Passionate fandoms

According to Wikipedia, “A fan, aficionado, or supporter is someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking and enthusiasm for a sporting club, person (usually a celebrity), group of persons, company, product, work of art, idea, or trend. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom.”

I’ll admit that when I find something in pop culture that I like, I glom onto it and try to learn all about it I can. Back in the day when I was a teenager and got some new celebrity crush, I caught them on TV when I could and once in awhile could procure a copy of something like Tiger Beat. I remember clipping photos and putting them on my bedroom wall. And back in those days way before TiVo or even a video recorder in our house, to miss an episode of a favorite show like The Young Riders was a tragedy beyond compare!

Now I have the wonder of TiVo, the Internet, YouTube, TV shows on DVD and Netflix to feed my fan cravings.

I read and enjoy a great many books, but there are some for which I watch the calendar for releases dates. In the past few years, I’ve done this for Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, Colleen Gleason’s Gardella Vampire Chronicles series and Libba Bray’s YA trilogy that started with A Great and Terrible Beauty. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.

In the summer of 2006, I became a late but rabid fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I seriously would watch eight episodes a day because I HAD to know what happened next. I was only able to get some work done when I’d gotten through all seven seasons of Buffy and all five of Angel. Soon thereafter came Roswell and Supernatural.

Speaking of Supernatural, I’m such a huge fan of the show that I and four other writer friends, who are also fangirls of the show, recently started a blog called Supernatural Sisters. We blog about various aspects of the show five days a week, including a recap and observations about each week’s episode on Fridays, the day after it airs.

After watching the movie House of Flying Daggers, for a time I became kind of obsessed with Asian actor Takeshi Kaneshiro. I bought a couple of his other movies – one good, one not so good. But, honey, he sure is pretty to look at. :) Sorry if that’s objectifying, but it’s true!

One of the biggest fandoms out there is that for Harry Potter. Though I’m not active on the boards, I really enjoy The Leaky Cauldron’s Web site (which is PACKED with all things Harry related) and listen to the affiliated weekly podcast, PotterCast. I totally geek out over how dedicated the Leaky and PotterCast crews are to this fandom in all its glorious minutiae. Melissa Anneli, PotterCast’s original host and still one of the four hosts, even wrote a nonfiction book called Harry, A History about the Harry Potter fandom. I have the book and plan to read it when I get through my impending deadlines. And I have to admit that it’s an intoxicating thought to a writer to think that it’s possible for something like this to spring up to celebrate your work. It’s extra cool because J.K. Rowling is such a wonderful, kind person and one who got a whole new generation of kids interested in reading books. Not to mention a gazillion adults.

And if you want to see passionate fandoms of all kinds, just go to a conference like Dragon*Con or ComicCon. Imagine tens of thousands of people who are so dedicated to things like Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, anime, steampunk, Battlestar Galactica and basically every sci-fi or fantasy offering out there that they will attend events dressed as their favorite characters and stand in line for hours to hear panels given by their favorite actors or creators. I attended Dragon*Con for the first time last September, and I had a ball! I’m going back this year, and I plan to take a couple of costumes. I’m still mulling what I want to be, though I have some ideas. That's me at the left with two Star Wars fans. I'm wearing one of my Buffy the Vampire Slayer shirts.

People who are passionate about their favorites often delve into writing fan fiction, and there’s an amazing amount of it online – some good, some bad, some amazing. Others put their video editing abilities to use and create fan vids and post them on YouTube. You can find videos dedicated to favorite fictional couples, odes to period dramas, and clips of a show’s best or funniest moments. Trust me, one can spend hours and hours (did I mention hours?) on YouTube watching these.

So, I’m curious, have any of you ever found yourself totally engrossed in a fandom to the point that you were looking up every scrap of information you could about it? Have you ever peeked at a fan board or site and looked up hours later? Tell us about your fandoms. Really, I’m curious.

Happy Valentines Day - complete with goodies

by Tawny

Ahhh, Valentine's Day! The day of Romance with a capital R. As opposed to valentines with a lower case v which makes me think of conversation hearts, paper valentines from classmates and stuffed teddy bears.

Today, I want to dish on the big kids Valentines. When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of traditional trappings. Candlelight dinner for two. Champagne and silk sheets. Roses, chocolates and better yet, diamonds.

Hand holding, slow dancing, sweet nothings whispered over bare skin.

Poetry.

"Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love. "
William Shakespeare

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. “
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.”
Lord Byron

*deep sigh* Doesn’t it just make you melt?

And then there’s real life. Those wonderfully thoughtful-yet-clueless gifts of cooking utensils, coupons for car washes and the ubiquitous tacky lingerie. You know, because women love that kind of thing (picture me rolling my eyes here). This is what I call Valentine’s Day with a cheesy sigh.

And as lovely as Valentine’s Day Romance with a capital R is, most of us live in the land of the cheesy sighs (hopefully with the occasional capital R thrown in).

So with that in mind... We Bandita’s with our love of all things romantic are hosting a special Valentines contest for our fabulous readers. We have a whole slew of prizes to offer, which will either go in full to the best of show, or be parsed out if it’s too hard to choose (hey, can’t say I didn’t learn something from the fabulously fun RNTV invasion).

The prizes:
Signed copy of Risqué Business, Sees Chocolates - Tawny

Signed copy of The Wild Sight - Auntie Cindy

Signed copy of Tempt the Devil - Foanna

Signed copy of Dark & Dangerous, Cover flat of Dark & Deadly - Jeanne

Signed copy of Firefighter in the Family - Trish

Signed copy of The Trouble with Moonlight - Donna

Signed copy of Homicide in Hardcover, See's suckers
Bookmark - Kate

$10 Borders gift card - Joan

Romance Bandits Fridge magnet and post-its - Jo

Signed copy of The Dangerous Duke - Christine

Godiva Chocolates - Suz

Signed copy of Not Without Her Family - Beth

Signed copy of her most recent book - Christie

Cool Bandits Goodies - Anna S.

$5 Barnes & Noble gift card - Cassandra

To win? Write your own Valentines Poem. The only requirement? It has to be totally cheesy. The cheesier, the better.

To start you off...

Roses are red
Violets are blue
The Bandits love romance
I’ll bet you do, too

(was that a chorus of groans I heard?)

Have at it...

What I Learned During My Seven Year Dry Spell

posted by Joanie

Many craft books mention the importance of a mentor for the characters of a story. This
character acts as a guide, a sounding board, a giver of wisdom that keeps the protaganist headed in the right direction. I was blessed beyond belief to be given such a mentor from day one of my writing journey. I am delighted to have her with us today. Please welcome my first mentor, Renee Ryan.

Thanks to Joan and the rest of the Romance Bandits for inviting me here today.

I want to begin by saying I thought I’d made it when I sold my first manuscript in 2001. Unfortunately, EXTREME MEASURES, a 2002 release, was my first and last book with that particular publisher. In fact, after that initial success, I couldn’t buy attention for any of my manuscripts, and there were many! No editor was interested. No agent wanted to represent me. Bottom line, I had sold a book only to fizzle out as a one-book-wonder.

I knew it was time to rethink my career path. I had to stop chasing the all-elusive second sale and decide what I wanted to write and why I wanted to write it.

Long story short, as I type this I am finishing my fifth contracted manuscript for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical line. I can safely say the dry spell is over. At least for now, but I know my success could vanish anytime. There isn’t a single day that I take my return to publishing for granted. I know how quickly it can fade.

So, what did I learn during those seven years (SEVEN years!) between sales? I took positive action steps that I could control. Here are my top ten steps for “staying the course” during a dry spell.

STEP ONE: Persist. Sounds simple, I know. But the only way to guarantee success is to keep writing. The only way to guarantee failure is to stop writing. Never, never give up. That sale could be just around the corner. It may take seven, ten, twenty years but so what? It’s all about the journey anyway. Trust me on this.

STEP TWO: Focus on what you’re doing right, not what you’re doing wrong. Do not go to the negative. Ever. Stay positive. Write down every success you have, no matter how small. Did you read a good craft book? You’re one step closer. Did you attend a book signing? Again, you’re on your way. Remember, every step counts.

STEP THREE: Redefine rejection. Try thinking of those nasty little letters as correspondence with editors. Remember, a rejection is just one person’s opinion. Nothing more, nothing less. You have not been rejected. That particular editor did not like that particular story at that particular time. Never say, “I was rejected.” You weren’t. Your manuscript was rejected. Reframe your thinking right now!

STEP FOUR: Compare yourself only to yourself. If you try to keep up with your friends and/or your rivals you will only make yourself crazy. Let’s face it; there will always be someone more successful than you in this business. Their success is not an indicator of your potential. Focus on your career and your success. Period.

STEP FIVE: Read and learn from other genres. If you only study romance you risk becoming a one-note writer. Not good. Want to learn how to write great action scenes? Study thrillers. Want to learn how to plot better? Read a good mystery. Want to know how to use language well? Read a literary novel. You can learn a lot about craft by studying other published novels. Like I said before, don’t stick to one genre. Your writing will benefit.

STEP SIX: Turn off the internal editor. Make this your new motto: DON’T GET IT right GET IT written. You can always go back and revise, but you can’t revise a blank page.

STEP SEVEN: Live your life. Turn off that television and get out of the house. I know this seems like a basic step, but it’s so important. How can you write about people if you aren’t interacting with, well, people? Study mannerisms, study speech patterns, study how strangers interact with one another. Airports are a great place for this. You’ll be surprised what you can learn by mingling with the real world.

STEP EIGHT: SUBMIT, SUBMIT, SUBMIT. You can’t get feedback if you aren’t submitting. You can’t make a sale if you aren’t submitting. Need I say more?

STEP NINE: Hone your craft! My personal favorite and the one step we writers can completely control on our own. Successful authors share one common trait: they never adopt the attitude that “they have arrived”. Each book is an open challenge to take their writing to the next level. They are constantly learning new techniques. Are you? Make a commitment to find out where your writing is out of balance (and, yes, everyone’s writing has areas that need honing). Commit to improving the weakest part of your writing.

STEP TEN: Finish manuscripts. You can’t sell a blank page. You can’t hone your craft by merely attending a workshop. You must practice, practice, practice. When that editor comes knocking don’t you want more than one manuscript available for sale?

There you have it. Ten steps you can control, whether you’re a published author or an aspiring one or suffering somewhere in between.

Are their any different steps you can think of? Which step are you at right now?

I'm giving away three autographed copies of my February release, THE MARSHALL TAKES A BRIDE throughout the day so stick around to see if I draw out your name!

Renee Ryan writes for the Steeple Hill line Love Inspired Historical. Her fabulous editor is Melissa Endlich of Steeple Hill. Her first book in the Charity House series, The Marshall Takes a Bride is a current February 2009 release. Her next book in the Charity House series, Hannah’s Beau hits the shelves July 2009. For further information check out www.reneeryan.com

When In Danger, When In Doubt....

Run in circles, scream and shout?

by Cassondra Murray


We humans are a tough lot when faced with disaster. Or at least, we used to be.

I’m not so sure nowadays. Especially after the past couple of years and the disasters that have slammed the Midwest and southern United States.

Nine years ago, when we bought our present house, I went to the local rural electric co-op to get the power transferred to my name. The lady behind the customer service desk was what I affectionately (usually) call a Q-tip. A tiny little lady with a tuft of very white hair trimmed into a short, fuzzy haircut.

This particular Q-tip looked at me and squished her mouth into a tight circle. It was THE LOOK. The one that makes you feel like you’re in third grade and you’ve just been called to the principal’s office. She sat behind her desk and looked back and forth from me to the paper in front of her, first over the top of her reading glasses, then through her bifocals, determining whether I should, or should not, be deemed worthy of electricity.


She read from the paper, “It shows here that the address is..,” blah blah blah, she went on with the details, and finally ended with “and there is a pole in place on the property, with a transformer and a security light rented from us for $5 a month. By signing here, you agree to continue paying for use of the light.”

“There’s no security light on the property,” I said.

“Yes, there’s one on the pole,” she said, “It says so right here.” She pointed with her pen. “The previous owner had it for two years.” Her face got sort of crooked. Oh, wait. That was a smile. A sign the paper and go away smile.

“Nope,” I said. “There’s no security light on the pole.”

“The pole is outside the house,” she said. “You’d have to go outside to see it.”

Duh.

“Ma’am I know precisely where my electric service pole is, I’ve looked at it, and there’s no light. Just your ordinary, everyday transformer.”

“You probably just didn’t notice it,” she said, and shoved the paper to my side of the desk.

“I would notice a security light on my pole,” I said. “We specifically moved out of the city limits so we would see stars, not security lights. I don’t want a security light, and I made sure there isn’t one. Not even one with a burned-out bulb.”
“You probably didn’t recognize it.” She tried harder to smile. “There’s a lot of stuff up there.”

By this time the entire office was watching. I took a deep breath and knew the truth. They thought I was stupid and clueless. Because they think all of their customers are stupid and clueless. That’s the way it is now when you deal with utilities or anything even remotely technical. I sat in the chair and pulled it closer to the front of her desk and set my purse down. I propped my elbow on the desk.

“I grew up in the middle of nowhere, Kentucky on a barely-gravel road,” I said. I can castrate a bull, milk my own cow, make my own butter, and if necessary, build a barn. When I was eight years old and lightning hit the power poles, my dad taught me to go out there, look up at the transformer with a flashlight, and figure out whether the breaker was thrown so I could tell the power company whether it was just us or the whole neighborhood.” I leaned forward a little. "Eight. Years. Old." I shifted the paper ever-so-slightly back toward her side.


The Q-tip’s forehead creased into a bunch of wrinkles. I shoved my purse out of the way and leaned across the desk. “Pay a truck and a crew to drive twenty miles to tell you this, or just believe me, I don’t care, though this is a co-op and it’s my money you’re wasting. I’m not an idiot, I know what a light looks like and there is no light on that pole.”

The Q-tip sat back in her chair. What was this? A customer armed with knowledge beyond the free-gift choice at the Macy’s Elizabeth Arden annual makeup event? Shocking.

She reached for her phone. She called someone unseen. Ten minutes later, I walked out of there with electricity and no surcharge for a non-existent security light, thank you very much.

But I walked out with a heavier heart. My heart grows heavier each time I have to call the phone company about our DSL service, or the water company because they read the meter wrong, and I have to go through half an hour of “you're too stupid to recognize that your toilet has turned into Niagra Falls," before they’ll actually agree that something is wrong. I had to do this just recently, and each time, the experience gets worse. It becomes more of a “we know all and you know nothing” exchange.

Are they right? Am I the last of a dying race? Have most people truly become clueless, and what’s worse, helpless? This does not bode well.

We got slammed with one of the worst ice storms we’ve seen here a couple of weeks ago. It was below zero degrees Fahrenheit. We had no phone, no internet, no cell service, and no power. Thousands of people are still without power, and we’re having more bad weather. It’s getting cold again.

Stuff happens. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires and floods. The people of Kentucky are proving to be fairly resilient. People are, by nature, survivors. I tend to believe that if you treat people as if they have ability, most of them will rise to the occasion.

I come from a line of tough folks. Farmers. I’ve always been prepared for the disasters that normally happen around here.

When I was a kid, we had a wood stove in the basement. The shelves were packed with canned food and milk jugs filled with emergency water. We had a well, but the pump required electricity, so we had a backup supply in case the power went down. When the forecast called for bad weather, my folks stored up extra.

About fifteen years ago we had another major snow/ice storm. I lived in a different house then. I heated with wood. I cooked on that wood stove, used my collection of antique oil lamps, and we stayed cozy until the power came back on. We had batteries, emergency supplies, a chainsaw, and chains for the car tires.


It’s just the way I was taught to be. Prepared. And I was.

Until THIS house, that is. We almost didn’t buy this house because it didn’t have a basement. I feel at risk without, at the least, a cellar to store root veggies in, and to use for shelter from tornadoes.



It’s interesting to me how different parts of the country prepare in different ways. Some of my California buddies are freaked out by the very idea of a tornado. I wouldn’t have a clue how to prepare for a hurricane, or how to deal with an earthquake, but tornadoes? Meh.


The wildfires that are pounding Australia and the folks down under may be the most devastating disaster of all because there’s very little the average person can do, but still….wherever I am, I don’t want to be helpless. Or clueless. There's a picture down on the left of Sam, a koala saved by one of the Aussie firefighters. I couldn't help putting it on the blog. One bright spot in a horrible situation.

This house--our present home-- is dependent upon electricity. During the ice storm I had to shut my house down, schlepp my houseplants down the road to the neighbor’s, shut off the water and leave. We stayed with the neighbors who had power. But I hated leaving and I hated not being better prepared. I’m uncomfortable being completely dependent on the power grid in order to stay in my home. It goes against my raisin’ I guess.

I had to leave the dogs, the cats, and Thor, the crow, in the cold house all day and night while we were gone. We came home three times a day to feed and water and check on everyone, but I hated it.

Not gonna happen again if I can help it. I’m not sure how I’ll do it, but next time I want to be self-sufficient, at least for the short term.

I refuse to let the Q-tip and her ilk be right. At least she won't be right about me.

What about you?

What kinds of disasters strike where you live?

Have you lived through any?

Some people are more high-maintenance than others of course, but what type are you? Do you know what to do, and how to handle things when they need handling?

Can you turn off your water? Do you know how to shut the power off to your house?

When the going gets tough do you get going? Or do you get going to the nearest hotel with pool and day spa? (Hey, I'm not knockin' it. A hot tub was sounding pretty darn good mid-week of the ice storm.)

How long could you survive at home without electricity? Know any tricks or tips?

What do you do to be prepared?

Frivolous Winners

Thanks so much to everyone who attended my pity party!

And the winner of stationery and chocolate is:

Minna! Congratulations and please send your snail address to me via the contact page on my website.

A Frivolous Foray

by Christine Wells

I've had a bad week. I've been in the doldrums, a state which not even the ministrations of that magical man with the hands, Sven the Swedish Masseur has been able to alleviate. (Although, I might try his infamous cocktails with the rude names once I've finished this blog.*g*)

Anyway, to cheer myself up today with your help, I thought I'd indulge in some virtual shopaholicism (no time for the real thing, so virtual it must be).

Now, I was going to make a list of items in shops I'd like to buy but that was taking frivolity a little too far and it would probably be a little dull, also. I mean, who doesn't want a Prada handbag or a pair of Manolos, right? So I decided to stick with things that other people own.

I've made a list of 5 THINGS I COVET.

1. Of all the things in the world, I covet most the Stewart family seal, which is now in the possession of one of my cousins. My maternal grandmother's family were Scottish Stewarts and this exquisite piece of jewelry has been passed down and crossed oceans to Australia. I've only laid eyes on the seal once, and immediately, burningly wanted to have it. It is gold and has a crystal inset with an intaglio of a unicorn. Anyone who knows me understands my love for antiques and this one is even more special because a seal is one of those objects every Regency gentleman had dangling from his waistcoat. I WANT. But, sadly, I will only ever admire from afar.

2. Georgette Heyer's research notes. Anyone who has read Heyer's excellent Regency romances and knows a little about the writer herself will understand why I would love to get my hands on this treasure trove of meticulously detailed research.

3. Candice Hern's Regency antique collections. Have a look at Candice's website and you'll see the exquisite pieces she has collected. Candice was kind enough to bring some of her collection to San Francisco last year for us all to drool over. She was lucky to escape the Beau Monde conference without getting mugged--ever so politely, as we Regency enthusiasts are wont to be!

4. Audrey Hepburn's costume wardrobe. Givenchy used to design those wonderfully elegant creations for my favourite actress of all time. It's amazing how most of these garments have not dated at all. That classic elegance just slays me every time.

5. Audrey Hepburn's figure. So I could fit into her costume wardrobe, of course!

Over to you. What do you do when you need cheering up?

What 5 things do you covet? I've raided my prize cupboard for some goodies and will send a few coveted bits and pieces to one random commenter.

If You Build It...

by Anna Campbell

I came up with the idea for this blog last week when I mentioned how much I love the building that houses the National Library of Australia in Canberra. I still don't know why I like it so much - this picture certainly doesn't do it justice. But somehow when you're in it, it's just right.

I thought I'd talk about some other buildings I've been in that share that feeling of being just right. I think their dimensions might have something to do with that - you walk into the space and automatically your heart lifts. This blog will also give me the chance to put up some pretty photos. Although I've realized as I've searched through Google images that one of the characteristics of a really great building is a mere picture can never do it justice. You need to experience the space and the physical presence.

That's great! I think it's wonderful that in this virtual world, if you really want to appreciate a great piece of architecture, the only real solution is to go there!

I'm not going to talk about old houses in the UK or palaces or cathedrals. Although they might be good topics in the future, especially the old houses. Well, actually that's not completely true about today's blog. There's a cathedral tucked inside one of the buildings I picked!

Anyway, here goes. I'm going to talk about a few places that I walked into and they absolutely took my breath away.

And to put in another proviso, that's definitely not true of the first building I've chosen. The Sydney Opera House is absolutely amazing - on the outside. One of the things I realized, living near it and seeing it several times a week, sometimes more often, is that really great architecture never loses its impact. I still got that same thrill when I saw it after living in Sydney for eleven years as I did when I first saw it, with those glorious shells still under construction, as a little girl of eight.

Sadly, inside it's a disaster, horrible gray 70s brutal concrete everywhere. Although there's always the consolation that those lovely big windows mean you don't have to look at your surroundings, you can stare out at one of the world's most beautiful harbors. But don't you think this is just the perfect building for this setting? Joern Utzon was a genius!

For my next building, we move from the modern (well, the 1950s!) to one of the jewels of the medieval age. 15th-century Kings College Chapel in Cambridge is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever been in - and as I'm sure you're gathering, I've been in a lotta buildings! There's a legend that John Milton, the poet, stopped Cromwell (for whom he worked as a secretary) from smashing all the glass and defacing the chapel.

Outside, Kings College Chapel is elegant and austere. Then you walk inside and it's like entering a forest of golden stone. Again, this picture can't do it justice. It's hard to descibe the sheer sense of perfect space, the soaring height of those fan-vaulted ceilings, the rich colors of the glass.

I was lucky enough to go to an evensong with the world-famous choir there - it was January in 1985 and the congregation was small on a bitterly cold winter's night. The boys and the men walked in wearing their late medieval costumes, carrying candles and singing like angels just as the sun set, making all those windows glow like gemstones on fire. A transcendent moment! And one inextricably linked to the glorious building that housed the service.

My next building is also religious and even older. It's the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Andalusia. The Moors who ruled Spain at the time started it in the 7th century and largely completed it in the 9th century.

Again you don't get a sense of the huge size of this building from the picture although it does give an idea of the endless mysterious arcades of columns in marble and alabaster so that you feel like you're in a great, dark cave. Instead of the soaring height of perpendicular gothic at Kings College Chapel, the ceiling is low, like you're cradled, held safe. The sensation is extraordinary, like you've entered eternity.

If you ever get a chance to see the Mosque, don't miss it. It's unlike anything else I can think of. Oh, and rather incongruously, there's a whole baroque cathedral tucked away among these pillars!

Actually I had trouble choosing an example of this next architect's work. When I had four months in the UK in 2004, I had time and opportunity to see a lot of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's work (not that a lot survives!). I was going to pick Hill House at Helensburgh just outside Glasgow. It's the only example of his domestic architecture still basically as he left it and the site is magnificent, high on a ridge overlooking the Clyde estuary.

But I ended up choosing the library from the Glasgow School of Art, built in the years leading up to the First World War. The building still functions as an art school so a tour there has a wonderful sense of life and vibrancy that you sometimes miss in the museum-style buildings that no longer fulfil the function for which they were designed. My favorite room was the library which again, is like a forest, but a dark, mysterious one. CRM designed it purposely to give that impression - he did everything, the furniture, the fittings, the room.

Again, no photograph can do justice to what it feels like to stand in that space full of books and polished wood and gold sunlight falling through the window panes to hit the floor like light dapples a forest floor. Magic!

My final building is Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright in Bear Run, Pennsylvania. It was built in the 1930s, yet manages to look completely modern, while still conveying a feeling that it's grown organically from its spectacular situation. Of course, here I'm completely working off pictures because I haven't yet managed to get there. One day!

I almost went to the Romantic Times Convention last year because it was in Pittsburgh and one of the pre-conference excursions was a trip to Fallingwater. Isn't that a glorious house?

So enough of my raving. Do you have a favorite building? Why is it your favorite building? Is there a building you'd love to see that you haven't yet made it to?

Doggone It!

By Jeanne Adams

Are you a Dog Person or a Cat Person?

If you've ever owned a dog - or been owned by one - even if you don't have one now, you know you're ONE OF THEM.

The Dog People.

The people who carry a spare leash in the car in case they come across the neighbor's dog, loose and running toward the street. You're the one who's been known to have three or four manky, disgusting tennis balls rolling around in your van or car, as well as having spare "dog towels" in the trunk. You're the one who bought special protective covers for your car seats, or even better, a ramp so your older dog could still go for rides with you. Your car windows have that special doggy imprint...you may even have one of those bumper stickers that says I HEART My Bouvier de Flanders. (Yes, that is a dog) Or one that says, My Mutt Can Beat Up Your Purebred.

You laughed uproariously at the Pedigree Super Bowl Commercial featuring the odd pets-that-were-not-dogs.

You laugh at Frazier's dog, Eddie.

You buy your dog presents for the holidays.

Yep. Dog Person. (You Cat People are a whoooollllleeee different kettle of fish, so to speak. I'm gonna talk about your proclivities on the 19th....)

Dogs are wonderful creatures, really. Loyal. Protective. Funny. Sympathetic. Pick an adjective.

Introduce two true Dog People and they'll be happy for hours telling dog stories. It's even worse if they share a breed-specific scenario - i.e. put two Yorkie owners together and the "ooh, my Chester just..." stories go on, and on, and on. Dogs are great conversation starters. A single-guy friend of mine calls his dog, Hefty, a chick-magnet.
(While this picture isn't Hefty, it looks like him. So, you can see, Hefty is just that, and has been from puppyhood.)
Hefty turns heads wherever he goes, that's for sure.

As a reader, I love it when there's a dog in the book. I so enjoyed hearing about Pirate, the talking Jack Russell in Angie Fox's Accidental Demon Slayer. I also loved hearing about the motorcycle clubs for dogs and their owners.

Our own Donna MacMeans is featured in an anthology called Tails of Love (June , 2009), with her story Lord Hairy. (The proceeds go to a no-kill animal shelter)

In Nora Robert's Dancing on Air, the hero's dog Lucy, the black lab, stole my heart, as did Moe, the mutt in Robert's Key trilogy.

As I've gotten email about my first book, Dark and Dangerous, one of the most-mentioned characters is Shadow, the German Shepherd.

I love talking about my own dogs. (No, you wouldn't have guessed, right?) I LOL about Facebook now having a Dogbook section so your dog can Friend other people's dogs. Isn't it amazing how much time we devote to playing, walking, grooming, checking, washing, vetting and finding a place for Rover to stay when we go to the beach? (The horrible rental people at the beach don't allow dogs, you know. Terrible thing. Sigh.) Even then, we call home to be sure they're okay. For instance, my friend called me from Greece, just to check on her Golden Retriever.

From Greece. Seriously.

Some people go so far as to have their dogs as best man or woman. My hubby and I didn't do that, but it did cross my mind. And even though we didn't have the dogs in the wedding, we DID have a picture taken with them. What do you think of it? :> Its one of my favorite photos ever.

Like I said, Dog People are....crazy.

They develop clubs and games and sports for their dogs. I'm not just talking confirmation showing, or obedience trials, or field trials or agility. All that's fun, but it's kind of like what many of the breeds do when they're working, or herding, or sporting. No, these clubs are for things that have nothing to do with actual "working" dogs, like retrievers or gun dogs.

Picture a scene with me. Summer on the lake, two guys sitting at sunset drinking a beer, their very wet, happy and tired dogs by their sides. I imagine it went like this:

"You know, I don't like guns or hunting, but my dog sure likes the water." Takes a swig. "Like today. Couldn't keep him out'a the water."

"Yeah, mine too." Amiable silence. Frogs croak. "You know, Stud jumps off that dock until he's exhausted."

"Yeah, Fluffy does too. Hey how far do you think your dog jumps?"

"Really far. Farther than your dog."

"Like H*ll. We should measure it and see."


Enthusiastically, "Yeah, yeah, and Fluffy can beat Stud in Dock Diving."

And Dock Diving was born...
And Fly Ball.
And the Terrier Races.
And we won't even get into the any costume and sweaters contests, and not just at Halloween.

I've shown Dalmatians for years. I've had several champions and one Best in Show Winner. Now, with my new dog Diver, the Irish Water Spaniel, I'm going to try obedience, agility, and perhaps, Dock Diving. :>

All in my spare time, that is...hahahahahahaha.

So, the question for the day is, Cat or Dog or Both? (Louisa, I already know your answer!)
What's your favorite romance with a dog in it?
What's your favorite "dog book" from childhood?

Hey, Dog People! You'll want to tune in tonight (Monday) and tomorrow night (Tuesday) if you live in the USA, for the world famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog show. It's on the USA Network. Four groups tonight, three groups and Best In Show tomorrow night. I'll be watching to see if any of my dog-show-pals win their Breed and go to group.

Planning My Life Away

by Caren Crane

I noticed something recently: I plan an awful lot. I plan things days, weeks and months away with enviable precision.

Right now, I already have hotel reservations, train tickets and a Metro schedule for the RWA conference in Washington, D.C. in July. It's more than 5 months away and already I'm stressing over what time I should leave my house to get to the train station. It's crazy!

I do this sort of thing often. My Girl Scout troop is planning a big, annual area-wide event for April. We have been working on it since October. So far, we still have no idea how many people are coming, so we can't do crucial things like order supplies or buy food. It's only a little more than two months away, so even though things are well underway, I am starting to have heart palpitations.

I know people who can go with the flow and simply let whatever happens happen. I have been that sort of person on occasion. Sometimes, in a moment of pure Zen, I can push aside last-minute concerns and let things simply occur, unplanned and unexpected though they may be. That's usually when it's too late to do anything about it anyway and I realize that any sort of stress is unproductive. But I prefer to do so much planning that the unanticipated does not have a chance to sneak up on me.

It occurs to me, though, that while I'm spending all this time planning, things are happening in real time that I may be missing. Sometimes it's things I don't mind missing, like conference calls and (yawn) meetings. Other times, though, it's things like watching a DVD with my family or going for a much-needed walk.

I haven't managed to convince myself that all the planning and anticipating if, whats and wherefores is not necessary. No matter what I may miss in "now time", I cannot give up my penchant for planning. I'm hoping someday to strike a lovely balance between planning and letting it be. A conscious balance. Like this meditating chick with the laptop, I guess. Not sure quite how I'll accomplish that, because I haven't managed it yet!

What about you? Are you a planner or do you let whatever happens happen? Or are you like me? Hyper-plan what you can, then let the rest fall into place as best it may? And most importantly, PLEASE let me know what your tricks are for stopping the obsessive/compulsive Google searches!

The Accidental Demon Slayer Booty!

Thanks, everyone, for all your great ideas to jump start my new economical AND sustainable lifestyle (which, apparently, must contain a lot more cups of microwaved coffee!). 

Oh, and it turns out, I've got some prizes to award from our very fun day with Angie Fox, NYT Bestselling Author of The Accidental Demon Slayer! You may recall that Angie offered to give away a signed, first-edition copy of her book, AND a "Kiss My Asphalt" t-shirt like the one that appears in the first chapter of the book! Whew! Exciting stuff! 

So...Angie picked, and the winners are -- 

Virginia for the t-shirt, and Louisa Cornell for the book! 

Congratulations, ladies! Can you please email your information to Angie at angie@angiefox.com ? She can't wait to send you your prizes. And she said to tell you all you're a fabulous, fun group to hang out with (which, of course, we knew!) and she had a blast. 

Thanks all! 

-Kirsten