Reader Interview: LesleyW

The blog is up and running again and Tuesday is reader interview day. If you'd like to participate (you know you want to), the details are here. Without further ado, today's interviewee is Lesley W!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hmm. Okay, I'm in my thirties (and that's as specific as I like to be :) ) and I live in the UK with my cat. I love reading. I guess I'm a frustrated creative type as I'm also trying to write a novel at the moment - which makes me appreciate what authors have to go through. And I also love drawing, painting. I like getting outside and seeing what's out there - love wildlife / birdwatching. LOL. Is that enough, should I stop now?

2. Are you a hoarder or do you give your books away?

I hoard. I'm a terrible obsessive/compulsive. I never want to throw anything away in case it might be useful at a later date. Though I've had a massive spring clean recently which I found very therapeutic.

3. What author might tempt you into turning stalker?

Errmm. Not sure I can talk about that here. :laughs: None of them actually. I don't mean that in an insulting way. But I tend to get tongue-tied and not know what to say. Or babble incoherently which I'm not sure is much better. I'd be happy if I could just strike up a normal conversation at a book signing. Authors that I admire are Kelley Armstrong, Angela Knight, Nalini Singh :).

4. How susceptible are you to chocolate?

Very. I treat myself to a box from hotelchocolate about once every six weeks or so. It's my indulgence. I have to ration it, because I'm very susceptible to migraines.

5. Favorite book? Why?

Honestly. I'm not sure I could pick just one. I've done a top ten before and knew I left books that I loved out. Probably it would have to be The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. (You think the number of times I've mentioned this book I would know how to type the author's name by now - but no.) I'm not sure that if she wrote anything else it would have the same impact on me, it's just that book. Henry and Clare's story has this heartbreaking inevitability to it.

For urban fantasy - Kelley Armstrong's Bitten. My favourite werewolf book. And re-reading it now, there are scenes when you want to pull Elena out of the book and say - don't do that - because as a reader you know what's going to happen. I don't think there's a wasted scene in that book.

An author who has never put a foot wrong for me is Wen Spencer. I've loved everything of hers that I've read. I like that until you start reading you're never sure what you're going to get. She always seems to be trying something new.

There are so many other authors I could mention here - Lynn Viehl, J. R. Ward, Meljean Brook, Megan Hart, Elizabeth Vaughn, Lindsey Davis, Karin Slaughter...

6. If you knew you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

A satellite phone with battery so I could call for help - is that cheating? As I'm deathly afraid of flying it's unlikely to happen. Apart from the phone, paper and pens. So I'd have something to write/draw with whilst waiting for rescue.

7. What did you eat for breakfast?

Crunchy nut cornflakes.

8. How many books in your current to-be-read pile?

Which one? I have a big pile and a little pile. The little pile has the books I'm most interested in, there's about 40 books in it at the moment. The big pile has everything else, there's probably around 400 in it I think. Things tend to get put on there when the little pile falls over. I must stop buying books for three months and try and make some headway into the books I already have.

9. Describe your idea of a perfect hero.

For a long time Jamie from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series was my idea of the perfect romantic hero. He didn't let Claire get away with anything, but he listened to her and sacrificed himself for her. I've not yet managed to finish the series, but I like that it carried on after they'd had the initial happily ever after.

Henry in TTTW, when I read about him in a way he replaced Jamie, because he was more real. He made terrible mistakes. But you never once doubted his love for Clare. I think to have to lie to her was almost a burden beyond bearing but he did it.

And my other favourite hero is Jeremy from Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series. Probably why I love the character of Jaime so much, because she picked him over Clay too.

Hmmm. Looking at my choices I seem to have a preference for the strong (mentally), intellectual type. Who listens to the heroine, but won't let her walk all over him.

Dallas Photos

My trip to the US actually didn't start with the Dallas RWA Conference, but I figure that's what you guys most want to hear about, so here goes.

One of the absolute highlights of the trip for me was getting to meet my agent, Nephele Tempest, and my editor, Cindy Hwang, in person. I adore them both, so it was such a blast hanging out with them before and during the conference.

The first pic is of me and Cindy at the revolving restaurant at the top of the Reunion Tower in Dallas. Lunch was awesome but oh my gawd did that restaurant revolve fast! We could actually see it moving.


While I was in New York, I also met Leis Pederson, Cindy's assistant and acquiring editor. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so my pictures of Leis are really tiny ones taken on my cellphone, which I shall post once I figure out how to download them from said phone.

Next up is my photo with Nora Roberts (courtesy of Jane from Dear Author). See, I really did meet her! Needless to say, she was absolutely lovely.


I also ran into several of the Romance Divas in the goody room. Below is a shot of Dana, Jax, Eden Bradley, Gemma Halliday and Gena Showalter. Look at those beautiful smiles!

That night at the literacy signing, who should I be sitting next to but the talented Linnea Sinclair. Here we are with our mascots - hers is a furzel (a catlike creature from Games of Command) and mine is a kiwi.


During the signing, I met several readers of this blog and some of those people owe me photos. I'm waiting...

I also met the gorgeous and extremely nice Jane Porter that same night (just so you know that I didn't wear that shirt the whole conference *grin*).


More photos to come as I get them organized, but I'm also going to try and get the blog back on track, so the reader interviews will start up again tomorrow, followed by some catch-up things, and then I'll start bombarding you with photos once more. I have several of fellow bloggers, as well as other authors, which I know you guys will enjoy seeing!

I'm back!!

Just a quick post to say I'm back and trying to sort through the well over a thousand emails in my inbox (eek!). I somehow managed to stay almost internet-free in my travels, but now I must pay the price. So if you've contacted me over the past month and I haven't replied, I wasn't ignoring you - I was trying to see as much of the U.S. of A as possible (while eating the maximum amount of chocolate, of course).

Lots of pictures and good stuff to come. But first things first - who's still here? Say hi!

Blog on Vacation

The blog is going on vacation...because I'm heading off traveling. The official reopening of the blog will be August 1. However, knowing my internet addiction, I'll be checking in now and then with updates, so catch up with you then!

CBI ARC Winners

I was planning to give away 5 advanced copies of Caressed By Ice today, but there were so many entries to this contest that I decided that I'd have some extra made up and so I'm giving away 15!

The winners (picked randomly) are listed below - and I've also emailed each person to confirm that they've won, since some of the names were similar. And without further ado, the winners are:

Shaneh
Courtney U.
Angelle Trieste
Deborah W.
Kat B.
Jennifer T.
Jenchm
Guia
Katiebabs
Abby R.
Candice
PamK
Jennifer B.
Athena
Justine W.

Congratulations to the winners and hope you enjoy the book!

Reminder

The clock is ticking - if you haven't entered the ARC contest, you have less than two hours to do it! I'll pick the winners later today and post them up tonight if all goes well. Good luck!

Weekly Catchup & Robin D. Owens' Heart Dance

Today is weekly catchup day, but I've also got an OOTB blog tour for you today. Check out the details below! So what have you all been up to?

(By the way, if you haven't entered the ARC contest yet, you have one more day.)
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HEART DANCE by Robin D. Owens

Berkley Trade, July 3, 2007

DuFleur Thyme is a scientist who's secretly experimenting with time. She'll allow no distractions from her work-not even from a HeartMate. Meanwhile, Saille T'Willow has sent his HeartGift out into the world in hopes of finding his HeartMate, who, it turns out, is DuFleur. Still, DuFleur wants nothing to do with Saille, especially when she discovers that it was his grandmother who brought about her father's ruin. Unfortunately, her body can't help but submit to the passion he stirs in her. But when a scandal threatens Saille's position as head of the family, will DuFleur stand by his side?

Excerpt

ABOUT ROBIN D. OWENS

Robin D. Owens has been seriously writing longer than she cares to recall, but is very happy with how her writing career is proceeding. She was named the Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers in 2004, and 2003 Writer of the Year by the Denver Area Science Fiction Association. Robin has been the librarian, contest co-chair, and President of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She has given seminars at Pikes Peak Writers Conference, the Colorado Gold Writers Conference, and Romance Writers of America as well as other groups.

REVIEWS

"Another fascinating visit with the dynamic people of the futuristic world of Celta."— Fresh Fiction

Website http://www.robindowens.com

Conferences and All

I'm going to send you over to the Writing Playground today, where the Playground Monitor has a great post up about conferences and how to handle them.

I, meanwhile, am going to head over to the post office to pick up a package. Ooooooh, what can it be?...

Caressed By Ice ARC contest

Contest now closed. Congrats to the winners!

Okay, here it is, your chance to win an ARC of Caressed By Ice. I think we have 5 left, and a bunch of folks have already won one through my newsletter, so chances aren't bad. Here's all you have to do to enter:

1. Be ready to read the book and review it during late August.
You can review it on your blog, myspace, on online websites like Amazon etc.

That's it. Read. Wait till the last couple of weeks of August. Review. (Though if you love it, you are welcome to tell EVERYONE you know at any stage *grin*).

The entry isn't through comments this time (no big reason why - I just don't want to be chasing down winners' addresses). To enter, EMAIL me at nalinisinghwrites @ gmail.com (without the spaces), with:

1. CBI ARC in the subject line
2. Your name and address
3. Where you intend to review the book.

Contest closes NZ time, Sat June 30th, 12 noon (that's June 29th, Friday 8pm EST)

Reader Interview: Susan

Tuesday is reader interview day. If you'd like to participate (you know you want to), the details are here. Without further ado, today's reader interviewee is Susan (who has excellent taste in books *g*)!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am 33 years old and live in Ohio. For 10 years I sold and serviced 401K plans for a large investment firm. After we had our 2nd child I decided to stay home. Watching my daughter live everyday to the fullest, I decided to try my hand at writing (I wrote a ton in college.) Love it, but let it fall by the way side. I have some freelance work and a short story in progress.)

2. Are you a hoarder or do you give your books away?

Depends. Your books I hoard. Alison Kent & Lora Leigh I hoard. Others, sometimes yes and sometimes. I am blessed to have a great library nearby, so I borrow alot now.

3. What author might tempt you into turning stalker?

Not in my nature to stalk.

4. How susceptible are you to chocolate?

Very. I love dark chocolate

5. Favorite book? Why?

The Time Travelers Wife.

6. If you knew you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

Notebook to write in. Some really good sun block & moisturizer. A good book.

7. What did you eat for breakfast?

Cherrios w/ soymilk and dried cherries

8. How many books in your current to-be-read pile?

6

9. Describe your idea of a perfect hero.

I like an alpha man, but not one that is overly arrogant. I think a man can have a strong sense of himself, and still be a decent guy and not cocky. Cocky usually mask insecurities. Arrogance the same. A really confident man does not need to hide behind those two traits.

Blood Lines - Eileen Wilks

If you're not reading Eileen Wilks' fabulous paranormal series featuring the lupi prince, Rule Turner and detective Lily Yu, why not?!

Seriously, this is a great series. I've just read Blood Lines (more like devoured it). You'll probably enjoy it more if you read the series in order - Tempting Danger & Mortal Danger come before Blood Lines. Weirdly, I've somehow missed reading Mortal Danger (I blame it on moving countries), so I'll be catching up on that but books 1 & 3 hooked me from page 1. Awesome books, both of them!

If you want to find out info about the series, check out Eileen's website.

So, any books you want to squee over?

Links

Jennifer Estep had an interesting post up at Romancing the Blog about nibbling vs chewing at books. When I have the time, I gobble up books in chunks, but I've taught myself to nibble too. Lots more books get read that way. What about you all?

Staying with the chewing theme - if you chew a lot of gum, you might be interested in this article: Chewing gum habit 'poisons' woman.

On a more serious note, Skyla Dawn Cameron has a post up at Dionne Galace with details about the Nothing But Red project/protest.

Sasha White is telling her First Sale story and giving away a book at Dear Author.

Candy & Sarah at SBTB have just announced a book deal.

Jaci Burton is giving bloggers a chance to win an advanced copy of Hunting Demon Island.

And to end on a high, two of my Sil Desire releases - Bound By Marriage & Craving Beauty got awesome reviews at Kwips & Kritiques! :)

Have a nice weekend folks.

Weekly Catchup

It's catchup time - what've you guys been up to this week? I went shopping. Through choice. Amazing, I know. I even bought something. What is the world coming to?!

(And yeah, I gave away some ARCs of CBI to newsletter subscribers but I shall also be giving away some on the blog next week, so make sure you swing by.)

Caressed By Ice

I do believe this is the first online review of Caressed By Ice! (Scooper won the meme contest I ran for Visions of Heat and part of the prize package was an ARC of CBI). And she says she loved it!

I'm also going to send out another excerpt of CBI to newsletter subscribers today, but don't worry if you're not the newsletter-joining type. The excerpt will also be put up on the website as part of the July updates.

And the game's still going so join in!

Games

Today's a bit of a flyby so how about we play a game? I saw this on the Romance Divas forum. Basically, you start with a word (four letters), then each person changes one letter to make a new word. You can't add any extra letters (ie. it always has to be four letters long).

Like this:

Neat
Seat
Seal
Sell...(okay, next person!)

Reader Interview: Jennifer K

Tuesday is reader interview day. If you'd like to participate (you know you want to), the details are here. Without further ado, today's reader interviewee is the hysterically funny Jennifer K!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Well, I’m a never-been-married spinster in her mid-30s who’s becoming one of those cat ladies you see getting busted on Animal Planet because they have, like, 300 cats. At least, that seems to be what some people in my family seem to think. *rolls eyes* I have 3 cats … THREE. That is such a far cry from 300 that it’s ridiculous.

I love books and reading and my idea of a great vacation would be to stay in a haunted castle in Scotland or to take part in one of those mystery tours. You know, the kind where you’re on a train or something and somebody gets killed. Then it’s up to you, an intrepid private investigator or reporter to interpret the clues and solve the crime. Who done it?

Oh, and on the more realistic front, I work as a copy editor/layout person at a newspaper in this area. We’ve got a circulation of about 23,000 to 24,000. I’m in the foothills of North Carolina, USA, by the way.

2. Are you a hoarder or do you give your books away?

I mostly hoard. But, really, I’m not one of those crazy cat ladies. I hoard books. I COLLECT cats. Um, I mean, I rescue the occasional cat. And actually, my having three cats? Very weird because I’m so a DOG person. How did I end up with 3 cats and no dog? I better put my brillant observational, analytical skills to the test to figure that one out.

3. What author might tempt you into turning stalker?

Oh, I could be a stalker chick for LOTS of authors. Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, You, Nalini, Jayne Ann Krentz, Lora Leigh, Nora Roberts, Jory Strong, Linda Howard … those are just off the top of my head.

4. How susceptible are you to chocolate?

It depends. Are you offering some to avoid the stalking thing? Actually, I don’t like pure chocolate, but I’ll eat it happily if it has stuff in it. For instance, chocolate with caramel in it? Delicious. Chocolate with rice krispy stuff in it or nuts or cream cheese? Good lord, I’m drooling just thinking about it.

5. Favorite book? Why?

Hmm, that’s a hard one. I’ve read so many over the years, that I’d have to really sit down and think about it. I can say that one of my favorite series of all times is Linda Howard’s Mackenzie family stories. I loved Wolf and Joe’s story was even better. They are all great and I’ve read them multiple times. Alpha heroes, feisty heroines …

6. If you knew you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

Lots of bottled water … unless this island just happens to have a pure water source that can be used; lots of sunscreen; and my books -- at least one of which is the “Making It Out Alive When You’re Stuck on an Island for Dummies” book.

7. What did you eat for breakfast?

Two small boxes of raisins. I’m kind of on a diet, which I totally blew out of the water earlier by eating a Milky Way bar … hey it’s got caramel in it … yum!

8. How many books in your current to-be-read pile?

Only a few. Maybe three or four. I go through books pretty fast, so they don’t stay in a TBR pile for long.

9. Describe your idea of a perfect hero.

Smart, caring, funny, compassionate and willing to see things through to the end.

Empathy Experiment

When people say "I feel your pain," they do not mean it literally, but certain people really do feel something that appears to be an extreme form of empathy, British researchers have said.

From "Study May Explain Roots of Empathy"

Pretty cool. I've always thought we have the capacity for more than we know - perhaps one day, my Psy stuff will be real in terms of the strength of what we can do with our minds (except without the murderous Psy Council and all). Any of you ever have an extrasensory moment?

Links

Another wonderful first sale story from Ruth Ryan Langan. I love reading these!

Author Colleen Gleason gives the top ten reasons why her heroine Victoria Gardella Grantworth is not Buffy Summers.

Diana Peterfreund has done a brilliant two part Publishing Primer with all sorts of info for writers.

For those of you who are planning to pitch your story to an editor or agent at a conference, the brilliant Nephele Tempest (my agent!) gives some tips on the Perfect Pitch.

Kira, from The Writing Playground, a fellow member of the Brainstorming Desirables, just made her first sale this week. Go read about The Call!

And if you haven't seen, my website's been updated for this month with some good stuff so check it out.

Hope the weekend treats you well! :)

Weekly Catchup

This week has zipped by like a bullet train. I seriously can't believe it's Friday already. I've been working - on another first draft (a novella). It's set in the Psy/Changeling world but a few centuries back from Slave to Sensation. More to come on that later.

Tell me your news people. What's happening in your corner of the world?

Of Thievery & Exercise

I exercised today. Exercise is good. It keeps me from turning into a potato. But man is it tough to get out of bed for it!

However, since I am an intergalactic woman of mystery, I must make the effort. You didn't know I was an intergalactic woman of mystery? Well...let me tell you story. It all began after I read Ilona Andrews' Magic Bites. As I try to do with authors I enjoy, I dropped her an email to say how much I liked it. Guess what happened next? Ms Andrews promptly stole my name - go here to read about Nalini, the woman with blades and poison!

I feel I must now steal Ilona's name - hmmm....

Angels

While working on the first draft of Angels' Blood, I went hunting angel pictures (for no reason but that I had angels on the brain) and look what I found. Ooooooh...

Reader Interview: Bridget Locke

Tuesday is reader interview day. If you'd like to participate (you know you want to), the details are here. Without further ado, today's reader interviewee is Bridget! (A very practical woman...see the answer to question 6 *g*)

1.Tell us a bit about yourself.

Well, my name is Bridget Locke (pseudonym :)). I'm 30, single, and live in Portland, Oregon. I'm a reader of books; usually romance, but I also love fantasy, history, biographies, etc. I try to keep myself informed of trends, so I also have a subscription to Entertainment Weekly. :) I'm also an aspiring writer. I seem to write anything that comes to mind, so I don't see myself just writing one type of book. I've written erotica, comedic first-persons, whatever. My only problem is that I never seem to be able to finish anything. I sure would like to know why. :)

2. Are you a hoarder or do you give your books away?

I tend to hoard, until my bedroom gets so overrun by books that I HAVE to give them away. I have a lot of keepers though. I'm a huge Nora Roberts fan, so most of my books are hers, though I also have all of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series, Cindy Gerard's Bodyguard series, Harry Potter and Kim Harrison's The Hollows series. I try to keep series together. I like knowing I've got the whole thing.

3. What author might tempt you into turning stalker?

LOL! Probably Nora Roberts, though I'd say there are really a lot of authors I love.

4. How susceptible are you to chocolate?

Very! Chocolate is my comfort food. It's what I use when I'm PMSing or really depressed. It seems to help calm me down. :)

5. Favorite book? Why?

Oh, this is a horrid question! I've got so many favorites. I have to say that one of my very favorite books of all time is a historical (which is shocking, because I'm not a big historical fan). It's called Years & it's by LaVyrle Spencer. It's this wonderful love story that just comes alive for me. I've read it over a dozen times & love it each and every time I read it.

6. If you knew you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

An everlasting supply of toilet paper, a neverending pad of paper (with pen) and hopefully some sort of container to store water. :)

7. What did you eat for breakfast?

I normally don't eat breakfast. I'm not really a breakfast kind of girl. :) I had a granola bar though, once I got to work. Joy. :)

8. How many books in your current to-be-read pile?

I actually don't have a TBR pile. I'm the fastest reader I know. I can read a 500 page book in maybe 2 hours. When I go buy a book, I read it in one sitting and that's that. :)

9. Describe your idea of a perfect hero.

Hmm…my perfect hero. When I'm writing a hero, he usually ends up as an Alpha-type, but I seem to go for more of a Beta-type in real life. The things I look for in a real life man are very specific. He has to be tall (I'm 6'1", so this is VERY important), preferably with dark hair. He has to be funny, intelligent, and like me for who I am. He can not be a jerk. If he mistreats women, children or animals, he's on my poopy list. As for heroes in books...I like reading about me who are strong, not perfect looking and who love the heroine with everything in them. I love the idea of a very strong man who shows vulnerability to the woman he loves. It just makes me all warm & fuzzy on the inside.

Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews

This is an awesome book. I closed the last page and immediately wanted to read the next one.

The story focuses around Kate, a mercenary who hires herself out to deal with magical nasties in a world where tech and magic are competing for the upper hand (the magic's winning).

Then we've got vampires, shapechangers and an all-around cool world. I just really liked the whole setup. For a more detailed review, swing by Dear Author, which is where I saw this book first mentioned. And here's a link to the excerpt on the author's website.

So, how was everyone's weekend?

Links

PR Coach Louise Knott Ahern is taking questions over at Fog City Divas.

Lara Adrian tells her first sale(s) story over at Dear Author.

Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series is going to kick off with three back to back releases next year. Very cool.

Samhain editor Angela James has an interview up here.

And that's all the links I have today. Hope all of you have a fantabulous weekend!! (And if you see an interesting link online, feel free to add it in the comments).

Weekly Catchup

It's catchup time. What've you guys been up to? I've just finished a very rough draft of Angels' Blood! :) Okay, your turn.

The Hindi-Bindi Club - Monica Pradhan

I picked this up after reading the blurb about it:

Between mothers and daughters
lies a very special world:

Follow the relationships of two very different generations of women with everything to learn from each other...

For decades, they've gathered together, dressed in saris and sweater sets, to share recipes, arguments, and laughter. They are the Hindi-Bindi Club, a nickname given by their American daughters to the mothers who left India to start life anew. Daughters, now grown, and facing struggles of their own.

Kiran, Preity, and Rani are coming home for the holidays. Home to the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and of course, to the Hindi-Bindi Club. For what holiday would be complete without their mother hens' mouthwatering food, their gossip - and their unsolicited advice? For Kiran, a successful career can't fill the void left by her estrangement from her parents. Five years and one divorce later, she's ready to mend fences... and find a new husband the old-fashioned way. Good girl Preity's marriage is nearly perfect, but lately she's haunted by the memory of her first love-and her mother's interference in that romance. Then there's Rani, the wild child with the brains of a rocket scientist - and the weight of a dark burden she's carried all her life.

Now, as East meets West across time and tradition, six women will take their first steps toward true sisterhood, shattering long-kept secrets, sharing joy and tears, and allowing the real power of the Hindi-Bindi Club to take hold.

I really liked this book. First of all, while there are romantic elements in it, the story is founded firmly on the relationships between mothers and daughters. Each of the six main characters gets a turn at being the narrator, and I enjoyed seeing inside the head of each one, as well as seeing how they were perceived by the others. The tone also changes with the narrator, which worked for me.

While the story is set within the Indian culture, I think the themes are universal. In terms of understanding references etc, the author does a great job of explaining things (actually, my only (minor) complaint would be that perhaps not all the explanation was necessary, but then again, to be fair, this could be because being of Indian descent, I knew a lot of things already). It's definitely very accessible and the writing is so easy to read.

Also, The Hindi-Bindi Club's subtitle is "A Novel with Recipes" and there are lots of recipes in between the chapters, which might be of interest to the cooks among you. :) Overall, this was a fast, easy read for me but one with emotional heart - I found myself tearing up at one point, laughing at another. And the romantic in me was totally grinning over the eventual solution to Kiran's husband search. I'd highly recommend this if you're wanting to read something a little different.

Guest Blogger: Jennifer Lewis on BEA 2007

The fabulous Jennifer Lewis, whose first book, The Boss's Demand, releases July, recently attended Book Expo America. I thought it sounded like a fantastic time (how can you go wrong with free books?!) and asked her to give us the lowdown. Please welcome Jen to the blog everyone!!
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Book Expo America 2007

On Friday, June 1st I had two firsts: I got to hold my debut Silhouette Desire The Boss’s Demand in my hot little hands for the first time, and I did my first book signing. Both of these events occurred at the massive celebration of all things bookish that is Book Expo America. Nalini asked me if I’d chat a bit about my experience there, and since I’m still giddy from the excitement of it all, here goes…..

I was invited by my publisher, Harlequin, to sign books in their booth during “Sexy Hour” at 2:00 PM along with Carly Phillips, Brenda Jackson, Cara Summers, Hope Tarr and Anna DePalo.

The event took place at the Javits Center—a huge, black-glass convention megalith on the far West side of Manhattan. I don’t know how most people got there, as it’s convenient to nothing, but I walked from Grand Central Station. Since it was close to ninety degrees I was, um, glowing, by the time I got there. Inside it was also rather warm as the heat of the sun and all those warm bodies had overwhelmed the air conditioning. Definitely wasn’t going to need the jacket I brought with me!

I had some time to kill before my signing so I wandered around a bit on the vast Publisher floor. It’s set up like a giant bazaar, where each publisher has a “booth” and you can go in and fondle their wares. I quickly became overwhelmed and when I came across the Romance Writers of America booth (set up like a French café with wrought iron chairs and tables) I stumbled into it like a desert oasis. It was fun to meet Nicole Kennedy of RWA, and Nicole Burnham who’s on the RWA board, and I chatted with them until it was time to head for the Harlequin booth.

Harlequin’s booth was the biggest I saw, a semi-enclosed room with beige carpeting (most booths had navy carpeting) and several minimalist countertops surrounded by posters and racks of books behind glass. I had no idea where to go, so I headed for an authoritative looking woman at the main countertop. She asked me if I wanted a book, and I said I was there to sign, then she gave me an indulgent look and asked me if I wanted a book anyway. I looked at the book, then at her—I’d just offended Tara Taylor Quinn! I apologized and she was very gracious about it. People always say that at RWA conferences you should just go up and introduce yourself to strangers. I’m the one who’d go up to a redhead with a cigarette and ask if she was a writer (Jen smacks head).

My “handler” was the very lovely Anita Sultmanis of Harlequin. She set me up at the main countertop with a stack of books. In front of me there was a snazzy picture of me and my book cover set against a city scene, and one of my books mounted in a rack. I actually didn’t realize this until later as I was overwhelmed by the site of my book—which I had never seen except as a jpeg of the cover image—right there in the flesh! I fondled it lovingly for a moment, then suddenly it was two o’clock and people were queuing up waiting to lay their hands on my book too!

Since we were giving it away, it wasn’t a hard sell, but I was kind of blown away that so many people wanted the signature made out to them like they were planning to actually keep it. Anita kept stacking more books on the counter, and I kept signing them. My editor and the Desire Senior editor introduced themselves at some point but I barely had time to gush at all as I was so busy scribbling. It was actually a challenge writing fast enough and trying to make my signature look both legible and vaguely consistent. I was developing a cute, curly ‘s’ on the end by the time we ran out of books forty-five minutes later. I’d printed out some business cards with my upcoming titles and website on them, and Anita came up with the idea of popping one in each book. I regretted not making more, as we soon ran out.

It was great fun chatting with people as I signed. Nearly all of them were booksellers and librarians. One hilarious older lady collared me and said “Does the heroine have some backbone?” I assured her that my heroine demonstrates plenty of backbone from page one and that I thought she’d like her. She went on to tell me that she can’t stand wimpy heroines. Her friend, when pressed, admitted that she liked wimpy heroines, so I guess it takes all kinds!

After the signing I’d agreed to do a podcast for Malle Vallick of Harlequin, who’s in charge of digital content. While I was waiting, Desire author Anna De Palo approached me and we chatted. She’s one of the many romance authors (like Nalini) who are former lawyers, so we laughed about that. When Anna and I sat down to record the podcast, Malle asked me if I had a copy of my book with me. I went into my bag to fish out the one copy I’d managed to salvage from the signing, and instead I pulled out Nalini’s fabulous Visions of Heat, which I’d brought along to read on the train. I’m afraid I pushed the delicious jaguar-spotted Vaughn back in my bag and said “Hmm, that’s not mine” but Nalini was there in spirit :)

Anna and I answered all kinds of questions about Desire and our own writing methods, and Anna observed that we are both Ivy League college graduates. One question that surprised me was whether being a romance writer is a good career for women. As mothers of young children we both wholeheartedly agreed. It really is the ultimate set-your-own-hours job—not to mention the most fun work I can imagine. I hope Malle managed to get something useful out of my babbling. Although I usually sound very American after twenty years here, my vestigial English accent makes me pronounce some vowel sounds rather strangely and I’ve discovered that words I cannot pronounce the American way include Podcast, Boss and Demand. Since my book is called The Boss’s Demand, I’m now resolving to say all my titles aloud before I choose them!

The whole experience was a blast and I’ve been tripping on a natural high ever since! For more info about the book, or about my upcoming books, visit my website at http://www.jen-lewis.com.

Reader Interview: Ashley

Tuesday is reader interview day. If you'd like to participate (you know you want to), the details are here. Without further ado, the inaugral reader interviewee is Ashley! (I think I want to have breakfast at her house!)

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Ashley, I'm 24 and I have a 5 year old son. I'm currently a lurker at your blog but I hope to change that. I love to read, it is something that my mother started me on when I was very young and I've never stopped. Some of my favorite memories of her are of the both of us sitting at the table just reading our own books. I'm currently trying to share my love of books with my son.

2. Are you a hoarder or do you give your books away?

I use to be a big time hoarder. It was next to impossible for me to get rid of books. Over the past few years though, I have learned to share. I have a group of friends and we trade books with eachother. My keeper pile has gotten much smaller, but I know I will eventually replace the books I've traded lol

3. What author might tempt you into turning stalker?

Can I pick more then one? It would be hard to pick between Jim Butcher, Gena Showalter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, you, and MaryJanice Davidson..just to name a few.

4. How susceptible are you to chocolate?

Very! It's a gift from the gods.

5. Favorite book? Why?

Again it's hard to pick just one. The first that comes to mind is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. It hit home and it's just an amazing book to me. Another more recent favorite would have to be Slave to Sensation and I'm not just saying that to suck up. I've been reading tons of paranormal romance books in the past few years, but none of them hit me like STS. I cried and I laughed, and I have never felt more connected or more emotion for a character then I did for Sascha.

6. If you knew you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

Hmmm..that's hard.I would take a photo album with all of my son's pictures. . Second I would take Pepsi because I can't live without my soda. Third I would print out all of my ebooks and make one giant book.

7. What did you eat for breakfast?

Frozen pancakes with butter and syrup.

8. How many books in your current to-be-read pile?

Around 820, not counting around 1000s ebooks. It's sad really lol

9. Describe your idea of a perfect hero.

He would be tall with short dark hair and emerald green eyes. Muscular but not so big that he looks like the Hulk's twin. He would be brooding and dark, a man who speaks when he has something to say, and answers to his own moral code. He would have to be quietly confident. Someone tortured but without it becoming an obsession. I think that's it lol

Toy Boys

In its promotional material for the speed dating night at the Aurora Lounge in Sydney's CBD, organisers tempted single men and women with lines including "Prefer to get them young and train them?" and "Boys, do you prefer the allure of experienced older women? Perhaps harbouring a Mrs Robinson fantasy?"

Mrs Robinson Night Launches in Sydney

So, what do you guys think of the older woman-younger man scenario?

Links

Today's edition of Links was supposed to be all about interviews, except I didn't spend much time online this week and only picked up three links. So this Saturday you get some interviews and some other interesting stuff.

First up, have you seen the Romantic Advances site? The aim of the site is to gather details about upcoming romance books in one place so readers don't have to search out that info. Cool!

Here are the interview links I did manage to grab:

Sharon Cullars at Alyssa's Book Blog

Barry Eisler at Lust Bites

Jo Leigh at Dear Author

And of course, my Reader Interview - have you done it yet?

Other interesting stuff:

Meljean Brook shares her first sale story: Geek Girl Makes Good

Sandra Schwab talks about writing gothic over at RRAH

Nice Mommy-Evil Editor is running a book giveaway

And last but not least, my June newsletter with an excerpt from AN ENCHANTED SEASON is about to go out (i.e. as soon as I get off the internet and go finish it!). As always, it'll be available in the archives if you join later on.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Calling all readers!!

Okay, I have a new idea for the blog. I'm going to interview you guys. Here's how it'll work - if you're interested, just answer these questions and email the answers to me at nalinisinghwrites @ gmail.com (without the spaces). Put Reader Interview in the subject line.

I'll stick all responses in a separate folder and post up one every week on Tuesday until I have no more (unless of course no one replies, in which case, we vill never mention it again). If you're a writer and want to do it, go ahead - just put on your reader hat.

Questions

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
2. Are you a hoarder or do you give your books away?
3. What author might tempt you into turning stalker?
4. How susceptible are you to chocolate?
5. Favorite book? Why?
6. If you knew you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?
7. What did you eat for breakfast?
8. How many books in your current to-be-read pile?
9. Describe your idea of a perfect hero.

p.s. Think I should add any other questions?

Extra reader submitted question(s)! Answer at will :)

* Which character in a book do you relate most with?
* Where do you live?
* So what would people think was a perfect heroine??
* If you were in the Psy/Changeling World, what side would you be in?
* Seen any good movies lately?

Guest-blogging

I've got an interview up at Divas Diaries today, and I'm open for questions over there, so swing by and say hi. :)

Likeable Characters

I was reading a random magazine article yesterday - an interview - and I found myself not liking the interviewee at all. She just came across as someone who'd stab you in the back if she had the chance. After realizing that, I really had no interest in reading any further.

The article, and my reaction to it, made me think about the characters we read about. In terms of main protagonists, I've realized that I need at least some speck of liking or respect for the character to keep reading.

I don't have to identify with them or even understand or agree with their decisions. And I'm not saying they can't be flawed. They could be incredibly bad, but despite all that, for a character to work, I have to feel empathy for them, if only on a very basic level.

What do you all think? Do main characters need to be likeable in some sense?

C-C-Cold

It's very cold today. I think winter's arrived. Brr... If I had my way, I'd buy an island in the Pacific somewhere and spend my days writing on a wide verandah next to the sea. Gee, if only I had a spare billion lying around *g* What would you buy if money was no object?

Paheli

I'm a huge fan of Bollywood movies and I know some of you also watch them. Have any of you seen Paheli (translation: The Riddle)? It's a sweet, funny love story, and it might appeal to those of you who like paranormals.

The plot is based on an old Rajasthani folk tale. Lachchi is a new bride and Kishan her husband. Kishan is only interested in business so on the day after their wedding, he leaves to go work far away...for five years! In the meantime, a spirit has fallen in love with Lachchi. Learning that Kishan will be gone for five years, he takes on Kishan's form and enters Lachchi's life, and their love story begins. But what will happen when the real Kishan returns?

The movie plays out like a fairytale, and it's shot that way too. The colors are amazing and the sets are wonderful, straight out of ancient India. I think you need to believe in a little bit of magic to enjoy this story. All I can say is, I most definitely did. :)

Links

Have I got a doozy of a first sale story for you. Check out this link for the details of Natalie Anderson's Call. It involves the words "hospital" and "twins". I'm still in awe.

Miss Snark has retired her blog.

So has agent Nadia Cornier.

Squawk Radio is going to retire.

And Between the Covers, of which I am a member, is also closing soon. Um, is it something in the air?

Moving away from the blog retirements, they're talking about sexy billionaire heroes on the I Heart Presents blog. (I have to admit, I like these guys.)

Jaci Burton talks about editing.

Anna Campbell is a guest on Danetteb's blog.

Paperback Writer (Lynn Viehl) muses on the possible end of the Stardoc series (great, great series!)

And check out this new video trailer for Marked by PC Cast & Kristin Cast.

Have a fantabulous weekend everyone!!

Weekly Catchup

This week has zipped by at the speed of light. I'm still working on galleys, though I did take a break to catch up on Heroes. I love that show (Isn't it intriguing how Peter Petrelli has evolved from a sort of goofy nice guy to a tormented hero with alpha tendencies?). We have three episodes to go in New Zealand and I'm desperately trying to avoid spoilers around the net!

What're you all up to?

In order?

I mentioned the other day that I was rereading Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. The first time I read these books, I read them completely out of order (they stand alone very well), but this time, I'm making an effort to go from start to finish. It's funny how many new things and little "in-jokes" I get now - like when two people look at each and laugh over something without saying a word. I also feel as if I'm picking up more of the undercurrents, finding more layers in the stories.

So, given all that, I can definitely see the attraction of reading a series in the right order, but I have a feeling I'm way too impatient to do that consistently - especially with long-running series' where I might accidentally pick up a book in the middle. Hmm, something to think about. What about you guys? Do you read in order? Out of order? Reasons why?

Galleys

I'm going over galleys today, so once more, here's the beautiful Eduardo to keep you company. Anyone for a swim? *g*

Links

Dear Author has posted a great interview with Jill Shalvis, who incidentally, has a very funny blog.

"Royal Mail is to issue a set of Potter-themed stamps that will be stuck on to a flurry of letters and sent into millions of homes." (Link via Bookslut)

May has a lot more links than me. I have no idea how she finds them all.

If you live in the Las Vegas/Salt Lake area, and you love dogs, swing by Jo Leigh's blog. She's trying to find a home for Jack. (Link via Alison Kent). [Edited to add: Sorted!]

Romancing the Blog has a list of ten "Reader Resource" sites.

"Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop is in talks to create visual effects for an action adventure film telling the story behind the devil's fall from grace..."

Demon Moon - Meljean Brook

I enjoyed Meljean Brook's Demon Angel very much, so when she offered to send me the ARC of Demon Moon, I was all over it. I devoured it soon after receiving it and immediately demanded she send me the third book as soon as it was done! I didn't think it was possible but for me, Demon Moon was ever better than Demon Angel.

And what makes that even more amazing is that I wasn't sure if I would like Demon Moon at all. While I thought Colin was an amusing, intriguing character in Demon Angel, I wasn't sure Meljean could pull him off as a hero. Because seriously, how vain is he?!

But pull it off she did. Colin is a wonderful hero - and he's the same man we saw in Demon Angel. He didn't get a magical personality transplant, thank goodness. No, what happened was even better - in Demon Angel, we saw Colin as the world sees him. In Demon Moon, we get to go inside his head and discover the real man. I'm a total Colin fan now.

Equally, his heroine, Savi, is also unusual in the best sense of the word. When was the last time you read about a part-Indian computer hacker who handles the idea of an arranged marriage as easily as she does vampires and nosferatu?

Hmm, what else can I say without being spoilerish? Oh yeah - the ending. I sent Meljean an email at one in the morning after I finished Demon Moon accusing her of making me cry. Talk about intensity. I was convinced there was no way she could bring about a happy ending for Colin and Savi. It just seemed impossible. Well...without giving anything away, let me say the plot twists were amazing and you won't be sorry you picked this up. :)

Comfort Books

From the comments on yesterday's books, it looks like everyone's reading some great books. Since I've been on deadline, I haven't been picking up any new books, but I have been dipping into some comfort reads. I can't just not read! (Gasp!)

At the moment, I'm making my way (back) through Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. I just love that feeling of picking up a book and knowing I'm going to meet old friends. Plus, sometimes, it's nice having a guarantee that the book will be good.

What are some of your comfort reads? Any of you not reread?

Weekly Catchup

How's everyone been? I've had a very disrupted week so today is all about focus, focus, focus!! What about you guys? Read any good books lately?

Look Into My Eyes

Or if you prefer, you can look into Eduardo's instead.

Gosh, I wonder what he's thinking? What do you all think?

Cover - An Enchanted Season

Check it out! It's going to be matt and have pretty raised lettering. I think it's very elegant :) (Did I tell you guys I love Xmas anthologies? They just somehow seem to have an extra dollop of happiness. Don't you think?)

Writing Children

Writing realistic children is one of the hardest things to do. I've spent considerable time in the company of small children and I still find it so hard to get across their sense of innocence, adventure and mischief. The most difficult thing is dialogue. Children often speak in their own dialects and it's very hard to write that without sounding to cutesy. But seriously people - little kids are adorable. Is it wrong to write them that way?

What are your thoughts on kids in fiction? Have you seen any portrayals that really worked for you?

Linnea Sinclair - Games of Command

I picked up Games of Command after reading some great reviews about it. The reviews piqued my interest but it was the story description that really sold me:

Can she trust a man who is half-machine?

The universe isn’t what it used to be. With the new alliance between the Triad and the United Coalition, Captain Tasha “Sass” Sebastian finds herself serving under her former nemesis, bio-cybe Admiral Branden Kel-Paten—and doing her best to hide a deadly past. But when an injured mercenary falls into their ship’s hands, her efforts may be wasted …

Wanted rebel Jace Serafino has information that could expose all of Sass’s secrets, tear the fragile Alliance apart—and end Sass’s career if Kel-Paten discovers them. But the bio-cybe has something to hide as well, something once thought impossible for his kind to possess: feelings...for Sass. Soon it’s clear that their prisoner could bring down everything they once believed was worth dying for—and everything they now have to live for…

I love science fiction and thought Kel-Paten sounded like a very intriguing hero. Half cyborg and all in love with Tasha, what's not to like? I'm so very, very glad I picked up this book because I loved it. Kel-Paten has gone on my mental Great Heroes list. That kind of devotion, it's a kick to the heart. Especially when he's all tough and soldierlike around anyone but Tasha. The complexities in his character - like the hints of shyness - they just got to me.

Janine said this in her review over at Dear Author and I so agree:

It’s not an everyday occurrence in my reading life to find a romantic hero whose happiness I want so badly...

Kel-Paten’s programming makes it difficult for him to come up with a suitable response when Sass cracks a joke, but though he doesn’t know how to show it, he would do nearly anything for her. His shyness, vulnerability and inexperience with women endeared him to me so much that I felt every distrusting remark or warm look Sass gave him almost as acutely as he did.

Rosario also echoed that sentiment in her review:

I loved the guy to death, and seeing him struggle was heart-breaking. Every time Tasha unwittingly said something that seemed to indicate she thought of him as nothing more than a robot, I cringed, and when things finally started happening between them, I practically did a happy dance, because he so deserved to be happy.

Okay, moving on my ravefest about the hero, the rest of the characters were great, too. Tasha was an interesting heroine - very much what I would term an alpha female. And the furzels - serious adorableness.

I know some of you might be put off by the science fictiony aspects, but don't be. The love story is so worth it. I'm a Linnea Sinclair fan now!

Links

Editor Laura Shin gives some great advice on how to "knock an editor's socks off" over at the Pink Ladies Blog.

The Guardian has a fascinating interview with Rosie Thomas, winner of the UK's Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Here's a bit from the interview:

Thomas's notions of romance were largely formed by the visiting library van back home in Wales. "You got five books a fortnight and got through them all because there was nothing else to do. Nevil Shute and Everyman editions of the classics, which you read after you'd read all the James Bonds and the books that might have had some sex in."

Agent Kristin Nelson has a post up about Publishers Lunch Deal blurbs as a writing exercise. (Link stolen from Diana Peterfreund, who has pictures up of her ad in Life & Style magazine. Cool!)

Check out Patrice Michelle's brilliant roundup of the Romantic Times conference, complete with pictures of the male cover models! Color me green.

And the gorgeous Nicola Marsh has just had a very special delivery - her son, Jude. Congrats Nic!

Weekly Catchup

It's weekly catchup time. What have you been up to? I went to buy a new microwave after the old one went bye-bye. Woohoo, excitement! *g* Seriously, it is excitement. Have you tried living without a microwave? Not good.

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Angelle, Kendra, Julie and Marie to do this blog, so here goes!

Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

8 Random Facts/Habits About Me

1. I have a minor in anthropology and I once spent two weeks on an archaeological dig. (Good research info for books and it gave me killer calf muscles. Digging is hard work!)

2. I hate having cold feet.

3. When I lived in Japan, my only form of personal transportation was a bicycle with a little basket in the front (handy!).

4. I like making lists and crossing things off. (Type A personality anyone?)

5. I've been tagged four times with these meme which is really weird because I wasn't tagged for like a year before that. Okay, wait, that's not a habit. How about...I regularly read lots of blogs but never comment. Call me a card-carrying member of Lurkers R Us.

6. Jigsaw puzzles drive me insane. Really, really insane. And yet I feel compelled toward them. Why?!

7. When I was writing Slave to Sensation, I ate peanut-butter toast for dinner on a pretty much continuous basis. (I love peanut butter toast).

8. I like bagel crisps (can delude self into thinking they're healthy).

I'm tagging the last eight people who commented on this blog (and if you don't have your own blog, you can do the tag in the comments - as Angelle said, resistance is futile *g*): Sweet, Abby, Yvonne Lindsay, Joyce, Casee, LesleyW, Amanda Ashby, Christina Phillips

Links

I don't know how I missed this when it went up originally, but here's a link to Nora Roberts' first sale story, which I just found the other day.

Also, I sent out the May Newsletter a few days back, so if you didn't get it, check it out on the yahoo group site. And you should really check it out if you're a fan of Sascha and Lucas. Trust me, you want to. No really, you want to. That's all I'm going to say. *walks off whistling innocently*

Lora Leigh has promised excerpts of upcoming books on her blog. Ooooh... Did I tell you guys she gave me the coolest quote for Caressed By Ice? Here it is:

"A dangerous, sensual adventure not to be missed."

Yay! :)

And if you didn't see it when it went up, Meljean Brook had an awesome interview up with a professional proofreader. By the way, Demon Moon (coming out June) is a wonderful, wonderful book. I'll be putting up a post on it soon.

Bookseller Chick has a great interview up with the Ja(y)nes behind Dear Author.

And finally, check out this link for Samhain editor Angela James' thoughts on professional editing services.

BTC & OOTB Tour: Pleasures of the Night - Sylvia Day

I'm also over at Between The Covers, discussing series vs singles, so make sure to drop by.

Today I've got another Out of the Blogosphere tour book for you. I haven't had a chance to pick up Pleasures of the Night yet, but it looks very, very intriguing. Check out the details below.
________________________________________________

PLEASURES OF THE NIGHT by Sylvia Day

ISBN: 0061230987

HarperCollins Avon, April 24, 2007

In the Twilight between sleep and consciousness, a battle rages between Dream Guardians and Nightmares. Captain Aidan Cross is a legend, as skilled in fulfilling erotic dreams as he is with the glaive that kills his enemies. Women see Aidan as part of their fantasies...except Lyssa Bates. Exquisite, desirable, enigmatic Lyssa perplexes this immortal seducer because she sees him as he really is. And as he attempts to unravel her secrets the unthinkable occurs: Aidan Cross falls in love.

Lyssa has been having the most incredible dreams about a man whose blue eyes hold the promise of decadent pleasures and tempting intimacies. And then he appears on her doorstep! This intoxicating stranger is just as irresistible as the man of her dreams...but with her surrender there is also grave danger...

Because Aidan is on a mission, and the passion that consumes them body and soul could have dire consequences. Loving the mortal woman prophesied to destroy Aidan's world is not only impossible...it is forbidden.

Flash Excerpt

Non-Flash Excerpt


ABOUT SYLVIA DAY

SYLVIA DAY is the bestselling, award-winning author of over a dozen novels. A wife and mother of two, she is a former Russian linguist for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. Her books have been called “wonderful and passionate” by WNBC.com, “wickedly entertaining” by Booklist, and frequently garner Readers’ Choice and Reviewers’ Choice accolades. Her work has won the EPPIE and been named a finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® Award of Excellence.

REVIEWS

“This is a brilliant book. Passionate and full of lush romance...”
–TJ, The Romance Studio

“…one of the best stories I’ve read in a Romance category thus far this year (2007). Sylvia Day obviously knows what readers love!”
– Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

“…a brilliant new world… Passionate, exciting and spellbinding...”
- Lettetia, Fantasy Romance Writers

“PLEASURES OF THE NIGHT sizzles as a romance, enthralls as a paranormal, and captivates with a fantastic cast of characters. I didn’t want the ‘night’ to end!”
- Susan Grant, New York Times bestselling author

“So hot the pages should be on fire!”
- Gena Showalter, New York Times bestselling author

“I was enthralled with this book. It was erotic, sensuous and had an amazing plot.”
- Marcy Arbitman, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

“PLEASURES OF THE NIGHT is a must read. An absolute must!”
– Natasha, Romance Junkies

Website: http://www.dreamguardians.com

http://www.sylviaday.com

Perverance and Hope

This post's for the struggling writers out there. So on Saturday, I went to the monthly meeting of my local writer's group. It was a great turnout and we had lots of fun catching up, congratulating and commiserating as it fell. And hey, nobody fell asleep during my workshop!

Here are just some of the people who were there (now guys, this is off the top of my head so if I forgot someone, my bad!):

Yvonne Lindsay, Tessa Radley, Abby Gaines, Karina Bliss, Helen Kirkman , Frances Housden, Amanda Ashby, Jane Beckhenham

You might be wondering why I'm listing all these published author names. The reason? When I first met each of these women, we were all -every single one- unpublished. I don't think even a few years ago we could've imagined a meeting where so many of us were talking contracts and deadlines.

So if you've out there submitting and getting discouraged, don't be. It might take time, but if you have a dream and the will to fight for that dream, then anything can happen. I remember that each and every time I walk into one of these monthly meetings.

Mrs Palfrey At The Claremont

Have any of you seen this movie? It's such a lovely, lovely story. You can read the full blurb for it here, but it's basically about a friendship between an elderly woman and a struggling young writer. There's a sense of love in this movie that you don't often see on the silver screen.

Go rent it and get all sappy. :)

Got any other movie recommendations?

Weekly Catchup

Okey dokes, I've been thinking - this blog is fairly laid back. I post all over the board and really, that works for me. But I was wondering what you all would think of making Friday the Weekly Catchup day? (Yep, I know it's still Thursday in some timezones but reading this blog will make the time fly by!).

I thought we could reserve this day to talk about whatever's been happening over the past week - bookwise, newswise, anywise you want to interpret it. Work for you guys?

So, to kick us off - the copy edits for Caressed By Ice are done! Woohoo! I'm now working on copy edits for Beat of Temptation (my novella in the An Enchanted Season anthology). I'm also polishing up a workshop I'm giving tomorrow to my local writer's group (more on that tomorrow).

Okay, now catch me up on you!

Auction Heads Up / Links

If you haven't already heard, Brenda Novak's auction to benefit juvenile diabetes research has gone live.

You can bid on a huge bunch of stuff - critiques from editors / lunches with authors / signed books galore! There is also an ARC of a book called Caressed By Ice up for auction...just in case you were interested. ;)

Also, I saw this cool link on Alison Kent's blog - it's a one-stop shop for seeing what romance bloggers are talking about. (Still a work in progress according to the note on Alison's blog).

And one more link - Sasha White has posted an excerpt from her LUSH anthology at Between the Covers.

Link & OOTB Tour: Damsel Under Stress - Shanna Swendson

First up, Dannetteb is doing a series of Fantastic Five interviews with different authors this week, including Shanna Swendson...which ties in very nicely with today's OOTB tour book! Check out the details below. :)
____________________________________

DAMSEL UNDER STRESS by Shanna Swendson

May 1, 2007

To-do: Stop the bad guys. Rescue the wizard. Find the perfect outfit for New Year’s Eve.

At last, Owen Palmer, the dreamboat wizard at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., has conjured up the courage to get Katie Chandler under the mistletoe at the office holiday party. But just when it looks like Katie has found her prince, in pops her inept fairy godmother, Ethelinda, to throw a wand into the works. Ehtelinda’s timing couldn’t be worse. A plot hatched by MSI’s rogue ex-employees, Idris and his evil fairy gal pal Ari, threatens to expose the company’s secrets ­ and the very existence of magic itself. Even worse, it could also mean the end of Katie’s happily-ever-after.

Now Katie and Owen must work side by side (but alas, not cheek to cheek) to thwart the villains’ plans. Braving black-magic-wielding sorceresses, subway-dwelling dragons, lovelorn frog princes, and even the dreaded trip to meet Owen’s parents at Christmas, Katie and her beau are in a battle to beat Idris at his own sinister game. All mischief and matters of the heart will come to a head at a big New Year’s Eve gala, when the crystal ball will drop, champagne will pour, and Katie will find herself truly spellbound.

Excerpt

ABOUT SHANNA SWENDSON

In addition to writing fiction, Shanna Swendson is a freelance marketing consultant and writer specializing in technology and telecommunications. She is single and lives in Irving, Texas, with her many pet plants, including a vicious attack bougainvillea and a Christmas cactus that has outlasted three homes, three jobs and three boyfriends, yet still faithfully blooms every Christmas and Easter. She’s looking for a man that reliable.

REVIEWS

The ongoing adventures of Katie Chandler are filled with such magical fun. -- Armchair Interviews

Mayhem at its most enchanting. 4 stars -- Romantic Times Book Reviews

Fans of both chick-lit and Harry Potter should not miss out on this series set in magical modern-day Manhattan. -- Fresh Fiction

Great fun, an amusing romp of a romantic read -- Book Loons

Website http://www.shannaswendson.com

Interview - Emily Gee

Today, I bring you another debut author - the lovely and talented Emily Gee! Her book Thief With No Shadow is like nothing else I've read lately. Check out the interview below, where I totally grill her!

1. Your first book, ‘Thief With No Shadow’ came out last month. What’s your state of mind right now?

My state of mind? To tell the truth, I’m a little bit freaked out. Even though (weird though this may sound) the book doesn’t ‘feel’ like it’s mine any more. It’s no longer a pile of scribbled-on sheets of paper--it’s neat and trim and has a shiny cover. My name is on it, but I swear it’s someone else’s book!

2. Who is Emily Gee? Give us the lowdown.

Me? I work in the wine industry in Marlborough, New Zealand. I’m a member of the viticultural team at a winery and I really enjoy it--particularly the frantic rush of harvest, which we’ve just finished. I love to travel and am itching to get overseas again. I’m a bit of a walking freak--I have to get outside and up the hills as often as possible! I love reading and movies and wine and food and art ... oh, and yoga!

3. Backcover copy of ‘Thief’?

Aided by the magic which courses through her veins, Melke is able to walk unseen by mortal eyes. When a necklace she has stolen holds the key to both saving her brother’s life and breaking a terrible curse, she must steal it back from a den of fire-breathing salamanders. Things are about to get very tough for Melke, especially when she comes to realise she may have to trust the very people who were out to kill her.

Thief With No Shadow is a rich, romantic fantasy tale set in a world where the ordinary and extraordinary co-exist, where nightmarish creatures live alongside men, and magic runs in the blood of mortals.

[And then there are some lovely quotes, yours included!]

4. Having had a chance to read ‘Thief’, I’d categorize it as dark fantasy with romantic elements. Agree? Disagree?

I agree, absolutely. It’s dark, but it’s also romantic. And it ends happily. I could never write a sad ending!

5. Tell us about some of the creatures in your fantasy world.

The creatures that feature most prominently are salamanders. They’re cruel and avaricious and hedonistic--and extremely dangerous. They’re motivated by treasures--gold and jewels--and by sexual pleasure. Only people who’re in desperate circumstances dare to approach them. Unfortunately my poor characters are in rather dire straits!

6. What’s next for you?

I’m working on another fantasy that’s both dark and romantic. It’s not set on the same world as ‘Thief’--there are no salamanders! The working title is ‘Witch-Eye’.

7. Anything else you want to share?

We’ve just finished harvest, which is a pretty demanding time of year--no time for getting to the supermarket, let alone reading. ‘Slave to Sensation’ was the treat I promised myself for when I had time to read again--which was this past weekend. I gulped it down. A great read--thanks!