Back from RWA

If you read my blog last week, you already know that I attended the Romance Writers of America's National Conference between that post and this one.  It was in San Diego, and as I mentioned I took the train there.  I got on at Burbank Airport's stop and got off not far from the hotel, which was the Marriott Marina. 

I enjoyed taking the train but the best seats were upstairs and I had to carry my suitcase since I couldn't check a bag at that stop.  It worked out okay, though I was concerned about how I'd do coming home since I always collect books at RWA National.  Fortunately, I was still able to carry my bag up the stairs!  And, yes, I generally wind up taking a regular sized suitcase to writing conferences to accommodate both necessary changes of clothes... and those books.  One of the best parts of the train ride was when we could see the Pacific Ocean out the windows.

There's not a lot I can say here that I didn't predict last week.  One of the most enjoyable things was my signing and giving away copies of my August release COVERT ALLIANCE, a Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel, at the Harlequin signing event.  I always get to sign and sell copies of my work at the Literacy Signing, but this was my first time participating in one of the giveaways to promote the publisher and introduce the authors.  The timing just worked out right this year.

Yes, I attended workshops, particularly those held by Harlequin and its authors.  And parties?  Sure, especially Harlequin's!

I also got to meet up with some of the people from Writerspace.  I connected with them last year at RWA National when the person who'd been maintaining my website decided to get out of the business.  Now, they not only maintain my website but do a lot more for me, including introducing my new releases on their site, allowing me to blog and chat there, design and send out my newsletter, and more. 

Plus, as predicted, I got to network with other authors and industry professionals.  In all, I had a great time!

Will I attend next year?  It's in Orlando, not for the first time.  I've attended a lot of RWA conferences over the years, have blogged about them often on Killer Hobbies, and always find them professionally helpful.  I haven't decided yet about 2017--but don't be surprised if I decide to go to that one, too.  

Off to RWA National

When you read this, I will most likely either be on an Amtrak train to San Diego, or I'll already be there.  That's where the Romance Writers of America's National Conference is this year, with some events starting today.  Since I live in L.A., the train seems a good way to get there.  We'll see!

I always enjoy RWA National.  I get to go to the librarian and book seller's tea, attend the Literacy Signing where local readers can come and buy books and meet the authors, attend workshops, and have fun at Harlequin's party!  This year I'm also getting to sign my August release COVERT ALLIANCE, a Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel, at the Harlequin signing event, plus attend some other workshops Harlequin is giving, mostly for its authors.  In addition, I'll be meeting with some other writers and writing professionals.  I'm not on a panel this year, unfortunately, but I'll still have a good time.

That's both a good thing and a not so good thing about writing in more than one genre.  I could be attending conferences nearly all the time--and kind of do!

Anyway, if I learn anything especially noteworthy I'll include it here next week.

Meantime, my writing is being put on hold but I'll at least bring part of what I'm currently working on to edit in the event I find a few minutes between other stuff I'm doing.  I'll miss my pups, but I know they'll be getting good care since my husband will still be around.

More About Dogs

Me?  Mention dogs? 

Of course!

I'm here at Killer Hobbies because my mysteries always contain dogs--not exactly my hobby, but part of my life and family.   If you read this blog much, or otherwise know anything about me, you already know that.

Even some of my romances contain canines--like my paranormal romances for Harlequin Nocturne about Alpha Force, a covert military unit of shapeshifters.

I also write for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and I've received some interest in an idea that will involve--you got it--dogs!

Because that would involve different aspects of dogs than I'm used to, I've started doing some fun research.  I don't want to get into any details now, not until the new miniseries becomes more of a certainty, but I'm talking to a lot of different people and learning all I can, partly so my stories will make sense, and partly because, if I take poetic license, I'll know some of the reality so I can still ensure that what I say sounds plausible.

Meantime--well, I'm currently working on my next Nocturne, although I had to set it aside for a few days to finish edits on my upcoming Superstition Mystery UNLUCKY CHARMS, to be published in October.  But before it's published my next Romantic Suspense novel COVERT ALLIANCE, which does not contain dogs, will be published--in August.

And in a couple of weeks I head to San Diego for the Romance Writers of America National Conference.

So... writing.  Dogs.  It's all fun!

Happy New Year Again!

 I wished you all a happy new year last week, and I'm doing so again since this is my first Killer Hobbies blog post of 2016! 

As I mentioned before, I'm still celebrating the holidays.  More family members, including my grandsons, arrive today.  It'll be wonderful to have them around.

And last week I mentioned it might be too late to see Christmas lights, but I was wrong.  We visited the same amazing display we saw last year--and learned there that it had won a national televised award for being the best competing Christmas display in the country, the Great Christmas Light Fight!  I could certainly see why. 

I sent the manuscript for COVERT ALLIANCE, my next Harlequin Romantic Suspense, to my editor first thing this week.  And I'm still writing my third Barkery & Biscuits Mystery, although with family around my writing time has already been sparse and will probably remain that way. 

And some good news since my last post:  My first Barkery & Biscuits Mystery BITE THE BISCUIT is a finalist for the Dog Writers Association of America's annual Maxwell Award in the fiction category!  For a dogaholic and writing lover like me, that's especially exciting! 

I hope your 2016 has started off well and only gets better.

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know I'm slightly early, but this is my last Killer Hobbies blog post of 2015!   

Life's fun right now but really different from my norm.  Oh, yes, I've started writing my third Barkery & Biscuits Mystery, and I'll be reading my manuscript for COVERT ALLIANCE, my next Harlequin Romantic Suspense, this weekend before emailing it to my editor.  I'm doing some additional plotting, too.  That part's all usual for me. 

But meantime I'm still working around all kind of holiday and family stuff.   

Last week we went to see Frozen, Disney on Ice.  Wow!  Those skaters were amazing!  We also went to see the new Star Wars movie at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, where they presented a sci-fi light show first.  Another fun outing. 

We've family staying with us and visiting us, and more to come.  We've yet to take a drive around the major Christmas light shows this year and are probably out of time.  Yesterday we had our carpets cleaned, partly in anticipation of the arrival of our young grandsons next week.  The dogs had to stay in my office with me with all the excitement going on, but they wanted to go help and kept barking. 

This afternoon we'll head to Pasadena to watch people put the last touches on the parade floats--including our younger son!  Then there's New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and more that's not conducive to spending my usual amount of time writing.  But oh well.  The celebrations and seeing family don't happen often, so I plan to enjoy them now, and write whenever I can find a few spare minutes. 

So... Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you all have a wonderful and prosperous 2016.

Penultimate Week of the Year

  

There's one more week of 2015 after this one, which makes this the penultimate week of the year.  Wow, has it gone fast! 

I've been busy, as usual.  I finished the manuscript that I'm under deadline for next--COVERT ALLIANCE, my next Harlequin Romantic Suspense--and will be able to send it off a month before it's due.  I was asked to do that since it is now scheduled as an August release, but I'll get a chance to read it one more time before submitting it since my editor is taking a holiday vacation right now. 

I've already started plotting the next book I'm under deadline for, the third Barkery & Biscuits Mystery.  I'm working on some ideas for new stuff as well.

Plus, my time travel romance THE BALLAD OF JACK O'DAIR is nearly ready for release as an e-book, which will happen on January 25--but it is available for preorder now on Amazon. 

Family starts arriving later this week, and with visiting, entertaining, cooking, and going out to shows and touristy sites, my writing time will be cut short--probably for weeks, but I'll work some in when I can.

It has been raining in L.A., but nothing like what they keep predicting for El Nino.  I admit to wearing a sweatshirt as I write this, although usually I'm pretty warm-blooded and resist dressing up, at least indoors, for chilly weather.  My dogs don't understand the rain, though.  Fortunately, my resourceful husband has installed a tarp over our dog run, so although the pups don't always get to run in our large backyard, they do get their paws but not much else wet when they have to go outside. 

Anyway, it's hard to believe this year is nearly over, but I'm looking forward to 2016.  Hope you are, too!

Romantic Suspense Preview

Yikes!  It's the last month of the year already. 

As always, I'm still writing away.  My next deadline is February 1, and I now have lots more information about the book I'm currently working on, which I talked about in my blog a couple of weeks ago.  Then, I bemoaned the fact that it doesn't have dogs in it.  Well, it still has no canines, but I'm still having fun with it.  And some of the information I related then has changed or solidified. 

It's a Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel, the second in my miniseries about the Identity Division--a fictional part of the U.S. Marshals Service that provides new identities for people who are endangered but can't provide evidence to convict the people who are after them and injured others, preventing them from getting into actual witness protection.  The ID Division also sends someone undercover to wherever the non-witness came from to collect that missing evidence.

 

The first in the series was COVERT ATTRACTION, a December 2013 release.  I've just recently learned that the title of the one I'm working on now will be COVERT ALLIANCE, one of the titles I proposed for it but not the working title I had mentioned before.  In addition, I now know that its publication date will be August 2016. 

That's not very far off in the publication world, and I've been told that if I can send my manuscript earlier that would be appreciated.  I'm far enough along that doing so is a possibility.  In addition, I've already completed the Art Fact Sheet for the story that Harlequin requires be filled out online to help give them information needed for cover art, blurbs, and foreign sales. 

I'm far enough along in the process to anticipate soon the send-off of the manuscript--and my ability to jump into the next book for which I'm under deadline, the third Barkery & Biscuits Mystery. 

And... well, I'm a writer.  My mind keeps calling to me, insisting that I plot another mystery series idea.  I'll at least get a proposal together for it.  Don't know if it'll sell, or, if it doesn't, if I'll be so committed to it that I'll write it anyway and then self-publish it.  

 

But, hey, you won't be surprised to hear that it involves dogs!

Back from RWA National

As I figured last week I'm a bit late posting this today.  My return flight yesterday was delayed, which didn't help.  The reason? Well, for one thing it was too hot in Chicago to fill the plane with enough gasoline to get to California, so we had to stop and refill the gas in Kansas City.  Go figure.

Anyway, I had a great time in my travels.  For one thing, the end of my trip was a stop to visit my son, d-i-l and two grandsons, which was Icing on the Cake--which you know is also the name of the bakery for humans in my Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries.

The first part of my trip was the Romance Writers of America National Conference in New York City.  It was a great conference--if you don't count the hotel I stayed in with two friends with whom I was on a panel.  It was an overflow hotel since the main conference hotel was filled, and it was awful.  First, they were redecorating the main level and it was a mess and hard to get around.  Then, there were hardly any lights in my room, which made nighttimes difficult.  There were a couple of bugs--termites?--that may have been permanent fixtures on the bathroom floor.  There weren't enough towel racks.  I could go on, but I won't.

Instead, I'll tell you some of the fun parts of the conference--networking, for one thing.  Also, I wound up with some additional insight on what to do with my website.   I spoke with my Harlequin editor and attended Meet and Greets for the two lines I write for, and got additional ideas for what comes next.  I met with my agent.  I learned more about the changing publishing industry. 

And I of course attended the always-fun Harlequin party!

Next year RWA National is in San Diego, much closer to my LA home.  Will I be there?

What do you think?

Off to RWA National

Every year around this time I wind up blogging about the Romance Writers of America National Conference--because I attend a lot of them!  This year's is in New York City, and I'll be there starting today.

Of course I'm writing this post yesterday--Tuesday--since I'm taking a red-eye overnight and am not sure when I'll be able to check into my hotel, a block down from the one where the conference takes place.  I've put together a calendar of a lot of the things I'm doing, and Wednesday is quite full--a couple of events for Harlequin, my romance publisher; a librarians' and booksellers' reception, and the Literacy Signing, where the publishers donate books for us to sell for the benefit of organizations promoting literacy. 

I don't want to give too many details today since I suspect I'll want to do some further blogging about the conference next week.  But don't be surprised if I post my blog a little late.  I'm getting to stop on my way home to visit my son, d-i-l and grandkids so I won't be back in LA till late on Tuesday.

Meantime, I've gotten my author's copies of my next Harlequin book--one of my Alpha Force paranormal romances for Nocturne, CANADIAN WOLF, about a covert military unit of shapeshifters.  It's a September release, but it's always fun to receive copies early!

 

Have a good week.  I know I will!  But I'll miss my husband and dogs, who'll be taking care of one another in my absence.  And if you post a comment, thanks... but I won't be able to respond to it for a while.

Back from RWA National

I'm home!  I returned a day early from the Romance Writers of America National Conference this weekend, but I was there long enough to have a great time.

I arrived last Wednesday in time for a party that included librarians and booksellers, mostly those who were local to the venue of this year's conference, San Antonio, Texas.  I said hello and schmoozed a bit, then got ready for the next event: the Literacy Signing.

If you've never been to RWA National or haven't been to a Literacy Signing, you've missed one huge, wonderful book sale!  Authors are set up mostly alphabetically in a big room, and all of them sign books that are sold to each other and the local public, mostly copies that were donated by their publishers.  The proceeds are then donated to organizations that support literacy.  Hey, if people don't know how to read, how can they enjoy our books?  I sold copies of my most recent Harlequin Nocturne: UNTAMED WOLF.  And I talked to a lot of people, both other authors, conference attendees and local readers who came in to buy books.

The next day was Thursday, and although I had a few events scheduled I actually got to attend a few workshops and panels, as well as the official conference luncheon. 

Then there was Friday.  Talk about a busy day!  I had breakfast with one of my Harlequin editors and others who write for that series: Harlequin Nocturne.  Then I went to the Harlequin book signing, where there was a giveaway of the 2-in-1 version of UNTAMED WOLF combined in one volume with Alexis Morgan's Nocturne IMMORTAL COWBOY.  Lots of other authors signed their books, too, in this giveaway to conference attendees to acquaint them even more with our work.

Next, I had lunch with another Harlequin editor and some authors who write for the other series I also write for: Harlequin Romantic Suspense.  I had to hurry and leave early, since next I got to sign copies of my books for the Berkley giveaway: TEACUP TURBULENCE, fifth in my Pet Rescue Mystery series.

Later that afternoon, was the panel I had put together: Multiplicity Rocks: Writing Concurrently in Multiple Genres or Subgenres.  Four of us, including two other authors and my wonderful agent, discussed the pros and cons of writing in more than one genre at a time.

That was followed by the Berkley cocktail party, then the Harlequin party which was as wild and delightful as ever.  Imagine hundreds of women (with a few men among them) dancing in the middle of a dance floor to songs like "It's Raining Men!" and you'll get the general idea!

I was exhausted after that.  But on Saturday I did get a chance to do some sightseeing before leaving for home, and sightseeing in San Antonio is definitely fun--although at this time of year it's also miserably hot and humid.  Even so, I got a boat tour along the river and also got to visit the Alamo.

I'm glad to be home now.  My dogs are glad I'm home.  But as I said, I definitely had a wonderful time.

By the way, I returned to a deadline.  The manuscript for my first Barkery and Biscuits Mystery is due on August 1!  That's also the publication date for my next Harlequin Nocturne, LOYAL WOLF.

So what did you do while I was enjoying my latest conference?

Malice Domestic Upcoming

I leave tomorrow for Bethesda, Maryland, and this year's Malice Domestic conference for cozy mystery writers and readers.  I've been going to Malice for several years now and really enjoy it.  Maybe that's because I love writing, and reading, cozy mysteries! 

The panel I'll be on this year is Murder with a Little Education on the Side: Mysteries that Tackle Social Issues.  The social issue I tackle is, of course, pet rescue and how humans deal with animals.  My Pet Rescue Mysteries each have a theme involving pet rescue as their background but my intent is not to hit people over the head with the moral of the story.  Instead, I hope to provide an enjoyable mystery that just happens to involve something important.  So now you know some of what I intend to say on the panel!

This will also be an interesting Malice for me for another reason.  The Pet Rescue Mystery TEACUP TURBULENCE, which was published in January of this year, is the last one scheduled for publication by Berkley Prime Crime.  In fact, I don't have any other books currently scheduled with Berkley.  I've had a great run with them: 9 Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries, plus the 5-book and 1 e-novella Pet Rescue Mystery series.  I'll be joining the Berkley crowd for dinner on Friday night.  And I hope perhaps to write for them again in the future. 

But I'll also be joining the Midnight Ink crowd at the Agatha awards ceremony on Saturday night.  My new Superstition Mystery Series will be published by Midnight Ink, starting with LOST UNDER A LADDER in October of this year.  I'm also working on a second series for my wonderful new publisher, although it's still premature to say much about it.  But both of them, of course, involve dogs.

So this Malice will be special to me in many ways.  Plus, I'll have the opportunity to see and hang out with a lot of fun people with whom I keep in contact over social media during the rest of the year. 

By the way, I'm delighted to repeat that I also have more romances coming up for Harlequin Nocturne and Harlequin Romantic Suspense.  There's no romance presence at Malice except perhaps for panels that happen to address romances in mysteries.  But I will be at the Romance Writers of America National Conference at the end of July to celebrate that aspect of my writing, too. 

Usually, after Malice, I've gone to Pittsburgh both to visit family and to attend the Mystery Lovers Festival in nearby Oakmont, Pennsylvania.  But there won't be any Festival this year.  And my Pittsburgh family is, unfortunately, dwindling.  As a result, no Pittsburgh for me this year. 

So... will I see you at Malice?  If so, what are you especially looking forward to there?

RWA National Brief Recap

I’m home!  I had a wonderful time at the Romance Writers of America National Conference in Atlanta, but it’s good to be back and returning to my regular writing groove. 

I not only networked and met up with a lot of wonderful people, sold and gave away copies of some of my books, and attended a lot of parties, but I also went to workshops.  The program this year reflected the change in the publishing industry.  There were a lot of workshops relating to self-publishing, along with more usual topics like writing craft and promotion--not to mention spotlights on certain publishers.  I had a lot of fun going to Harlequin and Berkley-related panels and events. 

One topic that I focused on more than many of the others was promotion.  I attended several panels on branding oneself, and although I don’t think I have that nailed down yet I doubt anyone’ll be surprised that my brand includes suspense, romance... and animals. 

The other subject that particularly interested me was how to form a street team.  That sounds like so much fun!  What’s a street team?  Well, it’s a group of people who can be friends and fans of a particular writer, who in essence help with that writer’s promotion by reading her work and posting and encouraging reviews, receiving bookmarks and other promotional material and passing them out in bookstores, libraries, and other relevant places, and generally talking about that writer’s work.  In return, they receive free copies of the author’s books and other fun stuff like swag--T-shirts, for example.  And of course they stay in contact with that writer and learn what’s yet to come.

I’m currently considering whether and when to form a street team.  Do you have any ideas?  Do you have, or belong to, a street team?  What’s your opinion of them?  And... if and when I get around to trying to form one, would you be interested in joining??? 

The RWA National Conference--it rocked yet again!

Blogging and Shifting

I needed to write two blog posts in one day yesterday.

First, of course, is this one, my weekly Killer Hobbies offering, which I always try to write a day in advance.

I’m also delighted to be blogging next week on the Harlequin Paranormal Blog, since my upcoming Harlequin Nocturne, ALASKAN WOLF, is a December release. I was asked to submit my blog early to give the folks in charge time to review, edit and post.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written more than one blog post at a time. Nor will it be my last. But I’ve been asked now and then--including on a delightful Sisters in Crime panel last weekend about Sassy Sleuths--how I keep my sanity while shifting from one genre to another, possibly at the same time.

Okay, I wasn’t really quizzed about my sanity, only about how I do it. This week was a good example. I’m under a deadline for submitting a proposal about an upcoming sexy paranormal romance in my miniseries about Alpha Force, a covert military unit of shapeshifters, to Harlequin Nocturne. I also was under a deadline to proofread the typeset pages for BEAGLEMANIA, the first in my new Pet Rescue Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime.

So these two blogs? I suppose I could have done something similar here to the one for the Harlequin Paranormal Blog, but that didn’t entirely make sense to me. Instead, I’m blogging about blogging here, and about ALASKAN WOLF and Alaska there. That’s another type of shifting genres within minutes of one another, but I guess that’s the way my mind works. Which is probably a good thing.

I do intend to attempt a blog tour soon, since BEAGLEMANIA is the first in my new spinoff series and it’ll be available in March. Will I write more than one post in one day? Possibly. Will I also be writing in more than one genre at the same time? I hope so!

Do you blog? At more than one site? Have you ever taken a blog tour? What do you think of blogging?

E-Readers

Last week, I was in Orlando at the Romance Writers of America conference. E-readers were everywhere!

Barnes & Noble had a large room dedicated to selling physical books--but there were also people selling the Nook e-reader outside it.

I arrived on Wednesday morning too late to attend a morning program given by Harlequin for its authors on social networking, darn it. I need as much instruction as I can get, to learn everything I’m not doing. The afternoon Harlequin program was dedicated to teaching us about the different kinds of e-readers and what their differentiating features are. I unfortunately also arrived too late to see the demonstration, but the room was packed. Afterward, a few techy folks from Harlequin hung around to give individual instruction, but I hadn’t learned enough to know what to ask. Sigh. But it did intrigue me.

Other programs discussed the future of the publishing industry, and where new forms of publishing, and reading, may fit in.

But did all this convince me to run right out and buy an e-reader? No. Maybe I’d have been so inclined if I’d seen the demos and figured out which one was best for me. But I haven’t heard of any yet that would survive a good dunking in the bathtub--which is where I do a lot of my reading.

So, for now, I’ll wait. Although if anyone reading this happens to know of waterproof e-readers, let me know. I might jump in earlier than I’m currently anticipating.

Even More Traveling!

Sorry that I missed out on blogging last week. I knew I’d be traveling again but thought I’d have more regular Internet access.

The first part of this trip was a 5-day cruise to Bermuda. Fun! Did some touring and researching an idea for a thriller that I’m working on. One thing that was disappointing was that I didn’t see many pets--just a cat. There were plenty of pigeons, though. I also saw businessmen wearing their shirts and ties tucked into colorful Bermuda shorts. Not a lot of them, but enough to assure me this custom is still in effect.

Next, I went to New York and met with both my Berkley and Harlequin editors, as well as the senior editor for Silhouette Nocturne. I came away really jazzed and eager to get back home to write, especially since I’ve got more time to do it these days.

That night we saw a Broadway show, the live Mary Poppins musical. It was cute, and some of the special effects were amazing for a stage performance.

Finally, we attended the Baron Funds Annual Meeting, our excuse for going to New York. Despite the bleak economy these days, the people there were, fortunately, optimistic. Of course, that’s their job. Plus, as always, the surprise entertainment was wonderful! At lunchtime, there were 4 different venues and we unfortunately didn’t get to them all--but the entertainers included Faith Hill, Patti LuPone, Jessica Simpson, and two excellent Broadway Tony winners currently starring in South Pacific: Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot. The main surprise entertainment was Jerry Seinfeld, who gave a really great stand-up performance. He stepped in at the last minute, apparently, since the person originally scheduled had gotten ill out of the country. Seinfeld did an outstanding job!

Fun? Sure. But I’m through traveling for a while, and very glad to be home with my pups. They seem glad to have me around, too--both are eager for lots of attention and vie for who gets the next lap time. And, yes, although I did get some writing editing and research done on the trip, I am also glad to be back at work.

Anyone have any upcoming, exciting trips planned?


--Linda

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I’m fortunate enough to be able to post my blog for Thanksgiving Day, so I’m going to resort to the not entirely original idea of giving an accounting of some of the stuff I’m thankful for.

I’m thankful for prepared food mixes that, with some additions and embellishments, help me to make a tasty Thanksgiving meal yet have time to write and visit with family on Thanksgiving Day.

I’m a little thankful that my part-time temporary law job that looked, yesterday, as if it might move and morph, is staying as-is. Maybe it’d be better if things changed enough to get me to leave, which would increase my writing time, but I like it enough for now to hang in.

I’m thankful for writing, since it’s so much a part of who and what I am.

I’m thankful for my good friends and my fellow writers, absolutely including my co-bloggers who invited me to join them here at Killer Hobbies. You're all great!

I’m thankful for my wonderful agent Paige Wheeler of Folio Literary Management, her interest in my writing career and her support, and all her efforts to make my publishing dreams come true. I’m thankful for my publishers and their hard-working editors, at Harlequin and at Berkley Prime Crime. By the way, Kendra Ballantyne, my pet-sitter mystery protagonist, joins me in these good wishes for Berkley and everyone there. She really likes it when her stories are told and looks forward to more to come. And, yes, I'm thankful for Kendra and figure she's thankful for me, too.

And of course we're thankful for our wonderful readers!

I’m thankful for all animals, those that are wild, and those that allow us to think they’re tame. For pets of all kinds. For dogs, and for Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. And at the top of that list, I’m thankful for my adorable Lexie. And Kendra says the same about her Lexie.

I’m really thankful for my family--those who remain in Pittsburgh, those who live in Phoenix, my extended in-law family in Ohio and Hawaii and here in L.A. And, most especially, I’m thankful for my two wonderful sons, Eric and Keith, and for my husband Fred, with whom I don’t always agree but I do always love.

I hope everyone reading this has a wonderful Thanksgiving. And please feel free to comment here to add the things you’re most thankful for.

--Linda