Spring Fever – has made a fool of me. By Guest Author Molly O’Keefe

headshotmolly.jpgMolly O’Keefe grew up in a small town outside of Chicago. She met and married her college sweetheart and moved to Toronto to embrace her inner Maple Leafs fan. Molly sold her first Harlequin Duets at age 25 and hasn’t looked back! She has since sold 15 books to Harlequin Duets, Flipside and Superromance. Her last Flipside, Dishing It Out, and her December 2007 Superromance Baby Makes Three, both won the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award. A frequent speaker at conferences around the country, including New Jersey, Boston, Seattle and Ottawa, she also serves on the board of the Toronto chapter of Romance Writers of America. You can reach her through her website www.molly-okeefe.com. And read her rambles about writing, motherhood and television at www.drunkwritertalk.blogspot.com.

She lives in Toronto with her husband, son, dog and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America. Her new Superromance, A Man Worth Keeping, has just been released and is in stores now!

I am highly susceptible to spring fever. I think it’s genetic – like my broad shoulders, addiction to cooking magazine subscriptions and slightly overly-optimistic nature – I get it from my mother. I remember being sent to school after spring break in skirts and sandals. Shivering in some white cardigan Mom thought was so cute, begging for one of my friend’s mittens. And as much as I hated it then, now I find myself after St. Patrick’s Day putting all my winter clothes away – opting instead for lemon yellow tee shirts and white denim jackets that look ridiculous and just don’t get the job done against that last Canadian ice storm. The other day I looked at the sun shining through the windows – totally and utterly ignored the forecast that said negative seven – and decided to put a short sleeve shirt on under my son’s overalls. He looked at me like I was nuts and I told him one day he’d understand.

After months of snow and ice and the sun setting at two in the afternoon – a day of sunshine is like a drug. Birds chirping in the morning and green plants busting their way out of the slush and winter litter does the same thing to my brain that chocolate, sex and Bruce Springsteen do. I lose touch with reality in the best possible way. Anything is possible. Nothing bad can happen – because look – flowers are blooming.

My son was conceived in a mad rush of spring fever. I even think I lost my virginity because of spring fever. Of course that was high school, when one day all of us were thinking of finals and summer jobs and the next the first crocus would come up and Spring Fever hit us like the plague in 28 Days Later. We were all groaning and moaning like zombies trying to hump each other.

I went to college in St. Louis, Missouri and someone at city hall made the brilliant decision to plant daffodils all along the highways. And daffodils, like lilacs (the second best spring/early summer flower) suddenly arrive. It’s green…green…green and then – one day – wow! it’s cheerful bobbing yellow and white everywhere you look. Let me tell you what that did to my commute. Daffodils beside highways should be made law everywhere.

I lived in California for a time and there was no spring fever. So, I moved. (Like that was the only reason??) to Canada. Here spring fever is an epidemic and all of us, braving that last ice storm in flimsy jackets and capri pants, sit on restaurant patios, turning our winter pale faces to the sun. We think of daffodils and sex and despite snow and groundhog predictions, with our collective fevered minds, we choose spring.

Sometimes it works. Mostly we get snow in our eyes.

Happy Spring I hope everyone gets a chance to relax and read a book in the sunshine. And really, nothing fuels spring fever like a little romance. Reminds us of the good old zombie days!!

15 Replies to “Spring Fever – has made a fool of me. By Guest Author Molly O’Keefe”

  1. I feel for you Canadians, with such perpetual winters. Down south spring tends to tease us toward the end of February, but by April often the weather devolves into something less than that early hint had suggested. It’s been raining a cold rain on and off for about two weeks now, and while the flowers are gorgeous and the grass is a vivid green, it’s awfully gloomy! I”m ready for that outdoor cafe weather to return! Thanks for visiting us today Molly!

  2. Thanks for having me Jenny! I have to say that April in Canada is the cruelest month. Case in point – today my face is sunburned from being out in the park with my family yesterday and yet I know I KNOW there will be another snow storm at some point. Or worse Ice.

    But living in a place with such extreme seasons, you get to that sprin fever, fall fever, winter fever, all of it – the first few months of whatever season we’re falling into it’s incredible. Like I’ve never felt it before. It’s fun.

  3. Any posting about Spring, where the movie 28 days later is referenced works in my book.
    Love Spring, thought the post was hilarious.

  4. Welcome, Molly! Us Canadians really do relish spring. Your post made me laugh out loud and totally took me back to my teen days.

    I remember the first sign of spring was when it was dry enough to sit on the school lawn at lunch to smoke, make out and drink booze (stolen from good ol’ dad’s liquor cabinet) hidden in slushie cups. I freely admit I was a zombie, my blood thickened with a dangerous cocktail of mystery booze and raging hormones. There’s a book there, I just know it.

    And a Happy Spring to you!

  5. Molly, I’m suffering along with you! We’ve still got snow in the back yard and I can’t figure out if it’s time to put away the winter coats yet. I’m almost superstitious about it–afraid if I do it, it will bring more cold and snow.

    And congrats on the book! Are you having a signing?

  6. I would mock you for being a Leafs fan, but as I cheer for the Canucks I have no pride left either.
    Thanks for coming to the ball and happy spring!

  7. Eileen — I am a fairweather Leaf fan at the best of times. I truly didn’t know what I was in for when I married my husband. I’ve seen more hockey than I ever ever dreamed I would. Ever.

    Danielle – I just did it again – looked outside, left the mittens at home and went to the park. Mick’s hands are practically purple. You’re smarter than I keeping those winter coats around. But snow in the backyard can be the most depressing thing ever. Thanks about the book – It’s been a lot of fun writing a series like this with sort of an over-arching plot line. Fun and a challenge. I am having some signings at the New England Conference and at Romantic Times, I’ve been too lazy to schedule my own.

    Joanne!! I love it. Yes, the it’s warm enough to get outside of the car and smoke – test. For us in high school it was going to Cooper Park and smoking in the parking lot, pretending we weren’t freezing. Zombies. For sure.

  8. Great post, Molly.

    I let spring fever take over yesterday and while I didn’t get a sunburn, I did rake the four-five inches of oak leaves off my little garden in the front. I’m praying you’re wrong about us getting another bout of bad weather — because the little sprouts will be angry for me for removing their winter blanket too early… (Maybe, like Mick with his purple hands, they will forgive me.)

  9. Hey Molly –

    I gave up my boots for flip flops somewhere around St. Patrick’s Day. We’ve had snow at least four times since then, but I refuse to give in. Spring is coming and my toenails are painted, the flip flops are staying.

    Tasha

  10. Hey I was wondering what was different about you yesterday — you had that lawn work glow about you. A glow I never have considering all I have to do is contemplate buying plants and they die. Love plants – they just don’t love me. And I hope it’s never too early to start my son’s life long chore of mowing the lawn, saving me from killing our lawn.

  11. Hi Molly, glad to have you here! I laughed at your zombies reference (and how adorable is Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later? Yum!!)

    April is also very cruel here in Wisconsin…we won’t be seeing any green for another few weeks. *sigh*

  12. Jess – Cillian Murphy is incredibly cute in that movie – so strange that most of the movies after that he plays such scary guys. I loved him as the bad guy in the last Batman movie.

    Tasha! Glad you’re holding the line with those flip flops. I got a pedicure the other day too and then ruined them putting on my winter boots. Grrrrr.

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