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Archive for June 2007

The Great Camping Adventure of 2007

Saturday, June 30th, 2007
Amy Garvey Icon

I say “great” with just a hint of irony. Stephen took the kids out to the backyard.

Didn’t diminish their excitement, though, especially Sara. At three, the idea of sleeping OUTSIDE in a TENT at NIGHT was, to be blunt, the bomb. Even Ben was keyed up.

It was perfect weather, too. High of about 72 yesterday, no humidity, not a cloud in the sky. So Stephen and the kids got the tent out yesterday afternoon and set it up in the flattest part of the yard. They gathered flashlights and marshmallows and the makings of a small fire in an old hibachi, and unrolled the sleeping bags in preparation. After dinner, Stephen waited until about 9 p.m. to take them outside, and they trooped out, dressed in long sleeves and pajama pants, with their pillows (and Sara’s bear).

Sara wanted to know why I wasn’t camping with them. The tent’s not big enough, for one (it’s 7′ by 7′), but there’s my ironclad rule: If a bed is available, INDOORS, there’s no sleeping on the ground, inside a tent or not. I went to Girl Scout camp in 1977 for a week, and even the raised platform tent and cots were too rough for me. I don’t like dirt, I don’t like bugs, and I am, I’m sure, distantly related to the Princess of “And the Pea” fame. Flat or not, there’s no part of that yard that would even approximate my mattress.

And secretly, I wasn’t convinced that the three people who trooped out to the tent would say there all night. Wrong. According to Stephen, who came in to use the bathroom sometime around eleven, Sara fell asleep within minutes, and Ben dropped off not long after. Which left my poor husband lying on the lumpy ground, staring at the ceiling of the tent, trying to sleep.

There was no fishing or hiking, no gathering firewood or … well, whatever else it is you do when camping, but it was a hit. Up till about five a.m., that is, when Stephen said all three of them were shivering (I think the temperature dropped down to 50 last night), and the birds and the dogs across the street were making a godawful racket.

Now we’ll see how often Sara, who latches onto ideas like a pit bull, wants to “camp”.

Categories : Amy Garvey

Just Wondering…

Thursday, June 28th, 2007
Jennifer Apodaca Icon

Okay, I don’t get it. I really don’t. What is the deal with this Paris Hilton hype? Why do we care? Are we waiting to see if the rich girl to grows into heroine or suffers a tragic end? I can’t figure out the rabid interest.

Maybe I do know. Paris is bigger than life—she’s had it all, money, privilege, weird fame, but we’re looking to see what is under all of that. We’re looking to see if she has substance, the seeds of something real and powerful that will grow into valuable qualities. We’re looking to see what she’s really made of under all the makeup and glamour.

From a writer’s point of view, Paris has the potential to grow into a heroine. I’d tweak her back story a little and make her dramatic mom into a stage mom who pushed her daughter into the limelight. Then I’d get a few more people to take advantage of her, and just when she finally learns to fight back I’d throw her in the slammer.

Once there, I’d force her to see what other people, more specifically the poor and disenfranchised go through, and then I’d have the ingredients for a heroine.

Of course, then I’d really make her life miserable and bring in a hero who doesn’t think she’s worth the time of day…until Paris proved to him, and the readers, that she has become a woman of value, and that she deserves real love.

That’s if I’m writing a romance. And I’d have a heck of a lot of fun finding her a hero for her.

But back in real life, I suspect the media doesn’t want a romance where Paris morphs into an amazing woman and finds soul-filling love. I suspect they are looking for her to spiral into tragedy. Like we don’t have enough tragedy everyday?

It’s the same thing with other young stars like Britney, Lindsay, etc. The crazy media following them endlessly, gleefully reporting on their bad behavior and bizarre antics reminds me in a way of Princess Diana—a woman who molded herself into a flawed but likable heroine. She was rich and privileged but we could identify with her desperation for her husband to love her, and later, her continuing quest to find love. We applauded her standing up against the establishment to raise her sons in the way she saw fit. She had good and bad qualities that we could identify with. In spite of her flaws, or maybe because of them, she made us care about more than just the way she looked, or what outrageous thing she did or said, she made us aware of people and their genuine suffering. She drew us in and made us care with her. We felt a part of her world.

Maybe Diana left a hole in the world that we are trying to fill: A beautiful princess with real substance.

With the young women today like Paris, we are not drawn into their worlds, but watching them from the outside with curiosity. They don’t seem to have substance, at least not yet.

Why do you think there’s so much interest in Paris? Do you think she can find her way into becoming a real life heroine?

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Things I didn’t say at work yesterday

Thursday, June 28th, 2007
Amy Garvey Icon

1) Lady, the laws of physics will prevent you from wearing that tube top, even if the laws of good taste don’t.

2) Who raised you? No, really, WHO RAISED YOU?!

3) Oh please, random young hot guy, with your slightly scuzzy bad-boy vibe, could you just stand there a while longer and let me look at you? Pretty please? With beer and cigarettes on top?

4) Do you really think it shows proper planning to shop for a suit for a 9 a.m. interview at 8:50 p.m. the NIGHT BEFORE?!

5) No, I’m not an escaped mental patient. The humidity has taken out its aggression on my innocent hair.

Categories : Amy Garvey

Today’s The Day

Tuesday, June 26th, 2007
HelenKay Dimon Icon

It’s that time again…release day!!! Today is the day YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY officially hits the stands. I know B&N online has been shipping it for a few weeks. But, really, today is the day. It’s also the official release day for PERFECT KISSES by Susan Johnson, Sylvia Day and Noelle Mack, and MY SISTER IS A WEREWOLF by Kathy Love.

Go buy them all!!

To entice you to buy YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY, here is a short excerpt from the beginning of the book when Kane Travers and Annie Parks meet. She’s naked and lying. He’s on vacation and hating it. In other words, it’s the beginning of something big.

********************

The world spun beneath Annie until her feet landed on the cold tile floor of the shower stall. Strong arms banded around her waist, holding her in place.

Every cell in her body snapped to life. The lethargy weighing her down disappeared with the screech of the shower curtain rings against the rod. A rush of water echoed in her ears as steam filled the room.

“Here we go,” the stranger said to the room as if the nut chatted with unconscious people all the time.

He balanced her body against his. Rough denim scratched against her sensitive skin from the front. Lukewarm water splashed over her bare body from the back, making her skin tingle and burn.

A gasp caught in her throat as her shoulders stiffened under the spray. A scream rumbled right behind the gasp, but she managed to swallow that, too.

“This should help.” He continued his one-sided conversation in a deep, hypnotizing voice.

He seemed mighty pleased with himself. And since he had stepped right under the water with her, a bit ballsy for her taste.

“This will feel better in a second,” he said to the quiet room.

He wasn’t wrong.

Firm hands caressed her skull, replacing the frigid ocean with bathwater. He rinsed and massaged and rinsed again. The sweep of his hands wiped away the last of her confusion. With that task done, his palms turned to her arms, brushing up and down, igniting every nerve ending in their path.

His chest rubbed against her bare breasts until heat replaced her chill. With thighs smashed against his legs, the full-body rubdown sparked life into body parts that had been on a deep-freeze hold for more than a year.

“Better?”

She didn’t answer him. Wasn’t even sure she could speak if she wanted to.

“Open your eyes and say something.”

The husky command broke her out of her mental wanderings and sent a shot of anxiety skating down her spine. This was the part of the program where she ran and hid . . . and then ran some more.

Naked. Alone. Strange man. Yeah, a very bad combination.

“I know you’re awake.” He sounded pretty damn amused by the idea.

The jig was up. Okay, fine, she got his point.

Not knowing if her rescuer counted as a friend or foe, she played the scene with the utmost care. Only a complete madman would attack a vulnerable woman who didn’t know her own name. If her stranger fell into that category, she’d scream and make a mad dash into the kitchen for the nearest sharp knife. The nearest sharp anything.

She groaned in pain that was only half false.

“Your eyes are still closed,” he said.

Yeah, pal, no kidding.

“You aren’t fooling me.”

Well, she could certainly try.

His hands continued to massage her sore flesh with just the right amount of pressure to bring her blood sizzling back to life. If he kept this up, her eyes wouldn’t open. She’d be asleep.

She couldn’t remember the last time she slept through the night. Actually, she could. It had been fifteen months. Fifteen months searching. The path led to Kauai. To the yacht. To flying over the side and into the water. To being in this shower.

“We can stand here all night for all I care,” he said.

Nothing that extreme. Maybe ten more minutes.

He chuckled. “Doesn’t matter to me.”

Lucky for her she found an accommodating potential serial killer.

“Because I’m the one with the clothes on,” he pointed out.

Her eyelids flew open.

The deep rumble of his laugh intensified. “Thought that one might get your attention.”

Oh, he had her attention. All six-feet-something of him, with haunting dark eyes, straight coal black hair cut short and blunt, and chiseled high cheekbones that spoke to Hawaiian bloodlines.

Her gaze dipped lower and . . . damn.

That gasp she’d been holding finally escaped her lips.

The part below his neck looked as impressive as his face. A broad muscular chest, every inch tan and perfect. Blue jeans balanced on lean hips.

Double damn. Obviously strong and in command, this guy could crush her if he wanted to.

That realization got her talking. “Who are you?”

One dark eyebrow kicked up in question. “That was my question. You are. . .?”

A woman in deep trouble. A woman at home with a camera and in a darkroom. A woman with a mission.

The idea of confiding in someone tempted her, but she resisted. She didn’t know this guy or his agenda. Hell, she didn’t even know who her enemies were and why. Until she did, she was not saying a word.

“I . . . I don’t know,” she stammered out.

She was playing a dangerous game. No other choice. Someone had pushed her off a party boat. Either Sterling Howard had figured out her real identity and ushered her off his yacht the hard way or . . . actually, she couldn’t think of an “or” option.

“Don’t know what?” he asked.

“My name.”

Those deep brown eyes, almost black, narrowed. “For most people it’s an easy question. You’ve likely had one since birth.”

“I, uh, can’t remember it,” she said, making sure her voice held the appropriate mixture of concern and shock. Funny how those two emotions came to her without any trouble at the moment.

“Wait a second. You mean—”

“Yes.”

His hands tightened briefly on her elbows, then relaxed.

“Interesting.”

The longer she stood there, the more pronounced their size difference became. “Not to be rude or sound ungrateful, but could we have this little chat later? Like, when I’m dry and fully dressed.”

“You really can’t remember your name?”

She lifted her hands and covered her breasts. A stupid move, yes. He’d already seen all the goods. Not that he cared one bit. He didn’t appear to be staring anywhere but dead into her eyes.

“Trying the dry thing now would be good,” she said.

He reached behind her and turned off the water. “You’re saying you have amnesia?”

For a second she wondered if a person with a real case of amnesia would recognize the word amnesia. Decided that type of thinking would drive her nuts, she answered, “Yes.”

“Seems a bit convenient.”

The least the guy could do was have the decency to look a little worried about her made-up amnesia story. “There’s nothing convenient about not knowing who you are.”

He stepped out of the tub and grabbed up a towel for her. “Here. Dry off. We need to pump some heat into you and then . . .”

“Yes?” she asked, a bit concerned about what the rest of his sentence could be.

“Find some clean clothes for both of us. I’m guessing you’d like to be dressed when we talk.”

She’d rather skip the talking part. “Talk about what?”

“Whatever it is you’re running from.”

*******************

Leave a comment about this or any of the June or July Brava releases and you’ll be entered to win a random drawing for a $15.00 Amazon gift certificate. Now, what you decide to buy with that gift certificate is your choice ***hint*** so I leave that decision to you.

Good Luck!

UPDATE: The winner is Anne!!! Congrats to Anne. Email so I can get that gift certificate out to you. :cool:

Comments (41)
Categories : HelenKay Dimon

Years late, as usual.

Monday, June 25th, 2007
Amy Garvey Icon

I *just* watched Brokeback Mountain for the first time last night. Yeah, yeah, I know, a bit behind the curve. But man, am I glad I finally saw it.

First, BEAUTIFUL. The photography, the lighting, the tone. (And yeah, the geography certainly helped, but still.) Second, BEAUTIFUL. The performances were fantastic, with the possible exception of Anne Hathaway (whom wasn’t given much to work with) and Jake Gyllenhaal’s sideburns and mustache, which were obviously campaigning for a nomination themselves. Heath Ledger deserved every nomination he received — his peformance was gorgeously restrained, but very intense. Lovely, lovely work.

And the story! Christ, I sobbed through the last twenty-five minutes. You all know at what, I’m sure, and even though I had absorbed some of the movie’s key moments through cultural osmosis, it didn’t dim their impact at all. Those shirts. God.

What was interesting, too, was that it made me a bit homesick. Homesick for a place I loved and hated, where I lived for only one year, but homesick nonetheless.

Stephen and I spent April of 1996 to April of 1997 in Powell, Wyoming, about two hours north of Riverton, where much of Brokeback takes place. Same enormous sky, same slightly barren landscape (in Riverton, that is, not on the mountain), same faded melancholy to aging buildings and streets, same circumspect realism to the people.

We didn’t like it much when we were there. We were two kids from Jersey in a town of 2,500 people, two hours south of the closest mall and completely ignorant of hunting, ice fishing, and ranching, a bit unnerved by the empty stretches of land surrounding town on all sides. But there was a definite peace to life out there, and a lot of beauty — hello, Yellowstone, and the ranches out on the South Fork past Cody.

Ben was born there, our “cowboy” baby. One day, we’d very much like to go back and show him where we lived, and visit Yellowstone again (when I’m not pregnant and therefore slow and cranky).

Also? If you haven’t seen Brokeback Mountain and you can stand a romance without a happy ending, see it NOW.

Categories : Amy Garvey

Hey! It’s summer.

Monday, June 25th, 2007
Gemma Bruce Icon

Ah! Vacation time. A time to relax, get away from it all. Which isn’t as simple as it sounds, even if you head to the wilderness. (Though my idea of a vacation these days, centers more on room service and drinks with little umbrellas in them.)
It’s amazing how many things we need in order to relax. And not just the swim suits, rafts, tents and golf clubs. There’s cell phones, Blackberries, and lap tops, iPods, video games. And did someone check to make sure the hotel or cottage has cable and a DVD player?
Yikes. I’m tired and I haven’t even left yet.
Every summer when I was growing up, we vacationed in the mountains of North Carolina at a huge stone lodge that would rival any gothic castle.
There was no television or radio. There was a phone at the registration desk that I suppose guests could use for emergencies though I don’t remember anyone ever using it.
We had plenty to do. Watch the hummingbirds outside the breakfast room window. Hike, fish, canoe, and play badminton during the day.
At night everyone gathered in the game room, a huge place with sofas, club chairs, tables and a grand stone fireplace on one wall. We’d pass the time playing cards, chess, or checkers. Working jigsaw puzzles or crosswords and playing Parcheesi.
Remembering those vacations, I determine to make this summer more simple. But as soon as I think about leaving my laptop behind, I break out in a panic. There might be an important email. And my cell? What if my agent calls?
I might long for a simpler vacation, but when I get in that car, I know I’ll be carrying my computer and cell phone. The rest I might be able to leave behind . . . maybe.
Is it just me? Or does anybody else have trouble vacationing without electronics? And if you don’t, how do you do it?

Comments (2)
Categories : Gemma Bruce

Summer Reads

Sunday, June 24th, 2007
Kathy Love Icon

So what is everyone reading?  I’m actually sneaking a little reading time in, although I have to say, summer isn’t the easiest season for me to find a moment to settle down with a good book.  Between family vacations, birthday parties, my daughter’s summer camps, and watering the darned flowers (can I just tell you gardening is hard work!  Those plants seem to need more water than a blue whale!), I’m not getting as much reading done as I’d like.

But here is my list thus far…I just finished Claiming the Courtesan by Anne Campbell.  Good read, not as dark as I’d hoped.  I was in the mood for really dark, I guess.  (Probably because of the darned flowers.)  I also read If You Deceive by Kresley Cole–very good.  And now I’m reading New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. 

If you have not read Stephenie Meyer, she writes vampire YA, and they are fabulous.  As a dedicated romance reader–usually romance on the steamier side–I wasn’t convinced I’d enjoy her stories.  But you know what?  I cannot gush enough about Ms. Meyer’s books.  With a single kiss, she creates so much chemistry it is amazing.  I love her characters, and the sexual tension between them is just electric.

Earlier on the blog, Stephanie mentioned Marliss Melton’s books.  Marliss just came to speak to my chapter, the Maryland Romance Writers, and she was great.  Very funny and informative.  I’m going to check out her books next. 

So what are you all reading?  And would this be a tactless time to add that My Sister Is A Werewolf is in stores now?  ;-)  

(…oh wait, I think the flowers are crying out for more water.  Ack.)   Happy reading–and avoid gardening!

Categories : Kathy Love

Goat!

Sunday, June 24th, 2007
Amy Garvey Icon

Our local weekly paper has an awesome ad this week:

FREE TO GOOD HOME: Billy goat, one to two years old. Found wandering loose.

A goat! For free!

I swear, I’m almost tempted.

Categories : Amy Garvey

Pantsers and Plotters

Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
Dianne Castell Icon

Vacations are like writing a book. There are planners and pantsers. Planners are me. I plan months in advance down to what we do each day and where to eat etc. Okay, that’s a little anal. A lot anal, actually, and shoots spontaneity all to hell and back but then we’re not sitting in the car and wondering, Gee, what should we do today. I have maps and charts and reserved the house or car got plane ticket…whatever all done by January for a trip in June.

Then there are the pantsers who wing it. They throw the family in the car and take off for…out West. And all goes well and they have a great time and do the next thing out there and I am so jealous of them I could spit… Just like I’m so jealous of those authors who wing it and wind up with a great book.

Okay, so you’re going on vacation…somewhere, planned or unplanned and it will be great to get away. So, while your away do you ever plan on visiting places you’ve read about in romance books? Or seen in the movies?

There’s this movie, Something to Talk About with Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid and there’s a scene in Savanna at a place called Six Pence. When I went to Savannah I ate there and sat at the very table. Fun!

And then there’s that bench that Forest Gump sat on in Savannah when he’s waiting for the bus. So many people came to sit on that bench it caused traffic jams and they had to move it. Same with the bird girl from Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil. They had to move that statue too.

I wanted to go to the top of the Empire State Building to see the sight but also because of An Affair To Remember. What about Gone With the Wind? Did you ever plan to visit a plantation? Go to Atlanta and visit Peach Tree Street? I think ever other street in Atlanta is Peach Tree Street. 

If you read historicals I bet you’ve wanted to visit an English castle or sail on one of those big sailing ships. Did you do it? Plan to? I went to a castle and it’s damp and dark and it kind of killed the idea I had in my brain of how neat a castle is. I was happy to go back to my hotel with hot running water.

So, the questions are… Are you a planner or a pantser with the vacations thing and have you ever visited a place you read about or saw in a move?

I have a totebag from our June Reader-Writer Get-together that I’ll give away and I’ll throw in a book from my back list.

Hugs, Dianne Castell

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Categories : Dianne Castell

Really?

Tuesday, June 19th, 2007
Amy Garvey Icon
What color is your soul painted?

Blue

Your soul is painted the color blue, which embodies the characteristics of peace, patience, understanding, health, tranquility, protection, spiritual awareness, unity, harmony, calmness, coolness, confidence, dependability, loyalty, idealism, tackiness, and wisdom. Blue is the color of the element Water, and is symbolic of the ocean, sleep, twilight, and the sky.

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Categories : Amy Garvey