This post is proudly a stop on the TEXAS TWO STEP Blog Tour. For a complete listing of all stops on this tour, please visit

Sometimes you guys wonder what I do when I’m in Florida. Well…how about an old fashioned vintage tea? Yep! That’s what I did on Monday. Seeing all the hats and outfits were a blast. The food? blah. “Tea food”  Sandwiches with too much bread and very little “stuff” inside. Cucumber sandwiches. Ham salad. Chicken salad. Pasta salad. Raspberry and white chocolate scone. Dessert consisted of small bites of cheesecake, cream puff and chocolate eclair. At four that afternoon, I met a lot of these women at the dog park for Big Dog Play Time. After all those carbs, we were all crashing! BUT you just have to see these hats

I’m not going to comment on every picture. Most speak for themselves! Above is Robin, “dog mother” to Bailey and Barnaby

Robin and Ro, with their fascinators

Dell, “dog mother” to Abe, and her fascinator. Trust me, it was hard to get her to stop talking long enough to take a picture!

Lori, “mom” to Koia

Lori is also a very talented jewelry designer. Here’s a link to her website so you can browse through all her goodies!

Llissa, “mom” to Jasmine. Fabulous hat, huh?

And then there were the hats! Lots and lots of unusual and truly awesome hats. Here are just a few samples

And we didn’t just wear cool hats! Some ladies when all out with outfits. Check these out.

Before you think I didn’t give into the hat craze of the day, think again!

This is me with new signed Super Romance author Pam Hearon

And here is me and my hat!

So what did I learn from attending a vintage tea (because you know life is a series of lessons, right?)

1.  You will crash after a lunch of heavy carbs

2.  Hats are fun to wear

3.  Hats are H-O-T to wear…and when I say “hot,” I don’t mean in style. I mean I was sweating. And forget taking off your hat if you get hot because…

4.  Hat + sweat = dreaded hat head!

I hope you enjoyed visiting the vintage tea with me and the pictures of the wonderful women here who love nothing more than having a good time!

As I noted as the top of the post, this is an official stop on the Texas Two Step Tour. Monday kicks off something different for my tour. I am two weeks away from the release of Texas Two Step, so for the weeks leading up to its release, I will be posting installments from Texas Two Step-The Prequel as I travel around the blogosphere. New episodes will be posted daily, but you’ll need to be following the tour to read them. Click the banner below to see a complete listing of the tour stops and dates

If you want to check out the slew of prizes you can win by following the tour, click below.

Thanks for coming by! I’ll be looking for you on Monday at Pink Fuzzy Slippers Writers.

   I’m sort of in a mood this year when it comes to Valentine’s Day, probably from having to make my son-who-hates-to-write fill out twenty three cheesy cards for his kindergarten classmates. Good times, that. When I decided to write a short story for the occasion I wasn’t exactly brimming with sweetness and honey and I ended up with this instead. Happy Anti-Valentines. Hope you enjoy.

Secondhand Cowboy

Kari Lynn Dell - Montana for Real

Noticebly cranky (which was not helped by the fact the monthy bill also came)

But I’m determined to change my lifestyle so that I’m healthier and thinner. And I’ll admit that it’s just not fun. I LIKE my creamy Starbucks confections. I LIKE my frozen yogart almost every night. I LIKE not having to measure or think about my food in terms of cups or ounces. So they can paint happy people walking all over the websties and *make* it sound fun, but it is NOT.

However, it is necessary for a lot of reasons. I’ve been thinking about our nation and the biggest problem we have (me, too!) is we eat way too much food. Like super-sized on everything. If you actually look at serving sizes, they aren’t that much. For example a serving of cereal is 3/4 a cup. Yeah, go on and pour that out and look at it. It’s a good handful. But when I pour cereal in my humongous bowl, it’s about 3 servings. And that’s been the biggest revelation – I don’t necessarily eat food that’s bad for me….I eat a lot of food. Period. So taking all that wonderful filling food away made me grumpy.

And then there are the healthy food choices – eggs, leafy greens, light yogart, grilled chicken – things that feul your body (in much smaller amounts thanks to my serving sizes) and get really old, really fast. Like, I’m so sick of them. All I want is some lasagna. Oh, I know, they say you can eat it on WW, but only 1/4 of what I usually eat and it’s probably 12 points or something. So I think about eating lasagna and only lasagna for the whole day, and I cut up another piece of chicken and toss it on my salad with the 2 Tbsp of light ranch dressing. I’m pretty sure the goal of every diet plan is to make you despise food. I’m getting there.

Then there’s exercise – something I’ve always hated. But it’s actually the best part of this whole deal…because it earns me more points. LOL. I’m walking and ellypticalling and Just Dancing 3 like a nut. And I’m so thirsty from doing it that I’m easily getting in my recommended amount of water each day. And I hate water!

AHA! Now I see how this works WW! You are so tricky! You make me eat less so I work out to get points so I can eat more and I sweat so much I drink the dreaded water! Why, you sneaky so-and-so.

Needless to say, I’m going to kick my own a** on this diet because like my writing career – I WON’T GIVE UP. This year I lose the weight.

So, we’re into February, how are those resolutions working for you? And if you didn’t make any, what’s one thing you won’t give up trying?

I love this cover. The colors are striking and go well with my first Carina book, Fight or Flight. The heroine looks like the heroine in the book is described. And it offers some of the key elements of the story in what I hope and believe is an intriguing way. So…

Click “More” and check it out! Let me know what you think in the comments. Amazon and Barnes & Noble have preorder pages up already (the book is out April 16, 2012), if the cover alone entices you to buy.

If you’re not convinced, stay tuned, and keep an eye on my personal blog. Next week I’ll have a poll so you can guess at what the cover details mean, and everyone who participates is entered in a drawing for prizes.

Copyright © 2012 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.

Welcome to my stop on the Romancing the Valentine Giveaway Blog Hop!! What a great way to discover great new blogs and pick up a few wonderful prizes along the way.

It’s that time of year again. Women everywhere are crossing their fingers and hoping their sweetheart will surprise them with a special token of their love and devotion.  Men everywhere, on the other hand, are cringing and shaking in their boots because they have no idea what their special lady really wants. LOL

For me, a box of chocolate and a few hours of peace is all it would take to make me smile. Flowers are pretty, but they die way too soon. Sparkly bling is always nice, but not needed and ends up left in its box until I have a special occasion to wear it.  Call me sad or call me easy, I just love spending time with hubby and remembering all the wonderful things we’ve shared together. 21 years and we have lots of memories to occupy our time. LOL

For this blog hop, I’m giving away a FREE e-book copy of my new release, Target of Betrayal, to one lucky commenter.  All you have to do to enter, is share a sweet Valentine memory that still makes you smile even today. 

This giveaway runs through February 13^th.

Product Description

Kathleen Landon thought her life would finally get back to normal after the bizarre death of her husband. But a “chance” meeting with an old boyfriend throws her and her family on a dangerous and emotional journey full of secrets and betrayal. Her husband’s death wasn’t an accident, but an attempt to cover up a horrendous crime spree being operated by a traitor inside the FBI. Now she and her children are running from a cold-blooded killer. Can she trust the U.S. Marshal sworn to protect them? Or is he using her as bait to capture her husband’s killer?

David Thomas worked for the FBI for over ten years before storming out of the office of his superior and telling him where to stick his accusations. Now David has joined the U.S. Marshal’s Special Operations Division. He is working to expose an informant hiding in the FBI ranks. David is the perfect man for the job. A man riddled with guilt. His decision cost a friend his life and David is determined to protect the family left behind. What he doesn’t count on– is falling in love.

**This is the second novel in the Trilogy dealing with human trafficking. Be sure to check out “Faithful Deceptions” and the short story prequel “Shattered Souls of Innocence.”

From the Inside Flap

Kathleen froze. Her entire front yard crawled with policemen like some kind of murder investigation scene. Void of nothing but the yellow tape and dead body. Oh, hell. At least she hoped the last part was true.

“Ma’am, can we come in?” She stared Marshal Thomas down as the nausea in her stomach gained strength.

“I-I remember you. But, what are you doing here? At my house?” She cringed at her pathetic response and cleared her throat. “You never identified yourself as a U.S. Marshal.” As her gaze dropped nervously from his stone cold brown eyes to his stern mouth, a jolt of electricity sparked through her veins. His lips were anything but cold. Generously sculpted, even stretched into a thin foreboding line, they’d never pass as cold. With a quick breath, she darted her attention back to his eyes.

“If you’ll let us in, we’ll explain.”

“This can’t possibly be standard procedure for a prowler,” she said, avoiding his request and waving a hand toward the commotion in her yard.

“No, ma’am. I’m afraid not.” With what could only be interpreted as a grunt, he reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and removed a black leather billfold, flipping it open to reveal his ID.

Kathleen’s eyes adhered to the object in his hand like sticky tack on the wall. There in vivid color was a picture of the breathtaking man now standing in her doorway, along with a badge confirming his identity. She couldn’t inhale. Reality sank in for the first time in hours. Things were about to get worse. She felt the sting as if someone slapped her across the face.

Be sure to check out all the great prizes and blogs here:  http://reading-romances.com/romancing-the-valentine-giveaway-hop/

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Wolf in Waiting

A shape shifter unable to shift and a male shifter next in line for the throne shouldn’t mix, but the passion between them transcends all.

A shape shifter who can’t shift sounds like a punch line to a joke. But for Luz Dryden it’s a complicated reality. The one bright light in her life has been her long-time love Kalyx Hunter.

Kalyx shares her strange malady and worships Luz with a passion that overshadows everything else. When Kalyx shifts unexpectedly, Luz flees Blackburn Falls and vows to never look back.

Five years later she’s forced back to her home town for her sister’s wedding, and Kalyx is determined to convince her they belong together. Luz fights him at every turn, but her body’s needs overrides her will.

Kalyx is prepared to take on anyone who tries to keep them apart. But neither anticipated the twisted web of deceit and betrayal they would find themselves tangled in.

Luz has come to terms with the fact that she can’t shift over the last five years.  She has made a place for herself in the world where she feels wanted and needed.  She is good at her job and has been able to let go of the issues of self worth she faced while living with the pack.

Now she is back home for her sister’s wedding and has to face Kalyx, the former love of her life.  Kalyx was her best friend and confident all through high school until he shifted for the first time late in his teens and didn’t need her anymore.  It has taken her 5 years to get over him, at least that is what she has been telling herself.

Kalyx has never forgotten Luz, his first love.  He has continued to wrestle with his wolf’s aggression since his first change.  The older the wolf is when the change occurs the bigger chance that the wolf will go feral.  His father is constantly reminding him of that fact and his duty to his pack leader and family.  All thought of duty leaves him as soon as he spots Luz and his wolf recognizes its mate.

I loved this story and couldn’t put it down until I reached the end.  Luz has had a rough time growing up as a non-shifter; she was viewed as one of the lowest members in the pack.  She may have run away when her heart was broken but she made something of her life and she is proud of the woman that she has become.

The scene in the bar when she calmed his wolf and accepted was one of my favorites.  It was sexy and hot but yet, still tender and loving.  It was obvious that these two have a very deep connection and they never stopped loving one another.  Once they acknowledge this, everything seems to fall into place.

Kalyx’s grandmother may not be pack leader but she is still the matriarch of the pack.  She loves her grandson and is willing to go against his father to help him.  We are introduced to several interesting characters that help move the story along without taking away from Luz and Kalyx’s story.

I loved this short story and look forward to more in this series.  I give Wolf in Waiting 4 Flaming Hearts. 

I admit the thought has crossed my mind on occasion.

Of course, if I write about being chased by a hunky cowboy or pursued by a dashing CEO I’m pretty sure readers won’t think it’s autobiographical.

While personal experience might inspire a story, mine are a mishmash of my own adventures, copious amounts of research—thank goodness for the Internet and the library—and, above all, pure fantasy.

For example, I worked at the football office of a San Diego university as a college student. I did not work at the basketball office, get rejected after a one-night stand with the star forward, and eventually fall in love with an athletic trainer while being stalked by a coworker at my new job.

I’ve been on a few boats, and I have a friend who was a cop assigned to a DEA task force once. I have not been kidnapped by members of a drug cartel, escaped from a fishing trawler, or been rescued by an undercover agent on a yacht.

I haven’t been shot at, protected by a hot pararescue jumper-turned-mercenary, kissed by a handsome billionaire, born a bank heiress, or gone for a ride in a Lamborghini Murcielago. Though I’m suddenly feeling the need to rectify a couple of those.

As a reader, I don’t usually think much about the author at all when I’m reading a good book. Other than, “Damn, how does she suck me in like that? I hate her for being so much better than me,” and other petty thoughts, I pretty much assume the fiction I’m reading is just that. Fiction.

How about you? If you’re a reader, do you ever stop to wonder if the author has first-hand experience with her tales? Writers, do you ever shy away from subjects that readers might mistake as autobiographical?

—

Photo credits:
YOUNG COUPLE ON THE BEACH © Elizabeth Moore | Dreamstime.com
United States Air Force photo by Master Sergeant Val Gempis

The wedding I want to tell you about involves two of my longtime friends. When we were in high school, my friend was voted the most beautiful in our senior class. Long dark hair, and eyes, she was simply …well, beautiful. Men fell in love with her the moment they saw her. What’s more, it was hard for us girls to hate her because – dang, she was just so nice.
Her life wasn’t easy. Many members of her family had gone through divorce. Perhaps that’s why, whenever any of the men she dated mentioned the “M” word, my friend put on the brakes and ended the relationship.

She was well into her twenties when she met my husband’s former roommate. To this day, I haven’t met a much better looking guy. With brains and charm, he’d make a perfect cover model for any of our books. He had so much going for him that in his senior year in high school, he was voted most likely to succeed. No, he didn’t go on to become a male model he became a mechanical engineer.

So you can imagine, when these two met, not only were they the talk of the town, they were simply the most beautiful couple imaginable.

The years passed and my friend and my husband’s roommate got closer and closer. It appeared that finally, finally, she would accept a man’s proposal and settle down.

Until the afternoon he went out dirt biking, rounded a corner, met a four-wheeling truck head-on. Tossed off his bike, he landed a few feet away without a scratch on him, outwardly. But, inwardly, he would later learn that he’d broken his neck. Who knew that morning when he walked into the garage to load up his dirt bike that it would be the last day he would ever walk again.

My hometown is small, and even though cell phones and texting didn’t exist back then, we didn’t need them. The news spread. We did what friends do in times of crisis–rallied around them. He was such an athletic guy–to be bound to a chair for the rest of his life was bad enough. But he further learned that due to the extent of his injury, he would never be able to have children of his own.

This was just incredible, beyond anyone’s belief. In a matter of 24-hours this couple’s life had changed forever. People held their breath and the tears began to fall. As you can imagine, he didn’t feel much like going on during that time and slipped into a deep depression. And the last thing he wanted was sympathy, particularly my friend’s, the woman he’d fallen in love with.

From that point on, he pushed her away. Hard.

He went away to a rehabilitation hospital, and because of the amazing shape he was in, he was discharged in three months. Members of the staff said that had it been someone in less stellar physical condition, it would have taken him months, maybe even a year, to recover.

He came back in a better frame of mind. He also discovered that although his life would be different, it was far from over.

Did I mention my friend is beautiful, inside and out? She never once walked away.

My husband and I were living in Colorado when we received the couple’s wedding invitation. The perfect couple was still perfect, and he was still most likely to succeed.  To date, it’s the happiest, most emotional wedding I’ve ever attended.

They’ve been married many years now.

May we all find someone who loves us so unconditionally and with the same indelible spirit. Since I blog once a month, I’d like to wish you all a Happy Valentine’s Day in advance.

Do you have a favorite wedding you’ve attended?  What’s your story?