Alexandra Sokoloff Reveals The Unseen

by Caren Crane

I know there are those among the Banditas and Bandita Buddies who long for the chills from things that go bump in the night. I have a special treat for you, my terror-loving friends. My guest today is Alexandra Sokoloff, whose first book The Harrowing was nominated for both the Bram Stoker and Anthony First Book awards. Alex's latest release The Unseen deals with parapsychology, poltergeists and...well we'll get to all that shortly.

Welcome to the Lair, Alex!

Thanks, Caren and Banditas! I am thrilled to be in any lair, but especially this one.

I am the first to admit I am a big old chicken about reading scary books anymore. As a young woman, I read Stephen King and Anne Rice books at an alarming rate, but stopped somewhere in my 20s. So I was curious how my chicken-hearted self would take to The Unseen. I'm happy to report that I made it through without any night terrors or flying leaps into bed! Of course, I read it mostly in the break room at lunch. *g* What is that attracts you to the dark side of writing?

I actually think The Unseen is my "safest" book so far for those who are sensitive to that scary stuff. There are some good spooky chills, but it's more romantic and mysterious, too.

I always loved reading the darker, ghostly books - gothics, Anne Rice, the Brontes, Stephen King, Ira Levin. That all seems to start young. But I also did a ton of musical theater, so it wasn't all dark in my childhood! I guess I was always sensitive to the fact that scary things happen - I myself was almost abducted by a child molester when I was eight, but realized something was terribly wrong with the man and luckily, I got away. Others of my friends were not so lucky. So that was my first brush with true evil, and it started my obsession with the idea of a constant battle out there between good and evil. I love books and movies that acknowledge evil does exist, often in the form of people gone bad, but that have a strong theme of good people fighting it and triumphing. That's what I explore in my books.

Oh my, you learned that lesson far too young. It's easy to see why the good vs. evil theme is such a strong one for you. I was intrigued by The Unseen for several reasons. Much to my husband's dismay, I have long been fascinated by all things "woo woo" as Tawny would say. When I was a kid in the 70s, astrology and psychic exploration of all types were big, even without drugs! So setting The Unseen at Duke University (just down the road) which had a fully-functional parapsychology department for decades was a real hook for me. What made you choose Duke and the work done there as the basis for a book?

Just like you, I got hooked on the psychic stuff as a kid back in the 70's, which was, let's face it, all about that mind-expansion thing! I must have heard about the Rhine ESP experiments when I was just 9 or 10. I remember my little sister doing a science report about the Rhine experiments - she even made her own Zener ESP cards.

Then, way later, several years ago, my screenwriting partner and I were doing a movie assignment, adapting a book about a famous poltergeist experiment, and we decided to set the story on the Duke campus because of the whole history of the parapsychology lab, and I took a research trip to North Carolina to check out the campus and just fell in love with it - it's so Gothic and spooky - actual gargoyles! - and that great chapel. (By the way, that was the film assignment that drove me to write my own first novel, The Harrowing.)

But the spark that, uh, lit the fire of The Unseen, was my significant other handing me an article in the paper about a lecture on the Duke campus called: "Secrets of the Rhine Parapsychology Lab". He told me - as he is wont to do - "You should go to this." And he was right. At that lecture I learned that when the lab closed down in 1965, seven hundred boxes of original paranormal research files were sealed up and stored in the basement of the graduate school library, and were only just opened up after 40 years.

Now, is that a story or what? What the HELL is in those boxes?

So I pitched that to St. Martin's as my third book and they flipped for the idea, and there you go.


I would love to know what's in those boxes, too! It was a great idea that you turned into a riveting book. I loved the feeling of uncertainty throughout The Unseen. The heroine is quite a skeptic about the paranormal activities she sees (or doesn't) and she is also not sure who to trust. A big theme in The Unseen is what the characters want to believe. This seemed to include not only the paranormal stuff but also what the characters believed about each other. I am always tempted to rush to answer questions in my books, which is a suspense killer. *g* Was it hard to write a book where you had to leave so many questions open-ended as to what really happened or who could be trusted?

It was hard, thanks for asking! Because the thing about a poltergeist is that there is no concrete explanation, really. It could be the psychic projections of a troubled adolescent, it could be an aspect of a traditional haunting, it could be extra-dimensional entities, it could be sheer human fraud. So I had to create a situation which could be any one or all of those things, and as usual, I wanted to keep readers guessing all the way through about what was really going on (an author friend of mine calls my books "whatdunits") - while providing a great roller coaster ride - and then resolve the mystery in a scary and satisfying way.

And of course, on the human side Laurel is very damaged from her recent experience with discovering her fiance cheating on her, so it's difficult for her to trust anyone. That whole issue is what she has to resolve personally in order to grow. She wants to believe in psychic phenomena, and believe in people again, but is protecting herself, possibly for good reason.

Now that everyone's curiosity is piqued for The Unseen, what other spooky projects do you have in store for readers?

I just turned in my fourth book for St. Martin's, Book of Shadows, which I just love - it's about a Boston homicide detective who has to team up with a mysterious and of course very sexy witch from Salem to solve what looks like a Satanic killing. Again, crossing real life with the paranormal! I'm doing a paranormal trilogy with Heather Graham and Deborah LeBlanc for Harlequin Nocturne, and an anthology of four interconnected novellas with Heather, Sarah Langan and Sarah Pinborough. All three of my first books, The Harrowing, The Price, and The Unseen will be available in England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand starting in October. And I'm just finishing up my Screenwriting Tricks for Authors book, based on the story structure methods I teach on my blog. Hmm, no wonder I'm tired!

I'm tired just hearing how busy you are. It's a great thing for us readers, though! Any last thoughts for the Banditas and BBs?

The Unseen explores psychic phenomena like hauntings, poltergeists, precognitive dreams, and crisis apparitions (seeing a loved one at the moment of death or extreme trauma). I treat the subject very realistically (and even stayed in a notoriously haunted mansion in North Carolina for a week to add that extra layer of realism!)

So my questions for our readers today are all about that. Have you - or someone you know - ever had a precognitive dream or experience? Some kind of visitation from a dead loved one? A ghost or haunting experience? Experience with ESP or telepathy? Let's hear it!

We'll pick two commenters randomly to win a signed copy of The Unseen and a signed copy of my first spooky ghost story, The Harrowing (inspired by a poltergeist experience I had when I was 16).

Thanks for having me here, and thanks for sharing!

For an extra chance to win a signed copy of The Unseen, just sign up for Alex's newsletter at her website: http://alexandrasokoloff.com, where she gives away a book a week.

Colette's winners

Thanks so much for all the comments on Colette's post today. The three winners are as follows:

Gannon -- Bound By Honor
Drew -- Unmasqued
RachieG -- Master

E-mail me at trishmilburn AT yahoo DOT com with your mailing information, and I'll forward it to Colette.

Colette Gale is Seducing the Classics

Today, I'm very happy to host talented author and good friend Colette Gale, who is making a name for herself in the erotic romance world by retelling classic tales with, shall we say, a bit of a spicier twist. And Colette is giving away not one, not two, but all three of her published novels. So today, we'll have three lucky winners -- so be sure to ask Colette questions, make observations, etc. Maybe even tell us what classic tale you'd like to see given an erotic twist.

Q. Your third "Seducing the Classics" release, Bound by Honor, just came out last month. Tell us a bit about this erotic tale of Maid Marian, Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

A. I am a particular fan of love triangles, and I always thought it would be wonderfully fun to do the Marian/Robin/Nottingham love triangle in a "seduced" way. In fact, I've wanted to do this particular love triangle as an erotic novel for years, because I had a certain take on the story in mind, and was dying to try it out. It took me almost two years to convince my editor that Robin Hood wasn't just a kid's story (a la Disney's foxy Robin) and that this love triangle needed to be told.

But with the popularity of BBC America's Robin Hood series and the upcoming film with Russell Crowe as Nottingham, we finally agreed that the time was right. And in my book, you'll see a very strong-willed Marian, who is a woman bound by her honor to do what her liege orders her to do. She's smart and beautiful, and a very confident romantic heroine.

Robin of Locksley, aka Robin Hood, is a charming rakehell, who's very brave and a little egotistical. He's fully aware of his affect on women--the masked bandit who might sneak into the castle to steal a kiss before slipping off into the shadows. But he's also a little lost, looking for the right woman to love--even though he doesn't quite realize it. He's been displaced from his lands, and forced to become an outlaw as he tries to figure out a way to get them back.

William de Wendeval, the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, is a dark, angry man who once upon a time was an honorable knight. But now he struggles between his desires and that bruised honor, between what he knows is right, and what his liege demands of him.

Nottingham is the right-hand man of Prince John, who is a lecher and repulsive in his own right. John holds his own "Court of Pleasure" most every evening, inviting and at times demanding that the women of the court participate. Between his own version of chess, and the night of the "living statues," John is clearly a most lascivious, depraved man.

However, despite the erotic scenes in my books--which do push the boundaries of a "historical romance" novel, because there are sex scenes with characters other than the hero and heroine, and because they are sometimes intimate with others--at the heart of each one is a true love story. A real romance.

In my mind, what makes these erotic versions different from sexy romance novels is that the relationship between the hero and heroine grows and develops and is shown mainly through the sex scenes. Each sex scene, believe it or not, has a purpose in the development of the relationship, and that's how we see the relationship grow.

Q. I'm curious how the idea of retelling classic stories with an erotic twist came to you. Was it a deliberate effort or did the idea just come to you?

A. My first "seduced classic," UNMASQUED: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera, was something I just started to write for myself. I am a fan of erotic novels, and I was always fascinated by Andrew Lloyd Webber's take on the original story. He romanticized and, dare I say, eroticized, the original in such a way that I was furious when Christine didn't stay with the Phantom at the end of the play/movie.

So I decided I wanted to not only know what happened down in his lair during those days she was there, but that I also wanted her to stay with the Phantom. So I wrote my version of the story, which was my first shot at writing an erotic novel. My agent loved it (although she confessed that it made her blush to read it), and we sold it to NAL. After that came a whole discussion about what classic I should do next. I wanted to do Robin Hood/Marian/Nottingham, but as I mentioned above, my editor wasn't as keen on the idea.

But when she suggested that I do a version of The Count of Monte Cristo, I jumped at the chance. It was a perfect book to write a "dirty" version of--the behind the scenes, what really happened when the doors were closed aspect.

In fact, unlike my version of The Phantom of the Opera, I followed the story line of Dumas's original classic very closely. I wrote much of the book from Mercedes's point of view, but there are actually three love stories in Master: An Erotic Novel of the Count of Monte Cristo, and I must say that I'm very proud of that book. Each relationship is very different, and again, as I mentioned above, each sex scene in that book further develops not only the hero and heroine's relationship, but also character.

The main story, that of Mercedes and the Count of Monte Cristo, is built around his desire for revenge on her for the wrong she's done to him. There's another subplot with a female slave who is the agressor in a relationship with another male slave. And the third is a very sweet love story in which the hero and heroine have a fence between them at all times.

Such fun I had with those three plots! I really loved that book. Throw in the fact that in the original Dumas there were not only orgies and hashish, but danger and a fascinating plot, and voila! The perfect idea for a "behind the scenes" look at the story.

Q. The covers for your books have been beautiful. I'm particularly partial to Bound By Honor. I love the colors. Do you have input into the covers, or are you totally surprised each time you see them?

A. I love my covers. And thank you for the compliments! I love them all, but when I saw the cover for Master, I thought it was the most beautiful cover I'd ever seen. But when I saw the cover for Bound by Honor, I had to change my mind! The art department really outdid themselves on it, didn't they?

I can take no credit for anything regarding the covers. The conception was all from the designers at NAL, and they're absolutely perfect. I just love them.

Q. Who are some of your favorite erotic romance authors?

A. I have always loved Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty series; in fact, after The Story of O, that was my first foray into erotica. I also love Bertrice Small's Skye O'Malley series--and I think she did wonders (Ms. Small, I mean) for helping to push the boundaries of romance into erotica, way back in the '70s/early '80s.

Q. What are you working on now? What tales do you hope to give an erotic twist in the future?

A. Right now, I'm not working on anything as a seduced classic. In order to do another one, I have to have the right idea, and I simply don't have an idea that has the right "feel." I have a couple of ideas in mind and we'll see if they pan out.

Part of the reason I'm waffling is because in each of my books, I generally write twenty chapters or so. And my goal is, because it's an "erotic novel," that there is at least one sex scene per chapter--i.e., someone's going to get off. Somehow, some way. ;-)

So that's a lot of sex scenes (60 in my eroticas alone), and, quite frankly, a lot of ways to have to describe an org*sm. Yannow? I want to keep the scenes fresh and erotic and titillating for both me and the reader, and I don't want the quality to suffer because I'm doing too many or rushing them. That's why I can only do no more than one erotic novel per year, at the most.

However, many of you know that I also write under my other name, which is a not-very-well-kept secret. I recently released the last in my Gardella Vampire Chronicles series, and I have a brand new series coming out in early 2010 that doesn't have vampires in it (it has zombies) and it isn't set in the past (it's set in the future). So I've been busy working on the first three books in that series, and hopefully Trish and the Banditas will have more information about that when the time is closer. ;-)

Q. Anything you'd like to ask our lovely blog visitors today?

A. Simple: Robin Hood or Nottingham? And why?

Don't forget to comment today for your chance to win one of Colette's steamy reads.

One of These Things...

by Tawny

Did you ever watch Sesame Street? If so, do you recall that little song, One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other? There was always a selection of somethings and given that the show targeted preschoolers, the something that didn't belong usually stood out pretty easily. For instance, Foanna's Tempt The Devil, Madame's The Dangerous Duke and my own Going Down Hard... They are all Bandita books, so that gives them the common ground. But Fo and Christine's books are both historicals and both are single title. Then there's mine- categoryand contemporary. One of these things is not like the other, right? And yet, they are all romances, all well written (well, I think so *g*) and all Bandita books.

Are you humming the song yet?

What put this in my mind was that I'm moving and to sell my house, I have to paint all my walls a neutral shade of vanilla. I have to remove all photos and personal items and create a blank slate to welcome potential buyers. I totally understand this in theory, I undestand why I need to lose the purple dining room and tortoiseshell hallway. I get that my framed bookcovers might not resonate with certain people and that they'd be a possible distraction from letting them imagine themselves living in the house. And honestly, I wouldn't want family pictures and photos of my kids on display for strangers anyway. So good girl that I am (don't laugh!) I have painted and packed and stored all the personality away in my house. And sighed.

Then yesterday my brother stopped by. Now, I hear quite often how alike my brother and I am. We look alike (if you've ever seen my cartoon avatar, he jokes that he drew a picture of himself with longer hair - really, we look that much alike). We have the same basic personality traits -smart alek, opinionated and a smidge neurotic. He's a graphic artist, I'm a writer. We both love to express ourselves. The list goes on and on. So he comes in, looks around at my neutral home and claimed for the first time ever- "Wow, the place looks great. I love it."

I almost hit him. But it really drove the point home that as much as we're alike, we're still vastly different. He likes neutral. He thrives on white walls and black furniture with glass and chrome accents. I live for color, plants and wood. People are always surprised to see how completely opposite we are in the home we surround ourselves with.

One of these things is not like the other...

and that is definitely a good thing.

How about you? Is there someone you're so much alike - a family member or friend -that you're usually compared to, and yet in some vital way you're completely different? Does it surprise you? And just out of curiousity - are you a color or neutral wall kind of person?

A View of The Lair Through a Cabana Boy's Eyes

posted by Joanie T

The place was a mess.

Not a surprise since his employers had held another one of their launch parties, Ricco thought, as he lifted another batch of margharita glasses from the industrial dishwasher. He set them down on the far end of the bar, picked up his Egyptian linen cloth and began polishing. The Banditas were very particular about spots.

Morning duty was a mixed blessing really. Lots to get in order; sweeping up debris, blender checks, chandelier repair. All work and little fun. He knew there was lots of exciting stuff going on in The Lair. Had to be with these creative types. Their imaginations are limitless and a little scary. He'd seen the looks on the party event staff's faces; befuddled, euphoric and occasional out right shock. Yep, those crews had the hardest job. Keeping the Banditas and their Buddies well stocked with an endless variety of alchoholic concoctions was a challenging task. Not to mention snacks, music, dancing lessons. Those conga lines were killers.

Maybe he should have taken that job at the post office.

A smile tugged at his lips. Nah, that would have been the polar opposite of this job. Day in day out sorting of envelopes vs. constant partying and never knowing what would happen next, which Bandita would require personal assistance. To be called by one of the Banditas? THAT was a coveted job.

Ricco glanced down from the bar situated on the mezzanine level of The Lair. He’d been told when hired by that fiery red headed Bandita JoMama that this was a club for a sedate, demure ladies group.

Hah!


There was more to it than that and his suspicions were being proven everyday. He was a second level cabana boy. He supposed he should be offended by being called a boy but when that Cassondra said it—purred it—he didn’t mind…even when she sashayed around all armed and ready. He knew weapons and that Bandita was lethal.

The required uniform…if black pirate pants and loose cotton shirts could be called that…and the daily mandatory workouts supervised by the Bandita known cryptically as AC were a bit much but hey, he liked keeping in shape.

He barely kept the Waterford flute in his hands from crashing to the floor at the loud crack coming from the exercise room. Ok, so that crop was concerning.

Nope, the Lair was definitely not your average club. For one thing it spread out in multi levels deep into the earth, up a mountain and he suspected had secret tunnels to the ocean. You had to be high level among the crews to descend into the depths. He swept his gaze over the gauze draped party room below. Oh, yeah, he wanted to advance.

Several of the third level guys were sweeping the floor which was a challenge as there were still Banditas and BB’s recovering from the last launch party for “Dark and Deadly.”
Ricco laughed out loud. Yeah, that about summed it up the world of The Lair.

The central floor area had a handful of silk covered chase lounges in a rainbow of colors. He recognized Duchess Hotdayum and Duchesse Snorkdom from the uninhibited way they were sprawled on the furniture with their pinkies crooked out. No etiquette involved there rather it was their trademark “C’mere cabana boy” signal. He smiled to himself. He’d been privileged to that before.

In the far corner that tall guy, Sven was working on his eighteenth massage. Poor guy looked exhausted but Ricco didn’t miss the heat in his eyes when he looked at that Aussie Christine. Even from up here, he could hear her murmur something about a "Wicked Little Game." It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Sven's frequent “Da’s” didn't just mean "Yes, Mme."

Ricco heard a rumble of thunder and cast a wary look to the balcony suspended in the air by what looked like clouds. He’d never figured how they did that but he wasn’t about to ask the goddess who was stretched out on it—on a cloud? This Bandita meant business with a capital B. He made a hasty check of the sangria, breathing a sigh of relief when he found the cabinet well stocked with her favored tropical blend. A shiver of excitement shot down his spine when he found her studying him with those midnight blue eyes. Not always good to gain her attention, not with those mammoth gladiators guarding her like Ft. Knox gold.

Caught in her gaze, he almost missed the one named Demetrius lifting his shield in silent salute to the Duchesse. The subtle nod they exchanged made his brows raise.

“Are you ready to par-tay?”

Ricco’s attention snapped back the hallway. No Hank Williams Jr. but a trio of Banditas rushing into the bar. Susan, Beth and Kirsten. Sweet, angelic smiles…and a glint in their eyes that set his nerves on edge.

“Plenty of wine, strawberries, mangos for the margaritas?” This from the one called Tawny or “Blaze” as she was nicknamed sauntering in behind them. Ricco cleared his throat at the sultry look she sent him, almost losing another glass.

“Don’t forget the appetizers,” called the Texan Bandita Suz. Ricco narrowed his eyes. Was that a rope she was twirling? Her avid gaze swept over him. His mouth went dry.

“Mimosas,” trilled Kate as she swept by with her witchy friend. “Don’t forget the mimosas. And appletini's. My guest needs appletinis!”

Ricco’s eyes widened at the woman riding a small dragon swooping in from the doorway. “Diet Coke for me,” called Nancy. She waved at Trish who’d just driven in with another multi-contracted deal with Donna and Christie. Those two called most of the cabana boys “Duke.” Strange.

The boys below were scurrying to finish the clean up directed by a tall, lithe Bandita with a brilliant smile and a gorgeous Chico’s jacket. She glared up at the goddess. “Don’t even think about it.”

Man, they were all here. Anna with those hockey hunks which he could take in a minute if it weren’t for those sticks, the other Anna from Oz who could barely carry all her awards but was still calling for a scotch on the rocks and cherry ripes and Tim Tams. Dang, the shipment of those hadn't arrived yet.

He was jotting down a note to rememdy that when a sultry voice asked, “Got anything, cold?”
Ricco raised his head at the murmured voice to stare at the elusive KJ. “I’ve just arrived from an expedition and..” She raked him with her hot gaze. “I’m thirsty.”

Ricco gulped.

“I’ve got turtles!” chirped frequent guest PJ.

“Eat ‘em fast,” said the dude in BDU’s as he checked the perimeter. “Me and my boy gotta get the place fastened down.”

He shook his head at the rooster following the guy around with a rucksack strapped to his back.

A flash of light caught Ricco in the eye as more guests began to arrive. It was a never ending party in this place, he mused as he broke out more ice. No other job like it.

“Cabana boy?”

He looked down at the Duchesse who crooked her finger at him.

Ricco grinned. Nope, no other job like it in the world.

While Ricco is busy…er, at his job. Who else is arriving today for the party? Any other cabana boys out there?

Lorraine Heath Takes Us Down Two Paths...

by Suzanne
A very good friend of the Bandits, NYT Bestselling author, Lorraine Heath, is joining us in the Lair once again. Excuse me while I pull the cork on this bottle of Chardonay. (pop) So y'all pull up a chair and join us for some conversation about Dukes, Scoundrels and Werewolves!

Suz, handing Lorraine a glass of wine, then stretching out on the chaise: Welcome, Lorraine! The Bandits and our buddies are so glad to have you with us again. It's always a grand day in the Lair when you're visiting. SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL is the third book in the Scoundrel’s of St. James series. Can you tell us about the book?

Lorraine: SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL is the story of Frannie Darling, a child of the streets. She is now a bookkeeper at Dodger’s Drawing Room, one of the more exclusive gentlemen’s clubs in London in 1851. When her best friend Luke marries Lady Catherine, Frannie meets the Duke of Greystone. Greystone immediately wants Frannie in his bed, but she has little tolerance for the idle and self-centered. She is far too busy gathering orphans from the streets. But when danger lurks, Greystone will be the man she turns to.

Suz: Was Frannie Darling based on a specific character in Oliver Twist, like Luke and Jack Dodger were?

Lorraine: Not really. At one point, I thought maybe she was based on Nancy, but I think she was simply herself.

Suz: How does her childhood as one of Feagan’s kids affect her life as a grown woman?

Lorraine: She’s always mothered Feagan’s lads. They’ve always watched out for her. But as a woman she wants to stand on her own, make her own way, do things her own way. When she begins to search for orphans, she runs amuck of Bob Sykes (yes, he’s based on Bill Sikes). She tries to handle him on her own, without involving Feagan’s lads—and that, of course, simply leads to more trouble.

Suz: Sterling Mabry, Lord Greystone is the hero of SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL. Have we met him before?

Lorraine: You caught a glimpse of him in IN BED WITH THE DEVIL. He’s Catherine’s brother who arrived from his world travels shortly after her father died.

Suz: Frannie wants nothing to do with the Lords and Ladies of London Society, while Sterling sees no need to help the poorer members of society? What do you see as the turning point in their relationship?

Lorraine: I think the turning point in their relationship came about when Jimmy came into their lives. Because he was such a slender-framed boy, he assisted Sykes in burglarizing homes and as fate would have it, one of those homes was Greystone’s—and the lad’s luck ran out. He was caught. But rather than send ’round for a constable, Greystone sent for Frannie in an effort to bring her back into his life. Jimmy allowed Greystone to understand more clearly what life was like for the children on the street who Frannie wanted to save and Jimmy allowed Frannie to see a very tender side of Greystone as he befriended the lad.

Suz: How do Feagan’s lads come to play in this story?

Lorraine: They do what they’ve always done: work to protect Frannie from hurt and in so doing, they smother her. Luke explains to Greystone how protective they are of Frannie: “So yes, the four of us circle around her the way one might an injured butterfly, never touching it for fear of damaging it more, forever hoping that a day will come when it will again fly.”

To which Greystone replies: “In my world travels, I saw a good many varieties of butterflies. They’re incredibly delicate creatures, but they shouldn’t be underestimated. Observing them as I did, I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes if you surround a butterfly too closely, it couldn’t fly if it wanted to.”

He believes she’s stronger than they give her credit for being. As he’s drawn into her dangerous world, he begins to admire her courage and determination even more.

Suz: We’re going to switch gears now. I don’t know if many of our readers know this, but you are not only a NYT bestselling romance author, but you also write YA stories under the name Rachel Hawthorne. You’ve recently started a new YA series about teenage werewolves, which you are very excited about. Care to tell us about this project?

Lorraine, with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes: Would love to! The Dark Guardian series is about a group of werewolves (or Shifters as they refer to themselves) who live in a national forest. The teens of the group serve as guides—or sherpas—to ensure that no campers stumble across their village. I got the idea after watching a special on TV about the sherpa program in Glacier National Park. Each summer, college students work there hauling equipment for campers. And I thought, “What if they were werewolves?”

Suz: MOONLIGHT is already out, FULL MOON is coming out later this month, and DARK of the MOON debuts in August. Was it hard building a new parallel world for these books? Do you see the series continuing or is it only to span the 3-books?

Lorraine: The idea for the werewolf sherpas was just a shadowy concept when I sent my editor the storyline for a book. She wanted that story and 2 more with an overriding arc that connected all 3. Coming up with the mythos was a challenge. I’m not even sure I was totally comfortable with the world I’d created until the 3rd book. But then it was also the book that ended the threat they faced and so all the loose ends were tied up, whereas with 1 and 2 I was trying to determine which questions to leave unanswered.

I would love for the series to continue, but presently I don’t have a contract to write more.

Suz: So, tell us what’s next for your historical series?

Lorraine: Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel will be out Nov. 1. This is James Swindler’s story. Scotland Yard has charged him with determining why a certain young lady—Eleanor Watkins—is following the Marquess of Rockberry. It has quite a few fun twists and turns.

And now to segue into something that has nothing to do with MY books – I recently worked to arrange my bookshelves in some sort of order, putting all my keepers on one 1 shelf and all my to be read on another (and okay, the TBR take up way more than a shelf so I now have a “top shelf” TBR stack which are books that I dearly want to read before the year is out). Obviously I buy way more books than I’ll ever read. How do you keep chaos off your bookshelves? Or do you? Should you? How do you decide which book to read next when there are so many wonderful books out there?

And to add to the chaos of your bookshelves, we’ll draw three lucky winners from among the posters today and they can select one of the Scoundrels of St. James books or one of the Dark Guardian books as their prize. If the book hasn’t yet been released, it’ll be sent as soon as it’s available.

Untouched Winner!

Thanks so much to everyone who popped by to celebrate my R*BY final yesterday. I had a blast in the lair and poor Hugh Jackman has been officially shredded, so many people wanted to share an awards ceremony with him. I still think cloning is the best idea.

Anyway, the winner of the signed copy of UNTOUCHED, my 2009 Romantic Book of the Year finalist, is:

TAMARA!

Congratulations, Tamara. Please send me your snail mail details and I'll get your prize off to you. Happy reading!

Warriors...Why We Love Them

by Christine Wells

Despite certain aspersions cast by one Anna Campbell in yesterday's blog:), I'm a peaceable person by nature. As a child, I practised the odd faux karate move on my brother and the other annoying boys in my neighbourhood, but since those days, I haven't really been one for confrontation of any kind, much less the physical.

There are incidents in every woman's life when her man might see the need to defend her with his fists. A couple of times, I've been sick with apprehension in just that situation, because rather than thinking how romantic it is to have a man protect me, I get scared that maybe the other fellow has a knife or has friends nearby, or if my defender did punch the other guy's lights out, he might get arrested.

In fiction, however, it's another matter.

Big strong men who are prone to violence--I love reading about them and I love writing about them, too. THE DANGEROUS DUKE opens with my hero, Max, Duke of Lyle, dangling a man over a balustrade by the ankles until he agrees to hand over valuable information. In fact, that was the image from which the entire book sprang. If you read Max's story, you'll get a sense of a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his aims.
In my July release, WICKED LITTLE GAME, the Marquis of Vane has the huge, honed physique of a seasoned prizefighter. Unlike many of the Regency beaux who spar in Jackson's Boxing Saloon, Vane is a serious athlete. He trains with commitment and passion, the same way he does everything else (including love my heroine, Lady Sarah, but that's another blog!) I modeled him on Captain Barclay, a gentleman athlete who trained many top prizefighters of the day.
When Lady Sarah sees Vane stripped to the waist, engaging in sparring practice with a hulking great giant in his empty ballroom, she experiences a visceral reaction:

Nothing could have been farther from his usual demeanor than the sight that met her eyes in his ballroom tonight: a wild, primitive display of masculine aggression.

She ought to be disgusted. She’d never seen anything more magnificent in her life.

What is it about these fictional warriors that we love so much? Have you ever had your honour defended? (I know Donna has a story about that!) Were you scared, disgusted, triumphant? Did you tell him to step out of the way so that *you* could kick some butt?

Who is your favourite fictional warrior hero?

Bandita Booty

Helen!!!!!

Congratulations! Patricia Sargeant chose you to receive a copy of POWER OF LOVE, and Fichen1 to receive TAILS OF LOVE. Could you send your contact information to Patricia at http://www.patriciasargeant.com/ ?

Thanks everyone for stopping by!

'Tis the Season...

by Anna Campbell

..for awards!!!

I don't think it's any secret to our regular buddies that we LURVE awards and contests here in the lair. After all, it was a contest, the 2006 Golden Heart Award, that brought us together and mayhem has ensued every since.

Most of us are still bona fide contest sl*ts (sorry, girls, but I need to call a spade a spade) and our impressive list of continuing successes are listed in the Bandits Wanted column on the right of the blog.

The big daddy of published romance contests, of course, is the RITA Award.

I'm so excited that one of my favorite reads from last year, Christine Wells's wonderful THE DANGEROUS DUKE is up for best Regency romance. Go, Christine. I'll be cheering.

Well, I'll have to or else you'll hit me, seeing you've asked me to be your date for the awards night! You pack a seriously scary right hook, my elegant friend!

I too have some seriously exciting award news to report!

Romance Writers of Australia and our most popular women's mag, Woman's Day, unite every year to sponsor the Australian and New Zealand Romance Novel of the Year Award, the R*BY.

Last year, CLAIMING THE COURTESAN finalled which was incredibly exciting for me. This year, I'm delighted to let you know that my second book, UNTOUCHED, has finalled in the Long Romance Section. Go, you green monster!

This is a huge thrill for me, particularly as regarding contests in the U.S., I didn't have a horse in the running in 2008 (the Australian publication date for Untouched was January, 2008). I had a real crush on Lord Sheene, the hero of this book, and it's wonderful to know that other people have responded so positively to the story too.

Another nice effect locally is there's publicity via Woman's Day, including the announcement of the finalists on 1st June, the announcement of the winners and a chance to write another short story for WD. The mag has a huge circulation so this is a seriously big deal!

Anyway, huge congratulations to all the other finalists. It's a stellar line-up and I'm proud just to be listed among you. It will be an exciting Saturday night at the awards dinner for the local conference in Brisbane on 15th August when they announce the winners.

So what's your feeling about awards? Would they influence you to buy a book? I know I've checked out books that have won RITAs before and found authors new to me that I've ended up loving. Actually that's one of the great things about awards - they focus your attention on books you may have missed along the way.

I must say it's fun being in the audience for an awards night. It's a great excuse to get all glammed up and cheer on your friends! It's so exciting, whether you've been nominated or not!

So this got me thinking. If you could attend any awards - the Booker announcements, the Academy Awards, the Nobel Prizes, the Golden Globes (now, that's one that always looks like fun), the MTV Awards (I'm too old and square for that one!), the Emmys, the Grammys, the Logies, the BAFTAS, the SAG Awards (hmm, think I could win one of those. Oh, they're not for how gravity's attacked your body?), whatever, which one would you choose. And who would be your date?

And to celebrate my R*BY nomination for UNTOUCHED, one lucky commenter wins a signed copy of my green monster. Please let me know in your answer if you want to be in the draw! Good luck!

Fireflies

by Cassondra Murray

Steve and I went to Sonic tonight. Yes, we were desperate for quick, easy food. It's been a hard, fast, three-weeks-of-hell beginning to the summer (you'll hear more about that in later blogs from me almost certainly).

I don't have to work tomorrow for the first time in about 15 days straight, AND I'm sort of back online after a computer meltdown. Slow connection, but it's there. So the last thing I was gonna do tonight was cook. Okay, so there are stacks of boxes and books and the leftovers of a major garage cleanout piled in my kitchen and dining room, but the fact that I can't get to my cookware may or may not be a factor in the Sonic decision.

For you unfortunate souls who don't have Sonic near you, it's a double-sided drive-in with a big patio in the center. You can order right from your car, or you can get out and sit at the tables on the patio. We'd dug our way, with those stupid flimsy plastic forks, at least three bites into our foot-long chili-cheese dogs when we noticed the little girl at a table in the center.

She was probably seven or eight years old, and had on a purple outfit with a big glittery butterfly on the shirt, and long blonde hair. She was with her dad. He was eating a hot dog (not foot-long) and she was eating something that looked like popcorn chicken bites. But she was not eating many. She was too busy chasing fireflies.

There weren't many visible. There's way too much light around a Sonic to see them well. But she was completely entranced, jumping into the air and ducking under bushes trying to capture them. I got so caught up in watching her that I stopped eating less than six inches into my foot-long coney.

What is it about fireflies?

To this day, I think they're magic. Do all the research you want, tell me how and why they do what they do, and it won't dim their magic one bit for me.

I think it's because of the memories. Some of my best memories are of fireflies, or "lightning bugs" as we called them.

About this time of year in Southern Kentucky, the fireflies come out. Oh, nowadays there are a few rebels flickering their lonely little lights in early spring, but right about now...mid-June...that's firefly season here. It's also the time of year when it gets too hot in un-air-conditioned houses to enjoy sitting inside in the evenings. I did not grow up with air conditioning.

When I was little, in late May and early June, as the afternoons grew hot and humid, and the evenings grew warm, my dad would go outside after supper, in search of a cool evening breeze and the sound of the tree frogs and crickets, and since I went everywhere with my dad, I went outside too. He'd set up a lawn chair in the middle of the lawn. One of those cheap aluminum-frame chairs with the nylon webbing that lasted a couple of seasons if you were lucky.

Honestly though, the seating quality didn't matter much. We were there for the view. I grew up on a small farm about eight miles south of nowhere. No artificial light except the faint glow from the kitchen window around the side of the house. Quiet.

When my dad got his chair off the porch and headed for the front yard, I'd run into the kitchen and dig under the sink for my jar.

Mine was a Mason jar with a mayonaise lid. Daddy had taken a nail and hammered a few holes in the top for air flow.

Once I had my jar and he had his chair, we were ready for what, to this day, I consider some of the best evenings of my life.

First we'd sit until the last glow of day had faded in the West and the sky had grown dark. The stars flickered on just for us. If we put the chairs right in the middle of the lawn, we had a great view of the Big Dipper almost straight overhead.

Then came the contest--who could spot the first lightning bug in the tall, uncut fescue hay across the road. As the little bugs crawled up the grass from where they'd spent the day hidden, they'd start to flash, one by one. Just a flicker here, and a flicker there.

"There's one!" My dad would say in a loud whisper, then he'd lean forward and point, adding drama to the hunt. He always saw them first. Inborn talent I guess.

Soon though, there would be hundreds, all around, high and low, blinking and streaking across the yard like tiny shooting stars. My dad would hold my jar and keep the lid on real loose for expedient transfer of fireflies from my little-girl hands to the jar. To us, injuring a firefly was a sin almost as grave as the killing of a unicorn is today, in the world of Harry Potter. I'd chase the bugs and catch them ever-so-gently, then I'd run across the dewy grass and my dad would open the lid just a crack. Into the jar they'd crawl. Soon enough I'd have my own lantern.

This lantern was good, of course, only until the first mosquito bit my dad. Then it was time to go in, and the last ritual of the evening was to let the fireflies go.

Tonight I sat at Sonic and ignored my foot-long hot dog as I watched that little girl, and I realized that some magic is timeless. I'm not the only one enchanted by "lightning bugs." Apparantly it's nearly universal. When I googled pictures of fireflies, I found essays, research, pages and pages of photos of the bugs themselves, and even "faux fireflies in jars" with little electric firefly lights, just for effect I guess. Lots of people seem to want to hold onto a bit of the magic.

Catching a jarfull, just to let them go again is one of those things that goes away with make-believe and childhood I suppose. Sometimes I wonder why, as an adult, it's no longer fun to do simple stuff like that.

Nowadays I sit by my firepit with my very adult glass of cabernet, a long way from that dew-covered yard. I know the Latin names of the trees and plants around me, and I have the stresses and worries of an adult in a fast-paced world.

But I can still watch that same Big Dipper sail overhead, and listen to the frogs on the pond behind my house.

And I still go out there early, just so I can try to spot the first firefly.

So tell me, did you ever catch fireflies as a kid?

If you grew up in the city, were there fireflies there?

If you have kids or grandchildren, do they still like to chase the flickering lights?

Apparantly, in some parts of the world, the fireflies all light up at the same time, synchronized, like this picture on the right. Have you ever seen that happen?

What time of year do the fireflies come out where you live?

Do you pay attention, and watch for the first firefly each season? Or am I the only one who still does that?

Patricia Sargeant in the lair

hosted by Donna MacMeans

It's my pleasure to introduce you to one of the sweetest, kindest people I've ever met. I swear, if you look in the dictionary under "sweet"...Patricia's picture will be there. But please understand, this lady writes hot suspense. Her tagline "Romances to die for"

is a little too true. It's always the quiet ones, isn't it? Please welcome Patricia Sargeant.

Donna, thank you so much for inviting me to meet your Romance Bandits friends. I’m thrilled and honored to be here.

Donna and I met when I joined our local Romance Writers of America chapter, Central Ohio Fiction Writers, in 1999. She was chapter president at the time, and did me the great favor of providing feedback on the first romance novel I completed.

The novel went on the shelf, and I started a new one.

However, since then, both novels – You Belong to Me and On Fire – have been published, with no small thanks to Donna for her excellent input.

This month, I’m celebrating the release of my third single-title, Sweet Deception, and a benefits romance anthology, Tails of Love, for which Donna and I contributed short stories. Both hit the shelves June 2.

As I mentioned, Tails of Love is a benefits anthology. It features original short stories by Lori Foster
Stella Cameron, Dianne Castell, Kate Angell, Ann Christopher, Marcia James, Sarah McCarty, Sue-Ellen Welfonder, Donna and me. My short story, “Scaredy Cat,” features a heroine whose adopted stray cat plays matchmaker. I had a lot of fun with that story. I’ve tried to tell the story in part from the cat’s perspective.

Tails of Love will raise money for the Animal Adoption Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter in Ohio, as well as increase awareness of the needs of abused and abandoned animals and pets. Have you bought your copy yet? If not, I’ll wait here while you pop out to get one. Or two.

Sweet Deception is my first contemporary romance. You Belong to Me and On Fire are romantic suspense. It took me a little while to plot a story without dead bodies. But in the writing, I realized what really drives my stories are the themes. In You Belong to Me, the theme is family. On Fire’s theme is trust. Sweet Deception’s theme is identity.

The heroine is a dutiful minister’s daughter who leads a secret life as an erotic romance author. When she begins a relationship with another more famous author, her secret identity is revealed, and she's forced to choose between duty (the person her family wants her to be) and desire (the person she wants to be).

I think this is a theme to which most of us can relate. As women, we wear so many hats – wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, career professional – we sometimes lose track of who we are individually. Who is Donna MacMeans? Who is Patricia Sargeant? Who are you? Sometimes we allow other people to define us rather than taking the time to define ourselves.

Tell me, what is it about you or your interests that most surprise people? Define yourself. But let’s try to keep this PG rated.

I’ll start us off. People are most surprised when they learn I enjoy football, both college and pro. They’re also surprised when they learn I’m a runner. Now, I haven’t been getting many miles in, and watching me run may not be the prettiest sight, but I do enjoy it.

OK. Who’s up next?

One commenter will win a copy of The Power of Love. Twelve award-winning authors contributed original short stories for The Power of Love, a benefits romance anthology. All of the authors and their agents donated all of their proceeds to the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women's Shelter. In addition to raising money for this battered women's shelter, the anthology helped raise awareness of the problem of domestic violence.

Donna, thank you again for having me over.

My pleasure. You can find more about Patricia at www.patriciasargeant.com

Bandit Booty

by Christine Wells

For the prize draw from Jennifer Haymore's visit, a signed copy of A HINT OF WICKED goes to...

MsHellion!!!

Congratulations, Hellion! Please send your snail mail addy to me at christineATchristine-wellsDOTcom, and I'll pass your details on to Jennifer.

And remember, there's another chance to win both Jennifer's luscious A HINT OF WICKED and my July release, WICKED LITTLE GAME -- just enter our contest!