Summer in Winter, or why we're in Florida instead of Connecticut!

Some photos, just to give you an idea of what we've been doing this week, from days at the beach to animal sightings to watching the full eclipse of the moon from a bridge over the canal behind our house.

And here are the kids, learning to swim in our pool. The four year old loves his safety jacket; the six year old loves swimming underwater through a gate... uh, thru her Daddy's legs. Heck, improvisation is everything.

A Day At The Beach

Our son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren are visiting us in Florida. Today, we went to the beach. The kids had a wonderful time building a fort at the surf's edge with their Daddy and their grandpa; my daughter in law and I searched for sharks' teeth. Yes, sharks's teeth. There are deep drop-offs off the beaches on this piece of the Gulf Coast and, for reasons I've yet to explore, thousands upon thousands of sharks died in that deep trench between 3 million and 30 million years ago. Their fossilized teeth wash up on shore; it's fun to walk the beach and look for them in the surf.

Lots of pelicans were hunting today. My husband took a great video and I want to share it with you.

By The Pool, By The Pool... you get the idea!

Week two in Florida. My writing is going well. Every once in a while, I step onto the lanai and then onto the back lawn, to stroll along the canal. Watching the water is incredibly relaxing. This is one of the most tranquil settings I know--and if I'm lucky and make no sudden moves, a turtle head will pop up in the water or a Great Blue heron will glide in to do some fishing.

It's equally relaxing to lie beside the pool... but it's so wonderfully warm in the sun that it's easy to sigh, close my eyes and....zzzzzz. So I try to limit my poolside visits to late afternoon, when I feel guiltless treating myself to some downtime because I've finished my writing for the day.

Uh oh. Who's this??? It's Al, an 8 foot long (toy!)alligator who resides in the garage most of the time... until my husband sneaked him out into the pool. Imagine my reaction, standing in the kitchen, pouring a mid-morning cup of coffee, glancing out the window and seeing Al! He's back in the garage now but he'll come out again in ten days when our 4 and 6 years old grandkids (and their mom and dad) come down to visit. (There are real gators in the canal but no, we don't invite them in to play!)


Nightime. The sun sets with amazing speed in the tropics. One minute my husband and I are sitting in the lanai, sipping chilled Pino Grigio and watching the gorgeous sunset and the next, the sun is gone. Soon, the only light is from the stars, the moon... and, at a touch, the pool.

By The Seaside, By the Beautiful Sea

Actually, I'm by the Gulf of Mexico, on the west coast of Florida, and yes, the Gulf is beautiful!

The beaches here are of powdery white sand. They are surprisingly uncrowded, and you're as likely to stroll past a solitary Great Blue heron as another person.

We've rented a lovely house in a quiet town. We have an enclosed pool--the enclosure is called a lanai--and just beyond that, there's a canal. So far we've seen turtles in the water, bald eagles overhead and today, a stork stopped by to fish. The foliage evverywhere is gorgeous.

I'm enjoying the sun, sea and sand but I'm also working on a book, the third in my next trilogy, THE SHEIKH TYCOONS. This third book, The Sheikh's Rebellious Mistress, is set in the tropics. That makes this the perfect place to write it!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it? 2007 is gone... and it's now 2008! I wish you all the best for the new year: joy, good health, prosperity for you and your loved ones.

I had some lovely news to end the old year and begin the new. My book, THE SPANISH PRINCE'S VIRGIN BRIDE, won an incredible award. It was named 2007 "Romance: B(u)y the Book" Best Series Romance! I'm thrilled to share the news with you.

If you haven't yet read THE SPANISH PRINCE'S VIRGIN BRIDE or the other two books in my best-selling trilogy--THE ITALIAN PRINCE'S PREGNANT BRIDE and THE GREEK PRINCE'S CHOSEN WIFE, why not go to Eharlequin online and order them now? You'll love all three stories!

Ho, Ho, Ho

How did it happen? One second it was Thanksgiving and now Christmas is almost upon us. I don't know about you but I've been doing lots of my holiday shopping online. I'd much rather surf the internet than fight my way through the malls.

I'm going into New York City later this week. The city is incredibly beautiful at this time of year although, to be honest, I always have mixed feelings about the great tree that goes up at Rockefeller Center. It's invariably a beautiful sight but it saddens me sad to think of that a tree so big and old has been cut down.

The windows of the big department stores are always a wonder to see. The decorations are invariably beautiful whether they're lushly old-fashioned or spare and modern.

I'll let you know how my day in the city goes.

Sandra

I Love Research

Really, I do. I always loved writing papers when I was in college, mostly because so much research was involved. Now, I love doing research for the books I write.

Just now, I'm writing a trilogy about three sexy sheikhs. They're old friends, crown princes of three exotic countries that are part of an alliance I call The Nations.

The second book, the one I'm currently working on, is called THE SHEIKH'S WAYWARD WIFE . It's about Khalil and Layla, who end up in a very sexy, very passionate marriage of convenience.

I've set part of the book in Paris, and doing the research is sheer joy.

My husband and I have been to Paris many times. We have favorite cafes and bistros, favorite markets and parks and shops.

Have you been to Paris? Ithink it's absolutely the most romantic city in the world.