I want an Alpaca.

Hi everyone, Pat Davids here.

In writing my newest release, The Farmer Next Door, I had to do research about an animal I'd never met. An alpaca. I learned that I would love to own one of these cute, soft, adorable animals.

I'm not sure my dog, Sadie, would like the idea, but maybe she could get used to one. I'm also not sure the city of Wichita would allow me to keep one in my back yard. Still, I adore these creatures and their wonderful antics. Other than occasionally spitting on each other and a hapless human or two, they don't have many bad habits. That is more than I can say for my sofa chewing dog.

My heroine, Faith Martin, owns a herd of alpacas. The first thing they do is get into the crops of the farmer next door, widower Adrian Lapp. Using the antics of these remarkable creatures to guide Faith and Adrian toward true love was more fun than a day at the county fair. Pick up a copy and see what trouble is brewing in the Amish town of Hope Springs, Ohio.

Besides alpacas, I've written about horses, a cat named Bonkers, Isabella the rabbit and a bull with pink nail polish on his toes. My daughter has a turtle named Stinky and a bass named Mr. Big. I like the humor and chaos animals bring to stories and real life, don't you?

If you could have any animal you wanted, what would it be? An elephant? A giraffe? My grandaughter would like a white tiger or a pony. Me, I want an alpaca.

RWA Conference--by Leann Harris

RWA is in New York this week. It is the best time for us writers. We come out of our little worlds (offices) and get to meet other writers who are interested in what we are writing, swap stories, get kudos or sympathy depending on whether we've sold a new book or got rejected. Also we get to meet in person the people we blog with.

Another highlight is going to dinner with your editor. And the Harlequin party is a high point of the week and sometimes the talk if the conference. If you write for another publisher, you get to go to that dinner.

For several years running, I roomed with a friend from Denver. It was such fun. For nearly 15 years I never missed RWA. The first year I did, I was blue all week. I’m missing it this year, too. I wish all my fellow Steeple Hill friends a good time. I hope I’ll see them in Sept at the ACFW conference in St. Louis.

Have a good time, ladies. Hopefully, someone will blog while there.

New York, New York! Here I Come (Romance Writers of America National Writing Conference)

Hi Debra Clopton here, I'm writing this as my husband Chuck drives us to the airport--we're on our way to New York! I'm excited! I asked my granddaughter if I could borrow her fancy orange flower to wear to the Rita Awards on Friday night, but she said she was looking too fabulous in it herself and wouldn't let me wear it!!!

So, I guess I'll just have to do without the big orange flower in my hair. I'm still going to have a great time. RWA is the big conference of the year. I'll meet with my editor, my agent, my writing friends. The conference kicks off on Tuesday at 5:30 to 7:30 with a huge author autographing that benefits Adult literacy. I hope if you happen to be in the area you'll drop by the Marriott Marquis on Times Square and come see us all. There will be 500 of your favorite romance writers signing. Of course we the Craftie Ladies of Romance will be there and I believe about 34 other Love Inspired authors. Along with authors such as Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts and other huge authors in the industry. Look for the Little Inspy Trading Card game that us Love Inspired authors will be doing. We've all got a trading card with one of our books on it and if you gather one from us all and take them to Lenora Worth, Janet Tronstad or Missy Tippins they will put you in a drawing to win $100. gift card to Amazon (Okay, I may have some of the rules wrong I have been on major deadline for two weeks working with very little sleep...trying to finish my book before the conference Sooooo If I have some details wrong at the conference we have a sheet at our tables that explains it all!) Anyway, I'm almost to the airport so I'll say goodbye for now.

I have to say that I look forward to conference so much because of the amazing ladies who make up the Love Inspired authors. We have a blast together and its really nice to get together and see each other face to face. They really are as nice as the books they write :)

Until next time live, laugh and seek God with all your hearts!
Debra Clopton
Have you been to Mule Hollow yet?
Watch for my next book Sept 1 2011 HER RODEO COWBOY book 1 in the Mule Hollow Homecoming series

An Unlikely Match Interview

How exciting to have Asher Chatam, the hero from AN UNLIKELY MATCH, by Arlene James, a June, 2011, release from Love Inspired Romance.

1. Asher, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

It has to be soccer related. I'm the youth soccer commissioner in Buffalo Creek, Texas, and I once thought I'd play professionally. I attended college on a soccer scholarship, but an injury forced me to focus my efforts elsewhere, which is how I wound up an attorney.

2. What do you do for fun?

Soccer. I play, plan, coach or watch soccer whenever I have downtime. Oh, and jogging. I love a good run. Guess you can tell I'm a bit of a fitness nut.

3. What do you put off doing because you dread it?

Laundry. I'm not the sort to put off things, really. In my experience that just exacerbates the problem, but I don't see the point in doing the laundry unless the closet or dresser is empty. Plus, I know I'm going to mess something up when I do it. Typical guy, I guess.

4. What are you afraid of most in life?

Failing to do my best, especially when it's a matter of time. I just don't always have the time to devote to things. That's a real problem with people and relationships. People deserve time, and I just don't always have it. I try to make time for family, but it's not easy, and I always feel a little guilty about that.

5. What do you want out of life?

I want to excel at what I do, whether it's law or coaching or whatever. I guess that's why I've avoided personal relationships. I don't have the time to be a good friend, etc.

6. What is the most important thing to you?

My reputation is important to me. As an attorney, my reputation is everything. It's even more important because I'm an espousing Christian. Too many people think of attorneys as shysters, and I absolutely want to avoid anything that seems the least bit shady or improper. That's another reason I don't date much.

7. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

I don't really read for entertainment. Just don't have the time. Also, I read so much for my work that reading isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I have some downtime. I guess my favorite type of book, though, would be the old classics. You know, Shakespeare to Twain, with a little Aristotle and Socrates thrown in.

8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I get that I'm a bit uptight, and I'd really like to change that, but I do serious work. I have to think how my actions and reactions may impact my work, which is ultimately for the good of others. If that makes me a little cautious, well, God will have to do something about that. I can't seem to.

9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

No pet. I don't have time for a pet. I barely have time for people, so it wouldn't be responsible of me to have a pet.

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

I guess I'd go back to college and do some things different there. I'd not do some things and definitely do some things that I didn't the first time. Maybe I could save myself and others some heartache. For instance, I wouldn't try to be the hero of every game and injure myself. And I either wouldn't get married or I'd give her more time so she wouldn't divorce me. Maybe I'd have a more normal life then, something besides work and soccer. I see these guys who have been married for years at my age and are dads now, while I'm just their kids' soccer coach or just the league commissioner. Ah, well, the law is rewarding work, and I'm good at it. And I do still have the soccer. I just wish…but never mind that. God knows what's best.

Lyn Cote with Results of Our Poll & A New Pair of Questions!

Elnora, our sweet sassy Southern gal, is storming NYC! This weekend is Romance Writers of America's Annual Conference. I didn't get to go --boo hoo.

But that means I can be here with you!

Here are the results of our poll about Why You Buy a Book:

52 people voted.


1-Positive review-- 21 votes or 40%

2-Bestseller's List 5 votes or 9%

3-Attractive Cover 30 votes or 57%

4-Blog about Books 18 votes or 34%

5-Back Cover Blurb 35 votes or 67%

6-First Few Pages 16 votes or 30%

7-Subject Matter 26 votes or 50%

8-Part of a series 20 votes or 38%

9-Friend's recommendation 22 votes or 47%

10-Info from Publisher 4 votes or 7%

11-Some Stories Speak to me 13 votes or 25%

With on 52 votes, this less than random sampling (You need over 200 to qualify for that--I took statistics in college and that is the ONLY THING I RECALL).

However it looks like


Attractive Cover 57%
Back Cover Blurb 67%
Subject Matter 50%
Friend's recommendation 47%

were the most popular reasons for buying a book--in this poll.

Being human however, we left off one other MAIN REASON A READER MIGHT BUY A BOOK--The Author!

You would think that authors wouldn't forget that one. (Hanging our heads in shame.)

So the big questions today are:

1-Do you have a list of authors who you keep on your "to buy" list?

2-And if so, who are a few of those authors?

We won't be insulted if you mention other authors, who aren't part of this blog. So get real. And spill your list of authors you can't resist!

I'll go first: Kathy Herman and Jan Karon and Diane Mott Davidson. Surprised?
BTW, here's a note from our dear, Elnora!
"Ask Elnora--About Romance Readers????Lenora Worth
Hello, my lovelies. I'm off to New York City to attend the RWA conference, but while I'm gone our own Lyn Cote is going to talk to everyone about a recent poll she conducted regarding what our readers really want. Lyn will explain it much better, I'm sure. Try to behave while I'm gone. P. S. I managed to pack eight pairs of shoes!!!
Elnora :-)"

Allie Pleiter on Heroes

One of the great blessings of our lives these past two years has been that God placed extraordinary doctors in our path. I give thanks every day of my son’s survival that he has Comer Children’s Hospital’s world-renown pediatric oncologists fighting beside him.

One of his leading doctors recently passed away.  A larger than life, heroic guy, Dr. James Nachman was astounding.  Brilliant, bold, funny, passionate about his work, so direct he would make my jaw drop, dedicated often beyond reason.  A one-of-a-kind man, although his patients would probably give you hundreds of different reasons why.  I spent the days following “Doc Nach”’s death pondering what made this man so incredibly effective and beloved.  The answer came from one of my editors.

She once told me, “Make your heroes as big as your villains, and your villains as big as your heroes.”  Dr. Nachman excelled because while pediatric cancer is an ominous foe, he was an even bigger persona.  A seemingly un-opposable force of nature.  There were days when that man felt to me like Tolkien’s Gandalf standing at the abyss roaring “You shall not pass!”

We love heroes because we need them.  We need a champion larger than our challenges.  What have been your favorite heroes in books?  Who has been that hero in your life?  What made him or her heroic to you?  If you haven’t told your real-life heroes how much they mean to you, do so soon for one day--like “Doc Nach”--they could be gone.

My life in boxes

Kim Watters here. Well. I'm all moved in. Or at least as much as I can be at this point. The furniture is in and the kitchen is set up. I have some clothes in the closet and I know where all the boxes are that contain my bathroom stuff. If only I could find the hand lotion...Anyway, if I could find my camera, I'd have taken a picture so you could see what a mess my garage is. My life in boxes. I wonder how I'm going to get it all to fit inside my new house. I will though, because I'm determined. One box here, another box there. Soon, I'll have a spot to park my car. (Good thing the homeowner's association allows me to park in the driveway. )

Unpacking kind of reminds me of writing. On a whole, thinking about writing that manuscript is a daunting task. But if you break it down into smaller segments, like a scene or chapter, it's more manageable. If I tried to unpack everything at once, I'd have a much bigger mess inside and total chaos in my brain. If I tried to write the entire book in one sitting, the reaction would be the same. Plus it would be impossible. There just isn't enough hours in the day.

Besides, the longer it takes, the more fun I'll have unearthing the possessions I packed up months ago. Taking more time to write the manuscript allows me to discover more about my characters and add more depth to the story. At least that's what I've convinced myself of anyway. Until next time.....

Summer sunshine....

I love the polls going on here.  What a great idea!  I look forward to seeing  the results, don't you?  As readers, we all have strong feelings about what draws us to a particular book on the bookstore shelf--maybe it's the author, the title, the cover, the blurb, or maybe the first first pages.    I know there are authors I "auto buy" because I cannot wait for their new books!

Thinking of covers...my second book for Love Inspired is out right now.  I think it's the most unusual cover I've ever had, but both the artwork and the title really confirm what the book is about.   I just love the sparkles on the water!  The book is set in a scenic part of Wisconsin, and we just returned from a week in that area--though we had rain, rain, rain.  I wish we'd seen some sunshine!  :) 

Have you ever picked up a book based on the cover and then found yourself completely surprised by the type or tone of story?

Don't forget to participate in the polls, here.  What fun!

Wishing you all a wonderful summer!
Roxanne Rustand
www.roxannerustand.com

Reader Poll and one more category...by Lisa Mondello

Hello everyone, from Lisa Mondello...

The Craftie Ladies poll is getting some great response and we love that you're telling us exactly what makes you pick up a book and buy it! We're wrapping up our poll at the end of the week. So if you haven't participated in the poll, make sure you do.

One thing missing from the poll is the author! Can you believe we forgot that one? I know that's an important issue for me because when I find a book by an author that I've read in the past and loved, it's an automatic buy. But I'm wondering what you all think. So here is a separate poll just for authors. We'll be running this one all week and give you the results at the end of the week.

Many blessings, Lisa Mondello
http://lisamondello.blogspot.com

If you've read an author's book in the past and loved it, what do you do the next time you see a book by that author?
	Automatically buy the next book regardless of what's on the cover or back cover blurb?
	Automatically pick up the book and read the back cover to see if you're interested?
	Make sure it's part of a series first and then buy it?
	Only pick up the book if it is by your favorite author?
	I only buy books if the book sounds interesting. I don't auto-buy by author.
pollcode.com free polls

Small-Town Hearts Interview

How exciting to have Megan Russo, the heroine from SMALL-TOWN HEARTS by Ruth Logan Herne, a June, 2011 release from Love Inspired Romance .

1. Meg, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

Well, I don’t know that it’s the MOST interesting thing, but it’s definitely the thing that gets tongues waggin’ here in Jamison, NY. I um… gulp… got dumped by two fiancés. Yes, you heard that right, two. As in T-W-O. One broke our engagement because he got his other girlfriend pregnant…

Oops.

And the other texted me while I was waiting in the bride’s room. I’m not sure what was worse, being dumped while wearing a gorgeous wedding gown that has now been turned into dish-cloths or getting dumped by text-message. Talk about COWARDLY!!! But, no, I’m not upset. Uh, uh. Not one little bit.

(Sigh…)

2. What do you do for fun? I’ve deleted the word ‘fun’ from my dictionary.

3. What do you put off doing because you dread it? I put off dealing with the couple of cranky people in our sweet town. What makes cranky people the loudest? Does anyone know?

4. What are you afraid of most in life? Growing old alone. Being embarrassed again. Not having the things I assumed were normal and facing my thirties as the old maid who runs the candy store and wears weird, old-fashioned clothes. I mean really, I might just be my own worst enemy, you know?

5. What do you want out of life? I want to be self-supporting, married, with three stinkin’ adorable kids who look like their dad and maybe a little like me and grow old with someone who thinks I’m wonderful, marvelous, good-looking and loves my chocolate and shares my faith in God. Is that too much to ask?

6. What is the most important thing to you? Romance. I know, I should say my faith, and that’s huge, but I want to be in love, you know? Only real. But I’m always trying to hurry things, and I guess the romance –meter figured that out because obviously Brad and Michael weren’t the ever-afters I was hoping for. And while Danny Romesser might THINK he’s all that and a bag of chips, his killer smile, great repartee and cool millions won’t get through the coat of armor I’ve had installed. No way, no sir.

7. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book? (Sigh, again). Romance, of course. I loved it as a kid. I love it now. I want to be Elizabeth Bennett. And Jane Eyre without the fire drama. Or the crazy wife in the attic. Okay, maybe not Jane Eyre, how about Anne Shirley? She grew up in a small town, married her high school/college on-again, off-again sweetheart and had a crew of great kids. I loved those books. Didn’t you?

8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I wouldn’t be so impatient. I would embrace God’s timing and stop trying to push things along. Mostly.

9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet? No pets. I live above the Colonial Candy Kitchen, the shop I run, and pet hair and candy are NOT a good mix, you know? But I want a dog someday. Husband and kids, first, though. I hope. Maybe.

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why? Easiest question of all! I love 18^th and 19^th century America. I dress in period dress to draw my customers into my old-fashioned shop and old-time ways of making candies and tempering chocolate. I love the grace and dignity of early Americana. Although I love indoor plumbing, the Yankees and the Internet. So I’d have some serious adjustments to make to really go back in time, LOL! But it’s fun to pretend.

FEATURED BOOK: SMALL-TOWN HEARTS BY RUTH LOGAN HERNE

Securing a location for his family's chain of sweet shops is big-city businessman Danny Graham's secret mission. But Grandma Mary's Candies will mean the end of Megan Russo's little shop—and the end of her dreams. How can Danny put a quaint, small-town candy shop out of business? Especially one owned by a kind young woman who's lost too much already? Still, here he is, trying to romance his sweet rival…although Megan doesn't know who he really is. Seems like Danny needs to look into his own heart and discover what matters most.

Ask Elnora--About Renovating????--Lenora Worth

Darlings, I'm in Florida at what will sometime next year become my "retirement" home. But I can't really retire. Writers don't retire--they reload--the printer, that is. Elnora has about ten or fifteen good years left. Of course, my brain comes and goes at random these days. But I still have lots of stories to tell.

Right now, I'm sitting in an empty room, working on an old computer desk my sweet Big Daddy loaded into the old Yukon for me. This room will one day be my new office and already I have grand ideas about making this rather tiny bedroom into a massive and comfortable creative space. We are sleeping on one of those airbed mattress thing tonight. We'll see how that goes. We brought a set of wicker I've had since the last century and that is our living room for now. We have a few clothes and some flipflops. Yes, I had to bring lots of shoes, of course. But only two purses for now.
We have water nearby to look at. I should be able to write here, don't you think?

But it's the renovations that will be the test. Which begs the question--if you could creat your perfect office and workspace, what would it be???? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Book Clubs

Missy, here. I have some friends from my church who are big readers. We've talked about books for years and just recently decided to start a book club. We had our first meeting last night and had the best time! We'd read Karen White's new book, The Beach Trees, which was amazing! We had a great time discussing it. We used the questions in the back of the book. Oh, and we also had food! :)

We're still deciding when to meet again and what to read. Are any of you in book clubs? If so, what type format do you use?

P.S. Don't forget to vote in the sidebar about what makes you buy a book!

WHY DO YOU BUY A BOOK?

Have you taken our poll today?

We really want to know what draws readers toward books. For me, it begins with an appealing cover but it's the first couple of pages that will make me plunk down my money. How about you? Take our poll and let us know!

Linda Goodnight

Lyn Cote Asks a Simple Question--What Makes You Buy a Book?

Lyn Cote here--I'm an author, right? And reader too. And a book buyer. Now I know why I buy a brand new book, but what makes YOU buy a book?

Publisher's Weekly (the magazine that publishers and booksellers live by) thinks it's a starred review within its book review section.

1-If you read a review of a book and it sounds good, does that lead you to buy it?

Or maybe it's the bestseller's lists like the NY Times or USA Today?
2-If you see a book on one of these lists, does that make you buy it?

3-Or a pretty cover?

4-Or reading a blog by an author and that prompts you to buy her book?

We need your input. So tell us what makes you either go to an online bookseller or a brick and mortar store and plunk down your hard-earned cash for a book.

WE REALLY WANT TO KNOW!

Today we want your input as individuals and then tomorrow we'll put up a poll on the right side of this blog and you can vote for the reasons you purchase a book.

I've given 4 reasons, what's yours? And as a thank you, I'll give one person a vintage Love Inspired of mine. So leave a comment (and your email address with dot and at) for a chance to win a book! (I decided to pull out an older title because you're probably all tired of getting my latest--but I can do that if you prefer.)

So leave a reason and invite your friends over!--Lyn
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Characters of All Kinds

This is Merrillee, and I'm thinking about characters other than human beings that can populate our books. I've only written a couple of books that feature animals. Mommy's Hometown Hero is set on a farm, and my upcoming January 2012 book, Montana Match, is set on a ranch. Farms and ranches are natural places to find animals.

Below is a photo of my cat Nomar. He's relaxing on the couch that sits near my desk. The heroine's daughter in Mommy's Hometown Hero gets two kittens for her birthday.



The photo below features a black and tan coon hound. The heroine of Montana Match gets a coon hound for her birthday.



This is a photo of a mourning dove that built her nest in the corner of the roof that covers the patio at my daughter's house. I watched this bird feed her baby until the day the baby left the nest. Maybe someday one of my books will include a bird leaving the nest.



What kind of animals do you like to see in a story? Does having an animal in a story make you more interested in reading it?

Also stop by the blog tomorrow and leave your comments for Lyn Cote who will be asking your opinion about why you decide to buy a book.

Ask Elnora--about migraines!!! Lenora Worth

Hello!! I'm fashionably late. That's because I had a horrid migraine last night and then forgot my post!! So can someone tell me why migraines hurt so much!!!

Bridal Showers and Rain

Leigh Bale says howdy! Okay, we’re almost there. My daughter’s wedding is coming up soon. But the weather has been horrible. Not a good thing if you’re having the reception outside in your back yard. Freezing temperatures and rain. Our tomatoes, green peppers, squash and marigolds froze the night of June 2nd. Yes, we’re replanting in hopes that it will be pretty for the wedding day.

It was fitting that we had my daughter's bridal shower last week. Inside. Because it poured rain outside. But it didn’t dim our fun time one teensy bit. We laughed, teased each other, my daughter opened gifts, took wise advice from the grandmothers in the room, and we ate a wonderful luncheon prepared by the future sister-in-law. We had flowers, silly games and delicious cake with a squeeze of raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries. Delightful. Isn’t it funny how comfortable you can feel with family and friends during such a happy occasion?


Oh, and if the rain is here on the wedding day, I’m a prepared Mother of the Bride. I long ago scheduled the church house, just in case. We’ll drag the flower pots, stone benches and gifts along and set it all up inside. Rain or shine, we love each other and will celebrate the wedding of our beautiful girl.

Have you ever planned a major event and had bad weather or some other obstacle try to mess it up? How did you overcome the problem?


Leigh Bale’s upcoming books:
The Forest Ranger’s Promise – out now!
The Forest Ranger’s Husband – available November 2011
The Forest Ranger’s Family – available June 2012

Enjoy! Leigh

Birthdays-How do you feel about them?

Terri Reed here and yesterday was my birthday. I kept telling my kids, its just another day. And to me it is. I don't get sentimental or start reflecting on the past year (I save that for New Years).

But my kids, and my husband, wanted to mark the day as special. And truth be told, I mark their birthdays as special so I guess it stands to reason they'd want to 'celebrate' mine.

As a kid my birthday was stressful because it usually fell on the last day of school and I didn't like having attention drawn to me. I was painfully shy as a child. Any time the spotlight was on me(other than when I was on stage) I felt physically ill and couldn't get words out. You're probably wondering about my 'on stage comment'. Well, I loved to act. I still do. When you're acting, its not you they see, but a character. As I grew older I learned to be my own character. The person I wanted to be, but was too afraid to be and as time went by, I did become that person. I'm not shy now. Reserved, sometimes too quiet still, but over all, I'm not afraid to take the spotlight even when I'm not on stage.

So how do you feel about your birthday?

Coming in July, the first book of my new series

Do You Read a Book More Than Once?

Pamela Tracy here, and, of course, I’m thinking about books. Friday, in the comments section of Ask Elnore, Vince asked, “Do the Craftie Ladies ever reread books?” It made me go hunting for a statistic... I didn't find a definite statistic. On almost every Readers' blog, though, was a resounding. "Yes, we reread."

I can’t speak for all of us, but I feel pretty safe venturing a “We all do!”

It made me think. Which five books have I read the most.

Gone With the Wind (4 times)
Outlander (5 times)
Little House on the Prairie series (7 times)
Mrs. Mike (5 times)
The House of Long Shadows (5 times)

I’ve read the Bible through once, but books like Genesis and/or Matthew probably in the double digits.

How about you? What five books have you read the most?

Pamela Tracy's next book, Once Upon a Cowboy, is available in August. Feel free to read and reread it.

Home Sweet Home Interview

How exciting to have Cole Preston the hero from Home Sweet Home by Kim Watters, a June 2011 release from Love Inspired Romance.

1. Cole, tell me the most interesting thing about you. I love to renovate old houses but you’re probably looking for a better answer. Let’s see, I make a mean chocolate mousse.

2. What do you do for fun? I like to cook. I haven’t done much of it lately with my schedule and all, but I consider myself a closet chef.

3. What do you put off doing because you dread it? Returning home to Dynamite Creek. I left there under some not so great circumstances and a lot of people in town still hold a grudge against me. I’ve tried to stay away, but there’s a job I need to do that I can’t put off any longer.

4. What are you afraid of most in life? Rejection.

5. What do you want out of life? I haven’t had much time to think about that. I guess right now, it’s trying to get my life back together and replenish my retirement account. I know what I don’t want, and that’s a wife and family. My parent’s marriage ended in a really bad divorce. I don’t see that it’s worth the trouble.

6. What is the most important thing to you? My reputation. If you don’t have that, you don’t have much. Right now it’s pretty much ruined and I’m going to have to dig myself out of this hole my ex-partner dug me in so I can hold my head high again.

7. Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book? Cookbooks. But don’t tell anyone.

8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I guess it would be not to be so cynical.

9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet? Nope. No pets. I don’t have time for them. I move around and work too much.

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why? I’d go back to the day before my mother’s accident and stop her from getting into that car. I’d have her back in perfect health. It kills me that she can’t remember who I am because I’ve been gone so long.

FEATURED BOOK: HOME SWEET HOME BY KIM WATTERS

Finally ready to settle down, Abby Bancroft has just inherited a place to put down roots. But her hopes for a successful bed-and-breakfast are placed on hold when she learns that her grandparents' run-down inn is in serious need of TLC. So is Cole Preston, the handsome contractor who offers to help make her dream a reality. His past mistakes won't let him consider settling in the close-knit town. Yet as he and Abby work together to repair the house, they also begin to mend each other's hearts. And they just may find that consulting their hearts is what creating a home is all about.

Ask Elnora--About Summer Reading???Lenora Worth

Hello, my lovelies. It is summer in the deep South. Elnora glistens a lot in the summer. Actually I sweat. The humidity loves me. It must, since it clings to me like a cheap slip on a Saturday night! This is why I must have palm trees and hibiscus plants somewhere nearby. And a spot of water, preferrably a nice pool or a rather big ocean. Then, of course, I need something fruity and pleasant to drink. And I need lots and lots of great books to read. So that is the question of the day. What are we reading this summer?

I have a big "to be read" pile. In each room of my house. Right now, I'm "advance" reading a book by my friend Leanna Ellis. It won't be out until August, but RESERVE A SPOT FOR IT IN YOUR PILE NOW! I won't give it away, but trust Elnora when she says "This one is different. And not for the faint of heart. But this book has heart and a lot of it." Sigh. Loved it!! Other books I've read and loved or plan on reading and loving--"Rally Round Green" by my darling friend Judy Christie, the adorable "A Cowboy's Touch" by adorable Denise Hunter, and a book that I'm holding until I can enjoy the whole thing, kind of the way I stare at a piece of cheesecake--"Stars Collide" by Janice Thompson. She has a rather interesting older character in there and if anyone can guess or knows the character, you might just win a book from me!(First one to get it right wins!) Of course, I have lots and lots of the Love Inspired Sisterhood books to read, too. Shall I drop a few names here? Marta Perry, Margaret Daley, Valerie Hanson, Lynette Eason, Winnie Griggs--oh, that's just the surface of the ice cream! I luvva all of my LI sisters' books. Oh dear, I might have to break into my emergency shoe fund to buy more books. How many days are left in summer?

Okay, your turn, my precious people. What are you reading?? Do tell!