2008 January | Brava Authors | Sensual Romance Fiction

Archive for January 2008

New Brava Releases!

By Katherine Garbera · Comments (8)

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

Today is the release date for all the February Brava titles. Bare Facts by Katherine Garbera, Extreme Danger by Shannon McKenna, Cosmic Sex by Karen Kelley and Right Here, Right Now by HelenKay Dimon are available today.

Recently I had a chance to chat about these exciting sexy books with a very high profile talk show host. Here’s a snippet of that interview.

O: What makes these titles so exciting?

KG: They feature dynamic heroes and gutsy heroines who aren’t afraid to go after what they want.

O: Are these heroines based on the lives of the authors who wrote them?

KG:Well all of us authors lead very exciting lives but I personally have never chased an assassin down the street with a semi-automatic weapon in my hand.

O: What makes the Brava line so exciting?

KG:Well having an visionary editor like Kate Duffy at the helm is a great start. She encourages her authors to push their writing to the limit and gives us all a lot freedom in our writing.

O:I’m sure this books are going to be thrilling readers. Good luck to you and the other authors.

KG: Thanks.

***Disclaimer…this is a wax figure of Oprah Winfrey features in London’s Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

Happy reading!

Kathy

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Categories : Katherine Garbera

I Have A New Best Friend

By Kate Duffy · Comments (21)

Thursday, January 24th, 2008

Yes, I, whose very apartment has been labeled the Bermuda Triangle of Technology, have embraced a little device called the kindle. I took six manuscripts home last weekend on my 3.5 oz. kindle.

I talk to it. I praise it. I call recharging the batteries – feeding the kindle. It goes everywhere with me. People start conversations with me on the bus about it and they all want to hold it. So, I reluctantly let them even though I know they are probably riddled with the plague.

Replace books? I don’t think so. Replace pounds of paper – you betcha. Plus the added blessing of knowing I will never be without something to read no matter where I am.

I was on the train once from Washington to NYC and I started to run out of book just north of Philadelphia. Really not good.

So one evening, there’s this woman on the bus who says the usual, “Is that the kindle? Do you like it? Can I hold it?” and I cooperated. Then she hands it back, looks at me pityingly and says, “This would never work for me, I am a Book Person.”

You and me both, doll face. And the kindle is a Book Person’s friend.

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Categories : Kate Duffy

Tags : books, Kate Duffy, kindle

ARC Giveaway and My Brava Experience

By Cynthia Eden · Comments (25)

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

I still consider myself to be one of the “new” girls here at Brava. My first novel, HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT, is scheduled for a May 2008 release. When I first made my sale to Brava (I learned the good news in early April of 2007), well, May 08 seemed very, very far away.

A few days ago, I received the ARCs for my story.

And, now, May 2008 sure doesn’t seem very far away at all! Before I know it, my book is going to be on store shelves. That’s wonderful–and so scary!

But, you don’t have to wait until May to read my story. Leave me a comment–tell me about a moment in your life that’s produced that weird mixture of fear and joy–and, on January 30th, I’ll come back and pick one commenter to receive an autographed ARC. (I’ll list the winner’s name in the comments sections of this post.)

And, in case you’re curious, here’s the back cover blurb for my tale:

Dr. Emily Drake’s patients tend to be a little unusual. Instead of the typical therapist’s caseload of midlife crises and mother fixations, Emily treats vampires with blood phobias and sex-demons looking for meaningful relationships. But her gift for recognizing and healing the Other—those creatures of the night that most humans don’t even know exist—requires a few house rules. First: Never trust a shifter. Especially not one like Detective Colin Gyth whose gold-flecked eyes and predatory air make Emily realize how much she’s been longing to lose control…

Colin can’t believe the doctor he’s been assigned to work with on the Night Butcher murder investigation is the one person who could expose his true identity as a wolf shifter. Smart, sexy, and stubborn as hell, Emily brings out the alpha male in Colin, unleashing a wild, heady desire that takes them both over the edge.

But in the shadows, the Night Butcher waits…eager to spill Emily’s blood and taste her terror. And he’ll use any means to destroy her, including the one person she has grown to trust.

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

I had an absolutely wonderful time writing this book. I love paranormal characters. Love twisting old legends and modernizing myths.

And I also really like writing about characters who have a deep darkness inside of them. What can I say? I guess I’m a lover of the bad boy. (Or, in this case, monster).

Before I end this post, I also wanted to offer my congratulations to all the finalists in the Brava Contest. There are some great stories posted, and, if you haven’t voted, hurry and pick your favorites!

Comments (25)

Categories : Cynthia Eden

Tags : ARC, Hotter After Midnight

IOU’s

By Jamie Denton · Comments (5)

Monday, January 21st, 2008

My post is late today. In fact, my post today is an IOU. I owe you a better blog post, but alas, that can’t happen until I get my book finished. It’s coming together quite nicely, in case y’all are intersted. And promises a really scary, creepy bad guy. Let’s just say this is one you might want to read with the light on and leave it at that, LOL!

That said, today’s post is an IOU. I owe you a better blog and to some of you, prizes. They’ll be coming shortly. I promise. They’re packaged up and waiting to go to the post office, but I can’t get out to get to the post office quite yet. Bad weather, cold, icky weather in fact, and well, there is this book that needs to get finished pronto.

So bear with me. It’ll be worth the wait. I owe you that much.

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Categories : Jamie Denton

Hot Fun in the Wintertime

By Diane Whiteside · Comments (4)

Friday, January 18th, 2008

Four inches of snow on the ground, a half-inch of ice on the top to cause accidents, and a forecast of high winds to top everything off with power failures….Yup, it’s winter and the weather is definitely not playing nice.

Here in Washington, DC, we celebrate the dog days of summer with Christmas in August. Every year, our local PBS station plays Christmas carols for a week, leading up to a big concert on the National Mall. Everybody sings their favorite carols, accompanied by a symphony orchestra, and dreams of icy weather as a pleasant alternative to the current appalling high heat and humidity. (Had you heard the British Empire used to give their diplomats hazardous duty pay for serving here, because of the summers?)

Well, I’d like a few inspirational thoughts right now about summer. You know, sunshine, hot climates, and of course a sexy guy – or maybe two. Somebody like Linda Howard’s Ben Lewis in HEART OF FIRE to take into the Brazilian rain forest. Hey, I’m sure I’d manage to take at least one shower deep in the jungle with him, wouldn’t you?

But who else? What books or movies would you suggest for dreams about fun with a great guy someplace hot, instead of being stuck someplace cold and uncomfortable?

Diane

Diane Whiteside

THE IRISH DEVIL
BOND OF FIRE (1/08) “Audacious…shockingly heady brew…compelling” Publishers Weekly
BOND OF DARKNESS, Texas vampires trilogy volume 3 (10/08)

Comments (4)

Categories : Diane Whiteside

Southern Speak

By Dianne Castell · Comments (37)

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

Or…you’re not in Kansas anymore.

My April release, Hot and Bothered, is set in Savannah. I love Savannah. I don’t live there but my daughter goes to school there and we vacationed in the area long before that and I knew some day I wanted set a book among the big moss draped oaks, magnolias the size of dinner plates, azaleas as big as a bus and Paula Deen’s. ‘course that Savannah is the most haunted city in the US made the city even more intriguing.

But there was this one teeny problem, I don’t talk like Scarlett O’Hara. I live in Ohio, the land of flat A’s and folks who say “please” when they mean “excuse me.” I have no idea where that come from but it’s better than “huh?”

I had to do a lot of research to make sure I had Lady and Sons on the right street and to make sure what streets are one-way and which way they go. But you have to do that when you write any book. The big challenge was how to write Southern-eeze?

I do live in Cincinnati and married a guy from Kentucky. He truly does say things like “fine as frog’s hair” and causin’ a ruckus and we do have fried chicken with white gravy once a week. But how do you write real Savannah?

Such things as Miss Emily and Miss Gloria are proper addresses as is asking how someone’s mama and daddy are but what else? I got a lot of flavor from Southern movies. Of course there’s Gone With the Wind, which was a far better book than move but still it helped to hear them talk. And Something to Talk About that was set in Savannah so that helped a ton, and my favorite Southern movie, The Client. This one just happened to be a better movie than a book, in my opinion.

So, I’m here to ask you… What is your favorite book set in the South and do you have any Southern-isms or words of wisdom from the South to pass on?

For you efforts, I have an ARC of Hot and Bothered to give away from the responses. Ya’ll have a nice day now, ya’ hear.

Hugs, Dianne
DianneCastell.com
DianneCastell@hotmail.com

Comments (37)

Categories : Dianne Castell

Excerpt: Cosmic Sex

By Karen Kelley · Comments (14)

Monday, January 14th, 2008

I’m counting down the days until Cosmic Sex releases. I’m having such fun with this series. This is book #2 and is available for preorder at Amazon and B&N. Book #1, Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind is a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award finalist—be truthful, y’all heard me holler when I found out, didn’t you? LOL

I hope you enjoy the excerpt of Cosmic Sex:
Excerpt
COSMIC SEX

Nick started laughing. “Sam put you up to this, didn’t he? What are you supposed to do? Call him up and tell him I fell for your alien story?” He strode behind the bar and into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

“I didn’t know Sam before tonight,” Kia said.

He grabbed a beer and twisted the cap off and tossed it into the trash as he turned back around. “Okay, there for a minute I did start to wonder. You had me going with the disappearing lamp. How’d you do that?” He raised the longneck to his lips. There was a light thump on the bottom and the beer disappeared. He was left with puckered lips but no bottle.

Okay, now that wasn’t funny. It’d been his last one. There was an unwritten law you didn’t mess with a man’s last beer.

His eyes narrowed. Sam had really outdone himself. This was no local magician. Nope, she was damn good—in more ways than one.

“I’m not sure when your things will return, but they will. This is a phazer. It’s not meant to harm, only to give someone time to get control of her emotions. On Nerak, where I’m from, we no longer have weapons that destroy.”

“So why didn’t you use it on the biker in the bar?” Answer that one, babe!

“There were too many people around. It’s not wise that others know I’m from another planet.”

He frowned. Good answer. But he still wasn’t buying that she was some sort of alien from another planet. “Sorry, lady, you’ll have to give me more proof than a little black box.”

“Your penis will also fall off in the morning because we had sex.”

He grabbed his crotch, the color draining from his face. “You’re joking, right?”

She smiled. “My sisters say I don’t have a sense of humor. I think I have a very good one.”
She sighed. “Of course it won’t fall off. But don’t you find it strange that you refuse to believe my weapon is from another planet but yet you’ll accept that your penis will fall off?”

He frowned. “That’s not what I was thinking.” He quickly moved his hands away from his crotch.

Y’all have a good day!
Karen

Comments (14)

Categories : Karen Kelley

Resolutions anyone?

By Gemma Bruce · Comments (8)

Monday, January 7th, 2008

Nah. I think it was John Dryden who said that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. So this year I decided not to make any. That doesn’t mean I plan to sit back and rest on my laurels. What are laurels anyway?
I just decided that instead of making plans, making good intentions, I would act.
Haven’t stopped since I woke up at 6:00 on New Years Day. I know. I didn’t see the New Year come in. The party I was invited to was canceled at the last minute so I went to a girl friend’s house. We drank some excellent champagne, ate shrimp and pate and brie and I was home by 10:30.
It’s that getting up early to write thing. It just gets implanted and it’s hard to buck.
So I started the New Year doing just one more edit to a proposal that I sent to my agent the next day.
I just finished a marathon day of tax prep to send off to my CPA. That wasn’t a resolution either, but my daughter is going to college in the fall and I have to get that fafsa form completed.
Now, I’m done and I’m going to read a book for pleasure. Good thing I didn’t make a resolution to read more. I might have broken it.
Anybody else planning to wing it this year? Or do you have better success at sticking to your resolutions?

Comments (8)

Categories : Gemma Bruce

Champagne, shortbread and resolutions

By Charlotte Mede · Comments (6)

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008

Happy New Year and I have to ask — have you made a list?
Sure I could lose a few pounds, learn Spanish, sleep less and write more. But I decided to give myself a break in 2008. The only item on my list is to go to the local bookstore tomorrow because that’s the day my first historical romance, Explosive, hits the shelves. I’m thrilled. The rest can wait until 2009.

So how about you? Once you’ve cleared away the champagne glasses and shortbread crumbs are there any resolutions, goals or must-do stuff on your horizon?

Comments (6)

Categories : Charlotte Mede

Archive for January 2008

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