trueromance

Setting: St. Dennis, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay
Subgenre: Contemporary romance
Hero: Grady Shields
Heroine: Vanessa Keaton

One sentence summary of Coming Home:
A lonely widower and a divorcee, both haunted by their pasts, find that when it comes to love, never say never.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
I can’t choose just one - sorry! – but I loved:
~ the scene where Vanessa is baking cookies for Mia and Beck’s wedding and Mia sends Grady to give her a hand, and they both realize that the impressions they’d had of each other were completely wrong;
~ the scene where Vanessa explains to Grady how her life changed after she arrived in St. Dennis and why Hal is the father she never had;
~ the scene where the realtor is showing Vanessa the house she ends up buying.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
Hey big fella, how ‘bout you just sit there and let me wait on you while you tell me what to wear, what to do, and how to do it?

Your hero, is he a boxer or brief kind of guy: Boxer. Maybe.

Ancillary character you had the most fun with:
No contest! Steffie Wyler, Vanessa’s best friend, was a lot of fun.
And I ended up LOVING Grace Sinclair, a 70-something woman who’s lived in St. Dennis all her life and runs the local paper, and is the author of the diary entries that appear here and there throughout the book.

Your heroine’s favorite hobby:
Dressing the windows of her pretty shop, Bling.

Your hero’s favorite hobby:
Back-packing in the Rockies.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
I think readers will love the characters – both Grady and Vanessa have had to weather some pretty heavy emotional storms but each found a way to land on their feet. But there are so many others – Hal Garrity, Vanessa’s surrogate father, and Steffie, her best friend, and all the others who gather for coffee at Cuppachino in the early mornings before they disperse to go about their business. I also think readers will love the town of St. Dennis, which is a character in itself – it’s a small Bay town that’s just recently started to become a tourist attraction, and is experiencing some growing pains with the influx of new businesses and lots of visitors. I loved this town when I first wrote about it in LAST WORDS, and could not wait to revisit it again.
I think readers will love seeing Vanessa and Grady fall in love and finding their happily ever after. There’s one place in the story where Vanessa is confessing to Grady that when she was little, she really believed in fairy tales and happily ever afters and romance, but she doesn’t anymore. I’m paraphrasing here, but he tells her that he still does, and she questions that: How can you believe in still finding your princess after what happened to you – and he says, “Wrong princess.”
I think that pretty much sums up the feeling we all have when things haven’t gone well in a relationship – the feeling that there’s still hope of finding that one person who’s going to be the right one for you.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
For the past few years, it’s been a tie between Grady Shields and Jack McGowan. Grady’s finally getting his happy ending. Jack…well, he’s still among the missing!

What’s next:
Book two in the Chesapeake Diaries series – HOME AGAIN – will be out in October (I think the date is 9/28). This is a book that’s been in the back of my mind for a long time – since I did the re-write of my second book, A DIFFERENT LIGHT, which Pocket reissued in January of this year with a gorgeous new cover. It’s hard to believe that I wrote that book back in 1994! There was a character in that book who was spoken of but was never actually on the page. Her name was Dallas MacGregor, and she was the college sweetheart of the heroine’s late husband. In A DIFFERENT LIGHT, Dallas had gone to LA to become a movie star. Over the years, readers would ask me about her – had she ever found happiness with someone else? When I started writing COMING HOME, Dallas kept popping back into my head, and I knew that she belonged in St. Dennis, that this was the town where she spent all her summers before heading west. Of course, she would have had a summer love – and I knew right away that that had to have been Grant Wyler – Steffie’s brother.
So that’s how it goes…one little idea grows eventually into a Big Idea, and before you know it, you have another book in your head that wasn’t there yesterday!
After HOME AGAIN, will be ALMOST HOME – Steffie’s book. I think once you’ve read COMING HOME, you’ll know who her hero will be. This one is scheduled for the spring of 2011 – April or May, as far as I know now.

Many of you know that for the past ten years, I’ve written romantic suspense – nineteen books, actually! But did you know that I wrote seven contemporary romances before I turned to the dark side with VOICES CARRY? Now, I love writing suspense – but after nineteen books, the research required to write all those psychotic villains was starting to get to me – and it started to get to my daughters, too, since they never got to leave the house without a lecture when they were in high school! “Call me before you leave the party so I’ll know when to expect you.” “If a car is following you and it has a flashing light on, put on your emergency flashers and drive slowly to the nearest police station…or dial 911 and give your name and location and tell them someone’s following you and you want to know if it’s legit before you pull over.” They tell me now that I drove them NUTS back then!
But in the midst of the dark times our family experienced last year – losing not only my dad, but my brother as well – I found I needed to go to a happier place in my writing. Re-writing A DIFFERENT LIGHT reminded me why I loved writing romance so much. When I asked my editor what she thought of me returning to my kinder, gentler roots, she very enthusiastically gave me a green light. The new series will be very much like the books I used to write, with the focus on relationships, not just between the hero and the heroine, but their families and their friends – books that center on the importance of home and community, and that explore the power of love in all its varied forms and all its possibilities.
I can’t seem to help myself from adding a little bit of mystery to the pot, but I’ve always been big on blending – contemporary romance with women’s fiction with a little mystery. This new series even blends characters from several of my old series. Grady Shields first appeared in my DEAD books. We met Vanessa Keaton in LAST WORDS. Even Grace Sinclair has made a previous appearance – in the epilogue for ACTS OF MERCY – the third book in the MERCY STREET series - as the childhood friend of Trula Comfort (who will be visiting St. Dennis soon). And of course, there’s Dallas MacGregor from A DIFFERENT LIGHT. Throughout the series, you’ll meet old friends as well as new.

I’m really excited about the Chesapeake Diaries – COMING HOME was an absolute joy to write, and in some ways, felt like coming home for me. But I’m curious – how do you, as a reader, feel about writers switching genres? Are you disappointed when an author writes a book – or books – that are very different from what you’ve become accustomed to? Inquiring minds want to know!

GIVEAWAY: Mariah Stewart mugs to 3 lucky commenter’s!

Alyssa Day, ATLANTIS REDEEMED, Setting: Atlantis and Yellowstone National Park
Subgenre: Paranormal Romance
Hero: Brennan, an Atlantean warrior who has lived without emotion for more than 2,000 years
Heroine: Tiernan Butler, a human investigative reporter who has the Gift of Truth Telling

One sentence summary:
When 2,000 years of lost emotion hit you all at once—do you fall in love or die?

Scene you like most and would never cut:
When Brennan first re-encounters Tiernan and the curse he has suffered under for so long shatters.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
Anything that makes her look, feel, or be helpless. She has a vested interest in bringing the truth to the public and achieving justice for her murdered best friend.

Your hero, is he a boxer or brief kind of guy:
Pure Atlantean silk, baby.

Ancillary character you had the most fun with:
The vampire leader, Devon. He has very interesting goals and the shocking twist at the end almost surprised even me! I’m going to write his book one day.

Your heroine’s favorite hobby:
Walking on the beach, far away from anybody who might be telling lies. Lies hurt her; they feel and sound discordant and screeching against her soul.

Your hero’s favorite hobby:
Can I say it involves Tiernan and nakedness? LOL. He also is having a great time learning to tell jokes now that he has emotion back and can recognize humor.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
The emotion. My editor said this is the most emotional novel I’ve ever written and I think she’s right. Something about Brennan’s almost childlike attempts to cope with 2,000 years’ of lost emotion swamping him all at once; then the way he and Tiernan fight for each other even when they are in so much pain—I admit I cried more than once writing this book.

Reviews: Wow! Everything from “spectacular” and “exemplary” to “a cocktail sauce of awesome.” I’m loving the reviews!

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
High priest Alaric. His path is so tortured, and everyone wants to know what happens with him and Quinn. There is a very emotional scene in Atlantis Redeemed between the two of them; Alaric is starting to crack around the edges a little bit.

What’s next:
Christophe’s book is next – and it’s a heist book! In ATLANTIS BETRAYED, out in September, he encounters a famous British cat burglar and boy, do the sparks fly! Then it’s the first of my new urban fantasy series, also for Berkley. I can’t wait!
For the first time ever, I’m stuck for a title for Denal’s upcoming book. If you can think of a wonderful title (must have Atlantis in it), I’ll put you in the acknowledgements for the book.

There must be prizes! One book to 3 random readers commenting on this blog! Please visit me online at http://www.alyssaday.com for excerpts, a free short story, video interviews, and more. Thank you so much!
Hugs,
Alyssa

Kate Douglas - known for her sexy Chanku shapeshifters in the popular erotic paranormal series, Wolf Tales, but her newest series from Kensington, The DemonSlayers, takes her out of the realm of erotic shapeshifters and into a world populated by demons, mythological warriors, and the humans brave enough to join them in the ages old battle of good versus evil.
www.katedouglas.com

Tag line: It’s the ultimate battle of good versus evil—the demon’s the good guy, and he’s got just one week to save the world, or all hell breaks loose.

My thanks to Borders Books for giving me this great opportunity to post. This is a really exciting week for me as my very first mass market paranormal, DemonFire, the first in my new DemonSlayers series, is just out. I got to thinking about the dynamics of coming up with a new series, of changing genres, and the process that we, as authors, go through in order to create a story. And ya know what? It’s not nearly as mysterious as it sounds.

I’ve been busy with my Wolf Tales series for Kensington Aphrodisia now since the first book debuted in January 2006, but last year I realized I was ready for something else as well. My agent, Jessica Faust, and I were brainstorming new ideas—

Jessica: Demons are popular. Got any ideas for a demon story? Something big!

Me: Not really. Big? Good versus evil…that’s big. (laughing…what a stupid idea!)

Jessica: I like it! Send me a proposal…

And thus the DemonSlayers series was born. I imagine all books begin, at some point, with the author asking that simple question: What if…? Okay…good versus evil? What if the balance between good and evil were reaching a tipping point—in Evil’s favor? What if demons were streaming into our world unchecked? What if the only one who could stop them was another demon? And what if the one woman with the power to save that good demon’s life didn’t believe in demonkind at all?

Once I began asking myself that blasted “what if” question, I couldn’t stop. Ideas kept popping into my head and before long I knew these characters—Dax, a demon too good for hell, booted out of Abyss and hired by the good folk of Eden to save Earth from demonkind. He’s got a human body—an avatar, of sorts—that’s only good for one week, and all of his demon powers are stored within a tattoo of a serpent that snakes from his thigh to his heart. Unfortunately, he’s cursed by demonfire as he enters Earth’s dimension, and the curse turns his powers against him.

Then there’s Eddy Marks, a pragmatic newspaper reporter. She believes in things she can see and feel and understand, but the naked man she finds injured and bleeding—and impossibly under attack by a garden gnome wielding a pitchfork in her potting shed—knocks all her preconceptions out the window. Her biggest surprise comes when she learns she has the power to control Dax’s horrible demon curse.

Eddy’s got a foster dog—Bumper—a cross between a pit bull and a standard poodle, described as looking like a pit bull in a Shirley Temple wig, and Dax has Willow, a tiny will o’ the wisp who feeds him energy and helps him understand his human body. There’s Ed Marks, Eddy’s dad, who believes in all things paranormal, including Lemurians, the mythological warriors who supposedly live deep within the extinct volcano of Mt. Shasta that looms over the town of Evergreen.

So, what if Lemuria really exists? It must, because Alton of Artigos, the six foot, eight inch Lemurian warrior is every bit as real to me as either Dax or Eddy…or Bumper or Willow or Ed Marks. This is a good thing, because it takes every single one of them to battle the demons descending on the tiny town of Evergreen.

As Dax’s week flies by at breakneck speed, as he battles the demon curse tattooed across his torso and Eddy fights falling in love with a man with the lifespan of a moth, the demon king grows stronger and the threat to all mankind more ominous. The battle of good versus evil reaches an unimaginable climax on the slopes of Mount Shasta, but it’s a wild ride to the finish with unexpected results.

What’s next for the DemonSlayers? Book 2, HellFire, will be out in September 2010, when the Lemurian warrior, Alton of Artigos, teams up with Eddy’s best friend Ginny Jones to fight a new demon invasion near the town of Sedona, Arizona. In the ultimate battle of good versus evil, it often takes the strangest of comrades—and lovers—to even the odds.

For a first chapter excerpt of DemonFire (and one of HellFire!) go to www.kensingtonbooks.com/demonslayers.

And let me know, because I really am curious, if you’ve followed authors who’ve switched genres. A lot of us are doing it—for me, the change isn’t so drastic as I’m merely going from erotic paranormal to sexy paranormal, but what about the BIG switches—from contemporary to historical, for instance, or contemporary to paranormal? And what about those authors who write across the spectrum? Lately it seems that we’re just all over the board. I love reading old authors in new genres, but what about you?

GIVEAWAY: I’ll be giving away five copies of DemonFire, or if the winner already has the book, they can exchange it for a copy of one of my Wolf Tales or Sexy Beast books.

Setting:
Begins eight years ago on an island in the South Pacific and then moves to present day New York City
Subgenre:
Romantic Suspense
Hero:
Gabriel(Gabe)Maddox
Heroine:
Skylar James

One sentence summary:
Young lovers, tragically torn apart, reunite years later and work together to save a young girl’s life.

Scene you like most and would never cut:
When Skylar regains consciousness and realizes who rescued her. The reaction she has to seeing Gabe again is one of my favorite parts. In a span of seconds, she goes through a half dozen tumultuous emotions, every one of them so revealing and heartbreaking. As is Gabe’s response.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying:
“I want to write a tell-all book about my life.”

What celebrity is your hero like:
In my mind, Gabe always looked like a blue-eyed Gerard Butler. However, some have told me the man on the NO CHANCE cover looks like Ben Affleck.

What celebrity is your heroine like:
A little like Olivia Wilde (plays Thirteen on the television show House). However, about the time I was writing NO CHANCE, I received a catalogue and on the cover was Skylar, exactly the way I had pictured her in my mind. Just wish I knew her name!

What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
To the world, Skylar James is a wealthy socialite and celebrity. Part-time model, spokesperson and charity fund raiser. But Skylar has a secret life few know about…

What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing:
Gabe Maddox is a covert operative for Last Chance Rescue. He rescues kidnapped victims.

What you think readers will like best about this book:
NO CHANCE is a reunion romance, which I think is a favorite for many. Also, since Gabe and Skylar were so young when they fell in love and then tragically torn apart, I believe readers will root for them to get together again.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
I’ve been fortunate to be able to write books for most of the secondary characters readers have asked for. However, I’ve had several ask for Rachel’s story. She was Samara’s best friend in RETURN TO ME.

What’s next:
SECOND CHANCE, the second book in this trilogy, releases March 23 and features a reader favorite, Cole Mathison, who was terribly tortured in RUN TO ME. And on April 27, LAST CHANCE releases. Readers will meet McKenna Sloan in NO CHANCE and she’ll get to tell her story in the trilogy ender.

I love reunion romances because they can make for a wonderfully emotional story. What about you? What are your some of your favorite romance themes? And what are your favorite books with those themes?

Three randomly chosen commenter’s below will win a copy of NO CHANCE.

(Hi, my name is Tiffany. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do a guest blog entry!)

Thinking about the first romance novel I ever read led me to wonder how and why I picked up that particular book when I did. Once I started thinking, I discovered the novel was simply a natural progression in my reading development.

Love and happily-ever-after were elements I always enjoyed in my books long before I knew an entire genre dedicated to them existed. Before I started kindergarten, I would spout out passages from Sleeping Beauty, my favorite story, as I looked at the detailed pictures. When I learned to read, there was no stopping me from attempting to find books that ended with “and they lived happily ever after.” Luckily, the school librarian was amazing and had an excellent and diverse taste in children’s books. Through her selected readings, I discovered something truly astounding; the fairytales I knew and loved could be retold in new settings, with different characters, and fresh elements. To this day, I feel the same awe and happiness remembering the librarian’s animated voice depicting the alternate Cinderella tales of The Rough Face Girl and The Egyptian Cinderella.

It was the beginning of my addiction to reading about different cultures and histories. I started checking out books on Greek and Roman myths, Native America tales, Asian folklore, and Arthurian legend. Meanwhile, my love for fairytales and magic had morphed into a love of fantasy. From The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye to Patricia C. Wrede’s Searching For Dragons (my favorite in the series because of the romance), fantasy novels held a special place in my heart. One element common in all the stories I crowned as my favorites was a strong female character. Monica Furlong’s Juniper in particular sticks out in my head as a story with a truly exceptional princess.

My taste in movies and television were a running parallel to the books I read. Belle was my favorite princess of the Disney movies. Not only did she have brunette hair like me, but she loved to read stories about far away places and longed to know more about life than what simply surrounded her. Then, there was my all time favorite storyline of my mother’s soap, All My Children. A poor princess arrives in town, and marries a man she believes to be rich for money. The man, who is actually poor, marries her, believing she is wealthy. The only people they were fooling were each other, but the rest of the characters in the story had a big laugh, seeing how much the two obviously loved each other. Of course, drama ensued, but I have yet to hear a more endearing “princess” from the lips of any man.
Love was very much in my life of fairytales and stories of make-believe and of strong women made their own decisions and followed through the consequences. So, when I eventually found myself staring at a box of my mother’s old romance novels, it doesn’t really come as a surprise. Having a busy high school schedule, I opted for the smaller books–the ones with the deep red spines and italicized writing. I ended up choosing the following two Silhouette Desire books: Donna Carlisle’s It’s Only Make Believe and Diana Palmer’s Lady Love. The titles almost sounded familiar. I don’t remember exactly why I picked Lady Love first, it could have been the name of the heroine (Merlyn Forrest Steele) or the beautiful girl who looked like a princess on the cover (reminding me of a certain cover of The Ordinary Princess), but whatever the reason I picked Lady Love as my first genre romance.

Ten years later, I am still reading romance. I enjoy many sub-genres and authors. Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, and Meredith Duran are my current favorite historical authors. For my paranormal romance authors, I look for world building as a big key for my enjoyment and found Nalini Singh and Sherrilyn Kenyon have made me want to live in their worlds more than once. Julie James, Jennifer Crusie, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips are my must buys for contemporary. And looking at the authors I love today, I can see traces of the stories I first loved and read–strong (and sometimes stubborn) female characters, adventure, different cultures and worlds, love, detailed side-characters, humor, and, of course, a happily ever after.

Looking back at what first interested you in reading and/or reading romance, can you see how you got to where you were? Or, can you see how what started your love is still present in the books and stories you read now?


Comment below & SueG will choose a random winner for a stash of fun reads! Happy Romance!

BookMatchmaker has a GIVEAWAY TOO!

As an avid reader, whenever I see a movie trailer and somewhere in the scope of it, it says; “based on the novel by,” I have one second of elation - because I truly do want to see the movie versions of my favorite book - followed by a groan, because I remember this is Hollywood. Do they ever get it right?
I understand Hollywood is squeezing a 400 page novel into a two hour movie. I can be very forgiving; knowing not every aspect of the movie can be shown within the 120 minute time span. But that is not what usually happens.
As many of you may recall from previous blogs, I’m a huge Julie Garwood fan. Years ago Hallmark Hall of Fame made one of her romance novels, For the Roses, into a television movie. I was so excited; it was the first time I can recall having one of my favorite books turned into a movie! They should have said, get used to disappointment! I won’t even go into how many ways they changed the book in the wrong way! There are reasons this cliché rings true – the book is always better than the movie…
It makes me wonder if Hollywood feels the need to change storyline in order to appeal to the masses. (Killing off characters will make it more meaningful! NOT.) But then, I think did they not do their research? Did they not know the most basic of statistics for romance readers? I have to believe they have. Otherwise why would they want to make it? I then begin to wonder if Hollywood understands the romance readers’ version of love.

Romance author, Roxanne St. Claire’s recent tweets about the DVD release of Hollywood’s version of a romantic comedy say it all:

“Daughter on renting Love Happens tonight: “I’ve seen Jennifer Aniston fall in love so many times, I just don’t believe it anymore.”
…Whole story was *off* for me. Shame.
Kind of like “what not to write” for me, so I’d skip it unless you want some torture.”

Lifetime seems to have gotten Nora Roberts movies right –Montana Sky, Angels Fall, Blue Smoke, Carolina Moon, Sanctuary, Northern Lights, Midnight Bayou, High Noon and Tribute – were all considered highly successful. I tuned in, enjoyed them, but the books were better. To paraphrase Nora Roberts, they don’t ruin her books, her books are still there to read. With so many of Nora’s titles being made into movies, does Lifetime get close because it’s for women, by women – which is more in line with the romance novel industry? Or is the message here that in supporting the Nora Roberts movies, we, as readers, are supporting Nora’s books?

I saw the Twilight movie before reading the book and already knowing I was missing the best parts (because this is Hollywood!), started the book the very next day. Yet still knowing the New Moon movie was going to fall short of my love for the book – I went anyway! Which makes me wonder, is it better to see the movie first and then read the book?

As Valentine’s Day approaches and we’re seeing an overdose of romantic comedies and romantic dramas, will you be watching a movie or reading a romance novel?

Should we be supporting movies, which are adapted from books, for the simple reason Hollywood just might someday get it right? Or watch them in order to support the author? Have there been times when Hollywood got the book right? Which romance novels would make good movies? Which romance novels should they NEVER turn into movie, because they’d ruin it for sure?
But I think the more important question is – if a Hollywood producer could get it right, would you spend your money to see it? Or would you rather curl up and spend your money on another book instead?

Comment below & 3 winners will be randomly chosen to win a book from Harlequin, so you can skip the movie & curl up with a book instead!

Setting: My characters travel a lot in this novel, so the setting covers Ft. Worth, St. Louis, New York, England, Las Vegas, Monaco, Bucharest, and Marseille.
Subgenre: Paranormal romance
Hero: Spade, real name Charles, centuries-old Master vampire
Heroine: Denise, 28 year old human

One sentence summary: Denise wants nothing to do with the vampire world and Spade is determined never to fall for a human again, but when a demon shapeshifter targets Denise, Spade is the only person who can help her.

Scene you like most and would never cut: It’s so hard to pick just one scene! I had several wouldn’t-cut-for-the-world favorites in this book. I’ll defer to readers, who’ve most commented about a scene where Denise and Spade are on a boat and the true effects of the demon’s brands on Denise are revealed (readers who’ve gotten an early look at First Drop, no spoilers in the comments, please :).

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: My poor heroine! Her life gets turned upside down in this novel, so whatever she thought she’d never end up doing/saying, happens.

What celebrity is your hero like: Hmm. I’d say he looks like a cross between actor Hugh Jackman and model Christopher Douglas (haven’t heard of him? Click here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v351/Kailyn/Models/Christopher%20Douglas/)

What celebrity is your heroine like: I picture her as a cross between Kate Beckinsale and Natalie Portman. And yes, as you can tell, I can never just pick one person in my comparisons.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing:
When the novel starts, Denise works in customer service at a bank. But circumstances soon require her to quit that job and plunge herself into the last place she wants to be – the vampire world.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Vampire society operates like a pyramid scheme, with the Master of the line responsible for the protection and well-being of everyone under him. Spade is a Master, so if someone killed a member of his line, Spade would have to avenge that death and provide for any of the deceased’s family/significant other/children. If someone stole a member of his line, Spade would be required to fight or bargain for their return. But there’s compensation for all that responsibility. Master vampires get ten percent of all their people’s income. If only our government took that small of a slice in taxes, right? *wink*

What you think readers will like best about this book: From early reviews, readers seem to love the heat between Spade and Denise, the deeper look at the vampire world, and the twist at the end (side note: I love it when readers say they couldn’t guess the ending in advance!)

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet:
This is easy – Vlad. I get more “please write a Vlad book!” emails from readers than any other character. I’m thrilled by this, because I’d love to write a few books featuring Vlad. We’ll see at the next contract time if I can convince my publisher to love the idea of Vlad books, too. Cross your fingers for me, readers!

What’s next:
Eternal Kiss of Darknesss, book two in the Night Huntress World novels, comes out July 27th. This features the mega-powerful vampire Mencheres as the hero, plus a new character named Kira as the heroine. In October, Cat and Bones have a short story in Death’s Excellent Vacation, an anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner. And in early 2011, the as-yet-unnamed fifth book in the Night Huntress series featuring Cat and Bones comes out.

Thanks so much for having me on the blog! I’m very excited about First Drop of Crimson and can’t wait to share Spade and Denise’s story with everyone.
Since one of the events in this novel centers around an unexpected supernatural ability, readers – if you could suddenly have one superpower, anything at all, what would it be? Comment to be entered in a random drawing giving away three copies of First Drop of Crimson.

Sneak Peak - click here: (http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061583223

Happy Birthday, Lady Jane’s Salon!
New York City’s First and Only Romance Reading Series Turns One

By Hope Tarr, Co-Founder

Imagine a smoky, bookish bar in New York’s West Greenwich Village, smoky because it’s a cigar lounge and bookish because well, there are actual books on the actual bookshelves lining the back room walls.

Imagine scotch, good scotch, as in single-malt served “neat” in respectably solid glasses.

Now add to the picture three romance writers—Maya Rodale, Leanna Renee Hieber, and Hope Tarr—and one book blogger, Ron Hogan tucked into a round table and whetting their respective whistles after returning from the ubiquitous Manhattan literary reading. As stogies are passed and glasses clinked, the four find themselves lamenting the lack of any forum anywhere in the city for reading the romance fiction they so dearly love.

Imagine one of the authors, Maya Rodale, hoisting her tiny hand heavenward and exclaiming, “Jeepers, why don’t we start a reading series for romance on our own?”

Okay, maybe Maya didn’t exactly say “Jeepers”—I did mention there was scotch involved—but the rest of the story is well, pretty much on the mark in terms of accuracy.

And so was born Lady Jane’s Salon, New York City’s first and so far only monthly reading series devoted to celebrating romance fiction in all its glorious diversity—traditional historical- and contemporary-set relationship stories as well as urban fantasy, paranormal, steampunk, military, gay & lesbian, you name it.

Since we launched Lady Jane’s in February 2009, we’ve been thrilled and at times humbled by the tremendous outpouring of enthusiasm from the romance community and beyond; the latter has brought us feature articles in THE NEW YORK POST and TIME OUT NEW YORK. Each Salon event is a mix of familiar faces and new friends—editors and agents, media professionals and publicists, authors both published and still-to-be-discovered, and readers, the back bone of our industry without whom none of us would exist.

Sponsored by Beatrice.com, the Salon meets on the first Monday of the month from 7 to 9 PM at Madame X (94 West Houston Street). Madame X bills itself as New York’s sexiest lounge and the décor doesn’t disappoint. Think Victorian antiques, fringed lampshades, and erotic art mounted on deliciously deep red walls, the perfect venue for a genre dedicated to l’amour.

Each Salon night features two to four guest authors reading from their latest releases, bestsellers such as Marjorie M. Lui, Lauren Willig, and Andrea Pickens AKA Cara Elliott as well as midlist and debut authors. Occasionally taking over the microphone from Ron as guest emcees are “Smart Bitch” Sarah Wendell, “Scandalous Women” blogger, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon, and historical nonfiction author, Leslie Carroll. Specially themed salons include a tribute to Harlequin Enterprise’s 60th Anniversary, the winter holidays, an historical night in honor of Lady Jane’s First Birthday this month, and, upcoming, a spec fiction/fantasy night to coincide with Thriller Fest.

For the past year proceeds from the Salon, $5 or one gently-used paperback romance novel, have benefitted Share-the-Love.org, a women’s charity co-founded by Maya Rodale and fellow author, Ann Bleakley. With authors booked through early 2011, Lady Jane will continue to support charitable organizations dedicated to bringing the pleasure of a good book—and the promise of Happily Ever After—to women in need.

Maya, Leanna Renee, Ron and I will be taking Lady Jane on the road this April-May to the Romantic Times BOOK Lovers Convention in Columbus, Ohio. With both an Author Workshop and a Special Lady Jane’s Salon Event on the program, we’re looking forward to sharing the Lady Jane’s love with authors around the country who may wish to start up satellite salons of their own.

It’s been an amazing first year for Lady Jane and like a fine wine we fully expect Her Ladyship to improve with age. To keep abreast of the latest Salon doings, visit our web site at www.ladyjanesalon.com or “friend” Lady Jane on Facebook.

Hope Tarr is the author of more than a dozen historical and contemporary romance novels. Visit Hope online at www.hopetarr.com where you can read her blog on life in the Big Apple including, of course, Lady Jane’s.

What do you think? Would you like a Lady Jane’s Salon in your neighborhood?

From Nicole Jordan:
Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder—and the Libido

Beauty is a strange quality. We all know that because of the way nature works, the first thing that usually registers in a man’s brain (aka his libido) is the way a woman looks. Generally speaking, when a guy meets a woman, if she measures up to his standard of beauty, his engines start revving, and the courtship is on. It takes longer for a woman’s personality, intelligence, energy, and wit to score on a guy’s attraction meter, not to mention any advantages he might find in her financial or social station.

That’s why the heroine in my new Regency historical, To Tame a Dangerous Lord, is immediately skeptical when an ultra sexy, dashingly handsome war hero nobleman proposes marriage shortly after they meet. You see, Madeline Ellis is not only a commoner, a member of the working class, she is, well, outright plain. And she knows it. And is comfortable with it. Rayne Kenyon, Earl of Haviland, has a bevy of beauties (not to mention their eager marriage-minded mamas) swarming around him like gnats. So why would he be interested in marrying her?

And then Madeline learns his intention: He wants a broodmare. And no emotional involvement. Madeline is plain, but she isn’t stupid. Rayne Kenyon can take a flying Regency leap, as far as she’s concerned, because she’d rather die a spinster than marry simply to bear a man’s children in a loveless marriage of convenience.

I so enjoyed writing this fifth novel in my Courtship Wars series because Madeline isn’t the classic beauty we Regency authors usually cast in the lead role of our stories, mainly because beauty was so highly regarded during that era. I had as much fun leading Madeline to discover her attraction quotient as I did making Rayne realize that she’s stolen his heart for a slew of reasons that have nothing to do with classic beauty—her spirit and courage (when she’s fending off lecherous stalkers), her loyalty to family and friends (when she’s trying to save her younger brother from hanging), and her ability to keep Rayne constantly challenged (every time they get together!)

Anyone who has ever thought she was too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, flat-chested, big-hipped, possessed a big nose or squinty eyes, overly straight hair or curly hair, ugly nails, big feet or crow’s feet—in other words, most of us —will relate to Madeline. Will get a kick out of watching Rayne crank up the courtship in order to convince Madeline that he not only loves her but that he finds her immensely, soul-deep beautiful. For there is a visceral appeal when a man thinks we’re beautiful—even if (especially if!) we’re not.

I’ve often thought how scary it must be for a celebrity whose looks are her stock-in-trade. What will happen when the camera no longer finds her beautiful?

How about you? When it comes to beauty, how important is it that the heroines in the romance novels you read be able to turn a man’s head? Have you ever considered yourself “plain” only to be told that you are beautiful? Do you think beauty is more or less important in today’s world than it was in Regency times?

* To find out more about Madeline and Rayne’s latest romantic battle in the Courtship Wars, check out www.NicoleJordanAuthor.com, where you’ll find chapter excerpts, character blogs, monthly contests, and downloadable color bookmarks!

** From today’s commenters I’ll randomly draw a name to win a lovely pair of vintage-inspired earrings, plus your choice of an earlier Courtship Wars romance, TO PLEASURE A LADY, TO BED A BEAUTY, TO SEDUCE A BRIDE, or TO ROMANCE A CHARMING ROGUE, so post often!

It’s back! I know we all had fun the last time we did a trivia post so thought it was about time we brought it back. Answer what you can & you may be chosen to receive an assortment of books — one winner today so good luck to all.

1- She writes books with heroes that are Poseidon Warriors?

2- She writes YA & Romance . . . she’s an Oklahoma girl?

3- This author offers scholarships for women, hint, she likes cowboys? Also, a an animal lover?

4- Residing in Michigan, this author writes successfully under two pen names: one is historical; the other for paranormal?

5- 42 of her books have debuted at #1?

6- This author was grew up in Wales?

7- This author was born in Sri Lanka & now lives in Australia?

8- Prior being a NYT Best Selling author she worked in Health Care in Boston? Chief of Staff no less!

9- She is a Shamanic witch considered an elder of the Pagan community?

10- She spent seven years in advertising, had a successful catering business, and managed a construction company before she decided writing books was more fun?

I think this is a pretty tough one so I may break down & give out more random prizes — let’s see how you do — Happy Romance!