As a reader, I'm always fascinated to learn an author's writing method.

Do they outline first, even whole series at a time (like JK Rowling famously did for HARRY POTTER)?

Are they "pantsters," (writing by the seat of your pants), as one of the lovely ladies of the Utah RWA chapter explained to me at a recent conference?

Do they write, edit, throw away, and start again?

When I was much younger, I posted a question to Diana Gabaldon's fan email asking how far ahead she had planned a certain far-reaching plot twist in one of the later books in the Outlander series. Each of her books is just so epochly long, I couldn't imagine how she kept all the details and characters straight without some serious outlining. Never did get an answer though!

So you can imagine my delight, when Carrie pointed out this great article from Friday's Wall Street Journal about several authors and their unique writing practices. And, closing out the list is our very own mystery writer Laura Lipmann! If you're nosy like me, this piece is definitely worth a look.

Every now and then we just can't help but toot our authors' horns...

Okay fine, we sing their much-deserved praises from the rooftops any chance we get, but it's hard to ignore good news when it comes flooding in!

In September, we found out Eloisa James' WHEN THE DUKE RETURNS grabbed a spot in Book List's Top Ten Romance Fiction of 2009

Then, this week, we learned Julia Quinn's WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON and Eloisa's A DUKE OF HER OWN made Amazon's list of Top Ten Romance Books Of 2009!

AND, as if that news weren't enough, Anna Campbell's CAPTIVE OF SIN and Margaret Carroll's A DARK LOVE landed on Publishers Weekly Top Five Mass Market Books Of 2009!


Congrats Eloisa, Julia, Anna, and Margaret!

Romance Radio Event: Jordan Dane’s on THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD!

Mysterious computer wizard Seth Harper awakens in a bloody motel room to find he’s not alone. The vacant eyes of a grisly corpse stare accusingly at him--the body of a young woman. Seth becomes the prime suspect of a heinous murder. If only he could remember what happened...

For a thrilling ride of suspense and hot romance, start reading Jordan Dane’s THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD, the second in her Sweet Justice series!

Then, tune into Romance Radio Thursday, 11/5 at 2 PM as Jordan joins us to discuss her hot new release and takes questions from fans. Call in (347) 826-9686.

Recently, I found myself sitting in an audience filled with teens and tweens at a movie theater showing of FAME. At the start of the previews, the screen suddenly filled with a rather non-descript lake scene--well, apparently not that non-descript--as the 100 or so adolescent girls in the room began screaming with joy. Of course, it was the opening to the preview of the TWILIGHT sequel NEW MOON. Recently buff teenage werewolves and all...

It got me thinking, what pop-culture fad had my friends and me falling over ourselves like that? The answer came rather quickly: Leonardo DiCaprio and all things TITANIC.

I bought the soundtrack, took TITANIC quizzes in Teen People magazine, covered my wall in movie posters, memorized lines...yes, it's true. I then recalled something I had truly forgotten...the birth of a late-90s sub-genre of disaster-focused YA fiction. Very suddenly, my bookshelf acquired HINDENBURG 1937, WASHINGTON AVALANCHE 1910, and SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE 1906.

Ah, what's a love story without a sinking ship, burning Zeppelin, or natural catastrophe? To my young heart, nothing could be more tragically romantic. (Is that truly any stranger than an obsession with a stalkerish vamp?) Am I the only one that remembers these books?

And, speaking of YA-reminiscing fun...Starting November 1st, blogger "Booking Mama" launched a six-month SHELF DISCOVERY reading challenge. Pick six (or more) of the titles covered in Lizzie Skurnick's book about classic YA fiction and write quick "book reports" of each...go to her site for details...looks like winners could get free copies!

UPDATE: Anna Campbell will visit Avon's Facebook Boards TODAY!

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ZOMBIES

It happens every year, and we all tolerate it...well, maybe just barely. Advertisers and stores love to push the yuletide envelope--dragging out Christmas decorations or displays far before trick-or-treaters have had a chance to put a dent in their Halloween candy.

At the risk of jumping on the way-too-early bandwagon, but while giving all that goes bump in the night a fair shake at the season, I'd like to bring up a book that I find utterly delightful.


Yes, that's right.... ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS CAROLS! (or rather classic carols littered with zombie-esque words)

Ex:

Up on the housetop, Zombies pause,

Eating poor old Santa Claus.

Down through the chimney come Santa's parts.

Once a Zombie bites--ouch that smarts!

Written by YA author and longtime friend of Avon, Michael P. Spradlin, with a Forward by the hilarious Christopher Moore, and with lots of delightful (and rather gruesome) illustrations, it's 81 pages of addictive fun. (Just ask Esi. I may or may not have wandered into her office singing when I first grabbed a copy…she may or may not have asked me to leave).

Extra points for anyone who can come up with any fun vampire-related holiday song lyrics!

Caught Up In The Fairytale
by Anna Campbell

There’s a school of thought that every writer has a single story they tell over and over again in different guises. One theme that they return to--a bit like your favorite flavor of potato chip in the pantry.

Am I giving too much information here about my eating habits? Hmm, Smith’s barbecue chips, where are you?

And, if the chips start talking back, maybe it’s time to see a doctor!

I’ve now written four books for Avon. The first was CLAIMING THE COURTESAN. A "Beauty and the Beast" story set in Regency Scotland. The second was UNTOUCHED. More "Beauty and the Beast". The third was TEMPT THE DEVIL--do I really need to say it?

My latest Regency historical CAPTIVE OF SIN is out this month. It’s an intense, dramatic marriage of convenience story featuring a national hero with PTSD, a runaway heiress, an elopement, dastardly bad guys, a magnificent house on the Cornish cliffs, and lots of derring-do. Oh, and love scenes that PUBLISHERS WEEKLY called "luscious". Thank you, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY!

I decided at last I’d broken the mold. This book was NOT a "Beauty and the Beast" tale. The world was my oyster. Perhaps, next time, I’d really go wild and, you know, do a Cinderella story instead!

My self-satisfaction didn’t last. This week, I noticed a discussion of the book which talked about CAPTIVE OF SIN as a "Beauty and the Beast" story. NOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Well, actually, now I’ve thought about it, YESSSSSSS!

Sir Gideon Trevithick returns to Cornwall after a year’s imprisonment and torture in India. He’s haunted by the ghosts of his past and his guilt that he survived when his colleagues didn’t. Convinced he’ll never lead a normal life and he’s unworthy of love or happiness, he intends to retire to his isolated estate on the coast.

So, yeah, I guess you could say we have a Beast who’s been cursed and who lives in his walled garden, shut away from the world.

Lady Charis Weston, England’s richest heiress, is running away from her greedy and violent stepbrothers. When Gideon offers her a marriage in name only to save her, she goes through with the ceremony. But Charis has every intention of fighting for her future. She loves Gideon and she refuses to accept that her love is unrequited. So, Beauty strives to lift the curse that holds the Beast captive.

Sigh, yeah, you’re right--how did I miss this?

The upside of all this is that I adore BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. It has to be my favorite fairytale. Someone who doesn’t know the story (how can this be?) once asked me why I loved it so much. I think it’s the combination of the tortured hero who by the end has become a real prince, whether he remains in his beast form or not, and the brave, unselfish heroine. Beauty is a bit more active than many women in fairytales! No snoozing through the good bits for our heroine here.

Do you have a favorite romance with a fairytale theme? CINDERELLA? THE UGLY DUCKLING? SLEEPING BEAUTY? I can think of a stack of keepers on my bookcase that fall into this category. What about you?

(by Lorraine Heath)

I’ve always been a fan of Sherlock Holmes. (Absolutely cannot wait for the release of the movie starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law.) One of my favorite openings is from A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. “To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex.”

This was how I envisioned James Swindler feeling about Eleanor Watkins.

I have also been a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan. One of my favorite movies was VERTIGO, in which a detective (played by James Stewart) is hired to follow a friend’s wife--and as he does so, he becomes obsessed with her.

This was how I envisioned James Swindler coming to know Eleanor Watkins. From a distance at first, but even then he sensed something remarkable about her. He became not obsessed with her, but he fell in love with her.

One of my favorite movies is THE STING with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. It was beautifully done. A movie about a swindle, but inside the main swindle was another that the audience didn’t see coming.

From the moment I envisioned the "Scoundrels of St. James" series, I wanted one of the stories to involve a swindle. It seemed appropriate that it should be James Swindler’s that does. Each of the scoundrels I’ve written about--Luke, Jack, and Frannie--had tragic pasts, but Swindler’s tore at my heart.

From the moment he revealed why he was so obsessed with justice, I knew he would be a very special character. I knew that for him, the one he loved would always be the woman who stole his heart. I knew she would come into his life in an unconventional manner. And, I knew that more than one swindle would be required to give them their happily ever after.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you much more because I don’t want to ruin the fun of reading MIDNIGHT PLEASURES WITH A SCOUNDREL.

In a seemingly unrelated topic shift, my husband recently discovered that a lady with whom he works is an avid romance reader. She likes to curl up with a good book and a glass of merlot on the weekend, so he asked me to autograph a book to her. My inscription read: “A little romance to enjoy with your merlot.”

I’ve always envied writers who can come up with pithy inscriptions when signing books. Mine are usually the unimaginative “Best wishes,” “All my best,” “Enjoy!” So, I was pleased with the merlot comment. Of course, it took me three revisions to get it to where I wanted it.

I won’t tell you how many revisions MIDNIGHT PLEASURES WITH A SCOUNDREL required. But I will say that I have a wonderfully patient editor.

To celebrate its release, I’m hosting a contest which ends at the witching hour October 31st. Visit my website www.lorraineheath.com for details on how to enter.

What books or movies have stayed with you through the years?

The Ultimate Disguise
(by Jenna Petersen)

As I’m writing this, I just got home from a celebratory lunch with my friend Julie (celebrating the release of WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES). Afterward, we headed to our local Halloween store to look at costumes. It’s amazing the wide variety of things you can pretend to be for a party or trick or treat. That got me thinking about how many times the heroes and heroines of my books disguise themselves.

I’m not talking about literally, of course...although in my SEDUCTION IS FOREVER, my heroine did actually physically disguise herself. I mean more that I’ve written several heroes or heroines who pretend to be things they aren’t.

For example, in LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN, my heroine, Victoria, pretends to be a courtesan. In HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT, my hero, Nicolas, has been living one life as an underground fighter and now must reclaim his life as a gentleman, which is definitely not natural to him.

I’m continuing the theme in my newest release, WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES. There are several characters pretending to be something they’re not. My hero, Simon Crathorne’s father, pretended to be a good man, but his lies led to all kind of trouble and pain for others that Simon has to resolve.

My heroine, Lillian Mayhew, is also pretending. Her family was destroyed by Simon’s father and she’s determined to destroy his good reputation as revenge. Falling in love with Simon complicates that plan significantly. Oh...and there are a few more secrets and disguises you’ll have to read the book to find out about! :)

The book launches my new series, “The Billingham Bastards”, so I’ll be continuing my “disguise” theme for many books to come!

What are your favorite books that involve disguises, either literally or with characters pretending to be something they aren’t? And, what are you going to be for Halloween? I’m thinking zombie...