Hooray For Hollywood!

by Caren Crane

I love movies. I adore films of all genres, from slapstick comedies to experimental indies to reality-baring documentaries. I also love the Oscars. The hoopla, the mad campaigns, the red carpet preening and the acceptance speech snafus.

This year, the Academy expanded the Best Picture category from 5 films to 10. This has made this year's Oscar race a bit more...interesting, let's say. Some big box office hits have been nominated, but few Hollywood insiders believe a wildly popular film like Avatar will win Uncle Oscar, no matter how many billions it makes at the box office.

I have another passion, however. I love underdogs. I like to root wholeheartedly for those fortune frowns upon, who have more guts and willpower than credibility. Those with more luck than skill, who come from behind to surprise the crowd. Those who fight the good fight, even if they are ultimately defeated. (Yes, Firefly fans, I was thinking of our beloved Brown Coats, thus the picture of Nathan Fillion as Capt. Mal Reynolds!)


Here, for your consideration, are my underdog Oscar picks for tonight:


Best Picture - Up. It was romantic, heartbreaking, funny, uplifting and just plain fun for all ages. An animated picture has never won Best Picture, so its chances are slim to none. I loved Inglourious Basterds (and yes, that IS how it's spelled) but even a Quentin Tarantino movie has a better chance of winning than an animated one.



Best Actor - Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker. I didn't see this movie, but this kid obviously came out of nowhere and has almost no chance of winning against the likes of Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth and Morgan Freeman. So, Jeremy Renner it is!


Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds. Now, Christoph Waltz is an exceptional actor and he was such a sadistic rapscallion in this movie that he won me over forever. The Academy, however, prefers weightier roles such as those carried by nominees Matt Damon, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Plummer and Stanley Tucci. I fear Christoph will be snubbed by Oscar, so he has my vote!



Best Actress - Forget Meryl, Sandra, Helen and Gabourey. My vote goes to Carey Mulligan for her role in An Education. Even though it's one of those movies only movie snobs and fans of art house films saw, the Academy will not give Carey the love. That's okay, she'll get it from me!





Best Supporting Actress - This is a tough category because all the nominees were so fabulous, but I think Vera Farmiga of Up In the Air will be snubbed. I expect Mo'Nique to win, actually, even with two nominees from Up In the Air on the ballot. Anna Kendrick was wonderful, as were Penelope Cruz and Maggie Gyllenhaal, but I expect Vera to get the least love of all these talented ladies.


Best Director - Jason Reitman, Up In the Air. James Cameron worked years and invented technology in directing Avatar. Kathryn Bigelow practically invented a whole new way to tell a war story with The Hurt Locker. With Precious, Lee Daniels brought a story to the screen that no one thought could be told with sincerity, passion and dignity - but he did that and made it look easy. Quentin Tarantino climbed right out on his usual loony limb with Inglourious Basterds and had the unmitigated gall to kill Hitler in the middle of WWII - hilarious work of genius! So, I think poor Jason will get totally overlooked in the shadow of all this filmmaking greatness and slink home without a statue. (Plus, he looks like one of those guys I knew in engineering school who liked me but would never ask me out because dating would have wrecked his grade in thermodynamics. Pffft!)

I won't even bother with all the other categories because really, who even saw any of the Live Action Short Films? I do think my beloved Coraline is an underdog in Animated Feature, especially since Up was nominated, but I couldn't even hazard a guess about Sound Mixing or Sound Editing. They never choose who I would for Cinematography, either, so pfffft on the Academy.


Who is your favorite front runner - or underdog - for the Oscars? Which of your favorite movies/actors/actresses was totally dissed by the Academy this year (hello, Robert Downey Jr.!)? And will you be watching the Academy Awards at all - maybe just the red carpet coverage? Do tell!

Three Reasons You MUST Read Too Wicked To Kiss!

By Erica Ridley (hosted by Kirsten Scott)

Hi Everyone! Kirsten here, swinging by the Lair to drop off the talented Erica Ridley! Erica's debut, Too Wicked to Kiss, is a gothic romance with plenty of passion, suspense, and a really hot hero. Too Wicked to Kiss is already garnering praise and great reviews. I'm sure it's going to be a smash hit and I'm thrilled to have Erica in the Lair to tell us all about it.

Now, Erica is a delightful conversationalist and it would be great fun to just do the usual interview with her. But I'm feeling a need to change things up a bit. It's my adult ADD at work. *VBG* So instead of the usual interview, how about we play a little game? I'm giving Erica three chances to convince you to buy her book. The trick is that all three have to be excerpts from the book. No cheating!

So...here's to you Erica!

Thanks Kirsten! I'm thrilled to be here (but that isn't in the book so hopefully I'm not cheating). Here are my three reasons -- hope you enjoy!

REASON ONE: The Hero

Gavin stalked back over to Miss Pemberton, hauled her to her feet, and grabbed her by the shoulders. “No. I mean, she’s not like you.” He dropped his voice and leaned into her, until he was sure she knew exactly what he meant. “If we were alone, I’d show you precisely how you affect me, in ways the Stanton chit never could.”

She blushed, leapt away from him, busied herself with the kites. “We can’t be alone.”

He laughed. “Put down that kite and I’ll take you somewhere very alone.”

“Stop making me think about. . . that.”

“Mmm. I’m thrilled to know I make you think about ‘that.’ Care to define ‘that’ for me? Perhaps we can act it out.”

REASON TWO: The Whodunnit

A silence fell. No one seemed eager to exchange glances with each other, much less look too long at the corpse upon the bed. Even Miss Pemberton was not scrutinizing the earl’s body as she’d first suggested—not that Gavin blamed her—and was instead biting her lip and gazing at the carpeted floor as if she’d rather be anywhere than where she currently stood.

“I heard you, by the way,” Edmund slurred from his perch against a wardrobe. “I heard you apologize to your sister for killing him.”

“No,” Gavin said. “You heard me apologize for killing someone else.”

His clarification failed to ease the tension.

REASON THREE: The Passion

Evangeline replaced the poker she’d used to stoke the fire and turned to face him. Gavin was in half dress. She wore nothing but her shift. He looked splendid, as always. Dashing. Hungry. Hers.

Thumbs hooked in waistband, he lounged against the now-closed panel. The intensity of his gaze heated her flesh more than the fire at her back. Now that she’d invited the lion into her den, what was she going to do with him?



Whew! That was awesome - I can't imagine anyone can resist the book now! Now, we'd love to hear about Erica's writing process, her CALL story, and other delightful tidbits about her glamorous life traveling in Europe and rollerblading across Paris. But we'll save those for the comments.

Erica would love to give away a book or two -- she'll pick a couple of folks who ask questions from the comments to receive copies of Too Wicked To Kiss! So get your questions ready and say hello to Erica!

Return of the Road Trip

By Kirsten Scott

When I was a kid, we drove everywhere. Grandparent's house, vacations, thirteen hours, three days...we did it all. My sister and I wrestled in the back-back of the station wagon. No seat belts, no car seats. We made a nest of blankets, had our tape recorder, played some games. We fought. We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The memories are good. My mom suffered, but we did just fine.

Now that I've got kids of my own, we live too far away to drive home for visits. My kids have been riding in planes since they were six months old. We've traveled across the country for years, but our longest car rides number two or three hours, not thirteen.

This year, everything changes.

This year, our family does its first road trip.

It's time. The kids are nine and seven -- old enough to entertain themselves, or at least sit still for several hours at a time. Flying sucks. The airlines have made air travel so unpleasant, it's worth sitting in a car for thirteen hours to avoid it. We're trying to save a little money, and spring break is coming up. We wanted to go to San Francisco to visit friends and family, but can't afford to fly. I haven't been to Yosemite for many years, and if we drive, we could stop there on our way.
So we're off. In three weeks, we begin the road trip to San Francisco via Sacramento and Yosemite National Park. And I'm starting to panic.


What will we do for ten hours in the car? How will we survive? I'm thinking a great book on tape, like Harry Potter, and some of those magnetic travel games, like Connect Four and Othello. But it's going to be tense. I predict the time space continuum will close in around us and ten hours will turn into twenty.

So I'm coming to you, Banditas and Buddies, for help. Remind me how to survive a road trip. Tell me about the trips you took as a child. Did you camp out in the back of the station wagon, like my sister and I did? Did you fight? Did your parents threaten to "stop this car!" if you didn't behave? Any tricks I can use to prevent the black hole where time does not pass?

HELP!!

Fishing

by Cassondra Murray

Have you ever gone fishing?

When I was a kid, my dad used to take me fishing a lot.

I remember my first fishing pole. I was probably seven years old when Daddy made that pole for me. If I close my eyes I can still see it, just like it was yesterday. And I can see my dad as he sat on an old stump in the back yard, putting my fishing rig together.

Once a year or so, my dad went to a creek a few miles away to harvest "cane poles". Cane poles were really a type of native bamboo that grew along the creek banks in Southern KY. He'd bring home a few big armloads of these each year, to use as bean sticks in the garden mostly. A secondary use, though, was fishing poles. Once the canes were dried they were strong, lightweight, and flexible.

He cut the pole to about six or eight feet long, then he wrapped fishing line around the end of the pole and tied it off, leaving about 8 feet of line free at the end. He attached a hook and a round red and white bobber, and I was in business. It was low-tech, but it worked.

First, we'd go out behind the barn to a shady spot. My dad used a hoe or a shovel to dig a hole deep enough to get to dark, cool earth. That's where the worms were.

There's a picture of earthworms here, so if you're squeamish, don't look. Focus on the text.

My job was "Keeper of the Bait." First I had to find an appropriate container. A margarine or Cool Whip tub would do, but a coffee can was the best. I'd dig through my mom's cabinets looking for just the right one.

Once I had the container, I'd meet my dad behind the barn. He'd dig the hole while I stood ready. When he turned the piles of damp earth, I'd bust up the clods and pick out the worms, dropping them into my coffee can along with a bit of dirt to keep them cool. Daddy was apparantly in sync with some universal higher power because at some point he'd stop digging and say, "that's enough," and it always was.

He'd grab a bucket and a tackle box and off we'd go, through the woods and across the fields for an afternoon of fishing.

There were three farm ponds in walking distance of our house. I suppose it was the same universal higher power that told him which one to choose on a given day. It didn't matter to me as long as the fish were biting.

Actually that's not true.

The truth is that no day fishing was ever wasted. I will stand right here in front of God and everybody and say that even if I never got a bite, some of the best times of my life were spent fishing.

It took anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to walk to the pond, and then there was a ritual to be observed.

First, find a shady spot to set the bucket and the bait. Next, unwrap the line from the pole. Dig a worm out of the can, thread it onto the hook. For the first few years, Daddy did this part for me. He also dug into his tackle box and chose an appropriate weight for the line, based on how deep he guessed the water to be, and where he guessed the fish to be hanging out. It's that universal higher-power connection thing again. It always seemed to come through when he needed fishing guidance.

Last in the ritual was picking the spot from which to fish. He always picked out a spot for me on the bank, settled me in, and once my line was in the water he'd go around the pond to find a spot for himself. Far enough that we each had our space, but not so far that I was out of sight.

One of the lessons I had to learn as I sat there on the bank was when to pull the line in and re-set, and when to leave it there. I'd get impatient and start futzing around with it, and I'd hear my dad's voice from his side of the pond. "Quit messin' with it. Leave it in the water."

One of my clearest memories was the day I landed the biggest fish I've ever caught. No monster in fishing terms, but it was a big deal for a little girl. A big bass. So big I nearly couldn't land the thing. I'd been catching little bluegill all afternoon and tossing them back in. Suddenly there was a huge splash, and my bobber went deep, toward the bottom of the pond. I remember my dad dropping his pole and running around the pond toward me as I backed away from the bank, throwing my weight against it, pulling pole, line, and fish with me as I tried to bring it in.

Daddy never would take me to the lake when his buddies brought out their boats to fish. I wanted to go, but I always had to stay home. Mom told me a few years later that the guys were just not prepared to have a little girl on the boat. They'd have to take me to the bank every so often since I couldn't exactly hang over the side like they could ever time I needed to pee.

That was okay. I got the point of fishing on the bank of the pond.

I have a quote above my computer, cut out from a calendar I had a few years back.

Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.~~Henry David Thoreau

Recently, when the days have been a little nutsy, I've thought a lot about those afternoons at the pond, dangling my line into the water, watching the world around me, waiting for a bite.

It's a little like writing and publishing in a lot of ways. You do the work, you build your rig, you bait your hook and you toss the line into the water. And then you wait for a bite. Sometimes you get a nibble. Sometimes you have to go back and study the weather, the water, and sometimes you have to put your worms back in the can and get out the minnows because the bait just isn't right for the fish you're after, or sometimes you have to move to the other side of the pond.

The thing is that even if I'd never hooked a fish, I still would have come away a richer person. I was after something other than fish, though I didnt' know it then. Solitude. The sense of nature around me, and nature's ability to put things into order, no matter what. Peace.

I'm after that again. With my writing and with my life. As we swing into spring and summer, into conference season, with its travel, pitches to editors and agents, and its need to be "on" emotionally and mentally and physically, I think the best thing I could do for myself would be to find a spot on the bank, bait my hook and just sit there for a while, listening to the birds, feeling the sun on my skin, the breeze kiss my cheek, watching my bobber float across the water, waiting for a bite.

I think maybe that's where some of my stories came from. Maybe not from the fishing itself, but from the quiet, the solitude, and the slow-down-and look-around time I spent sitting on those banks.

I tend to keep myself so busy now that I couldn't hear my muse if it had a bullhorn. Slowing down takes effort now. I have to wonder if what Thoreau meant was that when we dip our line into the water, what we're really hoping to catch is a bit of our real selves. That's certainly true for me.

The last ritual of the fishing day was to take the leftover worms and toss them into the pond. That's probably considered a bad thing now, artificially feeding the fish and all, but for my dad and me it was a sacred thing. A dedication to the idea that nothing goes to waste. A giving back, of a sort. Our way of giving back to the fish, the pond, and the higher power that had given us that time on the bank, whatever measure of luck we had, the warm sun and the gentle breeze. Jeanne blogged about honor yesterday. For a little kid, how I treated the fish on my line and even the worms in that can was important. To give back was an honorable thing and was only right. Actually, it might have been her blog that got me thinking about my dad and about summer afternoons sitting on the bank with him, fishing.

The thing about fishing is that it's a valid excuse not only to sit still for a while, but to tell everybody else around you to "Hush. Be still. You're scaring the fish."

I could use an excuse like that every now and then.

It's been years since I went fishing. I have my dad's fishing gear stashed safely in the garage, and one of my goals this year is to take an afternoon, buy a license, find a quiet spot on a bank somewhere, toss my line in the water, and see what nibbles

How 'bout you?

Have you ever been fishing?

Did you bait your own hook?

If you haven't been fishing, what do you think of the idea of going?

And if it's not fishing, what do you do when you want quiet time?

Do you like to eat fish?

Do you know how to CLEAN fish?

What are you after when you toss your line into the water?

Peace? Solitude?

Or plain old fish?

What is Honor?

by Jeanne Adams

So just what is "Honor"?

I've been giving this familiar concept a lot of brain-computing space recently. Why, you ask? A a dear friend wrote me a long, heartfelt note and spent a great deal of the missive complimenting my late father. Among other things, she had an intense focus on remembering him as being a man of honor.

I know what she meant by it - he was a man of his word, he followed through on things, he was courteous and courtly and gentlemanly. He didn't let people down. He was Honorable.

I began to wonder how I could instill that in my own sons, now that their grandfather is gone. Then I realized my husband is a man of honor as well. He doesn't tolerate injustice. He is gentle, yet strong, among other things, and he is a man of his word.

So, does that mean you have to be the proverbial knight in shining armor to be a man of honor? My husband is wonderful - perfect for me - but he's human. Not a sword or horse in sight.

Hmmm. There was a conundrum. I puzzled over that one because I know men who are honorable, but to put it bluntly, they ain't angels, if'n you know what I mean!

Many of the heroes we read in books today aren't perfect. They aren't Sir Percival, nor are they even Lancelot, heralded as the most honorable in his time. (Pre-Gwen, obviously!) However, these 21st century heroes are frequently men of great personal honor. Sometimes, their honor requires them to lie, cheat, and steal to return something, or someone to its rightful place. Does that make them less honorable, or more so that they're willing to do what it takes to right a wrong?

Hmmm. More pondering.

Then I did one of those kinda dumb things. I GoodSearched the word Honor.

Oh, my.

People name their horses, dogs, ferrets, cars, golfcarts, trucks and even planes Honor. There are Honor Societies, there are Maids of Honor, there's the movie Made of Honor - Yum! Patrick Dempsey! - there's video games called Medal of Honor.

There's more anime art regarding honor than you can page through in a year. On the anime, I'm guessing this is following the intense focus on honor in the martial arts and the ryu traditions of cultures thorughout the East.

The anime stuff brought me right back to that nebulous concept though.
Honor the fallen. Keep your honor at all costs. Honor your father and mother - wow, there's a potent use of the term.

So how is it that we show it in our flawed, human, and ever so interesting heroes? How do we define it within ourselves?

Keeping faith with those we love was one way that sprang to mind. As romance writers, no matter the genre, we write about relationships. There is nothing more damaging to a relationship than breaking faith with your lover, partner, wife, husband, etc. It's dishonorable. In general, we see this as a point of honor - to keep the faith. We have it in most marriage vows - To love, honor and cherish.

Then there's that other usage, to honor tradition. We break the glass, we raise the flag, we lower the flag, we bow our heads, we cover our heads, we uncover our heads, we raise our glasses, we wear black, we paint our hands, we take off our shoes....the traditions are endless, but it satisfies some need in us to remember.

To honor.

To keep a touchstone with our families, our roots, our friends, our experiences both good and bad.

Honor. It's a weird word. It's a difficult, and yet somehow very simple concept.

Honor.

What does it mean to you?

What's the most honorable action you've ever "seen" in a hero in a book?

Ever bear witness to a truly honorable action in person? (Large or small!)

Other than general or specific holidays, what's a tradition you like to honor? (And if you want, tell us why)


Any suggestions on how you teach honor other than by example and the Golden Rule? Grins.

A Winner Was In The Stars!

It was written in the stars today
that GILLIAN would win the signed copy of WARRIOR ASCENDED by Addison Fox!



Mega congrats Gillian!!

Send me your snail mail info to swwelsh2001 AT yahoo DOT com, (yes there are 2 w's in that addy), and I'll forward it to Addison to send you your copy. CONGRATULATIONS and enjoy Brody and the other SONS OF THE ZODIAC warriors!

Arming the Zodiac with Addison Fox!

interview with Suz

Bandits, Bandit Buddies and all our readers, y'all are in for a treat. Today you will get a look at a brand-spanking-new paranormal series and the author, who is not only a dear friend of mine, but a very creative writer! Welcome, Addison Fox. Pull up a lounge chair and we'll have the cabana boys bring some wine.

Suz: Congratulations on your first book, WARRIOR ASCENDED, hitting the bookstore shelves! We love a call story at the Bandit Lair, so please tell us how this first sale happened?

Addison: I love telling this story - thank you for letting me share it!!!

The call came on November 20, 2008. I was at work and I got an email from my agent, asking, "Are you going to be around tonight?" NAL had the overall series proposal and a proposal on the first book. I'd already made one round of revisions on the proposal and they'd agreed to look at it again and now we were just waiting to hear.

I immediately called my sister (hey - if my productivity was shot for the day, hers could be, too!) and we spent quite a bit of time on the phone and in email trying to figure out the outcome. Fortunately it didn't take all day and my agent called me around 2 to let me know NAL wanted to buy it. I had to slip out of a meeting to take the call and hide behind a wall of cubicles. So here I am, trying to take notes and not scream and jump up and down.

I then started calling and emailing everyone I knew!

Suz: I love the premise for the Sons Of The Zodiac series. Can you fill our readers in on it and how you came up with the idea?

Addison: I wish I could explain the moment of connection, but I was sitting there on the couch watching TV, not even thinking about plotting and this idea of the zodiac and warriors popped into my head.

Truly - it was this rare, "gift moment" that I have no idea where it came from. That said, never one to look a "gift moment" in the mouth - I immediately jumped online and started googling the zodiac. I quickly found the connection between modern-day Western astrology and Greek mythology and I was off to the races.

What's been the most fun part of the series is the richness available from a world-building perspective. The zodiac is unique and balanced so there are a multitude of traits to pull on from a character perspective. And then the Greek mythology component adds this really neat layer of world building that's incredibly fun to draw from.

Suz: These guys are all alpha males to the nth degree, just my favorite kind. Brody is the Leo Warrior. With 13 warriors to write about what made you decide to start with him?


Addison: Brody was the other gift in the series. He was the image in my mind as I put the zodiac/warrior connection together. Although he isn't a shape shifter, the idea of the Lion was immediately sexy and appealing and brings to mind a very powerful, very alpha male.

Suz: Your heroine, Ava Harrison, starts out as a shy work-oriented woman, trying to hide any femininity behind drab clothes. How does she first meet Brody? And how does she react to his invasion of her life?

Addison: Ava's got a lot of baggage. Her father - a world famous archaeologist who discovered the famed Summoning Stones of Egypt - was murdered in front of her when she was young. The murder was always believed random, but it shook the very foundation of her life.

She had a dream to follow in his footsteps, but from a more academic perspective as her fear of leaving the safe world she's built around her has always kept her from field work. So instead, she's put her love of archaeology into a career as a curator at the American Museum of Natural History.

Brody is an overwhelming force in her life, but one she's deeply attracted to. He also arrives at an incredibly important moment - she's bringing her father's work to a major exhibit at the museum. Although Brody's presence in the museum is explained under the guise of museum security, she senses immediately he's more than he seems.

His presence also coincides with something else. Ava's never told anyone, but she has horrible visions when she gets anywhere near the Stones. Although she's suspicious of Brody's sudden arrival, she quickly realizes she needs an ally as the power of the stones - and the visions they cause only her - grows stronger.

Suz: Can you explain what the summoning stones are?

Addison: The Summoning Stones are a very powerful piece of magic from the reign of Thutmose the III in ancient Egypt. Five, equally shaped stones, about the size of a woman's hand, that were placed in museums around the world after their discovery. Ava's exhibit is the first time they will be all brought back together.

Each stone possesses a different quality - life, death, love, sexuality, infinity. When put together, they have the power to grant the one who can harness them - a "Chosen One" in every age - power over everything.

While I don't want to give anything away, betcha can't guess who is the "Chosen One" of this age?.

Suz: What's next for the Sons Of The Zodiac?

Addison: Ooooh - my Scorpio's up next - Kane Montague. I love all my warriors, but Kane's got a special place in my heart. When we meet him in WARRIOR ASCENDED, he's just been duped (in a very sexy way) by a secret agent, going by the name of Ilsa.

WARRIOR AVENGED begins six months later, when Kane finally runs down the sexy operative he's not been able to get out of his head. Of course, both of them have some fairly large secrets and it's going to take a whole lot of together time to make them realize they work far better together than alone.

Suz: Ooooooooo Scropio...uh, just happens to be my favorite birth sign!! And Kane is yummo, ladies!! I love your heroes and love the feature interview you do with Brody on your website at http://www.addisonfox.com/index.php/leo/
*whispering to the Bandits and friends...I'm waiting to see what she posts about Kane*

Addison: So I've got a question for everyone. I absolutely love reading about astrology and I'm a total horoscope junkie. Do you all believe the stars influence our personalities or that there are traits that we hold that come from the sign we're born under?

Suz: Addison is giving away a signed copy of WARRIOR ASCENDED to one lucky commenter.


P.S. And as always, if you click on the book, you can go to Amazon.com to order your own copy. And don't forget, clicking on the Bandit books will do the same...and check out Bandit websites and my online story blog by clicking our pics!

Border Watch for Booty!

Thanks so much to everyone for making the visit of Aussie debut romantic suspense author Hélène Young such a huge party in the lair. Hélène was stoked with the response.

After much deliberation (well, SOME deliberation), the winner of the signed copy of BORDER WATCH is:

CHRISTINA!

Christina, please email Hélène on heleneyoung01@gmail.com with your snail mail details and she'll get your book off to you! Congratulations!

Flying High with Hélène Young!

by Anna Campbell

Back in 2005, I'd finaled in the biggest romance writing contest in Australia, the Emma Darcy Award. One of the great pleasures of that for me was that I got to know my fellow finalists including today's guest, the fabulous Hélène Young.

Hélène is a fascinating person to talk to - she's traveled all round the world and currently works as a commercial pilot. Added to that, she's incredibly smart and funny. Just who you want sitting next to you at a long awards dinner.

I was utterly delighted when I heard last year that Hélène had sold a romantic suspense story to Hachette Australia. BORDER WATCH is out in Australia this month and it sounds absolutely fabulous.

Here's the blurb:

Above the crystal-blue waters of North Queensland, Captain Morgan Pentland patrols the vast Australian coastline. When Customs Agent Rafe Daniels joins her crew, she is immediately suspicious. Why is he boarding her plane when she isn’t there? And why is he asking so many questions?

What Morgan doesn’t know is that Rafe has her under surveillance. Critical information about their Border Watch operations is being leaked and she is the main suspect, but when Morgan and Rafe are shot down in a tragic midair attack, they realise they have to start working together – and quickly. One of Australia’s most loved icons is the next target and they have only nine days to stop it.

Will they uncover details of the plot in time, or will the tension that is growing between them jeopardise everything?

You can find out more about Hélène and her books on her website: http://www.heleneyoung.com/

You can buy BORDER WATCH from the Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780733624902/Border-Watch

People outside Australia can also purchase the book online from Booktopia: http://www.booktopia.com.au/border-watch/prod9780733624902.html

Welcome to the lair, Hélène! And huge congratulations on the publication of your debut romantic suspense novel BORDER WATCH.

Hi Anna.Thanks so much for inviting me into the lair – I love dropping by to read your guests’ posts and I now I get to be here too! Woohoo!

You work as a commercial pilot in beautiful Far North Queensland. Can you tell us how your career and this environment influenced your work?

My day job definitely influences my writing. The action is set in an aircraft very similar to the one I fly day in day out. The setting is North Queensland, a part of Australia that captivated me the first time I flew into it twenty years ago. Looking out of the flight deck window on a beautiful winter’s day, the view is spectacular – cerulean waters stretching to the horizon, white reefs rising out of darker depths, beaches dotting the coasting as we track north to the tip of Cape York, and the lush green of pristine rainforests. Gee, can you tell I love it?

Can you tell us about your writing journey?

I first started writing with intent when we moved to Cairns for me to pursue an airline career. Initially I shied away from writing about aviation because I didn’t think anyone would be interested and I also didn’t think I could demystify it enough to make it readable – who knew there were so many acronyms... My early manuscripts wandered around in the wilderness of ‘I don’t know where my voice fits.’ I tried writing to Harlequin Mills and Boons guidelines for Sweets. That didn’t work. I tried writing Sexy. Nope, no better – the only heat in my sex scenes were my cheeks when I reread them… I entered contests and learnt so much from the feedback. I attended RWA conferences and sat in stunned silence in workshops realising I knew so little. Bit by bit I learnt my craft. Four books later, after some great advice from a contest judge I took a deep breath and starting writing BORDER WATCH. Ten years after completing my first manuscript, my fifth one finally found a home!

Here in the lair, we love call stories. Would you share yours with us?

I still smile when I remember that day! I’d been fortunate enough to final in the RWAmerica Golden Heart Competition and through that, met the wonderful Bronwyn Parry (love DARK COUNTRY, her latest book!). At Bron’s book launch for AS DARKNESS FALLS, she introduced me to Bernadette Foley from Hachette. I may have been guilty of stalking Bernadette … but in a nice way! (When I pitched to her at the 2008 RWA conference it did mean I wasn’t incoherent with nerves – I’d got that out of the way at Bron’s launch!) Bernadette asked to see the complete manuscript and she then sent me some wonderful advice on that first draft. I took it on board, pulled the manuscript apart and tried again. And waited.

My husband and I were headed to the stunning Whitsunday Islands for a week’s sailing holiday where phone contact would be limited and I was fretting. We dropped anchor in Nara Inlet in time for sunset. My husband was ripping the top off a bottle of champagne when my phone rang. I could tell it was a Sydney number and one I didn’t recognise. I hesitated for an instant, took a deep breath and then there was this lovely familiar voice telling me Hachette Australia was interested in buying BORDER WATCH and my next book! I did manage to say yes, (after some prompting) and I did manage not to scream until I’d hung up though I clearly remember standing on the deck of the yacht with tears streaming down my face.

What a great call story! What’s next for Hélène Young?

My next book is BEYOND THE BORDERS and it takes Lauren, one of the secondary characters in BORDER WATCH, on her own adventure. She’s also a pilot in Border Watch and has more attitude than a cage full of leopards.

Love "more attitude than a cage full of leopards!" Now this is a story I want to read! Can you give us a glimpse of your working day?

A typical flying day involves four to six sectors of flying which can be up to eight hours in the air. We start by flight planning, checking the weather, working out how much fuel we can carry, briefing the cabin crew, then heading for the aircraft. On a typical summer’s day in North Queensland. I’ll be soaked to the skin by the time I finish inspecting the aircraft for serviceability… On a glorious winter’s day I’ll be feeling sorry for anyone stuck in an office. I fit writing in when I can. I try to be disciplined about either doing internet stuff – blogs, emails, e-loops - or working on a story. That involves having to turn the internet off. I have lousy self-control…

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

My advice is join RWA Australia or America – they are both wonderful organisations that foster writing. Enter competitions, get feedback, toughen up and persevere. Write what you know, write what you love and believe all things are possible! Write characters that people can connect with, empathise with, love with!

Hélène, thanks for that great interview. Is there anything you'd like to ask the Bandits and Bandita Buddies?

I was chatting today with a journalist about what makes a character believable. She was fascinated with the process of creating a new character from scratch and how a writer does that. What do you start with? Is it a face, a photo, a whiff of aftershave on a train? Does your character drive you or do drive them? I’d love to hear about your process.

Writing Banditas, we'd love to hear your answers to Hélène's question. Readers, what makes a character come alive for you in a book?

Get commenting, people! Hélène has very generously offered one lucky commenter a signed copy of BORDER WATCH. Good luck!

March Preview of Coming Attractions

posted by Jo Robertson

We have some delightful guests lined up for March so be sure to join us for these special appearances by some of your favorite authors. There'll be lots of laughter, giveaways, and a wicked, wily wooster vying to go home with a Bandita Buddy each day.

On March 2 we're heading deep into romantic suspense territory courtesy of debut Aussie author Helene Young (http://www.heleneyoung.com/). Helene is a commercial pilot in gorgeous, tropical and exotic Far North Queensland and she used many of her experiences as the basis for her first novel Border Watch. Anna Campbell will be her copilot for what should be an exciting trip!




March 3 – Suzanne will interview debut author, Addison Fox about her new paranormal series The Sons Of The Zodiac and the series launch book, Warrior Ascended.

March 7 -- Debut author Erica Ridley will be visiting with us as Kirsten's guest! Erica's debut, Too Wicked to Kiss, is a darkly sensual Gothic romance full of suspense, murder, and passion.

On March 8 Anna Campell hosts historical romance author Miranda Neville (http://www.mirandaneville.com/). Miranda worked for Sotheby's before she started writing and last time she told us a thrilling story about discovering an unknown letter from the Duke of Wellington. What amazing tales will she unearth on this visit while she talks about her latest release The Wild Marquis?

March 9 – Kate Walker will be back to talk about her brand new novel The Konstantos Marriage Demand which is published March 16 in Presents EXTRA. She's really thrilled about this one because she's just heard it has won hersecond Romantic Times Top Pick Award. Anna S. hosts.

On March 12, a Lair favorite returns as Anna S's guest Julie Cohen talks about bats, gargoyles, corpse-washing sinks and her newest novel, NINA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF GLOOM.


March 16 – Donna hosts guest Allison Chase who'll join us to talk about her new Victorian series: Her Majesty’s Secret Servants. The first book in the series, MOST EAGERLY YOURS, promises to be a fast paced adventure with lots of twists and turns and one very sexy hero.

March 17 -- St. Paddy's Day -- Wearin' o' the Green!

March 19 – Kate hosts mystery author Karen E. Olson as she visits the Lair for the first time. She'll be discussing Pretty in Pink, book two in her smart and sassy new Tattoo Shop mystery series.

March 20 -- First Day of Spring!

On March 21 author Chloe Harris joins Nancy to discuss her steamy Caribbean-set historical, Secrets of Sin.

March 29 – As Raine Benares's next adventure launches, author Lisa Shearin returns as Nancy's guest with a choice between Raine's two magical guys, Paladian MychaelEiliesor and goblin Tam Nathrach. Join us and vote for your favorite.

March 30 -- NYT Bestseller Dianna Love returns to the Lair as Cassondra's guest. What is a romantic thriller? Dianna Love answers the question. And she'll have lots of goodies to give away as we preview SILENT TRUTH, her April release, the fourth BAD Agency novel written with #1 NYT Bestseller Sherrilyn Kenyon.

CONTEST NEWS!!!

Anna Campbell's latest contest offers one lucky reader the chance to win an ARC of MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, her June 2010 release. All you have to do is email Anna on anna@annacampbell.ino and answer a simple question. In the excerpt on the Books Page (http://www.annacampbell.info/recklesssurrender.html )for My Reckless Surrender, Diana the heroine quotes an old proverb to the hero Lord Ashcroft. What is that proverb? Here's a hint -- it's for the birds! Good luck! The contest closes April 30, 2010.