Our dear friend, Brenda Novak’s auction is almost at an an end and she ‘s just added some additional items (look under raffle). Now is the time to bid big!
P.S. (here are the links to Brava-related raffle items!)
Archive for May 2008
I wrote my very first post for the Brava Blog last May–and, wow, time does fly! Then, I was introducing myself as the new girl and saying how thrilled I was to be with Brava.
Well, I’m still thrilled. 
I’m thrilled–and I now have two Brava releases on the shelves. That is just so cool–sometimes, I still can’t believe it! HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT, my single title paranormal release, is available, and, as of yesterday, WHEN HE WAS BAD is also waiting inside a bookstore near you. (WHEN HE WAS BAD is my paranormal anthology with the super talented Shelly Laurenston).
A book teaser for WHEN HE WAS BAD is up and running–if you’d like to take a peek, just click here. (And I say “teaser” because it’s not a full-on trailer, more of a, well, tease.)
A big thank you to everyone who has made me feel so welcome here at Brava over the last year!
Comments (12)
Categories : Cynthia Eden
Tags : Hotter After Midnight, When He Was Bad
…otherwise known as Hubcap.
Hubcap vs. the Hot Springs
Greetings one and all, Hubcap here. Just wanted to let you know that the Missus and I celebrated a fabulous 20 years of marrytude last week! This time was different from previous anniversaries as I was kept in the dark as to what the festivities would be. “It’s a SURPRISE!” Lucy said with glee!
Now mind you, I’m all for surprises. But I did run through my head real quick, trying to remember all the stupid things I said or did over the past two decades. Was it going to be a lovefest, all romantic and wonderful? Or was it going to be a drive to a “remote location”, with a bump on the head and concrete shoes? I figured it was the latt…er, um, former. After all, I’ve been good, right? RIGHT?
Well the Big Day came, and off we went.
As we went further and further from town, things were looking….well, remotely located.
“Turn here,” Lucy said. Then she gave further directions. All said and done, we pulled up to……THE BONNEVILLE HOT SPRINGS RESORT.
Holy Smokes, what an incredible place! And I wasn’t going to die!
I just want to go on record and thank everyone (and the Academy) for their suggestions and input for where to spend our Anniversary. It was, I must say, the best time we’ve ever had. A huge suite, a balcony almost as large, WITH a hot tub filled with mineral waters. We used that hot tub like crazy!
The place is super peaceful, and built like a lodge, very beautiful (yeah I said it, the B word). As soon as we arrive, we had our first appointment, a eucalyptus mineral bath with follow-up body wrap. Now, I’ve never sat in rockwater, and have never had my body wrapped in towels. At least, not by a man. But there’s always a first time.
That bath was amazing (at least when I turned the water temperature from “Stir Fry” to “Comfortably Hot”). I was totally relaxed, eating grapes, feeling….well, a bit feminine…WAIT A GOLDARN MINUTE, THAT AIN’T RIGHT! I promptly leaped into the other bath, which was filled with…..freezing water. Yes sir, that’s a bath a real man would take! And yes, I promptly leapt back into the comfy hot eucalyptus bath, having made my shriveled point. I’m glad you agree.
The body wrap, of course, had me thinking odd references, like “The Geek Mummy” and “Indiana Jones and the Body Wrap of Doom”. Soft music playing, I really enjoyed it, save those brief times when the guy would come in and ask, “Are you warm enough?” Well, YOU’RE not gonna find out! Now go replace that chamomile compress on my forehead, I’m not feeling manly enough…
The next day, Lucy had set up full body massages for the two of us. The two guys walk into our suite, set up the tables, and as we get on the tables, they ask, “Now, do you like a lot of pressure? Not everyone does.” Heck, we do great under pressure! Do your worst! We’re thinking, “We can handle THIS!”
Well, I got a word for you: Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. They found muscles we didn’t even think we had…then promptly massaged them into oblivion. We fought back tears the whole time, finally we had to cry Uncle, and they quickly lightened the pressure. Now don’t get me wrong: Those guys did a terrific job; upon reflection, we should’ve got the lighter setting off the get go. Oh, and mentioned that my feet and legs are ticklish. I’m just saying hypothetically, because as a man, I’m not ticklish. You’ll never know of course, because I won’t let anyone near me.
Every meal was, as Lucy put it, “Gourmet!”. Even when we visited the nearby town of Stevenson, a small cafe, their lunch and salads were exotic….excellent! A hummus plate with goat cheese and fancy olives, pulled pork sandwiches that had smoked all day. Incredible.
And on the actual Anniversary date, in a historic hotel in Columbia Gorge; to-die-for salmon and steak meals that were literally too good to eat! And in all of this, beautiful (there’s that word) scenery, watching Kitesurfers on the Columbia, a great museum with petroglyphs in it. Fun, sun, peace. Surrounded by the sounds and sights of Nature.
And might I add, on top of all this, my Gorgeous Lucy, we never were apart! We talked, laughed, loved, relaxed 24-7. We remembered all the wonderful times we’ve had over the years, how much in love we still are with each other, and how we were going to continue this great ride God Blessed us with. An amazingly loving time. And no: I WOULDN’T rather be fishing. Honest.
Well, that’s it for now, thanks again folx, and I’ll catch up to you next time.
Spinning off,
Hubcap
Comments (12)
Categories : Lucy Monroe
CHILD 44 by Tom Rob Smith. Seriously, my heart is still pounding. Absolutely scared me silly.
On another note, I would like your help. I would love your thoughts about cover art.
Any cover recently made you pick up an author you hadn’t read before? Do you like guy only, woman only or couple? Whose historical, contemporary and paranormal covers do you like? What covers repel you?
Knowing that the authors have little to know no control over covers, this exercise is just for my benefit but I would love to hear any and all opinions.
Thanks.
Comments (23)
Categories : Kate Duffy
This is my first post as an official Brava author – I’m dipping my toe in the pool, y’all. I’ve got an amazing group of ladies around me, not only helping me, but giving me information, turning me when I’ve gone the wrong direction and making me feel like a new sister. *warm and fuzzy feelings*
I thought about what my first blog post should be about and decided it would be a good idea to introduce myself to everyone and tell you who I am. So, here I am, waving howdy.
My name is Beth Williamson and I’ve been writing since third grade. I’m sure y’all have heard that before, but it’s true. My third grade teacher, Mrs. Freudenberg (who I adored) told my parents I wrote “lovely poetry” and that was the beginning of my love affair with writing.
I could create entire stories in my head, act them out and generally make people think I was odd. I got very good at it. LOL.
All though my schooling I knew I wanted to be a writer, I just didn’t know what kind of writer. Then as a preteen I discovered my mother’s Harlequins. Oh joy, oh rapture! You remember that feeling, right? I read those books over and over and fell head over heels in love with romance novels.
I took a detour in college when I trained to be a screenwriter/playright at NYU and romance novels took a backseat to my grand plans. Of course, the grand plans turned out to be a big bust and after college, I worked as a newspaper reporter.
Talk about a low-paying job! I was happy to be laid off after a year, even if I did get to see my name in print a lot. Romance novels came back into my life and I became a regular at the library, especially after the birth of my first son in 1992.
That’s when the lightbulb went off in my head… Hey, I love to read them, love to write, why not write romance novels? Ta-da! It really was an epiphany for me.
I wrote my first romance novel, a western of course, which took place on a wagon train to Oregon. It was full of cliches and clinches, with cartoonish villains and a sweet heroine. Gads, it stunk like bad cheese.
The second novel took me longer, eight years actually, to get right. In the meantime, I had my second son in 1996, moved to North Carolina and became a technical writer by trade. Turns out I am very good at it and get paid handsomely to do it.
In 2004, that second manuscript, The Bounty, was finally published in ebook. I was a published romance novelist! *tosses confetti*
The rest, as they say, is history. I’ve since published about 18 novels/novellas in ebook and print as well as some short stories in anthologies. And now, I’m stepping into the “big” New York publishing world as a Brava author with the amazing kate Duffy as my editor.
I’m 40 years old, have two teenage sons, a husband, a mortgage, a hybrid car and a burning desire to quit my day job and work full-time as a romance novelist. This truly is the beginning of the rest of my life.
Happy to be here y’all, hope to be here for a while.
Comments (24)
Categories : Beth Williamson
I started to leave this blank. LOL The older I get, the less I know about life! 
Our son graduated from UNT on Saturday. I cried. I always do. His sister cried (takes after me) and his wife cried (she soooo fits in). He’s been through a lot and deserves all the happiness that comes his way. Our daughter and her children were there, too. Her hubby was on assignment and couldn’t make it, missed him!, but we had a fabulous time. It was exactly what families should be all about. Definitely a Hallmark weekend.
Then I came home to a message on the answering machine that Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind is a finalist in the Booksellers Best. That is just soooo cool! Many thanks to all the judges!
Temperature’s Rising, my Brava reissue into mass market will be out in a few weeks. Woo-hoo. I love that book! And have you seen the cover? Verrrry hot!
Okay, I’m off to the dentist this morning so y’all be good! Okay, you don’t have to be. Oh, hey, y’all want to have a contest? Just say hi and I’ll enter your name into a drawing for a copy of I’m Your Santa or Southern Comfort. One winner—your choice of books. Already have them?—they make great presents. All contest rules apply—must me 18 or older…. One entry per household please. And watch for more contests coming soon for my newsletter group (you can join at my website).
Karen Kelley
Cosmic Sex January 29, 2008 Brava
The Power of Love anth/Berkley June 3, 2008
Reissue Mass Market Temperature’s Rising June 3, 2008
The Bad Boys Guide To The Galaxy July 2008 Brava
www.authorkarenkelley.com
www.myspace.com/authorkarenkelley
Comments (22)
Categories : Karen Kelley
Have you guys heard the great news? We have two new Brava authors joining us. Yay!!! These ladies write in some interesting genres. Some genres that aren’t significantly represented in Brava now.
First we have Mary Wine. The Publishers Marketplace sales notice says this:
Mary Wine’s THE COUNTERFEIT BRIDE, described as “Cinderella with kilts,” to Megan Records at Kensington Brava, in a three-book deal, by Barbara Poelle at Irene Goodman Agency.
The second Brava newbie is Beth Williamson. Her PM sales listing says:
Beth Williamson’s THE EDUCATION OF MADELINE, in which a wealthy spinster rescues a wrongfully accused drifter from being hanged without a trial…all she asks from him in return are a few bedroom lessons of the explicit kind, to Kate Duffy at Kensington Brava, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency (World).
Scottish historicals and western historicals – could we be more excited? Welcome ladies!
So…what are we missing? Are there genres you love that no one in Brava is writing or only one or two authors cover? If you could chat with Kate Duffy, what genres/subgenres would you ask her to seek out? Anything? I’m not looking to branch out, I just wonder. I look and see a pretty diverse selection. Do you see the same thing?
Comments (16)
Categories : HelenKay Dimon
I’m always flashed by how many good things the romance writing/reading community gets involved with. Besides writing Romance, which everyone needs and which makes the world a better place, Brenda Novak’s annual auction reminds me of how active we are in other areas. Be it literacy, women’s shelters, American troups, Veteran’s hospitals, it just seems to me that romance reaches out in a lot of ways in addition to our stories.
Sort of sharing the love, compassion, caring, commitment thing at all levels.
Very cool. Very glad to be a part of it.
Comments (3)
Categories : Gemma Bruce
The Brava Authors have donated a couple “baskets” to Brenda Novak’s wonderful 4th Annual On-line Auction for Diabetes Research.
For the Brava Authors basket #1:
Passionate, provocative, intense, edgy…romantic. Brava novels have them all. Here is your chance to see for yourself with 22 titles straight from the Brava Authors (www.BravaAuthors.com) Remember there is a second Brava basket available for bidding. Here are the titles included in this one:
-DON’T TEMPT ME by Sylvia Day
-THE BLACK SHEEP AND THE HIDDEN BEAUTY by Donna Kauffman
-HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT by Cynthia Eden
-DOUBLE DANCING WITH DEAD by Karen Kelley
-TEMPERATURE”S RISING by Karen Kelley
-WITHOUT A WORD by E.C. Sheedy
-EXPLOSIVE by Charlotte Mede
-RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW by HelenKay Dimon
-DEAL WITH THIS by Lucy Monroe
-THE NORTHERN DEVIL by Diane Whiteside
-THE IRISH DEVIL (mass market) by Diane Whiteside
THE MANE EVENT by Shelly Laurenston
-SUN, SAND AND SEX antho by Linda Lael MIller, Jennifer Apodaca
-EXTREMELY HOT by Jennifer Apodaca
-WHO WANTS TO BE A SEX GODDESS by Gemma Bruce
-PERFECT WEAPON by Amy Fetzer
-YOU DON’T KNOW JACK by Erin McCarthy
-THE MATCHMAKER by Jamie Denton
-TEXAS BAD BOYS antho by Rosemary Laurey, Karen Kelley and Dianne Castell
-THE BANE AFFAIR by Alison Kent
-BEYOND A SHADOW by Alison Kent
-THE EDGE OF MIDNIGHT by Shannon McKenna
If you’d like to support this great cause by bidding on this basket, you can do so here.
For the Brava Authors basket #2:
Passionate, provocative, intense, edgy…romantic. Brava novels have them all. Here is your chance to see for yourself with 22 titles straight from the Brava Authors (www.BravaAuthors.com) Remember there is another Brava basket (Brava Basket #1) available for bidding. Here are the titles included in this one:
-ASK FOR IT by Sylvia Day
-THE BLACK SHEEP AND THE PRINCESS by Donna Kauffman
-HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT by Cynthia Eden
-HELL ON WHEELS by Karen Kelley
-TEMPERATURE’S RISING by Karen Kelley
-KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE by E.C. Sheedy
-EXPLOSIVE by Charlotte Mede
-RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW by HelenKay Dimon
-SATISFACTION GUARANTEED by Lucy Monroe
-THE NORTHERN DEVIL by Diane Whiteside
-THE IRISH DEVIL (mass market) by Diane Whiteside
THE MANE EVENT by Shelly Laurenston
-SUN, SAND AND SEX antho by Linda Lael MIller, Jennifer Apodaca
-EXTREMELY HOT by Jennifer Apodaca
-WHO WANTS TO BE A SEX GODDESS by Gemma Bruce
-HOT HARD by Amy Fetzer
-MOUTH TO MOUTH (mass market) by Erin McCarthy
-REMAIN SILENT by Jamie Denton
-TEXAS BAD BOYS antho by Rosemary Laurey, Karen Kelley and Dianne Castell
-THE PERFECT STRANGER by Alison Kent
-DEEP BREATH by Alison Kent
-OUT OF CONTROL by Shannon McKenna
If you’d like to support this great cause by bidding on this basket, you can do so here.
And a super cool auction for the inveterate Brava lover:
One year of Kensington BRAVA books and six months of Kensington BRAVA Advanced Reading Copies. Kensington doesn’t publish a set amount of these books every month, but you’ll get whatever they do publish. Because they’re trade paperback releases, they sell for $14 – $15 each. Together with the ARCs, that’s a big value!! Thank you, Editorial Director Kate Duffy!
If you’d like to support this great cause by bidding on this basket, you can do so here.
And I’ve donated a personal basket, too:
For my basket:
The winner of this auction will receive a tote bag filled with Godiva chocolate and a collection of Georgian Romances, autographed, from author Sylvia Day.
Titles in tote:
An autographed collection of her Georgian Series — ASK FOR IT, PASSION FOR THE GAME (hardcover), A PASSION FOR HIM, and DON’T TEMPT ME.
If you’d like to support this great cause by bidding on my donation, you can do so here.
Thank you!
Comments (4)
Categories : Sylvia Day
Tags : Sylvia Day
How To Enter
Snap a photo of yourself holding the mass market version of ASK FOR IT. (sorry, but the trade version doesn’t qualify for this contest!) and send it to the email address listed on the contest page. Please include your name and mailing address in your email to expedite the mailing of prizes.
Have fun with the pics and feel free to be creative!! (but please, no photos too racy for a general audience.)
Bonus Entry:
Put the “Picture You with AFI” contest graphic on your blog/MySpace/site/etc. and receive an additional contest entry. Simply include the link to the webpage where you’re displaying the graphic in your entry email.
Image link
(copy and paste the code below)
<a href="http://www.sylviaday.com/contest/" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.sylviaday.com/blog/wp-content/AFI_contest.gif" width="140" height="225" border="0" /></a>
The Rules
For contest prizes, dates, and the fine print, check the contest page!
Good luck!
Comments (0)
Categories : Sylvia Day
Tags : Sylvia Day
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