Happy Travels

I've just returned from three weeks away - two weeks in New Zealand (including the RWNZ conference), followed a couple of days home to wash all my clothes, pat the dogs and see Mr Bailey, then off to Adelaide for the RWA conference.

Two things I learned about myself:
I love being away, seeing new places and meeting up with friends!
I love being home again in my own place, with all my dogs (and Mr Bailey) around me.

We've already had some photos from the Adelaide conference, so I thought I'd share a few from the NZ leg of my trip.

Leaving early on a Monday morning. This was about an hour into the drive and the sun was starting to peep over the horizon:

In Napier, I found a statue of a greyhound. It's like Napier was welcoming me personally!

The day I left Napier it was cold and rainy. I think Napier was as sad for me to go as I was.

Then it was on to Nelson, which has a gorgeous river walk.

And on the river walk was this very cool chair, honouring the NZ author Maurice Gee. Even more cool was that I was with his daughter, Emily Gee, who writes most awesome Regency and fantasy romances.

Also in Nelson, a cathedral. I love finding the cathedrals in towns I visit.

A quick trip from Nelson to Mapua for lunch. How awesome are these snow-capped mountains?

Seriously. How awesome?

Then a couple of days staying with fellow LoveCat, Barbara DeLeo. Her dog Cosmo made me very welcome.

 And onto the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference, where I was a guest speaker. Here I am enjoying the cocktail party with fellow guest speaker Jaye Ford.
  

The next night was the Awards Dinner, which was MCed by the amazing Barbara DeLeo. 

 The entertainment was a troupe of Regency dancers. Don't they look amazing?

In very exciting news, the winner of the short sexy Koru award was our very own Louisa George. That's her on the right, giving her acceptance speech.

 A quick selfie with Barb: 

Now I'm desperate to go back to New Zealand and explore the places I haven't seen yet. Tell me, is there anywhere you're desperate to visit? 

Retro-Cat!

Okay, it's quiz time.

1. How long have the Lovecats been blogging?

2. Who wrote the very first blog post?

3. How many posts have there been all together in that time?

4. What are some of our "Cats in the Wild" up to??

I'll give you the answers to 1-3 at the bottom of my post but I thought it would be nice to visit some of our "Cats in the Wild" and see what they're up to!

Today's Cat in the Wild is Emily Gee/Emily Larkin.  Emily has a fabulous new historical romance series called "The Fey Quartet", the first book of which has just been released. 

Here's the blurb:

Long, long ago, when knights wore armor and outlaws roamed the king’s forests, it is said that Faeries sometimes visited this realm…

In a little cottage, in a little meadow, near a little village, there once lived a widow and her three beautiful daughters. The widow was half-blind and half-lame, but she had whole-hearted courage, and one day her courage brought her face to face with a Faerie.

As everyone knows, Faeries are extremely dangerous creatures.

Emily has another SEVEN books coming out in the next year, so fans like me will have lots to look forward to!

And the answers to those questions?

1. Since January 2010!

2. Nikki Logan

3. 1423!

As luck would have it, I'm staying with Emily this weekend - along with Lovecat Rachel - so we'll have lots of fun doing some Lovecat  reminiscing,

The Time has Come the Walrus said....

There's something about women of a certain age. They start to hold their books further and further from their face until they're wishing they had extendable arms. They ponder questions such as whether if they put the book on the counter top and walked to the other side of the room it might be easier to decipher what is written on those fuzzy pages.

Yes, dear readers the time has come for me to be to become bespectaled. Even when I had the diagnosis that things had degenerated to the point of no return, I had the romantic notion that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I could end up looking like Audrey.

Sadly, my kids say the ones I have chosen make me look more like Edna.

I'm so confused that I've googled which glasses to wear with which face shape. Turns out I have a square face and nothing looks good on it. 

I've decided that since I spend so much time with Mr Google, maybe I should try some of his.

What about you? Do you wear glasses? What do like to look for in a good pair of specs?

Happy Birthday to Queen Elizabeth!

We don't get too many public holidays in New Zealand. Christmas, Easter, ANZAC day, Labour Day and Queen's Birthday are our only ones. The only one in our winter is Queen's Birthday which we're celebrating this weekend with our annual trip to Hanmer Springs.

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of the monarchy, but on this occasion I'd like to thank you very much your majesty for giving us a reason to pack up and travel to a beautiful alpine village for four nights. We've done this trip for the last five years with our very good friends and their three kids and it's absolute bliss. These are the things I'm looking forward to the most:

5. No Wifi!!!
The kids hate this bit for the first half day or so, but after that they're too busy in the great outdoors to even notice.

4. Mountain Biking in the alpine forest

No, not ME going out in the freezing cold getting all muddy and sore!! The hubby and the kids going out for hours on end and leaving me to....

3. READ in PEACE!!!! Enough said. And then to make sure I'm limber enough to start another book I'll go for a.....

2. Massage. One of the biggest treats in the world. Which only comes a close second to the thing I'll be doing next...

1. Soaking in the hot pools.

 Don't be too jealous, though. Before I get to do any of this I have to take the dog to kennels, pack enough food and clothes for everyone for four nights, navigate the mountain roads and endure a four hour road trip with four teenagers. What have you got planned for the weekend?

Sunday Smooch from The Bouquet List - Barbara DeLeo

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from The Bouquet List by Barbara DeLeo, but first ... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Diana Tidlund.

Diana, can you please contact Donna Alward - Donna (at) donnaalward(dot) com to receive your copy of The Cowboy's Convenient Bride


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from The Bouquet List by Barbara DeLeo

He's #5 on her Bouquet List. Tall, dark...and completely forbidden.

After a too-close call with death, Yasmin Katsalos is checking some things off her Bouquet List—things to do after you thought you were going to die. Fun fashion choices? Check. Purple hair and a cute diamond nose stud? Check, check. Now she's on to item #5: a flirty fling with a man who's tall, dark, rich...and totally out of her league.

And restaurateur Lane Griffiths definitely fits the bill.

Lane isn't just out of Yasmin's league. He's also her brother's best friend and therefore off-limits. Now that they're working together on renovations for her family's wedding hall, however, Yasmin has plenty of opportunities to bewitch, bother, and boldly seduce. He's reserved. She's relaxed. The only thing they share is a spark of attraction that's too strong to resist. But is Lane just another item on her bouquet list... or has Yasmin found something on her list that will last?

Scene set-up

Lane and Yasmin are visiting a fabric warehouse to choose curtain fabric for the renovation of the restaurant. Yasmin has her sights firmly set on Lane fulfilling one of her dreams on her bouquet list while Lane has been fighting the urge to get closer to his best friends little sister.

Smooch  

For the next fifteen minutes, they walked through the maze of towering fabric bolts, stopping every time Yasmin saw something that took her fancy—a canary yellow and magenta stripe, a dizzying pattern of French botanicals with a blue background. At each one she’d stop and stroke it, turning puppy-dog eyes to Lane. Finally they came to an area surrounded by every shade of gold imaginable.

“Ohhhhhh.” That noise of pleasure at the back of her throat again. “Lane, this is beautiful,” she said and she picked up the corner of fabric. “Look how rich it is. It’s textured and a little bit shimmery.” She played with the weight of it in her hand. “And I think it would fall beautifully.” She lifted it to her face and breathed. “And it smells all fresh and linen-y.”

“Let’s hope that’s the closest it gets to anyone’s nose.” He stepped closer and rubbed a piece between his fingers. “Feels good. Let’s take a look at the price tag.”

Beside him, she stretched up on tiptoe as he brought the tag closer.“Thirty dollars per yard. Not too bad. I think we might have found what we’re looking for.”

“Oh my God, you’re a genius!” She reached an arm around his shoulders and when he turned back to look at her, they both froze.

He gazed down into her warm brown eyes and was sucker punched by the excitement and joy he found there. This was about so much more than fabric and decorating to her. This was about self-expression and wearing her heart on her sleeve, exactly the things that made him feel as though he was in unchartered territory. He was so logical and sensible and Yasmin was...not. But he didn’t care. In this instant he wanted to get as close to her as he could; he wanted some part of her zest for life and her crazy, naive excitement to brush off on him.

From somewhere in her handbag came the sound of her mindfulness bell. It was a call to the moment, a signal to forget about the past, to not worry about the future. Maybe it was even a call for him to let go of everything and lose himself in her.

Before he could decide, she pulled his head down to hers and kissed him. Her lips were cool and moist, her breathing rapid, and when she made that noise at the back of her throat again, he knew he couldn’t pull away. He backed her into the stack of fabric rolls opposite, all the while kissing her mouth.

A tide of sensations overpowered him. The clean, freshly laundered scent of the fabrics surrounding them, the sound of her body brushing up against the silk roll behind her, and the dazed look on her face when he finally pulled his lips from hers was priceless.

“Lane,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Her brown eyes were wide, her breathing rapid. 

“I’m living in the moment,” he said and brushed his hand down the soft skin of her cheek. He didn’t want to talk or think, he just wanted to taste those dusky lips, so he leaned in and kissed her again. This time she hooked both hands around his neck and kissed him deeper, and a shudder ripped through his body. Cupping her face in his hands, he savored the sweet taste of her, wanting more—

“I do hope you realize that any damage to the fabrics
will be charged in full.” They sprang apart, and the shop assistant was looking at them disapprovingly over the top of her glasses. “Body oils can leave permanent stains on such fine material.” 

For a chance to win a copy of The Bouquet List, tell us what would be top of your "Bouquet List" - a list of things to do to celebrate being alive!

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from Tempted by Hollywood's Top Doc by Louisa George will be posted!

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver

Time for things to be on the up.

We've had some tough times in the Lovecats family. In the past year a few of us have lost parents, some have had ill family members, and some have had their lives turned upside down by fires, floods and other disasters. It's funny how bad things seem to happen in waves and then all of a sudden things start to take a turn for the better.

We've had some challenging times in the DeLeo house in the last twelve months, too. My husband and I have both lost our dads, I've had a few health issues and my husband left the job he'd been in for twenty years to start his own business so I'm back full time teaching. While I've been supporting my family and friends I've found it increasingly difficult to spend time reading or writing and so I haven't had a book out for almost a year. Now that I am starting to get back into some "normal" life, it's those happily ever afters that are helping me through. Picking up a book and knowing for certain that despite all the trials and tribulations love will always win out is the best feeling in the world.

To celebrate the upcoming release of the second in my "Weddings in Westchester" series my first book in the series, "The Bouquet List", is being re-released as a traditional sweet romance and is on sale for a limited time.

If you've been having a tough time, may this April 1st bring wonderful winds of change for you.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Lovecats!

A very happy 2016 to everyone who has visited our blog in the last year. If, like some of our families, you have been faced with sadness and difficulties in 2015, we hope that these things become easier to bear and that 2016 is a year filled with love and laughter and all the good things that you wish for.

It's bloomin' springtime!

I never understood the joy people seemed to get from their gardens. When I was younger I didn't appreciate the time and effort it takes to create a space that you and your family can relax in.

We've been in our current place for more than 10 years now and although we've put a lot of time into renovations inside lately, our outside has been giving us so much pleasure this spring. It's particularly dry in this part of the world for this time of year so I'm having to keep up the watering but it's paying off with lots of colour and lush growth. I know a lot of you are heading into winter so I thought a few pics of my garden might help you to look forward to your next spring. Happy holidays to those who are celebrating at the moment and happy gardening to those of us downunder.

Flowering cherries are one of my favourite trees. I have a few dotted around our half acre.

When we first moved here with four preschoolers I thought I'd pull out some of the seventy five rose bushes. My lovely father-in-law convinced me not to and said he'd help with the upkeep. I'm so glad we still have them!

I planted five new roses this year and this was one of them -"Integrity". 

I love having flowers inside.

I also love my veges. That's my worm farm in the black bucket!

The bees and I love the wisteria. I think I might grab a chair and my Lovecats  Downunder "Hot Christmas Nights" set and get reading under here.

What's hapening in your garden at the moment?

It's my birthday and you get the pressies!

So, it's my birthday!! I've had a lot of the little beggars in my life but I still get that funny little feeling when I see the 6th of November as if the day was invented just for me. :) I shouldn't say I love getting presents but I will. A flower from the garden, a cake baked by one of my kids or something in pretty paper makes me swoon. I do love GIVING pressies too so today I have a few for you. Some of the apps that I couldn't do without in my life.

Since I am getting so old I need lots of apps to get me moving. I love my Fitbit and the Fitbit app connects to my Fitbit and gives me all sorts of information including how many steps I've done, calories burned, even how I sleep! (which was terrible last night BTW, must have been birthday excitement).

Connected to my FitBit is my FitStar app. This really is like having personal trainer in your pocket. There are lots of interactive workouts that are custom made for me. As it links with my Fitbit all my exercise info is in the one place. There is a free part to the app or you can pay $10 a month and get a full range of personalized programmes. It's REALLY motivating.

While I'm struggling through all my exercise, and because I'm trying to minimize my wrinkles I'm trying to drink more water and have been using this great app to remind me to drink! It's called Water Tracker. I also have a little alarm on my Fitbit which quietly vibrates to keep me on track (do I sound like a crazy woman yet??)

Finally, this is one of my all time favourite apps - iAllowance. It helps organize kids' pocket money and also makes them do chores! They can have a version on their phone/ipad etc and tick off their jobs. When that's done, pocket money goes into their virtual bank. It's changed my life!

And one final little pressie for you. All of the Entangled Bliss books are on sale until the end of today

for 99c! You can visit the Entangled Site here or my Amazon page here. 

  

I'd love to know your favourite apps!! Cheers.

TA DA!!!

I know it seems like only two months since I posted about my house renovations but it was actually two lifetimes, three tonnes of dust, four unnecessary fights with my beloved and a few lunches that Cosmo stole off the workmen ago.

While there are a few final tweaks to be finished such as a new window seat and my 1960s chairs to be recovered (in the most beautiful turquoise wool fabric) for the most part it's finished and I'mso pleased with it. Wanna peek?

Here is:

Before:

  

During:

After!!

Now that all that excitement is over I'm tempted to read a renovation romance! Do you have one you could recommend? Or would you rather keep your renovating and romancing very separate ;-)