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Where Jane talks about everything on her mind…and yes, as usual, there is quite a lot on her mind.

Reading is Heaven

February 3, 2012 – 3:14 pm

It’s Friday and a gorgeous day up here in Seattle…sunny and bright and clear.  The sun makes me feel light and happy.  And reading makes me happy and I’m hoping to wrap up work early today so I can squeeze in an hour of reading Georgette Heyer’s The Unknown Ajax before resuming mom duties.

Leaving my desk to read definitely makes me feel a little guilty, but with Ty Gurney back in Hawaii, I don’t have much time to myself and almost no time to read, and reading grounds me.  Calms me.   I can’t think of anything I like doing more than curling up with a book and disappearing into a story.  I’ve been working my way through all of Georgette Heyer’s books and am on my next to last of her romantic fiction novels…and that isn’t a good thing as it means I’ve read all of them but one.  I don’t normally reread but I’ll have to as I’m so happy when I’m lost in Heyer’s Regency world!!

Someone else I absolutely loved reading was Eva Ibbotson…her Countess Below Stairs was fantastic.  Her Madensky Square and A Company of Swans were wonderful as well.  Many people know her as a writer of YA fiction but I love her voice and recommend her highly.  Ibbotson died in 2010 and I wish I’d written her a fan letter while I could have.

I’ve written other author fan letters…Loretta Chase, Mary Balogh, Christine Feehan, JR Ward, Kresley Cole, and Marian Keyes.  When I love a book I’m compelled to write the author and thank her.  A great book isn’t just entertainment, its an escape, a holiday, a comfort.  When reading I forget about the things I worry about—the kids, the dangers, the bills, the deadlines.  Reading makes me feel safe and secure.  Whole.

If you had an afternoon free, what would you do?  How would you spend your time?  (And please don’t everyone say exercise…I’m feeling very guilty for not getting enough exercise..)  Share with me and a number of you will win!  I’ve got a handful of prizes that include a Barnes & Noble giftcard to give away! My blog contest runs through Sunday night and I’ll announce the winners Monday morning.

Have a fantastic weekend and I’ll check back in with you all soon!

By Jane | Posted in Book Talk, Promo & Contests | Comments (22)

Dreaming of Beaches & Book Stores

January 27, 2012 – 2:48 pm

We’ve made an offer on a house in San Clemente, California and hope to close before the end of February.  It’s a great house, a historic home, very close to the beach and the San Clemente pier, and so it looks like we’re definitely heading to California in June once boys finish school.

It’s exciting to think that come Fall, Ty and I will be in one house, under one roof, more and more.  Even better, its a house we bought together so no more his and hers, but ours.  Ty will continue to operate his Oahu based surf school, but plans on opening a Southern California branch sometime in 2012 or 213.  He needs to find the right spot and it’ll happen when it’s meant to happen.

I have some serious tight deadlines in the next 6 months and will be writing really hard while preparing for our Bellevue realtor to show my house here.  I love this house in Yarrow Point with its stonework and big fireplaces and gorgeous library, but I am hoping that the right person will fall in love with it, too, and enjoy this house as much as I enjoyed building it.  It’s a reader’s dream house with bookshelves and cozy nooks everywhere!

Speaking of readers, I have a dream of one day opening a bookstore in San Clemente.  There is no new book store there and I’d love to have one that’s full of fun fiction and kids books, with both picture books, chapter books, and great YA literature.  I’d love for it to have a little coffee corner for lattes and iced mochas, and tables and chairs for writers, and comfy chairs and corners for readers.  We could host author events, children’s story hour, writing workshops and book clubs.  I see it as a community place to bring people together.  This is important to me but with my deadlines and writing schedule, I don’t know when I will make it happen, but one day–hopefully sooner than later.

Now I must get back to writing and making my next deadline.  I’m working on Kit’s book, the second in the Brennan Sisters trilogy and I’m enjoying it so much.  Love this story and hope you will, too!

I’ve got 3 great prizes with a London theme in honor of my UK publisher, Harlequin Mills & Boon, as they treat me so well and make me feel needed and wanted and that’s a great feeling for a writer to have.  For a chance to win one of these three awesome prizes, tell me what you think of my idea for an independent bookstore,  which in my mind I’m calling”Beach Books & Board Shop”, and tell me what you would like the store to have, or what you think would help it succeed.   Does it need to be huge?  Does it need certain hours?  Does it need to include all fiction?  I want your thoughts, big and small as I have no experience in retail, and have heard that it’s impossible to make money with a brick and mortar bookstores, but I LOVE bookstores and think every city should have one!

Contest runs through Monday night and I will announce winners on Tuesday!

 

By Jane | Posted in Promo & Contests, Travel Girl, Writing Life | Comments (80)

Snow Play

January 20, 2012 – 1:05 pm

What a week!  We’ve had days and days of snow and the kids have absolutely loved being out of school.  I haven’t been playing though as my deadline is less than a month away and I’m deep into this new book.  I really love this one, its complicated and intense, but also really fun as every day I can’t wait to see what will happen next.

I’m lucky I have great help with little Mac as he’s made the most of his snow days, too.  While Jake and Ty have been hanging out with friends, Mac has gone sledding and tramping through snow and throwing snowballs with anyone that will play with him.

Late yesterday afternoon I’d just wrapped up my writing for the day and was starting to make dinner when Mac begged to go outside and go sledding one more time.  The weather was supposed to change over night so we all agreed to go out.  I dressed Mac in winter clothes while Ty Gurney changed, too.  Son Ty had just gotten home and he headed outside with us, too.  Soon we were running up and down the driveway, and then hauling the sled over an icy 92nd Ave. It was almost five and the streets were deserted and the twilight was just gorgeous.  Everything looked so magical–the sky, the snow, and the lake–they glowed lavender, white and pewter.

It was so good to be outside away from my desk.  I hadn’t gone outside to walk in the snow at all this week, too determined to get solid work done, but last night’s hour of play during the beautiful dusk made all my hard work worthwhile.

Now I head to Ohio for an all day writing workshop and fingers crossed my plane can make it out.  The airport is full of people stranded from cancelled flights.  What have you been doing this week?  Fill me in, and tell me what you’re reading.  It’s time I bought some books for my new Kindle!  I also have a prize for one of you that comments.   Contest runs through Sunday night and winner will be announced on Monday.  Good luck and I’ll check in soon!

By Jane | Posted in Book Talk, Mom World, Travel Girl, Writing Life | Comments (78)

Back to Work

January 11, 2012 – 10:02 pm

I am working–writing–and it feels good.  Really good.  I’m one hundred pages into my story and there are areas I need to tighten and edit, and other areas I need to build up and flesh out, but its exciting to start understanding the story and feeling the characters come alive.  I am going to be writing a lot, which means long days at my desk, but it actually sounds fun right now.  After the rush-rush of Christmas, I welcome quiet and a chance to really concentrate on what’s at hand.

I kicked off January with a three day writing retreat in Palm Springs with pals Megan Crane, Liza Palmer and Elizabeth Boyle.  The photo below is me at my ‘desk’ outside on the patio, a table I claimed early on as I love working outside in the fresh air.  Over the weekend I did some plotting, wrote nearly 40 pages, and came home inspired to keep up my momentum and keep writing fresh scenes.  One of the cool things we did in Palm Springs was writing sprints.  I’d never done a writing sprint before but it was good for me.  The goal was to write 1,000 words in an hour, and we would do these 2,3, 4 times a day and while I never actually hit 1,000 words, by the time we came home, I was able to write 900 words in an hour.  Liza, Megan and Elizabeth were producing so much faster (1,500 words an hour from Liza!  1,200 from Elizabeth and Megan!) but I learned a lot about how I work and what I need to feel good about me working and momentum is part of that.

The retreat also helped me focus on me and some things I’ve been ignoring for awhile, like my health and my mood and my overall satisfaction with life.   I don’t like talking about it but I have a couple auto-immune things going on and I sometimes just feel crummy and pain’s no fun.  So I’m going to be more honest and realistic about what is, and what isn’t, and what I can do about it, and if I eat better, and get more sleep and more exercise I know I will feel better.  So I have to do it.  But with joy.   My goal for 2012 is to seize life– to throw myself into the middle of it, and savor it–all of.  Messy juicy exciting life.

What about you?  Anything you want or need?  Any resolutions you made, big or small?  Tell me!  I’ve got 4 New Years Resolution prizes here waiting to be won.  Share with me in the comment section and you have a chance to win one of them.  Contest runs through Saturday night and I’ll announce the 4 winners on Sunday.  Good luck and here’s to a brilliant new year and lots more messy juicy exciting life!

By Jane | Posted in Promo & Contests, Travel Girl, Writing Life | Comments (123)

This is the Real Thing

January 5, 2012 – 12:23 am

I don’t relax easily.  Find it difficult to sit still unless I’m reading something, and even then I’m wiggling a foot up and down, a constant jiggle perfected by my fellow Porters…my dad, my brothers, even my sister to a certain extent.  I’ve a quick temper, too, far too impatient, and easily irritated when I have to repeat myself to the kids…or probably anyone.

But something happens in Hawai.  I unplug.  I write less blogs, visit Facebook more infrequently, and I read lots lots more.

Better yet, if I’m not on deadline, I have less childcare, or none whatsoever.  Which means I get to nap with Mac.  Every day.  It’s my favorite part of the day.  He can sleep for hours…I’m maybe out for 30 minutes, but then I wake up and read next to him until he wakes up.

I love sleeping next to him.  I love reading while he keeps sleeping.  Its the calmest, sweetest part of my day.  And I don’t do this at home, in Bellevue.  I only do it in Hawaii with the doors and windows open and the sound of the ocean outside and the wind in the palm fronds.

Ty Gurney took the picture above on New Year’s Eve day.  He came home early from work and snapped this of Mac and me napping.  The click of the camera woke me and I hated the pic, and then I loved its sweetness.  Not me, but the moment.  This moment of just living, breathing, resting near someone I love…that’s the real thing.  That’s the best part of life.

I’m home now and digging deep into my second book in the Brennan Sisters Trilogy.  It’s due February 15th so the next 6 weeks will be very intensive writing, but it’s exciting, too.  I’m so eager to find out about Kit and what happens when you don’t trust yourself and rely too much on others opinion instead of your gut. But I’d also like to hear from you.  I know it’s been a long time since I posted a new blog.  Apologies.  I’ve been reading and resting and napping with my littlest guy and loving lazy days of just being a wife, a mom, a friend.

Tell me something that’s sweet…something that is real…something that’s one of your favorite things and you’ll be entered to win a contest prize.  I have 10 prizes to give away–two NewYears prizes and 8 (eight!!) bonus mystery prizes that have gone uncollected.   Contest runs through Sunday night, and I’ll announce the ten prize winners on Monday.  Talk to me and I hope you win!

By Jane | Posted in Hawaii, Love & Loss, Mom World, Promo & Contests, Writing Life | Comments (139)

A Very Beachy Tree

December 23, 2011 – 10:45 pm

Christmas in Hawaii is so different from Christmas in Bellevue–different decorations and traditions–but still festive and fun.  Mac loved helping put the ornaments on the tree, each blue ball was his “favorite”, and he is having a very hard time resisting the few packages slipped beneath the tree.  Our tree here is a themed tree, with all the ornaments representing Hawaii or the sea.  I’ve collected the ornaments over the past seven years and hope you’ll like this sneak peek into our Hawaii home at Christmas!

Sending love to you and wishes for a very merry Christmas!

Yours,

Jane

By Jane | Posted in Hawaii | Comments (39)