trueromance

Time certainly flies! I just celebrated my 15 years at Borders & we’ve turned over our first year with Borders True Romance Blog! How exciting is that?

To celebrate, I would love to hear from you all what you like about our blog; what you think we could do better; & what you totally hate - k? Be honest — I can take it This site is for all of us to enjoy & it is important to me that you like visiting as much as I do! So leave your comments below - Thank you!

Now for our winners - congratulations to all!

Carly Phillips Winner 4 Sunday is April; & Sue’s Stash Winner is Rachel C

Livia Dare’s Monday winners are Kate Marcille; Lisa Alexander Griffin

Sheri Whitefeather’s Tuesday Winners are Zina; Cories; Susan Leech

SJ Day’s Winner Is on Wednesday, Diane Sadler

Thursday Winner with Abby Gaines is Maree Anderson

Friday Winners are for Alexandra Ivy Jenny is her winner; & Sue’s Stash winners are: Anne; Cynthia N

**Remember, if you are a Sue’s Stash winner you must live in the US.

Now, for next week — come visit us & meet:

Sunday w/Brenda Novak

Monday with Susan Sizemore

Tuesday is ME! Today is a BIG romance release week & I’ve got a list of books I think you’ll want to buy . . . .

Wednesday with Sue & her Book Report!

Thursday with Michelle Willingham

Friday with Anne Marsh

& Saturday with the lovely, one & only, Teresa Medeiro’s - Devil Wears Plaid

Thanks again for being part of Borders True Romance Community — see U soon!

SueG

Writing Herstory

Hi, all! It’s me (Sylvia Day) again. Back as one of my other selves (Sylvia Day, S. J. Day, Livia Dare).

The idea for the Marked series came to me while I was in the shower. This is actually where a lot of my new ideas begin. Also, when I’m driving. I think this is because my brain goes into standby mode at those times, and my subconscious can take over. Sometimes, it rears its head somewhat ferociously, which is what happened with the Marked series. A scene unfolded in my head and it was so vivid and so different from anything I’d ever written before, I knew I couldn’t stand losing it. I hopped out of the shower with soap still in my hair and dashed off a few paragraphs of notes on my laptop, which was–very luckily–sitting on my bed.

After I finished my shower and got dressed, I sat down with the notes and realized the Marked series begins as a woman’s story, not a couple’s journey. It’s an urban fantasy tale, but it came to me in third person and with multiple points of view–the heroine’s and the two heroes’. There are angels and demons, vampyres and werewolves, and a host of somewhat lesser known creatures from the lore of various cultures around the world. Set in Orange County, CA–home of the Happiest Place on Earth (Disneyland)–it’s not so much urban gritty (crime-ridden metropolis at night) as it is urban sunny (affluent tourist destination with lots of sunshine) . Just as IN THE FLESH is a little of this and a little of that, so too is the Marked series.

Focusing on one character’s adventures was awesome for me. I’m grateful to my character, Evangeline Hollis, who made it fun to spend a year writing the first three books in her story. She’s far from perfect. As a Mark (one of thousands of sinners drafted via the Mark of Cain to hunt demons on God’s behalf), she’s supposed to be kick-ass, and she is, but her greatest weapon is her brain. She’s horrible with a sword and knives, which–go figure–are the two primary weapons of Marks. She doesn’t deal well with celestial bureaucratic red tape, and she definitely doesn’t tolerate the ultra alpha tendencies of the two men in her life–Cain and Abel.

Because all three of the main characters have separate agendas, switching point of view among them was part of the process of sharing the many facets of Eve’s story. Seeing her through the eyes of those around her is important to knowing who Eve is. One of those facets is her love for the two heroes, which brought in the romantic elements I love so much as a reader and writer. I can say without reservation that the Marked series, while so very different from anything else I’ve written (hence the pseudonym), is very dear to me. There’s a lot of my history in the locations used in the books (I’m a SoCal native), so in some ways, it’s very personal. From my heart to your hands, you could say.

I have a FREE Marked series story, “Eve of Sin City,” that is available for your downloading pleasure (in multiple popular e-reader formats). You can enjoy the short story without having read the first three Marked books. For those of you who are already fans of the series (thank you!) the next original Marked story is in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF PARANORMAL ROMANCE 2 (with Lara Adrian, Karen Chance, Ava Gray, Gail Carriger, and many more!), which releases in October. “Eve of Warfare” picks up where EVE OF CHAOS left off.

So, my question for you is this: have you found books set in places where you’ve lived or live now? Does that increase your enjoyment of the story or not? What’s a particularly good example of book set near you?

One commenter will win a $25 Borders gift card!

Hope you all enjoyed our ROMCON Winners week - many of you have won various giveaways & to make sure you get your prize please email SueG at sgrimsha@bordersgroupinc.com — Now, for the winners:

Sunday’s Winners with Sophia are AnneF; Virginia C; MinnChica

Monday with Sandra - MarleneB
Sue’s Stash is for domestic winner only

Tuesday with Jory - Ladytink; JacquelineC

Wednesday with Cindy Gerard - SusanT

Thursday with Jennifer Ashley -Heather

Friday - Robyn’s winners - TracyD

Saturday w/Mary Sullivan - LaurieG; TamsynT

Congrats!

Now for this week — Romcon winners + MORE!

Sunday with Carly Phillips

Monday with Livia Dare

Tuesday with Sheri WhiteFeather

Wednesday is SJ Day

Thursday - Abby Gaines

Friday with Hannah Howell, Alexandra Ivy & Kaitlin O’Reilly!

Saturday is with The Book Faery!

Another line up of fun — hope to C U this week & bring your friends

Happy Romance -
SueG

What I Learned from The Reader’s Crown …

Authors are sensitive types. (Most) of us don’t have thick skins but learn to develop them during the “I’m trying to sell my book” process. Rejection after rejection becomes the norm and it is hard not to take it personally. In my case, it took me 7 years and 10 completed manuscripts, revised over time, resubmitted, re-rejected, before I sold my first novel, BRAZEN, to Harlequin Temptation in 1998. And though you’d think that once you sell, that’s the end of the pain, the truth is that’s just the beginning. There’s still rejection by publishers, bad reviews, etc. so that that thick skin must keep … well getting thicker. Every once in awhile, in the middle of this career we have a love/hate/really love relationship with, there’s a shining star of success that validates everything we do, at least for a little while, LOL! What could be better than winning an award (RomCon’s The Reader’s Crown) in which my book is chosen by READERS? The very people we write for? Just to final in a talented field of my peers was an amazing thing. But to win? It’s THE BEST. In my case, this award came at a particularly good time in my life, so the thank you’s can not be said enough!

The truth is, a writer never knows whether a story they’re working on will please readers. The one universal truth is that we can’t please everyone, so it’s most important to please ourselves. If we don’t enjoy the writing process, I firmly believe our readers will know. It’s also important to live up to reader expectations – if someone pays good money for our books, they should know what they’re getting content-wise. Beyond that, writers do the best they can. Some books are hard. As in, gut-wrenching, painfully hard. LUCKY BREAK, my Reader’s Crown winner was one of those. I barely remember how I made it through, LOL. So the win was especially sweet.
Then there are books that are just pure joy to write – and those are, simply stated, A GIFT. My current book on the shelves KISS ME IF YOU CAN was such plain fun, it was a definite gift. It’s sequel, LOVE ME IF YOU DARE fell somewhere in between on the scale.

I think what I learned from The Reader’s Crown contest was this: Authors write the best books they can at any given time. And thankfully, reader’s don’t always know from the reading how painful … or blissful the process was for the author. And THAT is a very good thing!

So as a discussion topic today, I want to know … do readers ever wonder if a book was an easy one for an author? Or a hard one? Or is this just something WE live with and you, thankfully, never know, LOL!

1 lucky random chosen commenter will win from Sue’s Stash! & 1 lucky random commenter will win a $25 Borders Gift Card — Good Luck!!

No Oridinary Cowboy, by Mary Sullivan
Hi everyone, I’m so glad to be here today. Thank you to Sue Grimshaw and Borders for this opportunity!

My reading habits went through a change this summer. I used to do the bulk of my reading in the winter. There’s nothing like sitting tucked up cozily indoors with a good book on a cold winter evening while a storm rages outside. That feeling of safety, and of delving into a book and drifting away from the cares of the world, is precious to me.

The summer usually finds me out and about, and doing much less reading; however, this summer has been unusually hot where I live, and the humidity insufferable. At the beginning of the summer, I ended up sitting in front of the television every night because it was too hot to go outside, even in the evening. I eventually grew pretty disgusted with myself, turned off the tv and picked up a book. I’ve been plowing through them ever since.

My focus has been on historicals, which I loooove. Most often that means Regencies. Lately, though, I’ve been having a blast reading Western historicals. I’ve enjoyed it so much that I signed up for a course through one of the RWA chapters about gamblers and prostitutes in the American West in the 1800s. It’s been fascinating!

I’ve been reading contemporary Westerns, too. It follows that I would like them, since I write them! So odd considering that I grew up in and currently live in the city.

When I decided to write books about cowboys and ranchers and wanted to set them in Montana, I had to do a lot of research. The Internet was invaluable, of course. Also, though, I ordered books about Montana and the ranching lifestyle—one by a reporter who left the city and went to live on a ranch for a year, immersing himself in the lifestyle and then writing about his experience. What an eye-opener. It’s a hard life and the people engaged in it, tough. Hardy.

I can’t imagine a complainer lasting long on a farm or a ranch. There is something appealing to me about the kind of people who see that a job needs to be done, say, “Right, let’s get at it,” and then do it.

As well, I bought a couple of large coffee table books full of stunning photographs of gorgeous landscapes that took my breath away. A few of the cowboys in the photos took my breath away, too

The facts about time and place and people are out there for any of us to access, whether present day or historical, but what I admire is that these same facts and figures can be used by talented authors in so many different ways to write so many original stories. I have immersed myself in those stories throughout the summer.

When do you like to do the bulk of your reading? In which season? What kinds of stories inspire you?

I have two copies of my August Superromance, THIS COWBOY’S SON, that I would love to give away to a couple of you who leave a comment.

Is there anything sexier than a tortured hero?

Well, yes. A tortured hero with a sense of humor does it for me.

In my book, VIKING HEAT, which won the Readers’ Crown in the
time travel category, my hero Brandr Igorsson was all of that and
more. As a third son and not closely in line to inherit Bear’s Lair,
his family estate in the Norselands, Brandr was off fighting with the
elite Jomsviking warriors when he discovers that his entire family
was murdered by their hated enemy. Brandr goes berserk and
even as he works to rebuilt his keep, he remains a tormented, dour
man.

Until Joy Nelson arrives on the scene, that is, and helps him
regain his sense of humor. She is a time traveler from the future,
a mind healer of all things (a psychologist), who wants him to
discuss his anger issues.

Here’s an example from VIKING HEAT:

“Are you a witch?” he asked in sex-husky voice.
She shook her head, slowly, still dazed.
“Who are you?”
“I told you already. I’m Petty Officer Joy Nelson in the Navy
WEALS training program at Coronado, California.”
“I do not understand what you say by half.”
“You could say I’m a soldier. But I’m also a psychologist.”
“Sigh-call-jest?”
“Psychologist,” she corrected. “An expert on the human mind
and behavior. A person who helps people heal from different mental
maladies, like intellectual disabilities…”
“Dumbness?”
She clucked her tongue at him. “…behavior or mood
disorders…”
“Grumpiness?”
“Stop interrupting me. Also, personality disorders.”
“Ah! Like me, I suppose.”
“Exactly.”

I also offer tortured heroes with a sense of humor in my
soon to be released THE VIKING TAKES A KNIGHT and
DARK VIKING, not to mention VIKING UNCHAINED, TRULY,
MADLY VIKING and SWEETER SAVAGE LOVE.

I’m not the only one doing tortured heroes with a sense of
humor, of course. There is J.R. Ward with her hunky heroes who
suffered tremendously but still manage to laugh at themselves. And
Suzanne Brockman’s Troubleshooters. And Karen Moning’s
Highlanders. And Elizabeth Hoyt’s men who had been captured and
tortured by the Indians. Loretta Chase’s recent LAST NIGHT’S
SCANDAL with its war-ravaged hero. The list is endless.

So, who are your favorite tortured heroes with a sense of
humor? As always, I wish you smiles in your reading…even if some
bad things have to happen to your beloved characters before they
relearn how to laugh again.

Giveaway to winner - Sue’s Stash - Good luck!

Congrats to all — thanks for blogging with us at Borders True Romance — don’t forget to check out our 2 new pages for Sue’s Must Reads & our famous True Romance Videos!

& our Shopping Guide is updated so ck it out to make sure you don’t miss any new release romances!

Now, if you’re a winner, contact SueG - sgrimsha@bordersgroupinc.com & we’ll get you your prize — ready?

Sunday - Pamela Palmers winner is JoannaT

Monday - reminder to enter Kira’s sweepstakes - If you’d like a chance to win the gold vermeil necklace featured on the cover of Captured by Desire, come to www.glynnis.net/KiraMorgan and enter my monthly sweepstakes!

Tuesday - reminder of Mariah’s Drawing - I’m running a drawing on my website for a Bloomsbury Bookbag from Levengers (one of my favorite on-line places!). Everyone who emails me through my website between now and August 13 will have their name tossed into the hat. The drawing will be on August 14, and the winner will be notified by email.

Wednesday - CJ’s winner is Caitie

Thursday - Deborah’s winners - Karen W; Marlene B; DianaT; Estella; Kelly

Friday winners of Sue’s Stash are LynnR; Natalie; Santa; CherylC; JenniferR

& Saturday with JaneP - Sharon; Emmanuelle; Kris; ToniA; Marilyn

& now, line up for this week is:

ROMCON MANIA! Yes, Readers Crown Winners will be your featured posts this week, beginning with:

Sunday - Sophia Nash

Monday - Sandra Hill

Tuesday - Jory Strong

Wednesday - Cindy Gerard

Thursday - Jennifer Ashley

Friday - Robyn DeHart

Saturday - Mary Sullivan

Giveaways every day so stop on buy to meet new authors, or your current fav’s, or a chance to win a romance book!

Thanks for blogging — Happy Romance, SueG

WHISPER KISS by Deborah Cooke, Dragonfire Novel #5

Setting:
New York City, July 2009

One sentence summary:
Niall has offered to take the lead in eliminating the shadow dragons in the Pyr’s battle against the Slayers - never imagining that he’ll experience his firestorm at the worst possible moment, or that his destined mate is the least likely woman he’d choose as his partner.

It’s a long sentence, but I’m not good at summaries!

Scene you like most and would never cut:
I actually like the teaser scene, so there’s no spoiler in telling you about it. You can read it in the back of WINTER KISS, or on my website. (http://www.deborahcooke.com) I love that Niall shifts shape to defend this mouthy little punker chick (the one he thinks is breaking into his apartment), and that he just has time to regret that he’s revealed himself before he realizes that she’s feeling him up. He really doesn’t know what to do about that, but Rox does - she lands a ferocious kiss on him as soon as he shifts back to human form. Uh huh. This is a girl who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to take it. As soon as I wrote that scene, I knew we were going to have fun.

I like the ending scene too, but no spoilers here!

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
She’d never say or do anything conventional. Rox does not want a marriage, a house in the burbs, a golden retriever or a station wagon. She will never own chinos or a button down shirt. Rox wants to be a rebel and a biker chick in leather forever.

The thing is that she is a mushball. She’s always helping people. She hides away her softness and her femininity - but dragons have sharper sight than people do.

Niall sees right through her.

What celebrity is your hero like / What celebrity is your heroine like:
I’m really crummy at these kinds of questions. Any ideas? Who do you all think would make a great dragon shape shifter?

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
Rox is a tattoo artist. It is the perfect job for her, and the perfect way for her to express herself. She’s opinionated, outspoken, bent on making a difference in the world, and utterly fearless - even though she’s five foot nothing in her stilettos.

Plus she has a thing for dragons. Can’t hurt!

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:
Niall runs an eco-travel business, and he’s really busy since he bought out his partner, Delaney Shea. (Delaney was the hero of WINTER KISS.) Niall’s also taken on the task of eliminating the shadow dragons, which are kind of like zombies in the Pyr world. They’ve been raised from the dead and are tough to kill. Niall’s twin brother Phelan has been made into a shadow dragon, so Niall has a personal stake in that battle.

Niall is the kind of guy who keeps everything under control. He’s reliable and determined, but never lets anyone see him sweat. Rox makes him sweat. Rox shakes his tree. Rox tickles this dragon’s belly until he blows his cool and roars. They were huge fun to write about.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
The romance is passionate and hot. I keep turning up the heat in the Dragonfire books, and readers keep asking for more - here it is! At the same time, I find Niall and Rox’s love story really romantic - it’s not just about sex. It’s about forever. It’s about two tough-talkers finding their dream and falling in love. I think they make a great team.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
EVERYONE wants Rafferty’s book! Rafferty is the romantic of the Pyr, the one who has been waiting for his firestorm and his destined mate for centuries. I get mail after every book that as much as readers loved the book, they want Rafferty to have his firestorm. Now would be good, they say. So, Rafferty’s up next, in DARKFIRE KISS coming out next May. (No pressure writing that one, as you might guess. I had to make it a great book.) You probably can guess that things don’t work out exactly as he’s dreamed they will, and that his destined mate, Melissa, will reorient his universe. (What can I say? I like love to change everything!) The darkfire that burns in their firestorm also changes the whole world of the Pyr.

The other dragon dudes that people ask about are Thorolf and Sloane. I’ll get there!

What’s next:
Well, the next two years are going to be really fun. There will be three Dragonfire books out in 2011 and three more in 2012. We have Rafferty’s book, DARKFIRE KISS, coming in May 2011, then two more Dragonfire books after that in January 2012 and October 2012. And no, I’m not telling you who those two heroes are yet!

We’re also doing a spin-off series, a YA Dragonfire trilogy. This trilogy focusses on Zoë, Erik’s daughter, coming of age and figuring out what it means to be the Wyvern. (There’s only ever one female Pyr at a time, and she’s supposed to be a prophetess. The problem is that one isn’t conceived unless her predecessor is dead, and there’s no rulebook for the Wyvern. Zoë has to figure it out on her own - while, you know, saving the world.) In that series, we’ll also wrap up the story of Sophie and Nikolas - Sophie was the previous Wyvern who sacrificed herself in KISS OF FATE. But her love story didn’t have an HEA in that lifetime. We’ll resolve that within Zoë’s trilogy as a subplot. The plan is that those YA Dragonfire books will be out in June 2011, December 2011, and June 2012.

Tell me what you think is sexy about dragon shapeshifters - or even better, about my Pyr guys. We’ll pick five winners from the comments, each of whom will win a free copy of WHISPER KISS.

And don’t worry. You can start reading this series with any book. I write them so they stand alone. You can start with book 5, then go back to read the other four while you wait for Rafferty’s book. Trust me. I’ve been writing linked series for a long LONG time. I wrote linked historical trilogies for years as Claire Delacroix.

Okay! Tell me about YOUR secret thing for dragons!

Today we welcome the finalists from The Readers’ Crown Contest! These talented authors were selected by readers who judged their books as the best in romance fiction.

They will be chatting with us about the stories behind their books, what’s next in their series,
and other fun things, such as what they do when they aren’t writing. The folks at RomCon (www.romconinc.com) will be giving away $10 Borders gift cards to 3 lucky commenters today!

2010 Readers’ Crown Finalists:

Short Contemporary Romance -
Unexpected Gifts by Holly Jacobs
The Sheriff of Horseshoe, Texas by Linda Warren

Her So-Called Fiance by Abby Gaines
No Ordinary Cowboy by Mary Sullivan

Short Contemporary Romantic Suspense/Adventure -

Here Today, Gone to Maui by Carol Snow
Beyond The Code Of Conduct by KM Daughters
Better Than Bulletproof by Kay Thomas
Christmas Guardian by Delores Fossen

Long Contemporary Romance -

Sunset Bay by Susan Mallery
Double Play by Jill Shalvis
Hard & Fast by Erin McCarthy
Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James

Long Contemporary Romantic Suspense/Adventure

Seeing Red by Susan Crandall
Wild Heat by Bella Andre
Defender by Catherine Mann
For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper

Short Historical Romance -

In the Masters Bed by Blythe Gifford
The Conqueror’s Lady by Terri Brisbin
A Storm of Passion by Terri Brisbin
The Viscount Claims His Bride by Bronwyn Scott

Long Historical Romance -

Captive of Sin by Anna Campbell
A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist
The Lone Texan by Jodi Thomas
To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt

Romance Novella -

Weekend Tigress in WINTER HEAT by Jade Lee
This Wicked Gift in THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS by Courtney Milan
My Lady Below Stairs in A CHRISTMAS BALL by Emily Bryan
UNDEAD MAN’S HAND, in Out of the Light, Into the Shadows by Erin McCarthy

Paranormal Romance -

Finding the Lost by Shannon K Butcher
Burning Alive by Shannon K Butcher
My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel
Ties That Bind by Keena Kincaid

Urban Fantasy with Romantic Elements -

Tainted by Julie Kenner
Witch Fury by Anya Bast
Amazon Ink by Lori Devoti
Bound by Sin by Jenna Maclaine

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Futuristic/Time-Travel Romance -

Beyond the Rain by Jess Granger
The Hunt by Anne Marsh
A Highlander of Her Own by Melissa Mayhue
Lord of the Highlands by Veronica Wolff

Erotic Romance -

Mona Lisa Darkening by Sunny
Beloved Vampire by Joey Hill
Into the Lair by Maya Banks
Sweet Persuasion by Maya Banks

Best First Book -

The Hunt by Anne Marsh
Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory
Mistress by Mistake by Susan Gee Heino
Mastering the Marquess by Vanessa Kelly

& now the Winners:

Short Contemporary Romance Winner - Abby Gaines! for The Groom Came Back

Short Contemporary Romantic Suspense/Adventure Winner - Sheri Whitefeather for Protecting Their Baby

Long Contemporary Romance Winner is Carly Phillips for Lucky Break!

Long Contemporary Romantic Suspense/Adventure Winner is Cindy Gerard for Whisper No Lies

Short Historical Romance Winner is Robyn DeHart for Seduce Me!

Long Historical Romance Winner is Jennifer Ashley & The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie

Romance Novella Winner is Sophia Nash & Four Dukes and a Devil in CATCH OF THE CENTURY

Paranormal Romance Winner is Jory Strong for Ghostland

Urban Fantasy with Romantic Elements Winner is SJ Day for Eve of Darkness

Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Futuristic/Time-Travel Romance Winner is Sandra Hill & Viking Heat

Erotic Romance Winner is Livia Dare for In the Flesh

Best First Book Winner is Mary Sullivan for No Ordinary Cowboy

Starting on August 15, 2010, we’ll have visits from each of the contest’s winners–so be sure to stop back by!

So, tell us know, which of these marvelous authors are you anxious to try? One random commenter will win a $10 Borders Gift Card — start now!

Happy Romance!

RWA 2010 - 30th Anniversary

Congrats to the Romance Writers of America for delivering a 30th anniversary convention the industry will never forget. Hosted in Orlando Florida at the Dolphin Hotel, authors, agents, editors, publishers, booksellers & other industry professionals came to network & promote the Romance Fiction business. Not only do attendees have the opportunity to meet their favorite authors, but also a chance to talk about the genre & how to promote it to our readers & deliver the books they want to read.

Authors come from all around the country to meet with one another & learn from the various workshops to improve their craft & promote their books.

The most fun is spent at various publisher parties hosted in the evening where we visited the boardwalk night spots; epcot aquarium; & Waldorf Astoria’s dance floors to disco down the night!

Saturday Rita & Golden Heart award ceremonies close out the event & now I sit in my hotel room, writing up this recap for you all to read & learn about the winners, with great pride to be part of this magnificent business.

Here we go — Golden Hearts first - & congrats to all!

Young Adult Romance - UNCHOSEN by Erica O’Rourke

Inspirational Romance - UNFORGIVEN by CJ Eernisse Chase

Novel w/Strong Romantic Elements - A PLACE AT THE TABLE by Patricia O’Dea Rosen

Contemporary Series Romance - FAKE FIANCEE, REAL LOVE by Cat Schield

Contemporary Series Romance Suspense/Adventure - SEE JANE RUN, by Angela Platt

Historical Romance - BETWEEN HEAVEN & HELL by Jacqui Nelson

Regency Historical Romance - A MOST IMPROPER GENTLEMAN by Elisa Beatty

Paranormal Romance - BLOODBORN: Book One in the Light Blade Series by Kylie Griffin

Romantic Suspense - THE YARD MAN by G Jillian Stone

Contemporary Single Title Romance - SONGBIRD by Lizbeth Selvig

Now, for the 2010 RITA Awards:

Young Adult Romance - PERFECT CHEMISTRY by Simone Elkeles

Inspirational Romance - THE INHERITANCE by Tamera Alexander

Novel w/Strong Romantic Elements - THE LOST RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS by Barbara O’Neal

Romance Novella - THE CHRISTMAS EVE PROMISE by Molly O’Keefe

Contemporary Series Romance - A NOT SO PERFECT PAST by Beth Andrews

Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure - THE SOLDIER’S SECRET DAUGHTER - Cindy Dees

Historical Romance - NOT QUITE A HUSBAND by Sherry Thomas

Regency Historical Romance - WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON by Julia Quinn & HALL OF FAMER!

Paranormal Romance - KISS OF A DEMON KING by Kresley Cole

Romantic Suspense - WHISPER OF WARNING by Laura Griffin

Best First Book - ONE SCREAM AWAY by Kate Brady

& Lastly, Contemporary Single Title Romance - TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE by Kristan Higgins

Congrats to all of these ladies for their great accomplishments & for writing stories we love to read.

All the best!

Now, question for you! What do you like to read? & of these winners, what sounds the most intriguing to you?

Giveaway to one lucky commenter is a selection of Sue’s Stash chosen randomly.

HAPPY ROMANCE!