Janet Mullany is in da Bandit Lair!

Interview by Trish Milburn

Today we Banditas welcome the incredibly witty Janet Mullany, whose The Rules of Gentility is out this month. Having just finished reading this very fun book, I can highly recommend it. And if you comment on today's blog, you could be the lucky winner of your very own copy of Rules.

Q. When you began to write The Rules of Gentility, were you aware of anything else like it out on bookstore shelves? If not, did you go into writing it aiming to capture this new niche in the market, or did you just write for fun to see what happened?

A. It was definitely writing for fun, but I did wonder if there was anything else like it out there, and came to the conclusion that there probably was. I remember seeing something at a bookstore that alternated hero/heroine voice in first person — probably by an English writer and a contemporary. A few early readers were absolutely horrified at what I’d done — why present tense, why first person, why doesn’t the heroine’s mother have any punctuation (answer: because she never pauses for breath), and so on. If The Rules does open up the market to more books that play around with tense and voice, I’d be thrilled; and also if it takes some of the fear out of first-person narration. Even reputable reviewers have told me, “I don’t like first-person narrative.” Huh? It’s just another way of telling a story, not the antichrist. And if you don’t read books written in first person, you’re missing some great stuff (Jennifer Weiner, Nick Hornby and Anna Maxted, for starters). What I did do, that I think was innovative, was to write a funny historical; there are lots of books out there with wit and irony and so on, but very few that don’t take themselves all that seriously.

Q. What was your favorite part of writing this book?

A. All of it was tremendous fun. It was like a guilty pleasure — having something in the works that was pure enjoyment all the way. If I found myself running out of steam, all I had to do was switch voices.

Q. I really liked the light, fun feeling of the book, but you also showed some of the “not-fair” circumstances of the time. Was this by design?

A. More by knee-jerk! I’m always aware that the privileged lifestyles of the rich and wealthy are supported by a whole structure of servants and that people with completely different lives exist. I think this comes through in every book I write. I’m always amazed by people who say the Regency period is played out because there’s so much more than just the titled few. I find servants particularly useful as a plot device, too, because they knew everything and could aid or hinder their masters.

Q. How long did it take you to write this book? How does that compare with how long it typically takes you to write a book?

A. On and off about a year. I generally work on a couple of things at once. It’s diffic because generally I spend at least a month just thinking about a book or doing researcult to sayh (I’m a very bad researcher), and then I start on the actual writing process. This book, however, I didn’t think about because initially it was a short, fun project for my entertainment, to see if I could write Bridget Jones’s Diary in Regency times. So I just jumped in and started writing.

Q. What is your writing process like?

A. I can hardly remember (right now I’m in the manic phase of a book coming out and doing lots of blogging etc.)...after I stop procrastinating I put up a folding screen around the computer (my house is very small, and my desk is set up against one wall of the living room). I usually listen to music, usually opera or some other vocal, classical music. Don’t ask me why, but I find Handel’s Messiah great for writing love scenes. If I’m lucky, and it doesn’t always happen, my subconscious kicks in and the writing just flows — that’s a wonderful, addictive, feeling. Otherwise it’s hard work and stopping myself going online every five minutes. Generally, the first scene is very clear in my mind; originally, the ball scene in The Rules was the opening, but my editor wanted me to write something that was more of an introduction of Philomena and Inigo to each other and to the reader.

Q. Do you think your being English is what draws you to the Regency period? Or do you think you’d love it even if you weren’t English?

A. Being English certainly has a lot to do with it. I had two aunts who lived in a Georgian house in Bath and whom I used to visit. They loved all things Georgian/Regency long before it was fashionable and introduced me to the joys of Georgette Heyer. If I weren’t English, I’d probably love it more, because I wouldn’t know how appalling most of the aristocracy were!

Q. Do you have other similar novels in the works? If so, please tell us about them.

A. Not yet. I’m working on another erotic romance (my first Jane Lockwood erotic historical, Forbidden Shores, comes out in October 2007), and I have ideas for a couple of erotic novellas. I have an extremely vague idea for another Avon book that is in the one-month thinking stage.

Q. Has anyone mentioned to you that when they see Inigo’s name, they think of Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride? Perhaps that’s just me. :)

A. You’re not the only one! I was blissfully unaware. I think it’s a gorgeous name, but the only Inigo I could think of was the seventeenth-century English architect Inigo Jones!

Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share with everyone out here in Banditaland?

A. Actually, I’d like you to share with me... What do you find funny? Since I’m English, all you have to do is say “bum” in an inappropriate context and provide some funny stuff with a dog, and I’m rolling on the floor. And thanks for having me, dear Banditas!

Thanks for stopping by the lair, Janet.

Read Jeanne's Call Story -- Win a POC3 Tee Shirt

Okay, lovely blog visitors. You're off the hook. You don't have to write a limerick; just scroll down and comment on the very thrilling CALL story (sounds like something religious, huh) of our very own Duchess Jeanne!

We're giving away not one, BUT TWO, Pirates of the Caribbean tee-shirts, to two luck commenters. So be sure to leave a remark!!!


We are pleased to announce that Seton is the lucky winner of the autographed copy of Colette Gale's sexy new book "Unmasqued". Please send your snail mail addy to Anna at anna AT annacampbell DOT info. Congratulations, Seton!

GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!

by Jeanne Pickering Adams

I recently saw a UTube video of soccer players celebrating winning goals that sums up how I'm feeling this week. I can't do back flips, but I understand the euphoric desire to do so. Why, you might ask, desperately curious? Because I reached my GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLL! I SOLD. I got what writers love to dub The Call, and oh, yeah, I answered it. Ha! This means a reputable publishing house offered me a contract to purchase and publish my book. I love saying that, seeing it written. It's so yummy.

Of course, in my imaginings, when I got The Call, I would have ideally been sitting at my desk, hair coiffed, dressed in actual girl clothes (as opposed to jeans and a t-shirt), with real, honest to goodness make-up on, working on a pithy rejoinder from my heroine. Imagine with me: Rrrriiiiing.
"Hello," says imaginary me, in my most professional voice.
"Ohhhh, is THE Jeanne Adams, the author?" gushes the desperately-seeking-manuscripts editor. And I deign to stop working, speak with her and, once I'm satisfied with the deal, I sell her my book.

Is this the way it happened? Hahahahahaha! Of course not. I was in the car. It was already 91 degrees and the AC in the car was hardly working. Errand two for the day was to take it to the shop later that day. My two boys were in the back, alternating between singing Scooby-Dooby-Doo-Where-are-You at the top of their lungs and squabbling over a toy. We were, blessedly, on the way to camp where I was looking forward to dropping the older one to play baseball before taking the younger to daycare. Into this maelstrom comes the ring of my cell phone. My sister usually calls to say hello on the morning drive, so I simultaneouly hit Answer while fussing at the boys, "Hey, pipe down, Aunt Sis is on the phone!"


Ahem. Professional? Nope, not a bit of it. Thankfully, my editor (oooh I love saying that!) has a sense of humor. After I got over being totally flustered that SHE-Who-Has-the-Power-to-BUY has not only CALLED, but called my oh-my-gosh-cell-phone(!!!!), I ask as calmly as I can muster if I may return the call when I've dropped the boys off.


She agrees, I hang up. Then I yell and sing at the top of my lungs. This promptly shuts both my children up. Imagine that. Total silence. "Uh, Mom?" comes a tentative voice. "Are you okay?" You see, I don't usually spontaneously break into an incredibly raucous version of the Hallelujah Chorus (alto part) in the early morning, in the summer. Closer to December, the bets are off, but in July? No.


To my seven-year-old, I explain in his terms: Well, son, in my business, its as if I've just hit a Grand Slam Home Run to put my team into the playoffs. (I'm reserving the World Series analogy for when I make the Times List!) To my two-and-a-half year old's repeated, "Mommy, otay? Mommy otay?" I just pat his knee and say "Oh, yeah, Mommy is OOOOO-Tay!"


I broke several speed laws getting them to their respective places, eager to get home and call the editor all the while thinking, is it real? I have to tell my husband. What if its a mistake? I have to tell my sister. What if they want so many revisions I can't do it? Oh, #@)$#@)($*. I had worked myself into a true tizzy, between bouts of hysterical laughter, more singing, and a call to my husband, who was thrilled.


As I whip my car into the driveway, I nearly hit Errand #1, the vet. She was at the house for my dog's annual check up. I love that she comes to the house. Usually. Not today. I don't want to tell her because I don't know her THAT well, and heck, I don't know what's going on! She wants to do the full work up, chat about the dog, his health, his age, his teeth. All the while I'm thinking, if I don't call this editor back, she's going to hate me. She's going to call someone else. Aaaaaargh.


Thankfully the vet finished up and blissfully unaware, went her merry way. I called the editor and managed to be reasonably professional, get the details and agree to the deal. Now what? Yikes! I decided to wait to tell anyone other than my sister and my husband until I had the contracts in hand. Insecure? You bet. Worried it was all a figment of my very vivid, hyperactive writer's imagination? Totally.


Its never what you think it will be. But its usually better. And let me tell you Banditas, and Bandits, and all as-yet-unpublished marvelous writers out there, it is one AMAZING feeling to know that your story, your book, your imagining, your PEOPLE will grace a book cover, and a book shelf in a real bookstore and that actual REAL human beings will buy it and read it and hopefully, enjoy the heck out of it and buy another.


So, like Caren, you bet I'll direct people to the bathroom when it comes my time to do a book signing. Heck, I'll direct 'em to any section in the store they want - I know 'em all! For the sheer privledge of getting to BE there, I'll reshelve books for the bookstore if they want!


Big or little, every writing goal met deserves a celebration. How do YOU celebrate? Bubbly? Godiva? Both? (After all, why be stingy w/ the joy?) A bubble bath? Wild monkey sex with your significant other? Heehee. How about multiple back flips....check out the soccer guys on UTube - Now, that's celebrating...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc1JcYQvrZo&mode=related&search=

Question of the day

While we're awaiting a much-anticipated post by one of the Banditas, here's the first of what we plan to be a periodic Question of the Day:

If you could be an extra for a day on any current television program, what would it be and why?

Fruits of Our Fingers

by Caren Crane


Gentle Reader, I have a confession to make. Though you will hear the Banditas and others quiver at times with insecurity about whether people like our writing or how a book will be viewed by the public, we are only half insecure. As the incomparable Claudia Dain has said, "Writers are a mountain of ego, surrounded by an ocean of insecurity". Claudia nailed it.


After all, ours is an avocation - the thing we love to do. And yet, it is enormously draining, difficult and full of rejection (and the potential for rejection). Ask yourself, what sort of person knowingly takes on a job where they will be rejected 99 times out of 100? Oh, a salesman, perhaps?

Yes, like it or not, we are called on to sell, sell, sell our stories. First to agents and editors, then to booksellers and librarians and finally, Gentle Reader, to you. Such crass commercialism! Surely Jane Austen did not have do such a thing? Well, maybe at one time writers were not called upon to sit at a lonely table in Barnes & Noble and direct customers to the bathroom. To bribe people with chocolate to talk to them. To make them feel guilty enough to buy a book and - please, oh, please! - let them autograph it.

Yes, perhaps the readers and writers both were spared such humiliation at one point in time, but today it is a reality. Today, writers must produce a great book, sell it and promote it. That is rather daunting to many writers. Unlike your Banditas (*g*), most writers are solitary creatures, who would rather sit at home alone with their keyboards than direct potential buyers to the restroom. Being subjected to such things is, to them, too high a price to pay.

I, for one, will be happy to sit in a bookstore and direct people to the restroom. I will invite several friends along, who will plant themselves in the romance section and allow their conversation about that fabulous writer who is here, OMG! to be overheard by romance browsers. Ones who will pass out chocolate and keep me company. Even if unaccompanied, I will make friends. Not because I was born an extrovert, but because I can become one for the sake of getting my book in your hands.

I can sell. Heck, I can hard sell, if that's what it takes. Anything, Gentle Reader, to get the fruits of my fingers into your (perhaps unwilling, but ultimately happy) hands. I have to. I chose to be a writer.

So, what have you done that was against your nature but necessary for your survival? Gone out with a guy so you would have something to eat for dinner? Sold jewelry for gas money? *gasp* Suffered through a booksigning?

Colette Gale Fires up the Phantom

Interviewed by Anna Campbell



ANNA: Colette, thank you so much for coming over to party with the Banditas today. I can't wait to hear about your new release Unmasqued, an erotic re-telling of The Phantom of the Opera. What an intiguing premise! But first I'd like to ask you about your writing history. Give us the goss on Colette Gale before she was published!
COLETTE: I'm ecstatic to be here! The Banditas have really made quite a name for themselves in such a short time--I'm completely impressed. Thanks so much for having me. Okay, the writing history. Well, Colette Gale is actually the pen name of my alter ego who writes historical paranormals, and who has been a guest here on the Banditas in the past. But Unmasqued is Colette's first book, and we won't talk about that other girl today, other than that she is multi-published. :-)
ANNA: I'm so looking forward to reading it and finding how you deal with the sexual tension between the members of the central triangle in the story. Can you tell us about Unmasqued?

COLETTE: Well, the story came about because of my dissatisfaction with the ending of Lloyd Webber's musical version of The Phantom of the Opera. I mean, he made the Phantom passionate and attractive, and showed us how much he and Christine loved each other--and even more so in the film version--and yet he has Christine leave the love of her life to run off with that milquetoast Raoul at the end! Quelle horreur!

(I must confess that I've seen the Phantom play many times, and that when the movie came out, I had this hope that maybe Lloyd Webber had tweaked it enough for it to end the way I thought it should have ended. But no.)

So I set about writing my version of the story, explaining why Christine left with Raoul, forsaking her passion for Erik (the Phantom). It started off being just a fun project for my alter ego, when she was between other books (those historical paranormals), but when she finished the book, her agent wanted to see it--and then she sold it.

The book is an erotic novel--not an erotic romance. There is a line between the two, in my opinion, and although Christine and Erik do have their happy ending, as one would expect in an erotic romance, and they do not have intercourse with anyone other than each other, the book leans more toward erotic fiction. In fact, when I sold this book, my editor and I--and all of her colleagues--had long discussions about where this book belonged.

Did it belong as an erotic romance (yes, because there's a love story at its heart and a happy ending), or a straight erotica (yes, because the sexual situations are more like what one would find in that type of novel)? It really is sort of smack dab between them.

The book is definitely not for everyone, because it's not merely explicit sex scenes between the main characters. The settings, the motivations, the situations, are all important to the story, yet they're sexual and erotic in nature.

(I talk more about my opinions on erotic romance v. erotica, and erotica v. porn during this interview at Bam's site.)

ANNA: I gather you're drawn to darker heroes (I'm sure that's one of the reasons we get on so well!). Tell us about your Phantom, and how he's different from Leroux's original creation, and Lloyd Webber's as well.
COLETTE: Oh, Erik is such a tortured hero--in all three versions! Leroux created a horrible, murderous genius, Lloyd Webber romanticized him, and I took it a few steps further and made him complete hero material. Hot, possessive (in a good way), honorable, and madly, madly in love with our heroine.

He is probably the most tortured hero that I've ever written. I loved doing it, because I knew from the beginning how much he loved Christine, and how much of a risk it was for him to reveal himself to her. He'd watched her from the shadows, gotten to know her and to love her through his tutoring--but to actually talk to her, touch her, be with her...he was risking everything. So at first, his fear is obvious through his need to control the situation, to keep her from really seeing and knowing him--because once she did, he feared her rejection. Yet, he can't stay away from her.

Yet, Christine was never afraid of him. Ever (well, except when she takes off his mask, but that's well into the book). She recognizes their connection, their kinship, their passion, and she wants to get to know him.




ANNA: Your byline on your website is "seducing the classics" which I think is brilliant. I notice your next book is a re-telling of The Count of Monte Cristo story. Can you tell us a little more about this?
COLETTE: Yes, my next book will be released in May and it's titled MASTER: An Erotic Novel of The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved writing this book more than I thought possible. The book by Dumas is fabulous--if unbelievably complicated and long--and it was a challenge to streamline it enough to focus on the love story between Edmond Dantes and Mercedes Herrera while explaining what else is going on behind the scenes, but I had a blast doing it.

For those who aren't familiar with the story, here's the back cover copy for the new book:

Betrayed by his friends, Edmond Dantes spent fourteen years imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Now, miraculously freed, he returns as the rich and powerful Count of Monte Cristo, seeking revenge on the four men who sent him to jail...and determined to have the woman he has never been able to forget.

Mercedes Herrera was devastated when the man she loved disappeared and was never heard from again. After searching for Edmond, she had no choice but to marry one of his friends...and for the past fourteen years, she's lived in an empty, abusive marriage, mourning the loss of her love.

When the Count of Monte Cristo arrives in Paris to put his plan of vengeance into play, Mercedes alone knows Edmond Dantes has returned. But this harsh, angry man sends chills down her spine even as his very touch reminds her of the passion they once shared. She realizes soon enough that his plan to avenge himself on the men who incarcerated him also includes another sort of revenge...on her.

From the seaside town of Marseille...to the exotic caves of Monte Cristo Isle...to the glittering ballrooms of Paris unfolds an erotic battle of wills and unquenched passion between one of literature's most famous pairs of star-crossed lovers.

As I said, it was so much fun to write. And for those who are familiar with the story, I'll also divulge that Haydee has her own subplot, and so do Valentine and Maximilien.

In comparison to Unmasqued, I would say Master is a little less edgy and dark, though no less erotic. However, my goal when I write erotica is to arouse and titillate, as well as to tell a story, and I try to keep to the promise of at least one orgasm (the characters, not the reader!) per chapter--and I'd say that aside of one chapter in Unmasqued and one in Master, that pretty much holds true.
ANNA: Do you have any more classics in your sights? Why do you think people keep returning again and again to these archetypal stories?
COLETTE: I'm currently working on another proposal to my editor, and we have several ideas in mind for future classics that are just begging to be seduced. :-) I think the reason people like these kinds of stories, and like to be able to get more explicit, is because often the setting and situation are inherently sexy--but at the time they were written, sexual explicitness wasn't exactly mainstream.

For example, in the original Count of Monte Cristo, there is a scene in what is described as Aladdin's Cave (which is on the Isle of Monte Cristo) in which not only does the eating of hashish occur, but also an orgy. Yeah. But it's only alluded to, not described in detail. (I, uh, took care of that little detail when I wrote my version.) And there's lesbianism in the book as well, and a whole host of sexual innuendo--in Monte Cristo as well as in the original Phantom novel (don't try and tell me that Christine spent a week with the Phantom and nothing happened. Uh, no.), and other classics.

Now we have the ability to tell the stories that have always been behind and beneath the words in all their glorious detail.

Having said that, I know that I have certain literary favorites that I would hate for anyone to mess with in this way (Little House on the Prairie, LIttle Women, Pride & Prejudice)...and there are people who feel the same way about Phantom and Monte Cristo, and others. And that's okay. To each his own!
ANNA: Who are some of your favorite writers?
COLETTE: As far as erotic fiction goes, I've been influenced by Bertrice Small's Skye O'Malley books, The Story of O, Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty series, and Madeline Oh's PowerExchange.
ANNA: Can you give us some insight into your creative process?
COLETTE: I have no idea where I'm going most of the time, until I get there. :-) I write basically one draft, cleaning and revising as I go.
QUESTIONS:
Do you think there's a difference between erotic romance and erotica? Do you have a favorite classic that you wish had gone further? Have you found yourself wanting to rewrite a book or a movie's ending? Which movies? Which books? Why?
WIN:
Colette would love to give one of our honorary Banditas a copy of her new erotic novel Unmasqued. A comment will be chosen at random on Wednesday, 8th August. Good luck!

On Men and Muffins

by Caren Crane

Recently, a very dear friend (who happens to be a great writer) had me read something for her. It was in first person point of view (POV), which I use a lot, and she had both the female and male protagonists "speaking". I never do that, so I looked forward to it. And it was great! Until...we got to the first chapter in the hero's POV.

See, the hero was feeling a little off-kilter (because of the heroine, of course) and was thinking of luring the heroine to a coffee house. And he thinks (because we're in his POV) that coffee and a muffin will fix him right up. STOP!!

As a dear friend (and reader), I had to point out that very few men - especially heterosexual ones - would ever think that a muffin would "fix him right up". While it is true that most men need more fiber in their diets how many (under 50) actively think about this? A rather low percentage, I imagine, unless they have a medical condition that has forced them to be aware of it.


Now, I happen to be in possession of one of these under-50 men who desperately needs more fiber in his diet. But I have to be tricksy about slipping it to him. So here, for all the people in your life (maybe even you) who need some fiber, is my Banana Bran Muffin recipe. Please note (Joan), my youngest daughter took home a ribbon from the NC State Fair with this recipe. The judges comment said, "So moist!" *g*



Caren's "Fiber Up Your Man" Banana Bran Muffins

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2-1/2 cups bran flakes cereal
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tbsp canola oil
2 very ripe bananas (so ripe you'd never eat them)
1 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp raisins (any type)

Stir together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in medium bowl; set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine bran flakes, milk, dried cranberries and raisins. Let sit for at least 5 minutes (don't skimp on this part, let it sit a while). Add slightly beaten egg and oil; mix well (by hand). Mash bananas into bran mixture with a fork and stir to mix.

Add flour mixture, stirring only until combined. Portion batter evenly into 12 cooking spray-coated 2 1/2-inch muffin pan cups (no liners).

Bake in 400 F oven about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or cold (they probably won't last until they're cold!).

Back to my friend's story. She went back to male POV chapter and took out much of the reflection for her guy altogether and used a different style for him going forward. It felt so much truer to his character and turned out to be a really great book!

So, do the men in your life actively worry about fiber in their diets? In your experience, do men really think about things like their health at all if they're not actively experiencing a heart attack? I'm fascinated by this!

Hunky Heroes In The Lair

posted by Aunty Cindy and friends

As Bandita Caren revealed in the comments earlier this week, the Bandit Lair has several levels of chambers, caverns and secret hiding places. Many of these places are occupied by Hero Hunks, who are the heroes (and sometimes villains!) of all the Banditas' various manuscripts, ideas, and Works In Progress (WIPs).

A few days ago, your old Aunty was hanging out in the lower levels and she ran into a couple of historical Hero Hunks who are about to be loosed on the reading public by two of our soon-to-be-published Banditas. Sebastian Laidley, Earl of Carleton will be appearing in Christine Wells’ “Scandal’s Daughter” in September, and Lord Nicholas Chambers will be in Donna MacMeans’ “The Education of Mrs. Brimley” in October.

Being the generous sort that she is *winks* your Aunty thought our Bandita Buddies/Readers might enjoy talking to these two rather naughty heroes BEFORE their books are released. Aunty encountered Lord Nicholas with his sketch pad, charcoal, and some refreshments in one of the not-so-secret rooms of the lair so she sat down for a little chat.

AC: Please tell us a little bit about who, where and WHEN you are. You appear to be wealthy, how did you manage that? Other family members we should know about?

NICHOLAS: I am, quite frankly, who I am. Questions about philosophy are best directed to my brother William, the Marquess of Enon. Unless, of course, you'd like to join me in a bit of brandy? [AC graciously accepts the snifter from Lord Nicholas' hand, noticing that he squeezes her fingers as he passes it to her.] Then we can discuss poetry and painting, seduction and sensuality. But you should come here, close to the fire. Our Yorkshire winters are long, cold and damp. Let me take that bulky shawl. Such lovely skin as yours should be seen, not hidden. You don't mind if I sketch while we talk? Is it too warm? [A fine sheen of perspiration shines on AC's brow but it has nothing to do with the room temperature.] Feel free to loosen a button or two. We're far from London and society's ridiculous rules. It is, after all, 1876.

AC: Lord Nicholas, I understand you are an artist, specifically a painter. Were you born with this talent? How long have you been engaged in this pursuit? And do you specialize in *ahem* risqué subjects?

NICHOLAS: If you've consulted my brother or my father, they'll tell you I'm no artist...certainly not one worthy of hanging in the Royal Academy. They'll tell you I'm more of a black sheep, as it were, hiding out in provincial Yorkshire to avoid family obligations - whatever those might be. I trust William to handle those responsibilities back in London. My sister, Arianne, understands, but she's off on some continental jaunt and thus not about to support my interests.

However the tavern women, they know me well. One needs the occasional diversion from painting landscapes, you understand. [AC does indeed!] The curves and shape of a woman's body, the play of light and shadow. God truly knew what he was about when he created the feminine form... ummmm... It's probably not a good idea to gulp that brandy, you might find it goes straight to your head... then again, let me refill your glass. [AC offers her empty snifter and this time she squeezes Lord Nicholas' fingers! OOPS! Perhaps she is a wee bit tipsy!]

Perhaps you'd consider allowing me to capture your generous spirit on my canvas? I know the villagers refer to me as "Lord Bedchambers," but I assure you, you are perfectly safe here alone without a chaperone...you don't have a chaperone, do you? [Aunty prefers not to divulge exactly how long it has been since she needed a chaperone.] No husband about to storm the manor? Ah...he trusts you. A remarkable and rare virtue, trust.

I've been trying to convince that delightful young widow at that nearby school for matrimonial-minded females to pose for me. She's resistant, but I have something that she wants. What's that you ask? [Actually, AC thinks she can guess.] Why I have knowledge...the kind of knowledge that comes from experience, lots of experience. The kind of knowledge that the young Mrs. Brimley lacks and desperately needs if she's to teach her charges what to expect on their wedding nights. How does a widow not have this knowledge, you ask? That's an excellent question, but one that she must answer. She expects much of me, you know. She expects honor and respectibility, but then, she's new to the area. Let me refill your glass... [AC hiccups and figures WHAT THE HECK? One more for the road...]

AC: All right, in keeping with Cassondra’s post on Friday, how DO you “savor the sensuous?”

NICHOLAS: Savor the sensuous - what a delightful expression. I believe that sums up my existence. I don't give a fig for society, preferring instead to savor the sensuous. Tell me -- do you know about an artist's tools?

AC: Actually, yes, because my DH is an artist too.

NICHOLAS: Have you experienced the pinch of an ox hair brush against your lovely sensitive skin, or perhaps the silky stroke of sable as it glides across areas untouched and unseen? No?

AC: Er… um… No, my DH is a sculptor.

NICHOLAS: Imagine how the tip of that sable brush would feel if it was moist, like a pair of appreciative lips. [AC begins to pant and splashes the remains of her brandy on her face.]

Aunty Cindy, you appear to be a little overheated. There's a blush on your cheeks that I assume comes from your proximity to the fire. Perhaps you should loosen a few more buttons, I'll be happy to assist...

Caren, Joan, and Jo, resplendent in their bucket boots and masks, swing in through the window to save Aunty’s virtue. Much rapier slashing and crop snapping ensues. Lord Nicholas, hugging his brandy bottle close, sneaks off to another hideaway in the lair, hoping to corner Suz or Tawny.

As of this posting, AC has not yet forgiven Caren, Joan or Jo. However, we did locate Lord Nicholas, minus his brandy bottle. Feel free to ask him some questions. You'll enjoy the answers!

It's Another WILD WEEKEND!

posted by Aunty Cindy

WOO HOO! It's been awhile since we had a WILD WEEKEND here in the Bandit lair, so let's make up for that tragic oversight!

Pull on your bucket boots, tie on your mask and be prepared to swing from the rafters!

It may be chilly DownUnder but it is HOT here in California so summon those cabana boys and let's get this party started!

Time to Savor the Sensuous

by Cassondra Murray

Thursday, 4:37 pm. Home from work. Slumped in chair.

My hands are on the keyboard, but after sorting and delivering mail for 550 customers on an 80 mile route, I’m barely moving. Gotta do it again tomorrow, so I’ll be in bed by eight tonight. Dishes dirty. Cats hiding from giant dust bunnies—must vacuum. Pile of laundry. We’re out of groceries. The local farmers are eyeballing my lawn. Its almost tall enough to cut and bale. Bookshelf-painting project half done on the front porch. Oh, and rats! I forgot, we’re out of dog food!

Whew. Do you ever wish you could make it stop? Or even sloooooowwww waaaaaaay doooowwwn? Maybe an hour or two when you don’t have to think about all that needs to get done—when you’re not already half way into tomorrow and its plans? I call it “living ahead of myself.”

I have the sense that the world—and our lives--are not supposed to go by in a blur of “can’t-keep-up-itis”. Bad news. I can’t make it stop, or even slow down.

But I’ve found a secret. Maybe I’m the only one who didn’t know, but just in case, I’ll share. I have to make me stop. My secret is in the brief moments when I can savor the sensuous.

Now mind you, I’m from Kentucky—buckle of the Bible belt—and in my upbringin’, the word sensuous meant sin. For the record, Webster defines sensuous as “…gratification of the senses…having strong sensory appeal…” I was in my mid thirties before I figured out that God gave me these senses—and how healing it can be to simply stop for a moment and feel. Listen. Taste. Smell. Ever had a massage, or just savored a shampoo, cut and style when the stylist massages your scalp for a few minutes? Ahhhh.

Tonight mine will be a bubble bath—cool water with Sandalwood Rose scented oil, and one tea candle in a red cut-glass holder on the vanity. I’ll set the timer so I won’t linger too long, but for that half hour I’ll shut the door on the entire overwhelming world. I’ll close my eyes and smell the scents, lie back and listen and notice the smallest noise—how many birds can I hear tweet outside the window? The neighbor down the road calling his dogs. Now and then I’ll hear the candle flame spurt or fizz as it drips wax. Even the faint sound of the bubbles dissolving, if I focus on it, has the power to bring me into the moment. Into the now.

Sometimes my savoring is as simple as a glass of wine with dinner instead of the easier, quicker glass of water. Sometimes it’s stopping long enough to put Sinatra on the CD player rather than taking whatever the radio spits at me--including the screaming, ranting BUY YOUR NEW CAR HERE HURRY ads.

On nights when I don’t have to turn in early, I’ll have a glass of chilled chardonnay in the tub, maybe a little bowl of sweet cherries or seedless grapes (or chocolate truffles-mmm).

As a writer I live too often outside of myself anyhow. My body mows the lawn but my mind is with my heroine fighting for her life or hero struggling with his soul’s demons. When I smooth on yummy lotion and dig my toes into a thick alpaca rug ( I keep it on the towel rack just for this reason—because it’s decadent—silky against my skin) I won’t go there. I’ll focus totally on the moment. Coming to the present keeps me sane. I do it by indulging my senses in these small ways. It works for me.

How about you? How do you slow down and unwind? Do you have little rituals like mine, or moments that you steal to keep yourself going when the world is after your sanity?

(Hint: This weekend the visitors to the Bandita lair will get the opportunity to hear from a Regency Earl named Sebastian, and a Victorian Lord named Nicholas. I’m guessing—actually I’m certain-- they have their own ways of savoring the sensuous. Why don’t you stop by and ask them about it? (wink) )

My favorite type of romance is...

By Kirsten Scott

Well, how can I follow Anne Mallory's fabulous interview and Q&A about PIZZA? Yikes! I guess all those unique and fabulous pizza ideas got me thinking about how different we all are--about what we want out of our pizza AND our romance.

(What do you think, decent segue?)

In the few years that I've been writing, I've tried: young adult, historical single title, historical short stories, short contemporary, and erotica. I suppose I should settle down but I've been cursed with a multitude of personalities and a very short attention span. What's a girl to do?

Each of these genres reaches a different part of me. The historical touches my most feminine side, the one that wants to wear gowns and gloves and ride in carriages with a dashing alpha male wearing deliciously tight breeches. My short contemporary featured a lawyer who gets busy with the goregous CEO on the other side of a business deal (being a lawyer myself, this represents, er...real life fantasy...). I think you can guess what the erotica is all about ((BLUSH)). And then there's YA, where I get to channel my inner walrus.

So what's your favorite? Historical? Contemporary? Erotica? Short stories or long? What do you love about your chosen genre and why?

And what the heck should I write next?!!?

And the winnahs of autographed books by yesterday's fantabulous guest blogger Anne Mallory are Bamabelle and Mary F! Please send your snail mail information to Caren at carencrane AT gmail DOT com. Congratulations and thanks for stopping by!

Anne Mallory Dishes Up History, Mystery and...Pizza?

interviewed by Caren Crane

Caren: Welcome to the Romance Bandits blog, Anne. We’re very happy to have you visit us! Your newest release, “What Isabella Desires”, from Avon, debuts today. Can you give us a sneak peek at it?

Anne: I'm very happy to be here, Caren! Thank you for having me!

What Isabella Desires (1825) starts as an unrequited love story and morphs into Isabella's battle to take hold of her courage and win Marcus' heart.

Here is a peek at the first two paragraphs of the book:

She watched as he moved through the crowd, his tall, languid grace at odds with the look in his golden eyes, alert and predatory.

Women whispered that Marcus Stewart, Lord Roth, was a fallen angel. With his dark hair and whiskey eyes, his lush lips and artistic hands, she had never believed otherwise.


Caren: I understand this book reunites characters from "Masquerading the Marquess" and "Daring the Duke". How did you come up with the idea for this book?

Anne: I've had the idea for Marcus' book (Lord Roth) since I wrote Masquerading. I seeded a few clues about his personal issues in Masquerading that I was hoping to use in a future book for him. The end of Masquerading really rolled into the plot for Daring though, so I wrote that one next. Then my editor at the time thought I should take a break in the series, and write a few other books first to keep things fresh, and I'm very happy that I followed her advice. It's amazing the things you learn from book to book. But it has been hard biding my time
to write his story. :)


Caren: Isabella seems like a very different sort of Regency heroine. Well-bred young Regency misses do not generally seek "adventures" with gentlemen of their acquaintance. What motivates Isabella?

Anne: When it became apparent during her three years on the mart that Marcus would never offer for her, Isabella married a friend, hoping for a happy life full of children and love - even if it was more of a friendship love than anything else. Her marriage was quiet and kind, but her husband was sickly towards the end and they were not blessed with little ones. Two years after the death of her husband, she is still friends with Marcus and in his inner circle. Tired of being viewed as his kid sister, she takes her courage in hand, storms the after season circuit and dares Marcus to look at her as anything other than a woman.

Caren: You are known for having an element of mystery in your romances. Does "What Isabella Desires" have a mystery element?

Anne: Yes. :) Marcus is a powerful politician and a behind the scenes kind of man. He is very active in the government and the more seedy side of life that sometimes informs it. Due to the nature of his secret he lives life on the edge. His work gets tangled up with Isabella, and when she is seen as his weak spot, she becomes the target of a mad man.

Caren: You also have a wonderful cartoon trailer for this book. How did the cartoon trailer come about? Who does them for you?

Anne: I made the trailer myself. :) I commissioned five caricatures from descriptions in my first book, Masquerading the Marquess (the heroine is a caricaturist), when that book was released. Taking the characters from those caricatures and making all kinds of creations with them has been endlessly fun. I taught myself Flash and voila! Cartoon time. :)

Caren: What other works do you have in the pipeline at Avon? Any plans to branch out to different subgenres or try something new and different?

Anne: I have another historical with Avon in May 2008 that I'm very excited about. I do love historicals. As to other subgenres, I'd like to try Urban Fantasy someday. Wanting more fantasy mixed with romance is partially what spurred the writing bug in me (back before it was readily available) - even though when pen went to paper, a historical emerged. So maybe that says something. :D

Anne (masquerading as Caren, because she's far more clever than I am): Enough writing stuff. What types of toppings do you like on pizza?

Anne (as herself): I am a cheese girl when ordering pizza - the more the better. But when we make pizza from scratch I like to put noodles and broccoli on it. Really! You put the cooked noodles underneath a layer of cheese and it gives the whole thing a fluffy edge -- YUMMY. We use tubular noodles, but I'm sure any would be good. :)

Ok, fess up! Anyone else out there who likes strange pizza toppings? Or if not, any fun foods you've eaten lately that have surprised you? Two lucky commentors will win an autographed copy of either "Daring the Duke" or "The Viscount's Wicked Ways". Good luck!

Anne Mallory Guest Blogging Tomorrow!

Speaking of guest blogging, the fabulous Anne Mallory will be guest blogging with us on Wednesday, August 1! Come by tomorrow to check out the scoop on Anne's new release, the story on her cartoon trailers and her favorite pizza toppings!

Anna C Blogging on Title Wave today!

I'm talking about my path to publication and my writing life with the finalists of Romantic Times American Title II. Pop by and say hello!

titlewave.blogspot.com

Mountains or Beach?

by Jeanne Pickering Adams

You've all heard people say it, I know I have. It's either "I love the beach!" or "Ugh, I hate the beach, let's go to the mountains." It seems that everyone has their favorite and the opposite is to be vilified and despised. I'm a mountain girl, through and through. Alas, I'm currently at the beach.

Among the many reasons I'm not a "beach girl" are that I'm fair skinned and burn easily, and the heat (WHY are we here in late July?) just disables me for days if I stay out too long and, last but not least, I'm a tenderfoot, so walking on the sand littered with crunchy shells and seaweed is pretty much torture.

So you might well ask why the heck I'm at the beach. Well, it's all about love. My husband and sons are beach lovers. So are their cousins and my brother and sister-in-law. Since I love them, I'm steadily, year by year, working on loving the beach experience. :> They are ecstatically surfing/boogie boarding and soaking in the rays. I'm in an Internet cafe talking to you. Trust me, we're all happier that way. Thankfully, the Delaware town in which we're staying, namely Bethany Beach, HAS an Internet cafe. (There's no phone or internet at the newly-renovated house in which we're staying.) This way I'm connected to my writing pals, my friends and family, so despite the heat and the "beachness" of it all, I'm content.

In fact, for all that I really dislike the beach, I can find a lot about which to be happy. This is one of the great times of year where I get to hang out with my husband for extended periods of time. My brother and sister-in-law will watch our boys and let us go for a walk or catch a movie without it costing us $100. (Babysitters and movie tickets are expensive in DC) The boys are in heaven because they get to play with their cousins, act macho, run wild, scream, yell, chase gulls, and eat BBQ from the grill. We grill at home, but somehow, it's just better at the beach, according to my sons. Then there's the ice cream.

It's a family tradition that every night we all walk to a specific ice cream place and eat a variety of weird flavors or sprinkles. Just because. To my joy, my sons are building memories of shared fun, creating relationships with their cousins who live far enough away that we don't see them often, and growing wiser and stronger every day.

My eldest son is learning to boogie board, tutored by his proud and knowing older cousins. My younger son is enthralled with the ability to dig large, messy holes in the sand without getting fussed at for ruining a flower bed or anything else. He's in heaven. My husband doesn't have to do anything but play with his sons, take walks with me, and finish leftover ice cream cones the boys can't manage. No pesky work. He's in heaven too.

So, even though I'm at the (ugh) beach, even though I wilt in the heat and don't leave the house much except after dark, I'm in heaven too. Watching them explore, hearing about their exploits - which they proudly recount in great detail - makes the experience magical.

What are some of your magic moments? Are you a beach or mountain gal/guy? Did you ever vacation with your family and extended family, and if so, where? What did YOU do on your summer vacation?

High School and Other Painful Pursuits

Someone recently began a discussion arc on the six- packers’ loop about being a geek in high school. Many banditas chimed in, confessing to geek-hoodness, listing clubs they were in or activities they had joined in high school. We have a significant number of band and choir geeks, Latin Club geeks (raising my hand here), speech and drama geeks, National Honor Society geeks, and student government geeks.

Most banditas confessed to being good students. I'm not surprised because writers by default must be good readers, lovers of the written word, and shapers of gripping characters and the worlds they occupy. They must be moderately well organized and superbly disciplined, all traits that make for good students.

When I was thirty-seven, I flew back to Virginia to attend Hopewell High School’s twentieth class reunion (go Cougars!!!). Like many of you, in high school I was in that undetermined class between the “cool” kids (we had Greek letter fraternities and sororities on our campus – so NOT cool) and what we called the “hoods,” students who regularly got into trouble, ditching school, smoking on campus, or flunking tests on a regular basis.

Our little tweener clique consisted of the scholars, the smart kids, not exactly fitting in with the jocks and cheer leaders, but respected because, well, we were the top graduates, we got the scholarships, and we helped the others through their trig and physics classes.

Life is such an amazing leveler. At my twentieth class reunion, I was so surprised to find that I was the cool kid! I was one of the few college graduates, the one who could still fit into her wedding dress, the one who had a respectable job, and the one who had miraculously transformed from a skinny girl with no boobs or hips into a moderately attractive woman, albeit with no boobs. There's a name for us girls: we’re called late bloomers.

I have three daughters, all of whom are gorgeous and tall and slender (this from their Dad), but they bloomed “late.” My husband always said a late-blooming daughter was God’s blessing to worried parents. Somehow their common sense anchors them until their beauty takes over.

I’ve been teaching adolescents for over twenty years and I know this for sure: I’ve NEVER met a beautiful, talented girl who felt extremely confident. There seems to be in most of us that little unsure girl who’s positive she’s not as pretty as everyone says, who’s fat even though she weighs less than my jeans, who can’t see her creamy complexion for the zit worming its way to the surface.

I had a student a few years ago who lives in Las Logos, a very pricey gated community near where I live. To give you an idea, Eddie Murphy (yes, that one!) just sold his $10 million house – estate is more appropriate – out there. I was helping my student write her college application essay and we began talking about girly-stuff. Here is this beautiful (really), talented (really, really), smart (triple really), little cheerleader whose life is very hard. She cooks and cleans for her entire family (mom and dad off making money), she maintains a 3.9 grade-point average, and she is universally liked. I have no compunction about eavesdropping on teenage conversations, so I know this for a fact.

I just hugged her and told her how much better life would be in a few years. She’s a mental late-bloomer and doesn’t even know it.

So my question to you, gentle readers, is: What’s the most poignant event YOU can recall about high school – good or bad? Lay it all on the line. And then think, like my granddaughter golfer in the picture above: What a long way you’ve come, baby!

Celebrating the Steps

by Tawny Weber

We've Bandita's have had a lot to celebrate lately. Golden Heart wins & finals, Contest successes, and the big whohoooo's -- Sales!

I'm going to guess there have been celebrations for those biggies. I used to go out to dinner and have a margarita for every contest win, I kept all my certificates from finals and scrapbooked them (as well as my GH ribbons for each final, along with a picture of the big screen), and not only did I have a huge family celebration when I sold (complete with a trip to Build A Bear Workshop... really!) I had a fun party to celebrate my debut. I'm all about the celebrations.

But what about those steps, those events that aren't exactly champagne and roses worthy (and really... aren't they???)? The finishing a manuscript - whether it's your first or tenth? Contest finals, editor or agent requests? Getting a good review, hearing from readers, sending in a proposal? Each of these are steps on the path to success. But sometimes these steps are easy to ignore, to shrug off.

I think part of it, at least for me, ends up being my avid goal setting. Yes, the little steps count, but I'm always eyeing that goal - the next sale, the next review, the next event. But a year or so ago, right after I'd sold, a very smart lady in my local chapter asked me what I'd done to celebrate my last unpublished contest final. I shrugged and replied, nothing. I'd finaled before, I was more excited about the sale. She pointed out that the finals, the little steps, all helped me reach that sale, and that I should be celebrating every single step.

She's right. Whether it's writing, raising kids, our education... anything. All the big moments are made up of the little steps.

So - how about you? What are your biggies and how do you celebrate the little steps toward achieving them?

RARE BOOKS

By Suzanne Welsh

Recently I made two discoveries that have thrilled me both as a reader and a book collector.

For years I’ve been searching for a copy of a book I read in my early high school years. It’s titled “Black Horse Tavern”, by Janet Louise Roberts. I adored this book. I’m a re-reader—meaning that if a book captures me, I’ll happily read it over and over and over again. That’s the reason I have two copies of Julie Garwood’s “Saving Grace”. So when I had my original copy of “Black Horse Tavern”, I literally wore it out.

It’s a great story about a girl who lives in her creepy stepfather’s tavern during the Revolutionary War. Only she knows there’s a secret exit from the tavern, and uses it to spy on the redcoats and her stepfather. Then she gives the information she learns to the Sons of Liberty and the hero of the story.

As an American history buff even at the age of 15, I loved this whole book, but somehow lost my copy. Then I couldn’t remember the author’s name. About four years ago I managed to learn the author’s name through some sleuth work and a few good google sites. Finally, last week I found a copy on line in good condition and bought it! When I got home from the RWA National conference with 3 bags of books, my old favorite was waiting in a mailer for me.

The other find was a complete surprise to me. The week before the RWA National conference I always clean out my to be read (TBR) pile and my already finished pile (AFP) of books, this year to the tune of $35 at the half-priced bookstore nearby. But while going through the mountain of books I found a 1989 copy of “The Copeland Bride”, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. You know, the book she and her friend wrote before SEP went solo and became a NYT’s best seller. Imagine my amazement! I truly had no idea that book was in my possession. When I googled out of print books, I discovered that little paperback is now worth $50!

So, tell me, what books are on your keeper shelf? Any rare or out of print books? Is there one book you'll read over and over, maybe as a yearly ritual?

And The Winnah Is...

posted by Aunty Cindy

CONGRATS to Sonja Faust! You are the winner of Tina's current release Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress. Please send Aunty your snail mail info to cindymm18 at gmail dot com.

And I predict you will LOVE THE BOOK!

Thanx again to Tina for being a GREAT GUEST!

Please, everyone be sure to check back into the Bandit lair OFTEN for more great giveaways and surprises! Remember, on August 1st Anne Mallory will be our guest blogger, and TWO lucky winners will receive copies of her book.

Guest Blogger Tina Ferraro Buzzes About YA and MORE!

posted by Aunty Cindy

Your old Aunty has been writer-buddies with the WONDERFUL Tina Ferraro for *ahem* some years now. Matter of fact, Tina and I were 'roomies' at RWA National in Reno in 2005. Tina got to wear her pink First Sale Ribbon and Aunty introduced her to the addictive TV series "Lost." Whereupon we immediately became perpetual fans of our mutual lust object Sawyer/Josh Holloway. But I digress... Tina's young adult novel, "Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress" came out earlier this year to rave reviews. Her next YA novel, "How to Hook a Hottie" will be out early in 2008 and is sure to be equally well-received!

Tina regularly blogs with a group of six other YA authors (including 06 Packer Heather Davis!) at Books, Boys, Buzz (http://yawriters.blogspot.com). Check it out! And now give Tina a BIG BANDIT WELCOME as she answers all kinds of questions from your old Aunty!

AC: Please tell us a little about your current release, "Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress" and your soon to be released, "How to Hook a Hottie."

TINA: All my recent ideas have started with titles. TOP TEN USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS came to me when I saw a nonfiction book called something like 101 THINGS TO DO WITH A BRIDESMAID DRESS. My brain came alive with what-if's: "What if it was a prom dress? An unworn prom dress because her date dumped her two days before the prom. And what if her mom--in an attempt to help her heal--started a list of 101, no, no, 10 silly things to do with it..." A week later, I pitched it to my agent, Nadia Cornier, and she gushed, "Oh, I could sell that on the title." Okay, it didn't exactly happen that way, but I loved her enthusiasm!

The title, HOW TO HOOK A HOTTIE, came to me while brainstorming with my teenaged daughter, but oddly enough, by the time I submitted the proposal, I'd changed it to something slightly different. When Nadia called to say they wanted to buy it and told me what they'd proposed as a title, I laughed, realizing I'd actually gotten it "right" the first time. And I'm very happy we went back with that because it encouraged me to come up with "how to tips", including a Six Point Plan, a hexagon for hooking hotties! (And how could THAT go wrong???) The basic idea is that kids at school hire 17 year-old Kate to help them hook their secret crushes, assuming she's got some insider info on the ways of the heart because how else could such a no-nonsense girl like her have hooked the hottest guy in the school? ("Thanks a lot, people!")

AC: Aunty knows that once-upon-a-time you wrote contemporary romantic suspense (and won some contests with your efforts). What made you decide to switch to YA? Any advice for other writers thinking of trying to break into the YA market?

TINA: I am also a Confession short story author, and over the years, have sold as many teen stories as I have adult. So the teen voice has always been with me. But I had always heard to "write what you love" and romantic suspense what was I loved to read, so when my youngest went to kindergarten and I joined the RWA with serious aspirations of selling a novel, I set my sights on romantic suspense. And yes, I did have some success with writing contests, but the truth was, I had trouble bringing a good idea or a good first few chapters to a good 300 page conclusion.

I knew that first person writing (the tense used for Confessions) was my natural voice. So when a couple of the Harlequin/Silhouette lines started accepting first person, I gave them a try, and found I was suddenly writing better books. Meanwhile, a friend had told me about the Dorchester YA "Smooch" line. After hitting a bump in my professional life, and then one in my personal, I decided to throw caution to the wind and try writing a "Smooch". My daughter was a high school freshman at the time, and she read all the chapters to make sure I didn't sound like a grown-up pretending to be a teen, and when I'd finished, I could honestly say it was the best thing I'd ever written. Too bad it didn't sell, huh? But it got me my agent, and she sold the next one!

For those interested in writing YA, you will probably hear the advice to pay attention to the teen market. Read the books, watch the movies, go hang at Starbucks and listen to them talk. I completely agree. But here's something you may not hear: do not feel you have to be a representation of today's teen. Be yourself, just tap back to the teen you were, or the teen you wished you were. Write a book that the teenaged you would have wanted to read, and you'll have a much better chance of selling it. (Just make sure your heroine has a cell phone and calls her best friend her BFF!)

AC: Please give us a few highlights of your "Rocky (or not so) Road to Publication."

TINA: Highlights! Okay, at age 23, I sold my first story to True Love magazine, and still write for them today (when time permits). About 5 years later, I had the Big Boss at my job come into my office to tell me I'd been nominated for a special performance evaluation, all the while a first draft a romance novel gleamed behind me on my computer screen. It gets better: months later, he returned to tell me I'd won and hand me a check, and guess what was on my screen again? Yep. Jump ahead some more years, and I've joined the RWA, am finaling in writing contests. I made the switch to YA in 2004, signed later that year with Nadia Cornier, sold first book in 2005, second in 2006, third and fourth in 2007.

That's all the good stuff! Just know that in and around those highlights, there were numerous days and weeks and years when there were no advancements, and I wasn't even sure I believed in myself. But the simple truth is I love writing. I love being in-the-zone. I love looking back on the good pages and thinking, "I did that". And it makes all the other stuff fade in comparison.

AC: What is on the horizon for you (and your readers)?

TINA: In addition to HOW TO HOOK A HOTTIE, my January, 2008 release, I have two more books contracted with Delacorte Press (Random House) for Spring 2009 and Spring 2010.

The Spring 2009 book has the very silly title of THE ABC'S OF KISSING BOYS, and will have 26 chapters, each with a heading featuring a fun-fact about kissing. The premise is that high school junior Parker Stanhope watched her JV soccer team get promoted to Varsity without her...and she and her brother devise this crazy-but-just-might-work plan to get her on Varsity, which includes giving the prom king a kiss he'll never forget at the sports fair kissing booth. But first she has to learn everything there is to know about the art of kissing...

The next book has a crazy-ass title and premise, but until it's been formally approved, I need to keep my lips zipped!

Also, both TOP TEN USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS and HOW TO HOOK A HOTTIE have been optioned for film/tv rights, and I'm presently working with producers to get those projects rolling...

(AC falls over in a swoon at the thought of her buddy Tina writing a TV series or movie! Tina obligingly slaps AC with a wet cloth and murmurs something about hunks to bring her round and finish the Q&A.)

AC: What piece of advice or life-lesson has helped you most in your writing career? And any pearls of wisdom you'd care to pass along to us AYUs (As Yet Unpublished)?

TINA: Well, I have long lived by the belief that everything I have written--no matter how awful--was a step in the right direction. It's all about staying in the game. I'm also a huge believer in networking. Many doors have opened for me out of the kindness of others, and I try to "give back" whenever I can, by making introductions I hope are helpful, doing contest coordinating and judging, etc. I see other authors as friends or potential friends, and there's always room for more at the table.

AC: Finally, you didn't think Aunty would let you out of here without mentioning your connection of one of the GREATEST Bandit Icons of all time, Clint Eastwood. What has Cousin-In-Law Clint been up to lately?

TINA: LOL--you've "outed" me, Aunty Cindy! Yes, my cousin, Dina Ruiz Eastwood, is married to Clint, which makes for some very interesting family reunions! My favorite memory is from a pool party. He was telling my husband how great a particular movie was. My husband said, "We were going to rent it, but Tina thinks it's going to be too violent for her." Clint turns to me and explains it's more a drama, not all that violent, etc., and all the while, I'm biting my tongue from saying, "Excuse me! Consider the source here! You're Dirty Harry!" But to be fair, we later rented it, and it was great. He was right. Imagine that!

I can also tell you that it's really hard to talk to him on the phone without giggling because he does this dead-on Clint Eastwood imitation...

As to what he's up to, we saw them a few weeks ago at a family reunion, and I heard talk about a new movie he's filming in LA this fall. And as a side note, Dina told me she bought every copy of my book they had in her local store, and gave them to teen girls in her neighborhood. Generous and kind--that sums the two of them up perfectly!

Thank you SOOO MUCH, Tina for hanging out here in the Bandit lair today and answering our questions and (as Foanna and Christine like to say) giving us the GOSS! Aunty happens to think Dina and Clint aren't the ONLY kind and generous people in your family. ;-) And not that we needed more convincing after her wonderful and insightful answers, but Tina will give away an autographed copy of her novel, "Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress" to one of our commentors (winner chosen by AC's handy-dandy random number generator)!