2009, the year of...

2009 is the year of Astronomy. And wouldn't you know it, my July Harlequin Romance DATING THE REBEL TYCOON in the UK right now! - has an astronomer heroine.

Here's a sneaky peek at a bit of a telephone conversation between Rosie Harper and Cameron Kelly, a man with his feet planted firmly on the ground who still manages to make her see stars...

‘You’re in a profession which must be lousy with men. How is it you haven’t succumbed to sweet nothings whispered in the dark by some guy with a clipboard and a brain the size of the Outback?’
‘Lousy is the operative word,’ she admitted.
‘Mmm. It can’t help that your colleagues all have Star Trek emblems secreted about their persons.’
‘Oh ho! Hang on a second. I might be allowed to diss my fellow physicists, but that doesn’t mean you can.’
‘Is that what I just did?’
‘Yes! You just intimated all astronomers are geeks.’
‘Aren’t they?’ he said without even a pause.
She sat up straight and held a hand to her heart to find it beating harder than normal, harder than it even had when she was a green teen. It had more than a little to do with the unflinching, alpha male thing he’d found within himself in the intervening years. It spoke straight to the stubborn independence she’d unearthed inside herself.
‘You realise you are also insinuating that I am a geek?’ she said.
This time there was a pause. But then he came back with, ‘Yes. You are a geek.’
Her mouth dropped open then slammed back shut. Mostly because the tone of his voice suggested it didn’t seem to be the slightest problem for him that she might be a geek.
‘Rosalind,’ he said in a way that made her want to flip her hair and lick her lips and breathe out hard.
‘Yes?’ she sighed before she could stop herself.
His next pause felt weightier. She cursed herself beneath her breath and gripped the teeny tiny phone so tight her knuckles hurt.
‘I realise its last minute, but I was wondering if you had plans for dinner.’
Um yeah, she thought. Cheese on toast.
He continued, ‘Because I haven’t eaten and if you haven’t eaten I thought it an entirely sensible idea that we make plans to eat together.’
Oh? Oh! Had Cameron Kelly just asked her out?

This book was full of magical moments that seemed to just happen on their own, and Rosie Harper coming into the world this year was just one of them. You can read all about the starstruck moments as they happened here.

DATING THE REBEL TYCOON is available now online from www.eHarlequin.com in North America and www.millsandboon.co.uk

more babies

We've had some new members of our household arrive over the past two days.

Toddler Girl loves turtles (because Mary Poppins rides one) so I suggested to reptile-loving hubby she might like one as a pet. So now we have two penny turles swimming about in a tank in our kitchen. And boy are they cute!!!! Teeny tiny and seriously adorable.

Somehow that translated to "Since I acquiesced to turtles how about you buy yourself more scary looking reptiles for yourself!"

So now we are proud co-inhabitants with two shingleback lizards, which in the end aren't nearly as scary looking as I thought they'd be. They're actually quite beautiful with heads shaped like dinosaur heads and the most amazing markings on their skin.

For those of you who adore Arrested Development as much as we do the lizards are called Buster and Lucille 2. The turtles are as yet name-free. If Bridget had her choice they'd be Woody and Buzz. Any other ideas most welcome. (We have no idea if they are boys or girls so let your imaginations run wild!!!)

winter wonderland

Today is the first day of winter down under. It's my favourite season. Not least becuase I was a winter baby and my birthday is just around the corner ;).

I love winter fashion. I love coats and hats and scarves and Ugh boots. I love going for walks all rugged up so that only my face gets cold and my nose turns icy and my lungs burn from it. I love when the footy season hits its stride. I love hot dinners. I love soft wheat heat packs. I love snuggling with my two warm as toast kids. I love flanelette sheets. I love the sound of the heater kicking in. Basically I love winter!

Happy Winter down under!!!