An interview in a recent equestrian magazine had a interesting interview format: First it asked” Who, What, and Where” about the interviewee (name, home state, occupation). Then it asked her to describe 10 things she loved. That seems like a great way to get to know somebody. Plus it focuses on the positive instead of the negative.

This particular young lady’s answers were: “My Blackberry, video chatting, my friends, my school, food, food, helping others, riding, my horse, poker, and family.” You can probably tell from her answers that she’s in highschool and has a fixation with being in with her peer group.

For me, the who/what/where basics are:
NicoleJ, Utah, and Romance Writer

My interview list of things I love would probably run like this, in no particular order:
= watching sunsets from my house
= jumping over fences on horseback
= the camaraderie here at The Goddess Blogs
= hugging dh
= green grass (there isn’t much in Utah)
= hiking in the mountains
= getting together with good friends
= Chinese food, specifically Shrimp with Vegetables and Moo Shu Pork
= my writing buddies who are like sisters to me
= the Internet – staying connected with people and the world

But even though you can tell a lot about a person from the things she loves, you can’t get a complete picture unless you also can ask about things she doesn’t love. Probably the top on my list of things I hate is = Being Cold!

So in the interest of getting to know all you goddesses better, give us the scoop on you!

= Who, Where, What
= 1 or more things you love
= No more than 1 thing you hate (although cheating is okay of you don’t overdo it. Hey, it’s my rules here!)

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“A picture is worth a thousand words.” The proof of that cliche was driven home to me this week when I received a precious gift: A restored photo of my late father holding me in his arms when I was practically a newborn.

You see, it came about like this. My mom was cleaning out old files and found a very small 2″X3″ snapshot of my dad and me in my grandmother’s scrapbook. So Mom mailed it to me to add to my baby book, which she had also recently handed down to me. (I think she’s bent on “getting her affairs in order” so she’s tackling long overdue projects like file sorting.) Anyway, that snapshot was faded and grainy and nothing special.

Then my dh went to work with some great new Photoshop software, enhancing the color and pixels of the image, reducing the tint of old age, and blowing it up to 4″X6″ size. Then he printed the restored version on photo quality paper and handed it to me.

Now, I’m not usually sentimental or nostalgic, but that restored photo brought tears to my eyes. You could just see the love and awe on my father’s face as he gazed down at the little sleeping bundle of humanity that he had helped to create. At the time, my dad was in his early twenties, not much more than a kid himself, and he’d just returned from a war-time tour of duty. But that photo captured a very special moment in his life.

I love the fact that software can recreate and improve old and new photographs alike. I love that I can e-mail the digital version of that photo to my family. I love that I can send the restored, printed, framed photograph to my mom for her birthday. And I especially love that I now have a memory of my dad that I’ll always cherish.

Do you have any favorite old photos? Any new photos that have special meaning for you? Any uses of technology that have helped you preserve special moments in your life?  Any Kodak moments that got away because, drats, you didn’t have a camera handy?

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You may be too young to remember the days of Green Stamps, but Dh and I can recall how our grandmothers collected stamps from grocery stores, then pasted the stamps into books and redeemed them for prizes and/or cash. I can also remember as a kid doing the licking and stamping for my grandmother because she had so darn many her tongue would go numb.

Well, I just read a magazine article about ways to save in the current tight economy. While grocery store stamps weren’t on the list, there were lots of good ideas in the categories of home, health, shopping, travel, cars, insurance, taxes, and miscellaneous, some that I’d never even thought of before.

Saving on car gasoline was a big one. I’d always been taught that turning off your car was bad for the engine and you shouldn’t do it unless you planned to idle for a very long time. Now I learn that the trade-off is a mere ten seconds. That is, idling your car for 10 seconds uses as much gas as restarting your car. And two minutes of idling equals a mile of driving. The moral? I’m gonna start paying a lot more attention to what’s happening when I’m driving.

Some other interesting statistics are that fuel efficiency drops 5 miles per gallon for each 10-mile speed increase over 55 mph. And for every 100 extra pounds you lug around in your car, you can lose 1-2 percent in efficiency. I don’t know if I have the willpower to drive more slowly on the freeway, but I’m definitely cleaning out my car this weekend.

Dh and I do have some regular practices to help our piggy banks:
= Or local grocery store has daily specials and we can rack up nice little savings using our grocery store card.
= We wait to buy groceries until we’ve accumulated a large enough list to qualify for gasoline discounts – 10 or 15 cents off  per gallon really helps on the gas bill.
= We use the rewards program at several franchise store (office supplies, books, electronics).
= My fave clothing store gives discounts if you’re a club member. Of course, not buying new clothes at all would save even more.
= A local restaurant club gives a free entree during our birthday months.
= Our two major credit cards have rewards programs (one for airline miles, one for prizes or cash).
= We buy stuff in bulk at warehouse stores, and often buy cheaper gas there, too.
= We often buy meat/fish in bulk, then freeze in smaller airtight bags, so we only cook as much as we need for a meal or two.
=  A big discount story sells generic prescription drugs for vastly reduced costs over brand name drugs.
= We wait to make some on-line purchases until we can qualify for free shipping.
= We make good use of leftovers, mixing and matching them with one or two new dishes and a salad for later meals.

Do you remember ways your grandparents saved? Do you now have your own ways of being kind to your pocket book? And do you or do you not like leftovers?

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When researching history for my novels, I sometimes run into issues with common wisdom of the times. What was accepted fact in past centuries often changes as science and culture evolve. A big medical belief during the Regency period was that “Bleeding” (draining a patient’s blood by applying leeches to the skin) drew the poisons of disease and illnesses from the body. Now, there actually is a scientific basis for the theory; bleeding could indeed help with some conditions and illnesses. But more often, blood loss just made the patient weaker and slowed recovery, sometimes even hastening death.

Just the other day, a writer friend asked me why I didn’t just explain in my book why Cornwall in southern England is warmer than the rest of Britain because of the warm ocean currents coming from the Mediterranean. I patiently replied that the effect of Gulf stream currents on climate in southern England was not exactly common knowledge back then, and I have to use what folks knew and believed during the period, or at least give a good explanation why I’m using something more modern.

Another older friend is married to a retired doctor who started practicing in the 1950’s. She never would exercise during the morning hours because her hubby told her that her body diureses (eliminates fluid) in the morning and she didn’t want to interfere with the process. That’s one of the wildest excuses not to exercise that I’ve ever heard, and I don’t know of any serious athletes who subscribe to that theory, but obviously some part of the medical community believed it at one time.

There are other beliefs that have changed over time, some that I’m glad for, some that are surprising. Examples of old wisdom:
= A low-fat diet is better for you than a low-carb diet (high glycemic carbs are much worse than good fats)
= Eggs and shrimp are high in cholesterol and therefore bad for you (just because a food is high in cholesterol doesn’t mean it will make your body’s blood cholesterol go up)
= High blood cholesterol is bad (nowadays we know that there’s good and bad cholesterol, and you need the good kind to stay healthy)
= Margarine is better for you than butter (trans-fats turned that argument on its head)
= Rest is best for injuries or arthritis (physical therapy can work wonders in many cases)
= Chiropractic/acupuncture/magnets/massage/laser therapy are just voodoo medicine (tell that to my horses)
= Girls can get pregnant just by kissing (thankfully we know better now!)
= Life is all downhill after 30/40/50/60 etc.  (I assure you, it isn’t!  And the demarcation line keeps getting pushed back the older we get.)

Are you glad/surprised/disappointed/amused that some common wisdom has changed over time? Any things you were taught that have been disproved?

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Writers usually learn early on to avoid cliches like the plague, since trite phrases can drag a reader out of a story and spoil the illusion of living in the characters’ shoes. But sometimes it’s hard since they trip off my keyboard so easily.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to write “he reached out and touched her” but stopped myself because of the AT&T slogan, “Reach Out and Touch Someone.” I don’t want echoes of 21st century life in my Regency historicals, so each time I have to consciously decide if there’s a better way to say the same thing. Sometimes there isn’t without going around Robin Hood’s barn, but at least I make the choice.

Then there was the time I had a secondary character give a toast to my newly-wedded hero and heroine by saying, “May you live long and prosper.” Thankfully for that book I had a good copy editor who was a Star Trek fan and recognized that phrase as a Vulcan salutation made famous by Mr. Spock. Now, I have no doubt that people in history often said “live long and prosper” when giving good wishes. I just couldn’t use it in my historical novel if I didn’t want lots of negative fan mail.

But in my non-writer life, I have a bunch of favorite phrases. “Where’s the beef?” is one. “Make my day” is another (although I rarely get to use it since my life is pretty tame and I don’t often need to make threats). “My mama dint raise no fools” is fun, too.

I’ve also been stumped by some memorable sayings that have crept into our culture in recent years. “I’m just saying” I think has its roots in a comedy TV show, but since I don’t watch many comedies, I missed that one. These days, a lot of folks at my barn regularly say “It’s all good,” which I take to mean, “don’t worry about it.” And I just saw an article on-line claiming to trace the origin of “my bad.”

Of course, in regular conversation, cliched phrases have their place. They can make for snappy dialogue and good one-upmanship. And you can really get your point across in very few words using well-known sayings. I guess if I want to sound up with times, I just need to watch more TV shows for younger viewers.

Do cliched phrases in novels bug you, or do you just gloss over them because they’re just part of the fabric of our lives? Do you have any favorite memorable sayings? Any ones you’re sick of because they’ve been done to death? Can you tell me the origin of “I’m just sayin,’” and some of the newer slang phrases that I’ve missed?

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Since summer is just around the corner, this is a great time to share some tips for fun with your fellow goddesses. (Hey, I’m also looking for ideas here, since I’m about to meet a work deadline and may have two nanoseconds to play!)

I want know about your favorite places to visit, things to do, advice on what to wear, eat, drink… and any other helpful hints for summer fun that you might have. I’ll start with some of mine:

My favorite place to visit in summer is any place with water, preferably an ocean. When I lived in Atlanta, it wasn’t summer if I didn’t visit the Atlantic or Gulf several times. Now that I’m out West, it’s easier to get to the Pacific. I don’t need to swim necessarily, but I love fresh salt breezes and digging my toes into the sand. And I especially love the moisture after the dry climate in Utah. I’m hoping to get to Vancouver, Canada this year – would love to return to Victoria to see the fab public gardens and enjoy the rare delight of high tea (scones and crumpets, anyone?)

My fave attire? I’ve fallen in love with Skechers, which are sort of a cross between a sneaker and an aerobic shoe – great support and comfort rolled into one. I’ve also fallen in love with the new fabrics for tops and shorts/pants that wick away moisture. It makes hiking and riding sooo much more pleasant.

My most useful tip for the summer? I’ve found a great sun-screen that isn’t greasy and leaves my skin soft and moisturized. Imagine that! After many years of enduring painful sunburn and frying my skin with oil, I can actually help it. (And if you want to know the brand name, I’ll post it in a comment below so it doesn’t look like I’m hawking certain products on Mt. Oly. *Grin*

My stay cool drink? Lo-cal fruit daiquiri. Mix Lemon Crystal light, fruit, rum, and ice in a blender. My fave flavor is peach/banana, but you can go wild with your own favorite fruits.

So fellow goddesses, what’s your favorite summer:
1) place to visit (state/country/big city/area)?
2) fun thing to do?
3) any useful tips for staying cool and maximizing enjoyment (summer drinks, clothing, etc.)?

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Maybe because I have OCD when it comes to books, but when I find an author I love, I glom her work. That is, I buy every book she’s ever written. Even if it’s in another genre entirely, I’ll at least give the new species a try.

But what if I can’t find the backlist books I want? Often times, older books are out of print or aren’t carried in stores because of limited shelf space. And my last resort – used book stores or on-line stores – are out of stock, too. Or maybe my beloved copy of a book is so dogged-eared and faded that I want a brand new copy. That’s when reissues can be invaluable.

Goddess Suzanne and I both have reissues out this week – Regency-set historicals that we each wrote ten years ago or more (yikes, how time flies!) A writer’s work can change a lot in ten years. Sometimes she’ll evolve in writing styles, tone, settings, or even genres for one reason or another – because the market changes, or because she needs new challenges, or she simply discovers what she loves to write most. But usually the core of an author’s voice stays the same, and what I love about an author’s older books is what I’ll love about the new books and vice versa.

Suzanne says her current reissue, STOLEN KISSES, has a touch more drawing-room comedy than the historical romances she writes now. In contrast to Suzie, my first three Notorious Series romances – THE SEDUCTION, THE PASSION, and DESIRE – are a bit darker and edgier and yes, hotter, than my newer Courtship Wars series. But at the heart, our romances are still us, and we’re both glad our publishers decided to reissue these older books.

There are several reasons a publisher might reprint an author’s backlist, but most often it’s a way to give her work broader exposure and to find new readers.

A “reissue” can simply mean sending the book back to press and printing additional copies with the same “package”… meaning cover, back blurb, front matter, etc. But sometimes a book is given a new ISBN number, cover, retail price, or title. Cover changes can be confusing, and title changes even worse, because a reader may not know she’s buying the same book twice.

Once in a great while, even the author name on a book will change. If an author becomes popular under one name, books she wrote under a different name may be re-published under the hotter name to reach more readers. That’s when the copyright page in the front of a book comes in handy – you can check to see when the book was first published and spare yourself the frustration of feeling gypped!

　
Do you like reading an author’s older work, whether or not her style or genre has changed? Or do you just stick with the newest ones? Are you a glommer? Either way, are there times when you would you buy a reissue?

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