Hello! It’s me, Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire. I have noticed something about you humans at this time of year. You drink champagne, set off fireworks, and sing songs about Auld Lang Syne—whatever that means. To us porcupines, today is just another day of trees and pine nuts. To you humans, it’s obviously something much more important.

I am the leader—no, not mascot—leader of this motley blogging crew (Don’t get all huffy, Kristan. It’s not like you’ve never been called “motley” before). And as the leader (shut up, Margo. I only let you think you’re in charge), I want to better understand you humans. So I decided to do some research on this New Year’s idea.

Apparently, one thing you humans like to do at this time of year is to make resolutions. According to one website I researched—okay, Emily did the typing for me. I have very delicate paws!—some of the most popular resolutions this year are to lose weight, manage debt, and reduce stress.

Interesting but not at all what a porcupine would resolve. In fact, since I know Anne is dying to hear, I’ll post my New Year’s resolutions right now.

Jaunty P. Quill’s New Year’s Resolutions
1. Become a porcupine extraordinaire. Oh, wait…what was that, Robyn? I already am a porcupine extraordinaire? Why, of course I am! I can cross that off the list.

2. Eat more pine nuts. If any of you want to set up a fund (that means you, Delilah), I’d gladly accept contributions to my Porcupine Pine Nut Fund. It’s a 503c.

3. Read more romance novels. I’ve wanted to sink my teeth into all those new releases on my blog for so long. First is Margo’s Wild, which is about me, of course. The full title is Wild Porcupine. Then there’s Katherine’s Bare Porcupine, also—yes, you guessed it, about moi. Then there’s Nancy’s Accidental Porcupine. I’m not sure what kind of accident that must be, but it’s a fortunate one! Oh, so many books…

4. Lastly, I resolve to avoid bears. I had a nasty run-in a few weeks ago, and I’m still missing a few quills from my efforts at defense. So if one of you ladies has a quill or two to spare, I’d be most appreciative.

Those are my resolutions, oh, loyal readers. What are yours? I’d love to know…in the interest of research, of course.

Jaunty: It’s time to get the scoop on what all of our lovely Jaunties are doing for Turkey Day.
Margo: I’m doing the major cooking – as usual – this year. We’ll have about 25 for dinner, but everyone brings a dish, so it’s not too crazy! I do the turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy. The guests bring the rest!
Kristan: Going to the Garden State to see my husband’s family. I’m bringing pies.
Kathy: I’m hosting my parents for the holiday. I am cooking for six, but my mom and sweetie will be helping me so it’ll be a lot of fun!
Emily: We always host Thanksgiving. It’s only 10 – 12 people, but when it comes to cooking I’m a total control freak. So I’m letting my mom do the sweet potatoes and my sister the vegetable, but The Geek and I do everything else, from the brined, deboned turkey, to the homemade cranberry sauce to the pumpkin chocolate cheesecake. This year I’m branching out and am going to try a cranberry creme brulee. I love Thanksgiving!
Jaunty: Ooh, Emily, can I come, too?
Nancy: Emily, I’m coming to your house. So please set an extra place. Just kidding, but your menu does sound wonderful! I’m thinking we need to do a recipe exchange! Actually, we usually have a small Thanksgiving, my in-laws and us. My husband and I do most of the cooking since the folks have to travel about 70 miles to get here. We always do a traditional meal — Turkey, stuffing, sweet and mashed potatoes, veggies, fresh cranberries (I have a recipe that calls for Grand Marnier… so yummy!), and if course, traditional pies. The house always smells so good, and it’s wonderful to have the family gathered close.
Jaunty: I am drooling and it is not a pretty sight!
Shana: My mother-in-law is hosting this year–yay! I hosted last year, and oh, my! So much work! I’m responsible for the pumpkin pie and USF is doing a fruit salad.
Anne: Yes, set a place for me too, Emily! Like Nancy, we are doing a small Thanksgiving this year. I LOVE big Thanksgiving with everyone, but small Thanksgiving can be really special too.
Robyn: We’re not going to either of our families this year (instead we’ll be doing a cross-country Christmas) so we’re going to some friend’s here and hosting a few stray students that aren’t making it home for turkey day. I’m responsible for my world-famous sweet potato casserole, cornbread dressing and two pies. Man, it’s gonna smell sooooo good!
Jaunty: Sweet potatoes [sigh]. With marshmallows, I bet. I am a sucker for marshmallows. And pine bark, of course!
Cindy: My daughter is making dinner for the family, then we’re all going to see the movie, Twilight. Crazy, huh?
Delilah: This will be my first year making a Thanksgiving meal as a chef with a culinary degree (yay me!) so needless to say, the pressure is going to be on to make a *fabulous* meal. I usually start preperations about three days before and finish cooking everything on Thanksgiving day. I make everything from scratch, including the bread, gravy, desserts, whip cream, and butter. It’s my favorite holiday (and not just because I was born on Thanksgiving, although…). And this year, we will be hosting a total of 8 (4 being myself, my husband and two children). My daughter is only a year away from getting her black belt and seeing her instructors don’t have family around, we invited all four of them over for Thanksgiving. It’ll kick butt (pun intended, LOL).
Jaunty: Now I’m positively palpitating!
Shirley: My mom and her husband are coming over for an early dinner. She brings the candied yams and Jello salad, favorite treats since childhood. My job is to keep the baby occupied while my hubby preps the meal. I’m so thankful to have married a man who can cook!
Anne: Um, I think we need to take a Jaunty visit to Delilah’s too!!!
Jaunty: Can I ride with you, Anne? Ow! No need to elbow me. You can make a little room for me!
From all of the Jaunty Quills: We hope you all have a positively wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Jaunty Quills’s would like to welcome one of our favorite authors–Jacquie D’Alessandro. 

Jacquie writes Regency-era historical romances and contemporary romantic comedies–two very different types of books, but both contain her favorite elements of love, romance, and laughter.

And we’re very excited to announce that Jacquie has come bearing gifts!  She’s going to draw TWO winners from those who comment on her blog.  Each winner will get signed copies of her first two Mayhem in Mayfair books–Sleepless at Midnight and Confessions at Midnight!!

Last week I was having what I call a Bad Snow White Day.  I felt Frumpy, Lumpy, Dumpy, Bumpy, Schlumpy, Clumpy, and Grumpy.  The writing wasn’t going well (a lot of staring at a blank screen with characters who refuse to talk to me), it was a hair day from hell (horrifying bed head combined static cling), and even my rattiest sweat pants felt tight.  I needed a cure—and quick.  There was only one way to climb out of the deep hole I was standing in.  Call a Girlfriend.

When I did, I found out her day was going considerably better than mine—she only felt Frumpy and little Lumpy (too much chocolate the night before—I could relate).  We chatted for about ten minutes, laughed, commiserated, and at the end of the call we both felt better.  I still looked like hell (sadly, phone calls cannot cure static bed head), but I no longer felt Grumpy.  She saved the day.  As girlfriends just seem to do.

I’m in a small book club with some girlfriends—there are only five of us—and I greatly look forward to our monthly meetings.  We normally only spend a few minutes discussing the book, then the rest of the time we drink wine, eat desserts, and catch up on each others’ lives.  I always leave our meetings smiling and feeling rejuvenated and renewed.  I have other girlfriends who, due to geography, I rarely see, but we keep up a steady stream of e-mails and phone calls.  People often ask me if my stories are based on my real life experiences and I have to admit parts of my life have become fodder for scenes.  But I realized that my girlfriends have had a huge impact on my writing.  Not because I’m writing about them (usually J), but because they inspire me.

A couple of years ago I went on a book tour with 14 other writers.  We had a blast, and I ended up girl bonding with two of the other authors.  I’d been acquainted with them in the past, but we hadn’t had the opportunity to get to know each other well.  Our friendship bloomed into a collaboration and after asking a fourth author to join us, we published an anthology together (It Happened One Night, Avon, October 2008).  When the book hit the New York Times list, the four of us celebrated with cyber champagne (because we live in Atlanta, Australia, Canada, and Minnesota!).

Girlfriends also inspired my Regency-era historical Mayhem in Mayfair series which revolves around four young women who form a book club.  They call themselves the Ladies Literary Society of London, but they aren’t reading the classics (those naughty girls!) which leads to all sorts of adventures and romance.  So my girlfriends play an important role not only in my personal life, but my writing life as well.  We lend each other moral support, make each other laugh, and are just good for each others’ soul.  And that’s the way it should be.  Because girls not only want to have fun, we deserve to have fun! And hey—next time you’re having a Bad Snow White Day, know you’re not alone.  I’m still on deadline and therefore looking like something the Big Bad Wolf hacked up (different fairy tale, but you get the picture J).

So, tell me about your BFF—how long have you known each other and what do you enjoy doing together?  How have you inspired each other?  What interests do you share?  And if you haven’t gotten in touch with her yet today, take a minute to do so and tell her you love her.

What’s your favorite Halloween candy?
SHANA: Milk duds (Halloween or anytime)
DELILAH: Heck, I like it ALL.
ANNE: I’m with Delilah!
MARGO: Anything without coconut.
ROBYN: Margo, you can pass me any of your coconut. Those white peanut butter logs that looked like they have brown stripes from the wrappers or tootsie rolls
KRISTAN: Hershey bar with almonds
NANCY: Snickers – yum!!
CINDY: Forget the coconut…give me anything with chocolate
JAUNTY: Pinenuts covered in chocolate.

What’s your favorite Halloween movie ?
SHANA: LOST BOYS
DELILAH: GHOSTBUSTERS
ANNE: Ooh, The Lost Boys. Good one, Shana. Also love Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
MARGO: The Day the Earth Stood Still (Can hardly wait for the re-make!)
ROBYN: Oh, Shane, I love The Lost Boys! I guess my favorite would probably be Rocky Horror Picture Show or a good slasher flick from the 80′s like the original Friday the 13th
KRISTAN: If by “favorite,” you mean “scared the pants off me so that I couldn’t sleep well for decades, the answer would be “The Exorcist.”
SHIRLEY: Sleepy Hollow — scary *and* funny!
NANCY: I’m a big chicken! I don’t like scary movies. In fact, I can’t even look at the grotesque billboards that advertise a Halloween horror event at a major theme park near us. I guess that’s why I write romance
CINDY: Like Nancy, I’m a big chicken….scary movies, well, they scare me…and give me bad dreams.
JAUNTY: “Freddie Vs. Jaunty Part VII”

What’s your favorite Halloween costume?
SHANA: I liked my angel and my fairy princess costumes.
DELILAH: My shim costume. Half woman, half man. It’s hilarious.
ANNE: Romance writer complete with sweatpants. Scary.
MARGO: I don’t have one! Wahhh!
ROBYN: I like funny costumes, I once dressed two guys I worked with up as Hanz and Franz from Saturday Night Live, it was pretty funny.
KRISTAN: Angel of Death. Why beat around the bush, right? Go right for the big guns.
SHIRLEY: Pirate, of course! My toddler will be dressed as a skeleton.
NANCY: Once, three friends of mine and I went as the Jamaican Bobsled team. We made dreadlock wigs out of yarn and glue and carried Jamaican and Olympic flags and a cardboard sled.
CINDY: This time I’m with Margo….geez I’m starting to sound really boring.
JAUNTY: Casanova. I don’t even have to dress up!

What’s your favorite Halloween tradition?
SHANA: I like carving pumpkins.
DELILAH: Throwing my kids their very own Halloween party for just us before we go trick or treating.
ANNE: Carving!!
MARGO: Putting the candles in the pumpkins, turning on the porch light and waiting.
ROBYN: I love Halloween, I love to decorate, carve pumpkins and I loved Trick-or-Treating as a kid, it’s just a holiday of pure fun.
KRISTAN: Scaring the kids who come to our house. We have a fright hike around our property. If someone’s not crying, I haven’t done my job.
SHIRLEY: Other than the post-holiday sugar-high? Since it was just us two adults living on a street with no kids for so many years, we really don’t have any. I’m looking forward to starting new traditions as our son gets older.
NANCY: Yikes, Kristan! Scaredy cat that I am, I’ll steer clear of your house this time of year! On Halloween afternoon, as we carve pumpkins, we always listen to these ridiculous Halloween CDs with songs like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, The Adams Family, The Twilight Zone. Later, we meet up with friends and take our kids trick or treating. A few days later (after the seeds have had a chance to dry), I toast the pumpkin seeds. My family is rabid for them!
CINDY: When we used to live in town, I loved handing out candy to the kids who came to the door…and carving pumpkins.
JAUNTY: Carving pinecones with Mama and Papa Porcupine

What’s your favorite Halloween memory?
SHANA: Not sure I should
DELILAH: Trick or treating late into the night until people refused to open their door to me.
ANNE: Not a memory, I just love the fun and spirit of Halloween. Such a fun day.
MARGO: Making elaborate costumes for my kids. Julia once went as the Cowardly Lion. Now that was a fabulous costume!
ROBYN: probably Trick-or-Treating with my friends, just walking the neighborhood and then coming home and dumping all that candy on the floor to sort through. I guess I’ve always loved to sort things, I’m such a dork.
KRISTAN: My mom dared my sister and me to walk to the top of a Colonial graveyard in town, and while we were stumbling up through the old markers, she ran around to the back of the hill, hid behind a crypt and waited for us, then jumped out and scared the bejesus out of us. Explains many of my present-day phobias.
SHIRLEY: My military dad, buzz-cut and all, dressed up like Bozo to escort us around the neighborhood. Picture John Wayne in a clown suit, without the make-up…
NANCY: One year, our whole family dressed up as The Wizard of OZ clan. My daughter was Dorothy (complete with red-glitter-covered sneakers), my husband was the Tin Man, my grandma was the Lion, my dad was a Lollypop Kid, my step-mother was the Wicked Witch (only because she’s so wonderful!) and I was the Scarecrow. We carried a small tape player and played We’re Off To See The Wizard over and over as we took our daughter trick or treating around the neighborhood. Our last stop was our next door neighbor to the east – a mature lady of “unpredictable disposition” . When she opened the door, she scowled at us and said, “Well now, aren’t you all a little big for this?” LOL
CINDY: When my daughter was around seven, I let her answer the door on Halloween and a full grown black man who was a mute and dressed sort of like a ghost walked into our house and stood next to her in our living room. He didn’t speak when I asked him (in a rather frantic voice) what he wanted, he pointed to the large bowl of candy Wendy had in her arms. I moved to her side, grabbed a handful of candy bars and dropped them into his pillow case. He left. My husband slept through it all (he’d gone to bed early that night)
JAUNTY: TPing the bears’ cave. Since they hibernate they didn’t see it until Spring. The fun went on and on!

So how about you? What are your Halloween favorites?

The Jaunty Quills want to take this opportunity to welcome Steeple Hill author, Janet Tronstad.

Janet, one of five children, grew up on a family farm near Fort Shaw, Montana, a small town with a population less than 200.  This small town and the thriving church she attended have been an inspiration for her popular Dry Creek series of books published by Steeple Hill.

“People respond to the characters I have in my Dry Creek series,” says Janet.  “And a lot of that is because of the sense of community the characters in Dry Creek share, especially in the local church.  I think we all hunger to be in a place where people know us and accept us.”

Janet likes to write books that show people struggling with issues in their life and in their faith.  “We all struggle,” she says.  “That’s why we like to read about other people who are facing problems.”

Have you ever drooled over the handsome model on the cover of your favorite romance novel? My friend, Cindy Kirk, invited me to blog with you today and she’s had some hunks on the covers of her books (thanks Cindy for inviting me).

I usually think of hunks as being over five feet tall, but I lowered my height requirement when I recently heard from the cutie on the cover of my October romance, “Snowbound in Dry Creek.”

His name is Brandon and his mother wrote asking me if I’d sign a copy of the book for him so he’ll have it when he is older. I agreed, of course. I don’t know what Brandon’s dreams are for his future, but I hope when he looks at this cover he is encouraged by the fact that he helped make it. Who knows what dreams the experience will spark?

It reminded me of some of my early childhood experiences that encouraged me in my dream of growing up to be a writer. When I was about ten, I remember winning some jingle contest put on by the local radio station and receiving a six-pack of soda. You would have thought it was champagne the way I guarded it. A couple of years later, I won an essay contest on patriotism sponsored by our local VFW. It was absolutely thrilling. About that time I thought maybe I had a small nugget of talent and could actually become a writer someday.

One of my other writing friends remembers she first wanted to be a writer when she read a copy of Nancy Drew’s mystery, “The Secret in the Old Clock.”

How about you? Who or what encouraged you as a child to reach for your dreams (writing or otherwise)?

The Jaunty Quills welcome Harlequin SuperRomance author, Kay Stockham. Kay is approaching a milestone birthday next year. A BIG birthday and Jaunty (you know how nosy he is) wants to know how she’s planning to deal with this fast approaching crisis.   

I’m not totally freaking out about it but I can’t say that I’m looking forward to it, either. Still, I will admit to telling my husband I wanted to be forty and fabulous, not forty and fat. Ahh, vanity. Gotta love it, eh?

I joined Weight Watchers last December after finishing HIS SON’S TEACHER (Harlequin Superromance ISBN 037371502) in which my overweight heroine sets out to find her inner, post-divorce diva–with the help of gorgeous single father, Nick Tulane. HIS SON’S TEACHER is the second book in my Tulanes of Tennessee series, and the response to Jen and Nick has been overwhelming. Not only does Jen realize she can have a diva-tude and stay true to herself, she learns that some guys, like Nick, like a woman who is confident in who they are–regardless of their size, weight or anything else we women tend to nit-pick over. For Nick, nothing turns him on more than a woman’s curves and her attitude toward others and herself.

Readers seem to identify with Jen’s plight because many of us are so there. Maybe not horribly overweight but heavier than we should be and feeling down because of it. For me, those thirty pounds had to come off. I’d sit down at my computer to write and felt like I was struggling to breathe. Climbing stairs? Oh, my. Fast forward to now and I’m nearly at my goal and feeling better than I have in years. For others, reviving their self-image could mean a total makeover. How many midlife crises have you heard about that involved an affair, purchasing a motorcycle, cosmetic surgery, or all of the above?

My husband and I are both from families who have a lot of health issues and one of the things we’ve always dreamed of was owning a sports car. The problem was neither one of us wanted to be seventy or eighty (and no offense to those who are) years old driving around the car of our dreams. If we owned one, we wanted to be young enough to enjoy it.

Recently, my husband changed jobs and the distance he drives required us to have to purchase a vehicle because his truck wouldn’t make the trips. Well, in the process of looking for something safe, more gas friendly etc., my husband and I decided to have our midlife crises together. Novel idea, huh?

But instead of having surgery, affairs, checking out those Harley’s etc, we actually bought that much-dreamed about sports car. A fast, fun, OMG convertible that we climb into, go for a drive and come home holding hands.

We blast the music like only children of the 80s can and fly down the road, embarrassing our children because of the goofy grins we’ve been wearing lately. As silly as it sounds, the car has brought us closer together as a couple because after seventeen years of marriage where our focus has been on graduating college, building a house, having children, raising children, saving money for college tuition, bills, bills, bills, we’re having fun and enjoying every moment. Life is too short not to.

So what is my blog about today? I realize I’ve rambled a bit, but my blog is about life and all the ways we drive ourselves nuts trying to live it. How we as a nation have stopped smelling the roses. We’re stressed out, worn down and tired. Why? Not to get whiny, but why do we do this to ourselves?

Which brings me to my questions for the day: Have you had a midlife crisis? Do you know someone who radically changed their life with surgery? Had an affair? (No names, please.) Have you ever wanted to buy that sports car and drive into the sunset?

Tell me about how you’ve handled those milestone birthdays, how you plan to handle them, what you’ve learned from them, and what you’d like to do for your “midlife crisis”. I’ll chose a winner from those who post and you’ll win a pair of my handmade beaded earrings, as well as a copy of ANOTHER MAN’S BABY, the first book in my Tulanes of Tennessee series.

God bless,

Kay

For more information on Kay and her books, her weekly and month contests, blog and more, please surf to www.kaystockham.com.

Comment to win a book by Bella Andre!

Bella Andre, sexy author…I mean author of sexy romances, is with us today! And I have to admit that I’ve been quite taken by her recent covers. There is a certain striking resemblance to a porcupine sans quills in that locker room. Quite an impressive…locker…on that cover. I will demand later as to how you caught a picture of me! For now, I shall preen.

-Damn, I was hoping we could sneak this one by you, Mr. Jaunty!

Nothing gets by me, my precious! Bad Boys of Football…I’m a Bad Boy and game for anything to do with seduction. *saucy eye wink* With all of these bad boys running around in your tales…you’ve been watching me work, haven’t you? I shall investigate this matter later, I do promise you!

Unfortunately the ladies are pestering me to stop talking about myself. And our undying love. *grumbles* I do want to hear more about these strapping football players who have been immortalized (sans quills) on your covers.

Tell us about the books.

GAME FOR ANYTHING is about a star quarterback and the image consultant brought in to tame him. Only, they have a secret past! Ty Calhoun is one of the yummiest heroes I’ve ever written and I had so much fun watching the sparks fly between Ty and Julie Spencer, the girl he never forgot from high school. I’m thrilled that this book was picked as a Cosmo Red Hot Read this August. One of the biggest thrills of my life was buying a copy of the magazine and turning to the excerpt of my book!

GAME FOR SEDUCTION is Dominic DiMarco’s story, and unlike Ty Calhoun (who is a charismatic ladies man), Dominic is a tall, dark man of few words who doesn’t let anything stand in his way of getting what he wants….and he wants Melissa. Badly. Even though she’s his sport’s agent daughter. Even though she’s too young for him. Even though she seems so innocent.

What’s next?

I’m working on a romantic suspense series about wildland firefighters called HOTSHOTS: Men of Fire. In a nutshell these guys are the SEALS of firefighting – addiction to adrenaline, bound by the brotherhood. These elite firefighters fight the fires everyone else runs from. Here’s the back of book blurb for WILD HEAT, the first book in the series (coming May 2009):

HE’S A HOTSHOT FIREFIGHTER ADDICTED TO RISK.

SHE’S THE SULTRY BEAUTY HE NEVER SAW COMING.

Maya Jackson doesn’t sleep with strangers. Until the night grief sent her to the nearest bar and into the arms of the most explosive lover she’s ever had. Six months later, the dedicated arson investigator is coming face to face with him again. Gorgeous, grinning Logan Cain. Her biggest mistake. Now her number-one suspect in a string of deadly wildfires.

Risking his life on a daily basis is what gets Logan up in the morning. As leader of the elite Tahoe Pines Hotshot Crew, he won’t back down from a blaze-or from beautiful, lethal Maya Jackson. She may have seduced him with her tears and her passion, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before Logan lets down his guard again. Until Maya’s life is threatened. With his natural-born hero instincts kicking in, Logan vows to protect the woman sworn to bring him down. And as desire reignites, nothing-not the killer fire or the killer hot on their trail-can douse the flames…

Wow, that sounds…hot. Would you consider a hot and sexy porcupine romance?

Um, can I get back to you on that?

What about a hot and sexy porcupine romance that involves fiery porcupines engaging in daring deeds – and the women who love them?

Okay, now you’ve got me. I will call my agent right away and tell her all about it. Talk about a hook!

I knew I could convince you! You frequently include food and the pleasure found in divine cuisine in your novels, a topic near and dear to my heart. What is your favorite dish to cook? Anything with pine nuts?

Me? Cook? Oh no, you must be thinking about my partners in crime, Jami Alden and Monica McCarty. I wish. In fact I have all sorts of cookbooks and torn-out recipes to prove how strong my desire to cook really is! One day, I hope!

Cooking, desire and hope. I like it. Let’s talk dessert. What is your favorite doughnut?

Chocolate frosting. Which I promptly lick off before throwing the doughy part away. The doughnut is just the holder.

Licked frosting…wow. Just…wow. I think we must run away together…

Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Mr. J! It’s been a pleasure.

- And I’d be thrilled to give away a copy of one of my backlist to someone who comments.

Hello! It’s me, Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire with all the news from San Francisco. Just think of me like one of those embedded reporters going out on a patrol with the troops in Iraq. Except I infiltrated the Romance Writers of America conference. And let me tell you, that’s no day in a desert mine field.

I would have posted something sooner, but there was a situation where I got a little too embedded in a box full of copies of Blackthorne’s Porcupine. It was a tasty read—I chewed my way through several copies in an effort to escape.

And now! Finally, I’m here and can give you the scoop.

And the scoop is…there are big happenings in the world of romance. Deals were made, contracts signed, agents secured.

And the Jaunty Quills have big news of their own—no, Shana did not win the Rita for Blackthorne’s Porcupine. That honor went to Julia Quinn for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miniver Porcupine. A few tears were shed, but there’s always next year. And with so many talented Jaunty Quills, one of them will surely be nominated.

No, the big news is that—wait! I went to a workshop at the conference and the speaker kept talking about this thing called “show not tell.” So that’s exactly what I’m going to let the Jaunties do—show. So keep checking back. In the next few months you’re going to see some exciting changes.

Jaunty Lolz strike back!

moar funny pictures

moar funny pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

Jaunty: I’m back again – and in less than a week! Aren’t you all lucky? Well, we’re all lucky because Margaret Moore is with us today and willing to answer any question I ask. Right, Margaret?
Margaret: Fire away, oh prickly one.
Jaunty: I am so excited about A Lover’s Kiss – it’s a story about a porcupine spy in Regency London, right? We look so dashing in our disguises, don’t we? And I meet a sweet girl porcu–
Margaret: Oh, Jaunty, Jaunty, where were you when I was writing the prequels, KISS ME QUICK and KISS ME AGAIN, and first introduced Sir Douglas Drury? If only I had thought of the brilliant idea of porcupine love! But alas, I didn’t, and went instead with a baronet who’s also a barrister and a lowly French seamstress who saves his life one dark night. On the other hand, my man Drury certainly has his prickly moments … especially when he realizes the woman who helped him is French. So if there are any sweet girl porcupines looking for a romance to read, they might consider A LOVER’S KISS and they can imagine you as Sir Douglas. I’m sure you look dashing in Regency evening clothes.

Jaunty: You bet I do! I have an appropriate costume for every occasion. But back to Drury. What’s he got against the French? I have plenty of French friends. Have you never heard of my dear friend, Monsieur Jean-Pierre Cannette? They are goo, solid porcup … er, people!
Margaret: Being Canadian, I have great respect for the French. However, none of them have ever taken me prisoner and assumed I had information they wanted, so did what they felt necessary to make me reveal it. He has other enemies who aren’t French, though. Equally well known for his prowess in the courtroom and in the bedroom, he’s upset a few people over the years.

But he has good friends, too – the famous naturalist, Lord Justinian “Buggy” Bromwell, author of The Spider’s Web, Lady Diana Westover, author of The Castle of Count Korlovsky and her equally literary husband, Viscount Adderley, as well as the Honorable Brixton Smythe-Medway and his charming wife, Lady Francesca (aka Fanny).

Jaunty: He has a friend named Buggy? I can’t wait to meet this guy. But more about you … You say you’re Canadian? Canada is my home town! What do you do up there in the Great White North?

Margaret: When I’m not writing books, I’m trying to meet fascinating porcupines like yourself. When that doesn’t happen, I pretty much seek solace from the family, read, travel, watch TV and converse with the cats.

Jaunty: Are you an Idol fan? Or Lost? Do you get into those Bachelor shows? I personally do not understand why there is nothing on TV about my breed. Something about rodents not being popular. I can’t believe it!

Margaret: I watch The Amazing Race, Survivor, Chuck, The Office, Battlestar Galactica and reruns of Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. Oh, and America’s Next Top Model and Project: Runway, although I don’t think I’d be watching those if I didn’t watch with my daughter.

Speaking of my daughter, we’ve been ”Philiminated” by the host of the Amazing Race himself (at a TARCon – a gathering of TAR fans in NYC watching the last episode of a season). I don’t know what aftershave the man wears, but let me just say … it’s nice!

Margaret’s daughter and Margaret “Philiminated”

I liked the first season of Lost, but then it got too weird for me, and not even the scruffy Sawyer was enough to keep me watching. I can’t watch medical shows because I start worying I’m coming down with some dread disease. And the forensics shows kinda squick me out. I’ve seen an episode or two of the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows, but I think they focus too much on what I call the props of romance – candles, rose petals, walks on the beach. Show me the couples wallpapering a room or dealing with other stress (other than elimination and competition for a person’s attention) and I’d be way more interested.

Jaunty: The Jaunties tell me you’ve written many books. I was thinking about asking you to name them, but Anne pinched me and said I couldn’t. So maybe you can tell us if you have a favorite kind of hero. Someone prickly, no doubt, with a wardrobe to die for. Right?

Margaret: I hate to disappoint you, Jaunty, but most of my heroes are not snappy dressers. Generally, they couldn’t care less what they have on, as long as it’s appropriate. Of course, they look good in whatever they do wear. Or … ahem … nothing at all.

My heroes generally fall into two categories (and no – not dressed or undressed): the strong, silent type, or the merry gadabout who hides deeper issues. Drury’s definitely the former. And you sure don’t want him cross-examining you in the courtroom.

My next medieval hero, Madoc ap Gruffydd, is a bit of both, depending on the circumstances. When he first meets the heroine, she would say a porcupine would probably be a lot more cuddly.

Jaunty: Darned right.

Margaret: Then Buggy gets his own book, and he doesn’t fit either category, really. He’s a sort of Regency geek who thinks spiders are the most fascinating creatures (until he meets his heroine, of course). I should have had him admire porcupines, but I first wrote about him six years ago when I had no idea how interesting porcupines could be.

Jaunty: I’m not really that fond of spiders, Margaret. [Gulp]. But tell us where we can find you on the web  (nice segue, eh?).

Margaret: If people want to know more about my previous books (and yes, there have been many!), or my upcoming books, they can visit my website at http://www.margaretmoore.com.  I also blog about writing and life in general at http://margaretmoore.blogspot.com. 

Thanks so much, Jaunty.  You’re one heck of a porcupine!

Jaunty: Tell that to the Jaunties, please! I am SO under-appreciated! They are always making me keep my mouth shut!