I have never heard of “The Friday 56″ but Shiloh Walker has her ‘Friday 56′ post up (looks like she does it every Friday).  Please go check it out and comment if she gets 56 comments she is donating to help Queensland floods.  She also asks:

“Also, if anybody-like one of my Aussie or New Zealand readers- know about a reliable charity that takes PayPal donations, please tell me-I do reserve the right to change the recipient of the donation-it will still be one located in Australia dealing with disaster relief. PayPal would make this international thing verra simple.”

Now on to my Friday 56:googling it looks like Frieda from Frieda’s Voice is the ‘host’ do correct me if I am wrong (I never do memishthings so have no clue how this works)

da rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it here.

“Goodness, Harrison, I don’t dislike you. I believe, as Charles did, that you have a great deal of potential if you would only get that very large stick out of your —-”

The Perfect Mistress by Victoria Alexander… Feb release but it looks like it is already out.  It is her first book with (back with?) Zebra.

And a book soon to be on the way to Sandy M, now back to packing books for reviewers and updating the spreadsheet… yay me

When anyone asks me what I am waiting for, there is really only one book that I immediately think of. I am pretty blinded to anything else, so I had to look at what’s coming out. These are what I found, which I mostly knew about, but they just got shoved into the back of my mind.

Lover Unleashed by J. R. Ward

I don’t think anyone else could write a world like this and get away with it.

The Darkest Secret and Dark Taste of Rapture by Gena Showalter

I love her books. I can’t say I’ve ever read one I didn’t like. She is an auto buy for me, no matter what the book is.

The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

I’m really looking forward to all her books that are coming out this year.  I love her Gardella Chronicles books, so I am excited for this one.

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

Every April, it’s not spring that I am looking forward to, it’s Harry Dresden! My favorite Urban Fantasy man will be back again and I so cannot wait. This is my 2nd most wanted book this year.

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

This is the book I have been waiting years and years for! Hawke is just….well, words cannot describe how badly I want this book right now. I don’t think I have ever been so anxious for a book that wasn’t Harry Potter.

Naked City anthology

Jim Butcher and Patricia Briggs, it doesn’t get much better than them in urban fantasy.

Hidden Away by Maya Banks

I think this is my favorite contemporary series. Maya Banks knows how to write amazing emotional love stories.

I am going to stop here, there are so many books coming out this year, this list could be pages long.

I always have such a hard time pulling out the books I really like from a previous year. Yes, there’s too many, but it’s also difficult because sometimes you can’t choose because you can’t compare books in different genres. Though I read mostly historical and paranormal, I also enjoy contemps and romantic suspense a lot. Thus, I poured over my entire 2010 review list, chose those that I really loved, and then the difficulty began in whittling it down. My biggest hurdle is books from a series, if an author released more than one book in the year. Sometimes one of many stood out. Sometimes I couldn’t choose one over the other and sometimes I could. In that case, I’ve cheated and listed all the books I loved in that series.     It’s my list and I can do what I want!

So here they are:

10.  The Taming of the Wolf by Lydia Dare

While I’ve so far enjoyed all of the books in this series, it’s the hero, Dashiel, who stole my heart and has ended up my favorite of the series. Lydia Dare has stayed true to her characters and given readers solid, consistent, and intriguing stories. See my TTotW review here.

9.   Lessons From a Scarlet Lady by Emma Wildes

As I said in in my review of this book, it’s a breath of fresh air. Emma Wildes writes a terrific couple who I loved to read about. They kept my interest the entire book, and I wanted more of them when I was done reading. I’m a new fan for sure.

8.   Broken by Shiloh Walker

It would be surprising to me if a Shiloh Walker book didn’t make my Top 10. She’s become a favorite very quickly and she’s never once disappointed me. Though I also enjoyed Fragile, it was Quinn who caught my interest and I anxiously awaited his story. I love a broken, tortured hero and Quinn fit the bill to a T. Read about him here.

7. The Fire Lord’s Lover by Kathryne Kennedy

I became a huge fan of Kathryne Kennedy from the first book of her Relics of Merlin series and was really disappointed when I found she’s not been able to write more it at this point in time. But with her imagination, I shouldn’t have worried at all. Ms. Kennedy has given us another series that is simply awesome. The Fire Lord’s Lover is a perfect start and I can’t wait for more. My review is here.

6.  Raising Kane by Lorelei James – Shoulda Been a Cowboy, Cowgirls Don’t Cry & Slow Ride short story

I can never get enough of Lorelei James. Her stories are real, as are her characters. She doesn’t pretty up a book if tragedy is called for, and in doing so she tugs so hard on your heartstrings it ain’t funny. Her cowboys walk the walk and talk the talk. Her love scenes range from intense and raw to fun and lighthearted. You get everything in a Lorelei James book. Every book she released in 2010 is a Top 10, but Raising Kane is my fave. See my RK review here.

5.   Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman by Lorraine Heath

Lorraine Heath has been a favorite of mine since I read her Texas trilogy and nothing changed when I read her first Regency. She’s simply and truly wonderful. I loved this entire London’s Greatest Lovers trilogy, but it’s Stephen’s story that I really remember. I had my doubts about him, as I said in my review, but he turned out to be one of those heroes you’ll never, ever forget.

4.   Moon Craving by Lucy Monroe

You know those books you wait for? And wait for? Forever, it seems? Moon Craving is one of those for me. I fell in love with Lucy Monroe’s werewolves in her first book, Moon Awakening, in her Children of the Moon series, and I wanted more. But it took a few years for that next one. The wait was worth it, however. Another terrific story for Monroe and paranormal fans. Read my review here.

3.   The Darkest Hour by Maya Banks – No Place to Run

I have so fallen in love with the Kelly Family in Maya Banks’ KGI series. Especially those Kelly boys. They’re alpha and yummy and they still obey their parents. And they fall hard when they find their heroines. So, hell, what’s not to love?? Read about those Kelly boys here.

2.   Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh – Play of Passion & Blaze of Memory

Nalini Singh is one of those authors who you’re going to love no matter what she puts on the page. I can’t imagine anyone arguing with that, if they’ve read any of her books. Bonds of Justice takes the No. 1 spot – by a very narrow margin over Play of Passion – for me of her books in 2010 because I sobbed reading this book. I very, very rarely cry when reading. It takes something so very special for me shed a tear while reading, but when it happens, I remember it. So due to my full-out sobbing near the end of BoJ, I’ll never forget Max and Sophia. Read my review about them here.

Now for my No 1. pick, I couldn’t decide between these two books, so they’re co-winners. They win not only for the story, the worlds the authors have created, but also for the beautiful, lyrical, haunting writing these authors possess. It takes an awesome author to be able to keep momentum and creativity and imagination in a series going, to make the next book better than the last. Both of these authors have those things down pat. I never have to hope the next book will disappoint me because it won’t be as good as the first or the one just prior. I know the next book will be even better.

1.  Haunting Warrior by Erin Quinn & Crown of Crystal Flame by C.L. Wilson

Erin Quinn’s Haunting series is just that, haunting. In storyline. In characters. In writing. Absolutely stunning all the way around. I am breathlessly waiting for the next installment this April. I will have myself locked in my room until that book is finished.

C.L. Wilson’s Tairen Soul series was a treat and a treasure to read. This last installment brought everything together for an absolutely stunning ending that left readers gasping. The way this woman strings words together is just amazing. I’m sad this series is now complete, but readers of the series know that their favorite characters will be featured in future books. That’s worth waiting for.

Notice I used “absolutely stunning” for each of these authors. Wasn’t a mistake. Completely intentional. Cuz it just is.

Because I had a huge list picked out before I cut it down to my Top 10, I do want to give mention to those that just barely missed the cut.  So here are my Honorable Mentions in no particular order :

Drink of Me & Stealing Kathryn by Jacquelyn Frank – An imagination that is just awesome!

Shadows at Midnight by Elizabeth Jennings – I know Ash didn’t care for this one, but it’s on my keeper shelf!

Taming the Highland Bride & The Hellion and the Highlander by Lynsay Sands – I love Lynsay Sands! I need to start reading her vamps…

Legend of the White Wolf, Seduced by the Wolf & Wolf Fever by Terry Spear – Yuuuuuuuuuuumy werewolves!

A Highlander’s Homecoming by Melissa Mayhue – Time travel. Scottish Highlanders. One of the best at both!

Marked & Entwined by Elisabeth Naughton – Zodiac warriors to die for! Also try her Stolen series.

Naked Edge by Pamela Clare – Hawt love scenes! Oh, and a great mystery and thrilling suspense too!

A Kiss to Kill by Nina Bruhns – Oh my! I want more, more, more!

Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann – I love her romances within a romance. And I love this cowboy!

The Chief by Monica McCarty – I love this concept of Highlander Special Ops! Fun, intense, and so romantic!

Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison – Debut author done good. Terrific and dark!

Shut Up & Kiss Me by Christie Craig – Only humorous book on my list. There’s a reason for that. She’s one of the very best!

Destined to Last by Alyssa Johnson – Beautifully written with such engaging characters. Can’t wait to see what she does next!

The Treasure Keeper by Shana Abe – Dragons! ‘Nuff said.

And even I have a few books that didn’t make the grade for me in 2010. Mikey really doesn’t like everything!

4.   Mad, Bad and Blonde by Cathie Linz

Waaaaaaaaaay too much snipping and sniping and insulting going on between the hero and heroine for me. It went on and on. And on. And on. And on. And that’s too bad because the first part of the book is good. Right up until the heroine went blonde. See my review here.

3.    Time Storm by Samanta Winston

Sigh. Even the time travel didn’t help this book. We only get to know the characters through their fucking. Pirates and danger and all that goes with it was okay, as was the time travel, but it just wasn’t put together to keep my interest. I remember being glad it’s a short story. My review can be read here.

2.   Tomorrow is Another Day novella by Sandra Hill in the Ladies Prefer Rogues anthology

Even the play on Gone with the Wind didn’t save this novella. The characters didn’t work for me either all because of their attitudes. At least the time travel element worked. Guess I should be grateful for that. My review is here.

1.   Passionate Pleasures by Bertrice Small

This book is just a mess all the way around. The characters are likable but that’s about it. It felt like Ms. Small just tried too hard to write erotic romance. I think her niche is historicals and she should stick with that. You can read my review here.

Romance Writers of America ended their week-long conference in Orlando with laughter, tears, and love, all emotions that these authors and friends use to create their compelling romantic novels, which ultimately led them to be nominated for RWA’s Golden Heart and RITA Awards.

Everyone knows romance authors have a way with words of love, grief, vulnerability and anxiety, happiness, sadness, and, of course, romance, but who knew they’re capable of rocking a room with laughter??

From light chuckles to roaring out-loud guffaws to a few unexpected tears, the 2010 Golden Heart and RITA winners gave conference attendees a night to remember for months to come. Most joked they appreciate the fact their husbands and children have learned over the years to leave the family writer alone as they work their magic, while one winner tugged her hero husband onto the stage with her to show her love and appreciation for his support to the audience.  And there were plenty of tears of joy and triumph shed by winners during their acceptance speeches.

Even emcee Sabrina Jeffries contributed to the fun with her running dialogue and attempts to heist one of Nora Roberts’ numerous RITA statuettes, lamenting the romance queen will never miss the loss of one of her golden beauties.

Here is a list of the 2010 RITA and Golden Heart winners:

RITA Award:

Best Young Adult Romance – Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Best Inspirational Romance – The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander

Best Novel With Strong Romantic Elements – The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal

Best Romance Novella – The Christmas Eve Promise in The Night Before Christmas by Molly O’Keefe

Best Contemporary Series Romance – A Not-So-Perfect Past by Beth Andrews

Best Contemporary Series Romance Suspense/Adventure – The Soldier’s Secret Daughter by Cindy Dees

Best Historical Romance – Not Quite A Husband by Sherry Thomas

Best Regency Historical Romance – What Happens In London by Julia Quinn (Julia Quinn was also inducted into RWA’s Hall of Fame for winning three RITAs in the same genre category)

Best Paranormal Romance – Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole

Best Romantic Suspense – Whisper of Warning by Laura Griffin

Best First Book – One Scream Away by Kate Brady

Best Contemporary Single Title Romance – Too Good To Be True by Kristin Higgins

GOLDEN HEART:

Best Young Adult Manuscript – Unchosen by Erica O’Rourke

Best Inspirational Manuscript – Unforgiven by CJ Eerniss Chase

Best Novel With Strong Romantic Elements Manuscript – A Place At The Table by Patricia O’Dea Rosen

Best Contemporary Series Romance Manuscript – Fake Fiancee, Real Love by Cat Shield

Best Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure Manuscript – See Jane Run by Angela Platt

Best Historical Manuscript – Between Heaven and Hell by Jacqui Nelson

Best Regency Historical Manuscript - A Most Improper Gentleman by Elisa Beatty

Best Paranormal Romance Manuscript – Bloodborn: Book One in the Light Blade Series by Kylie Griffin

Best Romantic Suspense Manuscript – The Yard Man by G. Jillian Stone

Best Contemporary Single Title Manuscript – Songbird by Lizbeth Selvig

My thoughts on RomCon are all over the place. If you want an extremely detailed minute by minute playbook, this is not where you’ll get that. RomCon? Well, I’d do it again. I’ve never been to any conferences/conventions before 2010, but this year I’ve hit up RT, Lori Foster’s get together, and now RomCon. I think of the three, RomCon was my favorite. It just has more. (I really enjoyed Lori Foster’s get together, and I have to say RT was my least favorite.)

Incidentally, most of the pictures have nothing to do with my rants – I just needed somewhere to put them. So for the second one there, I have nothing but nice things to say about Nalini Singh et al. Also, I’m not in any of these pictures, in case you were Lime hunting.

Straight off the bat, however, I vehemently, 100%, completely, cannot tell you how much I disagree with people saying there were too many authors. [I cannot help but say this snarky thing: apparently there was a lounge for authors. Well, maybe if there hadn't been one, or if authors didn't go to it, they would've been out there mingling with readers. Not to say there wasn't enough of that. But I mean, hello. If you're going to be in an author only room, of course it's going to seem like all authors and not enough readers. And that's my snarky bit. I of course understand that authors who went to the lounge weren't there the whole time and a lot of them did interact with readers and I pretty much saw every author I wanted to.] Did I get enough time with each and every one? No. And guess what? If more more more more more readers go we’re not going to be able to interact with the authors at all.

And on a different note, there were a lot lot lot of scheduled conflicts. Like a lot. I don’t know if I can stress this enough. The conference is short – something like 48 hours, and you know sixteen of those hours are allotted for sleeping. It depended on what event you were going to. For example, the teas were filled with what looked like  60 people.  Likely most readers. At the same time there were intimate chats with authors, which generally had 10-15 readers in the room. The teas and intimate chats being the “coveted events” as they were ticketed, all other panels I’m sure had less people, and it made it appear as if there were no readers. Well, based on what I observed, say during the day 150 readers were at “closed” events and the remaining were sleeping, meeting with people, or otherwise attending one of 2-4 scheduled panels. Yes, I can see how it seemed that readers were thin on the ground. However, I don’t think that’s the case and really really really hope the numbers don’t shift too much. (And here’s more snark – come on now authors. Do you really need that much more of a rockstar feel?)

Some of us were discussing – readers do talk to each other. Yes some people don’t know about the online community, but that seems to be the exception to the rule these days. And you know – maybe we’re just not that interesting. I don’t know. I feel completely fulfilled without going to conferences in my book talk and gushing. That’s what blogs, twitter, chat, texting, and phones are for.

So that’s my rant. Sure, let the conference get bigger. But don’t limit the number of authors. That’s probably at the top of my list for reasons to not come back to RomCon

Now, I will say I was unimpressed with the panels that I attended. Admittedly, I’m not very much of a panels type girl. I “just” got out of school. I don’t need to sit and be talked at. However, I dutifully followed friends to the controversial Fairy Godmother one, and felt as if I was being lectured and reprimanded. Every single person in the room I talked to felt the same way. (And as I hear it, there was only one person who thought the panel was enjoyable. Telling.) It could have been interesting, and fun and interactive, but that’s not the tone of the panel. It made me quite angry. I had to use the restroom, so I left, but after that, I didn’t want to, and was told not to bother going back in. Some people I hear were tweeting about it, but I went straight to texting my WTF feelings. Why was I annoyed? Piracy was brought up immediately after introductions, and the way it was approached and discussed we all felt like we were being attacked, and that we were all pirates. It only got worse. I truly felt that this was a[n understandable] pet peeve but those on the panel had finally gotten a captive audience/a trapped room of human bodies and faces that they could yell at. Not amazing. I ran into Sarah (from Smart Bitches) that evening and she was still unhappy. Of course I later found out she’d also gone to the book reviewer panel with Jane (from Dear Author), and that one was full of head exploding material was well – and led to the “books are not babies” discussion and hashtag on twitter. I’m still curious as to the results of Tessa Dare’s “experiment.”

I will say that in a way, coming to RomCon (I’m sitting in the hotel lounge/lobby as I write this, because I’m staying two extra days in Denver) was to play with friends. I didn’t know originally that they were going to be here, but I figured I’d meet fun people anyway. (It worked well enough at the Lori Foster event.) However, Ali and Joy did come, and that basically was the highlight for me – seeing friends. But in a more conference centered manner… meeting authors I’d interacted with online, but never met in person.

My list would be Julia Quinn (admittedly I’ve never interacted with her online but I always read her books and it was so cool to meet her. And talk about Outrageous Tacos.) Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook, Carolyn Jewel, Pamela Clare, Leanne Banks, Melissa Schroeder… There are more but I’m realizing this is turning into a something I don’t want, and anyway not really – I guess I talked to the same people/nobody. (And I’d met Carolyn Crane and Coutney Milan previously at RT.)

My random fun things and highlights? I tried to hang out with Carolyn Jewel all weekend, and it never worked. On Friday night for cocktails just when we were about to sit it was time for dinner- and Julia Quinn was at the table so I walked over to dinner with her (and ran into Ali and Joy and Eli) so we all sat together. We got there late. Bad us. I also sat next to Sally MacKenzie, whose books I’ve enjoyed, and had no idea who she was. (Sorry! I think I need to put in here that I’m just… not much of a fangirl. I barely recognized Julia Quinn and actually hadn’t recognized her the first time I saw her in the hallway. There. My secret shame.) Anyway, Sally MacKenzie is a fun, fabulous lady. We were bad and chatting throughout dinner and the “performance” because we were sitting in the back, the acoustics were bad, and we couldn’t hear a damn thing. This is also where the No Ordinary Taco discussion started. (Somehow Julia heard that instead of No Ordinary Cowboy. I don’t know either.) I didn’t know who the other two ladies  at our table were either, but I had a lot of fun with them. [Erm, Lavinia Kent was one of the them. So sorry to the third!]

Saturday was full of events – intimate chats with authors, and author sponsored teas which were ticketed events  – you entered a raffle to get into them. The historical one was fabulous, with a goody bag and prizes for all. I also went to the contemporary author tea the previous day, where it was more of a Q&A panel. I didn’t go to publisher spotlights on Friday, but had heard they weren’t that impressive. Saturday just seemed to be a more fun and worthy day all around. And I have to say the publisher spotlights on Saturday were extremely generous with the swag. (Swag is stuff we all get – and we all got books. It was nice.)

I also got to spend more time with Courtney Milan, because she sat with us at the HCI launch party. I have to admit, I had thought she might not really care for me – but I knew that was equally likely not to be true as nothing had happened to make me think that. So I figure if Courtney Milan didn’t like me, she wouldn’t have chosen to subject herself to my company during something she couldn’t leave. (I also didn’t know another author at the table was an author but she was incredibly gracious. Sorry!) Anyway, our table talked about dogs, and there was a girl across the table from me (sorry, woman) and she was the most adorable thing and I wish I’d gotten her name. So – Courtney showed me pictures/video of her dog. I’d heard of him before and seen pictures via twitter, but I want to meet him! (I love dogs.) He’s an Australian Shepherd and so adorable.

On Saturday night I sat next to Elizabeth Hoyt for dinner. I had no idea who she was (she looked familiar but I couldn’t remember, and I’m horrible about names and faces, so I’m pretty sure I committed some sort of faux pas and asked her what she did.) I also joked with her in a way I might not have if I had known she was Elizabeth Hoyt at the time, but I’m actually glad about that. Being too restrained isn’t fun – and not really how I am.

I do wish the hotel had been one downtown. I’m actually shy, and hate people. (Heh.) So it’s important for me to be able to leave a conference hotel and go do something. This was not possible at the Crowne Plaza and their concierge was not accommodating on Saturday night. I have/had mad love for Crowne Plaza concierge services (especially for the one in Columbus – I love you!) but this one disappointed. Of course I also became annoyed at a few of the hotel staff, but that’s all tied into the being trapped here issues.

Something I’d like to make a note of that every single person [reader] I spoke with mentioned – yes we were getting books, and that’s wonderful, but we were getting the same books. It seems like we were getting the same books over and over again. I know there a bunch I have two of – so guess what? I’m going to give them away. [At the moment I'm still figuring out how I'll do that.] I also gave away a number of books as soon as I got here – Jessica and Carolyn Crane were nice enough to let me stash stuff in their room, and when I went to pick it up I gave them books I already owned in hopes that they’ll read them. This process was repeated throughout the weekend.

Um… oh and this is totally a personal thing non-conference related. But a lot of people complimented me on my purse (and thank you! You’re all too sweet) – so I want to say, it’s the Lorca bag from Hayden-Harnett, and I think they’re such a fabulous company that I’m giving them a shout out. You should buy from them. Get your own Lorca. Really – and their customer service is basically unmatched. In excellence. And I also wore a flower ring that I’d just gotten as a birthday present – and that was Kenneth Jay Lane. Just in case you wanted to know O_o. (Well, if you want it, I think you should get it, right?)

Oh and my plug – if you haven’t read Julia Quinn, do so. Not only do I love her books, but she’s fantastic. She’s incredibly nice and fun – but not like nice in the way you’re scared you’re going to be bad and really have to be on your best behavior. She’s sarcastic and has a great sense of humor. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever was a book I got here and gave away in hopes the person will enjoy it. That’s one of my favorite books by her. Also The Duke & I, The Lost Duke of Wyndham, Splendid, and I think my favorite book by her is Brighter than the Sun. (Ok and/but since I’m me, I will say I don’t love love love all her books. Some people also got What Happens in London here, and that didn’t work for me. Nor did I go for Mr. Cavendish, I Presume, even though Liv tells me I’m wrong.) Anyway, not only are Julia’s books great, but she’s nice. I was going downstairs and had a book I wanted her to sign – there was a historical authors event. However we ran into her at the elevators, and she actually got back off and came and signed a book for me. I mean, I know not a huge deal and like she gave me a kidney or anything, but I thought it was super sweet. Because I was like “oh wait-  oh no!” I did meet some authors who gave me the “I don’t want to talk to you but we’re so close to each other in passing it’d be rude not to acknowledge you and I’m a professional here so I’ll give you the curt hello.” So you know, I’m that much more thrilled with Julia Quinn’s awesomeness.

So, I hope RomCon is essentially the same next year as it was this year, with some tweaks. The entertainment ” ” was… not amazing- and most people seemed to flee the dance parties. There is that – I didn’t really talk about them because it wasn’t so much worth going. [Oh and along the same "keep going what you're doing line - reader focused. Please. Please please please don't assume all readers are wannabe writers. I know some readers are aspiring authors. But not all of us. Do not, for all that is good and holy on this Earth, turn this into another RWA/RT thing. Because let's be honest- RT is now more like RWA than anything else. I almost felt more like an intruder than anything else there.]

And I did like the format of the signing. With books elsewhere, you don’t feel a sense of obligation to buy a book just by looking at it. (It’s so awkward to pick up and book and put it down – unless you tell the author you already own it.) And with the ability to book browse people do buy more books, I heard at RT some people didn’t buy books they were curious about because they didn’t want to check out the book then realize it wasn’t for him/her and be obligated to take it. Also, it got rid of the whole ridiculous sticker business of RT. If you walked into the signing with books at RomCon, they were obviously yours. That was amazing. I think it would just help or be nice to let authors know this is the format, so they could have something in front of them at the signing – swag, little props, extra books, what have you.

So again, I have to say, I really hope the book signing format remains the same. But you know, I‘m just a lowly reader. What do I matter? [Sarcasm!] Also an author had a fantastic idea – of panels with readers sitting on the panels, answering questions. I love that. So… maybe not panels because that’s a lot of pressure, but how about round tables? I think that would also really fit in with the idea, concept, and spirit of RomCon. Incidentally, Carolyn Crane had this idea – and I think it’s amazing. [Incidentally NO those aren't all the books I got at RomCon. A few pictured, yes, but this is why I'm not too torn up about not getting books. And why I'm so avidly going for ebooks. Don't need to add any more to my book graveyard.]

And… those are my rambling wandering RomCon thoughts. If you’d like to know more about something [anything] I’ll do my best to answer any questions. Or gossip more

Aka: My thoughts on the Romantic Times Convention. (As for why this title? Well… you’ll have to read on.) First of all, it was held in Columbus, Ohio. I think you all know I love the Buckeye Nation. I’m quite attached to it, and for good reason. (GO BUCKS!) On my “RT Report”… let me apologize now. I’m totally out of the loop and unpopular, and wasn’t invited to any special author room parties, or author lunches and author/reader get together type things. And as this is being posted you know, well over a week after the actual event, everyone else has already said what you’ve wanted to hear – the juicy good stuff, and actual event run downs.

I thought it’d be weird to run around as “Limecello” – so I went as “me” – or “Elle Cello, Reader.” We had some mishaps with my name tag, but eventually I got it – and I wish I had the name of the woman who printed it out. She looked so harassed and I was very grateful she squeezed me in right before shutting down on Wednesday night. Granted, I had been hovering around the desk off and on (mostly on) for the past three hours. And been told the previous day that my badge would be ready first thing in the morning. (Hey, no badge = not allowed into anything. It’s important.)

I’ve always heard that the Romantic Times Convention is a reader-focused event, but that’s definitely not the impression I got, from the RT Virgin thing, to the end. I heard some colorful language in regards to thoughts about this RT compared to previous ones. I know there was a significant focus on book sellers this year, and all of them seemed quite pleased, so one supposes that’s a good thing.

I was grumpy Lime at times because of sleep deprivation… but I did have fun overall at RT. (Just, you know, not enough to entice me to go back.) In fact, let me tell you my highlights. I got to meet and play with Shiloh Walker. She has awesome fruit wines. I can’t be bought with books or e-arcs… but this blueberry wine she had… Anyway Shiloh is super fun and hilarious and definitely not adorabubbles. (Pst  – she is, but don’t let her know I said that. She’ll come after me. And possibly vomit a little. On me. Not cool.)

Mr. Romance Contestants, Shayla Black, Sylvia Day, Lora Leigh

Totally tongue in cheek here – believe it or not I don’t look like a lime, and I’m, in fact, not even green. It made me difficult to recognize. For a very short period I amused myself by picking out authors, and smiling politely, wondering if they’d say hello. We’d be standing in the same group/within a few feet of each other. (Most didn’t. It’s ok – authors are solitary types and not necessarily social creatures. I wasn’t feeling the social butterfly vibe so I didn’t put myself out either.)

Cavemenboys

I had dinner with Shiloh Walker, Beth Kerry, and Julie James on Wednesday – which was totally random, and fun. They were chatting books. Shiloh and I  bumped into Beth and Julie later at the EC party, and Julie James made me take a picture of the infamous EC Cavemen. She’ll deny it, but she said I had to. I have witnesses. I resisted until the bitter end, and, in fact, missed most of the show, and only got a picture of all the cavemen turning away, as you can see. During, Jay (one of the Mr. Romance contestants), Julie and I played a game of one-upmanship using the EC covers on the decks of cards at each table. I hands down won with the card that had a corgi on it.

Actually most of my favorite parts of RT happened off the conference site. Major highlights were meeting Ali (@simplyali), and Joy (@JoyfullyReviewd). Yes, twitter was my connection to 97% of the people there Those two were basically my constant companions and partners in crime for a number of events. I also took them out of the hotel to a few local bars. (Ok, so we stopped at the second one. Brother’s. I’ve got more stories about that but those are better left for another time and place. We had cheap – as in not expensive – drinks, and Joy introduced me and Ali to Patron. In fact, the saying “one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor” – is not true.)

Prior to that, I went out for happy hour with the super fun, and super nice Lauren Dane and Anya Bast. We went to Due Amici, where they disappointingly didn’t have any happy hour drink specials, (boo site that lied to me!) but did have fantastic appetizers. I now regret not taking pictures, but we were having too much fun chatting, eating, and drinking. And rushing. We were on a tight schedule. Otherwise, another personal highlight/victory was convincing the concierge from the Crowne Royal that I was staying at that hotel and getting a ride around the city.

I also have something about me that makes people tell me very strange things. For example, one of the Mr. Romance contestants told me he only has 4% body fat. Then an author’s husband told me he and his wife were together for XX years, but it took them ZZ years to get married, but now he lives in state AB and she lives in state CD. Believe me – it was weird and awkward. It was basically his introduction and I have no idea why he was telling me that.

I also met Lucy Monroe (and her husband), Shelli Stevens, Carolyn Crane, and Jess Granger. And others. I’m avoiding listing more people because I don’t want to forget anyone. I have to mention Carolyn though, because I walked up to her, and said “Hi Carolyn, I’m Limecello.” And she stood up and said “Oh! Hi it’s so nice to finally meet you and put a face to the name!” Then we talked a little bit more, she signed her League of Reluctant Adults passport, and I left. I then tweeted updates, and Carolyn said “Wait, I met you?!?!” This was on Thursday, so I proceeded to tease her mercilessly for the rest of the convention. I even rudely yelled across our table at the Fairy Ball to reintroduce myself. It was good fun. And the rest is extraneous.

Louisa Edwards (Kindly posed 3x's, told me I was less cute w/ each pic )

Lynne Connolly

Victoria Dahl (She's mad I destroyed her in the round face competition. Sorry, Vicki - next time!)

Oh – right, the signing. I hated it. Too many people. Reminded me of Times Square which I also abhor. Also I lived essentially without my luggage for two days, so I had nothing… but after that, I made Ali and Joy go to Louisa Edwards’s event with me. Free booze! It ran against Mr. Romance but… well – you can look up the “#mangeant” tweets. And, I wasn’t blown away with the whole thing… (The Mr. Romance competition, I mean. Although I saw some pictures and oh man camo pants and bad dancing? Still. I have no regrets.) Anyway – Louisa’s event was hands down one of my favorite parts of  “official” RT. And I’m not saying that just because I won a bottle of rose petal infused vodka.

Lauren Dane

Lucy Monroe

Courtney Milan

Finally… Saturday night. Ali, Joy, and I tried to leave the hotel again, but 280 N. High Street defeated us and we couldn’t figure out the plaza. So we went back to the hotel bar, broken hearted and discouraged. I took the heat of the hot wings I ordered personally, and was determined to defeat them. I did. Then, we moved to the bar area, and caught Jess Granger as she was about to go to bed. We had some awesome conversation, and for some unknown horrible reason Joy brought up strange shifters. Were-trees were definitely mentioned . Then, were-ducks. Jess proceeded to traumatize us with stories about ducks on her campus…and mating season.  Considering here at the pond we’re duckies… it was too good to pass up.

I also have to give Jess a shout out because I may or may not have threatened to bring the wrath of God down on her if she was lying to me/us about the number of books in her current series. (Seven to nine books – now you can all help me keep her accountable.) However, my feelings/rant on series is fit for another post.

Oh, and I’m sure I offended some people. I’m not a very gushy person. I squee and eee when I’m happy. Even in person. But nothing particularly set off my “whee” meter at RT. I actually met some authors that I’ve heard of but haven’t read/haven’t read in a while, so I had nothing to say. Considering how “big” [as in successful and popular] a few of these authors were, I think they expected more “yay!” from me. Sorry there. A few awkward silences occurred when I was introduced and followed with an “Oh hi, It’s nice to meet you.” And then… silence. Awkward, of course.

In the end… I don’t think I’ll be going to another RT. Or, at least I don’t plan on it, and I can’t particularly see what would entice me to go. I know other people loved it and had a great time, and others said “well at least it wasn’t the worst one I’ve been to,” but… enh. So for those of you who missed out… or are feeling totally crushed, personally, I didn’t think it was anything super special.

I also felt that books people were getting were grudgingly given. Maybe it was the last day burn out. But that’s the vibe I got from the start. I won a grand total of four books during the whole conference, but managed to get more at “free for all” type things. And, I got some swag in promo alley and at the book fair. I hate crowds, however, so I only hit up a few authors and then sat along the side of the room.

I am giving away a swag bag, however, stuffed pull of promo items – signed and unsigned blurb books, bookmarks, cover flats, pens, knick knacks, and… 5 books. That’ll be on twitter so find me there.

And, of course, I’m happy to discuss more etc in the comments.

Jimmy 'n' me. Photo taken by Cris Anson

So let’s get on, shall we? Where was I?

Oh yes, the lousy Internet at the Hyatt Regency. The lousy expensive Internet. I had a new release last week, Crystal Tides at Loose-Id, and so I paid for the Internet in my room ($9.95 a day) so I could upload some images and do a bit of blogging about it.

Nope. It wouldn’t let me do anything, and when I tried to ftp a few web pages (to my own website) it had a hissy fit. So hey, dudes, buy my book, because this is the only chance I have to say this until I get home.
Oh yes, and go get my free read Naughty Nooner at Ellora’s Cave. It’s called Seychelles Sunset, and hopefully your Internet is better than this one, so you can snag it with no probs.

That apart, I think this was one of the best RT’s ever. Let’s face it, although we authors work hard to promote our stuff, and to listen and meet authors, publishers, editors, agents and so on, this is one big humongous party.

It’s what you want to make it. So no, meeting and being hugged by the gorgeous Jimmy Thomas wasn’t the only highlight of my RT. Being made to feel wanted was nice, and being with people who understand that staring into space means that you’re working. Cool stuff.

RT ended with a showing of  Twilight and the other Bella ‘n’ Edward movie. I didn’t attend, because I’m not a Twilight girl. More of a Trueblood one. But you know what? Good luck to Stephanie Meyer, and for that matter, the very nice Charlaine Harris, and many more years of good fortune to them both. Where they go, the rest of us might have a chance. Slainte, ladies!

I attended a panel about seeing your stuff on the screen, and it was awesome. Basically, it’s like you think. They might give lip service to your ideas, but basically, once they’ve bought your rights, you can go and sit in a corner and attend the premiere a while later. Henry VIII would understand that one. Heard the joke about the blonde actress who tried to get to the top by sleeping with the writers? Nobody heard from her again. But getting money for something you’ve already done, rocks, and getting all those extra sales doesn’t hurt, either. And oh, yes, I want.

The vampire ball was well attended, as was the Dorchester prom party, together with the locusts descending on the piles of free books they gave away. I like the Dorchester party, especially this year. It’s always relaxed and easy, so after a week’s partying and working, it’s a good place to wind down. And dance.

So to the author signings. The Ebook Expo was on the Friday this year, and was tolerable. Someone found a free Internet connection, and this was so rare in this sink of weblessness that a ton of authors went to their rooms and picked up their laptops, so they could log on and see what the rest of the world was doing. And pick up their email. The room we signed in was a bit low-ceilinged, and anyone who felt claustrophobic was in trouble here. I had an okay signing. I’ve had better, but in my experience, people attend this one to chat to the authors and pick up information about their stuff. We get to see the benefit the week after. And oh yes, I enjoyed this one. I sat next to the awesome Tracy Cooper-Posey, who rocked the EC party on Wednesday with her equally awesome husband, Mark. Red patent leather never looked so good.

Later, I got to meet Barbara Taylor-Bradford. Lovely lady. But it was great to meet her, because she was one of my inspirations to write. I read A Woman of Substance and loved the hell out of it.

The Saturday signing was held in the ballroom. Just as well, because the lines at the tables of the urban fantasy authors were long and winding. It was one of my best booksignings. I signed my Samhain historicals, and wow, I nearly sold out. I know it’s supposed to be bad to do that, because of the lost sales, but the copies of Yorkshire that I had were sold out in the first hour. Tantalizing Secrets and Met By Chance did almost as well. Because the star authors this year were urban fantasy, I’d resigned myself to moderate success, but yay, it seems that people want historicals. I’ll have to carry on writing them, then!

My flight doesn’t leave until Tuesday, so I attended Sunday Social, and moderated one of the games, a memory game. That was huge fun, and my table got to win a passel of books. Just what they needed! A good way to wind down. And yes, my voice has gone. I can croak a bit, but my throat hurts like I’ve eaten emery boards and I’m so exhausted I can hardly think.

For a writer, doing the social round for five days instead of slipping into a furry dressing gown and bunny slippers, and writing is a bit of a stretch. Wearing make up every day makes you remember what it was like to make yourself presentable for work. The RT Booklovers’ Convention is a party with a purpose, and it’s what you make it. If you want to attend panels all day and none of the parties, go for it, you’ll have a great convention. If you want to go to all the fun parties, day and night, attend the Wild and Wacky, Mr. Romance and Paint The Town Red, then the convention is your oyster.
I’m already looking forward to next year.

Wow, this has been a trip and a half!

[Ed. Apologies for not getting this to you all before Lynne's first RT post yesterday. As you know, life happens...but better late than never.]

I set out on Wednesday 14^th April (a significant date, as it turned out), arrived on time in Chicago, and went to my hotel room. I’d booked an early flight and a room at a hotel different to the one where everyone else was staying. I’d snagged a bargain, and got a cheaper flight. Sleeping off the worst of the jetlag made sense. (It was the Aloft at O’Hare – recommended, and it had free Internet in the room. I’d stay there again).

So I spent a quiet evening, and went to bed. The next day I woke, checked out, went to the Marriott, where I had a roomie and an exciting three days ahead of me. Someone said, “You were lucky to get here. The volcano kept a lot of Brits from coming.” I said, “What volcano?”

I was attending Chicago International, which is to the world of miniaturists what Romantic Times is to book lovers. Yes, my dirty little secret is out, I’m a miniaturist.

For the next three days, the words “beautiful,” “Do you do this in one inch scale?” and “Volcano” shared equal time. The Marriott at O’Hare, a fairly good hotel, btw, was host to the biggest fair and exhibition. I saw some breathtaking things. I had a wonderful time, and my roomie was lovely, and there, since she only had to come from Utah.

Europe was closed for several days, and the people at the convention from Europe and Australasia knew they might not be able to get home when they planned. For the traders that meant the extra hotel nights ate into their profits, and for the punters, that meant they might not have had as much to spend on the minis as they planned. Except that you can’t keep a miniaturist from the object of his or her desire.

I saw many beautiful pieces, but I’ll share just one with you. Jamie Carrington, a lovely man and a superb miniaturist, produces sculptures to die for. They are far more than dolls, and they have prices to match. He creates characters, people you can look at and know their stories, and this one was so beautiful I went back several times to look at it. It’s around a foot high, all told, and it’s called “Titania and Oberon’s Last Flight.” Jamie doesn’t tell you the stories of the sculptures, unless you want him to, other than the title. This one gave me ideas. I’d have loved to have bought it, and then given it away at RT, but you’d have had to tear it from my cold, dead hands, and it was too expensive for me (but worth every penny, and likely to increase in value). Jamie wanted $1,000 for it.

So, the fair done, and people stranded at O’Hare, I went on my merry way to my pre-booked room in downtown Chicago (the Allerton). Actually, I did make sure nobody I knew was short of a room, because it could have been upped to a double and shared, but Chicago didn’t seem short of rooms.

I loved my room. I’d read some not-so-good reviews of the Allerton, but my experience has been nothing but positive. My room has a view all the way down Michigan Avenue, and really, how cool is that? And it’s a historic hotel, quirky, so the room had a few problems. The heating wouldn’t come on, the TV wouldn’t work, and I couldn’t close a window. Two of the three were my fault. I’d accidentally pulled a connection loose on the TV when I looked for an on switch, I opened the window and then couldn’t close it. The engineer arrived within half an hour, fixed it all and it’s been fine since. Service with a smile, as well. I haven’t had a maid knocking on my door at stupid-o’clock, either, and since I wanted this week for a leisurely sightseeing visit, that was great.

And yes, Chicago is beautiful. It reminds me strongly of the two cities near my home, Manchester and Liverpool. It has that same loyalty from its citizens and the same background, heavy industry, a convenient location for the industry that made it great and the industry having long moved away, leaving a great heritage of buildings. The Wrigley building even looks a bit like the Liver Building at Pier Head, Liverpool. A tad taller, though. It even had its protesters and reformers (an African American lady who campaigned for female emancipation, and the writer Upton Sinclair, who wrote a seminal book on the meat packing trade). They match our Mrs. Gaskell and Friedrich Engels.

And yes, I am so going to write a book, or maybe two, based here.

I signed some books in Borders on Michigan Avenue, which was a thrill, and I went back today to buy the latest Nina Bruhns and some of them were gone! Okay, but for me it’s a big deal to see my books in the bookstore, and a real kick to get to sign them.

Next I head out to Columbus, where I can probably expect storms to delay flights, so I’ll make sure my Ipods are charged up, ditto my Ipaq reader and its spare battery, and my netbook, and prepare to be patient. Ha!

I’m staying at the Westin in Columbus for the first three days, then moving to the Hyatt Regency for the main event – Romantic Times! Yes, kids, it’s that time of year again, and Internet permitting, I’ll put in a report every day (the only downside to the Allerton is its crappy Internet connection and the cost of having it in your room – I made do with the lobby). With the publishing industry in flux, it’s going to be an interesting RT, to say the least.

Then home. Wait – there’s something going on there, isn’t there? Not that you’d know it from the US news reports, and yes, there is a world outside. Oh, I’ve got it. A General Election. Such a trivial occurrence slipped my mind for a minute there.

See you in Columbus! Keep everything crossed that I arrive there in one piece and on time!

Well, guess what, people. The big black hole that is Romantic Times is that way because the Internet at this hotel is $9.95 a day, and no free spots.

That is, I have to say, about the only bad thing about this hotel so far. I’m sharing a room with my good friend Desiree Holt, and we’re having a ball. Tonight she introduced me to White Russians, which was a nice touch.

So I arrived here on Tuesday, and taught and sat on a panel at the Beginner’s Learn to Write class. Judi McCoy is awesome, a great teacher, and she really cares about her pupils. If I can, I’d do this again for sure. I met some great people, and let’s face it, it’s great to be wanted.

A lot of RT is meeting new people and reconnecting with the old, not just the classes and the formal arrangements. RT has to have a good bar, and this hotel has a pretty good one. The hotel, the Hyatt Regency, is almost seamlessly attached to the conference center, so we can attend classes without once breathing the fresh air of Columbus. I have a day or two after RT before my flight back to Blighty, and I plan to take a look at it then.

I’ve found that as I get better known, more of my time is involved in doing my stuff and less on attending classes and talks, which I kind of regret, because there’s no better time to meet people. I’m a pretty shy body normally, but RT gives you the chance to go up and say hi to complete strangers and for them to smile and say, “Hi, want to join us?” Then you exchange business cards and start chatting.

On Wednesday I did my author panel with Linnea Sinclair, Donna MacMeans, Karen Miller, and the two authors who make up CT Adams. It was a lot of fun, and I hope we told the attendees a bit about how we create or enter the worlds I write about. Since I write historicals and paranormals, I do both. If you have any questions, I’ll answer them now (lol).

By the way, I do not take good photographs, but I managed to get a couple of reasonable ones for you. However, I can’t upload them because the Internet here is not only expensive, but it sucks.

Then we had the Ellora’s Cave ball. It went really well this year. Since I write for EC, people kept coming up to me and saying how much they enjoyed it, but it really has very little to do with me. I just get a pretty dress and show up, get escorted across the stage by a hunky Caveman and dance. This year’s theme was “Paint the Town Red,” so it looked really pretty. All those red prom dresses and costumes made a great show. The new Cavemen did their thing, which this year had a bit of raunch and a lot of laughter, and I have to say they’re pretty easy on the eye.

The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at midnight had some awesome hats and outfits. Victoria Alexander’s bustled 1870′s style dress and wonderful hat was one of my favorites, and they had a game, reasonably civilised, where you collected signatures to be entered into a draw. Fun.

But because of that we stayed up far too long and got up late this morning. Shame. And on Thursday we had our Cougar Growl in Club RT. My book, Beauty of Sunset, was part of the Tempt the Cougar series for Ellora’s Cave, so I joined the other attending authors. Most of us, actually. I was so happy to work on this series with a collection of savvy authors, all enthusiastic about the series and telling people about it. We had a four-foot cougar to raffle, Sheba, and she drew a lot of people. Before the event, I’d been worried that nobody would show, because, well, I always worry like that, but we had a line of people wanting to learn about the books and win Sheba. Or the other way around.

And so on to the Fairy Ball, after we lingered by the bar for a while. Enough to imbibe a couple or three drinks, anyway. The Court assembled, this year in the elements of fire, air, earth, and water, and we ate and drank and had fun. Cheyenne McCray and Eden Robins stepped down as the queens of the court this year and made way for two new queens. It should be interesting next year.

I will try to do more and let you know how the author signings and the other events went, but being sans Internet most of the time is a bit difficult. A lot difficult.

So, the title may be misleading… but this is a contest post. It’s also a rant, because… well what’s an entry from your good friend Limecello without some ranting, right?

Anyway. I basically stopped visiting blogs. I used to visit nearly 200 daily. And I don’t mean with google reader or something (also, did I totally make that up?) I bookmarked them, and I visited each and every one. I tried to comment on them all as well, but sometimes I just had no idea what to say. That happens. I’m not sure what the proper comment is without seeming inane or something.

My point being – recently I’ve seen more and more complaints that blogs have no content these days. They’re just… contests. I, for one, love contests. They’re how (as I’ve said) I “discovered” a number of authors and series. Yay for contests! (Contest whores less so, but that’s another post for another time.)

Authors often post links to contests on twitter – blogs they’re visiting, etc, where there is also a giveaway. Oh boy, oh joy, right?

Wrong. Maybe I just don’t care anymore. Or I’ve been suffering from book and general ennui… but oftentimes I can’t even be bothered to read through the rules. E.g. Comment here, blog about it, put it on facebook, and cross reference with twitter, follow all of us who blog here, and my great aunt Jane, and stand on your head. While reciting the preamble to the United States Constitution.

In many instances, I’ve heard people say they’d rather just buy the book. And upon further reflection, dear bloggers and authors, is that your intent? If so… sneaky. And well played, my friend. Well played.

But cynical me thinks it has to do with promo. In order to enter the contest, you must follow me! And my blog! And lurve me! And pet me! And link to me! And make me POPULAR. *shrug* So I think we all know I’m not the blog owner here… I wouldn’t even know if you were following this blog. (And isn’t it google reader makes it something different weird? I dunno.)

Long story short, the only requirement to be eligible for this contest is that you comment. As yourself, and don’t cheat by creating socks. I check to the best of my ability, and it really pisses me off to have to double check, etc.

What am I giving away, my dear Boo Boo’s and not Boo Boo’s? A copy of Coming Undone by Lauren Dane. It is unsigned, because I bought it my little own self with my little own money. I also basically jumped through all necessary contest hoops, because it took about 6 phone calls, and 2.5 hours of driving to finally get one copy. This copy, my friends, is precious.

Or… if you want bonus entries to this contest… and here I can’t resist. I need you to pat your head and you rub your belly, while jumping rope. But not just any jump – double dutch. Then I want you to do a hand stand outside in the snow, while reciting the Emancipation Proclamation, immediately followed by the choreography of Thriller. [All must be recorded and sent to me.] And I promise… if someone does do that… I’ll send you [well, the first full entry, but I don't think more than one person would even contemplate doing this...] a copy of Coming Undone as well.

So ready? Set? … GO!

I like to share the love (and you know, sometimes hate) – but right now it’s all about the food love.
I’ve got 30 $10 restaurant.com gift cards to give away per day, until 11:59 EST on Christmas day.

Of course, I’ll be running around, but will do my best to honor each and every request – first 30 per day. No strings, other than I’ll need your email address(es) – which you need to post a comment anyway!

Sorry to our international friends, as far as I can tell, restaurant.com only works in the US. If, however, you find otherwise, I am more than happy to send you the card.

[*ETA I do need a last name, or at least last initial though- and if your IP shows no location, I pick one for you! It's needed for the form. I'm not trying to stalk you. Honest.]

One last point – if I do send you a card, please don’t spam me. I would not appreciate it if you returned my gesture by using my email address indiscriminately, for newsletters, contest invites, etc.

So… that’s all! There’s also a code for 80% off which I’ll include in the message.

Happy Holidays, from me and everyone at the pond!

Cheers,
Limecello

What Wendy Sez, is pretty much what I think… well I am sure I disagree with something cuz I just roll like that but really I don’t even think I am suppose to be posting this or (pretend it has my sweetness and light icon – I can’t find it).  [Gwen ed.: I found it!]

I seriously appreciate the HELL out of her. And might need to have Sandy make her an icon to show her how just how great, grand and wonderful she is.

Blog what you want to blog, impress yourself, appreciate your hard work and do it because you like it – you really fucking like it. Otherwise it is all bullshit. There is no right way to blog, honestly there is no book to follow. Internet fame?? Is that what people are shooting for? Really? That has to be one step below reality tv fame – only a smaller number of people think you are the shit and it generally starts with yourself.

I find it is much easier to just know you are the greatest. And no matter if you are the nicest of people or the meanest of the bad bad grrls, own that shit – good or bad. Or even better don’t worry about it and just talk about the books, life or whatev is on your mind and less ‘this is popular I should blog it’.  I recall coming here and finding a home full of people to talk about romance books with, where it wasn’t ‘hard’.

Where people spoke the language and rolled out a welcome mat without a reason in it for themselves – ok FEW had agendas. The god, the bad and the ugly – no holds barred – and the same flamewars going on today (no really). And somehow, somewhere, like wendy said… people seem to have gotten lost (not the flamewars, people just think they are new). Honestly some of them I don’t really give a shit about, others I don’t know, but it is breeding and could choking the life out the community – tis an awesome thing bloggers are better than that – aren’t we? FIND YOUR VOICE.

And that is not saying you can’t be ‘serious’ if that is how you want to run your blog. Or silly… hell I call this the pond and there are duckies (no really there are… ::sniff::). Hell you can even blog for money if you wanna but I do think money changes everything. THERE ARE NO RULES IN BLOGGING.
There shouldn’t be any crying either… own your shit.

Be yourself. I for one would love to know what you have to say, not what you think you ‘should be saying‘. Stop being so SERIOUS and taking every word as a cut to your soul ::deep sigh::. Are blogs honestly a place where you only want agreement and ‘yes!men’? WHY ask what do you think when you don’t want to know?

Oh and if you haven’t noticed Monica Jackson is back. And I have to say has EXCELLENT taste in templates. Good or bad, right or wrong and honestly even if I am to have to play target for her – as I said on her blog – I would rather have 10000 bloggers like monica who are honest (even when pissed) and make mistakes (we all do) than 10000 bloggers playing follow the leader.

Honesty is what I appreciate in a book blogger, what do you appreciate?

Suz Brockmann exclusive aka info found in Hot Pursuit Author’s Notes (well not in the ARC)

We are FINALLY going to get Izzy’s book next and sadly for Troubleshooter fans it will be the last Troubleshooter book for a while.  But she will be publishing an antho of the novella’s she has done over the years and does say she hopes to include some new stories as well.

Dan is also in the book, as well as the woman he hooks up with in Hot Pursuit, as you haven’t read that yet and god knows you peeps can be rabid about spoilers I will not even go there.  Hell I am not even going to type up the paragraph for fear of saying something deemed omgish.

What I did find interesting is it looks like Suz is pulling a Quinn and dusting off a old manuscript she had under the bed.  Well I have no clue where she had ”Gallagher’s Claim,” but you get the point:

bit more info from an old Q&A

LETTERS TO KELLY is one of my mom’s favorites – but she also liked another book that never got published, called GALLAGHER’S CLAIM. Nobody knew how to market it. It was a contemporary (took place on a movie set of a western), yet there was a subplot that was told by diary entries, AND one of the subplot characters (the hero’s great-grandfather) was a ghost.

It deals with themes of truth vs. legend – perceptions, things are not as they seem.
Parts of it are freakin’ stupid, (sorry, mom!) but parts of it are really worth salvaging.

Some day…

- Suz

At least it will be published in MM wonder if it will be marketed as a Romance or fiction? Hopefully someone will get the scope. Tis amazingly dead at the B&N boards I am oddly not at all surprised…

I have finished reading the Troubleshooter series and I do have to say I am sooooo glad she is finishing Izzy’s story since he is the only reason I started the whole damn thing to begin with, think we have any chances of her doing a book or two in her Harlequin series during her Troubleshooter break *g*. WHAT I can hope!

Want to win $100 in free books?
To help promote her upcoming release, Chains, author Shiloh Walker is doing a dash through some of the blogs in romanceland, leaving behind excerpts. If you’d like to get entered to win a gift certificate for $100 (your choice from the online booksellers), all you have to do is visit the blogs, read the excerpts and leave a comment. The excerpts are in order, just visit the first blog, Karen Knows Best and go on from there!

Chains
An all new novel of erotic suspense
They weren’t friends. They weren’t enemies. The only thing the three girls had in common was the high school they went to in Madison, Ohio—until one tragic night. Now, fifteen years later, they’re returning home where passion—and danger—await…
Renee Lincoln was the homecoming queen—with the perfect boyfriend and the perfect life. After that horrible night, she rebelled the only way she knew how: by submitting to her wildest fantasies…
Tall, blonde, and athletic, Lacey Talbot was a golden girl with a bright future. She’s found success as a photographer, but no man has ever been able to satisfy her. No man but the bad boy she left behind…
Sherra Salinger has always looked like a princess out of some fairy tale. The books she writes, though, stem from the nightmare of that one night. And she shrinks from any man’s attention—especially the one stalking her…
They’re coming back to Madison—and it won’t be happy reunion. There are three men, all dangerous in a different way. And when each of them surrender their bodies to the heat, when they succumb to desire, they’ll find the safety they desperately need…

Excerpt (part two)

Fifteen Years Later
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Lacey tried to block out the sound of the leaky water faucet, closing her eyes and resting her back against the wall.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Muttering under her breath, she surged out of the hard, ladder-backed chair and stomped across the waiting room, into the bathroom. It was small, with nothing more than a toilet, a mirror and a sink. A sink with a faucet that kept going…drip. Drip. Drip.
Clenching her jaw, she turned the knobs until that infernal dripping stopped. “There.” Spinning around, she headed out of the bathroom—and crashed straight into Seth Salinger’s chest.
Seth—shit.
One of the main reasons she rarely came back home for more than a day or two. Enough time had passed. Lacey would have thought that maybe she could handle seeing him.
Obviously not.
Get over it. It was one fucking night. Five years ago!
One long, blissful night…one night…and the last damn time a guy touched me and made me feel much of anything—
A night where her brain had actually shut down on her. A night that haunted her dreams. A night that still had the power to make her belly get all hot and shaky. There you go, making things seem bigger than they really are. It was one night—the earth didn’t move, you didn’t fall head over heels in love, and there’s no reason you can’t act like an adult here.
No reason. Adult. Got it. She forced herself to look in his eyes and reminded herself, It’s been five years since that night, kid. It was a fluke—
She might have even succeeded if he hadn’t touched her. His hands came up, cupped over her upper arms and steadied her and heat flared along her skin. Her heart skipped a few beats and started to slam in a sexy little rumba against her breastbone while she tried to get her breathing to level.
“Hey. You okay?”
Easing back, she forced herself to smile at him. “Just peachy, Sheriff.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. His very nice mouth…
“You look exhausted.”
But Lacey barely heard the words at first—she was too busy focusing on that mouth and remembering. Lacey groaned inwardly and gave herself a mental kick in the ass. This was why she hadn’t come back home much since then. At Christmastime, always in and out, a few quick weekends where she stayed with her parents and didn’t leave the house.
Because of him.
What had he been saying…
Oh. Yeah.
Exhausted…smothering a laugh, she edged around him and said, “I am exhausted.” Just barely, she managed to keep enough distance between them so that her arm didn’t brush up against his. She felt his heat though, caught a trace of his scent and wanted to press her face against his neck and just breathe him in.

Visit Book Binge for the next excerpt. You can also visit Shiloh’s blog for details. The blog will be updated to include the live links for each of the participating blogs.

Disclaimer: Only one entry per household. Open to everybody, as long as the author is able to purchase/email you a gift certificate for one of the major online booksellers-Amazon, BN.com, Borders, Powell’s, etc. Winner’s name to be posted on Shiloh’s blog-author will ATTEMPT to notify the winner via email, but cannot be held accountable if her email bounces back- please make sure you enter the correct email and that you add Shiloh to your addy book to prevent problems. Void where prohibited. Please do not post to sweepstakes sites-the author reserves the right to end the contest at anytime, and likely will end it early if the contest ends up posted to sweepstakes sites.

After a very poor night’s sleep I pretty much sleepwalked a lot of this morning but at the end of it I realised I’d picked up some interesting things. Mainly concerning me and my career, something I’m sure you’re fascinated with, but I’ll do you a favour and spare you the details. 

This RT is a lot about the feel, the atmosphere. After last year’s financial disasters, people started RT a bit cautious, but the attendance, although down on last year, is good, and I have to say that I prefer it. You can actually get to talk to people. And the volume of the music in the ballroom isn’t so deafening that you can’t have a conversation, which is a definite improvement on last year.

I was worried that the heat would get too much, but no, that’s fine too. The hotel is rather stretched out, and the rooms are – adequate, but the conference centre is huge. You can get lost in it, very easily.

So tonight was the Fairy Ball. Some very fetching fairies and the Mr. Romance candidates were there in force, too. You want pictures?

The Romantic Times Convention starts today with the pre-convention classes for aspiring writers, and the trips out for early arrivals. And you can really tell. During last week, the Wyndham was really quiet, but now it’s starting to hum. I’m staying in a hotel across the road, and I arrived early, to shake off the jetlag and to see a bit of Orlando. 

So yesterday, I went to Universal with my friend Cait Miller, who writes for Ellora’s Cave, Jenny, an aspiring author, and her brother Jimmy Gaskin, one of the Mr. Romance entrants. We had a cracking time, and yes, the Simpsons ride is everything they say it is. Amazing. Anyway, Jimmy has my vote. A genuinely nice guy, lots of fun and I think his face and incredible bod would be great on all-American covers, and the military ones. He’s already featured on several covers, and hopefully Mr. Romance will give him more. He’s not just a (very) pretty face, though. His day job is Something In Oil, very impressive, so it’s my guess that he’d make a good romance hero in his own right!

Last night I met Linnea Sinclair and Stacey Klemstein for dinner. As always, meeting them was a delight. Linnea and I have known each other from way back, and she is only getting what she deserves with her current success. But three martinis later, things got a little fuzzier, so I’ll draw a discreet veil over the rest of the evening.

As for putting the RT convention in Orlando – I think it was a great idea. If the convention occurs on or near places of interest, I think it will draw more attendees. I came early to see the sights and to meet my miniaturist friends (Ron’s Miniature Scene is world famous and the White House in Miniature is a fantastic model everyone should see). It is set up for large conventions and it’s not all Disney here. It certainly won’t be in the week ahead!

Well it isn’t ALL her fault and I do plan on bringing up the EVER loved topic of reviews more later but avid reader posted about Susan Wiggs Fireside reviews on you know THAT PLACE…. ::whispers::amazon::/whispers:: and her response to a few bad reviews.

I  have no comment about it at this point because I haven’t read the reviews, Wiggs posts and don’t plan too yet because I have the book in my pile of to read next.

I had gone back and forth on it because I didn’t really care much for her last few books but had heard good buzz about this one and well… baseball hero!  WOOT!

Then it hit number one on NY Times and I wondered if it was REALLY that good so I moved it up a bit.

Now here is the rub, from what I can tell from Keishon’s post the four bad reviews are harping on Fireside being too political. Depending on how it is done that could seriously bug the shit out of me but if it goes well into the plot and doesn’t take away from the romance (something I won’t know till I read the book) I will be totally ok with it.

And from what Susan Wiggs comments were (again quoted on Keishon’s post, never emailed with the author or know her) we lean the same way.

Hence my CHALLENGE TO TEH GWEN, our lil republican duckie, yes le sigh we lurve her anyway ::ow:: stop pulling my feathers! I kid, well sort of, I do live in Texas, I am sure there are a few republican’s out there.  Well maybe not reading this site but in romanceland, err maybe? But I digress… seriously this isn’t meant to be a political post.  No really. My migraine is already coming back. Onward… (how cindys of me *g*)

As you can tell from The Sins of Lord Easterbrook, gwen and I have a totally different review style. I think everything is about me.  So give much less plot away and much more about what I think (shocking yes?)  Gwen bores you with details on the book… I mean informs you lol haven’t you missed having me around? Anyway… MY POINT and I did have one.

I thought it would be amusing to see if Gwen could like the book or not and if she didn’t, well we would certainly know she wasn’t one of those people who have already posted on amazon… yes?

What cha say gwen? Dueling reviews at dawn? OR you know… whenever we get to it… since I can’t keep to a schedule to save my life and currently only have one copy and WOOT I gots it *g*.

to be continued… or not I haz a short attention span you know

Reader Blogger Marg, you can find her at Reading Adventures and Historical Tapestry, was nice enough to agree to share with us her adventure at the Australian Romance Readers Convention this past weekend.

If we get lucky we can talk her into sharing some more photos and stories.

Ever since I have been blogging, each year when everyone started talking about going to either RWA or other major romance conferences, I have sat here in my chair in suburban Melbourne, Australia turning various shades of green. Whether people were posting about meeting their favourite authors, or the goodies rooms, or the signings, I read all the posts thinking about how it was all kinds of awesome that they were getting to do such fun things. The thing was, no matter how envious I became, the simple fact was that at this point in my life there is no way that I would be able to go to the US to attend such an event.

So when I just happened to read something about an Australian Romance Readers Convention back in December 2007, I was over the moon! And then when it was announced that it was in Melbourne, I was again really excited. And then, in what seems like no time at all, the inaugural ARRC is over, all the delegates have gone home and I am sure that the organising committee members are all collapsed in a heap in exhaustion.

It is difficult to give just the highlights so that this guest post isn’t as long as the weekend itself, so instead I will try to just give a taste of the flavour of the weekend. The most obvious place to start is with the keynote speakers – those who were invited to travel half way around the world to come to visit their Aussie fans, and I can tell you those fans were very appreciative! Mary Janice Davidson, Susan Grant, Liz Maverick, Sherrilyn Kenyon (with special guest Dianna Love), and not forgetting Stephanie Laurens (who didn’t come half way around the world, but we still appreciate her nonetheless). We laughed until we cried, we were inspired, we were challenged and above all we were entertained!

One of the things that I often say on my own blog is that I don’t read enough Aussie authors, and I have to say that I learnt something that kind of surprised me this weekend! There are a LOT of Aussie authors out there. They write in various different subgenres, from Mills and Boon (Harlequin), to the big NY publishing houses, to e-books and other publishers like Samhain. I have come home determined that I am definitely going to read more Aussies – Keri Arthur, Denise Rossetti and others, I am talking about your books! An Aussie author that I already read is Anna Campbell and it was great to see her latest book, Tempt the Devil, officially launched in Australia by Stephanie Laurens on Saturday afternoon.

At Saturday night’s dinner, I was lucky enough to be sitting with the gorgeous Kat O from Book Thingo, plus her librarian (yes, librarian and borrower attended together – how great is that!) with some other girls, including two Samhain authors and we had an absolutely fantastic time, so much so that I forgot to take pictures of some of the award winners and of the people sitting at the table. Kat, Vassiliki, Jess Dee and Lexxie Couper, thanks ladies. And don’t worry, what happened at dinner and what we talked about at dinner, stays at dinner. Have to say though – those mini cakes were to die for!

One of the things that the conference coincided with was the National Day of Mourning on Sunday for the bushfire victims from the terrible fires that started in early February with such devastating loss of life and property. As I write this on Monday night, we have been reminded that the fire crisis is not over with existing firest still burning and new fires starting on the outskirt of Melbourne this afternoon with more loss of homes. My point in mentioning this is that one of the initiatives of the organisers was a silent auction with the proceeds being donated to the Red Cross Australian Bushfires Appeal. There were many, many generous authors and organisations that donated great items, and there was over $7000 raised through the auction, plus an impeccably observed minute of silence on Sunday morning at 11am.

There’s so much more that I could mention, but I have to save something for my own blog (*grin*), but I haven’t mentioned the panelists, the books, the signings. So much to talk about!

In closing I want to say to the organizers of ARRC – thank you, thank you, thank you.

You did an amazing job. I don’t think that I can pay any higher compliment to you than to say my friends and I started to make plans on Saturday night to attend the next ARRC – whenever it is and wherever it is held – with at least two more of our friends. I know that I overheard other delegates making their own plans too!

Marg

February may be the shortest month of the year, but that doesn’t mean the Harlequin Digital Team has any shortage of exciting news to share with TGTBTU readers!  What does the team have in store for the cold winter nights?  Well how about a special coupon code for TGTBTU readers, several e-book bundles and series announcements, welcoming new authors into the fold, and a chance to escape to sunny Mexico?  Wow!  Read on to get the inside scoop…

Series Spotlight on…Harlequin Romance!
Warm your heart with the ultimate feel-good Harlequin Romance tales, our Series Spotlight for the month of February! Whether in an exotic setting or somewhere a little closer to home, you can’t miss the best in romantic fiction. To celebrate, all six books out this month belong to the special Diamond Brides miniseries – which is also available as a convenient eBook Bundle!

Plus, and a special for the Good, Bad, and Unread readers out there, we have an exclusive coupon to get 10% off Harlequin Romance books this month! Just use the coupon code SPOTLIGHTROMANCE at www.ebooks.eharlequin.com at checkout to save.

We’re romancing the iPhone…again
As part of our Anniversary celebration, we’ve partnered with Stanza, an eBook reading application, to make our 16 free titles available on the iPhone and iPod Touch. You can find out more from http://www.lexcycle.com/content/60th_anniversary_harlequin on how to enjoy these eBooks wherever you go.

And don’t forget that the free ebooks are also available at www.HarlequinCelebrates.com!

Longing for Moonlight in Mexico?
If you just can’t keep a secret, then sand-covered beaches might in your future with this sweepstakes.. The more people you tell about Moonlight in Mexico, the closer you are to your own sun-filled adventure. Visit www.eHarlequin.com/moonlightinmexico and fill out an entry. Then, pull out your address book and invite as many friends to enter as you can. Why? For every friend that enters, you earn a point and the better your chances are of winning. So, dust off your contact list and start saving up for a brand-new bikini, you could be savoring some much-needed time in the sun.

Buzz Books for February
Released this month exclusively in eBook format, we’ve got the Forged in Steele Bundle by USA Today bestselling author Brenda Jackson. You can enjoy her complete Forged of Steele series in one convenient download. As a little something extra, we’ve included the free bonus novella Never Too Late that introduces all the Steeles!

Harlequin heats up the New York Times bestseller list with two big titles this month – Susan Wiggs hit #1 with Fireside (MIRA) and Linda Lael Miller is sitting at #2 with her latest Western romance for HQN Books, Montana Creeds: Logan! Montana Creeds: Logan is also available as a special enriched ebook with bonus photos of the three Creed brothers. The next other Creeds – Dylan and Tyler — get their own books (and enhanced ebooks) in March and April, too.

A few more titles getting the buzz this month:
- The Courtship Dance by Candace Camp (HQN Book), the latest in her Matchmakers series of Regency romances
- A new installment of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River miniseries: Second Chance Pass (MIRA)
- Get hooked on sexy historicals with Charlotte Featherstone’s Spice title Addicted and Jade Lee’s The Concubine, a historical Harlequin Blaze set in Imperial China
- Harlequin Presents launches the first of an eight book miniseries International Billionaires, part of a deal with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) for rugby-related romances, with The Prince’s Waitress Wife by Sarah Morgan
- Caridad Pineiro adds a new story to her vampire miniseries The Calling! This time, it’s a Silhouette Nocturne Bite Honor Calls

Welcome another to the Harlequin Family!
Congratulations go out to Lucy King, who sold her first book to Mills & Boon Modern Heat! Her book won the Feel the Heat writing contest held though our blog, I Heart Presents. Lucy joins the ranks of fellow contest winner Lynn Raye Harris, who sold her first book to Harlequin after winning the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction Contest last year.

From Harlequin, with Love
You didn’t think we’d do a February update without mentioning Valentine’s Day, did you?! As a little gift to our readers in honor of the most romantic day of year AND our 60th anniversary, we’ll be offering a FREE eBook A Valentine For Harlequin’s Anniversary at our eBook Store (www.ebooks.eharlequin.com), containing authors’ and readers’ cherished Harlequin memories and a short story An Evening to Remember by Catherine Mann.

If audibooks are your thing, we also have a FREE download of Stranded! by Lori Foster on Audible.com, too.

And be sure to pop by eHarlequin.com for more special offers over the Valentine’s Day weekend!

Happy Reading!

While you are waiting for March 3 to hit so you can get your Elite Ops fix and pick up Maverick (which I really enjoyed) head over to St Martins site for a free down load of Nighthawk.
It is a very short, new and exclusive Elite Ops story. But really… I do mean short… like 14 pages and it is pdf. But whatev read it on your computer. It is free!

Maverick summary below and for those of you who are Breed fans don’t forget Coyote’s Mate is out today!

Micah Sloane knows almost everything there is to know about Risa Clay, including the vicious betrayal she endured years ago and the distrust she’s harbored ever since. The only way for the Elite Ops agent to uncover an assassin—and banish the ghosts of his own dark past—is to use Risa as bait. But nothing has prepared him for her disarming blend of innocence and sensuality, or for his overwhelming need to protect her…

Risa has spent six years rebuilding her life. And now, to save it, she must pose as Micah’s lover and draw a killer into the open. It’s a risky plan—especially with a man as powerfully seductive as Micah. But, as their charade becomes reality, Risa realizes the greatest danger may lie in losing her heart forever…

Never Love a Lawman by Jo Goodman

384 pages is what it shows on amazon… wonder if that is right… I know the galleys aren’t in yet cuz wow that would be like Jo Goodman’s shortest book in a long ass time.

Sound very westernish, doesn’t it.  Of course, it says historical on Amazon.  hmmm…what do you think? JO!!!!!!!! Come tell us what your book is about. Please and thank you

Or have I just not noticed that their set backs have been nakkid before?

Check out the post Suzanne Enoch did today at the goddess blog on her upcoming novel:

Always a Scoundrel: The Notorious Gentlemen

Lord Bramwell Johns is a wastrel, a rake, a scoundrel…and proud of it. The second son of the Duke of Levonzy, Bram is bored enough and reckless enough to break into the homes of his peers just for the excitement. But then he overhears a couple arranging the marriage of their daughter to an even more notorious rake than Bram…Lady Rosamund likes to think of herself as practical. If she has to marry, a titled rake is better than a penniless gentleman. But what about an untitled rake? For suddenly Brams appears everywhere she is, and doing his best to sweep her off her feet. If Rose isn’t careful, she may believe that reformed rakes really do make the best husbands…

Ok so it isn’t THAT naughty but really that amuses me cuz he is so meant to look like he is in the buff. Nice set back.. I am surprised they didn’t toss her leg over or something. I have the April Avon ARC’s I should go look for this one. Yes I know lime you want it.

Anyone, anyone?

Hello?

::echo::

so sad… no one tells me nuthing about nuthing ::pout::

I R Abused. Go away for a lil while and the whole world forgets about you

::kicks rock::

all rules and regs below (as copied from teh nath if I screwed up in my copy and paste skills blame gwen)

1. The book you choose for the challenge must be one that you’ve already read

2. Review must be posted on the last day of the month.

3. At the end of each month, I’ll put up a post for the Re-Read Challenge. Please post the link to your review in the comment section – this way, it’ll be easier to keep track of all reviews so everyone can find them easily and enjoy them

To sweeten the deal, I’ll give away a 10$ gift certificate each month to one challenger. I’ll draw the winner among the challengers who will have posted their review link as requested in rule #3. The gift certificate is to whichever bookstore the winner wants, provided that I can purchase the gift certificate online and send it by e-mail.

*WARNING: if you don’t post your review link in the comment section, you won’t be eligible for the draw. I’m sorry, but this is supposed to be fun I don’t feel like running after all the reviews, especially not knowing at what time you’ll post it. This makes it easier for me

2009 looks to be a good one for Harlequin (and for Harlequin readers).  Lots of interesting upcoming releases, and free goodies too!  We begin with a 60th Anniversary Update:

Rich, powerful heroes… Scandalous family sagas… Powerful and provocative storylines…

…That’s what Silhouette Desire is all about! The Desire line is January’s series spotlight so visit www.eharlequin.com for some special offerings, including 20% off all Desire titles and the return of the Man of the Month series with An Officer and a Millionaire by Maureen Child. We’ll also be holding special events in the eHarlequin Commmunity, such as blogs from the Desire heroes, discussion of the Desire online read, and a visit by author Yvonne Lindsay.Also as part of our 60th anniversary, we’ll be offering 16 free ebooks from each Harlequin series starting on January 29th at our brand new anniversary site www.HarlequinCelebrates.com! Sign up now to be sent a reminder when the books are live. Plus, check other eBook retailers for other formats.

–Amy

Enriched eBooks

How do you make a Presents book even better – enrich it! This month we have a special eBook edition of Kate Hardy’s Hotly Bedded, Conveniently Wedded that is enhanced with hyperlinks, photos, recipe, and a special author note. Want to see the place in Bath where the hero and heroine get married? Follow a link to see a picture. Intrigued by the hero and heroine’s archaeology jobs? We provide links to more information. With over 130 links added to the book, that’s just a taste of what you’ll find!

I just finished reading our enriched eBook Hotly Bedded, Conveniently Wedded by Kate Hardy and it not only has me craving an Italian romance, but it’s given me several new locations on my “places to see” list, with the Blue Grotto in Capri topping the list. The best part of the enriched edition for me was the author involvement in the creation of this version. Kate Hardy provided pictures and recipes, adding a personal touch that spoke volumes about how much the story means to her. Best of all, I feel like I’ve had a European vacation and I never left my chair.

We’ll have more enriched eBooks throughout 2009, too. There will be more information in next month’s update but keep your eyes peeled for enhanced eBook versions of Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn and Montana Creeds: Logan by Linda Lael Miller.

–Aideen

Exciting New Releases

What’s getting the buzz at Harlequin for January? Take a look!

HQN has new reissues of your favourite bestselling authors – Falling for Gracie by Susan Mallery, Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter, Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie and Secret Fantasy by Carly Phillips.

Welcome two brand-new authors to Mills & Boon Modern! Kimberly Lang who makes her debut this month with The Secret Mistress Arrangement, which will be published in North America by Harlequin Presents in April. Sabrina Philips also published her first book, Valenti’s One-Month Mistress, with Mills & Boon Modern last month, making its way to Harlequin Presents this March.

There are two new Silhouette Nocturne miniseries starting this month. First is Linda Thomas-Sundstrom’s werewolf series “Transitions” that begins with her sexy, gritty Nocturne Bite story Blackout, continuing next month with another Bite called Wolf Bait. The series of five books, published by both Silhouette Nocturne and Nocturne Bites, features five sets of couples who come into contact with a criminal who is infecting people an ancient Lycan virus.

The second series is Linda O. Johnston’s Alpha Force series, about an undercover military force made up of shapeshifters. This series gets started with two books this month – Alpha Wolf (Nocturne) and Claws of the Lynx (Nocturne Bites).  More about both series can be found at our blog, www.paranormalromanceblog.com.

Some other books getting the buzz this month are:
- Megan Hart’s erotic novel from Spice, Stranger, which features the brother of Megan’s popular hero Dan, and scenes with Dan and Elle, the protagonists of Dirty and Reason Enough)
- Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl (HQN)
- an eBook exclusive collection of hot historicals in Bronwyn Scott’s Sexy Regency Bundle
- romance on the waves in 1500s Caribbean with High Seas Stowaway by Amanda McCabe (Harlequin Historical), the follow up to her Harlequin Historical Undone prequel Shipwrecked and Seduced
- The Stranger and Tessa Jones by Christine Rimmer (Silhouette Special Edition), the first in the Famous Family series about classic family-based miniseries. The Stranger and Tessa Jones combines Bravo Family Ties and The Jones Gang when a Bravo man meets a Jones woman!

Better late than never, I say.  Here is the first in a new series of columns.  All the latest and best news from Harlequin!  Read on to get the scoop….Harlequin Celebrates – December 2008

Hi everyone! We’re Amy, Aideen, and Malle from Harlequin, and we’re thrilled to be bringing you news through The Good, the Bad, the Unread – especially since 2009 is a big year for us. In 1949 Richard and Mary Bonnycastle of Winnipeg, Manitoba started up a little publishing company—Harlequin! That makes 2009 our 60^th anniversary, and we’ve got lots of special treats for our readers to celebrate. Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect throughout 2009:

•  16 free ebooks

• New editions of bestselling authors’ very first romance novels (including Debbie Macomber, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Diana Palmer) with the “Famous Firsts Collection”

• An exhibit of 60 years of Harlequin cover art in New York City [Ed. Note: Yay NYC!  I'm goin']
  

• Man of the Month revs up again in Silhouette Desire, beginning with An Officer and a Millionaire by Maureen Child in January (we’ve included a “Browse the Book” widget so you can read the first chapter here, too)

• “Series Spotlight” on a different Harlequin imprint each month, with their own special events and products. Here’s an exclusive look at our spotlight schedule!

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

But you’re probably wondering what’s new in December, right? Harlequin does have some new goodies from this month, too!

First, Harlequin Medical Romances are now available in eBooks for the first time—so if you have a thing for hot docs (and really, who doesn’t?), you can get these books (which aren’t available in stores) right away.

Here’s something we’re sure you’d be interested in—from Dec. 23-31^st, we’ll be having a FREE eBook a day in our eBook Store! Just a little holiday gift from Harlequin.  [Ed.note: Now I'm really sorry I didn't get this up sooner]

December also sees the publication of great new titles, including:

Olivia Gates – who writes sheikh books for Silhouette Desire – makes her paranormal debut with Mortal Enemy, Immortal Lover (Silhouette Nocturne Bites). It features an immortal half-vampire, half-demon hero who falls in love with an Eradicator, a breed of human with special powers trained from childhood to eliminate all demons. Gulp!

 Vampires also collide with the holidays in the Holiday with a Vampire II anthology by Merline Lovelace and Lori Devoti. Who says spooky heroes only come at Halloween?

 Some miniseries that are being wrapped up this month: A Holiday Mystery at Jenkins Cove gets tied up in Christmas Delivery by Patricia Rosemoor (Harlequin Intrigue) [Ed. Note: See my review]. The last of the Saxon heirs gets hitched (and a baby) in Tessa Radley’s Pregnancy Proposal (Silhouette Desire), the conclusion of her New Zealand-set series The Saxon Brides. The Billionaire in Penthouse B by Anna DePalo is the sixth and final book in the Silhouette Desire series Park Avenue Scandals, about the sexy secrets and adventures of the residents of a glamorous Manhattan building (and even if you missed the rest, the whole series is also available in the Park Avenue Scandals eBook Bundle). And yet another Desire series is concluding this month: Gifts from a Billionaire delivers its last surprise just in time for Christmas with The Tycoon’s Secret by bestselling author Kasey Michaels.

Need some—ahem—warming up this winter? We’ve collected twelve naughty holiday-themed novellas by authors like Jane Porter, Alison Kent, and Michelle Reid in the Red Hot Holiday Bundle.

Finally, with Christmas just around the corner, here’s a bit of inside scoop: eHarlequin’s top ten Christmas books of 2008…

1. All She Wants for Christmas by Stacy Connelly
2. Christmas Crime in Colorado by Cassie Miles
3. Who Needs Mistletoe? by Kate Hoffmann
4. One Magical Christmas by Carol Marinelli
5. Once Upon a Christmas by Holly Jacobs
6. Holiday with a Vampire II by Merline Lovelace and Lori Devoti
7. The Duke’s New Year Resolution by Merline Lovelace
8. Mistletoe Reunion by Anna Schmidt
9. Yule Be Mine by Jennifer LaBrecque
10. Marry-Me Christmas by Shirley Jump

We hope you all have a fantastic holiday and happy new year! We’ll be back in January to give you more news about a new enriched eBook from Harlequin Presents, more sales and giveaways, and what’s going on for our first Series Spotlight on Silhouette Desire.

 Happy reading!

~Amy, Aideen, and Malle

The authors of the Unlaced anthology, Jaci Burton, Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill and Denise Rossetti are guest blogging at Book Binge today about the good and the bad about writing for an anthology. They’re also giving away a signed copy of Unlaced from the commenters on the post.  Don’t miss out on your chance to win!

Bingeaduckia Guest Authors: The Good and The Bad About Writing For An Anthology

For a second chance to win, check out the excerpts being posted today and tomorrow.

Part 1
Part 2 (with Contest)

I come from a big Italian family. Holidays at our house are–as I’m sure you can imagine–crazy. It’s loud, rowdy…and filled with love.

Our little romance community is much like that, I think. We have fights and drama, but we also have a lot of love. Books brought us together, but the love is what keeps us going. Love of reading, love and mutual respect for each other. We might have fights now and again (or as I like to call them..debates) but at the end of the day we’re all here for one common purpose: To share our love of books.

This week, we wanted to remind everyone that it’s all about the love.

In honor of the romance community, Book Binge and The Good, The Bad and The Unread have teamed up to bring you Bingeaduckia!!

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the online romance community. We’ll have games, excerpts, book reviews, guest spots and giveaways. Did I mention the giveaways?

In keeping with our “together” theme this week, we’re featuring anthologies. To kick things off, I want to know:

Do you read anthologies? Why or why not? What are the best anthologies you’ve read this year? What anthos are you looking forward to in the upcoming months?

The celebration is going on until next Wednesday. Be sure to come back and play with us as the week progresses.

If you are in San Antonio area SA Food Bank and Red Cross need local volunteers. Click on the link for more info. Our thoughts are with everyone on the coast.

Please be smart and safe. If you aren’t in SA but the surrounding areas I am sure Red Cross will be in other areas to help evacuees. Keishon and Alison Kent you two stay safe! As well as everyone else out there. CHECK IN! Don’t let us worry and don’t take unnecessary risks. Sez you know… me.

I know I am a wuss, landlocked and prolly just worrying cuz I have never been through it. But it sounds scary as all get out. You can check in with Alison Kent through her hubby’s blog and keep up with her tweets here. And Keishon here… I am seriously loving twitter right now.

Traffic already looks horrid…