Apparently, yesterday was National Fairy Tale Day. I found this out on Twitter, my personal news source when I’m writing non-stop. I felt a little sad to have missed the day, but I hope it’s not too late to celebrate here.

I have a personal, vested interest in fairy tales since I’m convinced they gave me my love of storytelling. Not reading, necessarily, as I didn’t really read fairy tales myself. I heard them as a child and they were my first memory of really listening to a story (okay, maybe I remember hearing Go Dog, Go, first. But after Seuss, it’s fairy tales I recall the best!). I love how fairy tales are so wildly different across the retellings. From Disney to Grimm to the collections you pick up on the clearance rack at your local book retailer, we come across very different interpretations of the fairy tales the more that we read. Or, sometimes a parent will tell us a fairy tale from memory, and that version incorporates the facets they love best, sometimes with details tweaked to their own personal preference.

Perhaps it’s that sense of ownership and personal investment that makes them so near and dear to my heart. I like the idea that stories are not stagnant, the way some written literature can be. We raise a big fuss as a society when someone wants to write a sequel to Gone with the Wind, concerned that it will somehow detract from the literature as we know it. But with fairy tales, we never feel this indignation. They are our stories and we can choose the glossy, shiny, prettied-up versions to entertain our children. Or we can choose the scary, gritty, darker tales to impart valuable life lessons about the dangers inherent in our world.

I like this flexibility. It’s a quality native to oral storytelling, a fact that storytellers take advantage of in their art, adapting a tale to fit an audience and the mood of the day. My mother opted to share the gentler tales with me, and that told me something about her and her hopes/dreams for me. My older sister opted to share the scarier tales with me, and that told me something about her role in my life too. As my protector, the wise sage who knew the real world, she wanted to be sure I went out armed with the facts and knew the dangers.

So, I urge you to share a fairy tale today! Cinderella or the Dancing Princesses, the Three Little Pigs or the Wolf and the Seven Kids… there are choices for every taste. You can read to entertain a loved one or just to entertain yourself, because the stories hold something for everyone, a message that changes depending on where you are in life. Happy Reading!

***Joanne Rock writes romance for Harlequin and, coming soon, YA books as J.K. Rock. Don’t miss the free download of CAMP KISS available March 26th at campboyfriend.net.  Pre-Order CAMP BOYFRIEND at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

The most romantic holiday of all looms before us, a time for celebrating love, toasting relationships and indulging our partners with special meals, gifts or small tokens of our affection. At least… I hope that’s what you have in mind. But as with so many holidays, sometimes we put a bit too much pressure on ourselves at this time of year to make the day perfect.

I could try blaming Hallmark. The floral industry. Or Kay’s Jewelers who have gotten fairly bold to claim every Kiss begins with Kay. I’m sure I’ve had kisses that had absolutely nothing to do with them. Yet the bigger blames lies with us if we allow a lovely holiday to be commandeered by marketing. I vote we take back Valentine’s Day this year and take things down a notch from the lavish meals, candy, flowers, etc. traditions that always make us feel like we’re falling short.

You could put a no-spending limit on the day, for example. Some of the nicest cards I’ve ever been given were ones my husband made for me. These aren’t works of art- well, not in the traditional sense. They involve crayons and questionable drawing skills, which make them all the more fun. It’s rare he’ll give me a store-bought variety without at least personalizing it a bit. He’ll cross things out and add in his own sentiments. If there are figures on the front of the card, he might draw in a thought bubble. Sometimes there’s a poem involved, heavy on the silliness but guaranteed to make me laugh.

Since going out on Valentine’s Day is often over-crowded, you could consider making you romantic meal together. I hardly ever cook with my husband, but I like him to be in the kitchen. I thought this year I might make the meal and put him on dessert so we have a reason to hang out and do something nice for each other. We could hunt down a cool recipe together ahead of time. We could also test out Valentine’s cocktails. Cooking is more fun while taste-testing. Cosmopolitan had a few you might try.

Most of all, I vote we remember that – in romance- it’s the thought that counts far more than the big, splashy gesture. The thought you put into your love relationship will be appreciated. Maybe we could think together… what are some thoughtful gestures or simple, no-cost dates you could try this Valentine’s Day? I have a copy of my Blaze RIDING THE STORM for one random poster here or on Facebook. Also, please stop by my website this month to enter my contest and check out my latest releases!

www.joannerock.com

The medieval celebration of Christmas was a lengthier affair than we recognize today, one of many reasons that I enjoy looking back to medieval times. Why don’t we extend our winter holiday- no matter which you celebrate? My Jewish friends have the right of it in making the winter holiday a drawn out affair. But, if I can be so bold as to nudge our important dates around like so much living room furniture, I think it would be lovely to push the holidays a bit deeper into the winter to give those of us in the cold and darkest parts of the world a break from the fierce season.

Think about it. Once we pack our holiday décor away, the Northerners among us have a long, dark winter ahead. The extension of twelve days of Christmas would have at least given us reason to make merry a bit longer. Traditionally, the Twelve Days began the day after Christmas and ran until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. The season was sometimes celebrated all the way to February 2nd when pagans celebrated Candlemas and Christians recognized the Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple. Can you imagine? Medieval Christmas traditions include an extended period of socializing, something sorely lacking in my winters. I like the idea that a holiday would encourage more visiting and parties.

I think our medieval ancestors had the right of it here. As much as the religious aspects of the Christian holiday are beautiful rites of celebration, there is also a very practical nature to a holiday of merrymaking in the darkest part of the year. It lifts our spirits when we are low, an emotional necessity at a time when the lack of sun naturally makes people feel a bit more blue (SAD, anyone?). A winter holiday gives us a reason to hold hands and sit by the fire, a time to see family and rejoice in the bonds of brotherhood at a time of year when we need it most.

If only it were a bit longer…

To that end, I’m suggesting we all make merry a bit longer. Enjoy your holly for another week. Buy another half gallon of eggnog and share it with your sweetheart in the glow of holiday lights. There will plenty of time to plan your New Year and clean up the house. For now, extend that period of socializing and invite a friend to the movies. It’s a long, dark winter but there’s no reason you can’t stoke the hearth fire a bit higher and watch the flames into the night with someone you love.

***I celebrated Christmas this year with a new Harlequin Historical Undone, MAID UNTIL MIDNIGHT available for download now. I hope you’ll join me for this passion-filled trek back in time! And- in a nod to my other writing persona as half of writing duo J.K. Rock- I’d be pleased for you to check out the new cover for my YA debut, CAMP BOYFRIEND at http://campboyfriend.net. Until next time, my friends, Happy New Year!

www.joannerock.com

This month, I’d like to introduce you to my alter ego, J.K. Rock. I’m sure you’re used to writers with multiple pseudonyms. J.R. Ward has her Jessica Bird side (wait… reverse that!) and there’s Amanda Quick/Jayne Anne Krentz, Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb.

But J.K. Rock isn’t quite like those, because J.K. isn’t just Joanne. The “K” in there is key! Last year, I started penning some stories with my sister-in-law, Karen Rock. We had a great time and sold a book together, so J.K. Rock was born. How easy to share a last name! It gives us lots of buy-in to our pen name.

I thought this month would be a great time to introduce you to my pseudonym side since Karen and I are eagerly awaiting a big Cover Reveal this month from our publisher, Spencer Hill Press. Our first release is a fun and romantic Young Adult story, CAMP BOYFRIEND. The book launches a three book series for us and- excitingly- it’s also kicking off Spencer Hill Press’ new contemporary imprint. We are so excited.

So please join us online December 14th for our first ever Cover Reveal. I can’t give you all the details yet, but if you Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/jkrockwriters or Follow us on Twitter @KarenRock5, @JoanneRock6, we’ll give you updates as the time draws closer! Also, to sweeten the deal, I’m giving away five copies of my adult romances (your choice!) to new Twitter Followers in the month of December.

In the meantime, here’s a little about Camp Boyfriend:

They said it couldn’t be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson successfully transformed herself into a popular girl with the help of transferring to a new school half-way across the country. Amazing what losing your braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren’s nerves and she can’t wait to return to summer camp where she’s valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She just needs to break up with her jock boyfriend, Matt, so she can head to camp with a clear conscience to see Seth –her endearingly nerdy equal and long time camp boyfriend.

Then Matt reveals his parents are divorcing and his world is falling apart. He needs a break from the chaos so he’s attending Lauren’s summer camp. Now, Lauren’s worlds are colliding. Will Seth understand why she needs to be with Matt this summer? Soon, Lauren’s friends are turning on her, both guys question what she really wants, and her older sister texts weekly with a request for the name of Lauren’s date for her August wedding. If only Lauren knew…

Please help me in welcoming my sister-in-law Karen Rock to the writing world (and look for her debut Harlequin Heartwarming story coming soon!) and consider spreading the word about our fun new adventure as J.K. Rock. I’ve got a bonus $10. Amazon Gift Card – perfect for buying my new Harlequin Historical Undone, MAID UNTIL MIDNIGHT- for one random new “Like” on the J.K. Rock Facebook page this week. Thanks so much, my Writerspace friends!

In upstate New York, I never would have worried about a hurricane, let alone a hurricane turned tropical storm. So when Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a Tropical Storm in my neck of the woods last year, I definitely wasn’t concerned. After all, I’ve got candles around my house all the time because I just happen to enjoy candlelight. And my husband tends to buy in bulk whenever he had the chance, so we have enough stale peanut butter granola bars to last a lifetime should it come down to limited food supplies.

Little did I know that witch Irene would come screaming into my neighborhood and uproot ELEVEN trees in my yard. Including my favorite tree ever in the front yard that had a huge, horizontal branch the perfect height for a long, old-fashioned plank swing hung from chains. Loved that swing! And the tree. It was the ideal picture spot in our yard.

But seeing the weather go berserk and wreak havoc on the property also wreaked havoc on my family. My husband and I had a memorable fight about whether to leave or stay in the house. He thought I was insane to stay in a house with the trees falling all around it (how long before one of them caved in the roof?) and I thought he was insane for leaving the house when trees were downing power lines and landing in the road. Who knew how far he’d even get? We screamed at each other right through the wind and the rain, with our sons choosing sides. Two of the boys thought my plan was crazy. One of the boys thought my husband’s plan was crazy. Or, perhaps, the lone son who sided with me just wanted to stay with me to make sure I didn’t get trapped under a falling tree. Either way, God love him.

The upshot was that we were all just fine. The son who stayed with me had a makeshift tea party with me during a power outage. We broke out the good china and enjoyed the quiet. The boys who went with their dad got a good meal at their Grandma’s. Everyone was happy.

The heart-wrenching time came afterward when we had to saw our way out of the house because tree branches covered every exit. There were huge, gaping holes in the yard to fill. We shared the good hardwood to folks with fireplaces. We had bonfires on a regular basis last fall right through spring until we’d burned through every last bit of the scrap wood.

In the end, my yard is a whole new place, completely transformed by the wrath of Irene. I know that Sandy can’t do much worse, but if she tries, my husband and I won’t need to fight this time. Those battle lines are still drawn from last year’s negotiations. I’ll be breaking out my china tea cups while he hops in his van to cruise through the heart of the storm. That’s just the way we roll…

**I hope you and yours are okay today! Share an old storm memory or a new storm worry on the boards this week and I’ll give one random poster a copy of FULL SURRENDER.

www.joannerock.com

Joanne Rock (Harlequin & Spencer Hill Press) and Catherine Mann (Harlequin, Sourcebooks & Berkley) have been critique partners for nearly 15 years! And this month, they both have a military romance on the shelves. FULL SURRENDER by Joanne Rock and GUARDIAN by Catherine Mann. So they’re celebrating with a blog tour together! Today, they’re highlighting what they adore about a man in uniform…

Catherine Mann

Favorite military hero you’ve read recently?

I thoroughly enjoyed Shane in Jessica Scott’s BECAUSE OF YOU. Jessica’s realism in writing the way a military man thinks and speaks absolutely resonates from the page to the heart.

Characteristics military men have in abundance…

Daring.Ego.Selflessness.

Tell us a little bit about what makes your heroine a strong partner for a strong hero?

Both David Berg and Sophie Campbell in GUARDIAN are active duty, air force majors. Beyond that, they’ve both had to balance single parenthood with the demands of military life. They have a lot in common – yet those same elements that draw them together make them leery of being a couple, since they both understand full well the stresses and heartaches life can hold.

Name one aspect of military life you find particularly romantic.

Uhm, hello???? A hot, fearless man in uniform!

Joanne Rock

Favorite military hero you’ve read recently?

I’m still in love with Hugh Franco from HOT ZONE in Cathy Mann’s PJ series!

Characteristics military men have in abundance…

Determination, honor, commitment

Tell us a little bit about what makes your heroine a strong partner for a strong hero?

Stephanie Rosen isn’t afraid to make changes in her life to find happiness. Unwilling to settle for a path in life that no longer suits her, she will boldly try new things, such as changing her career or moving to a new area.

Name one aspect of military life you find particularly romantic.

Moving all the time! I know relocation has its downside, but I like the adventure of seeing new parts of the country and meeting new people.

Military life takes families around the world. If you could live anywhere else (for three years) where would you choose? One lucky commenter will be chosen at random to win a copy of FULL SURRENDER by Joanne Rock and GUARDIAN by Catherine Mann.

FMI, they can be found online at:

Catherine Mann
Website: http://catherinemann.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CatherineMannAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CatherineMann1

Joanne Rock
Website: http://joannerock.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JoanneRockAuthor

In the interest of full disclosure, this is a blog that appeared in an earlier incarnation on Access Romance in 2007 that I updated for Writerspace. I still love my book club and wanted to share this with you in case you haven’t tried one…

I joined a book club five years ago. I’d love it even if we didn’t read any books since it provides a night of vino and chat with friends. But the extracurricular reading has been really fun too, especially since I’ve read less books since becoming an author.

Seems counterintuitive doesn’t it? Write more = Read less? Unfortunately, when you only have so much time where your brain can process words in a day, you end up using your word ration on books that need to be written rather than books you’d like to read.

But book club has helped me to make time for reading. There’s something about the social obligation of it—like working out with a friend—that makes me feel accountable for each month’s book. And of course, reading is no chore for me! I really love those hours spent with a book, and book club helps me to feel like they’re more justified. If you don’t have a book club nearby –or don’t have the time for regular meetings- I recommend signing up for Goodreads if you haven’t already. When you tell the system what books you love best, it tells you what other books you might like. It’s like having great reader friends at hand to share their recommendations.

In my book club, we talk about many aspects of our book of the month at our meetings. The characters’ choices and backstories, the surprises in the plot, the resonant meaning we found in the work as applied to our own lives. And once the conversation devolves into the personal, I know the real meat of our book talk has concluded. But much of the fun—and the wine—has only just begun.

What about you? Have you ever belonged to a book club? What kinds of books did you read and how did you enjoy the experience? Join Joanne on the boards this week to discuss book clubs and one random poster will win a signed copy of Joanne’s new Blaze, FULL SURRENDER.

www.joannerock.com

I went to a wedding this weekend. It’d had been awhile for me since I was stuck in those years between one generation marrying and the next. When you’re in your twenties, there are tons of weddings as all your friends start getting married. Then, once they’re all settled, there’s the gap while you wait for your kids and your friends’ kids to start getting married. But this weekend, one of my nieces married, and I had the joy of sitting through a wedding again.

After eighteen years of marriage- exactly, since it’s my anniversary today- I have a new outlook on the wedding ceremony. As a twenty-something, you listen to the vows with all the enthusiasm of youth, certain you’ll overcome any obstacle. You’re certain your love will last and committed to a future together. You’re full of hope and dewy-eyed innocence about what the future holds.

But, looking back from an older perspective and thinking about what marriage means, it occurs to me that I had only the faintest of realizations what a lifetime commitment meant at the time that I made it. No small vow, that. If you marry in a church, you’re making that vow on holy ground, and chances are you’ve attended many meetings with church officials who quiz you about how serious you are in your intentions. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a great idea. But it can be intimidating to contemplate FOREVER.

Maybe more intimidating for a forty-something than a twenty-something. I believe every married couple in the church this weekend had a better idea what the kids at the altar were facing than they did. And I realized that’s what makes wedding so special for US, the older folks in the crowd. I had my tissues out, and it wasn’t just because the bride was so beautiful and her groom looked at her with love in his eyes. I was misty-eyed because I’m so grateful that I’ve kept the vows for eighteen years and that I still have a happy, fulfilling marriage to be proud of.

God knows- and those other still married couples know- that it hasn’t been easy. The marriage commitment is unique in that we are promising to love someone with no blood tie to us. Some days, the only thing keeping you together is a promise and, perhaps, blind faith. And that knowledge makes the commitment all the more fragile and worth celebrating. I wasn’t just clapping for the new Mr. and Mrs. on Saturday when the church bells rang. I was clapping for the unique joy of having grown a marriage. The long-term ones are battle-tested mergers, forged in fire and honed by hardship.

But they all started out the same way. With a promise and a lot of hope. Some blind faith and a trust in a commitment. It gets me misty-eyed just thinking about it.

***Three cheers for the newlyweds! Whether you’re married or not, I’d love to hear your best advice for the newly married. When I first got married, I had a magnet that said “Don’t go to bed mad. Stay up and fight.” But these days, I prefer to sleep on it first and see how I feel in the morning! How about you? I’ve got an advance copy of FULL SURRENDER for one random poster here or on Facebook.

www.joannerock.com

It begins in junior high. The lights dim, the music slows, and suddenly the seventh grade dance turns into a place fraught with tension as hopeful romantics wonder if they’ll be asked to take a turn out on the floor. From that night forward, we understand the potential of a dance. It’s more than just swaying to the latest Adele song or spinning off into a waltz. A dance has long been synonymous with romance.

I’ve been thinking about the dance in romance lately. It’s been an ongoing theme in my Facebook posts for the last week. If you want to see some highlights of great cinematic dances, visit my page. There are also some memorable dances in fiction. Jane Austen made the most of country dances and formal balls to bring her characters together, and fortunately those scenes captured the imaginations of the directors who brought them to the big screen. Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Bennett is spot-on in this version of Pride and Prejudice. There’s a memorable moment in Emma, as well.

As a writer, I love a dance scene for the immediate intimacy. The whole rest of the room falls away, no matter how many other people are floating in the background of a scene. When the music begins, you have a precious window of time for an exchange between the hero and heroine, whether it’s a tense whisper of secrets or a halting revelation of deeper feelings. In a contemporary novel, a dance is a great way to escape the crowd and get to know each other. In a historical novel, a dance is one of the few ways a couple can share private words and touches.

I’m glad to see the dance scene preserved in Young Adult novels and films. I recently read Heather Dixon’s Entwined and was enchanted by the dance scenes. Edward and Bella dance. Harry and Hermione do too, although that scene was unique to the film, wasn’t it? Dance is a way to show affection, a way to celebrate a moment or- my personal favorite- a gateway to romance.

I hope you’ll join me on Facebook this week to keep up to date on some memorable film dances. From Picnic to A Knight’s Tale, I’m chatting about them all! I’d love to hear about dance scenes you love in film, whether it’s a romantic movie or a big, showstopping number like “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”… let me know here or on Facebook and I’ll give one commenter a copy of my upcoming Blaze, FULL SURRENDER.

www.joannerock.com

Is it just me, or does it feel like we take on a whole new job to get our homes ready for different seasons? Maybe it’s not as bad in other parts of the country where the difference between summer weather and winter weather isn’t so great. But here in the Adirondack region of upstate New York, we undergo major hibernating rituals in the fall to store all the outdoor furniture and accessories, and then there’s even more work to do in the spring to drag it all back out again and prep the house for those few warms months we are given each year.

Part of the problem, I’m sure, is that we are blessed with too much stuff. The swimming pool, for example, is a wonderful treat to have in the backyard. But the amount of prep work required to open it and close it each year is always a little staggering. And since my husband likes to do everything himself (read: he and I), that means there is no pool company to come out and tend to the chore. Instead we yell at each other while we drag various tarps around the yard and chase away frogs.

Still, the pool work isn’t nearly as bad as the painting. I love the look of a wood home, but wow, the upkeep of paint is frustrating. I have the painting chores on a rotating cycle so that we never have to repaint everything all at once. The downside is that there is a painting chore to tackle every year. Last year it was the porch. This year it’s the house trim. Next year, it will be the detached garage.

Then, the deck needs staining. The furniture needs cleaning when it comes out of storage. And the outdoor speakers need to be mounted and tested, challenging our techno skills on a yearly basis. Tiki torches are stuffed in the ground, fresh flowers planted and my flag hung from a pole on the porch. Whew!

Of course, the reward of all that stuff is a pretty backyard that we don’t leave from June to September. Once everything is in place, the first thing we do is call over friends and family to throw food on the grill (whoops! Forgot to scour the grates!) and whip up a pitcher of sangria. For a few idyllic weeks, we savor the rare sunshine and dip our toes in the pool. Happy Spring!

***What spring chores await you? Do you feel steamrolled by all the work or have you got a better system in place than me? Let’s inspire each other (or just commiserate!). I’ve got a copy of my new Blaze, HER MAN ADVANTAGE for one random poster here or on Facebook.

www.joannerock.com