademarked by the American Heart Association, Inc. Romance novel downloads provided by Belle Books.)