Jane Porter Appreciation Day

I'm declaring today to be Jane Porter Appreciation Day, partly because she sent me a gorgeous red mug with gift cards and pretty Jane Porter promo items in it as part of a blog giveaway (I love getting fun things on days when I'm feeling down), and mostly because I just admire this lady so much. I've been reading her books for years, and although I love her Harlequin Presents stories, I'm a big fan of her single title books. I swear that her book, Flirting with Forty, raised my sister out of her post-divorce depression and allowed her to find love again (she got married again this past weekend to a really great guy who swears he's been waiting his whole life for her).

If you've ever read Jane's blog, then you have a pretty good idea what kind of person she is; caring, energetic, enthusiastic, courageous, generous, loving...all those positive, upbeat, good things that I wish could I emulate a little more. Not only that, but she looks fabulous...like she's closer to 24 than her real age. She's one of the few 40-something women I know who can put on a glittering little dress and kick butt on women half her age. Yes, she is my idol. And her own personal story reads like one of her books. I think I cheered along with all her other fans when she found Surfer Ty.

I make a point of attending her workshops at writer conferences, because she's honest and real and funny, and it's like you're talking with a good friend. I'm happy for all her hard-earned achievements and well-deserved success, and I'm looking forward to her next book, Easy on the Eyes. So, Jane, here's to you! Thank you for being such a great role model and inspiration.

In Like a Lion...

I woke up this morning to find an email from a friend in Virginia, about how happy she was to see her daffodils coming up. Her message made me happy, too, because it meant that Spring isn't that far off and in just a few weeks, I might see crocuses and daffodils begin to appear, too.

But then I looked outside and saw snowflakes falling. At first, I wasn't too concerned since they were so light, but they didn't stop. They continued until dinnertime, and although the total accumulation was only a few inches, I've been told it's only a prelude to the real show. The news reports say we're in for a pounding tonight, beginning about...now...and ending sometime tomorrow afternoon. Which means that instead of looking like early Spring int the morning, it will look more like this:

So the silver lining in all of this is that I get one more day at home with the girls (yes, I'm a total wimp and will not drive to work). We'll light a fire and watch movies, and I'll cook grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch, and in between, I'll work on my manuscript.

That sounds like heaven to me...

Always Use Protection

My 15-year old daughter caught a nasty virus because she didn't use protection. Okay, folks, I know what you're thinking, but get your minds out of the gutter...I'm talking about her laptop.

This kid spends every spare minute on her laptop, IMing her friends, and visiting MySpace and Facebook. So when she received an email from her friend, Morgan, with an attachment entitled, Look at these Great Pictures!, she didn't think twice about it; she opened the attachment and let the Trojan Horse into the city.

Almost immediately, her computer began convulsing, bringing up strange websites in rapid succession and no matter how desperately she tried to close them, more would appear. She shut her computer down but it was too late. As soon as she opened it, the strange, rolling websites reappeared. I told her to run her Norton Anti-Virus, and she confessed that she had been ignoring the update messages for more than a month. Her subscription had expired and she was no longer protected. As she so aptly said, she is now in computer hell, unable to recreate freely. I told her not to send me ANYTHING. Although I do have antivirus protection, this thing has me so scared that I don't want to risk catching it. I've backed up all of my manuscripts and research material, and tomorrow I'll bring her laptop to a computer shop for diagnosis and (fingers crossed) a cure.

So remember, folks, if you value the health of your computer...always use your antivirus protection!

I Saw Him First!

When my editor sent me the cover for my first book, Flyboy, I just about fell off my chair. I don't think I've ever seen such a gorgeous guy, and despite my pleading with Harlequin to have him grace the cover of all my books, I have never seen him on any other cover. It's probably just as well, because I really don't want to share him!

I also love the cover of my February book, Able-Bodied and maybe it's wrong, but I consider this guy to be Delta Operator Ransom Bennett. My Ransom Bennett. My guy. He and I have a relationship, where I write his story and he lures my readers in with his sexy expression and killer abs. I don't mind that other women find him attractive, so long as they're admiring him on my cover.
So imagine my surprise when I picked up a copy of the March Uniformly Hot book, Always Ready by Joanne Rock, and who do I see on the cover? None other than my own hero! Realistically, I knew this might happen, but I never expected to find my guy cheating on me so soon! I mean, our relationship is technically still on-going. It's still February! How dare he show up on bookstore shelves, on the cover of another woman's book, while he should still be promoting my story! But I love Joanne Rock, so I will willingly share my guy with her.

Just remember, Joanne...I saw him first!

And the Winners Are...

Katie and Housemouse88!

Housemouse88, please drop me an email at karenefoley@comcast.net, and I'll pop a copy of Able-Bodied into the mail to you!

Congrats, and thanks for stopping by!

My Mid-Life Crisis

For the past nine years, I've driven an apple-green New Beetle. When I first bought it, my girls were three and six and fit perfectly into the back seats. I loved this car and said I would drive it into the ground, and then buy another one.

Well...I've definitely driven this baby into the ground, but I won't be purchasing another one. I'm actually very sad to be saying good-bye to my little green punch-buggy. I live in a tiny little town, and this car was instantly recognizable by just about everyone, especially the kids in town. But as much as I might want to buy another Beetle (a shiny red convertible would be my first choice), I have a mutiny on my hands. My girls say they absolutely refuse to be squashed into the back of another Beetle. Since my little one (now 12) is 5'9" tall, I guess I can't blame them too much.

So we spent the long weekend car shopping, and although my intention was to get a practical car, like a van or a smaller SUV, I spotted this car and had to have it:

Is it practical? Probably not. But the price was good and I told my husband that as far as mid-life crises go, I could do a lot worse. I have no interest in running off with a younger man, LOL! Or an older one, for that matter! And what better time to have a convertible than the beginning of Spring? And this car has the teenager Seal of Approval. They can both fit comfortably into the back seat, even with the top up.

So tomorrow we say good-bye to the punch-buggy and bring this car home. Have you ever had a car that you just hated to part with? Or bought a car that just made you want to drive around all day and night? Share your story, and I'll send out a B&N gift card to one randomly selected visitor.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Giveaway!

I went out today and bought myself a brand new, shiny, sleek laptop and I am so happy! I'd been putting it off for months, but it was something I really needed to do. My old laptop was getting, well, old. The "e" key was missing, it was very slow, and it didn't have enough memory for me to load the software required for my new printer/scanner. It would freeze up on me, or boot me off line, and there were more times than I care to remember when I nearly tossed out the nearest window.

So now I have a new laptop, and I find I'm inspired to begin working on my next manuscript, a story that will be part of a 2010 Harlequin Blaze summer anthology called Born on the Fourth of July...I guarantee it will be hot!

And now that I have a new laptop, I've also made a promise to myself to be better about updating my blog and keeping it current. More contests, more giveaways, and more fun. And since my third book, Able-Bodied, is on bookstores shelves right now, I'd love to give away two copies, accompanied by a box of luscious chocolate. Just drop me a note to be entered into the contest, and I'll choose a winner at the end of the week!