Karen White - Paranormal Grit Lit - Really??

I’m known for writing ‘grit lit’—Southern women’s fiction.  My books are recognized not only by their Southern setting and characters, but also by their emotional intensity.  From my very first book (a time-travel historical published in 2000), that has been my trademark and what my readers look for in all of the books I write.  And believe me, an author doesn’t ever want to mess with reader’s expectations!

So when I proposed the idea for the first book in my Tradd Street series, THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET, to my agent, she was a little leery at first—especially after I told her that I wanted to make this into a series.  She couldn’t have been too surprised, though.  In the last eleven years I’ve published fourteen books:  a time-travel historical, a gothic romance ala Victoria Holt, two contemporary romance/mainstream fiction novels, eight “grit-lit” books, and two “paranormal/grit-lit” novels. I’m not one for sticking to the tried and true, I guess!

In this series (THE GIRL ON LEGARE STREET is the second book, and THE STRANGERS ON MONTAGU STREET will be published November 1st of 2011), I’ve blended my favorite elements of ‘grit-lit’ but threw in my passion for old houses, the city of Charleston, a lot of history, mystery, and ghosts.  The main characters are multi-layered with a lot of emotional baggage (ala Karen White books), but their dialogue is lighter, and snarkier, than my readers are probably used to.  And, yes, my protagonist, Melanie Middleton, sees dead people.

So, how did I sell this idea as a marketable proposal to not only myself but to my agent and editor?  After all, isn’t the publishing industry married to the ‘tried and true’ despite their insistence that they want something ‘fresh and new’?  I made a deal with the devil (figuratively, of course).  I promised my editor that I could still do a ‘grit lit’ novel every year—if I could just be allowed to sneak in these cool women’s fiction/paranormal mystery books in between.  Seeing as how my books are usually around 150,000+ words, it was no mean feat promising two in a single calendar year.  But I believed in this project and I signed the deal.  It didn’t hurt that I’m the mother of two teenagers so that the need to escape to my “happy place” of writing is an almost constant one. ☺

I am blessed with a really wonderful editor who likes what I write and trusts me a great deal.  I think all of us (me, my agent and my editor) were holding our collective breaths as I worked on the first book in the series, hoping it would live up to its promise of being a book that my current readers would enjoy as well as one that would attract new readers.  After all, I’ve always had a dash of the paranormal as well as a mystery in all of my books—this one just had a little more.

I’ll admit that I had a lot of fun writing the first three books and especially THE STRANGERS ON MONTAGU STREET.  I really know these characters at this point, almost like they’re family, and they truly do lead the story and I let them!  These books are a little lighter in tone than my other books, and the dialogue between the two protagonists, Melanie and Jack, was the most fun I’ve had between the pages of a book in a long time.  With ‘bated breath, I turned in the book and waited.

Luckily for me, my agent and editor loved the book as much as I did and they reinforced the decision to keep my name for this series because it was definitely a ‘Karen White’ book—recognizable by not only the southern setting but by likeable but flawed characters who have to work through internal and external conflicts—including a ghostly presence who’s not all that nice.  Each book has its own self-contained mystery, but the characters change, evolve, and grow over the course of the entire four book series (the fourth book will be released in 2013).  I even have a cute catch phrase for them:  “Sixth Sense meets National Treasure meets Castle.”  I wasn’t a marketing major in college for nothing!

So, did I pull it off?  Did I manage to merge women’s fiction with a paranormal romance?  I think so, and judging by readers’ reactions, they agree.  Nobody really knows what to call this series—and that’s okay because I don’t know either.  Maybe my books will be the beginning of a whole new genre!  My publisher was pleased with the response and what was initially only supposed to be a two-book series became four.  It’s not too much of a hardship for me since Charleston is one of my favorite cities.  From the first time I visited about fourteen years ago, I knew it had a special place in my heart and I look forward to each trip I make from Atlanta to “research.”

Regardless of what genre people call my books, I’d like to believe that with each and every one of them I have achieved the goal that I set for myself every time I sit down to write:  to create characters readers will care about, and put them in a story that will make my readers feel every emotion, want to turn the pages, and give them a sigh of satisfaction when they get to the end.  And that’s really what it’s all about in the end, isn’t it?

A Brand New World by Michelle Styles

On the first of October, I delivered my daughter to university as it happens it is the same university where I spent my third year and met my husband.  My son had gone two years previously but I discovered that sending daughters to university is a whole other ballgame.  The relationship is different. My daughter at least was far more around. My son was often at work or on the computer.

Anyway, I also quickly discovered that it is a brand new world. Many of the buildings remain the same but the methods of communication are so different. In many ways, the entire experience has changed.

It is a world of texts,  emails and slides from lectures being put online. It is a world where all students are expected to have access to a computer. The university does provide some but most students have their laptops. Rather congregating in a lounge to watch television, my children are able to access iplayer and can watch the various programmes at their convenience.  Best of all for me is skype which enables me to have real time video conversations with them. I am able to see their rooms with the posters.  It amused me no end that both ended with variations of the Keep Calm Poster. My son’s reads Keep Calm and Carry On. My daughter’s Keep Calm and Eat A Cupcake. The sentiments reflect their personalities. And it does my heart good to see their faces. Back twenty five years ago, I was lucky to get letters and the occasional phone call after I had found the change for the public telephone. There was no such thing as phones in the rooms or mobiles. Personal computers were something the college owned etc. Email was just starting and intra campus. It was truly a different world. When I found out last Friday that my latest manuscript was accepted, all it took was a single email to my daughter and she was on skype, ready to celebrate.

Some things do, however, remain the same.  I fully anticipate in time she will discover the joys of late night conversations over mugs of hot tea, afternoon naps when you have no lectures  as well the dreaded all nighter when the computer has inexplicitly eaten your essay and the whole  wonderful world of higher education and stretching her mind. Already my daughter has learnt that if you set your alarm clock, you do have to turn the alarm on. Also that if you are making cheese on toast, it is helpful to turn the grill on. (We have an Aga which is always on and so she has never experienced an electric cooker).  And milk does go off if left for a week. She also learnt that Freshers’ week was full of lots of people trying desperately hard to be social while really missing home. She discovered that drinking takes money and decided that cake, chocolate and romance novels were more important to her than booze.

It is a brave new world out there but some things are timeless.

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance for Harlequin Historical. Her latest book To Marry A Matchmaker was released in the UK in July 2011 and in Australia in September 2011. To learn more about Michelle's books, visit her website www.michellestyles.co.uk

Stella MacLean: A Taste For Life

I love being a grandmother, and some of my best moments have come from the things they say and do.

A beautiful, funny little eight-year-old girl who has a distinct preference when it comes to her day was walking to school one morning and was overheard telling her friend, “I don’t do mornings.  I wish school started after lunch.”

On the subject of school, one of my little people started school, and for several days dutifully went to the large brick building a few blocks away.  When he was asked how he liked school, he responded as only a six-year-old kid could.  “Fine, but how much longer do I have to do this?”

One day our son was scolding his children about something, when one of the six-year-old twins from the back seat of the van offered the perfect defense.  “Dad, we’re just kids.”

I was driving my four-year-old granddaughter after a downpour in which a huge rainbow formed in the sky just ahead of us.  From the backseat, a little voice asked, “Grammy, what makes a rainbow?”  I began my long explanation about water and light, when I was interrupted again from the back seat with this: “No Grammy, it comes from the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, didn’t you know that?”

Stella MacLean’s next Super Romance will be out in November 2012, a Christmas story about a man and a woman who meet in somewhat unusual circumstances.

Anna Campbell: Kitchen Appliance Lurve!

by Anna Campbell

This is a photo of the corner of my kitchen.

Do you notice the beautiful silvery thing that looks like a spaceship? That's the new love of my life - my Russell Hobbs kettle!

By the way, when I tell you I drink tea A LOT when I'm working, check out the teabag container! Clearly that statement is no exaggeration.

I've been eyeing RH kettles for years now but I've always been sensible and economical and bought the cheaper plastic Sunbeam jug (do you guys have these brands? I suspect you do!). You know, it's something to boil water. No need to go overboard!

Here's a photo of the jug that died recently on me.

Definitely functional!

But not a source of aesthetic pleasure.

Like my new kettle.

I LOVE my new kettle. I love its shiny beauty. I love the fact that it pours like a dream. I love the way that black handle curves into my hand. I love that it turns my teamaking into an event.

Yes, I am officially tragic. What can I say?

Although that might be a case of the pot calling the kettle silver!

The Russell Hobbs kettle was considerably more expensive than the Sunbeam number but I rationalized that by reminding myself over the million cups of tea it will make in its lifetime, that's going to work out as less than a cent a cup.

My farming family background insists on frugality where possible, so I felt very extravagant when I bought the silver monster. And I'm so glad I did.

Just at the moment, I'm nose to grindstone in the deadline cave - don't even have time for Sven, the Swedish masseur in the Romance Bandits lair, to give me a massage. That's seriously busy! My lovely new kettle really brightens my early morning shift when bleary-eyed, I shuffle out to have my first cup of tea for the day.

Russell, I officially have a crush on you! I'm off to carve our initials in a heart into a gum tree.

So do you have something workaday in your house that you love? A new fridge? A new washing machine? A handsome husband? Snork! Please don't make me the only kitchen appliance tragic in the entire world! It might drive me to drink - TEA of course!

Do you tattoo? - Kandy Shepherd

Have you noticed how mainstream tattoos are these days? It’s more a question of which celebrity doesn’t have a tattoo than who does. Forget rock stars, rebels and gang members—middle-class suburban women are apparently the fastest growing group of people getting tattooed.

JOHNNY DEPP:"MY BODY IS A JOURNAL"

I’m sometimes surprised at the otherwise conservative women I know who sport ink. One friend has an intricate design on her upper arm that incorporates her children’s names. Another, an inspirational quote in beautiful calligraphy on the inside of her wrist that lifts her spirits when she’s down. Another has extensive, intricate body art to commemorate milestones in her life—she’s running out of skin!
 
Me, I’m way too chicken to contemplate the pain and permanence of a tattoo. I shudder at the thought of the hour of needling it takes for even a small one. Not to mention the expense. (If I’m going to have needling, I’d rather it was the cosmetic, wrinkle-reducing kind!)
 

ACTRESS EVAN RACHEL WOLD

But that doesn’t stop me admiring a well-done tattoo—particularly on a hunky male body. I’ve noticed more tattooed characters in romances—particularly heroes with bold inked patterns that serve to emphasize their toughness and masculinity. I'm seeing them in urban fantasy, paranormal, military and some historicals. 

Book cover designer Kim Killion from HotDamn Designs says she’s seen an increase in tats on cover heros. “Tattoos are a sign of a bad boy which is appealing to some women. In historical books, tattoos can also represent status.”
 
Kim says she cringes when her models show up with ink to a cover shoot. “It’s not that I don’t like the tattoo, it’s just that what they have will never match the tat on the character for the cover. Nine times out of ten the ink has to come off and a new tat put on. Not easy.” She’s talking removal and replacement via Photoshop, of course! 
 
Kim also writes award-winning Scottish historicals as Kimberly Killion. “My heroes tend to wear ink, but it always has a meaning. The tat always has a story of its own.” Check out the Celt-inspired tattoos on her cover hero in His Magick Touch.
 
I’d got right down to the final draft of my contemporary romance The Castaway Bride, before I realized my hero Matt Slade needed a tattoo. He’d worked on building construction sites since he was fifteen years old. How could he not have ink? I gave him a magnificent eagle across his back. He’d rescued and healed an injured eagle and its soaring flight to freedom inspired him to overcome his difficult childhood and achieve heights he could never have imagined. It wasn’t a gratuitous tattoo but part of his story. And it’s hot!
 
I also gave a character in my romantic comedy for Berkley Sensation Home Is Where the Bark Is a prison-inked tattoo on his wrist that gave away his role in an identity fraud. Quite a different characterization!
 
I’ll leave the final word on tattoos to two celebrities famous for their ink.
 
“Usually all my tattoos came at good times. A tattoo is something permanent when you’ve made a self-discovery.” Angelina Jolie 
 
“My body is a journal in a way. It’s like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist.” Johnny Depp

BRAD HAS TATS, TOO

What are your thoughts on tattoos? Do you have one yourself? Have you had a tattoo you regret? Is a romance hero with a tattoo a turn-on or a turn-off? Should people think before they ink? I’m giving away a free e-book of The Castaway Bride to anyone who comments here over the next five days via a coupon for Smashwords where you can download the book in a format to suit any e-reader or PC. Be sure to leave your email address if you would like the free download.
 
The Castaway Bride is my first foray into the exciting world of indie publishing and is only available as an e-book at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and other e-book retailers. It’s on sale for the bargain introductory price of $0.99c 
 
http://www.kandyshepherd.com
 

 

 

Christina Hollis: New Season, New Book, New Projects...

As I write this, we are is basking in a real Indian summer. Temperatures have been in the mid seventies to low eighties, a good ten degrees warmer than usual. The last time figures like these were recorded was over a hundred years ago. They say the English are obsessed with the weather, but on a glorious day like this  it’s difficult think about anything else.  There’s an avenue of lime trees not far from here that have featured in several of my books. In high summer bees can’t resist their flowers, and at the days grow shorter their leaves turn bright butter yellow before falling. The display usually lasts until the final leaf falls, but this year they turned brown and crisp within days.   It’s the heat.  The local farm has a chain of ponds leading from a little spring, and the water level has dropped so dramatically they are little more than muddy puddles. My grandfather used to say ‘There’s nothing so repays the debt as wet to dry, or dry to wet’ and with snow forecast within the next few weeks, I’m sure we’ll all be complaining about the cold and damp soon. It’s a job to know what to eat at the moment: the pumpkins and squashes are at their best but it seemed odd the other night to be having roasted butternut soup with pesto rolls. Meanwhile the last tomatoes are ripening, so who knows if we’ll be warning up with hot tomato soup next week or cooling down with gazpacho? 

I couldn’t live without writing, so it’s a continuous process for me. At the moment I’m working on the synopsis of a new Modern Romance while my most recent manuscript is under editorial review. In between puzzling over character outlines and motivations, I’m doing a blog tour to promote my most recent Harlequin Mills and Boon title, Weight of the Crown. I’m appearing at J.L. Campbell’s beautifully illustrated Character Depot, http://thecharacterdepot.blogspot.com/ on October 10th, while on 13th October I’m spending break time at The Writing Playground http://writingplayground.com/. I hope you’ll come and join me - my tour runs from now until mid December, when there will be a grand draw for the prize of a Christmas stocking filled with Weight of the Crown themed treats. The names of everyone who comments on my blogs during this blog tour will be entered, and the winner will be drawn during my wrap party on 15th December. If you go to http://rbpp-ch.blogspot.com/ and my website at http://www.christinahollis.com you’ll be able to find out more about Weight of the Crown and see a list of my upcoming blog dates. I really enjoy hearing from you!

The title of this blog is New Season, New Book, New Projects...because I’ve been so wrapped up in work and my busy bees this year I’ve rather neglected my poor old house and garden.  Now the nights are drawing in, the honey harvest has been processed and all the beehives made ready for winter, I’ve decided to try and get a bit more domesticated. I’ve actually managed to keep on top of the housework for almost two weeks now - which is some sort of a record! - and a few day ago I got around to buying myself a sewing machine. Now I’m ready, willing and equipped to start replacing all the curtains, drapes and linen around the house. All I need now is some inspiration, and I’m hoping you can help. 

What is your favourite online resource for sewing and crafts?

Christina Hollis writes Modern Romance for Harlequin Mills and Boon. Her most recent titles are The Count's Challenge for Harlequin Presents Extra(USA) and Weight of the Crown for Harlequin Mills and Boon Limited (UK)

You can catch up with her latest news at:

Website: http://www.christinahollis.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/christinabooks

Facebook: http://bit.ly/9rv4df

Blog: http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com

Tumblr: http://christinahollis.tumblr.com

The Temptation of Immortality by Marie Treanor

For me, this month is one of both celebration and sadness. Celebration because BLOOD ETERNAL has just been released  (Yay! Champagne!). And sadness, because  BLOOD ETERNAL is the finale of the Awakened by Blood trilogy, and this is where I say goodbye to Elizabeth and Saloman and the other characters of the Awakened by Blood series who’ve become almost like my family over the last two years.

Of course, I can’t prevent the story continuing in my head, so they’re more immortal than dead to me J. Which brings me to one of Elizabeth’s dilemmas in this final book. If you’ve read BLOOD SIN, the second of the trilogy, you’ll know that Elizabeth found herself wanting Saloman to offer to “turn” her, because it would prove the depth of his feelings for her. Although she had no intention of accepting, the offer would have meant a lot to her – only of course, Saloman, who is nothing if not unpredictable, never made it.

Nevertheless, in BLOOD ETERNAL, Elizabeth finds herself thinking again about the temptation of immortality, more especially as she’s suffering periodic burst of unexplained illness, and prophecies of her death lurk in the background. As readers, we imagine that the only real possibility of happiness between a human and vampire has to be found by the human “turning”. And yet, despite her love for Saloman, vampirism goes as much against Elizabeth’s beliefs as Saloman’s ambitions of world domination. But should she turn?

In the words of the Queen song: Who wants to live forever? Would you?

Obviously, while wrestling with Elizabeth’s dilemma, and how it affects Saloman, I’ve had to think a lot about the pros and cons to vampiric immortality. So here are some of my thoughts, first of all, in favour of “turning”.

As a vampire, you would stay young and healthy, gain experience, and the wisdom of the old with all the health of the young. How often have you heard an elderly person complaining that youth is too precious to be wasted on the young? Imagine enjoying the best of both worlds!
Then, if you find your eternal love, it really would be eternal. There would be no death to part you – always excepting the unforeseen stake through the heart! There is a romantic attraction to this concept that goes way beyond simply not dying. We want to believe our great love will live forever.
Finally, as a vampire, you have other gifts – in the Awakened by Blood world these include a greater sensitivity, more powerful senses, greater physical strength, telepathy and possibly other psychic talents. Imagine using such formidable gifts not for your own selfish ends but for the good of the world. Who needs more justification than that?

But then, of course, we have the cons to immortality, not least of which is, according to many, spiritual damnation. Extending your existence beyond death is surely a sin against God, religion and nature.

More practically, there’s the boredom element. After a couple of centuries, surely there can’t be much new to experience. Wouldn’t you get bored doing the same old stuff, going to the same old places, with the same old undead, time after time? It’s one of the downsides that Saloman acknowledges in the books, along with the curse of insanity, which stems from the same route and which was responsible for his Ancient race dying out.

Also, as you stayed young and healthy, you’d be doomed to watch the friends and family you love die. Not just the older generation, but those your own age and younger, possibly even your kids and grandchildren etc.

And finally, there’s the matter of vampire nature. To continue your existence, you’d be forced to drink human blood every night. Leaving aside the “ee-eew” reaction, this might prove a trifle inconvenient. One of Elizabeth’s concerns is the possibility of personality change with the “turning” – would you not grow ruthless and vampiric, with evil, selfish ends, totally unlike the human you once were? Would you really want that?

Well, I’ll leave it up to you J. Would you take immortality at that price? Any other pros or cons to add to my list?

Marie

www.marietreanor.com

Celebrating Creativity

As an author, creativity is very important. I don't understand it well, but without it there would be no art or music or stories. . . or computer programs. Though technology sometimes mystifies and confuses me, I understand that it is simply hands-on creativity. When some new piece of technology hits the market (like this week's new version of the iPhone or the new Gears of War game), I shake my head at the ability of some people to make their dreams into a portable, usable format and share it with the world in general. And, as an author, I guess I do that, too!

Very few people in the world personify creativity as much as Steve Jobs did -- his creations changed the world in which we live and in which our children and grandchildren will live.

So, the announcement that Steve Jobs died hit me more than I thought it would.

It's not as though I knew the man personally or even followed him closely, so this gut reaction surprised me. I've been watching all the news bits about him, about his history, about the technology he's created or shepherded into existence and about how his many innovations came about. I find it interesting to see how much creativity is celebrated and honored by him and his life.

I want to share a couple of quotes of his -- this one about how Apple merged creativity with technology --

"Picasso had a saying. He said 'Good artists copy, great artists steal.' And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas. ... I think part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians and poets and artists and zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world."

And this one -- about loving what you do--

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

Both of those are inspirational to a writer like me -- reminders that unless we follow those voices in our heads and move in the direction our hearts send us, we will never be all that we can be. I don't consider Steve Jobs a saint, but I do think he's changed the world for the better and that's something I'd like to be able to say about my own life, too.

So, in honor of the man, I'm going off to let my creativity flow and to let those voices in my head and the dream in my heart show me the way.....I'm going to spend the day writing.

Do you consider yourself creative? What is your special creative power? Do you create words, pictures, ideas, people, gadgets, calm or what? Post a note and I'll pick a commentor to win a $15 iTunes gift card (I mean, really, what else could I do?!)....



Terri is busy working on her next Harlequin Historical - a new Highlander series! - coming in 2012. Her recent release, MISTRESS OF THE STORM from Kensington Brava, is available in print and digital formats and her short story KIDNAPPING THE LAIRD is available in digital formats! Visit her website for more info about her and her books.

Two Hundred Years of Wedding Dresses

It's spring 'down under' and three days ago, I had a short break with the family. We headed to a regional country town in my state called Bendigo.  During the gold rush a lot of money poured out of the Bendigo hills and as a result it has the most beautiful Victorian buildings for a town of its size. Today, Bendigo's economy is heavily underpinned by tourism and they have a very dynamic art gallery director. The current exhibition, all the way from London's Victoria and Albert museum is called 'The White Wedding Dress' and it has dresses dating back more than 200 years. Not all of the dresses are white. Did you know Queen Victoria is responsible for the tradition of the white wedding dress?

I am a sucker for a wedding dress, and in my book Boomerang Bride, Matilda wore a vintage dress. It seemed obvious to me that I had to go this exhibition. My teenage boys were not so certain so I sent them to the science Discovery Centre.

As well as dresses, there were shoes, gloves, bonnets and handbags. The beadwork on some of the dresses was amazing. Some dresses were  over the top for me and others too plain but all were a fascinating snap-shot of their time. I learned all sorts of things including the rise of the 'celebrity' bride. I thought it a recent phenomena but no, it dates  back to the 1900s.

The best way to describe this exhibition and to show you some of the dresses is this You Tube video clip. Enjoy!

Fiona Lowe is an award-winning, multi-published author of romance fiction with Harlequin Mills & Boon and Carina Press.  When she’s not writing stories, she’s a weekend wife, a mother of two boys, and she’s trying really hard to instill in them heroic characteristics like cooking and ironing.  She’s an avid reader, a guardian of 80 rose bushes, attempts to stay fit and is often seen collapsed on the couch with a glass of wine.  She hangs out at Face book, Twitter and loves to hear from readers and writers. This month she has two books out! Boomerang Bride and Career Girl in the Country



Donna Alward: Behind the Book - Off the Clock

A few years ago a friend of mine was in a terrible accident. She came out of it with "minor" injuries, but it was very traumatic. You see, she was hit by a drunk driver. She was pregnant. And her two other children were in the car.

Luckily everyone made it out okay, but it did start the ball rolling into some really tough times for that family.

So let's flip to something completely separate - my love for a man in uniform. Soldiers, flyboys, cops, firemen, EMTs....yeah. I'd been toying with the idea of writing a First Responders series for a long time. I had an idea but I had no story. I knew I wanted a story for each profession of paramedic, cop, and fireman. But that was all I had.

Finally, last year, it came to me. But it wasn't like it popped into my head as a fully formed idea. At first I thought...what if the paramedic witnesses an accident and steps in to save the heroine - who is pregnant? (see, now you get the tie in with the first part of this story).

Talk about setting myself up for trouble. First of all, I had about 25000 words to write it (as it's a novella). I have a woman pregnant with another man's child. And romance is the furthest thing from her mind as she's sitting in her car, injured.

And by the way, is a woman pregnant with another man's child even ATTRACTIVE to a man?

I had some work to do.

I had to ask myself a lot of questions. Who is the daddy and why is he not there? I figured that out and phew, that was covered. Then I thought...who is the paramedic and why would he care for the heroine beyond that of a patient? And then I figured that out - and gave them a history. A history that would mean that seeing Gabe's face is the best-and worst-thing that could happen to her.

But the writing troubles weren't over. Can a post-natal sleep-deprived mom even be thinking about love?

Well, eventually it seems she can. Especially when it's Gabe, who is willing to take it slow and steady.

Sometimes the books that are the biggest challenges turn out to be the ones we enjoy writing the most. I know I enjoyed writing OFF THE CLOCK and I'm definitely enjoying writing the next one, IN THE LINE OF DUTY.

OFF THE CLOCK released yesterday from Samhain Publishing and it's also available on amazon and other ebook sellers. :-) You can read an excerpt on my website.

Maggie Robinson: Does Age Matter?

Happy October! It’s my favorite month—my birthday month, not that that excites me too much anymore. There will be so many candles on my cake I’ll need to notify the fire department to stand by. Hopefully, they’ll send some hot firemen. ;)

I’m rather “mature.” I began my writing career at an age when a lot of people are thinking of retirement. In the past year and a half, I’ve had five historical romance novels and two novellas published under my two personae, Maggie Robinson and Margaret Rowe. To say I’m thrilled is an understatement. I’ve got four more releases to come, and am busy dreaming up something for 2013 and beyond!

My latest book is Mistress by Marriage (Brava, September 2011). It starts off six years into an unhappy marriage, an odd place to begin a romance. My characters are mature, too. The hero Edward is forty; his wife Caroline is thirty-one. I’ve been thanked by several readers for writing “grown-ups.” Here’s the back cover blurb:

Too late for cold feet

Baron Edward Christie prided himself on his reputation for even temperament and reserve. That was before he met Caroline Parker. Wedding a scandalous beauty by special license days after they met did not inspire respect for his sangfroid. Moving her to a notorious lovebirds’ nest as punishment for her flighty nature was perhaps also a blow. And of course talk has gotten out of his irresistible clandestine visits. Christie must put his wife aside—if only he can get her out of his blood first.

Too hot to refuse

Caroline Parker was prepared to hear the worst: that her husband had determined to divorce her, spare them both the torture of passion they can neither tame nor escape. But his plan is wickeder than any she’s ever heard. Life as his wife is suffocating. But she cannot resist becoming her own husband’s mistress…

Of course they eventually find a way to blend Edward’s frosty reserve and Caro’s tropical heat, and it was enormous fun to play marriage counselor to them both, LOL.

I’m curious—do the ages of the hero and heroine matter to you when you select a book? How old is too old? How young is too young? (I just finished writing a nineteen year old heroine  and kept worrying the thirty-three year old hero was robbing the cradle, although I know that can be a typical age spread in historical romances.) One commenter will get a signed copy of Mistress by Marriage!

For book excerpts and more information, please visit www.maggierobinson.net

Book Apps -- Susanna Carr

I was reading an article in the USA Today about "The 10 Coolest Book Apps for Fall." I couldn't imagine there was much competition, but oh, I was so wrong. Book apps now include:

Archival film footage, audio recordings, color animation, instructional videos, interactive maps, interactive quizzes, read-aloud options in children's books, social network integration, study tools and virtual tours

Wow! Those are cool book apps, and I'm sure the article was just a small sampling of what is available. But I have to wonder if that many bells and whistles are a good thing. I don't know if I want these many distractions when I simply want to read a book.

And I can't help but notice that the emphasis is on multimedia. That's great, but is the written word no longer enough? Even the journalist who wrote the article wonders if the definition of a book is changing!

And What Happened Next . .. By Kate Walker

Why do we read novels?  To relax?  To escape from the stresses and  troubles of the world? (I’ve been trying to do that with a lot of things this year!)  To learn new things?  To indulge in fantasy? 

All of those, I’m sure – but for me the most important part of reading fiction is  because my curiosity is  sparked, I get involved with the characters, I start out on a journey with them. I watch the hero and heroine of a story  meet, get to know each other – then something comes between them – a problem develops – they argue . . .and what happens next?   That’s what keeps me turning the pages. I want to know what happens next.

Of course, in  a romance novel, we already know how the story is going to end. That’s the promise that Harlequin, and the author, makes to the reader – that no matter what happens to the hero and heroine along the way, they will end up with a happy ever after ending. But we want to know  how they are going to get there – what happens next?

This is what got me fascinated by Wuthering Heights - When I was eleven, I was  at a very small junior school that was in an old building, where the wiring wasn't very reliable. The was in West Yorkshire where the weather was often wild, and storms could break over the hills with great drama and  force.  One day there was a huge thunderstorm, great flashes of lightning, and the lights in the whole building fused.  We were sitting in darkness, with  a lot of the girls getting scared and screaming when the thunder roared and the lightning flashed. (Not me - I have always loved storms and still do.)

To distract us from getting worried and while waiting for the electricity to be restored, the teacher - told us to sit quietly and he would tell us a story.  The story he told was about a man who returned home to his farm, high on the Yorkshire moors, bringing with him an orphan gipsy boy he has found in the streets of Liverpool . The farmer already had a son and daughter, Hindley and Catherine - and the gipsy boy's name was of course Heathcliff. This story was the beginning of the classic romantic novel  - Wuthering Heights.

I never got to hear the end of the story that day because the lights came back on before my teacher had got past the point where Heathcliff and Cathy fight, and Heathcliff runs away,  to go and make his fortune. I never learned what happened when he came back - because it was  obvious that he did come back - and I always wanted to know.  But of course most of the story of Heathcliff's revenge was probably not suitable for young children.

But the story stayed with me and I wanted to know so much about it.  I wanted to know what happened next.   It was some years later that I found a book on my mother's bookshelf and, opening it, saw the names I remembered so well. I started to read  - and didn't put it down until I had finished. It was an amazing story - but  it never had the happy ending that I had hoped for. 

So I was excited when editorial told me about the mini series The Powerful and the Pure  where authors were inspired by the classic stories of romantic fiction and using them as a  springboard created a whole new romance for the Presents line.  This time I could create my own ‘what happens next’ – the one that I’d been wanting to know about all that time when I was younger.

So I wrote The Return of the Stranger. It’s not Wuthering Heights – it’s a brand new story. You don’t need to know anything about the original to reader it. And, I hope enjoy it.  Lots of readers in the UK have already loved it - it was the #1 bestseller on  the Mills & Boon  website for the whole  month of August after its release here in the UK.  It also had a great five star review that said:

Mrs Walker triumphantly produces a powerful and intense novel which involves your emotions from start to finish. Heath is a super hero full of brooding passion and the delightful Katherine evokes your sympathy. Not to be missed - as they say they saved the best till last.

This blog is just one part of my great big blog tour (you can find the details here)  to celebrate the publication of The Return of the Stranger – so I hope you’ll join me as I  visit lots of different blogs all over the world.  There are  posts, writing advice – and lots of giveaways.  And talking of giveaways, I have a copy of my book Bedded By The Greek Billionaire  to give  away with this post – just tell me what is the latest  book  made you think ‘what happened next . . ‘  so that you couldn’t put it down but just had to keep turning the pages. And all the posters in the comments section will be put into a draw to win a copy of this book.

Kate Walker’s The Return of the Stranger is out now in the UK and published on October 4^th in Presents Extra in America or Sexy Romance in Australia. You can find out more details over on Kate's Web site – with all the most up to date news on her blog.

Jean Brashear: Rewriting The Past

  We all have times we wish for do-over, right? Only life seldom lets us. But recently I got my shot in the process of turning my first backlist book into an ebook.

Many writers re-release their classic romances unaltered, and maybe I should have followed suit. My first book, thankfully, received a lot of awards, including Romantic Times Top Pick, Drake Cullinane chosen as W.I.S.H. Hero, etc., so I knew the story was basically solid...

But.

As I re-read, I began to realize a) my writing has grown.

b) The ending is not the one I wanted.

And c) don't get me started on the title (The Bodyguard's Bride—nobody seemed to care that she's the bodyguard!)

My typing fingers began to itch.

Here's the deal: in 1998 my kickass heroine (so commonplace now) raised some eyebrows. I was asked to tone her down for fear that she'd be too strong for the hero. ::snort!::  I was green and I sure did want a second contract, but...

Keep in mind that this was a woman with the cojones to break into an arms dealer's compound as a job audition so she'd be in position to kill him to avenge her sister's murder. I was asked to have her leave at the end and wait for the hero to wrap everything up, then come tell her what happened.

I don't think so!

Eventually I worked out a compromise I could bear, but it was far from the ending I wanted.

Voila! Second chance!

My original ending had gone missing altogether, so I started over...but I think Jillian would like this one way better (instead of wanting to kick my a** for not being more like her in the first place)...and, trust me, Drake's still more than a match for her. J

Would you like to compare the endings? I have one copy of the original print book I will send to the winner of today's drawing!

She’s driven by vengeance; he’s driven by guilt. She’s out to kill the man he’s sworn to protect. White-hot attraction…dangerous secrets.  Only one can win, but both could die, depending upon…THE CHOICE

USA Today and Kindle bestselling author of 28 novels in romance and women's fiction, a three-time RITA finalist and Romantic Times BOOKReviews Career Achievement Award winner, Jean Brashear knows a lot about taking crazy chances. A lifelong avid reader, at the age of forty-five with no experience and no training, she decided to see if she could write a book. It was a wild leap that turned her whole life upside down, but she would tell you that though she's never been more terrified, she's never felt more exhilarated or more alive. She's an ardent proponent of not putting off your dreams until that elusive 'someday'--take that leap now.

***Jean picked BETH as the winner!  Congratulations, Beth!  Please email Jean at jean@jeanbrashear.com with your full name and mailing address so she can get the prize in the mail to you!***

Sylvia Day: What is it about the angel hero that’s so sexy?

There’s just something about ‘em. When I see a winged hot guy on a book cover or DVD case I always look twice. I can’t help it. They’re just so visually striking. But why? Why is a really sexy guy with wings sticking out of his back so delicious? Is it the mixture of naughty--washboard abs and golden skin--and nice--angelic wings? Or something else? What incites that double take?

The hero of my upcoming series launch, A Touch of Crimson, is an angel (as you can see by the cover). Adrian is sexy for a lot of reasons. He’d be sexy even if he wasn’t an angel. But as an angel...  wow. It’s got a lot to do with those gorgeous crimson-tipped wings of his. Not just the wings themselves, but how he uses them.

He uses them for flight, of course. His heroine, Lindsay, loves to fly with him, even though she’s afraid of heights. She loves the way his body feels against hers as he pushes through the air--she admires the strength required to lift their combined weight and she’s aroused by the powerful flexing of his muscles as he holds her tightly against him.

He uses them in battle. Adrian’s wings are his greatest weapon. They’re impervious to damage from mortal weapons and the tips slice like blades. When he pivots, they flow fluidly around him, like a cape. Lindsay is mesmerized by the way he fights, finding his agile movements lethally graceful, a deadly dance that’s both graceful and frightening.

He uses them to shield Lindsay, not just from danger but from the world at large. In intimate moments, he wraps them around her, creating a private space where nothing exists but the two of them.

Lindsay uses Adrian’s wings, too. As impervious as they are to damage, they’re highly sensitive to her touch. The lightest stroke of her fingertips brings him the greatest pleasure.

And when his wings aren’t needed, they dissipate like mist, allowing Adrian to move through society like anyone else. Although he could never really fit in. There’s just something about him...

So, if you’re an angel hero fan, what is it about them that does it for you? Is it the good boy gone bad? Or something else entirely? I’ve got a copy of MEN OUT OF UNIFORM to give away to one commenter!

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