After a great weekend of working on putting down my hardwood floors I finished reading Rachel Gibson third release in her series TANGLED UP IN YOU. This one is Maddie Jones story. You finally understand why she is the way she is. Her mother was murdered before Maddie was old enough to go to kindergarten by the wife of her lover.

In TANGLED UP IN YOU Maddie, a true crime writer, returns to the little town where her mother died to write their story.  Along the way she meets and falls for Mick Hennessy the town flirt. The problem is that Mick is the son of her mother’s last lover and murderer and he doesn’t know who she truly is.  In order to get the town people to talk to her she introduces herself as Maddie Dupree, her penname. Together Mick and Maddie must deal with the past and leave it behind them if they want to have a future together. They have to realize that they aren’t their parents and shouldn’t pay for their sins.

This was a wonderful book with an amazing cover. I Love it! I really liked Maddie when she was introduced in previous books and couldn’t wait to read her book. She’s a strong, independent character that you couldn’t help but love. This title finaled for an RWA RITA award.  I can see why it was chosen. I can’t wait to read Ms Gibson’s next release NOT ANOTHER BAD DATE to be released later this month.

I was happy to see the return of UGLY BETTY last night.  I was in need of a good laugh and that shows usually delivers.  I ask you fellow UGLY BETTY watchers when is Betty going to wake up and realize that Henry might be cute and have the best of intention but he’s not the guy for her? Gio is.  I mean Henry fell for the sick pregnant trick Charlie pulled while Gio went out and saved the day.  It was adorable how he went about getting a carriage and drove her around town after Henry stood her up. Wake up Betty Henry is having a baby with someone else.  Even without hair I think Gio and Betty make a great pair.  He challenges her to better herself in ways no one else does, not even her family. I think she should dump Henry and hook up with Gino.

I think the drama between Wilhelmina and her sister Renee. They did give hints as to the kind of problems Renee has but didn’t come right out and said what they were. Any suspicions as what Stony Brook means?

I know I’m over a week behind on blogging about the Biggest Loser Couples, but last week I was away and the hotel I stayed in didn’t have wireless internet service so I had limited access to the net. Well by now you all know that Ali won. Isn’t it fantastic that a woman has finally won? I have to say I was shocked when America didn’t choose Mark as the third finalist. I was certain he’d beat Roger in the end. He’s the one who changed and grew the most between the two in my opinion.  I had hoped that Kelly would win, but she didn’t. She did loose a lot of weight and looks so good compared to her audition tape with her ex-husband.

How great did the rest of the contestant look? I was happy to see Bernie win the consolation prize of $100,000. He deserves it that’s for certain. He and Britany made a great couple on the show. I remember Bob saying that this year was the season of “1”. Was he ever right? Bernie beat Mark by just 1 pound.

Now I only have a few more shows of the first season of The Biggest Loser Australia to watch. Yes I know who won because of this years American show but it’s still interesting to see it all play out.

Max was introduced in BABY MAKES THREE, he’s Gabe’s moody younger brother.  In this second book of a three book series Ms O’Keefe introduces her readers to their mother and the truth behind her departure thirty years previously. So Max not only has to deal with the pain of what happened before he left the forces but the past that none of the Mitchell men want to face, their mother.  Delia Dupuis is a single mother on the run from her ex-husband. Her sole purpose is surviving and protecting her 8 year old daughter. Together Max and Delia must face their fears and their pasts before they can move towards a future. 

Ms O’Keefe didn’t disappoint with this second book. I loved Max in BABY MAKES THREE and couldn’t wait until he had a story of his own. Here it is. It certainly was worth waiting for.  Now I can’t wait for the concluding book coming out in August. It’s sure to be a winner like A MAN WORTH KEEPING.

I had every intension of blogging through my stay at the Pittsburgh Hilton during the Romantic Times convention, but I couldn’t. Although the hotel promotes the fact that they have wireless internet they DON’T have it. So I didn’t have access to blog. The convention itself was fabulous. I met some of my favourite authors and some of those won prizes such as Molly O’Keefe and Wendy Markham.  I got the chance to congratulate both authors and gush all over them.

My roommate had a blast talking and getting her picture taken by the Mr Romance nominees and the cover models for Elora’s Cave. I didn’t attend all the parties, I was simply exhausted by the time they started after 11 pm.  The dinners were fabulous. I did bring back some books but I was good I only brought back 12 or so. Not bad considering I brought back over 129 books after my first RWA nationals in 2002.

Will I attend RT convention in Orlando, FL next year? I’m not sure it’ll depend on finance and how well my book is doing.

Today is the first official day at the RT (Romantic Times) convention. I have never attended this convention although I have attended plenty of RWA national and chapter ones.  There are quite a large range of booksellers, readers and authors. I’m surprised at the amount of aspiring authors in attendance. It’s great to see. 

Last night was the first ebook bookfair for RT convention. My publisher LBF Books and its sister company Lachesis Publishing had a table.  We didn’t sell any books but quite a few people stopped and looked at the titles on hand. More just banged the table on their way through the maze of tables though.  I’m hoping they do this next year since my book should be open at that time.

 Tonight I’m planning to attend the fairy ball. Do I have a costume? No but my roommate does. She has some amazing wings that are 4 feet tall.  She is going to look great, but won’t be able to sit down in them. A small problem for a great costume.

Well I’m off once more for the New England Conference. My friends and I will be first stopping and staying with Hannah Howell. Our plans are to go shopping tomorrow in Kittery NH.  This year I’m just looking forward to having a good time. I usually to go this conference with the goal to make more contacts, become a better writer and then sell my book. This year I decided to do something new.  Since I haven’t had a vacation in almost 10 years this will be my mini vacation. So it’s still cold and might rain, I don’t care I don’t have to work.

Here’s hoping you have a relaxing weekend!

I love rooting and cheering for the underdog. So when after Kimberly got weighted in at the Biggest Loser Couple tonight and she made the finales I was so happy.  She proves that you can achieve anything you set your mind to whether others believe you can make it or not. So many gave up on her, but she didn’t. Way to go Kimberly!!!

Did you see the change in Ali? I couldn’t believe how much she has changed weight and confidence wise since the beginning.  Wow!

Who would have thought of the twister for the finale? America gets to decide who the last finalist is between Roger (who has never been below the yellow line until now) and Mark (who fought his way back in the game). Both are great competitors, but if I had a vote which I miserably can’t since I’m not American, I’d vote for Mark. I liked his attitude change during the competition.

Now the biggest question of all is will a woman win the big prize? Will Jill win one more time?

I decided today to treat myself to a new (to me) Dell Axim X50 in honour of my up coming birthday. I don’t’ usually purchase a gift for myself but when my co-worker decided to sell his Dell Axim PDA I couldn’t resist snatching it up. I’ll be mostly using it as an e-book reader. I’ve already uploaded 3 books to read. I waited all over 1 minute after getting the device LOL.

What do I plan to do with my current Palm? Well I’ll probably keep it a few months and then decide.

I don’t know about you but I’m tired of hearing about all the bad stuff the younger generations are doing. It seems like it’s all we hear about in the media and newspapers. Did you know that those bad apples are only a fraction of that generation? If I were them I’d be mad and disappointed.

However there is one site that promotes the good that young people (up to 30 years old), it’s Young People Who Rock hosted by CNN.  Once a week they profile a young person who’s doing something to help other whether its taking in old cell phones to turn them into long distance calling cards that are donated to soldiers in Iraq or raise funds to purchase and send bears to children in hospitals. If ever you want to be inspired to be a better person make a point to read these profiles once a week. Here is the link http://ypwr.blogs.cnn.com/.

Thanks CNN for giving these young people a chance to shine for all the good they are doing for others.