Just bought a "new" older car...

  I had to do it!

Whoot!  Now I can actually DRIVE twenty blocks without having to pull over, turn off the car, then restart it to reset the damn computer codes that absolutely have to go meshuga every few miles.  Neither of my magnificent personal mechanics (Yes, they are mine, since I gave birth to them) has been able to pinpoint the problem, and the car has more new electronic parts than a video game system.  I have been unable to drive anywhere over 25 miles from home for over two years.  Couldn't trust the poor car to make it both ways.

Ever had a car like that?  One that played games with you when you were headed somewhere important?  One that works perfectly fine until you turn on the radio, heater, or AC?  Then it decides to chug, choke, cough, sputter and other wise make you wonder what is wrong with the stupid thing?  It was a great car for the first 18 years of its venerable life...but over the past 18 months, it has driven me bonkers. 

No, I don't plan to burn it on a funeral pyre...I will keep it in case the newer one decides to need work...at least I will have a spare that way.  

So share your car nightmares...I HOPE I'm not the only one out there who has a tricky car...

Hugs,

Fran

http://www/franleeromance.com

Are you wearin' th' green?

Protector of the Irish Church...

The Saint's Feast Day that ran amok...St. Patrick's Day has become a celebration of all things Irish.  The feast day of St. Patrick has, since it was instituted in the seventeenth century, become a grand celebration of Irish tradition and fun.  Very few people outside Ireland know the story of St. Patrick...but his feast day (he died March 17, 461 AD) has continued on through the past 250 odd years as a showcase of Irish fun and frivolity!

Why green?  Few people know that the color originally used to commemorate St. Patrick was actually blue.  Over the years, however, the wearing of green ribbons and shamrocks on March 17th eventually changed the color scheme of the day to emerald green.  

So enjoy your green beer, your Irish Whiskey, and your green Mardi Gras Beads...pinch a few hot butts...and generally become Irish for a day.  Now is your chance to become as Irish as shamrocks and leprechauns...Erin go braugh!

Hugs!

Fran Lee

http://www.franleeromance.com

Is having a blog worth the time and trouble?

I am bone tired...I feel chilled and shaken by the past 10 days and I am actually wondering if maintaining a blog is even worth the trouble.

When I was rah-rahing everyone's books and cheering all my pals on, I got a lot of hits on my blog.   But I have noticed that maybe only a couple...or three or four come by anymore unless I go out to the loops and spam everyone.  And you all know how I feel about spamming folks.

All my energy reserves have sort of gone into the toilet lately.  I need a bit of rah-rahing, and I do appreciate those of you who have dropped by to leave me comments.  

Thanks, and if you don't hear from me much, it isn't because I don't love you all...it's just because I am plain worn out.

Hugs...

Fran

Wow...Leap Year done leaped right past me...

Sigh...

Time has flown since last year ended, and I am not sure where it has gone.  I have changed my plans three times about attending Romanticon again this year, but right after I decided the thrid time that I would go, my son became very ill, and will be in a very touchy situation for a couple of months.  He had an explosive headache for a week, and then when he couldn't take the pain any more he went to the ER...where they told him he had a large, leaky aneurysm at the base of his brain where the spinal column is attached.  He was rushed to the best hospital around, and had emergency surgery to "coil" the aneurysm. Very touchy, highly complicated procedure...with an 80% fatality rate.  If that isn't enough to give me a heart attack, I don't know what is. 

Anyway, the surgery was a success, and he is fighting his way back to health.  But I genuinely think that someone out there in the Universe is trying to tell me not to make plans...and so I decided not to go.  

Murphy's Law seems to be playing leap-frog with my life at this point, so I am in a holding pattern.  

Thanks to all of you who guided wishes and prayers to him the past few days...I know the power of prayer and positive thought.  My deepest gratitude to all of you.

Hugs,

Fran

Well, It's Saturday Again...

I was about to give up all hope for my latest release, since it obviously was not as well-received as some of my prior releases...and then I found this today...

Just Erotic Romance Reviews

Title: Uncertainly Yours

Author: Fran Lee

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing

Reviewer: Barbara McCormick

Rating: 5 Stars

Heat Level: O  (orgasmic)

Jacqueline O’Halleran’s Uncle Frank left her his ranch in Wyoming and a mountain of debt. Feeling terribly alone, she returns to her childhood home and starts selling off horses and other assets to pay off what he owed. She plans to sell the ranch, until the man who rejected her as a teenager explains that she can’t because her uncle didn’t own it. Lance Blackfeather has loved Jacqueline since childhood, but had to turn her away when she was sixteen because she was too young. He knows she can’t possibly love him, but the attraction between them is volcanic. Maybe he can trick her into staying with him anyway.

I love Western romances! Uncertainly Yours comes complete with rich descriptions of Wyoming ranchland, fine characters, and a love story spiced with some really hot sex. It’s a lovely combination. Jack’s anguish at losing her only relative is palpable, as is her certainty that Lance could never love her. Lance, on the other hand, is so desirable and so ready for another chance with Jack, even though he knows he’s killed any chance of her love. Even as they each think they are deceiving the other about their feelings, their smoking sensuality and steamy bedroom scenes will have you heading for multiple cold showers. 

Ms. Lee offers just enough of the main characters’ history to flesh them out and lead us to their current dilemma. When they finally start communicating their love for each other, it’s delightful. Uncertainly Yours is a wonderful, sexy Western romance to start the year.

It was a pleasant surprise, and I wanted to share...

Fran

Don't you just love fan reviews?

I got a Google alert today, and I checked it out...

I followed the link given, and found a sweet fan review of my oldest book, Out of Her Dreams.  I was thrilled that this wonderful reader took the time to put a review of the book on her personal blog.  Now, these are the kinds of reviews an author loves to see.

Please go check out her blog...

http://lifelongbookpassion.blogspot.com/2012/02/out-of-her-dreams-by-fran-lee.html

I wish more readers would do this kind of thing for authors, especially if they truly love a book.  It makes the author feel like a million buck.

Hugs to all of you!

Fran

http://www.franleeromance.com 

Valentine's Day Contest!

 

Don't You Just Love Romance?

There is something marvelous about love...about seeing two people whispering and snuggling and totally forgetting that they are in a public place as they giggle and tease.  The history books are filled with all sorts of romances. As are the fairytales.  Wow...Snow White had an entire small army of guys chasing her around. And even the Bible.  Who can manage to forget Solomon and Sheba, for heaven's sake?  

Hollywood has shown us more than it's fair share of hot romances over the years.  (Sometimes more than we wanted to see.)  And most of us love to pick up a hot, sexy romance book (print or digital) and laze away the entire afternoon, unable to put the darn thing down.

Well, I am celebrating Romance starting today and the celebration will end on Valentine's Day at midnight....and if you are interested in winning a Fran Lee Romance Gift Basket, I invite you to send me an e-mail from my "Contact Fran Lee" page over at my website, and tell me what your all-time favorite Romance is...book, fairytale, poem, story, or movie...I just want you to tell me what it is, and what about that romance captured your heart.

As the subject of your e-mail, please put "Fran's Valentine's Day Contest".  Since the gift basket has to be mailed, I will need to know if you live in the USA.  If you don't, you will have to settle for a gift pack of e-books instead, since S&H to other countries just isn't in the cards.

I will select the winner on Valentine's Day.  I will expect a really GREAT e-mail about your favorite Romance...you're gonna have to work a bit for this gift basket.  Oh...you want to know what's in it? Well, let's just say that it will be sweet, sexy, and heavy.  LOL!

So be sure to give me lots of detail about your favorite Romance...

I will have my granddaughter pull ten entries out of the hat on February 14th...and I will decide who the grand prize winner is based on your ability to grab my attention with your story.  It doesn't have to be perfect grammar, etc...it just has to make me sit up and take notice, so do your best.  And have loads of fun doing it, because the prize will be well worth your effort.

Hugs, and write those e-mails!

Fran