Wendy Etherington | Holiday Decorating--Friend or Foe?

Well, finally, the village is assembled!

Is my shopping done? No. How about baking/cooking? Ah, no. Do I have any idea what I’m wearing to the holiday parties this weekend? Definitely not. But the village--the porcelain, hand-painted, Victorian-era, more-expensive-every-year, oversized project is up, so Christmas is officially here.

Wendy's Christmas Village

I’m not one of those people who are constantly evaluating and redoing my house. I know those who strive to have every stick of furniture and accessory in place, whose homes are showplaces of decorating magnificence. They’re proud--and have every right to be--of their talents in coordination, cutting-edge style and color.

Me? I move in, scatter stuff around and nod. That’ll work for a good decade.

So Christmas is the only time I putter and angst over coordinating colors, greenery, ornaments, lights, hiding electrical cords and, ah yes, that crazy, precious village.

Like all loyal children, I blame my mother.

She started my collection when my husband and I were first married over seventeen years ago. When my kids were little, I let them hang whatever ornaments they wanted on the tree any which way. They shook packages with glee. But touch Mama’s village? That was a line nobody dared cross.

Why I spend three hours of assembly, plus at least two trips to the craft store to update details, then obsess and rearrange for up to a week, I’m not really sure. Maybe it’s the novelist control freak in me. All those little porcelain people to place and move around, each one with their imaginary lives trapped in a joyous moment of time. Maybe it’s the cuteness of those people, tiny and delicate. Maybe it’s the warmth of the lights shining through the windows, glowing against the cotton pretending to be snow.

More likely it’s simply the satisfaction of a project launched, completed and suitable for showcasing within a week--a rarity in the book business.

So, while there’s no racing until February, I’m unlikely to have a white Christmas and there are deadlines looming after the new year’s champagne goes flat, I have my family to hang out with as my village lights glimmer in the background.

Wendy Etherington
wendyetherington.com
AFTER DARK, Harlequin Blaze, January 2009

Michele Dunaway | Home Cooking

To celebrate the release of The Marriage Recipe, out this month from Harlequin American Romance, I’m celebrating a month of home cooking and made-from-scratch recipes. My heroine is a chef and the hero a lawyer (and also a single-engine pilot). Toss in falling in love with the boy-next-door and the girl who longs to return to the bright lights of the big city, you have a recipe for some craziness, kisses, and love.

Writing The Marriage Recipe was a lot of fun. One of the most important areas of character development is what the characters eat and drink. Seriously. If I’m writing a character who’s from New Orleans, I bet he or she has had crawfish. If not, what does that say about him or her? My characters located in St. Louis eat toasted ravioli and gooey butter cake; while in Morrisville, where my characters live, they would drink “pop,” not soda. Knowing regional food tastes and verbiage helps build a character in subtle ways. This is why I always set my books in places I’ve lived or visited. That way they come across as real. Setting is also another character—could you imagine Pretty Woman taking place in Chicago instead of LA?

What your character eats and drinks says a lot about them. Remember how Vivian (Julia Roberts) had no idea what fork to use at the restaurant? There’s a big difference in a heroine who does whiskey shots and one who sips wine. Same for men: the scotch tumbler says sophistication while the can of beer gives a more rugged, cowboy or every day guy you’d find at home impression. Characters who drink a lot are often frowned upon, while those who drink in moderation can be seen as social. And what about the heroine who has never had a sip of coffee and hates mocha?

Your characters can be suckers for burgers, or instead be vegetarians. Imagine the cattle rancher falling in love with the vegetarian. There’s a built in conflict right there. So don’t forget to pay attention to the food angle. It’s not just fun, but delicious. Or perhaps disgusting if you’d rather (I prefer the yum.) And remember, where else can a person eat whatever she wants and not gain a pound? Only in fiction...

For some of my favorite recipes, go to http://www.micheledunaway.blogspot.com/. For a review of The Marriage Recipe, check out Tonya’s Tidbits at. My next release is Out of Line, from Harlequin NASCAR, in June. My website is www.micheledunaway.com/.

Michele Dunaway