Checking In

Fly by post today! How are you all? I hope March is treating you kindly.

Some linkage:

Friend and fellow author Yvonne Lindsay is giving away a copy of Archangel's Blade on her blog.

DABWAHA has kicked off. The voting hasn't yet started, but the the site is open for you to add your nominations to those already listed. Follow this link to read all about it. 

Check out this amazing collection of images created by Russian artist Vladimir Manyuhin of his vision of the post-apocalyptic world.

Seen anything else interesting on the web lately? Leave the link in the comments. :-)

Inaugral Friday Book Club

It's our first book club day!

Basically, it's all about recommending books. So if you've read a good book recently, leave a note in the comments with the recommendation, and, if you like, something about why you were so happy with the story, or why you think others would enjoy it.

I read Pretend Mistress, Bona Fide Boss by my bud Yvonne Lindsay this week. It's got a sexy alpha hero, a heroine with secrets, and is undoubtedly hot. I wanted to beat the hero over the head at times, but to be honest, that's part of the fun. It makes it so much better when they grovel *grin*

I totally enjoyed being swept away into the high stakes world of the Rogue Diamonds. Also, Yvonne does a really great job of describing some beautiful places in New Zealand. I live here and I wanted to go tour!

Okay, your turn - what's your book rec? If you haven't read anything you want to recommend, how about telling us which books recommended in the comments capture your interest?

NZ/Aus Author Series: Yvonne Lindsay

Winners: Thanks for giving such a warm welcome to Yvonne. She's chosen the winners of her giveaway and they are - Una, Azteclady & Tracy. Congratulations! Email me at nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address and I'll pass it on to Yvonne.

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Today, we kick off a new monthly series of guest blogs with writers from my part of the world.

First up is fellow Kiwi author and my good friend (and not just because she put me in the dedication to her latest book *squee*), Yvonne Lindsay!

Everyone, please welcome Yvonne!

Pssst - she's come bearing gifts!!

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Thanks, Nalini, for inviting me to join you on your blog!

Well, this month is a month I never dreamed would come along. It’s the month that sees the release of my tenth title with Silhouette Desire. Frankly, I’m totally amazed.

Seeing PRETEND MISTRESS, BONA FIDE BOSS on the shelves is super exciting and I’m in the mood to celebrate :-) so I’m giving away one copy of each of the three Rogue Diamonds books (CONVENIENT MARRIAGE, INCONVENIENT HUSBAND—SECRET BABY, PUBLIC AFFAIR—PRETEND MISTRESS, BONA FIDE BOSS) to three randomly chosen commenters.

When I brainstormed the Rogue Diamonds mini-series, I had no trouble dreaming up the close knit powerful alpha trio of friends. I think it was a comment from an interview given by Keanu Reeves, where he mentioned demon riding, that started the ball rolling and gathering plot outline in my head. These guys are definitely risk takers.

As usual, for me, finding the women who deserved them was a whole lot harder (I don’t tend to share my toys and my heroes are pretty much the same.) When it came to Adam’s story I had a string of ideas running through my head. I wanted more than your average mistress, more than your average boss/secretary story—all of which meant that Lainey needed to have a big backstory, one that was powerful enough to drive this book and, coincidentally, this hero to the end of his tether.

I’ve always been drawn to the story of Pygmalion, of the statue, Galatea, brought to life and love and I started to play with how this could work in a modern setting—with a twist. Of course, there always has to be a twist. Why would she prefer to be the inanimate ‘statue’ like woman who flew under a man’s radar? What would drive her to risk that anonymity? And so Lainey Delacorte came to life.

Thinking about it, fairy tales, myths and legends often have a strong influence on my stories, even when I’m not fully conscious of it until the book is done. What’s your favourite tale of old?

Contest Closed.

Claiming His Runaway Bride - Yvonne Lindsay

Reading this book really brought home to me all the reasons why I've always loved category romance - the intense focus on the romantic relationship, the raw emotional power of a story when it's done well, and the sheer un-put-downability factor. This book had all of them.

Here's the blurb:

He Didn't Want Her To Remember...

The accident that had taken Belinda's memory had provided Luc with the perfect means for revenge. His beautiful bride had no recollection of fleeing her groom on their wedding day...or the real reason behind their union. All she recalled was the unbridled passion they still shared--and the steely-eye mogul planned to take full advantage of it.

Full disclosure - Yvonne is a very close friend of mine and she sent me a signed copy as a gift, but the instant I started reading, all I cared about was the story. I curled up in a chair, opened it to the first page and didn't get up again until I'd turned the last page. I had to see if these two would manage to heal their relationship, but not only that, if their HEA (Happy Ever After) would be believable.

I'm happy to say that by the end, I really felt that Belinda and Luc had come through the fire and would make it. For me, the pivotal point was Luc's realization in the final part of the book about an integral aspect of his nature and how it had affected his relationship with his wife - it was a very, very powerful emotional moment, and something you rarely see in these hard-edged alpha heroes.

So needless to say, this is highly recommended! You can read an excerpt on Yvonne's website.

Any other category fans? Who are your favorite authors? Favorite types of category stories?