I finished writing a book last Friday and sent it to my editor, and that’s always a great feeling. In this case it’s a particularly great feeling because I really – no, I REALLY – like this book. Which is not to say that my editor won’t ask me to make a few changes, but hey – I can bask in the enjoyment of completion for the moment. And since the book won’t be released until next October, I’m not going to go on about it too much now. But I’m going to tell you that one of the main, er … characters … is the castle. 

My setting for Taken by the Laird is Castle Glenloch, an ancient building with secret staircases and passageways, and hidden rooms. It’s a dark and mysterious place – which it has to be, in order to support a lively smuggling trade. Plus, it’s on the rugged eastern coast of Scotland, and is subject to some wild weather – which also plays a large part in this story.

My imagination goes wild when I visit castle ruins. I can picture the wooden floors, the stone walls, and the fires blazing in tall fireplaces. I can almost hear the wind whipping around the towers and feel the rattling of primitive windows in their casings. I can hear the echo of voices in the rooms and galleries, and feel the cold of the stone staircases through my shoes. All these imaginings went into Taken by the Laird - and then some!

Castle Glenloch lies just above the beach, and part of it is in ruins. A whole crew of smugglers bring in their contraband regularly from the sea and hide it in a secret room there, in a rundown area that appears uninhabitable. Customs men are discouraged from hanging about because the towers look as though they might cave in at any time, and also … Glenloch is said to be haunted. Of course, the laird of the castle (our hero) allows that tale to be spread, because it serves his purposes for everyone to believe the place is haunted.

The story takes place in the dead of winter. The heroine actually arrives during an icy rain storm which soon turns to snow, trapping her at Glenloch with the hero. Well, it’s a little more complicated than that, but you get the idea.

Even though Castle Glenloch is just a figment of my imagination, the place came alive for me as I wrote Taken by the Laird, which is a dark, gothic story. The hero is as dark and brooding as his castle, and the heroine is an audacious, impetuous young woman who represents the light and hope of a bright future. I’m guessing there are aspects to books that really hook you … castles are mine. What are yours?

Chances are your family has a favorite or a set of favorite movies to watch at Christmastime. There are so many to choose from now. When I was growing up it was always such a thrill when those holiday specials came on TV. Now children don’t have to wait for that special night, they’re all on DVD and they can watch them anytime they like. On one hand this is great, but it does seem to take away a bit of that specialness of the treat on TV.

There are several different types of holiday movies out there. There are the ones like the children’s specials that they still show on TV, Charlie Brown, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Then there are the full-length feature family films released into the movie theatre like Home Alone, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Elf and The Christmas Story (which I hate).

Another group of full-length feature films would be those set at Christmas, but aren’t necessarily Christmas movies like Dan in Real Life, The Family Stone or While You Were Sleeping.

Then we have our classic Christmas movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, The Bishop’s Wife and Miracle on 34th Street (my favorite and I love both the old and the new versions).

So how about you? What’s your favorite Christmas movie? Do you have any traditions with which ones you watch and when?

My dearest Readers,
‘Tis the Season to be giving gifts to those near and dear to our hearts. You fret and you try so hard to make it so very, very special. You put time and effort and thought into it even if you do or don’t have the money. And then there’s your man. Needless to say, men really don’t know how to properly gift give. Yes, yes, some do. But most, I’m finding, don’t. And sadly, I’m living proof of that. No matter if it’s during the holidays or my birthday or an anniversary, I find that my amazingly romantic and wonderful dashing husband whom I write romance books about falls rather….ehm…how shall I put this?…SHORT. For in the end, my husband is really a practical sort of man. He believes in giving gifts I can use. Even if those gifts might offend…

Now if you have that sort of man in your life, I suggest you sign him up for the dog house. Immediately. What, pray tell, is the dog house? Allow me to explain. I am not usually one to go about advertising things (unless it relates to my book, LOL) but I have to say I absolutely am in LOVE with JC Penny’s Dog House Ads. So first, go to this link and watch this 4 minute mini movie. I promise it’ll be the best 4 minutes you ever spent. Click HERE. Once you’re done and you want to put your man into the dog house, below you’ll find a picture of a poloroid man saying PUT SOMEONE IN THE DOGHOUSE. I already put my man in the dog house. ‘Tis my little gift to him this holiday season. Wink and grin. That said, tell me what you thought of the movie and if you ended up putting your man in the dog house.
Cheers and much love during this glorious holiday Season,
Delilah Marvelle

Home is familiar and filled with tradition. It’s aunts, uncles, cousins and lifelong friends.
—Brian Naylor

I don’t know about you but I’ve always loved Christmas and this quote from Brian Naylor made me realize why.  Of course I like the presents but for me Christmas is more about the general good feeling that everyone seems to have this time of year.  How a person will stop you in Target after you’ve been told a special item you wanted for one of your kiddos is out of stock and tell you where you can find it.

Its that feeling of community and good will that really shows through.  And my experience with holidays is that it doesn’t matter what holiday you are celebrating in December.  December is that season of celebration that brings together everyone I know.  And the feeling of home that comes from my neighborhood and community offers its own kind of comfort.

Another thing that I love about Christmas is all of the lights.  Winter seems so dark in December and driving home at 5:30 in the pitch dark I love seeing all the brightly lit homes.  Its so much fun to see the different ways that people celebrate and how some neighborhoods go all out.  And those bright red, green and white lights always lead me toward my home.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention food.  I absolutely love eating in December.  Partly because I make recipes that I save all year for Christmas but also because a new year and a new start is right around the corner and I know that I’ll be able to get back to watching what I eat soon.  But what I really like is that taste of home…the Italian cookies that my grandmother used to make and my mom makes and now I make them for my kids.  Here’s a gift from my home to yours….a link to the recipe on foodtv.com.  These taste really good when they are still hot!

I picked my sister up from the airport yesterday. Some of you may remember that she went to Africa for 6 months to resettle refugees. She’s back in the good old USA now, and she really seems to have missed it. Does that mean she’ll stay here?

Probably not.

In an email before she left Africa, my sister gave me instructions for picking her up form the airport. These included the airline and arrival time, but also a list of things she needed to do immediately upon arrival.

The first was go to Starbucks for coffee. She suggested a drive-thru, but since the airport had a Starbucks not 20 feet from where she walked out of Customs, she was able to get her fix without even leaving the airport.

The second direction was to charge her cell phone and bring it with me. After she had sipped her coffee, she wanted to go directly to a Verizon store and get a new phone number and account set up.

The last directive concerned car insurance. It was vital that she insure her car immediately upon arriving at my house. I don’t think she even opened her suitcases before she was on my computer purchasing car insurance.

So coffee, cell phone, and car insurance. That’s what we Americans apparently cannot live without.

Would your list be the same upon arriving? What can’t you live without?

It’s less than two weeks until Christmas. When I was thinking about who I still have to buy for I realized I hadn’t yet bought anything for my two dogs and cat. There are a lot of pet gifts out there–kitty toys, dog bones, even gifts for your ferret and the favorite bird in your life.

I have to admit that I always buy my pets a little something and I try to make it something I know they’ll like. I still remember the year I got my Bichon Frise, Comet (who has since passed on to the big dog park in the sky) a stainless steel water bowl. It wouldn’t have been so bad but Candy, his mother, had just opened her gift–a chewbone. Comet looked at Candy’s chewbone, looked at his dish and then looked at me. We still laugh about how upset he was with his practical gift.

Soooo no more practical gifts for me….for humans or my four legged friends.

What about you? Do you buy gifts for your pets at Christmas? Do you wrap them up? What about holiday cards? (I have to admit I’ve sent Christmas cards to our daughter from her dogs).

see more crazy cat pics

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

One of the things I love about being a writer is the vocabulary. Arc, protagonist, archetype, voice…they all sound so important, don’t they? But to me, the best writing vocabulary word is (insert scary music here)…nemesis.

Nemesis is a Greek word meaning “the source of harm or ruin.” Now that’s a great definition! Such power, such potential! I even love how it sounds…that hiss at the end hints at the meaning itself.

Some of the best characters in history have been the nemesis. Shakespeare’s Iago, the guy who destroys Othello for the sheer fun of it. Darth Vader…yeah, baby! When he tells Luke who he really is? I almost wet my pants! (Of course, I was but a child, but still…). How about Ashley in Gone with the Wind? That guy screws things up just by being a weenie, but boy, he screws it up good! And then there’s Alex Forrest, the bunny boiler in Fatal Attraction. Or Annie Wilkes from Misery. Lordy, that woman scared me!

I write romantic comedies, and truthfully, there aren’t that many sources of harm and ruin in my books, not in the Greek “I cut out my eyes because it was so horrible” sense. But there are those who seed doubt and insecurity, who represent all that the heroine is not. The too-pretty older sister. The hero’s ex-fiancée. The beloved younger sister, even…she doesn’t mean to be a nemesis, but somehow or other, she is.

In the manuscript I just finished, I admit that I called upon history to create my heroine’s nemesis. The bully from childhood, the mean kid who just wouldn’t like you no matter how nice you were, the one who sensed a weakness and exploited it till you were a trembling wreck. My heroine knows this character is her nemesis…what she doesn’t know is why. I have to say, this nemesis, who was named after my best friend’s childhood bully, really brought life to this novel. Once I had her character down, well…to paraphrase Emeril, “Bam!” What fun I had writing this source of harm and ruin!

Who are some of your favorite bad guys? Do you love to read and write them? What makes a bad guy fun, in your eyes? Is this someone you love to hate, or simply hate? And is this character ever redeemed, or does she remain the source of harm and ruin forever?

Kristan

Continuing the theme of holiday treats… Sugar cookies, gingerbread and seven layer cookies are standard Christmas favorites in our house. My mother-in-law has the Snickerdoodle department covered, as she is the reigning Snickerdoodle Queen.  But this year, I’d like to try some new recipes. I’ve been inspired by the book I’m finishing, tentatively called, Accidental Diva. It’s about a woman who finds herself thrust into the limelight when she gets a chance opportunity to become the star of a cooking and travel show. At the start of each chapter, I’m featuring a recipe for a sinful sweet treat.

I need a couple more to round out the collection for my book. I’m looking for something different…If you have a recipe for a treat that’s out of the ordinary and don’t mind me featuring it in the book, I’d love to give you a shout out in the acknowledgements! Feel free to post the recipe here, or if it’s easier, you can e-mail me at nrobardsthompson@yahoo.com.  It doesn’t have to be a cookie recipe, though it can be. I can’t wait to see what y’all dish up!

Happy Holidays! 

I love Christmas cookies. My sister makes some of the best in the world, from her pecan balls to her gingerbread. Last year I tried her pecan balls and they were almost as good as hers. Every year I make her gingerbread too, but they never taste the same to me. I think it’s too humid in my part of Texas.
The Geek was raised on Christmas candies instead of cookies, homemade divinity and pralines and such.
But one of my all time favorite cookies recipes is this one:

Sugar Cookies
1 c. sugar
1 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter
1 c. cooking oil
2 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Combine first four ingredients and mix. Add eggs and mix. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients.

Drop small balls of dough on a pan. Bake at 375° for 10-12 mins.

They’re drop sugar cookies, not the kind you roll out and ice. So some people don’t believe they’re “real” sugar cookies. But I love them because they’re easy, yummy, and it’s a recipe that dates back to my Great Grandmother. A hundred years ago, my grandfather probably ate these at Christmas. I just think that’s cool.

What kind of Christmas (or holiday) treats are your favorite?