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Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hunter's Fall

by Shiloh Walker

Giveaway ends May 31, 2011.

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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???

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

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

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

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...

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...

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

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

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

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?

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

How to be a Diva

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!

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....

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...

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.
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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!

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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.

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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...

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

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.

1. Considering the decision that came down from the board, I probably would have lost my temper. And it's an ugly temper.
2. I saved a heck of a lot of money by not going.
3. I saved a heck of a lot of money because I didn't have to worry about my wardrobe.
4. 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.
5. I got to stay home and get roped into a Virtual Workshop, thanks to PBW. (insert sarcasm... )
6. I didn't have to worry about missing flights, losing luggage or dealing with airports.
7. I get to stay home in my comfy jeans.
8. 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)
9. It's hot enough in the Ohio Valley. I don't want to think about how hot is in Dallas.
10. 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.
11. I didn't have to worry I'd embarass myself if I got to meet Nora Roberts. I would have (wince) squeed.
12. 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.
13. And last but not least...both Psych and Monk start back up Friday. I'd hate to have missing that.