LAUNCH PARTY!!!! WOOT! T-minus 6 days..5..

by Jeanne Adams

WOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!
<It's LAUNCH DAY for DEADLY LITTLE LIES!!!

And yes, I AM shouting. Grins. I'm going to apologize right up front for shouting and happy dancing, and being just a liiiittttle bit immodest.

This would be the reason: Deadly Little Lies was the book that almost wasn't. It was written during one of the darker periods in my life as my father's health was failing, and I had a difficult time getting it completed.

(BTW, Thank you again, to all the Banditas and BB's who helped me through all that. Ya'll quite simply rock!)

Of course, once I got it done, I had to edit all the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth out of it before I turned it in. There was a LOT of that. I mean, a LOT.

And, ya'know, heroes in modern stories just shouldn't gnash their teeth. Really. Bad for their teeth, right? Grins. And my hero, Davros, called Dav, my dashing Greek shipping magnate, has beautiful teeth. I couldn't endanger those pearly whites!
Then in edits, I had to be sure I had the timeline straight (Oy!) and, when I made Dav, and Carrie, the heroine, go down some dark, spooky and very forgotten tunnels, I had to be sure I brought them back out the SAME WAY. (EEK!)

I actually had to make a map of the tunnels so that I was sure I had done it right. Good thing I like to draw because MAN was that complicated! Yikes!

For those of you who write, I know you feel my pain, right? Right? Please say you do, and if you don't lie, and make me feel better, okay?

For those readers who aren't also writers, this is how it goes sometimes. You feel like you're pulling the book out of your imagination a struggling word at a time. Ex-haust-ing.

Then you turn it in. And you wait. And you get nervous. And you decide it's the absolute worst book you ever wrote and you're going to die of mortification when it comes out and bombs and....and...and....

My only comfort was the memory of hearing La Nora (Roberts) say that sometimes, in the middle of the book, she'll call a friend and complain that she's never written such terrible schlock in her life, and it's the worst pile of (expletive deleted) she's ever seen.

Yeah, but she's La Nora, my errant thoughts would remind me. So I would resume my pacing.

Insomnia.

Nervous Wreck.

I considered taking up serious drinking as a contact sport.

Grins. But I really like to drink to CELEBRATE, so.....

Much to my (immense) delight, and relief, DEADLY LITTLE LIES received a TOP PICK from Romantic Times Magazine. The reviewer wrote:

"Non -stop action and heart-stopping danger make this book unputdownable!"

Now, I don't know about you, but unputdownable sounds pretty darn good. I don't know if it's a real word, but I don't care. Now you can understand my relief. Other reviewers have said they stayed up late to finish it in one gulp.

WHEW!!! Thank heavens.

But my insomnia had actually started early on, in the production stage, after the "get the timeline straight" call from my editor. Did you know that authors do cover quotes? I'm sure you read those. At least all of us newer authors HOPE you read them. If you don't read them, please don't tell me.

If you do....what do you think of them? Do you ever take a look at a book based on the cover quote?

Oh, and to give you further insight into my insecurity, you realize that those much-more-famous-than-me authors actually have to read the book, ahead of time, and quote on it?

As I approached that stage, I was all but ready to throw in the writing towel. I was sure my colleagues would laugh...or worse, pity my poor efforts. I was a flat, wrung out mess.

One of my all-time favorite NYTimes Bestselling authors, Dianna Love, is going to here in the Lair in a week or so. She's written innumerable fabulous books, both on her own and with Sherrilyn Kenyon. One of my all-time favorites of hers is Blood Trinity, the first in the Belador Series.

So you can imagine that I nearly keeled over and died when she gave me a quote for the cover of Deadly Little Lies, calling it: "...an edge of your seat read."

(That's Dianna in one of her fabulous Blood Trinity t-shirts, with a fan)

Oh, lawdy, where's my celebratory cocktail? Really, really, relieved. Grateful, and relieved. You see, I had the worst time re-reading this book for edits. Terrible. Usually I sail through all of that. Not. This. Time. So I had to send this book to my colleagues before I gave it a last edit.

HORRORS!!!!

So, imagine my even greater surprise when the 2011 RWA Lifetime Achievement Winner, the inestimable Sharon Sala offered to give me a quote. I felt like both the book and I were a hot mess, but Sharon said I was worried about nothing. She said there was "...sizzle on every page."

SO, now, more than with any other book, I'm in the mood to really celebrate a LAUNCH DAY!!!

Sven! Bring the special Hurricane Earthquake Punch!!! (Hey, we have to also celebrate the fact that the power stayed on in the Lair, in the Writing Caves, and at my house because several of us have Sept. 1 deadlines! And no earthquake damage!)

Paolo!! Bring the hors d'oeuvres! We need sustenance for our Launch Partying.

Demetrius!! Bring the torches! Someone needs to light up these caves....which leads me to giving you a little excerpt. Grins. Dav, the hero, is claustrophobic. His enemy had locked him, and his lady-love in an underground cell. They have to figure a way out....they find a door and...

Dav took a deep breath and started into the tunnel. The light wobbled, then steadied and he could feel the warmth of Carrie's presence at his back. Two steps in, she wrapped her fingers in the loop of his belt. Somehow, the contact was reassuring, bracing. The palpable connection made the dark less horrifying.

Much later, they're both despairing....

"I want to keep going, she insisted. What if there's a way out, just beyond this?" She stopped suddenly and he heard her draw in a shaky breath. "Oh, my God, Dav, what if it's a dead end?"

"Carrie," he kept his voice firm in the face of her rising panic. "I will not allow you to die. I have told you this, yes?" We will find a way out. Now, come and sit down, rest. You can tell me your secrets and I will tell you mine."

In spite of his own fears, Dav makes sure Carrie feels safe. He's really a wonderful hero, without being "too perfect to live" like some heroes are. He gets hurt, bruised, banged up, has a panic attack about being underground (his father used to lock him up as punishment - something to panic about!), and yet, he keeps himself level for her sake. He's kind of like a 21st Century, Greek Indiana Jones in a way.

Although, he's really more Thomas Crown than a McGyver type, but he's smart and he can figure it out.

Carrie on the other hand, is more like McGyver. She's the one with the pocket knife that has 27 tools. She's the one who figures out an alternative exit.

She's more like Annie Walker on Covert Affairs, without being a spy. Or maybe a bit more like the Julia Roberts character, Maggie Carpenter, in Runaway Bride, she is capable, competent, and mechanically inclined, but she's got some scars that keep her wary.

If you read DEADLY LITTLE SECRETS last year, you'll have already met both Davros "Dav" Gianakopulos and Carrie McCray. I hope you liked them and will want to read their story in DEADLY LITTLE LIES.

In my regular form and fashion, things blow up. There's a fairly high body count. Grins. Oh, and did I mention a LOT of twists and turns?


This would be why you need the torches. Ha!

So, grab a flashlight, pen light, mag light or torch, get a Bloody Mary, or a Margarita, or a glass of milk and some of Sven's famous chocolate chip cookies (He stole the recipe from Joanie T - YUM!!!!), and grab a chair and start reading.

Then....riddle me this, spelunkers....

Are you more like Bond or McGyver? Annie Walker (Covert Affairs) or Maggie Carpenter (Runaway Bride)?

What about your Significant Other? Or if you don't have one at the moment, which type do you prefer? The polished, lethal weapon-type like Bond, or the rougher-hewn, all-purpose, get-you-out-of-any-jam like McGyver?

Or in more recent vernacular, are you more like Michael Weston (plan it, execute it) from Burn Notice, or Hank (use what's at hand, make it work) from Royal Pains? And which do you prefer?

Don't even get me started on Neil, the guy from White Collar.....whew!!!

Let's get this party STARRRRRRRTED!!!! Music! Lights!!! Cookies!!! Drinks!!!

The Book or the Film?

by Anna Sugden

There has been a lot of controversy lately with the new Bond film 'Quantum of Solace' (where do they get these titles?!). For those of you unaware of the issues troubling Bond fans, it's all to do with the last two (Daniel Craig) movies.

You see, they go back to the beginning and tell the story of how Bond developed into the character we know today. The purists believe that this is the only way to see Bond and that this is as close to the James Bond of the Ian Fleming books as we've seen, since George Lazenby. Film fans, meanwhile, are horrified that some of the classic Bond-isms eg 'Martini, shaken not stirred' and Q, are missing from these films. It doesn't matter (much *g*) who plays Bond, but the Bond-isms have to be there.

All of which got me thinking about the problems with turning books into films.

Think of the controversy about the Harry Potter films. Though it's obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense that turning an 800-plus page tome into a two hour film is just the teensiest bit tricky, die-hard fans get quite upset that chunks of the story have had to be left out. They don't see why it's a problem to capture all the depth of characterisation and complexity of plot, without seeing that the end result would be a major bum-numbing epic!

They had the same problem with Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code'.

Similarly, the recent version of 'Pride and Prejudice' (once you've got over the horror of anyone other than Colin Firth playing Mr Darcy!) raised hackles by straying from the well-known and much-loved story.

That's not to say that any of these films is bad - they're just not 'as good' as the book. Personally, I think they're very entertaining and enjoy them for what they are ... but that's just me (except for 'Pride and Prejudice' - which I didn't like!)

You only need to speak with authors like Lisa Gardner about the adapatations of their books to know how they feel about what was done with their beloved stories.

On the other side of the coin, are the movies that are better (in the viewer's mind) than the book. The one that stands out most for me, is 'Practical Magic' (starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and the drool-worthy Goran Visnij and Aidan Quinn). While Alice Hoffman's book is very good, the film has much more charm.

And then, there are the multitude of TV adaptations (Thank you, BBC) and movies that are really good translations of the printed word to the screen. The Colin Firth version of 'Pride and Prejudice', 'A Town Like Alice' (the Bryan Brown TV series) and Inspector Morse are just a few examples.

I've seen a number of debates about potential movies made from popular series. Who would play Eve Dallas and Roarke (pause to drool) if they made the JD Robb '... In Death' series into movies? What about Ranger, Joe Morelli and Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's series? It's a brave director and producer who take on such feats - because you know you going to irritate a bunch of people no matter what you do!

I know that the fabulous Robert Crais has sworn not to allow his books to be made into movies or TV series, because he wants the reader to have their own interpretation of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike - not one fashioned by Hollywood.

So, what do you think? Do you like books being converted to films? Which do you think have been done well and which badly? Have you read a book which inspired a film and been disappointed? Does it matter if book and film don't match exactly? Are there books you would love to see turned into movies? We all dream of our books being optioned, but how would you feel if the only recognisable element was the title?!

And who would play the yummy scrummy Roarke? Or Ranger?

Lucky Seven.... by Jeanne Adams

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

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

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

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

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

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

He's Back ... And He's Still My Hero

By Kate

As everyone knows, we here at Romance Bandits constantly strive to keep our busy fingers on the pulse of popular culture. Regular visitors to the Lair have come to depend on our ability to deliver the very latest and most important news of the world and beyond. It's our pledge to you, one we don't make lightly.

So you can imagine my shock and dismay when I stumbled across this MAJOR piece of news literally buried under rows and rows of lesser important headlines about ... oh, whatever ... stock market crash, Britney woes, blah blah blah. Who cares?? Let's talk real news!! Here it is, folks ...

The latest James Bond film -- starring Daniel Craig! -- has begun production and will be released in November!!

Hallelujah!!

(Oh, my. I need a moment.)


Whew.








Okay. So the thing is, they're calling the new movie ... The Quantum of Solace.

I know what you're thinking. The Quantum of Solace. It sounds so ... smart! Right? Like, all technical and space-age-y! Or something. To be honest, I'm not real sure what it means. I had to go to dictionary.com to figure it out. Hey, I never said I was a genius.

And I suppose it beats Octopussy for a title ...

Anyway, back to today's topic. James Bond. Hmm, well, to be honest, that's not exactly the topic I had in mind. But it's close. I'm talking about heroes! The ones in our books. The ones we write about. The ones we fall in love with and hope our readers do, too. The ones we dream about and cherish forever.

I'll bet you can still name your favorite heroes from books you read ten years ago. I know I can. There's Lyon, the Marquis of Lyonwood, from Julie Garwood's The Lion's Lady. And Grayson Thane, from Nora Roberts' Born In Ice. So many more.


And here's the thing. In my mind, those heroes, and the heroes I write about, always look a little like James Bond. Always.

What can I say? I love him. I mean, them. All of them. Especially Daniel Craig. And Pierce Brosnan. And oh-my-God, Sean Connery. But hey, I even loved Timothy Dalton. And David Niven in the first Casino Royale.

I'm a serial James Bond lover.



I first fell in love with James Bond when I was thirteen and discovered a copy of Ian Fleming's Dr. No in my father's sock drawer. Oh sure, I spent part of my reading time giggling about all the bat guano that covered the cave walls of Dr. No's evil lair, but I was well and truly hooked. James Bond was my first crush.

And I love him still. He's the ultimate bad boy hero. A party animal to be sure, but let's face it, when the chips are down, James Bond saves the world every time.

Seriously, ladies. A man who can make a perfect martini and save the world, all in less than two hours? What's not to love about this guy?!


So ... do you have a favorite James Bond? A favorite Bond film?

And heaven forbid, if James isn't your cup of tea, who is? Is there an actor you think of when you dream up a new hero? Johnny Depp, anyone? :-)

Tell me all about your favorite hero! I've got a $20 Amazon.com gift card for one lucky visitor who shares today!