Goodbye ... kind of

So the Muse Newsers have given the blogging thing a big try. Okay, perhaps a LITTLE try (g). We've loved chatting with y'all and hope you've enjoyed our varied posts. However, all good things come to an end ... or wind down just a tad.

You won't be seeing many new posts on Muse News but we hope you'll pop in periodically to check out our announcements and new releases. And if you miss us in the meantime, scroll down and you'll see our blogroll list on the right. Many of us have individual blogs where you can drop in for a visit.

For now ... goodbye, adieu, ciao, farewell ...

five things I love about summer

I must admit, summer is my favorite season. Oh, a sunny winter day is lovely, with the light glinting off new-fallen snow and the sky an endless blue. Fall days, with their shades of red and orange and brown are beautiful. Spring tulips and new buds are a treat. But my personal fave is summer.

So here are five things I love...

1. The days. So many hours of sunlight. The sounds of birds in the early hours. The warmth of the dusk, and the color of the sky as it fades to night.

2. The nights. Just a touch cooler than the days, warm and sultry, the sky clear and specked with stars.

3. BBQ on the back deck. I love eating outside... the deck ringed by baskets of bright flowers, the smell of grass and BBQ and the joy of good company making everything taste better.

4. The sun. In this age of knowledge, where the dangers of sun exposure are well known (not to mention the aging effect *grin*), I know better than to lie out in the burning rays. But I do snatch a couple of minutes here and there, just sitting in a chair with my face tipped to the sun, feeling myself relax and unfurl.

5. Time up north with my family. This is something I treasure. Time with the hot hubby and the kids. We've been enjoyiong summer vacations in Muskoka since the kids were little, I love kayaking with them, swimming, hubby and younger son do a little fishing (catch and release), sailing and just lazing around. But for the past two years, ever since I started this writing gig, vacation hasn't exactly been vacation. For the past two summers, the laptop has joined me on my trek to the vast and beautiful north, and while the family sleeps, I get up with the very first finger of dawn and type away for a few hours until everyone else begins to stir. Then I spend the rest of the day doing cool stuff with them. On a mini-vacation we took in the summer of 2005, we only had one room, so I had to sneak out to the car, plug the laptop into the lighter, and write there. And I wouldn't trade a moment of it.

So what about you? What's your favorite season? What do you love about it?

Alpha or Beta

No, I’m not talking romance heroes. I’m talking mothers.

This morning on Today, I learned that there are two types of mothers: alpha and beta. Apparently, alpha moms are perfectionists and beta moms are, well, slackers.

So, which am I? Having given this some serious thought, I’ve decided I am an alpha mom with serious beta tendencies.

Or … maybe a beta mom with alpha tendencies.

I guess that makes me … a hybrid mom. Yeah, that’s it.

I can’t get rid of the alpha tendencies. It’s the lingering Type A/lawyer in me. I want the house to be clean, the homework to be done, and the kids to be outstanding and happy in all their endeavors.

On the other hand, I now think a layer of dust in a house is, well, charming, and if the kids hit each other now and then (or a dozen times a day) is that really a sign that they’re future felons? I don’t think so.

So, yeah, I’m a hybrid mom. And I think I’m comfortable with that. What about you? What kind of mom are you?

Summer begins...

Summer arrives today, appropriately enough the day after school ended here. It was just lovely not having to set the alarm last night, getting to watch my husband get up to go to work while I stayed in bed. Usually it's the other way around--I get up to rouse the kids and feed the animals and pack lunches and track down the missing homework and hunt the missing snowboots, while he stays snug in bed until the kids are gone, and believe you me, when it's 20 degrees outside, this REALLY gets me!

But now the kids are home. They've already had a fight. My son asked to play computer games before he even ate breakfast. My daughter, heretofore a major slug-a-bed in the morning, jumped on me at 8 AM, wide awake and ready to rumble. The dog is wired up because someone more exciting than I is home to play with her. And my husband was smiling as he left for work...

Every summer I make lots of plans. Mostly things I'm going to fix up around my house, but also fun excursions with the kids, cool things to do, write in the hammock, maybe even plot a romantic getaway with the hardworking husband while the kids entertain Grandma. Every September, I look back and realize we did the same thing over and over: go to the lake. The house is always a disaster, I rarely get more than a single sentence written all summer, and needless to say there is no romantic getaway, not even out to the patio for peaceful togetherness. Sigh.

So what does everyone else hope/plan to do this summer? And advice for the organizationally-challenged among us?

Cats, Dogs and Big Hearts

A few years ago trucker, Wayne, and his wife, Cathy, rescued a cat. That kitty, named Bo, has become a trucker cat. He's travelled a lot. And travelled. And travelled. They figure the cat has trucked over a million miles. That's a lot of miles. And the cat loves it. As a matter of fact, he hates to even leave the cab of the truck. He's only been out of the truck cab twice over as many years. He actually gets frustrated if his owners stay off the road for too long and he'll show his disproval by parking his hairy butt on the steering wheel and honking the horn.

I like cats a lot but, truthfully, I'm more of a dog person so here's a dog story.

A woman named Debbie rescued a dog from a dumpster two years ago. One day she begins choking on a piece of apple. She tries unsuccessfully to perform the heimlich manoeuvre on herself. She was about to pass out when along comes her rescued dog, Toby. He knocked her to the ground and then jumped on her chest. The doggie heimlich dislodged the apple and saved Debbie's life. Toby ate the piece of apple afterward (eeeewww) but, hey, nobody's perfect.

What do these stories have in common? Both animals were rescued by their owners. I have a soft place in my heart for people who rescue animals. Do you have a rescued dog or cat that comes with his own tail, um, I mean tale? :)

Coldwater Creek vs. L.L. Bean

Back when my kids were in nursery school many, many moons ago, one of the other moms was quite taken aback to learn I was not into camping. Why would she think I'd want to forgo air conditioning and sleep on the hard ground? Because my wardrobe came from L. L. Bean.

I'm actually still a big fan of L.L. Bean. The clothes are predictable both in style and fit, and most of the pants come in medium tall and tall lengths. (The turtlenecks used to come in tall, too, but they seem to have discontinued that--another example of discriminating against people who have a few more vertical inches than the norm, sigh.) Plus I can shop on line or over the phone which is a very good thing as the women's sections in department stores cause my blood pressure to rise. They are large, sometimes not even on the same floor, and seem to be organized by label/designer/company, which is fine, I guess, if you know your Dockers from your Alfred Dunners. (I did have a kind of Dockers pants that I liked, but I think they discontinued that style.)

I have recently found a store I can manage, however--Coldwater Creek. Their pants aren't quite long enough, but I love their flowing, long skirts--they are fun to wear. I was there yesterday and found a number of interesting things. Regrettably I had an appointment, so I couldn't try stuff on. Maybe I'll make it back later this week.

So, what's your favorite women's clothing line or shop? I'm especially interested if you're a bit taller than average, but feel free to share even if you are well, um, short.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

This was a cool movie.

Let me preface this by saying I know nothing about comic book heroes, and I don’t know my Marvel from my DC. I do, however, like fun action movies with exciting special effects and a love story, and FF2 had all that.

Basic premise: bad things start to happen around the world, interfering with the ongoing attempts of superheroes Sue Storm and Reed Richards to get married. Turns out the Silver Surfer, the best high-tech character since the really awful (but in a good way!) liquid metal cop villain in Terminator 2, is behind the disasters, but there’s a worse bad guy out there, and he’s a-coming …

The special effects are amazing, the characters are funny and well written, and the Silver Surfer, with his super-abilities, soulful conflict, and voice of Laurence Fishburne is, well--dare I say it?--great hero material for the next movie.

And you KNOW there’ll be a next movie.

What about you? Seen any good movies lately? Looking forward to any upcoming movies?

Hey, Kristina, while you're in Spain...

I forgot to ask Kristina if she could pick up a copy of the Spanish version of The Naked Marquis while she's gallivanting across Spain. I think it's being released this month. I'm not sure. I get hits on my website from a Spanish site, but I don't read Spanish. If you do, here's the link: http://www.elrinconromantico.com/sallymackenzie.htm

Maybe you can tell me what it says.

I think it is a very cool cover, don't you? Except it doesn't have the capital "K" in MacKenzie, sigh. And I don't think there were any masks in the story, but hey, that was the second book and I'm writing the fifth now, so maybe I've forgotten.

I'd LOVE to get my hands on a copy. I think my publisher will send me one eventually, but it could be a long time coming. So, Kristi...if you're near a bookstore....

Here's the U.S. cover--quite a different look, isn't it? But I love this cover, too.

dual personality

Eve Silver...

The past few days have been a bit of a whirlwind. Reviews for my August release, DARK PRINCE have started to come in and I'm really excited. Publishers Weekly says, "Silver's newest (after His Dark Kiss), set against the wilds of early 19th-century Cornwall, makes a moody gothic romance out of the business arrangement between a crippled innkeeper and a vengeful privateer. Poor innkeeper Gideon Heatherington has only one option when stolid, hardened privateer Aidan Warrick shows up demanding payment on the inn's mortgage; he must sell his daughter, Jane, into indentured servitude to Aidan for a period of seven years. Anger over the innkeeper's past misdeeds fuels Aidan's attempts to keep his distance from the beguiling Jane, but he finds himself protecting her despite himself. Jane, for her part, can't help being intrigued by the man who makes “an ugly knot of terror curdle in her stomach.” As the attraction between them simmers, Aidan unwittingly reveals his caring side and, eventually, his troubling secrets. Domestic tension and Aidan's mysterious past drive the novel nicely, and the evolving, bittersweet relationship between the two damaged souls is, appropriately, this romance's strongest aspect."For a chance to win an advance reading copy of DARK PRINCE, check out my monthly website contest

...and Eve Kenin...

On Sunday, I was at the Canadian Book Expo signing advance copies of DRIVEN, my September release by my alter ego Eve Kenin, and was it ever a blast. Just a few great things about book expo included:
-Meeting booksellers and librarians,...and the excitement over the new SHOMI line is definitely building.
-Hanging with Brooke and Paul from Dorchester Publishing, two truly amazing, funny, fun people.
-Appreciating my friend Nancy who brought her camera, realized the batteries were out, and drove all the way home again to pick up a recharged camera battery.
-Getting an early copy of Kelley Armstrong's new release, EXIT STRATEGY.
-Checking out the cool Dorchester booth and great posters of Dorchester's coming releases.




If you haven't heard about the SHOMI line yet, check out Monday's blog over at Romance By The Blog, where Liz Maverick, Marianne Mancusi and I talked about the first three books in the new line.
Have you ever been to a Book Expo? Was it exciting? overwhelming? What about booksignings? Are you shy to go up and purchase a signed book? Or are you first in line?

The Rain in Spain stays mostly in the Plain

Let's hope this is true! Tomorrow, my little family of four heads off to the south of Spain for a ten-day holiday (including brief jaunts to Gibraltar and Morocco!). I should be excited, right?! Instead, my stomach is in knots as I worry about *everything* that could go wrong. Let's see...first a 7 hour flight with two little kids (and did I mention that I've *hated* to fly since 9/11?!)--luckily, the flight is at night, but by the time we arrive in Madrid to change planes for Malaga, it'll be about 4 a.m., our time. Which means changing planes with two (hopefully) zonked out kids. Then, once we arrive in Malaga heavily laden with luggage, we have to get to the rental car counter, which is always fun. Then a one-and-a-half to two hour drive--in a foreign country, driving a stick shift as that seems to be all they have over there, and we have to actually FIND our rental house.

Of course, my biggest worry is the fact that my youngest daughter is deathly allergic to tree nuts. Of course, I'm bringing epi-pens and Benadryl, we've learned the Spanish word for every nut imaginable, and we've got a card written by a native Spanish speaker (from Spain rather than Latin America, as there are some differences) explaining her allergies, in case we have language issues. Still, I'm just terrified, especially as the region we're visiting is an almond hotbed. I actually refused to consider some rental villas because there were almond trees on the property! And I also worry about our cell phones working over there, despite the fact that I've checked and double checked, and YES, we have international roaming; yes, we have international data packages so we can get our email on our cell phones. Still, what if it *doesn't* work and I'm stuck with no cell for ten days, in a foreign country? What if my agent's trying to get ahold of me?!

And then there's my worries about home--dog is going to the kennel, for ten days. He's NEVER been there longer than a week. I worry about him. I worry about my cat, who's staying home where several people will be helping to take care of her. Still, ten days! She's getting old--nearly fourteen--and she likes human companionship. Poor kitty. I worry about the house, the alarm system....actually, I'm not sure there's *anything* I'm not worried about!

Is it even possible to enjoy my vacaation in this state of mind?! I hope so, because after two house floods and a *terrible* year in general, I desperately need a vacation, as does my hubby. I'm looking forward to this view from my terrace...


Am I alone in my pre-vacation worries, or do you stress like mad before you go away, too? Does it actually affect the vacation itself? Any tips for long-distance traveling with small kiddos in tow?!

Old Favorites: THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS

This weekend I watched one of my all-time favorite movies, TLOTM.

I cannot possibly tell you how much I love this movie.

I love the non-stop action and constant danger.

I love the breathtaking scenery.

I love the haunting, beautiful soundtrack.

Most of all, I love the love story between Daniel Day-Lewis’ Nathaniel and Madeleine Stowe’s Cora, and I submit to you that three of the sexiest non-sex scenes ever shot in moviedom are in this movie:

1. The Stare.

Cora: “What are you looking at, sir?”

Nathaniel: “I’m looking at you, miss.”

I just get shivers every time I see this scene, and I think it’s because of the unspoken subtext:

Nathaniel: You know you’re mine now, right?

Cora: Absolutely.

2. The kiss.

No words in this scene. Just music and scorching heat as Nathaniel looks for, then finds, Cora—and kisses her. This scene, I think, is all about Cora’s sexual awakening, and I love it.

3. Stay alive.

I just love the passion and desperation in this scene when Nathaniel is forced to leave Cora in the hands of their enemies. He’s taking a calculated risk with the life of the woman he loves, and he swears he’ll come back for her, no matter how long it takes, if she’ll only stay alive. Cora’s only thought is for Nathaniel to save himself.

Shivers, I tell you. This movie gives me shivers.

What about you? Does anyone out there love this movie as much as I do?