The First Frost

I'm not sure I'm ready for it -- in fact, I'm quite sure I'm not -- but the frost warning flickered across my computer screen about 2 this afternoon.

We had a ghastly summer with lots of high humidity to turn our reasonably high temperatures into a sauna.

We ordinarily walk the dogs in the evening. But the heavier-coated golden retriever just looked appalled at the thought. So he and I walked about 10 p.m. when it was at least slightly cooler.

And that was last week.

Good grief.

But another part of me is glad to see fall (that's 'autumn' for you folks across the pond) coming.

I love the bright crisp days and the startlingly blue sky. I love the lack of humidity. I love the changing colors on the trees and the 'burning bush' hedge at the back of my neighbor's garden.

I also love the fact that my computer is happier in the cooler weather.

There was a time before The Prof (with whom I share a life) decided that air conditioning wasn't evil that it was so hot that my computer refused to type the letter "a."

As you might imagine, this put a serious cramp in my novel-writing. Thinking of words without "a" took more time than writing a whole scene.

Now every summer -- with air conditioning -- I don't have that problem.

But even so, I think my computer is happier with cooler weather anyway. I know I am.

I love fall. Fall, for me, is a time for hiking through the woods hereabouts, of picking

apples and making pies and watching football.

It's a time of haunting office supply stories and stocking up on school supplies (yes, even though I'm not a student officially anymore -- unless you count the course in Scottish records I'm taking -- I still need my notebooks, pens and paper fix).

It's also time for television programs to turn up again with their new season.

For years we didn't have a television at all. But now that we do (like air conditioning, it has been allowed in the house because we've proved we can live without it), I find myself looking forward to NCIS, Castle and The Mentalist.

I know that other series start at other times -- and I'm grateful for that because I wouldn't have time to watch them if they were all on the same week -- but traditionally tv started its new season in September, and I'm old enough to be a traditionalist!

It's also a time for deadlines as, this year, I have one coming up in a few weeks.

I'm hoping that the book behaves itself for the rest of September, so I can send it out the door with the same bright optimism (and relief) with which I used to send the kids off to school. It's got a ways to go yet, though. So I'd better get back to work.

First, though, I'd better go throw a sheet over the tomatoes!

Do you like the change of seasons or are you -- like my mother -- a one-season-is-fine-with-me-as-long-as-it-never-gets-hot-or-cold sort of girl?

Anne's next book, The Night That Changed Everything, will be out from M&B Modern in October and from Harlequin Presents Extra in November. Please watch for it!

Reaching Rock Bottom and Climbing Up Again

It happened 23 days ago. I had had pasta and cake. My head swam and I knew I had to do something or I would regain all the weight I'd lost over the last year. I had done well in a way but I was plateauing and my waist was starting expand again. This was despite doing 50 minutes of  exercising per day, following along to a dvd.  Rock bottom had been reached, one of those deciding moments when you know that your life can go two ways.
 It was time I decided to bite the bullet and try The Tracy Anderson Method.

The Tracy Anderson Method was developed by Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer who claims that she can transform any woman if she is willing to sweat. It involves 2 hours of exercise a day including dance cardio and a restrictive diet but one which has high marks for vegetables and fruit. I'd looked at it before and decided it was not for me. Despite enjoying dancing at the Harlequin party, I am not a big fan of dance cardio. The humiliation of always being the one out of step in various dance classes lingers. I was very much you can ask me to do anything but don't ask me to do dance cardio in pursuit of losing weight.
That day I decided to face my fears..for 30 days. Even I could do dance cardio for 30 days.
I sent off for the book The Tracy Anderson Method 30 Day Boot Camp from Amazon. It arrived the next day, along with its dvd. One of the first things I read was if you start this programme tomorrow, in a month's time you will have a changed body. And then the only fairy dust I can give you is sweat. Sweat, I decided I could give...even if I had to do dance cardio. Besides the only creatures I might frighten were the dogs.
I sweated in bucket loads. My daughter commented several times that I looked like I had a shower with my clothes on. I ignored her. Despite my two left feet, I have been mastering the dance cardio and can now do 60 minutes vigorous exercise, plus all the mat work (about an 60 minutes). The food while not plentiful has filled me up and I have rediscovered how much I do enjoy salads and fresh fruit. The emphasis is on fresh, easy to prepare foods. On the whole the recipes are very good. I have become a confirmed herbal tea drinker.
Best of all I have lost 18 lbs and am now just within the healthy BMI range (because of this I am foregoing the 5 day detox at the end -- the thought of pureed corn and sweet potato makes my stomach churn). I have also had lost something like 19 inches, including 4 inches from each thigh.  The net result is that I can fit into clothes I wore in my early twenties before I had children. Equally my lymph oedema in my left arm which nothing has touched is severely reduced. My energy levels have really climbed and I feel so much more awake.   And I have gone from a skeptic about Tracy Anderson to a whole hearted believer. The woman can work miracles.
I had had low expectations of the experience and have been utterly astonished by the success. Things like this don't happen to me. I had been struggling for ages to lose weight and had despaired about getting down to a healthy BMI. And while I had lost a significant bit last year, nothing much had happened this year.  I stubbornly stayed around 170. I tried to tell myself that it was because I discovered various exercise dvds like Jillian Micheals and had really increased my muscles. as certainly my inches went down. I had sort of thought that I was destined to be larger than I wanted to be. Middle age spread and low metabolism. Now I know that was not the case.
In the short term, I am going to finish the boot camp. I have about 15 lbs more that I want to lose. In the longer term, I am waiting for her metamorphosis (4 dvd 90 day programme of exercise)  to arrive so I can go on to that programme.  She has found a way to target the accessory muscles, rather than the large muscles groups and pulls things in. And dance cardio is hard work but fun.(Colour me astonished here) She claims that if you do the exercise, you can keep your figure. She has done it for over 13 years.
So if anyone needs to shape up quickly, you could investigate Tracy Anderson and her Method. Jillian Michaels is also good but as I said you tend to lose inches rather than the weight.  I know Donna Alward has had great success with PX 90. Not every trainer is right for every person, so it is worth taking the time to investigate. And sometimes, facing your fear like I did with dance cardio can really reap rewards...

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance for Harlequin. Her latest book To Marry A Matchmaker was out in the UK in July (remains available as an e-book) and is currently out in Australia and New Zealand. You can read more about Michelle's books on her website at www.michellestyles.co.uk

Starting Something New - Kate Hewitt

September always feels like the beginning of the year to me, with school starting and the fresh smell of autumn in the air. It feels like a good time to make resolutions or start new things--and wow, have I started a lot of new things lately! 


A month ago my family and I moved from New York City to a small village on the northwest coast of England. We got a dog, my children have all started new schools, my husband a new job, and life feels very different. It’s exciting and nerve-racking and overwhelming all at once. 


Amidst all this change I’ve been working on my 20th romance for Harlequin Presents, and I feel very thankful to have that constant in my life. When house, children, dog, and moving boxes are all chaos around me, it’s been great to turn on my computer and lose myself in my current story. Yet I’ve also started something new with writing--I’ve self-published a historical saga Down Jasper Lane available now on Smashwords and Barnes & Noble, and soon on Kobo and Amazon. Down Jasper Lane was originally published in hardcover, and I’m very pleased to be able to offer a revised and expanded version to readers in digital format for a much cheaper price! You can check it out here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/80506. 

I also have a Harlequin Presents out this month, The Secret Baby Scandal, a duet with the wonderful Jennie Lucas. Leave a comment on whether you like starting new things, or what new things you may have started, and I’ll draw a winner for a copy of one of my recent releases, either The Matchmaker Bride or The Man Who Could Never Love.

Happy reading,

Kate 

Better Late Than Never!

by Anna Campbell

More photos than text today!

Do you remember last month I did a piece on midwinter in south-east Queensland in Australia where I live?

I had a couple of shots of a beach at Maroochydore from a charity talk I gave. But I'd also taken a stack of photos on a late afternoon walk along the seafront near my house and then my digital camera decided it wasn't talking to my computer anymore. So I couldn't include them in the original blog as intended.

Grrrr.

As a result, I promised to share the pics if I could get the camera working again. Well, thanks to some seriously techie friends of mine, I now have access to my photos.

Huzzah!

I hope you enjoy these shots of Pumicestone Passage at Golden Beach in the late afternoon on a beautiful winter's day.

The first picture is of one of my favorite local birds, the blue heron. They're usually quite shy so I was delighted I got close enough to get this shot. This particular walking path is popular with dog walkers so the birdlife is best after all the pooches have gone home for dinner.

The next shot looks south along the passage to Moreton Bay. The trees in the distance are on the Bribie Island National Park. From my house, which is about five minutes walk from where this was taken, you can hear the surf on the ocean side of the island at night. It's a wonderful sound!

Speaking of birds, this area is one of the world's largest tern sanctuaries. Vast flocks of migratory birds use the sandbanks to stop off for rest and recuperation. Some birds come from as far away as Alaska and Siberia! Wonder if they get jetlag!

The next shot looks north to the holiday resort of Caloundra - see the high-rise apartment blocks. There's some wonderful beaches and cafes up there. I'm definitely on the quieter end of the Sunshine Coast.

Just to prove the seasons have moved on, check out this magnificent melaleuca that grows in my neighbor's garden but cascades over my back fence like a beautiful white waterfall. Spring has definitely sprung down here!

I've always loved the ocean and it's such a treat to live so close to it. So are you a seaside person or do you prefer the mountains or the plains or the city? If you could have your choice, where would you settle?

A Day To Remember

It was a perfect afternoon in late summer. The weather was warm and sunny, but not too hot. My husband had taken some time off from work, and we were both worn out from amusing our toddler all day. Maybe it wasn't the most romantic way to spend our wedding anniversary, but when you become a parent, you soon learn to choose your moment. Our special time was going to come much later on, after the children had gone to bed. There was a pizza in the fridge, together with gateau and a bottle of wine, all ready for our celebration. 

My over-worked husband had used our special day as a lever to escape a big client meeting in Manhattan, but (then, as now) he could never let up completely. While I got ready to collect our ten-year old from her after-school club, he rang in to his firm's New York office see if everything was running smoothly. For the first time ever, a call to his colleagues was over in seconds - even before I'd had time to leave the room.

'That's odd,' he said. 'The PA hung up on me. She said she couldn't talk. Something's happened.'

He was already firing up his laptop as he spoke, and was composing an email as I walked out of the house.

It was our 19th wedding anniversary: 11th September, 2001.

Half an hour later, I was back from the school run and we'd forgotten all about our special day. The horror unfolding on TV and radio wiped everything else out of our minds then, and for a long time afterwards. My husband should have been in the WTC that morning. Like the thousands of people who were actually there in Manhattan, he is very conscientious, really hates being late for anything and was bound to have been on the spot, way too early for his meeting. 

Every relationship has its ups and downs, and ours is no exception.  Yet not a day has passed since then that I don't look at him and think 'I am so lucky to still have you by my side.' It could have been very different. My whole family are deeply grateful for our good fortune, but we are painfully aware that friends, colleagues and many, many other people in the United States and around the world are facing today in terribly different circumstances.

When I saw my regular monthly spot here fell on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I thought for a long time about what I could possibly contribute. Finally, I decided that the First World War poet Laurence Binyon said more than I ever could, and in only a few lines. His words have been a comfort to millions over the years, and I hope these extracts from For the Fallen will help you through today wherever you are, and whatever your circumstances.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning 
We will remember them...


...But where our desires are and our hopes profound, 
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known,
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, 
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain; 
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, 
To the end, to the end, they remain. 


All over the world today, names will be read out as we remember those who died. Their most fitting tribute is that they will all live on in the memories of their loved ones, and in the thoughts and prayers of those of us who witnessed the indescribably tragic and world changing events of 9/11.

Christina x


Christina Hollis is a writer. Today, that's all you need to know.

What’s your favorite romance fantasy?

Whenever I imagine my dream vacation, it’s always a variation of the same scenario. Tropical island. Clear aquamarine waters lapping up onto long stretches of white sand. Palm trees leaning toward the shoreline. Brilliant tropical flowers. Endless sun. A gorgeous dark-haired man, with rippling muscles, wearing next to no clothes—

Whoa! Stop right there. Where did he come from? My husband is blond, and of course he’d be the star of my vacation fantasy.

Sorry about that, darling hub. My romance novel fantasy butted into my vacation dreams… Which is what happens to authors. I'm sometimes surprised to read back over my work and see themes and issues from my own life interlaced through my story. I didn't intend them, they just got there via my subconscious.

The tropical paradise thing, for example. In Home Is Where the Bark Is, Serena and Nick plan to honeymoon in Hawaii where Serena will pose in a swimming pool of chocolate for a commercial. Hmm. Don’t ask me where that particular fantasy comes from! Come to think of it, chocolate seems to sneak into everything I write...

My newest story The Castaway Bride has all the above tropical island wonders and, come to think of it, chocolate as well. The dark-haired fantasy lover? Well of course!

I so enjoyed writing Matt Slade. He’s succeeded in the business world against tough odds but he’s been betrayed by people he trusted. That’s made him cynical about love but there’s a wonderful chivalrous streak in his nature that keeps fighting its way to the surface—especially when runaway bride Cristy Walters is close by. He helps her escape from her cheating bridegroom only for them to end up shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. Cristy has her own issues—in particular she doesn’t trust lust—and boy does she have to struggle against her feelings for hot hunk Matt!

Is there a dog in The Castaway Bride? That’s one of the first questions people ask me. (My Berkley Sensation books, Love is a Four-Legged Word and Home Is Where the Bark Is, have lots of dogs in them.)

Yes and no. Matt is taking time out on his yacht. He’d love to have his beloved black Labrador Jake sailing with him, but Jake gets seasick and can’t be on board. Matt has to Skype his dog to keep in touch. So Jake is part of the story but never actually appears on the pages. Needless to say my heroine Cristy Walters finds Matt’s devotion to his dog endearing. Oh, and there’s a tame dragon lizard named Sam who plays a part in the plot.

But the focus of The Castaway Bride is purely on two people, both emotionally wounded in their own ways, finding passion and true love in a tropical island paradise. Alert: it’s a tad steamier than my doggy books.

The Castaway Bride is my first foray into the exciting world of indie publishing and is available only as an e-book at Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and other e-book retailers. It’s on sale for the introductory price of $0.99c (that’s another thing I love—a bargain!) But I’m giving away a free copy to anyone who comments here over the weekend, via a coupon for Smashwords where you can download the book in a format to suit any e-reader or PC.

Do you have a fantasy vacation destination? A favorite romance scenario? I’d love to hear your comment. Be sure to leave your email address if you would like a free download of The Castaway Bride.

http://www.kandyshepherd.com

Photos courtesy of Tahiti Tourisme and Tourism Queensland.

Family Traditions

My youngest son turned 13 recently. He's a teen! This is a good thing; really, it is ;-) and it's a milestone that needs acknowledging because he's entering a new phase of his life.

I'm big on celebrating significant events. Both my boys had 'naming' celebrations when they were born and every birthday is celebrated but this one, like 18 and 21, needs a bit more fanfare. I call them the 'rite of passage' birthdays. I'm also big on celebrating the little things and inventing little traditions that frame our lives. Like family games night and squish-on-the-couch movie night.

Our tradition for turning 13 is a meal at a silver-service restaurant- you know the type...no kids menu :-) We chose a restaurant in the country, nestled between a vineyard and an olive grove and where the art of the grounds and inside the restaurant is as amazing as the food. This suited Boy Wonder down to the ground as he's got a great eye art and he's especially loves buildings. He got a total kick out of the new wine-tasting building. Isn't it awesome? A building built on it's side, complete with stumps sticking out:-) 

Sculpture abounds and everywhere you turn you see something new that your gaze missed the first time; like the wire sculpture next to the water tank of the man fishing, complete with a fish on his hook and a glass of wine in his hand. Humor and whimsy is everywhere and after a three course lunch we enjoyed wandering around the gardens and walking off the food:-)

I guess because family traditions are important to me, it's why they often end up in my books. In Boomerang Bride, I gave tradition a bit of a wicked twist because in life, not all traditions are necessarily good!  Matilda grew up in a family where the tradition/belief was that the Geoffrey women travelled across the world for love. This ended up getting her in a bit of hot water and it's why the book opens with Matilda in small town Wisconsin, wearing a wedding dress, holding a cake, but missing a groom.

Do you have family traditions? Good ones, bad ones? I'm all ears.

Fiona Lowe writes stories set in small towns with big hearts. Whether they're set in small town USA or outback Australia, the one thing they have in common is a happy ever after that will make you sigh. For all the goss on her latest releases, and where to find her on the 'net, check out her website. Boomerang Bride and Career Girl in the Country are out now.

Going to the Chapel - Marie Force

Everyone loves a wedding, right? A fictional wedding is even better because you can attend from your home without getting dressed up or agonizing over a gift. The characters in my Fatal Series, Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Lt. Sam Holland and U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, tie the knot in book 3.5 in the series, Fatal Destiny. The novella was released this week and it’s free! (As of this writing, we were still working out some kinks with the freebie on Amazon, but I hope that will be all set by the time you read this!)

The series, which began with Fatal Affair last June, continued earlier this year with Fatal Justice and this summer with Fatal Consequences and Fatal Destiny. Up next is Fatal Flaw in February 2012. Here’s a little more about the free novella:

With the week of their wedding finally upon them, Washington, D.C., Police Lieutenant Sam Holland and her fiancé, Senator Nick Cappuano, are at odds. In the aftermath of a tragic loss, they struggle to reconnect as the big day draws near, but their work keeps pulling them apart. When a new clue into a cold case surfaces, Nick asks Sam not to take any foolish chances before the wedding and to leave it alone for the time being. Sam agrees, but she can't let it go entirely and winds up trapped in an explosive situation. Then an unwelcome visitor from her past threatens her future happiness… With trouble at every turn, will Sam survive long enough to walk down the aisle?

Find out more about my books at www.mariesullivanforce.com.

M.J. Scott: Reading Loves

If anyone asks how I became a writer, part of me wants to point to my parents and grandparents and say "it's all their fault". Not because I come from a long line of writers (in fact, can't say that I know of any in the family tree) but I definitely come from a family of READERS.

My parents are both teachers who loved books and I learned to read before I went to school. Reading was encouraged (well, apart from the odd argument about how I should actually put the books down occasionally to go to sleep or go outside and run around or go to school) and books were supplied and libraries joined. It's been a lifelong addiction.

It was my parents who first gave me books like the Hobbit and the Narnia books and the stories of E.E. Nesbitt and Susan Cooper. They introduced me to the many worlds of fantasy. Elves and magic and secret worlds and great quests. Honor and bravery and good versus evil. I was hooked.

It was my grandmothers, also keen readers, who gave me my first tastes of romance. They gave me classics like Anne of Green Gables (ah, Gilbert) and the What Katy Did books. Hooked again. As I grew older they added Heyer and Austen to the mix. (Romance with men with swords and frock coats and women in gorgeous gowns...plus come to think about it, a lot of honor and bravery and good versus evil in a different way).

Ever since those first tastes, it's been fantasy and romance that I turn to when I want comfort or just to lose myself in my type of story. With all those stories filling my head, I guess it was inevitable that I might start writing down some of my own. I wrote in school but then did more seemingly sensible things for a while. But the stories kept fighting back and eventually I gave in and started writing again. My first book, SHADOW KIN, came out yesterday and it's probably also inevitable that it is a fantasy with a healthy dollop of romance. It also deals with good versus evil and whilst my heroine really doesn't like gorgeous gowns, there's a hero who believes in honor, and the odd sword and pair of breeches make an appearance. Apparently, I write what I know (or what I love, rather).

So let's talk about reading loves. What's your favorite genre or sub-genre? Do you like gritty suspense, sparkling regencies or the drama and glamor of a Harlequin Presents? Kick-butt urban fantasy heroine who can out-Buffy Buffy? Alpha male military heroes? Do you stay true to your love or do you like to mix it up? I’m giving away a copy of SHADOW KIN to one commenter.

M.J Scott is an unrepentant bookworm. Luckily she grew up in a family that fed her a properly varied diet of books and these days is surrounded by people who are understanding of her story addiction. When not wrestling one of her own stories to the ground, she can generally be found reading someone else’s. Her other distractions include yarn, cat butlering, dark chocolate and fabric. She lives in Melbourne, Australia. You can find out more about her at her website or Twitter, Facebook.

School Days

Cool mornings. The smell of new paper and pencils. Fresh apples in lunchbags. The sound of the schoolbus turning the corner.

And the blessed quiet of school going back in session.

My kids love school. When I had the nerve to tell my eldest that she just wanted to get back to her social scene, she was quick to point out how much she loves the smell and feel of fresh looseleaf. That she's anxious to get back to learning. She did mention that to a friend, who basically said ARE YOU CRAZY?

Of course school also means the beginning of organized sports, as volleyball tryouts will start up mid-September. Band and choir begins.

It's not just the kids who look forward to it. I do too - and not just because my office is my own again after summer holidays. (Though admittedly - a work day that's uninterrupted is fabulous. As is working without television or arguing in the background.) It's a back-to-school energy that I totally understand when my daughter says she can't wait. When school goes back in session, so does my brain and my focus. I'm SO ready to get back to writing, I'm keen to organize and prioritize and just be productive.

Right now I'm working on a book due very soon, but I'm not worried because I have that positive energy thing going on - making me wish every day was like back to school.

Oh and that school bus sound? Heard it just this morning.

You can check out my upcoming releases on my website - and you can get my October release HOW A COWBOY STOLE HER HEART right now on Eharlequin.

I can stop anytime I want -- Susanna Carr

When a friend suggested I had an addiction to reading, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I've heard. Being accused of reading too much is like being told you eat too many vegetables. It's just not possible. Right?

Everyone knows that reading is a necessary skill. Teachers encourage you to read as much as possible. Parents bribe you to read the classics. What could possibly be wrong with reading for pleasure?

However, it did not help my case when I replied with a "I can stop anytime I want."

Now I'm sounding like an addict. So a bet was made and my pride is at stake. I am not reading a book for 30 days. (I still can't believe I agreed to that!) I've stopped reading books unintentionally when life got too busy. I'm pretty sure I can handle it for a month. Maybe... I'm already getting fidgety and looking at my bookshelf with longing.

I hope that by the end of the month I will stop hearing those questions by my friend. You know the kind: "You bought more books?" or "You went to the library again?" or "Why are you re-reading that book? You already knows what happens."

But first I have to go book-free for 30 days. Wish me luck. I think I'm going to take the edge off and read the back of the cereal box.

Do you get teased about your reading habits?

Boooks that have stayed with me all my life

In July, my husband and I travelled to Wales where every year we teach at the fabulous Writers’ Holiday  at Caerleon near Newport. And as we do every  year on the way there , we stopped overnight in a small Worcestershire town called  Great Malvern (I always think it’s funny that it’s called Great Malvern when it’s such a tiny place – but that’s England for you, in the same way  that  the name of the county in which this town lies is pronounced  Woostershire!).  Anyway, we  spent a pleasant day wandering  round the town, had tea in a lovely teashop,  my husband indulged his love of old second hand bookshops  - and then we had a leisurely dinner in the hotel.

The hotel’s lounge has a bookshelf full of books, some that have been there for ages and some that past guests have finished with and  left behind.  He picked up one that interested him and started to browse through it.  I  looked up and noticed the title and was immediately taken back to my  childhood and to a date when I had first read this book – it was originally published in 1962.

The book was  The Escape of the Princess by Jane Lane and it’s a historical novel written about the Princess Clementina Sobieski, the grand-daughter of  King John III of Poland who eventually married James Stewart the exiled son of James II of England and became the mother of the prince known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. But this is the story of her life before all that  when as Clementina travels from to meet her bridegroom, she is captured and imprisoned in Innsbruck as her cousin tried to prevent the marriage taking place.  Captain Charles Wogan, a young Irish supporter of James, was sent to try to rescue the princess and, aided by two Irish kinsmen, another Irish cavalry officer and his young French wife, together with her unpredictable maid,  bring her safely to her wedding.   This book had intrigued me when I was younger and I had read it avidly for a very special reason – that Charles Wogan was my great-great-great-great-great . . .  (I’m not quite sure just how many greats!) grandfather on my mother’s side of the family. In fact I have a very old silver spoon that has the initials CW  on it that  everyone believes may well have belong to Charles himself.

I read the copy of this story in the library all those years ago, returned the book,  and then  largely forgot about it . If I remembered it, it was only vaguely – and now here it was right in front of me bringing back all sorts of memories.   But this time there was something I could do about it – a quick search of the used book shops on the internet soon found me a copy of this novel for myself and by the time I got home it was waiting for me. I spent a very happy afternoon rereading it and reminding myself of the dramatic and romantic story of Clementina and Charles and their journey.

One of the very best things about having  the internet has been being able to do this – to find long ago treasures from my childhood , get hold of copies and reread them. I discovered a really old favourite  - Simona’s Jewel (this was old even when I first read it!) and another book by the same author Two of Red and Two of Blue. There were the Romney Marsh Stories of Monica Edwards, too – lots of books that I had once loved so much but hadn’t seen again in years.  Interestingly enough, they all had dark, ambiguous, strong heroes – even if those heroes were only 15 or so!

It’s easy to see where my personal alpha heroes in my modern day romance come from when you look back at these  childhood stories. And it’s particularly appropriate that I should be thinking about these older  books now when the newest book of mine  - then one that’s coming out very soon -  is inspired by one  of favourite ever books, one that swept me away when I first read it (about the same time as  The Escape of The Princess)  - and that’s Wuthering Heights.

The Return of the Stranger is coming  out in the UK just now and is being published in America and Australia in October 2011. (Some people have been worried that this is a copy – or steals from the original.  Instead it’s a book that takes Wuthering Heights as its launch point and inspiration. So much so that in fact the Bronte  Society at Haworth Parsonage itself has asked me to give a talk about writing this book and using that amazing novel as a starting point. But you don’t have to have read Wuthering Heights to understand it, The Return of The Stranger stands up as a romance all on its own.

I’ll tell you a bit more about The Return of The Stranger next time, when it’s so much closer to the publication date. To celebrate the publication  of this book, I’m going to be really busy with a hectic and full Blog Tour that launches on September 11^th when I’ll start it all off on my web site. After that,  you can follow  my tour all over the blogosphere – and maybe win yourself some great prizes of books that  you’ll want to remember just as I’ve always remembered these ones.  Check out my blog – and this great AuthorPage  so you can join in all the fun.

In the meantime, to start things off here – what favourite book from your childhood or youth would you love to find again? Have you tried to track one down? Or like me have you actually found a very special book? I have a book from my backlist for one lucky poster in the comments section.

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

Baby, I'll Find You by Jennifer Skully

It’s been a long, long time since Jennifer Skully, my alter ego, has seen the light of day. I’ve kept her locked away so I, Jasmine Haynes, could do all the writing! But this summer, I let her out of the closet so she can tell you about her new book. And here’s what she has to say!

My favorite characters to write are elderly people. The older generation just has so much knowledge, and they’re pretty darn hysterical. In my Max Starr Series, I introduce readers to my hero Witt’s mother, Ladybird Long. She is so much like my mother that Mom would kill me if she knew! But that’s why the series is laugh out loud (in addition to being poignant, sexy, and mysterious), because of my mom and Ladybird Long. In Baby, I'll Find You, Isadora Winters is my favorite secondary character. Okay, I liked Frank a lot, too, because of his love for Ruby, but Isadora still makes me laugh harder. She came into being as, thanks to a PBS fundraising weekend, I watched Tom Jones sing “Delilah” on the Ed Sullivan Show. Here’s a YouTube video for it. I’m sure you can see why Isadora went wild for Tom. He’s a major hunk, and he made me quite sweaty, too! The Scrabble group Isadora belongs to came to me as I was playing Scrabble with my mother and my aunt, two prim and proper English ladies. They changed all the rules on me! And they looked words up in the dictionary before they played them! That’s just wrong! Of course, they didn’t use any of the words Isadora and her friends used (which are naughty, I’ll warn you!), but by the end of that Scrabble game, we were all laughing so hard, we had tears streaming down our cheeks. I hope you’ll want to read the book to find out about the Scrabble game and learn more about Frank and his Ruby.

Here’s the brief blurb for the book! And thanks to Rosemary Gunn for the fabulous cover. Don’t you just love it!

Baby, I'll Find You
Copyright 2011 Jennifer Skully

Jami Baylor has lost her job, her fiancé, her hopes, and her dreams all on the same day. But she believes in fate and destiny, and after finding Colton Amory’s CD in a thrift store grab bag, Jami knows it’s serendipity that she’s heard his song now. “Baby I’ll Find You” speaks to her heart, right when she needs it most. So, off she goes to the wilds of Yosemite to discover why Colton Amory hasn’t written another song in seven years.

The only problem? The man who wrote such beautiful music turns out to be a self-pitying jerk. Or so it seems, until Jami digs deeper.

Seven years ago, Cole Amory had a flourishing musical career and a little girl who was his pride and joy. In one split second, he lost it all. He hasn’t written a lyric or played a note since. Buried in a small Yosemite town, he’s now a fry cook at a fast-food joint. And he doesn’t need a woman with stars in her eyes opening all his old wounds and guilt.

Can two people with nothing left to lose find it all?

To read the excerpt, stop by my Jennifer Skully website! The e-book is available on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, and the Apple ibookstore. The print-on-demand version will be coming. You can earn a free book, too! Learn how at the end of the e-book!

I hope you enjoyed hearing from my alter ego Jennifer Skully. And here’s a little news from me! I’m doing another free erotic read on the blog, a chapter every week. This time it’s Beauty or the Bitch, so if you haven’t read that one, I invite everyone to come to read it for free! www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com.

Paula Roe: The Beauty of Reading a Series

 

The other day I was scanning my to-be-read shelves for something new. I wanted a stand-alone book, one I knew would end at "The End" while I impatiently awaited the next installment of my many curently-reading series: Mary-Janice Davidson, Jeaniene Frost, Kelly Gay, Karen Marie Moning, Vicki Pettersson, and Michael Grant, to name just a few.

Can you guess where this is headed? Yep, to my dismay, ALL of my TBR were book 1 in a new series. Glimmerglass. Vampire Academy. City of Bones. Wicked Lovely. Fallen. The list went on and on.

Despite my frustration, I’m totally down with the series love. You can delve into another world, rich with character and atmosphere and really get to know what makes those people and worlds tick. It's the return of something familiar, coupled with a brand new story, or an extension of those characters, watching them grow and evolve (sometimes literally). I see it taking off brilliantly in urban fantasy and paranormal, where one book just isn't enough to sustain the larger-than life world the author creates.

Category romance also does well with interconnecting stories/series (The Fortunes, The Dantes, even our very own Diamonds Down Under) and a perfect format for this type of story because you don't have to wait as long for the next book. Because the downside is when I love a series, I have to have ALL of the books NOW! A major bummer when the author is still writing it. Of course, on the flipside, if I take a chance and splurge on more than the first book, what happens if the series sucks? I'm stuck with a bunch of books that make my librarian happy. My bank account, not so much.

So, as I explore and begin to sketch out my own medieval/fantasy series set in an alternative universe, I need to know from you, the readers. What keeps you reading a series? What turns you off? What do you want to see that hasn't been done yet? What’s done brilliantly? I'd really love to know!

Paula Roe writes category romance for Harlequin Desire and her next release is Bed of Lies (February 2012). In the little time she has left, she designs websites, teaches her son and is drafting out the abovementioned medieval/fantasy series that includes shapeshifting trees and space wormholes.

Tracey O'Hara: The World of the Dark Brethren

Imagine a modern alternate earth where paranormal creatures co-exist in a tenuous peace with the human race. A world where the shame of the vampiric Aeternus, the death-high addicted Necrodreniacs, hunt and feed on hapless humans. Where shape-shifting Animalians feud with each other. And where corporations can be run by actual magic-wielding witches.

But there's a veiled danger that threatens them all – human and parahuman alike. Stirring behind the scenes is the pure, beautiful evil of the Dark Brethren.

This is the world where the Dark Brethren novels are set, and since I’m also drawn to the dark side, there are serial killers, mystery and intrigue to spice up the world. I often get asked a lot where I get the ideas for stuff used in the books. Most of it I make up myself, but usually grounded in the familiar.

For example, Aeternus and Venator are both Latin words meaning “eternal” and “hunter” respectively. So pretty easy to see what they mean. As far as my races are concerned – I have taken the things that make sense to me from familiar lore, and then add my touches. So I have made my own version of vampires and shifters.

Each book in the Dark Brethren series concentrates on a new heroine and hero and with each one I explore a different facet of my parahuman world. With my first book – I concentrated on the culture of the vampires, the second book was about shifters and the third, which is due out next year, is concentrating on the witch community. Again, I have added my own spin to the witch lore that is both familiar and unfamiliar.

I feel a bit like being an explorer in an imaginary country where I uncover fantastic complex cultures, both similar and different to our own. This excites me.

Do you like feel an explorer, discovering new and unfamiliar territory, or do you prefer for everything to adhere to the well-known tropes?  I will give away a signed copy of a Dark Brethren book to one commenter!

Donna Grant: Magic – Do you believe?

First, thank you, Lee, for asking me to guest blog!

It seems in every culture throughout history there has been mention of magic. Some would say it doesn’t exist, some would argue it does. How can something so widely spoken about not be real? And if it is real, how do you prove it?

The wonderful thing about writing fiction is that I can include all kinds of paranormal elements in my worlds. The world in my new Dark Sword series is most definitely filled with magic. Both my heroines and heroes hold magic, though in different ways.

My heroes are warriors with primeval gods inside them giving them immortality as well as enhanced senses and the ability to control something be it water, people’s minds, or the very air you breathe. The gods also transform my Warriors. Each god favors a color, so when unleashed, the heroes turn the color of their god. They also have fangs and claws, and some even have horns and wings. It has been fun matching heroes to their powers.

My heroines are Druids, blessed with certain magical abilities that will aid the heroes in defeating the evil spreading over their world. There are two sects of Druids in the series – the mie, or pure Druids, who practice healing and using their magic for good. Then there are the droughs who go through a ritual that binds their souls with evil to create black magic.

In SHADOW HIGHLANDER (Aug 30, 2011) the heroine, Reaghan, is a Druid. Reaghan thinks she has no magic, but in reality, she’s one of the strongest Druids around. But will she be able to discover the magic within her in time to save herself and Galen before the evil finds them?

The Dark Sword series captures all the power, passion, and magic of Scotland’s legendary warriors—sworn to fight for victory, in battle and in love…

HE CAN FEEL HER MAGIC
Sent on a dangerous mission into the shadowy world of the Druids, Galen must find a powerful ancient relic to defeat the enemies of MacLeod Castle. But what he discovers is far more powerful—and far more dangerous. A Druid lass whose beauty is as spellbinding as any magic...

CAN HE FREE HER SOUL?
Reaghan is the most enchanting woman Galen has even met—and the most enigmatic. She alone is immune to his mind-reading gifts. He alone makes her feel safe and secure. But Reaghan holds a secret power deep inside her that could destroy them both. And if Galen hopes to hold this captivating woman in his arms every night, he must defeat the darkness that draws closer around her every day...

My question is: If you could have magic, what kind would you have?

I’ll be giving away a signed copy of UNTAMED HIGHLANDER to a commenter so talk to me. :)

To find out more about me please visit my website at www.donnagrant.com. To read more about the Dark Sword series, see pics of the Warriors, take the quiz, download wallpaper, read excerpts, search characters, or watch the book trailers please visit www.donnagrant.com/darksword.

Happy Reading!

Hugs,
Donna

***Lil is our winner!  Congratulations!  Please email me at totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your full name and mailing address so Donna can get the prize in the mail to you!***

Lynn Raye Harris: Gotta Love a Bargain!

While I suppose I should be posting something book related or writing related, I am in fact going to talk about one of my favorite activities which doesn't involve writing: shopping for a bargain.

Now, I'm not a power shopper by any stretch. I start to get seriously antsy after about 3 or 4 hours. If I'm shopping all day, I'm not going to be very happy when I get home. I think it's because I get buyer's angst: should I buy this? Should I not buy this? What if I get home and don't like it? Etc. It can get crazy sometimes, let me tell you.

But on Saturday, the hubby and I decided to visit a place that's practically in our backyard: the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. If you've ever lost your luggage while flying, I seriously hope you got it back again. But if you didn't, then all your stuff probably ended up here.

The UBC can be a thrift shopper's paradise. The stuff they have here is unbelievable! It's not just luggage that gets lost, but also cargo. So sometimes there'll be twenty espresso machines or a dozen oriental carpets. In fact, there was a huge Turkish rug on the wall this weekend for $1899. It was gigantic, and completely hand-knotted.

But I digress. *g*

What else did they have? Ipods, iPhones, iPads, Sony Readers, 2nd generation Kindles ($75), laptops, cameras, DVDs, books, shoes, clothes, belts, handbags, jewelry -- well, I could keep going, but you get the idea.

My husband isn't the happiest shopper in the world, but he handled this like a trooper. By the time we left 3 hours later, we had a bag full of clothing (some with the tags still on!) for $150. I don't always find things when I go to the UBC, but this time I was happy.

My best find was a 100% Cashmere sweater, with the tags, for $40. The retail ticket said $90. That was also the most expensive thing I bought. Everything else was well under $20 each. Hubby found a pair of jeans for $4.

Quite possibly the best deal I've ever known someone personally to get was a pair of Christian Louboutin boots that retailed for $1200 -- my friend paid $150. Another friend found some Stuart Weitzman heels once for about $20. The last time I went, I got a great pair of Steve Madden suede pumps for $30 (retail was over $100).

This time, it was the cashmere sweater that made me happy. I'm almost looking forward to colder weather so I can wear it. Almost.

If you'd like to visit the Unclaimed Baggage Center, you can read more about it here.

And now I have a bargain for you! If you're in North America, my April book, The Devil's Heart, is available right now on Kindle for $1.60! That's ONE DOLLAR SIXTY CENTS! You really can't get a better deal on a powerful, sexy story with a hot Argentinian hero, a determined heroine, and a priceless jewel they both claim ownership of. I don't know how long the deal will last, but it's there right now. :)

So, have you gotten any bargains lately? Have any great bargain hunting tales to tell? I keep hoping I'll be that person who buys something really cool in a second hand shop -- and then finds out it's a priceless original instead of the fake I thought it was. :)

Lynn Raye Harris is a USA Today bestselling author who writes powerful, sexy romance for Harlequin Presents. You can learn more about Lynn and her books at http://www.lynnrayeharris.com/. You can also follow Lynn on Twitter @LynnRayeHarris or visit her author page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLynnRayeHarris