April 23, 2008

I’m in love

Well, I finally got it. I brought her home the Wednesday before I left for RT (which I’ll tell you about soon), and man-oh-man was she ever worth the wait. The whole Mac store was a great experience. I set up a personal shopping appointment since The Professor and I were buying two computers, we felt we needed the personal attention for any questions we had.

About an hour later we walked out of the mall with an shiny new iMAC and my beautiful, sexy new machine. It even came in its own special bag just for the Air. Now you’ll remember that I’m a PC user - or I was - and I’ve always been pretty handy on a PC able to do things above and beyond the general user. So when we came home and I unpacked my lovely, you can imagine my surprise when I didn’t have to do any of the stuff I’m used to doing in order to get the computer up and running. There was no typing in all the email smtp.whatevers, my baby knew just what to do based on my email address. I didn’t have to tell it where to go to find my router, nope, she found it straight away.

The move from Windows to Mac OS X-Leopard has been very smooth, so far no significant issues for me. I’m able to easily navigate it and have worked through my issues with the programs not docking like windows do - with all the other perks that come with this operating system, that’s an issue I can totally deal with. I’m loving the uber cool touchpad with the scrolling/finger swipe things you can do. The keyboard has a great touch and lights up beautifully when the overhead lights are off. The screen is so bright, frankly I’m surprised I didn’t go blind working on my old laptop. Yes, it’s super light and thin and sleek, but those are just aesthetics, the machine itself is more than I need and so far is a perfect writing companion.

So my big question for you, what should I name her? I figure she’s a girl, although all my previous computers have had boy names. So she should have a sleek name that fits, something elegant, yet hip. Any thoughts? Y’all name your computers too, right?

April 14, 2008

Emily McKay’s winner

Sorry this is so late, but congratulations to Laura, the winner of Emily McKay’s contest from last week. Laura, just email Emily so she can find out where to mail your book.

April 11, 2008

Guest Blogger Emily McKay

Robyn here…Before I turn the blog over to Emily I have to step in here to do a special introduction because I’m so excited that Emily is here today. You see not only is she my critique partner and closest friend, but she’s one of my favorite authors. If you like Jenny Cruisie, chances are you’ll like Emily McKay. She’s got great trademark humor and authentic emotion that will really tug at your heartstrings. So if you’ve never given her a try, then do yourself a favor and run out today to get you a copy of her latest Desire - and really how sexy is that cover?

Okay, now without further ado, I give you my partner in crime, Emily McKay.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a health scare. Not the kind of health scare I normally have (which usually consists of me googling obscure diseases and then calling friends and family to see if they think I’m exhibiting signs of … oh, say typhoid or sarcoidosis. No, this was an actual health scare. There were doctors involved and everything.

Don’t worry, it ended up being nothing.

But as I sat in the doctor’s office with my hubby and kids waiting to see if my number was in fact up, here are some of the thoughts that went through my mind: “If I’m dying, I want to do less laundry. I want to eat more Thin Mints and Cherry Garcia ice cream. And I’m definitely not finishing that mediocre book I’ve been reading. Hmm…I wonder what I should read instead. Maybe I’ll reread Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm. Or the last Harry Potter book. I’ll definitely catch up on Suz Brockmann’s Trouble Shooter series.”

It’s funny, now that I think about it. I didn’t give any thought to what I’d finish writing. I guess that’s because I was a reader long before I was a writer. I can imagine never writing again, but I sure can’t imagine never reading again.

So when I found out I wasn’t dying, what did I do when I got home? I folded laundry. But I did pick up a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book I’d been saving.

But what about you? What book is so good, you’d want it to be the last book you ever read?

For any who respond today, I’ll draw a lucky winner to win an autographed copy of my latest release, Baby on the Billionaire’s Doorstep.

P.S. I’m running a contest on my website. Be sure to stop by for a chance to win a one of two $50 gift cards from Amazon.com.

April 9, 2008

A day in the life

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a full-time writer? Well, I certainly can’t speak for all the authors out there, we all have different lives, different responsibilities and schedules. But I thought I’d give you a peek into an average day for me.

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of breakfast cooking. After a rigorous workout with my personal trainer, I shower and dress in my silk leisure suit. My assistant checks my emails and takes care of the ones that don’t need my personal assistant and formulates my new promotion plan. I sit at my computer and the characters immediately come alive and I quickly whip out 15 brilliant and perfectly crafted pages. Since I finished early I call my masseuse and then have a little nap. I wake up in time to see my lovely husband walk through the door with flowers again and announce we’ll be dining at a new 5-star restaurant. Anyone sick yet? Yeah, me too, okay so here’s how it really goes…

7:00 alarm clock goes off, The Professor hits snooze
7:30 after 30 minutes of snoozing, I get up, drag my laptop onto the bed and check email
7:45 begin bugging The Professor to get out of bed
8:15 no really, GET OUT OF BED!
9:00-9:30 somewhere in here either The Professor leaves or I take him to work (we only have 1 car)
9:45 talk to my mom on the phone
10:00 eat breakfast and decide to put dinner in the crockpot
10:30 check email and respond accordingly
10:45 open current book document and scroll down to the last written page
11:00 look at plot chart, what was I thinking? There’s nothing going on in this book
11:02 send panicky email to critique partner about how this is the worst book ever and I can’t imagine how I’ll ever pull it all together
11:15 write a couple of pages, get stuck looking for the right word, spend 15 minutes on-line looking for the right one. Go back to the pages, yep, still crap
11:45 check email, critique partner assures me that I always think the book I’m working on is terrible and I’ll be able to fix everything later, send her a threatening response that if she’s wrong, I’m giving her a nasty dedication

11:50 look at plot chart for inspiration and see that the next scene looks more interesting (it’s an almost love-scene), make a note in the manuscript to finish/fix the current scene and move onto the more interesting one - write 9 pages
12:45 lunch break, eat something wildly healthy and watch the food network
2:00 check email, email from my editor’s assistant and they need a picture for the back cover, peruse current promo pics and email friends to see which one they like best
2:15 critique partner calls with a plotting crisis of her own and I’m brilliant and very helpful in solving all her problems, we then brainstorm issue with the problem scene from earlier today. Decide I need to research for some sort of large event to set the scene in.
3:45 hang up - yes we talk a long time, but hey we’re wordy and I had to say hi to her 2.5 year old which you know takes a while sometimes, but now it’s time to go get The Professor
4:30 check email and get ready for our afternoon walk
5:30 walk
6:30 finish dinner up and eat
7:30 check email again (frankly I think I check email really like every 2 minutes, but I didn’t want to look like a total loser)
7:45 start research needed to fix scene, make notes for tomorrow when I’ll do it all over again.

You know some days are like this and some are great writing days where everything goes wonderfully and I’m done writing all my pages in like 2 hours. And some days its painful and brutal and I barely get a page done before I just throw in the towel and hope the next day is better. Then there are those days when I have a doctor’s appointment that lasts forever and have to go grocery shopping and to the bank and by the time I get home I barely have any time left. But I get some work done everyday. I try to do weekly page goals rather than daily to afford for the crazy schedule my life sometimes has so that I can deal with the 3 page days when I have a 15 page day. It all evens out.

So how about you, how do you spend your days?

March 27, 2008

Secrets unveiled…

This is long overdue and for that I should certainly apologize. I’m embarrassed that I’ve neglected you for so long, but I’ve been holding on to a couple of secrets and the time has come to share them. So do y’all want good news or the bad news first? I know I can hear some of you groaning. Okay we’ll go with the bad news. I’m leaving Avon and that means no 4th book in the Ladies’ Amateur Sleuth Society series. At least for the time being. That doesn’t mean there won’t EVER be one, I have full intentions of completing the series at some point in the future. Suffice it to say that I’ll find a way to make sure poor Charlotte gets her happy ending and that Jack’s identity is finally revealed. So many of you have emailed me to ask about this book and I so appreciate your support. It’s sad, I know it, I’m bummed too. But with every bit of bad news there is a silver lining. I think I mixed my metaphors with that, but you get my drift.

So onto the good news. I’m moving to Grand Central Publishing (formerly known as Warner Books) and home to so many great writers. I’m super excited. Along with this move will be coming a new and very exciting series for me. I can’t give you many details right now, but suffice it to say they’re coming, I promise. I just can’t wait until you meet these characters, I can honestly say I’ve never had more fun writing than when I dove head first into this book. Be looking for more details on here and on my website as they become available to me.

I hope you’ll be excited for me with this new endeavor. I can’t wait to tell y’all all about the books!

March 19, 2008

Winner!

Congratulations to Rebekah for winning her choice of my books. Just email me and we’ll hammer out the details.

And here’s a little pre-Easter humor for you.

March 18, 2008

Inside the Actors Studio

Ever watch that show? It’s on A&E and I totally love it. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with it, it’s set in a film school (acting and directing) and the host has one actor on stage and they go through the actor’s work, asking questions about techniques and whatnot. And then at the end the students get to ask questions themselves. I always think it must be a scenario not unlike that RWA’s National conference where the cream of romance’s crop is often available for workshops and questions. And it’s just really fascinating to listen to actor’s talk about their craft in similar terms to how I’m used to creating characters and story. But the best part of the show is right before the host turns the actor over to the students and he ends with a famous questionnaire.

What is your favorite word? CRISP - it’s the perfect onomatopoeia

What is your least favorite word? ENVELOPE - I never know how to say it

What turns you on? MY HUSBAND’S LAUGHTER

What turns you off? ANY KIND OF HARM TO CHILDREN

What sound do you love? BABY COOING

What sound do you hate? SQUEALING BRAKES

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? WINDOW PAINTER - I’d love to do those holiday paintings on store windows

What profession would you not like to participate in? PODIATRIST

What’s your favorite curse word? BUGGER

If heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? YOUR LOVED ONES ARE WAITING OVER THERE

Answer it with me, and then tonight at midnight I’ll randomly pick a winner to receive an autographed copy of one of my books - your choice.

March 5, 2008

Ode to my stuff

I suppose I could start singing now something about whiskers on kittens and brown-paper packages, but y’all couldn’t hear me and spontaneously bursting into song happens often enough at my house, but I shall pass. Instead I just want to share with you some of my favorite things.

Y’all know about my obsession with a certain type of red gel pen, but what about my favorite candy? Let me preface this by saying there are plenty of great choices out there. Snickers are super yummy and sometimes a perfect choice. A Twix can hit the spot when you can’t decide between candy or a cookie. And there are plenty others that I like, but when it comes down to it, if there was only one kind of candy in the world, then it would be an easy choice for me. It really just doesn’t get any better than that.

I love jewelry, really all kinds. I’m kind of like a fish in that regard, any thing that sparkles immediately gets my attention. But I absolutely adore earrings. And my favorites are the lovely dangle-chandelier-type earrings with the lovely stones. I have them in practically every color and different sizes and shapes and they go with anything. They’re just so pretty and so feminine and they make me happy.

I can almost guarantee that if I turn the TV on during the day - which I don’t do if I’m working - then it goes to one specific station. Channel 231 here and it’s the Food Network. I love it. The Professor even knows the names of most of the hosts, much to his embarrassment (but it’s only fair, I know everyone on CNN), because it’s on so often. But I love getting new recipe ideas and learning techniques. And it really stretches my creativity for cooking. It’s also perfect background noise if you just need a tiny afternoon nap.

A few years ago my mom gave me a pair of flip-flops. They were ugly, but crazy comfortable. And I wore them all summer and then all the next summer too and it saddened me when the weather turned cold and I had to put my comfy shoes up. So I bought a winter pair. Same brand, only enclosed that I could wear with socks and thus keep my tootsies warm. My Crocs are purple and they look like Smurf shoes and they just make me smile when I wear them. I know I must look ridiculous, but I simply don’t care.

Since I started writing full-time, nearly 3 years ago, I’ve stopped wearing make-up everyday. But I still love make-up and tend to wear it a few times a week. So it’s important that I have good stuff, especially since I have Rosacea and always have rosy cheeks - I never buy blush. A few years ago I tried some stuff I’d seen on an info-mercial (I know I’ve told y’all before they could sell me a box of dirt in an info-mercial) and I love it. It’s the mineral based make-up and it’s the only stuff that covers my redness without making me look like I’ve spackled my foundation on. And it doesn’t feel heavy. It’s just great for looking natural.

Sometime in the afternoon, usually between 2 and 3 I get hungry and need a snack. I try to keep healthy snack options in the house, things like raw veggies, fruit, nuts, cheese and whole grain crackers. One of my favorites is Laughing Cow cheese. Ever tried this stuff? It’s so yummy. And great on all kinds of stuff. It’s good on apples, celery, wasa, pretzels, crackers, your finger, uh…well, that’s just in a pinch if you can’t find anything else.

So how about you? What are some of your favorite things?

And be sure to scroll down and see if you won Sophie Jordan’s contest from yesterday.

February 28, 2008

Commercials

Normally I’m a muter. Meaning I turn the volume off during commercials. I’m offended by the fact that the TV gets louder during them. But every once in a while I’ll catch one or two that give me a chuckle and while they still don’t accomplish their goal (ie. getting me to buy their product) I enjoy them.

Sonic. I like all of them, but my favorite people is the married couple. They always crack me up.

Jimmy Dean Sausage. I don’t know why, but for whatever reason I like that big sun and all his weather/sky counterparts. I just think the concept is so clever.

There’s one on cable that always makes me chuckle and I think it’s for a diet pill, but frankly I’m not even sure. But it’s these two pencil drawing people - a man and a woman and she’s talking about how when her husband gives up sodas he loses a ton of weight and so his drawing gets smaller and it goes on from there highlighting the difference between how men and women lose weight - it’s clever.

Tide. I love the new one that debuted during the superbowl with the talking stain. Brilliant.

Blockbuster. They had some that ran a few summers ago that were so funny, but not so much anymore. I just remember there was this woman who was pulling her garden hose and she yanked it so hard it knocked the BBQ pit into the swimming pool. HA!

And then there are the ones that make me hunt for the remote to turn them down as quickly as possible. Like all the Capital One ads - who thought those were a good idea? They’re just annoying. Or anything with Billy Mays, that man talks SO LOUD! I don’t want any of his products. Why do ad people think if they scream at us it will make us run to the store to buy something? And how do you like the new diet pill ad that has the “and we couldn’t say it on TV if it wasn’t true” disclaimer like that’s some kind of official rule.

Frankly I think the best part of most commercials is trying to figure out which actor they’ve hired to do the voice over. Donald Sutherland has been selling orange juice for years. Tom Selleck is doing one now and I can’t remember what it is. George Clooney has done beer commercials. But are they really effective in accomplishing their goals? Not so much at our house. How about yours? And which commercials do you like?

February 22, 2008

Frump girl

Remember in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when Toula talks about being Frump girl? And Ian tells her that he doesn’t remember Frump girl, but he remembered her. It’s a great part of the movie and I suspect it hit home with most of the women in the audience. Cause unless you look like Angelina Jolie, then you probably have plenty of days (years?) when you feel like Frump girl. Women have issues with their looks. I’m pretty sure it’s a documented, scientific fact. I know I do. There are days when I feel dowdy, frumpy and just plain unattractive - of course that could be because I’m on deadline and I haven’t put make-up on or fixed my hair in over a week.

Now I’ll never be the kind of person who says that all it takes is a man who thinks you’re pretty to solve your image issues. I don’t think that’s true for a moment. But I must confess it sure doesn’t hurt. Just like with Toula, seeing herself through Ian’s eyes opened allowed her to see her own beauty - she’d already seen her own worth and skill at that point, but he let her see how attractive she could be. The Professor does this for me. As far as he’s concerned I’m the most beautiful woman on earth. Really. He says it all the time and as ludicrous as it sounds, I totally believe him when he says it. He has a whole list of things he noticed about me right off the bat and I only get more beautiful to him as the days pass. My sister’s husband says it best, I think, he told her that the day he realized she was “the one” for him, she’d never looked more beautiful and she’s looked that way everyday since. Do we have great husbands or what?

But bragging about my sweet husband isn’t the point of this blog - although I should take time to point out to any singletons out there, hold out for that man who thinks you’re the most beautiful woman in the world - you so deserve that. No, what I want to talk about is my heroines and how most of them struggle with some image issues, whether they be physical or emotional, they’re wounded. I know I mentioned this a little when I wrote on underdogs a few weeks ago.

I think it’s important to create characters that have real issues, that struggle with the sorts of things that we all struggle with. Most of us can relate to a heroine who thinks she has a big butt or hates her hair and while that’s an oversimplification of an image issue, we still “get” it. What about those characters who struggle with feeling worthy of love, feeling like they deserve the attention of the hero or the one who is used to being in the background fixing everyone else’s life and hasn’t risked having one of her own. Chances are one of those resonates with you. And that’s where our hero comes in. He doesn’t ride in and just cause he’s a swell guy he solves our heroine’s problems - that’s far too easy. Instead he saunters in the room and gives her attention she’s never had, good or bad and makes her sit up and take notice of the state of her life and what she needs to do to change it. He makes her want to reach for that happy ending. So when he tells her she’s beautiful, she might not believe him at first, she might still feel like Frump girl, but eventually she’ll trust his words. Eventually she’ll know she’s beautiful to him even if she’s at home folding laundry still wearing her robe with her hair in a ponytail.

So how about you, do you like “frumpy” heroines or do you tend to stick with the beautiful ones?