Anniversaries!

What happens when you have your head down doing revisions is that Very Important Events tend to pass you by.

Back in February we celebrated my husband's birthday (and I didn't miss that!) because it's on a particular day and it was also my father's birthday for 81 years.  So it's a day I'm accustomed to celebrating.

But back in February, too, I just realized today -- two months after the fact -- was another anniversary of an event that basically changed my life.  In February 1985 my second book, Starstruck, was published!

Second book?

Well, yes, but the first one out of the gate. The first book, Dare to Trust, came along two months later. It was followed by the fourth book, Quicksilver Season, two months after that. And the third, To Tame a Wolf, and fifth, A Chance of Rainbows, came out in December the same year.

Thirty years ago!

How could I have forgotten?  Beats me.  It doesn't seem nearly that long -- and yet so much has happened since.

I've met terrific readers in person and via email from many parts of the world. I've made some wonderful author friends (Kate Walker, Anne Gracie, Maddy Hunter, Sophie Weston/Jenny Haddon, the late great Rose Marie Ferris, Michelle Reid, Linda Benjamin/Jessica Douglass, Peggy Nicholson, Antoinette Stockenberg and Pamela Bauer among others).  I've had the privilege of working with many terrific editors who have all done their best to make my books the best they can be.  In the publishing industry I've met artists, and art directors, marketing people, copy editors, models and photographers  -- all of whom have shared their expertise.

Beyond that, I discovered that writing books gave me the chance to learn about so many places and people, so many occupations and ways of life. Without writing, I daresay I would never have gone to bull-riding school!  I would never have learned how to build an 11-ton sandcastle or tend bar or be a veterinary technician or an architect.

If I'd gone to Australia and New Zealand, I still wouldn't have had the joy of a week at Robyn Donald's house with the creek running through it or have glimpsed the Blue Mountains through the fog with Anne Gracie, Barbara Hannay and Marion Lennox, swapping stories along the way.  I wouldn't have traveled along the Cote d'Azur with Jenny Haddon doing research, or trekked all over Europe (kids in tow) to write a book that mirrored our journey -- which we were on so I could write the book.

If life imitates art, art also imitates life.

Just this past week, I lifted my head from doing taxes (why have I never had a tax accountant hero or heroine, I wonder. Maybe art -- mine, at least -- can only be pushed so far!) and looked around for new ideas amid the old.  I dug through old magazines and prowled through new sites on the internet. I read articles and took long walks -- and rediscovered the joy of starting afresh.

It doesn't feel as if thirty years have gone by.  There are these new people on the horizon (new fictitious people as well real ones) I want to get to know.  There are new friendships and old that will intertwine and grow.

In the meantime, while I write, I will count my blessings -- and the joys and friends I've gained through writing books. Thank you for being among them!  You have made my life so much richer and more varied than I could ever have imagined!

Watch for Anne McAllister's next book, The Return of Antonides, in October.  No cover yet -- but she has sent in the art info and is crossing her fingers.

In the meantime, if you Last Year's Bride, as an ebook, or in the trade paperback duo Love Me, Always with Sara Mayberry's wonderful Make-Believe Wedding.

Keep your eyes open this fall, too, for the story of Cole's brother, Clint, who has come back to Montana -- and the life he thought he'd left for good.

What’s in a Name, part II :: Anne McAllister

Last month, you may recall, I asked for suggestions for my upcoming herione’s name.  There were lots of great ones – thank you very much. She turned out to be Eleanor, called Nell, thanks to Mary Preston. 

This month, I thought I would share with you an ongoing discussion I had with the marvelous Anne Gracie about names for heroes.  This began when she started writing her Brides series with The Autumn Bride and wanted to call her hero Charles.

I have no big problem with Charles. I wrote about a hero called Charlie myself. But Charles sounds sort of bland to me. Especially for the man she was writing about. 

Anne’s hero seemed edgier than a Charles, bigger than a Charles (my grandfather, Charles, was not a big man, so I have a precedent for the name).  I suggested, pleaded, begged, sighed and moaned -- and eventually he became Max. He’s a wonderful Max. It’s a wonderful book.

And then she started on the second book, the one about Damaris, the Chance “sister” who came from China where her father had been a missionary.  Damaris has pain and secrets and, above all, she needs a strong hero. 

“So,” I said, “who’s this hero going to be?”

And Anne said, “You already know him. It’s Freddy.”

Freddy? I said. What kind of name is that for a hero?

The rest is history – and here is Anne to tell you about it:

Freddy? What kind of name is that for a hero?

That's what Anne McAllister told me a year ago when I first told her who the hero was going to be in the second book of my 'Chance sisters'  series.

"Freddy? she said. "You can't have a hero called Freddy."

"Watch me," I told her.

Anne McA and I have been writing buddies for more than a dozen years. It started when I (an Australian) set a contemporary romantic comedy in Montana. Anne McAllister practically owns Montana. "Send me this story," she said. "I'd like to see an Aussie write about Montana."

I did. She liked it. She corrected a couple of small mistakes I'd made, and we've been good friends and writing buddies ever since. We email and talk on the phone, brainstorming and chatting, and we send each other bits to read and critique. We're respectful of each other's writing —we like each other's writing — but neither of us pulls our punches: if we think something doesn't work, we'll say so. You're no kind of writing friend if you pretend something works when it doesn't.

Which brings us back to my hero. "Freddy?" she said. "What kind of name is that for a hero?"

We generally agree on what kind of a hero we like. Strong, honorable, masterful, kind, often wounded deep down, but refusing to show it — that kind of hero. We've had disagreements on hero names before, and usually she's convinced me. Charles is not a hero name. And neither is Freddy.

Freddy, she insisted was a name for a secondary character, a lightweight, a frivolous, entertaining rattle.

And really, she's right. My Freddy is all of those things. I suspect his name was inspired by Georgette Heyer's Freddy in Cotillion.

My Freddy first makes an appearance as a secondary character in The Autumn Bride. He's an elegant, careless, frivolous rake, with a horror of marriage and muffins -- not the edible kind. In his own words:

"A muffin is dull, earnest, generally plain—though occasionally you’ll find one lurking behind a pretty face—and is bent on marrying a fellow and making his life a misery. Reforming him. Forcing him to do Good Works and attend Improving Talks.” He shuddered.

So he's not the strong, silent, tortured alpha kind of hero. He's very much the beta-type and is everything AMcA said a Freddy would be — an entertaining rattle who nobody takes too seriously. He's a frivolous rake who aims to stay that way.

As sole heir to his father's title and fortune, not to mention his own private fortune, he'd been a target for match-making mamas and daughters since he'd first appeared in society. From the beginning he'd made it clear he had no interest in marriage, and once he realized respectable mamas and daughters avoided rakes like the plague, he'd done his best to encourage his reputation as a rake to grow. 

But in the last year or so his mother had apparently informed the mothers, aunts and grandmothers of every eligible female in the kingdom that he was contemplating marriage —she might as well have put a notice in The Gazette, curse her!—and as a result, wherever he went, muffins popped out of the woodwork.

He wasn't contemplating marriage, dammit! Not with anything other than horror.

And don't we know, as romance readers, that them's fightin' words. When a hero swears off marriage in the strongest terms, we just know he's heading for a fall — of the most delicious sort.

You can't have a hero called Freddy?

Just watch me.

*********

The Winter Bride by Anne Gracie

coming April 1st 2014

So what do you prefer, the alpha kind of strong silent tough wounded hero? Or do you sometimes enjoy a change of pace with a beta guy? Who's your favorite beta-hero in romance?

Anne's giving away a copy of the Winter Bride to someone who leaves a comment

**********

ps:  Me, again. Anne McA.  Just so you know – she pulled it off. Freddy is a magnificent hero. And yes, there will be a copy of Freddy’s book, The Winter Bride,  for some lucky person who makes a comment.  Will post here later this week who the winner is so you can get in touch with me. Thanks, all. And thank you to Anne Gracie – and Freddy!

**************

UPDATE!!!!   Anne Gracie has chosen JULIE as the winner of a copy of her book, The Winter Bride.  Julie, if you will please email me at anne.mcallister (at) gmail.com, giving me your mailing address, Anne or I will send your book out to you. Thank you to everyone else for your comments, too. Freddy looks forward to meeting all of you between the pages!

Anne Gracie's Scottish Affair

I've had a love affair with Scotland all my life. I grew up with a father who, like his father and grandfather before him, quoted Rabbie Burns at the drop of a hat, and we recited the Selkirk grace at dinnertime. That was even before we went to live in Scotland for a year when I was eight. My siblings and I came back to Australia speaking broad Scottish - as a kid, you learn to fit in pretty quickly.

Yet I've never set a story in Scotland. Partly this was because my first editor was English and she saw nothing whatsoever romantic about Scotsmen or Scotland.

And just in case my first editor happens to be reading this, here's one reasons why Scottish romances are fabulous:

So when Trisha Telep asked me to contribute a story to the Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance, I jumped at the chance. I had such fun with the story, too.

My hero, Cameron, is laird in name only — his inheritance is in the hands of his uncle until Cameron turns thirty, or marries. His uncle is spending money like water and nothing Cameron says will stop him. Cameron storms out, swearing to marry the first eligible woman he meets...

So Cameron sets off, followed by his two cousins, who've bet on the outcome of the vow — and taken a wee dram or three of the Good Stuff along the way...

Of course, the first woman Cameron meets is entirely unsuitable.... on the surface. Not that he can see much of her surface -- he's run her and her sheep into a bog, and she's covered in mud.

But there's more to Jeannie Macleay than meets the eye... and she's no pushover. Cameron is in for a learning experience...

Here's an excerpt — but to get you in the mood first, here's another reason why you should read Scottish romances!


The girl followed her sheep, putting as much distance between herself and the men as she could, running swiftly despite the clumsy, man-sized boots. Cameron watched her thoughtfully.

When he'd made his rash statement he had no thought of wedding anyone except a lady born. This bog sprite shepherdess was totally unsuitable.

But he'd never broken his word before. Rashness gave way to serious thought; there might be wives to be had in Inverness — ladies — but how long would it take to get one to wed him? And how much would his uncle squander in the meantime?

Jimmy grabbed him by the shoulder. "Well, Cammie, will ye wed her or no? There's a bet on."

Cameron swore softly under his breath. The girl was young, unmarried and born outside the estate. What difference would it make anyway who he wed? Women were for running the house and birthing babes and any female could do that. Getting control of his inheritance was what counted. Besides, the little he knew of ladies born was that they were a lot of trouble. They expected a man to dance attendance on them, whereas a lass like this, country bred and down-to-earth...

She floundered in the mud. Very down-to-earth.

"Aye, I'll wed her," he declared.

"Aha—" Jimmy began, then let out a yell. "She's getting away. Don't worry, Cam, I'll get her back for ye." And without warning he jumped on his horse and galloped after the girl.

"Och, the mad fool," Donald began. "Whatever will she think—"

Cameron leapt on his horse and set off after Jimmy.

The girl, seeing Jimmy bearing down on her, screamed defiance at him and ran faster. Jimmy let out a whoop, as if he was running down a hind.

"Leave her be, Jimmy," Cameron roared.

But Jimmy was almost on the girl and oblivious. With a blood-curdling yell he scooped her up and tossed her over his saddle. She fought and struggled but Jimmy just laughed and smacked her on the backside as he wheeled his horse around and cantered back to Cameron with a triumphant grin.

"I fetched her for ye—yeeeowww!" He broke off with a yell of pain. He stared down at the girl in shock. "She bit me! The wee vixen bit me!"

The wee vixen moved to bite his leg again and Jimmy hastily shoved her off his horse. She dropped lightly to the ground and glanced warily around, preparing to run again.

* * * * *

Mine is just one of twenty-one stories in the collection. It's a fabulous read.

The Mammoth Book of Scottish Romance - edited by Trisha Telep

Released January 4th 2011 in the USA, Jan. 27 in the UK

And just in case you need reminding, here's a third reason why Scottish romances are fabulous:

So what about you -- do you think Scotland is romantic, or do you agree with my first editor?

Anne Gracie
http://www.annegracie.com/

The People Behind the Book : : Anne McAllister

Last week Natasha Oakley wrote a piece about Dedications for The Pink Heart Society blog. It struck a chord with me because sometimes I like reading dedications as much as I like reading books.

Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, though sometimes -- albeit rarely -- the dedication is the best part.

Still, a lot of work goes into a book that readers never see. And while some authors habitually dedicate their books to their spouses or their cats, others often use them to connect to people who are significant either specifically to that book or to them in their lives at that moment.

Dedications are connections. They tie the book to the larger world. They tie authors to people beyond the characters they create. Sometimes dedications are simple and straightforward, sometimes they are moving, sometimes they are funny.

Whichever, they are a little extra bit of insight into the author's life. Lots of readers may not care about that. As a reader, I do. As a writer, I like the opportunity to mention people who matter.

And my experience is that people like having books dedicated to them. It says to them, You matter. You're special.

When I was writing The Santorini Bride, I made contact for the first time in forty-odd years with Haine Crown, a friend who was dear to me in junior high school. It was a joy to have her in my life again. And besides the other wonderful things she brought into my life on her return, she brought a knowledge of French bulldogs.

As it happened, I needed a dog for Martha, my heroine, to bond with while she was on the outs with Theo, the hero. She ended up with a French bulldog named Ted.

Every time I finished a scene with Ted in it, I would send it to Haine for vetting. And she would write back and say, "French bulldogs don't do thus and such. They do so and so." She was quite adamant.

"French bulldogs have Opinions," she told me. And they aren't reticent about expressing them. So when Ted peed on Theo's foot -- his first impression of Theo not being the best -- and my editor suggested maybe he shouldn't do that for delicacy's sake, I said, "But he has to. Ted would!" For the sake of authenticity (and because both Haine and I both thought it was exactly what Ted thought of Theo -- and because the editor was kind) it stayed in.

For that and for many reasons, I dedicated that book to her.

We were both crushed when the book appeared and the dedication didn't. Through some mysterious glitch, it got lost from the front matter. "We can put it in the next one," my editor offered. And they did.

No French bulldogs in the next one. But we both knew life wasn't always fair.

And I couldn't let it go without having the dedication somewhere. I wouldn't have had the same book without Haine's input. My life as a whole wouldn't have been as rich without her.

I'm sorry the dedication didn't get in the book where it belonged, but I'm glad it got there eventually. It mattered.

Dedications are a way of saying thank you to people, of remembering people -- like Nancy the cat slayer with whom I visited Ireland, or my son Patrick who, at age 14, was deputized to make a list of details for me about a wilderness camping expedition to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan so my wildlife biologist could know what she was doing, or my daughter the athletic trainer who has mended so many heroes.

They are a chance to say how much I've enjoyed Kate Walker who has shared so many adventures with me and bull rider Brett Leffew, who got my hero and heroine down the road in The Eight-Second Wedding, or Ronnie Rondell, the stunt coordinator, whose knowledge helped me realistic write a disaster for my hero to spend years having to deal with in Cowboys Don't Quit.

They are a way of touching base with people who have mattered along the way, of saying, "I haven't forgotten."

Sometimes I think I write books so I can write dedications in them. In writing there are always so many people who are behind the book, who helped to bring it to life, who should be thanked.

I'm thinking maybe, since it takes so long to write a book, I should start putting dedications on blogs. What do you think?

It also occurs to me that I don't think I put a dedication into the last book I sent in -- and it's probably too late now. So I guess I'll have to say it here: Thank you to my friend Jason who lent me his last name for one of my characters. He never imagined I'd create a family dynasty. Neither did I, my friend!

If you're a writer, do you labor over dedications, trying to make sure you've got it right? Or does your cat -- or your husband -- get it every time? If you're a reader, do you read them? Do you care? Have you ever had a book dedicated to you?

I have. Thank you, Anne Gracie! You just made my day.

Stop by my blog and take a look at Anne's new cover and her book -- dedicated (in part) to Yours Truly (by another name).

Happy Birthday to Anne!

Hi,

Anne McAllister here. And no, I'm not telling you it's my birthday.

It's Anne Gracie's birthday.

Actually it's probably past her birthday where she lives (that would be Australia) -- unless you're reading this very early in the morning in the US. But I rang her yesterday (or today, if you want to get technical about it, though it was tomorrow there when I did it here, um, yesterday) and wished her the best.

She deserves it. Anne is terrific.

Every now and then in your life as a reader -- and as a writer -- you meet someone whose books have such an impact on you that you look for every book they write ever after. You relish not just the stories, but the voice, the emotion, the wit, the characters, the turns of phrase.

Anne Gracie is one of those writers for me.

I first met Anne on the Mills & Boon loop before the turn of the century (the 21st, in case you were wondering). And I enjoyed reading her posts, found myself smiling, nodding, occasionally laughing. But I hadn't read any of her books at that point.

Then I did. I read Tallie's Knight -- and it blew me away. I can't tell you now what the story was about -- which may seem weird, but the truth is, I can't even tell you the plot-line of my own books. It's the emotional impact that stays with me. And it was the emotional impact -- in spades -- that has stayed with me from Tallie's Knight for years.

After Tallie, I read everything Anne wrote. And I've loved them all. Some, of course, I love more than others (these aren't my children. I'm entitled to have favorites.) The Perfect Waltz was my favorite of her series of "Perfect" books.

I loved the hero, Sebastian Reyne. In fact, I just named a hero Sebastian in his honor. Of course my guy is nothing like her Sebastian. My Seb is nowhere near as quick-witted and charming and sweep-you-off-your-feet spectacular. But he's my small homage to a hero I loved.

And now she's done it again as she's begun a whole new series of books with The Stolen Princess.

I just finished The Stolen Princess earlier this week. And I fell in love with Gabe. He's not Sebastian, but he's a great Anne Gracie hero nonetheless. He's strong and determined, responsible and capable, yet emotionally wounded, and definitely in need of the love of a good woman.

That would be Callie. Princess Caroline -- a woman whom fate has thrust into a role she would not have chosen -- finds her inner strength challenged by the circumstances of her life. The last thing she needs right now is a man to complicate matters.

Except -- maybe she does. And maybe Gabe is that man.

It was a delightful, purely Anne Gracie tale of wit and angst and charm. I loved it. And I'm thrilled that it promises to be the first of several about Gabe and his army cohorts. They look like a bunch of guys you'd want on your side when the chips were down. I'm hoping Anne hurries up and finishes the next one. I can hardly wait.

What about you? Have you ever had a book turn your head and set you off on a quest to find everything that person has written? Leave a comment and tell us what book and author -- and of course if there were even better books by that author that you'd recommend.

I'll check back and choose one winner from those who have left comments. That person will get a copy of my last book, The Boss's Wife For A Week -- and a copy of The Perfect Waltz.

How about that? Anne has the birthday, but you get the present!