Sweet Sixteen - Annie West

Ha! You all thought I was older than that, didn't you? Well...I have to confess I am. But I'm still celebrating being sweet sixteen, and believe me it's even more delicious this time around.

Not sixteen birthdays but sixteen books with Harlequin Mills and Boon. Yes!! My editor has just recently accepted my 16th book and it will be out this year. The title is to be DEFYING HER DESERT DUTY and I'm absolutely chuffed.

It probably sounds strange as I've been working away at my books, devoting so much time and energy to get them written, polished and ready for publication, that I almost didn't notice the significance of this event. Sixteen seems a perfect number for a romance writer to celebrate. It makes me think of first love, heady summer days and sultry nights dreaming of romance and swooning over some gorgeous boy.

It also means I'm an adult, in terms of my writing. Well, a young adult at least. Maybe that means I'll have to be very, very serious from now on. Or maybe I'll just do what I've been doing and work hard at something I love to do.

Because this is a special occasion I thought I'd celebrate by giving away a signed copy of my March Presents Extra release: GIRL IN THE BEDOUIN TENT. Here's a taste of what it's about:

Not your average damsel in distress!
Sheikh Prince Amir has vowed to redeem his scandalous family name. So the last thing he needs on a tour of his desert kingdom is to have a sensuous blonde - with more spirit than clothes - presented for his harem!

Fiery Cassie might have been kidnapped by bandits and dolled up as the Sheikh's love-slave, but she refuses to be any man's plaything. Yet spending a week in Amir's desert tent pretending to be his mistress would get under any girl's skin. Especially when she is under his sheets.

To be in the draw to win my signed book, simply leave a comment on this post. I'd love to know what memories 'Sweet Sixteen' conjures for you. Or if sixteen wasn't a stellar year, perhaps you could share with us which one has been the best so far.

To read more about any of Annie's books or enter her latest website contest, visit her at http://www.annie-west.com If you're eager to grab a copy of GIRL IN THE BEDOUIN TENT here are links to it at Harlequin, Amazon and The Book Depository (free postage).

Tawny Stokes: Devil Is In the Detail

I am 100% character driven.  Obviously.  Everything I do in life comes from my character. The choices I make, the things I like, the men I date, even down to where I live, and what I eat for breakfast.  So it is in my life, so I make it in the characters I create in my books.  Everything comes from character.

Before I write one word in a book, I spend at least a week developing my characters.  I have used a book called Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon for the past 7 years to help me create.  In his book he has an extensive character interview template, plus names, first and last from various cultures and ethnic groups.  He includes emotional responses and gestures, job suggestions, flaws and quirks, and some basic vocabulary in different languages.  It’s a buffet of information that I use in the creation process.

Each character I create, I start with the basics, what do they look like, down to weight and height and any distinguishing features like moles or tattoos.  Then I think about what kind of clothes do they wear, what do they drive, where do they live, what kinds of foods do they like.  What kind of job do they have?  What was their childhood like? Then I will use astrology to determine their sign and some of their personality traits good and bad.  It’s the flaws that I love to explore.  It’s those imperfections that make the best characters.  That’s why Caden Butcher from my book Demon Whisperer is one of my most favorite characters.  He has flaws coming out of his ears.

If I still don’t get a sense of who my characters are, I will interview them with questions from the book.  It is only when I can hear their voice in my head, do I prepare to actually write their story.  The devil is in the detail. And the detail is all about character.

Who are some of your favorite flawed characters from books, movies or TV?

Tawny

http://www.tawnystokes.com 

The Australian Romance Reader Association Awards

by Anna Campbell

Do you know about the Australian Romance Readers Association? They're a great bunch of girls (and the occasional guy) who have united to lift the profile and prestige of romance fiction in Australia and also to have a great time together as romance fans. It's a reader association and I'd highly recommend joining - it's great value and you'll hook up with some lovely people and get together for lunches and conventions and awards dinners. Their website, including joining information is: http://www.australianromancereaders.com.au/about.html

It's specifically the awards I'd like to talk about today. On Saturday, 11th February, ARRA held its annual awards night at Cello's restaurant in Sydney. The list of nominees this year was amazing - ARRA members vote for their favorite books each year, not just Australian, although it's always wonderful to see how many Aussie and New Zealand authors make the list. You can see the finalists for 2011 here: http://www.australianromancereaders.com.au/awards.html

Sadly, I couldn't be there, but I watched the Twitter updates like you wouldn't believe. Or perhaps you would, LOL!

I'd been nominated in two categories, favorite historical romance of 2011 for MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION and for favorite Australian romance writer of 2011. And I'm delighted to say that I won both awards. Huzzah. I'm completely beside myself by these honors. It's my fourth year in a row for favorite historical and my third year in a row for fave Aussie author. Needless to say there were shrieks of joy from my office whenI saw the announcements!

Here's a shot of my lovely editor Anna Valdinger from HarperCollins Australia accepting an award on my behalf. It's wonderful how the local publishers support the ARRA Awards too.

Congratulations to all the other winners:

Nalini Singh collected three awards, Favourite Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy or Futuristic Romance of 2011 for ARCHANGEL'S BLADE, Favorite Paranormal Romance for KISS OF SNOW and Favourite Continuing Romance Series of 2011 for the Psy/Changeling series.

Kelly Hunter collected the award for Favorite Short Category Romance for WITH THIS FLING...

Denise Rossetti won Favorite Erotic Romance with THE LONE WARRIOR.

Helene Young, who collected Romance Writers of Australia's Australian Romantic Book of the Year last August, won Favorite Romantic Suspense for SHATTERED SKY.

Julie James collected Favorite Contemporary Romance for A LOT LIKE LOVE.

So let's have a mini awards night now. What were your three favorite romantic reads from last year, no particular genre? Off the top of my head, I think my list would have to include SOULLESS by Gail Carriger, THE DOUKAKIS APPRENTICE by Sarah Morgan and TEMPTED BY TROUBLE by Liz Fielding. But if you asked me tomorrow, I'd probably give you a different three!

Babes in the book

Do you like babies in your romance novels? For me, the reality of living with babies dictates their level of involvement in the story.

 In something very steamy, where the characters want to make spontaneous, uninterrupted (key word!) love at any opportunity, a baby character might not work as well (though, of course, such passionate love scenes could result in the creation of a baby character.) A sweet, community-based love story practically cries out for babies. And the way the hero and heroine interact with a baby in a book can reveal so much about their personalities.

In my new e-book release Something About Joe my baby character, eighteen-month-old Mitchell, is pivotal to the story. He brings hero, hot biker nanny Joe Martin, and heroine, single mom banker Allison Bradley, together—and also keeps them apart. It is her passionate love for her child that makes Allison fight her attraction to Joe, as she must make life decisions based on Mitchell’s happiness as well as her own. And Joe’s feelings on fatherhood present a stumbling block that he has to work to overcome.

I chose to make Mitchell eighteen months old as he is old enough to have a strong, vibrant personality, say enough words to communicate his feelings about Joe—but young enough to sleep through important scenes between Joe and Allison!

Something About Joe is a reissue of my first published novel Mitchell’s Nanny, and was written at a time when my daughter was still young enough for me to remember her baby behavior and write it into Mitchell. I don’t know why I wrote about a little boy with red hair—maybe a subconscious yearning for the second child I was not destined to have? Whatever, I loved creating this cute little boy and he seems very real to me!

I’ve heard people say they won’t buy a book with a child on the cover—others that will pick it up just because there’s a baby on board. I’d love to know your thoughts about babies in books—or on TV and in movies.Personally, I have a weakness for “secret baby” plots—I love the tension that the secret brings to the story.

Leave a comment to win a free download of my new e-book Something About Joe. Be sure to include your email address.


Something About Joe is available for just $0.99c at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other e-retailers.

Kandy Shepherd writes fun, feel-good fiction. 

http://www.kandyshepherd.com

(Baby photos courtesy of www.stockvault.net)

Never Say Never

I'm in the Australian high country as I write this. Autumn in the mountains is a beautiful time of year. The crisp morning air is turning the trees into flaming red and orange and the clear, sunny skies make the eucalyptus-clad hills look almost blue. By June there will be snow on the peaks and the skiers will be heading up here.

The high country is a great place to dream and that's what I'm doing. Dreaming up a new story idea for another bride book.

 It was on a ski-lift when the opening scene for Boomerang Bride jumped into my head. I had so much fun writing that book which was a departure for me from my medical romances and I got to revisit my time spent living in Wisconsin, a place very dear to my family's heart.


Boomerang Bride was released as an Ebook in August of 2011 and I'm thrilled to say that Harlequin have just printed it as a physical book and it's available now through the Harlequin website
When the UPS truck arrived with my copies there was great excitement and even the cat was impressed ;-)

This month has been special too because romance readers are so generous with their time and they've been emailing me telling me how much they enjoyed the book. I can't tell you how special it is to wake up to emails like that!

This weekend is all about a new book idea though so I better get dreaming.  Where do you go when you need to think and dream?



Fiona Lowe is an award-winning, multi-published author with Harlequinand Carina Press. Whether her books are set in outback Australia or in the mid-west of the USA, they feature small towns with big hearts, and warm, likeable characters that make you fall in love. When she's not writing stories, she's a weekend wife, mother of two 'ginger' teenage boys, guardian of 80 rose bushes and often found collapsed on the couch. A current RT Book Reviwers' Choice Award nominee, you  can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Boomerang Bride is available now from Harlequin, Carina Press  ,Amazon Kindle, Nook and all other online book stores.

Youngest Sons : : Anne McAllister

I know a lot about sons.  Especially youngest sons.  I’ve had several of them (the older ones ceased being youngest sons, of course,  when they were replaced by a newer model).  And since I’ve been writing, I have done several groups of books about brothers – and of course, there’s always a youngest.

While I don’t know that birth order is a total determinant of behavior, I do know that my own youngest son, and many of the ones I write about, share a certain confident, carefree, easy-going sociability.  They like people – and they generally expect people are going to like them.

They have charm and a certain cocksure attitude that often allows them to think they have the world by the tail, that they can do anything, and that everyone just naturally ought to love them.

They also sometimes take things for granted – like family.  After all, there’s usually a fair bit of it around by the time they’ve come along.  They expect family to be there, to be able to depend on it. And God forbid – sometimes – that family do a bit of depending on them.

That’s the situation of my upcoming hero, Yiannis Savas. Yiannis has been kicking around the periphery of my mini-series of books about the Savas and Antonides families for several years now. I first met him when he was a forest ranger, a young man who, by choice of his occupation, was making it clear he wanted NOTHING to do with the family business in New York City. 

Sitting on a mountaintop suited Yiannis fine for his sister’s book.  He neatly avoided all participation in a couple of others. He brought a date to the wedding of a third and deigned to be one of the groomsmen.  But otherwise he kept a low profile. 

I didn’t really think he had a book in him.

And frankly, neither would my editor have considered him hero material had I even ventured to suggest him. Presents heroes are not forest rangers, she would have said. And quite rightly.

So imagine my surprise when one day last year, Yiannis turned up on Balboa Island in Southern California as a thirty-ish entrepreneur, jetlagged after returning from a trip to the Far East where he’d gone to talk to dealers of rare and fine woods.

It didn’t surprise me that he wouldn’t give up the wood. It did surprise me that he’d decided he needed a book. It didn’t surprise me that he’d put a whole continent between himself and his vast, meddlesome, albeit loving family.  I did surprise me that he’d bought a house from an 88 year old woman who had moved into the apartment above the garage, and that he was the man she depended upon.

In his way Yiannis was as responsible and dependable and honorable – well, most of the time – as his older brothers.  He just didn’t like family leaning on him to do it.

88 year old Maggie, he didn’t mind.  Maggie’s granddaughter was a different story altogether.

Catriona MacLean had exactly one relative to her name. She wanted a family as badly as Yiannis wanted to ignore his. 

He also wanted her – but not the way she wanted him.  The editorial department called her Savas’s WIldcat (that’s also what they called the book).  It pretty much fits. 

She’s a good match for Yiannis.  And Yiannis is a good match for her.  Not that they know it right away.  Well, she knew it once. But then he got to acting very youngest son-ish.  He was charming, affable, easy-going, and he took way more for granted than he had any right to. 

In Savas’s Wildcat, he figured out how to give and to trust and to love – and  when to stop taking advantage and instead allow people he loved to take advantage of him instead. 

He also got the girl.

Do you have any tales about birth order in your family?  Do you think it makes a difference? 

Tea & a Mystery to chase away the last shred of winter.

As winter lingers, a nice hot cup of tea makes for a fragrant, warming treat.  Keemun black tea, known as the “Burgundy” of teas, is full-bodied, slightly sweet, and goes beautifully with scones and date bread.  Lapsang Souchong another Chinese tea with a slightly smoky flavor, pairs elegantly with apples and aged cheese.

         

Dimbulla from Ceylon has a bright flavor and red-amber color.  Add a little milk to this one and enjoy with bars or cookies.  There are scores of other delightful Ceylon teas, too, many flavored with orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, mangoes, and cherries.

          

Russian Caravan teas, a Chinese blend that often includes Keemun, is available in a number of different brands.  This is the rich, hearty brew that was so loved by the Czars!  There are also gingerbread and pumpkin spice teas on the market.  And, of course, that perennial favorite, spiced chai.

Be sure to visit your favorite tea shop, gift shop, or grocery where you’re in the mood to discover some great new teas.  And if grandma didn’t bequeath you her antique teapot and tea cups, check out your local antique store!

Now . . . if murder happens to be your cup of tea.  Let me also tell you about my new Tea Shop Mystery, Agony of the Leaves.

The opening of Charleston’s Neptune Aquarium is a major event, and Theodosia Browning, owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, SC, has been hired to cater tea, scones, and finger foods for a private party of big buck donors.  But when Theodosia slips away to view the Ocean Wall exhibit, she discovers a horrible sight - the body of a man, tangled in a net, drowned in this state-of-the-art tank!

To make matters worse, the victim turns out to be Theodosia’s former boyfriend Parker Scully.  The EMTs on the scene say the poor man fell in and drowned, but Theodosia spots defensive wounds on his hands and realizes someone must have wanted him dead.  Even though the police aren’t keen on her theory, Theodosia chases down a raft of suspects that include a shady lawyer, an extravagant lady restaurateur, and an aquarium board member.

Because I write cozies with a thriller pace, this savvy amateur sleuth’s investigation leads her from high tea into high drama with a pulse-pounding cemetery shocker at the end!  So cozy up for a fun read and enjoy my tea time tips and recipes as well.  Really, once you read about Charleston Pecan Brownie Bars, Honey Bee Scones, and Sweet Potato Butter you’re going to want to make them for yourself!

Laura Childs is the author of  14 Tea Shop Mysteries, 10 Scrapbook Mysteries, and 3 Cackleberry Club Mysteries.  Her books have been named to the USA Today and The New York Times Bestseller Lists, and have been featured selections in the Literary Guild’s Mystery Book Club.  She is a former Cleo Award-winning ad writer and CEO of Mission Critical Marketing.

Haunting Warrior by Erin Quinn

Hi Lee!  Thank you so very much for having me back on your blog!  I had a lot of fun the last time I was here.  I appreciate the opportunity to talk about my latest release and do a giveaway!  You have such an amazing line up of guests, that I feel honored to be on the list.  :)

That said, I want to tell you about Haunting Warrior, which is being re-released in mass market paperback today (and that means the Trade edition price finally comes down, yay!) I also want to tell you a bit about my 99 cent quick read, Irish Mist and THEN I want to do a giveway!  First up, Haunting Warrior.

HAUNTING WARRIOR Summary:

Rory McGrath’s life changed the night he uncovered the secrets of the ancient Book of Fennore. Then the dreams begin of a woman whose touch is more real that any he’s known. Rory is plunged back in time and into the body of another man betrothed to the very woman of Rory’s dreams. Her hold on Rory is inescapable. She is his doom. His salvation. And his destiny.

Scene you like the most and would never cut?

Saraid’s people have been hunted down and all but annihilated.  In desperation, her brother has arranged for her to marry the enemy and make him their ally.  Terrified, but determined to meet her fate with dignity, Saraid agrees to become the wife of Ruairi the Bloodletter, named for his cruelty and violent nature.  But on her wedding day she discovers her new husband is not the Bloodletter at all, but someone who wears the same face and looks at her with a stranger’s eyes.  

Below is the scene when she first realizes there is more to her new husband then the cruel warrior she sees.  Her perceptions are filled with contradictions and I loved writing the complex emotions she experiences.

There were too many to fit into the tiny church, so they gathered on the pathway before it. For a moment, no one moved or spoke. Then Cathán pulled a blue ribbon from his tunic and stepped forward, giv­ing Saraid and the Bloodletter the signal to face one another. On wobbly legs, Saraid turned to the man she would wed. The monk in his long coarse robes emerged from the small gathering and stood patiently waiting for Saraid to put her right hand in the Bloodletter’s left. Her left in his right, wrists crossed. With a satisfied grunt, Cathán began to twine the ribbon around their hands, over and under until the knot of eter­nity was complete. She was numb through the monk’s speaking of the vows. If she did not know better, she would say the Bloodletter was feeling the same. There was a gleam of something that might have been panic in those blue, blue eyes. Did he dread this as much as she? But that would mean Ruairi the Bloodletter had feelings, and that could not be true.

She took a deep breath when he lowered his head to kiss her, feel­ing dizzy and sickened and something else she could not define. As if sensing the turmoil inside her, he caught her gaze and held it for a moment, his searching, probing. She felt as if he were trying to say something with those enigmatic eyes, and for a flashing instant she felt again that sense of another lurking behind the sky blue of them. What a frightening mystery this man was.

And then his mouth settled over hers and thought fled. His kiss was warm and soft when she’d expected cold and hard. The touch of his lips gentle and coaxing when she’d prepared for rough and inva­sive. The kiss was brief, and yet it felt that time stopped for the length of it, giving her the chance to feel every nuance, every unexpected instant. It seemed he tried to pull back and then hesitated, allowing just another moment of the contact that shocked her like a hot ember popping from a blazing fire to burn her. With their hands bound and trapped between their bodies, Saraid could do little more than allow it. She’d be allowing so much more later, when they were alone.

He pulled away, just enough so that he could look into her eyes again, and she saw something there that she did not understand. Con­fusion that matched her own. A need—but not the kind she’d ex­pected. Not lust, but longing.

Then he was stepping back and a mask came over his features once more. His father stared at him for a moment, the look hard and warn­ing, the message unmistakable. It was only then that it occurred to her that the Bloodletter might be as much a pawn as she.

What you think readers will like best about this book:   Rory and Saraid were made for one another—and it is the dance of two wary individuals who have met their match I loved most about writing this story and I think readers will find most intriguing.  Six-four and ripped from shoulders to abs, Rory is tough on the outside and lost on the inside.  He’s shunned his heritage and the very magic that has shaped his family for centuries, but Rory can’t help what he is…a man with powers he’s yet to tap and with a fierce yearning for the woman who is now his wife.

For Saraid, life has always been hard.  Saraid is visited by the dead, warned of their pending deaths and yet unable to stop the deaths from happening.  She is feared by others and she’s learned not to trust anyone.  But when the blue eyes of the man she’s wed offer her a chance at something she never thought to have, Saraid cannot say no.

What’s next?

The final installment of my Mists of Ireland series released on October 2011 (although I must confess, there are a few characters that just refuse to let me go until I tell their stories…like Eamonn and Liam and maybe Jamie….).  I’ve recently released a few fun novellas that are currently on sale for 99 cents.  The latest is Irish Mist—Can Kasey trust the bond he's formed with the woman who stepped out of his dreams and into his arms, or will he lose everything in a single mistake?  You can find information on all my books and upcoming releases at www.erinquinnbooks.com/books

Erin Quinn is an award winning author who writes romance for the thinking reader.  Her books have been called “riveting,” “brilliantly plotted” and “beautifully written” and have won, placed or showed in the Booksellers Best, WILLA Award for Historical fiction, the Orange Rose, Readers Crown, Golden Quill, Best Books, and Award of Excellence.  Go to www.erinquinnbooks.com for more information or follow Erin on FB http://www.facebook.com/ErinQuinnAuthor or twitter @ErinQuinnAuthor. 

I love to hear from readers and want to know how you like your paranormal.  Is it vampires?  Shapeshifters?  Angels, clairvoyance, magic, or….?  2 lucky commenters will win reader’s choice of Erin’s ebooks:  Echoes, Whispers or Web of Smoke.  So talk to me!

***Erin's winners are Tina B and Connie!  Ladies please email me at totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***

The Djinn in the Elder Races Universe

The Djinn in the Elder Races universe are creatures of air and fire, and almost unimaginable Power.  Born at the beginning of the world, they have no corporeal bodies; instead they can assume whatever physical form they choose and discard it afterward, rather like wearing a set of clothes.  Some Djinn are not gender-specific and they might assume either a male or a female body, according to their mood.  Other Djinn identify much more closely with the masculine or the feminine, and those invariably appear as purely one or the other.

The Djinn are actually part of the Demonkind demesne, which is comprised of several races, and the Djinn social structure is made up of five Houses—the Shaytan, the Gul, the Ifrit, the Jann, and the most Powerful of them all, the House Marid.  The Houses are based on relationships, much like humans conceived of clans or extended family groups.  Large decisions that affect an entire House are made through consensus, with the older, more Powerful Djinn having the final say.  The elders (either first generation Djinn who were born at the beginning of the world, or the second generation Djinn) are assigned honorifics:  the males are called Princes of their House and the females are called excellencies.

As a rule, the Djinn do not value physical things, but they prize invisible, intangible things quite highly, such as relationships, information, and keeping one’s word or maintaining one’s honor, and they trade in favors.  Since their currency of choice is itself intangible, bargains are sacred, and if a Djinn reneges on a bargain, he/she is found to be without honor and cast out of their House.  Then that Djinn becomes a pariah, and pariahs are very dangerous creatures.

One can summon a Djinn if he or she is beholden to one, owes a debt or has struck a bargain.  That Djinn must have a compelling reason to put off the summoner’s request, such as a personal emergency or if they are acting to fulfill a prior obligation.  An almost universal characteristic of the Djinn is a rampant curiosity.  They love ferreting out information, and locked doors merely whet their appetite for knowledge.

They are not known as forgiving creatures, nor do they feel obliged to point out whenever one may be bargaining in a foolish manner.  Many human legends tell of Djinns’ malicious or mischievous behavior toward anyone who is foolish enough to make a bargain with them and then break it.

The hero of Oracle’s Moon, Khalil, is a Prince of the House Marid, a second generation Djinn.  He has given his word to look after the human children, Chloe and Max, who are the Oracle Grace’s niece and nephew, and he intends to fulfill that obligation he has made whether Grace likes it or not.  This is how Oracle’s Moon begins.

Thea

http://www.theaharrison.com 

Living in Chaos - Kate Walker

I'm having to time everything - blogs, emails, etc  - very carefully these days. I need to make sure that I actually have  an electricity supply connected and usable so that I can use my computer and contact people. I also need to make sure that there isn't brick dust flying around, getting into everything and so much noise filling the house  that I can't think straight.

Why is  this?

Well, we're having  work done on the house. Improvements - or, they will be improvements when the work is finished. Right now it's chaos and pretty hellish.  We've had a wall between a small  kitchen and an even smaller utility room knocked down to make one big, light, dining kitchen (at least that's the plan!) . And we (or rather the builders) have  extended that  so that it opens on to the garden.  It's going to be wonderful, light and airy, when it's finished - but it isn't like that now. Right now,  it's dirty - and cold, there hasn't been any heating for ten days!  We never know when the electricity will be turned off, when we will have water to wash or cook.  It's not been a lot of fun but we've  managed so far. We've organised a system which means we're up and showered  early, before the builders arrive in the morning, I have a small heater in my office so I can work, and we're cooking everything in the microwave - and washing up in the bathroom sink!

We were doing OK last week. The weather has been kind to us. It was mild,  clear, even sunny for a couple of days, so it wasn't too uncomfortable at all. But today the weather has changed completely - goinf g from early spring back to late winter with a vengeance! The skies darkened, the rain started to fall - and grow colder  - and now there's freezing sleet swirling  outside.  If it stays like this it's going to be a  chilly and difficult week.

I'm almost tempted to wish that I'd never started this - to say no, stoip - please! I want to go back to how it was. Or I want to run away and leave it all behind me. But as my husband keeps saying to me - or I keep saying to him the rest of the time - it will be worth it when it's done! Next week they start  rebuilding the kitchen. New cupboards  and worktops,  the new cooker and hob will be delivered and installed. We'll actually be able to cook meals!  And at the same time the new boiler and radiators will be put in - and at last we'll be warm again. I can't wait.

It was just this weekend when  the cold and miserable weather made me feel  that I couldn't cope with this any longer that I realised how much like the emotional journey of a romance novel this has all been.  We started out knowing things had to change and  planning how  it would be in the future.  There were disagreements and debates,   some things didn't work out as we planned. We never expected that the old boiler would have to be taken out quite so early, making everything so much more difficult than we'd thought. We've been up and down, taking two steps forward, one step back just like in the stories of my heroes and heroines.  And then  this weekend it  felt like that notorious Black Moment when everything seemed as bad as it could get.

So now I'm ready to look forward to that Happy Ever After  Ending when it's all finished and lovely!

The trouble is  - they're starting on the bathroom after that!

Kate’s latest novel The Devil and Miss Jones is out this week  in Mills & Boon Modern Romance and will be released in Harlequin Presents Extra in April.  She also has a reprint of her  Bedded By The Greek Billionaire  in  the 3 in 1 By  Request - His Suitable Bride. You can find out all her latest news on her Web site or her blog.

In Dangerous Service with Christine Blevins

“As usual, it is the least likely that make for the best spies.”

– Anne Merrick, widow, rebel and spy

The ability to blend in – to become invisible – this is the successful spy’s single greatest asset. Being invisible allowed a spy to maneuver between enemy camps without detection to first collect, and then deliver the intelligence vital to their cause.

When the American Revolution first began, the British Empire had been embroiled in European conflicts for hundreds of years, and the British were swift and experienced in building a clandestine network of spies who’s aim was to bring the rebel insurrection to its knees. Once the ardent patriot, Son of Liberty and Surgeon General to the Continental Army Dr. Benjamin Church, was discovered to be a secret agent to the British, General George Washington recognized that without a similar secret service in place, his fledgling army didn’t stand a chance, so he set about building an intelligence gathering organization.

Several characters appearing in The Turning of Anne Merrick are based on the stories of actual agents I discovered while researching the historical record on the various spy networks operating during the American War for Independence. One intriguing character is the clever Quakeress, Lydia Darragh, who eavesdropped on the British military officers who had commandeered a room in her home. Hercules Mulligan was a real Irish tailor who catered to the British officer corps in Occupied New York City, and was also the leader of the Mulligan Spy Ring.

The title character Anne Merrick’s spying persona is inspired by two real life she-spies from opposite sides of the conflict. Tory Ann Bates infiltrated the Continental Army disguised as a peddler woman and successfully gave accurate report on rebel troop numbers, movements, and munitions. The mysterious rebel agent known only as “355” was a female member of Washington’s Culpur Ring of spies. Some historians think she was eventually captured, and imprisoned to perish on a British prison hulk. 355 has gone down in history with her name and ultimate fate never revealed.

We tend to know the most detail about the unsuccessful spies – the ones who got caught. American Nathan Hale was famous for his stirring last words – “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” British John André was renowned for the valor and gallantry he displayed on the gallows – “I pray you to bear me witness that I meet my fate like a brave man.” Unfortunately, both of these men were ill suited to the business of subterfuge, and they paid an awful price for their ineptitude.

18th century spies utilized several methods to transcribe secrets quickly and securely. In my novel, Anne Merrick creates a mixture of water and hartshorn powder (ammonium carbonate derived from the horn of the red deer) and she scribes her secrets with this invisible “ink” between the lines of innocuous recipes. Once the “recipe” was delivered, the page was exposed to the heat of a candle, and the invisible writing became visible. Soon advances in invisible ink technology evolved to require a special chemical reagent,  that, when applied, would make the invisible writing magically appear. Washington supplied this “sympathetic stain” to his agents.

A variety of codes and ciphers were developed to transmit important information. Benedict Arnold composed his secret letters to John André using a cipher whose key was a prearranged published book. Each word of his secret message was represented by a series of three numbers that corresponded to the page number, line number, and the number of the word counting from the left.

The British technique known as the Cardan system was a form of secret letter writing meant to be read with the aid of a special mask. This was complicated system, as the letter must make sense both with or without the mask.

Ingenious subterfuge was used to convey and deliver these secret messages. Spies often made use of the “blind drop”, leaving material at a location that was agreed upon in advance. Written small, on thin tissue, missives were often rolled and hidden inside the hollow stem of a quill pen or other common items that could be carried in plain sight.

The British devised hollow silver “bullets” to store and carry messages. A bit bigger than a musket ball, these bullets could be easily concealed, or even swallowed if the messenger were to be captured. British General Clinton used just such a bullet when he sent an important dispatch to General Burgoyne just before the fateful battle at Saratoga. When the courier was captured, and seen to swallow something, a nice little emetic was administered, which brought up the silver bullet. Clinton’s courier was tried for treason, and treated to a dance at the end of a hempen rope for his trouble.

Spying for either side was a most Dangerous Service. I am absolutely fascinated by these brave and dedicated men and women who worked as agents for their cause – average folk who risked their lives and faced dishonorable death on the gallows in pursuit of intelligence that might possibly tip the tide of fortune.

 

Giveaway: A signed copy of The Turning of Anne Merrick accompanied by a packet of 18th Century Sheets and Envelopes – perfect for jotting notes while you eavesdrop on the Enemy. The bundle is, secured with cording, decorated with a feather quill, and easily hidden should you happen be discovered. Invisible ink is not included J

Author Christine Blevins writes what she loves to read – historical adventure stories. The Turning of Anne Merrick is the second in a 3-book series set during the American Revolution, and the companion book to The Tory Widow. A native Chicagoan, Christine lives in Elmhurst, Illinois, along with her husband Brian, and The Dude, a very silly golden-doodle. She is at work finishing the third novel inspired by a lifelong fascination with the foundations of American history and the revolutionary spirit.  Christine’s website.

***Christine's winner is Terry!  Terry, please email me at totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***

Taking it to the Streets by Sara Humphreys

With the launch of Untouched (Book #2 Amoveo Legend series) just about a month away, I’ve been wracking my brain to come up with a fun, engaging way to reach out to local book sellers. Mailing lists are fine and dandy but those folks get droves of promotional information in the mail, so the question becomes…How can I make my book stand out in the crowd?

The answer that came to mind was that it would be great to make a personal, face to face connection. But how could I do that nationwide? Thanks to one of my readers, I’ve found exactly what I’ve been looking for.

She mentioned that she is part of a street team. The team is made up of readers from all over the country who love paranormal romance and want to help spread the word about the latest books coming out from authors that they love.

I liked the idea so much, that I put it out to the Facebook universe to see if anyone would be interested in participating. I thought perhaps I’d get one or two volunteers but I was hoping to get ten. To my great delight, the response was overwhelming! So far I’ve got about 25 people who have signed on and they’re pumped to be a part of it. I’ve even got volunteers in Canada and Australia!

Not long after the volunteers started signing on, we decided that our team needed a name. There were a few different choices thrown out there but my team was quick to choose their favorite—Sara’s Angels.

So what, pray tell, will the Sara’s Angels street team do?

 I’ll ship each of my angels a batch of bookmarks and a promotional packet for the book sellers in their hometown. The team members will then hand deliver the materials to the local bookstore of their choice. When they get in front of the manager, they’ll have the chance to share their excitement about the series face to face---and that’s where the connection is made. The hope is that their excitement will make an impression on the book seller and they’ll pass that on to customers…along with the bookmarks. :)

It’s a minimal time commitment, each of them making an angel run two or three times a year—usually around the launch of a new book. In exchange for their awesomeness they’ll receive a special street team promo item each time. The first time Sara’s Angels will hit the street is this April and they’ll each receive a Sara’s Angels street team T-shirt—exclusively for team members.

Want to get psyched about the Amoveo? Adore sexy shapeshifters and alpha male heroes? Come on by my website and my blog for excerpts, book trailers and more! On Facebook? Join me!
 

So what do you think? Is this something you’d like to be a part of? Are you already on a street team? 

Leave a comment here on the blog and I'll select one lucky commenter to win an Amoveo prize pack which includes: A signed copy of UNLEASHED (Book #1 Amoveo Legend), temporary tattoos of the book cover of UNTOUCHED, Amoveo m&m's and a couple of bookmarks!


***Sara's winner is Barbara!  Congrats!!  Please send your info to Sara so she can get your prize in the mail!***

Research Tidbits by Laurie London

Thanks, Lee, for inviting me to Tote Bags ‘n Blogs. Today, the digital version of TEMPTED BY BLOOD, the third book in the Sweetblood series, comes out. The print version came out a little over a week ago, so it should be sitting on store shelves by now. To celebrate, I’m pouring myself a little bubbly. Please join me!

The Sweetblood series follows a group of vampire warriors in the Seattle area who are sworn to protect humans from Darkbloods—rogues who live like their ancestors did, feeding from and killing humans. Sweetbloods are humans whose blood is very rare and extremely addictive to vampires. Darkbloods sell Sweet on the vampire black market.

I want to tell you about some fun research I did for this book.

If you read EMBRACED BY BLOOD and/or the novella ‘Enchanted By Blood’ in the anthology A VAMPIRE FOR CHRISTMAS, you’ll remember Xtark Software and the game Hollow Grave. 

Darkbloods use the game to communicate with younger vampires, telling them about upcoming blood raves where they can buy Sweet.

Because Arianna and Jackson team up to thwart the game-maker, I had to figure out how to get Guardians into their offices. I considered having them sneak in, but that didn’t really excite me. I’m more excited to write about people who aren’t whom they seem to be, so I wanted it to happen right under the Darkbloods’ noses.

Then I remembered two friends who work for a local software company that makes a very popular first person shooter game.

One of them had invited my son to be a beta tester for an upcoming version release, so I knew companies opened their doors to lay-people during this part of the process. (I used to be a tester for a company, but we did all our testing in-house.)

Perfect, I thought. Xtark will be releasing a new version of Hollow Grave and they’ll be doing beta testing. Arianna, who is a graphic designer for the company, will get them into the offices this way. But then what?

My high school buddy is a game animator, so I called him up and told him my dilemma.

One thing you have to understand about me is that I am a reformed video game junkie. (My son’s friends were in awe of me when I played SSX Tricky.) It’s in my nature to become totally addicted to gaming, so I purposely don’t play much anymore—although I have Skyrim and am waiting till I don’t have a deadline in order to immerse myself.

Eric told me about Downloadable Content (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downloadable_content). If you own the game, you can download updates from the company’s website. Sometimes it’s free, sometimes you pay. It can be new tricks, powers, characters, bug fixes, etc. Basically, anything that updates the game between versions. As he explained how it worked, chills ran down my spine. It was exactly what I was looking for. 

Whereas most companies have new DLC every few months or so, it was his idea to have Xtark release DLC more often (weekly or twice a month), which would be unusual and a red-flag to Guardians. Players who knew where to look for clues could find out what Darkbloods where trying to tell them each week—party locations, where they’re selling Sweet, etc.  

All this techy stuff encompasses maybe a paragraph or two in the whole book, but it was important for me to make sure it was as accurate and plausible as possible.

The main focus of TEMPTED BY BLOOD is the love story between vampire Jackson Foss and human Arianna Wells. But as a reformed gamer, I had a great time researching these little details.

Are you a gamer? If so, what’s your favorite? Angry Birds, Skyrim, Minecraft? How about Words with Friends?

Did you know that the fastest growing segment of gamers is women over the age of 18? Eric told me that and then asked if I wanted to be a beta tester. Oh yeah, baby! Bring it on!

I’m giving away a signed copy of TEMPTED BY BLOOD to one random commenter in the US or Canada. I’ll pick a winner on Sunday, March 4.

You can find me online at:

www.LaurieLondonBooks.com, www.LaurieLondon.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/LaurieLondonAuthor, www.twitter.com/LaurieBLondon, www.pinterest.com/LaurieLondon

***Laurie's winner is Sue Sattler!  Congratulations, Sue!! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing address so Laurie can get the prize in the mail to you.  Thanks!!***