Addison Fox and More Zodiac Warriors Return to the Lair!

interview with Suzanne

Banditas and all our friends, today my very good friend Addison Fox returns to the Lair to talk about the third book in her Sons of the Zodiac series, WARRIOR BETRAYED. Pull up a bar stool, a lounge chair or a cabana boy's lap and let's talk serious alpha male booty today with Addison.

Addison: Suz all the wonderful Banditas - thank you for having me! It's always so much fun to spend a day in the Lair ?

Suz: So, Addison, WARRIOR BETRAYED is the third in the Sons of the Zodiac series. So far you've given us the hunky Leo and super-sexy Scorpio. Which delicious brother are we going to see this time?

Addison: WARRIOR BETRAYED is Quinn's story - my Taurus warrior. Each of the warriors has a role to play on the team (you know, so they don't just sit around and look hot all day!) and Quinn is the team's security expert.

Suz: What trait of the Taurus Warrior did you focus on the most in this book? How does that effect Quinn's relationships with his brothers and his heroine?

Addison: Quinn's been a really vibrant character for me from the word "go" and very clear in my head. He's deeply stubborn and convinced he's right, but he's also fiercely loyal to those he loves.

Quinn spent a fair amount of the previous book, WARRIOR AVENGED, allowing his stubborn bent to shine through and he's now paying for it in his own story.

Suz: In WARRIOR BETRAYED, Montana Grant has spent her life under the shadow of decisions by both her parents. How is her destiny intertwined with Quinn's?

Addison: Part of what I loved about writing Montana is that she's on a real journey of self-discovery in this book. Although she knows something strange is happening around her, what she does not know when the book begins is that she is a rising immortal.

Her mother, Eirene, the goddess of peace (and Themis's daughter) abdicated her role to marry a mortal. Themis (the creator of the warriors) swore that Eirene's child would be destined to take her place and that has begun as the book opens.

As you might imagine, that's a rather tall order to place on a woman?.there's nothing better than a sexy warrior to help you get through it!

Suz: In each of your books your heroes are strong alpha males. What about this kind of hero appeals to you?

Addison: I will admit to loving strong, alpha males and digging down deep to find their vulnerabilities. It may be a bit cliché, but the premise of the alpha male - who falls hard when he finally does fall - is an incredibly fun thing to play with as a writer.

Suz: Since you have such strong personalities in your heroes how do you decide what kind of heroine to match with them?

Addison: One of the most enjoyable things about writing romance is pairing two characters who you really root for as a reader. A strong male (whether alpha or beta) needs an equally strong woman to make you feel these two people deserve a life together.

For me, the characters are everything to the story and it's always fun to match up two people and see the reasons they fall in love with each other.

In the case of Montana and Quinn, he's very sure of himself and needs a woman who isn't afraid to go head-to-head with him. For her part, Montana's not only spent a life of privilege, but she's also an incredibly powerful woman in her own right, running her family's shipping empire. Montana's a woman used to making decisions and it was important to me to pair her with a man who would celebrate her strengths and give her shelter for her vulnerabilities.

Suz: Soooooooo?who's next for me to drool over?er, for all your readers to look forward in anticipation?

Addison: I'm working on the fourth book in the Sons of the Zodiac series right now, WARRIOR ENCHANTED. It's Drake (the Pisces) and Emerson's (the witch next door) story. These two were introduced as a potential couple in WARRIOR AVENGED and I absolutely love them together.

What's been a lot of fun in writing this one is that Drake's already very sure he's in love with Emerson, but she's the one who is holding back. Of course, in true romantic fashion, things are about to get a whole lot worse for the both of them as Emerson's life is turned upside down by the return of her missing brother.

I'm really excited to add some new direction to the series in this book, with some new villains for the warriors to battle and a whole new challenge.There's this pesky new warrior whose come on the scene and who just happens to wear the mark of the 13th Sign.

Suz: To change the subject just a little bit, I hear there's an entirely different series coming from you soon. Care to fill the readers in on it?

Addison: I'd love to! I have a new contemporary series launching in November of this year. BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE is the first of a trilogy about a small town in Alaska that holds an annual Bachelor Competition. The heroine of BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE, Sloan McKinley, ends up in Indigo, Alaska by circumstance, but quickly falls in love with the town,and it's very eligible town lawyer.

Suz: So let's talk Zodiac signs. What's yours? Do you really fit into any of the traits you sign is supposed to have? 

Addison is going to give away a signed copy of WARRIOR BETRAYED to one lucky commentor!

Love by Numbers Trilogy Winner!

by Anna Campbell

Wow, guys, you had a wonderful day with Sarah MacLean last week! And she had a wonderful day with you. She's chosen her winner and the lucky girl who gets all THREE books in the Love by Numbers Trilogy - NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE, TEN WAYS TO BE ADORED WHEN LANDING A LORD and ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE'S HEART - is...

KIRSTEN!!!

Congratulations, Kirsten. Please email Sarah on sarah.t.maclean @ gmail.com (no spaces) with your snail mail details and she'll get your book off to you. Happy reading!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

By Jeanne Adams


Happy Mother's Day, Banditas and Bandita Buddies!!! Thanks for coming over to hang out with me on Mother's Day.

Whether you're a mom, or just have a mom, or are mom to a four-legged creature, you have an amazing talent to get things done. I do include myself in this, as I'm sometimes astounded at how much I do get done. Not much of it has anything to do with my actual WORK, but I do astound myself at how many endless loads of laundry I do, including making sure uniforms are washed, pressed, belted, and ready for baseball, basketball, more baseball, and even, in the fall, football.

Which brings me to my focus for today. I'm a baseball mom. (I'm also a basketball mom, but that plays a distant trumpet to baseball). I have notes in my daily calendar which read "be sure baseball uniform is ready" and "practice jersey!" and "tournament uniforms!" These notes help keep me abreast of the demands of a heavy-duty baseball schedule for my eldest son who, if I do say so myself, is one damn fine baseball player. Just so you know, I am a master at getting grass stains out of baseball pants - although I do confess that I've had to throw one mud-saturated, grass-stained, sopping wet mess of a pair of baseball pants into the trash.

My youngest is just beginning this baseball journey. He's not the absolute maniac for the sport his older brother is, but he's getting into it. He has baseball practice too, on Saturdays, which is frequently right in the middle of when his older brother is playing, which means we have to split up, and it already means more uniform washing, that goes without saying.

I also now know the names of a tremendous number of players in various major league positions. I know virtually all the players on the Chicago Cubs. Being fond of the Atlanta Braves myself, I know a lot of them. The local team, the Bethesda Big Train, is fun to watch. And thanks to being a baseball mom, I now know about stances, swings, defensive plays and just exactly what a catcher is responsible for.

Between you and me, I'd so much rather be watching football.

Seriously. I adore it. My eldest likes it in a pale, "that's niiiiice" kind of way, and can play it and like it, but really, it's alllllllll about the baseball. My youngest however, to my glee, seems to be interested. Ahhhh.....maybe ONE of my boys will follow in my sports-footsteps! (Although since my DH played football, basketball, baseball and rugby, they have a lot of footsteps, if you know what I mean!)

Stephen Covey, the master of management, was counseling a man once who wanted to grow closer to his young son from whom he'd been estranged. Covey advised, "you must come to love whatever your son loves, and as you appreciate and love that thing, your son will come to see you clearly, understand that you're trying to connect, and reach out to love you too."

I mulled that over for a long time as my boys came along. It was important to me to understand my boys, to be there for them. I quoted the Covey line several times to myself as my eldest grew: I must love this thing that my son loves.

Baseball.

I used to think that watching baseball was like watching paint dry. My husband also loves the game, but you know, spouses frequently like different things, so I thought I was off the hook.

Hey, I love dog shows and showed several of my dogs to champion status and one to a Best in Show. (And no, that's not me, but it is my breed!) My DH could really care less, kinda the way I felt about baseball. But he tried to understand it, and even to supprt my dog-show-habit, and like it. I could do no less, so we'd go to games and finally, my husband explained the strategy of the game, which elevated it to a more interesting event, but still....

Then the boy came along and from 5 years old on, he would almost obsessively watch The Game. I never needed cartoons-as-babysitter, I could just turn on a baseball game. Nine innings of work would then await me, because the boy was engrossed and didn't require my attention.

Grins.

When he got a bit older and began to play, I really HAD to pay attention. According to Covey, I had to learn about the game if I wanted to connect with him and understand him.

So, I became a baseball mom.

One day, I will probably be one of those moms, seated in some big-league stadium, grinning like a Cheshire Cat as my boy is introduced as the starting pitcher. Or the all-star outfielder. Or the catcher. I'll grin as they play the National Anthem - which he used to believe ALWAYS ended with PLAY BALL!!! - and I'll grin as they take the field. I can pretty much guarantee you, that win or lose, I'll still be grinning at the thought that my long lanky baseball boy has become a Big League Player.

And yes, I'll be the one yelling at the Umpire, cheering on his teammates, just like I do now, and whistling loud enough to be heard in the next county.

Whether he does or doesn't make it to "the Show", he's my boy. He and his brother are what make me a mom. They also make me a more well-rounded person (hey, I know from baseball!), and a better human being because they love me with their whole hearts.

If you are a mom of daughters, you may know a lot of this sports stuff too, thanks to Title Nine, but in addition you may have had to learn - *shudder* - about cheerleading, or Justin Bieber, or - *double shudder* - dance class.

Or if you're a pet-mom, you've had to learn about clean-up, hairballs, just how much fuzz is IN that chew toy, clipping nails, and the general maintenance that goes along with being a loving, responsible pet-mom.

Go you!

The question of the day is this:

What have you learned to do, or learned to love, because of your child/children/or pets?

What have you put up with, especially if you're a pet mom, that you thought you would NEVER tolerate?

What about being a mom of any variety, has made you better?

If your mom, as mine is, has passed on, what would you say to her about all she did for you? (I'd say thanks for the laundry, as I now know JUST how much work that really is! Hahahah!)

Just For the Night... A Party

with Tawny

I'm so excited and ready to celebrate the release of my latest Blaze, JUST FOR THE NIGHT. This story is in the 24 Hours: Blackout series, which means there's a whole lot of dark for the hero and heroine to be trapped in together.

When I was brainstorming this story, I asked myself what would make being trapped with a hot, sexy guy a challenge. My answer? If that hot sexy guy was your ex, the guy you'd never gotten over but were still harboring a lot of anger and blame toward. And with that, Larissa and Jason's relationship was born.

Larissa is a romance expert. She writes a column for a hot sexy magazine offering advice on how to bring more romance into your life. She reviews romance novels, and she has very strong opinions on what is romantic... And what isn't.

Then there's Jason. His expertise? Sex. Jason's all about the bottom line. So much so that he shows up at a business meeting toting a Koteka - a wooden penis cover that's reputed to offer special sexual power to whoever is nearby. Hubba hubba!

These were some fun characters to come up with!!!

My next pondering was this... Nobody expects to be trapped in a blackout, but I needed to make sure my couple had the necessities to make sure they had a good, sexy time while locked up in a lush mall with each other. So what did I arrange for Larissa to take with her? A jar of hot fudge, a warm fuzzy blanket, and condoms. Hey... she had her reasons!!! And, best of all, she put all of those to good use :-)

Hopefully, my brainstorming and ponderings paid off to result in a fun, sexy story that readers enjoy. So I think it's time to celebrate. We need hunks, of course. And a tequila bar with 24 varieties of margaritas. To keep with the 24 theme, perhaps Keiffer Sutherland will join us? Sven is sending the cabana boys around with 24 different kinds of dessert, and we'll be partying for... yes, you guessed it, 24 hours.

We should, of course, have cake. Now, personally this cake makes me think of Donna and her feathers, so I thought it'd be a lot of extra fun to enjoy! There is a different flavor of deliciousness on each layer, so there's something for everyone.

So if you were trapped without power for 24 hours, what three things would you want with you, where would you be and who would you enjoy the experience with most?

I'll give away three copies of JUST FOR THE NIGHT to three lovely commenters today!

Say Cheese!!

By Kate

I'm excited to welcome back to the Lair my friend Avery Aames! Not only does Avery have a new Cheese Shop Mystery out (LOST AND FONDUE -- don't you just love her titles?), but she just won the prestigious Agatha Award for Best First Book for THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE!! Please join me in welcoming Avery!

Sexy is as Sexy does

Do you think cheese is sexy? I do. It has sensual textures, aromatic scents, and luscious flavors. Ooh, la, la! It tastes good with beer, wine, champagne. You can pair cheese with fruit, jam, honey, nuts and chocolate. Ah, chocolate. But that’s another subject to be discussed at a later time…or maybe in just a moment. Cheese tastes great alone, but it also tastes fabulous in entrees, side dishes, salads, grated on pasta, on rice, on potatoes, on soup.

What doesn’t cheese taste good on…with…beside? Some might say ice cream, but I would beg to differ. I made a delicious Parmesan ice cream that was salty and fun. I added chocolate, and the dessert was sassy, and yes, sexy bordering on decadent.

Did I say yet that I love sexy? And sensual? Delicious words, don’t you think?

But back to cheese. Other than those who can’t eat cheese for allergy reasons, do you know anyone who doesn’t like cheese? Do you know anyone who doesn’t make a beeline to the cheese platter at a party?

So why do I rave about cheese? Because I write A Cheese Shop Mystery series (the first, THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE is a national bestseller and an Agatha award nominee, I’m happy to say). While doing research, I’ve fallen in lust with cheese. That’s right, lust. I’ve tasted, I’ve baked, I’ve shared. With family, with friends, with strangers. I’m caught in its clutches and I can’t get away. (Please don’t tell more than five of your friends.)

Did you ever see the movie Like Water For Chocolate? Talk about sensual! The movie is based on the debut novel by Laura Esquivel. Each chapter begins with a recipe. The story follows a young girl, Tita, who longs to marry Pedro, but she cannot because her mother’s family tradition says the youngest daughter may not marry until the day her mother dies. Tita, in the only way she can, expresses herself when she cooks. In quite erotic detail. In one scene, after a rich meal of quail in rose petal sauce (flavored with Tita’s sensual thoughts), Tita’s older sister becomes lustful and flees to make love with a revolutionary soldier. Need I say more? Sadly, the heat of Tita’s passion for Pedro ultimately consumes them.

I’m hoping this will not happen to me during my love affair with cheese. (I pray I have more self-control than that. No running away with a Roquefort. Time will tell.)

However, to honor this blossoming relationship, I’d like to share a cheese platter that I created at Valentine’s Day. I’ve named it: Like Cheddar for Chocolate. (Okay, so it’s not that unique a title, but it says what it is.) The question is, where did I come up with the combination. I knew I could use chocolate in cheesecake and in cookies, but I didn’t know that chocolate on its own would taste great paired with a bite of cheese. So I wanted to test my theory. Talk about sensual. The result was dessert and appetizer rolled into one.

I’m giving away three signed books today to commenters: your choice of either THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE or LOST AND FONDUE. So answer me this. Do you prefer dessert to appetizers? Do you like to dine in or out? What is the most sensual meal you can remember…ever? And if you’d like to share, with whom did you dine? I won’t tell more than five of my friends. LOL

Say cheese!

Thanks for visiting today, Avery! Banditas, if you'd like Avery's delectable recipe for Parmesan ice cream, click here!

Avery Aames is the Agatha Award winning author of A Cheese Shop Mystery series. The first, The Long Quiche Goodbye, is a national bestseller. Avery blogs at Mystery Lovers Kitchen, a blog for foodies who love mysteries, and some of her characters show up on the Killer Characters blog.

Making Out Like A Bandit (In More Ways Than One!)

An guest blog by Virna DePaul with Tawny Weber

Thank you so much to my friend Tawny Weber and all the Romance Bandits for having me here today. With my first debut novel, Chosen By Blood (A Para-Ops Novel) having just released, you can bet I’ve been doing a lot of promotion, and that includes a lot of blog writing. That’s why I hope you’ll indulge me as I do a post that’s a little different, just for fun.

10 Things I Love About The Hero Of My Debut Novel:

1. His name. Knox Devereaux. As sexy, sophisticated, and complex as he is…

2. His body. Actually, both of his bodies. His “normal” one, and the one it transforms into when he’s impassioned (by blood lust or just plain lust).

“Beneath his loose clothing, his muscles hardened and swelled. Knox grew taller, broader, not enough to rip his clothes but enough to make them strain their seams. He felt his fangs lengthen and knew from the sound of Lucy’s gasp that his eyes had shifted from silver to a demonic, glowing scarlet. Control slithered away and a primal growl vibrated in his throat.”

3. His loyalty to his clan.

4. His love for his family.

5. He’s a vampire.

6. His passion for the heroine.

“’There is no us,’ Felicia said sadly.

‘I refuse to accept that.

‘You desire me now, but you’re right—I have limited years on Earth. I need to live those years honoring what I believe. I don’t believe in—in what you’re asking me for. Besides,’ she reasoned desperately, ‘I’m just a passing fancy. When I’m gone, you’ll be glad—’

‘No.’ He growled and pulled her into his arms. She saw the terror that flashed in his eyes. ‘No.’ Before she could stop him, his mouth took hers. And it was exactly as she’d feared it would be.

Devastating.

His mouth took but it also gave. It plundered even as it cherished. His tongue rubbed hers, then retreated, mimicking a different dance and causing the music to swell even louder, until it obliterated everything but the moment.

It was heaven. The kind of heaven one only dreams about, especially when her life has been filled with fear and uncertainty and pain. The kind of heaven that a mortal can’t have.

She wrenched away and backed up, wiping her hand against her lips.

He was breathing roughly, his expression almost desperate. ‘You can’t run from this forever, Felicia.’”

7. His sense of humor.

8. He’s a bad ass.

“Knox returned his attention to Hunt, who not only met his stare head-on, but jerked his chin in challenge. ‘Might as well get it over with now,’ Hunt drawled.

Laughter, a sinister, chilling sound, tickled Knox’s throat.

Oh yeah, he thought.

Things were going to get a whole lot more fun before the day was through.

Knox took three lightning-quick steps toward Hunt, then froze. His nostrils flared as he caught her scent. A second later, he saw the woman standing just behind Hunt.

Felicia. What was she doing—

Before he could complete the thought, a heavy weight slammed into his chest, knocking the air out of him and propelling him off his feet. He didn’t stop until his body slammed into a wall on the other side of the room. Knox hit the ground. Stunned, but immediately moving into a crouch, he blinked as dust and plaster rained down on him, momentarily obstructing his vision. When it cleared, he saw Felicia wrestling with the

werebeast. And then he saw the werebeast shove her down.

With an enraged shout, Knox teleported so fast he caught her before impact. He lowered her, gently but swiftly, then almost instantly wrapped his fingers around Dex Hunt’s throat. Imagining that Hunt’s throat was an aluminum can, Knox squeezed.

Only one thought remained.

Kill the bastard who’d touched Felicia.”

9. His love for his father, the same father that was branded a traitor for telling humans how to kill vampires:

10. Uh, he’s a (Hot) VAMPIRE:

“Felicia grabbed his hand. It was dark out, almost too dark for him to see her, but she wasted no time in cupping her hand around his neck and pulling his head toward her. Not to her lips but to her neck.

‘Drink from me… I feel fine, Knox. I promise.’

He swallowed hard. Felt his mouth watering. “I’ll drink just a little. Just enough to . . .” Without another word, he gave in…Her taste filled his mouth, then his throat, then spread to every part of him…He felt the urge to suck her dry, to drink and drink and drink until every last drop of her was inside him...

Still, he forced himself to slow down, to suck softer, to pull back slightly. He felt his renewed strength, even with the small amount of blood she’d given him. He didn’t want to take too much—

She pushed his head down deeper, whispering for him to take as much as he wanted, and her full acquiescence was too much to fight. He might not need more of her blood, but he wanted it.

He gave himself over to his hunger. Planting his hands on her hips, he rubbed his body against her as he drew on her vein in long, languorous pulls. He lifted his hands to her breasts, cupping them. He felt the strong urge to leave her vein so that he could suck at her nipples.

That’s when he knew he would always be drawn to Felicia for who she was and not what she could give him.

He would always want her more than he wanted her blood.”

Virna DePaul is a former criminal prosecutor whose debut mass market paranormal romantic suspense novel, Chosen By Blood (Book 1 in the Para-Ops series), comes out May 3, 2011 by Berkley Books. In addition, Virna writes contemporary romantic suspense for Harlequin Romantic Suspense (Dangerous To Her, September 2011) and HQN (new series launching April 2012). Virna has also self-published several novels, including "A Vampire's Salvation," "This Magic Moment," and the "Red-Hot Cops" series under the name Ava Meyers. Visit her at www.virnadepaul.com.

Virna is giving away a Para-Ops tote filled chocolate, a Para-Ops mug, sunglasses, and my e-books, A Vampire’s Salvation, a paranormal vampire novella, This Magic Moment, a contemporary romance, and my craft book with Tawny Weber, Love Writing: A Guide To Writing and Getting Your Romance Novel Published (Without Losing Your Perspective, Passion Or Sanity).

Blurb of Chosen By Blood:

United by fate. Bound by desire.

Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and Otherborn— humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA—still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills.

Leader of an Otherborn clan, half-breed vampire Knox Devereaux would do anything to find a cure for the anti-vamp vaccine slowly starving his people into extinction. When the FBI contacts him about leading a team of hand-selected Others on a mission to reclaim the stolen antidote, Knox accepts. His new assignment places him in direct contact with Special Agent Felicia Locke, the beautiful human he’s craved since their very first meeting.

In bookstores now and available on www.amazon.com!

Eleven Steps to Reading Heaven!

by Anna Campbell

It is my huge pleasure to invite back one of our most popular guests and a brilliant writer too, Sarah MacLean. Make sure you comment today because Sarah has very generously offered one of our buddies the chance to win signed copies of the ENTIRE LOVE BY NUMBERS TRILOGY!

Wow, wonder if hostesses are eligible! If not, can I adopt a false name? A moustache? Get botox?

What? You still recognize me? Sheesh! Being a master criminal isn't as easy as it used to be!

Sarah's latest historical romance from Avon ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE'S HEART is out on the 26th April (clearly an auspicious day for book releases, snicker!) and is dominating the bestseller lists as we speak. It's also garnering rave reviews, including a Top Pick review from RT Book Reviews, where Kathe Robin said:

The third book in the Love by Numbers series is a fast-paced, funny and tender read. You’ll love watching MacLean’s well-developed characters fall in love and define their relationship and enjoy the cameo appearances of her first two couples in this unforgettable story.

Here's the very cute trailer for ELEVEN SCANDALS:



You can find out more about Sarah and her fabulous romance novels on her website.

So without further ado, here's Sarah!

Thanks so much for having me, Anna! You know how much I like the pina coladas over here at the Bandits. *hic!* No more until the interview is over, though.

Sarah, put down that cabana boy! You can't have your dessert until you eat your vegetables! As you know I loved NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE. But I think I loved TEN WAYS TO BE ADORED WHEN LANDING A LORD even more. I was entranced by the characters in that story. Now ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE’S HEART has hit the stands (and my bedside table). Can you tell us about this story?

You have no idea how much it means to have *you* say such lovely things about my books...I am such a HUGE Anna Campbell fan...HUGE.

(Anna Campbell preens like a swan! Well, maybe like a goose, but she's a goose who likes to think she's a swan!)

As for Eleven’s story...this is the one that everyone has been waiting for. The heroine, Juliana Fiori, is the scandalous Italian half-sister of the heroes of the first two books, and she’s been slowly coming out of her shell while her brothers have been busy finding love. Readers have also met the hero, Simon, Duke of Leighton, who is the worst kind of cold, immovable, autocratic duke. Just ripe for a dressing down. And I mean that in all possible ways.

When scandal meets propriety, sparks fly...and that’s where Eleven lives.

Ooh, love it. I actually love immovable object, irresistible force romances and this sounds like a fantastic example! What’s next for Sarah MacLean?

My next series, THE FALLEN ANGEL quartet, follows four aristocrats, cast from society by scandal, now partners in London’s most notorious gaming hell--The Fallen Angel. The first book, A ROGUE BY ANY OTHER NAME, tells the story of Michael Lawler, Marquess of Bourne, who will do anything to rebuild his lands and fortune--including marrying a woman who is entirely too innocent for his wicked ways.

Sounds delicious! What made you choose the Regency as your setting? You obviously have a passion for early 19th century Great Britain!

I blame Johanna Lindsey and Judith McNaught. When you’re a kid growing up in Rhode Island, and someone puts WHITNEY, MY LOVE or GENTLE ROGUE in your hands...you never go back. It was only a matter of time before I was reading any Regency-set (the traditional Regencies were too tame for my teenaged self) historical I could get my hands on. By the time Stephanie Laurens and Julia Quinn and Eloisa James and Lisa Kleypas came along, I was already an addict...and they just made it worse.

So, when I finally set pen to paper to write my first book, Regency-set is what came out. And I knew better than to fight it.

You’ve been published now for a little over a year with FOUR books out in that time (“Where’s my hartshorn?” she shrieks in best Regency fashion). It must have been a total whirl. What do you wish you’d known before you published that you know now? Were there any surprises along the way?

LOL! I’m not sure I know anything more now than I did then! But here are three things that I have written on notecards in my office that I find help (or, at least, make me feel better!):

1) Every book is different. (This one helps when I think, “But the beginning of *that* book was so *easy*! I thought I *mastered* beginnings! Why does *this* beginning suck?!?”)

2) The darkest hour is before the dawn. (This one is necessary for the moment you get 300 pages into a manuscript and think, Oh, my God. What was I *thinking*? Usually it takes me a week of noodling and fixing and going back to the beginning before I break through and sprint to the finish.)

3) Someone will love this book. Someone will also hate it. (This one is for those stupid moments when you are a dumb author and look at reviews.)

Can you take us through a typical Sarah MacLean day?

I’m not sure you can handle the excitement of my days, honestly. Brace yourselves.


8:30 - Alarm goes off. Snooze hit.
8:42 - Alarm goes off again. Snooze hit again.
8:44 - Dog stands over head, whining.
8:44:25 - I say, “No. Go away,” in firmest, most masterful voice possible (there has to be some cosmic problem with the fact that my first words most mornings are “No. Go away,” but let’s leave that for another time).
8:44:27 - Dog starts whining again.
8:45 - Husband’s alarm goes off. I give up on sleep.
10:00 - Teeth brushed, dog fed, tea poured, email checked, Facebook checked, Twitter checked. Husband gone, dog walked. Time to write.
11:00 - Spent additional hour on Facebook, reading Anna Campbell’s midnight posts and pretending to do important “authory” stuff. Really, though. Time to write. Receive new email. Sale at The Gap!
12:00 - Have bought new clothes, despite the fact that I spend all day in yoga pants and a tank top. *Now* must write. Turn off Internet (I have no willpower, whatsoever) for three hours. Write.
12:30 - Make more tea. Write.
1:00 - Time for lunch break. Telephone call with a) my best friend, b) my sister, c) my mother or d) all of the above.
1:30 - Write. Possibly, something worth reading.
2:30 - Dog begins whining. Time for a break, anyway. What can you really do in 30 minutes?
3:00 - Have done God knows what, but lost 30 minutes doing it. Back to computer. Time to write. Oh! Look! Internet is back. I’ll just check email for two quick minutes. Ooh! Sale at Nine West!
4:30 - Have checked every website known to man, bought shoes and twitpic’d dog doing something adorable, like sleeping on a stuffed hedgehog. Oy. Back to work. Internet off for another three hours. Write.
5:30 - Have I showered today? Shower.
6:30 - Consider the possibility that husband might want dinner. Sort takeaway menus. Return to desk. Write.
7:45 - Husband comes home. I realize that I was actually working and did not notice a) the Internet returning, b) the sun setting, or c) the fact that the house is now in a state of complete blackness. This means I actually got work done! Huzzah!
8:00 - Husband asks how day was. I tell the truth. I worked very very hard. And was extremely productive.
8:30 - Takeaway arrives. We watch an episode of The West Wing, which by now we could do without a television since we know all the words anyway.
9:30 - I return to office to write. Ooh! Anna Campbell is awake in Australia!
10:00 - Anna is a wicked, evil distraction, sent to ruin my writing career. Internet off. Write.
12:00 - To Bedfordshire.
Rinse. Repeat.

Bwahahahaha! My evil plan is working... Hold on, if you don't write, I don't get any new books from you. Goose Campbell returns to barn to ponder a NEW plan! Perhaps I should email Sarah and ask her how she thinks I should proceed - oh, that's right, she's buying shoes at Nine West and isn't on the Internet (snork! Or perhaps as I'm now a goose, honk?).

Sarah, do you have anything you want to ask the Bandits? And no, requesting a recipe for roast goose is not appropriate!

I just confessed that Johanna Lindsey and Judith McNaught were my gateway drugs to romance. Those Malorys! Those Westmorelands! I mean, seriously? How’s a girl to resist? So...time for you to fess up! Who were the authors (or what were the books) that got you hooked on romance? One commenter will win signed copies of the entire LOVE BY NUMBERS trilogy!

Conversations In the Margins -- with Kris Kennedy

posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy

Today I'm pleased to welcome my good buddy and Lair favorite Kris Kennedy back to the blog to celebrate the release of her latest book Defiant. Yay, another great medieval romance with a HAWT cover! (Aunty wipes drool from her chin.)

Instead of our usual question and answer interview, Kris wanted to blog with us about those funny little conversations we sometimes have with friends and co-workers. Conversations that nobody else ever hears... Take it away, Kris!

I’m not sure about other authors, but I would never be published if I didn’t have great critique partners.

And by ‘great’ I mean the ones willing to be brutally honest, to say what needs to be said, to read as a reader (meaning they read for Story, and look for your unique story to unfold), but they also know craft enough to explain why it’s a problem, and suggest repairs.

The ones willing to go the extra mile, to read an entire manuscript in a hurry to meet a deadline, to re-read those same damned knotted pages over and over and over again.

Great critique partners add immeasurable value to stories. I’m especially fond of the conversations we have in the margins of manuscripts. The little notes we exchange, whether in pencil or Track Changes, the comments that clue you into the fact that that scene—you know the one, the scene you love more than any other scene, ever written?--yeah, that scene, is actually not a piece of fine art. It’s a piece of something else. The margin conversations where they rip you a new one, and you realize with shocking, blinding clarity that you would never be published without this person.

Great cp’s do things like:

• Write edifying comments in the margins like, “Huh?”
• Catch typos Word cruelly—or mockingly--ignored: “Um, do you really want to say ‘shitory’ here? Perhaps you mean ’history?’” Oh, umm, perhaps.
• Suggest subtle ways to increase dramatic tension: “Cut the last 50 pages and do something different. Maybe try something interesting.”
• Force you out of your comfort zone of descriptions: “You are not allowed to have eyebrows do anything ever again. Never. Again. No ‘arching’ and especially no ‘cocking.’”
• Point out staging issues that have become invisible to the beleaguered writer by her fifth draft: “This room has a lot of windows. She’s passed 5. Really? 5 windows in this little room?”
• Hone in those small, minute, barely-detectable flaws in characterization: “Wow, she’s a real bitch.”
• And deliver the ever-simple and devastatingly effective: “This sounds stupid and doesn’t make any sense.”
  

I, though, have my own marginal replies to these critique partners who would ride rough-shod over my beautiful words. I’m not a puppet, for Heaven’s sake. I stand my ground, speak up. Some of my favorite replies run something like:

• My ending hook was where? Three pages ago . . . ? Wow. That’s a long way back, huh?
• So sue me, I like adverbs. No, it’s not really a law, you can’t sue me. You’re just scared.
  
• Did I really? Again with the eyes? And the brows?
  
• Point-of-View, Schmoint-Of-View. All I care about is “Does it flow?” Oh. It doesn’t? Oh.
• Thanks. I’ll fix that. And that. And that. I was drinking wine at the time.
• And the top apology I give to my cps: It made sense in the other version

What about you? Writer or not, what are some of the silly, wonderful conversation you have with those friends or colleagues that no one else in the world would probably understand?

One commenter wins a copy of Kris’s latest release, a starred Publisher Weekly review, Defiant!

Kris Kennedy writes sexy, adventure-filled medieval romances for Pocket Books. Visit her website ( http://www.kriskennedy.net/) and sign-up for the newsletter, read exclusive excerpts, or just drop Kris a line saying Hi!

Kate Carlisle: LAUNCH PARTY!!!!!

Launch party!!!! Launch party!!!! Bring on the cabana boys and the margaritas! The caterer is taking special requests, so shout them out!

MURDER UNDER COVER, the fourth book of my Bibliophile Mysteries series, is out tomorrow, and you know what that means: sudden, overwhelming panic about my hair. I’m going on book tour, and I must have fabulous hair.

I haven’t had great luck communicating my needs to hair stylists in the past. I go in early, thinking that I can flip through their books to find the style I want. The problem is, many of their books are either outdated or way too avant garde. I just don’t think I’d look good in a blue Mohawk. Although… it would make my blue eyes pop.

This year, I decided to do my searching in advance, and I want your help deciding which is the right look for me. Since I’m releasing a mystery novel, I’m going to limit my search to hairstyles found on my favorite mystery shows on TV. I am convinced that having mystery show hair will send a subliminal message to book buyers that they will love my book as much as they love the show. I’ll do anything to sell my book. Extensions, color, cut, even – gasp! – a perm (as a last resort).

So here goes… whose hair looks best on me?

Kyra Sedgwick from The Closer:

Either of the blondes on Psych:

Maybe I should go dark. I love Mariska Hargitay… but should I do Season 1?

Or the shorter years?

I have to say, Elliot does not look impressed with the dark hair/blonde bangs look in either picture. And honestly, I want to impress him even more than I want to sell copies of MURDER UNDER COVER.

Finally, from another favorite show, NCIS, I could totally rock Pauley’s hair, don’t you think?

What do you think? Which ‘do should I do? Or do you have a better suggestion for whose hair I should try? What’s your favorite mystery show hairstyle?

Thank you for celebrating the release of MURDER UNDER COVER with me! I hope you’ll rush out tomorrow to get your copy! You can get a sneak peek at Chapter 1 on my website: http://katecarlisle.com/murder-under-cover.php

May Coming Attractions!

Spring is in full bloom and it's going to be a great month in the lair!

Kate Carlisle will get us started with a release party on May 2. Come join the fun as Kate launches MURDER UNDER COVER, the fourth book in her Bibliophile Mystery series.


May 3rd Auntie Cindy will host Kris Kennedy who will talk about her new book, DEFIANT.


On Wednesday, 4th May, Anna Campbell hosts New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean who will talk about her sparkling new historical romance ELEVEN SCANDALS TO START TO WIN A DUKE’S HEART.


Debut author, Virna DePaul is visiting us on 5/5 to talk about her release, CHOSEN BY BLOOD.



On May 6, Kate welcomes back Avery Aames, author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries, who will show us all sorts of new ways to Say Cheese!


May 7th Let’s celebrate with Tawny’s release party!! JUST FOR THE NIGHT is my 24 Hour Blackout story, trapping two ex-lovers together. Now they have to decide if they are back together forever... or Just For The Night.

Suzanne Ferrell welcomes Addison Fox on May 9th. Addison will talk about her third book in her Sons of the Zodiac series, WARRIOR BETRAYED.

On Monday, 16th May, Anna Campbell hosts historical romance author Vanessa Kelly who will be talking about her latest release MY FAVORITE COUNTESS.


On May 18, we get a peek at Captain Jack Sparrow's early career when A. C. Crispin, author of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom, visits with Nancy.


On May 29th, Susan Sey welcomes Cat Shield who will be talking about her debut novel MEDDLING WITH THE MILLIONAIRE.

On May 31, Anna DeStefano and Nancy will chat about Anna's new book, Secret Legacy. To protect an endangered child, the second of Anna's telepathic twins must join forces with a psychic warrior who once broke her heart.


AUTHOR CONTEST!!

Anna Campbell is holding a Hardback Heaven at Midnight Contest, open until 30th June. She’s giving away three signed copies of the beautiful hardcover Rhapsody Book Club edition of MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION.

To enter, just email Anna on anna@annacampbell.info and tell her the name of the hero and heroine of MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION. For more information on the contest, please visit her website on: http://annacampbell.info/contest.html