I am also so thrilled with the response to Hawkins Manor! If you haven’t visited my new “estate” yet, please do so. It’s a fun new addition to my website with information on Scottish castles, women of the Regency era, recipes, games and lots of other goodies that tie into my books. I’ll be adding to it from time to time, so be sure to check back in and see what else is going on.

As a book lover, I always try to find out what is going on and who has a new book out. It’s not always easy to keep track of and I still find titles that have somehow missed my attention and I scamper (I do love that word: scamper) over to buy it.

Now, of course I know you all follow me on Facebook and are subscribed to my newsletter *wink* so I wanted to ask you: how do YOU find out about new releases? What is your best source for news on your favorite author?

And I am trying to write a winter holiday scene.

It’s tough to get in the holiday spirit when I’m wandering about in flip flops and shorts, but you gotta do what you gotta do. So I have been playing Christmas music (Hot Cop is not amused) and eyeballing one of the Christmas boxes in the garage, you know, to add to the festive feel. But it still feels very, very far away from Christmas.

A friend of mine in Colorado told me it’s been snowing this week where she is. I have been half tempted to hop on a plane and head her way just so I can breath in that crisp air and watch the flakes fall to the ground.

The situation reminds me of the story of howThe Christmas Song came about. It was a hot summer and Mel Torme and Bob Wells were in the studio together and Mel noticed a notepad with a few lines written on it. He asked Wells about them and Bob explained he was trying to “stay cool by thinking cool” and this had written down some things that made him think of winter and Christmas.

Apparently, this sparked something in Torme and the rest of the song was reportedly completed in under an hour.

Now, I don’t know if the same success will come about for my story as it did for The Christmas Song, but I like the idea of thinking cool to stay cool or, in this case, thinking festive to write festive.

Have you ever had to work on something completely out of season?

At the agreed upon time, we both booted up our iPads, she propped “me” up on her new kitchen island and even poured a glass of celebratory champagne for me (sadly, you can’t send cocktails through the internet yet. Science really needs to get on this stuff.) then she picked me up and took me on a tour of her place. While I was looking around, it hit me what an amazing thing we were doing. Can you imagine fifteen years ago carrying around a tablet that was showing a live video, with sound, on a lightweight device on a wireless network? It was something we saw on The Jetsons that is now a reality.

If you stop and think about all the things we can do that were not even imagined 25 years ago, it is stunning. Smartphones, tiny sticks that hold gigs of data, video chats with people all over the world, GPS devices that tell you how to get to some far off destination. We (ok, I) take much of this for granted, but when I really think about it I am in awe.

What piece of technology has wowed you the most? What can you not imagine living without now that you have it?

We take it for granted that we can now research things on the Internet and find out about those quaint little places in vacation spots with an accuracy that people have not had before so it amazes me when I get surprised by things not being quite what was expected.

So now while I sit in McDonald’s using their glorious wi-fi and drinking the most necessary of all beverages, coffee, I started thinking a bit about the little day to day things we have come to rely on. Like coffee. And wi-fi.

Have we become too soft with all these modern conveniences? Probably. I’m ok with that.

So what little things have you come to depend on or expect? In addition to the above, I am going to go with a level bed (yeah, back to the fun of the cabin) and a hot shower with enough room to move your arms and legs comfortably.

It’s the little things that can make or break a day.

It turns out that some of my fellow authors are also in Deadline Mode and we decided to make a little friendly competition of daily word counts. Suzanne Enoch, Emily March, Connie Brockway, and Barbara Freethy are all part of it and we post daily word counts, some smack talk and potential distractions (see Oreo thread.) For us as writers, it is a great way to motivate and challenge on another while hopefully keeping on track. For readers, it might be an entertaining glimpse of the silliness our brains turn into around this time.

So do you have a group of co-workers or colleagues that help keep you on track and motivated? Are you distracted by Oreos or parakeets?

Today, I wanted to visit Scotland. (I know, shocking.) and found these lovely drives through Scotland. Perfect for a little mental getaway.

Where would you like to go on your own mental break?

♥  Unless specifically requested or collected, things like a Chia Pet or motion activated singing bird are not good Valentine gifts. Especially if either is Christmas themed.

♥ If you invite your loved one out to dinner, the fast food drive-thru is not the best choice for a romantic meal.

♥  While it can be a lovely gesture, hiding jewelry in desserts or other food items at a busy restaurant may be considered a choking hazard – and may also be the victim of a mixed up plate in the rush.

Most of all, remember to share the love all year. This goes for sweethearts, friends and family. Sending flowers and chocolate on random days is always a welcome gesture. At least in the Hawkins house.

What are your Valentine hints?

Now, before a certain animated film with an adorable little clown fish came into our lives, there was another Nemo that would come to mind when the name was mentioned: Captain Nemo from the Jules Verne classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. This man was mysterious, rebellious and way beyond his time in terms of his technology and ideas. In other words, he was a little more menacing than our adorable little friend from Finding Nemo.

I wonder which Nemo The Weather Channel was thinking of when they picked the name? And do you think it occurred to them that they might be starting a new meme with angry little clown fish images?

For those of you in Nemo’s path – stay warm!

Like world-class pitiful.

My big, strong, tough husband has been felled by a cold. He could have a gaping wound that bleeds all over and tell me “It’s just a scratch,” but give that man a sniffle and he’s dying…. dyyyyyiinnngg, I tell you!

So today, as I am in the middle of Deadline Dementia and trying to get so many projects done, I have a sad little voice calling out to me every twenty minutes.

“Can you make me some coffee? It will make my throat better.”

“Can you bring me the lap blanket? It’s cold in here.”

“Can you run to the store? We need more cold medicine.”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love him and I don’t mind taking care of him, but it amazes me how helpless men can get when they have a cold. A friend of mine was just talking about this the other day. Her husband caught a cold and you would think the world was about to end. Moaning on the couch, sad little “Honey, please?” requests given whenever she passed by.

What is it that causes this phenomenon? Do men feel symptoms more than women? Do they have a lower tolerance for the discomfort of illnesses? Are they just taking advantage of a situation where they are “allowed” to be somewhat helpless? Whatever the reason, Hot Cop doesn’t have the corner on this market, nearly every woman I know has had the same type of experience. Big, burly, tough men felled by a wee little cold. It’s a little endearing in a way, though, isn’t it?

Have you noticed this with the men in your life? Anyone have good chicken soup recipes or delivery places?