Category: Books & Authors

New Blog Launching Monday!

I have another guest blogger next Monday and Tuesday, so won’t be able to announce this ON Monday. So it’s going up today, and will remain up throughout the weekend.

After many, many months of work, I’m thrilled to announce that Nobody Writes it Better, the group blog of 31 members of the 2007 Golden Heart finalists group (the 007s, as we call ourselves) is finally launching! On Monday, June 15th. Our first blogger, Gail Fuller, who finaled in the Short Contemporary category, is launching us off in style with a double interview of international authors Robyn Grady and Melissa James. Here’s a taste of what’s to come:

Welcome! I’m so excited to invite everyone to help celebrate the official unveiling of the 2007 Golden Heart
Finalists’ blog.

Date: Monday, June 15th, 2009

Special guest appearances by authors Melissa James (Harlequin Romance) and Robyn Grady (Silhouette Desire and Modern Heat, released in North America as Harlequin Presents).

Place:  nobodywritesitbetter.com ­ This invitation includes one-day admittance to a retreat known to romance authors as Isla Romance, aka Rom Runners Island in some author circles.

We’ll have draws for special autographed book giveaways and an island appropriate theme pack.

Warning: The cabana boys serving our favourite iced beverages are hot, hot, hot! Please note Robyn Grady has retained the personal server with the flawless resemblance to Gerald Butler. Not to worry, many more are waiting for you to grace the island with your presence. Hope to see you there!

What, you want to know my first blogging date at Nobody Writes it Better? July 1st, Canada Day!

What am I blogging about? I ain’t got a clue. Gulp.

Donna Russo Morin Blogging Tomorrow

Tomorrow Kensington historical romance author Donna Russo Morin visits the blog. Donna’s written a wonderful post that replicates a cyber-space book club conversation and is giving away a copy of her February 2009 release, THE COURTIER’S SECRET.

Back Cover Copy for THE COURTIER’S SECRET:

France. 1682. Luis XIV, the Sun King, is at the height of his power; his court dazzles with opulent glory. For many privileged young women, Versailles is a paradise. For others, it is a gilded and bejeweled cage. Jeanne Yvette Mas du Bois is unlike most other courtiers and the flavor of decadence tastes bitter upon her tongue. Her thirst for knowledge and purpose entices her father’s brutal wrath, but her Uncle Jules encourages Jeanne’s independence, secretly teaching her the art of the sword in the palace’s labyrinthine basement.

When two of the king’s Musketeers are beset by criminals who are mere feet from Jeanne’s fencing lesson, she intervenes, saving one of the Musketeer’s lives. Hidden behind her mask, Jeanne is mistaken for a man. As “Jean Luc,” Jeanne is admitted to an inner circle where she learns of an assassination plot against the Queen. As Jean Luc, she is permitted to bring her intelligence and swordsmanship to bear. And as Jean Luc, she is free to love the man of her choosing even if she can never have him. Now, with the Queen in jeopardy, and her own double life making her privy to the tangled intrigues at court, Jeanne is in a powerful—yet increasingly perilous—position.

Brimming with lush period detail and vivid, unforgettable characters, THE COURTIER’S SECRET takes readers into a fascinating, intriguing world of pageantry, adventure, betrayals, and secrets.

About Donna:russo_morin_pic

Donna Russo Morin has gladly given her life’s passion to the written word, both as a vocation and an avocation. Her second book, THE SECRET OF THE GLASS, will be a January 2010 release and she is hard at work on her third book, TO SERVE A KING. Donna is proud to be a lifelong resident of Rhode Island where she graduated from the University of Rhode Island. Donna is a member of the RWA, RIRW, and Author’s Guild. In addition to writing, editing, and teaching, Donna dabbles as a model and actor, using yet another imaginary world to support her real one. Donna’s two sons, Devon and Dylan, are her greatest works in progress.

Avery Beck Visits Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I’m hosting two-time Golden Heart finalist and debut Samhain author Avery Beck. Avery’s giving away an ebook of her very first book, SEXY BY DESIGN (yoo-hoo!). Be sure to drop by to help Avery celebrate her release day and to comment to enter for your chance to win an ebook of SEXY BY DESIGN.

Blurb for SEXY BY DESIGN:

One night of anonymous sex. Zero consequences. At least, that was the plan.

Dumped for another woman, Bree Jamison buries her white-picket-fence dreams—and her naturally shy demeanor—for a contract job behind the scenes of an erotic cyberstore. Her new life comes with a sexy public persona, and a driving ambition to earn a permanent position with the company.

On the day she’s prepared to present her best work, she’s shocked to discover her future depends on impressing her only one-night stand. The one man who could blow her cover and ruin everything.

Evan climbed out of poverty with sarcasm on his tongue and a ring in his eyebrow. He can’t believe the vixen in front of him is the same woman who fumbled her way through their single botched encounter. Her offer for a do-over is an opportunity he can’t pass up, not only to secure his reputation, but to satisfy his curiosity about the one woman he couldn’t please.

In a bedroom full of the company’s products, fiery arguments lead to experimentation—and then to a passion that strips away their masks. In that vulnerable place, their troubled pasts collide, baring secrets that force Evan into a hard decision. And Bree back on the road to heartbreak…

Sounds scrumptious!

About Avery:beck_pic

Two-time Golden Heart® finalist Avery Beck has crafted compelling fiction since age five, when she played school with her best friend and sent home a “teacher’s note” that got the poor girl in trouble.

It seems natural that her two passions, writing and studying relationships, have found an outlet in romance novels. She is fascinated with exploring the something that draws two people together, and she hopes to share with readers the humor, fun, drama, and best of all, joy of falling in love.

Avery writes short, sexy contemporaries and believes life is not complete without the pursuit of dreams and an intense roll in the hay…or wherever one feels inclined to roll.

Visit her at www.averybeck.com.

Skinning

Happened upon Erin McCarthy’s website the other day. I’ve read several of her Bravas and am a fan of her voice. Noticed something cool on the website. Her designer has enabled “skinning.” That’s when the browser (as in person) has the ability to click a button to change website designs or “skins.” I thought that was very cool. Take a look and tell me what you think (McCarthy’s skinning options are under Mix it Up! below Contact Erin.) I’ve seen this done on blogs before, although usually not writer’s blogs. But I can’t remember seeing it on an author’s site before.

What are your thoughts? Should an author make up her mind and stick with one design? Do you like the option of changing the skin to suit your tastes? I’m asking because I design my own websites, and often I’m very torn between color combinations. Personally, I doubt I would go as far as to change designs completely—too much work on the design end for this puppy. Actually, I have no clue how to enable skinning, either. But on an aesthetic level, I thought it was pretty cool that Erin’s designer did this for her (that’s Liz Bemis of Bemis Promotions, by the way.)

Christy Reece Guest Blogging Tomorrow!

Please join me tomorrow in welcoming dark romantic suspense author Christy Reece to the blog. Christy’s first series, the Last Chance Rescue trilogy, is being released in back-to-back months by Ballantine. Christy is blogging on Series: Love Them or Hate Them? and is giving away a copy of RESCUE ME, her May release and the first in the series.

Back Cover copy for RESCUE ME:

A covert operative of Last Chance Rescue Enterprises (LCR), Eden St. Claire has made secrets her life’s work. Seven years ago, an evening of emotional vulnerability and pure pleasure almost destroyed her. Now Eden wears her beauty like a mask, concealing any hint of vulnerability or demons of her past.

A daring rescue of an innocent girl on a Greek island leads Eden to a new partner. Jordan Montgomery, new to LCR, has been looking for Eden—though he knows her by another name, from another time. But his search for her is overshadowed by a case that’s gone international. A powerful, ruthless, organized network is stealing women and children around the world—as a lover, a traitor, and a killer all wait for Eden’s next move.

About Christy:reece_pic

Growing up in a tiny community in Alabama boasting only one stop sign and a gas station gave Christy ample opportunity to create daring adventures in her head. When she wasn’t thinking of her story characters, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys kept her entertained and out of trouble. Later came the chills of Stephen King and the thrills of John Grisham, but the romance genre always held a strong place in her heart.

After leaving her career with a major insurance company, the characters in her head came alive again and Christy decided to write her own stories. And now, she and her characters couldn’t be happier.

A member of Romance Writers’ of America and International Thriller Writers, Christy lives in Alabama with her husband, two incredibly cute canines and one very shy turtle.

You can visit Christy on the web at www.christyreece.com.

Mary J. Forbes Guest Blogging Tomorrow

Tomorrow I welcome my first repeat guest blogger to Muse Interrupted. It’s appropriate that Mary J. Forbes should be my first repeat guest—because she was my first guest period. Welcome back to the blog, Mary!

Mary will blog on “Springtime Happiness” and is giving away a copy of the winner’s choice of any of the three titles in her Silhouette Special Edition mini-series, Home to Firewood Island. The stories include THEIR SECRET CHILD (May 2008), AND BABY MAKES FOUR (November 2008), and her latest release, THE DOCTOR’S SURPRISE FAMILY (May 2009), which recently received a 4.5 Top Pick review from Romantic Times.

Back Cover Copy for THE DOCTOR’S SURPRISE FAMILY:

YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER

When Kat O’Brien saw the rain-soaked stranger pull up on his motorcycle, her instincts went on red-alert. Except he was no stranger. He was Dane Rainhart, hometown war hero…and Kat’s girlhood crush. Now the single mother was more intrigued than ever by this sexy, powerful man already bonding with her son.

After being wounded in the line of duty, Dane needed a place to mend—and hide away from the world. Instead, the haunted military doctor was falling for the much-too-attractive widow and her boy. Perhaps it was time they both faced the past and took a second chance at happiness—together!

About Mary:forbes_pic

Mary J. Forbes writes poignant and emotional stories about family and relationships for Silhouette Books. She has been on the Waldenbooks Best Sellers list, won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion and Laurel Wreath Award, as well as finaled in the Maggie, Aspen Gold and Golden Quill. Mary was also interviewed in last September’s issue of the Romantic Times about the NFL hero of her book, THEIR SECRET CHILD (May 08), the first of her “Home To Firewood Island” mini-series. Her current release, THE DOCTOR’S SURPRISE FAMILY, is the 3rd installment of the series and received Top Pick from Romantic Times.

For more information about Mary and her books, please visit her website.

See you tomorrow!