Writing is hard work for me. Really, really hard work, since I can be somewhat insecure. What if I think the hero and heroine have chemistry, but they don’t? What if the sex scene I’m working on is about as steamy as a boiling pot of spaghetti?

On days when Madam Muse refuses to appear, or when I feel that writing is the equivalent of working on a chain gang, I daydream about doing something else for a living. My top escape fantasies are:

* Become a mailman. Woman. Person. Whatever the politically correct term is. The big attraction to this job is that I’d get to walk around all day, so I’d get really thin. Plus, I’d get to wear a uniform, so I wouldn’t have to worry about what to wear. This is of crucial importance to someone who once opened her front door wearing lemon colored harem pants and a Ringo Rocks! t shirt from 1975. On the negative side, I haven’t figured out yet how to handle the heat of summer, and the US Postal System is on the rocks. Note to self: see if mail people can do their job in the nude, as long as their mail satchels are strategically placed.

* Join the Merchant Marines. There’s no age limit to this profession, as long as you pass the physical. How hard could it be? I’m sure all you have to do is be able to climb a mast and properly wield a telescope. Plus I love to travel, I love the ocean, and sleeping in a mesh hammock is Number Four on my Bucket List.

* Work on a cruise ship. I’d be a really good entertainer: I can juggle, and I can also sing Bonnie Taylor’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” perfectly. I could easily brush up on my kazoo skills as well. Seriously: who doesn’t love kazoo music? Have you ever heard “Memory” from the Cats done on a kazoo? Haunting. I’m not kidding.

* Visit elementary schools as a Mary Todd Lincoln impersonator. This one is actu-ally the most viable: I’m plump, I’m moody, and I have a very tall husband with a beard who puts up with me. I’ve been trying to talk him into playing Abe to my Mary, but so far it’s a no go.

Alternate: visit nursery schools as Dora the Explorer. She’s little, plus we have the same haircut right now.

* Get a job as Bono’s personal secretary. I know, I know, I know: he’s the size of Rumpelstilskin and he never shuts up about aid to Africa. But I’ve had a mad crush on the man since 1981, when U2 released their first CD, Boy. Think about what a cool job it would be to be his PA: “Could you please call Edge and ask if he got his check for three hundred million dollars from the last tour? Because I haven’t gotten mine yet. Also, you know that luncheon I’m holding tomorrow at the Plaza to raise money for impoverished romance writers? Find out if Obama has any food allergies. I’m sure I can talk him into making a huge donation for these poor, struggling souls.”

Of course, if I ditched my profession, I wouldn’t have been able to write books like Breakaway, the latest in my New York Blades series. It combined two of my favorite subjects: hockey and Ireland. Here’s the back cover blurb:

They had it all planned out: college, marriage, happily ever after.

But it didn’t quite work out that way…

Erin O’Brien was everyone’s favorite in Ballycraig, while Rory Brady was the town’s golden boy: the local lad who moved to America and became a professional hockey player. Rory promised to return to sweep Erin away to the life of her dreams in New York. But the bright lights and late nights turned his head and he never came back.

Two years later, Rory realizes he’s made the worst mistake of his life. Heading back to Ballycraig, he’s confident that all he needs to do is flash his winning smile and Erin will fall back into his arms. But Erin’s moved on.

Racing the clock, Rory needs to prove to her that the man she fell in love with is still there. But can happy-go-lucky Erin risk it all and give another chance to the man who broke her heart?

Intrigued? Breakaway hits the shelves today, February 7th. I’m also working on the next book in the Blades series. The writing seems to be going pretty well right now, but that’s all I’ll say. I don’t want to jinx things…

To find out more about my New York Blades series as well as The Wild Hart Saga, check out my website.

[Ed. Deirdre is kindly offering up a copy of Breakaway to one very lucky commenter, so be sure to leave a meaningful comment or question for her and we'll toss your name into the hat!]

We’ve got two copies of Sins of the Highlander, thanks to Sourcebooks, to give away today to two lucky commenters out there in romanceland!

And how easy it is to win – just tell us your favorite sin committed by romance heroes or your favorite sinful hero and you’ll be entered. Just like that!

See, told you it was easy.

U.S. and Canada only, please.

Thanks for having me here today.

As you know, Sins of the Highlander, my first collaborative novel with NY Times Bestseller Connie Mason, is on bookstore shelves now. I’m a firm believer in letting readers “try before they buy” but instead of the usual excerpt, I’m offering a “box of chocolates” sampler of the end of chapters in this story. (Warning: I’m known as a “happy hooker.” Writing hooks, of course. What were you thinking?)

SINS OF THE HIGHLANDER Sampler:

Chapter One ~ When he tried to kiss her again, she delivered a ringing slap to his cheek. Reason flooded her mind again. Perhaps he was called “Mad Rob” because he could entice others to insanity.

“Now get away from me,” Elspeth ordered.

He chuckled mirthlessly. “Lass, I’ve killed dozens of men. Do ye really think ye can stop me from whatever I may decide to do with you?”

He took a step toward her, his eyes glittering fiercely in the dark.

Chapter Two ~ She’d forgotten to breathe as he spoke. Now she sucked in a quick breath.

“Shall I pleasure ye, Elspeth?”

Chapter 3 ~ If Rob could seduce Elspeth Stewart into giving herself to him willingly, his enemy would be thoroughly shamed. The name of Lachlan Drummond would become a byword, held up for ridicule by all as the cuckolded bridegroom. Bards would compose songs about it and folk would laugh at him over many a winter fire.

Drummond would be so furious, he’d respond to Rob’s challenge of single combat at last.

And then Rob would send him straight to hell. Even if he had to go through the flaming gate with him.

Chapter 4 ~ “Trust me, lass. By and bye, ye’ll thank me for keeping from becoming Lachlan Drummond’s wife.”

Elspeth curled her toes inside her slipper and managed to wiggle the left one off without his knowledge. It fell under the stallion’s hooves and was pressed into the path, marking their way as clearly as if she’d stopped and drawn an arrow.

Chapter 5 ~ The numbers in the pack dwindled. As the eastern sky lightened to pearl gray, hope rose in Elspeth’s heart.

Then the largest wolf charged and leaped. His flying lunge knocked Rob from Falin’s back. They rolled together, tooth and claw, man and blade, off the path and into the thick underbrush, disappearing in a growling, swearing mass.

Chapter 6 ~ Wolf song reached their ears, distant, but close enough to be worrisome.

“Come, lass. And step lively.”

This time he didn’t have to tell her twice.

Chapter 7 ~ “Unfortunately, of the two of us, it seems only ye have the honor of always being right. There’s no tree big enough to bear your weight nearby,” Rob said as he put her down. He stooped and pulled out his boot knife, handing it to her haft first. “If they get past me, dinna let yourself be taken.”

Chapter 8 ~ Elspeth stood with her back to him, next to the table. She poured water from a kettle into the ewer. Steam rose before she added cold water from the pitcher. She dipped a cloth into a basin, unaware that Rob was watching her.

He prayed that happy state would continue.

She was naked as Eve in glory.

Hope you enjoyed the Sins of the Highlander sampler. If you’d like a traditional excerpt, most of the first chapter is posted on my website. While you’re there, be sure to enter my website contest where the Grand Prize is a NEW KINDLE! The drawing will be held Jan. 30^th.  I love to connect with readers. You can also find me at my Twitter fan page and my Twitter author page. Hope to see you around the web.

I’ll be around checking the comments all day! Leave a question for me or share your favorite snippet from Sins of the Highlander from the sampler above.

My second novel, Try Not to Breathe, was a story that grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t let go.

I’d been working on something else—a book that I’d been writing for quite a while—and I was planning to take a writing break. But Try Not to Breathe had other plans; it refused to wait. It grew out of a verse-writing exercise that I was playing with one day. The main character, Ryan, did not confine himself to a few poems. He just kept on speaking.

I started with the image of a boy standing under a waterfall, and as I wrote, I learned more and more about him: his suicidal past, his secrets, the crush he had. Then a girl burst onto the scene, with goals and secrets of her own, pushing against the walls Ryan had built around himself. She revealed more about herself with every scene, but I didn’t learn her biggest secret until the second or third draft. Her secret shocked me at first, but it fit. It all made sense, and it brought the story back to where it began—the waterfall.

Sometimes it happens that way. The first time I write a scene, it may surprise me, and I get to have the same sense of discovery with it that a first-time reader will have.

It’s funny how good intentions, routines, and healthy habits seem to fly right out the window when I’m on deadline.  I’d like to blame the sinus infection I was fighting last month when I turned in my latest manuscript; however, I don’t have much of an excuse for the other four books in the Lords of Vice series.  On New Year ’s Eve, I was reflecting on the pattern that always seems to emerge around deadlines.

1)   Slacking off at the gym.  It starts out innocent enough.  I begin to stress about the how much time I have left before I turn in a manuscript.  In those final weeks, every hour counts.  I calculate that I’m spending five hours at the gym a week.  Double that amount to factor in the time it takes me to drive to and from the gym and the shower afterward.  That’s ten hours a week I could be writing!  Forty hours in a month.  I finally convince myself that a brisk walk around the neighborhood a few times a week will suffice, but soon I’ll find a good excuse not even do that.  Last month, I had a pretty good excuse.  I was on antibiotics for two weeks and I had to reduce my exposure to the sun.  Even my husband couldn’t debate me on that one.

2)    Eating healthy is history.  Most of the time, my diet is very healthy.  Lots of fruits and vegetables and lean cuts of meat.  When I’m on deadline, I want carbs.  Bring on the junk food!  Chips, pretzels, sandwiches—anything that’s quick so I can get back to the keyboard.  I also get a weird craving for licorice.  I know I’m close to finishing a book when I have to buy Twizzlers.

3)    Sleep is optional.  When the story is flowing, I begin to cut corners on my necessary eight hours of sleep.  I find myself mentally writing scenes instead of sleeping, and insomnia kicks in because I don’t want to forget all that great dialogue.  I do keep a notebook next to my bed for random inspiration, but if I’m committed to an idea, I usually just get back up and write it.

4)    Pleasure reading.  This one is a difficult one to give up, and it explains why my TBR pile has turned into a small mountain.  When I’m on deadline, the only books I crack open are research-related.

5)    TV and movies.  This sacrifice tends to annoy the family because there are several shows we watch together.  Over the Christmas break, my youngest daughter and I finally made it to the theater to watch Breaking Dawn.  Naturally, when we stopped at the concession stand, the one candy she had to have was—you guessed it—Twizzlers!

Now that I have a little breathing room until my next deadline, I’ve returned to my healthier lifestyle.  I’m back at the gym.  Ugh, that first week was painful.  That should be incentive enough not to slack off again.  These days, I’m eating good carbs.  Twizzlers are off my grocery list.  The insomnia is gone, which is a relief.  I’ve missed my bed.  And over the holiday break, I was able to catch up on some of my pleasure reading and TV shows.

This has all the makings of a New Year’s resolution, doesn’t it?  I’d agree, but I know all my good intentions are going to slip away when that next deadline approaches!

[Ed. Alexandra is giving away two books today - first winner will receive a copy of Sunrise with a Notorious Lord and the second will get their choice of any other Lords of Vice novel - so be sure to leave a meaningful comment or question for her!]

Creating the perfect romantic hero is not as easy as you think, mainly because no such creature has ever inhabited our planet.  So, how—in the odor-free, sweat-free, bodily-function-free realm of romance—does an author create the perfect male hero while still making him at least marginally believable?  Hell if I know.  But I’ve been thinking hard on it, and have come up with some guidelines that might help.

1.  The hero should NEVER indulge in digestive indiscretions of an auditory or olfactory nature.  Or any other nature.  EVER.  I know what you’re thinking.  In Pieces of Sky, a character does just that.  But he’s not the hero and gets killed off later, so it’s okay.  And sure, later in the same book, Brady belches on the heroine, but he does it on purpose to disgust her and run her off.  So that’s okay, too.

2.  The hero is allowed to perspire—odorlessly, of course—but he should have a darn good reason for doing so, such as exertion, nervousness, guilt, etc.  Of late I’ve seen an alarming trend to have the hero work himself into a substantial lather in the bedroom.   I think this is to show how intent he is on his task, and how valiantly he’s struggling to hold back his overwhelming ardor.  But, really.  A little surface glow is acceptable, but if he’s sweating like a farm animal during the love scenes, then maybe something’s wrong.  I know what you’re going to say.  In Open Country, Hank gets sweaty—but he has good reason.  He’s upset, exerting, nervous, and his feelings are hurt, so it’s okay that one time.

3.  Bathing—the hero should do it, even if such wasn’t the normal practice “back then.”   This is a romance, after all, and there’s nothing romantic about a man smelling like a slaughter house.  Granted, it’s not always practical, but even if he has to bathe in used water (like Declan does in Heartbreak Creek) and he comes out smelling like a rose garden, it’s better than the alternative (which in Declan’s case is smelling like rotting meat).  At least he’s clean.

4.  Drunkenness—not very heroic.  But there are times, I suppose, when it’s marginally acceptable, especially for medicinal purposes.  Like Jack in Chasing the Sun when Molly gets out her scalpel, and Ash in Colorado Dawn, when his old injury acts up.  But your characters probably shouldn’t drink to the point of horking.  However, if vomiting is an important plot point, please limit sounds, odors, and visuals.  Granted, in Open Country, the heroine, a reluctant nurse, vomits after surgery.  But who doesn’t?  And near the end of Heartbreak Creek Edwina has to carry a barf bowl around with her, but she had reason.  At least when they hork they’re quiet about it, and never heave hard enough to lift their heels off the floor, and only do it on an empty stomach.  So that’s okay.

5.  Cowardice—not a trait usually attributed to heroes.  I know.  In Heartbreak Creek, Declan was a basket case, but he still did what he had to do to save the day, so it was okay.  Besides, phobias aren’t exactly fears.  Not really.  And who can blame Brady, in Pieces of Sky, for being afraid of crying women?  We can be pretty scary.  Or his brother, Jack, for getting lightheaded at the sight of blood—especially his own?  These things happen.  So in those cases, it was okay to be a little afraid.

6.  And finally, using the bathroom.   This is another situation to avoid if possible.  We all know it happens—even to heroes—but we don’t need to see it, do we?  Yeah, yeah, I know.  In Open Country, there’s an entire scene when nurse Molly tries to help the injured hero relieve himself and they get into a wrestling match over a chamber pot (he wins, just so you know).  But neither the heroine nor the reader is required to be on hand (so to speak) when the deed is accomplished, so it’s okay.  As for any other potty situations, don’t even go there.  Ever.

So there you have it.  A few ideas for creating the perfect romantic hero while still staying within the bounds of quasi-reality.  Got any ideas of your own you’d like to share?

We enjoyed having Melissa Mayhue with us to remind us how important holiday memories are. Thank you, too, to those of you who stopped by for the day.

Without further ado, our winner for a copy of Melissa’s latest book in her Warrior series, Warrior’s Redemption, is:

#1 – Tammy VanScoy

Congrats, Tammy! Please send your snail mail addy to lighthousetagger at gmail dot com and we’ll let Melissa know to have your book on its way to you!

A huge thanks to Catherine Mann for spending the day with us recently to chat about how important memories are to us. And thanks to those of you who shared yours with us.

And now to our winners, who will receive a copy of Catherine’s latest in her Elite Force series, Hot Zone.

#9 – Kristy

and

#11 – Maureen

Congratulations, ladies! Please send your snail mail addresses to lighthousetagger at gmail dot com and your books will be on their way to you!

I’ve been visiting blogs all over the place these past few weeks, preparing for the December 27 release of my latest book, Warrior’s Redemption.  [Yes, please go look at it!  Yes, please go buy it!!] And, because we’re in the holiday season, many people have asked me the same sort of question – “What’s your favorite holiday memory?” or some variation of what the holidays mean to me.

And though I’ve come up with a variety of answers, nothing made the REAL answer so clear to me as when I did something totally unrelated to writing or talking about my new book today.

Let me backtrack for just a moment…

In October my youngest son got married.   After the wedding, one of the first things he asked me to do for him was to make copies of recipes for some of his favorite dishes.  Once I recovered from the shock of his list (What?  Twenty-one years and you can only think of six things I’ve made for you that you like???), I decided to put together a small family recipe book as a Christmas gift for him.  Nothing fancy, no publishing and binding, just typed up recipes that have been in the family for a while, along with a few notes about where and who they came from.

I was so proud of myself.  What an easy gift idea! Make a few copies, put them in sheet protectors in a three-ring binder, voila!  Done.

Um…not so fast.

I should have known better.  Food, its taste, its smell, has always been a potent invoker of memories for me.  I spent the better part of the day pulling out old recipe files and cookbooks.  Yes, there was the challenge of finding the specific ones my son wanted – some of these things I’ve made so often over the years I don’t even use the recipe anymore – but what really slowed me down was flipping through recipes I haven’t even thought of for years.

I remember that!  I loved that as a kid!  I loved that as a grownup!  Why haven’t I made that in the last ten years?!?  Many of the recipes that I found myself lingering over were the ones that brought back the best memories.

The sweet pickled veggies my mother would can every summer… the ones I made only once because, wow, that was a LOT of work!

The Mexican Chocolate Cake recipe I must have made a thousand times after I was first married… but haven’t even thought of for fifteen years.

The Peanut Butter Fudge recipe I spent at least five years begging my aunt to share with me.  I always looked forward to driving out to the country to visit her because I knew she’d have a big plate of that fudge waiting for me.  Just reading over the recipe, it’s like I’m back there in her kitchen, feeling that pit-of-the-stomach excitement of the day she finally relented to my years of pestering.  If I shut my eyes, I can see her round wooden table, polished to a shine.  I can hear her voice… smell the food cooking.  I loved that fudge… and I loved my aunt.

So many beautiful memories of special moments and special people.  And that’s really the most important part of the holidays, isn’t it?  Those special moments we’re making.  The special people we get to spend time with now and the ones we’ll always remember.

What about you?  Is there some special dish you haven’t made or tasted in years that takes you back to a wonderful memory of someone or something special?

Oh!  And while I’ve got you answering questions, are you a Recipe Sharer or a Recipe Secret-Keeper?

Leave a comment and Sandy will pick one lucky person to receive a copy of that book I’m supposed to be here talking about. 

If you’d like to know more about Warrior’s Redemption, please stop by my website, where you can (if the web-gods have been kind) read an excerpt!

Wishing you all the Merriest Christmas ever, the happiest of holidays – and the best food memories ever!!!

Thanks to Heather Killough-Walden for joining us for a guest blog recently. A better day has not been had talking about angels and heros!

And now it’s time for our winner, who will receive a copy of Heather’s Avenger’s Angel, the first book in her Lost Angels series.

And that is…

#5 – Jeannine Klimt

Congratulations, Jeannine! Please send your snail mail address to lighthousetagger at gmail dot com and I’ll get your book out to you!

We authors tend to have varied backgrounds and degrees.  And it just so happens, I have an MA in Theater from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as an undergrad degree in Fine Arts: Theater from the College of Charleston.

Lately, interviewers have been asking about my background in theater and how it influences my writing.  So I decided perhaps it’s time to delve into that deeper, devoting an entire blog to the subject of how acting classes affect the way I build characters in a novel.

In the early twentieth century, acting styles were revolutionized by a Russian actor and theater director named Constantin Stanislavski.  He stressed the importance of accessing a memory that would evoke/relay an emotion on stage.  (That’s vastly oversimplifying his work, but I don’t want to put you all to sleep!  So hang with me here.)

I particularly enjoy digging deeply into the childhoods of my characters to find those memories that defined who they became.  Tapping into those memories can make them vulnerable and more emotionally accessible to the reader, even when they are keeping themselves closed off from the other characters in the story.

For example, in Hot Zone, our big, bad ass, invulnerable hero Hugh is an Air Force pararescueman.  He has crawled between layers of collapsed concrete to save earthquake survivors, in particular our heroine Amelia and her one-year-old nephew Joshua.  Hugh is superhero material to the nth degree.

But what makes him accessible?  Vulnerable?  Heart tugging?

Here’s a brief excerpt where Hugh is trying to calm Amelia by keeping her talking:

“Hugh, what makes you do something like this for a living? I can’t imagine anybody willingly coming down here.”

“What can I say?” He settled onto his side, stowing his gear. “I was the kid who climbed trees to rescue stranded cats.”

“No kidding?” She grasped at the piece of normalcy.

“When I was seven, the neighbor’s Siamese got stuck in a big old oak. The family called the fire department, but it was going to take a while for them to get there because of a three-alarm blaze on the other side of town.”

His smooth-as-bourbon smooth bass voice filled the cave with an intoxicating calm. “The neighbor girl was bawling her eyes out. So I figured, why wait? I’d climbed that tree a hundred times.”

His story wrapped around her, sinking into her pores and transporting her to the world beyond this murky gray hell, a world with leafy green trees and fuzzy kittens.

“I’ll bet the neighbor girl was glad to have her pet back.”

“Oh, I didn’t save her Siamese. The cat climbed down on its own.” He chuckled softly. “I got stuck when my jacket snagged on a branch and the fire department had to rescue me.”

She laughed with him—how could she not?—until her eyes stung with tears and she choked on the thick air. “You’re making that up to distract me.”

“Not a chance. I was scared to death up there. Cried like a baby, when I got to solid ground again.” A half smile dug a crease into the dirt on his rugged face. “The little kid had her cat back and looked at the firefighter like he was a god.”

“Ahhh,” she smiled, realizing…. “You had a crush on the neighbor girl.”

He didn’t answer right away.  The dull throb of distant engines filled the void.

“Yeah.” His voice went flat, the smooth bourbon tones turning gravelly.

The kicker here?  This memory is about the woman the hero eventually married, but now the hero’s wife and daughter are dead.  From that memory he shared to try and calm the heroine, we (the readers) have accessed a lot of information and vulnerability from a hero who keeps himself closed off from the world.

And so, that concludes my Memories 101 blog for today!  Thanks for hanging out with me here.  It’s always a pleasure to hear from readers and other writers.

The holidays in particular bring back memories for many people.  What’s one of your favorite holiday memories?

[Ed. Be sure to leave a meaningful comment for Catherine today - two copies of Hot Zone are up for grabs! US and Canada only, please.]

My dream writing space is on the deck of an 80-foot sailboat designed by my friend, Kevin Dibley, called the Knight Commander. I fell in love with this boat when I was working on my first writing project. I emailed Kevin—a total stranger—and asked if I could use his boat in my book. He emailed me back from New Zealand saying, “Well, that’s not one I’ve heard before.” He also offered to check my sailing sequences for me, and we’ve been great friends ever since. One of my goals in life is to own one of Kevin’s boats. He’s one of the most talented Marine Architects in the business and a really great guy.

In a perfect world, I’d do most of my writing on the deck of my sailboat while sailing the South Pacific with a full crew—like the guys who raced the Hugo Boss Boat in the Rolex Sidney-to-Hobart race a few years ago. The Hugo Boss crew sailed out of Sydney Harbor dressed in black Hugo Boss suits and shades.

They were very hot, literally and figuratively. (grin) Kevin told me they’ve since repainted the boat white because the black hull absorbed so much heat everyone below decks practically roasted.

Unfortunately, my true writing space is at one of two Starbucks. There is one a mile from my house, which I’ve been frequenting lately, but my favorite place to write is at the Carlisle Crossing Starbucks in Carlisle, PA—90-miles away. My daughter used to study ballet in Carlisle dancing with The Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet—one of the best pre-professional ballet schools in the country. For two years I home schooled her, drove to Carlisle where she danced 40+ hours a week, dropped her off at dance, and then headed to Starbucks to write. I spent more time there than most of the baristas. She eventually moved to Carlisle and lived with a host family (the mother of one of the regular customers I got to know at Starbucks) so she could attend high school and dance, but I still made the trip a few times a week. I’ve written four books at the Carlisle Crossing Starbucks and everyone from the district manager to the regular customers have become some of my dearest friends. I always thank them in every one of my acknowledgements. They’re the absolute best and have kept me in coffee and laughter for four years. No other Starbucks could compare. Since my daughter stopped dancing due to injury, I’ve really missed them. It’s time to make another trip to get my Carlisle Starbucks fix.

I also have a beautiful home office with a TreadDesk. My TreadDesk is a desk with a treadmill beneath the hydraulic desktop. The desktop will go from sitting height to standing height with the push of a button. But after having written for so long at a Starbucks, I’ve found it almost impossible to write at home. Go figure. Still, I do a lot of my email and busy work at home while walking 1.4 miles per hour, and then I head over to Starbucks to write my books. I’ve found that at home, I can’t turn off my Mommy Ears. It’s much easier to go to Starbucks and tune out people I’m not related to. I get a whole lot more done – plus, the coffee is much better!

Readers sometimes come to me, utterly head-over-heels in love with one or more of my heroes and wanting to know why they are suddenly obsessed when they’ve never been obsessed with anyone else’s characters before. “It’s only a story!” they tell me. “Why can’t I get him out of my head?”

I’ve got a good idea as to why this is.

I’ve never written a hero who strictly follows the rules. I’ve never breathed life into a character who was afraid to break the speed limit if he felt he had to or get into a fight to defend what was important to him. The men in my stories are the kinds of men I sometimes wish every male on the planet was: smart, strong, kind, deep-down good, tough as nails, empathic, and sexy as hell.

The world is not colored inside the lines. It was created in chaos, and entropy more or less rules. It takes a constant, exhausting kind of vigilance to carve out any kind of meaningful existence on this planet. It takes someone willing to go the distance – someone who will never give up, no matter how tough the going gets. Women are really intelligent. We know that for a romance to survive, it will take a man capable of carrying his own weight and sometimes carrying ours as well. Hell, life gets hard.

So when my readers crack the spine of one of my books (or power up their Ereaders, as the case may be) and find themselves learning about tall, physically strong men with a high tolerance for pain but an empathy for the pain in others, they are understandably intrigued. They continue reading to learn that these men are fast on their feet, quick-thinking, capable, and dependable. Reading further… the men smell good – like leather and aftershave. They never have bad breath. They notice the little things and realize how important they are. But best of all – and this is the kicker – these heroes, these good guys, are willing to be bad.

They’re rule breakers, hell raisers, and “fallen angels.” They’re three-dimensional, fathomless personalities with detailed histories, bone-deep desires, and individual tastes that speak to our own hearts. They feel strongly about what is important to them – and for these men, who are all about inner strength and power to the core – that sometimes means pushing the envelope, breaking boundaries, and doing what needs to be done. Rules be damned.

That’s why my men are so attractive. That’s why we get hot chills when their eyes burn into the women they love. It’s why we fan ourselves when one of them grabs his girl’s wrist, walks her to his bike, and tells her to get on and hold tight. It’s why our breath catches when he fists his hand in his soul mate’s hair to expose the pale column of her throat. No one likes a goody-two-shoes. There’s no place in this world – or our hearts – for men who are wimps. Our heroes must move through the night, silent and deadly. They need to strike fast and bite deep. The men we lust over are wicked warriors.

And our good guys always wear black.

[Ed. I have a copy of Avenger's Angel for someone who leaves a meaningful comment or question for Heather today!]

Like all authors, I love creating characters. In my particular case and with my previous novels, the main characters were created by Jane Austen. Of course, I expanded on most of those characters and tweaked their personalities as time passed, so they are quite altered in many respects from how Jane originally wrote them.

Certainly this is true for Georgiana Darcy, she being the Darcy who is the subject of Miss Darcy Falls in Love. As I thought about Georgiana and characters in a general sense, I decided it would be entertaining to write a character study for some of the unique persons who inhabit the pages of my latest novel. Just to make it really fun, I am going to start with the contributing players first and lead up to the stars.

Zoë and Yvette de Valday: 19-year-old identical twin daughters of the Vicomte and Vicomtesse de Valday of Lyon, France. Zoë and Yvette befriend Georgiana while she visits their home, the friendships lasting for their lifetimes.

Frédéric de Valday: 17-year-old brother to Zoë and Yvette. He too will befriend Georgiana and remain a lifelong friend.

An excerpt is best to describe the three de Valdays. This is how they are introduced to readers in Chapter 1:

A clamor in French from the hallway broke her reverie, seconds later the door bursting open and three figures tumbling into the parlor.

“Dearest Georgiana, finally! Hiding away already, are you? Frédéric insisted that we hunt you down and rescue from your solitary daydreams!”

The speaker was a young woman of nineteen. She was short, barely reaching Georgiana’s shoulders, with a voluptuous figure finely accentuated by an exquisitely tailored gown of purple velvet. Her lavender-tinted eyes blazed vibrantly amid a round face. Mischief and impertinence were etched upon her entire countenance from the tiny tapping foot to the mass of tightly coiled ebony curls audaciously escaping jeweled pins. She was in all ways a vision of supreme, sensual loveliness that could wrest the breath away from everyone who beheld her, male or female. Her name was Zoë, and her lush beauty was so ineffable that it was impossible to imagine that another could match it.

Yet the woman standing near her was indeed a match.

Her twin, Yvette, was nearly a duplicate. It was only the small mole located just to the right of her upper lip that easily revealed her unique identity. The combined essence of these two extraordinary creatures was a captivating assault upon one’s senses. The blessing from the Maker in allowing the creation of two entrancing offspring would presumably then exhaust any hope of further divine favor upon their parents, but this was not the case.

Frédéric, nearly eighteen, was as stunning and forceful a presence as his elder sisters. With his curls styled foppishly about his face, his enormous deep-blue eyes, and his plump mouth, he had a slight feminine air to his look that was aided by his shorter stature and stout fleshiness. But this was only at first glance. As soon as he moved or spoke a word, the effeminate vision was swept away by a personality, voice, and bearing that exuded confident masculinity. The three de Valdays were bewitching and somewhat exhausting, but Georgiana adored them already.

Aren’t they fascinating? Wait until you get to know them. Magnifiqué! I tend to veer toward writing flamboyant characters. What that says about me I refuse to acknowledge! And speaking of flamboyant, or more like eccentric, allow me to introduce you to….

The Marchioness of Warrow: Born Beryl Darcy, Lady Warrow is the sister of James Darcy, Sr., the grandfather of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, and therefore Georgiana Darcy’s great-aunt. Thrice married and widowed, her second husband was the Earl of Essenton. Their son is the current Earl of Essenton and Mr. Sebastian Butler’s father. Are you with me so far? This means that there is a familial connection between Georgiana and Sebastian (the hero of this novel), although the cousins never met until adults. Lady Warrow’s third husband was a marquis, obscenely wealthy, childless, and so enamored with his wife that he ensured his possessions passed to her and that she held her title suo jure, or in her own right. Lady Warrow is elderly but spry, captivating, lushly beautiful, charming, sensuous, and more than a little naughty! She is on intimate terms with everyone from the Prince Regent and Archbishop of Canterbury to dignitaries in many European countries. Widely traveled, morally challenged, fiery, and fiercely loyal to her family, she is a woman to be admired and adored, but never to be crossed!

Baron Caxton: The man who vies for Georgiana’s affections is the quintessential alpha male taken to extremes. Nephew to the Duke of Grafton, Baron Caxton is rich and highly esteemed amongst the English elite. A graduate of Oxford, his choice to teach violin at his alma mater and then the famed Conservatoire of Music in Paris is purely out of a desire to travel and share his mastery with other great musicians. Morally upright, decent, honest, and severely straight laced, the baron has a pristine reputation. He is also rawly male, supremely handsome, and blessed with a charisma that is overwhelmingly sexual and mesmerizing. Women – all women – fall instantly under his spell. Yet until Georgiana Darcy he has never wanted a woman enough to tap into his magnetic power. How can she resist?

Here is another brief excerpt to convey what I mean:

Georgiana was bemused. Yes, she thought, that is the word for it: bemused. Or maybe bedazzled was an apt description for how she felt. The lights seemed brighter, the music especially melodious, the dancing more enjoyable, and the food ambrosial. Everything was exquisite as never before. The air surrounding her sparkled magically and tingles bounced over her skin.

Yet there was an unreal quality to the sensations within and perceptions without. It was not disturbing exactly. It was merely strange. Strange and wonderful, she amended as her silk-clad hands brushed over the baron’s gloved palms, his thumb miraculously managing to squeeze and caress her knuckles in the seconds before the steps of the quadrille pulled them apart. Flawlessly, he sidestepped to engage the lady next in line, executing a fluid chassé while never looking away from Georgiana. She could not claim to be an adept judge of a man’s behavior nor did she possess the vanity to assume men were instantly attracted to her; nevertheless, if asked, she would be forced to blushingly agree that Lord Caxton appeared to be as bemused as she.

This was their second dance together since arriving at the ball. The first, a waltz, had left her breathless and dazed. A portion of that response may have been a result of lively dancing on a crowded floor with lights blazing overhead. Undoubtedly the steady stream of conversation and questions while twirling at a fast pace augmented the breathlessness. Lord Caxton appeared relentless in his pursuit to learn as much about her as possible. This was quite flattering, of course, as was the intensity of the dark eyes that rarely left her face unless it was to scan over her figure—a fact she pretended not to notice even as heat flooded her skin—and the way he drew her closer to his body than was strictly necessary for a proper waltz. The latter greatly shattered her typical composure, and it was with some relief that she greeted the dance’s conclusion.

Now you have been introduced to a handful of the more colorful characters in Miss Darcy Falls in Love. There are a host of characters equally marvelous, but Sandy may balk at the length of this post if I talked about all of them! So, I am going to continue the analysis on other blogspots in the days to follow. Tomorrow I will be at Reviews By Molly talking about Georgiana Darcy, among others. Visit my website for the details and to learn more about all my novels.

Thanks for having me today, Sandy. I will be checking back for any comments and to say hi. One lucky commenter will receive a copy of Miss Darcy Falls in Love. (U.S. and Canada only, please) Good luck in the giveaway!

We’d like to thank Lisa Renee Jones for joining us recently, instigating a good discussion about book covers, an important issue in the process of publishing a book and buying one. Thanks for a fun day, Lisa!

And now to our winner, who will receive a goodie bag filled with books, some bath and body works Vampire Blood that Lisa swears you will love and any one of her backlist books she currently has in stock.

Mairee (#4) …. come on down!

Congrats! Send your snail mail address to lighthousetagger (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll pass it on to Lisa for you.

The hero of The Ruby Kiss is a nightstalker. In my Magic Knot fairy world, this means he is a black, human-sized fairy with wings, and a vampire! He has been a major secondary character in the first two books in the series, and he’s had a tough ride, so it was time I gave him his own happy ending.

When I wrote The Magic Knot, the first in my fairy series, I never intended Nightshade to play such a major part in the books. He started life as the villain’s sidekick, but as soon as he appeared on the page, he took on a life of his own. This scary winged man, who I’d intended to simply be a threat to the heroine, turned out to be far more than that. His tragic past gradually came out. He ended up changing sides and working with the hero and heroine to make up for the bad things he had done.

I received more emails from readers asking about Nightshade than about any of the other characters. His popularity surprised me!

He still had some issues to deal with in book two, The Phoenix Charm (he was in love with the hero!). But by the end of that story, he was ready to move on and find a heroine of his own.

When I first started dreaming up a heroine for Nightshade, I knew she had to be an unusual woman, a strong woman. He has always been attracted to strength and power, which is why he went after men. So Ruby is not your normal heroine. She is stubborn and feisty, and although she’s not your classic, kick-ass heroine, she is not afraid to stand up to the villains and tell them what she thinks of them and try to outwit them.

Ruby is Scottish, and in this installment of the series, the couple spends most of their time in the Scottish Unseelie fairy court. They get tangled up with the Seelie/Unseelie fairy court politics, and Ruby’s unrealized power makes her a desirable asset. This puts her right in the middle of the power struggle.

I had a lot of fun creating the Scottish fairy courts and the characters who populate them. The book draws on both Celtic and Norse mythology with a touch of Arabian in there as one of the main secondary characters is a djinn, who first appeared in The Phoenix Charm.

In The Ruby Kiss, Nightshade finally lays his demons to rest and realizes what it is he really needs to make him happy—and that is Ruby!

I love reading about all types of mythology, and I’ve drawn on Celtic and Norse mainly for The Ruby Kiss. That said, my favorite mythology to read about is that of India. The Hindu gods and the stories that surround them always fascinate me. I have pictures of Krishna over my desk for inspiration! Do you have a favorite mythology that always makes you pick up a book?

Leave Helen a meaningful comment or question and one lucky commenter will win a print or e-copy of The Ruby Kiss.

We have a special treat for you today – Grace Burrowes is here!

If you’ve not read any of Grace’s Windham family series yet, you really are missing some fun, emotional, and romantic reads. Her newest book in the series is The Virtuoso, and this is her most emotional book yet. These Windham brothers are very special, indeed.

Grace is a practicing attorney specializing in family law and lives in a restored log cabin in western Maryland without a TV, DVD or radio because she’s too busy working on her next books. Thank goodness, say her readers!

Two copies of The Virtuoso are being given away today, so be sure to leave a meaningful comment or question for Grace. US and Canada only, please.

Now let’s chat!

DUCK CHAT: Welcome, Grace! Thank you for joining us today. Let’s start off quirky. What’s the one thing even your most hard-core fans don’t know about you?

GRACE BURROWES: Thanks for inviting me! I’m always happy to talk about my books. As a kid I was afraid of nightcrawlers—hysterically, lock myself in the bathroom, afraid. My four brothers will note I use the past tense.

DC: If you could retire any interview question and never, ever have it asked again, what would it be? Feel free to answer it.

GB: “Where do you get your ideas?” is a tough one, because I don’t know the answer. Stuff occurs to me, usually three months after I needed it or three months before I realize what I ought to do with it. I read as widely as I can in the time periods I write about, and I’ve traveled to the UK when budget permits. Long drives (DC to San Diego and back) are good for pondering material in a sort of “screen saver” mode, and short walks help occasionally too.

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

GB: Every time I pull up my WIP and set my fingers to the keyboard, I’m hoping to be surprised. If I’m surprised, the reader might be as well, and that helps keep the pages turning.

DC: What is it that initially drew you to write historical romance?

GB: I’ve been reading romance, mostly historical romance, for almost forty years. It has been my guilty pleasure, my greatest consolation, my refuge. Historical romance has made me happy as a reader. It makes sense it would make me happy as a writer too—and it has!

DC: In moseying around your website, I discovered you went to law school and opened your own office for a while. What type of law did you go into? Do you still practice?

GB: I am in private practice in rural Maryland. While I do some family mediation, and the occasional custody case, the bulk of my practice is representing children in abuse and neglect proceedings, and indigent adults in public guardianship proceedings. It’s a wonderful way to be a lawyer, since much of the work is “problem-solving law.”

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

GB: I would not dare argue with them. I’m usually too busy begging them to tell me what their almighty external conflicts are, and why those conflicts are supposed to be ideal for getting us to the Happily Ever After. One of the Windham sisters has been holding out on me now for six months.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

GB: I blush to admit it, but the day job can feel like a distraction. I’ll spend most of the weekend, from sometime Friday until Monday mid-morning writing, writing, writing, and I would be happy to stay at it. Once I get to work I’m okay, but changing gears from Regency England or the Victorian Highlands to child welfare proceedings is hard.

DC: How do you feel your male or female characters have evolved over the course of your series so far? Do you think you write them differently now than you did when you first started?

GB: When I first started writing, my editor told me I was a hero-centric writer. This struck me as dead on, to the point that when it came time to write about the Windham sisters, I was a little daunted. If I’m less interested in the heroine’s journey, how can I be sure my readers won’t find the results boring?

But then I started on the sisters’ books, and they turned out to be more personal to me than the brothers’. The sisters’ issues resonate very strongly with me, and their books are turning out to be very sound efforts as a result.

DC: Would you tell our readers about your series, The Duke’s Obsession, and the Windham family in general and also let us know about how the series began, if it’s evolved as you originally envisioned, have there been any major changes along the way?

GB: When I started writing, I just started writing, no thought to whether I’d finish a book, a series, or ever get published. A few years later I had a personal slush pile of about twenty manuscripts, all of them related, like shoots from a common spider plant. My dear editor, Deb Werksman at Sourcebooks, had the challenge of selecting where to start and how to position the books. The Windham brothers (The Heir, The Soldier, The Virtuoso) had done well in contests, and The Heir read fairly well in draft, so we started there. Deb gave me the choice of trying to finish the family series by writing the sisters’ books or moving on to some of the prequels and spinoffs. We came up with Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish (Deb gets big props for shaping the plot and for having faith in me), and that went well enough that we steered in the direction of completing the family series.

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

GB: I’ve never done anything paranormal, though I’m a die-hard JR Ward fan, and I’ve never done an inspirational. All romance ought to be inspiring, but that’s not the same thing, is it?

DC: Which fictional character would you like to hang out with?

GB: WHAT a hard question! Do I want the pleasure of some pulchritudinous, gallant masculine company when I know his deepest affections are elsewhere engaged (because I wrote him an HEA), or should I go for some girl bonding, because those Windham sisters are such first rate ladies? Or maybe tea with Their Graces, just to bask in the presence of a true love that has matured for more than thirty years?

I’d choose to spend time with Lady Genevieve Windham. She’s the last Windham sibling to marry, the one everybody calls “sweet,” and she’s hiding some enormous problem from me that I must know if I’m to write her the happy ending she deserves with her artistic swain.

DC: The Virtuoso is now on bookstore shelves everywhere. Would you tell us about Val and Ellen and their story?

GB: Suzanne Brockmann, among many others (my editor), advises that the way to a wonderful book is to torture the hero without mercy. I knew Valentine Windham had found consolation, purpose and identity in his music. He believed it was the best of him, the thing that gave him value in the eyes of others…. So I took it from him. That was hard for me.

Ellen absolutely broke my heart, though. She sought solitude because it was the only way she could regain her sanity, and her courage was tremendous. I wasn’t sure where this book would go, but it ended up being a very satisfying story to write.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

GB: Hooboy! Cherish yourself.

DC: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

GB: I don’t google myself. The internet is real, but it isn’t reality. It can become like Harry Potter’s mirror, an endlessly fascinating obsession, and I don’t need or want that.

DC: What book would you like to read again for the first time?

GB: The one I have in revisions right now: Lady Louisa’s Christmas Knight. It’s hard to see with a fresh eye something that absorbed me for weeks on end.

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

GB: I dunno…. A cross between Great Expectations and Warrior Sheep.

DC: What would your “voice’s” tagline be?

GB: Beautiful love stores, beautifully written.

DC: We’ve been mentioning the ladies of this series, The Duke’s Daughters. Can you give us a look into this series and its characters and what readers can expect over the next year or so?

GB: These are the five daughters of Their Graces, the Duke and Duchess of Moreland. Their tales start with Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish, which is on shelves now. In May, we have Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal, and for next year’s holiday season, we’ll have, Lady Louisa’s Christmas Knight. Stories for Lady Eve and Lady Jenny are slated to come out in 2013… assuming Jenny will tell me what her perishing benighted problem is.

DC: What romance book would you recommend our readers pick up during their next bookstore run?

GB: If you can wait until November first, and you’ve already ordered your copy of The Virtuoso, pick up a copy of Joanna Bourne’s The Black Hawk. ANYTHING she writes is pure, sparkling gold. While you’re there pick up Kieran Kramer’s If You Give a Girl a Viscount. It’s a wonderful Regency read that will make you smile and reach for the tissues.

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

GB: Reading If You Give a Girl a Viscount, or heckling Julie Ann Long, Meredith Duran, Loretta Chase, Mary Balogh and Jennifer Ashley (among others) to write faster. I can’t pick on Carolyn Jewel because she’s pretty quick for a single mom with a full time job.

DC: What’s on the horizon for Grace Burrowes?

GB: We’ll launch a trilogy of Scottish Victorians next summer, and oh, the pleasure of researching those books! If readers enjoy reading them half as much as I enjoy writing them, they will be quite, quite well received.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?   -  dark

- smooth or chunky peanut butter?    – depends

- heels or flats?    – barefeet or my fave thick organic wool Maggie Moo socks

- coffee or tea?    -  Jasmine green tea with cream and agave nectar

- summer or winter?   – fall

- mountains or beach?     -  mountains

- mustard or mayonnaise?    – mustard (and butter)

- flowers or candy?     -  flowers… unless there’s really good German dark chocolate marzipan involved

- pockets or purse?    – pockets and um, décolletage

- Pepsi or Coke?    – can’t do the ‘feine so I’m stuck with weasel pee aka caffeine free diet colas

- ebook or print?    – both
And because we still enjoy the answers we get:

1. What is your favorite word?    – today my favorite word is parlous, which means perilous. One can have a financially parlous existence (according to the Earl of Westhaven) if the ducal finances remain in the ducal mitts.

2. What is your least favorite word?     – whatever

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – love and solitude, which ought not to make sense, but to me it does, abundant thinking

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – spending too much time around people, even people I love; close mindedness; scarcity thinking

5. What sound or noise do you love?    – So many… the stream by my house on a summer night, crickets, the wind in the pines, horses chewing hay on a winter night, my bull mastiff drinking out of the potty, men singing in close harmony unaccompanied, Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini,” my family and friends calling to say hi…

6. What sound or noise do you hate?    – The silence of those entitled to cry their hearts out

7. What is your favorite curse word?     -  I’m in a “perishing bloody benighted” phase at present.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?     – I’d like to work for Penhaligon’s making scents in the UK.

9. What profession would you not like to do?    – Accounting. Just do not have the gene for it!

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?    – “Welcome home, and congratulations on a long life honorably lived. Your family is waiting to greet you, but first, may I introduce you to Their Graces, the Duke and Duchess of Moreland, and their entire family?”

DC: Thank you so much for being with us today, Grace! It was an absolute pleasure.

Today we have Amanda Forester with us to celebrate her latest release, The Highlander’s Heart. If you’re one of those who love alphas who wear kilts, well, you should probably check out Amanda’s series!

This is her debut series, and so far the fans are loving her stories. So let’s get to know Amanda a little bit more. We have some fun in store for you today!

Let’s chat.

DUCK CHAT: Welcome to The Good, the Bad and the Unread, Amanda. We’re so glad to have you with us today.  Instead of the usual tell-about-us-about-yourself question, how about giving us that one tidbit even your most die-hard fans don’t know?

AMANDA FORESTER: Thank you for inviting me to chat today!  You ask a very interesting question.  One random fact about me is that when I was in seminary, I joined a brew club and made homemade beer.  I loved the smell brewing mash.  Trouble is, I don’t actually drink beer.  So I’d make tons of beer and then I’d need to give it all away.  I was very popular for a while.

DC: I’ve heard writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes?

AF: One day I wrote the line, “It was entirely possible that sneaking out of the castle in an old pickle barrel was not among her wisest decisions.”  I had no idea why Isabelle was in a pickle barrel, and I had to write the scene to figure out what happened.  Sometimes it’s the characters who are in control!

DC: What is it that originally tempted you to write Scottish historicals?

AF: Men in kilts.  Need I say more?

DC: Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Who usually wins?

AF: I tried to kill off a character once, but he refused to die.  I really needed him to die for the plot, but he wouldn’t let me do it.  So I hit him over the head and put him in a coma.  Still he wouldn’t die.  By the end of the book he had made a full recovery.

DC: What is sure to distract you from sitting down and working/writing?

AF: Anything.  Everything.  The hardest part of writing is simply sitting down in front of the computer.  And then there’s twitter…

DC: Your debut book, The Highlander’s Sword, was a hit with readers. Would you tell our readers about that story and its hero and heroine?

AF: Swept up in the turmoil of 14th century Scotland, Lady Aila Graham is destined for the convent until her brother’s death leaves her an heiress.  Soon she is caught in the conflict between the hastily arranged marriage with a Highland warrior, the Abbot’s insistence that she take her vows, and the traitor from within who betrays them all.  Padyn MacLaren, a battle-hardened knight, returns home to the Highlands after years of fighting the English in France.  Arriving with only a band of landless knights and war-weary soldiers, MacLaren finds not a hero’s welcome, but his land pillaged and his clan scattered.  Determined to restore his clan, he sees Aila’s fortune as the answer to his problems.  Yet this outwardly shy lass is nothing he expected and everything he needs.

DC: Is there a genre you haven’t tackled but would like to try?

AF: When I first sat down to write a novel, I intended to write a Regency.  I studied the age of Jane Austen and felt prepared to write a Regency romance.  Somehow I ended up in medieval Scotland.  Not sure how that happened, but someday I’d like to visit the Regency again.

DC: Which fictional character would you like to hang out with?

AF: Mr. Darcy.  And he better look like Colin Firth.

DC: What advice would you give to your younger self?

AF: Stop worrying about meeting the right guy, you will.  Now go and read a good book.

DC: The Highlander’s Heart is your current book and hit the shelves November 1. Can you give us a look into Laird Campbell and Lady Isabelle’s world?

AF: The story is set in tumultuous 1355, with rising hostility between England and Scotland.  England holds the king of Scots hostage, and the Hundred Year’s War is beginning in France.  Lady Isabelle escapes her murderous English husband only to be abducted by a Highland warrior and held for ransom.  Her determination to break free from captivity is exceeded only by the passion growing between her and the Highland Laird.  David Campbell plans to hold Isabelle for ransom as an easy way to line his pockets and return her back where she belongs, but he is unprepared for a feisty English lass with a penchant for finding trouble.  Caught between rival clans bent on claiming the throne of Scotland, Campbell must choose a side, and a bride.  Standing on the brink of war, Isabelle may be his only hope to save his clan, and his heart.

DC: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever learned by Googling your name?

AF: Apparently there is also an Amanda Forester who is a coach.  I get her google alerts every so often and I like to cheer her on!

DC: What book would you like to read again for the first time?

AF: Pride and Prejudice.  Love that book!

DC: If you were a book, what would your blurb be?

AF: She had a slow start, but it got pretty exciting in the middle.  The end?  Why happily ever after of course!

DC: What would your “voice’s” tagline be?

AF: Adventure romance with a spark of humor.

DC: What romance book would you recommend our readers pick up during their next bookstore run?

AF: There are so many, but I love escaping into a Georgette Heyer novel.  I love that they re-released all her titles!

DC: If you had never become an author, what do you think you would be doing right now?

AF: Getting a lot more sleep.

DC: What’s on the horizon for Amanda Forester?

AF: This March will see the release of my third Highlander book, True Highland Spirit.  This book continues the story through the war between England and Scotland in 1356 and has my feistiest heroine yet in Morigan McNab.

Lightning Round:

- dark or milk chocolate?     – dark

- smooth or chunky peanut butter?     – chunky

- heels or flats?     – flats

- coffee or tea?    – tea

- summer or winter?     – winter

- mountains or beach?     – beach

- mustard or mayonnaise?     – mustard

- flowers or candy?     – candy

- pockets or purse?     – pockets

- Pepsi or Coke?    – Coke

- ebook or print?    – print

And because we still enjoy the answers we get:

1. What is your favorite word?     – peace

2. What is your least favorite word?     – deadline

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?    – music, a nice walk, a warm hug, a good book

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?     – stress

5. What sound or noise do you love?     – a baby’s laugh

6. What sound or noise do you hate?     – the alarm clock

7. What is your favorite curse word?    – dang

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?    – chocolate tester

9. What profession would you not like to do?    – anything to do with heights

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?    – “Come on in!”

DC: Thank you so much for being with us today, Amanda! It was absolutely enjoyable.

A fun day was had by all when Caroline Fyffe joined us to talk about finding love and romance in the old wild west way. Thanks for joining us, Caroline.

And now for our winners!

ClaudiaGC (#13) will receive a copy of Montana Dawn

and

Sandy Blair (#20) gets a copy of Texas Twilight

Congratulations, ladies! Please send your snail mail addresses to lighthousetagger (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll send all along to Caroline for you!

Our thanks to Tawna Fenske for taking time to Duck Chat with us, sharing her sense of humor and making us laugh. It was a very enjoyable day!

And now for our winners who will receive a copy of Tawna’s Making Waves:

Quilt Lady (#1)

and

Maureen (#4)

Congrats, ladies! You’re going to have great fun with this book.

Send your snail mail address to lighthousetagger (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll send your info on to get your books on their way to you!

Writers really have no say in our covers. Readers are always shocked to hear that. Of course, indie publishing is changing that, and I know I feel the pressure of getting it right. I don’t envy the big publishers trying to nail down the PERFECT quality to sell a book. Sigh…Oh, those stroking covers that make us pick up a book!

I’ve tried to figure out what it is that draws me to certain covers, and though I’ve read stats that say naked male chests sell books, I’m not always drawn to those. There is some other quality that draws me. I mean – look at Twilight. There is no hot man on those covers – not the originals – but they spoke to people in some other amazing way.

With a new book out – The Storm that is Sterling – I am, of course, hoping my cover helps draw readers to pick it up from the shelf.  Interestingly, I’ve read that the color RED is a big plus. People are drawn to it. Oddly, almost every cover I had for my first six plus NY releases were red. Even with Nocturne, when other people got different colors – I was red.  Even anthologies I was in ended up with RED covers! It was kind of crazy.

The Storm that is Sterlng is my first blue cover and Damion my first purple. I’ve been writing books for years and finally I have new colors. I’m actually excited about that.

So I’m curious about what you like or dislike about a cover.

What makes you take a look, even if you don’t know the author?

What makes you ignore the book?

And, finally, has online buying changed what you look for at all? I’m shocked at some of the horrible covers on some top selling indie books! What is it that is making the readers find those books and buy them despite the cover? Then  I see striking covers on books that aren’t selling.

I’d love to hear your answers!  Just answer one or more of the questions or add whatever comment you have about covers to enter to win a goodie bag filled with books, some bath and body works Vampire Blood that you will love — so cute! — and any one of my backlist books I have in stock.

Added bonus!!  If you tweet or facebook about Sterling today, I’ll send you a copy of any of my ebooks you like!

I’m extremely happy to be back here at The Good, The Bad and the Unread!  Thank you for having me.

It’s been a little over a year since my last visit, when I had the opportunity to introduce your readers to Luke and Faith’s story in Montana Dawn.  I’m delighted to have this time again to acquaint them now with Book 2 of the McCutcheon Family Series—Texas Twilight.

Last year I described my books as “Lonesome Dove and 3:10 to Yuma” meets “Little House on the Prairie,” and I still hold by that.  But, as I began to plot out the story behind Texas Twilight, the DVD I had in my workout room actually was 3:10 to Yuma.  I must have watched the opening at least twenty times, where the stage coach is attacked by the hunky bad guy, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe).  Even playing a hardened, cold-blooded killer, Russell Crowe is just too gorgeous. He’s known for many, many, many aspects….you all know what I’m talking about!  And it’s not his Beautiful Mind!  LOL

Anyway, moving on, I decided I just had to have a stagecoach attack scene in my new book, preferably in the beginning.  One that would throw my hero, John McCutcheon, together with the woman who will become the love of his life.  Lily Anthony is a pretty and young German immigrant traveling to Rio Wells with her Tante (that’s aunt in German) to open up a seamstress business.  She’s read all about outlaws and cowboys—in dime novels, of course.  She learns the hard way the real thing is much more exciting….

I’m giving away a copy of Montana Dawn and Texas Twilight to two different commenters.  Just say hello, or, if you’re willing, tell us how you met your significant other.  I’m sure it’s just as exciting as a rollicking ride on a stagecoach.

We’d like to thank Helen Scott Taylor for spending the day with us recently and giving us a terrific topic to think about with her Guest Blog. It was a fun time for all!

And now for our winner of an e-copy of Helen’s latest release, A Clockwork Fairytale. Drumroll, please!

Pamk (#1)

Congratulations, Pamk!

Please send a valid email address to lighthousetagger (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll get in touch with Helen for you!

Anytime a person puts words on paper for others to read, words to be devoured by thousands, then this person/writer is offered a huge opportunity to offer insights to the reader.  As a writer, I like to think I provide my readers with something besides entertainment.  It’s not as if I want to actually teach, or preach to my audience, but if I can add some bits of wisdom that my readers can pick up by osmosis, I believe it adds value to my work.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I purposely come up with these consequential lessons to layer into my stories.  Nope, they just happen.  Sort of like little lessons happen in life.  Most of the time, it’s not until after I finish a book that I even notice these bits of wisdom and their value that are peppered throughout my stories.  But since they are there, it suddenly occurred to me that I should bank on them.  Use them to tempt my readers to pick up a Christie Craig book.    Because let’s face it, not only am I offering entertainment, but I’m offering education.  And it’s painless, not like algebra or anything, you won’t even realize you’ve been educated.

So here goes.  I’ve come up with five things that you’ll learn in Don’t Mess with Texas.  And believe me when I tell you, there are many more life lessons to be found in this book.

1. Never, ever feed a dog broccoli.

Poor Dallas O’Connor, my hero, learns this lesson during a very inopportune time.  Think: first make-out session with the very hot and sexy Nikki Hunt.  What’s even worse is that at first, Nikki blames Dallas for the obnoxious smell.

2. Don’t ever joke about killing your ex . . . especially in front of witnesses.

To be honest, Nikki wasn’t really even joking.  But come on, she was just blowing off some steam.  She couldn’t hurt anyone.  The woman uses no-kill traps for the rats that think her art gallery is a haven.  Needless to say, when you have two people willing to testify that you said you were going to kill your ex, and then his body is found in the trunk of your car, it doesn’t look good.

3. In the right situation, vomiting on someone can endear them to you.

Hey…it worked for Nikki.  Seriously, when she lost her cookies all over the Dallas’s Reeboks, she was pretty certain he wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her.  But when she went ahead and lost a second serving of cookies on his chest, she was surprised he didn’t belt her.  But oh, no, that just made him more determined to prove her innocent.  And right after he took a shower, he started working on that.

4. Bed bugs are nasty little creatures, but they can come in handy when trying to get someone to fall back in love with you.

Tony O’Connor, Dallas’s brother, and a secondary hero in Don’t Mess With Texas, has a problem.  Nine months ago he and his wife had a serious and heartfelt life crisis.  The pain of it broke their hearts and tore them apart.  He wants her back.  She says she wants a divorce.  But Tony can’t give up that easy.  If she’d just spend some time with him, he knows he could seduce her back into his life and bed.  He needs a good reason why he must move back home with her and he needs one fast.  And bed bugs just happen to be the first thing that pops in his head.

5. Love is fun and exhilarating and can make you laugh so hard you pee in your pants, but it can also make you feel as though a pit bull just used your heart as a chew toy.

I’m a firm believer that love should be fun.  And when I’m having fun, I laugh.  So I make sure that my characters’ journey into love involves a lot of laughter both for them and for my readers.  Ahh, but like most good romance novels, there are always those scenes that yank on your heartstrings.  And Don’t Mess With Texas will take you from laughter to possibly even a tear or two.

In all Christie Craig books you’ll find the motto that I, and my characters, live by.  If you can laugh at it, you can live with it.  Happy Reading.  And now I’m going to ask you guys.  What life lessons do you learn by reading romance novels?

[Ed. Christie is offering a giveaway today, prize to be announced - surprise! So leave a meaningful question or comment for her to be in the running!]

Entangled: How It Ended

This anthology was a gift for me.  I already counted several of the authors involved on this project as friends and knew the quality of their work. That all proceeds were going to breast cancer research was a huge draw for me.  Both my mother and my aunt are breast cancer survivors.  As I age, I look at my daughter and wonder if we will both travel that same path.  There needs to be better options if not for me, then for her – and it takes money to find them. Joining the anthology was a great way to contribute.

I had little to do with the beginning or even during the middle of the process of pulling this anthology together, except to write Sian’s Solution! Edie Ramer and Misty Evans did a wonderful job taking this anthology forward on their own.

It’s only after I turned in my short story that I realized there were other ways that I could help.  Formatting the short stories is one thing – and I’m grateful for Lori Devoti’s help in getting through that stage, but converting this anthology into Kindle and epub formats is another issue altogether.  I, with my son’s help, took that process on and helped Edie through the account creation and uploading issues that always seem to crop up last minute. But we did it!  Entangled went live on time!

It looks great, the stories are fantastic and for $2.99, it’s a great value.  I’m proud to be a part of something this special.  A huge thanks from me to everyone who took part.  Although I titled this post How It Ended, in truth – this is just the beginning!

Entangled: Why This Anthology Matters to Me

I was thrilled when I was asked to participate in this anthology.  I have such a personal stake in a cure for cancer being found.  I’ve been fighting the GCB (Great Cancer Battle) for more than fifteen years.  I was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, and after a mastectomy and chemo I enjoyed nearly seven years of being cancer free.  In 2002, it returned in my hip.  It has since metastasized to my back, my skull, and my liver.  Since that time, I’ve undergone radiation and have been pretty much under chemotherapy for the past eight years.  I’ve lost my hair four times, my cookies once, but never lost my sense of humor.

I’m a huge believer that attitude will get you through most anything.  I had my moments of pity, but determined that twenty minutes of feeling sorry for yourself is quite long enough and flung myself into the GCB.

I just recently got the news that the current chemo that I’m on is ineffective and will be starting yet another.  That makes about eight different chemos in the past year … and yes, I’ll be losing my hair once again.

So, as you can see, myself and millions of other women and men can only benefit from the money raised in this anthology.  Entangled represents hope for me.  The fact that so many wonderful authors came together to participate in this project only demonstrates their generosity.  It seems like no matter who you talk to, that person has been touched by cancer in some way, shape, or form.  Whether breast cancer, ovarian cancer, liver, or pancreatic … everyone knows someone, is related to someone, or is undergoing the GCB themselves.

I’d love for this rat-bastard disease to be eradicated in my lifetime. That can only happen through the efforts of people like these wonderful authors who participated in Entangled.

Entangled: How It Began

Our anthology started last April with a casual mention to Misty Evans in an email that I’d like to do an anthology. I didn’t mean right now. I was thinking some day. Misty emailed me back and said, “Let’s do it!” I said,”Okay.” After that, it all came together in a few emails. We both write paranormal romance, so paranormal was a given. I’m a breast cancer survivor and a close friend of mine is in a battle with it, so that was another given. Because October is Breast Cancer Month, Misty chose the Halloween theme to unify the stories. Then we started sending out invites. To our absolute joy, almost everyone we asked said yes.

What’s amazing to me is how smoothly this went. As I received the stories, one after another they all wowed me. The only hair-pulling problem we had was with formatting, and that was because of incompatible computers. (Who knew that could happen?) Lori Devoti ended up formatting the book twice. And Laura Morrigan created the gorgeous cover that almost everyone comments on. I feel as if this book was blessed.

I do think that what we’re doing is going to make a difference. And I know that people will enjoy the stories. For only $2.99, readers will get ten amazing stories and one fantastic novella. And they get to help cure cancer. I feel so proud of this, and so grateful to the other writers, to Lori Devoti and Laura Morrigan, and to everyone who’s helping to get the word out.

Follow Your Heart

Thank you to Sandy for inviting me here to share some thoughts about my new book with you today.

I love reading books where the hero or heroine–and for some reason it is mostly the hero–has to make a tough choice between doing what he believes is his duty, often putting the heroine in danger, and following his heart. I enjoy watching characters step outside their comfort zone, go against everything they thought they knew, and find their own way in life. It is far harder to make decisions for oneself, go against one’s elders or superiors and incur their anger, than to hide behind the mask of duty.

The fantasy world I created for A Clockwork Fairytale is similar to Victorian times with a dose of magic and steampunk thrown in, so the young hero and heroine, Turk and Melba, have to deal with situations that today’s teens don’t experience. But they both still feel a duty to the adults in their lives. In Turk’s case, his master is the Primate of the Shining Brotherhood, leader of a group of magical monks. Turk’s duty is not simply to show respect and act responsibly; he is bound by his monk’s vows, his duty to use his Earth Magic morally, and the expectations of his master.

But although he feels a strong sense of duty to his master, the Primate holds beliefs and prejudices forged from his own life experience. These beliefs are not necessarily right and prove not to be the best way forward for Turk. He is initially dedicated to his master, his obligations and his beliefs, but he starts to question his master’s principles when he is expected to do things he considers unethical. Turk resists Melba’s influence, his temptation to follow his heart, but when he finally does, it takes him in a direction that will change his life forever.

The heroine Melba also has her beliefs about self and her place in the world radically challenged when she discovers she is not who she thought she was. I think we all go through this process to a certain extent. We start life with one persona—daughter, son, sister, brother—that we are familiar and usually comfortable with, but, as we grow up, we become more aware of the world around us and where we fit.

In our society we have the freedom to follow our hearts to find our place in the world. But, lucky for us, we don’t all have to go through the trials that Melba and Turk do before we get there.

[Ed. Helen is giving away to e-copies of her new release, A Clockwork Fairytale, so be sure to chime in on her blog today!]

We’d like to thank Sandy Blair for spending the day with us recently, opening a discussion for those of us addicted to historical romance. There’s a few of you out there!

And now our winner of an e-copy of Sandy’s new book, The King’s Mistress.

Sally Felt (#4) you’re the lucky one!

Congratulations!

Please send a valid email address to lighthousetagger at gmail dot com and we’ll get your e-copy to you!

Thanks to all of you who stopped by to chat with us about old Mr. Sun giving us too much heat and what you do to combat the summer doldrums. We had a lot of fun reading all of your responses.

And now to our winner of that terrific stack of books:

A Wicked Lord at the Wedding by Jillian Hunter
The Wicked Duke Takes a Wife by Jillian Hunter
A Duke’s Temptation by Jillian Hunter
To Tame a Dangerous Lord by Nicole Jordan
To Desire a Wicked Duke by Nicole Jordan
Wicked Little Game by Christine Wells
Sweetest Little Sin by Christine Wells
In Bed with the Duke by Christina Dodd
Taken by the Prince by Christina Dodd
Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right by Kieran Kramer
Cloudy with a Chance of Marriage by Kieran Kramer

And that is:

Ashley J (#2)

Congrats, Ashley! Send your snail mail address to lighthousetagger at gmail dot com and we’ll get your books in the mail to you!