Springtime in the Rockies

Happy reading, hopefully not by candlelight....

~Deb

Friends & Life Lessons

If there's one thing I have learned during this decade of loss, it's that life is too short to carry grudges. Friends are a very important part of our lives, but not as important as family. When we have a falling out with close friends, if we're the party who was in the wrong, all we can do is apologize and ask forgiveness. If the other party isn't willing to forgive, we have to accept that and get on with our lives. It's sad when this happens--yes, it's happened to me--but, as my late husband always said, "It isn't the worst thing that ever happened to me."

My advice for today? Forgiveness is a Good Thing. Embrace it.

Happy Reading!

Love,
Deb

STAR TREK WIDGET

New STAR TREK Movie Trailers

Oh, my, my, my, my, my. Any Star Trek fans out there? The new movie was supposed to have hit theaters Christmas 2008, but it will be May 8th, 2009 instead. It looks like it will be worth the wait. Yum, yum, yum. Free downloads for your iPod, iPhone, Computer, HDTV, whatever. We have them all around here. Serious Trekkers around this house--especially Princess Bonnie! She has her own uniform, calls her favorite teacher from high school Captain Kirk, herself Chekov, and owns every movie and all three seasons on DVD.

A whole family to beam up, Scottie!

Live long and prosper.

And nanu, nanu (just for good measure).

~Deb

Top o' the Mornin'

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig
"Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

Though many Pagans believe the "snakes" St. Patrick allegedly drove out of Ireland were actually witches and Druids, it's still a favorite holiday for many of us, because it celebrates all things Irish. My great-grandmother came from Ireland, and lived with my family during my teen years. My memories of her inspired my MULLIGAN series for Berkley/Jove. Visit the site to find an excerpt from Mulligan Stew, a link to a short story I wrote for my readers that takes place between the two books, and also one to Mulligan Magic. Yes, another excerpt there as well. On the Mulligan Stew page, you'll find Bridget Mulligan's secret recipe to her "Bodacious Mulligan Stew." It's a mutation of her downhome, hillbilly cooking and Irish wholesomeness. My family loves it, and this recipe actually came down through my family via my great-grandmother.

Irish Blessing
by Anonymous

Go n'éirí an bothar leat
Go raibh an ghaoth go brách ag do chúl
Go lonraí an ghrian go te ar d'aghaidh
Go dtite an bháisteach go mín ar do pháirceanna
Agus go mbuailimid le chéile arís,
Go gcoinní Dia i mbos A láimhe thú

Translation to English
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

If you've a hankering to visit Ireland in person, I must direct you to All Ireland Travel. A visit to their website is the next best thing to going there. The owners, Kemberlee and Peter Shortland were my research sources while I wrote both MULLIGAN books. In fact, Peter took the photo that became the cover of Mulligan Magic.

Sláinte agus táinte.
"Health and wealth!"

~Deb

Cover Copy

On the front:

DEB STOVER

THE GIFT

"A blend of romance and mystery with just the right twist of the paranormal, The Gift by Deb Stover is an intriguing tale, a real page turner."
New York Times best-selling author Lisa Jackson

And on the back:

Blood. Rivers of it.

The visions are overwhelming. They come every time Beth visits the scene of a murder. She lives the victim’s last moments, feels the pain, sees the perp. And it’s driving her mad.

A flat tire. A deserted country road. A man too hot to be true.

Trading life as a Chicago homicide detective for a job as a nomadic insurance inspector was supposed to keep her safe. Ty Malone is anything but. What isn’t he revealing about the missing person’s claim on his ‘runaway’ wife? What really happened to beautiful Lorilee Brubaker-Malone? And just how far will Ty take his seduction of the one woman whose gift can uncover the terrifying truth?

Cover art and excerpt here.

Happy reading!


~Deb

What Are You Reading?

READ is a discussion list started in 1998 by myself and a handful of other authors and readers who wanted a friendly online venue to interact. It's grown over the years into a real community. One of the readers came up with the acronym:
Readers
Enjoy
Authors'
Daydreams

Another reader on the list--the amazing Carol Carter--designed the logo you see here in needlepoint. She created a beautiful book cover with the logo on it as well for yours truly--AKA READ Mom. :)

READ is a friendly list--not one for trashing books, though we do give honest opinions about what we like and/or dislike. Those familiar with the romance writing world will understand the meaning of the phrase "RWA free zone." We ask those wanting to promote writers' only events, where there is nothing of particular interest or benefit to readers, to ask permission first, or to post only a link to the online information. Why? Because READ is primarily a readers' list. There are hundreds of writers' lists online. We certainly don't need another one.

READ's friendliness is the key to its appeal. Click on the logo to join us, and let us know what you're reading. Who knows? The author might be on the list already, waiting to answer your burning questions....

Happy reading!

~Deb

Off the Beaten Track

When I returned to Colorado in 2005 following my husband's death from cancer, I did it for our children. I also did it for myself, of course, as I still had very dear friends here and a support system. Some of those friends have moved on since, and new ones have come along, but that's another post for another day.

My house-hunting trip was limited to one school district, where we had lived for eleven years prior to our move to Oregon in 2001. Our oldest daughter, Barbi, graduated from high school here in 2000, and our two youngest, Bonnie and Ben, went to elementary school here. The memories we all shared of their dad's cancer and death were left out of state--as much as those memories can be left--and he actually helped us plan this move before his death. It was, of course, bittersweet for us all.

The children fell right back into their circle of friends. It was almost as if we'd never left. Ben, in particular, was welcomed with open arms by his old soccer buddies. Their parents offered me support and friendship as well, and came to stand at my side when Barbi walked down the aisle in 2006 with a grandpa on each arm instead of her father.

When we lived here the first time, we had both Dave's and my income, of course, so we were able to live on the other side of the freeway in the community of Woodmoor--a modest house in an old growth pine forest on almost an acre of land with a view of Pikes Peak. Oh, how I loved that old house!

The median home price in this school district had ballooned in the four years since our move, and I soon discovered that even with Dave's life insurance, I couldn't touch anything on that side of the freeway. So I searched in the small, historic town of Palmer Lake--and, yes, there really is a lake, as you'll see in the photo stream on this blog, and in some of the photos at this online gallery.

At first I was disappointed not to be in the same place in the woods with a view of Pikes Peak, as I'd come to think of that mountain as my rock. However, I soon realized I'm now on a mountain--Sundance Mountain. I have an incredible view from up here of where I used to live, and of city lights with a huge deck I can use in the summer.

And I've also discovered peace. This community is quiet and charming. It still has its own small definition of a downtown, and is still surrounded by a hodgepodge of both small and large historic homes. Sure, there are subdivisions with McMansions nearby, but the charm is here in the "inner town." One can't refer to this as city by any stretch. In fact, we're so small we don't even get mail delivery--we get bears.

Local businesses hang in there even during these trying economic times, and offer a personal touch never found in the city or at the big chains. One example is the local coffee shop, the Speedtrap, which offers evening entertainment three nights a week in addition to wonderful espresso and coffee. They've added Sunday morning waffles as well. It is the place for locals to hang out and share news in Palmer Lake. Every town, city, and/or neighborhood should have such a place. In fact, it's where I met my gentleman friend. Need I say more?

Sometimes we may not end up where we want to be, but often we land exactly where we need to be. Something to contemplate over my morning coffee, which isn't nearly as tasty as it is at the Speedtrap.

Happy reading!

~Deb