Lauri Robinson's Blog, page 24

Oh, goodness, what have I done?

DH bought me a Kindle for Christmas, and I love it! BUT, it's a very good thing that I took a few extra days off work because I've been up into the wee hours of the morning since Christmas Eve, reading, reading, and reading. Previously, I had downloaded the Kindle app to both my Blackberry and my laptop, and read several books. However, let's face it, the cell phone screen is small, and when I'm on the computer, I feel as if I should be writing. Now, with the Kindle, I can lie on the bed and read, recline in the chair and read, stretch out on the couch and read…You get the picture. I may never get anything else done. With its beautiful red cover, my Kindle slips perfectly into my purse…I do believe I'm done for. The more I read, the longer my TBR list becomes because I decide I must have another book by a particular author, and zip, there it is, waiting for me.

Okay…enough about the Kindle. I also received original canvas paintings from my granddaughters which are absolutely priceless, a gorgeous pearl necklace, and lots of Mustang stuff. Our entire family turns into kids at Christmas, and as we all gathered at my son's house to open gifts, the transformation happened in full force. We had foam darts flying around the room, people modeling new gifts, wrapping paper wars, and never ending laughter.

We were disappointed when the weather made it impossible for family to drive up from Iowa, but they are planning to make the trip for New Years, and it will be wonderful to have them here.

On the writing side, I have been productive. Yesterday, I spent the day working on my Undone duet. I not only finished the first draft, but sent it off to a critique partner who had it back to me within hours. Yes, she's AWESOME! I will have it sent off to HQN by the end of the month as promised.

I hope you all find the time to play with your new 'toys' this week and that your New Year's celebrations are wonderful!

Merry Christmas!

Yes, it's almost here! Today I will pick up a couple last minute gift cards, wrap a few more gifts (after buying more paper since I ran out), and make a few more baked goodies. And go out for supper for my Granddaughter's birthday. (We had her princess party last weekend.) Tomorrow, out of town guests will arrive, and in the evening, we'll go to our middle son's house to open gifts with all of the family. On Saturday, we'll be at our oldest son's house for more celebrations.

I must admit, I haven't found the time to get a lot of writing done, which is a bit maddening for me, since I enjoy it so much. I believe Sunday will be my day of rest and writing.

I wish you all happiness, peace, love, and joy!

It's a Wonderful Life

What is your favorite Christmas movie?

My absolute favorite is It's a Wonderful Life! I had to watch it last weekend, and shed a tear or two at the end.

I had the privilege of meeting Karolyn Grimes, the actress who stared as Zuzu. She is a doll of a person, and shared several behind the scene facts. Such as at the end of the movie, when everyone is singing "Auld Lang Syne," and Jimmy Stewart is smiling and watching Zuzu sing, he was trying hard not to laugh at her. Karolyn said she had no idea what the words were and was simply moving her mouth to match everyone else's. If you'd like to read more about Karolyn Grimes, her website is www.zuzu.net

Well…it snowed again last weekend—that has become a weekend occurrence this year. And if you haven't heard, it snowed so much it collapsed the Metro Dome. The Vikings had to fly to Detroit to play last night.

We did manage to get a tree put up, and the granddaughters helped decorate it. Needless to say, the bottom branches have MANY more ornaments than the top ones do, but all in all, I'd say it's the most beautiful tree we've ever had!

Busy week at work, and home...I have a brother visiting from Nebraska until Thursday, and Isabelle turns four on the 23rd! We are celebrating her birthday on Saturday with a princess party.

I'm over at Mixed Book Bag Blog tomorrow, so stop by and say hi!

Holiday wishes to you all!

Frisbee, anyone?

Yes, it snowed again. And, as you can see, Bear, one of our granddogs, found his Frisbee even amongst the mounds of white. He's a real character, and was the inspiration for the dog, Sammy, in Shotgun Bride, The Quinter Brides Book One, though I don't tell him that. He already believes he's inspirational.

Plenty going on this week with holiday gatherings for the various community chambers I belong to, and this coming weekend is my writer's group's holiday party. I'm scrounging up 'white' elephant gifts. It's a fun way to recycle, reuse, and regift some things that have been sitting around for a while. What about you? Do you like 'white' elephant exchanges, or not?

My Google alert caught this review of A Wife for Big John. I so enjoy hearing from readers. Without them, who would I write for?

I'll be over at the Minxes of Romance Blog on December 8th, and on the 15th, I'll be at the Mixed Book Bag Blog with Jo Jones. Stop by either place if you have time!

The new story is going well, but I put it on hold this weekend while I brainstormed some ideas for my HQN editor who asked if I'd be interested in writing a duet for my next Undones. I also must admit that I spent too much time watching American Pickers on the History Channel this weekend. Goodness, I like that show.

That's all for now, I'm off to my daughter-in-law's to make Christmas wreaths. Enjoy your week, and take time to count a few blessings, they are endless!

'Tis the Season

Isn't this snowman adorable?

We had rain all day and now the temperature is dropping quickly, which could make the morning commute tomorrow a touch unpleasant. MNDOT (Minnesota Department of Transportation) promises they are ready with salt and sand trucks. I believe them, and thank every one of the men and women who keep the roads in the best driving conditions possible.

Along with the winter roads comes the Christmas Holiday Season. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now behind us—I didn't venture into the crowds on Friday. I stayed home with the baby while the girls went shopping. (Grandma privileges!) I did catch a couple good online deals today. The majority of my shopping is done, and I'm extremely thankful for that. This week I'll start to pull out the Christmas boxes, but we won't get the tree for a couple of weeks yet. With the wood heat they dry out quickly. We are 'real' tree people, and over the years, I've tried many different 'tricks' to keep trees fresh, drilling a hole and putting a straw in the base, putting aspirin, sugar, or corn syrup in the water, etc. etc. In the end, besides cutting the base again once we get home, and a tree stand that holds at least a gallon of water, I've found nothing really makes a difference.

If any of you have a tried and true system, please share it!

I've started a new book, set in a gold mining town in Colorado. It's going well, to the point I was up much too late last night. It was hard to get up and head out to the day job this morning. Of course, the long, relaxing weekend may have attributed to that as well.

As the calendar turns to the last month of the year, I hope you all have time to enjoy the excitement and blessings of the season.

History of Thanksgiving

As many of us were taught, the first Thanksgiving took place in the fall 1621. It was a three day feast of thanks hosted by the Pilgrims and a local tribe of Wampanoag. Intermittent days of thanks continued for the next hundred and fifty years, often celebrating an event, good harvest, or end of a time period, such as a drought or battle. In 1777, George Washington declared the last Thursday in November as a 'national day of public thanksgiving and prayer' which all thirteen colonies celebrated, particularly giving thanks for the new constitution of the newly formed nation. The next national day was declared in 1789, by then President George Washington. However, it still didn't become a 'yearly' celebration, until 1863.

For over 40 years, Sara Josepha Hale, the author of Mary had a Little Lamb, advocated for an annual day of Thanksgiving, and during the Civil War while looking for a way to bring the nation together, President Abraham Lincoln consulted with Ms. Hale prior to issuing the Thanksgiving Proclamation that declared the last Thursday of November (based on Washington's date) as a national holiday.

75 years later, in 1939 retailers begged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to change Thanksgiving to the second to the last Thursday of the month, therefore giving people more shopping days before Christmas. He did so, but the confusion didn't settle well with the county. Calendars were off, schools vacations had to be rescheduled, and yes, even football games reorganized. Many believed the reason of the date change was not a fitting cause and controversy split the nation. 23 states agreed to change the date, and 23 states refused. Colorado and Texas chose to celebrate both days. Even though businesses reported no real direct change in shopping, the two Thanksgivings (with states choosing which to observe) continued until 1941 when congress passed a law declaring Thanksgiving as a national holiday that would occur on the fourth Thursday of November every year.

So, there you have it.

History and controversy aside, for me, Thanksgiving brings family to mind. If I live to be a hundred, nothing will ever replace the sweetness of the word "Grandma!" I am thankful for so much, every day of my life—for living in a wonderful country, for freedom, for my right to worship God, for all the obvious and not to be taken lightly things which include my family, home, community, friends, vocation, my publishers and their belief in me, and especially the people who read and find delight in my books. Thanks for sharing this wonderful life with me.

My Thanksgiving wish is that each of you reading this blog has a blessed and beautiful holiday.

Thank you!

Thank you to all who sent in title suggestions. I was a bit overwhelmed; there were so many good choices!

My final decision is El Dorado Widow. Of course, if it is contracted, the publisher has the final say, so it may change again. Rita suggested El Dorado Bride, and that is what lead me to El Dorado Widow, so Rita, your PDF of Guardian Bride, The Quinter Brides Book 4 is on its way.

Speaking of Guardian Bride, the Quinter Brides Book 4, I received a lovely review of the book from The Romance Studio this week. Reviewer Brenda Talley says, "I highly recommend this book for an amazing read."

Today, I had to come to a conclusion, I can no longer deny winter is quickly approaching, which means I must put my wonderful little car in storage for the winter. I called today, and her normal spot is ready and waiting, so I spent the day cleaning her inside and out, had the oil changed, and topped off the tank after hubby added the gas additive for storage. Tomorrow, after we watch our granddaughter sing at church, I will take her to the 'barn' where she'll be safe all winter. And as long as I was in the garage, I pulled in my 'winter' car and gave her a good once over as well. She's a good car, and has always served me well, so I am a bit excited to get reacquainted with her, not to mention she does get better gas mileage than the Mustang.

This week will be busy with Thanksgiving preparations. I am thankful everyday for so many things, but the holiday makes me feel even more blessed. I'm looking forward to cooking a meal with all the trimmings, and spending the entire day with family.

I wish you all a blessed holiday!

I need a title...

Here's my front yard. Falling from a gray sky, the snow is blanketing the ground like it plans on staying for a while.

The weather man predicted this, and following his words of warning, I ran all of my errands yesterday, made sure there would be no reason for me to venture onto the first roads of winter. And dear hubby, bless his heart, filled the wood boxes before he left for another trek up north to the hunting shacks. So, on this fine Saturday morning, the fire is crackling, a fresh pot of coffee is perking, and my pony car is safe and warm in the garage, all there is left for me to do is pull up my work in progress and start writing.

A blessed day.

If only I had a title for this latest story. It's a short one, only 15,000 words and targeted for HQN's Undone line. Usually a title comes to me long before now. The hero is Marshal Cord Donavon, and the heroine, Florence Rockford. She's a widow, had been married to the youngest brother of a notorious outlaw gang—the Winter Brothers. Cord has the remaining brothers is his El Dorado jail, awaiting trial. While apprehending the brothers, Cord had been shot, and it had been Florie who found him, and nursed him back to health. Three months later, she arrives in El Dorado, set on telling Cord she's in the family way and the baby is his, when she discovers her dead husband's brothers are in jail, and her mother-in-law is attempting to break them out.

Thoughts? Any good titles jump to mind?

Leave a comment, or email me at Lauri.robinson AT gmail.com. If I choose your suggestion, I'll send you a PDF of Guardian Bride, the Quinter Brides Book 4.

Thanks in advance for your help, and enjoy the weather, no matter what type you are experiencing, for every day, whether warm or cold, sunny or cloudy, is a gift.