Life at Home

by Joanne Rock

Greetings from the housebound to the housebound! I hope this week finds you healthy and safe while we adjust to a new normal. For my part, I'm mostly adapting to how to bring groceries safely into my house and trying to figure out where the next roll of toilet paper will come from. But the work from home isolation is something I'm long accustomed to as a writer.

In the years that I was first disciplining myself to write books, the adjustment to so much alone time was a big one. Then, just when I got a rhythm going, my significant other started working from home too, and there was a whole new learning curve of being productive with someone else in the house. I see a lot of friends online struggling with both of these-- being productive while isolated, and being productive while isolated with someone else.

My best advice for the former is to pay attention to your high productivity times. If you're no longer tied to 9-5, it can be a surprise to discover you are most effective at your job from 7pm to 11pm. But if that's what works for you, go with it! Don't ignore your natural ebbs and flows of good work energy. My other advice is to mix up your work tasks so you're not stuck doing one kind of work all day long. Varying your tasks and putting time limits on them can help you accomplish more.

As for being productive while there are others in the house with you? I liked being really mobile with a laptop so I could seek out quiet places in the house wherever they happened to be. Kids take over your office? Go find an empty bedroom to work in. Spouse decide to chat while you need to focus? Tomorrow, try working with headphones on. Your family isn't trying to disrupt you. They just lack the visual cues to remind them you're working.

A good deal! https://books2read.com/TheRebel

But sometimes the biggest stumbling block to being  productive at home is YOU. Before you dismiss it, consider this-- is there any chance you're self-sabotaging without realizing it? You like to be the go-to family chef so you jump up to prep food four times a day for various people? Or maybe you're the only one who knows how to accomplish certain things at home, so those around you are used to relying on you for help with those things. Stop this. Teach each kid a task you used to be responsible for and let them manage it. Relinquish some house control for the sake of your work life.

For your downtime, of course, I hope you're taking advantage of the oodles of deals on books right now. I know I've downloaded tons of free and .99 cent books. My friend author Eva Moore is compiling a nice list on Facebook, but I know there are lots more lists out there. My first-in-series book, The Rebel is just .99 through the weekend, so please go grab it, and stay safe!

Pass the Optimism, Please

by Joanne Rock

As we close out a year and a decade, I’ve already started thinking about what’s on my To Do list for New Year’s resolutions—New Year’s Goals, really, since I tend to think about where I want to head next whenever the calendar changes.

The past year was a rough one for me, leeching away some of my hopes and faith in people, leaving holes in my heart. I’ve spent months trying to patch myself back together, pushing away old hurts to breathe deep and focus on the things I can control in life—my perspective, my projects, the people I let close to me. Sometimes, that’s all you can do after a loss. Put one foot in front of the other and keep moving.

But as the year comes to an end, I find I want to do more than just keep moving. In 2020, I’d like to patch up my weary soul and restore some of the optimism I seem to have lost. Unfortunately, that’s a goal that doesn’t come to fruition just by speaking the wish aloud. How do I recapture the old joy after a year of hurts?

First, I plan to unplug. Not right away, as I have work commitments to honor and I need to be online while I see those through. But once the bulk of my professional obligations have been met, I hope to take a hiatus from social media and even my phone. Remember the days before cell phones when you could go for a hike in the woods without anyone knowing where you were for the day? Granted, there is a reassuring sense of safety that comes with a cell tower signal. But there is also a sense of anonymity and adventure that is lost by being reachable 24/7. I think it would do me good to turn off the phone, disconnect, and just BE for a little while. I’ve looked outward for a long time, reaching my hand out to others whenever I could, and I’ve enjoyed that. But while I’m refilling the emotional well, I think focusing on just me could be helpful.

After that, I plan to re-nest. I’ve moved a lot in the past few years, and I think the merry-go-round of homes is a tangible reflection of the pieces of myself I’ve misplaced. I’d like to regroup in a physical way even as I regroup emotionally. I plan to find a home and lovingly remake it into my own space for a new phase of my life. My bedroom will be a place to invite good dreams. My workspace will be a place to invite stories in a way to encourage my Muse. Old things I don’t need will be re-homed and I want to store away as a little as possible. I’m going to create a clean, lean space that reflects me.

Next, I plan to travel, but not so much with a focus on places as on people. I have made many wonderful friends over the years, and some of them I haven’t seen in decades. I plan to reconnect with people I love by showing up in their hometowns and asking them to hang out with me. I’m calling it my Grand Tour. I don’t know how many people I’ll get to see this year, but even just seeing one or two friends so I can enjoy those old connections again feels like it would be spiritually renewing. I can’t wait for that part of the plan to happen.

Finally, through it all, I hope to be present to all the little moments I can be. My sons are grown, so I can now focus on me in a way that I haven’t in years. I loved my time with my boys at home, but now I will need to start loving this new phase of my life as it presents me with different opportunities and different people. I’m going to embrace the newness and find out what I can do to make the world a better place, or a happier place, with my time and talents. I’m trusting the universe to put those opportunities in my path.

Available 2/1/20

That’s my 2020! A new adventure. A new decade. A soul renewed. But it all starts with giving thanks for what I’ve learned up to this moment—even down to the hurtful things that have taught me what I’m made of. No one gets through this life unscathed, even optimists like me. Today, I feel weary. But I know that by year’s end, I will have wonderful new things to be thankful for, and it all starts with a plan for change. Cheers to you in the New Year, my friends. Thank you for reading my books and sharing my stories. I hope 2020 brings you all good things.

**What are you doing New Year’s Eve? Will you be mulling over the year to come? Smooching a loved one at midnight? Share with me and I’ll give one random poster an advance copy of RULE BREAKER, book 3 in my Mesa Falls series from Harlequin Desire.

Heartbreaker Cover Reveal

by Joanne Rock

Last month at Tote Bags n Blogs, I got to reveal my February cover for Rule Breaker. This month, I have another new cover to share! This one is for my March Dynasties: Mesa Falls release, Heartbreaker. Isn't it gorgeous?! I love it, and I'm thrilled that it reflects the story so well.

Available March 2020

From passion to betrayal and back again…

He knows she’s coming for him…And he’s ready to turn the tables!

When tabloid columnist Elena Rollins shows up uninvited to a private, star-studded party at Mesa Falls, Gage Striker sees red. Though it’s been six years since their abrupt breakup, the scars—and attraction—are still fresh. Certain his ex has a score to settle, the playboy banker vows to protect his ranch’s scandalous secrets. Protecting his heart is a different story.

You can preorder here: books2read.com/u/4AxrlJ

 

Dynasties: Mesa Falls

If you're interested in the series, it begins with my November title, The Rebel, continues in December with The Rival, and then February's Rule Breaker and March's Heartbreaker. Mesa Falls will also have a free online read from Harlequin in the New Year. So far, both The Rebel and The Rival have been Harlequin Junkie Recommended Reads, so I'm excited about that! Sexy, scandalous, and full of secrets, the Mesa Falls books have the prime-time soap opera feel with characters to root for and surprise villains.

Stay up to date on my books by signing up for my newsletter or joining my Facebook Reader Group, The Rockettes.

**To win a copy of The Rebel, book one in this series, just share with me when you plan to start your holiday decorating! Winner chosen at random the first week of December. Thanks so much for reading!

Power to Encourage

"It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop." --Confucius

by Joanne Rock

            I don’t claim to be a wise old crone, but nothing reminds me of how long I’ve been in the writing business faster than speaking to a writing group. Earlier this month I had the pleasure of speaking to the Tampa RWA chapter about tropes and series romance. It was a fun topic, and the group was a supportive, engaged audience. 

            The joy of events like this continue after the formal topic is done and I have the chance to speak with members of the group individually. Writers begin sharing more about their journeys, and firing questions of all kinds. We talk about the writing process, the drive to maintain creativity, the tricks behind writing synopses, but most importantly, we talk about persistence.

            Because by and large, I hope that’s what I offer people attending workshops that I give—reminders of how big a role tenacity plans in what we do. I hope that through my own tale of persistence (six full manuscripts, a partial and at least five synopses for other stories completed before I ever sold a single word I wrote) will provide some inspiration for writers who are drowning in rejections. Not many of us get to that first sale without wading through those waters. It can be disheartening. Creatively draining. But it’s truly part of the process.

            That’s the point of the workshop where I feel the wisest. Not because I know a lot about

tropes, or series, or any single point of craft. But I do know what that slog through rejection feels like. I’ve been there, fending off complete demoralization with nothing but blind faith and a good dose of stubbornness. It takes grit to keep writing in spite of the odds, to keep teaching yourself and flexing the writing muscle to improve. I remember that what helped keep my feet on the path were the occasional tales from the trenches from other authors who took many years and many manuscripts to make that first sale.

            So more than any writing wisdom, I hope that I pass along some of that courage in the face of rejection. I hope that I'm inspiring a certain level of persistence. If I succeed at this, I’ve given a truly valuable a gift. Finding the courage to believe in your dreams is hard to come by, but we close ourselves off to too many wonderful possibilities if we don’t keep taking steps to achieve them.

*** From a pep talk for a girlfriend to a heart-to-heart with a nervous child, we all take on the role of mentor and cheerleader sometimes in or lives.  When was the last time you exercised your power to encourage someone in their goals? I'll give one random poster an advance copy of book 1 in my new Dynasties: Mesa Falls series, The Rebel!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

by Joanne Rock

April has pummeled the heck out of me this year. It started off happily, as I was able to spend time

with a dear friend I hadn’t seen in years. I met her in New Orleans and we had days of “just us girls” time, which I love. But once I got home, things fell apart fast and I’ve been limping along ever since. Throw in a significant work deadline, and I’m exhausted—emotionally and physically, too.

I’m not here to complain… just maybe to commiserate, because I know you’ve all been there. Whether it’s a family crisis, a personal rift, a health scare, a death in the family or… well, there are many things that can wrong in a life on any given day, aren’t there? Anyway, picture a month that trampled you, and let’s talk about it for a minute.

It’s funny how when things start rocking in life, the reverberations are felt in every corner or your existence. Work feels harder. Tasks that you used to be able to knock off your to-do list easily start piling up and feel overwhelming. And the loneliness of going through a hardship is unique too. No matter how many friends you have, some hurts are yours alone, and there’s a sadness in having to bear those wounds by yourself.

I’m determined to shake off some of my hurts and worries as May begins. I’m not depressed in a clinical sense, so please don’t think I’m offering advice on how to battle something like that. I’m just talking about coming back from those life potholes that leave us bruised and saddened. Where to start to find joy after an emotional wound?

For starters, I’m choosing my safe places to talk openly very carefully. I’ve learned that venting too

much, or in too many directions, can only come back to bite me when well-meaning people in my life inadvertently remind me of the crisis down the road when I don’t want to think about it. So I share the hurts with just a few trusted souls, and find the balancing of venting enough to get the sting out, without overloading everyone I know.

Then, I’m exercising. And I don’t do the gym or anything strenuous, but I’m getting out every day to walk or ride my bike. Sometimes twice. The fresh air and moving around is always, always a good idea to change my perspective and helps me look outward. Eating well when I feel down is more important than ever too, since a poor diet when I’m down only succeeds in making my body feel as bad as my head and my heart!

You know else has been kind of helpful for me? Taking a mental inventory of my worries, figuring out if/how I can address them, making a plan to fix what I can, and then giving myself permission to bag up the rest and toss it out of my head. If I need to get up and write down my plan before I go to bed, I’ll do it. But once I write it, I can’t think about it anymore. I guess taking the worry out of my swirling thoughts and putting it somewhere else is what I find useful.

So, change focus, take of myself, share what I can of the burden, and then get back to doing the things I love until I can stop fixating on a hurt/loss. I hope I can find time to sleep a little more, too, but I know that’s not always an option when you’re going through a tough time. But small kindnesses to yourself count. You might not be able to sleep in on the weekend, but could you call a friend for coffee? Treat yourself to a new plant that will remind you of growing in a positive direction? Rearrange a room in a way that you find more cheery? My environment has a big impact on me, so things like that are good for me.

But I do think the prescription for getting through a tough time is uniquely personal. Ideally, we learn how to come back from life’s arrows more effectively over time. We strengthen our relationships with those who remain close to us. Hold hands with those we love and hope things get better. Certainly, we owe it to ourselves to nurture our spirits with the same tender kindness we’d show to a dear friend.

*What do you do for a pick me up when you need some emotional TLC? And let me share some kindness with you by sending a book to one commenter, because I always think romance is uplifting no matter what. And yes, I’m reading more this week! I’ll send one random poster an advance copy of my June Desire, Rancher in Her Bed.

Following the Story Thread

by Joanne Rock

As a writer, I am often asked where I get my ideas for stories.  I have a few answers for this—all of them true.

Stories come from everywhere, I’ve insisted in online interviews and casual conversations alike.  A magazine article, a TV news snippet, a character in a movie, an argument between a couple in an airport—all of these have sent my mind on the “what-if” journey that leads to a story.

Other times, depending on my opinions about my work on a given day, I might suggest that story ideas often start with plot or character and then I’ll build one to suit the other.  When characters are dogging me for a story, I might ask myself what would be the most problematic situation I could put that particular hero and heroine in.  If a plot hook is niggling in my brain, I’ll twist it in the other direction and ask myself what kinds of characters would find that particular plot problem the most devastating?  Yes, making life tough for our characters is a writer’s job.

But today I’ve decided that trying to track down the roots of a story is sort of like making my way through a labyrinth without the benefit of Ariadne’s thread.  I’ve culled inspiration from so many numerous sources, pulling together so many different ideas, that the end product feels wholly unique.  The ideas have fused so fully that to trace the root causes is almost impossible.  I might have pulled a character into the story that I conceived years ago and couldn’t find a place to put him.  I might build a world around a tiny germ of an idea that didn’t work in a book I wrote eons ago but now I’ve got new fuel for the concept and think I can make it work. 

Truly, some of the ideas are so deep rooted that they seem to come from my toes.  My stories represent a million facets of my mental make up, the snippets of thoughts, ideas, fears and dreams that make me.

So where do my stories come from?  It’s a topic I love to think about.  But in my book releasing April 3rd, EXPECTING A SCANDAL, the answer to the question is very different since it's part of the Texas Cattleman's Club series, which means the rough outline of the story was provided for me. 

If you haven't read any books in this long-running Harlequin miniseries, you're missing out on a wonderful facet of series romance. By plotting the fictional world of Royal, Texas, and all the people in it, Harlequin provided its writers with a unifying setting that readers love to return to time and time again. When I was asked to pen EXPECTING A SCANDAL, I didn't need to dream up the characters... the arrived with their professions and conflicts ready to roll. Sure, I had to find ways to move the story forward and help the characters to fall in love, but it was a really different experience not using characters of my own creation. I can't wait to try another one.

**Happy Spring my friends! What are you looking forward to most this month? I've got a copy of my February Desire, FOR THE SAKE OF HIS HEIR, to share with one random commenter! 

All Fun and Games

by Joanne Rock

**I wrote this blog post six years ago, and the words are never truer! I hope you don't mind me

sharing an archived piece with you today. I hop back to the present at the end to update you on my life and thoughts today. But first... rewind to Joanne of 2012:

I found myself at a 6^th grade basketball tournament last weekend.  It’s a place I’ve found myself a lot this time of year.  In our house, football season melts into basketball with only a two week hiatus, and hoop turns into baseball with even less down time.  With three boys playing sports, the cycle is familiar and sometimes exhausting.  Most of the time though, it’s fun.

Two of my sons from about the time I penned this piece.

As I cheered loud and long for my son—and for all his teammates who aren’t my sons—I thought about why we as a culture are so passionate about youth sports.  Sure, we all know the horror stories of the parents who yell all game and the coaches who take it all so seriously that practice turns into boot camp.  But that’s not the case in my town.  Youth sports are fun here, and every parent I know gets as hopped up about cheering on their kids’ successes as I do.  The losses… well, we might not cheer, but the lessons there are as valuable as the wins.  No doubt, we all tend to remember the times we failed more than the times we won. 

There are a million and one analogies between sports and life.  My husband wrote about a lot of them during his career as a sports editor, so they are often in the back of my mind as I put my time in at games.  But a new parallel occurred to me last weekend as I cheered on the boys and watched them grin when they made their shots.  Watching the kids play is fun because of the enthusiasm they bring to the game.  They’re not at the advanced level that puts so much social pressure on performance.  They’re at an age where they are allowed to simply enjoy the game.  And don’t we love that kind of innocent pleasure when the stakes aren’t so high and failure isn’t the end of the world?  At this level, you usually get your pizza party whether you win or lose.

I think that kind of fresh perspective and enthusiasm is what makes it exciting to be around new writers.  I get letters sometimes from writers new to the business who are looking for a little direction and those folks are usually pleased when I gab away about the writing life and the business.  I understand that they are getting something out of my conversation.  But I don’t think they necessarily realize what I’m getting out of theirs.  It’s that fervor and eagerness for writing that I remember with fondness.  Not that I mean to suggest I’m a cynical old crone at this point in the game.  Far from it!  I’ve got a Pollyanna streak a mile wide.  Still, my years in this business and my 30-odd manuscripts written (not all of them published) have definitely left me wiser and warier.  That’s a good thing.  And yet—I really miss those days where I’d stop at the end of a paragraph to admire what I’d written, kind of like those 6^th graders smiling openly at a foul shot that swished cleanly through the net. 

There’s a joy associated with any new endeavor, a joy that quiets a bit as you become more of an expert and have been fortunate enough to turn a hobby into a profession.  The well-loved pursuit soon comes with deadlines and expectations of editors, agents and readers.  And the more successful you become, the higher the stakes of failure.  That success is a blessing, to be sure.  But there is always a bit of nostalgia involved in talking to a writer who still regularly takes time to savor the play of her words on paper or who is bursting with story ideas and can follow only her own direction about which idea to pursue next.  So don’t be surprised if you’re an aspiring writer and I quiz you about what you’re working on and how you manage your schedule and what you’ve got in mind for career goals.  I promise I’m not trying to steal ideas and I’m not just making small talk for the heck of it.  I’m just enjoying your journey along with you, and in doing so, I’m also remembering and enjoying my own.

**Present Day: I loved this piece because I just celebrated my youngest son's final season of high school basketball. I cried when it ended, probably more than I'll cry on his graduation day since sports have been such a defining element of my family and my life for the last twenty years. I will miss the tournaments, the young athletes and the fierceness of competing. But at the same time, I'm heartened to remember that this joy doesn't go away. Those memories will fill my books for many years to come.

And so funny to think that when I wrote this I had thirty some books. I just celebrated the release of my 80th novel for Harlequin. Have you read my February 2018 release, For the Sake of His Heir?

For today, I'll leave you with this thought / question- Have you ever acted as a mentor to someone in your business or personal life, or have you been on the receiving end of mentoring?  Did that experience bring similar emotional rewards to the ones I mention? Share with me this week and I'll give one random poster an advance copy of my April Harlequin Desire, Expecting a Scandal! 

My Shopping Victories and Vices

by Joanne Rock

Have you checked out my new series?

Looking back over your shopping history, I’ll bet you can make a list of top purchases you’re proud of. Think about the times where you bargained for a great deal, used a coupon on top of a Black Friday discount, or walked out of the flea market with a brand new set of dishes for just a few dollars. There is a special joy in choosing well and knowing you spent your cash wisely.

But, my friends, there are other kinds of shopping joys that I sometimes revel in, and they often fall on the opposite end of the spectrum from “spending wisely.” Meet my shopping vices—splurges, impulse buys, gift sets, and pretty packaging. Sometimes, when I’m at my most wicked, I meet all four criteria with a single, beautiful purchase—a makeup brush set from a designer brand, for example, boxed with bonuses and packaged in pinks and bows. (Forget sleek, high-end packaging in steely grays and black. I like splashy pinks and metallic).

I live near an Ulta store, and this is a problem for me. I choose my moments carefully before I enter.

See that cute perfume in the upper right hand corner?

Twice a year, maybe, unless I’m buying a gift for someone else. Because I know myself, and I can only feel okay with the big, splurge purchases a couple of times a year. My local spa had a sale on sunscreen recently, and I drove halfway across town to scoop up the set because it came with a pink cooler and a beach towel, among a few other fun swag items. Who can resist?

In the past, I’ve been occasionally bothered by moments of guilt once I get home. After the shopping glow has faded, I might ask myself—Joanne, did you really need that perfume set with seven new fragrances? Of course not. No one needs all those adorable atomizers. I did it because it was fun and made me smile. Lately, I’ve discovered the guilt goes right away when I take these shopping joys and turn them into reader prizes. Because maybe I didn’t deserve a new nail polish set today, but you, dear reader, always do!

A past reader prize...
Notepads are another weakness of mine.

So welcome to my new shopping joy—not a vice at all—and that’s sharing my impulse purchases and splurges with you. I include some of the swag in prizes on my webpage http://joannerock.com, but most of it goes into my Flash Giveaways on my author Facebook page. There, I add a cute perfume to a stack of books and throw in some makeup brushes. I have a ton of fun creating prize packs that are color coordinated and readers get to enjoy them as much as me.

Once again, books save me… writing is my life calling. Readers reward me ten times over for following that calling. And now? They alleviate my guilt at a vice I can’t shake 😉. You all are the best.

***Please say I’m not the only one! What’s your guilty pleasure at the mall? Are you wooed by the Clearance Rack? Is Sam’s Club your Achilles heel? Share with me today your shopping triumphs and vices! I'll send one random poster a copy of one of my McNeill Magnates stories from Harlequin Desire... reader's choice! I'm flying today, but I'll be on the boards Sunday and will choose a winner mid-week. 

Writer's Secret Joy: Research

by Joanne Rock

One of the real joys of writing is the research. Sometimes it can slow us down when we need to check and recheck mundane points to be sure we haven’t made an error. But for the most part, writers choose settings, historical periods, and concepts that intrigue them so that researching a book winds up being really fun.

When I wrote historical romance, I always chose the time periods that appealed to me. I am fascinated by all things medieval and could have gladly spent decades researching castles, gowns, and court intrigue. These days, as I write more contemporary stories, I still choose to set the books in places and within professional realms that interest me. Never has this been more true than for my current release, The Magnate’s Mail-Order Bride, set in the world of professional dance.

What beauty and grace! There is so much talent, work and fierce competitiveness here. And on occasion, a sort of “court intrigue” all its own. Take for example the scandal in the Bolshoi Ballet four years ago when a bitter soloist dancer conspired in an attack on the ballet’s artistic director. The director lost most sight in one eye when acid was thrown in his face by an assailant in dark parking lot. Those stories are, of course, well outside the norm for dance. But they hint at the passionate commitment and emotion behind the most successful companies.

I watched one beautiful dance clip after another on You Tube for the sake of breathing life into my

The Rose Adagio

heroine, Sofia Koslov. I studied the differences between ballet schools and dancing styles, as well as the way individual dances impose their artistic interpretation on famous dances. I spent half a day watching the most famous ballerinas in the world perform the Rose Adagio- Aurora’s entrance dance in Sleeping Beauty. There are commentaries on the performances too, so you can learn why each is unique or particularly talented. I was captivated!

Another important facet for the book was discovering what a dancer’s day to day life is like. For this, I was very grateful for the video content on the New York City Ballet’s website. In addition to dance clips and rehearsal clips, there are snippets of dancers talking about their tours, pre-show rituals, falls, aspirations and much more. If you visit, just click on some of the individual dancer names and look for their “Screen Test” video. Very fun.

But sooner or later, the research must come to an end and all the new knowledge needs to funnel into a book. It’s difficult to turn off the information-gathering quest, but when we begin to use it to bring to life the world we’ve learned about, it becomes really rewarding. With any luck, the writer brings to life the research for the reader in a newly enjoyable way.

***What’s your favorite dance scene in a movie? I’m partial to Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen’s “The Best Things Happen While You’re Dancing” in White Christmas! Share yours on the blog and I’ll give one random poster an advance copy of my upcoming Harlequin Desire, His Accidental Heir. 

Best of Both Worlds

 By Joanne Rock

My second title for Harlequin Desire is out this month, SECRET BABY SCANDAL, and I’m not sure how I’ll wait until my third Desire title is out in 2017. It turns out I’m having a whole lot of fun writing glitz and glamour. I’m also really enjoying the kinds of stories that Desire does best. Classic romances with secret babies, fake engagements, marriages of convenience, fairy tale elements, and stories about royalty, cowboys, billionaires….

It’s all pretty yummy. I think Desire allows readers (and writers!) to take a behind-the-scenes look at the kinds of lives we read about in Vanity Fair or People magazine. We can travel to Cannes, attend the Met Gala, hop aboard a private jet, or set sail on an opulent yacht. In the pages of a Desire, I can mingle with celebrities and spend an afternoon in the world’s elite spas. I don’t just imagine it either, I read all about these things in detail. I immerse myself in photos and reviews, and then I recreate it for you.

There are worse ways to spend a day, I assure you. I pick fashions on NetaPorter.com and have the runway delivered to my door. And as far as jewelry goes? The world is my oyster—or my exotic yellow diamond—with a billionaire paying the bills. I sample perfumes I could never afford and surround myself with every luxury. I might even hire personal staff.

But I’ve always found it interesting to mix up my writing a bit. The glamorous life of the Desire heroine is all the more exciting after I’ve just finished writing a Superromance heroine who might be returning home to wrestle the traumatic demons of her past. Then again? An everyday Tennessee heroine for a Superromance can have refreshing experiences—wading through a cool creek, kissing under a sky full of falling stars in a wide open meadow—after the jet-set time I spend globe-trotting. One enhances the other and makes me enjoy each so much.

That’s my real life, though. Well, not luxury yachts and yellow diamonds. I’m definitely more of a “wade through the cool creek” kind of girl. But I do savor the dichotomy of experiences. I’ve lived in a lot of places, and one thing I really enjoyed about Louisville, Kentucky, in particular, was the access to charm and sophistication in many aspects of the city from the Derby to all the art, music and ballet options the community supports, and the fantastic university where I attended school. But there’s also a very down to earth side to this spot on the southern bank of the Ohio River—a beer drinking, two-stepping, picnic in the backyard country side since rural communities abound just outside of the city. Both facets made me smile.

I do my best to show you the best of both those worlds too. So I guess, until it’s time to pack my designer bags and jet-set to my next Desire story, I’ll spend some time in the Tennessee countryside where I can help plan the fall Harvest Fest and do a little two-stepping of my own. I hope you’ll keep an eye out for Whispers Under a Southern Sky, book #4 in my Heartache, TN series.

***In the meantime, I’m giving away the best of both worlds! Share with me your favorite thing to do on the weekend and I'll send one random poster a copy of my Harlequin Desire, His Secretary's Surprise Fiance, and my Harlequin Superromance, Nights Under the Tennessee Stars. It's a win-win ;-).

Sexy Athlete Alert: Football and Romance

 by Joanne Rock

After writing baseball players, hockey players and even a Formula One race car driver, I guess I’ve developed a passion for sports heroes in my romances.

So I was really thrilled to sell a series to Harlequin Desire where the heroes are football players or guys otherwise attached to the sport—an owner, a coach, a couple of competing QBs. Meet the Bayou Billionaires this winter when my good friend Catherine Mann and I kick off our first joint series for Harlequin Desire.

For me, the sports arena recreates the medieval battlefield that I love so much. Athletes are a new breed of warrior, their battles a different kind of fierce. But I admire the heart and soul that go into the competition.

The desire to win fuels alpha males from all walks of life—from the boardroom to the playing field to the battlefield. In the Bayou Billionaires series, Cathy and I get to explore that hunger to win from a variety of perspectives. Her first hero, the owner of our fictional NFL team, is a former athlete who channels his knowledge of the game into strategy that helps him acquire the right weaponry to win. It’s up to Gervais Reynaud to combine the best personnel to get the job done in Catherine Mann’s His Pregnant Princess Bride.

Set in the Big Easy, the Bayou Billionaires books are all available for pre-order… perfect timing for that Amazon gift card you got for Christmas, right? I hope you’ll consider checking them out and seeing what kind of series Cathy and I created. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite athlete heroes—real and fictional!

Bobby Tom Denton- if you haven’t read Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips…. go grab it right now.

Cal Bonner- I’ll never forget that Lucky Charms scene in Nobody’s Baby But Mine—also by the phenomenal Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Wade O’Riley – Jill Shalvis can’t write a bad hero and her baseball guys are no different… check out Slow Heat in her Pacific Heat series.

Tyson Reed- I didn’t know how much I’d love MMA until I read Jennifer Snow’s new Beyond the Cage series, and in particular, Tyson’s book- Fighting the Fall. This is a new author to watch!

Harley Handleman- Lori Foster made me a fan with her Buckhorn Brothers and I haven’t stopped reading her since. Check out her SBC Fighters series, especially Hard to Handle.

Luc Martineau – See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson shows a hockey player in all his sexy glory.

Other favorites- Dierdre Martin, Elle Kennedy, Jaci Burton, Tracy Solheim and Kat Latham…. All must-reads for me!

What about you? What books are you looking for with your Christmas gift card? Share with me on the blog today and I’ll give one random poster a BONUS Amazon gift card for $5 so you can snag yourself an extra book!

Kathie DeNosky: Something You Probably Didn’t Know About Me…

…I’m a fairly decent poker player.  Oh, I’m not saying I’m ready to chuck my writing career to join the World Poker Tour or anything like that.  Believe me, I’d starve to death if I had to make a living at it.  LOL  But I have won my share of games, as well as several small stakes tournaments.  My game of choice is Texas Hold ‘Em.  It’s a game I understand and enjoy.  That’s why I knew one day I would have to write about a professional poker playing hero.

In the 3^rd installment of my The Good, The Bad and The Texan mini-series from Harlequin Desire, Lane Donaldson is a highly successful professional poker player who wins half of the Lucky Ace Ranch.  Sparks fly when fiery red-head, Taylor Scott shows up claiming that he had to have cheated her grandfather to win and she’s determined to win it back.  The only problem is, Taylor doesn’t know the first thing about playing poker.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading about these two as they face off in a game of winner take all in YOUR RANCH…OR MINE?, coming out in May from Harlequin Desire.

Know when to hold 'em…  

One winning hand of poker and the Lucky Ace ranch was his—half his, at least. The only thing standing in the way of Lane Donaldson making it his permanent home is the ranch's other owner.  

Taylor Scott sure is something fine to look at, but she's adamant about running the ranch herself. And then she moves in—with him! So Lane challenges Taylor to another game of poker for the ultimate prize—winner takes all.  

But who's to say they can't have a little fun while they wait for fate to deal their hand….