Welcome NYT Bestseller Angie Fox!!

Interview by Kirsten Scott

Can I just say this? I love Angie Fox. I mean, I seriously do. First of all, she’s darn cute, super friendly, and a really great writer. She did hit the NYT Bestseller list with her debut novel, The Accidental Demon Slayer, so you might be tempted to hate her, but you just can’t. She’s that kind of person. 

I “met” Angie as a virtual member of my local RWA Chapter, the Rose City Romance Writers, and then got to meet her in person last year at Nationals. But you really meet Angie when you read her work – and can’t stop laughing from page one.

I’m delighted to host Angie today, and she’s got some fabulous prizes for us – so stick around and say hello. She can’t wait to meet you.

Angie, how did you come up with the idea for The Accidental Demon Slayer?
I started off with a kernel of an idea that amused me. What if a straight-laced preschool teacher suddenly learns she’s a demon slayer? And what if she has to learn about her powers on the run from a fifth level demon? Ohhh and wouldn’t it be fun if she’s running with her long-lost Grandma’s gang of geriatric biker witches?

Sounds like you started with a great hook, and the perfect mix of quirky characters and a unique plot. When you’re developing your novels, does plot trump character for you, or is it the other way around?
For me, it’s both. When I sat down to write The Accidental Demon Slayer, I had no notes about a sidekick for my heroine. But in the second chapter, when she’d learned she was a demon slayer and all hell was after her, she took comfort in her dog. As I was writing, I thought, ‘This is a sweet moment. Now how do I throw her off?’ Simple. I made the dog say something to her. Nothing big. After all, he’s only after the fettuccine from last week. And he knows exactly where my heroine can find it (back of the fridge, to the left of the lettuce crisper, behind the mustard).

It amused me, so I did it. Thanks to her unholy powers, my heroine can now understand her smart-mouthed Jack Russell Terrier. I had fun with it. In fact, I suspect Pirate the dog is my editor’s favorite character. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if Pirate helped talk my editor into buying The Accidental Demon Slayer.

So did plot influence character? Maybe there it did. But I can tell you that as the book evolves, Pirate the dog does his share of influencing the plot too. 

I suspect Pirate is everyone’s favorite character – who can resist a Harley-riding dog? Which brings up an interesting question. How did you know you could put a dog on a Harley? Are you a Harley rider from way back, or did you have to do a lot of research for the book?
Loads, actually. I’d never been on a motorcycle before, and I had to figure out how to get Pirate the dog onto a bike! I went online and learned about the Biker Dogs Motorcycle Club, made up exclusively of Harley riders and their dogs. I ended up meeting some of them, along with a few other bikers along the way. These bikers were so great to me. They hoisted me onto the back of their Harleys (with dogs in tow). They took me to biker rallies (note to self: don’t wear pink). And they laughed at me when I tried to put my helmet on backwards (I still say I was distracted by the Pomeranian wearing a tiny pair of motorcycle glasses).

After a few outings with my new biker friends, I was able to make my geriatric biker witch characters a lot more realistic. And I took home some great pictures, too.

Now those are pictures we’d all love to see. ☺ Especially that Pom. But moving on, everyone in the Lair loves a Call story. Can you tell us yours?
I’d entered the beginning of the book in the Chicago RWA’s Four Seasons contest. Leah Hultenschmit from Dorchester was the finals judge and she requested the full. I quickly finished the last eight chapters and sent it off to her on a Thursday. Then I spent Friday on email queries to agents. When the 212 popped up on my caller ID the following Tuesday, I was elated and thought it could be an agent I’d queried. Nope. It was Leah wanting to buy The Accidental Demon Slayer.

It was the neatest feeling. But I could barely hear her because my two small children had picked that moment to battle over a lump of green Play Dough. Leah asked if I wanted her to call back and I said, “Nooo” and ducked into the garage. In August. I probably lost five pounds of water weight talking to her. So hey, a sold book and weight loss too! It was such a surreal moment to know an editor had read my book and liked it.

When I hung up with Leah, I immediately called my husband, who was in a meeting. So I called my mom, who was gone. I called several friends, who weren’t home. Then I looked at the clock and realized that we had houseguests due in just over an hour, so I grabbed a quick shower and hummed a happy tune while scrubbing toilets and picking green Play Dough off the kitchen floor.

The Accidental Demon Slayer is an absolutely hilarious and perfectly paced novel (something I could use some help with, by the way!). It was no surprise to me that it was an instant success. What was your reaction when you learned it was a New York Times bestseller?
Complete shock. The phone rang on a Friday afternoon, as I was writing the climax of the The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers, which is the sequel to The Accidental Demon Slayer. I almost didn’t answer the phone. After all, who would call in smack dab in the middle of a demon invasion?

Luckily, I picked up because it was my agent, saying that The Accidental Demon Slayer would be #34 on the New York Times list the next day. I didn’t know what to think. Heck, I’d just wanted to sell enough books so that I could keep writing about biker witches, demon slayers and talking terriers. I had to ask my agent to please email me too, just to make sure I wasn’t phone-hallucinating.

How does your family feel about your career as a romance author?
Well, I admit I had these fantasies of my husband saying things like, “Oh let me fix dinner. You look like you’re really focused on getting that dialogue right.” Or my kids saying, “Wow. Mom is a published author. We’d better not use her laptop cord as a jump rope.” Alas, my home life hasn’t changed at all. Well, other than the fact that it might be a bit strange that my four-year-old knows what an editor is. She gets calls from her “editor” on her Tinkerbell play phone.

What do we have to look forward to next from you?
I’m really excited about the release of book 2 in the Accidental Demon Slayer series, called The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers – look for it on April 28th (available for pre-order NOW on Amazon.com!). In it, the straight-laced Lizzie decides she’s going to learn everything about her powers, and at the same time, write the proverbial book on demon slaying. And, as you might have guessed – things don’t quite go according to plan.

Right now, I’m writing book 3 in the Accidental Demon Slayer series and also writing a short story for the next Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance.

Angie has generously offered to give away a signed, first edition copy of The Accidental Demon Slayer, along with a “Kiss My Asphalt” t-shirt like the one that appears in the first chapter of the book. She’s also going to be around all day to answer any questions you might have about demons, biker witches, how you get little dogs onto the back of Harleys, or how you remove green playdough from the carpet (that’s actually my questions, not Angie’s--LOL)! 

Thanks so much, Angie!

GUILTY PLEASURES

by Jo Robertson

There’s a wonderful scene in the movie “Parenthood” where the wife of a very focused, rules-oriented man rebels against her husband’s structure by sneaking into the closet, opening a plastic box of goodies, and chomping down on a Hostess cream-filled cupcake.

She has this wonderfully defiant look on her face.

Guilty pleasures.

We all have them, right? Those things we adore, but feel a teensy bit guilty about doing? Let me share some of mine with you.

Guilty Pleasure Number One: When I was a young mother with seven kiddies ranging from 18 to 7, I often sneaked off to a movie by myself. I had a “movie purse,” just the right width and depth to fit an icy 7-11 Big Gulp, along with various snacks -- Skittles, M&M’s, maybe even a sandwich and chips. I loved the quiet, nearly empty matinee theater and the intriguing anonymity of sitting in a darkened movie by myself, chomping on my goodies.

Hint: a diaper bag like the one above works best! Oh, and be careful not to tip the bag!

I learned not to tell my friends of this penchant because, well, they thought only weirdos went to a movie alone. Ha! Not so. I’ve found that many people like to do this. Or only maybe people with large families who want to escape. By the way, I always saw lots of working-class men there, especially if the movie playing was an action flick.

Guilty Pleasure Number Two: Pepsis. See GP#1 above. Fully-loaded with sugar and caffeine, none of that diet stuff for me. Sigh. This is more an addition than a guilty pleasure. I wonder if they’ve invented a patch that would help me kick the habit?

Guilty Pleasure Number Three: Dexter. This wickedly funny and brilliantly witty and macabre drama show about a serial killer who targets only bad people aired on Showtime network. It's in its third season, but you can buy seasons one and two on DVD. The writing is superb!

Guilty Pleasure Number Four: Romance books with covers of sexy men. Damn it! Why should this be a “guilty” pleasure?

I read Anna Campbell’s Tempt the Devil on my recent trip to New York and felt compelled to hide the cover of this gorgeous man on the front. But I wanted to stand up in the aisle and shout, “Yes, I’m reading one of THOSE books and I LOVE the cover, damn you all!”

I didn’t. So those books remain my guilty pleasures.

Here are some fellows I'd love to see on the cover of a romance novel. I persuaded each of them to take his shirt off just for this photo session! Enjoy!

What about you?

What are your guilty pleasures?

Reading in a hot, scented bath with candles and your favorite book?

Shopping – can anyone spell S-H-O-E-S?

Sunbathing even though you know it’s bad, bad, bad for your skin?

Chocolate? Ice cream?

And don't forget today's the last day of the Bandita Invasion at RNTV. Join us there for lots of fun, good company, and a chance at prizes.

That's http://www.romancenovel.tv/wordpress/rntv/marias-blog/

And the Winnah is....

Jeanne: Hi Everyone! My fabulous friend Heidi Betts let her cats choose the winners...okay, not the most standard way to do it, but....Here's what she posted:

From Heidi: Let's see...little pieces of paper everywhere, cats picked...

Laurie

Jo

Terrio

Congratulations, ladies! Please visit the Backlist page of my website (http://www.heidibetts.com/books/index.php/back) & pick a title you’re interested in...& this does include the HOTTER THAN HELL anthology...then e-mail me (heidi@heidibetts.com) with your book choice & mailing info, & I’ll get your prizes right out to you!

Jeanne: Also, from my blog in early January, I realized I totally forgot to pick a winner!

So...Gannon, drop me an email at Jeanne AT JeanneAdams DOT com and give me your snail mail so you can get some slurpy Godiva!

Countdown Booty!!

A fabulous soiree at the Ritz ... a Top Chef challenge ... a chocolate party ... a Sydney Harbour cruise ... a luau! So many fabulous party ideas -- and I got woozy just reading the various cocktail concotions y'all came up with. Yummy! I'm going to be taste testing all weekend.

The most intriguing idea for me was the murder mystery party, and there were lots of variations on that theme. I loved them all! But I'm going to go with the lovely lady who called it first ...

Elyssa!!

... as well as the crazy darling who took that theme to its most insanely funny conclusion, with a feathered creature leading the entire Bandita Brigade on a worldwide food fest ...

Louisa!!

Now, that would be the end of the prizes -- but then someone special went and created her very own HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER party page, complete with men in kilts, gladiators, and oh my, cabana boys! Plus fabulous food, a delectible cocktail treat, and sensational fashions for everyone! So I'm thrilled to give away a third gift certificate to ...

Dianna!!

Congratulations, ladies!! Email me at katecarlisle99@yahoo.com and I'll send your $15.00 Amazon gift certificates back to you by email!

Thanks so much to everyone for your fabulous ideas. Be sure to come back on Tuesday for the HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER launch party extravaganza!!

Fortunately and Unfortunately...

by Jeanne Adams

Or, Please welcome Heidi Betts to the Lair!

Jeanne: Today I’d like to introduce the fabulous Heidi Betts. Heidi and I have known each other since…well, we won’t go THAT far back in time. (Besides we're both younger and better looking than those two ladies!) *dusts off hands*

Anyway, Heidi is the author of about 20 books and three novellas – we looked it up and here’s the breakdown - 6 historicals, 9 Silhouette Desires, 3 novellas (only 2 published so far, though, 3rd comes out in July), and 2 single title contemporaries (working on the 3rd). I tried to add it all up, but had to email Heidi and get help! Ha! All told, she’s written for Silhouette, Dorchester, and St. Martin’s. Whew!

She’s here today, however to talk about her latest release Tangled Up In Love (St. Martins, February 2009) which will be in stores February 3rd. Not long to wait!! Yeah!!!

It’s her contemporary single title debut and the first book in her “Chicks and Sticks” knitting trilogy. I’m thrilled to welcome Heidi! Hey, girl, pull up a comfy chair, we’ll have a cabana boy bring you something warm and toasty, and we’ll chat.

Heidi: Good morning, everyone! Thank you so much to my friend, Jeanne, and her fellow Romance Bandits for having me! (I love cabana boys, by the way, so feel free to send as many as you like my way. *g*)

Jeanne: So, are you excited to see TANGLED UP IN LOVE on the shelves? Wait, there was something else you wanted to talk about too, right?

Heidi: Absolutely, I’m excited. That other thing? Oh, that would be Fate, because I truly believe that without it, this series would not exist.

Have you ever read the adorable children’s book FORTUNATELY by Remy Charlip? It’s wonderful, and if you haven’t, you definitely, definitely should. The path that led me to write TANGLED UP IN LOVE was so littered with Fortunately/Unfortunately situations that the book jumps immediately to mind every time I think of it.

Jeanne: Really? I’ve not read the book – and I’ve read a lot of kids books in the last few years! – but I think I’m going to get it. So how was it like fortunately/unfortunately?

Heidi: Well, first, I can’t tell you the number of times my agent began phone conversations with “I have some good news and some bad news.” Oh, how I came to loathe those words! And when all was said and done, he got a copy of FORTUNATELY to add to his personal bookshelf — as well as stern orders never to use that phrase with me again. :-P

Jeanne: Ooh, if you said that to me I’d be scared… (Y’all have to check out Heidi’s blog, WIPs and Chains to know why I’m scared…her alter ego is scarwy!) Bwah-ha-ha! Just kidding. Sort of.

Ahem, back to the matter at hand...So what on earth made you want to write a contemporary about knitting? And how is that unfortunate?

Heidi: That’s a story you’ll appreciate. You see, I’ve always wanted to write romantic comedy, but the timing never seemed to work out for me. (Unfortunately.) Then I came up with this idea. A brilliant idea, if I do say so myself. An idea I loved, and just knew was going to be a big hit. I showed it to my agent. He thought it was rather impressive, as well, and sent it immediately over to St. Martin’s Press, where an editor loved it. (Fortunately!) Unfortunately, they had another author already writing for them who was doing something similar (and^%#!), so she couldn’t make an offer. Fortunately, she loved my writing and wanted to see something else.

It took me all of about two seconds to tell my agent that, yes, I would definitely be willing to work up a few more ideas…well, okay, ideas I had; it was proposals that would take a bit of time to flesh out. He suggested I call the editor and talk to her about what she might be looking for. Smart man. Because, you see, it was during that conversation that she happened to mention how much she enjoys knitting, how popular knitting has becoming thanks to books like Kate Jacobs’s FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB, and how much she’d love to find a hot and sexy knitting romance unlike anything that had been done already. (Hey, I write hot! I write sexy!) And then she uttered the eight words that changed my life: “I don’t suppose you know anything about knitting.”

Jeanne: Grins. I think I need popcorn, I just love this story. :>

Heidi: Me too, of course. *vbg* And the good thing is, I do! I do know something about knitting! As a matter of fact, when I first came home from college and announced to my parents that I wanted to write romance novels instead of becoming a teacher the way they’d expected, my mother taught me to knit so that I could sell dishcloths and bath mitts to local craft stores. (It wasn’t much, but it satisfied my parents’ demand that I work while also allowing me time to stay home and write.)

Jeanne: You’re serious? You actually knitted for craft fairs, shows, and so forth while you began writing? That’s great!

Heidi: Yepper. And imagine my amusement when I realized that my knowledge of what I’d always considered simply a hobby might now open a wonderful new door in my writing career!

This phone call took place on a Friday, and I spent the entire weekend wracking my brain for hot, sexy knitting ideas. By Monday morning, I had a one-page proposal ready that I thought did a pretty good job of fitting the bill. It didn’t take long to hear back, and the news was all good this time. (Fortunately!) The editor — and everyone else at St. Martin’s — loved it. In fact, they wanted me to turn that single idea into a trilogy. The only instructions they gave me were to make it as sexy and funny as I possibly could.

So, you see, it was definitely Fate that led me down the knitting romance trail…and reminded me that sometimes what we want to happen isn’t necessarily as great as what’s meant to happen. And I’m so very grateful that things worked out the way they did, because now I get to write three books about three amazingly fun couples I never would have met otherwise. I finally get to spread my wings and write the hot, sexy, funny contemporary romance I’ve always wanted to write.

Jeanne: Wow, that is so great! I love it when it all comes together like that.

Heidi: So do I. ;-) And now that I’ve had my chance to share, I hope you’ll tell me what you think… Do you believe in Fate—or as my agent would call it bashert (which is Yiddish for “it is as it should be”)? Or are you more of a mind that life is just a series of random events dotted with coincidence, and no one is up there leading us to anything?

I can’t wait to hear your responses. Thank you so much for spending the day with me, and for letting me voice my enthusiasm over TANGLED UP IN LOVE. I’d love to invite everyone to visit my website (www.HeidiBetts.com) — where you can read an excerpt for TANGLED to tide you over until the book hits shelves on February 3rd! — my WIPs and Chains blog (a.k.a. The Dungeon), and my knitting and romance blog, Must Love Yarn, to read more about TANGLED…or to simply chat and have fun!

Also, if the Bandits don’t mind, I’d love to give away three autographed books from my backlist to three commenters on today’s post. (Jeanne: Yeah, like we mind when our guest gives away books!) This includes the HOTTER THAN HELL anthology, by the way, even though it might be a little higher on the page than others.

Thanks again for having me in your Lair!

Love, stitches, and very sharp needles…
Heidi Betts

Also, don't forget to pop over to Romance Novel TV to see today's vignettes and photo. Finish the vignette and win!

The latest prize winner

PJ is having quite the week. Not only did her hang-gliding granny win Day 1 of our finish-the-vignette contest over at Romance Novel TV, but I heard from Helen Scott Taylor that PJ is also the winner of Helen's debut novel, The Magic Knot. Congrats, PJ, you lucky gal!

My New Love

by Suzanne Welsh
I have fallen in love, again.

This is really not a novel thing for me, as I tend to fall in love quite frequently.

When I was 12 I saw Romeo & Juliet for the first time. You know, the one that actually showed Leonard Whiting's naked butt? Seems my English teacher was unaware of that feature in the movie. Oh, I was in complete, adolescent , heart throbbing love.

My Senior year I discovered The Flame & The Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss. Brandon....be-still-my-heart...Birmingham. And I adored this book and character so much that I went through 3 copies that year. I was in love.

During nursing school a new sci-fi movie came out about an orphan, a princess, a rogue space pirate and an evil empire called Star Wars. Oh and that rogue space pirate....yeah, Harrison Ford....I was soooooooo in love!

Not long after, I met my dear husband, and I was in love in real life. Still am. Then quickly three little bright-eyed happy cherubs filled my heart with their pug irish noses, laughter, and their lives. Still love them, too.

But then I discovered another author, Julie Garwood and her books. My all time favorite is Saving Grace. Gabriel McBain was the hero of my heart. A Scot, loyal to those without a clan, loyal to a clan who didn't want him until they had no leader. He hates the English, but marries an Englishwoman to protect her from the English King. Oh yeah, and he has a son who may or may not be his....................I was SOO in LURVE! (And while I'm on the subject, don't you think Gerard Butler...another love of mine....could play Gabriel?)

The next time I fell in love it was with Nathan Cantrell. Who you ask is Nathan Cantrell? Well, he's the hero in my first novel REFUGE. Here's his description through the heroine, Laura Melborne's eyes:

Laura stared into the shadows. At first all she could see was the red glow from a cigar. As he took shape stepping into the light reflected off the snow, her heart picked up its pace. Something in the depth of his deep blue eyes, the steeliness of his jaw and the stern set to his lips beneath his dark moustache held her mesmerized. Black hair curled just beneath his hat. His sheepskin coat, turned up at the collar, stretched across his broad shoulders. His long legs were covered in the blue dungarees she'd seen so many men in Denver wearing. He wore heavy boots and in his left hand he held the glowing cigar.

In her need to escape Nigel and the whirlwind of activity in Maryland, she hadn't given much thought to what her husband might look like. But after meeting his brother, she'd imagined him to be a younger version of the polite, kind-hearted lawyer and family man. Nothing had prepared her for this very handsome, very large man whose entire being hummed with intensity and anger.

Dear Lord, what had she gotten herself into?

Sigh...maybe someday REFUGE will get published. That's Tom Berringer in the movie "Last of the Dog Men" (another great movie!) and he's my image of Nathan. Mmmm yummo! Nathan and Laura started my love affair with writing my own stories. With each new book I fall in love with the hero and want to be the heroine. It's an on going affair.

So, who is my new love? That's him over there-------------------->

Peter Rabbit.

Actually, Beatrix Potter, her life, her art and her stories. I loved The Tale Of Peter Rabbit as a child, but I never knew anything about the author until I was an adult. When my kids were small I loved to read them Beatrix Potter's stories, but still knew little of her life.

Now here's a little known fact about me...I have a fascination with biographies. So when the movie "Miss Potter" appeared on my TV, I of course had to watch it. Turns out, Beatrix had a love interest. The movie fascinated me so much I had to google her and find out more.

[That's Renee Zellweger portraying Beatrix in the movie]

Before Beatrix became a published children's author she had a fascinating life as one of the foremost mycologist and illustrator of fungi in England. She also wrote papers presented by her uncle to the Linnean Society and the Royal Society (Big scientific group of men back in her day.) THEN she became a published author, after 6 publishers rejected her children's books about a naughty rabbit.

Yep, you guessed it, all those years ago Peter Rabbit was my first "bad boy"!

So, do you have any secret loves you want to share? Do you fall in love with characters, authors, actors as often as me? If so, who is your latest love?

Don't forget to check out four more Banditas invading Romance Novel TV today. It's been one zany day after another so far! www.romancenovel.tv

Debut Author Helen Scott Taylor is Hanging with the Banditas

by Trish Milburn

For several months beginning in August 2007, Helen Scott Taylor and I were two of the 10 finalists in the American Title contest sponsored by Romantic Times BOOKclub magazine and Dorchester Publishing. The prize for the winner? A publishing contract with Dorchester for the winning book. American Title works a lot like American Idol. There were five rounds of online voting, and each round had us putting up some other portion of our book -- first line, descriptions of the hero and heroine, first love scene, etc. Helen and I made it all the way down to the final two, and when the final votes were counted, Helen was declared the winner.

And that's as it should be. See, after the contest started, I sold my first book, a YA novel that will hit shelves this April. But since I was still unsold as of the contest deadline, everyone said I was eligible to stay in the American Title contest. So, at the urging of several fellow writers, I did so. But the final placements allowed Helen the awesome opportunity to have her first novel, The Magic Knot, published. And hopefully I benefitted with a bit of publicity for the novel I'd already sold.

At the time, Helen and I hadn't met in person. But we finally did at the Romantic Times conference last April, then again at the Romance Writers of America Conference in July. We both even ended up on the same city tour of San Francisco prior to the RWA conference, unknown to either of us until we bumped into each other on the ferry. I've discovered over the past year and a half that Helen is a pretty cool gal. So I'm thrilled to host her here in the Lair today.

Q. Your book, The Magic Knot, comes out today. Were you able to sleep at all last night?

A. A friend e-mailed me last week and told me The Magic Knot was already available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. So I’ve had a few days to get used to the idea that it is finally on sale. But even so, the official release date is exciting. I hope it will be on bookshelves now. Although as I live in the UK, I won’t get to check out the high street booksellers. So if anyone sees it on sale in Borders, I’d love to know. Or better still, I’d love a photograph of my book on the shelf.


Q. Tell us a little about The Magic Knot. Was this your first manuscript? How did this story come about?

A. The Magic Knot actually started life in my head as a short contemporary story about Irish identical twin brothers who ran a pub in Cornwall. That is the only part of the original premise that survived. Somewhere during my pondering over the story, the Irish brothers became fairies, I threw in an evil druid and a fire-wielding Irish fairy queen, and my Magic Knot paranormal world was born. This is the third manuscript I wrote. The first was a short contemporary, and the second was a paranormal about a parallel world inhabited by Demons that I’m still hoping to sell once I’ve revised it again.

Here's the back cover copy for the book:

HE’S A BIKER WITH AN ATTITUDE
What woman wouldn’t be attracted to Niall O’Connor’s soft Irish brogue and dark good looks? But Rosenwyn Tremain must find her father, and she isn’t going to let a sexy, stubborn Irishman and his motorcycle distract her. Rose’s intuition tells her he’s hiding something, a secret even the cards cannot divine. Her tarot deck always reads true, but how can one man represent both Justice and Betrayal?

SHE’S A WOMAN ON A MISSION
Magic. Niall’s body tingles with it when he finds the woman snooping in his room. Rosenwyn might believe she’s a no-nonsense accountant, but her essence whispers to him of ancient fairy magic that enslaves even as it seduces. Her heritage could endanger those he’d die to protect, but her powers and her passion, if properly awakened, might be the only thing that can save both their families, vanquish a fairy queen bent on revenge, and fulfill a prophecy that will bind their hearts together with…THE MAGIC KNOT

Q. The Magic Knot was the winner of the American Title contest sponsored by Dorchester Publishing and Romantic Times. What was it like to go through all those rounds of the contest? And how did you react when you found out you'd won?

A. Taking part in the American Title contest was a fantastic experience. I’m so grateful to Romantic Times and Dorchester for running the contest and giving me a chance to have my book published. As you were with me competing for the winner's tiara right to the final round, I don’t need to tell you it was hard work and stressful taking part—but a lot of fun as well. I made so many new writing contacts and friends through the contest. I didn’t get much writing done while I was taking part as a lot of my time and mental energy went into promotion. But that was wonderful practice for all the promotion I’ve done running up to the release of The Magic Knot. I was amazed when I won. I was delighted to be selected as a finalist, but I thought I’d be knocked out in the early rounds as Romantic Times is not on sale in the UK and I assumed that would be a disadvantage. It was only when I reached the penultimate round that I thought I maybe had a shot at winning. Looking back on the experience now, it feels surreal, especially when I remember going up on stage in Pittsburgh at the Romantic Times convention to accept my prize.

Q. I noticed on your Web site that you've gotten some very nice reviews for The Magic Knot? Were you nervous to read the reviews as they came in? Do you remember who gave the book its first review?

A. I was jittery waiting for the first reviews of The Magic Knot to come in. The first review was from Manic Readers. I found out about the first review when a MySpace friend contacted me and congratulated me on the good review. So far all the reviews have been good, some great. I’m fairly thick skinned, but I’m not sure how I’d have felt if the reviews were bad. I’m delighted (and relieved) that everyone who has read the book so far has liked it. I have relaxed about the reviews now that I have a number of good ones. I keep telling myself you can’t please everyone so not to expect all the reviews to be perfect.

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I’ve written the first draft of a sequel to The Magic Knot featuring Michael, the Magic Knot hero’s brother. Currently, I’m revising and editing. Michael was a tough hero to write as he is a bit of a rascal. But he turned out to be remarkable and to have much more depth to him than I had suspected when I wrote The Magic Knot. Right up until I wrote his final showdown with the powerful villain in the sequel, I wasn’t sure how Michael would win out, but he triumphed in his own inimitable way.

Q. When you have free time, what do you like to do?

A. Between running my own business, writing, and kids, I don’t have much free time. I do try to make time for a walk every day, but I’m a fair weather walker so I’m afraid the cold and wet puts me off. I love reading but don’t get much time to read these days. When I go on vacation or have time off over Christmas or Easter, I read as much as possible.

Thanks so much for being with us today, Helen. And here's to oodles of sales for The Magic Knot.

One lucky commenter will win her very own copy of The Magic Knot, so be sure to ask Helen any additional questions you have.

If you'd like to read the first two chapters of The Magic Knot, visit Helen's Web site at http://www.helenscotttaylor.com/.


And don't forget that the Bandita Invasion of RNTV continues all week. Stop by today to enjoy more Bandita vignettes of the photo entitled GIRL IN A CAGE. Try your hand at finishing the stories! That's http://wwww.romancenovel.tv/wordpress/rntv/marias-blog/

Countdown to the End Time

by Nancy

Two or three times a year, I discover a new author whose work captivates me. I love finding new books to enjoy, new sequels to await, and never mind what this does to the TBR pile. Much rarer, though is the experience of reading a new author and being totally blown away by the world that author creates. I had this experience last year with author Jessica Andersen's The Nightkeepers, the first in her adventure-packed, hot Novels of the Final Prophecy. Fellow bandita Anna Sugden put us in touch with each other. I'm delighted to have Jessica join us today and celebrate the release of the series' second book, The Dawnkeepers.

Jessica has a Ph.D. in genetics and did research on glaucoma before launching her writing career with Harlequin Intrigue. Her medical-themed books for this line have earned her RITA and Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award nominations. While researching a book, she came across the Mayan prophecies about 2012. Following up on them inspired the Nightkeepers.

Welcome, Jessica! Tell us about the Nightkeepers series so far.

I’m happy to!


The long-count calendar of the ancient Maya ends December 21, 2012, on the day of a potentially dire astrological conjunction. The NOVELS OF THE FINAL PROPHECY tell of the ancient myths that come to life in the years leading up to the end-date, and their opposition by the Nightkeepers, descendants of an ancient race sworn to protect mankind from the apocalypse.

In NIGHTKEEPERS (June 08, Signet), the Nightkeepers’ last king is forced to team up with a sexy female narcotics detective in order to reunite his scattered warriors and fight the demons of the Mayan underworld, Xibalba. Wielding ancestral magic based on bloodletting and sex, the king must choose between duty and his love for the human woman who is the gods' destined sacrifice.

In DAWNKEEPERS (Jan 09, Signet), Nightkeeper Nate Blackhawk isn’t about to let the gods determine his destiny- especially when it comes to his feelings for Alexis Gray, his ex-lover and nemesis. But when they’re forced to work together, racing to recover seven antiquities before the demons get their claws on the vital artifacts, Nate and Alexis will have to face their feelings- and their past- in order to defeat an ancient enemy.

Would you like to share an excerpt from one of the books?


Absolutely!! From DAWNKEEPERS:

As Alexis walked to the throne, she knew she was alone yet not alone. He was here, too - the lover of her dreams, the one who was Nate yet not, the one who loved her like he had, but didn’t break her heart. That was how she had always known it was a dream before. Now, though, she wasn’t sure what to call it. She’d touched the statuette and been transported into a dark, formless corner of the barrier, yet now she was back on earth- she knew it from the taste of the air, and the strong sense of being underground.

When she reached the end of the arcade, the pathway she was on curved and widened, forming a platform in front of the throne. There, in the center of the flat space, she saw shadowy footprints in the dust, those of bare human feet, standing facing the throne.

Almost without conscious volition, acting as she had done in the dream, she toed off her shoes and stepped into the footprints. They fit perfectly, as they had in her fantasies. The certainty that she had been in this chamber before, that she’d done this before, was overwhelming, as was the knowledge that the moment she blooded herself, placed her hands on the altar and said his name, he would be there with her.

The certainty - and the nerves - had her hesitating. Then, knowing she didn’t have a choice, not really, she pulled a ceremonial knife she didn’t recognize from a weapons belt she didn’t remember putting on, and drew the blade sharply across her palm. She hissed against the pain, and blood flowed, dark crimson in the amber torchlight. Then she reversed hands and cut her other palm. Her bloodied fingers slipping on the haft of the knife as she set it aside.

“Gods,” she whispered, hope and fear spiraling up within her. “Help me to be worthy.” More, she prayed for the gods to help her understand what the dreams were telling her- about her mother. About herself, and the man who wore the hawk medallion.

Knowing there was no other way, she closed her eyes and pressed her bloodstained palms to the altar, and said the words that had come to her in a dream, though she was no seer: “Tzakaw muwan.” Summon the hawk.

A detonation rocked the room. Water splashed the walls and the footpath, and the sound of ripples turned to thin screams coming from the carved onlookers, who hadn’t moved, yet somehow seemed to gape in awe.

She turned, knowing what she would see.

He stood opposite her, at the edge where the stone and the water met. His eyes bored into hers, hard and intense and no-nonsense. He wore combat gear, with his black shirt unbuttoned at the top to show a glint of gold. He was Nate, yet not, just as she was Alexis, yet not.

She was the smoke and he was the hawk. And that was all that really mattered as his eyes darkened and he strode toward her, his intent as clear as the need inside her...


How did you become interested in Mayan mythology?

That goes back to when my parents used to take me down to the Yucatan and go ruin ratting. That was just before Cancun really became a tourist destination, so it wasn’t too expensive. It was also back before many of the big ruins were closed to the public, so I got to climb up inside El Castillo at Chichen Itza, dangle my toes over the edge of the sacrificial cenote, and generally immerse myself in the ruins. Those experiences stuck with me for a long time, although my occasional ‘gee, I’d like to be an archaeologist’ thoughts got lost amidst my other interests. Then one day I stumbled on a reference to the Maya long count calendar, and how it would end on 12/21/2012. That totally reawakened my early interest in the Maya, and became a series proposal!

How closely do you adhere to the myths, and how much do you embroider?

Because I needed to be able to deviate from the historical record in places, and because the Maya are a living culture, I conceived the Nightkeepers as the remnants of an older, magic-wielding culture that lived with the ancient Egyptians, then the ancient Maya (accounting for some of the apparent cultural similarities between the two groups). Thus, while the Nightkeepers’ myths aren’t exactly the same as those of the Maya, they’re largely parallel and consistent in feel. Both groups worship their ancestors, use blood sacrifice and sex as channels to reach their gods, and revere sacred foods such as chocolate and maize. However, the Nightkeepers’ religion places far more emphasis on the power of mated pairs- and the magic inherent in lovemaking- than the Maya did.


Our regular visitors know I really love super-heroes, and your Nightkeeper magi seem to be in that tradition. Did you make conscious choices to make them that way, or did they just sort of evolve?

I’d say the answer to that is “yes” and “yes.” LOL! I’m a sucker for a super-hero, too, particularly the ones that start off as everyday people. I wanted to write about people like you and me who got ‘that call’… you know, the one where your (adopted) parent says, “Um, you know those stories I told you when you were a kid? Well, they’re true, you’re one of the people in them, and you’ve got four years to save the world.” So in that way, yes, I set out to write about a group of super-heroes. But in so many other ways, the stories evolved out of the Maya tradition, and the momentum that the characters themselves built as I started writing.



Which heroine and heroine would you say have the darkest romantic conflict?

I’d say that each of the characters and their romantic conflicts have some very dark aspects. Because balance is an important part of the Maya tradition, each of the mated pairs is a complex mix of light and dark that balances out when they come together despite their obstacles. Of the books that are finished so far, SKYKEEPERS (coming August 09) is easily the darkest, due to the nature of the hero’s past, and the sacrifices he’s asked to make. But I know for certain that at least one, maybe two of the future books will take it even further than that as we get closer to 2012 and things start spiraling.


Which character do you think has the hardest road to travel, if you can tell us that without giving anything away?

I’d like to think that each of the characters has, for them, the hardest road to travel. When dealing with a nine-book story arc, with each book focusing on a different hero and heroine, I think it’s important that although the larger stakes need to increase from book to book, the stakes for each hero/heroine pair have to be the absolute highest for them, personally, in their book. And that means giving them the hardest decisions possible for their personal circumstances.

The Final Prophecy series is very different from your other books, Harlequin Intrigues. Tell us about those.

Glad to! My Intrigues are almost always science-based, either medical suspense or forensic procedural, often inspired by my own lab experiences. Because I’m the sort of reader who loves coming away from a book feeling as though I’ve learned something, I generally explore a cool aspect of science in each Intrigue. I try not to lecture - and my editors make sure I don’t! - but I also try to include interesting details that the reader might not have known going into the story.

What are you working on now, and what are your long-range plans?

I’m working on the fourth ‘Keeper book as we speak. Signet just bought books four through six- yay! And assuming sales are good enough for them to continue with the series (fingers crossed), there will be three more after that, bringing us up to the final battle at the end of 2012!


Do you have any upcoming signings where our visitors might meet you?

My upcoming signings are: Feb 7, Farmington, CT; Feb 14, Millbury, MA; and Mar 28, Framingham, MA, as part of a major multi-author signing run in conjunction with the New England RWA conference. More deets on all of the above are on my website: www.JessicaAndersen.com/.

Readers, what’s your favorite kind of epic tale? Do you expect an apocalypse, as so many cultures foretell, or not? If you were going to visit the world of a particular culture’s myths, which culture would you choose?

Jessica's giving a signed copy of Dawnkeepers to a randomly chosen commenter!

Don't forget, the Romance Bandits are blogging on RNTV all week! We've written vignettes and are giving away prizes. After you comment here, pop over and join us.

Countdown to Launch!!

By Kate

Save the Date! You’re invited to a party! A launch party. Right here in the Lair, ten days from now, on February 4.

It’ll be huge, wild, fantastic! You won’t want to miss it. Because we’re celebrating the publication of HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER – my first book!! After twenty years of writing, you bet I'm celebrating this one!

And I don’t mean to brag but—oh okay, I’ll brag just a little. RT Magazine gave HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER their highest rating and called my bookbinder protagonist, Brooklyn Wainwright, “brilliant, feisty and funny.” I hope you’ll agree!

So that’s why we’re having a party! It’ll be unlike any party ever in the history of the Lair—because you’re all going to help me plan it!

Now let's get serious. We’ve got some stiff competition. I mean, remember La Campbell’s incredible masquerade ball to launch Tempt the Devil? And I’m sure you recall Madame Wells’ cabana boy extravaganza starring, among others, Sven the masseur and his hunky brother, Lars for her launch of The Dangerous Duke. And speaking of dangerous, can we ever forget Jeanne’s Dark and Dangerous crazy wild office party hullabaloo? And there are so many others. I mean, you'd think this place was Parties R Us.

So in keeping with the party spirit of the Lair, I want something big, really big, maybe even bigger than anything ever seen before! This occasion calls for a blowout, call-the-cops, raise-the-roof, wildest-ride-of-your-life shindig that will have everybody talking for years to come. Come on, twenty years in the making? This party’s got to rock the universe!

So help me out. What’s the best party you’ve ever been to? We’re talking real life – or virtual partying, if that’s your preference. Was it an intimate soiree or did it involve a cast of thousands? Did you fly off to some exotic locale or hang out around somebody's pool? What did you wear? Who did you see there? And most importantly, what fabulous cocktails were you drinking?

Okay, I admit I’m desperate for some great new party ideas, so I’m giving away TWO $15 Amazon gift certificates to the two most fabulous party details you’re willing to share. And if you’ve got a new drink recipe, I want to hear about it!



And to keep the party going, be sure to stop by my newly decorated blog anytime in the next ten days, leave a comment and be eligible to win a fabulous book launch party package including books, Barnes & Noble gift certificate, chocolates and more!

More Bandit Booty!

Thanx to everyone who shared the goss on kisses with Tina Ferraro.

An autographed copy of Tina's latest YA release The ABCs of Kissing Boys goes to:

DDurance!

Congrats to our latest winner! To claim your prize, please send your snail mail info to Aunty Cindy at cindymm18 at gmail dot com.

Ordinary vs. Extraordinary Heroes

by KJ Howe

I think it's safe to bet that everyone visiting this blog is an avid reader. What I wanted to touch base on today is whether you prefer ordinary or extraordinary heroes/heroines. Is it more interesting for you to read about a single mom who is thrust into extraordinary circumstances--let's say she is falling in love with a guy who turns out to be a vampire, or do you prefer an extraordinary heroine--let's say an historical heiress with the power of time travel?

Perhaps we like ordinary heroes because we can all identify with their daily woes? Or maybe we wonder if we were thrust into extraordinary circumstances ourselves whether we would be able to rise to the challenge. The only way to test that (other than living a wild life!) is to do it vicariously through an everyday hero in a novel.

How about our fascination with extraordinary heroines? Perhaps we're all attracted to greatness, or those who have specialized skills. We seem to admire the confident and the competent. Maybe we want to understand what makes someone heroic, or even more importantly, the flaws in heroes that makes them human.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what type of hero/heroine you prefer, or, do you think there is any difference to your enjoyment at all?

And the winner is..

Sneaking in between posts to announce the winner of my non-hero hunk post...

Leslie, who wants to have her way with Vin Diesel! Congrats, Leslie. I'll send you a signed copy of Risque Business if you'll drop me an email with your mailing info to Tawny@TawnyWeber.com.

by Donna MacMeans

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!

And that means it's movie night!

I love going to the movies - sitting in the dark with my husband - munching on popcorn - sipping on a diet coke. It's the best. I've even been known to be influenced by the big screen in devising possible plots. I imagine we'll be choosing a movie to see tonight, but I'm not sure which one.

Of course, our dear friends in Hollywood have given us some guidance by announcing the nominees for the Best Picture of 2008. I always try to see the nominees so I can root for our favorites for the academy awards.

The nominees for Best Motion Picture of the Year are:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

Have you seen any of these? I've seen Benjamin Button - and it was good. I've seen the stage production of Frost/Nixon but not the movie. And that's it. I believe Slumdog Millionaire is basically a love story with a lot of chase scenes and action. I haven't seen it listed at the major theaters here, but now that's it's nominated, perhaps that will change.

The nominees for Performance by an actor in a leading role (can we just call them heroes?) are:

Nope, not this guy (sniff). Australia was nominated for costume design and that was it. (Of course, if the award has anything to do with the frame upon which the costume hangs....)

The real nominees are: Richard Jenkins in The Visitor

Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn in Milk

Brad Pitt in ...Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Not the most flattering picture of Brad Pitt that I've seen.

As for the nominees for best performance in a leading role we have :

Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married

Angeline Jolie in Changeling

Melissa Leo in Frozen River

Meryl Streep in Doubt

Kate Winslet in The Reader

I'm afraid I haven't seen any of those movies, either. Not a one is a comedy, which is my favorite. So tell me - Do you have any recommendations for a movie tonight? Have you seen any of these - what did you think? Do you have a particular genre preference when it comes to movies (or are you in it for the popcorn)? Who do you think will take home the oscar at the Academy awards?

I'll pick one of the comments to receive a feather boa so they can watch the awards in style. Also I'll include a copy of THE TROUBLE WITH MOONLIGHT because the blue cover goes really well with the feather boa. Besides, you never know...perhaps one day it'll be picked up for a movie. Are you listening...

It's a Small World

by Anna Sugden

Before you all groan, no, I'm not talking about the annoying song that sticks in your mind after going on the ride of the same name at Disney World/Land!

The other morning, in my office in Great Shelford, England, I was exchanging emails with Tawny in California and FoAnna in Australia and it occurred to me how small the world has become with the internet.

Isn't that fun?! We can communicate with pals from all over without having to wait for the post office or a man on a pony.

Among the Banditas we have gals in four countries - The USA, Canada (KJ Howe), Australia (FoAnna and Christine W) and of course, me in England. Not only that, but we have 10 states represented (11, if you count NJ *g*).

Even without looking at the blog site stats we know we have regular visitors from Down Under, all over the USA and Canada and Minna and Eva in Finland. When you look at the cool stats, they tell us we've had visitors from 79 countries over the last month! (We know that Keira checked in during her visit to India).

I thought it would be fascinating to see where all our visitors today come from. Do we have representatives of all 50 US states, all the provinces and territories in Canada, all the states in Australia and both islands in New Zealand? How many different countries visited us today? Anyone from South America? South or East Asia?

Isn't it wonderful to know we can be friends with people who are physically so far apart, thanks to the click of a button and some fibre optics?!

Let us know - yes, even you lurkers *g*. Where are you joining us from, today?

Tina Ferraro on ABCs and Kissing

posted by Aunty Cindy aka Loucinda McGary

Young Adult author Tina Ferraro was one of our very first guest authors here in the Lair, and we are always happy when she can come back and pay us a visit! Aunty is tickled pink to sit down today with her buddy Tina and talk about her new release, changes in the YA market, and a cool new thing called “webisodes!”

AC: Welcome back, Tina! Please tell us a little about your new release with the fantastic cover -- The ABCs of Kissing Boys.

Tina: Sure!

Parker Stanhope has played soccer practically since she could walk. And now that she’s a high school junior, everything she’s worked for is finally coming together. She’s paid her dues on the field, and as an upperclassman, she’s a shoo-in for the varsity team. But that’s not what happens. This year, the coach moved up every JV player but two­-and one of those two was Parker. Now, she’s stuck with the freshmen, and her friends are cutting her loose. But Parker is determined to get her life back. She has to get on the varsity team, and she has the perfect plan. All she needs now is the right kind of coach.

Which comes first for you, the plot or the characters? And how did you come up with it/them for this story?

I had the idea that a girl-doesn't-get-moved-up-with-her-team floating around, as well as a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque parental feud.
(Shakespeare fan AC rubs her hands together with glee!)

But it didn't come together until I decided on my (admittedly ridiculous) title, and had to figure out how to tie those things all together with the heroine learning "everything there is to know about kissing." My critique partner, Kelly Parra, was wonderful in helping me sort out my thoughts, and before you knew it, I had a storyline, and I started writing.

So that was a really long way to say "the plot first."

AC: This is your third Young Adult release in as many years. What changes have you seen in your sub-genre since you first started writing in it?

Tina: Wow--I am no expert on Young Adult fiction, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But it does seem like the most popular books today have fantasy/paranormal themes, while when I started targeting YA, the books on people's lips were more contemporary high school stories, like Gossip Girls and (the now-defunct) Dorchester Smooch line. As for the future? Well, everything old is new again, right, so I imagine things will circle back.

AC: What new and exciting things are coming up in your future?

Tina: I have another book coming out in the summer of 2010, which I am really excited about. Here's a blurb:

When Bad Flings Happen to Good Girls

It took 17 years for Brandy to get her life the way she wanted it--and about 17 seconds for it to fall apart. Her well-intending friends tell her it's time to stop working so hard and "get a life." By this, they mean a boyfriend, and they give her the summer to find one, or they're going to go hunting the halls themselves. Not realizing that adding a boyfriend to her hectic AP and robotics team schedule, she'd have zero for them.

Away at her uncle's cabin, she sets out to find a guy who will "break her heart," so she can return from summer in need of her friend's TLC, rather than matchmaking skills, and then can resume her well-planned life. She quickly finds the perfect candidate. But hooking up with the lifeguard proves harder than she can imagine. Even with the help from his nice-guy friend who seems to have his own reasons for getting them together--and keeping them apart...

AC: Sounds like another fun read Tina! Now what other fun things have you been up to?

A "webisode" version of my second book, How to Hook a Hottie, is currently being shopped at TV studios. A "webisode" is a mini-episode, especially geared at websites. You'll find them popping up on TV channel websites in the forms of brand-new programming, and "extras" from your favorite TV shows. For instance, "The Office" just ran a three-part webisode series on the NBC website.

Anyway, yeah, so wish me luck on that.

AC: How exciting, and GOOD GOOD LUCK!

Tina will give away a copy of her newest release The ABCs of Kissing Boys to one lucky commenter today.

AC: Since Tina’s book is all about kissing, why not share one of your favorite kisses (first or otherwise) in a book you’ve recently read. Hey, Tina! You can go first!

Tina: I liked the first time Ranger kissed Stephanie in Janet Evanovich’s series. WOO HOO! Hot stuff!

AC: NO arguments here! Okay Banditas and Buddies, lay the kisses on us!

The Winner Is . . . drum roll, please!

posted by Jo Robertson

The winner of Misa Ramirez' delightful debut novel, Living the Vida Lola, is

Danie88

Congratulations, Danie! I'm so jealous of your win! Please contact Misa at

misa@misaramirez.com and provide her with your snail mail address. That's misa (at) misaramirez (dot) com.

Happy reading!

They're back...

by Beth

Some of my very favorite actors and actresses are returning to the small screen. I don't get much time to watch TV but for these new shows starring old faves, I'll have to make an exception. Or at least, tape them and watch them while I'm on the treadmill *g*

Tom Cavanagh. Yes! I love Tom Cavanagh! He was my #3 pick of favorite funny men awhile back. You may remember him as the lead character on Ed - one of my all time favorite shows. He's starring in Trust Me, a new series on TNT (starts Jan 26). And starring along side Tom is...

Eric McCormack. Or as he's otherwise known, Will of Will and Grace *g* I admit, I've only watched a few episodes of Will and Grace but the ones I did see were hilarious! So glad these two great funny men are back on TV.

Nathan Filion. Nathan played Capt Mal Reynolds on the TV series Firefly and its big screen adaption, Serenity. He was also the doctor in Waitress with Kerri Russell but I remember him from his days as a soap opera hottie *g* His new show, Castle (March 9 on ABC) is about a mystery novelist who starts to solve real life murder cases along side a NYPD detective.

Eliza Dushku. I adore Eliza! She was Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, starred in her own show, Tru Calling and was sassy, tomboy cheerleader Peyton in the movie, Bring It On. She's back on TV in Joss Whedon's latest show, Dollhouse. I can't wait for this show! It's about operatives who have their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas in order to do their jobs. After the job is complete, their memories are wiped clean. Did I mention I can't wait for this show! No one does twists, turns and dialogue better than Whedon! Plus, he makes you think and scares the crud out of you at the same time *g* Dollhouse is on Fox starting Feb 13.

Amber Tamblyn. Amber starred in Joan of Arcadia which was a really cool, albeit short-lived show. She was also in both Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies. Her new show, The Unusuals, is a quirky cop drama on ABC starting April 8.

Here's a list of shows set to premiere this winter: http://www.tvguide.com/special/winter-preview/newshows.aspx

Are you looking forward to any new shows? How about returning shows? Are there any actors or actresses you'd like to see return to TV?

The Writer's Journey with Misa Ramirez

by Jo Robertson

Please give a hearty welcome (and maybe a cabana boy or two) to debut writer Misa Ramirez. Mother of five, English teacher, wife, and now published author. Misa has had a long and rewarding journey to publication which she’s sharing with us today.

Jo: Misa, tell us a little about your debut book.

Misa: Living the Vida Lola is the first in a mystery series. The heroine is Dolores “Lola” Cruz and she’s a private investigator. She’s smart, sassy, and determined, has a black belt in kung fu, and only her family and their crazy antics give her a run for her money.

Jo: Lola Cruz sounds like our kinda gal. How did you come to choose a Latina as your heroine?

Misa: My husband is Mexican-American, my kids are half Mexican, and so when I started thinking of a heroine, I was drawn to creating someone like I imagine my daughter will be. Also my alter-ego if I were Latina!

Jo: LOL, your blonde hair tells us you're not, but I love the idea of your modeling the character after your daughter. Can you tell us something about your hero Jack Callaghan.

Misa: Lola’s known Jack since they were kids; he’s her brother’s best friend. He went away for college, stayed away, and now he’s back and part of Lola’s investigation. He’s smart and definitely a match for Lola, but he has a few secrets that Lola has to uncover.

Jo: Would you share your publishing journey with us?

Misa:

Living the Vida Lola, the first book in the Lola Cruz Mystery Series, comes out tomorrow! I can hardly believe how long it has taken from the moment I wrote the first word to now.

Six years.

That’s right, six years. I’ve written four more books in the meantime, but this is the first to be released [the second, DEAD GIRL WALKING, will be released a year from now].

Six writing years flew by. Here’s the way it played out, in a nutshell:

• Husband and I moved to the Sacramento area with our four children and I was pregnant with # 5.

• Baby 5 was born and I was going stir crazy in the house.

• Started meeting at Starbucks with a friend to write a children’s book to follow up on FLIGHT OF THE SUNFLOWER, a picture book of mine that was published a few years prior. Really, I had to get out of the house and do something just for me!

• Being surrounded by kids all day, every day, drained my creative juices; I decided to write something for adults with, gasp, swearing and, double gasp, sex [or at least the promise of sex...this is book one in the series!].

• Lola Cruz came to me in a moment of inspiration. I began writing.

• I wrote for almost two years [in between diaper changes, kindergarten, carpooling, etc].

• I revised. And revised. And revised. By now three years had passed.

• A friend of a friend’s sister’s mother-in-law [a literary agent] read the book, liked it, and offered to represent it. I revised again.

• A year + later, multiple rejections flew in. My agent retired.

• I queried and queried, was offered representation by three different agents, went with one, and found myself revising. AGAIN!

• I was a tiny, itty-bitty fish in my agent’s giant ocean, but she submitted for a year, and again. It was being sent to chick lit editors. The book is really a mystery romance. Slight problem.

• Another year passed. Agent and I agreed to part and I found the perfect agent in Holly Root. She submitted my book to mystery editors. It sold within a month!

• That was a year and a half ago. I went through more revisions, cover art, edits and copy edits, marketing, promotion, etc.

• And now, blink, the book comes out tomorrow!!!!

When I started writing, I had no idea what a journey it would take me on. Looking back, I don’t regret a single moment or a single rejection. Or a single year. I wouldn’t change a thing because I really do feel that the journey is the most important part of the process. I’ve learned so much, grown as a writer and as a person, and am happy. A person can’t ask for more than that [book sales aside!].

Jo: Thanks for joining us in the Lair, Misa. One lucky commenter chosen at random will be the winner of Misa's debut book Living the Vida Lola!

And now for our readers, if you’re a writer, do you enjoy the entire process, from the creation, to the revisions, to the learning that comes with rejections, etc? Or is there one thing that you love about the process and you simply tolerate the rest?

And if you’re not a writer, what one thing do you absolutely LOVE about your job (and, yes, that includes parenting, the hardest job ever!). What is the thing you hate the most?

Or ask Misa anything you want; she's a font of information!

Library Tales Ancient and Modern

posted by Aunty Cindy aka Loucinda McGary

My maternal grandmother taught me to read when I was five years old, and ever since then, one of my favorite places in the world is the library.

We didn't have much money to buy books when I was growing up. But every other week in the summer or during other school holidays, my mother would take me, my sister and my brother to the local branch of the public library. My sister and brother liked to slide down the smooth concrete banister out front, but not me! I loved to roam among those shelves and shelves of books, looking for treasures.

The library was heaven on earth for me, and I'm definitely not the only one. Even in ancient times, libraries were special places. That was never more apparent to me than on my recent trip to Turkey when I got to visit the ruins of the Library of Celsius (or Celsus) which was in the Roman city of Ephesus. In its heyday, over 12,000 scrolls were stored in it.

For the history buffs (like ME) in the Lair, here's a bit of information from the Turkish Tourism site...

"According to inscriptions in Latin and Greek on the wings of the front steps, the Library was erected in ad 110 by the Consul Gaius Julius Aquila for his father, Julius Celsius Polemaeanus, formerly Roman Consul and governor of the Asian province. The library was completed in ad 135 by his heirs. Its façade was two-tiered; the interior consisted of a single large hall, measuring 10 × 16 m, comprising the Celsius library itself. The burial chamber under the floor contains the marble sarcophagus of Celsius in an excellent state of preservation.

The reading room destroyed in a fire in the second half of the 3rd century, but the façade did not suffer damage. For a time, the library was left filled with the resulting debris. About ad 400, the area in front of the building was converted into a pool. The façade served a decorative purpose, with its beautiful silhouette mirrored in the water." (Guess my siblings weren't the only ones who liked to play in front of the library!)

An article in Wikipedia states that Julius Celsus was a wealthy and popular citizen of Ephesus. It was unusual to be buried within a library or even within city limits, so this was a special honor.

Quite an honor from the looks of this place! I would have loved to be there in 135 AD...

What about you? Are you more a borrower or a buyer? Or maybe a bit of both? Do you have a favorite library story you can share?

It's Finished!!

by Christie Kelley

Oh, how I wish I could say I was talking about my deadline book. But I’m not. I’m referring to the endless remodel. After a year of dust, cold, noise and people everywhere, we are done!

Now that doesn’t mean there aren’t still things to do. My office needs more decorating but right now with a deadline looming, I don’t care if my pictures aren’t hung. That will happen. After the book is finished.

Since I promised you all pictures when I was done, here they are. I thought I’d start with a “before” picture of the outside of the house. This is what it looked like when we bought the place four years ago. We actually bought the house not liking it, but we loved the community. That’s when the remodel idea started.

And here is the new exterior of the house...Yes, it is the same house!

I can say after 4.5 months of living in a 12x14 room with 1 king size bed, 1 queen size bed, 1 twin bed, a table and an entertainment console, it was worth it.

I LOVE my kitchen with two ovens, a big island and gas cooktop. I love the fact that the kids can be in the family room while I'm in the kitchen and I don’t miss a thing.

I love my office with a door!!! I’m sitting in it right now typing this up with a glass of wine on the desk (it’s 7pm on a Friday, I’m entitled).

So we made it. My husband and I are still married to each other. The kids don’t hate us or each other, so I think we survived. Not that is was rosy all the time. Don’t ask me about the week my husband went to St. Lucia with a friend and I was cooking in kitchen with my winter gloves on (true story).

And the biggest compliment of all was from my 16-year-old son, who today was sitting on the couch with the laptop, he turned to me and said, “I really like this room. It’s comfortable.”

If I have to have a point to this blog, I guess it’s that I'm happy to be able to overcome an obstacle. I think we all grew individually and as a family and for that, it was worth the hassles. Watch out, the wine is kicking in. All typos and missing words are definitely the fault of the wine.

My question to you all is, have you ever gone through something you thought was driving you crazy only to find it made you stronger? Any other home remodelers out there?

The Lucky Winner Is

by Jo Robertson

Karen H in NC.

Congratulations, Karen!


Send your email addy to jo.lewisrobertson@yahoo.com

and I'll send the $10 Amazon gift certificate to you electronically.

Thanks to everyone for playing and contributing, and to those who guessed the correct answers!

Famous Quotes, Famous Movies

by Jo Robertson


It’s nearly that time of the year – People’s Choice Awards, the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and finally the Academy Awards – the time when various organizations vote for their favorite movies, television shows, actors, and directors, among others.

I thought it’d be fun to see how many of us can match the following famous lines to the movies they came from. I’ve listed ten quotes and a picture from the film. See how many you know. I’ll post the answers at the end of the day and one random, lucky commenter will receive a $10 Amazon gift certificate, just for giving it a try.

1. "I know what you're thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"

2. "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!"

3. "You should be kissed -- and often, and by someone who knows how."

4. "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."

5. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

6. "What we've got here is failure to communicate."

7. "Get your stinkin' paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"

8. "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

9. "I'm your number one fan."

10. -- "I feel the need..."

-- "...the need for speed!"

Finally, for those who don't want to play that game, what's your favorite movie based on a book? Gone with the Wind? Silence of the Lambs? Which do you think was better, the movie or the book?

Announcement Alert: Nancy's bringing us another guest on January 26! Jessica Andersen, who started writing fiction after earning a Ph.D. in genetics, broke into fiction with a Harlequin Intrigue, DR. BODYGUARD, which was a Romantic Times Top Pick. Later, research on pre-Colombian serpent worship led her to the Mayan End Time countdown and inspired the Nightkeepers and the Novels of the Final Prophecy. Join us in welcoming Jessica on January 26!

And the Winner Is....

Thanks to everyone who stopped by this past Tuesday to chat with RITA nominated author Pamela Clare! I hope everyone will rush out to buy her Ranger titles.

One BB, however, will not have to buy all of them. Pamela has chosen HELEN as the winner of a copy of UNTAMED!

Congrats! Helen send your mailing address to JoanieT13 AT gmail DOT com

Girls who kick ass

Yes, I used the word "ass" in the title. I figure if Cassondra can do an entire post on truck nuts, I might just get away with it. :)

So, Tawny's blog yesterday about heroes and hot guys got me to thinking what I like in heroines. And it's not the helpless damsels in distress that were once in vogue. In recent years, heroines who kick ass and take names have become very popular, and I'm one of the fans who loves this trend. But while they can definitely take care of themselves, and a lot of other people while they're at it, this doesn't mean that they can't be feminine too, beautiful and desirable to the men they encounter. It also doesn't mean they are without feelings or vulnerabilities. Far from it. Let's examine a few of my favorites.

Buffy Sommers (aka Buffy the Vampire Slayer) -- She's the cute blond girl who wants to date, shop for great clothes, and hang with her friends. Not so different from other teenage girls, right? Wrong. She's the one and only Slayer (at least for the first few seasons anyway), which means that not only does she have to navigate high school cliques, do her homework and deal with parental issues, she has to sneak out every night to slay vampires and other ugly beasties. What could make her life even more complicated? You guessed it. She falls in love with one of the things she's supposed to slay. But who could blame her? Seriously, could you stake David Boreanaz (aka Angel)?

Joanne Baldwin -- The heroine of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden urban fantasy series can control the weather. What's cooler than that?

Ashley Magnus -- In SciFi's new series Sanctuary, Ashley is the daughter of Sanctuary founder Dr. Helen Magnus. She's a skilled fighter, which comes in handy since it's her job to hunt "abnormals", what others would consider monsters.

Selene from Underworld -- She's a vampire, a Death Dealer (a soldier in the war on Lycans/werewolves). And she kicks major tookus. I really want to dress up as Selene at Dragon*Con this year, but trust me -- no one wants to see me in a leather catsuit. Kate Beckinsale, yes. Moi, no. My friend Tanya Michaels, with whom I attend Dragon*Con, said I should get a shirt that says that: "I'm Selene from Underworld, but you don't want to see me in a leather catsuit." LOL!

Starbuck on the new version of Battlestar Galactica. Sure, she's got some haters. Some are appalled that Starbuck is now a girl. Others think she's become a headcase. Still, you can't deny she's the best pilot in the colonial fleet and holds her own with the guys. And yet, we see vulnerability peek out from underneath her tough exterior. We see her love with Apollo, and we see her frustration when no one believes her after her unexpected return, when everyone thought she was dead.

Victoria Gardella from Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Chronicles. She's a Buffy-type vampire slayer, only in Regency England. Yes, she's tough, stronger than every man she encounters, but she's also a product of her time, a lady who goes to balls and wears pretty dresses.

Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Wanted and Tomb Raider. Actually, I think Angelina might be able to kick anybody's butt in real life. :)

Ruby from Supernatural, when she was played Katy Cassidy last season. Loved her snarky attitude! Fangirls, remember when she called Dean "shortbus"? LOL!

Sarah Conner and the terminator Cameron in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. As the mom of future hero John Connor, Lena Heady plays perhaps the best kick-butt mom ever! (BTW, she was both strong and beautiful as Queen Gorgo in 300 as well.) And Summer Glau has the emotionless killing machine down to an art. Of course, she had a bit of practice with the butt kickage when she played River Tam in Firefly.

So, now it's your turn. Do you like kick-butt heroines or another type altogether? If you do like those of the kicking variety, who are your favorites and why?

Romantic Hero or Sexy Dude

by Tawny

Or... An ode to Captain Jack.

I love men. I mean, they really are the best game in town, right? They are definitely the reason I read, and write, romance. To me, as strong as I might empathize with the heroine, I have to be able to fall in love with the story hero to really get hooked on a book.

But lets be clear. There are men, then there are Heroes. You know the difference, right? There are hot, sexy guys that are soooo good to look at, but really would make lousy heroes. Then there are heroes, who are, of course, definitely sexy and yummy.

So what's the difference? I don't mean the difference between an alpha and beta hero. Or the difference between a good boy and a bad boy. They all fall in the hero list. And really, what is heroic is somewhat personal to each reader. We all have our favorite kind of hero, right? My question here is the bottom line between what makes a hero someone that, when the story is over you think will be there for the long term and that you believe is good for the heroine.

Lets take one of my favorite characters. Captain Jack Sparrow (lets all pause to sigh in appreciation). I love this guy. He's cocky, he's strong, he's sexy as all get out. On the yum scale, he's right there at the top, lip smackingly yummy. Now, he's got a job, of sorts. He's heroic in that he does, eventually... and yes, with self-interest, the right thing. But... I don't think he'd be a great romantic hero. Why? Because I while I totally believe that Captain Jack could and does act heroically, I don't see him sticking around. His first love will always be the sea, and the freedom that implies.

I've played with scenarios in my mind, written little mental vingettes that feature him as a romantic hero, that bring him the perfect heroine who would bring out the best in him while accepting that wilder side that makes him so incredibly sexy. But... it never jives. He has to change so much in my mind, he loses that sexy edge that appeals to me so much.

To change that, you'd change him. And while I'm all for heroes growing and changing, to me a real hero is enhanced by his relationship, not changed into someone else (how many times have we gone into, or heard of gals going into relationships with "once I change this one little thing, he'll be perfect" in mind. Thirty years later, that one little thing is still going strong.)

I know there are other guys with that same non-hero sexiness. What I don't know is who they are. I'd love to hear yours. And... all that said, if I had a free pass for a wild weekend with Captain Jack (pure fantasy, mind you -especially if you're reporting back to my husband *g*) I'd jump at the chance. Which leads me to my question of the day.


Of those ever-so sexy non-heroes... who is your dream hunk? And where would you take him for a fantasy weekend? (No need to detail the itinery *g*) I'll pick one fantasy post to send a copy of Risque Business!

Bedeviled Booty!!

The Bandita random number generator has given us two winners of Maureen Child's latest fabulous novel of the Otherworld, BEDEVILED!! The winners are ...

Pat Cochran!!!

and

CrystalGB!!!

Ladies, congratulations!!! Please email me at katecarlisle99@yahoo.com and send me your snail mail addresses and I'll immediately forward each of you a signed copy of BEDEVILED!!

Congratulations again, and thanks to everyone for sharing your opinions on alpha heroes!!!

Heroic Bandita Booty

Well, my monitor is still sssmokin' from all the great pictures the BBs sent in for our sheer viewing pleasure. Thanks for making it a fun day, everyone!

And the winner, according to the random number generator is...

DANIE!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! Please send your snail address to me via the contact page on my website to collect your prizes.

Pamela Clare is in The Lair

Wow, the intro rhymes :-)

I'm pleased to host historical and romantic suspense author Pamela Clare. Pamela is the author of a fantastic series of Colonial American historicals. Her latest in her Rangers series, UNTAMED is a not to be missed read.

Welcome to the Lair Pamela !

Thanks! I’m happy to be here.

You have a degree in the Classics….Latin, ancient history, archeology yet your MacKinnon Brothers trilogy is set during the French and Indian wars. What drew you to this exciting time period?

I love history. In particular, I love the ancient world, medieval

Europe/Ireland/Scotland/England/Wales, and then the 18th Century and the American West. I’m not terribly interest in Europe in the 1800s or anyplace in the world after 1900. I’m not sure why that is... I’ve never considered writing a story set in the ancient world despite the fact that I have more than the necessary background to do that quite well. I studied Latin for 10 years and focused on ancient Rome, Egypt, and Greece, as well as the Minoan and Cycladic cultures, which I loved. But I was told early on that no one buys romances set in the ancient world — not sure that’s true, but whatever — and I intend to write straight historical fiction when I finally take up the ancient world.With those periods and cultures put aside, I turned to one of my favorite periods of American history — pre-Revolutionary Colonial America.

I love this period because of the fusion of cultures and because there’s such a vast frontier. The American continent itself can almost be another character in the story. Everything about that time period is so huge and so epic and so rich with conflict. When I started to write, I wanted to find a period of time in American history that no one knew about and really master that. By the end of my first trilogy, I had discovered an incredible love of the French and Indian War. It started with writing RIDE THE FIRE, which was set just as the war was ending and Pontiac’s Rebellion had taken off. While researching RIDE THE FIRE, I came across many references to “Rangers” and found myself curious about these men, who were referred to with worshipful tones by the military men of the day. That led me to Major Robert Rogers, the real father of the Colonial Army Ranger unit. I studied his diaries and books about his lives and the military exploits of Colonial Army Rangers, and I knew that my next series HAD to be about Rangers and would be set during the climax of the French and Indian War.I’ve loved every moment of the research and love writing this time period. I recently visited the places in my stories, and that was a mind-blowing experience for me, every bit as exciting for me as visiting the Roman Forum or Pompeii or the Great Pyramids or the Acropolis.

More exciting than the Forum? IS there any place more exciting? (Says the Roman author :-) So Major Rogers was the inspiration for the Ranger books. How much did he influence the development of your sexy, MacKinnon brothers?

I’ve actually been to the Forum and loved it, though I admit that I was rather seriously drunk most of the time I was in Rome. Still, it was incredibly exciting to stand where so many of the people I’d studied had lived out their lives. And, yes, Rogers Island and Fort Edward, Lake George and Fort Ticonderoga were just as exciting for me, even though I was sober the entire time. Maj. Rogers’s deeds provided much of the inspiration, but not his personality. He had amazing physical stamina and was a military genius and did things that would be difficult for modern Army Rangers to duplicate.

But his personality as it comes through in his diaries wasn’t anything like the MacKinnon Brothers. For one, he was a bit of a doofus at times. But he was also staunchly loyal to Britain, and he ended up fighting with the British and against the Colonists during the Revolutionary War. Reading about the battles he and his men fought and the things they were able to do in the wilderness is really where the inspiration came from for MacKinnon’s Rangers. I cannot fathom finding my way through endless reaches of forest in the dead of winter through deep snow wearing wool garments and buckskin moccasins and using only a compass to guide me. Thanks, but no thanks! :-)

LOL. No, there is no WAY Iain or Morgan MacKinnon could be described as doofus’ (doofi?) Not those hot, sexy Scotsmen. So, where did you get your inspiration for your Rangers?

I’m not sure which declension “doofus” is. LOL! I would have to say that the inspiration for the MacKinnon Brothers as sexy Highland Scots who were equally at home as Indians probably was a coming together of several things. I knew there were Scotsmen among the Rangers from my research. Some of it probably came from the film The Last of the Mohicans, which came out in the early 90s but which was no doubt sleeping in my brain. And part of it might have been my own ancestry, which includes both Scottish and Cherokee. It came to me in one of those “Yes!” moments after doing a ton of research — sons of Culloden who were in part raised by the Mahicans (same as Mohicans). To me, it offered the best of both worlds in a hero — big Celts with some Viking blood who knew the forest as well as any Indian. It just felt right to me.The whole conflict between the MacKinnon Brothers and their British commander was purely my invention, my answer to the question, “Why would Scottish Highlanders ever fight for the British!?!?” That’s one of the big, unanswered questions of history, as so many Scots fought with the British against Colonists and their traditional Catholic allies, the French, in the Revolutionary War.

SURRENDER was a RITA nominee in 2007. What did it mean to you to receive this coveted honor?

I was utterly astonished and very excited. I screamed and jumped up and down when I got the call. I’d forgotten all about it, actually, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to be a finalist. Being a finalist gave me hope. Writing is such a hard way to make a living. Anyone who’s even tried to write a book knows that writing is very hard. At times, it’s been difficult for me to feel that I’m making progress in my writing career. There are times I’ve felt invisible. As an author who sets my books in an unusual place and time, I’ve felt that much of my career has been an uphill struggle. So to have one of my books final in the RITAs felt to me like affirmation that all of this hard work is beginning to pay off.

Everyone has a different idea of what success means to them. Everyone who writes has different notions of what it means to be a successful author. I haven’t reached that place yet, but finaling in the RITAs helped renew my faith that I CAN reach that place. It also was very gratifying to know that the judges enjoyed the story so much and appreciated the writing. The quality of the writing is the most important thing to me. It’s something I struggle with on each and every page. It’s very hard for me to feel satisfied with anything I’ve written, but when I finaled for SURRENDER, it made me take another look at the story — yes, I actually read it — and I was able to give myself credit for having told a good story.

Thank you Pamela for visiting us today.

Thanks for having me!

As you can tell from Pamela’s answers, the depth of historical research was impressive. I’m gloaming onto a question she asked her readers on her own blog recently. How much does historical accuracy/detail mean to you as a reader? One lucky poster today will win a copy of UNTAMED but be forewarned….Morgan is MINE!

Guilt

by Susan Sey

And yes, when I forget to write my post & leave the Golden Rooster standing around, tapping his claw, giving me squinty eyed looks, the first desperation topic that comes to mind is guilt.

But that's okay. Because I'm a stay at home mom (my full time job) & a writer with a contract & deadlines & everything (my part time job). I also have a husband who would like to see me from time to time, & friends & family who I enjoy quite a lot & would like to spend time with, too. I'm intimately familiar with guilt & figure I will be until somebody invents that time turner thing from Harry Potter that would let me jump back & forth in time so I could be several places at once & get it all done.

Is it bad that my first thought is, "Wow, think of all the laundry I could fold!"

I don't know about all of you, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of things I have to accomplish during the day. None of them are even of grand importance, aside from keeping the kids from killing themselves. It's more like being pecked to death by ducks. A vast number of small, inconsequential but necessary things that MUST be done or the household will cease to function.

Like dishes. Laundry. Grocery shopping. Bill paying. Checkbook balancing. Vaccuuming. (Okay, that's one's not so necessary. I skip it a lot.) Deciding what to cook for dinner. Writing a few pages, or even a paragraph every now & then just to keep my hand in.

Then I look at women who do everything I do AND hold down a job outside the home. A high-powered, impressive, takes-a-lot-of-brain-power sort of job. And I feel like a bigger loser than I already am.

Then I talk to those women & find out they feel exactly the way I do. Guilty. They want to spend more time with their kids & less time chasing paper.

So is there any answer? Any magic formula to getting it all done & still having a shred of sanity left? Or at least a few minute to sit down with a really good book?

Bandita Booty!

by Anna Sugden

I'm sorry I'm late announcing the winner of the delicious prize from our Mama Mia! party. Life! 'Nuff said *g*.

Anyway, without further ado, the lucky winner of the copy of Anna Campbell's Tempt the Devil (as randomly selected by my cats!) is:

Treethyme!

Congratulations! If you let me know your snail mail details (you can email me at anna@annasugden.com ), I'll make sure your prize gets off to you asap.

Where's My Hero?

by Christine Wells

At a recent writers' festival where Anna Campbell and I sat on a panel about historical fiction, a man in the audience asked us what was the appeal of Regency-set historical romance. Anna instantly quipped: "Men in Boots".

Now, of course that was a (largely) flippant reply, but I will be the first to admit it is part of the appeal.

Having heard from wonderful writers like Jenny Crusie and Anne Gracie how effective collaging has been for their creative thought processes, I gave it a try for The Dangerous Duke. I'm not sure I have the hang of it yet, but it certainly helped capture the mood of the story. I'd look at the chart I'd made and fall into that world--a welcome change from staring at a blank page.

I often envy contemporary writers their ability to walk into a thrift shop or somewhere and say 'oh, that's the jacket my heroine wears in the first scene'. You can touch the fabric, try it on to see how it would fit across someone's shoulders. As an historical writer you can't do things like that so easily, unless you live near collections of period garments or stately houses. I should be so lucky!

Finding pictures of Men in Boots for my collages is a challenge. I want men who look like they could be a hero in my novel, or even a villain. The typical male model you see in magazines is tanned and muscled from gym workouts which sculpt him into a different shape from an English aristocrat of the Regency era, no matter how much riding, fencing, manual labor, etc the aristocrat might have done. And let's face it, many models, however gorgeous, have absolutely nothing going on behind their eyes. They don't project the sort of personality you want in a hero.

Usually, I look for actors in period dramas for my collage heroes. And thanks to the resurgence of Austen and Bronte adaptations, there's an increasing number of images to be found.

Most often these men don't really look like my hero at all. There might be an expression, an aura, a tilt of the head that's just right, however, and that's enough.

If you're a writer, have you tried collaging? How has it worked for you? If you're a reader, who would you cast as hero in your favourite romance? URLs if possible, please, so we can check them out--ahem, I mean judge whether they are of the right calibre for heroes in a romance.

One random winner will score chocolate and a signed copy of The Dangerous Duke.

Raiding the TBR pile

by Anna Campbell

As many of you know, my third book TEMPT THE DEVIL was released about ten days ago and I'm on a major blog tour to talk about it (if you ever want to know where I'll be, please check out latest news on my website). So I thought today it might be nice to talk about some books that are NOT by Anna Campbell!

For months I've been promising myself a few days of sloth between Christmas and New Year. It's an Australian tradition. The Boxing Day Cricket Test Match is on (as I write this, things aren't going too well for the Aussies with the South Africans really tanning our hides. If we lose this match, it means we've lost the series and it's the first series the Aussies have lost on home ground in 15 years. Ouch!). People are busy playing with Christmas presents and eating Christmas leftovers and it's hot and perfect pool or beach weather. Well, as long as you have your sunscreen with you!

It's also a perfect time of year for reading!

I've been attacking the huge To Be Read Pile. And while I'm far from conquering it, I have made some inroads. Books I've enjoyed in the last few weeks include PLAYING FOR THE ASHES by Elizabeth George (an Inspector Lynley book), THE LACE READER by Brunonia Barry, THE KISS by Sophia Nash, THE FLAME AND THE SHADOW by Denise Rossetti and QUEEN OF DRAGONS by Shana Abe.

I've picked out five books to talk about in a bit more detail. All were an absolute pleasure to read. So if you're looking for some recommendations to fill a few hours' reading time, look no further!

The book whose cover features at the head of this blog, NEVER ROMANCE A RAKE by Liz Carlyle, is a fantastic, intense historical romance with a ton of emotional punch. It's also got Liz's trademark wit and passion - seriously the love scenes in this are HAWT! One of the most compelling heroes I've read for a long time too. I picked this up yesterday and didn't put it down until I finished it. Highly recommended!


Amy Andrews who's a Bandita regular (when she's not breaking her arm to avoid us!) writes really emotional, heartfelt Medical romance for Harlequin. I've had her THE ITALIAN COUNT'S BABY on my TBR pile for a long time. Sorry, Amy! It's been one of those years and I knew once I started this book, I wouldn't want to stop. What an absolutely lovely story about an unlikely love between two damaged people. And as a bonus, there's a stack of wonderful, drool-making descriptions of scenery on the Amalfi Coast, courtesy of Amy's recent visit. The great news for American readers is that this book was chosen as a special Presents Extra release in the United States and you can order it from Amazon (just click on the cover). Generally, Harlequin Medicals aren't available in the U.S. but this one is! Huzzah!


A book that's been in the TBR pile since I went to the RWA conference in San Francisco in July is Rachel Gibson's TRUE CONFESSIONS. This won the RITA for best contemporary romance back in 2001 and it's now been reissued in the Avon A line. What a charming, funny, gorgeous romance! It's a fish out of water story (love that theme!) where a big city girl who writes tabloid stories about aliens kidnapping tourists and Elvis living in the Bermuda Triangle heads off to the wilds of Idaho for six months when her life in L.A. heads for the rocks. The hero, sexy local sheriff Dylan, is absolutely to die for and the story will have you laughing out loud as our heroine Hope runs into stranger creatures in the small town than she ever created out of her fevered imagination.

The next book is a delicious treat by Kelly Hunter who I recently hosted as my guest here on the Bandits. You all loved her and absolutely reveled in her dry as dust sense of humor. Her PLAYBOY BOSS, LIVE-IN MISTRESS is on the surface as light and luscious as chocolate mousse. There's her trademark snappy dialogue and quirky characters. But underneath that sparkling veneer, this story packs a lot of emotional punch. It's about taking a chance on love and letting go of old tragedy. I'm sure this book will come out in America before too long but as yet, there's no confirmed date. However, the Book Depository in the UK will post books anywhere in the world without charging postage. It's a great deal and even with the exchange rate, it makes it worthwhile checking for things that aren't readily available in the North American market. You can order Kelly's book here: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/showbook.php?id=0263863913


As a lot of you know, I'm a huge fan of Madeline Hunter. I've loved her work ever since Isolde Martyn from my Sydney crit group brought home an ARC of Madeline's debut BY ARRANGEMENT from the Washington conference back in 2000. I think Madeline's such a smart, elegant writer and I love the way she creates unusual, compelling characters. Her first books are medievals but over recent years she's moved to the Regency. SECRETS OF SURRENDER is the third in her series based around the aristocratic Rothwell Brothers and their associates. The second book LESSONS OF DESIRE was a very deserving RITA winner this year in the Long Historical category. SECRETS OF SURRENDER has all the hallmarks of Madeline's style - smart, offbeat characters (I particularly enjoyed the self-made hero), a plot grounded in real life elements of the Regency, an intelligent, rebellious, headstrong heroine, sizzling sexual tension. Can't wait now for the last in the series, THE SINS OF LORD EASTERBROOK which is out in February!

So let's talk books! What have you read over the Holidays? Have you discovered any great authors in 2008? What were your favorite books of the year?

Snow, Snow, Snow...where's the darn snow?

By Jeanne Adams
Let me say right off the bat that I adore Winter. Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons, followed quickly by Spring.

What about Summer, you ask? Its my least favorite. I hibernate in summer because I just wilt in the heat. I'm a mountain girl, I like it cool. I adored Romance Writers of America National this year in lovely, cool San Francisco. Ahhhhh.

(Usually, I dread National because I have to dress up and be professional in the heat. And summer RWA in DALLAS? There are not enough fans and AC made to make that bearable. Urg.)

Okay, that's off track. Back to Winter and snow. Snow!!! I so want it to snow, snow, snow. It's been sleeting, we got a mild ice storm on Tuesday - bleech on ice storms - and we've had a dusting of flurries, but no snow. Where is it? It's 32 degrees farenheit. C'mon!!!

Blame global warming or the melting glaciers or something, but personally I am going to indulge in a serious pout.

I want to sled, and make forts (I think I'll make it a bit bigger than the one pictured with the cats!) and have a wicked, wild, crazy snowball fight with my sons. I want to throw the snowballs into the air and get the dogs to chase them. Back in '96, just prior to my move to DC I got caught in a blizzard in Virginia. (I lived in NC at the time) It was an absolute blast. I was at a dog show and there were about twenty of us stuck in the hotel along with a skeleton hotel staff, a night manager who'd been on when they shut the major roads, and a whole lot of dogs, large and small, who were ready to have a blast in the snow.

Have a blast we did. We built snow forts and snowball fights with perfect strangers who quickly became allies or enemies over the walls of two, four-foot-high forts. Snow diving by the dogs - Dalmatians - quickly became a game of spot-the-spots. Trust me, it's REALLY hard to see a Dalmatian in the snow! If you don't believe me, check out this YouTube video of Bailey, whom I believe is a Dal crossbreed. :> You'll LOL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sUL0KCIc48

That same year, I'm told, there was cross-country skiing on the mall in DC. The monuments were all snowbound and my friend, also with Dalmatians, loosed her dogs on Capitol hill to romp in the snow. A LARGE time was had by all. She has pictures of them running up and down the capitol steps. Wheeeee!

I also want to see my new dog, Diver, the Irish Water Spaniel (IWS) in the snow. A fellow IWS afficianado, Jeremy Kezer took these fabulous pictures of his girls, Fiona and Selchie, in the Massachusetts snow right before Christmas. (Maybe I should move to Massachusetts. After all, the Adamses are originally from Boston...and they had snow BEFORE Christmas.) IWS don't care if it's wet, cold, snowing or sleeting. If there's play to be had, they are THERE. Grins. They are a fabulous fun breed and I am loving being an IWS-mom. Ha! BTW, you can check out more wonderful pix of Jeremy and Kim's dogs here: http://www.chanticoiws.com/index.html (Jeremy was kind enough to give me permission to use these cool shots. If you'd like to see more of his work, check out www.jeremykezer.com)

Anyway, I want to play with my kids and dogs in deep, wonderful fluffy snow. The real stuff. I know Banditas Tawny, Kirsten and Susan had snow at the holiday, as did many others. Alas, DC had none. (Can you tell I'm pouting again?) The saving grace here is that the "real" winter in DC doesn't start until February. President's Day snowstorms are common. Snow for the Ides of March? Oh, yeah. Then, like flipping a switch, April becomes Spring and before you know it, it's hotter than a...well, let's use a phrase I first heard in a little store in my North Carolina hometown:

DC in Summer is hot as the devil's doorknocker. (Do I need to mention hibernation again? No, didn't think so.)

So what's all this got to do with writing?

Nothing.

HAHAHA. Just kidding. In some of the best stories I've ever read, the weather, the seasons and even the landscape play a huge part in how the character's feel, how the story evolves, and even the ways in which the author twists the tale to heighten the emotions of the characters. Nothing like a good blizzard or wicked storm to throw your hero and heroine together. Then again, nothing like a good stormy power outage or icy roads to heighten the fear when the villain is on the loose either!

What's the best book you've ever read where the weather played a part? Any good snowbound books? Any good ice storm books? Are you writing one where the weather plays a part? Or, better yet, are you looking forward to a storm to get some writing DONE? Ha!

Since it's nice and cold and I can mail chocolates without them melting...I'll pick a random winner to get a box of Godiva! And that's S'no joke

Truck Nuts

by Cassondra Murray

Can any of y’all explain this to me?

I am a country girl. I like trucks.

In fact, my first ever new car was a pickup truck. Gray Mazda. I loved her. Still do. Poor thing is down with brake trouble and has over 350,000 miles on her and still, I’m not giving her up. She’s out beside the driveway. Her paint is faded and she’s got a few rust spots, but I will get her fixed.

See there? My truck is a female. I know this. I can’t tell you how I know, but I do.

I just know. We call her the Wonder Truck.

Most of our cars have names, and, usually, gender, and I’ve noticed that we’re not alone. Lots of folks name their cars. Casper is a white SUV, named after the Friendly Ghost. Flower is a black and gold Prizm with a purple flower spray painted on the hood (Don’t ask. It’s a long story.). I have a friend whose SUV is named Vader. I once knew a car named Daisy.

Even my mechanic knows our cars by name. “You bringin’ Casper in to get the belts changed next week or not?”

I’ve called him for help before. “I’m stuck on Nashville Road. Flower won’t start. Can you come get me?” He did. I think he feels obligated. After all, he made Flower out of two other cars. That makes him..well…kinda like her dad, doesn’t it?

I have now asked a bunch of people whether their vehicle is a boy or a girl. To a one, they answered with a minimum of consideration. “Oh, my car is a girl,” one of my friends said. “When she goes in for a tire rotation and balance I tell her I’m taking her for her mani-pedi.” Alllllrightythen.

The interesting thing is that as many of the men I questioned had “girl” cars as “boy” cars, and women had equal numbers of “boy” cars as “girl” cars. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the size or shape of the car, or the size or shape of the owner, though I think some cars might lend themselves toward one gender over the other. For instance, this car on the right I think is sort of a "boy" looking car. But the Hello Kitty car below, not so much.

Strange, isn’t it? Giving our cars names? Endowing them with sentience? I’m not sure when this started. Maybe with Herbie the Love Bug. ( I’m old enough to remember the original Herbie). There was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, who definitely had personality. Pixar released a film called Cars—and all of them have personalities.

We humans spend ton-o-bucks on these machines, we spend scads of time in them, and I guess they become extensions of us. Part of it is image I suppose. Right now I’m conflicted. I'm driving a minivan. I actually love my van. It hauls big dog crates and lots of gear for search and rescue, its comfortable, gets great gas mileage, and thus far I’ve proven to be nearly invisible to law enforcement.

But I don’t like minivans. I don’t like the way they look, and I don’t like the “soccer mom” image because I’m not one. I’m not a mom. See there? I have this need for my car to be an extension of me—of the persona in which I see myself. I’ve tried to come up with ways to de-momify the minivan. The best suggestion thus far has been to add a machine gun turret to the roof.

Like it or not, cars do get personified by their owners. When I trade cars I have a sense of loss—as though I’m saying goodbye to a friend—one who’s traveled with me through ups and downs, both physical and emotional. After all, I’ve spent years singing along to the radio, laughing, crying, and having fights with my husband in my car.

But never, not even once in my lifetime, have I felt the need to prove my car’s gender by attaching plastic or chrome genitalia to it. This I do not understand.

I knew Truck Nuts existed, but I’d never SEEN any until a few days ago and all of a sudden, there they were, on a big white dually turning left in front of me. And lemme tell ya, they were hangin' low. So low that they were dragging the asphalt as he made the turn. All I could do was grit my teeth and say “Ooooowwwwwwww! Dang, that’s gotta burn!”

Truck nuts come in all colors, which seems appropriate. If you’re going to do something as asinine as chaining fake testicles to your automobile, at least have the class to make them match, ya know? Purely for research, I said to my husband, “If I bought a set of white truck nuts for Casper, would you put them on him?”

Him(frowing): “No.”

Me: “Why not?”

Him: “I just wouldn’t!”

Me(waving arms): “WHY NOT?”

Him (frustrated): “Its…just…not….ME…to put truck nuts on my vehicle. I’d rather have little bitty Special Forces Stickers and if you know what they mean you get it and if you don’t know what they mean, you don’t need to know.”

Me(arms crossed, lips pushed out in consideration): “Okay then.”

Since then I’ve done a bit of research and Googled a fair number of images and sources. I found out that you can get Truck Nuts that light up bright red when you brake. Or you can get multi-function ones. When you're turning right, the right one flashes, left, the left one flashes and so on and so forth. They glow white for backing up. Hey, why not?

But I have noticed that most folks who endow their vehicles have those appendages waaaaay too far to the rear. Take that photo of the red truck at the top of the blog as an example. They're just plain too far back. That’s another thing about growing up on a farm. I have a good sense of where they ought to be.

If a truck were to actually be…well…sentient, and actually have said…accessories….they’d be just south of the rear wheels in the area of the spare tire. Not hanging out there on the trailer hitch in front of God and everybody.

It’s the writer in me I suppose. I just can’t seem to let go of this.

Oh. Bad choice of words maybe.

When I see strange behavior, I want to know why. Why is that person doing that? How can I write characters that are real if I can't figure out real people?

A few years ago I was on I-65, driving to Nashville one morning for work. A monster-sized flatbed tractor-trailer was in front of me. Ginormous chains ran from the corners of the huge (mostly empty) flat trailer into the center, where they secured an eensy teensy Tonka toy bulldozer. The driver had switched out the signs on the front and back of the truck to say “Undersize Load.” I laughed out loud. That truck driver took his valuable time and set that up after his last delivery, expressly to make other people smile as they drove by him on the Interstate. THAT I can appreciate.

But this whole Truck Nuts phenomenon—I don’t quite get it. Do you suppose this is the same thing? Is it a joke? Am I missing something here?



I recognize that there are certain vehicles that may suffer from sexual identity crises. But do you think some folks actually need to validate the gender of their vehicles?

What do you think, Bandita Buddies?

Do you own an automobile?

Is it a boy or a girl?

Does it have a name?

Does your significant other have Truck Nuts attached to his or her vehicle? Hey, some girls have them too! Indeed they do. A fair number of ladies have trucks that are boys and they have the appropriate parts to prove it!

Have you ever seen a set of Truck Nuts in real life? What was your reaction? If you’re a female, would you go on a date with a man in a truck which was…obviously a boy?

If you’re a guy, would you put them on your truck?

For those NOT in the States, are Truck Nuts purely an American phenomenon? Or have they spread to where you are yet?


And you might as well weigh in on which is in better taste--Matching or contrasting colors?

The Day After ...

by Anna Sugden

No, I'm not talking about being hung-over after a wild night ;) I'm talking about the day after Twelfth Night.

Here in England, it is tradition that all Christmas decorations be down by midnight on the 6th. If not, it is believed that bad luck will live in your house ... or gremlins will set up home (and we know how dangerous they can be!)

Anyway, for me, the 7th is always kind of blue. No more twinkling lights. The decs are all packed away in boxes for next Christmas - which seems sooo far away. The Christmas music has been put on its special shelf in the cupboard.

Of course, I don't think it helps that the nights are long - it's dark until late in the morning and dark at 4pm. And it's cold! Somehow, cold seems more romantic over Christmas!

Plus, there's that general post-holiday, 'drunk too much, eaten too much, got to get back to normal' malaise.

*sigh*

This year, I followed my usual tradition of watching one of my DVD presents while I take down the decs. My choice was Mama Mia! What a difference it's made! All that bright light and exuberance ... not to mention all the songs you can bop along to. Somehow, Twelfth Night didn't seem quite so bad when you've been jiggling along to Abba *g*.

A new tradition has been started - always play Mama Mia for taking down the decs! It works!

So, for all those of you suffering from the post-holiday miserables, the winter doldrums and cold, dark day grumps - not to mention the back-to-work blues, I thought we could have a little Mama Mia fun on the blog today. (I know our friends Down Under or in the southern states have been basking in glorious heat and sunshine, but play along!)

Abba is on the turntable, here in the Lair. We're going to don our favourite and most outrageous Glam Rock outfits (for today we all have the body of a super-model - except for P226, who may not want that *g*) and as Dancing Queens (again, except for P226!) we're going to Voulez Vous and Chiquitita the blues away.

For one day only, you can squeeze into those skin-tight silver body suits and fluorescent mini-skirts. And you can totter around in those sky-high, glittery platform soles.

The cabana boys, Romans and hockey hunks are ready with the drinks (and to ease away any post-holiday aches!) ... so get ready to party!!

Tell me what your outfit looks like and which your favourite Abba song is ... then grab a drink and a partner and ... go for it!

As an extra bonus, I have a prize for the best/most outrageious/most fun outfit! You can win a copy of our very own Anna Campbell's Tempt The Devil!

Maureen Child is ... BEDEVILED!!

By Kate

With over 100 books and counting, Maureen Child is as prolific as she is versatile and talented, and she’s got SIX prestigious RITA nominations to prove it. She’s back in the Lair today to talk about her newest book, BEDEVILED, the first in her Queen of the Otherworld series. Booklist gave it a *starred review* and said “Clap if you believe in Faeries, and even if you don’t you can applaud Child’s heartwarming, hilarious adventure, a ticket to the fantastic Otherworld and back.”

And I’ll just add that BEDEVILED has the world’s hottest cover! Please join me in welcoming back the completely fabulous Maureen Child!!!

Maureen: Wow. I love being completely fabulous! Thanks for the welcome Kate, and hey, Banditas! Nice to be back!!

Kate: I can’t believe I’m finally getting my hands on this incredible book! Can you give us a hint about the story?

Maureen: Hmm. Hint. Okay, Maggie Donovan is your everyday, ordinary woman who paints windows for a living (That’s ordinary. I used to do that!). And everything in her life is pretty great until she goes to return her ex boyfriend’s ABBA cds and finds him being eaten and not in a sexual way. When it looks like Maggie’s about to be dessert, she fights back and ends up killing the creature, but sucking in a lot of what looks like gold dust. Turns out, it’s Faerie dust and its already changing Maggie. Oh, and then she meets Culhane and—

Kate: Okay hold it right there! We’ll get back to Maureen in just a moment but first I’d like you all to feast your eyes on Culhane, the fierce warrior hero of BEDEVILED...

His long, black hair fell to his shoulders and he swung it back and out of his way as he moved silently through the house, cataloging every room in his mind. He was tall, even for a Fenian, standing almost six feet five inches. His legs were long, his arms muscular and the harsh planes of his face rarely twisted into a smile. He’d lived too long, fought too hard to find much worth smiling about.

Maureen: Wow, he does sound yummy, doesn’t he? And hello? Did somebody mention that sigh worthy cover?? And Maggie Donovan thinks he’s pretty yummy, too—of course she can’t let HIM know that. Culhane’s already way too sure of himself.

Kate: Oh, yummy indeed!! I do love a world-weary alpha warrior – and I’m not the only one, right Banditas? So, Maureen, a few years ago you insisted that you didn’t really like alpha heroes. But uh, now you’re like the freaking queen of the alpha hero! What changed for you? And what’s your secret for making your hot alpha heroes so likable and—dare I say it?—funny?

Maureen: Poor Kate! You had to listen to me whine about writing Alpha heroes!! I never did like a pushy, arrogant guy. They just irritated me beyond measure and while reading a book with that type of guy in it, I was continually yelling at the heroine, “Are you NUTS?? Why do you love this jerk??”

Then ... I finally discovered the secret to Alpha guys. At least for me. My heroes aren’t pushy, they’re bossy. They’re not arrogant, they just know they’re right. (Okay, fine, not a great distinction, but it works for me!) And my Alphas always have a sense of humor. My Alpha hero does what he thinks is best for the heroine and when the heroine shoots him down, he’s completely perplexed. Why can’t she see that he’s right? It’s for her own good! Also, my Alphas always get a heroine who won’t let them get away with much—all the women I know are strong enough to stand up to an Alpha! And there’s always a few laughs along the way, mostly because I just can’t help myself.

Kate: Just bossy, huh? I like it! And by the way, don’t miss Maureen’s AN OFFICER AND A MILLIONAIRE , out this month from Silhouette Desire. If anyone picked up any Harlequin/Silhouette book in December, you no doubt read the fabulous excerpt for this book–which was featured at the end of every single Harlequin/Silhouette book published in December! It’s that good! Do not miss it!

Maureen: Thanks for the plug, Kate! (Oh, and please don’t hold that cover against me!!)

Kate: Hey, come on, that guy is cute! Oh, and next month, another of Maureen’s awesome alpha heroes will show up in her latest Silhouette Nocturne, VANISHED. This one features her sexy Immortal Guardians and got a Top Pick from Romantic Times magazine!

Maureen: Oooh. Rogan Butler’s story. VANISHED is set in Ireland in the village of Tourmakeady, where my dh and I stayed the last time we were there. I LOVE Ireland, have I mentioned that before??

Kate: Uh, once or twice, yeah. And wow, another HOT cover! So what’s coming up next for you?

Maureen: Right now, I’m working on more of my King books for Silhouette Desire. And I just finished the sequel to BEDEVILED, it’s called BEGUILED and it’s due out next November and … hopefully there are dozens more books lined up right behind them! Nothing I like better than LOTS of deadlines!

Thanks for having me back at the Banditas Lair! Always a good time. And in 2009, I wish you all good health, great joy and fabulous books!

Okay, let’s talk alpha heroes. Yay or nay? Everyone knows what Kate thinks (yum!), but what do you love most about the alpha guy? Or do you prefer the boy next door? Hmm, Kate likes him, too!

And of course, two lucky commenters will win a signed copy of Maureen’s BEDEVILED!

Better Than Bulletproof winner

The winner for the autographed copy of Kay Thomas' debut book, BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF, is

Pat Cochran!

Congratulations, Pat!! please send me your snail-mail addy to:
swwelsh2001 AT yahoo DOT com and I'll see that Kay gets that prize to you!

Thanks everyone for making my friend so welcome in the Lair!!

Excercise Your Right to Be Healthy

Joanie T

So we’re a few days into the New Year and people have made the usual resolutions. The most common one is losing weight and exercising.

Now understand, I’m a typical American woman. I have “yo-yo” dieted all my life. Lost 40 pounds, but determined lady that I am, found them again...back and forth several times over the years. When I was at my lowest weight I looked great in clothes and felt confident. Confident enough to tell myself eating that hot fudge sundae just “this once” wouldn’t make a difference. Muffin tops don’t look THAT bad.

I was wrong.

I’m not going to go into diet regimes because eating is only one aspect of being healthy. As the title to my entry states “Exercise Your Right to be Healthy.”

Now before you turn off the blog let me tell you right now, this is not going to be a dissertation on all the benefits of exercise, numerous as they are; ok here are a few. (What can I say? It’s the nurse in me :-)

Exercise can:

* Improve your mood. Brain chemicals that are released during exercise reduces stress, relaxes you and can make you feel happier.

* Fights chronic disease. Exercise combats high blood pressure, increases GOOD cholesterol, prevents or limits the effects of Type 2 diabetes, controls osteoporosis and has been shown to be beneficial in preventing some cancers such as colon and breast.

* Controls weight. Did you know that for every extra 10 pounds that you carry, you exert 30-60 pounds of pressure on your knees? Ouch!

* Improves sleep. Being able to sleep better and longer will increase your concentration and mood.

So, do I practice what I preach?

I try.

You’d think as a nurse that I would be svelte and toned just from running like a mad woman up and down the hospital halls day in and day out (and day in and day out) but nope. Not enough sustained momentum (plus swinging by the lounge to nibble on cookies because dangit, I’m tired and deserve it does not help).

I’ve tried multiple things over the years; jazzercise, aerobics class, a home exercise routine and multiple gym memberships. The classes were ok but if you come into them in the middle with more experienced participants you stand out like a sore thumb. My last attempt at a step class ended with me rolling around on my mat LMAO (if only we COULD laugh our a** off)because I looked and felt ridiculous. My instructor raced back to see if I was having a heart attack.

The home exercise thing waxes and wanes. For a period of time I had one of those exercise balls. That got thrown into the Goodwill the day my brother was over and I had lain on my back over it and…couldn’t get up. Did he help? Nope HE laughed HIS a** off as I struggled like a beached whale to get up.

YMCA, my work fitness club and even a membership to the infamous Gold’s gym followed. The thing with gym memberships is that you come for one orientation on ALL the different equipment then when there is no one there to refresh your memory, you fall into “the same ‘ole routine”…which gets boring fast.

I will say that gym memberships can be amusing. Especially the body builder guys. I have NEVER seen a woman preen like these guys do and the NOISE they make while lifting weights! They talk about supplements, and diets and blah blah. At one point I had a young personal trainer guy who had sampled one of their “special” protein shakes prior to my arrival. He was sweating, flushed and his pupils were dilated. He said “Everything looks so much brighter” and then mumbled something about his libido being enhanced.

What the...?

I quickly informed him that if he went down I wanted the CPR I would have to perform on him to count as my exercise!

But I’ve stuck to some form of this over the years for one reason. To be healthier. It works. I know it does. My joints don’t ache, I move better, I can let the stress of life take a back seat and yes, I look nicer in my clothes and feel better about myself.

You don’t have to officially join a gym. Increasing physical activity in any form (climbing stairs, walking around the neighborhood, chasing smart-alecky brothers with exercise balls) all count as activity. Yep, even Jeanne’s favorite, cleaning house counts on the Weight Watcher plan as activity.

So be good to yourselves Banditas and BB’s. Take a walk. Skip the elevator one time. Park farther away from the mall. Clean my house. As the song says, “You got to move it, move it.”

What is your favorite form of exercise? *Ahem, we know the ONE type is a given. What can you do to increase it in 2009?

PS The picture below shows a tai chi move... I kid you not...called the Golden Rooster! I propose that all Banditas and BB’s use it as a secret signal at conferences.

Must We Deck The Halls?

by Caren Crane

Now that the holidays are over, I have a confession to make. I have a tendency to...well...over-extend myself at the holidays. I commit to too many social gatherings. Offer to bake one batch of cookies too many or buy just one more gift for those in need. At my house, I am in charge of buying and wrapping all the gifts for my husband, children, family and friends. Also getting the kids' Christmas pictures taken, doing the holiday baking, sending the Christmas cards and decorating the house. My husband helps, but only with things I specifically direct him to do (like, put up the Christmas tree or buy a gift for me).

For this past year, by time Christmas rolled around, I had no paid time off from work left. Not even one hour! So all the things I did were wedged in around a full-time job. The result of all this busy-ness has traditionally been complete burnout by Christmas day.

In 2008, I took it easier. My "take it easy" holiday philosophy developed slowly over the years and mostly due to desperation. I gave up stressing out about the house being decorated a few years back. It gets done, but no big deal if the outside lights don't get put up or there aren't electric candles in all the windows. I have let my daughters bake Christmas cookies in the past couple of years (for the record, we made none for 2008). Heck, three years ago, the girls sent all the Christmas cards! So, I've learned to let go a little. But in the past year and a half, I have been sick for long periods of time. Sinus infections and plenty of them, despite the best drugs on the market. Most of the illnesses were exacerbated by exhaustion.

This past year, I learned to take time for me. I often napped in my car at lunchtime, instead of running errands every day. I walked away from my desk and took a coffee or tea break. At home, the laundry often piled high and the cupboard got bare. I found that if things got desperate enough and there were literally no clean socks in the house...someone would be spurred to action. My children learned, at a core level, that if they did not write things on the grocery list, my husband never thought to buy them. This applied to everything from bread and milk to toilet paper. I didn't abdicate my worrying and errand-running throne, but somehow I let go of the feeling of Impending Doom I used to get if we ran out of Special K bars or forgot to buy bagels for choir extended practice.

There is nothing like being laid low to teach you what is important in life. Your life. The only one you get. I learned to take time for me. When I did, guess what happened? Nothing. At least, nothing I didn't want to happen. In the just-passed holiday season, I took time for me. This Christmas, I got to enjoy all the wonders of the holiday season without undue stress or bone-deep exhaustion. I'm looking forward to next Christmas already--even if our halls don’t get decked a bit!

So, why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to make things perfect during the holidays? Are we afraid of letting others down or simply not meeting our own expectations? And when it comes to holiday brouhaha, why are we so reluctant to relax? Please share any tips and tricks you've learned to ease the pressure. We could all use more ME time!

Home Sweet Home

By Kirsten Scott

So, does it look familiar? The houseboat, I mean. I think this particular houseboat probably caused a rush on houseboats unlike any the industry had seen. It's the one used in the movie Sleepless in Seattle, inhabited by Tom Hanks' character, and among other things, it played a prominent role in me falling in love with him. After all, who wouldn't love a man who loved a house like that? The lights on the water, the view of the boats and downtown Seattle...and of course it was gorgeous inside. Furnished like a dream. Furnished like no man would ever furnish a house.

During the holiday season we do a lot of visiting and go to a lot of parties, and I am always struck by how different peoples' houses are, and how each house tells a story about the person who lives there -- sometimes a very different story than the one I would expect. Someone I expect to have drab, by the book decorations has a house filled with art and color; someone I expect to be neat turns out to be a packrat; someone I expect to be simple has a taste for the ostentatious.

I love it. It's a window into the soul.

We authors are always on the lookout for windows into the soul, so we use houses a lot to develop our characters. What better way to show a person's true character than to describe their house? The man with a wounded soul lives on a cliff away from town; the woman who never broke free from her mother still lives in her mother's house, surrounded by her mother's belongings. We can show someone's unexpected depth by giving them a hidden art collection, or a beautiful garden.

As for me, I live in a boxy 1950s ranch that we renovated so it's open and light. In the living room we've got furniture covered with sheets (dog hair, don't you know), two old red arm chairs I inherited when my grandfather passed away, a fairly new sofa-couch from IKEA, and a couple of fabulous Oriental rugs I ordered from Ebay about eight years ago that are fraying around the edges. I want my house to be tidy, comfortable, and above all, a place where kids and dogs can play and have fun.

(Here's one of Grandpa's chairs. Isn't it cool?)

So I'm wondering...what does your house reveal about you? Are you a city dweller in a tiny apartment? A suburban mama? Do you collect original art, or maybe photographs? Is your house straight out of an IKEA catalog, or more of the shabby chic variety? 

And perhaps most importantly -- would you have married Tom Hanks just to live in that houseboat?! :-)

MORE BOOTY!!

The winner of the gift card from Lorraine Heath is.......................................................
Drum roll................................................
.........................................................
Elyssa Papa!

Elyssa, send me your snail-mail addy to swwelsh2001 AT yahoo DOT com, and I'll see that Lorraine gets it!! Mega congratulations!!

Kay Thomas and Better Than Bulletproof

by Suzanne Welsh
Today is champagne day in the Lair. Why? Because I get to welcome one of my closest and sweetest friends, Kay Thomas, to the Lair. I'm also celebrating with Kay and all of you the release of Kay's very first book, BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF!

Suz: Welcome to the Bandit Lair, Kay. Here's your champagne and please have a seat. First, the Bandits love call stories. Care to share yours with us?

Kay: Last year in mid-January, I was packing my family to get ready for a trip to visit my Dad for his 81st birthday. The phone rang and it was my wonderful agent Helen Breitwieser. She usually emails so I knew this was momentous news. She said Harlequin Intrigue really liked my story but it was too long for their line and would I be willing to cut my single title story to a category length. (This meant cutting about 80 pages of the manuscript.)

Was I willing to do that?

"Of course I can."

"Okay, let me call them back. I'll email you, it will probably be tomorrow before we hear anything."

Well, after that awesome call I had to get in the car and drive 8 hours to my parents' house. And let me tell you, it was a good thing we were almost packed because I don't think I could have remembered to pack underwear or shoes or anything, I was so excited.

We didn't really have a deal yet. Just a "Gee, we're interested." And I didn't know if they'd want me to do all that cutting first and see it before they made the offer or after. And I had a long drive to think about that, too. A very long drive.

When we got to my parent's house it was 2 am, and everyone was wiped out from the drive, so I didn't want to get into the news just yet. But my Dad has always been such a cheerleader for my writing. Growing up he always told me I could do whatever I set my mind to. When I went to tell my parents good night after the kids were finally in bed, I just had to tell my folks that I thought I "might" be about to sell my book. The looks on their faces were priceless.

I couldn't sleep after all that and I had to go online to see if there was any news. I really wasn't expecting any until much later that day. It was now about 3:30 in the morning and everyone was fast asleep but yes, there was the email from Helen! Harlequin had made an offer. I was shouting on the inside but I couldn't go wake anyone up to say it was finally real.

They'd all just gotten to sleep. But oh, that evening we got to celebrate my Dad's birthday with the rest of my extended family and my book sale. I don't think I could have given my Dad a greater birthday gift than telling him about my dream come true in person.

Suz: BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF is your debut novel being released later this month. Could you tell us the premise behind the story?

Kay: Sure, BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF is about a woman who gets caught up in the vaccine autism controversy when her sister disappears and leaves behind her autistic son. Gina Rodgers is an ad executive with no idea how to care for her nephew Adam and his overwhelming needs. She finds an unlikely ally in Adam's play therapist, Harlan Jeffries. He's a former Marine sniper looking for redemption in working with special needs children.

Suz: Your hero in BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF is Harlan Jeffries. He's my favorite kind of hero-big, strong, buff, with both a tender heart and a secret. Can you tell us more about what makes him tick?

Kay: Harlan is yummy, isn’t he? I had great time creating him. He is a Marine home on medical leave after being injured in Iraq. Haunted by all he’s seen and done there, he’s also trying to figure out what he’s going to do with his life now. While he’s working through all this, he’s working with Adam doing floortime. A type of play therapy for autistic kids that lay people can do. (Not a lot of special training required. You just have to like to play!) Yes, he does have a secret, but I hate to give that away here today.

Suz: What did you like best about Harlan? What drove you crazy about him?

Kay: Oooh, there were lots of things I like about him. He isn't perfect and even though he's very alpha, he doesn't necessarily have a big ego. In fact he's struggling with figuring out if he makes a difference anymore. He's sustained a terrible back injury and doesn't feel like a hero at all. He loves kids and he's very driven to help people. And of course, Gina doesn't want to be helped or saved in any way.

I really enjoyed showing him how much of a difference he could make in Gina's and Adam's lives just by being present, not necessarily by doing the physical things that he would normally consider heroic. Gina and Adam are the perfect people to show Harlan that he doesn't have to do anything special to make himself a hero. That whole idea of being loved for who you are, not for what you can do for someone.

Suz: Gina Rodgers, the heroine in BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF sees herself as a "screwup". How do you see her?

Kay: I see Gina as a woman who has struggled in the past to become independent from her family. She's now a competent and successful businesswoman, but thrown into the difficult situation of caring for an autistic five-year-old. While dealing with the emotional ramifications of that and looking for her missing sister, Gina feels all her old insecurities rising again. She has no idea how to care for her nephew. She needs help and she hates that she has to rely on Harlan for it.

She's also falling hard for Harlan whom she's not entirely sure she can trust. But she has to trust him because he's the only one who can help her when bullets start flying and it's obvious someone is after her and Adam. The situation pushes all her 'competency buttons' simultaneously so that she feels like she's losing control on every level.

Suz: Gina's nephew in BETTER THAN BULLTETPROOF has autism. It's a condition you are intimately associated with. Would you care to fill our readers in on that?

Kay: Yes, as you can probably tell from my answers above I'm rather passionate about this. Eight years ago my son was diagnosed with autism and we immediately dove into an intensive array of biomedical and traditional therapies for him. He worked hard and responded amazingly well. I will be forever grateful to a multitude of people that I can never repay for giving me back my son. People who worked with him, played with him, prayed for him and for my family. Incredibly generous parents I've met through autism groups online but never met in person who shared their hard won knowledge and advice when we got stuck in various stages of treatment. Doctors, teachers, therapists, and friends who gave so much over the years. It's a very long list.

Even with exceptional treatment, you don't always get the kind of results we did. It's been an extraordinarily humbling and overwhelming experience. Today I look at my son when he's yakking away (a miracle in itself), and I think about where we were 9 years ago. I'm completely awed.

Suz: If someone wanted to learn more about autism or become involved in helping where would recommend they start?

Kay: I'm so glad you asked. There are many great autism resources on the Internet now.

My favorite is www.nationalautismassociation.org

1-877-NAA-AUTISM

Their motto is "Think Autism. Think Cure."

They have fabulous resources for treatment options, conferences, and the latest news in the autism world. Practically every reputable autism site on the web is listed at NAA--Autism Research Institute, Talk About Curing Autism, Generation Rescue, Autism One. Please check them out.

And if you lose the address or can't remember it when you're chatting with someone, I have a list of autism resources on my website under links. NAA is at the top of the list.
Here's an article for more information:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/childrens-health/2008/12/11/a-parents-guide-to-managing-vaccinations.html

Suz: Was there any special reason you wanted to write BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF?

Kay: BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF is very much the “book of my heart” because the subject matter is so steeped in autism and treatment. I struggled not to “tell too much” as I wrote and to stay focused on the characters—not getting too carried away on a topic which is so close to home. It’s my greatest hope that readers can enjoy Harlan and Gina’s story and be entertained by it as well as learn a bit about autism—an epidemic that is sweeping the country and stealing away some of the brightest children of a generation.


Suz: This is your first book for Harlequin INTRIGUE. Do you have any other up and coming books with them?

Kay: Yes! I have an April Intrigue titled BULLETPROOF TEXAS. The release date is April 14, 2009 and I had a blast writing it. BULLETPROOF TEXAS pulls in some of the characters from BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF.

Suz: Oooo, I love series books where secondary characters get to pop again! Can you give us a hint about it? When will it be released?

Kay: It's a romantic suspense thriller about a pharmaceutical research scientist and a brooding caving guide who are forced to work together extracting a cancer-eating bacteria from a flooding Texas Hill Country cave. As the sparks fly and the sexual tension increases, so do the dangers when a competitor decides this potential cure shouldn't see the light of day--and is willing to kill anyone who gets in the way.

Kay:Suz, thanks so much for having me here in the lair today. 2008 was a remarkable and exciting year for me. I can hardly wait to see what happens in 2009. I was wondering what you and your readers are most looking forward to in the New Year? What is it about January and new beginnings that you most enjoy?

Kay is giving away an autographed copy of BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF to one commentor today.
(By the way, Kay loves boston terriors, so this one came to drink champagne with us today! Isn't he cute?)

January 2009 Coming Attractions

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!

We have an exciting list of guests and special blog topics from our Banditas for this month. Let’s start the year off with a bang!

Tomorrow, January 2, Bandita Suzanne guests Harlequin Intrigue writer Kay Thomas whose debut book BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF got a 4 ½ star rating from Romantic Times.

Join us on January 6 for Bandita Kate’s guest Maureen Child to celebrate her release of BEDEVILED. (Check out that HOT cover!) We'll party hearty and discuss her ultra HOT Fae Warriors and the women who love them!



RITA-nominated author Pamela Clare, Joan’s guest on January 13, will talk about her new historical release UNTAMED. Join us to hear about this historical set in a different time period.



On January 19, we welcome my guest Misa Ramirez, to celebrate the release of her debut book LIVING THE VIDA LOCA. Misa also hosts "Chasing Heroes," which you can check out at http://www.chasingheroes.com/.




Aunty Cindy welcomes guest writer Tina Ferraro on January 21 to discuss her new YA release, THE ABC'S OF KISSING BOYS.


January 27 brings to the Lair another of Trish’s guests, Helen Scott Taylor. Helen celebrates the release of her American Title Contest-winning paranormal romance THE MAGIC KNOT.



On January 29 Jeanne hosts guest Heidi Betts whose contemporary debut TANGLED IN LOVE, a "funny, sexy yarn," releases this month.

And on the last day of the month, January 31, Kirsten's guest, New York Times best-selling author Angela Fox, joins us to discuss her Accidental Demon Slayer series.


In addition, the Banditas will visit RNTV the week of January 26-30. Join us and our hosts Romance Novel Television for a great week of Bandita Banter. Last time we invaded, the party was so loud, they had to call the authorities! Let's make it even bigger this time round!