Awesome cover for THE GIFT OF GRAY - to be released 5/23/12

Just received the cover for my novel, THE GIFT OF GRAY!! (cover artist: Kim Mendoza -- she rocks!!)

Top 10 things to say about a Christmas gift you don't like!

Totally quirky responses (just to make you laugh - you know I would always accept gifts in the spirit they are given):

Top Ten Things To Say About A Christmas Gift You Don't Like**

10. Hey! There's a gift!

9. Well,well,well...

8. Boy, if I had not recently shot up 4 sizes that would've fit.

7. This is perfect for wearing around the basement.

6. Gosh. I hope this never catches fire! It is fire season though. There are lots of unexplained fires.

5. If the dog buries it, I'll be furious!

4. I love it--but I fear the jealousy it will inspire.

3. Sadly, tomorrow I enter the Federal Witness Protection Program.

2. To think--I got this the year I vowed to give all my gifts to charity.

1. I really don't deserve this.

- Author Unknown

Recipe for Cheese-n-Chili's

Cheese & Chili's:

Use 9" pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 - 4 ounce cans green chili's
2 - eggs
2 - tablespoons milk
8 ounces of grated mild cheddar cheese

Place chili's on bottom of pan. Mix eggs & milk, pour over chili's. Top with cheese.
Bake 30 minutes.

Serve warm with Triscuits (or any cracker of your choice)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Wonderful/yummy recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread:

3 cups white sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1) Preheat over to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Spray 2 - 8x8 pans/dishes with Pam (or grease & flour if you prefer).
2) In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water & eggs. Stir until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, & salt. Fold in chocolate chips & nuts.
3) Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Voila! Yummy dessert! Top with whipped topping if you like!

Thanksgiving poem

Had to share this cute Thanksgiving poem (author unknown):

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Excerpt from ONE SMALL FIB

One tiny fabrication can change everything. Here is an excerpt from my e-pleasure, ONE SMALL FIB. Enjoy! :-)

Every muscle in her body tightened when she approached him. Thankfully he was looking out the window so she had a moment to collect herself. She cleared her throat. “I hear it’s snowing back home.”

Kiptyn’s head snapped around so fast he should’ve gotten whiplash. His gaze connected with hers and a slow smile spread over his face. “I heard. The wind is going to pick up later this morning too. If you have any pull with the captain, could you have him get this thing off the ground as soon as possible?”

Allie tried to read him. He seemed friendly enough all right. His body language wasn’t as tight as hers and his smile appeared genuine. The biggest change she noticed was his attitude. He wasn’t demanding or acting annoyed. This was the tabloid-Kiptyn, the one the public loved. “Sorry, no pull. This is my fifth day as an attendant. Everyone on the plane has more clout.” She chuckled and waited for him to revert to mean ole Kiptyn.

Instead, he grinned. Not just a cheeky twinge that passed as a grin, but a full curve of his mouth complete with pearly white teeth.

An unexpected-warmth took her over. It started in her face, slithered down her neck, spilled across her breasts, and dipped lower until it found its intended target. Allie drew her knees together to fight the surge of delight.

A warning voice whispered in her head. He’s toying with you.

She took a mental breath and shoved aside the remnants of the convoluted attraction. In no way could she allow herself to think for one second that any of this was real.

Thank you for reading! http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=175_133&products_id=4609

Life Is Like A Game of Cards!

This recent post on Facebook made me laugh, but it made me think.

(Quote of the day...Marriage is like a deck of cards....in the beginning all you need is two hearts and a diamond....by the end you wish you had a club and a spade)

Life can mirror a card game. It can be a gamble. Filled with high stakes. Cut-throat competition. Or heart pumping excitement. It’s filled with rules you don’t always fully understand until you’ve played a hand or two. You get whomped when you mess up or play out of turn. Sometimes you bid and get all the tricks, sometimes you get set.

Like cards, life is a constant shuffle. It can be a fast moving game of chance. You’re dealt a hand and are expected to do something with it.

Sometimes your life includes a partner. He can be a king or she can be a queen. Sometimes they’re just a joker. If you’re lucky, an ace.

When love enters, it’s a game-changer. It’s still about the thrill of winning, but the stakes are different. Hearts come into play. There’s less clubbing. And eventually there could be a diamond.

Those who choose to play solitaire use a different strategy. It’s up to them to make the right move.

No matter what kind of cards you play, the challenge is the same – make the most of the cards you have, or draw from the deck and see what’s in store for you.

My card game keeps changing. Some days it’s Hearts. Since I have eight siblings there are days I play Crazy Eights (sorry, sibs, couldn’t resist). Then there’s those days that feel like 52-card-pick-up!!

What game best describes your life?

Poker, Slap Jack, Hearts, Solitaire, Kings on the corner, 3-card brag, 7-up, Crazy Eights, Euchre, Gin, Bridge, Rummy, Screw Your Neighbor, or 52-card pick up?

Music Inspires Me

We've all heard the saying 'Music soothes the savage beast'. The author of that great line was spot on. I'm not savage (most of the time I'm not - grins), and I'm certainly not a beast (well, unless you count how I look when I first get out of bed), but music calms me straight away when I'm in a funk. It wakes my muse. Rattles the creative gnome living in my brain. And makes me happy.

I love words, so my brain automatically links to the lyrics of a song before it ever hears a note of music. And i find myself trying to figure out if there's an underlying message or meaning to the words. Were they written for someone special? Or just a random gift to us from the artist?

Since I write romance, I navigate to songs about love and relationships. My current jumpstarter song is, 'Thank You For Loving Me' by Bon Jovi. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend it. (There are a couple of versions on YouTube, but I listen to the acoustic verson which is also marked as the official video).

What kind of music shifts your imagination into high gear?  

www.authorjanromes.com

My trip to RWA Nationals Conference in New York

Going to RWA Nationals each year is amazing in every sense of the word. It enhances my world with a new city, provides the opportunity to meet a lot of talented writers, and takes me out of my comfort zone which is small-town America. I’m not exactly from Mayberry RFD but close. Surrounded by corn fields and the croak of bull frogs, my view of the world is limited.

This year RWA held their national conference in New York City. According to the announcer on David Letterman’s nightly show, it’s the ‘greatest city in the world’. I used to silently scoff at the idea. Now that I’ve had the pleasure to visit there, I wouldn’t exactly say the announcer is right – but he isn’t wrong either. I found NYC rich in chaos and ethnicity. It was scary. Intriguing. A writer’s paradise. The nonstop flow of traffic and crowded sidewalks took some getting used to. After a few days, I felt like I fit in.

The conference itself is one of those gifts I appreciate afterwards. It’s a frenzy of activity that starts with registration, is filled with incredible workshops and speakers, and ends with an awards program that highlights the hard work of many writers. Once the conference draws to a close, my mind begins to organize all the great information. It sorts out the details of the city where it was held, stores the data from the workshops for me to draw on at a later date, and inspires me to write.

Something to share from this years conference -- the speakers at the luncheons and awards ceremony evoked so much emotion. They made us laugh. They made us cry. Their stories of endurance, survival and love were powerful. 

Now it's time to get down to the bones of writing!

My eBook, One Small Fib – a contemporary romance laced with humor (being published by The Wild Rose Press) will be available starting September 7, 2011.

www.authorjanromes.com