Friday, June 12, 2009

Lorraine Heath Takes Us Down Two Paths...

by Suzanne
A very good friend of the Bandits, NYT Bestselling author, Lorraine Heath, is joining us in the Lair once again. Excuse me while I pull the cork on this bottle of Chardonay. (pop) So y'all pull up a chair and join us for some conversation about Dukes, Scoundrels and Werewolves!

Suz, handing Lorraine a glass of wine, then stretching out on the chaise: Welcome, Lorraine! The Bandits and our buddies are so glad to have you with us again. It's always a grand day in the Lair when you're visiting. SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL is the third book in the Scoundrel’s of St. James series. Can you tell us about the book?

Lorraine: SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL is the story of Frannie Darling, a child of the streets. She is now a bookkeeper at Dodger’s Drawing Room, one of the more exclusive gentlemen’s clubs in London in 1851. When her best friend Luke marries Lady Catherine, Frannie meets the Duke of Greystone. Greystone immediately wants Frannie in his bed, but she has little tolerance for the idle and self-centered. She is far too busy gathering orphans from the streets. But when danger lurks, Greystone will be the man she turns to.

Suz: Was Frannie Darling based on a specific character in Oliver Twist, like Luke and Jack Dodger were?

Lorraine: Not really. At one point, I thought maybe she was based on Nancy, but I think she was simply herself.

Suz: How does her childhood as one of Feagan’s kids affect her life as a grown woman?

Lorraine: She’s always mothered Feagan’s lads. They’ve always watched out for her. But as a woman she wants to stand on her own, make her own way, do things her own way. When she begins to search for orphans, she runs amuck of Bob Sykes (yes, he’s based on Bill Sikes). She tries to handle him on her own, without involving Feagan’s lads—and that, of course, simply leads to more trouble.

Suz: Sterling Mabry, Lord Greystone is the hero of SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL. Have we met him before?

Lorraine: You caught a glimpse of him in IN BED WITH THE DEVIL. He’s Catherine’s brother who arrived from his world travels shortly after her father died.

Suz: Frannie wants nothing to do with the Lords and Ladies of London Society, while Sterling sees no need to help the poorer members of society? What do you see as the turning point in their relationship?

Lorraine: I think the turning point in their relationship came about when Jimmy came into their lives. Because he was such a slender-framed boy, he assisted Sykes in burglarizing homes and as fate would have it, one of those homes was Greystone’s—and the lad’s luck ran out. He was caught. But rather than send ’round for a constable, Greystone sent for Frannie in an effort to bring her back into his life. Jimmy allowed Greystone to understand more clearly what life was like for the children on the street who Frannie wanted to save and Jimmy allowed Frannie to see a very tender side of Greystone as he befriended the lad.

Suz: How do Feagan’s lads come to play in this story?

Lorraine: They do what they’ve always done: work to protect Frannie from hurt and in so doing, they smother her. Luke explains to Greystone how protective they are of Frannie: “So yes, the four of us circle around her the way one might an injured butterfly, never touching it for fear of damaging it more, forever hoping that a day will come when it will again fly.”

To which Greystone replies: “In my world travels, I saw a good many varieties of butterflies. They’re incredibly delicate creatures, but they shouldn’t be underestimated. Observing them as I did, I learned a valuable lesson. Sometimes if you surround a butterfly too closely, it couldn’t fly if it wanted to.”

He believes she’s stronger than they give her credit for being. As he’s drawn into her dangerous world, he begins to admire her courage and determination even more.

Suz: We’re going to switch gears now. I don’t know if many of our readers know this, but you are not only a NYT bestselling romance author, but you also write YA stories under the name Rachel Hawthorne. You’ve recently started a new YA series about teenage werewolves, which you are very excited about. Care to tell us about this project?

Lorraine, with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes: Would love to! The Dark Guardian series is about a group of werewolves (or Shifters as they refer to themselves) who live in a national forest. The teens of the group serve as guides—or sherpas—to ensure that no campers stumble across their village. I got the idea after watching a special on TV about the sherpa program in Glacier National Park. Each summer, college students work there hauling equipment for campers. And I thought, “What if they were werewolves?”

Suz: MOONLIGHT is already out, FULL MOON is coming out later this month, and DARK of the MOON debuts in August. Was it hard building a new parallel world for these books? Do you see the series continuing or is it only to span the 3-books?

Lorraine: The idea for the werewolf sherpas was just a shadowy concept when I sent my editor the storyline for a book. She wanted that story and 2 more with an overriding arc that connected all 3. Coming up with the mythos was a challenge. I’m not even sure I was totally comfortable with the world I’d created until the 3rd book. But then it was also the book that ended the threat they faced and so all the loose ends were tied up, whereas with 1 and 2 I was trying to determine which questions to leave unanswered.

I would love for the series to continue, but presently I don’t have a contract to write more.

Suz: So, tell us what’s next for your historical series?

Lorraine: Midnight Pleasures with a Scoundrel will be out Nov. 1. This is James Swindler’s story. Scotland Yard has charged him with determining why a certain young lady—Eleanor Watkins—is following the Marquess of Rockberry. It has quite a few fun twists and turns.

And now to segue into something that has nothing to do with MY books – I recently worked to arrange my bookshelves in some sort of order, putting all my keepers on one 1 shelf and all my to be read on another (and okay, the TBR take up way more than a shelf so I now have a “top shelf” TBR stack which are books that I dearly want to read before the year is out). Obviously I buy way more books than I’ll ever read. How do you keep chaos off your bookshelves? Or do you? Should you? How do you decide which book to read next when there are so many wonderful books out there?

And to add to the chaos of your bookshelves, we’ll draw three lucky winners from among the posters today and they can select one of the Scoundrels of St. James books or one of the Dark Guardian books as their prize. If the book hasn’t yet been released, it’ll be sent as soon as it’s available.

91 comments:

Helen said...

Is he coming to my place

Have Fun
Helen

Jane said...

Hi Lorraine,
Congrats on the upcoming release of "Surrender to the Devil." The cover is gorgeous. I haven't even attempted to arrange my books on shelves. Most of them are in boxes and some are strewn over my table. It's hard to choose what book to read in my tbr pile. If a book I've been waiting for is finally released, it will go to the top of the pile.

Congrats on the GR, Helen.

Helen said...

Well he will be spending a quiet evening and day because I have some serious reading to do, don't you love it.

Thanks you Suz for inviting Lorraine back and what a great interview Ladies.

Lorriane you are an auto buy author for me and I am so looking forward to Frannies's story she really is a darling and I agree with the Duke of Greystone that she is a lot stronger than the rest think she is I do love strong heroines.

Your YA romance series sounds really good as well I have recently started reading paraormals and I love shape shifters.

The big question how do I organize my bookshelves I used to have all the books that I had read and were keepers in alphabeticl order on a couple of bookshelves then I had one smallish bookshelf with the TBR pile on it and in order that I bought them I did say used too I now have 4 bookshleves (and I need another one) and I just put them on where I can fit them and choosing the next book to read is so hard for me and I don't have any plan I often just stand in front of the shelves and choose one depending on my mood. This is one of the hardest things I do because I want to read them all now LOL.

I tell everyone that I am planning for my retirement because I probably won't be able to buy them like I do now when I am not working LOL.

Thank you so much for the post and telling us a little about your up coming books.

Have Fun
Helen

Lynz Pickles said...

A valid reason for talking about the way I organize my books? No way! Usually I have to back people into a corner, conversationally, before I get to rant about my system! This must be my lucky day!

Well, firstly, most of my TBR pile is digital these days. I'm in love with e-books, and the amount of files I've yet to read proves that. I keep my TBRs organized by author - each author gets a folder, which is housed in my giant e-books folder, and when I only have one book by an author, it gets put into a catch-all folder. Once I finish reading a book, I move it to my completed folder. There's nothing I love more than reading everything by one author and finally getting to delete their author folder, yay! And yes, reading the above, I can see that I really do need to go out more.

As for my bookshelves... I divide them into different sections, then organize by author's last name. Oh, and I don't mix hardcovers with softcovers... for some reason, I think they look better when they're not mixed. Anyway, I've split one shelf between picture books and "the classics" - individual books only, not collected works. Collected works, like my Shakespeare or my Jane Austen, are on another shelf, one I've split with my French-language books. My non-fiction section takes up about a shelf and a half. My two big sections are my adult fiction and YA novels, each of which takes up more space than I currently have. I fit as many books as I can on - in alphabetical order, of course - and the extras form several piles on the floor. I also have a teeeeensy corner for Harlequin mass market paperbacks - basically, no MIRA books go there.

I don't shelve books until I've read them, so my TBR pile has been formed into two piles and resides on a little table now. Anytime I go somewhere I can't read e-books, I grab something off one of the piles, so they never get too huge. I also remove a book from my shelves if I decide it's not a keeper anymore, and winter clean my collection once a year. The books I don't keep go to my old high school's annual book sway - I trade in my oldies and come home with (hopefully less) newies.

Lynz Pickles said...

Also - where are my manners? I guess getting to talk about my obsessive organizing habits made me forget them - congratulations on your upcoming release; the cover looks as wonderful as the story sounds. Your YA series also sounds fantastic, and now I've just got to read it! Why oh why are there too many great books and not enough time??

donnas said...

The Dark Guardian series sounds great. Thanks for sharing.

My TBR pile is organized by the books I have been waiting for on top. Then its mostly a free for all based on what I feel like reading at the moment.

bacchus76 at myself dot com

Donna MacMeans said...

Congrats Helen - I think the GR is anxious to kick back and do some reading as well.

Welcome back Lorraine - Ah...a historical heroine who is also a bookkeeper - be still my heart! I'd add this book to my TBR pile on that basis alone - plus, of course, your reputation for always delivering a great read.

I just added a set of bookshelves to my office to get the books off the floor. Can't say there's much of an order, but I see that even with the new shelves - the books are piling up again. What's a poor reader to do?

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to read LH's last book. I read the first chapters on the harper ebsite and it really frustrated me !!!
About my bookshelves... well it's pretty pathetic. The TBR "pile" is mostly everywhere. Some on top of the keepers, some on my desk. The keeper shelves are very organised thaugh...,-)

Margay Leah Justice said...

I am always willing (perhaps too willing) to add to my ever-expanding bookshelf and your YA series sounds like a nice fit. Good luck with all your ventures!
Margay

Minna said...

kWhat TBR pile? Usually I read the books almost as soon as I get them. I can't afford to buy so many books all at once so that there ever would be much of a pile.

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Maarit, Jäätelökesä
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Beth Andrews said...

So great to have you with us again, Lorraine! I can't wait to read Surrender To The Devil and your new YA series *g*

Do you ever work on your Historicals at the same time as your YAs or do you finish one book completely before moving on?

As for my books - my bookshelves have no order. If a book is a keeper to me, I just add it to the shelf and don't worry about placement :-)

On the other hand, my TBR piles are separated. Paperbacks are stacked on the floor in an adorable hat box author Carla Capshaw gave me when I finaled in the GH. Non fiction books are in a wicker basket and hardcovers are kept in a large, wire basket *g*

Susan Sey said...

Congrats, Lorraine, on the upcoming release! I love historicals that pair high-borns with low-borns--one of those My Fair Lady things, even when it's the Gentleman getting school, I think. Mmm,mmm,good. :-)

I love the sound of your YA werewolves, too. Is paranormal something you've always been interested in & backburnered to focus on historicals, or was this something new & fresh that just seized you?

Congrats again on the release--it must be so exciting when your babies hit the shelves!

Susan Sey said...

Oh & regarding my TBR pile? I'd bankrupt us if I bought all the books I wanted to read. My TBR pile is the local library. :-)

Gannon Carr said...

Hi, Lorraine! I've been looking forward to SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL ever since I finished Jack's story. I love this series!

I try to organize my shelves and some are, but I have so many TBR's that they are in too many places. My immediate TBR's are on the top shelf of the bookcase in my bedroom, and it's filling up rapidly. So many books, so little time. :)

Helen, hope the GR doesn't disturb your reading time. Enjoy!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Congratulations Helen on nabbing the wiley bird!! Put him to good use today.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Jane! You'll love Frannie's story, trust me!!

You have the same priotiry as me. I buy books that look good or sound interesting, but if a favorite author has a release, (er Lorraine), then that gets put on the top to be read next!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Helen, it's always a pleasure for me to talk to Lorraine about her books! And the amount she puts out in a year totally amazes me!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Wow, Lynz that is some system you have there! I must confess I got exhausted just reading about it! :)

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Donna! AS the Bandit's official bookkeeper, I can see why Frannie's story would be near and dear to your heart!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

donnas, I've started the Dark Guardian Series with MOONLIGHT just this week, and all I can say is WOW!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Emmanuelle, LOL on the frustration! Teasers in books or websites make me want the books NOW!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Minna, be glad you can't buy that many books at once. I swear my TBR pile is as much an addiction as me actually reading them!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

So Beth, you have actual TBR baskets, then? Right now I have five TBR piles tucked into my desk and on my filing cabinet. My keepers and research books are on my lone book shelf, BUT I'm seriously coveting the matching shelf in DH's office!

Blodeuedd said...

Congrats on the release :)
Another great looking cover.

My poor TBR pile, it's not getting any better cos I am working in the library this summer. I should stop taking home books, lol. But the more the merrier

penney said...

Congratulations Lorraine on your new books they sound great. I love the cover.
It's hard for me to pick which book I want to read first so I just put them in a pile and start with the first and go down the pile from there.LOL
Penney

buddyt said...

Im love histpricals and the new covers are really mouth watering.

Congrats and all th best.

Carol

Gillian Layne said...

Congratulations, Helen! :)

Lorraine, Surrender to the Devil sounds delightful and I can't wait to read it. My organization on bookshelves right now consists of piling them two books deep so now it's a memory game. And since my Mom has enthusiastically embraced romance she's always exchanging books with me so we never really know where anything is. It's an adventure! ;)

YA's are some of my favorite books, so good for you! I love bringing those into the house to share with my girls, and they LOVE werewolves...they are "team Jacob". I know they'll love your books too.

Lorraine said...

Well, ladies, I wrote a nice long post and realized when I went to send it that for some reason it thought I was Kerrelyn Sparks.

I've got to dash off for a bit but let me say first that I'm so happy to be here again. I love the Bandits!

I want to thank you for inviting me. Suz, thanks for the fun interview questions.

I'm enjoying reading about everyone's bookshelves. Lynz, your system is amazing!

Beth: I try very hard to arrange my schedule so I'm not working on multiple books at the same time. I really like to get into whatever book I'm writing at the time.

SusanS: I'd thought about writing a paranormal but no ideas came to me and then one day - poof! The idea for the Dark Guardians hit me. I would actually like to write a paranormal for an older audience but so far nothing.

Thank you to everyone who is enjoying the Scoundrels of St. James series. The first book in the series is now available to be read for free online at:

http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061355578

I'll return shortly!
Lorraine

CrystalGB said...

Hi Lorraine. Surrender to the Devil sounds great. Love the cover. Your YA werewolf books sound good too.
I arrange my books by keepers, category romance, and genre. It depends on my mood on what I choose to read next.

Beth Andrews said...

I'd bankrupt us if I bought all the books I wanted to read. My TBR pile is the local library. :-)

Susan, I love the library! I keep my library TBR books in the living room, usually piled on an end table *g*

Yesterday, my youngest and I stopped in at the library so she could get a few books and she headed straight to the Mary Higgins Clark books (she's a HUGE MHC fan - did I mention she's 12?) and I made a bee-line for the YA section.

Nothing weird about that, is there?
;-)

jo robertson said...

Hi, Lorraine! A big hearty welcome back to the Lair. I love your Scoundrels of St. James series and have read both. Now I can add a new one. Surrender to the Devil sounds great. I've wanted to read Frannie's story.

I didn't know you wrote YA also. How wonderful! I adore werewolf stories.

Oy vey! My TBR pile is obscene. Recently, however, I purged my library and donated anything that wasn't a keeper or that I'd read only 50 pages of to my local library. I had two paper bags full of paperbacks and two boxes of hardbacks/trades. The librarians were tres happy. I figured if I'd only read 50 pages and wasn't overwhelmed with a burning desire to finish the book, it had to go!

It was a little sad. Books are like friends and I hate to part with them.

Fedora said...

My shelves are a disaster, as it were. I mainly have books stacked in cardboard trays (that used to hold fruit)--and then there are other books piled high just about everywhere. Bedside table, on the floor... you name it, we might have some books stashed there. And I don't have much rhyme or reason to what I choose next--I do tend to put what I've been long awaiting near the top, but sometimes a review, or a chat, or something else will remind me about a book, and I'll have to go digging :)

Congrats on your two directions, Lorraine! It must be exciting to be exploring and creating a new world!

And congrats on the GR, Helen!

Dianna Love said...

Hi Lorraine -

Waving at you from GA. I didn't know you wrote a YA series under a different name. I find out the most interesting things on the RB blog.

Looking forward to reading that and I always love your historicals. I would never attempt writing a historical but it's one of my favorite genres to read. So glad you and several other favorites pen such great ones.

housemouse88 said...

My to TBR stacks are in a little order by genre. Historicals are in one pile, Christian authors are in another and so on. It depends on what I'm in the mood for as to what I pick up to read. Here lately it has been suspense novels.

Right now I need to buy more bookcases for my growing collection of books. They are currently separated in two sections autographed and not autographed. Please enter me for this contest.

house_mouse88 at yahoo dot com

Nancy said...

I'm sooooo happy I'll soon have my hands on both SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL and FULL MOON!

Lorraine and Suz, thanks for a wonderfully fun - and informative! - interview!

As for chaos on my bookshelves, I've decided chaos will always be there to some extent or another. I don't have a set method for what I read next, but tend to alternate genres - historical followed by a paranormal, followed by a comedy, etc. Of course, if I've found a series that's new to me, I may read every book that's out one after the other.

I do keep myself entertained, and all thanks to incredible writers like Lorraine Heath/ Rachel Hawthorne!

Happy weekend!

Light,
Nancy Haddock

tetewa said...

My favorite genre to read is Paranormal, your shifter series sounds like my kind of reads. Nice having you here today!

Terri Osburn said...

Okay, I admit I haven't gotten to this series yet but only because I haven't gotten to hardly anything yet! But I so love Lorraine's books and have for many years. This book sounds amazing.

I've been off Historicals (except Eloisa) for a while and this is just the series I need to get back in.

Re: TBR shelves - Mine is now TBR bookcases and it's so bad it's almost embarrassing. I received a gift of a $25 gift card for B&N last night and my daughter whined that I should use it to buy her books since I already have WAY TOO MANY. LOL!

To sum up - chaos rules. *sigh*

Addison Fox said...

Lorraine:

So glad you're in the Lair today - I always enjoy reading what you're up to and what's coming next. You are an absolute auto-buy for me and I am counting the days to Frannie's story as well as the next installment of the Dark Guardians. MOONLIGHT was just fantastic!!!

And ah....that lovely TBR pile. It just grows...and grows....and grows..... :-)

I'm with Suz - I let it pile up and typically grab something off of it unless it's an auto-buy author which I read the moment I get the book home. I'm also a Kindle devotee which has made my TBR pile a little more green as of late!

Addison

Maureen said...

Hi Lorraine,
I like the summary of your book. It looks like a great story. I should get my books in order but I keep putting it off. I usually go through my piles and pick some old and some new books that I feel like reading and keep them next to my bed.

Tracy Garrett said...

Hi Lorraine & Suz--and Banditas!
Lorraine, I can't wait for Frannie's story. Congrats on the series.

My bookshelves are such a wreck I don't even want to show anyone my office anymore. Order, no. Chaos abounds in here. :D

catslady said...

I'm totally beyond help. I have more books than I could read in two lifetimes but I still can't stop buying new ones. I truly have run out of room and have books in every nook and cranny in my house much to my husband's dismay lol.

I started out separating by hardback, trade and mass marketing books - all alphabetical. Unfortunately I have them in so many places I can't keep it up and it drives me crazy. I also think all books are keepers lol. I love being surrounded by them too - after all the covers are pieces of art. I need help roflmao.

Anonymous said...

I haven't arrqnged my books as of yet. I need to b/c I have so many. I have them on shelves, in boxes and in totes. I guess that's something I can do this weekend. I have a hard time choosing what I want to read next. I ususally read the backs and find the book I'm in the mood for that day and go with it.

Pat Cochran said...

Thanks for visiting the Lair today,
Ms. Heath. I'm going to look for
the earlier books in this series.
(Oliver Twist has always been a
great favorite of mine!) I need to
catch up as quickly as I can. Very
good interview!

Congratulations, Helen! Have a good
day, GR!

Pat Cochran

Anonymous said...

Congrats Helen on nabbing that rooster! Have fun with him!

Hi Lorriane, congrats on you upcoming release. Your book sounds fabulous!

My books are kind of everywhere right now. I have some in boxes, some on tables and a little of everywhere. My house is a huge mess right now because I have been remodeling the kitchen. I painted yesterday and today I am going to start putting things back together. I need to get another book shelf but don't have a place to put one. I have thinking about pulling our vidio tapes out of the cabinet and putting them in boxes and my books it the cabinet so I can see what I have got. It is very hard to choose what book to read next, sometimes I just grab the newest one I have and read it. Its a tough world we live in deciding what to read.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Susan! You are more disciplined about the library vs the book store than I am. But then I'm one of those terrible persons who doesn't return books or videos on time, and often ever, sooooooo it's probably cheaper for me to buy what I want!

Lorraine said...

I'm back from having a late breakfast with my son. Wow! So many posts. I'm loving hearing about everyone's bookshelves!

It's so great to see so many familiar faces. Nancy, Tracy, Addison - it's wonderful to see you here. You're auto buys for me.

Diana - Hello! Yep, I've been writing YA for some time but it's such a different market and audience that I didn't do any cross-promotion. We're going to miss you at Buns this year.

And since I mentioned Buns, let me put in a plug for this terrifically fun fundraiser for literacy in Richardson, TX. You can find more info at www.bunsandroses.org.

Gillian: Hooray for your girls loving werewolves! They're such fun to write. I was hoping some of the Team Jacob girls would enjoy the Dark Guardians.

Jo: I adore werewolves, too. I'm a huge Susan Krinard fan. Hers was the first werewolf romance I ever read.

Pat: Thanks for giving the series the try. It's been fun to weave little references to Dickens through the stories.

Again, thanks to everyone for the warm welcome back and the enthusiasm for my stories. It's always such a treat to be here.

Lorraine

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Gannon! The Scoundrel's of St. James series has to be one of my all time favorites, along with Johanna Lindsey's Mallory series. Doesn't Lorraine do such a great job bringing to life Dicken's characters as adults?

Y'all do know her book In Bed With The Devil (the first in the series) is a RITA nominated book this year, don't you?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Oh Blodeude you have one of two jobs I both envy and fear...working at the library. As I told Susan, I'm terrible at returning books, so I'd be fired very quickly!!

The other place I couldn't work is the bookstore! I'd go bankrupt for sure...I'm pretty sure it's an addiction. As the story goes, she who dies with the most books, wins!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Penny...I sort of do that, too, except I have about five piles, so it's a little more based on my mood when I select a book.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey buddyt/carol...You'll love Lorraine's Scoundrel of St. James series if you haven't yet gotten to read any of them. In Bed With The Devil is the first and not only is it a RITA finaling book, it also spent time on the NYT bestseller list, so very worth the investment!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Gillian!

You swap books with your mom? I used to do that when I lived close by. It's great having romances in common with my mom and now my girls! Although I do have to guard my Sherrilyn Kenyon books from both of them!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Lorraine!

It's always a fun day when you bring your books into the Lair!! You're one of our favorite visitors.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Crystal,

I envy anyone who can be that organized with their TBR pile! Want to come work on mine?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Jo!

I purge like you do too. Right now I have one full bag-o-books waiting to go to the library. I usually take two or three, so there's still time to read more! Glad you librarians love you as much as mine do me!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey fedora!

Isn't the chaos of the TBR pile fun? Sometimes it's like finding buried treasure...:)

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Dianna!

The Lair is a great place to meet friends and find out secrets about them, isn't it? The things I could tell....oops wait, the Lair rules prevent me from telling those....er...yeah...so when are you coming back to play?

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey housemouse!

Isn't it weird how our minds and tastes get focused on one sub genre for awhile?

The other day my daughter asked me if I'd read in funny books lately. She's pregnant and is tire of crying, (hehehe, love those hormones). You know, I had a hard time finding one for her.

That's what we need, more romantic comedies!

peachy_pam said...

Hi Lorraine, I cannot wait to read your new book! It sounds like it will be good!

Estella said...

I don't have enough room for keeper books.
My TBR pile is in an over the door shelf. The way the books go in is the way they come out to be read.

Maija said...

Nice interview!
I just read In Bed with the Devil (free from Harper Collins Browse Inside). That is a nice way to get to know new authors and that was the first time I read your books. I liked it very much! I especially liked Catherine's character.
My TBR pile grows way too much every day because I follow so many book blogs that give great recommendations. I buy more than I have the time to read. It helps that I'm very fast reader, but still...

Anna Campbell said...

Helen, it's a while since he's been down under! He must want to watch the footy! Congratulations!

Lorraine, as you know, I love it when you visit the lair. You always add a touch of class that can otherwise be lacking ;-)

Firstly, huge congratulations on your RITA nomination for IN BED WITH THE DEVIL. I was squealing with excitement when I heard that - well deserved!

And also congratulations on the release of the next Scoundrels book. Sounds fantastic! Are there four in the series or are you planning more? I think this is such a rich opportunity for great stories, you could go on forever!

Oh, goodness, the books are taking over my house. At the moment, I'm shoving everything out into the garage if I can't fit it inside. One day I'll have to have a clean-out. And my bedroom is littered with tottering piles of books that I'll read one day! I keep buying - seems crazy when I've already got so many waiting for me. I think I'm an addict and I need help ;-)

Lorraine said...

Suz, you are so sweet to mention the RITA nomination. But then you're sweet anyway.

Maija: So glad you enjoyed IBWTD. I think the free read program is a great way to introduce new readers to an author.

Peachy Pam! So great to see you here. Hope you're having a wonderful summer.

Anna: A touch of class? Me? I'm humbled. Although I do think I hear Suz snickering. I'm so ready for Captive of Sin. It's already on my to buy list.

As for the Scoundrels - they could have gone on and perhaps they will at some point, because I'm missing them already but 2010 will bring a new series.

You know how characters are - once they start talking, it's difficult to ignore them.

Pissenlit said...

Unfortunately, I keep chaos off my shelves by shunting it elsewhere in the house. I only have the one shelving unit(soon to be rectified if I ever get around to assembling the new one) and for the most part, it holds my comfort reads. Only half of one shelf gets its contents swapped out periodically with whatever new series I'm liking. All the bazillion other books I own are in bags or boxes.....*cough* and a stack or two might be in the entertainment centre somewhere below the tv...or on various tables...and desks...and the top of my dresser...uh and I believe there are 3 paperbacks on the couch right now...and one on my lap...*sigh* My bookshelf happens to be the most chaos-free spot around here unless you count the floor. :P

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, thanks, Lorraine! And ignore that Suz's snickering. I think you're classy and I'm the arbiter of classiness in the lair. I have a badge that says so!

Christine Wells said...

Lorraine, thanks so much for visiting with us today! And thanks to Suz for a fabulous interview.

I love the idea of a hero seeing hidden strength in his heroine. SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL sounds like a wonderful read. And wow, what a fantastic idea about the vampire sherpas. It must be a real challenge to come up with that world, as well as writing YA.

As for chaos--it pretty much reins on my bookshelves until I do my annual overhaul and pack up some in boxes to take to the charity shop or give away to my friends. I don't have enough bookshelves to hold all my keepers as well as my research books, so I have them stored in cupboards and so on. Hoping when we do a renovation I'll have more shelf space!

Congrats on getting the bird, Helen!

Carol L. said...

Hello Lorraine,
I loved Jack's story and now look forward to reading Surrender To The Devil.
As for my shelves, I now have tables to go along with them. lol My TBR list is truly huge. But I will admit, no matter how large my TBR list is, if a new book is out from an Author I love that's getting read first. :)Nice seeing you hear.
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Nancy H.! Glad to see you back in the Lair today. We had a lovely visit with you last month...(thanks for taking over for me that day!)

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Tetewa!

I"m in the middle of MOONLIGHT, the first in Lorraine/Rachel's YA Dark Guardian series and take my word, you'll love it!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Terrio!

You definitely have to read the Scoundrel Of St. James Series. Luke and Jack in the first two books are too yummy, bad boys turned good by the love of a good woman. And now Frannie's story...sigh...can't wait for the next one!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Addison! Glad to see you stopped by today. I have a question about Kindles...uh, so how many books can it hold? And how would I organize a TBR pile in it? Just in case a certain hubby wants to buy me something electronic this Christmas?

elainec said...

Hi Lorraine,

I can't wait to read Frannie's story. I bet it's fantastic. I loved the first two books in the series.

Hope it's a great success!

elainec

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hi Marueen, thanks for stopping by today!

Are you one of those readers who reads before bed at night? I wish I could do that. I actually read at work at night to stay awake when it's quiet. So starting a book at night, means I'm up all night on my nights off.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Tracy G!

We always love to see you stop by the Lair. And sweetie your office can't look as bad as mine right now. I'd make a librarian cry!!

Louisa Cornell said...

Good on you, Helen! He wanted to cool off a bit!

Hello Lorraine!

I want to tell you how very much I am enjoying this series!! Can't wait to get my hands on this latest one and the cover is in my favorite color too!

Have to snap up the YA series for my dear niece. She is almost sixteen and LOVES paranormal YAs!

When I am not writing under a self-imposed or now agent imposed deadline - I try very hard to keep my books organized. I enter each one on my LibraryThing page as soon as they come in the house. I am in the process of organizing ALL of my historical romance novels on the shelves of my WIP writing studio. The other romance novels are organized on shelves going down the hall. I am a bit OC as they are ALL organized alphabetically by author's last name - library style. I am still in the process of putting all of the books I owned before I started on LibraryThing. I have a series of colored stars for each genre, including my Regency research books (They have their own shelf.) As I put them on LibraryThing they get the appropriate star affixed. If I have read a book I put a circle with a purple R on the spine. My TBR books have their own shelves. (yes, shelves! Sigh!) My autographed books have their own shelf. My personalized autographed books have their own shelf. AND my favorites of all time so they must be close at hand have their own shelf as well.

Just Wicked Enough and In Bed with the Devil happen to be on that shelf!

My brothers are taking bets on when the floors of this house are going to give way under the weight of the books.

Mari said...

Hi, I would love to read Frannie's story. I have enjoyed your books immensely.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Catslady,

Love how your books have overtaken your house. Upon occasion mine feels like that too. Although I'm a big judicious over which books are bought as hardbacks and which are keepers.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Kimmyl!

Glad to see you visiting the Lair again today. Choosing books to read based on mood is probably why I have so many piles. It lets me see different ones without letting them topple over as I search!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Pat!

(Oliver Twist has always been a
great favorite of mine!)
..

Amother Oliver! fan!! Whoohooo!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Virginia!

I like your idea of putting the videos on the table and the books in the cabinet. I have way less books than videos!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Peachy Pam,

Welcome to the Lair today. Pull up a seat and make yourself at home. Trust me, when I tell you both Lorraine's historicals and her YA series are well worth the time and money!!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Wow, Estella,

An over the door shelf? I'd be afraid the weight of the books would have the shelf crashing down on my head!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Maija!

I'm so glad you checked out Lorraine's book on the Avon sight. You should read her back list of both English historicals and her westerns!! You'll love them!

Lorraine said...

What a wild day! Just back from a date with hubby to see Terminator Salvation. Have to say I preferred the character of Marcus to that of John Connor.

Ladies, I've so enjoyed being here today. You always throw a great party!

Mari, Louisa, Elaine, Carol - Thanks so much for enjoying the Scoundrels.

Christine: Thank you to you and all the bandits for allowing me to be a guest today. You ladies are fantastic. I have your latest releases on my to buy list. Hope to see some of you at National.

Thanks to everyone for visiting and posting today. I really enjoyed hearing about everyone's bookshelves. Some of my guilt has eased. A monster TBR stack is to be cherished!

Have a great weekend, everyone!
Lorraine

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey, Anna!

I'd never snicker at Lorraine's classiness...she's one of my favorite people, as I know she's one of yours!

Caffey said...

Hi Lorraine!! Is a joy to have the first time to ever chat with you! I'm like frozen up on what to say. Its exciting. So your books with the DEVIL in the title are related along with the Oct book related? I'm a die-hard 'read in order' reader :) (Obviously I'm a bit behind) I'm so thrilled about your werewolf books too, I didn't know of these! I still have your book and think of that scene of the dance to Greensleeves and get teary eyed (ALWAYS TO REMEMBER). So great to say Hi and thank you for the wonderful reads!!!

limecello said...

Hi Lorraine - thanks for visiting with us today! :X I'm a bit late to the party - but for books/TBR piles... I refer to my room as "the book graveyard" -fondly.
My shelves are packed; books are sideways because I can fit more on. The shelves are also reinforced. (Last summer a shelf collapsed and trapped a hand...) Anyway.

I recently found 130 books "lying" around that need proper shelf space. In a way, it's reach and grab - I don't have much of a "what comes next" method - other than I suppose if I get library books because those have due dates and priority. :P

Congrats on the GR, Helen!

Caffey said...

See I was excited I forgot to answer the question!
Oh I can't tell you the number of times that I decided to give up a book off my keepers shelf and then end up buying it again. Its really a tough issue for me. I kind of now keep reads that are really special to me and too that are ones I want to re-read too. I usually give those I end up not keeping to charity so they can benefit from them.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Caffey, In Bed With The Devil is the first of the Scoundrels Of St James Series. Then Then Between The Devil And Desire, then Surrender To The Devil. And then the new book due out in October. Enjoy!

Laurie G said...

Your books sound GREAT!

TBR- I just pick several books up read the backs and then choose. It really depends on my mood.

I don't have any organization but with eclectic tastes, it works for me!

The Scarf Princess said...

To handle my copious amount of books I have a keeper trunk that can hold a certain amount, if I want to add I have to get rid of something. My tbr pile is housed in an extra closet that has five ceiling high bookshelves. I'm slowly reading my way through, but then of course I buy more.

Can't wait for the next Scoundrel book, I've loved the series so far!

Emma said...

Hi Lorraine Congrats on the upcoming release of "Surrender to the Devil." Great interview. Have a good weekend.