HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Keep Warm, keep happy and KEEP SMILING!

Happy reading,

JJ

Ahhh, Valentine's Day. Love. Cupid. Matchmaking?

Well, here we are again. February 14. Valentines Day. The day for chocolate and jewelry and roses and cupid and love.

Yesterday, while leaving my office, I saw a women walking out with a vase full of a dozen red roses. She had a huge smile on her face. Methinks somewhere last night there was a very happy man.

And, I heard but did not see this, that another man stood outside our office tower with a very large sign (my friend couldn't read it) and kept shouting something up toward one of the floors (it's a 26 floor building so who knows how far up the woman was). Eventually, she came down and raced into his arms. Music was blaring out of his car and they waltzed right there on the sidewalk in downtown Louisville.

Sigh.

Oh, I've had my share of Valentine's days. I remember when I was a little girl trying to analyze by the kind of Valentine I got from the boys at school which one might like me more. If there was a sucker attached, well, that meant something! During high school it was like...OMG...if you didn't get something what would you tell the girls? Now that I've had a number of Valentine's Days pass me by, I recall candy and roses and very pretty cards.

But now? Well, honestly, it's just another day - except for in my books. I'm not expecting anything because, um, there is not that special person in my life right now and you know what? That is perfectly fine with me.

Besides, I'm on South Beach. I can't eat the chocolate, right?

I have a friend who occasionally attempts to "matchmake" me with someone she knows. I've always found the concept of a matchmaker somewhat fascinating. Is it a gift? A profession? Just whim and fancy? It's never really worked out for me but I love books and movies with this premise.

I guess that's why it feels really good to be writing the series I'm working on right now. The Matchmaking Chef series is a spin-off of the Ladies of Legend books I co-write with my SisterWriter authors Jan Scarbrough, Janet Eaves and Magdalena Scott. The Matchmaking Chef is a series all of my own though. I've taken my favorite character from Finding Home, Suzie Matthews, and made her the central character in all five of the stories - a chef who matchmakes!

Perfectly Matched was just released last week at Resplendence Publishing. Keep on the lookout for Hot Crossed Buns, Dates du Jour, Side Dish, and Mate to Order coming throughout 2009.

So what about you? Ever heard of a matchmaking experience that worked? And what about your Valentine's Day today? C'mon, you gotta spill. What did you get? I'm living vicariously through you...

Love to all, Maddie