2006 October | Brava Authors | Sensual Romance Fiction

Archive for October 2006

Are you a Halloweener?

By Dianne Castell · Comments (13)

Tuesday, October 31st, 2006

Holy cow, it’s Halloween and I am sooooo ready! In full Halloween mode!

Got the pumpkin lights hanging in the trees, the luminaries on the walk, my pumpkin costume hanging and Fabreezed for yet another appearance at the door for the kiddies.
The signs are up that say This Way To Candy. Black cat in the window. (okay, she was not part of the decoration plan but jumped into my cart at Krogers. And here I thought I was shopping for boxes of Milk Duds. Cats have a way of surprising you like that.) Popcorn balls on the table, jack-o-lanterns on the porch. Yeah, I’m there. And, since I’m getting into ghosty thing in my writing…Southern Generals keep popping in…I’m having even more fun at this Halloween stuff.

I even found a fun Halloween link…Why Halloween is Better Than Sex!

http://snopes.com/holidays/halloween/topten.asp

So my question to you all is… Are you into this Halloween thing or not?
Are you a Halloweener?
What do you do? Jump into Halloween with both feet or hide, forget it’s Halloween and when the kiddies ring the bell be forced to treat with cans of soup, tuna, a framed picture of your mother-in-law, the blender?

Happy Halloween, Bravateers!
Hugs, Dianne

Comments (13)

Categories : Dianne Castell

By Jill Shalvis · Comments (28)

Monday, October 30th, 2006

I’ve been a reader since I could hold a book. I’ve been a romance reader since I discovered the racy romances in the library while in middle school. I’d stay up late at night reading them with a flashlight. Talk about a great escape. Cut to twenty years later . . . The other day my youngest daughter came home from middle school, put her hands on her hips and gave me a long look. “Smart And Sexy?” she demanded. “Really?”

Well, huh. Smart And Sexy is the 4/07 title of my upcoming Brava, and I hadn’t mentioned it to her because unlike me at that age, she does not spend hours in the library reading racy romances. “Where did you hear that?”

“On your blog, mom. You have the cover there. In computer class, my friends all had it up on their screen.”

The cover is . . . hot. Definitely suggestive. It’s of a woman climbing onto a man’s lap. Oh. Oh. “And you were embarrassed.”

“Why can’t you write history books, or something really dull? Instead everyone always wants to go look at your covers. It’s . . .” She searched for the right word. “Ewwww.”

“I see.” And I did. In fact, I’ve been struggling with this for some time. As a mother of three daughters, all becoming teenagers, is it irresponsible of me to be writing such hot and sexy books? At first, given my daughter’s horror, I decided yes. I decided hey, I also write funny. I write mystery. I could do those things instead and leave out all the sex. I even wrote up a proposal for a funny mystery series about a rather quirky pastry chef whose shop has a ghost haunting it. This ghost is an old woman who runs a geriatric P.I. firm from the great beyond, much to her very alive grandson’s chagrin. And guess what happened. The steady, non-ghost believing grandson was hot and sexy and alpha, and had this insane attraction to the pastry chef, even as she drove him crazy on a daily basis. And they wanted to have sex. A lot of it. Damn it. Picture me tossing the proposal over my shoulder and plopping my head down on my desk as I gave in.

I can’t seem to help myself. I love love. I love romance. I love making characters fall in love, and yeah, I like making their stories spicy while I’m at it. I don’t know what that says about me, but there it is. I’m in this for the long haul.

But if my daughter has her vote, my covers and titles wouldn’t embarrass her in computer class … So I guess my question is, as a reader or author, have any of you had a moment’s discomfort over your reading/writing habits?

Comments (28)

Categories : Jill Shalvis

One of those moments…

By Lucy Monroe

Sunday, October 29th, 2006

Categories : Lucy Monroe

Cover Story

By HelenKay Dimon · Comments (13)

Friday, October 27th, 2006

A few weeks ago I got a sneak peek at the cover for my July ’07 release YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY. Love it!!! Maybe it’s because I’m a new author, but seeing the cover for the first time is one of those “filled with glee” moments.

And this is not just one of those me, me, me things. I enjoy looking at other authors’ covers as well. I’m one of those folks who stops and picks up a book at B&N or Borders or wherever if I see an interesting (or really bad) cover. Basically, I’m a book marketer’s dream – the person who picks up every book on the new trade paperback tables at the front of the store and every book facing out on the shelves. Now you know why my TBR pile is so high.

I thought I’d share a few that grabbed my attention over the last few weeks and why. Here we go…

For the sexy cover:

Left to Right: Smart and Sexy by Jill Shalvis (April ’07); Passion For the Game by Sylvia Day (June ’07); Give Me More by P.J. Mellor (February ’07); and Risk by Ann Christopher (February ’07)

For the title:

Left to Right: Escape from Bridezilla by Jacqueline deMontravel (February ’07); I Love You To Death by Amy Garvey (February ’07); Sex in the Sanctuary by Lutishia Lovely (February ’07); and The Sex on the Beach Club by Jennifer Apodaca (February ’07).

Because it’s mine and I love it:

Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy by me.

Any new covers you’ve seen and really liked (or didn’t)?

Comments (13)

Categories : HelenKay Dimon

I’m too sexy for my…cover?

By Donna Kauffman · Comments (13)

Thursday, October 26th, 2006

So…how sexy is too sexy? And what isn’t sexy enough? These are the burning questions of the universe I ponder. (Clearly, I need to get a life, but that is a topic for another blog…)

Here’s the thing: I have two very different covers for my next two releases. Both are with the same publisher, both books have the same tone, more or less. There is a wee bit of suspense in the second, but the heat factor is the same. One cover is cute, bordering on sweet. The other cover is…well, two words. Hubba and hubba. My feeling is that the second cover more clearly represents the content of the books and that the first might not draw the readers who would enjoy my work. And, in fact, might attact some who will be surprised to find a wee bit o’ steam between the covers.

However, I’ve gotten some different reactions to them. First, I should say that both covers are very tastefully done, featuring fully clothed heroes, so nothing overtly brazen or naughty. Very PG. It’s how these guys are clothed, posed, and well…you get my drift. So, while most readers liked both covers, many agreed with me that the second one was more in line with what they thought represented the work. But there were some who really enjoyed a cover with a sweeter, not so in-your-face look.

Hence my quandary…when is sexy too sexy? And when isn’t it sexy enough? Would you rather have a cover that makes your pulse take a little leap, or would you prefer to keep all the pulse-leaping between the covers?

Comments (13)

Categories : Donna Kauffman

This Post Goes to Eleven

By Amy Garvey · Comments (5)

Wednesday, October 25th, 2006

Okay, I’ve said it already—I love Halloween, and adore being scared (I just put five more horror movies in my NetFlix queue). But I think it’s time we all faced up to true horror out there. The really frightening stuff.

Zombies? Gross, but usually slow-moving. I don’t care how they behave in the new movies, when you’re dead and hungry for brains, you’re not running like an antelope.

Ghosts? Poltergeist notwithstanding, this is a live and let live scenario. Grab a sweater for those pesky cold spots and buy earplugs for the moans and rattling chains.

Vampires? I don’t know, some days eternal life looks pretty good. And vampires are sexy. At least the ones I like.

No, there’s way more horrifying stuff out there. I’ll prove it, with a list so scary it goes to eleven.

1) Gauchos. They were awful the first time. I don’t care if you call it a split skirt—it’s still awful.
2) Deep-fried Coke. This could be an urban legend along the lines of Bigfoot, but if it’s not, it’s terrifying. How do you fry a liquid anyway? A food product that defies the laws of physics is a major terror, if you ask me.
3) TV shows multiplying. They’re breeding! They’re dressing up their pixels and getting it on! I mean, how many versions of Law and Order are there now? Seventeen? And CSI is right behind it. Stop the madness!
4) Lima beans. There’s just no explanation.
5) Paris Hilton’s CD. Just the mention of it makes me scream in terror.
6) Laundry. Now there’s terrifying. It’s like the blob—it keeps growing, and nothing you ever do keeps it at bay.
7) The day the dishwasher breaks–which is inevitably the day your three children have decided to use every glass in the house for a science experiment requiring flour, water, grape juice, and dog hair.
Target. It’s a big, black shiny hole full of way too much appealing stuff. You go in—and you come out only when you’ve spent five times as much money as you meant to.
9) The TomKat baby. I mean, come on, in the first pictures of that kid, was she wearing a toupee or what? Dude.
10) Appliances hooked up to the Internet. Not that I have (and I never will!) because we all know that machines are already way too smart. Imagine the chaos if they started emailing each other.

And the scariest thing of all?

11) The day you wake up and find you’re all out of your preferred caffeine-delivery system. There are no words for the horror.

Hold me. I’m trembling.

Comments (5)

Categories : Amy Garvey

Yogurt covered blueberries and other forms of Ambrosia…

By Lucy Monroe

Tuesday, October 24th, 2006

Categories : Lucy Monroe

Tis the season to go shopping

By Gemma Bruce · Comments (8)

Tuesday, October 24th, 2006

Yesterday, I ran out to a local fabric and crafts store to buy some Halloween decorations for an event this coming weekend. I walked in the front door to Poinsettias, Angels, and lots of red ribbon. People were lined up at the cashier with artificial wreaths, Santa fabric, and cinnamon potpourri.
I waited my turn and asked the clerk, “Where are the Halloween things?”
Oh,” she said. “Back in the sale section.” She pointed toward the back of the store. I made my way through aisles of calico, polyester and acetate and finally found the orange and black stuff.
And “Voila,” Everything was 40-70% off. And they had everything I needed. And it was still a week before Halloween.
Now I’m an outliner when it comes to writing books. I know the importance of getting my plot points in order. But I do life by the seat of my pants. This is one of the few times I’ve felt like I was being rewarded for being disorganized.
Even so, I found myself wandering through the Christmas section. I didn’t buy anything. I’ll be the one running out a week before Christmas looking for lights.
I wonder what they’ll be getting ready for then?
Do you ever feel like it’s all going too fast? Wouldn’t you like to have time to stop and smell the pumpkins?

Comments (8)

Categories : Gemma Bruce

Picture the Hero!

By Dianne Castell · Comments (10)

Monday, October 23rd, 2006

It’s me again! I’m in a chatty mood, and hope you are too!

When I write a hero I have an idea what he looks, sort of, and I keep that picture in my brain. Some authors even put a picture of the hero of their book over their computer for inspiration as they write. That kind of freaks me out ‘cause I feel like I’m being watched and any minute the guy’s going to say something like “That totally sucks.” Or “I’d never do that, what the hell are you thinking.” Kind of kills the creative moment.
So, when you read a hero do you form a picture of some guy you already know? For example, you’re reading a book and you think, “Hey, I bet that guy looks like McDreamy on Gray’s Anatomy! Or McSteamy…or McVet.” Or “That guy has the same personality of Jason on General Hospital.” (Is that guy ripped or what!)
I’ve had readers send me pictures of hot guys who remind them of my heroes from my books. That’s always fun. I love to see what they think my heroes look like.
The question is, do you have a picture of some guy…not your dh…stashed away?
or you’ve seen a guy on TV or the movies and think “Now that’s what a hero looks like!
What does your hero look like??

Comments (10)

Categories : Dianne Castell

Book Pimping…

By Lucy Monroe

Sunday, October 22nd, 2006

Categories : Lucy Monroe

Archive for October 2006

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