Addison Fox: Fall Back

I’m always amazed how little things can make a big difference. Take the bi-annual clock change. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather take a trip across ten time zones and deal with the corresponding jet lag than the week ahead. Whether we fall back or spring ahead, the week we change the clocks never fails to mess up my personal rhythms.

Why is that?

It’s only an hour. I travel frequently for my job and the time change doesn’t bother me then, so why does it seem so jarring when it’s done for fall and spring.

It took me years puzzling through this (after, of course, muttering that the whole thing was stupid anyway) until it finally hit me. Unlike the gradual minutes of light or dark that add or subtract each day, pending the season, the time change hits all at once. Yesterday I woke up and it was still dark outside and today I woke up at (technically) the same time and it was light.

Since I always see the world around me through the lens of writing and storytelling, I realized that the time change is also a metaphor for the moment my characters find each other. My hero and heroine are going about their lives, day by day, month by month, year by year. But when they find each other, it’s that jarring moment from dark to light. Their world has changed and it’s my job to tell their story, with all the fun moments that ensue.

Once I looked at the time change in this way, and made some sense of it through my writing, I realized maybe it wasn’t all that bad. I might have a week where I’m a little discombobulated, but maybe I won’t be quite as grumpy about it as I usually am. Or I can hope! J

What about you? Do you like the time change? Or does it take you a few days to reorient yourself to the light and dark?

Thanks for joining me today!

XOXO,

Addison

~~~~~~~~~~

Despite early ambitions of being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She lives in Dallas and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her latest book, THE LONDON DECEPTION, is out now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense.

You can visit her at her website at www.addisonfox.com or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/addisonfoxauthor or on Twitter: www.twitter.com/addisonfox

Changing Seasons - with Kate Walker

Do you remember that poem about the months?  January brings the snow. . .  etc.  So here it is, November – the last days of autumn or perhaps the beginning of winter. Anyway, that poem

says:

Dull November brings the blast,

Then the leaves are whirling fast.

Well, OK, I admit that there bare still plenty of mufti-coloured leaves  outside.  But I have to admit that the weather has taken a turn for the wintery just lately. Freezing winds and ice-cold rain have been lashing the house and even though today has a bright clear spell of sunshine, it was along with bitter temperatures and  a real crisp edge to everything.   But you notice that I said ‘a turn for the wintry’  - not a turn for the worse. Personally,   I like all sorts of seasons, all sorts of weather. I have to, sometimes round here we get almost all four seasons in one day!

So it’s cold and a bit bleak – but there are things I love about the wintery days. The changing colours of the trees, the chance to cuddle close a fire , with a great book  - and perhaps a cat. We’re lucky enough to have a real fire and my husband has lit the coals.  I’ve been sitting on a couple of cushions close to the grate with an absorbing book (Defending Jacob by William Landay)  but just now I had to go into the garden to deal with the worms.

I'm not keen on worms. I don't have anything against them, but I prefer that they just stay nice and snug in the earth and I don't have to have actually meet them so to speak. I certainly prefer not to touch them . But just lately I've been dealing with large numbers of meal worms and have shocked several visitors to the house by have a plastic bowl full of meal worms soaking in warm water beside my sink.

The reason? I don't like worms much but I do love robins. And robins love mealworms. Perhaps I should mention that these mealworms are not live ones. They are freeze dried mealworms for feeding to robins and blue tits and other lovely birds to keep them well and happy during the winter.

My mother always said that she believed a home that had its own 'resident robin' would be a very happy home. Robins are very territorial and they defend their area ferociously. We may have two cats, but they don't usually get the robins - something for which I'm very grateful.

But the robins do have one great enemy - the magpies.

Magpies are beautiful birds - elegant in black and white but they bird assassins - those long, fierce beaks of theirs are lethal - they stab their victims with them and usually one attack is all it needs. One of the most frightening and nasty things I ever saw was a magpie fight where a pair of birds had obviously intruded into another magpie's territory - it was bloody, brutal and savage. So late last winter when I found a dead robin on the lawn, the fact that it was totally unmangled told me that the magpies had got it. A cat would have chewed, ripped, certainly it would not have left ever feather intact.

So I was saddened by the thought that our resident robin had been killed. But in the spring, in one of the flower beds, I found the two halves of the distinctive blue-green egg that robins lay. And two halves meant that a baby robin had hatched - I hoped.

I

was right. Last weekend the Babe Magnet was digging in the garden, turning over the soil around the raspberry bushes and a very bright-eyed and healthy young robin appeared. He found a huge worm that had been unearthed, tugged and tugged on it until he got it whole from the soil and then he flew off to enjoy his meal in peace. So we have a new young resident robin. And the meal worms are there to keep him happy when the ground is too hard and the worms buried too deep for him to find.

Unfortunately we also have the magpies - a pair of them who live in the big Scots Pine tree at the far end of the garden. The magpies get to enjoy the suet and nut cakes that I put out on an old tree stump that act as a bird table - and the robins who prefer to feed on the ground get soaked mealworms in a quiet corner all to themselves. After all, if the magpies are full of suet and nuts, hopefully it will keep them from attacking the robin.

Robins are said to be the souls of loved ones who have died and who had come back to visit. SO if that's the case they're even more welcome. Magpies on the other hand are said to be the most arrogant of birds - birds who got their distinctive colouring from refusing to wear  full mourning 

when Christ died. They're also remembered in the rhyme

One for sorrow, two for joy;

Three for a girl, four for a boy;

Five for silver, six for gold;

Seven for a secret, never to be told;

Eight for a wish, nine for a kiss;

Ten for a bird that's best to miss.

So we're lucky because we have a nesting pair and when we see them they are usually together - so that's for joy.

And it only one of them appears? Well, apparently you can ward off the 'sorrow' and the bad omens by saluting and greeting them. So, although I'd claim I'm not superstitious, I'll usually salute pretty smartly and say 'Good day Mr Magpie!' - just in case. The only time I didn't do that was when I was a small child and we were driving to Wales - a long way from Yorkshire. I spotted a magpie - so 'Oh look, that's one for sorrow.' Immediately there was a loud bang and the car's engine stopped dead.

Anyway, superstitions apart, one of the things that I love about this changing time of the year is that I get a chance to put out the suet cakes, the mealworms,  the peanuts. And then sit and watch the birds  swoop down to the bird table – or the  meal worm holder on the ground – and feed happily.

And of course I can watch from the warmth of my cushion by the fire.

Kate Walker’s new title, A Question of Honour will be published in Modern Romance and Harlequin  Presents in June 2014. Her most recent title was A Throne for The Taking  which came out in June 2013:

Alexei Sarova, the black sheep prince who has to face up to a new and unexpected destiny with his heroine Honoria Escalona (Ria) as the woman he wants as his queen.

A kingdom's safety...

Betrayed by those she loves, Honoria Escalona must now face the only man capable of bringing stability to the

Mediterranean kingdom of Mecjoria. A cold, hard man who once called her his friend... Alexei Sarova-the true King of Mecjoria.

In exchange for her happiness

But Alexei's tortuous past has changed him into someone she hardly knows. He blames Ria's family for his bitterness, and his help-when he offers it-comes with a price: he'll take his rightful place as King with Ria as his wife, until she produces a true-blood heir 

 A Throne For the Taking  was  published in the Royal and Ruthless miniseries in both Harlequin Presents and Mills & Boon Modern.

 

Other up to date news and details of all Kate’s books can be found on her web site and in her blog.

Scarlet Wilson: Favourite Heroes and Giveaway

Who is your favourite type of hero?  As I write medical romances my heroes are usually always doctors or surgeons.  But for my next book I decided to go for a different kind of hero – a Firefighter.  Hmmm…

There’s lots of fabulous examples of gorgeous firefighters.  Chicago Fire is my latest craze.  Lots of lovely muscled hot and sweaty fabulous characters.  There’s also some great female heroines but for obvious reasons I’m focusing on the males.  Now, I’m not so sure about their second publicity photo.  But because I love the show I’ll forgive them and try to imagine what the red dress looks like when this woman is standing up!

When I write a story I always pin a picture of my inspiration for my hero next to my computer.  When I get a little stuck I always glance at my hero and know exactly how he would react in a situation.  And after the pics above it will be no surprise that I picked the gorgeous Jesse Spencer who plays Matthew Casey in the show.  I’ll let you into a secret—I used to watch Jesse Spencer around 20 years ago in Australian soap Home and Away.  I was very surprised when he turned up on House and even more delighted he decided to take some clothes off in Chicago Fire.

So, if you’d like to a chance to win a book about a hunky firefighter based on Jesse Spencer and set in Glasgow at Christmas time leave me a comment below.  Tell me what your favourite profession is for a hero.   You can choose either an ebook or paperback.

A real hero to save her heart this Christmas…

Being reunited with her childhood sweetheart is quite a surprise for paediatric consultant Jessica Rae. Especially as the boy she once knew is now a sinfully sexy, lifesaving firefighter! Even now, single dad Callum Kennedy still makes her heart go boom—something this grieving doctor thought never again possible….

For Callum and his gorgeous son, Drew, Jessica could be just what this heartbroken little family needs. And he'll do anything to convince her that he's just what she needs, too…starting with a heart-stopping Christmas kiss!

***Laney4 is the winner!  Please contact the author via her website!***

Sarah Morgan - Sleigh Bells In The Snow

I love writing winter stories and I’m more excited than ever about this year’s release because although I’ve written 65 books for Harlequin Presents and Harlequin Medical, Sleigh Bells in the Snow is my first full-length contemporary romance. It’s set in beautiful, snowy Vermont and is the first in a new series about the O’Neil Brothers.

Sleigh Bells is Jackson’s story. Jackson is one of my favourite heroes ever. He is tough, sexy and has a strong sense of responsibility. He is determined to save Snow Crystal Resort and Spa, a magical place that has been home to his family for four generations, but the business is in trouble so he employs PR expert Kayla Green to help him boost their flagging fortunes. Kayla is a city girl who has never seen a moose or worn snow shoes, but Christmas is her least favorite time of year so she agrees to come and spend a week at Snow Crystal, thinking it will be a perfect way of avoiding the festivities.

But nothing has prepared her for winter in Vermont, the warmth of the O’Neil family, or the chemistry between her and Jackson and soon she’s battling more than snowdrifts.

The O’Neil family loves winter and so do I!

Here are a few of my favourite things:

Log fires – they look pretty, and I’m never going to complain about soft romantic lighting. (Snow Crystal has plenty of log fires. And outdoor hot tubs. Jackson and Kayla make the most of both!)

Crisp, cold weather – Great excuse for snuggling close with someone hot and sexy and sharing that body heat? (Kayla and Jackson do a lot of that! It may be cold outside but these two know how to turn up the heat)

Snow – yes, I know it’s a nuisance when you’re trying to get somewhere, but it’s still pretty! (bad boy and gold medal winning skier Tyler O’Neil likes nothing better than getting from the top of the mountain to the bottom as fast as possible. Look out for his story in November 2014)

Hot soup – yes, you can make soup in the summer but it’s not the same as enjoying it on a day when your fingers and toes are freezing! (Head Chef Élise runs the restaurant at Snow Crystal. And she’s had a secret night with sexy surgeon Sean O’Neil. Look out for their story, Suddenly Last Summer, coming July 2014)

Baking – the O’Neil family, especially Grandma Alice, do a lot of baking. Is there anything better than the smell of baking on a cold day? If you want to try my cinnamon star biscuits the recipe is on my website here http://sarahmorgan.com/books/series/oneil-brothers/#recipe

What do you love about winter? Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of my 2013 RITA winning release A Night of No Return where the heroine finds herself snowbound with her sexy boss!

***Mary Preston is the winner!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing address.***

Bec McMaster: Dear Halloween

Dear Halloween,

I think you're officially the only international holiday I would want Australians to steal. I can see plastic pumpkins, lollies (ah, candy to the US folks?) and costumes creeping onto the shelves at Safeway, but I would definitely be down with some creepy costume hijinks and some trick or treating of my own. In fact, this has probably come about twenty years too late, but my inner child could still go for it. 

The problem? I live in a small country town in Southern Australia. And whilst I'd love to dress up, kick back at a party or take my little niece and nephew trick or treating, I think most people would probably open their doors and stare at us, asking what we want. Halloween's not a big thing in Oz, though it's growing more prevalent. I know last year I had some poor kid and his mum knock on the door and I had nothing. Apples maybe?

The costume idea is definitely the main appeal (though I'm certainly not going to say no to lollies!). I write steampunk romance, and whilst it's all very good to spend 90% of my writing life in my pink dressing gown in front of the computer, getting the opportunity to dress up sounds awesome. True confession: I have never been steampunked up.

Granted, there's not a lot of opportunity in small country towns to dress up. And I can't sew, so creating something myself is... maybe a bit of a stretch. But I like the idea. I want a sexy corset and some seriously-cool goggles to wear. I'm thinking airship captain or sky pirate. I just need the opportunity.

So, I'm all keen on this new influx of pumpkin flavoured whatever's into our grocery stores. And next October I might just throw my own costume party.

As for this year, I'm buying lollies, just in case.

Cheers,

Bec McMaster

Want to win a signed copy of My Lady Quicksilver, my latest release, to find out what this steampunk thing's all about? (Hint: sexy corsets, seriously cool inventions and some steamy... automatons). Just let me know in the comments which holiday (international or not) is your favourite and why. Open internationally.

MY LADY QUICKSILVER BY BEC MCMASTER – IN STORES OCTOBER 2013

“I WILL COME FOR YOU…”

He will find her no matter what. As a blue-blooded captain of the Nighthawk Guard, his senses are keener than most. Some think he’s indestructible. But once he finds the elusive Mercury, what will he do with her? 

It’s his duty to turn her in—she’s a notorious spy and traitor. But after one stolen moment, he can’t forget the feel of her in his arms, the taste of her, or the sharp sting of betrayal as she slipped off into the night. Little does Mercury know, no one hunts better than the Nighthawk. And his greatest revenge will be to leave her begging for his touch…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Bec McMaster lives in a small town in Australia and grew up with her nose in a book. A member of RWA, she writes sexy, dark paranormals and steampunk romance. When not writing, reading, or poring over travel brochures, she loves spending time with her very own hero or daydreaming about new worlds. Read more about her at www.becmcmaster.com or follow her on Twitter, @BecMcMaster.

To purchase My Lady Quicksilver:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Books-a-Million

Chapters/Indigo

Discover a New Love

iBookstore

IndieBound

Sourcebooks

***Laurie G, congratulations! You're the winner.  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing info.***

Dianne Duvall: Character Interview With Sean

 

Thank you for joining me!  And thank you, Lee, for letting me visit Tote Bags ‘n’ Blogs again!  I’m here today to celebrate the release of DARKNESS RISES, the fourth book in my Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series.  If you like powerful preternatural heroes and strong heroines, danger mixed with humor, action and intensity interspersed with soft, tender moments, and — of course — steamy romance, then this book is for you.  ;-)  After barely surviving a vicious vampire attack, mortal Krysta Linz has dedicated her life to slaying every blood-sucking, psychotic vampire she can find.  She does an excellent job of it, too . . . until Immortal Guardian Étienne d’Alençon sees her take on four vampires by herself and is instantly captivated.  Sparks soon fly as he endeavors to learn more of her and Krysta discovers that not everyone with fangs and glowing eyes is the enemy. 

I thought I would have a little fun and give readers a glimpse of some of DARKNESS RISES’ characters in a series of character interviews.  Today the heroine’s brother, Sean, will be interviewed by Sheldon, a notoriously green Second, or human guard:

Sheldon:  Hey, Sean.  Thanks for doing this.

Sean:  No problem.  I’m actually not really sure why you’re interested in interviewing me.

Sheldon:  You’re new to the the Immortal Guardians world, yet you’ve been hunting vampires for six years.  Everyone wants to know more.

Sean:  Then everyone should interview Krysta.  She’s the one who risked her life night after night, hunting vampires and engaging them in hand-to-hand, or rather blade-to-blade combat.

Sheldon:  Something she couldn’t have done without you.

Sean:  *shrugs*

Sheldon:  I’ve seen you spar with her.  You’re very skilled, both in martial arts and the use of a wide variety of weapons.  Did it bother you that you couldn’t fight by her side?

Sean:  Absolutely. 

Sheldon:  But I don’t sense any bitterness or resentment.

Sean:  Because there isn’t any.  We each played a role.  And we each risked our lives. 

Sheldon:  And you thought it worth the risk?

Sean:  *muscle jumping in his cheek*  Krysta barely survived a vampire attack seven years ago.  Someone she loved didn’t.  I saw what that did to her, knew the same was happening to other humans being preyed upon by those monsters, and shared her desire to do whatever we could to stop it.

Sheldon:  So the two of you set out to—

Sean:  Kill every maddened vampire we could find.

Sheldon:  Well, congratulations.  You did a damned fine job of it.

Sean:  *shakes his head*  We didn’t even make a dent. 

Sheldon:  Yes, you did.  And you would have noticed it if all hell hadn’t broken loose around here and caused the vampire population to explode.  What did you think of Étienne the first time you saw him?

Sean:  I thought he was a vampire and wanted him dead.

Sheldon:  That’s what I’d heard.  What about after that?  I think the second time you saw him was . . .

Sean:  The night we saved his life.  And I didn’t know WHAT to think.  Every vampire my sister and I had encountered up to that point had been a psychotic killer.  Suddenly one not only didn’t try to kill Krysta, but actually tried to protect her?  It was . . . unfathomable.  I thought he must be playing some kind of sick, twisted game.

Sheldon:  But, once you learned he was an Immortal Guardian and not a vampire, you were okay with him?

Sean:  Nnnno.  Not really.  I mean, I was intrigued by the whole vampirism-being-caused-by-a-virus notion.  I was a med student at Duke and . . .  I REALLY wanted to get a look at the advanced DNA that protects immortals from the brain damage and madness the virus causes in humans. 

Sheldon:  Did you? 

Sean:  Yes.  Dr. Lipton showed me and explained everything in fascinating detail.

Sheldon:  So what was the problem?

Sean:  Étienne’s telepathic.  I was afraid he was messing with Krysta’s head, making her believe what he wanted her to believe.  I thought if he could READ her thoughts, then he could probably alter them as well.

Sheldon:  I don’t think it works that way for younger immortals.  And he’s only a couple of hundred years old.

Sean:  *shrugs and offers a wry smile*  What can I say?  She’s my sister.  I love her and want to keep her safe.  And, seeing her fall so swiftly for Étienne . . .  I was afraid it wasn’t real and didn’t want to see her get hurt again.

Sheldon:  I hear ya.  You’re okay with him now, though, right?

Sean:  Yeah.  He’s a good guy and makes her happy.

Sheldon:  So what do you think of the werewolves?

Sean:  *stares*  The what?

Sheldon:  The werewolves.  Haven’t you met them yet?

Sean:  Wait.  Are you saying . . . ?  Werewolves exist, too?  There are werewolves?

Étienne:  *calls from another room*  No.  He’s just messing with you, Sean.

Sean:  *glares*  So they DON’T exist?

Sheldon:  *grins*  No.  I was just messing with you.  But Seth and David can both shape-shift, so technically they CAN become wolves.  I wouldn’t ask them to do it, though.  They tend to not respond well when you do.

Étienne:  *agains calls from another room*  It isn’t a parlor trick, Sheldon.

Sheldon:  *frowns in direction of Étienne’s voice*  Shouldn’t you be ogling Krysta or copping a feel or something?

Étienne:  I am.  Some of us are multifunctional. 

Sean:  *mumbles*  I didn’t need to hear that.

Krysta:  *laughs in the other room*  He isn’t copping a feel, Sean.  Étienne’s messing with you, too.  We’re just watching a movie.

Étienne:  Sheldon, shouldn’t you be calling Marcus and landing him in an ambush?

Sheldon:  Dude!  That was ONE time!  ONE mistake!  When are you guys gonna to let it go?

Étienne and Krysta:  *laugh*

Sean:  *eyes Sheldon’s scowling face*  Want to ditch the interview and go see what movie they’re watching?

Sheldon:  *sighs*  Sure. 

Krysta:  Bring snacks!

So what fictional character would you like to interview?  Let me know for a chance to win a signed copy of DARKNESS RISES + Immortal Guardians swag.

Krysta is used to getting the drop on vampires.  Her "special abilities" aren't much, but the plan is simple—she plays helpless pretty young thing to lure them in.  Then her shoto swords come out and it's bye-bye, bloodsucker. Until one night she finds herself with an unexpected ally.  He's a vampire, all right, but different.  Mysterious.  Handsome.  And more interested in saving her skin than draining it.

Étienne has been an Immortal Guardian for two hundred years—long enough to know that Krysta is special.  He can't stop thinking about her long legs, even more than her short swords.  Then he discovers the vamps she's exterminating have friends in high places, and the Guardians are in danger too.  He'll have to accept Krysta's help to save them.  The stakes for a mortal are high.  But the cost to his heart might be higher. . .

Amazon — http://amzn.to/1881z2E

Kindle — http://amzn.to/1auybnw

Barnes & Noble — http://bit.ly/1ftUHTI

Nook — http://bit.ly/19LJGor

iBooks — http://bit.ly/16Oc1cS

Kobo — http://bit.ly/1bgYDFx

Audible — http://bit.ly/1eLWUbT

Walmart — http://bit.ly/1h7RzIP

Dianne Duvall is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series.  Her debut novel, Darkness Dawns, was nominated for the RT Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance by RT Book Reviews and for Best Paranormal Romance—Vampire by The Romance Reviews.  Ensuing books in the series — Night Reigns, Phantom Shadows, and Predatory — have all been deemed Top Picks by RT Book Reviews, The Romance Reviews, and/or Night Owl Reviews.  Her latest release, Darkness Rises, has also been chosen as a Night Owl Reviews’ Top Pick. 

Dianne loves all things creative.  When she isn't writing, Dianne is active in the independent film industry and once even appeared onscreen as a machete-wielding maniac not unlike the vampires in her novels.

***Congrats, Doodlebug! Your name was picked as the winner.  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details.***

Isabel Sharpe: But Is There Meaning in Gold Lamé?

At a recent cocktail party, a woman approached me, probably early sixties, but, you know, with work done, wearing tight gold lamé pants tucked into knee-high black boots, short spiky hair dyed dark, gold jewelry dangling everywhere.  She was clutching a large glass of wine and stood so close you could smell the alcohol on her.

Oh baby.

The inevitable happened, she found out I was a writer.  Ohhhh!  She’d always wanted to write a book!  Because wow, had she ever lived a life worth telling about!  Though when I told her I write romance, she immediately shook her head, “Oh, no, no, I’d write something with meaning.”

Well, then.

People sneer at romance.  Whatever.  If it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing.  But this was a new level of dismissal.  (Granted, I dismissed her, too, but at least I interacted with her first—she’d never read a romance.)

I wanted to tell her about the letter I got from a woman who’d spent all night in the hospital worrying about a loved one, and how my book (a comedy) made the long wait bearable.  Or the letter from the therapist in Tennessee who handed out my romances to female clients as examples of strong women getting their needs met.  Or, more personally, how reading romance helped me come to terms with what was missing from my first marriage.

Mostly, I wanted to tell her about the story I just finished* for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Foundation, about a woman starting life over after escaping a violent relationship.  Print copies will be distributed to women’s shelters and the e-novella will be available for free, to spread the word about the Foundation’s Give Back a Smile program, which enlists dentists to repair women’s teeth damaged by an abusive partner without charge.  No meaning?  Come on.

Okay, I wanted to tell her a few other things too, but I was raised to be polite.

So there’s a beginning list.  I’m curious to hear your additions.  What has the romance genre meant to you? 
My favorite answer wins a copy of Back in Service, one of the Harlequin Blaze Uniformly Hot miniseries, about men and women serving in the military.  Check out this cover.  I have to fan myself every time I see it.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Isabel   

* The e-novella, For One of Your Smiles . . . will be available in early 2014.  Check my website later in the year for details, www.IsabelSharpe.com.  A really good cause and a free book!  And while you’re at it, take time in the remaining days of October to think about National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and help a friend if she needs it.


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

Jana DeLeon: Write What You Know

One of the first things you hear when you attempt to write a novel is to “write what you know.” That doesn’t mean that if you’re an accountant (which I am, by the way) that you’re stuck writing novels about the IRS. Thank Heavens! It just means that you should draw upon your own emotional well to create three-dimensional characters that readers can relate to.

But I take that to an entirely different level. With all of my books set in the Louisiana bayous, I draw from my experience living there to create realistic settings and characters, which can lead to a lot of questions. Like “do you really know those people you write about?”

Sure, I know them all. In my mind. Well, except for the drunken Father Thomas in UNLUCKY. I used to golf with him when I was a teenager, but that’s a whole other story.

When I’m writing and especially when I go back to read a rough draft, I always think “these are people I’d like to see in action.” Mind you, I’m fairly positive I wouldn’t want to be “in” most of the action, but if I could have a bleacher seat with popcorn and maybe a frito pie, that would be stellar. If I could have a beer with them afterwards, then that would be even better.

As a reader, my favorite books are the ones that I put down and wonder what the characters are doing until I can get back to it. They are the books that when I get to the end, I wish I could spend more time with the people I’ve grown to know and love. The first writer that I can remember who really drew me in that way was Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her depiction of her childhood in one of the roughest areas of the US is nothing short of incredible.

What writer makes you want to leap through the pages and go “on screen” with their characters? Can you remember the first time it happened? Or the last?

If you can, post your answer. One lucky poster will win a $25 Amazon egift card.

***Congrats, Eli Yanti - you won!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com!***

Re-entering Reality by Fiona Lowe

I've just got back fro 19 days in France! C'est tres fantastique! You have to hand it to the French; they have style and, man, can they cook! From the top end restaurants in Paris to the small family-run brasseries in the provinces, the food was phenomenal. I have waddled home, sadly to my own cooking!

Re-entering real life post vacation is always a challenge. We travelled light so the bags are unpacked and the laundry is under control but my brain is still in France. Here are a few of the photos so you understand.

The Canal du Midi between Castlenaudary & Carrcassonne

Cookies & Chocolates in Montemarte

Saint Cecile Cathedrral in Albi..the Cathars Crusade

Renaissance buildings in Albi 

Chaud Chocolat in style!

I could go on (my husband took 1300 photos in 19 days) but I'll stop! As you can imagine, my mind keeps wandering back to these adventures rather than the prosaic of real life!  However, I am a person for looking forward, not backwards and November is coming. My eldest son is returning home from university/college next week and November means books are being released!

My next Harlequin medical romance is out on November 1st! This is the third book in the Gold Coast Angel's series and I

had a lot of angst as well as fun writing Bundle of Trouble. Married to his long time girlfriend and dad to baby Amber, Luke Stanley was at the top of his field as a plastic surgeon. Life was good and he never expected it to change in a heartbeat. But life can do that to you and suddenly,  Luke's adrift and it's only his daughter that is keeping him going. 

Writing about grief is emotionally draining but the flip side to it is giving people hope. Not just my characters but perhaps readers who are struggling. I hope you enjoy Luke and Chloe's story as they both learn life can give you second chances at happiness if you're open to taking the risk. Set on the beautiful Gold Coast in Queenland, Australia, it's filled with sun-drenched beaches and glorious, lush rainforests. It's available at Harlequin and all other eBook retailers.

For those of you looking for a short-story, the perfect length before turning out the light, then On The Road Again is just the thing. It's a reunion story. Can two people forgive and move beyond past hurts? Set on a 9 day cycling vacation (yes, I used the ride as inspiration) it also features a hot doc, a high-powered motor cycle and lots of fun.
You can grab it at Smashwords and Amazon and soon all other ebook retailers.

Of course I have a my Wedding Fever trilogy for fun and laughs and the occasional tears in Saved By The Bride and Picture Perfect Wedding. It's the perfect time to grab them in preparation for the final book, Runaway Groom which is out in January!

Meanwhile, anyone been to France? I'd love to hear your favourite French stories to help me ease into real life again!


Fiona Lowe is a RITA^® and R*BY award-winning, multi-published author with Harlequin and Carina Press. Whether her books are set in outback Australia or in the mid-west of the USA, they feature small towns with big hearts, and warm, likeable characters that make you fall in love. When she's not writing stories, she's a weekend wife, mother of two 'ginger' teenage boys, guardian of 80 rose bushes and often found collapsed on the couch with wine. You can find her at herwebsite, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Doranna Durgin: Defying Reality

Reality says you can’t do it all.

So I’m clearly insane to be working frontlist (Claimed by the Demon, and the hero is NOT a demon), backlist (fantasy, mystery, and romantic suspense), running a service for authors with similar backlist efforts (Backlist eBooks), and working on my own original productions through Book View Café.

I guess the thing is, I want it all.  For one thing, having my early books out where readers can find them again?  Priceless.  Add into that the utter excitement of writing the stories I’ve ached to write and wow!  That is utterly the best feeling ever. 

The independent work also strips away the concerns that have intensified over the years within the publishing industry--the time lags, the scheduling, the late payments.   It means a production team that works with me, and not one that has a primary responsibility to the publisher.  In my case, that team will consist of other career professionals from Book View Café, where members have worked in every aspect of publishing over the years. 

None of which takes away the thrill of seeing publisher frontlist books out on the shelves.  Or holding the author copies for the first time, or seeing the cover art and design, or...you know.  Holding the book up close and sniffing the scent of freshly printed pages.  (Come on.  You know you do it sometimes...)

And let’s  not even talk about physical life, where the Lipizzan keeps me busy with his Lipizzan ways and the Beagles demand their daily training and on the very best weekends, to go out and compete in agility, rally, obedience, and tracking trials.  There’s no way I’m not doing those things!

So take THAT, reality!  I haven’t given up yet!  I’ve opted out of sleep, of eating, of having the house and office quite as organized and clean as it is in my best intentions, but when it comes to my writing, the cover art I enjoy so much, or my animals, it’s time to get fierce, don’t you think?

Have you ever wanted to do it all?  Better yet, have you ever gotten to do it all?

(If you want to win it all, give it a shot!  We’ll blindly stab a finger at the monitor to choose a winner, who’ll receive a title from my precious out-of-print box.  There are Bombshells and Nocturne Sentinels to choose from!)

***Pat Cochran, you won! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com***

Emmie Dark: Travel tales

My newly released book, “Dance With Me” is a bit of a travelogue—it’s set in Australia, the US and Guatemala. Luckily enough I was able to base my research on these places from my own experience—I’ve been lucky to travel quite a bit in the past few years.

The trip I did through Mexico and Guatemala was one of the most memorable travel experiences I’ve ever had. As a self-admitted “princess” (I’ll go camping the day they invent a tent with an ensuite) I had to adjust my expectations. Our hotels were two-star, at the very best, and our transport ranged from jolting around in a minibus through to hanging on for dear life in the back of a ute (pick up truck)!

This is me on some of the scary Mayan steps!

I made the person taking the photo make sure that you couldn’t really

tell that I’m only about two steps off the ground! 

But all that was worth it for the amazing, spectacular scenery. Mayan temples, thousands of years old, built with an unbelievable precision! There was one temple where all the walls and surfaces were built to amplify the human voice—a whisper from the top could be heard throughout the courtyard in front.

Unfortunately I also discovered a strange fear of heights. I don’t mind being on the tallest building, or going for a ride in a cable car, and I loved my trip on the London Eye. But walking up the steps of the building—each one at least knee-height or above—for some reason was beyond me. No, scratch that, walking up wasn’t the problem, it was the getting down again that I hated!

Are you more of a creature comforts “princess” when it comes to travelling, or are you all for embracing the wilds of nature? Let me know your preference and I’ll chose one random comment to win a copy of Dance With Me.

Dance With Me is available now on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FLBVJSA/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_vnLusb0PNPMG1

About Dance With Me:

Polly’s life isn’t turning out the way she thought—and so she’s embarked on the trip of a lifetime. In Guatemala she meets Josh and they have a fling that is supposed to be short-lived, but instead starts them on a journey that takes them through three countries, two emergency room visits, one incredible dance lesson, and a huge amount of vino tinto. It’s a sassy, sexy, romantic tale about finding your way back to your true self.

Emmie on the web:

Website:  http://www.emmiedark.com

Blog:  http://emmiedark.blogspot.com.au/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EmmieDarkFanPage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/EmmieDark