Where do I get my ideas?

That's the question most authors get when interviewed. Well, it's a great question and no we don't get them from the IDEA TREE -- but we do get them from everywhere else.

Whenever I'm blocked about a scene, a plot or a new twist in my story, I have to stop writing. I'm not one to stare at the blank screen, so I usually get up and read something I enjoy, or exercise, or watch Martha Stewart. I love the cooking and craft segments and Martha (whether you like her or not) is a very calming influence and her show is top notch. I lose myself in whatever else I'm doing and then:

I take a shower.

Yes -- that's the best place for me to free up my mind. After all, I HAVE to get dressed sometime during the day. So, when all else fails, I get in the shower and then without realizing it, my mind wanders to my story and I begin to flesh out the scenes in my head, I hear the dialogue, understand the true motivation of my characters and then -- waa-laa, I have my answer. I lose myself in the story as water rains down. And ideas come forth. The only problem with this brand of brainstorming, is that a five minute shower ends up in the double digits. The price of unblocking your brain - killer water bills and fingers that prune up!

Monday Morning Funnies!

As I work on my anthology CALEB'S KISS, a western set in Texas, I came across these PUNS. So for all of you who love twists on words, here goes. Enjoy!

ALL PUNS INTENDED


Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony
wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, "I'll serve you,
but don't start anything."

A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and says "A
beer please, and one for the road."

"Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home."
"That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome."
"Is it common?"
"Well, "It's Not Unusual."

An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to
look at either.

Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day, but I couldn't
find any.

What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft.
Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your
kayak and heat it too.

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were standing in
the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an
hour, the manager came out of the office, and asked them to disperse.
"But why," they asked, as they moved off.
"Because," he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which
produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very
little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered
from bad breath. This made him. (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good)....
A super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

And finally, there was the person who sent some different puns to his
friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them
laugh. No pun in ten did.

Holiday Surprise Winner and New Contest!

Congratulations to Eva Minaskanian for winning the Holiday Surprise Contest!

And our new 2007 FORTUNE'S VENGEFUL GROOM CONTEST is up and running. Win a copy of the third book in Dakota Fortunes series titled Fortune's Vengeful Groom and my Cobblestone-Press.com ebook, THE WAY TO A MAN'S HEART. In honor of my heroine Eliza Fortune, enter to also win a stunning Liz Claiborne circled heart necklace with matching earrings. Don't delay. Enter early. Contest ends March 1, 2007!http://charlenesands.com/contest.html

CONTESTS AND MORE CONTESTS!

We'll be picking the winner soon for my HOLIDAY SURPRISE CONTEST! And we'll announce the winner here and on my contest page. A brand new contest will be going up soon, so keep checking!

But right now, please check out Julianne Maclean's contest, where she's giving away a two-in-one copy of our 2003 Desires, SLEEPING WITH THE PLAYBOY (Julianne) and EXPECTING THE COWBOY'S BABY (Charlene) Here's where you can find the details:
* * * * *

Julianne MacLean is celebrating the release of her new book, SURRENDER TO A SCOUNDREL, which hits stores this month. It's the final book in her American Heiress series, and she'll be giving away a gorgeous pearl necklace, as well as an Australian edition of SLEEPING WITH THE PLAYBOY - the hard to find Silhouette Desire she wrote in 2003. This particular edition is two-books-in-one, and also includes EXPECTING THE COWBOY'S BABY, by Charlene Sands. On top of all that, Julianne will send you coverflats from her pals at AvonAuthors.com! Visit www.juliannemaclean.com before January 30th to enter.

Hope you stick to your New Year's Resolutions List! (You Do have a resolution list, right?) Here's a brief glimpse at mine.

KEEP MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY CLOSE
READ MORE BOOKS FROM FAVORITE AUTHORS
DISCOVER BOOKS FROM NEW AUTHORS
TREADMILL OR PILATES EVERY DAY
WRITE, WRITE, WRITE FOR THE PURE JOY OF IT
MEET NEW READERS AND WRITERS HERE AND ON MY NEW SITE:
www.myspace.com/charlenesands

WANT TO SHARE YOURS?

Happy New Year - Flip-flopping workshop on Cobblestone

Hi all and Happy New Year!

To start the week off right, Cobblestone-Press.com is hosting an all week Historical Writing Workshop which includes a Harlequin Day, Hot Tips on Writing for Harelequin, a Mills and Boon editor to join in, and I'll be speaking about Flip-Flopping from Western Historical to Short Contemporaries. How to write for both and keep the facts straight! The FREE workshop starts today, January 1st and runs all week long. Check it out and come see me on Thursday and Friday this week for my chat times!