Stephanie is my winner from Monday’s contest. Stephanie, please email me your address at papotter@aol.com. Many thanks to all of you who responded to the post.
Month: April 2009
Stacey Kayne: Spring In Bloom
Spring
By Robert McCracken
Today is the day when bold kites fly,
When cumulus clouds roar across the sky.
When robins return, when children cheer,
When light rain beckons spring to appear.
When cumulus clouds roar across the sky.
When robins return, when children cheer,
When light rain beckons spring to appear.
Today is the day when daffodils bloom,
Which children pick to fill the room,
Today is the day when grasses green,
When leaves burst forth for spring to be seen.
I’m certain most of us have heard the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” In my arid California home, this saying holds true and few scents are sweeter than a fresh spring rain. I have been enjoying our short and precious rainy season. And true to the saying, spring is blooming all around us. Miles of orchards surround my house and those trees seem to blossom overnight–barren winter trees bursting into massive bouquets of pink and white.
Spring has arrived!
A short drive through the foothills and you’ll find another source of gold in our California foothills at springtime—California poppies. They coat the hillsides. A light breeze through the lush grasses and those hills really do glimmer of gold.
Another of my favorite wild flowers is the vibrant purple lupines. Every meadow is splashed with all colors of the rainbow—everything is fresh and new, a true rebirth of a new year.
What are your favorite spring flowers? Is there a certain flower you look forward to seeing in bloom?
~*~*~*~*~
A favorite tasty recipe of mine is Pistachio Pineapple Delight — a refreshing soft spring-green fruit salad filled with pineapple and mandarin oranges (although you can use a fruit of your choice).
· Empty two packets of Jell-o-brand Pistachio pudding into medium bowel.
· Dump in a 20oz can of crushed pineapple. Stir until pudding mix dissolves in the pineapple juice.
· Add an 11oz can of (drained) mandarin oranges.
· Mix in one tub of Cool Whip. Refrigerate to thicken.
(Some like to add a cup of mini marshmellows)
Available for Pre-Order
For Good Friday: Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are traditionally served on Good Friday, but they are good any time. This recipe will make 2 1/2 dozen buns.
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup softened butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 1/2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup dried currents
1/2 cup raisins
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2 Tablespoons water
1 egg yolk
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1 recipe Icing (below)
Have the water and milk at 110-115 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the warm milk sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating the mixture well after each addition. Stir in the dried fruit and enough flour to make a soft dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and turn over to grease the top. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch the dough down and shape into 30 balls.
Place on greased baking sheets.
Using a sharp knife, cut a cross or X on the top of each roll.
Cover again and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Beat the water and egg yolk together and brush over the rolls.
Bake at 375-degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes.
Cool on wire racks.
Drizzle icing over the top of each roll following the lines of the cut cross.
ICING: Combine 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 4 teaspoons milk or cream, a dash of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Adjust sugar and milk to make a mixture, which flows easily.
Pam Crooks: “Neither Snow nor Rain…” Bizarre Post Office Tales
I don’t know about you, but I feel sorry for the United States Post Office.
They don’t have a chance against today’s technology, and they admit it. In fact, they’ve lamented they don’t see any glimmer of hope on the horizon and that t
echnology will slowly and surely squeeze out the average consumer’s need to send correspondence the old-fashioned way.
The proof is in the pudding. Postmaster General John E. Potter recently reported to Congress that mail volume will drop an appalling 32 BILLION pieces in less than 2 years.
Two years? Yikes!
To battle the sharp declines, the post office is forced to raise rates. A postage stamp will jump to 44 cents each on May 11th, and we’ll see price hikes every May from now on. Which, of course, only keeps the cycle spinning – consumers won’t WANT to spend 44 cents and more on a letter, so mail volume will drop and keep dropping.
We’ve become a society where corresponding by email is as natural as breathing. We pay our bills online. We apply for jobs online. Some of us even send Christmas cards online, and thank you notes, and birthday cards online . . ..
Makes you wonder what those dedicated riders for the Pony Express would have to say about all this, don’t you? After all, it wasn’t so long ago that America was completely dependent on the Post Office to courier its goods all over the country. And some of those goods were mighty strange.
Here are some examples:
* A farmer shipped 1 and 1/2 tons of hay by parcel post from Oregon to Idaho.
* Someone shipped a coconut from Miami to Detroit fourth class; postage and address was attached to the shell.
* It was fairly common to save on trucking costs by mailing sections of prefab housing to construction sites.
* Harry Winston was kind enough to donate the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1958. He sent it wrapped in brown paper, first class registered mail.
Even more stranger:
Poisoned candy, loaded pistols, and assorted body parts in various stages of decomposition.
Of course, with bizarre things comes the risk of mishap – like when black widow spiders and poisonous snakes and even lady bugs escaped.
But in 1916, the Postmaster General put his proverbial foot down when someone shipped AN ENTIRE BANK BUILDING from Salt Lake City to Vernal, Utah–80,000 bricks packaged in small bundles. But an exception was made in 1941 to allow 9,000 tons of gold bricks to rumble from New York to Fort Knox, an endeavor that took an entire year and allowed the Post Office to collect an astounding $1,600,000 in postage, insurance and surcharges.
But my absolute favorite–or my most appalling, whichever you prefer–
shipped goods was in 1914 when the parents of four-year-old May Pierstorff plunked 53 cents worth of postage on her suitcase (though some claim the stamp was glued to a tag on her coat) to pay for the 3 hour trip by train to her grandmother’s house in Lewiston, Idaho. They got away with it since it wasn’t technically against the law to ship a child. Never mind that it WAS against the law to ship a pig–or smelly Limburger cheese. But since the cost of a train ticket equated to a full day’s pay for May’s father, the local postmaster agreed on the basis that it was lawful to ship little chicks, of which he considered her such.
The story had a happy–and safe–ending. The baggage clerk delivered her promptly from the train to the Lewiston post office, where Grandma waited to greet her–a happily delivered product of the United States Post Office.
And yes, this is little May. How could her parents plunk a stamp on her and send her on her way, all by her lonesome?
What was the strangest thing you’ve ever shipped by mail or otherwise? What was the strangest thing you’ve ever received?
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Amelia Bloomer Set Fashion on Its Behind
In western romance bloomers often refers to a woman’s undergarment. I’ve been guilty of this and have used bloomers on more than one occasion. While they were originally a type of women’s trousers, bloomers have since become synonymous with under drawers and pantaloons. But in Amelia Bloomer’s day they were baggy pants gathered tightly and buttoned at the ankle. They were worn under a skirt of a shorter length that allowed the lacy bloomers to show.
Bloomers released women from their tightly laced corsets, layers upon layers of petticoats that could weigh over ten pounds, and long dresses that dragged the ground. Bloomers allowed freedom of movement. Women could at last ride bicycles and indulge in sporting activities. And it was all because of free-thinkers like Fanny Wright who first advocated a type of bloomer in the early 1800’s and Amelia Bloomer who made the garment fashionable in the 1850’s.
Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818-1894) married an attorney by the name of Dexter Bloomer. He was also a newspaper editor. She began writing a few articles for his paper pertaining to women’s issues. After attending the Women’s Rights Convention in Senaca Falls in 1848 she founded her own bi-weekly newspaper called “The Lily” and became a voice for many women reformers such as Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
Initially, the newspaper focused on temperance and the women’s suffrage movement. But as the times progressed the articles became more about marriage law reform, higher education for women, the right to vote, and women’s right to employment without having to ask for her husband’s permission. The health and well-being of women were also a primary focus and that’s when Amelia advocated clothing for women’s comfort and the bloomers in particular.
She fashioned them after the Turkish women’s trousers. They were intended to preserve Victorian decency while being less of a hindrance. Here’s Amelia in her outfit.
She said, “The costume of women should be suited to her wants and necessities. It should conduce at once her health, comfort, and usefulness; and while it should not fail also to conduce to her personal adornment, it should make that end of secondary importance.”
As you can imagine, she was met with overwhelming ridicule. The garment was deemed unfeminine and a moral outrage. Gradually, the bloomers faded away. Amelia herself gave up the fight after eight years and stopped wearing them, citing that it shifted the focus away from more important women’s issues.
I can only imagine that these bloomers were a forerunner of today’s jeans. I love the comfort, freedom, and casual look of jeans. And they’re form-fitting and feminine.
How many of you are a jeans and shorts kind of gal? And do you think you would’ve worn bloomers in public if you lived back in Amelia’s day?
What’s In A Name?
Ah, names. The bane of every writer’s existence. At least, it’s mine.Names make a difference in novels. The wrong one risks turning off a reader. The name becomes part of the character’s persona. You really don’t want a soft sounding name for a hard hero, or a sweet name for a feisty heroine.
We’re always trying to find the most perfect names for our multitude of characters, good and bad. After fifty-five books, I’m constantly tearing out my hair to find new and distinctive names for my people, most importantly the hero and heroine.
I like certain names, and since I usually figure each book stands on its own, I’ve used the same one for several heroes over a 25-year-career. Oops. Big mistake. I’ve discovered some readers really don’t like that, even if the books are completely different.
Where do names come from? Baby books, certainly. I have three of them and I’ll thumb through them until a name hits me as being wonderfully appropriate for a certain character. Friends are a source. Their names have appeared in many of my books. If it’s a western, I’ll look through my western diaries, looking for a name from that particular period. When visiting a museum, I’ll look for lists of individuals who have sailed a ship, or fought a battle or signed a document. I’ve even resorted to the phone book on occasion. That was pure desperation.
In the book now in progress, I had a particularly hard time. It’s a western, and since I’ve written a number of them, I’ve already used names that immediately come to mind. Wade. Ben. Rafe. Marsh. Nick. Ben. Ty. Seth. Usually short one-syllable names that summon images of strength, honesty and directness. I’ve also used Morgan (a family name dear to me), MacKenzie and Lobo. But I try to stick with my one-syllable names. Usually I know the name right from the beginning, but this time I’ve had a few problems. I’ve changed the name of my hero about six times. Nothing sounded exactly right for him. It still doesn’t and I’ll probably change again by the end of the book.
I had similar problems with my heroine. The heroine, raised by a gunfighter, mule skinner and gambler in a mining town, had to have a name both feminine and boyish. Yet I also have to be true to the times. No Blair or Brandy or even Allison.
Big problem with both. I’d already used up most of the names scrounged from my usual sources. I have used the names of most of my relatives. My mom is an exception. For some reason I have a difficult time calling my heroine Adelaide Lucille, and I really don’t want to use it for a lesser person, much less a villainess.
So I was more than a little bemused by an article several Sundays ago in “Parade” Magazine. Published in Walter Scott’s “Personality” column, the snippet was headed by this question: “What do you think of celebrities giving their kids far-out names?”
Not much, according to Mr. Scott. “Being the child of a famous person is hard enough without being saddled with a bizarre name.” His choice for the most outlandish name was that of Illusionist Penn Jillette’s daughter, Moxie CrimeFighter.”
Poor kid.
But it mentioned a list of odd names on the internet. Since I’m constantly on the hunt for new and intriguing names, I thought I would explore it.
Internet, here I come. Maybe I could find a terrific name. Or two. I typed in “celebrity names odd.” Maybe I could steal a few.
Now I have to admit I’m an addict. I’m a internet addict. I’m a former newspaper reporter, and former reporters always have more curiosity than is healthy for any one human being. Once I get started on “research,” I don’t come up for air for hours.
So I immersed myself in a surprisingly large number of websites concerning odd odd names, and names in general.
I must admit I blinked several times. I knew, of course, that people sometimes give their children strange and mysterious names. My mother tells the story of a girlhood friend who was named Pansy Pansygrew. All the other children always taunted her, “two Pansies and only one grew.” Children can be cruel.
But I digress. While searching the treasure mine of names, I thought I would share some of my findings of unusual names with fellow writers. Here’s a sampling:
Director Robert Rodriguez, who was on an “alliterative’” roll, named his children Rocket, Racer, Rebel, Rogue and Rhiannon (daughter). The last isn’t so bad. It’s rather pretty, but I would think she’ll spend a good part of her life spelling it for clerks and teachers and civil servants. And “Rogue?” How do you live up – or down – to that one?
I think I’ll pass on those.
Okay, what about Actresses Rachel Griffiths and Shannyn Sossamon who named their children Banjo and – take a deep gulp – Audio Science? Yep. It’s true. I think I’ll take a pass on that one.
Onward. The late British television personality Paula Yates named her four children Peaches Honeyblossom, Fifi Trixibelle, Pixie, and Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily. Yes, that last name really is four words. Fifi? Pixie? Peaches Honeyblossom?
My editor would run screaming into the street.
What about Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver’s kids – Poppy Honey and Daisy Boo?
Thank you, but no thank you.
Adelaide is beginning to sound very good. Surely, though, there should be a catchy usable name in one of these lists.
Jason Lee of “My Name is Earl” named his son Pilot Inspektor. Now that one really stumps me, just as it will every person who ever meets him. At least it’s unique. But I don’t think one of my heroes would appreciate the creativity.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin named their daughter Apple Martin after a drink, and their baby son Moses. I don’t think either will really appreciate the monikers. I know my heroine and hero would have lifelong trauma.
Some other celebrity children’s names: Reighbeau, Freedom, Kyd, Tallulah Belle, Moon Unit, Diva, and Dweezil (now Dweezi is really going to have a real problem with her parents – Bruce Willis and Demi Moore).
Enough! I quit. Maybe John and Judy and Jane and Harold will have to do. Adelaide Lucille is looking better by the moment.
How do the other writers here decide on names? I thought I could help a bit, but . . .
And now I have two questions for you, and I’ll send one of my westerns to the poster with the most interesting answer:
1. What’s the most unusual name you’ve ever heard?
2. How does a character’s name affect your opinion of him? Or her?
Elle James’ Winner!
Yep, the answers to Elle’s question of which of her books made Romantic Times TOP PICK are:
Baby Bling
Nick of Time
Dakota Meltdown
Beneath the Texas Moon
Abi won a copy of BABY BLING!
Abi, just send me your snail mail address at pacrooks@radiks.net, and Elle will get your book right off to you.
Thanks, friends, for coming to pay Elle a visit this weekend!
Elle James says ‘Just Do It!’
How many times have you said, “One of these days I’m going to . . .”? (The idea is for you to fill in the action). Whether it is to write, paint, travel or mend a relationship, what are you waiting for? My advice to you is: Just do it! If you are waiting until you retire or for the timing to be just right, you may not live that long or you may not have the energy if you ever get to that allusive “right time”. Don’t wait to live the life you dream of, just do it!
There have been times in my life that I thought I didn’t have the time to learn or that I didn’t have the patience to get past failure. But, when you go for something with all your heart, you will find the time and learn to be patient, because you believe in it.
Have you found yourself piddling at poetry, playing at being a playwright, or nit-picking at novels? Piddle no more! Just do it! Join a club, talk to others that are doing the same kind of activity, read some books and learn, learn more about what you want to do. You will be surprised at the results. The world will crack its door for you to peek in. Don’t be satisfied with just a peek, push that door wide open and jump in!
At the turn of the century, Y2K, I took the leap and jumped into the life of a writer. With each idea, each project, each support group I joined, I learned and grew. I wrote like there was no tomorrow while holding down a full-time job, raising children and managing our small ranch.
Requests for manuscripts rolled in, alas with rejection after rejection. I was either too thick-skinned to care or too stupid to give up. In the end, my persistence paid off and I landed my first contract. The rest (here comes the cliché) is history.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Harlequin. This month marks the release of my 10th Harlequin Intrigue – Baby Bling, a milestone I only dreamed of back in 2000. I owe it all to persistence. So if you’re teetering on the edge, playing with an idea you think you might like to pursue, don’t teeter, don’t play, get busy and make it happen. Just do it!
Excerpt:
He was known as a tough-as-nails tycoon. Then one pregnant beauty penetrated his steely reserve.
Shipping tycoon Jackson Champion hadn’t become a Texas billionaire by crumbling under pressure. So when his sexy assistant, Ysabel Sanchez, decided to walk away from him and his mega-successful corporation, he wasn’t taking no for an answer. After all, memories of their recent one-night stand had consumed him, and now Ysabel’s inability to meet his eye made him wonder what she wasn’t telling him. But exploring their feelings had to wait. An unknown enemy intended to bring down Champion Shipping, and Jackson was an expert at protecting what was his. But could he also lay claim to Ysabel and the secrets she had yet to reveal?
Elle will be giving away an autographed copy of BABY BLING! Just let us know what four Elle James books received Romantic Time’s TOP PICK–and what have YOU personally persisted that led to your success?
Elle James is an award-winning author who began writing on a challenge from her sister and went on to win the Romance Writers of America 2004 Golden Heart for Best Paranormal Romance and launched her writing career with Harlequin Intrigue. With the support of her parents, husband, one teenage child, two grown children and one grandchild, Elle is currently at home in Northwest Arkansas happily writing her next edge-of-the-seat suspense. She loves to hear from her readers. Email Elle at ellejames@ellejames.comor visit her website www.ellejames.com
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Cowboys & Outlaws Winners
Yee-Haw! This has been a week ah’ll never forget long as I live. What a bunch of wonderful guests! Ah hope you’ve enjoyed it half as much as I did.
As Kathleen Eagle suggested, Ah’ve blindfolded myself and have held up a whole passel of commenters. But ah didn’t rob ’em. Ah’m giving ’em prizes. Can’t beat that with a stick!
Melissa D – Spa Basket Winner
Sherry – Winner of Kathleen Eagle’s “In Care of Sam Beaudry”
JOYE – Winner of Maureen Child’s latest Silhouette + one western
Judy Pennell – Carol Finch’s “Cooper’s Woman”
Kim – Carol Finch’s “Texan Ranger, Runaway Heiress”
Becky Ward – Carol Finch’s “Bounty Hunter and the Heiress”
Now, you ladies can claim your prizes by emailing Miss Pam at pacrooks@radiks.net and sending her your mailing address.
That’ll do it. A mighty big thanks for coming and lollygagging on the porch with us here at the Junction.
Until next time—
Carol Finch Lives the West!
Hallelujah! I finished the first draft of my 90th book. It is always a relief to have a story on paper.
Of those ninety books, written under 5 pen names—Connie Feddersen, Carol Finch, Gina Robins, Debra Falcon, Connie Drake—nine are a series of tongue-in-cheek mysteries with a country and western setting. There are sixteen Early American settings, fifteen contemporary westerns and thirty-eight historical westerns. I threw several pirates, time-travel and paranormal in the mix, but westerns will always be my first love. Well, except for my first husband. I’m exceptionally fond of him, too.
I love writing fast-paced romantic adventures. Westerns easily lend themselves to action in cattle drives, wild, cross-country chases on horseback or in stagecoaches, shoot-‘em-ups and Oklahoma Land Runs. Since I have a Native American heritage, I enjoy writing about various western tribes and include many mixed heritage heroes in my books.
You just can’t beat a good western, I always say. Add a lively, pistol-packin’ heroine and a rough-and-ready hero, a little humor and you have an action-packed romance to take you back in time and entertain you for hours.
Since we live on a ranch and do farm work ourselves, it’s easy to envision hundreds of plot possibilities in the wide-open spaces. Our cattle ranch is on the historical registry of Centennial Farms, owned and operated by my husband’s family for over one hundred years. It is located near the Chisholm Trail, complete with buffalo wallows from the Indian Territory days. The border of our pastures and wheat fields is near the boundary of the Land Run of 1889, where hundreds of hopeful settlers lined up to claim land taken away from Indian tribes.
My writing routine begins with morning exercises, followed by a mile-and-a-half walk through pastures where our herds of cows, bulls and young calves graze. The cattle are accustomed to having me walk among them, with our black Lab named Bullet—who chases the same jackrabbit every day and never catches it. The cattle rarely raise their heads or move out of the way when we hike past them.
Being outdoors for a brisk walk gives me the chance to collect my thoughts before beginning new scenes or deciding what changes will strengthen a story. If I bog down, a walk in the middle of nowhere, without a distraction, stirs the creative juices so I can return to work.
Another added bonus is having a husband who is so creative that he can toss more inspirational ideas at me than I can work into a story. Plus, he paints Western art. Whether I’m indoors or out, country landscapes, cattle and horses fill up my world.
Although we have traded in our horses for ATVs—they can still buck you off if you don’t watch out—we make cattle 
drives to various pastures several times a year. We round up and sort cattle that need to be weaned, branded, inoculated or transported to the stockyards. We have a fleet of pickup trucks, tractors and machinery that serve their purposes for farming and ranching, but there isn’t a car in sight.
Wouldn’t do any good to have one. Cars don’t hold up on gravel roads that wash out during floods. If it isn’t four-wheel-drive, you aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
In other words, we’re about as country and western as we can get. Writing and ranching is who we are and what we do. It’s our way of life and we’re grateful we can do what we love.
Harlequin Historical Westerns by Carol Finch:
The Love Potion – Nov. 09
The Holiday Husband – Nov. 09
Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress – Jan. 09
The Bounty Hunter and the Heiress – Aug. 08
Cooper’s Woman – May 08
Carol would love to answer your questions! Come on in and chat! She’ll be giving away three books:
Cooper’s Woman, Bounty Hunter & The Heiress,
and Texas Ranger, Runaway Heiress
To order from Amazon click on covers