Gina Wilkins

Back at home after a lovely weekend writers’ conference in Shreveport, I’m brainstorming this week on ideas for my next Silhouette Special Edition. With the four book Doctors in Training series completed (click the Books Available Now! tab for details and publication dates), I’m not quite ready to leave the imaginary hospital setting I created for those characters. There are so many stories yet to be told there — so many jobs and lives affected by a large, teaching hospital. I never actually named the hospital in that series, but I’m calling it River City Medical Center (RCMC) for the next series of books, and I have several ideas for potential storylines.

As I sit in front of a blank screen to create a new book, the first challenge I face is choosing names for my two main characters. I can’t even start writing a synopsis or chapter without having those names chosen — nor can I just call them names selected at random. I can spend hours browsing lists of names, choosing just the right ones for the characters nagging at the back of my mind for me to tell their story. I have a general idea of the character type — a profession, perhaps, or a personality trait I want to explore — but until I know the name, I can’t really get to know the person. I’ve even started stories that just wouldn’t work until I changed the character’s name — and suddenly the words started flowing better! Odd, hmm?

I have several well-worn baby name books, and I’ve bookmarked a few favorite baby name sites on-line. I tend to cruise slowly through the names, making a tentative list of possibilities, until one name seems to stand out as the obvious choice. Sometimes it’s the meaning of the name that speaks to me — I love finding out the origin and meaning of names. Sometimes, I just like the way it sounds. For surnames, I turn to phone directories, genealogy sites, newspapers, wherever a list of names might appear. After 97 books, I try not to use the same names too many times, so I keep a master list of all my heroes and heroines, just to double-check whether I’ve used the names before (it’s not always easy to remember after 24 years of writing).

So, this new book, which has no title yet and is still at the earliest stage of plotting, will be about a surgeon, Meagan Baker, and a single-dad attorney, Seth Llewellyn. Why did I choose those names? I like to think the characters led me to the right ones. After all, they have to first become real to me if I hope to make them real for my readers.

I have to confess that I went through pretty much the same process choosing names for my real-life children. My husband and I browsed name books and discussed favorite family names until the right names were simply obvious to both of us. Courtney was a name I had fallen in love with from a book I’d read as a teenager (I didn’t particularly like the character, but I loved her name). Kerry was a slightly changed spelling of my husband’s late grandmother, Carrie. Their middle names were chosen for similar reasons. As for our son, his first name is the same as my husband’s, a 5-generation family name, but we call him by his middle name, David. Courtney begged to name him after the character “David Banner” from the TV program, The Incredible Hulk, which she enjoyed as a small child. And we all love the name, despite its slightly unusual source.

Would our kids be different people if we had chosen different names? It’s an interesting question.

My father’s name is Vernon and my mother was Elizabeth (Beth for short). My paternal grandmother insisted that I should be named Verna Beth, which she thought was a very clever use of both their names. My mother, thank goodness, hated that name and insisted on naming me Gina — hardly a common name in Arkansas at the time. I never even knew another Gina until I was in high school, and her name was actually Regina. I like my name. Would my life have been different had I answered to Verna Beth? I’m not sure, but it’s certainly thought-provoking.

And now, Meagan and Seth are growing impatient for me to bring them to life on my computer screen, so it’s back to work for me. I’ll tell you a little more about them as I develop their story. But at least they have names.

Don’t forget to enter the drawing for a free book to be given away on April 1. Click the Enter to Win! tab above for details.

I finished the fourth Doctors in Training book yesterday, and today I’m trying to prepare for a weekend writers’ conference in Shreveport while still dealing with those post-book blahs I’ve blogged about before. Finishing a book always leaves me drained and a little disoriented — what season is it now? What has piled up for me to do while I’ve been immersed in those final chapters? How do I let go of those characters and their story and move on to the next?

After a rainy 2009 and a cold, snowy start to 2010, it’s nice to see March start here with a few days of sunshine, promising warm weather to come back soon. It’s still a little cool here — 50 degrees as I write this at 2 p.m. — but the sun is streaming through my windows, to Izzie’s delight! She’s lying in her sunny patch of carpet as I type, warming her tummy in the rays.

I’m announcing the prize for the April 1 drawing on the Enter to Win! page, so be sure to check it out. It’s super easy to enter the drawing; just send your name and address to me at gina.w@live.com.

I hope you all have a nice, warm weekend, and I’ll be back again soon — when my head fully clears. Now if I can just manage to be coherent in my speech this weekend!

The winner of the March 1 drawing for WEALTH BEYOND RICHES  is Betty Hassig of Gilmer, Texas!

Congratulations, Betty. I’ll get the book in the mail to you this week.

I’m finishing a book today, so will post details of the new contest by Wednesday, March 3. Check back later this week for the announcement of the April 1 drawing prize. Thanks for your patience!

We shouldn’t need a holiday to remind us to tell all the important people in our lives that we love them, but Valentine’s Day makes a good excuse. Though I know it is traditionally a romantic holiday — a day for couples — I’ve always seen Valentine’s Day as a more inclusive event. I have fond memories of those decorated shoe boxes filled with silly little greetings from classmates in school. My mother always made sure we had a special Valentine’s Day treat — candy or a stuffed toy or some other little memento. I still remember my first Valentine’s Day away from home, my first year of college. I went to the university post office to find a package from my mother — I can still clearly picture the cute pink top she sent me to mark the occasion. I didn’t have a boyfriend that year to give me flowers or candy, but my pink top from my mom made me feel loved and appreciated.

I’ve always tried to make a point to celebrate that day with my family, as well. We’ve never exchanged lavish gifts, but we’ve swapped small, personalized tokens (like that treasured pink knit top from my mom) and lots of love.  My son took a shiny, heart-shaped balloon to his grandmother’s hospital room yesterday (she’ll be in physical therapy for another ten days or so for her broken leg), and she seemed as delighted by that gesture as she would have been by diamonds. She knows he loves his Mimi, and that is what she truly treasures.

So, whether you have a “significant other” in your life or not, celebrate all the people you love on this Valentine’s Day. As for myself, I send my love to my dad, my brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins, to all my husband’s family members, who have been such a special part of my life for 33 years, to my friends, near and far, those I’ve met in real life, and those I know only through the modern miracle of the internet. And always, of course, to my husband, my three amazing children and my wonderful son-in-law! Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.

Look for my latest book, PRIVATE PARTNERS, from Silhouette Special Edition, in stores now! And don’t forget to enter the drawing for an autographed copy of WEALTH BEYOND RICHES. Click the Enter to Win! tab for details.

It’s another uncommon snow day in Arkansas. We’ve had another couple inches since I took the photo above earlier this morning, for a total of perhaps five inches on the ground, and it’s still falling! The schools are all closed, of course, so I’m sure there are a lot of happy children playing in the snow as I type this. It makes me nostalgic for when my own kids were little and impatient to build a snowman and throw snowballs on the rare occasion for them to do so.

As for myself, maybe I’ll bundle up later and take the camera for a walk. In the meantime, it’s a good day to work on my current book. Later, I’ll curl up by the fire with a hot drink and someone else’s story. Days like this are just made for a good book.

Since I posted last, my 88-year-old mother-in-law fell in her home and broke her femur. She had surgery to insert a “nail” into the bone, and is now in a rehab facility to get her back on her feet and home again. Aging can be a cruel process. Though her mind is as sharp as ever, as are her sight and hearing, my mother-in-law is stricken with arthritis and osteoporosis, which keep her pretty much home-bound these days, except for visiting the doctor and the beauty shop occasionally. She no longer drives, so even those trips are dependent on someone else to take her. Except for a hyperactive little poodle named Pierre, she insists on living alone in her home of more than thirty years. My husband visits every day to take care of a few things for her and the rest of us go by when we can, but her days can get a bit lonely there by herself — even though it’s her choice to maintain her independence for as long as she can. Her entertainment? The food channel on TV — and her books.

She reads avidly and almost constantly, going through several books a week. It’s all we can do to keep her stocked in reading material! When she runs out of something new to read, she rereads old favorites. Every room in her house has a supply of books. She particularly enjoys murder mysteries. Her favorites are the J.D. Robb books (written by Nora Roberts). She’s gotten so much pleasure from books, finding in them the travel and adventure limited in her own life now by the challenges of aging.

I’ve had several letters from senior readers who tell me they love to escape into their books. I used one of my favorite quotes in an earlier post: “At my age, 85 with 86 coming up soon, I can’t afford to miss a minute of pleasure. And I get most of my pleasure from my books – that’s where I figure my money is well spent. So give us another good story soon.”

Even though I’m still able to be as active as I like, I, too, love to escape into a good book, especially on days like today. My daughters, who are both young and athletic, always have a book close at hand, making reading a multi-generational pleasure in our family. I love knowing that my stories are giving other people a few hours of entertainment, no matter what their life circumstances!

So, this seems like a good time to remind you that my Silhouette Special Edition, PRIVATE PARTNERS, is available in stores and at eHarlequin now! I hope you’ll find a pleasant escape within its pages.

And don’t forget to enter the drawing for the March 1 giveaway book. Click the Enter to Win! tab above for details.

Snow-white ice still covers our patio and sidewalk as I type this, but it’s finally beginning to melt. I haven’t left the house since the sleet started falling three days ago, so it’s been a good weekend to hole up with hot tea and my current book. The juncos, tufted titmice, sparrows, nuthatches and cardinals have enjoyed the seed we’ve thrown out on the ice and our resident woodpeckers love eating the suet out of the weathered wood feeder hanging from a tree near my office window.  January shivered to an end … and a new month begins!

February brings my 33rd wedding anniversary, Valentine’s Day and a March 1 deadline for my fourth Doctors-in-Training book for Silhouette Special Edition, so it will be a busy month. To start things off this morning, I had John draw a name out of the box for this month’s prize, an autographed copy of VALENTINE BABY. And the winner is …

Regina Smith, from Texas. Congratulations, Regina. I’ll get that in the mail tomorrow.

The prize for the March 1 drawing is a longer book, WEALTH BEYOND RICHES, a mystery published by Harlequin Signature Select. For details, click the Enter to Win! tab above.

Look for PRIVATE PARTNERS from Silhouette Special Edition in stores now! See Books Available Now for details.

Sleet has been falling all day in central Arkansas, covering everything in a layer of fine ice pellets, with heavy snow falling in the northern parts of the state. It’s not something we see often, and schools are shut down all over the state, including my son’s college. I suspect that he and his friends are having video game marathons today. As for me, I’m staying indoors with hot tea and my WIP, as we writers call our works-in-progress, hoping the ice doesn’t bring down power lines.

This quick post is just a reminder that I’ll be drawing Monday morning for the Valentine-themed Silhouette Special Edition, VALENTINE BABY. Be sure to enter if you want a chance to win! Click the Enter to Win! tab above for details.

And look for Book 2 in the Doctors-In-Training series, PRIVATE PARTNERS, from Silhouette Special Edition, in stores now!

Our family lost a dear friend last week. Lillie McKnight, a retired Navy captain, an avid world traveler and an accomplished musician, lost her battle with cancer at age 71.

We met Lillie almost twenty years ago when we hired her to teach piano to our daughters, who were then in elementary school. She came to our house once a week and conducted the individual lessons in the living room while those of us not being taught mingled in the rest of the house. As soon as our son was old enough — first grade — he started lessons with her, too. He would be her student for more than ten years.

For fifteen or so years from the time we first met Lillie, our house was filled with music. Our  children participated in many piano recitals and workshops and piano camps and competitions with other piano students in central Arkansas, so that music was a significant part of their childhoods. Lillie was active with several music teachers’ organizations that put on the various programs, and having her students competing and performing was a clever way of keeping them practicing. They didn’t want to do poorly in front of other piano students! And they liked bringing home the medals and “gold” cups. A strong believer in the academic benefits of musical training, as are we, Lillie took such pride in all her students, awarding them with stickers and little gifts and praise. She was tough and sometimes demanding, but even when they butted heads with her, the kids loved her, and she loved them. Her annual recital each spring was all about celebrating the hard work her students had put in throughout the year, and the awards segment was as important to her as the performances.

Single and without family of her own, Lillie became a member of her students’ families, having dinner with us often, and attending some of the kids’ performances in plays and choir concerts. She shared photos with us of the travels she enjoyed so much — China and Ireland and Europe and Mexico — making colorful scrapbooks of each trip, bringing back little souvenirs for her students. She had so many fascinating stories, and she loved telling them, just as we loved hearing them. While she was teaching our children, she also continued her own education, obtaining a master’s degree in music education — such a good role model!

As our children moved into upper grades in school and became busy with other activities, one by one they chose to stop the lessons, since none of them intended to pursue music as a career. It was always a difficult decision and Lillie was never happy to see them stop. Yet they are still able to play piano for their own pleasure, which was always the goal of the lessons. David even played for Kerry’s wedding in 2007, to Kerry’s delight. Lillie was pleased to hear about that, though she was unable to attend because she was playing for a wedding, herself, that day.

Eccentric in many ways, Lillie had a contagious laugh and an independent spirit that often crossed over into stubbornness — a tendency she freely admitted. She pretty much lived in her car, on the road many hours a day in her beloved old Volvo that had almost 500,000 miles on it before she finally, reluctantly replaced it. Her greatest fear was losing that independence and being unable to get in her car and go where she wanted.

When first diagnosed with breast cancer about six years ago, Lillie faced the fight with her usual determination, being involved in the decision making to the point of arguing heatedly with her doctors over treatment options. The morning after her mastectomy, she called my husband and asked him to come drive her home from the hospital. She had driven herself to the hospital without telling anyone, had the surgery and fully intended to drive herself home — and she was highly indignant that the hospital staff would not allow her to do so. She asked reluctantly for assistance, so John drove her home while I followed in her car — which was filled almost to capacity with music and lesson books and the other things she needed while living on the road.

She didn’t slow down. Wearing a wig, she kept teaching, kept traveling, became active in cancer survivor groups, kept playing organ every Sunday at a church in Little Rock. When she finally lost her battle last week, she had been off her feet for only 48 hours. She played the organ at her church for the final time just before Christmas, conceding only during the last couple of weeks that she no longer felt up to playing.

Her church held a non-traditional memorial service for her yesterday. Her pastor wryly admitted that Lillie had forbidden him to hold a traditional, somber funeral service. Instead, he decided to host an Irish wake, of sorts. When my husband and I arrived, expecting to be seated in the sanctuary, we were directed instead to the fellowship hall. A large potluck lunch provided by the ladies of the church was served to the guests — many more than expected! There was plenty of food, but tables and chairs had to be hastily assembled in the hallways for the overflow. Lillie had touched so many lives with her music. Many funny stories were shared about Lillie, accompanied by laughter and nodding heads. Her travel scrapbooks were there for everyone to see again. The music she had recorded on CDs played in the background. It was a fitting, unconventional tribute to a very special woman.

The only time I struggled with tears was as the gathering concluded. One of her music teacher friends played “Anchors Aweigh” in tribute to Lillie’s proud years of service in the U.S. Navy. She quoted the final lines of the song:

Until we meet once more, Here’s wishing you a happy voyage home.

So long, Lillie. Thank you for being our friend, and for bringing music into our home.

Until we meet again …