Ready. Set. Go. Growing seedlings indoors seems almost like a race. Of course, it has a staggered start, with onions already growing strongly and tomatoes not yet sown.

It's easy to understand why Hollywood loves doing business with author Nicholas Sparks. His books are huge best-sellers, and several of the films adapted from his novels - "Message in a Bottle," ''The Notebook," and "Dear John" - have achieved impressive box office grosses. The latest Sparks adaptation, "Safe Haven," will probably continue his winning streak, especially with its Valentine's Day opening pegged to lure female fans. A thriller element that has not been present in earlier Sparks movies is designed to draw reluctant male viewers to see the picture, but they won't respond with the same enthusiasm as his core audience of woozy romantics.

After “A Walk to Remember,” “The Notebook,” “The Last Song,” “The Lucky One,” and “Dear John,” Nicholas Sparks is obviously running a campaign to become president of sappiness. His novels have inspired a number of hokey adaptations chock-full of one-dimensional archetypes and scenes ripped off from other romances. This guy loves seeing people get caught in the rain more than Michael Bay marvels at the sight of explosions. The latest picture from the novelist turned producer, “Safe Haven,” is every bit as cheesy and mushy as one would expect. It’s about as original as a Lifetime movie designed to brazenly manipulate our emotions. Maybe I’m becoming easier to manipulate, but this melodramatic cornball kept me completely invested from beginning to end.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The difference between owning a ferret in Hawaii and one in Pennsylvania can be up to three years in jail — and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

Q: Does it affect your iPhone’s battery life when you charge it every night? I have found a lot of conflicting answers on the web. — Madeline

At this time of the year everyone loves some leftovers.

You may be among the thousands of Arizona parents who bought pencils, notebooks, and backpacks last month to help your kids get ready for that first day of school. But with all the supply checklists, did you remember to check the grade for your child’s school?

At the Computex show in Taipei earlier this summer, leading manufacturers previewed the next generation of tablets, ultrabooks, hybrids and touch-screen technology designed to take advantage of Microsoft's touch-friendly Windows 8 operating system. Here are a few of the cool gadgets you can expect to see near the end of the year.

You may be among the thousands of Arizona parents who bought pencils, notebooks, and backpacks last month to help your kids get ready for that first day of school. But with all the supply checklists, did you remember to check the grade for your child’s school?

“True Blood” fans can soon concoct their own blood-red beet bisque, crimson sweet tea and other Cajun delicacies inspired by the hit HBO vampire drama and compiled in a new cookbook.

At the age of 95, her hair full of silver and her mind sharp with political strategy, Jeanne Tirpak of Wickenburg said she came to Joe’s Farm Grill in Gilbert on Monday to see one person and one person only.

NEW ORLEANS — "True Blood" fans can soon concoct their own blood-red beet bisque, crimson sweet tea and other Cajun delicacies inspired by the hit HBO vampire drama and compiled in a new cookbook.

The city of Phoenix is ready to listen.

Keep a food journal; don't skip meals and avoid going out to eat, especially lunch. That's the advice suggested for post-menopausal dieters after a yearlong dietary weight-loss intervention study of 123 overweight-to-obese, sedentary Seattle-area women ages 50 to 75.

Planning to check out a movie this weekend in Chandler? Why not help out a student at the same time.

Bank of America is partnering with the local nonprofit Back-to-School Clothing Drive to help Valley students prepare for the 2012-13 school year by collecting new or unopened school supplies at more than 100 banking centers in the Valley from July 25 through Aug. 3.

ATLANTA (AP) — Two new computers running Google's Chrome operating system are looking to lure people to a browser-based environment. Both target light-duty computer users who don't need the full range of capabilities that traditional Windows and Mac computers provide.

As the first day of school approaches, parents of tweens and teens are busy loading up on notebooks and mechanical pencils, buying jumbo packages of lunchtime snacks, shopping for just the right clothing and filling the family calendar with concerts, practice and game dates.

Help a student start his or her school year on the right foot by making a donation at a back-to-school drive this weekend at the Tempe Kiwanis Recreation Center. The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Arizona is collecting donations of new and unused backpacks, spiral notebooks, crayon packs, pocket folders and index cards. Every person who makes a donation will get half-price admission from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22 at the Kiwanis Wave Pool, 6115 S. All-America Way.

The Gilbert Fire Department is hosting its annual Back to School supply drive, benefitting Gilbert children.

Gilbert’s Elektrolytes, the newly declared winners of Season 7 of “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew” on MTV, will appear in their first hometown performance since winning the televised competition earlier this month.

East Valley nonprofit youth program, ICAN, will hold its annual Pack-a-Backpack drive July 1-19 to provide school supplies to community youth. Annually the program collects backpacks and school supplies for underprivileged youth who might not be able to obtain all the necessities for academic success. ICAN is partnering with the Chandler Compadres to provide each youth with a backpack.

The number of homeless children in the Kyrene School District has stayed constant over the past three years, said one employee, but the number that is worrying is how many kids are now on free or reduced lunch.

Now that the heat has arrived, light bites and drinks that cool and refresh are more my pace.