Interview with Victoria Dahl

by Jo Robertson

Hello, Banditas, Honorary Banditas, and Readers, today we’re very fortunate to have new historical writer VICTORIA DAHL with us.

Victoria Dahl’s debut novel TO TEMPT A SCOTSMAN from Kensington caught my attention for two reasons: the hot, hot cover (check out the deep-red, sexy color – isn’t that a gorgeous cover?) and the wickedly handsome Scotsman, Collin Blackburn, the hero of her story. I love a spunky heroine who isn’t afraid to step outside the strictures of her society. Lady Alexandra Huntington is such a woman and she’s more than a match for Collin Blackburn, who hounds her with a vengeance because he believes she’s responsible for the death of his brother.

So, I in turn, hounded Victoria until she agreed to interview with the Romance Bandits LOL. As you know we interview writers by invitation only, but having read her book, I knew Dahl was a talented author with many lovely books in her career. TTAS is sexy, fast-paced, and utterly delightful. You can click on the title and order it from Amazon. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Jo: We love call stories in the Lair, Victoria. Can you tell us about your road to publication and how you received your first contract?

Victoria: Hello, Banditas and readers! I’m so excited to be here! Thank you so much for the invitation, Jo. After reading that intro, you are now one of my best friends, so I hope you’re prepared to see a lot of me. Wanna cuddle?

Jo: Hehehehe, method to my madness.

Victoria: My road to publication was a fairly long one. I’ve been reading historical romance since about the age of twelve. I always hoped to be a writer, but I didn’t start seriously writing until seven years ago when I had my first child and became a stay at home mom. Cleaning the house wouldn’t hold my attention even if I did bother to do it, so I knew I’d need something else to occupy my mind. My first manuscript sucked harder than my unused vacuum cleaner, but it was a book! And I’d written it!

Jo: You’ll be happy to learn that housecleaning is verboten in the Lair.

Victoria: I joined RWA and started entering contests. I finaled for the first time with my second manuscript, and then I was hooked on contests. Four years (and four manuscripts) later, I finaled in the Golden Heart with TO TEMPT A SCOTSMAN!!! It was an unbelievable experience even before I won. A whirlwind of sparkly chaos! And then I came home, and my agent sent out the book with a triumphant cover letter and… nothing. Ten months of nothing before I finally got the call from John at Kensington! Woo-hoo!

Jo: Collin Blackburn is exactly the kind of hero I adore – a principled man who comes up against a woman he has the wrong idea about from the get-go. How did you come up with your characters and the story for TTAS?

Victoria: Well, I love to torture my hero. I really do. If I can arrange a fake death to send him into a spiral of despair, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. Mmmm. So delicious. I’m sorry, what were we talking about?

Jo: Uh, dunno, I got lost in imagining your hero being tickled to death with a feather on his bare chest.

Victoria: Oh, yeah. I also love a very steady, reliable hero who falls for a wild girl, perhaps because my husband is very steady and reliable, and I might be a tad wild. *g* Since Collin is such a good guy, I had great opportunity to torture him with his misconceptions and doubts about the woman he loves. He doesn’t want to suspect her of doing wicked things, but she’s just so naughty! Just to be clear though, I really hate plots that are built on easily-dispelled misconceptions. I don’t think you’ll find any of those in TTAS.

Jo: Absolutely, not at all! You really kept me going with the plot complications.

Victoria: My very first idea for TTAS was the post-love scene. (The one in the cottage, Jo.) For some reason, my characters introduced themselves to me with this truly disastrous moment. I knew I had to write the book as soon as this scene popped into my head. I couldn’t resist a story about two lovers whose first time doesn’t end with butterflies and melting hearts. Instead of bringing them closer together, this love scene is just the start of the bumpy road ahead. (Pssst. Don’t worry. It all works out in the end, I promise.)

Jo: You did it beautifully. I know you have an exciting and happening blogspace going on at www.MySpace.com/VictoriaDahl. What kinds of topics do you like to discuss? I’ve popped over and seen some quite naughty dialogue.

Victoria: Oh, God. Very little that has to do with writing, I’m afraid. I used to blog with the History Hoydens about professional kinds of topics that mature readers might want to read about. But due to scheduling conflicts and a shift in my career, I had to bow out. (It’s a great blog, so check it out at HistoryHoydens.Blogspot.com) Now I do most of my blogging on my MySpace page, and there is no one there to guide me. Here are the last five topics as of mid-February: Irish Butts, My Great Weekend, The Mental Breakdown I Had While Planning my 6-Year-Old’s Birthday Party, A Hilarious & Disgusting Rap Video About George Washington and, finally, You May Have Heard a Rumor That I’m Strange. I also hold contests, of course. And sometimes I even talk about my books. Please stop by. If you don’t have a MySpace account, you won’t be able to post a comment, but I will be adding a mirror of my blog to LiveJournal in a few months. I’m waiting for my website redesign before I take that on. In the meantime, Friend me!

Jo: Everyone’s saying historicals are making a come back. Did you have any idea of writing in another genre when we all thought historicals were “dead”? Both your books are set in England, 1844. What did you find particularly attractive about this early Victorian period?

Victoria: Other genres? Definitely. I am a fickle book mistress. TTAS was the third historical I wrote, and then I decided the market had tanked. By the time I sold TTAS, I’d written three contemporary paranormals. Now, of course, that market is glutted. Ha! My agent actually took me on based on my paranormals, which are light and funny and sexy. She never even READ my historicals until after I won the GH. That’s how bad the market was! When my paranormals didn’t sell (not dark enough), my agent asked if I would write a straight contemporary… something funny and sexy but without vampires. I had never even considered it, frankly. I LOVE the automatic conflict that comes with both historicals and paranormals. Forced marriage or dating with fangs. You know what I’m saying. But I’d already written my second historical for Kensington, so I took a deep, terrified breath and wrote my first contemporary. Turns out my agent is a genius. It sold to HQN just a few months ago! As far as writing in the early Victorian era… I was drawn to this era because it is an age in transition. There are still a lot of Regency ideals left over and we haven’t gotten into the standard strict Victorian mores. It’s rather unexplored as far as romances go. I really wanted to write a story that didn’t automatically push preconceived notions into the reader’s head.

Jo: Your next historical from Kensington is coming out this year. Can you tell us a little about that?

Victoria: A RAKE’S GUIDE TO PLEASURE will be out in August and I can’t wait! I love this book. (Am I allowed to say that?)

Jo: Absolutely -- you, your mom and your agent LOL!

Victoria: The hero is the Duke of Somerhart, the older brother of the heroine of TTAS. He’s cold and controlled on the surface, but when he meets up with Lady Denmore, he finds himself tripping over bad decisions and an impulsive attraction. But Lady Denmore is not what she seems. In fact, she’s not Lady Denmore at all. Her real name is Emma Jensen and she’s masquerading as a titled widow in order to make her fortune at London’s gambling tables. Emma is hiding her real identity, and this masquerade is what draws her to Somerhart, a man who’s been hiding his true self for years. Together, they have to decide if love is really worth the gamble. (Warning: this book is a bit naughtier than TTAS, so if TTAS pushed any boundaries for you, approach with caution!)

Jo: I knew Somerhart would have his own book because I read the excerpt , but I’m so eager to read his complete story. And don’t worry, we Banditas love to go where no man – er, woman – has gone before!

Victoria: There’s a pretty long excerpt of RAKE’S GUIDE at the back of TTAS, which was a wonderful surprise for a first time author. Zebra’s Debut program has been an amazing opportunity for a lot of us new historical writers, btw. Kensington/Zebra is really stepping up to the plate, taking a chance on debut writers and giving readers a great opportunity to try out an unknown author for only $3.99. And the covers! Whew! I can’t say enough great things about this program. Distribution was amazing. TTAS was in Walmart!!!! One last thing… That contemporary I mentioned will be out with HQN in February 2009. TALK ME DOWN is the story of a young woman who goes back to her small hometown in Colorado and causes a huge stir with her secretive career, a mysterious stalker, and her burgeoning relationship with the chief of police. I like to say that if you like cold weather, hot sex, and dirty jokes, this is the book for you! But I haven’t walked away from historical in any way, shape or form. I’ll have another historical out with Kensington in 2009 as well as a novella in a Kensington historical anthology. Have I mentioned that 2009 will be a busy year? Thanks again to all the Banditas--and especially Jo!—for inviting me to come visit. I can’t wait to chat!!!

Victoria is giving away an autographed copy of TO TEMPT A SCOTSMAN to one lucky commenter. I promise you’ll adore it. I did!

Victoria will be hanging out in the Lair today so drop by, say hello, and shoot her any questions you have about her books, the genres, or her sassy MySpace blogspot. You can also check out her website at http://www.victoriadahl.com/.

INSPIRATION

by Suzanne Welsh

One of the things people ask writers the most is, "where do you come up with these ideas?" I heard someone say once, "Oh, I just go to the Big Book Of Ideas and flip through the pages until I find one I like." Smart alec answer, so of course I loved it! But the truth is inspiration can come in many forms and in many ways. Here are some of mine.

Richard Sharpe. I loved this mini series on BBC America two summers ago! OMG...Sean Bean in period clothing. I love his intensity, his honor that stands out among the hardships of being at war in a foreign country and oh heck, he's just easy on the eyes.

At the time I was also submitting scenes to the Avon FanLit contest. The period was Regency, not my specialty, but I felt I had a handle on the Penninsular War hero after watching this series. So, of course, I started a Regency period book with a hero loosely based on Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe. Still working on it, and it seems to be a bit darker than the regular Regency books

Another source of inspiration is women in American History. This is one of my favorite characters, Clara Barton. I first read Clara's biography when I was in elementary school. My mom was studying to be a nurse, so I found duel interest in Miss Barton's life story. She took supplies to the battlefield of Antietem and found the surgeons wrapping men's wounds in corn husks. (ewww, the infection meter in my head just went off again!). Imagine their immense relief when this woman of courage showed up with bandages, medical supplies, blankets and lanterns! (Women are always thinking ahead.)

Clara inspired the budding nurse in me, but she wasn't the only woman in American history who inspired me. Rebecca Boone followed her husband by foot through the Cumberland Gap in the Appalchia mountains into a place called Kan-tuck-ee--a land of wilderness and unknown enemies. She helped him carve out a home and lead more settlers west. She and other pioneer women of courage inspired me to learn more and write stories about their time periods.

And then there's my hometown, Columbus, Ohio. Beautiful isn't it? I've set all my contemporary stories here or near here. I love the people here. Hard working people, who sometimes have extordinary things happen that change their lives. And the country side is so beautiful it makes me want to share it with people who've never been there. I also get to use the subtleness of an ordinary city as the background to some suspenseful elements, so the juxtaposition is great!

So what inspires you to write, create or to succeed in life?

Food for Thought

by Susan Seyfarth

I've got food on the brain. Couple reasons there. First, I gave up sweets for Lent. All sweets. Which means no chocolate. No ice cream. No doughnuts. (Somebody please revive Kirsten. I'm sure she's passed out cold at the idea of a doughnut-free existence.) In case anybody's wondering, life without refined white sugar is indeed a barren, empty place. Not recommended. But boy, it makes Easter really pop for me. Nobody's chocolate bunny is safe. :-)

Second, I'm brain storming a new book, & my heroine is a wedding cake baker. So, while I'm not eating any sweets, I'm devouring books devoted to the glossy photography of enormous, glorious cakes. Big ol' shrines to butter, eggs & yes, refined white sugar.

All this deprivation got me thinking about one of my favorite questions to ask people when I need to get a spirited conversation started:

If you could eat only three foods for the REST OF YOUR LIFE, what would they be?

Some people (mostly men for some reason) are baffled by this question. They've honestly never considered it. But most of us know our three without even thinking. I know I do. You ready?

#1) Ice cream. Any flavor but chocolate. Don't misunderstand now. I like chocolate IN my ice cream. The more the better. But I don't like chocolate flavored ice cream. Is that weird? I can't explain it but feel very strongly about it. Ice cream is hands-down my favorite food in the universe, but if somebody presented me with a bowl of chocolate ice cream on Easter morning & said, "Vanilla will be available at noon," even after the six dark weeks of Lent, I'd hold out for the vanilla.

#2) Pizza--whole grain, deep dish crust. Marinara sauce. Mozzarella, parmesan, & goat cheese on top. If pressed, I'd allow some fresh basil & a few kalamata olives. Perfection.

#3) This third slot is always harder. Over the years, I've gone back & forth. For a long time it was stir fry in brown sauce over brown rice. Heavy on the broccoli & fresh red peppers. Throw in some deep fried tofus cubes, the kind that only Asian restaurants can produce & I'm a happy girl. But then I became a mom & began to resent stir fries for all the time consuming chopping & mincing. I embraced the zen perfection of a bowl of cereal with milk. And I do love me a good bowl of cereal, any time of the day or night. But I already have cold & sweet covered with the ice cream choice. The pizza gives me all the gooey, fat-ladened carbs I could want. So really, I needed something that would satisfy the primal desire for something crunchy, veggie-based & filling that comes over me after a steady diet of pizza & ice cream. So I'm back to the stir fry. For now.

How about you? Are there any foods you could eat forever & never get sick of? Any odd-ball appetites you want to fess up to? You're among friends--share!

From Kirtles to Kicking Butt

by Nancy Northcott

There's a reason Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, and every super-heroine since Wonder Woman wore catsuits or some variation thereof. Kicking butt in a kirtle would be pretty much impossible. The clothes, of course, suited the image of The Ideal Woman in their eras. In the Middle Ages, for example, Woman was supposed to be demure, devout, and dominated. This condition persisted until the late 20th century. In some parts of the world (and some regions of the United States), it's alive and thriving. This isn't a political blog, though. I suspect most of us, at least in the United States, get more than enough politics to suit us just by turning on the television. It's a fashion blog. Today we're going to look at the ways clothes reflected and do reflect the lives of the women wearing them.

The Middle Ages and the concept of courtly love certainly didn't include women slaying dragons. The woman shown here certainly couldn't. Her skirt would catch on fire, and that would be that. The man slew dragons, hags, and assorted other evil-doers. He, of course, wore the literal and figurative pants, sometimes armored. In fact, this woman would be hard pressed to clean her own kitchen. She'd be tripping on that skirt all the time. As for leading armies, forget it. Aside from the sheer physical power required to wield a lance or sword, not to mention the need for at least some maneuverability (though true medieval broadsword battles more closely resembled those in A Knight's Tale than those in my beloved Errol Flynn move, The Adventures of Robin Hood), there'd be all that fabric to manage.

The Middle Ages did, however, give us the first real-life action heroine, Joan of Arc. I discovered her via a Classics Illustrated comic book when I was in second grade (and if I still had it, I'd have a valuable contribution to the boy's tuition fund, but that's a subject for a different blog). Joan was cooler than any woman I'd ever seen. This was the age of TV moms who wore pearls in the kitchen and never seemed to wield a vacuum cleaner, only advice. My little comic book geek heart adored Joan. However, the men of her time, included my much-admired English, did not. They put Joan on trial, for heresy if I remember correctly, and part of their reasoning was that she wore men's clothes. This may be the only fatal fashion faux pas in history. At least Joan got sainthood, albeit posthumously, out of the deal.

From the Middle Ages, we move to the Renaissance, or supposed rebirth of learning and culture. For women, many of whom were well educated if they came from the upper classes or the nobility, the era offered more of the same. Except with better and more ornate fabrics. I have to admit I love the elaborate gowns of the Tudor period. The Henrys, I could do without, but their women were extremely well dressed. I'll probably have to see The Other Boleyn Girl just to look at the costumes. Wearing all this fabric did make a lot of sense, as did the cumbersome clothes of earlier periods. Whether you lived in a castle or a hut, your home wasn't draft-proof (hence the heavy tapestries hung on so many walls and sometimes over doors or windows). The Tudors presided over an exciting era, what with Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries and Elizabeth I's sponsorship of explorers/privateers like Sir Francis Drake, but Elizabeth did most of her butt-kicking via surrogates.

Things didn't improve much for women in the active wardrobe department over the next several centuries. We had bum rolls, farthingales, hoops, corsets, bustles, and other assorted impedimenta designed to interfere with actual living. Granted, most of the fashion extremes were popular among--indeed, only possible for--the very wealthy, but they were held up as ideals of everyone. Around World War I, when things were starting to loosen up, the talented and imaginative Paul Poiret gave (or inflicted upon, depending on your viewpoint) women the hobble skirt, which narrowed at the bottom. After the war, things loosened up considerably, thanks to Chanel and the flappers, but narrow skirts alternated with full in haute couture for the rest of the century. Still popular, judging by Sunday's red carpet coverage at the Oscars, is the "mermaid dress," which fits tightly through the body and hips but flares at the knees. Thank goodness it's not as extreme as it used to be, but can you imagine Sidney Bristow of Alias taking somebody on in an outfit like that?

Women in movie serials like The Perils of Pauline, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, and The Hazards of Helen broke the mold with derring do, but that adventurous spirit didn't last. On television, Emma Peel was the first real action heroine. I still have a soft spot for Dame Diana Rigg because she was so dynamic. After Emma came the 1960s TV version of Batgirl, who had a few restrictions in the interest of being "ladylike." (Fewer restrictions prevailed in the comic book. The talented and agile actress who portrayed her, Yvonne Craig, just kicked people because the producers didn't think viewers would like to see a woman hitting people. Regardless of their methods, though, each of them frequently wore a catsuit. They had to if they wanted to move freely. Well, okay, maybe it didn't absolutely have to be a catsuit but they needed something less restrictive than a poodle skirt or a pencil skirt.


Then came Linda Hamilton as a super-buff Sarah Connor fighting to defend her son and Gillian Anderson as Special Agent Dana Scully and Catherine Bell as Col. Sarah McKenzie on JAG. For eleven years, Amanda Tapping has played Col. Samantha Carter of Stargate SG-1, frequently appearing in camouflage gear with automatic weapons. I have to admit to a certain bias in favor of Carter, who's the prototype for the heroines I'd like to have seen on television when I was growing up. With shows like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, and Stargate Atlantis on the air, the action heroine and her wardrobe seem safe for the near future.


What's the most ridiculous or cumbersome outfit you ever saw? Was there one you owned? And yes, bridesmaid dresses count.

Who's your favorite action heroine on TV, in movies, or in books?

By the way, vote for Trish! http://www.romantictimes.com/2008/02/american-title-vote-on-best-romantic.php

SURVIVOR—Who’s left on the American Title island?

by KJ Howe

Reality television has infiltrated the literary world with the American Title competition—talented writers vie with each other to impress fans with excerpts from their novels and the author with the most votes conquers the literary island! Our very own Bandita, Trish Milburn, has made the top two with her paranormal romance, Out of Sight. Please visit http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php to vote or click on the American Title on the sidebar. Trish has had an unbelievable year, selling a traditional romance to Harlequin American and a Young Adult novel to Razorbill (Penguin). You may ask, “Who is this masked Bandita and how is she swashbuckling through the romance industry?” Let’s get Trish to answer a few of your questions!

KJ: First of all, congrats on making the top two of American Title. Your writing has obviously stood out as judges and voters alike are raving about your work. What do you like best about your hero and heroine in Out of Sight? And—give us the low-down on their faults. After all, the more interesting the faults, the more tantalizing the characters!

TM: Jenna, my heroine, has a special place in my heart because she’s tough and insists on being herself even when it might be easier to not be. Because of her special ability – she can make herself invisible – she’s recruited to work for a secret government agency. The catch? She doesn’t have a choice. If she doesn’t comply, her worst fears of becoming a government lab rat might come true. But she’s not going to just play Miss Meek Mouse. She balks on occasion, dictating her own terms even when the hero, Daniel, who is an agent for the secret agency, thinks she’s lost it and pushed his superiors too far. And even when she’s quaking inside despite her outward appearance. I guess this reason I admire her might also be seen as a fault because she finds it near impossible to trust anyone who works for the federal government, even when that person (like Daniel) might be on her side. Her distrust stems from the fact that her father once worked for the government in covert ops, but after he went missing the government refused to admit he’d ever worked for them.

As for Daniel, he’s sexy, is a fun mixture of serious about his job and a teasing smart aleck. He’s the perfect match for Jenna, even though she’d rather eat live worms than admit it. Perhaps his biggest fault is not questioning the why behind his own ability and the agency’s mission more.

KJ: You wrote 17 manuscripts and finaled 8 times in the Golden Heart (winning twice!) before selling. During that time, what is the most important lesson you’ve learned about the publishing industry?

TM: That you just have to keep at it. Perseverance is key to achieving that dream of publishing. After so many years of going to workshops, reading craft books, learning about the industry, and trying to improve my work with each new manuscript and each set of revisions, it was hard to keep going after so many “no, thank you” rejections. But we’ve probably all thought about quitting at some point. The thing is to not allow yourself to act on that thought if you really, really want to see your books on store shelves. It’s like athletes who fight through pain and injury for their one chance at the Olympics. Eventually, you will find the right editor at the right time with the right project.

KJ: Given that you write Young Adult, Traditional Romance, Paranormal Romance, and Romantic Suspense, what rituals do you have before sitting down to write to get those different voices down? Do you listen to different music, dress in unique clothes? Please give us the scoop.

TM: Honestly, I tend to watch TV shows or movies in the same genre to get the mood and feel. I have always loved TV and movies; I connect with them and the stories they present. They seep into my subconscious and put me in the right mood. For instance, if I’m getting ready to write YA, I’ll watch shows like Gossip Girl or Smallville or movies like 10 Things I Hate About You or The Prince and Me. That gets me to thinking “teen.” Same thing for the other sub-genres.

KJ: A Firefighter in the Family will be coming out September 2008. Your first Harlequin American. What is it about this line that appeals to you?

TM: I enjoy so many different sub-genres of romance that mix in other elements with the romance, but it’s nice to have a place to present stories that are just pure romance. A Firefighter in the Family has a bit of a mystery going on, but it’s dialed way back from some of my grittier romantic suspense manuscripts. Nobody is finding dead bodies in the woods. :-)

KJ: Adventure is as passion of mine as is nature—and you have combined those two in your YA novel Heartbreak River that comes out in Spring 2009. Can you tell us a little about your rafting experiences? I had the opportunity to raft in Pennsylvania and can’t wait to tackle it again!

TM: LOL! This is where my ability to research comes in rather than real-world experience. In reality, I’d be scared to death of getting in a raft and getting anywhere near whitewater. That’s actually good because I tapped into that fear for part of the story. Part of my fear comes from the fact that I can’t swim (Trish’s embarrassing admission of the day); part comes from the fact that I’m just a wienie. That’s why I like to write about tough gals who can take on anything physically. They can do things that I doubt I ever will. But while my idea of adventure is driving cross-country by myself (I have no problem doing that), I do love nature and being outdoors. Actually, I have this dream of through-hiking the Appalachian Trail, but that is not my dear hubby’s idea of a good time. :-) Heartbreak River is set in Colorado, and I drew inspiration during the writing of the book by simply looking out the window of the Amtrak train I was taking from my home in Tennessee to California. It was so cool to write about the river and rafting as the train meandered along the Colorado River.

KJ: I heard y’all from Nashville, the site for RWA’s National conference for 2010. Planning ahead is always fun. Can you give us a list of must-see sights when we venture into the land of country music?

TM: Of course, if you like country music, the Grand Ole Opry is a must-attend show, and it’s conveniently located next door to the Opryland Hotel where the conference is being held. You can also do one of those bus tours where they take you around to see the country music stars’ homes. A few years ago, they opened up the brand new Country Music Hall of Fame downtown, which replaced an older museum that was on Music Row, which is where a lot of the country music-related businesses are based.

For me, however, I love the historic homes and buildings in Nashville. Belle Meade is a plantation which has a thoroughbred horse raising history. Kentucky Derby winners such as Secretariat and Barbarro have bloodlines stretching back to when Belle Meade was active in the horse business. Historic Carnton Plantation was used as a field hospital during the bloody Battle of Franklin during the Civil War. One of my favorite places here is The Hermitage, the home of President Andrew Jackson. A truly unique place to visit in Nashville is The Parthenon, the centerpiece of our Centennial Park. It is the only reproduction of Greece’s Parthenon in the world. Built in 1897 for the state’s Centennial Exposition, The Parthenon also houses a 42-foot statue of Athena and a city art museum. There’s a lot more to see, so you might want to take time to visit the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau site before arriving in Music City USA.

KJ: Thanks for joining us today, Trish, and best of luck in the finals of American Title. If you would like to learn more about our intrepid finalist, visit http://www.trishmilburn.com/ where you will have a chance to win free books!

TM: Thanks, KJ! It was a fun interview. And thanks for all the support given to me by my fellow Banditas and all of you fabulous people out there in Banditaland. :-)

I Love My Job

By Kate

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been immersing myself in research for my new Bibliophile Mystery series. Last week, I spent two days at the annual Antiquarian Book Fair in Los Angeles, where booksellers from all over the world meet to buy, sell and trade their treasures.

I attended two workshops on book collecting and restoration, then wandered through the hundreds of stalls and kiosks perusing exquisitely bound editions of William Shakespeare and Walt Whitman and Jane Austen. There were books on display that were so ancient, they looked like petrified forest mushrooms, as well as a collection of clever, three-dimensional, accordion-style books designed by a contemporary Parisian artist. First editions of mysteries by Raymond Chandler and Earl Stanley Garner sat alongside a nicely preserved, full set of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.

Then this weekend, my research brought me to San Francisco where I spent the last two days wandering around my heroine’s neighborhood, getting the lay of the land, soaking up the local color, searching out the perfect location for a murder—or two, and driving up to Sonoma County where my heroine was raised.

Oh, and the wine tasting I attended was a necessary part of my character development. ;-)

I’m also taking a two-day class on bookbinding at the San Francisco Center for the Book. That’s right, I’m not just writing a book, I’m making a book!

Shortly after I return home, I’ll be descending into the deadline cave where I’ll stay for the next month in order to finish my book. But for now, I’m writing this post while sitting at the restaurant bar, sipping a lovely cabernet and nibbling on bread dipped in olive oil as I wait for my steak and potato. Sigh. The things we do for our craft!

If you could choose the perfect spot to do research, where would you go? Are there books you choose simply because you love the setting? Do you find yourself drawn to a particular occupation of the main character? And how do you like your steak prepared? Or would you prefer the vegetarian selections? :-)

P.S. Vote for Trish!!!

Chasing Dreams

by Donna MacMeans

I don't watch a lot of television, but I do like the early shows of American Idol. Thanks to the snow and ice that canceled my aerobic class last night, I was able to see the first reduction of the show's final twenty-four contestants. Did you watch it?

I identify with this show. Not that I can sing. (Okay so the photo is a fish - but that's the general reaction to my singing.) But for many years, I was an older version of those young hopefuls, chasing the dream of seeing my work in print. I'd enter a contest, wait and wait to learn that I was a finalist, and then hope and pray that my writing was good enough to win. Often it wasn't and someone else won the honor.

However, nothing ever happened to me like what happened Thursday night. Here's the deal:

The contestants, all young and all talented, performed a solo over two nights of shows. Some of the performances were absolutely amazing. Some were lackluster. After the performances, fans were invited to vote via telephone for their favorites and based on the tabulation, two men and two women were dismissed from the show.

Now we know all this from the get-go. Much like the writing contests, the finalists will slowly be weeded down to an ultimate winner. Honestly, this doesn't bother me as the contestants know a lot is riding on their performance and this contest gives them a shot they wouldn't ordinarily receive.

However, Thursday night, the moderator turned to judge Simon Cowell and asked if he had any advice for one of the departing male contestants. Cowell's advice: "go get a job and make music your hobby because you'll never make it in this industry."

OUCH! I think everyone was in shock for a few minutes.

Now I must admit the music industry is a hard road to fame. I think only one or two of the past winners of American Idol went on to release hits. This kid's one performance was lackluster compared to the others - not bad - just not as good.

So did he deserve to have his dreams trounced upon in such a public forum? Was Simon doing him a favor and sparing him future heartache? Could Simon's criticism actually spur the young singer to try harder and smarter? Has anyone ever trounced on your dreams either accidentally or in the vein of "doing you a favor"? How did you react?

I'll pick someone from the posted comments to receive a copy of The Education of Mrs. Brimley and - as Mardi Gras as recently passed - a sequined Mardi Gras bandit mask.

Don't forget our own Trish is embroiled in an American Idol like contest of her own. The American Title contest is down to two finalists and Trish is one of them. Anyone can vote for a winner and it won't even cost you a phone call. Click on the Vote Trish button in the scroll and help her reach the limelight.

Annoying Heroines

By Anna Sugden

Greetings from Dubai. At least, that’s where I hope I’ll be when this blog posts. So, with a bit of luck, as you read this, I’ll be sunning myself on a beach. Or tucking into some lovely spicy food.

As I write this post, the stack of books for my trip is all ready to go. [Christie - Every Night I’m Yours is on top of the pile!] I’m very excited as this is one of the few chances I get to read uninterrupted for long stretches of time. And I’m looking forward to some excellent reads.

What does this have to do with the topic in hand?

Part of the reason I’m excited is that I’ve read some real duds in February. You know, the kind where you just have to give up because they irritate you so much?

How did this happen? January got off to a kicking start with Tawny’s Does She Dare? [OMG is that book hot!!! And Dante *sigh*]. And continued with Stacey Kayne’s Maverick Wild [ Fab, fab, fab! And Chance *sigh*]

But, towards the end of the month, I found myself struggling through books. Now, I’m not normally one to give up, but in the past few weeks I’ve given up on several. What’s going on?

I’ll tell you - annoying heroines!

Now, I don’t have to feel that a heroine will be my best friend for life, or that she and I have everything in common, but I do have to like her, empathise with her and root for her. And I certainly need to feel that she deserves the hero!

So what annoyed me about the heroines in the dud books? Well, they fell into one of the following five categories:

Too stupid to live.

We all know the classic TSTL heroine - who goes down into the basement with the broken window at night, during an electrical storm which has blown the power … and there’s a serial killer/rapist on the loose in her small town. Thankfully, you don’t see too many of these any more.

But you do get the heroines who go against all advice and rush in where angels (and SEALs/cops/FBI agents etc) fear to tread. I don’t mind if the author has given good justification for why the heroine acts like this. But when it’s just because she thinks she knows better … aaargh!

Too wimpy for words

TWFW is another classic heroine type which we see rarely these days (you know, the violet-eyed, heaving-breasted damsel with the back of her hand to her forehead whimpering “hey-yelp”). But, the odd one does creep in.

This gal doesn’t seem to be able to do anything unless the big, strong hero is there to hold her hand. She dithers at length over the simplest decision (like whether or not to kiss said big, strong hero). She wails when the hero even looks cross and practically faints if there’s an argument. She frets ad nauseum over the slightest wrinkle in her life-plan, until you want to yell at her to get some backbone.

She is probably half-sister to Too Good to be True - see below

Too good to be true

Again, at first glance, this heroine seems okay. But, as the story develops, the reader senses something isn’t quite right.

Can anyone be that perfect? She always says the right things, acts the right way. Never puts a foot wrong, never loses her temper, never has a bad hair day. Her house is always spotless, her kids are perfectly-behaved little darlings, her body makes Elle Macpherson weep and she can rappel down that cliff without smudging her lipstick or breaking a nail. And she’s so kind and generous and sweet, you get tooth-ache.

Too clever by half

TCBH is a new breed of annoying heroine. On the surface, she seems okay. But at critical moments in the story, she suddenly possesses almost super-human talents in areas she has no previous knowledge or skill.

This is the woman who can barely switch a computer on, but is able to hack into some complex system at just the right time to get the information that will bring down the bad guys. Or the one who can come up with a brilliant business plan to save the town, but has never balanced her own cheque-book. Then, there’s the one who has never picked up a gun in her life, but is able to knee-cap the villain who is running away from her, in a rainstorm, at night, in a forest.

If you’re going to give a heroine the chance to save the day, then please make sure you justify it somewhere in her back-story. (eg the reason she can rappel down a sheer cliff at night with a cat in her arms and a child on her back is because her evil father made her do that on holiday as a kid *g*).

Too clichéd and caricatured

This category includes both clichéd heroines and clichéd ‘other women’. And it’s less about their behaviour - though sometimes the contrast between the two would make for a good pantomime - than their looks and their outfits.

TCAC ‘other women’ always have long scarlet nails, perfectly coiffed hair, skin-tight slinky clothes in bold, bright colours and gorgeous shoes (well, they always sound gorgeous to me. Just because the heroine couldn’t walk in them, doesn’t mean they’re not!)

TCAC heroines have short, pale pink or bare nails, wisps of hair escaping their attempt at a perfectly coiffed style, almost demure clothes (but with a surprising dip at the back which leaves her skin conveniently bare for the hero’s touch) in pale, cool colours or basic black. She often can’t walk properly in her shoes, or slips on a pair that is less glamorous, but comfortable!

So, there you have it.

Over to you - what is it about an annoying heroine that bugs you? How much will you put up with before you ditch the book … and her?

Monkey Wrenches and Stuff Like That

by guest blogger Colby Hodge

Futuristic action romance author and PRISM award winner Colby Hodge joins us in the lair today with insights about where unexpected revisions can lead. Her new book, Twist, has generated quite a buzz. Best-selling author Susan Squires calls it "a whip-smart rollercoaster ride with a tortured hero and a kick-ass heroine." RITA winner Linnea Sinclair describes it as a "[f]ast-paced, gripping, haunting and sexy . . . story of the redemptive power of love," and USA today best-seller Alyssa Day says "Twist rockets its way through enough twists and turns to satisfy any fan of action-adventure romance." However, it isn't the book she set out to write. Colby also writes historical romance as Cindy Holby and YA romance as Kassy Taylor. Welcome, Colby!

At around page 200 of my manuscript for Twist, my current release from Dorchester's exciting new Shomi line I had a monkey wrench thrown at me from out of the blue. Yes there are specific guidelines for this line. And apparently when I pitched it to the acquiring editor he got so excited about my concept that he forgot one part of the guidelines.

No vampires or werewolves.

So I'm halfway through the book I get a really sweet and apologetic email from my editor.

"Colby, I forgot...we're not using vampires or werewolves in this line."

"uh,” me immediately on the phone because I had to call him to yell at him and I knew he was hiding behind the email. “(insert editors name here). Did you forget that the vampires are my bad guys?"

"Nope.” Nervous laugh because I’m pretty sure he thought I was on my way to NYC to kill him. “But still, we got to do something. Make them nonvampire vampires or something like that." (That’s a generalization of what he said.)

I’d like to take time to mention that this email came while I was really cruising with the book. The words just trickled from my brain to my fingers to the keyboard to the screen without any effort on my part. I was in tra-la-la mode. I was thinking the book will be done six weeks before deadline. I can take some time to put together some proposals. I can go to the spa. I can actually take and enjoy my vacation.

So after I had a morning meltdown we put our heads together. And what did we come up with?

Aliens. Aliens who are the reason there is a vampire legend. Actually it was pretty cool to come up with a new concept on an old tale. Plus we made up lots of slang and my heroine only lost a few of her really snarky lines. It was also pretty cool to find out the things he saw in the manuscript. For instance, I called the bad guys ticks, as in ticks suck your blood. When I changed the blood sucking vampires to time sucking aliens I thought I’d loose the tick slang. He said leave it in. As in tick-tock you’re running out of time. And it totally worked. It was great to have someone to bounce things off of it and he applied himself to it just as much as I did. Of course he sort of had too since it was all his fault.

Then I had to go back and rewrite the first half of the book and make sure that it all made sense. When I got that done and was ready to start the down hill slide of finishing up the story my dad was diagnosed with Lymphoma and I spent a lot of time writing in quiet corners of hospital waiting rooms. I guess my time sucking aliens were pretty serious about coming after me. The book was two weeks late getting turned in then I got my edits during a really bad time with my dad. More time sucked away. But eventually the book got done and my dad is in remission. That was quite a few monkey wrenches for one book. But I think everything turned out okay in the end. For me, my dad, and my editor.

Meanwhile how do you handle revisions, in writing or in life? Have you ever had to adapt quickly to a surprise?

Colby is giving away a copy of Twist to one lucky commenter. To learn more about Colby and her alter-egos, visit the website they share, http://www.cindyholby.com/.

Dee's Winner is . . .

Drumroll, please! The winner of Dee Davis's book Chain Reaction is Maureen. Congratulations, Maureen! If you'll email me, nancy AT nancynorthcott DOT com, with your contact information, I'll pass that on to Dee.

And the Valentines Winner is...

da da dum da dum...

Eva S.

Eva - drop me an email at Tawny@TawnyWeber.com with RB Valentines in the subject line and I'll get your goodies right out to you! Congrats ;-)

On The Road Again

by Beth Andrews

A few weeks ago I had the chance to do something I love doing, something I haven't had the time or, to be totally honest, the desire to do for a long time. I went on a Road Trip.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm in the car a lot. A whole lot. Either running errands, or taking my girls to practice or a friend's house, or sitting shotgun while teaching my son to drive (heck, sometimes I even do all of the above at the same time *g*). But it's been a good long while since I had somewhere to go outside my county's limits.

That all changed when I discovered my Senior Editor was speaking at Toronto Romance Writers - yes, that's in Toronto. A city with 4.5 million people. How do I know that's the population? Because my husband told me. A dozen times. In fact, here's just a sample of what he said to me before I left:

"For the love of all that's good in the world, don't plot a book while you're driving in Toronto. You really need to pay attention to what you're doing! There are 4.5 million people there."

And:

"Remember that one time when you picked up pizza for dinner at the pizzeria down the road and got in the wrong car and didn't even notice until you'd sat there a minute trying to figure out what was different? Well, please don't do that in Toronto. You know, there are 4.5 million people there. Leave their cars alone."

And also:

"Yes, I know you claim you're not lost when you drive aimlessly around a large city you're unfamiliar with - but just because you know you're in Canada, doesn't mean you know which direction to go in order to get home. Please take a map of the city with you. They've got enough people in Toronto (4.5 million) they don't need you living there too."

After this helpful advice, of course I was excited to get going. *g* And, as I'm no dummy, I decided to take someone with me to keep me company and help with the driving and navigate those big city streets. So, I took my son :-) Which was a great idea except, well, he's 16 which means his conversational skills could use some work, he only has his permit and there was no way I was letting him drive on those 8 lane highways (we only have the regular old 4 lanes of highways here - 2 on each side. Trust me, it's much safer) but he was an Ace as Chief Navigator! And he brought along some good CDs so we had classic rock tunes to listen to all the way up and back ;-)

It was a very successful road trip! My Senior Editor was a great speaker and the Toronto Chapter was warm and welcoming (even though I left in a hurry to avoid getting home too late), my son (despite my earlier teasing) was great company and he did drive part way. *g* Best of all, it brought back memories of the many road trips I've taken in my life and how I've evolved and changed.

During the late 80's/early 90's, I'd listen to 80's hair bands on the tape player of my Ford Escort while driving the 90 miles home from school. I'd munch on cheese popcorn or Combos (Combos are still a family road trip favorite) and chocolate milk (regular, none of that low fat stuff for me back then). My metabolism rocked in the 80's!!

The 90's brought with it three kids (I'm still not sure how I got them - although I'm starting to suspect they're to blame for my metabolism going to pot) and car seats. We'd pile in our mini-van and head to the beach as we snacked on animal crackers and juice boxes. Of course the windows were rolled down as the air conditioner didn't work but that's okay. That just meant everyone could hear Chumbawumba (anyone else remember them?) singing about getting knocked down and back up again. We liked to share the joy. *g*

A few years back the entire family went to Virginia to visit friends. About three hours into the trip, we stopped for lunch only to discover our son (then 12) had forgotten his shoes. We're still not sure how it happened - all we know is he thought he'd save time by putting his shoes on in the car once we were on our way (as opposed to actually wearing them out of the house) but never grabbed them. Luckily we were by a mall and able to pick him up some cheap sneakers. *g*

What about you, dear Readers? Do you love Road Trips? Or does the idea of being cooped up in a car for more than 30 minutes give you the heebie jeebies? What's your favorite traveling music? Snacks? We'd love it if you shared your favorite Road Trip memory ;-)

Rituals Rule, so sayeth Annie Solomon

by Trish Milburn

Today's guest, Annie Solomon, not only is a fantastic, RITA-winning romantic suspense novelist; she also knows how to shop for cute clothes, is rarely found without knitting needles in hand, and harbors a great love for the sci-fi TV series Farscape and its star, Ben Browder. Her book, Blackout, won the 2007 RITA for Best Romantic Suspense. Her newest release is Dead Shot, which you can conveniently purchase from Amazon by clicking on the book cover at left. She's here today to talk about how rituals help in the writing process.

~~~

Rituals Rule

Writing is a mystery. Characters “talk” to you. They do things you didn’t expect or plan. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The most mysterious thing to me are the rituals that go along with the process. Why do they work? Do you have a piece of music that you can’t write without? A special corner of the house? A chair? For me, I’ve found the weirdest thing is that I can no longer write alone.

Several years ago, I struggled with a terrible back problem that was exacerbated by the chair in my home office. I don’t quake when I go in there now, but I can’t write there. I thought I was blocked. I was tearing my hair out, deadlines looming closer and closer. I was looking for any available cliff to jump off.

Then I discovered Panera Bread Company. Free Wi-Fi. Great coffee. And they ain’t no slouch in the bread department neither. But the most important thing about Panera is the people. Not just behind the counter, but all over the place. Coming and going, eating in, taking out.

Now you’d think that would be a distraction. See, that’s where the Twilight Zone music comes in. I think the people are what allows me to write again. Maybe it’s the public humiliation of sitting there staring at the empty screen. (Gotta fill that up or people will see I’m doing nothing.). Or maybe it’s the fact that I can’t roll out of bed and pretend to work in my PJs while I’m really playing Freecell and Scrabble. I gotta get up, get showered, get dressed, and go somewhere. Since I’ve made all this effort, might as well use it. That's me at the right, writing away. Pictured below is Mimi, the friendliest Paneraperson ever.

Whatever the reason, Panera has become my new ritual. I pretend I’m going to work just like I did when I was running the copy department at Gish, Sherwood & Friends Advertising Agency. I look professional and put together. I even put on makeup. And I write. I actually accomplish something. Some days I have breakfast there, some days breakfast and lunch. Once or twice I even brought home dinner (though, okay, maybe that’s getting a little out of hand). Maybe it’s the food?

Whatever it is, it works. And that is one mystery I’m not too eager to solve.

So, I’m curious—what are your writing rituals? Or do you have rituals in other parts of your life that help you get things done?

The latest winner is...

The winner of the $10 Barnes & Noble gift card and the mystery book from my overflowing bookshelves is...Wendy! Please e-mail me your full name and your mailing address to trishmilburn AT yahoo DOT com, and I'll get your prizes out to you.

The Waiting Game

posted by Aunty Cindy

I am not a patient person. (Waits for roars of laughter all over the Lair to die down.) However, two things in my life have forced me to develop and cultivate my patience: motherhood and publishing.

Since the former subject would fill volumes, suffice it to say that my son did not arrive until eleven days after his due date. Apparently he did not receive the memo about vacating in a timely manner, and I suffered through the longest eleven days of my life. I should have realized this was the start of an ugly trend.

As for publishing, every author who has ever submitted so much as a query letter knows that glaciers move faster. And with far more reliability. For example, I once sent a query letter (only a brief, to-the-point letter) via email to an agent who was reportedly looking for new clients. FOUR MONTHS later I received this reply (also via email): Sorry, not for me.

FOUR MONTHS FOR THAT??? PULLEEEEZE!

Still, not as bad as one of my Bandita sisters who had an editor request her manuscript and not respond for TWO YEARS! And worse, for the last five months of that time, she assured said Bandita that the manuscript was "...on top of my desk and I'll read it in the next week or two." Clearly the weeks on her calendar were MUCH DIFFERENT from any I or my Bandita sister had ever seen. Worst of all, when the editor FINALLY got around to giving an answer, it was the tired old "just didn't love it enough" rejection.

ARGH!

What's a writer to do?

Nothing, except keep waiting, keep submitting, then wait some more!

I am currently living this hurry-up-and-wait scenario all too painfully. It was one year ago last week that I sent my initial query letter to the editor that ultimately resulted in a sale seven months later. It has now been five months since that magical phone call and at this point I still have no specific publication date, no cover (Though I have a serious case of cover envy! Look at our sidebar and you'll see why.)... Heck, right now I don't even have a title since the editor told me a month ago that the marketing department wanted to change the one I originally had.

However, all whining aside, I'm sure that just like when my son finally decided to make his appearance, once I hold my book in my hot little hands, all the waiting will be WORTH IT!

How bout giving Aunty a wee bit of sympathy? Or better yet, tell us about something you had to wait 4 EVAH to finally get. And please tell me it was worth the wait.

Party Time?

posted by Christie Kelley

So, my release, Every Night I'm Yours, hits the bookstores this month. I was told by a certain pushy author (whose initials are AC and I don't mean Aunty Cindy) that I must have a release party here.

Okay, but what if I'm not in the partying kind of mood? That's not to say I'm not completely ecstatic that ENIY is out, it's just been an absolutely crazy month. To give you an example, I started writing this blog almost an hour and a half ago (6:00pm est yesterday). I'm only on my second paragraph.

Why?

Let's see, first there was the call from a client that used up a good 25 minutes, plus two emails from other clients, two emails back to them and one to a different client. Then there was the wash. Did it have to be done at 7pm? Yes, if my son doesn't want to sleep in sheets that are damp from a little problem last night. (I've been gone all day and the workers were here) Now add in the time it took to get the washer and dryer back into place (see above about the workers being here today), then as the washer switches to the drain/spin, water rushes out all over the floor. We now have a backed up washer drain from the previously discussed workers being here.

Now you have a feel for my entire month. It's been like this all month. So when people ask me if I'm excited about Every Night being out, I have no idea how to respond. I still haven't had a book signing yet. There was one scheduled for yesterday but it was postponed until March.

Today, eleven days after my book was "officially" released, I finally walked into a bookstore and saw it. Okay, that was really cool. I turned the two copies outward so people would see it and placed "local author" stickers on them.

I've decided I need to get out of this funk. I'm looking for you all to help me. I would love to answer questions anyone might have about the book. Or if you have a question for Avis or Banning, ask away. I might be able to convince them to stop by. They are a little slow with this whole internet thing. They really prefer paper and quill.

Give me a good question and you will either get a signed copy of Every Night I'm Yours or if you already have it, a $10 Amazon gift certificate.

My Life In Hair

by Caren Crane

I have posted lots of comments about my hair lately. All this hair talk led me to reflect on my hair and the role it has played in my life. Hair is the single most defining feature of a person, for me, and having uncooperative hair ruins my entire day. History, hairstory, it's one and the same in my world. So indulge me and let's take a trip down hair memory lane.

1968: I have pics of me with the classic pixie haircut (rather like the poor child in this picture). Unfortunately, I had insanely crooked teeth (even as a toddler) and a big, goofy smile. My hair was then (as it is now) fine and straight with no discernable body. An unfortunate style for me, but I'm sure it was low-maintenance for my poor mother.



1977: A new hairdo swept the country: the Dorothy Hamill. See how cute Dorothy was? I was not so cute, but Dorothy seduced me. I was 12 and anxious for a real haircut. Since the pixie days my hair had been long and straight, with rather unfortunate bangs. I bit the bullet and got the Dorothy Hamill. The sad results may be seen in my junior high yearbook pictures, though I did develop amazing skills with the blow dryer and curling iron in these years.

1979: High school. I spent countless hours in front of the mirror curling, brushing, lifting and spraying. Finally, I succumbed to the trend of the early '80s: the perm. My poor mother permed my hair countless times, cussing and swearing never to do it again every time. The results were not quite like the ones seen here, but close. I segued from long (frankly, very attractive) permed hair to a short and incredibly unattractive Princess-Diana type cut in 1982. I still have no idea why I cut off all my gorgeous curly hair, but we lived in Houston at the time and I was sweltering, seventeen and depressed. I'm sure that's what did it.

1984: Beware the savage jaw, indeed (that's for you Bowie fans!). College and working in a women's clothing store required me to step up the hair. My hair was asymmetrical, rather like this pic in spirit, except it was a little longer and it was the 80s, so I punked it up with DEP and it stood straight up on top. I was hip, happening and way too cool for school. Which could be the reason I ended up withdrawing from college for a couple of years before finding my way back - to engineering school! (I had the best hair in the college of engineering - okay, there wasn't much competition. *g*)

1991: At this point, I was working in the corporate world, had a young child and not much money. For several years, the hair was long and straight, mainly pulled back in a ponytail, with bangs. But I got it cut regularly, deep conditioned, did hot oil treatments and always paid lots of attention to the bangs. Bangs: feathered, sometimes sideswept. Ponytail: high, low, teased at crown, you name it. Whatever I could muster the energy to do, I did!



1999: Sometime in the late 90s, I emerged from the fog of having three young children and decided I needed, once again, a real haircut. After quite a bit of searching, I found the long layers of my dreams. My hair looked quite like this picture. I loved it, even though it took 20 minutes of blow drying and three round brushes to style. It was dead sexy. *sigh* Remind me, why did I ever cut it off?

2006: Oh, yes. Now that I was past a significant birthday, I felt the need to lose the long, sexy layers. (At this point, some dear friend should have slapped me silly, but alas none are quite as take-charge as I am. *sigh*) My hair had been trending shorter over the years and in 2006, I went short and sassy. Thus, I ended up with the hair you see in my picture on the right of the blog. So cute (but not dead sexy)!

Today: Right now, I am letting it grow a little longer again, easing back toward medium-length layers. Maybe I'll be happy with that for a few months. Maybe it will help me bring sexy back. Please!

I have, as you can guess, spared you the many hairstyles in between - and there were more than I can recall. I am defined by my hair and it invariably reflects how I feel about myself and my life. I can't even get into hair color right now, that's a whole 'nother blog! Sometimes I fear it's incredibly shallow and vain of me, but most of the time I just glance sidelong into mirrors as I pass and admire my handiwork. *g*

So, how do you feel about your hair? Do you wash and go or, like me, spend far too much time styling, spraying, and adjusting each strand? Have you fallen victim to any trendy hairstyles? I can't wait to hear everyone's hairstory!

Zen and the Art of Book Hawking

by Trish Milburn

I've been in this writing business long enough and gone to enough writer conferences to have seen the typical kinds of book promotion a zillion times. I've picked up countless bookmarks, pens and magnetic calendars from authors who hope these items will increase their book sales and name recognition. Now that I have a release date for my first book, I'm beginning to think of ways to hawk my own work without having to take out a second mortgage or lose my sanity. But I want something new, creative, unique. That got me to thinking about what book promotion efforts I've seen before that impressed me, and I wondered if these types of things interested readers as well. Here's a sampling.

1. It seems that more and more authors have book trailers now, but the problem is that so many of them are utterly forgettable or look cheap and cheesy. Here are some, however, that I thought were well done. Each author has done a great job of making them memorable, in a good way.

Jessica Brody's The Fidelity Files

Jody Wallace's A Spell for Susannah

Anne Mallory's What Isabella Desires

Diana Holquist's Sexiest Man Alive

2. Everybody loves to win contests. Just look at all the happy winners of items from the Banditas. We, as readers and writers in the romance genre, are used to giveaways of books, ARCs and the like, but if you really want to make a splash, why not give away something big? Kelley St. John has given away vacations to the beach in the past, and her current contest is a $500 Spa Giveaway Package. I like Kelley's giveaway ideas so much that I'm mulling trying to do something along the same lines but connected to the setting in my book somehow.

3. Book signings are a staple form of promotion, but I've heard lots of authors say they're a waste of time. And from the reader's point of view, they might not have time to go to the book signing or they might feel pressured to buy a book they might not otherwise want, particularly if it's a multi-author book signing. If an author goes the book signing route, however, why not think outside the bookstore box? Janice Lynn once held a very successful book signing at her local Curves.

4. Readers love to get that little something extra, kind of like the extra material that is included on most DVDs now. If you can give them that something extra while also getting another benefit for yourself, all the better. Esri Rose took this approach while trying to build her mailing list ahead of her first book's debut in May. She sent out an e-mail to everyone she new, offering to write a short story set in her book's universe when her e-mail list reached 50 subscribers. Click here to see how she promoted it.

So now I want to hear from you, readers and writers alike. (By the way, why do we make that distinction? We writers are big readers too.) As readers, do promotional efforts by authors make any difference in what books you buy? If so, what influences you? Have you seen any spectacular or interesting book promo efforts? What wild and crazy book promo effort would definitely attract your attention and make you lean toward at least looking up an author's book?

And because readers like to win things (grin), I'll be giving away a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble and a mystery book from my overflowing bookshelves to one lucky commenter.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

by Tawny Weber

Ahhh, Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year that epitomizes (or commercializes, depending on POV) romance. Red roses, lacey cards , vast quantities of chocolate (oooooh, the chocolate!!). Yesterday’s post by our awesome Joanie T talked about the wonders of unrequited love, and , well, let’s face it, most of our Romance Bandits post deal with that wonder that is love. After all, we’re romance writers –it’s one of our favorite subjects (next to chocolate, of course.)

But... as any good romance writer knows, what moves that story from lala to deeply emotional is the internal conflict... that ‘learning to overcome your own issues” angle that adds the depth and growth to our stories. So today, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I bring you... I love ME day!

What? You laugh? C’mon, play along. It could be fun. And given our myriad of hang-ups and issues (especially if we’re gals) it could be the hardest game ever to play. But humor me. I mentioned this to one or two gals, and their immediate reaction was to giggle, to blush and to change the subject. What’s so hard about loving ourselves, I ask you?? Ooooh, yeah, that society thing. The whole “vanity” issue and the “be modest” mandate. Yup, I know those. They are the same lessons I heard as a kid, along with “don’t brag” and “no talking about yourself, that’s rude” mandates. (Seriously...I think I’ve hit on something here - these do make promotion difficult.)

Despite all the calls for modesty, I’m one of those people who believe that to love someone else, you have to love yourself first. Oh, not the ego-centered love, but the “sure, I’ve got a few issues. But I’m a great person who deserves to be appreciated” love. I think this is why so many of my heroines are in the midst of that discovery- the really trusting themselves and the world enough to grow and allow themselves to REALLY be who they are meant to be. To appreciate that they might be different, that they might not fit the mold, but who believe who they are still rocks and is worth embracing. And, since I get to be Empress of my written world (my editor is Queen, btw) I reward these heroines brave stands by giving them hot, hunky heroes who appreciate them just as they are, foibles and all.

So, let’s play I Love Me Day. Here are the game rules. You have to name three things about yourself that you LOVE. Positive things that you’d say about a friend, no hidden barbs allowed. Three... and one thing that makes you unique. And the random winner (it’s a game, of course there is a winner) will receive a valentines goody basket from me. The basket will include all the required prerequisites—chocolates, a romance novel (or two) and an adorable stuffed animal that makes you go awwwww.

So.. c’mon, play the Valentines Game with me. After all, to be our own heroines and heroes, we do have to be loveable, right?

And the Winner Is...

Doglady!

You've won a signed copy of Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady for your comment: "behind all the sweep of the battlefields, the glitter of the ballrooms, and the cloak and dagger of the world of spies there were also very real people, with real emotions, sorrows, fears and all of the hard decisions a world at war forces a person to make."

Congratulations and thanks to all who commented!

Hope Floats or Love by the Lockers

by Joan Kayse

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. There will be flowers and candy and little stuffed animals with goofy expressions distributed to thousands of special someone’s. Some might even send a singing telegram or pay someone to print their exclamations of love in the paper. How much you want to bet that there will be a high percentage of proposals wrapped in the red and white tissue paper of Cupid himself. All in the name of love.

But I’m not going to talk about that.

Well, actually I am but from a different perspective. I’m talking about unrequited love. You know, the type that is one sided, that goes unrecognized, that leaves an ache wrapped in hope deep in your heart. The most hopeful love of all.

It is hopeful, it really is. Occasionally, in an unrealistic way if you were to sit back away from the longing and analyze it. But I think the hope imbued in this type of love is the purest type imaginable.

What got me to thinking about this was a memory of Valentine’s Day from my childhood. Ok, sure in elementary school everybody got a Valentine. But there was always that one special boy that you would save the BEST Valentine out of the box for and take extra care to print his name just right. And when you received his in your red heart decorated paper bag you just KNEW he had taken the same care with yours…even if he gave the exact one to all the other girls.

Then high school came and with it lockers; the perfect spot for a “secret admirer” to slip a Valentine. For six periods your heart would beat just a bit faster, you’d chew on your lower lip as you punched in the combination. Your eyes would search for a pink envelope or the sparkle of glitter. When it wasn’t there you’d assure yourself that there was always next period.

At the end of the day after you had admired your friends cards and stuffed animals you gained comfort with the hope that there would always be next year.

Fast forward to adulthood and the hope takes on a different flavor. You hope to find “the one”, the man who will build a family with you, take out the garbage and kill the spidersJ. You meet some promising fellows; fall for their easy smiles, their wit, and their blue penetrating eyes. You practice being demure and flirt in an entirely sophisticated manner, of course ( and bake tons of cookies. That adage abou the way to a man's heart is through his stomach? Not entirely convinced of that).You spend time with him and hope that he will look at you with the same conviction and promise that you are willing him to recognize in you.
Now as a grown up, you go to your mailbox on Valentine’s Day. You hold your breath when the flower delivery guy arrives at work with a dozen red roses. You hold your breath as he squints at the card and paste a smile on your face when he asks for Susan. You ooh and ahh at your friends engagement rings and their little stuffed animals. You clock out at the end of the day and you….hope.

Unrequited love is hard but the hope inherent in the “happily ever after” dulls the pain and helps you keep going, helps you believe that “the one” is still out there….just around the corner….waiting by the locker.

Have you ever suffered from unrequited love? What was it that attracted you to him (her)? What is the goofiest Valentine’s present you ever got?

The Hamster picture doesn't mean anything really, unless? Unless he's hoping the flowers will make an impression on his own true love :-)

The Bourne Identity--Joanna Bourne is in the Lair!

by Christine Wells

Please welcome Joanna Bourne to the bandit lair! Joanna writes historical romance for Berkley and her recent release, The Spymaster's Lady, has garnered rave reviews everywhere.

A little about the book: She's braved battlefields. She's stolen dispatches from under the noses of heads of state. She's played the worldly courtesan, the naive virgin, the refined British lady, even a Gypsy boy. But Annique Villiers, the elusive spy known as the Fox Cub, has finally met the one man she can't outwit.

Hi Jo, welcome to the lair! I've heard such great things about this book and I'm champing at the bit to read it but it was sold out in my local romance bookstore, so that's great news for you. Not so good for me, but I have it on order.

Is The Spymaster's Lady the first novel you've had published?

I wrote a standard Regency Romance many years ago. It's long out of print. About the most interesting thing in it is a brief appearance of Adrian Hawkhurst.

In between that little Regency and Spymaster's Lady, I wrote lots of non-fiction for the government. Good practice. Lots of overlap on the skills.

Why do your hero and heroine fall in love and why is it so dangerous for them to do so?

One of the basic challenges in Romance, it seems to me, is that we want a good strong conflict between hero and heroine ... and then at the end, we want everything wrapped up and put away in a neat HappyEverAfter package.

I adore the finicky, step-machine-at-the-gym, afternoon-at-the-spa, city girl who locks horns with the rugged, horse-hockey-kicking, western outdoorsman. I'm wild for the mouthy, idealistic environmental lawyer who confronts the practical, dollars-and-cents building contractor. I love these.

But sometimes, looking back after the happy ending, I ask myself if these folks really have a long-term future together. Their basic outlook on life is sooo different. Love conquers all, of course, but ...

So my folks, my Annique and Grey, even though they're spies for different nations, are very similar in the ways that matter most. They have the same approach to the world. They're fellow professionals in a specialized line of work.

It's like, (jo reaches for a sports metaphor here,) the two quarterbacks in a football game. They may be crashing helmets with verve and elan, but they have more in common with each other than with anybody out there in the stands. Falling in love is almost inevitable, because they have so much in common ... but loving thine enemy is not such a good idea under the circumstance.

I like that idea of people having ideological differences but fundamentally the same outlook on life. In The Spymaster's Lady, you explore the dynamics of power in a relationship. Both your hero and heroine are skilled, intelligent and resourceful. How do you achieve a balance between two powerful people? ie, how do you make one look strong without making the other look weak? ::Christine licks pencil, preparing to take notes::

Basically, I let 'em take turns 'winning'.

Sometimes she gets to tie him up.

Also, I'm trying to look at several types of power here. On the obvious level, Grey has every advantage. He can drag Annique from place to place or lock her up -- at least temporarily. It's brute force power, if you will.

But none of his power is ultimately useful. None of it will get him what he desperately needs. In a lot of ways, he spends the story playing 'catch-up' to powerful decisions Annique has made. It's Annique who holds the secrets to the Albion Plans.

It's Annique who makes the great moral choice of the book. If you look at what's happening at any point, you'll generally find one of Annique's decisions set it off.

I love it when heroines show their heroes that strength comes in many different forms, not just the physical. From reading your blog it's obvious you enjoy analysing and refining your craft. In what way did writing The Spymaster's Lady stretch you or make you a better writer?

It's this 'writing is my life' stuff. We never stop learning. Refining the craft is an ongoing business. I, for instance, hope someday to learn to plot.

And it's plotting I learned, somewhat, with Spymaster's Lady. That was a challenge, trying to get all the loose ends tied up.

Hope I did.

And I will say that taking a whole manuscript from story idea to final draft requires just endless stamina.

Writing European-set historicals for modern American readers can be tricky. How do you tread the line between accuracy and readability?

I come down on the side of readability, of course.

But y'know -- somebody writing a contemporary about Llama farmers in Newark picks and chooses what section of the 'real world' she'll talk about.

I think of historical writing in the same way.

I don't mention that the straw in the floor of a hackney was hopping with fleas and the poor heroine spends the next two days scratching her ankles. I don't point out that maybe one person in twenty had active tb.

Not being inaccurate here. Just selective within the truth.

And our friend with the llama farm probably never uses the word 'income tax' in the whole book. We both pick and choose what parts of our reality we need for the story. I do try not to use Americanisms when I write.
And, of course, the publisher doesn't want me to use certain blatant and puzzling-to-Americans British-isms.

Sometimes this leaves you without any word at all. Always exciting.

Would you like to tell us a bit about the next book in the series?

Next comes My Lord and Spymaster, out in July from Berkley. Sebastian and Jess head up rival international trading firms. It's 1811 and there's endless profit in shipping, smuggling and trade on the fringes of Napoleon's Europe. Then Jess's father is accused of treason ... by Sebastian.

Doyle and Adrian, secondary characters from Spymaster's Lady, appear in My Lord and Spymaster.

Jo is very kindly giving away a signed copy of The Spymaster's Lady to one lucky reader. When I mentioned that we evil banditas make our readers work for their prizes, so we ask them a question, this was Jo's response:

Ask a question of the readers?

Question? Ye gods. What kind of question?
Something like --

If you were in France with Grey and Adrian, would you have run off with Grey? Or Adrian?
orDo you think Doyle and Maggie ended up making love in that big bathtub downstairs and if so did they get all the glass off them before they climbed in, or what?
or
Who would you rather have in bed, Robert or Grey? or
If you had a huge, mixed-breed dog you found out at the port and brought home, would you really name it Tiny? Or would you call it Hrolf? Or Kane the Destroyer? Or Zippy the Wonder Dog?
or
Would you say the whole international spy business in the Napoleonic era basically ran on coffee?Is this a bad thing?

Or were you thinking more along the lines of ...

Do you think Regency-era Historical Romances should give a more balanced view of the English/French conflict?

So, dear readers...answer any or all of these questions and win yourself a fantastic book! Thanks for visiting the lair, Jo.

Amy Andrews Makes One Lucky Visitor Feel Better!

Thanks again to everyone who made Amy's visit such fun when she popped by last week to talk about her wonderful Medical Romances and her romantic comedy. She's taken everyone's pulse and selected the remarkably healthy Eva S as the winner of her latest Harlequin release FOUND: A FATHER FOR HER CHILD. Congratulations, Eva. Please email Amy on amy@amyandrews.com.au with your snail mail details and she'll send your book to you!

The Absolute End

by Christine Wells

I can't remember when my passion for stories began, but I clearly remember the first time it got me into trouble. You know those moments you want to curl up into a ball so tight you turn invisible? The ones that are etched on your brain for the rest of your life? This story even followed me to high school. I still cringe to think of it...

I was five, sitting in a classroom in Australia with little wooden chairs, faux wood veneer desks and linoleum floors. The teacher was reading a story out loud to the class. It was one of those melting summer days, where the heat shimmered off the tarmac outside and the ceiling fans simply shifted stifling air around.

I'd drunk a lot of water at 'big lunch'.

And right in the middle of this fantastic, breathtaking story, I had to pee.

But boy, did I need to hear the end of that story. I wriggled a bit. I glanced outside. The bathrooms were a bit of a walk away...

The angst of indecision tore me apart as badly as any tortured hero in a romance novel. In the end, story won.

And now I'm a writer, I want to make people hang on the edge of their seat for the end of my novels. I want them to say they couldn't put the book down--yes, even when they needed to pee. But how does a writer achieve that goal?

Is it tension and pacing? Is it making the reader care passionately about the characters? Is it conflict? Is it plot? Is it all of those things? What makes an ending compelling? After you've burned through the pages to get there, what ingredient makes the anticipation worthwhile, leaving you triumphant yet desolated and restless when the book ends? Do you know that feeling? I certainly do. I mourn some books for days afterwards, wishing I hadn't read them so quickly. Sometimes I even re-read them straight away.

What is it about those books that make me want to go out and buy the author's complete backlist, or long for her to hurry and write the next in the series?

I'm pretty sure I know what *doesn't* work for me as a reader. I've read romances where the romantic conflict is resolved far too early, leaving about a quarter of the book to deal with solving the mystery, getting the bad guy and so on. You know, I'd really like to say I cared about the stolen diamonds/long lost sister/orphans in trouble, but the truth is, the *romance* is what keeps me reading a romance novel--a compelling relationship between hero and heroine. If the couple spend the final fifty pages in perfect accord, they're probably fifty pages I won't read.

But sometimes the romantic conflict just drags on too long, until you're convinced these two can't possibly be happy together. So it's a fine balance. I don't think I have the answer. I just have to write the books as they come and do the best I can to give the reader that pay-off at the end. But if anyone has the secret, I'm here, ready and willing to listen.

So what about you? What's your favorite ending to a romance? Can you tell me why? And what's your most embarrassing childhood moment?

Oh, and here is my new cover!! This is for my second Berkley historical romance, The Dangerous Duke. Isn't it gorgeous?

Fabulous Five!

By Anna Campbell

After many years of writing from the corner of my Sydney bedroom, with a gorgeous view of the back of the next-door block of flats, it's been wonderful settling into my current office. A whole room! Whoopee! Big storage cupboards! Yeehaw! Filing cabinets, thanks to a thoughtful present from my brother for my birthday! Yippeeeee! Not to mention, two desks, a big bookcase and a view. I'm as happy as that infamous pig in mud!

In celebration of my beloved new environment, I thought I'd pick five things that accompany me every day as I work, and share them with you. Little things but with a big impact for me - they never fail to make me smile.

Firstly, I have my Newfoundland puffin which my good friend and fellow travel nut Lindsay gave me after she did an amazing trip to Alaska and Canada. I've only ever seen puffins once, when I did a wildlife tour from the Isle of Mull in Scotland. They're amazing birds, full of vivid personality. It was a magical day visiting the Treshnish Isles and seeing them nesting and squabbling over each other and setting up for the breeding season. And my toy puffin is graced with a Beatles badge which my critique partner's daughter gave me. Somehow Puffin and Badge belong together (and I've always been a Beatles fan so that brings some lovely associations too).

Then there's a fairly new addition to my menagerie. A lucky bamboo plant, a gift from our own Bandita Buddy Amy Andrews. So far, it's still thriving in spite of my usual toxic touch with green things inside. Long may he reign and spread his good fortune!

I have a couple of cat figurines that I've collected. I love the wonderful, elegant lines of our feline friends. Two in particular are favorites (I count these as one choice - so sue me!). The upright one is a copy of an Ancient Egyptian cat from the Metropolitan Museum in New York. He always reminds me how magical I found that city during that first visit - in spite of the fact that I was as sick as a dog (not a cat!) and jetlagged beyond reason. The curled up cat is carved from Welsh slate and comes from a gift shop in Cheddar Gorge in Somerset where I set Untouched. He's so smooth and cool and he sits perfectly in the palm of my hand. And he's so realistic, you can almost hear him purr.

Next on this tour of my favorite things is a gorgeous card that Amanda, one of my oldest friends, gave me to inspire me. She's not a romance reader but she's obviously gathered that sometimes the Frog Prince is the base fairytale for my stories and the heroes need to go through a major character arc to transform into the princes that they really are. The bug-eyed frog always gives me such a giggle! And with that tongue hanging out, you know he's more than ready to fall in love with the wonderful heroine I'm going to give him!

The last of my fabulous five is a little souvenir I've had since 1986 and he's gone everywhere with me. Jonathan, a friend of mine when I lived in London, gave it to me after he went to the Domesday Book Exhibition in Winchester. This cute little guy's name is Rufus and he's the poor monk who did all the writing for the Domesday Book. For those who don't know, the Domesday Book was basically a catalogue of everything William the Conqueror owned in his new kingdom. After his hard day's writing, Rufus used to down a horn of good French wine and drop off to sleep. Know just how he feels (although my wine is generally a local product!).

So do you have anything that shares your days with you and makes you smile? Is it the object itself or the associations it brings to mind? I don't think it's accidental that most of my objects are presents from people I care about or souvenirs of places I love. Come on! Let us into your working world! Spill the beans!

And don't miss the contest fellow Bandita Christine Wells and I are currently running. Just tell us which historical romance heroine you would be and you're in the running for some great prizes including a signed hardcover copy of Untouched and an ARC of Christine's next release, The Dangerous Duke, a signed copy of Scandal's Daughter, a beautiful diary and a stack of signed coverflats. Just visit the contest page of my website for details! Good luck!

More Bandita Booty

by Anna Sugden

Thanks again to the wonderful Terri Brisbin for a fab visit! I'm thrilled that Terri has agreed to return and tell us all about her trip in May.

In the meantime, we have winners! Congratulations to doglady and Sabrina!

Please contact Terri at TerriBrisbin at AOL dot com with your snail mail info and your choice of book from her back-list.

The World of Romance: A Man's Perspective

by Jo Robertson

Since February is the traditional month of love – Valentine’s Day and Leap Year – I thought it might be fun to have a male perspective on this whole romance-writing and love business. I sent an invite to Dr. Big – not to be confused with Mr. Big from SATC fame – to get some of his feelings and ideas.

While waiting for Dr. Big's response, I’m rather enjoying the golf game on his HD wide-screen telly. Hmmm, men swinging long poles, great back views of said men. Wow, that Tiger Woods is something else!

[cough, cough] Welcome, Dr. Big, glad you're here.

Dr. Big: Wait a minute! You weren't supposed to identify me! If any of my golfing buds find out I’m doing this interview, I'm in for a lot of bogies!

Jo: Calm down, Dr. Big. I can assure you, the only male visiting us is P226. Uh, he does like to play with his guns, however. Hmmm, and I heard that George Clooney likes to hang out here occasionally.

Dr. Big: From what I've seen on celebrity info stuff, most of George's female companions are the models for the book covers, not the creators.

Jo: George does like his women.

First question, Dr. Big, I understand you have a fairly definite conception of what the typical romance writer looks like. Please share that with us.

Dr. Big: At first, I thought very attractive women were writing somewhat autobiographical novels. Part of my mistake, as I found out later, was that I mistook the cover pictures as the author and her lover. I also was acquainted with one well-known romance writer who was quite attractive.

Jo: You’re speaking of our good friend author Brenda Novak. Yes, she’s very pretty.

[aside] I think Dr. Big has had a crush on BN for many years.

But, do tell, Dr. Big – are you saying you mistook those rather revealing clench covers for the authors? Oh my, how delightful! Were you ever tempted to buy one of those books, just to become better acquainted with said author? And did your perception change?

Dr. Big: My wife is a member of RWA and she invited me to attend a conference. I was quite excited to meet some of the writer babes. As it turned out, I thought I was at a Weight Watcher's conference. Needless to say, I changed my mind about writers.

Jo: OMG, you're NOT implying that romance writers are overweight housewives are you? I must assure you that the Romance Bandits are teachers, lawyers, engineers, and nurses, as well as wives and mothers. Are you surprised by that fact?

Dr. Big: I'm sure they have teachers, lawyers, and engineers at any Weight Watcher convention. Sorry – that is kind of a cheap shot. Nine in ten of my golfing buddies are candidates for a tummy tuck!

Jo: [seriously into eye rolling]

Most of our heroes in romances are what we writers call alpha males. Do you consider yourself an alpha male?

Dr. Big: Alpha male, huh? Sounds like Greek stuff. I am pretty well endowed on the golf course, except that is not how us golfers refer to a golf stud.

I am still looking for a romance novel that has a low handicapper as the hero. Maybe something going with the cart girls? Although, most of the cart girls are not much to look at, just fast with a Dr. Pepper.

Jo: [eyes now in danger of flying out of head]

I understand you're married, quite happily in fact, to a romance writer. Please refrain from revealing your spouse's identity, but tell us – what’s living with a romance writer like? Do you find yourself constantly supplying, uh, research for her books?

Dr. Big: If I were really honest, I believe my wife learned a lot from me about that stuff. I just never thought it would make it into her books!

Jo: [Aside – in your dreams, Dr. Big]

Interesting. Do you think she had anything to teach YOU about romance and sensuality?

Dr. Big: She definitely was the catalyst! My wife really was a very attractive and sensual woman.

Jo: [choking over the use of past tense.]

Dr. Big: One day I decided to show my golf buddies a picture of my wife, as I was sick of hearing about some of their wives. I showed them my favorite picture, but when they were staring at it I realized it was a few years old – like about 15!

Jo: Are you saying you carry a fifteen-year old picture of your wife in your wallet? No, don’t answer that!

Back to the topic -- you don't think your wife ever practiced any of her scenes on you? I mean, tried a move just to see if it would work? How would you feel about that?

Dr. Big: That is a big slant on reality! After reading her first book, I tried to figure out just who she was inventing for her more than graphic sex scenes. I figure she got her information from research and other writers because little of what I was reading had to do with our reality. Of course, I would never tell, anyway.

Jo: Romance novels always have what we call the HEA, happily ever after. Do you believe in that stuff in your reality?

Dr. Big: I really am at a "happily ever after" place in my life. (Excuse me while I wipe my eyes.) I believe there is a definite place for romantic fiction. It is kind of like condensing a long life into the best parts. Nothing wrong with that!

Jo: Not at all. That's very sweet. In fact, you might redeem yourself yet.

I understand that you read a lot of professional journals and nonfiction. Do you realize that women readers corner the book market? What do you think about that?

Dr. Big: My take on the gender issue is that men are very visual and reality based, while women seem to like written fantasy and non-reality. (That should really stir up the ladies!)

Jo: Come on, Dr. Big, ‘fess up. Have you ever read a romance novel?

Dr. Big: Other than my wife’s writing, the only time I was tempted was when she brought a
bunch of erotica back from a conference. Now that really held my interest!

Jo: What’s the best part of being married to a romance writer?

Dr. Big: The travel! I took her to Scotland so I could fulfill my dream of playing at St. Andrew's, the birthplace of golf. She visited castles and took notes for a forthcoming book. Seriously, I greatly admire creativity. The ability to create a story from the imagination is admirable to say the least. I expect that writers of romance have to be very interesting people. I know my wife is. Jo: Aww. Valentine’s Day is coming up next week. What do you plan for YOUR sweetheart, Dr. Big?

Dr. Big: First, let’s drop the sweetheart reference. We made a deal when we got married not to refer to each other as if we were greeting card writers. I think we also agreed that our romantic relationship cannot be improved upon by copping out to the Hallmark hype. Our love for each other is such that no frivolous gift could improve upon it.

Jo: [Aside – I take it said romance writer is NOT getting a Valentine’s Day surprise this year.]

What’s the best gift you ever gave your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day?

Dr. Big: There you go again, trying to invade our wonderful love affair with the suggestion of a trinket of some kind. My best gift is my sincere affection and admiration for the person who completes my life. Our affection has brought to life seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and a partner I stand in awe of today.

I know you would prefer my offer of sex, but I will not take the bait. For me it would be like trying to shoot pool with a rope. Let’s say, I prefer to be the model for your male studs in your fantasy stories and believe the fantasy myself and let the reality be our secret life.

Jo: There you have it in a nutshell, readers, why most men don't write or read romance novels. They're too damned literal!

Disclaimer: Author disavows any liability for neaderthal-ish remarks by interviewee.

So, readers, do you think men are so different from women when it comes to romantic gestures? Do you like your man/woman to surprise you romantically? Or you more a plan-ahead type? Do you agree with Dr. Big -- that women are more into fantasy and men are more reality-oriented?

Pay Attention

by Cassondra Murray

I’m about to tell you a secret.

It’s the secret, I think, to why we fall in love with heroes, both fictional and real. I think it’s the secret to romance.

We’re approaching Valentine’s Day, and to illustrate the secret, I’m going to tell you about one of my best romantic gifts ever. It was from my husband, a few years after we were married. Now let me preface it by saying he’d made his share of blunders in previous years. There was the anniversary when he gave me a rug.

Yes, a rug.

Poor fellow. He’s learned a lot since then.

But this best year ever, he left me a note that asked if I would pick up something for him at an office downtown at 11:00 in the morning. I went. The receptionist handed me a wrapped box with my name on it.


Inside was a set of lingerie from Victoria’s Secret and a note that told me to go to a florist around the corner. The florist gave me a bouquet of gorgeous wildflowers and a note that told me to go to my chiropractor’s office. The chiropractor’s receptionist gave me another box with another gift and another note. That one sent me next door to the massage therapist for an hour-long massage.

V-day. The day that men dread. The one day of the year specifically dedicated to that thing most men find completely baffling—romance.

But if you think about it, romance, in all of its forms, boils down to one thing. When we’re dating and falling in love, this one thing comes naturally. Men do it with great focus, and to that focus, if there’s any chemistry at all, women respond with intense passion. It’s irresistible, you see, this one thing that is ultimately romantic.

I’ve already told you what it is.

The one thing guaranteed to bring about romance is….paying attention.

Once we’re in a committed relationship we tend to forget that. We begin, perhaps, to take one another for granted a bit. Or maybe we get too busy. Life gets in the way. Maybe we get lazy.

This next week, roses will go for three times the normal price because demand is so high. But honestly, is it really ROSES we want? I don’t think so, though they are lovely and wonderful to receive. It’s not chocolate either, though that never hurts. Jewelry isn’t a bad substitute, but that’s what it is—that's what they all are--substitutes. Tokens. Material attempts to say what we feel--or at least what we want to feel.

Paying attention is how we’ll know what to give to our beloved on the day set aside for romance. Paying attention is what will make the gift work, because really, the true gift--the gift only the loved one can give-- is the attention. The tokens we give—the dinner out, the evening in, the meal cooked and served—that’s the external indicator. It’s very telling that people run
around like mad at the last minute looking for something….ANYTHING….to give to their love for Valentine’s Day. Those people haven’t paid attention, and often the gift will be nice but will….well…it’ll ring just a tad hollow.

Because it’s the attention we crave. That undivided attention we got from our mate when we first discovered one another. That belief that we were truly interesting enough to arouse deep passion in another person. Having someone know us at a level far deeper than surface. To be known—to be seen—and to be loved and appreciated. That’s addictive. We want it, and we never stop wanting it.

I’ll remember that scavenger hunt forever because he cared enough to pay attention to what would make a wonderful day for me, when I hadn’t even asked for anything. Wasn’t expecting anything. It was stunning, and I was speechless.


Here's that ad again....the one I used in my Killer Kisses blog last fall. Really now, does this guy look like he's thinking about the football playoffs?

Sometimes it comes down to something as simple as turning off the tv. If you're a guy, the first time you kissed her, I’m betting you didn’t have one eye on CNN.

Ladies, The first time he kissed you, I bet you weren’t worried about who’d get off the island on Lost. The first time, I bet you were looking at, and thinking about, each other.

All those novels we Banditas write--and the ones we ALL devour as though they were the very air we breathe? Those heroes tend to be...well...focused...on the heroine. And I think part of the fix we get from the stories is living out the fantasy of having that undivided attention many of us haven't experienced since we were dating. Based on the entertainment men frequently choose, I have to wonder if part of the fix for them is also the fantasy of having someone who's not just hot, but hot specifically for them. Maybe, maybe not.

Could that be the secret to rekindling that first-time feeling? Remembering to really look at one another again, inside and out? Stopping long enough to pay attention?

So how about you, Bandita friends? What’s the most romantic thing someone’s done for you?

Have you done something incredibly romantic for someone else—something he or she LOVED?

What sets your senses tingling and captures your focus like nothing else?

What’s your idea of an incredibly romantic, but real-life, here-and-now possible date? And what about it makes it romantic? Is it the setting? Is it the person you’re with?

How do you recapture the romance in the craziness of modern life?

When was the last time you, or your significant other really, truly paid attention?

Is there a character in a novel that stops your heart and takes your breath because.....he's paying attention?

Deb Marlowe Winnahs!

by Caren Crane

Thanks to everyone who helped make Deb Marlowe's release date a fabulous success! We have selected two lucky winners, because both dream of being doctors:

Rebekah, who would love to be a doctor but can't stand the sight of blood, has won a copy of Deb's debut release Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss.

Lily, who is studying to become a real, live doctor (and apparently has no trouble with blood *g*), has won an ARC of Deb's An Improper Aristocrat which will not be released in North America until November. Lucky!

Ladies, please e-mail your snail mail addresses to deb AT debmarlowe DOT com. Congratulations!!

Lucky Seven.... by Jeanne Adams

It's one of those Urban Legends kind of things. Seven's a lucky number. Or is it three? Three times is a charm, right? Or is it twenty-one? I guess if you're in Vegas or Atlantic City, it's threes, sevens and twenty ones. In some Eastern traditions, its four that's lucky. Then there's four-leafed clovers for luck if you're Irish (or even if you're not!) Rabbit's feet - not so lucky for the rabbit - but lucky. Horseshoes, but only if they're turned upright, so the luck doesn't run out.

In writing, we talk a lot about luck. We write about it. Lucky meetings, lucky guesses, Luck is a Lady; you name it, we use it no matter how cliched. Sometimes we use it as we write because it IS a cliche. Everyone recognizes the symbolism, you don't have to spell it out. If I write that my villain's vanity license plate is 007, every reader everywhere pretty much has an idea of who my suspect at least WANTS to be. And in that scenario, its often fun to have that same potential villain be a completely atypical, so-not-Bond type. (Mmmmmm, Brosnan as Bond...) The point being, using that simple device, I don't really have to explain anything. Most people get the joke on the first shot. Same thing if I have my character carry the lucite-encased four leaf clover, or a St. Jude medal. Icons reveal entire concepts and character issues or flaws in one fell swoop.

But back to luck...I don't think there is one writer out there who's ever won a contest, been asked for a full, or gotten the Call who doesn't attribute something to luck. Is writing hard work? You bet. Do you have to hone your craft, learn the trade, walk the walk? Without a doubt. But then there's that extra little thing... "Yeah, I got lucky!" we all say. (And no, we're not talking about our significant others. Snicker!) Or its, "how lucky is it that the other Editor went on maternity leave and my wonderful Editor read my manuscript trying to clear her desk!" Or one I heard not too long ago...."I just happened to walk up as this agent was talking about how her fav editor wanted a really great pirate book...and I have one!" (That's now a pending sale!)

It frequently feels like this road sign picture. All the way over and back again, sometimes doing 90 miles per hour to get a manuscript done, only to have it go nowhere. But we all know, one day, we'll get lucky. Of course, we Banditas already did - we found each other, and YOU too!

Its not just writing, of course. Lucky in love is the best thing there is, which is one of the reasons we Bandits are so fond of writing about it! Luck of the draw sometimes gets you the worst judge on the worst day of his or her life when she picks up YOUR entry. Lucky break gets you the Editor who just came back from maternity leave, rarin' to go, happy to be back with your manuscript at the top of the pile. Right time, right day, right phase of the moon, right editor. Click. You can almost hear Lady Luck lining up the events for your success.

So, what about you? Do you believe in luck? What's the luckiest thing that every happened to you? (In love, in writing, in life...take your pick!) I'll tell you mine.... AND...who's the best Bond? Craig? Brosnan? Connery?

The Many Worlds of Dee Davis

interview by Nancy Northcott

Dee Davis joins us in the lair today. Dee is the author of fifteen novels and three novellas and has made a name for herself writing time travels and romantic suspense. She has won the Booksellers Best, Golden Leaf, Texas Gold and Prism awards, and she's been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award, the Holt, two RT Reviewers Choice Awards, and an RT Career Achievement Award. Last year, she published her first romantic comedy, A Match Made on Madison. A sequel, Set-Up in SoHo, is due out later this year. And her newest romantic suspense series will begin in 2009. Welcome, Dee!

Tell us how you became interested in writing.

I’ve always written, pretty much from the first time I had a blank page in front of me and the power to wield a pencil. I always talked about writing a book, but I never seriously considered doing it until I had a sort of mid-life crisis just before I turned 40 and realized that if I wanted to write – it needed to be now.

We have tremendous interest in call stories in the lair. Would you like to share yours?

Well first off, I have to say that I had a very Cinderella beginning. I wrote my first book Everything In Its Time in 1998. Got an agent six months after finishing and sold the book seven months after that. EIT was published in June 2000. So much about this business has to do with right thing, right time.

As far as the call itself is concerned. I was actually asleep. And was so excited by the news that I hung up on my agent before I realized that I had no idea who I’d actually sold the book too. Had to call her back to find out for sure. And then I spent the rest of the day literally shaking with amazement and excitement (and running around screaming like an absolute loon). Here I was on the verge of reinventing myself at almost forty. It was, and still is, as I approach fifty, absolutely fabulous.

Everything in Its Time was a Scottish time travel. You followed that up with a western time travel. What drew you to that sub-genre?

Interestingly enough, the three time travels were actually published out of order. I wrote EIT, and then Wild Highland Rose(a second Scottish time travel), and then The Promise (the western). All three books stand alone but are loosely related. After EIT came out, I actually sold my first romantic suspense, and then since I thought The Promise was more suspenseful, I decided it should come next. Hence the out of sequence publishing.

As to time travel, I’ve always loved time travel romances. Particularly Diana Gabaldon’s first book in the Outlander series. I think it’s something about a love so strong it transcends even time. Sappy I suppose, but there you have it. Anyway, Katherine and Iain’s story had been hovering at the back of my mind in various forms I think for a long time, so it was almost therapeutic to finally work out the details and put it on paper.

After your second time travel, you turned to romantic suspense with your fabulous Last Chance, Inc. group. How did you go about developing the concept?

The Last Chance Series came on the heels of a couple of related romantic suspense novels I’d written – Midnight Rain and Dancing in the Dark. Characters from the first continued (one of them as the hero) in the second. I really enjoyed having more time to develop these characters and wanted to explore the idea of writing about a continuing group of people. Last Chance itself was born from the idea of bringing together the best of the best from different expertise without the bureaucratic red tape of the various organizations they worked for. Cullen Pulaski, the head of Last Chance, was based loosely on H. Ross Perot. And also, I loved the idea of three men who had shared a horrific wartime experience and the bonds it created between them and the residual affect the event continued to have on their lives.


Match Made on Madison makes superb use of New York City. How did you research that book?

I have dreamed my whole life of living in Manhattan, and now that we actually do, we spend a whole lot of our time exploring the city. So the research, if you want to call it that, came easily. Vanessa’s favorite places are, for the most part, mine!

How did you come to have such an eclectic career?

I like tackling different kinds of projects. Although to be honest, both my time travels and my paranormal novellas are romantic suspense at their basic core, which means that it’s not as much of a departure as one might initially think. And Match was a lark. I read an article in the New York Times about matchmakers and combined it with my love of Jane Austen’s Emma and Vanessa was born. I think writing different kinds of things stretches a writer’s wings and makes her a better at her craft. Or at least I hope it does! Anyway, my first love will always be romantic suspense, but it’s fun to write something else, as well.


How do you create romantic conflict and integrate it into your plots?

Well, Nora Roberts always says that if you need to raise the level of conflict: kill someone. (My apologies to Nora if I’m misquoting-but I’ve always loved that.) Seriously, I think the romantic conflict must be integral to the story or you’re not writing a romance. The trick with romantic suspense is that you have two sets of conflict – the romance and the suspense. And for the book to work, I think that the two have to feed off of each other. At the most basic level, one should not be able to exist without the other. And that’s probably the trickiest part. So it’s not so much a matter of creating the conflict, typically that just happens as the story goes along, it’s more about balancing the romantic conflict against a backdrop of escalating suspense.


Your books have a variety of settings. How have you drawn on your own experiences in creating them?

Well, definitely places that interest me. And usually some place I know and love. Although I recently set a book, Chain Reaction, in Idaho and I’ve only been there once, but I have family in Montana and have spent time there and the culture is similar I use Creede, Colorado a lot, as I spent my summers there growing up. I also lived in Vienna for three years and so it seemed natural to set a book there. I’ve traveled extensively in Ireland and Scotland, so it was with love that I set books in those countries. And the same is true of Atlanta in Dark of the Night. I lived in Austin a number of years and also Corpus Christi (and all over Texas for that matter), so it’s natural to set books there. I think you do draw on places you know. I also think that books are a marvelous way to travel around the world. I still remember reading Mary Stewart’s books as a teenager and the joy I got from traveling with her to places all over Europe. My love for Vienna came from Airs Above the Ground and I still yearn to travel to Greece because of The Moon-Spinners and My Brother Michael. So I guess, I hope that my readers enjoy the same ‘traveling' with me.

What’s the most fun about writing for you?

Creating a world and the people that inhabit it. And honestly, the moment when you reach ‘the end’ and it’s actually all come together. And most of all—when someone talks about one of my characters as if they’re real. Truly, there isn’t a greater compliment-even when they’re trying to explain to me why the character should have done something different from what they actually did.

What’s the hardest part of writing?

The middle of the book. To quote A.A. Milne: ‘you’re neither up nor down’. And usually I’m ready to just blow everyone up and be done with it.

Tell us about Set-Up in SoHo and your next romantic suspense.

Set-Up in SoHo is the second book in the Matchmaker Chronicles. When Andrea Sevalas’ long time boyfriend announces he’s seeing someone else, Andi’s Aunt Althea (the infamous Manhattan matchmaker) figures a little manipulation is in order. Things are going charmingly until truth is revealed. But, with Althea at the helm, Andi will discover that love comes in all kinds of packages, and that sometimes all it takes to recognize the fact, is opening your heart to the possibility.

Now available are Chain Reaction, Match Made on Madison, and Hell in Heels. Next up on the romantic suspense front, a dark, sexy new series about an off the books black ops division of the CIA. Look for the first books in ’09.

Readers can learn more about Dee from her website, http://www.deedavis.com/. Dee is giving away a copy of Chain Reaction to one lucky commenter.

So, dear readers, what kinds of settings do you like? Of romantic comedy, romantic suspense, and paranormal, what's your favorite?

Allison's Winners

First and foremost, MAJOR THANK YOU to Allison for being such a GREAT guest and sharing such great info and insights into your books and your writing process!

And now for the winners... CONGRATS to Catslady! You have won the What You Can't See anthology.

C.gwynn you have won the No Evil trilogy! WAY TO GO!

If you could both please send your snail mail info to Aunty Cindy at cindymm18 AT gmail DOT com, I'll pass it along to Allison so she can get your books out to you!

Thanx again for everyone who visited and commented on Allison's interview.

Deb Marlowe And The Wicked Lord Dayle...

by Caren Crane

I am very excited to welcome a brilliant new Regency historical star to the Bandit Lair, Deb Marlowe! Deb was the winner of the 2007 Golden Heart for short historical romance with The Lost Jewel. But before she even donned her lovely Golden Heart necklace, she sold her 2005 Royal Ascot-winning manuscript to Harlequin Mills & Boon. That manuscript was released in November 2007 in the UK and has its US release today as Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss.

Deb, congratulations on your US debut! Many of us here in the Lair have eagerly awaited the arrival of this book! What can you tell us about Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss and the wicked Lord Dayle?

Ah, the Wicked Lord Dayle! I do love him so. :-) In point of fact, Charles Alden, Viscount Dayle USED to be wicked. As Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss begins, he is actually a rake reformed.

Charles's days of pranks and peccadilloes ended with the deaths of his brother and father. Now he is working hard to pursue a political career, but someone seems determined to use his old antics against him. Charles decides that the only way to live down the wickedness of his past is to secure the dullness of his future. He determines to find a bride, and only the primmest and most proper will do.

Prim and proper, eh? Sounds like a recipe for conflict! I take it your heroine is not exactly a buttoned-up Regency miss?

Oh, no! Sophia Westby is Charles's childhood friend and she has as little use for English society as it has for her. Fate has brought her to London and she is determined to become known as a designer. While she is thrilled to run into Charles again--literally--she despises his new stiff-rumped demeanor and longs for rake's return.

Oh, my, I love Sophia already! Don't we all long for the rake inside our responsible men? And I know a number of Banditas are fans of the friends-turned lover hook, as well. *g* A designer is quite an unusual occupation for a Regency miss. How did you decide on that one for Sophia?

Because it gave me the perfect excuse to travel to England to see fabulous Great Houses up close and personal? Hee hee, not really, although I did do just that. Truthfully, I love people who have goals, interests and passions. I wanted my heroine to be that sort of woman.

In the Regency, technological advances were making interior design possible for all sorts of homeowners for the first time. I had so much fun delving into the subject and seeing how the important events and charismatic personalities of the time influenced furniture and decor.

Ooh, a tour of the Great Houses - how fun! We were just discussing extreme research over at Romance Novel TV last week. Sounds as if you sacrifice greatly for the sake of research. *g* I understand your Golden Heart winner, The Lost Jewel will be released in the UK in March as An Improper Aristocrat. Did you get to do any extreme research for that one?

I wish! That story is a rollicking adventure taking us from the tombs in Egypt's Valley of the Kings through Devonshire and into London. I would have dearly loved to explore Seti's tomb, the gorgeous coasts of Devon, or even the British Museum! Alas, the months when I was working on that story were filled with such excitement as packing school lunches and waiting in the carpool lane, rather than international travel. I have to say, I'm feeling the itch of the travel bug again. Now, if only the exchange rates would cooperate!

Ah, yes, the glamorous life of a writer, another favorite Bandits topic! Working around home and family is always a challenge. With your two releases timed so close together, you give the appearance of sudden success. Could you tell us about your road to publication? We do love a call story!

Sudden success? Is there such a thing in publishing? I suppose there is, but not here! I loved books and history when I was young. I had a friend who used to tell me I should be a writer. But practical considerations prevailed and I went into the medical field instead. It wasn't until my first child was born that I began to write. He had health issues that led me to stay home, and I started writing during nap times. I didn't get really serious until his health was finally settled and the younger one was in preschool. I began to concentrate on my writing, found fabulous critique partners and writing friends. I submitted, got rejected, and whined to said critique partners and writing friends. :-) Then I did it all again.

Finally, one day I was walking out the door to get the kids to school and my dh said, "There's an email here you'd better read." It was from an editor at Harlequin Mills and Boon who asked if she could call later that day. I jumped up and down, cried, then calmly answered in the affirmative. I took the kids, came back and paced the house for two hours, until the phone rang and a voice with the loveliest British accent said, "We've read your book. We love it. We want to buy it."

Miraculously, I did not faint. I held it together, accepted the offer, and then came a wild flurry of phone calls to dh and critique partners and writing friends! Much celebrating ensued! I'm still celebrating, to tell the truth, although everyone else might be sick of it. :-)

Well, we certainly aren't tired of it here! We love success, especially when it comes to lovely people like you. Speaking of transitioning to the writer's life, how has being a full-time romance writer been accepted by your non-writing friends? Have any reactions to your success surprised you?

Hmmm. I would say a lot of them were surprised when I made the decision to pursue this full time. When my youngest went to kindergarten I heard a lot of "When are you going back to work?" Shock was often the reaction when I answered with "I'm not." Even when I sold, some were happy and interested, but still uncertain, mostly because many people do not understand the way that publishing works. But I've had a blast educating them and I think that career changes are becoming more common and accepted. My dh has been wonderfully supportive and has graciously handled the ribbing and all the questions about whether he inspires the spicy scenes I write! I'm very happy, because I love Romance, love the message it sends, and I'm thrilled with my new career.

Deb, thank you for being with us today. Readers, be sure to check out Deb's website or click on the cover and order Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss today!

So, readers, have you decided on your dream career? Do you want to be a designer like Sophia, a writer like Deb, or maybe a professional cruiser like Aunty Cindy? Please share! A lucky commenter will receive a copy of Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss.

Allison Brennan Is In Da Lair!

interviewed by Aunty Cindy

Today the Banditas are pleased and excited to welcome New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Allison Brennan to the Lair!

In case you are one of the few who have not heard of her, Allison writes edge-of-your-seat, leave-the-light-on romantic thrillers with plots that seem ripped from current headlines! Her first book, The Prey hit bookshelves at the end of Dec. 2005. The Hunt and The Kill (for which she received a Rita nomination) followed in Jan. and Feb. 06 to complete her first trilogy. Her second trilogy, Speak No Evil, See No Evil, and Fear No Evil came out in Jan., Feb. and March 07. The first book in her newest trilogy, Killing Fear just landed in bookstores last week, and this series will undoubtedly hit the best-seller lists as well!

Cindy: Welcome, Allison! Thank you for taking time from your hectic schedule to visit us today. Please tell us a bit about your latest release Killing Fear.

Allison: Seven years ago, Theodore Glenn vowed to kill everyone involved with his conviction for murdering four strippers. Now, he escaped after an earthquake hit San Quentin. He's returning to San Diego to take care of everyone who slighted him--including the cop who put him in prison, and the stripper who testified against him.

Cindy: You are an amazingly prolific writer, especially given all the other things you do including being the mother of five. Obviously you are a master at multi-tasking. Please give us some insight into your writing process.

Allison:(laughs) What process? LOL. Okay, I am the world's biggest procrastinator which is why I write up until my deadline. You'd think after eight books I'd learn, but this seems to be my process.

I write daily while the kids are in school. I edit as I go, meaning, I'll re-read and edit what I wrote the day before to get me into the story, then I'll write fresh. I want at least ten new pages a day, but prefer 12-15. When I hit about page 150 everything stops. I have no idea what I'm doing, what's happening, and I realize that nothing is going to work. Or, I have a major revelation and realize I need to go through every scene and tweak it. Or completely rewrite it. Sometimes two or three times. This process takes over half my writing time. Once I get over that hump, the rest of the book flows relatively easily. I say relatively. The ending for Killing Fear was came easier than the ending for Tempting Evil.

The balancing act can be hard. I usually only write from 9-3 and then after that it's kid time and all the kid activities that go with it. When I'm close to deadline, I write at night after dinner--escape to the local Starbucks until they close at 10 (11 on the weekends!) Illness--mine or a child--always throws a wrench in the process. But like every working mother, we make it work somehow!

Cindy: Where do you get ideas?

Allison: Ideas come from everywhere and nowhere. I usually pull together three or four seemingly unrelated ideas and come up with a premise. For example, in the Prison Break Trilogy I had to come up with an idea that would cross over all three books. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to write Will Hooper’s story. I had no idea about the heroine, the villain, or crime. Then I listened to a news story about the first airlift of prisoners from California to other states to alleviate prison overcrowding. I flirted with the idea of a downed plane of prisoners, but that was overdone and a bit contrived for my purposes. Then I read a news story about some legislators discussing selling San Quentin because it’s falling apart and is on over 400 acres of prime, waterfront, California real estate. I did a quick search on San Quentin only because I wanted to know what year it had been built, and read a great history about the prison. One article that popped up was a seismic report done for the state on the threat to San Quentin from an earthquake. They concluded that it would have to be larger than any known earthquake and didn’t feel there was a threat based on known fault lines. Well! After living in California my entire life, I know that there are earthquakes all the time on previously “undiscovered” fault lines. Earthquake. San Quentin.

I still didn’t quite know how Will would fit in, then I remembered that in Speak No Evil, I needed to get Will out of town (so Carina and Nick, the heroine and hero, could investigate without a third wheel.) So I sent him to testify at an appeal for Theodore Glenn, convicted of killing four strippers. It was athrow-away line, something I never intended to use, but now . . . Glenn ended up escaping during the San Quentin Earthquake.

Cindy: How do you develop your trilogies? Does the entire series come to you or is it one book at a time?

Allison: My trilogies are loosely connected because I want to make sure that each one stands alone as a full and complete story—with a unique hero, heroine and villain. At the same time, I like to bring back recurring characters. In the No Evil trilogy, I focused on a family—the Kincaid’s—who all had jobs related to law enforcement. There was also a common theme—each crime was related to the Internet in some way. When I think of them, I usually have the connecting theme, but each book comes on its own.

Cindy: Plotter or Pantser?

Allison: I don’t plot. Ugh. Just the thought of it makes me queasy. In fact, whenever I even have an idea of what’s going to happen and think about it too much, I lose track of the story in my effort to force that idea to happen when I think it should happen. In writing PLAYING DEAD, I came up with a great plot twist before I even started writing the book. I loved it. But as I got into the story, I couldn’t force it to work toward that twist. I kept pushing and pushing and then realized that I had subconsciously been working toward that twist and it wasn’t going to work in the story. I wasted a lot of time. I’m not going to do THAT again!

But, I do think a lot and play what if as I’m writing. I’m not afraid of back-tracking if something’s not working.

Cindy: And which comes first, the story or the characters? Or is every book different?

Allison: Which came first? The chicken or the egg? I firmly believe that story IS character and character IS the story. You can’t have one without the other. My good friend Toni McGee Causey says that “story is character in conflict.” I might have a general sense of the story and a sense of character, but I don’t know either until I start writing, and they develop together simultaneously. I think this is why I edit as I go--I layer in what I've learned about my characters and the story!

I often think up the very basic crime before anything else. Like in FEAR NO EVIL I knew it was going to be a live Internet murder. That was all I *knew* of the story when I sold it. In fact, I originally envisioned a different hero for that book, but they (the characters) didn’t agree with me.

Cindy: We love “Call Stories” here in the lair, care to share yours?

Allison: It was a Tuesday morning and I was driving to work. My agent calls. I hadn't expected to hear from her because she only sent out my book the Thursday before. She said that Ballantine had offered a pre-empt (she had to explain what that was) and if we were going to accept, they had to do better. She gave me the terms and I was floored. I sat in my car for so long I was late to work. Shock that it was happening so fast. I expected weeks or months, not a couple days.

On Thursday afternoon, my agent called and said that we had an offer she thought we should accept, went through the terms and (of course) I agreed. I was standing on the corner of 11th and O Streets after going to La Bou to get my favorite iced coffee drink (the Capital Mocha--the one thing I miss about working at the capital!) It was windy but a bright sunny day. People I knew passed me and waved or nodded, but I don't remember who or if I even acknowledged them. I just wanted to enjoy the moment by myself. Then I called my husband.

Cindy: Any advice to the As Yet Unpublished or the About To Be Published? What do you know now that you wish you’d known before your first book came out?

Allison: That's a hard question. If I knew everything I know now about the publishing business, I might have gotten discouraged before I even tried. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Too much information can stifle creativity. But at the same time, a basic understanding of the process and how to query is important.

What I wish I had truly known was that it doesn't get easier. That being published doesn't mean the stories magically write themselves, or that I have somehow become a better writer who doesn't have to labor over each story. In fact, every book is harder because I'm trying to not only match the last, but improve on it. That pressure can get very intense, especially when you're in the middle of a book.

I also wish I'd known that it's okay to ask your agent stupid questions. I would have saved myself a lot of anguish early on if I had just picked up the phone and asked questions. Fortunately, I had a great mentor who helped get me over this insecure hurdle.

Cindy: What is next on the publishing horizon for you?

Allison: The manuscript for Playing Dead (9.30.08) is due to my editor Wednesday night, so I'm finishing it. I still don't know exactly what's going to happen . . . which is a little scary at this point! Then I start the first book of my FBI series which will be out in early 2009. We'll also probably be going back to contract in the next couple weeks so I have to put together a proposal.

Cindy: WOW! My head's spinning just thinking about all those deadlines! Allison, thank you again for visiting us today and for sharing some GREAT info and insights!

Critics have praised Allison’s portrayal of her villains as well as her heroes and heroines. Who are some chilling villains you’ve encountered lately?
Allison has agreed to give one lucky commenter the complete signed No Evil trilogy and a second commenter will receive a signed copy of her supernatural romantic suspense anthology, What You Can't See, with stories also by Roxanne St. Claire and Karin Tabke. And if you have any questions, ask away!

The Hazy, Lazy, Crazy Days...

by Anna Campbell

I'm going to take a short break from peddling baritone porn (if anyone missed out on checking out this site which came up on the comments part of Kirsten's wonderful Internet blog yesterday, do yourself a favor). Instead, I've become a total beach!

I know most of the Banditas and a fair portion of the Bandita Buddies are shivering in the cold or at least miserable in drak weather. To be honest, our summer down here in Oz hasn't been that great either - very soggy indeed!

So I thought I'd torture...uh, INSPIRE you all with some pictures of Aussie beaches.

I adore the beach. We were a beach family. In spite of growing up in Cunnamulla, hundreds of miles inland, my dad was a very enthusiastic swimmer when he was young and volunteered as a lifesaver on one of the Gold Coast beaches in the years before he married Mum. If you don't know what a lifesaver is, here's a photo, girls! Be almost worth drowning for, wouldn't it? And you know, they give you the kiss of life!

Anyway, all our holidays when I was a kid involved water of some kind and usually the vast, blue, magnificent Pacific that wasn't very far from where we lived. Which was a pity for my mother who had also grown up miles inland and never learnt to swim and hated the sea with a passion. Just goes to show what people will do for love, huh? The annual beach holiday was nothing but torture for her!

Our most popular destination, partly because it was close to Redland Bay, was the Gold Coast. It's fairly glitzy (although less so back in the Dark Ages when I was a kid - we used to watch for the Viking longboats on the horizon!). I still have enormously fond memories of that magnificent strip of pristine sand and the wonderful sea - and they're still there in spite of all the tall buildings that now line the beach. This is a picture of the walk through the pandanuses and the casuarinas and the dunes to the shore - it's still like that in many places. You can see why I loved it!

This is a photo of famous Bondi Beach (not a patch on the Queensland beaches, in my humble opinion - a statement that can cause a riot in Sydney!). It's still a pretty nice stretch of sand and the beauty is it's right on the edge of Sydney so you can get there in half an hour on a bus from the city. A beach on your doorstep. Newcastle is even better - the beach is at the end of the main street of the CBD.

Perth too has beaches close to the city centre. I only recently fell in love with the beaches of Western Australia. They're on the Indian Ocean and they have a completely different feel to the east coast beaches I've visited. One of my favorites is on Rottnest Island which is a short ferry ride from the mainland. A treasured memory is a holiday I had there a few years ago - I just lolled in the perfect opalescent water all day. The ideal summer break! Check out this photo and you'll see what I mean.

I've also been lucky enough to visit the Barrier Reef a couple of times. Gorgeous place and gorgeous beaches. The last photo is an atmospheric view across to one of the hundreds of islands that fringe the coast along this great natural wonder. Because the water is flat on the Barrier Reef, a real treat is snorkeling. I've only done this once, on Green Island off Cairns. It's absolutely magical - a world of brilliant color and darting tropical fish and coral and silky, warm water. Seriously recommended as an unforgettable experience.

So in the depths of winter for so many of us, let's warm things up. What's your ideal summer holiday and why?

The Internet--Friend or Foe?

By Kirsten Scott

You're reading this blog, so you're obviously a fan of the internet, and you know that there's something special about on-line communities. We've heard it said many times that the internet is making the world smaller, bringing diverse people together who wouldn't have interacted otherwise. I now count as friends people from all over the world--people from remote, barely civilized places like Australia, and distant, foreign lands like North Carolina.

(Snort.)

Seriously, I know I've learned a ton from internet chat rooms, email loops, and blogs. But is it really all good?

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is open the computer. I read and respond to email. I blog.

A friend of mine gets up every morning and writes down five things he's grateful for and then meditates and get centered for the day.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

How many times have you sat in front of the computer and mindlessly surfed the internet? It's all one big free association--you start by checking email perhaps, then hit the blogs, then remember you wanted to look up a recipe, then search for an old high school buddy who used to make the recipe, then research flights to go back to your hometown to visit said buddy...You get the picture. Suddenly two hours have gone by and you have no idea what you just did.

I know and love the internet, but is it possible it can be both friend and foe? A little like chocolate? Some is yummy, but too much hurts the tummy?

What do you think? Do you spend too much time surfing the web? Did the internet introduce you to a group of unique, incredible, like-minded women who you might never have met otherwise (hint, hint)? Do your internet friends ever get in the way of making real life friends? Is there a difference?

Amy Andrews Gives the Banditas a Checkup!

by Anna Campbell

Amy, welcome to the Banditas, although you’re hardly a stranger to the lair. We came to romances through a similar path – a relative that absolutely devoured Mills & Boons. What do you think appealed to your teenage self about those books? Has that changed over the years?

Thanks, Anna, for the welcome and having me along. I love the Bandita blog – such a great group of writers. What do they call a gathering of writers BTW? A gaggle? A clutch? A throng? Anyway...I digress. I guess I’m a bit nervous being on the other side of the blog *g*

So where was I? Right, yes, my mother. I started reading my mum’s romance novels at about the age of 11 or 12. She loved Charlotte Lamb and Penny Jordan. She thought I was a little too young to be reading them and thinking back now, I don’t blame her - man, those ladies wrote hawt! But I guess I was just preparing her for when I picked up PUBERTY BLUES at 13 *g* Of course my mother instilled in me the joy of reading full stop. Like many romance readers she was/is a voracious reader and reads across genres.

I think what appealed to me then was the whole teenage romantic notion of falling in love, of finding that one special person and all is right with the world. And, if I’m to be perfectly honest, reading the sex was quite titillating….er, educational. I think now I’m older and have lived a bit, the HEA isn’t the be all and end all for me and because it’s a romance novel I know the H and H are going to get that. Now what appeals to me is reading about the beginning. The rush of attraction, of two people having that insane can’t-get-enough-of-you chemistry that we all have at the start of a relationship before life and kids and work and leaving the toilet seat up drives us all mad. The zing. The sizzle. The dance. It’s not the sex – it’s the anticipation, the I-must-be-with-this-person imperative. I love it when an author nails this.

Can you tell us about your journey to publication?

AKA the long and winding road? *g* Three things inspired me to first put pen to paper. Temporary unemployment, minus zero temperatures, needing to keep occupied without getting off my electric blanket. My first ms was written in 10 days – a chapter a day. Yes, yes, I know - talk about ignorance being bliss! Naturally, it was rejected. But it’s amazing what rejection does for the soul. From that point on I became a writer. My goal – publication. To be perfectly honest I never thought I’d make it but I became determined to find out everything I could about the craft. I joined RWA. I joined a crit group. I attended workshops and conferences. I read How To books and even entered a comp. And gradually I honed my craft. I really do think that the majority of writers serve an apprenticeship. Yes, you hear about the lucky ones who get an acceptance on their first ever ms but, by and large, most serve time in the unpubbed wilderness. It took me 12 years. Of course, I wasn’t very prolific in that time – kids, work (that actually paid me) and life got in the way and I mainly just dabbled. When I think back on it, I get really cranky with myself. I think if I’d shown a little more dedication I could have been published earlier. But then, I’m a huge believer that things in life happen for a reason. So, 12 years it was.

You write wonderful Medical Romances published through London by Mills & Boon. I noticed their first romances were hospital stories so it’s a perennial genre and doctor and nurse stories are still terrifically popular. What is the appeal of this genre?

Maybe back when they were first published it was every girl’s dream (and her mother’s) to marry a doctor. At the very core of the doctor hero is a strongly Alpha personality - successful, single-minded and a little arrogant - and all the appeal that has for generations of romance readers. But in their hearts they are also deeply compassionate men. As for nurses, we have been romanticized since Flo Nightingale was coined the Lady of the Lamp, despite the very unromantic nature of our work. A series of wars has helped to nurture this image of us as ministering angels. Of course today the hero is just as likely to be a nurse and the heroine the doctor. Medical romance covers a broad range of health professionals from surgeons to social workers, physios to physicians, paramedics to police medical officers, vets to zoologists.

Television had helped to keep this sub-genre alive particularly well. Who can resist House’s blue, blue eyes or McDreamy’s unshaven sexiness or, my all time favourite, intense, brooding Dr. Doug? And then there’s the sassy smart-mouthed nurses who are more than their equals and aren’t afraid to put the patient first above all else. When you have two such compassionate, committed professionals and have the emotional roller coaster of their work as a backdrop, the relationship is going to be intense and very, very emotional.

You work as a nurse. Does that help or hinder when you write your books?*g*
Well, if I’ve just come off three nights, it definitely hinders *g* No, seriously, as far as research goes, it’s fabulous. I’m a bit of a lazy researcher (yes, Anna, just like punctuation) so I try to stick with situations, illnesses, emergency scenarios I know really well or can at least access a person at work who’ll know. I’ve just written a conjoined twins separation story as part one of a trilogy about 3 sisters and there was a lot of research involved in that trying to portray the separation correctly (thank God for the www). It was even more of a challenge to do it without bogging the chapter down with too much medical detail which can be a tricky balance confronting all the medical authors. I also think, hope, being a nurse lends a certain authenticity to my writing. I have this dream, this goal I’ve been working towards, where I get to give up nursing and write full time but really, deep down, I know I would miss nursing terribly. I think I got really lucky in life. I found not one, but two jobs that I absolutely love.



I’ve just been lucky enough to read your wonderful February release FOUND: A FATHER FOR HER CHILD. And by the way, if visitors click on the cover, they can order it from Amazon. What a wonderful emotional read. I loved that it’s so firmly grounded in reality but still manages to be so passionate and romantic. Could you tell the Banditas about your new story?

I actually got the idea for Carrie and Charlie’s story from the relationship between Cuddy and House on HOUSE. The fiery female administrator there as the brake on the arrogant doctor. Keeping him in line. Ruling the roost. Not that Charlie’s arrogant, in fact Charlie is yummy! A good guy who just wants to be left alone to keep doing the good work he’s doing. Carrie is more like the Cuddy character - uptight and very fond of pin-stripes. I just love that dynamic – where the heroine is calling the shots.

Carrie has a daughter, a black mark against her name and an ex who deserted her at the worst possible moment in her life. Charlie has an ex, a med royalty bloodline his father won’t let him forget and a terminal disease hanging over his head. They’re so not what either of them need. Which made it half the fun! One of the things I love most about the book is the setting. I tend to write about issues, (which makes my ed a bit nuts from time to time) and this one’s no different. It’s set in a neighbourhood drop-in clinic and tackles a lot of issues around community medicine in inner city areas. I like the grittiness of the setting. In fact, gritty settings is one of the best parts about writing for the line.

What are you working on now?

I’m about to start my 16^th medical. It involves a heroine who used to be a model but was stung by a box jelly fish while on location leaving her torso terribly disfigured. So she retrains as a lab assistant working in marine stinger research and hides behind her white coat and her microscope. Her boss, who she’s only ever talked to by phone, and who has this amazingly, incredibly sexy voice insists she join him at a symposium on a tropical island to present a paper she’d been working on. She discovers he’s been the victim of an accident too, damaging his larynx, but instead of hiding his scars, he flaunts them.

He’s going to teach her that beauty is more than skin deep and she’s going to teach him that being a one-woman man is infinitely more rewarding than a jack-the-lad with a chip on his shoulder. At least I think that’s what’s gonna happen…. Its still stewing.
Amy, do you have any plans to write outside the Medical line?

I have a project in the wind that's out at a few places at the moment. It's a romantic comedy and in a lot of ways, the book of my heart. It's certainly the one closest to my real "voice" and I've had some very good feedback. I'm forever being asked to tone down the humour in my medicals - I guess a nurse's sense of humour can be a little off :-) - and I find this a little frustrating. So hopefully I can expand into this genre and have the best of both worlds.

Amy has just the medicine for visitors to the lair! One lucky commenter will win a signed copy of her new release FOUND: A FATHER FOR HER CHILD which believe me is a wonderful read. She has two questions for us to ponder today - what's your favorite medical TV show and why and/or what term WOULD you use for a group of romance writers? You can find out more about Amy and read excerpts of her books at her website and she's a regular blogger on Harlequin Medical Romance Authors.