It’s a holiday weekend here in the U.S., so let’s keep today’s question simple–What are you reading? Anything special? Any particularly juicy summer reading?

Right now, I’m reading Knock Off (A Finley Anderson Tanner Mystery) by Rhonda Pollero.

Other books in my to be read pile right now are:

1. Convicted of Love by Jo Templeton – a friend of mine and critique partner.

2. Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, Book 4) by Jim Butcher. The Girl has read all of them in this series (so far) and has been bugging me to finish them so she can talk to me about them. Oh, and so has my brother.

3. Figure 8 by Tammy Riviere, another friend.

4. The Manolo Matrix by Julie Kenner.

5. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephanie Meyer. Another series the Girl got me hooked on.

6. Come Back, My Love by Sylvia Rochester, another friend.

7. The Prada Paradox by Julie Kenner.

8. Death Masks (The Dresden Files, Book 5) by Jim Butcher.

9. Choice Makers by Eleanor Cocreham, another friend.

10. Real Vampires Have Curves (Glory St. Claire, Book 1) by Gerry Bartlett.

11. Real Vampires Live Large (Glory St. Claire, Book 2) by Gerry Bartlett.

12. Cranford (The World’s Classics) by Elizabeth Gaskell. I watched the program on Masterpiece of this book and I enjoyed it. Very different from what I usually read, but I’m eager to see what it’s like.

13. Marked (House of Night, Book 1) by P. C. and Kristin Cast.

1. Again, I wonder what I did all those years we only had the Girl and she was in school all day. I should have a lot more books written, more sewing done, more crafts finished.

2. The Boy is having some discipline problems – mostly trying to figure out the tougher rules for kindergarten, which is a full day, after a year of preschool  which was only half a day and less rule intensive.

3. What will we do when the Girl graduates and heads off for college? I don’t see her much as it is.

4. I could actually have lunch out with the Husband all by myself!

5. I can go to the gym in the afternoon, when it is less crowded, without worrying about the Boy and when I have to go get him.

6. I feel like I’ve found some of the crafts I’ve neglected.

7. The whole picking up after school for the Boy stinks and by the time we do get home, the Girl (who rides a bus) is already napping and it’s time to start dinner.

8. I do feel like we don’t spend a lot of time together as a family these days.

9. It’s very quiet around here and that’s not a bad thing.

10. I could actually nap and not have to worry about rushing out to pick someone up.

11. I did spend about an hour in the car on Tuesday running from picking up the Girl, running home so she could brush her teeth, dropping her off at the dentist, picking up the Boy, rushing back to the dentist, then taking everyone home.

12. The Girl’s 18th birthday is Sunday and we’ll have to start the whole “getting ready to go off to college” thing soon. Of course, she’ll probably go to LSU which is right nearby and where the Husband works, so it probably won’t be too bad.

13. With the Boy in kindergarten, we’ll be at this for a while!

Thirteen Things I wonder About

(Sometimes to the point of not sleeping!)

1. Why did the salesperson at Target the other day say the word “gerbil” with a hard G (like in goat) when he was explaining to me that they didn’t have guinea pig food only hamster and gerbil food?
2. Why did that story make my husband and daughter laugh all evening like it was the funniest thing they’d heard in days?
3. Why are people so quick to say something mean in an email and then follow it up with, “I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, but…” and proceed to repeat it making sure they “subtly” let you know who they’re talking about?
4. Why do people who are anti-something join pro-something groups just to be able to say nasty things to the members of the group?
5. Why can’t our mail come at the same time every day?
6. Why do I always misplace the book I’m in the middle of reading?
7. Why do people in the South keep the air conditioning set at around 60 degrees so I have to wear a hoodie to visit the dentist???
8. Why is it necessary for my kids to scream across the house rather than come and find me?
9. Why does everything always take longer than you think it will?
10. Why don’t people use turn signals?
11. Does spam really work?
12. Why do I get spams for male enhancement and breast enlargement on the same day?
13. Why would Noah take cockroaches on the Ark?

Thirteen Favorite Fictional Heroines:

1. Scarlett O’Hara – The Queen. She had it all: style, attitude and ambition. Yes, she loses points for holding on to her infatuation with Ashley Wilkes too long and losing Rhett, her real love. Gone With the Wind
2. Ashley Wilkes Stockingdale -The heroine of Kristen Billerbeck’s wonderful Christian chick lit novels. She is hip and loves Jesus. What more could you want in a heroine? What a Girl Wants: A Novel
3. Princess Daisy – I don’t know if all girls dreamed of being a princess when they were young, but I know I did and I love this book about an American woman who really is a princess and her struggles. I’ve read it over and over again.
4. Mia Thermopolis – Going along with the theme of the above entry, Mia finds out she’s a princess when she’s a teenager. I love this series of books, which are different from the movies (especially the second one) and I love Meg Cabot as a writer. The Princess Diaries
5. Heather Wells – another heroine created by Meg Cabot. She is an ex-pop star who leaves music when she isn’t allowed to record what she wants and after discovering her pop star boyfriend in a compromising position with another female teen sensation. She ends up working in a college dormitory (something I did for two years) and defending herself against charges that she’s “gotten fat.” Size 12 Is Not Fat: A Heather Wells Mystery
6. Kate Connor – heroine of Julie Kenner’s Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series. I mean, for a die-hard Buffy/Joss Whedon fan, how could you not love her just from reading the name of the series. Kate is dealing with a teenager, a preschooler, a husband who doesn’t know about her past and demons flying through her front window the day of a dinner party. Between helping her husband’s political career, dealing with her son’s spoiled playmates, and driving her daughter to the mall, how does she find time to thwart a demon plot to end the world? Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom
7. Wlhelmina Hunnewell Winthrop Ikehorn Orsini (Billy) – heroine of Scruples, another book I’ve read more than once. Yes, it’s not great literature, but it’s a fun book to read if you like stories about the rich, Hollywood, and how women triumph over adversity.
8. Sabrina Longworth – heroine of Deceptions, the story of adult identical twins who live very different lives. One is wealthy and owns an antique shop in London. The other is a suburban wife of a college professor who may or may not be sleeping with a student. On an annual trip together, they decide to switch places. Things, of course, get out of hand and it becomes interesting. I read this book back in college. I was home on a weekend or for a holiday, and while the rest of the family watched, probably, a football game on TV, I couldn’t put this book down. I remember my father talking to me and marveling how it must be a good book if I hadn’t stopped reading it all day. I’ve read it once since and actually read it out loud to my husband when we were first married.
9. Marge Simpson – yes, her husband is a buffoon and her kids are either headed for prison or the white house, but her house is immaculate and her husband loves her so deeply that even when women throw themselves at him (for whatever reason), he thinks about their first kiss and goes back to her. And she loves him unconditionally. Despite all the criticism of this show, I love it because in the end, the family loves each other and sticks together. The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family
10. River Tam – She lives in her own world and appears crazy, but she is really, underneath, very perceptive and frankly, dangerous. What’s not to like? Serenity (Widescreen Edition)
11. Dexter’s Mom – She’s another one with an immaculate home, a loving, if weird, family and deep down, she has super powers. Dexter’s Laboratory – Greatest Adventures
12. Peggy Hill – Come on. She speaks “fluent” Spanish, in fact she is a substitute Spanish teacher (three time winner of the substitute teacher of the year award, thank you!) and worries about the Y2K bug bothering her Kaypro computer. She gets taken in by scams and thinks pretending to be a nun so she can get a teaching job is a great idea! Through this all, she believes she is a highly intelligent woman. My kind of gal! King of the Hill – The Complete First Season
13. Jennifer Marlow – WKRP’s receptionist and most highly paid employee. She wears fabulous clothes and dates rich men. There was time in my life when I wanted to be this woman. WKRP in Cincinnati – The Complete First Season

Don’t forget: There’s still time to win a free book! Check out this post for your chance to win Divine By Mistake by PC Cast!!

Thirteen Romantic Movies I love

1. Casablanca (1942) – What can I say about this one? Wartime, sacrifice, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman. It’s got it all. A tear-jerker that never disappoints.
2. Sunset Boulevard (1950) – This is a movie I saw recently. I’d heard of it for years and who could forget Carol Burnett’s impression of Nora Desmond. Not a romance in the conventional sense, but still a wonderful movie and a fabulous example of film noir.
3. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – A movie to make anyone feel good about his/her life. Jimmy Stewart is the great George Bailey, the “richest man in town,” and Donna Reed is wonderful as his wife, who clearly could only have married him. One of my dad’s favorite films and one of mine as well.
4. Vertigo (1958) – My sister got me turned on to this movie. She told me it was fabulous. My husband and I rented it early in our marriage and half way through it I thought, this is no big deal. Boy, was I wrong! It changed in my mind almost immediately after that. I still watch it and marvel at what Hitchcock did!
5. Rebecca (1940) – Another Hitchcock movie and one I could watch over and over. Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine and that creepy housekeeper. I love the twist ending and just the feeling between the two people.
   
6. The Princess Bride (1987) – A fairy tale, a classic. A movie to lose yourself in. It’s funny and there are a plethora of quotable lines. My husband even learned to say the whole “My name is Inigo Montoya…” speech in German and my daughter has a tee-shirt with that line (in English) on it.
7. The Conversation (1974) – An interesting movie that I saw, kind of by accident. My father watched it on TV one day but for some reason, we didn’t get to see the end of it. Years later I watched it again and really liked it. It’s different but engaging and if you see Enemy of the State (1984) you see Gene Hackman play almost the same character.
8. Ben-Hur (1959) – This is another classic I’m ashamed to admit I only saw just recently. I was amazed at the depth of the faith element in this film, something Hollywood would be reluctant to do these days. The love between two childhood friends turns to hatred as ambition claims one man to the determent of the other. Only the love of Christ turns hatred to forgiveness. A wonderful story.
9. Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – The original, black and white version. A sweet story about believing even when everything tells you not to. The power of love and hope and the spirit of Christmas. One of those movies that are required to make the Christmas Season feel right.
10. While You Were Sleeping (1995) – I love Sandra Bullock movies, and this is one of the best romances. As a romance writer, it’s fun to watch these kinds of things and analyze just what is going on and where the plot points are and stuff. However, this one is just fun to watch and no matter how many times I see it, I just can’t help getting caught up in it.
11. Notting Hill (1999) – I kind of avoided this one for a long time because while I’m a Hugh Grant fan, I’m very indifferent on the subject of Julia Roberts. However, I think Hugh is wonderful in his movie, and he’s surrounded by a wonderful support system/family that I want to be a part of. It’s a nice, happily not predictable, movie.
12. Ever After (1998) – A surprising movie. Drew Barrymore is a thoroughly “modern” Cinderella in a fairy tale world. This is a movie that doesn’t make Cinderella a victim, but it doesn’t resort to blatant sex scenes, even though there is a clear opportunity for at least one.
13. Roxanne (1987) – Steve Martin is a surprising actor, and never more so than in stories he had some part in creating. This movie, a retelling of the Cyrano story, is one of his best, if not his best, in my opinion. Funny but touching and charming. If Roxanne doesn’t want this man, she’s nuts and there are tons of us out here who would!

Thirteen fantasy “cliches’ I hope I never have to see again.

 1. “Talking” horses – Horses are great animals and I know some people have a deep devotion to them, but seriously, how many books do we need where the hero/heroine has an equine companion who is psychic or can actually speak? There are other animals, people. Better yet, how about a “human” friend?

2. “Talking” swords, helmets or whatever – Swords, helmets and other tools are useful, but when they’re smarter than the hero/heroine or makes all the important decisons, something’s seriously wrong.

3. Princesses or noblewomen who hate stitching – Really, any kind of feminine thing. This is a typical thing for historical romances, too, and it drives me crazy. I love needlework and I don’t know why a heroine has to hate being a girl to be strong?

4. Women who can out-whatever a man – This is a corollary to #3. I’ve  read books (but never finished) books where a woman can out-shoot, out-ride, out-hunt, out-fight, out-drink, out-you-name-it, any man she meets.While, I don’t mind a woman holding her own, but these women are unrealistic and why do they need a man anyway??

5. Ladies who are running away from a marriage – Again, this is in historical romances as well as fantasies. It’s a way for the woman to get into the adventure, but surely, we’ve overdone the parents who are forcing a woman into a marriage with an old, smelly, mean or just ugly man.

6. Men who are sexist pigs – It might have worked for Sean Connery’s 007, but I’ve seen fantasy heroes who only think of the women as playthings or incapable of more than being rescued and/or seduced.

7. Women who wear clothing that is totally impractical – Just think about Xena for a minute. Was her outfit even capable of keeping her safe in anyway? If a woman is going to traveling or working or fighting or ANYTHING, dress her in a way that fits the situation. This mainly applies to covers!

8. Dice rolling stuff – I have read books that seem like someone was just basing it on a game he/she played. (Okay, Attack of the Queen was like that, but I tried to avoid gaming cliches.) In “real life” would a detect magic spell be called that?? If you can envision some one sitting at a table with a 12-sided dice working out the odds of making it out of the conflict or trap, take it out!

9. Name with more than one apostrophe – If you can’t easily pronounce it, don’t us it.

10. Ditto names with more Zs or Xs than vowels – see above.

11. Evil characters who are just plain evil – Give the villain a real reason to do what he/she is doing, even if it only makes sense in his/her mind.

12. I mentioned this in the heroine list, but girls dressed up as boys? Skip it, okay? I don’t believe it.

13. Parents or mother being dead in the beginning – Think of the Disney heroines. Not one of them has a mom. Stepmothers, maybe, but they tend to be evil just for the sake of evil (see 11). I think Sleeping Beauty had a mother, but she’s the exception. Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle. What do fairy tale writers have against moms?

Thirteen Mistakes Your Hero Should Never Make

Last week, I talked about mistakes your heroine should never make. To give equal time, let’s do the hero this week.

1. And of course, this is the biggie: Sleeping around – the hero must be committed to the heroine, even if this is a historical or in a society where men are expected to have more than one mate. Our heroine is US and we don’t want our man heading off to see another woman and get into her bed. If he did that before he met us, then something’s changed and he won’t do it now, even before he’s in love with us.
2. Being mean – We all like the bad boys. We all like sexy, tough, Alpha males, but just making your hero mean isn’t how you show toughness. Don’t have him pick on someone smaller or laugh at the villain’s misfortune. If he’s going to get into a fight, there needs to be a reason for it, and he should always defend the little guy.
3. Talk about other women - I think this should be self-explanatory, but discussing old girlfriends is a no-no. Maybe if you want to weave this into the story as part of the conflict, okay, but remember don’t go overboard or we’re going to wonder what she sees in him.
4. Put his friends above the heroine - Years ago on Oprah or something I heard a guy say, “Wives can come and go, but a best friend is there forever.” I wonder if his wife came and went. Again, if this is part of the conflict, proceed cautiously.
5. Judge her harshly on her past mistakes - I’m in the middle of a book I’m reading by request and I’m finding it hard to get past the first couple of chapter because all through this so far, the hero has done nothing but accuse the heroine of bad things, some of which he had a part in, and treat her like dirt because she made mistakes in the past. I just don’t like him and I don’t care about reading more about him to see how he gets past this.
6. Assume she’s bad because of rumors – This is a corollary to the last one. In the beginning, he might have heard rumors about her, but as he gets to know her, he should be able to see past all that.
7. Keep telling her “if you knew the real me, you wouldn’t like me” – I will admit that I haven’t read this much, but I did date a guy who said this often, and apparently so has my daughter. It’s annoying. Don’t do it.
8. Take himself too seriously – Let your hero have a sense of humor and let him be a buffoon once in a while. I love Antonio Bandaras because as sexy as he is, he plays takes parts which allows him to be a buffoon once in a while and it’s endearing.
9. Dress too well or be too sophisticated -Few women want a man who knows more about fashion than she does. Even fewer want one who looks better than she does.
10. Be all good looks – You might think this is the same as the last one, but this one means give your hero a brain. Let him have something to talk about with the heroine. Some day all that muscle and good looks will fade, and the conversation will be boring.
11. Be too confident or too insecure - Overconfidence comes across as arrogance and too much insecurity is creepy.
12. Announce right off that he’s not interested in marriage – Neither is she, probably, at the beginning of the book, but to have either one say it is very off-putting and a little cocky.
13. Talk down to her – He may be smart and cute and all that, but if he treats her like a slow child, she should walk away and not look back!

I’d love to hear if you have any other “rules” for our heroes.

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To avoid the dread TSTL (too stupid to live) syndrome, please avoid these mistakes when creating your heroines:

1. FLEEING UPSTAIRS: The murderer is on the first floor of a building, so our heroine, naturally, runs up the stairs to get away. Eventually, honey, you’re going to end up on the roof and that’s not a good place to be if he’s following you. Your choices, then, are jump off or get caught. I think this is what my sister and I labeled “stupid rule #1.” It often applies to guys as well.

Remedy: Head out where there are lots of people, down a busy city street and then, ideally, into a store. Crowds of witnesses makes the villain’s escape more difficult, and it’s easier to hid.

2. Running in High Heals: Whether you’re running across the moors or that rooftop from earlier, dump the high heals. Those fancy Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks were not made for running. They may have cost a week’s salary, but you can wear them if you’re dead!

I knew this was stupid when I saw Stella Stevens climbing the Christmas tree in the Poseidon Adventure. I was about 13 years old then!

3. Confronting that Sound without a Weapon: You know this one. Our girl is home alone, there’s a murder after her, she hears a noise upstairs and heads up there without a weapon “to see what it is.” Just don’t do it.

4. Talking too much: When you’re running from the bad guy or when the good guy is trying to be romantic, close your mouth. Too much explanation can get you killed or keep you from getting kissed. Neither one a good thing.

5. Sleeping with the Wrong Guy: Just to make Mr. Right jealous or to get back at him for an affair. No, please, don’t. It just makes things worse.

6. Heading out of the house without ID: This applies only if you’re actually getting in the car to leave your property. Jane Does are not attractive.

7. Storming out of the room when you see him hugging a co-worker/friend: Honey, unless their lips are connected or his hands are below her waist, check first to see what’s up. This is a standard way that soap operas and other shows “up the conflict.” She assumes something’s going one, but usually the other woman lost a family member or her job or had some other tragedy and our hero is show sensitivity. Give him the benefit of the doubt.

8. Rejecting Mr. Right for an insignificant reason: An author I knew once told me she had a writer friend who wanted to write a book where the main conflict was that he had a tattoo and she hated tattoos. Our heroines are bigger than that.

9. Describing themselves by looking in the mirror: Let’s be honest. How many of you look in the mirror, even on your wedding day, and think about your “full, wavy hair the color of chestnuts and your deep blue eyes?” Or even that your eyes look sad?? If we’re sad, we know it without looking at ourselves in the mirror. If your heroine does this, she sounds more than a little self-centered.

10. Running away from an unwanted marriage and taking refuge in a brothel: Granted I don’t see this in a lot of books, but I read it in one and that was in the first few pages. Of course, she was “raped” before the first chapter was over by a customer of the brothel who, understandably, believed she was an employee. Boy was she sorry. I didn’t finish the book.

11. Letting someone else deliver her message of love to the hero: He’s bound to fall for the messenger instead of Ms. Heroine. Tell him yourself, sweetie. He’ll be happier and so will you.

12. Dressing up as a man: Okay, this “cliche” has its place, but I never found it particularly believable. Julie Andrews did NOT look like a guy in Victor/Victoria and Keira Knightley didn’t last long as a pirate.

13. FINALLY: Sticking around: When the hero saves you from the bad guy and he tells you to run, honey, DO IT! It’s for your own good!

My husband and I watched a movie where a monster snatched a woman (already we knew she was an airhead) and carried her off. Her hero (not the hero from the story however) rushes off to save her. He distracts the monster who releases her. Hero says, “Run.” She runs…to a near by group (read: 2) trees and “hides” while watching the monster and the young, untrained man fight. The monster flies away after leaving “hero” lying on the ground. She runs over to hero, sobbing.

Well, folks, the monster came back and snatched her again. Another guy (why they cared is beyond me other than her long blonde hair and her, presumably, blind acceptance of whatever tall tales they told her) comes to save her and LITERALLY the same thing happened, except that he defeated the monster. She ran to the SAME group of trees which appeared to be maybe fifty to 100 feet away from the battle.

GANG: Don’t do this. It was supposed to be suspense full and thrilling. We laughed and laughed!

Okay, that was my list. It was a little hard to come up with 13, but I’d love to hear any you have!

Get out there and write that book! The World’s waiting!

Nine Writing books I love and Four that inspired me to become a writer.

1. Goal, Motivation and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction – by Debra Dixon. After I read this book, it changed the way I thought about my plotting. I got to hear her speak about this in September and got her to sign my copy. I still use it all the time and if I’m out of the house with my AlphaSmart, writing, I have this book with me.

2. No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty. The “official” book of NaNoWriMo, but I think it has a lot of offer writers even when they’re not driving themselves crazy trying to write a whole book in a month. I think the best thing I got out of this book is that it’s just fiction, not rocket science. Don’t stress so much and have fun!

3. The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders. I saw Tami at a NJRW conference and I was hooked after hearing her talk about the 16 Master Archetypes for heroes and heroines. I still analyze characters in movies and TV based on my limited understanding of the archetypes. This is a book I’m still trying to study. I wish they’d come out with their villain list. As I remember, that was just as interesting.

4. The Writer’s Journey, Second Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. Another book that changed the way I plot books. It’s kind of the standard that most writers are familiar with.

5. Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana: What to Name Your Baby Now (Revised and Updated) I have an older edition of this book I still use, but I have a newer version, too. What I like about this book, and I used to have several baby name books, is that instead of just a listing of names with meanings, this has names organized into many interesting categories, including Handsome Rogues, Nice Guys, Creative Power Names. It’s so much easier to pick out names for characters based on their personalities rather than going through a whole book and trying to figure out if their parents named them that because of the name’s meaning or the sound. Also, this book makes it easy to name siblings and have the names make sense together. There is also a section in the back with hints on naming your babies. Reading this gives you a better idea of how your character got that name.

6. Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder. Yes, this is a screenwriting book, but our readers are accustomed to the visual style of film and we have to think cinematically. This book offers a humorous way of looking at plotting and the idea of the logline alone was worth the price of the book (okay, I got it as a Christmas gift but you get my meaning!). It helped me get a handle on a book plot I was struggling.

7. On Writing by Stephen King. I had heard so much about this book that finally I had to buy it and see what it says. Actually, once you get past the kind of raw language, it does have a lot to say about King and writing. Basically, like the No Plot book, it’s just fiction. Have fun and when it’s not fun anymore, maybe you’re doing something wrong.

8. First Draft In 30 Days: A Novel Writer’s System for Building a Complete and Cohesive Manuscript by Karen Weisner. I read an essay she wrote about this topic and I loved what she had to say, so I bought this book. I have to admit I’m still trying to figure it all out, and I don’t think I could get a rough draft out in 30 days, but she does admit that her method is more geared to suspense. In fact, romance is barely mentioned and then just as a subplot. I don’t know that I’ll use the forms and the techniques the way she describes, but there is still a lot I don’t understand. I’m willing to give this another try when it’s time.

9. The Writers Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic Okay, this isn’t so much a romance writing book, but I do also write fantasy and this is a fabulous book for that. There’s sections on what a castle really looks like and includes so you can make yours realistic, as well as a description of medieval clothing and occupations as well as a section on fantasy creatures. Great book!

10. A Campaign For Pam by Teresa Holloway. I can’t believe I found this book on Amazon. Okay, it’s a used copy, but still it helps me make my point. This book came out in 1970. I was about 11 years old! I don’t think I read it then, but both my sister and I read it and we both thought it was terrible. I knew I could write better than this and get published someday!

11. On the Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt. My favorite book written by the master of the Gothic. I must have read this book two or three times and wish I had a copy of it now to read again. I LOVED this book at a time when I thought romance novels were beneath me. I know many people love Mistress of Mellyn and I know I read that one, but I don’t remember it as well. Oh, I need to read Victoria again.

12. Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz. I actually read this book out loud to my husband when we were first married because I loved this book so much. I know it’s not a “romance” by the definition I posted before but there is a lovely story.

13. What a Girl Wants: A Novel by Kristin Billerbeck. I want to be this woman when I grow up! She writes funny, Christian books and I WANT TO WRITE THOSE!

What books do you have to have with you when you write or which ones inspire you to write???