What do you like in a hero? - Shayla Black

Writers and readers alike get into discussions (sometimes) heated about the greatest romance heroes of all time or their favorites. They argue about what constitutes a great hero. There are huge differences of opinion.

I hear from readers and authors who like a tender man: supportive, emotionally available, gentle, not afraid to show affection, the "strong, silent type." This is a good man, a solid man, loyal, dependable, committed. He's there for the long haul, understands you and will got the extra mile to make you happy. In real life, I live with this man--and he's wonderful. I've also written him into Marrok, who is the hero of my first Doomsday Brethren paranormal romance, Tempt Me With Darkness, coming August 26, 2008 from Pocket Books. Another Brethren member, Ice, falls into this category as well. And Luc from my recent Berkley Heat erotic release, Decadent.

Some people like the smart ass/bad boy: ever-ready with a smart-alek comeback or a wicked innuendo, he's quick and clever...and slightly unattainable. You never quite know what's under the surface, and getting past his facade takes a tenacious woman. Getting him to be serious about anything--especially you--won't be easy. It will be entertaining, frustrating, exhilirating--and just about any other "ing" you can think of. Another of my Doomsday Brethren, which you'll meet in Tempt Me With Darkness, falls into this category. Bram is one sharp-tongued devil, master puppeteer, and sexy-as-all-get-out British bad boy wizard...

I'm personally fond of a hero type you don't see often: the thinker/scientist. This guy is brilliant with a capital B. His mind is a mysterious and ever-changing place. He's deep and his mental energy is boundless. He's often distracted by things that have nothing to do with you, but when he focuses on you... *shiver* He has a dry wit, and once focused on your relationship, will view it with profound depth. He proves that brains are sexy! Duke, another of my Doomsday Brethren, falls into this category. I think his understated sexiness is totally yummy.

Then we have the hero I like to call "the guy": he's all about sports and having beers with the guys. He's not a skirt-chaser, per se...but he's not at all adverse to catching what's underneath. He can be a surprisingly elusive bachelor. He's not against relationships; they just aren't for him. He's got a full life: work, friends, sports, extended family. Why add a wife to the mix? At a glance, he might seem like more trouble than he's worth. But you'll have fun with him. He'll introduce you to activities and people you would have never met otherwise. He definitely digs woman, and once he realizes he's into you, he'll find some pleasurable ways to show you. I'm writing this man now in Mitch MacKinnon, who appears in my upcoming Samhain release, A Perfect Match. He amuses me all the time! And Doomsday Brethren member Caden also falls into this category.

Another major hero type you see: Tortured Alpha male. Some readers loathe him. He comes with baggage, doesn't trust easily, has a thousand reasons not to let you into his life or heart. He's difficult and cynical. He can be argumentative...and find arguments stimulating. He's pushy and aggressive and sexual and difficult and will, at times, make you tear your hair out and cry all at once. Personally, I love this guy. But I'm the kind of woman who likes a challenge. I can give as good as I get, and I'd sometimes rather be challenged than coddled. The women who like this hero want to be the one who "tames" him. Dangerous? Yes. Danger is this guy's middle name. He's intense...both in and out of bed. Once he's determined to get his hands on you, you don't stand a chance. And aren't you glad? Once you get under that remote facade, however, is the heart of a man who will be forever yours. That always makes me close the book with a sigh. Several of my Doomsday Brethren fall into this category: Shock and Lucan, for sure. Ice has shades of this, as well. Definitely Deke from Decadent and Jack from Wicked Ties. The intensity of this type of man is something I just can't resist!

You may be able to think of more heroe types. Whatever hero you like, that's the great thing about romance--there's a book, and a hero, for every type of reader. Go forth and read!

A little preview - Christina Hollis

Things are getting really exciting prior to the launch of my next book, ‘One Night In His Bed’. This gets its UK release in December, so there are only a few weeks to wait until I get the ultimate thrill of seeing it on the shelves in my local bookshop!

Artwork for the USA edition arrived this week. February 2008 sees the launch of ‘One Night In His Bed’ in America, and I’m really looking forward to that.

Here’s a preview of what you’ll find between the covers -

“Within the circle of his arms, Sienna trembled.
‘I could go straight over to that door and escape.’ She tried to convince herself.
‘Of course you could – if you thought anything bad was going to happen.’
Garett’s expression was that of a leopard appreciating its prey. He had not moved since laying claim to her with his hands, but now the smile that had been playing over his lips faded.
‘But it is, isn’t it?’ Sienna said, and then cursed herself silently. She had meant it as a statement. What if he heard it as a challenge? She leaned back slightly against his grip, still trying to keep a decent distance between them.
‘That rather depends on how you define the word “bad”.’
His voice was as smooth as silk. When he let her go, Sienna almost regretted it. Picking up her glass of champagne again, he poured into it another cascade of foam before handing it over. Then he raised his own glass, scrutinising the lines of tiny bubbles fizzing up to the golden surface. His dark, intelligent eyes watched her over the rim of his glass as he took a long, slow draught of the fine wine.
‘I’m a man who always gets what he wants. And the one thing that connects all the things I want is success.’”

~~~
I hope that extract has whetted your appetite. ‘One Night In His Bed’ is available from http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/ and http://www.eharlequin.com/. If you visit my web page, http://www.christinahollis.com/, you can click on one of the links.

I have such a weakness for clever, successful men. A razor-sharp mind coupled with dark good looks is unbeatable as far as I’m concerned.

What do you find irresistible in a man?

Christina

10 Things Erotic Romance Writers Might Hear When the Word Gets Out

I started out writing romantic suspense, murders, serial killers, little things like that. Maybe I was watching too many forensics shows or something. Then a bit of paranormal slipped in there. You know, ghosts, psychics, big hunky, sexy detectives (yes, my Max Series by JB Skully from LiquidSilverBooks.com). After that came the humor. It just sort of slipped in there with Ladybird Long (my hunky, sexy detective’s mom from my Max series), then went off the charts with my first Jennifer Skully book, Sex and the Serial Killer. Finally, there was the really spicy stuff. And Jasmine Haynes was born (the pseudonym, not the real Jasmine). My mom asked me why I couldn’t write children’s books. I said that generally speaking people didn’t get murdered by vile methods in children’s books, and, really, there wasn’t supposed to be any S-E-X either. So, ever since, I’ve been leading a sort of double life. Actually, make that a triple life. Eventually, however, I had to come out of the closet. To my family. My neighbors. My accounting coworkers! My boss!!!! Here’s just a few of the things people said to me.

10) I imagine your husband needs Viagra. (I’m not quite sure whether that one was an insult)

9) Can I help with your research? (my male ex-boss, OMG!!!)

8) Could I do some hands-on critiquing for you?

7) Don’t you have to have more than one person involved for it to be called sex? (I didn’t feel the need to explain about...um...you know)

6) My husband raves about your books to all his guy friends. And he hasn’t even read one of them yet!

5) Isn’t there only one way to do it?

4) How can you write a whole book about it? It only takes two minutes.

3) That’s like the “funny” sex my husband made me do when we were young. Sometimes, it made me faint. (I was afraid to ask this lovely elderly lady for details!)

2) So that’s how you have phone sex! How does one go about finding a young man to try it with? I’d even settle for an old man (my 89-year-old neighbor!)

And my personal favorite:

1) I gave your book to a friend as a present, but I covered all the naughty parts with sticky notes. (Single-handedly, she keeps the sticky note people in business!)

So, to find out what everyone’s referring to, please don’t miss The Fortune Hunter by Jasmine Haynes, in bookstores now. It’s a modern-day marriage of convenience tale with a sensual twist. Connor and Faith make a marriage contract, he gets her father’s company and she gets the family she’s always wanted. But when Faith throws fidelity into the mix, the bargaining really heats up with the kind of no-holds barred sex life Connor desires and Faith is afraid she can’t live up to. That’s when Connor makes it his mission to help Faith let go of all her inhibitions. Now everything is on the table, including them...

The Fortune Hunter is the first book of my “swan” trilogy about women coming into their own, finding themselves. Show and Tell will be out in July 2008 and Games People Play arrives sometime in early 2009. I will also have an anthology story out in December 2008. In addition to Jasmine Haynes, I also write as Jennifer Skully, over-the-top (hopefully hilarious) romantic mysteries, and as JB Skully, I’ve created the Max Starr psychic mystery series at http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/. Readers can learn more about all my pseudonyms at http://www.skullybuzz.com/. They can also watch two movie trailers on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/skullybuzz. Subscribing to my newsletter for updates on the latest releases is easy, just send an email to skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

And don't miss my monthly contest with lots of wonderful prizes from 5 great authors at http://www.skullybuzz.com/. Going on now!

Artist's Dates

On Tuesday night I finished my read through and tweak of my seventh contracted manuscript, sent it off to my editor and completed my Art Fact Sheet details on Harlequin's Editorial Resourse System. I woke on Wednesday morning feeling absolutely exhausted. My mind was already buzzing with ideas for my next proposal to create and send to my editor but some wise advice I'd heard about Artist's Dates, combined with a wish to see the movie Atonement (which is so not my dh's kind of film), overtook my driving need to keep the momentum of my work up and saw me indulge in filling the well, finally fulfilling my promise to myself at the beginning of the year to do something nice, just for me, once a month. Okay, so I've kind of slipped on the once a month thing. Better late than not at all, right?

Now Barbara Samuel is one of the best speakers I've ever heard on this subject, especially on the importance of taking care of our writer's muse or, as she and several other awesome best-selling authors call it, "The Girls in the Basement".

I've never been big on spoiling myself, generally it makes me feel guilty or selfish (must be some past life guilt trip to investigate there, LOL!) but on Wednesday I did it--I went to see Atonement, and I'm so very glad I did. While the movie didn't have the happy ending my romantic heart loves most of all I never realised the freedom attending a movie on my own could give. Now, I'm not a frequent movie goer, although we do watch alot of DVDs at home, but there's something quite decadent about sitting in the Circle Lounge with the leather recliner seats and footstools and watching a film with the lush cinematography Atonement delivers. I only wish I'd thought to order a Latte before the movie started.

Note to self: Do that next time :-)

So what did I do after the movie? Well, I went to the beach and had a beach front lunch at a lovely restaurant and gallery and it was fantastic. So what if the weather wasn't great, there was a constant drizzle and the sea was a non-descript grey-green colour, but the bright warm atmosphere of the restaurant was the perfect antidote for any lingering sorrow left as a footprint from the movie, the service was friendly and welcoming and the food was divine.

And now I guess you're asking what I've always asked myself when I've heard of others doing this, "What's the point? Yes, it's lovely to go to a movie and to head out to lunch. So what?" For me I think the point is you're allowed to do it. You're allowed to indulge yourself, to take a day off and reward yourself for a job well done and love every second of it. To refill your well. To actually relax and give your mind a break from the next plot, the next characters, the next awful thing you're going to do to them, even the next meal you have to cook for your family.

Honestly, I felt warm and fuzzy all day. And the day got even better when Bronwyn Jameson drew my attention to the Barnes and Noble website where my February cover for TYCOON'S VALENTINE VENDETTA was up. Colour me totally in love!

So the upshot of this is if you've never indulged in an Artist's Date--DO IT! You owe it to yourself no matter what you do. It doesn't have to be a movie. It could just be a picnic in your favourite place, or a trip to the beauty therapist, or a massage. The thing is, don't put it off. Yes, there are always going to be important things that crop up in your life but if you don't look after yourSELF, and your creativity, there'll be a whole lot less of you to go around when the going gets tough.

A Town Called Christmas

This is going to be a very Christmasy blog post. I thought it was too early to think about the holidays, but then...

It SNOWED.

About ten inches on November 6th! Even for Michigan, that's too much snow, way too early. :::shiver::: But the benefit is that now I'm in a winter holiday mood, just in time for the release of my new book, A TOWN CALLED CHRISTMAS.

There truly is a town called Christmas here in Upper Michigan, though my version has been fictionalized to suit my purposes. Ah, the joys of being an author--creating new worlds, inventing perfect men...such power!

It was great fun to write about mistletoe, holiday dinners, small town celebrations and especially one of my favorite activities....baking Christmas cookies. Here's the no-bake recipe for the cookies my heroine creates in the book (I remember making these a long time ago but they must have fallen out of fashion because I haven't seen any in years):

CHURCH WINDOW COOKIES

1 12 oz. pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 lb. (I stick) butter
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 10 oz. colored miniature marshmallows
flake coconut

Melt chocolate chips and butter in a double boiler. Cool. Add chopped walnuts and marshmallows. Mix. Sprinkle coconut on wax paper and spoon mixture onto coconut in log form. Sprinkle more coconut on top and sides as you roll wax paper over the log. Refrigerate until firm, then remove paper and cut into slices to serve.

The setting of the book is the heroine's family's Christmas tree farm. I didn't have to do too much research there, since my dad has been known as our town's Christmas Tree Man for decades. I've never cut a tree myself, but I've sold 'em! And cut the boughs that are made into wreaths and swags. My house always smells very piney during the holidays.


As an early Christmas present to Tote Bag readers, I'm giving away two copies of A TOWN CALLED CHRISTMAS. I'll choose the winners from the comment section of this blog and post the their names in my next blog, on November 20th.

Meanwhile, it's never too early to start on your holiday baking. What's your family's favorite Christmas cookie?

To read more about my latests releases, including excerpts, visit www.carriealexander.com

Christmas is coming up - Michelle Styles

Possibly not what anyone wants to hear, but over here in the UK, bonfire night has passed and the traditional countdown to Christmas has begun.

The windows at the various department stores have decorated to reflect the season and the Christmas stamps are going on sale.

In fact, if you are sending things overseas by sea mail, you may have missed the last posting date. Some people are very organised and never miss this date. I tend to send my gifts by airmail...

One thing is often made in British households at this time of year are the Christmas cakes and puddings. Because they are fruit and brandy based, they have to sit and marinate for awhile. A traditional date for making them is on the so-called Stir Them Up Sunday (the Second Sunday before Advent begins) -- so called because of one of the lessons. When my children were little, my daughter hated the fireworks that accompany Bonfire Night with a passion, so I used to use 5 Nov to make my puddings, Christmas cake or mincemeat. The idea was inspired by the Dorothy Edwards My Naughty Little Sister books that all my children loved. It worked a treat and my daughter started anticipating Bonfire Night, rather than cowering.

It is also the time of year that all the Christmas themed books start appearing. Harlequin as well as Mills and Boon put out a wonderful selection of books across all the lines just in time for Christmas.

The UK version of my own Christmas offering -- A Christmas Wedding Wager is published this month. It is published as a duo with Helen Dickson and goes under the title of Christmas by Candlelight. I think the cover is wonderfully Victorian. The US version is published next month.

To celebrate the publication, I am giving away a copy of A Christmas Wedding Wager. I will draw the winner next Wednesday ( 14 Nov). To be entered in the contest, please email me with the answer to the following question:

In what city does A Christmas Wedding Wager take place? Hint: the answer can be found in the excerpt.

If you put Tote Bag contest in the subject line, it will make it much easier for me.

As an aside, I know many Americans do not understand about mincemeat pies and their popularity in Britain. I didn't until I moved over here. Mincemeat pies are tartlet sized and don't really feature meat. It is considered bad luck to refuse a pie if offered. And al lthe Christmas concerts and carol serivices seem to offer pies afterwards, rather than Christmas cookies. My next newsletter will feature a recipe for mincemeat pie and can be made with butter instead of beef suet in case anyone is interested.

Michelle

http://www.michellestyles.co.uk/

UPDATE: Cherie J is the winner of the contest. I have contacted her and will post out a signed copy of A Christmas Wedding Wager.

I will be back next month with another blog and a new contest. That one will be a grand Christmas one.

Many thanks to all who entered.

Release Day - Jennifer Estep

So, my second book, Hot Mama, is being released today. It’s the second book in my Bigtime paranormal romance series, and I’m feeling just as much joy and excitement now as I did when my first book, Karma Girl, came out.

There really is nothing like release day. The knowledge that your book has been released from the depths of the publisher’s warehouse. The fact you can walk into your local bookstore and actually see it on the shelf. The fact that if a reader orders it from Amazon in the next eight hours, twelve minutes, and twenty-three seconds, she can have your book in her hands by tomorrow. The knowledge that more reviews will start coming in, and the hope that people will start e-mailing you raving about how much they liked it.

But I’m also a little nervous too, mainly because of one thing – the dreaded sophomore slump.

Dum-dum-dum! (Cue the scary music here).

Entertainment magazines talk about the sophomore slump all the time. About how a hit TV show or movie series suddenly goes from fab to forgettable by the time the second season or sequel rolls around.

It’s happened to lots of movies I’ve enjoyed over the years. Take Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. I absolutely loved this rip-roaring adventure movie. But Pirates 2? Not so much. The same thing goes for TV shows. I loved the first season of Lost. Seasons 2 and 3? Not so much.

So, I can’t help but wonder if some readers will feel the same way about Hot Mama. Will the book meet their expectations? Will they think it’s as good as Karma Girl? Will they like it enough to consider picking up my third book, Jinx? Or will I lose readers because I didn’t deliver the goods the second time around?

I’ve heard so many horror stories from writers about how the second book is always harder to write than the first. About how they struggle to recapture the magic of that first book. I’ve heard how fans have been let down or underwhelmed by an author whose first book they enjoyed immensely – so much so that they don’t read that author anymore. I know I’ve read second books that have disappointed me.

So, I think there’s some truth to the sophomore slump theory. Today is release day. I guess I’ll know soon enough if I’m in it.

What about you? Do you think there’s a sophomore slump when it comes to books? Inquiring minds want to know …

Jennifer

http://www.jenniferestep.com/

Giving Books - Susanna Carr

My family has a tradition when giving books as gifts. The person who gives the book inscribes a message on the inside front cover and then adds the date or occasion after the signature.

Sometimes the message offers hope and encouragement (I see this a lot in the cookbooks I receive. Hmm…are my relatives trying to tell me something?) Other times, the message will let me know why this particular book was special to them and why they are passing it on.

Just the other day I grabbed one of the cookbooks and saw my great-aunt's inscription. The spindly handwriting on the inside cover triggered a memory of the day she gave the book to me. It was decades ago and she passed away not long after, but I can remember the smell of her perfume and the sound of her laugh.

This tradition not only jogs my memory and gives me something to connect with my relatives, but it offers a part of family history that can't be found in scrapbook. Who else has a family tradition when it comes to books?

Susanna

http://www.susannacarr.com/

The Way We Write - Helen Bianchin

I wrote by hand (substitute scribbled) stories in an exercise book as a child in a variety of places ... perched on my bed, at the table, sitting in the fork of an apple tree in our yard ... fanciful stories about childish adventures, then a pretend protective older brother, eventually teenage yearnings, followed by nurse and doctor stories, which soon led to romance novels. Other genres also held my interest, but romance won out!

When I eventually came to write one, I was convinced it couldn't be too difficult ... after all, I had the story, in detail, in my head.This was back in the dark ages when the instrument of choice was a typewriter (OK, so I'm showing my age here!).

How many of you are with me ... roll the paper into the platen, even it up, and begin. I even had a title. Then came page 2, chapter 1 ... and a long pause while I searched for the perfect opening sentence.

My first effort involved going for it. I just typed anything and everything that came into my head ... dialogue without tags (I could fix that later); I mostly forgot to clothe my characters; the hero started out with dark grey eyes which somehow became dark brown; the heroine began as a petite blue-eyed blonde who grew legs up to here further along in the story. I missed transitions between locations, and when the story was complete ... I really thought there couldn't be much to revise. All it needed was a little fixing ...

Sure it did. What was I thinking? Yes, well, I think we've all been there! The words didn't match the image in my head. Quite frankly, it was all over the page, off the page ... and hopeless.

Going for it wasn't going to work for me. I obviously had to devise a plan and implement structure. (Please remember the time-frame ... the '70's, very few writing craft books available, even fewer writing organizations, snail-mail and no published author contact). Maybe a character bibliography would be good, so I did that. Detail, location, theme ... ditto. Pages, I accumulated lots of pages, and figured I was ready to begin.

Better, much better. Until I came to a dead stop at the end of chapter 3. I had a riveting scene in mind, except it wasn't going to happen next. I needed to get to that point first ... Yet the scene was so vivid, so there, I decided to write it, anyway. More riveting (well, I thought so!) scenes occurred to taunt me ... so I wrote each one. The enthusiasm level was high, I was making progress, and difficult didn't appear quite so difficult. All that remained for me to do was link all these scenes together.

Well, you know what they say about pride before fall ... the scenes read OK, they each had something. But the emotional journey of the characters just didn't cut it. Back to the plan ... I needed to structure the emotion, ensure it became a continuing thread and built in heat and tempo.

Eventually that first book was ready to send out ... after two rewrites it was accepted and published.

For the record, I progressed from portable to manual typewriter, electric typewriter to computer. I belong to numerous writing groups, participate in several writing e-mail loops, maintain regular contact with many writing friends. I have an entire bookcase filled with writing craft books in the belief I'll read something that will hit me like a lightning bolt strike and provide an easier method of writing.

To date, thirty-odd years and 55 books later, I still put in the pages of prep work ... inevitably rewrite the dreaded first chapter so many times I lose count; stop around chapter 3 and write scenes out of sequence, editing each day's work as I go.

As it's said ... whatever works!

I'd love to hear how others work ...

Helen

Emerald City Inspirations by Jennie Lucas

Last weekend, I attended the Emerald City conference in Seattle, Washington. A lot has changed for me since last year’s conference. I got the Call, had a new baby, wrote three new books, and I've lost almost 70 postbaby pounds!

But Emerald City always inspires me to try harder and do better. Here are are my Top 3 Inspiring Moments from the conference:

1. Jane Porter’s luncheon talk about why we write romance: to empower women.

Here’s a picture of us right before her speech. (Jane’s on the left, I'm on the right.) Her speech left the whole room in tears—and rising to their feet for a standing ovation.

2. Susan Mallery’s workshops on Writing More and how to fix the dreaded Sagging Middle!

I had a big deadline, so spent much of the weekend drinking coffee in the hotel bar while I finished up book #4. But I knew there was one workshop speaker I couldn’t miss: Susan Mallery. She is such a charismatic speaker, and always inspires me! I couldn’t resist taking her photo in the middle of her workshop like some crazed paparazzo. (Sorry about all the flashes, Susan!)

3. The Cherry Adair Challenge.

Cherry Adair is a true original—stunning in her generosity. She’s an NYT bestseller, and could legitimately just focus on her own fabulous career, but instead she invests huge amounts of energy and money and time to encourage other writers. Every year at Emerald City, she challenges attendees to write down the date they’ll finish their book.

The next year, all the writers who’ve met their goal receive a certificate, a cool pin and a congratulatory hug from Cherry. She also gave three lucky people a scholarship to attend next year’s Emerald City, and one writer even got a full, all-expenses-paid trip to attend RWA National in San Francisco! WOW!

This year, the line of writers who’d made the previous year’s goalswent halfway around the Bellevue Hilton ballroom.

Here’s Cherry hugging a very happy writer who made her goal! (I didn’t get the writer’s name—if you know who she is, please tell me!)

Last year, my flight forced me to leave in the middle of Cherry’s presentation, so I never turned in my challenge. But here’s what I wrote on the paper I brought home:

GOALS: Have baby, lose weight, write another book…and (I know I’m not supposed to wish this but) please please please let me sell.

When I told Cherry that I’d made my goals, she insisted on giving me a certificate, a pin and a hug. Cherry Adair—you rock!! (Here's a photo of me beaming with her!)

Have you ever attended a conference or read a book or met an author who inspired you to do something bold? What (or who) has inspired you to reach for your dreams?

Jennie Lucas’s first book for Harlequin Presents, The Greek Billionaire’s Baby Revenge, is out in the U.S. in December; her second, The Spaniard’s Defiant Virgin, is out now in the U.K. and will be in the U.S. in May 2008. Enter to win a rare Jane Porter romance (along with some Godiva) at www.jennielucas.com.

Winner and Thank You for a Great Day at Tote Bags!

I wanted to say thank you all for a great day of blogging

about Heroes today! I think we've agreed we like all kinds of men!



Lily is the winner of the random drawing for a the 2 in 1 Desire

Please contact me at charlenesands@hotmail.com with your

address.

Happy Reading!
Charlene

Heroes -- Alpha, Beta or Somewhere in Between?

What's your favorite kind of hero? For some, it's the strong, powerful, wealthy, self-made ALPHA male and for others it's the understanding, patient, compassionate boy-next-door BETA male. For some, it's the man in-between that fits their perfect fantasy.

Miriam Webster defines Alpha: socially dominant especially in a group of animals . In romance novels the alpha hero is often self-made, a man who runs an empire and has all the answers. He's a man in control of his emotions. He knows what he wants. He's cool and confident and appealing. He's a man full of sexual prowess, but choses his women with decretion and an expert eye. Often his dominant personality is his greatest asset and his greatest flaw. It's sort of that love to hate him and hate to love him, that keeps the story unique and compelling.

The alpha male rarely shows his vulnerable side and he's usually very hard on the heroine, though he's never outwardly cruel. Sometimes he's misunderstood, but makes no excuses for his actions. I must admit that sometimes when I read an alpha male who's a little over the top, I get frustrated and want to toss the book across the room. He can be extremely infuriating. Writing an alpha hero can be a huge challenge for an author to get the traits right but still give the man an ounce of humanity and keep him real. But with the stakes so high, an alpha hero story can be filled with loads of sexual tension and conflict. The reader waits throughout the story to see him soften and allow the heroine to touch his life. He's vulnerable only to her now and there's a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment in that.

In my November Harlequin, Bodine's Bounty, - the man with one name- is just that kind of alpha hero. He's a self-made, successful bounty hunter on a mission to find his brother's killer, yet first he's duty-bound to protect the runaway heroine as she ventures on a wild-goose chase to find her outlaw father. Bodine is hard as nails. He's led a difficult life. He wants nothing to do with Emma as his future is all laid out before him and she doesn't fit into his plans. But Emma, a small slip of a girl with a wonderful gift slowly breaks him down, not so much by showing him her vulnerabilites but, her strength.

On the other hand, the BETA male might have all the same appealing physical characteristics as the alpha male, but he's not J.R. Ewing in the oil business or Dr. McSteamy in the hospital setting. Often he's the boy next door, or the heroine's friend, or a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. He's not afraid of his emotions. He doesn't always hide them away. He can be Joe Average, an ordinary man struggling for success or a man happy with his lot in life. The Beta hero may have a tender side. He's the father trying to raise his teen-age daughter, or the mechanic who loves what he does for a living. Maybe he's not James Bond, but he definitely has qualities that appeal to the heroine and for the reader -- he's a man you can fall in love with.

I usually write Alpha hero stories, but I've read some really great romances where the hero is Beta. The one that comes to mind right now is Erin McCarthy's, Heiress for Hire. There are some really poignant and touching scenes between the hero and heroine and between the hero and his young daughter which earned that book a place on my keeper shelf.

I've come up with a list of traits for the Alpha and Beta hero. See if you agree.

The Alpha Male is always:

Confident

Cool

In control of his emotions

Self-made

Dominant

Shows his vulnerable side rarely

Sexually appealing

The man every woman wants

The Beta Male is often:

Understanding

Patient

Vulnerable at times

Caring

Boy next-door type

Shows his emotions

A man worth knowing and loving

Traits they share:

Often misunderstood

Sexually appealing

Capable/skillful

Comfortable in their own skin

So what traits do you most admire in a hero? And here's the hard question - if you had to choose one and you couldn't combine the "between" traits, whom do you prefer to read about, alpha or beta and why?

Win a copy today in a random drawing for a 2-in-1 Desire of my Expecting the Cowboy's Baby and Emilie Rose's,Exposing the Executive's Secrets. I'll post the winner later today!

Charlene

Stop by my website when you get a chance at charlenesands.com

There's a great Win in Winter Contest going on!

Why did you ask? - Linda Conrad

What are you reading?

I get that question all the time, and, yes, I know many readers and fans are interested in learning what authors read. I’m interested myself in finding out what other people are reading. It’s much more than just being nosy. I get all kinds of ideas for new books and new plots by reading. And I believe it’s important to note what’s currently popular in popular fiction. By finding out what other people are reading, I can keep my fingers on the pulse of the next ‘new’ thing.

But here’s the problem; I read a bizarre assortment of oddball books. I’ve even been known to read the Yellow Pages on occasion. (though, I hate to admit it)

A few days ago I was once again asked to list what I’d been reading. Now, if I had been completely honest, I would’ve listed:

The Nutrisystem catalog

Walking in Circles Before Lying Down, a novel by Merrill Markoe

The Quickie, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

The November issue of Allure magazine

The Dog Etiquette Book, by Charlotte Reed

The Baby Name Survey Book-- What people think about your baby’s name, by Lansky & Sinrod. (Don’t get any ideas. This one was for a book I’m working on!)

Pontoon, by Garrison Keillor

And on my nightstand is the anthology: No Rest for the Witches, by Mary Janice Davidson, Lori Handeland, Cheyenne McCray and Christine Warren.

Rather a mixed-up mess, don’t you agree? That’s why my answer only included the novels. I didn’t imagine anyone would want to know the whole truth.

But now I’m asking you. What are you reading? Do you have the guts to tell everything? If you don’t, not to worry. No one will ever know.

I’ll draw two names from everyone who leaves a comment in the next twenty-four hours to win a copy of my latest release: SHADOW WHISPERS, the last book in the Night Guardian series.

Linda

http://www.lindaconrad.com/

Sorry No Tricks...But Here's A Treat

This Saturday, November 3, from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. I'm signing at Turn The Page Bookstore in Boonsboro, MD (http://ttpbooks.com). Turn The Page is a wonderful haven for booklovers and just so happens to be owned by Nora Roberts' hubby (Bruce Wilder). This store holds fond memories for me since it provided me with my first booksigning experience in 2002. Since then, I've been welcomed back (or maybe I'm like velcro and they can't get rid of me) each year.

I get to see Nora's legions of fans (they have been known to arrive by chartered bus) line up through the store and down the sidewalk of the historic pre-Civil War town. Her fans are loyal and have become part of the family, as Nora catches up with each person on her life. Make no mistake, though, she's got quite a few men in that line too.

As my treat to you, I will purchase the latest copy of her new Anthology Dead of Night. Since all the authors in the anthology will be there, I can have them all autograph the book. Leave a comment about your favorite Nora personal experience or favorite book and I will pick the lucky person by November 2. Then I will mail it to you - what a bargain!

And if you feel inclined, and you can't attend the booksigning, feel free to order any of my available books. Simply follow the instructions for having the book autographed. The staff will have me autograph and mail it wherever you indicate.

Happy Halloween!

Michelle

http://michellemonkou.com

Homemade Halloween

Now, I'm gonna sound like an old grump here (the kind who walked three miles to school through raging blizzards), but what ever happened to homemade Halloween costumes? You know, the kind that were made from a cast-off bed sheet, cardboard, some tin foil, a little black or green paint out of an old can in the garage, maybe a few rhinestones and glue?

The stores are filled with Halloween costumes and makeup and accessories. Scary rubber masks, fake jack o' lanterns, candy by the bushel. It's all so easy and, I'm sure, still a treat for the kids. But in my day (there's that curmudgeon again), we had to be inventive.

I never wore a store-bought costume. I remember being a princess once, in a lace tablecloth (can't believe my mother let me wear it trick-or-treating!), with a little eye makeup and costume jewelry. I don't remember wearing a tiara, but I carried a magic wand I made myself out of cardboard and tinfoil and a stick from a decapitated pinwheel. It rained, as it always did on Halloween in the upper midwest, and soon my lace was bedraggled in the mud and my wand was losing its luster (and its foil), but my pals and I persisted until we'd hit every spot that might yield us a piece of candy. This included going into the single IGA grocery store we had in town and even one of the bars when the early drinkers called us in (even during the recession, there was always more than one bar in town), the out-of-the-way houses and especially the neighborhood by the cemetery. We didn't collect our loot in a nice, shiny, plastic pumpkin with handy handles either. We used a pillow case, probably stripped off our own pillow. You can fit a lot of candy in a pillow case.

I was also once a hippie, which was a super-easy costume. A fringed vest, jeans, a headband and a picket sign with slogan invented by my mom: DOWN WITH PEOPLE OVER 30!! I was confused, but the adults found that very amusing. Plus, the sign--a piece of cardboard stapled to a long stick--was handy for beating off the neighborhood bullies who tried to snatch my precious pillow case.

My last Halloween, I must have been about thirteen, my best friend had the idea for us to go as a two-headed man. We put on some makeup and old-man hats filched from the closet, then buttoned ourselves into a gigantic overcoat of her (dead) great-grandfather's and went lumbering around the neighborhood in lockstep. Some people asked us what we were. Well, really! Didn't they recognize a two-headed, two-armed, four-legged man when they saw him? The problem that I recall, other than being stuck inside that heavy woolen coat, was that I had only one hand free to hold my pillow case. By then, a lot of kids had started using treat buckets, usually plastic jack o'lanterns. But I was a traditionalist. And a little embarrassed to be trick-or-treating at my age. By the next year, I had retired from the candy-collecting biz and moved on to creating costumes for others. One time, I stayed up till 3 a.m. gluing feathers onto a pair of homemade angel wings, but that's another Halloween story....

What was your favorite Halloween costume? Were you a buy-it or make-it kind of kid?

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The winner of the book giveaway from my previous blog was CrystalG. Congrats, Crystal!

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Carrie Alexander is a multi-published, two-time RITA finalist author with Harlequin and St. Martin's Press. She's already eaten the bag of candy she bought for the Trick or Treaters. Her most recent releases are MY FRONT PAGE SCANDAL (Harlequin Blaze 10/07) and A TOWN CALLED CHRISTMAS (Harlequin Superromance 11/07). Visit her at: www.carriealexander.com

How dangerous is too dangerous?

Okay, so we like to push the envelope, think outside the box, write on the edge. Pick your idiom; it’s our goal to have our names listed in the definition. Usually we take a great deal of pride in this. Celebrate our lifelong rebellion against social norms and cultural conventions. We imagine ourselves modern day James Deans with a pen. But how far is too far?

Over the course of our twenty-some-year career, we’ve shined the spotlight on infidelity, an incest survivor, alcoholism, bi-sexuality…you name it, it’s probably popped up somewhere in our forty novels, all of them romance with the exception of the three titles in our Sofie Metropolis, PI series, and even Sofie's love life is an important part of her evolution. We take great pleasure in mixing a hefty dose of reality in with our fiction, mostly because it lends a certain authenticity, partly because – along with our characters – we’re grappling to understand life’s mysteries. And we almost always come away from each book with if not a complete understanding at least acceptance that the world would be a very drab place indeed if we were all cut from the same piece of cloth.

Which leads us to our latest Blaze DANGEROUS.

When our editor Brenda Chin first proposed the Extreme series of Blazes, we were at a loss of where we could possibly take our books that we hadn’t taken them already. I mean, outside those elements that would boost them from romantica to straight erotica. So it took us awhile to wrap our minds around the concept that she wasn’t necessary looking for sex – or more of it – since regular Blazes were already blazing that trail (pardon the pun). She was looking for books that dealt with themes that normally wouldn’t appear in series romance fiction, such as vampires, time travels, witches, etc. But while we’re both fans of paranormal, we feel there are enough everyday elements to deal with without delving into unknown realms (that and we wrote one really dark paranormal years ago that still sits in our attic and haunts us both to this day).

So we went the reality route and found ourselves asking questions like: What if your father were a mafia don? If you were born into a New York family that was a cross between the Corleones and the Sopranos? What would be normal to you? And what would life be like if your father and brother were gunned down in broad daylight and you were sucked back into an existence you knew like the back of your hand but had hoped never to have to confront?

Thus Lady Boss Gia Trainello and FBI Agent Lucas Paretti were born.

The end result was a book we felt was true to the subject matter…as well as the most brutal story we’d ever written. Even Brenda had us take out a couple of the more violent passages and make the end happier (how does one write about the mob without violence?).

But, ultimately, the story is about one woman, and one man, and how they overcome their own unique obstacles in order to claim the happily-ever-after they so deserve. And in Gia and Lucas' case, create their own definition of the word family.

Have you read the book? How do you feel? Was the subject matter distracting? Or did you feel it was in fitting with the story? In the movie industry, sex is what makes a film R-rated, violence is acceptable. Is the reverse true in books? Especially romance novels?

You tell us.

Oh, and as special incentive, we’re giving out a copy of one of our books to one lucky commenter. All you need do is post to qualify. We were going to make the giveaway a copy of DANGEROUS, but decided to open it up to any title in our forty strong backlist, including the three hardcover titles in our SOFIE METROPOLIS, PI series.

For more info on us and our books, and to enter our October on-line drawing for a box of Godiva Halloween chocolates, visit http://www.toricarrington.net and http://www.sofiemetro.co

What My Husband is Going to Be for Halloween by Diana Holquist

When you write a book called Sexiest Man Alive, your husband gets A LOT of grief.

Yes, all his friends now call him Sexiest Man Alive. As in, "Hey, Pete, think the Sexiest Man Alive could give little help here moving this bookcase?"

I, of course, have been asked hundreds of times where I got the inspiration for the book. I say, "My husband," and people laugh at what they think is a joke.

But here's the thing: I really mean it. My husband is the sweetest, nicest, most amazing man. We've been married for 14 years and have two awesome kids. We've been through sickness and joblessness and moving and KIDS. He works harder and plays harder than anyone I know.

And he's smart. Scary professor kind of smart.

If you don't believe how great he is, get this. For Halloween, we're having a Halloween/book release party. And guess what he's wearing for the party? Here's a hint:



Don't drop that towel, hon!

Now, is that the Sexiest Man Alive or what?

--Diana
Come by my website to vote for who you think should be People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 2007. As of today, Gerard Butler is WAY ahead!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

The Enchantment of Romance - Edith Layton

My latest book, BRIDE ENCHANTED, from AVON, is slightly paranormal. As the title says, it is about enchantment. But before you write it off as a Fantasy and go seeking a "Romance" - just think: isn't all romance a sort of fantasy and a kind of enchantment?

Love, after all, blurs our vision of reality. A thousand love songs talk about hearing singing when there's no one there, and smelling flowers in the dead of winter. This is a perfectly normal reaction to finding love. Poets have passed the centuries trying to define love. But to paraphrase what the judge said about pornography - we know it when we feel it.

Love confuses us when it's not reciprocal. It's more of a hex than an enchantment when that happens. Life becomes wretched, it's like being cursed.But if love is returned, it turns our faces and futures rosy, and makes us feel that we walk on air. It affects our physical selves: It speeds up our hearts, races our pulses, and even bolsters our immune systems. It affects all our perceptions, making us more beautiful in our own eyes, and our loved ones become beautiful beyond human power to describe.

Sometimes love can last the generations. Sometimes, it's gone by the morning light, like faerie gold. It's a worthy goal, but like the rainbow, it can't be pursued.

To be loved, we must try to be more loveable ourselves.The rest is up to Fate.
That's love. That's natural. And that's paranormal too, isnt it?

BRIDE ENCHANTED is about that kind of love, and more. Here's wishing every bride is enchanted!

Edith

http://edithlayton.com/

Writing Madness

• I travel a lot on speaking engagements. I also teach a great deal besides writing five books a year. What surprises me is that most people--both writers and nonwriters alike, are interested in my writing process. But they're not fascinated by the part where I write 1o pages a day every day. What has them hanging on my every word is when I tell them about the deadline crunches and I end up having to write a book in two weeks.
  
  
• This happens far more often than I would like. The process isn't enjoyable. In fact, it's quite miserable, but it never fails to get a response out of listeners. This summer I gave lectures at a group of colleges in California. At one workshop I spent the day talking about story structure and characterization and theme and all that good stuff. Then toward the end of the class, when it was opened up for Q&A and I told the tale of my writing madness, one student exclaimed, "Now this is what I paid $50.00 to hear.
  

• Okay, so here it is.
  

• When I have to write a 3oo page book in two weeks, the world comes to a halt. My family and friends are put on notice. No interuptions. Do not expect to see me for three weeks. (Two weeks for the writing, a week to recover)

• The minute I roll out of bed in the morning, I'm at the computer.I know I have to write 30 pages a day for ten pages with four days for revisions. I eat massive amounts of chocolate. I guzzle caffeine. I strap on my noise cancelling headphones and listen to brain sync tapes and Mozart. I chew gum. (It's supposed to stimulate creativity.) I do not stop for any reason. I keep telling myself "Words on the page." I go days without showering. I don't have the time. I write in a blind hot rush, fast, faster, fastest. Sometimes my hands hurt so badly I type with ice bags tied to my wrists. When I finish the pages, I stumbled into bed and fall into a miserable sleep filled with my characters and their problems. I rarely sleep more than four hours then I'm up and back at it.
  

• This goes on for fourteen hellacious days. I'm deeply submersed in the world of my characters. I become them and they become me.Day becomes night, night becomes day. I have no idea what day it is, what time it is. I write through the night until I hear the birds singing out my window. I fall asleep at two in the afternoon. My mind runs through this marathon of words.
  

• In the end, I e-mail the book to my editor just in time to make the deadline. Then I collapse into bed and........most of the time I can't sleep.

• The last time I did this I was awake for 48 hours. I tried to sleep, finally got up in the middle of the night and told my husband, "I need a steak." We made a midnight run to a an all night grocery store and we came home and he grilled me a steak. I sated my need for protein and finally fell asleep.
  

• It is a horrible, awful, torturous way to write and I don't recommend it to anyone. Here's the deal. You'd think the book would be total crap, right? It sure as hell feels like total crap when I'm writing it. But you know what? Almost all the books I've written this way get better reviews than the books I write the normal, ten pages a day way.
  

• Is it magic? I don't think so. I believe it's the white hot heat of creation. I suppose that's what made the woman proclaim, "This is what I paid $50.00 to hear." When she said that, I so wanted to laugh. In order to write like this you have to be 1) Pretty well mad. 2) Masochistic 3) Seasoned!

• I could not have written this way when I was first starting to write. I couldn't have written this way after I'd published 20 books. I can only write this way now because I've developed the creative muscle. For this woman to attempt my method would be like asking a couch potato to run a marathon in four hours. It ain't gonna happen and many brain cells could die in the process.
  
• If you write, do you have any insane writing practices? If you're an aspiring author--stop comparing yourself to other people. Find your own process. If you're a reader, does it interest you to know how the books you love are created? Or would you rather just enjoy the book and not know?
  

Lori

Christine Rimmer asks, "When is a woman like a piano?"

Why, when she’s Eleanor Parker in a movie aptly titled The Naked Jungle, that's when.

Okay, about that title. Naked Jungle? Huh? Suffice to say it is—naked—by the end. You’ll have to rent it and watch it to find out how that happens. Susan Mallery knows.

Yes, it’s true. Susan loves this movie as much as I do. And that’s a lot.

Where was I? Oh, yeah…

Nobody else—aside from the jungle, I mean—gets naked in this movie. Not Charlton Heston, who was quite the heartthrob back in the day. And certainly not Eleanor Parker. Though she does wear some really cool negligees—clingy and white, with lots of ruffles. Oh, and Charlton goes shirtless now and then, as I recall. He looked really good shirtless, too, if I might say…

I’ve read a number of reviews on this movie and they all remark on how it’s a solid adventure story cloaked in a “rather ordinary” romance.

Oh, those reviewers. They so don’t get it. What this movie’s got and got in abundance, is tension. Heat. Passion. Heston seethes. Parker…palpitates. It’s delicious. Yeah, okay. It’s perhaps a little over the top when judged by picky contemporary sensibilities.

But you know what? Let’s hear it for over-the-top.

Simply put, this is a mail-order bride story. Christopher Leiningen (Heston) has carved a paradise out of the wild, untamable jungle and everything he has in his own personal paradise is brand-new. His piano. His mansion/fortress and all the cool stuff inside.

Christopher, who came to the jungle at 19, is now 34 and has zero knowledge of women (Read: virgin hero, oh yes!) wants a wife. Enter Joanna, his mail-order bride. She’s supposed to be as “new” as all his other possessions. ...

(Spoiler alert. If you do plan to rent this and you don't want to know the plot ahead of time, skip down to the questions in bold at the end.)

For the rest of you, what no one has told Christopher is that Joanna’s a widow (Read: not “new,” but “used.”)

Of course, he’s going to send her back. Even though it’s obvious from the first moment he sees her that this guy is a goner and one way or another, these two will end up together.

Joanna gets to prove why she’s exactly the woman Christopher needs. She does a great job of it, too.

And how is a woman like a piano? As Joanna explains to Christopher, both are better when they’ve been…played.

My fave line from this movie comes near the end, when Joanna’s right there beside him as the ants are at the gates (Yes, army ants, and for those of you reading this spoiler, the ants are what gets the jungle naked). Leiningen turns to all the terrified locals and exhorts them to “Be brave. Like Leiningen’s woman…”

So then. Old movies. What are your favorites? And what are your favorite lines from old movies?

--Christine Rimmer