Fire!

I used to be a really great sleeper. You know, before I had kids and had to sleep lightly so that I could hear my kids if they woke up. When I was a teenager, I could take naps like nobody's business.

So one afternoon, I took my nap on my parents' waterbed (remember those?) as usual. I slept peacefully, and woke up fully refreshed.

I felt much less refreshed when I discovered the following:

While I was sleeping, the fire alarm had gone off. This wasn't one of those wussy fire alarms that just beeps--this was a fire alarm that was set up with my parents' alarm system, and so when it sensed smoke or carbon monoxide or whatever, an EXTREMELY LOUD man's voice would come out of the speaker and YELL "FIRE! PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! HELP IS ON THE WAY!" It would do this over and over and over and over. It was so loud, you wanted to cover your ears, no matter where you were in the house.

When this occurred, all my younger siblings (Dan, Josh, Linz, and Bucky) evacuated (if only to escape the yelling fire alarm man) to the trampoline in our backyard, which was our designated "meeting spot" should any of us ever survive a natural disaster. While they were merrily evacuated on the trampoline, I continued to sleep.

It turned out to be a false alarm, but I still can't believe that everyone evacuated without me. Even fifteen years later, I'm still surprised by my siblings' treachery--I COULD HAVE BURNED! (oh, okay, I'm not surprised at all--they are totally like that!) Let me just remind you, I COULD HAVE BURNED!

We're a very close family.

Bucky's Big Three

Right, have you been on the edge of your seat waiting to find out how Bucky solved the big three dilemma? Me too. Except I already know. Just for those who are behind on my blog (which is about everyone, I'm sure), here's the deal--my sisters and I (aka The Tingling Touches Club) are writing romance novels mostly to be funny and I'm recapping the plots and high points for everyone. Sounds like fabulous blog material, doesn't it?

1) Setting--Bucky's not exactly sure when her novel is set, but from the conveyances, dresses, and plot, we kind of think it must be Regency England time period. Except for her hero is always saying things like "heck" or "darn" which I don't think existed back then. At least the main characters in Pride and Prejudice never say them . . . Oh, well, everyone has their right to break their setting (it's a little reminiscent of the A-line dresses with cap sleeves, right?).

2) Main Character Names--Kate and Caden, which you know, could happen. I once had a gym teacher who's first name was Kelly and then she married a man whose last name was Kelly. What are the chances? She became Kelly Kelly, but she had the good sense to use her maiden name. Phew! I know the alliterative and similar nature of these names might be off-putting, but I have to say, Bucky knows how to work it, because it doesn't really bother you after you read all of their kissing scenes. Now, their kids (am I ruining the plot to tell you that they do end up together?) should be named: Cort, Callie and Carla. You know, just to keep it real.

3) What's keeping this perfectly matched couple apart? Well, a couple of things, really. Kate's a runaway socialite who discovered her parents had arranged a marriage for her. So she becomes a governess to (can you guess?) Caden's nephews and niece who he has custody of because their parents died. So she feels like their relationship is based on a lie. Caden seems to have no qualms at all about their relationship. In fact, this is the touchiest, most affectionate "apart" couple that I have ever seen. So kudos to Bucky for making that work. Another plot twist comes when the kids' grandparents try to wrest guardianship of the children (and the fortune) by kidnapping Kate (it makes sense in the book, I promise). Kate runs away, and decides to succumb to the arranged marriage. Wait for it! You'll never guess . . . or maybe you will . . . the person she is promised to just happens to be CADEN! Oh, my heck, you never saw that one coming, did you? Yeah, it's a sweet deal.

Next up: My BIG Three! It will totally be worth the read, I promise. Well, really it will be five minutes of your life that you will never get back, but still. Read it, just to make me feel better.