Hanging Out in the Back Yard

If you saw my May blog with the Harlequin American Romance Authors—Lee’s Folly—you’ll know my husband is a very handy guy to have around. After he finished building the folly, his next project was this trellis with a bench.

It gives us a little more backyard seating and since it’s higher than the fence, it also provides some added privacy. Now if only I had time to sew, I’d make seat cushions for it!

The electrical wiring in the folly has also been finished. Here’s a picture of it at night.

The perfect place to unwind at the end of the day. And very romantic, don’t you think?

Later,
Lee

Tuesday News—This and That

Today at the Harlequin American Romance Authors site I’m blogging about favorite books from my childhood, so I hope you’ll drop by. And remember—commenters are eligible to win autographed books at the end of the month!

My books have recently received some wonderful reader reviews on the Harlequin website. Hope you’ll check them out—here, here and here!

This week is guest blogger week with The Wet Noodle Posse. For more on the business end of writing, see what these experts have to say.

Monday—Sara Reinkes, a Zebra Debut author, provides a. simple explanation
of what branding is and how to achieve it

Tuesday—Elisa Rolle of Rosa is for Romance talks about writing book
reviews

Wednesday—Beth Andrews, a Harlequin Superromance debut author, shares
tips on multi-tasking and finding time to write

Thursday—Brenda Novak talks some more about branding

Friday—Q & A Day

I haven’t done much blogging lately because I’m working toward a deadline. Wish me luck!

Lee

Tuesday News—The Man for Maggie

I’m totally thrilled! The Man for Maggie placed second in the More Than Magic Contest’s first book category and third in the sweet contemporary category!

Congrats also to Lisa Childs, Cindy Procter-King, Janice Lynn and Terry McLaughlin for their successes in this contest! It’s an honor to be in your company!

Beluga Update:
The Vancouver Aquarium’s baby beluga is one week old today! You can check out the latest photos here.

Talk you soon!
Lee

Sunday Fun—Happy Father's Day and other stuff

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, espcially mine. Love you, Dad!

Yesterday I attended a workshop on character archetypes given by Susan Lyons. She based her workshop on The Complete Guide to Heroes & Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders. If you’ve been following my posts on this blog, you’ll know this happens to be one of the few writing how-to books I use, and I highly recommend it!


This week the Harlelquin American Romance Athors are conducting an informal reader poll on our blog. If there are topics you'd like us to blog about—or not!—please drop by and let us know.

And while I have your attention, here’s a sneak peek at what’s happening this week on the Wet Noodle Posse Blog:

Monday—Terry McLaughlin tells us how to prepare a press kit
Tuesday—Jill Monroe talks about Author Talk
Wednesday—Mary Fechter discusses promotional loops
Thursday—Janet Mullany on how to cope with a "bad" cover
Friday - Q&A Day

Have a great week!

Lee

Friday Musings

I like to have a change of scene from my office and was hoping to work outside in my folly this afternoon, but the weather’s still a bit iffy. Apparently it’s only going up to 62° F (17° C), so I may go to the coffee shop instead. By Monday the temperature is supposed to break the 70-degree F mark (21° C). Please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Beluga Update:
By all reports, the beluga calf born Tuesday at the Vancouver Aquarium is thriving. Check out this great photo of mom and baby. I love the way they swim together!

Have a great day!
Lee

A Walk in the Park

We’ve been having terrible weather here in the Pacific Northwest. Very cold and wet for June. But after a dreary week, the sun put in an appearance this morning, so a friend and I decided to go for a walk through one of our favorite gardens.


And it’s a gorgeous day! The kind that reminds me just how much the weather can control the way I feel.


Now I’m that I’m back home, I’m feeling invigorated and ready to write!

I hope you’re having a great day, too.

Lee

Baby Beluga!

Yesterday’s visitors to the Vancouver Aquarium had the rare opportunity to watch the birth of a baby beluga! After a fifteen-month pregnancy, the aquarium’s newest mom, Qila, went into labor and delivered her baby at 4:30 in the afternoon. Qila, who was also born at the aquarium and is a first-time mom, is bonding well with her baby, as you can see from their photo.

Aquarium staff think the calf is a girl, but this is still to be confirmed. We do know she’s approximately five feet long and weighed in at more than one hundred pounds! Here's a video of the auspicious event.



Welcome to world, baby beluga!