Thanksgiving Movies & TV Specials

Welcome to day two of my Thanksgiving Blog Blitz! Today I thought we’d talk about our favorite Thanksgiving movies or TV specials. Although there aren’t as many centered around this holiday, there are a few. For me, one of my favorites is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I watched it again for the umpteenth time last night, (I splurged and bought the deluxe edition DVD three pack, for the kids, of course!) but it was the first time for my two kids to see this special. They laughed, and laughed even harder when Snoopy had his altercations with the ping pong table and the lawn chair. Classic!

But what I love so much about the Peanuts specials is that through the genius of Charles Schulz they teach the true meanings of the seasons without being preachy. I think one of the reasons the shows do this so successfully is because those lessons are shared through the innocent wisdom of children, and we all know how kids can say the most profound and amazing things without even realizing it. They don’t intentionally set out to teach us adults a lesson, but they just manage to do it. In addition, I love the brilliance of Vince Guaraldi and the music he created for Charlie Brown and his friends beginning with A Charlie Brown Christmas. You can’t listen to Vince’s music and not think of the Peanuts gang. I also love the fact they used children to voice the characters. I think those amateur, sometimes singsong voices add a core of truth and sincerity to the shows, taking me back to the innocence and wonder of my own childhood. Oh, how we so looked forward to watching all of those TV specials during the holidays. You had one shot per year to see them and you just prayed Rudolph, Charlie, Frosty, or the Grinch weren’t scheduled to air on the night of your school program. Oops! I'm dating myself.

Another Thanksgiving movie I’d love to see is The Thanksgiving Treasure starring Jason Robards and Lisa Lucas. I absolutely loved The House Without a Christmas Tree and have always wanted to see the other three movies in the series. Have you seen The Thanksgiving Treasure? If so, did you like it? And do you have a favorite Thanksgiving movie or TV show you'd like to share?

Remember, every time you post a comment to my blog this week, your name will go into the drawing for an autographed copy of Studs for Hire: Woman on Top. Even if you already own a copy, Christmas is coming and autographed books make great gifts, so get entered!

Thanksgiving Blog Blitz Starts Today!

Okay, readers. It’s time to get my Thanksgiving Blog Blitz rolling! I’m not only celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday, but the recent sale of my fourth book! Yee-Haw! Eight Seconds is a novella and will be released in 2009 in one of the Ellora’s Cave, Flavors of Ecstasy anthologies. I’m not sure which volume yet, but I’ll keep you posted. Eight Seconds does take place in November and mentions Thanksgiving, so I’ll be blogging about it later in the week. Here we go!

Thanksgiving marks the official start of the holiday season, and since I love history, I’m starting the week with some Turkey Day Trivia. See how much you remember from history class.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621.

But, it wasn’t declared an official holiday until 1789 by President George Washington.

Many states observed Thanksgiving, but not all, and on different days. President Abraham Lincoln, faced with the trials and tribulations of the Civil War, was looking for a way to unite the nation and gave his Thanksgiving proclamation in October 1863. Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November would be observed as a day of Thanksgiving.

During the midst of WWII, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, looking for a way to give a boost to the shopping season, moved the holiday to the third Thursday for the years 1939, 1940, and 1941. The idea didn’t go over so well and Congress passed a resolution in 1941 decreeing Thanksgiving would always fall on the fourth Thursday.

So, ever since then our nation has been setting aside a day for us to give thanks by indulging in way too much food, taking a nap, and watching football on a weekday afternoon. Sounds like a perfect day. Well, maybe. For most women it means even more stress, work in the kitchen, a house full of relatives, and a mountain of dishes. Oh, how many Thanksgivings my dear mom worked to put a magnificent meal on the table. Bless her. She did so in style by not only preparing mouth-watering food, but by adding touches of the Autumn season with candles and fall silks to decorate the house and table.

One of my fondest memories of Thanksgiving is of my mom and her festive holiday apron. She’d get up bright and early that morning and with the apron officially tied in place, she’d get that bird in the oven. For the day, whether it matched or not, that handsewn apron, with its horse and sleigh print, was a part of her outfit. And you know, that trusted, well-worn kitchen helper wouldn’t leave her waist until the last dish had been washed and put away that evening. Did she complain? Nope. She did it out of a profound love for her family. Seeing her hustle around the kitchen with that faded, old apron is one thing I will miss big time this year. What I wouldn’t give for one more day. Maybe it’s time for me to pull that apron out of the drawer and carry on the tradition. By golly, I think I’ll do that. For mom.

So, what fond memories do you have of Thanksgiving? I’d love to hear them. Remember, every time you post a comment to my blog this week, your name will go into the drawing for an autographed copy of Studs for Hire: Woman on Top! Good Luck!

Thanksgiving Blog Blitz Contest Coming Soon!

Hey! Sorry I'm a little slower than I anticipated in posting about the contest I promised. Where does the time go? Anyway, I'll be hosting a five day Thanksgiving Blog Blitz November 17 - 21. Stop by and leave a comment to one of my daily Thanksgiving posts during those five days and you'll be entered in the drawing for an autographed copy of Studs for Hire: Woman on Top! Each time you comment during those five days, I'll throw your name into the drawing, so visit every day and comment every day. Heck, comment twice a day or more if you're feeling the Thanksgiving spirit. Get ready for virtual turkey and pumpkin pie!

Happy Fall!

It's now fall and Halloween is just around the corner. Once again it's been a while since I last posted. I apologize for being absent so much, but my dear mom passed away on Sept. 3rd, so I've had a major life change. It hasn't been easy, and I miss her more than I can say. In a case like this, there are simply no words to describe what I feel. But, I'm plugging along and managing to get some writing done. I completed a novella, More Than Eight Seconds, and it's with my publisher now. I hope to have more news to share with you soon about this story. I loved writing it, and I love my hero Devlin McCord. He's a hot, sexy professional bull rider, so hold onto your chaps!

Right now I'm working on finishing up the sequel to Cowboy Fling. Hopefully you'll see Country Fling in print soon. It's taken me longer than I anticipated to get this story done, but if you've read any of my previous posts, you can understand why. Life really can be a bowl of pits sometimes.

At any rate, I hope to get back to a regular blogging schedule starting November 1. And, I'm thinking I might host some kind of contest to kick things off again. I'm not sure what, but I'll do something. Keep watching.

Life

Okay. I admit it! I've been a very bad blogger for the last few months. I apologize for not updating since June. Bad me! But, in my defense, I have to say I've had a lot going on in my personal life this past year. After my dad passed away last November, I was so in hopes that life would settle down and every one in my family would be happy and healthy. Unfortunately that wasn't meant to be. Two of my oldest brothers both ended up in the hospital at different times, (one with a broken bone, the other with Rocky Mountain Spotted fever) we had major water issues in our basement this past spring, my third brother is still struggling through a divorce, and and if all of that isn't enough, my mom was diagnosed with cancer at the end of July. That, let me tell you, was a major blow to all of us. She's hardly been sick a day in her life. At the moment she is doing realtively well and I say my prayers for her every day. After a couple of stays in the hospital we had to move her from the farm to a nursing home so she could get the proper care she needs. I now oversee all her financial needs, and we are in the process of getting the farm cleaned up and ready to be sold next spring. Major life changes for all of us. And not one I ever, ever looked forward to. That was always some day in the distant future. But unfortunately someday is here. The years fly by so fast. Heck, seems like I was in second grade just yesterday. Where did the time go?

Around all of life's chaos I am managing to still write, although at a slower pace than I like. I hope to have news of a new book soon. I'll keep you posted the best I can. But if I'm absent from this blog again for a while, please understand.

On a positive note, it's time to start thinking about fall and all the great books coming out we'll be able to snuggle up with soon. Now, that is something to look forward to!

A Triple Crown Winner in 2008?

Secretariat, circa 1973


Okay, I have to admit it. My heart is lodged in my throat and it will stay there until the Belmont Stakes, the final race in the Triple Crown, is in the history books. Those who know me know that I’m a big horse racing fan, and in honor of Big Brown’s run for the Crown I just had to blog about it.

It’s been thirty years since Affirmed and Alydar battled each other in all three legs of the Triple Crown, and I watched every second with my nose pretty much pressed against the TV screen. You couldn’t drag me away. I had to watch it down to the wire and see Affirmed become only the 11th horse in history to win the Triple Crown. And ok, I had a huge crush on Affirmed’s jockey, Steve Cauthen, but that’s not what this is about. Those races were thrilling, exciting, and fantastic to watch. They still make my heart race today when I go back and watch them. To me there is just something about these magnificent animals stretching all out, hooves thundering, battling each other for the lead and ultimately the win.
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But have you ever had the privilege of watching the great horse Secretariat run the 1973 Triple Crown races? I watched them again this morning on YouTube, mainly to see how Big Brown’s first two wins stack up in comparison to Secretariat’s wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and thought, hmm… Maybe?

But I also found myself, once again, watching in utter amazement and cheering on a horse who’d raced his heart out 35 years ago. By the time Secretariat had made racing history and winning the Belmont by an astounding, unheard of 31 lengths, I had tears streaming down my face. I know it sounds crazy to get so emotional about a horse race, but well, those races were incredible. Secretariat was incredible.

I’ve watched Big Brown run the first two legs, and win handily both times, and I just haven’t been able to stop wondering if we’re watching a horse here that is reminiscent of Secretariat. Granted, there will only be one Secretariat. No horse will ever fill his horseshoes. But it looks like to me that Big Brown does have the potential to place his own pair of shoes into the annuals of racing history. He is big, he’s bold, you can see he has heart, and he loves to run. And he loves to come from behind, take the lead, and then command it down to the wire. Looks very familiar.

But will it happen? Can Big Brown really do it? Ten horses in the past 30 years have won both of the first two legs of the Triple Crown only to lose the glory in the Belmont. At a mile-and-a-half, the Belmont is a long, grueling race. Sure, Big Brown has it all, but does he have enough of it all to make the trip and be first across the wire? If he does, not only will his stud fee take a huge increase, but he will firmly lock those special shoes of his in the records of not only horse racing history, but American history. Wow. It really makes me want to get cracking on the series of horse racing romances I’ve been wanting to write.

What do you think? Will Big Brown win the Triple Crown? Or will 2008 be one more year of almost, but not quite?

SOS Mixer Contest Winner--Is it You?

I'm proud to be one of the sponsoring authors of the Romantic Times SOS Military Mixer held each year at the RT Convention. I wasn't able to attend this year in Pittsburg, so fellow SOS sponsor, Julie Miller, joined forces with me to do a little something extra. We hosted a special SOS Mixer Military Contest that all attendees could enter.

And we have our winner! Woo-Hoo! We would like to congratulate SGT John Cashenfs of the U.S. Army! John will be receiving a care package of goodies from us. "Keep on rolling," John!

If you look closely at the picture, you'll see that handsome man is none other than the King of romance novel covers, and "I can't Believe It's Not Butter" fame, Fabio! Fabio made it a speical point to attend the Mixer this year, and now I'm really bummed I couldn't go!

But I have to say it truly is an honor and a privilage for me to give back what I can to our troops. After all, they give and sacrifice so much for us and our Country. God Bless them all!