Klaus Brothers Invasion Final Day: Nicholas and Wolfgang!

Ten days until Sweet Inspiration is released! Woo hoo! I am totally stoked that my debut novel, a light paranormal Christmas romance featuring Santa and his five sexy sons (Nicholas, Sven, Wolfgang, Gregor and Oskar), will be available for purchase on 12-02-09. Look for it at The Wild Rose Press website. To help us celebrate, Wolfgang and Nicholas Klaus are visiting Penelope's today and giving away an Amazon gift card and a sweet holiday treat from Crate and Barrel to two lucky commenters. Don't forget to leave a message for Wolfgang, Director of Charitable Donations and general do-gooder, and Nicholas, master pastry chef, owner of Klaus Küche, and hero of Sweet Inspiration. 

[Wolfgang, Nicholas and I are hanging out in my kitchen while I get a little cooking lesson...]

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Wolfgang: (whispering) Nick, do you have any idea why Penelope is staring at me?

Nicholas: (looks up from a bowl of gingerbread batter) Um, yes. She's staring at your beard.

Wolfie: That's weird. Now she's staring at your beard, and she has a sort of dreamy look in her eyes.

Nick: (chuckles) Yes, well, Penelope has a fondness for beards, shall we say. Uh, Penelope, would you like to help with the gingerbread batter?

Wolfie: Yo, Penelope!

Pen: (dazed) Huh? Oh yes, of course, what do you need?

Nick: Why don't you grab the molasses and cloves? I know your kids will be thrilled to have a fresh batch of gingerbread cookies when they get home from school. 

Pen: Thanks, Nicholas. That is really sweet. (passes Nicholas bottle of hot sauce)

Nicholas: Penelope, you seem a bit distracted today. Is everything okay?

Pen: Um, yeah, of course. It's just not everyday that I have two hunky Klaus brothers in my kitchen, both sporting hot holly and ivy tats on their big, bulging biceps, and both with such delicious beards. It's a little unsettling. But, in a good way. A really, really good way. 

Nicholas: Well, I think you should really pay attention to our cooking lesson. Your kids informed me earlier that you have a problem burning baked goods.

Pen: What!! Very rarely, every once in a while, once in a blue moon....I might burn a batch of cookies. Rarely.

Wolfie: (tosses Nick a bottle of molasses) Your kids told us you burn them every time.

Pen: That is a bald-faced lie! I personally like my cookies well-done. What a bunch of whiners!

Nicholas: (raises left eyebrow) Hmm. Well, why don't you pay attention and maybe we'll improve the odds of you making some edible cookies this Christmas, okay? First we pre-heat the oven to 350...

Pen: Pre-heating is so irritating! Who the heck wants to wait around for 30 minutes for the damned professional Viking oven to pre-heat? For the love of God, it takes forever. I really don't have the patience for that.

Wolfgang: (laughs)

Nicholas: I think I know why you're burning the cookies, Penelope....

Pen: Well, enough about me. Nicholas, how's the preparation for Christmas coming along? My readers might not know it, but you run a massive bakery in the North Pole. What's your specialty?

Nicholas: Thank you, Penelope. I am quite proud of Klaus Küche. It's a state-of-the-art kitchen with the latest appliances and gadgets, and the added benefit of elfin magic as well. Our specialty is Christmas cookies, of course. I have a large number of elves who help with cookie production. We also manufacture candies and other sweets for the holidays. I tend to be a bit particular about the cookies...for instance, I like my gingerbread cookies nice and thick and chewy, not too thin and crispy. 

Pen: Ohh, me, too. You're lucky to have so many elves there to help out. What sort of magic do the elves use at Klaus Küche? 

Nicholas: Well, the elves have put a new spin on the concept of a gingerbread house, and created a gingerbread city. It's called the Pfefferkuchen room, and well...it is really something special. 

Wolfgang: First batch of cookies in the oven, Nick. 

Pen: Yum, those smell delicious! Wolfie, do you use elfin magic for your job, too? It must be sort of tough being in charge of charitable donations. Klaus Enterprises seems to be involved in quite a few projects.

Wolfie: Actually, we wouldn't be able to accomplish so much if it weren't for the elves. I can be in the Philippines one morning, helping out with food donations at a Catholic orphanage, and then in Guatemala to oversee the new school we're building, and finish up the day in the pediatric wing of a children's hospital in New England. Using the magic sleighs to jet around is a huge bonus. All of my elf "employees" are super dedicated to their jobs, and to making sure a lot of underprivileged and special-needs kids get some extra attention for the holidays.

Pen: That is totally cool, Wolfie. You must be wiped out by the end of the year. Any fun plans for 2010?

Oskar: Oh yeah. Las Vegas, here we come! (high fives Wolf) Whad up, bro? 

Sven: That smells good...gingerbread. Excellent.

Wolfie: I don't know about the Vegas trip, O. Last time I barely survived.

Gregor: Oskar promised to "tone it down" this year. (All the brothers howl with laughter)

Nicholas: I'll consider it. There's an excellent new restaurant in Vegas I'd like to check out. Penelope, have you been enjoying this season of Top Chef in Las Vegas?

Pen: Oh my God! Yes!!!! I'm on Team Kevin. You know, the guy with that rockin' beard....

Oskar: What a shocker. Penny's rooting for the guy with the beard....

Pen: Very funny, O. Kevin happens to be an incredible chef, too.

Gregor: (texting on his blackberry) Have you brewed any coffee to go with the cookies, Pen? How about those nice Tanzanian peaberry beans I got you?

Pen: No, Greg, I'm drinking a gingerbread latte. Sven, nice green and red tie-dye for the holidays. Very festive. Oskar, quit eating all of the batter. My daughter will challenge you to a celebrity death match for that. And you'll lose, believe me. 

Nicholas: Since the elves are not here, I'm putting you guys to work. Sven and Wolfie, you're on frosting patrol. Oskar and Gregor, start decorating. Penelope...hmm....

Pen: I know! I'll eat the broken pieces.

Nicholas: Actually, I use the broken pieces to make gingerbread cookie crust for my pies. But that was a good try, seriously.

Pen: (Sigh) Okay, how about I read a romance novel while you guys work? And then I'll be Official Taste Tester of the Gingerbread.

Nicholas: (raises eyebrow) All right. Just stay out of trouble. How about we post our recipe for gingerbread men for your readers? They might like to try these at home.

Pen: Great idea, Nicholas. Okay, here's St. Nick's Gingerbread Men recipe...

2 and 1/3 c. flour

2 t. ground ginger

1 and 1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 t. ground cloves

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, room temp

1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar

1/2 c. light molasses

1 large egg

Sift first six ingredients together. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and molasses in a large bowl until fluffy, then beat in the egg. Add the dry ingredients, stir to combine. Gather the dough into a ball and divide into 3 pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about one hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease cookie sheets. Roll out disk of dough onto floured surface to 1/4" thick. Cut out gingerbread men with cookie cutters, and then place about 1" apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. 

Hint from Penelope: When cookies have cooled, put out store bought containers of Betty Crocker icing, and bowls of candy for decorations. Then invite friends and family to decorate the gingerbread men. Good times! :)

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Pen: Thanks, Nicholas. And special thanks to all of the Klaus Brothers for stopping by. Please don't forget to leave a message to enter the contest today. Nicholas and Wolfie are giving away an Amazon gift card as well as some gingerbread cookies from Crate and Barrel. And a special huge-ass thanks to all of my friends and followers for their support over the last year. I can't believe that release day is almost here. Y'ins guys are the best!!! ☃☃☃☃☃

Monday Morning Announcements!

First up....Wolfgang Klaus was called out of town for a business-related emergency. So, unfortunately, he will not be able to join us this morning for the Klaus Brothers Invasion. He is extremely apologetic. (That's his photo at the top of the post. The Klaus boys seem to have some trouble keeping their shirts on. Hmm.) Wolfie will be joining us next Monday (Dec. 23) with his brother Nicholas for the final day of the Invasion, and TWO winners will be chosen. Penelope will be giving away another Amazon gift card, as well as a sweet holiday treat from Nicholas. Special congrats to Natascha who won last week's gift card from Sven.

My other announcement is very short rant about contemporaries. Why the hell do the authors of contemporary romances have to include every damned detail of their characters' lives? I don't care if Muffy ate a ham and cheese sammie for lunch. And I really don't care about Gigi's list of errands she has to run during the day. Do I need 14 paragraphs describing how Sandy juggles her laundry list of to-do items, including, well...laundry. Christ on a Crutch. I have my own freaking laundry list of to-do items each day, including laundry!, and I'm not reading a romance novel to remind me of all the crap I'm procrastinating about. Sheesh. Major, major pet peeve and one of the reasons I am reluctant to read contemporaries. Leave out the extraneous info, please!

Final quick note: I did read a contemporary last week I LOVED, Shelter Mountain by Robyn Carr. My only beef about this book is that it didn't focus enough on just Preacher and Paige, but I still loved it, and Preacher is one of my new favorite heroes of 2009! Review to follow (after I finish the freaking laundry!)

Penelope

Klaus Brother's Invasion Week 3: Sven Klaus

The Klaus Brother's Invasion continues at Penelope's. This week toy designing, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hunky blond hippy Sven Klaus is joining us. He is one of the five Klaus brothers (Nicholas, Sven, Gregor,Oskar and Wolfgang) in my debut novel Sweet Inspiration, which will be released on 12-02-09 by The Wild Rose Press. Sven is into wood-working, tie-dying T-shirts, and saving the environment. He already looked through my recycling area and scolded me. I'm in serious doo-doo when he finds my paper plates.

One lucky commenter will be winning an Amazon gift card, so please feel free to leave a message for Sven!

[FYI, Sven is wearing ripped blue jeans with his Birkies, a very brightly colored tie-dyed T-shirt with Ben and Jerry on the front, his shoulder-length blond hair is looking shaggy and delicious, and he has some luscious scruff on his face that makes me want to jump with joy. And I can see his rockin' arm-band tat of holly and ivy with the old-world letter "K" in the middle. Nice biceps. Is it getting hot in here???]

*****

Penelope: Hi Sven! Thanks for joining us today at Penelope's. I know you're swamped with work in Glasdorf right now, trying to get ready for the Christmas season.

Sven: Yeah. The cool thing is how many kids still like to get good old-fashioned wooden toys. You'd think that the video extravaganza would make the wooden stuff obsolete, but we still get a lot of orders for toy trains. They're classic.

Pen: Do you feel uncomfortable using trees, a natural resource, to make toys? Doesn't that offend your environmental sensibility?

Sven: (laughing) You get right to the heart of the matter, eh, Pen? Still pissed I yelled at you about your paper plate collection?

Pen: Just saying, you should put your money where your mouth is....

Sven: We plant ten trees for every one used to make toys at the workshop, Miss Smarty Pants. And, thanks to a little bit of elfin magik, we can accelerate their growth. We actually have an incredibly diverse forest of deciduous trees in Glasdorf that my forestry engineers oversee. I like to have a nice selection of woods for my designs, all different colors and textures.

Pen: (grumbling) Big deal. You plant some trees. I recycle.

Sven: I noticed the large assortment of beer bottles in your glass bin. Corona, Magic Hat, Beck's, Pumpkin Ale....

Pen: Give me a break, Sven! First of all, I just had a party and that's why there are so many bottles this week. And second of all, I know you and your brothers are regular beer drinkers at Dag's Bar in the North Pole. Although I've heard the elves can drink the Klaus Boys under the table.

Wolfgang: True. Especially Monie and his buds. You know you're in trouble when he starts playing ZZ Top on the jukebox. 

Sven: I won't deny our love for Dag's. He uses some sort of magic when he brews up those pale ales. They are tasty.

Oskar: Hey Pen. Sven probably hasn't told you, but he rocks at Quarters. If he ever challenges you to a game, take a pass. Or you'll be passed out in no time.

Sven: They're exaggerating.

Pen: Hmm. I'll avoid engaging Sven in drinking games, for sure. Thanks for the heads up, O.

O: No problem. Sven, mom is stoked about the new rocker you made for her. Penny, check this out.

Pen: Oh My God, this is gorgeous, Sven. How did you make this star design on the rocker?

Sven: Thanks, Penny. I had a really good time working on this project. The main part of the rocker is made from quilted Pacific Maple, and the star in-lay is composed of three different woods: Lacewood, Cherry and Madrone.

Pen: Wow! I love the different colors and textures. Your mom must be thrilled that all of her furniture is hand-built and designed by you.

Sven: Yeah, my mom's a sweetheart. She also likes to tie dye T-shirts for my collection. 

Wolfgang: Uh oh. I just found some cans in Penny's regular garbage.

Pen: Wolfie! What the heck are you doing, Mr. Garbage Police! Trying to get me in more trouble with Eco-Buddy over here?

Wolfie: (laughing) Just keeping you on your toes, that's all.

Sven: Damn it, Penny. You are so damned lazy...all you have to do is rinse them out...

O: I have an idea. Why don't we all tie dye some T-shirts? The elfin kids are having a party this weekend and they love to dress up.

Pen: Thanks for the change of subject, O.

O: You owe me.

Wolf: (laughing) Great idea, O. I can take some with me to the pediatric center at the hospital. (high fives Oskar)

Sven: Cool. Mom has some environmentally friendly botanical dyes. I'll get the stuff we need. You guys wrangle up the T-shirts. And Penny....

Pen: Yes?

Sven: We'll be re-sorting your garbage later. Don't think you're getting out of it.

Pen: (groans) Fine. 

Please leave a message for Sven while we tie dye T-shirts. He would love to hear from you! Congrats to Patti who won our Ami gift card last week.

Klaus Brother's Invasion Week 2: Gregor Klaus

Welcome to Week 2 of the Klaus Brother's Invasion. For five consecutive Mondays the Klaus brothers (Nicholas, Sven, Wolfgang, Gregor and Oskar) from Penny Watson's debut novel Sweet Inspiration, will be entertaining us at Penelope's. Today we have Gregor Klaus visiting with us...financial guru of Klaus Enterprises, snappy dresser extraordinaire, and most likely president of his high school math club. Gregor lives in Manhattan, and jets back and forth (via sleigh, of course) to the North Pole. Please leave a question or comment for Gregor, because one lucky commenter will be winning an Amazon gift card. Congrats to Jessica who won last week's prize!

*****

Pen: Welcome, Gregor. Thanks so much for hanging with us today. How are things going?

Gregor: Hi Pen. Thanks for inviting me. I'm feeling pretty good today. The economy seems to be on an upswing right now, so it's all good.

Pen: Hmm. That smells delicious. Are you drinking coffee?

Gregor: (lifts left eyebrow) Actually, I'm drinking 100% Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Nicely balanced, fruity, high acidity. It's an excellent bean.

Pen: (silence)

Gregor: What?

Pen: I guess you don't go to Dunk-ee Donuts or Starbucks, do you? Actually, my new favorite coffee is pumpkin spice latte. Very festive for the holiday season.

Greg: (silence)

Pen: What?

Gregor: I don't drink flavored coffee. 

Pen: (rolls eyes) I need to add something to your bio.

Greg: Yeah. What's that?

Pen: Coffee Snob.

Greg: (laughs) And proud of it. Maybe we'll have a little tasting later and see what you think. I'll bet I can get you hooked on the good stuff, and Dunk-ee Donuts will just be a distant, ill-tasting memory.

Pen: You can try, bubs. So, why don't we talk about your job a little bit. How tough is it overseeing the finances of Klaus Enterprises? You guys certainly have a big organization.

Gregor: It is very complex. Klaus Enterprises is not just about toys, as one might imagine. We also produce holiday baked goods and candies, winter clothing, household items, etc. And our toy production includes educational materials for children. My brother Wolfie is also in charge of our charitable division, and we funnel a lot of money into that, not just at the holidays, but year-long. So yeah, my job is pretty intense. But I love it.

Pen: What do you do for down-time? Any hobbies?

Greg: Sleep is always good.

Pen: Geez, Gregor, you sound like a work-aholic. You must do something for fun.

Gregor: I do love to travel, but I haven't been able to fit in any leisure trips lately with the market fluctuations over the past year. I must admit that traveling to tropical destinations is a welcome change from the arctic temperatures in Glasdorf.

Oskar: Hey Pen. Gregor must have forgotten how much he enjoys Vegas.

Sven: Vegas isn't tropical.

O: It is when you're getting a lap dance. (O and Sven bump fists)

Gregor: Jesus, O, do you have to keep reminding me about that trip? I am trying valiantly to forget it. I am still feeling the effects of that hang-over from hell.

Pen: Hard to imagine Gregor with a hang-over. You're so buttoned up in your nice suit.

Greg: Thanks, Penny.  I'm wearing a 2-button wool suit by Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci shirt, and the tie is Giorgio Armani. 

O: And my ensemble is tattered T-shirt from the Oskar Klaus Collection.

Sven: I prefer Birkenstocks, circa 2002. (laughter in background)

Gregor: (does not look amused) An appreciation for well-tailored clothes obviously skipped several of the brothers in my family.

Pen: Well, I personally love your tailored look. You fill out that suit nicely. And the goatee...Yowzah. Looking fine, Gregor.

Gregor: (blushing) Uh, thanks.

Sven: Hey Pen, did Gregor tell you about his cool glass hobby? He is an amazing designer. Works with this crazy-ass elf Ewald. They create stained glass windows for all of the cottages in Glasdorf.

Pen: Gregor, is that true? You holding out on me?

Gregor: (shrugs) It's not that big a deal. Designing with glass is a nice way to unwind. Ewald is a Bleiglasfenster Master (master of stained glass). His designs are extra special because of the elfin magik. The designs are not static; they are constantly shifting and changing. Very cool.

Pen: Woa! I would love to see that. When's my trip to Glasdorf? Hint, hint....

Gregor: You're so subtle, Penny. Have to get permission from the Council of Seven before any Suddies are allowed to visit. You know that.

Oskar: Good luck with that, Pen. The council can get a little bit....

Sven: Grouchy.

Gregor: Irritable.

Oskar: Judgmental. Pissed off. Irate. Veins popping out of their foreheads, spittle flying....

Pen: Sorry, O, didn't mean to conjure up any bad memories.

O: (grimaces) I'll just think happy thoughts. Lap dances. Vegas show-girls named Lola. (smiles)

Pen: For the love of God, Oskar. Gregor, did you really go with these hooligans to Vegas?

Gregor: (laughs) I did. It was a blast. Don't think I could handle that much partying all the time, but every once in a while it's nice to hang out with my brothers. And Lola. (winks at Pen)

Pen: (blushing) Are you flirting with me? I'm married you know.

Gregor: I know. Look, it's been fun but I have a morning meeting at the bank. 

Oskar: I gotta run too. I have to finalize my trip to Mammoth. I heard a nice snow storm is brewing.

Sven: Later, Pen. I have a quota to fill today for wooden train sets. Don't want any kids to be disappointed this Christmas.

Pen: Okay, guys, see you later. Gregor, don't forget to check in and chat with my visitors. I know the ladies will have a lot of questions for you. 

Gregor: Don't worry. I'll be returning, and bringing bags of high-end coffee beans with me. I'll have you off the pumpkin spice lattes by the end of the day.

Pen: Don't bet on it!

*****

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment for Gregor, and you might win a gift card from Amazon (an early holiday treat!). Also, please feel free to make fun of Gregor for being a coffee snob. He can take it! 

Klaus Brother's Invasion Week 1: Oskar Klaus

Howdy, everyone! I am back from a rocking New Jersey romance writer's conference. Had a most excellent time with The Quirky Ladies, met some new authors, listened to some cool workshops, drank an incredible mango cocktail, hung out in a bizarre lounge area decorated with lava lamps, a disco ball, leopard-skin pillows, and sequin-covered walls. I shit you not. (Photos at The Quirky Ladies.) And now I am happy to welcome Oskar Klaus, youngest brother of Nicholas Klaus (hero of my novel Sweet Inspiration) to Penelope's Romance Reviews. 

Yep, today is the beginning of the Klaus Brother's Invasion! For the next five Mondays, the Klaus boys (Oskar, Sven, Gregor, Wolfgang and Nicholas) will be entertaining us at Penelope's. For those of you who have missed my shameless self-promotion over the last six months, I am releasing my debut novel Sweet Inspiration in December. It's a light paranormal holiday romance, featuring the Klaus family in the North Pole. And each of the five Klaus brothers just happens to be hunkalicious. (Please refer to header photo of Oskar Klaus.) This isn't actually the perfect photo of Oskar since you can't see the dyed hair, Dr. Seuss hat, or his plethora of tats. (Hey, I just used plethora in a sentence. Do I get some sort of award?). Anyway, Oskar is the youngest of the Klaus brood, and he's pretty much a snowboard punk, and Director Of Elfin Resources at the pole. Please leave a comment for Oskar, since one lucky visitor will be winning an Amazon gift card. Oh, here he is now.....Woa! Nice hair. I've never actually seen that color of neon orange before.

Oskar: Thanks! It's my tribute to Halloween. 

[From Penelope: So you all get a nice visual, Oskar is wearing low-rider ripped up blue jeans, purple Doc Martens, an old T-shirt that says Drink Your Ovaltine!--with the sleeves pushed up so you can see his smokin' tats, cool mirrored Oakley sunglasses and his Dr. Seuss hat.]

Penelope: Well, thanks so much for stopping by. I know things must be getting a little nuts in the North Pole right about now. Cranking out millions of toys, keeping those rowdy elves in line...

Oskar: You got that right. The elves are driving me nuts this month. For some reason, they are on this Extreme Manhunt kick.

Pen: My 12 year old son loves to play that game! How exactly do you play Extreme Manhunt in the North Pole?

O: Probably the same way a bunch of twelve year old boys do. The elves dress up in black, run around Glasdorf with nerf guns, and shoot the crap out of each other. Well, your son probably doesn't get rip-roaring drunk at Dag's Bar first. And he probably uses a flashlight at night instead of sternschnuppen to light the way.

Pen: (FYI, Glasdorf is the town in the North Pole where Oskar and his family reside. And sternschnuppen is a kind of elfin magik that looks like tiny shooting stars.) Actually that sounds pretty fun, Oskar.

O: Yeah, it's all fun until someone falls off a roof into a huge snowdrift and breaks his back. Although I must admit I kicked some serious ass the last time we played. Won a bag of magik pebbles from Monie and the gang.

Pen: Well, other than participating in Elfin Extreme Manhunt, what's going on lately?

Oskar: Actually, I'm stoked to be here today. When I found out this is a book blog, I got really excited because I just recently finished this very cool book of Chinese poetry, and I can't wait to talk about it...

Pen: Woa....hold on there, buddy. Oskar, are you high?

O: Huh?

Pen: I haven't read a book of poetry since I was in middle school. Seriously. This is a romance blog. As in, romance novels.

O: What?!

Pen: I haven't read a non-romance book for at least 5 years, maybe longer.

O: (Raises left eyebrow mockingly.) Are you kidding me? Nothing else?

Pen: Nope.

O: How about a biography?

Pen: Nope.

O: Mystery?

Pen: Uh uh.

O: Jesus! (Scratches his head, removes Dr. Seuss hat, gives me a sly smile and a dimple pops out). I'll bet you've read your kids a Dr. Seuss book.

Pen: Ohhh, yeah. Got me. I do read children's books quite a bit. My favorite Dr. Seuss is Too Many Daves. You know..."Did I ever tell you that Mrs. McCave had 23 sons and she named them all Dave?"

O: (laughing) "Well, she did. And that wasn't a smart thing to do. You see, when she wants one and calls out 'Yoo-hoo! Come into the house, Dave!' she doesn't get one. All 23 Daves of hers come on the run!"

Pen: My daughter loves that one, too.

O: So do the elfin kids in Glasdorf.  But seriously, Pen, that is sick. I mean, there's a hell of a lot of cool books out there besides the bodice ripper variety.

Pen: Dude, no disparaging remarks about romance novels. Or you'll be eating your Seuss hat, got it? Anyway, how did a snowboarding punk get to be such a voracious reader?

O: Dude, no disparaging remarks about snowboard punks. 

Pen: Touché.

O: Honestly, unless you're an elf, Glasdorf can get a little bit boring. Reading was my favorite activity growing up. I read everything...biographies, travel books, horror, mystery, poetry, you name it. (Blushes). Maybe even a, um, you know....spicy bodice ripper-style, a couple of times.

Pen: (snickers) Well, well, well. So there's erotica in the North Pole, eh?

O: (rolls his eyes). Well, I managed to squeeze in some other activities besides reading, too. You know...snowboarding, taking Dad's sleigh out for joy rides, sneaking into Dag's bar for the pool tourney, ski-jumping, stuffing firecrackers down the chimney, and....

Pen: Oskar?

O: Yeah?

Pen: How many times did you get called before the Council Of Seven? [The Council Of Seven is the governing body of Glasdorf, composed of seven crotchety old elves.]

Oskar: Addendum to FYI..."composed of seven crotchety old elves who like to torture Oskar Klaus as much as humanly possible."

Pen: Now O, they are just doing their job. You're just too good at breaking the rules.

Oskar: Well, somebody's got to do it. 

Pen: So, snowboarding is your first love, right?

O: Hell, yeah. I'm planning an epic trip to Mammoth in a couple of weeks. Gonna sneak out and let Boris take over for a bit.

Pen: Who's Boris?

O: My assistant in Elfin Resources. Basically, if I get him a box of Cubans, he can be bribed to do just about anything. 

Sven: Yeah, like fix Dad's sleigh after Oskar smashed it into little bits.

Wolfgang: And miraculously produce a hot tub just when seventeen snow bunnies showed up at Oskar's condo for a party.

Sven: Oh yeah, remember when Boris told dad that Oskar had broken his leg that time he was in Vegas....

Oskar: Hey! First of all, get the hell out of here. Today is my day to host Penelope's. You have your own damned days later in the month. Second of all, shut the hell up. I'm sure Penelope does not want to hear about that trip to Vegas...

Pen: Hey Wolfie! Hi Sven. I would love to hear about Vegas. Sounds Vega-licious. Hee hee hee.

Oskar: Out! Now! Or I'll bring out those photos of Sven wearing his night brace and Wolfie hiking the Alps wearing lederhosen.

Wolfgang: (blanches) Shit. I thought I threw away all of those photos.

O: (smiles and raises an eyebrow) Nope. Mom has some stashed away for "safe-keeping."

Wolf: (salutes) I'm out of here. You know, plenty of people in Germany wear those things. It's not that weird if you're in Europe.

Sven: (staring at Wolfie as though he's lost his mind). O, you are a douche to bring up my night brace. Anyway, the ladies seem to like my smile, so I guess it turned out okay. (Sven and Wolfie bump fists and walk away, laughing).

O: (Shakes his head.) Anyway, like I was saying. Boris is a good guy. 

Pen: I know. He has some awesome scenes in the book I'm writing now, Sweet Magik. It's the second one of the Klaus Brother Series.

O: Why is Boris in Sweet Magik?

Pen: Because it's your story, Oskar.

O: Whaaaaat???!!!! You cannot be serious. But I'm the youngest brother. My story should be last. Why not Sven? Or Gregor? I'm not ready to settle down. Seriously. Big mistake. That's what happens, right? I get hooked up with some chick for life? Jesus, I think I need a beer.

Pen: It's only 8 am, too early for a beer. And quit being such a big baby. Your "chick" is beautiful, smart and extremely well read.

O: (perks up a bit) Really? Tell me more.

Pen: No way. Gotta wait until the book comes out, Christmas 2010. Well, gotta run and get the kiddies off to school. Why don't you hang out here and chat with my visitors. And no fooling around Penelope's website. If I find a review of Chinese poetry when I get back...

Oskar: (laughing) I swear I will refrain from posting poetry discussions while you're gone. Please leave a comment/question for me, since Pen will be choosing one lucky commenter to get an Amazon gift card. Thanks again, Penelope for having me over as a guest today.

Pen: Thanks, O!

Gonna Be A Crazy 2 Weeks!

Okay, folks, next 2 weeks will be a little bit crazy. Here's the agenda:

1) I'll be getting ready for the New Jersey RWA Put Your Heart In A Book Conference, Oct 23-24. This includes hair appointment, shopping for clothes other than sweats and T-shirts, getting the NECRWA goody basket ready (I'm on the promo committee!), and getting my husband mentally prepped to take care of the children without me for three days. Oy.

2) Soooo looking forward to Michelle Picard's book launch for her debut novel, Ruling Eden. This book is an adventure...exciting first person fantasy/romance. High rockability rating! My review will be up next week, and please stop by to visit with Michelle on Thursday, Oct. 29 for an interview and give-away.

3) Starting on Monday, Oct. 26, it's a Klaus Brothers Invasion! The Klaus Brothers will be visiting ("taking over") Penelope's for five consecutive Mondays. They wanted to introduce themselves before my debut novel Sweet Inspiration comes out on Dec. 2 (it's a light paranormal romance about the Klaus family in the North Pole...yeah, that Klaus family!). Oskar Klaus, the green-haired, punky snowboarding youngest brother will be hanging out first, chatting with visitors and giving away an Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter. Here's the schedule...

-Oct. 26: Oskar Klaus

-Nov. 2: Gregor Klaus

-Nov. 9: Sven Klaus

-Nov. 16: Wolfie Klaus

-Nov. 23: Nicholas Klaus

Each Monday for five weeks, the Klaus boys will be giving away Amazon gift cards, and Nicholas will also be giving away a sweet holiday treat on Nov. 23. Please stop by and hassle these guys! Believe me, they can take it (and they can dish it out, too!).

I'm tired already and it's only Monday morning. Hope everyone has a great week!

Ciao, Penelope