Happy Halloween! It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year already.

Fall is one of my most favorite times of year. And even though we’ve already seen snow this year (2 inches and it melted the same day)…it still feels like Fall. While a few trees still have their leaves, enough have dropped them so that when you walk down the sidewalk they crackle beneath your feet.

I can’t think about Fall without thinking of Halloween. I thought it might be fun to share our favorite, or not-so-favorite Halloween memories or our favorite halloween treats.

When our daughter was growing up we had a Halloween party at our house every year. The girls would watch scary movies, bob for apples, carve pumpkins they could take home …that kind of thing. At that time we lived in a house with a field behind so it was always very dark outside. The movies would always take place in the basement in a room with a large picture window.

One year my husband put on this scary mask, then did the flashlight-below-the-chin-thing and knocked on the window while the girls were watching the movie. How those little girls shrieked. Thinking about it still brings a smile to my lips.

Do you have a favorite memory to share? Or perhaps you could tell about a favorite treat that you enjoy making this time of year…

When it comes to what some might call “girly purchases,” I never hesitate to splurge on cosmetics.  I adore luscious facial creams that give me a dewy complexion, silky eyeshadows that make more of my baby blues, mascara that gives me oh-so-long lashes, and blush that accentuates my cheekbones.  Gifts with purchases?  I can never resist.  My bathroom counter is, well, rather embarrassingly cluttered with various cosmetics.  But oh, how I love them all.

Most mornings, I can’t face the day without putting on my potions and powders.  I started this putting-on-makeup ritual when I was in middle school.  No, I’m not going to admit how many years ago that was.    If you didn’t wear makeup to school, you weren’t with the “in” crowd, and as a smart, shy teenager with a mouth full of braces, I was desperate to do anything possible to fit in.  The makeup routine quickly became as important as getting dressed.  To this day, I don’t feel quite “together” until I have all my makeup on.

It’s amazing how much makeup can transform one’s features.  I was reminded of this when my daughter was involved a community theater production and asked me to do her makeup for the performances.  I eagerly agreed.  Any time spent with my daughter is precious to me.  I applied brown eyeshadows, pink blush, and a sweep of pinky-red lipstick, stood back, and had to choke down a gasp.  She didn’t look like a young teen any more; she was a twenty-something woman.

Of all my bounty of cosmetics, lipstick and lip gloss are my favorite.  Most days, I wear a pink gloss a few shades darker than my natural lip color.  On nights when I’m going out to dinner or a show with my husband, I slick on a bold, cool red.  Red lipstick, to me, is very classic and sexy, and my confidence kicks up a few notches when I wear it.

My love of cosmetics, including red lipstick, actually inspired a character in my medieval historical Knight’s Series.  Veronique Desjardin, the sultry and ruthless villainess of the series, wears crimson lipstick.  Her signature fragrance is rosewater, widely available in the Middle Ages.  She splurges on expensive creams hand-crafted by healers to keep her aging body enticing, and uses her beauty to seduce and manipulate men.

I first introduced Veronique in A Knight’s Vengeance, as the courtesan of the hero Geoffrey de Lanceau, who had returned to England to seek revenge for his father’s death.  She appears again in A Knight’s Temptation, determined to destroy de Lanceau with her shocking secret.

Veronique’s such a nasty character, I’m really glad all she and I have in common is our love of cosmetics.

Do you have a favorite cosmetic product?  What makeup can’t you live without?

Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to do a bit o’ research on the origin of Halloween. Here’s what I learned:

Two thousand years ago, the Celts celebrated the new year on November 1. This day commemorated the harvest and the countdown toward the dark, cold winter. Celts believed that on October 31, the border between the worlds of the living and the dead opened. On that night, they celebrated Samhain – a time when they believed that the spirits of the dead returned to cause trouble for the living. However, they also believed that the presence of ghosts made it easier for the Druids predict the future and these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate Samhain, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to sacrifice crops and animals to the Celtic deities.

During Samhain, the Celts wore costumes of animal heads and skins and told each other’s fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their home fires with torches from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming months ahead.

Later, over the four hundred years that the Romans ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain:  Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead; and there was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Pomona’s symbol is the apple and some believe this is the origin of the modern tradition of “bobbing” for apples at today’s Halloween parties.

When the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands in the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints’ Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. Many believe that the pope did this to replace the Celtic festivals of the dead with a church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints’ Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

Even later, the church made November 2 All Souls’ Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Collectively, the three celebrations of All Saints’ eve, All Saints’ day, and All Souls’ day, were called Hallowmas.

As European immigrants came to America, they brought varied Halloween customs with them. But early New England had a rigid Protestant belief systems that limited Halloween celebrations. Such festivities were much more common in the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different Europeans melded, the American version of Halloween began to materialize. The first celebrations were public events held to commemorate the harvest. During these Colonial festivals, neighbors would share ghost stories, tell fortunes, dance, and sing. And there was plenty of mischief-making.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants. These new settlers, especially the millions of Irish fleeing Ireland’s potato famine, helped to popularize the celebration of Halloween. Borrowing from Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money – the precursor to “trick-or-treating.” 

Still, in the late 1800s, there was a attempt to mold the America Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers, and less about goblins, tricks, and witchcraft.

By the turn of the century, Halloween parties featuring games, foods of the season, and festive costumes became a common way to celebrate. Communities were encouraged to remove everything scary or monstrous from Halloween celebrations. Because of this trend, by the beginning of the twentieth century, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones.

By the 1920s, Halloween was firmly a secular holiday, with featuring festivals and parties. In addition, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was revived around this time. Unfortunately, so was the practice of vandalism.  Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for a community to come together and, in theory, prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. From these roots, a new American tradition was born, and continues to grow. According to the History Channel, today, Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday.

As our daughter has gotten older and more involved in school activities, we don’t go trick-or-treating any more, but we used to. We still try to carve out come time to make a Jack-O-Lantern and toast the pumpkin seeds.

What are some of your favorite Halloween traditions?

This summer I went on vacation with my kids, my parents, my sister and her family and my boyfriend. It was an interesting mix of people and a fun trip. We camped in Yosemite for a week and for someone more accustomed to room service than roughing it…well, let’s just say it took a little getting used to.

But the scenery was beautiful and I wrote my April 2010 Desire sitting by a high-mountain alpine lake in Yosemite. It was exquisite.

But the high point of my trip was when we visited Rainbow Pools. At Rainbow Pools there is an outcropping of rocks that kids and daredevils jump from into the pool. I’m not good with numbers so I can’t tell you how high up I was but it was higher than the highest diving board at the community pool!

My nephew who is a daredevil had been teasing my kids with the fact that he always jumps and telling them if they weren’t cowards they would do it too. My daughter who his four years older than the daredevil wanted to do it and my son who is the daredevils age was pondering it too.

But when we got there it was high and my daughter spent twenty minutes sitting up on the rock thinking about jumping. My son took the plunge from the lower portion of the rock and my 69 year old father did the same. But my daughter was just sitting there.

I was encouraging her from my safe post at the bottom of the rocks and she looked over at me and said, “I’ll do it if you do.”

Later she admitted she never thought I’d do it. To be honest I didn’t think I would either. But I’m a mom and I want my kids to try everything. And I knew my son wasn’t going to take this higher jump unless I did. So I said Okay!

I climbed up there and stood on the precipice and all the other people at the pools that day looked up at me and when I hesitated they started cheering me on. One mother said to me, it’s easier than childbirth–do it for mom’s everywhere. Do it so that kids know that dad’s aren’t the only ones who do this kind of thing!

And my legs started shaking and I honestly thought I would chicken-out. But then I looked back at my daughter and I wanted her to do this. I wanted her to know that trying the things that scare you sometimes bring the biggest reward so I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and stepped off the ledge.

It was exhilarating when I hit that icy cold pond. But the real thrill for me came when my daughter jumped a minute later and then my son. We all hugged each other in the pool and smiled at each other. We had done it.

What about you? Have you done anything that was scary and felt good about it?

Recently, Texas Monthly had a cover article about The 50 Best Burgers in Texas. As great an article as it was (and completely drool inducing), they failed to mention either of my favorite burger places in Austin. Hut’s Hambers and Phil’s Icehouse.

Hut’s is a little dive on Sixth Street a couple of miles west of the stretch of bars and shops that made Sixth Street a famous hangout for college students, singles and tourists. It’s not far from the Whole Foods world headquarters, but don’t expect any mansy-pansy organic veggie burger … Okay, it is Austin. They do serve a decent veggie burger and a wonderful veggie sandwich. That kind of blows my premise though. I love their Fat’s Domino Burger, which is crusted in Cajun seasoning and topped with grated cheddar and jalapenos. Yum.  If spicy’s not your thing, they’ve got nineteen other burgers and one of them is sure to tempt you.

Phil’s Ice House is a completely different kind of restaurant. Unlike Hut’s, it’s a relative newcomer. I didn’t know that until I started to write this blog, which I think is a testament to how seamless it fits into the neighborhood. It’s owned by the folks who own Amy’s Ice Cream (the best ice cream in town–hands down. Possible the world). So there’s an Amy’s right next door as well as a funky playscape for the kids. All those goodies aside, their burger is just dang yummy (I love the 78704 Burger. It’s the spicy one. Do you sense a theme?) And their sweet potato fries are just to die for.

Sadly, most of you will probably never make it out to Austin to try a burger at either of these places. But that’s the beauty of a great burger. There’s probably one somewhere near you. Nearly every town in America has a local burger joint that serves up a delicious hunk of beef (or veggies sculpted into a pattie). So tell me about your favorite burger place or just your favorite burger, if you’re into making your own.

Last week I blogged about sexy heroes. This week I thought I’d take on appealing heroines. I don’t think readers necessarily want a sexy heroine as much as one we can relate to. We want a girl who could be our best friend. Or maybe a girl whose shoes we think would be fun to try out for a day—especially if she’s with that sexy hero!

So what makes a heroine appealing?

1. She’s a little insecure.
We all like confident women, but someone who is 100% sure of herself all the time? I don’t think so. Heroines are usually challenged by the circumstances in novels. We imagine ourselves challenged in that same way. How would we react? Hopefully the heroine does something interesting or brave or funny, but for us to relate, she should probably also question herself a little bit.

2. She’s not sure of the hero’s affections.
Who in a new relationship—sometimes even in an established one—doesn’t question the other party’s affections at least once in a while? Even if our heroine is drop dead gorgeous, she should wonder if the hero thinks so. Or even if it’s obvious he does, will that make him fall in love/lust with her? And will that feeling last? As a reader I love knowing the hero’s feelings toward the heroine when she is still wondering if he’s even noticed she’s alive.

3. She’s more than just a pretty face.
Lots of heroines aren’t conventionally beautiful. Readers don’t mind that at all because these heroines have a lot more than looks to offer. They’re smart, brave, witty, authoritative, soft, sensitive, compassionate, and so much more! Whatever kind of heroine you like, there’s a book out there featuring someone like her. I tend to like witty heroines. Think Elizabeth Bennett in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. There’s nothing as appealing as a heroine who makes the perfect comeback at the perfect time.

What do you think? Do I have it right or am I way off base? What other characteristics do appealing heroines offer?

I think we’re all familiar with the “it takes a village to raise a child” phrase. But recently those same words were sparked, not by a child, but by a… bloodhound!

Yes, you heard correctly. A bloodhound. Until I met “Fred” I’d never seen a bloodhound except in pictures. (hint–they’re a lot bigger than they look in pics).

Anyway, Fred had been abandoned and our neighbor a mile to the north took him in. But Fred likes to roam and he spends time at most of the acreages and farms in the area. Yes, everyone knows Fred. In many ways he’s become a community dog. He likes to come to our place because he enjoys being around our dogs, Shug and Ernie.

Shug, who’s normally not very happy to have strange animals on “his” property is growing fond of Fred…and so are we.

My question to you…is there a child, a cat, a dog, a ??? that you’ve experienced this sense of community with?

Recently I finished revisions on my next historical romance. It should be out in June 2010, and it’s tentatively titled DECEIVING THE DUKE. But that title will probably change!

During revisions I had the task of making the hero sexier. I thought a lot about how to do that, thought a lot about what makes a hero sexy. I came up with this list. I’d love to hear if you agree or disagree and if you have more to add!

1. He’s dangerous and untamed.
In real life, this is not the guy I’d want to be married to, but you can’t deny that romance novels with dangerous heroes are very popular. There must be something to this! So what makes a hero dangerous? He’s unpredictable. He’s not afraid to risk it all. He doesn’t follow the rules. What makes him untamed? No woman has ever held his heart before. He doesn’t care what society thinks of him.

2. He doesn’t talk a lot.
Again, a guy who didn’t talk would drive me nuts in real life, but in a romance novel, often the less a hero says, the better. The few words he does utter have that much more meaning. He doesn’t blather on about his feelings and thoughts. He keeps all of that to himself, making him kind of mysterious. His silence also draws the heroine to him. She wants to know what’s going on inside him. She wants him to open up to her.

3. He’s tall, dark, and handsome.
Again, we all have personal preferences. You might like blond men (in which case read PRIDE AND PETTICOATS, which features a blond hero!) or short men. But most readers want to read about a hero who is tall—taller than the heroine at least—dark—if not in looks then in attitude—and handsome. I know there are quite a few well-known books who feature sexy heroes who aren’t handsome (I’m thinking JANE EYRE), but by the end of it, hasn’t Mr. Rochester’s ugliness become handsome to Jane? And he’s definitely dangerous, dark, and brooding (i.e. silent).

So, agree? Disagree? What else makes a sexy hero?

Check back Monday. I’ll be blogging on what makes a heroine appealing!

The Grounding of Group 6 courtesy of jezebel.com

I fell in love with Young Adult fiction a few years before I officially became a young adult, and oddly enough after I’d discovered romance! One of the first books I remember reading and loving at that age was The Grounding of Group 6 — about a group of teenagers whose parents want them dead — only the kids don’t know that at first. Loved that book.

After that I moved into Sweet Valley High, about twins Jessica and Elizabeth

Sweet Valley High courtesy of chud.com

Wakefield. I loved these books despite not being able to relate to being beautiful, blonde or a twin. Or driving a Fiat, for that matter.  This is when I began writing Young Adult. I remember being, oh… 13 or 14 and thinking that SVH simply wasn’t that realistic. No one ever seemed to really get in trouble and everyone had cars. Most of the kids I knew weren’t rich, and we often got in a lot of trouble! I decided it was time for me to set the record straight and I started writing my own books about a place called Whitney Bay.

Oh. Dear. God.

My idea of realism was a nerd who transformed himself ala Grease II into John Taylor from Duran Duran  for a heroine who dressed an awful lot like Madonna, but was secretly me. Oh, the drama! I wrote 3 books in that series at a little over 200 pages each. I gave them to a friend in my class. I hope she had the good sense to burn them.

from kurushimi.org copyright Neil Gaiman

After that, Young Adult and I lost touch for awhile. I read Sydney Sheldon and Jackie Collins. In my twenties I discovered Neil Gaimon and his Sandman comics. I fell in love with the character of Death, who was old as humanity but looked like a teenage girl. My favorite ‘version’ of DeeDee as she was called, is the one drawn by Chris Bachalo as the photo here.

This got me back into what I consider Young Adult fiction. Gaiman’s stuff was geared for older readers, but it got me interested in what else was out there with ‘teen’ protagonists.

I sold my first book to Avon in 1999. It wasn’t due to come out until 2001, so my agent and I discussed other projects. Around this time Avon started the now defunct True Romance line out of its Young Adult division. I wrote two books for that line Anna and the Duke and Emily and the Scot. I had so much fun writing those books, and had plans for a third when the line closed (sob!). After that, I got caught up in other things and I didn’t have a chance to do another YA.

These days there’s a wealth of YA fiction out there, and I’m happy to say I’m soon going to be part of it again. Recently I sold my Steampunk series to Harlequin Teen and I couldn’t be more thrilled. It won’t debut until early 2011, but that’s okay. I have to write them! I’ll be doing these books under a new name as well, Kady Cross. I’m not the only ‘adult’ author to make this leap. Look at Gena Showalter, Rachel Vincent, Kim Harrison and Kelley Armstrong, just to name a few!

I think the real appeal of Young Adult is that there are no rules. You can pretty much make them as sweet or not sweet as you want. The only thing that is a no-no, in my opinion, is graphic sex. Other than that, it’s a free and wonderful world. Teens love to read, they want those stories. And they want to get involved with them. I’m excited about the possibility of fan art and fan fiction! lol. I want girls to love my characters and send me hand-written notes on looseleaf again! I don’t think you can beat teenagers for sheer enthusiasm.

Do I hope to do more Young Adult? You bet. Do I have any plans to give up my adult books? Not at all! But writing this book makes me feel like I did on the first day of high school, entering a building with more than 2000 other kids — a little scared, a little nervous and unsure, but full of the excitement of a brand new adventure. I can’t wait to join the ranks of all the fabulous YA authors out there!

So, any other adult YA fans out there?

A list of authors to try if you’re new to YA:

Faeries/Vampires/Paranormal/Dark:

Melissa Marr, Rachel Vincent, Claudia Gray, PC & Kristen Cast, Richelle Mead

Paranormal Light:

Tera Lynn Childs, Rosemary Clement Moore,

Sweet YA:

Rachel Hawthorne, Meg Cabot (both RH and MC also have paranormal books)

Historical:

Libba Bray (paranormal elements), Sarah MacLean, Anna Godbersen

Contemporary:

Melissa Walker, Cecily von Ziegesar

I’d love to hear your suggestions!

There was a country song several years ago with that title, Trisha Yearwood sang it and it basically talks about how sometimes our memories aren’t that clear, but often a song will open up and everything will come flooding back. Ever experience something like that? When I was growing up my mother had a record (yes, I do mean the actual round, vinyl things) that she always played when she cleaned the house. Hearing that music makes me immediately think of cleaning so when I grew up and got my own house, I bought it on CD and now it’s what I listen to as well.

I thought about music being the memory keeper the other day when I was in my car. It was the first time in a long time that I’d been alone in my car for any length of time so I was able to put on whatever music I wanted and rock out. I listened to several different songs from a variety of CD’s, but then I popped in an old favorite and hit repeat I don’t know how many times on one particular song. It’s one of those from my youth – the great old love songs that they just don’t write anymore. A power balled that when I hear it, it takes me back to all of the turmoil I felt the first time I fell in love with that song.

So what about you? Do you have any songs like that? Or particular singers? CD’s you pop in that bring you right back to a time in your life and help you relive all the emotions you felt the first time you heard the song?

Just in case you’re curious, here’s the song I was listening to again and again. (And for the record, I don’t remember ever seeing this music video before and it’s unbelievably cheesy, but then again perhaps the Air Supply was enough of a clue that we were going in that direction…)