Kate Austin's Blog

I’m cheating here a bit because this is an album rather than a specific song, but I can’t help myself – it is one of my very favourite things about Christmas. I’ll play this CD to death between December 1 and January 1 (when I’m forced by everyone around me to give it up) and will be either humming or singing it if I’m not at home.
Why do I like it so much?
Partly because it’s one of those albums that works perfectly. There’s no place where you feel jarred from one song to another, no place where you wonder why in the heck did they include that song?, no place where you get bored. Part of that is because it’s from another time, when songs were shorter, albums were shorter. Part of it is because I know the words to all of the songs. But most of it is because I love the way Elvis’s sweet tenor makes all these songs so sweet and almost sad.
And honestly? My favorite song is the saddest Christmas song ever – and maybe that’s why I play it over and over again. It makes me think of all the people I’ll miss over the holidays, people who are gone, people I’ve lost touch with, people who are simply somewhere other than Vancouver for the holidays. 
I’ll have a blue Christmas without you
I’ll be so blue just thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
Won’t be the same, dear, if you’re not here with me
I didn’t have to look up those lyrics, I know them off by heart – and just typing them here brought tears to my eyes. Because I can’t think of this song without thinking of the people I’ll miss. This year, it’s my mom, even though she’s been gone for almost fifteen years.
It’s funny (funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha, as my mom would say) how we go through waves of longing, of missing someone – and I suspect for all of us, Christmas is one of the worst times. 
So what I wish for you for the holidays is that you keep the ones you’re missing this year close to your heart, that you can remember the wonderful, happy times you spent with them, and that you have a perfect Christmas song of your own.
Kate

I’m so happy Kate invited me here to talk about Christmas music.  Who doesn’t love a good carol or hymn?  The problem, of course, is picking just one, so sorry, Kate, I picked three.  I figured that was pretty good considering how many I had to choose from.
When I was growing up, Mr. Pontini and the church choir would sing O Holy Night on Christmas Eve, and. . .well. . .wow.  Turn it up loud and sing with everything you’ve got.
Do They Know it’s Christmas – such an amazing concept, song and event.  Here we are, almost thirty years later, and I still cry every time Bono sings “tonight thank God it’s them instead of you.”  If for some reason, you’ve never heard the song or seen the video, here’s the link.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkP2LkWc6lc
Halleluja He is Born – anyone who’s listened to country music as long as I have will know and love this song.  Sawyer Brown knows how to have fun when they sing, and this song, recorded with Mark Miller’s own church choir, is one of their best.
Of course, I haven’t even touched on Kenny & Dolly, Elvis, Anne Murray, Toby Keith, Springsteen, Vince Gill, George Strait, Bing Crosby. . .well, you see where I’m going with this.  There’s just something about Christmas music, whether hymns or carols, that make the season what it is and makes our hearts a little happier, a little lighter.
**  **  **
In the spirit of making our hearts a little lighter, I found this snippet from CHARMING JO where Levi Travers is getting his first good look at Joanna (Jo) McCaine in action.
**  **  **“Your Pa wouldn’t want this, Joey.  You know how he felt about fencing in the land.”Joanna’s face turned the deepest shade of red Levi had ever seen.  Almost bordered on purple. She wrapped her fingers around her horse’s reins and turned to face her uncle.“Yes, well, Pa’s not here anymore, is he?  If he was, I wouldn’t be standing here in his clothes making decisions like this. And you wouldn’t be all in a tizzy because I had to go and hire someone like Travers.”  She jerked her head toward Levi, sending her braid swishing from shoulder to shoulder.If she wasn’t such a sight when she was mad, Levi might have been insulted. “Jo.” Mac’s tone held more than just a little warning, but she stopped him with a raised hand.  Maybe the stories of Joanna McCaine were true – maybe she did rule with an iron fist.  Because from the look falling over Mac’s face, this argument was long over.  Mac McCaine didn’t lose arguments; it just wasn’t done.  Yet there he stood, facing down his niece and losing – badly.“He’s the only available body we can find to work and having him here will get you back where you belong – out from under foot and back with the herd.”“But. . .”“I’ve made my decision, Mac.”  Then, as he’d seen her do earlier, Joanna mounted her horse in one graceful motion.  “Where are you going?” Mac asked, his voice still tight.“Check on Clay.  Put Travers to work and I’ll see you at supper. He can do Walt’s job until Chuck delivers the wire for the fence.  Should be here in a couple days.”She shot a final warning look at both of them before kneeing her animal forward.  “Try not to kill each other while I’m gone.”She rode off in the same direction as Clay while Levi stood watching her go.  “Is she always like that?” he asked, more to himself than Mac, since the only response he expected from Mac was a bullet between the eyes.With a defeated sigh, Mac swiped the back of his hand over his mouth and shot a final glare at his niece’s back before turning to Levi.  “You mean stubborn?”“Yeah, but. . .”“Bossy?”“Yeah. . .”“Ornery?”Levi snickered.  “There’s just something about her – what the hell is it?”Mac jabbed a gloved finger at him.  “You keep the hell away from her, Travers.  She’ll have you for breakfast.  And if she doesn’t, I will!”  His voice lowered, but the warning remained.  “Jo isn’t like other girls.”Levi chuckled.  “I noticed.”“Well stop noticing!  That there’s one woman you’d do well to leave alone.”  Mac spat on the ground and turned toward the barn, mumbling to himself.  “Don’t know why I let her grind me - she’s never gonna change.”A low whistle escaped Levi’s lips.  “Why would you want her to?”
**  **  **
Thanks again, Kate, for inviting me here today.  To celebrate Christmas and the fabulous music it brings, I’ll be giving away a free copy of Charming Jo (paper or ebook) to one random commenter.  I hope you all have a safe and joyous season and that the New Year brings us all peace and a greater love for the world over.

First, full disclosure:  I love Kate Austin.  If anyone other than Kate had asked me to talk about Christmas music I would have donned my most grinchy of Grinch faces and held forth about how I loathe Christmas music, particularly by the last week of November when the assault has been going on since the Halloween decorations came down.  I’d go on about how tired I am of seeing store clerks’ faces weary from exposure to endless loops of Blue Christmas and I’ll Be Home For Christmas and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.  I’m equally tired of desperate-looking shoppers, cheesy tinsel-and-bows decorating every tree and lamp post, of newspapers and magazines and flyers all exhorting us to buy buy buy.  Each day finds me with my scowl intact, my chin tucked deeper into my collar, counting the days when I don’t have to worry about hearing another version of White Christmaswhile I’m picking up milk and bread in the corner store.
But it was Kate who asked me so I decided to make it an opportunity to re-examine my stock response to Christmas music and sort through a few songs both secular and non- to see if it’s really true.
To my surprise, I found a few – quite a few in fact – that I really like and at the top of the list is The Chipmunk Song, both for its enduring novelty and frivolousness and its incredibly good harmonies.  I like Alvin’s O KAY! in response to Dave’s scolding to pay attention and focus on the song.  A little attitude is refreshing for me at this time of year, particularly from a singing rodent.  I was curious about the singers; in the days that recording was made technology was more primitive and I wondered how they did it.   Who were “The Chipmunks” and where they are now?
It turns out that The Chipmunk Song was written and all parts sung by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. aka David Seville.  His is an interesting story and includes the fact that his first cousin was William Saroyan with whom he wrote C’mon-a My House made a hit by Rosemary Clooney.  Every time I hear Alvin sing “I still want a hula hoop” I am transported and a smile breaks out, I can’t help it.  Gone the Grinch!
Next on my list is Oh Holy Night – you can’t get much more non-secular than that – which, regardless of who covers it (and it has been sung by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Joan Baez, Sufjan Stevens, Mariah Carey …) never fails to raise the hairs on the back of my neck as the voices swell to the chorus … “Fall on your knees…”  Just gorgeous.   Unfortunately it’s seldom played loud enough in the malls and stores, probably because it demands you stop and listen, which means you’re not shopping hard enough.
There’s a bunch of Christmas songs I like because they’re a bit saucy or witty and make me wish for a time when movies had snappier dialogue, or perhaps when my life had snappier dialogue.  At any rate, and in no particular order: Santa Baby (who writes lyrics like “slip some sable under the tree for me” anymore); I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, which is just plain cute and innocent and perhaps a bit sly; and All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, the kind of secular Christmas song that invites a family sing-along, especially if there are children who are near or slightly past the age when they believe in Santa Claus, are losing baby teeth but still want to join in the magic and wistfulness.  Frosty the Snowman could almost be on this list but it’s been overexposed.  There is a cartoon - a four panel - with a classic snowman, decked out in top hat, scarf, carrot nose and coal eyes and mouth.  He’s singing “Zippity Doo Dah …” and slowly melting.  By the time he reaches the line “…plenty of sunshine…” he’s almost a pool of water with the aforementioned accoutrements floating around him.  It’s a bit dark but makes me laugh all the same.  And “Zippity Doo Dah” does not qualify as a Christmas song though the visuals bring to mind Frosty the Snowman.
One of my favourite romantic Christmas songs is Baby It’s Cold Outside.  It speaks of a time when restraint was the order of the day (“I really can’t stay…”) right alongside desire and persuasion.  The song leaves us believing the couple’s back-and-forth continues long into the night.  It’s cozy and cinematic because it takes us from their warm embrace to the storm outside and back again.
How about those wonderful Christmas songs we learned as children?  Good King Wences Last Looked Out, or We Three Kings of Orrie and Tar?
I’ve noticed that the lyrics to Santa Claus is Coming to Town  have changed slightly.  There was always something a bit creepy and stalkerish about a benevolent gift-giver like Santa turning into a guy who “sees you when you’re sleeping …”   Now he merely “knows IF you’ve been sleeping”.  The Little Drummer Boy is one Christmas song I can tolerate no matter where I hear it; it’s touching, melodic, structurally sophisticated and appeals to children and adults alike.  Pah Ruppa Pup Pum.Then there are the songs I wish weren’t played in public places, not because they’re banal and repetitive – they’re not - but because they’re overly sentimental and isn’t the Christmas season fraught with expectations and sentimentality enough?  So please spare me I’ll Be Home For Christmas or Blue Christmas.  I just hate weeping in Toys “R” Us or Shoppers or … well, maybe Shoppers is a good place to hear these songs – at least I’m close to the tissues!
Last, I’d like to celebrate The Twelve Days of Christmas.  It’s fun to sing with people of any age or persuasion.  We can all take turns singing the “five golden rings” part.  And for older folk - that is anyone over 12 - it’s right up there with crosswords for exercising that flabby cerebellum.  The imagery is beautiful and encourages painting, cutting and pasting, dancing, working with clay, making cookies – in short, anything creative that is informed by the lyrics.
So thanks, Kate.  I guess Christmas music, like any music, has its favoured and not so loved tunes.  Now I can erase the scowl, lift my chin(s) and march through the season like a good citizen, loving and loathing in equal measure.  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Hedda Armour
 

Awe, Christmas is almost here. The tree is up and if you flip on a music station, there is a good bet that a Christmas song will be playing. Even though my kids have often called me a The Grinch during the holidays because of my lack of holiday enthusiasm, I do love a good Christmas song! My favorite would be the naughty tune, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause. And who wouldn’t enjoy the fun sounds of the old time Christmas favorites like Jingle Bells or Rudolph? The sweet sounds of holiday music certainly helps set in the Christmas spirit… even for The Grinch!
What is your favorite Christmas music?
Wendy Ely is a contemporary romance author. She writes some romantic suspense, really hot stories, and the wonderful happily-ever-after. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her own real-life hero and her two teenagers.Wendy loves to hear from readers: authorwendyely@gmail.com


Excerpt from her newly re-released novel, Confessions:
Jordan Case. His memory came swooping though her like a flooding river. She remembered the way she’d run her fingers through his curls, or when he’d kiss the tip of her nose. He’d made her feel so special when he had carried her books for her, as though they had been in another era. When he had been waiting to walk her home from work at night, he’d grab her in a giant hug as though he hadn’t seen her in a month. All this time, she’d tried not to care about her past. But she did. 
http://amzn.com/B00A3FVT84

I wouldn’t call myself a musical person. I like listening to music, but I can’t sing worth beans, and although my mom taught me to read music when I was a kid, I’m a pretty terrible pianist. 
However, once a year, I can’t resist getting out the book of Christmas carols and playing a bunch of them, because they’re so much fun.  My favorites are the old ones such as The Holly and The Ivy and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Maybe this is because I write historical romance, and these carols conjure up pictures of manor houses with candlelight, roaring fires in the hearth, roast goose and plum pudding. I also have a great affection for Good King Wenceslas, not just because it’s a carol but because of my childhood take on it. I had no idea what the Feast of Stephen was – it sounded like a dining table filled with sumptuous food in the house of someone called Stephen. That made enough sense to me, because the good king does feed the poor man, which is what counts.
But anyway – no playing Christmas carols for me this year. One, because I can’t get to the piano! I’m redoing my home office (where the piano also resides) and right now it’s a catastrophe which is unlikely to be sorted out by next week. Two, because…. alas, the Christmas carol book is missing. No surprise, considering the chaos. 
Fortunately, I have something to listen to which I couldn’t possibly play or sing anyway. It’s Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. I have a CD of this fabulous work sung by the Christ Church Cathedral Choir in Oxford, England. It’s a beautiful, joyful bunch of songs with a medieval feel to them. I first heard it when one of my daughters sang it in her high school choir, and I’ve listened to it every December since.
My Christmas novella, A Lady’s Lesson in Seduction, takes place in one of those English manor houses I mentioned earlier, and in this one there’s plenty of Christmas greenery--including mistletoe.  ;)


Blurb:Once a notorious rake, Camden Folk, Marquis of Warbury, is now consumed by desire for only one woman: beautiful young widow Frances Burdett. The Yuletide festivities at his country estate present the perfect opportunity for seduction…
After her brief, unsatisfying marriage, Frances swore never to become tied to another man. Then a passionate kiss under the mistletoe reawakens longings she thought buried forever. Can she give in to the pleasures of the body with a rogue like Cam—without losing her heart?
Excerpt:
Frances should never have agreed to go to the orchard with the Marquis of Warbury—to gather mistletoe, of all things. She sent him a fierce, furious glare. “If you must have it, I don’t enjoy kissing.”
He eyed her from behind the apple tree. “Not at all?”
“No.” She pressed her lips together.
“Come now,” he teased. “Surely you’re exaggerating.”
Her voice was low, suffused with passion. “You can’t possibly judge how that—that invasion made me feel.”
“That bad, was it?” The marquis reached up and snipped with his shears. “You’re right, I can’t judge, but the general popularity of kissing tells me you were merely unlucky.” He came around the tree, a sprig of mistletoe in his hand.
What a fool she was; in spite of bitter experience, she wanted to kiss him, wanted kissing to be wonderful. How stupid! She was much better off—much safer—as she was.
He kissed the fingertips of his gloves and blew. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Frances huffed.
He picked a berry from the mistletoe and dropped it. “We’ll make it a very light kiss,” he said, coming closer. “Short and sweet.”
She didn’t trust him; she wanted yet didn’t want—
A flurry of snow tumbled from the branches above, distracting her. He swooped in, dropped a swift, cold kiss on her lips, and drew away—but not far. “Was that too unbearable?” Another mistletoe berry fell to the snow.
“No, of course not,” she said, “but—”
“Well, then.” He took her hand and pulled her behind the tree. “If you don’t want me to invade you—accidentally, needless to say—you’ll have to keep your mouth shut.”
“You mustn’t do this—”
“Of course I must. No talking.”
She gave up, shutting both her mouth and her eyes. It was her own fault for coming to the orchard this morning, but she’d enjoyed their time together in the middle of the night so very much. It was only a kiss.
Nothing happened. She opened her eyes again. He was contemplating her mouth from under his lashes. “You have lovely lips.”
Through her teeth, she said, “Get it over with.”
“I’ve never kissed a martyr before.” His lips curled in a lazy smile, and then he pressed his mouth coolly to hers and withdrew again. “It requires a more careful approach than we disgustingly hasty men are used to.” He flicked another berry off the sprig.
She couldn’t help but watch his mouth. What was he going to do, and when?
“Close your eyes, and whatever happens, keep your lips together.”
This time his mouth lingered on hers a few seconds, then pressed light kisses from one corner of her lips to the other. Kiss. “One.” Kiss. “Two.” Kiss. “Three.”
Bite.

***

My website: www.BarbaraMonajem.comTwitter: @BarbaraMonajemFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/barbara.monajem
Buy links:
Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Scandalous-Regency-Christmas-ebook/dp/B008JIKD0W/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1348256077&sr=8-11&keywords=barbara+monajem
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-ladys-lesson-in-seduction-barbara-monajem/1112124098?ean=9781459247994
Harlequin.com
http://ebooks.harlequin.com/D3A0978C-D540-4C1D-98CE-937EE1438520/10/141/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=853DE399-5B93-44E5-A13A-91B11173D811

“White Christmas” with Lee McKenzie
The Pacific Northwest is well known for its green Christmases, and a green Christmas is one of the things I most love about living here. So it may sound a little strange that “White Christmas” is my favorite Christmas song, because I’m definitely not dreaming of one!


So why is it my favorite song? Let’s start with a little history. “White Christmas” was written by Irving Berlin and first performed by Bing Crosby on Christmas Day in 1941, and then in 1942 the song was featured in the film Holiday Inn and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
“White Christmas” has been recorded by dozens of artists—Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Smokey Robinson, Bob Marley, Dean Martin, Barbara Steisand, The Partridge Family, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Michael Bublé, Taylor Swift, Andrea Bocelli, Lady Gaga, and the cast members of Glee—to name just a few.


But it’s the 1954 version of the song in the film White Christmas that’s always been my favorite. I can’t remember the first time I saw this film, and I can’t begin to guess how many times I’ve watched it. Suffice to say…lots! I love Christmas and I love romantic comedies, and the two are perfectly paired in holiday classic. There’s a real innocence to the production with its heartwarming story, engaging song and dance numbers, the oh-so-fake sets, and the gorgeous costumes. I especially love the stunning black gown worn by Rosemary Clooney when she performs “Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me.”
Every year after I finish decorating the house and wrapping the gifts and planning the meals, I dig out my old VHS copy of White Christmas and curl up with a steaming mug of hot chocolate and huge bowl of popcorn.
 
As the closing number begins, with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen in their red and white outfits performing “White Christmas,” then and only then does it truly feel like Christmas at my house. And when that curtain goes up behind them to reveal the falling snow, I have all the white Christmas I need!
Thank you to Kate for inviting me to join in your 12 Days event. 
 Merry Christmas!Lee



Lee McKenzie writes lighthearted contemporary romance that’s been described as fifty shades of pink. Today she’s giving away a copy of The Christmas Secret (Harlequin American Romance) to one commenter. The second book in this series, The Daddy Project is on sale now. For more about Lee and her books, readers can visit her at www.LeeMcKenzie.com.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone. I’d like to thank Kate for hosting the Twelve Days of Christmas and give me a chance to talk about my favorite Christmas carol. I’m an alone-in-car singer and there’s a local radio station that goes to All Christmas Music All the Time starting Thanksgiving Day. I sing along (badly!) to them all. But the question Kate as asked is, which one is my favorite? Argh! That’s like trying to choose which piece of chocolate candy is my favorite. I love Mannheim Steamrollers mix of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” and “Carol of the Bells” (which isn’t actually a Christmas song, but an Ukranian folk chant). “Do You Hear What I Hear” is a favorite contemporary song. “O Come Emmanuel” is a favorite religious carol and reminds me of midnight Christmas Eve services.
See? This is hard. I think I’ll cheat and pick a moment in time—or should I say history, given I’m as old as dirt! Back then, it didn’t matter how old I was, I loved sitting down with my dad to watch all the Christmas specials. Back in the day, this usually involved a singer like Andy Williams, Dean Martin, or Perry Como hosting a variety show with a Christmas theme. One of my favorites occurred in 1977. Bing Crosby was the host. Now, you’re probably thinking that I’m going to pick “White Christmas” as my favorite. Love the movie. The husband I watch it every year on Christmas Eve. But no. That’s not my favorite song. During the course of the special, David Bowie just happened to show up on Bing’s “doorstep.” And the two of them performed a duet of “Little Drummer Boy” and “Peace on Earth.” I still stop whatever I’m doing when I hear this rendition and I miss my dad so much. We lost him right after Christmas in 1995.
Have you heard the song? Or seen it? Here, I’ll share the clip from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADbJLo4x-tk


Thinking about Christmas makes me wish I had a Christmas snippet to share from my new release, FAERIE FOOL. Instead, I found a scene where Rory MacDermot, the hero, is dealing with a little boy caught in a police incident. Rory is a SWAT cop who is in love with Dr. Delaney Burns, the police psychologist who’s also there. While not really about Christmas, I think this excerpt embodies the spirit of Christmas.
**** 
Delaney nodded and whispered to the boy. Rory watched as the child picked out a hoodie, a book, and a dirty, bedraggled stuffed animal. He had no clue what the critter had once been. Now it was a dirty gray lump but the kid clung to it like a lifeline. When they were ready, he escorted Delaney and the kid out to the command post to wait. He slipped inside and dug around in a box under one of the seats. When he found the stuffed dog he was looking for, he stepped out and located the doc standing next to the open back door of a cruiser. 
“His name is Andre,” Delaney said as Rory walked up. “His mother works the night shift at a nursing home and he stays with his brother.”
Feeling a little stupid, Rory held out the fuzzy dog. The frown lines between Delaney’s eyes melted as she smiled at him. She stepped back to give him room and he felt even more awkward. With one hand on the top of the car, he leaned into the backseat.
“What’s gonna happen to my brother? If you take him to jail, I’ll have to stay home alone. Don’t arrest him, ‘kay?” The boy wiped his nose with the lump of fuzz he clutched to his chest.
“I wish we didn’t have to, Andre, but he’s done some bad things. Child Services will help your mom.”
The boy gulped and nodded, his big, haunted eyes filling with tears. “That cop tried to shoot me, didn’t he?”
Rory swallowed his anger and inhaled deeply. Several times. “That cop was stupid, Andre. He’ll be dealt with.” The boy noticed the floppy dog he carried and Rory held it closer. “Here. I thought you might like this.”
Andre reached for it but didn’t quite touch. His eyes stayed glued on Rory. “To keep?” He sounded so hopeful, Rory’s heart broke a little.
“To keep. He’s yours, if you want him, but you have to give him a name.”
The boy smiled and dimples creased his round cheeks. “Boss. That’s what that lady cop called you.” Andre took the stuffed animal then and folded the dog into his arms, squished in with the lumpy critter.
Rory straightened and his gaze met Delaney’s.
“That was a very nice thing you just did,” she murmured.
Feeling awkward again, he wanted to dig his toe in the dirt and do some stupid “aw shucks” thing. “The kid was scared. And not all cops are bad guys.”
She offered him a tentative smile. “No, not all cops are bad guys. Some of them are heroes, especially in the eyes of an impressionable boy.”
****
 Thanks for dropping by today. To celebrate the season, I’m giving a present to one lucky (if random) commenter. Leave a comment with the title of your favorite holiday song and I’ll let Random.org pick a winner. If you win, you can pick the print version of FAERIE FOOL or a digital format. May your holidays be filled with peace, love, and good will to all.

These things all come together at Vancouver's lovely old Orpheum theater - beautiful architecture, designed as a movie house, it functions brilliantly as the home for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and music.

I love going to the symphony - especially when they're playing something I've never heard before. A few weeks ago, I heard Alondra de la Parra conduct Edward Top's Symphony Golden Dragon.

Top is the VSO's conductor in residence and what drew me in was the surprise of the music. It's not that I don't like classical music - I do. Some of it - Bach, in particular - I love. But this symphony blew me away. I never knew what to expect and I fell in love.

If you want to hear a piece of music like nothing you've ever heard before, if you're interested in new music, you can check this symphony out at:  http://soundcloud.com/edward-top/symphony-golden-dragon

One of the joys of the evening, especially during the Golden Dragon symphony, was watching the young conductor, Alondra de la Parra. Her movements, her direction, became part of the music and it was an amazing experience to watch her direct this symphony. It was as if she were linked to each of the musicians by strings, as if those strings turned them into a single voice. It was wonderful.

Angela Cheng played a Mozart piano concerto - and each time I've heard her, I've been more and more impressed, but for me, as I'm not a huge fan of Mozart, that was the part of the program I least enjoyed. Luckily for me, they finished it up with Brahms, the lovely Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, and I went away more than happy with my evening.

Three of my favorite things combined on that night - design, function and art - and I walked home, in the rain, delighted with the evening.

Kate

I sometimes think there are two kinds of writers - those who hunker down and write, write, write and those who don't. Any of you who knows even the tiniest bit about me knows that I'm one of the latter. I'm a writer who writes around her social life - because without a social life, I can't write. Other writers are the opposite - with a social life, they have trouble writing.

I thought I might try to use my social proclivities as a writing tool and blog about my more than occasional forays out into what I often call the real world.

Vancouver is a city full of great restaurants and while not all of my social life consists of eating out, a fair bit of it does. The good news is that Vancouver has eateries of every shape and size from the tiniest six stall coffee shop to the largest family Italian restaurant. There are restaurants of every ethnicity from Ethiopian to French to every single type of Chinese food you could imagine and everything in between.

My sister was in town from Edmonton this week. She hasn't been in Vancouver for a few years (okay, make that more than a few) but she discovered an amazing restaurant that I'm not sure I would ever have found, especially as it's only been open for a week. It's a little out of my catchment area - I like to eat out downtown. Not because there aren't terrific restaurants out of downtown, but because I don't have to drive and it's easy to find a cab for the ride home.

The restaurant - Tamam, which means,according to Google, something along the lines of okay or good in Arabic - was very good. The Palestinian couple of who run Tamam are delightful, warm and friendly and interesting. He's also a professor and a filmmaker - documentaries, short films, feature length films. If you go there - the address is 2616 East Hastings Street - make sure you take the time to chat with both of them.

I have two criteria for a great restaurant - food and service. Tamam provided both. The food is brilliant, not spicy, but rich with flavour and colour and taste. If you like any kind of Mediterranean or Middle Eastern you're going to want to try this Palestinian cuisine.

We ate in the pouring rain on this little patio to one side of the main room - warm and dry while the water ran down the windows beside us. Between us, we had many of the things on the menu, starting with humus and a terrific eggplant dip (aka mutabal), scooped up into warm soft pita bread. I could have quit right there, but I didn't. We added tabbuleh, which arrived with crisp lettuce leaves, so we could eat the tabbuleh wrapped in the leaves. Still didn't stop there.

I moved on to mujadarrah, a traditional Palestinian rice dish. It was rich with spices, only some of which I could identify, and a salad with a lovely tart lemon dressing. The combination worked perfectly.

Two us had warak, a Palestinian street food you'll find in the oldest part of Jerusalem, and loved it. It's a burger wrapped in grape leaves but that description doesn't come close to doing justice to the plates that arrived at our table.

I'm glad my sister's nose took her to Tamam. It's going on my list. It may be a little out of my comfort zone, a little fare afield, but when you get there, you'll forgot everything except the warm food and service.

Here's the website if you want to check it ou www.tamam.ca and say hi from me!

Kate

 1. I live in a city - Vancouver - but I often set stories in small towns for the sense of community which echoes what I find in my downtown neighborhood. What about you? Where do you live and where do you set your stories? And why?
 
Like yours, my books definitely focus on the importance of community. I live in a small, tight-knit community in northern Utah, very much like my Hope's Crossing series set in Colorado. Here neighbors care about neighbors. When my husband and I purchased our first house more than twenty years ago, we were too young and idealistic to realize how important neighbors could be. We picked our house because it was a graceful old Queen Anne Victorian and we had great dreams of fixing it up. When our second child was born with serious health challenges, however, we realized just how important community was. We had so many people step in to help us with meals, with lawn mowing, with encouraging notes and drive-by hugs. That love and caring didn't stop after we brought our son home from the newborn ICU. He has significant disabilities and our neighbors and friends have been an unflagging support to us through the years.

Several years ago it became clear we would have to move to a more accessible house to better accommodate our son's mobility limitations but we couldn't bear leaving our neighbors who had traveled this journey along with us ... so we built a house just around the corner from our old Victorian!

That same message of caring and community, of people dealing with their own pain by reaching out to lift and strengthen each other, is a core theme for many of my books and especially my Hope's Crossing series.

2. What's your favorite book ever and why? I have 2 or 3 books that I read over and over again - including Jane Austen's Persuasion. I love it because the characters are older and their relationship isn't easy, but you know, when they do finally get together, they're grown-ups and they know exactly who they are.
I have so many books I adore, books I turn to when I need the solid comfort of a wonderful story. Right now I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series with our nine-year-old (our second time reading them together and about the tenth time for me!). Ms. Rowling can still make me cry!
 
3. What's the story you've always wanted to write but somehow can't? For me, it's a story about World War I. I'm fascinated by the stories I've read about it but I'm pretty sure I'm never going to write a real war story. I've just finished a book that is set partly during World War I but a very long way away from the battles. I think that's as close as I'm going to get.

Here's a little secret about me. I've always wanted to write a Regency. They've been my very favorite books to read since I discovered Georgette Heyer and Clare Darcy in middle school ... but I've written forty-three contemporaries now and don't see myself jumping onto another horse at this point in my journey. Who knows, though? It could happen.


 4.  Finally, do you have a routine? If so, what is it and how easy/hard is it to stick to it? I try to have one, but because I work as a freelance paralegal and teach paralegals occasionally, my schedule tends to change from week to week, if not actually day to day. I'm always buying lottery tickets, hoping to win just enough money not to have to work and write to a regular schedule though I'm pretty sure that even if I did have the money to write nine to five, I wouldn't, as I've been scrambling like this forever :)

When I started writing romance novels and still trying to make that first sale, I was working as the news editor for a daily newspaper and would get up at 4:30 a.m. to write for two hours before I left for my day job. After I sold, I spent a few years writing early in the morning before work or late at night around our daughter's schedule. The very week I sold my fifth book to Bantam Loveswept, I gave birth to our second child and left my newspaper job for good to write full time and deal with his complicated needs. FYI, I've found it much harder juggling three children and a full-time writing career than it ever was juggling work and writing and one child!

I don't really have a routine when it comes to my writing, no totems or rituals or anything, but I generally must have music playing on my headphones while I write, usually jazz.

I tend to write better away from my house because of all the distractions here (laundry, Facebook, phone calls from my mom, Twitter, dishes, Facebook. You get the idea).

My best writing days are spent either at the nearby campus library or at a coffee shop somewhere in town while my youngest two boys are in school (our oldest daughter is now married and going to school out of state and not my responsibility anymore. At least theoretically!). I love immersing myself completely in the story and it's tough for me to do that at home, for some strange reason. I generally write all day while they're at school and then I spend afternoons doing homework, dinner, family time. After they go to bed, I generally hole up in my office to write again until eleven or so – later, if my deadline is right around the corner.

It's a crazy life but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love being a storyteller. I have a sign on my desk, a quote generally attributed to the wonderful Kathleen Gilles Seidel, that reads, "I may not change the world, but I can change someone's afternoon." That's my goal each time I sit down at my computer, to brighten someone's day.


Thanks for having me and for the great questions!





http://www.raeannethayne.com