And the winner is . . .

Here's the lovely Caelin drawing the winning entry for a copy of Kinley MacGregor's Knight of Darkness. The winner is Eva. Please email me your address.

New Contest

This week's giveaway book is Undercover Protector by Molly O'Keefe (http://www.molly-okeefe.com/). To enter, send me an email with the first word I learned to read. Put My Lady Viking Contest in the subject line and agree to be added to my email announce list.

Jean
JeanCGordon@yahoo.com

My Lady Viking

To celebrate the release of my first historical, My Lady Viking, during the month of November, I'm giving away books by popular authors. This week's book is Knights of Darkness by Kinley MacGregor (http://www.kinleymacgregor.com). For a chance to win, email me the name of my first published book with permission to add you to my new release email list.

I'll draw a name from the correct entries and post the winner here next weekend — along with the details for next week's give away.

Good luck.

Jean
JeanCGordon@yahoo.com

Take a Poll Follow-up

Aemelia: I need you to email me so I can send you your excerpt.

Coming Soon

No cover yet, but My Lady Viking is on the Coming Soon page at Cerridwen Press. Release date is November 7. Read an excerpt on my Web site, www.JeanCGordon.com.

Let's Get Together

WHO: You and Me

WHAT: Booksigning. I'll be signing Candy Kisses and all my backlist.

WHERE: New Jersey Romance Writers' Put Your Heart in a Book Conference, the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place Hotel

WHEN: Saturday, October 6 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

HOW: Would you like to stop by and say "Hi!"? It's open to the public.

Anyone surprised to know that my BA is in journalism and my first job was with a local daily newspaper?

Take a Poll

My writing seems to be taking a new direction. As part of my exploration of this change, I have two short polls for you.

1. Do you like your romances:

Sweet, Savory, or Spicy?

(Chaste) (Subtle) (Explicit)

2. With all the variety available in romancces, I've heard some readers say they wish they could find more "just plain" romance. What's your take on that?

As a thank you for everyone who comments, I'll send you an excerpt of my November historical from Cerridwen Press, My Lady Viking. And, no, the historical isn't the new direction I seem to be headed.

Barnyard Babies

I know this is supposed to be a writer's blog, but we have more barnyard babies and they are so cute, all nine of them.

And look who stopped by the bird feeder the other morning.

And the Winner Is . . .

Midnight

Suggested by LauraP. Laura, email me your mailing information and the book you want:

Bachelor Father
Love Undercover
Mandy and the Mayor or
Candy Kisses

Thanks to everyone who entered and look for future win-a-book contests.

Name the Bunny -- Win a Book

My contest judge is unexpectedly out of town, so I won't be able to post the winner until tomorrow.

Name the Bunny -- Win a Book

We have a baby bunny at our house who needs
a name. Post a suggested name in the blog comments and you'll be entered in my contest to win your choice of any one of my four books. You can check out the books on my website,
http://www.jeancgordon.com/.

Breeder Caelin and baby's mother Spotty will choose the name next Monday, Labor Day, and I'll notify the winner here.

The Chicken or the Egg

Photos today are courtesy of Dru.
The first hen in our spring chicken flock laid her first egg on our front porch the other day.

Carrie the agronomist says that first eggs are often strangly misshappen. But not this one.

When Being a Writer Is Fun

Good writer's week this week. I received a fan email and WOWed the young women at the check out desk at my local library -- RCS Library, Ravena, NY -- by donating a copy of Candy Kisses to the library.

Their excitement that I was the author of the book gave me a real boost. I wanted to rush right home and write, rather than catch up on all of the other tasks I put off to the weekend.

So, how was your week?

Blantant Self Promotion

Check out the review for Candy Kisses on BookPage http://www.bookpage.com/0707bp/romance/romance.html:

In the appealing, adorable Candy Kisses by Jean C. Gordon, Candy Price is burdened with a community of brothers who all think they know what's best for her—and she'd love to prove them wrong, but first she needs to figure out what the right choice is. Stuck in Albany for the summer with only her landlord, the very handsome and cheerful Mike Wheeler, she decides to take on a challenge: She's going to find Mike a new girlfriend and, in the meantime, they can share pointers on the dating scene. Candy is about to find out what love is all about, but first she has to learn how to stand up to the boss who takes advantage of her all the time and learn to let other people help her. Candy Kisses is an upbeat romance about two good people who need to make that love connection.

By Barbara Samuel, nonetheless.

And check Candy Kisses out at your local library or bookstore.

Happy Fathers' Day

In honor of Fathers' Day, here's the alpa father in our nuclear family, along with Red Cat, who just had to get in the picture.

Just Call Me Farmer Jean

The "little" family is on vacation in Colonial Beach, VA, and guess who gets to take care of their ducks and chickens . . .

and Oinkers and Benny Pig Pig, along with Lightning, Spotty, and Snowy bunnies, and the tiger cat twins, Little Cat One and Little Cat Two?

All Alone

I should be writing. It's my usual writing time. But, I have the house all to myself. No little people running over from next door to visit me. No dh asking what we should watch on TV. It’s so nice and quiet. I should be writing, but I'm not. I'm luxuriating in the aloneness.

More Tulips

These photos from last weeks's Albany Tulip Festival are just too gorgeous not to share.

Of Mother's Day and Tulips

Today (Sunday) is Mother's Day, of course. I started the day off right with breakfast at the Free School Cafe, courtesy of Dru and the second/third grade. He doesn't always look like a troll (his mother's words), only in photos.
Today is also the 59th annual Albany Tulip Festival. My son-in-law's mother is the city gardener and, as usual, she's done a fabulous job, wouldn't you say?

About Time

Spring has finally arrived in Upstate New York.

Get a Life

What do you do when you have too much life?

I have my author life: working on my current story, final line edits on my historical due out later this year, promotion, serving as Treasurer for the Capital Region Romance writers, working with my web designer to update my website. Wait until it's up. It is going to be fabulous.

I have my financial planner/editor life: 7:30 to 5 face time at the office Monday through Friday, stuff home on weekends when deadlines loom.

I have my home life: Today started off going to the credit union with Nate to cosign his car loan, then Dru's bowling league, birthday lunch with Caelin, chapter business meeting. I skipped the presentation to take Caelin and two friends birthday shopping. Add in usual housekeeping tasks and home maintenance.

I have my love life: My dh would be high maintenance, if I would let him.

I have my social life for what it;s worth: Church and lots of online groups.

How about you?

Take a Look!

My editor sent me my cover for Candy Kisses today. Don' you love it? I do.

On Reading

Have you ever read a book that had just one wrong fact that you couldn’t get over, that made you enjoy the book less? I did recently.

The problem? The heroine was being urged to invest a large sum of money she’d inherited in an individual retirement account — an IRA. But, the most you can invest in an IRA this year is $4,000 — $5,000 if you’re age 50 or older, which the heroine wasn’t — plus another $4,000/$5,000 for your spouse. A grand total of $8,000/$10,000. These amounts have never been more.

I’m sure the author thought it was a minor point. It IS a minor point. I probably fixated on it because I write about retirement planning a lot in my day job. Some of what I write goes into the education sections of 401(k) plan enrollment books. (I may have written the “how to invest” section of your employer’s retirement plan enrollment materials.) Since I educate people about retirement planning, I hate to see inaccurate information out there.

Otherwise, I really liked this book. But I could have loved the book if this small point — a point that no one else probably noticed — hadn’t bothered me so. And now I’m bothered that I could do the same thing to one of my readers.

Valentine's Day

How could a romance writer not post a Valentine's Day message? Mine is about a romance in the making.

Last night Caelin, 9, and Dru, 7, were making valentines for school. Caelin created works of art for each of her girl friends -- all of the girls in her class and a few in other classes -- and plain cards for the boys in her class.

Dru made only one which he brought to me for help. "How do you spell Helen?" He wrote it down. "How do you spell like? He wrote away again. "You?" More writing. Then, he put his card in an envelope and sealed it. "How do you spell Helen, again?" He made out the envelope. Then, he swore me to secrecy and entrusted the card to my coat pocket in case school was closed today. Couldn't take the chance his sister might see it. School was closed. We're having a blizzard. So, the card is still in my pocket waiting to go to school tomorrow.

Yeah, it's been forever . . .

I've been slaving away, writing, writing, writing. Unfortunately, it's all been for a client's guide to lifetime giving. You know, saving gift tax, estate tax, income tax -- all that. My current book in progress, Mara's Move, hasn't moved all month.

But I have managed to get a new excerpt from Candy Kisses up on my website, www.JeanCGordon.com