What the world needs now

I'm a big fan of books about human relationships; I am a bigger fan of writing books about human relationships. It's all the many kinds of connections we have with the people whose lives intertwine with ours that give rise to the phenomenon known as Story.

I don't consider myself a romance writer, but I do love a story that showcases the dweam within a dweam. (from the Princess Bride, of course. If you've no idea what the dweam within a dweam is, you've simply got to see this movie. Best romance movie ever with the best comic lines ever). Romance is the sweetest of all human relationships, right up there with being someone's mommy.

So when I set out to write Blue Heart Blessed (seems like a long time ago now), it was the dweam I was going for. And the comic relief. I liked the way it turned out. Of all the books I've written I've had the most fun with this one.

So I was pretty jazzed to hear yesterday that Blue Heart Blessed is one of three finalists in the Long Contemorary Category for the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest for the Faith, Hope and Love chapter of the Romance Writers of America. (yeah, that's a lotta words. sorry) The winner will be announced at the RWA national conference in DC in July. (The Shape of Mercy is up for a RITA award with the RWA, but in a non-inspirational category).

If you haven't read Blue Heart Blessed, it's about about a single gal on the eve of her 30th birthday still smarting over being stood up at the altar the year before. To wean herself away from the wedding she still dreams about, she opens a used wedding dress boutique in Minneapolis' Uptown and tries to sell the one-of-a- kindwedding gown that she'd designed especially for herself. Only trouble is, everytime someone wants to buy it, she says it's not for sale. Poor thing.

You can probably already guess (since it did final in a romance category) that something happens in the romance department while Daisy attempts to loosen her hold on a past she can't change. And there is a fun cast of supporting characters to add levity to all that heartache and introspection.

Anyway, it's great to have affirmation. Here's the list of other nominees. I share my nomination with two good friends and I will honestly be pleased with whatever happens in July. It really is an honor just to be nominated. Have a great weekend!

Long Contemporary
Along Came a Cowboy by Christine Lynxwiler (Barbour)
Blue Heart Blessed by Susan Meissner (Harvest)
When the Soul Mends by Cindy Woodsmall (Waterbrook)

Short Contemporary
Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas by Sandra D. Bricker (Summerside Press)
A Time to Heal by Linda Goodnight (Steeple Hill)
Hidden by Shelley Shepherd Gray (Avon Inspire)

Long Historical (3rd Place Tie)
A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman (Revell)
Courting Emma by Sharlene MacLaren (Whitaker House)
A Promise to Believe In by Tracie Peterson (Bethany House)
My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Bethany House)

Short Historical
Hideaway Home by Hannah Alexander (Steeple Hill)
Family of the Heart by Dorothy Clark (Steeple Hill)
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller (Barbour)

Women’s Fiction
Waiting For Daybreak by Kathryn Cushman (Bethany House)
Where Do I Go by Neta Jackson (Thomas Nelson)
Lying On Sunday by Sharon K. Souza (NavPress)

Romantic Suspense
Shadows at the Window by Linda Hall (Steeple Hill)
Double Jeopardy by Terri Reed (Steeple Hill)
Healing Promises by Amy Wallace (Multnomah)

Novella
Almost Home by Susan Page Davis (Barbour)
Stuck On You by Rhonda Gibson (Barbour)
Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn (Faith Words)

Memorial Day images. . .

I live less than a mile from the local cemetery. I drive past its quiet lawns every day on my way to my busy, busy life. . .

I can't believe I am sharing this link with you. It decreases my chances of winning this contest and I really want to win!

But I absolutely loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - loved it - and I am so excited that Random House is sponsoring this drawing for a trip to the island of Guernsey, the setting for this amazing tale. It's a book club's dream trip.

If you haven't read TGLAPPPS - please don't let the tongue-twisting title dissuade you - you simply must. It is the most delightful adventure into the human heart. I have read a couple books recently on World War II, including Those Who Save Us (beautiful prose -achingly hard to read) and The Zookeeper's Wife (amazing premise but failed to draw me in ) and I have to say, Guernsey is so tenderly and cleverly written you forget it's a war story.

I love a book that takes risks. The authors of Guernsey turned convention on its head and told this story through correspondence - and only correspondence. It's masterfully done and incredibly personal - aren't most letters that way? It's like a story told only with conversation, so you can imagine how every sentence needs to matter. Every sentence has to convey plot and conflict. Every sentence has to reveal character. Every sentence has to woo you like heart-tugging narrative should.

The story in a nutshell is this: In January of 1946, British columnist Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. An unlikely and amazingly deep friendship begins between Juliet and the members of this "book club" and the reader is transported to the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and into the hearts of people who risk much for love.

Here is an excerpt from an interview with one of the authors, Annie Burrows: "I have received many, many letters from readers all over the world bemoaning the fact that the book comes to an end. 'I wanted it to go on forever,' they say. 'I want to go to Guernsey and join a book club.' 'I want to be a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.' And the answer is Yes. As long as we don’t get too caught up in the space-time continuum, the book does still go on, every time a reader talks about it with another reader. The membership of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society increases each time the book is read and enjoyed. The wonderful thing about books–and the thing that made them such a refuge for the islanders during the Occupation–is that they take you out of your time and place and transport you, not just into the world of the story, but into the world of your fellow-readers, who have stories of their own.'

I love that concept. That just sharing this book with you makes me a card-carrying member of the Society. And I don't have to eat any Potato Peel Pie to join (I hear it's not that great!)

Want to read an excerpt? Sure you do. Here you go.

I don't usually win contests, but this book left me so full of hope, I am optimistically packing my bags. Anyone want to come with me?

One thing you quickly find out when you set out to teach is that you will always come away from the experience with the feeling that were in fact, a student.

I would go so far as to say this is especially true at higher elevations.

I just spent five days on the faculty of the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, a wonderfully-organized event located in spectacularly beautiful Estes Park. I made many new friendships, rekindled old ones, laughed a lot, challenged my flatlander lungs, and re-energized my soul with why I love to write.

Here is one of my big nuggets from the trip, mined from the curious standpoint as learner wearing a “faculty” name tag.

Novelists are intimately acquainted with pain.

Every talented novelist throws a perfectly likeable character into a situation where they are wounded, will be wounded or greatly risk being wounded. That’s what Story demands and that’s what Reader expects. Even your basic comedy puts a character in a pickle that - with enough clever lines - makes us laugh even as he or she writhes in frustration and disappointment.
It’s interesting to me that novelists are tuned in to the problem of pain. We don’t have to know it on intimate terms – thank you, Jesus – but we are dialed into it. We keenly observe it. We ponder it. We wrench stories from it. Dare I say we look for it.

Someone asked me this weekend what pain have I known that has allowed me to write what I have written.

Truth be told, I am a poser, I guess.


I've been spared every ugly thing I’ve made my characters slog through. But I must have been paying particular and acute attention to those whose woes I have borrowed for my storylines, even if they do exist only in my imagination. Does that count for anything good? I hope so. I don’t want to start thinking of myself as a heartless spectator. I can imagine the anguish of tremendous personal loss even if I haven’t lived it.

That does make me sympathetic, right?

And that’s a good thing.

I like the sound of that.

Writers are highly sympathetic.

That almost sounds admirable.

Two for you

First things first! Here’s the winner of Elizabeth Musser’s new book:
Congrats, Danica! Use my contact link to email me and we’ll chat about where you’d like me to send it. Or send me a Facebook message if you hang out there.

Two good friends have new books out and I’m happy to promote them here on the Edge. First off, Susie May Warren, who has a kicky first name and likes Italian food just like me is introducing a new series with her latest, Nothing But Trouble. And the lovely Robin Lee Hatcher has just released A Vote of Confidence. You’ll have to check out her booktrailer. Very cool.

Here’s the sccop on Susie’s book:

PJ Sugar knows three things for sure:

After traveling the country for ten years hoping to shake free from the trail of disaster that’s become her life, she needs a fresh start. The last person she wants to see when she heads home for her sister’s wedding is Boone—her former flame and the reason she left town.
Her best friend’s husband absolutely did not commit the first murder Kellogg , Minnesota , has seen in more than a decade.

What PJ doesn’t know is that when she starts digging for evidence, she’ll uncover much more than she bargained for—a deadly conspiracy, a knack for investigation, and maybe, just maybe, that fresh start she’s been longing for.

Susan May Warren is the award-winning author of seventeen novels and novellas with Tyndale, Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing. Her first book, Happily Ever After won the American Fiction Christian Writers Book of the Year in 2003, and was a 2003 Christy Award finalist. In Sheep’s Clothing, a thriller set in Russia , was a 2006 Christy Award finalist and won the 2006 Inspirational Reader’s Choice award. A former missionary to Russia , Susan May Warren now writes Suspense/Romance and Chick Lit full time from her home in northern Minnesota .

So, Susie-Q, where did the idea for PJ Sugar come from?
"Every author dreams of a moment where someone says something, or they see something on the news, or in a newspaper and it springs out at them, nearly shouting – STORY IDEA! This happened to me a number of years ago while talking to friends about their daycare situation, and how one of the parents ended up being a murder suspect! Scary! But an interesting idea. About that time, I was a mom who wore many hats – homeschooling mom, writing teacher, speaker, children’s church leader, -- and it occurred to me that a mother really has to be a sort of PI. Not only taking on different roles, but sleuthing out daily household mysteries like, who ate the last of the peanut butter (and put it back in the cupboard?) and whose socks are laying in the middle of the floor, and finally…(in our house), who let the dog (and her muddy feet!) in the house! PJ is the alter-ego in every mom, that super-hero inside of us that allows us to have esp (I know you’re not really done with your homework!), or have “eyes in the back of our head,” (stop poking your sister!) or even figure out how to whip together an award-winning science project the night before the fair. PJ just applies all those skills to bad guys and figuring out the truth.

PJ Sugar is also a woman who wants to be all things to all people. She wants to be her nephew’s champion and her sister’s best friend, and her mother’s favorite daughter, and Boone’s special girl, and the hero of her hometown. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Maybe…because God wants her to be His girl, and satisfied in who He made her to be. And that is a journey for all of us PJ Sugars."

Sounds like fun!

Robin Lee Hatcher is also beginning a new series with a new book. A Vote of Confidence launches The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series that asks the question, "Who says a woman can't do a man's job?" The setting is Idaho during the WWI era. And I just love the cover of this one. It's yummy. Here are all the details:

Put up or shut up!

Complaining about Bethlehem Springs' dissolute mayoral candidate, Gwen Arlington is challenged to take on the role herself. For seven years, she’s carved out an independent life in the bustling mountain town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho, teaching piano and writing for the local newspaper. But now she’s a single woman running for mayor — and in 1915 this decision is bound to stir up trouble.

Morgan McKinley is fed up with the delays that hinder the construction of New Hope Health Spa, a place where both rich and poor can come for rest and healing. New to the area, he has determined that serving as mayor would help him push through his agenda for progress.
Gwen and Morgan each want to prove they are the most qualified candidate, not only to voters but to each other, and so sparks fly as the two campaign. Although Morgan has learned to guard his heart as fiercely as Gwen guards her independence, could they learn to be allies instead of adversaries?

This is first book in the Sisters of Bethlehem Springs Series provides intriguing insights into how women challenged convention and shaped America in the early twentieth century.

And where did your idea for this series spring from, Robin?
"Ideas come to writers in lots of different ways. The idea for The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series came to me back in 2003-2004 and had its genesis in a couple of other books. From Catching Katie had come a fascination with the decade leading up to the passing of the 19th Amendment that gave American women the right to vote. From a secondary character in Speak to Me of Love came a fondness for a woman in an unusual occupation. While those two things were rolling around in my head, up popped the final ingredient. A question: Who says a woman can't do a man's job? And the next thing I knew, I'd met Gwen and Cleo Arlington, the heroines of the first two books in the series. I had to wait to meet my third heroine until the hero of A Vote of Confidence walked into my imagination. Guess what, Morgan McKinley had a younger sister, Daphne. Each of these women have jobs that weren't considered a woman's domain in their time (1915-1918). I hope readers will become as fond of Gwen, Cleo, and Daphne -- and the men with whom they fall in love -- as I am."

Robin Lee Hatcher is the best-selling author of over sixty books. Her well-drawn characters and heartwarming stories of faith, courage, and love have earned her both critical acclaim and the devotion of readers. Her numerous awards including the 2000 Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the 1999 and 2001 RITA Awards for Best Inspirational Romance, Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards for Americana Romance and for Inspirational Fiction, and the 2001 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. Catching Katie was named one of the Best Books of 2004 by the Library Journal.

Enjoy! I am off to teach at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference! See you on Monday . . .

Husband asked me many days ago was there anything special I wanted from him for Mother's Day.

I just want cactus, I said. Lots of them, actually. Really? his response. Totally.

See, there is a cactus vendor at our local farmer's market and his stall every Saturday is brimming with the most intriguing, spiny flora you've ever seen. They look other-wordly. Alien. Artistic. I want to fill one side of our driveway with an audience of them.

Right now on that sad hillside there are a couple scraggly looking fruit trees that scream for water and in SoCal, we're expected to ration H20.

Everybody knows cactii don't have an addiction to water. And they are so. . . can I say it? . . . Cute.

So that's what husband did.

Yesterday, I woke up to a little garden of strange, hot-dog-like creatures, all of them looking as if they should be named. Care to suggest some?

Oh, and the cherry limeade from Sonic?

It was divine. Splendid. Superb.

See you on Wednesday, when I will post a couple days early. (I'll be teaching at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference this Friday.) We'll talk about two new books - one from Robin Lee Hatcher and one by Susie May Warren. I will also post the winner of Elizabeth Musser's new book, Words Unspoken. See you then!

Words Unspoken

I am thrilled to have as my virtual guest today, the lovely and gracious Elizabeth Musser - author, missionary, and gentle soul. I met Elizabeth two years ago at a writer's retreat and knew I had made a lifelong friend. Elizabeth is a native of Atlanta now living in France. Her novels have been acclaimed in the United States and in Europe. The Swan House, set in Atlanta in the early sixties, was named as one of Amazon's Top Christian Books of the Year (2001).

Today we are celebrating the arrival of her newest book, Words Unspoken. If you want to WIN a copy of the book, just post a reply by Tuesday, May 12. Here she is!

What inspired you to write Words Unspoken?

Initially, I wanted to explore the idea of the voices we hear in our heads and how those voices influence us and our decisions. A major breakthrough in my life as a Christian and as a young woman came when I understood which ‘voice’ to listen to and which ‘voices’ to tune out. Through studying Scripture, I learned how to make a ‘battle plan’ when I was tempted to listen to the wrong voices. When God reveals something life-changing to me, I want others to know about it, so I figured these ideas would eventually turn up in a story.

Also, since my son was learning how to drive and describing his lessons to me (he was in the US, me over here in France), I had the idea of making the main character a young woman who was learning to drive—again. My son told me of taking driving lessons in a little school in Fort Oglethorpe, GA near a military park, and voila!

You have quite a few main characters in this novel—can you tell us about them?

I decided to take seven characters who seem unrelated at the beginning of the novel and let each one tell parts of the story from his or her point of view, all the while having several driving forces that would eventually bring all of these people together.

My characters are a colorful crew, to be sure.

You’ve got Lissa, a bright 19-year-old, competitive with so much going for her whose life has been put on hold because of a tragedy. She deals with panic attacks, and debilitating fear and is often unable to move forward because of the negative voices she hears—‘never good enough’, ‘all your fault’. She deals with false guilt.

Ev is the 65-year-old driving instructor, quite eccentric with plenty of wisdom and several big secrets too. He’s a godly man who realizes that the Lord is putting His finger on an issue in Ev’s life that needs resolution. We all experience this as we grow in Christ—the Lord pointing out something else that we need to deal with. Ev also suffers from a weak heart.

Stella is the mysterious author ‘S.A. Green’. She’s very fun—she gives everyone a hard time and is described by others as ‘batty’, ‘nutty’, having ‘a wicked sense of humor’, ‘eccentric, smart and intimidating.’ I really like this character because of the mystery that surrounds her. I love to add mystery into each of my novels.

Silvano is an Italian jerk, young and determined and full of himself. A name-dropper, an opportunist. But he has his reasons…

Janelle, a missionary in France, has lost a child—a toddler—in a terrible accident and deals with ongoing grief.

Katy Lynn is the snobby socialite from Atlanta. She is out for herself and determined to hold things together on her own strength and keep up appearances. She definitely has an attitude!

And then you have poor Ted, the successful young stock broker who is making big money and living the high life, intent on impressing his wife and giving his family the best Atlanta has to offer… If only he weren’t so greedy…

It’s always challenging to throw a bunch of characters together. They don’t always do what I want. But actually, I love that! It’s like fitting together a big jigsaw puzzle. And my readers tell me that they feel like they’ve lost good friends when they finish my novels.

You often create a strong sense of place in your novels. Is that the case for Words Unspoken?

Definitely. I chose these settings because, as a Southern writer (I write about the South in the US AND in France), I am familiar with these places and I can bring them to life—sometimes a place in my novel almost becomes another character.

For instance, Lookout Mountain overshadows much of the story, literally—it’s where Lissa lives. I chose the mountain because the road up the mountain is very precarious to drive with many hairpin turns as well as amazing views of the valley below, gorgeous colors of the leaves in the fall. All in all it was a good setting for some nerve-rattling driving lessons. Figuratively, the reader feels the wealth, intrigue, danger and regret all tied up in that mountain.

I used many other real places: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia with its Chickamauga Battlefield Military Park, the setting for one of the worst battles in the Civil War; the well-known tourist attraction of Rock City; the cities of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia and Montpellier, France.

Not only do you like to have a sense of place, but also time. Can you explain?

I call my writing ‘recent historical inspirational fiction’. That’s a mouthful. Basically, I enjoy fitting my stories into important (although perhaps little-known) moments in the 20th century.

Words Unspoken takes place from late September through late December, 1987. In the background of the novel is the stock market crash of 1987, ‘Black Monday’, which has an effect on several of the characters. One of the most interesting things I encountered as I wrote the novel was how the storyline became so very timely. I thought that most people could relate to the idea of ‘hearing voices’, but what I didn’t expect was that the time period I chose, October 1987, would be so similar to what the US is experiencing now—a stock market crash.

One challenge for me as far as time was concerned is that the story takes place during three months. So I had a lot of main characters pushed into a short timeframe with a very fast plot. I definitely had to keep my calendar and time charts up-to-date. Again, I enjoy making the story fit together, even when it seems impossible. As a novelist, it is fun to have a problem to solve.

What is the underlying theme/message of the book?

As with all of my novels, Words Unspoken has several themes. The first is the question I have already discussed: “whose voice will you listen to?” I examine how negative voices from the characters’ pasts have continued to influence them in their decision-making. As a result, they make poor decisions involving greed, selfishness, a desire to get ahead, keeping up appearances, feelings of failure and never being good enough, depression… Is there a way to quiet the negative voices and hear the truth? What is the truth?

One of the main characters Ev, the driving instructor, is a mature believer and hears the truth. As he strives to help the young girl Lissa to learn to drive again, and overcome panic attacks, he talks to her about a ‘battle plan’. I would love for my readers to consider forming a ‘battle plan’ of their own to help them choose truth and make good decisions.

Another theme is that God can redeem the terrible mistakes of our past. Little by little the reader realizes this about Ev—his life hasn’t been one easy trip. He and his wife have learned through suffering—both from circumstances beyond their control and poor choices they made in the past.

The whole idea of driving lessons is a metaphor for the theme of a girl who is not only learning to drive again, but to LIVE again.

Another theme I examine is what GREED does to people—very timely as we see the state our country is in.

And I examine the question of grieving—how long does it take? Do you ever ‘get over’ losing a loved one?

Finally, I weave throughout the story the idea that life is not random, that what appears to be coincidence may be more than that. There is a God who is in control.

Sounds like you have a lot of things going on in your novel.

True. I often say that I write ‘entertainment with a soul.’ So it’s not just entertainment. If a reader is looking for purely fluff, I don’t think he or she will appreciate my novels. I do like to make my readers think. Yes, I offer a fast-paced plot but my characters also deal with meaty issues. Words Unspoken deals with contemporary problems—greed, depression, the role of our conscience in decision making, monetary failures, financial crisis. But the story isn’t depressing. It’s a fast-paced AND thought-provoking read, interlaced with hope and redemption: God is a God of hope and new beginnings; He does not waste our pain; the best way to move forward in life is with a ‘battle plan’—a plan that prepares one to hold onto God in the midst of life’s difficulties; the Holy Spirit is the best ‘voice’ to listen to. And ‘life is not random’.

I think the message of my books stays with my readers. It is not unusual for me to hear that readers have read my books two or three times and that the characters feel like ‘real’ friends dealing with ‘real’ problems. I do not offer simple answers, and I am not afraid to raise hard questions as I relate the Gospel. I combine colorful characters, an intricate plot, and deep themes, as well as in-depth research and fun historical tidbits thrown in along the way.

Who will want to read this book?

As you can see from the characters, this story has something for everyone, from the high school student to the businessman, the society lady, the full-time Christian worker and the retiree.

How does living in France affect your writing?

As I’ve said, I like to challenge my readers in my stories. I have been challenged in so many ways by living overseas, and I think Americans need to have their eyes opened to different cultures. So some of the issues I raise will hopefully cause my readers to think about their belief systems and what is actually truth. Living in France has definitely broadened me, made me want to communicate the importance of getting outside our comfort zone and getting to know other cultures. In my writing, there are always issues about race and culture.

You have thirty seconds to pitch your book to a potential reader; what would you tell them?

Have you ever been bothered by negative things from your subconscious—you know, those voices from the past that whisper ‘you’re not good enough’, ‘you’ll never succeed’, ‘you’re a failure’ or ‘you need more, more, more to be happy’? Well, I’ve written a novel about the lives of seven characters who are motivated by voices from the past. Words Unspoken, which arrives in bookstores in early May, is about a young girl who is trying to learn to drive again after a tragic accident has effectively put her life on hold. You’ll also meet a ‘rogue’ stockbroker, motivated by greed, a mysterious best-selling author who is determined to remain anonymous and a driving instructor on the verge of retirement with plenty of secrets of his own. Come with me to a girls’ school and a military park in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and to beautiful Lookout Mountain in the fall of 1987 where mystery and the effects of Black Monday are awaiting. Words Unspoken promises you the ride of your life. Won’t you join me? Hold on tight!

I’ve put out a video on YouTube to give my wonderful readers a chance to get to know me better and have a peek into some of the places where Words Unspoken takes place. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVAKxLogoDQ

Thanks for being here, Elizabeth. Or should I say, Merci!! If you want to learn more about Elizabeth and her books, check out her website at http://www.elizabethmusser.com/. You can also read an excerpt there of Words Unspoken.

Oh happy day

When you are a West Coast girl transplanted to Arkansas, there is much that is unfamilar, new and, dare I say it, intriguing: Watching a cotton field bloom like a sea of roses. Eating a bowl of grits for breakfast, sprinkled with shredded cheddar. Catching fireflies. Tasting farm-raised catfish and actually liking it. Learning to make due with RC when you really want a Coke.

But one of the greatest pleasures of having lived in the Silent S state is falling in love with Sonic's cherry limeade. Just writing those three words - Sonic's cherry limeade - makes me salivate. I adore the cherry limeade. Nothing else off the menu has the same charm 20 years later as cherry limeade. Tater tots I can get at any grocery store. I can even make a hamburger that I like better than a Sonic burger, but I have never been able to duplicate the cherry limeade.

When my Air Force husband received orders to go overseas and we left Arkansas, little did I know I would spend the next 20 years rubber-necking anytime I happened to be visiting a state where the yellow Sonic sign beckoned. And since we lived overseas for five years and then moved to rural Minnesota for the next 13 years, the sightings were few. Denver 2005, Memphis 2006. Oklahoma 2007. Just last month in Dallas.

So imagine my utter delight when I heard Sonic was coming to San Diego. The first two words out of my mouth when the news anchor announced it was a ferocious "Cherry Limeade!" to the household - a yell which sent both dogs bounding to the window to subdue an intruder.

And I am not the only West Coaster who has pined for a cherry limeade lo these many moons. When the new San Diego Sonic opened last month, customers lined up at 6 a.m. for the 10 a.m. opening. Surely, all they wanted was a cherry limeade.

So I am counting the days until Sunday. Mother's Day. All the other moms can have their champagne brunches on patios with views of the Pacific. All I want is a cherry limeade. While sitting in my car with my kiddos. Brought to me by a fresh-faced teen on roller skates.

I can't wait. . .