People often ask me where I find my inspiration for setting my Harlequin American stories. That's easy to answer! The town of Breckenridge CO, founded in 1859 is full of Victorian and mining era houses and relics. Although Breck is now more famous for its "white gold" and world class ski resort, what distinguishes it from so many resort towns is its rich history, lovingly preserved and cherished by its residents. The town of Spruce Lake in Colorado Christmas is based loosely on Breckenridge and the story combines two of the town's favorite past times - skiing and preserving its unique heritage.

Every year, Romance Writers of America hosts a national conference from a major US city.  This year it was Washington.  Fantastic conference, fantastic friends, fantastic fun! What more can I say? Except that I think Washington DC is the friendliest city in the world.

We were invited to see the Santa Maria Ranch outside of Hartsel, CO. It was a great honor to be invited and we loved touring the ranch with Daniel McCarl whom we met at the Burro Races in Southpark.

Burro Days are held every year in Fairplay CO. Otherwise known as Southpark, Fairplay was a notorious mining town. Situated at nearly 10,000 feet elevation, today it's a quirky town full of characterful houses and people.

Ever since learning about Falling Water - designed by Frank Lloyd Wright - in Grade 10 Art classes, I've wanted to go there. This year I finally fulfilled that dream.

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of America's gems. It's a wildlife haven where you can drive within a fingerlength of grazing elk (not recommended getting so close to a moose tho!) Grand Lake and Estes Park lie at opposite ends of the Park. I love Grand Lake, it's like something out of a timewarp, with log buildings, boardwalks and hitching posts.  It also has a magnificent deep blue lake on its doorstep.

Since Australia is an island continent and most of us dwell on the fertile coastal edges, the beach figures largely in our lives. These are pics of near where I live in Australia and some from a recent trip to Sydney.