Book Releases

Holding On (Colorado High Country #6) —
The Colorado High Country series returns with Conrad and Kenzie's story.

A hero barely holding on…

Harrison Conrad returned to Scarlet Springs from Nepal, the sole survivor of a freak accident on Mt. Everest. Shattered and grieving for his friends, he vows never to climb again and retreats into a bottle of whiskey—until Kenzie Morgan shows up at his door with a tiny puppy asking for his help. He’s the last person in the world she should ask to foster this little furball. He’s barely capable of managing his own life right now, let alone caring for a helpless, adorable, fluffy puppy. But Conrad has always had a thing for Kenzie with her bright smile and sweet curves. One look into her pleading blue eyes, and he can’t say no.

The woman who won’t let him fall…

Kenzie Morgan’s life went to the dogs years ago. A successful search dog trainer and kennel owner, she gets her fill of adventure volunteering for the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. The only thing missing from her busy life is love. It’s not easy finding Mr. Right in a small mountain town, especially when she’s unwilling to date climbers. She long ago swore never again to fall for a guy who might one day leave her for a rock. When Conrad returns from a climbing trip haunted by the catastrophe that killed his best friend, Kenzie can see he’s hurting and wants to help. She just might have the perfect way to bring him back to the world of the living. But friendship quickly turns into something more—and now she’s risking her heart to heal his.

In ebook and soon in print!


About Me

My photo
I grew up in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, then lived in Denmark and traveled throughout Europe before coming back to Colorado. I have two adult sons, whom I cherish. I started my writing career as a columnist and investigative reporter and eventually became the first woman editor of two different papers. Along the way, my team and I won numerous state and several national awards, including the National Journalism Award for Public Service. In 2011, I was awarded the Keeper of the Flame Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism. Now I write historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense.

Members

Seductive Musings

Friday, April 17, 2009

How I Broke My Foot and Other Lies



So, I went for a long walk on a rocky trail wearing the wrong shoes and managed to give myself a stress fracture in my heel bone up near the arch. This is such an undignified way to give one's self an injury that my staff at the paper and I started spreading blatant lies at work, telling everyone I got drunk and was injured in the mosh pit at a concert or that we'd all gotten drunk and the entertainment editor had run over my foot with a borrowed car or that one of my staff and I had gotten into a fight at a bar and she'd shoved me and I'd fallen over with my foot hooked beneath the table.

The great thing is that people are believing them. I'm not a great liar — I once tried to make the entertainment editor think I was firing him instead of promoting him, just to amuse myself, but failed because I cracked up laughing — but I'm managing to keep a straight face when I fib to the ad sales guys and production staff.

Went for a walk? How pathetic!

OK, granted I walk really hard and fast. I used to do long-distance running and could clip off six-minute miles. Not many women can do that who don't run semi-professionally. I've had stress fractures in my feet from doing that, but not my heel.

I've gotten behind on everything — blogging, e-mail, visiting other folks' blogs — because from Tuesday night on I was in pretty bad pain. I went to the doc on Wednesday because when you can't sleep and can't walk due to pain in your foot you need to go to the doctor. She x-rayed my foot then fixed me up with a handy removable cast. It's like a big boot — no doubt very sexy.

I haven't gotten behind in writing, however, because I was already behind. I actually spent my time waiting for my x-ray outlining the next chapter in Naked Edge. So I'm ready to coffee up and sit here with my foot elevating writing.

We've had a mix of rain and snow for the past 24 hours. Last night it was raining so hard I could hear it on my roof. This may seem like nothing to those of you who live in places where rain is routine. When we get a hard rainstorm in Colorado, people stand at their windows and watch because it's not all that common. We have more ghost rain — rain that evaporates before it hits the ground — than rain.

About my most recent poll: It's been a while since I updated the poll but I'll do that today. My most recent poll was about Lord William Wentworth, the anti-hero of the MacKinnon's Rangers series. Some of you hate him. Some of you like him. Some don't know what to think. I know this from reading your e-mails. So I wondered how people would feel about Lord William getting his own happily-ever-after. The results? Most of you — 64 percent — like the idea, while 32 percent don't like Lord William enough to see him as a hero and feel you could tolerate him getting an HEA if it were a secondary plot in the story. One respondent didn't think William deserves an HEA at all.

I do intend to write a story for him, but I assure those of you who feel he isn't heroic enough that he will pay for the wrongs he has done. Yes, he will be made to suffer. In the end, he will pay such a high price that even the MacKinnon brothers will find it in their hearts to forgi'e him.

O.C.D. — An update on my Obsessive Cullen Disorder. I have read all of the books. I liked the first best, the second second best and so on. I liked the fourth book least. I won't discuss the stories here because I don't want to give the plot away to anyone who hasn't read them yet. I am just so relieved to have that out of my system! By the time I finished the fourth book, I was ready to be done. Overall, I'd probably give the series a 4 out of 5 stars. The last time I enjoyed reading so many pages about the same characters was in the midst of the Harry Potter books (which I loved).

Have a great weekend, everyone! And please wear the right shoes for whatever activity you're undertaking!

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ouch ouch ouch! Sorry to hear that Pamela! Hope your foot gets better soon. I wondered why you were being so silent and thought you were writing....not that you were gallivanting in the mountains....lol I like the mosh pit version a lot!
(((hugs)))
Take care
stef

Ronlyn said...

I'm thinking of you honey. I think you should come to my house and be babied. Nothing like a troup of boys waiting on you because you are hurt. ((((hugs))))
One of my assistants spread a rumor when I sprained my wrist (picking up Alex!) that I got into a bar fight. LOL. I'm amazed when people believe those outlandish stories. I mean, when do I have time to GO to a bar? Let alone get into a fight at one?? Really.
Your OCD has me shaking my head. I don't care for the books. At all. I have 4 of them sitting on my counter at home. (on loan from a friend who insisted I read them). I just don't get the obsession, but that's ok. As another OCD friend lovingly put it: I don't need Twilight to up my dork factor. LOL.

Ronlyn said...

sweet pea~am I blind or did your poll disappear? Why can't I see it?! (thank goodness it's Friday!)

Hi, Ronlyn — Too funny about that bar fight! I think people enjoy believing fantastical things. That's why tabloids make money. Does anyone truly believe that Elvis is alive on Mars or that a woman gave birth to a 50 pound baby? No, but that doesn't keep them from buying stuff like that off the news stands. LOL!

As for the poll, well, I deleted it anticipating that I would post a new one, and I haven't gotten the new one up yet. I need poll viagra (but not pole viagra). Any ideas? ;-)

Hi, Stef — I like the mosh-pit version better, too. At least then I'd have a good story to tell. It's actually extremely painful. Tuesday night I couldn't sleep at all. On Wednesday, I went to the doc and spent the rest of the day at home on painkillers. I worked a bit yesterday and was still really exhausted. I just slept for 12 hours, so that really helped! I've been in the boot now since Wednesday so the pain has decreased dramatically, though when I went grocery shopping last night, I thought I would cry toward the end. I wish Benjy were home! I would love to have some fire wood carried in, too, but I'd have to carry it in. So I turned the heat back on.

We're supposed to get a foot to 18 inches of snow tonight.

YIKES!

Ronlyn said...

LOL! Ok, good to know I'm not completely nuts.

pole...re...poll viagra.

Did I ever tell you about working in a dr's office when viagra first came out? I got a call from a woman PISSED that the dr. had prescribed it without consulting her first. LOL. The next call was a little old lady who reported that it was great stuff, but maybe a little "too strong" so, could they cut the pill in half?! I was dying. ahhh...the memories.

I'm going to have to do some thinking to come up with a good stiffy for your poll. ;-)

Debbie H said...

Awww, so sorry you injured your foot. I have such weak ankles, that I twist them very easily and often. I can't wear heels because of it. I would love to put on some sexy stilletos but the only way I could do that is if they were pointing at the ceiling *BEG*

Take care of yourself and here's a great big {{{{HUG}}}}!

Bo said...

I am SO sorry you hurt your foot! LOL@ the lies to the co-workers.I can't keep a straight face while pulling a practical joke,either.I hope it heals quickly,and that the boot isn't too awkward.Be careful-the tread on mine wore out on the heel & got a little slippery.Don't want you to fall!!!!I busted a bone in my foot about 12 years ago,and had to wear a cast-boot for awhile.Clunky and heavy,it wore me out just walking from place to place.My boss took to calling me Gimpy.I couldn't even hobble fast enough to swat him one for that,LOL.

Awful circumstances,but maybe this will give you a chance to rest & catch up on NE.

Lord William-you know how I feel about him,and now I almost feel sorry for the bastard-what ARE you going to do to him,LOL.Can't wait to see the starch hit the fan *G*

Maybe that could be the new poll,just for fun.Ways we would get even with Wentworth on behalf of those he's wronged.*G*

Jane said...

Hope your foot heals fast. Maybe you can get out of housework with your injury.

Ronlyn, you make me laugh! I can't imagine how you kept from giggling during those calls. I also can't imagine how any woman could be happy with her husband's ED, unless she wasn't happy with her husband. LOL!!! Wait, that's not funny. Except that it is. :-)

Debbie, I bet you've worn "air stilettos" a few times in your long marriage. If not, it's time to shop for shoes, aye?

Hey, Bo! Thanks for the tip. I'll be careful. No need to fall down and break something else. I'm hoping to use this time to write a lot, just as you suggest. Are you getting snowed on there in Utah? We've got flakes the size of golf balls coming down.

Let's see... what can I tell you... Lord William will become as tortured a hero as Nicholas in his own way. No, he won't be partially roasted. BTDT. But what if he were to come to understand what he'd done wrong and then... Give his life to save the MacKinnon he likes least (any guesses who that is?).

Thanks, Jane. I wish I could get out of doing housework, but since I live alone that's unlikely. I could ask my pet bunny to take over, but she's like 110 in bunny years and isn't good at following directions. My younger son will be home in a month from college, and my older son would probably be coming down to help if it weren't for this snow. I don't want him driving.

Ronlyn said...

oh lordy, the stories I could tell. ;-)

I recommended air stilletos for my boss for Valentines Day after she had knee surgery. Her son (who's in his twenties) just about DIED. Maybe I shouldn't have said that in front of him. LOL.

OK, the new poll is up! :-)

Bo said...

WHAT!??!!!!! What are you going to do to my Iain??!!????!!!? It must be him that Wentworth likes least! OMG,my poor barbarian! He'll need TLC! He might need to be hand-fed and lay his head someplace soft and be bathed oh so carefully! *EG*

No snow,but it's been pretty windy here today,and overcast off and on.Snowed a little in the center of town the other day,and our closest mountain got quite a bit.I bet we get some rain here,though,since you are getting that much snow tonight.

Take care of yourself, have fun writing. As for explanations, I like the bar fight one best.

I love tabloid headlines. The best one I recall is "Man Trapped for Four Days Under Dead 400-lb Wife." I cracked up in the supermarket line over that one.

Wentworth - hmmm. Why not have the Rangers take him out and lose him in the forest? The Abenaki would love to make his acquaintance. Maybe then I could forgive him and root for him as a hero.

Bo, darlin', don't panic!!! Iain has suffered enough! Wentworth hates CONNOR the most. Actually, he doesn't hate any of them, but he likes Connor least. He respects (and resents) Iain and respects Morgan very much. Connor is the hothead, the MacKinnon he trusts the least.

So what I'm saying is that maybe at the end of Connor's book to let Connor have the HEA that he owes him, perhaps William trades his life in some way for Connor's.

Linda, the Abenaki would probably love to meet him and have him for dinner. But he's probably too important to burn alive. The British king's grandson?

We'll have to see what happens when my Muse's sadistic side kicks in. ;-)

RitaSV said...

Oh man!!! Owie! What a misery, Pamela. I hope that the fracture will heal quickly. Does anybody help you around the house at all so you won't be completely buried with chores when you get back to walking without your 'boot' cast?

As for the rain...well...I live in Washington. No ghost rain for me! I have to confess, though, that there is something very soothing about falling asleep on a winter night hearing the rain on the roof. Nature's white noise, I suppose.

Hope you're feeling way better very soon!

Hi, Rita — I had to laugh. Rain in WINTER? We get snow — winter, spring, fall. And sometimes in summer. It woke me up because I'm just not used to it. But I can totally see how it would be soothing.

I live by myself with both boys in college now, so if anything is going to get done, I'll be doing it. I ordered pizza tonight to make things a bit simpler.

Thanks for the good wishes. I hope it heals fast, too. I'm not a very good patient.

Sorry to hear about your foot. I'm thinking not many people break a foot by um walking on it ;-}

And AcK you are killing me with your poll!! How am I expected to pick just one??? I pick one and as soon as I pick another one, the first pick is gone. So here's my declaration of 3!!

Bethie & Nicholas: "No man but me"
Tessa & Julian: The shower scene
Sophie & Marc: The Jag shag
There!! Now I don't have to decide *g*

Hi, Kristie — Thanks for pointing out the obvious. C-L-U-T-Z. Yes, I am a CLUTZ!!! I've had more broken bones than the average rugby team.

OK, so you picked THREE??? LOL! I guess you could narrow it down by asking yourself which scene you'd most like to be the heroine in...

I just tried to pick one based on that criterion and couldn't. What the heck? Anyone else want to add to their votes? Let's throw the door wide open here. :-)

Fun poll. I had to say none of the above, because my favorite scene so far is Morgan and Amalie by the waterfall. Love it.

Hi, Linda — I totally forgot about that scene. Dang it!!!! I might have to redo the poll. Believe it or not I had trouble when I put the poll together coming up with sex scenes from my books. I emailed Ronlyn and asked her if she remembered any sexy sex scenes from UNLAWFUL CONTACT or CARNAL GIFT. I totally forgot about the waterfall scene. That's what I would have put instead of the "wolf" scene if I'd had a functioning brain. Sorry, Linda! But your preference has been duly noted.

Oooh - you make it tough!! But although I also ADORE Marc and Julian - when you put it that way....it must be Nicolas

For me, it would probably be between Alec & the shackles and Nicholas, but being that the "no man but me" scene sprang from my soul (you know why), I'll have to go with that one myself. :-)

JennJ said...

Oh honey I am so sorry to hear about your foot. God bless your heart and in this case your foot too! I hope it's feeling much better very soon hon and that Kat and Gabe go easy on you and cooperate! ;)

BIG HUGS

LOL Glad you got done with the O.C.D if I can at all I'm going to get you to read one of my favorite vamp books (I have many I can recommend that are just to die for *pardon the pun* and I would be happy to send you some) and see if I can bring you over to the not just the teen vamps side! ROFL ;)

Casee said...

Yuck! And it wasn't even running a marathon or anything.

Feel better soon.

Annie said...

I hope that I don't sound too much like a creeper/stalker but I was looking through your old posts, mainly because I absolutely love your books and am trying to find out everything I can about them... But anyways, I read that you can't stand to not know what happens at the end of the movie and that you have to know the ending before watching it. Eep, I'm like that too! Though I also do it with a few books. My friends all think that I'm absolutely insane but it's good to know that there are others out there like me!
Btw, I absolutely cannot wait for Naked Edge or Colin's book! And I do hope your foot begins to feel better soon!

Luci said...

I am so sorry about your foot Pamela! Hope the pain vanishes soon!!

Anonymous said...

PAMELA!!! I hope you're feeling better. I broke my foot in an obsurd way years ago. It was so bad I had to hop home on one foot, lol.

((hugs))

Post a Comment

Follow Me

Search

Seduction Game

Blog Archive

Labels

Favorite Writing Quotes


"I am an artist. I am here to live out loud."
—Emile Zola

"I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day."
—James Joyce

"Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery."
—Jane Austen

"Writers are those for whom writing is more difficult that it is for others."
—Ernest Hemingway

"When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth."
—Kurt Vonnegut

"The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar is the test of their power."
—Toni Morrison

"No tears in the author, no tears in the reader."
—Robert Frost.

"I'm a writer. I give the truth scope."
—the character of Chaucer in
A Knight's Tale