RESOLUTIONS MAINTAINED?

I'm sure all my readers are happy they've kept their NEW YEAR's promises to themselves, so far. Such good citizens. If you feel you've done a great job of sticking to your resolutions, let me know. It is good to know which of your friends have strong wills. I've resolved to get this out on time. My college pal, Virginia Anderson Torres sent me an email wondering what had happened to me, why she hadn't received the newsletter. I'm afraid my will isn't so strong as it should be, but I did make it before February, at least, darlings.

ARCHIVES PLEASE

To avoid Carolyn Leonard's reminder, I'm asking you now to please go to the newsletter page on my website where you'll see pictures and drawings along with the words. Prettier, I think.

MY FIRST "STORE BOUGHT" GARMENT

Julia Mae Hoover, my cousin, recently sent some pictures back to me, pictures I sent her years ago.

This is my high school senior picture. I was fifteen and Miss Hazel had bought me a suit! This was my first ready-made piece of clothing other than shoes and socks, since I was twelve and Daddy sent me a pink skirt and a blue sweater. All the years up to this point I had worn things made (or remade) for me. Wow! I was thrilled.

My new chocolate brown flannel suit was gorgeous and expensive. It cost Mother $40, an unheard of price for any garment for me at that age. It was made of the softest woolen and styled like the suits the movie stars wore. She gave it to me just in time to wear for my senior picture.

My second picture, also wearing my still gorgeous brown suit, was taken while I was in college, the fall when I turned sixteen I had gone downtown in Shawnee, Oklahoma to have the picture made and felt very glamorous and grown up with the whole adventure. That was my first year at Oklahoma Baptist University, which was not so successful, but I felt turning sixteen would make all the difference in the world. Academics were no problem, it was just that I’d spent several months without one date. I started college in the summer and as the days went by I began to feel really invisible. I had been allowed to date at home. What had happened to me in college? I wondered.

Of course, now I know I was just a "baby" in the eyes of those sophisticated college boys who were seventeen or eighteen or older. They didn't want to go out with a fifteen-year-old freckle faced kid, and who could blame them? After that year and another summer at OBU, I transferred to what is now called Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I had gotten smart enough by that time to tell no one my age and the Housemother at my dorm couldn't have cared less about where I was going or with whom. The Housemother at OBU, Miss Jacks, had kept me within an iron grip and questioned me about my activities every day. I must have been her youngest chick.

SPEAKING OF CHICKS

I'm no longer a chick but I am a HEN. Jackie King, Paula Alfred, Sharon Ervin, and I are whirling from pillar to post, promoting our book, CHIK~LIT FOR FOXY HENS. We're always busy but we're having so much fun.

Jackie has shocked me. She has pulled out of the dignified, quiet, conservative mode and has become a lean, mean, promotional machine. You need to go to her website and read her Red Hen Diaries. I find them really amusing.

My readers can order our book from Amazon.com, AWOCbooks.com or from their local bookstore. The bookstore can order HEN from Ingrams, which is a book wholesaler to bookstores.

We sold twenty books recently at Tulsa NightWriters. Romney Nesbitt bought herself a boa and gave us a great introduction. She is one talented woman. She also drew our cover hen on a big poster board and Jackie and I asked the bookstore to place the drawing in the window. They did and they also put copies of the books on three little shelves stair stepped beneath the announcement of our signing there on Feb. 4 from 1 to 4 in the afternoon. Any of my readers in the Tulsa Area are cordially invited to attend this festive occasion. The clerks at Steve’s have been so complimentary. We feel we are going to do well at that party.

I have also rented us a table at the Channel 6 Woman's Expo on the 10th, 11th and 12th of February at the fairgrounds and the four of us will take turns "womaning" our booth there, trying to sell our darling book. Remember the 10,000 books sold resolution made by Jackie... our resident press agent, cum sales person par excellente!

THIS JUST IN

Dusty Richards wrote this month from Arizona, that when finished the three books he is working on, he will have sold 70 novels in his career, so far. I remember when he sold his first novel, (I have it) I can't wait for his next Logan. Youall, of course, know why.

A LETTER FROM A READER

I love letters from readers. I don't know where Dona Sherf lives, but she amused me greatly with the following smart alec note:

I keep wondering how you have time to do all you do? Then, it dawned on me. NO SEX! You must have time on your hands! Happy Holidays.

Donna Sherf

BACK TO LEFLORE COUNTY

Paula Gorgas of Poteau, Oklahoma, was one of those who wrote a good idea about soulmates, as follows: "Soulmates can be a part of a group of people who have made an arrangement to be soulmates for each other in each reincarnation for the purpose of the group's soul growth."

I'm pretty sure that Paula's cat is a soulmate of mine. I guess I should ask Paula if that is possible?

More about soulmates next month. I'm not yet ready to tell you what my ED man of last month told me. Maybe next month. He and I have agreed we might be soulmates.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

I've been reading THE BRIDESHIP by Deborah Hale. It is strangely unlike any Regency I've ever read, and believe me folks, I've read a ton of them. However, Harlequin Historical has clearly labeled it "Regency." If they don't know, no one does. Read it. You may like it even if it never seems to become my favorite indulgence, A REGENCY ROMANCE.

I suppose really good regencies will become harder and harder to find since Signet has gone out of the regency business. They've really disappointed me with that decision.

SEX

None. (Donna Sherf was right.)

Love to all of you.

Peggy Fielding