trueromance

Setting: Sacramento, California
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Hero: Zach McKnight
Heroine: Veronica Osborne

One sentence summary: When the 20-year-old bones of a woman’s long-lost brother are discovered in a construction site, ghosts of the past start working hard to hide the truth, while another, more sinister force will do anything to expose it.

Scene you like most and would never cut: The first kiss between my hero and heroine. It happens over a table full of dirty breakfast dishes. They’ve been dancing around it forever and she just goes for it. I loved writing it. It made me want to cheer.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Take care of it yourself.

What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Emergency Room Nurse and it is EXACTLY what she should be doing

What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Cop and it is EXACTLY what he should be doing

What you think readers will like best about this book: VANISHED IN THE NIGHT is the most psychologically intense book I’ve written to date. I became so engrossed in the characters’ thought processes, particularly the villains’ thought processes, that I ended up creeping myself out.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Elise from HOLD BACK THE DARK. She makes a cameo in VANISHED IN THE NIGHT, also. Everyone (including me) loves her. She’s funny and sassy and smart.

What’s next: I’m very excited about my next project, VEILED INTENTIONS. It’s a much more political and issue oriented book than VANISHED IN THE NIGHT or HOLD BACK THE DARK, but I think it is just as psychologically tense and suspenseful.

One of the characters in VANISHED IN THE NIGHT sees himself as an avenging angel. Have you ever taken revenge against someone? Wanted to and not done it?

About Me:

What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? I adore stories that revolve around lost letters or diaries. I don’t know what it is about them, but they grab me every time.

What’s the first book you remember reading? It had to be one of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I loved the Little House books. My mother used to read to me every night and I know there was a gradual transition from her reading to me, to us taking turns reading to me reading on my own, but I can’t say exactly where that happened. Those books were nightly favorites. We both loved them and still refer to them a lot. In fact, just recently, my sister called and asked me for an urgent favor which I immediately did. My mother asked me why my sister needed the favor and I told her that I was being like Laura and Mary when Ma told them to get out of the barn. They didn’t ask questions and because of that, the bear didn’t eat them. My mother totally understood!

What’s your favorite fairy tale? We had a beautiful illustrated book of fairy tales and I remember being really taken with the tale of Bright, Deardeer and Kit. Looking back, it was terribly grisly, but I adored it. There’s a lot of sacrifice and redemption in it.

What’s your favorite cartoon character? I’m not sure about my favorite, but I can tell you my least favorite. I can’t stand Tigger. I think he’s a total narcissist.

What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? I’d love to be a psychologist. I’m fascinated by why people do what they do and what they’re thinking when they do it.

What do you do to unwind and relax? I love to crochet although lately I’ve discovered locker hooking. I pretty much always have a project going. It’s a little repetitive and a little mindless and it really calms me down.

Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? COFFEE!!!!!!! How do I take it? I’d prefer by IV . . . Seirously, I’m not consistent about my coffee. We have an espresso machine and I make lattes several mornings a week, but I also like regular coffee with a big ole slug of Coffeemate French Vanilla in it. During the summer months, I sometimes make a coffee smoothie with coffee, ice, milk and dash of chocolate syrup.

Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? I do not have a figure suited to the twenties. I’m a very curvy girl. I think the forties might have worked well for me, though.

Dog person or cat person? Cats. We have two plus one that’s just spending the summer with us.

BORN TO DIE

When my editor at Kensington Publishing came up with the idea for a new series, I thought he was nuts. His idea was a series about a team of two female cops. I immediately thought of Cagney And Lacey of 1980’s television fame.

Really?

That’s where we were going?

Now you have to understand that John Scognamiglio and I work closely together. We take turns coming up with and sometimes discarding new ideas. Most of my ideas come from something I’ve seen or read about or heard, a germ of a story that I develop into a novel. Honestly I don’t know where John gets his ideas.

So when John suggested the two female cop thing, I wasn’t completely on board. Then out of the blue, his germ of an idea blossomed. In my mind’s eye I saw the first cop–a struggling, twice-married single mother of teenagers, and not necessarily A students at that. No, those kids didn’t appreciate her. She had red hair to match her temperament. I’d name her Regan–-yeah, Regan Pescoli, once married to Luke “Lucky” Pescoli. Yeah! She’d have a daughter and a son by different fathers, neither of which were supportive. Hot-tempered, willing to bend the rules every which way, Regan would be teamed with a emotionally distant, never-been-married woman who was smart as a whip and played everything by the rules. Selena Alvarez began to form in my mind and she came to me with a dark, deeply-imbedded secret.

And they weren’t city cops. Oh. No. These women were detectives with a county sheriff’s department. Far away from New Orleans where my Bentz/Montoya series is set, I came up with the town of Grizzly Falls, Montana set right in the heart of the Bitterroot Mountains.

I’d deal with craggy mountains and a small town perched on an icy river rather than the sultry, big-city feel of New Orleans.
I saw the town and peppered it with the characters that came into my mind. A sexy, guilt-riddled sheriff, a loner who is convinced he was once abducted by aliens and a women who talks to ghosts are a few of the citizens.

Recently I wrote BORN TO DIE, the third book and it’s available in August 2011. Detectives Pescoli and Alvarez are on the scene again and this time they discover the victims have an eerie resemblance to each other. No one is more aware of this disturbing fact than Dr. Kacey Lambert, who, herself, bears an uncanny likeness to the victims.

From a B level actress in Hollywood, to a teacher in the local elementary school, the victims are near mirror-images to Kacey. It only makes matters worse when she learns that the sexy rancher she’s confided in has been involved with several of the dead women.

And it scares her to death.

All in good old Grizzly Falls, Montana around Christmas time! Fa-la-la-la-la, La-la-Ti-Dah!

Question: What really has had you so frightened you could feel your heart skip a beat?

Setting: Mirabelle Island, Lake Superior off Wisconsin’s north shore
Subgenre: Romantic suspense
Hero: Jonas Abel
Heroine: Missy Charms

One sentence summary: What would you do if the love of your life, your husband, a man who’s supposed to be dead and gone, shows up on your doorstep, bleeding from a gunshot wound?

Scene you like most and would never cut: Jonas and Missy have always had a very hot, physical relationship. Even when their marriage was falling apart, it was the one thing that always worked. So when Jonas, in anger, goes to Missy’s bedroom one night and sees her naked silhouette, bam! It’s not a nice, happy, successful love scene, but it’s so critical to the story.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Missy would never eat meat. She’s a vegetarian.

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? Jonas’s mother died when he was six and so he traveled the world with his military father. As a result, Jonas can speak German, Spanish and several Arabic dialects.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: She owns a small gift shop that specializes in earth friendly gifts on Mirabelle, a small tourist island, the wedding destination of the Upper Midwest. She also makes a lot of the jewelry she sells in her shop.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Jonas is an FBI agent who’s been deep undercover for several years. He takes his job a little too seriously, which is a part of his journey in this book.

What you think readers will like best about this book: I think they’ll like the entire book, but if the ending doesn’t make readers both cry and laugh, then I haven’t done my job!

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: I’ve received a couple of reader letters asking when I’m going to write about Garrett Taylor’s three brothers. He’s the Mirabelle Island chief of police and the hero in my 2nd Mirabelle story, Next Comes Love. I’ve written about his youngest brother in The Pursuit of Jesse, just out this July. But Christian and Drew are still percolating.

What’s next:
The Pursuit of Jesse, Her Sure Thing, and Redemption at Mirabelle, the 5th, 6th and 7th Mirabelle stand alone books, come out back to back this July, August and September. I’m currently working on a Navy SEALS novella with a large group of authors, to be part of SEAL of My Dreams, due to be released on 11/11/11. And I’ve got a proposal in with Harlequin for 2 more Mirabelle stories, so I’ll be keeping busy!

About Me:
What’s my favorite movie of all time? Romancing the Stone and The Princess Bride generally run neck and neck for first place, but Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightly version) and Phantom of the Opera run close seconds.

What’s my favorite kind of story to get lost in? Since I would never dream of writing a historical romance, they’re the easiest stories for me to sink into.

What’s the first book I remember reading? Oh, that’s a tough one. Probably a Nancy Drew mystery. Although it wasn’t long after that I graduated to Harlequins!

What’s my favorite fairy tale? I’ve always loved the story of The Ugly Duckling. I had three sisters who were 8, 10 and 12 years older than me, so I think I identified with that baby swan!

What’s my favorite cartoon character? Oh, oh. Haven’t watched cartoons since my kids were little and I’m not sure South Park qualifies. I really liked watching the Rugrats with my kids when they were little and Angelica Pickles was probably my favorite character. From when I was a kid, though, and I’m dating myself here, I drooled over Johnny Quest!

What’s something I’d like to tell your readers? I love you guys. I wouldn’t be able to do this without every single one of you!

What would my occupation be if I were no longer a writer? I have an undergrad degree in accounting, so I’d very likely jump back into business.

What do I do to unwind and relax? Watch moves, walk the dogs, read, garden.

Tea or Coffee? And how do I take it? I love coffee with cream, but all that caffeine isn’t good for me. I drink tea. Black is my favorite, but I like green, too.

What does love mean to me? Love, to me, means accepting a person in his/her entirety. We all have flaws, but they’re part of what makes us, us.

Which era would I least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? I’m not crazy about wearing dresses, so I’d dislike just about any pre-1960 era from a fashion standpoint. I’m actually pretty happy with today’s fashions. So eclectic just about anything goes!

What name have I been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet? Oh, I love this question! Names are so important to me. For a long time I wanted to use the name Jamis, but the perfect hero, a horror writer, showed up for that one in THEN COMES BABY. Now I’d love to find a character to match the name Dixon. Haven’t quite figured out who he is yet.

Dog person or cat person? Both. I have two dogs and two cats. There are times when only my dogs’ devotion will do. And other times when a cat’s purr in my ear is just the ticket!

Question –
As I mentioned earlier, I have proposals in for books 8 and 9 in my Mirabelle Island series, that will hopefully come out in 2012, so I’m very curious about this. Do you ever get tired of reading a series written by the same author? What makes you stop reading a series?

Congratulations to Brenda Novak for winning the ‘Long Romantic Suspense’ Readers’ Crown Award with White Heat!

And now for INSIDE, her brand new romantic suspense novel that published on June, 28th.

ON LOCATION….
What would happen if a man who’d been wrongfully imprisoned for fourteen years was finally exonerated but knew the prison gang he’d joined in order to survive would kill his sister and her kids if he didn’t continue to support them and their illegal activities? How would he ever really “get out?” And what would happen if, in exchange for his sister’s protection, this man was willing to go back inside a different prison—over the express disagreement of the female Assistant Deputy Warden whose job it would be to protect him—to expose a new gang?

Whatever came next would involve plenty of danger. That would be a given. The potential for such high-stakes conflict against this gritty backdrop is what got me excited to write INSIDE. But I knew, in order to pull off the story the way I wanted, I’d have to make the setting more believable than ever—and that meant I had to go “inside” myself.

I didn’t have any contacts at Pelican Bay, where the story is set, but I drove the four hundred miles (mostly on narrow, windy roads) from my home in Sacramento to “California’s Siberia.” I explored the area, only twenty miles south of the Oregon border, as well as Crescent City, the closest town, which has an economy that’s almost completely dependent on the prison. Then I did a lot of research on gangs and learned such interesting terms as “blood in, blood out,” which means you have to draw blood (possibly even kill a man) to get in and they’ll spill your blood if you ever try to get out; “in the hat,” which means you’re marked to be beaten (this usually happens to pedophiles and others in for sex crimes); “bitch” or “punk,” which is what some of the stronger men make of the weaker men they force to gratify their sexual impulses.

Determined to get firsthand experience on how a prison is run to enhance my research, I contacted a friend in corrections who could give me a tour of Soledad in the Central Valley. Investigative Officer David Doglietto, or Dog as he’s called, took the better part of a Saturday to show me through.

From the outside, Soledad is as stark and imposing as a prison is meant to be. It actually looks more daunting than Pelican Bay. Except for three surrounding fences, the middle of which is electrified, Pelican Bay resembles an industrial park, and yet it’s the most notorious prison in California. With its own fire department, water treatment facility, boiler plants, electrical generators, full medical department with hundreds of medical personnel, and an educational department with teachers and even a school superintendent, it’s almost a town in and of itself–and that was the same with Soledad, which sits in the middle of acres and acres of farmland, it’s only neighbor another prison. At Soledad, security was strict, but not like it would be at Pelican Bay. And once I got inside, there seemed to be a surprisingly casual atmosphere. Maybe it was the mural-covered hallway, but it felt more like a high school to me—until we reached the cells.

Knowing Soledad housed Level 3 offenders, some of whom had committed serious crimes (as evidenced by the pictures we saw of gang stabbings and the homemade implements used to create such injuries, made from such innocuous substances as ballpoint pens, plastic spoons, Styrofoam cups, combs and even Ziploc bags that were melted down and sharpened), I didn’t want to be left alone with any of the inmates. The pictures of the stabbings (or being “shanked” as they call it in prison) were gruesome. But those inmates we encountered as we moved from R&R (Receiving and Release), the dining hall, the various cellblocks, P.I. (prison industries) and the yard typically nodded a polite hello. Some even muttered a greeting before striding past us with much more of a sense of purpose than I had expected.

In the yard, they were playing basketball. I found it interesting that they had sporting equipment and learned that they typically behaved themselves quite well during sporting events. No one wanted to risk losing such an enjoyable pastime.

Despite all the things I’ve seen on TV, or perhaps because of them, I didn’t realize just how difficult it would be to spend years upon years in such a place. Some programs paint prison as too hard, others as too soft. The degree of difficulty became clear to me, however, when Dog asked two inmates to come out of their cell and allow me to go in. I’d been in empty cells before, at Alcatraz and other places, but never one where inmates were currently living. It was a completely different experience. With two small TVs playing (each occupant had one rigged above his bunk), personal items stacked wherever they’d fit, laundry strung across the entrance (apparently they don’t like to send their clothes to be laundered because they’re afraid they won’t get the same ones back; they also barter for these items), and my husband behind me, there was so little space I could hardly turn around.

I have to admit, I felt a moment of panic when Dog surprised me by closing the door—and I knew I wouldn’t have to stay.

–
Brenda Novak
brendanovak.com

Hi again!

First of all thanks to everyone who voted for RISK NO SECRETS and naming it co-winner of the Reader’s Crown for best Romantic Suspense. Here’s a link http://www.cindygerard.com/excerpt_may2010.html where you can read an excerpt from RISK NO SECRETS to get a feel for the book. Sophie and Wyatt’s story (book 5 in the Black Ops Inc series) was a very special story for me to write. Star crossed lovers, action, adventure … all the things that made this book a joy to write.

Second, congratulations to Brenda Novak, too! Can’t think of anyone I’d rather share the title with. This is a real thrill for me also, because it’s a repeat. Yup. Last year, WHSIPER NO LIES also won the Reader’s Crown for best Romantic Suspense. Makes me very, very happy and proud.

And finally, since I just blogged here at Border’s True Romance a couple of weeks ago and talked about my upcoming release, WITH NO REMORSE, (check it out the July 6th post) I thought I’d break away from the norm and offer up a topic near and dear to MY heart and I’m thinking the hearts of many of you reading this post. So here it is:

CHOCOLATE – IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE!
Now this is a study I could really get into. I recently read that one hundred and fifty women in London will be eating chocolate every day for a year, as part of a research study into the health benefits of cocoa.

Okay – first things first. Where was I when they were asking for volunteers? If there’s anything I can relate to, it’s chocolate.
This study is being held at the University of East Anglia and the purpose is to determine whether compounds in chocolate can cut the risk of heart disease specifically in women with type 2 diabetes.

Since I am a woman and since heart disease is a huge issue with women, I’m liking the idea that FINALLY doctors are incorporating not only innovative studies but studies most women can really get into. I mean, who can’t get into chocolate? And in the name of science? It’s win win all the way.

The kicker: Doctors have cautioned that the general population, and especially diabetics should not start eating large quantities of chocolate unsupervised, as it also contains lots of sugar and fat, which worsen diabetes and promote weight gain.

Chocolate promotes weight gain? Hmm. Who’d a thunk it?

Back to the study. Cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolate, is a rich source of compounds called flavonoids, which have been shown to decrease risk factors for heart disease. Generally the process of making chocolate from cocoa destroys the majority of these compounds, however, a Belgian chocolatier has developed a specially formulated chocolate bar for the study with extra flavonoids and added soy, which is also a rich source of the chemicals.

The study is hoping to show that adding flavonoids to the diet of the 150 subjects, provide additional protection from heart disease and give women the opportunity to take more control over reducing their risk of heart disease in the future and possibly improve the level of protection against heart disease over and above that provided by conventional drugs.

We all knew that chocolate was good for us, right? It elevates moods, makes the mouth happy and looks so pretty in those gold foil boxes with pretty ribbons. I’ll be anxious to see the results of this study. In the meantime, I’ve already initiated my ‘chocolate kiss a day’ plan and I’m happy to report, I’m feeling better all ready.

Seriously, my mother suffered from heart disease for many years. I suspect all of us know someone special who has had type two diabetes or other heart related medical conditions. I’m trying very hard to take care of my heart – and no, not just with chocolate although chocolate does make my little heart sing. I’m attempting to exercise more, eat less saturated fats – you know the drill.

So my question is, what about you? Young, old, or in between, we all face the potential of dealing with some level of heart disease. What are you doing to protect your heart? And if you aren’t doing anything, don’t you think it’s time you start?

And while we’re asking questions? Is the anything … anything at all that is going to keep you from rushing right out tomorrow and buying your copy of WITH NO REMORSE? Gosh, I hope not

Setting: Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland
Subgenre: Romantic Thriller
Hero: Mark Ryan, sexy FBI agent
Heroine: Jessica Ford, ambitious young lawyer, reluctant witness, Mark’s still ticked-off ex-girlfriend

One sentence summary: While someone gets busy trying to kill her, Jess inherits a dead woman’s job – and the dead woman.

Scene you like most and would never cut: A very sexy bathroom scene between Jess and Mark; also, I absolutely love the ending. And – okay, you said one, and I’m already over.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: I give up.

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? Heroine: Mark isn’t a fan of deep water; Jess is blind as a bat without her contacts/glasses.

What is your heroines occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Jess is a member of a hot-shot criminal defense team

What is your heroes occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Mark is an FBI Special Agent currently charged with keeping Jess alive

What you think readers will like best about this book: The chemistry between Mark and Jess; Clementine the cat; two runaway teenage girls; Jess’s sisters; and, oh, yeah, the non-stop, hold-your-breath suspense.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: So many characters, so little time! But probably the daughter from Vanished.

What’s next: Sleepwalker, a romantic thriller starring a hot female cop and the even hotter male thief she’s trying to capture. What is it they say about the best laid plans…? Out in December, 2011.

How much romance do you like in your thrillers? Should the romance be the focus, should it be fifty-fifty with the suspense, or should the suspense be the focus of the book? It’s always a difficult decision for me, and I’d be interested to know what you think.

Several Justice-themed gift baskets will be given away. Please see my website: www.karenrobards.com, or visit me on facebook for details

About Me:

1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? Impossible to answer. There are so many!

2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? I love romance, romantic suspense, and thrillers.

3. What’s the first book you remember reading? A Wrinkle in Time, probably second or third grade. I loved it, and still do.

4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version. I’m a sucker for bookworms.

5. What’s your favorite cartoon character? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (hey, I have boys; also, I like their theme song)

6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? I love books. I love to read them, I love to write them, I love to browse bookstores and just look at them on the shelves. If I was hungry and had a few dollars and was given a choice between buying food or a book, I’d go with the book every time.

7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? I can’t imagine no longer being a writer. I’ve been writing all my life.

8. What do you do to unwind and relax? Read.

9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? Tea. Iced.

10. What does love mean to you? My three sons and my husband. And my parents. And my sister and brothers and their families. And my friends. And – okay, I’ll stop now.

11. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? Least: Elizabethan England – those neck ruffs look uncomfortable, and somebody obviously had to iron and starch them. With my luck, it would be me. Most: Ancient Greece. What’s not to love about a toga?

12. What name have you been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet? Persephone. It’ll happen.

13. Dog person or cat person? Both. I have two dogs, a German Shepherd and a beagle, and three cats, all of which sit around me as I write. I also have a twenty-five year old parrot who sings gospel, and a thirty-year-old (does that mean he’s immortal?) pony.

She may be aloof, and more pretty than gorgeous, but Alani Rivers is the kind of woman a hot-blooded mercenary can’t forget, no matter how hard he tries. So when Jackson Savor wakes up next to the naked, sleeping beauty—with no memory of what happened— he knows he’s been drugged…even if Alani doesn’t.
After she was kidnapped, Alani vowed never to trust another man again. Still, something about this strong, sexy hero with the tender touch makes her want to believe him. As Jackson hunts down a mysterious intruder, he swears he’ll move heaven and earth to keep Alani safe. But what really happened that night? And will the truth bring them closer than they ever thought possible—or put Alani squarely in harm’s way again?

The opening scene and premise to Savor the Danger might be one of the funniest, most cringe-worthy opening scenes I’ve ever read. Can you imagine, you finally give into the man who has been seducing you for YEARS and its awesome-sauce, and he wakes up and can’t remember a thing?? Can you imagine being that guy, who FINALLY gets the girl of his dreams to only find out that he can’t remember how he got her, what he said and what made her finally give in.

Its an action packed typical Lori Foster emotionally demanding, and extremely exciting novel, with nefarious characters popping up out of seemingly nowhere and pushing the main characters exactly where she needs them to be. One of the main themes in Ms. Foster’s work is extremely detailed characters’ with quirks, small little funky quirks that make them memorable. Jackson and Alani’s amazing chemistry and obvious attraction are extremely hot and intriguing, but the FUNNIEST moments come when Trace has to interact with Jackson after he and Alani have clearly spent the night together.

And the dating advise that Dare gives to Jackson, its AWESOME. Overall this is a very different novel from Trace the Fever or from Dare’s, but its a great one, the danger is No less present but its tied to all of their pasts, specifically Jackson’s and it explains how they all got together, became this band of brothers which is an incredible story.

One of the other characters introduced, oh I HOPE that there will be a future book about Arizona and Spencer, (ACCORDING TO LORI HERSELF, its out in 2012 called A Perfect Storm) I know there’s an amazing story there.

This is a FANTASTIC hilarious action packed extremely sexy romance novel and it was a fantastic finish to this trilogy and a fantastic book in and of itself. The characterization was phenomenal; the action was quick and the story so very memorable. This series, Men who Walk the Edge of Honor, is one that will remain on your bookshelf for years, because it combines the best of what is great about romance, fantastic alpha hero’s, strong female leads, hot combustible chemistry, fire-y action, and in-depth and intriguing stories.

There’s a reason Lori Foster is a queen of romance. This is a clear indication of why.

Overall Rating: A For a little more on Lori, you can read my interview with her HERE : you’ll find out how she blew up an egg in a microwave, (entirely possible) AND what she’d do with immunity for a day….

Savor the Danger, hits shelves on June 28, 2011 from Harlequin HQN books. Available in ebook and paperback.

Alix Taylor is a blogger and avid reader of all things book. You can find her at www.romancebooksforum.com, or on twitter @alixntaylor, where the snark flows free and the romance books are dissected with abandon.

More books from the Lori Foster series “Men Who Walk The Edge of Honor”:

Today we welcome the finalists from the 2011 Readers’ Crown® Contest! These talented authors were selected by RomCon® readers who judged their books using a 20 point questionnaire.

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. We’re giving away a general admission ticket to RomCon® 2011 to 3 lucky commenters today!

Best First Book
Ashley March Seducing the Duchess
Courtney Milan Proof by Seduction
Jessica Chambers Voices on the Waves
Liz Talley Vegas Two Step
Olivia Cunning Backstage Pass

Long Contemporary Romance
Carly Phillips Love Me If You Dare
Carly Phillips Kiss Me If You Can
Christina James A Place To Call Home
Julie James Something About You
Linda Warren Skylar’s Outlaw

Long Erotic Romance
Annabel Joseph Firebird
Elizabeth Amber Dane, The Lords of Satyr
Jaci Burton Riding The Night
Nadia Aidan Twelve Wicked Nights
Olivia Cunning Backstage Pass

Long Historical Romance
Courtney Milan Trial by Desire
Deeanne Gist Maid to Match
Monica McCarty The Chief
Robyn DeHart Desire Me
Tracy Anne Warren Wicked Delights Of A Bridal Bed

Long Paranormal Romance
Gabi Stevens The Wish List
Keena Kincaid Enthralled
Melissa Mayhue A Highlander’s Destiny
Patti O’Shea In the Darkest Night
Shannon K. Butcher Living Nightmare

Long Romantic Suspense
Brenda Novak White Heat
Brenda Novak Body Heat
Cindy Gerard Risk No Secrets
Joyce Lamb True Vision
Pamela Clare Naked Edge

Mainstream Women’s Fiction
Carol Snow Just Like Me, Only Better
Jessica Chambers Voices on the Waves
Susan Crandall Sleep No More

Romantic Novella
Abby Gaines No Ordinary Man (in One in a Million)
Abby Gaines Chasing the Dream (in The Memory of a Kiss)
Amanda McCabe Snowbound and Seduced (in Regency Christmas Proposals)
Cindy Gerard Leave No Trace (in Deadly Promises)
Veronica Wolff The Drowning Sea (in Ladies Prefer Rogues)

Sci-fi/Futuristic/Time-Travel Romance
Anne Marsh Bond with Me
C.J. Barry Body Master
Erin Quinn Haunting Warrior
Melissa Mayhue A Highlander’s Homecoming

Short Contemporary Romance
Abby Gaines Her Surprise Hero
Holly Jacobs A One-of-a-Kind Family
Liz Talley Vegas Two Step
Mary Sullivan A Cowboy’s Plan
Sandra Hyatt His Bride For The Taking

Short Erotic Romance
Anne Rainey What She Craves
Aubrey Ross Codename Courtesan: Winter
Aubrey Ross Codename Courtesan: Autumn

Short Historical Romance
Blythe Gifford His Border Bride
Bronwyn Scott A Thoroughly Compromised Lady
Kate Moore To Tempt a Saint
Kathryn Caskie The Duke’s Night of Sin

Short Romantic Suspense
Catherine Mann Renegade
Helen Brenna Along Came a Husband
Helen Brenna The Moon That Night
K.M. Daughters Capturing Karma
K.M. Daughters All’s Fair In Love And Law
Linda Conrad Her Sheik Protector

And don’t forget–we’ve gathered together some wonderfully generous folks who are providing a limited number of RomCon® 2011 scholarships for active duty service men and women and their families, as well as veterans and their families–they are our American Heroes! If you know any American Heroes who deserve a scholarship, please have them write to us for more information or simply register right here– http://romcon2011americanheroes.eventbrite.com

Congratulations to all the wonderful finalists of the 2011 Readers’ Crown® contest! And we’d like to thank our hundreds of reader judges who took the time to read the competing books and give them a thorough assessment. Winners will be announced on June 30, 2011–so stay tuned!

Elaine Levine & Michele Callahan
RomCon® Directors
www.RomCon2011.com (tickets are still available!)
www.romconinc.com

Setting: Texas, Canada, Mexico, Upstate New York
Subgenre: Action Thriller
Heroine: Caitlin Strong

One sentence summary: Female Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong takes on a radical militia movement bent on starting a second Civil War.

Scene you like most and would never cut: The scene where Caitlin first confronts the villain whose father was killed by hers twenty years before.

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: Compromising in any way, shape or form.

Tell us one quirky thing about your hero? Caitlin has an undying devotion and loyalty to the traditions of the past.

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Texas Ranger

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: Caitlin’s love interest, Cort Wesley Masters, is an ex-Special Forces commando busy raising his two sons.

What you think readers will like best about this book: The characters are uniquely drawn and fully fleshed out.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Many would like to see me bring back Blaine McCracken, hero of nine action-adventure tales that ended in the late 90s. And I’m thinking of doing just that in an original E-book.

What’s next: Caitlin’s third adventure, STRONG AT THE BREAK, publishes on June 21 and I’ve just finished the firsts draft of book #4 in the series called BLOOD STRONG.

About Me:
What’s my favorite movie of all time? THE GODFATHER

What’s my favorite kind of story to get lost in? THRILLER

What’s the first book I remember reading? THE EXORCIST

What’s my favorite fairy tale? HANSEL AND GRETEL

What’s my favorite cartoon character? BULLWINKLE

What’s something I’d like to tell your readers? There’s no greater gift than that of entertainment and no greater entertainment than telling a great story.

What would my occupation be if I were no longer a writer? LAWYER or TEACHER

What do I do to unwind and relax? EXERCISE (and heavy drug use! LOL)

Tea or Coffee? And how do I take it? COFFEE. STARBUCKS!

What does love mean to me? COMMITMENT, COMPROMISE and ALWAYS TELLING THE TRUTH.

Which era would I least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? THERE’S NO ERA TO LIVE IN BETTER THAN THIS. I WOULDN’T DO WELL IN ANY ERA WITHOUT RUNNING WATER, INDOOR PLUMBING, AND PROPER GROOMING HABITS!

What name have I been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet? I’M STILL SEARCHING FOR MY “KAISER ZOSE”! I’VE PASSED THIS STREET CALLED TEOFILO BRAGA–WHAT A GREAT NAME FOR A VILLAIN!

Dog person or cat person? DOG, FOR SURE!

Question – WHAT MAKES A GREAT THRILLER?

Setting: Baltimore, Maryland
Subgenre: Romantic Suspense
Hero: Homicide Detective JD Fitzpatrick
Heroine: Dr. Lucy Trask, Medical Examiner

One sentence summary: When Dr. Lucy Trask stumbles over a body in the park, she has no idea that it’s the beginning of the end of all she holds most secret – or that she’ll need the help of dark and dangerous Detective JD Fitzpatrick to stop a killer who’s planned her death for years.

Scene you like most and would never cut: The alley scene! I sure don’t want to spoil things, but this scene is pretty hot. It almost wasn’t written to begin with. The inner me said, “Really, Lucy, in an alley?” But Lucy and JD weren’t listening to me. They were a little too busy at the time…

Thing your heroine would never be caught dead doing/saying: “The sight of blood makes me faint.” Or … “Those heels are too high.”

What is your heroine’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should she be doing: Lucy is a medical examiner by day. But by night she has another job which requires black leather miniskirts and five-inch stilettos and her business partner wields a whip. Get your head out of the gutter, people! It’s not what you think.

What is your hero’s occupation, or if unemployed, what should he be doing: JD is a homicide detective with a tender heart that he hides well. If he weren’t a cop, he’d be great at selling anything to anybody. He’s a real charmer. If that didn’t pan out, he could be a bar bouncer.

What you think readers will like best about this book: I hope they like the twists and turns JD and Lucy must negotiate as they track down a killer without a conscience. I really hope they like that JD and Lucy begin to open their hearts to each other along the way.

The person that readers want you to write about but you haven’t yet: Well, the book before YOU BELONG TO ME was SILENT SCREAM, David Hunter’s book. For years David was the character everyone asked for (and I hope readers loved his story!). Now they want the story of David’s nephew Tom, who readers first met as a gangly but brave fourteen year old boy in DON’T TELL, my first book. Tom’s 21 now and a really great guy. But he needs to grow up a little bit more before he gets his own story.

What’s next: My next book is titled NO ONE LEFT TO TELL and is Paige Holden’s story (readers met her in SILENT SCREAM where she was friends with both heroine Olivia and hero David). More on this to come in future months!

Lucy’s night job requires a skill that I’ve always wanted, but have never been able to master. I can tell you that she’s very musical. When I was a kid I wanted to play the piano so badly! The other kids complained about having to go to lessons and I wished I could change places with them. When I was a teen, I did learn to play the guitar, but not so well. I’ve always wished I would wake up one morning and be able to play an instrument with fine technique and lots of heart. If you could wake up with a newly found skill, what would it be? Superpowers count

I’ll be giving away one signed book from my backlist, winner’s choice!

About Me:

1. What’s your favorite movie of all time? Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. I’ve seen it countless times and it still makes me weep, every time.

2. What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in? I love stories with characters who steal my heart and secondary characters that make me want to be their neighbor or sister. Genre-wise, I’m partial to paranormal romance, but I’ll read any book where the characters make me fall in love.

3. What’s the first book you remember reading? It was a Disney book that came with a 33-1/3-rpm record. Tinkerbell dinged when you were supposed to turn the page. It was based on the Small World ride. An orphan boy wants to know where he’s from and goes to Disneyland with his friends. He rides the Small World ride to try to guess his own heritage and real name. I must have listened to that record hundreds of times. My parents were very patient! I still remember one of the lines: “Perhaps my name is Patrick. I do like green.”

4. What’s your favorite fairy tale? Probably Cinderella. I think Forever After, the Drew Barrymore version, might be my favorite of all the tellings!

5. What’s your favorite cartoon character? Evil monkey villain Mojo-Jojo from the Powerpuff Girls. Curses… He is my favorite because he is my most favored, the one I like the best, the one I hold in highest regard… Incidentally, SILENT SCREAM’s heroine Olivia Sutherland’s dog was Mojo, named after the evil monkey villain himself.

6. What’s something you’d like to tell your readers? THANK YOU! You’ve made my dreams come true.

7. What would your occupation be if you were no longer a writer? I’d go back to teaching high school math.

8. What do you do to unwind and relax? I binge on whole series of TV on DVD or Netflix. My most recent binge was Pushing Daisies. So sad when it had to end.

9. Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it? Coffee, with lots of cream. Tea if it’s iced. Hot tea is for sore throats. I think I have a mental block at drinking hot tea when I’m not sick.

10. What does love mean to you? YOU BELONG TO ME will be released on my 25th wedding anniversary. I’ve been a fortunate woman to have loved and be loved by my husband. I think it’s wanting the other person’s happiness to come before your own, but also to be irrevocably meshed with your own. It’s knowing that whatever happens, that person will be there. That together the two are stronger than the sum of them individually. I’m quite partial to the Clint Black song, “Love isn’t something that we have, it’s something that we do.”

11. Which era would you least like to have lived in, fashion-wise and why? Most? I never could have survived corsets! I kind of liked styles in the late seventies, early eighties, with the ruffled skirts and cowl sweaters. Maybe this is because that’s when I began to choose my own clothes and it was my first statement of individuality. I’m not a fashionista and rather envy women who can accessorize! The simpler the fashion for me, the better. Which is why my closet is mostly filled with black.

12. What name have you been dying to use as a lead character, but haven’t found the right fit yet? Buffy, just because

13. Dog person or cat person? I like both and have both. I prefer dogs, big goofy ones who love you and want to be with you always. My dog Loki fits this bill perfectly.