Usually I’d be cooking up a minor storm today. Some corned beef and cabbage, fried potatoes and onions and maybe even a shot or two of Bailey’s in my coffee while performing the above. Unfortunately with the DH’s continuing cardiac issues, not to mention my seriously needing to reach “THE END” like right now, the usual SPD M.O. just ain’t gonna happen in the Denton household this year.

So, in honor of one of my favorite holidays, and cuz I can’t celebrate, I’m going to make this really, REALLY easy today. Tell me what y’all are doing to celebrate this glorious day, and I’ll throw your name into the green hat for a chance to win a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card.

Check back Tuesday morning to see if you’re the winner.

Oh yeah! And a Happy St. Paddy’s Day to you!

UPDATE: And the winner is….#7 Wendy! Congratulations Wendy. Drop me an email at jamie@jamiedenton.net with your mailing address and uh…I’ll send the DH to the post office.

I don’t miss working in the grueling 9-5 world. I like that my morning commute consists of a trip downstairs for coffee, then nudging the cat off my desk so I can get settled down to work. And I really, really like that that can happen any time of the day or night that I so choose. If I want to work midnight to 8:00 a.m., I can do it. If I want to work from 1:00 pm to 6 or 7:00 pm, I can do that, too. I love that I can go to work in my jammies if I want. No make up, hair pulled back in an unfashionable pony tail. And the music. I can listen to what I want, when I want, as loud as I want, and not worry about disturbing anyone other than the critters, who rarely complain, BTW.

But there is one little tiny thing I do miss about the 9-5 thang, and that’s looking forward to days off. Granted, if I need to take a day to go see doctors, I can do it without having to worry too much. And depending on where I am in a book, I can often take off a day guilt-free to go shopping, take the car in for a much needed repair or run a critter to the vet if necessary. But what I do miss are those scheduled days off — especially federal holiday’s like today that translated into a nice long weekend of no work.

I do have to take part of the day off today, but once a few necessary errands are run today (it’s bloodwork day – yuck, I hate needles, and then I need to hit the pet store for critter food, and while I’m out, I should probably run into the grocery store for some much needed creamer for my coffee), I’ll be back in the office, working, working, working by this afternoon.

So, what about you? Is today a holiday for you? Are you enjoying a nice, long three day weekend? And if so, what are you doing? Tell me, cuz I could use a little vicariously living today.

Note: To those who’ve I owed prizes, they have FINALLY been shipped! You should be receiving them sometime this week, if you haven’t already.

My post is late today. In fact, my post today is an IOU. I owe you a better blog post, but alas, that can’t happen until I get my book finished. It’s coming together quite nicely, in case y’all are intersted. And promises a really scary, creepy bad guy. Let’s just say this is one you might want to read with the light on and leave it at that, LOL!

That said, today’s post is an IOU. I owe you a better blog and to some of you, prizes. They’ll be coming shortly. I promise. They’re packaged up and waiting to go to the post office, but I can’t get out to get to the post office quite yet. Bad weather, cold, icky weather in fact, and well, there is this book that needs to get finished pronto.

So bear with me. It’ll be worth the wait. I owe you that much.

If you’re reading this blog this morning, it’s probably because you have a love of books. Perhaps you even have an obsession with books. I know I do. I buy way too many books. Well, not really, but that’s what my husband likes to tell me, especially after he’s tripped over one of the many TBR mountains in my office. He’s even suggested :::gasp::: that I should give some of them away.

And yes, for those interested, he’s still alive. Barely. He now walks with a limp, but that’s for another post.

Like most writers, I have a lot of books. A great a number of those books are for my reading pleasure, and I will get to them all — eventually. And then there’s the keeper shelf, or rather, bookcase. It’s loaded of course with well loved novels, most of which are romances. I have early Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s books there, Vicki Lewis Thompson and JoAnn Ross’s first Temptations (with the yellow covers, anyone remember those?). Every Lisa Gardner novel she’s written, some Tami Hoag, a few of the old Loveswepts along with early Judith Arnold, Jennifer Greene and Anne Stuart novels, among others. I love them all. Dearly. They’re dogearred and yellowed and well, let’s not talk about the dust, shall we?

In addition to the keeper bookcase, I also have two bookcases filled with a ridiculous amount of research books that I just can’t live without, even though I might not crack any of one them open but once every couple of years depending on what the subject matter of my latest might be. These books are loved with equal enthusasium of my keeper bookcase but with one exception. Marginality.

I had a professor in college once tell me that a book that doesn’t have marginality hasn’t been well read. And just what is this marginality? It’s notes in the margins. Yellow highlighted passes. Dog earred pages for easy to find information. Anything that says “I’ve been well read.”

Appalled by this treatment of something so treasured? Yes, I was, too — initally. But I soon got over my apprehension when I learned that a portion of our grade was on how much marginality our textbook for that particular class contained.

Now I happily jot notes in the margins of my research books. I can’t bring myself to do this to my beloved keepers, but it’s a rare find to open one of the research books and not find notes of some kind within the margins. I have plot ideas for possible books that came to me while reading a particular research book, characterization notes, setting notes, scene possiblities and thoughts in general on the subject of review. Some notes are illegible or faded with time, but they’re there, showing my interest for a particular subject.

So tell me, how much do you love your books? Do you keep yours stored in those acid free containers? Are they in the same condition as the day you bought them? Or do you subscribe to the theory of marginality? Do you jot notes, reminders, thoughts in your books? Inquiring minds want to know!

Let’s make this real easy today, huh? I’m suffering from a turkey coma. Oh, yeah, and the beginnings of a sore throat. Don’t ask me why I’ve gotten a sore throat when I haven’t left the house in days. Maybe all that yakking on the phone with family yesterday? Or did those nasty germs find a way in to the house when I wasn’t looking?

So, let’s make this easy. Tell me what you’re doing today and you’ll be in a drawing for a free book from my backlist of available titles. I’ll draw a winner Sunday afternoon. Are you braving the crowds on Black Friday (you’re a braver soul than me if you are!)? Were you out there at 4am for the big sale at Kohl’s? Or are you curled up on the sofa with a good book? I wanna know.

UPDATE: And the winner is ArkansasCyndi!! Cyndi, send me me an email at jamie AT jamiedenton DOT net and I’ll get your prize in the mail to you ASAP.

Tomorrow’s the day! What day you ask? The day that Remain Silent, my next romantic suspense from Bravathat Publisher’s Weekly called “explosive” hits the bookstore shelves.

To celebrate, I’m offering up a Brava Author’s exclusive excerpt. Okay, so I’m really hoping to whet your appetite with this little teaser of Damon and Laurel’s story:

DAMON KNEW THE ethics of the situation could definitely be called into question. Lawyers really shouldn’t go around kissing their clients. But that sure as hell didn’t stop him from slipping his hand along the side of Laurel’s neck and gently guiding her mouth to his.

Her lips were warm and soft beneath his. She tasted as sweet and intoxicating as the wine they’d drank at dinner. She tasted like home.

She slipped her arms around his neck and brought their bodies together. Memories swamped him. Memories of making love to Laurel.

A curse or blessing? He couldn’t decide, but images floating through his mind haunted him. No, he thought. Not haunted. Taunted. Just like her slender curves pressed against him taunted him. Reminding him of what had once been his, of what they could have again if she’d only lighten up.

He angled her head and deepened the kiss.

Sure they could, but for how long, he wondered? Until the trial was over and it was time for him to go back to Bozeman? A temporary affair wasn’t exactly his style, and he knew for a fact it wasn’t Laurel’s. At least the Laurel he remembered, and the woman in his arms was all too familiar to have changed that much. Her touch, her scent. The way her fingers played with the hair at his nape. All classic Laurel.

He skimmed his hand down slowly her back to the curve of her hip. A sexy little moan escaped her lips and she molded her body to his. His libido took off like a rocket.

Desire thrummed through him, effectively diminishing any thoughts he might have about lawyerly ethics. He suspected he was making a monumental mistake in judgment by kissing her, but he’d willing swallow every ounce of regret in favor of the soulful, silken glide of her tongue exploring his mouth. Actions spoke louder than words, and right now her kiss was saying, “don’t leave me.”

He slipped his hand beneath her top, his fingers coming in contact with warm skin. The memories taunting him were as real as it got. He’d been here before – with Laurel. Here, where everything was hot. Demanding. And too damn consuming for him to even consider stopping.

He had no idea where things were headed tonight, but he had a damn good idea where he wanted them to go. Right over to that four-hundred bucks a night bed less than ten feet away.

All too soon, Laurel ended the kiss. She pulled her arms from around his neck and took a step back, followed by another. “We shouldn’t.”

He could probably give her a dozen or more reasons why he agreed with her, but he only needed one why she was wrong. Because they wanted each other. And because they’d never stopped caring for each other.

Okay, so he had two reasons. He could easily come up with more if she wanted to hear them. Somehow he didn’t think she would, though, so he kept those thoughts to himself. For now – because he had a feeling they both knew this wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

“We’re both old enough to know better,” she said. If she was referring to how they could barely keep their hands off each other when they’d been together, she was right.

“Old enough to know better, but young enough to still give it hell.”

She eventually smiled, as he hoped she would. The last thing he wanted was an awkwardness between them. “I meant what I said earlier. I can’t have you represent me.”

***

I’m deep in deadline mode and can’t think of anything except my characters and the creepy bad guy wreaking havoc on my poor hero and heroine’s lives. Therefore I have declared today Fun Friday. As such, I’m giving away two ARC’s of my upcoming November Brava romantic suspense, REMAIN SILENT.

It’s easy to win. Just post and tell me what your weekend plans are! I’ll draw two random winners late Sunday night, so be sure to check back Monday morning to see if you’re a winner!!

UPDATE: And the winners are…Michele and ChristyH. Drop me an email at jamie@jamiedenton.net with you mailing address and I get your prize in the mail to you.

You know one of the best things I love about writing for Brava? I mean, aside from being in the company of such stellar authors with amazingly superb storytelling abilities? And an editorial staff that, IMO, walks on water? Well, it’s the covers. I think Brava has some of the best covers out there. I have no complaints whatsoever in what the art department does for me, especially how they manage to completely capture the tone of my stories to absolute perfection.

I couldn’t have been more thrilled with my cover for THE MATCHMAKER. In my opinion, the geniuses in the art department couldn’t have nailed the tone of the book any more perfectly. The cover was dark, even mildly creepy, but not in an “eewww” sort of way. More like an errily creepy tone. Like I said, above, absolute perfection.

Last week my editor sent me the first copy of my cover for my next release and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Once again the art department has worked it’s magic for REMAIN SILENT, my next romantic suspense from Brava due out later this year. It’s dark and definitely has that “suspense” feel to it.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Oh, and that small print that’s a little blurry, it says, “Some secrets should go to the grave.”

So what do you think? What are some of your favorite Brava covers to date?

It’s back! American Idol that is, and I’m a serious Idol junkie. As a rule, if I’m sittin’, I’m knittin’, but I’m so addicted to Idol that I won’t even break out the needles to work on the current knitting project while I’m watching the show. The only other shows that receive that high honor are Rome, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy.

Right now we’re in the first round of auditions. This is the part of the show where the judges travel to various cities throughout the U.S. and must endure endless hours of bad auditions in hopes of finding the next American Idol. People turn out in the tens of thousands for their chance at stardom. It’s a phenomenon.

For as much as I enjoy the show, it can be painful to watch. Kinda like a train wreck waiting to happen and you just can’t look away. So many of those auditioning are truly horrible. Delusional, even, and a few I’d bet are even mentally disturbed. You have to wonder why some of these folks even think they have a snowball’s chance of making it to the next round. The judges aren’t kind, either, and as mean as Simon can be, 99.99999% of the time I do agree with his assessments.

Are you an Idol junkie? What is it about the show that attracts you? Or if you’re not a fan, why not? And just for fun, I’ll be doing a random drawing for a free book and a Jamie Denton coffee mug, so be sure to check back tomorrow morning to see if you’re a winner!

UPDATE: Congratulations to alissa, winner of the random drawing. Alissa, send me your snail mail addy and I’ll get your prize out to you right away. Well, just as soon as this winter storm passes, that is.