Yee-Haw AGAIN!

"Tate" is #5 on the New York Times bestseller list and #2 on the USA Today list!

YES!!

Writing this book was such a challenge; there were times, as many of you will recall, when I thought I'd never be done with it. It's so gratifying to see "my boy" Tate out there kicking up dust.

I want to extend special congrats to my long-time buddy, Robyn Carr. Her new Virgin River book is right up there, too, and we're plotting to meet somewhere and party like rock stars.

In the meantime, though, I'm still expected in Blue River later today, and there's a phone meeting scheduled, too. Real life, as John Lennon said, is what happens while you're making other plans.

It's all good. Tonight, my cousin Sheri and her partner, Kat, are coming to dinner. They are two of my favorite people and I can't wait to see them--they always make me laugh. Sadie-beagle, who adores Sheri, will be over the moon.

See you tomorrow, pardners.

Catching My Breath

Three radio interviews this morning, and the first one was at 5:30. I enjoyed them all, since I'm a real ham, but I figure the folks in Blue River are starting to wonder where I am.

When I last saw Paige Remington and Austin McKettrick, they were standing toe to toe in a swimming pool, with a sky full of Texas stars spread out overhead, reminding themselves of all the reasons they shouldn't give in to temptation.

Will they, or won't they?

Well, I'm certainly not going to spill the beans.

:)

OK, time to get to work.

Ground Hog Day

Six more weeks of winter? Well, there you go. The rodent has spoken--and there's no way I'm going to attempt to spell his name. :) I hesitate to tempt fate, but so far we've enjoyed a mild winter here in Spokane--in January, there were a number of sunny days, pretty enough to make your throat catch. The draw is foggy this morning--I haven't spotted any wildlife down there so far, but you never know. Deer, wild turkeys, whole packs of coyotes and even the occasional moose are not an uncommon sight here on the Triple L.

I had an early radio interview today--my thanks to Tron Simpson of KCMN-AM's "Tron Talk Live", on the USA Radio Network. As always, talking to Tron was easy and fun--he's a real pro. A $25 Petco gift card is being given away with each of the interviews I have scheduled to promote "Tate". I have 3 more tomorrow, and the first one is at 5:35 am, my time. :) It's great fun.

I'm writing "Austin" and doing well, though my cold is holding on. More Vicks, more Tylenol, and more of the goings on in Blue River, Texas. :)

Next month--next month--Sally and I head out for our yearly vacation. This year, we're bound for Barcelona, with side trips to Portugal and the south of France. There will be pictures and if humanly possible, blogs. It was a kick last time, blogging from Prague, because I had to use the hotel computer and navigate instructions in Czech. We shall see how it goes in Espanol. :)

Time to whip up some breakfast and get to work.

Once my writing day is done, I'll be snipping and gluing new ATCs. Loving the whole swap aspect of that.

More tomorrow.

Be blessed.

Cowgirl

Monday Rambles

I wrote all weekend, and it bears saying that while I did not write rapidly, I did write well.

Each of the Texas McKettrick stories has touched me in a deep and particular way. I become totally engaged with every book I write, of course; it's almost impossible not to, because writing books requires so much time and energy and love. The process is often difficult, always challenging, and so incredibly rewarding. I truly wouldn't have it any other way, but it takes a lot of stamina and stick-to-it sometimes.

Over the weekend, I worked on my laptop, upstairs in my room, looking out over the rainy, foggy draw behind my house. The dogs and cats love it when I work there, because then they can snooze and still keep track of my whereabouts. :) As soon as I sat down and set my fingertips on the keyboard, I was immediately sucked into the story-world, where the characters live. It was magical, even though I was in my pajamas, smeared with Vicks and taking Tylenol every four hours.

My mother and brother share a birthday, just as my dad and I did, and yesterday, January 31, was their big day. The cards and presents went out late, but the love is there. Happy birthday, Mom and Jerry, and thanks for understanding that sometimes it's hard to make it back from Blue River, Texas in time to head for the post office.

I love you both.

Because my brain would probably explode if I didn't do some art work regularly, I had some fun making on ATCs for some trades I'm involved in on Swapbot.com and Art42.org.

Sadie is off to her exercise day, and I'm off to Blue River.

Tomorrow.