I want to be the first to congratulate Robyn on finishing her manuscript on time. It’s an incredible feat, given the short amount of time she had, and the amount of effort that went into it. So congrats, Robyn!

It was 12 degrees when I got up this morning … But HOORAY! I’m leaving for Orlando tomorrow!! My husband has a 2-day conference, and asked me if I’d like to come along. (Well, duh!) Now that we’re empty-nesters – sort of – we have all kinds of freedom. So we’re taking five days and our daughter is coming with us. She’s hoping to check out DisneyWorld, since we never took her and her brothers when they were little. I’m just looking forward to a bit of sunshine – something we don’t see very much in winter in Michigan.

Puppy issues. When is the little stinker going to get over them! Our Yellow Lab (Ranger) is 7 months old and an absolute terror! And he’s teaching our 4-year-old Black Lab (Nick) some really bad behavior. I’m feeling outnumbered these days. Every time I try to discipline one of them, the other one is all over me. When I take them for a walk, or put them in the car, Ranger is so excited, he makes Nick go so nuts I can hardly get their leads on them. And then I lose control of the whole situation. I think we’re going to have to divide in order to conquer. Ranger’s going to go to obedience class when we get back from Florida and we’re going to have to work on Nick to get his behavior under control again.

I just got the cover mock-up for my September book. It’s quite different from The Bride Hunt‘s cover – In this one, the hero and heroine are standing in front of a crenellated wall and she is clasping him from behind. The predominant color is blue. It’s good, but the only problem is that the hero looks a little too refined. I think he should be a little more rough around the edges … maybe I’ll give my editor a call before I leave town. The cover for my April book is on my website – it’s really cool, done predominantly in white. Check it out if you get a chance http://www.margomaguire.com/

OK, time to start getting things ready to pack. First on the list – What books will I take? Boy, have I got a great stack of Avon releases!

A Study in Scandal hits stores today!

To read an excerpt, click here.

Ok. Who here goes to the gym? Or the pool? Or anywhere where there is more than one person duking it out for machines, lane space, sidewalks, ice time, you name it. Hey, and shopping lines count too.

What do you do about “that guy?” You know, the one who doesn’t have the first inkling or doesn’t care about *insert your activity* etiquette? The one that blithely pushes his way, takes your patiently waited upon item, or gets in front when you have the clear right of way? What do you do? Seethe internally, mutter to yourself, politely tap him on the shoulder, push back, kindly rearrange his front teeth?

Sure, “that guy” could be “that girl,” I’m just going to refer to “that guy” because the men seem to dominate the misuse of pool etiquette in my experience. Women are much more likely to give way and be aware/sensitive.

We have been swimming for the last two months on the average of three times a week. And at least one of those times each week IT happens. The rec swim lanes are clearly marked – slow, medium, fast – and some blank expressioned guy (there are many, many of them, this is not just a rant about one person) who is clearly a slower swimmer gets into a faster lane. Not only can’t this guy read, but he also is somehow able to swim without sight or feeling. Six swimmers up his rear? He ain’t stopping. Just try to get him to let you go by. He’ll break your left cheekbone as he turns on the wall and pushes off again right into the middle of the lane. Side swimming? Bah, he says, overrated, it is. He will swim down the middle. With paddles. And a wide stroke meant for maiming. And if he’s feeling generous, maybe he won’t kick your guts in with his seven foot leg-spanned breastroke as he swims down the middle. There’s a faster swimmer coming into the wall to do a flip? Well, that’s just the perfect time for him to push off the wall to start his lap. It’s like someone who is driving 25 and decides to change lanes right in front of the car doing 40. “That guy” will make sure to do this no less than five times in a half-hour span. Someone tapped his foot? They must be offering a massage! He will keep going, no matter what, so that they can continue touching his disease-ridden digits.

Now that we are starting to swim 4-5 days a week, this phenomenon has only increased. And I seem to be a magnet. We can have a lane of two while EVERY other lane only has one swimmer each, and we will get a third person before those others, even the ones on either side, get two. And of course, it’s usually someone with “that guy” written all over his trunks.

ARGH! It’s not the speed that matters. We can all get along no matter what our speeds. We just have to pay attention and show some courtesy to each other!

So, what do you do when this happens to you? I need a strategy to a) keep my sanity and b) keep my karma from not going in the red (see: immediate karmic backlash for flipping off swimmer underwater — karma barely needs to lend a hand, I always make sure I’m punished immediately, usually by doing something like accidentally smacking the lane line…damn subconscious).

Unfortunately swimming does not lend itself to talking too often…the whole mouth and ears under water thing, you know? So reasoning and light hearted comments usually aren’t possibilities. Hence the tapping, passing, flip turn splashing passive-aggressive to aggressive types of responses. “Let it go” is the best advice, of course. It’s just hard to do in a 25-yard pool where you are on top of each other if the lane occupants aren’t on the same page, and sometimes in a 50-meter pool it’s just as bad. I need to go to my Happy Place. But sometimes while in a lane with “that guy” the Happy Place looks like the corrupt one in Happy Gilmore with the Gene Simmons impersonator.

Help.

On the bright side, most of the time practice is a good experience (not counting the huffing, puffing, muscle roughing). And sometimes we get brilliant lane partners. A few days ago we had little angels singing over the top. Everything clicked together and three of us swam the same large set while the fourth (who was faster) was interval timed perfectly with us. Symbiosis at its best. Great lane mates are always good for a smile and an awesome practice. And they help the brain to forget about “that guy” for a little while.

A keychain with Willy Wonka’s face on it, from last summer’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers. Hiking through the woods. James Spader as Alan Shore on TV’s Boston Legal. The paragraph on page 20 of Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie that includes the line “(Fred’s) butt failed to achieve lift-off.” Watching the sun setting over the ocean.

What do all these have in common? They make me smile, or feel at peace, or both. No matter how bad my day is going, no matter how stressed I am, how tired or sick, they all have the power to instantly elevate my mood. Even better, they’re also free or very inexpensive, and will never add to my waistline.

Life is a little different now that I’m published. I have additional sources of stress as well as sources of joy. There were a lot of distractions while I struggled to complete my first novel under contract last year, and there seem to be just as many things trying to stress me out with this book. My mom, fortunately, is now cancer free, but my beloved 16-year-old cat is wasting away for no reason that a series of expensive tests could determine.

Maybe it’s just a coping mechanism, but I’ve become very unapologetic about the things that make me smile. Tease me about keeping The Proclaimers’ CD in my truck’s player since last July, and you won’t get a rise. I know all the words to all the songs, even those that weren’t in Benny & Joon, and can sing along with Craig and Charlie with a (really bad) Scottish accent. Ask me anything about Johnny Depp, and if I don’t know the answer, I know who does. I never miss an episode of Boston Legal — David E. Kelley’s writing is back in top form. I watched the perfect sunset at Canon Beach last month, and stood in awe until it sank below the horizon. (I posted a picture of it on my web site.)

Without resorting to pharmaceuticals, what elevates your mood?

When I was writing my first book for Avon (When She Was Bad, June 2007) there were two songs that I listened to over and over and over. For the first part of the book it was Toby Keith’s “Who’s Your Daddy.” Toward the end it changed to Keith Urban’s “Tonight I Want to Cry” (not because I wanted to cry over the m/s but because of Robert and Jenny being apart )

I’ve always being easily influenced by music. I can remember as a teenager driving around in my MG Midget convertible with the top down and the radio blaring, feeling on top of the world. Even now, exercising to music always makes it more palatable. And, are you like me, that certain songs have the power to transport you back to a certain place and time??

I’m working on my new proposal now and so far I don’t have a song to go with this new book….but I will soon…you can count on it!

Tell me what songs you especially like and why….

I am a world-class worrier. Ultimate Sportsfan, my fiancé, even chides me for worrying about things that haven’t yet happened. But, come on, don’t we all?

Or maybe you’ve figured out the secret to a worry-free life. If so, please share!

In the meantime, here are my top ten worries:

1. I’ll make a huge email mistake.
Like I’ll bad-mouth someone and accidentally send it to that person. Or I’ll write something embarrassing and send it to everyone instead of just the intended recipient. I recently read Kristin Gore’s Sammy’s Hill. There’s a scene where Sammy sends an embarrassing email to a huge list of DC insiders (something about a video camera and whipped cream), and I just didn’t think it was funny. It could happen to any of us — the email snafu, not the whipped cream (though the whipped cram might be nice).

2. I’ll run out of gas and not be able to get any.
I think I still have post-traumatic stress from hurricane Rita. When it approached Houston, the stores were out of everything, and no one had gas. It still haunts me.

3. I’ll be driving and get stuck in traffic and have to go to the bathroom.
This has happened to me more than once. The first time was after it rained really hard. If it rains for more than 10 minutes in Houston, streets flood. I got stuck in a traffic jam after just such a rain, and I ended up having to jump out of my car and pee behind a bush on the side of the road. It was so humiliating! Recently, I got stuck behind a crime scene investigation (a guy had kidnapped his girlfriend and her kid and then got in a wreck on the freeway—it was on the news). I had to go again! Luckily, the jam cleared just in time (no bushes on the freeway).

4. Money
We all worry about this.

5. Getting another contract
I think most writers worry about this, too. No matter how well things seem to be going, we never feel secure.

6. Insomnia.
I worry about getting insomnia. How horrible would it be if I was tired and couldn’t sleep? Of course, all these worries don’t make avoiding insomnia very easy.

7. Tripping on My way Down the Aisle or Crying so Much the Vows Can’t be Understood
I’m getting married in 15 days. I worry.

8. Not selling the house
We just put our house up for sale. Both USF and I worry about it selling soon.

9. Having kids and not liking them
I know everyone says it’s different when you have your own, but what if it’s not? You’re stuck for 18 years. Wait…you’re stuck for like 30 years!

Lastly…
10. I worry about Trying and Failing.
There are so many things I want to do. What if I try and I fail? What if I thought I could do something (like write a book), and then it turns out I’m not as good as it as I thought? But what if I don’t try? Then I’ve already failed. I know it’s crazy, but I worry…

Because I have succumbed to a temporary bout of insanity, I have started my spring cleaning a bit early this year. (Yes, alert the media! Those who know me might deny it, but I actually DO clean every once in a blue moon, I swear. *G*) And while clearing out my closet last night, I ran across a box of books that I had meant to put in a yard sale long ago , but never quite got around to doing so. After going through the box, I’m so glad I didn’t!

Most of the books were Loveswepts, and it reminded me of how very much I miss this series. (For those of you who are shaking your heads in bafflement, Loveswept was a category line a bit like Harlequin that wound up closing down sometime in the mid to late 90′s.) Many well-known authors got their start writing for them. Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag, Kay Hooper, Iris Johansen, Deborah Smith, and Suzanne Brockmann, just to name a few. The recent Sandra Brown re-issues Long Time Coming and Demon Rumm were originally Loveswepts.

It’s funny, how you can forget over time how much you loved reading certain books. I began reading these in high school and never missed a Loveswept after that. I was first in line at the bookstore each month to get all of the new releases. Flipping through the pages of some of these, I felt like smacking myself that I had ever contemplated getting rid of them. Surprisingly, Loveswept was ahead of its time in so many ways. It was one of the pioneers of the concept of books with connecting characters before it ever became popular elsewhere. They allowed their authors to try new things, and many of their stories were fresh and innovative. For example, just look at Demon Rumm. Back then, what publisher would have ever dreamed of letting an author write a book entirely from the male perspective?

Before I knew it, I was doing much more reading than I was cleaning. And by the time I thought to look up at the clock, it was after midnight and I had almost finished Deborah Smith’s Jed’s Sweet Revenge. It’s been a long time since that has happened to me! And I have slated Kay Hooper’s Unmasking Kelsey for tonight.

Does anyone else remember this series line fondly? Any favorite Loveswept books or authors? If not, are there any other authors out there who are no longer writing that you miss?

While you all are reminiscing, I’ll be making a place on my keeper shelf for my Loveswepts.

A Study in Scandal will hit bookstores in only 7 more days!

Look at what reviewers have to say about the first book in the Ladies’ Amateur Sleuth Society.

“…the duo’s love affair (is) at turns competitive, comical and sexy… the ensuing sex scenes are steamy enough to satisfy while awaiting the next clue.” – Publishers Weekly

“A STUDY IN SCANDAL is an adventurous, endearing, and superbly sensual read. Amelia and Colin are passionate, intelligent, and relatable. Their relationship is infused with enough heat, that it is almost combustible. It will grab your interest, and hold it from beginning to satisfying end. This book has it all, romance, mystery, and exceedingly clever characters. After all, there would be few things more scandalous than allowing this enticing novel to go unread.” – Zara Heflin, Romance Junkies

“a delightful and very spunky heroine… (hero) comes across as a very complex man who is capable of deep heart-felt emotions. The dialogue between them can be fast and furious. The storyline moves at a quick pace as we follow the two leads on their search…a great start for this series.” – Susan Tam, The Road to Romance

“Robyn DeHart pens the first in a series featuring the unconventional women of the Ladies Amateur Sleuth Society. With ease, she merges humor, mystery and romance in an enchanting mix…” – Suan Wilson, Fresh Fiction

“The case is fascinating and the possible motives intriguing, but the passion between them sizzles as they, and the ladies of the society place themselves in danger to ferret out a ruthless thief. DeHart combines humor, passion and a delightful mystery to charm readers with an enjoyable tale. Her clever balancing of suspense and romance holds readers’ attention and will have you wondering what her ladies will be up to next.” – Kathe Robin, Romantic Times Bookblub, 4 stars

Are we becoming a generation of too much convenience? Have you seen the commercial for the Pasta Express? I don’t mean to be ugly to the non-culinary types here, but seriously, do we actually need a special tool to cook pasta? Yes, I realize it does more. You can create perfect vegetables and lets not forget hot dogs, and all those people who have struggled for years overcooking shrimp. Uh…yeah.

I love personality tests, so I couldn’t resist one with the friends from the 100 Acre Woods.

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

As I consider possible characters and plots for my next book, I often think of moments and situations that my hero and heroine can enjoy together … moments that show their feelings are growing … Romantic moments. I’m not talking only about sex here, although sex can be very romantic but there are times/incidents that make the heroine’s heart just swell with love for the hero. Or something the heroine does that makes the hero realize he can’t live without her. Doesn’t want to live without her.

In one of my books the hero was lord of a huge holding. He was a very powerful knight, and everyone’s life or death hinged on him. The heroine was ‘done for’ when she saw demonstrations of his kindness – he prevented a young boy from being hanged for a minor offense.

In another book, the hero falls for the heroine when he realizes she’s not an empty-headed beauty, but smart and brave and resourceful.

What do you think? What are the most romantic moments you can think of, and what is it that make heroes and heroines fall for each other?

For some, it’s a happy day off, for others the daily grind has already pulled you into the work week. How are you going to spend your day? Working, curled up reading, taxes, early spring tasks, a movie?

Happy Presidents’ Day!