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

Blatant Self Promotion

For anyone who's interested, I have an excerpt from my upcoming Avalon romance Candy Kisses on my website, www.JeanCGordon.

I'm going to post a new excerpt from either Candy Kisses or my Cerridwen historical My Lady Viking each month until they come out.

Belated Thanksgiving Wishes

Hope everyone had a great day yesterday with friends and family.

I've been scarce lately, busy:

• Writing new scenes for My Lady Viking, formerly Milady Viking (Cerridwen Press, 2007)
• Filling out cover copy forms for it and Candy Kisses (Avalon Books, June 2007)
• Writing cover copy for Candy
• Updating my bio for both
• Putting together a list of reviewers for my Avalon editor
• Contemplating updating my website. I may have an excerpt from Candy up in a day or two.
• Heading up a project at my day job, writing ten financial planning workshops and workbooks.

By the end of the weekend, I hope I have it all together. And you probably thought writing the book was the hard part.

Guest Bloggers

Welcome my guest bloggers Kym and Caelin.

Have you seen the movie Cars?

If you haven't seen Cars, you should.

Kym: My favorite character from the move is Lightning McQueen.

Caelin: He's my favorite, too.

Kym: Cars is funny.

Caelin: Now on DVD.

Candy Kisses

Achoo! The dust had piled up in here again. But I've swept it away to announce that I have a publication date for Candy Kisses. It will be out in June 2007 from Avalon Books.

I'll see if I can get Candy to stop by later this week and introduce herself.

Jean

Write and Bowl

You may have heard of rock and bowl? Well, I'm a fan of write and bowl. Dru has started bowling in a kiddie league on Saturday mornings. This morning,I brought along a pad and pen. Between cheering for pins down and commiserating with him over gutter balls, I got a page written on my motocross reunion story.

It's like traveling back in time. I wrote my whole second Avalon romance at bowling alleys when Dru's Uncle Nate was on the local travel team and not yet old enough to drive himself to matches.

BTW, I found out how much top motocross racers can earn in a year -- a million or two.

Motocross Anyone?

I am trying to find out what a top motocross racer earns in a year. Anyone know? It's for a reunion story I'm writing.

Only in America

PREFACE: I mean the title in a good way. I am not a particularly political person. I have my opinions and I vote in both national and local elections. I also listen to political commentary and read about candidates before elections so I can make informed choices.

On my way to work this morning I was listening to primary election results. The winner of one congressional primary is likely to be the first Muslim elected to Congress. This made me smile. But what made me think "only in America" was the newscaster saying what state this congressional district is in.

Do you know? It wasn't New York.

School Days

Today was the first day of school for the kids at our house. It's the first year they've taken the school bus. Other years, Mom or Dad were able to drop them off on the way to work. But Dad has a new early work schedule and Mom has early nursing classes. I was all set to take photos of Dru and Caelin stepping on the bus. But the bus came 15 minutes early and all I managed to do was scoot them out and off.

Now that I'm long out of school -- and don't have to fear being uncool -- I can admit that I loved school. I still enjoy going to the continuing education courses required for my financial planner designation and, of course, the workshops at writing conferences. One of my favorite parts of my day job is the research, keeping up with tax and law changes and new investment strategies.

How about you?