Gina Wilkins

It has been a difficult week.

A week ago today my husband, John, lost a good friend to cancer. Like John, Carlton loved woodworking, and they and another woodworking buddy, Vernon, spent many hours talking about tools and techniques and visiting each other’s shops. Last year, John built a beautiful oak bookcase for our son’s college dorm room, with raised panel sides and crown molding at the top and bottom. John is primarily a woodturner, whereas Carlton built furniture, so he gave John quite a few tips on the raised panel inserts. It will be an heirloom piece for our son, who will remember that it was handcrafted by his dad, with help from Vernon and their late friend, Carlton. John and Vernon were pallbearers for their friend’s funeral Monday morning. They will miss him deeply, though they’ll always treasure the memories of the hours they whiled away together with the hobby they all loved.

The day after Carlton slipped away, a couple we’ve been close with for more than two decades lost their only child, their 25-year-old son, Thomas. John and I knew Thomas from the time he was little more than a toddler, watching him grow up into a tall, handsome medic in the Army National Guard. When our house was hit by the tornado in ’05, Thomas came immediately with his father in a torrential downpour to help us tarp the shattered roof, and worked to help us save what we could from the rooms that were hit the worst. I’ll never forget the way he hugged me — for perhaps the first time since he was a little boy — and told me, “All of this can be fixed. I’m just glad you and John are okay.” His funeral was on Wednesday.

Needless to say, I’ve done little writing this week. Today I’ve been sitting at my computer working on my next Silhouette Special Edition. It’s difficult sometimes to concentrate on the generally light, happy-ever-after stories I so love to write when real life becomes difficult. I was having some trouble getting into the story this morning … and then I checked my email. A reader from Michigan had found me through this website, and she sent me a note telling me how much she has been enjoying my Doctors in Training series. She told me she is a single mother of a child with developmental disorders and that books provide her with a few hours of escape from her responsibilities. She thanked me for taking her into a place “where love conquers all, and it’s easy to believe in happy endings.”

I’ve always said I’m not trying to change the world with my books. I’m not trying to teach deep lessons or make profound observations. I simply want to entertain. To elicit a smile or a few happy tears. Just as I enjoy relaxing for a few hours with a good book or movie or television program, I hope to be able to provide a similar escape for my readers. Thanks, M.L., for reminding me of why I continue to pursue this career I have loved for so many years!

May all of you find a few moments of joy today in your own harmless, escapist pleasures and happy memories.

This first day of April was an absolutely beautiful day here in Arkansas. Clear, 82 degrees, a little breezy. Tomorrow is supposed to bring storms — potentially severe storms, which is always a worry in the south — but today was gorgeous. I was unable to resist getting out to play with my camera, so my husband and I had lunch out and whiled away a little time at North Little Rock’s Old Mill, a faux-wood-and-rock structure made of concrete built in 1933 and featured in the opening of the movie, “Gone With the Wind.” The little park surrounding the mill is beautifully landscaped; dogwoods, redbuds, pansies, jonquils and a few other flowers are in full bloom and the azalea bushes are heavy with buds about to pop into color. The photo above was taken from inside the Old Mill. I’ll use a few of the other shots I took today in later posts.

I’ll take the time here to wish a very happy birthday to my oldest daughter. We’re half a country apart, but computers and cell phones keep us closely in touch. Have a very happy birthday, Courtney. I love you.

Now for the winner of today’s drawing for an autographed copy of YESTERDAY’S SCANDAL.  The winner is …

Stephanie Gamm of Pennsylvania! Congratulations, Stephanie. And for everyone who entered and wasn’t drawn, please enter again for the May 1 drawing. Details are on the Enter to Win! page.

For everyone who celebrates the occasion – happy Easter. And to all my friends here, I hope you find a beautiful day soon to enjoy the changing of the seasons.

I’ve spent a lot of time with writers lately. Last weekend, I attended and presented at a Shreveport, Louisiana conference sponsored by the NOLA STARs, a chapter of Romance Writers of America. I had a great time, met some new friends, reconnected with a few I hadn’t seen in a while. What a warm and welcoming group they are!

Yesterday, I attended the monthly meeting in Little Rock of the local RWA chapter, Diamond State Romance Authors. Local author Shayla Kersten led an interesting discussion on self-editing, including reminders we can all use of how to tighten and punch up our writing. Afterward, several of us went out for lunch and more talk about writing. To be honest, I considered not going to the meeting. I settle so comfortably into my rut of staying at home to write and putter that I have to make myself get out and about at times. I’m so glad I went yesterday! I had a lovely time, met a couple of  local authors I can already tell are going to become friends, and had the chance to swap writing stories, something I always enjoy.

I’ve mentioned before that I am always fascinated by discussion of how different people create. The ambiance they require — music or coffee shop chatter or total silence. The plotting process — detailed synopses or seat-of-the-pants storytelling? Starting with character sketches or conflict ideas? Linear progression or random scenes later organized into a cohesive story? (Yes, I know someone who writes that way).

If you’ve read this blog, you probably know by now that I write on a laptop in my den — rarely in the office I built for that purpose — listening to music through headphones and gazing out the patio door that is my window to the outside world. I still don’t quite understand why I have so much trouble writing in my nice office — perhaps the feng shei is off or there’s something too restrictive and business-like about the idea of working at a desk surrounded by files and office equipment.

We all hear stories about J. K. Rowling writing parts of her early Harry Potter books on napkins in coffee shops, and I have several writer friends who write in coffee shops and libraries. Others enjoy going on writing retreats with other writers, spending an entire day or weekend writing with brainstorming breaks. I find it difficult to write anywhere but home. Maybe it’s because I leave my house so rarely that I go into sensory overload when I do. The sights and sounds and smells of home are so familiar that they barely penetrate my consciousness as I immerse myself in my story. But out there … so much to see, so many people to study, so many conversations all but inviting me to eavesdrop, so many sounds and scents to investigate. Coffee shops come with the temptations of delicious and calorie-laden drinks and treats, while libraries are filled with intriguing books and magazines to peruse.

I’ve been told by another writer friend that I have the attention span of a gnat, and trying to write out in public certainly proves that to be true! I get lots of story ideas when I’m out and about, but it’s at home in my den where I commit them to the pages.

Where do you feel most creative? In your home, a studio, a coffee shop? Wherever it is, I hope you find time in the coming week to let your imagination run free.

March is more than halfway over! Don’t forget to enter the drawing for the autographed book to be given away on April 1. Click the Enter to Win! tab above for details.

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.