I pride myself on not taking anything for granted (though the Spouse might disagree if I do or not), and I enjoy every Season; the stark, snowy ravages of winter, the delicious crisp smell as fall arrives, the steamy summer where I can go for months without wearing socks.

But Spring is special. And this Spring, with the winter the Northeast has had, is extra-special. I cannot wait for it to arrive.

Earlier this week, on my day off, I headed out to the library to pick up more books I don’t have time to read (it’s a sickness), and on my walk home, I noticed some brave little green shoots poking out of some folks’ front yards.

Crocuses? Daffodils? My breath caught. I think it’s early days yet, but I do think Spring is on its way, and the first sign, the absolute very first sign, for me is usually the first sighting of crocuses. Not even the flowers, yet, just the green parts edging up from the ground.

Oh, yay. It’s been a long winter. I’ve liked the winter, but I’m okay with it being done. I’m tired of being cold. I want to wear a coat that’s chosen for how cute it is, not how much warmth it offers.

What about you? Any signs of spring in your area?

Megan

P.S.: And I found time to write again this week! Second week in a row! Yay!

We have winners! The two winners of Elaine Golden’s drawing are–Rachel and Danielle Gorman!

And the winner of a copy of Amanda’s The Shy Duchess is–Pageturner!

Congrats to all of you! Please email us your info at Riskies AT yahoo.com

Due to technical difficulties with Amanda’s internet connection, we must reschedule Elaine for another Sunday.

I’m working on a fight between the hero and heroine in the balloonist story. I’m pretty happy with it so far and looking forward to the makeup sex that comes next. 🙂

But I realized while writing this that I don’t often write this sort of scene. IMHO one has to be careful with arguments and fights and use them only where they make sense.

I’m not a fan of stories in which the characters are constantly squaring off, unless there’s a really good reason. I have trouble imagining a happy ending when people can’t work anything out. There’s an idea out there that there are couples who constantly fight and make up and it makes things exciting. But the one couple I know in real life who are like that (and I was told early on that this was “just their way”) are fighting more bitterly as they get older. They are afraid to separate and yet neither is willing to compromise, apologize or forgive. It is not romantic. It is tragic. I want better for my heroes and heroines!

I also like story setups in which the hero and heroine are thrown together and try to get along toward some common goal, while there is some other problem that they have to solve before they can be together. Conflict doesn’t always have to be adversarial.

Anyway, what do you think makes a conflict work well? Do you sometimes enjoy a good fight (fictional, of course)?

Elena

Two hundred years. So this year we’re celebrating the ascendancy of the Prince Regent (how much is enough? minimal, unlike the person of His Highness), surely one of the more useless and despicable members of the doltish dullards who were the Hapsburgs.

The actual Regency itself–those nine years–were not the best of times. Political oppression, check. Galloping inflation, check. Warfare, check. Gowns dropping the lovely Grecian simplicity and developing silly frills at the hems, check.