Avon Romance Blog

We've Moved!!

2010-02-12T14:46:00.003-05:00

Avon has been hard at work over the past few months working on a brand new destination site for our fans! And it's arrived! Head over to www.AvonRomance.com and check it out. Remember to leave a few comments with your thoughts.

And don't forget to update your RSS feed ...

Voting Ends Soon!

2010-01-30T00:34:00.001-05:00

THE SEASON BLOG is running a contest HERE for their readers’ Top Historical Romance pick of 2009.

Voting ends Sunday, January 31st. Please cast your ballot (or, rather, click your button) to make sure your favorite Avon title wins!

Be Careful What You Pray For

2010-01-28T00:34:00.005-05:00

New York Times bestselling author Kimberla Lawson Roby is back with the latest installment in her extremely popular Reverend Curtis Black series, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR.

The last time we saw the Reverend’s daughter Alicia Black, she had learned some very valuable lessons about herself and marriage...or had she?

Alicia’s now married to Pastor JT Valentine, a handsome man of the cloth who resembles her charismatic but morally flawed father in more ways than one. In fact, Curtis himself sees the similarities and tries to warn Alicia, but she’s too much in love with her new husband--and his status and wealth--to listen.

Will Alicia come to her senses, before it’s too late?

Kim Roby is a master at depicting the juicy scandals that can go on behind the scenes in a church community, and this book is no exception. If you missed her previous novel about Alicia, THE BEST OF EVERYTHING, it’s now out in paperback.

Taming The Highland Bride

2010-01-26T08:55:00.015-05:00

Merry Stewart, the “bride” in Lynsay Sands latest Scottish historical TAMING THE HIGHLAND BRIDE(on sale January 26th), has a tough time of it. She’s been waiting for her betrothed for quite some time, and, when he finally makes an appearance, she mistakenly believes he’s a drunk. Then, when she takes the reins on his clan, she’s labeled a shrew!

Poor Merry can’t catch a break. So, we decided to ask Lynsay for some advice: what should a modern woman do (or not do), if she should suddenly find herself in Medieval Scotland...

1) You should not train the men in battle techniques while wearing a dress.

2) You should not attempt to pry a maid from a drunk and randy Scot without a weapon (i.e., shield, pot, broom handle) in hand. And, you should use this weapon liberally, until such time as the drunkard has either passed out or left the maid and your person be and gone back into his cups.

3) You should probably keep any sarcastic comments to yourself, unless you know how to use a sword REALLY well.

4) Hope you are transported to someplace close to a lake (or loch, since it's Scotland.) It may be your only hope to bathe more than once every several months.

5) You should try to avoid going to the washroom as long as possible. Back then there was no such thing as toilet paper.

6) Make sure you’re on the Pill (LOL). I don’t think I have to go into detail about this. Hopefully, you will be so stressed out by your unexpected journey back in time that your time of the month will just disappear. We can always dream...

7) You should avoid walking close to buildings as people tended to discard the contents of their chamber pots on the streets without discretion.

8) Hopefully you don’t have an aversion to smells, as not only will you have to sleep beside a man that likely hasn’t bathed in a few months but your servants may never have bathed before in their entire lives... (shudder)

9) If you find you have a husband, there are certain rules when it comes to bedding. You cannot have sex during daylight hours, if you’re pregnant, if you’re nursing, during Lent, Advent, Whitsun week or Easter week, on Sundays, on Wednesdays, on Fridays, on Saturdays. Also, when having sex you’re not allowed to: be naked, fondle, kiss lewdly, try strange positions, enjoy it, and do it more than once. Oh...and you can’t have sex in church. (So essentially you can have sex on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday as long as you are fully clothed, don’t enjoy it, and are trying to get pregnant.)

10.) Don't drink the water!

(by Lynsay Sands)

It Happened One Season

2010-01-25T12:26:00.002-05:00

Four stories, four authors, one theme: that was the idea behind the bestselling anthology IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. Now, Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D’Alessandro, and Candice Hern return to write four stories ultimately chosen by you, the readers, in IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON.

Visit www.ItHappenedOneSeason.com to suggest your story. It must take place during the Regency social season. You must include three specific plot points (such as these used for the anthology IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT: (1) a couple meets at an inn 2) they had met before but not within the past ten years 3) the whole story takes place within a 24 hour period.)

Submit three specific plot elements and your ideas could create the theme of the four tales in the new anthology collection, IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON.

The authors choose the four finalists.

The readers vote on the ultimate favorite and one lucky winner will see their dream come true.

The grand prize winner will be acknowledged on the dedication page of IT HAPPENED ONE SEASON and receive a $1,000 American Express gift card and a copy signed by all 4 authors. Semi-finalists will receive $100 American Express gift cards and a set of personalized autographed books.

Deadline for ideas: February 14, 2010
Round two/general voting begins: February 25, 2010
Winner announced: March 14, 2010

Note: Contest is open to US residents only, age 18 or older.

Visit www.ItHappenedOneSeason.com for more details.

Please Vote!

2010-01-20T12:57:00.001-05:00

THE SEASON BLOG is running a contest HERE for their readers’ Top Historical Romance pick of 2009.

Please cast your ballot (or, rather, click your button) before January 31st, 2010, to make sure your favorite Avon title wins!

The Cougar Club

2010-01-19T14:29:00.007-05:00

Here is something I had to re-learn when editing Susan McBride's THE COUGAR CLUB: Cougars don't have spots. Leopards have spots; Cougars are solid and yellowish. Clearly, I need to turn off PROJECT RUNWAY and start watching more Animal Planet.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure I like the implication of the word "cougar." Not that I'm against the older woman/younger man thing. I think it's about time all women--and not just Cher--get to do what men have been doing for ages.

I think that somewhere along the line it all got turned around and not in a good way. And, yes, I can't resist: I blame the media.

Instead of the image of women embracing what they want (in this case, a man who isn't as old as she is), suddenly it's all about overly-tanned, overly aggressive women wearing lots and lots of bad jewelry. Unless, of course, you look like Courtney Cox. It's as if women can't win no matter what they do!

Something fun but still empowering has once again been turned into something vaguely demeaning. (Don't even get me going about "Chick Lit", a phrase I loathed. Once the term "Chick Lit" came into vogue, a wonderful, exciting trend--books by young, new voices--became a joke.)

HOWEVER, and here's a big however, while this is fiction (we don't all get to meet cute hockey players--and that really isn't much of a spoiler here), the characters here have the hopes, dreams, and fears that we all do. Yes, it's a lot of fun, but it also deals with some of the issues many women have to deal with today. THE COUGAR CLUB has got it all--romance, female friendship, and even a bit of fashion...And no fake tans.

Viking In Love

2010-01-17T09:43:00.000-05:00

Full disclosure: during my misspent youth, my friends and I actually had a plastic viking hat. I'm not quite sure why--perhaps it was a remnant from some long-forgotten Halloween party. But, for some reason, we called it the "fight for your right to party" hat. We'd bring it out at parties and pass it around while laughing our heads off at ourselves. Usually the person wearing it could just have been as easily wearing a lampshade...you get the picture. Hey, it was the 80's. It might have been a lot worse!

At any rate, my fondness for the fight for your right to party hat made me really sad that I couldn't put this sort of hat on the cover of Sandra Hill's VIKING IN LOVE, but, of course, that would be all wrong. A cover destined to be poked fun at on other blogs.

Hats (or, more accurately, helmets) aside, the idea of a Viking romance that has gotten everyone in the office all excited. I've had people from all sorts of departments (this means hardcover people) slink into my office and ask for a copy. "I love Vikings!" they tell me. "Well, you'll love this one!" I reply. "And you'll laugh your head off."

You really will. I had such a good time editing VIKING IN LOVE that I had a hard time concentrating on what I was supposed to be paying attention to--grammar, continuity, that sort of thing. I would disintigrate into gales of laughter and kind of forget what I was doing. Which, for me, is the sign of a truly good romance.

What I Read On My Christmas Vacation

2010-01-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

As you blog-readers know, I went to Alaska for my Christmas vacation. I stayed in a house with no t.v., and I didn't miss it one bit. Also, I had two really long plane trips, so I had plenty of time to read.

At the first editorial meeting in January, we were all asked what we'd read over the holidays. Here's what I would have said, if I had been called upon:

1) THE RIVER KING by Alice Hoffman

I have loved Alice Hoffman's work since I first read here way back when I was in college. This novel has sad, tender, and sometimes bad goings-on at a New England private school. I adored every word of it.

2) THE NINE NATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA by Joel Garreau

Because I am an egghead. This book is dated, but it's fascinating. And, it made me want to live in the part of the country he calls "Ecotopia."

3) THE LACUNA by Barbara Kinsolver

This is my bookclub's pick for next month. I just loved that it had Frieda Kahlo as a character. I'll have to think of something really smart to say when we discuss it in February.

4) WHAT I DID FOR LOVE by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Because a gal needs to read her some romance over the holidays!

What did you read on your vacation (if you got one!)

Welcome New Authors!

2010-01-12T19:34:00.014-05:00

We’re so excited to welcome our newest authors to the Avon Books family (I do this in reverse alphabetical order because I’m always at the end of the alphabet!)!

C.L. Wilson

Katie MacAlister

Marjorie Liu

Christine Feehan

Nina Bangs

Stay tuned to hear from our new authors in the near future.
Erika

Wicked, Sinful Nights

2010-01-08T12:13:00.005-05:00

by Julia Latham

WICKED, SINFUL NIGHTS--quite a title, huh? How does a book live up to that? Let’s see...

Wicked: That’s what Sarah Audley is considered--although she doesn’t know it at first. The League of the Blade, my secret group of knights (both male and female) who battle injustice and defend the innocent, doesn’t believe that Sarah is an innocent at all. They think she murdered her master, Viscount Drayton, out of jealousy and greed. Drayton was a Bladesman, and they plan to avenge their own. To prove her guilt, they send Sir Robert Hilliard, who was raised by the League along with his brothers. Robert has some proving of his own to do. The League is giving him one last chance to show that he is serious and committed to their causes, and Robert now realizes service to the League is more important than he ever knew. But then he meets Sarah, and every plan he had for his life is in jeopardy because of his reluctant, forbidden attraction to her. And that leads to...

Sinful: They resist it, of course. If Sarah and Robert fall for each other, he’ll be exiled from the only family he’s had, the League of the Blade. And, how can she ever trust him? The League wants him to get close to her, after all--is he lying, exploiting her desperation to have someone on her side? But, although these two people have every reason to avoid each other, they cannot. And that leads to...

Nights: The only time they can secretly be together, whether it’s beside a campfire in the woods where Sarah, a nurse, has taken her young charge, the Drayton heir, to protect him from the real murderer who wants the next viscount dead, or alone at last in Robert’s bedchamber, where Robert and Sarah risk everything to find love.

WICKED, SINFUL NIGHTS--I was worried that the title didn’t fit at first. But, hey, we just proved it did!

So what title would summarize your life?

A Second Helping

2010-01-07T12:50:00.008-05:00

by author Beverly Jenkins

A SECOND HELPING is the latest installment in the series that began with BRING ON BLESSINGS.

Who knew that there could be so much excitement in a small town on the plains of Kansas, or that this same town, founded in the 1880s by freed slaves would still be alive and kicking in the 21st century? Granted, the years in between took their toll, and the town fathers and mothers had to put the town up for sale on eBay, but thanks to the perseverance of its residents and the generosity of heroine Bernadine Brown, Henry Adams is now thriving.

For A SECOND HELPING, new characters were added like Jack James and his Goth acting son, Eli. Bernadine’s adulterous ex-husband Leo shows up, and Rocky Dancer, after divorcing her new husband for wearing her underwear, returns to town to run the newly renovated Dog and Cow, the diner that is the hub of the community.

However, as the book closes, many loose threads remain. Will musical prodigy Zoey Raymond ever speak? Will Bernadine honor Devon’s request to be the town’s preacher? Will the court really put Riley Curry and his clothes wearing hog Cletus on trial for the death of extortionist Morton Prell. As the announcer used to intone on the old radio show: Only the Shadow knows. (Ask your grandparents) J

This series has been a blast to write and, from all the feedback and emails from the readers, it’s been a blast for them as well. Everyone wants to know what’s going to happen next. So, my question to you is: What would you like to see happen in the next installment of this beloved series?

Me, As A Regency Heroine

2010-01-06T11:54:00.007-05:00

Sometimes, especially when standing on a stuffed-to-the-gills A train which came 15 minutes later than it was supposed to, I can't help but fantasize about what it would be like to be a moneyed regency heroine. Beautiful dresses, horse drawn carriages, balls, buckets of tea in pretty cups (in general, I think we should install tea time into our afternoon schedule), handsome, wealthy suitors with delightful British accents...And, then, I always come to the conclusion that I would, in fact, be a rather poor excuse for a regency heroine:

- I can't play the piano. Though I took lessons as a kid, I never had the patience to practice.

- I most certainly cannot sing...woe for the unfortunate 19th century dinner party guests.

- I'm nearly blind without my contacts, and hate wearing glasses in public (which would make it rather difficult to see said handsome suitors).

- I'm a rather unfortunate dancer. Last week, while on vacation, I tried to take a Zumba® class with my mom and sisters (sort of an aerobic/dance class) and I think the instructor may have felt sorry for me.

- Also, I still haven't found a regency romance with the heroine named "Amanda", although I would be delighted if anyone could think of one I've missed!

Oh well, Elizabeth Bennet I am not, but I suppose it's lucky I have plenty of reading material on hand with fabulous, smart, and multi-talented heroines (who always, invariably know how to dance while making witty conversation). In fact, this month I think I shall pick up Elizabeth Boyle's latest HOW I MET MY COUNTESS.

Also, I'm sure we've linked to this before, but you can create yourself as a regency heroine.

January Blues

2010-01-04T20:50:00.014-05:00

Happy New Year!

After nearly two full weeks of glorious, relaxing vacation up in snowy Maine with my large and very entertaining family,

I am determined to beat back the post-holiday, January blues and kick off 2010 thinking of things that make me happy. A few in no particular order...

GLEE Soundtrack(s)--perfect for iPod® listening at the gym (and to get me through until the next season starts in March)

BITTEN BY CUPID: In a trifecta of paranormal delight, Lynsay Sands and rising stars Pamela Palmer and Jaime Rush thrill with a whole lot of romance and fun this month.

Mini burgers and sweet potato fries...which are just a few more reasons to hit that elliptical a bit harder 

SECRETS OF THE LOST SYMBOL: The Unauthorized Guide To The Mysteries Behind THE DA VINCI CODE Sequel

I read Dan Brown's latest over vacation, and couldn't resist snagging a copy of this great guide to separating the facts/fiction of the history, science, and hidden meanings behind the story (out this month!)

Brand new plaid galoshes (from my sister)--bring on that NYC rain and slush!

Help me out...what other fun movies, books, shows, holiday presents are you excited about this month?

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:34:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 2009 and is looking forward to an even better 2010. I know my 2009 holiday has definitely been one to remember! For my Birthmaskuh (Birthday, Christmas and Hanukkah) present, I welcomed a new member to my family--a little French Bulldog puppy named Luna.

Though the past couple of months have been tough--at four and a half months old, Luna's bladder is the size of a walnut, she loves chasing after and terrorizing her big sister, calico kitty, Chloe,

and she has yet to allow me to sleep through the night--this little puppy is the best present I've ever received. She has bought a lot of joy and messy fun into our lives.

What were some of your most memorable moments this past year? Any special presents, events or people that really touched you?

Altar Of Eden

2009-12-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Now that the Christmas madness is over--the shopping! the cooking! the celebrating! (well, wait, there’s more of that to be done in a few days)--we all have a few minutes to take a breath, survey our gifts (those that we wished for and those that are less than perfect), and think about the few things that we’d maybe still like to pick up. Like the new James Rollins novel ALTAR OF EDEN, which is on sale today!

Rollins is known for his skill at combining fascinating elements--science, religion, history and breakneck action--into a novel that is truly impossible to put down. And, this latest is no exception.

Taking a breather from his acclaimed Sigma Force series, Rollins returns to his roots in the first stand alone novel he’s published in more than five years. This one is dynamite! It features Lorna Polk, a truly kick-ass heroine, a veterinarian in New Orleans who shares a dark secret in her past with Jack Menard, a rugged, sexy, U.S. Border Patrol agent. Neither one of them wanted to revisit their history but they are thrust together to investigate a black market exotic animal ring. There is something frighteningly wrong with these animals--and Lorna and Jack must face their past and work together to uncover the truth about these strange creatures and the terrorist threat they pose.

Not only are there cool birds and mammals and threats to humankind in this novel, but there is a remarkable heroine, an amazing hero, and a deep and emotional romance that will surprise you with its impact. There’s no better way to end 2009/start 2010 than to read this book. Really!

Christmas Flight

2009-12-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

I went up to Alaska to see the boyfriend for Christmas and the adventure started pretty much from the moment I got there. After staying in Ketchikan for one night, I arrived bright and early (7am) at Pacific Air for my float plane experience...it was pounding rain and windy. But the nice fellows at the terminal weighed me, weighed my luggage, and said we were going.

So, I got into the plane along with a whole back seat of mail and took off into the wind. Now, I've been in these planes before and I pretty much know how they sound and this one did NOT sound right. Maybe it was the prop cutting out that gave me my first clue. Before I knew it, the pilot said in his best Chuck Yeager voice, "Sorry. We're going back." No kidding, I thought, just glad this hadn't happened when we were out over the middle of nowhere.

I thought that was it for the day, but nope. About an hour later, the luggage and backseat of mail were transferred to a new plane and a new pilot. He was very cute and, if he was 25, I'd be surprised (apologies if I am wrong!). We bobbled our way out into the water and went...nowhere. This time, I was told, "Life is just too short. It's not worth it." And back to the dock we went.

There was no way I was going to be upset at safety, but, at that point, I'd pretty much reconciled myself to spending Christmas in the Best Western. It sure seemed that way...but the luggage was still out on the plane, so I got some more coffee and waited. And waited. And waited. Suddenly, out comes the pilot, who announces, "We're going!"

Against every better instinct I've had in my entire life, I got on for ride #3, and was shocked that we actually took off for a 20 minute flight that was surprisingly calm, until I was told "It's gonna get a little bumpy here." Remember: these are PILOTS. "A little bumpy" means you are going to be on a ride scarier than anything Great Adventure can cook up.

We made a turn that made my stomach lurch (yes, I had a barf bag) and I can't even describe how badly I was shaken around in that plane. I was determined not to be the wimp from New York, until one big lurch made me yelp. That was when the pilot said, "Don't panic till I panic." For some reason this really did make me feel better.

So, I grabbed the barf bag for dear life and we headed into dock. I figured, if he wasn't panicked, I was going to just buck up. Here's a picture of me and a whole lot of Christmas gifts "deplaning."

I thought about taking the barf bag as a souvenir but figured I'd leave it for the trip back. He said I did just fine, and I take heart that some city guy flying in for fishing might have been more scared than I.

Later, I took a walk out to the totem park and thanked the bear for my safe arrival.

I also thank the really nice and professional guys at Pacific Air for getting me to Christmas in one piece--and also for the strong coffee!

Please, If You're There!

2009-12-27T00:34:00.002-05:00

Is Anyone Out There?

2009-12-26T00:34:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T00:01:00.006-05:00

A Holiday Treat

All I Want For Christmas is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

What's Going On?

2009-12-24T00:34:00.002-05:00

Lou Waxnicki needs your help:

Trailer: What I Did For Love

2009-12-23T00:34:00.007-05:00

What would YOU do for love?

See what Susan Elizabeth Phillips has to say about the subject!

The Zombies are coming!

2009-12-22T12:46:00.006-05:00

The Zombies are coming! The Zombies are coming!

First Drop Of Crimson

2009-12-21T00:34:00.008-05:00

Enjoy this trailer for FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON by Jeaniene Frost.

10 Things To Love About December

2009-12-18T12:22:00.014-05:00

Guest Blog from author Caroline Linden:

10 Things I Love about December

1) The weather. This might sound strange, given that I live in New England, but December weather is usually pretty nice. Crisp and cool, only sometimes brutally cold, a chance of snow (which is perfectly acceptable), and that stark blue sky you only see in winter (or technically, for most of the month, fall).

2) The lights. I am a total sucker for those strings of little lights every mall and shop window is decorated with this time of year. Plus, they help make up for the fact that it gets dark in the middle of the afternoon now.

3) Baking. Yum. Need I say more? Even if you hate to cook and think your kitchen is inhabited by evil gremlins who will suck out your brains if you enter, you can still enjoy holiday baking. Just stop in front of your favorite bakery and breathe deeply.

4) Drinking. 'Tis the season of hot mulled wine, mulled cider, eggnog, and champagne.

5) Fire. Candles and fireplaces were invented for December.

6) Books. Anyone in possession of a crackling fire and some cinnamon-y, clove-y, whipped-cream-topped hot apple cider, must be in want of a good book.

7) Sales. Especially at bookstores. Especially when those bookstores email the extra coupons right to you.

8) The internet. OK, I love the internet year 'round, but particularly in December, when it saves me from going to the shopping center with everyone else in creation. The books are mailed right to my door!!!

9) Catalogs. Yes, I like this form of junk mail. Holiday catalogs are so shiny and pretty (although there is a bit of confusion when the Victoria's Secret catalog comes with the King Arthur Baking Catalog. So I want to fit into that underwear, or make the double-chocolate gooey oatmeal squares? Hmmm). And, then you can order online. See #8.

10) Vacation. Everyone deserves a day off at the end of a long year.

Anything to add to my list?

Lyssa: The one thing I’d like to add to the Things to Love about December is Caroline Linden’s latest (December 2009) release FOR YOUR ARMS ONLY, which, by the way, was just nominated for a Romantic Times award for Best British Isle Set Historical Romance. Congrats, Caroline!!

In a wonderful mix of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE meets Regency England, Caroline creates an exciting, intriguing, romantic world with dashing heroes and daring heroines, page-turning plots and breathless passion. Don’t miss FOR YOUR ARMS ONLY this December, and be sure to read DEEPER THAN DESIRE, an original companion story to this delightful romance.

Happy reading--and happy holidays!!

Romance Radio - Lori Wilde

2009-12-16T13:30:00.004-05:00

Romance Radio Event: Meet Lori Wilde, author of THE SWEETHEART'S KNITTING CLUB

Avon is proud to introduce Lori Wilde, author of THE SWEETHEART'S KNITTING CLUB. The debut of this new series introduces readers to the small town of Twilight, Texas, and Flynn McGregor, a young woman who’s always done exactly what her friends, family, and fellow knitters have told her to do--until Jesse Calloway, her bad-boy high school sweetheart, roars back into town.

Join us on Thursday, 12/17 at 2 PM (Eastern Time) as New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell interviews Lori Wilde about this fabulous new yarn! Listen or call in LIVE: (347) 826-9686

Best Historical Romance Cover of 2009

2009-12-15T15:24:00.007-05:00

It’s that time of year--as Tessa mentioned in her blog last week--when we get inundated with the “Best Of” lists. The best music, movies, books...

The New York Times Travel section had the best ski trips for 2010 in Sunday’s paper. My favorite parts of ski trips are always the hot tubs and the hot chocolate (spiked or not; I can swing both ways in that regard) by the fire in the lodge. Notice my favorite ski moments have to do with things hot--not cold??

But I do like being out on the slopes, even though I was once dubbed the world’s slowest skier. I like to take in the sights. What’s the rush? Anyway, I seriously digress. What I did want to mention is that there is one Best Of that I completely agree with: Best Historical Romance Cover of 2009: CONFESSIONS OF A LITTLE BLACK GOWN by Elizabeth Boyle (selected by The Season Blog)

Congrats, Elizabeth!! I’m a smidge biased, but I think that this is one of the most gorgeous covers out there--and it’s an amazing book, too. This is one of those cases where you really can judge a book by its cover.

Elizabeth Boyle is such a talent! She creates some of the most clever concepts and unique scenarios for her characters, and the action, emotion and sensuality in her books make them nearly impossible to put down. So please do appreciate this book for it’s stunning cover but do also enjoy it for the amazing content in between those covers. It’s a win/win. And, while I’m at it, so is the subsequent book MEMOIRS OFA SCANDALOUS RED DRESS.

What were some of your favorite covers of the year?

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

2009-12-14T12:43:00.009-05:00

I can’t believe the holiday season is in full swing already! How does that happen--and why do I get caught on my heels every year, even though I always say this year will be different??

I have to confess, though, that I love New York City during the holidays. With all of the lights, and the wreaths, and the holiday music, it’s hard not to get into the spirit! I especially love the smells of the holidays: pine and cinnamon, and warm coffee and fresh baked cookies.

I’m not often in the kitchen, but even I can be found there over the holidays, muddling around. Clearly, family and food are big components of any holiday celebration, and that brings to mind a really fun, beautifully designed cookbook that you should check out. It’s THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS: RECIPES FROM AN ACCIDENTAL COUNTRY GIRL.

If you love cowboys, this is the cookbook for you. Ree Drummond, the author, traces her transition from city life to rancher’s wife. Not only is the book full of mouth-watering recipes, but you’ll also find scores of photos of cows, horses, country kids and cowboys (!) as well as delightful rural stories based on the author’s popular blog, "Confessions of a Pioneer Woman". Romance writers may even find some fodder here for their books--or at least some inspiration!

In the words of Ree Drummond: “I hope you get a kick out of this book of mine. I hope it makes you smile. I hope the recipes bring you recognition, accolades, and marriage proposals. And, I hope it encourages even the most harried urban cook to slow down, relish the joys of family, nature, and great food, and enjoy life.” Seems like holiday spirit to me! What are your favorite elements of the holidays??

Did You Know?

2009-12-10T15:19:00.010-05:00

I don’t know how many you of have seen the movie THE PROPOSAL but I would like to take a moment, here and now, to tell you, in no uncertain terms, that publishing is NOTHING like that. Glamorous? Nope. Fancy offices? Nah uh. An author who doesn’t want be on Oprah? Not a chance!

I may get in trouble for this but I’m going to let you, oh dearly beloved Avon Romance Blog readers, in on the dark and sordid side of Romance Publishing.

Did you know that editors don’t just get to spend the day sitting back on tufted couches reading and editing and munching on bonbons? Usually we do most of that stuff at home--well, the reading and editing part at least. The bonbon munching is optional.

Did you know that, in fact, we spend most of the day answering email, answering the phone, and mailing insane numbers of packages? I took this picture the other day. I had completely blocked the doorway to my office! Each time an author’s book is published in a foreign country, we get copies! And, someone has to make sure they get to the authors! That’s where the editors come in.

Did you know that we use Post-It® Notes like they’re going out of style? When I’ve finished editing a book, one side always looks like it’s wearing a grass skirt! My favorite part of the editing process is when I have finished my second go-through and pulled all of the Post-Its®. Though I often find them stuck to other papers for days after!

Did you know that to send the pictures to my computer, so that I could share my pain with you, I had to go stand in a far corner of Carrie’s office and hold my cell phone next to the window? Glamorous, indeed!

Did you know that no one who looks like Ryan Reynolds works at Avon?

Are there any deep dark publishing secrets you’re dying to have debunked? Let me know!

Favorites!

2009-12-09T11:16:00.017-05:00

How do you know it’s the holiday time? By all the tourists who have flocked to my lovely city? By the fact that stores along Madison Avenue seem to be piping out the smell of gingerbread and pine needles? (Seriously, if you live in New York, walk by the Sony building on Madison--there’s Christmas Smell coming from the windows, it’s a little disconcerting.) By the Menorahs starting to show up in store fronts? Nope. It’s by all of the bazillions of “Best Books of 2009” lists!

Here’s just a smattering:

Salon’s Best Non-Fiction

The New Yorker’s Review Favorites

B&N

So, obviously, it’s time for: Tessa’s Top Picks of 2009*

*The Fine Print: This list is in no particular order and is completely arbitrary and subject to change. It is based solely on my current mood which is, I’ll admit, a little cranky right now. If you ask me again in a week, it might be completely different.

Not all of these books were necessarily published in 2009. I’m often a little behind the times, ask anyone. And, yes, many of these will be HarperCollins titles--it’s not actually out of company loyalty but the fact that I am quite lazy and getting Avon Romances does not require me to leave my desk. Also, Avon rocks.

MERRY, MERRY GHOST by Carolyn Hart
This is one of the best mysteries I have read all year. It infused me with so much Yuletide Cheer. Which is especially funny since I read an early copy in July.

MASTERED BY LOVE by Stephanie Laurens
I’ve already blogged about my extreme love for this book.

THE LEGEND OF THE FOUR SOLDIERS Series by Elizabeth Hoyt
These romances are so much fun and prove that you don’t have to have a “typical” hero to have a super hot and incredibly deep love story.

BEYOND HEAVING BOSOMS by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan
I actually read this book cover to cover which may have been a bad idea… I had a lot of trouble reading romance novels for the next couple of weeks without having the Smart Bitch’s voices in my head.

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett
Please go out and buy this book. It is incredible. A new modern classic...

THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG by Muriel Barbery
Another one that’s going to go on my new classics list. It’s so lovely and French.

DON'T TEMPT ME by Loretta Chase
I love how Loretta Chase is able to turn romance on its ear with her strong and incredibly interesting heroines. I just loved Zoe!

The Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries by C. S. Harris
I just discovered this series and have devoured four of them in the last week and a half. Anyone who enjoys historical mysteries should go out and pick one up! (Special thanks to Helen Breitwieser who turned me on to them.)

All of the books that I edited! Obviously.

Speaking of favorite things: I have 15 copies of an old favorite--Judith Ivory’s BLACK SILK. The first 15 people to leave a comment with their favorite (or least favorite!) book of the year get a copy! Think of it as my Chanukah, Christmas, Solstice, Kwanza present to you.

Mrs. Miracle Apron Winners!

2009-12-08T12:18:00.005-05:00

We have picked our winners for the MRS. MIRACLE Apron/Book Giveaway:

Bev's Banana Bread and Jane's Pecan Snickerdoodles!

Bev and Jane, please send your mailing address information HERE
Congratulations to the winners! (recipes below)

Bev's Banana Bread

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup (2 medium) mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts, if desired
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degree F. Grease bottom only of 9x5 or 8x4 inch loaf pan. In large bowl, beat sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add bananas, milk and vanilla; blend well. In small bowl, combine flour, nuts, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add to banana mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into greased pan. Bake at 350 degree F for 50 to 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.

Yield: 1 (16 slice) loaf.

Jane's Pecan Snickerdoodles

2-1/2 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, slightly softened
1-3/4 cups sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix flour, pecans, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl; set aside.

BEAT butter and 1-1/2 cups of the sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat until well blended. Add dry ingredients; beat on low speed until well mixed. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Ten Reasons To Live In A Regency Romance Novel

2009-12-07T20:52:00.009-05:00

Everything I Needed to Know About Life I Learned from Romance Novels

Happy December, Faithful Readers!

I don’t know if you remember that old Internet meme that was passed around on AOL in the days when Gmail was just a gleam in a computer nerd’s eye. It was all about the silly things that are common movie tropes--like the fact that there is always a loaf of French bread in every grocery bag, that all sheets are “L” shaped (to tuck up under a woman’s armpits but around a man’s waist), that no bad guys can ever shoot straight, and that the Eiffel Tower is visible from every window in Paris, the same way that the Brooklyn Bridge is visible from every window in Brooklyn. Things that will seriously confuse whatever alien culture comes to inhabit our world after we’re long gone...

I was thinking about this as I was having trouble falling asleep last night. You see, I had made the dreaded mistake of having caffeine too late in the day. And, all I could think was the fact that Romance Novel Heroines NEVER have trouble sleeping because of caffeine, even though they are constantly drinking tea!

Which led me to all of the other things that seem to hold true in Romance World. Or, to steal a phrase from one of my favorite books about romance Romancelandia.

So, without further ado, Top Ten Reasons I Would Like to Live in a Regency Romance Novel:

- People always curb their dogs. And horses.

- Tea can be drunk at all hours of the day or night and the caffeine will never keep you up. (Nor will having to, ahem, heed the call of nature...)

- Attending Afternoon Tea everyday. And, while we’re at it, tea cakes!

- Though there is no centralized heating, no one ever seems to get that cold. This one is very near and dear to my heart right now since I am ALWAYS cold!

- There is an unending supply of very good-looking male nobility.

- All of said good-looking male nobility can waltz divinely!

- Most of the good-looking, waltzing male nobility have heads for figures and make scads of money.

= Gunters. I mean, doesn’t that place just sound yummy?

- Pretty, pretty dresses.

- All those lovely houses with their sumptuous libraries.

What about you? What would induce you to hop a magic carpet back in time to brave the wilds of the Pump Room?

Mrs. Miracle

2009-12-04T13:01:00.004-05:00

Debbie Macomber’s bestselling novel is now a Hallmark Channel Original Movie starring Doris Roberts and James Van Der Beek! If you are anything like me and can’t resist a holiday love story, then don’t miss the premiere this Saturday, December 5 at 8 PM EST on the Hallmark Channel.

Seth Webster's heart never healed after he lost his adored wife. Now, with Christmas approaching, wild twin boys to raise alone, a home in chaos, and the latest in a long line of exasperated housekeepers quitting in disgust, Seth needs more than help to keep his family together...he needs a miracle.

And, then, a miracle arrives on his doorstep. Her name is Mrs. Merkle, but the kids call her "Mrs. Miracle"--and from the moment the warm, knowing, and very patient nanny appears, everything is different, and Seth may have found the courage to love again.

In the true holiday spirit of MRS. MIRACLE, Avon will be giving away two adorable MRS. MIRACLE aprons paired with a copy of the book to two lucky winners!

To enter the contest, share one of your favorite holiday cookie recipes as a comment to this post. Let the most enticing, mouth watering recipe win!

Suzanne Enoch - Romance Radio

2009-12-03T11:59:00.009-05:00

Romance Radio Event:
THE CARE AND TAMING OF A ROGUE author Suzanne Enoch

Every love story needs a good monkey. Join New York Times bestselling author SUZANNE ENOCH (who will be interviewed by fellow romance luminary/Romance Radio roving reporter Cathy Maxwell), as she talks about her newest bestseller, THE CARE AND TAMING OF A ROGUE. After all, everyone needs a good (furry) sidekick.

Listen today at 2 pm EST on Romance Radio or call in LIVE (347) 826-9686

CLICK HERE

What I Did For Love

2009-12-02T11:34:00.006-05:00

For love of a bad boy:

In her newest sexy, sassy romantic comedy, WHAT I DID FOR LOVE, good girl actress Georgie York has been publicly abandoned by her famous, movie-star husband for an international do-good superstar.

You might think that WHAT I DID FOR LOVE is rooted in a perennial tabloid love triangle...one that's generating more buzz as a certain pouty-lipped actress is sharing steamy shower scenes with the sexiest man alive in an upcoming flick. But this video, will set you straight: in the author's own words, she tells why it's a tale straight from SEP's heart, "where redemption is always possible, and even a fake Hollywood couple trapped in a pretend marriage might find true love." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

The Season - Readers' Choice Poll

2009-12-01T02:06:00.009-05:00

So many Avon Books have covers up for the 2009 Best Historical Covers award. Go take a look and cast your vote!! CLICK HERE

Favorite Lawmen

2009-11-30T11:41:00.004-05:00

I just spent seven days on jury duty. Now, when I got my summons, I was super excited. I've always wanted to be called for jury duty and the few times it happened in the past, I was away at school.

So, after all these years, patiently waiting, it was finally here! Of course, in all of my fantasizing about the joys of jury duty, I forgot that I might have to actually...serve on a jury.

Annoying/scary as it was, I have to say that our justice system is pretty cool. And it works! Plus, the judge was right out of an episode of LAW & ORDER--no-nonsense, witty, and smart. The lawyers were very lawyerly and the cops...well, let's just say the legacy of Lenny Briscoe has nothing to worry about.

Anyway, this all got me thinking about my favorite fictional police officers. Of course, there's the late, great Detective Lenny Briscoe (sidebar: did you all know that Jerry Orbach was a Broadway star? Check him out HERE. The great small-town sheriffs from MURDER, SHE WROTE are hilarious. And, let's not forget Officer Tom Hanson, otherwise known as Johnny Depp's character in 21 JUMP STREET.

My latest favorite is Sheriff Dylan Taber of Gospel, Idaho (and of TRUE CONFESSIONS by Rachel Gibson). I have wanted to live in New York City my whole life and I have no plans of moving, ever. But if all the lawmen in Idaho are like Dylan...I may just have to rethink my life goals.

Any fictional characters you wish would come to life? (No Fitzwilliam Darcys please! Surprise me!)

9 Rules To Break When Romancing A Rake

2009-11-27T12:30:00.007-05:00

Today, I'm turning the blog over to a brand new Avon author Sarah MacLean. You may not know her, yet--she has previously written a YA novel called THE SEASON ,available from Scholastic--however, in March, her book will, I predict, burst on the scene. Sarah already has a rave from Eloisa James, and with those sorts of creds, how can she miss?

Like Carrie’s mom, my favorite holiday is also Thanksgiving. It’s absolutely because of the food; there is nothing better than a gravy-soaked plate of turkey with all the trimmings. Nothing, that is, but the Friday afternoon leftovers that make the sandwich of champions!

This year, in the midst of those Friday afternoon leftovers, the holidays are looming--and, with them, dreaded responsibility. Shopping, cooking, entertaining, decorating...as fun as December can be, there seems to be an awful lot of rules that get in the way of the festivities.

So, it seems fitting that (as I bide my time until the new year, and the release of my first Avon romance, NINE RULES TO BREAK WHEN ROMANCING A RAKE) I share my "Nine Rules For Surviving The Holiday Season".

1. Remember that family drama is excellent fodder for that novel you’ve always wanted to write. When it gets to be too much, envision eviscerating that awful aunt in fiction.

2. If you get a chance under the mistletoe, take it. The halls are only decked once a year.

3. Start shopping early and mine those sales, but remember: Just because that puff-painted cardigan is 70% off doesn’t make it a bargain.

4. Make every night of Hanukkah count. Giving gelt on night three is just plain phoning it in.

5. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Twitter tip! From now until December 19th, the elves at Sephora (one of my favorite stores) are granting one beauty wish a day--if that’s not a reason to start tweeting, I don’t know what is!

6. Regifting is bad karma.

7. No stocking is complete without a romance novel. First, they’re the perfect size and, second, they’re an excellent escape from the post-holiday blues. I, for one, am hoping Santa will leave me a copy of Victoria Alexander’s new BELIEVE--it was one of my very favorite romances back in the day (everyone loves a good time-travel, right?), and now it’s updated for a new era.

8. Reconsider waking up at 3 AM to beat the crowds at the mall. Stay in your jammies, cuddle on the couch with the dog, and shop online. I promise you, no gift is worth standing in line...in the dark...in the freezing cold.

9. Nice might be what Santa is looking for...but naughty is way more fun.

So...what are your rules for surviving the holidays?

Thanksgiving Romance?

2009-11-25T10:06:00.007-05:00

Thanksgiving is my mother's favorite holiday. I'm not sure if it's because of the food, the fact that it's such an inclusive holiday, or that my grandmother's birthday often fell on Thanksgiving Day.

But, whatever the reason, I too honor the holiday by hosting family and friends every year at my huge table in the country. I honor my grandmother by placing the two little battered pilgrim candles (never lit) that graced her table in the middle of my centerpiece.

This year, my mom decided to go to Colonial Williamsburg to celebrate in a different sort of way, and in order to join her in spirit I've been immersing myself in novels about colonial America. On Friday, I saw THE CRUCIBLE and, over the weekend, I read Brunonia Barry's amazing book THE LACE READER and Kathleen Kent's THE HERETIC'S APPRENTICE. Richly textured, both novels are set in Salem. Enough said.

It made me realize that, last year, I read Nathaniel Philbrick's MAYFLOWER, which I highly recommend and my daughter read one of my all time favorite books: THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND by Elizabeth George Speare (a great essay about this book is in Lizzie Skurnick's SHELF DISCOVERY).

However, all these books feature witches and only the children's book is really a romance novel. This led me to a frightening conclusion--Is THANKSGIVING a horribly unromantic holiday?

Sure we've published books with witches, like CHRISTINA DODD's A WELL FAVORED GENTLEMAN, and we've published Christmas books like MRS MIRACLE and Eloisa James' witty and tear-inducing AN AFFAIR BEFORE CHRISTMAS. But is there a Thanksgiving book? Maybe we should challenge one of our writers to create one for next year. What do you all think?

And, to my mom, enjoying an authentic Williamsburg Thanksgiving: watch out for witches!

The Christmas Pearl

2009-11-24T10:15:00.008-05:00

Hi, everyone, back at work. Well, at least for one day before I start preparing my Thanksgiving Feast. And, you know what comes after Thanksgiving? Leftovers and Black Friday.

One of the things that I really enjoy doing for my daughter is her stocking. I buy her stocking stuffers that are equal to her age. So, this year it's 13 presents for her. I imagine that since she's almost 14 I will actually buy all these stocking stuffers at Sephora or CVS. I'm sure she'll be really excited to have make up and hair ties.

But what about us? What should we buy each other that is small enough to fit into a stocking and yet meaningful? I'd suggest Dorothea Benton Frank's THE CHRISTMAS PEARL.

Dottie wrote this book a few years ago, and it was first published in hardcover. This year, this slender volume is available in paperback for the first time. Packed with Southern Recipes and black and white pictures of old time Charleston, the most important thing about this book is that it is a heartwarming reminder that family is the heart of all of our winter holidays. In these pages, you will meet a ghost, who is just about the coolest ghost in literary history.

Dottie herself is Southern and warm-hearted, and sitting down with this book is like having a long talk with her out on her porch in Sullivans Island. Just in case you don't have anyone on your list who deserves this fun book, buy it for yourself.

A Hero Of Our Time

2009-11-23T10:08:00.010-05:00

Okay, what is worse than your child being sick the days prior to Thanksgiving? Perhaps your child being sick right when you are supposed to blog. Luckily I have a new brilliant friend (and great writer, though, sadly not for Avon) who agreed to stand in for me today. Presenting Cara Elliott!

A Hero of Our Time (with apologies to 19th century Russian novelist Mikhail Lermontov)
By Cara Elliott

Like many of you, I am a big fan of historical romance. However, much as I hate to admit it, I’m more comfortable slipping into sweatpants than a silk ballgown. It may not be a very “girl” thing to confess, but I’m a bit of a “jock.”

I grew up swatting balls on a tennis court and played on my college squash team. (Given my love of Regency England, it’s no surprise that I moved on to an esoteric game that originated in the 19th century debtors prisons of London.) The pinnacle of my athletic career came when I won the New York City Women’s Squash Championship and got to hug an immensely impressive silver trophy called the Feron’s Cup.

Yes, THAT Feron!

Much to my delight, I recently discovered that Carrie Feron and I share more than a love for romance novels. A chance comment revealed that she is one of the “racquet” Ferons, a legendary family in the world of sports, going back to her great grandfather Stephen James Feron, who was the World Champion of squash tennis. So, we’ve been having fun trading sporting memories...and found that we also share a “thing” for tennis superstar Andre Agassi. (His new book, a revealing autobiography aptly entitled OPEN, has garnered a lot of attention in the media lately because of its candid revelations about his life on and off the court.)

Okay, you are probably scratching your head over where I am going with this. After all, we are here to dish about romance, and what do Andre Agassi and romance have in common? Be patient--I’m about to explain. But first, a slight digression on the nature of heroes, a subject near and dear to our hearts.

Another confession. I have a thing for bad-boy heroes--those outwardly tough men whose devil-may-care arrogance hides a brooding, lonely, vulnerable soul. Take, for example, Eloisa James’ Leopold Dautry, the notorious Duke of Villiers. Oh, that sardonic wit, wielded with the razor sharp edge of a rapier. Oh, that air of affected indifference, intoned in that lazy drawl. Or think for a moment about Loretta Chase’s James Cordier, the hard-bitten spy who sneers at the mere notion of softer sentiment. Don’t you just itch to get your hands on one of these men and light a spark in his heart? (and, er, perhaps in a slightly lower portion of his anatomy.)

Now, back to Agassi...As Carrie and I were discussing our mutual attraction, I pointed out that it was no great mystery why we both are in love with him. It’s because he is the quintessential romantic hero. Really, I’m totally serious about this. Just think about it--here was a rakish rogue who entered Society (i.e. the tennis world) and proceeded to thumb his nose at tradition and play by his own rules. He wore pink lycra and denim when white clothing was de rigeur. He was brash, bold, and deliberately outrageous in a game that was still a tad stuffy. And, he got away with it because he was one of the crown princes of the sport.

But along the way, Agassi occasionally showed hints of endearing vulnerability hidden beneath the outward show of cocky, self-assured toughness. One began to sense that there might be a beguiling chink in his lordly armor. And, sure enough, in his new book, he admits that he was often confused, lonely, and tortured by self-doubts.

So what happened? The Right Woman (i.e. Steffi Graf, a champion tennis player in her own right) came onto the court and it was a match made in heaven. It turns out that Agassi just needed the power of true love to bring meaning and happiness to his life.

For me, Andre Agassi’s story reads like the perfect romance novel. Conflict. Suffering. Redemption...which only affirms how well authors of our genre understand the essence of real people and real human emotion.

And so, the point of my verbal spins and slices is to raise a loud cheer. HUZZAH FOR HEROES, be they made of flesh and blood or paper and ink, be they dressed in lycra and spandex or velvet and lace. They make us sigh, they make us smile, they make us swoon. And, most of all, they make our hearts sing!

Love Begins In Winter

2009-11-21T04:03:00.006-05:00

There are few books that I’ve read that are more romantic than LOVE BEGINS IN WINTER by Simon Van Booy, a collection of short stories that is the equivalent of spending a weekend in Paris.

In one story, a French cellist runs into a woman who has a habit of collecting acorns. In another, a man’s narrow, repressed life is suddenly opened up by the discovery that he has a long-lost daughter living a continent away.

Since there are only five stories, I won’t reveal any more--but rest assured that they take you on a journey around the world, from Las Vegas to Rome to Ireland to Stockholm, and place becomes a character that you fall in love with.

What is the most romantic place you’ve ever been?

Romance Radio - Captive of Sin

2009-11-19T02:42:00.012-05:00

Romance Radio Event TODAY (11/19)!

CAPTIVE OF SIN author Anna Campbell

CAPTIVE OF SIN is about two tortured souls who, despite the odds, find a once-in-a-lifetime love.

Join us at 5 PM EST, and let's talk about love against all obstacles, alpha male issues, and the merits of good old-fashioned romance with one of everyone's favorite authors!

Listen on Romance Radio or call in LIVE (347) 826-9686.

Friendship Cake & Christmas Cake

2009-11-18T11:30:00.014-05:00

Nine years ago, Lynne Hinton wrote a book called FRIENDSHIP CAKE that quickly became a national bestseller. It told the story of five women in a small town in North Carolina who help each other overcome life’s adversities through conversation, friendship, and plenty of good food.

Two books in the series later (HOPE SPRINGS and FOREVER FRIENDS), the ladies are back for the holiday season in CHRISTMAS CAKE.

Some things have changed for them--one has moved to New Mexico to run a women’s shelter, another finds that her cancer has returned--but other things, like their friendship, remain steadfast.

In addition to its wonderful portrayal of female friendship, what I love about this book are the cake recipes. Just reading the table of contents makes my mouth water: Ambrosia Cake, Apple Dabble Cake, Peaches and Cream Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Old-Fashioned Yellow Cake with Caramel Icing, Lemon Lavender Pound Cake...

What is your favorite cake recipe?

Shelf Discovery

2009-11-16T10:35:00.016-05:00

Where are the top female authors?

The controversy started at the end of last month, when Publishers Weekly put out their list of The Top Ten Books Of 2009--and not one female author made the list.

As everyone knows, there are more female readers than male and more female buyers of books than male buyers. It’s no coincidence that the romance genre is one of the few markets that has actually done well in this past year of economic decline.

Women are also more likely to form book clubs, make recommendations to their friends, and provide the kind of word-of-mouth that is so valuable in prolonging a book’s shelf life.

So, why are women routinely left out of the yearly Top Ten lists? Is it because of the age-old belief that books concerning “women’s issues” (i.e., family, relationships, love, romance) are somehow less important than the topics male authors might write about? Is there some kind of cultural and gender bias at work here?

Lizzie Skurnick, author of SHELF DISCOVERY, makes a good point here [HERE] that books by women are often considered to be “small” and “domestic” and books by men to be “large” and “universal,” regardless of how competently written they are.

What do you think, should critics actively work toward greater diversity on their lists? And, what books by female authors do you think should be on the list of The Top Ten books of the year?

Romance Retrospective

2009-11-13T10:35:00.004-05:00

Everyone should take a trip over to The Season Blog today. They have up an INCREDIBLE retrospective of Avon Romance covers.

Also, I think it's only appropriate to take a moment to give a gigantic THANK YOU to our Art Director, Tom, without whom our heroes and heroines would be ugly, naked, and sitting in front of a blank wall. Thank You, Tom, for never ever disappointing and making us all fans first and editors second.

What's your favorite romance cover of all time? Is it the classic Shanna with those red, red flowers? Or is it loin-cloth clad Fabio with his luscious blond locks on the old Johanna Lindsey covers?

Veterans Day...And Beyond

2009-11-12T00:01:00.009-05:00

We spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about the brave men and women who have taken their lives into their hands to protect not only Americans, but kindred souls across the globe.

People want to help in little ways--sending letters, beanie babies...even toaster pastries!...to show love and support to the members of our armed forces. We asked ourselves, "well, what can *we* do?"

Well, we know that soldiers love books and paperbacks are great diversion in war zones. So, please, comment on this post and tell us about your service man or woman. We're hoping to pick a bunch and to send boxes of books (we hear that APO addresses are easiest if we want packages to get through and we need to send to a specific person, as opposed to a battalion or unit). We're all book lovers--and firmly believe that good books help us see troubled times through.

Also, if you are interested in helping out, here are some good sites that support veterans and active servicemen and servicewomen: www.paulmalmont.com/warrior-library and www.soldiersangels.org

For your own information, here are some handy guidelines on how you could best go about sending books to soldiers.

Thanks to our fantastic armed forces for all they do!

Why I Love TRUE CONFESSIONS

2009-11-11T01:05:00.007-05:00

If you haven't read TRUE CONFESSIONS by Rachel Gibson, I really wish you would. Here are the Top Five reasons why I love this book:

1) It contains the great opening lines: "There were two universal truths in Gospel, Idaho. First, God had done His best work when He'd created the Sawtooth Wilderness Area. And except for the unfortunate incident of '95, Gospel had always been heaven on earth. Second--a truth just as adamantly believed as the first--every sin known to heaven and earth was California's fault."

2) Every chapter opens with a "headline" that could be ripped from the Weekly World News. For example, MAN SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTS or MICROPHONE DETECTS SOUND OF BREAKING HEART. I miss the Weekly World News and am a little obsessed about spontaneous combustion.

3) There is a toilet tossing contest in the book.

4) The heroine, who is from California, drives a car with the license plate MZBHAVN.

5) The hero is a sheriff who's way sexier than Andy Taylor. Way.

I'm also curious about what you think of the cover. We went in a different direction for this edition of TRUE CONFESSIONS, and I'd really love to hear some opinions.

The Sweethearts' Knitting Club

2009-11-09T10:29:00.009-05:00

It's well-known that I am not crafty. I cannot sew; I do not scrapbook. (And, I never knew that scrapbook could be used as a verb until recently.) Unlike Martha Stewart and her many minions, I can't make lovely centerpieces from pine cones, autumnal leaves, and a few well-placed twigs.

I can't do anything with frosting, (my cakes are famously embarrassing). Every time I watch one of those television shows where someone is off building replicas of the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building, I gasp with admiration and then I switch the channel. I just feel guilty that I can't do any of this.

And, I cannot knit.

A few years ago, I had an assistant who could not only knit, she could also quilt. It was amazing stuff. Not an office baby shower went by that she didn't bring in some gorgeous blanket that everyone would ooo and ahh over. She hailed from the mid-west and, back in her parents' home, there was an entire quilting room, complete with some sort of frame from which quilts somehow sprung.

All this really intimidates me, so it was kind of a surprise when I found myself seeking out a book just like THE SWEETHEART'S' KNITTING CLUB by Lori Wilde. Because I might be the only person left in the USA who doesn't know how to use a knitting needle. Even hipsters in trendy restaurants are all wielding knitting needles like pros.

But what I love about THE SWEETHEARTS' KNITTING CLUB (on sale 11/24/09) is its heroine has a secret: she can't knit. So I relate to her in a big way.

This is the start of a marvelous new series--the next is called THE TRUE LOVE QUILTING CLUB (April 2010) and the next has to do with cookies. Now cookies, that's something I can do!

How Do They Do It?

2009-11-07T14:00:00.008-05:00

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.

Good News Comes In Threes

2009-11-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

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!

Wrong Side Of Dead

2009-11-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

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.

The Tip Of The Iceberg

2009-11-02T20:37:00.015-05:00

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!

Zombie Christmas!

2009-11-02T11:00:00.003-05:00

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!

Captive Of Sin

2009-10-30T10:46:00.010-04:00

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?

Midnight Pleasures With A Scoundrel

2009-10-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

(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?

What The Duke Desires

2009-10-27T17:28:00.010-04:00

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...

Silent Night, Haunted Night

2009-10-25T23:45:00.007-04:00

‘Tis the weekend before Halloween and all through the house...

Of all my authors, I think...no, I know...Terri Garey has the most fun with Halloween. Every year, she transforms her backyard into Madame Zelda’s Haunted Graveyard. I must experience this for myself one day very soon...

It’s no wonder, then, that an author who loves Halloween as much as she loves telling ghost stories has given a new twist on the Christmas Carol theme. SILENT NIGHT, HAUNTED NIGHT finds our beloved Nicki Styx, ghoulfriend to the dead, battling the deadly Three Fates.

They have a bone to pick with Nicki for interfering with what they believe is the natural order of things, and it seems they won’t stop until they have their way...or her boyfriend.

Anyone have any good scary ghost stories they’d like to share?

The Care And Taming Of A Rogue

2009-10-24T12:00:00.003-04:00

Fall + New Series = Suzanne Enoch

Fall is my favorite season, not because of the crisp autumn air or anticipation of the coming holidays but because it’s the start of Fall TV. That’s right. My name is Erika Tsang and I’m a TV junkie.

And, it’s not just the returning favorites, but discovering a new series to fall in love with. GLEE, for example. My favorite scene of the season by far is the football team dancing to ALL THE SINGLE LADIES on the field.

But I digress.

We were talking about new series. What’s better than Suzanne Enoch, as she begins her Adventurers’ Club series with THE CARE AND TAMING OF A ROGUE?

Rugged explorer Bennett Wolfe returns to London, only to find that matchmaking mamas are just as dangerous as anything found in the Congo...perhaps even more so. His port in the storm is the intriguing Lady Phillipa Eddison. Phillipa would rather read than flirt and, when Bennett displays some shocking courtship rituals, it is up to her to teach him some manners--before she succumbs to temptation as wild as the man who offers it.

For a sneak peak of the first chapter, check out Suzie’s website: http://suzanneenoch.com

Hunting Season

2009-10-22T10:48:00.014-04:00

Hi there! Guest Editor Kate here.

Men are like animals, right? I mean, sometimes they’re gross animals (pigs), and sometimes they’re sexy animals (studs), and sometimes they’re really sexy animals (see: PASSION UNTAMED).

But, for the most part, it’s best to think of them as our less evolved cousin.

That’s where HUNTING SEASON comes in. HUNTING SEASON adapts the rules of deer hunting to dating.

Yes. Dating = deer hunting. Just like hunting, there’s an Open Season and an Off Season. Just like hunting, you need to define your goal (Trophy Hunting or Bag ‘n Tag), before you enter the urban forest, so you’re well-positioned to bring down the right buck for you. Just like hunting, you need to make sure you have the right gear--and the right rifle.

Intrigued? Check out our video on YouTube.

More intrigued? I’ve got Advance Reading Copies for the first 5 people to email avonromance@harpercollins.com with your name and address.

Kate Nintzel

The Sheik

2009-10-21T13:59:00.007-04:00

Today in History...

On October 21, 1921, George Melford’s silent film THE SHEIK premiered, starring Rudolph Valentino.

Valentino also played a Count in THE MARRIED VIRGIN (1918), a Duke in MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE (1924), and a Lieutenant in THE EAGLE (1925). Premiere.com ranks him #4 of 100 Sexiest Movie Stars of All Time.

“No matter what he was doing, he reeked of sex. His heavy-lidded looks were pure come-hither. And, when he died...thousands upon thousands of people attended his bi-coastal funerals, most of them hysterical, inconsolable women.”

The other male ahead of Valentino, at #2, is Marlon Brando.

What do you think? Does Premiere.com have it right?

More Pirates Please

2009-10-20T12:41:00.007-04:00

A get-together with my friends invariably leads to conversation about romance reading. This past weekend, between the chocolate cupcake and stuffed French toast, I got an earful.

“Pirates. Give me more Pirates!” one of them said. So, for those of you who share her love for Pirates, I recommend Sabrina Jeffries' THE PIRATE LORD, an oldie but goodie:

“Angst. I love me some old fashion angst,” another chimed in. To her, I suggest Judith Ivory’s beloved classic, BLACK SILK:

And, for the friend who said, “Scots. Kilts. ‘Nuff said.” Here’s Lynsay Sands’ DEVIL OF THE HIGHLANDS:

I’m taking requests. What would you like to see more of?

The Solomon Effect

2009-10-18T12:00:00.002-04:00

Ever experience deja vu? Or other odd psychic moments? I once had a dream about a dear friend I hadn't heard from in years and the next day she called me to say she was in town.

These kinds of things happen all the time, and I've been told that we all have psychic abilities to some extent or another. How successful we are at it is just a matter of how open we are to the possibilities.

If you're intrigued by this idea, then you must read THE SOLOMON EFFECT by CS Graham. Graham is a pseudonym for Candice Proctor, who has long been a part of the romance community, first with her historical romances, and, then this summer, she was a Rita finalist with her historical mystery WHERE SERPENTS SLEEP, which was a nominee for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements under her pseudonym CS Harris. Now, she is back with THE SOLOMON EFFECT, the second in a suspense series featuring October (Tobie) Guinness and Jax Alexander.

Tobie is a remote viewer, which means she can be given some detail about a case and can psychically locate a person, a place, an object, etc. It sounds far-fetched, but the CIA actually ran a remote viewing project in the 1970's and 1980's, and some say they are still using remote viewers today. Needless to say, Tobie is an intriguing character. Then, pair her up with Jax Alexander who is a (handsome!) loose cannon CIA agent who doubts the validity of her gift, and you have two characters running down a deadly plot involving a missing Nazi U-boat and its deadly cargo, with sparks flying in more ways than one.

While there's a definite emphasis on the suspense in this novel, the writing of it is a story of love. Proctor pens the CS Graham novels with her husband. They met in a writing group in New Orleans and came up with the plot for the first novel together. From that point, writing and romance ensued.

She is a talented and professional author; he worked in intelligence for several decades and knows personally of the remote viewing program. This novel has a unique hook--an exciting and suspenseful story and a compelling pair of protagonists. And despite the existence of deja vu, you definitely won't feel as if you've read it before!

If I haven't done enough to convince you to read this book, check out this George Clooney movie trailer:

CS Graham is definitely onto something. And George Clooney could convince me to believe in just about anything. How about you??

Are you connected with your psychic side? Have any good stories?

The Lace Reader

2009-10-16T00:34:00.004-04:00

In 2008, THE LACE READER by Brunonia Barry was a runaway New York Times bestseller in hardcover, and now it’s available in a stunning trade paperback edition.

A debut novel in the gothic tradition of THE THIRTEENTH TALE, this novel draws you into the world of lace readers, generations of women who can predict the future through the patterns in lace. It’s a world of magic and passion and secrets. And, when two of these gifted women disappear, it’s a world that beckons to Towner Whitney to return to the hauntingly familiar town of Salem, from which she fled years ago. For not only has the disappearance of these two women captured her attention, but her homecoming brings to light the truth behind the death of her twin sister.

While not a traditional romance novel, this story has a lot of the same elements we all love: rich characters, a mesmerizing gothic setting, a romantic love story, and a compelling tale about a twin and her sister--not to mention several generations of a gifted family of women with the power to glean the future in the threads of lace.

With autumn setting in, this is the perfect kind of novel with which to settle into a big chair, steaming mug in hand. The days are getting shorter. Why not spend those precious hours with a great book?

Pre-Halloween Happy Hour

2009-10-14T15:00:00.003-04:00

Halloween Happy Hour!

Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble...

Get into the "spirit" of things and join three of the hottest names in paranormal romance/urban fantasy for a pre-Halloween brew! Terri Garey, Jocelynn Drake, and Jaimie Rush will join Romance Radio to talk about their newest books and their favorite Halloween traditions.

Tune into Romance Radio this Thursday, October 15th at 2 pm EST and talk to the authors via online chat or use the Call-in Number (347) 826-9686.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

2009-10-13T08:00:00.009-04:00

Okay, I’m not blogging about a romance, but I LOVE this book. Does that count??

Every once in a while, a really special book comes along and for me, this is the latest. THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer is the remarkable story of a fourteen-year-old boy in Malawi, Africa whose family’s poverty inspired him to great achievement.

Lacking enough money to pay for school, William had to drop out. He then began to spend time at a nearby library, where he saw a picture of a windmill in a book and decided that he would build one himself--from blue gum trees, spare tractor parts, and other scraps--to provide electricity for his family. Not able to read much of the English descriptions, William scoured the photograph and all of the diagrams associated with it, and used his ingenuity, creativity, and intelligence to accomplish this remarkable feat.

News of William’s windmill spread through neighboring villages and, after calling him crazy, people came to see this feat of engineering. Journalists came, too, and soon this unassuming boy from famine-stricken Africa, who advanced himself from nothing, was given money to return to school and was whisked off to the United States to visit wind farms and to tell his story and inspire not only his fellow Africans but everyone around the globe.

We need more people like this in the world. And we need to share this story. Please read it and tell everyone you know about it. This is the way we make the world a better place for all. Who doesn’t want to feel good about that??

You must also watch this clip from William Kamkwamba’s interview on THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART. He is 22 years old now and just charming. You will want to help spread the word after you see THIS, I promise you!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

William Kamkwamba

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Ron Paul Interview

The Untamed Bride

2009-10-12T07:00:00.014-04:00

The Cobra's Got Charm: Dazzling new series launches in November from Stephanie Laurens!

Have a hankering for an exotic new spin on one of your favorite authors? Avon Books has a veritable feast for you with the launch of Stephanie Laurens' amazing new series, "The Black Cobra Quartet."

Starting with THE UNTAMED BRIDE (on sale 10/27/09), romance readers are going to get a taste for four dashing officers of the British East India Company, who must come to the aid of the Crown, battling insidious cultists with nefarious aim...and for the four unforgettable heroines who help these dashing heroes vanquish this ruthless enemy!

Want a foretaste of the feast to come? Check out this swashbuckling, fabulous book trailer for the series, created by the ever-talented filmmaker Brady Hall.

We've only just whetted your appetite? If you want a sneak peek at the opening chapter of THE UNTAMED BRIDE, visit HERE; and if you're really curious, and want a foretaste of the passion to come in February 2010, with the release of THE ELUSIVE BRIDE (book two in the quartet!), visit www.elusivebride.com.

Now, why do I want to go out to Bombay Palace for lunch today?

What Happens In London

2009-10-09T00:34:00.007-04:00

Please Vote!

Julia Quinn's book trailer for WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON has been nominated by the Huffington Post as one of five Great Book Videos!

Please CLICK HERE for your chance to vote for this delightfully funny trailer, which stars Julia's cousin as the heroine.

Authors On Air With Cathy Maxwell

2009-10-08T11:11:00.008-04:00

Join us TODAY at 1 PM as New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell interviews publishing superstar Heather Graham, whose new book UNHALLOWED GROUND is on sale now.

UNHALLOWED GROUND is the bone-chilling story of a woman who buys and restores a historic Florida mansion, after dismissing the horror stories of past residents vanishing and a long-dead housekeeper who practiced black magic.

Listen LIVE at 1 PM Eastern Time (US) and talk to the authors via online chat or use the Call-in Number (347) 826-9686.

What’s In A Name?

2009-10-07T00:46:00.012-04:00

Now this may sound a little conceited but I like my name. I especially like my name when it is in books.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s a lot of fun to see your name in print, even when it’s not about you. And, recently, I’ve been reading a bunch of books that have made liberal use of the name Tessa.

Generally, Tessas are a young child or, in historicals, someone’s ward. Although I did just read a book (that was not an Avon book) where the super, super evil step-mother or sister-in-law was named Tessa. In that case, I didn’t like it as much. Of course, I can’t remember what it was called--virtual hugs to anyone who can tell me what it was called because I can’t remember. I hear (through my Facebook stalking of her) that Jenna Petersen’s next book will have a lovely spinster sister named Tessa.

But we do have a book coming out in March--a re-release of an old Karen Ranney--where the HEROINE is named Tessa. I liked that very much. Also, the new cover is gorgeous, so I can imagine that I would have looked exactly like that, had I lived in Regency England.

If you dream of having YOUR name in a book, too, I’m here to grant your wish. Well, actually, one of my favorite authors Jaime Rush will do the actual granting. CLICK HERE and get your name in her next Offspring book.

While you’re at it, pick up the first two books in the Offspring series.

Taken By The Laird

2009-10-05T23:13:00.007-04:00

Of Lords and Ladies and Unicorns

Just in case you were worried that we high and lofty editors are sitting in our offices, wearing all black, being totally chic and cool all the time, I’m here to dispel that myth--lovely though it is.

On Sunday, three of your trusty Avon editors (I’m not going to give you their names nor will I admit that I was one of them but they may rhyme with Shmamanda, Besi, Messa) took a trip uptown to the 25th annual Medieval Festival. And, we were uber-nerds about it!

We saw Jousting (although Esi wouldn’t let me sit on her shoulders, so I was a little too short to really see everything) and Blacksmithing--and even caught a glimpse of Robin Hood (who was not nearly as cute as the Sheriff of Nottingham...unlike some other Robin Hoods I could name.) We also saw a Unicorn!

Normally, I’m not a huge medieval romance fan. Not that I don’t love any sort of great romance but, for some reason, I’m more likely to ignore the fact that hygiene wasn’t so great in Regency England than I am to believe that heroines like to cozy up to big brawny knights and share a plate with their dirty, dirty knight fingers! Although, after the fair, I have to say that all I wanted was one of those gigantic turkey legs (seriously the size of my head) to gnaw on--so maybe I’ve got a little of the barbarian in me after all!

Margo Maguire used to write medieval romances but her newest TAKEN BY THE LAIRD is actually a slight departure. But trust me, even those who love them some knights in shining armor will fall for this book!

Sunflowers

2009-10-02T03:53:00.003-04:00

My right eye is acting very strangely lately. Either I have been staring at my computer too long or watching too much tv.

Or, my eye is going to fall out. I hope that last one isn't true. I've got a lot going on.

I've been feeding my inner nerd lately. This past weekend was "Museums on Us", where all sorts of museums around the country waived admissions fees. I went down to The Pierpont Morgan Library on Saturday and y'all? I love books.

I know it seems obvious, but sometimes I forget how much I really freaking love books. They are amazing. And the idea that I--if I didn't want to be tackled by PML security--could lift the glass and touch a copy of "TYGER" that William Blake himself touched is mind-blowing. Not to mention the amazing etchings (you know you're a historical romance junkie when the word "etching" makes you giggle), the letters from Chopin, Puccini's original scores...as the kids would say, I was geeking out.

I'm particularly excited because Sheramy Bundrick's SUNFLOWERS is finally on sale and it's lovely and brilliant. The Publishers' Weekly starred review called it "a knockout debut" and truer words were never spoken (...er, written).

One of the many things that's so special about this book is that you don't have to be an art buff to love it. The story is so beautiful and the characters are absolutely riveting. Plus, Sheramy's fantastic background as an art historian adds such rich details that big nerds like me will absolutely not be disappointed--and will probably learn a thing or two.

So clearly, with all the TV (GLEE!!! Do you love it? If you don't, don't tell me, because we will no longer be friends. And, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!), the many books, and the theater performances (the New York Music Theater Festival started this week), I really can't afford to lose an eye.

The Earl Claims His Wife

2009-10-01T00:34:00.011-04:00

Sometimes, dealing with the man in your life just makes you want to curl up with a good book and a cuppa tea!

Cathy Maxwell can relate: in her latest novel, THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE, on sale now, pride clashes with passion as the Earl of Wright attempts to reclaim a wife who he has so recklessly ignored--but now wants more than anything. (Men!)

In an online review of this fabulous new book, Romance Cafe says, "I love Cathy’s books because she has a skillful way of creating heroes and heroines who make massive mistakes, but you end up liking them anyway because they are just so human. Then, they manage to redeem themselves in all sorts of romantic and wonderful ways."

Avon Books and Cathy Maxwell are teaming up to offer readers a chance for a bit of tea, sympathy, and a great romantic read! Enter to win one of three Earl Gray/Lady Gray tea sets, accompanied by a signed copy of THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE, now through October 27, at AvonBooks.com!

Join Cathy LIVE on Romance Radio--TODAY, 2 PM Eastern Time--as she talks about her new book, THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE. CLICK HERE!

AND, Also TODAY--Lynsay Sands will be online at BittenByBooks.com answering all your questions about vampires, seduction, and humor in romance novels.

Don't miss the contest, with plenty of amazing prizes to go around--including a SIGNED LIBRARY of Lynsay's series.

[Event starts at 10:30 AM Central Time. Contest runs until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on October 2nd.]

The Renegade Hunter Party

2009-09-30T12:51:00.008-04:00

Join Avon and Bitten By Books for Lynsay Sands' Wild (Virtual!) Party with Prizes

We're trying something super fun and different here at Avon for the fabulous Lynsay Sands. She's the author of the very-sexy, snarky-witty "Rogue Hunter" novels. In honor of this week's release of THE RENEGADE HUNTER, we're throwing a party!

But this isn't your typical book bash. It's a virtual extravaganza--which means each and every one of you can attend!

Tomorrow, October 1st, Lynsay will be online at BittenByBooks.com answering all your questions about vampires, seduction, and humor in romance novels.

Of course, there will be plenty of amazing prizes to go around--including a SIGNED LIBRARY of Lynsay's series.

Here's the best part: RSVP today, attend tomorrow, and get 25 ENTRIES into the contest! It's super easy, just CLICK HERE.

It's going to be blast--see ya there :)

[Event starts at 10:30 AM Central Time on October 1st. Contest runs until 11:59 PM Pacific Time on October 2nd.]

The Earl Claims His Wife

2009-09-30T00:34:00.012-04:00

Tomorrow, Thursday, October 1st, join Cathy Maxwell LIVE on Romance Radio as she talks about her new book, THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE.

Listen LIVE at 2 PM Eastern Time (US) and ask Cathy questions via online chat or use the Call-in Number (347) 826-9686.

25 Things You Never Knew About Lynsay Sands

2009-09-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

(by Lynsay Sands)

1) I love roller coasters. I can ride them from dawn until sunset, weather permitting.

2) I love girls’ weekends with my sisters.

3) THE ROGUE HUNTER is based on one of our girls’ weekends at a cottage in Magnetawan (Canada) and I let my sisters name their characters (Jo in THE RENEGADE HUNTER and Alex in an upcoming book.)

4) My big dream is to live by the water someday.

5) My favorite Broadway show is WICKED.

6) I grew up with a mother who--God love her--thought ketchup was a main ingredient in every dish.

7) I spent most of my childhood summers on an island in Lake Erie (which was very conducive to writing.)

8) I lived in England for 2 years.

9) I want a dog just like Jo had in THE RENEGADE HUNTER.

10) My favorite food is potatoes in any form, which is a family trait.

11) I’ve moved six times in the last six years.

12) I can change a toilet seat.

13) The thing I missed most while in England was bologna, even though I never ate it when I lived here. Now that I’m back in Canada, I miss Scotch eggs and millionaire shortbread.

14) I’m allergic to fleas. They will leave the animal they’re on in favor of feasting on me.

15) My sisters are my best friends.

16) I get my best ideas from real life.

17) I am NOT a morning person. I am totally incoherent and completely useless until I get my hands on a cup of tea. I do my best writing at night.

18) I have completely lost my ability to cook.

19) I tend to giggle uncontrollably after two drinks.

20) I prefer bubble baths to showers.

21) I am Canadian but I hate the cold. This is a problem! My favorite seasons are spring and fall.

22) I intensely dislike bugs of any kind.

23) Won a "Shake Your Booty" contest on St. Lucia.

24) I have short arms and stubby legs.

25) I am not a vampire nor do I know any.

On A Sweet Valley High

2009-09-28T10:49:00.042-04:00

(by Senior Editor Jen)

Diablo Cody to present Bruce Patman versus Todd Wilkins! Team Enid versus Team Lila. 1BRUCE1 license plates and matching gold lavalier necklaces.

Who will they cast? And, which fashion designer do you want to see do the costumes? Do you want it to be set present day or in the THE KARATE KID and 16 CANDLES era?

I am secretly hoping for a 1980's look back, especially since the media is reporting that Cody read the series growing up in Illinois, almost as far from Southern California as I was.

SWEET VALLEY HIGH was everything I thought high school would be, as a suburban Boston nine-year-old (that I didn't learn from a John Hughes film). In my elementary school days, I would snap up anything with Francine Pascal's name on the cover, thinking she'd authored it.

I didn't quite understand the "created by" tag quite yet.

Hanging Out With Cici, check. The Caitlin series, check check. I stopped reading them in about 1987 with Regina Morrow's tragic overdose the very first time she tried cocaine in SVH #40 ON THE EDGE.

Francine turned me off of motorcycles, too, after Elizabeth's helmetless ride in SVH #6 DANGEROUS LOVE and it's cliffhanger featuring Elizabeth's late night escape from Bruce Patman's arms in DEAR SISTER.

I think this is about the time when in regards to motorcycles I began thinking: "Head versus pavement, pavement always wins." After school specials and those Public Service Announcement styled episodes of sitcoms never had quite the same effect on me as the tragedies that happened in books, for instance my irrational fear of rattlesnakes (so common in Boston) after reading Betsy Byars' The TV Kid.

As for SVH Dear Sister seems to be the book I remember most clearly--and the most brilliant Shelf Discovery-styled piece of SWEET VALLEY writing in my opinion goes to Sarah Wendell, of Smart Bitches Trashy Books on the subject of that very book.

If you haven't read this post before, drop everything and read it immediately. If you have read it before, read it again: CLICK HERE.

Now, we want to hear from you. What do you think about Diablo Cody's new deal to adapt? What SWEET VALLEY story could you never get out of your head? Who would you cast in the film? And which classic SWEET VALLEY character is your favorite and why?

And, meanwhile, will they please cast Chris Colfer? After GLEE last night, I want to see him in everything I can.

By The Time You Read This

2009-09-24T10:00:00.019-04:00

If you read and were inspired by THE LAST LECTURE or cried your way through P.S. I LOVE YOU, you might like to try Lola Jaye's BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS.

A new fiction voice on the Avon A list, Lola is also published by HarperUK. I was lucky enough to have lunch with her editor in London in March 2008 where she shared an advance copy of the book with me.

As you might imagine, I absolutely could not put down this story of a young girl who loses her father at age five, but who comes to know him through the pages of "THE MANUAL"--a book filled with messages for his daughter to open on birthdays from age twelve to thirty that Lolita Files says "will make you laugh, cry, and cherish the ones you love."

Lola, whose own remarkable story of growing up in foster care was just featured in The Daily Mail in August 2009,

was inspired to write BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS while crying her eyes out watching an episode of Oprah in which a dying mother left a collection of keepsakes behind to the daughter she would never see grow up.

She was immediately awash in all sorts of “what if” scenarios in her own mind. What if there were no computers, DVDs, MP3s, or video cameras? What if a parent had only six months to live and a little girl he loved more than life--what would he leave behind? Jaye's solution was "THE MANUAL"--filled with the very advice Jaye, now thirty-five, wishes she had received as a teen and twenty-something.

If you pick it up, I encourage you to read the novel with Will Smith in mind as Kevin, for that’s how Smith fan Lola wrote every page, imagining Will as Kevin Bates. In a fabulous coincidence, after using him as inspiration, Lola met Smith at the London hotel where her book party was held (he was feting Nelson Mandela), a sign perhaps that he’ll one day be part of a book-to-screen adaptation with Willow (who turns nine on October 31)? We shall see. But I don't doubt that anything Lola imagines won't come true.

Meanwhile, what do you think of our jacket? Do you think Mandi Norwood would say that it has Michelle Style?

And, don't miss Lola Jaye's blog on the Huffington Post for her own take on Michelle Obama's hair styles.

Plus, she's on Facebook and Twitter, and would love to meet you.

Senior Editor Jen

Just Like Us

2009-09-22T19:25:00.017-04:00

(Special Guest Post by Senior Editor Jen)

On Sunday night, I took a break from reading Kazuo Ishiguro's NEVER LET ME GO in order to make dinner. The buzz piece on Carey Mulligan in October’s Vogue had reminded me that the film is coming up and I needed to read the book immediately. The Emmy’s were on at 8, so I flipped to E! to watch a little Red Carpet coverage hoping to see the cast of Mad Men.

Almost immediately, Kate Walsh appeared on my screen for a quick interview with Guiliani Rancic and appearance on E!’s "GlamCam".

Things started auspiciously as Kate shared that she was wearing J.Mendel. I smiled, turned from my dinner prep, and paid closer attention, since J. Mendel’s former Creative Director Kym Canter is a Harper author. I also loved that she held up her bag and declared: "Aldo: $30."

But then--for me--the red carpet banter went horribly wrong. For while it was lovely and of-the-moment for G.R. to toast the pregnancy of Ellen Pompeo, and Katherine Heigl’s recent adoption, I was completely caught off guard when G.R. asked Walsh if she saw any “bambinos” in her future.

Walsh was seemingly unfazed, she answered the question, and moved on to her next interview. But I was ready to throw the vegetables at my television on her behalf.

Should it ever be appropriate to ask that question (national television or not)? In my own life, I generally accept it with Walsh’s grace, but I always find it as unwelcome as the subway seat someone insists I take because--and I quote--“you’re pregnant.” (Empire waists: clearly not my look.)

The moment between G.R. and Kate felt like a new horrible live edition of US Weekly’s “Just Like Us” page in which celebrities are photographed for such things as having cellulite in order to make "real" women feel better. Clearly having Kate Walsh experience a situation that was very true to my own life was not making me feel better, it was making me mad.

A little later that evening, I laughed with a friend also watching the Emmy's over the kind of retorts that I wished that Kate had made, or that I could make when I'm asked an unwelcome question about love, marriage, or children (example scenario: the time when the owner of my neighborhood wine store upon seeing my license and lack of ring said: "Who left you on the shelf?" I was too polite to walk out, though I like to pretend I did).

The night went on. MAD MEN won Best Drama Series, I finished the novel, and then I forgot all about it until this morning, when I dropped off my laundry at the dry cleaner that I've frequented for years. The lovely owner was preparing my receipt and out of the blue asked me if I wanted to get married someday. Her husband was busy at the sewing machine to my left, and she smiled over at him, and he smiled back and nodded at me.

I didn't mind her question. I could see very clearly that she just wanted me to be happy. As she might say, "Just like us."

Want to read more about the secret lives of celebrities, as told by Susan Elizabeth Phillips? Check out WHAT I DID FOR LOVE in hardcover--also coming out in paperback in January!

Lake Overturn

2009-09-18T12:18:00.010-04:00

One of the best things about working in publishing is that you’re constantly surrounded by books, and you’re always reading.

However, one of the worst things about working in publishing is that you’re always reading for work, and sometimes it’s hard to get back to the idea of doing that particular activity for pleasure.

My shelves at home are full of books that I’ve picked up from work, with the thought that I would read them someday...like after retirement...

So, imagine my delight, when I stumbled upon a wonderful novel called LAKE OVERTURN by Vestal McIntyre. Well, to be completely honest, I had heard of this author before as a short story writer and remembered his name, because it was so unusual (Vestal--where does that come from?).

Set in a small Idaho town in the 1980s, LAKE OVERTURN is an ensemble piece. At its center are two women who live in a trailer park: Lina, a second-generation Mexican who works as a maid; and her neighbor Connie, a devout Christian. Lina’s son, Enrique, and Connie’s son, Gene, are classmates.

When challenged to come up with a project for the school science fair, Enrique and Gene devise a plot to prove that the waters of nearby Lake Overlook could “turn” and release poisonous gases that would kill everyone in town. The rest of the cast includes a surly bus driver, his wayward sister, and a man who cheats on his cancer-stricken wife--and McIntyre finds the humanity in each and every one of them.

Truly, it’s one of the best books I’ve read all year. So, if with the cooler weather you’re in the mood to read something meatier--something that will really stick to your bones--be sure to check out this debut novel.

Unbound Blog Talk Radio

2009-09-17T00:01:00.002-04:00

"The Beyond" hosts the authors of UNBOUND.

Five masters of dark fantasy cross the borders between our world and others, plunging us into the shadows where the supernatural stalk the unsuspecting…

Tune into "The Beyond" on Blog Talk Radio today, at 2 pm ET as the New York Times bestselling authors KIM HARRISON, MELISSA MARR, JEANIENE FROST, VICKI PETTERSSON, and JOCELYNN DRAKE talk about the dark world of UNBOUND.

Listen LIVE or call in (347)826-9686.

Sins Of The Father

2009-09-16T02:08:00.011-04:00

By Angela Benson

15 years, 12 books, 5 publishers, 4 genres, 3 agents--what kind of career is that?   Well, it’s mine.

It’s been 15 years since my first book, BANDS OF GOLD, was published. Fifteen long years. Despite the $2000 advance I got with my first contract, I knew that my debut on the New York Times bestseller list was right around the corner.

Well, it’s been 15 years and I still haven’t turned that corner.   It’s not all bad, though. Actually, I was really popping for the first four years (1994-1997). During that time, I wrote seven books--two for Silhouette and five for Arabesque--along with an Arabesque novella.

I was “cooking with gas,” as we say in the South.   The gas turned out to be carbon monoxide, as I went off the publishing radar for three years and my next book, AWAKENING MERCY, didn’t see the light of day until 2000.

Now, I wasn’t gassed up for those three years. Instead, my writing career took a turn as I moved from writing general market romance to Christian romance. The change also resulted in my getting a new agent and signing with a new publisher, Tyndale House.   After two books I went off-radar again until I came back with my first mainstream Christian novel, this one negotiated without an agent.

The move from Christian romance to mainstream Christian fiction was relatively painless, but it took some time. My mainstream Christian fiction title, THE AMEN SISTERS, didn’t arrive in bookstores until 2005, a full four years after my second (and last) Christian romance, ABIDING HOPE, was published.  

My story doesn’t end there. My next book, UP POPS THE DEVIL--my first with HarperCollins and negotiated by my third agent--came out three years after THE AMEN SISTERS. SINS OF THE FATHER, my latest book, which is out now, comes a year after UP POPS THE DEVIL.

SINS OF THE FATHER is a very special book to me because it represents a watermark in my writing career. Over the years, I’ve followed my muse and moved from genre to genre, exploring my personal writing style and voice. With SINS OF THE FATHER, it became clear to me what the essence of an Angela Benson book is.

My stories are inspirational family dramas. The main characters are related, the story problem threatens to break the family bonds in some way, and the faith of one or more characters is challenged. In THE AMEN SISTERS, twin sisters are at odds because one joins a cult. In UP POPS THE DEVIL, a drug dealer becomes a Christian while in prison and decides to leave the drug business that he ran with his sister. In SINS OF THE FATHER, a man with two families attempts to bring them together.

15 years, 12 books, 5 publishers, 4 genres, 3 agents--what kind of career is that?   It’s mine and, right now, I don’t think I’d change it. I’m not sure I’d recommend my path to anyone else, though. What do you think?

Angela Benson is a graduate of Spelman College and the author of twelve novels, including the Christy Award-nominated AWAKENING MERCY, the Essence bestseller THE AMEN SISTERS, and UP POPS THE DEVIL. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama and lives in Northport, AL.

A Deep Dark Secret

2009-09-14T03:03:00.009-04:00

New York Times bestselling author Kimberla Lawson Roby is most famous for her popular series featuring Curtis Black--the rascally preacher that fans love to hate.

With her second novella, A Deep Dark Secret, Kim stretches her wings as a writer, when she tackles a very serious social issue that affects hundreds of children every year.

Jillian Maxwell appears to be living a perfect preteen’s life--good grades, a loving family, a fun best friend, and even a cute boy at school who’s interested in her--but inside, Jillian knows that there is something very wrong.

For years, she has been hiding a terrible secret that no one else suspects. Everything that she and her family has worked for will be destroyed if she tells. But if she doesn’t, Jillian might put herself in even greater danger.

This powerful novella, an Essence book club pick, doesn’t go on sale until the end of the month, but you can check out the trailer now: CLICK HERE or watch below.

The Earl Claims His Wife

2009-09-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

What is it with these romance heroes anyway?

If they aren't holed up in their manors somewhere in a 19th century version of Emo Angst, they're whooping it up at the gaming tables while consorting with loose women.

Or they're traipsing off to the wars and forgetting their family duty--and when they finally find their way home, they are just shocked to discover that the woman they left behind hasn't been pining away for them for years and years.

Well, that's the behavior of the Earl of Wright in Cathy Maxwell's upcoming THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE. For some reason, he's pretty conveniently forgotten that he has a bride waiting for him back in England. Instead, he's been fighting Napoleon and, yep, consorting with those pesky loose women.

When he returns to England, he discovers that the wife he's left behind isn't some meek doormat. No, she's been doing quite nicely, thank you, and she'd actually be pretty happy if he found some way to set her free (not easy in the 1800s).

I love Cathy's books because she has a skillful way of creating heroes and heroines who make massive mistakes, but you end up liking them anyway because they are just so human. Then, they manage to redeem themselves in all sorts of romantic and wonderful ways.

THE EARL CLAIMS HIS WIFE goes on sale at the end of September, but you can pre-order it at your favorite on-line retailer (you know what I mean).

9/11

2009-09-11T00:34:00.021-04:00

It’s been eight years since "9/11", September 11, 2001. It honestly doesn’t feel that long. Perhaps there will come a time in the near future when I can face this date without pausing. I don’t know.

So, even though this is our Avon Romance Blog, I think it’s worthwhile on this day to take a few moments to reflect. There was unspeakable tragedy, and yet I prefer to recall the ways strangers managed to come together.

I remember a colleague who, a few days later, went down to the World Trade Center site and handed out bottled water to rescue workers.

I saw people on the streets hitching rides while holding up signs that said “Nurse” or “Doctor.” Strangers opened up their doors to momentary refugees, providing food, help, or just a spot to rest.

One author asked me to purchase a bouquet of flowers and put it, with a note of thanks she dictated to me, at “the closest firehouse I could find.” (I chose one on 8th Avenue and 50th Street.)

So, although tomorrow we’ll be back to our "regularly scheduled blog", today I will think about the many small acts of courage that I saw all around me then as the events unfolded.

Fashion's Night Out - Tonight!

2009-09-10T09:00:00.007-04:00

We have TWO Fashion's Night Out events: Carol Alt at J&R Music World, downtown AND Mandi Norwood at Lord & Taylor Fifth Avenue store in NYC.

At 7:30 pm in J&R Music World, 25 Park Row, Manhattan, Carol Alt will be signing "Model, Incorporated", the much-anticipated sequel to Carol Alt's first work of fiction, "This Year's Model".

"The cover, of course, features the young model who won the contest we ran last year and she's just adorable! Rianna (Hardesty) couldn't have been a better pick for my book and I'm really thrilled for her!", Carol says. When Carol teased Rianna recently about being "so old" (at 21!), Rianna said, "But...but...I'm not so old!" Carol, of course, was kidding her, but she found it rather charming that even at the tender age of 21, someone can still be a bit sensitive about age.

MODEL, INCORPORATED follows the further adventures--both personal and career-wise--of MAC, the heroine of the first novel. "It's not just difficult to get to the top", Carol tells us, "it's difficult to stay on the top, as Mac (formerly Melody Ann Croft) learns. Models have a lot of choices and decisions to make throughout their careers, often on a daily basis. When you make those choices based on what your heart tells you, things tend to work out well. Choices based upon finance or ego, or that come from simple greed, generally do not turn out as well.

Called "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World" by Playboy Magazine and "The Next Million Dollar Face" by Life Magazine, Carol Alt has not disappointed. Gracing the covers of over 700 magazines, several posters, two workout videos, and numerous calendars, she is a one-woman conglomerate! She has lost track of the number of advertising campaigns, commercials, interviews, hosting jobs, and endorsement contracts that have created this enormously successful and lasting career.

Also in Manhattan, Lord & Taylor's flagship store (424 Fifth Avenue) will have a special event featuring Mandi Norwood, author of MICHELLE STYLE.

So, if you are in the area, please join us to celebrate Fashion's Night Out (and the First Lady of Fashion)!

Starting at 6:30 PM, bubbly will flow as Mandi signs complimentary copies of MICHELLE STYLE for anyone who makes a purchase on the Fourth floor of the L&T store.

Don't miss the silent auction spotlighting the original designer sketches from the book (hand-drawn original art, signed by some of fashion's biggest names, such as Carolina Herrera, Isaac Mizrahi, Donna Ricco, and Sonia Rykiel). All proceeds benefit the Fashion Instutute of Technology (FIT)'s Educational Development Fund.

More information is available online at LordandTaylor.com.

Fashion's Night Out

2009-09-08T12:00:00.012-04:00

Celebrate "Michelle Style" at Fashion's Night Out, 9/10/09!

Calling all of our New York-area Avonista-fashionistas! Thursday, September 10 is Fashion's Night Out--the night before Fashion Week launches around the globe...and in Manhattan, the action will center at Lord & Taylor's flagship store (424 Fifth Avenue) with a special event featuring Mandi Norwood, author of MICHELLE STYLE.

Starting at 6:30 PM, bubbly will flow as Mandi signs complimentary copies of MICHELLE STYLE for anyone who makes a purchase on the Fourth floor of the L&T store. The highlight of the night will be a silent auction spotlighting the original designer sketches from the book (hand-drawn original art, signed by some of fashion's biggest names, such as Carolina Herrera, Isaac Mizrahi, Donna Ricco, and Sonia Rykiel), with all proceeds benefitting the Fashion Instutute of Technology (FIT)'s Educational Development Fund.

So, if you are in the area, please join us to celebrate Fashion's Night Out (and the First Lady of Fashion)!

More information is available online at LordandTaylor.com.

Seduced By His Touch

2009-09-07T00:34:00.012-04:00

Horses, Bets, And Other Regency Things

Regency heroes are always betting--betting on horses, betting on who's going to marry whom, betting on cards. In reality, fortunes were won and lost--by men and women--at the betting tables.

In historical novels, interesting bets happen all the time. For example, in Tracy Anne Warren's SEDUCED BY HIS TOUCH, an unreformed rake ends up getting married because he's lost a bet.

I always figured I'd have been pretty boring, if I'd lived back then. I'm just not a bettor. One of my sisters adores going to Las Vegas, but I've never even been there. Nope, the closest I get to betting is my yearly trek up to the Saratoga Racetrack.

There is much that is glamorous about Saratoga. Apparently, a seat in the clubhouse means you dress up. Men are supposed to wear "collared shirts." There are plenty of days when women wear hats. But there is another way to experience the races: general admission. So, you can see me and members of my family lugging in chairs, a cooler, blankets, and anything else we can all carry. If we are smart we bring a wagon. Sometimes we're not that smart.

Once inside the grounds, you begin your search for your plot of land. If you turn up early enough, there are picnic tables, if not, you stake a claim, lay down the blankets, and hope no one tramples on the children.

My system of "betting" is to place $2.00 on the horsie I think is pretty; or has a fun name. I once saw a 10 year old go crazy over a horse called "Ham Sandwich" who won but with really awful odds. Seems the kid got his dad to put money down on Ham Sandwhich, who then went on to win. And so, perhaps, a future bettor was born.

Labor Day

2009-09-05T18:00:00.001-04:00

With the chilly breeze and azure August/September skies this past week, there's no denying the end of summer is near. Here in New York City that means a sudden and oppressive crush of people home from vacations and students headed back to school all added back into the morning commute. I won't complain too much, though. I've always loved fall: crisp jeans and sweater weather, brilliant foliage, roasted pumpkin seeds and hot cups of tea...

But for this weekend, at least, I'm going to keep that bathing suit and beach towel ready for one last hurrah before autumn truly arrives. And--for the perfect thematic tie-in that I just couldn't resist--I think I may just tuck bestselling memoirist (and former protégé of JD Salinger) Joyce Maynard's newest work of fiction about a young boy's coming of age, into my beach bag...

What will you be reading this long weekend?

The Jury's Out

2009-09-04T14:00:00.000-04:00

This week I have the chance to fulfill my civic duty--which means I'll get up earlier than usual to make my way waaay downtown to a courthouse, where I'll wait to see if I am *lucky* enough to help decide if someone is guilty, beyond reasonable doubt.

My impending service got me thinking about WHY I LOVE ROMANCE NOVELS Reason # 274: Justice is (almost) always served--although perhaps not always under the confines of the law. Sometimes it may not happen until later in a series, but ultimately the greedy, cruel, murder-minded characters get their (often creative) just-desserts, and the innocent, wrongly accused are set free--and generally come out of the ordeal with fortune on their side.

For example, I particularly appreciated the suffering Suzanne Enoch doles out for her truly detestable villain in ALWAYS A SCOUNDREL, but I also love how Loretta Chase handles the fate of the wrong doers in DON'T TEMPT ME. If only the injustices of our world were handled so aptly and to such satisfying result. (although I suppose a democratic system of impartial jurors is nothing to sniff at...)

Any particularly satisfying comeuppances come to mind? Or am I wrong, is there an exception I am forgetting?

Doesn’t Everyone Talk To Themselves?

2009-09-02T17:18:00.007-04:00

Or...

"Why I Could Never Write In Public"
By Olivia Parker

See that industrious young woman sitting in the corner of the coffee shop, typing away on her laptop? Her small-rimmed glasses have slid down her blade of a nose, but she doesn’t bother to push them back up into place--she’s too engrossed in the scene she’s creating.

She never says a word but, every once and awhile, she pauses, the corner of her lips curving upward, her eyes alive with approval, as she stares down at the glowing screen awash with her marvelous prose. Do you see her? Do you know who she is?

Well, it’s not me, that’s for sure.

I’m at the register, lifting the frozen coffee confection an apron clad young man has slid across the counter to me. After thanking him, I make my exit, throwing an envious glance at the blessedly absorbed writer before I leave.

I’m heading back to my beloved cave to write. Home--where I can freely alternate from acting out my scenes, lounging in embarrassing positions in my computer chair, or reading my dialogue aloud in terribly fake English accents that sound nothing like the voices inside my head. I’m safe here--well, at least safe from the men in white coats who would like to show me to my new home with padded walls and cool jackets with lots of fun zippers and chains.

Because I’m this sort of writer (I know I’m not the only one), I avoid coffee shops, libraries, and sitting by fountains in public parks. They are all perfectly lovely places. Just not for me. However, sometimes I wish I was that highly-focused, quiet writer, happily creating amid a hundred or so distractions.

My second book, TO WED A WICKED EARL, a light-hearted Regency-set historical, was written entirely in private, which is something I thank the stars above for each time I remember writing the scene where Charlotte surprised me by daring to kiss a blind-folded scoundrel and I slid out of my chair.

The Big Day

2009-08-31T10:00:00.009-04:00

I think there's something in the water...or maybe a few of us here at Avon have just hit that time in our lives when everyone around us seems to be getting married...and so the invitations flood in!

Earlier this summer, Tessa wrote about her dear friends' impending nuptials, a friend down the hall (in our new 5th floor digs) is tying the knot next weekend here in the city, our Avon A production editor just hosted her sister's bridal shower, and poor May just wants one of us to get married so she can help plan a wedding (sorry May, it could be a while).

My favorite part of watching friends and family get hitched (well, besides the joy of celebrating the joining of two fantastic people) is seeing how celebrations reflect the personalities of the bride and groom.

As Tessa mentioned, her friends had a hand fasting ceremony in the woods of New Hampshire (complete with Scottish kits for the groom and groomsmen); in August my coast-loving cousin and her avid fisherman groom had a ceremony in a little white church in Boothbay Harbor, Maine followed by a boat ride for the wedding party to the outdoor reception.

My cousin and her (new!) husband boarding the "limo" boat that took the wedding party from the church to the reception

And the party went on into the night...

Next month, I am flying back up to the Pine Tree state for another family wedding, which will take place at a ski lodge where the couple first met.

Ahh l'amour...

(and I already know what I will be reading on the plane...)

Have you been to any great weddings or celebrated any fabulous couples recently?

More Random Things - Lucia Macro

2009-08-30T09:03:00.000-04:00

1) I am not on Facebook. You will never find me on Facebook. I think that friends are people I hang out with, not people I met in cyberspace. So there.

2) I was on Jeopardy!, two years ago, and I am still dining out on the stories. To answer the common questions: Alex is very nice, but kind of goofy; you pay your own way out there; yes, it's all about the signalling device; Sylvia Plath (the answer in Final Jeopardy)

3) I still can't swim, and I am still foolishly unafraid of the water.

4) Actually, I recently told someone that I'm not afraid of anything. That is a lie: I am deathly afraid of snakes--in a faintable way.

5) I love 80s goth music. I am very happy to lie around, listen to The Cure and feel the sorrow. "Back then", I used a lot of Aqua Net to make my hair stand up.

6) I like going to Presidential Birthplaces and State Capitols. I always take the tour; I'm actually interested!

7) One of my favorite books is MY LIFE AND HARD TIMES by James Thurber. I think everyone should read it. I give it to people when they turn 40.

8) I did really poorly in college. This is not an exaggeration. You can see the glad relief in my father's eyes in graduation day photos.

9) Some of my friends from college call me "Lunch" because I was always obsessed with eating lunch. I kind of still am.

10) A scary amount of my income goes to clothing.

11) If left to my own devices, I will change my clothes many times over the course of a day, which is actually somewhat Victorian of me.

12) It's heresy but I still love the Brontes more than Jane Austen.

13) It's my unfulfilled (so far) desire to do a trapeze class. I don't know why, because this goes against my innate sense of laziness.

14) I have never belonged to a gym. I doubt I ever will belong to a gym. I even chose my college because it didn't have a gym requirement.

15) I love the dog show. I have been to the Westminister Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden more than once. It's fun because you can go backstage and visit with them. And Vendors sell beer, like at a hockey game.

Since The Surrender

2009-08-28T15:33:00.008-04:00

by Julie Anne Long

SINCE THE SURRENDER is the third book in the Pennyroyal Green series, the story of a wicked indiscretion, a disappearing sister, a sinister museum, a puppet phobia, a busty angel painting, and an explosive, long-denied passion between Miss Rosalind March and Captain Charles “Chase” Eversea, whom we finally get to meet.

Finally, you ask? Well, we’ve had a few clues about Chase in the first two books. Among the many pleasures in writing a series rooted in the entwined fates of the Everseas and Redmonds--two powerful, passionate, rival aristocratic families bound by ancient secrets and grudges and a very inconvenient curse (think Montagues, Capulets, passion, disaster--along those lines)--is leaving a breadcrumb trail to future stories throughout the books. Sometimes the hints are pretty overt; sometimes they’re sneaky; but the delicious part for me is accustoming readers to the idea that behind every character or incident introduced or mentioned in the world is a potentially big, rich, story--and always, always a potential for a passionate romance--that adds depth and resonance to the series.

It pays to pay attention as you read, but you might just soak it up by osmosis, regardless. And, I can guarantee the romances will be as singular as the characters, and appropriate to them. [read more about the series premise, the locations and the cast of characters here: CLICK. Read the series prologue in the beginning of THE PERILS OF PLEASURE.]

It’s also fun to use these two families--and their very distinctive points of views about each other--to illuminate not only their own characters, but characters we’ll be spending more time with in upcoming stories. Take Chase, for instance. We briefly saw him through the eyes of his brother Colin, renowned black-sheep rogue, in THE PERILS OF PLEASURE: he’s the brother who came back from the war with a “heroic limp” while Colin remained unscathed.

In the second book in the series, LIKE NO OTHER LOVER, we spend time with the Redmonds. Miles Redmond and Cynthia Brightly are our hero and heroine, but we get a quick look at Chase through the considerably less charitable eyes of Violet Redmond, whose opinion is (perhaps naturally) colored by the fact that her family has born the brunt of that infamous Eversea/Redmond curse: an Eversea and a Redmond are bound to fall in love once per generation, with disastrous consequences. When the series opens, her oldest brother Lyon has disappeared, allegedly because Olivia Eversea broke his heart.

Violet tells her friend Cynthia Brightly that Chase can be found often sitting alone in the Pig & Thistle in Pennyroyal Green, drinking the night away, another Eversea on the way to dissolution. “And wasn’t Chase an ironic name for a man who couldn’t run?”

Um...Ouch, Violet.

So on to SINCE THE SURRENDER. Who is Captain Chase Eversea? Is he the hero Colin thinks he is? Is he drinking himself to dissolution? Why, and why? And, what kind of romance lies in store for him in SINCE THE SURRENDER? If you guessed it’s rooted both the heroism and the brooding, you’re correct: he’s a man with a past, a soldier renowned for heart-stopping good looks, bravery, brilliance, and ruthlessness...and he’s also a human, with memories of a secret, wicked indiscretion, a secret puppet phobia, and an acerbic sense of humor.

He doesn’t recognize it, but he’s irritable and insufferable and guarded and lost when he meet him. His family sees it all too clearly. They kick him out of Sussex, ostensibly on an errand to London, but really because they recognize that Chase desperately needs to get outside of himself. Chase thinks they can’t stand the sight of him anymore. (Which is also not far from the truth, given how charming he’s lately been).

But the Everseas are as similar to--and different from--each other as siblings generally are. Whereas Colin served in the war, Chase was born to be soldier, and so the war both shaped and reshaped him, literally (in the form of a leg that will never be quite what it once was) and figuratively. He was admired and revered by the men he led and the implicitly trusted right arm of his colonel. But surrendering to an impossible love proved he was human when he needed to be a coldly rational soldier, and led him to betray the man he admired most. He’s suffered ever since--again literally and figuratively.

Redemption for Chase lies then in confronting his past, in rediscovering his power and purpose, in surrendering to a destined passion he’s held at bay for five years, and in forgiving himself...and Rosalind March.

Ah, Rosalind March. Aka, "trouble". The lovely Rosalind March, once a flighty, charming girl desperate for the handsome captain’s attention and now a coolly self-possessed woman, is the widow of his commanding officers. She’s spent the five years since the war--and since that unforgettable moment shared with Chase--telling herself she’s cherishing her hard-won independence in the quiet of the country after a life of duty...without recognizing that she, like Chase, has gone into retreat against life and love.

It takes the disappearance of Rosalind’s daffy sister Lucy from Newgate after an arrest (she claims she didn’t really steal a bracelet; she was just trying it on...outside the shop) to reunite them. Confronted with the possibility of betraying yet another friend for Rosalind--Rosalind thinks Lord William Kinkade, another former soldier and a good friend of Chase’s--is involved in her sister’s disappearance. Chase struggles with his sense of honor yet again.

But Chase never could resist Rosalind--she’s his weakness, but she’s also his strength. And, soon enough, he’s lured into an investigation involving a sinister old museum, an insistently bold, filthy, and irrepressible street urchin named Liam, a corrupt ring of aristocrats, a busty angel painting, and a confrontation with his own sense of right, wrong, and duty and all those pesky gray areas in-between.

Oh, and puppets. Only for Rosalind will Chase confront a pair of creepy, prophetic puppets who seem to be delivering clues from a theater on the square.

Around every corner--in a brothel where a big clue hangs in the form of a prurient angel painting, in a museum room dominated by an enormous, ancient bed, in the quiet of Rosalind’s borrowed townhouse--Chase relentlessly, gently woos Rosalind with her own dormant, simmering sensuality until...naturally, passion explodes.

But what will these two wounded, quirky, passionate, strong-willed people do about it? Do they have a future? Read SINCE THE SURRENDER to find out.

And, don’t forget to look for the sneak little hint in there about what will happen to Violet Redmond in I KISSED AN EARL. But to catch it, you have to read LIKE NO OTHER LOVER FIRST.

Paranormal Romance From Down Under!

2009-08-27T10:00:00.001-04:00

Remember to tune into Romance Radio today at 5 pm Eastern Time (USA) to listen LIVE. You can ask author Tracy O'Hara questions about her NIGHT'S COLD KISS via chat or call in (347) 826-9686.

UPDATE: If you missed the LIVE show, use the player below to listen now.

Tracey O'Hara - Authors On Air

2009-08-26T15:33:00.009-04:00

NIGHT'S COLD KISS on Blog Talk Radio

Tracey O'Hara's debut urban fantasy introduces Antoinette Petrescu, a vampire hunter who seeks vengeance after witnessing the murder of her mother. Vampire fans are sure to love this dark, sexy debut, the first in a series.

Nalini Singh, NYT bestselling author, raves “NIGHT'S COLD KISS is a superb debut. Tracey O’Hara writes in a voice full of passion and power--I’m already waiting impatiently for the next book from this talented author.”

Tune into Romance Radio this Thursday (tomorrow!), 5 pm ET to listen live and ask Tracy questions via chat or call in (347) 826-9686.

The Infamous Rogue

2009-08-25T15:49:00.007-04:00

Mind Your Manners
by Alexandra Benedict

Captain James Hawkins struggled with the cravat, slipping a finger between the stiff linen and his throat. The infernal noose! What he wouldn’t give to be rid of it. But if he ripped the knotted material in public, it would only confirm the haute ton’s suspicion of him: he was a barbarian.

Poor James. An ex-pirate turned gentleman, he’s attempting to make his way through London Society--and failing miserably. His former mistress, Sophia Dawson, isn’t faring much better, as she desperately tries to conceal her sordid past from the critical ton. But the couple share an inborn distaste for rules, a longing for freedom. Soon, old passions rekindle and a battle of wills begins that can end only in utter ruin...or wicked surrender.

Here are a few rules (taken from George Routledge’s THE WELL-BRED PERSON'S BOOK OF ETIQUETTE) that James and Sophia mastered (or flouted) in my latest historical romance, THE INFAMOUS ROGUE:

No Slang!

Remember that all "slang" is vulgar. It has become of late unfortunately prevalent, and we know many ladies who pride themselves on the saucy chique with which they adopt certain Americanisms and other cant phrases of the day. Such habits cannot be too severely reprehended. They lower the tone of society and the standard of thought. It is a great mistake to suppose that slang is in any way a substitute for wit.

Are looks important? You bet! (...oops, I just broke Rule One)

Very clever women are too frequently indifferent to the graces of the toilette; and woman who wish to be thought clever affect indifference. In the one case, it is an error and in the other a folly.

Weighty considerations, indeed.

How to eat soup and what to do with a cherry-stone are weighty considerations when taken as the index of social status; and it is not too much to say, that a young woman who elected to take claret with her fish, or ate peas with her knife, would justly risk the punishment of being banished from good society.

The words “Honour and Obey”

...must also be distinctly spoken by the bride. They constitute an essential part of the obligation and contract of matrimony on her part.

The proper way (for an eager new husband) to depart for the honeymoon:

The young bride, divested of her bridal attire, and quietly costumed for the journey, now bids farewell to her bridesmaids and lady friends. A few tears spring into her gentle eyes, as she takes a last look at the home she is now leaving. The servants venture to crowd about her with their humble but heartfelt congratulations; finally, she falls weeping on her mother’s bosom.

A short cough is heard, as of someone summoning up resolution to hide emotion. It is her father. He dares not trust his voice; but holds out his hand, gives her an affectionate kiss, and then leads her, half turning back, down the stairs and through the hall, to the door, where he delivers her as a precious charge to her husband, who hands her quickly into the carriage, springs in after her, waves his hand to the party who appear crowding at the window, half smiles at the throng about the door, then, amidst a shower of old slippers--missiles of good-luck sent flying after the happy pair--gives the word, and they are off, and started on the long-hoped for voyage!

All right, it’s time to confess: Have you ever committed a faux pas? Witnessed one? Do tell!

My Paranormal Obsession

2009-08-24T14:23:00.012-04:00

It’s no secret that paranormal romances have taken the publishing and film/tv world by storm, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the HBO show TRUE BLOOD based on Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Mystery series.

I remember reading the first few books a few years ago and really enjoying how fun and sexy the stories were, but the show has exceeded my expectations in bringing these undead characters to life!

During the first season of TRUE BLOOD, I was completely rooting for Bill and Sookie’s hot and sexy romance and I fell in love with the flamboyant, never dull Lafayette and sweetly dumb Jason Stackhouse. But this second season...Oh. My....is EVEN better! Goodbye, Bill Compton. Hello, hotter and sexier Eric the Viking! And that shape-shifter, Sam Merlotte, grrrwl.

Are there any readers of the books who are also fans of the show? What do you think so far? Do you like some of the liberties the show has taken with the books’ plots? Are you rooting for Eric or Bill?

P.S. If you are looking to read about other sexy shape-shifters, check out Pamela Palmer’s "Feral Warriors" series, beginning with DESIRE UNTAMED.

For hot vampire romances, you can’t go wrong with Lynsay Sands, Jeaniene Frost and Terri Garey:

With Seduction In Mind

2009-08-22T00:34:00.009-04:00

by Laura Lee Guhrke

When Avon asked me to do a blog about my new book, WITH SEDUCTION IN MIND, my first reaction was to groan. Not because I hate to blog. Ok, I do, but that’s not why. It’s because I’m the writer and, by the time one of my books comes out in stores, I’ve moved on.

I’m in the middle of a whole new story, and I don’t even really remember what the previous book was about. All I know is, it’s not the book that’s under deadline now. But when I flipped back through the pages of WITH SEDUCTION IN MIND, when I re-read about Sebastian, the famous but cynical novelist with writer’s block, and Daisy, the fresh-faced wannabe, and how they fall in love despite the fact that they are forced to write together, I realized I had a great blog topic: Biting Off More Than You Can Chew (also known as: Oh, Crap, I’ll Never Make This Work).

You see, when I started WITH SEDUCTION IN MIND, I did it with the absolute certainty that writing about writers would be easy. I thought sure I’d make my deadline because I know this topic cold. “Write what you know,” people say, and I figured that made sense. Until I tried it. And that’s when I realized that writing about writers is really, really hard. The reason, of course, is because writers are crazy.

Seriously, though, it was a lot harder to show two writers falling in love than I thought it would be. Sebastian and Daisy collaborate, they fight, they seduce each other. They also finish their books, fall in love, and live happily ever after, but how I got them to that happy ending still baffles me, because they also procrastinate, hate writing as much as they love it, welcome any possible distraction, and fear the whole time they’re doing it wrong and their writing is crap.

In other words, they’re sort of like...me. Because of that, telling their story was a lot harder than I thought and I learned to never assume something’s gonna be easy, because the minute you do, you find yourself in deep trouble. As for making my deadline...well, maybe we’d better not talk about that. My editor reads this blog, you know.

What about you? Is there any project you’ve taken on that you thought would be a piece of cake, only to find out it was harder than you thought? What did you do about it? What did it teach you?

Never Marry A Stranger

2009-08-20T13:49:00.009-04:00

“The Call”
by Gayle Callen

Okay, so I didn’t get “The Call” recently. But NEVER MARRY A STRANGER (on sale 8/25/09) is my 20th published book and this is my tenth year of publication, so I’m feeling a little nostalgic.

For those of you who haven’t desperately tried to sell a book, “The Call” is when an editor offers to purchase your manuscript. It is a day that no writer forgets. It took me 13 long years and three completed manuscripts before I sold, so I had been waiting for that magic moment a long time. It was January 22, 1998, and my agent told me the good news at 2:45 in the afternoon. See, I remember everything!

And another reason it’s so easy to remember is because I was the mom hosting my son’s high school swim team for dinner that night. Twenty-six starving young men. I received a message to call my agent when I was in the middle of grocery shopping. When I arrived home, I called her back (at 2:45) and heard the wonderful news that Avon had offered to buy not just the completed book I’d submitted, but a second as well.

I was stunned and overjoyed as I waited for my new editor to call me. But could I savor it? Nope. I spent the rest of the afternoon with the phone crooked between my head and shoulder as I talked to my husband and family while cooking four pans of ziti, making salad, and finding places in my house for 26 teenagers to spread out.

When the boys descended, I was too busy to think anymore about my burgeoning writing career. But I have a great memory of the house becoming quiet several hours later, then sitting down on the couch next to my husband and just staring at each other. Life would never be the same.

NEVER MARRY A STRANGER, which hits the shelves August 25, is the next step in the journey that started that day. It’s the third book in the “Sons of Scandals” trilogy. Matthew is thought dead in the first two books but now returns from the war to find Emily, who’s been posing as his wife. Would a good hero expose her and thereby expose his whole family to scandal? Heck no! He pretends he has amnesia from his war injuries where his wife is concerned. He’ll figure out the truth while Emily is desperately trying to show him what a good wife she can be.

So how did you feel when something you’d wanted for so long finally happened to you?