Susan Mallery climbs a “To Be Read” mountain

Susan Mallery shares a peek into her TBR mountain…

It’s been a great summer of reading. I just finished the last Harry Potter book. It was quite the workout, holding the book, but worth it.

Best reads so far…

More than Fiends by Maureen Child and Scent of Darkness by Christina Dodd. Both paranormals, which is interesting because I don’t read a lot of that genre. Fiends was fabulous and laugh-out-loud funny!! Scent of Darkness was incredibly sexy. Very excellent books.

I’m currently reading Ain’t She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I’m seriously loving this book!!

My TBR pile is huge (aren’t they all?). I picked up several books at the RWA conference, including an ARC for Vickie Lewis Thompson’s Over Hexed. Looking forward to that one.

As to how I organize my books…non fiction is filed by subject: writing, research, general interest. Fiction books I’ve read are in big plastic tubs, stored around the house. Honestly, who has the room???

So what about you? What are you planning to read next?

Mallery’s Contest

We ducks have a wonderful contest thanks to Susan Mallery! Reply to any of the posts tagged Susan Mallery and win . . .ok, so Sybil had to run and eat and she asked me to post this one, but I don’t know what you’re going to win!

We will, however, be picking four random winners from the posts from today with Susan Mallery, so be sure you post a comment by 2AM CST (that’s 12 AM Pacific) August 1, 2007 and you’ll be entered to win most likely one of Susan Mallery’s books.

Comment (and be a contest contestant) your hearts out!

Breaking News: Contest Winners!!

So we’re a little behind on these contests, but hey! You’ve won a book, so everyone is happy and the peasants rejoice.

Here are the winners for not one, but two contests, one from Liz Carlyle and one from Julia Quinn.

Refresher for Contest 1: On Liz Carlyle’s Day the contest was for a signed copy of Never Lie to a Lady and the winner is Crystal B.

Refresher for Contest 2: On Julia Quinn’s day the contest was for one of her books to give away. The surprise is revealed we’re giving away to Jane A, our wonderful winner. . .any Quinn book you want! That is soo cool!

Congratulations to both contest winners. Be sure to email Sybil at redwyne@redwyne.com with your information (and Jane A tell her which Quinn book you want) so she can get you your prize.

Susan Mallery: Something Sheik, Super and Sweet

Can you tell us anything about your next projects? I know you have a book coming out in November and another in January. Then it looks like you have a sweet trilogy for us. Info? Please?

In November I have a Special Edition–The Sheik and the Christmas Bride. It’s a fun story with miracle Christmas snow!!

In January 2008 Accidentally Yours will be published. This is a very, very special book for me. It’s one of those magical stories that seems like a gift rather than a project. Kerri Sullivan is a single mom of a 9 year old boy who has a potentially fatal disease. When her son was first diagnosed he was only five and he got very depressed. She was terrified he would give up, so she pretended to be a superhero, thinking that if he thought he had superhero genes he would beat the disease.

So far the pretense is working, but time is running out. She needs funding to find a cure and looks to billionaire businessman Nathan King to help. But Nathan gave up believing a long time ago and isn’t interested in helping. So she basically blackmails him into giving the money. They strike a deal–he’ll hand over the money as long as she agrees to let him use her shamelessly for PR purposes. All seems to be going really, really well until Kerri discovers she might just be giving her heart to a man who only interested in what he can buy.

I love everything about Accidentally Yours and can’t wait for it to be released!

Next summer, I have a trilogy about three sisters who own a bakery. Sweet Talk, Sweet Spot, Sweet Trouble. These are very yummy books and I’m eating a lot of cupcakes in the name of research!

**if you have a question for Susan Mallery post away… she will be on blog from 11 to 12 pacific time. ***

Susan Mallery & the meaning of life (err… fiction)

A certain level of insanity is required to be a writer. I wish that weren’t true, but it is and anyone who denies that truth is probably not to be trusted.

When you think about it, the whole writing process is really strange. We sit in a room (or on a patio, or in a Starbucks) and create an entire world populated by people who don’t exist, who live a life that isn’t real, for the sole purpose of making readers we’ve never met feel something. Fiction is about creating emotion in a total stranger. Doesn’t that strike you as the least bit odd?

And it gets more twisted when there are multiple books of a series involved because when the books are finished we, the writers, actually *miss* the fictitious people. What’s up with that?

Case in point…Tempting is the last book in a four book series about a family that owns restaurants. I picked restaurants on purpose because I wanted to enjoy my research. Anyway, my series is over now and it makes me sad. I miss everybody. Especially Dani, my heroine, who seriously had to work for her happy ending. Plus Katherine, the hero’s mother, is wonderful and I want her to be if not my mom then at least a really close aunt. I actually miss them.  Like friends who have moved away.

I figured all this out over the weekend because I’m supposed to be starting a new book today and thus far, I’m not doing much on the work front. Part of that is starting a book is never especially easy and part of that is it’s the final book in the trilogy and once I’m done with this book, it’s all over there, too.

So that’s our topic for today… In fiction, who do you love and miss? Yes, talking about characters from my book would be lovely, but the subject is actually an open one. Any book…who do you still think about and want to hang out with in a crazy fiction world?

Guest Author: Susan Mallery

Today’s guest is a particular favorite of mine with a HUGE backlist. Susan Mallery does a lil bit of everything from category to full length novels.

She has writen historical novels, which was where she started back in 1992 with Frontier Flame (Written as Susan Macias - and yes I have this book and have read it ) as well as contemps. Susan Mallery has a gift of taking romance plots that have been done 10000 times and making them interesting, fun and oh so readable.

I honestly think you could read a novel without knowing the author and KNOW it was written by Susan Mallery. Each character, book, plot just seems stamped with something special you can only get from her.

I mean really who else could get me to read a book about a sheik? Ok honestly I haven’t read one yet but I have a few! I plan too! So if I like it that either means she is REALLY talented or I am just a touch of a rabid fangirl ;).

Either way, stick around because Susan will be joining us today. And really you wouldn’t want to miss that right?

A lil tempting…

Susan Mallery’s Tempting is out now. And is the final book in her Buchanan series. You can find an excerpt here.

Review: Twice the Tempation by Suzanne Enoch

Twice the Temptation by Suzanne Enoch

This novel contains two connected stories about two different Marquis of Rawley. A Diamond or Forever is set in Regency England, and Diamonds are NOT a Girls Best Friend in present-day England and they both have to deal with a cursed diamond necklace called the Nightshade Diamond.

The first story follows Evangeline Munroe who inherits the necklace from an aunt. On her way home from receiving the necklace she’s involved in a carriage accident and as she’s attempting to see to the damage Connoll Addison, Marquis of Rawley, falls on top of her and kisses her in the middle of the street. They exchange words, but Connoll is haunted by the kiss and seeks Evangeline out.

There’s some cute courtship things, Evangeline doesn’t cower to Connoll and he likes that, and a very cute kitten named Elektra. As well as complications. Her mother thinks the only good man is one you can control and she’s got an annoying older suitor who doesn’t realize he’s lost her. Connoll is the star of this show though. He’s dashing, witty, caring and sees through Evangeline well enough to know that she’s just a bit misguided. I wish Enoch had introduced us to Connoll earlier.

Connoll and Evangeline figure out about the cursed diamond and stow it away on the Rawley estate, so that it will bring good luck to the Addison family over time, since it won’t be worn. The bad luck only comes about when it’s worn or touched by someone. The diamond remains in the same place until 2007 when it’s discovered by Samantha Jellicoe.

Samantha Jellicoe is the girlfriend of Richard Addison, Marquis of Rawley. She’s also a retired cat burgler now in the security business. She’s setting up security in one of the buildings of Rawley park for a gem exhibit when she finds the necklace in the hiding place. She takes it to Rick thinking it’s a gift, but they find a note from Connoll and Evangeline telling about the story.

Sam believes the curse but Rick doesn’t. They have some mishaps with it, including a former sometime partner of Sam’s that wants to rob the gem exhibit. Rick and Sam are the characters of Enoch’s series of contemporary novels. Both are fun and engaging, but the fact that Rick is a definite Alpha, take charge hero and Sam is fiercely independent ’cause she’s not wanted to get caught. The next in the series comes out in October.

Overall this was a neat idea and I loved the Regency story, Connoll is a winner of a hero and Evangeline worked well enough, especially realizing that marrying a partner rather than someone you can control is the best way to go. From the second story, I hope Sam gets comfortable enough with her new legal way of life to accept that Rick is there to help, and Rick realizes he doesn’t need to be on top of every situation and trust Sam more.

Grade: B+ (average of A Diamond or Forever - A and Diamonds Are NOT a Girls Best Friend - B)

In For a Hunk, In For a Pounding

This is a completely useless post, but I had to share. 

So Karen spends time crafting an excellent  So Karen posts a post about toxic people.  Did I read it?  No.  At least, not for a while.  My eyeballs got stuck on the photo she included in the post.  I can be so  I make a rain puddle look like the Marianas Trench.  But isn’t he pretty?  I’m sorry, Karen.  What did you say again?

Oh and I ran across this other prime piece of man-booty in my weekend travels.  I forget which blog I saw him on.  Doncha wanna lick him?

Okay.  Carry on.

Into Thin Air by Cindy Miles **November 2007**

Into Thin Air by Cindy Miles

A twelfth century warrior turned Guardian Knight, Gawan of Conwyk is about to finally become mortal. But then he finds a beautiful woman by the side of the road near Castle Grimm-she is his soulmate, and it’s up to him to save her life.

Ellie doesn’t remember who she is or how she got to the north of England. Together they set out to solve the mystery of her almostdeath, but neither Ellie nor Gawan is prepared for the soul-searing passion they discover…

I enjoyed Sprited Away, Miles’ debut book, so I’m looking forward to this one. The thing I’m hoping for is a little more steam than the first one, and hopefully we’ll get it since the main characters can touch each other from the get go. . .

There’s an excerpt at the authors site and it looks to be fun. The cover to this one is cute and flirty and though there’s no man titty, it does the job, methinks. And Spirited Away was funny and light hearted so I’m sure this one will be as good, if not better.

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