Party like it's 1951!

September 20, 1951 was an exciting day in my family.  For my parents, it heralded the arrival of their first-born (that would be me) and only daughter.  It was cause for celebration; one of many notable events that occurred during that year.  Okay, so my birth was only notable within my family but still...  As I celebrate my birthday today, I thought it would be fun to look back at some other notable events from 1951!

The average cost of a new house in 1951 was $9,000.  Can you imagine?  Heck, you'd have trouble today buying a new car for twice that amount and that would be the no-frills variety.





The 22nd Amendment was ratified, limiting U.S. presidents to two consecutive terms.  

The first nuclear bomb tests were conducted in Nevada.

The term "Rock N Roll" was first used by Cleveland DJ Alan Freed.

An American in Paris won the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture.







The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk topped the NYT Bestseller List the week I was born.

Because of You by Tony Bennett topped the Billboard charts in September 1951.

Super glue was invented!

The Best Actress nominees for television's 1951 Emmy Awards included a familiar face from today:  Betty White!









1951 was the year Tupperware parties were introduced!

Pabst aired the first color beer commercial on television. (and the rest, as they say, is history)

Coast to coast direct telephone dialing began (without operator assistance) but we still had to share our party line with two other families.  

The first oral contraceptive was invented.

The first color television pictures were broadcast from New York's Empire State Building. (but it would still be several years before color televisions became the norm in most American homes)

The average cost of a gallon of gasoline was $0.19.  Wrap your head around that one!

The New York Yankees won the World Series.

Lillian Vernon first started mailing catalogues.

J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye was published.

Many romances of 1951 were in comic book format, such as Top LOVE Stories.  









That's a peek at what was going on the year I was born.  What are some of the highlights of the year you were born?  Because I love giving away gifts on my birthday, three randomly selected people leaving a comment today will receive a pack of books from my prize stash!

~PJ

PJ's Birthday Bash Winners

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful celebration of my 60th birthday this week.  I had such fun and can't imagine a better way to usher in my sixties than to party with friends old and new here at The Romance Dish!  Okay...well...maybe two weeks in Italy with Hugh Jackman could top it but, still, it was pretty darn awesome!  ::Grin:: 

The randomly chosen winners from my three-day birthday bash are:

DAY ONE

acm05

In the Highlander's Bed by Cathy Maxwell

Deb Marlowe

In the Highlander's Bed by Cathy Maxwell

Penfield

In the Highlander's Bed by Cathy Maxwell

Carol L

My Favorite Countess by Vanessa Kelly

Virginia

Take Me Home to Virgin River duffel bag

Claudie GC

Hardball by VK Sykes

Di

Improper Gentlemen (anthology) from Maggie Robinson

BellaBeguileThySorrow

PJ's RWA Package

DAY TWO

May

Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke

Bonnie Ferguson

Midnight's Wild Passion by Anna Campbell

Deb

Midnight's Wild Passion by Anna Campbell

Cassandra Samuels

Midnight's Wild Passion by Anna Campbell

Jane

Sabrina Jeffries' Prize Package

Eva's Flowers

Deadly Little Secrets by Jeanne Adams

Monica M

Heartbreak Creek by Kaki Warner

Kellie Kamryn

Jaguar Warriors trilogy by Juliana Stone

  

DAY THREE

Candy G

A Kiss at Midnight & When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

BrittanyG

 Three book package from Christina Dodd

Tracey

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare

Jane the Booklady

Heartbreak Creek by Kaki Warner

Katie

 PJ's RWA Package

Maribeth

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Deborah

The Pennyroyal Green series by Julie Anne Long

Congratulations to all of our winners!  To claim your prize, please send your screen name, full name and mailing address - with the day of your win (one, two or three) - to

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

~PJ

PJ's Birthday Bash - Day Three

Birthdays are Better when Shared with a Friend!

Wow!  This has been one terrific birthday bash!  Thank you so much for partying with me this week!   And many, many thanks to all the wonderful authors who have joined the fun.  Last year on my birthday, I blogged about the lessons I had learned over the course of my life. The lesson I learned this year is that I'm blessed.  Blessed with good health, blessed to have a job and, as a bonus, one that I enjoy, blessed to have family that's traveled from three different states to spend this birthday week with me and blessed to have friends who encourage me, support me and bring laughter and happiness to my life. 

Speaking of friends, today we have another group of fun people, who also happen to be fantastic writers, joining us and we have one very special guest of honor.  So, without further ado, let's rev up the margarita machine, get those delicious goodies plated, cut the cake, meet our special guests and PARTY ON because today, finally, is my 60th birthday!

Throw open those doors!  Our guests are ready to make their appearance!  Please welcome the fun and fabulous Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, Manda Collins, Anne Gracie, Christina Dodd, Eloisa James and...drumroll, please...our very special Guest of Honor and fellow September 20th birthday girl: Julie Anne Long!   Welcome!  Welcome!  I'm thrilled to have you all join us today and, Julie Anne, I'm especially excited to share my birthday party with you on our special day! :) 

PJ:  Grab a drink and let's chat a bit.  I've enjoyed hearing about everyone's birthday traditions this week.  Do y'all have any special traditions you look forward to on your birthdays?

Julie Anne:  First—the happiest of birthdays to you, PJ, my birthday twin!! So delighted to be here today. As for birthday traditions? Mine is to milk it for all it’s worth for as long as I can. Hee! I love birthdays—they’re an excuse to have dinners and lunches with all my favorite people. Presents are lovely, but time spent with people you adore is the best gift of all. It’s often difficult to gather everyone at once when you’re an adult (which I have been for a long, long time now) because everyone is so busy and far-flung. But on the plus side, you can make birthdays last for a month or more if you play your cards right by spreading out all those lunches and dinners. And of course, the day itself is always special. Usually I go out to dinner, and there will be cake!!

PJ:  Julie, I love your style!  I'm having such fun extending my birthday celebration this year and, especially, being able to share it with you!

Manda:  We don't really have any traditions. Usually the extended family will get together at my grandmother's house and we'll do the usual cake and ice cream routine. My mom was the oldest of six kids so it can be chaotic with the cousins and aunts and uncles all piling in. But it's fun. And chaotic. Did I say chaotic.

PJ:  Growing up, my birthdays were a lot like what you've described, Manda.  Nowadays, we're all spread out over several states so they're a bit quieter.   

Sarah:  Our family has this crazy tradition where we race to be the first to wish each other a happy birthday. When we finally get through, we sing Happy Birthday, and the birthday person says "You're first!" or (horrors) "You know you're last." It's a bit frustrating for spouses (Eric's always groaning at 6 in the morning on my birthday), but it's what we do!

PJ:  Oh, please don't let my brothers find out about this tradition!  I have visions of 3am Happy Birthday phone calls! ;-)

Tessa:  Special traditions... hmm. Ever since our kids were born, we've been all about the Chuck E. Cheese, bowling, and bounce-house birthdays. So when it's my birthday, I want nothing more than a quiet dinner out with Mr. Dare! I also sometimes play the 'birthday card' to coax the family into an artsy excursion. The Huntington Library is one of my favorite places to visit on special days -- fine art, rare books, and beautiful gardens.

PJ:  Tessa, the Huntington Library sounds like a wonderful place to spend your special day.

PJ:  If you stopped by the blog yesterday you saw a photo of the birthday cake my jokester brothers bought me.  It's chocolate with fluffy white frosting.  What's your favorite kind of birthday cake?  Are you a purist or do you enjoy it with a side of ice cream? 

Anne:  For me, a birthday cake has to be chocolate. I do enjoy other kinds of cakes, but chocolate is my all time fave. Served with whipped cream.

Julie Anne:    Chocolate!! Deep dark layered chocolate with a sinfully rich ganache. Or chocolate with raspberry filling. I won’t turn up my nose at German chocolate. And ice cream—vanilla bean!—is always welcome.

Tessa:  My favorite is German Chocolate, too! What are the chances? As for the ice cream... I won't turn it down, but I've got to admit--for me, the cake is always the main attraction.

Sarah:  Red Velvet for me…cupcakes if you have them! And yes. I'm a purist. Who needs ice cream when there's all that cake to eat?

Manda:  I like a lot of variety. One year I'll want a traditional yellow cake with chocolate icing, and the next year I'll want Italian cream cake. Just depends on my mood and how adventurous I'm feeling. I am a cake purist. I like to eat cake, or ice cream, but I don't really care for them at the same time. Unless it's an ice-cream dependent dessert like a blondie or an ice cream sandwich.

PJ:  So we've determined this week that I'm feeling pretty good about being here to celebrate my milestone birthday.  How do y'all feel about milestone birthdays? Do you dread them, tolerate them with stoic acceptance or approach them with enthusiasm for the adventures that await you? 

Manda:  You know, I'm not too freaked out by them. At least, I wasn't about 30. I've got the big 4-0 coming up in the next several years and I'm not super psyched about it. But I'm not down in the dumps about it either. I prefer to think of birthdays as a good thing--proof that I've made it through another year. And I wouldn't want to trade in any of my years. Otherwise I might not be where I am today.

Julie Anne:  I kind of like to think of every birthday as a milestone—it means I’ve made it through another year! I’ve never really set goals for myself based on my age, and though I suppose I’m conscious of getting older, I don’t necessarily want to be younger again. I love knowing what I know now.. The birthdays ending in “0” provide an *excellent* excuse for a big party, however, and for that reason they are ALWAYS welcome.

Sarah:  While I've only celebrated 30 (which I leaned into with gusto, sure my 30s would be better than my 20s), I can say that I don't enjoy a) not being carded for alcohol, b) being called ma'am, and c) realizing I am definitely too old for that shade of eyeshadow. So, I'm guessing I won't enjoy the milestones, but I shall pretend to accept them.

Anne:  I remember being very edgy and in-denial about my thirtieth birthday. I had a big party/barbecue at my place (my birthday is in summer) but I didn't tell people it was my birthday, and told everyone it was an "end of summer holidays" party. I swore my friends to secrecy, but one friend brought a birthday cake with candles and all. I blew out the candles in the bedroom, then took them off and brought the cake out. LOL For my fortieth, though, it didn't bother me at all. Weird.

Tessa:  My most recent milestone birthday was the big 3-0, and turning 30 was the best thing that ever happened to me. I'd always enjoyed writing as a hobby, but the year I turned 30 was the year it just all clicked for me. My romance career was born that year. (So was my son!)

PJ:  As I mentioned earlier, I share my birthday with the fabulous Julie Anne Long.  Do you share your birthday with any famous people or notable events? 

Tessa:  The Berlin Wall came down on my birthday. I'll always remember watching the jubilation on TV. And I have two good friends (both writers) who share my birthday!

Sarah:  The Wright Brothers flew their first flight at Kitty Hawk on my birthday. That's kind of neat. It would be neater, I imagine, if I weren't deathly afraid of flying…but I'll take it.

Manda:  Well, Alexander Hamilton, whom I've often considered our nation's sexiest founding father--come on, tell me he's not totally smokin'--shares my birthday, so that's pretty cool. I also share my birthday with Diana Gabaldon. So an eighteenth century hottie, and the creator of Jamie Fraser. Not too shabby.

Anne:  Fay Dunaway, Albert Schweitzer and Benedict Arnold -- take your pick.

Julie Anne:  I have the extraordinary good fortune to share my birthday with a certain PJ Ausdenmore. ;) What more evidence do we need that September 20th rocks? So me, Sophia Loren, PJ, Upton Sinclair…anybody else? Stephen King’s birthday is tomorrow. ;)

PJ:  What's going on in your lives these days?  Any news you'd like to share with our readers?

Julie Anne:  I’m counting down the days until HOW THE MARQUESS WAS WON’s January release!! It’s the sixth book I the Pennyroyal Green series, and I’m VERY excited about it—my editor says she thinks she might love it even more than What I Did for a Duke, so I’m crossing my fingers readers will really enjoy it. (And did you girls hear that Amazon selected WHAT I DID FOR A DUKE as one of the best books of 2011 so far??) I’ll be ready to share the cover and excerpts and the like with readers in a few weeks. The blurb is up on my website, if you want to take a look! And I’m working on the 7th Pennyroyal Green book, as yet untitled, practically as I type this. J

PJ:  I'm counting down the days too!  :)

Manda:  Well, as you've probably heard, my first book How to Dance with a Duke will be released on January 31, 2012 by St. Martin's Press. It's the first in a trilogy about three wallflower cousins who have been dubbed Ugly Ducklings by the toast of the London Season. In Book 1, Cecily Hurston and Lucas Dalton, the Duke of Winterson, must join forces to infiltrate the mysterious Egyptian Explorer's Club which was founded by Cecily's father. Lucas wants to know what happened to his brother, who disappeared on expedition with Lord Hurston. Cecily wants to prove that her father had nothing to do with it. Of course there will be danger, adventure and romance. And kissing. And sexytimes.

PJ:  Manda, I'm so excited about your upcoming debut.  Can't wait to read it!

Anne:  I have a new book coming out in January, Bride by Mistake, the last of the DevilRiders series, Marcus's story. Then a new series, which I think is going to be lots of fun.

PJ:  I have so enjoyed this series.  Looking forward to January and Bride by Mistake!

Sarah:  I'm deep in the second book of my Rules of Scoundrels series, which launches February 27, 2012 with A ROGUE BY ANY OTHER NAME. This series is connected by its heroes, and boy do I love these men…they're so dark and wicked…they're teaching me a few things!

PJ:  Another reason to be excited about February!  Can't wait for your new series, Sarah!

Tessa:  Well, I've been celebrating the release of A NIGHT TO SURRENDER this month. And of course, I'm so proud that the book is part of Avon's KISS and Teal campaign to spread awareness of ovarian cancer signs and symptoms. More information can be found at www.KISSandTeal.com and http://www.ovariancancer.org/

PJ:  A Night to Surrender is such a wonderful story!  I loved it!




PJ:  Work schedules, writing deadlines and the dreaded jury duty kept Christina and Eloisa from having the time to answer my birthday questions but both sent along a note and great giveaways for our readers.  Thanks, Christina and Eloisa!

Christina:  Happy birthday! It's 30, right? (PJ says, "I like the way this woman thinks!")  

Revenge at Bella Terra, the second book in Christina's new romantic suspense series was released September 6th. 

Eloisa:  Dear Birthday Girl (and friends), I have some exciting news! When I was at the beach this summer, I started dreaming up a story about a wallflower, stuck on the side of the ballroom because she was just too tall and no one wanted to dance with her. Then she suddenly inherits a fortune... It's really fun! It will probably come out as an e-novella only in December--my holiday gift!--and then be published in paper thereafter. I'm trying to save up enough novellas so that we can actually make a book of them. This one will join Storming the Castle. Happy Birthday, Patty! hugs, Eloisa

PJ:  Thank you for the lovely birthday wishes, Eloisa and for the news about your December novella.  What a terrific Christmas gift!

Thanks everybody, for celebrating my birthday with me this week.  I've had a wonderful time partying with all of you and am tickled pink to have shared the celebration with all my special guests and especially with today's Guest of Honor, my birthday buddy, Julie Anne Long.  Happy Birthday, Julie!

Tell me readers, if you could choose anyone, dead or alive, who would be on the guest list for your birthday party?  We have some great presents to give away today so let's get those comments posted!

Today's Giveaways:

A signed copy of A Kiss at Midnight and When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James
Signed copy of Storm of Shadows, Dangerous Ladies and Some Enchanted Evening by Christina Dodd
A signed copy of A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
A signed copy of Heartbreak Creek by Kaki Warner
A signed copy of Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
A package of signed books and other goodies from PJ's RWA Conference stash
and...
from my fellow September 20th birthday buddy, Julie Anne Long:
A complete signed set of her entire Pennyroyal Green series!

~PJ

PJ's Birthday Bash - Day Two

It's Good to be a Zero!

I can still remember the excitement I felt as I approached my tenth birthday.  I was finally going to be double digits and I was embracing that zero for all it was worth!  The excitement continued with the celebration of my twentieth as I said farewell to my teens and welcomed all the new adventures that I felt sure being an "adult" would bring.  Thirty was a breeze.  Honestly, I didn't dread it at all.  I was enjoying a happy marriage, a promising career and not at all worried about growing older.  

Forty was a little harder.  My mom had died unexpectedly while I was in my thirties which made me more conscious of the passing of time but it was my fiftieth that brought it home.  I spent my fiftieth birthday sitting by my late husband's hospital bed knowing his days were numbered.  He was unconscious and unaware of the occasion.  Obviously, there was no celebration.  He died a week later and as I worked through my grief I began to remember how much he had embraced life.  Even while struggling through five years of one medical crisis after another, he greeted every day with joy and anticipation, glad to be alive for one more "bonus day" as he called them.  I decided it was time to follow his example, determined that my fifties would be my decade of re-discovery and it was.  I recaptured my love of travel and explored new places.  I waded into the waters of internet message boards and blogs, making new friends and adding many talented authors to my quickly expanding reading list.  I went back to work and remembered how much I had always enjoyed working with the public.  I followed his example and welcomed each day for the bonus that it is and last, but certainly not least, I began writing again.  I thank Marisa O'Neill and Maria Lokken for nudging me back into that writing pool, author friends who have encouraged me along the way and Buffie, Andrea and Gannon for joining me in this exciting blogging adventure of ours here at The Romance Dish. I'm having a blast!

So, as this is the last day of my fifties, how am I feeling about the prospect of another zero?  I feel fabulous!  Tomorrow I will turn sixty and I'm going to embrace it with as much enthusiasm, joy, and anticipation as I did that long-ago first zero the year I turned ten.  My life adventure continues and I cannot wait to see what awaits around the next turn but, for today, we have drinks, food, more surprise guests, sexy waiters ready to meet your every need and lots of presents to give away so LET'S PARTY!

PJ:  The Aussie contingent is here!  It's Anna Campbell and Christina Brooke!  Just snag one of our handsome young waiters (No, Anna.  I said "snag", not "shag!") and give him your drink order.  I can see we'll have to keep an eye on you today! ;-)

Here come more guests!  It's Jeanne Adams, Sabrina Jeffries, Emily March and Juliana Stone.  Welcome!  Welcome!  So good of you to join us today!  

So, yesterday we were chatting about special birthday traditions in our families.  Do any of you have special traditions you follow?

Christina: Oh, always my mother has a special birthday dinner for us and I get to choose my favourite meal and chocolate cake with whipped cream for dessert! So lovely to be spoiled with a home-cooked meal that I didn't cook! One day I'm going to demand a reprise of the barbie princess cake I had for my sixth birthday. That was amazing.

PJ:  One of my aunts made those Barbie cakes for our birthdays when we were kids.  They were so cool!

Jeanne: We don't have a lot special traditions, but we do have to have cake, and the cake has to have the person's name on it. The other tradition is that on the actual birthday, we go do something that person wants to do, just as a family. Bowling. A trip to the mountains. A ballgame. Chuck- E-Cheese *shudder*

PJ:  I've been to Chuck-E-Cheese once, Jeanne.  It was one of those "one time is more than enough for one lifetime" events!  LOL!

Emily: When my kids were little, we always wore party hats--adults included-- for the blowing out the candles on the cake part of the celebration. One year, the kids had an "Alvin and the Chipmunks" party. Over the years, the hats were lost until we only had ONE Alvin hat and the rest generic party balloon hats. The birthday boy/girl got to wear the Alvin hat and everyone else wore generic hats. Well, that lone Alvin hat still exits, but everyone is an adult. My oldest is 30. (I was a child bride. Really.) I still make the birthday boy/girl wear the hat on their birthday.

PJ:  Oh, Emily, I love this tradition!  

Anna:  Happy birthday, PJ! So glad we’re celebrating your birthday in style. In my family, we always make a huge fuss of birthdays. As a kid, I used to love birthdays because Mum used to get out the good china and we had a flash dinner in the dining room which was generally out of bounds to boisterous children! 

PJ:  I'll bet that made you feel very special, didn't it, Anna?  What a lovely tradition.  

Juliana:  Parties. Always an excuse for a party in my house. Whether it’s for a kid or an adult…my husband loves to PARTAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll be honest. I’m not much for cards or even presents and such…to me a phone call is much more personal and I much prefer dinner with family and friends. But I like to be in the know. This past year my birthday fell on a Saturday. My son’s band was playing an outdoor concert and I planned a trip to Costco with friends and we were to end up at his show. I was a little miffed that hubby wasn’t joining us but when I got home my house was filled to the brim with family and friends…Happy Birthday to me….cept, well, I wasn’t exactly dressed for a party, had no makeup on and my hair was a disaster….I did forgive him…eventually. J 

  

PJ: I came home from work tonight to find a birthday cake purchased today by two of my brothers.  It says "Happy Birthday, Frank  Patty."   We have a rather unique sense of humor in my family. ;-) What kind of cake or other sweet treat do you prefer on your birthday?

Emily: I want my mom's white cake with chocolate icing. It's heavy as a brick, but to me it means home. No ice cream for me. Just give me a second piece of cake.

Juliana:  I love vanilla cake with butter cream frosting and custard in the middle. Hands down the best ever. In a pinch I’ll grab a deluxe chocolate blizzard cake from Dairy Queen. 

Jeanne:  I'm with you, PJ. I ADORE German Chocolate Cake. I also like Marble Cake (vanilla and chocolate mixed), and Angel Food Cake. However, as you may remember from the Cake vs. Pie "fight" that Cassondra and I had on the Romance Bandits blog, my favorite treat is pie. Pumpkin pie, preferable. And if not that, hot apple pie with cheddar cheese and ice cream. grins. 

PJ:  We'll be visiting the local apple orchards this week so I foresee apple pies in my future! :)

Christina:  I am ALL about the cake! Other faves are a hazelnut and apple galette and sticky toffee pudding. 

Sabrina:  I always preferred pie to cake, so when I was growing up, I always asked for chocolate pie, my favorite. 

PJ: Oh, I adore chocolate pie! I make a pretty good one too! :) 

PJ:  So tell me, how do you really feel about milestone birthdays? Do you dread them, tolerate them with stoic acceptance or approach them with enthusiasm for the adventures that await you? 

Juliana:  I have some friends who freaked out when they turned 30 and I worry about their approaching 40th! For me, 30 didn’t matter and neither did 40. I think if you’re in a great place in your life…happy with house and home, birthday milestones don’t seem to matter as much. But if you’re not where you want to be, well, then I think getting older tends to freak us out a bit more.

Jeanne:  I love my birthday, actually, regardless of which one it is. I approach 29 with the same zeal that I approached my 8th, or 35th or that "other" 29th birthday. Hahaha. I love celebrating, and I appreciate and am grateful for having another wonderful year of love, laughter and joy.

Christina: I think my next one might be a bit challenging but then again, I got over the last milestone just fine. I spend the year thinking I'm the age I will turn in October so when the actual date arrives it's not as scary. 

Anna:  I think I’m probably somewhere between stoic acceptance and enthusiasm, depending on how much sleep I had last night! 

Sabrina:  I love birthdays, milestone or otherwise. Age means nothing to me--I just embrace any chance to have a party! Milestone ones I try to have a BIG party! 

PJ:  You all know my big news is my birthday but what’s been going on in your lives? Any new books, upcoming books or other projects you’d like to tell us about? 

Emily: Thanks for asking. Right now I'm putting up my Geralyn Dawson backlist as ebooks, so that's keeping me busy. I hope to have most of them available by the end of the year. Also, I have an Emily March Christmas novella coming out soon as an ebook--MISTLETOE MINE. And, the fourth Eternity Springs book, LOVER'S LEAP, comes out on December 27th. 

Juliana:  Busy, busy, busy here in the land of Canuk. I’m on deadline until the end of the year…no, I lied, I’m on deadline until February. I’ve an new series starting for Avon which is set in the same world as my Jaguar Warriors, but takes us in a new direction. League of Guardians kicks off with a novella in February and Wicked Road to Hell releases in May, with 2 more to follow before the end of next year. So, yes….lots of writing! 

  

Jeanne:  Since I've already been on the blog this month, ya'll know my news - my latest book, Deadly Little Lies, just came out. My other great news is that I got to sign at Nora Roberts's bookstore, Turn the Page, on September 17th. It was fabulous!!! SO much fun!!! And I got to be both a sober, respectable author, and a a fan girl at the same time. ha! 

Anna:  I’m currently working on a Beauty and the Beast story that should be out next year. Having a wonderful time with my ‘beastly’ hero (who of course isn’t really THAT beastly).

Sabrina:  I've got two books coming out practically back to back: To Wed a Wild Lord comes out Nov. 22nd and A Lady Never Surrenders comes out Jan. 24th. I'm very excited about them, since they're the final two books of the Hellions series. 

Christina:  I'm madly excited about my January 3 release, MAD ABOUT THE EARL. It was such a fun book to write--a twist on Beauty and the Beast. I'm also hoping to move into a newly renovated house early next year. Fingers crossed! 

PJ:  Do you share your birthday with any notable events or people? I share mine with actress Sophia Loren. I wouldn't mind sharing her wonderful Italian genes along with the date!

Christina:  Wow PJ, that's exotic! Hey, apparently Clive Owen shares a birthday with me. I'd love it if he'd share other things with me, too ;)long with the date! 

Juliana: I share my birthday with Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame and Hugh Hefner to name a few. 

Anna:  Wow, Sophia Loren, PJ? How cool! Sadly, my birthday, the 24th August, is littered with humungous disasters. Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii in AD79. The French Catholics massacred the French Protestants on St. Bartholomew’s Day in 1572. The Brits burned down the White House in 1814. 

PJ:  Thanks for stopping by to help celebrate my birthday!  I hope you'll stay awhile, chat with my other guests and enjoy some goodies.  Oh, and thank you so much for the presents!  Our readers will be delighted!

Who do you share your birthday with?  Any famous events occur on the day you were born?

Todays giveaways:  (Thank you to the authors who have generously donated presents for our readers!)

A signed copy of Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke

Three signed copies of Midnight's Wild Passion by Anna Campbell

Tote bag, luggage handle and signed book from Sabrina Jeffries

Signed copy of Deadly Little Secrets by Jeanne Adams

Signed copies of her Jaguar Warriors trilogy from Juliana Stone

One signed copy of Heartbreak Creek from Kaki Warner

PJ's Birthday Bash - Day One

IT’S MY BIRTHDAY AND I’LL PARTY IF I WANT TO

My birthday is this week and it’s a big one - a really big one - the kind that’s worthy of a really big celebration. I had thought of throwing a blog party on Tuesday (the official day) but then I thought, what the heck, this birthday is worth at least two days of partying! But then, two really isn’t all that special is it? Why not three? Three’s a good number! So three it is. A three-day celebration of ME! *grin*

Once I’d established the duration of the celebration I could move on to the other important items on my list (I always have a list. At my age, it’s the only way I remember anything! LOL!)

1) Where to hold the party? That one’s easy. We have the perfect party spot right here at The Romance Dish!

2) Who to invite? Good thing we have all that room here at TRD. This list could get very long!

3) What to serve? Well, cake and ice cream are givens for the Big Day but I’ll need drinks and snacks for the other two days.

4) Presents! It’s my birthday. Of course, there have to be presents! ;-) But, since it’s my birthday, I get to say who gets those presents and guess what, lucky party guests? Instead of you bringing presents for me, I’m going to give presents to you! Doesn't that sound like fun?  (See the end of the blog for details)

Ding! Dong!

There’s the doorbell! Excuse me while I greet our first guests to arrive. It's Cathy Maxwell and Robyn Carr!  Welcome to my party! Don't you look fabulous!  And look!  They've brought presents!

Come on in and get comfy. Help yourself to some snacks and please tell one of our handsome young waiters what you’d like to drink.

PJ settles in for a cozy chat with a few of her guests…

PJ:  You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about birthdays lately, seeing as how I’m having a Big One this week. How do y’all celebrate birthdays in your family? Do you have any special traditions?

Cathy: I do exactly what I want on my birthday! I answer to no one. Heaven! When I was growing up, my mother always served us breakfast in bed . . . but I didn't follow that tradition when I had children. I switched the specialness of the day to the evening. A sensible decision from my point of view.

PJ:  Sounds like a good plan to me. 

Robyn: No special traditions -- it's the birthday person's whimsy for the day.  

PJ;  What fun!  Letting each person choose keeps it fresh and new each year and, really, that is a tradition of sorts, no?   

Ding!  Dong! 

More guests!  It's Vanessa Kelly and Maggie Robinson!  Welcome! 

PJ:  Sean, could we have some drinks over here, please and some of those crab cakes would be lovely.  Sean is an absolute genius in the kitchen! 
 
We were just talking about birthday traditions with Cathy and Robyn when you arrived.  Anything special y'all do to celebrate?

Maggie:  One daughter's birthday falls around Thanksgiving every year, so besides the pies we usually have chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, a Robinson birthday staple, and sing around the turkey carcass. Since she's gone gluten-free she may just have to do with sweet potatoes.

PJ:  LOL!  I'm having a great time envisioning the Robinsons singing around the turkey carcass! 

Vanessa: No special traditions, unless you include lots of eating (and drinking!). When I was growing up, each person celebrating a birthday got to pick his or her favorite meal. Since my mother was a spectacular cook we all looked forward to our birthdays. It was usually an Italian dish - my mom's killer veal or eggplant parmagiana or lasagna. She made a great fried chicken, too - especially for an Italian - so that often figured on the menu. So my mom covered off the Italian part with great food, and my dad's Irish side of the family covered off the drinks! Not that anyone got too polluted - we were too busy enjoying the food! 

Another tradition in my family involved my brothers, when we all got a little older. They always took the opportunity to tell very off-color jokes at the dinner table. The hilarious part was not the jokes themselves, but watching the reactions of my very dignified Italian aunts. They were always shocked and appalled but could never manage to stop from laughing at the jokes, despite themselves. It was great fun.  

PJ:  Oh, what fun!  I want to come celebrate my birthday with your family, Vanessa! 

Everyone having a good time?  Have you tried the margarita fountain yet?  Oh, and look at the delicious appetizers.  I've got my eye on those three-cheese stuffed mushrooms.  Yum!

Speaking of yummy food, birthday cakes are always a topic of lively discussion in my family. Everyone has their favorite (mine’s German Chocolate). What’s your favorite flavor birthday cake? Are you a cake purist or do you prefer a side of ice cream with it?

Robyn:  Eveyone's favorite at our house seems to be ice cream cake!  

Cathy:  Forget cake! Bread pudding is my birthday treat of choice. Hot and melty and custardy and full of white chocolate and cinnamon. Luscious. :o) 

PJ:  LOL!  I might have known Cathy would be the rebel in the group!   

Vanessa:  Chocolate cake with chocolate fudge icing. Yum! When I was a kid, though, I usually opted for vanilla with vanilla icing. Talk about doing a complete turnabout! But I actually had a very non-traditional favorite when I was younger - lemon bisque. It was a very light lemon mousse-type pie with a graham cracker crust and crumble topping. It was absolutely delicious, and I often insisted my mom make that instead of birthday cake. Fortunately, everyone in the family loved it, so there was never a dissenting voice when it came to lemon bisque. (I have the recipe, if anyone wants it - it's awesome!) 

PJ:  Oh, yum!  That sounds delicious.  I'd love the recipe! (Vanessa has kindly shared her recipe for lemon bisque with us.  It's posted below.)

Okay, ladies. Just between us, how do you really feel about milestone birthdays? Do you dread them, tolerate them with stoic acceptance or approach them with enthusiasm for the adventures that await you? (And if you haven’t hit a milestone yet, just humor us “old folks.”

Cathy:  The older I grow, the happier I am with birthdays because I'm happier with myself. I am so over wasting energy over the small stuff.

PJ:  Amen.

Maggie: I'm stoic. I'd rather be old than dead. Inside I still feel like I'm 17, but the outside needs some spackle. 

PJ  ROFL!  Love it!  This is my new motto, Maggie.  I'm printing it out and taping it over my desk.

Robyn:  I love getting older! Any day on this side of the dirt is a good day - and yes, I've had a number of milestones, I'm grateful for each one. 

PJ:  Yes!  That is exactly how I feel!

Vanessa:  I tend to be a big believer in celebrating large when it comes to milestone birthdays. For my last big milestone, I convinced my entire family to fly into the old New Jersey homestead. Hubby and I came from Ottawa, my sister came in from California, my dad and stepmom came from Florida, and a few friends from Canada also made the trip down. We congregated at my brother's house and had a big family blowout. That's really the best part of birthdays for me - having an opportunity to celebrate life with the people I most care about. I'm now at the point where I try not to think too hard about the actual number applied to the milestone. After all, 50 is now the new 40, right? 

PJ:  Right! :)

 

Okay, you all know my big news is my birthday but what’s been going on in your lives? Any new books, upcoming books or other projects you’d like to share?

Robyn:  It's a very big fall -- I have a very special Virgin River Christmas book being released Oct. 25 -- Bring Me Home For Christmas. There will be lots of fun promotions that feature honoring our men and women who serve and their families. Watch my site for details, contests, etc -- www.robyncarr.com And soon after the holidays, three new Virgin River Novels for 2012.

Maggie:  I've been on a perpetual blog tour for some time now talking about Mistress by Marriage and Improper Gentlemen, and my alter ego Margaret Rowe has a short story of in Agony/Ecstasy in December. I'll give away a copy of Improper Gentlemen (the guy on the cover is virtually wearing his birthday suit) to celebrate PJ's birthday, and my own which is coming up October 8. We're also waiting for a new grandson in January!

Cathy:  September sees the release of my book THE SEDUCTION OF SCANDAL. It's the last book of the Scandal and Seductions series and also one of the books of the K.I.S.S. and Teal promotion. 

Vanessa:  I'm finishing up the last book in my Stanton Family series. It's a Christmas book, which is a really fun way to wrap things up. That book will be out from Kensington Publishing in the fall of 2012. Next up will be a digital Regency novella which I'll be releasing in the spring of 2012, and I've also got a few V.K. Sykes contemporary romances that I'm working on with hubby. We just released one this past July. It's called Hardball, and you can find out all about it on either of my websites. 

PJ:  Thanks for the lovely chat, ladies but I need to get back to my other guests now. I hope you’ll stay a while and enjoy the party!

It's a cool crisp day here in the southeastern U.S. and I'm in the mood for some birthday party comfort food.  Tell me, dear readers, what are your favorite comfort foods?  Any recipes you'd like to share?  Any September babies celebrating birthdays with me this month?  What's your favorite cake?  I have lots of presents to give away today so let's get those comments rolling in!  Who's ready to party?

~PJ



Lemon Bisque
1 - 3 oz. package of  lemon jello
1-1/2 cups of boiling water
1 scant cup of sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
3-4 Tbl. of lemon juice
1 lemon rind - grated
1 can of cold evaporated milk (standard size can)
2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs
1 stick of butter, melted

Dissolve jello in the boiling water. Add sugar, salt, lemon juice and rind. Beat evaporated milk until stiff. When jello is lightly congealed, slowly add it into the milk. Crush the wafers into crumbs and mix with melted butter. Pat crumbs into a pyrex or glass dish (a longer one rather than 8 inch square), reserving several TB. of crumbs. Bake crust for 8 - 10 minutes at 375 degrees, or until lightly toasted. Pour jello mix onto crumb crust, and sprinkle reserved crumbs on top. Refrigerate until firm. (To give the dish an extra boost, finely chop several pecans or walnuts and sprinkle on top with the crumb crust)

Today's Giveaways:  (Many thanks to our visiting authors for their generosity!)

In The Highlander's Bed by Cathy Maxwell (3 copies)
One "Take Me Home to Virgin River" duffel bag from Robyn Carr
My Favorite Countess by Vanessa Kelly (1 copy)
Hardball (digital copy) by VK Sykes (1 copy)
Improper Gentlemen (an anthology including "To Match a Thief" by Maggie Robinson) (1 copy)

A package of books and goodies from PJ's RWA National Conference stash.

Winners will be chosen at random. 

Lessons Learned....Or...It's All About Me

Today is my birthday. It’s not one of those big birthdays. You know which ones I’m talking about: the ones with a zero on the end. Not this year, though the next one of those is looming on the horizon and since I’m zooming toward the finish line of another decade it got me to thinking about what I’ve learned during my time on Earth and also what I have yet to learn. A person can soak up a whole lot of "stuff" in a lifetime so here, with a few visual aids, are some of my lessons learned.

One of the first, and most important, lessons we all learn is how to walk. I may look a bit tentative here and I’m sure I acquired my share of bumps and bruises, but I don’t think it slowed me down much.  Actually, according to what my mother wrote on the back of the photo, I seem to have mastered the skill of multi-tasking at a young age as well.  In this photo, I'm happily munching olives while taking my first tentative steps.  Even as the age of one, I knew good food should be a priority!

Once you master walking, move on to more challenging
tasks...like driving tractors... (it's a good idea to take along
a friend who can reach the pedals)

...and riding horses. (Not exactly a buckin' bronco but I seem to have the technique down.)  This was also about the same time I learned how to milk a cow…and to not try milking the bulls.  A very valuable lesson! 

I’ve always thought the skill of feeding oneself was highly overrated. Why go to all that work when one has so many willing helpers?

 

I learned at an early age that your fur-friend can be your best friend. I’ve had many over the years and they each hold a special place in my heart, especially the one who woke me this morning with neck nuzzles and ear kisses.  It did wonders for the lovely dream I was having about Hugh Jackman at the time!

You’re never too young to learn the value of a good bargain souvenir! This was also the summer I learned Spanish…and then proceeded to forget it because nobody in my little Midwestern town spoke the language. Lesson learned: use it or lose it!

Ah yes, table dancing: a frequently overlooked skill that comes in handy during the college years...or so I'm told.  Because I would know nothing about that.  Nope.  Not me.  Not a thing.  

I learned the value of a good hairstylist and complimentary colors ~ sadly, too late for the Junior Prom. A little blush would have helped too.

                        Everything’s better with chocolate!

Share your knowledge with the next generation.
"Why yes, it's perfectly acceptable to eat chocolate chip cookie dough!"






                                                              

Expand your horizons!

Venice, Italy

You’re never too old to be a kid.  Laugh at yourself and greet the world with a smile...especially when you're masquerading as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. That’s a lesson I hope I never forget!

                                        
                                               
                      Be willing to fight for what you want.














Hugs are my currency of choice.

Never underestimate the power of a good nap.

Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something
just because you’re a girl.

Surround yourself with good friends and you will always be rich, no matter your material possessions.







One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that you’re never too old to learn something new. The Romance Dish is evidence of that! 

What lessons have you learned?  What are your special skills?  What would you like to learn?  I'm going to learn something new in the next year and I'm trying to decide what to choose.  Knitting?  A foreign language?  Should I improve my photography skills or maybe take a cooking class?  Toss some ideas my way!

Because it's my birthday and there should always be presents on a birthday, I'll send some goodies from my RWA stash to one randomly chosen commenter.  So, come on!  Let's hear those ideas! :)

~PJ