Unlaced and the NRCA

I’m very pleased to announce that my story Undone, in the anthology Unlaced, won the National Readers Choice Award, novella category. This was very special to me because it’s the last year that my critique partner Terri Schaefer is running the contest and she finally got to present the award to me. I’ve been a finalist 3 times before this but have never won. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride! Until now. Here’s a photo of me and my good friend Veronica Wolff. She also won! Whoohoo to us both.

The girls and I (Jaci Burton, Joey Hill, and Denise Rossetti) have another “Unlaced” anthology coming out in February. Just in time for Valentines! This one will be called Laced with Desire and my story is La Petite Mort. Fearing the results of a surgery which might prove she has cancer, Sophia lets go of her inhibitions before she loses the chance forever. Her hunky hero Ford Connelly helps her fulfill her desires. I love the story because it taps into the universal fear that we’ll be struck down by tragedy before we’ve done the things in life that we’ve always wanted to. It’s about making sure we don’t have regrets because we ignored an opportunity or were too afraid to try something. Like jumping out of plane in freefall! With a chute, of course.

Anyone out there have something they’d like to do before it’s too late? For those of you who want to leave a comment (please leave your email address so I can contact you), I’ll put you in for a drawing of an autographed copy of Unlaced. I’ll also add you to my newsletter for updates on Yours for the Night, Hers for the Evening, Laced with Desire and other releases.

Please be sure to stop by my new website http://www.jasminehaynes.com/

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

Shoe-ology -- Susanna Carr

My books usually have shoes on the cover, and my October 2009 release is no exception. Yeah, those boots are something. In fact, this isn't the original cover. We changed it so we could show these boots which are featured in the book.

In The Year of Living Shamelessly, Katie transforms herself into a bold and sexy woman. Her wardrobe, including her shoes, plays a small role in this book. Katie’s friends believe that the level of her self-confidence can be measured by the height of the heels she’s wearing.

It might be hard to believe, but there are books written about what shoes say about you! According to Meghan Cleary, author of The Perfect Fit, your shoes reveal something about you. Here are just a few examples of some shoes she mentions:

Barefoot – you are charming, lovable, carefree and breezy
Clog – you are extremely hard-working and possess a deep spirituality
Cowboy boot – you’ve got a little extra panache that comes from inherent confidence
Flip-flop – you sparkle with the energy of being truly alive
High-heel sandal – you are very confident in your femininity
Sneaker – you are accessibly cool, quick on your feet and very witty
Stiletto – you embrace your raw feminine power

Think this is true? Do you believe that your shoes say something about you?

Sitting still by Kate Walker

There's a song going round and round in my head at the moment. It's that famous one sung by Frank Sinatra all about the fun of going trav'ling - you know the one . . .

Its very nice to go travling

To paris london and rome

Its oh so nice to go travling

But its so much nicer, yes its so much nicer, to come home

This song is in my brain because at last, after a long July of being here there and everywhere. I'm finally home - and I'm staying for long enough to unpack properly and not just in order to wash my knickers and turn round and repack for a different destination.

I started last month with a couple of library events in different parts of the country. Then there was a fantastic trip to Washington and the RWA national conference. That was a lot of fun! I got to meet up with so many of my writer friends, make new ones with people I met. I talked with readrs - always such an important part of my trip to , had lunch and dinner with editors and other Presents authors, and I explored Washington by trolley car and on foot. I had a wonderful time.

I finally flew back to the UK with just five days in which to unpack, turn round, repack and head for Wales where I was teaching the Writing Romantic Fiction course at Caerleon Writers' Holidays in Newport. Again that was a fantastic week - in spite of the rain that poured down in such torrents that I seriously started to wonder if I should think about building an ark! This was the 25th Writers' Holiday so there were some celebrations to mark this very special event - one of which was my own secret gift to the organisers Anne and Gerry Hobbs. I had dedicated my next book - Kept for Her Baby - to them and luckily my author editions had arrived in time for me to take a copy with me to give to them.

So now I'm home again. The cases are unpacked for at least - oh - six weeks! - I'm sleeping in my own bed, wandering round my own garden and it feels great. The cats have even started to think about forgiving me for abandoning them - though there was some heavy duty sulking before they made up their minds.

And at last I can get back to work! All the time I was travelling I had these two new ideas buzzing around in my head and not enough time to really write them down or develop them into a full proposal for a couple of new books. But now all that is going to change. I have a special project to start with - a for a brand new mini series sugested by my editor. That story has a fabulous sexy Greek hero at the centre of it. And then after that I have a handsome Sicilian waiting impatiently for me to start his story.

And I can't wait to get to meet them.

So although I'm sad that my wonderful travelling month is over, I'm looking forward to staying in one place for a month or two. And I'm anticipating some long, enjoyable days with these new heroes and their stories that I'm just itching to write.

What about you? Are you travelling anywhere interesting this month or have you had yur holidays and like me are finding it's 'oh so nice to come back'?

It's very nice to go travling

But it's oh so nice to come home

Kate's next title for Harlequin Presents is Kept For her Baby which will be published in Harlequin Extra in October.

You can find out more about her and her books on her website and her blog.

The Shop Around The Corner - Kathleen O'Reilly

As a writer, I’ve learned to do my best work in my Barnes & Noble coffee shop, surrounded by books and caffeine, with the essence of the literati permeating the air (with sincere hopes that by being exposed to said essence, some will permeate my brain as well).

Even before I was writing, I would haunt the local bookstores (Wherever we lived, B&N has always been a favorite.) Ever time I entered those hallowed walls, I would wander aimlessly, browsing the shelves, picking up a title that caught my fancy. Oddball, bestseller, pretty cover, or what have you, it was the peaceful aura of the books that made me smile.

When I was younger, there was one guy I dated, and we’d go out to dinner on Fridays, and it was like: Where do you want to go? I don’t know. Dancing? Eh. Music? Meh. What do you feel like doing? Hmmm. Every Friday we’d have this discussion, and ninety percent of the time, we’d end up whiling away the hours at the B&N (open till 11:00pm on the weekend!). You might shrug your shoulders and say, so what? Because if you are reading this blog, I bet you too have spent many a weekend night, burrowed in a corner of the bookstore, with a book in your lap (possibly two). But we were YOUNG, we were in AUSTIN, and yet somehow we always ended up at the bookstore. As you might suspect: Reader, I married him.

These days, the bookstore is a make-shift office for me, a way to escape the guilt-inducing call of the laundry pile (Mt. Everest), the incessant clamor of the kitchen sink (Kilimanjaro), and the quiet hum of a refrigerator that needs to be cleaned (Pompeii).

When sitting at those tiny wooden tables, I can get lost in my world, or, when the story stalls, I can watch people instead. Prior to two days ago, there was no Internet for me at B&N. I fled to B&N, my escape from Twitter, from Facebook, from google. If I wanted internet access, by God, I would have to part with good money to get it, and that I would never do. While I sat at B&N, drinking my $4 latte, I would smile smugly, convinced that I was being frugal by staying away from the house.

Alas, now B&N offers wireless for free. I was heartbroken when I learned the news, beucase now I find myself creeping to the browser window, checking Twitter, possibly writing an email, glancing at the Amazon rankings, obsessive google-searching of whatever it is that I need to research. This morning’s quest was Lithuanian baby names and hand-carved mahogany coffins.
I am hopeful that I will remain strong and productive, that I might shun the willful come-hither glances of the free wi-fi. Because if I find myself caught under the Edward Cullen lure of the net, I must find a new office, which will break my heart. Right now, I have faith that I can escape the lure of the net. I have to because I know that I will never escape the lure of the bookstore. Yes, the internet seduces my mind, but it is the bookstore that seduces my soul.

What about you? What’s your favorite bookstore, and what makes it special?

Kathleen O’Reilly
http://www.kathleenoreilly.com/

Lord of Pleasure

My dearest Readers,

Personally, I'll admit that I've always had a genuine interest in making people laugh. I also happen to love history. Though in particular, NAUGHTY history. Combine these two schools of thoughts and the result is my latest release LORD OF PLEASURE. Seeing I was raised by a traditional, European father who would rather gouge his eyes out than discuss sex, needless to say, the topic of sex itself has always had a sense of naughty indulgence for me. And though my father chokes at the idea that I am writing hot historical romances about men enrolling in a school that will educate them on the topic of love and seduction, I really do think he, along with many men could learn a thing or two from this series. For one, men need to be more open to the possibility that women want to discuss their sexuality. And that it's OKAY for them to do so. I really do think that is what makes men scoff at the idea of romance books in particular. I have to say that I wrote this series with a special type of person in mind. The prude (be they male or female). Prudes existed back in 1830 as much as they do now. For some reason, people seem to actually think that people back in the day were all prim and proper. That women didn't know anything about sex until that dreaded night of the wedding. That dukes didn't associate or marry courtesans and that no woman would ever approve of her son marrying outside respectable society. To this I say, people need to start brushing up on their history and enjoying a grittier and naughtier side of London which I created based off of the research I've done throughout the years. I hope that even if people don't take the time to indulge in my books, MISTRESS OF PLEASURE and LORD OF PLEASURE, that they'll be curious enough to hop over to my blog, A BIT O'MUSLIN where I post every first of the month about sex throughout history. The whole point of my books and my blog is to open up the conversation of sexuality in a historical, creative, fun and educational manner. That said, I dedicate this here post to my father and to every prude on the planet. May they all choke on my books. Grin.

Cheers and much love,

Delilah Marvelle

Travel Adventures with Jeannie Watt

I’d like to thank Leena for inviting me to blog today. July has definitely been a busy month for me. My sixth Superromance, Cowboy Comes Back, hit the shelves and I’ve had the opportunity to travel to both coasts in one month. In fact, I’m still on the road, spending one last night in Reno before returning home tomorrow to rescue my plants from travel-induced drought. This morning, however, I wasn’t so certain I was going to get back to Reno—not today anyway.

For once in our lives my husband and I decided to try an airport shuttle instead of wrestling our luggage onto the BART, a feat that always involves me accidentally taking out some poor commuter with my suitcase. I clearly remember my husband saying, “Let’s just spend the fifty bucks for the shuttle. It’ll be easier.” I agreed, and indeed, it showed all signs of being easier—the van showed up on time, the driver loaded our luggage for us—right up until the driver locked the keys inside the van.

My husband and I stood on the sidewalk outside the hotel for twenty minutes while we waited for the driver’s boss to show up and unlock the door. The driver did mention, between repeated calls to his boss, who seemed to be in no hurry to rescue us despite living close, that this was the second time this had happened and he didn’t think his boss was very happy with him. We should have taken this as a warning. We didn’t. Instead we assured the driver that we were early for the flight and didn’t mind waiting. Eventually the boss showed up, unlocked the van and then drove away without a word.
The driver seemed edgy, but I assumed everything would go well now that we were actually traveling. It was not to be. We had two more passengers to pick up and, as we were driving over the Bay Bridge, the driver said in an offhand way, “This GPS is bad. It isn’t telling me where to go.” He wasn’t kidding either. After getting off the bridge, we drove around and around in a ruralish suburban area somewhere near Oakland. Finally, after yet another fruitless pass around the rabbit-warren-like neighborhood, he called the passenger and she talked him in.

He found the house and all was well…until the driver backed the van over the woman’s fancy steel mailbox, demolishing it. He got out and surveyed the damage, then got back into the van and drove it off the mailbox before the woman came out of the house. She got into the van, he loaded her suitcase and off we went. I’m not certain if she knows yet that she’s going to have some problems with mail delivery in her absence.

At this point the driver was getting a little frantic about time and proceeded to demonstrate his NASCAR technique on the freeway, weaving in and out of traffic as we, the victims—I mean the passengers—clutched at the seats and each other to keep from being thrown into the sides of the van. Finally he exited the freeway. And then he got lost again. At this point I was suffering from serious motion sickness and we’d been dealing with this “easy” van ride for almost two hours. Thankfully the driver, who was still cursing his GPS, accidentally found the street he needed and picked up the final two passengers without demolishing any lawn ornaments or mail boxes.

We did get to the airport in time to get through security, but only because no one flies out of Oakland on a Wednesday. So here I am in Reno, happily writing my blog and hoping the van driver either has a better day tomorrow or finds a new profession.

Have any of you had any adventures traveling from hotel to airport or was this just my lucky day? I’ll give a copy of Cowboy Comes Back to a reader who shares in the comments.

Jeannie

http://www.jeanniewatt.com/

***Jeannie picked housemouse88 as her winner! Please email me at totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your full name and mailing address so Jeannie can get your prize in the mail. :) Thanks to everyone else who left a comment!***

Fruit for thought - Dara Girard

Summer is the time for fun and flavorful foods. When I was thinking of what to write for this blog I was inspired by an article by Wally Amos, founder of Uncle Wally’s Muffin Company and author of the book, Watermelon Magic. From the word watermelon he came up with his Watermelon Credo to help others through rough times and to inspire them. After reading his credo, I realized I could use the same word and apply it to encourage those of us in the writing life. So, here’s my take ….

W – Writing is key. I am always surprised when I hear someone telling me that they want to be a writer, and I find out they haven’t written anything. Write, no matter what. You do not need permission to write, nor do you only write if you can get paid. If you want to succeed in the publishing industry, you must write, and write and write some more. This is the one industry where you have to ‘train’ yourself.

A – Always give yourself permission to make a mistake. Don’t try to make sure that you write a ‘breakout’ novel or get published in Newsweek. Some of what you write will be crappy, but if you keep going, honing your skills, you WILL improve and in time be proud of yourself.

T – Time management is up to you. I am always amused when I hear someone say that if they could stop working fulltime, or when their kids leave the house, then they will be able to write. That’s the WRONG attitude. Start writing now. If you work fulltime, find time before you leave for work (get up 30 minutes earlier), or during lunch, while riding the subway, or just before or after dinner. Time is what you make it. Skip that T.V. show, or going shopping, and instead write. YOU have to find and make the time, time will not just show up for you.

E – Enthusiasm. If you don’t have a passion for what you are doing, don’t do it. I have never had to be forced to write. I just do. I started early, at the age of 6, writing in my mother’s journal, and have never stopped. Have enthusiasm for what you are writing, for the people you meet in the field at conferences and workshops. Have enthusiasm for what’s new in the industry and keep abreast of what genres are selling and where the trends are. Enthusiasm and passion are two ingredients that will keep you going when things get tough and are vital to success in this field.

R – Responsibility is in YOUR hands. You are responsible for your success as a writer. No matter how many “no thank you” letters you get, you are the only one responsible for keeping going. You are responsible for continuing to write, and continuing to send out – in spite of negative letters. (Note I do not use the word that begins with the letter “r” I prefer to call them No Thank you letters).

M – Making decisions to stay in the game is key and you will have to make them each and every day. What should the title of your book be? What genre should you write in? Should you write a single title or a series? Where do you want your career to go? Which publishing house would you like to be with? On, and on…..just like other areas of our lives the writing world is filled with day to day decisions. Don’t feel stifled or paralyzed, just make a decision and deal with the outcome.

E – Energy is a necessary element of life. Take the time to eat well, exercise and sleep well. You will need energy, even if you’re sitting on your butt most of the day.

L – Let go. When you hit a wall with your writing, or you find yourself facing tough times, (i.e. you have to part ways with your agent, your editor hated your last submission, your sales were down) – let go. Take time for you. Step away from whatever you are working on or doing and do something entirely different. Go ice skating or roller skating. Instead of stuffing your face with junk food because you are down, go visit model homes at a new development or take yourself to a funny movie (Yes, it’s okay to go to the movies by yourself).

O – Onward. Take each day, a day at a time. Don’t worry about mistakes or what you did in the past. Remember, you can’t drive a car forward if you are always looking in your rearview mirror.

N – Never give up. In this industry there are many pit falls, don’t let them get to you down. Keep your dream alive, no matter what.

Do you have some ‘encouraging’ phrases that can correspond with one or more of the letters in the word Watermelon? Please share them with us.

Dara Girard

http://www.daragirard.com/

Whittling down the TBR pile - Jennifer Estep

Greetings and salutations! First of all, I want to say thanks to Leena for having me back on the blog. Thanks so much, Leena!

So, we’re coming up on the end of July now, and Labor Day is creeping ever closer. Can you believe that summer is more than halfway over already? Me neither.

I had so many things I wanted to accomplish this summer. Write a couple of books, tweak my Web site, do some promotional stuff, all the usual author cares and concerns. Plus housework. I look away for two days and somehow, my once-clean desk is a mess of papers once more. Sigh.

But most especially, I wanted to read—a lot. Like completely annihilate my 20-plus-book TBR pile. So I could finally buy some more books, of course. Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I’m a book addict … J

I actually haven’t done too badly. I’ve almost cut my TBR stack in half, which means I can buy a couple of new books (at the very least!). But you know what the really great thing about finally digging into the TBR pile has been? All the authors I’ve rediscovered.

I’ve fallen behind on a lot of my book series, and this summer has given me a chance to finally catch up on them. You know what? I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress series. Ditto for Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden books, and I finally finished Elizabeth Vaughan’s Warprize series. Now, I’m getting to read some new authors from my TBR pile, like Susan Mallery and Deirdre Martin.

All in all, I’d say it’s been a summer well-spent so far. And I’m looking forward to seeing what fall brings—and hoping it’s not more papers on my desk.

What about you? What have you been reading this summer? What are you looking forward to for fall? Share in the comments and I'll pick one winner in a few days to receive a copy of my novel, KARMA GIRL!

Jennifer

http://www.jenniferestep.com/

***Jennifer picked ESTELLA as the winner!! Congratulations! Please email jennifer@jenniferestep.com with your mailing address so she can get a copy of KARMA GIRL in the mail to you. Thanks to everyone else who left a comment!***

Who Are We? - Jessica Inclán

Here's the question for the day: Can we be different people when we are with different people? Or are we--across the board--the same?

Are our personalities consistent, invariable, true and honest barometers of our souls?

Here's the thing: a person who shall go nameless and I are having a verbal tussle. Basically this person called me a number of fine adjectives, and the conversation ended. This person and I have had long had such conversations, and invariably, I end up being a very bad person.

And yet, within minutes of this email conversation, wherein I was told to say hi to Damian upon my death, another person emailed me to tell me I was a good person. Another person wrote to tell me I was a pleasure to be with, and this person was my mother.

So who in the heck am I?

As a friend recently told me, "It's not about you."

Fine. I get it. We are all spinning around here on the planet in our own little bubbles. But we learn to understand ourselves based on the reactions and responses of others. It's like a discussion I often have about character with my students: we learn about characters based, in part, on what other characters say about the main character. How the other characters react, respond, and relate to our main character shows us a great deal about that character.

Shouldn't that be true about people?

I have always been relatively naive. You can tell me you climbed Mt. Everest, and I will believe you for a while, asking you about your Sherpas and the thin atmosphere. You can lie to me about your excellent love life, and I won't get it for a few days, when I realize you haven't had a date in twenty-five years. My initial response is to take what you say at face value, which isn't actually a good thing. A little discernment out of the shoot can be a survival tool. Sadly, this response on my part goes to the words people use about me. Am I the devil? Am I a good person? Discuss amongst yourselves.

As a public person (professor, a writer) I am often publically discussed—people write things about me and post them on web sites. Happy readers, disgruntled readers—happy students, disgruntled students: all have something to say. I’m reviewed by people I don’t know, and sometimes those public comments sting, cutting to the quick. For a moment, we believe what we read. But like my friend said, "It's not about you."

What is about us is how we do or don't let the words in. Good or bad, we need to let the words fall away. We are who we are, judgment cast aside. It's all about us inside, not outside. It's in here we need to know who we are, and that, my friends, is often the hard part.

Presents Life Lessons by Caitlin Crews

Earlier this year, I sold my first Presents to Harlequin and fulfilled a life long dream of becoming a romance writer. Hooray! What could be better than writing Presents--yummy alpha heroes and exotic locations, emotional intensity and love love love. Oh yes, and very important Life Lessons.

Here are some things I have learned while writing Presents:

1. How to put my hair into a chignon, like any decent heroine. I feel that this is a life skill, and everyone knows that alpha heroes are attracted to excellent hair. If I could only master the French twist, I feel certain my husband would transform overnight into a Greek shipping magnate or Italianate prince. Wouldn't he?

2. How to wander aimlessly, yet fetchingly. This is very important, especially if while doing so, I am also thinking about the nature of love or, say, the deep emotional conflict that keeps me from melting into my hero's arms. And of course, one never wanders aimlessly about the house, neatening things and/or performing housework. It is much more affecting (and likely to lead to love) to do one's wandering, say, down the Champs Elysées or alongside the cerulean waters of a Mediterranean island.

3. How to have sex while using only euphemisms. The more euphemisms, the better the sex.

4. How to carry on torrid affairs and have desperate emotional low points while clad in the finest of gowns, the more diaphanous the better. Bonus points for tiaras. Triple bonus points if said gown turns into the cover image on a Presents novel.

5. How to fall in love, Presents-style. My husband has asked me to please stop manufacturing emotional conflict with him over dinner, as he finds it interferes with his digestion. But I know the truth: the more outrageous the conflict, the more we will fall in love with each other and the better our happily ever after.

Of course, all of this pales in comparison to what I've learned as a Presents reader. What about you? How have you brought a little Presents into your lives?

Tell me in the comments--and look for my first Presents: Pure Princess,Bartered Bride-- coming next February!

Grandma and the Prince - Part 9

Yes, that's the actual manifest from the Philadelphia, the ship that brought my grandmother and her family from Liverpool to New York. They left in disgrace but arrived in a style unlike the usual early 20th century immigrant. They brought trunks filled with finery, a yappy Pomeranian, and the memory of a life they'd never know again.

Which, in some ways, was probably a good thing even if it didn't seem that way at the time.

Charles Henry Dimler, my great-grandfather

Ellen Fawcett Dimler, my great-grandmother

If you can't make it out, here's what I see on my screen, courtesy of Ancestry.com :

Manifest of the S.S. Philadelphia sailing from Liverpool 28th August 1916

Dimler, Charles Henry - age 43, English from Great Britain, butcher, other things I can't read
Dimler, Ellen Louise - age 38, wife
Dimler, Edith Barbara - age 18, daughter
Dimler, Charles Casson - age 17, son
Dimler, Elsie Isobel - age 16, daughter

Last month I promised I'd share the transcript of my grandmother's reminiscences. Fasten your seat belts!

Elsie: We came back to Liverpool when I was 14. They were broke and in disgrace. We stayed at Sea View for two years. Oh, Barbara, the things people thought! The Germans were the enemy and someone said my grandfather was signaling them with secret messages and people threw rocks at us and set fire to the house. We were hated by the town. You don't know what it was like . . . the bombs . . . the fires . . . the zeppelins overhead . . . terrible . . . terrible. Then he decided we were going to. It was 1916. The War was still on but he had to go. We made the trip on an American ship. We stopped in the middle of the Atlantic with our engines off on account of the submarines everywhere. I remember that only the American flags on the ship saved us.

I remember it was hot, so hot, when we reached New York. We didn't waste any time getting jobs. The second day our parents said, 'Find work," and we didn't know anything. I was brought up rich. I couldn't do anything. So I found a job as a nursemaid for a rich Jewish family on Central Park West. I took care of their little girl and the mother used to say to her, "Now you should learn to speak like Elsie" -- cahn't, tomahto -- and I would feel so good to be appreciated.

We used to go--I can see it now--to the swanky shops like B. Altman on Fifth Avenue. She had a chauffeur and a limousine and I would sit in the rear and I can still see him placing the fur robes over the madam and the girl. But not me. It wasn't done. I told them that I'd had servants too but who knows if they believed me. I was just a green kid.

One day I left them. I don't know why. I just left. I didn't know any better. [silence] You don't know what it was like to come here . . . everything so big . . . so much . . . all the food and stores and people. I loved it from the first.

I got another job with rich people. Their name was Hayes. The little girl was Bunny; she was 2 or 3 years old. I stayed there, lived there, and they treated me like their daughter. They were lovely people. I stayed with them quite awhile then next I knew I got a job at a store downtown on Broome Street where they sell picture frames and all. I had to measure pictures for frames and I didn't know how. We were living up in the Bronx on the beautiful Grand Concourse. I had to bring these frames home on the el (BB: elevated subway) and I didn't know where I was going. Even the dumbwaiter! I didn't know about garbage going down on the dumbwaiter. I didn't know what a deli was!

The Grand Concourse c.1919 - the carriage is heading west to the el, now the #4 subway

A kid comes here and sees all the food and everything . . . [silence]

Well, dearie, I got a job at National Outlet. I was a tabulator. National Outlet was like a Sears Roebuck catalog. [laughs] Can you imagine? I was a young girl. Seventeen? Kathryn was the supervisor. The girls used to get a great kick out of me. They'd get me to answer the phone: "Halloooo?" Cahn't and all that stuff. The Duchess of the Grand Concourse they called me. It was on 23rd Street. I'd take the el every day.

And then I met a boy. I had a crush on Louie. He was about 18 and I fell madly in love with him. "Would you fetch me a glass of water?" I'd say. And he'd laugh. "Oh, the Duchess again!" He liked me. Such a nice boy. I was very happy there, with the job and him. But he left and then I left. He took a job (he had a brother in show business, a comedian, and his father lived up in the Bronx.) I went to his house. I can see it now -- all slipcovered, even the desk, everything was covered. I liked his father. His mother was nice, but she didn't like me. His brother was on the road, so we went out. Louie got a job as assistant manager at the movie theater on 125st Street. I used to go to the movies at night and I'd sit in the box and he'd come up and talk to me and I'd get a thrill watching him rush down the aisles. Black hair! He had style. He wasn't good-looking, but he had style. Something about him fascinated me--his eyes?

But things happen. I don't remember what. My family and money. They needed my wages. We, all three children, would hand our pay envelope to our mother on Friday. Unopened. I was so proud. She would give each of us something for the week but no more. Every penny was accounted for. I had to move on to another job because Edith had trouble keeping work. We were going to work together. Our father would bang on the door in the morning. "Girls! Don't forget you have to get up and look at the paper. You need jobs!"

to be continued next month




PS: I'm Barbara Bretton, author of Girls of Summer (available now) and Laced With Magic (available in two weeks) and you can find me here and here and here.

To celebrate Girls of Summer's re-release as a trade paperback, I'm giving away five copies to five commenters. Just leave your message here and I'll post the winners here in the comments section on Saturday. Good luck!

Writing what you know… - Linda Warren

I just returned from the RWA national conference in DC so I hope I make sense in this post. I had a great time and I’m still exhausted from all the fun. At Friday’s luncheon Eloisa James talked about writing what you know and how successful that was for her. It was a wonderful, moving speech and it rang a bell with me. I just finished a trilogy for Super Romance, The Belles of Texas. The stories involve three sisters trying to save a rundown ranch. I’ve written a lot of modern day cowboy books and I wanted to try something different and write about cowgirls.

To do this I drew upon my childhood and growing up in rural Texas. My parents raised cotton, corn and cattle. My dad was also the constable in our community and he drilled water wells so he was busy. My mom took care of the cattle. She knew every cow, calf and bull on the property. She knew when to cull the herd, when to sell calves and when to change pastures. So, yes, I thought I can write about cowgirls. A woman can do anything a man can, right? Maybe even better.

A lot of my childhood came out in these books. More than I’d planned. But I had fun and realized I hadn’t forgotten a thing about life on the ranch and how hard we all worked. The research was all in my head as were the emotions. Ms. James was right. My books were stronger because I lived a lot of it.

The trilogy starts with Caitlyn’s Prize (July ’09). When their father passes away, Caitlyn finds his enormous gambling debts have left the High Five ranch in dire straits. And to make matters worse, there’s a codicil to the will that states if the ranch is not showing a profit in six months it has to be sold to Judd Calhoun, a neighboring rancher and the man Caitlyn jilted fourteen years earlier.

Caitlyn is fighting mad. She calls her sisters home to inform them of the situation and to ask for their help to save High Five from Judd Calhoun. Since her sisters weren’t raised on the ranch, they don’t share her point of view. It’s the fight of Caitlyn’s life. She sets out to prove that she can run High Five as effectively as any man.

If you want to find out what happens, pick up Caitlyn’s Prize. It’s in stores now. It’s also part of Cowboy Country month for Super Romance.

The second book, Madison’s Children, comes out in October and the third, Skylar’s Outlaw, in January 2010. If you need a good read this summer, saddle up and head for Texas. The Belle sisters are waiting to entertain you.

So what’s your opinion? Do you believe personal experiences make a story stronger?

Linda
http://www.lindawarren.net/

2009 RITA® Finalist TEXAS HEIR

Therapy, Anyone? by Jenny Gardiner

I will be forever grateful for the Commonwealth of Virginia for having the foresight to establish the pre-paid college tuition program. Way back when the program started and my husband was so hot to sign up for it, I was wary--it seemed way too good to be true. I almost nixed the notion but he insisted. But now that we've got kids of college age, it's been a real financial blessing, at a time when we needed it most.

However I really wish Virginia had also thought to launch a pre-paid psychological counseling program as well. Be it for kids or for parents, well, you decide. But let's face it: you can't easily get out of the parent/child relationship without the need for a shrink, and frankly, therapy can rank up there with college tuition in terms of the big bucks.



With nearly two decades of parenting under my belt, I've drawn a few conclusions about little people (in age, not stature). One is that humans are genetically pre-programmed to have particular food tastes. I know, I know, this notion seems ludicrous. And it might be. But hear me out. Take me, for instance. Loathing of all things nutritional from infancy, I was weaned by default on Froot Loops and Sugar Pops. This fact ranks up there in my childhood lore right alongside tales of one of my earliest spoken words: "thit" (I had a lisp. And no, the word wasn't a command to be seated).



But as one who perceived vegetables as something not intended for human consumption, I could never quite relate to someone choosing to be a vegetarian. Foreign concept, thank you. I know everyone says that you if you make the kid eat it, he will. No way.

My oldest child will eat most anything and sometimes prefers the weirder the better. I'll never forget shopping with him at Fresh Fields when he was about 10 and he begged me to buy him octopus. Octopus? I can cook most anything, but I draw the line at creatures with suction cups.

Our middle child declared herself a vegetarian at the ripe old age of eight, purely out of empathy for her fellow creatures. It helps, though, that she loves—actually prefers—vegetables. And this child sprung from my loins? Our number three takes right after me. Learned early on to purse her lips so tight that nary a veggie could pass through the gateway to her gullet. Perfectly happy to eat all things bad-for-you, spent quite a few crucial developmental years eating only hot dogs.

So getting back to the therapy. The youngest child, who thrashed, flailed, and otherwise made mealtimes quite uncomfortable if the concept of mandatory vegetables was ever implemented, announced to us the other day in an accusatory voice, "You should've forced me to eat vegetables when I was little."



Um, hello, Dr. Freud? No, not in that way. I merely mean that I think I need a shrink, because I cannot believe that this child is now blaming us for her childhood obstinacy. After all those countless jars of Gerber's spinach she splattered all over my face (can't exactly blame her—have you ever smelled that stuff?), even the sweet potatoes that weren't sweet enough for her. I vividly recall a temper tantrum that drew dinner to a halt over her having to eat a no thank you bite—a mere bite!—of a cherry tomato when she was eight.

Headstrong, thy name is offspring.

And then there was the dreaded summer camp debacle. For years we pleaded and cajoled with our kids to get them to agree to attend summer camp. Try as we might, those kids wouldn't budge. "No camp," they all moaned. "Never!" To be honest, when they refused, we didn't force the issue too much because camps were always pretty expensive and well, who wants to pay for something the kid's gonna hate? I sure didn't want our kids needing therapy because we forced them to go away during summer vacation.

Cue last week at dinner when my son said, "You should've forced me to go to camp." Piping in were the other two, entirely irate at our irresponsible parenting. So instead of them needing therapy because we forced them to go to camp, we'll need it because they now blame us for not forcing them to go to camp. Get the picture? Virginia? I'm waiting!

Alas, if I had a dollar for all the parenting mandates they've told us we've failed upon, well, maybe I could start funding that Virginia counseling program myself. I'm still waiting for the kids to blame me for not making them clean their rooms more. And the girls for me not teaching them how to sew and cook (tried that, to no avail).

In lieu of that therapy fund, though, I think I'll resort to what I've known best since my childhood days: Froot Loops. A big bowl, no milk, because really, who wants to add anything nutritional to that?

The Personal Touch - Lori Borrill

My latest Blaze hits the shelves next week. Release week is always an exciting time for an author, usually because it's been months since we were knee-deep within the pages of the story. The happily ever after came and went long ago. We've gone through the edit process, read and re-read the manuscript countless times, filled out the Art Fact Sheet that provides information for the marketing department, written up the reader letter, dedication and bio. All the work is done, has been done for what seems like forever, and now--finally--we get to share the final product with the world.

Here's the official blurb for THE PERSONAL TOUCH:

When matchmaker Margot Roth is hired to find a date for the mother of a playboy millionaire, an erotic fling is the last thing on her mind. Well, maybe not the last thing. Clint Hilton is the sexiest man she's ever met, and she has to admit naughty things go through her mind when he looks at her with his sultry eyes.

But now that Clint is there to turn her fantasies into reality, Margot isn't sure if giving in to temptation is the best idea—even if he's determined to share his bed with her…or something more.

What was particularly fun about writing this story was all the secondary characters I managed to fit in. As the blurb says, my heroine is a matchmaker, and throughout the story, I wrote in a number of sessions with her and some of her very colorful clients. Those are the pieces a writer gets to have lots of fun with. We have to be so careful with our main characters, making sure they're likeable, their motives are sound, that their conflict is clear, and in general doing what we need to do to make sure readers engage with them and root for them. It's the secondary characters where we get to hang loose, throw in lots of color and run with whatever comes to mind. And this book offered me lots of opportunity to do that.

I'm very much looking forward to sharing this release and hope you all check it out. In the meantime, I've got a free copy to give away. Simply comment on this post, maybe tell me about a book you read where the secondary characters were especially memorable. Or just tell me what you're doing this summer. I'm easy! I'll post the winner in the comments tomorrow, so make sure to come back and check. And for the rest of you, I hope you'll give this fun story a try when it hits the shelves next week!

Lori Borrill is working on her 9th novel for Harlequin Blaze. For more information about her and her books, check out her website at http://www.loriborrill.com/.

Whimpering in the dark - Kathleen O'Brien

I absolutely get Twilight.

Disclaimer: I’m not a true Twilight fanatic. He’s cute, but he’s too young for me, and vampires aren’t my secret thrill. Still. I completely understand the people who are obsessed by that book/movie.

When I was their age, I went to the same movie over and over, too. Mine was Romeo and Juliet, with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. I was bewitched; I couldn’t get enough. If I could have had the projector implanted in my head, I would gladly have let them saw open my skull.

Today, decades later, I’m still the same. I fall in love with a film, and I’m driven to watch it over and over and over again. (Last of the Mohicans)

Five times. Ten. I won’t say twenty, not out loud. But…I simply don’t get bored.

My patient husband is mystified. He tries to be amused. “Do you think,” he asks as my daughter and I walk out the door for one more viewing of Moulin Rouge, “that it’ll end differently this time?”

He can’t understand, because he watches movies for one reason: to find out what happens. Once he knows, he’s finished. The second ticket is ten dollars wasted.

I’m different.

Though it sounds crazy, I don’t much care “what happens.” I am an emotion junkie, and every time I go to a new movie, or read a new book, I’m hoping this will be the one that captures me. The one that makes me feel, and feel Big. No holding back, no common sense, no safety net.

I want the one that makes me fall in love with the hot guy (Robert Downey Jr., Paul Newman, Edward Norton). The one that creates a world I never want to leave (Hogwarts, Manderley, a galaxy far, far away). The one that makes me cry (The English Patient) or laugh (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) or sing (Amadeus).

And did I mention falling in love with the hot guy? (Daniel Day Lewis)

Once, when I was watching the A&E Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth), I sat on our couch, wringing my hands and whimpering with horror as Mr. Darcy came riding up to discover Elizabeth Bennet prowling around his estate. Tension, humiliation, fear, oh, God…

My husband patted my hand. “Relax, honey,” he said. “Pretend it’s happening to her instead of you.”

Oh, yes. That’s it. That’s what I’m talking about. That’s ten dollars well spent. Over and over and over again.

As a writer, I try to remember what these movies have taught me. It’s not really about “what happens.” It’s about making people feel something, and feel it Big.

When I get letters from readers who tell me that they read one of my books years ago, lost it, and had to chase down another copy so they could read it again, I’m on Cloud Nine.

The day someone tells me they read my book and whimpered, right there on the sofa, right in front of their mystified husband…well, if there’s a Cloud Ten, I’ll be there. (Ewan MacGregor)

Kathleen

http://www.KOBrienOnline.com/

Six Things That Can Make You Happy And Are Free -- Lisa Dale

Today has been one of those days when every email, letter, and phone call ends up costing money. I’ve talked to the cable people, my student loan people, my mechanic, credit card people, and more. You know how it goes.

So, to cheer myself (and maybe you) up, I’ve decided to make a list of THINGS THAT CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY AND ARE FREE. This is just a little list, in no special order, but I hope you enjoy! Add your own ideas, if you like.

1. The library. My gratitude to the library is inexpressible. Today I downloaded a free audio book that I’m excited about reading. Free entertainment, free knowledge, free joy. How can I be so blessed?

2. Parks. People pay for most of their experiences: eating, going to a movie, etc. But parks? They’re free! There’s a lot of love and care that goes into most parks, and it makes a person feel very blessed to enjoy them, free of charge.

3. Family and friends. Sure, sometimes people can drive you crazy. But in the end, we all mean endless riches to each other when we reach out and enjoy the value of our relationships.

4. Wildflowers. When I started doing research for my upcoming romance, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, I realized how amazing flowers are (the book is about two sisters who own a wildflower farm in Vermont). Loving wildflowers isn’t something you can teach someone, but once the appreciation for how intricate, beautiful, and complex they are starts to sink in, just looking at a bit of chicory on the side of the road can make you feel like luxury is at your fingertips.

5. Blogs. Every day, bloggers (like myself) put our hearts on the line and devote hours to our posts. Blogs are always a great source of joy for me—and they so often have many free giveaways (just like on my blog and on the blog you’re reading now). So, blogs enrich our lives—often quite literally—and we don’t pay a dime.

6. Social networking. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter…where would we be if those sites weren’t free? I personally love Facebook and am on it all the time, chatting with friends and fellow readers. Social networks are huge, complicated endeavors to put together…and we get to benefit from them for free!

If you think of any free things that enrich your life, do share the love by leaving a comment. I’ll end with a quote I saw today from the philosopher Epicurus: “Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”

Best wishes,

Lisa Dale
http://www.lisadaleblog.com/

Leaving on a Jet Plane - Donna Alward

Today is Tuesday the 14th. This morning, I'm leaving on a plane for Washington, DC.

I loved Anna Campbell's post on going to Washington - her excitement is something I'm feeling so much right now. Because despite having written romance since 2001 and having been with Harlequin Romance since 2006, this is my FIRST national conference.

I know. I'm kind of a newbie all over again.

It's not that I don't enjoy getting together with my colleagues or learning - it's very important to me and I soak it up each time I have the opportunity. But to be honest, I really enjoy family vacations, getting away from work and spending time with my husband and kids exploring and learning and relaxing. There's not usually the money to do both.

But when I checked and saw that this year it was in Washington, well, I decided this would be the year. It is, in particular, a city I want to visit. It's also east coast, making it cheaper and easier to attend. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. And every day it seems I add something to my conference calendar - that is a bit of a thrill.

Today, weather permitting, I'm going to indulge in either a trip to the Arlington Cemetery or the Zoo. Tonight, I'm getting together with fellow Romance author Fiona Harper - I haven't seen her since AMBA in 2007. Major gabbing and eating - can't wait.

Tomorrow, I'm at the Heartbeat chapter lunch, catching up with some old friends, hopefully meeting some people I've only met online, and meeting some brand new faces as well. Then of course there is the Literacy Signing...and I've seen the list of authors participating. I feel like I should be sitting at the kid's table, you know? If you're there, please stop by. At every signing I do I have this fear that no one will come to my table. I'll be signing copies of my June release, Hired: The Italian's Bride.

On Friday I have an agent appointment and a focus group and, of course, the Harlequin party!!!!! This party is legendary and I got very squeeish when my invitation arrived in the mail!


And Saturday...well, Saturday is the RITA ceremony. Several weeks ago I splurged on a lovely outfit. And I am so glad. Not long after I brought it home from the store, one of my favourite authors ever asked if I would stand in for her at the ceremony as she cannot attend. The request nearly overwhelmed this newbie - I feel incredibly honoured (and it may be my one and only chance to sit in the good seats!). So that's what I'll be doing Saturday night.

In between those times, there will be other lunches, workshops, drinks, meetings, and general fun. I KNOW what it's like when we writers get together. DC won't know what hit it.

Finally, on Sunday, I get to play tourist before flying home on Monday. The idea, being time-challenged, is to take a bus tour and get on and off, much like I did in London. Keep your fingers crossed the weather is kind to me.

I'm going to have a wonderful time. And then I'm going to see my kids' shining faces when I return and be very, very glad to be home again. :-)

Look No Further... - Christina Hollis

…for more good reasons to read romance. When the weather’s murky and the economy shows no signs of improving, it’s an ideal way to relax and raise your spirits. First, there’s the pleasure of browsing the book shop shelves. Nowadays you can leaf online, too! Then there’s the delight of plunging into the story. Romantic novels are the ideal way to escape the everyday, and enter a world of dreams. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve taken a break from the housework, abandoning it for the pleasures of a dashing sheik or brooding Greek.

Romance is a very popular way of cheering ourselves up. Recent research conducted by Book Marketing Limited for the Romantic Novelists' Association showed the romantic fiction market to be worth £118million a year, and growing. For a small sum (or even for free, if there’s a lending library nearby) anyone can indulge their favourite fantasy, or discover a new one. Best of all, there’s the assurance that whatever the romantic strife, it will always reach a satisfying conclusion. In my view, there’s only one thing better than reading romance, and that’s writing it. I can let my imagination go wild. Developing new characters and then setting them down to sort out their conflicts in a place I love is a wonderful job. When I was working on The Ruthless Italian’s Inexperienced Wife, I found the perfect way to get myself in the mood for writing. There’s a lane not far away from here that runs through an avenue of lime trees. At this time of year they are in full flower. The perfume is wonderful, and to walk in their shade on a hot afternoon when they are humming with millions of bees is heavenly. It was so relaxing, I gave my hero Marco some lime trees outside his grand house. Now, when you read The Ruthless Italian’s Inexperienced Wife, you’ll know where I got the idea!

Christina

www.christinahollis.com

Whooping it up in Washington!

by Anna Campbell

When you read this, I will have become an international woman of mystery.

Well, at least an international woman!

Every July, Romance Writers of America host a huge convention in the States and for the last few years, I've been lucky enough to go. Wow, is it a shock to my usually hermit-like system.

Thousands of romance writers, all completely overexcited like toddlers drinking red coridal at the kindy Christmas break-up. People you love but only ever see once a year. A week where I talk romance fiction nonstop with writers and fans and industry bods.

If anyone is in the Washington area on Wednesday, 15th July, make sure you come to the author signing to benefit literacy charities. Every romance author you ever wanted to meet will be there (well, perhaps not EVERY one but enough to make your heart beat faster!). Details here.

The conference is huge fun as well as a great networking opportunity and learning curve. There are fantastic workshops (most of which I never seem to get to although my intentions are good - darn you, hotel bar!) and lots and lots of parties.

One of my favorite parties is the big awards night which is the culmination of the conference on Saturday night. This year I'm all excited - a lot of my friends are up for the Golden Heart (unpublished) and the RITA Award (published). I'm also lucky enough to the guest of RITA nominee for Best Regency Romance Christine Wells for the ceremony which means I get to sit up the front and drool over all the stars. Yeah, I agree, not an attractive picture.

Christine's THE DANGEROUS DUKE finaled this year and I'm so excited for her as it's a fabulous book, witty and passionate and romantic.

until recently, I'd never visited the U.S. and I find it an absolutely fascinating country. I always try and tag a few extra days on to do some sightseeing. Last year, as many of you know, I got to explore the area around San Francisco. This year, I'm so looking forward to checking out a few things in the national capital and its adjacent area.

Of course, there are too many wonderful sites in Washington for anyone (and particularly a history geek like me) to cover in merely a couple of days but I'm looking forward to getting a taste of the place. I'm hoping to hit a couple of art museums and the White House (still to be confirmed) and the monuments and the Library of Congress. A writer HAS to go to the Library of Congress!

Lovely romantic and talented suspense author and fellow Romance Bandit Jeanne Adams (her latest book DARK AND DEADLY has just hit the shelves - another treat!) has offered to drive me around a few places outside the city.
Something I'm particularly looking forward to seeing is Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home and estate. Several years ago, I remember seeing a marvellous documentary by Ken Burns about Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson has always been someone I've admired without necessarily knowing a lot abouthim. What an amazing man (obviously not perfect, but who is?). So clever and interested in absolutely everything and such vision for the future.

So have you been to Washington D.C.? If you have, what was the best thing you saw/attended/experienced? If you haven't been, what would you most like to see? The Smithsonian? The White House? The Washington Monument? Inquiring minds want to know!

Getting Ready For Nationals - Kimberly Van Meter

Sometimes I envy the relatively simple process men enjoy when preparing to travel. As I prepare to leave for the Romance Writers of America National conference, I’m struck by how much there is to do and how I should’ve started preparing way before this moment. You see, I think women are the only ones who stress about things that are fairly ridiculous in the big scheme of things.

To put it into perspective: North Korea might very well be readying to blow the United States (or at least some part of it) to the hereafter yet, the networks are too busy going over the minutia of Michael Jackson’s funeral arrangements to bother with something so boring, hence it makes perfect sense that I’m fretting over all the pampering that still needs to be done before I’m ready to make my entrance among my writer/author friends. I’m completely guilty. I am more worried that my aesthetician will manage to squeeze me in before I leave when I really should just make do with a good facial scrub and moisturizer and call it a day. I’m being completely frivolous and I admit it. Does that count for something? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Internally, I’m rolling my eyes at my own foolish primping I’m not going to stop. And I know I’m not alone. My friends are tweeting and posting on Facebook, listservs and IMs how appointments have been made at the hair dresser, manicurist, and shopping trips have either been scheduled or finished, all in prep for this major event.

So what’s the big deal? I’m a wash-and-wear kinda girl. I choose comfort over fashion most days and I rarely bother with make-up during the work week, yet during National I’m a diva of the primped, coiffed, and stylized (well, my version anyhow) of the jet set. It makes no sense. I have new clothes to purchase, dresses to squeeze myself into, new make-up sets to put together, hairstyles to try out, new shoes and bag to match my outfits, not to mention all the accessories that go into putting together a fashionable look and let me tell you, this stuff is not cheap. So not only am I going to all this effort for a week’s worth of activity that I don’t bother with the rest of the year, I’m spending a fortune to do it. It’s crazy.

My husband, on the other hand, is content with throwing deodorant, assorted toiletries, just enough clothes, one pair of shoes into the suitcase, and he’s ready to rock and roll.There’s no need for fancy haircuts, a massage, a pedicure, fake tan, new clothes or some ridiculous compulsion to diet one week before leaving.

Oh well. It is what it is.

So, let’s commiserate together. Tell me, if you’re going to National, what prep you’ve undergone and if you’re not going to National, share your war stories of another event you had to go into hyperdrive to attend with any measure of success. One lucky poster will receive a free copy of my July Harlequin Superromance novel, KIDS ON THE DOORSTEP.

Kimberly
http://www.kimberlyvanmeter.com/

***The winner is Rachie G!*** Congratulations! You should have an email from Kimberly soon. :) Thanks to everyone who left a comment! For questions, please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com - Thanks!!