My creativity has been stilted all spring, and when I look at this blog and see I haven't written in it since my entry about losing my beloved toy poodle Kirby, I wonder if her illness and death has been the reason I haven't been able to write anything more than school notes and e-mails. Now with blessed summer vacation spread out before me, I have time to write...and some new darlings with whom to share my time. Gabby and Zoe are two small, white Maltese females, young adults, and they are darling. They had been living in a rescue shelter in southeast Wyoming for two months while recuperating from neglect at a puppy mill farm. These are sweet-tempered, lovable little things, just a bit shy, and unknowing about the ways of pottying in a new environment. As I'm typing this, I'm sitting on the step beneath my backyard awning, waiting for Gabby and Zoe to go potty on the grass. They want to please me, but they don't yet know what to do. I've been waiting for hours, no exaggeration, for them to piddle so I can reward them for it! Who would have thought littlle dogs could hold it that long? They were up at 5:30AM when my husband got up. I took them out for about an hour then. When nothing happened, I brought them back in and we all took a nap, them in their puppy crate with the door open and me on the floor in front of the crate so I would know if they came out. Some zzzz's later, I took them back outside, certain the pottying time was near...and yet here I sit appoximately three hours later with the pottying act yet to be seen. When one goes, the other does, so I just need one of my darlings to start the process! Unfortunately, this has happened in the house as many times as it's happened outside, so I know I need to be more vigilant. My one goal for today is to see them potty outside so I can make a big deal about it. They already love their treats and know I have them, they just need to figure out the act it takes to get them! I'm hopeful that my continued patience and kindness will go a long way in training these little dogs. Then my next goal for this summer can be to write a new book or short story. Stay tuned!

I've been meaning to blog about my little toy poodle Kirby, but it's still hard to talk about her. Writing about sad events is cathartic, and I have written e-mails about her. Maybe this blog will also help. We had to put our little Kirby to sleep three weeks ago. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it was also the kindest thing for her. She turned twelve on March 2nd, and I was glad she saw that birthday. She was coughing and choking a lot due to a congestive heart problem, and her overall health was declining. In the last few weeks she had been really struggling to breathe, and it was painful to watch and hear. She passed away at the vet’s very peacefully as Andy and I held her, and then we brought her home.Since it is too early to plant flowers over her little grave, I put some colorful silk daisies there. I can see the spot from my kitchen window, which most of the time is a comfort. I get glimpses of Kirby from time to time around the house, and sometimes I hear her. I miss her more than I imagined possible. She was such a good companion.

Last week I had my first TV appearance as an author. Pretty scary stuff! The newswoman who hosts the local noon news show asked to interview me for her "Four Minute Interview." I brought all my books. Going into the studio was a little nerve-wracking, but as I sat on the couch off to the side of the news desk, where Tawnya would join me toward the end of the news, I watched the comaraderie between Tawnya, the weather girl, and the two young cameramen, and felt more relaxed being there. By the time my interview started, I was pretty darn calm! We talked mostly about my new book, ONE ITALIAN SUMMER, but she showed my other books and asked me about them as well. My husband was out of town, so I'd set our old VCR to tape the segment at home. Fortunately, it did actually worked, and I was able to see that I didn't make too much of a fool of myself! A friend called me "poised." Before the interview, I would never have guessed I could be. Although I teach kids and have no problem being in front of them, I do have qualms about adult audiences. The more I speak to adult audiences, the easier it will be, but it's still not something I seek out!

March has come and gone in a whirlwind for me. My new romance set in contemporary Italy, ONE ITALIAN SUMMER, debuted in March and made the Top Ten bestseller list for the month at my publisher, Whiskey Creek Press. The reviews and reader comments have been wonderful. If you enjoy Italy or anything Italian, this may be the read for you! I am the Featured Author at Firehorse Romance this month, where I'm giving away an autographed copy of ONE ITALIAN SUMMER to one winner. See info on how to enter at: www.romancenovel.com (go to the Contest Forum). I hope you're having a terrific spring so far in your corner of the world (if it IS spring in your corner!). Here in Wyoming this time of year we can have a lot of different weather--rain, wind, snow, sunshine--all in the same day. Happy April! =) http://www.janetmills.net

Here in central Wyoming, we recently received about a foot of snow and the gift of a snow day from school. My plan was to spend my unexpected day at home working on a new book. Instead, the reading bug hit between strenuous bouts of shoveling the walk and the driveway in front of our house. I did manage to get some vacuuming done, and I fed my husband when he came home for lunch. The afternoon consisted of more shoveling (thatsa lotta snow!), more reading, grading student papers I brought home, and catching up on e-mail. At the end of the day, I had accomplished quite a bit, although no new words had been added to my current writing project. Ah well. Sometimes an author's brain needs to rest.

Happy New Year! I hope 2006 will be fun and prosperous for you. I'm looking forward to a great year! This blog is turning into a monthly thing when I anticipated a weekly thing. Ah well. When does anything ever go the way you planned?? This month I have a new romance release in the form of a short story titled "Worthy Hearts" in the LOVE Anthology from Whiskey Creek Press. More info is in the "Book" area in my blog. I will be chatting tonight, January 15th, at FAR/Fallen Angels Reviews at 9:00PM EST. Tomorrow, January 16th, I'll be hosting a Whiskey Creek Press Readers Group chat from 7PM-9PM EST. Come on over to both these chats for fun and prizes!

I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas! Since my husband and I were married seven years ago (a second marriage for both) we have spent Christmas Eve just the two of us while our kids are with their other parents. It makes for a special evening, then everyone is here for Christmas Day. The first year we were married we thought it would be fun to hide the kids' stockings and make them go on a treasure hunt to find them when they arrived at our house on Christmas morning. It was such a hit that we do it every year. They race to see who can get to their stocking first. The clues lead them all over the house, and no consecutive clues are on the same level (we have a tri-level and lots of steps!). They are 15, 19, and 22 now and it's still fun to watch them dash around. This routine has become our own tradition, as well as a family Christmas Day workout, and I look forward to it every year. I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas enjoy your own special traditions. I accomplished one writing goal this week: a 6000 word short story that is my first venture into writing something that is not romantic. I will submit it to the HOPE Anthology my publisher Whiskey Creek Press is releasing in the fall of 2006, with the fervent hope it will be accepted and published. I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year! =)

...when I haven't written anything for November? Sheesh. While some people update their blog weekly or even daily, I can barely manage monthly. I did write an entry a couple weeks ago, only to receive a message that the server was busy and I should try again later...then I forgot, and in the meantime I lost the post I'd typed. As far as book news for fall, I finished edits of my Italy romance that will be released in May. It felt really good to get that done, and I can't wait to see the cover art. I submitted several suggestions, so it will be fun to see what the cover artist comes up with. I can't report doing much on any new books lately, although some ideas are flitting around in my head. I need to pick one and go with it. For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a wonderful one. Here's to a bright and festive holiday season!

I had a birthday last week, the one when I've become closer to 50 than 40. No longer in my "early forties," but now in my "late forties." Those of you around my age can relate to the slower metabolism, decline in energy (no, it is NOT laziness!) and general languor that sets in. Hubby is hunting this week and I have the house to myself. It is very quiet with just the dog and me. Sometimes the silence allows me to get a lot done and sometimes it's lonely. A few chick flicks rented from Blockbuster, a day spent shopping and having lunch with friends, and a movie with my grown son today have helped keep me busy. I should be writing, but finishing the Italy story was such a major accomplishment that my creativity still hasn't recuperated! I know I'll get going on a new book soon and already have some ideas. For now, I'm getting caught up on sleep.

I'm in the ninth day of wearing a hot pink boot (borrowed from a friend) to immobilize my right foot after a jump roping incident. That's what I get for exercising! The foot feels much better though, so after tomorrow and my tenth day, I may be able to retire the boot. My Italy romance goes into edits in October. Lucky me, I have an Italian American editor! Hubby will be in the wilderness on his annual hunting excursion in mid-October, so I won't feel so guilty spending so much time on the computer when he's not home. Happy Autumn to you all! =)

...blog entry. I feel like I'm in confession and I'm not even Catholic! This is the end of the third week of school. I have a nice group of 23 fourth graders this year. Very energetic but also very sweet and respectful. This afternoon I'm home with a minor injury of my right foot. X-rays were inconclusive, so it's either a stress fracture of the center metatarsal or tendonitis. That'll teach me to be jumping rope for exercise! A fall a couple weeks ago while jumping rope is the only thing I can think of that caused it. I've never been very coordinated and should stick to other means of working out. This weekend I am working on final revisions before I send my Italy story off to my editor, so at least I can be somewhat productive while sitting in a boot to immobilize my foot.

About 3:30 AM this morning I wrote the ending of my new romance set in Italy. What a rush! There's something about finishing a full-length novel that almost feels like giving birth, except without the physical pain. While it was sad to say good-bye to the characters I'd grown to love while they resided in my head, it was also invigorating to see them have their happily ever after. They choreographed how it would end; I just typed. That feeling of being "in the zone" when you don't even realize what you've written until you read it is simply incredible. Now it will take some naps and early bedtimes over the next couple of days to recuperate from the high. And just in time, as I am back on duty as a 4th grade teacher come Monday.

Summer is winding down. I can tell this by all the "Back to School" commercials on TV. As an elementary school teacher who writes during her summer break, I am wishing for a few more weeks. Just a couple! I love teaching and I love writing. I am blessed with being able to do both. I just want a couple more weeks of the time-to-write part. It doesn't help that I have a self-inflicted deadline to finish my Italy WIP before I return to my classroom. That gives me about 10 days, so I'd better hustle! I am at 75,000 words with another 10,000 or so to go. Today I am nursing a headache and neckache from a collision with concrete in the wave pool of a water park on Saturday. Maybe it's the dull throb that has kept me from being very productive all day, or maybe it's knowing my summer is almost over. In either case, I have wasted a lot of time in the last 8 hours!! Self talk: Get to work, Janet!!

I am hosting Author Day at the Whiskey Creek Press Reader Group today. Come on over for fun, excerpts, prizes, and more! I'd love to see you. Just go to this website and click the link that says "Sign up today": http://www.wcpauthor.com/ Or go directly here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WCPreaders/join

I hit 60,000 words in my WIP (contemporary romance set in Italy) this week, which means I am nearing the end. Whew! I anticipate the book to be about 80,000-90,000 words when complete. Two of my friends recently returned from Italy, giving me more ideas for where Natalie, my heroine, goes and what she does and sees. It's not as good as real-time research (ME in Italy!), but it's close! Sometimes you just have to live vicariously. =)

...the wife will work her buns off on her current book! While hubby is on his annual fishing trip to Canada (he'll need the long underwear as it is pretty cold where he is), I'm hard at work on THAT'S AMORE. A friend who took the trip to Italy with me is going to read what I have so far to see what I might be missing. (Thanks, Kathy!) The challenge of this book is sprinkling it with enough Italian flavor without over-doing it. Thank goodness for the Internet. I have been Googling constantly, reading up on the places I visited in Italy to make sure I have my facts straight. I've learned to be cautious with what I find on the Internet, though. Some of the info on some sites contradicts what I find elsewhere. Just because it is posted somewhere doesn't make it true. So a word to the wise and all that, for those of you who may be using the Internet for your own research.

My current WIP is a contemporary romance set in Italy. I visited Italy in the summer of 2003 during what was called the Hottest June in Italy on record in 200 years! I sweat just remembering it. The country is absolutely beautiful. While viisiting a monastery in Florence, my friends and I saw a gorgeous man sketching a fresco, and voila! Giovanni Raggazo was born. The book, tentatively called THAT'S AMORE, will be out in spring 2006. The title is sort of corny, but corny sometimes works. If you think of a better one, I'd love to hear it. On a personal note, my husband and I celebrated our 7th anniversary last night with a romantic dinner out. I got flowers, he got long underwear for his upcoming fishing trip to Canada. We were both thrilled. Who says romance is dead?!

Hi! I'm using this blog mostly to chat about my writing. I have five published romance novels and a short story in a romance digest. My books have earned awards and wonderful reviews. I hope to attract readers and other writers to my website. I have free excerpts, contests, writing tips, writing-related links, and other great stuff. So hop over when you get a minute. I love visitors! =)