Sitting on the cusp of 2005 and 2006 I thought it would be nice to look back at the fun things, since the looking-back-at news and current affairs shows (which I always watch) focus so heavily on the dramatic and tragic. There were way too many of those stories this year and, sadly, too many people still dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters. :(

So, this post is my fun post listing my best of 2005, and when I say "best" what I really mean is "the one that gave me the most enjoyment, fun or entertainment or created the loudest WOW."

Best book: Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, narrowly over Linda Howard's To Die For (and pushed over the line by the Georgette Heyer motif.)

Best movie: In Her Shoes (in an unusual happenstance, I liked the movie as well as, if not more than, the book)

Best TV show: Gray's Anatomy

Best song: Rogue Traders' Voodoo Child (and since my o/s readers won't know this fab. local dance track I'll toss in a runner-up--Backstreet Boys' big ballad Incomplete, which I added to my playlist of writing anthems)

Best moment: #2 son's graduation

Best location: Squaw Valley, where I spent several days with some good mates, kicking back after the Reno RWA conference. Magic.

Best event: the conference Harlequin party, natch, where your favorite authors rocked that dancefloor!

Best shopping experience: same trip, Virginia City, a serious jewelery extravaganza.

Best purchase: WOW Catherine Manuell handbag bought half-price in the winter sales. Love it, love it, love it!

Best Guilty Pleasure: the celebrity snark at The Superficial (and you thought I'd say Tim Tams, didn't you, hmmm?)

Best thing I did for myself: Lasik vision correction
(no more glasses, yay and wow!)

So, there is my list. I have some more thoughtful lists--things I learned this year, things I'm looking forward to in 2006--but for now I have a book to finish and I'm disappearing into my (air-conditioned) writing cave. When I return, I'd love to read loads of your best/funnest/WOW things from 2005. So, go ahead, knock yourself out with comments!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Today, I have one more cover to add to the week of seven I recently featured. This one is especially for Dena, but I'm pretty sure it will please others as well. Enjoy.

The nominees for the 2005 Romantic Times BOOKClub Reviewers' Choice and Lifetime Achievement Awards have been posted on the RT website (links from home page, under Book News) and I'm thrilled to announce my first ever nominations in these awards.

BEST SILHOUETTE DESIRE

DANGER BECOMES YOU Annette Broadrick (Oct)
BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND MORNING Cindy Gerard (Jan)
A MOST SHOCKING REVELATION Kristi Gold (Dec)
THE RUTHLESS GROOM Bronwyn Jameson (Nov)
AWAKEN THE SENSES Nalini Singh (May)

SERIES STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR

Bronwyn Jameson
Patricia McLinn
Brenda Novak

I'm delighted to share my champagne celebration with all my readers. Cheers, and thank you for sharing what has been a wonderful year for me.

...is one of the reasons December is always crazy in my household. If it's not worrying about the weather, it's worrying over breakdowns, getting parts delivered, the sample of the grain, and which pool/market to deliver to. But, joy of joys, we (and when I say we, I mean the others in my household) are into the last paddock and I want you all to send up a big group wish that we (they) don't have any more holdups so we're (they're)
finished before Christmas. That tends to be the goal every year: pull out of the paddock before Santa drops by! This afternoon, while delivering sustenance, I remembered to take my camera. This is what my part of the world looks like today and what my menfolks' world has looked like for the past month. As you might imagine, they're looking forward to the end of harvest and the end of grain-dust itch!

I promised a week of covers and here is the final one, from Michelle Celmer's January release titled House Calls. So, what would you think about this doctor calling at your house?

From Kathie Denosky's upcoming trilogy, The Illegitimate Heirs, comes this stunner. I don't know about you, but I'm always intrigued by a dude in shades. Maybe it's the symbolism: what's he hiding? Or maybe it's just the cool factor. Or perhaps I've watched Top Gun one too many times...


The title of this book, BTW, is Betrothed for the the Baby which I'm also liking.

A Splendid Obsession, by Cathleen Galitz (March 06), because I love the subtle intimacy of a dancing cover. Slow-dancing scenes are also one of my favorites to read, to write, and to enjoy with my real-life hero. I'm including one in the book I'm writing now, although it has an edgy intensity that is barely covered by the civilized wedding-reception waltz. Fun to write, and perfect for the relationship between this hotheaded pair!

...to bring you this special announcement.

The eHarlequin Holiday Open House chats start at 7 p.m. tonight (December 14), featuring authors from most category lines and imprints. Desire authors Emilie Rose, Kathie Denosky, Jan Colley and yours truly will be chatting in the Passion Room (a decadent place, from all accounts!) from 8pm-9pm ET and we'd love to see you there. Here's a link to the list of participating authors so you can check if your favorites are participating in either a chat or one of the all-day thread parties. You'll find the chat room behind this sexy red door. See you there!

From Katherine Garbera's new Vegas series, this is a February release. Love the rich and sumptuous colors and the pose put me in mind of the Desire promise: passionate, powerful, provocative. I was also thinking that the strong emphasis on the couple only (closer focus; little/no background) that we're seeing in these 2006 covers, is also a statement about the stories. Here is what you're getting when you buy this book: a strong, focused story about this couple and this couple alone. Whether or not I like the look of a model or a particular pose, that's what I like about the cover direction. To me, they shout: Desire (the books!)

And that's all I have time to post today. #2 son's graduation tonight and I have to attempt to turn myself glamorous, without the help of any fairy godmother. Wish me luck!

Emily McKay used to write for Temptation. I love her writing and her books and ever since I heard that she was moving over to Desire I have been eagerly awaiting her debut. It's out in February 06 and the title Surrogate and Wife conjures up a deliciously intriguing storyline. The cover is rather yum too, don't you think?

This next week (or three) I'm gonna be flat out like a lizard drinking, between #2 son's graduation and harvest and Christmas preparations and a book to finish. Luckily my attention has been drawn to some pretty darn gorgeous covers on upcoming Desires which I'm going to share with you all over the next week when I won't have time to post much else.

Today I bring you the one which drew my attention to the upcoming covers in the first place, because it is such a stunner. Secrets in the Marriage Bed is a March 06 Desire by Nalini Singh and I know the book will live up to the promise of the cover.

So, do we like???

Today is my first giveaway in the Access Romance Holiday Contest. If you'd like to win your choice of my 2005 books plus Tim Tams, check out the contest link. Good luck!

I believe I've mentioned before how much I love a new sale story and today I bring news of the world's latest Presents signing. Annie West is a fellow Australian and one of the loveliest ladies you could ever meet. More than that, Ann has kept pursuing her dream-career of writing for Harlequin through nine years and many submissions and loads of contest successes and many almost-there moments.

When the senior editor of HM&B Modern (marketed in America as Presents) requested revisions on her latest manuscript, she could barely hope to dream for fear of another almost-but-not-quite disappointment. But of course she nailed those revisions in spectacular fashion and yesterday learned the fabulous news. A first sale to her favorite category line--it doesn't get much better than that!

Annie's success is a testament to her talent, determination and hard work. Her
first book is tentatively titled Mistress For the Taking and I'm looking forward to reading it and many more Annie West titles in the future.

The results of the Sacramento Valley Rose RWA Chapter's Silver Rose Award for website excellence are in and I'm chuffed with my placing and look forward to receiving the judges' feedback so I can work on more improvements in 2006.

That STRESSED spelled backward is DESSERTS. The connection makes perfect sense, don't you think?


And in other news, completely unconnected to desserts, #1 son came home from town with a suit he bought for $10 at the op shop. I rolled my eyes and took no notice (I was writing at the time, I did not need to see his piece of shopping brilliance.) Being male, he left the suit lying around and when I picked it up later that day (or possibly a day later--as I said, I was busy writing) I noticed the lovely superfine fabric. I checked the label. It's French designer. It's barely been worn. And I can't help wondering about the story behind the expensive barely-worn suit and how it ended up in a small-town opportunity shop.

Last night the results of an Australia-wife poll to discover Australia's Favourite Film were announced. The winner(s): The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Huh? I know my maths isn't brilliant, but is that not THREE films? So how come the Star Wars' movies aren't grouped together? How come Kill Bill Vol 1 is listed as Vol 1 and not Vol's 1 & 2 combined?

Rhetorical questions, by the way, which may well have been answered on the show announcing the results which I did not watch. But let's not allow facts to come between me and a jolly good conspiracy theory. *g* Said conspiracy theory becomes very apparent when one notes that #2 on the list is the wonderfully romantic, brilliantly quirky French film Amelie. A romantic film. Loved by women. How could any self-respecting poll allow a chick flick to take #1? (That's my theory and I'm sticking to it while chuffed to see The Princess Bride and Gone With The Wind also in the Top 10.)

Amelie is one of my favourite all-time films, as it happens, so I'm delighted by its stellar showing. I'm also thrilled to see some of my other favourites polled in the top 100: The Shawshank Redemption (#4), The Sound of Music (#11), The Usual Suspects (#48), Dirty Dancing (#70), Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels (#94). But no Pretty Woman. Sigh.

So, what's your favourite movie? And which of the top 10 in this list do you wish you'd never had to sit through? (Mine is #1, yawn.)

I love receiving mail from readers and this last month or so I've received loads of lovely mail. (Thank you, everyone who has written about my Princes of the Outback series. It is most gratifying to know so many people are loving the books. But I digress...) One of my mails last week was from a reader in Oregon. It arrived the same day--within an hour of--a visit from one of my nephews. He was full of news about his upcoming visit to Oregon, in a university student exchange program. As this was fresh in my mind, I happened to mention it in my reply to aforementioned reader mail and would you believe the reader works at that very same university? I love when coincidental things like this happen. It reminds me that we are a small world after all*.

*I will not be held responsible or negligent in any way, form or part, if this post implants that most annoying song in any reader's mind.

Speaking of Access Romance (see previous post) I have a new interview posted this month. According to the blurb: Australian Desire author Bronwyn Jameson answers questions about her books, her writing challenges, and of course, Tim Tams. I guess that pretty much covers all the important stuff. *g* If you have a spare couple of minutes you can read it here.

Oh, and in my answer to the first question: obviously I meant to say gazillionAIRE!

Access Romance's Holiday Contest is now underway. Every day in December brings a new chance to win a fabulous prize from one of the AR authors. Look for my prizes (books, Tim Tams, the usual *g*) on December 9, 17 and 28. I will try to remember to post reminders but this isn't called the silly season for nothing--most days I don't even know what day it is!

Road to Romance has posted a review of The Ruthless Groom. To quote:

The final Prince [sic] of the Outback story ends this series just perfectly. The Ruthless Groom is Alex's story, and one I was anxious to read. The chemistry is flammable between Alex and Zara. Each story in this trilogy has been steamy and fascinating and I found The Ruthless Groom to be the hottest of the three and a heck of a way to round out the series.

So, I was wondering...do you agree that the Ruthless Groom is the hottest? And do you have a favorite of the three brothers, or of the three books?

This picture arrived in my inbox yesterday. My husband thinks it was probably taken somewhere in the outback of Western Australia and that it's been retouched. I don't care if it has or not. I just think it's very cool and a great opportunity to continue educating you, my American readers, in Aussie lingo. Today's lesson: *Aussie As* which was the caption attributed to this pic. when it landed in my inbox. This is a catch-all phrase for anything iconically Australian. Shorthand for, "it's as Aussie as...Paul Hogan or a dusty Holden ute or Aussie Rules football or a meat pie with sauce or whatever." But we just say "it's Aussie as" and leave it at that.

So, here's the picture:



It's Aussie as, don't you agree?