Word of the Week: kerfuckle — a cross between “fuck” and “kerfluffle”; a small-scale disturbance, hubbub, or upsetting event that is annoying enough to make you say “Fuck!” (Invented by Mistress Heidi herself when a recent household accident was more than just a kerfluffle…it was a kerFUCK!le.)

Apologies for being late with our Drink of the Month for April, but last week was so busy, this is the first chance I’ve had to post it.

Spring Fever

Ingredients:

3/4 oz lemon juice
3/4 oz mango syrup
1 1/2 oz apple juice
2 oz blood orange juice

Preparation:

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well.
Strain into a collins glass half-filled with crushed ice.

This is quite exciting for me.  And I actually awoke to the news first thing Saturday morning, so I’ve been giddily awaiting the moment when I could officially share! :whichone

Okay, drum roll, please…

I am a Double Finalist for Orange County RWA’s “Book Buyer’s Best” Award!!!

Oh, yeah. :getdown :getdown :getdown

INHERITING HIS SECRET CHRISTMAS BABY is a Finalist in the Category Romance category

&…

KNOCK ME FOR A LOOP is a Finalist in the Single Title category.

:chick :chick :chick

Can I just say how truly delighted I am by these nominations?  And for the one from Colorado Romance Writers’ for in their “Award of Excellence” competition, as well.

Not only because…well, let’s face it, it’s just plain awesome!  But also because A.) the judges of these two contest are booksellers & reader-readers (as opposed to readers who are also writers, etc.), & B.) it’s truly gratifying to see KNOCK ME FOR A LOOP get so much positive attention after the lukewarm reception it received when it was first released.

Oh, yes, it’s true, & some of you probably remember the hullabaloo back then.  Because the heroine of the story, Grace Fisher, was a tad…bitchy in the beginning.  She thought Zack Hoolihan, the hero (& also her fiance in the first two “Chicks with Sticks” books) had cheated on her with a puck bunny, & went a little mental.  She destroyed his Hummer & did a bit of damage to his apartment.  But some readers & reviewers didn’t appreciate the level of her vexation.  Apparently, it’s okay for Carrie Underwood to sing about it, but not for me to write about it. :humpf

And that’s okay; really, it is.  As my father used to say, “You can’t please everyone.”  He was also fond of, “There’s no accounting for taste.” :devang   So I know not everyone is going to love every one of my books or every single thing about every one of my books.  I’ve got favorite authors who occasionally do something in a story that rubs me the wrong way, too.

But I happen to love Grace & Zack, & I love their love story.  So it’s really gratifying to have so many folks discovering them anew & loving them, too.

Thank you so much, Colorado Romance Writers, Orange County Chapter of RWA, & all of the judges who read entries for both contests! :bees

“I feel an earnest and humble desire, and shall do till I die, to increase the stock of harmless cheerfulness.” ~Charles Dickens

Happy Sunday, everyone!  I hope everybody’s having a wonderful, happy week.

I began mine, sadly, with mind-numbing insomnia.  For three nights straight, I didn’t sleep a wink, & I still have no idea why.  I didn’t eat, drink, or do anything differently than normal, & yet I tossed & turned every night until I wanted to scream.  Or do this to myself: :bloody   Then, of course, I would be nearly catatonic all day, which was almost equally annoying. :sleep

But I AM HAPPY to say that whatever anti-sleeping bug bit me, its venom apparently wore off, & I am once again sleeping soundly.  Better than soundly, actually—I’m positively log-like from about midnight to 8am. :vday

What else?

I AM HAPPY that my wonderful blog & website have been newly updated, & it’s looking sexier than ever. :sexy   If you hadn’t noticed, wander around, see what’s new.  I’m actually thinking of doing a bit of a giveaway game one of these days related to that, so it could very well pay to be observant. :wink

I AM HAPPY to be working on the copyedits for my October Kensington Brava release, MUST LOVE VAMPIRES, because it gives me a chance to see just how well the story really does hold together.

I AM HAPPY—ecstatic, really—with my recent contest finals for a few of last year’s releases.  I won’t say too much about this today, but here’s a hint:  come back tomorrow when I will be posting fresh news & details! :jump

Did I mention how happy I am to be sleeping again?  Oh, yes, that’s a good one.

And now it’s your turn—share with us everything you’re happy about or grateful for this week so we can do a little Dungeon cheer with you! :vday

We had a guest blogger this week, which means we’ve got extra-special prize announcements to make… :chick

Jules Bennett generously offered to give away autographed copies of her two most recent releases from Harlequin Desire, From Boardroom to Wedding Bed? & Her Innocence, His Conquest.  I will announce the two winners below, then each can contact me with her first & second choices as to which title she’d like most.  We’ll give them away on a “first come, first served” basis. :hippie

So here we go…

:getdown   Carole & Anne !!! :getdown

Congratulations, ladies! :vday Please contact me with your full name, mailing information, & book choices, & I will pass it along to Jules so she can get your books out to you!

Next up, we have the winner of our first “green” Free Book Friday giveaway for the month, leading up to Earth Day…

:getdown   Emily F.!!! :getdown

Congratulations, Emily! :vday Please contact me with your full name & mailing information, & I’ll get your copy of It’s Easy Being Green out to you as soon as I can!

(P.S. I still have not received mailing information from last week’s FBF winner. If you’re still interested in your book, please contact me or your prize will be tossed back in the kitty—not literally, of course; my kittehs prefer raw meat to paper…though they do sometimes chew the corners of books :kittylaugh —for a future giveaway.)