What do you think? Can men and women be friends—just friends?

Way back in the dark ages when I was dating my husband, I worked for the county. A state auditor came in—obviously to audit the county. We set him up in the office next door and somehow, I became his liaison.

Not THAT kind of liaison.

Here’s a dirty secret—everyone hates auditors. Their job is to tell you what you’re doing wrong. Who would like that? So the Powers-That-Be were more than happy to have me dealing with the auditor. Plus, my desk was closer and I had a rudimentary understanding of accounting. (Please don’t hold that against me, it’s just a little quirk!)

So I worked with the auditor. And that experience taught me something—sexual chemistry is real. However he was married, I was dating a guy I really liked, and we kept it on a working-friends level.

But I realized that sexual chemistry is real between the sexes. It’s there whether you want it to be or not, even when you’re not looking and not interested. Not every man and woman who meet has sexual chemistry, in fact I think that’s what makes romances so fascinating. Sexual chemistry is elusive, we really don’t understand it. Why is this woman attracted to that man? Why isn’t that man attracted to her if she’s attracted to him? Why is that two people can meet with little or no chemistry, then six months later, they meet again and suddenly, there’s an explosion from all the chemistry? Many romance novels have been written on a similar scenario!

As an author it’s often just as frustrating with characters. If I don’t get the characters just right, there’s no chemistry, or more accurately not enough chemistry to make the magic of a romance.

But back to friends. Does the fact that sexual chemistry is always lurking between men and women mean that they can’t really be friends, just friends?

I’m not sure myself. I think my answer is that men and women can be friends if they adhere to unwritten rules.

What do you think?

When my first book came out, I did a round of signings and appearances. It was all very exciting and I had a lot of fun. Meeting and talking to readers, I soon learned, is easy. I love to read so we automatically have something in common.

One evening I went to a library for a book club meeting. I was surprised that about 30 people showed up. The tables were in a horseshoe and I sat in the middle. First the librarian did a little introduction, and then asked some questions to get everyone warmed up. Then she said to me, “I noticed that your main character has two men interested in her. And I saw from your bio that you’ve been married for a long time. Is that your fantasy to have two men fighting over you?”

I blinked, opened my mouth and nothing came out. I was stunned.

Finally, it sunk in and I laughed. “No! Please, I have a husband and three sons! I can’t deal with any more men in my life!”

Romantic rivals are fun in romances, or murderous in mysteries. In real life, they are just a complication I don’t want. In real life, I would think two men fighting over a woman were silly and immature.

Most authors get questions like that—questions that assume the author is very much like their characters.

So yesterday I wasn’t feeling well (which is why I’m so late with this blog) and I was resting and reading. It’s a really good suspense book by a well known author. One of the characters had been raped, and after that, she’d taken to reading romance novels while hiding in the library so no one could see her reading the romances. I was annoyed, getting myself really peeved about this. I couldn’t imagine why the author had this attitude about romances until it dawned me—it was the CHARACTER hiding her romance reading, not the author. The character was exactly the type who would do this. She’d never have read a romance, or really any book, before the rape. She refused any emotional help, and she was embarrassed that she’d found solace in romance novels.

But for a few minutes there, I was mixing up the author and the character. Even though the same thing happens to me as an author all the time.

But you know, I think that’s a good thing. When readers are so drawn into the characters world that they forget the author MADE UP the characters, then the author has done their job.

On another subject, I finally saw the movie STRANGER THAN FICTION—talk about fantasy and reality colliding! If you haven’t seen it, give it a try!

So now we’ve established that I like romantic rivals in fiction, but not in real life. What about you all? What do you like in books that don’t like in reality?

I just finished reading an advance copy of SUN, SAND, SEX, a Brava anthology with Linda Lael Miller, myself and Shelly Laurenston that will be out in June. Wow! Three very different stories! What is really awesome is that I haven’t read Shelly Laurenston before and now I’m hooked! I can’t wait for her next book. How fun is it to find a new author to love?

I’ve read Linda Lael Miller for years, of course. When my agent called to tell me I had a contract offer for an anthology with Linda Lael Miller, I was stunned! Even though I had a fast approaching deadline, I said HECK YEAH! I love her story in the book. The whole time I was reading it, my husband kept asking, “Is it good?”

“Dude, it’s Linda Lael Miller!”

“But is it good?”

Sigh, he just doesn’t get it. “Yes, it’s very good!”

For my story in the anthology, I can’t comment about how good it is or isn’t, but I can tell you I loved writing that one. I didn’t want to let go of Nick and Lexie. Lexie used a staple gun for self-defense and ends up on the run from the law. Nick is the bounty hunter hired to bring her in. It’s a simple job, what could go wrong?

My oldest son and husband said, “Seriously, a staple gun? She’s arrested for assault and battery with a staple gun?”

“Hey, it could happen,” I replied.

They hid all my staplers. LOL!

Anyway, I have two advance copies of SUN, SAND, SEX to give away. Just tell me what you’re reading now in the comments section anytime today or tomorrow (Thursday and Friday), I’ll choose two names randomly and post the winners in the comment section sometime Saturday. I’ll also post my email address so the winners can send me their mailing addresses. Good luck!

Last year I read two non-Brava books that drove me crazy for a stupid reason—the heroines slapped the heroes. These were contemporary books with supposedly smart heroines who went into rages and started slapping.

Oh grow up.

I grew up with older brothers. I could have hit them and probably gotten away with it, simply because I was much younger and a girl. But I figured out much more devious ways to annoy them. They talked about my antics for years. Once they tried to make me leave a room they were painting and I retaliated by making them laugh so hard they fell off the ladder and into blue paint. (They weren’t hurt, just blue.) Another time, a brother turned off my morning cartoons because he was trying to sleep. When he woke up and looked in the mirror, he screamed until he realized that it was shaving cream on his face.

I was YOUNG when I did these things. But family legend has it that I can be just devious enough to make my siblings cautious about crossing me.

My own three boys came up with truly creative ways to torment each other. I am sure I turned as blue as my paint-splattered brothers many times trying not to laugh.

Slapping has been done. Once it was daring and a little naughty and, frankly, some of the heroes in the past deserved it. But books have evolved and while today’s heroes might be alpha, they are rarely jerks anymore. Shouldn’t our heroines evolve too?

Now when it comes to bad guys, I think slapping is letting them off too easy, but I’m not totally against it!

Having said all this, what do you want to bet that I read a book where the heroine slaps the hero and I love it? That’s the fun thing about books, they have the ability to surprise us!

So what do you all think?

I’m late! I finished my book last night which is a huge relief! But now I’m trying to catch up and clear off a pile of stuff on my desk. It’s just one of those days…

Let’s talk about something fun. Anyone else watch Grey’s Anatomy? I just became a fan over the summer and now I am hooked! And of course, I’ve been following the Will-Meredith-live-or-become-a-dead-narrator saga. I won’t reveal the outcome in cases some of you haven’t seen it yet.

There was a scene last night that caught my attention. It was Derrick’s ex-wife, Addison watching Derrick with Meredith, and said, “He never loved me like that.” And I was right there with her, feeling her sadness, and feeling the love that Derrick has for Meredith.

And I got to thinking, it seems rare that TV shows are able to really show love like a romance novel. I watched a made for TV Movie of Nora Robert’s book ANGELS FALL. It was okay, but I’m sure the book was better. I haven’t read that book—I’m more of a JD Robb fan, and I LOVE Roarke!

I could write a whole blog just on Roarke and why I think he should dump Eve for me!

But back to my point, I know TV has limitations compared to books where e can use descriptions and reveals characters inner thoughts. But Grey’s Anatomy works really well within the TV format.

What about you? What TV shows or movies do you think do a good job making the viewers feel the romance?

I was minding my own business…

Okay that’s not true. If I was minding my own business, I wouldn’t be able to write Luke and Ivy’s story. I’m very deep into THEIR business.

So I was minding Luke and Ivy’s business when Ivy’s mom, Mallory, started whining and being generally difficult. Which is odd because her scenes were working fine, there was just something missing from the book as a whole.

Mallory picked that moment to start talking to me. “I want my own love story.”

I answered, “Uh, I’m trying to be nice, but seriously, you’re a little too old to be a Brava heroine.” Oh yeah, that went over will.

Mallory shrieked, “What do you mean? I’m only forty two!”

Forty two? Ha! Try forty-seven. “Too old.” I’m done being nice. This book is DUE. Like NOW. I don’t have time to think about another book. And why is forty-seven too old? Never mind, I have to concentrate on this book!

Mallory is not giving up. “I want my own love story! I’ve never had a love story…just an endless string of bad boys. What’s wrong with me that I can’t have my own love story? Huh?”

I’m trying to work, trying to figure out what’s missing in the book, when it dawns on me. “Secondary love story!”

Mallory is in a real snit now. “What have I been telling you?”

“That you want to take over the book?” I’m being sarcastic and snide because THE BOOK IS DUE!

“I never said that, I just want my own love story. A man who loves me, really loves me, a man who sees me for who I really am.”

Now I feel bad. “Okay, I get it. And I know exactly who is the perfect man for you.” I tell her.

“NO! NOT HIM!”

Excited now, I say, “Yes him, trust me, this will be perfect.”

Mallory storms away, finally leaving me in peace. Then my husband walks in and looks around my office. “Who were you talking to?”

I look up and see the grin on his face. “Shut up.”

He laughs. “How many people are in your head today?”

I smile sweetly, “Well there’s the woman who kills her husband…”

He holds up both hands, still laughing, “Okay I’m leaving.”

So my question for you all is–Do you like secondary love stories in your romances?

In my house, it’s BOB’s fault. Bob is Book On the Brain. Due to an endless string of stuff happening, I’m up against my deadline and now having to live this book to finish it. The Book has taken Over my Brain.

I can’t ever leave dishes. I have to do them right away. Yesterday morning I found a bowl of corn in the microwave from dinner the day before. Bob did it.

I went to the store for milk and came home with taco shells. Bob.

Forgot to call the phone compmany for days to switch my lines to set up the DSL. Bob.

Took my husband’s keys instead of mine, which left him locked him out of his office. My husband had to get maintence to let him into his own office. Bob laughed a lot about that one.

I could go on and on. Bob is relentless, stirring up trouble while I’m trying to work!

What about you all? Who do you blame when things go wrong in your house?

My sister-in-law called me last night, totally jazzed because I’d sent her a signed book. I mean, she was THIRLLED. She wasn’t my sister-in-law anymore, who has known me since I was fifteen years old, she was a fan.

I was humbled. Truly. In that moment, all the stress and pressure cleared and I remember what I write books for—the readers. Because first and foremost I’m a reader too. I love books, I speak the language of books. If I meet a stranger and we’ve read the same book—we have an instant connection.

Probably one of the things that surprised me as an author is all the things that are out of our control. Pressure often builds to promote, to get reviews, to connect with book buyers for the large chains; to…the list is endless. And it can make you crazy.

It can make us forget why we write. And who is really important.

Not the reviewers, not the book buyers for the stores, not the media. Sure they all have their place in the process. But it’s the FANS that are important. The readers. All those other people, the reviewers, the buyers—they are all doing it for the fans too. Buyers for the big stores and bookstores want to pick the books that readers love and will snatch off the shelves in record time. They all want to please the fans.

So last night when my sister-in-law called, telling me about her life with all the normal daily stresses and then how much the book brightened her day—it just slammed home to me. I do this for the fans. It’s all about YOU.

And, of course, I have to add that Brava Fans Rock!

I know it’s winter, but it’s time for a beach read! My book THE SEX ON THE BEACH BOOK CLUB was released yesterday. To celebrate I thought I’d pick two people from the comments, and send them a copy of The Sex on the Beach Book Club. I’ll pick the winners Thursday morning and post them on the comments. You’ll need to check the comments and email me your addresses (I’ll give you my email address on the comments when I announce the winner).

Just tell me why you like a “beach read” in winter and you’re entered!

Here are some of the signs that I’m a bookaholic…

1) I can’t walk out of a bookstore without buying a book. I don’t even think that’s possible. Doesn’t everybody buy books?
2) I look forward to being sick so I can read and read with no guilt!
3) My husband worries about me when I’m NOT reading a book.
4) I FORGET about the chocolate cake (chocolate anything) while reading.
5) I get nervous if I don’t have a book to read.
6) I hate having to pick only a few books. What about the books I didn’t buy? What if they are fantastic and I’m missing out?
7) My kids figured out to ask me stuff while I was reading (or writing) becasue I might say yes to anything just to keep reading.
Book store owners know me by name.
9) Relatives and friends assume I’ve read all the latest books and ask my opinion.
10) When I get books in the mail, it’s like Christmas Morning!

Okay, your turn! What are some of the signs that you’re a bookaholic?