Quilts and Books

Here's the cover of this book as it was originally published: Here's the cover of this book as I found it at Borders last month when I went to the store closing sale: Here's the cover of The Preacher's Daughter : Cracks me up. I only discovered this when I was searching for an image for this post. So anyway... Back in January my TBR Read was Carolyn Davidson's A Convenient Wife . It was part of the Montana Mavericks series and I really liked it. When I was checking out the Borders closing sale I found this installment in the series by Cheryl St. John. It was originally published in 2001 but obviously reprinted at some point. So while I've only had this book a month, it was the only western in my TBR and I love St. John's books--thus a no-brainer to pick it up to read. The Gunslinger's Bride is the story of Brock Kincaid and Abby Watson. Brock was the town bad boy who one day in self-defense shot and killed Abby's brother. He was young a...

This has been a very productive year so far for me on the quilt front. I've finished 4 projects that I began before the new year. For the record, those would be the Frieda Anderson small wall quilt , two lap quilts that were donated for cancer patients , and the Blooming 9-Patch . I've continued to plug away on the Block of the Month (BOM) project, although I am officially behind again (I was briefly all caught up in January!). Now the year is over and I still have several parts to do: I need to make a gazillion "flying geese" rectangles for the border and there is filler to go around the central medallion. I'll have a picture of that soon. I made one baby quilt in two weeks ! I made another baby quilt that I finished last week. I was hired to make this one by a co-worker for her great-nephew who was born in early February. Those polka-dots don't photograph very well in the picture above, but the close-ups below might give you a better sense of the colors...

We interrupt the incessant IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON blogging to talk about an unusual Regency that I finished yesterday that is worth mentioning to those of you who, like me, really enjoy that time period. The Apothecary's Daughter was offered as a free Kindle read back in January. I really didn't remember much about the synopsis of this other than the fact that it was Regency-set. From Julie Klassen's website : A s Lilly toils in her father's apothecary, preparing herbs and remedies by rote, she is haunted by memories of her mother's disappearance. Villagers whisper the tale, but her father refuses to discuss it. All the while, she dreams of the world beyond—of travel and adventure and romance. When a relative offers to host her in London, Lilly discovers the pleasures and pitfalls of fashionable society and suitors, as well as clues about her mother. But will Lilly find what she is searching for—the truth of the past and a love for the future? Blending romance, ...

I answered a few questions for the Avon Romance blog and they appeared here  today!

Fifteen months ago I was browsing various author and reader websites when I ran across a notice of a little contest that would be held during the month of February 2010. Avon was asking readers who enjoyed the anthology "It Happened One Night" to supply possible plot points for a repeat performance, this time titled "It Happened One Season." I read the contest rules, did a little pondering, and came up with this: PLOT LINE 1: The younger brother of a titled lord, the hero had a career in the army but has lived as a recluse since returning from the war with France. PLOT LINE 2: Heroine is shy or unattractive and after many seasons has never had a suitor. PLOT LINE 3: Hero's brother has only daughters and asks his brother to marry in order to try to ensure that succession stays within their family. I was inspired, I think, by all of the things I'd learned over the years about British laws of succession and their social, economic, and familial importa...

This is a smaller version of the Blooming 9-Patch pattern made popular by the book Tradition with a Twist  by Blanche Young and Dalene Young-Stone which was first published in 1996. I don't remember precisely when I first saw a quilt made out of this pattern, but it probably wasn't long after 1996. All I know is that I wanted to make one for years. My mother-in-law gifted me with the fabric for this quilt for my birthday about a year before she passed away. Although I had finished the top before she died, because she lived 2500 miles away she never got to see the finished top. The fabric was purchased at Quilting in the Country in Bozeman, MT when we were vacationing together in Yellowstone. We had a great day together and it has become a special memory; this quilt will always be in honor of her. So here's a former UFO that I finished two nights ago after only 5.5 years. Sometimes I make a quilt in less than two weeks . Sometimes it takes a few years. Miss you, Oma.

"My" book is released a week from today. Are you ready? I'm so anxious to read it I can hardly stand it. I'm supposed to get a copy signed by all 4 authors. With one living in Australia, another in Canada, and the other two in different parts of the U.S., well, it could take awhile. I've pre-ordered a copy for my Kindle. Meanwhile, I've had to content myself with some excerpts. Mary's is here . Candice has one here . No other excerpts that I could find. I'll just have to wait and contain my jealousy over the fact that Wendy's library got a copy and she's seen it.