Do you travel for the holidays?

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by Becky Moore

I like to travel for Thanksgiving, and during the weekends leading up to Christmas since we like to be at home for Christmas Eve and Day. And regardless of the season, one of our favorite locales is Asheville. It’s nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the Swannoa River meets the French Broad, and a hop, skip and jump away from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain and Linville Gorge. The rolling hills and mountains call to us with their Siren’s song, but we keep our beloved outdoorsy stuff for the spring and fall.

Christmas trips to Asheville are made specifically to visit the Biltmore Estate, and the Grove Park Inn. Did you know the Biltmore Estate has a table where Napoleon’s heart once sat? Or that it has the nation’s first indoor bowling alley? It took six years to build the house (our nation’s largest house), which is modeled after a 16^th-century French chateaux. It has 4 acres of floor space, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. CNN’s Anderson Cooper has a connection: his mother is Gloria Vanderbilt, and I believe it’s still owned by one of Vanderbilt’s descendants (though, it’s neither Gloria nor Anderson) … but I digress. George Vanderbilt had the estate built, and opened it officially to guests on Christmas Eve 1895. They welcomed countless dignitaries, including Edith Wharton, President Teddy Roosevelt, Henry James, and President Woodrow Wilson. And, sigh, it has a two-story library that is truly spectacular. There’s an enviable Tiffany glass collection, an indoor swimming pool, elevators, and an intercom system. The Vanderbilt’s weren’t messing around, I tell you. The estate is lit by candlelight during Christmas, and every room is awe-inspiring. The tree on the front grounds is larger than the one at the White House, and is lit like a beacon on the mountain.

The Grove Park Inn has a wonderful history, as well. It was built in 1913, and counts Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and President Woodrow Wilson among its distinguished guests. The first time I stayed was with my mom, the summer between high school and my freshman year at college. She won an award at work, a long weekend at the Inn with tickets to the Biltmore Estate. Since times were super lean when I was a kid, that award was like getting the keys to the castle. The stone fireplaces are so huge that we could stand fully upright inside of them. We spent our money sparingly, and saved enough to order room service the day we left: pancakes, sausage and freshly squeezed orange juice. Heaven. I’ve stayed twice more, with my husband, since then. Though, when we stayed for our first anniversary, we were in one of the historic rooms and when my husband opened a bottle of champagne, the cork flew into the ceiling and chipped out a good wedge of plaster [sheepish grin]. During the holidays, they host the National Gingerbread House Competition. I watch it on television, but we never manage to get there to see it.

So the next time you’re planning a trip to Asheville to see the leaves changing in the fall, put it off for a couple of weeks to experience the quaint town, and its two historic landmarks, decked out in Christmas regalia. It’s worth the wait, and sure to become a new family tradition. Whatever your plans for the holidays, I hope you are warm and safe, and spending them with friends and family who love you as much as you love them.

The Great Oudoors

Tallulah Murphy is a busy woman. As the newly appointed Director of Education for the Atlanta Art Museum, she has a thousand and one things to do on any given day. Dating is not high on that list; in fact, it’s not even on the radar.

Three hundred miles away in Charleston, South Carolina, Lieutenant Mitchell Weaver is gearing up for his promotion to be the youngest police chief in the city’s history. And unfortunately, as a prominent city official with all eyes watching his every move, a quality date seems untenable. But when good friends and good fortune set Tallulah and Mitch on a fateful adventure with Madame Evangeline’s high-end dating service, 1Night Stand, they may find a little matchmaking magic can reset their spirits of adventure and open their hearts and minds to the possibility of love.

Playing Dress Up

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By Becky Moore

I’ve never been a big fan of masks, though I can’t necessarily pinpoint the exact reason. I worked in theatre for many years, and my director loved to sneak up and grab me while he was in costume—with facial prosthetics—because he knew I would squeal and squirm and mortify myself, if I was the kind of gal that gave a damn.

My imagination always runs away with me, and that mask phobia carries over to my darkness phobia. Rather than worrying about the serial killer who might live down the street, I’m far more worried about the zombies that will likely creep out from behind the house when I take the dog out at night, or the Boogeyman in my closet (thanks Stephen King!). As you can imagine, October is a nightmare for me.

There’s a horror movie on every channel, every freaking night. The night sky is darker. The cloud-covered moon is spookier. And the likelihood of running into some be-masked person lingers around every corner.

But man, oh man, do I love to do a little role-playing. Maybe it’s the writer in me, with the constant barrage of conversation and narrative running through my head. Maybe it’s the bad girl in me, who savors the most excellent sparks my husband and I continue to generate after 18 years. Who knows, but with the world preparing to don costumes, masks, and different personas next month, it begs the question:

·        Are you a role player?

·        “Who” (or what) would you want to ravish you?

We’re in the middle of our adult co-ed soccer season right now, so I like my mister to show me a little David Beckham—if he gets to have David’s thighs and oblique’s, then I get to borrow Victoria’s narrow hips and flat stomach, right? Additionally, with his ripped legs from all the running he does on the pitch, I would love to see him in a hot set of manties and leather chest straps like King Leonidas of Sparta. 

Sigh.

Leave a comment for a chance to win Becky's book, The Great Outdoors. Tell us who you'd want to RAVISH you! One lucky commenter will be chosen at random to win her book.

It’s In the Bag

by Becky Moore

Yesterday my son started high school and this morning my mother-in-law is having surgery, so I’ve been a little distracted over the past couple of days. Lots of planning and preparation to get these two events going, you know? And it got me thinking …

My undergraduate degree is in English, with a concentration in Writing and Editing. I had a great professor during my sophomore year who was fond of telling us to “unpack the details,” in terms of adding lush descriptions to our work. Unpacking the details served me well over a dozen years working as a writer and PR whiz in advertising, the arts, and as a journalist. And it still works today as a novelist. But a bad habit I developed as the senior writer and marketing project manager at Nortel Networks, and then perfected as the Marketing Director for our state’s largest non-profit performing arts theatre, is adult-onset ADD. I’m convinced that’s what it is.

I think everybody’s got a touch of it—hell, it makes me a really, really good multi-tasker. I can manage dozens of projects simultaneously, from a blank screen to a fully realized marketing campaign, and all the budgets and vendors in between. But it weighs on your shoulders, this ability to “extreme multi-task.” And it carries over to all aspects of your life.

When I’m on vacation and when we travel, I have to prepare an activity bag. Only, now that I’m 39, I just refer to it as “my bag.” I think it sounds a little more dignified, right? I don’t like down-time, and though I’m rarely ever bored, I do get distracted. My son, coincidentally, can also pack a mean activity bag. He learned from the best. J

So to sit with my husband while his mom has surgery this morning, I’ve prepared my bag. As you can see, I’ve got my iPad, a sketchpad and pencils, Quiddler, my latest library book, my phone, a bottle of water, and a granola bar. What you don’t see is a skein of yarn that I’m using to knit a scarf, stuffed in my purse. This is the perfect grouping for a day at the hospital. If I’m in a waiting room that allows technology or has wireless connectivity, I can keep up with my e-mail (which has sadly been abandoned in the last minute scrambling to get ready for school and surgery) and read the news; if I’m in an area of the hospital that requires no technology I’ve got a book and my sketchpad. Quiddler is good when me and the mister break for lunch … we’re big game players at our house, so Quiddler typically lives on the dining room table for post-meal quickies. Water and granola keep up the blood sugar to help keep up the good spirits. Yes, it’s the perfect bag.

When we vacationed along the Crystal Coast, in Emerald Isle, two weeks ago, my bag was an entirely different story. My basics are always the same: iPad, book/s, sketchpad and pencils, and Quiddler; but it also included my ZAGG iPad keyboard case (so I didn’t have to take my laptop, too), Nintendo DS and games, magazines, two knitting projects, and the newspaper swiped from the driveway on our way out.

Are you a bagger? Do you have an activity bag with you for all occasions, or do you prefer to just sit quietly and patiently?

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The Great Outdoors

Tallulah Murphy is a busy woman. As the newly appointed Director of Education for the Atlanta Art Museum, she has a thousand and one things to do on any given day. Dating is not high on that list; in fact, it’s not even on the radar.

Three hundred miles away in Charleston, South Carolina, Lieutenant Mitchell Weaver is gearing up for his promotion to be the youngest police chief in the city’s history. And unfortunately, as a prominent city official with all eyes watching his every move, a quality date seems untenable. But when good friends and good fortune set Tallulah and Mitch on a fateful adventure with Madame Evangeline’s high-end dating service, 1Night Stand, they may find a little matchmaking magic can reset their spirits of adventure and open their hearts and minds to the possibility of love.

Summertime in The Great Outdoors!

Buy The Great Outdoors HERE!

Tallulah Murphy is a busy woman. As the newly appointed Director of Education for the Atlanta Art Museum, she has a thousand and one things to do on any given day. Dating is not high on that list; in fact, it’s not even on the radar.

Three hundred miles away in Charleston, South Carolina, Lieutenant Mitchell Weaver is gearing up for his promotion to be the youngest police chief in the city’s history. And unfortunately, as a prominent city official with all eyes watching his every move, a quality date seems untenable. But when good friends and good fortune set Tallulah and Mitch on a fateful adventure with Madame Evangeline’s high-end dating service, 1Night Stand, they may find a little matchmaking magic can reset their spirits of adventure and open their hearts and minds to the possibility of love.

Tell us what your favorite outdoor adventure was, or what you'd like it to be! One lucky commenter will win a copy of The Great Outdoors, plus another 1Night Stand book of your choice from our online catalog!

Traveling is Very Romantic

By Becky Moore

I’m convinced that I developed my wanderlust as a result of growing up without a lot of money. Once a year, during the summer, my mom took us to the beach for half a week, and we lived off of that fun all year. But it’s not as sad as it seems, because despite the fact we were homebodies, we had marvelous imaginations.

Plus, we had the free library. And the movies.

It was middle school before I realized how much I looked forward to a Sunday matinee or an adventurous book. I lived through Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone, and discovered that Columbia was a hotbed of excitement. Not only was Jack T. Colton living like an unkempt, wild ex-pat in the jungles of the Medellin Cartel, but Arnold Schwarzenegger was just around the corner in Commando!Those big, burly, wayfaring men on standby to whisk you out of harm’s way?Sigh…

Ditto the stories I love to read. Though my five romances so far have all been contemporaries, I’ve also got some sexy romantic adventures up my sleeve. Are there any kindred spirits out there?

Daring tales of adventure always fueled my interest in seeing the world, and still color my decisions on how my family vacations. Taking the road seems so romantic and glamorous. I decided to set my 1Night Stand in the mountains, so that Tallulah and Mitch would have a little adventure, an abundance of fresh air, and a lot of romance. My favorite combination.

If you could choose your own adventure, where would it be? Here are some of mine:

Movies

1.   Raiders of the Lost Ark: Egypt.

2.   Romancing the Stone: Columbia.

3.   Six Days, Seven Nights: Macao.

4.   The African Queen: Burundi and Tanzania

5.   The Man from Snowy River: Australia.

Books

1.   All the Queen’s Men by Linda Howard: France

2.   The Prize by Julie Garwood: London

3.   Impulse by Catherine Coulter: a private Caribbean island

4.   Crazy Hot by Tara Janzen: Denver, Colorado

5.   Cajun Hot by Nikita Black: Louisiana Cajun country