#omgHollyJacobs

I was at Romance Writers of America's conference in San Antonio at the end of July.  I did two book signing for Just One Thing, met with my editors and other publishing people.  And I met up with friends…old friends and new friends.

I met some of those new friends when they were waiting in line for the signing.  And I'll confess, I was a bit shameless.  You see for years, I've bribed people to come over to me at book signings and pretend they were as excited to meet me as they might be to meet…let's say, Nora Roberts.  I  bribed…er, encouraged my new friends to do the same thing.  And that resurrection of my old ways led to this video.

You see...shameless.  It gets worse.  After that, I encouraged people to #omgHollyJacobs on Twitter.   I went around the rest of the conference telling people I was trending.  I mean, ten people hash-tagging you is a trend, right??

Now, I'll confess, I don't think Spielberg is worried about my new foray into movies.  But I'll confess, I had a good time.  And I've already got an idea for a new video to showcase my October book, Christmas in Cupid Falls.  Hey, maybe Spielberg is getting nervous.  I mean, if ten people can be a trend, then a one minute clip might have him worrying that next time I'll try for…two minutes!

There might be an #omgHollyJacobs2 soon.  A bunch of friends (two or three people can be a bunch, right?  I mean, if ten people can be a trend, I think that's about right!) asked if they could send a clip.  I'll keep you posted! LOL

Holly

PS I also brought an extra book home from conference, Queen of Your Own Life.  I'm giving that away, along with a new rerelease of mine, The Baby Gift (that contains Unexpected Gifts).  Just like my Facebook Page/Post.

Michelle Styles: Good Intentions Gone Wrong

My great grandmother used to say if the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, then I am the contractor in chief.  It is a  sentiment which really resonates with me.  I do have very good intentions but sometimes things go wrong and there are unintended consequences. These can prove problematic  like the time I ordered rock (a type of peppermint candy found at the British seaside) with the school’s name emblazoned on it for the school fair only for it to arrive six hours late. In the end, it turned out fine  as it did get sold and we had enough left over to give to the school leavers as a present. Or when I sent my apologies for my high school reunion and asked to hear about what other people were doing.  I was very interested and helped to get a loop started.  One or two took it the wrong way and I did have to suffer flack for admitting to writing historical romances. What is it about some people and the romance genre?  But my actions encouraged one man to attend the reunion where he re-encountered a fellow classmate. He was a successful businessman and she a single mother. Nine months later, the couple married and are very happy. They recently had their own child. You see romance isn't just confined to the pages of a novel.

 When I came to write my latest release To Marry A Matchmaker, at first my heroine gave me problems. I just could not get her right. Something was missing. Then I happened to see an email that perhaps I shouldn’t have done but someone mentioned me being a bit of a busybody and I knew that I had my heroine.  That was what she was a bit of busybody but with a lot of heart. The phrase  about good intentions and a phrase off a mug that we bought  my daughter – I’m not bossy, I just have better ideas seemed encapsulate my heroine Henri.  Henri ended up being very close to my heart – someone who sees a problem and takes action rather than sitting back. She is someone who is one of life’s givers rather than takers. Some people might see her as a meddling busybody but she does what she does from the heart and ultimately she does make life a better and richer place. In her case, she firmly believes in love and romance (as long as it is for other people). However, a local landowner sees her passion for matchmaking as interference and bets her that she can’t stop for a month.  Henri believes she is more than equal to the challenge. After all, she can stop any time she wants...or can she?

Does anyone else have trouble with good intentions gone wrong? Please don't let me be the only one!

Contest:

Update:

The winner of the Contest is Tia Knox. She has been contacted. Many thanks to everyone else who entered.

RWA Nationals:
If anyone is going or going to the literacy signing, I hope to see you there. I have the intention of having an edible treat for anyone who stops by at the literacy signing to say hello.

Donna Alward: What Would You Do?

The title of my next release is a little deceiving. Honeymoon with the Rancher sort of implies that the heroine is on her honeymoon with her rancher husband, right? If I were reading that title I'd be thinking that the Honeymoon with the Rancher is at the END of the book, not the beginning. The result of their romance, and not the start of it.

Maybe it's not so much deceiving as a twist. Because they aren't on THEIR honeymoon. She's on hers. Singular. Tomas doesn't even see her coming.

Sophia shows up in Argentina alone. It's a brave thing for her, because she's been sheltered and told what to do for most of her life. Breaking off her engagement was a BIG step, but the right one. Her ex-fiance looked good on paper but, like Rebecca says in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, he wasn't "a very good investment". (Oddly enough, Isla Fisher was my heroine casting for this book!) Sophia doesn't know what she wants, really, but she knows it isn't what she had. And so she shows up - alone - at the Vista del Cielo estancia. And it's there that she meets rancher/gaucho Tomas Mendoza.

Her reaction is kind of extreme. I mean - what would you do if you walked in on your future husband with another woman? Would you be crushed? For Sophia it prompts her to analyze what sort of relationship they had - was it based on real love or something else? Would you kick him to the curb or try to work it out? Would you make him pay for a VERY long time - or leave him in your dust and start on a new life? Would you be like Sophia, thumb your nose at him and take your honeymoon ALONE?

It's the kind of situation that really makes a person discover what they're made of. And when the bravado of going it alone wears off, there are times Sophia's not sure that she's very strong at all. But then there's Tomas...and there's Argentina...both of which weave their spell around her. I mean how could you resist the wide open pampas or the gorgeous power of Iguazu Falls?

Honeymoon with the Rancher is out in the US in May, but it's available in print and e-book in the UK (it was a March release there) and it's available at eharlequin right now.

Here's the blurb:

One gorgeous rancher, one jilted bride!

Tomas Mendoza left the city behind when he retreated to a rustic Argentine ranching guesthouse after losing
his fiancée. He has found peace working the land…until socialite Sophia Hollingsworth plants her stilettos in front of him and demands to stay the week.

Sophia is nursing private hurts of her own—after all, she is on her honeymoon…alone. Her bravado is a cover act to show everyone she can stand on her own two feet.

Trouble is, she’s in danger of being swept away into the rancher’s arms!


So what would you do? Leave a comment and I'll draw for a copy of Honeymoon with the Rancher!

Donna

http://www.donnaalward.com/
twitter: @DonnaAlward

Lisa Plumley: Single Fathers in Fiction

Okay, so I have an experiment for you. First, picture a handsome, hunky, tough-guy hero. Got him? Good. Next, put a baby in his arms. Can you picture it? Great! Now, what do we have? Well, if you're like me...instant awww! Adorable, right?
There aren't many things more appealing than a macho guy who's also nurturing and protective. I think that's why I love reading about (and writing about) single fathers. They're strong and capable (because they're romance heroes, duh!), yet they're also responsible and caring. Even if they sometimes seem a little out-of-their-depth about the details involved in taking care of children (occasionally to hilarious effect), these single-dad heroes are true heroes in every sense of the word. My newest single-father hero is a former rascally ne'er-do-well in the Old West who's doing his best to stay out of trouble for his daughter's sake. He doesn't know it yet, but temptation is right around the corner! After he wins a "bride for a week" in the town's latest raffle, he realizes he's in way over his head. Before he knows what's hit him...
Well, let me just introduce you to him, all right? After that, I hope you'll want to find out what happens for yourself!

Morrow Creek, northern Arizona Territory
June 1883

On an otherwise unremarkable day in Morrow Creek, Owen Cooper stood in the modest quarters where he lived atop his livery stable and made himself a solemn promise: he was going to learn to braid his daughter's hair even if it killed him.

It looked as though it might. Already, Owen had made more than one attempt. He'd been defeated every time. Still, ten-year-old Élodie appeared to believe he could finish the task.

With every appearance of certainty—in a braiding prowess Owen strongly doubted he possessed—Élodie stood with her back to him. With pint-size eagerness, she wiggled on her tiptoes. Then she craned her neck, trying to glimpse one of her pigtails.

"Are you done yet, Papa? Can I look?"

"Not yet. Keep holding still."

"I am! I'm pretending my feet are glued to the floor!"

Hmm. For an instant, Owen contemplated the potential merits of actually gluing Élodie's high-buttoned shoes to the floor, then allowing her to step into them like a pony in a stall. Such a tactic would doubtless make mornings like this one easier. As it was, Élodie had been fidgeting nonstop—even before she'd begged Owen, over breakfast, to take on this delicate maneuver. He squinted, newly determined to master this task.

"Remember, both braids are supposed to be exactly the same!" Élodie reminded him earnestly. "Nice and neat, too."

Nice and neat. Frowning at the twin fistfuls of coppery hair he'd been bundling and twisting in his hands for the past fifteen minutes, Owen shifted his feet. He felt his frown deepen. What he'd accomplished so far was poor, he realized. And raggedy. The horses he boarded at his stable sometimes boasted fancier plaits than the ones he'd created for his daughter.

He'd have to try harder. He could do it. After all, he'd already learned to do so many fatherly tasks that had fallen to him in the years since he'd lost Renée. Owen was proud of the progress he'd made, too. So when Élodie had begged him to braid her hair in a new fashion today, he'd thought the undertaking would be simple enough to accomplish, especially for a man like him—a man who was reasonably intelligent, occasionally clever, and always skilled with his hands.

Years ago, Owen had earned a good living with those hands. Not good in the sense of untarnished and pure, of course; those were concepts Owen had had only a passing acquaintance with until he'd met Renée, and she'd begun to reform him. What he'd earned with his hands and mind all those years ago had been a profitable living. A frivolous, fun-loving, profitable living.

The truth was, Owen had always enjoyed a talent for the disreputable. Minor thievery had come easily to him; so had running a swindle or delivering a punch or seducing a woman. These days, Owen regretted his rapscallion's past—but he saw it for what it was, too: a cockeyed blessing. If he'd been a better man, he knew, he might never have met Renée outside his favorite gambling house in Baltimore. As it was, he and Renée had taken instantly and wholeheartedly to one another…never mind that his future wife had been crusading to shut down the place.

Renée, scarcely nineteen and staunchly naïve, hadn't known then that the sizable nest egg Owen had brought to their marriage had been the result of gambling, conning, and generally charming the world at large. Owen, already a hell-raising bachelor at twenty-two, had been too smitten to risk enlightening her. She'd discovered his faults quickly enough, though—and had set out to reform him of them straightaway. Two years later, Owen and Renée had taken those savings with them from Baltimore, intending to start a new, more respectable life together with their toddler daughter in California.

Instead, his wife's journey westward had ended in the Arizona Territory, in the picturesque mountain town of Morrow Creek. After losing Renée, Owen had decided to stay there, too, with tiny Élodie. In the years since then, he'd done his best to care for his daughter the way Renée would have wanted him to.

That meant fancy pigtails and ribbons were his duty.

They were damnably difficult to master, though. Far more so than he'd imagined they would be. But Owen was not a man who entertained the notion of defeat. Not when it came to Élodie.

When it came to his daughter, Owen had to succeed. He was all Élodie had…and she was all he had. He would have died before giving up on her—even when it came to inconsequential matters like intricate braids and froufrou ribbons.

From the book THE BRIDE RAFFLE by Lisa Plumley
Imprint and Series: Harlequin Historicals - Publication Date 04/11
ISBN 9780373296354 - Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Plumley

See? Owen's doing his best for Élodie, and he's doing pretty well. But once traveling cookery book author Daisy Walsh shows up, all bets are off! I had a terrific time writing The Bride Raffle, the latest in my Morrow Creek series for Harlequin Historicals. There are seven interconnected books/short stories now, with more on the way! But if you haven't tried any of them yet, don't worry! Although all the books are set in the same Arizona Territory town and feature some overlapping characters, the individual books definitely stand alone. I hope you'll drop by my Web site to read the first chapter of The Bride Raffle today.

In the meantime, what are your favorite books with a single-father theme? Or, if you don't like books about single fathers, why not? I'm love to know. Let's dish!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lisa Plumley is the USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen contemporary, historical, and paranormal romances. Her newest historical romance, The Bride Raffle, was awarded 4 spurs from Love Western Romances, 4 stars from CataRomance.com, and 5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies. Her most recent contemporary romance, Holiday Affair, was a featured selection of the Doubleday, Rhapsody, and BOMC2 book clubs and was awarded 4½ stars from Romantic Times magazine, 5 hearts from The Romance Reader, and 5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies. You can find Lisa on Facebook or Twitter, or visit her Web site to read first-chapter excerpts from any of her books, sign up for new-book reminder e-mails, and more!

*****Leave a comment for the chance to win a book autographed by Lisa! Three winners will receive a copy of the UK edition of Mail-Order Groom. Good luck!

Research expeditions and Turkish baths - Michelle Styles

I like to visit places before I write about them. I know these days with the Internet, travel programmes, movies and lavishly illustrated books, a writer can get a pretty good idea of what a place is like. But I like to think you can get more out of a place by going there, eating the food, experiencing the sounds . Or maybe it is my excuse as I like to travel and researching a book can provide an opportunity to explore and discover things.

A few weeks ago, I returned from a research expedition to Istanbul. I am planning on setting a book (or two) there in the Ottoman Empire during the late Regency Period and it seemed like too good of an opportunity to miss. I did the things I wanted to -- namely visiting the Harem at the Topkapi Palace, the Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. Then my husband suggested a Turkish bath. Now because I have written about ancient Rome, and have walked through many Roman baths and have read about the experience, I thought I knew everything about them. And Turkish baths were just the successor of Roman baths. I was about to refuse but then thought better of it as where would be the harm. And I am very glad that I did listen to my husband because I was arrogant in my assumptions! Turkish baths do need to be experienced if at all possible.

After having one, okay two baths, I can understand why they were so revered and why people spent time in the bathing complex. The first bath I went to dated from 1584 and the second from 1741 and they do retain the layout as well as the bathing technique (basically sweating in a hot room before being scraped and massaged until your skin glows). They were places of community and help to explain why certain women travellers prior to the women's movement in Europe felt that the women of the Ottoman Empire were freer. It also helped me to catch a glimpse of what life in the Harem must have been like.

I can also understand why people put a Turkish bath in Istanbul on their lifelist of things to do before they die, something I had been slightly perplexed about before. Though personally I would give the Grand Bazaar (another listing of the 1000 things to do before you die) a miss unless you enjoy shopping in overly crowded conditions. The gold, silver and silks begin to look somehow all the same and almost like a Hollywood set for Aladdin's cave.

The experience proved to me why I like to travel places before I write them. You can have one notion in your head and get there and find that you have missed connections or ways to enrich your world. Hopefully, it will bring insight into the books and to make the world I want to recreate a richer, more vibrant place.

Has anyone else expereinced a Turkish bath?

Contest

As my latest book, The Viking's Captive Princess will be published on 1 December and is currently available from eharlequin, I thought to do a contest for a signed copy of the book. The Romantic Times gave it four stars and said Styles maintains the myth while adding sexual tension, nonstop action and spice.

If you would like to be in the draw: please email me the answer to the following question:

In what year does The Viking Captive Princess takes place? (hint read the excerpt)

Please put Totebags contest on the subject line so your entry does not get marked as spam. I will draw the winner on Saturday 14 November.

UPDATE

Virginia Campbell was the first name out of the hat. So a signed copy of The Viking's Captive Princess will be winging its way off to her. Many thanks to all who entered.

Christmas Traditions - Michelle Styles

One of the things I love about the Holiday season is its many and varied traditions. I love the whole idea of renewing acquaintance with my ornaments or attending the Village tree lighting ceremony on the Old Bridge or going to the Village carol service. I also enjoy attending the various productions that my children are involved at this time of year.

One of the great things about the growing cyber space romance community is that I am discovering a bunch of new traditions. From the Writer's Vineyard two month long celebration of Holiday romance books with books extracts to Cheryl St John's Christmas Tree Tour with its many trees garnered from the homes of romance authors and readers alike. The photo at the left is of last year's tree as the painters are still glossing in the sun room. But when this year's tree goes up, I will send my photo in but for now I get a peak at other people's trees.

Donna Alward ahs started a new tradition -- the 12 Days of Christmas where she is looking at 12 different authors and giving away a packet of books. The stories are helping to put me in the holiday even when facedwith exploding light bulbs in the hallway (the electricians are trying to sort but a greenish glow and a popping noise does not bring the holiday spirit!)

Also The Harlequin Historical 15 Christmas yummy treats are making me want to cook despite the house being a mess from the painters!

But my biggest cyber treat is the E-harlequin Open House11 Decemeber. From humble beginnings 7 years ago, the Open House now boast of all day message board (one for each line where the authors are scattered across the time zones) and several live chats. Over a hundred authors are expected to attend and many have donated books and other goodies as posting prizes. It is quite an event and one I make sure that I do not miss.

Does anyone else have cyber holiday traditions?

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An early Christmas present for me has been seeing Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife get a book widget. Now, the authors ofthe Passion line are probably used to them but Historical as a general rule of thumb does not have a book widget.

y">The book wideget means that anyone in cyber space can read the front few pages, the first chapter and the last few ending pages (the advertising pages) and in VWUW, this means they have put my historical note about marriage and divorce in Viking times in. As I mostly buy my books based on the blurb, the teaser and the first few pages, I am truly thrilled with this new development .

For my contest this month please send the answer to the following question: What are the names of the hero and heroine of Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife? to michelle@michellestyles.co.uk. If you can please put December Totebag contest in the subject line as I do get a lot of spam. The winner will get their choice of one of my books including VWUW. I will do the draw on 13 December.

I hope everyone has a truly marvellous holiday season...

all the best,

Michelle Styles

UPDATE: KIMBERLEY COOVER'S NAME WAS DRAWN AND SHE HAS BEEN CONTACTED.

Travel life lists

Last week, I was on the isle of Capri. It was a day excursion from where we were staying in Sorrento, and it was somewhere I had wanted to go for a long time. And yes it does have more than a whiff of glamour about it. Little expensive boutiques lined the narrow winding streets, and the villas cling to the hillsides. Apparently Gorky, Lenin and Stalin stayed on the island before the Russian revolution. The house Gorky had was truly magnificent.
Actually, the entire holiday in Sorrento included places where I had wanted to go for a long time, places that were on my travel life list -- Pompeii and Herculaneum chief amongst them. And having been there, I do understand why they feature on so many must-visit-this-place-in-my-lifetime lists. You can see photos from my trip on my blog... And when I went searching for links about the Villa of the Papryii, I discovered the Smithsonian life list -- 28 places to see before you die or they disappear.
Some of the destinations are on my list, and others are not. It is the thing about lists -- all down to personal preference and bias.
But the whole experience had me thinking about why and when I put things on my own personal list and whether or not I agreed with the list as both my husband and I are keen travellers. I find my list is far more bent towards history, than towards nature. My husband's list is more bent towards nature. We compromise...
The only problem with going to see somewhere that has been the top of your list is that then you have to find a new chart topper... I think in my case it is Venice. And yes, there is a definite Italian/Greek bent to my list. I blame extensive reading of Harlequin as a teenager...
So I wondered what tops other people's lists? Or is there anywhere people have gone that they thought -- oh I must tell people about this...

In other news: My Regency -- A Question of Impropriety is officially published in the UK tomorrow. So if you are interested in winning a sign copy. Please email me at Michelle@michellestyles.co.uk with the answer to the following question -- what book is the heroine reading when she drives her gig into the mud puddle at the start of the book? You can either click on the browse feature or find the extract on my website.
Please put tote bags contest in the subject line. I will draw the winner on 13 November. Good luck.

UPDATE: Laurie G was the first name out of the hat. I have also emailed Laurie. Many thanks to everyone who entered.

Thoughts on Meeting Famous Writers by Diana Holquist

I had the fascinating experience of meeting two very huge writers at this year's Romance Writers of America national conference in San Francisco and it was such an eye-opening experience, I wanted to share.

Who are they?

I'm not telling. First, because it's besides the point. Second, because I don't want to piss them off. And third, because I don't want to write about them, I want to write about what I learned from them.

Here's what happened. At 6 A.M. on the first morning of the conference, I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to wake my roomies, so I thew on a pair of jeans and crept down to the lobby. There sat a group of strangers who looked like me: tired, jetlagged, and possibly romance writers. So I joined them.

We chatted about business and it slowly dawned on me who two of these women were (HUGE fangirl moment while trying to play it cool in my no makeup, dirty jeans, bedhead....gah!).

Anyway, what struck me about these two women was that when it came to writing romance, they were total opposites. It was fascinating and very affirming that they could do everything differently, and still write great romance and be successful at it.

One of these writers had written four books in the last year. The other had written four books in her entire career.

One of these writers critiques with some of the biggest names in romance. The other critiques with no one. Ever.

One of these writers spends big money on promo. The other doesn't even have a website.

One of these writers writes across genres. The other keeps solidly to one genre.

One of these writers knew EVERYONE who walked by (yeah, we talked for a few hours). The other was rooming with a stranger she found on the web. She knew no one.

I don't know if this resonates with readers; I hope you all don't find this dull.

But for me, a new writer trying to start a career, a writer looking desperately to try to figure out how this business works, it was a defining moment. A shocking moment, even.

To me, meeting these two women meant that there's room for all of us, however we do it.

It meant that everything outside of writing the best book we can write is purely optional.

This week, I send my new book out into the universe.  And I wonder if I did it "right." If I've done everything I could to make it a success. But then, I think of these two women and say to myself, "it's the book, stupid." 

It's all about the book. 

Well, about that and about meeting famous writers at conferences and having fangirl moments.

Yours, 

Diana

(P.S. -- Oh, and it's about winning chocolate, too.  Come visit my website to enter my Happy Endings contest. )

Trends, new lines and revamped websites

A few years back, many pundits in the publishing world were predicting the demise of the Historical Romance, a slow lingering death. Never, ever to come back. Funny things predcitions...
Several of the more traditional Regency lines closed, and Harlequin Historical clung on in retail, thanks to its dedicated fans. I can remember Deborah Hale remarking that half- dead was also half alive. Personally, I knew historical romance would never die as too many people love reading historicals.
What a difference a few years makes. As far as I understand it from reading reports of the RWA Nationals, the over all historical romance genre experienced double digit growth. Historicals are once more a happening genre. They are alive and kicking. The cycle reversed. Historicals are here to stay.
It happens that way in publishing. This is why if you are writing, you need to follow your heart and write the sort of book you want.
By the time, a trend is spotted, it is quite possible that it is reaching its peak. And I suppose the reverse is true, if pundits are predicting the demise...
Anyway, as I adore historical romances -- both reading them and writing them, I am really pleased that there is an upward trend.
As a sign of the revival -- Harlequin Historical Undone! debuts in November. It is short --10 -15,000k e-book exclusive line, but is also the sexiest series Harlequin Historical has ever produced. Mainly it will be either prequels or sequels so that readers can visit the worlds that the authors create in greater depth. Eventually, it may include stand alone stories. If you are interested the writing guidelines are here.

Mills & Boon has revamped its website. As you can see by the cover of my latest book, An Impulsive Debutante, they now have a browse the book function.
CONTEST
As An Impulsive Debutante is out next month, I am having a contest for readers of Tote Bags. It is the sequel to A Christmas Wedding Wager and you can read the excerpt here. It is however a stand alone book. My daughter insisted that I write Lottie Charlton's story and it proved to be a great deal of fun. Lottie went from being a mean girl bit part to becoming one of my favourite heroines, and hopefully readers will enjoy her as well.
The prize is a signed copy of An Impulsive Debutante.
The question is where and in what year does the book take place?
Please send your answer to michelle@michellestyles.co.uk I will be drawing the winner on 15 August.

UPDATE: THE WINNER IS feline wyvern . Many thanks to all who entered.

San Francisco, Here I Come!

by Anna Campbell

Like the wonderful Bron Jameson who posted about her forthcoming trip a couple of days ago, I'm agog with excitement to think that in less than two weeks, I'll be swanning around San Francisco. Although believe me, I intend to bring my heart home with me!

By the way, whenever I hear that song (and I have a Tony Bennett CD so I hear it quite often), I can't help thinking about this wonderful British comedy team of the 70s called THE GOODIES. Did they make it to America? They were hugely popular in Australia. Anyway, their version of I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO goes something like, "I left my heart in San Francisco, I left my leg in Monterey, I left my arm in Albuquerque..." You get the idea.

Anyway, I'm asking for help here. I'm currently running a MEMORIES OF SAN FRANCISCO contest on my website. It's a bit of a lucky dip as I don't know what I'm bringing back yet. Certainly some great signed books from the authors I'll meet at RWA Nationals. But I'm also hoping to include some souvenirs from SF. I did a souvenirs contest last year when I went to the UK and it was incredibly popular so I thought I'd do something similar with this year's US trip.

So if someone brought you a present back from San Francisco, what would you like? A snowglobe? A coffee cup? A T-shirt? Sees chocolates? A tea towel? Do you know any cool SF souvenirs I should look out for when I'm putting the prize together? Is there anything particularly San Francisco that I should get?

I'm looking forward to seeing your answers. And if you get a chance, please check out the contest. You never know, you may end up winning your suggestions!

And if anyone is in the San Francisco area on Wednesday, 30th July, why not come to the RWA literacy signing at the San Francisco Marriott? I'll be there, along with pretty well every romance writer you ever wanted to meet, and any money you spend goes to great literacy charities!

OK, thinking caps on - what presents would YOU like from San Francisco?

Contests, Contests, Contests!

by Anna Campbell

There's so many chances for you all to win prizes this month!

Firstly, I'm running a Harlequin Presents contest through my website. I cleaned out the prize cupboard and came across some great signed HPs that I'd love to give away. So many, in fact, that I'm giving away two prizes of four books each. The books are:

THE GREEK TYCOON'S UNEXPECTED WIFE by Annie West
THE BOSS'S CHRISTMAS BABY by Trish Morey
THE SPANIARD'S DEFIANT VIRGIN by Jennie Lucas
ONE-NIGHT LOVE CHILD by Anne McAllister (signed bookmark)

All you need to do is pop by my website and answer a simple question. Good luck!

Sophia Nash is giving away a signed copy of UNTOUCHED, my second book, in her May contest. You just need to call by her website and answer a question. And while you're there, check out the great excerpt from her latest release THE KISS.

Jennie Lucas is offering two signed copies of CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, my first book which she called "her absolute favorite romance she's read all year". Just visit her website and, you've got it, answer a simple question.

Finally in this cornucopia of giveaways, the Romance Bandits blog, my regular gig, is a year old this month and our readers get to celebrate. We're giving away a whole stack of prizes including books, book vouchers, Romance Bandits goodies, chocolates and critiques. Details here.

Have you ever won anything amazing in a contest? I won a box of Beatles LPs once in a contest through our local newspaper by finishing the song title A Hard Day's... Which is a bit of a no-brainer!

Lucky for Some

by Anna Campbell

This is a picture of the lucky bamboo plant that my good friend and fellow writer Amy Andrews gave me several months ago. It's still alive in my less than tender care which means it's definitely a LUCKY bamboo plant! I'm not the greatest person with pot plants as the sad dried-up corpses of all my previous pot plants will attest!

Apparently feng shui says it's good luck to have something green and alive in your workspace. I'll take anything I can get, frankly, especially at the moment as I'm in the early stages of a new story. And I must say my bamboo always makes me smile and feel good, so that's lucky in itself.

Do you believe in luck? I do - but I think the luckiest people are the ones who work hard to make sure that they're in a position to take advantage of whatever luck comes their way. As a writer, it's lucky if you get the judges to like your work and give you the marks to win a contest, or if you place your work in front of an editor or agent who gets what you're trying to do and decides that they'll go into bat to have your work published. Those, and a thousand other variables, are completely outside your control in this business.

But writing the best piece of work you can is something within your control so then you're in a position to take advantage of any luck that happens your way. So perhaps I feel fortune favors the brave! Luck plays a huge part in any writing career but you'll be luckier if you make sure everything you can control is as good as you can get it.

On a smaller scale in terms of cosmic good fortune, I've just put up my March/April contest on my website. I've had a spring clean (although we're moving into autumn here in Australia!) of my prize cupboard and come up with four great signed books that I'll give away to one lucky entrant who answers a simple question. The prizes are For the Sheikh's Pleasure by Annie West, Rescue at Cradle Lake by Marion Lennox, Scandal's Daughter by Christine Wells and Bride of Shadow Canyon by Stacey Kayne. Fantastic reads, all of them! You can check the details out here. Good luck!

So how big a part has luck played in your life? Are you superstitious? Do you have special rituals or talismans you think make you lucky?

Anna Campbell's Rainy Days and Mondays

Actually since I started writing full time, Mondays don’t have their once-depressing effect on me. Or perhaps that’s because these days, work is pretty well seven days a week! But it’s a terrifically rainy day today here in Australia and I’m having trouble settling down to doing anything serious when it comes to productivity.

Why?

Because rainy days are indelibly associated in my mind with curling up in a nice cosy spot and getting out a pile of good books! There’s something wonderful when it’s wet and miserable outside about finding that special spot (generally stretched out on my lovely comfy sofa in the lounge) and losing myself in story magic.

Do I want to plug on with my work in progress? No, I don’t. I want to reach for the books on the tottering to-be-read pile. I want to luxuriate in arrogant Regency rakes and sexy, darkly romantic vampires and stalwart but sexy cops in Texas who are sure to save the heroine from the baddie! Not to mention the sheikhs and the tycoons and the Greeks and Italians who stalk through Presents titles.

What’s your ideal situation for reading? Do you like a book on the beach in the sun or an audiobook on a long car trip or do you like curling up in front of a fire to read something hot?

Speaking of books to curl up with, don't miss the contest Christine Wells and I are currently running. Just tell us which historical romance heroine you would be and you're in the running for some great prizes including a signed hardcover copy of Untouched, an ARC of Christine's next release, The Dangerous Duke, a signed copy of Scandal's Daughter, a beautiful diary and a stack of signed coverflats. You can find an excerpt of The Dangerous Duke here. Contest details at www.annacampbell.info/contest.html.

Heroes for different times

One thing about changing time periods as I seem to keep doing is that the nature of the heroes alter slightly. In the past year or so, I have written books set in ancient Rome, Viking Scandinavia, Victorian England and currently the Regency period. And with each time period shift, I have had to think about how the hero has changed and how best to show the hero.

Although basic human nature does not alter with the passage of time, the veneer of civilisation does. A Roman hero is a bit more civilised than a Viking hero. A Victorian hero operates by a slightly different set of rules than a Regency hero -- even though they all may have the same inner integrity that I need in all my heroes.

For example, I find it far easier to imagine Christian Bale or Eric Banna playing a Roman, then playing a Viking. Whereas I can easily see Sean Bean or Daniel Craig playing a Viking but have a much harder time envisioning them as Regency dandies. I could however see them as Romans.

It is not their physical characteristics, but their mannerisms that really help to make the final decision.

It was also not quite what I expected to happen when I started changing time periods. I had this long discussion with my editors about the fact that many Norwegians have dark hair and I really wanted a darked haired Viking. And they agreed. The cover does show a dark haired hero. initally I thought I could go through my stock of dark haried heroes and reuse one of my favourites. But I found that I could not use the first actor I had envisioned in the role and eventually had to envision Gerald Butler for it.

As today is the official publication of my first Viking book -- Taken by the Viking, I have a copy to give away to a lucky Tote Bag reader. Simply email me with the answer to the following question: in what year does Taken by the Viking take place (hint it is in the blurb on my website). Totebag contest should be the title of the email. I will draw the winner on Friday 12 October.

Michelle
http://michellestyles.co.uk/

UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST IS
JENNIFER K.
I HAVE CONTACTED HER AND WILL BE SENDING OUT A SIGNED COPY OF TAKEN BY THE VIKING.
MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED.
Michelle

Friendship - by Lee Hyat

I've been told I should blog so I'm going to give it a try. I thought I was being clever when I decided to give it a go because I'm going to run a contest but now that it comes down to it, I find myself feeling awfully unsure about what to say or how to say it.

I've spent a lot of time lately sifting through memories from the last few years and I'm totally amazed at how far I've come emotionally, mentally and in every other way that matters most. If you'd asked me a few years ago if I had lots of good friends, I'd have said, No. I have acquaintances, but no really good friends.

Things have changed - touch wood - and I'm so much richer today than I was back then in the friend department. I have friends. Really good friends. Friends who care and call and keep in touch and generally look out for me because I'm still so naive in many many ways. It's a warm fuzzy feeling when you can pick up the phone and always have someone to call who will put aside her busy schedule and take ten minutes (or more, considering most of my phone conversations are never short!) and listen to me pour my heart out.

I also realized that all my friends, in one way or another, are bad girls. They all push the envelope in some way or another. They shoot from the hip and dare to dream. They dare me to dream and support me every step of the way. They don't let me hide behind my armor of timidity or take the easy way out. I'd be so lost without them. Truly lost.

One such friend, who is really important to me, is the lovely Susanna Carr. She's bright and warm and funny and she's big on qualities like loyalty and support which rank very high in my book. She may not always agree with my point of view but she's always been there when I needed a friend. I love her sense of humor - it's helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel more times than even she herself is aware of. She's the quiet type but she's also very gutsy and full of the bad girl attitude that I so love.


I hope all of you are just as wealthy in the friendship department. It's so wonderful to make friendships that withstand the tests of time and really last. They can bring such a great feeling of satisfaction and contentment. The internet has several definitions for the true meaning of friendship but I think for each of us, it's totally unique and can't be pinned down to one standard meaning.


So, for my contest, I'd love to hear from you about what friendship means to you. What are some of the qualities you look for in a friend? Are your friends bad girls too? Are you a bad girl? :) Lots of choices here on what to comment on so please jump in. I'd love to hear from authors as well - authors are readers too so my contest is open to anyone and everyone who wants to join the conversation!


On June 8th, I'll pick five winners from the people who comment and each of you will receive, a copy of Susanna's BAD GIRL BRIDESMAIDS... (which, I'm sooo proud to say is dedicated to me!) So please, let's talk about friendship.

Seeds of ideas

A question many authors are asked is where do you get your ideas from?

The answer is really it depends. However for my April Mills and Boon Historical release, I have a ready answer -- Kate Walker.

What happened was this. Kate gave a very lovely workshop in October 2005 for the Romantic Novelists Association. I happened to catch a lift with her and she began to explain about her latest revisions. She got about as far as the heroine has to marry to save her father from gaol and I will admit to stopping listening. the wheels in my brain were churning and the light bulbs popping. I believe I nodded my head and looked interested. I could not shake the idea from my brain and with Kate's blessing, I decided to write my story.

Anyway, several months later, Kate very kindly sent me a copy of The Antonakos Marriage. I realised when I read it that I totally misheard her and the manuscript I was working on bore very little resemblance to her story -- except for one important fact -- the Beauty and the Beast theme -- a heroine sacrificing herself to save her father.

I am very partial to Antonakos Marriage for another reason. I read the book while I was waiting for my first cataract operation. I suffered from early onset cataracts. Anyway, I hadn't finished the book. The next morning, when I went back to it -- suddenly I could see the cityscape where it had all been a blur before. The book has remained a firm favourite ever since.

BTW my editor knows the story of my seed. She swears that it is coincidence that my cover (that has very little to do with the book) and the North America cover of the Antonakos Marriage bear a certain similarity. My editor also has a wicked sense of humour.

In celebration of Sold and Seduced's publication, I am running a contest. The prize is signed copies of both Sold and Seduced and The Antonakos Marriage (the UK edition). I have three sets to giveaway.

You need to email me with the answer to the question what is playing on my myspace page?

My myspace page can be found at: http://www.myspace.com/michellestylesauthor.

I will be drawing the winners on 14 April. If you enter, I will send you an invite to join my newsletter but that is all.