This week I stumbled across AOL’s listing of the Top 20 TV Dads. With father’s day around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to share the list and some of the writer’s comments with you.

I’d love to know what you think of the list…and if there is a TV Dad who isn’t on here, who you think should be.

20. Tony Soprano
Show: ‘The Sopranos’
Played by: James Gandolfini
My dad can beat up your dad? Fuggedaboudit! With Tony, it’s my dad can whack your dad.

19. Danny Tanner
Show: ‘Full House’
Played by: Bob Saget
This TV dad he was a clean-freak widower trying to raise 3.5 daughters . Sure he was a little overprotective of his girls (“I don’t yell, I guide”). But dads know that’s what needed sometimes, even if the kids don’t realize it until later.

18. Steve Keaton
Show: ‘Family Ties’
Played by: Michael Gross
Nobody said fatherhood was gonna be easy. So kudos to ex-hippie Steven, who struggles to cope with raising a rebelliously conservative Reaganite son.

17. Ward Cleaver
Show: ‘Leave It to Beaver’
Played by: Hugh Beaumont
Ward was a stern disciplinarian when he needed to be but was surprisingly in touch with his sensitive side for a ’50s father. He taught sons Wally and Beaver life lessons and even learned a few himself with the help of wife June. Who hasn’t wished their own dad wasn’t sometimes a little more like Ward?

16. Hal
Show: ‘Malcolm in the Middle’
Played by: Bryan Cranston
Whether he’s punching out a clown at a batting cage, building killer robots at home or going on bowling binges, Hal is a bit of an off-balanced dad but still a good one.

15. Gomez Addams
Show: ‘The Addams Family’
Played by: John Astin
The best part of being an eccentric dad is the freedom it gives the family to express themselves, which is exactly what creepy-cool kids Wednesday and Pugsley did. Leading by example, Gomez is monstrously twisted, but in a good way.

14. Tom Bradford
Show: ‘Eight Is Enough’
Played by: Dick Van Patten
Dick played the warm and wise pops who worked as a newspaper columnist to support his behemoth brood. The Bradford’s home life sweetly mingled heartwarming humor and “very special” drama, but five seasons was enough for this Octo-Dad.

13. Eric Taylor
Show: ‘Friday Night Lights’
Played by: Kyle Chandler
Parenting is a team effort — Coach Dad’s wife, Tami, blocks most of the family problems so he can tackle his small-town team’s gridiron issues. Still, he’s a good dad. He doesn’t let the demands of serving as father figure to a whole team of high school boys interfere with being stern-but-loving dad.

12. Al Bundy
Show: ‘Married…With Children’
Played by: Ed O’Neill
It’s a father’s job to set an example for the kids, and Al did that. Unfortunately it was a bad example: lying, lazy, loutish and lacking to the ladies (and that’s just the L’s!). Here’s some great advice for dads: When in doubt, ask yourself, “What would Al Bundy do?” And then do the opposite.

11. Ben Cartwright
Show: ‘Bonanza’
Played by: Lorne Greene
Life in the Old West was tough, especially if you married Ben Cartwright, a triple-threat widower with grown sons from three different mothers. Ben helped his grown boys with life lesson. One thing all three inherited from dad was a deadly love mojo — any woman who got too close to a Cartwright soon met an untimely end.

10. Howard Cunningham
Show: ‘Happy Days’
Played by: Tom Bosley
Usually smiley, sometimes stern and always sensible, Mr. Cunningham is the ideal dad for the idealized era of the rock ‘n’ roll ’50s,a square dad who was secretly cool.

9. Archie Bunker
Show: ‘All in the Family’
Played by: Carroll O’Connor
Small-minded but big-hearted, you never knew when Archie would open the bigot spigot or when he might get all warm and squishy for his little girl Gloria.. While he was verbally abusive to wife Edith, we still knew that deep down Archie really cared for his “Dingbat” darling.

8. Dan Connor
Show: ‘Roseanne’
Played by: John Goodman
Dan’s the man — a big-hearted, blue-collar, burly bear of a dad who wore the (stretchy-waist) pants in the family. Funny, resilient and caring, Dan is TV proof that great dads come in all tax brackets.

7. Andy Taylor
Show: ‘The Andy Griffith Show’
Played by: Andy Griffith
Andy’s like the father of the whole town, dispensing elder wisdom, tough love and impish life lessons to one and all. Dang, he’s good.

6. Charles Ingalls
Show: ‘Little House on the Prairie’
Played by: Michael Landon
Charles worked extra jobs to help his wife and three daughters through ongoing financial crises, daughter Mary’s sudden blindness and all the day-to-day dramas of prairie life, Charles was a happy-homesteader rock for a family that needed his strength and spirit.

5. Sandy Cohen
Show: ‘The O.C.’
Played by: Peter Gallagher
What’s not to love about a do-gooder dad who takes in strays like troubled teen Ryan Atwood? Especially when Sandy’s a witty guy who banters with his wife and spouts pithy dad knowledge like, “Never underestimate a parent’s ability to mortify his child.”

4. Jim Anderson
Show: ‘Father Knows Best’
Played by: Robert Young
Perfect daddy Jim was the ultimate mythic ’50s father from back in the days before everyone resented the paternalism. Worldly wise, Jim gently laid down the law for mild-mannered kids Betty, Bud and Kitten. Never mind the unreality of the suburban bliss being peddled — it was pure TV Valium.

3. Homer Simpson
Show: ‘The Simpsons’
Played by: Dan Castellaneta
Putting the “fun” in “dysfunctional,” this indifferent dad doesn’t care about anything … except beer and donuts (donuts, yum). If all bad dads were this funny, it might be worth the abuse.

2. Dr. Cliff Huxtable
Show: ‘The Cosby Show’
Played by: Bill Cosby
Doctor dad is in, but luckily for the Huxtable kids, he’s rarely at the hospital doing his job. This housebound pops is not only sweet and smart and caring, he’s also the classic embarrassing-jokes dad.

1. Mike Brady
Show: ‘The Brady Bunch’
Played by: Robert Reed
Talk about recycling! Architect dad Mike built a new family out of his three boys and his wife Carol’s three girls. Dressed in dorky ’70s “swinger” threads, Mike was also the ultimate nurturing dad who had a home office to be near the kids.

Who do I think is tops? My vote goes to Charles Ingalls.

Four years ago, at my daughter’s baby shower, someone gave me a canvas bag labeled The Mommy Bag. The tag presented a ridiculous list of items the bag could contain. At the time, I chuckled, sure that I’d never carry around a single dirty sock or an old straw.

Flash forward four years. I’m sitting in a coffee shop with a mom friend of mine talking about strange things we’ve found in our bags. Her winner, a desiccated peach. Considering that just a few days prior I’d found a pair of my daughter’s dirty panties wrapped in about a yard of paper towels from a local restaurant, I certainly wasn’t in a position to criticize. Still it got me to thinking. What’s in my bag right now? So here’s the completely honest, no-holds-barred list of the contents of my purse. I’m praying there are no dirty panties.

• a sippy cup with about three teaspoons of soy milk (don’t worry, it’s from dinner tonight, so it’s not gross yet … and it’s going into the sink right now.)
• sunglasses – been wondering where those were
• Starbucks $10 gift car
• grocery reciept
• six napkins from various fast food restaurants
• one piece of old gum, encased in candy wrapper (why not a gum wrapper? I have no idea.)
• Cell phone, with headset
• lip gloss – 2
• lipstick, sans cap
• oil, absorbing powder papers (two different kinds, apparently I’m very concerned about my T-zone.)
• keys to The Geek’s car
• business card for Underground, Metaphysical Volkswagon Repair – Yeah. Seriously. (They did great work, btw.)
• my wallet
• my son’s dinosaur hat
• my daughter’s pink hair bows–2 (as a side note, it’s really hard to do non-gender specific clothes these days)
• Two Dum Dums – coconut and bluraspberry
• my son’s old toothbrush
• a comb
• A single contact for my right eye, new in packaging
• Two Sharpie markers (why two?), one crayon, broken, color-Best Friends (Since when is Best Friends a color?)
• Empty contact case
• old shopping list
• and, oh, look, there’s the contact for my left eye. Who knew?

Maybe I should be embarrassed by how much of that is trash. But really, I’m just glad I cleaned it out. Like, ever. 

June is half over, and in two weeks the year will be half over. How are you doing on your goals and resolutions?

In an effort to improve my health, this year I’ve been focusing on exercise and sleep. I love going to Jazzercise. Classes begin at a set time, someone tells me what to do and in what order, and when the class is done, I’m done! I’ve fulfilled my exercise quota for the day so I don’t have to feel guilty. The workout music is fun (none of it is jazz, btw) and loud enough that it drowns out any grunts, groans and gasps. The routines incorporate elements of dance, kick boxing, yoga and other disciplines so I’m never bored. I’ve made many new friends.

Last year I hit my target of 100 workouts, though I didn’t start until April. This year I’m aiming for 150. There’s a free t-shirt if I make it. I’m behind on the year-long goal (had a couple nasty viruses this winter) but am on track for the short-term summer goal. If I and my partner attend 60 classes between us, June 1 – July 31, we each get a free tote bag.

Last summer we had a similar challenge, but it was 30 workouts (no partner) to win a water bottle. Woop-de-doo, you say? People carry that distinctive green water bottle to class like a badge of honor. I wanted it. Alas, I came up two classes shy of earning the bottle. It hurt, and I’m not just talking about sore muscles.

I already have dozens of bags so I need this tote bag like my husband needs another screwdriver. But it turns out I have a competitive side and it needs to win that bag.

This personality trait is sometimes detrimental but in this instance it’s driving me to do something positive. I’m working out more often than I would otherwise, and reaping both physical and emotional benefits.

The other side of my resolution involves getting seven to eight hours sleep per night. There’s much research touting the health benefits of getting enough sleep, everything from fending off illness to clearer thinking. Not nodding off at my desk would sure be nice, too.

I am by nature an owl, not a lark. Before becoming a mom, I used to do most of my writing between 7pm and 2am. Hearing my neighbor leaving for work at 4:15 would often remind me it was time to turn in.

With an infant, I slept whenever the opportunity arose. But now he’s a toddler and my hubby is perfectly capable of keeping the two of them alive for a few hours in the morning, and I’m a firm believer that fatherhood does not end at conception. So I’ve slid back into some old habits. I often stay up too late.

It would be one thing if I were reading a good book, working on my own masterpiece (ahem) or even watching a favorite show or a movie. But too often I realize what I’m doing is not only not productive, it’s not even fun. I’m stalling, just like my toddler.

Even worse is that I’ll acknowledge that I need to go to bed now, that otherwise I’m going to be tired the next day. If I’m tired in the morning, I’m less likely to work out, and there’s a good chance I’ll be too busy or [insert excuse here] to go to an afternoon class, so I’m actually sabotaging two goals for the price of one.

And I’ll keep telling myself that, as it gets later and later. Or earlier, as the case may be. I’m self-actualized enough to realize I’m shooting myself in the foot, yet apparently not high enough on Maslow’s Hierarchy to stop myself.

A year before I sold my first book, a friend and I were discussing ways we sabotaged our writing careers. We both were (okay, we still are) master procrastinators and perfectionists. We’d take far too long to revise and submit. She could research so thoroughly she could tell you where a particular general stood at any given point in a battle, whereas I found thousands of tasks that absolutely had to be done before I could write the next scene. We staged an intervention for each other. Put your gun away, we said to each other.

Maybe I just need to find an incentive program willing to give me a t-shirt or something if I log XX hours of sleep at night. Apparently I need a tangible carrot, not just “health benefits.”

Have you ever shot yourself in the foot, discovered ways in which you sabotage your own goals? And more importantly, have you found a way to stop yourself?

When I was in college I had a subscription to Entertainment Weekly because when you’re in college you have the time to actually read a weekly magazine. My most favorite part of being an EW customer though was that four times a year they sent me a VHS tape with movie trailers on it. I love movie previews, it’s almost my favorite part of going to the theatre. And now I’m totally addicted to Apple’s trailer site. Nothing can get me more excited about an upcoming movie than a well-made trailer.

So a few years ago when trailers for books began to gain in popularity I thought it was such a brilliant idea. And finally with my upcoming book I’ve had one made.

I think they did a fantastic job. What do you think? And what are your thoughts on book trailers as a whole? Do they influence you in which books to buy? What other promo things do you readers enjoy?

ps. You can watch that trailer for my book over and over again on my website in addition to finding an excerpt from Seduce Me.

My dearest Readers,
I have to say it was a pretty exciting year for me. My first book, Mistress of Pleasure came out in September 2008 and received an amazing review and a K.I.S.S. award (Knights in Shining Silver) from Romantic Times Book Reviews. As if that weren’t exciting enough, I discovered RT nominated Mistress of Pleasure for Best First Historical Romance. I knew there was no way I was going to win going up against Meredith Duran and Sherry Thomas (the way I saw it, I was the only cotton candy in the crowd, everyone else was serving steak…). But there was no way I was going to miss going to the Romantic Times Booklover’s Convention either. So off I went, not knowing what to expect.

Let me tell you, it was the best event I have EVER attended. I have the pics to prove it.

Models, anyone? These awesomingly good looking group of gentlemen could be seen everywhere. And funnier, more charming men you’d never find. Here they were collecting their awards.

Costumes and balls galore!!!

Every night there was an exciting themed event to go to. And though some people didn’t dress up, most did. And they certainly knew how to put on a show!

Harlequin celebrates its 60th anniversary and boy did they put on a party for us! With free gifts, posters, such as the one above showing covers from the past. Oh, those 50′s. And we thought the 80′s was all about bodice ripping…

What, pray tell, is that martini glass full of???? Harlequin had an amazing Mashed Potato Martini Bar. You grabbed yourself a martini glass, put in your mash potatoes and topped it with whatever your little heart wanted to. It was a delicious experience!

The RT book signing. OMgosh, what an event!!! The amount of people who came to the RT book signing was ASTOUNDING. I hardly got a break and there were people constantly walking by and people running up to me telling me how much they loved my book (and making me blush). Above was my beautiful neighbor at the signing, Liz Maverick. She sat on my right and had the awesomest sense of humor. Loved her.

On my left was the fabulous Melissa Marr. We both have iphones so she was showing me the coolest applications ever. Then the people started coming and boy did they love Melissa (and rightfully so. My own daughter is in love with all her books).

The Wall of China, as I like to call it. Or rather, Melissa Marr’s books. I had only 15 before me. Snort. I want to be just like Melissa Marr when I grow up!

One of my highlights, without a doubt was my roommate, author Alisa Kwitney/Alisa Sheckley. RT randomly put us together, since we were looking for roommates. And this woman was a RIOT. What made the signing even more fun was that she sat right across from me at the booksigning. We had little name tents in front of us, so we would write messages on the back and flip them over to “talk” to each other during the signing. Her message was “Grinch Dog.” Mine was “Slut.” Don’t ask. Just know that a lot of people didn’t see Delilah Marvelle at the signing, but rather SLUT.

I simply HAD to add this to the experience, since I’m talking about Alisa, my roommate. So. The thing you see above is my traveling shaver. It say on a towel on top of the toilet seat throughout my stay. Alisa toward the end of RT finally confessed that she didn’t dare to look at it because she thought it was my own personal dildo which I had brought along. Seriously. I never laughed so hard in my life. And because my historical romance actually features a leather dildo, it really was quite fitting…

And last but not least. The above is the lovely Jill. I hung out with many, many wonderful people like Jill. The best part? She’s not a writer, but a reader. And that was by far the best experience of RT. I got to hang out with readers the whole time. And listening to what they love and hate (I took notes…) Le sigh. I miss all the wonderful people I have met but I am really, really looking forward to next year’s RT. Ardently. And if I’m rooming with Alisa again, you better believe I plan on bringing a REAL dildo. Grin. I highly recommend all of you experience RT at least once in your lifetime. It’s worth every single penny and every single breathing moment.
Cheers and much love,
Delilah Marvelle

Thanks so much to all of you who commented on the “I Believe in Magic” post. For those who posted between June 12-13, please e-mail me your snail-mail address at nrobardsthompson@yahoo.com and I’ll send you a book.

I’ve been having so much fun researching 11^th century Brittany, Normandy and England for my current trilogy for Harlequin Historicals – the stories center on three Breton knights who fight for William the Bastard in his quest to take over England. One thing I’ve discovered is that William never heard of anger management!   

            How bad was he? Let me explain –

            After becoming Duke of Normandy at about age eight, William eventually had to fight for control of his lands and title and watch as his first three guardians were killed and other nobles tried to take over everything he’d inherited. So, when he won his first pivotal battle and became Duke in fact, he ruthlessly retaliated against those who’d plotted against him. We’re talking dead…lots of dead.

            Then, in the marital realm, he decided to marry a lovely noblewoman from Flanders whose bloodlines went all the way back to King Alfred the Great. We’re talking seriously blue-blooded. And William, as we all know, was a bastard…..er….illegitimate and not quite as highborn even though his father was a duke. So, the story says that when Mathilda first heard about the proposed marriage, she balked. William had some issues accepting this rebuke quietly and it’s said he went to her father’s house and dragged her out of her room and tossed her to the floor. The good news is that, in spite of this very-iffy beginning, their marriage was a long and fruitful one.

By now, you’re probably thinking – well, that’s not THAT  bad, is it? We are talking Middle Ages. We are talking a time of kill or be killed. We are talking about a man also called The Conqueror. Some other notable examples of his lack of anger-management skills?

In Alencon, he cut off the hands of those townspeople who dared to mock his base origins (his mother was supposedly the daughter of a tanner). In Brittany, those who threatened to take over his lands while he was busy invading England seemed to die, with poison being the most favored of his tools. Then, in 1068, when those in the north of his kingdom still rebelled, William destroyed everything in his path, in a campaign known as the Harrowing of the North. Nothing was left standing as he burned crops and buildings, killed cattle and people, and completely overwhelmed his opponents.

Did he ever get his anger under control? I’d like to say yes, but word is that he actually got worse after Mathilda died! Yikes! But, I guess when you’re the ruler of a large part of what became modern-day France and England and command fighting forces in the thousands, there aren’t many people who can stop you. 

Was that too much info? As I said, I found it fascinating when I began to look into the life and times of one of the most influential men of the Middle Ages as I was planning and plotting my stories.  Now I can’t wait to get back and begin to look further at another interesting person or place in history for my NEXT writing project. . .

Is there some time or place or person in history that interests or intrigues you? If you could go back and see one event or meet one person what or who would that be? Leave a comment and answer that question and Terri will pick one person to win a special gift and an autographed book!

Terri’s current release is A NIGHT FOR HER PLEASURE, a Harlequin Historical Undone short story, available now at eharlequin.com or amazon.com. This introduces the four sexy warriors who fight for William the Bast. . . Conqueror in 1066. Her next book, THE CONQUEROR’S LADY, the first of the Knights of Brittany trilogy is a July release from Harlequin Historicals. Stop by her website at www.terribrisbin.com for more info about upcoming books, contests and events!

I’m not an avid sports fan, but I’ve been having a blast following the Orlando Magic in their pursuit of the NBA championship. I even had a chance to attend a game the other night and watch the team go head to head with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was so exciting!

The annalists swore the Magic would never make it this far. They weren’t even supposed to make in past round two of the play offs. Much to the state of Florida’s delight, they keep proving the naysayers wrong. As a result the entire state has come down with a strong case of Magic fever. The collective exhilaration reminds me of how important it is to hold fast to your dreams, especially when people say you’ll never make it.

Getting published was that dream for me. In fact, I re-experience the magic every time I contract for a new book… and when those new books find their way into readers’ hands… and each time a reader takes a moment to send me note. Those dreams-come-true keep me excited and pushing against that mountain to achieve the “impossible” again and again.

How about you? What are your dreams? Have you achieved them yet or are you still actively working toward them?

In celebration of your hard work, I’ll enter everyone who posts into a drawing for one of my books. So, please share! I’m looking forward to cheering you on!

Congratulations to Frana who is the winner of yesterday’s drawing! Just send me an email (margo@margomaguire.com) with your snail mail address, and I’ll send you your book!