What hue are you? - Kandy Shepherd

While sorting my clothes at change of season, I couldn’t help but be struck by the consistency of the colors in my closet. First up, black and more black—slimming (I hope!) and easy to coordinate. Dark charcoal. Then shades of navy, blue, lavender, purple and aqua, relieved by splashes of cream and pale caramel.

A selection from my clothes closet

All my colors come from the blue-indigo-violet end of the color spectrum. That’s what I wear. I long ago gave up experimenting with the red-orange-yellow end—pinks and oranges are just not me. Brown? So dull with my blue eyes, fair skin and auburn hair.

I found the colors so pleasing in this window box in Salem,  MA

Truth is, I just don’t feel comfortable outside my color comfort zone. And others seem to feel the same. One of my friends, a dark-eyed brunette, laughs when she sees the hues hanging in my closet—her collection of clothes is basically red, white and black. She wouldn’t be caught dead in my beloved purple.

This day lily is about as bright as I go--and it's in a blue pot!

I’m the same in the garden—I love pinks and purples and all shades in-between highlighted with splashes of white, orange and yellow. The exception? The deep glory of scarlet and crimson roses, judiciously placed. Not for me, riots of unrelieved red and yellow, though I truly appreciate their beauty.

Bright, breathtaking bouganvillea 

While I stick to my own colors for myself, I’m good at helping others choose the right shades for them—usually nothing like what I wear. (I had lots of practice organizing makeovers in my days as a magazine fashion editor). Colors I most liked dressing my daughter in when she was little? Red and hot pink—and she still looks fabulous in them.

A favorite corner of my garden

I love dressing the characters in my novels—it’s kind of like the fun I used to have dressing my dolls when I was a kid. Part of choosing my characters’ clothes (and accessories, mustn’t forget the accessories!) is making sure the colors suit both their hair, eyes and skin tone but also their personalities. One of my favorite heroines to dress, Serena in Home Is Where the Bark Is, starts the book hiding out in shapeless, colorless clothes and Birkenstocks, she ends it in sassy, sexy black and sky high stilettos with a slash of scarlet lipstick.

I’m giving the last word on color to this visitor to my garden this morning—an Australian lorikeet feasting on the nectar of flowers of a flame tree. What a color clash! And yet so beautiful.

The glorious plumage of a lorikeet feasting in a flame tree

What about you? Do you have a color comfort zone and stick with a family of colors in the clothes you wear, your house, your garden? Does it annoy you when a character in a book or movie dresses in the wrong color?

Please leave a comment to be in the draw to win a Love is a Four-Legged Word T-shirt. Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you want to be in the draw.

Kandy Shepherd writes fun, feel-good fiction. Her books include The Castaway Bride, Something About Joe, Love is a Four-Legged Word and Home Is Where the Bark Is—and you can enjoy reading them no matter what color you happen to be wearing at the time!

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

A Modern Christmas Tale

Down here, in Australia, November means the shops deck their halls and the junk mail/mail box flyers quadruple in volume. Christmas is truly on the agenda. Magazines are filled with home-made gift ideas and despite part of me thinking, 'Noooooo, it's too early to think about Christmas' I know that really it's not.

This year, things are busier than normal because between now and Christmas I have a son writing his final Year 12 exams (all 13 of them) and an insane bike ride to complete, so I am starting to feel the pressure to ‘get organised.’  

The first week of November means I have to soak the dried fruit for my Christmas cake in whiskey, rum, brandy, vanilla and lemon essence. It soaks for a month and I bake it at the start of December. This cake featured in my RITA award-winning novel, Boomerang Bride.  It also means that any gifts I want to order from the USA, like Lego...it is HEAPS cheaper on your side of the world...then I have to do it know so it arrives by December 25th.  November also means its time to plant the tomato seedlings and the basil...yes, it's spring 'Down Under.'

This year, November also means Newborn Baby for Christmas is out in the UK and the USA. I love Christmas and I loved writing this book. The idea came from the original Christmas story, starting with the virgin birth. Almost all the elements of the original Christmas story are in my very modern, 2012, Christmas tale, although no camels. ;-)

Reviews for this story have been very positive, "Mrs Lowe is on top form in this captivating story of long term friends progressing into lovers. The characters are normal everyday people whom you can easily identify with. " "There is only one word to describe this story;fantastic!" So what's it about? Hamish and Georgie have been friends for 14 years and now, both in their thirties, one of them is very keen to settle down although not with the other. Like many modern women, Georgie's biological clock is ticking and in 2012, women are not dependent on having a man in their life to have a child. When Georgie asks Hamish one of the biggest favours a friend can ever ask, he reluctantly agrees. He has one caveat- his family can never know. Both Georgie and Hamish have totally different plans for Christmas but the universe has another idea. Hamish finds himself living his worst nightmare. He's in the heart of his extended family at Christmas, and Georgie and their secret is there too. I hope you enjoy spending Christmas at Weeroona with the Pettigrew family and if you want to drink the wine they drink in the book, then check out Leura Park Estate whose motto, Life is short, celebrate well, is one we should take on board! I set this book very close to where I live, which is a beautiful coastal part of the world and it's full of Australian Christmas traditions. What is your favourite part in the run-up to Christmas? Leave a comment to do into a draw for an eBOOK editions of Newborn Baby For Christmas

I hope you enjoy reading Newborn Baby For Christmas as much as I enjoyed writing it. Fiona x Newborn Baby for Christmas is out now and available  as a physical book or an eBook. It's available Amazon UK & USA and from Harlequin.  Fiona Lowe is a RITA® and R*BY award-winning, multi-published author with Harlequin and Carina Press. Whether her books are set in outback Australia or in the mid-west of the USA, they feature small towns with big hearts, and warm, likeable characters that make you fall in love. When she's not writing stories, she's a weekend wife, mother of two 'ginger' teenage boys, guardian of 80 rose bushes and often found collapsed on the couch with wine. You can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Dianne Duvall: Alpha Males and Strong Women

Alpha males are very prominent figures in paranormal romance, because we readers simply can’t get enough of them.  I recently asked visitors of my blog what appealed to them the most about alpha males.  The traits they mentioned are all of the ones I like myself: 

The strength and power alpha males wield, which can be considerable in paranormals.  Loyalty.  Bravery.  The willingness to sacrifice everything to protect those they love.  Intelligence.  I admit this is a big one for me.  All brawn and no brain, as they say, does not appeal to me in the least.  Compassion.  (There has to be a soft spot in those tough hides.)  A sense of humor.  My favorite alpha males – even the tortured ones – have teasing natures and spark laughter in their heroines.  Determination.  Enough confidence to admire the women who come to their rescue.  A handsome face and a great body.  (I thought about leaving the latter off the list, but who would I be kidding?)  And a protective nature.

You’ll find that Bastien, the hero of PHANTOM SHADOWS, has all of these qualities.  Some of the other characters in my Immortal Guardians series may dispute this, though.  He isn’t exactly in their good graces, since Bastien entered my series as a villain.  My goal with Bastien was to create an atypical villain, someone readers would happily root against, yet couldn’t quite hate.  By the time I finished writing DARKNESS DAWNS (Immortal Guardians Book 1), I not only found I couldn’t hate him myself.  I found myself wanting to redeem him, as did many readers.  Now Bastien’s world has been turned upside down and he reluctantly finds himself working ALONGSIDE the very immortals with whom he once waged war.  Needless to say, his integration into their ranks is not going smoothly.  So I decided I would give Bastien what I think ALL alpha males need:  a strong woman to stand beside him.

Dr. Melanie Lipton is that woman.  One might not think it upon first glimpsing her.  Average height.  Slender build usually clad in unremarkable jeans, a T-shirt, and Chuck Taylor high top sneakers.  Bookish.  Quiet.  A doctor who works for the human network that aids the Immortal Guardians, Melanie searches for a cure for the virus that infects both immortals and vampires.  A virus that rapidly drives vampires – humans who have been infected – insane.  (Immortals are gifted ones – men and women born with advanced DNA – who have been infected and are spared the madness.)  Most would imagine Melanie spending all of her time in a lab with test tubes and various machines most of us wouldn’t be able to identify.  But there is more to her than meets the eye. 

Melanie possesses all of the characteristics above that readers love so much in alpha males . . . and will need them once Bastien enters her life.  She is strong in more ways than one.  In terms of fighting skills, she is one of very few mortals who can hold her own in hand-to-hand combat with vampires.  To further her research, she even works with two vampires who could have psychotic breaks at any moment and attack her, a courageous endeavor her male colleagues forgo.  She has never given in to peer pressure in her life and isn’t about to do so now, not even when that pressure is applied by incredibly powerful immortal beings who want Bastien dead for past dark deeds.  Instead of going with the flow, Melanie looks past all of the rumors regarding Bastien’s supposed evil to the good, yet scarred man beneath and appoints herself his champion.

Bastien doesn’t know what to make of her.  He isn’t used to having an ally and doesn’t understand why Melanie would risk raising her voice to support him while everyone else calls for his execution.  She is stubborn, smart, and beautiful.  She makes him laugh and feel SO much.  Melanie knows exactly what, or whom, she wants and doesn’t hesitate to pursue him.  And his resistance swiftly begins to crumble beneath the onslaught of her kindness and teasing nature.  An alpha male to his core, Bastien wishes to protect her, but doesn’t know how he can do so when HE poses the greatest danger to her.  Or so he thinks . . . until a new enemy – one the Immortal Guardians could never anticipate – rises and threatens everything. 

PHANTOM SHADOWS

Dr. Melanie Lipton is no stranger to the supernatural. She knows immortals better than they know themselves, right down to their stubborn little genes. So although a handsome rogue immortal seems suspicious to her colleagues, Sebastien Newcombe intrigues Melanie. His history is checkered, his scars are impressive, and his ideas are daring. But it's not his ideas that have Melanie fighting off surges of desire. . .

Bastien is used to being the bad guy. In fact, he can't remember the last time he had an ally he could trust. But Melanie is different--and under her calm, professional exterior he senses a passion beyond anything in his centuries of experience. Giving in to temptation is out of the question--he can't put her in danger. But she isn't asking him . . .

So, what do you think?  Do alpha males need strong women?  Who is your favorite alpha male / strong female couple?  Leave a comment below to enter to win a signed copy of PHANTOM SHADOWS, the third book in my Immortal Guardians series, which is both a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller. 

Thanks for joining me!

Dianne

Dianne's Website:  http://www.dianneduvall.com

Blog:  http://dianneduvall.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dianne-Duvall/248355201895532

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DianneDuvall

Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVcJ9xnm_i2ZKV7jM8dqAgA?feature=mhee

***Dianne's winner is Denise Z!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***

Jus Accardo: Reality Check…

I love fiction. I mean, I must right? I write it for a living. But even the most fictitious tales have some amount of reality. People are people. They have emotions, flaws, and make real mistakes, learning from them.

The Denazen books, my YA paranormal series, revolve around a girl named Dez. Dez is kind of a unique heroine. She isn’t your typical wallflower YA girl waiting for the guy to stomp in and save her. She’s rebellious, stubborn, and does things a normal teenager might do… Meaning, she curses, drinks alcohol, and sneaks out of the house to parties. She’s also not a virgin.

I’ll wait. You can gasp now.

So why did I make these things a part of Dez’s personality? Because, like it or not, these are things teenagers do. I’m not saying YA books should be a collection of foul-mouthed, drunk characters hopping from bed to bed, but not acknowledging these things in YA—at least a little—irritates me.

And I’m not the only one.

I had an awesome conversation with a teen reader at a book signing I did a few weeks ago. She thanked me for making Dez real, and said she didn’t read much YA anymore because she felt many authors glossed over the darker issues teens face by making their heroine’s too perfect. She felt that by presenting teens in fiction in such an unrealistic way—in her opinion—it was almost like the publishing industry was “talking down” to her.

Keep in mind these are opinions—mine and the reader’s—and everyone will have a different one. So now it’s your turn. Tell us how you prefer your YA characters. Do you like it when YA books keep things hidden behind the curtain, glossing over the details, or do you prefer an in-your-face approach showcasing the issues teens deal with on a day to day basis?

Shona Husk: It’s all about choice

There is so much choice for authors and readers these days. I think it’s a good thing. I read ebooks and print. I have an ereader, but I don’t like reading books on my iPhone. That said the couple of magazines I subscribe to I read on my iPhone as I don’t mind reading short articles on the small backlit screen. It wasn’t that long ago that I would have received the magazine in the mail and read it over a cup of hot chocolate instead of in pieces while I waited at kids sports or for meetings to start.

This year I had the opportunity to get the rights back to my first novella, An Elemental Tail. It was making me money with the original publisher, but I had nothing else with them, so I spoke to my agent and then requested my rights back. Such a change from when I was so happy to get published for the first time two and a half years ago. In that time the industry has changed so much. Self-publishing has become a viable option for many authors. And while I can’t see me self-publishing new work at the moment, it is something I’m going to try when the rights revert back to me.

The first thing I did was test the water with a couple of short stories that had also been previously published. Soul Song (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241112) came second in the little gems competition and had been published in the Topaz anthology.

Dar-otter, Pearl otter, can’t find me (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/241089) was published in Wet Ink magazine. I still get asked about that story when I go to specific conventions in Australia so I’m really glad to have the chance to put it out on my own.

Both stories are free. But I still had professional covers done, and I paid for the formatting to be done. Why would I go to that effort and cost? I’m not a cover artist and while the stories are free I wanted them to look profession and eye catching. HelzKat (http://www.helzkatdesigns.com/) designs did both and I’m really happy with them. I could’ve mucked around with the formatting myself but after making a few enquiries I decided that it would be more cost effective for me to just pay someone. I’m glad I did. When I uploaded the files it was super easy.

With the water tested with the free short stories I’m preparing for the re-release of An Elemental Tail in December. It will be 99c and the story is getting a fresh edit and a hot new cover is in the works. I’m just as excited about the re-launch as I was the first time around.

I also have a novella releasing later this month with Ellora’s Cave (http://www.jasminejade.com/p-10496-saved-by-the-trickster.aspx) and the final Shadowlands (http://www.amazon.com/Love-Goblin-Warrior-Shadowlands-ebook/dp/B009NLQO2U/) book out in January so I’ve got a couple of busy months a head.

Do you prefer ebooks to print, print only or a mix of both like me?

Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn’t looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she weaves new worlds and writes heroes who aren’t afraid to get hurt while falling in love.

With stories ranging from sensual to scorching, she is published with Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing and Sourcebooks. You can find out more at www.shonahusk.com 

www.twitter.com/ShonaHusk

www.facebook.com/shonahusk

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/lySiD

My Self-Indulgent Week by Kate Walker

Winter is definitely here. The  clocks have gone back, the evenings are closing in so early – and  there are even  reports  this weekend of snow piling up in several places in the UK. I know it’s nothing like the appalling weather that has savaged  New York and other places recently  - but it’s a real sign that the seasons are changing.  (My thoughts go out to everyone affected by the terrible storm ‘Sandy’. I’ve watched the news reports  with shock and  deep concern and I hope that  the efforts to rebuild and repair  make things so much easier soon.  To anyone who lost loved ones or were injured in those appalling days, my deepest sympathies to you all. )

But here the cold weather is really rather a welcome event. I have just had my latest book accepted after working on revisions, and now I can say that A Throne For The Taking is scheduled for release in June 2013.  So I’ve ‘rewarded’ myself with a bit of time  off and a long, indulgent week of catching up on the reading  I  neglected while I had to concentrate on those revisions. And the  cold weather hasn’t worried me as I’ve curled up indoors – beside the fire, with a cat on my lap most days with my Kindle, and a few ‘real’ print books, and  escaped into  some imaginary worlds that other authors have created. It could rain (it’s certainly done that!)  hail, sleet – luckily there hasn’t actually been any snow -  and I wouldn’t care. I was perfectly happy.

What have I been reading? Well, one thing was that I made myself  a promise that I would try and work my way through my TBR pile – alternating romance with other books . I didn’t have to think about the next book of my own, not for this week – and I didn’t have to worry that very different reads would affect my romance style – so I could grab hold of whatever I wanted and go for it – here’s the result

Romances:

Doukakis’s Apprentice by Sarah Morgan – I’ve been meaning to read this since before it was nominated  - and then won – the RITA this year. Now I’ve finished it – well, I’m not surprised it won!

The Darkest of Secrets and The Husband She Never Knew by Kate Hewitt – two linked books about the Tannous brothers

Others:

One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf – a tense story centring round the day when an armed man goes into the local school. Told from many different viewpoints.  Gripping

Pushing the Limits – Katie McGarry.  Before I started to write full time, I was a children’s librarian  and I had a special interest in Young Adult books.  I would have bought this for the library like a shot  and I really enjoyed reading it  for myself.   Some of the best fiction is being written  in YA novels these days and this is a great example.

The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain – I’ve really enjoyed the novels by Diane Chamberlain that I’ve read – again, like One Breath Away, they’re written from multiple viewpoints.  This one wasn’t one of my favourites, but I still have another couple of her titles on my TBR list  and I’m looking forward to those.

While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. This one was a present from my son for my birthday and I’ve  only just got round to reading it.   This was a compelling and emotional book  that sometimes dealing with some difficult issues and some complicated family relationships. But it was none the less enjoyable for all that. 

And finally – just for pure indulgence – the reissues of some of the 90s Modern ‘Vintage’ titles by Mills & Boon (Treasury in Harlequin) meant that I could indulge myself and go back and reread some of my ‘oldie’ favourites – Gold Ring of Betrayal and Passionate Scandal by Michelle Reid . The Second  Mrs Adams by Sandra Marton. And – OK, I’ll admit it, a little touch of nostalgia made me go back and reread a couple of my own ‘Vintage’ titles  - The Groom’s Revenge. Hers For a Night and The Unexpected Child.  It’s been so long since I read those that it’s almost like trying a new author!

So that’s what I’ve been enjoying this past week.  It’s been a real indulgence and a lot of fun. And escaping into these other story-tellers’ world has been a joy, and an inspiration – filling up the ‘well’ of my imagination so that I’m ready to look at my own next story with more inspiration and  interest than before.  And the great thing is that now with my TBR pile nicely reduced, I can indulge myself even further by finding some  new titles to add to it!

What about you? Have you read any  of these?  Did you enjoy them?  Or what  books have you tried and enjoyed lately ? What’s on your TBR list?  What would you recommend I should add to mine?

 

Kate's  really pleased to know that five of her earlier titles have been republished as eBooks in the new Mills & Boon Vintage (90s) collection. She’s not too sure about being described as ‘Vintage’. But they’re also republished in the Harlequin Treasury and she can cope with being a treasure!

 

You can find out more about Kate Walker, her books and her latest news over on her web site and her blog.

 

Donna Alward: Birth order…

When Fiona, Shirley and I sat down to write our Holiday Miracles trilogy, we had to sort out our sisters first. Who was eldest, middle, youngest? What were they like? What was their role in the family? In a lot of ways, I think our characters have a lot of OUR individual characteristics.  Shirley’s character, Grace, is a bit glam, independent, daring, fun. I’d use those words to describe Shirley (and add in another one: stylish!). Fiona’s character, Faith, is a bit of a peacemaker. She’s NICE. She doesn’t cause a lot of waves and in some ways removes herself from drama (there’s a reason why all three sisters live on different parts of the globe!). And my Hope – well, she tries to look after everyone. She takes a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. She likes to be in control so she knows things are done RIGHT.

Yeah. Like me. LOL.

But it got me thinking about birth order characteristics too.

So let’s have a quick look at birth order traits and if they suit our characters (quite unintentionally, at least on my part!):

OLDEST: strict, bossy, organized; a stickler for the rules, a high achiever who likes to please others. Oh my goodness- yes to all of those! Hope definitely shows oldest child characteristics!

MIDDLE: Often feels left out, often is. Tries not to make waves, even-tempered. Kind, helpful, generous, artistically inclined and introverted. Well, I can’t say for absolute sure since she’s Fiona’s creation, but that DEFINITELY sounds like Faith to me!

YOUNGEST: Creative, risk taker, good sense of humour, good at getting what they want, looks up to siblings, used to being pampered. I can tell you right now, that Grace is definitely creative (she’s a travel writer!), takes risks and travels all over the world, has a sharp wit, and is generally used to getting her way. Which makes butting heads with the hero soooo much fun….

So where you do fit into the birth order? I have some traits of the youngest child, but since my siblings are much older, I find I have a lot of traits of the oldest too. And a few, perhaps, of the only child, especially since I particularly liked to hang around my sisters and their friends who were much older, though I don’t think I have a sharing issue. J

You can catch the HOLIDAY MIRACLES trilogy right now – SNOWBOUND IN THE EARL’S CASTLE is an October release from Harlequin Romance, my SLEIGH RIDE WITH THE RANCHER is a November release, and Shirley’s MISTLETOE KISSES WITH THE BILLIONAIRE is already available via www.harlequin.com and will be in stores in December.

Happy reading! And please stop by and visit me at www.donnaalward.com and see what’s happening with the Romance line at www.harlequinromanceauthors.com! 

Anita Clenney - An Inspiration Junky

Some people do things because they need to be done. Dirty dishes, vacuuming, writing a new book. Not me. I need a rush of inspiration to get me moving. I’ll pick up a decorating magazine and realize “hey, I need to spiff up the house.” Or how about dust all those gorgeous candle holders that my husband barely tolerates so I can use them without catching the house on fire. I don’t like being that way. I want to be one of those organized, self-disciplined people who just get it done because it needs to be done. But I’m the way I am, and I have to live with it or change it. At the moment, inspiration is still steering the boat. 

This brings me to writing, where inspiration truly is a help. Writers love telling stories or we wouldn’t be writers. It takes a lot of hard work to build a plot and characters into something that’s entertaining and engaging. There’s nothing worse than staring at that blank page with your fingers hovering over the keyboard and you have no idea what to write. I don’t call it writer’s block. I just have those moments when I need something to shake my creativity loose and give me that “ah ha” moment when things fall into place.

But sometimes inspiration comes when you don’t want it. I remember seeing the last Harry Potter movie. I was there to enjoy the movie when inspiration attacked me right there in my seat. It was such a powerful burst I got out my cell phone, a pen, and a scrap piece of paper. Or it may have been a fast food napkin I’d crammed into my purse. Anyway, as the movie was playing, I was sitting there with my phone held two inches above the paper, giving enough light so I could see what I was jotting down without disturbing anyone else. Of course hubby thought I was crazy, but I couldn’t not pay attention when ideas were flying at me like bats. It was great.

Lots of things inspire me. Movies, dreams, and driving through the countryside can be inspiration goldmines. I have very vivid dreams. If I could fully capture the essence of them in a book, I would have lots of bestsellers. And I seem to get great ideas just as I’m going to sleep or waking up. I’m not sure what that says about my conscious mind, but I’ve learned to keep a notepad or my cell phone by the bed. Many a night I’ve had my head underneath the covers so I didn’t disturb hubby while writing notes for a story.

There are other things that guarantee inspiration. Castles do it every time. Beautiful or haunting places. Haunting…hmmm I love ghostly anything. And mysteries, I love mysteries. How about catacombs, mysterious curses, relics, and old tombs? Love it! And sexy heroes. Yay! How about two of them?

All these elements are in Guardians of Stone, the first in my new relic seekers series coming December 4^th. It’s described as Indiana Jones meets Stephanie Plum.

A feisty heroine with a sixth sense, and two sexy heroes, a mercenary, and a dark, eccentric billionaire are on a hunt for four powerful relics that could change their lives…and the course of history.

http://www.amazon.com/Guardians-Stone-Relic-Seekers-ebook/dp/B008AJ771S/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/guardians-of-stone-anita-clenney/1112519390?ean=9781612186542

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Guardians-Stone/Anita-Clenney/9781612186542?id=5496382357672

And coming in November, a prequel to Awaken the Highland Warrior.

Faelan – A Highland Warrior Brief. Faelan Connor was the most powerful warrior the clan had known, until a demon locked him in a time vault where he slept for 150 years, while he waited to save the world and meet his destined mate. You know how his story ends. Now we’ll travel back to the 19th century and experience Faelan’s journey through his eyes. We’ll find out how he became the Mighty Faelan and discover that he may have met Bree even before she was born. And we’ll find out what really happened inside the time vault.

So come on, share with us the craziest inspiration you’ve found. One random commenter will receive an autographed ARC of Guardians of Stone.

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Anita Clenney grew up an avid reader, devouring Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books before moving on to mysteries and romance. After working as a secretary, a Realtor, teacher’s assistant, booking agent for Aztec Fire Dancers, and a brief stint in a pickle factory (picture Lucy and Ethel--lasted half a day)…she realized she'd missed the fork in the road that led to her destiny. Now she spends her days writing mysteries and paranormal romantic suspense about Secret Warriors, Ancient Evil and Destined Love. Anita lives in suburban Virginia, outside Washington DC, with her husband and two kids.

***Anita's winner is Erin!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***

Marie Force: Some Frequently Asked Questions About the Fatal Series

It’s a big week around here with LONGING FOR LOVE, book 7 in my McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, releasing widely after 30 days as a Kindle exclusive, and I’m looking forward to the launch of FATAL DECEPTION, book 5 in my Fatal Series.

I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a little about the Fatal Series and answer some of the most commonly asked questions about that series. One of the things I’m most often asked if I know going into a book who the murderer is. The answer to that is a big, fat NO. I like to let Sam’s investigation lead me to the culprit. I believe not knowing keeps me engaged in the story and gives me an experience similar to that of the reader who learns “who done it” at the same time Sam does. I was about halfway through Deception when I asked myself, “Where in the hell are you going with this?” I had no idea! Then one day on the treadmill at the gym, the whole thing presented itself to me the way it often does in my twisted mind, and there was my culprit and my ending rolled out before me like a red carpet. I sped home and wrote 10,000 words that day. Those are the days writers live for! The end result is that Deception is my favorite Fatal book yet, and I hope readers will agree. Here’s what you can expect to find in Deception:

The wife of the White House deputy chief of staff has been beaten to death, and their one-year-old daughter is missing. D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland is in charge of the murder investigation, but she's forced to collaborate with Special Victims Unit detectives as well as thorn-in-her-side FBI Special Agent Avery Hill. Then, a cold case of her father's resurrects old hurts—a distraction Sam cannot afford.

As Sam's investigation heats up, so does Nick's political career—and the heat carries over to their bedroom. Will Sam put the pieces together in time to catch a killer and find the baby, or will ambition, greed and lies prove fatal?

Here are some other questions I’m often asked about the Fatal Series:

What is the order of the books:

FATAL AFFAIR (free for the month of November at all e-book retailers), FATAL JUSTICE, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, FATAL DESTINY, FATAL FLAW and FATAL DECEPTION, with FATAL MISTAKE coming in June 2013.

How many books do you plan to write?

Just like with my popular McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, I give the same answer to this question for the Fatal Series—as long as readers are enjoying the series and it’s still fun for me, I will continue to write it.

Will Sam ever have a baby?

I’m not sure yet. Like the readers, I’d love to grant her fondest desire, but I have to be realistic that giving her a newborn would change her life—and Nick’s—dramatically enough to impact the pace of the series. So IF there’s a baby, and right now that is a big IF, it would happen much later in the series. I have a number of other plans that will impact Sam and Nick’s family and help to fill the void in the meantime.

Will Nick run for president?

Maybe. Maybe not. Can you see Sam as First Lady? Neither can I, but how fun would it be to force our square peg into that round hole? Very fun indeed! We’ll see where life takes them!

Will Sam and Nick adopt Scotty?

More on this in Deception!

Will we ever find out who shot Skip?

I hope so, but sometimes in life we never know why certain things happened. That could be true here, too. I continue to wait for that information to present itself to Sam—and to me. If it does, we’ll find out. If it doesn’t, we may never know. I think Sam is starting to make peace with the possibility that she may never know. I have some fun plans for Skip’s character in upcoming books. I’m looking forward to writing that! We find out more about the mysterious Fitzgerald case in Deception, and this leads to an unusual rift between father and daughter.

Do you have other questions about the series I haven’t answered here? Feel free to ask away! If I have answers, I’ll be happy to provide them—or I’ll check with Sam to see what she has to say. J

We’re giving away an e-book copy of, FATAL DECEPTION (available to winner after November 12). To be entered in the drawing, tell me which element of romantic suspense you like best—the romance or the suspense—and why.

Thanks so much for reading, and if you’re interested in checking out the Fatal Series, book 1, FATAL AFFAIR, will be free for the month of November everywhere e-books are sold!

***Marie's winner is Karen B!  Please drop an email to totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing information!***

Lori Wilde: Choosing Your Cowboy Boots

A Cowboy for Christmas is the last book in my Jubilee, Texas series, but I’m not done with cowboys. Not by a long shot. Today, I thought it might be fun to look at cowboy boots and how to choose your first pair.

When you think of cowboys, three images usually pop up—Stetson, Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots. The cowboy “uniform” seems fairly straight forward, doesn’t it? But buying that first pair of cowboy boots is more complicated than you might think.

Size matters.

Your shoe size that is. Cowboy boots aren’t like other shoes. Don’t buy them expecting them to stretch or “break in”. They should fit like they were made especially for your foot. How they feel when you first put them on is how they’re going to feel. Cowboy boots are expensive so make sure they fit before you plunk down your money.

How shapely are you?

Cowboy boots come in pointy, round and square-toed styles. Because you will own this footwear for many years to come, don’t select the shape on current trends, but on the toe shape that suits you.

Color me excited

Cowboy boots come in as many colors and design as you can imagine. Black or brown go with anything. Red are classic attention getters. Look for a color and design that makes a statement about your personality.

The heel

There’s two basic kinds of heels on cowboy boots (although there are several variations of the two types.) There’s the “roper” heels—flatter and squarer. And the “riding” heels—slanted. The roper heel is more for working. The riding heel is to hold your foot in the stirrups of your saddle. Even though I don’t ride often, I prefer the slant of the riding heel to the roper heel.

To tuck or not to tuck

Unless you are working horses or cattle, do not tuck your jeans into your boots. Yes, you might want to show off your new boots, but you’ll signal you’re a cowboy boot-wearing amateur if you tuck your jeans into your boots if you’re not actively working livestock.

And there you have it. A quick boot tutorial. Have you every owned a pair of cowboy boots? Which cowboy would you most like to find wearing a pair of boots and nothing else underneath your Christmas tree?