Vamps and Scamps

Hunters: Eli and Sarel Reissue

2011-11-11T09:06:00.001-05:00

2011 Revision

The Hunters Book 2

Three centuries is a long time to spend alone…but Elijah Crawford is used to it. He's got his friends, he's got thugs to kill, and a mild obsession with an on-and-off again lover to keep him occupied.

But then a woman appears in his dark world, one who just might bring some light to those endless nights. Just one look makes him hunger. Just one glimpse makes him burn.

There's just one complication. She wants him dead.

Sarel Chandler knows all about vampires and she knows all about monsters--or so she thinks. The monster she knows as Elijah Crawford is responsible for the death of her sister and she's going to see that he pays for it.

There's just one complication…she's completely wrong…and she's about to pay for it in so many ways.

Warning: This book contains a pissed-off witch, a sexy Master vampire, some serious ménage action and lots of one-on-one time…of the up-close-and-personal variety. And I do mean lots…

Excerpt

Eli’s eyes closed. God, he hurt. The blood in his veins pumped sluggishly and it seemed to be filled with acid, burning him from the inside out. “Tori…?” He could smell her, that subtle scent of peaches, sex, woman, and vampire.

“She’s down the hall. We can’t get her to feed, Eli,” Kelsey said, her eyes closing. She had to. She had never been much of a liar, and if he looked dead at her, he’d see the lie. Right now, he was probably too weak to scent it, but he might still see it. “Declan’s tried and she won’t respond to him. I don’t know how to reach her.”

Desperate energy suddenly flooded him as the rage broke open inside. He rolled, pinning the woman beside him, staring down in her slanted green and gold eyes. He was so fucking tired, and it wasn’t such a chore to let it all be over, after three centuries of walking alone. He would never have Tori and there was no other woman.

But he could not let them die. Tori and Declan meant more to him than his own soul. The bitch in his bed could save him, and then he could save Tori and Declan. Then he could go right on being lonely, but what else the fuck was new?

“You owe me blood, darling,” he purred with menace, his muscles trembling with the effort it took to move and hold her, even though she didn’t resist him at all.

Those rather amazing eyes closed and she turned her head. Baring her neck. And then she said quietly, “I know.”

read more...

Smashwords | All Romance Ebooks | Nook | Kindle

I don't know if/when this book will be released back into print. Details will be posted to the site when/if that changes.

Goodreads giveaway!

2011-05-28T10:18:00.000-04:00

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hunter's Fall

by Shiloh Walker

Giveaway ends May 31, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

2009-06-20T08:58:00.000-04:00

Free website – Wix.com

We're MOVING!!!!

2007-09-06T12:10:00.000-04:00

Come visit us at our new home!

If you have this blog bookmarked, please update the link. :o)

Give Away!!!

2007-09-04T10:01:00.001-04:00

Waving Hi!!!!
So, what did y'all do over the Labor Day weekend? And are you finding it as difficult as I am to get back in to the groove of working? LOL I feel as though I've been gone forever--and I took my laptop with me! Sometimes I think it's chained to me at the ankle--laptop to one, scales to the other.

Double Dating With The Dead is available!!! Yea!!! The Morgue The Merrier is available!!!! Yea!!!! I have excerpts and videos on my website if you want to know more www.authorkarenkelley.com The reviews have been fantastic!!! Okay, okay, I have to publicly apologize once again to my writers group who told me---like forever ago---that my strongest voice was in writing hot romantic comedies. They must've been right because the reviews coming in for these two books, and Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind, have been great.

I have three copies of The Morgue The Merrier to give away! Just say hi or what have you or make a comment so I can put your name in a hat and I'll draw tonight at 10pm central time the three lucky winners. If you already have a copy, you can still give it away as a gift. Think about it---an autographed copy of TMTM by THE Karen Kelley is worth $6.99 plus tax!!!! Unless you buy it at a discount store or a garage sale, slightly higher if you live out of the United States.

Good Luck!
Karen Kelley
Available Now!!! Double Dating With The Dead/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars!!!
Available Now!!!The Morgue The Merrier anth/Zebra
10/07 I'm Your Santa anth/Brava

Is it fall yet???

2007-08-27T12:31:00.001-04:00

Okay - I admit it... I'm a wuss when it comes to hot weather. I have to slather on SPF 40, I hate to sweat, and my face turns an ugly tomato red when I have to be outside for any length of time. Now, if I could be at beach under a pretty striped umbrella with a breeze off the water and my favorite new book in my lap - well, then I could embrace the whole "hot as hell" idea.

But on my home turf, I'd just as soon not see the mercury hit 90+. My hometown is Chattanooga, and when I talked to my mom the other day, she said Chattanooga had set an "all-time" record of 105 degrees. It had never before ever been that hot in all the years of record keeping.

But enough is enough! The grass is brown. You can burn your hand just opening the metal storm door, and the neighbors' cats are drinking out of our bird baths and terrorizing the pretty finches. Sheesh!

It's so bad that I have almost given up dreaming about hunky heroes and started fantasizing about crisp October days and warm, wooly sweaters.

And by the way, If any of you EVER hear me complain this winter about how cold it is, just shoot me! I'd give my right arm just about now for a pretty six inch snow or even one of those dreary, rainy November days. I guess the grass IS always greener...

We've got some family plans for Labor Day and then it will be back into the writing trenches for me. I'm working on a fun new proposal which I hope will get a nibble of interest from somewhere! And then I have my next contracted book due November 30. And after that it will be Christmas!!

So there you have it, lots of whining from me even though (don't say it too loud) the temps today aren't supposed to get out of the eighties!!

Some of you know that I just got back from a family wedding in Orlando. We spent one day at the Magic Kingdom and despite being baked and wilted, had a great time. Because of my bum knee I had to wear my dorky white tennis shoes instead of my pretty red sandals, but I can only suffer for fashion to a degree. And at least my feet didn't hurt. Mickey is a great guy but a bit short for me. :)

Hope everyone has a great week... and please drop by to share your fantasies of fall with me. We can only dream...

Janice

Interview with Marjorie M. Liu

2007-08-25T13:02:00.000-04:00

Coming up!

Putting out a call for questions. If you read Marjorie's work and have questions, your chance to ask them is coming up.

If you have one that you'd like me to use in the interview, email them to me @
shilohwalker@gmail.com and put QUESTIONS for MARJORIE in the subject line.

I will say this, that lady has had some of the best covers I've ever seen.

:o)

why i'm glad life isn't like a romance book

2007-08-23T12:50:00.000-04:00

Last week, Karen Scott had a post about how romances make our expectations unrealistic. (yes, there are still people out there harping on this...geex, they need to get a life.) You can read the post here, BUT... don't read it at work. Karen's blog could probably get you in trouble.

I like reading romance. Love it. But would I trade my life for the lives of a woman who lives between the pages of a book? Nope. Not a one. Not Cherijo (yeah, she is sci fi, but she's like my fave heroine so she's on the list) Not Eve (yes, ladies, I'd pass on a chance to be married to Roarke) not one of the ladies from the BDB books(JR Ward), even though I love to read them and not one of the ladies from the Irish Jewels trilogy, even though I would love to live in Ireland.

Why not, you ask?

Oh, lots of reasons. Here's a few

Cherijo is married to one heck of a guy but when she's ticked off or in danger, her husband can use his mind to control her body. That would seriously piss me off.
Eve is constantly getting all these gorgeous coats, only to get them ruined by blood, gore and grim.
I'd never been able to keep my Ben & Jerrys safe from the BDB books. They get hurt, they turn to ice cream to smear on the wounds. Sorry, that's a waste of good yumminess.
As much as I'd love to live in Ireland, I can't see me falling in love just to help some cursed fairie prince.

So that's from those books.

Some random ones....

How many romances heroines have either suffered a big trauma before the book starts or during the books as part of her 'dark moment'?
A lot of the men are written to almost to perfection. I don't want perfect. Would make me too aware of how unperfect I am.
I don't resolve issues well, or quick. Romances tend to have nice, neat resolutions.
Alpha men can be nice to read about but in real life, I'd kill them. I like my DH just fine. He's a mix of alpha and beta and I wouldn't take it any other way. Sorry, I don't see the typical alpha as the ultimate father, husband, etc.

Do I like romances? Yep. Do I want to live in one? Oh, hell no.

Last Plans for Summer

2007-08-19T08:20:00.000-04:00

Summer? Was there a summer?? Holy cow, we’re down to the last two weeks and I have no idea where it’s gone! Why can’t winter fly by this fast? I never get nearly as much done as I planned, though that’s pretty much the way of life no matter what time of year it is.

But now that it’s down to the wire I’ve got to cram in a few more things before the leaves fall and there’s that first chill in the air. First I’m going to wear all the white stuff in my closet before I sadly put it away and drag out the fall clothes that I look retched in. I cannot wear fall colors. A deep pink or rust is about it. The rest...blah and I look like a baby elephant in jeans.

We’re definitely having ribs on Labor Day and doing the home-made ice cream thing once more. And I’m hitting the final sales on summer clothes to get a jump start on next year...if there’s anything left. Seems that when I try this all the leftover stuff looks so shabby and picked over.

And I’m running around in bare feet as long as I can get away with it and using my little yellow and white purse a few more times and enjoying the final burst of flowers.

So, what do you have planned for the end of summer? What are you determined to get done before we say good-by to the lazy days and jump into fall and football and getting ready for the holidays?

Hugs,
Dianne
DianneCastell.com
The Morgue the Merrier
Kensington Zebra 9/07

PS—I’ll be giving away I’m Your Santa signed copy (by all three authors Lori Foster, me, Karen Kelley).

And the winners are...

2007-08-17T08:23:00.001-04:00

The two winners who won free ebook downloads of Skin to Skin are....

Jodi, who commented

Good questions. I'm off to Samhain to check out more info on your book.

and Bernadette who commented,

Really looking forward to the book :) Thanks for the interview!

The winner of the $15 Gift certificate for Mybookstoreandmore is

Physmom who commented

Hi Bam, I am looking forward to the release of your book. If I didn't have family in this weekend I can guarantee I would be curled up reading it.

Ladies, if you all can email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com and put BAM's contest in the subject line, I'll hook you all up with Dionne. Again, Jodi and Bernadette won Dionne's ebook, Skin to Skin and Physmom won a gift certificate.

Thanks for joining in guys, and Dionne, thank you for doing the interview. Best of luck with Skin to Skin!

Shi
http://shilohwalker.com

Interview with Dionne Galace...aka Bam...

2007-08-15T15:54:00.000-04:00

Maybe I should say The Infamous Bam. If you've been in romance blogland for long, you've probably seen her around. Seen and run in fear... just kidding, just kidding. ;o)

Dionne, aka Bam, has a book coming out from Samhain here soon, Skin to Skin and besides doing an interview for us, she's also give away prizes. Three of them...downloads of Skin to Skin and $15 gift certificate to My Bookstore and More and the winner of that GC can buy Dionne's book on Friday, as well as mine...just kidding (although I think that sounds like a bang up list)

How do you win? That's easy. Just comment... BUT your name is only going into the drawing once and by name, I mean one person per ISP~I am keeping track. Only way to be fair to everybody.

Dionne will swing by during the day so feel free to ask questions!

And on to the interview...

Vamps and Scamps Blog Interview with Dionne Galace:

**All of the questions in this interview were suggested by readers at Dionne aka Bam’s blog. Thank you!

V&S: I’m curious, what’s the one thing you would never write? It can cover anything from a sexual situation to a plot too done to just something you wouldn’t want to tackle.

Dionne Galace: Oh damn. I don't really like to say "never". I do enjoy taking the so-called "tired" plots and putting my own twist on it. In fact, I was just wondering the other day what I could do with a "secret baby" or an "amnesia" story. That might be kind of fun.

V&S: How do you get Bam from Dionne Galace?

Dionne Galace: Ha-ha. You don’t. When I was a kid, I used to drive my poor grandmother crazy 'cause I would go around hitting and destroying things with a stick. She said I reminded her of Bamm-Bamm from the Flintstones, so it just kind of stuck. My friends and family still call me Bam. It's just easier to pronounce than "dee-OHN".

V&S: Is there a subgenre you’re dying to write in - witches, vampires, Urban Fantasy etc - and if so, what is it and are you going to try it?

Dionne Galace: I’m actually working on an urban fantasy series right now featuring a woman

with a "strange" gift and her elf sidekick. They own a detective agency. I've got the first four books plotted and outlined. Now I just have to write them.

V&S: If you could be any romance book female lead who would it be and which book (if it’s a series)?

Dionne Galace: I always really liked Esme from Eloisa James' books. She was just a secondary character, but I really liked how spunky and fun she was. I believe she shows up in Duchess in Love, Fool for Love, and A Wild Pursuit. Her lover Sebastian, the Marquess of Bonnington, is still my favorite romance hero to this day.

V&S: It’s 50 years in the future and the only thing you regret in life is an unfortunate tattoo on your ass. What does the tattoo say and why?

Dionne Galace: Well, damn. It's a playboy bunny. It's purely red and right on my tailbone. It looks like it was branded onto my skin. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But I don't even want to be thinking of myself as an 80 year old grandmother with a playboy bunny on my tailbone.

* * * * *

Thanks, Dionne. I'm ready to read Skin to Skin now.

48 Reasons to Read Today's Blog

2007-08-13T10:32:00.000-04:00

Mornin' one and all - Hope your Monday is off to a decent start. Today's photo has no particular story behind it, just something to tickle your funny bone. My daughter took it when Anastasia and Ainsley were in the tub being silly.

I'm yawning today... hubby and I watched part of the Perseid meteor shower last night. We left the house around 11 and drove thirty minutes out in the country to a camp... very dark there - no streetlights. We saw 22 meteors in an hour and ten minutes. Pretty cool! Our favorite one was super bright and very slow as it arced across the sky.

But enough of that! Let's get to the reason you are reading this blog today. You know how car lots and furniture stores have big sales to "make room for new inventory"??? Well, lucky for you, my keeper shelf simply has to make room for more books. They are taking over my bedroom. So, even though it pains me deeply to part with these, I am having a contest to give one lucky person 48 trade size romances!!! Yep - You heard me... if I did the math right, that is over $672 worth of books. And they can all be yours!! Plus, these are some of my favorites, so there is not a dud in the bunch!

Here are the rules. 1) This is a snail mail contest. All entries will be mailed to Janice Maynard, P.O. Box 4611, Johnson City, TN, 37602. Your entry must include your name and address (info kept totally private by me). It must be postmarked by August 31st. I will announce the winner in my September 10 blog... and of course, I will notify the winner personally if you choose to include your e-mail in your entry.

One caveat - I almost always open my contests to everyone regardless of where they live, but this time I must limit it to the USA. This box will be very heavy, and I will send it via Media Mail which is not available for overseas purposes. Sorry...

How to enter... your completed entry will consist of a simple list of 11 books. First of all, list my 9 Janice Maynard titles, 8 of which can be found on my website. Do not include any foreign editions. The Christmas book only counts once, even though it came out in trade last Christmas and is being re-released in mass market in October. The ninth book is the new one coming out in January 2008 (not yet on my website). But if you go to www.myspace.com/janicemaynard, you can see that cover and title as the big profile picture.

The tenth and eleventh books are written by my alter ego ELizabeth Scott. Elizabeth does not have a website, but you can see those two titles at www.myspace.com/authorelizabethscott.

Questions? I hope not!! But you can post them here if I have omitted any important details. I'm leaving Wednesday for a wedding in Florida, so I won't be able to answer questions after Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully, I have made this crystal clear, but you never know...

Now for the part you all want to know - the list of prize books. Here they are in no particular order... although they are more or less in order by copyright date, because - yes - I am that anal. :)

Behind Closed Doors

Wilde Thing

Standing in the Shadows

Bad Boys Online

Unexpected

Jingle Bell Rock

Bad Boys to Go

The Wilde Side

The Secret Life of Bryan

Perfect for the Beach

Bad Boys Next Exit

I Love Rogues

Smart Mouth

Undercover

Drive Me Crazy

Southern Comfort

Houston, We Have a Problem

Merry Christmas, Baby

Bad Boys With Expensive Toys

Wicked Women 101

Mouth to Mouth

Just a Hint Clint

Star Qualtiy

The Bane Affair

The Shaughnessey Accord

The Samms Agenda

The Beach Alibi

The McKenzie Artifact

Hello, Gorgeous

Beach Blanket Bad Boys

A Date with the Other Side

Honk if You Love Real Men

Taking Care of Business

Return to Me

3 Brides for 3 Bad Boys

The Night Before Christmas

'Til There Was You

The Hard Stuff

Hot Spell

Valentine's Day is Killing Me

Three

Wild Ride

When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys

Dead and Loving It

Bayou Bad Boys

Drop Dead Gorgeous

Sexy Beast

Her Best Friends' Lover

Good luck!

Janice Maynard

Back to School

2007-08-09T12:40:00.000-04:00

Thank God. Seriously. I need to get back to my routine. Today was the first day for my rottens to go back and any minute now, i'll find that illusive routine again.

So here's a totally off the wall question for you.

If you could have any power, (think super power) what would it be by and why?

Me, I'm trying to decide. I wouldn't want to see the future. I try not to worry about the future because that messes up today. Wouldn't want that. I don't want to live forever. Life wouldn't have the same beauty, IMO, if it was anything other than fleeting. We wouldn't be able to appreciate it. Wouldn't want to be a vampire. I'm a nurse, I know all about the things people do to their bodies and I couldn't move past it. Don't want to have magick or anything like that either.

I think I can honestly say that not only do I enjoy my life, I love it as it is. Changing me, or adding some weird power, would change things. I don't like change.

Going to get back to work now... my brain is dead for the heat so I dunno how much I'll get done.

contest

2007-08-07T09:09:00.000-04:00

I'm doing a contest for my newsletter group---you can join at www.authorkarenkelley.com It's in three parts and if you enter each contest your name will be put in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate from Amazon. I think I'm giving away a book (Hell On Wheels) and a T-shirt this week.

Anyway, I thought if any of y'all wanted to enter, the first question does the last frame in the video for Double Dating With The Dead say. Now, this is the very, very last frame. Which means you need to watch it to the end. The video is on my website (see above or below) Send your answers to kskelley@classicnet.net with contest #1 in the subject line.

If you don't want to join my newsletter group, that's okay, too, you'll still be in this drawing, just not the one for $25. Yes, I was desperate and needed something to blog about.

Y'all have a nice day!
Karen Kelley
Available Now!!! Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
09/07 Double Dating With The Dead/Brava
09/07 The Morgue The Merrier anth/Zebra
10/07 I'm Your Santa anth/Brava
www.myspace.com/authorkarenkelley
www.authorkarenkelley.com

What Do You Miss?

2007-07-30T10:09:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about books I used to read and books that are no longer available. If you've been reading romance for any length of time, you know that publishers and lines come and go. Between us, we could probably list 25 different series or lines that have started up and then disappeared. And it's frustrating if you've found books you really like and then "poof" they are gone!

I miss the Precious Gem romances, for example. I got my start there, and so many authors I know went from writing PG's to other places. Precious Gems were great because they were very inexpensive, and I know a lot of women have a hard time buying as many books as they want to read each month.

I miss the old days when Nora Roberts wrote for Silhouette Special Edition. I adored her category romances and couldn't wait until each new series unfolded.

I miss the Harlequin Duets (or Love and Laughter). They were cute and funny, and some great authors wrote for them, including, for example, Lori Foster's "Annie Get Your Guy."

I miss Harlequin Temptation, and I'm glad to hear that Blaze will be including the new mini-line Blaze Blush... more lighthearted, funny stuff, but still sexy.

I miss Dixie Browning... don't know if she is still writing or not, but years back, she wrote some of my favorite Silhouette Desires. And in that vein, I also miss Celeste Hamilton. Family circumstances took her away from writing, but she penned lovely books for Desire as well.

You know I always like to use a photo or two on my blogs, but all my pictures are on my computer that crashed two days ago. Let's hope that the Geek Squad can recover them for me. :)

So, chime in on this subject all you readers out there. Let's take a moment for nostalgia.

And on another note - what with keeping the babies and hubby getting sick and then leaving town for a week, I completely forgot to pick my blog winner from July 16th. Drum roll please - she is Michelle B.! Michelle - I think I have your address, but send it to me just in case, please. (jesm13@aol.com)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Janice Maynard

FYI... Steamy Excerpt ahead

2007-07-25T23:01:00.000-04:00

Nothing too bad, but still....

We're going out of town tomorrow for a few days and I haven't even packed, so in lieu of a real blog post, I'm posting an excerpt from the book I just finished for EC, titled One of the Guys although that is subject to change...

Enjoy!

“I need you to touch me,” Jaynie said softly when he finally looked up at her face.

“Jaynie—”

She knew what he was going to say and before he could form any words to try and talk sense into her, she shrugged her shoulders and sent the robe to the floor in a puddle of peach silk. “I don’t want anything more than you touching me, your hands on me. I’m not looking to find a replacement for Dean and you don’t need to feel anything more than what you’re already feeling. I need to be touched, Brian, and I want you to do it.”

His voice was hoarse when he rasped, “And when you wake up tomorrow, then what? You’re Kate’s best friend. You’re my friend and we work together.”

“And none of that will change, Brian. You don’t need to lie to me and tell me that you love me. You don’t have to worry that I’m using you as a rebound guy after Dean,” she said softly. She took a step towards him. He took a deep ragged breath and started to reach for her. When he would have dropped his hand, she took another step and caught his hand, brought up and pressed it against her. His hand cupped one and he used his thumb to trace a slow circle around her nipple. “But I need this. Please.”

Brian figured he had every man’s fantasy standing right before him. A beautiful, sexy woman offering a night of sex, no strings attached. If it wasn’t Jaynie, he would have already been on her, but it was Jaynie. Jaynie with long legs, tanned smooth skin and hair that fell nearly to her very nice butt, but nonetheless, it was Jaynie. He’d known her all her life.

She stared at him with stark eyes brimming with an emotion he couldn’t quite decipher and it made his chest feel strangely tight. I need this. Shit. Slowly, he stood up. Brian hooked a hand over the back of her neck and pulled her against him. She fit, he realized inanely. She fit against as perfectly as if she had been made for him, her breasts pressing flat against his chest, the soft curve of her belly cuddling the ridge of his cock. Her hands came up, curling around his biceps.

“You sure about this?” Brian murmured. He dipped his head and pressed his mouth to hers. Earlier, her mouth had been slicked with some shiny peachy-pink. Her lips were naked now but they were warm, soft and sweet under his mouth and the taste of her went straight to his head.

“I don’t do things I’m not sure of,” Jaynie whispered.

How to be a Diva

2007-07-24T12:30:00.001-04:00

If you’re going to be a writer you have to learn how to be a Diva. There are certain rules you need to follow or you’ll stumble and believe me, it would be disastrous if you stumbled. You might never make top Diva status. You’ll be stuck with the stigma of only becoming a minor Diva. I’m shuddering at the thought.

Don’t for one minute think it will be easy, either. Only with help from my very good friends am I getting close to attaining Divahood.

Rule number one: Being a Diva has to start on the inside. Close your eyes and feel it. If you can’t quite picture it don’t fret. It takes time and patience. Practice every single day. I’ve found that sitting at my computer, incense going and a glass of wine close by, helps create the Diva mood.

Now, think to yourself. I am a writer, therefore I am a Diva. Tilt your nose ever so slightly, head high, shoulders straight. You might have to shake your shoulders to loosen up. Careful if you’re well endowed. I strained a shoulder doing this once. It really took away from my Diva moment.

Rule Number Two: Only after you’ve achieved inner Divahood can you move to the next step. Yes, the outer Diva. It’s so easy to make a faux pas so I caution you to be extremely careful.

Start at the top. The hair-do. This is a must. It should be a little poofy, but not so poofy it hangs on tree branches or birds decide it looks like a great place to make a nest. It also shouldn’t be perfect.

Ahhh, I can see the raised eyebrows. I bet you were thinking every hair had to be in place. No, that’s for Top-level Diva’s. For now, just concentrate on lower-level, believe me, it will still be worth it.

And remember, I’m cringing here---no, absolutely no, sparkle stuff in your hair. If it glitters, get rid of it.

Rule Number Three: Okay, I’m assuming you have the hairdo down so we’ll move on to the make-up. Muted colors work well, but apply with a heavy hand. No blues (shuddering here). Soft browns and beiges work well.

Deep red lipstick is THE color of choice and always carry an extra tube in your purse. Then when you go to the lavatory (note I said lavatory not bathroom or can---learn the Diva words!) anyway, while you’re in the lavatory make sure you freshen your lipstick.

Especially if other women are present. You can make some very striking poses as you lean toward the mirror thus enhancing your Diva image. Another caution, sadly to say, I once saw a Diva Wannabe applying her lipstick and she leaned to far forward falling into the sink. Not a pretty picture. I doubt she ever fully recovered. Even worse, the dreaded wet line across your stomach.

Rule Number Four: This is probably the single most important rule. Always wear nail polish. Again, the deep red color works well.

Learn to talk with your hands. Flutter them to the right, flutter them to the left. I know you’re dying to try it so go ahead. Fun isn’t it? Another warning, though.

I know, it’s so hard being a Diva. So much to remember.

When you’re fluttering your hands about be very careful not to smack the person next to you. They never fully appreciate when you explain you’re only being a Diva. In fact, they can be quite irate, but enough about that little incident.

Rule Number Four: Diamonds are a Diva’s best friend. Two on the right hand and two on the left. You may count a wedding ring. And where might you get these diamonds, you ask. Wal*Mart. Unless you’ve reached one of the Upper Crust Diva levels you fake it ‘till you make it.

Think about it, if you’re a writer people assume you must have money (Oh Lord, holding side and laughing here) so the diamonds must be real. It doesn’t matter that you only paid $10 a ring.

Now, this is where we go back to the reason for rule number one. Remember the inner Diva? Yes, I can almost see the light bulbs going off. If you’ve been practicing and working on the inner Diva you can wear fake diamonds and get away with it. You now have the confidence to do anything, dahling.

Rule Number Five: The clothes. They should be loose and flowing. When you flutter and wave your hands they should flow with your movements. Think butterfly---back and forth. You can practice with a tablecloth until you feel confident enough to make your purchases. Or you can pretend you’re Scarlet O’Hara and use the curtains.

Rule Number Six: The shoes. Diva shoes are a must. Heels. Nothing sensible. If you don’t have the right shoes the rest of your ensemble will not work.

Rule Number Seven: The talk. Diva’s speak soft and smile a lot. Not a wide smile. Show you’re interested in others but remember deep down it’s still all about you, honey.

And raise your eyebrows a lot. But do not pencil your eyebrows to your hairline in the hopes you’ll look wide-eyed. You’ll have the wide-eyed look all right. More like a deer caught in headlights. That can be really scary to non-divas.

Rule Number Eight: The walk. Practice at home wearing full costume. Place one hand out to side, palm facing the floor (one hand only!) two and you look like you’re walking down the runway of a cheap strip club. Chin up, but not too high. Too high and you slip into snobbery. You want to be able to see the little people not step on them. Now flowwwwww as you walk forward. Bright sunlight is better so your fake diamonds glitter. Don’t flash them toward high traffic areas though. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for a pile-up because you’ve blinded everyone.

Okay, now you’re ready to go out and meet your public. You are a writer, you are a Diva. Now go forth and conquer the world!

Life should be about having fun!

Karen Kelley
Available Now!!! Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
09/07 Double Dating With The Dead/Brava
09/07 The Morgue The Merrier anth/Zebra
10/07 I'm Your Santa anth/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

Cravings!

2007-07-22T10:08:00.000-04:00

When you all go off to intentionally buy a book or maybe you pick up a book because you see it like I do when I’m at the market. That usually means I’m off snooping books instead of laying claim to a pound of ground beef or carrots or the like.

The question is, why am I there? Sometimes I’m on the hunt of a specific book that’s out but mostly I’m just shopping for something good to read. Oh, I might have heard that this is a good read and that’s great but most of the time I’m looking for a book that I’m in the mood for.

Yep, I get book cravings like I get Peep cravings and I have no idea why I get either. Maybe I need the sugar high or a mystery high or a good laugh or be wisked away to Europe, the Caribbean, Alaska, Happy Springs, Texas.

So the question today is... What sort of book are you in the mood for right now?

What book are you so not in the mood for?

As for me, right now I’m in the mood for love and mystery...mostly because that’s what I’m writing. I have about a hundred more pages of
Hot and Bothered to finish up. The cover fits. It looks like a hot night in Savannah and a little mysterious.

Here’s a partial list to get your craving juices flowing.

Vampires Dangerous Heroes Reincarnation
Love and War Love and Laughter Revenge
Terms of the Will Bad Boys Presumed dead
May, Dec romance Bad Girls Marriage of Convenience
Rags to Riches Doctor Nurse Time Travel
Chick Lit Lady Lit Tropical setting
Love & Mystery Amnesia Mistaken identity
Twins Changing Places Hidden Baby

Have a great Sunday!
Think of me writing like a mad-woman to get this book done. The last hundred pages are the most fun. It'll be a good writing week!

I’ll draw a name from the responses for a The Morgue The Merrier (Kensington Zebra) tote that’s out in September with Karen Kelley and Rosemary Laurey.

Hugs,
Dianne
DianneCastell.com

And our winner is....

2007-07-19T23:24:00.000-04:00

Ilonda... who commented

Thaks for a very interesting interview. I have no questions for Meljean but I would highly reccomend that she gets around to reading Marjorie M Liu's Books - MML is an excellent writer of superheroes :) Take it from a superhero addict LOL

Ilona, is Superwoman your fave, too... cuz of the lasso? ;o) Email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com and I'll get you in touch with Meljean.

Thanks ladies!

Interview with Meljean Brook...

2007-07-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

V&S: Other than paranormal, do you see yourself writing for other genres? Do you enjoy reading other genres?

Meljean: I don’t think that I could write anything that didn’t have an element of the weird in it. The closest I could come in romance is -- maybe -- a gothic historical romance; straight contemporary isn’t for me, but I think the tone of a gothic might be fun. And I’ve been dying to try my hand a steampunk-flavored romance for a while.

And I’m a huge reader in and outside of romance -- and I’ll go for any kind of sub-genre in romance, from suspense to a fluffy historical. It all depends on my mood.

V&S: When did your fascination for superheroes begin?

Meljean: Oh, wow -- when I was three or four, easily. I blame Saturday morning cartoons, and shows like Superfriends, Spider-man and friends, He-Man and Voltron. It’s always been there -- so I think it was natural that I lean toward writing and reading stories containing characters with super-human powers, from vampires to witches to angels.

And what has always interested me in those stories is the human core of it -- not necessarily the “super” part (which is great fun), but the part that anchors them and makes them relatable to a reader, and someone that we want to cheer on. Whatever it is that, despite the superpowers, still makes them human at the core ... and that plays really well in romance.

V&S: What won't we see in a Meljean Brook story?

Meljean: This is a tough one -- I’m willing to do just about anything if it fits the story. I probably won’t ever have the hero/heroine sleep with another character during the course of the book. I probably won’t have many big misunderstandings, just because my characters seem to talk a lot. I won’t ever NOT have a happily-ever-after (happy endings are just wired into me, like superheroes.)

V&S: Who are some of your other favorite authors to read?

Meljean: Oh, wow. I wish I had time to read. I have a huge to-be-read pile on my shelves right now, and it’s full of names like J.D. Robb, Marjorie Liu (superheroes!), Linnea Sinclair, Lora Leigh, your Hunters: Heart and Soul. Lots of historicals, from Kleypas to Carla Kelly. Other names that I really love are Anne Bishop and Jacqueline Carey, Neil Gaiman ... okay, this is becoming a huge paragraph.

If it’s dark and sexy, I probably want to read it.

V&S: Do you have a set schedule for writing or do you just go with the flow?

Meljean: I have a set schedule, but my brain doesn’t always follow it. There are times in the day when I sit down to write and not much comes out; then I’ll be trying to fix dinner or something, and I’m like: oh my gosh, that’s what I was going for! and then have a few pages come out smooth.

I burn dinner a lot.

V&S: What was the inspiration behind the Guardian series?

Meljean: There were a couple of different inspirations that led directly into the Guardians -- one was Batman and Wonder Woman. I’d been writing fanfiction about them, but was growing tired of using other characters, so I was thinking of writing an alternate-universe fic where I flipped their roles around.

I’d also read Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman to death; I love that book, but my favorite part was the interaction between the demon and the angel. It wasn’t a romance, but it was a strange sort of friendship that really intrigued me.

And I was also taking classes on Milton, and so that just got really deep in my head. Taken all together, it just kind of mixed with some ideas that I’d been playing with for a while, and came out as a really fun, kick-ass demon heroine, and kind of a long-suffering fallen angel hero who just can’t help himself around her. But the world was bigger than they were, and gave me lots of stuff to play with -- I’ll be playing for a while, I hope. I’m just having way too much fun.

V&S: Who is your favorite superhero?

Meljean: Wonder Woman -- it’s the lasso.

V&S: Thanks for joining us, Meljean.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You can visit Meljean's site here. I can tell you from experience, she's got some yummy Guardians.

If you have other questions for Meljean, please ask away... she'll drop by the blog when she can!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Updated to add....

Meljean has offered to do a book giveaway. All you need to do to win is drop a comment below. You can comment as much as you want, HOWEVER your name(s) will only be entered once into the drawing for the prize.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

UPDATED again to add... the contest part of the comments has closed. A winner's name to be posted shortly. Feel free to continue asking or commenting... Meljean will come answer questions, promise.

Monday, Monday...

2007-07-16T11:32:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone is having a good Monday. It's so muggy here, hardly worth going outside when you can sweat standing still!

I'm keeping Anastasia and Ainsley (3 1/2 and 1 1/2) for a few days so mom and dad can get away for an anniversary trip. We've already trashed the house - toys everywhere, but we're having fun!! :) DH headed off to work, but he'll get to roll on the floor with them when he gets home this evening.

A and A just went down for a nap, so I'll try to get a few things accomplished. I e-mailed my July '08 book to my agent. Feels good to have it done - all but the final polish.

Thanks to all of you who have bought Improper Etiquette! Since RT's reviewer didn't get the review turned in on time, and since NAL didn't do ARC's, I feel like the book has been orphaned. But I do appreciate all of you die hard readers!!

We have a family reunion in Chattanooga coming up this weekend. Hope it cools down by then, but I'm not counting on it.

Oh, and by the way, we tried to get a pool for the girls this past weekend - one of those hard plastic ones - but everyone has already started clearancing summer stuff and we came up empty handed. Got to make room for those blow-up snowmen and Santas, I guess - sheesh!

Don't forget to check out the contest tab on my website... I'm giving away a tote bag from the June Get-Together. www.janicemaynard.com.

And if you have MySpace, please come friend me... www.myspace.com/janicemaynard.

I feel like being generous, so I'll draw a name from today's posters and give away a pair of Karen Kelley's cool "alien" earrings. They are really fun.

Talk to you soon,
Janice Maynard

13 Reasons I'm Glad I Didn't Go To Dallas

2007-07-12T10:05:00.000-04:00

It's convention time.

I really had no plans to go to RWA's national conference this year, although my agent keeps telling me I need to try and go sometime. I might. If I stay in RWA. It's debatable now sadly.

I'm not going to get into the reasons about that if. Most of it is probably stuff that readers don't much care about anyway.

But in honor of nationals... I'm listing reasons why I'm glad I'm not there. An informal Thursday Thirteen of sorts.

Considering the decision that came down from the board, I probably would have lost my temper. And it's an ugly temper.
I saved a heck of a lot of money by not going.
I saved a heck of a lot of money because I didn't have to worry about my wardrobe.
I saved myself the headaches of standing in lines or being surrounded by people. It's been established I'm not exactly a people person.
I got to stay home and get roped into a Virtual Workshop, thanks to PBW. (insert sarcasm... )
I didn't have to worry about missing flights, losing luggage or dealing with airports.
I get to stay home in my comfy jeans.
I didn't have to worry about transporting the whole family to Dallas for a week. Hey, I got little kids... I don't need to be away from them that long... (and that would get expensive, taking them with)
It's hot enough in the Ohio Valley. I don't want to think about how hot is in Dallas.
When I eat chicken this week, it's going to be good barbecued and grilled...not the catered stuff that usually doesn't taste as good as it looks.
I didn't have to worry I'd embarass myself if I got to meet Nora Roberts. I would have (wince) squeed.
I had time to go and pester my friend Lora Leigh and get the efile for her next Breed book. Nyah nyah nyah nyah.... Jaguar's Kiss.... mine all mine.
And last but not least...both Psych and Monk start back up Friday. I'd hate to have missing that.

2007-07-10T08:44:00.001-04:00

HI Everyone!
I'm off to the RWA conference in Dallas, Texas. Woo-hoo, the Lone Star State---oh, wait, I live here :) Okay, so it's only a 2 hour drive.

I can't wait to meet up with friends, go to workshops, and the awards ceremony!!! Nope, I'm not a bit excited---yeah, right.

If you're going, and you see me, be sure to say hello! Those who aren't going---I'll miss you!!! :( I'll think about you each and every minute.....Okay, I'm lying. I won't think about y'all while I'm gone.

Speaking of which, what do you say to someone who asks how you're doing. You know, "Hi, how are you doing?" Especially if it's a clerk in a store whom you've never met. Admit it, don't you want to sometimes say:

"Oh, Lord, I'm doing awful--just awfulllll! My back aches, my feet are killing me and my damned hemorrhoids have flared up. The guy I went out with last night was a real sleaze bag---but you know how it is when you've had one too many *snort*. I think he must've had crabs, too. Do you have any Blue Star ointment?"

Someday that clerk might just catch me at the wrong moment.

Y'all have a good one!
Karen Kelley
Available Now!!! Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
09/07 Double Dating With The Dead/Brava
09/07 The Morgue The Merrier anth/Zebra
10/07 I'm Your Santa anth/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

Improper Etiquette

2007-07-02T10:11:00.000-04:00

Well, the year is officially half over. Ack! How did that happen??? It feels like Christmas was only yesterday!!!

July seemed like a long time away, and now here it is... and today I am happy to announce the release of IMPROPER ETIQUETTE. I'll be doing a booksigning in Radcliff, Kentucky, this Saturday the 7th along with Lori Foster whose book, SIMON SAYS, officially hits the shelves tomorrow! So it will be a fun day, and Dianne Castell will also be there along with a couple of other authors.

Our home town celebrates the 4th on the weekend before the holiday, so our crew (minus Anna's hubby) came up for the festivities. We enjoyed the parade Saturday morning and some really good fireworks that night.

I've included a couple of pictures of Ainsley and Anastasia. Ainsley looks cute in these photos, but Sunday morning she fell face down on our driveway and skinned up her brow, nose, and cheek. Poor baby looked pretty rough when they left. (Wondering what's in her left hand?? She picked up a rock from the gravel, and carried it as her prize all morning!)

Hope everyone has a great week. If you are lucky enough to be off on Wednesday, have a great 4th as well! And if you should happen to wander by a bookstore (cough, cough), well - you get the picture. :)

And as for me, I'll be heading out to buy Simon Says tomorrow!

Happy Summer,
Janice

Shifting Gears

2007-06-27T22:51:00.000-04:00

I usually work on two or three things at once when I'm writing. It's normal for me. I can't focus on any one book for longer than a few hours, so it's not unusual for me to go from writing on a contemp to a paranormal to suspense.

But lately I'm having to switch to a different gear altogether. I'm writing a historical set in the colonial period for an anthology releasing next year from Berkley. The anthology is called Private Places and I got to admit, writing a historical is different. I stop in the middle of something totally mundane...the heroine's horse through her, she's in pain but she can't exactly pop a tylenol, can she?

Bathing? She needs a bath, but it's a tedious process. Showers are a no-can-do. I get in the rhythm of this story, but then I have to change to a different story and I have to switch gears all over again.

Hopefully I'm not in over my head.

On a different note, Hunter's Salvation releases next Tuesday, although I think it's popping up here and there already. There's an excerpt below... hope you enjoy!

* * * * *

The moment she saw him, she froze. Only for a second, though. Her eyes narrowed and she started towards him. There was a shadowed bruise on her jaw line. Didn’t look like she’d even bothered to try and cover it
He looked away from it in time to see her fist flying towards his face. He could have moved. She was quick for a mortal, but not quick enough. Vax didn’t bother though. Her fist clipped him on the side of his face and his head snapped to the side with the impact. If he hadn’t his weight braced, he probably would have toppled off the bike.
“Pretty damn strong for such a skinny thing,” he said, turning his head and spitting a mouthful of blood onto the pavement. With his tongue, he touched the cut on the inside of his mouth.
“Well, I’d feel better if I’d knocked you unconscious, you son of a bitch.”
“I’m sure you would.”
Her chin went up and Vax wouldn’t have been surprised if she decided to slug him again. Instead, she just curled her lip and sneered at him. “Didn’t I tell you to leave me the hell alone?”
“If I’d left you alone to begin with, you’d be dead.” He said it in a flat, cold voice, but if he expected it to slow her down or cool her fury, he was expecting too much. Most people tended to try to backpedal a little if they heard the word dead.
Not her. She just tossed her head and propped her hands on her hips. “So?”
The way she snapped out the short, simple word sent a cold, chilly finger down his spine. “So. You don’t care if you live or die?”
“Yes, I care. I’d prefer death, thank you. I just want one thing before it happens and you interfered tonight. Don’t do it again.” With the last words, she jabbed her finger into his chest with each one. She spun away on her heel.
Hell. Tough little cookie, aren’t you? He couldn’t help smiling a little. “Miz. Warren…it is Miz Warren, right?”
She didn’t even slow down. Jessica Warren came right on walking across the street, her shoulders back, the shiny blonde locks bouncing up and down with each step.
“What happens if they kill you before you do that one thing?”

* * * * *

This and That

2007-06-26T09:16:00.000-04:00

I feel lazy. Probably because I haven't been writing on a book every day. It's a good kind of lazy, though. The kind where you look around and see the world in a different way. I feel as though I can focus a little better on my surroundings. There's something to be said for stopping and smelling the roses.

I'll draw one name from the comments I get today and mail the winner a The Morgue The Merrier T-shirt.
Good Luck!
Karen Kelley

Nothing But Red

2007-06-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

I wish nonfiction, essays or poetry was my thing. This is a very worth while cause and who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and inspiration will strike.

But posting this is one sure way I can help... soooooo.....

(found via Karen Scott, who found it via Bam) pasted as copied from Bam's blog.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hello, Friends. Our guest author for today, Skyla Dawn Cameron, is not here to talk about her work, writing, or personal life (although that stuff’s fun too). She would like to take this opportunity to introduce to us a very special project she is working on that will benefit our disenfranchised and persecuted sisters all over the world. Why is she doing this? Well, let’s give Skyla the floor, so she can tell us all about it. Sisters and Friends, please give a warm welcome to Skyla.

The Inspiration – On April 7th of this year, seventeen-year-old Dua Khalil Aswad, of Northern Iraq, was pulled into a group of men–some of them family members–who tore off her clothes, then beat and stoned her to death. The ordeal took about thirty minutes, and though the police witnessed the event, they didn’t intervene. All this was recorded on camera phones by several members of the “audience” and if you’re really curious, you can find the video on both CNN’s website and YouTube. Her crime? Dua Khalil was of the Yazidi faith, and she was seen in the company of a Muslim man that her family believed she intended to marry. She was brutally murdered to preserve the “honour” of her family.

One month later, popular filmmaker Joss Whedon posted his utter outrage at Dua Khalil’s death–as well as the larger issue of violence against women in general–on a fan-run news blog, Whedonesque. You can find the post in it’s entirety here, but to quote the bit that inspired the title of our project:

Because it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself. I’ve always had a bent towards apocalyptic fiction, and I’m beginning to understand why. I look and I see the earth in flames. Her face was nothing but red.

Because it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself. I’ve always had a bent towards apocalyptic fiction, and I’m beginning to understand why. I look and I see the earth in flames. Her face was nothing but red.
As you see, among his words was a call to action. I was inspired to organize a response from some of us.

What We’re Doing – We’re putting together an anthology of short stories, essays, poems, and art work, called “Nothing But Red.” The book will be produced as both a trade paperback and an eBook through Lulu.com with the proceeds going to Equality Now. The book will be released on April 7, 2008 (the one-year anniversary of Dua Khalil’s death). We are pleased to announce, officially, that the first essay in the book will be Joss Whedon’s original post, “Let’s Watch a Girl Get Beat to Death.” Our website is currently located at nothingbutred.wordpress.com.

What We’re Looking For – People to both contribute work, as well as offer assistance as volunteers.

Contributions: Submissions will open August 1, 2007 and close November 1, 2007. Although inspired by Dua Khalil’s death, submissions need not be about her specifically; we’re looking for responses to the issues Whedon raised, such as violence against women and the inherent misogyny in all cultures. This could be a short story about a woman standing up to domestic abuse. It could be an essay on the continual need for feminism. It could be a poem exploring the brutality of honor killings.

What we aren’t looking for are ten thousand word rants attacking religion, politics, or men in general. We all have strong opinions about things, but let’s try to be grownups about this, m’kay folks?

For further submission guidelines, please visit the “Submissions” page on our website.

Organizers: We have about a dozen people right now organizing things behind the scenes. Although it’s a fantastic, dedicated group, when submissions start rolling in, we’ll probably need more help. If you have any specialized skills, such as editorial experience, PR/marketing experience, website design etc, and you’d like to volunteer your services, we’d greatly appreciate it. We’re also open to anyone who just feels like helping out by brainstorming ideas, proofreading, etc. Please, if this has inspired you to act, email me and I’ll invite you to our discussion group. Even if you don’t know what you can do to help, I’m sure you have something of value to contribute–even if it’s just acting as a cheerleader.

Who “We” Are – I’ve been using the collective “we” here a whole lot, and before you think that I’m a crazy person referring to her cats, let me assure you that there are several people other than me involved in this. There are a dozen organizers so far from across the world, all brought together by a shared desire to do something positive to promote equality. We range from multi-published writers to university students, people with experience in book design to professionals in various fields. I (Skyla Dawn Cameron) am the head organizer, and I have a background in similar ventures: I’m heavily involved in my local writers’ organization and I’m currently chairing Public Relations for their first conference. We’re all serious about this project and dedicated to seeing it through.

How You Can Help – You can volunteer to help organize NBR by sending me an email at SkylaDawnCameron@yahoo.ca. That would be, like, really awesome. You can also help by simply spreading the word. Attending any writer or artist events? Going to any activist meeting? Please visit the page on our website called “Spread the Word” for some beautiful flyers that can be downloaded and printed. We also have a Cafepress storefront set up (we don’t make any money from the designs) where you can purchase a T-shirt, tote bag, mug, etc.

Another way to spread the word is to blog about it, and if you do it this week, you can win a prize…

Post something on your blog or website, a message forum, or wherever else you can think of, then post a link to it in a comment here. As thanks for your help, next Tuesday afternoon (June 26), I’ll randomly draw a name, and the winner will receive a free eBook of RIVER (my award winning debut novel) in their choice of one of the supported formats and a $15 Amazon GC from Dionne.

Huge thanks to Dionne for letting me plug this project here!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Note from Shi....not sure if the contest deal is still going at Bam's, but hey... we don't need prizes to do a good thing, right? So spread the word.

ReaderWriter Get-together 2007!

2007-06-24T05:48:00.000-04:00

Scamps and Vamps having fun!

At Rodeo
Go Billi Jo, Go LuAnn!

Book cover quilt

Yippeeeeeeee LuAnn!!!!

Joni the winner!

Basket Raffle

Limo ride!

So this is what the inside of a limo looks like!

The Reader Writer Get-Together 2007 is officially over. Lori and I turned over the check to the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter last Monday and this year was bigger and better than ever in more ways than one.

We raised over $4200 for the shelter, over two-hundred for the animal shelter and we’re still getting numbers from the sale of the Write Ingredients for the troop donations. As I’ve said so many times before and will continue to do so... Thank You to all the volunteers who made this event possible. Thank You to all who came.

Every year the event gets bigger and we hope better. Love the Eighties Trivia Quiz with Erin McCarthy, Ride a Cowboy Save a Horse by the Vamps and Scamps and LuAnn McLane and Billy Jo teaching line dancing. That the Rodeo sent a limo to pick everyone up to go line dancing on Saturday night was an added treat. Thanks LuAnn for getting that together.

Lori and I are already working Get-together 2008 and with great suggestions from you all. We’ll add more author rotations, and listing pen names for authors who write under more than one name.

But even with all that goes on at the event my favorite part is simply talking with readers and authors face to face. Most of the time I’m behind this computer writing a book or emails or blogs etc and don’t get all that much chance to see you one on one. And even if I do run into authors at RT it’s so busy there’s no kick-back time to talk about your family, job, books you like.

But the event is different, least I hope so. Just sitting and chatting is the very best part for me. I remember when Lori first suggested we do this, she said how many do you think we can get to come. We decided that 35 was a good number. We’d have fun, talk, eat, Lori and I would put together a few baskets and that would be it. And now look! J

So, my question to you all is… What is your favorite part of the event? And if you didn’t get a chance to come, why would you want to? Or not?

I have a few totes left from the event and will give two away from postings to this blog. If you already have one you can give it to a friend.

Hope to see you next year. In 2008 the event will be the first weekend in June, the 1-2. Mark your calendars.

Hugs, Dianne
DianneCastell.com

Jolly Old England...and Scotland!

2007-06-18T13:39:00.000-04:00

I promised a bit of an England blog, so here goes! We had an absolutely awesome trip. Left Atlanta on May 18th and returned late in the day on the 29th. When we flew out, we connected at Gatwick with a flight to Manchester. Our adventure began in the north with the lovely Lake District. We did some fun walks and hikes and the flowers were unbelievable... rhododendron that were like trees, not bushes! Saw lots of Wordworth sites.

Hadrian's wall impressed all of us...

Next it was on to Edinburgh. We had fabulous weather and even got sunburned. The Edinburgh Castle was so impressive, and we even hiked to a vantage point outside of town where we could see the entire city and the Firth of Forth. Beautiful yellow flowers I had always read about but never seen... gorse.
As we headed south again, we skirted along the east coast of England... miles of rugged, unpopulated coastline. Visited the Holy Island of Lindisfarne which is only accessible by car at low tide... otherwise, the road is underwater.

As we made our way throughout England, we saw famous cathedrals at Durham and Lincoln and saw several Cotswald villages. One of our favorite spots was Stratford Upon Avon. We toured Shakespeare's birthplace, and even rowed on the river.

Loved the Roman baths in Bath (where else!). And it was cool to see the huge double stone circle at Avebury.

In Oxford we ate lunch at the pub (Eagle and Child) where C.S. Lewis used to hang out. Then we did a three hour walking tour that was absolutely fascinating. The university is made up of 39 individual colleges. The most prestigious of all of them is Christ Church College... twelve prime ministers have graduated from there. The student dining hall is where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. Inside each little cluster of buildings were beautifully manicured grassy courtyards.

We ended our trip in London. We'd had lovely weather up until then, but on Memorial Day (their Bank Holiday) it actually spit snow on us. (After drenching rain the night before and more rain that afternoon after temps rose.) One of the London tabloids ran a headline the next day that said "Don't Put Those Coats Away! Bank Holiday Colder Than Alaska!"

Emma Keatley (whom many of you know from the Scamps loop) actually managed to find me in the crowds at Buckingham Palace. We had time to chat and take photos, and Emma brought me a bagful of fun gifts.

This is a vastly edited version, but if I told you everything, we'd be here for days!!
I'd better get back to work on the book that's due at the end of July. Hope everyone has a great week.

Janice

Beach!

2007-06-18T13:02:00.001-04:00

We got back from vacation late Saturday night. Sunday we had a birthday dinner for the baby bratlet...she dove into the cake. I literally mean dove. She did a belly flop onto it. The girl does like her sweets.

I've got some updates on websites, some paperwork crap that I hate and some writing to get done, but I wanted to share a picture with you all.

This is from Gulf Shores, Alabama and man, their beaches are amazing.

I didn't get as much reading done as I'd like, although I did read some of Eve Vaughn's Reinventing Chastity from Samhain. Got a lot of good research material and a lot of sun. All in all, it was a great vacation.

But now it's back to work...anybody else going anywhere fun this year?

excerpt

2007-06-12T09:44:00.000-04:00

Enjoy!

DOUBLE DATING WITH THE DEAD Karen Kelley
Release Date: September 2007 ISBN-10# 0-7582-1765-X ISBN-13 978-0-7582-1765-3

Trent Sanders drove up the circular driveway and stopped in front of the old weatherworn hotel. Oh, God, it was worse than he could’ve ever imagined. He sat in his dark green sedan for a few seconds, just staring at the place, willing it to go away.

It didn’t.

This was where he’d be living for the next two weeks.

The two-story monstrosity sat on a quarter of the block. The paint had peeled long ago. A sign in front hung from one hook, some of the letters faded. Trees and overgrown shrubs gave the place plenty of privacy...along with a spooky feeling.

It was definitely an eyesore. But haunted? Not likely. Just old and tired. He could certainly see where it got the reputation, though. Hell, even he’d heard of the legend of Garvey County.

A legend was all it was, though and in the next two weeks, he’d prove it. Selena James would not make a fool out of him.

Every county had some kind of nonsense perpetuated by teenagers and handed down through the ages to scare the kids who were climbing up the hallowed ranks from preadolescence to the sacred teens. The story would grow over the years until it was so blown out of proportion it verged on the ridiculous.

Now kids, he could understand. Older kids always loved taunting younger ones. It was a given fact. Hell, he’d pulled his share of pranks on his brother Tye. But when adults jumped in and tried to make a dollar off people’s fears, well, he had a real problem with that.

Especially when it cut into his schedule.

And cut it did. Staying here for two damn weeks with a so-called psychic nutcase just to prove there were no such things as ghosts really irritated him.

He climbed out of his vehicle and grabbed his suitcases from the back.

Miss James was going to regret ever challenging him to stay in this dump. His agent had come up with the perfect publicity stunt—debunk Selena for the fraud that she was by writing a book that would expose her to the world. Not only would he prove there were no ghosts, but he’d have enough information on Selena James to fill a book. It was the perfect revenge.

He strode up the creaky wooden steps. The realtor had given him a key to the hotel. It was beyond him why anyone would want to lock this place. It might be a blessing if someone broke in and accidentally burned it to the ground.

After setting down his suitcases, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. Muted light came through the grimy panes and landed on the equally grimy sheet-covered furniture.

The hotel was even worse on the inside.

Leaving his suitcases where they were, he walked farther inside the spacious foyer, his footsteps leaving tracks in the dust.

How the hell were they going to be able to stay here for two weeks? It would take that long just to make the downstairs livable.

He looked around the room, noting the registration desk with cobwebbed cubbyholes where there had once been room keys. His gaze moved past the desk, landing on the staircase. Even though it was covered with a film of dust, he could tell the workmanship was magnificent.

He stepped closer, running his hands over the smooth surface, then dusting them off. In its heyday the hotel had probably been pretty grand. Now she was just a tired old woman in a faded, tattered gown that was sorely outdated.

“Boo,” a woman said in a very dry, sultry voice from behind him.

He whirled around. For a split second he thought the place might actually be haunted. But if he was seeing a ghost, he hoped she didn’t vanish anytime soon. She looked pretty damned sweet as she stood in the open doorway.

No, not sweet. Nothing about her looked sweet. She was earth, wind and fire all rolled up into one magnificent woman. The combination was sexy as hell.

Slowly his gaze traveled over her, past long black hair that draped over one shoulder to kiss a breast. She was like nothing he’d ever seen with her loose white shirt, bangles at her wrists and a multicolored full skirt.

Selena James looked even better in color than she had in the grainy black-and-white photo above her weekly psychic column in the newspaper.

He wondered if she knew that with the sunlight streaming in behind her, the skirt she wore was practically transparent. He didn’t think he wanted to tell her. He rather enjoyed the view. Payback for the very public challenge she’d issued in the paper just because he’d said she was delusional—on television.

A twinge of guilt flickered over him. He quickly dismissed it. The woman was delusional. There were no such things as ghosts or people who talked to ghosts.

“Did I scare you?” she asked in a mocking voice, one eyebrow lifting sardonically. She swept into the room, and shadows blocked the view of her legs.

A shame because he could’ve looked at Selena James’s legs a lot longer.

“I don’t scare so easily.” He casually leaned against the balustrade and crossed his arms in front of him.

“But then you’ve never stayed in a haunted hotel,” she said.

“I can’t stay in a place that’s haunted since there are no such things as ghosts.”

As she stepped closer, he could see her eyes were a deep, haunting violet, her features pure, patrician, and she was tall. Maybe five-eight. For some reason he’d pictured her much shorter.

When she breezed past him, he caught the scent of her perfume. It wrapped around him, begging him to follow wherever she might lead. She was definitely a temptation, but one he’d resist. After all, she was the enemy.

She faced him, and his heart skipped a beat. Knowing she was the enemy didn’t make her any less alluring and sexy. Probably the reason she had so many followers who faithfully read her column. She was like a spider, weaving her web for the unsuspecting fly. But he knew her game and wouldn’t be drawn in. No, Miss James had finally met her match.

Definitely tempting, though.

Man, he’d been spending way too many hours closeted away in front of his computer while he finished his last deadline, then been consumed with promotion for his current release, Ghosts and Other Guff. Dating hadn’t been a top priority.

Two weeks alone with Selena might not be so bad. She was hot, definitely hot. He wondered how hard it would be to entice her into his bed. At least then his stay here wouldn’t be such a waste. It was an option worth considering.

Great weekend...

2007-06-04T13:06:00.000-04:00

Lori and Dianne did a fab job as usual of putting together a wonderful weekend in Cincinnati. It was great to see old friends again, and especially fun to finally meet some online friends face to face.

I have essentially been gone since May 18th, so I am absolutely drowning under work and family stuff. But it's good to be home and back online.

I'm including some photos. I hope to blog about my England trip later this month.

Hope everyone has a nice week!

Janice M.

Thursday Thirteen

2007-05-30T21:39:00.000-04:00

Time for the Thursday Thirteen!

13 reasons why I shouldn't have agreed to help out a friend

When I go in to cover at the office, I always get stuck doing a to-do list. I hate to-do lists.

I always end up with at least one super rude person on the phone.

I always forget how to schedule appointments. I'm a nurse~I know patients. I don't know scheduling programs.

I never get any work done... MY work, that is.

This coming weekend is the Lori Foster get together and I've already got enough to do without playing nurse.

I attract obnoxious people. At a doctor's office, I'm expected to be nice to them.

I CAN'T SLEEP IN!!!!!

I'm expected to dress semi professional. My idea of professional is jeans and a blazer. The doctors disagree.

I gave away all my nursing uniforms so I'm stuck wearing said professional clothes.

Did I mention I can't sleep in?

I could be working on my flower beds... if I hadn't said yes.

I have too much work to do to be working on anything but my books.

I don't get to do as many TTs as I'd like.

Don't forget to leave your link with Mr. Linky!

Garmin

2007-05-29T10:02:00.001-04:00

Karl and I are notorious for getting lost. I had a booksigning in Dallas once so we left 3 hours early and barely got there on time. We are so directionally challenged.

We bought a Garmin Friday when we were in Wichita Falls. I told Karl I'd drive home, which is about 20 miles, while he did the initial hook up. I wanted to see how well it worked. So anyway, we get it all fixed up and we're ready to use it. This is too cool. This really nice woman came over the little device and told me when to get off the highway, then she told me to turn onto the street that would take me home.

Except they closed off part of the street so it's quicker to go another way. So I did.

Then this really snotty woman came over the Garmin and said "reconfiguring". Then she told me to turn on Spring street, but I always turn on Crafton----so I did. Then the snotty bitch said "reconfiguring" again. Karl asked if I was going to let her talk to me like that.

I gave her the finger.

Yeah, I'm one tough mama. LOL

As long as she gets me where I'm going, I don't care that a computer generated voice gets pissed at me. I think this must be the revenge of the computer geeks. I can hear them now---yeah, if they screw up, lets tell them they screwed up. Even better if a man is driving! It will be worse than having his wife sitting in the passenger seat!

Seriously, I think we're going to love the Garmin. I know I feel more confident about driving to one of the bigger towns now.

Thanks to everyone who ran out and bought a copy of Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind!!!! The feedback has been fantastic. I absolutely love writing Steamy, Sexy, Funny romances and I'm thrilled y'all like Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind. My next release is already up at Amazon and B&N. So cool seeing my books there. You can check out all my covers and excerpts at my website (listed below).

Have a great day!
Karen Kelley
Available Now!!! Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
09/07 Double Dating With The Dead/Brava
09/07 The Morgue The Merrier anth/Zebra
10/07 I'm Your Santa anth/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

And the winner is....

2007-05-20T16:25:00.000-04:00

Stacy!

Stacy's posted started out...

Hey Rachelle! Great interview :)God I wish I personally knew some sexy guys LOL.
Good luck with the contest.

Stacy, email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com so we can get you in touch with Rachelle for your prize.

More interviews coming up...We've talked with Meljean Brook, Dionne Galace (the infamous Bam for all you blog hoppers out there) and more.

Thank you!

Author Interview...Rachelle Chase & a contest!

2007-05-17T18:25:00.000-04:00

V&S: What did you think of your first RT?

Rachelle Chase: It was an awesome experience! I got to hang out with a lot of great authors, including one of my favorites, Robin Schone, as well as fellow SECRETS author, Calista Fox. Plus I met lots of wonderful readers, new authors, and got some great photos with the cover models.

And speaking of the models, I’ve just launched the SEX LOUNGE Finding Derek CONTEST (www.FindingDerek.com), which seeks the American male who most resembles the hero in my new erotic romance, SEX LOUNGE. So I’m hoping some of the models I met, as well as other hunky guys, will participate. So if you know any sexy guys, please send them over – or stop by, yourself, to enter to be a judge!

I needed a week to recover from RT when I got back home but I can’t wait for the next one …

V&S: Can you tell me about the Dreams & Desires anthology from Freya’s Bower?

Rachelle Chase: Dreams & Desires is an awesome anthology featuring short stories by Jenna Bayley-Burke, Faith Bicknell-Brown, Amanda Brice, Sela Carsen, Gemma Halliday, Candace Havens, Zinnia Hope, Jackie Kessler, Susan Lyons, Richelle Mead, Debbie Mumford, Rhonda Stapleton, Bebe Thomas, Emily Veinglory, Sasha White, Lois Winston, Shaunna Wolf, Kit Wylde, and myself.

The stories range from sweet to spicy. My story, “Romance For One,” about a woman dining alone at a restaurant who gets a pleasant – but unexpected – surprise, is in the spicy category. But here’s the best part: None of us, including the publisher, profit from the book. All proceeds from the book go to a battered women’s shelter in Florida!

V&S: I saw on your site that you’re going to be a guest author at the online Romance Writing Book Group @ BN.com. What’s this group about…who can come?

Rachelle Chase: Author Leigh Michaels hosts the book club. In her words, here are the details:

“The BN romance writing bookclub is open to everyone with an interest in romance novels – writers and readers. You can visit the site to get the gist of what’s going on, then register (all you need is an email address and a password, and it takes about 60 seconds to sign up) and then you can post and ask questions. Since the previous discussions remain on the site, new people can jump right in where we are, or go back through the previous discussions in whatever order they like. We encourage posting writing assignments and/or very short sections of a manuscript for reader feedback.

The book club has been operating since January, and every two weeks we focus on a different subject (but previous discussions remain on the site). So far we’ve talked about heroes and heroines, secondary characters, conflict, plotting, point of view, and dialogue. Right now we’re spending a couple of weeks with author Jenny Haddon, the president of the Romantic Novelists Association (the UK equivalent of RWA). She writes romance as Sophie Weston and has also written a new guide to punctuation, so we’re talking about mechanics right now.”

May 15, 2007 – May 28, 2007, I’ll be the guest and the subject will be love scenes and sensual tension. It should be great fun, so I hope everyone will join us!

V&S: If you could be any one of your characters, which one would you choose?

Rachelle Chase: Hmmm. I don’t think I’d actually want to be any of my characters, as they are all so very different from me but I think one of the ones I had a lot of fun creating was Nichole Simms in SEX LOUNGE. To take her from passively recording her sexual fantasies in a notebook about a sexy client named Derek to actively acting them out with him, once he finds the notebook, all the while keeping it believable and emotional and, eventually, leading to love … well, that was a challenge for me. One I totally enjoyed.

V&S: Can you give the readers an idea of what kind of stories you write?

Rachelle Chase: I was joking with a fellow writer the other day and said “I write Inspirational Erotic Romance” because, while my stories have very explicit sex and are very hot, I think they are tame in comparison to others out there. Meaning, I do not use exotic sexual positions, ménages, BDSM, polyamory, etc. There are many authors who can do this well, but I am not one of them.

Instead, I take everyday people who somehow find themselves in erotic situations. Like, Bobbie, in SIN CLUB, who thinks she’s doing a striptease for her boyfriend, only to discover it’s her neighbor she’s beckoned to her bed. Or Sharice, also in SIN CLUB, who thinks she’s called a guy she met outside a club, only to discover much later she’d misdialed.

Then, I mix in control issues and lots of internal conflict over what my characters thought they wanted vs. what they got, and weave in the external plot, all the while keeping the sexual tension high and consistent throughout the book.

That’s what I think a reader can expect when they pick up a Rachelle Chase book.

Shiloh, Vamps & Scamps, thanks so much for having me on your blog!

Thank YOU Rachelle!

FYI...Rachelle will be giving away a copy of Sex Lounge to somebody in the comments... so if you have questions or comments, post away. I'll draw a winner sometime in the next few days.

Good Morning!

2007-05-15T09:59:00.000-04:00

I'm going to Scarborough Faire Sunday in McKinney, Texas. If you've never been to a Renaissance Faire and love that time period then you've been missing out. I love feeling as though I'm stepping back in time and all the little shops. Plus, I need a day away from the computer! And if there's shopping involved, even better.

My signing check will be here this week. Yea! My credit card companies are going to hate me. I have an evil plan in the works. I'm going to pay them off this year, then get rid of all but two. I figured up what I pay in interest alone and I was shocked. I could almost make my monthly car payment for what I pay. That's terrible! So that's a new goal of mine.

I have a lot of goals. I lost thirty pounds and started feeling sassy and skinny! Oh, yeah! I'm one hot mama!!! Well, I was starting to think I was. Then my wonderful son and future d-i-l send me a dozen roses for mother's day (and a box of candy!). I got all dressed up in a new black and white polkadot skirt and top and had Karl take my picture. In one, I sat in an antique red velvet chair, held the vase of flowers, and looked down upon them. A true Southern Belle.

Then Karl downloaded the pictures.

I looked like a huge banquet table draped in a polkadot tablecloth with flowers in the center. OHMYGOD!!! I deleted all the sitting down pictures. My sassy, hot mama feeling went out the window. I realized just because I felt better, I couldn't slack up on watching what I eat and exercising. I still need to lose 100 pounds. My other goal.

I got my new title for my Feb. 2008 release. This is the second in my alien series. Another romantic comedy. It was titled The XXX Files. I was afraid it was a little too "hot" for marketing when I was told they were going to change it. So my editor calls me and says she has the new title. Drum roll~~~Cosmic Sex~~~ I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I do write hot love scenes so it fits.

But can you see me (I live in the Bible belt) at a signing and they announce it over the loudspeaker: Karen Kelley will be signing her new release, Cosmic Sex. That should prove interesting.

Okay, I have a book due next month so I'm off to immerse myself in a make-believe world. Oh, wait, I'm already there!

Hugs,
Karen Kelley
Available Now!!! Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
09/07 Double Dating With The Dead/Brava
09/07 The Morgue The Merrier anth/Zebra
10/07 I'm Your Santa anth/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

Moms who Read

2007-05-14T06:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, this is a day late as I couldn't get into blogger. My brain is mush! :-) Humm...wonder who taught James here how to read?? And look what he's reading. :-)

It’s Mother’s Day and we all owe our mom’s a ton for everything they’ve done for us. Some mom’s are better then others, of course, but all have some good qualities. And, I’m just willing but bet, since you all are here reading this, that your mom promoted reading in some way or another. You saw her read and you picked it up.

There are all kinds of reading. I never saw my mom read a book in her life, but she did read the newspaper front to back and memorized the stock market page...not that we ever had any stock. I ended up working in the market and have always, always read the newspaper.

As for me as a mom I didn’t read books a lot when the kids were little...didn’t have the time with four little ones running around the house. But then they got a bit older and I found a time. In fact, it was my oldest daughter, Emily, who got me reading romances. At thirteen she tossed me a dog-eared Harlequin and said read this. I can still remember it, Hard Bargain. Steamy stuff. Then she told me it had been passes around the eighth grade class as a “supplement” to their sex-ed class.

But the point is, my kids have always seen me reading something and since I was a teacher I taught them to read. Seemed much too important a task to leave to a teacher who may or may not be any good at this.

So, the question today is... What did/does your mother read? What do you remember seeing her read? And do you read the same thing? Is she the one who got you reading romance?

Have a great day and if you are lucky enough to still have you mom around, I’m jealous.

Hugs, Dianne

High on the Hog in Houston!

2007-05-07T14:41:00.000-04:00

As promised, today's blog is a recap of my week at the Romantic Times Booklover's Convention in Houston April 23-29. (For those of you wondering - Romantic Times is a magazine that does monthly reviews of ALL romance novels as well as romantic suspense, mystery, etc.).

I flew out on Monday and stayed for a couple of nights with friends. Got an insider's tour of Houston, including a peek at Beyonce's recording studio. My hosts took me to several fun restaurants inlcuding one in Galveston where we had blackened redfish topped with a crawfish cream sauce. Yum!

Tuesday I dashed over to do a workshop on plotting for the aspiring writers' workshop which is an official "pre-conference" event. Wednesday afternoon I checked into the Hyatt downtown along with my rooomie LuAnn McLane. And from then on out it was go/go/go from morning until midnight!

Wednesday early evening there was a welcome reception with chips and salsa. Late evening, Ellora's Cave ramped up the festivities with a party that included chocolate fondue and our first glimpse of the Ellora's Cavemen, all of whom are buff and cute and funny. Some of them competed later in the week in the Mr. Romance cover pageant. Harlequin organizeded it last year, and the winner got a modeling contract to do a book cover. This year Dorchester Publishing is the sponsor.

Thursday was a full day... the Vamps and Scamps (Karen Kelley, Dianne Castell, Janice Maynard, Erin McCarthy, LuAnn McLane, and Kathy Love) stuffed one hundred cloth tote bags for the bookseller's event we hosted Friday night. (We were sorry that Toni, Rosemary and Shiloh couldn't come this year!) Erin and Kathy led an 80's trivia workshop. We also went to a luncheon and later that night the dinner and fairy ball. Dressing up is optional... the crowd is about 50/50 on that point. Our own Miss LuAnn was sporting a pair of wings.

Friday morning the six of us presented a well-attended workshop for readers called "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy". Lots of laughter and high jinks. Dianne (aka Miss Kitty) was our moderator. We played games, snickered over LuAnn's inflatable bull riding costume, and even though we couldn't get Fabio, we had a surprise appearance by "Bobio" - "half the man for a quarter of the price". :)

That evening was Heather Graham's Wild Wild West play, dinner and dance... the six of us Scamps had to slip out to go get ready for our Midnight Temptations event for booksellers. Kathryn Falk herself dropped by along with others. We had goodies to eat and drink, door prizes, and of course, our chock-full goody bags to hand out. We did a sort of gypsy theme... I was wearing red lipstick, and when I did the red-eye adjustment on my camera, it made my lips black!! Not sure how to "undo" that odd effect!! Got in bed at 2AM Central that night. Yawn. Here's hoping that RT gives us an earlier time slot next year, although everyone seemed to enjoy it!

Saturday is the huge book signing open to the public. I was sitting by Liz Maverick, as often happens with ABC order. :)

After the signing we grabbed a quick late lunch and put our feet up for a few minutes before the Mr. Romance Cover Model pageant at 5PM. It was a hoot... eight contestants, including one sort of honorary guy... his wife is a romance writer and he is leaving this week for his 5th deployment to Iraq.

The winner this year was Jason Santiago... and I just happened to snap a picture of him holding a copy of PLAY WITH ME at the booksigning earlier that day!

During part of the pageant, the men came out dressed as various Dorchester historical heroes. Travis Greiman, a crowd favorite, was dressed as a Scottish highlander. Two female volunteers, one of whom was the lovely Anna DeStefano, posed as models with the guys for some fictitious contemporary vignettes.

Toward the end, the military guy came out in full dress uniform carrying a bag. Anna was standing at the edge of the stage... she turns... they see each other... he drops his bag... and they run into each other's arms as he returns from the war. Not a dry eye in the house, including the female emcee who had to be handed a jumbo box of kleenex.

It was a great event. Ended about seven... back to the room to freshen up, and then on to the Dorchester party at nine. This Saturday night party is always more casual and laid back. The eats were fresh fruit, warm pretzels, and popcorn. The DJ played rock and roll all night, and our bunch of women had a blast dancing the night away.

We snagged one of the pageant contestants, Christopher - a real sweetie, to pose for a picture with us.

Sunday morning it was off to the airport...

It was great to see Danny from Germany (Hi! Danny), Billie Jo Case and her sister Yvonne (see pic above), and so many other friends.

This was only my second RT, but like last year, I thought it was great fun. Even the most shy of women can find friends to hang out with, and the freebies (including tons of books) are super!

Looking forward to seeing some of you next year in Pittsburgh.

'Til then
Janice (aka your roving reporter)

RT

2007-05-01T09:32:00.000-04:00

I got home from RT Sunday afternoon. I kept dozing on the plane. The embarrassing kind of dozing where your head falls forward and you jerk it back up, but staying up for the Dorchester party was sooooo worth it. They know how to put on a party!!!!

I love RT. I always feel like it's a bonding of women. There are no lines separating authors from readers when you're on the dance floor. RT is exactly as it says--a celebration of women (and men) coming together to celebrate the romance genre.

The cover models aren't bad, either. YES! I admit it---I drooled along with everyone else!!! And yes, I danced with Chris and had my picture taken with Travis and....okay, we won't talk about that other little incident LOL

One of the highlights of RT for me is seeing old friends. Yeah, we talk on line but it isn't the same as laughing your butt off with Billie Jo and her sister, Yvonne. Or Danny with her chocolate bar she gives me every year. German chocolate is soooo good! And all the new faces! New friends!

I debated on going next year--but after the first day, I knew I'd be at RT in 2008. I hope to see you there!
Hugs,
Karen Kelley
Available Now!!! Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
09/07 Double Dating With The Dead/Brava
09/07 The Morgue The Merrier anth/Zebra
10/07 I'm Your Santa anth/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

New Release this week... Always Yours

2007-04-29T09:35:00.000-04:00

Over at Samhain Publishing...

For those who read it when it was at Triskelion, this version hasbeen revised a lot, expanded some. Basically, I cleaned the book up.

For those who read it when it was at Triskelion, this version has
been revised a lot, expanded some. Basically, I cleaned the book up.

Dylan was having sweet dreams.

Very sweet dreams.

There had been one time…only once, but it had been close enough for
him to pretend there was something in Kris's eyes beside aloofness.

And now…he was dreaming of that time, at a picnic, Labor Day weekend,
at Nikki's cabin, when it started pouring down rain and they were
caught under the trees by the lake, waiting for the rain to let up.

Either that or make a dash for it.

Her eyes had met his and lingered…just for a minute, before drifting
down to his chest, wet from the rain, and he had been studying the
front of her T-shirt. "I didn't know rich girls wore T-shirts," he
drawled.

"Well, I gave the maid a few days off and I haven't done laundry,
slick," she said, lifting a brow at him before returning her gaze
back to the rain and sighing, a movement that made that miraculous
chest rise and fall, drawing his attention to her hard, pebbled
little nipples.

"Gasp…you know the `L' word?"

"Bite me," she said, rolling her eyes.

He surprised her when he crossed the grass and asked softly, "Can I?
Where?"

Her lids flickered and he watched as her tongue slid out, wetting her
lips. "It's a saying, babe. You know, a sarcastic one, basically
telling you to—"

The rest of her words were muffled against his mouth as he lowered
his head and pressed his lips against her petal soft mouth, very
curious to see how she would taste. Damn, he'd been dying for a
taste for years. And the heat and the sun and a couple of beers,
watching her all day was enough to weaken his resolve.

And that was where the dream differed from reality. In his bed,
Dylan rolled onto his back, his hand resting on his belly, while in
his dream, his hands came in framed her face, holding her still. In
reality, her lips had parted under his for a second, one sweet, brief
second…and then the moment had been ruined as thunder cracked and the
wind started to whip around them.

But in his dream…he backed her up against the tree and he never even
questioned how it somehow became a bed. Or how her jean shorts and
damp shirt were replaced by black silk. Clichéd, maybe, but there
was something about a long, slim woman wearing black silk.

Just as he was peeling the black silk off of her…her lips parted—
ringing erupted from them.

His eyes flew open on a vicious curse and Dylan jackknifed out of
bed, wide-awake and hornier than hell. He grabbed the pager and
stared at the unknown number. Unknown, no emergency code, so he
tossed the pager down and rolled over, going back to sleep.

And it had actually been a sweet dream, almost—it almost felt real.
One day, he'd love to have that kiss followed by something more than
his dreams.

Just a reminder about winning...

2007-04-26T11:17:00.001-04:00

prizes here.

you have to email me...if you don't email me, you can't claim your prize. Hint hint...

shilohwalker@gmail.com

And we have winners....

2007-04-25T10:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everybody who came and played yesterday!

Lynn graciously offered three prizes~she's giving away three sets of the Darkyn series, signed. I've drawn the winners and it looks like one or two of the names are new to her books (goodie, more converts). Congrats to the winners and I hope you enjoy!

The winners are....

Lisa F. who said...

I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I have not read your books.

Stacy who said...

Not to give her any more credit *g* but I "discovered" you because of Shi

and last but not least...

Lis who said...

Enjoyed the interview. What's the most gratifying thing about writing for you?

Ladies, if you can email me, (shilohwalker@gmail.com) I'll get you in touch with Lynn about your prize. Thanks again to everybody who dropped by. Some excellent questions and thanks to Lynn for doing the interview and hanging out with us!

Author Interview.... Lynn Viehl

2007-04-23T22:10:00.000-04:00

Just so you all know, Lynn Viehl/PBW is going to try to stop by the blog today, so if you have questions, shout them out. I do believe the word contest was even mentioned. So if you all stay quiet, maybe I can get the prize... *G* Okay, okay. Ask away, I'll make the sacrafice and not try to steal the prize.

Going to be hard though.

For those who don't know, I'm a total PBW junkie, whether it's her blog, the Stardoc books that she writes under her pen name SL Viehl or the Darkyn vampires she writes as Lynn Viehl or the romantic suspenses of Jessica Hall or Gena Hale. So not be able to win one of the prizes she's giving away is going to be so hard on me. Sniff.

Onto the interview.... ;o) As always, readers from the Scamps and Vamps yahoo list sent in the questions and I picked out the most interesting. If you have other questions, feel free to ask! Contest winners are selected from those participating in the discussions...

V&S: Is there any story that you wish you hadn’t written? Is there any story that someone else wrote that you wish you’d thought of first?

Lynn Viehl: I’ve learned something from every story I’ve written, even the ones that are so lame they need crutches, so I’m pretty happy with my inventory. I wish I’d written the Bible; just imagine the royalties.

V&S: In your stardoc series which shiloh turned me on to btw what is your most unusual alien? Describe it to everyone just in case they've not read this fabulous series.

Lynn Viehl: I think the most unusual aliens from the StarDoc novels are the Jxin. They were humanoid shape-shifters who evolved into energy-based lifeforms. At this point in StarDoc’s timeline, the Jxin no longer exist in corporeal form or occupy reality. The Jxin can still communicate through the cerebral subliminal implants they left behind in Cherijo and certain other individuals from species they helped found. Maggie, Cherijo’s surrogate mother, was a Jxin.

V&S: What first made you blog? Why have you continued to do it for so many years?

Lynn Viehl: I’ve been keeping handwritten daily journals since 1974, and blogging immediately appealed to me as a way to cope with the growing handicaps brought on by my arthritis (I have to use voice recognition software to write now.) I’ve also been teaching writing to children in public schools for many years, and I thought I might be able to do something similar for writers of all ages via the Internet. I’m able to give something back to the writing community by blogging, which is the main reason I think I keep doing it – to pay it forward.

V&S: What is one thing that your readers would be surprised to hear about you?

Lynn Viehl: Actor Johnny Depp and I grew up about four blocks away from each other in south Florida, and we went to the same high school. I eventually married his next door neighbor’s brother. You should have seen my face the first time I watched 21 Jump Street.

V&S: Who are your fave Sci - fi Authors and have you met any of them?

Lynn Viehl: A.M. Lightner, who wrote YA science fiction back in the sixties and seventies. She passed away quite a few years ago, so I never had the privilege to meet her.

V&S: If you where given the chance would you travel into SPACE?

Lynn Viehl: Only if NASA didn’t build, launch or guide the vehicle involved.

V&S: Where do you get your ideas from?

Lynn Viehl: There’s a great little writing idea shop in town . . . I’m kidding. All sorts of things inspire me: music, art, life, history, dreams, nature and general curiosity about all of it.

V&S: How difficult is it for you to write Sci- fi books?

Lynn Viehl: SF is probably the easiest genre for me to write in because my stories take place in a universe of my own creation. I’m able to build almost everything in the novels from scratch. That gives me a huge amount of creative freedom, which is wonderful.

Thanks so much for doing the interview, Lynn. If anybody has any questions or comments... now's the time!

Interview with Lynn Viehl will be Tuesday!

2007-04-19T19:34:00.000-04:00

April 24th. I'll be posting the answers to the questions that readers in the group asked. Also, Lynn Viehl will be dropping in to answer questions and as I mentioned before, she's going to have contests. ;o) We like contests, right?

Well, I'd like them more if I could win them.

Ah well. Make sure you drop by!

Interview with Lynn Viehl coming up!

2007-04-18T21:20:00.000-04:00

Folks, I'm trying really hard not to do a fan-girl squee here. I don't do fan-girl, and I certainly don't squee. However, there are two authors who could bring me to such actions...and one of them is Lynn Viehl. Oh, what's the point... let's get it over with.... SSSSQQQUUUUUEEEEE!!! There. It's out of my system. I'm better now.

Ahem. As I was saying, one of the authors is Lynn Viehl, aka SL Viehl, aka PBW. I've only mentioned PBW on the blog in, oh say.... ten, maybe twenty, no more than thirty posts, I promise. SQE--oops. Sorry. I can't help it. I just love her books.

Again...as I was saying, I've mentioned her here before and I finally decided to ask if she'd do an interview. She said Yes. (Color me happy, here) Annnnndddd.... she's doing contests. We'll be doing it one day next week so for those who aren't hitting RT, don't worry. There's going to be something going on here, cuz I'm not going. It's hard to juggle a weeklong trip when you have an infant and two young kids. Too expensive for all of us, and I won't leave my family for that long.

Then there was also the issue of I didn't know if I'd meet my deadline. (I did, yes! Hey, I think I deserve a prize for not just meeting, but beating the deadline) Stop laughing. Those of you who know me know that there's little I won't use to try and weasle my way into getting books early.

I'll post ahead of time when we'll be doing the interview, but it will be next week. For paranormal and romance readers, she's got an excellent vampire series, the Darkyn books. Sci fi readers, (and yes, romance readers would love it too) she has the Stardoc books. And for aspiring authors, she's got excellent advice.

Congrats to PBW, by the way. (and me, cuz I get more books) She just sold two more Stardoc books. Making me, okay, so she didn't write them for me, but still... making me and others very very happy.

2007-04-15T14:17:00.000-04:00

Books into Movies...

I love movies but am usually disappointed when they make a movie from a book. I get that they can’t include everything in the move but sometimes they do such a horrid job. Who did they get to do the screen adaptation??

One of my favorite books is French Silk by Sandra Brown. Love, love, love that book. Then they made a TV show from it and it was just plain horrid! The fact that they let Susan Luci play the lead was the first mistake. Then they way over-simplified the plot and completely ruined the book. Never mind the sex scenes that seemed to be thrown in as an after-thought.

I know several of Nora’s book are on cable TV and everyone seems to be happy with the job done there and there are some books that are actually better movies as books. IMO, Hunt for Red October was such a movie as was The Client and The Firm. It think Clancy wrote those with his eye on getting them made into a movie. Smart guy!

So, the question is, is there a fav book you’d like to see into a move? Any suggestions on who’d play the hero or heroine? I’d love to have my O’Fallon series as a move, and not just because of the money but I love the Mississippi River setting and the mystery. I’m sure this will never happen but I can dream, can’t I. J

Hugs, Dianne

(Insert musical score from White Christmas) Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow!

2007-04-09T15:46:00.000-04:00

Well, curiouser and curiouser... after a tantalizing taste of Spring, we here in the south were plunged back into an unexpected bit of winter. It was snowing when we went to bed Friday night... woke up to a decent dusting. I scooted outside to take a few pictures before we loaded up the car and headed south for some family time during Easter weekend. Went on a very COLD egg hunt that afternoon. Had a nice day Sunday with church, lunch, and watching the little ones play with their Easter basket stuff.

I seem to be living with my suitcase packed these days. Got back from NYC Tuesday night the 3rd, slept in my own bed for four nights and then gone again. Which makes it hard to get any work done, that's for sure. I had copy edits on one book and revisions on another book waiting on me when I returned from the trip to the Big Apple.

New York was wonderful as always. We were there before the "big chill", so we had cool days, but not cold ones. And plenty of sunshine.

Anybody have big travel plans for this summer? I will have been gone so much for the first half of the year that except for Lori's thing in June, my summer actually looks pretty calm. I'm still debating going to RWA in Dallas, but leaning toward no.

So how about the rest of you? Any cruises, car trips, flights to exotic places??? Spill the details!

Janice Maynard

Interview with Alison Kent

2007-04-04T21:54:00.000-04:00

Today's interview is with Alison Kent and as always, the questions were ones I collected from readers.

V&S: What type of research did you have to do for your SG-5 series?

AK: That would depend on each book. For The Bane Affair, I did a lot of research into upstate New York, and had a reader tell me that she lived in the area and felt as if she was reading about her home turf. That was nice. I did the same for The Samms Agenda, learning about the Everglades and Miami.

For The Perfect Stranger, I had to figure helicopter speed, helicopter make/model, and flight time between the northern coast of South America to the U.S. I had maps of Mexico spread out while writing The McKenzie Artifact, and the same for West Texas when writing Larger Than Life. For LTL, I also read a lot about Warren Jeffs and his polygamous followers.

I also research weapons, and am lucky enough to have a source for computer information in both my husband and stepson. Sometimes it can be something as small as the abacus I put into the hands of the villain in The Bane Affair who also suffered from a disease I based on ALS. Once the research is done, I don’t mind taking literary license to fit the story!

V&S: Regarding the SG-5 series, are you sad to see the end of those Hunky guys? Are you going to do another similar series?

AK: I have 3 more books contracted with Brava, and 2 of those will be SG-5 related featuring Simon Baptiste and Finn McClain who both appeared in Deep Breath. After those two, I’m not sure if I’ll do a story for Gideon Martel (another operative who got screen time in Beyond a Shadow and was mentioned briefly in The Samms Agenda), or if I’ll do something new. I’ll figure that out (with the help of my editor) later this year!

V&S: As an avid (rabid?) fan, I'm wondering what role, if any, do your readers play in your writing? Do they motivate you? Drive you crazy? Do you remember comments they make about particular books and/or characters that inspire the molding or development of future books/characters?

AK: I love hearing from fans, but I can’t say I’ve changed anything or molded anything based on reader feedback. I did ask readers if they’d like to read about Finn or Simon next, but then since Simon’s story came to me first, I had to honor the muse! Still, I listen to all of the comments readers make, and probably at some subliminal level do stress the parts of the stories they’ve told me they like, and maybe back off on others!

V&S: What makes a scene sexy?

AK: The unknown. The tension. The waiting. I’ve read a couple of things lately that have just knocked my socks off and given me that bottom-dropped-out-of-the-stomach sensation. Love that!

V&S: What was the inspiration for the SG-5 series?

AK: Oh, the TV show Alias, totally! Fun adventure that’s so far out there it requires a huge suspension of disbelief. But that’s what’s so much fun, making it all about the characters even when the situations might seem implausible. My adventures are pure fantasy just as are vampires and werewolves!

V&S: What are you reading right now?

AK: I’m reading a Silhouette Desire by new author Tessa Radley. I’ll probably grab Holly Black’s Tithe next, then maybe Tami Hoag’s The Alibi Man. I read all over the place!

Thank you, Alison! Guys, Alison is going to drop by the blog at some point on Thursday, so if you have questions of your own...have at it!

Interview with Alison Kent coming up!

2007-04-03T13:22:00.000-04:00

On thursday!

www.alisonkent.com

We'll be posting questions selected by readers from the ScampsVampsandSpicyRomance loop and Alison will also drop by and maybe answer some questions from the blogger.

:o) Hope to see you.

Shi
www.shilohwalker.com

What was I thinking????

2007-04-03T09:52:00.000-04:00

Stop the world and let me off!!!! It's spinning around and around and I'm getting dizzy! LOL Have you ever been so busy that you met yourself going around a corner? It feels like that sometimes.

But it's been such a fun month! And it's barely started!!! I love when I have a new book coming out.

I'm chatting at Romance By The Blog tomorrow ( http://www.romancebytheblog.blogspot.com/ ). If you have time, stop by and say hi. Then tomorrow night I'm chatting at Fallen Angels at 8pm central http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/ and Thursday the vamps and scamps will be at Writer Space chatting. I don't have the URL for that.

I broke down and went to the eye doctor. Never , ever pick out frames after the exam. My pupils were dilated to 10 times their normal size. I had to rely on Karl and the young girl to tell me they looked great. What was I thinking???? I mean really, Karl will go to town wearing paint splattered jeans and his favorite shirt used to read: If I throw a stick will you go away? It's so old the letters are faded. When I mention this fact, he sniffs and tells me it smells okay. Sheesh!

I'm almost afraid to go pick up my glasses when they come in.

So, have you ever asked your husband/boyfriend for advice and then realized it wasn't the wisest thing to do? LOL I can't wait to read your answers!
Karen Kelley
Available Now!!! Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
www.authorkarenkelley.com

Very Strange Places...

2007-04-01T08:31:00.000-04:00

for a love scene.

In all the books I’ve written I can count on one hand the love scenes done in a bed. It’s not that I don’t like bedroom love scenes but they are usually planned events and my h and h are usually in an I-got-to-have-you-now situation. So, they never quite make it to bed. J

But sometimes they are in really unlikely situations and want to get it on and the question I have is, when can they and when is it out of the question?

I read a book once where they did the deed on horseback. Wow, not that’s talent! And I hear of that mile-high club and wonder how two people can ever fit in that little bathroom. And I don’t know about you but I can barely fit in an airplane seat much less get someone else in there with me. Then there’s the privacy issue. Most planes are a circus. Except now with no food they’re a hungry circus.

I had the h and h do the horizontal hula with her on a newel post, in a pilot house of a tugboat, the woods, hayloft, boathouse and the most unusual a rowboat. That was fun!

So, in the books you’ve read where are some of the most unusual places for love scenes? And are there any scenes that you thought…there is no flipping way they can do it there!

Have a great Sunday!
Hugs, Dianne

Spring Cleaning

2007-03-30T08:38:00.000-04:00

It’s time to simplify my life and clean out some closets… I have a ton of other author’s books that I’ve accumulated at conferences and never had a chance to read. So I’ve decided to make the pile smaller by giving away a prize pack of books to one random person who posts here Friday or Saturday. Why hoard them when someone else can enjoy them, right? This will be a nice big box of romance novels by various authors for the lucky winner.

To be entered in the drawing all you have to do is post and tell me why you love romance novels. Easy!

I love reading and writing romances because I want a happily ever after, darn it. There is enough misery in the world that sometimes when I read I just want to escape that. I also appreciate the hope they offer that in the end everything will be okay.

I absolutely believe in true love. I believe in second chances. I believe in redemption, and the ability to change and grow. And I believe that what you give out, you get back. Romance has all of that, and I love it.

Have a great Friday and thanks for dropping by!
Erin

This and that...

2007-03-26T12:45:00.000-04:00

Spring has sprung! Yes, peeps, it is warm and sunny in east Tennessee today, and my yard is blooming all over. Found these two pretty flowers in a red wheelbarrow this weekend. :)

Busy times at our house... hubby and I are off to NYC this Thursday morning (returning next Tuesday). I'm attending a mini-conference Thursday through Saturday noon. The rest of the time my dh and I will be playing tourist in one of our favorite cities. I'll blog about it in a couple of weeks.

We're hoping to see a show, or maybe two. We love to try new restaurants, scope out special exhibits at the museums, and simply walk the streets and soak up the sights and sounds of the great city.

I'm looking forward to seeing my editor and my agent, plus will have a chance to meet some other editors as well. It will also be a chance to renew some old writer friendships and make some new ones.

Just for fun, I'll bring back an inexpensive New York City souvenir for some lucky winner. I'll draw a name at random from anyone who posts between now and tomorrow night. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday. Even boring chores are a bit nicer when the sun is shining and it is warm outside!

Until later,
Janice Maynard

This and That

2007-03-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

I totally forgot I was blogging today.

So we'll just do a hodge podge kind of thing.

Karen Scott is posting her results from her racism in publishing survey.

I'm still running the contest for Alison Kent's The Perfect Stranger. And there's the BOMContest running thru my blog as well.

Speaking of Alison Kent, she's agreed to do an interview here on the blog and we'll be posting that probably next week. I'll try to remember to post ahead of time when I get a firm date. And...(pardon me while I have a fangirl moment... SQUEAL) Okay, that's done. Lynn Viehl is doing an interview for us, too! For those who don't know me, I'm a total groupie when it comes to anything written by Lynn Viehl, no matter what name she is writing under, SL Viehl, Lynn Viehl, Jessica Hall, Gena Hale... I love them all. But I promise I'll try to let you all have a shot at asking her questions, too. No guarantees.

Spring Break is coming up here and next week, we're heading to Gatlinburg for a few days. I love Gatlinburg, all the touristy trappy stuff, and I love the mountains. It's been a while since we went and we haven't gone any place that far away with the baby bratlet so this oughta be interesting. To say the least.

Had a few books out the past few weeks, released early but hey, I don't care. I don't see me hitting the best seller lists, so I don't care if they hit the shelves early or not at this point. Hunters: Heart and Soul is selling at BN.com and Lover From Another World is selling at all the online places.

Okay... did I ramble on enough? Lol. Y'all have a good week...I gotta get to work!

Technology

2007-03-20T10:23:00.001-04:00

Technology

Oh, LORD! What a boring subject!!!! And what the hell do I know about technology---about enough to fill a thimble! I mean, my 12 year old granddaughter put up a MySpace for me in half a day and I'd been struggling for weeks! I still can't get it to verify my address so if you friended me and then I ignored you that's the reason. We're going to San Antonio this weekend and I'll get her to show me all the neat stuff and fix my little problem.

But what are they teaching these kids nowadays? When I was in school, you couldn't even take typing until the 10th grade! There were no computers, either. God, I feel so old!

Well, actually I don't. I still feel young--except that my knees pop and I can't turn a cartwheel, but then I never could. I never managed a hula-hoop, either. Those were so frustrating!

I'm digressing.

Technology is so confusing. I'm thinking about taking a course--in something. Trial by error only creates more chaos and confusion and usually locks up my computer.

I just bought a new wireless keyboard and mouse. My hand will be halfway across the pad but the little arrow on the computer screen is still in the same spot. I've thought of many things I could do with the little mouse and not a one has to do with anything technical!

And another complaint I have is with Yahoo! It bounces me at least every couple of days. What's going on???? Okay, do you want to vent today? Complain about anything and everything technical? Well here's your chance to let it out!!! I will be able to feel your pain!!!!

Otherwise, have a good day and thanks for stopping by :)
Karen Kelley
04/07 Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
www.authorkarenkelley.com

Alison Kent!

2007-03-14T15:52:00.000-04:00

Hey guys!

Alison Kent is going to be joining us for the release of her upcoming book, The Perfect Stranger. Not sure of the day yet, but I'll post it when I know.

Should be in the next week or two.

Hope you can join us~

Only nine days to go!

2007-03-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

Only nine days to go until Spring arrives! I can hardly wait!! This has been one long winter I won't be sorry to see go...

Of course, I know that the calendar isn't the last word. I was in Gatlinburg one year on April 2 when we had 24 inches of snow! But come March 21, I'm going to paint my toenails, pack away the coats, and hope for the best. :)

And while we're on the topic of calendars... let's talk about this nasty time change! My poor body can't cope. I'm trying to make myself go to sleep at night, and then when the alarm goes off, I'm groggy and sleepy. I think we should "gain" an hour in the spring AND in the fall!! That's my kind of time change. Of course, it would totally screw up the calendar, but it's all about me - right??? Ha!

At the top of this blog, the pic of the day is Jake's Creek Falls in the Smokies. We were hiking there this past Tuesday, and it was an absolutely perfect spring-like day.

So here's the challenge - hunker down for the nine more official days of winter, and then no matter what the weather, ditch the parkas and gloves and celebrate the official start of spring!

Wishing you all warm sunshine, gentle breezes, and lovely April days.

Janice Maynard

It's a Job

2007-03-07T10:50:00.000-05:00

I get some of the weirdest comments and questions when people hear that I write for a living. Some are just plain weird, some don't make much sense, and some are downright freaky. Others are just kind of funny and then there are some that make me think.

Every once in a while, there's the kind of question that makes me wish I never told anybody what I did for a living...like the bratlet's school teacher. She found out and now she has me come in couple times a month to work with the kids on their writing assignments. Do you have any idea how hard it is to teach a seven year old how to halfway organize their thoughts for a one page writing assignment? Trust me. It's not easy.

But the comment I hear the most is this one, or some variation of it... Wow, so you're a writer, huh? That's got to be interesting/fun/different/fill in the blank.

Here's the thing. It's a job. Fun? Well, sometimes. But then again, in my previous life, I worked as a pediatric nurse and working with kids can be lots of fun. Sometimes. Different? Weeeellllll....maybe, but I still have certain things that I have to do to keep my job. Meet deadlines. Get edits done, and speaking of edits, I've got the final edits on Hunter's Salvation sitting by chair and waiting for me. I have bosses(editors, readers) sort of, that I have to satisfy otherwise I may not continue to work for them. Meaning I might not sell any more books.

Like any other job, it has its high points. Writing The End, or whatever I'm using to close a particular book, is always a high point. Getting pay checks can be, but since those are never the same, it can also be depressing. Signing a new contract? High point..but it can also be so fricking stressful, I wonder why I do this to myself. What if the book sucks? What if it stalls half way thru and I can't fix it? What if it doesn't make sense? WHAT IF NOBODY LIKES IT....

It has also has its low points. Like edits. Like getting stuck in the middle and trying to figure out where it went wrong. Waiting to hear back from editors, agents, waiting on cover art and stressing over said cover art, because what if it sucks? And if that's not fun enough, try doing it while you're working 40+ hours a week and trying to raise a family and still make time to see the DH and actually have some semblance of a life. I'm one of the lucky ones because I was able to kiss the dayjob bye bye almost three years ago. Lucky enough that I was able to give up a decent, steady paying job and write full time, but there's no guarantee I'll be able to say that in two years. Five years. Ten years. Stressing about that will put me in the dumps for a week, so I just try to focus on the here and now.

My job has it's share of bad days. The characters won't cooperate. Too many of them talking at once, or worse, none of them talking to me at all. For the most part, I've lucked out in the cover department but when you get a bad cover, it can ruin your entire day...week...and every time you look at the cover, you get a little depressed. Authors don't always have much say in how a cover looks, so if it's bad... you're just stuck with it. For years. Seeing a review for a book you worked pretty damn hard on and watching it get trashed. It happens. It's not much fun and as evidenced by some of the blog wars we've seen, some writers decided to let everybody in the known world know that they are not happy about the review and they are out for blood.

It also has its good days. Like an editor emailing you that they are going to be running some extra promo for your book. That's always good. It means the editor believes in that book and they think its going to do well and they want to boost it all they can. You get an email from a reader who tells you that their book touched them-not just that they enjoyed it, but it actually touched them...they connected with the characters, they laughed, they cried and when the book was done, they went back and read it again just because they weren't ready for the story to end.

But in the end...it is still a job. It's not going to suit everybody and yes, it's a job that not everybody can do. But you know what? That could be said for a lot of other jobs out there. I couldn't ever be a teacher. I couldn't be a firefighter. I wouldn't make the best cop or the best lawyer. I can be a nurse and I can be a writer. I'm just glad I'm one of the lucky people out there that actually was able to choose which one I wanted the most...and make a living from it.

woo-woo

2007-03-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

HI Everyone!

Have you ever gotten those tingles when you know something good is about to happen? I have a friend who says meditating makes you more aware of psychic abilities even if it's just listening to the "tingles". Meditating helps you to become more aware of what's going on that you might not otherwise see or hear. Developing your sixth sense, so to speak.

Once I had a bad feeling. I was walking through the kitchen and when the feeling washed over me, I stumbled. I knew without a doubt that I had a rejected manuscript in the mailbox. As soon as the feeling hit me, I thought to myself, no way. Not that I thought I was the worlds greatest writer or anything, but I'd sent it to Silhouette and I figured I wouldn't hear anything for several months. It had only been gone 6 weeks. Well, it was out there, and it had been rejected. Side note: Kensington bought this book in three days when I mailed it to them and I got a lot of fantastic fan mail on my first published book: Bachelor Party. It was a Precious Gem.

I think I've mentioned having "feelings" before in a blog. I wondered if anyone knows how to further develop your psychic energy other than meditating. If you do, let me know really fast because we're going to a casino Friday to see Jeff Foxworthy and y'all know I have to play the slots just a little. LOL

Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind has gotten some great reviews!!!! Yea! If y'all buy it, please e-mail me and let me know what you think. It comes out April 1st or thereabouts. Okay, I'm going shopping. We need new blinds in the den, but I'll stop back by this afternoon and read your comments.

Y'all have a fun day!
Hugs,
Karen Kelley04/07 Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
Romantic Times 4 1/2 Stars Top Pick!
09/07 Double Dating With The Dead/Brava
09/07 The Morgue The Merrier anth/Brava
10/07 I'm Your Santa anth/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

2007-03-04T09:06:00.000-05:00

Howdy, Chickies!

I'm cheating here. Instead of chatting about a writing topic I'm giving you the 411 on the June Reader/Writer Get-together Lori and I do each year. This will be our third and biggest year ever! We have two agents (Berkley and St Martin) and two agents coming in. Sweet! Okay, I realize if you are a reader this may not tickly your funny but it should! These are the gals that get the work from the author to the bookstore. They are our heroes. And this year they'll give a little talk on what's new and headed your way. Always nice to hear from the powers that be.

And there will be an author cookbook to ogle over and tons and tons of donated baskets to bid on and line dancing Saturday night and a huge bookfair and yummy food and a looooovely hotel and a very relaxed way to sit and chat with authors and readers. All this for $35. That covers your food for Fri night, Sat breakfast and lunch. What a deal! Lori and I take care of the other expenses. And any profits we make for the raffles and bookfair (not all, some goes to B&N) we donate to the YWCA battered women's shelter in Cincy. They will be there too to tell you how they spend the money. Last year we donated 2700! See picture above. :-)

So, if you can make it do! It's fun and casual (I wear pink jeans, T-shirt, gym shoes and cowboy hat!) I'm giving away new hats this year of a different nature. Come and see!

If you have any questions let me know. Need directions just let me know. Register at Lori's site LoriFoster.com. Below is an outline of what's coming your way.

Hope to see you all!!!!!!!!

Hugs, Dianne

Readers and Writers Get Together
Lori Foster, Dianne Castell, Linda Keller
Friday June 1 - Sunday June 3
A portion of the book fair proceeds will benefit the
YWCA BATTERED WOMEN’S SHELTER

-- Meet authors Lori Foster, Dianne Castell, and more! (Check the updated list online)
-- Meet agents Jennifer N. Schober, Spencerhill Associates Ltd.
Roberta Brown, Brown Literary Agency
-- Meet editors Rose Hilliard, from St. Martin’s Publishing
Cindy Hwang, Berkley Publishing
-- Meet your online reader friends face to face.
-- Gab sessions, prizes, gift baskets, casual photo ops (bring your camera!), meet-the-author round-tables, pajama parties, used book trade, and more!
-- Book Fair Get the newest releases signed by your favorite authors!
-- For unpublished authors there will be opportunities to have your work critiqued by pubs, your questions answered, networking, etc...
Check http://www.lorifoster.com/ for updates!

ALL THIS FOR THE PRICE OF MEALS ( $35 )
AND YOUR ROOM ( $99 + tax ) if you stay overnight

ROOMS: Friday night and/or Saturday night -- $99 per night plus tax
To get the $99 rate, tell them you’re with the LORI FOSTER READER AND WRITER GROUP

HOTEL RESERVATIONS: *must register by May 19th*
Call: 1-800-MARRIOTT or 513-874-7335 or Email: jerry.rigney@Marriott.com
Cincinnati Marriott North
(Just north of Cincinnati on I-75 at Union Center Blvd, exit 19)
West Chester, Ohio, 6189 Mulhauser Rd, West Chester, OH 45069-4842

Friday, June 1th Reception - open to all registered attendees.
6:00 to 11:00 pm register, agent and editor appointments; Reception in the Tri-County Room; refreshments & pizza party provided

Saturday, June 2th Events in the West Chester Ballroom III
8:00 am – donuts, bagels, coffee & tea
12:00 – 1:00 pm – lunch buffet
Barnes and Noble BOOK SIGNING (inside the hotel) 4:00 to 6:00 pm

Sunday, June 3th
“on your own” breakfast with friends or authors (sign up sheets available Fri & Sat)

PUBLISHED AUTHORS only attending the signing: contact Linda Keller directly at CRM2170@bn.com or call (513) 755 – 6193
Send letter (email) of intent by May 1st, ISBN and titles by May 11th

PUBLISHED AUTHORS attending the event: please register BEFORE contacting Linda. Send questions to Lori at lorifoster1@juno.com

Friends

2007-03-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

It’s still cold and windy here with snow on the ground, and everything looks tired and worn out. The snow is black and deflated, the grass that’s showing is brown and soggy, the sky is a hazy gray, and I’d rather be anywhere but here. To combat the weather, responsibilities, and life in general, my local writing friends and I have started an annual girl’s sleepover. Yes, I mean grown women having a slumber party like a bunch of 13 years olds, complete with music, munchies, and gossip. Only since we are adults (even when we’re trying hard to forget that fact!) we also add dinner and a Sunday spa visit, with massages, manicures, and pedicures. Husbands and boyfriends raised their eyebrows when we decided to do this for the first time last year. Apparently they think it’s slightly odd that women would want to stay up half the night talking and reading each other’s tarot cards. Frankly, I can’t picture men doing the same. LOL.

But it’s been a fabulous way to step outside out all that life expects of me and hang out with my girlfriends for twenty-four hours. We laugh, we talk, we eat, we drink wine. We worry, we dole out advice, we support each other, we confess. We even watched the Justin Timberlake Sexy Back video and generated theories as to what is actually going on in that- aside from him walking around looking smoldering, sexy, and angry. Which really is all that matters anyway.

So what do you and your friends do to catch up? What special memories of girlfriends and childhood friends do you have?

Erin,
Raising a glass to all my girlfriends, near and far. Thanks for everything!

Random thoughts...

2007-02-25T16:13:00.000-05:00

You know how Martha Stewart always talks about "a good thing"? Well, today I decided to blog about two very good but unrelated things!

The first is that on Thursday I saw in my backyard the first crocus of spring - cheerful yellow, and sturdy enough to endure the cold days that are sure to follow! Yeah!! That means the rest of the flowers won't be far behind. In fact, when I was in Knoxville on Friday at my daughter's house, she actually had lots of daffodils in bloom. Ours are "up" but it will be awhile yet before we have any blossoms.

Still, it's hopeful to know that warm spring breezes are in the near future!

And now for my second good thing... when we were in DC last week, we had time to sneak in a trip to the old Patent Building... it now houses the Portrait Gallery and the Museum of American Art. These are not on the mall with most of the other Smithsonian Museums, so you have to go a bit out of your way, but they are definitely worth it! We spent a couple of hours there and loved every minute of it.

I took some photos of my favorites, but this one picture caught my interest in a special way. It reminds me of how much we all love to read. Moms and Dads reading to their children is one of the best ways to ensure future success in school and to create a lifelong love of books. My dh and I loved to read to our girls as they were growing up...

In addition to my parents reading to me, I had a great aunt who would take me to the Bookmobile and who would also buy me books and let me read books off of her shelves. (Not all of which were appropriate!!) But I grew up absolutely adoring books and reading, and I can't imagine my life without either.

So, this painting is a nice reminder of one of life's simple but most profound joys...

Tell me ladies - were you reading at an early age, or like some people - did you become a pleasure reader later in life?

Tell us your story. :)

Janice Maynard
(off to read a good book...)

The art of procrastination

2007-02-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

Procrastination is an art. Do you know that? I've got it down to a highly refined art, but I just discovered that Jaci Burton is better at it than I am. And I thought I was really good. I mean, I started a personal blog just to help me in my procrastination endeavors.

When I get home from dropping kids at their various places, school, sitter, preschool, I always have the best intentions. I'm going to sit and write. But then I decide I'm going to check email. And then I realize I hadn't looked at PBW's and I can't go a day without checking her blog. Then I realize I'm kind of tired and I need a laugh to pick me up, so I visit Dear Author, Karen Knows Best or It's Not Chick Porn. But once I've gotten a good laugh, I realize I need to get serious and focus on the book, so I go see what words of wisdom Alison Kent has. Then I wonder what kind of trouble Sybil is in.

Then I realize I need to check and see if they are shipping my new book yet... yes, I know, it's not due out for another month... so? Then I wonder how many more people did a search for ARC OF LOVER REVEALED BY JR WARD and I go check the blog stats on my blog, Trivial Pursuits. And then I figure since I'm still online, I need to visit Lora's forum and see if I missed anything.

By the time I've done all of them, I look at my email and realize I'm supposed to be blogging here today and once I get that done, I PROMISE I'll get to work... right after I check my email again.

Romance is in the air!!!

2007-02-20T10:03:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

I love everything about romance. I love the fact that my wonderful husband is my very best friend and that we have so much in common. I love that he will stop on the side of the road when he's on his way home from work and pick me wild flowers.

I love romance books. Will the next book I open be the one I lose myself in? Will the author transport me to another time, place or world? Will she make me laugh or cry? Or both? I want to be swept away. I want to be a part of the romance.

Yes, it's going to be in the 70's all week in Texas so spring is in the air :) At least until Sunday when we have a cold front coming through. Okay, I know a high of 58 would be a heat wave to most people, but it's still cold to most Texans.

I'm just finishing up a bonus book. Yea, a little unexpected gift to readers for an anthology I'm in. Once March is behind me, I'll have a little breathing room. Yeah, I know, I said that last month but I really think it might happen this time. Then the last part of March--around the 27th, Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind comes out. I always get so nervous when a book hits the shelves.

My editor sent me some extra copies of Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind--woo-hoo!! I'll give one away today from a randomly chosen comment from today's blog. ALSO, I'll announce the winner tonight around 9pm central/10pm eastern time--on the blog. I'll be going to the post office in the morning if the winner will e-mail me their address I can mail it tomorrow. The last contest I had, the two winners didn't contact me. I'd really like to give a book away so if I'm not contacted by 10pm Wednesday night, I'll draw a different winner. You can contact me at kkelley@classicnet.net

Good Luck!
Karen KelleyAvailable Now! Hell On Wheels/BravaAvailable Now! Texas Bad Boys/Brava04/07 Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Bravahttp://www.authorkarenkelley.com/

Do You Care What They Wear?

2007-02-18T20:48:00.000-05:00

Well, do you care what your characters wear or is it just extra baggage? I often wonder. Okay, in something like The Devil Wears Prada (I really liked that move. Clothes to die for. Made me want to burn my wardrobe.) the clothes thing is really important as that’s the setting. But what about other stories? Do you care if your heroine is in jeans or a skirt? Red blouse or white? Your hero in jeans or khakis? T-shirt or polo? If it’s formal and there’s a tux involved I get that. If the dress is important to the situation you have to know but what if it’s just a plain old day in the story?

When is info too much info? I just finished an historical and the clothes description bored me to tears. I don’t care what color the gloves and what they were made of but that’s what they do in historicals so you get a feel for the time and people. Except the description took me out of the story more than added to it and I found myself skipping frilly petticoats and perfumed hair stuff.

So, how much do you want to know? How much time should I devote to the clothes thing? Do you care what they wear?

And as a side note and since we’re on the topic of clothes... Has anyone bought anything really spiffy for spring? I’ve got my eye on another purse...I’m purse nuts!

http://www.target.com/gp/detail-tab-popup.html/ref=in_de_detail-item-display/601-8283991-1246545?ie=UTF8&parentStoreItem=0&asin=B000JJNJ8C&tabToSelect=additionalImages

What do you think??

Hugs, Dianne

And the winner is....

2007-02-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

Ellie!

Ellie asked... Do you enjoy all genres or is there a most favorite, such as mystery or paranormal.

Ellie, I need you to email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com & put blog contest in the subject line!

Thanks everybody, and thanks to Bad Barb as well!

Interview with Bad Barb

2007-02-13T13:09:00.000-05:00

The infamous Bad Barb, even...

I would have had this posted earlier, but my server through me off for some reason. I'm really starting to dislike them.... gggrrrr....

Onto the interview~

For those not familiar with Bad Barb, she's a reviewer who likes to lock authors in closets. I had the wonderful idea to turn the tables on her and lock HER up. OKAY... Okay... I didn't really lock her up but if she threatens me with that closet, I dunno what I might do. ;o) On the Scamps and Vamps look, and other place... I've seen people ask Barb where she got her nickname from, how she gets all the ARCs she gets, who she has locked up and more. So today, we're asking her!

FYI, if you have questions for Barb, related to things like reading or reviewing or authors, feel free to ask. To make it more fun, I'm giving away a prize to one reader that participates today. BTW, I define participation as joining into the discussion... asking questions, offering opinions...something like... Hey, How ya doing... isn't going to quite make the drawing. So ask away. Ask as many questions as you like, however, names only go into the drawing one time.

First questions and Barbs answers are below!

V&S) What author that you have not met would you like to meet?

BB)There are two, Carole Mortimer who writes for Harlequin Presents, and Miranda Lee who lives in Australia and also writes for HP.

V&S) Where did you get tne name "Bad Barb" from?

BB) I actually got the nickname from Stella Cameron. I met her on the Writerspace email loop back when it started and there was a contest at Diana Palmer's web site that I wanted to win, and someone else did too (Janey) and we kept going back and forth saying what we would do to get the prize and I can't remember what I said but after that comment Stella said, your bad, your bad Barb and it stuck. :)

V&S) Do you really own a pair of handcuffs?

BB) I will never tell. hehe

V&S) How did you get started reading romances? How about reviewing them?

BB)Started reading Harlequins when I was 14, although there were a few books I picked up in the library that had some romance in it when I was ten. I would read the book while waiting to meet my mom for lunch and there was a book rack in front of lunch counter. :)

Lori Foster actually got me started, I had met her at the WS email loop and she asked me if I had read everything she had written so far and I said yes, ( I have been reading her since the very beginning) and she sent me In Too Deep and I reviewed it at Amazon and BN and a few other authors liked what I did and they started sending me stuff.

V&S)If you could get any author locked up in your closet, who and why?

BB) I couldn't lock up just one author, I would lock up all my favorites and keep them in there so they can keep writing.

Got more questions? Ask away. Come on... you know you want to get back at her for how often she teased you about those ARCs....

Shi
http://www.shilohwalker.com

Valentine's Day - Not just for lovers!

2007-02-12T10:43:00.000-05:00

You would think a romance writer would be all about Valentine's Day and great romantic stories... and I must confess, I relish a good February 14 love story as much as the next person. But who says Cupid's holiday can't be for everyone???

My theory is this... if you don't have a significant other in your life this year, then spoil yourself. Buy something frivolous or treat yourself to a massage or a movie or anything else you enjoy. Psychologists tell us it's important to love ourselves, so why not make Valentine's Day something to celebrate, regardless of whether or not you are part of a couple.

And I'm all in favor of remembering friends on this day. My hubby's secretary is a single woman... we plan on giving her a box of chocolates as a gesture of how much we like and appreciate her!

So get out there ladies (and gents) - celebrate with your honey if you have one, and if it's just you and a bottle of wine, don't let it get you down... do something fun for someone you know, and don't forget to treat yourself to a crazy, extravagant, unexpected Valentine's gift that's all your own.

Hugs and kisses from me!
Janice Maynard

(The picture today is one of MY special valentines, Ainsley... on her first birthday. She's holding the plastic cell phone we gave her - it was one of her favorite gifts! :)

Stuck in the Bowels of Editing Hell

2007-02-08T12:26:00.000-05:00

So I'm gonna be mostly lazy and post an excerpt from Hunter's Salvation, the book I'm editing.

This isn't Mal and Kelsey's book, but I was reading it over and wanted to share. I don't often actually what I write. Most times, my opinion is... eh... okay. I know I can write, but I don't always think what I'm writing is any good. I actually like this excerpt, though.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Two thousand years and you’ve never once wished you’d been born the son of a Roman merchant? Grown up to become a soldier?”

“Not once.” His fingers threaded into her hair and fisted there. His dark blue eyes stared into hers as he murmured, “Not for even one day. Not for even one second. Because every second, every day was just that much closer to you. Everything I have done has brought me here. Brought me to you. For you, I would have gone through a thousand year of slavery, ten millennia of solitude. If I had you waiting for me at the end of it all, it would have been worth it.”

Kelsey felt her heart melt. She felt all gooey and syrupy inside and when he lowered his face towards hers, she pushed up onto her toes and met him halfway. Their lips met, a slow, gentle kiss. When he pulled away, Kelsey wouldn’t have been surprised if her legs gave out and she ended up in an ooey, gooey puddle right in front of his size thirteens.

“Not one day,” he repeated. “There is much in this life that has confused me, much that has left me angry, empty, even cold with terror and fear. But one thing I do know, all my life, everything I have ever done has led me to you. Undoing what I am would have broken that path. I may have never found you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

FYI, if you're a TT blogger, my TT is at my personal blog this week.

A Winner and a Survery and an ARC

2007-02-06T10:05:00.001-05:00

LoisC, who said.... Loisc said... Love your books and great interview.

Lois, if you'll email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com I'll get you in touch with Angela about your prize. Thanks, everybody!

Also, for the authors, if in the crowd, passing the word along via Karen Scott's request.

~~~~

Racism In Publishing, How Does It Affect You?Are you an African American author who’s been published for at least one year? If so Karen Scott wants to hear from you.She’s conducting a survey based on the racism within the publishing industry, and whether or not it’s as prevalent as some believe. She’s looking for black or African American authors who have been published for at least one year.She would like to know about your specific experiences within the industry thus far. She wants to know how AA authors feel about the current shelving policies, and niche marketing. She wants to know who you feel is to blame for the problems that you face. She also wants your suggestions on how things can be improved upon.In all, there are twenty questions in the survey, and all that she asks is that people be as honest as possible. Confidentiality is assured if requested, but for the findings to yield more weight, she would request that she be granted permission to directly quote from the answers given by the authors.She’s hoping to poll at least 100 AA authors, in an effort to ensure that a fair representation is achieved.If enough authors agree to partcipate, (and depending on the findings) the results may well be sent to representatives within media and press. No promises that Oprah will hear about it, but all efforts will be made to get the message out.If there are AA authors out there interested in participating in this poll, please e-mail Karen at hairylemony @ gmail. com (without the spaces) with the subject header ‘Please send me the survey'.The deadline for the survey to be completed and returned to Karen is March 1st 2007

~~~

Also be sure to check out Erin's blog, if you'd like a chance to win an ARC of Hunters Heart and Soul. I'm giving one to the raffle she's running to help raise money for breast cancer.

Contest!

2007-02-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Hey, did y'all watch Montana Sky last night. Oh, man, that was sooooo good!!! I didn't care for the first movie but this one went way off the I-loved-it meter. The banter between the hero and heroine was fantastic.

I'm hoping they continue to make more romance movies. Wouldn't it be great to see our favorite heroes and heroines come to life? I can't wait for the next one.

I've just started working on new proposals. Karl and I plotted together this morning. Yes, I've dragged him into the world of romance. And he loved Montana Sky, too. He's a great sounding board, though and has some pretty good ideas.

I have a ton of business stuff to catch up on so I guess I'd better get back to that. But since I haven't had as many contests lately, I'll do one here. I'll give away two promo packages with the alien scented soap and alien earrings that people have been getting such a kick out of, bookmarks and whatever else I can find to stuff in an envelope. All you have to do is stop by and say hi :) or make a comment. I'll choose two winners before I go to bed tonight.
Good Luck!
Karen KelleyAvailable Now! Hell On Wheels/BravaAvailable Now! Texas Bad Boys/Brava04/07 Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Bravawww.authorkarenkelley.com

Interview with Angela Knight

2007-02-04T16:49:00.000-05:00

Interview with Angela Knight! Those of you that like hot romance might be familiar with AK's work. She's one of the authors that led me to EC and she's got some of the best vamps around.

Angela will drop by to answer questions, so if you have any, ask away. I'll also be drawing a winner for a signed book from Angela. To enter, just join into today's discussion. Everybody that participates will be entered in the drawing.

On to the questions.

V&S) What is your favorite part of writing?

AK) FINISHING!! LOL! Seriously, I love it when I discover something about the story I wasn’t expecting. Surprising myself is always fun. So is making myself cry or laugh or get horny. :>

* * * * *

V&S) Have you ever based a character from a family member or a friend?

AK) Well, yeah. Caroline in “Galahad” is based on Dakota Cassidy, my buddy the romance writer/former beauty queen. And every hero I write has some of my husband in him.

* * * * *

V&S) If one of your books was made into a movie, who would you pick to play the hero and heroine?

AK) Tough question. Angelina Jolie could play Faith Weston with George Clooney as Jim London in MASTER OF WOLVES. LOL! As if…

* * * * *

V&S) I just have to say that Jane's Warlord was one of my all-time favorite stories by you - hot and sexy. I also adore your vamps. Do you or will you ever write under a different name, maybe for young adult or sweeter romances?

AK) Nah. I couldn’t do sweet if my life depended on it. If I used another pen name, it would be to go DIRTIER.

* * * * *

V&S) How do you think your vision has changed since you started writing? Do you see yourself as always writing romance?

AK) I’ll write romance as long as publishers continue to buy it for me. But my work is getting more epic fantasy. If I could interest an SF publisher, I’d probably give that a shot. I love science fiction and fantasy

* * * * *

V&S) You have written about some very strong, independent women who are not afraid to go after what they want - do you have any real life inspiration for your female characters?

AK) Yep. My sister, the real Angela. She’s intelligent, determined, yet compassionate. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself, unlike me, and if she decides to rip you a new one, you’d better run.

* * * * *

V&S) What inspired you to make Vampires out of the knights of the Round table? Will there be more books in this series? (I really hope so)

AK) Oh, absolutely. I love the Mageverse series, and I’m not done with them yet. When my editor asked me to do a vampire series, I knew I wanted to do something different than what everybody else was doing. I loved Arthurian legend, so that’s what immediately leaped to mind.

* * * * *

If you haven't read Angela before and want to check her books out, be sure to visit her website

Any questions? Ask away....

Shi

http://www.shilohwalker.com

Bled Dry

2007-02-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

I’ve avoided posting the back cover copy for BLED DRY because I think it gives away a bit more of the plot than I wanted to before BIT THE JACKPOT hit the shelves, but I’m sure some of you have guessed what’s going on with Brittany and Corbin anyway. I left some pretty hefty clues. ;-) The back cover copy is going up on my website this weekend, but I thought I’d post it here first, with a very short excerpt below it. BLED DRY is a May release, the third in my Vegas Vampires series.

Only in Vegas can a one-night stand with a vampire beat the odds-from the national bestselling author of Bit the Jackpot and High Stakes...

Hooking up with a vampire has its risks-but getting pregnant usually isn't one of them. Tell that to Brittany Baldizzi, who finds herself in the family way with no father in sight. After their one night of passion, vampire Corbin Jean Michel Atelier disappeared off the face of the earth-or at least off the Vegas strip...

Corbin is a vampire with a cause, secretly trying to find a cure for his condition. But when he finds out Brittany is pregnant with his child, Corbin can't keep his parental instincts from trumping his bloodsucking ones. Even when showing his hand could cost him the woman he can't help but love...

BLED DRY
By Erin McCarthy

“Well, it’s not the flu.”

Brittany Baldizzi watched her general practitioner tuck her hair behind her ear as she stepped back into the room. Perched on the edge of the examination table, Brittany was seriously confused. “An ulcer then? I’ve felt this awful nausea for weeks.”

Not an ulcer.” Dr. Hopkins smiled. “You’re pregnant.”

“Excuse me?” The room went stark white and a buzzing rang in Brittany’s ears. “Pregnant? I can’t be pregnant!”

There was no way. It wasn’t possible.

“Have you been practicing abstinence?” Dr. Hopkins asked with a rueful shrug.

“Yes, I’ve been totally abstinent.” How in the hell could she be pregnant?

Dr. Hopkins raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

Okay, so that wasn’t completely true. “Well, mostly. I’ve only had sex once in the last six months.” But that had been with Corbin Atelier, and that didn’t count because he was a vampire.

“Once is all it takes.”

Normally. When you were having sex with regular, mortal men. “But…” Brittany rubbed her head. “He can’t have children.” She didn’t think. Of course, he had never really said he couldn’t have children. But neither had he suggested birth control.

“I’m sorry this is such a shock, Brittany, but obviously he can have children, because you are definitely pregnant.”

“Well, I had no idea.” That vampires had sperm.

Which was a stupid assumption on her part. After all, hadn’t her brother-in-law sworn to her up, down, and sideways that her own biological father had to be a vampire? But she hadn’t put two and two together when she and Corbin had been talking that night.

Though to be to totally honest, it wasn’t like she and Corbin had devoted a whole lot of time to conversation when he had climbed in her bedroom window and asked for blood. She’d given him her blood and her body, and now he had given her a baby.

Holy crap.

It really would have been nice if he had warned her his boys could still swim.

By the way, if you’re going to the Romantic Times convention this year, I just found out that Bled Dry will definitely be at the book fair, even though it’s a May book. Berkley gave permission for the early release. Yay! :)

This and That

2007-01-31T19:55:00.000-05:00

Angela Knight's Interview will be posted on Monday, 2/5.

Bad Barb will be answering questions at the blog 2/13. If an author has ever wanted to lock her in the infamous closet, now's your chance.

There's a book going on sale tomorrow, 2/1, at a epub, Freya's Bower, called Dreams and Desires. The profits of this book are going to a battered woman's shelter. From the website,

True love, freedom, money, knowledge, revenge... Dreams and desires of the ordinary woman, or man. From best friends who discover love to a bank teller who exacts revenge to a succubus who loves art more than men, this collection of nineteen stories celebrates the attainment of all one can dream or desire. Which one do you secretly yearn for?

By purchasing this collection, you can help turn someone's nightmare into the pursuit of dreams. Every year, four million women are assaulted by their partners. At Freya's Bower, we want to do our part to bring this statistic down to zero. To this end, all net proceeds from every Dreams and Desire anthology purchased will go to a battered woman's shelter. Through education and support, we can make a difference.

Authors: (in alphabetical order of last name): Jenna Bayley-Burke, Faith Bicknell-Brown, Amanda Brice, Sela Carsen, Rachelle Chase, Gemma Halliday, Candace Havens, Zinnia Hope, Jackie Kessler, Susan Lyons, Richelle Mead, Debbie Mumford, Rhonda Stapleton, Bebe Thomas, Emily Veinglory, Sasha White, Lois Winston, Shaunna Wolf, and Kit Wylde.

One of the authors, Rachelle Chase, will be one of our interviews later this year.

Shi

Upcoming Interview... Angela Knight

2007-01-30T21:03:00.000-05:00

In the next few days, either Thursday or Monday, we'll be doing another author interview.

This one will be with Angela Knight and she will stop by to answer any questions you might have. And.... a prize. :o)

Check back in a few days! I'll post when I know for sure.

Sometime in February, we're turning the tables and interviewing somebody who is almost infamous when it to comes romances, reviews and stalking authors. ;o) And who might it be? Bad Barb, of course.

It's football time in Tennessee!

2007-01-29T10:51:00.000-05:00

Every fall, our famous local radio announcer gives us that phrase in a booming voice to get our "Big Orange" blood pumping... and though fall is long past, and the game next weekend is NOT in Tennessee, I think all of us Vols are hearing those words in our sleep. :)

I must confess, other than the occasional party, I've never been a rabid Super Bowl fan. But this year all we Tennessee folk will be glued to our TV's watching our local "son", Peyton Manning, lead his impressive team in the Super Bowl.

Peyton Manning was a star at the University of Tennessee, and not only for being a mega-talented athlete, but also for being an all-around decent guy. Ten years ago, while he was still a student, he and Coach Phil Fulmer posed for a poster that would benefit Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My hubby was the director of the Friends at the that time, so I got to tag along. It was a picture perfect spring day. We rented horses at Cades Cove and rode six miles up to Spence Field. After a lovely picnic in a movie-worthy setting, Peyton and Phil posed for their photo with the famous peak "Rocky Top" in the background.

The twelve-mile round trip on horseback left an indelible impression on my posterior (ouch!), and since it was my first real horseback ride, the creek crossings were a bit scary, as was almost getting knocked off my horse when she/he decided to lurch sideways under some rhododendron bushes!! But all in all it was such a fun day, and I have lots of great pictures to remember it by.

With our boy Peyton posed for glory next Sunday night, I couldn't resist posting my "claim to fame" photo. :)

Chime in and tell me your SuperBowl plans... or lack thereof!

Janice Maynard

P.S. Play With Me is on the shelves if you're looking for something to read. (Grinning diabolically...)

Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind

2007-01-23T09:40:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
I'm on deadline crunch right now so I'm cheating and posting an excerpt of Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind.......enjoy!
She’d made it. She was on Earth.
And she’d met Sheriff.
A sound on her door drew her attention. Just like last night. Maybe it was Sheriff again.
“Are you decent?” he called out.
Decent? Was he asking her if she was suitable to copulate with? She wasn’t sure about all the customs. Maybe it was best to ask if your partner would be a worthy mate.
She thought she might be a decent partner. Yes, she was almost sure of it.
“Yes, I’m decent.” She sat tall in the bed, her body tingling with anticipation.
His gaze was fixed on the tray he carried as he balanced it and the cups while pushing on the door at the same time. When he looked up, his eyes rounded. The tray dropped from his hands, splashing brown liquid on the floor and breaking the white cups.
“I thought you said you were decent,” he croaked.
“Wouldn’t I make a decent partner to cop...have sex with?”
“No!”
“No?” Her bottom lip puckered.
“I mean yes...but no. Damn it, I thought you meant you had your clothes on.” He bent and picked up the cups and tray. “I have to get a mop.” Grabbing her dress off the back of the chair, he tossed it to her. “Would you please put that on before...before...”
“Before what, Sheriff?”
“Before you find yourself with more trouble than you bargained for. I’m only human.” He turned but before he left called over his shoulder, “And my name is Mason not Sheriff.”

Peanut Butter and Sugar!

2007-01-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

Peanut Butter and Sugar! 

Howdy Peeps!
Today I want to talk about how you personally get through the crappy times. What do you do to escape for a bit when you feel like your head is ready to explode?

As many of you know, my husband isn’t well and that’s really a bummer but this post is not about sickness, we’ve all have been there and done that ourselves or with loved ones. This is about coping.

What do you do to escape from some crappy thing going on in your life?

Maybe your daughter brought home the biggest looser east of the Mississippi? Or your mother-in-law is coming for a month visit. Or you got the boss from hell. Or you husband just ran off with the cupcake next door?

Whatever it is, we’ve all been through the crappy times and need to get away and regroup so we can go on. I’m not taking about flying off to Vegas...though that would be great...but a little escape time to think about something else besides strangling your doctor, daughter, MIL, boss, husband and cupcake.

I sooooo wish I thought escaping was taking a good long run, working up a good sweat, going to the gym, doing yoga. But, alas, I resort to more basic things...like a jar of peanut butter, the sugar bowl, a big spoon, and reruns of the Gilmore Girls. 

I park my fanny in front of the TV, crank up Stars Hallow, spoon sugar into my pb jar and lose myself for an hour. And for me it works! A little R&R and I can face the world again...least try to.

So, what do you do when you really need to get away from it all?

Hugs, Dianne

Rules

2007-01-20T08:49:00.000-05:00

The Rules of Writing Romance

The hero should be fantastically good looking, rich and sensitive.

The heroine should be younger, less well off financially than the hero.

There must be a Happy Ever After

You must tell the story from the woman's POV.

You must write what you know.

You must...

Okay, enough of that. Do you all know there are rules to writing romance? I did some investigating online and found lists that range from 2-3 rules, to ten or more. I flipped thru writing manuals, checked out some onine workshops, and read alllll sorts of rules. Some rules that applied fifteen or twenty years ago don't nessarily apply now. Some rules that apply to romance, in general, won't work in the erotic romance subgenre (like the hero and heroine can't have sex after meeting...even if they hated each other at first sight). By that rule, menages would be out, wouldn't they? Some people suggest that you write what you know. Other suggest you let your imagination be the guide. I've heard a dozen times over that the heroine can have a traumatic experience in her life, ie: rape or abuse, but it should happen in the past, not during the story itself.

The one rule I saw everywhere I looked was this one, They must live Happily Ever After. As far as I'm concerned, that HEA is the only hard and fast rule in writing romance any more.

I like to break rules, though. I don't know if I do it subconsciously or not. But for some odd reason, my brain just works that way. In Touch of Gypsy Fire, the heroine is raped during the story. Not on the page, it happens off scene, but it does happen and I couldn't take it out of the story and still maintain the plausibility of it. I couldn't remove the circumstances of the book that led to the rape because then it wouldn't have been the same story. It wouldn't have been my story.

The blurb for I'll Be Hunting You seems to break the one hard and fast rule of romance:

What happens when a woman loses the man she was born to love? Tori doesn't know. Declan has been her lover, her friend, her confidant — now he is gone. With grief and heartache driving her insane, Tori has become a liability to those she knows and loves.Until a fellow Hunter arrives on her doorstep with a mysterious message. You must go…Tori doesn't want to go anywhere. But now she can't resist. What is waiting for her is something she never dared to hope for.

Relax... it is a romance. I didn't break the one rule that I consider to be the hard and fast, unbreakable written in stone rule. But kind of worrisome, isn't it?

Then there His Every Desire, the book I opened with the line, I want your wife. No, I'm not using adultery as a plot device and it's not a marriage in name only sort of deal. It's about a criminal that beats his wife, and the hero trying to save her. But I still broke a rule, the hero fell in love with a married woman.

I'm not even going to talk about what I did in Voyeur...

The point of all of this is that rules, certain rules, can be broken. But you want to leave the reader feeling satisfied and pleased at the end, even if a few tears were shed on the way.

Writers out there... what rules have you broken? Readers... what rule or rules, in your mind, are the ones that can't be broken?

Covers and characters

2007-01-10T23:28:00.000-05:00

I got my new cover in for Hunters: Heart and Soul. This book actually has two stories in it. All the characters have appeared in one or more Hunters books before now.

The first story, Heart of A Hunter is the story of Mike and Leandra. This one was easier to write. I knew Mike was going to pair with Leandra in book four. I mean, the lady shoots him. Who else am I going to pair him up with? ;) Yeah, I'm weird that way.

The second story is Soul of a Hunter is about Mal and Kelsey. This one-not so easy to write. Mal isn't the easiest character. He can be a bully. He can be a pain in the butt. Which makes Kelsey the perfect mate for him, IMO. (Sorry, shadoe!) Kelsey has the unique ability of ignoring Mal. Or at least convincing him that she ignores him. She's more aware of him than lets on. She'd have to be, since I've known from book 2 who Mal's mate was going to be.

Characters can be the weirdest thing. A friend, Jaci Burton, was blogging the other day about secondary characters barging in on her stories. She asked if this happened to other writers. Seems the general consensus was yes. It sure does happen to me often enough.

Lets see.... I had an elf take over a fairy tale that I was writing. I had a dragon take over a fantasy. I had a sexy Irishman take over a story when the woman was already in love and happily married. Okay, so the husband died, but still...

Right now I'm working on a dark fantasy/alternate reality type of thing. It's going...okay. I just now started dusting it off and reading through the first few chapters, fixing this, fixing that. But all the while, I keep hearing these voices in my head. There's an ER doctor, there's a DEA agent, one thinks his lover is going insane, the other guy is planning to do something illegal. And here I am trying to focus on one story. Just one. Yeah, right... like that's gonna happen.

And to top it all off? There's this character in my current WIP, one that's contracted, which means DEADLINE. He keeps catching my attention. But I don't even know what is going to happen in chapter four of this WIP. And he's trying to seduce into thinking about his story already.

Man, I got wwwaaaayyyyy too many voices in my head.

Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind

2007-01-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

My web-mistress is putting together a new website for me. It won't be up for a while, though. I'm sick of the bright colors on mine---and blue...and the cartoon look. What was I thinking???? LOL I was trying to add that bit of comedy since I put a little humor in every book. Now I'm putting a lot. At least, I hope I'll make people laugh.

Web design: Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind has an alien in it who comes to our planet and we get a glimpse of how she views earth--and the hero. My Sept release, Double Dating With The Dead, has a psychic and a skeptic living in a vacant hotel for two weeks with two sex-starved ghosts. My story in the anthology, The Morgue The Merrier---also coming out in Sept.--- has a dead Elvis impersonator. I'm in another anthology in October and it's a straight contemporary comedy.

So now I have aliens, ghosts and straight contemporary. They're comedies and they're also very sexy. No wonder my web-mistress is going bald. Try fitting that into a web design! LOL I think we've decided on mystical. It'll be a nice change from cartoon.

I'm giving away an arc of Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind (okay, next book gets a shorter title!!!!) to one lucky person who makes a comment---because how else will I put your name in for a drawing--duh!

Hugs,
Karen Kelley
Available Now! Hell On Wheels/Brava
Available Now! Texas Bad Boys/Brava
04/07 Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

A Date With The Other Side

2007-01-05T08:35:00.000-05:00

I'm in deadline dementia here, so I'm going to do a lazy blog and post an excerpt for my January re-release, A Date With The Other Side. If you missed this story the first time around in trade size, it just hit the shelves this week in mass market paperback size. In May the connecting book, Heiress For Hire, will be out in mass market too. Have a great Friday!

From Ohio's most haunted town...
Excerpt from A DATE WITH THE OTHER SIDE
by Erin McCarthy
The man gave a whole new meaning to the words rise and shine.
Shelby stood with her hand still on the doorknob to the blue bedroom, the one where the ghost of Nanny Baskins resided, and took a long lingering look at the sleeping male form on top of the white eyelet spread.
The naked man, mouth dropped open on a soft snore, his black hair sticking up, had one hand on his bare broad chest. The other was slung carelessly on the pillow. He didn’t look familiar, not a single bare inch of him.
Gran had forgotten to tell her that she’d let the room again.
Yet Shelby couldn’t help but be a tiny bit intrigued by this tenant. It wasn’t quite nine am yet, and he may have been sleeping, but his thing-a-ma-bob was ready to start the day with a bang.
“Hey, Shel, you gonna let me in or not?” came Brady’s undulating teenage voice. “Bad enough you made us do this at the crack of dawn, but now you won’t let us in?”
Shelby started to back up, bumping Brady and his girlfriend Joelle, as she retreated, still keeping one eye on that bed. Or an eye on what was on that bed, anyway.
It had been so long since she’d seen a man naked, she’d almost forgotten what they looked like. Besides, her ex-husband had never looked like that sleeping. She might not have left him if he had.
“Sorry, Brady, we’ll have to move on to the next stop on the tour.” She tried to keep her voice down so she wouldn’t disturb Naked Wonder.
Brady didn’t take the hint. Tossing back his blue hair, he rolled his tongue stud around. “Huh?”
Shelby wondered if kids were still dying their hair Easter egg colors or if Brady was sadly dated. Fashion came late to Cuttersville, Ohio. Sort of like getting a flyer in the mail and the sale is over. Cuttersville was always late for the sale.
So even if Brady was way out of style elsewhere, in this town he was a rebel. He was also her cousin, which was why she was letting him take the Haunted Cuttersville Tour at nine in the morning free of charge.
“Shh,” she ordered, flapping her arms in her white tank top, giving herself a whiff of her deodorant. “I’ll explain in a minute, back up.”
With a little luck, she could get the door closed before…
“Who the hell are you?”
Too late.
Shelby shot Brady and Joelle, who were straining to see around her, warning looks. Then she closed the door in their faces, leaving her alone in the room. With him.
Turning around, she said with a smile, “I’m Shelby Tucker. It’s nice to meet you.”
The man was sitting up, and he’d pulled the eyelet spread over his lap, but he hadn’t taken into account that eyelet spreads by nature are full of many holes. Small and large, affording her interesting glimpses of golden skin and dark hair. Not the comforter of choice for preserving modesty.
He was still hard. As a rock. That was the only reason for the spread to be sticking up like that, unless it was his knee she was looking at. The spread hooked him through one of the large holes when he shifted. Nope, that was no kneecap, no siree.

Happy New Year - 2007

2007-01-01T14:29:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! We all watched the ball drop last night and then headed off to bed. With little ones in the house who wake up at the first light of dawn, we needed our sleep.

We've had a fun weekend... Caroline, Jamie and the girls left just after lunch today to head back to Knoxville. Anna and Chris are still here, but I slipped away to write the blog while they are watching the Tennessee game (with Charles).

My DH's birthday is today, so we had presents this morning... I made his birthday cake from scratch... a new recipe for white cake and caramel icing. Yum!

So here are my resolutions... I DO believe in making them, but I try not to make them too numerous or too hard.

1) Read more!! I absolutely love to read, but the last couple of years have been so busy, my "pleasure" reading has waned. I need to turn that around.

2) Try to wean myself from regular Coke to mostly Diet Cokes. (This will be hard, because I hate diet drinks, but all those Cokes have lots of calories.)

3) Figure out a better filing system for e-mails I have printed out and also for other writing related paperwork. I am a very organized person, but I haven't got a good handle on a filing system for my writing.

I may have a few more resolutions floating around in my head, but those will do for now!

I am excited this week, because tomorrow is the official release date of "Play With Me". I'm offering a related contest. If you buy a copy and send me a copy of your sales receipt dated January 1-7, I will enter you in a drawing to win a $25 gift card to B&N. Second prize is having the cost of your book reimbursed. If you don't want to buy the book at this time, you can send me a snail mail note to that effect and I will enter you in a drawing to win a copy of A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. Mail all entries to P.O. Box 4611, Johnson City, TN 37602. I'll draw the winners on the evening of January 15th. Good luck and thanks in advance to those of you who enter. :)

That's it for now... we all have a clean slate ahead of us in the next 365 days. My wish for all of you is lots of good reading, fun with friends and family, and the courage to meet life's challenges.

I look forward to a wonderful year "online" with all of you!!

Sincerely,
Janice Maynard

And the winner is.....

2006-12-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

TJBrown

TJ said... I am so excited to read it... it's the next on my list!Teri

TJ, if you can email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com, I'll get you in touch with Jaci.

Thanks everybody!

PS..Blogger is being a pain and won't let me load the cover pic of Surviving Demon Island. Guh.

Jaci Burton's Surviving Demon Island

2006-12-28T18:35:00.000-05:00

She’s all curves and combat boots.
He’s six feet of lean, dangerous male.
Join them in a game of survival
That’s as real—and hot—as it gets.
What’s America’s top female action star doing on a tropical island shrouded in secrecy? To Gina Bliss, competing in a survival-type reality show is a nice change from fending off on-screen villains. Until she meets real-life action hero Derek Marks. A survival specialist in a tight black T and sexy stubble, he’s arousing every bad-boy fantasy she’s ever had…and testing her survival skills to the max.
Martial arts, jungle warfare—Derek’s done it all. But his latest mission is more dangerous than a stick of dynamite. Try telling that to the sexy, adrenaline-pumped actress who’s got his libido racing off the charts. As the heat rises between them and real-life violence erupts, suddenly Derek and Gina are on the run…and when they uncover a secret so explosive it could blow the lid of their so-called reality show, these two unlikely heroes are about to discover what surviving’s really about….

Did I tell you that I got to read SDI early? :O) It's excellent.

If you're wondering what SDI is about, I talked to Jaci about it and here is some of what she told me.

(shi)
Where did the idea for SDI come from?

(jaci)
I actually got the germ of the idea when I was watching an HBO special on the the making of Mr and Mrs Smith. Angelina Jolie did her own stunts in that movie, and thought...hmmm, what if an actress who was very physical, did her own stunts and loved action and adventure was put on an island for a reality show and came up against something paranormal, like demons? Then I matched her up with a demon hunter, and Surviving Demon Island was born.

(shi)
How many books are in the series?

(jaci)
Not sure yet. It depends on how well the series does, but there are a LOT of demon hunters, so it could be a lot of books. *grin*

(shi)
Can you tell us what the next one is about? And naturally... when do I get it...*G*

(jaci)
wellllll, I don't want to give away too much about the second book or the characters in that book until people have read the first one. But the second book takes place in Australia, one of the demon hunters is a lead character, and you'll get it when it finishes copyedits, of course *g*

(shi)
You've written some books with your husband. How did that come about?

(jaci)
I made him write the first one with me, with encouragement from some of my readers. We really enjoyed it so wrote another one together. Despite the constant nagging and fighting, it's fun to write with Charlie.

(shi)
What else are you working on right now?

(jaci)
Too many things to count. I'm doing revisions on the second Demon Hunters book, working on a single title Berkley Heat, and a novella for Samhain Publishing. Ack

Thank you, Jaci!

Jaci has generously offered to give away a $10 gift certificate to Amazon, so if anybody has any questions or comments... I'll draw a winner from those commenting sometime in the next day or so. Jaci will drop in to answer any questions! You can check out her site here

Shi
http://www.shilohwalker.com

Merry Christmas! Winner of the last faves...

2006-12-26T14:40:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

A day late...hope all of you enjoyed a wonderful holiday with your families and loved ones.

The last of the faves contest, $15 to My Bookstore and More and a free download of any of my Samhain books...

The winner was Ddiane

I love ebooks because I can buy it now and don't have to wait or go to a bookstore. I have them all on my palm handheld which is a godsend because with multiple doctor appointments, I'm never without a book.

Ddiane, email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com and I'll get the info for your prizes to you.

Thanks everybody for playing and make sure you check back periodically~alot of free books given away here.

interview Lucy Monroe!!

2006-12-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hey Peeps! Merry Christmas Eve!!!!!!!!!
Hope you all enjoying family and friends. I want to wish you all a terrific Christmas season and thank you all for the wonderful support. Your enthusiasm for my O'Fallon series overwhelms me. Thanks a bunch!

As a real treat today...

Here is an interview by our own Lucy Monroe. Gives you a chance to see what makes Lucy tick and find out about her great family and faith. Lucy Monroe is a real inspiration and very neat author.

1.) What inspired you to start writing paranormal stories?

I had this scene in my head. It’s the final scene of Ty and Frankie’s story in UNLEASHED. And anyway, I couldn’t let it go. I knew I had to write their story. So, I carved some time out of my writing schedule and did it. Once I got going in their world I realized it was a place I wanted to spend a lot of time and pitched the idea of writing paranormal historical romance to Berkley and my editor was really keen for me to do so and that’s how MOON AWAKENING came about.

2.) Now that you have released books in three different genres, which is your favorite?

I really love them all. Each sub-genre of romance gives me an opportunity to explore different themes, characters and storylines. If I had to give one of them up I’d cry. I really would. LOL

3.) If you could switch places with one of your heroine who would it be and why?

Amanda from The Real Deal, because Simon reminds me so much of my dh and he’s the only man I want to be with. ;-)

4.) What is the most fascinating paranormal creature for you and why?

Definitely the shapechanger because there’s this wonderful mix of human sophistication and the primitive. My alpha hero has a reason for being so instinctive and not always led by logic. My heroine can be stronger physically than normal and still vulnerable to her mate. It’s all just very delicious to me.

5) Lucy, are you going to write any more historicals?

My current plan is to write historical paranormals. However, I do have one last straight historical release to be published by a smaller press at the end of next year. Annabelle’s Courtship is about a feisty bluestocking and the rather clueless (but incredibly sexy) Scottish nobleman that decides she’ll make the perfect wife.

6) How do you juggle the diff genres that you write?

I try to take some time off between each book, though that doesn’t always work. The hardest thing to juggle is time spent promoting the books, not the writing itself. I’m always telling stories in my head and writing them is such a joy to me – but the business side of writing can overwhelm me sometimes.

7) How many hours a day do you write? How many hours do you devote to promo?

Not enough any more and too many. Not kidding.

8) What does your family think of your writing?

They’re very supportive and proud of me. It’s an absolute blessing!

9) What is the thing you love most about writing? What do you like least?

I love most spending time with my characters and seeing their stories unfold in my head. I like least not having enough hours in the day to write all the stories I want to.

FAVES... Contest #3...and a winner

2006-12-23T12:49:00.000-05:00

The winner from Thursday's faves contest is Cherie.

Cherie said...
Guardian of Honor by Robin Owens which hooked me on the Lladrana series

Cherie, if you can email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com, i'll get your prize out to you!

Today's contest is more books, specifically ebooks.

I love ebooks. Yes, I love print, too. I love holding the book in my hand and I love bookstores, going and picking out the books.

But I also like ebooks. Why?

Several reasons. With ebooks, when I find the book I want online, I don't have to wait for it to be delivered. I don't have to worry that it's out of stock or that the bookstore hasn't put it out. With ebooks, I can carry 100 of them in my purse. Can't say that with print books.

So yes, I love ebooks. I have a pocket pc that I carry with me and it's loaded with probably forty unread books and a couple of old faves. I don't have to worry that I'll finish one book and have nothing else to read while I'm waiting at the doctor's office...the books are right there at my fingertips.

So who here reads ebooks? Why or why not?

If you haven't ever read ebooks,t oday will be your chance to try. I'm giving away a gift certificate for $15 to Mybookstoreandmore, as well as a free download of any of my Samhain books. To enter, just tell me in the comments whether or not you read ebooks. If you do, tell us why... maybe we can convince some of the non ebook readers to give them a shot.

Contest open until hmmmmm... well, I'm not going to get online to check things out or draw a winner on Christmas, so we'll let it run thru Christmas Day and end at midnight, EST Christmas night. I'll draw the winner Tuesday.

Character careers

2006-12-22T10:50:00.000-05:00

A lot of you know Kathy Love and I have created a fictional vampire band, The Impalers, http://www.vampireband.com/. The band will be written into our future books, and the character Ren D’Antoni will actually be the hero in Kathy’s fifth vampire book, due out in early 2008. We both absolutely love music, and are thrilled to be able to play in our fictional world of musicians, but generally speaking, there is resistance from publishers to have musicians as heroes in romance novels. They also aren't always thrilled to see professional athletes, artists, models, celebrities, and things like chefs.

Yet if you’ve read Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Rachel Gibson, or Lori Foster, you know athletes make amazingly sexy heroes!

The reason usually given to steer clear of the above is that it’s hard for the reader to relate and empathize with someone in such a different lifestyle, and that creative professionals tend to be moody and difficult to live with. I suppose there is also a fidelity issue, since musicians and athletes are on the road so much. Personally, I see it as more of a challenge to write heroines in the above professions- it’s a little hard for the average woman to dredge up sympathy for the rich and beautiful model who just can’t be happy. Or is that just me? LOL.

But on the flip side, one of my favorite books I’ve written, and one of the best received by readers, is Heiress For Hire, where the heroine is rich and beautiful and spoiled. But I think what Amanda showed was that it’s easy to be a brat when you’re raised the way she was… but at the core of it, she is a very loving and giving person. That is her achievement as a human being.

So for me, I think it’s all in the execution, and all in who the character shows themselves to be as a person. I don’t care what they do for a living.

Are there certain professions or settings you just wouldn’t want to read about? Would a musician or athlete for a hero turn you off a story? What about a hero in a traditionally female profession?

Have a great holiday everyone!
Erin

Thirteen Books I read over and over...

2006-12-21T10:09:00.000-05:00

And I forgot it was Thursday and time for the Thursday 13.

1) Stardoc by SL Viehl

2) Irish Jewels Trilogy by Nora Roberts (yeah, that's 3 books, I know)

3) Endurance by SL Viehl

4) Natural Law by Joey Hill

5) Elizabeth's Wolf by Lora Leigh

6) Dream Shadow by Mary Wine

7) Lover Eternal by JR Ward

8) Mage Winds trilogy by Mercedes Lackey (yeah, that's another 3)

9) Stephanie Plums books (okay, that's... 12? yep, 12 books)

10) Blue Moon by Laurell K Hamilton

11) Dream Man by Linda Howard

12) Ceremony in Death by JD Robb

13) Passion by Marilyn Pappano

If you want me to add your blog to today's 13, just leave a link to your 13 in comments and I'll add you in.

Other TT places to visit...

Sci Fi Chick

Milady Insanity

Erin (the not so innocent... *G*)

Favorite BOOKS! and a winner...

2006-12-21T08:55:00.000-05:00

The winner from Tuesday's contest is Joye. She commented My mother who is 82 is hard to buy something for because she has just about everything-doesn't cook anymore, doesn't wear fancy clothes. I need Joye to email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com with the words FAVE THINGS in the subject line.

Today we're going to talk about my favorite books. Have I mentioned that I love books? I don't always get to read as much as I'd like. I have little kids, a husband that recently switched to night shifts three days a week and it seems like my list of things to do grow longer every day. Now deadlines play into my reading time. When I'm under the gun, I'm too frazzled to focus on reading that much.

Even when I'm not hearing the ticking clock, I don't always read as much as I should. There are times when I'm so worn out from looking at words all day, relaxing with them didn't sound that much fun. But then I realized my brain was getting creatively tired. A writer needs to read almost as much as she needs to write. Plain and simple. It recharges the brain batteries.

I had to take some time off from writing this year because I had to have surgery on my hand. It was probably a blessing in disguise. It freed up several weeks for me to do nothing but read. I finally got some books out of my TBR pile. Some went on my keeper shelf. Some didn't. I did some rereading of old faves.

I'm going to give away a couple of those faves...

For today's Fave Things contest,

Stardoc by SL Viehl

For the record, my favorite series EVER. I think everybody who can read should read it.

Elizabeth's Wolf by Lora Leigh

Very hot, very very good...my fave from her.

Dream Shadow by Mary Wine

her Dream series is excellent, especially if you like kick ass heroines

The Fifth Favor by Shelby Reed

Shelby writes some of the most beautiful romances. I adore her, even though I'm jealous ;o)

Surviving Demon Island by Jaci Burton

Because I'm such a sweet, loving girl, *choke* I got an early read of this. Okay, okay, stop laughing, I'm as far from sweet as they come, but Jaci loves me anyway and let me read early. It's awesome. Mortal Kombat meets Survivor, Jaci style.

And since I'm talking about faves, I'll also give away a copy of my fave from my own books, Touch of Gypsy Fire.

To enter, just tell me the name of a book that you would give away. Not because you didn't like it. But because you loved it and want to share. What's the book and why would you give it to someone? What made it so special? Post the answer in the comments section and I'll draw a winner Saturday.

Contest open until 12/22/06, midnight EST.

Favorite Things

2006-12-19T14:58:00.000-05:00

Bookmarks and lotions and dark chocolate kisses...ebooks and red hots and signed books from a friend... these are a few of my favorite things.

Okay, so I'm no song writer, but you get the idea. These are some of my favorite things. I love buying them for me. I love getting them. And today I'm going to take a page out of PBW's book and give away some of my favorite things.

Be sure to check back in every couple of days~for a couple of reasons. To see if you won, because you have to email me to claim your prize. And to see if there's another contest. I have three planned.

Today's prize is candy from one of my favorite stores, a little locally owned place called Schimpff's. And since I reckon I ought to promote my Christmas book, I'll also send you a signed copy of All She Wants, from Ellora's Cave and Pocket Books.

To enter, tell me who is the hardest person on your list to buy for. Or just leave a name in comments if you don't have a hard person. Contest is open until midnight, EST, tomorrow, 12/20/2006. Next contest will start on Thursday and it involves some of my favorite books...

Seasons Greetings!

2006-12-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

Mornin' Scamps and Vamps... this is a momentous occasion. :) My last blog of 2006. When I write this next time it will be January 1, 2007. Hard to believe!

We have a houseful of company right now... I've included a photo of our immediate clan at the top of this blog. We were going to open presents tomorrow morning, but there was a mass revolt... I was outvoted, and now we're opening all the loot in just a little while.

But first we have to eat the coffee cake that's getting ready to come out of the oven. Yum!

This blog goes out with a special wish to all my online and "in the flesh" friends for a very Merry Christmas...

And to my Jewish friends - a Happy Hanukkah...

Part 2: Well, I didn't get finished... had to stop for opening presents. Now the livingroom floor is buried under paper.

It is beautiful here today... blue skies and very warm. Doesn't feel like a white Christmas, but it's great for "playing" outside.

Hope everyone gets lots of good books for Christmas, and more importantly - lots of time to read them!

Happy Holidays to one and all!

Janice Maynard

And the winner is.....

2006-12-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

Traveler.

Traveler, if you can email me at shilohwalker@gmail.com ! I need your addy.

Thursday Thirteen and Contest...

2006-12-14T10:57:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder... if you haven't entered the scavenger hunt at www.aftermidnightfantasies.com ... time is running out. Ten prizes in all.

Thirteen Things Left to Do Before Christmas

1…. Bake Cookies with the Kids.

2…. Wrap the presents BEFORE Christmas Eve.

3…. Take the kids to the zoo in Cincy or Indy to see the lights.

4…. Wrap the darn presents BEFORE Christmas Eve

5…. Make sure I've got batteries for all the presents and the camera.

6…. Wrap the frickin presents BEFORE Christmas Eve ( I know I didn't buy THAT many)

7…. Remember the Christmas party at Church this coming Sunday.

8…. Wrap the presents BEFORE Christmas Eve and buy some drambuie to get me through the night, just in case I don't wrap them ahead of time.

9…. Buy my dad's present, and his girlfriend something. What do you buy for the dad's girlfriend, anyway?

10. Wrap the presents BEFORE Christmas Eve ( are you seeing a theme here? I'm an excellent procrastinator)

11. Mail 1, 2, 3...maybe 4, okay no more than five more presents to friends.

12. Forget wrapping. I'm just throwing them in a pile on the floor. They'll end up there anyway.

13. Buy the drambuie. Even if I don't need it Christmas Eve, it will be nice to sit down and have a drink with the DH once everything is done and Santa and his elves have left.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Needless to say, I'm a procrastinator of the highest caliber. I never remember to get things done on time and I don't even remember to do lists. So I never remember what I wanted to buy. Nonetheless, I love Christmas. It's my favorite time of the year... and now time for the other contest.

I'm still getting the pressies together, but either next week or this week, I'm going to do a "favorite things" contest. As in... these are a few of my favorite things... Christmas-y. Sort of.

I'm taking a page out of PBW's book and giving away some of the books that I love above all others. Also some candy. A gift certificate or two. Not sure what else yet. Just have to wait and see.

But while I'm getting things together... what are some of your favorite things? Christmas or otherwise. I'll draw a winner from comments today and give away a signed print book from my backlist, reader's choice so long as it's available to me!

It's The Best Time of the Year!!!

2006-12-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

Are we having fun yet???? LOL December is crazy but I can't help loving it. It has to be my favorite time of the year. I've been super busy with deadlines but I've taken the time to do some shopping. Word of caution---never go to the mall on a Saturday in mid-December. Bad mistake. I don't guess I've ever done that before. I don't think I ever will again LOL

Have y'all bought a lot of presents? I always think I'm finished but then see something my daughter will like (she's so easy to buy for!). But then I have to buy something else for my son so I won't feel guilty (he's soooo hard to buy for!). Girls are just so much fun to buy for, though. Especially girly-girls.

I think I shop too much sometimes. Nah.......

Speaking of which--I have a cute little purse with bath products inside that I found at Kohl's. I'll add a book and a holiday candle for a little relaxation and it'll go to one lucky winner, drawn at random from the list of comments today.

Happy Holiday!
Karen Kelley
Available Now! Hell On Wheels/Brava
Available Now! Texas Bad Boys/Brava
04/07 Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

Reality vs Fiction

2006-12-10T00:16:00.000-05:00

Howdy, Peeps!

I write humorous type stories. The kind that makes you laugh and are good for a few hours of fun escape. If it’s go for the joke or go for the hankie...I always do joke. That’s what I write and that’s what I read.

But what about the non-humorous side of writing and I don’t mean the editors and agents part. How much reality do you really want in your romance books?

I’ve done cops and cowboys and lawyers and doctors and even did a wounded soldier coming home. But where’s the line?

I got this from RT and wanted to know your views. Would you read about people dealing with the aftermath of 9/11 or a family picking up the pieces after Hurricane Katrina? What about a story about a POW soldier who returns home from Iraq? Of the heroine who feels guilty because a fellow soldier she was serving with died in battle?

Are these too heavy or are they interesting? Too much like reading the front page of the newspaper or timely and current?

Would you buy the book?

Dianne

Love Doesn't Conquer All??

2006-12-08T07:57:00.000-05:00

At least not according to a survey I read. It said that 30% of American men said they would break up with a woman solely for this reason…

They don’t like her pet!

I had to laugh at this because my new release, BIT THE JACKPOT, has a heroine with five pets- three dogs, two cats. Seamus, the hero, is a vampire, and doesn’t exactly hit it off with all of Cara’s fur babies. Have you ever ended a relationship because you couldn’t stand a pet? Did you issue a “Me or Fluffy” ultimatum? What was the final thing that sent you over the edge?

I think if I was truly interested in someone, I could deal with an obnoxious dog or a pet bunny with a smelly cage. I could even handle a tarantula. Just keep the lid on. ;-)

To celebrate BIT THE JACKPOT hitting the shelves, I’ll choose a random winner from everyone who posts and send out a copy.

Happy Friday,
Erin

Reminder about Christmas Contest

2006-12-08T07:56:00.000-05:00

Thru one of my other websites, we're running a Christmas scavenger hunt.

Chances to win one of ten prizes....

Christmas Contest
Scavenger Hunt

Running thru the month of December

Here's your chance to win one of ten prizes.
Winning is easy. All you have to do is find the candy cane hidden on the participating author sites. Write down what page you found the candy cane on each author's site and email the list to the contest coordinator. Ten winners will be drawn.

EXAMPLE: After Midnight Contest's Page.
You can't just put I found the candy cane on the After Midnight Site. We need to know where.

Email for the contest coordinatior (AMAContests@millenniumpromotion.com )

Participating authors
Anya Bast
Cheyenne McCray
Jaci Burton
Lorie O'Clare
Madeleine Oh
Melani Blazer
Patrice Michelle
Rosemary Laurey
Shiloh Walker
Sylvia Day