Avon Romance Blog

2009 RITA Award Nominees

noreply@blogger.com (WendyLee) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Since today is the first official day of the Romance Writers of America National Conference, I’d like to take a moment to recognize our nominees for the RITA awards, which will be handed out Saturday night.

The RITAs (which, if you were wondering, are indeed named after a Rita--RWA’s first president, Rita Clay Estrada), honor the best romance novels and novellas published in the past year. In 2008, the competition was stiff, with over one thousand applicants in twelve categories. We are proud to present the following finalists from Avon:

Contemporary Single Title Romance

NOT ANOTHER BAD DATE by Rachel Gibson

Historical Romance

DUCHESS BY NIGHT by Eloisa James

IN BED WITH THE DEVIL by Lorraine Heath

WHERE THE HEART LEADS by Stephanie Laurens

Paranormal Romance
THE UNDEAD NEXT DOOR by Kerrelyn Sparks

Regency Historical Romance

MR. CAVENDISH, I PRESUME by Julia Quinn

THE EDGE OF DESIRE by Stephanie Laurens

THREE NIGHTS OF SIN by Anne Mallory

Romance Novella

“Only You” by Jacquie D’Alessandro and “The Fall of Rogue Gerard” by Stephanie Laurens from IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT

Congratulations, all!

AND, remember tomorrow:

Authors On Air- Live From RWA

noreply@blogger.com (AvonRomance) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:34:00 +0000

Join us for two shows--LIVE from RWA in Washington, D.C.!!

Thursday from 11:00 - 11:30 AM ET, Cathy Maxwell interviews Tracy Anne Warren and Elaine Fox. Then, from 11:30 AM - 12 PM, Cathy Maxwell interviews Sophia Nash and Jeaniene Frost. All are co-authors of FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL.

Four Dukes And A Devil

noreply@blogger.com (LuciaMacro) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Sometimes, in the summer, I completely lose my attention span. I can only read in short bursts, which makes anything with more than 50 pages of plot virtually impossible to get through. For those of you who also suffer from this affliction, you'll be happy to know that FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL will suit your summer reading needs.

Five great stories by five wonderful authors who all reside in the Washington, D.C. area. You might ask, "Why Washington?" Well, next week, as I'm sure you all know, we'll be heading lock, stock, and Blackberries down to Washington, D.C. for the Romance Writers of America convention. We thought it might be fun to celebrate the conference by having a collection ready, written by authors from the host-city.

RWA is a moveable feast, and is held in a different town every year. The first RWA I ever attended was in Atlanta, Georgia--I really don't remember the hotel. But I do remember that The Ritas were then called "The Golden Medallions" and they were handed out at a luncheon. Later, they were renamed the Ritas and were handed out with dinner, which is why the ceremony is still occasionally called "the banquet," by those of us who've been around for a long time.

One year, dessert came out in what I called "the parade of cakes"--the waiters marched around the room with sparklers. There is a part of me that still misses the "banquet," which was sort of like attending a mapcap wedding without many men. Even though it was the usual conference fare (chicken or steak), and the mad grab for seats (getting your table organized was a job unto itself), there was something festive about it all.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (LuciaMacro) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Never let it be said that I'm not adventurous. Before I return to a more blog-suitable discussion about Dukes, ballrooms, and the like, I wanted to share this these pictures of yours truly in a float plane. And, if it seems like the plane was small, let me assure you that it was! Seven of us pried ourselves in--and, yes, we all had to write down our purported weight for "equal distribution" before we could board.

I can see Canada from my plane!
We were lucky enough to get the "pilot's choice" tour, which included flying over some ice fields and a sail through a mountain pass. For once words really elude me, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Down below we saw wilderness--the houses end, the glaciers begin and there's nothing out there there except some mountain goats, a few crazy scientists, and an outfitter that takes tourists around on dog sleds.(They're helicoptered in.)

Just to give you a sense of Alaska's size, if you transposed it on a map of the lower 48, it takes up something like nearly half the nation. Oh, and when someone here asked me how many millions of people lived in the state, I replied, "About 600,000." Half of those live in Anchorage.

Thank you, William Seward, who wrangled Alaska away from Russia, and who was somewhat ironically born in Florida, NY.

PS--next time you're in Juneau, give Ward Air a call and go on an Ice Cap Tour. You will be glad you did!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Part One

noreply@blogger.com (LuciaMacro) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:50:00 +0000

When I was a kid, we never took summer vacations. The crowds! The driving! It was all too much for my dad to take. So, while my pals were going on family road trips to Florida or Cape Cod, I got to run wild around my hometown.

I've spent the rest of my life making up for this. Anyone who's tried to get a hold of me this week knows I'm "out of office."

That's because I've been in Juneau, Alaska. Yes, Alaska, where the odds (men) are notoriously good, but the good are odd; where Sarah Palin is governor, but only for about three more weeks; and where a bear really did amble through my boyfriend's mother's back yard.

I was inside and too slow to see the bear, but, to give you a sense of the mighty Alaskan Brown Bear, here's a picture of me in the State Office Building standing next to a much safer bear.

Oh, and, though I'm famously the laziest person on the face of the earth, here's a shot of me at the top of an actual mountain. Yes, I did haul myself up a trail to get there...though I did take the Mount Roberts Tram first. That's Juneau in the background.

I'm leaving Alaska tomorrow, but I'll have more shots for you to see before I leave, including some of Lucia's Adventures in a Float Plane.

Beach House

noreply@blogger.com (LuciaMacro) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:21:00 +0000

A Book That's About A Summer Vacation

Because I'm determined to have as much fun in the sun as I can this summer, in August I'm taking off for Cape Cod with my sister and her family. Even though it's pretty close to New York, I've never been to the Cape, so I'm really looking forward to this.

The great thing about renting a beach house anywhere is that you don't have to do a thing but 1) sit on the beach and 2) sit on the deck. And, in between times staring out at the waves, it's always good go have a book.

One that I can highly recommend this summer is Georgia Bockoven's BEACH HOUSE, which is set in Santa Cruz, not Cape Cod, is a perfect book to have while you're doing all that sitting. The idea is simple: one house, one summer, and three unforgettable stories. Who could resist?

But because I was the editor of BEACH HOUSE, I've (obviously) already read it. I need some serious beach reading recommendations for next month--please send them now!

Men (And Women) In Uniform

noreply@blogger.com (ErikaTsang) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:51:00 +0000

I like big budget action movies. But I love the men in them even more.

The only reason I went to see TRANFORMERS II was for Josh Duhmal, who did NOT get enough screen time, in my opinion.

Look at that face! Those eyes! I've loved him since he was Leo on ALL MY CHILDREN...but I digress.

Today is the 4th of July and I would just like to acknowledge all the men and women in our armed forces who are out there defending our country, keeping us safe. I'm particularly thankful this year because my cousin Jimmy, after having served a year in Afghanistan, is now home.

Countdown To Washington, D.C.

noreply@blogger.com (ErikaTsang) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Every year, Romance Writers of America has a conference to celebrate romance, writers, and books. I enjoy attending, not only because that's when I see most of my authors, but also because it brings me to different cities.

Living in New York City, I see tourists all the time, just stopping in the middle of the street to gaze up at the Empire State Building, or taking pictures of The Plaza or Rockefeller Center. During the annual RWA conference, I get to play tourist, at least for a couple of hours.

Last year, it was San Francisco. This year, it's Washington DC. I'm particularly excited about the tour of the Capitol Building, which has access to the Library of Congress through a tunnel!

And, one of my favorite museums is the International Spy Museum, where I bought a magnet that lists The Moscow Rules. I actually think these should be rules for living.

Another thing about Washington, D.C.--the authors. We've brought together 4 Avon authors who live in the area (and one who wants to live in the area) and created the anthology, FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL. Enjoy!

Missing David Tennant

noreply@blogger.com (ErikaTsang) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Dear Fate:

As you know, David Tennant stars as the 10th Doctor on DOCTOR WHO. I’ve been following him ever since an obsessed friend insisted I watch this show, and then an author (Suzanne Enoch) told me “Blink” was a particularly good episode.

So, there I was, flying home from RWA in San Francisco on Virgin America, and what did they have on BBC-A but “Blink”. It was like you, Fate, were telling me I had to watch this show. So, I did. In fact, I watched all four seasons in one weekend. I was hooked.

Then, last September, I was in Stratford-Upon-Avon in the UK, where, lo and behold, David Tennant was playing Hamlet. But, of course, on the only day I was there, the play was not in production.

Now, this July, I learn rather last minute that David Tennant will be making an appearance at Comic Con in San Diego. But do I have any vacation days left? No. Is the Comic Con still accepting registration? No.

Alas, I must content myself with this little trailer.

But, Fate, should you see fit to throw David Tennant in my path again, I would like to, actually, you know, see him in person.

Much obliged,

Erika Tsang

PS: If you'll be attending Comic Con July 23-26, be sure to stop by HarperCollins' booth and meet Vicki Pettersson, and also Sherrilyn Kenyon at her own booth.

Look And Listen

noreply@blogger.com (LuciaMacro) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Watch CBS Videos Online
Take a look at this video from CBS' EARLY SHOW with Tatiana Boncompagni author of HEDGE FUND WIVES.

Later, we invite you to listen live to Julia Quinn, as she talks about WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON on Blog Talk Radio today at 2 PM ET.

Hedge Fund Wives

noreply@blogger.com (LuciaMacro) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:41:00 +0000

Tatiana Boncompagni author of HEDGE FUND WIVES is scheduled to be on the CBS Early Show Tuesday, June 30th.

Tatiana will discuss the social fallout that has followed the Madoff family since Bernie Madoff's Ponzi Scheme conviction. We don't know the time, yet, but tune in!

Julia Quinn - Authors On Air

noreply@blogger.com (AvonRomance) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Tomorrow, join #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn, who'll be on Romance Radio to talk about her winning new historical novel, WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON.

Anyone who loved THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS MIRANDA CHEEVER will be thrilled by this story, which opens with Miranda's best friend, Olivia Bevelstoke, spying on the mysterious Harry Valentine.

Click HERE for more information.

Don't Tempt Me

noreply@blogger.com (MayChen) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Behind The Veil
by Loretta Chase

Zoe Lexham, the heroine of my latest book, DON’T TEMPT ME, has spent twelve years in a harem. The harem was/is by nature a secret place, but here are some things I learned:

1. Brazilian wax a must. According to HAREM: THE WORLD BEHIND THE VEIL, “It was considered a sin to have hair on one’s private parts...The women removed hair not only from their legs and underarms, but from all body crevices, even nostrils and ears.

They spread themselves with a burning paste, which was later scraped off with the sharp edges of mussel shells.” A later version of the paste (still used in some parts of the world today) is made with sugar and lemon. Elsewhere, hot beeswax was used. Tweezing, too, for those tricky spots.

2. Sleep your way up the corporate ladder. A large harem was like a corporation. The CEO would be the top woman (the Sultana, in Turkey), with the equivalents of vice presidents and managers and administrative assistants and so on down the line to the lowest level slaves. With status came jewels and nice clothes, better quarters, more servants, and power (including over the master).

A slave who’d mastered the arts of pleasing men--music and dancing, reciting poetry, and, of course, sex--might be freed and become a pasha’s wife. Or she could become the master’s concubine and work her way up the corporate hierarchy. It definitely paid to develop one’s erotic skills.

3. Eunuchs are complicated. Not everyone realizes that loss of reproductive parts doesn’t necessarily mean loss of desire. This would explain why many eunuchs were moody: Surrounded by beautiful women whose lives are dedicated to sex, these men can feel lust and love while lacking the equipment for the follow-through. But there were different kinds of eunuchs; not all lacked the equipment, and even those who did were able to satisfy women.

Some eunuchs of a great household were simply servants for the men, while others served and guarded the harem. They, too, had a hierarchy. In the harem, the chief eunuch was an extremely powerful man.

4. European girl kidnapped, sold into harem slavery--really? Yes. I found a documented case. Aimee DeBucq de Rivery, a cousin of Josephine de Beauharnais (Napoleon’s first wife) was kidnapped and ended up in a harem. She was 21 at the time, fresh out of convent school.

Here’s one of the less fantastical paintings of a harem. Though it’s later in the 19th Century--and imaginary, since Lewis wouldn’t have been allowed into a harem--the interior corresponds to drawings of early 19th Century Egyptian interiors.

Click Here and you can take a tour of the Topkapi Palace--on whose harem the lesser ones (like my imaginary one in Egypt) are modeled.

And, yes, more is unveiled in my book. Meanwhile...
Is there anything else you’ve ever wanted to know about harems? Is it your idea of heaven or hell? A place to visit or to live in? If you were in Zoe’s or Aimee’s shoes, what do you think you’d do?

Desire Untamed

noreply@blogger.com (MayChen) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Building a Feral World
by Pamela Palmer

One of the most exciting aspects of writing a new paranormal series is creating the world. It’s also one of the hardest. Where do you start when the possibilities are mind-bogglingly endless?

When I first set out to write the "Feral Warriors" series, I began with only the germ of an idea--the basic premise of the first book, DESIRE UNTAMED. I knew the story was about a woman snatched from her safe, normal world by a powerful immortal male--a male claiming she was the only one who can save his world. Beyond that, I knew nothing, not even what kind of immortal this guy was. At that moment of conception, he could have been anything. The story could have been set in any place, in any time, real or imaginary.

How do you decide anything when faced with an infinite array of choices? For me, it’s actually not as hard as it sounds. I have this inner compass that tells me when I’ve hit on the right idea. I know that sounds strange, but really, it’s true.

I run ideas through my head and literally feel something inside me when I hit on the right one, almost like the tug of a magnet. Was this immortal guy a vampire? Nope. A demon? No, again. A werewolf? No, but I felt a tingling. Not a werewolf. A shape-shifter? Bingo! A lion capable of changing shape at will, but not part of any kind of pride. From there, the ideas began to tumble forth.

This lion shape-shifter was the only one of his kind left in the world. But he wasn’t the only shape-shifter. The rest began to fall into place fairly quickly--nine shape-shifters, each a different animal, each the last of his own unique line. Nine Feral Warriors standing between the Earth and the Daemons who would rise and destroy us.

Other questions followed. Where do these stories take place? When? These questions were easy to answer. Our world, here and now, because I love urban fantasy. Where? The Washington, D.C. area. Not only do I know it best, living here, but the mid-Atlantic around the nation’s capital offers a rich wealth of diverse settings within a short distance--the city, the mountains, the beaches, the rocky cliffs over-looking the Potomac.

Then, it was on to the more intricate details of the world. Who will be the villains and allies of the Ferals? What other non-human races populate this world? What magic and powers exist? And how will it all come into play to create action-packed, romantic, conflict-driven stories?

I don’t have space here for all the answers. You’ll have to pick up DESIRE UNTAMED to see for yourself. But that, in a nutshell, is how the Feral Warriors and their world were born.

Now a question for you. If you could become any animal when you wished, what animal would you choose to be? Me, I’d choose to be a bird. A big bird soaring across the sky. I can’t imagine anything more exciting. What about you?

Surrender To The Devil

noreply@blogger.com (MayChen) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:50:00 +0000

My mother was a British beauty (actually won 2nd place in a Max Factor® beauty contest) and my dad was a Texan stationed at Bovingdon Air Force Base in England shortly after World War II. He was an airplane mechanic.

Growing up, I always enjoyed listening to my parents telling me how they met. My mom’s version went like this: She and her best friend, all decked out in their favorite party dresses, went to a dance at the base. A tall greasy looking fellow popped inside for a minute and my mom thought, “Oh, he’s not half bad.”

My dad’s version was that he’d been working on the planes, was dirty and tired and not sure he wanted to attend the dance. He stepped inside to have a look around and a lovely lady caught his eye. He went to get cleaned up and returned to charm her.

In SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL, Frannie Darling and Sterling Mabry, the Duke of Greystone, experience a very similar situation. Only they are at a wedding reception and they each look across the room--and feel an undeniable attraction.

While Sterling tries to charm her, Frannie resists. After all, he is part of the aristocracy and she grew up on the streets. His is a life of indulgence while hers continues to be one of struggles as she searches the rookeries for orphaned and needy children. But he is determined, and they’ll both discover that nothing is more dangerous than risking their hearts.

My question to you is: Do you believe in love at first sight?

Lorraine Heath

For The Earl's Pleasure

noreply@blogger.com (MayChen) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:15:00 +0000

Young love. The memories. The nostalgia of that cute, tanned boy with the fast boat that summer at the lake... Or the sweet boy at camp with the science kit, the nerdy glasses and the endearing smile... Or the smoking hot boy across the tracks with the motorcycle, the fake ID and the Dean Winchester grin...

Sometimes, nostalgia is blissful in a sigh-worthy, "ahhhhhh..." kind of way. And, sometimes, it slices and cuts with recrimination over the one who got away. FOR THE EARL'S PLEASURE is the latter sort of book. A story where a decade in the past everything went horribly wrong for two people on the verge of adulthood and they've been trying to recover (and forget their other half) ever since.

When extreme circumstances occur, a narrow chance at reconciliation, redemption and a love that has always blazed hotly is set into motion. Of course, sometimes that means skirting the angel of death...some people just can't get a break...

Any nostalgia for something fun in your youth? During your coming of age? Hailing Judy Blume? :) Thinking about a summer fling or a fun flirtation?

Anne Mallory

Visiting Cathy Maxwell

noreply@blogger.com (AvonRomance) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:00:00 +0000

On Friday, Pam and her intrepid clan descended upon the ever-jovial Cathy Maxwell, somewhere in the (blessedly not raining) area of Richmond, VA. After driving approximately 40 miles in the wrong direction (we were so close to Colonial Williamsburg that we could smell the wood-burning ovens and heat-singed sheep), we righted ourselves (love GPS) and eventually found Goochland county, where we spent a wonderful afternoon with Cathy and her daughter, Sam...and their 30 year old dappled steed, Roman.

Cathy and Sam suited up Kate and Will (Avon publicists-in-training) and led them around the barn. Will charmed Liam, the Irish bachelor who manages the stable where Cathy boards Roman--little guy got up close and personal with a thoroughbred!

There's a book in the stable culture--the warm and wonderful hands who tend and care for the fine equines, trained for fox-hunting, steeplechasing, jumping and dressage; interspersed with vignettes of the Virginians who own them.

Cathy is getting ready to send her daughter to India for six months, where she
will attend a semester of college in an all-girl school in the Southern part of
the country. Evidently, Cathy's co-ed has been advised to not even look at men,
due to the mores of the local culture. (And let's not even talk about the
reputed dangers of kidnappings and the local sex trade...). And somehow, this
all worries our intrepid author less than letting the 20 year old go out in
D.C....

Really a lovely, perfect day that left us all starry-eyed and more than a little
in love with Roman. Many thanks to the warm and wonderful Cathy Maxwell and her daughter for sharing this special experience with us!

Look for Cathy at the helm of the forthcoming anthology, "FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL" (also featuring novellas by Tracy Anne Warren, Sophia Nash, Jeaniene Frost and Elaine Fox). Also see her sparkling smiles at romance fans at the RWA national conference this July in Washington D.C.

City Of Souls

noreply@blogger.com (AmandaBergeron) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:42:00 +0000

Your Dreams Are Your Real Job
By Vicki Pettersson
(NYT bestselling author of the "Sign of the Zodiac" series)

Figuring out a way to make a living while working to become a novelist has long been a universally lamented frustration. Man or woman, single or married, parent or childless, I don’t know anyone who hasn’t worried over budget and bills while simultaneously driving words onto the page. At the least, every author who ever put pen (or quill or stylus) to page has had to look at their writing in terms of opportunity cost. (I learned that term in Economics 101, the only useful bit of info gleaned there before flunking out and fleeing back to my beloved--and, hello, interesting!--English classes.)

Obviously, those who are published found a way to do it...and I suspect most answered the question of opportunity cost in the same way I did. With a question of their own: What would it cost me not to write?

That answer differs for everyone--sanity, freedom, self-respect, a creative outlet, and so on. (My answer, by the way, is sanity. I’m a royal pain to be around if I haven’t gotten my words in for the day, so consider yourself warned.) And because experiences and opportunities differ as well, so do the ways we go about supporting ourselves. Some of my favorite authors have spoken openly about having to hold down a job (or two) while going to school and/or raising children, and fighting all the while to make time for their minds to meet the page. My own experiences weren’t that much different from others’...right up until they were.

See, when you grow up in Las Vegas, and you happen to be a woman of a certain height who has, luckily, a bit of dance training, the statement that most often greets you isn’t “You should be a model,” or even, “You should be a basketball player!” but "You should be a showgirl."

I did because the opportunity was there. Once I discovered I’d get full-time pay for part-time work--that I could, in effect, use my days to write and my nights to work--I signed my first six-month showgirl contract faster than you could say “Pasties!”

I kept signing those twice-a-year contracts, even though each required me to maintain a certain weight while performing two shows a night, six nights a week, with no limit on rehearsal time, and no obligation on the part of the hotel to keep me on if I, for example, fell down the stairs while tottering around in a three-foot headdress. I was a commodity, I got that (without Econ 101, thanks), and I was willing to pay that price as long as it provided me time to write.

Now that I’m a full-time author, you’d think that the rest of my life would line up neatly to support it. Yet I must still be ruthless in choosing what else I take on, much as I did as a showgirl. For example, I couldn’t then choose to go skiing on my day off; if I fell, if I broke anything more than a nail, there went my livelihood. These days, I refrain from taking on things like PTA activities that require me to bake instead of write, or even seemingly related online commitments that require regular interactions which could otherwise be used to bolster my fiction.

I’m ruthless about this, but what I’m most ruthless about and what I really learned while being a showgirl is the title of this post: Your dreams are your real job. Whether you’re getting paid for them or not. And I wouldn’t be, not if I hadn’t been actively dreaming while tottering around beneath a feathered headdress.

So, what I’d like to ask all of you is what was or is the oddest job you’ve taken on while pursuing your dream of becoming a novelist? The weirder and wackier, the better. (And, yes, parenthood does fall into that category! As a mother of a three-year-old [only recently potty-trained, thank the Dogs!] I know that kind of wackiness, too!)

First Romance

noreply@blogger.com (AmandaBergeron) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:59:00 +0000

My First Romance (Novel)

Writing the previous blog got me thinking more about pre-teen and adolescent book discoveries...in particular, it reminded me about the first romance novel I ever read.

I was 11 years old and loved historical YA fiction--ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS, THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES--so I thought I hit the jackpot when, on a trip to the city dump with my dad, I found two FREE (!) historical looking books on the take-it-or-leave-it shelf. The first was the entirely age appropriate CHRISTY by Catherine Marshall...the second was called LOUISA ELLIOT by Anne Victoria Roberts...and YA fiction it was not.

No, it was a dark, gothic romance about a governess who is nearly debauched by her licentious employer and then wooed into disgrace by a handsome sea-captain, only to learn, after eloping with him, that he is married to an insane woman (Jane Eyre style). It was epic and I was transfixed (evidently, as I still remember the plot in detail). I don't think I did anything but sit wide-eyed and glued to the couch reading for two days straight.

What was the first romance you ever picked up? Did it belong to your mom or an older sister? And what would you recommend to a friend looking to get hooked? (I recently had my 19-year-old twin sisters start with DEVIL'S BRIDE and my college roommate with LORD OF SCOUNDRELS.)

Shelf Discovery

noreply@blogger.com (AmandaBergeron) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Trips to the beach, tennis lessons at the rec-department, and sacred weekly visits to the Lewiston Public Library...the holy triad of my childhood summers.

Why is it, we never know we're living the good life, until way after the fact?

For all of you who also got in trouble for staying up too late reading and were always the first to get your free pie in the PIZZA HUT BOOK IT Challenge, I'm sure you share memories of scouring young adult shelves, cleaning out all the titles from authors you adored, and searching for new ones. Judy Blume, Scott O'Dell, Louise Fitzhugh, Agatha Christie, Lois Lowry...I usually needed a bag or two for my borrowed bounty, which I'd take home to read in front of an oscillating fan for hours on end.

Well, this summer we are all in luck! In August, we can do a little reminiscing with Jezebel.com contributor and Avon author Lizzie Skurnick's delectable new title SHELF DISCOVERY. From Beverly Cleary to Lois Duncan to Judy Blume and back again, Lizzie offers witty essays on YA classics of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. With additional commentary from writers like Meg Cabot, SHELF DISCOVERY will make you laugh out loud as you air out the storage of your avid reader brain...

Here at Avon, we've been known to occasionally get wrapped up in discussing these "classics" during lunch breaks. (It always changes, but I think THE LONG SECRET and ARE YOU THERE GOD, IT'S ME MARGARET have stayed with me the longest)

What were some of your favorite childhood/teen summer reads?

The Strain

noreply@blogger.com (AmandaBergeron) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 04:01:00 +0000

So, as previously promised, and now that I've devoured another season or two, here's the update on my inaugural BUFFY-watching experience.

Nearly finished with Season Four, I can now officially say Joss Whedon is a god and he's opened my eyes to marvelous and wonderful things...okay, perhaps that's a bit much, but seriously **SPOILER ALERT (for those who are still under that rock)** Angel as Angelus is arguably the most heartbreaking transformation on the silver screen (again, perhaps I exaggerate...but seriously). And then the choices Buffy has to make...not to mention the finale of Season 3.

I have to say, Season 4 is a little less stellar--Riley is really not doing it for me, and Sarah Michelle Gellar is so gosh darn skinny!. However, there are some truly intriguing moments in this season, including the acclaimed "Hush", in which a group called "The Gentlemen" steals the voices of all the residents of Sunnydale, rendering the episode almost entirely without dialogue. Top it off with new "Scooby" Anya on the scene, and all the drama with Oz--who doesn't love Seth Green?

In other vampire news, I recently read filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro's debut novel THE STRAIN. Let's just say his vampires are a little less of the Joss Whedon, Lynsay Sands, Kerrelyn Sparks, or Jeaniene Frost variety, and a little more 28-Days Later. This may not be your cup of tea, but I'd be interested to see what our romance readers and paranormal lovers think of the decidedly unsexy, but utterly fascinating science behind Del Toro's vampires. At the very least, you're in for a good read.

What say you, would you be willing to give the vampires of Horror a try, or are we sticking only with our Argeneaus, Bones, Edwards, and Angels?

Deadlines

noreply@blogger.com (LyssaKeusch) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:01:00 +0000

Deadlines: There Will be Blood
(by Sophia Nash)

Deadline is the one word guaranteed to knot a writer’s stomach. And it should. Notice the word "dead" neatly tucked in there? That’s because virtually 98.2% of all writers are zombies by the due date.

As my next book, SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS BRIDE/March 2010, was winging its way to Avon offices, my editor suggested it might be the perfect time to talk about deadlines. And she was right. Deadlines are a little like childbirth: there will be blood and you will forget all about it when you see that beautifully bound little baby in your hands. Then, you will do it all over again without thinking twice.

Another author who shall remain nameless--Cathy Maxwell--once told me she embraces the joy of the deadline. This is a very good technique to consider when faced with the following:

1. The Law of Deadlines: 98.2% of all the annual bad things fated to happen to you will arise two weeks prior. (Yes, I know, that’s the same percentage I quoted above, but I assure you that I used the empirical methods from my son’s 7th grade "Science Rocks!" textbook--all while waiting in the ER for his arm x-ray.) All milestones will also occur: birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc.

2. You will memorize every takeout food place in a thirty mile radius of your house.

3. Your dog will be the only one willing to stay up all night with you.

4. Your laundry pile will be declared a new country.

5. All 30 part-time baristas at the local Starbucks will know your order.

6. Your husband (or the UPS man) will suggest that your fashion choices are becoming a tad questionable.

7. The last four days, you will learn to write everywhere including: the orthodontist’s office, the MVA, the carpool, the post office, and the DC Division of Taxation.

8. Your “normal” friends will decide you are not normal.

9. Your writerly friends will commiserate. 98.2% of them will tell you your story is the most beautiful baby in the world.

I know I’ve forgotten some of the joys of deadlines! What are your favorite war stories from the front?

[Editor's Note: If you need a distraction from your deadlines, don’t forget to pick up FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL, available June 30, and read Sophia Nash’s warm, witty, and delightful story.

It’s not about the famed Dukes of Hazzard; it’s not about a horse; it’s not about a band. But it is about a dashing Regency duke.

He’s the catch of the century, but she’s the one woman he cannot have. What could be more fun than that??]

Two By James Rollins

noreply@blogger.com (LyssaKeusch) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0000

This past weekend, my family and I went to a safari-themed birthday party in Connecticut for a five year old, my son's best friend. It was so much fun! They hid little safari animals in the woods and the dad, a super-friendly, super-engaging, super-dad led the kids on an animal hunt. He's a former actor, so he did a great impression of Steve Irwin (the famed Crocodile Hunter) and when he let out his first "Crikey!", I glanced at my husband and thought he was going to fall over in laughter.

The kids had a great time and even my two year old managed to find a few animals hidden in the woods. It was very exciting for her because she can now identify them all. I kept hearing excited yelps of "Hippo!" "Zebra!" "Giraffe!" "Lion!" which is inevitably followed by, "Roooaaarrrrr!" The kids also made costumes, swung for their lives at the parrot pinata, ate animal-themed food, and had a grand adventure.

It made me think about how my fulfillment of adventure these days comes primarily from books. I'm really in the right business. Every day's an adventure!!

While I love historical romances, I also love contemporary women's fiction and thrillers. One of my favorite authors to work with is James Rollins, who writes these incredibly clever, action packed, thought-provoking thrillers that combine his trademark elements of scientific exploration (he's a veterinarian by trade and always has wonderful and mysterious creatures in his books), historical and religious mysteries, and heart-pounding action and suspense. AND, he has developed a few really interesting romantic threads in his ongoing Sigma Force series. He's also got a huge female following (check him out on Facebook!), and there are a number of romance author fans whom I know will sing his praises. So fear not. He is not just a guy's writer.

In any case, whether you're a devoted fan or a newcomer, we've got two great new releases for you to check out. The first, already in the stores this month, is the paperback edition of THE LAST ORACLE. It's hard to distill a Rollins plot into a few words, but, in THE LAST ORACLE, you'll find an ancient relic that can be traced back to the Greek Oracle of Delphi clutched in the hand of a homeless man who's been killed by an assassin's bullet on the streets of Washington, DC. That relic -- a coin -- is the key to a conspiracy that dates back to the Cold War and threatens the very foundation of humanity.

What if it were possible to bioengineer the next great prophet--a new Buddha, Muhammad or even Jesus? Would this second coming be a boon...or would it initiate a chain reaction that would result in the extinction of humankind? It's a race across the globe in search of answers. Suddenly, the future of all things is balanced on the brink between heaven and hell--and salvation or destruction rests in the hands of remarkable children.

When you finish that masterpiece, you won't be able to hold yourself back from Rollins' July hardcover release, THE DOOMSDAY KEY. The basis for this novel began with a real papal prophecy handed down by a twelfth century Irish Catholic priest named Máel Máedóc, who would eventually be named Saint Malachy. While on a pilgrimage to Rome, in an ecstatic trance, he was given knowledge of all 112 popes who would come until the end of the world. His predictions have been stunningly accurate.

In Saint Malachy's prophecy, the current pope is listed as De Gloria Olivae, the Glory of the Olives. The Benedictine Order, from which the pope took his name, does indeed bear the olive branch as its symbol. But the disturbing thing is that Pope Benedict XVI is the 111th pope. According to this oddly accurate prophecy, the world ends with the very next one. I've already rambled on enough here, so I won't even go into the rest of the threads that pull this thriller together (not even to tell you about the three murders on three different continents all marked with a pagan cross burned into their skin or to tell you that our hero Gray Pierce is torn between two women from his past). Just believe me when I do tell you, no one weaves together such fascinating storylines as seamlessly and as convincingly as Rollins. Try him. You'll love him.

Or just let him demonstrate how amazing he is.

Chime in, ladies. If you've read Rollins and love him, please help spread the word! He's a thrill-seeker with a gentle heart. What more could a woman want?

Four Dukes And A Devil

noreply@blogger.com (LyssaKeusch) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0000

How To Avoid Work
--and other all too possible pursuits
(by Elaine Fox)

I’m excited! I have a novella coming out at the end of the month, in the collection titled FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL, that was actually a complete joy to write! I got to use some of my favorite elements: a dog, of course. A ghost! And I set it in one of my favorite seaside towns in Cape Cod.

I was thrilled to participate in this anthology because not only does the reader get three fabulous historical romances--with three hunky Regency dukes--but also one truly scary paranormal devil, and my contemporary romantic tale, boasting a dog named Duke!

My story, “THE DUKE WHO CAME TO DINNER,” practically wrote itself, rolling off my fingertips and onto the screen with an effortlessness that amazed me. This is not always the case. Actually, this is almost never the case. While I love writing, there is no way around the fact that it is usually a lot of work. So I, like many other authors I know, occasionally get caught up in Work Avoidance Traps that cloak themselves in the guise of Productivity Enhancing Techniques.

Case in point: I recently decided that I needed to become more organized when plotting. So, I bought some index cards, wrote a scene on each one, and planned to put them up on a bulletin board so that I could "see" the whole book at once. The problem was, I couldn’t find a bulletin board large enough. What I did find were self-adhesive cork panels that could be configured to fit any space. Perfect!

In order to put them up, however, I had to spend hours moving all the framed pictures I had on the designated wall, then I had to measure and install the cork panels, write up the index cards and put them up in some kind of order.

Unfortunately, after doing all this I realized that I couldn’t see the darn index cards from across the room. So, I took more time, re-wrote a bunch of them--using short descriptors in big, Sharpie-d words--and stuck them back up. This was slightly better but I still wasn’t Feeling The Book, and I was getting bummed because what was supposed to be my Magic Writing Bullet was not working the miracle it was supposed to.

I decided to leave the situation/frustration and regroup the next day.

The ordeal, however, would not leave me alone. In the wee hours of the night, I awoke to the sound of the cork panels springing off the walls. Tacks, index cards, crumbling cork everywhere. This strikes me, at that late hour, as a kind of tell-tale heart. I’ve buried my plot under office supplies and it’s telling on me. Either that or it’s trying to kill itself.

I’ve since taken the cork panels down and spent another day trying to get the double-sided tape off the wall (beware the blow-dryer, it removes paint, as well!) and have returned them. I want to put up an erasable whiteboard that I bought to at least map out my themes, but I now have what I think are valid concerns about my wall-mounting abilities.

Of course, we all know the absolute best work avoidance technique is to sit back and read a good book. In fact, there are times when this is exactly the right thing to do. On June 30, you might want to make a point of avoiding work and pick up FOUR DUKES AND A DEVIL. It could provide the mental health break that might actually increase productivity!

But how about you all? Anybody have an amusing work-avoidance story? Or, better yet, something with Time Drain potential that actually worked to the good? (On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t tell me about that. I can’t afford the time to try to make it work.)

This Duchess Of Mine

noreply@blogger.com (LyssaKeusch) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Baseball season's in full swing. We're Mets fans in my house, but at work, I am surrounded by Yankees fans. And let's face it. It's hard enough as is to be a Mets fan.
As my husband often laments at the end of a game, "Yup, they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory again." But he did enjoy going to the new stadium, and they did win that night.

However, I'm not really here to talk about baseball. I wanted to advise you to break out your mitt! You're going to need it to catch a copy of Eloisa James's latest release, THIS DUCHESS OF MINE, because it is flying off the shelves!

Take me back from the ballgame, take me back to the gowns. Buy me some Romantic poetry and Georgian attire, so I can catch the eye of a remarkable duke...

Okay, enough, enough!! I couldn't help myself. :)

But, seriously, you have to check out Eloisa's new book. She creates rich, involving characters and sets them down in the vibrant Georgian period. This is the passionate story of the Duke and Duchess of Beaumont. Swirling in scandal, they have been apart for many years, since the moment the newlywed Duchess fled, and are now coming together again for the age-old purpose of begetting an heir. And much to her shock, the seductive duchess is faced with the challenge of making a man fall in love...with his own wife.

But don't take my word for it. Get this book and I'm sure you'll gobble it up before the seventh inning stretch!

Hey, anyone out there have a good baseball romance story? The summer after college, I worked in a restaurant in Boston's Faneuil Hall. Great fun. One evening, I came in to work and noticed one of our off-duty bartenders in a baseball uniform (the restaurant had a team and I didn't even know it). Tall, slim, handsome, great smile. It was the first time he really caught my eye. Not long after that night, we started dating (and lasted till that summer ended), and I discovered that he had played baseball at the University of Arizona. Greatest athlete I ever dated--except, of course, for my husband who is a volleyball star!

I don't know where the baseball theme to this blog came from. If you're not a baseball fan, do you have any favorite romance novels that you can recommend to all those baseball widows out there or, to the fans who need a book that's so wonderfully engaging, it'll vie for their attention during the game? Do tell!