Back to the beginning

I'm a bit late writing this blog. In the UK it has already been the first Sunday of the month for most of the day, so I'm sorry that my post has been a bit delayed. I've been away, you see, and I've only just got back.

One of the interesting things about being a writer and having established my name and my publishing history, is that sometimes people find out about me - through my web sit or my blog - and they ask me to be involved in bookish things that I don't expect. And that's what I was doing this weeked. I was in Haworth, West Yorkshire, appearing on a panel that was discussing the Bronte sisters - Charlotte, Emily and Anne, and their books - Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and all the others. We were also talking about their influence on romantic fiction. Some weeks ago, the Arts Officer of the Bronte Society had seen a blog I wrote on the way that part of Wuthering Heights had influenced my book Bedded By The Greek Billionaire and as a result that was why she asked me to be on the panel this weekend.

It was a like a trip 'back home' to me as I grew up in Yorkshire, not too far from Haworth and this was the first time I'd been there for ages. It was wonderful revisiting places I'd loved - but it also made me think about the way I got into writing romances.

When I was growing up in Yorkshire, my mother had a friend who wrote for Mills & Boon as Margaret Baumann, and she gave my mother her books when they were published. I read some of those and quite enjoyed them but they seemed quite mild to me when I was interested in stronger emotions, more passionate stories. (It has always intrigued me that my mother was thrilled to see me reading Wuthering Heights with its story of passion, betrayal, death and hateful revenge but she didn't like the idea of my reading contemporary romance!) So after I left home and went to university I stopped reading Mills & Boon novels for a while. I was studying Children's Literature as part of my degree and I turned to that for my fix of good, straightforward storytelling.


But then when my son was very small, on an impulse I picked up a book that appealed to me and when I read it I remembered the old romance I had read - but this one did reach out and grab me. It was set in the North of England with a dark, saturnine hero and a young innocent heroine. I loved it and it sparked my interest in romances all over again. I read more and, recalling how Margaret Baumann had written her novels while looking after 2 young children, it spurred me on to write my own first (and pretty dreadful) attempt at a romance.(I hadn't read enough of the current output to really understand what editors were looking for so I made the classic mistake of not understanding the genre properly.)


Over the years, that first book had got lost, mislaid in several house moves, and as my career progressed I kept wishing I could remember just which book it had been. I knew the author - Anne Mather (still writing today) and I remembered that the hero and heroine had been called Jake and Ashley and that she had lived in the local small hotel of pub. And I knew that when I'd bought it it had been a Bestseller reprint, not the first published edition. I kept looking though and talked to author friends about it - but no one could recall the book I was talking about. Sadly, I have never met Anne Mather so that I could tell her of this book and ask her which one of her many novels it was.


But then I decided to have one last go at finding this title. With the help of the database over on Fantastic Fiction and a vague idea of the date, I worked through all their synopses for Anne Mather titles of that time. And eventually I found it

There were the names Ashley and Jake, and the small hotel. And it had been first published in 1974 which would mean that it could have been reprinted in about 1981.

And the title was Witchstone



When young Ashley Calder's father died she travelled north to make her home with her uncle and aunt in their small hotel. It was while helping them there that she met Jake Seton and her whole life changed yet again. For Jake Seton and her whole life yet again. For Jake was unlike any other man she had ever met, and beyond her reach in just about every way. Although a man of immense and undeniable attraction for her,- he was far too old and sophisticated for her, his social sphere was far removed from her own-and above all he shortly to be married to his fiancée the glamorous Barbara Forrest. So why did he persist in making it clear to Ashley that the attraction was by no means only on her side?


Armed with this information I found a secondhand copy of Amazon and to my delight it was the Bestseller reprint edition that I originally remember buying. That was published in December 1980. Which was four years before my own first book was published.

It’s intriguing rereading it today - for example – in the chapter one, the heroine first appears in her school uniform! (She's 17) And first her aunt lights up a cigarette when she's finished her baking, then Ashley's uncle lights his pipe and finally at Jake Seton's first appearance he hands round a pack of cheroots. Can't imagine that happening today.

But this got me wondering – what was the book that really got you involved in reading romance? Can you remember your ‘first time’? What was the title of the book and do you still have a copy? Do you still read that author? I’d love to know.

And I’ll ask Sid the cat to pick out one of the posts to win a copy of Bedded By The Greek Billionaire.


Kate has just learned that her latest novel has been accepted and scheduled as will be released as The Konstantos Marriage Demand in February 2010

Coming up is Kept For Her Baby which is to be published in August (UK) and October – in Presents Extra in America. But before that there is the reprint of At The Sheikh’s Command coming in the Sold to The Sheikh collection in June in the UK.

You can find out more about Kate and her books on her website or for the most up to date news, visit her blog.

Added 12th June

I'm so sorry for the delay in replying. My life speeded up rather too much after I posted - editorial discussions, new contracts, special projects, plans for next year - for 2010 already!! and I've been trying to catch up ever since.

Thank you all so much for your replies I've found them fascinating to read. I'm just sorry I didn't get in here to chat with you - story of my life!

Sid has picked awinner and the winner is Terry S - great choice Sid - those are two of my favourite boooks and ones that had me reading romance too.

Terry please can you email me and send me your postal address and I'll get your prize in the mail.
Kate

Dogs and Raisins

This post is a warning.

Until a few days ago, I did not realise that raisins and other grape products were poisonous to dogs. After all some trainers used to advocate raisins or grapes as treats! You can still find recipes for birthday cakes for dogs with raisins baked in. Then in about 2004, a study did prove that an excessive consumption of grapes or grape related products can be fatal to dogs. There is anecdotal evidence about cats as well. At the moment, no one knows what a safe level of grapes or raisins is. Some dogs tolerate them. Others don't.

We have two border collie puppies -- Tess and Hardy. The reason why you do not get two puppies at once is that they are like twins. If one doesn't think up some mischief, the other one will. Anyway, they got into the store cupboard, and covered the kitchen in flour. A friend then issued the warning about raisins because she knew a dog who once ate half a fruitcake and ended up on a drip.

I duly put the raisins out of range.

My eldest son, trying to be helpful put the raisins back in the store cupboard. To compound matters, he then went and had a snack of raisins, and forgot to lock the cupboard. After all our other pets knew enough to stay out...

Tess & Hardy being partners in crime got into the cupboard. Tess explored the cupboard while Hardy decided to play with the nice raisin bag. I discover the pair in situ.

My son swore that there were very few raisins left and besides, Hardy could not have eaten very many. He implied that I was panicking over nothing. After all, Hardy would have to consume huge amounts of raisins and there were very few left.

So erring on the side of my son, I decided to wait and see.

Not all dogs are allergic. The main symptoms of raisin poisoning are vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Follow by loss of appetite, lethargy and ultimately complete kidney collapse and death. The vomiting normally occurs within 6-12 hours.

Hardy developed the runs with raisins the next morning so I knew my son's assertion was not correct. He had eaten raisins and a reasonable amount. Cue an emergency visit to the vet and Hardy on an IV for 24 hours as the test showed his kidneys were not working properly. As far as we can determine he ate about 20 raisins.

It was his size and his age. An older dog quite likely would not have had any problems.

He is now fine and there seems to be no permanent damage. He did, however, shred his discharge papers and attempt to destroy the dog bed at the vets. The raisins have now gone from the house and my eldest son is paying the pet insurance excess out of his money.

I am hoping for no more than routine vet visits. However, note Hardy's interest in his bandage.

What to do if you suspect poisoning -- this includes the consumption by dogs (and cats) of chocolate, raisins and onions.

1. Make the dog vomit. A weak solution of hydrogen peroxide in milk will do it. Be proactive. Do not wait and see, even if your 18 year old son swears there was very little left and look the bag wasn't even ripped.

2. Call your vet immediately as the vet can make the dog vomit and may have other ideas about treatment. The vet would rather you call, then did not. The earlier the intervention, the greater the chance of saving the dog's life.

3. If you notice vomiting or runs with undigested bits of raisin or chocolate or onion, call the vet. Lots can be done. The vet will take a blood sample and if there is a problem, the dog will be put on an IV drip for 24 -48 hours. The IV treatment works the vast majority of the time.

4. Prevention is worth a lot. So keep chocolate, raisins and onions away from puppies and dogs.
It saves trouble in the end.

When not playing with her border collies puppies, Michelle Styles is busy working on her next historical romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon. You can see more puppy pictures on her blog.

It’s My Party And I’ll Blog If I Want To - Paula Roe

It’s my birthday today... and I don’t mind saying, it’s a milestone – I’m 40 years old.

Ahhh, the big 4-0. While deciding on the topic for this post, I began thinking about what’s happened over the last forty years – events in the world, people who’ve come and gone, inventions that have become essentials. I also realized that during those years I’ve always learned something, discovered new insights and ways of doing things. There’s stuff I loved but in retrospect, wasn’t good for me (empty calories, tanning beds), stuff I still miss (the backyard pool, Friends, Firefly... curse you TV suits!!!), things I never want to see again (puff-ball skirts, headbands). And of course, great innovations (color TV, flu vaccines, DVD players). But for this post, I thought I’d take a nostalgic look at the stuff that’s personally enriched my life.

Computers and the internet – When I first started work in 1986, our office possessed one electric typewriter and one huge clunky computer, sans Windows. I was excited to be using a brand-new office machine, the fax. Yep it was that long ago J The office next door used a Benchmark computer that took dinner-plate sized floppy discs. I can distinctly remember the first time I used inter-office email (1992) and the internet (1995). And now? Netbooks, blogs, email, Twitter, Facebook, websites, internet phones. And cool white shiny iMac Books :::swoon:::

Email – every afternoon after school, my girlfriends and I spent hours on the phone. Now it’s email. Although some would say that with the advent of email, our face-to-face communication has suffered. But I love it for the amazing sense of community it brings, where you can reach out to someone in the next state, country or hemisphere and get an instantaneous reply. And you can do it in your pyjamas :)

e-Books – I’m a huuuge e-book fan (yes, I love today’s ‘instant gratification’ obsession, but only when it applies to books). Who’d have thought we’d be reading romances on screens smaller than a cassette tape? I can download my basket and be reading on my iPod Touch in less than a minute.

Portable music – yes, I had an original Sony Walkman, a big silver brick clipped onto my jeans, and boy, was I cool rollerskating around with my headphones on! Years later, I remember my brother paying $299 for a portable Discman. Thank heavens things have changed: I ADORE my iPod Touch, even moreso because I can watch my favorite TV shows (iTunes is a popular time waster)

Understanding of self – I know, no matter how hard I try, I’ll never be model-thin. A lively dinner with friends is better than a boozy night at some impersonal dance club. Change can be good (as long as I’m the one initiating it). I can’t write to a set schedule and need total silence in which to do so. I’m naturally an optimist and although speed bumps happen, I’m always surprised by them. I know that a comfy pair of jeans is better than an uncomfortable, fashionable skirt. And interesting minds can hide behind the most unlikely faces.

So here’s my question to you all - what’s made your life easier/better/fun/more productive over the years? What great insight have you discovered since your teenage years? Share your story and you could win a copy of my second book, Boardrooms & A Billionaire Heir.

A self-confessed contest addict, Paula’s been writing since 12. She got The Call from Silhouette Desire in September 2006 and has since finaled in the RT Readers’ Choice, Colorado Award of Excellence, and is currently a finalist in Romance Writers of Australia’s Romantic Book of the Year Award. Her next release, The Magnate’s Baby Promise, is a Desire August release. Visit her at www.paularoe.com

When the Sun Goes Down...: Travel and the Writer

Hi! Thank you so much for inviting me to blog here today! I’ll be giving away a copy of one of my Harlequin Blazes, ONE FOR THE ROAD, to someone who comments on this blog. Check back tomorrow morning for a winner….

Now, onto the topic… There are a lot of wonderful things about writing for a living: arranging your own schedule, actually making money from your daydreams, and giving free rein to your creativity. But, for me, traveling is the very best part.

Every trip I take is an opportunity for a story, whether it’s a casual weekend cruise with friends to Mexico (Check out my story in the Blaze anthology JINXED for that one.), a longer trip to London for devoted research (my most recent Vampire Babylon trilogy written as Chris Marie Green), or a road trip to write a chick-lit story that became a different book altogether (ONE FOR THE ROAD). I think that when you experience a setting firsthand, it becomes a strong character in your book, and that’s worth every penny you spend.

For my latest release, a Blaze called WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN… (June, 2009), I used a trip to Japan to build the setting of my novel. The rain-slicked night streets of Tokyo not only became its own character for me—I think it added to the development of the characters, too. In this Romeo and Juliet type story, the hero and heroine hail from two feuding families back in the States but decide to live for the moment with each other in exotic, erotic Japan, so there was plenty of opportunity to use my travel experiences in karaoke “snack bars” and even a ryokan, a traditional Japanese hotel.

What are some steps I normally take to make sure my travels lend to a story?

1. This sounds really obvious, but bring along a little notebook that fits in your pocket or purse. I even forget to do this sometimes, LOL. I can’t tell you how many times I sat on a bus, thinking about where I was, observing, coming up with a phrase to describe my experience, and then…forgetting it. All you have to do is whip that pad out and scribble down your impressions, and your words are gold when it comes to writing time. Also, when you take pictures, it’s great to be able to reference what exactly it is you were looking at, plus sensory details. I wrote WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN… a few years after my Japan trip, but with my notes, it felt like I was there again.

2. #1 leads right to another point—when you get home every night, try to journal, if possible. I’m not just talking about notes, I’m talking about full-on thought expansion, where you let yourself flesh out your experiences of the day. This also serves as the best souvenir ever; I go back to my travel journals all the time to see where I was at in my life on a personal level, too. Besides keeping a journal, you might want to keep a blog, if you have one. (To see my own travelblog from Japan, you can click here!)

3. Allow yourself to stop, sit, and take it all in. Oftentimes during travel, we’re so busy “doing” this or that (“Have you done a temple yet? Have you done Kyoto?”), we don’t take time to realize we’re there and how amazing it is. Sit on a park bench and look at the people around you. Linger with a glass of plum wine and look down on the streets below. Enjoy.

4. If you’re traveling with someone else, think about taking off alone for a day. Not to be antisocial, but I love this, especially if I’m on a long trip. I find that I’m even more aware of everything around myself because I’m not chatting with another person; also, personal space can be refreshing. And, if you meet your partner for dinner that night, you’ll have a ton of fresh things to talk about. You’ll find yourself describing your experiences to them in a way that gets you thinking about how to put these nuggets into your book.

5. Be the person you aren’t back at home. I’m not only saying this because that’s just what my hero and heroine do in WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN…, but traveling is the perfect opportunity to test yourself…and to think about how your characters might do the same. Would you be petrified of singing in front of other people? In Japan, you’re treated like a rock star in a karaoke bar, no matter how badly you sing, and everyone should feel like that at one time in their life. Would you swear that you’d never bungee jump off a bridge? Maybe, during a trip to New Zealand, you’ll get an unforgettable rush that’ll persuade you to live more “loudly” at home. Your characters might learn the same thing.

I hope every one of you gets to try these tips sometime. Meanwhile, we always have books to help us travel, too!

Sometimes going back is the right thing to do ...

A freak accident leads to a chance encounter and sparks off a chain of events that will change two people's lives forever ...

There's an old saying that warns "never go back". At various times in our lives, however, we find ourselves revisiting a place, an event - or even a person - from our past. We can be taken back for innumerable reasons ... a birth, a christening, a wedding, illness or death, because of work, or finally accepting the invitation to an old school reunion, or maybe it's the sudden grip of nostalgia, the yearning pull of old memories. All too often, though, going back brings nothing but disappointment. Things have changed, our memories prove to be rose-tinted and what once was is no longer what it seemed, leaving us feeling let down, even cheated, and wishing we had made a different choice and had left the past where it was.

Luke Devlin, the hero in The Rebel Surgeon's Proposal, is faced with just such a choice. An unexpected phone call draws him back to the hometown he escaped at eighteen, vowing never to return. Growing up, he lived under the shadow of the Devlin name, cursed and ostracised because of the reputations of his father and older brothers. Determined not to be like them, he followed his own path, one that took him to London and to medical school, finally earning him a coveted place on the team of Professor James Fielding-Smythe, a renowed orthopaedic surgeon. Luke's career is about to take off ... one of many reasons to ignore the call from home and never to set foot in Strathlochan again.

But there is one reason why he cannot keep away. Francesca Scott. He had thought her lost to him forever. Now she is back. And whatever demons he has to face returning to Strathlochan, he is determined to right the wrongs of the past and to claim Francesca at last.

The Rebel Surgeon's Proposal is the second of my spring/summer duo and the latest stories from my fictional community in Srathlochan. The first of the duo, The Emergency Doctor Claims His Wife, tells Nathan & Annie's story, and is out in the UK in May, Australia in June and the US (via eHarlequin) in August. In a very different way, there is also an element of "going back" involved, only this time to a person and not to a place, as Nathan refinds Annie.

Luke & Francesca's story is out in the UK in June, Australia in July and will be on sale through the eHarlequin website in the US in September. I hope you will enjoy them - and discover if going back was the right thing for Nathan and Luke to do!

How about you? Have you any stories, good or bad, about occasions when you have gone back and faced your past?

Love,
Margaret

www.margaretmcdonagh.com

FAIR GAME by Jasmine Haynes is out!

Okay, shameless promotion! Fair Game is out tomorrow! And I just got my author copies on Saturday. It’s got such a sexy red cover. Fair Game has the distinction of being my 20th book between all my pseudonyms and my 10th Jasmine Haynes. What a milestone!

Fair Game is Josie’s story. She’s Faith’s cousin from The Fortune Hunter and Show and Tell. And her hero is Kyle Perry. They have some very sexy times together. Though I don’t profess to be writing literary material, I do try to provide more than just a bunch of hot sex. In Josie’s story, I bring out a couple of issues I’ve faced in my working career. First is the Peter Principle. This is a business principle I learned about in college which basically states that people are promoted to the level of their incompetency, ie, you’re good at one job so you’re promoted to another that you’re not necessarily as good at it. The second issue is dealing with the life-threatening illness of a coworker. This one they didn’t touch in college. You know, they just don’t teach you how to deal with difficult life issues like that, instead they teach about the Peter Principle and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. One of my experiences with a coworker’s illness occurred when I returned to a company after having another job for 9 months. The first time I saw one of the VPs after that absence, he’d lost a lot of weight and he looked very trim. I said, “Wow, you look great, how’s the wife and kids,” yadda, yadda, foot in mouth blabbing. He got the oddest look on his face. Shock. Like I was coming onto him or something. At least that’s the way I interpreted the expression. Later, talking to one of the Accounting girls, I mentioned how much he’d changed. That’s when she told me his wife had left him, then he’d been diagnosed with leukemia, hence the weight loss. Granted I couldn’t have known all that, but I felt terrible for having such a big mouth. My blundering actually made it very difficult for me to talk to him after that, and unfortunately he passed away after a long battle. For those who think work and personal life should always be kept separate, it’s very hard to do that when you spend 75% of your waking hours there. The personal always seems to come into it, and I don’t just mean your love life.

I’d love to hear about some of your work experiences if you’d like to share, especially any humorous ones. Post a comment and I’ll enter you in the drawing (you must type in your email address to be entered) for an autographed copy of Show and Tell, book 2 in the Fortune Hunter trilogy. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on all the fun stuff and releases, too. And I hope you’ll try Fair Game to see how Josie handles her work issues, including how she mixes business with pleasure--that naughty girl--and the delectable Kyle Perry.

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Blog: http://jasminehaynes.blogspot.com/

Team Betty or Team Veronica? -- Susanna Carr

When I read the news that Archie, the star of the Archie comic books, was going to get married, it reminded me why I don’t like love triangles. They seem to go on forever (68 years in the case of the Archie comic books series), and someone always gets hurt.

And I always get the sense that if there were strong feelings for another person, maybe the couple that winds up together doesn’t love each other enough to find that happily-ever-after.

That said, I’m on Team Veronica, and not because I want a happily-ever-after. I want Archie to suffer. Seriously. Betty is too good for Archie. She needs to forget him and have fun with a bad boy. I’m sure Reggie is available.

So, which team are you on? Team Betty or Team Veronica?

Brain Waves and Creativity - Joy Nash

I started writing about the same time I learned to meditate regularly. It wasn't a coincidence. Meditation opened the door to my creativity. Images and words flow into a quiet mind. At the time, I was completely ignorant of craft, and shaky on goal/motivation/conflict. I could only plot in a straight line. But there was no end to the ideas pouring out of my subconscious.

It was only later that I learned about brainwave patterns and their role in creativity.

How can you harness brainwaves to enhance creativity of all kinds? Here’s the short course on the four categories of brainwaves: Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta.

Beta is the everyday, mundane task brainwave. It's good at logic and organization. Most people in our culture spend almost all their waking hours with Beta as their predominant brainwave. Beta is your internal critic, your worrywart, your procrastinator. It’s also your internal editor. Beta can be your friend or your enemy. You have to learn when to listen, and when to tune out.

Alpha is detached awareness. It's kind of a floaty, zoned-out, daydreaming consciousness, known as "The Bridge to the Subconscious." Alpha is the brush that paints the images that rise from your subconscious. It helps athletic performance. Some people refer to an Alpha state as being “The Zone.” Nature sounds help produce an Alpha state.

Theta brainwaves are produced by the subconscious mind, and are present in dreaming sleep. Theta brainwaves unlock the creativity of the subconscious mind. Theta will also unlock deeply stored "baggage," both good and bad, which is probably where the "tortured artist" stereotype comes from. If you reach a state where your brain is producing only Theta waves, you’ll experience an immense feeling of wellbeing. When you come down into Beta, you probably won’t remember the time in Theta. But the messages from your subconscious will rise into Alpha and then Beta eventually. You want to keep the channel open as much as possible.

Delta brainwaves come from the unconscious mind. Strong Delta brain activity is common in healers, psychics, mystics, and people who are very sensitive to the moods of those around them. For those of us who are less enlightened, we experience Delta during sleep. The body does most of its healing work in Delta, and the mind does most of its dreaming. This brainwave length is connected to what psychologist Carl Jung called "the collective consciousness."

Combine the Four
The highest levels of creativity come when all four brainwave patterns are present at once. When you are in this state of awakened consciousness, you are thinking and meditating simultaneously - brainstorming, creating, visualizing, and evaluating, all at the same time. Everything comes together beautifully and you know you’re doing your best work. It's a great place for a writer to be. There are many books and audio courses that contain meditation exercises designed to strengthen the links between the four levels of consciousness. One I book I highly recommend is Awakening the Mind, by Anna Wise (ISBN 1585421456, Tarcher/Putnam 2002).

Creatively yours,

Joy Nash

PS: Check out the latest offering from my murky subconscious: A Little Light Magic, a Jersey Shore romance. (Leisure Books, May 26) http://www.joynash.com/

It's The Time of the Season. . .

Time of what season? Well, it's summer now - not officially but past Memorial Day so it counts -- and that means. . .it's time for summer anthologies and hot romances!

I realized what publishers already knew -- certain times of the year are better for reading short romances. Have you seen the shelves? The list of upcoming releases? There are SOOOOO many holiday and seasonal romance anthologies scheduled for not only Christmas-time but also the summer. June Brides, hot summer beach reads, both long and short, fill the shelves. My own TBR is filled with them, too.

Even though for some, summer means more time to read and more time for relaxing, it's not my 'slow time'. So, those anthologies are great! I can read a whole story in a short time and still have time to work, shop, write, and all those other things expected of me. And then, when I have another bit of open time, there's another whole little romance waiting for me! I love it!

And then, just when the weather gets hot. . . the romances get hotter! Is that because we're already sweating and fanning ourselves so publishers figure it's a good time for those? I was just browsing through the latest RT magazine and wow - it looks like there are some steamy romances coming out in the next couple of months. I guess I'll have to save those for when I'm near a pool or on the beach so I can run or jump in to cool off as needed? LOL!

So, do you fall for 'hot' summer romances? Do you read shorter books during the summer (or other times like Christmas)? More importantly, which hot or shorter romances are you looking forward to reading this summer? I have a set of my Highlander trilogy -- being published in the UK this summer -- for one lucky random poster.....


Terri has both a short and a hot romance coming out this summer! Her Harlequin Historical UNDONE! short story will be available online on June 1st -- A Night for Her Pleasure introduces readers to the Knights of Brittany, Terri's hot sexy medieval heroes. Then in July, the first full-length story The Conqueror's Lady hits the shelves to continue the story. Check out Terri's website for more info and links to her current and upcoming releases - www.terribrisbin.com

The Popped Balloon - Jessica Inclán

On a recent Sunday morning--a glorious, already hot 8.30 am--my friend Sue and I rounded a bend on a street close to our homes, part of our weekly walk, and saw a man getting into a car driven by a woman. Sue and I were talking, but we both thought about this as we saw them drive away.

Are they going out for a Sunday event? I thought.

Are they going to the beach? Sue thought.

The white Camry passed us, and we just kept on moving.

But as we walked by the car they'd been parked next to--the car I'd assumed was the man's--I heard a tinkling sound, the rainfall of broken glass hitting the asphalt.

"Did they just break that?" I asked. "Did that just happen?"

Turns out, yes, it had just happened.

After I called the police and Sue rousted the poor folks to whom the car belonged--the car now missing GPS and window--I couldn't help but be amazed at humans. We do so many things that are appalling, and I suppose breaking into a car isn't among the worst, not by a long shot. In fact, it's not even close.

And I know that certain circumstances push us toward things we wouldn't normally consider. Things happen, and we decide to steal identities, break into cars and houses, rob convenience stores. We buy guns, hole up in houses, and wait for SWAT teams. We can easily fall down the rabbit hole of crime, but what about that moment before it all happens.

Is there a way to catch us before we do what we do?

I often think about a short skit that was on Sesame Street when my children were little. In the quick, animated sketch, a boy imagines walking up to another child and popping a balloon. The noise of the popped balloon scares the child, who is standing on a skateboard. The skateboard careens into a number of things, people, and about three other lives are disrupted and hurt because of the impulse of the child who had to pop the balloon. Then the child who imagines this chain of events decides to not pop the balloon and walks up to the other child and says hello instead.

That's the moment we all need, the moment before the popped balloon.

What Makes Your Garden Grown - Laura Drewry

Gardening. Love it. Hate it. Regardless, it must be done.

Some gardens are completely random, with vibrant colours and mismatched annuals/perennials/what-have-you. Some have been painstakingly mapped out, petal by petal, until every inch of dirt is symmetrical and balanced. Our garden used to be like that. When we bought this house, the previous owner gave us a scaled drawing of all the gardens and what each plant was. We've tweaked it a little since then, and while I'd like to say I've been as organized as she, and kept the drawing up to date. . .well. . .that's what I'd like to say.

My point here is that gardening is a lot like writing. Some 'gardens' are meticulously mapped out, scene by scene, whereas others (like mine) tend to be more random.

Regardless of the gardener's method, there will always be weeds that need to be pulled;

there will always be slugs that need to be relocated (or treated to a saucer full of beer)

and there will always be those little buds that look like beautiful spring plants, but upon closer inspection, we discover they are feelers from the willow tree growing six yards down the block.

So while it doesn't matter how you garden, what matters is that you do garden. Pull those weeds, get rid of those slugs (whether by beer, salt, or other relocation practices), and remember - above all - to fertilize. The trick to a good 'garden', of course, is being able to determine when you've got a good amount of fertilizer and when your garden has become nothing more than a pile of . . .well. . .fertilizer.

Grandma and the Prince - Part 7

<--Grandma El and me, at the beginning of my life

May 1989

Grandma El was dying. For three years she'd been in a decline but
it's only in retrospect that I can recognize the beginning of the end.
But somewhere in the early spring of 1989, Grandma crossed stopped
living and started dying.

I don't think any of us ever believed she would die. Why would we? El
wasn't a woman, she was a force of nature. Brash, opinionated,
sentimental, harsh, occasionally cruel, always astonishing. I think we
all expected El to be around as long as we were--and maybe even longer.
But not even Grandma was able to keep time at bay forever.

God knows, she tried. In her own way, Grandma was a pioneer. We don't
think twice today about popping vitamins and minerals, about exercising
for good health, but in the 1940s and 1950s this was fairly radical
stuff. Grandma was into nutrition before it was fashionable. I can
remember her laying out her vitamins each morning, row after
multicolored row of tablets and capsules lined up neatly on the kitchen
counter with two full glasses of water and her dolomite powder. I'd
watch in awe as she popped four or five at a time, taking huge sips of
water to wash them down, never once losing a beat of conversation along
the way. "Now, Barbara," she'd say, "the B vitamins are good for
stress...always get the Vitamin C made from rose hips...calcium tablets
and Vitamin D will keep you from shrinking one day like all those old
ladies in the park...and lecithin...Old Thing, let me tell you about
lecithin..."

And she loved Jack LaLanne. Long before Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda,
there was Jack LaLanne of the pumped-up torso that Grandma adored. "He
could park his shoes under my bed any time," she liked to say. She
watched him faithfully every morning, doing jumping jacks and squat
thrusts in the privacy of her bedroom then finishing off with a
half-hour on the exercise bike. Her children were aghast at her
behavior but El didn't much give a damn. Let them sit around on their
fat bums watching Steve Allen and Dinah Shore. She'd have the last
laugh one day.

No amount of physical activity ever managed to turn her small, round
body into a sleek machine but, my God, was she strong. Up until a few
months before she died at 89 years of age, she was able to walk up four
flights of stairs without getting winded. She did her own shopping, her
own wash, her own cleaning, until very close to the end when my dad took
over for her. She rode an exercise bicycle until the year before she
died. (If I sneeze twice in a row, I lie down for a day or two to
recover. I am a tall American wimp. Grandma, however, was a short
English Amazon.)

And she did grow more English with every passing year. She took to
leaping to her feet whenever she saw the Queen on TV, to placing her
hand over her heart whenever she saw the Union Jack or heard the first
notes of God Save the Queen. She and the Queen Mother were the same age
and Grandma El identified totally with the woman. They even looked
alike. Being English defined El in a way that being American has never
defined me. It was her very essence. I always figured Grandma and the
Queen Mother would keep pace with each other until the end. I certainly
never figured Grandma would be the first to leave.

Grandma's birthday was April 18. My dad's was April 17. My mother and I
irreverently referred to those dates as the High Holy Days. Only a major illness
exempted you from attendance at their birthday dinner. That year a bad
case of flu kept my husband and me from joining the celebration. I hate to admit it, but I was kind of relieved. The trek to
Queens was easier when we lived on Long Island, a straight run on the
Long Island Expressway. Now that we lived in central New Jersey it was
a real pain in the neck and I'd grown to resent the command performance.
My birthday came and went without fanfare from Grandma. So did my
husband's and my mom's and my Aunt Mona's. Grandma and my father,
however, were feted with the Fuller version of Trooping the Colors.
I had no idea this birthday would be her last.

On April 19th she was rushed to the hospital. She was in congestive
heart failure, her kidneys were beginning to shut down, there was
evidence of a silent heart attack. Within two days, she was no longer
communicating with anyone. Her eyes were closed. She was
non-responsive. The doctors held out little hope for a recovery. Still,
they wouldn't let us come see her until the last vestiges of our flu
were long gone. They wanted to give her the best possible chance, even
if they were just tilting at windmills.

The days passed and she remained non-responsive. "She's in a very weakened
condition. To be honest, we don't know what's keeping her alive," the
doctors said. Day after day they repeated the same thought. "What is
she waiting for? We don't know why she's still alive." But alive she
was and the doctors wouldn't let me see her.

My dad called early Sunday morning, May 7th. "You'd better come to the hospital,"
he told me. "They say it could be any time." Two hours later we met
him in the corridor outside Grandma's room. She was still alive. Her
heartbeat barely registered. Her respiration was shallow. More than
two weeks had passed since she'd opened her eyes or said a single word.
My dad prepared me for what I was going to see.

"You won't recognize her," my father said. "She doesn't look like your
grandma any more."

How ridiculous, I thought. How could she look like anyone else? The
sparkling blue eyes. The strawberry blond curls. That incredible
English skin. She was one of a kind. I'd know her anywhere.

I stepped into the semi-private room and my knees went weak. Two beds.
Two elderly women. I didn't know which one of them was my grandmother.
I turned toward my dad who was standing in the doorway. He pointed
toward the bed by the window. A loud "No" rose up in my throat but I
swallowed it down again. That wasn't my grandmother. That couldn't
possibly be the vibrant, outrageously juicy woman I'd known all my life.
This was an old lady. An emaciated, grey-haired old lady at that.
Didn't they know my grandmother's hair was red?

Yes, I actually believed my 89 year old
grandmother's conceit that her strawberry blond hair was still natural
and not the result of three decades of temporary rinses. And you know what?
I'm glad I did. We all need those cushions against reality's hard
edges. I hope my naivete gave her a good laugh somewhere along the way.

I approached her bed as a nurse finished adjusting the IV drip. "Won't
be getting much talk from this one," the nurse said. "Haven't heard a
word from her since she got here." It was easy to see that my grandmother was a body in the bed and nothing more to her. El, in all her Technicolor imperfect
glory, no longer existed. I waited for the nurse to finish then I
leaned down close to Grandma. I often disliked her, was frequently exasperated
by her, would only begin to understand her twelve years after her death.

I took her hand and told her I was
there. I told her that she didn't have to stay any longer, that it was
okay to let go of life, that if it was time to go we would understand. I
told her that I loved her. That had always been so hard for me to say,
so damn hard. And, although I don't expect you to believe this, Grandma
squeezed my hand then opened her eyes. She looked up at me and smiled,
and I know that in that instant she knew who I was and how I felt. How
I'd always felt despite it all.

A few hours later, as my husband and I drove across the Verrazano
Bridge on our way home, Grandma El died. "I don't know how she lasted
so long," her doctor said to my father as he marked down her time of
death. "It's a mystery to me."

But it was really no mystery at all. She'd been waiting for me.

PS: Yes, I'll go back to the story of her life next month. I couldn't let the twentieth anniversary of her death slip by unnoticed.

Virgin Mistress, Scandalous Love-Child

by Jennie Lucas

Pregnant.

She was getting married in six hours, and she was pregnant.

With another man's baby.

Her boss's baby...


I adore the first few words of this book so much that I know them by heart. Hi guys. I'm coming up out of deadline haze to tell you that my new book, Virgin Mistress, Scandalous Love-Child, is coming out this week in North America.

Diogo Serrador is the most alpha hero I've ever done. I mean, he's really alpha. He's demanding, dark, and so dangerous, he's almost cruel...but very, very sexy. And ultimately: loving.

When he finds out the virgin secretary he seduced in Rio is now pregnant with his child, he kidnaps her from her wedding in Pennsylvania and takes her to Brazil, where he keeps her prisoner in a luxurious cage--er, penthouse.




Here's the blurb:

She's pregnant—and he'll take what is rightfully his!

In the sultry heat of Rio and its Carnaval, Ellie succumbs to her dangerously charismatic boss Diogo Serrador. But having taken her virginity, the Brazilian billionaire wants nothing more to do with her—until he discovers she's pregnant!

Diogo will accept nothing less than taking Ellie as his bride. Their marriage is passionate by night but forced and hollow by day. Ellie realizes she's in an impossible situation: Diogo's dark past has frozen his heart, but she's fallen in love with her husband...

Please visit my website for more information about the book, or to enter a contest to win an autographed book from Silhouette Desire author Olivia Gates, who is my shelfmate this month with the second book in her Castaldini Crown trilogy, The Prodigal Prince's Seduction.

Virgin Mistress, Scandalous Love-Child is now available at amazon, barnes & noble, and eHarlequin (where it's been a #1 bestseller! Aaah!). It should soon be at a store near you!

Thanks for letting me tell you about my new book. Now back to the salt mines--er, luxurious sheikh's palace,

All my best,
Jennie

Girls Know What They Want - Fiona Lowe

You know the expression, ‘drop a pebble in a pond and watch the ripples flow’? Well that happened at our house over the weekend. It all started because of a new TV which wasn’t going to fit in the TV cabinet. So the TV cabinet had to move and by the end of the day four rooms were involved in a major furniture reshuffle and now a wall needs painting!!

Halfway through all this I had to clear out a chest of drawers in the office as it was unexpectedly going back into circulation downstairs...I tell you, never get a new TV ;-). Anyway I found a box that had gone on holidays with us a year and a half ago. It contained a note book where I’d scribbled down some story ideas that eventually became “The Surgeon’s Special Delivery”, along with some pictures from a couple of magazines.

At the very bottom, next to some batteries, was a scummy bit of paper, a bit water damaged with blue writing on it. I remember my teenage son coming back from a walk along the beach saying, ‘I found this on the sand and you might find it useful.’ (Bless him!)

As I re-read the scrawl of (and I am guessing here) a 15/16 year old girl who was obviously describing her boyfriend or the boyfriend she wanted, I was stunned by how she'd written down exactly what every woman wants (physical description aside) and what every ROMANCE AUTHOR puts into her hero.

Here is the double sided list…. Has strength, is gentle, has integrity, is trustworthy, is flexible, has spontaneity, is patient, is reliable, is loyal, has initiative, is honest. And on the other side she’d written..dark hair, olive skin, sense of humor, funny, has respect for self and others, knows himself, comfortable in his own skin, jenerous (sic) giving, we understand each other.

Isn’t this the perfect Hero list?

What do you want in your hero? Let me know and I'll choose a winner and send a copy of 'The Surgeon's Special Delivery.'

Callum Halroyd is the dark-haired doctor and reluctant protector in Fiona’s latest release, The Surgeon’s Special Delivery If you're not in the UK or Australia then the best place to buy it is The Book Depository with FREE World -Wide PostageTo read an excerpt and to see pictures that inspired the book visit Fiona at her website

Why I'll Stick to Category

I was reading a blog the other day about an author who is touring the US doing appearances on radio and in book stores to publicize her first published novel. Obviously, being a newbie, she’s not well-known, just working to get there, and it caused me to stop for a moment and envision myself having to do what she’s doing.

When it comes to writing category romance, most authors tend to agree that speaking engagements, book signings, and other such public promotions are far more optional than for those writers breaking into single title. We’re lucky in that the Harlequin line itself sells the bulk of our books. We can choose to do as much or as little publicity as we’d like, which for me means I can pretty much write my little books and sit back and collect royalties. End of subject. I don’t have to fly around the country being bold and entertaining making witty small talk with people who may or may not have ever read a romance novel in their lives.

That’s a good thing, because despite being very outgoing, I’m not a salesperson. I doubt I could sell Pamela Anderson a boob job. Convincing people to buy my romance novel through the power of my friendly nature and bright smile? I don’t think so. Therefore, the idea of doing an appearance at a book store scares the hell out of me.

Naturally, the first thing I think of is nobody showing up--which happens. Worse is the idea of two people showing up. In that case, I’d have to actually follow through with whatever event they’d planned...in a public place like a book store...where people are mulling around doing their shopping and wondering who that weirdo is over there reading sex scenes to all those empty chairs.

Maybe I was tarnished by the one book signing I did at Borders. I sold exactly two books. Thankfully, I was there with another author who was a pro and talked to the customers for me. Borders had set us up by the front door so we were left with the option of either professionally greeting people as they entered or sit there looking like a boob. My author friend was the former, which helped distract everyone from noticing that I was most indeed the latter.

Then there’s the whole flying thing. Mind you, I’m not afraid of flying. My father has an airplane and I spent a lot of my teenage years flying around in those little Patsy Cline airplanes. But even the puddle jumpers I rode in back when my butt was small had first-class leg room compared to what the airlines are trying to pass as a “seat” today. I find the whole experience trying and uncomfortable, therefore, I only fly when there’s a place I really want to be and driving’s not an option. Like if an obscenely rich relative died and I was told to be at the reading of the will...tomorrow. But to spend half my summer traveling to places like Potwunka, Iowa so I can read a chapter of my book to three people who were there only because they’d heard there might be cake?

I’m afraid my sense of adventure just doesn’t stretch that far. Which means, for me, I’m pleased with the career I have writing category romance and letting Harlequin handle most of the publicity for me.

What about you? Are you the type of person who is comfortable putting yourself out there to strangers? And what about traveling? Would you see it as an adventure or an inconvenience to have to travel for work?

Lori Borrill just completed her seventh novel for Harlequin Blaze. Her fifth, THE PERSONAL TOUCH, will be on sale August, 2009. For more information on Lori and her books, visit www.LoriBorrill.com

The Joy of Beginning - Annie West

I LOVE the first scene of a new book. That's where the author grabs me and tosses me into a nail-biting or humorous or romantically intriguing situation. I read an opening chapter with enormous enthusiasm, expecting to be hooked so I want to read the next chapter and the next. A great opening will have so much scope for deliciously exciting tension and all sorts of possibilities. If I don't get hooked in chapter one I'm not likely to proceed to number two.

It's the same for writing. What comes to me first is usually an opening scene and setup where I see the hero and heroine, what they're doing and have some juicy problem to keep them at loggerheads but stuck with one another! Ah, the scent of new conflict in the opening pages is enough to give this writer's heart a kick start.

I was thinking about this as I recently received copies of my May UK Mills and Boon Modern story, BLACKMAILED BRIDE, INNOCENT WIFE. While I love writing openings for all my books, this one was especially fun to write.

It didn't come about because I was trying to come up with a new plot. It emerged from an article I was writing. In that I spoke about using scent to make a story come alive and gave as an example a scene that's a favourite with most romance readers and writers - the wedding. As I wrote and pondered the different emotions a bride might feel as she walked up the aisle I started to visualise a woman dressed in a bridal gown that was just a fraction too small for her (obviously made for someone else) whose heart was pounding because the last thing she wants to do is marry. But she has no choice.

Instantly I found I had two intriguing questions. Why doesn't she want to marry? Something lurking in her background perhaps? And even more to the point, why does she feel she must go through with something so repugnant to her.

It seems odd I suppose but I started the first draft not entirely sure of the answers to those questions. For the first few pages I was so busy getting deep inside Alissa's emotions that it didn't matter. But soon, thankfully, my mind came up with answers. I devised a convoluted plot that was exciting and intriguing and just a little too much to swallow. Fortunately, over a little time I pared it down to something workable. However, I hung onto the best part of all - the fact that though Alissa forces herself to turn up for the wedding against all her instincts, the tables are turned on her when the man waiting to marry her isn't the one she'd agreed to wed. Instead it's a stranger, enigmatic, powerful and dangerous.

You can imagine how the imaginative wheels started turning then!

There's no more exciting part of writing than discovering a window into a new book that grabs you from the first and that promises (if you can pull it off!) to hook other readers. The surge of enthusiasm is potent and it drags you along so you're writing and wondering and discovering as you go. It's like riding an enormous wave and striving to keep your balance as the wind rushes through your hair.

For me, there are so many memorable openings. Books I've adored where the writer drew me instantly into an exciting new world just waiting for me to explore. Michelle Douglas' heroine who's so out of her comfort zone she climbs a clothesline rather than face the hero's dog in The Loner's Guarded Heart. Anna Campbell's Untouched where the heroine is kidnapped to amuse a madman. Susan Napier's Secret Admirer where the heroine is stuck in a lift with a gorgeous stranger while she's wearing a fur coat and nothing else. Trish Morey's The Italian Boss's Mistress of Revenge where Dante believes the woman sleeping in his bed is waiting just for him. Christine Wells' The Dangerous Duke where we first see the Duke dangling a man by his ankles out of a window. The Sheikh's Unsuitable Bride by Liz Fielding, where we know from the start that Diana is the worst choice of chauffeur for Sheikh Zahir and therefore absolutely perfect for him!

What do you love in an opening? What hooks you? Do you have any favourites you want to share?

Annie's so thrilled about the release of BLACKMAILED BRIDE, INNOCENT WIFE this month, she'll send a signed copy to someone who contributes a comment. In the meantime, if you want to find out more about the book visit her website at http://www.annie-west.com or you can buy the book from Amazon UK.

Child Characters - Elizabeth Hoyt

Child characters can be a real pain to write. They can come off as too old, too young, or just plain irritating. A lot of readers say they don’t like children or babies in romances—it detracts from the chemistry between the hero and heroine. So why would an author put a child character in her book? Well, sometimes it’s unavoidable. Children do exist in the real world after all and sometimes it would be odd to omit a child character. If your heroine is a school teacher or mother, a child is going to have to be in the book. Sometimes a child character can just be in a walk-on part to add color to a scene.

But what if the child character is more?

Children by their very definition are innocents. They see the world in much more black and white terms, which can be useful for the author. A child character can reveal what the adults are hiding, or point out the obvious that the adults have avoided or missed. She can be the emotional center of a story. A child has a harder time conceal emotions. She can cry when the heroine can’t or become angry when the hero is supposed to be neutral.

But the best child characters are not just reflections of the adult characters, but have their own emotional arc within a story. That’s the kind of character I was trying to write when I gave Abigail, the little girl in TO BEGUILE A BEAST her own story arc. Abigail is her own character with her own wants and needs, and she isn’t a cute child. She has a bit of darkness about her. Here’s a scene from Abigail’s point of view:

Abigail had a sudden longing for home, in London, where she knew everyone and everything was familiar. If they were at home right now, she and Jamie would be having tea and bread with Miss Cummings. Although she'd never been very fond of Miss Cummings, the thought of her pinched, narrow face and the bread and butter she always served made Abigail's chest ache. Mama said they might never return to London.

Now Sir Alistair was frowning down at the big dog as if he might be cross with her.

"Mama'll be in soon," Abigail said to distract him.

"Ah," he said. The old dog put a paw on his boot. Sir Alistair looked up at Abigail, and she stepped back. He was so stern looking. "What are your names?"

"I'm Abigail," she said, "and that's Jamie."

"We're to have tea when Mama comes in," Jamie said. He didn't seem at all nervous at Sir Alistair's presence. But then he was blissfully rubbing the dog's ears.

Sir Alistair grunted.

"And eggs and ham and bread and jam," Jamie recited. He often forgot things, but not things that had to do with food.

"She's going to make some for you as well," Abigail said cautiously.

"She isn't a very good cook," Jamie said.

Abigail frowned. "Jamie!"

I hope you enjoy Abigail’s story in TO BEGUILE A BEAST!

Elizabeth

www.elizabethhoyt.com

Opposites Attract - Lauren Dane

We’ve all got tropes we like – assassin heroes, marriage of convenience, small town romance, older man/younger woman (or vice versa), uber alpha heroes, beta heroes, certain historical periods (me? I love me some wallpaper regencies), friends to lovers, whatever your preferences may be – we’ve all got em.
Relentless is a story of opposites. In Abbie, we have a woman without political power. In the world I built for my Federation books, the haves are Ranked. As in they are members of the ruling Families who hold the reins of political and economic power across all the Federation Universes. Everyone else is unranked and therefore able to rise only so high.

So Abbie is unranked. She’s also a barrister, a public defender if you will and she has spent her adult life working to bring a more representative form of governance to her home ‘Verse. She’s small and fiery and full of passion and conviction.

And then there’s Roman. Roman Lyons isn’t just Ranked, he’s the head of the most powerful Ranked Family in all the ‘Verses. He’s charming and intelligent, his passion is there, but it’s beneath the surface and when Abbie storms into his life, he’s knocked off his feet, literally and figuratively.

He’s everything she isn’t and everything she’s trying to destroy. Until they meet and he realizes his preconceptions about her are wrong and she begins to realize the same.

But they can’t be together. Even as they begin a secret and fiery love affair, they both know it has an expiration date. He can’t marry someone who isn’t Ranked. The Federation is rocked by a series of treason trials in the aftermath of what happens in Undercover. He knows he has responsibilities that are larger than his own wants and needs. It is his job, his calling, to take care of his people. But he wants her and she’s his in a way he is certain no other woman can ever be.
For her part, Abbie is in love with Roman and she slowly realizes just how seriously he takes his position. Not all Ranked are the same, but she still has a job to do.

I gotta tell you, writing this book was probably one of the most difficult few months I’ve ever experienced. I sweated to be sure the pacing was just right. That the scenes between Abbie and Roman were tender as well as urgent and sexy. I had to balance that with the world, with the politics and customs I need to create a sense of home for them and for the reader too. In the end, when I turned it in, I was proud. Proud and hoping like heck my editor would like it. Hoping my readers would.

In the end, a futuristic romance is just like any other – Roman and Abbie have an uphill battle. I wanted to relay that sense of star-crossed lovers, but also, it’s a romance, not a tragedy so the reader knows they’ll work out something to be together. The key is to try as hard as you can to draw the reader in, to make them feel what Roman and Abbie do as they’re loving each other and knowing they can’t be together.

I hope my readers enjoy meeting Abbie and Roman and I hope Relentless can bring over some readers who might have been put off by the “futuristic” tag in the past as well!

Lauren

Stretching Your Muscles - Donna Alward

Admittedly, I don't stretch my muscles nearly enough. It IS spring though, and with the longer days I'm walking more and I'm back out in the garden. And boy did I stretch some muscles a few weeks ago, hunched over staining step railings and also picking rocks to put around my perennial beds.

Not quite what I meant to talk about today, though. While my body could definitely benefit from some yoga, I've been doing a different kind of stretching lately - of my writing muscles.

Last month I blogged about what to do when there was nothing to do. I've moved past that now, and having a little fun. You see, I'm actually not on any firm deadline. I have a few months to play, and I'm having quite a bit of fun with it.

The last ten books I have written have been solely targeted at Harlequin Romance, as great a home as any category author could wish for. I LOVE writing for Romance. And what's more, I know how to do it. Doesn't mean the books come easy, but I know what Romance is, and sliding into a pair of characters and a nice hook is like putting on a pair of comfortable slippers. I love the depth of emotion, the broadness of it. Let's face it, in Romance you will see online dating as a hook, you have cowboys, you have royalty and office romances. You can be set in a fictional kingdom, a Canadian ranch, in the middle of Manhattan or in the wildest corner of the outback. It's great.

But as many authors know, sometimes you yearn for something just a little different. And that's GOOD in my opinion. Thinking outside the box - stretching your muscles - will make you a better writer.

But it's not always easy. What I'm working on now is hopefully for another line, and while in Romance the bedroom door is closed, in this line it is not. And the TONE of the books are different as well...so the worry is, will my voice fit? Will my sex scenes read the way they should? After all, I haven't written very many. Even the slightest difference in construction means a shift in thinking. I told my CP recently that I think the process for this book will be write, get it out, and then fix and shift as I go. Adjustments are being made more than usual.

But this isn't a bad thing. It is seeing something from a different angle, a different camera shot. It's interesting, and it's fun to explore a side that's slightly different than what I usually write.

And I'm not even switching genres.

I can only imagine the huge writerly gymnastics that occur when you go category to single title, or contemporary to historical, or perhaps to paranormal...maybe you're dying to try a saucy YA!

The thing is, you'll discover a lot about your strengths and your weaknesses, and what works for each genre or subgenre as you go.

So go ahead. Stretch. Have fun! Who knows what will happen?

My latest release is HIRED: THE ITALIAN'S BRIDE, a June 09 Harlequin Romance release. It's available for presale on eharlequin and Mills and Boon in both print and e-book.

An Astonishing Auction - Anna Campbell

by Anna Campbell

Do you all know about Brenda Novak's amazing auction to raise funds for research into a cure for juvenile diabetes?

Brenda's been running this fabulous fundraiser for the last five years and has raised over $500,000 so far. And 2009 looks like being her biggest year yet.

One of the great things about this auction is that you can benefit both yourself and a good cause if you make a bid. Brenda gets donations from all sorts of heavy hitters in the romance writing industry. It's a particular treasure trove for readers and writers, but there are prizes that anyone in the universe would love.

Just to give you a few examples:

An overnight stay in a swish hotel in Regency jewel, Bath, in England, with a champagne afternoon tea at the famous Pump Room, donated by romance writer Nicola Cornick.

http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/AuctionHelp.taf?S=N&R=2&C=2&DA=0&m=3&return=50&sort=1&st=1&_start=1&_UserReference=D1D0771446B55C7D3F6202F4213449FA87E4

A Six-Night African Safari for two

http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1290702

A Six-Night Getaway to Seattle and British Columbia courtesy of romance writer Jane Porter

For aspiring writers, the selection of prizes is amazing. I'm donating a critique of a partial manuscript (three chapters and a synopsis) which includes a signed copy of my latest book TEMPT THE DEVIL.
There's critiques by editors and agents. There's critiques by a whole stack of great romance authors. Check out the list under For Writers and be amazed!

http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/auctionhelp.taf?S=N&R=2&C=2&m=3&sort=1&st=1&days=&category_id=4948&skipkw=1&_start=1

There's a wonderful selection of signed books and ARCs and other treats for readers - and I know everyone on Tote Bags falls into that category. Check them out!

http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/AuctionHelp.taf?S=N&R=2&C=2&m=3&sort=1&ST=1&days=10&category_id=4949&skipkw=1&status=&_start=1

There's baskets and gift packs filled with goodies. One in particular I'd like to point out is the Romance Bandits basket which is chockablock with all sorts sorts of amazing bits and pieces courtesy of my blog sisters. http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1389058

Michelle Buonfiglio of Romance: B(u)y the Book has mustered a whole stack of people to put together a huge pool of prizes too, including this great selection of signed books. http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/auctionhelp.taf?S=N&R=2&C=2&m=3&sort=1&st=1&days=&category_id=10727&skipkw=1&_start=1

There's raffles and $1 spot specials and other assorted prizes. Seriously, it's well worth seeing what's there. You'll be astonished and awe-struck! And I bet you're tempted to reach for your credit card! And remember, everything you spend goes to a very worthy cause!