I’ll have Amanda draw the winner tonight at 8 pm Eastern time. If you’ve left a comment during February, your name has been entered for the drawing. The winner gets to choose one of these books for a prize! All the books on the list are also available in print now or will be soon! I’ll post the winner on my blog and announce the March contest!

I’ll share some photos of my progress in the kitchen soon so I get some sympathy. I bought wallpaper remover yesterday to smear on the walls next.

Does anyone have special plans for the weekend? We are celebrating our daughter’s birthday on Sunday. Have a terrific weekend!

Click here to read book blurbs for the February blog contest giveaway!

Joshua “Josh” Radnor (born July 29, 1974) is an American actor who plays Ted Mosby on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

Radnor was born in Bexley, Ohio, the son of Alan Radnor, a lawyer. He grew up in Bexley, near Columbus, where he attended Jewish day schools (including the Columbus Torah Academy) and summer camps. Radnor graduated from Bexley High School and attended Kenyon College, where his school’s theater department presented him with the Paul Newman award.

Thanks to my daughter April for suggesting Joshua fits my title of “Hot Dork” - I obviously agree! Ted is hot and an appealingly geeky performer!

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOSHUA RADNOR FOR BEING DIANE’S HOT DORK OF THE WEEK!

I know I said that I wouldn’t be back until Tuesday, but I have some GOOD news to share! I haven’t visited my book pages on Amazon for some time so decided to take a peek. I’m excited because a reader left a review recently for my chick-lit mystery, A FIERY SECRET. She gave it 4 stars!

She said, “I liked how Cat basically went though her everyday life while falling in love and investigating a murder. Cat also makes mistakes and walks into a few issues of her own making, but that’s what makes her so likable. The other characters…all propel the story forward.”

It’s available for sale in print and in ebook format at My Bookstore & More and other online stores. Also click here for the Amazon link. I have a website contest which ends in May. The winner gets a signed copy of A FIERY SECRET!

BLURB:

While investigative reporter Catherine Steel looks for Mr. Right, she tries to learn if someone murdered the janitor from her old high school.

Catherine Steel is an investigative reporter for a newspaper in Ohio. To supplement her income so that she can buy clothes and gifts for her small godchild, she writes fluff pieces for women’s magazines. Two recent articles are: “What To Wear to Get Noticed” and “Catherine’s Ten Simple Dating Rules.”

When Jake Michaels fills a sports editor’s spot on the paper, Catherine wonders if he is man enough to fulfill her fantasy. And does she want him to be the one? After all, he broke her heart ten years ago in high school when he failed to show up for their prom date. And now that he’s back in town, he wants to date her. Catherine refuses to go out with him but he keeps asking. Should she give Jake another chance?

When it appears the high school janitor, Max, was murdered, Catherine is determined to learn the truth about his death. Catherine’s list of suspects for Max’s death include: the school secretary with her intense dislike of Max, the charismatic mayor, the mayor’s unbalanced girlfriend, the angry school principal, and a strange math teacher.

Have an enjoyable weekend!

I can’t believe how the morning flies - I got up at 5:30 and so far I have done a few loads of laundry, answered emails, fed breakfast to family at different times, now finally getting to my blog post.

By the way, I will be away until Tuesday. I wish I could say I’ll be on the beach for a long weekend but afraid not. I’ll be enjoying family time though so that will be fun and squeezing in time to work on taxes. Now that is not going to be fun. Also I want to start painting on Monday and write. Be sure to visit on Tuesday because I have a “Hot Dork of the Week” to share with you. You’ll definitely recognize him! He’s a great actor and from my state of Ohio.

We are expecting snow and cold temperatures this weekend. If you are, too, it’s a good time to curl up with a nice cup of coffee or hot chocolate and read excerpts from the four great titles I posted here this week. Be sure to leave a comment so you’ll be entered in the drawing!

If you are the lucky winner on February 28th, you get to choose one of these e-books! (They are also in print - a couple will be released in print in March.)

Here is the excerpt link for Marianne’s book, ONE LOVE FOR LIV :
http://samhainpublishing.com/excerpt/one-love-for-liv

Click here for all her Samhain books!
(She also has short stories and books published by The Wild Rose Press.

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Here is the excerpt link for Allie’s book, ONE NIGHT IN MEMPHIS:
http://samhainpublishing.com/excerpt/one-night-in-memphis
Click here for Allie’s Samhain books.
She’s also published with The Wild Rose Press!

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Excerpt link for Cindy Green’s book, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO YOUR WEDDING:
http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/stores/books/ex_AFunnyThing_wrp262.htm

Click here for all Cindy’s Wild Rose Book stories! She’s also published by Champagne Books and Grace Publishing.

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And here is the excerpt link for Miss Mae’s, SAID THE SPIDER TO THE FLY:
http://www.missmaesite.com/saidspidertothefly.htm

Click here for Miss Mae’s other stories with The Wild Rose Press! In April, she’ll have a new release with Class Act Books.

My short story is Thrifty Thursday’s free read at LASR! If you’d like to read it, click here!

I bought paint this week in a nice neutral color - beige. I’m going to paint some rooms because we are selling our house. Our great room, dining room and study already have white walls. I’ll show the before and after pictures. I need to clean the walls first and strip wallpaper in the kitchen so probably won’t get started until next week.

We had a meeting scheduled this morning to visit a transitional class, but it was cancelled for the third time. The weather isn’t cooperating! I can’t wait until spring. Amanda had school but apparently accidents are occurring in certain areas due to black ice and light snow. Amanda graduates this year so we are looking for a place for her to learn job skills during the next year or two. She’s anxious to start working. She looks forward to receiving a paycheck. She has many interests that I can see being developed into realistic skills for jobs. In spite of her handicap, she’s capable of learning new things and retaining what she’s learned.

CONTEST: Keep the comments coming. I’m looking forward to drawing a winner on February 28th!