Allie Pleiter on Tough Heroes with Soft Centers

One of my favorite types of romance heroes is the tough guy who struggles with “a soft center.”  I love a man of strength and honor who can never quite figure out how to shoulder the depth of his caring.  And I love the woman who brings that affection out from under his crusty exterior.

My hero for The Rancher’s Texas Twins has just that dynamic.  Lone Star Cowboy League President Gabe Everett is a serious man of duty.  The two mischievous little girls who end up staying on his ranch, however, don’t see “Mr. Boots” that way.  Their non-stop onslaught of “tiny pinkness”  opens this cowboy’s heart in a way that is sure to melt yours. Children have such a gift for tearing down the walls we build around ourselves, don’t you think?

It was great fun to wrap up the popular Lone Star Cowboy League: Boys Ranch series with this book. Gabe, and the lovely young mother Avery who holds the key to saving the boys ranch, are a perfect match—even if it takes a pair of adorable twins to convince them.

What about you?  What heroes are your favorites?  If you’ve enjoyed the Lone Star Cowboy League: Boys Ranch series, which books have the heroes who have won your heart?

Allie Pleiter's super-easy Christmas treat

I'm not much of a baker.  While I love desserts, I'm more about eating them than making them.  So, I'm always on the lookout for snacks and desserts that are easy and fun.  Here's one that has been a staple in the Pleiter household since the kids were tiny:

Reindeer Eyeballs
About the silly name--back when it was highly amusing to little minds, we used to make them with pretzel rings so that with a single M&M in the middle they did look like eyes.  Now that we're older and more dignified (supposedly) we make them with square pretzels and four M&Ms.  But the name simply refuses to go away....

Ingredients:
1 package Christmas M&Ms
1 package vanilla almond bark
1 package pretzel "snaps"--or any shape that amuses you


1.  Lay out pretzels on wax paper.
2.  Working in small batches, melt one or two blocks at a time of the almond bark in the microwave until it is a pudding-like consistency.
3.  Using a spoon, dab a glob of almond bark onto (or in the spaces of) each pretzel.
4.  Arrange M&Ms on the almond bark and let cool.

This is a salty-sweet snack that is a holiday must-have around our house.  I hope you enjoy it!

--Allie

Allie Pleiter's favorite Fall tradition

November 1 is coming in few days, which means it's time for my favorite Fall tradition: Snickers Bar Salad!

This started one year when I was speaking to a women's conference on November 1.  One of the attendees who knew my sweet tooth brought this to me as a treat. I loved it. Now, for something like 10 years straight, it gets posted to my email list and Allie fans everywhere celebrate November 1 as "Snickers Bar Salad Day." With so much fun-sized candy around from trick or treating, it's a cinch to make. And yes, I have it for breakfast!

Snickers Bar Salad

6 (or more—go ahead, you’ve earned it…) fun-sized Snickers bars, chopped into small bits (my friend says more are permissible if it's been a bad week!)
3 Granny Smith Apples, diced
one 5-oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
8 oz cool whip
1 c. milk

In a bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix in apples and Snickers Bars. Cool and enjoy.

Allie Pleiter on Spring in Chicago

Spring is SERIOUS BUSINESS in Chicago!

We suffer—and I do mean suffer—through this region’s cold nasty winters only to dig our heels in for March and April’s wildly fickle weeks.  There was a time earlier this month where we got snow, rain, sleet, and sunshine in repeated cycles all in one day!  It was a different season every time you looked out the window.  Thirty degree temperature drops.  Snow on blooming daffodils.  You don’t know which clothes to keep in your closet, or whether to take the ice-scraper out of your car.  It can make a gal crazy.

Then, finally, Spring puts her foot down and declares her arrival.  It was 80 yesterday, and I did doing the very favorite thing about my work—writing on the deck.  Those are the day where I love the nature of my job, where writing feels like the best profession on the planet.  Sure, it’s 50 again today, but I know Chicago’s on the upswing of Spring.

I’m currently writing the fourth book in the Blue Thorn Ranch series—one you’ll see next year. But this month has also been filled with lovely letter and emails from many of you who have taken the time to let me know how much you’re enjoying the Blue Thorn Ranch series.  Books one and two are out and ready for you to read, and book three will show up in August.

Spring is my favorite time of year.  It’s optimism season.  Dog walks are happy affairs instead of bundled-up endurance tests.  Grass is emerald green and soft, flowers poke their perky noses up everywhere in celebration that Chicago’s winter is long gone.

What’s your favorite thing about Spring?

Writers and Readers Oh My!

Last Tuesday, after work, I drove to Las Vegas.
Nope, not a vacation location for me.
But, Romantic Times Magazine brought together readers and writers
for a six day conference.
Woo woo.

A bunch of us jumped in my mini-van
Drove through a strange town
to an awesome Italian restaurant
Back row: Vinnie the waiter, Jessica Nelson, Lisa Mondello, Pamela Tracy
Front row:  Danica Favorite, Lenora Worth, Allie Pleiter

We met with Farah who works for Harlequin.  

Harlequin did a book signing
Lenora and I were very happy.

I managed to get a few touristy things done
Like go to the Mob Museum

There was a giant book signing that featured Lenora

The final night, Danica and I plus Judy Devries get together for a party

So, now you know how Pamela Tracy spent the last week.  I'm home now.  The hubby is happy - he no longer has to help with homework. The son is happy - someone will go grocery shopping and buy the right food.  The dog is happy - she's always happy.  The cat isn't happy - he still doesn't understand why we're keeping the dog.

My next book
Available April 24th
Yeah!

Allie Pleiter welcomes you to Blue Thorn Ranch

There’s nothing like the launch of a new series!

Now that I have a son going to school in Texas (hook ‘em, Longhorns!), it was time to set some books there.  Texas, cowboys, cattle ranches, right? 

Well, not completely.  Texas and cowboys, but you know me—I have to do things just a bit differently.  I went for a bison ranch.  And no, it wasn’t just because you can make spectacular yarn from bison hair—although that was a large part of it.  One has to do one’s extensive research yes?

When the friendly folks at Lucky B Bison Ranch welcomed me with open arms, I knew I had a great setting from which to launch the fictitious Blue Thorn Ranch that would host my next five books.  Here’s another glimpse at one of my favorite videos:  me getting up close and personal with the bison.

Starting with February’s The Texas Rancher’s Return, you’ll get to meet matriarch Adele Buckton and her five strong willed grandchildren as each of them returns to the family ranch.  First up is Gunner, Jr, who is determined to live down his black sheep reputation and save the family land by creating a thriving bison ranch.  Beautiful single mom Brooke Calder needs the cooperation of the Buckton family to save her job, but she’ll lose her heart to Gunner before the adventure is over.  Throw in Brooke’s adorable daughter, one bull-headed mama bison, and a thorny misunderstanding, and you have what’s become one of my favorite books I’ve ever written.

I hope you’ll enjoy all the books in the Blue Thorn Ranch series as they arrive.

Allie Pleiter on Snickers Bar Salad Day!

Guess what I had for breakfast recently?

Long-time Allie fans know November 1 calls for only one thing for breakfast: Snickers Bar Salad.  For over ten years I've been giving fans the perfect way to use up all those Halloween fun-sized Snickers Bars in the world's most indulgent breakfast.  Or lunch.  Or mid day snack. Or hey, all three--I won't judge.  

Why shouldn't you get in on the fun?  Here's the super-easy recipe:

Snickers Bar Salad

6 (or more--go ahead, you've earned it...) fun-sized Snickers bars, chopped into small bits
3 Granny Smith Apples, diced
one 5-oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
8 oz cool whip
1 c. milk

In a bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix in
apples and Snicker Bars. Cool and enjoy.

If you like, you can munch on this while you enjoy my upcoming release, A RANGER FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Allie Pleiter on Fall

Is it really fall?

I know Monday was the “official” end of summer, but here in Chicago it is HOT and STICKY.  Of course, being Chicago, all you have to do is wait a day or so and the weather changes.  Our forecasters (not a job I’d ever undertake in a changeable city like Chicago!) tell us we’ll fall into the sixties by the end of the week, but I’m not sure I believe them.

My favorite sign of fall is the nice, cool day I can get out my fluffy knitted scarves and shawls and not feel out of place.  What’s your favorite sign of fall?

Speaking of coming seasons, you can pre-order my Christmas book now.  It’s the third book in the Lone Star Cowboy League series which launches next week.  Start the series off with Brenda Minton’s A Reunion for the Rancher, continue with Leigh Bale’s A Doctor for the Nanny, and then welcome Christmas with my A Ranger for the Holidays.  Three more books in the series come in the new year!

Allie Pleiter on pop-up pumpkins!

It's almost here...pumpkin everything season.  Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin scented lotion, air freshener, candles, even hand sanitizer.  If it exists, evidently someone can make it pumpkin-flavored or pumpkin-scented.

This is a good thing.  I love pumpkin.  Even the hand santizer.

This year, however, the pumpkins got very personal.  In fact, they invaded.  Without warning, permission, or even our knowledge!

This thing started growing in our dormant garden--as in the garden we meant to plant but never did.  It had pretty speckled leaves...

Then it had lovely yellow blossoms...

It spread faster than gossip...

Before we knew it, we had little green globes.  Watermelon?  Squash?  No one knew, until the little green globes got a whole lot bigger and started to look like...pumpkins.

Pumpkins!  We grew pumpkins--without even trying!

You have to know what a horrendous gardener I am to appreciate the seredipity of this.  Pleiters, growing pumpkins?  A Pop-up Pleiter Pumpkin Patch?   It's just too splendid.  I smile every time I walk past it.

Now, if we could just keep any critters from snacking on our new treasures.  Anyone got any tips for Pleiter Pop-up Pumpkin Protection?

Allie Pleiter on getting one’s ducks in a row…

I visited Memphis last week, and had the chance to see the legendary Peabody Hotel ducks in action.  It’s simply too cute not to share.

According to the “Duckmaster”—an outgoing guy with a ringmaster-like personality and the red coat to match—the ducks who reside in every Peabody Hotel lobby fountain started out as a practical joke.  Many years back, the general manager of the hotel and his buddies got a crazy idea about what to do with the live decoy ducks they had left over from a hunting trip.  What started out as a late-night prank turned into one of the cleverest publicity stunts in hospitality history.

The ducks, who have upscale penthouse lodgings on the top floor, march to great fanfare out of the elevator, across a red carpet, and into the lobby fountain.  All in front of an adoring audience who has waited up to an hour to view the spectacle.  I and my friends gladly paid premium prices for coffee and pie to nab a front-row table.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat.  Look closely at my video and you’ll see the theatrical little group doing their thing—and the size of the crowd gathered to watch.

While I was waiting, did I plot a romance novel about the Duckmaster and perhaps the pretty veterinarian who keeps the ducks healthy? Maybe.  Keep your eyes open…and your ducks in a row.

Allie Pleiter on...wait, I forgot...

It’s all material….

image courtesy of WikiHow

It had to happen.  

After all, romance author is probably the only career—except maybe soap opera star—where experiencing an episode of amnesia is a professional resource.  I was bound to do an amnesia story one of these days.  And this year, A RANGER FOR THE HOLIDAYS (November 2015) is just that.

In June of 2010, I woke one morning with no ability to retain short-term information. I remember only glimpses of this, but my son CJ tells me I recognized him and all our family, but not that my daughter was at camp or the things we had bought the day before.  Now, CJ is no stranger to medical crises, so he wisely asked me things like what day it was, etc.  I could not answer any of them.  Smart kid, he sat me down on the couch with my dog, said “here, pet Bella while I call Dad.”  CJ and Dad decided it was time to call an ambulance.  CJ was in cancer treatments at the time, so the immediate theory was that I had suffered a stroke from the stress of his illness.

I remember none of this.  I don’t remember the ambulance ride nor most of my days in the hospital.  Evidently, I asked the same 12 questions over and over (think “50 First Dates” only nowhere near as charming) and gave identical responses to the answers.  Can’t you just see the headline now?  “Teenage cancer patient calls 911 on amnesiac romance author mom”

It’s almost amusing now that everyone is okay.  CJ is healthy and in very successful remission, our house is not in any medical chaos whatsoever, and my doctors tell me that I experienced not a stroke but Transient Global Amnesia—a once-in-a-lifetime vascular phenomena known to happen to migraine patients and people who take cholesterol drugs (I am both).  And, it makes a fascinating story.

I don’t recall many facts, but the emotions are still vivid for me.  Feeling like a freak, feeling as though your missing memory is stalking you, the desperate need to feel safe, all these things were useful to me as I crafted Texas Ranger Finn Brannigan.  And now I really can say, “It’s all material…”  

If the story is vivid and compelling to you, now you know why.

Crazy Days!

Allie Pleiter here.  This past week was a crazy/happy/busy one for me!

Last Friday I had the honor to accept the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Love Inspired Novel at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Dallas TX.  My book A Heart to Heal earned the distinction.  

I love a celebration, so I made the most of it, getting all dressed up and having a splendid evening with my friend and fellow nominee Lenora Worth.  Often our lives as writers are quiet and solitary, so the chance to get out and celebrate with friends is a welcome event for this raging extrovert!  It’s always nice to have our work recognized, isn’t it?  Congrats also go to other LI author recipients Janet Lee Barton and Jodie Bailey.

From one extreme to the other—I spent the next night visiting my new friends (four-legged and otherwise) at the Lucky B Bison Ranch in Bryan, TX.  The owners and I have become friends since I started researching my upcoming Blue Thorn Ranch series which will debut next year.  From evening gown galas to bison ranch pastures—I have the best job ever, don’t I?

Then I shifted again, this time to Austin TX to help my son move out of his University of Texas freshman year dorm and come home for the summer.  A large, tedious job made better by outstanding meals upon our return to Dallas for the flight home: barbecue, fried chicken, and pie.  You know how I love pie.  Pie makes everything better (and yes, yes it did).

Now life has calmed down.  I’m back in Illinois working away on the Lone Star Cowboy League continuity series that comes out this fall and a second Blue Thorn Ranch book for next year.  My diet had better calm down, too, although turkey breast and rye crackers can’t compare to all the Texan goodies I enjoyed!

Allie Pleiter on a rich new era that has us fascinated

Have you noticed the 1910’s and 1920’s are catching our imaginations lately?  Shows like Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge explore how the world changed in the wake of the Great War, and now many novels are exploring the era.

And why not?  It’s rich with human growth and conflict, with musical and social innovations that changed the world forever.  The war moved women into jobs and and roles they never had before, and things could not go back to the way they were.  Battle’s ravages were wreaking havoc on men physically, emotionally, and economically.  If you want drama, the post WWI years had loads of it.

I’ve always been fascinated with the aftermath of great events.  I set my Great California Earthquake book MISSION OF HOPE not during the tragedy, but in the struggle to reconstruct after the devastation.  If we, as authors of inspirational romance, seek to show faith and hope, I can think of no greater time such gifts are needed.

I chose the aftermath of WWI for my newest historical, THE DOCTOR’S UNDOING, because I wanted to follow spunky Ida Lee Landway into her life after the war. Ida needed her own happy ending—and she wasn’t leaving me alone until I gave it to her.  When I learned about the huge demands placed on orphanages after the war, I knew I had the perfect setting for Ida to use her gifts for color and courage.

What about you?  What have you learned in the aftermath of tumult in your life?

Allie Pleiter gets CHUNKY!

“How can you write four books a year???”

I get asked that a lot—as do many Love Inspired authors.  It’s one of the joys—and the challenges—of working in category fiction.  I’m happy our readers have such an appetite for our stories, look forward to the next books in our series, and become fans of individual authors.  I like to think I write characters my readers want to be friends with, to invite out for lunch, to have as next door neighbors.  It’s part of the wonder of books, isn’t it?  Discovering worlds you want to linger in long after you close the cover?

My smart-aleck answer to the “How can you?” question is usually “One word at a time.”  The truth is closer to “with effort and discipline.”  For me, that means 1,000 words every morning, 1,000 words every afternoon, five days a week, most weeks a year.  It’s the best job in the world, but parts of it are still like every job everywhere.  You need to sit down and make it happen.  (Or, in my case, get on the treadmill desk and make it happen…)

Today I launched a personal publishing project that lets fellow authors and aspiring writers everywhere in on my Chunky Method of Time Management for Writers.  Those 1,000 words I talk about in the previous paragraph are my “chunk.”  I use my “chunk” to plan, schedule, and even improve my writing productivity.  Now I can let you in on why I take being called “The Chunky Lady” as a compliment :)

This an exciting venture for me, putting into print form a class I’ve been passionate about teaching for years.  I’ve been writing fiction and non-fiction since the early days of my career, but have focused on the Love Inspired line for the past several years.  It feels good to get out into “teaching” mode again.

Don’t worry, there are plenty of Love Inspired novels still to come from me.  In just a few weeks, the story of Ida Lee Landway begun in HOMEFRONT HERO gets its own happy ending in THE DOCTOR’S UNDOING.  And I’ll be tackling the third book in the LONE STAR COWBOY LEAGUE continuity series later this year.  And who knows—you may be seeing even more independent fiction from me!

Easter Season blessings to all of you from the Pleiter house.

Allie Pleiter on Giving Things Up for Lent

Many people give up things in Lent.  It's a time of pairing down, of simplifying, of making room so that the wonders and victory of Easter have space to show up in our lives.

There was a time when I gave up the usual luxuries--sweets, spending, etc--but in the past years I've focused my lenten “giving up" on something a little less tangible.  For the past four years, it's been the same thing:  I've tried to give up complaining, judging, and negativity in my life in preparation for the Easter season.

I don't do it over and over because it's powerful or effective.  I repeat it because it hasn't yet worked. 

Every year I try it, and every year I fail.  I've used prayer, visualization, post-it notes, and hourly reminders on my cell phone. One year I even wrote a minus sign--the universal symbol for “negative”—with one of those “NO” circles with the diagonal slash through it on the back of my palm every day.  I figured not only would I see it all the time, but when people asked me what the odd symbol on my hand was, I'd have to explain it to them and it would be an additional reminder.

Nope.  Didn't work.  I can still gripe with the best of them, no matter my good intentions.

It's our human nature--we're quick to proclaim what's wrong and slow with valuable praise.

You would think 2010--the year where we spent Lent shepherding our son through a cancer diagnosis and the related chemotherapy--would help me remember to value what's good in life.  In that year everything pared down to the bare essentials and the fostering of hope wasn't just a personal development ideal, it was a survival skill.  We spent Easter weekend that year in such a drastic battle for his survival that it was two years before I could manage to celebrate Easter at all.  I still can't quite drag myself to a Good Friday service.

There I go again, focusing on the negative.  It makes no sense.  Easter is about life, rebirth, salvation.  We’ve got a wonderfully healthy, fully recovered boy and a happy family this year, and I should reinvigorate my positivity goals. 

I figure I'll have to keep at this until I get it right—I may be drawing on my hand for a few more years.

How about you?  Have you given up anything for the Lenten Season?  Is it the same thing as years past or something new?

Allie Pleiter on One Words

Every year, I ask God to send me one word to serve as my focus for the year.  Lots of people I know do this—especially writer-types who know the power of words. There's even a book on the subject.  

Some years I know right off why I got the word God gave me.  Other years, I have to muck around for a while until it surfaces.  Last year, my word took a fair amount of mucking and was unusual; I received both spellings of COMPLIMENT/COMPLEMENT as my word for the year.  I spent the year exploring the partnerships in my life and how they complement each other, and I tried to offer praise—compliments—wherever I could and squelch my judgmental tendencies.

This year my word jumped right out at me:  UNIQUE.  I can’t really explain the process other than I ask God to send it and keep my eyes open.  I always know when I’ve found it, but I don’t always know how I got there.

Once I do find it, I start exploring.  That means everything from Pinterest searches to dictionary and thesaurus look-ups, bible verse searches, movies and songs, even t-shirts.  When my radar goes “live” for that word, it seems to be everywhere.

By the end of the year, I always know why God gave it to me.  I can trace the path of my lessons back through the months and see how the concept colored my life and my growth. If you haven’t tried this, I encourage you to give it a whirl.   

If this is something you’ve done, what is your word for 2015?  

I hope you find my latest Love Inspired release unique and entertaining as well.  SMALL-TOWN FIREMAN is the last book in the Gordon Falls series.

Allie Pleiter's Favorite Recipe

November 1 is a different kind of holiday at my house.  For almost fifteen years, November 1 has been "Snickers Bar Salad Day."  Quite frankly, it's the breakfast of choice for me on that particular day.  I thought I'd share it with you:

Snickers Bar Salad
6 bite-sized Snickers bars, chopped into small bits (more are permissible if it's been a bad week or PMS is involved!!)
3 Granny Smith Apples, diced
one 5-oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
8 oz cool whip
1 c. milk
In a bowl, mix pudding mix and milk. Fold in Cool Whip. Mix in apples and Snickers Bars. Cool and enjoy.

Lots of people have "extra" fun-sized Snickers bars hanging around this time of year, so this is the perfect way to use them up.

My hero and heroine Jesse and Charlotte have some wonderfully romantic food scenes in my current book SAVED BY THE FIREMAN.  Don't you want to know why Charlotte changes her mind to view Brussels Srouts as "the chocolate cake of vegetables"?  Chapter 10 will give you all the juicy details (pun intended!).

What about you?  What's your favorite indulgent breakfast?

Allie Pleiter on those uppity secondary characters

One of the most amusing moments for a writer is when a secondary character refuses to stay “secondary.”  When, even after you have typed “The End,” a particular character starts shouting in your head, demanding their own happy ending now that they’ve been party to someone else’s.

My Gordon Falls series has been filled with these uppity characters who just don’t know their place.  Max Jones, who we met in THE FIREFIGHTER’S MATCH was one, stubbornly insisting he get his story told in A HEART TO HEAL.  I relented, and the results were not only personally gratifying, but an RT Top Pick! to boot.  So maybe Max was right.

Now, in SAVED BY THE FIREMAN, I get to give two familiar Gordon Falls characters the chance to fall in love with each other.  We know Charlotte Taylor as Melba’s best friend from THE FIREMAN’S HOMECOMING, and outrageous Jesse Sykes has been around for several Gordon Falls books.  When I got the idea to let these two fall for each other, the sparks were flying from the first page—some days it felt like I was just along for the ride taking notes. As an author, that’s about as much fun as you can have at the keyboard.

I like to think the fun I had writing this book shows up for you, the reader.  The fact that SAVED BY THE FIREMAN earned another RT Top Pick! rating tells me maybe you will.  After all, my favorite moments as a reader are when I figure out two characters are perfect for each other long before they realize it themselves.  I feel like all of Gordon Falls has been waiting for Jesse and Charlotte to get together—and hope you do, too!

What secondary characters have you longed to get a story of their own?

Allie Pleiter on high school memories

High School.  So many of us have strong memories of that time in our lives.  It’s such a dramatic, formative era in any life, isn’t it?  I think that’s why so many people work with youth groups and youth organizations—there’s such a powerful potential for a life-long impact.

Max Jones, the hero in A HEART TO HEAL, doesn’t think he’s that type at all.  Still, the problems facing young Simon Williams are so close to Max’s heart that he can’t resist.  I suppose pretty guidance counselor Heather Browning has a bit to do with his saying “yes,” to helping, too.  Max learns what many of us know:  when you offer to help someone, the benefits always run both ways—you often get as much as you give, if not more.

What I remember most about high school was theater.  I was one of those high school “theater geeks,” finding my place and my friends among the drama club.  I’ve kept in touch with many of those people, especially through social media.  I went to college as a theater major, eventually moving from performing to directing to producing, spending my first post-collegiate professional years in the “front of the house” in cultural arts administration.

I remember those times fondly.  If I hear a song from any of my high school musicals, I’ll always sing along (but not THE High School Musical, mind you…I’m a bit older than that…).  What about you?  What group or club was your "home" in high school? 

Allie Pleiter on "pretty, shiny..."

I went to Denver last month, and all I took home was...

...this very pretty trophy!

Now, we are not an athletic family by any stretch of the imagination, but thanks to my husband's sports car enthusiast hobby, we have our fair share of trophies.  As a matter of fact, he won one just the weekend before my acquisition--and his even lights up!  This, however, is my first, it means a lot.

And that's not a bad thing.  I've been nominated for awards several times.  It always feel nice--especially when the nods come from fellow writers or, in this case, from readers.  We want to be appreciated.  We want to have our hard work recognized, no matter what our field of endeavor.

The trouble comes when such snazzy hardware becomes the goal, rather than the happy extra.  If I seek to write for acclaim, that's not nearly enough juice to keep me going through the day-in, day-out slog of sitting down at my computer and making words happen for fourteen years.  Instead, I've found that the real go-power for me comes from love of the process.  Being a writer is about 2% cool public acclaim, and about 93% sitting alone and making it happen.  The other 5% (maybe more) is pure Hand of God.

Am I happy to have this little trinket? You betcha.  It feels great.  I was pleased. I've waited a long time to add the words "award-winning" to my biography.  Does it significantly change my life?  No.  And it's best I keep it that way.

Hardware is fun, but a new book is even better.  Fans of the Gordon Falls series--book #2 The Fireman's Homecoming is the volume which earned me my spiffy trophy--will be happy to know that book #4 was just rated an RT Top Pick for August.  I hope you'll enjoy A Heart to Heal or any of the entire Gordon Falls series.