And The Winner...

...of Dashing Through the Mall, a Harlequin anthology with stories by Holly Jacobs, Sherryl Woods and Darlene Gardner is... Keira! Congratulations, Keira! Please send your snail mail address to holly at holly@hollysbooks.com to claim your prize :-)

Thanks to everyone who posted!

Hi, my name is Trish, and I am a series glommer

I have loved books for as long as I can remember. In fact, the first book I remember reading was a Little Golden Book called The Runaway Pancake. I remember the absolute glee each time I'd get a shipment from the Weekly Reader Book Club when I was in elementary school. And the book fair at school was better than a candy store filled with chocolate (and that's saying a lot considering the size of my sweet tooth). I'm guessing everyone here has this passion for books. But are you a ginormous fan of series like me? Not series as in the numbered category lines put out by Harlequin and Silhouette, but a series as in a number of books with the same continuing characters. Once I find a book I like and realize it's part of a series, I glom them -- as in I read all of the released books in the series then wait none too patiently for the next in the series. I have to know what happens to my favorite characters, people the author has made seem so real I wouldn't be surprised to meet them on the street.

Series I love:

The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward
The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
The Blood Books by Tanya Huff
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Kate Shugak mystery series by Dana Stabenow
The Anna Pigeon mystery series by Nevada Barr
The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray
The Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason
The Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine
The Mediator series by Meg Cabot
The Midnighters series by Scott Westerfeld
The Stephenie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
The House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast
The His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

With the exception of the two mystery series and the Evanovich books, these books are all paranormal. I wonder if that is because a great many of the series on the shelves now are paranormal or that's just how my current reading tastes are running. And of these 13 series, five are series for young adults. It's my impression that teens will really latch on to a series they like and be dedicated to those books and the author until the series' end. Witness the massive midnight turnout for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment in Rowling's series, and the large crowds Stephenie Meyer is drawing at her signings. And at least for now, the paranormal is still very popular among teen readers.

So, are you a series fan? If so, of what series are you a dedicated follower? What fabulous series have I not mentioned? There are at least two on my to-be-read list -- Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Leave a comment and you could win the first in a new series by Harlequin Superromance author Anna DeStefano. Because of a Boy is the first in her new Atlanta Heroes series.






And if you're so inclined (and I REALLY hope you are), head on over to the Romantic Times Web site tomorrow to vote in the American Title IV contest. My finaling entry, Out of Sight, is the first of what I hope will be an exciting paranormal series about a gal who can make herself invisible and who gives a whole new meaning to "undercover" work. Your vote for Out of Sight helps it come one step closer to being published, which is the grand prize for the winner of the contest. Thanks in advance!

Writing with the Stars

by Joan Kayse

Oh, yes. I'm a huge fan of "Dancing with the Stars." The ladies at the hospital know that on Monday night they better arrive on time to switch shifts at 6:45 because I have to be home by 8 pm. to watch my favs glide and jive and even dive around the dance floor. I watch and analyze, cheer and moan and keep my phone busy with voting.

I'm in awe of the professional dancers who have such talent, such raw energy, fit bodies and gorgeous costumes. (sigh) To have the body and/or the costumes or the ability. I envy their ability to move gracefully around the floor to beautiful music.

There is a ballroom dancer inside of me!

I also admire the celebrities who having even less dance experience than me (which is none) bust their collective bums to learn how to do the moves of the passo doble, the waltz, the jive AND wear the costumes!

Which brings me back to the Banditas :-)

I'm writing with the stars. The newly formed, rising to the top, streaking across the publishing sky stars. To date we have nine Banditas who have become published: Jeanne, Beth, Donna, Anna, Christie, Aunty Cindy, Tawny, Trish and Christine. Plus, another soon to be announced star. We also boast Banditas with the courage and tenacity to enter huge contests like Gather.com and ATT. Could somebody pass my sunglasses? The brilliance is blinding.

We've alluded to the special bond we Banditas have in the course of previous posts, spoken about our special connection and we've discussed it on our private loop. Egos are checked at the door. Respect is a given. We "get" each other. In all of our collective experience we marvel at this connection. No doubt about it, the Banditas are special.

It's reflected in our easy comradarie, our ecstatic joy with each new accomplishment be it a contest final or a two book deal. There is immediate understanding and support of each other when life's woes or a rejection hits. Frustrations about the publishing process? Promotion? Call your sister Banditas. We have bucket boots and rapiers at the ready and will swoop in with chocolate, champagne or cabana boys.

Yes, I'm writing with the stars and they are all a 10!

Have you ever been involved with a group that had this type of special bond?

OR....if you could learn one ballroom dance what would it be?

The Bandits Welcome Holly Jacobs

interviewed by Beth Andrews

It is my pleasure to introduce multi published author Holly Jacobs to the Romance Bandits! Holly's latest book, The House On Briar Hill, a Harlequin Everlasting Release, is in stores now.

Welcome to the Bandit Lair, Holly! To get us started, can you tell us about your road to publication?

~I think my road to writing started when I was young. I was a reader. I literally can’t remember a time I wasn’t reading a book. For years, I read a book a day. I had a voracious appetite and there just wasn’t any such thing as enough. That love of reading fed directly into my love of writing. I’d always scribbled things. I wrote for various groups I was associated with. But the idea of actually writing a book didn’t hit until my youngest was in diapers and I asked myself just what I was going to do when I grew up. A quiet voice whispered, write. It took me a while to admit it out loud. Dreams are like that. They can be scary. But I finally bit the bullet, told my dh I wanted to try writing. He’s been my staunchest supporter ever since.

I was lucky to have short stories and some essays published early on. The books followed shortly thereafter. I’ve got over a million copies of my books in print world-wide. I’ll confess, that statistic gives me goosebumps!

The House On Briar Hill Road is a bit of a departure for you. Can you tell us a bit about the story?

~My first book for Harlequin was a Duet titled, I WAXED MY LEGS FOR THIS? That might give you an idea about the type of stories I’m known for. Straight up comedy, and light humor. That makes this book–a story that deals with illness, with death, with a family’s struggle to put itself back together after breaking from a loss–such a huge departure. Normally readers write to tell me a story made them laugh. Rarely do they tell me a story made them cry. That’s what I’ve heard most so far about this one. Comedy is very individual. Look at stand-up comedians. You either get them and think they’re hilarious, or you don’t. Certain humors don’t appeal to me. I’ll confess, I’ve never really gotten Monty Python. LOL But the pain of loss...it’s universal. Every reader has lost someone , or realizes that some day they’ll lose someone. They understand what these characters are going through and can relate. That universal subject matter is different for me too. I mean, not everyone has battled waxing their legs but people get the pain the characters are going through in this book.

You've said The House On Briar Hill Road was the hardest book you ever wrote, but also the most rewarding. What inspired you to tell this particular story?

~In the fall of 2003, my dh and I had gone on a second honeymoon. My mother-in-law, Dort, came to stay with the kids. We got home and the next morning my sister-in-law called to tell me that while we were gone, Dort had found out her breast cancer was back, and spreading. She’d insisted no one tell us and ruin our trip. She died February of 2004.

Calling her my mother-in-law seems such a limited definition of what Dort was to me...to the whole family. She was a best friend, a mentor, a champion. She was the heart of our family. Losing her...well, it still hurts, though the pain has softened enough to let us remember all the good times. And there were so many good times.

So, writing about a family going through that kind of pain, that kind of loss, really hit home. The book is fiction. My family didn’t react the same way the Conways do in the story. But I could relate to their reactions because I totally got that kind of loss. It’s an up-close and personal story for me.

You’re well known for your romantic comedies. We all know writing comedy is hard work. Any tips you can share?

~Writing comedy and light humor is still my true calling. I love it. It’s also one of the hardest things to explain...what’s funny is so individual. I guess my favorite tip on writing comedy comes from Robert Heinlein (a sci fi writer). He had a scene in Stranger in a Strange Land where the main character was trying to learn to be human. He’d mastered everything but laughing. He didn’t get humor. Then one day, at the zoo, he sees a tiny monkey with a banana. A bigger one hits it and steals the banana. The biggest one his the middle-sized one and takes the banana. The character starts to laugh uncontrollably. He tells his friends in the book that he finally understand humor. Watching the monkeys, he realized that people laugh because the only other alternative is crying. Maybe that’s why I was able to bridge to a far-more dramatic, emotional book, because crying is just a step away from laughter.

What’s next for you?

~I’m working on a trilogy for Harlequin American Romance write now. It’s my PTA Mom trilogy, a subject I’m very familiar with! The three books are set around three holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day. They’ll be out next year–10/08, 12/08 and 2/09. I love writing books that blend humor and emotion...and I think these do that really well. I’m having a blast with them.

Any fun tidbits about yourself you’d like to share?

~Fun tidbits. Hmm. Well, I’m a neat freak. There I said it. I like things neat. Of course, I have four kids, a dog, a hamster and a husband, so there are days that neat goes out the window and chaos reigns!

Oh, and I’m a huge fan of autumn. I love getting back into the kitchen and baking. I love the fall colors and smells. And I love pulling out my sweaters. You see, I have a theory, as a woman ages, the more clothes she has on, the better she looks. I love adding layers to my wardrobe. And by winter, when I’m dressed in a parka, hat, gloves and scarf, I feel like a beauty queen. Of course, summer always comes around again to shatter that illusion...sigh.

In addition to giving a book away here, I do have a contest going on right now. Because The House on Briar Hill Road deals with breast cancer, part of my royalties will be going to the Susan G. Komen organization. And to honor all those woman who have fought, and are fighting this horrible disease, I’m giving away a pink beaded breast cancer awareness bracelet this month. Your readers can visit my website to find out how to enter.

Lastly, I have a free short story at eHarlequin.com that ties into the book. It’s a missing chapter of the story. There’s a new chapter every week, until the end of October, when they’re all up. You can visit it at https://www.eharlequin.com/article.html?articleId=1299. I hope you’ll drop in and read it. I started my career writing short stories, and I always enjoy returning to my roots. Trying to put an Everlasting Love sort of story into under 10,000 words was a challenge, but I so enjoyed it!

Thanks so much for being here, Holly! To learn more about Holly visit her website at www.hollyjacobs.com.

Okay, dear Readers, here's your turn to spill all. Holly's admitted to being a neat freak. What about you? Are you a neat freak or...well...perhaps a bit more laid back in your cleaning routine? Do you make your bed as soon as you get up? Match your clean socks or just toss them into the drawer? One lucky reader who comments will win a copy of Dashing Through The Mall, a Harlequin anthology with stories by Holly, Sherryl Woods and Darlene Gardner!

Redeeming the Dark Hero

by Christine Wells

Dark, tortured heroes--don't we love them? Heathcliff, Rochester, Jervaulx, Anna Campbell's Kylemore, any of Anne Stuart's bad, beautiful boys. The worse our hero is, the more we love it when a good woman brings him to his knees.

I've learned a lot from screenwriting experts lately. There was that lightbulb moment from Debra Williamson, who swung by the lair recently and talked about irony, among other things. And today, while listening to a lecture about character arc from Michael Hauge, all my vague ideas about redeeming the dark hero clicked into place.

Have you ever heard someone disparage a redemption story because 'people just don't change'? That attitude was one I struggled with when writing Scandal's Daughter. I had an irresponsible rake as a hero and I had to redeem him by the end. But I, also, believe that people don't change.

It got me thinking, if I believe people can't change, why, then, do redemption stories work for me? How do we, as writers, make them believable?

Michael Hauge talks about a character's identity, the mask he or she shows the world, as opposed to his essence, who he really is, or who he could be if he lived up to his potential. It's that essence which the heroine sees and it's that essence the author sets about exhuming, step by step, throughout the book. When he is redeemed at the end, the hero has not changed fundamentally. He has become the man he was always meant to be.

So, who is your favourite tortured hero? What made you like him, despite his bad boy attitude?

Famous Five Winner!

Man, you guys made it really tough to pick a winner from yesterday's fun and games. In the end, I went with Michele (Decadence). Michele, email me your snail mail details to anna@annacampbell.info and I'll shoot you off the prize pack! Congratulations! And thanks again for a fun day, everyone!

The Famous Five by Anna Campbell

OK, inspired by the Rudolph question from Cassondra's great blog about childhood movie and music memories, I want to play a game. It's one of those silly five unusual facts things. Hey, shoot me! I love lists! And the less useful, the better! And if you want to tell me why you choose your answers, I'd love to know.


My questions are:

What's your favorite romance novel?

What song are you embarrassed to admit you love?

What's your favorite film?

What's the world's most useful invention?

Which five people throughout history (including today) would you ask for dinner?










Here are my answers:

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

Tainted Love by Soft Cell

Lawrence of Arabia

The electric light

Jane Austen, Hugh Lawrie, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Dorothy Dunnett, P.G. Wodehouse

OK, your turn!

About time I gave away some Bandita booty! My favorite comment collects the Anna Campbell pack. Sadly I don't yet have a spare copy of UNTOUCHED, my December release, to give you. But I do have some AC goodies, including the gorgeous desk calendar, sticky notes, a notepad, magnets and a coverflat for UNTOUCHED. And just to sweeten the deal, I'll throw in some Caramello Koalas which are absolutely irresistible.

And don't forget I'm offering an advance review copy of UNTOUCHED as my website contest this month. Just click here and answer a simple question.

And the WINNAH is....

By random drawing, for the Romance Bandits mousepad....

Drum roll please....

H maree davis!

Hmaree, if you'll email me at cassondra_m AT mindspring DOT com (no spaces of course) I'll get your information and send you your mouse pad!

And for those who are wondering about the answer to the trivia question...

In the claymation movie, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer," the lead reindeer of Santa's sleigh team before Rudolph got the job was....Donner (actually Donder, as Caren/Posh T has so noted). And yes, Donner was Rudolph's dad.

Thanks so much to everyone who made my blog day yesterday wonderful!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious !

, by Cassondra Murray
I have no idea whether I spelled it right. But I can sing it all the way through, and I once surprised an older gentleman in a Mexican restaurant by doing just that. He thought I was too young and wouldn’t know the song. Ha! So wrong. SO wrong.

This blog is Susan’s fault. I’ve been bopping around the house all evening, grilling steak and singing the Supercali song, along with Chim-Chiminey as sung by Dick Van Dyke.

Susan, otherwise known in the Bandita lair as Smoov T (don’t ask why—we aren’t telling how we got our nicknames) just got back from Disney World, where she had the honor of meeting the one, only and venerable Mary Poppins.

Smoov T was too ashamed to have her picture taken with Ms. Poppins, and instead got her daughter to pose, but all the same, Smoov admits to squealing under her breath the entire time.

I love old movies. Especially the wonderfully happy endings for which Walt Disney is so famous. I don’t get time to watch many, but unlike most modern films, I can watch those old flicks over and over. I think it’s the music. That music is magic.

Disney isn't the only film company that put out what I call "keepers." I know all the words to every song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

And does anybody besides me remember A Bicycle Built For Two or The Surrey with the Fringe On Top? I can sing all the way through If I Only Had A Brain from The Wizard of Oz.

If you think about it, the whole thing is a bit silly. Here we go, trotting along with the drama of the plot, and someone stops and breaks into song. It’s completely ridiculous. And unforgettable. Like the incredible reads on my keeper shelf, these old films live and breathe and never become outdated.

Even the best kids’ shows from my childhood were musicals. I can sing the songs from every one. Frosty the Snowman and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Am I the only one who loves Horton Hears A Who? It’s my favorite Dr. Seuss book, and my fav animation from his works. Remember the song the bad boy apes had as their theme? We’re the Wickersham Brothers…..

Oh, and does anyone else remember sitting rapt in front of the tube each winter for Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer? It seems silly now, but little Cassondra was terrified when Rudolph set out alone on that lonely iceberg to cross that desolate arctic lake. And I confess that watching it twice per year for 30-some years has actually paid off for me!

Three years ago at my husband’s office Christmas party we sat around at the tables, forced to play dumb office party games. This was a Christmas movie trivia game, and I’d been ignoring it completely. I was focused on the chocolate cheesecake. But for whatever reason, on the last question, I tuned in. There must have been 60 of us in the room. The rules required that the participant stand up, place a set of felt antlers on his/her head, then wait to be called on.
The question was…..drum roll please…… “In the movie Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, who was the lead reindeer on Santa’s sleigh team before Rudolph got the job?” I shot to my feet.

“Give me that!” I snapped at the girl across the table—the one who held the felt antlers in her oh-so-Rudolph-ignorant hands. She tossed them to me. I shoved them on my head, and, hands on hips, waited to be called upon. The office manager pointed to me.

Do you know the answer? (No fair looking it up now!)

I did, and won a nice portable DVD player for my dedication to that little claymation reindeer and the songs the Snowman sang.

Are there songs or music from movies that sweep you away to another place or time? Do you have favorites from childhood?

Is there a “must see” old flick that you’d be shocked to find that your children or friends’ children haven’t seen? Are there moments that just the mention of a name—Hepburn, Davis, Garland, Harlow or others, sends you diving into the emotion of an unforgettable on-screen moment?

I admit to writing three scenes in my GH finaling manuscript, The Ritual, to Michael Bolton’s Time, Love and Tenderness, and his version of When A Man Loves A Woman.

Are there favorite books on your keeper shelf that you read to an imagined “score?” What would that soundtrack be? Classical? Hard rock? Slow Jazz?

Make a guess at my Rudolph trivia question above (no cheating!), and I'll share the red-nosed wealth with a drawing for a Romance Bandits mousepad! Any reasonable guess gets you entered for the drawing.

We Don't Need No Steeenkin' Revisions...

...Or do we?

by Aunty Cindy

As I anxiously await my very first revision letter from My Editor (yes, I still get a thrill from typing those words), I've been listening to books on tape. My current selection is Lawrence Block's quintessential handbook for fiction writers, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit. I have read this book before and if you haven't, I highly recommend it. But half the fun is listening to the author read his own work, because it's almost like sitting down and having a conversation with him, or attending an extended workshop by him without the annoying person in front of you asking endless questions.

The other day, something Mr. Block said about revisions really resonated with me. Though he was being a bit facetious, he made an argument against doing revisions, or more accurately, to write as if you weren't going to revise.

Revisions, he argued, take away the freshness and spontaneity from writing. He likened a piece of writing to a jazz riff. Do it once, go with the flow of the moment, then let it go.

Polishing away the freshness seems to be an occupational hazard with many romance writers. I've heard more than one editor and agent say they've read partials polished to the point that the author's voice is gone. And I think we've all heard the stories of contest entries that were polished to perfection, but the rest of the manuscript (IF it was ever written) was slap-dashed together.

His other big argument against revisions is that sloppy first drafts encourage poor writing techniques. If you know you're switching POV too many times, dumping in back story, or writing pages of talking heads, then DO NOT DO IT! Train yourself to do it correctly in the first draft.

Here again, moderation is the key. I am probably more painstaking than most in crafting my first drafts, but sometimes just getting down words... ANY WORDS are the best I can do. Worrying so much about getting it right is pointless if you get nothing. (Can you tell I'm trying to refrain from quoting Nora about not being able to fix a blank page?)

So while it would be nice to have my first draft also be my final draft, I'm not kidding myself about revisions. They will always be there, as inevitable as that other famous quote about death and taxes. I only hope that they won't be too extensive.

Here's your chance to share some writing advice. If you're a writer, what unusual piece of writing advice has helped (or maybe hindered) you? And if you are a reader, what one piece of advice would you like to pass along to all us writers?

And the Winner is....

Anne! You've won a copy of The Courtesan's Daughter by Claudia Dain. Congratulations! Please contact Claudia through the Contact link at www.ClaudiaDain.com to claim your prize. Enjoy the book, Anne!

The "Keepers"

by Nancy Northcott

One of the difficult parts of being a book person is having to purge the shelves. There just isn't room to keep every book I ever buy. So about every four or five months, I go through and weed out books I haven't read in a very long time or books I've owned for a very long time but haven't read. I've learned to be fairly ruthless over the years, but there are some books that survive purge after purge even though I may not have read them recently. These are my "keepers."

At the top of the list is Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. If an author were only ever going to write one book and this was it, I think that would make one content. The book resonates with me because Scout's viewpoint is so engaging and because so many people in Maycomb care about doing the right thing. Gone With the Wind has survived years of purges. My copy belonged to my grandmother, so sentiment may play a role in its longevity, but I think Scarlett would have her own place if I'd bought the book new. She makes me impatient and appalled at times, but the woman has backbone. Even though I don't fully accept Mitchell's rendering of southern society, I admire the detail with which she did it. I haven't read either of these books in years, but I'm pretty sure that I'll eventually want to.

Then there are the series. The Harry Potter books will probably be family heirlooms. The Inglis Fletcher novels about the Carolinas will stay as long as I live. I fell in love with them years ago and never fell out. Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles swept me into Renaissance Scotland and carried me along to France, Russia, and the Mediterranean before coming full circle to end in Scotland. I almost didn't finish reading the first book. I didn't like anyone but the blind woman. Trusting the friend who gave the book to me, though, I persevered, only to have Dunnett turn everything inside out in the last hundred pages or so. I blitzed straight through the rest of the series in a week, reading late at night, on my lunch break, and during dinner (I was single then). I bought them in hardback when my mother and I went to England, the only trip the two of us took together, and lugged them back in my suitcase. So they stay. Someday I'll want to be swept across the Renaissance world again.

I loved Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels and Robert Jordan's massive, unfinished Wheel of Time saga (I selfishly hope he has a successor who'll get Rand to the mountain) and Gordon R. Dickson's Childe cycle and Dorothy L. Sayers' marvelous Lord Peter Wimsey and everything Georgette Heyer ever wrote. Their stories have fascinating worlds and noble, but not perfect, characters and intriguing plots. Hmm. All those authors are gone, as are Fletcher and Dunnett and Mitchell. Yet their books stay on my shelf through purge after purge. What was it Shakespeare said--something about the "evil men do liv[ing]after them" while "the good is oft interred with their bones?" Not for writers, it seems.

So what are your keepers? How do you choose them?

A Love for All Time

by Kirsten

After an incredible week of guest bloggers, I'm struck by how different all of these books we call "romance" can be. We've got paranormal, historical, contemporary...you name it. But they share one thing, right? The happily ever after. Or as we call it in the business, the HEA.

But what does it REALLY take to live HEA? My husband's grandfather passed away this winter. He was 98. His widow is 87. They were married 73 years. (Yeah, they got married when she was 14. But he promised not to have sex with her until she was 16. And they moved from Old Mexico--today Arizona--up to Colorado in a covered wagon. So they were pretty amazing folks.)

Let's take a moment to digest that. 73 years. A lot happens in 73 years. People change, develop, grow. But somehow those two not only grew old together, they grew more in love all the time.

Sometimes, you read a romance and say to yourself--these people will never make it. No way. You might as well sign the pre-nup because the divorce is just around the corner. Sometimes, you know in your heart they would live to celebrate their 73 wedding anniversary. But how do you know the difference?

They say opposites attract, and some long-lasting marriages fit into this boat. I'm an introvert, my husband's an extrovert. It not only works, but it makes us both better people. But you put some opposites together and they wear each other down, rub that sore spot until they're ready to explode. What's the difference?

So tell me, can you predict a HEA? Are there heros and heroines you know will make it--or those you know are destined for divorce court? What makes love last?

Claudia Dain On Courtesans, Careers and Gauchos

Interview by Caren Crane

Many Banditas can point to a published author friend and say, "This author taught me everything I know about the business." I am happy to say that for me, that author is Claudia Dain. Claudia began her career writing historicals in a variety of time periods for Dorchester. After a brief hiatus, she is back with her first book for Berkley, a Regency-set historical titled The Courtesan's Daughter. Welcome, Claudia!

Caren: Claudia, you are known for your dark, emotional stories and rich historical detail. Can we expect more of the same from The Courtesan's Daughter?

Claudia: Thanks for the warm Banditas welcome, Caren. I'm thrilled to be here.

I'm almost afraid to answer this first question! Is The Courtesan's Daughter dark? No, it's not dark; I would call it a bawdy romp. I was ready for something different and decided not to fight the urge. I'm glad I gave into it since this book was a joyride from start to finish.

Is it rich in historical detail? That's a tougher one to answer. I think what people were responding to in my dark historicals was that the characters felt true to their time; the heroine didn't think like a 21st century woman and never behaved like one. It wasn't that I devoted 10 pages to describing the interior of a building, it was that the characters acted appropriately within their setting. That's my impression, anyway, and I can say without qualification that the characters in The Courtesan's Daughter behave very much the way they should, given who they are. But I still haven't spent 10 pages describing a house!

Caren: Wow, this sounds like a real departure from your old style of writing. I understand the Courtesan books will be a new series for you and you have already written the second. Are you having fun writing books with a lighter tone?

Claudia: I'm having more fun than I've ever had before and I think it shines through in the writing. This is just a fun, sexy romp in the vein of Oscar Wilde (which is what my editor compares it to and which tickles me to death). The Courtesan's Daughter begins what I hope will be a very long running series. I have multiple books planned and while each book stands alone, they are stronger when taken as a whole.

At the risk of boring non-writers, the romantic couple of each book stands alone, their story arc complete to that book, but the courtesan's story is the foundation for all the action and her arc will take multiple books to complete. That foundation, which is fairly dark, is what holds the books together. I guess it proves that I didn't leave 'dark' and 'emotional' behind completely!

The concept for the series began with what I'm calling the 'anchor character', and that's Sophia, the courtesan of the title. It took more than a year for her to come together in my mind, to be fleshed out, and it's her complex backstory that is the foundation of the fascinating, unique woman she is. It will be the slow revelation of her backstory that answers every question about her motivation.

As is typical for me, setting defines character to a great degree and this is especially true of Sophia. My husband is wildly in love with Sophia. To be honest, so am I. She is the most interesting, layered, compelling character I've ever created. It is a pure joy to spend time with her every day.


Caren: Your Dorchester books invariably contained dark, tormented, delicious heroes. (Does anyone else remember Richard the world's sexiest monk from The Marriage Bed? *swoon*) Are your Berkley books similarly endowed?

Claudia: Oh, another tough one. You wouldn't think talking about my heroes would be a tough assignment, would you? The heroes in the Courtesan Series aren't dark, at least not taken as a whole. Generally speaking, each one is a wonderful, sexy man who displays a real appreciation of the heroine as she is. True love, in my definition, means seeing the object of your affection as she truly is and loving her without reserve. Of course, each hero is different and completely individual, but the focus of the Courtesan series is really on the individual heroines. There will be lots of diversity in both heroes and heroines, but the weight of the story will fall on the heroine. This is a woman's story.

Caren: Claudia, to shift gears a bit, you are known by many for your astute business sense. Your "Publishing As a Blood Sport" talk is an RWA conference favorite for many people. Can you tell us, in a nutshell, what are things writers should be aware (and wary) of? For agented writers, what is the author's role in her/his career and what is the agent's role?

Claudia: Finally, an easy question! In a nutshell, too many writers are too emotional about the business of publishing. Bad business decisions, like the hiring or firing of an agent, are made from an emotional foundation. Picking an agent because you enjoyed talking with her in the bar at a conference is not good business. Staying with an agent primarily because you've developed an emotional bond with her is not good business. Vowing never to write for an editor because once she rejected you is not good business.

In a different vein, I also believe that an author's strongest asset is her voice and that, once identified, it should be protected at all costs. In my opinion, having a strong voice is clearly an asset once you're published and have a growing fan base, but it can make it harder to get published in the first place.

As for agents, I am of the opinion that an agent is an essential ingredient in doing business. I've always felt this way, even before I was published, so this is nothing new and I'm unlikely to change my opinion now. But, having said that, your career as an author will always mean more to you than it does to anyone else. Your agent has a career she is trying to build and protect. The same is true of your editor. Knowing that each of you is pursuing your own best career track is what makes making business decisions easy.

Too often it seems to me that authors want to hand their careers over to their agent. It's tempting! Who wouldn't want to pass that burden off onto someone else, someone competent? But it is your career. You have to protect it. If writing is your business, then you have to treat it like your business. Your agent's business is being an agent to many authors, not only you. Your business is to succeed as a writer and it has to be your sole priority. Of course, this 'business plan' includes writing a great novel, but that's only part of it.

I think the hardest part of being a published author is realizing that you now have to be a small business owner as well. It's exhausting work!

Caren: Those of us who were in the audience of the RITA and Golden Heart awards ceremony at the Romance Writers of America national conference this year heard you, specifically, mentioned by award recipients on the stage. Twice. Both recipients thanked you for advice on fashion and shoes. It seems that, as well as having a reputation for great business sense, you are also known for great fashion sense. Have you always been a connoisseur of fashion?

Claudia: I'm blushing! I don't know about my great fashion sense since I did own a pair of gauchos at one point, but I have always loved fashion and have been both willing to go along with the current trends and known what works for me and what doesn't. It's like walking a balance beam! I was the first girl in my high school to stop wearing mini skirts and bell bottoms (which tells you more than I want you to know about my age), and I was teased by the boys for my "hem falling down" and for my stovepipe pants. I had the last laugh, didn't I? Or did they?

Now I have a fun question: Speaking of being a fashion victim, I've confessed to gauchos, which are back in style. What have you worn that turned you into a fashion victim? I know Caren has knickers in her past... (Caren: Hey, I resemble that remark. But they were olive green, thin-wale corduroy and it was 1979 - so hip!)

Sophia, my courtesan, has never suffered a fashion disaster in her life, which is only one reason why she's the perfect heroine. I'm giving away a copy of The Courtesan's Daughter, maybe to the winner of The Worst Fashion Mistake of My Gorgeous Life? I had a friend once who wore Band-Aids over her *&^# underneath a sheer black dress. They showed. It was not pretty.

Thank you, Banditas! I'm looking forward to hearing about all those fashion faux pas! Don't leave me alone in my gauchos, I'm begging you!

Caren: (whispers) Just for fun, check out the Lego stop-action review for The Courtesan's Daughter at Dear Author!

And the Winner Is...

Doglady! You've won a copy of Scandal's Daughter by Christine Wells. Congratulations! Please contact Christine through the contact page on her website to claim your prize.

KJ Howe Interviews Christine Wells

Christine Wells is an author to watch closely. Her credentials include winning a Golden Heart, the Emily, and the “Best of the Best” in the Indiana Golden Opportunity Contest. This former lawyer has taken the historical genre by storm, securing praise from such greats as Mary Balogh, Kathryn Smith, Kathryn Caskie, Anna Campbell, and Sophia Nash. In her debut novel, Scandal’s Daughter, Christine brings Sebastian and Gemma to life, two characters whose spark is so powerful they set the society crowd and each other on fire. Released in September by Berkley, Scandal’s Daughter is a must read. After a sleepless night devouring the novel from cover to cover, I had a few questions that had me burning with curiosity. She was kind enough to answer them below:

Scandal, disrepute, illicit love. Scandal’s Daughter has them all! The story made it sound like having your reputation tarnished was almost as horrifying as being lead to guillotine during the 1800s. Just how important was it to maintain an air of propriety? In your research, did you discover certain women who broke the rules but maintained their reputation because of their impressive discretionary tactics?

KJ, that’s right. For a single woman in the Regency era, reputation was everything. It’s more to do with the way men saw women as breeding vehicles for the son and heir than anything else. They wanted to be certain the lady they married was a virgin so that the heir to their estate would be of their own blood. After the heir was born, the rules became more flexible, but the appearance of propriety still had to be maintained. Even if everyone was pretty certain that Mrs Y was having an affair with Lord X, they didn’t say it openly and everyone was happy. A supremely hypocritical way of life.

After reading Scandal’s Daughter, I picked up on several themes: don’t judge a book by its cover, appearances can be deceiving, what is most important is often not said. Tying all the knots together, I noticed a trend that spoke of illusion. Do you consciously thread themes into your novels or do they evolve on their own?

That’s very perceptive of you, KJ. It was a trend I noticed myself only after the book was finished so it was unconscious at first. Society’s perception is often founded on very little and it rarely matches a person’s idea of themselves. I’m interested in identity and the way we can only find peace when we act to please ourselves and our loved ones instead of worrying all the time what ‘people’ will think.

Your background as a corporate lawyer is a far cry from the escape of historical romance. What experiences as a lawyer helped your writing and what aspects of being a lawyer might have been an impediment to writing romance?

My legal training made me acutely aware of the way words can evoke a reaction in the reader. There’s a real art to writing threats that seem ever so polite on the surface! And there’s the experience of the way business works and legal knowledge which has been helpful here and there.

However, being a lawyer probably hindered me, too, because when writing as a lawyer you have to be precise and succinct. As a fiction writer, I had to learn to be more expansive, though hopefully not verbose.

The ending was very satisfying as you tied all the loose ends together. Are you a plotter or a pantser and how did that affect the writing process of Scandal’s Daughter?

Thank you! I don’t plan what I’m going to write in detail before I start. It makes it terribly difficult to write a synopsis for my editor! But I usually know the premise or the hook and I can visualize a few key scenes. I’ve learned that my characters often won’t cooperate if I present them with a carefully constructed plot, so I try to go with the flow and let them dictate what happens next.

I usually find a way to make the resolution work even though I haven’t planned how it will pan out. Sometimes, small details I’ve added throughout the novel, not knowing why, suddenly become important when I need to tie up loose ends. The subconscious is remarkable that way. I’ve always felt that the story is happening on some other plane and my job is to watch and listen and translate it to the page as best I can.

What would be the one piece of advice that would you give unpublished writers to help them break through?

Can I give two? The first—write what you love to read, or what you would love to read but haven’t found yet. The second—you can take all the courses and read all the ‘how-to’ books you like, but the only way to learn how to write well is to write.

Fans love learning about the personal lives of their favorite writers. Can you share something about yourself that might surprise us?

My father, Ian Diehm, is a published author of books on the history of Rugby Union and cricket. Seeing him achieve such success in his field inspired me to strive for publication myself.

Could you please tell us about your next project AND how long we’ll have to wait for the next Christine Wells blockbuster?

The Dangerous Duke is scheduled for September 2008. It’s a Regency historical about a duke who accidentally steals a lady's erotic diary. The book is set against a background of political upheaval, when Liverpool declared a state of emergency and people were locked up without trial for sedition. My heroine's brother is a country vicar thrown in jail for aiding suspected arsonists. She threatens to expose government secrets by publishing her political diary if the authorities don't release him. My hero steals what he thinks is that diary, only it turns out to contain the heroine's secret erotic fantasies. I had a lot of fun with that one!

Christine, thanks for taking the time to chat with me today and for sharing your expertise. I look forward to following your career!

Thank you, KJ. It’s been a pleasure.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about debut author Christine Wells, please visit her website at http://www.christine-wells.com/


KJ Howe, a double Daphne du Maurier winner and triple Golden Heart finalist, writes international romantic suspense. A graduate of the Master’s in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill University, KJ enjoys interviewing other authors when she isn’t researching or writing. Visit her at http://www.kjhowe.com/

Now, let me ask the bandit readers a question. If you were a Regency lady and knew you'd get away with it, with absolutely no consequences, what would you take the opportunity to do? One reader who comments will win a signed copy of Scandal's Daughter.

And The Winners Are!!

The winner of an autographed copy of Tracy Garrett's Touch of Texas, is Maureen!!

Maureen, contact Suzanne at swwelsh2001 AT yahoo DOT com with your full name and snail mail, so we can get your prize on its way!

The winner of the set of Catherine Spangler's Sentinel books Touched By Darkness and Touched By Fire is Cherie J!

Cherie J, contact Suzanne at swwelsh2001 AT yahoo DOT com with your full name and snail mail, so we can get your prize on its way!

Paranormal Author, Catherine Spangler is in the Lair!

Interview with Suzanne Welsh

Catherine Spangler grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, home of The Marshall Space Flight center. Her father worked for NASA, on the space program, and she credits that exposure with giving her a fascination for space travel and other worlds. She began writing as a teenager, but then "real life" intervened, and she devoted her time to starting a family and business career. After her children got older, the desire to write returned and new stories took flight.

Now, former Golden Heart finalist, national bestselling and RITA nominated author, Catherine Spangler alters your reality with TOUCHED BY FIRE, the second book in her edgy, sexy Sentinel series. These romantic fantasy thrillers center on the ancient superhuman race of Sentinels, and the human conductors who are psychically linked with them.

Legends of Atlantis . . . sexy alpha heroes . . . strong, resilient heroines . . . combustible sexual attraction . . . magic . . . fantasy . . . myth. What could be better than these elements, all woven into a contemporary paranormal thriller!

Step into the hidden world of the Sentinels, and surround yourself with the ancient magic of Atlantis, and the suspense of hunting ultimate evil—and of course, the empowerment of love.

Catherine, welcome to the Bandit Lair. Pull up a hammock and make yourself comfortable!

Suz (pouring them both a glass of wine): Both my daughters, who adore fantasy romances, and I have loved your stories for years. Where did you get the idea for this new series involving Atlantis?

Catherine (snuggling down into this lovely, swaying hammock): I think it started when I became interested in the psychic Edgar Cayce at the tender age of eleven, and discovered MANY MANSIONS by Gina Cerminara. After that, I devoured books on metaphysical subjects. I was especially fascinated with Cayce’s 700+ readings on Atlantis. I studied those readings, and other books on Atlantis, feeling as if I might have once lived on that mystical continent.

At the same time, I was also a budding author, writing off and on into adulthood. I wasn’t content to write ‘normal’ stories. I was drawn to paranormal romance like a spaceship to a black hole. My first books, the Shielder series, were science fiction romance. Then I switched to romantic urban fantasy and found the perfect match for my fascination with Atlantis and my desire to write paranormal stories.

Suz : So, what exactly is a Sentinel?

Catherine: Sentinels are reincarnated Atlantians returning to Earth after thousands of years. Their sole purpose is to track down Belians—evil Atlantian entities who were responsible for the destruction of Atlantis. Reincarnating into the Earth in large numbers, Belians thrive on blood, death, terror and chaos. They have found violent venues as serial killers, drug lords, gang leaders, brutal dictators, any form of incarnate evil. The Sentinels are sworn to stop them.

Suz: Sounds like the Sentinels have their work cut out for them. Do they get any kind of help?

Catherine: Since both Sentinels and Belians have supernatural powers, and both occupy mortal human bodies, they are evenly matched, which makes it pretty difficult for the Sentinels to defeat the Belians. However, the Sentinels have one edge—a small group of psychic humans known as conductors. These humans can link psychically with Sentinels and enhance the tracking of Belians. The linking process is called a conduction, and involves the rise of energy through the body’s spiritual chakras, creating a powerful sexual surge. Most conductions involve sex.

Suz: I’m liking this connection. Is the heroine in TOUCHED BY FIRE a conductor?

Catherine: (Snickering. Bad, bad Suz!) Yes, Marla Reynolds is a conductor, but she doesn’t know it. When she meets ultra-sexy Luke Paxton at a Houston bar, she’s upended by the powerful sexual attraction between them, not realizing it’s the pull of a matched Sentinel and conductor. Luke knows what it is, though, and realizes Marla might be the only person who can help him track a Belian serial bomber.

Suz: How does Marla feel about this?

Catherine: Marla is not a happy camper. She is resistant to Luke’s charms. She’s been emotionally frozen since a brutal attack on her sister eleven years ago, and knows Luke is way out of her league. She avoids him—actually she stands him up—which drives him to a desperate act to get her cooperation—kidnapping. Even then, Marla proves to be one of his biggest challenges and more than a match for him.

Suz: Can you tell our readers more about Luke?

Catherine (fanning herself): Luke is ultra hot. He wears a lot of leather and rides a Harley. He’s the cool element in the relationship—incredibly sexy, yet deadly serious about his mission to track Belians.

Suz: This is the second in the Sentinel series, can you tell us a little more about the first book, TOUCHED BY DARKNESS?

Catherine: TBD is about dark and dangerous Sentinel Damien Morgan who accidentally discovers a young male Sentinel in the small Texas town of Zorro. The boy is unprotected and has received no training. His mother, Dr. Kara Cantrell, is a conductor who has been on the run from the supernatural battles between Sentinels and Belians ever since her Sentinel lover was murdered. She wants nothing to do with Damien, doesn’t want him near her son, or to help him track the Belian stalking Zorro. Damien has to convince her to let him protect the boy, as well as getting her to conduct for him so he can catch the Belian—without losing his heart in the process.

Suz: Sounds like a great series. What else would you like to share with us?

Catherine: I have a lot of fun stuff going on in conjunction with the release of TOUCHED BY FIRE. I’m giving away a Sentinel pendant (beautiful pink quartz crystal cabochon, hand wire-wrapped in sterling silver) in my contest at Fresh Fiction. I also have a great book video playing on my MySpace page, or you can view different versions of the video on my website and vote for your favorite, which puts you in a special drawing for a Barnes & Noble gift card. While you’re at the website, check out the excerpts and reviews.

Thank you so much for having me on the Romance Bandits. This is an amazing, creative, and fun group. I’d like to leave you with a question, and I’ll be giving a set of the two Sentinel books TOUCHED BY DARKNESS and TOUCHED BY FIRE to one of the responders. The question:

Which authors are your “comfort reads”, those authors whose books you read more than once, even with a towering TBR stack? Some of mine are Linda Howard, J.D. Robb, Charlaine Harris, and JR Ward. Who are yours?

Suz, didn’t you say something about chocolate . . . ? Oh, and do I get to keep the hammock?

More Winners!!

Are you ready for more LOOT?

From Susan Seyfarth's opening day blog, the winner of $15 Border's Gift card is...ellie!!

Ellie, please contact kirstenscott33 @ gmail.com with your full name and snail mail address, and we will get that little puppy in the mail to you asap. Gotta go get more Bandita books, right? They say the Education of Mrs. Brimley is fantastic. ;-)

Western Historical Author, Tracy Garrett

Interview by Suzanne Welsh

Kensington Debut western author, Tracy Garrett is in the Bandit lair to talk about her first book, Touch of Texas, which is on bookshelves now. While being a writer was not initially the burning desire in her life, creativity has always been core to Tracy. She is an accomplished musician with a bachelor and masters degree in flute performance, as well as post-graduate study in vocal performance, who continues to perform and teach. In recent years her need for creativity and her passion for reading began to merge, and with her love of romance, writing historical romance was a natural for her. She loves a “happily ever after!”

Suz: Congratulations on your debut book, Touch of Texas, Tracy. We Bandits love a good “call” story. Care to share yours?

Tracy: Thanks for inviting me to be a Bandit for a day. I’m so excited to see Touch of Texas on the bookstore shelves!

My call story is a bit unusual, I think. The phone didn’t ring – my email dinged! On July 19, 2006 at 8:09am, as I was wrapping up my writing session for the morning to head off to my day job, an email popped up from Hilary Sares of Kensington with five words that instantly changed me from writer to author: “…want to make a deal?...”

Suz: In Touch of Texas your hero, Jake McCain is a Texas Ranger, can you tell us a little bit about him?

Tracy: Jake – my favorite wounded hero (so far). He is of mixed heritage, which at that time in history ostracized you from anyone who considered themselves “civilized.” He saw his father murdered when he was four. He was buried alive with the body of his mother. Jake was discovered by a Texas Ranger, who took him home and raised him as his son. He feels he should have saved his father, though he was barely more than a baby, and he’s haunted by every man, woman and child he failed to save as a Ranger. He takes on this one last assignment before he disappears, and he doesn’t care if he lives or dies, as long as he brings the vicious outlaw W.M. Harrison to justice. Jake is fiercely loyal, bound by his word, dedicated to his job, worries about those weaker than he is, and truly believes he has no right to a happily ever after. MMMM, love those tortured heores!

Suz: Rachel Hudson is a woman alone and in trouble, how does she feel about helping your hero?

Tracy: Rachel never thought twice about helping a man in need. It was how she was raised, but even more, it is who she is.

Born to an El Paso light-skirt, or prostitute, she was raised in the tiny shack where her mother plied her trade. Because of Rachel, and later her brother Nathan, Rachel’s mother could only work when one of the other prostitute’s was done for the evening and could care for the children; hence, she had the dregs of the customers, the drunks who’d been tossed out of every saloon in town, or those who were so violent no other woman would service them.

When one of those customers tried to grab Rachel, her mother interfered, and the man killed her. In terror, Rachel grabbed her infant brother and ran away. She ended up being raised by a missionary couple, Reverend & Mrs. Hudson, who wanted the baby and kept Rachel around to do the work. When Mrs. Hudson died, and Rachel refused the Reverend’s demand that she become his wife, she and Nathan were dumped in the tiny gold mining town of Lucinda, Texas.

Despite the traumas in her young life, Rachel held onto the lessons she was taught, and grew into a loving, generous, glass-half-full kind of woman. She would never turn away someone needing help. Her only reservation was how the local gossips would view her actions, which proves to be a valid concern as the story progresses.

Suz: Touch of Texas is a western historical, a genre that has had a decline over the past decade or so. Do you think they are starting to make a comeback? And what authors have influenced your writing?

Tracy: I do believe westerns are making a comeback. Not only are we seeing more on the shelves of our local bookstores, but the release of 3:10 to Yuma suggests Hollywood thinks so, as well.

Some of the authors who have influenced my writing: Kathleen Woodiwiss, Lorraine Heath, Elizabeth Lowell, Madeleine L’Engle and Ray Bradbury.

Suz: Have you always loved historicals and westerns? What other genres pique your interest?

Tracy: My favorite movies are old westerns. John Wayne is my hero! I read almost everything. Contemporary, humor, paranormal... As long as there are printed pages between two covers, I’m happy. I hope to write westerns for a long time, but I have a few contemporary story ideas and a time-travel or two lurking in the back of my mind, too.

Suz asks, knowing her friend's favorite sport: Any other hobbies or interest our readers might like to know about you?

Tracy, grinning: If you’ve read my bio, you know I’m a musician, but I have a couple of interests most people don’t know about: trap shooting and car racing. Trap shooting grew out of my research into old west weapons, but NASCAR is pure entertainment. Over the last ten years, my husband and a dear friend of ours have converted me into a fan. Not a fanatic--at least, not yet--but I’ve learned more about cars, tire pressure and track surfaces than I ever thought possible. They started off my education with NASCAR, then moved on into open wheel and Formula 1.

I must admit, I love open wheel racing. Going two hundred miles an hour with your hind-end five inches off the concrete--way cool! For my fiftieth birthday, I want to ride in an Indy car. And who know, maybe a few racecar drivers will appear in future writing projects, when I run out of cowboys--which won’t be soon, I promise.

Now it’s my turn to ask the questions. Do any of you harbor a secret desire to try something new? If there were no limitations, what would you do?

Tracy will be giving away an autographed copy of Touch of Texas to one lucky commentor.