Party Post 16: Amy Andrews

Hi. I'm Amy. I've been reading romance novels since I first snuck off with my mothers at the age of eleven - thank you to Charlotte Lamb and Anne Mather. With my sixth book, The Surgeon's Meant-To-Be Bride, on the shelf in December (UK), I still cant believe I'm ACTUALLY a contracted author.

When I'm not writing, I'm juggling. Two kids, a husband, part time night duty, volunteer ambulance work, school committees, chooks, dogs, general mummy stuff etc etc. I'm pretty damn good at it too. So if this writing gig doesn't work out, I'm leaving home and joining the circus. Seriously though, I cant remember a time I didn't have some plot or other, some character or other talking in my head. So it was either bow to that or admit to a psychosis and seek treatment. Thankfully, I chose writing :-)

I am truly blessed to be living the life of my dreams.

Hi. First up I'd like to take the opportunity to wish everyone an early Merry Xmas and fervently hope that you are more organised with your Xmas shopping than I am. Too many things to do before the end of the year, including another book - yikes!!! Plus three out of the four of us have December birthdays, so it's a very busy time at my house.

Here in sunny Queensland it's heating up nicely so looks like it'll be another scorcher. Thank god for the air-con. It's the only way to eat turkey and plum pudding in forty degree heat. My entire extended family - aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins are all heading to a resort for three days over Xmas. Wall to wall air-con and a ten acre pool. No washing up and poolside cocktails - my kind of holiday.

So - Christmas come early? Well, it certainly will for me. My book, The Surgeon's Meant-To-Be Bride will hit shelves just before the jolly, fat man visits our houses.This is exciting for lots of reasons, not least of all because of my slightly narcissistic tendency of going into Kmart to just look at my book on the shelf. But mainly because I think this is my favourite of the ten medicals I've written. Why do I say this? Let me see - it was my first book accepted with no rewrites, it's very different in that the whole book covers just twenty-four hours (each chapter an hour of the day), I got to chop off legs and remove spleens and the h and h have sex in the first chapter!!!! Didn't think that would get through at all!!!

Prior to this if anyone asked, I always told them my favourite book was my very first one I ever wrote. Why? God knows it's perfectly awful. No, really, I kid you not. I pulled it out and looked at it not long ago thinking, maybe I could use it? Tweak it, polish it, it couldn't be that bad surely and it's another full MS, right? Wrong!! There is nothing redeemable about it at all. I can't believe I had the audacity to send it in!!! It's really, really bad. But regardless, it will always be up there amongst my favourites because it was the book that proved to me that I could do it. I could write an entire book. The day I wrote "the end" was the day I became a writer. And it's subsequent rejection was what spurred me on my writing journey because there's nothing more motivating than rejection. The day I received the form, thanks-but-no-thanks letter, was the day I became bloody minded. So I have a lot to thank that book for. Every. Single. Tragic. Word.

And Xmas is a time to be thankful and to spread some Xmas cheer. So, ho, ho, ho, I'm giving away 3 two-packs. Three lucky people will score copies of The Surgeons Meant-To-Be Bride and my previous release, Caring For His Child. But, you have to work for it. Yes, yes, mean Santa. Bwah ha ha ha ha ha.

The first three people who go to my website and answer these questions will be the winners. What is the name of Fran's puppy in "Caring For His Child"? In "The Surgeon's Meant-To-Be Bride" Harriet laments that of all the men in all the world she had to marry one that looked like a what? When you know the answer click on the "drop me a line" link on my homepage. When I have the three winners I'll announce it on the blog.

In the interim, I'd love to hear about your favourite book.

Good luck and Merry Xmas to you all.
Love Amy

Party Post 15: Winner of Fiona's Giveaway

Thanks for letting me share my special adventure in the Australian High Country with you all! Thanks also to Nalini for making it possible :)

With so many wonderful comments to chose from, I decided to put your names in a box and …drum roll……the winner of HER MIRACLE BABY is…….gosh the glue on this envelope is sticky…..tugs at it…anyone got a paper knife?

The winner is JOAN who loves “anything to do with the outdoors. From horse back riding to 4 wheeling. I just don't like to work in veg. garden.”

Joan I hope you enjoy Her Miracle Baby and perhaps you’ll be inspired to take a horse ride too. Please email me at fionalowe2000@yahoo.com to claim your prize and tell me your snail mail address.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy festive season.

Fiona x

Party Post 14: Sara Hantz

Sara Hantz is a young adult author based in New Zealand. Her debut novel THE SECOND VIRGINITY OF SUZY GREEN will be published by Flux in September 2007. You can visit Sara here.

Do I Come Here Often?

If that sounds like I’m bemused and bewildered, it’s because I am. You want to try living somewhere where Father Christmas would be more at home wearing shorts and a tee-shirt, and Christmas presents are opened on the beach, under brilliant blue sky and scorching sunshine.

Even though I’ve lived in New Zealand for five years – that’s five Christmases – I still can’t get my head around it. And, having to call Christmas summer (when we all know summer is really in July) is so weird it’s not funny. Is it any wonder I write fish-out-of-water stories… as I’m clearly one myself?

So, as I’ve done a neat link into my writing this is how you can win a prize:

In The Second Virginity of Suzy Green, Suzy’s life is based on one big lie – although she’d say she didn’t really lie because no-one actually asked her outright if she was a virgin…

Tell me the funniest/most inventive lie you’ve ever told and the consequences. The one that makes me laugh most will receive a New Zealand souvenir.

Party Post 13: Mid-Party Roundup

I thought I'd do a quick roundup this morning before posting today's guest authors.

Me, Annie West, Sasha White, Tessa Radley and Annette Blair have all announced the winners of their giveaways. Congrats to the winners!

The posts fromNicola Marsh (post 8) Fiona Lowe (post 11) andJolie Mathis (post 12) are still open for comments, so comment away!

I'll post up the first of today's two posts in a few hours.

Party Post 12: Jolie Mathis

Jolie Mathis lives in Texas with her husband and two young children. Her debut novel, THE SEA KING, earned a 4 ½ star review, and Top Pick designation in the August 2006 edition of Romantic Times. You can learn more about her writing at www.joliemathis.com or at her blog, www.joliemathis.blogspot.com

Who among us has not seen THE CHRISTMAS STORY movie and laughed ourselves silly over that surreal encounter with Santa and his elf? What about the frozen flag pole scene? Or the adventures associated with an infamous Red Ryder shot gun? Thankfully as children, most of us weren’t forced to wear that pink bunny suit, and don’t own a leg lamp (“Frah-geeeee-lay”!).
Instead, I remember laying with my brother under the Christmas tree, staring up at through the boughs at the multicolored lights and ornaments, and dreaming about what Santa Claus would bring us. I remember stringing popcorn and cranberry garlands with my mom (and poking my thumb with the needle a million times!). And I remember my dad piling us all in the car on Christmas Eve so we could go see KING KONG at the movie theatre. Unfortunately, he “forgot” his wallet inside the house, so we sat in the car with our mom and waited … and waited … and waited for him to come back out. When he did, he explained that he must have misplaced the wallet, and it took forever to find. Imagine our surprise when we returned from the movies, and discovered Santa had been there …

What are some of your childhood memories of the holidays? A lucky participant will receive a signed copy of my Berkley historical romance, THE SEA KING, along with a fun holiday treat!
Ho Ho Ho!!!

Party Post 11: Fiona Lowe

Always an avid reader, Fiona decided to combine her love of romance with her interest in all things medical, so writing medical romance was an obvious choice! She lives in a sea-side town in southern Australia with her own real-life hero and sees herself as the raiser of two potential heroes or at the very least, two domestic Gods.

Fiona's next release is HER MIRACLE BABY (Harlequin Mills and Boon Medical Romance Mid Dec 2006). You can visit Fiona and read an excerpt here.

I had an early Christmas Present this year…a fantastic horse ride in the Australian Alps! Last week the family and I spent a day on horseback riding through some of Australia’s most spectacular mountain scenery. And to fit in with the Christmas feel there was even some snow on the higher peaks after a crazy-out-of-season storm three days before.

Ever seen the Man From Snowy River when Jim and Jessica gallop across the top of a ridge surrounded by rippling, blue mountains? Well, I did that. Not actually gallop but I trotted :-) We had lunch at Craig’s Hut. The façade of this hut was built for the movie and was representative of the horsemen’s huts of the 1900s. A local four-wheel drive club have maintained it and made it into a real hut.

We rode through arches of snow gums, over tufts of emerald green grass..the only green grass in the state due to the drought.. and across rocky terrain above the tree line. And the sun shone from cloudless blue skies.

So why did I want to do a horse ride in the high country? Because this time last year I was researching for my December release, HER MIRACLE BABY. Set in the high country, Will and Meg take a horse ride in winter in the snow. By the time I had talked to the horsemen of the high country and written Will and Meg’s ride, I desperately wanted to go myself!

If you want to live vicariously and enjoy the flavour of the glorious Australian High Country with its towering mountain ash trees, its rugged winter snow-capped peaks and the Southern Cross constellation sparkling in clear starry night, skies then leave a comment to be in with a chance to win a copy of HER MIRACLE BABY.

Party Post 10: Winner of Tessa's Giveaway

A huge thanks to Nalini for inviting me along to the party. It’s been great. Thank you all for joining in and having some early Christmas fun with me. Choosing a winner is always hard so I did it the easy way. I wrote all the names down stuck them in a baseball cap, shook it up and drew out a name.

And the winner is…drumroll…Jennifer Y!

Please contact me on tessa@tessaradley.com and let me have your postal details.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Tessa

Party Post 9: Winners of Sasha's Giveaway

Wow, I loved the responses to my BAD GIRLS post. Thanks so much for inviting me to be part of the party, Nalini. And Thank You to all of you who responded. It's great to see the way readers look at things, and what they want/prefer.

JENNA, you are the winner of the Draw for a copy of THE COP, so please email me sasha@sashawhite.net to collect your prize.

Well, in the christmas spirit, I picked another winner... LADYVAMPIRE2u also email me to collect a signed copy of THE COP!!

And for every one else, I hope you're having as much fun as I am here. Isn't Nalini great?!

Sasha

Party Post 8: Nicola Marsh

As a girl, I dreamed of being a journalist and travelling the world in search of the next big story. Instead, I chose a career in the health industry while honing my writing skills with a daily entry into a “not-so-secret” journal. I thrived on reading Mills and Boon novels, filling my head with romantic ideals and larger than life heroes.

Luckily, I have had the opportunity to travel the world but my dream to write was never far from my mind. I worked as a physiotherapist for thirteen years before getting tired of saying “I’m going to write a book one day”. I finally took action and started writing in late 2001. Once I started, I couldn’t stop and have completed 25 novels of varying length since!

I currently write for Harlequin Romance and Modern Extra Sensual series and love it.

I live in Melbourne with my gorgeous family. When I’m not writing, I love sharing fine food and wine with friends and family, going to the movies and my favourite, curling up with a good book!

Nicola's Site: www.nicolamarsh.com

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS….

As a kid, the lead-up to Christmas was almost as good as the thrill of the day when you got to ask for loads of cool stuff and wondered what you’d get (I was lucky, I was a bit of a goody-goody so Santa usually delivered!)

These days I pretty much know what I’m going to get. Books! And loads of them! I’ve always been an avid reader so books were usually a good gift choice for me but ever since I started writing most of my family and friends inundate me with gorgeous new books every Christmas and I love it!

This year, I’ve had an early delivery, author copies of my December release, INHERITED: BABY. (I love the holly on the cover!) The book features horse-strapper and single mum Maya Edison doing it tough, trying to raise her baby after her fiancé dies, with a more than capable hero in stockbroker Riley Bourke.

There’s something so very magical about Christmas so I hope you all curl up with a good book this year.

And speaking of good books, what’s on your TBR pile at the moment?

I'm giving away a signed copy of INHERITED: BABY so please share the books you're eager to read with us.

Party Post 7: Annette Blair

Author Annette Blair took a twenty-year roller-coaster ride to overnight success. Yes, her tenacity is legendary, though some just call her stubborn. Her latest release, THE SCOT, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE is a December 2006 release. www.annetteblair.com

Dear Friends,

Christmas always comes early at my house—a legacy from my mother. The season is enough. I even like Christmas commercials. But TV Christmas stories are my favorite. I tape and watch every one. I collect Christmas movies: favorites are Meet Me in St. Louis, Miracle on 34th Street—with Dylan McDermott, of course—the Bishop’s Wife, The Gift of Love, and Love Actually. I collect Christmas romance novels to re-read yearly at Christmas, especially Mary Balogh’s Playing House. I got my first job at Christmas in a department store as a salesgirl in the toy department. I loved it.

I even started my family at Christmas—December 13th—and beneath our tree that year was a cradle with our baby girl in it. Can you think of a better gift? When she was five, at a Christmas service, she whispered, "This is it! The Christmas Spirit. It's here!"

Over the years, Christmas included delivering food baskets and toys to the needy, which taught me to appreciate my gifts all year round. Writing is a gift for which I am daily grateful. Who knew I’d end up writing about Witches? What fun! This season, whatever holiday you celebrate, let me wish you the best of the best, kisses beneath the mistletoe, a snuggle by the fire, joy the year round, a life of happy endings, and long hours of reading pleasure.

Blessed Be! Happy Holidays! Merry Merry!

I'm giving away a signed copy of my December release, The Scot, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, with a pair of lucky witch socks, the kind I wear when I write.

Tell me what celebrities you think would make the best looking heroes, to be in to win!

Annette Blair

Party Post 6: Winner of Annie's Giveaway

I've had such a wonderful time, being part of your blog party! Thank you so much for inviting me to participate.

There have been so many great posts from so many people, all with the Christmas theme, that it was impossible to choose one winner. In the end I decided to give two signed copies of 'A Mistress for the Taking'. One was chosen at random and the other because the post made me think so much of the joys of Christmas (as did many of the posts). The winners are:

crystalg
and
robynl

If they'd like to email me at annie@annie-west.com with their postal addresses I'll ensure their books are sent this week (hopefully in time for Christmas).

And I'd like to say THANK YOU to the many contributors who passed on their congratulations on my first book, and who also got into the Christmas spirit so early. It was wonderful reading all the posts.

regards,
Annie

Party Post 5: Winner of Nalini's Giveaway

While I didn't go through and do a scientific analysis, I think Roarke came out the winner in terms of the character most of you would like to see come to life. That man is hot!

Thanks everyone for playing and without further ado, here's the winner of my giveaway (picked via a random number generator):

dannyfiredragon

Email me (nalinisinghwrites @ gmail.com) and we'll sort out the details. All the other prizes are still up for grabs so comment away! Also there's another guest author coming up later today.

Party Post 4: Tessa Radley

Tessa Radley is still thrilled to bits by her first sale to Silhouette Desire earlier this year. The sale of Black Widow Bride followed an online editor pitch on eHarlequin.com. Tessa’s second book Rich Man’s Revenge will be out in June 2007. Right now Tessa is working on getting a website up in time for Christmas—it’s her Christmas prezzie to herself. Come visit www.tessaradley.com in late December.

Bearing Gifts They Travel So Far…

I love all the ritual and ceremony that goes with Christmas. The red pohutukawa trees that signal Christmas is coming. The lighting of the Christmas lights in the village. The snow cave guarded by Santa down the road. Christmas carols in the Park.

But the one Christmas ritual that is totally beyond me is shopping. I loathe and detest shopping at the best of times. Doing grocery shopping is something I trade with my dearly beloved where I can (If I scrub the toilets pleeeez will you do the grocery shop…?) But the event of e-shopping has me perking up. Tiffany's looks good—although frankly that's a little beyond my budget.

So what to give without killing the budget? A beautiful card? Sometimes that's all you need.

Chocolates? Yum! My heroine in Black Widow Bride (Sil Desire April 2007) owns a chocolate boutique and ships hand-made chocolates everywhere. Chocolates have to be a winner.

More gift ideas to share this Christmas…

1. A Starbucks gift card. Who can resist coffee?

2. My cousin always sends a Christmas ornament each Christmas. Each year when we put up our tree we think of her. Order personalized ornaments online at Wal-Mart

3. Being a third-world child I have to include the gift of planting 20 trees or providing 100 meals to 100 under-privileged kids for under $20

4. And don't forget books! Give someone the chance to buy dying-to-read books with a gift card to your favorite bookstore.

5. And from here came the idea of a Sephora gift card available in denominations of $25 with lots to choose from under $25

Share your gift suggestion. I will draw a random winner from those who comment and send a sensual shower pack to pamper yourself with this Christmas.

Party Post 3: Sasha White

Gifted with a salacious imagination, Canadian author Sasha White enjoys working in multiple genres', and various story lengths. With a voice that is called “distinctive and delicious” by The Romance Studio, Sasha has over a dozen erotic short stories published in various anthologies, her novellas in Kensington’s Pure Sex and The Cop anthologies have gotten rave reviews, and her first single title novel with Berkley Heat, Bound, has been called “the best sort of erotica for an erotic romance fan" by Sex, Sizzle and Snark Reviewer Jaynie R.

If you're attending the Romantic Times Convention in 2007, Sasha will be giving a workshop on Bad Girl Heroines - and how to make your readers love them, with her buddy, Vivi Anna.

Sasha loves to chat with readers and can be found on her websites’s blog most afternoons. www.sashawhite.net

IS BAD BETTER?

Bad Boys are a favorite type of hero among romance readers. And we all know why. We want to be "the one" to tame them with love.

But what about a favorite type of heroine? Personally, I love reading stories about quirky free spirited and independent heroines. You know the kind. The ones that laugh at themselves and make you laugh at the same time. Sometimes clumsy, sometimes too smart for their own good...always cute and sassy.

Normally when I write, I like to write Bad Girls. The ones who can kick ass and take names. IN my newest release, SEX AS A WEAPON, the heroine is a thief. And the hero is the cop on the hunt for her. It's too much fun to write about women who live by their own rules, and Vanessa was no different. While I do write erotica with no traditional Happily Ever After, SEX AS A WEAPON is a romance, and does have a HEA. Aren't you curious how a cop and a thief find their way?

Then there’s BOUND and my “good girl” heroine. Yup, I did it, I wrote a good girl...yet even my good girl has a yen for high stakes Texas Hold’em and wet t-shirt contests.

It’s just too much fun to have my heroines do the things I’m not brave enough to do.

So, what do you like best? A bad girl or a good girl? Does it depend on your mood? Or on the author and how the story is told?

Tell me your preference in the comments here for a chance to win a signed copy of THE COP.

Party Post 2: Annie West

Annie grew up loving books and travel. Her childhood dream was to become an archaeologist ... or a national parks ranger ... or a bookseller, so of course she became a public servant. In the meantime she travelled and read books and met the man of her dreams. They live with their family on Australia’s eastern seaboard.

After years of writing, in late 2005 her work was accepted by Harlequin Presents. Now she enjoys fantasising about wonderful men and their love lives. It’s hard work but she has no regrets!

Nalini, this is definitely the blog party for me. Christmas is my favourite time of year! Thanks so much for inviting me along. It’s a real thrill to be here.

When I read the theme for the blog party I panicked – I looked at the calendar and realised I’m not organised for the holiday season. Perhaps I’ll just relax and hope someone else organises everything for me to enjoy (hey, I’m an optimist!).

Maybe the reason I’m feeling so laid back about the festivities is that Christmas really has come early for me – two years running. I count myself to be one very, very lucky woman. (Santa was obviously making up for past years where I slaved over a hot Christmas turkey in sweltering Aussie heat to keep the family content).

Last year, in early December, my dream came true. After nine years writing fiction, I woke to find an email from an editor in Richmond (London). I’d had several full manuscripts rejected by editors of other lines. I’d had people tell me they loved my writing but it just wasn’t what they were after. The luck seemed always against me. I’d submitted revisions on this manuscript and, frankly, I was waiting for the rejection. I skimmed the email looking for the inevitable ‘thanks but no thanks’ and couldn’t find it. I read it twice before I realised the editor really wanted to buy my book. I’d been too nervous to notice the title of the attachment: ‘Mistress for the Taking acceptance doc’. Duh. I printed the email and kept reading it through the day just in case I was hallucinating and it was really a rejection. (You think I’m joking, don’t you?).

That book, my first for Harlequin Presents, is rolling out to the bookstores now and in just a few days I’ll be able to pick it up off the shelves! What more could I want for Christmas?

Well...as I said, I’ve been doubly lucky. I’ve recently sold my fourth book to Harlequin. Believe me, the festive season has started early here!

What about you? Has Christmas ever arrived early? I’d love to hear your story if it has. Or maybe you’ve got ideas on what would make this Christmas extra special for you and yours. Join the party and send in your thoughts. Now, there’s an easy way for you to win an early Christmas present. I’ll send one contributor a signed copy of my lucky first book ‘A Mistress for the Taking.’

Merry Christmas to you all!

Annie

‘A Mistress for the Taking’ is out in the UK now, in Aus/NZ Dec06, and in North America Jan07. To find out more, or for a second chance to win one of Annie’s books, visit her at http://www.annie-west.com

Party Post 1: Let's Get This Party Started!

It's party time!! Before we start passing out the cocktails, I thought I'd lay out how the party will run.

First, it's going on all week.

Second, there are going to be at least two posts per day, though a couple of days have three. Each post will be by a different guest author and all of them have giveaways...which is why the theme is Xmas Come Early! Each giveaway will run for at least 24 hours, so even if you miss seeing a post go up, make sure to scroll down past the most recent post and enter. To make it easier for you to party-hop from post to post and keep track, I'm going to be numbering them.

I've got new and established category authors from Sweet to Medical, debut authors (yay!), erotica authors (ooh la la), historical authors and of course, paranormal. And that's not all! Some are friends and some are new to me. But one thing's for sure - they are all ready to party! :)

Okay, let's kick off this party in style. Would you like to win an advanced look at Visions of Heat? I'll print out, sign the manuscript and send it to you. Or if you haven't read Slave to Sensation, I'll send you a copy of StS instead.

All you have to do to enter is tell me which fictional character you'd bring to life if you had superhero powers?! (I'll pick a random winner sometime tomorrow). Hmm, I find myself torn between Mr. Darcy and the dragon Temeraire - how cool would it be to talk to a dragon?! Ok, your turn!

I love Saturdays

Today's post is late courtesy of it being Saturday morning (and me sleeping in). *grin* Hope you're all ready for the party that kicks off Monday morning. I've got all the posts and giveaway details from the participating authors, except for two naughty people who haven't sent them in (hmm, how shall we punish them?).

So this week while I was not surfing the internet, I came across this post by Alison Kent on blog plans. The idea of a plan makes a huge amount of sense and I'm wondering if I should sit down and do one for this blog. Instead of random thoughts, you'd get something structured per day of the week. But then I'd have to follow the plan!

What are your thoughts on this? Do you like going to blogs that have a set format, knowing what you'll get according to the day/time? Or are you more interested in organized chaos?

Icebergs

If you've caught some international news over the past weeks, you'll know that we've been getting icebergs off the coast of New Zealand. We are near the bottom of the world but this is very rare. A few enterprizing souls have turned into tourist operators, flying people out see the icebergs.

But the award for the most cheeky iceberg related event goes to the guy who put the iceberg up for auction on Trade Me (like ebay). The original auction's no longer up there, but you can see a partial record of it here - scroll down to read the question and answers.

Drive By

Sorry about all the short posts this week folks - mad, mad week. I have galleys of Visions of Heat (exciting!) to get away as well as a few other things. But I'll make it up to you with the party next week!

For today, here's a smile for you from one of my favorite sites.

My oh my!

You all know I'm as innocent as a spring chicken, so I have absolutely no idea whatsoever as to how I found my way to this particular link: Naked Rugby League. Oh yeah, don't open this at work (unless you work in an office full of women) *g*

Between The Covers

I'm over at Between The Covers today, talking about the heroes we love and why we come love them. Come on over!

Interesting Book

I read Death of a Thousand Cuts by Barbara D'Amato last week and really enjoyed it - not just in terms of the suspense aspects, but in its setting and characters.

What made this book stand out for me is that the murder takes place during a reunion at Hawthorne House, which 15 years ago, was renowned for its work with autistic children. Now, the founder is dead and the suspects are the teachers and more interestingly, the students, who came to the reunion.

I knew a bit about autism before reading this book, but I know a lot more now. But at no stage did it feel like I was being inundated with information. The author weaves the ex-students' lives and realities seamlessly into this whodunnit. And the fact that it's set mostly in the rambling Hawthorne House just provides an extra layer of spookiness. A big thumbs-up from me if you're looking for a suspense read with a difference.

So, what've you been reading lately?

Party Update

OMG, it's November! Where did the year go?! Is it only me or does time seem to be moving faster these days?

As you know, there's going to be a blog party on this blog the week of Nov 27th (put it in your diaries!). That's Nov 27th NZ time so it'll be the 26th for those of you on the other side of the world. I've got lots of authors coming in -from historical to category to erotic romance - and lots of giveaways, so don't forget to come party. The theme incidentally is Xmas Come Early (as it will for the winners!)

Talking about Xmas, what's your favorite part of that time of the year? For me, it's the chance to be with family and eat lots of guilt-free cake. *g*

First Dates & Star Signs

'Where should we go on a first date?' is probably the most common question single people ask themselves.

And hey, it's hard to know where the object of your affections would like to rendezvous, especially if you don't know each other too well. But if you want to make some sort of an informed guess, consider turning to astrology for the answer.

That's right - each astrological sign has its own favourite first-date locales. So do some sleuth work to find out your date's birthday; then head out to one of the appropriate places below.

Best First Date For Your Star Sign

Hmm, really? Check the tip for you star sign and tell me if it would work.

Between The Covers

Today's post is over at Between The Covers. We're having a round table discussion on a 'typical' writing day. Drop by and visit.

Backcover Blurb: Bound By Marriage

As requested, here's the backcover copy for Bound By Marriage (Sil Desire, Feb 07).

A Deal With The Devil...

How else to describe the pact Jessica Randall had made with wealthy New Zealand rancher Gabe Dumont? In exchange for marriage and an heir, he would save her family property. The agreement was calculating, completely devoid of any tenderness, just like the man himself.

Their relationship was supposed to be a simple arrangement. Instead, it was fraught with secrets and mistrust, jealousy and ultimatums - emotions that wouldn't allow her to maintain the distance she needed. Worse, the sizzling attraction between them made this marriage of convenience decidedly inconvenient.

Cover: Bound By Marriage

This is a scene out of the book! I love it! Releases February (available for preorder *g*).

Five Things You Might Not Know About Me

I've been tagged by good friend and fellow Sil Desire author Bronwyn Jameson to list "Five things you might not know about me". Here goes:

1. Despite my otherwise bookwormy nature, I played field hockey for almost fourteen years.

2. I've traveled from San Francisco to New York by train. (Which train broke down in the middle of the desert).

3. I once got told off in high-school English class (my absolute favorite subject) for reading a romance novel (it was a purple one - Special Edition - and I think the author was Christine Rimmer).

4. I'm scared of eyelash curlers. No joke. Those things are dangerous!

5. I can meow well enough to fool cats. I once had a conversation with cat who must've thought I was the funniest looking feline ever.

There you go. Surprised? Horrified? ;) Okay, I'm tagging everyone who reads this blog. If you do it on your blog, send me the link and I'll add it to the bottom of this post so we can all learn stuff about each other. If you don't blog, use the comments to tell us your five. I'm off to practice my meowing.

Check out:
NeyJour's (Christina's) Five
Racy Li's Five
Cynthia Bagley's Five

Cover: Visions of Heat

Here's the cover for Visions of Heat. There are going to be a couple of changes but nothing major (and the color are brighter on the actual cover). I love the markings on his back! So, what do you all think :)

My News

I'm going to be doing a Christmas novella collection next year with Maggie Shayne among others! Woohoo! :)

My novella's going to tell the backstory of Nate and Tamsyn from Slave To Sensation. Are you guys excited? 'Cause I'm on cloud 9. I love reading Xmas novellas and now I get to write one and in such great company! :)

Secrets

I have a bit of cool news but I can't share it yet. Drats! I'm not very good at keeping my own secrets - anyone else's and I'm a lockbox, but my own - furgeddiaboutit, so this is testing my patience. I mean, I can't even keep surprise presents a surprise!

Talking about presents - if you've won something from me at any stage, it's on it's way. I posted out everything last week. For those of you who want to know what the "stuff" prize from NZ ended up being, here it is...oh wait, maybe I should let the winner find out for herself? You think I should tell? (Ask me in the comments and all will be revealed *g*)

How about you? How good are you at keeping secrets?

Thoughts For The Day

Exercise is good. It gets your blood pumping and all that stuff.
Exercise is evil. (The whole getting-up-just-to-torture-yourself thing).

Post-Weekend Catchup

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was pretty good - a bit lazy I must admit. :)

If you're on my mailing list, you should've got a newsletter over the weekend with another excerpt from Visions of Heat. If Yahoo is holding your mail hostage, the newsletter is available on the group site so just log in and read.

In the newsletter, I also asked for interview questions for the characters from Slave to Sensation. Something you'd like to ask one of them? Email me! I'm hoping to eventually get some character interviews up on the site. And if you have a burning question for one of the characters from my other books, feel free to throw them my way too.

How was your weekend?

Between The Covers

I'm also over here today, discussing Guy Fawkes!

Thinking About Covers

I've got covers on my mind today - two coming soon! I was perusing my tbr and keeper shelves and looking at the different covers when I realized how many of them are paintings rather than real people. I used to think I was a painting kind of girl but then I saw the cover for StS and I was changed for life. Talk about hot! *g*

What about you? Do you like painted people or real people covers?

JAK Keeper

I reread one of my keeper books the other day - Wildest Hearts by Jayne Ann Krentz. I'm a total JAK fan and I just found myself falling in love with this book all over again.

The hero, Oliver Rain, is so quintessentially alpha, and the heroine, Annie, is wonderfully likable. I think part of why I loved this book is that Oliver is so together...except when it comes to Annie. Got to love those strong men and the way they fall for their women. Sigh.

What are some of your keepers and why do you love them?

Free books, Website & Party!

Want to read some free books? Then head on over to see the list of authors who participated in PBW's e-book challenge and wrote a free ebook (all now available to read). I'm amazed by the number and wide range of books, and simply wowed by the authors' dedication to the project.

The website updates have been done for November. No changes to the star hunt this month but I have put up the link to a StS jigsaw puzzle, as well as an article on Writing Fast(er) that I originally wrote for the Romance Divas newsletter.

Also, make sure to mark the last week of Nov in your calendars. I'm having a blog party and there are going to be some awesome authors dropping by with posts and giveaways! I'll be putting up excerpts from them in the week before the party, so you'll get to have a sneak peak at lots of books.

Ok, who wants to challenge themselves with the jigsaw? Took me something like 8 minutes. Sad, very sad. *g*

Scents and Sensibility

You might call it muzak for the nose. The latest technique for putting consumers in a spending mood is to fill the air with a seductive scent. That's why Select Comfort, a nationwide chain of 400 bedding stores, is in the market for one that will soothe shoppers browsing for bedding. ScentAir, one of several firms that design scents for retail settings, has suggested a mix of cashmere wood, amber, cardamom, cinnamon and bergamot. The blend, it says, will convey quiet repose.

From an article titled Scents and Sensibility in TIME magazine, which talks about using scents to "affect a shopper's behavior". While I'm not too sure how I feel about being conveyed into "quite repose" or into anything else by custom-designed scents, the whole idea of scents affecting people so powerfully is quite interesting.

We all notice if someone smells good. Conversely we also notice if someone's overdosed on perfume or hasn't had a bath for a wee while. But are we always aware of it? Here's a question for you - when you met your significant other / best friend, did you notice the way they smelled? Ever been attracted to someone because they smelled so darn good?