2006 December | Brava Authors | Sensual Romance Fiction

Archive for December 2006 – Page 2

De Stressing

By Karen Kelley · Comments (30)

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006

Hi Everyone!

I hope you’re taking the time to just have fun this month. I know the stress of the holiday season can take its toll. My list of things to do keeps growing despite the fact that I’m continuously marking things off my list.

At the end of the day I light fragrant candles—at least two or three and close the bathroom door, letting the room fill with their rich aroma. I have a new candle called Merry Christmas and I just love the scent. Peach and pumpkin pie spice are some others I like. And of course, cinnamon. I turn off the lights, have a CD playing–Enya is nice. Just something soft. I fill the tub with bubble bath, pour a glass of wine and I’m all set.

I also like to take the time to window shop and look at all the decorations. I avoid stores that are going to be crowded and shop at specialty stores. My husband and I drove to a nearby town a couple of days ago. It was very quaint and had German foods. If you’ve never tried Stolen it’s to die for! We had such a good time and I did by a few presents. In fact, we’re going back in a couple of days. The smoked cheese was wonderful!

And of course, another way to unwind is with a good book. I’ll give away a copy of Hell On Wheels, a really nice purse with bath products and a set of 5 candles to one lucky winner who make a comment on today’s blog. The wine you’ll have to provide yourself *grin*

Best Wishes for a happy holiday!
Karen Kelley
Available Now! Hell On Wheels/Brava
Available Now! Texas Bad Boys/Brava
04/07 Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind/Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com

Comments (30)

Categories : Karen Kelley

Pencils, pens and things that get lost in your purse.

By Gemma Bruce · Comments (5)

Thursday, December 7th, 2006

Don’t you wish someone would figure out how to design a purse so that you could always find just what you needed when you needed it. Things would never get lost under the wallet, the check book, the makeup case, the Kleenex, the gum, the extra lipstick, the coupons . . . What we need is a purse that could read our minds. A telepathic purse. Yeah. You’d think Cell Phone and it would rise above all the other stuff and float into your hand.

It seems that no matter how many times I organize, whatever I’m looking for is always on the bottom, or has disappeared completely into that black hole known as “the bottom of the bag.”

The thing I can’t find most often is a pen, which is annoying enough, but when you’re a writer, it can really be a disaster. Take today for example. I’m standing in the aisle at Staples considering buying an extra ink cartridge when WHAM!!! I have a fantastic idea.

As we all know, fantastic ideas don’t last long before they disappear into mental region comparable to the bottom of the bag. I quickly reached into my purse for pen and paper to capture it before it got away. Now normally the first thing I do when I buy a new hand bag is sew a piece of elastic in it to clip all my pens and pencils to. That way I can always find them when a great idea strikes.

But hey, it’s the holidays and I saw this cute purse in between two crazy deadlines, not to mention all the parties and the soccer dinner and . . . I bought it. I didn’t get around to sewing in my pencil holder.

Big Mistake.

So there I am with probably the best idea ever, surrounded by shelves of pens and paper and I’m frantically pulling things out of my purse, looking for that elusive writing instrument.

A clerk walks up and says, “Can I help you?” And poof! Simultaneously, I find my pen and lose my idea.

The first thing I did when I got home was sew in my elastic.

Now I’m ready in case my great idea comes back. Maybe someday if I’m really lucky, I’ll find it on the bottom of my purse.

Anybody have some purse organization tips?

Comments (5)

Categories : Gemma Bruce

My corner of the world…

By Donna Kauffman · Comments (8)

Thursday, December 7th, 2006

So I decided that I was tired of writing, staring at my own four walls (and the laundry that wasn’t magically washing itself, ditto on the dishes) but where to go… I happen to be lucky enough to live by the Potomac River with a lovely regional park about a minute from my door. I often go down there and write while the river rolls by. (Nice office space when you can get it.) But it’s cold now. And most of the park is shut off from cars, leaving only the boat ramp area open, which doesn’t provide the most lovely of views.

So…where to go. Hmmm.

I’m not a coffee drinker, but it is cold enough to enjoy a nice hot chocolate (with whipped cream on top, thanks) so I decided to join my wi-fi brethren and go the coffee klatch route. Turns out, it was a rather interesting time. This one, brand new, with nice big cozy leather chairs, was adjacent to my Borders. (Which feels like a second home to me anyway, sans the laundry, phone calls, and dog hair.) It was quiet the morning I went, with only a few students and business types typing and studying away. I curled up in the corner with my super duper grande hot chocolate (I got sprinkles!) and my toasted bagel and quickly got lost in my make believe world.

No laundry taunting me, no phone ringing, no staring out the window, wondering when I’d get a glimpse of the UPS man (okay, so there was one draw back…) Just my own little corner of the world. I think I might have to do it again sometime. Possibly, oh, I don’t know, today.

Do you have your favorite corner of the world? A place where you like to tuck yourself away, perhaps dive into one of our make believe worlds for a few hours? If I’m reading, rather than writing, my favorite hideaway is my nice big, deep tub, filled with bubbles, soothing hot water, and the sound of running water that blocks out the rest of the world. Something cold to drink, and hot to read…

What about you?

Comments (8)

Categories : Donna Kauffman

Guest Author: Catherine Spangler

By Lucy Monroe

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Categories : Lucy Monroe

It’s A Chromosome Thing

By HelenKay Dimon · Comments (39)

Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

I somehow stumbled upon an argument from September where BBC commentator Daisy Goodwin put forth her theory that men can’t write romantic books. An article in telegraph.co.uk sums up her theory this way:

So now it’s clear. The reason Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary were such unromantic flops is because both books were written by men. Big mistake. There was nothing wrong with the writers. They were good enough in their own ways. It’s just that the balance of their chromosomes wasn’t up to the job.

An overstatement, yes, but you get the point. The article’s author, Ray Connolly, didn’t buy Goodwin’s theory. His response made me laugh. If you don’t want to read the entire thing – and I can’t really blame you since it’s six pages long – Connolly’s theory on the subject is best described by this passage in the article:

It seems to me that we’re all romantics, and the idea that one sex is simply emotionally incapable of understanding the way the other thinks is to deny everything men and women share – and, worryingly from a creative point of view, to deny all authors the possibility of understanding anyone of the opposite sex. And I can’t believe that.

All this arguing got me thinking. Can you name a modern-day male romance writer and a book by him that you loved? Nicholas Sparks jumps to mind for many folks. I read an article once where Sparks said he wrote love stories, not romance. By his own definition, we’ll count him out of the race. Other than Sparks, can you think of a book you loved that was written by a male romance author? I actually can’t.

If you have a recommendation, let me have it. For your help, I’ll pick a random recommendation and give the person commenting a copy of your choice from my backlist. If no one has a recommendation or can think of one, I’ll pick from those who do comment and that person will get a choice from my backlist. Good luck!

Comments (39)

Categories : HelenKay Dimon

For The Love Of The Read

By Jill Shalvis · Comments (51)

Monday, December 4th, 2006

UPDATE:
Winners are Sunshine, Joyce, and Sydney Dawn. Please email me with your snailmail and a few books choices.

Original Post:
As I’ve been joking about on my own blog, my brain is overloaded. Seriously, my To Do list is longer than my Christmas Wish List (I’m looking at a pile of laundry that is rivaling Mt. Everest as I type this) and what am I doing? Reading. I can’t help myself, it’s a sickness. I love to read, it feeds my soul much in the way that soft, gooey chocolate chips cookies do. On my reading pile is a set of my own page proofs. For those of you not familiar with this term, page proofs are the last time an author sees her book before it goes to print. This when I should catch all those pesky last minute things, like whoops, my heroine’s hair isn’t blonde and yikes, my hero says the F word just a few too many times and I really don’t want to get any letters on that. (Yes, I once really once got a letter regarding bad words. The disgruntled reader had circled — in red in case I was blind — all the swear words and sent them back to me.)

So I thought I’d share the chore. Below is an excerpt from my upcoming Brava SMART AND SEXY, enjoy on me. But if you find any mistakes, speak up now or forever hold your peace.

Oh, and I’ll be drawing two names from all of you who comment, for a book of your choice from my backlist.

Excerpt:

Another shot ricocheted past his nose and Bailey screamed loud enough to blister his ears. Hell. Wrapping an arm around her hips, he yanked, sliding her down into the protection of his body. Ignoring the fact that she fit against him as if she’d been made for the spot, he took a look over his shoulder. Eight feet to the balcony of the fifth floor. Or was it the fourth?

Wincing, because this was going to hurt like hell, he held onto his bundle of woman and leapt.

Bailey screamed again but Noah was too busy hitting the deck, then having the air sucker punched out of his lungs when she landed square on top of him to tell her to shut up again.

Honest to God, she was the noisiest woman he’d ever been shot at with.

Oh, wait. She was the only woman he’d ever been shot at with. One more whizzing bullet and his heart nearly lurched to a complete stop, starting up again on a staccato beat when Bailey covered her own mouth with her hand to keep in the next scream.

Good girl, he wanted to say. But with a groan, he rolled over in the snow, finding one hand full of soft breast. Christ. Yanking it back, he went up to his knees, keeping her tucked in front of him as he hit the ground running toward the balcony door, not an easy feat with the few inches of slippery snow. Pulling her up, he sandwiched her against the wall. “Wait here,” he said in her ear. “Don’t move, don’t breathe, and for God’s sake, don’t scream.”

“But—“

He put a hand over her mouth. “Bailey, goddamnit, for once, just do it, no discussion.”

Comments (51)

Categories : Jill Shalvis

You need to visit this blog…

By Lucy Monroe

Monday, December 4th, 2006

Categories : Lucy Monroe

Romancing Up Christmas!

By Dianne Castell · Comments (10)

Monday, December 4th, 2006

Howdy, everyone!

We all have our favorite Christmas romance stories and our favorite Christmas romance movies, so my question today is…do you follow this up in real life or are you a lost cause like me? Do you go out of your way to make Christmas romancey or are you just lucky to survive the whole ordeal? I’m going to really try this year to add some romace to Christmas and not just in the Christmas anthologies I’m working on!

There’s the mistletoe thing and that’s always fun provided you don’t get caught under it with Roving-hands Harry or Wet-kisser Clyde. Yuck! But with Mr. Right-guy it’s just the thing. But what else?

With Christmas being so nuts it’s hard to make time for the romance…or is it? Do you buy special sexy lingerie for a little spice? I have Ho-Ho socks does that count? I consider it a major feat when the tops and bottoms of my jimmies actually match!

What about special food? Do you buy special wine, chocolates, deserts for just you and your honey to share when the kids are asleep or the guests have gone home? I bought a can of cashes and gave my dh a handful, but I think I need to do better!

And wine? I don’t drink so we shared a glass of cranberry juice this morning. Least the color was right. I’m totally pathetic in the Christmas romance department unless I’m writing it. I use up all my energy there. Got any ideas I can swipe? Anything will be a huge improvement!

Thanks, Dianne

Comments (10)

Categories : Dianne Castell

New Book!!!

By Kathy Love · Comments (8)

Friday, December 1st, 2006

Hi All,

I’m so excited. My newest vampire Brava, I ONLY HAVE FANGS FOR YOU is out. Well, it’s shipping through Amazon and will be in the stores next week. This is the story of Sebastian, the youngest of my vampire brothers, and frankly, I adore him. He was so, so much fun to write. As was is heroine.

Here’s the backcover blurb…

One thing you have to know about my brother Sebastian: he loves being a vampire. After all, what’s not to love? He’s eternally twenty-five. He’s single, and frankly, he’s a chick magnet. Yeah, undeath is good. The only thing he’s serious about is his nightclub, Carfax Abbey. It’s the sort of dark, happening spot where vampires can really let their fangs down. You know, hiding in the shadows, feeding, giving pleasure to unsuspecting mortals, being all cool and vampirey. Whatever. My brother Rhys and I have tried to get Sebastian to clean up his bad-boy ways like we did, but then he went and called us “fang-whipped.” Okay, Bite Boy, chew on this…

The ultimate righteous reformer, Wilhemina Weiss, is on a mission to shut down Carfax Abbey. She doesn’t approve of my bro’s biting ways. It seems the spirited, sexy-without-knowing-it vampire is working undercover as a cocktail waitress in his bar while waging a secret war to bring him down. Sebastian’s A-positive he can convince Miss Goody-Vampire-Two-Fangs that nothing beats the ecstasy of a good vampire bite. She’s certain she can resist him for as long as it takes to reform him. I gotta tell you, the suspense would kill me — if I weren’t already undead.

Now, Mr. “Has anyone ever told you you’ve got a beautiful neck?” is in way over his. He’s finally met a girl who may not be his type, but she’s way more than his match. Not that he’s (cough) fang-whipped (cough) or anything. No, not my baby bro. One thing’s for sure, I’ve never seen Sebastian so completely at someone’s mercy in my life. And frankly, I’m enjoying every minute of it…

So to celebrate, let’s do a contest. Please got to my website and to My Groovy Little Message Board . Read the excerpt posted there. And tell me the name of the bartender and what type of paranormal creature she is. Please email the answers to me directly at kathy@readkathylove.com and the first one right will win an autographed copy of Sebastian’s story.

Enjoy and good luck!!! Have a great weekend.

Comments (8)

Categories : Kathy Love

Computer Crash

By Lucy Monroe

Friday, December 1st, 2006

Categories : Lucy Monroe

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