For the First Time...

I’ve been through some pretty exciting “firsts” in my life: my first kiss, my first (and only!) wedding, buying our first house, the birth of our first child…

Firsts have a very distinctive place in our lives. They create strong memories filled with emotion, something I love as a writer. If we’re lucky, they are good emotions that enrich our relationships, encourage us to push forward, and root us in our lives and beliefs.

There have been many writing firsts for me too, experiences that have spurred on my drive to create, including finishing my first book, finalling in my first contest, making my first sale. And now…

MY FIRST OFFICIAL E-BOOK RELEASE!!!

(yep, that’s my first official cover too!)

Today, I’d love to celebrate all your wonderful firsts together! Tell me your favorite “first” memory! One commenter will win a Release Day goodie pack: Fall Festival Candle, Godiva chocolate caramel gems, and a $5 Amazon gift card.

In Snow Bound, heroine Tori Anderson has her own set of “firsts”, especially as hero Damon West sets out to fulfill some long-held fantasies. If you enjoy sexy heroes, southern heroines, unexpected stalkers, and close quarters with no way out, this novella will spice up your night!

Now available on Amazon. Coming soon to Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

Keep up with author Dani Wade on her weekly blog: www.DaniWade.com

If you'd like to find out more about the inspiration behind hottie hero Damon West, he's showcased in today's Friday Feature Foto on The Mutual Admiration Society's blog.

Oh, Wait...

It's Thursday? While conference was FANTASTIC, it has definitely messed up my internal clock. I've been a day off all week. Add to this (and the fact that I hit the 'conference wall' yesterday) that the girls start school on Monday and I still have to buy supplies, backpacks, lunch boxes, new shoes and clothes for them both. I have 3 deadlines in the next 2 weeks - and Art Fact Sheet, AAs for Caught Off Guard and revisions for my April book. My brain is already fried and I'm trying to force it through the ringer just a little bit more.

So, to save what little brainpower I can manage to scrape together today, I'm offering a chance to win some of the goodies I brought home from conference. And I have a ton. Seriously. I bought a new suitcase and upgraded to first class in order to get 2 free checked bags.

So, tell me what's happening in your life and I'll enter you in a chance to win a stack of books (including mine :-)).

Instigator

Holiday Wishes... gone wrong. But with Prizes!

My holiday spirit is a little low at the moment -- all the last minute things tend to frustrate me (Hmm, seems that Angel and I are sharing that frustration thing right now). Sometimes you just need to let your inner Scrooge or Grinch out for a few minutes to let off some steam. So let's let them out to do thier thing, and then we'll all feel better going into to this "most wonderful time of the year."

It's time for the annual Christmas Wish game! (With a PC twist, of course.) Here's how it works: I'll make a wish. The next commenter will "grant" my wish, but in such a way as to make me regret wishing for it. For example -- Say I wish for a full body massage. You'd grant my wish, but inform me that it will be preformed by Frodo with his big hairy Hobbit feet. You'd then wish for something -- say a million dollars -- and the *next* commenter will grant your wish -- by giving it to you in pennies -- before making their own wish.

Got it? You can look at one of the past games if you need some ideas

Good Grinchy fun to release any of that holiday frustration before it ruins Christmas...

And because my inner Scrooge is already feeling better at just the thought of this game, I will be giving away prizes! I have a nice little selection here ready to go in the mail. Winners will be chosen arbitrarily by me with no guidelines up front. Could be best wish, best thwarting of a wish, most evil thought, or even the ones that make me laugh out loud.

Ready? I'll start --

I wish elves would come clean out my garage.

Go!

Breakfast of Champions?

Yesterday morning, I had a Rice Krispie treat for breakfast. (I probably would have fed the same thing to AC if the Geek wouldn’t have flipped out.)

(I made a couple of batches Sunday night for the school Halloween carnival. Yes, I know that’s not very fancy, but I’m on deadline. Anyway, I’ve decided that fancy cupcakes decorated like spiders and dipped chocolate bat cookies are made simply to impress the Other Mothers. It’s a competition sometimes to see who makes the fanciest treats for class, and I don’t have the inclination to participate. The kids don’t care – they just want something tasty and Rice Krispie treats fit that bill. The Other Mothers can fight it out for the title of Best Baker. I concede. Anyhoo…)

Rice Krispie treats are tasty, so I held one out of the batch for myself, and I had it for breakfast yesterday with a glass of milk. I’ve done this before, and the Geek always acts like Bill Cosby’s wife in the “Chocolate Cake for Breakfast” skit.



I don’t agree.

Rice Krispies are a breakfast cereal. You pour them in a bowl, sprinkle some sugar over the top and pour in the milk. Millions of people all over the world do this every morning.

So let’s examine my breakfast:

Cereal.

Marshmallows – which are just sugar and corn starch. (Fat free!)

Milk.

What’s the difference?

If I add a piece of fruit, I have my well-balanced breakfast as advertised on TV.

Even if you want to object to the marshmallows, there are plenty of cereals out there with marshmallows in there (and dog only knows what’s been done to them when they went into the box. Lucky Charms are just gross.).

So you tell me: Breakfast or junk food?

PC

Brit Chick Lit Contest

I'm blogging over at the Pink Heart Society today, so you'll need to click over for your Tuesday dose of the Problem Child.

In honour of the Pink Heart Society (because they're mostly from the UK), I'm running a Brit Lit contest here.

Four books and a small jar of real clotted cream is the prize!

Three of the books are true modern Brit Chick Lit -- written and published in the UK (and purchased for me to read on the very long train ride from North Scotland to London, so there might be some minor creasing on the spine).

Valentine by Rebecca Farnworth

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes

50 Ways to Find a Lover by Lucy-Anne Holmes

I'll also include Duchess By Night by Eloisa James -- an American author (who happens to be a Shakespeare scholar), but a lavish English historical.

Leave a comment to enter!

PC


(And speaking of prizes, scroll down for the list of winners from the Keep Marilyn Company week!)

The Addictions of PC

My name is Problem Child and I’m addicted to Nifty.

You know, the kinds of things that when you see them you say, “That’s so nifty!” I promise you, if you hear the word “nifty” come out of my mouth, you can bet real money I’m trying to figure out a way to get said nifty-ness home with me.

A lot of people are attracted to the Nifty – admit it, you have at least one gadget in your kitchen you picked up because you went “How Nifty!” when you saw it. (Tupperware Deviled Egg Carrier anyone?) It doesn’t matter if you never use it; you bought it for its inherent Nifty-ness.

My purse holder is nifty – it hooks over the edge of the table at a restaurant so I don’t have to put my purse on the floor or on the back of my chair.

The cup holder SP got me for my birthday is tres nifty. It was designed for scrapbookers to keep unfortunate spillage or condensation issues from spoiling their hard work. It clamps to the side of the desk.

A ball point pen/highlighter combo that sprouts Post-It flags from its cap? Nifty.

The app for my iPhone that registers all of those customer loyalty cards in one place? Nifty.

The Solutions website is just full of Nifty things…

Like this:

And how have I lived without these:

Not that I do home improvement projects, but hey, nifty!

I’m not sure who really needs this, but ….

This would solve some problems:

Kitchen timers! On a string! So you can hang it around your neck! Nifty.

(Solutions sends me catalogs. You know how teenage boys are about the Victoria’s Secret catalog? That’s me and Solutions.)

Nifty. I’m addicted to it.

Am I alone here with my nifty need? What truly nifty things do you have?

PC

(BTW, if you type “nifty” enough, the word really starts to look strange. Like you made it up or something…)

My Butt Is Getting Bigger As I Write This

Every year, my mom and I get together and bake. Neither of us need the calories, but we just have to do it. Its tradition. Typically, we spend one afternoon cranking out cookies, candy, and other assorted baked goods to give as gifts or take to work. The men usually stay far, far away as this is not a leisurely activity. It is a flurry of sugar and chocolate, a well-choreographed dance set to the holiday crooning of Perry Como and Bing Crosby.

Little Sister is finally old enough that she gets to help. Demands to help is more like it. Last year, she unwrapped about fifty chocolate kisses and iced a few unfortunate cookies. This year, she'll be determined to get at the stand mixer, not that it's a bad thing. She made a pecan pie for Thanksgiving with my mom only measuring out the ingredients for her. It was better than some pies I've seen grownups make. Once she figures out her teaspoons and fractions, she'll be unstoppable. Forget the Easy Bake oven, she's pulling up her step stool to the real stove. I'm envisioning her at a Cordon Bleu school eventually... (anal-retentive chef, anyone?) :)

This year, we're doing it Sunday morning. On our schedule we have: chocolate chip cookies (with and without nuts), oatmeal cranberry cookies, peanut butter cookies, hershey kiss thumbprint cookies and sugar cookies for LS to decorate. I might attempt to make those buttery cookies with my cookie press, but they never turn out quite right. For candy, we'll make various fudge, turtles, macaroons, oreo truffles, and peanutbutter buckeyes. Maybe even an ill-fated attempt at peanut brittle. As we get toward the end, we usually end up making other random things like peppermint bark, coconut haystacks or chocolate dipped pretzels to use up any leftover ingredients.

It should turn out to be a wonderfully fattening and fun day. Do you bake during the holidays? If so, share your favorite recipe. I'll all for switching up our plans if I come across something that sounds yummy!

Here's my recipe for Oreo Truffles to kick things off!

1 package of Oreo Cookies
1 square of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
1 block of white chocolate
1 block of dark or milk chocolate

Grind the whole package of Oreo cookies in a food processor or blender until it is powdery. Put Oreo "powder" in a bowl and add the cream cheese (it's easier to just mix with your hands). The mix should have the consistency of dough. Roll in small balls, put on cookie sheet and then put in the freezer for 30 minutes. Melt the whole block of white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Dip each ball into the white chocolate and put on wax paper. Melt a portion of the dark or milk chocolate and use a fork to sprinkle the dark choc. over the truffles, let dry. I usually put mine in the refrigerator over night. You can mix and match the chocolate however you like or even reserve some of the oreo crumbs to sprinkle over the wet chocolate. Enjoy!

SP

PS. Don't forget that author Anna Campbell will be blogging with us on Monday!

PPS. A note and winner from Juliet's blog yesterday! AND THE WINNER IS...
Diane Cosby! I put all the names of those who posted here today into a bowl and my daughter drew the winner's name out. Diane, if you could email me at julietburns@gmail.com and send me your snail mail address I'll send you a copy of Secrets Vol 26 BOUND BY PASSION. CONGRATS DIANE! And thank you to everyone who commented today. I really enjoyed speaking to you all!
Juliet

What's Your Shoe Personality?

We're kicking off "Keep Angel Company Week"! See details at the end of this post!

As many of you have probably noticed, we are a bit obsessed with shoe shopping here on the Playground. I have to admit, this was an undiscovered part of myself before we formed this group. But I’ve since come to embrace the joys of purchasing the perfect pair of shoes to go with an outfit and have finally surpassed my husband in the shoe quantity department.

Today, I’ve decided to spill all the Playground secrets and discuss each of our “shoe personalities”. What is that? you ask. Well, it is the specific type of shoe each Playfriend gravitates toward when out looking for shoes. I’m not talking about your everyday footwear (the choice of which this summer seems to be Teva flipflops), but the style of those “special” shoes you purchase for the “extra”ordinary event.

High Class Call Girl


I’d call Problem Child’s taste in shoes something along the lines of High Class Call Girl. She likes the really high heels and pain is not a consideration, so much as style. She’s been a dancer so long, pain in her feet doesn’t register like it would with us mortals. And her enjoyment of the spotlight makes for some show stopping, fabu shoe choices that I could never pull off in a million years.

Hooker Gear



Yes, I’m not exaggerating here. As a matter of fact, Instigator actually owns a pair of Hooker boots and I’ve seen her wear them in public. A conservative black compared to these babies, but I’m sure she’d have these if she could find them in a store. That being said, they fit her personality. She isn’t published with Blaze for nothing, honey!

She also has a thing for gladiator styles. I don’t know and I don’t ask.



Drag Queen

Smarty Pants often calls her style of shoes Drag Queen (from years of living in Vegas, baby!). Well, I’d call it Upscale Drag Queen. Over the top classy with lots of bling.



I’d also call SP a fan of Retro. I’ve often seen her drooling over a pair of plaid Converse tennies at the mall.



Cute and Comfy

Playground Monitor always goes for comfy shoes. Not that I can blame her. She’s had several foot surgeries and, well, if your feet hurt, I know from experience the rest of you will be miserable. And though her shoes are comfortable, they have an understated style that fits her. She doesn’t need lots of bling. Her personality shines for itself, as evidenced by her ability to walk into a room at Nationals and already know half the people there.



Feminine and Flirty

I like to think of my own style as feminine with a subtle touch of sexy. Taking a page from PM’s book, my shoes have to be mostly comfortable. I’m not into torture, even if I do want to look good, so 4 inch heels are out. But I’m developing a taste for something a little different, instead of the same boring black pumps. My husband is rejoicing…



So there you have it. I’ve told you our secrets, now we want to know yours. How would you describe your shoe personality? Come on… spill the details!

Angel

It's Keep Angel Company week, though the Playfriends don't leave for San Francisco until tomorrow! I'll be choosing one commenter from each day this week to win a lovely prize. All 5 winners will be posted next Saturday.

PS. Elle Kennedy chose Amy S. as her winner from last Thursday. Email Angel at angel@writingplayground.com with your email address to receive your prize. All prizes must be claimed within 7 days.

How to get gifties from the Playfriends...

Conference is coming… let the countdown begin!

For those of you going to San Francisco:

We’d love to meet any of the Honorary Playfriends who will be there. Our Instigator, Kira Sinclair, will be signing for the first time at the huge Literacy Signing Wednesday night. Come by and tell her hello (and grab a copy of her book to support a great cause).

On Friday at 2pm, Instigator, Smarty Pants, and I will be giving a workshop with Blaze editor Brenda Chin. We promise it will be entertaining—and PM will be there handing out all kinds of goodies to the participants. We’d love to have friendly folks there to cheer us on, so come by.

Should you happen to see us around the hotel, please stop us and introduce yourself. To encourage you shy types, we have special surprises just for our blog readers who find us at the conference. Just let us know you read the blog to claim yours.

And, and if you do see us, remind us that Angel expects lots of pictures and we’re supposed to be using those cameras in our bags.

For our blog friends who won’t be at the conference, we’ll have plenty going on here. Our Angel has to stay home, so we’re running a Keep Angel Company Contest while we’re gone. To be entered for great prizes (books, chocolate, gifties from San Francisco), all you have to do is help keep our Angel from getting lonely. Comment on the blog, send her jokes and messages, whatever you can think of to entertain her in our absence. We’ll show our gratitude when we get home!

Be Careful What You Wish For...

Last year about this time, we played a fun game that seemed to go over well. So, I thought we'd do it again (who says I'm not original?).


In this game of "Be Careful What You Wish For, " you'll get to make a wish. The next poster will grant your wish, but in such a way as to make you regret you wished for it.

For example, let's say I wish for a million dollars. The next person to comment will grant my wish, but give me my million in pennies. She will then make a wish. Let's say she wishes for a new house. The next commentor will grant her wish, however, the house will be full of mold that makes her break out in hives. She makes a wish, etc, etc. Get it?

We can all let out a little holiday frustration AND you could win some cute Christmas prize packs for your cruelty to others.

I'll get us started:

In honor of my latest rejection letter (written on my birthday, no less!), I'll wish for the obvious:

I wish I had a book contract.

Go ahead; somebody corrupt my wish. (It might even make me feel better.)

Some weeks are just better than others...

Nothing to whine about today. No venting. No ranting. Instead, I've had a run of good days lately, leaving me in an uncharacteristically good mood.

Hmmm. How odd.

Odd enough that I thought I'd share *why* I'm in such high spirits. (And, for once, it has nothing to do with spirits of the alcoholic variety!)

In no particular order...

1. My beloved Vols beat Kentucky in a nail-biting 4th overtime. My apologies to my blue-blooded CP, but what can I say-- GO BIG ORANGE!

2. We convinced AC to clean out her toy box, closet, and bedroom, resulting in a HUGE pile of toys to be given away. Clearing the clutter is a wonderful thing. I feel the feng-shui energy flowing better already. My closet will be the next decluttering project...

3. My mom and aunt made a wonderfully tasty Thanksgiving meal. A meal I don't have to cook or clean up after is enough to make me very happy. For it to be tasty is just a bonus!

4. I got the chance to catch up with my cousins, whom I haven't seen in ten years. (We were caught in the crossfire of a Big Family Drama.) It was a wonderful reunion and I cried a bit. (Okay, so some of the the limbs of my family tree aren't what exactly you'd call emotionally healthy. Got any nuts on your family tree? Thought so.) I now know where they are, so another ten years won't pass before I get to see them again.

Kandy, Kimberly, Kristy

(See any family resemblance? Nah, me neither.)

(Because my mother will want this clarified--the Big Family Drama wasn't from *her* side of the family)

5. Presents! As I celebrate my 29th birthday, I've received wonderful presents. I like presents. Presents are fun and good. One especially good present came from my mother in law:

I completely adore it! First of all, I love purses. I'm a bit of a handbag whore. Secondly, that's DG's family tartan, which happens to be very Christmassy and therefore perfect for holiday parties. And it has red fuzzy trim! What's not to love?

6. This, my friends, is quite possibly the best mood-enhancer of them all:

That is a picture of my former Work in Progress. It's done! Printed, packaged and ready to head to New York. I'll hit the post office this afternoon while AC is in dance class. To borrow a phrase from my friend Kelley St. John: Ding! Dong! The book is gone! I can now face the holidays without a book hanging over my head.

So, how's your mood today? Any good news you'd like to share?

PC

**************************

A special giveaway for Kims And Those Who Love Them

I get a lot of books sent to me--for reviewing, as thank yous, etc--plus I've pick up some at booksignings. Shelf space is at a premium at Casa PC, and I really need to clear some books out. But the thing is, they've been inscribed to me--at least with my name. I can't give inscribed books to the used book store; it just seems wrong. (And it's not that I don't appreciate the gifts; I just don't have the space for all of them.) But I never could figure out how to give them away as blog prizes--who would want books inscribed to "Kim?" Then the answer hit me--other people named Kim or those lucky folks who have Kims in their lives.

So, if you're a Kim (or love a Kim and want to gift them with a book), email me. Actual Kims get first dibs; then I'll go down the list for those with Kims on their Christmas lists. There are several books to be had, and I'll give away until they're gone.