Sheila Roberts's Blog, page 19

May 31st, 2012

June is here! And little Sheila is gearing up for fun and adventure. Off to Book Expo America next week, and I'm very excited about that. It will be my second time in New York and I'm looking forward to taking another bite of the Big Apple. The first bite didn't agree with me so hoping this time will be better! And how could it not, when I'm going to be around thousands of books, and as many booksellers and book lovers! And, speaking of book lovers, congrats to Stacy, who won a copy of Elsa Watson's DOG DAYS. My copy just came in the mail and I'm looking forward to reading it again. (Got to read this when it was a work in progress and laughed myself silly!) If you haven't picked up a copy I hope you'll do so.

FUN IN CANADA

Gerhardt, displaying our "bath towel for four". Oh, the fun we had in Canada this weekend! Thanks to the Vancouver chapter of Romance Writers of America for allowing me to join you. I met so many nice women and had a great time.
Gerhardt, as always, was in charge of travel arrangements. This time around he didn't get a gold star rating though. Getting in touch with his inner Jack Benny, he opted for "cheap" rather than luxury ... or even semi-luxury. And while we didn't get bedbugs anywhere we stayed, we didn't exactly get the Ritz. Our first night was especially interesting. My other had half found a house that let out rooms. The house was lovely, and so was our little corner of it, but it was missing a couple of things we Americans have gotten used to having provided for us when we travel, like soap. And the towel, well as you can see in the picture, they were expecting much smaller guests. No, Gerhardt isn't doing the dance of the seven veils. He's displaying the towel that was left in the bathroom for us to share with the couple in the room next to us. Needless to say, we went out and found a mall and bought a towel.
    One of the highlights of our weekend was taking a quick trip to Abbotsford, where ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS was filmed. We enjoyed meeting Theresa, who owns Quilting Essentials, one of the stores where the movie was shot. She and her daughter made us feel right at home and her quilt shop is a feast for the eyes. She shared all kinds of fun details about the filming of the movie. I guess quite a few people wandered into the fake yarn shop, hoping to purchase yarn. I hope if there's another movie in my future I'll get a chance to visit the set and see some of the fun firsthand.
    And, as always, we found our Canadian neighbors to be friendly and fun. I love Canada! Somebody make me an honorary Canadian.
Here I am, posing in front of one of the stores features in "On Strike for Christmas"

MOTHER'S DAY WITH ELSA WATSON

One and all, I'm so happy to have my friend Elsa Watson guest posting for Mother's Day. Not only is she a sweet person (and a new mother herself), she is a wonderful writer, and her new book DOG DAYS, which comes out this month, is one of the funniest books I ever read. My copy is on pre-order at Amazon and I can hardly wait to get it! I know you'll love it, too.
In fact, let me order a copy to be shipped to you, too. Leave a comment here on the blog page and we'll pick one lucky winner to receive a copy of Elsa's new book.

Sheila, thank you so much for having me!  I’m honored to be here on Mother’s Day, especially since I know this is an important day for all of us who love your books.  You have plenty of great mother-and-daughter pairs in your charming little ski town, including the fabulous, candy-making women of the Sterling family in Better Than Chocolate (coming this October.)  My very favorites are the dueling—and loving—moms and daughters in Merry Ex-Mas (coming November 2013.)  
No one is more important to a woman’s evolution than her mom.  This Mother’s Day, I’d like to thank my mom for being such a passionate reader—and for passing her love of books on to me.  
I can trace my childhood through the books Mom put in front of me, starting with The Little Red Hen, a family favorite about a determined hen with a do-it-yourself attitude.  Mom had a knack for getting me started on series of books, then leaving the rest in my hands.  She read Little House in the Big Woods aloud; I read the rest on my own.  Mom gave me Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild; I read all the other Shoes books (over, and over, and over again.)  She read the first Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book, Ruth Chew’s What the Witch Left, and Ramona the Pest, and I took over from there.
Not only was Mom a great reccommender of books—guiding me toward everything from Caddie Woodlawn to The Secret Garden—but she loved to talk about them.  I remember discussions about Nancy Drew (“she’s a little prefect, isn’t she?” Mom once remarked) that led me to branch out and find my own girl-detective heroine, Trixie Belden.  When I was struggling through The Red Badge of Courage, Mom read the book in an evening and the next day talked me through it until I figured out the theme.  Later, in high school, it was Heart of Darkness and Wuthering Heights that we’d discuss until I’d found my way to a paper topic.  But I don’t mean to imply that our talks were all academic.  Rebecca, Gone with the Wind, and Jane Eyre were all books that I loved reading, but that really bloomed to life when I had the chance to talk them over, reveling in the delicious details with a fellow reader who thought they were just as marvelous as I did.
Today, Mom continues to put great books into my hands.  Almost every time I see her, she has something new for me.  Recently, when I was up for hours at a time feeding our newborn, Mom brought me a huge bag of books.  “I don’t want anything sad,” I said.  (It’s emotional stuff, having a new baby!)  Mom understood and brought me Major Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, The Egg and I, and our old favorite, I Capture the Castle.  
Mom’s own reading tastes are broad—as you’d expect from someone who’s interested in life in all its colorful variations.  She’s read a little of everything, from science fiction and romance to Middlesex and Middlemarch.  And recently, she finished reading the Twilight series—in Spanish, of all the wild things.  I guess I don’t need to say that my mom makes me proud.  
This Mother’s Day, I hope Mom and I will have time to wander through a bookstore, talking about the books we’ve read and the ones we want to read.  And, later in the day, if Mom has passed me a book or two, I’ll go home feeling lucky, knowing that we’ll have something riveting to talk about the next time we meet.
………………..
Elsa Watson is the author of Dog Days, in which Zoe (a dog) and Jessica (a person) are struck by lightning and switch bodies, leaving Jessica trapped in a dog’s body—and giving Zoe thumbs and the chance to speak.  (Coming May 22.)  Find Elsa online at www.elsawatson.net.

SHEILA'S CHARACTER TAKES OVER

Well, it was bound to happen. One of my characters has stepped center stage and taken over. Who is it? Jake, from this year's Christmas book, MERRY EX-MAS, which will be released in November.
Jake is a country singer. Jake wants to make it big. Jake wants his own music video.
So we gave it to him. Last night, thanks to Debra and the wonderful crew at the Tracyton Public House, Jake got his shot at fame. (Well, he had to share billing with me, his creator, but he was okay with that.)
This is such a fun, cheeky Christmas song and I can hardly wait for you all to hear it, and to see our music video.
Thanks to my friend and fellow songwriter Ed Kerr of Kerrtunes we had an amazingly professional production... that lasted much longer than I anticipated. (Why do I always forget how long it takes to do something like this?) Anyway, we had three cameras, tons of musicians, high tech equipment and decorations. And, thanks to Ted Brown music, even a Dobro. We also had Christmas cookies (actors need sustenance) and country dancers. Christmas in April!
And this was all on a nice, warm, spring-is-here, evening. I almost roasted in my winter clothes! Speaking of clothes - the mink I'm wearing is a fake mink so no minks were harmed in the filming of this music video. The only one who might have been harmed is poor Santa, who probably got a hernia from having to carry me around.
Here's a big, public thanks to all the wonderful people who came along for this ride, for our musicians and tech people, and all the friends who danced or sat in the same spot for a verrry long time. And to my darling Gerhardt, who, as usual, stole the scene he was in.  I am so looking forward to seeing the finished product. And so smiling at the fun we had making this!
Santa takes a "nap" waiting for ... well, you'll see. Discussing an upcoming scene with Santa and my "daughter". Santa, you forgot your hat!

FOODIE FUN

Here is it, the finished product. One of the best meals we've made so far! Looking for some affordable fun? Have you considered forming a foodie group? We did this several years ago with two other couples and it has been great fun.
I'll tell you how it started. I was tired of cooking the same old same old and wanted to try some exotic new recipes. Somehow, cooking for company always motivates me, and hanging with friends makes me happy. Combining those two ideas, getting a couple of girlfriends (and, as it's turned out, guys) to come help me create in the kitchen seemed like a good idea. And it was! We meet roughly once a month, although sometimes this gets stretched to every couple of months depending on how busy everyone is. We pick a menu ahead of time - usually whoever is hosting gets to choose. Then we get together, make it and eat it. Yum! And we split the cost, so the evening is affordable for all. Here's a great way to improve your culinary talents and enjoy the company of good friends all at the same time.
In the pictures we're making Coq au vin. Since we've been together we've made everything from seafood lasagna to Salmon Wellington (a recipe concocted by my old water aerobics pal Donna Moore) to chocolate fondue. What might you come up with if you got together with your friends?
Super Chef Tom Nordlie prepares to set our pot of chicken on fire. Gerhardt looks concerned. My friend Theresia is now a caterer. Here we're showing off the wine our hosts found. The label says "Foodies". Appropriate for our group!

I WON!

No, not the lottery. Those winners were in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland. But I've got to say, I feel like a winner most every day. No, I don't have millions. But I have enough to eat three square meals a day... and then some. I live in a country where I can freely worship and speak my mind. I have a car but no car payments. I have a closet full of clothes, most of which I've purchased on sale. (Let's hear it for 50 percent off!) I live in a house, not a cardboard box. My house is on a small lake, not a small corner of a dump in a poverty stricken country. I get a paycheck, and I get paid for doing something I love: writing! I'm still healthy (well, mostly). I have a ton of fun with my family and my friends, and all on a budget. And, speaking of family, my children actually like to spend time with me. That's not worth millions. That's priceless. So, to the grand winners, congrats. I hope you do wonderful things with all that money. You can have it with my blessing. I'm already a winner. I am a very rich woman.

FUN AT THE OCEAN

With two books coming out this fall and another to follow in May I have been writing up a storm. But, thanks to modern technology, there's no reason I have to write that storm at home. With Gerhardt getting a break from his college professor duties, we took off for the Washington coast. We had every imaginable kind of weather. A couple of sunny days for bike riding (I need to get a very, very, very padded seat!), a couple for going to our little ocean town's clubhouse for ping-pong, and a perfect day for staying inside to watch the movies we found at Redbox. The ocean is a great place to be during the off season. A beach walk is great in any weather, and those crashing waves make for some great pictures. So, when thinking in terms of vacation, little Sheila suggest off-season travel!

FOOLING FATHER TIME

Birthdays. After a certain point many of us don't like them. They remind us that we're getting old and wrinkly. Some of us start to feel useless as we get older, even unappreciated.
Well, I'm not going there! I refuse. Yeah, the wrinkles are starting to form colonies on my face and the fat is migrating... everywhere! Still, I have great people in my life and so much for which to be thankful.
So I'm determined to celebrate every year I'm here.

Thanks to some really special friends, I was able to enjoy another year on planet Earth all week long. And, some of you are going to reap the benefits of my celebrating when this year's Christmas book comes out in November because my pal Jill Barnett has graciously given me permission to include her amazing chocolate cupcake recipe in the recipe section. Yum! Of course, there will be other recipes, too, because, as you can see from the pictures, the cupcake mania didn't stop with Jill's party. I'm testing recipes for the book and so I cupcaked more friends on the official party day. I can hardly wait to share these recipes with you in the book. They're yummy!
So, Father Time may have come around thinking he was going to be the party pooper at my party this year, but I fooled him again. Happy birthday to me!

SO THIS IS WHY THE SNOW BIRDS FLY SOUTH

I must admit, I've never gotten why anyone would want to live in Florida. This, I realize, is because I didn't always have the most positive experiences there. My first visit I learned you Floridians have alligators in the lakes and fire ants on your lawns. And I flew out barely ahead of a hurricane. Totally creepy. My second visit was summer before last for a writers conference. In July. I thought I would die. But last week I was in the Tampa area and had a very different experience. Warmth! End of January and I was running around in a sweater. Wow!

I had the opportunity to meet the fabulous sales staff for my new publisher, Mira, and stayed at the Innisbrook Resort. What a lovely place. The sun was out, the osprey put on a show, and I even got to spend some girl time with my fabulous agent Paige Wheeler in the nearby town of Dunedin, which is both scenic and a lovely place to shop. Probably one of the most unique shops we went in was this one pictured below that featured every imaginable kind of dangly from wind chimes to Christmas ornaments. Sensory overload! Loved it.
And loved Florida. I'll be back. Hopefully.

NEW YEAR, NEW MONEY HABITS

    Money management can be difficult for many of us. Often it's not simply a matter of numbers. That's because money isn't just money. Money is how we buy food and shelter and how we keep the lights on. It represents opportunity to reach goals. Money, like time, often gets away from us. It's an easy resource to mismanage.
    So, if you're hoping to start the new year taking control of your money, your first step might need to be finding your financial Achilles heel and fixing it.
    What is a financial Achilles heel? I'm glad you asked that. First let me refresh your memory as to who Achilles was. He was a hero of Greek mythology, whose mama dipped him in the River Styx, hoping to make him invincible. And he nearly was... if not for the heel by which she held him, the one vulnerable part of his body. Like Achilles, we all have our weaknesses when it comes to finances. I've listed the ones I've observed in both myself and others, and hopefully, the information below will be helpful. Do you see yourself in any of these?
    RATIONALIZING    
    You tend to rationalize any and all purchases. (I am the queen of rationalizers - I can come up with a reason for any purchase I want to make!) The problem with this is, it often leads us into spending money we don't have.
    Rationalizers often whip out the old charge card figuring that when the bill comes due they'll get the money somewhere. Let me tell you, "somewhere" doesn't exist. I know this from personal experience. Oh, wait, it does, too - the groceries! And when I'd have to dip into the grocery budget for my spending boo-boo and Gerhardt would ask, "Why are we eating beans for the third night in the row?" well, I could rationalize that, too. "Beans are good for us. Roughage."
    If you're a rationalizer faced with a tempting "must have but can't afford" purchase, try this: list for yourself the reasons why you can't buy that item right now. Use the same creativity you'd use to rationalize a poor choice for coming up with other options or ways to find the money you need for the purchase.
GUILT SPENDING
    You, you poor thing, are easy to manipulate. As the name implies, guilt spenders tend to feel guilty if they're not spending. A guilt spender has a hard time saying no to anyone - the cute little Girl Scout peddling cookies, the office worker collecting for... you name it, and, of course, the children. This is not to say you shouldn't be generous. By all means, give to your children, support worthy causes. But DON'T part with money you can't afford to party with simply because you feel guilty over saying no.
    If you're a guilt spender, try changing your self talk. "I am not a bad parent because I refuse to be an ATM with legs." ... "Not opening my wallet every time someone asks me for money does not make me a bad ____." (Parent, friend, neighbor, citizen of the world- you fill in the blank.) ... "Money can't buy love, not even my children's." If you're feeling guilty over not spending enough time with your children, mother, spouse, or whoever, well, you know what to do about that.
RETAIL THERAPY SPENDING
    Anyone who's watched Dr. Phil has probably seen this particular Achilles heel. Retail therapy involves buying things to fill an emotional need. The retail therapy shopper says things like, "I just need a bigger house," or "I always wanted a ____." (Fill in the blank.)
    If this is you, well, I feel your pain. I've done my share of retail therapy shopping, too! But that gets expensive and leads to other problems which can involve the need for a very different kind of therapy.
    So, instead of heading to the mall to go window shopping (always a dangerous place for those of us with this particular Achilles heel), you might try some different methods of coping with life. Take a hike (literally). Going for a walk with a friend will give you some good exercise and a chance to vent. Distract yourself by doing something fun and rewarding with your spouse, kids or friends. Pray. It's cheaper and will produce lasting results. Volunteer. There's nothing like focusing on the problems of others to get your mind off your own troubles. And, finally, avoid temptation. Don't go window shopping. Seriously, who can do that and not come away with something?! (I still remember the first time I went mall walking with my friend Kathleen. Walking past all those stores with all that yummy merchandise. That mall walk cost me forty bucks!) Also, don't browse through catalogs or search on line unless you are on the hunt for something specific that you need.
DREAMS THAT WON'T DIE
    We need dreamers. Most entrepreneurs are dreamers. Without dreams we would never have gone to the moon. Without dreams there would be no Disneyland or (Imagine that!) inventions or novelists. Dreams can be wonderful things.
    Sometimes, though, they can also be impractical, poorly researched and poorly funded. When a dream becomes a financial Achilles heel, the dreamer is in trouble. People have lost life savings trying to keep a business on life support long after it was dead. Sometimes, you have to wake up.
    If this tends to be your particular Achilles heel, let me suggest that, when it comes to business dreams, before you go about making that business dream come true that you have a business plan, a budget, a time line, and a spending limit. Some dreams don't come true. Sometimes the timing isn't right. It's okay to say, "This isn't working," pull back re-think and start again. It's also okay to say, "This isn't working," and let that particular dream die. You'll dream again. You'll be back.

   The decisions we make and the steps we take will either take us to security or disaster. Here's hoping that finding your flaws and learning how to fix them will help you move down the road to financial security. Happy New Year!