I’m a mom. Have been for nearly six years now. If you’re not a mother, let me share with you one of the great secrets of motherhood: you spend a lot of time feeling like a failure. It happens nearly every day. By mistake, you send them to school with no lunch. Or you yell at them for making a mess while you’re busy getting dinner. Or you send them to school in tank top twenty minutes before the cold front sweeps though. In any given day, there are plenty of opportunities to muck things up or just generally fall short of your own ideal.

Luckily, every day also has the potential for great parenting moments, as well. It seems many of my perfect parenting moments happen during reading time. Somehow, it’s the one time every day that never gets muddled by anger, by dash expectations, or by miscommunication. It is, in short, perfect. Me–at my best–sharing something I love with my kids–the people I love best. We all lay down in bed together, often with my hubby sitting at the foot of the bed, his laptop open, but still listening, and I read aloud. Occasionally even the cat joins us. Often it’s picture books, sometimes longer novels. And now that my daughter is older, we usually start with her reading a book to me.

The first chapter book I read to her was a favorite from my own childhood: The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper, about three mice who live in Macy’s over the Christmas holiday. That was followed quickly by Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM, another favorite of mine. And then, oddly enough, The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Worried that our reading was becoming very rodent themed, we branched out to the Little House books and eventually the first couple of Harry Potter books. Between novels, we inevitably read more picture books, returning to our favorites as well as exploring new ones.

My sister shares a love of picture books and she’s gifted us with some of her favorites. Whenever a friend has a baby, books are my favorite shower gift. I find the best picture books are always the ones someone has recommended.

What books have you loved, either as a parent or a child?

When this blog goes ‘live’ I’ll be at the Romantic Times convention in Los Angeles, rubbing elbows with some of my favorite authors. So, because I’m trying to pack and decide which shoes — and make up — to take with me, I thought I’d use this blog to talk about something I’m really excited about.

To the left is the cover of my YA Steampunk novel The Girl in the Steel Corset, written as Kady Cross. It comes out on May 31st of this year. Am I excited? Does chocolate taste good? Yes, I’m excited! So, on that note, I want to share a brief snippet of it with you.

London, 1897

The moment she saw the young man walking down the darkened hall toward her, twirling his walking stick, Finley Jayne knew she’d be unemployed before the sun rose. Her third dismissal in as many months.

She tensed and slowed her steps, but she did not stop. She kept her head down, but was smart enough not to take her gaze off him. Perhaps he would walk right by her, as though she were as invisible as servants were supposed to be.

Felix August-Raynes was the son of her employer. At one and twenty years of age, he was tall and lean with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Every woman who saw him called him an angel. Most who knew him thought him the very devil.

The other maids in service had warned her about Lord Felix her first day in the house. A mere fortnight ago. He belonged to a gang of privileged ruffians known for their facial piercings and lack of respect for anyone else, especially females. She had been hired to replace the last girl hurt by the young lord. Rumor had it that the maid had required serious medical attention.

Finley didn’t court trouble, but part of her – that part that was going to keep her safe, yet get her fired – hoped he’d try something. It was horribly delighted at the prospect of the violence to come.

The rest of her was terrified. Were it not for the steel boning of her leather work-corset, she fancied her heart might slam through her ribs it was pounding so hard.

Lord Felix smiled, teeth flashing in the dim light as he stopped just a few feet in front of her, blocking the only route to the servants’ quarters where she slept. The tiny brass bar that bisected his left eyebrow – and proclaimed him a member of the Dandies — glinted. “Hello, my lovely. I had hoped to run into you.”

Finley hesitated. Maybe he’d move out of her way and let her pass.

Or, a voice in her head whispered – her voice – you could kick his teeth in. She lowered her gaze, not wanting him to see the bloodlust there. Silently, she willed him to let her pass. For his own safety.

Instead, he closed the scant distance between them.

Want to know if Finley gives Lord Felix what he deserves? Find out May 31st!

So recently I did something that many of you have already done. I got a Kindle. And I’m already in love. How convenient and wonderful and oh-so-easy on the eyes. The shopping is a little too convenient though and has the potential to be quite dangerous because it’s just so easy to click a button and instantly have a book to read. No more waiting for a delivery from Amazon, no more running to the bookstore. Oh who am I kidding, I’ll still do both of those things, but the Kindle does give instant gratification.

I fought this for a while. Not because I didn’t want one, I admit it, I’ve wanted one for a while. But I have a fondness for gadgets of all types. Still I was a little reluctant, afraid that someone buying an e-reader would change me as a reader. But honestly I don’t know what I was afraid of. I love books, I’ll always love books. I love to go to bookstores, the smell of the books, the rustle of the paper and the lovely covers. I love being there with other book lovers. There’s something communal about bookstores, something you don’t get in the book section at Target or Wal-Mart.

So no I’ll never stop reading actual books. Especially because one of my very favorite places to read is the bathtub and you won’t catch me in there with my Kindle. I dropped a cell phone in a bowl of cereal 2 days before my wedding. I think if I dropped my Kindle The Professor might forbid me to own any gadgets.

But I’m embracing technology and the ease of the e-reader. How about you? Do you have an e-reader? What’s your favorite thing about it? Or what about those of you who swear against them? You die-hard book fans, what say you?

Yes, you read that right. I’m a hipsta. Just kidding. But I downloaded a new App that my friend Nancy recommended called hipstamatic. It takes old timey photos with different filters. I have been having tons of fun with it.

I started out with pictures from my desk. These cute little fairies my husband buys for me.

And that was cool but then I started taking pictures of my hubby, kids and parents and accidentally got a photo that really captured a moment between my daughter and my dad.

I love doing arty things but I’m going to be honest with you–I’m not that good at them, but every once in a while some sort of magic happens and I end up with something really cool.

Has that every happened to you?

I wasn’t sure what to expect at the RT Convention.  I’d heard the wild stories about half naked cover models mugging readers and author, extravagant parties thrown by publishers and authors as well as the RT staff, and hundreds of fans. 

But when fellow Harlequin Presents author, Jennie Lucas, asked me to join her, I was game to try it.  I love L.A., but haven’t been here in ages.  It was a dream city to me, the Midwest girl.  Staying here for several summers when I was young really made it feel like home. 

Though I never moved here as planned, it’s fun coming back to visit.  And I can tell you the convention is all Iheard about and much much more fun. 

As for L.A., it’s still great fun to visit.  But now that’s I’m older, I like a more laidback lifestyle for everyday living.  Quiet, not bustling.

Where’s the one place you always wanted to live, but never did?  Did you visit later in life?  Is the same?  Are you glad you didn’t relocate there, or sorta sad you didn’t?

Several things have me thinking about high school days. The first is that my husband received an invitation to an upcoming reunion. The second is receiving an unexpected phone call from a high school friend.

A couple times I’ve met friends who I hung out with in high school. On one occasion the friend and I talked the entire time. It was like there hadn’t been those intervening years. The other time, it was awkward. Once we’d spoken of the past there was nothing else to say. I kept thinking how much she’d changed…but then realized that maybe it was me who’d changed.

When I see these reunion stories on television, I wonder if people really do run into the arms of someone they haven’t seen in years and had lost contact with…or is the touching scene scripted?

I’m curious. What about you? What has been your experience with seeing old high school friends…or even friends or neighbors you were once close to…after spending many years apart?

When I began writing, I never thought about my author brand. I’m not a jar of peanut butter. I’m a person, right? Well, it turns out your author brand is kind of important because it’s reflected in your titles and covers and, obviously, your stories. My stories are different from everyone else’s stories, and I don’t mean that I write historicals and Kristan and Cindy write contemporaries. I mean, my historicals are different from Margo’s and Robyn’s too.

So what is my brand? What makes my stories unique?

I write books set around the Regency period of England. It’s referred to as the Regency because the Prince was declared regent and took control of his father’s powers when George III went quite mad. Actually, the Regency didn’t officially begin until 1810, and my stories are usually set in the early 1800s, but they’re still considered more Regency (lighter and faster) in tone than Georgian (a bit darker, heavier).

I write books that have a lot of adventure. My heroes and heroines are often threatened, shot at, forced to abscond through windows, and quick to jump on a schooner for Calais. They sneak into prisons, break into buildings, steal carriages, and all around get into quite a lot of trouble. My stories are fast-paced and exciting.

My heroes and heroines fall in love. First and foremost, I write romances. I write about a man and a woman who meet (or meet again) and fall madly in love. The road to true love is never easy, but they manage to find their way—while dodging a few bullets or cannonballs, as the case may be.

And this is why I’m so excited that I’m being re-branded. The cover for my next release, Lord and Lady Spy, reflects this re-branding. I’m going to have bolder titles and covers that really illustrate the kinds of stories I write.

The downside is that those of you looking for The Making of a Rogue are going to have to wait a little longer. It’s getting a whole new look (though the story will not change). It will be released February 2012, and the title may change. Click here to read early praise for the book.

In the meantime, I hope you’re excited that Lord and Lady Spy is now a September release! Here’s a little sneak-peek.

Meet Lord and Lady Smythe, England’s preeminent spies. Their identities are guarded even from each other. After years of secrets and lies, their marriage is little more than a crumbling façade. But even love isn’t as important as The Mission—to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte.

All’s fair in love and war.