May Happenings!

I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by our week-long blog at Romance Vagabonds with Harlequin Mills and Boon. We shared lots of information, had some fun contests and Q and A with Senior Editor, Linda Fildew and Joanne Carr. Our Western Day was headed up by Lisa Plumley, Kathryn Albright and Charlene Sands (me).

This month, amid the wedding plans for my daughter, choosing invitations and sizing dresses, appropriately our Western Wedding Anthology has been released! We're garnering some very nice reviews and it's a chance to read stories from multi-talented writers, Kate Bridges and Jillian Hart as well. I hope you enjoy this trio of stories!

Another fun happening is a month-long appearance on Coffee Time Romance for a May Reader's Retreat with six great authors from Petticoats and Pistols. There'll be prizes, blogs and I'll be talking about Westerns and my brand-new Suite Secrets Series from Silhouette Desire. Wait until you see the cover for Five Star Cowboy!! Oh, and we have titles for the next two books in the series, Do Not Disturb Until Christmas (Nov 08)and Reserved for the Tycoon (Feb 09)


Another May Happening is the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction. There's so many great items up for bid on this auction, including vacations and electronics, critiques from authors and editors and tons of BOOKS! The authors at Pettiocats have donated a pretty cool gift tote filled with goodies. It's a great cause - all proceeds going to Diabetes Research.

I hope you have a wonderful May filled with love and flowers and romance!!

Happy Trails and Happy Reading!
Charlene Sands
Bold, rugged, heart-stopping heroes... and always real good men!

Brenda Novak's Diabetes Auction

Take a look at this great prize the Fillies in Wildflower Junction put together. All proceeds of this fabulous auction go to Diabetes Research.

To take a peek at all auction items, click here.

If you'd like to bid on this Western Loot, it's under Gift Baskets,

Item #979026

Romance Vagabonds Celebrates Harlequin Historicals

It's Harlequin Historical Week at Romance Vagabonds!

Please join in the fun all week long.

On Wednesday I'll be blogging with Lisa Plumley and Kathryn Albright for Western Day! There'll be book giveaways and Q and A you won't want to miss. Come visit me!

Romance Vagabonds

Here's some neat info about Mills and Boon !

Celebrating 100 years of pure reading pleasure :

In 2008, Mills & Boon celebrates a century as one of the most enduringly popular brand names in publishing.

Over the past 100 years the Mills & Boon imprint has become synonymous with romantic fiction and today is part of Harlequin, the world’s largest publisher of romance fiction.

* Gerald Mills and Charles Boon founded Mills & Boon Limited in 1908 and opened offices in London’s Covent Garden. Since then, Mills & Boon has become a hallmark for romantic fiction, recognised around the world.*

Mills & Boon is now part of Harlequin Enterprises, a global company who sell over 130 million books worldwide each year.* Published in 26 different languages and sold in 109 countries.* Global author base of 1,300, of which approximately 200 are acquired through the UK office.

Harlequin Mills & Boon is a UK Top 10 adult fiction publisher.

10 million books sold each year in the UK, of which over 7 million are romance novels.*

A Mills & Boon book is sold in the UK every 3 seconds.* UK monthly readership over 1.3 million.*

Mills & Boon series books are released in 2 shipping cycles each month (the first and third Friday of the month) and have a one month shelf life.

More than 60 titles published every month in the UK including 50+ brand-new series titles.

In the past 50 years, our characters have had: 10,325 weddings, 29,500 kisses and 35,250 hugs (figs from UK Editorial-Acquisition).

“Mills & Boon” is in the Oxford English Dictionary meaning “a (type of) popular romantic novel”.

Thanks to Diane Gaston, Joanne Carr, and all the fabulous Harlequin Historical authors for making this celebration possible!

Blogging Today at Petticoats

Come see what I have to say about The Biggest Loser!

Petticoats and Pistols

A Good Cause from the AHA

This story touched me. As you might know I'm a member of the American Heart Association and teach CPR at local hospitals. The Amercian Heart Association and its donations have helped so many children.

CREATE HOPE for millions of Americans like Caroline!
When our daughter, Caroline, was born on February 9, 2006, we were so excited to welcome her to our lives. Our excitement was quickly overwhelmed with fear when we learned that Caroline was born with a hole in her heart. At five days old she had surgery to repair that hole in her heart.

The surgery was a great success and by mid-April, Caroline was home and healthy. She is now a strong and determined little girl. Hope is a reality for us and it wouldn't have been possible without the life-saving research advances funded by the American Heart Association.
Living through the experience of our newborn child's heart condition discovery, surgery and recovery showed us that we are truly blessed. Her experience creates hope for thousands of other parents of children born with congenital heart defects.

Please take a few minutes today to join us in creating hope for others by joining the American Heart Association's Million Dollar Day campaign and pledging your support! Our contributions will create hope for others in the research discoveries we fund.
Mark, Shari and Caroline Busby

Create Hope by forwarding this email to your friends and family!

Romance Blossoms .. Announcing the release of Western Weddings

WESTERN WEDDINGS

Rocky Mountain Bride by Jillian Hart

Savannah Knowles arrives in Montana expecting to marry Nate Brooks, but he has never heard of her! Can this quiet man find room in his heart for lonely Savannah?

Shotgun Vows by Kate Bridges

Milly Thornbottom has a crush on Mountie Weston Williams, and one stolen kiss changes their lives! After they're marched straight to the altar, can her crush possibly develop into more?

Springville Wife by Charlene Sands

Grace Lander returns to Springville to pick up the pieces of her life and become the town's schoolmarm. Single father Caleb Matlock's kiss may be just what Grace needs to mend her heart and make a home!

If you like hunky mishievous heroes with a twinkle in their eyes, then you'll love Caleb Matlock. The town of Springville holds a big batch of secrets that only his love can reveal.

*This is my first ever anthology and I loved writing this story.

Available in Bookstores in May

Available on Eharlequin NOW!

Jewish Buddaism

From my friend Debbie.
Thanks for sharing!

If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

Be here now.Be someplace else later.
Is that so complicated?

Drink tea and nourish life;
with the first sip, joy;
with the second sip, satisfaction;
with the third sip, peace;
with the fourth, a Danish.

Wherever you go, there you are.
Your luggage is another story.

Accept misfortune as a blessing.
Do not wish for perfect health, or a life without problems.
What would you talk about?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy.

There is no escaping karma.

In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited.
And whose fault was that?

Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Bupkis.

The Tao does not speak.
The Tao does not blame.
The Tao does not take sides.
The Tao has no expectations.
The Tao demands nothing of others.
The Tao is not Jewish.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Forget this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.

Let your mind be as a floating cloud.
Let your stillness be as a wooded glen.
And sit up straight.
You'll never meet the Buddha with such rounded shoulders.

Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers.
Each flower blossoms ten thousand times.
Each blossom has ten thousand petals.
You might want to see a specialist.

Be aware of your body.
Be aware of your perceptions.
Keep in mind that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.

The Torah says,Love your neighbor as yourself.

The Buddha says, There is no self.
So, maybe we're off the hook.