Tempting Susan Gee Heino

hosted by Donna MacMeans

It's my pleasure to welcome my good friend, Susan Gee Heino, into the lair. Susan's latest Regency, TEMPTESS IN TRAINING, is set to release July 5th and is the third in her series that began with her debut, MISTRESS BY MISTAKE. Romantic Times calls Temptress in Training: a spy thriller that has as many tangled threads as one of Sophie's garments. Welcome Susan!

Hi, Banditas! Donna, thanks so much for having me. I just love hanging here. And I'm really excited to get to see some of you all in just a couple weeks!

Yes, it's that time again—time to figure out what to wear to RWA Nationals. True, I should really put more effort into studying the workshop schedule, preparing for the two panels I'll be participating in, and thinking up intelligent stuff to discuss with my agent and editor, but seriously, this month is devoted to angsting over my wardrobe.

Anybody out there sew? I love it. I'm not fantastically good at it, and I think patterns are mostly just a suggestion, but I do love sewing. Especially fancy clothes. And costumes. And guess what? I get to wear both at National!

The biggest, fanciest event is the RITA/Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Also, I'm a member

of the Beau Monde Chapter which usually hosts a Soiree where we are invited to dance the night away in Regency-era costume. What could be more fun, right? I spend months dreaming about what I'll wear. I love selecting my patterns, fingering all the materials, choosing trimming, and basically being able to make the gowns exactly the way I want them. I feel so powerful!

Well, except for the hours while I'm actually making them. That's when I don't feel quite so powerful. I'm ripping seams, jamming the machine, poking myself with pins, and swearing next year I'm going to just wear something out of my closet. But eventually I'm done and I love my creation. I have the thrill of taking it out in public and feeling awesome. It's sort of like writing.

I don't know about other writers, but I go through pretty much the same stages in my writing. The thrill of brainstorming, planning my opening scene, and gathering characters that make me giddy with excitement. Then I actually have to write the book. Not as much fun. But then, eventually, it's done and my agent loves it and my editor loves it and I have the thrill of taking it out in public and introducing my creation to readers.

So not only will I finish my gowns for National and get to wear them to par-tay all night, but I also get to show my next book to readers. TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING comes out July 5th and I can't wait to introduce people to my latest heroine, Sophie Darshaw. And guess what? She's a seamstress! I found a way to incorporate my sewing interest into my writing. But OMG, some of the stuff

Sophie sews... woo baby, steaming hot! The cynical and secretive Lord Lindley gets a few surprises when he starts digging into Sophie's work.

Sorry, folks, I won't be modeling any of Sophie's remarkable creations. But I did get my daughter to model one of my Regency gowns. Isn't my sweet Joy just darling? She has to wait a few years before she's allowed to read my books, though.

So what gets your creative juices flowing? Are you a seamstress, or a fabulous cupcake maker? Tell me about your artsy/craftsy passions and I'll put your name in a drawing for a copy of TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING, hot off the presses. And if you'd like to read an excerpt of TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING, visit my blog at www.susangh.com.

Tempting Susan Gee Heino

hosted by Donna MacMeans

It's my pleasure to welcome my good friend, Susan Gee Heino, into the lair. Susan's latest Regency, TEMPTESS IN TRAINING, is set to release July 5th and is the third in her series that began with her debut, MISTRESS BY MISTAKE. Romantic Times calls Temptress in Training: a spy thriller that has as many tangled threads as one of Sophie's garments. Welcome Susan!

Hi, Banditas! Donna, thanks so much for having me. I just love hanging here. And I'm really excited to get to see some of you all in just a couple weeks!

Yes, it's that time again—time to figure out what to wear to RWA Nationals. True, I should really put more effort into studying the workshop schedule, preparing for the two panels I'll be participating in, and thinking up intelligent stuff to discuss with my agent and editor, but seriously, this month is devoted to angsting over my wardrobe.

Anybody out there sew? I love it. I'm not fantastically good at it, and I think patterns are mostly just a suggestion, but I do love sewing. Especially fancy clothes. And costumes. And guess what? I get to wear both at National!

The biggest, fanciest event is the RITA/Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Also, I'm a member

of the Beau Monde Chapter which usually hosts a Soiree where we are invited to dance the night away in Regency-era costume. What could be more fun, right? I spend months dreaming about what I'll wear. I love selecting my patterns, fingering all the materials, choosing trimming, and basically being able to make the gowns exactly the way I want them. I feel so powerful!

Well, except for the hours while I'm actually making them. That's when I don't feel quite so powerful. I'm ripping seams, jamming the machine, poking myself with pins, and swearing next year I'm going to just wear something out of my closet. But eventually I'm done and I love my creation. I have the thrill of taking it out in public and feeling awesome. It's sort of like writing.

I don't know about other writers, but I go through pretty much the same stages in my writing. The thrill of brainstorming, planning my opening scene, and gathering characters that make me giddy with excitement. Then I actually have to write the book. Not as much fun. But then, eventually, it's done and my agent loves it and my editor loves it and I have the thrill of taking it out in public and introducing my creation to readers.

So not only will I finish my gowns for National and get to wear them to par-tay all night, but I also get to show my next book to readers. TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING comes out July 5th and I can't wait to introduce people to my latest heroine, Sophie Darshaw. And guess what? She's a seamstress! I found a way to incorporate my sewing interest into my writing. But OMG, some of the stuff

Sophie sews... woo baby, steaming hot! The cynical and secretive Lord Lindley gets a few surprises when he starts digging into Sophie's work.

Sorry, folks, I won't be modeling any of Sophie's remarkable creations. But I did get my daughter to model one of my Regency gowns. Isn't my sweet Joy just darling? She has to wait a few years before she's allowed to read my books, though.

So what gets your creative juices flowing? Are you a seamstress, or a fabulous cupcake maker? Tell me about your artsy/craftsy passions and I'll put your name in a drawing for a copy of TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING, hot off the presses. And if you'd like to read an excerpt of TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING, visit my blog at www.susangh.com.

flapping in the breeze

In my absolute delight in finishing the project of the aprons. . .
on a perfectly blue sky day. .
I immediately took them outside and hung them up.
There was not a speck of thought in which order they should go. . .
nor did I put much thought in how to hang them up.
I did think of each girl as I attached them to the line with clothespins. .
much like I thought of each of them when I had my apron assembly line.


The wind picked up and flapped them more than they needed to flap.
They twisted and blew right over and I had to unpin them and un-flip them and wait for the wind to die down.
All the while. .
it is a pity that no one photographed me laying on the driveway underneath the line ..
and then to the side . .
from one end and then the other.
The hedge and the power lines on the neighbors property irked me.
I unpinned the aprons and pinned them on facing the opposite direction and lay down next to the hedge to try to capture them against only blue sky.
I ran back in ...
loaded the pictures on the computer and analyzed the result.
Though it was marginally improved. .
I couldn't be satisfied since when I look out my window. .
it is the hedge and the neighbors power lines I see. .
and I wanted it to feel real.

Feeling at last as though the wind and the sun angle both cooperated. .
I clicked. . .
removed the aprons from the line. .
folded them neatly. .

and called the project complete.

The rest of the story is on Mennonite Girls Can Cook today.

all for now. . .

flapping in the breeze

In my absolute delight in finishing the project of the aprons. . .
on a perfectly blue sky day. .
I immediately took them outside and hung them up.
There was not a speck of thought in which order they should go. . .
nor did I put much thought in how to hang them up.
I did think of each girl as I attached them to the line with clothespins. .
much like I thought of each of them when I had my apron assembly line.


The wind picked up and flapped them more than they needed to flap.
They twisted and blew right over and I had to unpin them and un-flip them and wait for the wind to die down.
All the while. .
it is a pity that no one photographed me laying on the driveway underneath the line ..
and then to the side . .
from one end and then the other.
The hedge and the power lines on the neighbors property irked me.
I unpinned the aprons and pinned them on facing the opposite direction and lay down next to the hedge to try to capture them against only blue sky.
I ran back in ...
loaded the pictures on the computer and analyzed the result.
Though it was marginally improved. .
I couldn't be satisfied since when I look out my window. .
it is the hedge and the neighbors power lines I see. .
and I wanted it to feel real.

Feeling at last as though the wind and the sun angle both cooperated. .
I clicked. . .
removed the aprons from the line. .
folded them neatly. .

and called the project complete.

The rest of the story is on Mennonite Girls Can Cook today.

all for now. . .

"So... now what are you going to do?"

I've gotten this question a lot since we announced our plans to move from Huntsville, where I was home-schooling my brother, to Birmingham.  People seem to think that now that I'm not teaching Chris anymore I won't have anything to "do" in my new home.  Sometimes the question has even been framed as, "So, will you get a job now?" in that assuming sort of tone that really thinks the answer will (or should) be "yes."  Individually these questions were innocent enough, asked out of curiosity in most cases and concern in others.



But they added up.  And they revealed a subtle (and usually unintentional) cultural mind-set about what exactly the worth is deemed to be of a stay-at-home-wife... with no kids:  not very high.



I'll be the first to admit that there are hours that aren't filled to the brim with productivity.  In fact, last Wednesday I didn't do much at all.  I needed to rest... so I did.  Isn't that wonderful?  Because my husband allows me to stay at home, I don't have to be moving 90 miles a minute.  I don't have to be the do-it-all Super-Woman of feminists' dreams.  I can just sit down and rest!



The idea that visible, tangible results are the only measure of the worth of someone's day is false.  I am not a machine.  Spending time with God, improving my mind through learning and self-education... these are two things that don't produce such results, yet I would argue that they are two of the most important habits that can be developed in my life.



Now--as I wait for children--is the ideal time to develop skills and grow in my knowledge in areas like cooking, decorating, gardening, sewing and other handicrafts, using herbs, financial management, music, foreign language, and reading.  (Not to mention basic organization skills... sheesh.  I need a LOT of work in that area.)  Some days I am overwhelmed by all the things I want to learn about that I despair over not having enough time.

And I haven't even mentioned house-work yet.  Or meal planning and preparation.  Much less volunteering my time in the community, if the opportunity and occasion arises.



So what am I going to do now?  Well, besides all the projects we're doing in the new house, I am going to...

• spend more time in prayer and worship.


• learn to order my day so that I can serve my God and my husband.  


• develop weekly meal plans and actually start cooking real dinners again.  


• tackle the stuff-monster and the dirt-dragon that like to hang around.  


• take violin lessons again as well as continue my visits to Curves.


• begin a Great Books reading course and pick up my Latin studies from high school.  


• continue my attempts at sewing and crocheting.


• start a kitchen garden and learn how to use herbs.


• kick my blog back into action. 

That's what I'm going to do, and I don't need a paycheck to make it worth my while.

"So... now what are you going to do?"

I've gotten this question a lot since we announced our plans to move from Huntsville, where I was home-schooling my brother, to Birmingham.  People seem to think that now that I'm not teaching Chris anymore I won't have anything to "do" in my new home.  Sometimes the question has even been framed as, "So, will you get a job now?" in that assuming sort of tone that really thinks the answer will (or should) be "yes."  Individually these questions were innocent enough, asked out of curiosity in most cases and concern in others.



But they added up.  And they revealed a subtle (and usually unintentional) cultural mind-set about what exactly the worth is deemed to be of a stay-at-home-wife... with no kids:  not very high.



I'll be the first to admit that there are hours that aren't filled to the brim with productivity.  In fact, last Wednesday I didn't do much at all.  I needed to rest... so I did.  Isn't that wonderful?  Because my husband allows me to stay at home, I don't have to be moving 90 miles a minute.  I don't have to be the do-it-all Super-Woman of feminists' dreams.  I can just sit down and rest!



The idea that visible, tangible results are the only measure of the worth of someone's day is false.  I am not a machine.  Spending time with God, improving my mind through learning and self-education... these are two things that don't produce such results, yet I would argue that they are two of the most important habits that can be developed in my life.



Now--as I wait for children--is the ideal time to develop skills and grow in my knowledge in areas like cooking, decorating, gardening, sewing and other handicrafts, using herbs, financial management, music, foreign language, and reading.  (Not to mention basic organization skills... sheesh.  I need a LOT of work in that area.)  Some days I am overwhelmed by all the things I want to learn about that I despair over not having enough time.

And I haven't even mentioned house-work yet.  Or meal planning and preparation.  Much less volunteering my time in the community, if the opportunity and occasion arises.



So what am I going to do now?  Well, besides all the projects we're doing in the new house, I am going to...

• spend more time in prayer and worship.


• learn to order my day so that I can serve my God and my husband.  


• develop weekly meal plans and actually start cooking real dinners again.  


• tackle the stuff-monster and the dirt-dragon that like to hang around.  


• take violin lessons again as well as continue my visits to Curves.


• begin a Great Books reading course and pick up my Latin studies from high school.  


• continue my attempts at sewing and crocheting.


• start a kitchen garden and learn how to use herbs.


• kick my blog back into action. 

That's what I'm going to do, and I don't need a paycheck to make it worth my while.

What We've Been Up To

Poor neglected blog.  *pat*pat*



Obviously, I still haven't made good on my promise to write about women's roles in the church.  With the lack of internet for over a month and school going on, I haven't been very motivated.  It IS coming... someday.  ;)



Speaking of school, we began the rest of our subjects after Labor Day.  Chris continues to floor me with his skills.  I still have to sit right with him and walk him through everything to keep him motivated and on track, but he's easily grasping some science and grammar concepts that I thought we'd have to fight our way through.  We also took a field-trip to see the Nina and the Pinta!  It was neat going to my first home-school field-trip... as the teacher.

Much of the rest of my time recently has been taken up with sewing!  Yes, I'm learning how to sew.  I knew how to do a little handwork before, but had no idea how to craft anything larger than a pillow, and certainly was clueless as to the use of a sewing machine.  So a little over a month ago I began a beginning sewing class at a local sewing shop.  It was once a week for three hours, and I learned tons!  At the end of the class, Trevvor and my parents bought me a new sewing machine--a Pfaff Expression 2.0--for both my upcoming birthday and Christmas!  It's one of the fancy-smancy computerized ones, though I admit I have a nostalgia for my mom's 35-year-old machine--and even for my great-great-grandmother's treadle machine!

Then this past Tuesday I took a class learning how to make the Nie Nie Skirt.  It's a children's skirt, so I'm making it in pink and green as a Christmas gift for a certain little girl I know.  ;)  I've perfected (somewhat) my French seam and learned how to sew a rolled hem, which I can use on anything!  It was a great all-day class, even though I only finished one ruffle!  (Gathering takes forever.)

All of this to say:  I think I've found my new passion.  I absolutely love constructing things with my hands, and since I'm not all that great with a hammer, sewing "seamed" like the perfect alternative!  (No pun intended, of course.)



So, sewing's been the upside. However, there's been a downside.  On Sunday we put my two fuzzy white babies outside to do their mouse-catching thing.  :(  Now, you have to understand, these were the two cuddliest kitties I've ever known, especially Scruffy.  He was dependent on me; he needed me.  And he's ever so comforting to snuggle.  But, we got them to be my mom's outside cats, and now that they're fixed and our other cat is updated on her shots... out they had to go.  I think I cried four times that day!  It was pretty pathetic, but I'd really gotten attached to them.  They were my "babies" until God blesses us with a real one, and it's been hard to not have them nearby.

Now that you know what I've been up to, I want to know what you've been doing!  What have been the ups and downs for you this month?

What We've Been Up To

Poor neglected blog.  *pat*pat*



Obviously, I still haven't made good on my promise to write about women's roles in the church.  With the lack of internet for over a month and school going on, I haven't been very motivated.  It IS coming... someday.  ;)



Speaking of school, we began the rest of our subjects after Labor Day.  Chris continues to floor me with his skills.  I still have to sit right with him and walk him through everything to keep him motivated and on track, but he's easily grasping some science and grammar concepts that I thought we'd have to fight our way through.  We also took a field-trip to see the Nina and the Pinta!  It was neat going to my first home-school field-trip... as the teacher.

Much of the rest of my time recently has been taken up with sewing!  Yes, I'm learning how to sew.  I knew how to do a little handwork before, but had no idea how to craft anything larger than a pillow, and certainly was clueless as to the use of a sewing machine.  So a little over a month ago I began a beginning sewing class at a local sewing shop.  It was once a week for three hours, and I learned tons!  At the end of the class, Trevvor and my parents bought me a new sewing machine--a Pfaff Expression 2.0--for both my upcoming birthday and Christmas!  It's one of the fancy-smancy computerized ones, though I admit I have a nostalgia for my mom's 35-year-old machine--and even for my great-great-grandmother's treadle machine!

Then this past Tuesday I took a class learning how to make the Nie Nie Skirt.  It's a children's skirt, so I'm making it in pink and green as a Christmas gift for a certain little girl I know.  ;)  I've perfected (somewhat) my French seam and learned how to sew a rolled hem, which I can use on anything!  It was a great all-day class, even though I only finished one ruffle!  (Gathering takes forever.)

All of this to say:  I think I've found my new passion.  I absolutely love constructing things with my hands, and since I'm not all that great with a hammer, sewing "seamed" like the perfect alternative!  (No pun intended, of course.)



So, sewing's been the upside. However, there's been a downside.  On Sunday we put my two fuzzy white babies outside to do their mouse-catching thing.  :(  Now, you have to understand, these were the two cuddliest kitties I've ever known, especially Scruffy.  He was dependent on me; he needed me.  And he's ever so comforting to snuggle.  But, we got them to be my mom's outside cats, and now that they're fixed and our other cat is updated on her shots... out they had to go.  I think I cried four times that day!  It was pretty pathetic, but I'd really gotten attached to them.  They were my "babies" until God blesses us with a real one, and it's been hard to not have them nearby.

Now that you know what I've been up to, I want to know what you've been doing!  What have been the ups and downs for you this month?

November is turning out to be a productive month.

Shrug This, made from Nepalese recycled silk. It's turned out too small for me, but I am on a weight loss journey at the moment, so I will leave it and try to shrink into it. The silk feels so gorgeous, and I can't wait to fit it! The colour is a bit iffy in this picture, it's actually a peacock blue / green. And I haven't woven in the ends yet. I hate that bit.

My second teacher's Christmas gift has been started. This is one evening's worth of stitching. Once more the colour is dodgy, the thread is a gorgeous silvery blue.

The first teacher's ornament is all over bar the shouting. It will be a biscornu, so I have yet to do a plain square (with names and dates, I think) for the back. I adore this one, and will be making it again for my own home.

And today I made a beach tote to take on holiday while we travel to a gorgeous beachside resort for a family wedding. The pattern came from a newly released book, The Crafty Minx, by Kelly Doust. It was a simple plan to follow, and only took a couple of hours to make, factoring in two phonecalls with my bff and a snack break.

November is turning out to be a productive month.

Shrug This, made from Nepalese recycled silk. It's turned out too small for me, but I am on a weight loss journey at the moment, so I will leave it and try to shrink into it. The silk feels so gorgeous, and I can't wait to fit it! The colour is a bit iffy in this picture, it's actually a peacock blue / green. And I haven't woven in the ends yet. I hate that bit.

My second teacher's Christmas gift has been started. This is one evening's worth of stitching. Once more the colour is dodgy, the thread is a gorgeous silvery blue.

The first teacher's ornament is all over bar the shouting. It will be a biscornu, so I have yet to do a plain square (with names and dates, I think) for the back. I adore this one, and will be making it again for my own home.

And today I made a beach tote to take on holiday while we travel to a gorgeous beachside resort for a family wedding. The pattern came from a newly released book, The Crafty Minx, by Kelly Doust. It was a simple plan to follow, and only took a couple of hours to make, factoring in two phonecalls with my bff and a snack break.