May 18, 2013

Facebook Party and iPad Giveaway!

The publisher is giving away a free iPad Mini at my Facebook Party on Wednesday, May 22 8:00 pm Eastern Time You have to enter to win IN ADVANCE! That means you need to  click below and enter the contest by midnight, Tuesday Then join us on Facebook this Wednesday where we will announce the winner of the iPad mini!     Btw, if you leave a comment during the party, you will be eligible for additional prizes including books and gift certificates. Just sayin'!  Can't wait!  See you Wednesday!

posted by Deeanne on 05/18/2013 - 2 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

April 30, 2013

It Happened at the Fair hits the shelves TODAY!

It Happened at the Fair is finally here! Thank you so much for participating in our four week countdown. I’m already hard at work on next year’s book, but I couldn’t let this day pass without doing some type of celebration. I thought the perfect thing would be to give one of you a set of magnets featuring painted reproductions of scenes from the World’s Fair and scenes from It Happened at the Fair along with a personalized, autographed book plate.   If you’d like to throw your name in the hat, simply give It Happened at the Fair a rating and/or a review on your favorite online site by Saturday, May 11th, then post the link on my contest page.   Click HERE to go to the Contest*   KANSAS CITY, HERE I COME!   For any of my Circle of Friends who are in the Kansas City area—I’ll be signing books:  1)  TODAY! (Tuesday, April 30) @ Dog-Eared 1/2 Price Books.   2) SATURDAY, May 4th, at RT’s 2013 Giant Book Fair. I’d absolutely love to see you there. Click here for all the info.   Thanks again for being in my Circle of Friends!                                                                          * Contest ends at midnight, Central Time, May 11, 2013. No purchase necessary. Click here for OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES. Contest is open to persons that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA to receive the magnets as a prize. If the winner's mailing address is outside the continental USA, the prize is an autographed bookplate.

posted by Deeanne on 04/30/2013 - 0 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

April 23, 2013

Final Giveaway before Release Date!

This is our *final giveaway* as we count down SEVEN MORE DAYS to next week's release of It Happened at the Fair on Tuesday, April 30th! This time, we will be giving away an autographed hardback of the actual novel. Congratulations to all our previous winners (one of whom we just contacted and are waiting to hear back from), and good luck to everyone else! For this last contest, I thought you'd enjoy taking a virtual walk through the 1893 Chicago World's Fair where It Happened at the Fair takes place. I've put a map up on Facebook along with three questions. The answers to the questions are imbedded in the map.    Click HERE to go to the Contest The contest ends at midnight, Central Time, April 29, 2013.    Good luck and thanks so much for being a part of my Circle of Friends!                                                                          No purchase necessary. Click here for OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES. Contest is open to persons that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA to receive the book as a prize. If the winner's mailing address is outside the continental USA, an unautographed eBook or print-on-demand book will be substituted as the prize.

posted by Deeanne on 04/23/2013 - 1 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

April 08, 2013

Who Should Be My Inspiration for Hunter Scott?

I just finished researching next year's book. Yes, I know. I'm slow. That's why you only see one book per year from me.  But you can help me out!

posted by Deeanne on 04/08/2013 - 3 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

April 05, 2013

Can I Borrow Your Hands?

I don’t know what I was thinking, but I guess since Tempest in the White City was just a short story and only 99-cents, it didn’t even occur to me that it would get a cover. But, of course, it did. I thought you might like a behind-the-scenes look at how it came about—along with an opportunity to win an Advanced Readers Copy of It Happened at the Fair.
 
The below mock-up (a very rough draft) of Tempest arrived in my inbox in November to see if I liked the direction the art department was going with the cover.
 
I loved how they used an interior shot of the Woman’s Building from the Chicago World’s Fair, but I worried that it looked too much like a train station at first glance.
 
I also thought it was brilliant to use a doctor’s bag in order to give an immediate visual clue that the main character is a female doctor. Still, the bag didn’t scream “doctor” and I was afraid it might be mistaken for a traveling bag.
 
Last, I wasn’t crazy about her dress. I’m all about pretty dresses—whether they’re in my closet or on my heroine. So naturally, I wanted my book cover to have one, too.
 
You’re beginning to get an idea, I’m sure, of why they only send me a very, very rough draft. That way, I can freely give my input without worrying about how much time they might have invested in the making of the cover. This mock-up was literally thrown together for the purpose of generating dialog and ideas.
 
Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I attached three different mock-ups of my own when I sent my thoughts to them. Clearly, my mock ups aren’t intended to be used. They’re just a springboard for our discussions.
 
This is a copy of the email I replied with:
 

"WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT MY “BACK-TO-BACK” MOCK UP: The man is all wrong. He's small and he's in a kilt, but his expression is perfect. I don't like this background. It looks too much like a state capitol building. And then people who don't know what the "White City" is will misinterpret. So I think my background is all wrong. 
 
WHAT I DO LIKE ABOUT MY “BACK-TO-BACK” MOCK UP: I like that it incorporates all the elements: 1) White City  2) Proud, distrustful guy  3) Beautiful woman in a beautiful dress who is a doctor.
 
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT MY “BACK-TO-BACK” MOCK UP: I tried a stethoscope around the girl's neck, but it got lost amidst her dress and the background. So I found a doctor's bag with a stethoscope wrapped around it. That would avert any confusion there--but we'd need to change the bottom of the stethoscope to a more antique type and it should be black instead of red.
 

 
I love this girl's expression. It conveys lots of fun. But it makes it look like she’s chasing the guy, which doesn't happen at all in the story. Plus her dress is completely inappropriate. The concept I was shooting for here was humor or fun. 
 

 
I like this background of the Woman's Building A LOT. And I think the woman is pretty and her dress is yummy. She really pops. The problem is, it doesn't tell us anything about the story."
 
 
Now this is where it gets fascinating. The art department takes all my ideas along with suggestions from their team and they come back with this:
 

 
As you can see, Bruce (Art Director) used the background photo of the Woman’s Building which I provided (my favorite) along with the woman in the gorgeous dress. Love that.
 
As for the doctor’s bag, they added a medical symbol. So clever and so much less complicated than a stethoscope.
 
Her hands look weird since she isn’t actually holding the bag—they just Photoshopped that in. But I knew they’d fix that once the mock-up was given a green light from all the decision makers.
 
Last, they incorporated the same color scheme, fonts and swirls that are used on It Happened at the Fair (my full-length Chicago World’s Fair book).
 
I don’t know about you, but I loved it. I gave it a thumbs up along with one minor request: “Can we make her bust line just a little more inspiring? Right now, it looks like a lot of lace and ruffles without much substance.”
 
Now, they knuckle down to fine tune the final product. First order of business: Fix her hands.
 
In order to do this, Bruce buzzes Jessica (an editor at my publishing house) and asks if he can borrow her hands. Since Bruce is the Art Director, this request isn’t out of the norm for him. She knew exactly what he was asking. So, she walks down the hall and does a photo shoot with Bruce right there in his office. You’ll note he had Jessica tilt her hands in several different ways.
 

 
And this is the photo that they actually used:
 

 
Next, Bruce superimposes Jessica’s hands onto the cover, “plumps up” the cover model’s bust line, finalizes the colors, shadows, and highlights, then sends the final cover to me—which is the one you see posted on all the online retailer sites that carry Tempest.
 

 
So, what do you think? Do you like how it turned out? What surprised you most about the process?

Leave a comment here on my blog for a chance to win a FREE, AUTOGRAPHED Advanced Readers Copy of It Happened at the Fair. To qualify, your comment must be posted by midnight CDT on Sunday, April 7, 2013.

** No purchase necessary. Click here for the OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES. 

ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to residents of the United States that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA.
 

posted by Deeanne on 04/05/2013 - 43 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

March 19, 2013

Tempest in the White City is available TODAY!

Big news! My new eShort, Tempest in the White City, is NOW AVAILABLE for only 99¢!

Tempest in the White City

This brand new short story will plop you right into the 1893 Chicago World's Fair as well as give you a sneak peek at the two main characters in next year's (2014) book.

Hunter Scott is one of the elite. A guard of the World's Columbian Exposition specifically chosen for his height, physique, character and ability to serve and protect.

Overcome by debilitating abdominal pain, he stumbles to an infirmary only to discover the doctor is female. Female.

But even worse, she has the nerve to diagnose him, the toughest man west of anyplace east, with constipation -- an unspeakable ailment in mixed company. 

The two of them face off in this short story and my 2014 release will tell their full story. Go to your online retailer or click one of the buttons below for information on how to instantly download a copy to your eReader or computer.
 

        

POST A REVIEW and be entered to WIN an ADVANCE COPY of
It Happened at the Fair

Write a review of Tempest in the White City at your favorite online retailer (feel free to click on any of the buttons above), then post a link to your review in the comments below by midnight CDT March 25, 2013 and we will enter you in a drawing to win an ADVANCE COPY of It Happened at the Fair. **

The winner will get to read my new book before it even hits the bookstores!

Good Luck!

** No purchase necessary. Click here for the OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES.

ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to residents of the United States that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA.
 

posted by Deeanne on 03/19/2013 - 15 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

March 15, 2013

Don't Kill the Messenger

 I messed up, girls. I got my 9 and 6 inversed and told you my e-Short, Tempest in the White City, would be out tomorrow on the 16th. Not. It's Tuesday, the 19th. I'm soooo sorry!

To make it up to you, how about we give away an Advance Reader's Copy of It Happened at the Fair? To enter, leave a comment here on my blog before midnight CST on Saturday, March 16, 2013.

ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to residents of the United States that are 18 years or older, except residents of Florida or anywhere that contests such as this one are prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law. Entrants must have a valid mailing address within the continental USA.

posted by Deeanne on 03/15/2013 - 94 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

March 07, 2013

Sneak Peek at Chapter One

posted by Deeanne on 03/07/2013 - 6 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

March 01, 2013

It Happened at the Fair is available for preorder now

I've got great news.  My April release, It Happened at the Fair, is available for preorder now!  It will be at a store near you on April 30. Gambling everything, including the family farm, Cullen McNamara travels to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with his most recent invention.  But the noise in the Fair's Machinery Palace makes it impossible to communicate with potential buyers.  In an act of desperation, he hires Della Wentworth, a teacher of the deaf, to tutor him in the art of lip-reading. The young teacher is reluctant to participate, and Cullen has trouble keeping his mind on his lessons while intently watching her lips.  Like the newly invented Ferris Wheel, he is caught in a whirl between his girl back home, his dreams as an inventor and his unexpected attraction to his new tutor.   Can he keep his feet on the ground or will he be carried away? So, what do you think of the cover?  You may not realize this, but authors have no control over the cover art or the title.  The publisher does all that, then we get an email that says, "This is your title and this is what your cover looks like."  We can, of course, request changes or tweaks, but for the most part, it is what it is. SPECIAL PEEK AT PHOTOS   As a special bonus, the print book (as opposed to the electronic version) has photographs of the actual Fair at the beginning of each chapter.  Each photo shows something relevant to that particular chapter.  Here is a peek at one of the illustrations with a quote from the book: As I understand it, this special treatment of the book is going to be for the first edition ONLY, so the publisher expects those to fly off the shelves fairly quickly.  Yet another good reason to preorder so you'll be sure to reserve one before they are all sold out! Here are some preorder links: Amazon.com BarnesandNoble.com Books a Million CBD.com SimonandSchuster.com And in other news... For those in my Circle of Friends who entered my drawing at RWA in Anaheim, we have a winner for the 5-hour adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Congratulations, to Patti of South Pasadena, CA!

posted by Deeanne on 03/01/2013 - 0 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

February 25, 2012

RomCon Wants You

Would you like FREE ADMISSION to RomCon? Would you like some BEHIND THE SCENES contact with some of your favorite authors? Then apply to be a RomCon Team Volunteer! 

Below are a few positions RomCon has open. Some might take a couple hours a month, some a few hours a week.

• Book Club Helpers (Inspirational and General Romance)

• Reviewers (experienced, all genres - new reviews or shared from your blog)

• People with sales and/or marketing backgrounds

• Computer Programmers: Lotus/Domino, PHP, Joomla, HTML

• People with Publicity & Media Contact experience

• Social Media addicts (Twitter and Facebook fans)

• Reader Judges (all fiction genres including Thriller, Horror, Fantasy, etc...)

• Blog Hoppers

• Photographer

• Video Production

• E-Zine design/layout/editing/content control

• RomCon Ambassadors - first line of contact

• General Legal assistance

• Convention Help (event moderators, event point-of-contact, room decorators, etc...)

If you're interested in any of them, email admin@romconinc.com with your thoughts, comments, suggestions, or skill set and they will give you a better idea of what would be involved in each area.  

RomCon 2012 General Fun Pass

Get yours today!  

 General Admission and Author Registration open!

 Alexandra Ivy, Deeanne Gist, Elizabeth Hoyt, Holly Jacobs, Jill Shalvis, Julia Quinn, Kat Martin, Patricia Rosemoor, Rebecca Forster, Teresa Medeiros, and many, many more!

posted by Deeanne on 02/25/2012 - 2 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

February 19, 2012

Back in the Day

 I've always loved to play dress up. Even when I was teaching, I'd have "Hawaiian Day" when we studied Hawaii. "Favorite Author" day when we studied the classics. And "Civil War Day" when we studied the Civil War. Not only would the students come dressed up, I would too. And we'd wear our costumes the entire school day.

Of course, I don't teach anymore. But, I still manage to do my share of dressing up at my Getaway With Dee events each summer. As part of my fascination with dress up clothes, I comb through all kinds of vintage clothing sites. Pinterest has offered a plethora of new places to explore.

Here are some of my favorites from my recent finds:

On the left is a two-piece tan silk shantung dress. The two pieces are a skirt and cuaisse bodice with brown faille trim. It is from the trousseau of Della Miles Bertch, 1887.  On the right is the matching coat with hood and matching parasol. I found this on Rhonda Gibson's Pinterest page.

I found this cotton Civil War dress (circa 1865) on Kelly Cochran Davis' Pinterest page. This, too, would be two pieces--a skirt and a bodice (with a bazillion kinds of undergarments underneath). I particularly love the circles and dots along the skirt. The sleeves are super fun also.

Last is this bathing suit ensemble (also from Rhonda Gibson's page). The embroidered red-orange wool serge suit by LY and J Nathan has wool braid trim. It was worn by Emily Tinne in 1910 during her honeymoon in Ireland. Her orange cotton sateen bathing cap has waterproof rubber backing.

My favorite part of the outfit, however, are her linen espadrilles (aka shoes). An orange anchor is embroidered on the linen. They have cotton jute soles and cotton laces.

Do you still play dress up?

posted by Deeanne on 02/19/2012 - 8 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

January 22, 2012

Scrapbook Cubicles

I used to make a huge mess on the dining room table everytime I wanted to scrapbook. And the mess stayed there for as long as it took me to finish my project--which often times was several weeks since I only had snatches of time to scrapbook.

Then, I got the green-light for converting one of our rooms into an official Scrapbook Room. It doesn't have a bed, nor a chest of drawers, nor a clothes closet. Just scrapbook paraphenailia around a giant four-person desk. Ah ... heaven on earth. :)

When I first began to put the room together, the biggest challenge was finding a piece of furniture deep enough (and wide enough) to hold my 12x12 scrapbook paper and my scrapbook albums. About that time, Michaels Craft Store began to carry Jetmax Modulars.

They are cubes specifically designed to hold scrapbook paper & albums and they fit together using dowels. So, every Birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day, and Valentines, I would get one or two more cubicles. And when Michaels had their 40% off sale, I'd stock up on a couple more.

Now, I have a whole wall full of them. And guess what? Michaels is having their 40% off sale this week! (Sunday, Jan 22 - Saturday Jan 28). AND if you go to their website, you can find a 25% Off Your Entire Purchase coupon. So, if you've been wanting to build one, now would be a great time to get started.

I will warn you, though, the dowels don't hold the vertical columns together very well. So, I went to Home Depot and had a piece of wood cut to the dimension of my cabinet, then I used it as a base to stack everything on. You will find that much more secure than carpet.

Even if you don't have a specific room to scrapbook in, this modular is nice looking and can fit against any wall. I really love mine! Happy shopping!

posted by Deeanne on 01/22/2012 - 3 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

December 29, 2011

I've Discovered Pinterest

 I've discovered a new website: Pinterest. Love, love, love it. If you're not a member, email me and I'll send you an invite. In the meantime, I'm going to post a few things here that I want to upload to my Pinterest account. Today, I found this lovely idea for table decorations at Bridal Banter. Using Anthropologie mugs and simple flowers, you can create a message for your guests.

 If you use this idea, be sure to come to my facebook page and post a picture! I'd love to see it.

And what about you? Do you have any good table decorating ideas?

posted by Deeanne on 12/29/2011 - 3 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

January 16, 2011

I'm Doing a New Thing

I love hearing from you--whether it's an email, comments here on the blog, in the Chat Room, or on Facebook. And the thing you tell me most is ... you want more books. :)  So, this year I've decided to rearrange my schedule a bit so I can maximize my writing time.

Part of that rearranging is trying to consolidate the places I go online. I know you visit my blog often because I have a behind-the-scenes tabulator that shows me the great number of you who stop by on a daily and weekly basis. But more and more I find myself zipping over to Facebook. I guess I go there because it's so quick and I hear back from you--which I love.

I guess what I'm leading up to is, I'm going to quit blogging every Monday. I'm not saying I won't ever post something. I'm sure I will. It just won't be on a regular basis.

In order to keep from having to check back to see if I've written anything, you can click on the orange RSS Feed at the bottom of this post. That way, it will send you a little alert if I post something. Also, you can sign up for my eNewsletter. I only use it for very special announcements, so you won't be inundated with emails. That's another way to keep up.

Of course, we have the Chat Room. The girls visit over there all the time and I stop by every couple of weeks--sometimes more, sometimes less. But something is always going on.

Now, if you are a Facebook user, I am on FB every single day--even if I don't post something. So, that's the best place to find me.

In the meanwhile, feel free to leave a comment here. I receive an alert every time someone writes a comment. So, I'll be sure to read yours.

Thanks for being so flexible!  

Hugs,

posted by Deeanne on 01/16/2011 - 7 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

December 22, 2010

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Hugs, Dee

posted by Deeanne on 12/22/2010 - 4 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

December 13, 2010

Lifeway Fiction Community

Have you checked out Lifeway's Fiction Community? Heading it up is Rachel McRae. She's the fiction book buyer for all Lifeway stores. Which means, she's the one in charge of deciding which fiction novels you will find on the shelf of your local store!

In her blog, she interviews authors, does giveaways, and let's you know what's coming to the stores before it even gets there. She also lists all events happening in all Lifeway stores. That way, you can find out if something special is going down at your location with only a click of a button. So ... check it out. I know you'll love it ... and her!

If you're on facebook, you can join the other 26,000,000 folks who follow them at the Lifeway Christian Stores fan page. I know I do. I'll see you there!

posted by Deeanne on 12/13/2010 - 3 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

December 08, 2010

New Facebook Launch

I've launched a brand new facebook page this week. It is much more interactive than my old one. On your first visit, you will have the opportunity to save me from an oncoming train.  Then you'll have an opportunity to find out what your name would be if you were in a romance novel.  Mine was "Daisy Mae." Perfect for me! :)

Every Wednesday is going to be "Wishing Wednesday" and you will be able to wish for something unique. This Wednesday, you'll get to decide which hero you would choose to star in your romance novel. Next week, you'll be able to choose the heroine. We will continue with something new to chose from each Wednesday. Then in January, we'll start all over again.

We also have direct links to the most recently discussed topics in our Chat Room.  And, of course, we have some fun videos. 

Soon we will be launching contests on facebook where you will be able to win The Trouble with Brides--my new three-in-one book which includes A Bride Most Begrudging, Courting Trouble, and Deep in the Heart of Trouble all in one volume.

So, if you haven't stopped by to see my new facebook page, now's a good time to check it out.  If you've already been by, leave a comment and let us know what you thought.  Meanwhile,  I'll see you there!

posted by Deeanne on 12/08/2010 - 2 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

December 01, 2010

Get Free Books

RomCon (Romance Convention for Readers) needs judges to read up to 5 books for the 2011 Readers' Crown Contest! If you sign up to judge, they'll send you the books--which you get to keep for free!

You can indicate what categories and levels of adult content you are interested in reading--everything from "none" to "blood thirsty." (Beguiled is entered in the "sweet" category; Maid to Match is entered in the "mild" category.) There is no charge to judges.  And judges keep all books sent to them (unless, for whatever reason, they are not able judge one or more entries in their panels). 

Scores sheets are quick and easy to fill out. They consist of a basic ranking system and up to 20 questions. 

They're assembling judging panels and distributing books now! (between November and February).  All scores must be submitted by March 31, 2011.

If you'd like to participate, sign up here. A Bride in the Bargain was a finalist last year and I'll be attending RomCon again in 2011. It will be in Denver, August 5-7. Would love to see you there!

posted by Deeanne on 12/01/2010 - 7 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

November 17, 2010

Turkey in the Oven

I was at a Stephen Curtis Chapman concert and his wife came out and spoke. She said when she was growing up her family's love language was practical jokes. LOL.

This is a practical joke I heard about through email. Gave me a chuckle:

One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the  traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store.

When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant bird!"

At this horrifying news, my sister started to cry. It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!

Hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

posted by Deeanne on 11/17/2010 - 6 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

November 14, 2010

Prank Calls

Kristan Higgins, good buddy and author extraordinaire, has been prank calling me. Well, okay. Not prank calling exactly, but sort of. The first time was back in September, right before the Getaway With Dee. My cell phone rang and I knew immediately it was her because it said so on my screen. I answered enthusiastically.

Without any pleasantries, she got straight to the point. "Where are you?"

"I'm in a hotel room in North Carolina," I answered. "Where are you?"

A choking sound. "Oh! I thought I was calling my son. I'm at the State Fair and looking for him. I must have hit the wrong name. I'm so sorry."

I smiled. "Well, if I see him, I'll be sure to tell him you're looking for him."

But, of course, I wouldn't see him. He was in New England at a State Fair and I wasn't. Still, Kristan and I had a good chuckle about it.

She ended the conversation with, "Well, I still want to get together for coffee in New York."

We hung up and I thought it odd she would say that. Then I remembered the big writers convention we attend was going to be in New York this next year and that must have been what she was referring to.

I didn't think more about it until a few days ago. I was sitting at my desk writing away and received a text from Kristan:

In nyc in 5 min.

I grinned. I knew immediately what had happened. She thought I was her son.  I texted back.

If you can't find your son, just let me know! LOL. I'm assuming that's who you meant to text. What are you doing in nyc? p.s. I love keeping up this way. Always such a fun and unexpected treat.

Within seconds my phone rang. It was Kristan.

"Hello, Sunshine!" she greeted.

"Hello to you, too, girlfriend." Then, I couldn't resist. "Where are you?"

"I'm on such-and-such bridge." (Sorry. I can't remember the name of the bridge. I'm a Texas girl and haven't memorized all the bridges in NYC.) "Where are you?" she asked.

I pushed back my chair and wandered outside to the back porch. We're having wonderful weather right now. Sixties in the evenings, seventies in the afternoons. I settled into one of the rockers. "Well, the first time I was in a hotel in North Carolina. This time I'm in my home in Houston. So, what are you doing in New York?"

"Don't even," she said, her voice dropping a register. "I'm serious. Don't even."

It took me a second, but then I realized. She still didn't know who she was talking to. A slow smile spread across my face. Before I could take advantage of the situation, she, too, had come to the same conclusion.

"Who is this?" she asked.

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. In between guffaws, I managed to get my name out.

Answering giggles came across the wire. "Dee! Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. I thought you were my friend Dee C. I'm supposed to meet her in just a few minutes."

And being her typical self, Kristan began to visit and ask after my family. I wouldn't answer though, I knew she needed to talk to Dee C, so I let her go and  told her to call me any time--oh, wait. She already did!

We hung up and I went back inside. That's when it all came together for me. She didn't realize it was me the first time--when I was in North Carolina. She thought it was her friend, Dee C. That's why she said she'd meet me for coffee in NYC. That's why she didn't immediately realize her mistake when I teased her about the hotel in NC. That's why she hit the "call back" button after receiving my text. LOL. I guess she and Dee C. were meeting for that coffee right then.

I still find myself chuckling about it at random moments. I have decided, though, that at some point within the next couple of months, I'm going to randomly pick up the phone, give her a call and say, "Where are you?"

It will be our new secret greeting. :)

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading Kristan's books, I suggest you get yourself to the bookstore. They are great fun and I buy them the very second they are released. You can find her on facebook as well. She is an absolute delight.

So, have you ever hit the wrong name on your cell phone? What happened?

posted by Deeanne on 11/14/2010 - 3 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

November 09, 2010

BRIDE in Lithuanian

I just received a package in the mail. It was a copy of A Bride Most Begrudging--in the Lithuanian language!

It's always so interesting to receive these. Look at the way they spelled "Prologue" and "Deftford, England" and "Lady Constance Morrow" (beginning of second paragraph). And note that instead of putting quotation marks around dialog, they use dashes.

Is that so fun?

posted by Deeanne on 11/09/2010 - 3 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

October 29, 2010

Round Table Book Club

I always love hearing from book clubs, but this one I just had to tell you about. They are the Round Table Book Club in Georgetown, Texas and, boy, do they go all out!

They were discussing Beguiled and the facilitators made a two-page color handout with thumbnail pics (sent to them by Bethany House--who is a GREAT supporter of book clubs) showing the main characters. On one side was the photo and a short description. On the back was the item that had been stolen from their home (Beguiled is a Romantic Suspense--if you haven't read it yet).

They played the Beguiled Board Game that Bethany House provides for book clubs and displayed a picture poster in their library all summer long.  Is that just the coolest thing?

A special thanks to Jean, Peggy and Katherine for sharing the fun and for going the extra mile! :)

If you want fun ideas like this for your book club, go to my "Bookstore" tab, click on the book your group is reading and then click on "Book Club Perks" in the sidebar. We have all kinds of suggestions for activities, refreshments, discussion questions and more!

If you're in a book club and do something special, I'd love to hear from you so I can feature you on my blog, too! 

posted by Deeanne on 10/29/2010 - 0 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

September 28, 2010

Getaway Was A Blast!

 The Getaway With Dee was an absolute blast. I'll be posting the pics and all the details soon. For now, I'm on the road back to Houston. We drove 10 hours today and have stopped in Biloxi, Ms. for the night. I'm wiped!

Meanwhile, if you want a sneak peak at some of the photos, visit my facebook page and click on the "Photos" tab. http://www.facebook.com/iwantherbook.  

posted by Deeanne on 09/28/2010 - 5 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

September 13, 2010

Officially Empty

The last of our four kids has moved out. This one had graduated from college in '09 with a degree in Graphic Design and worked in town for the past year while living at home. She just landed a new job in Dallas, so her dad and I moved her up to her new place this weekend. (The pics are of her sitting on her bed here at home and then sitting on her bed in her new place.)

This move-out was different from when she left for college. This time, she packed up everything that was hers--including all the stuff in the attic. Because now she is officially on her own. She is completely supporting herself for the first time in her life. Scary and exciting.

Greg had been out of town on business. He returned on Friday and literally went from the airport to the U-Haul rental place. He drove a rental truck home and our daughter was all packed up and ready. We stayed up until midnight loading the truck; got up early Saturday morning and drove to her new place; spent the rest of the day unloading the truck and assembling furniture.

She'd spent the previous week surfing the internet for used furniture and found a kitchen table & chairs. She had bedroom furniture leftover from college and her roommate had a couch. But that was it. As far as kitchen utensils, her college roommates had supplied it all before. She had no more than an ice cream scooper, some cookie cutters and a 13x9 glass dish.

During the middle of everything, she looked at me a little panicked and said, "I have absolutely no supplies--no silverware, no kitchen trash can, no laundry soap, no broom, nothing!"

So her dad and I made a run to Wal-Mart on Sunday morning and picked up a few of the essentials for her. But there's still a lot of filling in to do. That's part of the fun of it, though.

It's all I can do to not call her, but it hasn't even been a day yet! Still, I'm sure I'll check in tonight and see how her first day on her own went.

What about you? Do you remember the first time you were officially on your own?

posted by Deeanne on 09/13/2010 - 6 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

August 29, 2010

Cup of Joe

Did you know you can buy a cup of coffee for a deployed soldier and have it delivered with your own personal note? Is that so cool?

Some of the soldiers never receive letters from home and many are homesick. There's nothing like receiving a little thank you and encouragement from the home front. Green Beans Coffee has made it easy. All you do is click on the "Buy a Cup of Joe" button, pay your $2, write a little note and it's done.

I did it and received a thank you email from the soldier who got the cup I donated! It was really neat. So, if you have a couple of minutes and a couple of dollars, why not Buy a Cup of Joe?

Have you heard of other ways to support our troops? Tell us about it in the comments section!

posted by Deeanne on 08/29/2010 - 6 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

August 16, 2010

Huge News!

The Getaway With Dee has come down in price from $699 to $299 per person! I'm sooo excited. I have been beside myself as I heard from one after another of you who wanted to come but simply couldn't due to the price tag--even those who were within driving distance. But now with this new sponsor we are able to take $400 off of the price. Is that so wonderful! In the theatre, sponsors are called "Angels". I love that and it certainly fits this time.

Everything about the Getaway is the same. They are still closing Biltmore House the evening of September 27th and taking just our group on a custom-made Maid To Match tour. They will take us through and say, "This is the room where Tillie and Mack such-and-so.  This is where such-and-such happened."  Is that so cool?

And right before the tour we'll be having dinner on the Estate.  On the 26th we'll be coming in costume (if you want) to our Gilded Age Party complete with parlor games, book swaps, souvenir photos, fun lessons on the Language of the Fan ... just everything.

The only thing that is different is we won't be able to accomodate as many people as we could originally. The good news is, the event will be very intimate and we'll have lots of time together. The bad news is, once we fill up we'll have to close down registration.

So don't delay in registering and ... I'll see you there! 

posted by Deeanne on 08/16/2010 - 1 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

August 03, 2010

New Boarders

My son's apartment lease ran out at the end of July and his new one doesn't start until September, so he, his two cats and his buddy moved in with us for the month of August. It's been a long time since I've had any kitties around.

The black and white kitty is about 6 months old. The calico is brand new and soooooo cute. Our dog, Cowboy, isn't too sure about the new additions. If the cats would just let him smell them, things would be much better. But the minute Cowboy gets close they hiss and swat at him. He's sported more than one bloody nose lately!

Both the cats are really sweet tempered, though. The kitten has taken to either sitting in my lap while I work or on my desk. She's walked across my keyboard and deleted files and all sorts of things. So, I keep moving her off the keyboard. Now she sits behind the computer screen and stares at me.

I cannot tell you how hard it is to get any work done with that precious thing eyeballing me!!

Still, it's been fun to have the boys home and to see them everyday. And I will miss them and the kitties when they all leave next month.

posted by Deeanne on 08/03/2010 - 6 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

July 28, 2010

Costume Tips

In this month alone I've dressed in costume for a Costume Ball, a Masquerade, a Murder Mystery Party and a Victorian Photo Shoot. For some of those events, I splurged. For others, I either used stuff that was right in my closet or stuff that I could find super-cheap. Take a look.

What about you? Where do you like to find your costumes?

posted by Deeanne on 07/28/2010 - 4 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

July 15, 2010

Murder, Darling, Murder

I was in Denver this weekend for RomCon. It was a Romance Readers convention and it was an absolute blast. We spent the weekend hanging out with readers and other authors. One of the games we played was Murder, Darling, Murder. It was a murder mystery where five authors were the suspects and the readers had to figure out who was the murderer.

The murder was set in Bigroot, CO during WWII. I played Lilly White (she had a checkered past). At first I figured I'd be able to get into character right away because Lilly White sounds so Southern. But as it ends up, Lilly was of German descent! Jawohl! So I did the best I could. Here's a peek at part of my monologue:

LOL. Everyone was a good sport and I was really impressed with the company that created the mystery. They are Mysteries by Vincent and if you want to do a mystery dinner party, I highly recommend you checking out their website. Because of time constraints, we couldn't set the room up with all the trimmings (where the parlor looked like a parlor and the conservatory looked like a conservatory), but if you did this at home, you could really go all out.

Here's the group of authors (suspects) who played in our game:

From left to right: Keena Kincaid, Cindy Gerard, Brenda Novak, Carolyn Crane, & me.
The above pic is with Samuel Soloman. He was in the next murder mystery game.

I have more pics up on Facebook from not just this game, but from all the fun events we did. Check it out at facebook.com/IWantHerBook.

What about you? Have you ever done a mystery dinner or game before? This one was my first.

posted by Deeanne on 07/15/2010 - 14 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED

July 05, 2010

Baby Cardinals Outside My Window

A beautiful cardinal has been frequenting my backyard a lot lately. When my husband spotted a birds' nest right outside my backdoor--I mean right outside my backdoor--we put two-and-two together. The babies had already hatched--there were three of them.

I went on all-systems-alert and quickly spotted the mama cardinal. She's a lovely reddish-taupe color with a bright red beak, red feet and red feathers on the underside of her tail (kind of like wearing a red petticoat). I have a great close-up of her in my scrapbook. While she feeds the babies, the daddy bird flits this way and that being very protective of their territory.

I hate to let the dog outside to do his business, but fortunately he's oblivious to the family with their new little ones. They aren't oblivious to him, though, and after the dog comes back inside, the mama and daddy birds nonchalantly do a fly-by to check on their chicks. When they can't stand it any longer, they fly into the ligustrum bush where the nest is.  

And all is well.

Having them right there is very distracting. I'm constantly running to the window to see what's going on. I took all these photos from inside my house (looking through the backdoor window).

Pretty amazing, isn't it? I can't tell you what a treat it is to watch this young family. I can't wait until the day they learn to fly. I hope I'm not out of town!

I have more pics in my scrapbook. Click on Dee's Circle of Friends logo at the top, then click on the scrapbook.

So, what about you? Have you ever seen nature unfolding before your very eyes? Are you a birdwatcher? Do you know someone who is? Tell me about it! 

posted by Deeanne on 07/05/2010 - 4 comments - Post a Comment   RSS FEED