My teenage daughter loves shoes.  What girl doesn’t, right?  However, she and I both have the same problem in that sometimes great-looking shoes, while stylish, just don’t fit right.

I could tell her mind was on shoes last Saturday as she gathered her outfit for the year-end dinner and dance that she was to attend that night, which was sponsored by a school club.  She had nice dressy heels to wear, but they were a bit high for dancing.  Her flat shoes pinched her feet.  She could, however, make either pair work if she needed to.

She and I went out to our favorite sushi restaurant for lunch that day, only to find we’d arrived fifteen minutes before it was due to open (their Saturday hours are different from their regular weekly hours).  Since temperatures are already volcanic here in Florida, we didn’t want to stand around outside.

“Want to look at shoes?” I asked, pointing to the DSW across the parking lot.

My daughter shrugged, still preoccupied with plans for the evening.  “Sure.”

Truth be told, I’d never been inside a DSW.  Wow.  Talk about shoe overload.  As I wandered the aisles of sandals, boots, dressy heels, and more, my daughter started trying things on.  A big grin on her face, she waved me over to where she was tottering around in a pair of lacy black shoes that were a cross between an ankle-hugging boot and an open toe shoe—and at least five inches high.

“I really like these,” she said.  I sensed she was thinking about buying them to wear to the dance.

“They’re cute, but can you walk in them?”  I answered.  She could walk, sort of, but we both agreed we’d set those aside and think about them while we looked at other styles.

During our browsing, we came upon a pair of flat black sandals with glittery rhinestones and a lacy bow.  She slipped them on.  On her slender feet, they looked fabulous.  She could walk in them without effort.  She moved with a sway in her stride, as though those shoes had given her a much-needed boost of confidence.

We bought the shoes.  We painted her toenails black, to match her black fingernails, and off she went to her dinner and dance.  The shoes worked our perfectly and I have no doubt they are “keepers.”  How wonderful, that the right pair of shoes can make a gal feel super special.  I hope all of us have shoes in our closets that make us feel that way.

Do you have a favorite pair of shoes?  Are they practical flats or designer heels?

I’m often asked why I write historical romances—specifically, books set in the Middle Ages.  Quite simply, I love that historical era.  I adore castles and the romanticism of chivalry.  And, dare I say, I love bold, sexy, alpha male knights whose heroics make ladies swoon.

Is it any wonder that when my British husband and I married close to twenty years ago, our song was the theme to the movie Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves?  My heart still flutters when I hear Bryan Adams singing “Everything I Do, I Do it For You.”

My love of all things medieval began as a child, when I listened to fairy tales.  My dad, who is British, often took my sister and me to England during our summer vacations to visit relatives, and he took us to many historic sites.  We visited awe-inspiring churches built centuries ago, ruins of Roman baths, Stonehenge, The British Museum, old graveyards, and other places that left upon me a lasting impression of how fascinating the past can be.

After graduating from university, I further enriched that fascination through a one-year course with Sotheby’s auctioneers in London, England, where I studied silver, glass, porcelain, furniture, jewelry, paintings, and more from the Middle Ages through the 20^th century.  It was an amazing year.

An added perk?  I met the tall, dark-haired, charming Brit who became my husband.  And yes, he loves castles, too.

When I started writing medieval romances, I wanted to bring the past I’d experienced to life in a way that was meaningful to me and hopefully other people, too.  To do that, I had to make my characters and story settings three-dimensional.  I needed vital emotional conflicts for my heroes and heroines to struggle to resolve.  I needed to know what foods were cooked, what the different social classes wore, what weapons were used, how a man trained to become a knight, and how wounds were treated.  More simply, I needed sounds, smells, tastes, and textures.  Easy peasy, right?

Um…  No.

I spent many, many hours doing research on the internet.  I brought armloads of books home from the library and jotted pages of notes.  I accumulated a small library of books on kings and armor and medieval recipes (one day, when I’m feeling really ambitious, I’m going to try making a few dishes).

I also bought CD’s of medieval-era music and listened to them while I cooked dinner.  One of the songs started out slowly and then sped up to a vibrant melody accented by drums.  I was captivated.  Immediately I had an idea for the opening chapters of Dance of Desire, a fast-paced, emotional story of a proper noblewoman desperate to save her younger brother who is imprisoned as a traitor and the “barbarian” sheriff she is coerced into marrying to help rescue her sibling.

Dance of Desire was my first novel published in paperback and it won numerous awards.  My daughter, in elementary school at the time, proudly announced to her teachers that her mom was “a published romance author.”

With each book I penned, my love of the Middle Ages grew.  A Knight’s Vengeance, my very first medieval that I wrote when my daughter was a baby (and I revised from start to finish about seven times, because I was still learning how to craft a book) had several secondary male characters who deserved to be heroes of their own books.  The idea of connected novels, all set in the fictional county of Moydenshire I’d created, took seed in my mind.  The Knight’s Series was born.

Originally published in paperback, the first four books will be available again as eBooks on Kindle (A Knight’s Vengeance, Book One, and A Knight’s Reward, Book Two, are are up now, the other two will follow later this year).  My goal for the next year is to write the fifth and final novel and to wrap up the series the way I always envisioned.  And then…  I already have ideas for more medievals.

On trips back to England, my husband and I have taken my daughter sightseeing at some of the historic sites, including ones I visited with my father.  A few years ago we toured Warwick Castle, magnificent to this day.  One of my clearest memories is of standing in an interior room, putting my hand on the smooth stone wall, and just listening, to the voices of modern-day visitors drifting in from outside, but also to the ancient pulse that still seemed to flow within the stone.  It was an amazing moment that snatched my breath away.

When I sit down to write, I feel again that ancient pulse.  It inspires me.  It breathes new life into my words.  And the writer in me is happy.

Do you read historical romances?  What do you find inspiring about them?  Is it the historical setting?  The characters?  I’d love to know!

My husband and teenage daughter are flying to England in June for a three week vacation.  Alas, I can’t go with them this year—I’m staying home to look after the house and kitties–but I shall enjoy their photos when they get home and the stories they’ll share in the meantime via email and phone calls.

They have already put together a list of places they want to see, including the London museums, the Peak District, and several castles.  Since my daughter wants to have a career in art and design, and has talked about attending a London college, I expect they’ll visit a few and see what degree programs are offered.

My husband is looking forward to drinking some “real” English beer, and my daughter’s already craving scones with clotted cream.  It sounds like they have a grand holiday ahead.

Just for fun…  If you could travel anywhere in the world this summer on an all-expenses-paid trip(!), where would you go?  What sites in particular would be on your “must see” list?

Hair.  It’s something we’re born with.  We have no choice in the color (blonde or black), texture (coarse or silky), or thickness (thick or fine).  That’s all determined by DNA.

The good thing, though, is that if we hate our hair, we can change it.  Hooray for perms and hair dye!

My hair is extremely fine, slightly wavy, and a medium brown color.  When I was a child, my hair was super straight and a lighter shade of brown than it is now.  I look back at pictures of me and marvel at the sheen of my locks which didn’t see anything more than shampoo and conditioner until my early teens.  I did have the occasional braid, though, which I loved, especially once I’d unfastened the plait and my hair flowed loose and wavy.

Once I hit my early teenage years, I wanted a change.  My hair was too straight and had no volume.  I applied gel and mousse and turned the ends under with a curling iron.  However, the curl didn’t last long in my silky hair.

All of the girls at school were getting perms, and, as the brainy introvert who desperately longed to fit in, I wanted one, too.  I remember my first perm—a home permanent I’d bought at the drugstore which was done by a woman recommended to me by a friend.  I hated the smell.  I cringed at the way the solution burned my sensitive scalp.  But I wanted a perm, and I was going to endure.

Of course, the perm turned out very tight, puffy, and frizzy, and I didn’t really like it until about six weeks later, but it did make doing my hair in the morning easier.  The curl in my hair stayed in longer, and I liked that.

I continued getting perms, most of them at salons.  I graduated to spiral perms in my late 20’s, until a hairdresser convinced me to try highlights.  Oh, what wickedness.  Highlights gave my hair a lovely “been out in the sun” golden hue and added fullness to my locks.  I was hooked, especially after having my daughter.  My hair changed through my pregnancy—it acquired a loose wave, which my hairdresser said was due to hormonal changes—and with a bit of mousse, gave me the curls I’d always wanted from perms.

My hair is still boring brown, and now, I’m finding wiry strands of gray (eek!).  That’s okay, though.  I don’t have to live with the gray.  I have a great hairdresser who does wonderful highlights.  She also has a knack for color.  My teenage daughter, also gifted with blah brown hair and also going through that longing for change I remember from years ago, is now a redhead with a cute pixie cut.  She loves all the compliments she’s been getting.  Oh, the fun of hair!

***
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to your hair?  Please share!

One guest who comments will win a digital copy of either my sexy medieval novella Bound by His Kiss or my award-winning medieval romance Dance of Desire!   Winner gets to pick which one.

We now have a new member of our family: a kitten.

My teenage daughter picked him out of a selection of kitties at the local animal services.  The day we first met him, back in late February, he was sleepy and snuggled next to one of his siblings before the staff member picked him up and put him in my daughter’s arms.  It was love at first cuddle.

My daughter also named him: Sherlock, after the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.  She’s a huge fan of Benedict Cumberpatch, the latest British actor to play Mr. Holmes, and our little Sherlock also has an angular face and piercing blue eyes (which are slightly crossed, which tells me either his Mommy or his Daddy were Siamese).  Our kitten is also extremely curious and eager to unravel the mystery in a blanket heaped on the floor, or a piece of crumpled up paper.  He’s also extremely vocal (another Siamese trait), especially if I’m not serving up his lunch fast enough.

Have you ever read a romance novel and thought that one (or more) of the secondary characters deserved his or her own book?  I have.  Regarding the medieval romances I’ve written, I felt this way about a handsome young knight named Dominic de Terre, whom I introduced to readers in A Knight’s Vengeance, the first book of my Knight’s Series.

In Vengeance, Dominic is the loyal friend of the tormented and scarred hero Geoffrey de Lanceau, who returns to England after fighting on Crusade to seek revenge for his father’s killing years ago.  Geoffrey’s plot for vengeance involves kidnapping Lady Elizabeth Brackendale, the beautiful, headstrong daughter of Geoffrey’s avowed enemy, and holding her for ransom.

Dominic serves as Geoffrey’s conscience throughout the book, offering sage advice when asked (and sometimes when brooding Geoffrey doesn’t want to hear it).  Dominic has a wry sense of humor that helps to lighten tense scenes, and he’s also intelligent, a nobleman, and handsome (of course!).  He was definitely romance novel hero material, and after Vengeance was first released in paperback back in 2006 (I reissued it last December as a Kindle eBook), I had readers asking if Dominic would ever get his own story.

He did.  A Knight’s Reward, the second book of my series that’s now available on Kindle, continues after Geoffrey and Elizabeth are happily married and expecting their second child.  Dominic is sent to the sleepy town of Clovebury on a secret mission: to find a stolen shipment of silks that belongs to Geoffrey and is worth a small fortune.  He is disguised as a peddler, hobbling through the town market, when he recognizes someone buying bread: Gisela Anne Balewyne.  She’s a commoner, but the only woman he ever loved.  He had to say “goodbye” to her years ago when he left to join King Richard on crusade.  He wonders what she’s doing in Clovebury, far from where they first met.

When she flees the market, he follows.  He catches up with her in a stable, only to realize she’s changed from the woman he knew.  She has a young son and barely makes a living as a tailor—and she harbors secrets, including the fact that she ran away from her abusive husband who is searching for her.  Dominic vows not only to succeed in his mission for Geoffrey, but to win Gisela’s love again—goals that endanger them all, especially when Dominic learns she’s been promised a hefty payment to make clothes from some of the stolen silks.  As he unravels the truth about the silk shipment and her little boy, he faces losing all that’s dear to him—or winning a knight’s greatest reward.

A Knight’s Reward is an emotional story, but one that I was able to lighten with Dominic’s humor and wit.  Since I was already well acquainted with him from Vengeance, it was a fun challenge to keep his character consistent and also look ahead to him appearing in Books 3 and 4 of my series.  As an author, it was easy to fall in love with Dominic—and I hope readers feel the same way, too!

For more information on A Knight’s Vengeance and A Knight’s Reward, please visit my website.

What romance novel did you read lately that made you think a minor character deserved to be the hero or heroine of a book?  I will gift one visitor who comments with a Kindle copy of A Knight’s Vengeance or A Knight’s Reward–winner’s pick!

I love my slow cooker.  It sits in a place of prominence on my kitchen counter.  I don’t use it every day, sometimes only a few times a month, but I can safely say it’s one of the few kitchen appliances I wouldn’t want to be without.

Kind of funny, really, because up until 10 years ago, I’d never used a slow cooker before and wasn’t familiar with coordinating meals first thing in the morning that cooked all day.  Then, one of my busy friends with four kids showed me her crock pot.  She’d bought it on a recommendation of a friend.  “It’s so easy,” she said, “and the recipes taste great.”  It was ideal for her, because she could set it up before she went to work and when she got home, dinner would be ready.  She could save money by using cheaper cuts of meat, too, that would become tender through the cooking process.

So, 10 years ago, during a trip to Costco, I bought my Rival Crock Pot (I still have the same one).  I was busy writing passionate, adventurous medieval romances, hoping to sell my first novel, eager to find ways to squeeze a few more minutes out of my day that I could spend with my roguish heroes and willful heroines, or with my young daughter and husband.

The crock pot filled my needs perfectly.  I’ve made stews, pot roasts, chili, spaghetti sauce (heavenly!), even a Sticky Toffee Pudding (My British husband was thrilled).  I’ve only dipped my finger, really, into all the yummy prospects this nifty appliance can provide.  One of my goals this year is to try recipes I’ve never made before and add to my collection of favorite slow cooker recipes.  There are some great ones at Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/slow-cooker/index.html) and Epicurious (http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=slow+cooker&x=0&y=0).

My crock pot is still my go-to gadget if I have a busy week along with late-afternoon appointments.  There’s nothing more rewarding than stepping into the house after a long day to the delicious aroma of a healthy, ready-made meal.  To my trusted slow cooker, I say “thanks.”

What’s your favorite slow cooker recipe?  Please share it in the comments section.  Everyone who shares a recipe will be eligible to win a copy of A Knight’s Vengeance, Book One of my Knight’s Series—either a paperback (now out of print) or a Kindle version.  Winner’s choice!

I saw this game on Facebook and thought it would be fun to play here since we love authors and books. The Rules: list fifteen authors (poets included) who’ve influenced you and made an impression. Don’t take too long to think about it. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.

Here’s my COOL FIFTEEN list:

VICTOR HUGO – For LES MISÉRABLES alone Hugo will always be on my best-loved list.

EMILE ZOLA – Nineteenth century France is one of my passions. So many things about that period speak to me – the Impressionist painters, post-Haussmann Paris, the literature… One of my favorite writers is Emile Zola. Like Hugo, Zola provides a vivid window into this world.

JANE AUSTEN – What’s not to love about the original romance writer and her body of work?

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD – Nick Carraway had me at chapter one. When I reached the end of GATSBY, I was hungry for more Fitzgerald.

ALICE HOFFMAN – She’s brilliant with magical realism.

SYLVIA PLATH – The way she weaves words and turns phrases brings me to my knees. In my book, she’s a literary goddess.

JK ROWLING – Harry, Ron and Hermione are like personal friends.

DOROTHEA BENTON FRANK – She speaks to the southern girl in me. I want to be her when I grow up.

TRACY CHEVALIER – The beauty of her smart books takes my breath away.

NORA ROBERTS – Nora is the one who made me want to write romance. Her well-crafted storied still sweep me away.
As an author, one of the perks of the job is meeting other writers and getting to know them beyond the pages of their books. It’s only natural that some of my favorite authors have become my friends. I dedicate this portion of “15 Cool Authors” to them:

KATHERINE GARBERA – Kathy was the very first published author I met…way back when. We became acquainted through our local RWA chapter. Since then, she’s became one of my very best friends. I’ll never forget the day I met Kathy. It was my first RWA chapter meeting. I was nervous and unsure of why I was even there. It just happened that on that same day, Kathy walked in with the cover of her very first book (THE BACHELOR NEXTDOOR wasn’t even out yet and she’d just received the cover flat). I was awe struck. Standing right in front of me was a living, breathing author, who was so talented, yet so personable and approachable. She made me feel as if I’d always been part of the chapter. Her smart, sassy prose hooked me from the get go and her sweet personality has made her friend for life.

CINDY KIRK – Cindy and I met at my first RWA conference. Synchronicity had a hand in our friendship when by chance we found ourselves at the same luncheon table two days in a row (amid 2,000 women and no assigned seats). We were both unpublished, but dogged determined to change that. We became fast friends and corresponded over the years – mind you, this was pre-email, back in the prehistoric days of the telephone and letter.  Now, Cindy is not only a good friend, she’s my plotting and brainstorming partner. Her books are fun and heartfelt and I always look forward to reading her next release.

CATHERINE KEAN – Catherine writes rich, beautiful historical romances. I’ve always described Catherine’s books as “jewel boxes” full of exquisite treasures. Her beautiful touch has influenced my work, too, since she’s been my critique partner for fourteen years.

KATHLEEN O’BRIEN – Kathleen is the wise woman in my life. She has such a poetic soul that radiates from the pages of her books. She was an established author when I met her. Now, I am so very fortunate to call her a friend and brainstorming partner.

KRISTAN HIGGINS – Kristan is fabulously funny and talented, and she has one of the most generous spirits of any writer I’ve met. Her Rita-winning novel “Catch of the Day” was the one that hooked me. Now, I count the days until next Kristan Higgins release.

So, there you have it…my Cool 15. I’m dying to hear who’s on your list. Since I’m celebrating being part of a group of six more very cool authors who have each crafted books in the latest FORTUNES OF TEXAS series (I’m book five out of the six-book series – book one launched this month. My title FORTUNE’S UNEXPECTED GROOM will be released in May 2012), I will give away the first two titles in the FORTUNES OF TEXAS series: Karen Templeton’s FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA and Marie Ferrarella’s FORTUNE’S VALENTINE BRIDE to one lucky person who posts their own 15 Cool Authors list.

Hands.  I’ve been thinking about mine a lot lately.

I dream of smooth, unblemished hands with pretty, long, painted nails—like the hands on the models in the O.P.I. magazine ads.  Hands like those look great holding fancy pens, like the special ones I reserve for autographing copies of my books at signings.  Hands like that show off sparkly rings and bracelets with enviable elegance.  Hands like that… Well, they’re a far cry from my hands right now.  I look at my dry, parched fingers and short, split nails and sigh with despair.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at the state of my hands.  This wintery time of year—and yes, it does get cold in Florida!—wreaks havoc on everyone’s skin.  I also demand a lot from my hands as I wash dishes, do laundry, houseclean, garden, drive, grocery shop, prepare food for my family, care for my kitty, exercise, and write on my computer.

To pamper my hands, I avoid liquid and bar soaps with Sodium Laureth Sulfate; this seems especially hard on my skin.  I also slather on hand cream whenever possible.  I read about special gloves to wear at night after your hands have been slathered with lotion, but that doesn’t appeal to me.  In fact, it sounds slightly icky.  :(

What do you use on your hands in the winter months?  Do you have a special remedy or favorite beauty product that you use when your hands are lizard-scaly-dry?

I’m eager to hear what you have to say—and my poor hands will thank you.  I’ll gift a Kindle or Nook eBook copy of my award-winning medieval romance Dance of Desire to one person who leaves a comment.  To learn more about this book as well as my other medieval romances, please visit my website.

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.