Sadly, I'm back!

This was the view from our lanai. Is there any wonder that I didn't want to leave? Sigh. We had one of the best vacations ever, but after a week in paradise it's hard to adjust to "real" life. Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I think I put a crimp in that diet total of mine and am hesitant to step back on the scale!

We're all pretty exhausted but are going to rally for the last Stanford home game of the season today (v. Notre Dame). It's a bit of a let down, however, after last week's horrible loss in the big game to Cal. I was glad I wasn't here.

I planned to catch up on my reading while I was gone, but barely managed to crack a book. I did manage, however, to read through book #2, The Hawk, which is about 3/4+ complete. I have a January 1st deadline which means December is going to be crazy.

Make sure to check my website after Dec. 1st--I'll be posting a "sneak peak" excerpt from The Chief.

Also, I just got some fabulous new bookmarks for the new series. If you want one, send me an email with your snail mail addy in the next week or so, and I'll pop one in the mail.

Are you ready for December? Not me, I think it's going to be a crazy month. I have no idea how I'm going to finish a book and get all my shopping done. As always, I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to get my parents.

Favorite Thanksgiving Food

Okay, so admittedly, dungeness crab probably isn't on the top of your traditional Thanksgiving meal list, but it is on mine. I live in the San Francisco bay area and the dungeness crab season just happens to hit full throttle right around Turkey day. Since I was little, there have been many Thanksgivings where my dad has gone across the bridge to Fisherman's warf and picked up fresh crab for us to enjoy at lunch on Thanksgiving. It's followed by a typical Thanksgiving dinner, but the crab has always been the best part for me. Only in California, right? LOL.

But seriously, when I was trying to come up with my favorite Thanksgiving food it was either crab or brussel sprouts. I'm a weirdo, I know. It drives my family (i.e. husband) crazy that I don't love Thanksgiving dinner. I could seriously do with just the crab and sourdough bread.

So what about you...

Do you have a favorite thing you cook/like to eat for Thanksgiving? (Traditional or untraditional?) What's your favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal?

Five Things You Didn't Know About Me

1. I was a Star Wars maniac. I've seen the original film over 100 times. I used to have a mad crush on Mark Hamill (including pictures of him in my school locker). Apparently I never outgrew this "trekkie" type of personality quirk because I did the same thing with Lord of the Rings (including midnight showings to all three movies).
2. I don't like casseroles. "Cream of [fill in the blank]" makes me want to . . . enough said. This amuses one of my CPs greatly. She's always threatening to invite me over to dinner for casserole night.
3. I played piano for almost 10 years and danced ballet for over 12 years. I was only passably talented at both.
4. I was a huge Elvis fan. I still remember the day my Dad came home and told me he'd died, I was crushed. I've seen every movie, read tons of books, own most of his music, and visited Graceland. Oh yea, I'm the same age as Lisa Marie, too. :)
5. I've lived in (at least) 9 different states and the District of Columbia: California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.

Yes, I took this idea from a tabloid magazine.

What about you. . . want to tell me one thing I don't know about you?

Mini-Update

Can you believe the holiday season is almost upon us? We've been planning an island vacation over Thanksgiving for months, I can't believe it's almost here. I thought I'd do a little mini-update on some of my recent blogs.

1. Are you a Sparrow or an Apple? I forgot to mention the other recent trend towards crazy spellings. My husband and I have been watching the world series (shocking!) and I noticed the spelling of one of the guys: "Jayson." Now tell me, what is wrong with Jason? LOL.
   
   
2. I'm So Excited I Need to Share: If you didn't win a cover flat you can now read the back of the book blurb here.
   
   

1. When it Rains it Pours: You are not going to believe this. Last week our water heater went out! Turns out it needed a new heating element. I am not asking what else could go wrong, because I don't want to know!
   
   
2. Back to School . . . Only two more tailgates left. Sigh. I wish football season was longer. Although after 'SCs loss last weekend, I may need a break.
   
   
3. Looking for Something to Read: I re-read a few of Susan Elizabeth's books YET AGAIN. I never re-read books so this is something of a rarity for me. I was still struggling to find something to read and decided to go back to some of my old favorites. I picked up a Nelson Demille that I hadn't read and fell in love with him all over again. Such a great writer.
   
   
4. Monica's Scary Movie: I still haven't been back to a theater. Seriously. I may have developed a phobia.
   
   
5. The Freshman Twenty at Forty: Well it's taken me over three months, but I've lost almost 15 pounds! I must admit, I'm pretty proud of myself. It wasn't easy. I used a meal replacement service for the first three weeks that really helped. Let's hope I can keep it off!
   
   

So what have you been up to, lately? I'm plugging away on book #2, not looking forward to a January 1st deadline. Ugh.

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. :)

Back to School, Football, Tailgating, the World Series and Halloween: It Doesn't Get Much Better Than That!

Just a few of the reasons I LOVE the fall. Today marks the first day of Stanford Football Tailgating for the McCarty family (we missed the first game last weekend), and we can't wait. IMO Stanford has one of the best tailgating experiences around. It's called "The Farm" but it's actually more like the woods--plenty of space to park beneath the giant trees and set up chairs, tables, whatever. Mom and Dad listen to music and drink a few adult beverages while the kids run around in the trees and toss the football around. Usually we have friends stop by which makes it even better. My two CPs Bella Andre and Jami Alden both went to Stanford undergrad so we've tried to make it a time to get the families together. A few friends from Law School are still around, too. I grew up tailgating with my family at Raiders games so maybe it's in the blood. :)

We've been Stanford Football season ticket holders for the past few years, and it has become one (if not the) favorite thing we do together as a family. September and October are probably the best weather months in California. Clear warm days and cold crisp nights--perfect! I have dreams each year about doing something more lavish with the food, but it's usually chips, dips, sandwiches, burritos or sushi and plenty of Coors Light. I do want one of those Margherita machines though . . .

So what about you . . . are you a tailgater? What is your favorite time of year? Do you have a favorite thing you do together as a family?

Mini-Break

Other than a last minute, late summer trip to Tahoe this summer, we pretty much stayed put. But this weekend we'll be taking a little "mini-break" and heading down to the world's happiest place, a.k.a. Disneyland.

If you'd told me before I had kids that I'd be going to Disneyland multiple times a year, I would have said, "You're nuts!" Sigh, what a difference a couple of little ones can make. We've been taking the kids to Disneyland since they were toddlers (my daughter was only 6 months!)--mostly because we were down there so much when my hubby was playing baseball. He mostly played for American League teams and Anaheim is a quick trip form Nor Cal. Most of the past 10 years we've been annual passholders. Not sure whether I should be proud of that or not? :)

The kids are ride fans so Disneyland (where you can go back and forth between the parks easily) is more enjoyable for them than Disneyworld (where everything is spread out). Both kids love the "thrill" rides: California Screamer, Grizzly Run, and Tower of Terror. I like those, too, but I think my favorite is Soarin' Over California.

As a funny aside: I'm deep into book #2 now with my "SEAL"/seafarer and I can't even tell you how many times I've wanted to use the rollercoaster analogy for all those wild rides on the boat, LOL.

So what about you...have a favorite amusement park? Ever been to Disney? Do you like roller-coasters?

Looking for Something to Read . . .

With the kids back at school (insert Monica doing a jig here), I'm looking to reward myself with a little reading time. Something that has seriously been lacking in the past few months.

I was pretty parsimonious this year at conference, and I've already managed to read through most of the books I picked up. I also did a little book clean out recently. I think my TBR pile is the lowest it's been in years. In part it's because I've started putting aside books that I'm not enjoying. It used to be that I read through the entire book no matter what. But my reading time is so limited nowadays, I've become much more cutthroat.

There are a couple of books I'm really looking forward to at the end of the month (new Lisa Kleypas and Liz Carlyle anyone?), but do you have any recommendations to tide me over until then? How about new authors?

I read historical (of course), suspense, and some contemporary (SEP, Rachel Gibson, Jennie Crusie, Christie Ridgeway... stuff like that). I don't read paranormal usually unless it's time travel.

It's That Time of Year Again!

This has to be my all-time favorite commercial. I think I will have to make it a traditional post, LOL. I've seen it a hundred times and it STILL cracks me up.

My kids go back to school on Wednesday, although we actually have a "walk-through" at the middle school tomorrow. I can't believe summer is almost over. We didn't do much this year. Other than my trip to Washington DC, we took a short family vacation to Lake Tahoe last week. Tahoe is about three hours away and is definitely my "comfort" retreat. I've been going there most of my life and there is just something so relaxing about the place--winter for skiing and summer for the beach. Can't beat that.

Yesterday we finally got around to taking the kids to Alcatraz. (My husband and I made a run for the dock, but unfortunately the kids caught up with us :)). I've been many times--mostly when I was a kid--but it's one of those things that everyone who visits here does, but locals often never get around to. It's funny how you can live in a major tourist area and never take advantage of the wonderful things in your own backyard. I've got a list a mile long that I've never gotten around to showing the kids: Golden Gate Park, SF Zoo, Fort Point, Haight-Ashbury, Giant Redwoods, Gold Country, Monterey Bay Aquarium . . . I could go on. Yet, they've seen the Tower of London. Ironic, isn't it? LOL.

What about you...do you have a "comfort" vacation spot? Any tourist attractions in your own backyard you haven't visited?

UPDATE:

Jane already has a copy of Barbara's new book so she has graciously offered to have me choose another winner...

TARA, email me with your snail mail addy!

Thanks again to everyone for all the great comments.

Congratulations!

The winners (as chosen by my ten year old birthday girl) are:

Natalie for UNLEASHED and

Jane for SUDDENLY ONE SUMMER

Thanks to everyone for commenting. Natalie and Jane, send your "snail mail" addy to the email on my website. Give me a week or so to get them in the mail...

I will have a sporadic internet connection next week, so it will be quiet around here. Happy end of summer to everyone. I can't believe my kids go back to school in 10 days!

Get those comments in . . .

Head's up: I'll be picking the winners from my last blog on Sunday!

Guest Blogging and Two Books to Give Away

I'll be guest blogging at the Lovestruck novice tomorrow (Friday, August 7th). I met Sarah at a speaking engagement I did for the RWA Yosemite chapter. It's a relatively new chapter and I was blown away by the enthusiasm of the group--including Sarah who is writing Regencies and hoping for the call. They had so much energy, I know good things will be coming from this chapter.

It's probably the last blog I'll do for a while so try to pop on over and say "hi." I'm jumping into book #2 of the series with a tight deadline so promo will be limited over the next few months.

Also, I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of my CP Jami Alden's next book, UNLEASHED, as well as a copy of brainstorming buddy Barbara Freethy's latest, SUDDENLY ONE SUMMER. Both are signed. NOTE: as UNLEASHED in an ARC it has a plain pink cover. If you like Shannon McKenna, you'll want to give Jami a try--very sexy, romantic suspense. Barbara has written across many genres, but her latest is one of the leaders of the new wave of "small town" oriented books--like Robyn Carr. SOS is the first book in her Angel's Bay series.

I'll pick two winners (one for each book) over the next week or so from anyone who comments. You must have a valid email for me to be able to contact you for your snail mail.

So here's my question. In my never ending quest to figure out the most productive use of promo time, I'm wondering what you like. A personal blog? A group blog? FACEBOOK? Twitter? Are guest blogs something you enjoy reading? In other words, how do you like to "connect" with your favorite authors?

UPDATE: oops, I forgot about the "grand-daddy" of them all, bulletin boards. My friend and fellow author Veronica Wolff has one and we've talked about joining forces for a while now. Is that a format you like?

Kicking off the HIGHLAND GUARD

I posted my next cover in my website update yesterday in case you missed it. So what do you think? Nice abs, huh?

THE CHIEF is the first book in my new series and features Tor MacLeod--team leader and swordsman extraordinaire. (Fun fact: He's also Rory from HIGHLANDER UNTAMED's great grandfather six times over!)

Monica's Scary Movie

(or: You Will Never Wear Flip-flops to a Movie Again!)

How's this for a horror story. Last night hubby took me to see the new Harry Potter at one of those classic old theaters in our neighborhood (one I've been going to for most of my life). It's become a little run-down over the years, but it's got all the gilding, red velvet seats, organist at some shows, etc.

Anyway, about ten minutes from the end of the movie, I hear something shuffling. I look down and see--I kid you not--a huge rat. It was about 6-8 inches long (not counting the tail). To say I was freaked out was an understatement. I think my poor hubby thought he was going to have to carry me out of there. Serious "damsel-in-distress" moment. This is one of those reasons why I married a big strong guy!

The worst part was that when I told the manager, he (and the other two employees standing there) had absolutely blank expressions on their faces (i.e. no shock). He was very blase and said he was "sorry." I got the feeling that (a) he wasn't surprised and (b) he wasn't that concerned. After I went on for a while, he finally said he was going to call the exterminator "right now" (at 8:30 pm?). Needless to say, I won't be going back.

I'm still freaking out. A dark theater, bare ankles, scary movie and a rodent DO NOT MIX.

Anything icky like this ever happen to you? What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?

Back from Conference!

(With blog friends Natalie and "Natalie's Mom," aka Lyne, LOL, at the Literacy Signing)

D.C. was a blast, but I'm paying for it now.  I'm still trying to dig out, and (sigh!) it's almost the weekend.  But it was great--definitely worth the time and cost involved.  Not only did my friend Veronica and I score an AMAZING suite for the cost of a single (a long story--see pics below), I wined and dined with my friends, other authors, and my editor and agent.  

It's hard to qualify the conference experience--or put a finger on exactly what makes it "worth it."  There are so many intangibles--whether it's an elevator ride with a famous author (SEP...eek!), networking with the bigwigs at the publisher, listening to industry workshops, or meeting the kindle guy at Amazon and having him ask me what I'd change (how cool is that?).

I had too many highlights to regale you with them all, but I want to thank all of you who came up and introduced yourselves.  I mentioned to PJ that we might have to do a coffee next year, so stay posted!

I'm trying to decide what movie to see this weekend.  Have any of you seen the new HP yet? Gerard Butler's new movie also comes out tomorrow, so that might be hard to resist...

Romantic Comedies

My hubby and I went to see Sandra Bullock's new movie THE PROPOSAL last night.  Once a month we have "Kids night Out" at our gym, which gives us just enough time to catch a movie.  We'd already seen most of what was out last night, so I got my way for the "chick flick."  We were both surprised by how much we enjoyed it.  

I love romantic comedies and am always searching for good ones on NETFLIX.  My favs?  Off the top of my head OVERBOARD, SWEET HOME ALABAMA, CLUELESS,  and BRIDGETT JONES DIARY.  But I know I'm forgetting some of my favs.

I'm on my way to Washington DC for the Romance Writers of America's annual conference so if I'm quiet, you'll know why.  

What is your favorite Romantic Comedy?