As I look back on 2011 and think of all that I accomplished and all that I just didn’t get to, I see that the year held a number of “firsts” for me.  I consider that to be a good thing.  Acknowledging that an achievement is a “first” means that it’s something brand spankin’ new; a fresh challenge; a pushing at my personal boundaries and looking beyond, even if it’s not the easiest option, which is exactly how I’d classify my approach to my writing in 2011.

So here are my “firsts:”

I went Indie.  I released my first self-published eBook in August

My sensual medieval romance Dance of Desire was the first full-length manuscript I sold to a publishing house, back in the fall of 2004.  It was the first mass market paperback to hit bookstore shelves with my name on the cover (wow!) .  I held Dance of Desire in my hands and marveled that, finally, I’d done it: I’d become a published author, as I’d always dreamed.

At the end of 2010, after my former publisher decided to stop printing paperbacks, I got the rights back to this novel and all of my other previously published historical romances.  I thought then about reissuing Dance of Desire myself, but this meant learning about formatting and all of the other details.  Ugh!  My brain just wasn’t ready for that.

It wasn’t until August that I tackled the daunting learning curve and, with the help of my technical genius husband, figured out how to “make it so.”  I’m so glad I did.  I’m thrilled that Fane and Rexana’s fast-paced, romantic story, which is one of my personal favorites of all the books I’ve written, is available to readers via Kindle and Nook.

I tried a new genre.  My first contemporary romantic comedy written as Cate Lord was published.

Earlier this year, I heard about a new, ambitious company called Entangled Publishing.  I asked my literary agent to submit the full manuscript of my funny, quirky, Bridget-Jones-esque romantic comedy Lucky Girl, to see if they might be interested.  They were.

Let’s face it. We all do it, right? Mentally re-hash all the gifts we got for Christmas or Hanukkah,  or whatever holiday we’ve just celebrated. I’m gonna be honest, this year, my stuffing in my stocking was a little sparse.

My sister always comes through and this year she did. Great gifts from Sis.

My mom is always a spotty gift giver. This year, from my parents I got a scarf that’s not in my colors and a bottle of Grandma’s Spot Remover. Um … okay.

Normally, my in-laws give great gifts, but my mother-in-law passed away this year and instead of gifts my father in law gave us daughters-in-law pieces of her jewelry. Beautiful, priceless heirlooms … but, really, I just wanted to sit and cry. I’d have to be pretty heartless to be excited about that.

My sister-in-law got me a nice toiletry bag. Not bad at all. Very nice.

Okay, you might be wondering about my husband and kids. There was a slight misunderstanding about when we were going to exchange gifts. I told the kids we could do a few family-only gifts the day before we left to visit family. The Geek  thought I meant the morning we left. So there he was, at four in the morning before we flew out and he wants me to open my presents. Only my husband could want to exchange gifts at four in the morning. He did eventually come through with the presents, but for the holiday itself, I had nothing under the tree from them.

I know I sound whiney … it’s just … this Christmas felt a little flat. It probably would have no matter what gifts I recieved. We’re adjusting to life without my mother-in-law. There’s naturally a layer of grief on top of the holiday joy.

But as I was packing up all our presents to head home, I realized something else about this Christmas. I didn’t give as many gifts as I usually do. It was a particularly busy December and a lot of family wanted gift cards, so that’s what I bought. Don’t get me wrong, gift cards are great to get, but they’re not fun to give. I felt no joy when people opened them. No delight in having chosen well and it diminished my pleasure in the holiday.

So here’s my first new year’s resolution: I’m going to buy more gifts and give fewer gift cards. I might still gift a few to supplement those who are hard to shop for, but everyone on my list is getting at least one real gift.

What about you? Did you get great gifts this year? If you don’t celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah , what about for your last birthday?

My One and Only by Kristan Higgins was named best book of 2011 by Barnes & Noble Romance Reads!

I’ve been fooled again! I blissfully approach Christmas doing the non-chalant attitude right up until the last-minute panic hits just before the holiday. Then I rush and race around doing all the things that my friends did at a leisurely pace through the whole month. I survive only to discover that the year’s end is rushing towards me at an alarming speed.

Well, it’s happened again — even when I promised myself that I would be ready for it.  And as I’m gathering my markers and getting ready to fill in my 2012 calendar, I like to look back and look ahead–at things I’ve done and things I hope to do.

I am really looking forward to the new stories that are swirling around in my head. As I’ve been revising my first romance novels for re-publishing, I’ve gotten some great ideas for other stories – long, short and in-between. Stories that I never noticed the first time around, ones that now seem intriguing and new.  It’s funny how the excitement builds and all the possibilities look soooo shiny and sparkly ahead. I can feel the itchy feeling that happens when a new idea is swirling around in my brain…I wonder where they will lead me?

I’ll be doing some traveling this coming year — some personal (hubby and I are coming up on our 35th Anniversary in 2012!) and some for my work (both writing and dental hygiene) and, as most of you who know me can guess, even a trip (or two) to Mr. Disney’s World and Land.  (Hey, RWA is being held in Anaheim right across the street from D’land — how can I fight that? LOL)

And one of the best things I’ll be doing is meeting readers throughout the year at signings, chats and through blogs as well as during speaking engagements from Scottsdale AZ to the Pearl Buck House in PA. I hope to see you at one of them!

One of the fun things is looking ahead to all the wonderful romances to be read this year — my favorite authors have bunches of books on their way for me….and you! I’ll be having a couple of books out from Harlequin Historicals (or their UK counterpart-Mills&Boon) and two more of my time travels to re-release. But more on those later!

So, as you look towards 2012, what are your plans, expectations and hopes? Any books you’re waiting for? Anything that will make 2012 special? Do you plan to hit the New Year running or slip gently into it? Please post a note and I’ll choose one to receive a signed book and one of the last of my 2011 wee Disney gifties……….

  Terri is busy finishing up with the Christmas holidays and getting ready for the New Year and for writing her next Highlander novel. Visit her website for lots of info about her upcoming and current releases.

Happy New Year to everyone!

I know that not everyone is a goal setter, but I am. There’s nothing I like better than making a list of things to do and then checking them off. Its a sickness really–I will make a list for any little reason. I love them. But I really use them when I’m feeling out of focus or tired and rundown.

Every January I make a list of goals for the year and I feel refreshed and like anything is possible. A few years ago while I was in the midst of lots of troubling and challenging times, I made a list in August as my kids started back to school. I just couldn’t wait for January to get back on track–I needed it then.

And it worked.

I read some place that there is magic in writing things down and for me that’s always been so. Once something makes it onto my list, which I hang next to my computer monitor so I can see it everyday, I always accomplish it.

I don’t fill my list with impossible tasks or things I know I won’t do. I mean I’m never going to write “go to the gym everyday” on my list. I hate doing that and the thought of it makes me unhappy. But I will write “walk everyday”. I like doing that and it gets me up from desk and it doesn’t feel like exercise.

I also try to put things on the list that there never seems to be enough time for. Things like go on a date with my hubby, reconnect with old friends, talk to my sisters more often and listen to my kids. If you’re a parent you know how sometimes they are talking and your mind is going over what still has to be done. I’ve missed some important things by not paying attention.

Lastly, I’ll include writing goals for projects I want to start and new ideas I want to explore.

What about you? Do you like lists and set goals for yourself? If so what’s your number one goal for the New Year?

My son was a preemie, born 10 weeks early by emergency C-section in the wee hours of the morning. He weighed one pound, ten ounces and, stretched out, was twelve and a half inches long. His skin was bright red, his legs the thickness of my index finger. We could hold him in the palm of our hands. He was born on December 6—the feast of St. Nicholas, who is, of course, the patron saint of children.

When I got to hold him after eight days, it was tricky. He was still on a nasogastric tube at that point, still had an IV, monitors for oxygen saturation and heart rate. Just taking him out of the incubator was something of balancing act; the natural act of a mother reaching for her baby complicated by the science that was keeping him alive. Every day, I’d check his chart, see if he got any bigger; even a gain of a few grams was a triumph. His hands were heartbreakingly small.

Meanwhile, we had another child, our nearly three-year-old daughter, at home. We tried to make her life as normal as could be. I baked Christmas cookies, because I didn’t want her to miss that tradition (and because martyrdom runs in my family). We got a tree. McIrish and I went to a department store to do all our shopping in one fell swoop; when I became too tired, he pushed me on the cart, and we threw in  items willy-nilly. A mermaid doll. A clock. Candyland. Preemie-sized outfits that were two times too large for our tiny baby.

I couldn’t sleep on Christmas Eve; moved to the couch around 3 a.m. and called the hospital. Mary Ann, the night nurse, told me she had tucked our son into her sweater and was cuddling him right now, and she held the phone to his head so he could hear my voice. I love you, I told him. We all miss you.

In the morning, our daughter opened her gifts, and her brother’s, too. She got a dollhouse from Santa; he got an Elmo doll. She had picked out an Oscar the Grouch small enough to fit in his incubator. My brother gave him a baseball mitt.

I remember sobbing on the phone to my sister, who was celebrating her own baby’s first Christmas. The fact that my son wasn’t home, was so small and so fragile, was almost unbearable. “Next year will be better,” she said, and I prayed she would be right. I prayed that we wouldn’t be remembering the tiny baby who didn’t make it.

When we went to see him later that day, the nurse informed us that the hospital had had a visitor during the night. Santa had left gifts for all the babies in the neonatal unit. A blanket—knit by Mrs. Claus, the nurse said; a piglet beanie baby, and a teddy bear that would remain bigger than our son for three years. She also handed us a Polaroid photo: Santa Claus, standing by our son’s incubator.

Our boy is fine now, as you may know from the occasional Facebook posting or mention here on the JQs. He is completely normal in every way, except in the ways in which he is exceptional. He is extraordinarily kind, wicked funny and alternately extremely lazy or very hard-working. He is also very cute, with smiling brown eyes and thick, curly dark hair. He teases his sister, riles up our pets and is quite a slob. We love him with all our hearts, of course.

Thank you, Saint Nick, for watching over our little guy. And thank you, angels at Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Neonatal Unit. You’ll never be forgotten.

Merry Christmas

from the Jaunty Quills!

I recently wrote an article about how I fell in love with romance novels. Namely, how romance made me feel: the breathlessness at the beginning of the attraction, the physical ache in your chest when it seems the hero and heroine won’t end up together, and the near heart-bursting joy at the end of the book when they do. I was thinking about this, about all three of the feelings that–in my opinion–are requisite for a wonderful romance novel, and I realized something.

A lot of romance novels I’ve been reading over the past few years simply don’t meet all three requirements. And–also sadly–I have to admit that even my books to date have focused on one or two of these rather than all three.

Digging further, instead of “romance novel”, a lot of books that I’ve read in the past few years could be described as “lust-sex-heartbreak-HEA” novels. To me, they’re not the same at all. Part of it, I think, is that we as a society have become more skeptical and cynical in this first decade of the 21st century. It’s easier to believe in the heartache of a romance novel than in the actual romance (and please understand that I’m not talking about the HEA, but the journey of the couple to that HEA). I recently read my first book from a bestselling contemporary author, and I loved it. It didn’t need an intricate plot or anything extraordinary, because what made me fall in love with the characters and the book itself was how romantic it was. Imagine that. Yes, there was sex in it as well, and well-written sex, but the main focus of either character was not how to get into bed with the other; the focus was on their relationship and their growing love. (Edited to add: the book was EVERYONE LOVES A HERO by Marie Force.) It seems lately that I’ve read too many romance novels (and I’m not talking about erotic romances) where more attention is paid to physical desire than emotional development (i.e., turning the reader on instead of creating those warm, gushy feelings that made me fall in love with romance in the first place). I, like most readers, enjoy great sex scenes in the romance novels that I read–I believe they’re an integral part of the love story–but I want to see more from the relationship, to be honest.

This perspective has already changed my view toward my own writing. Recently I was plotting out a novella that, for some reason I couldn’t quite put my finger on, didn’t feel right. There was something missing. I knew there would be angst (lots of it!) and sex (of course), but something felt as if it were lacking. I would like to say that this was a momentary obtuseness on my part, but the truth is that until I wrote the above-mentioned article about why I fell in love with romance novels, I didn’t realize that the plot was focused more on heartache and lust than romance. And I’m a romance writer!

I truly felt as if a lightbulb had gone on in my head. When did the genre start moving away from the romantic side of romance? I’m certainly not saying there aren’t any books out there that are focused on romance (other JQ authors have wonderfully romantic books!), and I’m not even saying that this is prevalent among the genre–but it is something I’ve seen increasing lately. And it’s something that I’m committed to correcting in my own writing from now on.

Perhaps this is an epiphany only for me, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject, as either a reader or a writer. Have you noticed a declining trend in the romance in romance novels? What are your requirements for a satisfactory “romance novel” that truly fits the term? Thank you for your comments!

No matter how busy the holidays get, I always carve out time to do some baking. Sugar cookies, gingerbread and seven layer cookies are standard Christmas favorites in our house. My mother-in-law is the reigning Queen of the Snickerdoodles.  But this year, in addition to making our old favorites, I decided to try some new recipes. I’ve been inspired by the new Special Edition series I’m working on, tentatively called, Celebrations, Inc.  It’s about a group of friends who open a catering company. Each book features a heroine with a different role within the company. Currently, I’m working on the book that features the pastry chef, which is perfect for this time of year. Not only is my baking fun and festive, it also serves as research and development for my work. Doesn’t that sound like good justification?

Here are is one of the new recipes I tried. Don’t tell anyone, but it’s ridiculously fast and simple to make. The couple of times I’ve served it, it’s been a big hit.

Almond-Cherry-Chocolate Bark

INGREDIENTS:

Parchment paper

3/4 cup almonds

12 oz dark chocolate, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup dried tart cherries

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 350°. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, toast 3/4 cup whole skin-on almonds until fragrant and light gold, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely; transfer to a bowl. Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch water; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Set a large heatproof bowl atop saucepan, making sure water doesn’t touch bottom of bowl. Place 10 oz dark chocolate (60 percent to 70 percent cocoa) in bowl; cook, stirring, until smooth. Remove bowl from saucepan; add another 2 oz dark chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract, toasted almonds and 1/3 cup dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped. Pour onto baking sheet; spread into an even layer about 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour. Break into 24 pieces.

What are you baking this holiday these days?

We’ve talked a lot about tradition on here lately…ornaments and decorations and how we generally celebrate this holiday season. But I came across several strange bits of trivia surrounding the yuletime and thought it would be fun to pass them to you.

*Mistletoe, though tied to a romantic tradition, is actually a parasite. The kissing bit dates all the way back to 16th century England.

*The first time electric Christmas lights were used was 1854.

*The song “Jingle Bells” was originally written for Thanksgiving.

*If you received every gift from the song “12 Days of Christmas” you’d receive 364 items. That’s a lot of fowl.

*It wasn’t until 1870 that Christmas became an official holiday in the United States.

*Here in central Texas (perhaps the whole state?) tamales are a popular Christmas day dish.

*The candy cane was invented in 1670 by a choirmaster to keep children quiet during the church service.

*The first department store Santa appeared in 1841 in Philadelphia, but it took another 49 years before another store (this time in Boston) copied the idea.

*Kentucky Fried Chicken is the place to go on Christmas day in Japan.

*The pickle ornament…well, according to legend the Germans hung a glass pickle ornament on the tree and the first child to find it got a special present. My mother has done this for years. But evidently few Germans know of this supposed tradition.

*There are those who say that Christmas caroling was started by drunken men who would go door-to-door signing drinking songs for handouts.

*The story behind Christmas stockings is about three sisters who had no dowries to allow them to marry and St. Nicholas found their stockings drying by the fire and put a bag of coin in each one to provide their dowry. Other legends have the women as being prostitutes.

I found these tidbits of interest and hope you do as well. May your presents be purchased and wrapped under your trees and all your Christmas goodies be calorie free. Ho, ho, ho!