WE'RE LIVE!
Should you click on MMMlog this moment, you will see that the New! Improved! But Wait There's More! www.melindaruckerhaynes website is now LIVE. Hasn't Willa Cline done a fabulous job? Do let us know what you think of our new look and amazing content!

FULL MOON
The moon is full--that's what it says on my calendar and out my window here in strangely sunny Seattle. I use an Australian calendar that my friend Claire Malloy sends me each Christmas from Brisbane. Please join me in sending my favorite Kiwi in Oz a big hello!

This full moon brought me great news. As you can see from my listed BOOKS, I write paranormal romantic thrillers and young adult novels. I also write other kinds of "romances", one such is a western historical, THE SPANISH BLADE. I entered it in the Hearts Through History Romance Writers of America chapter's national contest and found out that THE SPANISH BLADE is a finalist. Woooohooo!

Did you know that moons have "names"? We've all heard of blue moons or harvest or hunter's Moons. Apparently, all the moons have names. The April full moon is called Full Pink, and the following is from the Farmers Almanac site: Full Pink Moon - April. This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month's celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

On this Pink Moon, my DH's mom is visiting her daughter in Kansas. My sister-in-law is taking her mom to a full moon drumming tonight. Ever been to one? I have in Bozeman, MT and loved it. It was usually held outside under the full moon, but that evening poured rain so we had to drum beneath the florescent tube indoors. I pounded my fingers raw on all sorts of hand-made drums, though I'm no musician but I can seem to find and keep a beat. The drum maker brought every sort of drum for us to try and some brought their own drums. One guy dragged in a five gallon Igloo cooler and pounded on that. He was pretty good! The drum maker would establish a rhythm and we'd copy then follow our drummers within. On this Full Pink, I'm pounding on the keyboard to the light of the monitor and listening to a fabulous original song by Kim Richey, THIS LOVE. I've got the track on repeat. Even the dog's deserted me, she's so tired of THIS LOVE. Not mmmmeeeee and this looooooooove.

MUSICAL FRIENDS
The best guitarist and song writer in my world, Kathye Long, lent me the CD last night when she was here to dinner. Kathye's just released her new CD, CHECK PLEASE, and I've worn that out. How can you not with great original music like "I Need A Dress for My Ex-husband's Wedding or "It's Enough to Drive a Man to Think"? Good music and good fun! Yup, it's a "repeat all" favorite, too.

Think I'll go salute Full Pink's rise with a glass of Chaleur Estate and croon to the DH by moonlight . . .in the name of this looooove. . .

Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to moonwatch I go!
Mmmmmmmmmelinda