Author: Gina Wilkins

Harlequin is celebrating their sixtieth anniversary this year. That’s a lot of years — and a lot of great books. To mark the occasion, they are giving away 16 free books to download at HarlequinCelebrates.com (a $60 value). Check it out!

I still remember the very first Harlequin Romance I read. I found it in my mother’s treasured library of creased and dog-eared paperbacks. It was called FLOWERING WILDERNESS by Kathryn Blair, a 1967 release. I was probably in my early teens, already a voracious reader, and I’d read all own books (many of them repeatedly) and was looking for something new to read, and she handed me that one.

I fell in love. With the hero. With the exotic setting. With the romance genre. True, the story would seem very dated now. The hero was so alpha he’d be considered a chauvinistic jerk now — but she made me love him, anyway. She used humor; I still remember a line that made me laugh out loud, though it wouldn’t seem funny to you if I quoted it out of context. The heroine would seem a bit too angsty and dependent by today’s standards, but she managed to stand up for herself, anyway, and get what she wanted by the end of the story. By the end of that book, not only was I a confirmed Harlequin reader, I dreamed of someday writing for them.

Selling my first book to Harlequin Temptation in 1987 was the culmination of that longtime goal. After writing more than 90 books for Harlequin/Silhouette, I am still so proud to be a part of their long and distinguished history.

As for these book downloads — well, I’m still adjusting to the idea of reading books on a screen. I love the feel of a book, either hardcover or paperback, in my hands. I love seeing my many “keepers” with their colorful covers on my shelves. I sit at a computer for so many hours a day that the thought of doing all my reading on screen makes me twitch a little, I confess.

And yet, I can see the advantages of electronic readers like the Kindle. To be able to download several books for a trip, especially now when baggage space is at such a premium, would be a definite advantage. And my books do take a lot of space in my home. It would be nice to be able to increase the font for books that have small print (something that bothers me more as I age, I hate to admit). My son has an iPod Touch. Now that he’s discovered he can download books from sites like Amazon, he’s been reading more. His iPod is always handy, always available when he has a few spare minutes, which means the book he is reading is always at hand. He’s even discussed some of the books he’s reading with me. Anything that keeps our technology-saavy young people reading is a good thing in my opinion. I’m beginning to think I might like an electronic reader, myself, though I’m not planning to purchase one at the moment.

There are quite a few free book download offers. From Harlequin and other publishers giving away samples of their offerings in hopes that you’ll come back for more in the future. From places like Amazon offering older books that are considered public domain. The prices of legal downloads are very reasonable, usually less than ten dollars, which is often less than the same book in hard copy.

I hope you’ll take advantage of Harlequin’s free download offer of 16 great romances from some of their most popular authors. Check out eHarlequin.com for other offers and news. It’s a fun site.

I have my own contribution to the big anniversary coming out in June, a short story in an anthology with two other authors. I’ll tell you more about it as the publishing date nears (I haven’t even seen the cover yet. Can’t wait!). In the meantime, happy 60th anniversary, Harlequin.

On my to-do list for today: Edit the book I finished at ten o’clock last night after a weekend marathon of writing. Proofread the galley of the Silhouette Special Edition that will be on the shelves in August. Pay bills, mail my taxes, make a doctor’s appointment for my son, pick up my son’s contact lenses, take back a shirt I bought without trying it on, clean the house I neglected last week while I wrote. Welcome my new great-niece to the world. Oh, and I should probably update my blog. Check.

Just as I find myself growing overwhelmed, I remind myself that I used to do all that with three kids still living at home, which added the duties of nursemaid, chauffeur, drama-club, choir and drill team booster. All while writing full-time and belonging to several community organizations. How did it ever all get done?

Our lives can too easily spin out of control. We can get so busy that the stress consumes us, resulting in health problems, sleep problems, depression and anxiety. I’ve been as guilty as anyone of forgetting to take the time to breathe, to enjoy. Of letting the days pass by in a blur of frantic activity, so that the time is gone before I realize it, and I’ve missed out on memories that should have been savored.

Looking at that to-do list again, I see only one item that really stands out as important. The other things will get done, eventually, but this is the only first day of life for my newest great-niece, Cassidy Rae Harrington. So, I’ll take the time now to welcome her, and to send my love and congratulations to my niece, Amanda, and her husband, Jamie. To Cassidy’s big sister, Marrissa, and to proud grandparents, Dennis and Lisa, welcoming their twelfth grandchild.

May you each find time in your very busy lives to stop and savor the truly special moments.

It was cloudy, but unseasonably warm in central Arkansas yesterday, nearly 80 degrees. When another plan fell through, my son and I decided impulsively to take a walk on a local hiking trail near Pinnacle Mountain. Because it was spur of the moment, I wasn’t really dressed for a hike — Clarks clogs and uneven ground not being the best combination — but I’m always up for a stroll through the woods. And a chance to spend time with my son.

We had a good time. The six-foot-one, 20 year old college sophomore and I laughed about some of the walks we had taken when he was little. Hikes with his dad and sisters along, back when my son was more interested in finding the “perfect” stick than in admiring the beauties of nature. His Sketchers being more hiking-friendly than my clogs, he bounded up the rocks, peered over the cliffsides, and pointed out some of the distant scenery along the Arkansas River.

Though the path we chose wasn’t crowded, we saw a few other families enjoying the warmth, anticipating spring. Two grandparents plugged quarters into a viewing telescope for their grandchildren to watch a flock (I guess that would be a gaggle) of geese on the water far below. A woman begged her two daughters to “act like you love each other” so she could take a picture of them together. Another woman foot-propelled a rented paddle boat across the emerald green water of the pond at the top of this post while her young daughter “paddled” with a long stick. I wanted to remind them all to treasure those moments.

When we’re young, the adults tell us that the years pass more quickly as we age. I’ve discovered that it isn’t my own aging that makes the years pass too quickly, but that of my children. One lives 2300 miles away now. Another is married and will soon move away, herself — possibly to the opposite coast from her older sister. It won’t be long before my son will be too busy with his own career to spend a day in the woods with his mom. I’m going to enjoy every moment I have with him in the meantime. I’m still close with all of my children, still talk to each one almost every day — but it’s not the same as when we all lived under the same roof and did almost everything together. I want to remind myself often to savor every chance I do have to spend with them. And to be grateful for all the memories.

Have you had a perfect moment lately? I hope the week to come brings more — and that you’ll find the time to appreciate each one.

I read somewhere the other day that while many products have taken a hard hit during these tough economic times, the sale of chocolate has remained strong. This didn’t surprise me at all. When difficult times hit, we turn to simple pleasures to make ourselves feel better. Chocolate. Ice cream. Comfort foods made the way Mom used to cook them.

Lots of people I know have “comfort books.” Well-loved stories in dog-eared covers that they read over and over when they need a little lift. My mother felt that way about several of her favorite books. Helen MacInnes’ FRIENDS AND LOVERS was one she treasured. Jeanne Ray’s JULIE AND ROMEO. Several early Nora Roberts romances. And a few special movies. Pollyanna. Anne of Green Gables. Several newer romantic comedies that she watched until she had every line memorized.

When my oldest daughter is sick or feeling particularly low, she reaches for Julie Garwood’s SAVING GRACE. She knows the book so well that she doesn’t even bother reading it now, just flips through the pages for her favorite scenes that make her smile. She says just holding that book makes her feel better. She has many favorite authors and beloved books, but that’s her “feel better, go-to” story. She has her own favorite films she watches when she just wants to be cheered up. She particularly enjoys those little pleasures when she’s wearing one of her favorite football team sweatshirts and a pair of warm, fuzzy socks.

When my second daughter gets a break from the stress of medical school, she crashes in soft lounge wear (it has to be soft, she’s into texture) with a stack of books — she enjoys manga — and DVDs (she loves The Fountain. And The Fugitive — she quotes the line about “thinking up a doughnut with sprinkles” all the time).

I have my own little pleasures. Out of my hundreds of “keeper” books, all of which I’ve enjoyed, there are a few I’ve read so many times I could almost quote them verbatim like the book-keepers in Ray Bradbury’s FAHRENHEIT 451. SWEET STARFIRE by Jayne Ann Krentz. MIDNIGHT RAINBOW by Linda Howard. WATCHERS by Dean Koontz. THESE OLD SHADES and DEVIL’S CUB by Georgette Heyer. Mary Stewart’s THIS ROUGH MAGIC. Oh, gosh, so many more.

And the movies — the ones I call “little films.” The ones I simply “need” to watch every once in a while, as if they were old friends that I very much want to revisit. American Dreamer with JoBeth Williams and Tom Conti. Heart and Souls, a sweet, funny movie with an amazing cast including Robert Downey, Jr. While You Were Sleeping. The Big Easy. Driving Miss Daisy. The Truman Show and The Majestic, both featuring a particularly restrained and touchingly emotive Jim Carrey. And every Christmas, I have to watch White Christmas. Always.

Why these particular books and movies? I don’t know. Most of them wouldn’t be considered great literature or film-making by academia (or Oprah). While I believe all of them have an uplifting message, few of them are considered especially “challenging” — in other words, they’re accessible, identifiable and entertaining. Feel-good. And while we all should be regularly challenged and enlightened and tested, sometimes we simply need to crawl into our fuzzy socks and seek comfort.

Books and movies. Always available. Reasonably priced — or even free for the borrowing, in your local libraries. Taken with a little chocolate, a fairly dependable remedy for an occasional blue mood. Everything in moderation, of course, but such nice treats when you need a pick-me-up.

What’s your comfort book?

I hate to be embarrassed. It’s an almost pathological dread. My kids will tell you that when they were little, if we were out in public and I hissed, “You’re embarrassing me,” they knew they were in big trouble when they got home. Needless to say, they were quite well behaved in public.

My psychiatrist-in-training daughter, Kerry, could probably explain this phobia. I’ve always just written it off to being a bit of a control freak. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to relax and laugh at myself more, but it was quite a problem when I was younger. I was teased often when my face turned bright red whenever I felt I’d made a faux pas.

It still embarrasses me to make a mistake in my books. I work very hard not to make errors, doing research, proofreading over and over — and yet, it has happened. Out of 90 plus books, there have been mistakes that slipped past me and my copy editors. Only to be found by readers — usually my mother, who seemed to get a kick out of catching me. I remember three specifically …

In one early book, I wrote an entire scene centered around the heroine’s allergy to roses. She sneezed, her eyes ran … it wasn’t a pretty sight. And yet, when I belatedly decided to write a hasty, very brief epilogue to the story to describe her wedding, what bouquet did she carry? Red and white roses. My mother called me to ask teasingly if anyone noticed that the bride was sneezing and blowing her nose all the way up the aisle. I assured her that the roses in the bouquet were made of silk (when the truth was, I simply forgot about the allergy).

In another story, I had a secondary character telling of her travels around the world. She’d recently visited Africa. Someone asked if she’d seen a lion, and she said no, but she had seen a tiger. There are, of course, no tigers in Africa. I don’t even know what I was thinking when I wrote that, but once again, it slipped past my proofreading and my editors’. I’m sure I meant to say that she saw the tiger during another trip — to Asia.

My mom caught another blooper in one of the last of my books she read before she passed away. She called to ask, “What side of a horse do you get on?” Not knowing why she asked, I replied, “The horse’s left side, of course. Why?” “Because in your book, you said the hero walked to the right side of the horse and mounted — to prove he still remembered how to ride,” she answered smugly. Shrieking in disbelief, I rushed to check, and yes, that’s exactly what I said in the book. My dignified response to my mother? I meant that he got on the ‘correct’ side of the horse (which, of course, would be the horse’s left). Truth was — I have no idea why I typed “right” when I meant “left” (and I can’t blame my city-slicker editors for missing that one). Mother got quite a laugh out of that last “gotcha.”

Since the humiliation of the ‘horse incident,’ I’ve worked even harder at catching errors before they make it into print. My daughters have done their part when they had time by reading my manuscripts and galleys. When I find mistakes in other authors’ books, I sympathize with them, because I know how hard it is to get it right every time (though I do have a problem with non-Southern writers writing Southern characters who use y’all as a singular pronoun. For anyone who doesn’t know — y’all is plural. Always! That mistake is as cringe-inducing to me as my hero climbing on to the right side of the horse probably was to my western readers. But because I shouldn’t be throwing stones from my glass house, I try to be understanding).

So, if you find any “gotchas” in any of my books in the future — be kind. I’m trying. My goal is to provide a good story, a few hours of entertainment and escape, and if I’ve accomplished that (preferably with no glaring mistakes), I’m pleased.

For those who’ll be celebrating Mardi Gras this week — Laissez les bon temp roulez (and by the way, my research gave me three different spellings for that final word. So if I’m mistaken — blame Google!)

May your good times roll.