Are you a Sparrow or an Apple?

Above is a clip from one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes called "The Seven," when George tells some friends that they should name their new baby "Soda" or "Seven" (after Mickey Mantle). I bet they never imagined that they tongue-in-cheek roasting of the trend toward "unusual" (for lack of a better word) baby names was only just beginning. I think I'd rather be named Seven than Sparrow, LOL.

Picking names isn't easy--even for characters. I get to cheat a little because most of the time my characters are based on "real" historical figures. But this also creates some challenges. In medieval/Stewart Scotland if you want to stay true to the period the choices are, shall we say, extremely limited. I've just about exhausted them all. Seriously. I've had: Rory, Alex, Lachlan, Jamie, Patrick, and Duncan for heroes, and numerous Callums, Colins, etc, for secondary characters. Women's names are just as difficult. I'm going to be repeating a couple in the next series (Lachlan and Alex).

What if you could pick your name, what would it be? I'm not a big Monica fan (especially after the Clinton thing). I'd probably choose something traditional like Katherine and go by Katie.

WINNERS!

The winners are:

Jane

Lexi

Diane W.

B.E.

Samantha

And what the heck, PJ and Natalie, you guys too. :)

Please send your snail mail addy to the email on my website!

I'm So Excited, I need to Share!

I just received my coverflats for THE CHIEF and they are amazing. Ballantine really outdid themselves--the cover is absolutely gorgeous. This is definitely my favorite yet. (Ing, if you are reading this, yes, I think it is even better than Rory's arm, LOL).

A coverflat is basically the front and back cover without the book inside. Unlike the JPEG above, it's got the fancy embossed metallic writing, the matte finish, a subtle plaid on the spine and back, and a book blurb (not yet posted, BTW).

So as a reward for the faithful, I want to give some of these babies away.

I will send ONE signed coverflat to each of the first FIVE eligible commenters who comment on this blog. To be eligible you must have commented on at least of of my three previous blogs (Oct. 3, Sept. 26 or Sept. 15). It would be helpful if you indicate which blog in your response (so I can check it faster). Once I post the winners, you will need to send your snail mail addy to the email on my website.

Can't wait for you guys to see these in the stores!

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS

We lived in a condo for a number of years before our kids were born, and right now that is sounding really good. I've had a couple of bad homeowner weeks. We have a little family joke around here about how I sometimes wish I were married to Norm Abraham (above) or Bob Villa. My hubby might be able to hit a baseball out of the park, but let's just say (nicely) handyman he is not. His motto: if it can't be fixed with a hammer, it can't be fixed. Seriously. Isn't there some law out there that guys are supposed to be good at this stuff? In my book: A man who knows how to use tools = uber sexy.

Especially right now.

People always say bad things come in threes...not. Try five. The past couple of weeks we have had: an electrical wire burn in our attic causing one circuit to go out, a cracked pipe in the kitchen sink, a cracked sprinkler pipe, a broken sprinkler pipe (different one) that leaked into the basement, and a broken clothes dryer that needed to be replaced. I should have married a plumber.

What I've learned: I do not handle this kind of stress well. I just hope I get a break for a while.

So what about you...what's your worst housing nightmare? Are you lucky enough to have someone handy in your life? Can I have their number? :)

P.S. I'm in RT this month. If you don't subscribe you can see it here.

Also, author Kelly L Stone recently interviewed me for her second book for aspiring writers. The book is called Thinking Write: The Secret to Freeing Your Creative Mind, and it's about how to use the power of your subconscious mind to maximize your creative output and attain all of your writing aspirations. I'm looking forward to reading how my comments came out. :)