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Archive for March 2010

Writing with the Stars

By Alicia Condon · Comments (21)
Friday, March 26th, 2010
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We all have our favorite reality TV shows – Donna Kauffman blogs about American Idol; next year Kensington will be publishing a paranormal send up of The Real Housewives series; and now Brava has its own Writing with the Stars contest. In conjunction with RT Book Reviews, Brava is sending out a call to unpublished writers of paranormal, historical and contemporary romance , as well as romantic suspense: We’re looking for a hot debut novel to be published in 2012 under the Brava imprint at Kensington.

If you’ve written a sensual full-length romance novel, this is a great opportunity to submit to the editors at Brava, who will be reading the entries and selecting the top ten finalists. Starting in September, each of our top ten will be paired with one of Brava’s star authors for the next stage of the competition – creating one-of-a kind opening hooks, to-die-for heroes, sizzling love scenes and more.

Each of the ten finalists will have her own temporary page here on BravaAuthors.com as well as the opportunity to guest blog on the site. And each month the results of the challenges will appear in RT Book Reviews along with commentary from the Brava mentors and a panel of romance celebrity judges. Readers and fans themselves will vote for the winner, who will be announced at the awards ceremony of the 2011 Romantic Times convention.

So put the finishing touches on that manuscript you’ve been polishing, check the June issue of RT for the contest details, and get ready for the journey of a lifetime. By this time next year, you could be a star!

For rules and entry information:
www.bravaauthors.com/contest/brava-contest

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Instant Attraction

By Sylvia Day · Comments (5)
Thursday, March 25th, 2010
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The Brava Authors congratulate Jill Shalvis for her RITA® finalist nomination for Best Contemporary Single Title for INSTANT ATTRACTION!!

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Top Ten Reasons I Love Paranormals…

By Cynthia Eden · Comments (3)
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
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Hi, everyone! I’m in a paranormal frame of mind today. :-) So, I thought I’d talk about the top ten reasons (cause there are many, many more) why I love paranormals. (And, yes, I’m going to do these in a countdown order!)

10. Spike. What? You don’t know who he is? Oh, you are missing out! Spike was the anti-hero in the Buffy series. He taught me that bad guys can definitely steal the show–and make it way more interesting.

9. I grew up watching horror movies and looking for ghosts in the dark–of course, I still look for those ghosts (only now, they’re really sexy pirate ghosts).

8. I get tired of the ordinary. I want “extra” ordinary. I want to believe there is more to this world than meets the eye.

7. I love Sam and Dean. So if you haven’t tuned in to watch Supernatural on Thursday nights, you are seriously missing out. This show is food for the paranormal mind. Demons, angels, hot heroes–oh, yes, I do love this paranormal masterpiece!

6. Anything goes in paranormals. The only limit is your imagination.

5. Vamps, baby, vamps. With paranormals, I can say “Bite me”–and mean it!

4. Diversity–I can read about any paranormal character I want these days. Genies, demons from the fourth dimension of hell, or even valkyries–they’re all there for me.

3. Fun. Paranormals just = fun for me.

2. Sub-genre blend. Paranormals aren’t just found in contemporary stories these days–you can find them lurking in historicals or futuristics. Any time period! Perfect!

1. When it comes to the “bad” boy heroes, the paranormals rule. Whether the hero is a demon, a vamp, a kick-ass shifter, or even a fallen angel–these guys know how to be very, very bad–and I sure do love that!

So tell me…do you have a top ten list? Did I miss a reason? Let me know!

Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com
I’LL BE SLAYING YOU–Available 07/2010 from Kensington Brava

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Becoming Emma

By Emma Lang · Comments (29)
Monday, March 15th, 2010
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I just received ARCs of Ruthless Heart, my first Emma Lang book for Brava. I looked at the cover, at the name, and thought, it’s time to become Emma.

People have asked me why I chose to write under a new pen name. What was wrong with Beth? Don’t I have a following?

There’s nothing wrong with Beth, and yes I have a following as Beth. I will continue to write as Beth in other venues, but for Brava, I am becoming Emma.

I’ve always been a private person, keeping things to myself rather than sharing them. When I started writing, and got published, I had to come out of my private little space and meet the world. I won’t tell you it’s easy because it’s not. I still struggle with it… as Beth.

Emma is going to be one step beyond that. She’s going to be the woman who finds her strength and let’s it loose on the world with grace, dignity and a bit of femininity. (Beth is more of a tomboy)

As Emma, I will continue to write books, putting my heart and soul into every word. I’ve just re-read Ruthless Heart and I made myself laugh, squirm and cry. I hope it does the same for you.

So, who out there would like an ARC of my very first Emma Lang book, Ruthless Heart? Commenters have one week to tell me YES!

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Hairy Heroes

By Sherrill Quinn · Comments (8)
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
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No, I’m not talkin’ ’bout man fur! Eeewwwww! I’m talkin’ werewolves and other shapeshifters. What is it about these furry guys that turn us on?

I think it’s taking that bad boy persona and ramping it up ten fold. The heroine falls in love with a guy who, with his little finger, could snap the neck that’s just been bared for his pleasure (and hers, I might add). It doesn’t hurt that he has more sex appeal in that little finger than any other man she knows. In addition, she’s guaranteed a hero who will fight to the death for what’s his, a man who loves as fiercely as he hates in true alpha hero style. And in the heroine the paranormal hero finds his reason to keep on going, discovers renewed faith in love and learns that even in the dark world he inhabits there are reasons to laugh.

In my Moon series with Brava, I have two types of werewolves—those who go from man to wolf and those who stop somewhere in between; those who have been cursed, and those who have been bitten. The man who’s under a curse goes from man straight to wolf. Those who have been bitten and thereby turned by another werewolf can, with practice, partially transform or they can go straight to wolf as well. The hero in Daring the Moon (book one), suffers from a family curse first visited upon his great grandfather. Ryder Merrick can control his transformation to wolf except during the three days of the full moon. The heroes in books two and three (Declan O’Connell and Rory Sullivan, respectively), have both been bitten and so their werewolfism (yes, it’s a word! LOL) is a different type than Ryder’s.

If you read (or write) paranormals, what is it that draws you to them?

Daring the Moon, Seducing the Moon, and Taming the Moon are all available now!

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Friends to Lovers

By Susan Fox · Comments (4)
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
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How do people fall in love? It’s an endlessly fascinating question, isn’t it? Each couple has their own unique love story.

One that always intrigues me – maybe because it’s happened to me! – is when a really good friendship suddenly changes into something more.

Does anyone remember the song “Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You” by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson? I loved that song. They sing about discovering how friends turn into lovers.

Because I love that story line, I chose to write about it in my April Brava, Love, Unexpectedly. There’s a twist, in that one of the best friends, Nav Bharani, has been in love with Kat Fallon pretty much ever since he met her. When they meet, she’s with another guy and doesn’t see – or at least tries not to see – Nav in a romantic light. As neighbors, they turn into best friends and she’s never had such a close friend, male or female. Her track record with lovers is disastrous and, though she’s feeling attracted to Nav, she refuses to act on it. No way will she jeopardize their special friendship.

Nav feels differently. He hates being stuck in the buddy trap. When Kat tells him she’s traveling home from Montreal by train for her baby sister’s wedding, the desperate Nav sees this as his last chance. He’s going all out in pursuit of the woman of his dreams. He decides to revamp his image and play “stranger on the train.” He’s determined to seduce Kat into seeing him in a whole new light, and realizing he’s the man of her dreams.

Their journey across Canada by train—as best friends playing the “stranger game”—is truly one wild ride to love. 

This is the second book in my Wild Ride to Love “planes, trains, automobiles, and a cruise ship” series starring the Fallon sisters. The first book, Sex Drive, came out in December 2009 under the pen name Susan Lyons.

What do you think of the “friends to lovers” type of romance? Can comfort and knowledge of each other thrive side by side with passion and romance? Do you know people who’ve fallen in love this way? What about in books or movies?

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HEA vs. HFN

By Lucy Monroe · Comments (5)
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
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In the right corner, wearing red satin trunks and weighing in at 250 lbs of pure muscle and industry history, we have HEA, our alltime heavyweight champion – undefeated by cynicism, divorce rates and statistics on infidelity. In the left corner, wearing purple satin trunks and weigning in at 225 lbs of lean muscle and a new industry convention, we have HFN, with all the romance and none of the certainty for the future.

HEA stands for happily ever after. The concept of course is that two people fall in love, commit to a lifetime together and despite the challenges and obstacles they face, they keep their love alive and their relationship from crashing on the shoals of apathy and dishonesty that account for so much of our divorce rate stats.

HFN stands for happy for now. The concept being that two people fall in lust at least, commit to seeing where things go and may or may not stay together. They’ll probably fight for their relationship, after all, they’ve negotiated the dangerous rapids of romantic conflict and taken the risk to open their hearts – at least part of the way.

My question for you is, if this is your boxing ring and you get to decide with fighter wins the battle for the ending of your favorite books, which is it? Do you want a solid HEA with the certainty this couple is in it for the long haul, or are you okay with the HFN prospect, where the couple is busy enjoying the sharing of bodies and maybe part of their lives, but not necessarily their futures?

I think you all know what I prefer ;-) , but the HFN has become more popular, especially in the last five years, that I’m happy to discuss why this ending works for so many readers. :) Some of the erotica publishers even require it, and are unwilling to buy books with an HEA. I don’t see myself ever writing it, I’m far too fond of my Scooby Doo endings (where most everything gets wrapped up), but I’ve read some really talented authors who do.

It’s your turn: what are your thoughts? What’s your favorite HEA for all time, or even just lately? What’s your favorite HFN? Do you like/not like an ongoing series where it takes several books to reach the HEA? Are your expectations different for different imprints?

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Count Down

By Karen Kelley · Comments (10)
Monday, March 8th, 2010
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Good Morning!

I’m counting down the days until The Jaguar Prince is out.  I have a love/hate relationship when a new book is about to be released.  Ack!  The nerves.   I hope everyone enjoys it and that I’ll be able to entertain you for a little while. 

My wonderful husband created the book video.  I think it’s one of my favorites—-verrrry sexy.  The video.  Okay, he is, too    You can see the video at www.authorkarenkelley.com  I hope you enjoy it, too.   Let me know what you think.

Best Wishes,

Karen Kelley

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