Pamela Clare's Blog, page 36

My new bookshelves

This has been a great weekend. Realizing it was the last weekend I would spend with Benjy before I had surgery — he'll be here for about 10 days after my operation, and then he leaves for college again — I decided to put my manuscript aside and focus on doing things with him that we felt were worthwhile.

Kind of my accident, we got to work reorganizing my office and bedroom, and it was a day well spent. I never have time for this sort of thing, but with Benjamin's muscle, it ...

It's the end of the novel. The heroine and hero have been through hell, at least if they're in one of my books. They've earned their happily ever after. Vows are made in the presence of loved ones. Rings are exchanged. Then the groom kisses the bride, and....

Well, traditionally, the couple are introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Man's Name. Etiquette says that if your name is Mary Ross and you marry a guy named Gary Jones that you become Mrs. Gary Jones. Get me a bucket, because I'm going to puke!

Most...

See that little peek of red amid the green vines? That's our first ripe tomato of the season.

There ought to be a celebration for that day. There's nothing like a tomato picked ripe from a vine in your own garden. Tomatoes taste like summer itself, and I can't wait to devour this one.

High summer is here, and the greens that were so plentiful in early June — arugula, romaine, spinach — are history. They'll be back in the fall, or sooner if I replant. But they don't like hot 90+ degree days, whi...

There's something beautiful about black and white photography, particularly when the subject of the photographs is the naked male body.

I thought we'd dedicate this Man-Titty Monday to an appreciate of the fine arts — particularly the fine art of staring at sexy male torsos, with a nod or two to ancient sculpture, which I studied extensively in grad school.

Our culture tends to idolize the young female body. But the ancient Greeks considered the male body to be the height of beauty. Who am I to...

The original cover for Surrender, which I vetoed. Iain is a Scotsman, not Daniel Boone.


Yesterday, I was interviewed by a woman who's doing research for a documentary about the world of romance novels. The conversation focused heavily on my own life story and how I became an author — but we also talked about what appeals to readers about the romance genre. I emphasized the HEA — the fact that readers of romance like investing their time in books that have upbeat, happy endings as opposed to c...

Dean Potter is perhaps my fave climber. Alex Lowe used to fill that spot, but died in a slab avalanche while skiiing on on Shishapangma in Tibet.



Potter is hardcore but also super-smart, and he dominates the Yosemite climbing scene. (Does Camp IV ring a bell to any Naked Edge fans?) He speed climbs, free solos (climbs without ropes), high balls (bouldering without ropes), base jumps (leaps off cliffs wearing a small parachute) and high-lines (walks on a tightrope high above the earth wi...

Last Monday, MTM took a holiday. This week, we're back with the beef — and an announcement about the cover of Breaking Point, my next I-Team novel (July 2011). But first the beef...

The fellow above seems to be giving us a peek at one beautiful man breast. The rest of him is beautiful, too. Let's stare for a while.


I know I'm supposed to be looking at this model's chest, but his package is what keeps catching my eye. Is that real? Yes, yes, I think it is. Let me look some more...

Thank goodness ...

Breathing some fresh mountain air in Rocky Mountain National Park. Front row,
L to R: Lucy, Kathy. Back row, L to R: Jackie, Kristie, Cheri, Sarita

Yesterday was the first official day of RomCon in Denver. It's the first year this event has been held, and I certainly hope they do it again. Designed to bring readers and writers together and to focus on the interests of the readers, it's been lots of fun for me so far, even if I haven't attended many RomCon events.

My focus yesterday was taking so...

Kat sent me this video. And it encompasses all the Diné I know, as well as some things I didn't know. And, clearly, I didn't know much.

I just wanted to share it with you because it gives you a good idea of what Navajo sounds like. Despite all the time I've spent in Kayenta, Tuba City and on Black Mesa over the past 15 years, I picked up a total of two words.

By contrast, I've been on Lakota lands only a few times and can actually have little conversations. Lakota is easy compared to Diné in my...

After months of planning (not by me), RomCon comes to Denver! It's the First Annual RomCon, and it should be a blast. RomCon is about readers being able to spend time with their favorite authors, and it's about reading.

I wanted to post my schedule so that those of you who are coming can note which events we have in common and when I might have a break. I won't be staying at the author hotel; I'm going to stay in my own house which is about 45 minutes to an hour away from the convention hotel....