Did you know there are 99 days left in the year? Yep, we’ve left the triple digits and before you know it, we’ll be staring down the barrel of 2012. A bright, shiny new year usually means fresh resolutions. But since we still have 99 days to go, it seems like a good opportunity to take stock.  So dust off that list of goals and see where you stand:

*Which goals have you achieved this year?

*Are you happy with your progress so far?

*Which goals need attention?

*What do you need to do to accomplish your goals?

Whether you want to lose weight, learn a new language, begin training for a marathon, or start (or finish) that novel you’ve been longing to write, it’s not too late! You can accomplish a lot in 99 days. Break the steps toward your goal into tiny, manageable daily tasks. If you devote even a little attention to your dreams every day, you’ll be surprised by what you can accomplish.

So, how did you do? How did your goal review shake down?

I have four Special Editions coming out in 2012. All of them are set in Texas: three are in a
fictional town outside of Dallas (I’m calling it Celebration, Texas). The other one is part of the popular Fortunes of Texas series and it’s set in the fictional town of Red Rock,Texas, which is supposedly 20 miles east of San Antonio.

It’s the first time I’m writing about Texas. I’m excited to be spending so much virtual time there because a have quite a bit of family in the Dallas area. I’m vaguely familiar with the state – enough to know it’s flavor, and, of course, I can call on my family with any questions.

In the past, I’ve set books in Orlando and Paris because I’m familiar with those cities.  The only real place I’ve written about that I’m not familiar with is Boston. It was part of a Special Edition continuity (I was one of six authors writing books for this series).  I actually visited before I finished the book so I could make sure I captured the essence of the city.

I’ve heard of authors writing on a wing and prayer, setting books in regions they’ve never visited. But I shy away from doing that because I strive to get everything exactly right. So, if I make up the city – it might even be a fictitious city based on an actual city – I feel better about taking artistic license and not being bound by maps and facts.

I have two questions for you: do you like reading books set in fictional places or imaginary worlds?   If you prefer actual cities, how much leeway to you give an author to fictionalize neighborhoods and the texture of the area?

Today, I’m deep in the last stretch of a deadline. So, my question for you is quick: if you could bring to life any character(s) from any book(s) who would it be? I’d love to meet Fitzwilliam Darcy, Jay Gatsby and Josephine March. Okay, your turn…

Today is Bastille Day, French Independence Day. In France, it’s known as La Fête Nationale, and celebrates the 1789 storming of the Bastille fortress-prison. Festivities and official ceremonies are going on all over France, including the oldest and largest military parade in Europe, which happens this morning in Paris down the Champs-Elysees.  In the spirit of the day, let’s have our own Bastille Day party. I’ll provide champagne, lemonade and apricot baked brie with French bread.  What would you like to bringing? Each person who posts will have a chance to win a signed copy of my book, “What Happens in Paris.” Enchanté!

Next month most of the Jaunties are attending the Romance Writers of America’s National Conference in New York City. It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun, and a time to catch up with old friends and make new ones. We Jaunties always meet up for dinner, drinks, and conversation. We chat about this blog, of course, and our books, but we also talk about our lives and families.

But the conference isn’t all luncheons and limo rides—though there is some of that! There are workshops and meetings with agents, editors, publicists, readers…the list goes on and on. I plan to arrive a day early so I can enjoy the city a little. It’s been 7 or 8 years since I was last in New York.

I already have tickets to see Wicked, but I don’t have any other plans as yet. Any must-sees in New York? Anything you would definitely see if you were going?

Okay, so I have a confession. I have never been a member of a book club. I’ve spoken to book clubs before. The members claimed to have read my book—and I think some of them actually did—but I’ve never had the desire to belong to a club for reading and discussing books.

Maybe that’s because I’m essentially not a joiner. I only joined clubs and organizations in school when my counselor scared me into it by claiming I wouldn’t get into college otherwise. Or maybe I’ve never been in a book club because I was an English teacher for so long and it was my job to dissect books. Or maybe it’s because I’m a writer, and I know a lot of other writers, and we discuss books all the time.

Whatever the reason, it’s a moot point now. A friend of mine asked me to join her book club because we never see each other. She’s a busy mom, and I’m a busy mom, and we live on opposite sides of the city. But if I join her book club, we’ll at least get to see each other once a month.

So I said okay. I mean, I could use some adult interaction once a month. My first meeting is Monday. I went out and bought the book and have read some of it, but it’s kind of depressing.

This brings me to my other reason for not joining a book club—the books they read are often very depressing and very literary.

I don’t have anything against literature. I taught English for years, remember? I’ve read the classics. I read some contemporary literary fiction too. I even read non-fiction, on occasion. I don’t even have anything against depressing books. Some of my favorite books (Gone with the Wind, A Tale of Two Cities, P.S. I Love You) are also those that have made me cry. But I can’t read a depressing book every month!

So what I need is recommendations for book clubby books that aren’t depressing. Maybe when we’re choosing books for the future, I can suggest something that doesn’t make me want to eat a tub of ice cream and sit in a dark room.

I’ll randomly pick one person who comments to receive signed copies of BORN AT MIDNIGHT by C.C. Hunter and VAMPIRE MINE by Kerrelyn Sparks.

I’m in the thrall of deadline dementia, so excuse the short post. All of my favorite shows are winding down now and I’m wondering what I’m going to do without Justified and Supernatural. Thank God cable will soon start up some summer shows.

So, what shows are you going to miss? What summer shows are you looking forward to?

For most of us, it’s work and family, isn’t it? Sometimes, it’s a major project, or an illness. It can be care of children or other loved ones. Maybe it’s school. Each one of those has played a big role in my life and now – what can I say? I’m stuck with Dumb and Dumber here on the right. Oops – I meant to say Nick and Ranger. These are my babies now. Plus, Bob – our one surviving cat, who seems to be getting older by the minute. He’ll be fourteen years old in June.

For years, I concentrated on my kids - doing everything I could to maximize their grade school and high school experiences, attending concerts and sports events. Parent-teacher conferences. Awards ceremonies. Private talks [ahem] with the principal…  (Hard to believe, I know – with those angelic little people you see at the left).  They’re older now, finished with college, and going about their own next phase as young adults - graduate school, work, whatever, and thankfully, all three live close, so we see them often. The older two are in serious relationships, and we hope one day they’ll marry and have kids and settle down nearby. Looking at that picture, it’s hard to believe they were ever that little. The youngest on the far left is about a year old there, and the other two are aged 5 and 3. Yikes – time flies!

I managed to work my career around the raising of my kids. When they were really small, I was a nurse on the second shift in ICU. I left for the hospital in the late afternoon, which meant we had a sitter only for a few hours until my husband got home. Then he’d handle dinner and homework and get everyone to bed. When I started my writing career, my office was at home, and I was always around (I don’t think the kids appreciated that quite as much when they were in middle and high school ).

A few years ago, my mom became ill. Turns out it was a terminal disease, and she declined very quickly. It was an incredibly fast six weeks from her diagnosis (when she was up and around, driving herself, shopping, cooking, reading, gardening)  to the day she passed away. My siblings and I kept her at home – her home - and took care of her there, 24/7. Of course we didn’t know how quickly the time would pass, but we all managed to put our lives on hold so that at least one of us could be with her. You do what you have to do, right?

I had just switched to Avon around the time my mom got sick, and my first book with Avon (my 11th overall) came out a few months later. Since then, I’ve written nine books for Avon — the most recent shown here. (You can read an excerpt from this book if you visit Margo’s books page and scroll down).  Mom would have been really pleased. Not that she was such a huge romance reader. She was an English teacher who enjoyed all kinds of books, and she was hugely proud of my second career.

Tell me what rules your life these days. Is it positive or negative? Do you feel like you have control over it?

It’s hard to believe March is here already. March is a big month for the Jaunties. Robyn DeHart has a new book out. If you saw her interview with Jaunty P. Quills yesterday, you’re sure to want to get your copy right away.

Our blog is also being featured at the end of the month at Ashley March’s March Madness, a celebration of historical romance readers and writers. Be sure to check out March Madness on these dates…

Monday, March 7: Robyn DeHart blogs
Monday, March 28: Shana Galen blogs and the Jaunties are featured

Robyn and Shana will be giving away copies of their books.
In addition to the recent releases, upcoming books, and ARCs given away by historical romance authors each day, historical romance readers will also have a chance at winning:
1. A bundle of 5 historical romances every Sunday.
2. 8 Victorian lady postcards
3. 8 “Do you know the way to Pemberley?” postcards
4. 8 “Well behaved women rarely make history” medieval postcards
5. A “Romance Reader & Proud of It” tote bag
6. Two secret prizes (to be announced during the month)
7. A Grand Prize package of historical romance books and a Victorian-styled lovebirds necklace

Aspiring historical romance writers also have a couple of things to be excited about:
1. Kris Kennedy’s agent, Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, has generously agreed to give away a partial critique to the writer she believes has the best 3-sentence written pitch. One of Kris Kennedy’s books will also be given away, as an example of the type of work Barbara loves.
2. Ashley March will provide a full critique of another aspiring historical writer’s completed novel.
There’s more, so be sure to check in for all the rules.

The Jaunties have some fun contests coming too, so don’t forget to check in with us every day. Tomorrow our own Catherine Kean is blogging.

Its Oscar season and I can’t wait to hear who the winners are on Sunday night. I’ll be tuned in hoping to see a few of my favorites walk away with the golden statuette. Watching the award shows always makes me want to dress up in something impossibly inappropriate for my suburban home and give a speech to thank the people in my life who’ve helped me out.

I’d thank my parents and sisters for the noisy household I grew up and especially my mom for sending me outside all the time when I was growing up and teaching me to use my imagination to entertain myself. I’d thank my husband for making the little moments in life count and showing me that loving someone goes way beyond romantic gestures. I’d thank my children who show me nuances in creativity that I didn’t realize I’d missed. And I’d thank my friends for all the laughter.

Your turn! Who would you thank?

I’m giving away an autographed copy of TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY to three lucky blog participants today.