Did you know there are 99 days left in the year? Yep, we’ve left the triple digits and before you know it, we’ll be staring down the barrel of 2012. A bright, shiny new year usually means fresh resolutions. But since we still have 99 days to go, it seems like a good opportunity to take stock.  So dust off that list of goals and see where you stand:

*Which goals have you achieved this year?

*Are you happy with your progress so far?

*Which goals need attention?

*What do you need to do to accomplish your goals?

Whether you want to lose weight, learn a new language, begin training for a marathon, or start (or finish) that novel you’ve been longing to write, it’s not too late! You can accomplish a lot in 99 days. Break the steps toward your goal into tiny, manageable daily tasks. If you devote even a little attention to your dreams every day, you’ll be surprised by what you can accomplish.

So, how did you do? How did your goal review shake down?

In a post a couple of weeks ago, I revealed a few secrets about Jessica Devlin, the heroine of my contemporary romantic comedy Lucky Girl written under my pseudonym Cate Lord.  To be fair, I thought I’d spill a few secrets about the British hero, Nick Mondinello.  Why should Jess be the only one to divulge her secrets to the whole world, right?

The basic premise of Lucky Girl is that Jess takes a long overdue vacation to be maid-of-honor in her English cousin’s wedding.  Jess is nervous about the trip to England, however, after recently being dumped by her fiancé while planning her own wedding, and an embarrassing episode two years ago after her beloved grandfather’s funeral.  That particular evening involved an English pub, too many drinks, and a handsome Brit who held her in his arms and soothed her while she cried.

Of course, Jess believes there’s a one in a gazillion chance of her running into gorgeous Nick Mondinello again—but guess who is at the wedding?  Jess firmly believes Nick isn’t right for her, since he’s a playboy like her dad who left when she was twelve.  Fate, though, keeps throwing her and Nick together in ways she never expected.

So, without further ado, here are five important things to know about Nick:

1. He’s a hottie.  Oh, yes.  *Dreamy sigh*  Women everywhere lust after him, in part because he looks like a younger version of James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan.  He fills out the gray suit he wears to Jess’s cousin’s wedding very, very nicely.  He’s not just good-looking.  Spy Man (the nickname Jess and her cousins use to describe him, because he’s a James Bond actor look-alike) is intelligent, charming, and loyal to his friends.  He also has a delicious British accent. *Another dreamy sigh.*

2.  He loves his demanding job.  Well, sort of.  Nick works at a prestigious marketing firm in London.  He is good at his job and aims for a promotion—one of the things that, as Jess begins to fall for him, she realizes will stand in the way of them ever having a long-term relationship, since her home and work are in Orlando.  However, his work situation is a little… um… complicated, because his boss’s daughter wants Nick and is pursuing him at every chance.  Tough for him, when he’s not that interested in her.

3.  He’s never forgotten Jess.  True.  When Nick saw Jess drunk at the English pub, he recognized a soul overwhelmed by grief.  He understood her anguish over her grandfather’s death, because his dad had died suddenly when he was young, a shock to him and his mom.  Nick’s mother started drinking to help her through her grief, and she became an alcoholic.  Nick was responsible for helping her overcome this problem.

Having lived through terrible loss, he knew he couldn’t let Jess, a stranger to him then, cry alone.  He took her in his arms and knew what to say to comfort her, and that’s how he made such a strong impression upon her.  The powerful emotional connection between them is still there when they meet again at Jess’s cousin’s wedding, and ultimately it’s what brings them together romantically.

4.  He’s an excellent cook.  He is!  Just ask Jess (who will eat anything he cooks).  Nick makes awesome scrambled eggs, the perfect cup of coffee, and is a pro at cooking a full English dinner complete with roast beef, potatoes, and veggies.  What’s more romantic than a hot guy who is an expert in the kitchen?

5.  He’d never fall for plain Jane Jess.  Ha!  Who said Jess is a plain Jane, anyway?  Thanks to the wicked blow to her self-esteem delivered by her unfaithful ex fiancé, she believes she has little chance of winning Nick’s heart.  However, Nick doesn’t see all the flaws she sees in herself.  Thanks to Nick, Jess learns to be happy with who she is.  She’s “whole” again at the book’s end.  Lucky Jess.  Sounds like she’s finally found Mr. Right.

Read the first two chapters
Website for Cate Lord
Website for Catherine Kean 

Readers, if you could have the perfect “Mr. Right,” what would he be like?  Charming?  A top chef in the kitchen?  Always eager to run the vaccum?    One commenter will win a signed trade paperback copy of Lucky Girl.

Okay so this probably isn’t going to be so much of a how-to-blog as just a how-I-do-it-blog. Not because you asked, but because this is an on-going process in my life and on my mind a lot. Especially lately since we’ve had to make room for the girls. I’m of the opinion that organization is not a one size fits all sort of thing. I think you have to find your style and that can often take a lot of trial and error. I know, for instance, that my mother and I organize very differently this is most noticeable when we’re cleaning or unpacking after a move. She has an out of sight, out of mind kind of philosophy and mine is more of the a place for everything and everything in its place.

Just that phrase gives me a semblance of peace. If everything has a place, then everything can be put away. This is both a blessing and a curse for me. Because (and I know you can see where this is going…) if I don’t have a place for something I will just leave it out until I know where to put it. This can cause significant problems if finding that place takes me any length of time.

Which brings me to my organization style. I love containers and I’m rather partial to baskets. I think I have baskets in every room in my house. They’re great for corralling everything from toys to toilet paper. They make everything neat and tidy and keep me from getting a little nutty. I’m one of those who don’t like to see a lot of clutter, but at the same time if I just hide everything behind cabinets or closets I can’t ever find anything. So I compartmentalize everything in containers. I have them in my pantry, cabinets, closets, bathrooms, bedrooms and everything in between.

I even use them, so to speak, on my computer, in the form of folders. I organize my email (which is also color-coded) my documents and my photos. Everything is labeled and categorized. I might have to click through three levels to get to what I want, but I know right where it is. Keeps me from getting crazy which is precisely what will happen if my inbox is more than one scroll long.

So how about y’all? Are you organized? Do you have a specific style for how you organize things? Is your computer organized too? What about your car?

Write What You Know (and Love)

Hello! Thank you so much to the Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills—and of course, Jaunty—for having me on the blog today. My first novel, Sweet Enemy, has yet to hit stores, so I’m pretty new to this whole guest blogging thing, but it’s so exciting to be here! I was going to bring Armando, my cravat wearing stuffed armadillo to meet Jaunty today, but he’s a little shy. Perhaps next time…

Today, I thought I’d talk a little bit about how I got here—aside from being invited by the lovely and talented Robyn DeHart . Like most authors of historical romance, I grew up reading it. Once I discovered my grandmother’s hidden stash (stuffed on the lowest bookshelf, hidden behind her recliner), I was hooked! Well, after a degree in Chemistry, getting married, and several years in the workforce, I decided I wanted to write them, too.

Great! Good decision! But now, how to do so?

Well, I’ll skip all of the boring details about how the left brained chemist in me decided to thoroughly dissect my six favorite romance novels and examine each facet in detail. Instead, let’s jump right to the first bit of advice first time writers hear: Write What You Know.

Hmmm. Good advice. After all, I need my own unique voice, right? But what in the world could my life experience bring to a historical romance novel? I mean, after all, beakers and ball gowns don’t mix, do they?

Wait. Beakers and ball gowns don’t mix…Beakers and ball gowns don’t mix… That line stuck with me. And the idea for a Regency-era lady chemist was born. She would, of course, eschew Society (because of the aforementioned non-mixing). So what would make her enter the glittering world of the ton willingly? Well, what if she were searching for her father’s killer?

And here’s where I added to the first time rule: Write What You Know AND What You Want to Read. You see, I love a good mystery, too. I just prefer them to have plenty of romance. And, as a former scientist, I love a good experiment—and a good challenge. So I decided for my first time out, I’d tackle a romance AND a mystery. Why not, right? So my story line became this:

Beakers and ball gowns don’t mix, so when a lady chemist goes undercover as a husband hunter to investigate the earl she thinks may have murdered her father, romance isn’t part of her formula. But it only takes one kiss to start a reaction she can’t control…

And voila! I was off! Now, since we’re having such a fun time, I’ll spare you all of the ugly details about my first flailing attempts and about how, in the despairing place somewhere in the middle of the first draft I decided I was a terrible writer who was crazy to attempt to write a mystery AND a romance in my first ever manuscript and yanked out all of the mystery in an attempt to make it more simple (and subsequently couldn’t stand the story anymore and had to figure out how to put it all back in, only better). No, I’ll just tell you that in the end, I am so glad I stuck it out and I hope readers will come to love Geoffrey and Liliana’s story as much as I do.

Sweet Enemy – A Veiled Seduction Novel, will be coming out February 7, 2012—just in time for Valentine’s Day. It is the first in a series of three featuring science-savvy heroines with a touch of mystery. I will be giving away a signed copy to a random commenter (who agrees to be patient…February…long time off ☹)

So, to start off the conversation, tell me—what types of romances do you love best? Ones with a little mystery? Ones that focus strictly on the juicy inner angst of relationships? Light, humorous and witty? A little darker? All of the above?

Please visit me at www.HeatherSnowBooks.com I’d love to hear from you anytime!

The winner of Lavinia’s Kent’s first novella, and a T-shirt, is Catslady. Congrats! Thanks to all who entered.

Catslady, please contact Lavinia through the contact form on her website www.laviniakent.com/contact and she’ll get your prizes to you. If you have trouble getting through, email me at JanetteKenny@gmail.com and I’ll forward your information on to Lavinia.

First let me thank the Jaunty Quills for having me as part of my What a Duke Wants Blog tour.  It is great to be here.

As usual when I am going to write a blog, I spend some time reading through recent blogs on the site to see what people are talking about. The first thing I read was Kristin Higgin’s “Ten Things” post.  I was impressed by her ability to come up with all those things we didn’t know about her – but more than that I was impressed by her honesty in confronting a question she found difficult. (I personally am always happy to talk about what readers don’t know about me:  the only foods I truly don’t like are sea slugs and tripe; I’ve seen baby turtles hatch in Trinidad; I am trying to learn to walk in high heels after years of not wearing them.)

The question I always dread is, “Tell us about your book.”  This is not a good question for a writer to dread.  You get asked it at your first writing group, you are asked it by agents, by editors, on blogs – and of course by readers.  I know writers who have wonderful two-sentence answers that make me instantly want to read their books.

Me?  I stumble.  I ramble.  I wish I were doing anything but having to answer the blasted question.

Now, I love my books.  Each one is my baby and I want only the best for it.  So why can’t I talk about my books?

I want them to shine.  I want everyone to read them and love them as much as I do.

Originally, I thought the problem was that I didn’t have a high concept, a clever theme that would instantly draw editors and readers to my books.  And then this summer I had my concept, a set of novellas entitled The Real Duchess of London – a mixture of Bravo’s Real Housewives and the Regency.

Only, it still wasn’t easy to talk about.  I had a great first sentence and then I was stuck.  “Well, ummm, they’re Regency historicals mostly about well, ummm – they’re reconciliation stories.”

Even I know that is not going to grab anyone’s attention.  It really made me think.  I love my characters.  I spend time thinking about the plots and know they are well planned.  I work hard combining realistic relationships with the passion and heat that my readers want.

So why can’t I answer that simple question?

And then it hit me.  I don’t think about my books in words (although clearly that’s how I write them.)  They are always movies in my head, full of color and action.  I am so busy seeing them that it is hard to slow my thoughts down enough to describe them.  When I am writing them, I always feel that I am typing as fast as I can, trying to transcribe what I see in my head.

That still doesn’t help me answer the question.

And so I come to the answer to most difficulties in life – practice and preparation.  It may never be easy for me to describe my books, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do it.  I have to do it.

And so . . .

Lavinia, can you tell us about What a Duke Wants?

Sure, I’d love to.  What a Duke Wants is the story of a duke who doesn’t want be a duke and lady who ran away from society long ago.  It is a story of mistaken identity and true love. 

My hero, Mark Smythe, the new Duke of Strattington, is on his way to London for the king’s coronation.  He is preoccupied with learning how to be a duke, as he had never expected to inherit his uncle’s title.  When he meets a young baby nurse, Miss Isabella Smith, he is delighted that she does not recognize him, and enjoys the freedom her company offers him.  When he is with her, he can simply be himself – not the duke.

As they travel toward London, stopping at the same inns each night – with only slight planning on Mark’s part – they slowly form a deep attachment and the beginnings of a great passion.

But, of course, no romance can be that simple.  I am leaving out the blackmail, accusations of murder, Isabella running away for a second time, a masquerade ball, a disapproving older brother, a scandalous sister, a loyal best friend, two more dukes, hot, sensuous interludes, and dancing with a very cute kitten.  To learn more you’ll just have to read the book.  I have an excerpt posted on my website – http://www.laviniakent.com/excerpt_duke.html.  It has the best first line I’ve ever written, so I do hope you’ll take a peek and check it out.

I am offering a signed copy of my first novella (or a Kindle copy if you’d prefer) along with a What a Duke Wants t-shirt to one lucky commenter.  So please let me know what your favorite first line is.  (And no going with “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . . .  I can’t handle the competition.) 

Thank you all for having me.  I look forward to chatting.

Lavinia

Winner will be announced in a separate post.  Please check back to see if you’re the lucky winner!

Let’s give a warm welcome to Sandra Orchard whose debut book for Love Inspired Suspense, Deep Cover is now on shelves. Be sure to check it out!

FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR CHARACTERIZATIONS
The other night my daughter and son were sitting in the room below my office when my teenage daughter started squealing about how thrilled she is with the characters in the novel she’s writing. The next thing I know, she’s calling for help.

Preoccupied with my own writing, I called down, “Can’t your brother help you?”

More cries rose from the floor below. Muffled this time. Something like, “He did it.”

None to happy about being interrupted, I tromp downstairs, to find out what’s going on. Imagine my glee when I find my daughter duct-taped to her desk chair!

“Wait, don’t move,” I exclaimed, and ran back upstairs for my camera. You see, the heroine in the book I’m working on gets duct-taped by the villain to a chair. I’m seeing … research opportunity!!

I want to know how her muscles feel straining against the tape; the yow of ripped hair when its tugged off; the sensation of the scream building in her throat; the taste of panic when she realizes she can’t get herself free. And just how loud can she shout with a piece of duct tape on her mouth?

Our dear pup even decided to get in on the action and play the hero, doing the courtesy of ripping her free!

By this time, my daughter is getting right into the “research”, and my son is rolling his eyes, no doubt thinking that instead of quieting his nutty sister, he’d created two monsters!

Not only that, it gave me a great idea for this blog post: 5 Ways to Improve your Characterizations:

1) Act out the scenario. Concentrate on the five senses. Detail perceptions from the perspective of the point of view character. If the above scenario were from the pov of the hero, instead of the heroine, he might have described the quality of her scream, the jerkiness of her attempts to break free, the contorted look of her face pinned by duct tape. Nothing like seeing, feeling, touching, hearing and tasting to get the characterization right. Of course, my hero would’ve been much more empathetic than me. More like the dog, say.
2) Think back to a time when you experienced a similar event, or comparable emotion. Recall how you felt. Write it out, listing every detail you can remember. Maybe now realizing the oddity of the details you do remember. The specificity of incongruent details can be an effective way to characterize a person.
3) Interview someone who has experienced a similar situation, event, or loss to what your character faces. Ask lots of questions about how they felt, how they reacted, what they wished, what angered them, what helped them, how they coped etc. etc.
4) Interview your character. No, I’m not whacko. I know he or she isn’t real. But interviewing your characters is an effective way to get to the root of the motivation that’s driving them. A motivation you may not yet be aware of. My favorite question is “Why?” I ask the hero why he did something. When he gives me the answer, I formulate another why question related to his answer, and then another, and another. Eventually we dig deep into his psyche to discover what’s really driving his actions and reactions. And armed with that information, I can write more realistic, and better-motivated reactions.
5) Know every characters’ goal in the scene, and use them, and the other forces acting on the characters, to your advantage. That is, use subtext. Subtext is one of the least understood and yet most powerful characterization techniques. Subtext can be as simple as a facial expression that conveys what’s not spoken. It can be misdirection, innuendo, sarcasm, or metaphor. It can be a lie by omission as my undercover hero in Deep Cover finds necessary. Subtext tells the story beneath the story. A classic example of subtext in dialogue is when the heroine tells the hero, “I hate you.”

Does she? Or does she love him and is too hurt by his actions to admit it? Or does she love him, but knows it’s better for him if he doesn’t know, because he needs to go off and save the world or something? The subtext in that simple three-letter statement has the potential for several layers of meaning while generating tremendous emotion in the reader.

Your Turn: I’m giving away a signed copy of my book to one of our commenters. Please share one of your favorite examples of subtext in either a book or movie. OR share a memorable way you got into one of your characters’ head or heart. Check back on Sunday night at 9 pm CT when I’ll announce the winner of the drawing.

Sandra Orchard writes inspirational romantic suspense set along the northern shores of Lake Erie in the heart of the Niagara region, Canada. In 2009 she won Daphne DuMaurier Award of Excellence and sold to Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense the following year. She is an active member of ACFW, several RWA chapters including Faith Hope Love, and The Word Guild. When not writing, she enjoys hanging out with family, especially her new grandbaby, brainstorming new stories with fellow writers, and hiking or kayaking in God’s beautiful creation. Her newly released debut novel, Deep Cover, is the first in her series, Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—and hearts—on the line.

No matter how upbeat your personality, everyone feels blue occasionally. It’s just part of life. Sooner or later, you have to learn how to deal with it. In fact, my personal theory about why adolescence is so horrible is that once you’ve lived through that, you can handle most of the other highs and lows in life.

Everyone has different coping skills. As much as I wish I could be one of those crazy women who loses herself on the treadmill, that will just never be me. (Wouldn’t that be great though? “Oh, I’ve been a bit down lately. Now, I’ve lost fifteen pounds and have been jogging ten miles a day. Now, I’m in the best shape of my life!”)

Yep, I get it. Exercise=endorphins=improved mood. Sounds great in theory, but I’ve always been more of a Ben&Jerry’s=increased serotonin=improved mood. If the Ben & Jerry’s is accompanied by either a Jane Austen flick or a really great romance novel, that’s even better. Brownies optional, but recommended.

In the past few years, I’ve discovered that sometimes hard work helps just as much as ice cream (shocking, I know!). Sometimes, all I need to snap me out of a funk is to get to work and accomplish something. Finishing a big project (or even just making big progress on it) can do wonders for my mood. (Brownies still optional. Reading a good book, optional too. Both are good rewards.)

Of course, sometimes, I pull out the advice from one of my favorite musicals, Camolot, and just whistle a little tune. (Anyone else remember “What do the Simple Folk do?” from the movie with Guenevere and Arthur dancing around? Sigh. I never understood why she wanted Lancelot.) Okay, I can’t whistle at all. But I do like to turn up the iPod and dance around the living room.

What do you like to do when you’re feeling down?

Hellooooooo, Jaunty Readers! It’s me, Jaunty P. Quills, P.E. (Porcupine Extraordinaire) I have returned from the land of Facebook to regale you with daring tales of my latest extremely courageous exploits. I—eek! It’s the New Jaunty Quill!

Secret Jaunty: *blinks at Jaunty behind purple mask* *flips cape dramatically* Hello, Jaunty. I, too, have been off on extremely courageous exploits. Adventures reaching far into Romancelandia! Escapades that will take your breath away! Dangerous missions that will—

Jaunty P. Quills, P.E.: How should we refer to you? Is Miss Secret Jaunty, okay?

Secret Jaunty: Yeah, Miss Secret Jaunty is fine. Actually…perhaps it should be Mrs. Secret Jaunty, as I’ve hinted that I am married. Wouldn’t want my husband to disapprove of my mystery name, you know.

Jaunty P. Quills, P.E.: So tell us how you like being part of the Jaunty Quills so far. Especially tell us how you like the JQ’s resident mascot—that cute, lovable porcupine.

Secret Jaunty: I love being part of the Jaunty Quills! Not only are the other authors fabulous, but the readers here are wonderful, too! *smiles* As for the resident mascot, I must tell you that I’ve recently tried to convince my daughter that bunnies are out and porcupines are in, but… Unfortunately, she’s not having it.

Jaunty P. Quills, P.E.: As you know, we’re having a contest and giving away 12 signed books and an Amazon gift card for $50. You’ve seen some of the guesses. Has anyone guessed correctly yet?

Secret Jaunty: Why, yes. Yes, they have. Wait, it is okay that I say that, right?

Jaunty P. Quills, P.E.: We already know you like listening to the oldies, you’re from Texas, you’re married, have kids, and like motorcycles (vrroom, vrroom—you should see my motorcycle!). Can you tell us anything else about yourself?

Secret Jaunty: Ooh, Jaunty, you have a motorcycle! No one told me this! I knew there was a reason you’re my favorite porcupine. Let’s see…something else about myself. I’ve never been outside the United States, which is a sad, sad truth. Well, unless you count the time my family drove across the border to Mexico to do some tourist shopping and my older brother almost got run over by a truck. There is that.

Something else…I was almost eaten by a great white shark. It’s true! My family and my aunt’s family went to North Padre (*ahem* apparently South Padre was not en vogue that year) for a vacation. While the adults MAYBE had a few too many wine coolers and MAYBE fell asleep on the beach lying beneath the sun, my brother and my two cousins and me drifted far out into the ocean on an inner tube. So far, in fact, we nearly lost sight of the land! I’m sure there were sharks nearby. I used to watch Shark Week, and I know they’re EVERYWHERE. Fortunately, my brother (who, that day, I was grateful had not been run over by that truck in Mexico) saved the day by swimming to shore, alerting my uncle to the fact that we actually needed help and no, we were not just waving hello from WAY out in the ocean, and we were all rescued. Of course, as a younger sister I don’t usually remind him that he saved my life once, because there was the time that he nearly killed me when we were riding a snowmobile…but that’s a story for another day.

Jaunty P. Quills, P.E.: Tell us about your most recent book. But change the details so you retain your ano…anony…

Secret Jaunty: Anonymity, Jaunty?

Jaunty P. Quills, P.E.: Right. So maybe you could call your hero Jaunty and your heroine Secret Quill. (flutters eyelashes).

Secret Jaunty: *stares enviously at Jaunty’s long, thick, luxurious eyelashes* *mutters* Of course, I can! *mutters again*

In my most recent book, my hero—Jaunty—and my heroine—Secret Quill—fall in love. As this is a romance novel, that shouldn’t be a big surprise. However, what really sets this book apart is that Jaunty and Secret Quill have both been married before, so this is a second chance at love kind of story. Neither Secret Quill nor Jaunty are looking to fall in love again due to what happened with their previous spouses, but you know that Jaunty… he just has a way about him (I think it’s those sharp shiny quills—they make him appear very debonair, you know), and Secret Quill can’t help but love him. Fortunately for Jaunty, he is successful at Romancing the Secret Quill, and they have a very wonderful and very beautiful happily ever after.

Jaunty P. Quills, P.E.: Have you figured it out yet, readers? One more question. Have you ever blogged with the Jaunty Quills before? Have you been a past guest?

Secret Jaunty: I have, indeed! Once in 2010 and once in 2011. *eyes Jaunty* Speaking of sharp shiny quills, since I’m part of the group does that mean I get to touch them now? *extends hand* Ow! Okay, okay, I guess that’s a no-no. Warning, readers. Never touch the quills, even if he does look adorable.

Jaunty P. Quills, P.E.: And that’s it, readers! Post your comments and guesses. Here’s a recap of the rules.

Everyone who guesses will be entered to win a gift certificate for $50 to Amazon.com. Those who guess correctly will also be entered to win a signed copy of a book from each of us (that’s 12 signed books!). In the unlikely event that no one guesses correctly, the first person who is randomly chosen from our secret Jaunty Quill’s posts will win and get to choose her prize.

We’ll reveal the new Jaunty’s name, and the winners on Sunday, October 2nd. So visit us all through the month of September, and don’t forget to comment on all of those Guess the Jaunty blogs to enter the contest!

Back at Christmastime, I posted a blog (somewhere!) about the really funny holiday tv commercials. . . I gave Target two thumbs up for their holiday efforts, especially the music in them! Very snappy — and they made the music available for free, too.

So, they’ve really applied their efforts to this season — the Back to School Season — and given Staples a run for their advertising money this summer.

That’s a high standard to beat, too, because every August I run in to hear and see the most wonderful commercial for the most wonderful time of the year:

Staples – classic!

And the updated version –

Staples – updated

And they even go around the world –

Staples Back to School – UK

Or how about this one — featuring one of the stars of GLEE?

Staples – Glee theme

And listen to the music in the background to learn the identity of this not-so-typical dad:

Staples – surprise   (He lives in my area-southern NJ!)

As August approached, I waited to see what the new seasonal commercials would be, but I was a bit detached since my youngest is now in college and the excitement of school supply lists that are needed immediately is over.  And Target came through in a big way — my two favorite ones:

Target – Glitter       The way that teacher says ‘glitter, so much glitter’ gave me the creeps!

And my new favorite that has me singing about denim and Shaun White hoodies:

Target – Denim

Did any of them make you laugh? Is this a happy-happy-joy-joy time of the year in your household or are you sad to see the school year begin? How did opening day(s) go for you? Post a comment and I’ll pick two winners — one will get a Target gift card and one will get a Staples gift card (and a book to each, of course!)

Oh! An extra prize to the person who can tell me who the heck Shaun White is and why I should wear his hoodies? LOL!

      Terri is home and writing again and will have some exciting news in October about her time-travel romances and a new Harlequin series, too! Stop back or stop over at her website to keep up-to-date on her books, events and news. . .