I used to love shopping for make-up and beauty items—cleansers, lotions—all the girl things. Then I had my daughter and I didn’t have time to think about me. Now that she’s getting a little older, I find I have time again, and I’ve found some new-to-me beauty items I have to share.

The first is Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips. Have you seen these? Authors Emily McKay and Tracy Wolff turned me on to these at the RT Convention in Chicago. They both had the cutest nails, and when we all exclaimed over them, they told us they were stickers! I had to try them, and I haven’t been disappointed. In fact, they’ve lasted longer than the box claimed they would.

The second find was also due to the RT Convention. The lovely team at Sourcebooks, my publisher, gave each of its authors a swag bag filled with products from Lush. I haven’t been able to try all of them yet, and some of the ones I tried, I didn’t love, but there’s one product, I know I must have more of, and that’s Lush Happy Hippy Shower Gel.

This stuff smells wonderful. It has a clean, grapefruit citrus scent, which is perfect for those early morning, need help waking up showers.

Last, I have to brag about a product I love. I’ve recommended it before. It’s The Naked Bee Hand Salve. This stuff works wonders on dry hands and feet. I cannot live without it.

Okay, your turn. Share your favorite beauty find with us. Since it’s my husband’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Ultimate Sportsfan!), I’ll give one random reader who comments a copy of my latest, The Rogue Pirate’s Bride.

Ultimate Sportsfan is reading this right now and thinking, whoa! She’s blogging about that? He always likes to give tours of our house and point to the bedroom and say, “That’s where the magic happens.” But this blog is about where the book-making magic happens.

For me that’s in Naperville, Illinois at the headquarters of Sourcebooks Publishers. I was lucky enough to get to tour the publishing house in April when I went to Chicago for the Romantic Times Convention. Dominique Raccah, who is the CEO of Sourcebooks, got us party limos and drove all the Sourcebooks’ authors to Naperville.

Here’s a picture of Barbara Vey, editor at Publisher’s Weekly and romance guru, trying out the stripper pole en route.

I was surprised at how unassuming the Sourcebooks’ building looked on the outside, but on the inside it was warm and welcoming.

Here’s the sign that greeted us when we walked in the door.

 We got a lovely tour and met all the important people.  Here’s my editor, Deb Werksman.

Here’s my publicist, Danielle Jackson (she’s the one that sends all those prize books out when I go on blog tour).

And here are just a few of the books on display in the offices. There were thousands more scattered throughout the building, and I really wanted to do some “shopping.”

Finally, here is the famous cow, with quotes from poets and writers from the Chicago-area. The rumor is that Dominique outbid Oprah for the cow.

Here I am with the cow.

And here is the author-part of the Sourcebooks’ family.

Going on a tour like this is every aspiring author’s dream, so this was truly a dream come true for me.

I’ve been working on an article about revision.  It’s for writers and focuses on how to deal with editorial revisions. Editorial revisions are the notes and suggestions an editor makes to an author after the author has turned in the book but before she gets paid the rest of the advance money for the book.

I decided to write the article because even though I like revising, I have a huge, huge fear of receiving editorial revisions. I used to get them in the mail. I would see that manila envelope, and my heart would start pounding. I would have to brace myself to open it, and I’d usually have to wait until I had mentally prepared myself. Now I get a revision phone call. Starting about three weeks after I turn in a book, I jump every time the phone rings. Is it my editor? Is she calling with revisions? No, no no!

I don’t know why I worry about the revisions so much. They’re never that bad–well, okay, sometimes they have been bad. More than once I have had to cut upwards of 150 pages from a book. More than once I have had to rework a timeline that didn’t work (i.e. chronologically, the story could not have happened as I wrote it). But those were all with books I wrote early in my career. I’m waiting for revisions on my 13th book, and if this book is like the last few, the revisions will be pretty minimal.

So why do I have such a visceral, fear-filled reaction when I know my editor is calling with revisions? All the authors I interviewed for my article–veterans and newbies alike–seemed to have these really positive views about revisions. The editor wants the book to be great. The revision suggestions often give the writer a great idea for the story.

This has happened for me too, but you know what else has happened? An editor has suggested I make X, Y, or Z change, and I didn’t know how to do it. I didn’t think I could do it. And if I can’t do it, then what does that say about me as a writer? Will everyone finally figure out that I’m a complete fraud without minimal writing ability at best?

At the core of my anxiety is fear of failure–fear that I cannot produce. I’m no genius. I don’t even consider myself very creative. It’s hard for me to step outside my comfort zone. An editor’s job is to challenge a writer to push the envelope, to write something better than the last book, to grow in the craft of writing. But what if I’ve reached the end of my potential? What if I can’t grow any farther?

But, as I said, I enjoy revisions.  Why? Because once I get past the fear and dive in, I realize I can do it. I realize the book is going to be way better with the changes than it was without. I realize there is nothing to fear.

Is there anything in your life like this–something you fear or that intimidates you? For Baby Galen, it’s the Dora the Explorer 4-D show at the zoo. It’s a 12-minute 3-D film with added effects (like a mist of water or wiggling seats). She really, really wants to watch that show, and every 4 or 5 months, I believe her enough to buy the tickets. But once we get in the theater, she gets scared and we have to leave. But I know if she just stayed for the show, she’d find out it’s really fun.

I really can’t believe I’ve been married six years. It doesn’t seem very long ago at all that I walked down the aisle to the handsome man waiting for me at the front of the church. I still remember my dad whispering, “Breathe! Breathe!” I’m still not sure if he was talking to me or himself.

But six years down the road, I begin to think about having a do-over. I don’t mean the marriage. I’d marry Ultimate Sportsfan all over again. But wouldn’t it be fun to do the whole wedding again?

Here are some things I’d do differently.

I’d have these gorgeous cupcakes at my bridal shower.

And I’d have these flowers for a bouquet.

And I’d wear this dress.

Or perhaps this one.

I’d get married here.

Or here.

And I’d honeymoon here.

What about you? Is there anything you’d like to do over? What changes would you make?

I’m sure you’ve noticed a lot of my recent blogs have been about being a mom and the daily trials and triumphs of parenting Baby Galen. And all of you are so good about commenting and reassuring me that no, I’m not a bad mom, and yes, everything Baby Galen does is completely normal.

What you may not know is that offline the Jaunty Quills have been immensely helpful to me as well. When I struggled with any aspect of raising a newborn or an infant or, now, a toddler, I knew I could email the Jaunties, and they’d give me support and advice.

There are also a few blogs I like to visit so I can connect with other moms. Ask Moxie is one and Big Mama is another. But there was still something in the blogosphere missing, in my opinion. I wanted a blog I could really relate to. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I should create the blog I wanted to read.

My first response was, oh no! Not another blog. There are so many blogs, and I already blog regularly here and with the Sourcebooks Casablanca authors. But I thought I wouldn’t mind adding more blog dates to my schedule if the blog was fun. Not that this blog isn’t fun, but it’s not always easy to think of blog topics. Motherhood pretty much provides a new topic daily.

So I emailed my mom friends, Robyn DeHart, Emily McKay, Elise Rome, Maisey Yates, and Roni Loren, and suggested we start a blog. I thought they would tell me I was crazy, but they all said they thought it would be great fun. And that’s how Peanut Butter on the Keyboard was born.

I wanted to invite you to stop by and check us out. It doesn’t matter if you’re a mom or a dad, a grandma, an aunt, or just see kids sometimes at the mall, you are welcome! Robyn, Emily, Elise, Maisey, Roni, and I all have relatively young kids, but we will soon be adding another mom who has older kids and a unique perspective. We’re busy and won’t post everyday. We figure you’re busy too and don’t have time to check in every day anyway! But we will post often and our posts will be informative, funny, and sometimes poignant.

If you’re a mom and a writer, we’d love to have you guest blog. Elise is starting to schedule guest bloggers for April. So stop by and say hi!

Today, if you have a moment, let me know some of your favorite blogs, whether they’re about reading, writing, sewing , or whatnot.

Shana: Hi, Jaunty Readers. I know what you’re thinking. Why do you keep allowing Jaunty to interview you when he constantly interrupts and always focuses the interview on himself? It’s simple, really. He threatens me.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: Shana! That is not true. I never threatened you.

Shana: Jaunty, you said you’d post covers of The Rogue Pirate’s Bride you Photoshopped with your face over my hero’s all over the internet, including my Facebook page.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: That wasn’t a threat. I thought you wanted me to put my face on their cover as a way of apologizing for not writing a book with me in it yet.

Shana: Jaunty, really? Are we back to that again? Can’t we just talk about my new book?

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: It’s always about you and your books, isn’t it, Shana? What about me?

Shana: Have you written a book?

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: Um… So, Shana, tell us about your new book, The Rogue Porcupine’s Bride.

Shana: It’s The Rogue Pirate’s Bride, Jaunty, and do you know, I think you and Bastien, my hero, would get along. He’s a pirate, but he insists on calling himself a privateer. Neither of you live in reality.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: I live in reality!

Shana: Jaunty, your Facebook page says you’re a romance cover model. Please.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: It could happen, but I wouldn’t want to pose for your book cover. The female model is holding a sword.

Shana: That’s because Raeven is every bit as tough as Bastien. In fact, in chapter one, she challenges him to a swordfight.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: Does she win?

Shana: Jaunty, I thought you said you read the book.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: I might have just skipped to the good parts. And, might I add, there are some very steamy good parts.

Shana: Did you read any of the sea battle scenes? I had to do a lot of research for those.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: Do you want me to have nightmares? I’m a lover, not a fighter. There is one thing I’m confused about. Is this book the third in your Sons of the Revolution series? I thought it was titled The Making of a Rogue.

Shana: Yes, it is the third in that series. The first two are The Making of a Duchess and The Making of a Gentleman. But Bastien’s book can be read independently. And it was originally titled The Making of a Rogue. It was even titled Once a Rogue and, very briefly, The Dread Pirate’s Bride. But now it’s The Rogue Pirate’s Bride. Nothing else changed. Only the title and cover.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: I suppose now you want me to end by telling everyone more about where to find you.

Shana: I’ll do it, Jaunty. Check out my website for an excerpt from The Rogue Pirate’s Bride  which officially comes out tomorrow, and my blog tour schedule. I’ll be blogging everywhere and giving away books at each stop. In fact, I’ll give away two copies of The Rogue Pirate’s Bride here! Just comment below.

Jaunty P. Quills, Porcupine Extraordinaire: Yes, please comment. Tell Shana why she should include a porcupine in her books or give her a romantic title with the word porcupine in it.

Most writers will tell you the most oft-asked question they receive is where do you get your ideas? Most of us hate this question because we don’t know what to respond. Consequently, we say something like, Sears because it sounds a heck of a lot better than, I don’t know where I get my ideas.

It sounds kind of crazy, but it’s absolutely true. Every idea comes to me differently. Some I manufacture and some just spring to life from some inspiration or other–an article I read, a movie I see, even a TV commercial.

The idea for my new book, The Rogue Pirate’s Bride, had been percolating in my head for several years before I ever set down to write it. I’ve always wanted to write a pirate book. I think the desire started years and years ago when I read the definitive pirate book, The Wind and the Sea by Marsha Canham. I adored that book and read it several times. I wanted to write a book that was that exciting, that sexy, and that much fun.

But it wasn’t until recently that I had the opportunity to do something with my idea. I needed a third book for my Sons of the Revolution series, and when I began it, I had in the back of my mind that the third book would be about a brother who’s a pirate. Then, of course, I got to the third book and realized I actually had to write this book about a pirate brother. I couldn’t even change my mind because both previous books had mentioned Captain Cutlass, and they were both in production.

The problem was that I didn’t know anything about pirates. I didn’t even know anything about ships and sailing. And that was only one problem. The other problem was that when I began the book I had a three-month old newborn. I didn’t exactly have time to do research.

No problem, I thought. I’ll just write what I can and put XX when I get to a place where I need to look something up. You know what happened next, right? The story read like this.

Bastien walked down the XX to the XX. He lifted the XX and peered out at the XX.

I needed help and quickly. So what did I do? I did what every girl does–I called my dad. It just so happens I have a dad who knows how to sail. And it just so happens I have a dad who loves to know all there is about sailing. He’s read all the Patrick O’ Brien books and does his own research on sailing. (Just FYI, I read one Patrick O’ Brien book, but it didn’t have any kissing.) Yes, I also got a stack on books on ships from the library, and those helped me fill in some of those XXes, but what really helped was sitting with my father and reading passages of the book to him. He would tell me the right term or correct an error or ask me a question I hadn’t thought of (like what kind of ship was my pirate on). Of course, he also pointed out other things I didn’t ask about. He told me repeatedly no woman would ever be on a British naval ship-of-the-line. I told him we were going to have to leave that part in there since we needed the woman for the romance (too much Patrick O’Brien, I think).

So, here’s to my dad for all his help and support. To tell you the truth, the book isn’t even dedicated to him. It’s dedicated to my mom and my mother-in-law. but that’s another blog.

Tell me about your dad.  Has he ever gotten you out of a scrape? I’ll randomly choose one person who comments today to win a copy of The Rogue Pirate’s Bride.

Happy 2012, Jaunty Readers! I hope your holiday was as wonderful as mine. I spent last week in sunny, warm Key West with Ultimate Sportsfan and Baby Galen. Baby G’s favorite part was petting a dolphin. I enjoyed learning some pirate history.

Speaking of pirates, The Rogue Pirate’s Bride releases next month and I’m really excited!

Would you like an advance copy? Join my mailing list! I’m sending a newsletter out tomorrow and one lucky subscriber will be randomly chosen Friday to win an advance copy of The Rogue Pirate’s Bride. You can still win it if you join soon!

The Rogue Pirate’s Bride is the last in my Sons of the Revolution series. It’s undergone a couple of title and cover changes, but the story has remained the same. Bastien, the youngest brother of the three Harcourt brothers, is a pirate—I mean, privateer—whose often at odds with the British Navy. He has no idea his brothers Julien and Armand are alive and living in England. He’s too busy seeking revenge on the Barbary pirate who murdered his friend and mentor.

Until he meets Raeven Russell.

Well, he doesn’t so much meet her as he is challenged to a sword fight by our heroine Raeven. She’s the daughter of a British Admiral, and she hates Captain Cutlass because he killed her fiancé in a naval battle.

If you like spunky, fearless heroines and charming roguish heroes…If you like adventure on the high seas and fast-paced sword fights…If you like passion and romance and poignancy, you’re going to like this book!

And one more bit of news for you. My publisher Sourcebooks is hosting an e-book promotion celebrating the “First in Series.” My own The Making of a Duchess, the book that began my Sons of the Revolution series, is available digitally for $1.99 via participating e-retailers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes/Books, etc.) until January 8, 2012. If you received an e-reader for Christmas, this is a great time to add The Making of a Duchess to your e-collection.

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So I know it’s December, and I’m supposed to blog about holiday-ish things. Something about shopping or materialism or traditions or new traditions or decorations or austerity. But I can’t stop thinking about pirates.

Pirates have nothing to do with Christmas, but they have a lot to do with my next book, The Rogue Pirate’s Bride, which will be in stores on February 7. I thought I might tell you a little about this book in case you get everything you want for Christmas and are looking for things to put on your Valentine’s Day list.

Revenge should be sweet, but it may cost him everything…
The Marquis de Valère escaped certain death in the French Revolution and is now an infamous privateer. Out to avenge the death of his mentor, Bastien discovers himself astonishingly out of his depth when confronted with a beautiful, daring young woman who is out for his blood…

Forgiveness is unthinkable, but it may be her only hope…
British Admiral’s daughter Raeven Russell believes Bastien responsible for her fiancé’s death. But once the fiery beauty crosses swords with Bastien, she’s not so sure she really wants him to change his wicked ways…

Interested yet? Okay, how about some early reviews?

“Readers seeking wildly exciting escapades, nonstop action, rapier-sharp repartee and a heated romance need look no further.”
—Kathe Robin, RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars, Top Pick!

“The highborn swashbuckling hero and the resourceful, fearless admiral’s daughter make an unusual, intriguing couple, and steamy romance heats up the pages.”
—Publishers Weekly

“…a fast-paced, swashbuckling tale of piracy, dangerous scheming, and intrigue. You’ll love the predicaments Raeven gets into and her inventive ways of getting out of them. Don’t miss this historic treat. It’s one you can’t put down.”
—Viki Ferrell, Fresh Fiction

Still on the fence? Maybe you’d like to win an advance copy. I’m giving one away to one lucky member of my mailing list the first week of January, so if you haven’t joined my list join today.

Oh, and happy holidays!

At this time of year, we’re all thinking about how thankful we are for good health, family, friends, financial security, good food, and more. I am thankful for all of those things, but most of all, I am thankful my parents instilled in me a love of learning.

The other day Baby Galen and I were looking at a book and talking about the different shapes. By which I mean, she was pointing to a picture of a shape, and I was telling her the name. She would get so excited to learn a new shape. When she learned oval, she ran around the house looking for anything oval she could point to an practice her new word.

I know Baby Galen is not the only kid like this. I see toddlers and pre-schoolers act like this all the time. They are so excited to learn and incredibly enthusiastic about gaining new knowledge. Their brains really do seem to be endless sponges that just soak and soak and soak up everything they see and hear.

But, as a former teacher of middle and high school, I can tell you this love of learning does not last. Most seventh graders do not rush into class excited to learn about pronouns. Most high schoolers do not pick up The Taming of the Shrew and exclaim joyfully.

So what happens? When does learning become something to be dreaded instead of something fun? I know teachers try to make it fun. I know I did, and I often succeeded. And I know I also had to say, “School isn’t always fun. Sometimes it’s work.” But I didn’t do anything to make learning shapes fun for Baby Galen besides introduce the book and spend time looking at it with her.

I won’t say I always enjoyed every class. I certainly never found the Pythagorean Theorem or the laws of physics exciting. But I did have a basic love of learning all through school, and I still do. The other day I was writing a new proposal and used the word castrati. I needed to look it up to make sure I was being historically accurate, and of course, that meant I had to read lots of articles unrelated to my tiny mention of the word and even listen to a castrati sing.

I didn’t need to do any of this research. One click would have answered my question. But I love learning. I wanted to know more. And I want to thank my parents for spending time teaching me new things, answering all my questions, and helping me find the answers when they couldn’t. I know the subjects dear to my heart weren’t always the ones they would have chosen for me, but they always supported them.

And for that I’m thankful.

This might be a little heavy for the day after Thanksgiving, but what are your thoughts on learning? Why do kids start to dislike it? Why do those who retain their love of learning keep it?