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Perfect 15

I’m not much of a TV watcher. Most evenings, I come home from my day job, have dinner, then park myself in front of my computer to write the night away. That means I get a lot of my news and information from online sources, unless I happen to be eating dinner when the news (or something interesting) is on.

I used to be an Olympics junkie.

Perfect Coincidence

I’ve got a three-day weekend coming up. It’s also the same weekend of my RWA Chapter’s Conference. So, what did I do? I took the two previous days off, too. Five days off work, and heading to the mountains to play with my writing pals. Life doesn’t get any better than this.

Unless you count coming home and having an empty house to myself. Whoa! Life just got better.

Gypsy Legacy: The Duke *PRINT*

He doesn’t need a wife. She doesn’t want a husband. Destiny’s not listening.

As children, Brand Waring, heir to the Duke of Warringham, and his brother were kidnapped and sold to a plantation in the West Indies. Now Brand is back to wreak vengeance on those responsible for his brother’s subsequent death. The last thing he wants, or needs, is to be distracted by an instant attraction to a flighty Society belle.

Felicia Collings has found it easy to refuse every marriage proposal, thanks to a ring left to her by her gypsy great-grandmother. Reportedly it will lead her to the man whom she is destined to marry. To her relief, the ring has been blessedly silent on this issue. Until Brand recognizes it, and sparks fly.

In spite of himself, Brand finds himself drawn to the beauty, and to the wounded soul reflected in her eyes. At his gentle hands, Felicia begins to learn what it means to be cherished and loved.

Then the past rears its head to threaten their fragile happiness. As Brand begins to doubt whether vengeance is as sweet as a lifetime with Felicia, he finds himself racing to save them both from not one cold-blooded killer—but two.

Summer is here - let the games begin!

When I was a kid, my Mom and I loved to play games. Back then (no, I won’t tell you how long ago) our favorite game was jacks. We’d sit on the floor for hours playing jacks and listening to music in the background. When I got older, we graduated to board games that the whole family could play. So, it was no surprise when my kids were younger that I introduced them to board games. (We had the wrong kind of flooring to introduce them to jacks.) Now that they are older, they still love to play games.

Snow Bunny or Beach Bunny?

I don’t know about you, but about this time of the year I start to get antsy if the weather isn’t warm enough to wear a t-shirt and jeans on a regular basis. As far as I’m concerned, Winter should be history by the time April rolls around. Unfortunately, this year that hasn’t been the case and I’m ready to bolt for warmer climes. We had snow on April 1 – no joke! And, a week ago we were facing the prospect of snow on Easter! Now the forecast has backed off to rain and highs in the 50s. That’s better. I can live with the rain – we need the water, but snow this late in the year is depressing. I just hate being cold. And being cold and wet is torture for me. I know that some of you are reading this and rolling your eyes, thinking that where you live this is normal. But, where I live it is not, so I feel justified in complaining.

So, am I looking forward to Summer? Not necessarily. When I was younger, I loved Summer, and, not just because it was school-free time. I loved the really hot weather. I spent hours on the tennis court all Summer when I lived in Arizona. One year I even had a lesson scheduled at noon three days a week. Perfect. Unfortunately, as I’ve aged, I don’t tolerate the heat as well as I used to. I still love Summer days, but when the temps hit the 90s, I start looking for shade. Thankfully, I live in a city where there are beautiful tree-lined streets to walk. I still get out to play tennis, but now I wait until the early evening.

Despite the title of this entry, I’m neither a snow bunny or beach bunny. I’m not fond of snow – although when suitably bundled up, I don’t mind being out in it – and the beach and I just don’t mix. I’d take snow over the beach any day – and you already know how I feel about Winter. My favorite time of year has shifted in the past ten years. It is now Fall. Watching the leaves turn colors, but still being able to go out in jeans and t-shirt with maybe a light pullover is definitely my kind of day.

What about you? Which season do you look forward to?

Denise Patrick
http://www.denisepatrickauthor.com
http://denisesden.blogspot.com

Inspiration

It was just another building. As I walked past it, I didn’t even notice it really. The door was a dark brown wood, and the building was painted white with a mustard-yellow trim. There was nothing particularly memorable about it. I probably walked past it two or three times before noticing it for the first time – from a distance.

Running on Empty

I once drove my van (full of teenagers headed for a national youth event) nearly a hundred miles with the gas indicator on “E” and the fill-up light on. Why?