To Float or not to Float...

A Jeanne and Cassondra Food Fight....

Cassondra: I was in New York a couple of weeks ago, like many of the Bandits, and had a chance to spend just a bit of time with the one Bandit I sometimes refer to as “my evil twin.”

You might wonder why we would think of ourselves that way, since I’m short and dark haired, with a rather overpowering preference for black clothing, dark blue nail polish, and deep purple lipstick, while Jeanne is tall, stacked and blonde, with a tendency to wear *shudder* earth tones.

Jeanne: Hey! I resemble that remark! (Heehee. Actually, it's quite a nice description....thanks!)
Cassondra, rolling her eyes: Nevertheless, for you who might not have noticed this, we tend, often, to think alike about certain things. We’re both extremely analytical, come from strong marketing, art and design, and business backgrounds, and we both like things that go boom.

Jeanne: I love it when she calls me analytical. I SO don't think I am, but it's nice to know someone ELSE does!

Cassondra: Will you let me finish?

Jeanne: Pray, continue, my Evil Twin.

Cassondra: Thank you. We also both come from small country towns, love plants and gardening, and have a strong interest in a lot of similar things.

But when it comes to food, the similarities….well…I begin to doubt our twinhood.

Jeanne: Gasp! Say it isn't SO!!!

Cassondra: Yes! It's so! During the New York trip, a vast chasm opened between us. Yes, that’s right. We’re disagreeing about food again. And this time, it’s sacred.

Jeanne: (muffled laugh) It's a sacred cow-product! Oh, noes!!

Cassondra stifles a grin: This is serious! Y’all remember my ice cream blog, right? So you know I’m no stranger to cow-originated goodness. So it’s probably no surprise to you that I love floats.

Jeanne: Ugh.

Cassondra: Hey! I mean I don’t just like floats. I love floats. Being much like the Sally character in When Harry Met Sally, I like them made a certain particular way, of course. I do NOT want the ice cream all blended together with the soda. That’s just gross.

Y’all remember Koogle, right? Peanut butter and jelly blended together in one container? Like that. Blech. Grrrrross.

Jeanne: Oh, now that WAS disgusting. Bleech is right.

Cassondra: Thank you. But as to floats, the ice cream and the soda of choice should not become some amorphous, smooth substance. The ice cream and the soda must remain individual. It’s a marriage of two distinct and opposite individuals, one with a crisp, bright burn, and one with a sweet, soft, creaminess. It is NOT a genetic blending experiment, where everything ends up looking the same. Ew.

I want generous scoops of ice cream, with Coke or root beer poured over the top (allowing proper time for the foam to go down, of course), then poured over the top again, until the container is full to the top of soda, and then I want extra Coke or root beer on the side. While I realize there is a group of float lovers who prefer to have their Coke poured in first, then their ice cream scooped in, because, they say, it doesn’t foam nearly as badly that way, I say this is bowing to convenience. Maybe even bordering on laziness, this sacrifice of quality for speed of preparation. I am a Coke Over Ice Cream float girl.

I do not want chocolate ice cream, nor any other flavor except rich, natural vanilla. No swirls, no nuts, no candy additives. I want a bit of time for the ice cream to become malleable. Then I poke at it with the long-handled spoon so bits of it break off into the ambery liquid. So I can then slurp the glorious combination.
Yummmmm.

Now, brace yourselves, because I know you’ll be shocked. I was. But our beloved Duchesse, Jeanne, my otherwise evil Bandita twin….dare I even say it?

She does not like floats.

This, I do not understand. Instead, she likes malts.

Jeanne: Yes, yes I do.

Now let me be clear. It's not that I find a float abhorrent or anything, it's just....well...Let me put it this way. It's a million degrees here in DC this week. The humidity is about 110%, with blue skies, and no rain. I'm hibernating in the house. Hiding, actually. Do you know what that kind of humidity does to my hair? Eeeeek!

Coke, Diet Coke, Root Beer - they're all wonderful, but there is nothing, and I mean NOTHING that is as refreshing and "bring-down-the-core-temp-good" like a milkshake. In particular, a malt. You know, a mix of cold, gorgeous ice cream in vanilla, coffee, chocolate (pick a flavor, but it's got to be real ice cream), luscious milk, and malted flavoring. YUMMMMM!!!

Cassondra: Okay, we agree on the "real ice cream" part, but once you get flavors or - UGH! - MALT in there, we are at a very wide cravasse in our twinhood. I cannot understand this passion you have for malt. Malted milk balls--okay I can tolerate those. But malt in your ice cream? Yuck. Give me a good, old fashioned float any day. You know, an ice cream float - ice cream floating in a soft drink, like root beer.

Jeanne: Ohhhh no. No fizzy, fuzzy stuff messing up my ice cream, please and thank you. I'm planning to have a malt today in fact, and tomorrow, and probably the next day as a defense against the evil heat and humidity. (We have a code orange heat advisory - baaaaaad)

Cassondra: Truly, you astonish me. Why would you want to diss my perfect summer beverage? I will admit to one exception to my strict coke/vanilla combo.

Jeanne: Just the one?

Cassondra: Oh, be quiet. The one is the orange dreamsicle float, with vanilla ice cream and orange soda. Oh. My. Gosh. And when anyone has a sick stomach, I make them an orange sherbet with 7-up float. Goes down easy and stays down when nothing else will.

Jeanne: Remind me not to be sick around you. Hate to admit it but I'm SO not a dreamsicle fan. My DH - he'd LOVE for you to be around when he's sick. He's an huge fan of orange/vanilla combos, no matter what frozen form they take.

And going back to the point at hand, why would you want to ruin a perfectly good scoop of ice cream by submerging it in, or pouring Coke over it? Or Root Beer? Why, for that matter, would you ruin a perfectly good, ice cold root beer, by dumping ice cream in it?

Cassondra: Oh, please. I’m sorry, but what, precisely, IS malt? I’ve wondered this for a long while now. They never let you actually see it, and I find that deeply troubling. It doesn’t come from a “malt” plant. There is no “malt cow.” No “malt truck” drives up and unloads cans of it. They dump it into the cup when you’re not looking, then they keep their backs to you while they put in the ice cream and blend it all together.

Jeanne: *rubs hands in glee* Malt is made from grain, m'dear Twin! It's the food of the Gods, don't-cha-know. Snork!!! See, you get a grain AND a dairy serving when you get a malt!

(Nancy, that makes malted milk balls a grain food! We're saved!)

Cassondra: Maybe we should switch husbands since your husband, Ralph, likes floats and dreamsicles. My husband, Steve, likes floats, but alas, Jeanne, like you he LOVES malts. In fact he likes EXTRA malt in his vanilla malts. I have no idea how we ended up together.

He has a theory that floats, actually, are a regional thing. A few years ago, he worked for a big hospital corporation, and traveled all over the country visiting hospitals and helping with their scheduling software. He’s run across several places where floats are not served. At one point he was in Texas, (I think) when he stopped by an ice cream shop—one of the little glass-walled kind that I blogged about a couple of months ago—and asked for a float. They looked at him with a blank stare. Then they frowned.

“A what?” they asked.

“A float,” he said. “You know, ice cream with coke or root beer poured over it?”
The girl looked over at her ice-cream scoop-wielding companion. Scoop girl came over and stood near girl number one, making an impenetrable wall of “ya ain’t from here are ya” confusion. They’d never heard of a float.

I mean really! They don't know about floats! How can this be? After I’ve heard such nice things about Texas? I might start to believe that Texas really is a whole other country—an alien one where they don’t serve floats.

Jeanne: Now, I do find that hard to believe--the not knowing about floats. Or maybe it's that your region (Kentucky) and my original region (North Carolina) are so close and so similar that they DID know about floats.

However, your point about Texas being an alien country is also well taken. It IS where they filmed Cowboys and Aliens, so....coincidence? Perhaps not!

(Then again, anything that features Daniel Craig AND Harrison Ford? Rrrrrowwww!)

Cassondra, laughing: Could be, could be. Steve explained the concept, but they could not imagine pouring soda (pop, Coke, soft drink, whatever they call it down there) over ice cream.

You know what I think, though? I think they served him the malt he settled for (Bleh), then they closed the windows, and late that night, after dark, with the lights out, they scooped out some ice cream, poured root beer over it, and found their way to Nirvana. The question, of course, is whether they’ve kept it their special little secret, or whether they’ve shared it with others, spreading the float love across a barren, malt-infested land.

Jeanne: Malt infested? Oh, for Pete's sake! It's GRAIN, I tell ya'! So we're a grain infested land. Excellent. Amber waves, and all that. Snork! Tell Steve we'll fix him right up with a malt, and you and Ralph can go slurp down some carbonated milky goo drinks. I swear, I'm sending Steve a ginormous box of malted milk balls for Christmas, just to tweak you. Bwahahahahah!

Cassondra: Ya'll can have them. I'll studiously ignore them as I find Nirvana in ice cream and Coke. Oh, and your husband is too tall for me, and you're taller than Steve, so you keep Ralph, and I'll keep Steve. Kay?

Jeanne: Of course, because, hey, we chose them for other reasons than ice-cream-beverage preferences. *VEG* But when visiting all together, the four of us? Ya'll go to the other side of the table with those floats. Steve and I will keep our malts allll nice and soda-free.

Okay, so who's side are YOU on? Malt or Float?

Flavored ice cream, or pure, perfect vanilla?

Toppings, nuts, and fruits? (And here I AM in Twinhood again because I don't like cold nuts - SNORK! - nor do I like fruit goo on my ice cream)

Cassondra: Fruit goo. Ewwwww. Real fruit? That's different. Love me some bananas or strawberries....slurp...or chocolate....yummm..oh..ahem...

Jeanne: Back to being Twins - I'm there with you on real fruit on ice cream - or IN ice cream. Just not goo.

One scoop or two? Or four?

And last but not least, besides vanilla, what's your favorite flavor?

The Wages of Sin!

by Anna Campbell

Goodness, goodness, goodness me! I hope I never get trapped in any Book Hell you gals are running. Some seriously scary suggestions yesterday on the blog. Thanks so much for making it such a fun day of horror and games!

The winner of the signed copy of her choice from the Anna Campbell books is:

LANDRA!

Landra, can you please email me on anna @ annacampbell.info (no spaces) and let me know which book you'd like? Also can you please give me your snail mail info? Congratulations!

HEIRESS Is Lovely!

by Anna Campbell

Who are those two women putting their heads together and plotting mischief?

Why, it's moi, Anna Campbell Esq, and...

Well, the identity of the gorgeous creature on my right has recently been revealed as:

CHRISTINA BROOKE!

This international woman of mystery was revealed in all her glory (although thank goodness, she kept her clothes on despite the best efforts of the cabana boys!) late last month as the author of the brilliant HEIRESS IN LOVE, the first instalment in the "Ministry of Marriage" series.

I'm not alone in lauding this wonderful book. Publishers Weekly gave HEIRESS IN LOVE a starred review. Fresh Fiction called it "a riveting tale of life, loss, convenience, and heart-wrenching love. Superbly writtten."

So without more ado, here's our Christine...uh, Christina!

Welcome, Christina!

Thank you, dearest, Foanna, it is lovely to be here as a guest! Now I know why people send their publicists to the lair with siege equipment so they can blog with us. I had the star treatment in the green room just now.

As you know (because I've been all over the net telling people!), I adored the first instalment in your "Ministry of Marriage" series. HEIRESS IN LOVE is a fantastic read and I was madly in love with Constantine, the hero. Can you tell us about this story?

Why, yes, I'd love to! And thank you so much for your kind words about HEIRESS IN LOVE and Constantine. You were good enough (or foolhardy enough!) to read an early draft and I still mention you in my prayers for making me take out that subplot. I don't know what I'd do without you!

HEIRESS IN LOVE is the classic marriage of convenience between a bad boy and a straitlaced lady. Sparks fly, as you can imagine, particularly when the straitlaced lady realizes she must marry the said bad boy to get what she most desires! Here is the blurb:

When the Ministry of Marriage arranges a match, all that matters is power, wealth and prestige. In the business of marriage, there is no room for love. But even the most prudent plans can go awry…

A Convenient Marriage

Jane, Lady Roxdale, has endured one marriage of convenience decreed by the Ministry of Marriage. While she deeply regrets her late husband’s death, she is relieved to be free at last. But when a dissolute rake threatens everything Jane holds dear, she must contemplate marrying a second time…

An Inconvenient Passion

Disgraced libertine Constantine Black inherits his cousin Roxdale’s land and title–while Roxdale’s prim widow is left all the wealth. Constantine is not a marrying man, but wedding Jane is the only way to save the estate from ruin. Jane resists the smoldering heat between them, desperate not to fall in love with an unrepentant rake. But for the first time ever, Constantine wants more than seduction. He wants all of her–body, heart, and soul…

Constantine was such a delight to write. I'm still half in love with him myself. Jane is outspoken and awkward and she doesn't know what the heck she is doing trying to handle this wicked rake or how she's supposed to persuade him to marry her. But she does see him quite clearly in many ways and manages to take him at a disadvantage sometimes, too. It was an interesting dynamic to write.

Can you tell us about the Ministry of Marriage? Sounds intriguing!

The Ministry of Marriage is a group of nobles who have banded together to approve and negotiate aristocratic alliances. It operates as a cross between a corporate board and the NFL draft! The body is not actually a government ministry, of course--that's just the nickname the group has given themselves.

I had a lot of fun with the M.O.M. because I get to play with the slightly older generation who are arranging these matches. The Duke of Montford, the head of Jane's family, appears very cold and ruthless but as the series goes on we see more of the real man. And there is ongoing speculation about his relationship with another member of the Ministry, Lady Arden.

However, the main job of the Ministry is to interfere in the central romance, which is very trying for my poor hero and heroine!

I've also been lucky enough (yeah, I know, I'm gloating!) to read the second book in the series, MAD ABOUT THE EARL (cute title!). Equally wonderful story but you know I'm a sucker for Beauty and the Beast tales. Can you tell us about book two in the Ministry of Marriage series?

Gloat away, Anna! I love gloating about the sneak peeks I get at your books! But seriously, thank you. I know you have a soft spot for this story.

MAD ABOUT THE EARL (aka MATE) is Rosamund's story and it will be released on January 3, 2012. I'm touting it as a great New Year's hangover cure! Rosamund is cousin to Jane, also brought up under the guardianship of the Duke of Montford. The beauty of the family, Rosamund has been betrothed to the beastly Griffin deVere for years but he won't claim her as his wife. When circumstances force Griffin to go through with the marriage he has avoided so long, Rosamund refuses to marry him unless he does the London Season and courts her properly. Rosamund tames her beast (a little) but she must also face her own demons before she can have her happy ending.

Can you give us any hints about the third book in the series?

I won't go into too much detail as the book isn't written yet, but A DUCHESS TO REMEMBER will be Cecily's story, out in July 2012. She's a bit of a handful and it's going to take a very strong man to match her. Luckily, I've found one in Cecily's duke!

I've been dying for Cecily's story. Sounds delicious! You have a very beautiful collage (all right, it's just the pics of Rufus Sewell, call me shallow!) for HEIRESS IN LOVE on your website. Can you take us through the way these pictures inspired you when you were writing the story?

LOL, you and I must both be shallow, then, because they're my faves, too! I made a collage physically on a carboard chart but I couldn't seem to get a good photo of it so I reproduced it as well as I could on photoshop.

What seems to happen when I collage is that I track through the moods of the story from top (beginning) to bottom (end). Usually the characters are separate at the top and surrounded by their allies and enemies, then, they seem to clash, then come together more on the way down to the foot of the page. I like to get pieces of setting here and there. I really love that black and white photo of Rufus Sewell (my inspiration for Constantine) looking as if he's been destroyed. There's a scene toward the end of HEIRESS IN LOVE where Constantine is all but broken and that helped me get the feeling into the book.

Here is a very cool fan video of Rufus Sewell. You can see two sides to him--he can be a charmer but there's that amazing intensity to him as well. *Fans self!*



And now I'd like to ask all of you lovely people--what real life person would you choose as the inspiration for the hero of a romance and why? Links to pictures encouraged and appreciated, particularly in Regency dress!:) A signed copy of HEIRESS IN LOVE will go to one lucky commenter!

Let the Punishment Fit the Crime!

by Anna Campbell

I think it's time we played a game!

Stay tuned, there's your choice from my books to be won today!

Wahooooo as they say in the best of circles.

I'm kinda talking circles today - circles of HELL!

It's strange where blog ideas come from - apart from the big shop of blog topics which is a branch of the big shop of stories where we authors purchase the prefab kits for our masterpieces.

This idea came from a stray Facebook post this week where someone said she was sitting in the coffee shop in a brick and mortar bookstore which didn't have the book she wanted, so she ordered the book from Kindle. Shock, horror! The upshot was she asked her Facebook community if they thought she'd go to Book Hell as a result.

I made a joke about Book Hell being the place where every book you read has the last five pages cut out. Not an original line, sadly - there's a wonderful scene in the original Peter Cook and Dudley Moore BEDAZZLED where one of the Devil's little tricks is to cut the last page out of Agatha Christies before they're sold.

Oh, the iniquity! Oh, the spite!

So I started to think, for a reader, what would Book Hell be like?

SCARY, OBVIOUSLY!!!!

So I'm making you guys honorary naughty little imps for the day.

I know you're all such angels that that's going to be a huge stretch, but try, OK?

Well, for the Rooster it won't be a stretch and Ermingarde is used to dark caverns lit by fire. But I'm talking about the rest of the Bandits and Bandita Buddies!

Oh, and if any of you need help deciding on which book of mine you'd like, here's a link to the Books page on my website. Excerpts and blurbs enough there to keep you amused to the Crack of Doom.

Set fire to your imaginations and tell me what, to you, would constitute Book Hell! Would it be reading ALL the Black Dagger Brotherhood books and then having the last one withheld from you FOREVER? Would it be every romance you pick up featuring a hero called Murgatroyed? Let your wicked imaginations fly!

One lucky imp will win a very heavenly signed copy of one of my books - your choice.

And wishing you devilish good luck!

MJ Fredrick Talks About Her Summer Book Releases

By Trish Milburn

Today, we welcome author MJ Fredrick back to the Lair to talk about her million...oh, sorry, I got a little carried away...her two new book releases.

You have two new titles out this summer. First, let's talk about Midnight Sun. Tell us about this story.

Oh, Midnight Sun. The book that took me YEARS to figure out. Midnight Sun is the story of a cruise chef who’s running away from her problems who encounters a man who’s been exiled because of his. They have a one-night stand, and she discovers his family owns the cruise line where she works! She tries to stay professional, and almost manages, before the ship is overrun by pirates in the isolated waters of the Southern Ocean. Then she has to depend on this man with his bad-boy reputation to keep her and the other passengers safe.

I loved writing Marcus, my bad boy former Olympic snowboarder with no ambition. He had to grow up fast on this cruise, when he realizes he’s the guy in charge. Brylie was fun, too, because she was kinda uptight. I love when an uptight character falls for one who’s so laid back.

The book is set in Antarctica, which I find fascinating. What drew you to this setting?

I was watching the Travel Channel late one night and saw a show about cruises to Antarctica. I was absolutely fascinated, but I’m also a big chicken and knew I’d never go. I started doing research, thinking about how I could work a romance into this setting. I started it several times, even finished another version of it, but nothing worked for me. One of my critique partners said she envisioned it as “Die Hard on a ship.” And that fired me up.

You write wonderful action adventure romances. Are you a fan of them as a reader as well? If so, who are some of your favorite action adventure romance authors?

Aww, thanks! Yes, they’re my favorite genre to read. I loved Fight or Flight by Natalie Damschroder, and Evelyn Vaughn’s Bombshells, and Cherry Adair, and Cindy Gerard, and I’d say Nora’s last couple were as much action-adventure as suspense.

What action adventure romance movies have you enjoyed?

Romancing the Stone, of course, and Zorro. Old ones like The African Queen really show the characters overcoming their travails together. I was one of the few who liked Knight and Day, which was kind of like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which I also loved. I loved the romantic element in Speed and Last of the Mohicans. I would have loved to see Fool’s Gold be—better, and Sahara, too. I would have loved more romance in Die Hard and the Tomb Raider movies. I mean, yeah, Gerard Butler, but that ending, come on!

Your other new title this summer is Something to Talk About, a different type of story. Tell us about it.

When I was writing this book, I called it The Book That I Love. It was my first straight romance in ages. I was high on my Jeffrey Dean Morgan crush, and I’d been reading the Virgin River series and watching a lot of Gilmore Girls, so I wanted a small town love story. The story of Ellie, the small-town waitress who falls in love with her best friend’s somber widower, just flowed. I had a few misfires and had to backtrack, then I wrote it too long and had to cut it down, then added more depth, but I loved every minute of writing it. It’s different, though. One of my critique partners wrote that she was waiting for the gun ships to come over the cliff.

You write different kinds of stories. We writers sometimes hear that we should pick a type of story and stick with it, but I personally find that difficult because I have story ideas for lots of different types of stories. Are you the same? Do you think this actually benefits you as a writer?

I don’t know about benefits. For example, if you enjoyed my historical, Sunrise Over Texas, and you go looking for more of my historicals, well, I haven’t written any yet. (I have ideas, though, boy howdy.) I wrote one little paranormal novella, but my mind just doesn’t bend that way. I love writing for different genres, though. It makes the writing feel fun and fresh.

You're one of the busiest and most prolific writers I know. What releases do you have coming up next?

Wellllll…

August 8, A Ghostly Charm, my one and only paranormal novella, will come out from The Wild Rose Press.

October 24, 3 Days, 2 Nights, a contemporary novella about an estranged couple stranded on a deserted island, will be out from Carina Press.

December 6 (I think), my next novel, Guarded Hearts, about a Texas Congresswoman whose life is threatened so her father hires her a hot bodyguard, will be out from Lyrical Press. 2011 has been a good year for me!

What are you working on now?

I’m working on book 2 of my first trilogy, about a dying resort town trying to find its way out of the recession, and the romances that spring up as they figure things out. I just got back from Minnesota, where I was inspired to write this last summer. This time I did more research. I’m loving this series, but book 2 has been quite the challenge. I hope it pays off.

Thanks for being with us here in the Lair today, MJ. Okay, everyone, MJ writes lots of different types of books -- action adventure romance, straight contemporary romance, paranormal. She's even done an award-winning historical set in frontier Texas. What is your favorite type of romance? And are you a fan of action adventure romances? If so, what are some of your favorites.

Cover Booty!

BIG THANX to Kendra Leigh Castle for being our guest on Thursday, and BIG THANX to everyone who came out to comment and lend her some support.

By a totally unscientific draw from a hat, Kendra has selected a winner for her autographed copy of Dark Awakening:

PISSENLIT!!

SUPER CONGRATS!

Please send Kendra your snail mail address: kendra@kendraleighcastle.com
so she can get the book in the mail to you.

And just because he is SOOO lickable... here's one last look at Chocolate Guy.

YUMMMMMY!

Office Life is Hell according to Rose Maybud

hosted by Donna MacMeans

Say hello to newcomer Rose Maybud! So far, reviews for her sexy contemporary with light paranormal elements include phrases like “pretty hilarious” (Long and Short Reviews) and “a funny, witty, charming book” (Siren Book Reviews).

Thanks, Donna, for welcoming me to the Bandita’s lair! I’m so excited to be here. I love reading the Romance Bandits blog and finding out what you all are up to, and delighted that

I have a chance to share my new book “Something In The Coffee” with you.

So tell us a little bit about you.

As an author, I’m a split personality. Just kidding! Rose Maybud is my pen name for what I hope will become a series of funny, sexy contemporary tales.

As the face of Rose, I’m using this photo of me which was taken eons ago, back when the first humans were hanging crude, handmade disco balls in their caves. (Heck, I actually paid someone to put all that makeup on my face . Might as well get some additional mileage out of it.)

I have also written a traditional sweet Regency romance novel, which was published under my own name a few years ago. Since “Something In The Coffee” is so different from that work, I thought it would be better to offer it under a different name.

What is the story with “Something In The Coffee”?

Office Life is Hell – I think this is a concept that many of us can agree on! There’s the daily grind of work, unreasonable co-workers, difficult bosses…some days it’s enough to ma

ke the mildest of us wish we could just send them all, Bang! Zoom! Right to the moon.

Have you ever worked in a job that you couldn’t wait to quit? But maybe you couldn’t quit, because…? Well, that’s kind of the problem that the lawyers and staff at Sangazure and Poindextre, LLP, have. Working there is not fun at all.

Our hero, young attorney Alex, is determined to do something about the situation. His fiancée Eileen loves him, but she just doesn’t think that there’s anything he can do to change the law firm’s toxic atmosphere.

Senior Attorneys Ann Sangazure and Duke Poindextre seem to get off on fighting with each other. Duke’s assistant Zoe snubs the nerdy IT guy Kevin, even though she finds him strangely sexy. Pretty, timid Connie is secretly in love with the attorney she works with, Roger Daly, but he’s too shy to talk to her.

What’s a worker to do?

Alex knows what to do: Hire a sorcerer—well, a Potions Account Executive—to slip a little something into the office coffee pot, something to make everyone friendlier to each other.

And boy, do they get friendly…soon everyone in the high-pressure law firm is wildly attracted to the first unattached person they see. Uptight lawyers cavorting with admin assistants, grim-faced paralegals stripping in the copier rooms, serious tech support personnel finding new uses for their extra power cables…chaos reigns supreme, and it’s All. Alex’s. Fault.

Good thing Alex is a clever lawyer, because it’s going to take all his ingenuity to fix this mess…and win back the love of his fiancée, Eileen.

Take a look at the video book trailer for Something In The Coffee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwxGB_4xklU

Here's a short excerpt:

"Something in the Coffee" follows the romances of four couples in the law firm. Attorney Roger Daly is about 10 years older than his administrative assistant, Connie. They are attracted to each other, but both are very shy:

Roger could tell Connie was nervous, even though she was trying to hide it. Her hands gave her away—she was weaving her fingers together, gripping them tightly, then pulling her hands apart only to squeeze them together again. Dismayed, he hoped she wasn’t going to resign, or tell him that she was getting married to some lucky and undeserving lout who would enjoy her luscious body every night. If only he were younger—he would worship her, savor her, exult in her. But he could feel himself getting carried away again.
“I was wondering,” she was saying. He smiled encouragingly and tried to concentrate. “There’s this movie I wanted to see, and my girlfriend Zoe can’t go, and I was wondering if you would like to go with me.”
Her pretty face was filled with hope. His entire being thrilled with the knowledge that she wanted him—this succulent young creature was beckoning to him, inviting him, enticing him to share in unimaginable delights. He wondered if he’d fallen asleep at his desk and was caught in one of those wish-fulfillment dreams he’d been having about her, but he was certain he hadn’t. She was still wearing clothes.

Come on, how bad can office work be? Really?

Here’s a story (and I swear it wasn’t me): One day, young female lawyer wore her workout clothes to the gym and brought her suit on a hanger, because she was due in court that morning for a very important case.

But when she went to put on her business clothes, she discovered…NO BRA. No time to shop for a replacement. Her sports bra was too bright to wear under her thin white blouse. There was no alternative--that day, the girls hung free.

What about you? I’ll send a free download of Something In the Coffee to the commenter with the most awful, embarrassing, funniest work story ever.

Inquiring minds want to know!

All Covered Up!

Aunty is beaming with pride to welcome back her good writer-buddy and Lair favorite Kendra Leigh Castle, who is celebrating the release of her newest book Dark Awakening.

As you probably know, Kendra Leigh Castle writes dark paranormal romance and lives in southern Maryland with her husband, three kids, and a menagerie of pets. Find her online at her website: www.kendraleighcastle.com

Thanks to the incomparable Aunty Cindy for inviting me back to the Lair! In gratitude, I have brought with me a hunk to share. Chocolate covered... my favorite!

So today I wanted to talk about (surprise!) the visual aspect of what makes us pick up a romance novel. I've just returned from RWA 11 in New York City, where I not only had an amazing time and got to sign my new release Dark Awakening, but I also somehow accumulated a duffel bag full of shiny new books even though I promised myself I'd behave on that count this year. Truth is, though, I'm a sucker for a good cover. And if that good cover, along with its story, comes for the price of free, it is finding a spot in my luggage. I'm a cover ho! I'm not ashamed.

At the Grand Central Spotlight, a Q&A where editors and publicists for that house discuss what they do for their books, there was some talk about the importance of the cover. You've got just a few seconds to catch a potential reader's eye so the art department has a HUGE task.

We've all felt the impact of a fabulous cover. And I'd guess we've all walked on by what might be a great book because the cover just didn't do it for us. I got a big kick out of watching readers wandering the Grand Central signing, of which I was proud to be a part this year, and scan the tables. They'd look, look... and then the eyes would dart back. The expression in the eyes was unmistakable, "Ooh. Pretty." I caught a fair number of people with this:

Now, I'm biased but my cover really works for me. Dark atmospherics, check. Cool font, check. Pettable abs framed by a leather coat, check. To me it all says, "This book has a hot, brooding supernatural man in it who totally gets naked at some point and YOU WILL LOVE IT! NOM! NOM! NOM!" But, uh, you know, that's just me. *AHEM* (Note from Aunty: actually, that was EXACTLY what I was thinking!)

Now, it doesn't always have to be a guy on the cover. This is a release coming in the spring, no guy to be seen and even if I hadn't read a most excellent excerpt I'd be dying to grab it. Check this out:

I love the fire and the kickass chick in a dress. It's got the "Ooh pretty" factor in spades. I notice I head for a lot of the female-centric covers, actually. For one thing, I know they're likely to be urban fantasy, which I've suddenly gotten into, but also, the image of a gorgeous, empowered woman who looks ready to take on the world is something that appeals to me. Take, for instance, the cover of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunters series: gorgeous heroine with weapons AND wings? Yes, please! I think maybe this is because we know, as the reader, that we'll be seeing the world through this heroine's eyes. We obviously want her to be as amazing as possible, since for the duration of the story, in some sense, we are her.

So what draws you to a cover? For me, it is less the gender of the person on the cover than the general feel. I want dark, lush, sensual for both paranormal and erotic paranormal. If it's an urban fantasy, I want warrior hawtness. I want the atmosphere of the book in a single mouth-watering shot. Which is why I'm pretty excited about the cover for my January release, Midnight Reckoning. I know, I know, shameless plug, but seriously:

So let's talk covers! What do you look for? Do you have a recent favorite? What makes you stop and grab a book?

I've got a signed copy of Dark Awakening for one commenter who I'll select at random. Aunty will announce the winner tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

Vacation

by Suzanne

Well today is officially my last day of my summer vacation. Every year I use one week of my three weeks of vacation time from the hospital to go to the RWA National convention. I don't go to the beach, I don't go to the mountains, I don't go visit family. I do to a convention where I have to dress in nice clothes, smile at everyone and listen to speakers (in the workshops I attend).

Crazy?

Nope, not for me. See, since I started going to RWA National I've been to Atlanta, Reno, San Fransisco, Denver, Washington D.C., Orlando and now New York City. (The 2 Dallas conferences don't count coz that's just down I-75.) I've gotten to do a limo chauffered tour of Sonoma wine country. Been to Alcatraz. Seen the Golden Gate Bridge. Toured many of the monuments in the nation's capitol and walked through the Smithsonian. Hung out in Disney World. Played the slots in Reno. And last week I did NYC tours by day and night and boat! Not to mention went to 2--TWO--Broadway musicals, (WICKED and JERSEY BOYS).

But another great thing about my summer vacation is that it energizes me. It makes me want to come home and write. To words down on pages. It makes me want to read...all those great stories I brought home with me, or I heard about in conversations. It makes me wish I had a whole other week of vacation to take, but unfortunately, in my line of work summer is one of the busiest times of the year for having babies. (uh 9 months ago people were snuggling in the cool or cold weather.) So each nurse only gets one week of vacation in the summer.

I'll take another week in the fall to go see my parents in Ohio. I love fall in Ohio. It's cold. It's rainy. It helps me get in the mood for Thanksgiving and Chistmas. It completes the cycle of the seasons for me. Something I don't always get down here in Texas.

So, what about you? What is your favorite vacation? Beach? Mountains? The jungles of Costa Rica (my friend Aly Burton did this with her family!)? Let's talk VACATIONS!

Bandita Mega Booty!!!!!!!!

My apologies. In the rush to get ready for National, Donna forgot to post the winner of a copy of Monica Burn's Pleasure Me from the June 23rd blog.

The winner is Barbara

Please send your contact information to DMacWeb@wowway.com and I'll send that right out to you.

Nancy also apologizes, in her case for a hectic Spring and late prize postings. The winner of a .pdf copy of Patricia Rice's ebook, Evil Genius, is Barbara E.

The winner of today's prize, Patricia Rice's The Devilish Montague (paper copy) is Laurie G.

Barbara E. and Laurie, please send your contact info to Nancy at romancebandits AT gmail DOT com and put "for Nancy" in the subject line.

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who stopped by.

Love and Parrots

Today we welcome best-selling author Patricia Rice to the Lair as we celebrate the release of The Devilish Montague, the second in her Rebellious Sons series. The first book, The Wicked Wyckerly, was a 2011 RITA nominee.

Welcome, Patricia! What is the Rebellious Sons series?

I thought it would be fun to write about the younger sons of society, the “spare” heirs expected to marry well if they want to continue a life of ease. What would a hero do if he had no money and society frowned upon his earning a living?

Please tell us a little about Blake and Jocelyn. I understand a parrot has something to do with their meeting?

Blake has an encyclopedic mind and a restless soul. He’s an absolute whiz at solving puzzles and is convinced he can break the new French encryption machine code if only he had more than one example to work on. To obtain more battle field codes, he needs to go to war. Unfortunately, as a younger son, he has little money of his own to buy his officer’s colors. And somehow, cynical Blake has ticked off a few too many people in power to garner much sympathy for his plight. So marriage it is, if he can find a woman who wants a husband on another continent.

Although Blake calls her a “flibbertiwidget,” Jocelyn knows she’s the perfect match for him. First off, Blake will receive her family’s old estate should he marry. Secondly, since she plans on moving in with her highly eccentric family and their pets, a husband a thousand miles away is the only kind who will tolerate her!

Besides, he's compromised her by confronting her in a barn at dawn, after she’s stolen a parrot and ruined his duel. Obviously, they’re made for each other.

Your website refers to an "inconvenient marriage." What's that about?

Blake is not precisely a patient or domesticated man, as he frequently mentions. He wants to go to war, not marry. He risks his life in duels, lives in a bachelor’s quarters with books stacked to the ceiling, and spends his evenings at his club. He doesn’t have time for families, even his own. In his experience, families are far too intrusive, and he resents being molly-coddled just because his mother is superstitious enough to believe he’ll die because of a white streak in his hair! He’s far more likely to shoot Jocelyn’s birds than feed them. Marriage is not a state to which he aspires—except Jocelyn has just inherited a lot of money that can buy his colors.

Jocelyn has had the painful experience of being thrown out of every home she’s ever lived in. She’s not real high on tying herself to another man now that she has the wherewithal to be independent. But her socially incompetent younger brother, her eccentric mother, and their collection of pets have spelled disaster anywhere else she’s lived. Now that Blake's family owns their old family estate, she can’t possibly afford to house pets and family in London, even with her new inheritance. And she adores the ton that Blake scorns. It would break her heart to live in rural environs.

And then Blake ruins everything by confronting her in a barn at dawn. Once she shoots his toe and brings the entire house party running, what else is a girl to do except marry the man for his home?

What are their biggest emotional obstacles?

Blake really has to realize that no man stands alone, no matter how smart and independent. He might not want to be coddled by his wife, but despite Jocelyn’s flighty manner, she’s extremely perceptive and capable of getting him what he wants. Jocelyn, on the other hand, believes she must take care of everyone in her path and has some difficulty believing Blake doesn’t need her help, too. Or that he can actually relieve her burdens. Besides that, she doesn’t want to do anything to create babies so she has even more family to fret over, especially if he's planning on going to war to get killed! Which creates a bit of a sticky wicket since Blake figures there’s only one point in marriage.

How they resolve their differences, learn to respect and enjoy working together while catching spies with parrots requires reading the book because it takes much too long to explain!

Can we see an excerpt?

Sure. Here we go:



“Methinks he thinks too much,” Jocelyn crooned to the parrot, stroking it. The parrot batted its head against her soothing finger, then settled into sleep.

Shivering in her wet cloak, Jo tried not to think too hard about Blake Montague. Tonight, aiming a pistol in her direction, he had looked the part of dangerous rogue.

Montague was a lethal weapon. His cynical wit had a cutting edge she couldn’t hope to match. And for all his education, he didn’t seem to like anyone very much. She’d seen scorn in his eyes each time he looked at her. Men disliked rejection.

She’d learned the value of stealth and a good diversion very early in life, while avoiding Harold’s rages. Spreading her thick cloak, Jocelyn settled in a rear stall where a barn cat fed her newborns.

“I know you’re in here,” a husky baritone called from the entrance. “You have disappointed me. I had hoped to have to hunt you down.”

Jocelyn wanted to ask what he intended to do about it, shoot her? But she saw no reason to disturb the kittens.

She suffered a nervous chill at the thought of being alone with an enraged man, but for all his brooding gloom, Mr. Montague was widely reported to be an honorable gentleman. He might scald her with the acid of his scorn, but a gentleman would never lay a hand on a woman. Behind him, dawn was lightening the sky, silhouetting his square shoulders. She wished she didn’t admire his strength so much.

She’d stationed herself so she could see the length of the barn and knew when he approached.

Good soldier that he was, he spotted her instantly. She could almost swear he growled as he limped forward. She held a finger to her lips to indicate quiet. He quirked a menacing dark eyebrow at her.

“Quit posturing and admit the bird is better off free,” she whispered.

“Free?”

If he’d worn a hat, she thought he might have stomped on it. He really was a quite dashingly dangerous figure of a man—not at all suitable for her purposes, unfortunately. But then, no man she’d met these last six months had a care for her purposes—only her money. Picking up a kitten, she returned his glare. “What else could be done with such a rude creature?”

“You did not let a tropical bird loose in chilly England. You may be nicked in the nob, but no one ever said you were stupid.”

She slanted her eyes thoughtfully. “Actually, Harold said it quite often. And my brothers-in-law had occasion to mention it once or twice. Lord Bernard certainly said it over these past days. I think I prefer nicked in the nob. What, precisely, does that mean?”

He ignored her diversion. “The bird belongs to the duke. You cannot keep it. It’s theft. Just tell me where you’ve hidden it, and I’ll see it’s returned without question.” He crossed his arms over his soaked waistcoat and glowered.

Jocelyn beamed at him in return. “Nature cannot be owned, sir.”

What's next for you?

A contemporary paranormal romance! Not the dark kind, but a perfectly normal couple—well, sort of normal. The heroine was a teenage singing sensation who disappeared off the map and doesn’t want to be found because…well, her voice kills. But she’s the only key our intrepid hero has to finding his kidnapped son, so he’s not about to allow her to hide much longer. THE LURE OF SONG AND MAGIC will be out in January 2012.

Thank you for letting me visit with the bandits. I'll leave Nancy in charge of choosing a winner to a commenter, but I have a shiny new copy of THE DEVILISH MONTAGUE ready to go!

For more about Patricia and her work, visit her website. You can also find her on Facebook.

So tell us, everyone, what's your favorite book about a second son or a non-titled hero? Or tell us about a heroine you loved to see give the hero trouble.

The winner will be posted just before midnight tonight, along with the winner of a copy of Evil Genius from Patricia's last visit.

A Revolutionary Bestseller....

By Jeanne Adams


First off, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

If you get a chance, and it won't get you arrested, hug a soldier, sailor, marine, coast guard-er, cop or first-responder and say THANK YOU. Grins. (Here's John Cena playing a very, very hot Marine. Are your glasses fogged up yet?)

I had to wrack my brain to figure out what to write about for the Fourth. So many ways to play it...baseball (did that), fireworks (I think that's been done too)...and then I had it! Voila!

Bestsellers!

All the Romance Bandits are writers. And readers. So are the Bandita Buddies. Sven and the gang frequently stack up bestsellers and backlists on the counter of the local indie bookstore, order a box full from Amazon, or frequent Barnes and Noble, Borders, or Books-a-Million for a good read. The Lair is allllll about reading and writing great books.

Even Ermingarde the dragon likes to read. (Hence her glasses, which like Velma on Scooby Doo, she frequently loses. However, she can't wear contacts, so the glasses have to stay.)

We're not sure about the Golden Rooster. He claims to know seven languages, including pullet, but he's unwilling to be tested on any of them. Hmmmmm......

That brings up all sorts of interesting questions, doesn't it? But that's not my point, so I'll go back to the whole image of books, bookstores and teetering to-be-read piles. Or, in my case, to-be-read-mountains. Grins.

But what, you may ask, do Bestsellers have to do with the Fourth of July? Well read on!

So most readers going into a bookstore or picking a new read online first check out the front page or the gorgeous stack at the front of the store featuring this week's bestsellers. Any book selling 100,000 copies or more is considered a high-seller or bestseller, whether it hits a list or not. Nowadays that number is BIG, with the economy so slowly on the mend, so you're bound to hit a list selling 100,000 copies.

That makes what I'm about to tell you even MORE astounding! Prepare to be gobsmacked... Did you know that in 1776, there was an amazing bestseller which sold a then-unheard-of 500,000 copies? It sold out every printing of it which they could run.

It's STILL selling more than two HUNDRED years later. Nope, not the Declaration.....Have I got your attention yet?

Ready to know what it is???

It's Thomas Paine's well-reasonsed booklet on governance titled Common Sense. Published in January of 1776, it was THE hot topic in every meeting room, at every pub, stableblock, dinner table, wellpump, and silver shoppe. If they'd had water coolers back then, it would have been the top water-cooler-gossip item for weeks on end.

I'm betting it would have been an Oprah Book Club Read for SURE. Why? Ahh, young Jedi, because it was scandalous! Seditious! Treeeeeeeeeasonous!

Perfect Book Club material!

And then there was it's author the devilishly handsome, hot-headed speaker, writer and revolutionary, Thomas Paine. Could they have caught him at the time - easier to run and hide in 1776, by the way - Thomas Paine would have swung from the gallows for this pamphlet.

The ideas and concepts in Common Sense were partly a response to the first shots, "the shots heard round the world," fired at Lexington and Concord the previous year, and partly an ongoing response to the Coersive Acts of 1774. The Coercive Acts tightly regulated Boston shipping in favor of the monarchy, required colonists to billet troops in private homes and made British officials high and low immune to prosecution, regardless of the nature of their crimes.

Common Sense was about...well....Common Sense. For instance, it posited the brave notion that if a person commits acts otherwise heinous and prosecutable, they shouldn't be immune because of their legal position or the "height" of their birth. Nowadays, we kinda say "Well, duh!" to that, but at the time, if a King or Peer of the Realm killed, raped or generally picked on somebody, they won any contest of right-or-wrongdoing, and the common man lost. End of story.

This is the foundation of that "all men are created equal part" which Jefferson wrote into our Declaration.

(Although I wish TJ, our fair son of Virginia, had written All PERSONS are created equal - making sure we women were included. It would have made that whole getting-the-right-to-vote thing easier.)

Interestingly enough, this bestseller led to another bestseller, and yes, this time I DO mean The Delcaration of Independence. I've always thought that that one parchment - a simple, albeit large, piece of paper - is more of a shot heard round the world than anything ever fired from a gun.

That document is 235 years old. Today.

Happy Birthday, Declaration! WOOT!!! Let's have some fireworks on your behalf. Let Freedom Ring at YOUR house and celebrate that something a group of brilliant, dedicated men created, then preserved in writing and 56 of them bravely signed.

I say bravely because all the signers would have been executed forthwith had we LOST the war for Independence. (And several of the creative minds didn't sign because they died before they could get there to sign it....but that's another blog for another time. Grins)

We writers love our heroes and you have to admit...pretty heroic guys, those Founding Fathers.

Now, hum along with me to the Beatles tune..."You say you want a Revolution oh yeah, you know....we all want to change the world..."

They did change the world. Good for them. Thank you to all of them whether they signed that massive parchment or not, but most especially my husband's ancestors John and Samuel Adams, because it's my blog and I can thank whomsoever I want. Independently. 'Cause I live in the home of the free and the brave. Heehee.

Now, less seriously....are you going to see fireworks tonight? Taking a picnic or having a party first?

Have you ever read Common Sense? It's online now, since it's in the public domain. You can find it at:
http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/singlehtml.htm

It's long and quite tedious in places, but they were allowed more editorial leeway for exposition back then....

Have you ever been to Washington, DC to see the Declaration of Independence?

Bandita Anna Campbell and I went, two years ago when RWA was in DC, stood in line, and got a look at that famous document. It's totally cool, and yes, John Hancock's John Hancock is HUGE by comparison to the others.

Hancock had quite the sense of humor and said if he was going to hang for signing the damn thing, he wanted King George to be able to read John's signature without resorting to his spectacles.

Tell me your plans for the FOURTH!?!?! And for those of you in other countries, when is YOUR country's Independence day? and how do you celebrate it?

Slow, Lazy, Holiday Sunday

by Caren Crane

Here in the Lair, holidays often sneak up on us - especially when they are on a Monday. Tomorrow is Independence Day here in the U.S.A. and most people are traveling this weekend. Or, like me, they plan to be especially indolent the entire three-day weekend.

My list of accomplishments so far:

1. Got hooked on a new (to me) series: Lie To Me. It's available for Instant View on Netflix and I totally got sucked in last night! More of that to come today, I'm sure.

2. Shelled and cooked some purple-hull peas. My husband helped some immigrants from Budan start a community garden this spring. He went to check on some things yesterday and they sent him home with the peas, a bit of okra, a couple of honeydew melons and some cucumbers. Good eating for us this weekend! I cooked the peas in some chicken stock (which my husband make for me because I've been sick the past week) and some onions. They were Heaven!

3. Watched 'The Lion King' with my youngest, who was home for about a day and a half between camp sessions. Actually, we also watched 'To Sir, With Love', which she had never seen. She's already on her way back to camp, so no more mothering for me this weekend.

4. Read some back issues of 'Rolling Stone' magazine. I hadn't read it in recent years and I must say that they are publishing some of the most in-depth and insightful articles on politics and current events in the U.S.A. that I have read in a long time. Great stuff! (And if you don't know why you should be afraid of Roger Ailes, look up the article 'Fear Factor'!)

5. Hm...trying for a fifth thing here. Oh, I changed the sheets on my bed! Well, I took them off and washed them and put the fitted sheet back on. Then I was exhausted and my husband finished it, but I'm going to count it anyway.

As promised, complete indolence! I usually feel the need to get really busy and accomplish tasks I normally put off. Since I've been under the weather, though, I've taken the pressure off and succumbed to my natural state of sluggishness. (If you haven't seen the 'Lazy Sunday' videos and the others by Lonely Island, you're missing out!)

What are you up to this lazy Sunday? If you're in the U.S., any plans for Independence Day? And when you have a day to be lazy, what do you indulge in? Lazy Banditas want to know!

The BIG Awards 2011

Every year RWA ends their national conference on a splendid note by having a HUGE awards ceremony to announce the winners of the Golden Heart (for unpublished authors) and the Rita award (for published authors).

As you all know, the awards have special significance to the Banditas because we were all Golden Heart finalists back in 2006. That's where we met and bonded and we continue to be attached to the yearly awards ceremony.

Even those of us who were unable to attend the conference this year were gathered round our laptops in eager anticipation. Sven (who stayed home this year so that Lars and Paolo could attend) made us a huge batch of hot buttered popcorn, and there's plenty of bubbly for everyone.

Please join us as we toast this year's Golden Heart and Rita winners:

Golden Heart for Regency Romance: The Proper Miss's Guide to Bad Behavior by Anne Barton

Golden Heart for Historical Romance: The Dark Lady by Maire Shelley

Golden Heart for Inspirational: At His Command by Ruth Kaufman

Golden Heart for Young Adult: Irresistible by Suzanne Kaufman Kalb

Golden Heart for Contemporary Series Romance: Lost and Found by Jo Anne Banker

Golden Heart for Contemporary Series Suspense/Adventure: Stolen Lullaby by Robin Perini

Golden Heart for Romantic Suspense: Spy in the Mirror by Diana Van Dyke

Golden Heart for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles

Golden Heart for Paranormal Romance: The Blood Sworn King by Tirsze Ray

Golden Heart for Contemporary Single Title Romance: The Sinners by Lisa Connelly

Rita for Regency Historical Romance: The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig

Rita for Historical Romance: His at Night by Sherry Thomas

Rita for Inspirational Romance: In Harms Way by Irene Hannon

Rita for Young Adult Romance: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Rita for Contemporary Series Romance: Welcome Home, Cowboy by Karen Templeton

Rita for Series Romance Suspense/Adventure: The Moon that Night by Helen Brenna

Rita for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas

Rita for Romantic Suspense: Silent Scream by Karen Rose

Rita for Romantic Novella: "Shifting Sea" by Virginia Kantra in Burning Up

Rita for Paranormal Romance: Unchained: The Dark Forgotten by Sharon Ashwood

Rita for Contemporary Single Title: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Rita for Best First Book: Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner

SUPER CONGRATS to all the winners! It's wonderful to see familiar names and also fun to see brand new authors with great new books to try!

Do you like to watch award shows? Which are your favorites?

How many of the winning books have you read?

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.

Brooke Book Winners!

posted by Christina Brooke

These lucky readers have each won a signed copy of HEIRESS IN LOVE!

Pat
JenniferTanner
Sheila
Diane
LaurieG

And the hardback goes to...

Danielle Gorman!

Please contact me at christina AT christina-brooke DOT com with your snail address details to claim your prize.

Congratulations, ladies!

Looking for another chance to win? Anna Campbell and I are running a fabulous double act on facebook--sign up here to win signed hardback copies of HEIRESS IN LOVE and MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION!