IMHO Welcomes Tracy Madison!

Paranormal romance with a delightful touch is Tracy Madison’s signature style, and it’s no surprise since she grew up far more interested in the world of the make believe than the real world right outside her door. Almost from the moment she learned to read, she says, she discovered the magic of books. With Nancy Drew, C.S. Lewis, or J.R.R. Tolkien as her guide, she traveled to different worlds, solved mysteries, and had breathtaking, spine tingling adventures. Then, as a teenager, she picked up one of her mother’s romances, and fell in love all over again.

Getting completely lost in a story is still one of Tracy’s favorite things to do, but she’s also active in her local Romance Writers of America chapter, plays a variety of computer games, and is seriously addicted to reality television.

Today, Tracy lives in Northwestern Ohio with her husband, four children, and several anthropomorphized critters. She warns that her house is often hectic, noisy, and filled to the brim with laugh-out-loud moments. Many of these incidents fire up her imagination to create the interesting, realistic, and intrinsically funny characters that live in her stories.

Romantic Times Book Reviews says "[Madison] has a breezy, intimate style that's fun to read.” Tracy's debut novel was A TASTE OF MAGIC, in which "a young, divorced bakery owner discovers she's inherited her gypsy ancestress's fabulous magical powers, but learns that when seeking true love with a hunky new neighbor, a person has to be careful what she cooks up." Fresh Fiction called it "a masterpiece."

Tracy will put her sophomore novel, A STROKE OF MAGIC, into the “Giving Thanks” tote for our lucky winner. RT says A STROKE OF MAGIC is “… an uplifting and delightful story about finding love and trusting your heart." In STROKE, Alice must deal with a sexy new boss, a baby on the way, a crazy family, and a gypsy curse. Only a soul-deep bond with the right man can save her and her child. As if being single wasn't pressure enough!

IMHO: Great to have you here today, Tracy. Tell our readers: what are you thankful for this year?

TM: Well, first of all, let me give a huge thanks to TJ Bennett for having me here today! Then, let me say I’m thankful that my next release, A BREATH OF MAGIC, will be out in May 2010. Now, on to today’s topic.

So, when I first began thinking about this post, I’ll admit I came up blank. Oh, not that I don’t have plenty of things to be thankful for, because I do. I have an amazing family, incredible friends, and within these two groups of people, an unbelievably tight support system for which I am ever grateful. But come on—of course I’m thankful for my friends and family! Aren’t we all?

And while my family and friends deserve a post filled with glowing words, I wanted to write about something different. Something unique. And, therefore, hopefully something that TJ’s other guests wouldn’t write about. So I thought. And thought. And thought some more. I came up with a few ideas, but none of them really spoke to me. For the curious, here they are:

• George Clooney. I don’t think any explanation is required.

• Coffee. Oh, how I love my fresh-brewed coffee. Strong and hot, please.

• Sims 3. Because in Sims 3 I can work only one day a week and make oodles of cash. Oh, and pregnancy only lasts a few days, and even better, the kids grow up FAST. And with top gardening, fishing, and cooking skills, I can stay young forever. That’s right. Forever.

• Ordering out. Not only will people bring food to my door, but now I can order almost anything I want on the internet. I don’t even have to pick up the phone.

• The TV show How I Met Your Mother. Barney Stinson is awesome, and makes me laugh. A lot. Kind of a snorting laugh, but who cares?

• Working from home. Because my work clothes? They’re pajamas and sweats and long, baggy sweatshirts.

• Being a writer. Telling my stories and seeing them on the shelves is even more awesome than Barney Stinson.

• The fact I haven’t gotten my hand stuck in the garbage disposal for over a year. Um, again, self-explanatory. (For a full explanation, you can read about this experience here.)

So while I am quite thankful for all of the above, none of them really fired up my imagination for a thanks-worthy post. I was becoming quite flummoxed (isn’t that a great word? I love that word. Well, I like “quirky” too. Hm. Quirky vs. Flummoxed?) over the problem. But then I realized that I didn’t need one solitary topic, because at this time in my life, I am thankful for…well, everything that makes up my life. And yes, that includes my family and friends and every item, person, and/or thing represented on the above list.

In conclusion, my life—while not perfect—is pretty dang good, and I wake up every morning feeling thankful for all that I have. Besides which, by focusing on the positives, the things that aren’t so great right now don’t hold such impact. Which, on some days, is what keeps me from eating my weight in chocolate. (Oh yeah, I’m also thankful for chocolate…)

You tell me. What are YOU thankful for this year?

IMHO: You heard the woman. Yes, you may have already responded to this question before, and if you did, I’m sure you can think of something else you are thankful for this year. Right? Let Tracy know what it is for a chance to win one of two Thanksgiving-themed totes. Remember, the more authors you leave comments for, the better your chances of winning.

And by the way, since today is Veteran's Day, I want to add a grateful thank you to all the veterans who served our country, and all those military men and women serving today. Thank you all!

Comment away!

TJB