Here's your chance to make a difference

Best Western Hotels has decided to outsource almost 500 jobs to India.
Personally, I think that sucks, and unless they change their policy, I'll stay elsewhere.
Go to their website and let them know what you think.

A lot of you are buying "Secondhand Bride"

THANK YOU.

Meanwhile, I'm getting gray hairs from Clare's current adventures!

My acting debut

This week I will be flying to LA to film a segment of a new reality show, airing next spring, called "Mr. Romance". Life is full of surprises!

It's raining again. I'm trying to look at it as the end of a drought.

I like sunshine better.
So sue me.

(That last line came from Clare. Don't blame me.)

It must be getting close to Christmas...

Hectic, hectic, hectic!
I love every minute of it.
Pay no attention to Clare. She's a scrooge.

Here comes the sun

It's back.
Cool and sunny in Arizona.
It doesn't get any better!

Clare here

It must be getting close to Christmas.
The Clapper ads are back on TV.

Raining in Arizona

While I wasn't looking, some cosmic trickster teleported me back to Seattle. It's raining like crazy.

I have a cozy fire going, and I'm trying to look at the weather as a blessing. The desert is so thirsty.

Plenty to be thankful for

As Thanksgiving approaches, I think of all I have to be grateful for--health, personal freedom, loved ones--furry and human--my wonderful Arizona home. Too many things to list!

And I'm grateful for YOU, my readers. You have blessed me in so many ways. Thank you for your continued loyalty. The third McKettrick book, Jeb's story, called "Secondhand Bride", will be available November 30. It will answer all the questions raised in the previous two books and prepare you for the fourth--"McKettrick's Choice", coming next June.

There's a place for you around the McKettricks' kitchen table. You're family.
Come on in. We've been watching the road for you.

Back from my travels

I've been in Reno, serving on the national board of my professional organization, Romance Writers of America. It was a lively experience, and very educational. Great bunch of gals.

Veterans Day

I am profoundly grateful to all veterans, past, present and future.
THANK YOU.

Good morning, Sports Fans!

I spent a weekend at a self-improvement seminar.
Came away with some good stuff, including a Clare-ism:
A lot of those people are full of sheep-dip.

We are all Americans

We're all in this together. Let's forget our differences now, and move forward.

What horse race!

Whether your candidate won or lost, America scored a great victory yesterday--over apathy! How heartening it was to see so many waiting, in such long lines, determined to have their say, knowing it counts!

Letters. I get letters...

There are a few questions I am repeatedly asked.
1) Are there more vampire books forthcoming?
Answer: No. Valerian would be hard to top, and I can't bring him back without doing something terrible to his lady.
2) What does Clare's license plate, MJRBCH mean?
Answer: Major Bitch.
Can you say that on a blog?

What are you sitting there for?
GO OUT AND VOTE!

VOTE

Tomorrow is the big day.
Make your voice heard.

On the road again!

Off to Toronto tomorrow for a meeting with my wonderful new publishers, Harlequin.
I'll be home for one day, then off again, this time to Tennessee, to hook up with Peggy Knight (My 32 Years in the House of Cash) and my long-lost cousin, Doris. If you hear a lot of laughter in the hallways of the Opryland Hotel, that will be us!
I'll have tales to tell when I log on again on November 1.
See you then.
In the meantime, happy trails.

Peggy Knight's Book

My friend Peggy's book, "My 32 Years in the House of Cash", will be available any day now. Okay, so it's MOSTLY about John and June Cash, but there's something about me in there, too! Can you believe it?

Poisoned Pen

I'll be at the famous Poisoned Pen Book Store in Scottsdale at seven pm Monday night, the 18th. Stop by and say hello.

The new moon

You never know what to expect here!
Today is the new moon.
It's a powerful time to make wishes.
Write them down.

I met a soldier...

On the plane up to Washington State on Friday morning, I met a young soldier, on his way for a visit with his girlfriend before leaving for his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was well-mannered and quiet, just looking for a kind word.
Whatever your opinions about the war, be kind to the soldiers.
They are somebody's baby boy or girl.
Say a kind word. Pick up their lunch check. Let them ahead of you in line.
We have a great deal to be grateful for in this country, and those brave children are one of the main reasons we're still here.
Please, God--let them all come home.

Roots

There is something so powerful about going back to where you came from, and touching base. Hearing the stories again, being with the star players.
It's all good.

Family Reunion Time

I'm off to Colville, Washington, for the annual Lael Convention. What a crew!
I'll be back online Monday morning.
Have a great weekend, and if you have Monday off, good for you!

Double-header on Dog!

Yeehaw and whoop-dee-do!
I did enjoy that mace battle.
Must be my Clare side coming out.
You can take the girl out of Northport....

Clare finds another body

But this one, for just the briefest flicker of a moment, looks exactly like her....

Friday!

Whoopeee!
I'm going to hear Dr. Joe from "What the Bleep Do We Know?" tonight.
Have you seen the movie?
If you haven't, you should.
Have a good weekend, all of you.
Read a great book.

Thursday, Thursday

How does Monday become Thursday?
It's a mystery.

Monday, Monday

I am a sick woman.
I love Mondays.
I love seeing the world back in action.

Up to page 73

"One Last Look" is really moving now!
Clare's life is going according to normal, which, for her, means half the state of Arizona seems to be trying to do her in.
And she's not paranoid.

Gig in Scottsdale

On October 18th, I'll be at the famous Poisoned Pen Book Store, along with several other authors. 7 pm. Be there, if you're in the neighborhood.

Clare, cleverly disguised as Linda, mild-mannered writer from Cave Creek, Arizona.

Clare on food

Clare has an easier time maintaining a healthy weight than I do. Why is that, I wonder?
She doesn't have a perfect body. She would like to lose ten to fifteen pounds, but she's fine the way she is.
What does she do that's different?
She eats regular food. No low-fat, low-carb. No rules. When she's hungry, she eats. When she's full, she stops.
I wonder.
Can it really be that easy?

When it rains..

Arizona has been getting slammed by rain storms. Over the weekend, I thought my sturdy tile roof might just blow off. The desert welcomes every drop.

Walkin' the Blog

The possibilities are endless.

Does the Dog have a blog?

In a fog about the blog?

Flog the blog?

Obviously, I'd better get back to the book!

Clog in the Blog

It's 12:20 pm--just getting to the blog. I usually do this in the early morning.
I'm hard at work on "One Last Look."

"Starting Over" update: The self-absorbed, selfish boyfriend is NOT the father of Josie's baby.
Halle-damn-lujah!

Miscellaneous Linda Factoids

I'm a huge fan of "Dog, the Bounty Hunter."
You've got to love a guy named Dog.

I marked the season premiere of "Starting Over" on my calendar. Who IS the father of Josie's baby? In twenty minutes, I'll know. (Hey, I'm on my lunch hour.)

I can hardly wait for the next Harry Potter.

Tune in tomorrow.

I'm fickle

While I am totally embroiled in the current Clare & Tony adventure, I admit to flirting with Sam O'Ballivan, the sexy hero of my next historical...he's an Arizona Ranger, posing as a small town schoolmaster, circa 1903. HQN will publish the book as "The Man From Stone Creek."
Tom Berrenger could play Sam.
(Sigh.)
Hold on, Sam. I've got to think about Clare & Tony for now!

Your turn

What would you most like to see in the third and final Clare & Tony book?
You can make your wishes known by signing the guest book.
Just remember--Clare doesn't take orders from me.
She'll probably do whatever she damn well pleases.
If you don't believe me, ask Sonterra.

One Last Look

The first chapter of the third and final Clare and Tony book opens with a body bag being unzipped.
And things just go downhill from there.

Who would play Sonterra?

He's a composite. Benjamin Bratt comes close--but he's not muscular enough.
"She liked imaginary men best."

Who would play Clare in a movie?

I get asked that question all the time.
The answer is, Angie Harmon.

Channeling Clare

The evil twin and I went to a great party yesterday, at our friend Barbara's house. Barbara is breathtakingly beautiful, and has the unmitigated gall to be nice in the bargain. Look for her on the silver screen, soon, romancing Burt Reynolds in a movie called "Forget About It."

Back to Work

Now that my house is no longer in tile-hell, I can concentrate on my writing project.
I'm in the beginning stages of "One Last Look", the third and final Clare Westbrook/Tony Sonterra story. It picks up where "Never Look Back" left off.
Clare is, in essence, my evil twin.
Look out. She's baaaaack....

Final tile day

This, too, has passed.
Hallelujah!

Morning pages

Best thing you can do to get in touch with your deeper self.
Buy a cheap notebook--no fancy journals, please. That will intimidate you too much. You'll think about how your grandchildren might read the entries, and try to make them too perfect.
Write three pages, long-hand, strictly stream of consciousness stuff. No editing. Cross-outs okay. At first, you'll bitch a lot, and that's okay, too. It's like priming a pump. First, the sludge, then the good stuff.
Try it. You might just amaze yourself!

The renovations continue

I can't help drawing a parallel between the renovations going on in my house, and the ones going on in my spirit. Everything on the outside really IS a reflection of activity on the inside.
Something to celebrate!
Whoopee!

Insanity today, tiles tomorrow

Hammering.
Banging.
Just what one needs to write a novel.
Alas. Noise today.
Tiles tomorrow.

Back from the Land of Woo Woo

Sedona was, as always, beautiful.
Tomorrow, the tile people are coming to replace my carpets with dog-proof slate.
Can I write at your house?

Day 3

Off to Sedona today for a woo-woo seminar. Serious fun.
How many things did you find to appreciate?
Thousands? You win.
None at all? You lose.
I really hope you won.
I know I did.

Day 2

I've decided to play a game today.
I'm going to look for things to appreciate.
Whoever finds the most, wins!

First Blog

Girlfriends (and guys), we gotta start meeting like this!

Here I sit, on another beautiful Arizona morning, gearing up to work on ONE LAST LOOK, which is the final story in the my thriller look book series that began with DON'T LOOK NOW. (DLN is out in paperback now, along with book two, NEVER LOOK BACK, in the continuing adventures of Clare Westbrook, smart-ass attorney --- my alter ego --- and Tony Sonterra, hot cop extraordinaire). I'm going to love this blog business --- how great to be able to communicate on a daily basis.

I'll share stories about my favorite furry folks, Sadie, the Beagle, and Bernice Matisse, the Yorkie, aka Blog Dog; the cats, Cha Cha and Jitterbug, both night marauders, and the horses, Buck, Skye, Banjo, and Coco.

You'll be privy to my latest and greatest adventures, like Monday night when I get to be the murderer in a mystery party for a local charity group. I've never been a murderer before. No doubt, you're relieved to hear that.

Right now, it's all about the romantic suspense stories, but soon I'll be telling you about McKETTRICK'S CHOICE, a big, meaty western romance coming from HQN in April 2005. And when I finish ONE LAST LOOK, I'll start THE MAN FROM STONE CREEK, another western, with an Arizona Ranger posing as a schoolmaster in a small Arizona Territory town, circa 1903. Also coming: an opus called THE PETTICOAT CATTLE COMPANY. Think LONESOME DOVE in skirts!

So much to tell you.

Tune in tomorrow.