Ask not for whom the Ball Drops…

Posted by Jeanne Adams Dec 31 2008, 5:38 am in Ball Drop, New Years Eve, New Years Resolutions

by Jeanne Adams

It drops for thee! Grins.

Are you partying tonight? Are you getting dressed up and going out? Having people in? My house is going to fill up today with family. My brothers-in-law and their wives and sons will be arriving today to spend New Years with us. It will be loud – perhaps not quite as loud as Times Square where Bandita Jo is tonight! – but it’s gonna be raucous.

Tomorrow, we’ll have a huge meal, much like Thanksgiving or Christmas with steak and pototoes and all that yummy stuff. Its wonderful because my family is in North Carolina so we travel there for Thanksgiving. No leftovers. Ahhhh, but Christmas and New Years…LEFTOVERS!!! WOOHOOO! Its amazing how much I love ‘em.

So that’s all to say that we are totally BORING up here in DC. (After all, there’s a big party only a couple weeks away on inauguration, can’t get a sitter for both nights, right?) It’s been a long time since we dressed up and went out to party. I vaguely rememer it being a total blast.

Do you have any traditions? What do you do at New Years? I looked up a bunch of things on Wikipedia. Did you know they officially kick of New Years in Sydney, Australia? *Waving at our darling Aus Banditas* I’m sure they knew that, but for us non-Aus-ers, they do fireworks over the Sydney Harbour bridge.

In fact they do fireworks almost everywhere, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and India. Even in China, where they celebrate their Lunar New Year later, they blast off New Year Fireworks on “our” New Year.

Wiki says the Italians wear red underwear at New Years, but doesn’t explain it. Anyone know why? (Not that I don’t like red unmentionables, but I’m curious…) In Japan they clean. Okay, I don’t want to spend New Years in Japan. :> Seriously it’s the time to clear the temples and prepare to welcome the god of the New Year. (I still don’t want to clean) In New Zealand, evidently the Black Caps cricket team play a New Years One Day game. Seems they’ve outlawed liquor in some places due to those rowdy Kiwis going beyond the reckless and into the vandalous.

Another odd one from Wiki is Mexico. Again with the red undies – for those who wish to find love – and get this…YELLOW undies for luck with money. (The guy to the left is the closest to yellow undies I could find, but he does look LUCKY…right?) I wonder if stripes gets you both? Oh and in Peru, there’s the whole yellow-for-luck-undies, plus if you walk around the block with a suitcase, you’ll get the trip of your dreams in the new year. In both countries, they eat a grape for every strike of the clock at midnight and make a wish for each grape. I like that one. I’m going to use it tonight! Grapes, I have.

Do you make resolutions? If so, how many – one or a hundred? Something in between? Do you make family resolutions? I have a friend who gets her husband and kids together on New Years Eve and they make family resolutions for the year. Its pretty cool. They also have a 1/2 New Years in June, to check and see how they’re doing on their resolutions!

Now I know Tawny’s one of our Major List Makers – I’m betting she makes resolutions right along with her goals – and I know there were quite a number of Bandita Buddies who confessed to being inveterate list makers as well.

So, fess up. Do you make ‘em? Do you check on ‘em half-way through the year? Do you keep ‘em till the next turn of the Year?

And another time for confession….is one of your goals this year to finish the D*mn BOOK? Grins.

So ready the fireworks, get the undies on, pick up a suitcase (writing’s a journey, after all!) and let’s celebrate a FABULOUS new year. It’s the countdown to the Ball Drop, the countdown to the Queen’s Speech (Denmark and the UK), countdown to some wonderful resolutions.

Let’s hear ‘em, Ladies and Gentlemen!

161 Comments

Who was that Masked Man?

Posted by Anna Campbell Dec 30 2008, 5:10 am in Anna Campbell, Bandita Booty, Launch Party, Tempt the Devil

Or woman… by Anna Campbell Honestly, I’ve gone gray waiting for the 30th December to arrive. And now it has come! The Day is Here!!!!!! Just in case you have never visited this blog before or haven’t had any contact whatsoever with Anna Campbell in the last six months, the 30th December is the day TEMPT THE DEVIL hits bookstores in America! So what are you doing here, reading this blog? Get out there! Buy the book! Buy 50 copies of the book! Well, all right, maybe I’m getting above myself here… But once you’ve actually braved the cold to
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Tim Tam Limerick winners!!

Posted by Suzanne Ferrell Dec 30 2008, 4:30 am in Uncategorized

by Suzanne Welsh Okay, y’all were so great with the limericks, I decided to give away TWO packages of Tim Tams. So, the winners are: Virginia for best use of iambic pentameterand Gannon for her best use of Hugh Jackman in a limerick! Ladies, send me your snail-mail addy to swwelsh2001 at yahoo dot com and I’ll see that those Tim Tams are on their way to your homes! And thanks for playin the limerick game!!

12 Comments

Lorraine Heath returns to the Lair!

Posted by Suzanne Ferrell Dec 29 2008, 5:01 am in Between the Devil and Desire Jade Parker, Lorraine Heath, Rachel Hawthrone, Suzanne Welsh

by Suzanne Welsh One of our favorite guests is back in the Bandit Lair with us today, NYT Bestselling author, Lorraine Heath. Lorraine, pull up a barstool and let’s talk about your newest release. (By the way there’s Tim Tam’s in the Lair today!) Suz: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND DESIRE is the second in the Scoundrels of St. James series. Can you tell us about the story? Lorraine, nibbling on a TimTam while giving a quick wave to the Bandits: The story involves Jack Dodger, the owner of a notorious gentleman’s club. One of his patrons-the Duke of Lovingdon-bequeaths Jack
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109 Comments

Christmas Booty!!

Posted by Kate Carlisle Dec 29 2008, 4:30 am in Bandita Booty, Christmas, Kate Carlisle

Thank you to everyone who visited the Lair on Christmas Day. It was lovely to hear how you all spent your day, your travel plans, the feasts, the gifts both given and received, the quiet moments, the merriment, and of course, the Christmas stories you love best. Our random number generator chose a winner of the Bountiful Bandita Basket, and that winner is … BUFFIE!! Congratulations, Buffie!! When you have a moment, please send your snail mail address to me at katecarlisle99@yahoo.com and I will send the basket and all the goodies inside straight to you! Thanks again to one
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Our Second Year Together

Posted by Suzanne Ferrell Dec 28 2008, 6:00 am in accomplishments, celebrations, raffle baskets, Suzanne Welsh, Tim Tams

by Suzanne Welsh Wow, we’ve been together for another whole year! This time last year, we’d had 4 books reach the book shelves. Now, we have sales by more than half of our Banditas with 14 books on the shelves and 5 more coming out by April of next year…and more to follow! At the RWA National Conference in San Francisco this past July, for the first time ever, 19 of the Banditas made it to the conference at once. Believe me, the Banditas took the place by storm and created our own kind of special commotion. And even the
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105 Comments

Holiday Babies

Posted by Susan Sey Dec 27 2008, 5:01 am in Uncategorized

by Susan Sey So my dad’s birthday is the day after Christmas. I realize this isn’t ideal timing, from a kid’s perspective. The gift budget has just been blown & nobody has the appetite for another celebration. Plus all your friends are out of town visiting Grandma & Grandpa, & nobody could come to a party even if you were able to have one. In recent years, however, this bummer birthday has transformed itself. Now my dad is a grandpa & so are all his friends. Now the grandbabies (and the sons & daughters who are responsible for them) come
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A Kind of Hush

Posted by Nancy Northcott Dec 26 2008, 5:01 am in 12 Bandita Days of Christmas, Holidays, peace

by Nancy Some 40 years or so ago, a group of British musicians “invaded” the American music scene. Exactly 40 years ago yesterday (I’m writing this on Christmas Day), Apollo 8 orbited the moon with guidance systems more primitive than the computer on my desk. And somehow, the news coverage this week has drawn them together for me. The title of this post was inspired by a song one of those invading British musicians, an extremely cute young man named Peter but known as Herman, made famous. The refrain was There’s a kind of hush/ All over the world tonight
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Merry Christmas To All!!

Posted by Kate Carlisle Dec 25 2008, 5:05 am in Bandita Booty, Christmas, Kate Carlisle, Romance

By Kate It’s Christmas Day, at last. I can finally relax … I think … Has this year’s holiday season been a particularly crazy time for everyone? It’s not just me, right? Some say it’s because Thanksgiving was late so that gave us one less week to prepare for the next big holiday. But I think it’s just been a difficult year in general and the holiday rush tends to add to the anxiety. Oh, but let’s not talk about anxiety and craziness today! It’s Christmas, and that means quality family time, wonderful traditions, special gifts, and peace on earth
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108 Comments

Bandita Booty!

Posted by Anna Sugden Dec 25 2008, 4:30 am in 12 Bandita Days of Christmas, Anna Sugden, Bandita Booty

by Anna Sugden Yes, it’s time to announce more winners for the Banditas Twelve Days of Christmas! From Christmas in England, congratulations to: Jane!! And from Let it Snow!, congratulations to: Margay!!Please send your snail mail details to our Christmas Bandita, Jeanne at jeanne@jeanneadams.com. From The Best Part of Christmas, congratulations to: Hardwrkdmom aka Dianna and her friend, BarbaraDonna will need Barbara’s contact information, so if you email both of your snail details to:http://www.donnamacmeans.com/, she’ll make sure Jeanne gets your information and Barbara gets her autographed hard cover copy of THE TROUBLE WITH MOONLIGHT. And I’m still waiting for two
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