Mallard Fillmore 1/27

From the Houston Chronicle.

Jane Slayre, coming April 2010

"Reader, I buried him."

A TIMELESS TALE OF LOVE, DEVOTION... AND THE UNDEAD.

Jane Slayre, our plucky demon-slaying heroine, a courageous orphan who spurns the detestable vampyre kin who raised her, sets out on the advice of her ghostly uncle to hone her skills as the fearless slayer she's meant to be. When she takes a job as a governess at a country estate, she falls head-over-heels for her new master, Mr. Rochester, only to discover he's hiding a violent werewolf in the attic-- in the form of his first wife.

Can a menagerie of bloodthirsty, flesh-eating, creatures-of-the-night keep a swashbuckling nineteenth-century lady from the gentleman she intends to marry? Vampyres, zombies, and werewolves transform Charlotte Bronte's unforgettable masterpiece into an eerie paranormal adventure that will delight and terrify.

Pre-order now!

Stop and Watch the Sunset

Kathleen Givens was a fabulous author and a dear friend. I spent the weekend in her hometown of Laguna Beach California with her family and friends, remembering her and the extraordinary life she led. On New Year's Day, she died suddenly and unexpectedly in the arms of her husband of forty years. Her heart just stopped. No warning.

But in her last four months, she had made a habit of forcing everyone around her to stop what they were doing and watch the sunset. She treasured every one as if she knew, though she couldn't have known, that it would be her last. Life is short, she always said. Hug your kids.

I blogged with Kathleen and Julia London at the Whine Sisters. In 2009, we added authors Jacquie D'Alessandro, Kathleen O'Reilly, Dee Davis, and Julie Kenner to the fold. But the three of us, the original Whine Sisters, remained the best of friends and always exchanged special Christmas gifts. This year's Kathleen gift? A necklace with her new mantra, a Winston Churchill quote: Never never never give up. She gave them to her daughters, too. A few years ago, she gave us bracelets that said "Fortune sides with she who dares."

Every day, I think of Kathleen, and I dare.

Share your memories and honor Kathleen with a donation to her favorite cause, the Ronald McDonald House of Orange County.

Mourning

One of my very best friends recently passed away and I'm on brief hiatus to deal with my grief (though she would disapprove-- she would tell me life is short). I miss her so much that my heart aches.

Kathleen Givens (pictured above, on the left with Julia London, center, and me) was a warm, generous, loving, spirited, strong and stylish woman. She was also a RITA-award winning author (for The Destiny) and the finest writer I know. If you haven't read Kathleen's books, you're missing out. I recommend her last two, ON A HIGHLAND SHORE, and RIVALS FOR THE CROWN (and then you'll be hooked and you'll want to go back and get all the rest starting with the incomparable KILGANNON).

Tributes for Kathleen are ongoing at The Whine Sisters. Please join us in remembering her.

Back to Holiday Cheer!

Christmas traditions at our house:

Trimming the tree to Christmas carols (with egg nog and cocoa), two-three weeks before Christmas.

Watching Year without a Santa Claus, Rudolph, and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, on December 23 (to get that last minute jolt of holiday spirit).

Finishing up the shopping on December 24. There's a certain feeling of triumph and accomplishment you can only get from braving stores so close to Christmas, and finding exactly what you need-- on sale!

Making sure the stockings are hung by the chimney with care.

Going to a Christmas Eve movie and out to dinner with the kids (now 18 and 16), a tradition we established when we moved to Michigan away from family for a few years. The dinner-and-a-movie continued once we moved back to remind us to make time to appreciate our own little family unit in the chaos (and joy) of all the holiday visits to extended family and friends.

We each open one present on Christmas Eve (and it's usually new pajamas). Santa brings the rest over night.

Getting the kids to bed early (did I mention they're teenagers? this used to be much easier) to make sure Santa will come and bring all the gifts. Because Santa doesn't come until kids are sound asleep.

Waking up early to open the gifts and eat my homemade cinnamon rolls before getting ready to visit family for dinner. We host Thanksgiving and New Year's Day dinners. We're guests at other houses (my sister's or my in-law's) for Christmas dinner.

I'm looking forward to it. Merry Christmas, all! What are some traditions at your house?