CHARMED LIFE by Teresa Medeiros

Teresa's Quick 'N' Easy Hoppin' John

2012-01-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Ring in the New Year with this delicious (and simple to fix) traditional dish!

1 lb breakfast sausage (you can use mild or hot or low fat if you simply must)

1 medium onion

4-16 oz cans of black-eyed peas (we use two regular and two with bacon & jalapeno to give it a little kick)

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes or to taste (we omit this if we use the jalapeno beans)

1 bag of boil-n-bag rice

1) Cook the sausage in the bottom of a large pot, break apart with fork

2) As it cooks, peel and chop onion and fix 1 bag boil-n-bag rice per directions on box (which takes 10 minutes)

3) Drain sausage if needed, retaining 2-3 TBS of fat, and return to pot

4) Add onion to sausage and cook until onions are soft-5 minutes or so

5) Add black-eyed peas and red pepper flakes and warm well

6) Add 1 bag of cooked boil-n-bag rice

7) Warm well so flavors will combine - 20 minutes or so

We serve this with Jiffy corn bread mix and it also makes an excellent leftover

Aunt Doris's Hash Brown Casserole Recipe

2011-11-26T06:57:00.001-08:00

Here's a yummy recipe for Hash Brown Casserole my Aunt Doris gave me when we got married.

WARNING: It contains not one, but TWO sticks of butter, which is why we only make it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But it's worth every calorie! :)

INGREDIENTS
1 8 oz sour cream
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup
2 melted sticks of butter (melt each stick separately)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 lb bag frozen hash browns (O'Brien style) (Thaw before using)
Box of crushed Cornflakes

1) Put thawed hash browns in 9 X 13 pan
2) Mix rest of ingredients and pour over top, including only ONE stick of the butter
3) Top with crushed cornflakes
4) Pour the other melted stick of butter on top of the cornflakes
5) Bake at 350 degrees 45-60 minutes

(You can also include some chopped green pepper and 1/2 cup chopped onion if you're so inclined)

2011-11-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

I am of the opinion that one should never put store-bought Coconut-Pecan Frosting on a German Chocolate cake. This recipe is absolutely scrumptious and fairly simple to make from scratch. Every year I make Hubby a birthday cake with this and he adores it. (And me! ;))

Coconut-Pecan Frosting (for German Chocolate Cake)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 slightly beaten egg YOLKS

½ cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cups Angel Flake Coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Combine 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 slightly beaten egg YOLKS, ½ cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 12 minutes.

Add 1 1/3 Baker's Angel Flake Coconut and 1 cup chopped pecans.

Cool until thick enough to spread, beating occasionally. Makes enough to frost one cake. (Best to frost tops and let a little drizzle down the sides.)

SAY IT LOUD AND SAY IT PROUD: I READ AND WRITE ROMANCE!

2011-02-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

I could spend hours sharing all of my passionate arguments on the benefits of both reading and writing romance. I could quote more market statistics. I could quote psychologists. I could quote Jayne Ann Krentz and remind you of the positive, life-affirming values inherent in all romances: the celebration of female power, courage, intelligence, and gentleness; the inversion of the power structure of a patriarchal society; the psychological benefits of spending time with authors who have a positive world view.

But to be honest I’m a little sick of defending “romance” as a genre to people too obsessed with its sexual content to attempt to understand its emotional content. So if any of you are ever leered at, sneered at, or otherwise degraded for writing or reading romance, simply blink and gently say (really quickly), “What the romance novel is really all about is the archetypal human struggle of integrating the masculine and feminine aspects of our psyches.” I can promise you that nothing will shut them up faster.

People often ask me why I write romance. I write romance because the ever expanding boundaries of the genre allow me to express my own heartfelt beliefs in optimism, faith, honor, chivalry and the timeless power of love to provoke a happy ending. In a society gutted by cynicism, we have found the courage to stand up and proclaim that hope isn’t corny, love isn’t an antiquated fantasy, and dreams can come true for women still willing to strive for them.

Probably the most subversive thing we dare to do is to make the woman the hero of her own story. And to realize exactly how subversive that is, I want each of you to honestly ask yourselves if the marvelous J.K. Rowling would have been such an international success if her first book had been titled, HARRIET POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE. Traditionally, in our mainstream patriarchal society, it’s been the male character who is allowed to go on all the thrilling physical and emotional quests. Oh, he might have a female sidekick like the delightful Hermione Granger in HARRY POTTER, but she is rarely allowed to overstep her role as confidante and facilitator of his self-discovery. In a romance, the heroine acts as narrator of her own story as well as driving the various plotlines that fuel that story.

Our heroines don’t just “stand by their men”, they “stand up to them.” And guess what—their men love it! We celebrate both a woman’s softness and her strength and introduce her to a man capable of recognizing the value of both. Is it any wonder that both she and our readers fall in love with him?

I write romance because a young woman in Portugal named Lourdes Goulart was praying that my next book would come out before the cancer that was ravaging her body claimed her life. Even though chemotherapy had weakened her eyesight to the point of blindness, she sent me a beautiful and painstaking cross-stitch she’d done of a windmill she could see through the window from her bed. Six months ago, I received word from her sister, Rosa, that Lourdes had died. She started my new book the day before she entered the hospital for the last time, but didn’t want to read past the first page for fear of being interrupted.

I write romance because of a call I recently received from a friend who attended nursing school with me. She’d just undergone a total hysterectomy. She described how depressed and emotionally empty she’d felt after the surgery and its numerous complications. She told me that reading my latest book pulled her out of her depression and even restored the sexual desire for her husband that she had feared she would never feel again.

I write romance because of an e-mail I recently received from a 54-year old incest survivor. Instead of blaming her father for the terrible thing he had done to her, she had always blamed her mother for letting him do it. Because my hero in A KISS TO REMEMBER found the grace in his soul to forgive his mother for a similar act, this woman decided, after nursing her bitterness for 50 years, to forgive her mother before she passed away from Alzheimer’s Disease.

I’d like to share one more brief story with you:

They met in 1957 when he was twenty-two and she was eighteen. He was a skinny, handsome G.I. with a motorcycle and a devilish twinkle in his eye. She was his sister’s best friend. She was beautiful, smart, and funny. He was in love.

They married in 1959 and three years later, while she was pregnant with what was to be their first and only child, he was transferred to Heidelburg, Germany. They lived over a bakery run by a jovial German couple named “Momma and Poppa Hartman.” On weekends, they would climb into his convertible MG without so much as a change of underwear and go racing through the countryside to explore the castles of Germany and Austria.

The child was born in 1962. His first indication that something was wrong was when he came home from work one day to discover that his wife had given away all the furniture. Luckily, a kind-hearted neighbor had taken it in and stored it in her apartment. His beautiful young wife lost weight and stopped sleeping. Her speech was rapid and slurred. At times, she even seemed to forget that she had given birth to a baby. He had no choice but to seek professional help.

The doctors informed him that his wife was suffering from a severe form of mental illness. It would be well over a decade before that illness was correctly diagnosed as Bipolar disorder or manic-depressive illness.

He went driving along the river that dark, rainy night at nearly a hundred miles an hour--a 26 year old soldier in a foreign country with a brand new baby and a wife facing a lifetime of torturous illness and uncertainty. He had a choice to make. He could shuffle his baby off to be raised by relatives and abandon his wife to the care of a German mental institution. He could drive into that river and let all of his decisions be made for him. Or he could choose to live and fight for his family.

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. Because my dad meant it when he said, “for better or worse; in sickness and in health,” I enjoyed a relatively stable, happy childhood and my mom’s hospitalizations were kept to a minimum. My father’s love is as unwavering and unconditional today as it was fifty-one years ago. Although my mother is now suffering from a rare and terminal brain disorder that has resulted in severe dementia, when my father visits her in the nursing home every other day, he still sees that beautiful, brilliant girl who won his heart all those years ago.

So when people ask me, “Why do you write romance?”, I can only reply, “How could I not?”

http://www.teresamedeiros.com
You can follow Teresa on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/teresamedeiros and join her Facebook Page at: http://www.facebook.com/teresamedeirosfanpage

GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART Video

2010-12-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

Teresa Medeiros's Favorite Guy Candy 2

2010-03-09T10:47:00.001-08:00

It's he-e-e-e-ere! Just posted the worldwide debut of my GUY CANDY 2 vide on YouTube. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it! Oh, the sacrifices I made for you as I "auditioned" all of these applicants on my computer screen! Enjoy! ;) (And please share with your friends!)

Girls Really Do Want Fun--or distractions

2010-02-08T09:22:00.001-08:00

Check out this hilarious video put together by BFF Connie Brockway featuring Connie, me and another BFF Eloisa James. My cat swore this footage had been destroyed but I should have known I couldn't trust Buffy the Mouse Slayer. At one point you can see her trying to "direct" me!

A Photographic Essay of Teresa's Early Career Years

2010-01-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

The road that leads a writer to pursue her dreams is often filled with potholes, curves and dead possums. Please take heart from my own saga and...never give up!!! Never surrender!!! (And whatever you do, never let your mother cut your bangs.)

Having always had a tendency toward big hair, Teresa spent most of her childhood waiting for the 80's to arrive

Having given up on her dream of becoming a princess, Teresa hired her daddy to be her agent and waited for Hollywood to come calling

When Hollywood didn't come calling, little Teresa's dreams of being the next Shirley Temple were crushed...

...leaving her with no option but to take a job washing dishes at a sleazy diner in Wyoming, her only comfort the fifth of Jack Daniels she downed each night after closing time.

Teresa's Top 20 WRITE RIGHT Tips Just For You

2010-01-11T06:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I've been sharing some of my favorite writing tips over on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/teresamedeiros) for months now and thought I'd finally gather them all together in one place. Happy writing!

1) Don't give characters unpronounceable names. Unless you're German, umlauts are not your friend.

2) Almost any sentence except "I am born" can be improved with revision.

3) Don't fear adverbs but actions verbs are always better. Not "He walked slowly" but "He trudged..."

4) It's the 1st sentence of your book that sells that book to the editor or reader. It's the last sentence of your book that sells the next book.

5) A creative silence may be your subconscious saying, "Hush, child. I'm working on a better plan."

6) Characters don't have to be perfect from the first page. Character growth is the hallmark of good fiction.

7) Writing is part talent and part craft. The craft part can be improved with practice.

8) You don't learn how to play the piano by reading books about playing the piano. You learn by practicing.

9) If you can stop writing, you probably should.

10) If you're stuck, go for a walk. Moving forward moves the brain forward. (Thanks to the Dog Whisperer for this tip :)).

11) If you're stuck, go back and do a read-thru from Chapter 1 to pick up the thread of the story.

12) The key to a truly successful romance novel is foreplay--not just physical but emotional.

13) There will come a time in every book when you will hate the story, hate the characters, wish they were dead, wish you were dead...just keep writing and you'll love them and yourself again.

14) Expect some resistance when finishing a book. Your subconscious knows it's the end of a great love affair.

15) Don't foreshadow your characters' every action by revealing their every thought through introspection.

16) If you're stuck for a phrase or word, insert [TK] or something else easily searchable and move on. Return later to fill in.

17) To preserve the sanctity of your imaginary world, consider writing on a computer completely cut off from the internet.

18) Dialogue is the hardest thing to write but the easiest thing to fix.

19) Protect your creativity as if it's a small defenseless child entrusted to your care.

20) When the story is over, shut up and write THE END.

I'd love to know your own favorite writing tip! Head on over to http://www.facebook.com/teresamedeirosfanpage to share!

TERESA'S QUICK HOPPIN JOHN

2010-01-02T06:23:00.000-08:00

Ring in the New Year with this delicious (and simple to fix) traditional dish!

1 lb breakfast sausage (you can use mild or hot or low fat if you simply must)

1 medium onion

4-16 oz cans of black-eyed peas (we use two regular and two with bacon & jalapeno to give it a little kick)

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes or to taste (we omit this if we use the jalapeno beans)

1 bag of boil-n-bag rice

1) Cook the sausage in the bottom of a large pot, break apart with fork

2) As it cooks, peel and chop onion and fix 1 bag boil-n-bag rice per directions on box (which takes 10 minutes)

3) Drain sausage if needed, retaining 2-3 TBS of fat, and return to pot

4) Add onion to sausage and cook until onions are soft-5 minutes or so

5) Add black-eyed peas and red pepper flakes and warm well

6) Add 1 bag of cooked boil-n-bag rice

7) Warm well so flavors will combine - 20 minutes or so

We serve this with Jiffy corn bread mix and it also makes an excellent leftover

The Many Faces of Russell Crowe

2009-12-29T06:12:00.001-08:00

I'm gearing up for the May release of the new ROBIN HOOD movie by posting a tribute video to Russell Crowe on YouTube :)

TWITTER 101

2009-11-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

If you've seen that ubiquitous little bluebird flitting around the internet or heard some television reference to "tweeting", "tweet-ups" or "twantrums", you may be wondering what the latest internet craze is all about.

TWITTER is a new form of social media where everyone communicates in sound bytes of 140 characters or less. Some call it micro-blogging, some call it haiku for the semi-literate and others just call it thinking out loud. Personally, I adore Twitter for several reasons:

1) My brain "tweets" all the time and now I have a place I can share my pithy (yes, I said pithy, not...well...you know...) meanderings on the absurdities of life, pictures of my cats lounging on my desk, links to fascinating articles and YouTube videos, all the latest news about upcoming books, blog appearances, etc.

2) I can type 90 words a minute so it's not that time-consuming for me

3) It's far more "linear" than Facebook so it doesn't aggravate my ADD

4) It gives me a chance to establish a much more intimate connection with my readers

Some have tried to set up a competition between Facebook and Twitter but the two are now totally compatible. You can easily set your Tweets to post to Facebook or your Facebook updates to post to Twitter. The only difference is that on Facebook, you have "friends" or "fans" and on Twitter you have "followers" (all the better to increase your chances of achieving world domination).

Twitter is the place to be to "Follow" your favorite authors, celebrities, musicians, politicians and/or syrup (yes @mrsbuttersworth is really on Twitter in all of her sticky goodness). The immediacy of it is stunning. We were instrumental in protesting the recent election fraud in Iran. We knew the balloon boy was a hoax long before the rest of the world did. And when a small fire broke out at the recent Romance Writers of America conference, the news was "tweeted" before the fire alarm was even pulled. When I wondered how Elizabeth Taylor (@DameElizabeth) was feeling about Michael Jackson's death, she "tweeted" and told me less than five minutes later. (For a real blast follow @kirstiealley. She tweets like she's roaring drunk all the time, even though she's not.)

If you want to give Twitter a try, go to http://www.twitter.com to sign up for a free account.

I also HIGHLY recommend downloading a "client" to manage your tweets. Some of my friends use Tweetie for their iPhones but my heart belongs to Tweetdeck. Just go to http://www.tweetdeck.com to download this app for free. You can use it to separate your Tweets into columns. I have AUTHORS, CELEBRITIES, SQUAWK RADIO GALS, FRIENDS, etc. on mine. And some people become intimidated by the number of people they're following. You don't have to actually READ the tweets of everyone you're following. I just check them when I happen to be on-line.

The control is all up to you. You can FOLLOW 400 people or you can FOLLOW 3 people. It's also very viral. Once you're following a fave author, you may find several other authors to follow just by reading her tweets. I've found that Twitter gives you a far more intimate glimpse into an author's life and creative process than any other form of social media. And if you're an aspiring author, the publishing tips and info are invaluable.

You can also UNFOLLOW people at any time. Or even BLOCK those spammers who will occasionally try to send you naughty photoshopped pics of Britney Spears.

And if you're Following several of your friends, you can use it as a form of mini-e-mail to have wonderful, scintillating conversations, which actually vastly cuts down on the number of e-mails hitting your inbox on any given day.

I'm doubly excited about Twitter because I'm working on a book right now called GOODNIGHT TWEETHEART about a man and woman who meet and fall in love on Twitter :). (Don't worry--I'm doing this in my downtime BETWEEN historicals so it won't affect my next deadline.)

So that's my Twitter primer. If you sign up and have any questions, you can always find me over at http://www.twitter.com/teresamedeiros

Come join the best cocktail party in the world! :)

MEET THE GUY TERESA DOES NEARLY EVERY DAY

2009-07-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

If we're going to be honest with each other, I thought it was time to introduce you to the guy who REALLY has my heart. That's right--Richard Simmons! Richard first saved my life about 15 years ago when I suffered a severe back injury after being body-slammed across the footboard of a hospital bed by a psychotic patient. I was too afraid to move to go back to the free dancing that I loved and it was Richard's SWEATIN' TO THE OLDIES that got me moving again and re-built my confidence.

I now own nine of his workout tapes and DVD's and have been fairly consistent over the years in doing them at least 3 times a week. I'm not a big believer in doing anything I don't enjoy. I hate treadmills. I hate ellipticals. I hate indoor bikes. But I love to dance! And since Richard's workouts are essentially dancing to some really cool music, I do enjoy them. (Plus he uses real people in the videos instead of buffed-out size zero freaks so you feel like, "Hey, if that 300-pound man can do that, so can I!")

I'd been struggling a little with my weight recently as women of a certain age (22?) tend to do. I couldn't figure out why my bras were getting tighter in all of the wrong places. Then suddenly the missing ingredient of my exercise plan came to me! It was Richard! I'd quit doing the workouts when I was on deadline in and had never gotten back to them. And all of the biking and weight lifting in the world wasn't going to loosen up those bras. So I dragged out SWEATIN' TO THE OLDIES on Monday afternoon. By Tuesday morning (I kid you not), I had lost 4 pounds.

As I was dancing that afternoon, a couple of other miraculous things began to happen--my mood began to lift and I started having new ideas for my book. I also had a really corny thought--When I do this, I feel like the person I'm supposed to be.

I know. It's hard to believe an excercise DVD could have such a profound effect on a life. But when I'm sweating to the oldies and Richard gets that wicked twinkle in his eye and shouts, "You were born to be a star!", I almost believe him.

THE LONG GOODBYE

2009-07-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

Almost three years ago, we lost our 20-year-old nephew Daniel to an accidental drug overdose. This is the first time I’ve been able to write about it.

Daniel was a lean kid with a tender heart, a shy smile and more baggage from his childhood than even his broad shoulders could bear. No matter how tall he grew, I never let him get too big to give his Aunt Terri a kiss and a hug.

We got the call on a Friday night that Daniel had gone home after his shift at Sonic, stopped breathing and was on a ventilator in Intensive Care. They found a combination of Ativan, Valium, Xanax and Methadone in his system. (I’ve since learned that even ONE Methadone can induce respiratory failure in some people). At first we assumed he was going to be okay, that this was going to be the wake-up call that would allow him to get the help he needed. As one person after another came forward, we realized that Daniel had known he was in serious trouble but had been asking the wrong people for help. This was not a suicide attempt. It was an addiction to the prescription drugs used for recreational purposes by so many of our kids.

For three days the family kept a vigil at his bedside, crying and raging, pleading and praying. Since my husband and I are both nurses, we knew what it meant when the ICU nurses told us we no longer had to adhere to the visiting hours but could sit with him whenever we wanted.

After a series of tests, the neurologist finally gathered us together to tell us that Daniel had been gone all along. That there was nothing left to do but say our goodbyes and offer his organs to someone who could keep some small part of him alive in this world. As I held his seventeen-year-old sister in my arms and promised her she would survive this, I’ll never forget her broken wail of, “But I don’t want to!”

Daniel was more like a son than a grandson to my husband’s parents and watching Mike’s dad weep over his coffin was like watching John Wayne cry like a baby.

After he was gone, I used to talk to his picture—I’d remind him of how much we loved him and yell at him for doing something so terribly foolish. Now I smile when I pass it and touch my fingertips to my lips, then briefly to the cool glass covering his face, knowing he is at peace and finally in the arms of the Father he always deserved. The Father we all deserve.

If you know a kid that you suspect is in trouble, act. Open a dialogue. Confront. Get the rest of the family involved if you have to. Don’t just assume they’ll grow out of it.

Because they might not get the chance.

You looked as handsome as a sleeping prince in that hospital bed but my kiss could not wake you

As I touched your cheek for the last time, you were everything to me that you would never be to any other woman—nephew, son, friend, brother, lover, father

All I could do was lay my head upon your breast and weep my goodbye

In memory of Daniel Lee Medeiros October 1985 - August 2006

TERESA TWEETS HER FAVORITE RWA SURVIVAL TIPS

2009-07-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

1) Avoid authors who are screaming, "LOOK AT ME!" and find someone interesting in the corner to talk to. (I discovered Shane Abe this way.)

2) If author seems unfriendly, give her benefit of doubt. She may be a) shy b) tired c) distracted d) deprived of warm/fuzzy gene at birth or e) utterly devoid of social skills.

3) Bars are a great place to meet authors and editors. Order yourself a club soda and lime and go cruising!

4) Don't drink too much at RWA. Some authors are scary sober. Drunk they can be truly terrifying.

5) Editors are people too and some of them are shyer than you are. If you're pitching a project, just relax and act natural.

6) You'll know you've finally made it when editors start following YOU into the bathroom.

7) Practice your editor/agent pitch as if you were pitching to Simon Cowell.

8) Pantyhose are OUT. But if you have a complexion like Gollum (or me), pack them anyway.

9) Yes, you ARE back in high school for 4 days. But now you have the confidence and social skills to thrive!

10) When in a crowd of milling writers, it's easy to hide exactly who pushed who down the escalator.

11) Allow time for at least 1 crying jag in hotel room. (Even more important for male attendees.)

12) Leave hubby and kiddies at home. Slow motion pillow fights with roommates much more fun that way.

13) Leave hotel every chance you get. Enjoy sunshine, fresh air, and people who don't care if they ever get published

14) Always put on lipstick before you leave hotel room. Even if it's a fire drill. Even if it's a fire.

15) If you want everyone to think you're an editor or agent, wear a lot of black but no name tag.

16) Never talk about author/editor/publisher in bathroom. Odds of them being in next stall: 100%.

17) Don't worry if U come out of bathroom with skirt tucked in panties. There are 2000 women 2 help. Or take pic.

18) If U don't recognize somebody U should, tell them U left glasses in your room. Even if U don't wear glasses.

19) Beg, borrow or steal an invitation to the Harlequin party and be prepared to boogie the night away.

20) If an editor asks you to step outside for a smoke, go with her. It's never too late to start smoking!

21) Always pack speech & make-up in carry-on bag. You can do w/o clothes if you have to.

22) Nobody is really looking at YOUR 1) clothes 2) hair 3) fake nails because they're 2 busy looking at their own.

23) An enormous chocolate sundae goes a long way toward softening grief of not winning RITA or Golden Heart.

24) If your luncheon tablemate has this look in her eye...change tables.

TERESA BRINGS YOU A YUMMY NO FAT SUMMER TREAT

2009-06-04T04:48:00.000-07:00

You can't beat delicious, no-fat AND simple to fix. This cake brings it all!

ANGEL LUSH CAKE

INGREDIENTS

1 can (20 oz.) Dole Crushed Pineapple, undrained

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavored Instant Pudding

1 cup thawed Cool Whip Free Whipped Topping

1 Angel Food Cake (can use store bought or make your own)

Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1) To make filling, mix pineapple and dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Stir in whipped topping.

2) Cut Angel Food Cake horizontally into 3 layers. Fill layers with filling. Top with fresh sliced strawberries and blueberries. (You can add berries to individual slices if you don't want to put them on cake for storage.)

3) Chill 1 hour and store in refrigerator.

(And yes, I said it was simple to fix but my husband tried the first time and he'd never used Angel Food cake so he was trying to use the cake exactly as it came out of the pan--upside down--and couldn't figure out why it kept falling over :)).

Teresa Medeiros's Favorite Guy Candy

2009-05-27T12:44:00.001-07:00

Looking for a few good men? Or a few bad boys? Then enjoy this special gift to all of my readers!

Medeiros and Enoch on Star Trek vs Star Wars

2009-05-18T08:16:00.001-07:00

Last year at RWA, Avon gave Suzanne Enoch and I the chance to embrace our inner geeks and fan the flames of our rivalry over Star Trek vs. Star Wars. This was the result.

Teresa Brings You A Sinfully Good Recipe

2009-05-17T04:20:00.001-07:00

Perfect for taking to that next church potluck or cookout! And it really is sinfully delicious although I tend to think anything this yummy must be a gift from God ;)

SINFUL CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

5 ounces of evaporated milk

4 TBS butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 TBS baking cocoa (I used Hershey's)

1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell (Deep Dish works fine but cover the edges of your crust with aluminum foil so it won't scorch)

Whipped Cream or Cool Whip Free

Chocolate Shavings (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk eggs, milk, butter and vanilla in a bowl until well blended.

Mix sugar and cocoa together and add to egg mixture, mixing well.

Pour into pie shell.

Bake 30-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean (Mine cooked closer to 45 minutes in a deep dish pie shell with good results but check it sooner.)

Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream. (If desired, add chocolate shavings for presentation.)

Serves 8.

Teresa Brings You RICH CHOCO CHIP TOFFEE BARS

2009-05-13T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I wish I could REALLY bring them to your door warm from the oven but you'll have to settle for the recipe:

INGREDIENTS
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter or margarine
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cups (12-oz package) Hershey's Semi-Sweet Choco Chips (divided)
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 can (14 ounces) Eagle Brand milk (can use no-fat version if desired)
1 ¾ cups (10 oz package) English toffee bits (divided)

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease 13 X 9 baking pan
2. Stir together flour and brown sugar in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg; mix well. Stir in 1 ½ cups choco chips and all nuts. Reserve 1 ½ cups mixture. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan.
3. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pour Eagle Brand milk evenly over hot crust. Top with 1 ½ cups toffee bits. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture and remaining ½ cup chips over top.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup toffee bits. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut in bars.

Very rich and very good!!!

WOLVERINE EYE CANDY BROUGHT TO YOU BY TERESA

2009-05-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

No one has done more to bring back that "wife beater/tank-top-your-grandfather-used-to-wear" look than Hugh Jackman as WOLVERINE.

And if you've seen BLADE: TRINITY, you already know that Ryan Reynolds is no slouch in the beefcake department either.

With that scrumptious voice and dangerous edge, Liev Schreiber is the thinking woman's hero.

And you know I love me some fine hobbits. Whether stealing our hearts as the loyal and mischievous Merry in LORD OF THE RINGS or breaking them as tortured rocker Charlie Pace on LOST, Dominic Monaghan's baby blues are irresistible.

Teresa Marches Through Atlanta

2008-10-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Here are some of my pics from my recent keynote gig at the Georgia Romance Writers Moonlight & Magnolias conference. A wonderful time was had by all, as you can see by the pics! (Many of them taken by the lovely and talented PJ Ausdenmore, who is almost as good a photographer as she is a candy-maker.)

With fellow authors Jenna Petersen (Jess Michaels) and Tanya Michna (aka Tanya Michaels). Hey, how come I only get one name?!

Sharing breakfast with former Squawk Radio regulars PJ, Gannon, Buffie and Andrea (Tricia must be behind the camera on this one.)

With wonderful Avon editor Tessa Woodward and dear friend Jean Willett

Hanging with Tricia, Cynthia, J Perry Stone, PJ, Gannon and Buffie.

With Andrea and her adorable sister Tricia

J Perry Stone brought me a very special surprise! We get the funniest looks from...everyone we meet! :)

No wonder I'm smiling...PJ brought me an incredible selection of her homemade chocolates!

Jean and I celebrate on Maggie Award Night

Showing off my covers for SOME LIKE IT WICKED and my upcoming April release SOME LIKE IT WILD

Sharing my wit and wisdom (quit snickering, J Perry Stone!)

Oh look...another photo op!

With reader Missy Wickersham, the inspiration for "Miss Samantha Wickersham" in YOURS UNTIL DAWN

Voguing it up on the dance floor. I couldn't go to bed until they'd played "my" song...BABY GOT BACK!

With the ever gorgeous Jacquie D'Alessandro and her equally gorgeous husband

HOOT, MON! (TERESA DOES SCOTLAND).

2007-10-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hoot, mon! I just returned from a research and pleasure trip to the bonny land of Scotland. It was my very first trip to the country I’d lovingly written about so many times in books like HEATHER AND VELVET, A WHISPER OF ROSES, TOUCH OF ENCHANTMENT, SOME LIKE IT WICKED, SOME LIKE IT WILD and in my upcoming September 2010 release THE DEVIL WEARS PLAID. With its brutal, stunning beauty and its mercurial weather, it's not a country for the faint-hearted and I now have a much deeper appreciation for the hardy nature of the native Scot. There's a reason they wear fabulous sweaters and drink gallons of hot tea and whisky.

Although we nearly froze to death at times, the natural beauty of the landscape was fully equal to the splendid visions of my imagination. I knew it was going to be a great trip when we turned out of the airport to see a young man who looked just like a male model hitchhiking. Alas, he wasn't wearing a kilt and we couldn't coax our husbands into stopping and picking him up. (But my husband did buy a gorgeous kilt of his own while we were there!)

On one glorious day at Dunnottar Castle in Stonehaven, it was freezing, incredibly windy, sunny, and raining—all at the same time. And everywhere we looked on the horizon, we found a rainbow. We had our share of misadventures—exploding Diet Cokes in the back seat and me returning our rental car to the Hertz counter by handing the attendant our rearview mirror—but the only true horror we suffered was me blowing up my hair straightener on our first day there and being forced to walk around looking like a demented Shirley Temple for the rest of the week.

Here are our traveling companions and dear friends Teresa and Freddy in front of Inveresk House in Musselburgh, the B&B where we spent 5 days.

Standing in front of the breathtaking vista at the top of Edinburgh Castle

Here I am in Edinburgh with the famous statue of "Greyfrairs Bobby", the loyal pup who kept vigil at his master's grave for 14 years after his death.

The Elephant House in Edinbrugh--the famous pub where J.K. Rowling first started working on HARRY POTTER
The beautiful edifice of Stirling Castle

View from the top of Stirling Castle
Typical view of Old Edinburgh street
Our lodgings in Aberdeen--the Ferryhill House Hotel

The spectacular ruin of St. Andrew's Cathedral
In one of the courtyards of St. Andrew's College where Prince William attended
My favorite site--the glorious Dunnottar Castle on the coast at Stonehaven

One of the beautiful coves at Dunnottar
There were rainbows everywhere!

A little slice of heaven...
Even the potties were pretty!
And speaking of...here's our favorite street in St. Andrews.
The enchanting Logan Cottage where we spent the night in Inverness
Castle Urquhart on Loch Ness
Me at Castle Urquhart bundled up like the Abominable Snowman. I didn't really wear the same clothes all week but I did wear the same sweatshirt and scarf. (Did I mention that it was REALLY cold?) The famous Rosslyn Chapel--the 15th Century chapel featured in Dan Brown's THE DAVINCI CODE

2007-07-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
I wanted to let you know that I probably won't be actively blogging for a while. I was so fired up after finishing my new historical that it made me want to devote all of my creative energy to starting the next book. I'm going to be spending less time on the internet and more time nurturing that fire by reading wonderful books, watching romantic movies, going for long walks, etc.

I'm going to leave this site up so all of my non-fiction offerings will still be available plus I'll probably be using it to post pics, etc., in the future and as a place we can hang out when the new book is released. (I'll announce the pub date in my newsletter as soon as the publisher lets me know when it's going to be.)

If you haven't done so already, you can sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter at www.teresamedeiros.com (Just hit the JOIN NOW button in the right hand corner of the page). I'll let you know in the newsletter whenever I post new pics, etc., over here at CHARMED LIFE.

I love you all and don't forget that you can always reach me through my website!

Hugs,
Teresa

Teresa Does Dallas!

2007-07-16T07:03:00.001-07:00

Good morning, dear friends! I just got back from the annual RWA conference in Dallas yesterday and have tons of pics to post. One of the best parts of the conference was getting to spend time with YOU guys, including Santa and J Perry Stone (pictured at left), Sara Lindsay, Keira, Kim C, Desiree B., and a host of charming others who made my conference a true delight. The signing in Plano on Thursday night was a great success and several of you hopped a bus or a car and came out to cheer us on.

Of course Xtina Dodd will tell you that HER favorite part of the conference was when we had a fire alarm go off in the hotel (accompanied by the actual smell of burning electrical wires) and I stopped to put on lipstick before running out of the room. Hey, if I'm going to die, I want to look good while I'm doing it!

Here I am with Authors at Sea cruise mate Barbara Vey, who is now doing the blog BEYOND THE BOOK for PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. We had a fun interview in my suite and could have spent all day talking about books. For more fun conference reports, check out her blog HERE

Me and fabulous Pocket author Karen Hawkins hang out at the ROMANCE NOVEL TV suite. They did several fabulous interviews which you should be able to find on their site in the coming weeks and months. We even filmed a "Squawker Reunion" breakfast. Move over THE VIEW!

The amazing Michelle Buonfiglio from ROMANCE BY THE BLOG was also there doing video interviews for her new LIFETIME affiliated site and got to enjoy our little Squawker reunion. Their make-up artist made me look ever-so-glamorous! (Although I was a little worried when she started talking about Mimi from the Drew Carey show.)

Here I am with the always adorable (and talented!) Sara Lindsay, who traveled all the way to Plano, Texas from Dallas to support us while we spoke and signed.

Here I am cuddling with Barbara Freethy and Candice Hern, two of my favorite pals to breakfast with.

Xtina, Lynn Kerstan, Jayne Krentz and me at a gorgeous librarian hosted tea at the elegant Adolphus hotel. (And no, I was NOT stuffing truffles in my purse. Don't listen to Xtina!)

I've known dear friends Jill Marie Landis and Kristin Hannah since I was twelve. Okay, so it only feels like it. Jill shared my very first conference dinner table in 1989, along with LaVyrle Spencer and Kristin is my rock whenever I need a cooler head to prevail.

Here's Barbara Freethy, Victoria Alexander and Xtina chowing down at breakfast.

Here are the Squawkers reunited for a pic! Silly Connie decided she'd rather go fishing in Alaska than hang out with us in Dallas but she was thoughtful enough to overnight a giant pic of her head so we could take it to interviews with us. On the first day the hotel LOST Connie's head so I was running around everywhere looking for it.

In typical Squawker fashion, when Connie told us she was sending her head, I suggested that it "might be difficult to find a box that big" and Xtina replied with, "She's sending her head, not her thigh." That's right--just when you think you've gone as low as you can go, another Squawker limbos right under you!

Here I am with the amazingly efficient Kim C., who made our lives so much easier by administering some of our Squawk contests for us.

Three of my funnest (is that a word?) fellow Avon Authors--Sophia Nash, Jacquie D'Alessandro and Kathryn Caskie. Don't they remind you a little of CHARLIE'S ANGELS? (And if you see the elegantly refined Sophia anywhere, make sure and get her to tell you her mechanical bull story!)

Hanging at the Avon Dinner with delightful Avon editors May Chen and Lucia Macro.

Nobody loves a hot purse more than Xtina!

Here I am with pal Julia Quinn. She looks happy here but she looked even happier the next night when ON THE WAY TO THE WEDDING won the RITA for BEST LONG HISTORICAL :)

Here I am with Toni Blake at the Avon Family Dinner. Blondes really do have more fun!

Here I am enjoying breakfast with pals Suzanne Enoch, Stephanie Laurens and Christie Ridgeway

Here's Heather MacAllister, Xtina, me and Eloisa voguing in our room before the RITA awards.

Here I am with fellow Avon Author and Donny Osmond enthusiast Jacquie D'Alessandro (note her stylish alligator purse).

Me, Lisa and Xtina after the RITA ceremony. Lisa was our RWA keynote speaker this year. She made us laugh, she made us cry, and she made us appreciate all over again how blessed we are to be able to write books we love so much.

With Harlequin author Heather MacAllister, who just happened to be one of my roomies this year. Heather is the go-to girl for jewelry and shoe advice and I'm...well...not. I'm sure she got really tired of me asking, "Does this go with that?"

Stay tuned! I'll be posting some more pics later in the week as they start to trickle in!

Saying Goodbye to a Romance Icon

2007-07-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
Like many of you, I was heartbroken to learn of the death of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss this week. She died after a valiant battle with cancer, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy to the romance genre and all of her adoring readers.

In her honor and memory, I'm reprinting the blog I wrote on THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER in December of 2006.

In 1972, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss did what every writer dreams of doing—she wrote a classic novel with her very first book. The Flame and the Flower had it all—passion, conflict, adventure, drama, a setting that sweeps us from Georgian England to a plantation in the Carolinas, and unforgettable characters. She broke all the conventional rules of historical fiction by making the sexual relationship between her hero and heroine a vital component of their emotional relationship and in doing so, gave birth to the modern genre of the historical romance.

I was ten years old when The Flame and the Flower was first published, fifteen the first time I read it. Although I read it numerous times after that, I hadn't picked it up in years. So when I started re-reading the book a few months ago, I told myself I'd treat it like an assignment and just read for an hour at a time. The prose was denser and much more detailed than what we've become accustomed to, but after only a few pages, I found myself thoroughly captivated. Before I knew it, three hours had passed and I still couldn't bear to put the book down. Thirty years after it's publication, The Flame and the Flower is still a deliciously readable novel, a quality it shares with another timeless classic, Gone with the Wind.

I was also struck all over again by what a fine writer Kathleen E. Woodiwiss is. To enter her world is to enter a time machine that transports you back to 1799, where Heather Simmons, our Georgian Cinderella, is being held captive by her aunt's cruelty until sea captain Brandon Birmingham comes storming into her life to sweep her away. Although Woodiwiss's descriptions are lush and detailed, her prose is never purple. By setting her own standards so high, Woodiwiss challenged every romance writer who came after her to strive for excellence in their craft.

One of the criteria of an enduring classic is that it should be the first to do something, and in The Flame and the Flower, Woodiwiss succeeds on every count. So many of her innovations would go on to become the bedrock conventions upon which the historical romance genre would be grounded. Although her settings and secondary characters are vividly drawn, the relationship between Heather and Brandon always remains at the core of the plot. Many scenes that might seem clichéd now were sparkling and new thirty years ago: the heroine assisting the hero with his bath; the hero walking in on the heroine as she bathes; the hero nursing the heroine through a near fatal illness caused by his own insensitivity. Woodiwiss gives the hero a loveable wise-quipping brother, a loyal manservant, and a witchy ex-fiancée. Every man who meets Heather falls a little bit in love with her and in an eerily prescient twist, there's even a suspense sub-plot involving a brutal killer that drives the book to a heart-jolting climax.

Although less politically correct then some would prefer, the book is probably more historically accurate than many of the romances written today where all the young misses are feisty and all the gents are enlightened as to the rights of women. Yes, seventeen-year-old Heather is essentially a passive victim in the beginning and thirty-five-year-old Brandon is perfectly capable of being an arrogant jerk, but they both fulfill that essential criteria of good fiction—they experience personal growth and transformation during the course of the story. Heather finds her spirit while Brandon loses his heart.

You can't discuss this book or Heather and Brandon's first sexual encounter without waging the same debate that's been raging ever since Rhett carried a resisting Scarlet up those long, winding stairs in Gone with the Wind. The controversy arises when, during their first meeting, a drunken Brandon mistakes Heather for a wharf prostitute. Both her explanations and her struggles are so weak and ineffectual that one can almost forgive him the mistake. He's quite remorseful when he realizes he's deflowered an innocent, but that doesn't stop him from taking her once more before she makes her escape. Is this shocking and wicked? Oh yes! But still stirring in this era where our deepest and most primal sexual fantasies have been sanitized and the definition of "feminism" seems to be have been extended to the area of censoring other women's fantasies. When Brandon tells Heather, "I've found with you, sweet, that when I want you badly enough I can overlook being a gentleman," my heart beats a little faster as I imagine him with the devilish glint of a marauding Errol Flynn or Clark Gable in his eye.

This is no forced seduction where Heather is made to experience pleasure against her will. Woodiwiss never once glamorizes rape. Heather despises it the two times Brandon has his way with her when she is resistive. It's not until he learns to show her tenderness and consideration after a lo-o-o-o-ong period of enforced abstinence that she comes to enjoy their lovemaking.

The scene that fueled my own adolescent fantasies is the one where Brandon first learns that Heather is carrying his child. After her vicious aunt slaps her and rips her ragged dress from her body, revealing her pregnant nakedness to everyone in the room, Brandon comes storming out of the shadows and sweeps his cloak around her. In that one thrilling and protective gesture, we see a shadow of the hero he will become.

Although Brandon can be a bit of a bully when crossed, from the very beginning of the novel he demonstrates a capacity for humor and irresistible kindness. He resents being forced into marriage, yet he buys Heather beautiful clothes, covers her when she is cold, has a tub brought on board his ship because he knows she cherishes her baths, and orders a special pair of long johns made to help her endure the bitter winter weather at sea. He also fulfills another crucial female fantasy that would go on to become a staple of our genre—once he lays eyes on Heather, he never wants or touches another woman.

Since The Flame and the Flower gave women their first chance to read about sex outside of the context of male pornography, I was amazed to realize how few sex scenes there actually are in the book. After Heather and Brandon's initial encounter, they don't make love again until near the very end of the novel. During the long sea voyage, we watch them slowly becoming husband and wife—denying each other sexual comforts, yet strengthening their emotional bond. We enjoy the vicarious thrill of watching them fall in love, not just in lust. By the end of the book, you actually believe that these two could build a happy life together—built not only on physical attraction, but on mutual respect and love.

While Brandon is becoming a hero worth having, Heather completes her own satisfying personal journey. Her fiery confrontations with her husband don't defeat her, but strengthen her. No longer a passive victim, late in the book she even vanquishes a lecherous villain. A fuming Brandon arrives, but Heather no longer needs him to rescue her. She has completed her journey from girl to woman and is now fully his equal and his match.

Both the power and pleasure of The Flame and the Flower are rooted in its retelling of the primal myths that reside in our collective unconsciousness. In the snippet of poetry that prefaces the book, it is not the flame that consumes the flower, but the flower that triumphs by re-emerging after being scorched by the flame. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss didn't just understand the "Beauty and the Beast" mythology on an intellectual level. She internalized it to such a degree that it infuses every word of both this story and her follow-up classic, The Wolf and the Dove.

And in Brandon Birmingham, Woodiwiss delivers a beast worthy of the taming. In recent years there has been a tendency for romance writers to "defang" their beasts much too early in our stories. We're so determined to make our protagonists "heroic" from the very first page (possibly to stave off criticism of the ultra-Alpha male?) that there's very little room left for the personal growth that makes this book so satisfying and enduring.

And it is enduring. 144 reader reviews on Amazon.com prove that. As I scrolled through them, I was amazed by how many of them were written by girls who were around the same age I was when I first discovered the book. It seemed these young women could relate to both Heather's age and her coming-of-age journey during the story. Perhaps the best way to win a romance reader's heart for life is to win it while it's still young and tender.

Whether you love The Flame and the Flower or hate it, we're still talking about it thirty years later. How many other romances will be able to make that claim? As I turned the last page of the book with a wistful sigh, I was humbled all over again by what a tremendous debt of gratitude we all owe Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Brandon Birmingham and Heather Simmons are truly the grandparents of all the historical heroes and heroines who came after them. At the end of the book, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss shouldn't have written The End, but The Beginning.

GUESS WHAT...

2007-07-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

...Teresa did Monday night around 10 PM??? :)

Part II of SHAMELESS GUY CANDY!

2007-06-21T03:54:00.001-07:00

Ya gotta love a guy who can pull off tight jeans...um...I mean pulling them off as in wearing them with flair and panache. Here we have Gerard Butler. Whether melting our hearts in DEAR FRANKIE, leading his troops to glory as the king of Sparta in "300" or making us ask, "Raoul Who?" in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Gerard is definitely swoon-worthy material. And did I mention the best news of all? He's Scottish!

And one never tires of the ubiquitous gray t-shirt, does one? Especially when stretched over Hugh Jackman's impressive pecs and arms. What can I say? Hugh sings. He dances. And he growls beautifully as Wolverine in the X-MEN movies. And he's Australian!

Daniel Craig reinvigorated the James Bond franchise in CASINO ROYALE by reminding us that Bond was once mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Watching him lose his heart was a joy and I can promise you that if I'd have written the script, there would have been many delicious confrontations and an entirely different outcome following his discovery of her betrayal.

When twolilhahas requested a picture of Markus Schenkenberg, my first thought was, "Who?" But a quick Google search told me she had exquisite taste in male models. There were plenty of shirtless pics but I rather liked this one.

There's no question that Jude Law is a VERY pretty man but I sort of liked him "roughed up" as Inman in COLD MOUNTAIN. (Another movie I'd have written a different ending for.)

I first fell in love with Josh Lucas in SWEET HOME ALABAMA. He has that affable boy-next-door Southern charm coupled with that dangerous glitter in his steely blue eyes. He reminded me of the boy you'd fall for in high school--you know--the one who actually knew what to do with a carburetor and who actually looked sexy with grease under his fingernails?

And my other favorite Southern Josh is Josh Holloway who plays the incomparable Sawyer from LOST. He may be a bad boy but he's a real fine man!

Well, that's it for today, ladies! I'm signing off to go work hard on my book. You may not hear much from me in the next week or so but at least I've left you something pretty to enjoy ;)

Teresa Brings You Some Guy Candy to Brighten Your Day

2007-06-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't already guessed, I'm writing the first love scene of my new book. And what could be more inspiring when writing a love scene than pictures like these! I've gathered several of your requests and will be bringing them to you for the next two days so tune in tomorrow for Part II of my shameless exploitation of these gorgeous men.

I first fell for Christian Bale when he was the little boy in EMPIRE OF THE SUN. Whether he's playing a young BATMAN in BATMAN BEGINS or Laurie Lawrence in LITTLE WOMEN, I've always found his unique voice to be irresistible. (Of course the face ain't bad either!)

And who can resist the ultimate Mr. Darcy (or Mark Darcy in BRIDGET JONES' DIARY)? Colin Firth makes me yearn for a man who knows how to tie his cravat.

Whether in his KING ARTHUR armor or out of it, Clive Owen is one of those rugged, testosterone-fueled beauties who's just a little rough around the edges. That voice! Those eyes! Those beard-stubbled cheeks! And if you've seen SIN CITY, you know he even looks gorgeous in black and white.

I believe it was J Perry who requested a "less dressed" Russell. I'm always happy to oblige! (The muscles are awesome but I think he accessorizes well with the chains too, don't you?)

Tune in Tomorrow for Part II of SHAMELESS GUY CANDY!

And for all of you dog lovers out there...

2007-06-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Mwahahahahaha!!! It just occurred to me that Connie Brockway wasn't around to razz me about posting pics from my extensive Russell Crowe collection.

(Okay, actually she probably would pop by just to razz me but she's away at the lake this weekend :))

So while we're on the topic! ;)

And this one is for mshellion! ;)
Now I'm REALLY on a roll!

Sara says it takes a real man to pose with a cat and I just HAPPENED to have this pic of Russell and his puddytat in my collection. (Okay, so I also have a pic of him holding a baby and a small calf if anyone needs one.)

Teresa Welcomes a New Fur-Baby into Her Home and Heart

2007-06-11T09:18:00.001-07:00

She's he-e-e-e-e-ere! That's right. Little Samantha came home yesterday and has survived her first night in her new home (or at least in our downstairs bathroom). This was her first night ever away from her brothers and sisters but she's adjusting well. For such a little kitty, she has a really big mouth.

We had to treat her for fleas and ear mites but we've promised her a lifetime of pampering and adoration to compensate her for her suffering.

Alas, Buffy the Mouse Slayer isn't quite as enamored of her new sibling as we are! She's hissed at her once and spent most of the day lurking outside of the bathroom looking horrified. But we have high hopes for a harmonious future! :)

Good night, sweet princess...

2007-06-01T05:01:00.000-07:00

She came into our lives on a whim. We had only had indoor cats in the past but we lived deep in the woods and mice were building nests in the motor of my husband's truck. So we went to the local shelter and picked out two beautiful sister cats to bring home. We were young and silly so we opened up the pet carrier on the back deck. One of the cats (later christened "The Nemesis") took off like a shot, never to be seen again.

Queenie also took off and she sat at the top of the hill meowing plaintively all afternoon while we tried to coax her into returning to her new home. The sun was almost setting when she finally came trundling down that hill and into our arms.

In a shocking development, we learned that Queenie was already pregnant when we brought her home. She gave birth to her kittens in our Doberman's dog house (he was a very longsuffering dog) and we found homes for all of them before getting her spayed. Although we had planned for her to be an outdoor cat, on the very first cold day of that year, she came and stood patiently at the door. I opened it and let her in. She wouldn't leave us again for eighteen years.

I always said she was the perfect cat because she literally had no faults. She was so polite that if she had to throw up, she would run to the litter box and do it there. She was the only cat we ever had who actually earned her keep--proudly bringing mice and moles to the back door just as we were sitting down to supper. I once saw her eat an entire snake.

When I look through our photo albums, Queenie is like the Forrest Gump of cats. We have pictures of her with almost every friend and every pet we ever had. Being the perfect cat, Queenie did us the wonderful courtesy of living longer than any of our other pets.

In the past two years of her life, she became even more attached to me. I couldn't sit down on the couch for five minutes without her crawling into my lap and purring up a storm. She followed me everywhere and would even sit on the side of the bathtub when I bathed. One day I opened the shower door and almost hit her in the head because she was patiently waiting for me to emerge.

She started declining last Thanksgiving. I remember lying on the couch with her purring on my chest and tears rolling down my cheeks asking God if he could please just let her last through the holidays because I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Since God is incredibly kind and I didn't specify which holiday, she almost made it to Memorial Day.

At eighteen years old, she was over 80 years old in people years. I knew she was failing but she still seemed to find such great pleasure in her daily life that I couldn't make that final decision. I prayed for God to let us know when it was time. He gave us our answer one Sunday afternoon when we returned from a church retreat.

I had been lying in the sunroom reading for only a few minutes when she laid down on my chest and started purring like she always does. But just a few minutes later, she started acting very strangely--lifting up one paw and acting like she couldn't put it down, then doing the same thing with the other. Then when she tried to get up, she fell. It was almost like she was having a stroke. I started bawling and asking, "Queenie, what's wrong? What's wrong, baby?" But I knew I had the answer I had been asking God to give me. I had been praying that He would let us know for sure that it was time to let go, that He would give us a sign that would remove all doubt.

We phoned her vet and even though he wasn't on call, he rushed to the clinic to minister to her. She died with me and my husband gently stroking her fur and telling her what a good cat she was.

For eighteen years she was my furry little touchstone. I wrote 17 books during that time. We moved to the city. Other pets came and went and we learned that friends sometimes come and go too. We lost grandparents. My mom went into the nursing home. Our nephew died. But our Queenie-cat was always there, good for a cuddle and a purr whenever we desperately needed one.

I miss you, sweetheart. You left a big hole in our home and in our hearts. But we were so incredibly blessed to have you for so long. May flights of angels sing you to your rest.

Teresa Invites You to Tour Her Office

2007-04-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

I promise if you’ll come back next month, I’ll have gleaming hardwood floors to show off in my office! When we found this house, I was deliberately looking for a newer house that was laid out like an older one so I could commandeer the formal living room AND dining room to be the Teresa Medeiros Complex.

I was shooting for French provincial here with my white, slightly distressed, hand painted furniture, but with all of my BEWITCHED and FAIRY TALE BARBIES, it ended up looking more like the bedroom of a demented 16-year-old with a Barbie (and Russell Crowe) fetish.

And where else would I keep my extra Teresa Medeiros books and foreign editions besides my very own Russell Crowe/MASTER AND COMMANDER bookshelf? My devoted husband snagged this from Wal-Mart right before they were going to put it in the box crusher. Now that’s a real-life hero!

What romance writer’s office would be complete without its very own knight in shining armor? (Or tin.)

This is an example of one of the gorgeous Jamie Murray BEAUTY AND THE BEAST prints I have scattered throughout the office.

And here I am with my very favorite desk toy, a talking replica of Captain Jack Sparrow who mumbles sweet nothings in my ear while I’m working! ("Wot’s that yer saying? Ye want me to do wot?!!!")

Ya’ll come back now, ya here!

Teresa Invites Any Number of Men to Whisper Sweet Nothings in Her Ear

2007-04-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

When they were discussing Simon Cowell on another blog earlier in the week, it occurred to me that we probably wouldn't be debating his charms at all if he talked like Andrew Dice Clay or Joe Pesci. It's that fabulous British accent that gives him his sardonic flare and elevates both his level of attractiveness and our blood pressures. Like most women, I'm very sensitive to the unique accents and pitches of men's voices and like most writers I'm always searching for the right adjectives to describe that husky masculine purr that makes my heroine's knees go weak. Out of all the qualities that make a man attractive, his voice would have to be at the top of my list. I've even caught myself looking twice at a William Hurt or a John Malkovich simply because their voices are so unique. (And don't even get me started on Alan Rickman!)

This was brought home to me again recently when I caught British actor Paul Blackthorne in two very different roles. In the Sci Fi network's magical new series THE DRESDEN FILES, Blackthorne plays a slightly bumbling wizard detective with an American accent. And in Season 3 of "24", he played an evil British terrorist out to unleash a deadly plague on American soil. Now any way you go, Mr. Blackthorne is very easy on the eyes--think young Sean Connery with a twist of Warren Beatty. But I found him to be vastly more attractive with the British accent. (Even as an evil terrorist out to destroy America!) Of course, just like British actor Hugh Laurie, we have to give him props for being able to "do an American accent" because after all, we Americans don't HAVE accents, right?

Speaking of "24", there's a running joke that Kiefer Sutherland's "Jack Bauer" has only two extremes of speaking--yelling or whispering. I recently discovered over at http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/ that Jack's husky whisper is known to his devoted fans as "The Velvet". Apparently both terrorists and women are completely defenseless against "The Velvet" and if Jack uses it on you, you have no choice but to spill all of your government secrets to him. (Of course if you don't, he'll probably just cut off one of your fingers or shoot you in the head.)

And what about Hugh Grant? Sure he's got an abundance of self-effacing humor and boyish charm, but would you have ever forgiven him for that whole Divine Brown incident if his upscale Brit accent didn't make him sound as if he's always on the verge of offering us tea and crumpets? I mean, the man was dumb enough to cheat on Elizabeth Hurley and we still ended up patting him on the head and cooing, "Aw, isn't he just adorable?"

And let's not forget those Southern boys. Would Don Johnson as Sonny Crockett on MIAMI VICE have been nearly as compelling without that beguiling hint of gravel in his voice? And what about Josh Holloway, my beloved "Sawyer" on LOST? Every time he looks at Kate and drawls "Freckles", I forget all about muscular and noble Dr. Jack.

Any time I do think about calling Dr. Love, I think about ER's gorgeous Goran Visnjic. With his soulful dark eyes and soaring cheekbones, he's a beautiful man by anyone's standards. But that Croatian accent of his gives him an exotic charm that makes me think about snowy nights wrapped in bear pelts in front of a crackling fire.

A Hero by Any Other Name...

2007-03-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me begin by saying that I have read some absolutely wonderful romance novels with heroes named Harry (Connie Brockway's AS YOU DESIRE anyone?), Bill (Charlaine Harris's "Sookie Stackhouse" series), and Jack (Lisa Kleypas's SUDDENLY YOU) But I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for those nobleman blessed with such swoonworthy monikers as Gabriel, Sebastian and Tristan (with an occasional Damien thrown in for devilish effect).

Character names have always been very important to me because I usually come up with my hero and heroine's names before I know anything else about their stories.

I also have a fondness for outlaws so it's my personal opinion that all western heroes should be named "Billy" or "Jesse". When I wrote Billy Darling in NOBODY'S DARLING, his name told me everything I needed to know about his character. And lest someone should suggest that my names aren't realistic enough, I'll have you know that right after I finished my most recent novels AFTER MIDNIGHT and THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME featuring brothers Adrian and Julian Kane, I received a note from my German translator telling me that her sons were named Adrian and Julian! She wanted me to give her third son his "own book" but alas, his name is "Fabian." A gorgeous name but a shade too close to "Fabio" for my comfort.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to "Simon" in SOME LIKE IT WICKED. He's a very naughty hero and he needs my guidance ;)

Teresa's Book Reviews: Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same

2007-03-17T17:43:00.000-07:00

I first fell in love with Sloane Tanen’s work when I read the caption above a photo with a little chicken sitting on a swing set and peering around the playground: “Samantha looked around the playground in amazement. Her mother had been right. She really WAS the smartest and the prettiest.” Now I ask you--has there ever been a more apt mascot for me and some of my equally ambitious writer friends?

If you thought you had to give up picture books when you graduated from second grade, have I got a treat for you! Writer Sloane Tanen and photographer Stefan Hagen take those tiny little stuffed yellow chicks you can find at Easter and put them in wickedly funny scenarios in gorgeously detailed dioramas. The first book in the series BITTER WITH BAGGAGE SEEKS SAME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SOME CHICKENS beautifully captures two qualities--they’re both bitter and sunny-natured. And who can't relate to adorable little spoiled tyrant Coco who is rarely seen without her tiara and dreams “that one day she would grow up to be a benevolent queen...or a supermodel.”

The second book in the series--GOING FOR THE BRONZE: STILL BITTER, MORE BAGGAGE is equally hilarious. One of my favorite pages shows two chickens peering over the side of the Titanic while a chicken floats beneath them and one of them comments, “I don’t know, the last thing he said was something about being king of the world and then I may have accidentally pushed him.” No one is safe from the satire including Charles and Camilla, American Idol, and Hooters. And the photographs are so detailed that you can spend hours just noticing things in the background.

I should warn you that, due to a wee bit of naughty language, these picture books are for adults only, but Sloane Tanen has also written a children’s book called COCO ALL YEAR ROUND. If you want your child to develop a deliciously dark and dysfunctional sense of humor right along with you, you can read them rhymes featuring the adorable Coco like “I walk down the street with my whole Girl Scout troop. It would have been fun had I not slipped in poop.” (I’ll spare you a description of the illustration on this one.)

Teresa Goes Hollywood

2007-03-04T17:48:00.000-08:00

I found this pic of me and my daddy this week, proving I've always had Hollywood star quality :)

Teresa Discovers the Secrets to Happiness

2007-02-26T17:51:00.000-08:00

So you’ve always wanted it all, eh? Fame, fortune, a night in Johnny Depp’s arms… But for most of us, true bliss may be only a hot Krispy Kreme away.

Which is why I’ve decided that you can find the most surefire path to joy simply by lowering your expectations of life. (Or as the apostle Paul said--"I have learned to be content in all things.")

So I decided to set some new parameters for pursuing happiness with these nine simple guidelines:

1) I never want a strange man to walk out of my kitchen with a camera crew and say, “Hi! I’m Chris Hansen from NBC DATELINE’s “TO CATCH A PREDATOR!”

2) I never want Simon Cowell to make me cry in public

3) I never want to shave my head, nor do I want to be photographed while climbing out of a sports car without any underwear on

4) I never want to eat at that Taco Bell in New York City--you know, the one with rats bigger than house cats scampering playfully around the floor with their gorditas

5) I never want to eat any bugs on SURVIVOR or FEAR FACTOR

6) I never want to have an illness so mysterious that only HOUSE can diagnose me

7) I never want someone to lure me onto JERRY SPRINGER by pretending I’m getting a makeover

8) I never want to jog...unless I’m being chased by a bear

9) I never want to eat another rice cake (unless the only alternative is a bug)

Teresa Celebrates the Return of Romance to DVD

2007-02-22T17:54:00.000-08:00

I think I just heard a chorus of celestial angels singing because at long last and after many heartwrenching delays, one of the most romantic television shows ever made was finally released on DVD this past Tuesday! BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, a delicious blending of classic fairy tale and urban fantasy that was definitely ahead of its time, first ran on CBS from 1987-1990. From the first strains of its opening theme (the aptly titled The First Time I Loved Forever) to its lush production values to the remarkable acting from Ron Perlman, Linda Hamilton, Edward Albert, Jr., and a host of others, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST remains one of those rare viewing experiences where they actually got everything right. It’s no surprise that writer and executive producer George R.R. Martin has since gone on to stellar success as the author of one of the most popular fantasy series ever penned--A Song of Fire and Ice.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is the story of Catherine Chandler, a spirited assistant D.A. in New York City and Vincent, a mysterious half-man, half-beast who dwells in the long-forgotten tunnels beneath the city. When Catherine is disfigured in a brutal knife attack, it is Vincent who rescues her and carries her to his lair so she can recover. Catherine quickly discovers that Vincent may have the face and strength of a beast, but he also has the heart and soul of a poet. When she returns to her life, both she and Vincent find it impossible to forget the time they spent together or the psychic bond they forged. From that day forward, he is destined to be her champion and she both his joy and his torment as he fights to tame the beast within so he can be worthy of her love.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ron Perlman at a BEAUTY AND THE BEAST conference in Orlando a few years ago. He’s spent most of his career as a character actor and he admitted to the adoring conference-goers that he now realizes that the role of Vincent was truly the role of a lifetime. The premature demise of the series was also a painful demonstration of how little the networks valued both romance and its core audience of women. Since the show was very expensive to produce, they publicly announced that they needed to attract more of a male audience in the third season so they decided to accomplish that by KILLING OFF THE HEROINE (!) and trying to turn Vincent into some sort of crusading vigilante. (In CBS’s slight defense, Linda Hamilton had decided to leave the show at that point but I still think they should have just ended the show or devised a better exit than having her character butchered by a maniac.) Needless to say, the show only lasted a few more episodes. (And no, I WON’T be buying the third season on DVD! Although it has its fans, I prefer to pretend it never happened.)

If the show is a beloved favorite of yours or if you missed it entirely when it originally aired, I strongly recommend that every romance fan go out and buy or rent these DVD’s. We’ve seen so many bad attempts at capturing the magic of the romance genre on both the big screen and the small that I can’t help but rejoice when somebody finally gets it right!

Teresa's Favorite Piece of Romantic Advice

2007-02-14T17:58:00.000-08:00

"Never forget that little actions can have big benefits.”

When my husband works, I make his lunch for him the night before and always tuck a little “love note” inside the bag. He sends me one-line e-mails every day that simply say, “I love you the most,” to which I reply, “You can’t because I love YOU the most.” (Stop gagging, okay!) Neither one of us ever leaves the house without getting or giving a goodbye kiss. Nor would we ever dream of going to sleep without a goodnight kiss. On summer Sunday mornings when I’m in the bathroom getting ready for church, he makes me a strawberry smoothie and brings it to me. And yes, when he talks about sports, I pretend to be interested. When either one of us comes home, the other one always tries to stop what they’re doing to greet them at the door. It’s so easy to become lazy and apathetic in a long-term relationship but it really doesn’t take that much effort to remember why you chose each other in the first place. So when it comes to keeping romance alive, DO sweat the small stuff!

Teresa Sings, "Pirates and Bodyguards and Vikings, Oh My!"

2007-02-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

When Bantam told me they were going to reprint THIEF OF HEARTS with a special price of $4.99, my first thought was “Oh goody!” To this day, THIEF remains one of my personal favorites out of all my books because I got to explore two of my favorite romance archetypes in one book--the pirate and the bodyguard. As far as I’m concerned, it’s double the pleasure, double the fun! The book begins when my heroine Lucinda Snow is abducted by the legendary pirate Captain Doom. After a brief but passionate encounter on his ship, her navy admiral father hires the mysterious Gerard Claremont to protect her. The book is sweepingly romantic and the image of Captain Doom melting out of the shadows can still make me swoon. (If you want to hear his “theme”, just listen to UNFORGIVEN by Metallica!)

In the same way that a cliche becomes a cliche because it contains a strong dose of universal truth, I believe our classic romance archetypes like “pirate” or “bodyguard” have been such enduring successes because they push a primal button in most women. No matter how liberated she is, what woman doesn’t yearn to “stand and deliver” when her carriage is being robbed by a dashing highwayman? And doesn’t it shiver your timbers when a pirate fires his warning shot across your bow? And who can resist a Regency rake who emerges from a pond looking like Colin Firth in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE?

Even the words--highwayman, Regency rake, Viking, spy, etc.--evoke an emotional response when we read them. I’m not suggesting that our heroes are cardboard cut-outs because the most enduring heroes are always three-dimensional and may contain elements of several archetypes. But the archetype itself gives us a starting place for our attraction. We often talk about the qualities we love most in our heroes--intelligence, a sense of humor, a glossy mane of hair, a well-defined set of abs. But the one quality that all of these archetypes share is power. And I know that for me, power is the strongest aphrodisiac of all.

I live in a world where I’m expected to be in control 24 hours a day. Yes, I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan and never let my husband forget that he’s a man (especially if I need the plumbing fixed). But in my darkest, most secret heart, I long to be mastered. I want to be swept away, both by my heroes and by my reading. The more reality I have to face, the more important and vital to my mental health my fantasies become.

So send me a bodyguard to protect me, a rake to seduce me and a pirate to ravish my yearning heart!

Teresa Revisits Some Beloved Old Friends

2007-01-30T18:03:00.000-08:00

When I said I was revisiting some beloved “old” friends, you probably thought I was going to drop by Christina Dodd's or Connie Brockway's for coffee, but I’m actually referring to the fact that Bantam is re-releasing two of my “classic” romances--A WHISPER OF ROSES and THIEF OF HEARTS today at a very special price of only $4.99. When I talk about my books on-line or elsewhere, I realize that I often sound like either an incurable egotist or a raving lunatic. (Shut up, Liz.) Because when somebody gushes, “Oh, I just loved that hero!”, I can’t help but gush right back, “Oh me too! I absolutely adored him!” Or when somebody writes, “What a wonderful story!”, I catch myself sighing wistfully and thinking, “Yes, it was, wasn’t it?”

But I don’t love my stories because I wrote them. I love them because I lived them. I feel every emotion my characters are feeling. When they laugh, I laugh. When they hurt, I cry. When my heroine falls in love with my hero, I fall in love right along with her. I yearn, I ache, I burn. As I write, their memories become my own and to me that’s one of the greatest blessings of this profession. This is why it’s such a joy when a book gets reprinted. When you can not only revisit your beloved old friends but introduce them to some of the new friends--your treasured readers--that you’ve made along the way.

I still keenly remember writing one wildly dramatic scene in A WHISPER OF ROSES. (If you’ve read the book, you’ll probably know exactly what scene I’m talking about.) The theme from LAST OF THE MOHICANS was blaring on the stereo. I was writing and sobbing so hard I could barely see the monitor through my tears a la Joan Wilder in Romancing the Stone. I did the dastardly deed I knew I had to do, finished the scene with a flourish of my fingers on the keyboard, then jumped up and shouted, “Oh Lord, that was SO much fun!” See what I mean? Oh wait...I was trying to convince you that I WASN’T a lunatic, wasn’t I?

Morgan MacDonnell, the hero of A WHISPER OF ROSES broke quite a few molds for me. As some of you may have noticed, I tend to favor lean heroes with broad shoulders and narrow hips. But Morgan is a strapping fellow--a brawny Highlander with a heart nearly as large as he is. He’s also the youngest of my heroes but since he’s been herding his wild band of outlaw clansman since he was twelve, I can promise you that he’s every inch a man. It’s no wonder that Sabrina Cameron first falls in love with him when she’s only six and he’s twelve. I don’t know what it is about those wild Highland lads but I’ve never been able to resist them and judging from their continued popularity to this day, most readers can’t either. (Jamie Fraser anyone?)

Teresa Brings You "Jack Bauer's Guide to Romance"

2007-01-19T18:05:00.000-08:00

So who else caught the 4-hour premiere of the new season of ”24“ this week? I’m in love with this show not just because it’s a taut thriller but because it never fails to evoke emotion in me and I’m a terrible drama addict. (Just ask any of the other Squawkers.) The final moments of the second episode had me bawling like a baby one minute, then rolling off the couch to my knees the next, screaming, “Oh my gosh...oh my gosh...OH MY GOSH!!!” (Fortunately there was no one else home at the time.) Yes, our intrepid hero Jack Bauer was looking a little thin and haggard after two years of being tortured in a Chinese prison but it didn’t take him much time to snap back into full-blown action mode. Has anyone ever made a kill-shot to the head look sexier?

So today I bring you…

JACK BAUER’S RULES OF ROMANCE

1) The more I love you, the higher your chances of being killed by a foreign operative.

2) Your kids will never get on my nerves because my own daughter (known in many on-line communities simply as “Spawn of Jack") is the most petulant, sullen, annoying character ever created. (Sadly enough, in six seasons, she’s the only character NOT to get killed.)

3) Forget the flowers and candy. Nothing says “I love you, baby” like a good interrogation.

4) If you catch me whispering sweet nothings in a beautiful terrorist’s ear, I’m probably just saying, “I WILL kill you.” And I will.

5) Since I only have 24 hours to save the world, I may only have time for a quickie. (As opposed to say...a hot meal and a shower.)

6) Not to worry. I always carry breath mints just in case I have to rip out someone’s throat with my teeth before meeting you for lunch.

7) If your parents just happen to be connected to international terrorists, I won’t have to worry about those pesky in-law visits during the holidays.

8) I’m an excellent packer for those romantic getaways. All I need is a backpack and a couple of bananas.

9) No need for birth control because our odds of surviving more than 12 hours without some kind of nuclear attack are not high.

10) If you like the kinky stuff, I’ve had a lot of experience with ropes and chains.

Teresa's Favorite Shade of PINK

2007-01-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, that’s right. I’m a 30-something-year-old woman (cough cough...) who is coming out of the closet to admit that I adore P!NK! I first fell in love with her music for one simple reason--the girl can sing. In a music industry where pop stars are manufactured from every pretty girl who ever appeared in a Disney movie or hosted her own Nickelodeon show, P!NK is the genuine article--talented, smart, brash and bold enough to get in your face if she has something important to say. She acknowledges this paradox in Don’t Let Me Get Me from MISSUNDAZTOOD: (Hey, I said she could sing, not spell!)

“L.A. told me

You’ll be a pop star

All you have to change

Is everything you are

Tired of being compared

To damn Britney Spears

She’s so pretty

That just ain’t me.”

She revisited the subject with Stupid Girls on her most recent CD I’M NOT DEAD. The song was accompanied by a hilarious video of P!NK mocking her less talented contemporaries by writhing all over the sudsy hood of a car a la national brain trust Paris Hilton.

MISSUNDAZTOOD is the only CD aside from the hallowed BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: THE MUSICAL that ever stayed in my car CD player for an entire year without me ever getting sick of it.

Part of P!NK’s charm is her diversity. She sings pop laced with a sly wit and self-deprecating humor. She sings soul. She rocks like a latter-day Joan Jett on songs like Humble Neighborhood from TRY THIS and Numb from MISSUNDAZTOOD. And she can break your heart with songs like Family Portrait from MISSUNDAZSTOOD, which has to be the most honest account I’ve ever heard of what’s it’s like for a frightened child to wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of breaking glass and her parents screaming at each other.

When we lost our 20-year-old nephew to an accidental drug overdose in August, there was very little that could give me comfort but P!NK’S song Who Knew (written for a dear friend of hers who died from an overdose three years ago) gave my anguish both a voice and a melody.

I’ve always been a sucker for smart, angry young women who have something genuine to say and refuse to take any crap off of anybody. (Alannis Morissette anyone?) They remind me of what it’s like to be racing down the road at seventeen with the windows down and the stereo blasting. But P!NK is even more fun than Alannis because she knows when to wink at her own foibles and ours.

(DISCLAIMER: P!NK’s CDs TRY THIS and I’M NOT DEAD contain some profanity. I buy the edited versions for myself and my niece but it’s still not too hard to figure out what’s missing. The good news is that she doesn’t use profanity frequently or gratuitously. So if you like your swearing to have the delicious resonance and eloquence of a good Elizabeth Bevarly rant, then it may not bother you.)

Teresa Shares Her Favorite Christmas Movies

2006-12-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

To me, nothing says Christmas like watching Billy Peltzer's mom stuff a murderous little monster into a blender and push "Puree," which is why GREMLINS tops my list of favorite holiday movies. When you just can't bear to face another jolly mall Santa or hear another cloying chorus of "Frosty the Snowman," pop GREMLINS into your DVD player and enjoy a black chuckle or two. You can still get your dose of warm cuddlies because no elf or red-nosed reindeer could possibly be cuter than Gizmo! (Just don't feed him after midnight!)

If your idea of Christmas cheer is watching hot guys save the world from the criminal element (or Gary Busey), try plugging in the action-packed duet of DIE HARD and LETHAL WEAPON. Their Christmas settings only add to their delicious irony. LETHAL WEAPON sports a pre-ranting Mel Gibson at the height of his masculine beauty (And hey, Danny Glover is no slouch either!) while DIE HARD has Bruce Willis literally walking over broken glass to save his woman. (With the added bonus of Alan Rickman in full-on evil mode. Yummy!) Instead of crooning "White Christmas," you'll soon be shouting out "Yippee-ki-yay, mother--" Wait—you'd better make sure your mom is in the room first.

And lest you fear me completely devoid of Christmas sentimentality, I'm going to pick IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE next. Not only is it a magnificent movie, it also boasts one of the hottest love scenes in cinematic history. There are no rumpled bedsheets. There are no naked, straining bodies. There is simply George Bailey and Mary Hatch sharing a phone in her mother's living room. An overtly hostile George is torn between his dream of escaping his hometown while there's still time and his desperate desire for young Mary. I don't have to tell you which one wins and in that moment when he drops the phone and grabs Mary, the chemistry between them is so sizzling it may very well melt your heart and your DVD player.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE also gave me and my husband one of our favorite catchphrases. When George is raging through the house after Uncle Billy has lost the bank's money, he shouts, "If we're such a happy family, why do we have all these kids?" which can be easily adapted to "If we're such a happy family, why do we have all these cats/recyclable plastics/Christmas decorations???"

Confessions of a True Romantic

2006-11-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

I was destined to write romance. To prove it to you, I’d like to share a brief snippet of prose: “His kiss was tender, yet passionate. Passionate, yet tender. Neither dominant over the other.” No, that isn’t a passage from my October release THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME. I wrote those words in my diary when I was 11 years old, and I’m embarrassed to admit that the object of my somewhat chaste passions was none other than...Donny Osmond.

I’ve been in love with being in love for as long as I can remember. When I was 5 years old, I would dress up in one of my mom’s discarded outfits, spread a blanket in the middle of the living room floor, and spend all night pretending I was at the movies with a date. It was the best sort of movie theater--the kind that showed endless runs of THAT GIRL, THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, I DREAM OF JEANIE and THE MONKEES.

Whenever me and my neighborhood friends played “let’s pretend”, almost every one of our games had a secret romantic thread that unwove only in my mind. What fun is playing “cowboys” and “Indians” if your tough-talking, six-shooting cowgirl can’t win the heart of that savage Indian? And why play “school” if you can’t be Laura Ingalls waiting for Almanzo Wilder to brave the blizzard-swept plains and rescue you from a frozen schoolhouse? (That’s the real Almanzo in the pic above. Not bad, eh?) And you can ask J Perry Stone about my fantasy where I was kidnapped by the Monkees (that would be THE MONKEES, not the MONKEYS!) and all four of them fell in love with me. (Well, except for Peter...Peter was always more of a brother figure, don’t you think?)

I started writing my first historical romance when I was 12. It was called THE PIRATES OF ROCKLON HILL and featured an intrepid pirate captain named (of course!)...Sir Donald Osmond. In a scene eerily identical to the abduction scene in the first PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, he and his crew stormed my heroine’s mansion, her heart, and her unassailable virtue. (I wasn’t exactly sure what virtue was back then, but I knew it was supposed to be unassailable.)

Of course I had my own romantic role models. My parents were never shy with their hugs and kisses--either with me or with each other. They both loved music and you never knew when they might break into a slow dance in the middle of the living room floor to Leo Sayer’s WHEN I NEED YOU. My dad served in Vietnam for two years and he and my mother wrote letters to each other EVERY SINGLE DAY of his deployment. Those letters were so full of unrequited longing and scorching passion that I’m still not allowed to read them. They’re kept in a locked suitcase that’s to be opened only in the event of their deaths.

Despite my five-year Donny obsession, he wasn’t my first love. I remember quite distinctly falling in love for the first time when I was six years old. He had electric blue eyes, wavy brown hair and a pair of dimples that rivaled my own. The movie was THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES and the star was a Disney staple and teen actor named...Kurt Russell. I still get a little warm and fuzzy when I see Kurt. It probably doesn’t hurt that he turned out pretty good. The eyes are still electric blue, the hair is still thick and wavy and there’s no denying the charm of those dimples and that smile. And hey--he’s even a great family man and director! (TOMBSTONE anyone?)

Teresa's Book Reviews: Dead Until Dark

2006-11-11T18:24:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has read AFTER MIDNIGHT or THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME will tell you that I don’t like to venture too far over to the dark side and I like my vamps with tongues (and fangs) planted firmly in cheek. So when I first discovered Charlaine Harris’s DEAD UNTIL DARK, it was a supernatural match made in heaven. All I had to hear was, “It’s a book about a cocktail waitress named Sookie Stackhouse and a Southern vampire named Bill” and I went racing for the bookstore shelves.

Everything about this series feel fresh to me. Unlike so many vampire tales, Charlaine Harris’s books aren’t set in New Orleans but in the rural backwater town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. Bill is the quintessential vampire--tall, dark, handsome...and undead. Since he was “turned” just after the Civil War, he also has a laconic drawl. And in an added advantage, sex with Bill temporarily gives a girl supernatural strength, glowing skin, and fabulous shiny hair like those models in the Pantene commercials.

The books are all written in first person and Sookie Stackhouse is one of the strongest and most likable female characters I’ve ever met. She looks like the girl we all wanted to be in high school--she’s (pardon the pun) stacked and has a shiny mane of long straight blond hair. But she’s also the girl we all wanted to be our best friend in high school--she’s funny, kind, wry and smarter than almost everyone else around her. And did I mention that she’s psychic? That’s right--she can read minds. Well, everyone’s mind but Bill’s and his vampire kin, which is yet another reason why he’s so attractive to her.

The books are wonderful adventure/mystery/vampire tales but they’re also very sexy, especially when Ms. Harris introduces Bill’s sexy and sinister vampire boss Eric, who neatly straddles the line between villain and hero and creates a Ranger/Joe-sized dilemma in the reader’s mind. In the third book of the series, CLUB DEAD, we also meet Alcide Herveaux, a biker werewolf, who made me think that I might not mind a little back hair if it was on the right guy (or werewolf).

Alan Ball, the creator of SIX FEET UNDER, has just optioned the books to make a television series for HBO. I just wish I could be there when the casting call goes out for Bill, Eric, and Alcide! The most recent book in the series, DEFINITELY DEAD, came out in May of this year.

SOUTHERN VAMPIRE SERIES
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Defintely Dead

Teresa Presents Christina Dodd

2006-11-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m wasting my precious blog time talking about the likes of my friend...Christina Dodd. Let me tell you a little bit about Christina and perhaps you’ll understand.

She may rise at 5 a.m. while on deadline but the rest of the year, we all know not to call her house before 9 a.m. (I don’t know if she has one of those little black satin sleep masks but it wouldn’t surprise me.) When her husband goes out of town, she regales us with elaborate menus of the gourmet foods she’ll be preparing for herself--most of which involve fresh cloves of garlic and Balsamic oils imported from the south of France. (When my husband goes out of town, I usually treat myself to an entire box of Velveeta Shells & Cheese and a can of Pringles.) She can often be found lounging in one of her favorite possessions--one of those amazing massage chairs from the Brookstone catalogue. (I tried it when I visited and it’s only flaw is that the seat doesn’t vibrate.) An evening at home might involve sitting on the balcony and watching the sun set over the lake as she sips her favorite wine and enjoys the company of husband and dogs. My favorite story about Christina is that when she moved away from Texas, she missed Blue Bell ice cream so much that she ordered it over the internet. That’s right--ice cream. Over the internet. Which meant that the shipping cost more than the ice cream. Even the Fed Ex man giggled over that one.

So is Christina a hedonist? Is she self-indulgent? Is she spoiled? After much contemplation (and more than a little envy), I’ve determined that Christina is that rarest of creatures--a woman who knows how to take care of herself. She sleeps well, she eats well and in general, she treats herself as the precious commodity that she is. Let’s face it--she’s already raised two kids and she’s currently one of the hardest working women in show business. To be able to do that work, she understands that massage chairs and the willingness to cook herself a gourmet meal aren’t indulgences but necessities that nourish both her body and her spirit. And even better, she never, ever apologizes for honoring the gift that she’s been given.

Most of the time we women are too busy taking care of everyone else to take care of ourselves. Even the smallest of indulgences are postponed and as a consequence, we sleep too little, we eat too much, and we stumble from task to task with a strangling sense of desperation and a vague feeling of discontent. So I’ve decided to declare today CHRISTINA DODD DAY and I urge all of you to do the same! I’m going to spend an hour curled up in a chair with a wonderful book. I’m going to fix myself something healthy but delicious for lunch.

And if Christina should call this afternoon, just tell her I’m off to get a pedicure.

Teresa Picnics at Hanging Rock

2006-10-30T18:29:00.000-08:00

I adore scary movies! As a writer, I don’t think I can afford to shut myself off from any human emotion, including horror. I love the first HALLOWEEN. I love the first NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT scared the bejeebers out of me and hey, I even enjoyed SAW! Instead of slasher pics, my true favorites are psychological thrillers like THE OTHERS and THE INNOCENTS. Which may be why I think PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK is the scariest movie ever made.

This 1975 Australian film from Peter Weir (who would later go on to make GALLIPOLI, WITNESS, DEAD POET’S SOCIETY and MASTER AND COMMANDER) is a lyrical, brooding masterpiece set at Appleyard College (an all-girls school) in 1900. When a group from the college sets out to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a picnic jaunt to Hanging Rock--an ancient volcanic outcropping in Victoria--disaster ensues. While the other students are napping, four of the girls defy their teacher’s instructions and set off to explore the interior of the rock. The next thing we know, one teacher and three of the girls have vanished into thin air. Only one girl is found--hysterical and with no memory of what happened to the others. The disappearances send shockwaves of fear and suspicion through the community. The movie’s cinematography is exquisite and Weir captured the dreamy quality of the film by actually filming parts of it through a bridal veil. Although the students drift about in white dresses plainly chosen to symbolize their purity, the movie is rife with repressed sexuality. In their darkest hearts, the girls seem to have more in common with the chaotic wildness of the Australian outback than the rigid propriety of their society, which makes it easier to believe that they may have gone willingly to their mysterious fate. Without shedding a single drop of blood, this movie continues to haunt me years after I first saw it.

Teresa Whispers, "I've Got A Secret"

2006-10-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

I was recently thinking about the charms and the intricacies of female friendship. I know that most men view us as gossipy, chatty creatures. We can become lifelong friends with another woman while standing in the grocery line for fifteen minutes while men can be "best friends" for twenty years and not know any more about each other than the number of cylinders in their engines or their favorite football teams. It's no accident of nature that the average man speaks around 12,000 words a day while the average woman speaks 24,000. By the time a man comes home from a day of work, he's probably already used up his daily quota of words. (Ever ask "How was your day, honey?" only to have him reply, "Fine"?) Let's face it--if women didn't talk to each other, we'd have no one to talk to!

Contrary to what most men think, we're not swapping gossip; we're building relationships. Information is the currency women use to buy intimacy with each other. The secrets we share about ourselves (and yes, occasionally others) is the glue that binds us together. In some ways, we're still those little girls whispering to each other in the dark at the slumber party. Everyone knows that the best secrets (our deepest wishes, our darkest fears, which boy we adored the most) were always shared after the lights went out. Some of my most rewarding friendships have begun with the words, "I know I shouldn't be telling you this but..." It's all a matter of building trust. If I can share the worst thing I ever did and trust that you still love me, then I'll know I've found a friend for life.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go call one of my friends so I can begin the conversation with, "I know I shouldn't be telling you this but..."

Teresa Sings, "Vampires and Werewolves and Shape-Shifters, Oh My!"

2006-10-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, is it just me or are you getting afraid to leave the house for fear some sexy vampire or panting werewolf will leap out of the bushes and try to have his way with you? Instead of lions and tigers and bears, it's those other pesky creatures of the night who are overrunning the woods and the bookstores these days. After flipping through the most recent issue of "Romantic Times Book Reviews," even I—the author of THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME—had to ask myself (a la Carrie Bradshaw in SEX AND THE CITY), "Just when did paranormal become normal?"

My theory is that the current paranormal boom represents a reader's rebellion of sorts. I adore contemporary comedies and lighthearted Regency romances as much as the next girl. I've written a few of those lighthearted Regencies myself and may very well turn around and write another one tomorrow. But I can't live on a steady diet of them. No matter how delicious the pudding, sometimes I just have to have a little meat with it.

By sneaking through the back door in the dead of night, paranormal has brought back to the romance genre the very qualities that made it so wildly popular in the late 70's, 80's and early 90's. Dark passions and the thrill of danger. Heroes and heroines who may very well die without one another. And the gripping sense that something eternal is at stake. (In THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME, that something is the hero's soul.)

So what are YOUR theories about the current popularity of paranormal romance? Are paranormal heroes the ultimate Alpha males or do you prefer that your men don't require up-to-date shots and a flea collar?

Teresa Gets Ready for Her Close-Up

2006-10-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

I’m sure you all remember my local TV story last year when everyone in the studio started screaming “Nipple! NIPPLE!!!” because my hero had boldly exposed his nipple in the stepback art of AFTER MIDNIGHT. (This was shortly after the whole FCC/Janet Jackson debacle.) So I just wanted you to know that everything went smoothly this year during my appearance at our local station to promote THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME.

Well...almost everything. Except for the part where I slid into the car to go to the TV station and realized I was too fat to sit down in my suit. You know how your skirt gets just a teensy bit snug around the hips and you notice the buttons down the front of your jacket are gaping open a meager 1/2 an inch so you try to squinch down your shoulders only to realize you’re developing a startling resemblance to the Hunchback of Notre Dame? That’s when I began to suspect that I’d developed the most dreaded of all female complaints—back fat. I knew that someday I’d have to pay for all of those torrid midnight flings with dozens of hot, anonymous Krispy Kremes, but why today of all days? I expected them to go directly to my thighs, not wiggle their way up my spine!

I drive to the station, hunched over so that I can barely see over the steering wheel, but with all my buttons intact. Before going in, I glance into the rearview mirror to freshen my lipstick. I blink in horror. What fresh hell is this? How could I have sprouted a full-fledged handlebar mustache in the time it took to get from home to the TV station? So there I sit in the parking lot, New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros, trying to trim her heretofore invisible mustache with a pair of nail clippers. I could only pray that perhaps I would accidentally clip an artery and put myself out of my misery!

Being an optimist, I assume that things can only get better. Until I walk into the station to find every man in the place leering at me. Turns out the host has been reading my love scene aloud to the entire camera crew. ("As she took him deeper than he ever thought possible, he arched off the bed with a guttural groan,” he recites with all of the gravity and glee of Olivier doing Richard III.) Since said host just happens to be a friend of mine, I gently try to explain that the love scene is the culmination of over 200 pages of courtship, tenderness and emotion and that reading it out of context is a Bad Thing. He leers more deeply and all but twirls his own mustache as he explains, “But I’m a man. We like things out of context!” (Hey, you can’t fault him for being honest!)

I’m happy to report that the interview went well. The host was charming and debonair and didn’t read (or act out) a single one of my love scenes on-camera. My TOP TEN REASONS FOR LOVING A VAMPIRE a la Letterman was a big hit. Now if I could just get rid of this back fat!

Jayne Krentz Interviews Teresa Over at Running With Quills

2006-10-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

Teresa: Thanks so much for the invitation, Jayne! It's so nice to hang out with some classy broads instead of those big-butted chicks over at Squawk Radio. (Of course I'm referring to their artistic renditions, not their actual butts. Although come to think of it...hmmm...)

Jayne: Speaking of Squawk Radio, a wicked little elf named Christina Dodd told me that you had thought about calling your new book THE VAMPIRE WHO ATE ME instead of THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME? Is this true?

Teresa: Only in Christina's twisted little mind. I would never stoop to such a low-brow double entendre to express the deeply spiritual love that Portia and Julian have for each other. I had considered something much classier and more in keeping with the transcendent tone of the story—like THE VAMPIRE WHO SHAGGED ME.

Jayne: Having read your books and knowing you to be a soft-hearted soul who loves toddlers and kittens and all creatures great and small, I find it hard to imagine you creating a stone-cold killer for a hero. How did you get around the fact that your hero might need to um...eat a few people just to survive?

Teresa: Well, in the Teresa Medeiros universe, a vampire can survive just by snacking between meals. Julian, being the sexy vamp that he is, has discovered that wherever he goes, there are women willing to offer him a little sip of themselves. He takes just what he needs to survive and he makes sure they get what they need in return. (Wink, wink.) Needless to say, when Portia comes back into his life after an absence of five years, she puts a real kink into his somewhat kinky lifestyle.

Jayne: I hear that you first introduced Portia and Julian in AFTER MIDNIGHT as the sister of the heroine and the brother of the hero. What's this I keep hearing about some mysterious crypt? Why are your readers threatening to don t-shirts that say, I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CRYPT!

Teresa: I'm such a shameless tease! In AFTER MIDNIGHT, Portia and Julian were locked in a crypt together by the villain and Portia was forced to sacrifice herself to save Julian's life. (Or his existence or whatever it is that vampires have.) But after the incident, neither of them will talk about EXACTLY what happened in that crypt. So I started THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME knowing I had a mystery to solve.

Jayne: Did you have it all plotted out before you starting writing?

Teresa: Ha! I spent four months spinning my wheels, calling friends and begging for help, whining to my editor and agent because I honestly had NO idea what had happened in that crypt. I knew it was important and I knew it would inform the whole book but I was clueless! Out of desperation, I finally sat down and started writing anyway. It wasn't until I got to the scene where Portia and Julian confess all to each other that I found out what had happened between them. And my jaw dropped! I literally jumped out of chair, yelled, "Holy crap!" and began to whoop and holler. My husband thought I'd lost my mind (which is a frequent occurrence around here during deadline anyway.)

Jayne: Were your readers as surprised and pleased as you were?

Teresa: I can honestly say that I've never gotten so much feedback so quickly on a new release. And so far all of it has been positive!

Jayne: So what's next? Any more sexy vamps in your future?

Teresa: I think I've said everything I have to say about vamps at the moment although I might like to peek back in at the Kane/Cabot family at a later date. I haven't said much about my next project yet but I can tell you that it will be another historical paranormal, that I'll be taking a walk on the "wild" side and that the new file on my computer desktop is labeled, "Hello Kitty." ;)

Jayne: Thanks so much for being with us today?

Teresa: Thanks for having me, Jayne! You're one of the classiest broads I know!

Teresa Picks Her Favorite D.I.G.

2006-10-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we’ve all heard of DIK’s (Desert Island Keepers) but to celebrate the release of the 6th season debut of LOST on DVD, I want to talk about another feminine necessity--DIG’s, also known as Desert Island Guys. These aren’t the men you’d necessarily want to marry. These are the guys who can provide shelter, conversation and a little body heat to warm up those long lonely nights while you’re waiting for the Coast Guard (or the Royal Navy) to come sailing by.

You can count on Captain Jack Sparrow to get you drunk and seduce you but could he build a hurricane-proof tiki hut? And what about the luscious Sawyer from LOST? Nobody broods or scowls more eloquently but what if he was off in the jungle sulking just when you wanted him to mix you up a nice pina colada in a coconut shell? Jack Bauer from 24 can be really handy with that all-purpose backpack (he probably already has a pointy stick designed just for catching fish or skewering government spies) but what if he starts shouting at you and you spill all of your secrets? (Or he decides to shoot you in the head just because you have a touch of PMS?)

I was watching re-runs on TBS the other night when I picked my own DIG--Adventurer and treasure seeker Rick O’Connell from THE MUMMY and THE MUMMY RETURNS. He’s easy on the eyes, has a strapping build, tans very nicely, is very protective, has a sense of humor and a fairly sunny personality and can fire two pistols at once better than just about any hero I’ve ever seen. (And if anybody remembers GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE, he doesn’t look half bad in a loincloth either!)

Has Teresa Crossed Over to the Dark Side?

2006-10-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Rumors are flying throughout the publishing industry. Readers are looking at me askance. “Can it be true?” they whisper. Has Teresa Medeiros—author of charming fairy tales and numerous stories about cuddly kittens—truly succumbed to the seductive lure of the vampire? Has she turned her back on the sunlight to take a walk in the shadows, accompanied by a dangerous hero who could very well be the ruination of her?

And my answer can only be..."Well, duh! What woman wouldn’t want to take a walk on the dark side with Julian Kane?” I eased into the genre with AFTER MIDNIGHT, then decided to embrace my first full-fledged vampire hero with THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME. (Needless to say, embracing Julian wasn’t any great hardship on my part ) I’ve always written and loved dangerous heroes and I’ve never found it difficult to understand the appeal of the vampire hero. (Especially not after seeing Frank Langella’s portrayal of DRACULA during my formative teen years!)

The vampire is the ultimate Bad Boy, the consummate Alpha hero. Power is one of the most delicious aphrodisiacs and what greater power is there than the power over life and death? There’s something wickedly sexy about a hero who has the power to kill you but can’t resist kissing you instead. His hunger for you is all-consuming and he could literally die if you don’t satisfy him. What beauty wouldn’t want to tame such a beast?

But I definitely don’t believe THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME represents a rejection of my straight historicals. I was told by an editor years ago that the primary theme that runs through all of my books is redemption. That theme comes to ultimate fruition with Julian because he is literally a man in search of his soul. I knew from the start that I’d never be able to tell his story if I couldn’t bring the same humor, love, and light to it that I’ve tried to bring to all of my books. For me, it’s the contrast between the light of true love and the darkness that tugs at all of our souls that makes a story like Julian’s worth the telling.

Teresa's Top Ten Reasons for Loving A Vampire

2006-09-26T17:19:00.000-07:00

1) You never have to worry about him coming home and saying, "What's for dinner, honey?"

2) When he says, "I'll love you forever", he means it

3) Black can be very slimming

4) No more worries about West Nile Virus with that bat flitting around your eaves at twilight

5) Instead of making the bed every morning, you can just close the lid

6) He'll never have garlic breath

7) You can spend all day at the mall shopping while he's sleeping

8) A Transylvanian henchman is cheaper than a maid or a gardener

9) When he promises to "make love to you all night," he won't roll over in fifteen minutes and go to sleep

10) He'll never hog the mirror in the morning

Teresa's Book Reviews: The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch

2006-09-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

I have to start this blog by admitting that I'm an idiot. At least 3 years ago, lovely and wise Avon author Christie Ridgway gave me a glowing recommendation for a trade paperback called THE SECOND COMING OF LUCY HATCH by Marsha Moyer. Christie glowed SO brightly about this book that I wisely went out and bought not only LUCY HATCH but it's companion novel THE LAST OF THE HONKY TONK ANGELS. So why am I an idiot, you ask? Because I let the book languish on my bookshelf for 3 years before finally picking it up to take on a long plane trip last week.

Lucy Hatch's second coming begins with the first line of the novel: I was thirty-three years old when my husband walked out into the field one morning and never came back and I went in one quick leap from wife to widow. At 19, Lucy had wed a taciturn, stoic 27-year-old farmer, believing that still waters run deep only to discover that sometimes still waters only run...well...still. For fourteen years, they were the kind of couple who had an abiding respect for each other but who rarely spoke and only made love with the lights off. Lucy sincerely grieves Mitchell when he dies but perhaps her greatest grief comes from admitting to herself that she also feels a tiny smidgen of relief.

Texas is in the very bones of this book and the grieving Lucy retreats to her hometown of Mooney, Texas to try to find the girl she lost all those years ago. As Lucy sets out to rediscover herself in a little ramshackle rental house out in the country, her family rallies around her: Aunt Dove, her "spinster aunt" and the wisest of the lot, her good looking brother Bailey, her slightly plus-sized and plus-hearted sister-in-law Geneva.

It's Bailey and Geneva who drag Lucy out of that rental house and back to her favorite teenage haunt--the local honky tonk, the Round-Up. That's where she comes face-to-face with town bad boy Ash Farrell. Ah, Ash Farrell! (Insert swooning sigh here). Although he's not a cowboy, Ash is a "cowboy hero" in the best sense of the tradition. He's a lean, tall drink of water--a carpenter (who knows how to use his hands!) by day and a singer who performs every Friday night down at the Round-Up. Women line up at the bar to vie for his attentions after each performance but the minute he sees Lucy, he "sets his sights on her." He brings her flowers, he brings her a puppy, he fixes her leaky pipes. (And no--that's not a metaphor!) His courtship and her initial resistance set every tongue in Mooney wagging.

Marsha Moyer is a master at both dialogue and characterization. I think I first fell in love with Ash when he was telling Lucy about the steeple at the local Baptist Church:

"Reverend Honeywell's got a couple of spotlights trained on it at night now," Ash said. "In case, I guess, Jesus decides to come back at two in the morning and can't see to land."

When we learn that Ash went into foster care at the age of four when they found him all alone in the house with his mentally ill mother, "sitting in the closet eating dog biscuits right out of the box," I'm ready to hand him both my house keys and my panties.

You often hear romance readers whining about how hard it is to create unique love scenes after they've written several books. Their hero and heroine have done it in the rocking chair. They've swung from the chandelier. There can't possibly be any new words left to describe how to put Tab A into Slot B, can there? After reading this book, I'm happy to discover that there are. The love scenes in this book are infused with emotion and helped to remind me that it's not the mechanics that need refreshing but the language used to describe them:
So I let myself slide under again, my mind floating somewhere between dark and light, aware of nothing but my skin under his thickened fingertips, the silken grit of his unshaved chin as it grazed behind my ears, the curve of my throat, the hollow of my collarbone. The quilt had fallen to the floor, and my nightgown worked itself into a tangle at my hips as I felt him move down over me, kissing and kissing, creating a smooth, undulating purl of response from my head to my toes.

As irresistible as Ash is, it's Lucy's voice--wry, funny, and unflinchingly honest--that truly propels the story. When her brother Bailey tells her, "I just want you to be safe is all," Lucy replies with, "My husband got chewed up by a farm machine. Safe is a word that's gone straight out of my vocabulary."

THE SECOND COMING OF LUCY HATCH is both a beautifully written novel and a fine romance. There are very few books that capture the true joy and terror of falling in love and this is one of the best I've ever read. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pull Marsha Moyer's second book, THE LAST OF THE HONKY TONK ANGELS, straight off my shelf before my IQ drops even lower.

Teresa Presents "A Romance Writer's Guide to a Happy Marriage"

2006-09-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

I know what you're expecting. A lot of suggestions that contain the words "moon", "june" and "croon" along with instructions for sprinkling fresh rose petals on your sheets and taking long walks on a moonlit beach. But having been married 22 years now (Yes, I live in Kentucky. I COULD have married when I was 12 just like I COULD have written my first book when I was 5.), I'd like to give you some more practical advice. Whether you've been married 3 years, 33 years, or have just spotted the guy you think you'd like to marry sitting in front of you in your freshman English class, I hope you can put these tips to good use.

1) Lower your expectations and accept responsibility for your own happiness. This may very well be the key to happiness in ALL things in your life. How many times have we wailed, "He/My Job/My cat just doesn't make me happy!" Well, guess what? It's not anyone else's responsibility to make you happy. You're not perfect and neither is he. But if you can learn to embrace his flaws and teach him to find yours endearing ("She snores like a freight train. Isn't that adorable?"), then happiness will be within your grasp.

2) When you first get married, try to put a 100 miles and at least one river between you and both of your families. This isn't always possible but if it is, it will give you a chance to establish your identity as a couple and a "family" without well-meaning interference from either set of in-laws. It also helps you learn to depend on each other instead of running home to mom and dad whenever you have an emotional or physical need to fulfill.

3) Practice the 3 C's--caring, commitment, compromise. Without these 3 qualities, it's difficult to have any sort of successful relationship. My husband and I learned a lesson about commitment the very first year of our marriage. (You'll never have worse or stupider fights than your first year of marriage! We once threw our Precious Moments wedding cake topper into the garbage can to "symbolize the destruction of our marriage".) We were having one of those utterly ridiculous fights when one of us tossed out the dreaded "D" word. It scared us both so badly that we vowed to never again speak of divorce, no matter how bitter the disagreement. If you know you're committed to working through every problem that arises, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. (Of course there are special dispensations for infidelity, abuse or other transgressions of trust.)

4) Never stop dating. Ah, this is where the rose petals and moonlit walks on the beach come in! I know it can be hectic if you're both working and there are small children and not a lot of money, but a simple Friday night movie or dinner date (even if it's 5 for $5 night at Arby's!) can help to remind you of why you fell in love in the first place. There's nothing more painful than two people with empty nest syndrome who suddenly realize they've become strangers over the past 20 years.

5) Make your kids the spokes of your marriage, not the hub. If you think of your marriage as a giant wheel, picture you and your husband at the center of the wheel with the kids revolving around you. There's no greater gift you can give your children than two parents who love and respect each other.

6) Never stop laughing either with each other...or at each other. This is why it's so important to marry a man with a sense of humor. Marriage can be great fun, especially when you're married to your best friend. I still giggle when I remember how my husband forgot to reverse the blade on his beard trimmer and accidentally shaved off half of his eyebrow. (It wasn't the mishap that was so funny, but his reaction--"Don't look at me! I'm hideous!" You'd have thought he was the Elephant Man!)

7) Ask for help when you need it. This is a tough one for men. It's usually a lot harder for them to commit to seeing a counselor without coercion or threats. (Don't be ashamed to use either!) The common mantra is "it takes two to improve a relationship" but the truth is that we each have tremendous personal power to effect change so don't be afraid to seek help for yourself if he goes all caveman on you.

8) Be aware that you can still get "crushes" after you get married. There should be a red flag next to this tip. The trick is to recognize the difference between "infatuation" and "abiding love". My heart still lights up every time my husband walks into a room but it's very easy to believe that once the initial "sparkle" of your first attraction deepens to a glimmer that you've "fallen out of love" or "grown apart", which can make you prey to the attentions of that cute guy in your office. If this were true, we'd all have to change mates every 6 months just to keep the adolescent thrill alive. If you find yourself experiencing a "crush" that seems irresistible, then be ruthless about removing yourself from the situation, even if that means changing jobs. I can promise you that 6 months down the road (about the time you'd start noticing your crush's back hair and his annoying tendency of talking through his nose), you'll be glad you did!

9) Never take each other for granted. One of the fundamental tenets of cognitive therapy is that "feeling follows action", also known as "fake it 'til you make it". My husband never goes off to work without a little note tucked in his lunch that says, "I love you" or "You're my hero" or "You're my forever love." Not a day goes by that he doesn't send me an e-mail that simply says, "I love you" or "I missed you". Sometimes we tend to treat strangers with more kindness and courtesy than we treat those who share our homes and our lives.

10) And along those same lines, Recognize and cultivate romance in the small things. I'll never forget an Ann Landers letter I once read. A woman was writing to tell Ann her husband was never "overly affectionate". He didn't reach out for spontaneous hugs or hold her hand in public or say "I love you" with any regularity. But he made sure her car had regular tune-ups and every single week without fail, he brought her a bag of her favorite candy. It wasn't until after 35 years of marriage and his death that she realized that every time he handed her that bag of candy, he was saying, "I love you." I thought of this at the Star Trek convention a couple of weeks ago when I was sitting in a cold, drafty convention hall and my husband showed up with two things--my sweater and a bag of dark chocolate M&M's. I just smiled up at him and said, "I love you, too."

Teresa Searches for Her Happily Ever After

2006-08-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

One of the tricks I use to spice up my own novels is to incorporate the primal power of classic fairy tale themes. My favorite fairy tale fantasy is BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. No matter how sardonic your duke or how arrogant your knight, there’s always one turning point in the book when his love for your heroine should bring him to his knees. Only then can his transformation from beast to prince be complete.

The legend of SLEEPING BEAUTY represents our heroine's emotional and sexual awakening. Whether she's a ravishing beauty, a dowdy spinster, or a prim ice princess, it is our hero's kiss that first stirs her slumbering desires to life. Once awakened, she is both curious and eager to explore her newfound sensuality.

CINDERELLA is one of most timeless and rewarding fantasies, confirming that the secret to happiness in life is a successful makeover. Who can forget the pivotal moment when Cinderella scrubs off her ashes, dons her glass slippers, and dances her way into the prince's heart? If you set this revelation at an actual public event such as a masquerade ball, you’ll reward your readers with the doubly dramatic bonus of witnessing the crowd's response to your character’s transformation.

As an aspiring writer, if you can find a way to incorporate some of these themes into your own work, I can guarantee both you and your readers a happy ending!

Top Ten Ways to Tell Teresa Is a Geek

2006-08-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

1) Her china cabinet is filled with STAR TREK plates instead of china

2) She can admit she's a William Shatner fan without blushing

3) In the original version of her novel A WHISPER OF ROSES, Morgan MacDonnell was a Klingon

4) She thinks Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgees is a plump little hobbit love muffin

5) One of the Christmas trees in her house is decorated ONLY with talking Star Trek ornaments

6) Instead of seeking therapy for her problems, she lies on the couch and pretends she's talking to Counselor Deanna Troi

7) If she had her very own holodeck, she would spend all of her time re-enacting her favorite romance novels and never come out

8) Her cat is named "Buffy the Mouse Slayer"

9) She owns all 3 seasons of LAND OF THE LOST on DVD and once had imaginary friends named Will and Holly

10) She's currently at the STAR TREK 40th Anniversary Convention in Las Vegas!

Teresa Asks, "Where Do You Like to Do It?"

2006-08-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

I know Russell Crowe is supposed to be a voracious reader but I'm not sure if the pic to the left is intended to promote reading or be a cautionary warning against smoking in bed.

I will say that it did get me thinking about where I like to read. Unlike some of you, I'm not coordinated enough to read in the bathtub. If I tried, I'm afraid the only result would be a very wrinkled me and a swollen, sodden mass of wood pulp that used to be a book.

In the summer I love to curl up on this divine divan in our sun room. I've coveted a divan ever since I was a little girl and I saw an illustration in LITTLE WOMEN of Jo March reclining on her attic divan on a rainy day, eating a juicy red apple and reading a novel. (Unfortunately I'm more likely to be stuffing my piehole with a bag of dark chocolate M&M's.) It's so relaxing to be reading with a gentle breeze drifting through the windows or the rain pattering down on the metal roof. Of course the real challenge is resisting the temptation to lay the book aside and snuggle down for an afternoon nap!

In the winter I nest in this oversized chair in the corner of our living room away from the TV. It was the wall-to-wall bookshelves that sold me on this house and there's something terribly comforting about glancing up and seeing all of those other books glowing softly in the light--some already well-read and loved, others just waiting to be discovered. And the best thing about this chair-and-a-half is that there's exactly enough room for me and at least half a cat!

When I was a child, my dad used to cook a big breakfast for us every Saturday morning. And my official job while he cooked was...to stay in bed and read! I still remember how cozy it felt to be tucked into bed reading HALF-MAGIC or THE PRINCESS BRIDE while the sound of my daddy's whistling and the succulent aroma of bacon wafted up the stairs.

There are some books you always remember because of WHERE you read them. (Hospital waiting room, anyone?) I first read THE HOBBIT on a sunny Saturday afternoon while sitting cross-legged at the very top of a fire tower at Pennyrile State Park with the forest stretched out below me as far as the eye could see. (I could almost see the Eagles come swooping over the horizon to save the battle and the day!) I read ROOTS when I was 13 during a long car trip to Disney World. And I finished Stephen King and Peter Straub's THE TALISMAN on the way home from a vacation in Massachusetts with Phil Collins singing, "Take Me Home" as the perfect accompaniment to the final moments of both the trip and the book.

Teresa Gibbers on Hysterically About Her Writing Process

2006-08-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Process? I'm supposed to have a process???!!! After 20 years and 17 books, now's a fine time to tell me! This is what I do. I write a book, celebrate, then panic when I realize I have to write another one. Oh wait, you want specifics, right?

Okay--the first thing to come to me is usually the hero and heroine's names. Next up is their personalities. THEN I come up with a plot. And I've always required a BIG PLOT because that's the skeleton I build my story on. I like Backstory, Characters Who Meet As Children, Big Hooks, Masquerade Balls, Amnesia, Evil Twins, Stolen Kisses, Shocking Revelations! Which means I usually start out with about a dozen scenes that I "know". Each scene I "know" usually leads to 3 or more scenes that come as a pleasant surprise to me.

I'm a perfectionist with a very stringent internal editor. (Yes, I edited this blog 6 times.) So it usually takes me 6 months to write the first 200 pages and 6 weeks to write the last 200 pages. There's a reason for that. It's called DESPERATION. Once that deadline clock starts ticking, I'm able to knock that nasty internal editor off of my shoulder and the story starts pouring out of me. And the strangest thing of all is that those are the pages that usually require the least editing! It makes me nervous to talk about process because I'm one of those writers who prefers not to analyze the magic and the mystery of what we do. I can say that I've always ascribed to the Jill Landis theory of writing--"I can write a book in 6 months. It just takes me a year to do it."

Teresa Presents "A Romance Hero's Guide to Relationships"

2006-07-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

1) If you're suspected of murdering your first wife, by all means, don't spoil the suspense by telling your new bride that you're innocent. Why deprive her of the chance to wander around your town house/manor house/castle in her semi-transparent nightgown searching for clues? Women love a man of mystery!

2) If you have a lookalike twin/cousin/illegitimate brother, make sure and impersonate him at some point (preferably at a masquerade ball) so you can steal a kiss from your ladylove. Just don't pout and brood if she decides she prefers his kisses to yours.

3) If you fall off your horse, hit your head and develop amnesia, be very suspect of a pretty girl who tries to convince you that you're her long lost fiance or husband.

4) If you're ever afflicted with temporary blindness due to your own selfless, heroic actions in battle, insist that your butler hire the most sharp-tongued shrew he can find to be your new nurse. Her incessant nagging will surely inspire your rapid return to good health.

5) Never try to tame that stubborn forelock that tumbles over your brow. Women love any excuse to tenderly brush it back with their yearning fingertips.

6) If you're rendered unconscious for any reason, continue to feign unconsciousness until your ladylove is compelled to give you a bath. (This could take days depending on how fastidious she is). But do plan on waking up the moment she decides to steal a naughty peek beneath the covers.

7) Always make the time to practice your brooding, sardonic look in front of the mirror. Ladies love that.

8) Cultivate a friendship with a witty, smart-mouthed brother/cousin/friend/valet who can serve as both your confidante and your conscience when the light of your life isn't around.

9) If you find yourself strangely attracted to a slender lad with a particularly pretty face and long lashes, you might want to double check and make sure it's not really some buxom lass masquerading as a cabin boy/squire. (If not, perhaps you've been spending too much time at your gentleman's club.)

10) And most importantly, you may pine for a woman for months (or even years!) but you must never confess your love for her until you're standing on a windswept cliff with the villain thundering toward you and both of your lives in dire peril.

Captain Jack is Back but Teresa Falls in Love with the Anti-Hero

2006-07-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

We may not have made the midnight showing but we were there front and center for the 7 PM showing on the opening night of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST. The theater was packed and all but vibrating with the sort of excitement usually reserved for INDIANA JONES and LORD OF THE RINGS movies. While not quite as good as the first movie, it was still great summer fun.

Without going into major spoilers, I will tell you that the new movie sports a number of delicious developments including a deepening of the romantic triangle between Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner and Captain Jack and an ending that makes you wish May 2007 was next month
instead of a year away.

My most thrilling discovery during the movie came when I asked myself that eternal question: Captain Jack or Will Turner??? And discovered that my answer (surprisingly enough) was: Commodore Norrington! I must confess that I barely noticed Commodore Norrington (played by Jack Davenport) in the first movie (although judging by several fanlistings on the internet, some of the more astute female viewers did). I just remember him as the handsome, clean shaven, somewhat stuffy fiance of Elizabeth Swann who nobly gave Captain Jack a head start when he was escaping from the gallows and let Elizabeth go into Will Turner's arms at the end of that movie.

But in the new movie, the former commodore is unshaven, dirty, drunk, desperate, brawling and out for revenge. And of course (being a romance writer)--suddenly I find him utterly irresistible! He needs to be redeemed! He needs love! He needs the perfect woman! He needs MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Teresa Presents Ten Essential Romances No Library Should Be Without

2006-07-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

1) THE WINDFLOWER by Tom and Sharon Curtis (Laura London - 1984) - As I've said before, this is not only my favorite romance but my favorite novel of all time. You'll find the writing a little more detailed than most romances today but it's so exquisite that I love every syllable. The cast of unforgettable characters include Merry Patricia Wilding, whose innocence, courage, and good humor prove irresistible to even the most jaded of pirates; Devon, her handsome abductor, whose passion is exceeded only by his compassion; enigmatic pirate king Rand Morgan and his young protégé, Cat. To this day, Cat remains one of the most beloved secondary characters in all of romantic fiction. No longer a boy, but not yet a man, he reluctantly assumes the role of Merry's champion and steals our hearts just as surely as Devon steals Merry's. (Alternate Curtis Pick - SUNSHINE AND SHADOW and every one of their short Regencies and categories.)

2) A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR by Jude Deveraux (1989) - This is the ultimate time travel romance that rocked the publishing world back in 1989. It was fresh and unique because Jude brought her hero forward in time to the present day before sending her heroine back in time to search for him. It was the first time I realized just how compelling a "lovable loser" heroine could be. And I still smile when I think about Nicholas being introduced to the modern joys of the vacuum cleaner and can opener and get a catch in my throat when I think about the ending. Jude has always had the ability to write in almost any genre because she's such a consummate storyteller. (Alternate: WISHES, the VELVET series).

3) THE BRIDE by Julie Garwood (1990) - In this medieval and quintessential Garwood book, Julie brought something that was badly needed to the historical romance genre--delight. From the very first lines of Chapter One: "They said he killed his first wife. Papa said maybe she needed killing", you knew you were in for a treat. Garwood was a master at writing those "ditzy-appearing but actually pretty clever" heroines who swept into the castle/manor and made everyone fall in love with her...including us. (Alternate: HONOR'S SPLENDOR, THE LYON'S LADY, RANSOM.)

4) SOMETHING WONDERFUL by Judith McNaught (1988) - Judith McNaught has always combined fine writing with wonderful storytelling and she brings both to a culmination in this delightful and classic Regency historical. Her secondary cast of characters (loveable servants, a crusty grandmother, a sardonic "fairy godfather" type, the hero's sympathetic and sexy brother/cousin/friend) have become archetypes in the romance genre since this book was published. The end always leaves me sobbing (but in a joyful way). (Alternates: A KINGDOM OF DREAMS, ALMOST HEAVEN, ONCE AND ALWAYS, PARADISE.)

5) SEIZE THE FIRE by Laura Kinsale (1989) - Although some will swear by FLOWERS FROM THE STORM or THE PRINCE OF MIDNIGHT, it was SEIZE THE FIRE that gave me my first introduction to the wonderful and full-bodied romances of Laura Kinsale. In this extraordinary romantic adventure, plump exiled princess Olympia St. Leger wins the heart of nearly unredeemable rake Sheridan Drake. Kinsale was the first author I remember who wasn't afraid to make her characters less than likeable so that you could watch them grow during the course of the story. As a reader, I would gladly accompany her on any journey--either by camel through the desert or through the more complex and perilous pathways of the human heart. (Alternate: FLOWERS FROM THE STORM.)

6) LORD OF SCOUNDRELS by Loretta Chase (1994) - You'll find this Regency historical on almost every "Best of" list for a reason. Chase's tongue is as witty, sharp and delightful as her heroine's, as we quickly discover in the Prologue when we get our first sighting of our future hero Lord Dain as an infant--"His heir was a wizened olive thing with large black eyes, ill-proportioned limbs, and a grossly oversize nose. It howled incessantly." Fortunately, you know what they say about the size of a man's nose... (Alternate: THE LION'S DAUGHTER.)

7) IT HAD TO BE YOU by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (1994) - I've never met a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book I didn't love. Of her earlier books, FANCY PANTS, HOT SHOT and HONEY MOON are my favorites but of her later, slightly lighter books, this introduction to the football team the Chicago Stars most definitely qualifies as a classic. The minute Phoebe Summerville shows up at her father's funeral with a French poodle and a Hungarian lover, we know that Chicago Stars coach Dan Calebow doesn't stand a chance of resisting the brainy beauty. Susan writes some of the most three-dimensional characters I've ever met and is a master at establishing empathy for them from the very first page. (Alternates: Pretty much everything she ever wrote.)

8) JUST A KISS AWAY by Jill Barnett (1991) - This book is like one of those wonderful slapstick comedies from the 30's and 40's starring Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. Think BRINGING UP BABY set in the Pacific jungle. The lovely thing about Jill's comedy is that she could put her characters in the most ridiculous situations imaginable without making them ridiculous. And just when you think she can only make you giggle, she leaves you with a lump in your throat. Her historicals, even the funniest ones, had tremendous heart and that's what makes them timeless. (Alternate: BEWITCHING, SURRENDER THE DREAM)

9) GARTERS by Pamela Morsi (1992) - Pamela Morsi has the sort of voice that only comes along once every decade or so--warm, witty, and uniquely American. The Americana genre has fallen out of favor in the past few years and I desperately miss these books about small towns and mountain communities populated by good-hearted and quirky characters. A Morsi character like mountain girl Esme Crabb in GARTERS may be poor in wealth but they're always rich in humor and spirit. (Alternates: COURTING MISS HATTIE, SOMETHING SHADY, SIMPLE JESS.)

10) HUMMINGBIRD by LaVyrle Spencer (1983) - Everyone was shocked when LaVyrle Spencer retired from writing a few years ago at the top of her game (and the top of the bestseller lists), but she left behind a rich legacy of books. YEARS (with its grown-up LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE vibe) is another one of my favorites but HUMMINGBIRD is the ultimate gunfighter/schoolmarm Western. There are plenty of opportunities for delicious and romantic encounters as gentle, prim Abigail McKenzie nurses wounded gunfighter Jesse back to life...and love. (Alternate: YEARS, TWICE LOVED.)

Teresa the Drama Queen

2006-06-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

I remembered selling the audio rights to THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST when it came out in hardcover several years ago. But no one ever sent me a complimentary copy. So when one of my gal pals from church called and said, "Hey, I just checked out your book from the library!", I was definitely intrigued. Since I knew it was an unabridged version, I assumed it would retail for over $80. So you can imagine my delight when I visited http://www.recordedbooks.com/ and found out it only cost $37.95. (And only $14.50 if you wanted to rent it!) (But wait, THAT'S NOT ALL! For only $19.95, they'll throw in a set of Ginsu knives and this amazing vegetable chopper...oh...never mind...) I ended up ordering a set of tapes for me AND my dad.

I must confess to feeling a little nervous when I popped the first tape into my car cassette player. (Especially when I realized the "Beast" on the front of the tape appeared to be either a frog or an alligator.) How would it feel to hear someone reading my words aloud? Would it trivialize them? Make them seem ridiculous? But my fears were quickly allayed as British actress and narrator Virginia Leishman brought my story to rich and vivid life with her amazing voice and her skill with a Scottish burr. For the next few days, you had to DRAG me out of my car and I even suffered through the breakfast burrito at Sonic every morning just so I could listen AND eat at the same time.

Now Christina Dodd says it's very telling that the ONLY audio book I've ever listened to was my own. BUT I've always been the sort of person who wanted to hold a book in my hands while I read. (And in 20 years, I've NEVER sat down and re-read one of my books from cover to cover after it was finished.) Listening to THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST on tape reminded me of how wonderful it feels to be read to. I hadn't experienced that magic since the 6th grade. As for listening to my own words on tape, I can only compare it to the thrill that a playwright must feel when they see and hear their work performed on the stage. I was a little worried about how the more intimate love scenes would sound, but Ms. Leishman is such an amazing actress that she swept you right into the flow of the scene and gave it as much joy and dignity as the rest of the story. (Of course it was even weirder thinking about my dad driving around and listening to them!)

Teresa's Trench Coat Landscaping Adventure

2006-06-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

In the "You Show Me Yours; I'll Show You Mine" spirit of the day, this is my landscaping project of the year. It's a petunia (I think). We've lived here for 10 years and I've never stolen my neighbor's garbage before but when I was taking my own garbage to the curb on garbage day, I saw this forlorn petunia sitting on top of her container. Apparently, the poor dear was rootbound and she'd mercifully decided to put it out of its misery. It just looked so pitiful sitting there that I looked both ways, then grabbed it and ran. (And perhaps I should mention that I couldn't find my robe so I was wearing a trench coat over my pajamas at the time.) Although I have a notoriously black thumb, I repotted it and babied it and it's thriving now. But my neighbor is still looking at me suspiciously.

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet, Teresa Travels to Metropolis to Meet Lex Luthor

2006-06-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

I'm always a day late and a dollar short so it's no surprise that I didn't start watching SMALLVILLE until this season. Tom Welling, who plays the young Clark Kent, is VERY easy on the eyes with his pouty lips, baby blues, and flawlessly feathered hair, but I was caught off guard to find myself falling under the spell of big, bad, bald Lex Luthor. (Lucky Lana Lang gets to kiss them BOTH!) Apparently I'm not the only one to fall for this penultimate bad boy with his mesmerizing mix of ambition, vulnerability and serious Daddy issues. In several online communities, he's known simply as "Sexy Lexy." And besides, what's not to love?

1) He's an evil genius
2) He's a multi-billionaire
3) He lives in a totally rad castle/mansion that screams for a woman's loving touch almost as badly as he does
4) He drives a bitchin' sports car
5) He looks wonderful in a smirk AND sweeping around in one those long, black leather "bad boy" dusters
Every year on the second weekend in June, my husband and I make our annual pilgrimage to Metropolis, Illinois for SUPERMAN DAY so you can imagine my delight (and my giddy girlish squeal) when I discovered that actor Michael Rosenbaum (SMALLVILLE's Lex Luthor himself!) would be one of the guests of honor this year.

As we waited in the autograph line for over an hour for our first sighting of him, I quickly discovered from the 3 giggling girls in front of me and the two somber-faced boys behind me that the girls were thrilled because it had been reported that he "had hair" while the boys were disappointed that he wasn't sporting his trademark "chrome dome."

I'm happy to report that he was absolutely delightful, funny, and incredibly good-natured, especially considering that they'd placed him outside under a tent in the 150 degree heat. (He also did some VERY nice things for a worn t-shirt and tight jeans.) My favorite moment came during the Q&A session when a girl stood up and asked him, "So is it a terrible burden to be so incredibly hot?" He laughed and said, "Well, it's hard to consider yourself hot when you have to get up and look at Tom Welling every morning. But every now and then, I think I might be a little cute."

They were trying to get so many people through the line that they weren't allowing pics WITH him, but my husband snapped the one below as I was gleefully skulking off with my autographed poster.

Teresa Discovers the Dog Whisperer

2006-06-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

We do a lot of talking about Alpha vs. Beta males in the romance world. But how was I to know that the ultimate Alpha male was a short, mild-mannered, soft-spoken Mexican man named Cesar Milan?

I'd seen his dog-training book, CESAR'S WAY, on the bestseller lists but I truly got hooked on Cesar less than two weeks ago when I started TIVO'ing the show THE DOG WHISPERER on the National Geographic Channel. Little did I know that THE DOG WHISPERER came on like 75 times a day so before I knew it I had a healthy backlog of episodes and had seen Cesar cure nearly every dog lover's nightmare from fear biting to separation anxiety to a bulldog with an uncontrollable passion for the garden hose.

His philosophy is simple. To learn how to train a dog, you have to learn how to think like a dog and behave like a dog. There is virtually no canine problem that can't be solved with a "calm assertive" attitude. The minute he enters a room, he becomes the "pack leader" and there's something oddly attractive about that, even in a short, mild-mannered, soft-spoken man. If you add his Beta love of dogs, you have a real hero in the making!

It also occurred to me that many of his lessons can be applied to life:

1) If you walk with your head up and your shoulders back, people will believe you're a powerful woman
2) You can't help someone by feeling sorry for them
3) What's in the past doesn't matter because it's not what's happening now
4) You have to stop agressive behavior at a lower level before it gets into the "Red Zone"
5) You can accomplish almost anything with calm assertive energy
6) Leadership has to come before love, but yet is also a form of love
7) The only way to be truly fulfilled is to know your natural order in life
8) Every home needs an Alpha dog, preferably a human

Teresa Tweaks the Beast's Tale (Um...Tail)

2006-06-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

If you want to start an argument between two romance authors, just ask them, "Do you think it's possible to educate the uninformed (and frequently snotty) masses about the charms and benefits of reading romance?" Even within our ranks, there are two distinct opinions that will often result in loud, bombastic "discussions" and the occasional hair pulling:

Opinion #1) We adore our devoted readers, appreciate generating $1.2 billion in sales for the publishing industry and accounting for 54.9% of all paperback sales per year and don't give a rat's patootie about anybody else so nanny nanny boo boo, take that you "lit'rary loving" pseudo-intellectuals!

Opinion #2) We adore our devoted readers, appreciate generating $1.2 billion in sales for the publishing industry and accounting for 54.9% of all paperback sales per year, but believe that there are even more readers out there who would appreciate a romance if they could only be coaxed (or coerced) into reading one.

I tend to fall into the second school of thought for one simple reason--I've received so many fan letters and e-mails over the years that said, "I'd never read a romance until I read [Insert your favorite Teresa Medeiros title here] and I absolutely loved it!" And do you know what happens when they love a Teresa Medeiros book? Well, hopefully they read other Teresa Medeiros books, but since those are in limited supply, it gives me a chance to recommend other similar books. The next thing you know, they've shaken off their prejudices and immersed themselves in the wonderful and uplifting culture of the romance novel.

As I see it, our challenge as authors, booksellers, librarians, and fellow booklovers, is not to convince the media or the diehard cynics and snobs, but to get the books into the hands of those who would appreciate a wonderfully written romance, but just don't know it yet. And the best advice I can give you is to…be sneaky. Don't mention the word romance. Just tell them it's a great book and you think they'd enjoy it. The expansion of romance into hardcover has made this even easier to do because many readers still don't associate hardcovers with the romance genre.

In the past I've eased them into the genre by introducing them to romance authors who have branched out into other venues such as suspense, legal thrillers, or women's fiction—authors like Kristin Hannah, Jill Barnett, Tori Carrington, Tami Hoag, Jayne Ann Krentz, Elizabeth Lowell, Tess Gerritsen, Patricia Gaffney, Iris Johansen, Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie, and Judith McNaught, just to name a few. If they love one book by these authors, they'll probably be willing to come back and check out their backlist. Once you have them hooked, you can suggest another author with a similar style. That's when you'll start hearing comments like, "Can you believe I found this in the romance section?" And "Wow! I didn't know these books actually had a plot!"

As far as I'm concerned, YOU, Beloved Reader, are on the frontlines of this battle. Your "word of mouth" recommendation has far more power to sway personal and cultural opinion than my latest website update or newsletter.

Teresa Enrolls in THE BOYFRIEND SCHOOL

2006-05-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read Sarah Bird's classic romance THE BOYFRIEND SCHOOL, you probably should. It's one of my favorite contemporary romances of all-time. Originally published in 1989, the book is about Gretchen Griner, an underpaid photographer sent to cover a "Romantic Times-like" conference in Austin, complete with cover models and authors dressed in full Southern belle regalia. There she meets bestselling romance author Lizzie Potts (known as Viveca Lamoureaux to her adoring readers) and romantic chaos ensues as the well-meaning Lizzie decides to fix the cynical Gretchen up with her brother Gus by making him over as the ultimate romance hero.

One of my readers recently let me know the movie version of THE BOYFRIEND SCHOOL (originally titled DON'T TELL HER IT'S ME) had just been released on DVD. While not quite as good as the book, it really is pretty adorable. And it will make you say four words you never thought you would-- "Steve Guttenberg is HOT!" When Gretchen (renamed Emily for the movie) first meets Gus, he is recovering from cancer treatments and is boring, bald and bloated. But the quirky Lizzie (played by Shelley Long before anyone realized she wasn't going to be a big movie star) quickly makes him over into "Lobo," a mysterious Harley-straddling hero with a stubbled jaw and a really fine mullet. If you enjoy a romantic comedy that's romantic, funny and touching. I think you'll love this one! (And did I mention that Steve Guttenberg was really HOT?)

Teresa Dishes on Cover Models She Has Known (and Occasionally Loved)

2006-05-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

I really should confess that I've never been a big fan of "cover model pageants" where studly young models strut their stuff in loin cloths with biceps flexing, taut ab muscles rippling, a teasing smirk playing around their flawlessly sculpted lips...oh, wait...where was I and why have I never been a fan of these pageants? Oh, yeah--dignity! That's right. I think it's an insult to their dignity to be paraded in front of a crowd of leering, hooting women like so much prime beefcake on an auction block, their well-defined muscles glistening with sweat, their eyes twinkling with a come-hither look, their broad shoulders...oh, sorry...lost my train of thought again!

What I meant to say was that cover models deserve our respect (and their dignity) because they're an essential part of the romance genre. They serve as "placeholders" for the heroes in our books. They may not be an exact representation of the image the reader will eventually hold in the eye of her imagination but they do act as a starting (and a selling) point.

Several models in the genre have been talented and prolific enough to develop name recognition. John DeSalvo, Steve Sandalis (the Topaz man), Cherif Fortin (you can find him on the exquisite piece of pre-Raphaelite art on the original stepback for my book CHARMING THE PRINCE) and of course the legendary Fabio, who has been clever enough (despite that unfortunate goose incident on the roller coaster) to parlay his 15 minutes of fame into 15 years. HEATHER AND VELVET, my very first book for Bantam in 1992, was one of the last romance covers Fabio posed for before retiring from modeling to pen (cough, cough) his own romances. I've even had the pleasure of crossing paths with a few of these models. Here I am above with Guy Davis (who appeared on several Katherine Sutcliffe covers) way back in 1990. (In case you couldn't tell, I'm the one with the big hair and the very small dress.)

I was recently introduced to a hot new name in the business when I received the preliminary cover art for my upcoming October release THE VAMPIRE WHO LOVED ME. We hear so many horror stories about authors getting covers with heroes who look like Howdy Doody or Elvis or who have the wrong hair or eye color. Who can forget Suzanne Brockman's legendary "Pillsbury Doughboy" cover for GET LUCKY? She had to send out smiley face stickers so her readers could cover up his face! (And I'm sure this wasn't a commentary on the cover model, but on the artist.) So you can imagine my delight when I received this in the mail:

The devilishly talented art department at Avon had managed to find a cover model who was not only gorgeous, but the perfect embodiment of Julian Kane, my sweetly sardonic vampire hero. Since I'm usually running a little behind (cough, cough), I was actually writing the first love scene of the novel when the artwork arrived. I immediately tacked it up over my computer and found it to be VERY inspiring indeed!

Turns out the cover model is none other than Nathan Kamp, a fast rising star who has also done a guest stint on my favorite soap GUIDING LIGHT. He's appeared on several recent books from authors Sherrilyn Kenyon/Kinley MacGregor, Susan Sizemore, Karen Hawkins, Karen Marie Moning and a host of others. You would probably be shocked if you realized just exactly how many covers you've probably seen him on because he has the most essential gift of any cover model--the ability to transform himself into any number of heroes without losing his own identity OR being overexposed.

Although I would certainly never want Nathan to compromise his dignity by strutting across some stage in a loin cloth in front of a crowd of hooting, leering women, I would like to leave you with a couple of pictures so you can admire him as a human being. Purely in a spiritual, entirely platonic, aesthetic sense of course ;)

Teresa's Book Reviews: Marley and Me

2006-04-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

The one moral to this story is that you should always listen to Connie Brockway. (As much as it pains me to admit it!) She warned me that if I read this book, I would be crying for WEEKS. Then my Uncle Buddy, a 6' 2" bastion of male machismo confessed that he had bawled like a baby when reading the end of the book. But I thought, "Hey, I watch ER every week! I'm tough! I can handle this!"

So I picked up the book and started crying during the PREFACE. Okay, I'm lying, I actually started sniveling when I was looking at the puppy pictures of Marley on the inside front cover. Perhaps Kevin Bacon said it best in MY DOG SKIP--"A dog is just a heartbreak waiting to happen." Until they invent dogs with the 90-year life spans of parrots, we all know there can be only one ending to a great dog story. And MARLEY AND ME is truly a great dog story.

But MARLEY AND ME won't just make you cry. It will make you smile and it will make you laugh out loud and it will make you wonder why you didn't think to write a book about your ill-behaved monster of a dog so you could warm the cockles of America and make a bazillion dollars. It will also make you remember all of those fine dogs who have blessed your own life through the years. Those with spirits so sweet they seemed almost human and those who ate your throw rugs, swallowed your diamond necklace, and dragged your Tampax out of the garbage for the neighbors to see.

MARLEY AND ME is more than a story about a dog. It's a story about the young marriage of John and Jenny and the changes they go through as they add not only Marley, but three precious children to their lives. John Grogan is a columnist and former editor of Rodale's ORGANIC GARDENING magazine. His prose is fine and spare and made me reluctant to put the book down. I read it in two lazy Saturday and Sunday afternoons and yes, I read the ending with a box of Kleenex sitting on my chest and Connie's number on my speed dial.

The true moral of Marley's story is that there is something fine and beautiful about loving something (and someone) who is imperfect. That perhaps more joy and delight can be found in embracing someone's flaws than in trying to "fix" them. And if nothing else, reading about Marley--a dog who was diagnosed as certifiably insane even by doggie standards--may make you appreciate your own dog (or especially your cat!) even more.

Can You Tell Which One is Teresa?

2006-04-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know some of you were a trifle bit skeptical when I admitted that I had a giant pink pig who helped me block out my love scenes so I thought it was time to introduce you to Petunia.

Petunia once belonged to my roommate in nursing school. She was getting ready to take a one way trip to the city dump when--unable to bear the thought of her rooting through the garbage with her delicate little snout--I intervened. (Look at that face! Could YOU have let her go to the dump?) Despite my husband's insistence that she's old enough to manage on her own, she still lives in the bonus room over our garage.

She used to earn her keep by tussling with my nieces and nephews when they were little, but now I call upon her for a much more important duty. If I'm writing a scene where my hero and heroine are facing each other, about to embrace, I use her to figure out exactly where his snout...um...I mean his nose...and his (paw? hoof?) would be. We also share the occasional waltz.

You'll notice that Petunia looks better than I do in this pic because she freshened up her mascara and I didn't. She never could resist a photo op!

Kiefer Sutherland: From Bad Boy to Good Man in Only 24 Hours

2006-03-30T17:13:00.000-08:00

What can I say? I never could resist a man who can make a kill shot to the head with 100% accuracy. I came late to 24. Last year my minister's wife loaned me the entire first season on DVD and insisted that I watch it. Still feeling the keen absence of former favorites like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Farscape, I slipped the first disc into my DVD player and immediately found myself immersed in the dark and dangerous world of CTU (Counter-Terrorist Unit) and its resident knight in tarnished armor Jack Bauer. After only a few addictive episodes, I also made an alarming discovery—I was hot for Kiefer!

That's right. The same baby-faced, sandy-haired Kiefer I had always scorned for taking men's roles like Doc Spurlock in Young Guns and Athos in The Three Musketeers and turning them into boys. His chilling turns as villains in several movies hadn't really endeared him to me either. But as I watched one episode after another of 24, his beard-stubbled cheeks and that tender petulant mouth of his began to look imminently more kissable. A scene from last week's episode where he was forced to interrogate the woman he loves, then took a taser blast to try to protect her because he believed she was innocent nearly made me swoon in the best romance novel tradition!

Quite simply, Jack Bauer is a man who does what needs to be done, however brutal, to get the job done. The cavewoman in me who still secretly longs for a man to protect me, feed me, and give me strong children responds to this on the most primal level. But the lovely thing about Jack is that he also maintains enough heart and humanity to resist a direct order from the president if that order will result in the death of innocent women and children. In the course of the last five seasons, he's risen above incalculable personal losses with unimaginable grace.

24 delivers a walloping dollop of edge-of-your-couch-cushion suspense but story never overshadows characterization and emotion. To me, that's what separates a Lord of the Rings from the latest sterile and heartless installment of Star Wars.

In our books, we constantly deal with flawed, complex men who are transformed into heroes. Jack Bauer is such a hero--constantly challenging himself, constantly evolving and always able to make the kill shot. He can interrogate me any day!

Teresa's Book Reviews: Rebel Angels

2006-03-25T17:12:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel as if you were destined to read a certain book? I originally spotted Libba Bray's first book A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY on the "New in Hardcover" shelf at my local Borders. I immediately thought, "What a gorgeous romance cover!" I thumbed through the book only to discover that it wasn't a romance at all but a Victorian historical set at an English girl's boarding school. Although I was intrigued, I put the book back on the shelf.

Then at the Dallas RWA conference a few weeks later, I was signing books with fellow Avon author Cathy Maxwell when she started telling me about this amazing YA (Young Adult) book she'd just read. "You have to read it," she told me. "It's like Harry Potter for girls!" Swayed by her enthusiasm, I followed her to the YA section of the bookstore only to discover she was talking about the very book I'd spotted at Borders. I had no idea it was even being marketed as Young Adult fiction!

Not one to resist the seductive kiss of fate twice, I came home with a shiny new hardcover in my suitcase. And boy am I glad I did! A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY is a wonderful balm for the soul of the reader who is always lamenting, "There's nothing fresh out there to read!" It's a deliciously dark Gothic Victorian historical paranormal with a tasty sprinkling of romance. Think of it as THE SECRET GARDEN and A LITTLE PRINCESS on acid.

The book opens in India in 1895 when 16-year-old Gemma Doyle witnesses the tragic and mysterious death of her mother. Her opium-addicted father quickly packs her off to Spence, one of those oh-so-proper British boarding schools that are secretly seething with all of the passion, drama and intrigue that only adolescent girls can create. The headstrong Gemma is quickly befriended by shy, impoverished Ann, ambitious Felicity, and beautiful Pippa, whose desire for a handsome prince to spirit her away risks leading them all to disaster. Gemma also discovers that she is the sole key to opening a magical alternate universe called "The Realms" and that her fate is inextricably entwined with her mother's. The only thing the book lacks is a handsome, sexy, mysterious Gypsy lad who could turn out to be either Gemma's protector or her mortal enemy. Oh, wait—the book has that too!

I'm delighted to report that the second book in the series, REBEL ANGELS, is just as good if not even better than the first book. In ANGELS, Bray moves the action to the city for the Christmas holiday. Her writing is gorgeous and crisp and she brings Victorian London to such vivid life that I could almost smell the soot in the air and feel the warm glow of the gaslights on my skin.

I read somewhere that the corset on the cover of the first book was meant to symbolize the repression of women and young girls in the Victorian Era. Gemma is a very strong character—smart, headstrong, passionate—and you sense that her adventures, however fantastical and dangerous, may eventually lead her to the intellectual and spiritual freedom that all women crave.

If you've ever wondered how the world would be different if J.K. Rowling had penned HARRIET POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, I definitely recommend these books. I would have loved them when I was fourteen and I love them now! Since A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY hit the New York Times bestseller list--an amazing feat for a first novel--I must not be the only one. The books are written in first person and present tense, which only adds to the immediacy of the story. Ms. Bray is planning one more book in this series.

I'm thrilled that Libba has agreed to pop in with her own blog later today! We're also going to be giving away a set of both hardcovers to one of our lucky random Commenters. (You're eligible no matter which of today's blogs you Comment under.)

Teresa Shares Her Secret to Success

2006-03-20T17:06:00.000-08:00

I've always believed one of the primary functions of a blog is to humiliate yourself publicly. I'm here to prove that today by sharing my very first query letter with you. For those of you not familiar with the lingo, a query letter is the letter you send to a publisher or agent asking them if they'd like to look at (and hopefully buy and publish) your book. As you will see, this is the worst query letter in the history of query letters--a veritable treasure trove of "Whatever you do, don't do this!" I'm including my editorial comments in red and in parentheses.

May 29, 1985

Dear (Editor Who is No Longer Employed By This Company),

I frantically searched my bookshelves one evening for the romance novel that I wanted to read. I didn't find it. (Because you and the other dimwits at your publishing house obviously aren't publishing anything worth reading.) Reading "The Flame and the Flower" (which was published 13 years ago, clearly demonstrating that I've kept up with current trends) for the fifth time reeked of redundancy (gotta love that alliteration! And look-I know big words!)

What did I want to read about? I wanted to read about a heroine with guts; a noble hero with fascinating flaws; a passionate love-hate relationship that grows with time; interesting sattelite (sattelite? Um, you wouldn't mean "secondary" by any chance?) characters; humor; enough tragedy to keep the good times looking good. (I also know how to use semi-colons, although not particularly well!) I wanted adventure and fantasy and intrigue.

And thus was born "Loving Vengeance." (Thank heavens it wasn't spawned!) I am submitting it to you for publication (or to use as a booster seat for your kid). It is a historical romance set in ancient Ireland. (Because that's a really popular setting!)

I look forward to hearing your reaction. (As opposed to shuddering.)

Sincerely,

T.H. Medeiros (because I'm incredibly pretentious and aspiring to be the next T.H. White)

I have shared this letter today not just to humiliate myself or to amuse you, but to give you hope. If an idiot like this can sell a book and get published and go on to have a successful career that has now spanned almost twenty years, so can you!

Teresa Celebrates Women in All Sizes and Guises

2006-03-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but these are two of my favorite sentences from a romance novel:

1) She was soft and yielding in all of the places he was hard.
2) He tenderly ran his hand over the gentle swell of her belly.

Now the latter would imply that our lovely heroine, paragon of feminine beauty that she is, actually HAS a belly. I'm a big believer in the scientific fact that women are genetically predisposed to store fat in certain areas of their bodies. (Especially in the winter when a package of Oreos may be all that stands between us and the horrors of famine.)

I also happen to know that men are genetically predisposed to look for good breeders. (That means hips large enough to pass a good-sized hobbit through the birth canal.) Before he asked me out, my future husband was busted by a fellow classmate for checking out the junk in my own proverbial trunk as I walked (strutted) across the room in front of him.

So why does society keep telling us we should aspire to look like this?

That's right. That's Teri Hatcher and Lara Flynn Boyle, just two of the Hollywood actresses who seem to be vanishing right before our eyes. Lara Flynn Boyle is so skinny she recently ended a guest stint on LAS VEGAS by (are you ready for this?) BLOWING OFF OF A ROOF!

The standard of female beauty in the Renaissance was typified by the Rubens painting above. But you only have to travel back to the 1960's and watch any James Bond film to see how our standards (and our actresses) have shrank in the past 40 years. The women in those movies were considered some of the most beautiful of their day. They looked glowing and healthy. They had thighs and (oh, miracle of miracles!) they even had bellies and they weren't afraid to show off their bellies in their snappy little bathing suits. They were much more likely to push someone off a roof than blow off a roof.

So how do we combat this ridiculous and unhealthy ideal? Can we just quote Sir Mix-A-Lot's BABY GOT BACK--"Cosmo says you're fat. Well, I ain't down with that!" Personally, I love the solution put forth by inspirational author Liz Curtis Higgs, who calls herself a "big, beautiful woman living in a nervous, narrow world." Liz suggests that we stand in front of the mirror every morning (with or without clothes), spread our arms wide and proclaim, "Blessed am I among women to live in such a beautiful temple!" That way, even if you feel you need to lose weight and get more fit, you can still love yourself while you're doing it.

One of my dear friends who has struggled to gain weight all of her life assures me that being too skinny is just as great a social problem as being too heavy. As she described to me the terrible ordeal of being forced to drink 3 chocolate milkshakes a day, I did the only thing I could.

I pushed her off the roof.

Teresa Sings, "Once More with Feeling"

2006-03-12T16:57:00.000-08:00

I am a total soundtrack geek and the one soundtrack that rarely leaves my CD player is BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: ONCE MORE WITH FEELING. When the legendary musical episode of BUFFY aired, we discovered that not only was Joss Whedon a literary genius who has given us some of the smartest TV ever, he was also capable of whipping up the music and lyrics of an entire Broadway show in his spare time. We also learned that James Marsters (as Spike--the leather-clad vampire I'd most like to sink my teeth into) could sing in an English accent.

Who needs Sarah Brightman when you can have Sarah Michelle Gellar? The soundtrack is actually more effective because Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't attempt to trill any arias, but still sounds like Buffy when she sings. (It also makes it really easy to sing along in your car.) The songs range from winsome and wistful to laugh-out-loud witty and Whedon uses the music to advance the storyline by bringing several ongoing plots to their stunning climaxes. The songs are rife with revelations that make it clear that nothing will ever be the same.

In GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, Buffy explores the loss of passion she's experienced since um...dying for the second time a few months before. In the standout number UNDER YOUR SPELL, Amber Benson as Tara, waxes poetic over her budding love for Willow. In I'LL NEVER TELL (which featured a terrific dance number in the episode), Xander and Anya experience the cold feet common to any young studly construction worker about to marry a former vengeance demon. In REST IN PEACE, the lovelorn Spike begs Buffy to just let him rest in peace if she won't confess her growing desire for him. During the appropriately titled WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE, the music swells and we sigh wistfully as we remember Spike and Buffy sharing their very first kiss in true Hollywood fashion before the credits rolled.

Because of the complexity of the continuing storylines, I don't know if this could ever be turned into a real Hollywood musical, but I sure would like to see Whedon try.

Teresa Picks Out Her Favorite Chick Flicks

2006-02-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

I'm a chick, right? I'm supposed to love nothing better than dragging my significant other to the movies on a Friday night to see the latest "women's weeper" with a box of Goobers and a packet of Kleenex stuffed in my purse. So why do some of these movies make me want to weep for the wrong reason?

I only made two rules for this list—no Jane Austen adaptations and no animated Disney movies allowed because they could obviously hog up all the positive slots. Oh, and I attempted to alleviate all of that melodrama with a few comedies!

CHICK FLICKS I HATE

BEACHES – Despite my fondness for both Bette Midler and "Wind Beneath My Wings", at one point I actually found myself yelling at Barbara Hershey and her collagen-inflated lips. "Die! Please, won't you just die already!" Trust me—her endless suffering was NOTHING compared to mine.

THE NOTEBOOK – My parents have one of those eternal love stories just like the couple in this movie and my mom is in a nursing home. So maybe this one just stepped on the wrong toes for me. Although I thought Ryan Gosling was adorable, I just didn't feel any real sense of the two of them really falling in love. I felt like I was told they fell in love more than seeing the relationship building through action or witty banter.

GHOST – I'm probably stepping on some toes by picking this Patrick Swayze classic but I've always found Demi Moore to be so utterly humorless that I can't take her seriously. But she does cry divinely! No woman has ever looked so beautiful with tears trickling gracefully down her cheeks.

DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD – I liked Sandra Bullock just fine as always but I just didn't understand why her mother's character was supposed to be so high strung and annoying. They hinted at mental illness but never really followed through on it. She had a perfectly nice husband. Get over it, already!

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING – What a depressing comedy! Julia Roberts is a selfish, obnoxious twit who doesn't even get the guy in the end!

CHICK FLICKS I LOVE

TERMS OF ENDEARMENT – I've always found this movie just quirky and weird enough to feel like real life. It really captures the complicated mother/daughter dynamic and it also has the best death scene I've ever watched. The camera never flinches and you can actually see the life fade from Debra Winger's eyes.

EVER AFTER – The prince is cute and Drew Barrymore rescues herself from the bad guy at the end. Enuf said!

BRIDGET JONES' DIARY – Rene Zellwegger channels this hilarious heroine beautifully. And Colin Firth and Hugh Grant in the same movie? What's not to love?

LOVE STORY – This is the original two hankie weeper. It has the most gorgeous music and the best looking dying person you'll ever find. I've never forgotten the scene where they frolic in the snow together or that dramatic moment when she simply announces, "It's time to go to the hospital." I spent months wishing I had a terminal disease after seeing this as a kid.

TRULY MADLY DEEPLY – They call this British movie the "thinking person's GHOST" and I absolutely agree. Alan Rickman is divine as "Jamie" and he makes even the bittersweet ending go down easy.

Teresa Gets Shot Through the Heart by Bon Jovi

2006-02-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

If Jon Bon Jovi can please a woman half as well as he can please a crowd, we have another candidate for SEXIEST MAN ALIVE. I had the delicious pleasure of seeing Bon Jovi in concert on Valentine's Day and with all the surprises he and the band had in store for us, it felt more like Christmas morning.

First the lights began to dim and the crowd began to applaud and scream as they gazed at the darkened stage, their anticipation palpable. Suddenly a roar went up from the back of the arena. I turn to discover that Jon has magically appeared on a platform right in front of me, giving the poor devils in the cheap seats the thrill of their lives. (And an incredible view of his adorable backside.) During another section of the concert, he vanished again only to materialize right AMONG the seats on the other side of the arena where he performed a melting rendition of MY FUNNY VALENTINE before walking all the way back to the stage, grasping hands and making women swoon along the way.

And did I mention there was music, too? Music with infectious hooks, driving rock rhythms, and lyrics soulful and romantic enough to have been penned by a romance novelist. (You haven't lived until you've heard 20,000 people singing, "Shot through the heart and you're to blame, you give love a bad name!" in perfect unison.) The audience got another surprise thrill when Jennifer Nettles, the lead singer of Sugarland joined the band on stage to perform their rock/country crossover hit "Who Says You Can't Go Home." (One of the advantages to seeing a concert in Nashville is that you never know who will show up!) Oh yeah, and there were other band members too--Tico Torres, David Bryan, and Richie Sambora, recently estranged from Heather Locklear. When Richie and Jon shared the microphone to croon "I'll Be There For You" to each other, you just knew that Richie would survive losing Heather as long as he had Jon by his side.

Jon remains eerily ageless, even looking younger than he did in the big hair era of the 80's. (Vampire anyone?) When he looked over his shoulder, his lips slowly curving into that sexy and boyishly disarming grin, a collective sigh went up from the crowd and you just knew that every woman in the arena from 19-90 was aching to throw her panties on the stage. It somehow only adds to his appeal that he's been married for 17 years and has 4 kids.

Bon Jovi remains on the very short list of artists I'd pay $100 to see because they're master showmen who make sure you get every penny of your money's worth.

Teresa Flirts with Disaster

2006-02-13T16:47:00.000-08:00

He leaned across the table toward me, his dark blue eyes sparkling with a come-hither look. With his bad boy grin and lightly tousled hair, I couldn't help but want to take him into my arms. He reached across the table, closing the space between us.

"You're SO pretty," he whispered, gently stroking my hair.

Before I could respond, his mom snatched him up into her arms and snapped, "Don't mind him. He's a terrible flirt and he just loves blondes."

I grinned as she carried the four-year-old across the crowded Pizza Hut. He hung over her shoulder, waving wistfully and still casting me longing glances. So it's true, I thought. Some men really are born flirts!

I once worked with just such a guy. Based on his numerous and well-documented affairs of the heart, you would have expected him to be a combination of George Clooney and Brad Pitt, with a little Keanu thrown in to spice the mix. Instead he was a stocky, rather ordinary looking fellow with a receding hairline, a slight paunch, and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. I just couldn't figure out what it was about him that made perfectly rational women abandon both their morals and their marriages.

Then during one slow night on the ward, he offered to teach me how to play Chinese checkers. Since he wasn't exactly inviting me up to his place to see his etchings, I decided I'd be safe.

That's when I learned his secret. He treated me with perfect respect. (I was HIS supervisor, after all). There wasn't even a hint of inappropriate innuendo, no casual touches or suggestive winks. BUT his focus on me was absolute. During those magic moments, it was as if I was the only woman—perhaps the only human being—on the entire planet.

Ah ha! That was it, I realized! That was how he convinced women to tug off both their panties and their wedding rings! (Not to worry. I was in no danger of doing either.) But I did feel as if I'd spent an hour in the company of a master flirt. He'd reminded me that women are absolute suckers for attention because let's face it—we deserve so much more of it than we ever get.

So the next time that cute guy at the theater concession stand gives you an extra squirt of butter on your popcorn or a handsome businessman offers to help you heft your luggage into the overhead bin, it's okay to feel warm and tingly. Just keep your panties—and your wedding ring—on until you get home!

Teresa's Shameful Little Secret

2006-02-07T16:46:00.000-08:00

There is no greater thrill for an author than finishing a book. Publishing a book doesn't compare. Winning an award doesn't compare. Not even cashing a nice fat royalty check can compare. (Although my husband might disagree!) When I type those magical words THE END, choirs of angels burst into the Hallelulah Chorus and for a few magical days, food tastes better, music sounds sweeter and all is right with the world.

BUT that doesn't explain why only one day after I finished my latest book I found myself in a sobbing heap on the bed. Now I will confess that I was both physically and mentally exhausted. I hadn't had a day off in at least a month. I'd been waking up between 4 .m. and 5 a.m. every morning with my mind brimming over with fresh ideas for new scenes. Plus I knew I only had one day after finishing the book to pack and prepare for a writer's conference in Cocoa Beach. If I'd have been Lindsey Lohan or Mariah Carey, my "manager" would have probably carted me off to some nice hospital with a swimming pool and tennis courts and had me admitted for "exhaustion." Because after surviving an entire month of the most grueling sort of deadline and actually accomplishing what I set out to do, I finally cracked.

My poor husband walks in and says, "What's wrong, honey?" Blinded by tears, I gazed up at him through swollen eyes and wailed, "MY BOOK IS O-O-O-OVER! I MISS PORTIA AND J-J-J-JULIAN SO-O-O-O-O MUCH!!!" Now if I were my husband (or any of the other Squawkers) and had been forced to listen to me whine and complain nearly every day for the past 8 months about how desperate I was to finish this book, I would have carted me off to some nice hospital with time-out rooms and a healthy stock of Thorazine. I have to tell you that I had NO idea that shocking thought was lurking in my subconscious until I blurted it out, but it definitely backs up a theory I have about writing.

Books are hard to finish (nearly impossible!) because subconsciously writers don't want to finish them. Although consciously our most overwhelming desire is to be done with it, secretly we feel exactly like a reader feels when they say, "Oh, I didn't want that book to end! I wish it could have gone on forever!" With I finished the book, my life began anew, but the lives of my beloved characters ended.

Readers often ask me if I re-read my books after they're finished. And this is the precise reason I usually don't. When I'm writing a book, it's as if I'm actually living the story right along with my hero and heroine. I feel their every emotion, fall madly and passionately in love, and their memories become my own. If I try to re-read one of my stories, it's as if I'm looking at a photo of a high school sweetheart I'll never see again and it makes my heart ache.

But I've decided there's only one cure for the post-book blues--start another book! Then there will be other lives to live, more memories to make, and the chance to fall madly and passionately in love all over again.

Ten Signs Teresa Has Finished a Book

2006-02-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

1) She's wearing her "I FINISHED A BOOK TODAY, WHAT DID YOU DO?" t-shirt even though it's February and 20 degrees outside

2) Her editor and agent burst into a spontaneous rendition of the "Hallelulah Chorus", accompanied by a choir of celestial angels

3) There's no more microwavable ravioli in the pantry

4) Her pants don't fit anymore and she can't figure out why although she has a fuzzy memory of eating cake directly out of the pan at 1 a.m. in the morning

5) There's a cat she doesn't recognize sitting on her bed looking at her

6) There's a man she doesn't recognize sitting on her bed looking at her (Oh, wait, that's her husband!)

7) Her bangs are down to her chin

8) She locks all of her keys in the trunk of her car and doesn't care, even though the trunk latch inside the car doesn't work either

9) Bright sunlight makes her scream, "My eyes! My eyes!"

10) She had time to write this blog

Teresa Sings, "A Kiss is Still a Kiss"

2006-01-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

We've talked about a lot of firsts lately--the first time we found out the truth about Santa Claus, the first time we learned about the rather awkward mechanics of sex, our first date. So today I thought it would be fun to talk about our very first kiss.

I'll never forget mine. I was 14 and on my first official date. We were sitting in the bleachers at a junior high football game when he leaned toward me, his puppy dog brown eyes sparkling in the moonlight. Mine dutifully fluttered shut as his mouth descended on mine. My heart pounded, my toes began to curl and I was immediately swept away by the thought..."Ew! This is disgusting!"

People often ask how much of our fiction is drawn from real life and I have to admit that when I had Emily Claire describe her first kiss to the hero in ONCE AN ANGEL by saying, "The boy had a tongue like a worm," I was definitely strolling down memory lane. I hadn't been so repulsed since I first heard about the whole hot dog/bun theory of sex.

Fortunately for me, another date and a different boy taught me what all the fuss was about. I've never believed in indiscriminate sex but I was an indiscriminate kisser. Long before the days of SEX AND THE CITY, my best friend and I kept a log of all the boys we kissed along with ratings from 1-10. Near the top of mine at a solid 9 3/4 were the Rickard brothers--our local version of Bo and Luke Duke. Yes, I'm embarrassed to confess that I kissed both of them. (But not at the same time!) I truly hit my stride one New Year's Eve at sixteen when I kissed 5 boys. I was quite impressed by my tally until I found out my friend had kissed 10! (My list topped out at 25 while hers soared to 50. Not bad for a couple of "good girls" who always made the honor roll, eh? And I certainly hope this is serving as a cautionary tale for all of you with pre-tweens not to let your daughters date until they turn 16!)

Being no fool, I had the good sense to marry the first perfect 10 that I kissed. He was a little miffed when he found out about my list and our rating system, but I quickly reminded him of the only thing that mattered--His would be the last name on my list!

When Good Celebrities Have Bad Plastic Surgery

2006-01-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

We all have our little guilty pleasures--never missing an episode of our favorite soap, keeping a bag of dark chocolate Hershey's Kisses stashed in our desk drawer, visiting www.awfulplasticsurgery.com at least once a week.
If you haven't visited this site before, it explains baffling mysteries of the universe such as:

Why is Melanie Griffith's formerly svelte upper lip now the size of a Michelin tire?
What are those Frankenstein-like scars Tara Reid reveals every time she "accidentally" flashes the paparazzi?

Why did Sandra Bullock's lovely face have no expression in TWO WEEK'S NOTICE?

And the most haunting question of all--Why does the formerly gorgeous Priscilla Presley now look like Jack Nicholson in BATMAN? Has she been visiting her former son-in-law Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon?

One quick visit to the site should be all it takes to convince you to grow old gracefully, preferably with your own lips, breasts and other assorted body parts. And for those of you who prefer to ascribe to the current theory that 50 is the new 30, it should hearten you to know that Frances Bavier (Aunt Bee) was in her late 40's when ANDY GRIFFITH began filming--the exact same age Sheryl Crowe is now. (And if you've seen Sheryl Crowe lately, you'll know why that's encouraging.)

My personal role model for aging gracefully is Annette Bening. When we saw OPEN RANGE back in '03, my husband kept gushing about how beautiful she was. Her face was soft, luminous, full of expression...and more than a few wrinkles. She obviously hadn't had any "work" done and had blessedly remembered that one needs an expression to act. Not since he married me have I been so impressed with my husband's excellent taste in women!

According to www.awfulplasticsurgery.com, young celebrities are just as likely to fall beneath the surgeon's knife. Shows like THE SWAN and EXTREME MAKEOVER (past guilty pleasures for some of you, I'm sure) only reinforced the destructive notion that there is only one standard for beauty. What's really sad is that while some of the contestants really did benefit from corrective dental surgery, all most of these women needed were a few fashion and make-up tips from our Lisa.

Personally, I've spent hours staring at Sarah Jessica Parker's face, trying to figure out why it's considered attractive, yet wildly grateful that it is. Sarah is a lot like Barbra Streisand and Cher were in my youth. They gave me hope because if they could be considered beautiful, then maybe I (with my oversized nose and frizzy hair) could too. To this day, I'd rather look like Barbra than Barbie.

So now you know my guilty secret and my guilty pleasure. If you're more virtuous than me, you can always visit www.goodplasticsurgery.com. Some of the most heavily featured celebrities on that site include Demi Moore, Chelsea Clinton, Teri Hatcher and...Sarah Jessica Parker.

Teresa Receives a Very Special Gift

2006-01-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

I have received some of the absolute coolest gifts from readers but I recently got something REALLY unique. Lyndsey Lewellen has been a fan for a long time and we had the pleasure of meeting at the Dallas RWA conference. She's an excellent artist and it turned out that AFTER MIDNIGHT inspired her to do this piece of fan art representing secondary characters Portia and Julian, who will be featured in the sequel to AFTER MIDNIGHT (coming September 2006). You can click on the pic if you want to see it in greater detail. My husband (who devours comics and graphic novels) was SO impressed. Now he thinks I've REALLY arrived!

Let's Talk About S*X...

2005-12-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

We've already answered that eternal question, "When did you first learn the truth about Santa Claus?" so I've got another one for you today--"When did you first learn about the 'mechanics' of sex?" I know your mom is supposed to have "the talk" with you at some point in your life but I'm still waiting. I had to learn about the ancient mystery of love in the 5th grade from the same obnoxious, pre-Goth, know-it-all girl who probably told me about Santa Claus. She gathered her wide-eyed audience around her in the lunchroom and proceeded to tell us all in graphic detail just exactly how the boy puts the baby into the girl. (Well, if you consider "graphic detail" being explained in terms of a hot dog and a bun.)

Needless to say, I was both horrified and disgusted. There was no way I was ever going to let any boy put THAT...THERE. After much soul searching, I decided there was only one option left to me. I would simply have to become a nun and commit myself to a life of celibacy. (I had recently read A NUN'S STORY and had found Sally Field irresistibly perky in THE FLYING NUN.) There was only one problem with that plan. I wasn't Catholic. Back to the drawing board. After more winnowing of my tormented soul, I decided that no boy would ever do something so disgusting to me--except Donny Osmond. Only for my darling Donny would I sacrifice myself to the ultimate degradation!

Fortunately for my future husband (and Donny), I discovered Kathleen Woodiwiss and Johanna Lindsay when I was fifteen and decided I might need to reconsider this whole hot dog/bun thing.

So how did you first learn about the mechanics of love? Health class? Gym class? Some precocious little snot on the playground? Or did your mom actually sit you down and gently explain the miracle of human procreation using anatomically correct terms like "wee-wee" and "Mrs. Muffin"?

And I have to add 2 disclaimers here: 1) We don't need to hear how you actually experienced the mechanics of love for the first time. This isn't THAT kind of blog. 2) If you haven't learned about the mechanics yet, then you're too young to be reading this blog and you need to get off-line before I call your mom

Teresa Never Could Resist Beauty and her Beast

2005-12-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

If you don't mind your guys a trifle bit hairy, you've always found a little Alpha male chest thumping to be endearing, and morning breath isn't an issue, the new Kong just may be the guy for you!

The new movie version of KING KONG soars from the breathtaking imagination of director Peter Jackson. The same strengths Jackson showed in LORD OF THE RINGS are in dazzling display here. Although there are enough amazing CGI special effects to satisfy even the most jaded STAR WARS/STAR TREK geek (including me), he's never willing to sacrifice heart and intimacy for spectacle. While KONG is a sprawling rollercoaster thrill ride of a movie--the original KING KONG meets INDIANA JONES meets JURASSIC PARK--it's Naomi Watts luminous portrayal of Ann Darrow that steals our hearts (and Kong's). An incurable romantic at heart, I actually turned to my husband after the movie and said, "I wish they'd have shown more scenes developing their relationship" before remembering that I was talking about a woman and a giant gorilla.

It occurred to me as I watched the movie that this Kong has a lot in common with the heroes of our novels:

1) He adores Ann and finds her antics endlessly amusing.
2) He's so attentive he can recognize her by her smell alone
3) He rejects every other woman once they meet (hurling them out of his path like rag dolls)
3) He's keenly jealous of every other man in her life (hurling them out of his path like rag dolls)
4) He'd do anything to protect her, including sacrifice his own life.

What's not to love?

Teresa Plays Fairy Godmother to CINDERELLA MAN

2005-12-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sure my friends would be utterly shocked that I'd pick Russell Crowe's latest film as my DVD Pick of the Week. I've shown months of restraint by not posting a single Russell Crowe pic since the perp walk pic where Lisa Kleypas and I were seen leading him away in handcuffs to be disciplined for being a bad boy. Oh, wait, that was the NYPD leading him away, wasn't it? (But if you'd like, you can pretend that Lisa and I have had him chained in our dungeon basement ever since then. I know we like to pretend that. Hey, Lisa, isn't it your turn to flog him this week?)

But I digress. CINDERELLA MAN hits DVD on Tuesday December 6th and I highly recommend it! Most people missed it in the theaters because 1) it was an Oscar-contender movie released during the summer blockbuster season and 2) it's set during the Depression and the previews made it look...well...depressing.

Instead, it's a transcendant portrait of one man beating the odds. It's also a tender love story with Renee Zellwegger playing Jim Braddock's devoted wife May. Both Russell and Paul Giamatti (SIDEWAYS, AMERICAN SPLENDOR) give Oscar-worthy performances and the climax was so thrilling that I found myself just as much on the edge of my seat the SECOND time I saw it in the theaters. I know a lot of women don't like boxing films but this one is much more of a ROCKY than a RAGING BULL and it will leave you cheering at the end just like ROCKY did. I strongly recommend this as a DVD buy or a rental and it would make a fabulous Christmas present for that special man (or parent or grandparent) in your life.

I know the pickings were lean this year, but if I had to rank the Top 3 Movies of the Year (I STILL haven't had a chance to see HARRY POTTER yet but am FINALLY going Thursday night!), I would have to rank them as 1) CRASH 2) CINDERELLA MAN 3) PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

Teresa Remembers a Devoted Reader

2005-11-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

We often tell you how much our readers mean to us and I was reminded of that all over again when I found this note from a couple of years ago in my files:

The e-mail I received this morning was simple. "I just want to tell you that my dear sister died today and to thank you for being such a friend to her." I first heard from Lourdes Goulart through snail mail. She was a young woman from the Azores living in America at the time and wanted to know if my name was Portuguese. She sent me an e-mail the following year to let me know that she was suffering from cancer that had originated in her breast and spread to her spine. She had returned to the Azores because medical care there was free. I sent her one of my autographed books, then rounded up several other books from my generous friends.

Shortly after that I received a beautiful cross-stitch of a windmill she could see from the window of her hospital room. Lourdes apologized for its quality because the chemo was weakening her eyesight. I thought it was beautiful. We exchanged e-mails and books several times after that. Her e-mails were always bright, witty, and filled with humor and humanity despite the suffering she was enduring. I couldn't begin to imagine what it must be like to have bits of your teeth break off with each meal or to have the cutest orderly at the hospital catch you with your pants around your ankles when you collapsed in the bathroom of your hospital room because you were too weak to sit on the commode. She told me how she'd fled from the dentist in her wheelchair after he told her he would need to pull all of her teeth because the mental image of herself--fat and swollen with no hair or teeth was just too much to take in.

She fantasized about American food (especially Mexican and Chinese :)) and talked about how hungry the steroids made you, how you just kept stuffing yourself, imagining the calorie count, and at the same time contemplating eating your mother's fingers if they got too close to your plate.

She started my most recent book the day before she entered the hospital for the last time. She didn't want to read past the first page because she didn't like to be interrupted once she started on a good book. She left me with this bit of wisdom: "Sometimes the best you can hope for is to survive today and have something to eat tomorrow."

Go with God, Lourdes, and I hope He was waiting to greet you with a romance novel in one hand and a fat Mexican burrito in the other.

Teresa Ponders an Embarrassment of Riches and Romance at the Movies

2005-11-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

It's so rare to find a satisfying romance at the movies that I nearly dissolved into raptures of delight to discover not one but two of them this weekend! On Friday I had the distinct pleasure of going to see the new theatrical version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen. To be honest, I was prepared to be disappointed. I had seen the rather murky looking trailer that made even the gorgeous Keira Knightly look washed-out and blotchy. Plus as we all know, every version of P & P must now be compared to that platinum standard of the 1995 BBC mini-series with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

But I found the new movie to be thoroughly delightful and exhilarating! At just a little over 2 hours long, it couldn't cover quite as much ground as the mini-series (Wickham and the two younger sisters had very minor roles), but it beautifully captured the romance and robust good humor of Austen's story. I was caught off guard by several laugh-out-loud moments. Keira Knightly embodied Elizabeth Bennet's intelligence and wit. (Her portrayal also reminded me a little of Jo March in LITTLE WOMEN.) One glimpse of her smile and you knew why Darcy's heart was captivated. MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy won me over in the moment when I realized his voice had the exact same timbre as Alan Rickman's. The murkier cinematography actually ended up making the movie seem more vital and historically accurate. The gritty images of daily life are contrasted with breathtaking shots of the English countryside, including one of Mr. Darcy striding out of the mist that almost rivals Colin Firth's rising up out of Pemberly's pond on the female gasp of appreciation scale. (Yes, this is an actual scientific device. I have one in my office.)

Next up is the rather luscious and dangerous Joaquin Phoenix channeling Johnny Cash in WALK THE LINE. At the literal heart of the movie is Cash's longstanding and long-unrequited love for June Carter (the ever ebullient Reese Witherspoon finally being allowed to put her Nashville accent to good use) and the trials and travails he must suffer before finally settling down with the love of his life. From the foot-stomping power of the very first scene, music is the thread that binds these two restless hearts and what makes the movie even more remarkable is that Phoenix and Witherspoon did all of their own singing!

If you're looking for a taste of romance this Thanksgiving, I wholeheartedly recommend these 2 movies!

Nine Things Teresa Loves About Her Job

2005-11-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

1) Getting woken up by a cat instead of an alarm clock

2) The freedom to exhibit lunatic behaviors without getting carted away to the nearest mental hospital like a) waltzing in one's office with invisible partner b) talking to one's self like a schizophrenic while practicing dialogue on daily neighborhood walk c) making out with a large stuffed pink pig while blocking out love scenes (Let's see--if the hero's paw was here, then where would the heroine's snout be?)

3) Falling in love with a sexy, gorgeous new man every year and having one's husband not mind as long as those royalty checks keep coming

4) Having 350 pics of Russell Crowe on one's screensaver and assuring husband it's "research"

5) Having office decorated with Fairy Tale Barbies, Beauty and the Beast memorabilia and talking replica of Captain Jack Sparrow from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

6) Talking to your talking replica of Captain Jack Sparrow as he mumbles sweet nothings in your ear

7) Buying all of the romances you want and assuring IRS it's "research"

8) The ability to zone out during boring conversations with excuse of "Oh, I'm sorry, I was just thinking about the next plot twist in my book."

9) Watching repeated viewings of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with Colin Firth and assuring editor waiting for late manuscript that it's "research"

Romance is Back and So is Zorro!

2005-11-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

What woman can resist a mysterious masked man with a delicious accent and a horse that can rear up on command just in time for a photo op against the setting sun? Zorro is one Latin lover who has been charming the ladies for decades. Who better to portray him in THE LEGEND OF ZORRO than the luscious Antonio Banderas, reprising his role from 1998's THE MASK OF ZORRO. For those of you who remember that film, Banderas was something of an anti-hero in that movie--a wisecracking ne'er do well recruited by Anthony Hopkins to don the infamous mask, defend the common man, and win the heart of Hopkins' winsome long-lost daughter Elena.

In LEGEND, ten years have passed and Alejandro/Zorro is still married to his beloved Elena and is the doting papa of little Joaquin, a precocious budding Mini-Zorro. Taking a cue from SHREK II, the screenwriters amped up the romance in the movie by driving a wedge between Zorro and Elena at the very beginning of the movie. This sets the stage for several humorous and passionate encounters worthy of any historical romance with a feuding hero and heroine destined to end up in each others' arms.

I'm happy to report that Antonio is still hot and even after bearing 2 of Michael Douglas's children, Catherine Zeta-Jones is still so beautiful it hurts your eyes to look at her. (And after seeing her in those gorgeous 1850's period costumes, I'm convinced she's the only actress working today who could actually do the role of Scarlett O'Hara justice.)

If you're a sucker for an old-fashioned swashbuckler with delightful touches of humor and a sexy undercurrent of romance, I highly recommend you grab the family and take in THE LEGEND OF ZORRO. (Although there is a little violence, I think I can recommend it for most ages. There was a little boy behind us who was plainly delighted by the entire movie, especially little Mini-Zorro.)

Teresa Falls in Love for the Very First Time

2005-10-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Eloisa James and I were talking about the books that made us cry. That got me to thinking about all of the books that made me fall in love for the first time. I'm talking about the children's/young adult books that weren't necessarily considered romance, but started a lifelong love affair with the genre.

One of my favorites was Elizabeth George Speare's Newberry Award winning book THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. I read it so many times that to this day I can still see echoes of Speare's writing style in my own work. I've never forgotten courageous Kit Tyler and Nathaniel Eaton, the handsome captain's son who ends up rescuing her from the small-minded villagers who believe she's a witch. (And yes, Eloisa has mentioned this book before because it's one of her favorites too!)

Another of my first loves was Alamanzo Wilder from Laura Ingalls Wilder's LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE series. (Not the blond, banal Alamanzo from the TV show, but the dark and slightly more dangerous Alamanzo from the books.) When Laura became a teacher, it was Alamanzo who would drive her through the snowdrifts to the schoolhouse each day. He was the strong, silent type, but you could almost feel the romantic tension vibrating between them.

I still remember Gwen Bristow's CALICO PALACE and those other wonderful westerns where the wagon trains were heading west and romance and adventure were always waiting along the trail. Ditto WILDERNESS BRIDE by Annabel and Edgar Johnson where 15-year-old Corey finds herself betrothed to a brooding stranger. And wasn't there even a definite hint of romantic tension between Meg Murry and Calvin O'Keefe in A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeline L'Engle? Eloise Jarvis McGraw's MARA DAUGHTER OF THE NILE was one of the first books I read where the hero and heroine were at odds, which was wildly sexy (although I may not have recognized that breathless feeling at the time :)) Patty Bergen and her doomed love Anton Reiker in Bette Greene's SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER still haunt me to this day.

Teresa Faces Her Worst Nightmare

2005-10-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Just last week Eloisa James and I discussed all of the dreaded conference neuroses that we suffer. And ironically enough, during a business trip to a Books-A-Million seminar in Birmingham, Alabama this very week, I had to face MY very worst traveling nightmare. Was it a terrorist threat? Sitting next to someone on the plane with SARS? A bird with red eyes and a runny nose perched on my hotel window ledge?

Alas, it was worse than that! Only an hour before I was supposed to go downstairs to meet and greet my adoring public, I discovered I had forgotten to pack...MY MAKE-UP!!! (That howl of anguish you just heard came from Lisa Kleypas.) I am usually very careful about this. I may not always carry extra underwear but there are 2 items I always pack in my carry-on in case my checked luggage is lost—my speech and my make-up. This time I carried on ALL of my luggage, but failed to pack the make-up. (At least my husband could have FAXED me a speech!)

Given that I'd had this very nightmare numerous times, one would have thought immediate hysteria would ensue. After all, I am at the age where I need foundation to cover both wrinkles and zits. And since I'm having a bad hair life, it makes me feel a little better if I can pretty up my face. But instead of falling apart, an eerie calm descended over me. I rummaged through my purse to discover a lone tube of lipstick, then quickly dressed and went down to the hotel gift shop to discover that the only make-up they carried was a lone tube of lipstick.

Still feeling weirdly calm, I went back to my room with only 30 minutes to go before I was due at the signing. Without mascara or eyeliner, I have the eyes of an albino rabbit. Deciding it was more important to look good than to avoid permanent blindness, I attempted to use the hotel ink pen as an eyeliner. It didn't work very well. Those things just weren't designed to draw on skin. I eyed the lone tube of lipstick, knowing what I had to do. Taking it into my trembling hand, I proceeded to smudge lipstick on my eyelids, my cheeks, and oh, yes...my lips.

Then I gazed into the mirror and prayed that the Lord would let my inner beauty shine through. (Those howls of laughter you just heard came from Connie Brockway and Christina Dodd.) Perhaps, if the Books-A-Million managers were gracious (and nearsighted) enough, I could skate by on nothing but dimples and charm. After all, don't hundreds of thousands of women leave the house every day without make-up? Why in certain intellectual circles (and at the national RWA conferences) the less make-up you wear, the more intelligent you're presumed to be! (That superior nod of agreement you heard was Eloisa's.) Just because my mama was a Maybelline queen who never left the house without full eyeliner, that didn't mean I had to be afraid to show my naked face to the world, did it?

So I marched boldly downstairs and after a few minutes of chatting with those charming people who obviously loved books just as much as I did, I did the unthinkable--I forgot about myself. My only moment of weakness came when I spotted the trio of black Sharpies the Books-A-Million folk had kindly left for me to sign the books. But I battled that temptation, knowing that if I tried to use a Sharpie as an eyeliner, I'd probably end up looking like Cleopatra or worse yet, an albino raccoon. (Plus I wasn't sure workmen's comp would cover putting your eye out with a Sharpie during an autograph signing.)

When I came home, I shared this sobering and life-altering experience with my fellow writers. Then I e-mailed them some pics. I'd barely hit SEND before a REPLY from Christina came bouncing back. "Ya know, Terri," she wrote, "You don't look so bad without make-up." Unfortunately, the picture I'd sent was from a signing the week before when I WAS wearing full make-up. Ya know, with friends like these...

Teresa Exposes the Glamorous Life of the Romance Author

2005-10-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

So I've just changed both of my litter boxes and gotten them all tidy and fresh smelling. I come home from church Sunday night to discover my geriatric cat Queennie has um...made use...of one of the the litter boxes. Alas, she has also somewhat...um...halfway missed the target. So I decide to scoop up said mess with a Kleenex and flush it down the commode. But I've barely started down the hallway when I drop the Kleenex and um...make a tremendous mess.

So I'm frantically cleaning up before my husband can come downstairs and discover what a doofus I've been. I eliminate the mess and rush into the kitchen for a can of Lysol. I'm spraying the Lysol everywhere when I suddenly realize that I've accidentally grabbed the can of Lemon Pledge.

So I go running back to the kitchen for a paper towel to clean up the floor. But I'm wearing only socks and the floor is now as slippery as an ice rink. So I fall down. Hard. My husband returns to find me lying on the floor, laughing so hard I can't get up while the cats gaze at me in perplexed silence.

I'm so glad he loves the Three Stooges!

I Want to Get LOST on This Island!

2005-10-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

I know I told you guys that I'd missed out on LOST's first season. But I finally went out and bought Season One on DVD. I've only watched the first 5 episodes and I'm totally captivated! And ya know, I thought you guys were watching it for its spiritual symbolism, its stimulating intellectual qualities, the gorgeous cinematography or even the heart-pounding adventures of these poor castaways stranded on a tropical island with the bloodthirsty Bumble from RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER.

But after watching a few episodes, I realize it's THE MEN!!! Holy cow! There's noble doc Jack (Matthew Fox), adorable Charlie (Dominic Monaghan from LORD OF THE RINGS. I always did have a weakness for hobbits) , the sensitive Boone (Ian Somerhalder), the gorgeous Sayid (Naveen Andrews pictured to the left) and my, oh my, don't even get me started on Bad Boy Sawyer with his dimples and his drawl (Josh Holloway)! He would make a perfectly yummy Billy Darling in my book NOBODY'S DARLING.

Teresa Crashes into Reality

2005-10-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Our editors can give us many gifts and this year my editor, Carrie Feron, introduced me to what I believe is the Best Movie of the Year. (And yes, CINDERELLA MAN is #2 on my list.) I had barely walked into the Reno hotel where our national conference was being held when she told me, "I watched CRASH last night in my room. You HAVE to see it!" Okey-dokey. Usually my hotel viewing habits trend more toward light romantic comedies starring Hugh Jackman, but since her recommendation was so passionate (and she WAS my wise and brilliant editor), I decided to give CRASH a spin.

Let me start off by saying that CRASH is a deeply thoughtful and unflinching exploration of race relations in our country that will challenge your every preconception and misconception about skin color and culture. Wow, that sounds ponderous, doesn't it? So let me add that it is also a rip-roaring great movie about several lives in L.A. intersecting until each of their story threads weaves a moving and cohesive tapestry.

I laughed out loud at some of the dialogue, especially the lines spouted by rapper Ludacris and his erstwhile companion. I sobbed aloud during some of the scenes. And I was absolutely on the edge of my seat (or in this case, the edge of my bed) waiting to see what was going to happen next.

To me, the last is the greatest gift. How often do we watch a movie these days and honestly have NO idea what's going to happen next? We've almost lost our ability to be surprised because most directors don't even try anymore.

A lot of people missed this movie in the theaters but it's perfect for DVD viewing. I can promise you that you'll never look at some of these actors through the same eyes again: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Sandra Bullock, the gorgeous Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe. (And in a totally surreal moment, even Tony Danza pops up!)

If you like a movie that makes you think as well as feel, give CRASH a chance.