Unlike most of the heroines I write about, I’m neither gorgeous, rich or have a killer figure. The last is what is giving me fits now, though in all honesty I’d be blissfully happy with a normal figure.

We are finally getting warm weather (as in break out the shorts and tank top weather) and my body is so not ready for that shocker. Not only is my skin awfully pale, I seem to have acquired a lot more body over the long winter. (Ugh, like bear hibernation gone wrong.)

Unfortunately I’m not imagining the more me. The scales are backing up the fear.

So this week I started a diet and exercise regimen. God help me! I am watching what I eat and eating light healthy food.

My doctor suggested I eat protein midday and I’ve tried to do that with zero cal protein drinks and those 100 cal protein bars. I don’t feel ravenous when I get home, so I don’t chow down a big meal. All good.

I’ve been exercising religiously. Well ok, I’m not an exercise freak — I simply ride a stationary bike for fifteen-twenty minutes, or do crunches. A lot of crunches for fifteen-twenty minutes. But out of five days this week, I’ve exercised three of those and took a long walk the other two.  And so far I’ve lost zero pounds.  Nada.

It’s just not fair.

My muscles (which were blissfully happy to be a slug all winter) are screaming in pain. My stomach typically growls like some feral beasty at the zoo. I see food and nearly drool.

But I’m going to stick it out and hope for the best. And I am very open to diet suggestions.

What are your tips to tilt the scales in your favor? Any good diet recipes to share?

The other day, I received the coolest and most unexpected e-mail. It was from a woman named Lesley who happens to be the mother of the baby who graces the cover of my July 2010 Special Edition, “Accidental Father.”  Even though this my thirteenth book, I’d never thought about the cover process (beyond completing the “Art Fact Sheet,” which gives the art department character descriptions, a synopsis of key scenes and a general idea of the book’s “feel”).  By the time I see my covers, in my mind, the beautiful people smiling back at me are my characters. I’ve never thought about the cover process or the fact that real live models pose for the covers.  After exchanging e-mails with Lesley, I will never look at a book cover the same way.

That little cutie on my cover is Owen. He’s 18 months old today, but he’s been modeling since he was just a few months old. In fact, he’s done over 100 modeling jobs. His mom says he models weekly (sometimes even more than once a week), and is in the city for auditions and castings sometimes five days a week. She adds that Harlequin is one of his favorite clients, especially since his two brothers, who are three and four years old, have also been cover Harlequin cover models.

Lesley shared this about the cover shoot process: “When we receive a call from the agency to say that we are booked, we go to the studio for the shoot (usually the next day) 99% of all shoots take place in NYC in a studio. Everything is done on a plain background and they superimpose the set in. Since the cover for “Accidental Father” is set on a beach, they had the mom, dad, and Owen in bathing suits.”

<– This is a photo she shot on the set of the “Accidental Father” cover shoot.

Lesley says the cover shoot usually takes about an hour. “They take many different poses to ensure they get the right shot. It can be tedious but most of the time it is fun.

“He has an agency that represents him, and they get us the castings and jobs. Some of our favorite jobs that Owen has done have been for The Children’s Place, Newsweek (cover), Time Out New York (cover), Macy’s, Levi, Target…. Interestingly, Owen’s very first job at three months was for a romance novel cover.”

Spring means Easter dresses and open-toed sandals. Which also means it’s time for a pedicure.

Pedicures are my relaxation method of choice. I’ll take them over bubble baths, massages, even, on occasion, sex (shh! Don’t tell Ultimate Sportsfan!).

Here’s what I like in a pedicure.
1) warm foamy water
2) scented salts in the water
3) a long foot rub
4) gentle exfoliation
5) paraffin is fine but not such a fan of the salt rub
6) perfect polish—nice and bright!
7) and most important—do not talk to me! I’m reading this magazine because this is the only time I have to read all day.

What’s your indulgence of choice? Anything you love about pedicures I missed?

Jaunty: Hi there – It’s me, Jaunty P. Quills, just coming out of hibernation.

Margo: Jaunty, porcupines don’t hibernate.

Jaunty: Well, this one does. Did you see what it was like last winter? Geesh! No way was I leaving my den. And since I’m the enormously wealthy prince of the forest—

Margo: Anything like the prince in my new book, The Rogue Prince?

 Jaunty: Exactly! And just as sexy. 

Margo: Somehow I don’t think so. There aren’t many porcupines who can compare to Thomas Thorne, the hero of my new Regency-era romance from Avon Books.

Jaunty: What’s so special about Thomas Thorne?

Margo: First of all, he’s not a prince at all. He’s a man who wants revenge against the two spoiled jerks – Shefford and Blackmore –  who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit. Tom was sent away to a brutal penal colony for it, and now that he’s back, he’s going to destroy Shefford and Blackmore and ruin their families.

 Jaunty: Well, I once—

 Margo: Don’t even go there, Jaunty. You were never in prison.

 Jaunty:

 Margo: Don’t sulk. It’s fiction, Jaunty! Fiction!

Jaunty: If Tom Thorne went to a penal colony, how did he get to be so rich?

Margo: That’s all in the book. But let me tell you about the problem he runs into when he returns home to get his revenge.

Jaunty: My quills are all aquiver.

Margo: He meets a young woman – the mother of two little kids – and falls for her.

Jaunty: So? They live happily ever after, right?

Margo: Well, maybe they could if she didn’t happen to be Backmore’s widow and Shefford’s sister.

Jaunty: Ouch. That’s a dilemma

Margo: To say the least. For years, he’s been planning a sting that will absolutely destroy the two culprits who set him up. And now he has to choose between love and revenge. 

Jaunty: What does he do?

Margo: You’re going to have to read it to find out. Luckily, The Rogue Prince hits bookstores today!

Jaunty:

Margo: You are so transparent, Jaunty. OK, I’ll send you a copy.

Jaunty: [clapping his little paws together]. Tell us more about The Rogue Prince!

Margo: I came up with the premise for this book after reading The Count of Monte Cristo (again). It’s one of my favorite books with the themes of revenge and forgiveness, but for my tastes, there’s not enough romance.

I decided to fix that, and ended up with a completely different story. So in reality, the germ of the idea came from The Count of Monte Cristo – but The Rogue Prince is a tale all its own.

I hope you’ll give it a try!

Jaunty: I’m going out by my mailbox to wait.

Margo: Mailbox? Porcupines have mailboxes in the forest? That’s rich.

Jaunty: Don’t mock our forest culture, Ms. Maguire.  There is plenty to love in a . . .

Margo: I’ve got things to do, Jaunty. Maybe you can tell me about your forest culture next time.

Karyn Gerrard! Send me your mailing addy at k.higgins@snet.net and I’d be honored to send you a copy of Just One of the Guys. Tell your husband thanks for his great work.

Thanks to everyone for popping in!

To the best of my knowledge, I’ve never saved a life. This is driving me crazy.

Being the wife of a firefighter, it’s a little unfair. When McIrish comes home, we usually sit down and have a glass of wine and swap stories about our day. Mine goes along the lines of, “Well, I wrote a bad date scene, which was really fun. Digger brought me a stick…I drank some coffee. That’s about it.”

To which he responds, “Well, there was a bad accident on River Road, and I found a guy’s leg, so hopefully they can reattach it…Cut some teenagers out of a car. Rescued two Great Danes from a fire…that’s about it.”

By the time my husband was 18, he’d already performed CPR on two people who both lived to tell the tale of that literal Boy Scout who saved their lives. By the time I was 18, I’d read Gone with the Wind twelve times. So you see, it’s not fair. All my life, I’ve wanted to be a hero. Not the gentle, loving everyday hero…you know, where someday a kid will come up to you and say, “You were always so nice to me, Ms. Higgins. Thanks.” I mean sure, that’s also great. But I also want to be CNN Hero of the Year (plus, then Anderson Cooper might kiss me). I want the Congressional Medal of Honor. The fact that I’m not in the military is a detail I can overlook.

I want to stop the punk who’s trying to snatch the old lady’s purse. I want to pull five children from a burning home and have their mother change all their names to Kristan. I want to deliver a baby on a crowded street corner, dang it! I am, in other words, the person the real heroes — cops, firefighters, paramedics, Navy SEALs — dread.

This desire to be Heroic with a capital H manifests itself in some rather unhealthy ways. Is it normal, for example, to be scanning the crowd in a restaurant, hoping for the chance to Heimlich someone? Every time I see a hugely pregnant woman, I’m wishing the baby would hurry up and crown. I ride the NYC subways all the time, smile encouragingly at the people who go to the edge of the platform, give a little nod as if to say, “No, it’s fine! Go ahead and jump! I’m right here.”

To this end, I, the ultimate list-maker, am totally prepared. On my keychain, I carry a device that can break a window and slice a seatbelt. (It was a gift from my dear husband.) I know how to apply a tourniquet. May know more about precipitous births than most midwives. Should we be strolling through central Australia and you’re bitten by the dread oxyuranus microlepidotus, I know what to do! Shark attack? Please. I had that covered when I was 12.

I have occasionally reunited a lost child with a parent. Called 911 when I’ve passed a broken down car. Otherwise…no. I probably shouldn’t be cruising for emergency situations, but at least I’m mentally prepared, right?

To the real heroes — the firefighters, the soldiers, the police, the first responders — thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! When you’re around, I’ll stay out of your way. But if I’m first on the scene…I’m ready. 

Have you ever been a hero? Wanted to be? Are you like me, always ready just in case?  Tell me! I’ll send a responder a signed copy of Just One of the Guys, in which Chastity, like her author, hopes to join the ranks of Hero.

Congratulations, Fran!  I just drew your name as the winner of the autographed copy of  my new release A Knight’s Persuasion!  I will get your book in the mail to you ASAP.  Thanks again to everyone who left a comment!

When my daughter was little we had gold fish, parakeets, guinia pigs, turtle, hamsters, rabbits, and numerous dogs. Lots of pets and lots of names.

I have to admit I’ve never been creative when it comes to naming our pets. When I was younger we had three dogs named named “Blacky.” Bet you can’t guess what color they were.

Right now we have two dogs– Ernie and Shug (already named by the time they came to our home) and two cats– Oreo (can you guess what color she is? Yep black and white) and Leo (perhaps I’m starting to show some creativity after all)

I love some of the names that friends have given their animals…names like Hershey for a chocolate lab. If that dog had been mine his name would likely be “Brownie.”

Have you been creative with your pets’ names? Would you care to share some of those names?

Do you remember your first kiss?  Do you remember that sensation of time coming to a complete stop?  How your pulse hammered and your skin tingled with goose bumps?  That breathless anticipation right before the kiss happened?  I do.  It was one of those teenage events I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

I adore writing that first kiss between my hero and heroine.  It’s a moment filled with excitement and promise, when the reader knows that a relationship will bloom between these two people.  No matter what obstacles stand in their way, they will, eventually, have their happily-ever-after.

When penning my medieval romance A Knight’s Persuasion, Book 4 of my Knight’s Series, I thought back to my first kiss, especially in terms of the reactions of my heroine, Lady Juliana de Greyne.  While she’s taking a tray of food to her mother who is unwell and can’t attend the feasting and dancing taking place, she runs into the handsome lord Edouard de Lanceau.  He’s not only totally gorgeous, he’s a very important guest of her father, who has talked about a possible betrothal between her and Edouard.  While she doesn’t want to get married, she finds herself intrigued by Edouard.

Juliana doesn’t realize he wants to kiss her so he can win a bet made with his best friend Kaine.  At least, that’s Edouard plan until he realizes just how much he genuinely longs for Juliana’s kiss.

Here’s the scene* (slightly edited) from Edouard’s perspective:

Go on, fool!  Kiss her right here, in Kaine’s view, coaxed a mischievous voice inside his head.  Press your lips to hers and win the bet.

A tempting thought.

What are you thinking? a more rational voice intruded.  Have you, the first-born son of a famous knight, forgotten how to be chivalrous?  Stand down from your bet, out of respect for her.

At that moment, Juliana looked past him and dipped her head in a gracious nod to Kaine.  Edouard sensed her preparing to say “goodbye” to go and see her mother.  Sunlight swept her profile, turning her skin to the hue of virgin snow.  Her lips looked the color of the trellised roses growing in Branton Keep’s gardens.

He swallowed, stunned by the realization forming in his mind.  He wanted Lady Juliana de Greyne’s kiss.  Not merely to win the bet, but because he wished to kiss her.

She started to turn away.  Purely on instinct, he touched her right arm; his fingers rubbed over her silk sleeve, noting the warmth of the skin beneath.

Juliana jumped and then twisted free, skirts rasping against the well’s stonework.  Wide-eyed, she said, “Milord, I . . . must be on my way.”

How loudly his pulse was drumming.  “When you have visited your mother, will you grant me our dance?”

Her breathing quickened.  He glanced at her luscious bosom outlined by the shimmering silk—he couldn’t help himself— then raised his gaze to meet hers.

“I . . .  Mayhap, milord.”

The unguarded insolence in her tone should annoy him; he was, after all, the son of the most powerful man in Moydenshire.  But he found himself even more captivated.  He hadn’t yet met a woman who didn’t giggle and swoon when he wooed them.  Juliana, however, still seemed immune to his attempts to charm her.

He clearly hadn’t found the right means of persuasion.

Aye, ’tis the right of it, the mischievous voice coaxed.  You must lure her in, convince her she’s the only lady you’ve ever desired, and then claim your kiss.

“Please, Juliana.”  Edouard smiled as though he found her the most ravishing of women and dared to close the slight distance between them.  “Surely you will not deny me one dance?  I would be honored to have that memory of this day.”

She gnawed her lip and glanced about the bailey, obviously unsure.  Before she could move away, he closed his hands over hers, still holding the tray.

“Milord!”

She trembled in his grasp.  How soft her skin felt against his.  The yearning inside him strengthened.

Hurry!  Kiss her.

He sensed Kaine edging nearer for a better view.

“Juliana,” Edouard murmured.  His mind shut out all but her, very close now.  Instinct told him he had an excellent chance of succeeding in his kiss.  And he craved it.  How he craved it.

“Milord.”  Her gaze locked on his mouth.  “What—?”

“You are beautiful, Juliana.”

A shivered sigh broke from her.  “I . . . am?”

“I want to kiss you,” he whispered.

“Kiss?”  Her gaze darted away, as though searching for Kaine.

 Did she fear him witnessing their kiss and then telling their sires?  She might think he and Edouard were trying to trap her into a betrothal; she couldn’t possibly know about the bet.

“Kaine will tell no one,” he said softly, trying to think past the anticipation humming in his blood.  “’Twill be our secret.  I promise.”

He lifted his hands from hers, readying to trail his fingers along her jaw and tilt her face up for his kiss.  Juliana’s lavender scent flooded his senses.  Mmm . . .  He could almost taste the sweetness of her lips. . .

*(c) Catherine Kean 2010

Tell me about your first kiss.  Do you remember it?  One person who leaves a comment will win an autographed copy of A Knight’s Persuasion, so you can finish reading about Edouard and Juliana’s kiss!

Spring makes me think of babies. This spring particularly brings those thought to mind as my nephew just became a dad. 27 years ago it didn’t occur to me that he was a miracle (my sister has a condition that should have made having a child extremely difficult if not impossible. The crazy woman ended up having two!), but he was incredibly special being the only boy. Dear God, this kid was precious. Beautiful, with his big round head and sad-sack eyes. I get teary just thinking of it.

And now he has his own beautiful little girl. I’m not sure he or his poor wife knows just what they’re in for being in possession of this little bundle of joy. My family isn’t big number-wise, but we make up for it in drama and love. And my brother-in-law comes from a large family. This is going to be one loved kid. I already love her  and we’ve yet to meet.

So, in celebration of me becoming a great aunt so very, very, VERY young (snort!), here are some of my favorite children’s books.

1. LOVE YOU FOREVER by Robert Munsch

“I’ll love you forever. I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” Even if you’re not a mom, I dare you to read this book and not get choked up. It’s brutal in its simplicity and heart-breaking with its sincerity. I buy this for all new parents. I still cry every time I read it. Robert Munsch is my all time favorite children’s author — and he’s a Canadian too! My sister gave her son a copy of this just before my great-niece was born. Makes my throat tight just thinking of it.

2. THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR by Eric Carle

As light as Love You Forever is heavy, this book is just plain fun. But what’s up with recent editions have the teeny tiny holes? I can’t get my fingers in those!!!

3. THE TAWNY SCRAWNY LION published by Golden Books

Poor cat just keeps eating and eating and eating — until someone FINALLY feeds him the right meal to fill him up. Not sure why I loved this book so much, but it stands out in my memory to this day, so it must have something to recommend it.

4. PIPPI LONGSTOCKING by Astrid Lindgren

It is my belief that this book was one of the original ‘girl power’ stories. My mother would read Pippi’s tales to me over and over again. I would pretend I was Pippi, though in reality, I didn’t envy her parent-less life. Who did she have to read stories to her? Regardless, Pippi remains a fond and pivotal part of my childhood.

5. THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS by Robert Munsch

Truth be told, this entire list could have been made up of Munsch books, but I wanted to add some from my own childhood. This story is about a young girl who goes off to rescue a prince and fight a dragon. And when the prince tells her she ‘smells like ashes’ she … well, read the book to find out.

So there are my top five. I’d love to hear some of yours so I can start a library for my great niece!