Hi all! The three blog participants who each won a copy of THE SPANISH ARISTOCRATS WOMAN from yesterdays daring adventure blog are:

Cate S., Rebe, and bn100.

Please contact me via my website at www.katherinegarbera.com

Thank you everyone for your comments!!

My daughter and I have always celebrated our birthdays together since they are only four days apart. When she was born, my Grandmother said to me, you’ve got a special present now but you still have your own special day. And C and I enjoy sharing our celebrations.

She’s 20 this year and when we were talking about our birthdays she said she wanted to celebrate them by going to Spain. I was thinking yes, that sounds good! Then she said she wanted to do the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. Huh? How could my daughter want to do something so…dangerous and yet at the same time I was excited that she wanted to do this. I mean it would be fun. Since we live in the UK we should do some vacations in Europe.

Last week I booked us with a tour group to go to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. They give you a walking orientation tour of the route the bulls run so you know where to go and they even provide us with red sashes. I should say I’m not going to run. I’ll just observe it. My crazy-daughter is going to though and I think she will love it. I remember being 20 and feeling like life was a big adventure. I can’t help thinking if I’d had a little more of her nerve maybe I would have tried something as daring.

What about you? Are you full-on adventure and daring or sitting on the sidelines like me?

In honor of our upcoming trip to Spain I’m giving away copies of THE SPANISH ARISTOCRAT’S WOMAN to three lucky blog participants today!

I’m not very good at painting or drawing but that doesn’t stop me from indulging in both of them quite a bit. Above is a sketch I did while waiting for my son to get out of school. Its a hobby I enjoy doing on my own but am not interested enough in going to a class. I think that’s because while its just me doing it, I can’t be told I don’t have any talent!  And there are no rules when I’m just doing it for myself.

When I was a senior in high school my humanities class had a painting project to pick a period (classical, impressionist, modern) and create something that reflected both the period and ourselves.  I bought a pack of two bound canvases and used the first to do a riff on two of Monet’s paintings Impression Sunrise and Haystacks. I called it Impression Purple, my dad called it Impression F. To be fair my water color blocked canvas didn’t resemble anything Monet would ever put his name too but I thought I’d captured the spirit of impressionism and my love of the color purple.  It was actually pretty funny and when I related the story in class it got a lot of laughs.  In fact it made me kind of famous in the teacher’s lounge and my Honor English teacher confiscated Impression F (purple) for her classroom!

But I also used primary colors on the second canvas to paint a portrait of me through symbols and words.  I have often found that when I do things that are ‘self-portraits’ I get the most positive feedback.  That canvas got me the A I was expecting and some nice comments on my work.  No one was saying I was the next Rembrandt or Monet but it was a well done project.  Inspired by this faint praise I went straight out and bought more canvas and paints attempting to work with oil this time I spent hours staring at myself in my mirror and trying to capture my face, but let’s just say that I looked odd–I can’t do faces–and not in the Picasso good sort of odd way.  I gave up painting for a while as I focused on my other artistic passion, music.

But then over the last year I’ve been painting pottery which is fun but I think I’ve got enough bowls and mugs for now. So I have to find some other outlet to paint.  I was thinking of my office, but if I screw that up, its going to take a lot of time to repaint.

What about you? Any hobbies that you enjoy even though you aren’t an expert at them?

There is a lot of hype surrounding Valentine’s Day and it really boils down to a day of celebrating the person you are in love with.  I hate when I hear people saying that its just an excuse to get you to spend money on flowers or candy.  To be honest I think we should celebrate being in love every day but that just doesn’t happen since we all lead very busy lives.  Its hard sometimes to carve out a little special time for the one you love.  Here are some romance reminders to let your Valentine know you are thinking of them not just today but everyday of the year.

Flirting–this is one of the oldest forms of romance, start with a coy little smile, a gaze that’s held longer than necessary or a gentle touch.

Compliments–take a moment to tell your partner what you like best about them every day.

I’m not a very outgoing person. I mean I can be funny and the life of the party with people I know but with strangers I’m very quiet and shy.  A few glasses of wine has been known to make me more outgoing but that’s the exception rather than the rule.

Look at this lady in the picture behind us–my daughter calls this photo bombing. This so unexpected and funny. I smile each time I see her in my picture. I don’t know who she is but she is making me laugh!

I am by nature someone who likes routine and things in their place so by rights this stranger in my picture should bother me but it doesn’t.  One of the mom’s I knew when my son was in second grade told me a story about how when she was new in town every day this crossing guard would smile and wave at her.  She said she expected that he did that to everyone but as she knew no one in town that little gesture just made her feel a little better about moving to some place unfamiliar.

Have you ever had something unexpected just make you smile?

Thanks everyone for blogging with me. My winners are: Lizzie Lamb, Jane and Stacie D. Drop me your snail mail at kathy@katherinegarbera.com

I’m a little late to the actual world of fashion designers. I like clothes and shoes and handbags but I buy on instinct based on what I like and what looks good on me. I’m not tall and my body is pretty much 50/50, meaning my legs aren’t super long. So over the years I’ve learned what I can and can’t wear. I’ve never looked good in khakis and a polo shirt. Despite knowing this I have attempted the look many times, but then I grew up in the 80s so might have an excuse!

While browsing in Waterstones (a UK book chain that’s similar to BN in the US) I found a book that looked intriguing…Parisian Chic. My husband and son were both still in search of a gift for moi so I grabbed it and handed it them before turning away so I could be surprised on Christmas morning!

And I was. I have read and re-read the book a number of times. The fashion advice from Ines de la Fressange is almost simple and as soon as I read a number of things I could easily see how even though I didn’t know these “rules” I had already been instinctively doing some of the things she suggests. I wish I did it as well as she does but then I’ve never been the face of Chanel so I think I might be excused.

To bring this blog into focus a bit, I will say that reading this book reminded me of writing. The first manuscript I ever wrote had mistakes and plot holes and was very contrived but the bones of the writing craft were there. This fashion book felt the same as writing does to me. It was like I knew the basics but not the right way to apply them. And for me the practice of writing every day honed what I knew and I still learn things from my own writing process and from reading the books of others.

My question today is a two-parter: Have you ever stumbled onto something that was new to you and found you knew more about it than you had suspected? And if so, what was it?

I’m giving away a copy of His Royal Prize to three lucky bloggers today!

Kathy

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?

This is my first Christmas in a foreign country and its interesting to see the traditions that are the same as mine and the ones that are different. One thing that is different for me is the food, but I think that is down to my Italian-American roots. We always have lasagna on Christmas with braciole, meatballs and spicy Italian sausage. While over here most people have turkey or some kind of four bird roast. I’m intrigued by this roulade of meat that I think has turkey, goose, duck and chicken(?) in it. It reminds of the year my good friend Eve’s husband made the Tur-duck-en (turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken) but those were all bone in and I think he deep-fat fried it.

I’m also really missing Pillsbury break-and-bake cookies and I can’t find a single can of rolls over here to make some of my favorite easy-to-bake dishes. But I’m excited to try their Christmas pudding which I think is some kind of fruit cake that you pour brandy over and then when its served you light the brandy for a flambe affect. It sounds fun and I already know I’m going to give it a try. Its the one thing my fourteen year old is looking forward to helping me with since he thinks setting a cake on fire sounds like fun!

What are you most looking forward to in your Christmas meal? Have you ever spent a holiday away from home and if so what did you like most about it and miss most?

I write cowboy stories, so you know hats are important. In my debut, A Man of His Word, the hero, Dan Armstrong, has a serious problem with his hat—it gets shot clean off his head by page 2. It was bad enough that someone took an unprovoked shot at him—but that was his favorite hat, and where Dan comes from (that would be Texas), a man doesn’t go without a hat. He feels under attack and underdressed.

Dan does pick up a new hat, and he does get to the bottom of who killed his first one. Of course it was our heroine, Rosebud Donnelly, who a) wasn’t trying to hit him and b) thought Dan was someone else. One of the long-standing tensions between them is whether or not Rosebud will admit to pulling the trigger. Eventually, she offers to buy Dan a new hat. Ever the gentleman, he refuses.

As you can see, hats are important to cowboys. And I write about cowboys. You know what this means, don’t you?

Yes. I needed a hat. More specifically, I needed a cowboy hat.

There’s a slight problem with that, though. I live east of the Mississippi River, the traditional dividing line between the West and the East. As in, my little town in Illinois is not the cow capital of anything. As in, no one else here wears a hat. At least not inside city limits, anyway. I live in a neighborhood full of Victorian homes. Nary a horse in sight.

But I write cowboys. I needed a hat.

Now, I’m not proud of this next part. I was angling for a hat (and the boots to match) for Christmas, so I was telling my mom about my authorial-based wardrobe needs. My father was in his recliner. He piped up with, “I have a hat you can have.”

So I go into his closet and pull out the cowboy hat he bought on the family vacation to Las Vegas (which, it should be noted, is in The West) twenty years ago. The sad part? It fit.

Yes. My head is the same size as my father’s. I feel shame at this.

So, the hat:

Yes. That’s definitely my father’s hat. On my head.

Several people (gently) pointed out to me that perhaps this particular hat was not designed with the feminine sensibility in mind. (In other words, my sisters forbade me to ever leave the house with that hat on my head.)

Thus began the second quest for a hat. This time, I got lucky. I was in Branson, MO (well west of the Mississippi, it should be noted!) and a small store downtown was chock-full cowhide—and hats.

I put this hat on my head, and voila! I looked like a western romance author!

 So in my neighborhood, I’m notable not for being the author, but for walking my dog in a cowboy hat. (Don’t tell my sisters—it doesn’t go with the tennis shoes at all, but I don’t care.) Like my hero, Dan, I feel a little underdressed without it.

What accessory do you feel underdressed without? I’m giving away a signed copy of A Man of His Word to one commenter below. All comments will be entered to win the Locket of Love Jewelry Grand Prize!

This post is brought to you as part of the A Man of His Word Blog Tour. U.S. residents only. For a complete tour schedule and rules, visit www.sarahmanderson.com. Comments on this blog will be entered to win a signed copy of A Man of His Word. All blog comments are added to the Jewelry Grand Prize list. Jewelry Grand Prize announced on January 1st, 2012 to one randomly drawn name on the list. Next tour stop is Limecello on December 15th.

A Man of His Word Blurb: Attorney Rosebud Donnelly has a case to win. And she never lets anyone see her sweat. But her first meeting with Dan Armstrong doesn’t go according to script. No one warned her that the COO of the company she’s fighting would be so…manly. From his storm-colored eyes to his well-worn boots, Dan is an honest-to-goodness cowboy. But is he honest? Her yearning for the Texas tycoon goes against reason, against family loyalty, against everything she thought she believed in. And yet, in Dan’s strong arms, Rosebud feels she might be ready to risk everything for one more kiss….

A Man of His Word is available! Visit your favorite bookseller, at Amazon, or for the Nook.