So if you are reading this from the new HarperCollins microsites, then you are a complete hipster and don’t need me to tell you what’s cool and hot. But if you found this the usual way, through my blog, then you’ve got to hop over and take a look at the Elizabeth Boyle microsite. Cool huh? I spent way too much time peaking into my fellow authors likes, favorite books, upcoming books and news bits. Believe me–this could get really addictive–in a fun, non caloric way.

So hopefully after you’ve spent most of the morning not working effectively using your … Read more »

Whenever anyone invites me over across the Sound for a Peninsula RWA Chapter function, if I can make it work to go, I go. Because the first thing I have to do is take a ferry ride. I love ferry boats–always have. There is just something so magical about driving onto a boat and sailing across Puget Sound.

Oh, I could drive around, but why? It takes the same length of time, but I spend half of it sitting in my car, with a perfectly good view of the water and can just sit back and leave the driving to … Read more »

I went to the PO yesterday and found this waiting for me. A wonderful little congratulations package from my favorite mentor and author, Debbie Macomber. Believe me, finding chocolate beside your VISA bill really takes the edge off of “OMG, did I really spend that much?!”

But this is just Debbie in a nutshell–or rather in a cardboard box with some pretty paper and ribbons–there to encourage, there to challenge and there to celebrate. She also put a little bit about me in her blog. She is the best sort of people! And it was especially wonderful yesterday because … Read more »

. . . bar none! And this readers’ group, from the Borders in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho are no exception! I just love these ladies–they’ve been kind and generous since my first book, and any chance I get, I go over to visit them. This was my third trip!

We all went out to dinner and got caught up on our favorite TV shows (House, Heroes, compared guilty pleasure reality shows) and got caught up–made a firm date to meet up again at the Rose City Readers’ Luncheon in April, then got down to the business at hand: romance novels. (This … Read more »

Or maybe the title of this blog should be: The power of index cards. Or “hey, it works.”

A couple of years ago, Debbie Macomber spoke at the RWA Conference in Reno. She was inspiring (as always) and she challenged every one in the room to “dream big,” as she likes to say. She wanted all of us to write down our goals. The things we wanted to achieve in the next few years. The point being, that if we wrote them down, they would have a better chance of coming true.

To that end, she had put index cards … Read more »

As a romance author you learn quickly that you won’t always get the respect of the mainstream media, of all readers and booksellers and librarians. But the least you can expect is to have the respect of your family. And at the very least, the respect of your husband.

So the other day I was autographing a huge pile of coverflats and he comes and sits down with me.

Him: Why do you do that?

Me: Because people like autographed coverflats and such.

Him: Can I help?

Me, after the initial shock of him asking if he can help: Well, … Read more »

And I always find it so thrilling when one of my books get translated into another language.

I’ve had books translated into Russian, German, French, Italian, Romanian, Norwegian, and several others and some have had very pretty covers–like this one, and others that were . . . well, bright and colorful, were the nicest things I could say about them.

But there is always that moment when I open the UPS package from my editor with my 6 copies of this foreign treasure, stare at the new cover, see my name (which is always reassuring) and scratch my head and … Read more »

Where did we go wrong? I remember the first time I saw you. Across a crowded movie theater. I was young, so very young. The year was 1976, and you stepped onto the screen as Bugsy Malone. The mysterious, rakish sort of guy who could steal any romantically inclined girl’s heart. Mine especially. That was the year I gave up looking at blond haired guys. From then on, all my heroes had dark hair and a come hither smile. Still do.

For the most part, I stayed faithful to you (well, if you can excuse my Sting years then I’ll … Read more »

Yes, you read that correctly and no, it isn’t spam. It’s the truth. I lost 105 pounds this week and let me tell you my weight loss secret:

Ship those kids back to school.

Now it took me two days because they go to 2 different schools, in two different systems. So Tuesday morning, in the blink of an eye, 55 pounds of “What’s for lunch today?” “When are we going to the pool?” “Can I have Patrick come to play?” “Why did Patrick’s parents go on vacation for two weeks?” “Why did they take Patrick?” “Why don’t we go … Read more »

All your kind comments and heartfelt stories about how autism (as well as other problems) have touched your lives, has left me speechless and feeling so blessed to be part of this community.  I was just going to leave a long comment, but thought it was better to write another blog.

I have this speech I do usually at librarian conferences or to reader’s luncheons, and the part that always chokes me up is when I talk about how personal romance novels can become to each of us.  These aren’t just stories, they are  our books.  Not because we’d … Read more »