Happy New Year! That's my two dogs above, begging for attention as I write this. I hope 2010 brings you your heart's desire, and that the next decade brings you miracles and happiness.
FORTY YEARS OF ROMANCE
I've been a romance reader for over 40 years, and like many of you I started out with the greats: Georgette Heyer, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Phyllis A. Whitney, and many others. As the face of romance changed over the years, so did my reading. In time, I discovered the Wenches' books and devoured them like a shipwrecked sailor with a newfound cache of buried rum. Never in a million years did I expect to be on a first-name basis with the biggies of romance, let alone work for them. Managing the Word Wenches blog site is just a small part of what I do for the Wenches. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes work to keep the blog machine running smoothly. Yet every day I have to pinch myself just to make sure I'm not dreaming. I love my job.
I've made many wonderful friends through this blog—both Wenches and blog visitors. I’ve been exposed to new (to me) authors because of the guests we've interviewed. I consider this one of the best places to go for just about anything, be it writing advice, research tidbits, book recommendations, history . . . you name it.
THE GRATITUDE PROJECT
In August of 2009 I bought a notebook and promised myself that each day I would write down at least three things I’m grateful for. The Word Wenches are listed on page 1. I’d like to expand that to include the commenters who visit this site regularly. All of you have enriched my life in more ways than you can ever know. Thank you!
WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR?
What are you grateful for this holiday season? Is there a person in your past who had a positive influence on your life? Have you come through a recent crisis unscathed? Or is it something on a less profound (but no less important) level, such as the companionship of a pet or a really comfortable pair of shoes? How about a surprise that made you smile? That happened to me last June when I was slicing a green pepper. I looked at that first slice and burst into laughter, for it looked just like da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (see pictures) What about you--what are you grateful for? Please feel free to share. (In the meantime, some of you asked for my Hot Fudge Pudding Cake recipe, and I'll put that in comments, to keep this post from getting unwieldy.)