Do you love your yard?

I do!

Then you need Finer Cut Lawn Maintenance.

David Resnick, a longtime friend of mine owns and operates Finer Cut. He is the best yardman you could possibly find.

Why? Because he cares.

Yesterday I came home from work to find David blowing and raking leaves in my yard and then sucking them up with the riding machine. I can now see my beautiful rock wall again. Last spring he did the same thing and saved me days of work. My whole neighborhood was jealous.


Look! No leaves!










This summer when I had an old tree removed from my front yard I needed some dirt to fill it in. I picked up the phone, called the friendly owner or Finer Cut Lawn Maintenance, and that day I had dirt delivered. Unlike a lot of people, David didn’t just drop off the dirt. He hefted it from truck to hole and raked it so it looked nice and I could put plants in it.

Of course, Finer Cut Lawn Maintenance does more than blowing leaves and filling in dirt holes. Finer Cut does mowing, landscaping, pruning, mulching, even snow removal. You name it Finer Cut does it. And they do it well. Actually, Finer Cut Lawn Maintenance does it better than any.

Don’t just take my word for it. Ask my jealous neighbors.

In the meantime, call David Resnick at 603-645-1711 and tell him you are ready to have a Finer Cut Lawn today.

Procrastinating Sunday

With the way people's lives are nowadays it seems that Sunday is the only day we can relax. If even that day. I don't know about you all, but because I work over 40 hours per week and have a 90 minute commute each way every day I cannot get some of the things I want or need to do during the week. Most evenings by the time I arrive home I am too exhausted to get back in the car and run more errands. If I don't stop on the way home the chances of me going back out are slim to none.

When Saturday rolls around instead of chilling out on your deck or in front of a cozy fire with friends, what do we do? We run those errands or do those chores we were too tired or too busy to do during the week. When the work week was invented (who knows when) I don't believe this was the idea of the weekend. Sure we do yard work because, hey, that's what weekends are for. But we do yard work Saturday mornings so we can BBQ with neighbors in the afternoon or evening. And we do yeard work because it gives us an opportunity to commune with nature. For me, I like to just play in my garden.

The problem is that it's no longer just yard work on Saturdays. It's running errands to the grocery store, picking up and dropping off dry cleaning, making trips to the post office, and doing all those other pesky chores that should have been/could have been done if our work week wasn't consumed by 50 to 60 hours of work and commute that we don't even get paid for.

Then we have Sundays. Now Sundays for many are spent getting up and getting ready for church and then having a family breakfast after that. But then what? Do you get to sit on your hiney and enjoy a day of rest? Isn't that what Sundays were meant to be?

Or do you procrastinate on Sunday because you really do have chores that need to be done, but your heart is saying, "Please, please can we just chill out?!" At least that is what my heart is saying.

So how do you procrastinate? Maybe you have a really LARGE cup of coffee. You know, a cup that's three times your normal kickstart in the morning.

Perhaps you listen to icky Sunday radio? I mean I swear this is the one day of the week that the radio stations forget that radio producers forget that people are listening and want to be entertained. I don't want to hear about how to raise my child in a green world, how to tune my car, or hear for the umpteenth time about some idiot politician screwed up. On Sunday the last thing I want is boring stuff. I want something that's going to make me laugh and forget that tomorrow is Monday and that the week starts all over again.

Maybe you watch the Sunday shows where some pompous opinionated person gives you his or her take on the world, economy, foreign politics, or whatever other topic there is that will blow your mind away on a Sunday. Instead, your heart is now pounding out of your chest because for 60 minutes you have listened to people who tell you they are smarter than you tell you how we can make everything better. But have they done anything about it? Nope. They just argued on national television about how it could or should be done.

How do you procrastinate?

Me, I should be writing on my latest novel. This is the one day a week I try to put aside for just my writing. So how do I procrastinate?

I get up, go for a cinnamon roll and Mountain Dew. Yes, I need caffeine, just not the coffee variety. I write a blog post like this one just because it popped into my head. I will then do a small amount of writing before the place I'm sitting in gets too busy and loud. And, of course, that's usually when I get on a roll in the story.

Then I get in the car and run more of those errands that I should have, would have run during the week if I hadn't worked so much. Or I decide I need silk flowers in my living room and I go to the little shop in Bedford because it's the only time I can make it to the place since it closes at 5 PM during the week. Occasionally, I get in my car and go for a drive. It doesn't matter where, just drive and stop wherever I want. Sometimes I head to Kittery to walk around the outlets and get some fresh air. I might even drive up to Gilmanton to get those terrific apple cider donuts I may have mentioned before. And yes, I will make that 45 minute drive just for those donuts.

After doing those things, I go home and look around and realize I need to vacuum or I need to put that floral arrangement together that I bought the flowers for. By the time I sit down to finish the chapter I started in the morning I am exhausted and my mind is already on work for the next day. Dang! Is that sad or what?

What do you put Sunday aside for and how do you procrastinate?

PS - I'm off to start writing. :-)

Holiday Craft Open House

If you missed or skipped Black Friday (not that I blame you), but still want to get some holiday shopping done then I have a fun venue for you.

Holiday Craft Open House!

This Saturday, November 27, is the 3rd annual Holiday Craft Open House.

Join us from 10 AM to 3 PM at 5 McGrath Street in Salem, NH for Refreshments and Handmade crafts.

Handmade items available:

Soy candles
Fresh Holiday Arrangements for decorating
Purses
Blankets
Doll clothes
Jewelry
Sweets
Painted glass and gifts


Oh, yeah, and I'll be there with my books! So if you haven't gotten your copy of your favorite local author's latest, here's your chance to get a great stocking stuffer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's to another holiday giving us the opportunity to be thankful for family and friends. Here's to a wonderful meal filled with loud conversations and laughing, fabulous home-cooked food, and your favorite pie for dessert.

Whether the dinner is at your place or someone else's, cheers to you and yours and I hope you have much to be grateful for.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

How to kill more than time on your holiday

This holiday I thought I would start the celebration by offering a unique writing prompt with party gifts as incentives.

As you entertain your family and friends this holiday season and sit down to a wonderful meal filled with love and laughter, I want you to think like a fiction writer. What am I saying? You ARE fiction writers. . . even if only in your mind. In this instance though you have to actually write something down and share it on the blog in order to be eligible for a party prize.

What are the party prizes?

• A copy of any ONE of my novels – reading for those holiday travels or an escape from the family frenzy!

• A copy of KILLER RECIPES – just in time for those holiday meals!

• A box of my homemade chocolates made by my very own Sweets by Denise hands.

How to win one or more of these fabulous participation gifts?

Pretend you are having a little get together at your home or office and you’ve invited everyone you want to celebrate with and maybe a few you don’t in the hopes of fun, food, and family and friends. Who wouldn’t want that? Or perhaps you really are having a gathering so all you have to do is observe, plot, and share.

However, we all have those relatives, friends (maybe not such good friends), and work associates that when you put them in a social venue just should be locked in a closet, chained to a chair, and gagged for the duration. In this case, you get to describe the holiday offense and tell us who should pay the price.

Share with us a family member, friend, or foe who when you gather for food and fun and hear the song “Grandma got run over by a reindeer”, somewhere in the back of your mind you are thinking that they got the wrong person.

Need some silly ideas to get you started? Gee! I might have a few. . . (none of whom are my family or friends)

You have an uncle who refuses to join the family at the dinner table because he cannot miss one minute of football. Heck, if you gave him one of those hospital bottle urinals he’d probably never leave his chair to pee. Grandma is at the dinner table stewing and upset about her ungrateful, ungracious son. What should we do with said uncle for making your wonderfully sweet grandma cry over her minced-meat pie?

Your favorite aunt makes the most disgusting “green salad” for every holiday meal. It’s not green because there is lettuce in the salad. Nope. This salad is called “green salad” because thanks to lime jell-o mix it practically glows in the dark. Add to it some chunk pineapple, cottage cheese, and cool whip, and you have the makings for a death trap. You don’t want your favorite aunt to die, but somehow you have to come up with a way to stop her from making this toxic sludge. Who must die?

Everyone has a cousin who is loud, obnoxious and a boil on the butt of your lovely family. Supposedly he hob-knobs with the so-called elite and basically believes his doo-doo doesn’t stink. Truth is, when he’s away from his claw-for-nails, overdressed wife who wears makeup as if she were a clown in the rodeo he is actually a pretty nice guy who enjoys a cold beer out of the bottle and a football game. I’m thinking save him, shoot the wife!

Oh! Wait! One more.

The monster child! You know the one. The boy or girl terrorizes all the other children, tries to strangle the family cat, and inevitably dumps food on your ancient aunt who sits quietly in the corner. All while the parents coo, “Isn’t he a joy? We just love his energy.” I’m not advocating killing off the child, cuz hello, that’s just mean, but the parents. . . now that’s a different story.

This week's Writing Prompt

This week's writing prompt idea came from a chapter I'm working on in my current WIP. I hope you have fun with it and share what you come up with.

Here's the prompt: She slipped out of . . .


Here's how I started the writing prompt.


She slipped out of bed early the next morning. Using the light from the hall to guide her, Jane located a pair of boxers and a tank top and silently dragged them on before tiptoeing out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

In the kitchen, she made coffee then sat at her little bistro table, staring sightlessly at the mug she held in one hand while the other propped up her head.

"What the hell have I done?"

Thought provoking Tuesday

Today's thought provoking question:

What one moment do you wish you could have caught on film but didn't?


Whether because you didn't have a camera or because you were so awed in the moment you forgot to click the picture, tell us what moment struck you that you didn't get recorded except in your memory.


There are probably several in my life but the one that stands out always in my mind is the first time I saw a Moray eel while scuba diving. The sucker was this big [she holds her hands apart as wide as they can go]. Actually, he was much bigger. And his head was ginormous!

He stopped right in front of me in this S-shaped pattern and stared at me. If I hadn't been 30 feet underwater and a regulator in between my lips, my mouth would have dropped open. He blinked twice and took off.

It was at that point when my heart was beating out of my chest that I realized I FORGOT to click the dang picture. Can you believe that?! I was flabbergasted.

To this day whenevr I go diving in Key Largo I always ask the Dive Master to find me a Moray. :-)

Denise Robbins and her latest novel NEVER TEMPT DANGER on blog tour

Some of you may not be aware that I am doing a book blog tour to announce the release of my latest novel NEVER TEMPT DANGER.

New to the blogosphere? No clue what a book blog tour is?

A book blog tour is where an author visits a book blogger's website where they discuss the latest novel, post an interview with the author, or just chit-chat about whatever topic is of interest for the day. You as the readers and visitors of the various stops of the book blog tour have a chance to get to know the author, the blogger, and almost always have an opportunity to win a free book!

My tour is under way right now. Below are the places we've been, and the dates and blogs I will be visiting. Mark your calendars - because you never know what surprise will come up as a giveaway.

10/22/10 Intense Whisper
10/29/10 Geeky Bookworm
11/05/10 Book Lovers Inc. - Giveaway ends Nov. 20th.
11/12/10 Sagi's Randomness
11/17/10 TBD - TV Ted
11/21/10 Foozago Blog
12/02/10 A Buckeye Girl Reads
12/04/10 Jo Jo's Book Corner
12/08/10 Babbling About Books and More
12/17/10 Inspired Quill
12/22/10 Cafe of Dreams
01/10/11 My World...in words and pages

To see any changes to this schedule and more information about me, the books, and upcoming events, visit my Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Denise-Robbins/

Tea time with Sagi's Randomness...and book giveaway

Today I am having tea with a new friend of mine over at Sagi's Randomness.

Sagi invited me for tea and somehow we got on the subject of trips and writing. Gee, like writing would be a new topic for me to discuss. Oh, hush! You know us women, we ramble from one thing to another and [SNAP!] just like that we're taking trips.

Grab a cup of tea, maybe a couple of sugar cookies, and stop on over to chat with Sagi and me.


Since we're having tea I thought it would be fun to giveaway a copy of KILLER RECIPES, a compilation of recipes written by authors, all to support the American Cancer Society.

If you leave a question on Sagi's blog Sagi's Randomness or tell us where you would like to travel to you could wind a free copy of KILLER RECIPES.

Thank you Veterans

For those of you who don't know, today, November 11, is Veterans Day. A day to remember and honor our military veterans. In other parts of the world Veterans Day is celebrated as Armistic Day or Remembrance Day. It's the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I and was signed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month.

No matter what you call it or where you are, today is a perfect day to say, "Thank you" to a veteran you know. Maybe you don't know him or her. Introduce yourself and thank him/her for protecting you and us. Thank them for standing the wall and making it safe for you and us to go about our lives.

While you are thanking those that you know or are still alive, remember those that gave their life. Remember those that went into battle for our freedom and didn't come back. Remember them as the hero they were and are.

To all the Veterans I know, have yet to meet, or will never have the privilege of meeting:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping keep me, my family and friends, and our freedoms safe from harm. You are my heroes.

Thought provoking question...that will make you write

If you could put a thought or sentiment in a fortune cookie, what would you write?


Now if that doesn't make you think or write an idea down, I don't know what will. Come up with an idea and share it.


Here is my fortune cookie sentiment:

Happiness comes from the heart, not the mind. Follow your heart.

Next blog stop on NEVER TEMPT DANGER tour

If you were looking for me today, stop by www.bookloversinc.com, my 3rd blog stop on my book tour for NEVER TEMPT DANGER.

Check out the interview where I discuss how books and authors influenced me and my writing. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of NEVER TEMPT DANGER.

Writing Prompt Wednesday...

I just love when a writing prompt is inspired by my own writing. This one came from a scene I started while at Margaritas indulging myself in a margarita and doing some writing. Honestly, there is no better place to write than a noisy restaurant.

This week's Writing Prompt Wednesday prompt is: "She put her hands against his chest..."

Now if that does not leave it open to all kinds of ideas I just don't know what would.

Have fun and don't forget to share what you came up with!

Response to last week's writing prompt

Last week's writing prompt was: "Is everything - "

What did you come up with? Share! Share!


Here is my attempt at the writing prompt:

“Is everything –”

She halted mid-shake and spun around. Her assistant stood stock still and wide-eyed in the doorway staring.

Cheeks flushed, Jane straightened and cleared her throat, shoving down the skirt that had crawled up her thighs during her little jig.

“Yes, Tony?”

When her assistant didn’t respond but stood there gaping with his chin to his chest, Jane spoke again. “Are you trying to catch flies?”

Tony’s lips clamped shut and he blinked several times before he stood up straight and put words to thoughts. “Uh. No. Sorry,” he stammered then ran a hand down his face as if to clear his vision. “Are you okay? I heard yelling.”

Never Tempt Danger and interview in ITW Big Thrill Webzine

There are days where waking up and logging on are so worth it. Today is one of those days!

In my email I received the latest edition of the The Big Thrill, International Thriller Writers webzine. In it is an interview I gave with Clea Simon about my latest novel, Never Tempt Danger.

It's very thrilling for me to see my name, my book, and my interview listed with authors I read and admire like Heather Graham, Carla Neggers, and David Baldacci.

So yes, you can imagine me seeing this article for the first time and hooting with joy, spinning around with enthusiasm, and doing a little jig in glee. Then, of course, forwarding it to everyone I know!

I will top off this fizzy excitement with two other little ditties that happened. A woman I know who refuses to buy my books from me because she wants to support me (Isn't that sweet.), bought two copies of Never Tempt Danger, one for her and one for a friend. Then she asked me to sign them. Attached to the front of the book she asked me to sign for her friend was a note. Here's where I get a little red-faced with embarrassment, but at the same time my heart jumps and does little pirouettes in my chest.

The note read: "If you like Janet Evanovich, you will love Denise even better."

Wha?! My eyes bugged out. Someone actually compared me to Janet. Way cool!

A neighbor to my parents in Florida read a copy of Never Tempt Danger then went over to their house and praised my writing and my creativity, asking, "Where does she come up with such stories?" Followed by, "Where can I get her other books because the library doesn't have them?"

I, being the cheeky chick that I am, have volunteered to send Peggy a copy of another book and one for her to donate to the library. Maybe that will make them sit up and take notice.

Hope you have a wonderful and cheeky day like me!