There's nothing unusual about thanking a serviceman at the airport, or the mall, or online at the grocery store for their service. I do it all the time because I am forever grateful that these brave souls are willing to do a job that I could not.  

Even if I wanted to, I would never make it through boot camp, never mind four years of rigorous, disciplined, and too often dangerous service. I wish I could do more than simply say thank you.  

But on a day like today, I can't thank those souls who gave their lives. They're not here for me to say thank you for making sure that I can, without fear, gather with my family on holidays, travel at will, shop when I want, etc etc. The list of freedoms we too often take for granted is so very long. I can, and do, however honor those souls and wish to thank all the family members who handled the home front alone so their loved one could make sure I and my family have all the freedoms I grew up with. Thank you to those folks who now must sit at a table with one fewer chair at Thanksgiving, with one less gift on their Christmas list, and forever a whole in their hearts. 

Today I will also stop and remember all the service men and women for having given their all for those of us they never knew. It takes a special person to serve their country, and today I remember and honor those who never came home and thank their families for the ultimate sacrifice. 

Our family will have a quiet day, thankful for more time with the little ones, an extra day without the rush of alarm clocks and work schedules, and of course, as Lee Greenwood said in his wonderful song, the people who gave that right to me. 

God Bless and Thank You,

This has been a tough week - 

Honeymoon for Six is coming along slowly. My strongest critic, my daughter, doesn't like the progress so far. This means I have to hit pause, look over what we've done and see how to make it more appealing to everyone. Sigh. 

Then, one of my dearest friends, Author Kathy Ivan took a fall and that uncovered new problems so she's in the hospital waiting for surgery. Have I ever mentioned  I dislike how short staffed hospitals are and how underpaid nurses are? Whole other argument, but every time someone winds up in the hospital, I'm reminded of more issues with health care. Sigh. In the meantime, I'd appreciate prayers for Kathy and the staff at the hospital - I'm wanting to see a fast and easy recovery. Though to my surprise, apparently this hospital's food is pretty good- she actually had tenderloin for dinner the other night! 

The other crazy thing going on is that my daughter is moving to a new house next week. Boy is there plenty to pack. Corralling two little ones, packing, and cleaning, and planning is a huge time suck. LOL.  But they're excited to finally have the extra space they need. Especially an office for my son in law when he works from home. This is especially nice for me because my guest room doubles as his office and you know I always forget something in the room and don't want to disturb him! 

but their favorite part of the house is the large back porch. The current house doesn't have a covered porch and it gets hot in Texas. A little vitamin D is good (lol) but shade for little ones to play is good too! 

Of course all that furniture belongs to the previous owners - I suspect the porch will have mostly toys - like the sandbox - and a few chairs for mom and dad!

Now we did have a nice blessing in all this. They of course have to sell the old house and the stove is the original from 1984 (yeah, they don't make things like they used to) and it doesn't match the beige microwave or the white cooktop and the original 1980s microwave with a dial for time worried my son in law so they have a small countertop one they've been using.  Well, last night someone advertised selling their old appliances - all of them - for a few hundred dollars. We certainly snapped that up. They're not new, but they're at least this millennium and they all match so that will make the kitchen look much nicer! Of course, this means more work for us, but we're up to it! 

My daughter has been here four years, I've been in my house twenty nine years. I'm curious - how long have y'all lived where you are now?

Okay that's it for the day! 

See y'all next week! 

well - lol- I am a day late, not sure about the dollar part but it seemed to ! 

I hope those of you who celebrated Mother's Day had a wonderful weekend. I was blessed to spend the weekend with my cousin and his family. We all had a blast with all the little kids in the next generation. For me it's always fun to see the way the young cousins who live hours apart and having the opportunity to bond. I know from my own experience with my cousins how valuable those relationships are as we grow up - 

Of course the downside to a lovely weekend is you need a day to recover when you return home. They just don't tell you how young old age starts. Who knew two days of fun and family requires at least one day of doing absolutely nothing to recover! LOL. 

I'm also a tad behind on Honeymoon for Six but am chugging away none the less!  I sure hope those of you who like reality television, game shows, and romance will really like this story. So far we're still tossing around ideas - and yes I said we. Many of you who have read my books and my acknowledgments know that I probably wouldn't get a single book written if not for the brainstorming with friends. Ideas get tossed around, batted back and forth, and eventually things fall into place that I can work with.  So far, small family hero, large family heroine. I'm doing my best to incorporate an amazing race type tv show with a romance couple theme.  So far so good - again - sure hope y'all like it! 

okay - I'm off to work 

have a great week! 
​

When I've got my head down working it's hard to remember what happened all week! 

My daughter and her husband are buying a bigger house - they lost their office to the new baby - it's her room now - and their desks are scattered around the house. One in the guest room the other in the dining room!  They've been looking and looking for a while and finally shifted to a new area and now at the end of the month they will have an attached garage and an office!  The downside is it's a slightly longer drive for me, but the important thing is that the family now has room to grow! 

I'm inching along with Honeymoon for Six - but very happy to have another story with the fun sisters from the previous two books. As you know, I love writing big families, and the Ummarinos are about as big as it gets! Next week, maybe I'll have another excerpt for y'all! 

And tell me - what did y'all think of Owen? Have you read the latest Farraday yet? Considering how long he took to talk to me, I think the story turned out pretty well.  I think it will be interesting to see what Paxton comes up with!  

Who's waiting for the Baron's in August? As soon as I'm finished with Honeymoon for Six, i'll be back to work on the Barons.  the folks who have bought the series early from my website seem to be liking it so I'm excited to bring it to everyone in a few months! 

I have a few side projects with my daughter's move and fixing up a few things so I'm going to cut today short - Will share more soon! 

Last year my family started what is now a new tradition.  A long family weekend at the beach. It's a five hour drive from our home in North Texas, but getting four generations under one roof for even a few days is a nice treat.  

Since I love looking at the ocean, it's even more fun for me watching my grandkids run after the birds and splash in the waves. Both the house last year and this year are right on the beach but we all agree the larger and 'clean' windows on this house make the stay more comfy. This house also has more comfy sofas so there was room for everyone to watch tv without being in stiff chairs. 

Did I mention that the upcoming Honeymoon book has a reality tv show in the plot? The show is called Love On Deck - cute, don't you think? Nice thing about the beach is it helps inspire a book set on the ocean. Granted our Texas coast is nothing like the sandy beaches of the Caribbean, but waves are waves and peaceful is peaceful! LOL. 

Just for fun - here's the draft of the opening paragraphs - remember the Ummarino sisters?: 


     “For the love of all that is holy, please leave that turn of the century getup in the closet!” Josephine Ummarino, known to her closest friends as Jo, and to her oversized Italian family as Giuseppa, shook her head at her eldest sister. “What kind of a woman wears something like that to her one and only bachelorette party?”
     “The kind who wishes you’d stop treating this trip like a strip club training program and more like the fun girls trip it’s supposed to be. I mean, weren’t you the one who told Angie how much you loved the idea of an ordinary last-night party instead of a bachelorette party?” Mina, the soon to be bride, shot her youngest sister a piercing glare.
        “I did, but this is different.” Jo shrugged.
        Shaking her head, Mina rolled her eyes and blew out a frustrated sigh.
      “I still don’t understand why you couldn’t do your party at Uncle Vinny’s pizzeria.” Jo’s mom stirred the gravy she’d been simmering for hours. “He has a really nice room in the back.” 
      "Mom,” Jo tried really hard not to whine, but they’d explained to their mother more than once that a dark room in the back of their Uncle’s aging pizza parlor was not the send off to single life that she and Ginny, the middle sister, had planned for Mina. “You can’t compare Uncle Vinny’s restaurant to ten days on the azure blue Caribbean.”
       “You want blue?” Her mother waved a spoon at her, “Uncle Vinny can paint the walls.” Antoinette Ummarino turned back to her simmering sauce. “Blue is a nice color.”
          Mina shook her head at Jo signaling it was time to change the subject.
          Knowing her sister was right, Jo leaned into her mom and kissed her on the cheek. “We can have a nice rehearsal dinner at Uncle Vinny’s. How does that sound?”
          Her mother shrugged, but Jo could tell the woman was hiding a smile. “I’ll let him know.” A lazy grin erupted. “Maybe we’ll still paint the room blue.”
           Jo and the other sisters chuckled. “Blue is a nice color.”  
       
Also - do you have your copy of Owen? He's available now at all vendors and on my website at a discount! 
For anyone who follows my foot saga - there are still lots of pretty purples and greens lol, and I can actually walk around without an ankle brace most of the time. I consider that excellent progress! 

And now I'm off to write write write! 
​

This week there's no driving so I'm up and working bright and early.  Tomorrow is the Owen release so all the ducks are ready for that - did you place your order? 

As for my daughter's hunt for a new house with a real laundry room and an office for her and her hubby - well - they found a different one and it looks like they're going to make a deal.  I love that the grandkids will have a huge back yard (1/3 acre) but really really really dislike that it's adding 30 minutes to my drive when I visit - sniff.  I suppose a four hour drive is better than a four hour flight! 

My new non-book project - well - the former realtor in me still loves flipping houses so when I'm given the opportunity to get involved in one it's hard to resist. This house is a neglected mess, but we're making progress already in one week. 

on the left was the living room before and on the right is the living room without the wall, making the feel more open. The downside? Lots of nails, and yes, I stepped on one. Thankfully not too bad so after a few days the foot doesn't hurt anymore. And for those who remember my face plant two weeks ago - the sprained ankle is terribly colorful (I'll spare you the photos) but feeling about 90% recovered. 

Of course, if you're more interested in books, then you know I'm working on Honeymoon for Six. Was actually dreaming about it last night so hopefully that's a good sign! Have y'all read the latest in the series? I'm enjoying the big fat Italian family we created in Honeymoon for Four and are following up with for the rest of the series. Hopefully the mom and extended family will make another appearance in this new book.  Of course there's Honeymoon for Six coming up this summer, then there will be Honeymoon for Seven for the last Ummarino sister and I'm still debating if I'm going to do one last book in the series - Honeymoon for All LOL. A lot of that will depend on how well the next two books are received, so tell all your friends!

All right - that's it for today - I'm off to meet up with the folks who are cutting down some trees. Never ceases to amaze me that people plant iddy biddy new trees without thinking through how they'll affect a house (or it's foundation) in thirty years when it's full grown.  This sucker has trees so close to the house that the roots are growing between the front door and walkway! 

Till next week - oh - and what did you guys think of last weeks wine rack? Stain or Paint?  

Well - I certainly hope better late than never applies, yesterday - my normal Monday post - was crazy, including the long drive to South Texas to start a new project near my daughter's. Of course, she's looking for a slightly bigger house so that means she called on her former realtor mother to help - that took up all morning. 

After that flurry of activity, the cabinet maker brought the wine rack - the last piece of the kitchen cabinetry- yay!  

First photo is my new island - I just LOVE the paper towel holder build in to a drawer!  And how blessed am I to have not one but TWO junk drawers?! (photo 2).  And the third is unique to me idea - a pull out drawer with the step stools stored, a side slot for extra oven trays (I love this feature) - one of my favorite features 

My other favorite thing are the under sink drawers - the bottom drawer has kitchen/dish cleaning items. the top drawer has sink things: new sponges, wash rags, and scouring pads. We're waiting on the plastic inserts for the wet sponges - hopefully that won't take too long!  And of course - the wine rack.  We needed a larger one because we hardly ever open a bottle of wine. I suspect at this point a great deal of the wine is vinegar LOL. The debate is whether to stain for contrast or paint white to blend in.  WHAT do you think? 

Do you have a favorite a favorite kitchen feature? 
As a reminder, Owen releases on Tuesday - one more week!  Remember to tell all your friends! 

Okay, I'm off to bed and hoping for a better night's sleep! 

till next week! 

Those of you who have followed me a very long time probably know that my ankles and I have a love hate relationship.  It all started a million years ago when I was in college and working the graveyard shift at the Indian Point Nuclear Power plant, I slipped in the rain and got my ankle caught in between two cinder blocks. Ouch is an understatement.  The down side, I couldn't put any weight on that ankle for months, really create bedlam with my college courses and trying to cross campus on crutches. The upside? I learned to drive with my left foot. A skill that once learned never leaves you! 

So fast forward a few years and that blasted ankle twisted in a hole in my yard - ages to recover again.  Keep moving forward and I tripped off the front steps and this time I was out of commission for months. And both times I had to go through months of water therapy to get the flexibility back, but back I got it! 

Of course this means that for decades I had a good foot and a bad foot.  See where this is going? Yep - several years ago - five weeks before my trip to Paris to speak at a book conference, I tripped coming down the stairs. Only this time - it was my good foot. After five weeks I boarded a plane for France with a cane and an orthotic boot. Spent the next few weeks hobbling around France for the conference and then Italy visiting a cousin. All in all I think I was in that darn book 9 weeks - which was months less than the previous two incidents with my bad foot. Which left me with a bad foot and a better foot - no more good foot LOL. 

Come back to this weekend. Yep - here we go again. Stepping off into a sunken dining room, one foot in the air, the bad foot on the step - the bad foot twisted out from under me and sent me falling splat on the marble floor like a landed trout. I managed to bruise my left shin (the better foot), skin my left knee, bang my left shoulder, sprain my right ankle, and yesterday I discovered that it apparently is perfectly possible to give yourself a slight case of whiplash by falling. Who knew? LOL.  The bright side of all this is that for the first time in my ankle history I have an honest to goodness simple sprain. My foot is swollen a bit - but not as much in times past. It's also bruised quite a bit - but not as colorful as in times past. I'm also limping but able to walk - a complete shift from unable to put weight on it for months in times past.  All in all, could be a heck of a lot worse! 

As you can see - here is my lovely colorful foot this morning, and me five years ago in Milan with the dumb boot! 

As for book news - Owen is absolutely, beyond the shadow of any doubt, releasing on Tuesday April 25th so if you haven't preordered already, grab your copy now! 

And much to my surprise, we know a little bit more about Paxton and Quinn.  Paxton is also up for preorder and it turns out that Owen's Identical twin is going to fall for a single mom. How about that! And Grumpy Quinn (sorry no preorder on him) will be falling for a Miss Sunshine. I'm looking forward to seeing how those two turn out.  

Did you know that about me? I'm what's called a pantser in the book biz. I don't plot out books, I'm surprised by what happens as I go along (in other words: Write by the seat of my pants LOL) That's the whole reason I write - I want to know how things wind up as much as you do! 

Okay, time for more food and ibuprofen.  

Anyone else have a love hate relationship with themselves LOL ? :) 

Every Monday morning I wonder, how has another week gone by?  This coming week I am spending it in Houston with my daughter and grandkids.  I am such a baby person that this is a huge treat for me.  My granddaughter is nine months old and so much fun to watch. I know this sounds awful, but yesterday she crawled under the breakfast table (it's a pub table) and got stuck. Her feet were out one side, her arm another, and her head another and she just looked at us like: what happened? 

Obviously we pulled her out but not until we all took a minute to chuckle at her predicament. She was of course perfectly safe and in no harm of injury, she just had no idea how she'd gotten in that situation or how to get out !  

As for my weight loss efforts - sigh - those are not doing well. I've tried to be good the last several days and thankfully have not gained any weight - that's always a blessing - but it would be nice to lose even a little. Sigh. I need to remember to walk more - even if it means around the house. My house has two staircases so I can go up one, down the hall, and down the other. I just have to make myself do this for 20 minutes a day - but oh the lack of will to exercise ! LOL. 

I do have some good news on the reading front - Owen is at the editor who has promised an exceptionally quick turnaround so we can get Owen to you later this month.  There's a teeny weeny possibility we'll need to push it back a week, but we'll see.  (You can thank difficult amazon for that one!) 

And next on the radar will be Honeymoon for Six.  I can hardly wait for the Ummarino sisters to start talking to me again.  What little I know, there will be a sister on a cruise, a television game show, and a bit of a mixup. What more do you need for a fun Caribbean romance? LOL.

And my favorite new discovery? Diet friendly (sort of) rice pudding! how fun is this- only 90 calories and I can snack on one (only one) and not gain weight - for me this is SO cool!   Is anyone else a fan of rice pudding? I've tried tapioca, but it just doesn't make me smile like Rice Pudding.  Some days I have one of those 100 calorie size cups of cottage cheese with fruit, but honestly, for the same calories, I'd rather have the rice pudding!

Well - I get to take a guilt-free day to play with the baby and then tomorrow it's back to the grindstone!  See y'all next week.  OH - and a reminder for anyone who hasn't read Mai Tai Marriage or knows a friend who would enjoy reading this fun romp - it's still free but not for much longer so tell all your friends to pick up a copy! 

See y'all next week! 

I know I'm clocking in late today but I have been writing writing writing !  Trying to catch up on the production schedule after being so darn sick for over a month has not been easy.  Owen seems to finally be chatting with me a bit, so when he got on a roll, I didn't want to stop! 

We had a sad happening this week. Our dog Boston - I'm sure I've shared his photos before - was not eating much. He'd been losing more and more weight. It's always unsettling when you can see a dogs ribcage. I tried mixing cheese in his food and butter (he loves butter) but he wasn't really eating well. To make matters worse, when he did eat he'd throw it up quickly. Poor guy had to be really hungry. We went to the vet and after a careful visit, it was agreed that it was kinder to let him go. Never an easy choice and one we have had to make twice this year - not fun at all.  Boston blessed us with fourteen years of devoted, unconditional love. He was a real sweetie.  Who I might add was convinced he was a lap dog ! LOL

To make things a little easier my son has popped by a few times with our grandpuppy. Okay, not really a puppy anymore. Loki is a 100 lb golden retriever with way too much energy, but he loves visiting us which is nice. 

I've also spent my week dusting, dusting, and dusting. Who knew painting your house could make such a mess! On the bright side, we're almost done. Already all my friends tell me that the house really looks so much bigger now that the colors are lighter! I'm thinking yay!  Here's a quick pic of my friends over the other night - the new furniture an arrangement is a hit!   And you can see the grandpup too!  Now we're still moving art work around trying to find the right placement - but I'll get there soon! 

Well folks - that's going to be it for today - have a great week !