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….

Gift for a Year - Tessa Radley

Today's my Mom's birthday. Mothers are special, without question, so it's a special day in my life. There are some rituals for the day. We live a long way from my Mom so I always call early on her Birthday morning—we put the phone on speaker and all sing Happy Birthday.

I've always given books as Birthday gifts but several years ago Mom started to cut down on clutter—and that included books. So now in addition to a couple of things I think she'd like, I always send a wall Calendar for the upcoming year. One of those with big beautiful photos and lots of space on the month at a glance page for her to make notes about her appointments. And I always hope that it will bring us to mind when she looks at the Calendar each day.

I got the idea from a friend who always sends her close friends a desk calendar with inspirational sayings on it every year. This year's calendar was absolutely perfect for a romance writer—it was full of quotes about optimism and love. But my friend said she said she's probably not doing calendars next year—she reckons every one uses e-diaries, gadgets or programs like Palm Pilots or Outlook instead of good old fashioned calendars.

But I love my desk calendar. Each morning I turn the page looking for that bit of inspiration for the day. And my Mom certainly isn't computer literate, so I'm safe sending her a calendar that I hope brightens her day with beauty. Yet I've been wondering lately…do people still use calendars? Or has everyone moved over to the digital year?

Tessa

Tessa's latest Silhouette Desire, Spaniard's Seduction, is out right now.
http://www.tessaradley.com/

Tycoon's One-Night Revenge - Bronwyn Jameson

After reading Tycoon's One-Night Revenge, my April release from Silhouette Desire, a reader commented on the amnesia storyline. She asked if Donovan, the hero, actually suffered from amnesia since he was only missing a week's memories. In her mind, amnesia in a romance signifies a complete loss of memory. The character can't remember their name, their home, their job, their loved ones, their anything. My hero's partial loss was unexpected and it threw her.

Interesting. I hadn't considered this might be a potential problem when I decided to write this story. In fact, I thought it was a neat switch from the usual. Donovan would remember enough of his backstory to make things interesting...but he wouldn't remember the week when he met Susannah, they slept together, and a crucial business deal fell apart.

The inspiration to use this storyline came from real life. A friend's son was involved in a relatively minor accident, suffered a concussion, and couldn't remember anything he'd done that day. His memory of that block of time never returned, the doctor said because of the (relatively minor) brain injury suffered in the accident. That got me thinking. What if he'd been driving to or from something significant when this happened? His wedding. A date with his divorce lawyer. Home from his new lover's bed.

And could I use artistic licence to stretch this memory loss beyond a few hours to, say, a few days?

I really liked the idea but it took a number of years to employ it in a book. I have this mental block, you see, about amnesia storylines. I worry about details such as: if he's forgotten everything, then surely he can't remember how to read and write and balance his checkbook and order a meal and drive his car and run his business. If he's suffered a serious head injury, then what about brain damage and changed personality and ongoing medical issues? Not that I don't enjoy reading a cracking good amnesia story; just the plotting of writing of one creates these questions in my pragmatic, over-analytical mind.

BUT the missing memory scenario really suited this storyline, which also involves a bride who runs away on her wedding day leaving a string of unanswered questions. Why does she run? Is there a man involved? And if so, who is he and what power does he hold over her? The mystery man who doesn't remember his one night in her bed fit perfectly, as did using a partial memory loss rather than complete amnesia.

Let's talk about amnesia storylines--do you like them, hate them, don't care either way?--and your expectation as a reader. When you see the word "amnesia" in a blurb, do you expect the full forget-my-name blankness? And lastly, do you have a favourite book with an amnesia hook?

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Reading One's Own Books -- Bronwyn Jameson

There of many joys in being an author; near the top of my list is the arrival of author copies of a soon-to-be-released book. These are the complimentary copies sent by the publisher, and opening the box and seeing the actual book for the first time never fails to delight me. There's something almost decadent about seeing so many copies of one's book in the one place.

This week I received my author's copies of VOWS & A VENGEFUL GROOM, and this one delighted me even more than usual. The lovely cover looks even better wrapped around the book. The back cover blurb sets the ideal tone for the story. I opened a book and read the Dear Reader letter and the dedication, as I do with each new book, and I thought about all the work that went into getting from original idea to printed book and the people who helped me get there. In this case that involved a lot more work and time and people than usual, because this is the first book in Diamonds Down Under, an author-led continuity series.

I think I can safely say that none of the six authors had any idea just how much work would be involved when we embarked on this project. But now that the hard work is over and the series is close to kick-off, we share an extra degree of pride in the accomplishment and an extra spark of excitement in seeing the finished product. Which brings me to the point of this post....

Usually I don't read my books, for several reasons. Firstly, I'm afraid of finding typos or printing errors and being something of a perfectionist that just stresses me out. Secondly, I've read the manuscript enough times through edits and proofs that I really don't need to do so again. There are so many other wonderful books out there to read -- I never have enough time to read them all, so why waste time on my own? Thirdly, there's the little niggling concern that the story might not be as good as I want it to be.

But this time I surprised myself by reading Vows & A Vengeful Groom from cover to cover, and it wasn't nearly as painful as I imagined. Who knew? *g*

So, authors, do you read your own books when your author copies arrive? And readers, do you (like me, the perfectionist!) notice typos and errors in printed books? Do they irritate you or can you read right by them with scarcely a blink?

Vows & A Vengeful Groom is my 13th published novel and a January 2008 release from Silhouette Desire. Visit my website to read an excerpt and the lowdown on how the Diamonds Down Under series came about.

Escapist, Guilty Pleasures, by Bronwyn Jameson

Hello there. This is my first post on Tote Bags'n'Blogs and I would like to thank Lee for inviting me to share this space with some of my favourite authors. Perhaps I should start by introducing myself. Briefly, I'm Bronwyn Jameson, author of 12 Silhouette Desires to date with several more in the publishing pipeline. I live on a farm in the rural heartland of Australia, am mother to three almost-grown-up boys (do they ever grow up entirely?), and I love immersing myself in the fabulous world of an emotionally compelling book...whether I'm reading the pages or writing them.

After reading Sandra's post, I am green with envy over missing the RWA National Conference this year. I was invited to present a RITA at the Awards ceremony, a prospect that both excited and terrified me, but I wasn't able to make the long trip to Dallas. However, I lived the events vicariously through the many blogs posting live from the heart of Texas.

One blog I checked daily was The Pink Heart Society which included not only social and fashion updates and loads of party pictures, but notes from the Harlequin Spotlight. Thank you, Jenna! I learned the latest from Desire's Senior Editor, Melissa Jeglinski, who is looking for "escapist, guilty pleasure reads that are powerful, passionate, and provocative. The hero is very successful, the pursuer. Set the scene with international vacations and luxurious parties."

I'm currently working on some new proposals and this little snippet consolidated that I was on the right track with my storylines, my characters, my settings, but also jogged loose a new idea. Yesterday I incorporated this into my draft synopsis, and I can't wait to dive into this glamorous, lux world. I'm smiling as I write that, thinking how I'll be sitting in my cosy but quite ordinary office, probably still wearing my pyjamas, while my mind will be lost in a world of cashmere and silk organza and superfine wool suits, private jets and first-class travel, five-star hotels and penthouse apartments, country estates and seaside manors.

I do love that research. I do love my job.

And I'm also curious – which international settings and luxurious locations do you like to read about? I have a trio of fabulously escapist, no-need-to-feel-guilty reads by Yvonne Lindsay, Annie West and Bronwyn Jameson – set in diverse international settings – and I will randomly select the winner from comments left by Thursday 26th.

The winner is...comment #4. Congratulations, Anne! Email me with your address and I will mail yr prize books.