Eve Gaddy: Promotion

Yes, I decided to tackle this bug-a-boo for my blog this month. Promotion is very hard for a lot of writers, and particularly with self-publishing so popular now, it’s very necessary.

Non-writers, think about this. No matter how modest, or unsure, or private of a person she may be, a writer is supposed to toot her own horn about her books. Loudly. A lot. It takes a lot of getting used to, especially for an introvert, as many writers are. “Read my book! It’s wonderful!” We’re supposed to come up with clever ways to say this. And do it without doing it too much. No one wants to be beaten over the head with posts ad nauseum about buying a writer’s books. Yet if we don’t advertise and talk about our books no one notices and then we don’t sell any and that’s no fun at all.

So how do we let people know we have a book out that is just published, or free, or sale price or whatever? I have an email newsletter. That’s one way and it isn’t as painful as some, since (hopefully!) the people on my list actually want to hear from me. I post on Twitter and Facebook. I ask my friends to share. But is that enough?

Not according to conventional wisdom. There are a kajillion ways to advertise and trying to figure out the best is extremely difficult. Especially for the writer who really just wants to write. We lament having to do other stuff. Oh, we love to talk to readers, but that’s fun. For many of us, having to wear a number of hats--promoter, publisher, author, techie person--is one of the hardest things we do. There’s also the fact that what works for one writer might not work for another.

I have to say, when I post about deals for my books or my friends’ books on Facebook, I’m often thanked for letting people know. That makes me a lot more willing to post, since I figure if people are reading my author page, then they’re interested in books. And who doesn’t like free or sale books?

Readers, how do you like to be alerted about books? Newsletters? Facebook? Twitter? BookBub? Goodreads? Advertisements? If you follow an author on BookBub you’ll get updates when they have a new book out or one on special. Why yes, I have my BookBub page right here! Thanks for asking! https://www.bookbub.com/authors/eve-gaddy .

Where was I? Oh, yes, how readers find out about books they’d like to read. I’m sure a lot of people hear from a friend about a book the friend just read. But how did your friend hear about the book?

You can get an ebook of Texas Cowboy free for a limited time at your favorite outlet-- BookBub has all the links. And if you’re inclined, you can follow me too.

https://www.bookbub.com/books/texas-cowboy-by-eve-gaddy

And here’s a free book from Katherine Garbera, Book 1 of the Amalfi Night Billionaires series. https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-billionaire-s-pleasure-by-katherine-garbera?ebook_deal

Here are the rest of the books in the series. You can find them with all the links at each author’s BookBub page.

Book 2 

 

Book 3 

Book 4 

Book 5 

     

Leave a comment about your favorite way to learn about new-to-you books and I’ll pick one lucky winner to win an ebook copy of Love Me, Cowgirl.:)       

   

Visit me at my website: www.evegaddy.net or

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/EveGaddyAuthor

HAPPY READING!!

Eve Gaddy: Rocking the Multi Author Series!

Once upon a time, five friends decided to write a series set on Italy's fabled Amalfi coast. Our heroes would all be billionaires, some secret, some not so much. Sexy billionaires, of course. Naturally, our heroines would all be smart, strong, beautiful women.

Katherine Garbera, Mimi Wells, Nancy Robards Thompson, Kathleen O'Brien and Eve Gaddy (me), got together to plot our series. This required copious amounts of wine, and for some of us, copious amounts of cheesecake from Junior's Cheesecake in New York City. I blame those extra five pounds I picked up on my fellow Scandalous Billionaires authors.

We decided we needed a mystery to tie things together. We dreamed up something that didn't work once we started writing. So after a flurry of emails, we settled on jewel thieves. Smoking hot billionaires, strong, beautiful women, jewel thieves, a luxury hotel and hot sultry nights. What more could a reader want?

My billionaire just happens to be a private investigator. After an incredible night together, my heroine, Summer St. Croix, discovers that Luke Vanetti, her dream lover, is none other than her new boss! And her first job is to pretend to be Luke's fiancée at the luxurious Hotel dei Fiori on the beautiful Isola del Sole.

All wasn't smooth sailing, at least for me. (Not for my hero and heroine, either!) I required more talk and more cheesecake. But my fellow authors came through and The Billionaire's Charade turned out to be a lot of fun.

We have a special offer. The entire boxed set of Scandalous Billionaires stories can be yours for only 99 cents! Plus, if you pre-order or order during the first week you can get a free copy of Nona's Cookbook. Just email your screen shot of your order page to ScandalousBillionaires@gmail.com
Start reading your copy of the Scandalous Billionaires box set May 3. Available at your favorite digital outlet.

The Billionaire's Temptation by Katherine Garbera
The Billionaire's Deception by Mimi Wells
The Billionaire's Betrayal by Nancy Robards Thompson
The Billionaire's Secret by Kathleen O'Brien
The Billionaire's Charade by Eve Gaddy

Eve Gaddy: Scandalous Billionaires

Today I want to tell you about a very special project I'm proud to be part of. Scandalous Billionaires is a sizzling set of stories set on the Amalfi Coast. Four of my friends and I--Katherine Garbera, Mimi Wells, Nancy Robards Thompson, Kathleen O'Brien and Eve Gaddy-- wanted to set our stories on a fictional island off the fabled Amalfi Coast. We decided that all our heroes were billionaires because, well, billionaires are hot. Ours certainly are.:) The setting is the fabulous Isola Del Sole at the Hotel dei Fiori and we gave our billionaires strong, feisty women to fall for. There's a little bit of everything in the Scandalous Billionaires box set. Intrigue, deception, mistaken identities, and a lot of long, steamy nights!

The Billionaire’s Temptation by Katherine Garbera

Rocco De Luca lives and loves in the fast lane. A past Formula 1 champ, he has been jetting around the world arranging celebrity charity races and partying with the world’s elite. Coming home to Isola del Fiori and filling in for his older brother for a few weeks sounds…well, boring. Until he meets Steffi Harlan.

Steffi Harlan is sophisticated, elegant, and way too smart to fall for a tanned chest and a bad-boy smile, or so she thinks, until she’s put in charge of keeping the jet-set playboy out of trouble while he’s gone. Sure, no problem. Except Steffi isn’t immune to Rocco’s charms.

They burn up the nights they spend together, and the last thing Steffi wants is to crash out and end up with a broken heart… Can they both survive love in the fast lane?

  

The Billionaire’s Deception by Mimi Wells

After quitting her first “real” job, Janine Pike takes off for Europe, saving an excursion to the famed Isola del Sole for last. But when her travel-mates sail off with her backpack, phone, and passport after a night of partying, she’s left only with the euros in her pocket and the faint hope that her estranged half-sister, who works at the renowned Hotel Dei Fiori Isola del Sole, might help her.

Shel Myerson, amateur racecar driver and wildly successful TV mogul, oozes wealth and prestige. What he doesn’t have much of is privacy, thanks to a recent and ugly public breakup. What he doesn’t expect is to be mistaken as an employee by a very pretty—and very broke—Janine, the one person in Europe who also doesn’t have any idea who he is.

Shel and Janine discover their chemistry is combustible—but will their budding relationship survive the heat once the press catches on?

The Billionaire’s Betrayal by Nancy Robards Thompson

As heir of Dei Fiori Enterprises, Matteo De Luca‘s single focus after his father’s untimely death is rebuilding his family legacy and hotel empire. After two years, he’s close to achieving his goal, but there’s one person standing in his way… A sexy distraction he’d never anticipated.

Two years after her beloved husband’s death, Helena Von Lienz knows it’s finally time to let go. With her share of a hotel business, Helena heads to the Amalfi Coast in search of closure, and a portrait created for her by her late husband. What she doesn’t anticipate to discover during those hot Amalfi nights are some unexpected truths about her late hubby, and a strong sensual shared desire with Matteo, the sexy and ambitious CEO of Dei Fiori…

Will mixing business with pleasure be the end, or just the beginning, for Matteo and Helena?

The Billionaire’s Secret by Kathleen O’Brien

High School art teacher Sophie Smith is usually the most honest of women. But when her dearest friend and mentor asks her to be her stand-in on a two-week vacation at an Amalfi Coast luxury resort, she won’t let her down… even if it means posing as a rich, pampered socialite.

As it turns out, Sophie could get used to this, especially handsome, enigmatic gardener Declan Muldoon who’s strangely more thrilling than any of the billionaires buzzing around. She ends up falling for him—hard.

Then Sophie discovers she’s not the only one pretending. Declan’s gardener gig is temporary. He’s actually the black sheep of a very wealthy, powerful family, a man who appears to be in need of an heiress.

An heiress exactly like Sophie is pretending to be…

The Billionaire’s Charade by Eve Gaddy

Summer St. Croix hates weddings. But when she meets hot-as-sin Luke Vanetti at her oldest friend’s ceremony, he promises to give her a reason to like them.

It’s all sexy fun and games until Summer realizes that Luke is none other than her new boss. Summer refuses to continue to have a fling with her superior, even though the passion between them still runs wildfire hot. But the billionaire private investigator doesn’t see the problem, especially since he knows that one night with Summer won’t be enough.

When Luke’s cousin sends an SOS asking for help in stopping a ring of jewel thieves from robbing his luxury hotel on the Amalfi Coast, Luke agrees. And Summer’s first assignment will be posing as his very sexy, rich, and bejeweled fiancée  at the Hotel dei Fiori Isola del Sole.

Playing the happy couple is hard enough during the day, but the nights… will those romantic Amalfi nights turn the charade into more than just a job for both Summer and Luke… for good?

Escape to Italy’s fabled Amalfi Coast with five USA Today Bestselling and award-winning authors for a limited time at a special price!

Pre-order the Scandalous Billionaires box set now, for only $0.99! Get your FREE copy of Nona's Cookbook when you preorder the box set. Just send a screenshot of your preorder page to scandalousbillionaires@gmail.com . Copies will be sent out starting next week.

Amazon: http://bit.ly/AMZSB

KOBO: http://bit.ly/KOBOSB

Google Play: http://bit.ly/SBGOOP

iBooks: http://bit.ly/iBooksSB

Check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ScandalousBillionaires

Eve Gaddy: Writers' Magic

Writers are a fun group. When we get together, be it at a conference or a retreat, or just lunch with friends, we talk. Sure, we talk about our families and what's going on in the real world, but we talk about our books. A lot. No one understands a writer better than another writer.

My family is used to me by now, but my daughter is still amused to hear my friends and me talking about our characters as if they are real. To us they are. Otherwise they wouldn't be nearly as much fun to write about.

I think there is something in the air at a writers conference that promotes creativity. Perhaps it's being able to plot and talk in person. As my friends know, I have to talk about my books before the story gels for me. Unlike some of my friends--you know who you are--I like talking on the phone. I like FaceTime a lot too. But nothing beats talking in person. The creative sparks fly, ideas flow and sometimes, especially if we're tired, we come up with the craziest stories.

Plotting on airplanes is fun. You have to be careful, though. Once I was plotting Just One Night aka 'the bomb book' on an airplane with my friend and writer buddy, Lenora Worth.

The heroine is a bomb unit detective, the hero her prime suspect in a bombing. Since we were on the plane we couldn't say the word 'bomb'. We finally came up with 'that big thing that happened.'

Another time my writer buddy, Julia Justiss, and I plotted an entire Regency Urban Fantasy series on the way home from a conference. That's a series I can't wait for Julia to write.

The last two conferences I went to were RWA --Romance Writers of America-- in New York City and Novelists Inc.--Ninc--in St. Pete Beach in Florida. I'm writing a new Romantic Suspense series and I talked about it at both conferences. I still don't have it figured out. I think I'm just going to have to start writing and hope there's a little magic left over from the conferences to help me along.

My most recent release is The Billionaire's Charade, Book 5 of the Amalfi Night Billionaires series. (I love this cover.:)

I plotted some of that with two of the other authors of the series, Nancy Robards Thompson and Mimi Wells. At Junior's Restaurant in NYC. (Junior's has the most incredible cheesecake, which I'm positive lends greatly to creativity. And adds to the waistline, alas.) It is also loud. Extremely loud. Which made discussing books interesting.

Check out all the books in the series.

The Billionaire's Temptation (Book 1) by Katherine Garbera

The Billionaire's Deception (Book 2) by Mimi Wells

The Billionaire's Betrayal (Book 3) by Nancy Robards Thompson

The Billionaire's Secret (Book 4) by Kathleen O'Brien

The Billionaire's Charade (Book 5) by Eve Gaddy

Kathleen O'Brien: Amalfi Night Billionaires

I’m up late tonight, because I’m in the middle of revisions for my upcoming Tule novella, THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET.  It’s part of a really exciting new series, HOT AMALFI NIGHTS, which kicks off today with Katherine Garbera’s hot and fabulous novella, THE BILLIONAIRE’S TEMPTATION. Go check it out…you won’t regret it! J

My book won’t be available until September 14^th, and I’m glad, because I want that time to polish the story.  Believe it or not, I really love doing revisions.  When I write the first draft of a book, I’m always stressed and anxious.  Is my planned plot going to work?  Are the people likeable?  Will the story be long enough, short enough, correctly paced, satisfying in its happily-ever-after?

Then, when I reach The End, I turn the manuscript over to the editor and take a step back.  Over the next few days or weeks, depending on the schedule, I work on another project, or refill my creative well by doing the non-writing things I love, while the editor does the thinking.

By the time she returns the manuscript to me with her comments and suggestions, I’m feeling renewed, and far less frazzled, because now it’s not just me sitting here worrying myself to death.  Now I’m part of a team, and for all of us the only goal is to make my book as good as it can be.

I’ve written about forty-five books, over many years, and every single editor I’ve been lucky enough to work with, both at Harlequin and at Tule, has been fantastic.  These professionals have, every one, been warm, sensitive, brilliantly analytical and wholeheartedly in my corner. 

People often ask me whether it’s hard to be edited.  One friend even wondered whether it might “hurt.”  I understand the question, but the answer is unequivocally NO. 

Sure, it can be disappointing to roll up your sleeves and go back to work when you would have liked to binge-watch Downton Abbey instead.  And occasionally it’s embarrassing, sometimes, if I have to face that I’ve missed the mark, that something I imagined would be funny simply wasn’t, or that something I hoped would be sexy was actually kind of blah. 

But it never hurts. 

How could it?  We’re all on the same team, remember, all shooting for the same goal.  And knowing the editor is there to catch me if I fall gives me the confidence and freedom to try those high-wire tricks I might not dare alone.

The truth is, no writer can ever possibly tell how her words will come across to someone else.  I know what I meant to communicate.  But did I?  Only a fresh pair of eyes can tell me what actually came across to the reader.  And only a seasoned professional editor can tell me how to bridge that gap, how to flesh out the conflict or pick up the pace, how to build sympathy for my hero or recover those little plot points I misplaced along the way.

So as I return to polishing THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET, a big, sloppy thank you kiss goes out to my editors for helping me be the best writer I can be.  And a big thank you to my readers, too.  Because you’re the goal we’re shooting for.  If you like it, we all win!

I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to one randomly chosen poster today, so I hope you’ll stop by and tell me how you feel about getting feedback and notes on your work.  Do you love it?  Hate it?  What makes the difference for you?

Kathleen O'Brien: The Delight of Becoming a Princess

When I was writing HIS DEFIANT PRINCESS, my Tule novella about an American woman who falls in love with the prince of a small, fairytale kingdom by the sea, I couldn’t believe how many people asked me this question: “If you were royal and had all that money, what would you buy?”

Huh?  Money? For me, the attraction of a Royal/Commoner story is that the conflict is intense, difficult to overcome.  Talk about culture shock!  Oh, the poignant nobility of trying to choose honor over personal desires!  And of course a Hero Prince is likely to be extraordinarily well bred, charming, intelligent, competent and brimming with health and confidence, so… there’s that. J

It hadn’t occurred to me that anyone would believe the primary delight of a Royal story was that becoming a princess would be like winning the lottery, with lifetime free-for-all-shopping. 

So I tried to figure out why I saw it differently.  After all, I’m not a saint.  I like money.  I like stuff. J 

But I darn sure wouldn’t marry for it.

You see, I’ve been happily married a very long time, and I know this one thing to be absolutely true:  there wouldn’t be enough money in the world to compensate for living with a man you didn’t love.  You know the old song about having satin sheets to cry on?  It’s not a cliché for nothing.

And the other sad truth is that most of the stuff we buy doesn’t thrill us the way we thought it would. 

I’m sure you’ve been there! An expensive knick-knack looks magical in the store, but when you get it home it’s swamped by all your other junk.  Eventually you just growl between your teeth whenever you pick it up to dust around it.  

George Carlin supposedly once said (paraphrasing here!) that buying things to get happy is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body.

In spite of the small perfume-purchasing problem I haven’t quite licked yet, I do know he’s right.

And so does Brenna Tinley, the public relations professional heroine of HIS DEFIANT PRINCESS, who must decide whether she can allow herself to fall in love with a man who carries the weight of his country on his shoulders.

You can bet that, if she does, it won’t be because he’s the guy who can buy her jewels and expensive dresses.  After all, what’s the point of a fabulous gown if you’ll dread the moment when your Hero wants to slip you out of it?

Kathleen O'Brien: DOCTOR, LAWYER…RANCHER, PRINCE?

If you could place a custom order for that one special man, would you choose a rancher or a prince?  At first blush, the decision probably seems fairly easy.  Those two men are very different in almost every way, right?

And yet, if you’re like me, your choice couldn’t ever be made that way. If you’re like me, Mr. Right’s occupation isn’t important.  Falling in love is all about character and chemistry.  If you’re lucky enough to find a man who can make you feel rock-solid secure and champagne-bubble giddy, both at the same time, you’re probably not going to quibble about labels.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve had two new releases—both with heroes I adored.  Grant Campbell, the horse-breeder hero of THE RANCHER’S DREAM, which is a May release from Harlequin SuperRomance, is steady, nurturing and deeply connected to his Colorado land.  He’s a bit of a loner, a wounded heart who isn’t sure he’s ready to risk it all again.  Ronan Vicenza, the hero of HIS DEFIANT PRINCESS, which just came out from Tule Publishing, is witty, cosmopolitan and privileged.  He’s the free-spirited second son of the royal family, a heartthrob who charms the common sense out of every woman he dates.

So how could I fall so completely in love with both heroes?  Well, as dissimilar as they seem on the surface, these men also have much in common.  They’re both profoundly loyal, especially to family.  They’re smart, honest (even when it hurts), and unfailingly kind.  They’re strong, physically and emotionally, and will always protect their own.  They’re both willing to completely remake their worlds for the women they love.

Here’s a sneak peak at them.  I hope you agree that, royalty or commoner, they’re men who know how to treat a woman right.

GRANT CAMPBELL, FROM THE RANCHER’S DREAM:

“When you told Stefan you weren’t sure you wanted to sell, I thought maybe you were…you were just…”

She twisted her mouth sideways, clearly trying to think how to say it.

He smiled down at her. “Just being a jealous ass?”

She gave him a quizzical glance. “No. I was going to say I assumed you were just playing hardball.” She looked down at her fingers and toyed absently with the metal brace. “Besides, why would you be jealous? You know there’s nothing between…”

“Between you and me. Yeah, I know.” The words sounded harsher than he’d meant them to.

Crimson glanced up at him, her smile crooked again. “You know, Grant, you really should stop finishing my sentences, especially since you don’t have a clue what I’m planning to say. I was going to point out that there’s nothing between Stefan and me.”

He took a deep breath, and then let it out in a chuckle. He loved the sassy way she called baloney on people. It was one of the qualities that had always made her such a good friend. When she was ticked, she didn’t smolder and pout and give off smoke signals that were impossible to decipher.

She just informed you of your jerk status and expected you to shape up.

RONAN VICENZA, FROM HIS DEFIANT PRINCESS:

“Look, Brenna…I don’t blame you for wanting nothing to do with me. I was a bastard. I know that, and I don’t have any excuses to offer. I lied to you. I took advantage of you. And then, when I had to leave, I didn’t even have the courage to explain.  I didn’t have the guts to say goodbye.”

She kept her eyes focused just beyond his right ear, staring at one of the Vicenzas on the wall.  What did he want her to say? Yes. You were a bastard, and you broke my heart, and I don’t know how to forget. Or forgive.

“I’m not asking you to forgive me,” he said, as if he had read her mind.

“Good.” She’d been reaching for cool sarcasm, but the word came out broken and wounded.  She caught her breath and tightened her jaw.  She wanted to pull away, but she felt paralyzed by the heat of his hands, even though they rested so lightly on her shoulders.

He bent his head, so that their gazes were level, and for a minute it was as if he could see right through into her…into her brain, her heart, her soul, wherever her secrets were hidden.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness.  But I am asking you to put your anger aside for now. This is bigger than that summer. Bigger than us. Emory needs your help, Brenna. Cornetta needs help. You can go right back to hating me afterward, if you want, but please…don’t punish them for my mistakes.”

I’d love to hear what makes a man “hero material” for you.  I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate, as well as a digital copy of both books, to a randomly chosen commenter, so please do take a minute and share! J


***Kathleen's winner is JCP Smith!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!!***

Kathleen O'Brien: The Road Not Taken

Everyone always asks where I get my ideas, and often I don’t have an answer.  I’ve written about 45 books, and I long ago ran out of material even remotely autobiographical. :)  Now it’s up to the muse, the newspaper, the desperate searchings of my brain…

But the release of my Tule Publishing novella, HIS DEFIANT PRINCESS (watch for it next Thursday!) is the exception.  In this story, a nineteen-year-old American student takes a summer vacation in Cornetta, a beautiful little principality in the Bay of Biscay, off the coast of France. On the ferry, she meets a cute boy, and they spend three magical months together roaming the wild fringes of the island.  Nine years later, when she returns to Cornetta, she discovers her summer lover was really the second son of the royal family, a rascal known as the rogue prince.

This marvelous fairy tale never happened to me, of course.  That’s the point.  There was one summer in particular that it didn’t happen—and that’s what gave me the idea.

I was maybe eighteen or so. I had, or believed I had, a broken heart.

(To be honest, getting our hearts broken was a routine summer game for my friends and me back then, but this year must have been a doozie.)

To help me recover, my mother decided to send my sister and me to Jamaica for a few days.  If you’re a historical romance reader, you probably recognize this as a scaled-down version of the “Grand Tour.”  Surely a change of scenery would put things into perspective.  A new adventure, a glimpse of all the wonders and fun that did not require my current Mr. Wrong…surely that would fix me up.

So off we headed.  My sister is two years older, and back then she was at least twenty years more daring.  First thing, we went to a rental car place to choose our wheels.  At the counter, doing the same, were two incredibly good-looking American boys. 

When they started chatting us up, my sister was definitely receptive.  We talked a while, and then the guys suggested maybe we’d like to share a car and do some sightseeing together. 

My sister looked at me, asking the question silently, in that way brave older sisters can do.  And I said nononono, please don’t say yes, in that way fearful younger sisters can do.

She was good-natured about it, but I could tell she was disappointed. Waving goodbye, we went off to our separate adventures.  My sister and I swam, toured a witch house, read books on the beach, ate good food and played gin rummy in a luxurious hotel room.  Then we flew home, and I found a new boyfriend.

But you know what?  I never quite forgot about the chance I was too nervous to take.  I still remember the cute brown eyes, sweet smile, and tumbling curls of one of those young men…and I sometimes wonder “what if?”

And so…THE DEFIANT PRINCESS.  Because hey.  Isn’t answering the eternal “what if” question exactly what novels are supposed to do?

How about you?  Have you ever passed up a chance to do something daring…and then always wondered what you might have missed?

Christmas Rituals - Kathleen O'Brien

I should know better than to agree to turn in a book right before Christmas. I try to stick to my working schedule. I really do. But, for me, the month of December is never long enough. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and we have so many little rituals we have to fit into those three and a half weeks.


First, of course, there’s the tree-trimming and house decorating. Though we don’t go crazy, we do like to gather the whole family and put on the music and make it a party. There are at least three different houses to decorate, now that the “kids” have their own places. So it gets complicated!

Then, there’s the Mount Dora adventure http://www.mountdora.com/  that my daughter and I share each year. Mount Dora is a picturesque little lake community not far from where we live. We wander down the quaint downtown streets, stopping at our three or four favorite stores, and then we overeat horribly at the delicious English Tea Room. Half the fun is the drive itself, about forty-five minutes of silly talk, word games, and carols on the CD.

And if we don’t find time to work in a family viewing of “White Christmas,” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047673/  it just doesn’t feel right. We all make the same comments every year. I tear up over “Count Your Blessings,” making everyone groan. We argue over whether the dance bits are too long. The cynics complain that Bing Crosby is making a mistake by talking about his former general’s troubles on TV. Someone inevitably cringes at Vera Allen’s super skinny legs.

But we’re all on the same page—pure, sappy delight—when the finale begins. We smile or squee (depending, generally on our gender ) as the lodge doors open onto snow, and designer Edith Head’s red velvet, fur-lined dresses sway and glisten under the lights.

Luckily, my editor understands the call to family this season brings, and she’s offered me a short extension on the manuscript I owe her. So, though I’ll still be writing every day, I’ll have some breathing room for our most beloved holiday rituals.

What about you? Is there something your family does every year that you just can’t give up? Do you have a favorite holiday film that you never get sick of? A great recipe to share? I’d love to hear what you’re doing this December. I haven’t a minute to spare, truly, but…come on…tempt me!

And meanwhile, Happy Holidays to everyone! May your new year bring you peace, joy, health and love.

Guilty Heroes - Kathleen O'Brien

Forgive and forget.


Great words. Words to live by, to love by. But pretty tough to follow.

I was thinking about them today, as I worked on my new novel. My hero and heroine are facing some difficult issues. In the past, he was a rat. She’s burned and bitter. Now what? Can I get them beyond this barrier?

Ironically, a romance novel is only about a third "romance." (I made that number up, of course.) Most of the book is about conflict. It's not a sweet, sexy list of little blue diary entries covered in hearts and exclamation points. It's an exploration of a couple’s struggle to overcome the obstacles that stand between them and a happy ending.

So, paradoxically, the best romances are the ones in which those hurdles are really big and bad. But there's the hitch. How bad is too bad? Is there something a hero could do that you, as a reader, couldn't forgive? Is there that one action that's an absolute deal breaker?

Think about Daphne du Maurier’s timeless classic, Rebecca, for instance. Max de Winter…. No, wait. Should I issue a spoiler alert, even though it came out in 1938? Well, here it is: If you haven’t read it, stop here. I’m going to reveal the ending.

Max KILLED his first wife. As in murdered. Really. Not falsely accused, not an accident, not an over-active guilty imagination. Gun. Shoot. Dead.

I’ve loved Rebecca for half my life. It has always had (and always will have) a place on my bookshelf-right next to the picture of my brilliant, sharp-minded mother, who introduced me to it.

When I first read the novel, as a teenager, I completely accepted that the black-hearted Rebecca had manipulated Max into shooting her, and he wasn’t really to blame. When I re-read it decades later, though, I wasn’t so sure. Something hard inside me just wouldn’t melt.

Then I realized that my only reason for not forgiving him as easily was completely illogical. I wasn’t feeling merciful because he was such a thoughtless beast to his naïve and vulnerable new wife.

Yes, he’s haunted. Yes, he hates himself. But why couldn’t he be nice to the poor girl? If only he’d said, just once, “Look, honey, I know I’m moody as hell and hard to live with. But it’s not your fault.” That might have helped. But he didn’t. He just kept brooding and barking and making her feel like dirt, which her “companion,” Mrs. Van Hopper, had already been doing for years.

And that’s when I realized I could maybe, just maybe, forgive him for snapping once, fatally, under the pressure of Rebecca’s manipulation. But I could not forgive his self-indulgent, bad-tempered, day-in-and-day-out cruddy behavior toward the second Mrs. de Winter.

Illogical, but there you are. Being unkind to the innocent new wife was the deal-breaker for the grown-up me—not the murder of the first one.

What is it for you? Infidelity? Violence, gambling, drinking, lying? Not being there when the heroine needs him? Not caring as much about her as he does about work or money or keeping up with the Joneses? Not respecting her family? Being distant or unkind to her children?

All of the above? Where is that line in the sand...the one even the best writer can't coax you to step over?

Father's Day - Kathleen O'Brien

Father’s Day is coming. At our house, that’s always cause for anxiety, because my husband won’t ever tell us what he’d like to do, or what presents he’s hoping to get. He insists that his happiness comes just from knowing we’re happy. But, particularly on that day, our happiness comes from making him happy…and so the whole silly situation can get pretty complicated!


This year, as the kids and I were going through our usual “what, oh what, would Daddy like?”, I started thinking how incredibly lucky we are to have a guy like that. I was young when I married him, and I have to be honest. I wasn’t evaluating what kind of father he’d make. I never once considered the gene pool, or inherited traits, or parenting skills, or anything even remotely practical. I was just thinking how I could hardly breathe whenever he came near, and how I could easily drown in those deep brown eyes.

Isn’t it wonderful when that primal chemistry and great father material come in the same package? This is a photo of our firstborn and her Daddy. Have you ever seen such bliss—on both ends? Makes me smile just to look at this one.

I guess it’s no accident that the heroes of my books are so often great fathers—whether it’s fathers of the heart, or fathers of the blood. I’ve written furious heroes who discover they have a “secret baby” the heroine hid from them years ago. I’ve written bewildered heroes who fall in love with a woman who is carrying another man’s child, horrified heroes whose girlfriends show up on their doorsteps to announce the unwelcome news. In my most recent Superromance, TEXAS TROUBLE, Logan Cathcart is a broken-hearted man who lost his four-year-old son and is desperately resisting falling for the owner of the ranch next door, a young widow with two troubled boys.

I love my “father” heroes, and I seem to return to that storyline, one way or another, again and again. Each of these wonderful men comes to fatherhood by a different path, but, when he arrives, he embraces the experience with joy and love and an unshakable commitment to the future.

My favorite fictional father—a difficult choice, as there are so many fabulous ones—is Atticus Finch from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. He is so brave, so gentle and wise and steady in the storm. And of course it doesn’t hurt that, in the movie, he looks like Gregory Peck. I always tear up at that wonderful moment, when Rev. Sykes tells Scout, “Stand up…Your father is passing.”

How about you? Is there an awesome father in your life? Do you love the father hero? Who are some of your favorites?

What is it about a rekindled romance? - Kathleen O'Brien

Although most people probably wouldn’t be interested in revisiting an old love (which might well have ended in acrimony, alimony or plain, old-fashioned relief), most of us adore reading about them.

I’m no exception. I gravitate toward reunion books. Movies, too. My favorite is The Illusionist, and not just because Edward Norton is such a hunk…I mean great magician. I can annually watch Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly patch things up in High Society, and melt every time. For some reason, I get a kick out of watching True Love find a way, even past the most daunting obstacles—decades and continents in Mama Mia, serious time zone issues in The Lake House, and, in Ghost, even death.

The new Superromance I’ve just started is a rekindled romance story, too. I’m writing about Colby Malone, the brother of the hero in FOR THE LOVE OF FAMILY. Colby made a spectacular mess of his first love and finds himself with a miraculous second chance. I’m having a ball already. Colby is going to have to suffer, but it’s exciting to guide him full circle, back to the place his heart has always called home.

In fact, I checked—and, of the more than 30 books I’ve written, a solid third are, to some degree, reunion romances. Considering how many plotlines an author can choose from, this seems significant. And my most enthusiastic emails are almost always in response to those books. One of my earliest novels, a Harlequin Presents titled BETWEEN MIST AND MIDNIGHT, still moves readers to contact me, even twenty years later. It’s the story of a woman who returns to the man she loved when she was fifteen.

So what’s going on here? Is everyone harboring a secret desire to get back together with the skinny kid who took her on her first date? On this Valentine’s Day, would the perfect love letter be postmarked The Past?

Oddly, apparently not. As I explored the topic, I found a website that deals with lost loves. (www.lostloves.com), where a PhD shares her research on reunion romances. In one study, she reports that, of the respondents who had not already tried to rekindle a romance, a whopping 70% said they simply didn’t want to.

So the appeal of this beloved storyline must be something even more complex. Does the revisited romance symbolize all second chances, perhaps? Even the ones that weren’t about love or sex? (Is there such a thing? ) Could it perhaps stand for our need to rewrite the past, erasing our biggest mistakes? Or is it as simple as the vicarious joy of recaptured youth?

I’m still trying to figure it out. If you are drawn to these stories, too, I’d love to hear what you think.

Kathleen

www.kathleenobrienonline.com

The First Hero - Kathleen O'Brien

Even though I lost my father 29 years ago, when he was much, much too young, and so was I, I’ll celebrate his birthday today.

I have silly private rituals that I don’t bore the rest of the world with, but which might, I think, make him smile. He understood that I was emotional, sentimental, a keeper of old flames, slow to relinquish people or feelings or memories. He loved me anyway. Love was his greatest talent, among many.

It’s impossible to do him justice in words, though I try sometimes, especially when I talk to my children about the glamorous grandfather they’ll never know. He looked like a movie star and loved everything about words. He was funny and smart and wrote poetry that could break your heart. He was elegant and wise and imaginative, Gothic and Irish and hopelessly impractical in many ways, like car maintenance or saying no to his daughters. When someone asked him playfully if my sister and I were spoiled, he answered, “If they aren’t, it isn’t my fault.”

He was already gone by the time I sold my first book, so I never talked to him about writing romances. Even so, he taught me most of what I know about heroes. (My husband taught me the rest, but that’s another blog!) When I realized that I’d be posting here on his birthday, I thought maybe I’d look at some of those lessons.

Heroes love smart, determined women. My parents’ relationship had its squalls, and a few hurricane-force winds, but there was never any question he admired her brains and spunk. Whenever I ran to him complaining about her, he’d sternly say, “Kathleen, your mother is a very intelligent woman.” It was his final word, the statement of unyielding solidarity.

Heroes love unconditionally. Whether you’re being a fool, or looking a fright, the real hero thinks you’re wonderful. He encourages you to be your best, but he knows that it’s when you’re at your worst that you need him the most.

Laughter conquers all. My father enjoyed high-brow jokes about Antigone or Hamlet, but he also tossed out idiot puns and limericks. He loved to laugh, and he frequently advised that, when things were bleak, a little “gallows humor” would go a long way.

Brains are attractive. Most of my friends had crushes on my dad, though he was an “old man” compared to the boys they dated. But a knowing spark can make even wrinkled eyes shine. An agile mind is as appealing as a buff body any day.

A real man isn’t afraid to look soft. He’s not afraid to read poetry, or go to the theater, or sit by his sick daughter’s hospital bed all night. He may play tennis or argue court cases aggressively, but his self-esteem is resilient enough to be tender without feeling weak.

Courage is a superpower, and life is going to require it. My father met setbacks with dignity, suffered cruel losses without breaking, and even faced his final, difficult illness without uttering a single complaint. Because no man can promise you a perpetual rose garden, I learned that it’s best to choose one who knows how to handle the thorns with grace.

Are the heroes of our novels perfect? Of course not. And neither was my father. But I’ve never written or fallen in love with a fictional hero who didn’t possess those fundamental qualities. And I’ve fallen in love with many—Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy, Margaret Mitchell’s Rhett Butler, Georgette Heyer’s Duke of Avon and his Devil’s Cub, Dorothy Dunnett’s Francis Crawford, Daphne du Maurier’s Max de Winter. (Well, okay, Max de Winter’s sense of humor wasn’t his strong suit…)

I bet I’m not alone. I’d love to hear about your father, too. What did he teach you about heroes? Post here, or, if you’d like to share it with my eyes only, write me at KOBrien@aol.com.