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The winner of the December 1 drawing is Cathy Thomas of New York. Congratulations, Cathy! I’ll announce the next contest in tomorrow’s post. Thanks for playing, everyone!

I try to be thankful every day for the many blessings in my life, but this is the week in the U.S. in which we celebrate an official Thanksgiving Day. So, rather than making a list, I thought I’d randomly share some of the things I’m thankful for at this moment:

I’m grateful for my family, always. Their love, their support, their indulgence of my neuroses and quirks. For the stray cat who wandered into my house 11 years ago and hasn’t stepped out since, and is even now purring beside me. For my extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews. The clan grows larger all the time, and I love feeling that connection. I’m thankful to still have my dad, and that he’s in good health. And I am so very grateful for the beautiful, special memories of my beloved mother, whose spirit will be with me through the holiday season.

I’m thankful for apple cinnamon herbal tea and skinny vanilla lattes. For 100-calorie pack snacks (currently loving the Emerald cocoa-roast almonds) and Yoplait Yogurt Delights that have helped me lose 20 pounds since April and get back to a healthier weight.

I’m grateful for the laptop computer I’m typing on now. For all computers, actually. I still remember using white-out and correction tape on all my typos when writing my first book. What a nightmare! And I’m happy my computer is full of music to inspire and entertain me while I write.

And speaking of entertainment, I’m thankful for the TV shows I most love right now — Castle, The Mentalist, White Collar, Burn Notice, Lost, House and Fringe — and all the pretty men on those shows who provide such delightful eye candy (as the old saying goes, I’m married, not dead!). I make no apologies for being a TV junkie, though I’m not really into reality programming (except the dancing and singing and cooking competitions, which I enjoy). I love clever writing, whether between the covers of books, on a movie screen or on my aging Sony 27-inch TV screen!

I’m thankful for pre-lighted Christmas trees and steam-in-the-bag veggies and digital cameras. For cell phones with nationwide coverage and mobile-to-mobile plans that let me stay in touch with my daughters on their separate coasts. And grateful that both those daughters and my son-in-law will be home for Christmas!

I’m grateful for my friends. The ones I’ve known since childhood. Ones I’ve met more recently. Writer friends who are always there to listen to my whining or brainstorm an idea. On-line friends who share my interests in TV or parenting or playing the occasional on-line game.

I’m so very thankful to be pursuing the career that was my lifelong dream. For the opportunity to work in pajamas and spend so much time in my daydreams. For my agent and editors who are my support team in making each book the best it can be. For the readers who buy my books and take the time to let me know when they enjoy them. What a blessing you have all been!

I could ramble on endlessly about the things for which I am grateful — the roof over my head, the food in my pantry, my health, fuzzy socks and dark chocolate. The point is, no matter how blue I might be, or how frustrating life becomes at times, there are always things to be thankful for and I try to make a point to mentally list those things often. I’ve found that habit to be a very effective therapy (along with a piece of dark chocolate and a pretty face on the TV screen).

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

You still have time to enter the drawing for this month’s prize of two Christmas-themed books! Don’t forget to sign up for the Dec. 1 drawing by sending me an email at gina.w@live.com. Click on the Enter to Win! tab above for details.

The news reports lately have been so depressing and distressing that it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sadness and tragedies in the world around us. I have to confess that sometimes it makes it hard for me to lose myself in the happy-ever-after stories I have wanted to write all my life.

Yet I’ve decided that those tragedies make it even more important for us to appreciate every day we have. To enjoy our family and friends — and make sure they know how much they mean to us. To take advantage of opportunities that present themselves to us. To strive to accomplish more, even in the face of obstacles and rejections. To live in such a way that our little corner of the world is a better place because we were in it.

The stories I write won’t change the world. I’m not trying to teach great lessons or deliver deep messages. I’m simply trying to entertain. To divert. I hope I’ve given all my readers a few hours of fun and escape from their daily problems. I know the pleasure I’ve found in other writers’ books has gotten me through many difficult times. Just this past week, Carla Negger’s wonderful THE ANGEL and the latest J.D. Robb thriller, KINDRED IN DEATH, provided me with entertainment and distraction while my husband was undergoing some medical tests (all is well with him, thank goodness)! Reading has always been my favorite escape.

I spotted the dog above on a trip to a beach in Rockport, Massachusetts. His human companion was throwing rocks among the seawood-covered boulders and the dog was chasing them and retrieving them for her. He was having a wonderful time. It was a damp, cool day, but he didn’t care. His only goal was to chase those rocks and savor every moment of the game. He ran so fast and so enthusiastically that it was all I could do to snap a photo of him, but I knew that was a moment I wanted to capture, to remind myself in days ahead of the joy this beautiful dog found in his simple activity.

We can’t live every day happily chasing rocks, but we can try to make time in our busy, often stressful lives for fun. For perfect moments of pleasure and gratitude. I hope you find many moments like that in the seven short weeks left of 2009!

Don’t forget to enter the contest! It’s easy. Just drop me an email with your name at gina.w@live.com. I’m giving away two Christmas-themed books this month in honor of the upcoming holidays. Click on the Enter to Win! tab above for details.

The winner of the drawing for the two connected Harlequin NASCAR books, HEARTS UNDER CAUTION and ALMOST FAMOUS is …

Jane Squires of Missouri!

Congratulations, Jane. The books will be in the mail this week.

We’re going to get in the holiday mood for the December 1 drawing. The prize will be two of my Christmas-themed romances, MAKE-BELIEVE MISTLETOE and THE HOMECOMING. Click the Enter to Win! tab above for details on how to enter.

Where do you get your ideas?

I hear this question all the time, especially after I admit I’ve written more than 90 books. Where do you get your ideas? As if there’s a store someplace just for that purpose.

But seriously, ideas are the most fun part of my job. I daydream for a living, and I enjoy sharing my daydreams with my readers. Ideas are everywhere. In the newspaper. On TV. On the radio. Walking through the mall, hearing snatches of conversation. Sitting in a restaurant, watching a couple across the room. I never know what will spark an interesting scenario that I’ll work into one of my books.

Arkansas has been “blessed” with an over-abundance of rain this year. We’re well over our annual average of rainfall, which has played havoc on farmers, road crews, golf courses, and so many other professions. Our annual State Fair was just in Little Rock, and attendance was down by a big percentage because of the downpours every day. But my husband and son and I were able to make it over one day for lunch at the fairgrounds and our annual stroll down the fairway, through the animal exhibits and into the Hall of Industry. Why is it that corn dogs taste so much better at the fairgrounds than anywhere else? We weren’t the only ones who took advantage of that relatively dry afternoon; the fairway was crowded with families, teenagers and couples.

As it happened, I thought of a scene for my current project while I was wandering down that fairway. Don’t be surprised if you see a fair scene pop up in book three of my Doctors in Training series! As I said, ideas are everywhere — and I love going out looking for them.

Don’t forget to enter the contest! I’ll be drawing on November 1, just a few days away. Click the Enter to Win! tab above for details on how to enter.