Bandita Booty!!!!!!!!

Patricia Sargeant (aka Regina Hart) has chosen Caren Crane and Anna Sugden as true sports fans and the recipients of her fabulous Basketball romance - Fast Break

Let Me Upgrade Ya

by Beth

Well, it's that time again. Time to upgrade my cell phone. I really, really thought I wanted a Smartphone, preferably an iPhone. Why, with one of those I could check and respond to my emails! Take a picture and post it to my Facebook account! Check the weather any time I wanted and download tons of Apps. How cool would all that be??

And then I realized that since I work from home and am at my computer all day, I already have the ability to check and respond to email, post pictures on Facebook and check the weather. Never mind that I'm not even sure what an App is or why I would want one (or several dozen). I just couldn't force myself to spend so much money AND raise my monthly cell phone bill (already high enough thanks to having three kids on it) to justify getting a Smartphone.

Plus, I have to be honest, I rarely even use the cell phone I have except to text my kids. The only time I use it daily is during RWA's conference where most of my text conversations go like this:

Me: Where are you?

Friend: Just got done at a workshop/In my room/In the bar

Me: On my way.

Yes. I'm quite the texting conversationalist ;-)

So, no Smartphone for me, although I can get online with the one I did get (if it's not a Smartphone is it a Dumbphone?) but with limitations. I figure by the time I'm ready for my next upgrade, I'll know if I'd truly use a Smartphone often enough to open my wallet *g*

Do you have a Smartphone? Do you want one? Do you love your cell phone or are you like me and only use it rarely?

Patricia Sargeant introduces Regina Hart

hosted by Donna MacMeans

It gives me great pleasure to re-introduce my good friend, Patricia Sargeant. We've known each other from our pre-published days. Patricia is a true sweetheart and I know you're going to love her as well.

Donna, thanks a million for letting me return to your Romance Bandits community. I had a blast last time. I’m excited to return to introduce my alter ego, Regina Hart.

This month, June 2011, my first contemporary romance as Regina Hart hits the shelves. Fast Break is the first book in my professional basketball contemporary romance trilogy, which features the Brooklyn Monarchs. Fast Break introduces the team’s owner, Jaclyn Jones, and its rookie head

coach, DeMarcus Guinn. To save the Monarchs franchise, Jaclyn and DeMarcus have to work together to take their Cinderella team from worst to first in the league.

Romance and sports. That’s a mouthwatering combination, my friends. Some of my favorites include Susan Elizabeth Phillips (golf and her

Chicago Stars football series, of course), Kate Angell’s Richmond Rogues baseball series, Farrah Rochon’s New York Sabers football series and Lori Foster’s SBC fighter series.

And then there are the romance movies with sports themes. Of course

I have to list Jerry Maguire with Tom Cruise and Renée Zellweger. Three of the movies greatest lines are staples of our lexicon.

• “You had me at hello.”
• “You complete me.”
• “Show me the money.”

One of my newest favorites is Just Wright with Queen Latifa and Common. Just Wright has a cornucopia of my favorite story ingredients.

It starts with the sports appetizer, a Cinderella-themed entrée and a riches-to-rags-to-riches dessert. It’s like Rocky Road ice cream with all of this super deliciousness in one scoop.

What are some of your favorite sports romances, either book, movie or both? What do you enjoy about sports romances?

And, as a way of saying “thank you,” I’d like to offer one commenter a copy of Heated Rivalry, written as Patricia Sargeant, and a second commenter a copy of Fast Break, both are contemporary romances featuring former athletes.

Thank you again for letting me visit with you. If you have a little time, you’re welcome to visit my Patricia Sargeant website, www.PatriciaSargeant.com, or my Regina Hart website, www.AuthorReginaHart.com.

FAST FIVE

by Jo Robertson

Here's a quick bit of fun for a (hopefully not too) hot Saturday:


Television -- half-hour sitcom or hour-long drama? I love those sitcoms. They're only 22 minutes of viewing time (without commercials) if you want a quick break!

Sleepwear -- sexy and frilly, sloppy and comfortable, in the buff? Yeah, right, this body no longer does sexy. I want comfort!

News Broadcst -- computer, television, or newspaper? I keep telling Dr. Big that newspapers are out of fashion, but he loves his hour of reading in the morning. Me, computer news because I can pick and choose what to read or not.

Sports -- basketball or football or baseball? Don't hate me, but watching baseball is like watching paint dry, football's cool, but too slow, I love me some basketball!

Replacement for Charlie Sheen on 2.5? -- Ashton Kutcher (he IS the replacement), Charlie come back, or Aw, I wanted Hugh Grant and his lovely accent. aplusk (Kutcher's twitter handle) all the way; he's phenom (and I think I'm gonna be a stalker -- hey, doesn't he like older women LOL?

Let 'er rip, Bandita Buddies. What's your fave? Be sure to tell us why!

BANDITA BOOTY!!!!!!!!

And the winner of Susan Gee Heino's TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING is :

MARYBELLE

Thanks to everyone who participated in the blog. Hope you enjoyed Susan's wit and charm as much as I. Marybelle - could you send your contact information directly to Susan at Susan_gee_heino@yahoo.com? Thanks much -

Everyone - have a GREAT weekend!

TGIF

by Christie Kelley

For the ten years I was a stay at home mom, part-time Realtor and full time writer. Friday was just another day to me. As a Realtor, I spent many weekends showing houses or sitting at open houses, so waiting for the weekend didn't have much meaning to me.

Five weeks ago, I started a new full time job and got out of real estate. The job is the basic Monday-Friday, 8-5. Now the weekends have meaning again.

So...Thank God it's Friday!

Now the weekend means no work, except the laundry and house cleaning. I'm actually trying to do those things on weeknights so I don't have to think about them on the weekend. I want my weekends for catching up on writing and doing things with my kids.

This weekend I'm hoping to go kayaking with my 14 yr old and then start planning what we need to take to Disneyworld. We leave next Friday night for a week. Even though it's only been a few weeks, I need a vacation! The job is kind of crazy right now and trying to learn everything I need to know is making my brain hurt.

So TGIF everyone!


What are your plans for the week? What about summer vacation plans?

As much as I'd love to reply to you all during the day, the new job as a pretty tight firewall so I can't get to the blog. But go ahead and talk amongst yourselves.

Tempting Susan Gee Heino

hosted by Donna MacMeans

It's my pleasure to welcome my good friend, Susan Gee Heino, into the lair. Susan's latest Regency, TEMPTESS IN TRAINING, is set to release July 5th and is the third in her series that began with her debut, MISTRESS BY MISTAKE. Romantic Times calls Temptress in Training: a spy thriller that has as many tangled threads as one of Sophie's garments. Welcome Susan!

Hi, Banditas! Donna, thanks so much for having me. I just love hanging here. And I'm really excited to get to see some of you all in just a couple weeks!

Yes, it's that time again—time to figure out what to wear to RWA Nationals. True, I should really put more effort into studying the workshop schedule, preparing for the two panels I'll be participating in, and thinking up intelligent stuff to discuss with my agent and editor, but seriously, this month is devoted to angsting over my wardrobe.

Anybody out there sew? I love it. I'm not fantastically good at it, and I think patterns are mostly just a suggestion, but I do love sewing. Especially fancy clothes. And costumes. And guess what? I get to wear both at National!

The biggest, fanciest event is the RITA/Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Also, I'm a member

of the Beau Monde Chapter which usually hosts a Soiree where we are invited to dance the night away in Regency-era costume. What could be more fun, right? I spend months dreaming about what I'll wear. I love selecting my patterns, fingering all the materials, choosing trimming, and basically being able to make the gowns exactly the way I want them. I feel so powerful!

Well, except for the hours while I'm actually making them. That's when I don't feel quite so powerful. I'm ripping seams, jamming the machine, poking myself with pins, and swearing next year I'm going to just wear something out of my closet. But eventually I'm done and I love my creation. I have the thrill of taking it out in public and feeling awesome. It's sort of like writing.

I don't know about other writers, but I go through pretty much the same stages in my writing. The thrill of brainstorming, planning my opening scene, and gathering characters that make me giddy with excitement. Then I actually have to write the book. Not as much fun. But then, eventually, it's done and my agent loves it and my editor loves it and I have the thrill of taking it out in public and introducing my creation to readers.

So not only will I finish my gowns for National and get to wear them to par-tay all night, but I also get to show my next book to readers. TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING comes out July 5th and I can't wait to introduce people to my latest heroine, Sophie Darshaw. And guess what? She's a seamstress! I found a way to incorporate my sewing interest into my writing. But OMG, some of the stuff

Sophie sews... woo baby, steaming hot! The cynical and secretive Lord Lindley gets a few surprises when he starts digging into Sophie's work.

Sorry, folks, I won't be modeling any of Sophie's remarkable creations. But I did get my daughter to model one of my Regency gowns. Isn't my sweet Joy just darling? She has to wait a few years before she's allowed to read my books, though.

So what gets your creative juices flowing? Are you a seamstress, or a fabulous cupcake maker? Tell me about your artsy/craftsy passions and I'll put your name in a drawing for a copy of TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING, hot off the presses. And if you'd like to read an excerpt of TEMPTRESS IN TRAINING, visit my blog at www.susangh.com.

Why We Love Real Reality Shows

By Trish Milburn

If you were standing in a field surrounded by all the shows on television, you could pretty much throw a rock in any direction and hit a reality show. They've boomed in popularity in recent years because they're easier and cheaper to make than scripted television comedies or dramas. And I'll admit I'm a fan of Survivor. It's my mind candy. But, to me, there's a difference between "reality" TV like The Real Housewives of Atlanta or Celebrity Apprentice and what I refer to as real reality TV, things like Deadliest Catch and Extreme Couponing.

While some "reality" TV is all about the manufactured drama, the drama on Deadliest Catch is all too real. Lives are at stake as the fleets of crab fishermen take to the Bering Sea in the most dangerous job in the world. There's nothing manufactured about giant waves coming over the sides of the boats or engine failures that could lead to the disaster of the boat capsizing.

Extreme Couponing is a show I've gotten into lately. I don't have the time or the dedication to go to the extremes these couponers do, but it has inspired me to coupon on a smaller level and save money I can use on other things. But I'm endlessly fascinated by how these couponers get hundreds of dollars of groceries and other products for next to nothing.

I decided to ask the other Banditas if they have any favorite real reality shows. Here's what they had to say.

Joan Kayse:

One show I like is Must Love Cats. It features a guy who fancies himself a minstrel and who…loves cats. He travels the country to highlight people involved in rescues, unusual kitty things, i.e. a woman in Dallas who invented “Kitty Wigs”. I kid you not, she fashioned different styled little wigs to put on cats and takes their pictures. Evidently, people have gone wild for it.

Another story involved a cat who woke up his owner and alerted him to their neighbor’s house being on fire. A woman who runs a sanctuary that holds 600 cats. Her motto is “They may not find a home, but they’ll have a life.”

It offers me reassurance that despite my propensity for buying my baby cats toys….I’m NOT at crazy cat lady level yet, LOL.

The other one is My Cat from Hell. This is interesting in that a cat behaviorist goes into psycho kitty households and tames the wild beasts…and their owners who are partly to blame. I discovered a slow blink of the eyes reassures your cat that you are not a threat. I tried it with Grayson the Monkey Cat who gave me a “what’s up with that look.” It’s also given me my new idea on how to train them off the counter. We’ll see.

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding is the new one I started watching recently. Freaky deaky insights to Irish Travellers lifestyle. Kind of like Jersey Shore meets the Amish type of thing. TLC is a learning channel…but BOY…some of the things you learn!

Nancy Northcott:

I watch Border Wars on NatGeo. I started out watching it as research but then just got interested in the various problems Customs & Border Patrol staffers face. Some of the ways people hide things in vehicles are mind-blowing.

The dh likes American Pickers. I think he fantasizes that they will show up here, clean out our clutter, and finance the boy's college education. No harm in dreaming.

Christine Wells:

I love What Not to Wear, the British version, with Trinny and Susannah. It's not just a makeover show. They really dig into why a woman might let herself go or only dress in power suits at work, and it's a very cathartic process for the women who go on there. I often find myself in tears (yes, I'm a watering pot!) when I see the struggles these women go through. Another favourite is The House of Tiny Tearaways, which is sort of like the Nanny only it's a psychologist who brings three families to live in a house together for a week. All the families have difficult children, but it's often the parents who need to sort out their own issues and it's fascinating for a writer of romance to see the real emotional struggle there to make a relationship work. Plus, I pick up tips on dealing with my boys when they're troublesome! Oh, and of course, The Antiques Roadshow. Every item has a story and that's what I love about it, as well as seeing beautiful things my Regency characters might have owned.


Tawny Weber:

I would have sworn up and down that I didn’t watch reality shows, until I realized that those shows I love on the Food Network are, um, yeah...reality shows. I love the competitions. Cupcake Wars, Iron Chef and Chopped are total faves. Mostly because they are 1-episode competitions and I don’t have to worry that I forget the shows exist when I fall into deadline and miss them for a month or so. But I have gotten sucked in to The Next Food Network Star and The Next Iron Chef.

Suzanne Ferrell:

I have a few...my favorite is One Born Every Minute, which is the Lifetime show based in Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. They've posted 47 cameras all throughout the L&D unit and it's what "really" happens. Cracks me up!

Then there is the cooking competitions, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, The Next Foodnetwork Star and Chopped! Uhm, Project Runway and The Next Design Star are pretty good.

And sadly when my insomnia starts in at 1 am, I have to confess I do like one Housewife show...NY. The rest drive me crazy, but I actually like Jill and hate Ramona. (Sigh, they do say confession is good for the soul!). But honestly, for me it's like watching a train wreck. I can't imagine agreeing to meet someone I can't stand for lunch, let alone go on a trip with them! Seriously, people, just walk away and don't have any further contact!

Donna MacMeans:

I’m not a big fan. I’d much rather watch a scripted show (and keep the writers employed). I do watch the auditions for American Idol – not so much the final shows, and I used to watch the auditions for So You Think You Can Dance. I often see parallels in the judges' comments and the responses to the sort of things we see in the writing world. But like I said, I don’t really watch the shows when it comes down to ranking up public votes. My favorites never win...maybe because I never vote (grin).

Jeanne Adams:

My faves are Top Chef, So You Think You Can Dance, The Voice, and Project Runway. I love that they call out the best in people and challenge them to play full out. The drama comes in when people try to worm out of being responsible for their decisions or their performances. :> Grins. Or when they make the wrong decision and try something that's a HUGE stretch and they don't commit fully and so it fails. Or succeeds brilliantly because they DO stretch.

~~~
Okay, dear readers, are you a fan of any of the shows mentioned? Or are there other "real" reality shows you enjoy? Let us know which ones and why.

Rewards

by Tawny

I love rewards. I'm a fan of using bribes to get myself to work hard. M&M's are a regular staple on my desk, not just for tossing at my kids when I'm in the middle of a scene and can't be interrupted, but for that end of a page celebration. When I finish an entire book, I reward myself with a massage - which is both indulgent and necessary since I'm usually tied in knots by the time I hit 65k words. I reward myself --and commemorate-- each book contract with a new pair of shoes.

My kids love end of the school year rewards. It could be a trip to the beach, a day at the bookstore or just a cuddle on the couch movie day with popcorn, as long as we call it a reward. They love that acknowledgment of hard work (and believe me, my kids consider school lots of hard work worth acknowledging LOL) .

My husband considers the first day of the weekend his (as opposed to mine via a honey-do list) as a reward for working hard all week. He's pretty easygoing about changing that day around if necessary, but he does like at least 4 hours to just chill and unwind.

So I started thinking about rewards. Are they indulgences? I just said to my daughter tonight 'You can't be rewarded for every thing you do. Doing a good job is supposed to be it's own reward." But then I think about denying myself my own rewards and get a little pouty :-D

So what do you think? Are you a fan of rewards? Or do you think they are an overindulgence?

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Ok, right up front I'm here to tell you I HATE the Flying Monkeys!!!! Thus, the Wizard of Oz is not my favorite movie but the analogy of following a magical road to a magical place kind of fit with my topic.

While I don't care much for Dorothy and her crew, I do love magic. That is to say, I love magical romances and romances filled with more than the magic the hero and heroine have together. Although a rabbit out of the hat, so to speak can be pretty hawt!

I love the added spice of magical abilities. I want either the H/H to have the ability to turn the other into a goat J

Well, only if he deserves it.

You might be wondering why I am rambling on about magic and romances and goats. It's because I'm traveling a different writing road…a yellow brick road…to a new subgenre.

Don't be alarmed. My Roman boys are right there with me…I mean somebody has to protect me against those blasted monkeys (Psstt…Demetrius. Just to be on the safe side, take down anything wearing a bellhop outfit) but I'm exploring a whole different realm. A realm that I'm making up. A magical world that I'm building.

My new series is based in Irish mythology. I hope to bring a whole new spin to the folklore of old and cause some trial , tribulation and hot, steamy sex for my heroes and heroines. The first installment is a little over half-finished and was inspired on my third trip to Ireland. With one quick glance of a hunky, black haired, blue eyed Irish stone mason, my saga was born.

But to do this I have to build a world. I stand in awe of my favorite paranormal authors who have woven such wonderful, fascinating fantasy worlds: Sherri Kenyon, Lori Handiland, Jessica Andersen, JR Ward (I used to hate the addition of the "h" in all her names…but I'm so taken with her Black Daggerhood series I'm considering Johanie as my new moniker). They do a masterful job of blending myth with story and creating a back drop of magic for their H/H. I'm TRYING to be a good girl and make out a story "bible" but…I don't do structure well. I'm just letting my characters lead me along and when you're dealing with mischievous beings that can be challenge. Who knew that gnomes were poisonous? That the Lucky Charms guy is a mere caricature of the REAL warrior?

One aspect I'm concentrating on is their magical abilities. Oh, sure everybody can pull an "I Dream of Jeannie" and pop in and out, but I'd like to give them new twists. I also have to guard against making them able to do too much and they have to have their weaknesses. Easy, right?

Not so much.

Add to that the new challenge of writing within the contempary world, using dialect and I've got my work cut out for me and for my hero Ruarc, the High King Patric and assorted other hot blooded magical folk.

So I've been wondering, what magical power would you like to have? Any favorite magical beings i.e. vampires, werewolves, (shudder) gnomes?

Life In Hidden Pictures

by Caren Crane

I had a lovely daughter graduate from high school yesterday and it was one of those Significant Milestones that should be Caught On Film. I have a few pictures, most of which I am not in because I was taking the pictures, but I have some. They are now held hostage on my digital camera because I am too...let's not call it lazy, rather unwilling to take the time to upload all the pictures to my PC (although I did this one time, just to have a picture for this blog post!).

I have masses of picture prints from other Significant Milestones sitting in boxes in my dining room and guest room closet. (My husband would have consigned them to the attic and did not understand they would be ruined by being stored there!) I have no plans for these pictures, except to take them out from time to time and look at them or share them with others in the pictures. "Oh, look how cute they were then!"

I do not scrapbook (which I need to, because I'll forget this picture was Rachel's last day of school someday). I don't make cheesy photo collages to hang on the wall of the stairwell. There are no lines of framed school pictures from kindergarten through graduation on a mantle or wall or dresser in my home. I do have photos I have stuck in frames from time to time, more from shame and fear of being the Worst Mother Ever than any other motivation. I also have a very fragile and changeable collage of photos covering my fridge (ask anyone who has been to the house!) that spans the past couple of decades. I think there is even a baby picture of me up there!

I have great photos that I feel I should do something with, but I realize I probably won't. I may get them scanned one day - or I may give them to one of my kids to scan one day (seems much more likely). I don't want to lose them or be without them. I also would love for my kids to do what I still do at my mother's house: take down the boxes of photos and sift through them, remembering, laughing and smiling. Come to think of it, my mother never made scrapbooks or memory albums either. She tossed packets of photos in a drawer or box and still has them there. Maybe it's hereditary - or maybe, like me, she's just not a visually-oriented person. Then again, I've never thought she was the Worst Mom Ever, either. I am always thrilled to sift through and unearth the treasures that await me in her precious boxes.

So maybe I'll upload my photos to a memory stick and take them to Walgreens and have those Significant Milestones turned into pieces of colored paper. Then I'll stick them in a box, put them in the closet, shut the door and let them age a bit. By the time they are pulled out, sifted through, smiled over, laughed at and remembered, they will be Treasured Memories. I may even be in a few of them!


Do you make memory albums or scrapbooks or do you toss the photos in a box or file or drawer? Any particularly wonderful photos from your own Significant Milestones you would like to tell us about?

Bandit Booty

I'm late again with my prizes from my release party. But I did get two names picked so here they are...the winners of a signed copy of One Night Scandal:

Margaret

J M Powers

Please email me at christie @ christiekelley.com with your name and address and I'll get the book out to you.

Timeless Winner!

by Anna Campbell

Hey, guys, thanks for giving Karyn Gerrard and her debut book TIMELESS HEART such a wonderful welcome yesterday. I'm delighted to announce the winner of the book is:

MARIE!

Marie, congratulations! Please email Karyn on karyngerrard @ gmail.com (no spaces) with your contact information and she'll get your prize to you.

What is Your Dream Home?

by Christine Wells

It's no secret in the lair that the Wells house is undergoing a major renovation at the moment. We have moved out while this is going on but I often drive to or past the site and feel both exhilarated and slightly nauseous at the mammoth task ahead.

I spent hours this morning choosing tapware, sinks, toilets and baths. I felt that I was quite decisive (for a Libran!) It's amazing how quickly you can make up your mind when your builder gives you a bare weekend to do it. The fun part of choosing wall colours and tiles is yet to come and I daresay I'll spend a lot more time on those things because that's what interests me more than plumbing.

But it got me to thinking about dream homes and in particular, fictional homes.

I grew up on a diet of European fairytales and traditional English books like The Children of Cherry Tree Farm, so the homes I imagined for myself were usually situated at the edge of a wood, surrounded by fields of wildflowers. There'd be a great stone hearth in the living room and patchwork quilts on the beds. (That's when I wasn't imagining myself in a Hobbit house or a gingerbread cottage or Green Gables--not that I actually knew what gables were).

Of course, discovering Regency romance took me away from fairytale cottages to enormous Palladian mansions and landscaping by Capability Brown. Chinese silk wall hangings would cover my bedroom wall and of course I would have a separate chamber for my extensive designer wardrobe.

But the reality of living in subtropical Australia (not to mention one's budget!) does tend to limit options somewhat. In fact, I love my 1920s Queenslander home with its gables (yep, I know what they are now!) and big deck and polished wood floors and tongue-and-groove walls. I miss living there and it's only been a couple of months. I'm going to be terribly homesick before the work on it is finished!

But the gorgeous photos Christie posted of her finished renovation give me hope. In the meantime, I can still dream of Pemberley...

What fictional (or real) house would you love to live in? What luxury feature do you think is essential in a dream home?

PRIZES! Get your prizes here!

And a copy of Cat Schield's fabulous debut Meddling With A Millionaire goes to....

Carol Burnside aka Annie Rayburn!

Congratulations! Email your snail mail addy to cat.schield@yahoo.com to collect your prize!

And a copy of Susan Sey's MONEY SHOT goes to....

Laurie G!


Congratulations! Email your snail mail addy to susan@susansey.com & she'll send a copy winging your way!

Bandita Buddy Karyn's Timeless Romance!

by Anna Campbell

Oh, I do so love it when a Bandita Buddy makes good!

So when I heard that regular visitor to the lair, Karyn Gerrard, had published a novella, I thought it would be wonderful to turn the spotlight on her here at the Romance Bandits.

Karyn's fun and sexy debut, TIMELESS HEART, is available as an e-book now. Here's the blurb:

Sandra Cranston, an elementary teacher on leave, discovers an abandoned carriage deep in the woods. Inside is a man, Jerrod Ross, who fuels all of her wicked Regency dreams and fantasies.


Ross has been torn from the only world he has ever known—1821 Cornwall, England. How will he adjust to the future and his growing desire for the lovely lady who found him? More importantly, how will he ever return to his time?

SNIPPET FROM TIMELESS HEART:

"You're awake, are you alright? I probably should have taken you straight to the hospital, but you didn’t have any ID,” the young woman began to explain.

"Where is your pot?" he snapped gruffly, effectively cutting her off in mid-sentence.

"Pot? What do you mean..."

"To piss in! A chamber pot! Surely you have such a contrivance!" he thundered.

"What is your name, sir?" the woman asked in a cool tone.

How officious she sounded. He supposed it was all he deserved, as he was treating her like some servant. Jerrod lay back down. He was in discomfort. "My name is Jerrod Ross, Squire from Pendern Hall. And who might you be, madam?"

"I? I am Sandra Cranston, Mistress of the walk-up second story flat,” she replied coldly.

© Timeless Heart by Karyn Gerrard

You can find out more about Karyn and her writing on her website: http://karyngerrard.com/

By the way, every time I see that cover, I can't help thinking they used Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the model. Here's a pic!

Karyn, welcome to the Bandits and huge congratulations on the release of your debut romance TIMELESS HEART. Can you tell us about this story?

Anna, thanks for having me. I am thrilled to be here in the lair! Romance Bandits is the very first romance blog I ever visited when I first started reading the genre. For someone who is a voracious reader, can you believe that I only began to read romance over three years ago? I certainly embraced it, and have devoured hundreds of romance books in that time.

As for TIMELESS HEART, believe it or not, its origins came from a dream.

Anna, I know we have talked of this before, in fact, on a recent blog you had a picture up of Poldark. I saw BBC's POLDARK (based on the books of Winston Graham) for the first time years ago on Canadian television (we are talking decades here, people!).

British actor Robin Ellis who played Ross Poldark was my first serious teenage crush.

I mean SERIOUS. I dreamed of this guy every night.

But it was one particular hot, naughty and wicked dream that stuck with me all these years. As wicked and naughty as a naive and innocent teenager can have!

I dreamed Ross travelled back in time, I found him, and whisked him to my home, or more specifically, my bedroom! *snort* When I decided to try my hand at erotica, this dream popped into my head. I just went with it. My hero from 1821, Jerrod Ross, is a nod to Winston Graham's hero. He is from Cornwall, but that is pretty much where the similarity ends. But Ross Poldark was always in the back of my mind as I wrote this! (and my wicked dream!)

One of the things I loved about this story is the Nova Scotia setting which you don’t see in a lot of romances. What made you choose this setting?

I am originally from there! Nova Scotia is the oldest, settled province of Canada, steeped in Celtic/Gaelic history. (Nova Scotia means 'New Scotland' ) It is called 'Canada's Ocean Playground' as it is almost completely surrounded by water. From the jagged western shore, to the big city arts and cultural life of Halifax, to the Highlands of Cape Breton, it reeks of romance. A perfect setting. I have resolved to use Nova Scotia and the other Maritime provinces as the setting for any more novellas I may attempt.

It is no accident that some well known romance writers come from there (not that I include myself with this stellar list) Like Deborah Hale, Julianne Maclean, and Donna Alward just to name a few. I plan to move back there as soon as my school teacher hubby can retire! I guess you can tell I love it. Not many books have been set in Nova Scotia, though NS author Pamela Callow set her MIRA bio-medical thriller DAMAGED (2010) in Halifax. Must check that out.

And it is also a case of 'write about what you know' I am very familiar with the areas I wrote about, felt like coming home.

The story is a really hot read while still giving plenty of attention to the characters’ emotional arcs. Was this a hard balance to achieve?

This was my first attempt at an erotica, I surprised myself how easily I could write these scenes! I remember a teacher telling me 'write about what you know' (it stuck with me)*snort* But I didn't want it to be the sole focus of my novella, the emotional journey for characters is so important to me, in my romance reading and writing.

What good is one hot sex scene after another, if there is no underlying desire, love and emotion behind it? Of course, that is just my opinion, the way I like to write. I like to think my story is a romance first, with some really hot love scenes in it!

So to answer your question, surprisingly, no, it wasn't a hard balance for me. Thank God!

I love time travel romance! Why does this particular genre appeal to you?

I always loved the concept, crossing chasms of time, to find that one person you can connect with on an emotional and physical level. It has a real fairy tale aspect to it, you can get lost in the fantasy.

It also has a built-in conflict, does the time traveller stay, or go back to his own time? Does the other person stay, or go with him? What a decision! Love, sacrifice, surrender, passion, time travel has it all! Also, depending on the era you set your story in, adventure can be a big part, that appeals to me as well.

I just finished Karen Marie Moning's series about Highlander time travelling laddies, and I was sorely tempted to turn Jerrod into a Highlander warrior from 1267 who maybe landed in the highlands of Cape Breton, I do love my hunky kilt wearing boyos. But, ultimately, I went with a hunk of Regency Squire.

I loved writing his reactions to something like a flush toilet! Seeing how someone reacts to the strange world around them also appeals to me! You can run the gambit of emotions in a time travel, you can throw in comedy, drama, adventure, suspense, anything at all.

Here in the lair, we love call stories. Will you please share yours?

It happened all so fast, my head is still spinning! This was my first submission to e-publishers, I sent TIMELESS HEART out to four of them early one Saturday morning . My hands were literally shaking. Response times for these e-publishers were 2-16 weeks. So I sat back and figured the rejections would start rolling in within 2-3 weeks. That night, I was reading (as always!) and took a quick break to check my email on my Ipod touch. There was an email from Evernight Publishing. My heart sank to the floor. Rejection already? Man, it must suck! I took a deep breath and opened it, it was a contract offer. I dropped the Ipod. Total shock.

I know luck is a big factor in getting published anywhere, so I was very lucky that Evernight decided to take a chance on me.

Did any writers influence you on your writing journey?

I got my butter dish out, Anna, so be prepared to be buttered up! LOL! You, for one. I absolutely adore the intimate and sensuous way in which you write.

Also your heroes are to die for. Memorable on so many levels. I strived for that in TIMELESS HEART. I can't tell you how many times I said to myself when writing a scene, 'What would Anna do?' You really were an inspiration!

Hmm, SOOO glad I asked that question, LOL! Wow, definitely feeling buttered up! THANK YOU!

One of the very first romance writers I read was Mary Balogh. I love how she immerses the reader into her world so deeply. Also the historicals of Lisa Kleypas. She also has a talent for creating a world and fascinating characters and sexy heroes. Another romance writer I have taken to and have been influenced by is Elizabeth Hoyt, for the same reasons mentioned above. I do tend to focus on the heroes in stories when reading, and in my own writing.

Love those dark, tortured, sexy heroes!

Also, I know we have discussed this before, but I was greatly influenced by Taylor Caldwell, not really a romance writer, but romance was interwoven in her lush, rich dramas. I think people have forgotten about her the last couple of decades. They made TV mini-series out of her books back in the 1970's, CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS comes to mind. Her book CEREMONY OF THE INNOCENT made a big impact on me as a teenager. After reading that, I wanted to write. I will never be Taylor Caldwell, but thanks to her and everyone I mentioned, I am writing. And I got published. Wow.

Oh, yes, I remember loving those Taylor Caldwell books too. Loved DEAR AND GLORIOUS PHYSICIAN. What’s next for Karyn Gerrard?

Anna, like I said, this happened all so fast, I am not sure where to turn next! I do have three full manuscripts finished, a Victorian, a historical-paranormal, and a contemporary. (I like to spread it around,*snort*) So I have lots of editing ahead. Also just finished an erotica/paranormal novella and now working on its sequel.

Maybe some Saturday morning very soon, I will try and control my trembling hands, and submit something again.

Karyn, I hope so. I really enjoyed TIMELESS HEART. I look forward to reading what comes next!

I have a question for everyone, if a 6'2" hunk of magnificent Regency gorgeousness held out his masculine hand and said, 'Come with me', with that deep come-to-bed voice, would you go back to the past with him? Why or why not? And what do you think you would miss the most if you did go back to 1821? Or instead, tell me of a movie, book or TV show about time travel that you loved! I have a PDF copy of TIMELESS HEART from Evernight Publishing up for grabs to one lucky commenter!

Let the party begin! I brought my Irish Houseboys Liam and Lorcan and a case of Bailey's, so let's have fun!