Summertime Booty!

THANX to everyone who turned out last Sunday to share their hectic summer with Marie Force!

Now for the booty...

SUPER CONGRATS
to

MAUREEN

You are the winner of a copy of Marie's Fatal Consequences!

Please contact Marie at marie AT marieforce DOT com.

Summertime and the Living Is (Not) Easy!

posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy

We've reached the end of another GREAT month in the Lair and I'm thrilled to send July out with a BANG (or is that boom?) by welcoming my good friend and Lair favorite Marie Force back for a visit. The third book in Marie's "Fatal" series, Fatal Consequences, was released this month, along with a lot of other stuff. But I'll let Marie tell you all about it:

Greetings to the Banditas! Thank you SO much to my dear friend Aunty Cindy and the gang for having me back again to celebrate the release of my new book, Fatal Consequences. This is book 3 in my Fatal Series, which pairs D.C. homicide detective Lt. Sam Holland with U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano. The Fatal books mix romance with politics and mystery, and book 3 has plenty of all three. Here’s a brief bit about the book:

The murder of two members of the Capitol Cleaning Service might’ve been just another homicide investigation—that is if one of them hadn’t been romantically involved with a married senator from Arizona. Lt. Sam Holland and her team are plunged into another complex case that at first seems open and shut. But as Sam tugs on the threads of the investigation she uncovers a deep, dark Washington secret that threatens the careers of some of the government’s highest-ranking officials. Racing to catch a killer before he can strike again, Sam and her fiancé, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, attempt to plan a wedding while her colleague Detective Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales faces life-changing news.

It’s fitting that I should end what has been one of the most insane months of my life with my friends at the Romance Bandits. I definitely need to celebrate that July 2011 is coming to an end. Let me give you the rundown… keeping in mind that Fatal book 4, Fatal Flaw, was due yesterday.

July began with the final day of the Romance Writers of America conference in New York City. Fatal Flaw was about half done at this point, and not going well for reasons to be discussed later. After sprinting home to spend the Fourth of July holiday with my family, I had to re-pack for a six-day trip to Atlanta for my day job’s annual meeting. Not a word got written on Flaw while my daughter and I were in Atlanta.

Returning home, we celebrated her 16^th birthday and the launch of Fatal Consequences, both on the 18^th. That same day, she started driver’s ed from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. for ten straight weekdays. Oh the joy of hauling a sixteen-year-old out of bed at 5:20 a.m., in the summer, for driver’s ed. Around that same time, she got her first real job, working as a hostess in a five-star restaurant in downtown Newport, RI, which is about thirty minutes from where we live. And did I mention my son, soon-to-be 13, is attending sailing camp, also in downtown Newport, but during the day. One kid to Newport in the morning, the other kid to Newport in the afternoon and an 11 p.m. pickup for the working girl. My husband helps, but since I work from home, most of it falls on me.

Did I mention that we are gearing up at work to move our company’s website to a new platform? To save some money, we decided to hand move all 800 pages and 10,000 linked files and images ourselves. And that started this week , the same week my book is due and the same week the quarterly magazine I edit for work is on deadline. Calgon, where are you when I need you? Thankfully, (and I never thought I’d say this), our designer is running late on the magazine, and it got bumped to next week. There is a God.

Back to Fatal Flaw, which hung over my head like a shiny, sharp guillotine this entire month. I finished it at 9 p.m. on July 29, the day before it was due. I wrote 18,000 words in three days, and my hands feel like they’re 80 and arthritic. Thankfully, I have three faithful beta readers who were critiquing as I went, which is how we managed to discover. . .wait for it. . . a fatal flaw in the story.

This is my 19^th book, so I have somewhat of a routine by now, but nothing was working, and I didn’t have the luxury of time to blame it on the stress and chaos of my life. The writing was like pulling teeth, and I couldn’t figure out why. Then, when I was 70,000 words into the book, my betas helped me identify a major problem (aka the fatal flaw) in the story. Once I fixed that by writing five new opening chapters—something I have never done before—the writing flowed the way it normally does, giving me an ‘ah-ha’ moment: If the writing is like pulling teeth, something is wrong. Figure out what’s wrong and fix it. My editor and I have chatted about watching out what we name future books so as not to bring the bad karma to the writing.

To say I am THRILLED that July 2011 is behind me is putting it mildly. I plan to spend August working on that website migration at work and in my free time, catching up on my TBR, lolling about on the beach and my dad’s boat, hanging with my kids and having a bunch of family and friends visit. I am sooooo ready for a break from the pressure cooker. Later in August, I plan to get to work on my fourth McCarthy book and hopefully a Christmas novella for that series. In addition, I have four other books I am preparing for publication, starting later this year: Georgia on My Mind as well as my beloved Treading Water trilogy: Treading Water, Marking Time and Starting Over, so be on the lookout for all of them soon!

Summertime and the living is easy—or not. Which is it for you? Thanks for coming by and helping me to celebrate the end of the month from hell! I’ll give a copy of Fatal Consequences to one commenter today.

Keep an eye out for the Sept. 5 launch of the FREE Fatal wedding novella, Fatal Destiny, in which Sam and Nick tie the knot. Until then, I’ll be at the beach!

Enjoy the beach, Marie! Sounds like you could use a rest!

Marie Force is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press. The series includes FATAL AFFAIR, FATAL JUSTICE, FATAL CONSEQUENCES and FATAL DESTINY, which is out Sept. 5. FATAL FLAW is coming in February 2012.

Earlier this year, Marie published her popular, bestselling McCarthys of Gansett Island Series: MAID FOR LOVE, FOOL FOR LOVE and READY FOR LOVE, with more books coming soon in the series. Find out more about Marie and her books at her website: www.mariesullivanforce.com, on her blog at http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com, where she runs the weekly Romance & Oreos Book Club, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Marie-Force/248130827909, and on Twitter @marieforce.

July Coming Attractions

Can you believe this year is already half over? We've had so many amazing books and wonderful authors visit the Lair already, and there is yet another half-year yet to come. If July is any indication, you're all going to have a ton of fabulous books stacking up on your teetering TBR piles.

Check out these wonderful authors visiting us this month:


On July 5, Patricia Rice returns to the Lair with the latest in her Rebellious Sons historical series, The Devilish Montague. Join Patricia and Nancy and see how a stolen parrot brings Blake Montague and Jocelyn Byrd-Carrington to the altar.

Then on July 7th, Aunty Cindy hosts Rita Nominee Kendra Leigh Castle whose new series Dark Dynasties debuted a few days ago with Dark Awakening. (Aunty drools over hunky cover)

Will a vampire's vow of eternal protection stop the evil forces a human Seer has the power to awaken...or will he unleash her dark destiny?

Rose Maybud will be Donna's guest on the 8th. And the fabulously fun MJ Fredrick will be hanging out with Trish on the 9th, chatting about her summer releases.

Then on Monday, 11th July, Anna Campbell talks to historical romance author Christina Brooke (www.christina-brooke.com) about her wonderful new series THE MINISTRY OF MARRIAGE. The first book in the series, HEIRESS IN LOVE, is out in July and it’s a humdinger! And isn’t that such a pretty cover?


Later in the month, on July 19, thriller author Jon Land makes his Lair debut. He and Nancy will chat about Strong at the Break, the latest installment in his series about fifth-ge neration Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong.


On Wednesday, 27th July, lair regular Miranda Neville (www.mirandaneville.com) and Anna Campbell will talk about Miranda’s fantastic new release THE AMOROUS EDUCATION OF CELIA SEATON. I’m so looking forward to reading this book – Miranda’s THE DANGEROUS VISCOUNT was one of my favorite reads last year.



Sandy Blair is chatting with Suz on July 28th.






Lair favorite Marie Force returns on July 31st to celebrate the launch of book three of her "Fatal" series: Fatal Consequences.


The murder of two members of the Capitol Cleaning Service might’ve been just another homicide investigation—that is If one of them hadn’t been romantically involved with a married senator from Arizona. Racing to catch a killer before he can strike again, Lt. Sam Holland and her fiancé, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, attempt to plan a wedding while her colleague Detective Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales faces life-changing news.

Whew!! As usual, I'm inspired and impressed by the variety of talented authors who visit with us. And even more impressed with the gorgeous covers!! Wowza, baby. Talk about hot (especially the hot pink). And with even more Bandita fun, be sure to check out this great contest!


Anna Campbell is running a Mammoth and Midnight contest in July and August. Anna’s giving away THREE signed copies of THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF REGENCY ROMANCE which includes her mini-novella “Upon a Midnight Clear”. Winners will also receive a bonus signed http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifcopy of MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION. All you need to do to be in the draw is email Anna on anna@annacampbell.info and tell her http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifthe names of the two characters who appear in the excerpt from “The Chinese Bed” on her website. You’ll find the answer here: http://www.annacampbell.info/chinesebed.html The contest closes 31st August, 2011. For more information, please visit Anna’s contest page: http://www.annacampbell.info/contest.html


Now that's enough to keep your July steaming hot, isn't it?! Be sure to drop by the blog all month long, as you can see, we're going to have a great time.

Marie's Fatal Justice Winner!

BIG THANX to everyone who turned out last week to help Marie Force celebrate her new release, Fatal Justice.

Aunty fired up the handy dandy Random Number Generator to come up with a WINNER...

SUPER CONGRATS TO:

Runner10!!!

Please contact Marie at marie AT marieforce DOT com to claim your very own copy of Fatal Justice!

Marie Force Celebrates Her "Fatal" Series

posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy

Our guest today is my good writer-buddy and frequent visitor to the Lair, Marie Force. Here are a few things you might not know about her:

Since 1996, Marie has been the communications director for a national organization similar to RWA. She is a member of RWA’s New England, From the Heart and Published Author Special Interest Chapters. While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of Emily, 15, Jake, 12, and a feisty dog named Brandy. Marie is the author of a romantic suspense series, FATAL AFFAIR (June 2010) and FATAL JUSTICE (Jan. 2011), Books 1 and 2 in her new Fatal Series from Harlequin’s Carina Press. Book 3, FATAL CONSEQUENCES, is coming in July 2011, FATAL DESTINY in September 2011 and FATAL FLAW in February 2012.

AC: Welcome back to the Lair, Marie!

We’re thrilled to have you here to celebrate the release of your latest, Fatal Justice, the second book in your romantic suspense Fatal Series for Carina Press. Please tell us what your two lead characters Sam and Nick are up to in this latest story.

Marie: Hi there Aunty and all the Banditas! I’m so happy to back for another visit. Thanks for having me!

Sam and Nick return for another adventure in Fatal Justice. They’re newly in love and working out the boundaries of their relationship in the context of two high-pressure jobs: she’s a D.C. homicide detective and he’s a U.S. senator. In this book, Sam investigates the murder of a Supreme Court nominee with the added caveat that she and Nick were two of the last people to see the victim before he was killed. Also in Fatal Justice, Sam pursues a new lead into her father’s unsolved shooting that leads to danger for her. I’m really excited to get book 2 out to readers!

AC: And I can't wait to read it! What particular challenges have you faced in writing a series with the same couple as the main characters?

Marie: While writing Fatal Justice, I was enduring the roller coaster ride of Fatal Affair being on submission. I was disappointed that romance editors weren’t interested in a series featuring the same couple in every book. Boo! Thankfully, the ladies at Carina Press love the idea, and readers are telling me they do, too! I had a feeling they might…

The primary challenge as the series continues is keeping Sam and Nick’s relationship conflicted enough that it stays interesting but no so conflicted that it’s unrealistic. I found that to be a particular challenge in the third book, Fatal Consequences, which I finished in November. I’ve decided that readers don’t want to see them “fighting for their survival” in every book, so they will grapple with a lot of the stuff everyone deals with but in the context of their high-profile Washington lives.

AC: Sounds juicy! (rubs hands together with glee) What were some of the rewards?

Marie: I love slipping back into the Fatal world. It’s like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers. I’m working now on Fatal Destiny, the novella that will feature Sam and Nick’s wedding, and it gets easier with every book to submerge myself in the new story. I know the characters very well at this point. I said to someone recently that the scenes featuring Sam and Nick almost write themselves because I know exactly what each of them would say in most situations.

I’m also really enjoying the secondary characters, including Sam’s partner, Detective Freddie Cruz, Detective Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales, Sam’s father Skip Holland, the O’Connors and the rest of the cast. I gave Freddie, Gonzo and Detective Jeannie McBride major subplots in Fatal Consequences and expect to further develop their characters in future books. Freddie is also prominently featured in Fatal Justice. He’s a trip to write!

AC: Since you also write contemporary romance as well as romantic suspense, do you use a different process?

Marie: I wish I could say my process is different for the suspense books, but I tend to fall back on the same chaotic seat-of-the-pants madness that has fueled all my books. I sold Fatal Consequences and book 4, Fatal Flaw, on proposal, which required synopses. While writing Fatal Consequences, I never once referred back to the synopsis , so it was the same process all over again even though I had done some initial plotting. I really hate knowing what’s going to happen ahead of time. I often have no idea “who done it” until Sam figures it out. I like it that way. It keeps me engaged in the book and the mystery.

However, one of these days my head is probably going to explode from keeping all this stuff locked up in my brain! That’s why I recently hired one of my Beta readers to index books 2 and 3 for me. I did the first book, Fatal Affair, myself and it took an entire weekend. Since I’m staring down a Feb. 28 deadline, I’m very grateful to my friend Aly for taking over the indexing job for me. As I write the fourth story, I’m finding it harder and harder to keep track of all the details, so it will be great to have a series “bible” to refer back to while working on future books.

In reference to the differences between contemporary and suspense, they don’t require different techniques mostly because the Fatal books are also contemporaries. However, it does take a significant amount of brain cells and bone marrow to keep the suspense portion of the Fatal books moving along at a good clip and to end up with a reasonable conclusion to the murder mystery.

AC: Where can readers find the Fatal series?

Marie: They’re available at Carina Press http://ebooks.carinapress.com (just look under "romantic suspense" on the sidebar) and everywhere e-books are sold. I’ve been asked a lot about where Nook users can find Fatal Justice if it’s not yet available on barnesandnoble.com, where it will be eventually. Nook users can download the ePub format from Carina.

AC: What’s next for you?

Marie: I have a print book out on Feb. 1, Everyone Loves a Hero. Also in February, I’ll be running a promotion to give readers the opportunity to plan Sam and Nick’s wedding. Watch my website at www.mariesullivanforce.com for details about how you can participate and win some great prizes.

Fatal Affair will be released in print by Harlequin in July via the eHarlequin website. Also in July is Fatal book 3, Fatal Consequences. The free wedding novella, Fatal Destiny, is out in September as part of Harlequin’s romantic suspense week. Book 4, Fatal Flaw, will be out in February of 2012.

I also recently posted two of my unsold contemporaries, True North and The Fall, to Amazon and have been blown away by the response from readers. That’s been very exciting!

AC: WOW! My head is spinning! 2011 promises to be a very busy year for you. Did you make any resolutions? Or do you have plans or wishes you hope to see fulfilled?

Marie: I never make resolutions and tend to avoid writing goals. I don’t like to set myself up for failure. However, I do hope to exercise more in 2011 and I have set just one goal for my writing career: to finally sell the book of my heart, Treading Water. We’ll see if either of those things happens! Let’s put it this way—the slim chance of a book sale is probably far more likely than the exercise! LOL!

I’m looking forward to chatting with the Banditas today! I’m always curious about what readers think of romance series featuring the same couple in numerous books. So let me know what you think of that, tell me some of your resolutions and the most important question of all: will Bachelor Brad actually choose one of the women this time around? Inquiring minds want to know! I’m happy to give away a copy of Fatal Justice to one of you!

Thanks again for having me.

Marie Force Is In The Lair!

posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy

Welcome back to the Lair, Marie! So glad to have you with us again. Can you please tell us about your new release?

Thanks for having me back, Aunty! It's always a great pleasure to stop in for a visit with the Banditas. And I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at RWA!

Here's the skinny on Fatal Affair: On the morning of the most important vote of Senator John O’Connor’s career he is late—again. His best friend and chief of staff, Nick Cappuano sets off to O'Connor’s apartment expecting to roust him from bed and hoping he is alone. But what Nick finds is that O’Connor, the handsome, amiable Senator from Virginia, has been brutally murdered, and Nick’s world comes crashing down around him. Complicating the disaster, the detective assigned to the case is none other than Sam Holland, Nick’s one-night stand from six years earlier, the woman who broke his heart and haunts his dreams. With six years worth of unfinished business hanging between them and more than a few scores to settle personally and professionally, Nick and Sam set out to find the senator's killer while trying—and failing—to resist the overwhelming attraction between them that seems to have only grown over the years.

It soon becomes clear that the senator’s past holds secrets that not only led to his death but now endanger Nick and Sam as well. Working together to find a killer and to rediscover the love they thought they lost long ago, they must put the past behind them and build a future that offers a world of new opportunities for both of them—including an offer from the Virginia Democrats for Nick to finish the last year of John’s term. Find the book at http://ebooks.carinapress.com.

What other exciting things have been happening with you?

There's a really cool story behind the sale of Fatal Affair. When we put it out last year it didn't sell, primarily because editors were looking for a new couple in the second book, but I saw the series as Sam and Nick, their cast of supporting characters, romance, suspense and politics. Because I was already halfway through the second book I wasn't willing to retool the series idea at that point. So when I heard that Fatal Affair hadn't sold, I had to figure out what to do about that second book, Fatal Justice. After I had a big ole pity party, I decided to finish the book, which I did—a full year after I started it.

When Carina Press opened its doors last November, claiming that no great story should go untold, I figured why not? Carina bought Fatal Affair in February and Fatal Justice in May. Fatal Affair was released June 21 to wonderful reviews and in the latest issue of RT Magazine, I was named a Future Star of Romantic Suspense. From dead on arrival to future star in four months' time. Pinch me please!

Fatal Justice will be out in January. We've submitted the proposal for book 3, Fatal Consequences, to acquisition, and I've been chipping away at that as well as another contemporary I'm excited about. I guess my story with the Fatal Series just goes to prove that you never know what's going to happen in this business! I'm very excited to have the opportunity to write the series I wanted to write, and I'm thrilled to have connected with an editor and publisher that sees the series unfolding the same way I do.

What a FANTASTIC story about preserverence and believing in your work! Thanks for sharing that with us, Marie!

What are some of the challenges you've faced in writing your first series versus your stand alone titles?

That's a great question. As I begin book 3, I'm starting to feel the challenge of multiple characters and situations and relationships and plot lines. Remaining true to each of them is going to be a huge task. I was joking last week that I need to take a vacation to do a series bible, but since that's not going to happen any time soon, I'm soldiering through!

Here’s a little excerpt from Fatal Affair:

“Why haven’t you ever gotten married?” Sam asked Nick

“I don’t know. Just never happened.”

“Surely there had to have been someone."

“There was this one girl...”

“What happened?”

“She never returned my calls.”

Shocked and speechless, Sam stared at him.

“You asked.”

Tearing her eyes off him, she accelerated through the last intersection before the turn for the public safety parking lot. “Don’t say that to me,” she snapped. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do.”

She pulled into a space and slammed the car into park.

He grabbed her arm to stop her from getting out. “Calm down, Sam.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” She tugged her arm free of his grasp. “And save your cheesy lines for someone who’s buying. I don’t believe you anyway.”

“If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be so pissed right now.”

“Do you want to know what happened to your friend?”

With one blink, his hazel eyes shifted from amused to furious. “Of course I do.”

“Then you have to stop doing this to me, Nick. You’re winding me up in knots and pulling my eye off the ball. I need to be focused, one hundred percent focused on this case, and not on you!”

“What about when you’re off duty?” The teasing smile was back, but it didn’t steal the sadness from his eyes. “Can I wind you up in knots then?”

“Nick...”

Fixated on the drab-looking public safety building, he sighed. “We’re about to go in there and take John’s parents to see him laid out on a cold slab, and yet, all I can think about right now is how badly I want to kiss you. What kind of a friend does that make me? To him or to you?”

His tone was so full of sadness and grief that Sam softened a bit. “You were a great friend to him, and in the last twenty-four hours, except for the whole kissing thing, you’ve been helpful to me, too. Can we keep it that way? Please?”

“I’m trying, Sam. Really I am, but I can’t help that I feel this incredible pull to you. I know you feel it, too. You felt it six years ago—as strongly as I did—and you still do, even if you don’t want to. If we had met again under different circumstances, can you tell me the same thing wouldn’t be happening between us?”

“I have to go in now.” Her firm tone hid her seesawing emotions. “His parents are probably waiting for me, and I don’t want to drag this out for them. Are you coming?”

“Yeah.” He opened the door. “I’m coming.”


OOOO! Thanx for sharing that great excerpt, and for guesting with us today Marie!

Thanks you have having me, Aunty!

Now I have a question for readers: What do you think of a romance series with the same couple headlining every book? What are the things you like and dislike about this type of series? Thanks in advance for your input!

Marie Force's Bandit Booty

OOPS! Can't forget to announce the winners from Marie Force's guest blog on Monday! All those things we can't, or prefer NOT to do.

So without further adieu, I'll let Marie announce her winners!

Karen Olson gets a copy of Line of Scrimmage because we each had a tow rope-astrophy on a ski slope and that makes us friends for life. Never, ever let go... Because if you do, you might prove to be a human domino who takes out the whole row behind you... I'm just saying... Don't let go!
Lunatic Cafe gets Love at First Flight because I love her screen name and she's as much of a freak show flier as I am, so she NEEDS this book about a couple who form a bond on an airplane!

ALL RIGHT! Winners, please email Marie at marie AT marieforce DOT com to claim your prizes.

Marie Force Reveals What She Can't Do

posted by Marie Force with an assist from Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy

Thanks so much to my dear friend (and evil twin) Aunty Cindy and all the Banditas for having me back to the lair again. And thank you all for the lovely gathering in Washington, D.C. during the RWA conference. It was great to meet most of you in person after reading your blog the last couple of years. What a fun, dynamic, and successful bunch of women! I’m delighted to be in your presence today.

This is the last stop on my blog tour for my second book, Love at First Flight, which was released on July 1. (Can you hear me huffing and puffing as I reach the finish line?) And yes, I saved the best stop for last!

I’ve had the idea for this blog running around in my head all month after a comment a friend made recently. Lisa, a CPA, said, “I can’t believe you write books. I can’t write a letter.” Ahh, but my dear friend, you would not want me doing your taxes. Trust me on that.

I get this comment quite often, and I’m sure many of you do, too. People simply can’t believe they know someone who has the ability to write books. I can’t speak for the rest of you Banditas, but the writing gig is all I’ve got. There’s nothing else. To prove this, I thought it would be fun to make a list of all the things I can’t do . . . You might want to settle in with a cup of coffee and a snack as the list is rather long. Here we go:

I can’t:

• Do any kind of math. I have never balanced my checkbook, which the accountants I work for can’t bear to hear. They get hives and twitches when this subject comes up. Despite this lack of accountability, I’ve only ever bounced one check—sadly, the first mortgage check I ever wrote but that was my husband’s fault. We discovered that he can’t make a simple deposit correctly. My boss and I have a deal—I write for him, he does the math for me. It’s just better that way as I’ve proven it is possible to actually add incorrectly when using an Excel spreadsheet. I’m sure there’s some sort of class for that, but I lack the attention span to attend.
• Run in flip flops in the rain. This is a recent discovery learned the hard way when I hit a shiny painted crosswalk and went flying into the intersection as my horrified and mortified teenaged daughter looked on. After a moment of debate, which I saw on her face, she came back to pull me to my feet. But she didn’t want to.
• Do any sport that involves defying gravity. The list includes skiing (disastrous—generating the kind of stories that are told for a lifetime), ice skating (see skiing), rollerblading (see skiing), bike riding (a category unto itself), surfing (LOL, as if I’ve even tried it), and windsurfing (twenty years later, the ex-boyfriend no doubt still talks about trying to teach me).
• Garden. I am the killer of green things that most usually can’t be killed. Want it dead? Bring it to me. My brother-in-law, the professional horticulturist, has begged me to stop. Just stop. Please.
• Cook. A girl has one or three oven fires in a year, and suddenly she has a reputation. . . Somehow, my family manages to stay fed but the scream of the smoke detector is a more common occurrence than it probably should be. When the kids hear it, they yell, “Dinner’s ready!”
• Sing. This is a subject of some major controversy in my house. We’ve been talking about forming a garage band with my son playing his two chords on the guitar, my daughter on trombone, my husband on the drums, and me on vocals. My voice, I say, is my instrument. They have the nerve to mock me! I envision myself in Stevie Nicks-like flowing gowns playing air tambourine, but they deny me my dream. I have, however, recently come to the conclusion that I don’t actually sing well enough to have qualified for American Idol were it not for that pesky age requirement. (Don’t tell my family I said that as I hope to one day prevail on the garage band argument.)
• Drive. I hit things. Often. So far I’ve only almost hit one person, but that was her fault not mine. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. The car I recently traded in lacked paint on all four corners. I’m not entirely sure how that happened, but since the car was mostly mine, I probably had something to do with it. But just try to prove it . . .
• Fix anything. As my husband likes to remind me, I’m a mechanic’s daughter but can’t turn a wrench. The way I see it why should I? That’s why I have him.
• Paint. After I ruined the dining room carpet in our old house, I’m no longer allowed to use a roller. I love when he gets bossy with me and forbids me from doing something I hate to do anyway. Ohhh, scare me! Did you see that episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond?” The one where Ray teaches Robert that if you screw something up often enough your wife won’t ask you to do it anymore? Well, the same strategy applies to husbands. I’m not saying I messed up the carpet on purpose. I’m just saying I don’t have to paint anymore. You do the math—it’s not my thing. I tried sponge painting once. My cousin asked who’d been shot. I don’t do that anymore, either.
• Diet. I once told the same cousin that my goal in life was to get so thin people would worry about me. He suggested I get a more attainable goal. Yes, I still speak to the fink but only because he’s my son’s godfather.
• Arts and crafts. Other women sew, they make scrapbooks, they cross-stitch, etc. My idea of a scrapbook is keeping huge, overflowing boxes of certificates and keepsakes for my kids. Someday I’ll do something with all of it. I swear. And besides, my husband sews so why do I need to? I went through a cross-stitching phase in which I started a baby blanket for my godchild. The kid is now 12. The blanket remains unfinished. It might make a nice high school graduation gift. Don’t you think? (Note to self: pay someone to finish blanket in next six years.)
• Clean. When you have two full-time jobs something has to give, right? I have my priorities. My husband and I like to say that it’s a good thing we have company once in a while otherwise the Board of Health might be interested in making a stop at our house.

So, as you can see from this list, it’s a good thing I can write somewhat passably. The rest of my life is a certifiable disaster!

Are any of you like me? What can’t you do? I bet my list will get longer when I hear some of your disaster stories. I’ll be saying, “Yup, me too!” I’ll give copies of Line of Scrimmage and Love at First Flight to two different people, so let me hear from you! While you comment, I’ll be seeking therapy as this list turned out to be quite a bit longer than even I expected it to be.

Finally, I suppose I should end my blog tour with a plug for Love at First Flight: When Michael and Juliana meet in the airport on their way to a weekend in Florida, he’s engaged to Paige, and Juliana has been living with Jeremy for four of the ten years they’ve been together. Michael and Juliana are in committed relationships that they expect will go the distance. Neither can imagine on that Friday night how dramatically their lives are about to change. Over the course of the weekend, both relationships hit major speed bumps. So when Michael and Juliana meet up again on the flight back to Baltimore on Sunday evening, both are reeling and trying to process what’s happened. Over the course of that return flight, they strike up an unlikely friendship that later leads to love!

Thanks again for having me! I look forward to chatting with you all today.

Aunty here, FESS UP everyone! What do you do really badly? Or not at all? Don't worry, what's said in the Lair, stays in the Lair!

Line Of Scrimmage Winner!

BIG THANX to everyone who read and commented on Marie Force's interview yesterday. Aunty and Marie have spun the handy dandy random number generator and come up with a winner for the autographed copy of Marie's debut novel, Line of Scrimmage.

So without further ado, the winner is DINA!

SUPER CONGRATS! Please send your snail mail info to Marie Force at mforce AT cox DOT net.

Welcome to the Lair, Marie Force!

posted by Aunty Cindy

AC and Marie are dining in their favorite cyber Asian restaurant on Shrimp Chow Fun, Sweet & Sour pork and bottles of Tsing Tao beer. Since this is cyber space, Marie is as adept with her chopstick as AC. What are they talking about? Why books, hunks, writing and a whole lot more! Let's listen in......

AC: So where did you come up with the storyline for your debut release Line Of Scrimmage? And even more, what or should I say WHO inspired your yummy hero, Ryan Sanderson?

Marie: Yeah! I get to be adept with chopsticks! My Aunty knows that I'm a clutz with the sticks in real life. Can we have some crab rangoons, too? How can it get any better than Chinese food, my favorite Aunty

and a chat about Line of Scrimmage--and the very yummy Ryan Sanderson? Let's see, where did he come from?

It all started with a pair of boots landing in a foyer. I knew they were cowboy boots, and I knew they were unwelcome. What I didn't know, at first, was why. As I got to know him better, I realized he was an NFL quarterback showing up to blackmail his soon-to-be ex-wife into spending their last ten days as Mr. and Mrs. together. As a New Englander,I'll confess that there's a little bit of Tom Brady in Ryan.

AC drools a bit over thoughts of Tom Brady and all those tight ends in football then orders the crab and some pot stickers and takes a long guzzle of Tsing Tao: I'm afraid I know all about those characters who will not fit into the molds we have in mind for them. Aunty does not carry a riding crop strictly for the Cabana boys and miscreant Banditas. So if Ryan was not very cooperative, I hope his Mrs. gave you less trouble.

Marie: His Mrs. gave me different problems. I had to work really hard to imagine what her life would be like as the wife of the NFL's biggest star. Sure, there were a lot of perks, but she had to put up with women throwing themselves at Ryan (even when she was right there with him!), rumors of his infidelity, his obsessive focus on the game and his team, the nonstop demands on his time, and his inability to be there for her when she needed him most. When her first love, her high school boyfriend Henry, reappears on the scene months after she and her husband separate, it's only natural she would be seduced by the peace and tranquility he offered.

If you'd had it with your NFL star of a husband, wouldn't a bow-tie wearing banker be the answer?

AC: Hmmmm, the last bow-tie wearing guy Aunty remembers seeing was Indiana Jones in his professorial mode. Yes, he would definitely be "the answer" but Aunty doubts peace and tranquility would be part of that equation!

ALL RIGHT! (Aunty snaps her crop to get back on track.) We LOVE call stories here in the Lair. Care to share yours with us?

Marie: Awww, can't we go back to thinking about Harrison Ford in all his bespectacled beauty? I guess not. I'm kinda afraid of you and that crop of yours. After the way you mocked my lack of chopstick dexterity, I know what you're capable of. (Snorting over my rangoons...)

Okay, the call story went something like this.... My cousin Jen and I had managed to get her house to ourselves to eat wings and watch the season premier of Grey's Anatomy last September 27, except the phones kept ringing. So when my cell rang just after the show started, she forbade me to answer it (using a string of swears that would shock even the Banditas! My baby cousin!) I replied that it could be my kids, and of course I was going to get it. A glance at the caller ID told me it wasn't my kids but rather my agent who proceeded to tell me Sourcebooks was planning to make an offer on Line of Scrimmage! Jen and I ended up watching Grey's on TiVo a week later!

Chow fun noodle dangling from her chopsticks, Aunty stares vacantly into space murmuring about football players, Professor Indiana Jones, and Dr. McDreamy. Suddenly, the noodle splashes into Aunty's hot and sour soup.

Aunty sputters for a moment: Where were we? Oh yes! The long and winding road to publication... So what were some important things you learned along your road, Marie? Care to pass along some pearls of wisdom? Did you receive any great advice? Who from?

Marie: I went blank in the head after the words "McDreamy." I looooove him. But I digress...

The most important pearl of wisdom I can impart is to NEVER, EVER give up. My motto was "The only thing I know for sure is if I give up, it'll never happen." Another really important thing I took it to heart was to KEEP WRITING. You never know what's going to strike the right chord with an agent or editor. For me, it was my seventh book. Later, my editor said, "What else do you have?" And now my third book, "Same Time Sunday," is in line to be published next. I'm also a HUGE advocate of letting civilians (meaning non-writers) read your work. In my case, the enthusiasm and excitement of my readers kept me going.

As for advice, something Suzanne Brockmann said at our New England Chapter conference earlier this year comes to mind. She was talking about how those of us who are involved with RWA spend a lot of time around other people who have also written books, so we tend to forget what a very big deal it is to have finished a book. Suz said it's important to celebrate every accomplishment along the journey, no matter how big or small. It's a great point and one to keep in mind.

AC: Yes it is! And we're so glad you've joined us here in the lair to celebrate your BIG accomplishment of seeing your VERY FIRST BOOK out on bookstore shelves everywhere!

Aunty finishes off her Chow Fun and Tsing Tao and breaks open her fortune cookie: You have a charming way with words, but beware of tall blond men with Nordic names. Hmmm... Okay, what does YOURS say Marie?

Marie: Muse will bring you man in tight white pants with big cup.

Please tell us about an accomplishment you celebrated recently, or maybe something you WISH you had celebrated. Marie will be giving away a copy of Line of Scrimmage to one lucky commenter!

The find out more about Line of Scrimmage, read some fabulous reviews, and get another chance to win a copy, check out Marie's personal blog: http://mariesullivanforce.blogspot.com

September in The Lair!

The GR really has something to crow about in September!

Yes, its another fun filled month of Banditas, awesome guests and prizes!

September 2 Join us for another rowdy launch party when we celebrate the release of Christine Wells, "The Dangerous Duke." Will Lady Kate and Lyle visit the lair? Who knows but you don't want to miss it if they do!

September 3 Suzanne Welsh welcomes multi-nominated RITA H/S author Barb Dunlap

September 4 Grab a cabana boy and get ready for another launch party when Tawny Weber and Beth Andrews celebrate the release of Tawny's newest Blaze, "Risque Business." How risque will it get? Join us and find out!

September 5 Loucinda McGary hosts her Casablanca/Sourcebook sister Marie Force as they talk about her latest release "Line of Scrimmage."

September 7 RITA award winning HQN author Kristan Higgins joins the Banditas to talk about writing, life and how to be "Just One of the Guys." Don't miss this interview with Joan Kayse.

September 16 Lisa Gardner joins Jeanne Adams to talk about her July 2008 release "Say Goodbye". It's Lisa Gardner! Enough said!

September 20 Beth Andrews welcomes YA author Terri Clark who will talk about dreams and her upcoming release, "Sleepless."

NEW THIS MONTH!

Enter to win the fabulous "Live Dangerously" prize pack from our own Banditas, Jeanne, Christine and Tawny! Just check out the contest details on one of the following websites!

http://www.jeanneadams.com/

http://www.christine-wells.com/win-contests.html

http://www.tawnyweber.com/mailinglist


Nancy Northcott is having a contest to celebrate the launch of her newsletter. Go to http://www.nancynorthcott.com/ for all the details.

Beth Andrews has a lot to celebrate too with the kids back in school and her wonderful critique partner Tawny Weber's sexy new BLAZE "Risque Business" release.

Sign up for Beth's newsletter at http://www.bethandrews.net/ and one lucky subscriber will win signed copies of Tawny's "Risque Business" and "Does She Dare?"

BONUS!

Anna Campbell has a question and if you have an answer you might win an Advanced Readers Copy of her January 09 release "Tempt the Devil". Enter now at http://www.annacampbell.info/contest.html .