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!

CAPA Nominee - A nice early Christmas Present

I just received word that my Cobblestone Press Release, The Way to a Man's Heart has been nominated for the Cupid and Psyche Awards at the Romance Studio for both print and ebooks. Winners to be announced on Valentine's Day 2007. What a nice early Christmas gift!

For Lovers of Words

Thanks to my friend Mary for sending this along. Hope you enjoy:


FOR LEXOPHILES (LOVERS OF WORDS):>>

1. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.>>
2. A will is a dead giveaway.>>
3. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.>>
4. A backward poet writes inverse.>>
5. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your> Count that votes.>>
6. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.>>
7. If you don't pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.>>
8. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.>>
9. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat> miner.>> 1
10. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.>>
11. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.>>
12. A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France resulted in Linoleum> Blownapart.>>
13. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.>>
14. Local Area Network in Australia : The LAN down under.>>
15. He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.>>
16. A calendar's days are numbered.>>
17. A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.>>
18. A boiled egg is hard to beat.>>
19. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.>>
20. A plateau is a high form of flattery.>>
21. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison: a small medium at> large.>>
22. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.>>
23. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.>>
24. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine .>>
25. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.>>
26. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.>>
27. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.>>
28. Acupuncture: a jab well done.>>
29. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.

Fortune's Vengeful Groom

My new cover is in! Here's the 3rd story in the Dakota Fortunes Series. Eliza Fortune has been hiding a secret for 6 years. When her secret is exposed in the form of tall, rugged and gorgeous Reese Parker, scandals are exposed, revenge is taken and heads roll. (not literally - it's NOT that kind of book) Coming this March- read the entire series!

The Way to a Man's Heart Reviews and Promo

It's a Shameless Promotion, but I have to direct you all to the December Issue of RWR (Romance Writer's Report) where I have joined in with five other Cobblestone Press authors for a great color ad.

For those of you who only read print books, this one is a reissue set in downloadable form and available from at www.cobblestone-press.com. You might want to try something new - digital publishing!

And check out this new review from JoyfullyReviewed.com :

Growing up, Christy Evans had been leery of her neighbor Kyle Warren. He had been a star athlete, too sure of himself and too capable of being a heart breaker. Having returned home after the death of his father to handle his estate, Christy knew it was time for a tentative showing of friendship. It was something “Pop” Warren would have wanted.

Kyle had never been able to get anywhere with Christy – not that he had even tried. First, Pop would have had his hide, but Christy wouldn’t even acknowledge him for the remotest possibility of friendship. Sure he may have been a bit wilder in his youth, but he was an adult now. It shouldn’t be so difficult to be friends.
Although friendship was not necessarily what Kyle wanted now.

The Way to a Man’s Heart by Charlene Sands is a romance that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Kyle is a hero that any woman should want, but Christy has been burned too many times in the past. She can’t, or won’t, take chances again. But Kyle isn’t someone to sit back as a quitter. I enjoyed watching his reactions. Charlene Sands proved herself to be a competent writer by creating a hero who does not react in expected fashion and that was a welcome respite from a more predictable plotline.


Be sure to enter my Holiday Surprise contest, if you haven't already! www.charlenesands.com
And the Desire Fortune's Continuity begins in January! Keep up on all and be sure to read my March release Fortune's Vengeful Groom. Six great stories from January to June!

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH BUTTER COOKIES

This is a recipe handed down from generation to generation in my family. Be aware you can't eat just one. They truly do melt in your mouth.

BUTTER COOKIES




1 CUP BUTTER
6 TABLESPOONS CONF. SUGAR
2 CUPS FLOUR
1 TSP. VANILLA
1 CUP chopped nuts (optional)



CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR, ADD OTHER INGREDIENTS. KNEAD WELL, ROLL INTO SMALL BALLS. FLATTEN SLIGHTLY WITH FORK.
BAKE 12-15 MINUTE IN MODERATE OVEN. WHILE HOT-SHAKE POWDERED SUGAR ON THEM.
Makes 24 cookies.

So easy. Enjoy!

Hint: Only melts in your mouth is you use REAL BUTTER. That's the key.

THANKSGIVING CRANBERRY MOLD

Here's another recipe that's so easy and a way to fancy up your cranberry dish. Enjoy!

THANKSGIVING CRANBERRY MOLD

2 CANS JELLIED CRANBERRY SAUCE
1 BOX ORANGE JELLO (LARGE)
12 OZ SPRITE OR 7 UP


COOK CRANBERRY SAUCE , STIRRING UNTIL BARELY BOILING AND MELTED.

ADD JELLO POWDER – STIR UNTIL BOILING BARELY

TURN OFF HEAT

PUT IN FRIDGE FOR 20-30 MIN TO COOL

PUT SPRITE IN AND STIR

POUR INTO JELLO MOLD WITH NON-STICK SPRAY

UNMOLD IN HOT WATER – IF RUNNY- PUT IN FREEZER FOR A FEW MIN.

**This is easy to slice. You can use a bundt mold, but honestly a Tupperware or other such mold gets the best result.


DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY HOLIDAY SURPRISE CONTEST! You'll receive your "after holiday" surprises the first of 2007!

Thanksgiving and some great recipes

This week I'll be posting some of my favorite dessert recipes -- traditions that are "must haves" or the family goes NUTS. Sort of like your "auto buys" at the book store. So, these are among some of the family favorites.

NUT CUPS (Great for the holidays!)


1 PKG. CREAM CHEESE 3 OZ.
1/4 LB. BUTTER OR MARGARINE
1 CUP FLOUR

MIX WELL AND CHILL. THEN SHAPE INTO 24 BALLS - ABOUT ONE TSP. AND MOLD INTO CUPCAKE TINS (SMALL ONES)


FILLING

3/4 CUP NUTS (WALNUTS)
1 CUP SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE MORSELS
2 EGGS
1/2 CUP SUGAR


BEAT EGGS AND SUGAR WELL. ADD NUTS AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS. FILL WITH MIXTURE - ABOUT 1 1/2 TEASPOONS INTO EACH CUP

BAKE AT 375 FOR 20-25 MINUTES OR UNTIL FILLING IS GOLDEN BROWN. REMOVE FROM TINS WHILE WARM ON PAPER TOWELING. PUT INTO PAPER CUPS AND SPRINKLE WITH POWDERED SUGAR

*These are great to put on the Thanksgiving or Holiday table at each individual setting, in place of after dinner mints. Very festive! And delicious!

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME

I've been tagged by good friend and fellow Desire author Bronwyn Jameson, to post Five Things You Might Not Know About Me. Now, I've tagged another good friend and Historical author Cheryl St John to play along. All those with blogs, join in too and let me know it's up on your site and I'll post it to mine.

If you don't have a blog, simply post yours in the Comments section. Here goes and have fun!

1. I couldn't blow a bubble with bubble gum to save my life!

2. When not writing, I teach childbirth classes and babycare basics at a local
hospital. It's estimated that I've taught 500 pregnant couples a year for
the past 20 years.

3. My pride and joy cat, Skittles, is known by family and friends as the Devil Cat!

4. When I was sixteen, I was arrested twice. DON'T GET EXCITED! It was for curfew and my "record" was thrown out before I graduated high
school. I really was a good kid.

5. My father never saw my books in print, so I sneak his name Charles
in every book and in every form: names of streets, towns, nicknames, in code,
so he's always with me. See if you can find some.

Now it's your turn. Play along or simply comment.

Fun Historical Facts

I write westerns, but I love all history and my research uncovers some amazing facts. These, however, were sent to me by a dear friend and are more in the form of fascinating trivia.

Hope you enjoy!

Life in the 1500's:

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water..

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying . It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat..

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a ...dead ringer..

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

I love: Saved by the bell! So which one is your favorite? Got any others?


Start the New Year right! Don't forget to enter my new Surprise Contest to win great prizes and signed books. Contest ends on New Year's Eve!

New Contest up and running!

The 2006 From the Heart Winter Contest is up and running and this time it's a SURPRISE! I promise great prizes along with several of my autograph books! Be sure to enter today!

What better way to begin the NEW YEAR than with a contest win!

And coming in 2007:

Desire Continuity FORTUNE'S VENGEFUL GROOM coming in March
and BETWEEN THE CEO'S SHEETS coming in June

SIZZLE IN THE SANDS - SEXY BEACH READS FOR EVERY SEASON!!

Bodine's Bounty -- Back to writing!

I've been posting about fun stuff lately, not that writing isn't the most fun of all, but now it's time to talk about the "craft".

I'm 2/3 into my bounty hunter story and working hard to make my hero a dynamite Alpha man, but I can't help putting in some humor. The characters just scream out at me. "Let me say this ... oh please ... then I'll go back to my cool aloof facade."

So, though I'm tempted, I've been using humor only sporatically in this story. Bodine is really a hard man, hurt by life mostly. He's different than many of the other male heroes I've written, because he hadn't been betrayed by a woman. So for me, it's intriguing to write about a man who'd been close to only one other person in his life, his twin brother. And when that brother is mistaken for him and killed, Bodine finds and holds onto that hard edge, driven by guilt and revenge.

Enter my heroine - a spirited, runaway heiress that Bodine has been hired to protect. His job is to keep her safe - "unharmed and untouched" and Emma Marie Rourke truly makes him earn his money. She's out to find her outlaw father and live her dream of becoming a renowned entertainer. Emma sings like an angel, and when she lifts her voice in song, she touches Bodine in places no other ever has.

As my story progresses, I realize that I will write a sequel and the challenge for me is deciding how to shape and mold a secondary character to become my hero or heroine in the next story. But amazingly, these characters seem to jump out on the page, out of the blue. So now, I have Bodine's brother's widow to contend with and I've just learned that my villain has a sister. (Funny how that happens). So crafting a viable pre-conflict in this story for one of those ladies, will take some thought and ingenuity.

That's what I love about writing. It's never dull. There's always a challenge and best of all, when it's not working, there's always the delete key.

Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives

While I admit to buying into these cliche hot TV shows, there's more than one reason I do tune them in. I have to admit I'd watch them regardless because they are extremely entertaining. But for a writer, they also show a range of off-the-wall characters who say and do outrageous things completely outside the box.

One of the main reasons I enjoy Desperate Housewives, aside from watching Mike Delfino, the sexy plumber guy strut his stuff, is to see what the housewives and their counterparts will do next. They are often times, laugh out loud funny. And sometimes we laugh even though that little angel sitting on our shoulder tells us it's a sin to do so. But oh, it feels so good.

In last night's episode, after Lynette bribed the eight year old pitcher so her son could finally get a hit in the game, I felt a measure of guilty pleasure seeing that struck ball target the pitcher and smack him upside the head. The pitcher went down and my husband and I laughed like school kids. The show is a jumble of high and lows, and isn't slapstick funny. Not really. Most the humor comes from irony and smart dialogue.

Speaking of smart dialogue what woman could resist a show with characters nicknamed, McDreamy and McSexy? Okay, the men on Grey's Anatomy are HOT! We all know that, but lots of shows have hunky guys. This show stands about because it's themed. And us writers know the importance of theme ... a running thread and a flow to the show that leads us to one all important conclusion at the end. Often times, Grey's has parallel themes that are so brilliant that I truly hate to see the episode end.

Expert writing. Witty dialogue. Characters you care about.

Isn't that what we in the romance world strive for and always hope to achieve on every page in every book?

Halloween Treat

A man was walking home alone late one foggy night,
when behind him he hears:
BUMP...
BUMP...
BUMP...
Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog h e makes out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward him.
BUMP...
BUMP...
BUMP...
Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing quickly behind him
FASTER...
FASTER...
BUMP...
BUMP...
BUMP...
He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in, slams and locks the door behind him.

However, the casket crashes through his door, with the lid of the casket clapping
clappity-BUMP...
clappity-BUMP...
clappity-BUMP...
on his heels, the terrified man runs.
Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, the man locks himself in. His heart is pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps.
With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door.
Bumping and clapping toward him.
The man screams and reaches for something, anything,
but all he can find is a bottle of cough syrup!
Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket...
and,
(hopefully you're ready for this!!!)

The coffin stops!

Okay, so I couldn't resist this one. A cute Halloween funny!




| | | |

Love Is In The Air - The Cerritos Library

A day of romance at the gorgeous Cerritos Library! There's nothing better than spending an afternoon with fellow authors, Barbara McCauley, Maureen Child, Sandra Paul and Patricia Thayer having Tea and delicate sandwiches and speaking on a panel in the gorgeous Skyline Room! I've never seen a more amazing library, from the gorgeous outside fountains, beautiful architecture both inside and out, the wide panel aquarium in the entry, the computer rooms, special children's library, works of art and much more. My pics will try to capture the event, where five authors and our wonderful moderator, Louzana Kaku had a great time speaking about romance, our loves and passions and then answering questions and signing our books. I felt truly honored to have been invited to participate. Special thanks to Padmini Prabhakar and all the Friends of the Cerritos Library for making us feel so welcome. Thank you!!

My good friend, Tanya Hanson and me at "Butterfly" fountain And a dolphin fountain!


I'm in great company! Authors seated from left to right, Lou Dair, Author and Moderator, Barbara McCauley, Sandra Paul, Pat Thayer and standing with me, Maureen Child.

The beautiful Skyline Room, three floors up, overlooking the city of Cerritos.




My fab new agent, Kelly Mortimer with the Mortimer Literary Agency joined the Tea and lent her support. We concluded the event with a booksigning. A thoroughly enjoyable day in Cerritos!

Pink Heart Society and Contest!

I'm guest blogging today on with the Pink Heart Society. Hope you can join in and add your comments on hunky Western heroes, those rough and tumble cowboys of the old west. Got some great pics up there too. I'd love to see you there. www.pinkheartsociety.blogspot.com/

Also, we'll be picking three winners for my 2006 From the Heart Contest on September 30th. Be sure to enter. Just a week left!!