Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining us at Petticoats & Pistols. We’re so glad to have you!
This is my first blog to the site. It feels appropriate to me because this Monday morning is a new beginning in a lot of ways. It’s my first work week in my brand new empty nest (yes, I was a child bride,) the first week to work on a new project (Mark’s story for those of you who read my romantic suspense novels,) and it’s kick-off week of one of my life’s passions–college football!!!!!
I had intended to blog about how I renamed the villain in my upcoming western historical (The Loner, May 2008) after a neighbor because he talked our city into cutting down a majestic fifty-year-old cottonwood tree. (Its cotton clogged up his pool pump. The horror!) 
I even started that particular blog, but thinking about how much I miss that tree depresses me so I’ve turned my attention to the return of Game Day. Game Day makes me happy!
For those of you who don’t know me, I am an Aggie, a graduate of Texas A&M University. My husband is an Aggie. All three of my children are Aggies. My father-in-law, two brothers, four nephews, and three nieces are Aggies. (Because every family must have a black sheep, my sister is a tea-sip which means she went to that other school over in Austin.) My favorite shoes are my Aggie flip-flops, my ringtone is the Aggie War Hymn, and on my back patio we fly the American flag, the Texas flag, and the Aggie flag. I truly do bleed maroon.
Obnoxious, I know, but there you go.
Each year, the beginning of fooball seaon fills me with optimism that seems to carry over into other parts of my life. At the beginning of the season, everying seems possible. We will win the close ones this year. I will lose ten pounds by Thanksgiving. We will beat Texas Tech in Lubbock and OU in Norman. I will hit the USA Today bestseller list higher than ever before with my October release, NEVER SAY NEVER. And when those cursed ‘Horns come to Kyle Field in November? They’ll be taco meat, and I will be putting the finishing touches on a manuscript that will be the best book I’ve ever written.
And when my December 1st deadline rolls around, my manuscript will be winging its way to New York where it will be greated with cheers and enthusiastic approval, and I will be in the stands at the Alamodome watching my Aggies win the Big 12 Championship.
Okay, maybe I’ve been inhaling too much smoke at the tailgate barbeque.
However, the first Game Day of the season is almost here and I’m excited about life! Come Saturday night I’ll be in College Station with my family and friends watching the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band march into the stadium and listening to my daughter tell me about her first week of classes.
It’s gonna be a great year. 
So, anybody else out there like college football? Have any predictions about the season? Wanna talk some football smack? <g>
Hi Geralyn,
I can’t say I’m a fellow college FOOTBALL fan. My nephew pitched in the college World Series this year in Omaha and we’re die hard baseball fans.
But we do have something in common. The empty-nest syndrome. So I can relate and I, too, was a CHILD bride!
I must say I love your enthusiasm for football though. As you know, here in CA, we have football loonies, the UCLA and USC rivals. I always stay neutral!
Looking forward to hearing more about your October book, Never Say Never! Don’t keep us in too much suspense (pun intended) Go Aggies!
Ah, Geralyn, all I can say is, “Hook ‘em, Horns! Burnt Orange Rules!” We’ll talk after Thanksgiving.
Oh, I can say one more thing: Can’t wait for Never Say Never. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
And as all good Nebraska fans say, GO HUSKERS!
Okay, so I’m not much of a college football fan. Well, not really a fan of football at all. Really, to be honest, I’m not much of a sports fan. Period. Maybe it is because the hubby watches all sports know to man!! Every day, at any time, there’s some sport on that captures his attention.
Anyway, I can sorta understand your enthusiasm over college football. After all I am in Georgia and there’s has always been a bitter rivalry against University of Georgia (Dogs) and Georgia Institute of Technology (Yellow Jackets). I have to go with Georgia Tech as my nephew is attending that college.
Oh, and did you all hear . . . Georgia won the Little League World Series yesterday. That’s two years in a row now for us!
I’m not too into college football, but I love the pros (GO BUCS!). Like Buffie, I also live in GA and prefer Georgia Tech over the ‘Dawgs if I had to choose. Buffie, I saw that Georgia won the LLWS!! Isn’t that awesome?!?!?
Charlene: A pitcher…that’s so cool. Who does he play for?
Lorraine: Well, well, well. I didn’t know that about you. Uh…Scoreboard…(Okay, I get to say it so seldom I can’t resist.
Cheryl: Nebraska has me scared this year. When I take off my maroon glasses, I think we’ll probably end up with an L–we’re playing in Lincoln.
Buffie: I did see that clip on ESPN. It was awesome! That boy’s home run…the wonder on his face…what a great memory he’ll have for his entire life.
Andrea: See, I can’t do pros because I grew up a Dallas Cowboy fan, then Jerry Jones bought the team and fired Tom Landry. Some things a girl just can’t get past. I despise Jerry Jones.
I guess that’s part of why college sports appeals to me so much. With the pros, the owners own the team, but with colleges, the students and former students are the “owners.”
As far as NEVER SAY NEVER goes…I’d rather talk about this new historical that comes out tomorrow. It’s JUST WICKED ENOUGH by our own LORRAINE HEATH who is an awesome writer whether she’s writing westerns or something else. And, we really shouldn’t hold it against her that she made a poor decision in her youth and attended that OTHER school. scoreboard
I once had a sweatshirt made for my dad for Christmas that read:
The wouldn’t be the Huskers
If they didn’t break your heart.
That’s because no matter how well they do, we in Nebraska, are only satisfied with total world domination.
The Aggies are intriguing though.
Think about it, if you’re named the Cornhuskers, you’ve GOT to be tough. Sort of like that old Johnny Cash song, “A Boy Named Sue”
I gave you that name and I said good-bye and I knew you’d either get tough or died.”
Well, if you’ve got to be tough to be a CORNHUSKER
(continued from last post, which magically posted itself before I was done)
…imagine how tough you have to be to have your college football team named after your great-aunt Agatha. That’s where you got that name…right?
Mary “Trash Football Talk” Connealy
Mary, you are TOO funny! Good old Aunt Aggie.
And for the record, I have never worn a corncob on my head.
Geralyn - Eric Pettis, my nephew pitched against Arizona in a record-breaking game for UCI ANTEATERS the “Cinderella” team of the World Series. UCI wasn’t even ranked at the beginning of the year, and they placed 4th in the nation, and had everyone cheering for them. It was an amazing ride. Only problem with college sports - if a coach does well, he’s most likely going to get offers. We’re hoping not to lose our inspiring coach as he’s being courted by some heavy hitters right now.
Geralyn, you always seem so sweet. How could you bring up the scoreboard as though that’s truly significant? OK, in spite of the rivalry–and never tell hubby–I find the Aggie loyalty intriguing. Like you, I’m ready for college football season to start. Will even be paying attention to Alabama this year since I’m a huge Major Applewhite fan.
And you are sweet. Thanks for mentioning Just Wicked Enough. No Texans in it at all. What was I thinking? Even when I write English settings, I can usually work in at least one beloved Texan.
Yea, Geralyn!! Wonderful post. You’re still a scamp after all these years. I’m really thrilled to be on P&P with two of my long-time idols. Hey, I want to hear about Never Say Never. Hot cover by the way. I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting to get my next Geralyn Dawson “fix.” I confess, I’m a junkie when it comes to your books. Give us the scoop, lady! Sorry I don’t watch college football. Just never got into it. So I keep my eagle eyes peeled for good books. Can’t hold that against me I guess.
i don t have a favoite team, but i dolike florida.
Hi Geralyn, I’m a die hard Penn State fan. I am looking forward to Saturday!
Mary, Mary, Mary…talking trash from someone in the NORTH? That’s sorta like hearing it from Baylor! And that a cornhusker would attempt to poke fun at an Agriculture school. Tsk tsk tsk. Admittedly, the Ags ran out of time last fall and you outscored us by one point, but we owned your corn hats in basketball and baseball…
Great story about your nephew, Charlene. I do understand about coaches doing well then moving on. We dealt with that in basketball this year…although I do think the new guy we got is better than the guy who ditched us for Kentucky.
Kim…Florida…all I can say about them is that I wish they wouldn’t win the National Championship in Everything!
Linda…You’re a doll. I won’t clog here with NSN talk–hey, we’re talking football!!!–but please check out http://www.geralyndawson.com. The first chapter excerpt is up now.
Heading over to site to read that excerpt for Never Say Never. Great!! Thanks for sharing that.
Re football, I do have some connection to college football. LOL I forgot about my son and youngest daughter who live in Lubbock. They are die-hard Texas Tech Red Raiders fans. Even have my grandchildren into rooting for them. Go Red Raiders!!!
Oh man! I just read your excerpt for Never Say Never and my gosh you really hooked me on the first sentence. By the time I reached the end of the chapter I was having to mop up the drool from my keyboard for your James Bond hero, Matt Callahan. This is a must-have book. Has your classic Geralyn humor mixed with lots of suspense and sexual tension. Love it!
I’m with Susan and Penn State - my husband went there and my one daughter just graduated from there last year. I’m also a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
I’ve heard of basketball and baseball. I’m sure those are fine little sports if you can’t play anything REAL.
Joe Pat is a national treasure. Gotta love Penn State.
Now, Nebraska, on the other hand…little sports, Mary? Sweet Sixteen with roundball and Big 12 Championship on the diamond. Of course, y’all are a one-shot pony…we get to tailgate year round…
Lorraine, I can’t believe you could bring up Major Applewhite in delicate company, considering that only bad words come from my mouth when I see his name on a jersey. His name raises temperatures in my family. Is he coaching at Alabama?