Dear Readers,

Well, thank goodness spring is just around the corner. Cabin fever got so bad this year here in the Mountains of Pennsylvania that I started watching Deal or No Deal and I think I'm now Howie Mandel's biggest fan. I even did a blog entry on that one!

But I also made a list of things I like about winter that I read regularly to remind myself that every season has its blessings. For instance… I love hot cocoa on a cold day. It’s just not the same in the summer. Warm covers. There’s nothing like the feeling of being snuggled under warm blankets. Gloves. Who doesn't love a beautiful pair of leather gloves or a cute pair of mittens? (I was really thrilled to see mittens making a comeback.) I love the hushed, solemn feeling the morning after a heavy snow. Some days I even like to listen to the wind howl. (Not often, but some days…)

I also love the long weekends of writing I seem to get in the winter that I don't get in the summer. My husband works odd shifts. My kids will go out even when the weather channel suggests everybody stay in and stay warm! So I get long stretches of time when it’s just me and my computer.

So winter has its gifts. You usually have to dig out from under eighteen inches of snow to find them! But they're there.

And all of that is very easy to say now that warm temperatures, tulips and car trips with the top of my convertible down are just around the corner. LOL!

I cut back my travel schedule this year so I'm only doing one spring workshop. It’s a day long event for my multi-genre group Pennwriters. There was limited admission and it’s now closed.

In June, though, for those of you who like my classes, I'm giving 3 workshops on writing the modern Romance for the 60th Annual Philadelphia Writers’ Conference June 6, 7 and 8. That one is definitely worth looking into if you're interested in writing a romance, or even if you're somebody who’s been around awhile! There’s something for beginners, intermediates and even published authors in the three classes I've written for this conference. If you're interested visit www.pwcwriters.org.

Stay warm for a few more weeks!

susan