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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
happy halloween!
I love Halloween, don't you? My windows are plastered with spooky decorations--a Dracula poster, a jack-o-lantern, two skulls, a spider in its web... Fun, fun. And this year, I'm dressing up! I've got the coolest witch hat ever, that I just can't wait to wear. To go with it, I've got an adorable witch top, a bat necklace, a Halloween bracelet, & dead rat earrings. Yes, that's right, dead rats. LOL I love 'em! And a broom! I'm pretty sure I've got a little black broom to complete the ensemble. Wha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I'm going to have so much fun. And I've been practicing... I'll get you, my pretty, & your little dog, too! Or maybe I'll be a good witch... You have no power here. Be gone!I told a friend last night that this will be the one day of the year people can see me coming & know what to expect. The rest of the time, the whole witch thing comes as a bit surprise. *vbg* All right, gotta go get dressed & ready to fly!
Monday, October 30, 2006
ANTM turns to romance
I'm late getting around to this, I know, but did you all see last week's episode of America's Next Top Model? They had a romance novel cover shoot. Yes, they got a little corny & made a few snotty remarks. Yes, it was with Fabio, who isn't even doing covers anymore, I don't think. (At least he wasn't; either they brought him back just for the show or he's starting to get back into it.) The titles they put on the photos for judging didn't help much, either, but I still thought it was neat that they finally got around to doing a shoot like that. I'd kind of been wondering why they hadn't already. And Mr. Jay, at least, was respectful of the genre. Gotta love that guy for more than just his funky hair. :-)
Sunday, October 29, 2006
springing forward when I should be falling back
We got to change our clocks last night...back an hour, which meant an extra hour of sleep. How nice. I used it, but it sure didn't feel like I was getting any extra dream time. I'm just as tired now as I was before. LOL Still, it was a great day! (Happy dance forthcoming.) I finished my beach novella!!!Whew. I was really beginning to worry that I wouldn't get it done on time, but I not only met my deadline, I got the story done early. Only by three days, but it totally counts! :-) Now, of course, I need to go back & do the whole revision/polish/proof thing. The story is only five chapters & an epilogue, so it shouldn't take me long. (Fingers crossed, knock on wood.) And since I'd done so very much work Friday & Saturday to finish the story--still tentatively titled SHAKEN AND STIRRED--I totally vegged today. Caught up on some letters from readers that had been piling up. (I swear, they probably thought I was never going to reply, as long as they sat there. But at least I was able to stick one of my new bookmarks in. :-)) Watched The Dream Team & parts of the House marathon. And finished reading Virginia Kantra's Stolen Memory. Really good! I couldn't put it down. It will be back to work again tomorrow, though, with lots to get done. But I just love the feeling of having another story finished & almost out the door. Yee-haw! :-D
Saturday, October 28, 2006
quote of the day
Another fun quote, stolen from Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot: "Men have always detested women's gossip because they suspect the truth: their measurements are being taken and compared."~Erica Jong, U.S. educator & author Currently watching The Interpreter
Currently reading Stolen Memory by Virginia Kantra
Thursday, October 26, 2006
my new bookmarks have arrived!
Hmph. Well, I had nothing but trouble getting into Blogger yesterday. I guess it was down for maintenance. Anyway, my new bookmarks are here, & they are bea-u-tiful! :-D (Once again, I tried to post them, but Blogger doesn't seem to like copying pictures of things that I scan. Grrr.) I'm very, very happy with them, & I'm really glad I went with full color on the back. My only complaint is that the top of the woman's hair got flattened a little bit on the front. I'm not sure why...whether it was accidentally chopped off or smooshed. And, yes, I probably am the only one who will really notice it, since I'm so close to the project, & anal retentive to boot. :-p Even though these bookmarks are to advertise my February & June Desires, which are still a ways away, I'm chomping at the bit to start passing them out. Anybody want one? If you do, e-mail me (heidi@heidibetts.com) with your name & address, & I'll send them out. I'll probably even stick a few others in the envelope for good measure. *g* Got some bad news from the UPS driver when he dropped the bookmarks off, though. He's retiring. :-( Darn it. He's the nicest guy, & I always enjoy chatting with him when he has a delivery for me. Phooey. This means I'm going to have to get used to (i.e. break in) someone new. Whoever it is, I hope they're nice. I hope they can find my house on the first or second try. I hope they don't leave packages on the front step because it's convenient, regardless of the weather. Then again, the new driver could be really cute. I'll try to keep an open mind. :-)
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
today's blog giveaway (this is the big one I've been promising :-D)
 Took me a while to get a picture taken of these things, but this will be the next giveaway. It's a big one--& a good one--if I do say so myself. *vbg* Just a few things I brought home with me from the NJRW conference, I'll be giving away copies of When We Meet Again by Victoria Alexander--autographed!-- I'll Be Watching You by Andrea Kane--authographed!--& Kiss of Fate by Mary Jo Putney--not autographed, sorry. It's a little hard to make out in this photo, but there's also a gorgeous bookmark from Victoria Alexander, & a very nice blue, 24-ounce "Put Your Heart in a Book" water bottle. (I don't need a water bottle, so I'm going to use mine to mix martinis & other fruity, girly coctails. *g* Haven't tried it yet, but I have a feeling it's going to be perfect.) The cool news is that I actually came home with three sets of these things. (Hey, can I help it there were a couple empty seats at my luncheon table?!?) One I kept for myself, of course...I may be nice, but I'm not that nice :-P But expect to see another set of these same items--either together or individually--show up again down the road. (Is it cruel of me to build anticipation that way? He he.) Same "rules" as usual: Every comment will be considered an entry from now until I decide to draw a name. Don't know when that will be, just whenever I think of it & am in the mood. :-) Good luck! Currently watching Two for the Money
Currently reading Jude's Law by Lori Foster
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
I must be very popular in the UK *g*
 I just received new copies of WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN, which were totally unexpected. (I know I say that every time, but it's always true. Every time I get new foreign versions of my Desires, it's like a little treat. :-)) This time, they're large print, hardback, UK editions. Very neat. They're really kind of big & look totally out of place amongst all my other, teeny-tiny paperbacks, but I stuck one in there, anyway. :-D I also recently discovered that one of my Desires...& I have no clue yet which one...is going to be part of a special collection published in this UK in December called THE WICKED COLLECTION. It will include books by authors Joanne Rock & Dorien Kelly, as well. Nice cover, huh? (I tried to post the cover of the large print version of LIGHTS, but it didn't work out...this one, I stole from Amazon.co.uk. :-)) I hope I get copies of this one, too! In other news, I'm running out of room on my DVRs. :-P Dish Network is giving us a free preview of a bunch of HBO channels this week, so I've been recording movies left & right. Finished watching Wedding Crashers on the bike this morning, but I've also taped Red Eye, The Interpreter, In Her Shoes, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Just Like Heaven, Fever Pitch, Two for the Money, Racing Stripes, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Something-or-Other (:-P), Batman Begins, North Country, Fantastic Four, Kicking & Screaming, & The Island... Oy. Do I have my work cut out for me, or what? I'm hoping to save a few of them until the holidays so I can watch them with my family, but others I'm just going to try to get through so I can delete them. :-) How about you? Are you watching anything interesting at the moment? Or have you seen anything interesting recently? Also finished reading Key of Valor by Nora Roberts last night...very good, nice wrap-up to the trilogy, though I still think the first book was my favorite...& " Kissing Frosty" by Anne Stuart a couple days ago. I really liked this one. The copy I had was a two-in-one reprint, so I don't know when the story was originally published. I'm usually pretty good at catching these things, or at least knowing about original printings, but this one completely slipped under my radar. I'm glad I found it, even as a reprint, though, because it was very good. Cute & creative & romantic. :-) So now I get to look for something new to read. And believe me, I have more than enough ideas. *g*
Monday, October 23, 2006
more positive press for romance novels
As many of you may already know, Dear Abby revisited the topic of romance novels in her column last Thursday. Our own Jennifer was kind enough to send me the link, so here it is for the rest of you to read, if you haven't already: http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/?uc_full_date=20061019This URL should bring up the right column, but if it doesn't, simply scroll down to the calendar on the right of the page & click on October 19th. I wasn't too happy about one tiny thing...written by an author, no less, & I'm guessing you can figure out what I'm talking about...but I'm keeping in mind that it might have been taken out of context--as things in newspapers so often are--& the rest of the column is very, very romance-positive. Yay, romance novels! And Yay, romance readers, who are the ones keeping Dear Abby & everybody else on their toes. :-D Currently watching Wedding Crashers
Currently reading Stolen Memory by Virginia Kantra
Sunday, October 22, 2006
quote of the day
Got this one from the book I just started, Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot. I think it will make a lot of us feel much better. *g* "Gossip isn't scandal and it's not merely malicious. It's chatter about the human race by lovers of the same."
~Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978), U.S. poet and author
Thursday, October 19, 2006
romance novels score again!
By now, I'm sure many of you have heard about the political bruhaha taking place in Texas, where a Democratic nominee for state comptroller has been trashing his Republican opponent because she had a romance novel published several years ago. Let's just say that the backlash has been incredible & he is not doing well. LOL A great article came out yesterday, recapping the entire situation, & you can read it here: http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4267264.html
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
oops, I did it again
What did I just say a couple days ago about only watching scary movies during daylight hours? Then last night, I went & broke my own rule, darn it. Around 10pm, I started watching The Amityville Horror. My thinking...because I did know it was after dark, duh...was that I'd be going to bed soon & probably wouldn't get to the scary part. Plus, I'm familiar with the story. How scary could it be in the first twenty minutes, right? It would all just be set-up & such. Ha! I actually ended up turning it off before I induced nightmares, but of course that means I have to finish it today. While the sun is still very high in the sky. :-P Then this morning, I tried to watch Dark Water while on the airbike...which is--knock on wood--working again, thank goodness (knock on wood)...only to discover that during one of Dish Network's brief free previews of premium channels, I'd somehow recorded the original Japanese version instead of the American remake that I wanted. Don't ask me how that happened, since I even made a point of double-checking that it was the movie I was thinking of--the one set in New York, starring Jennifer Connolly. But alas, I still messed it up. And since the free preview is no more, I guess I'm going to have to wait a while longer to see that one. Hopefully, it wouldn't have been any good anyway. LOL (Oh, so I ended up watching a couple episodes of NewsRadio instead, which is always good for a laugh.) I also finished reading Andrea Kane's Scent of Danger, which was really good. I think one of the things I liked best about this book was that--while it was definitely a solid suspense--it focused quite a bit on the romance, too. A lot of times, even though they're labeled "Romantic Suspense," the romance can get lost in the mystery & bloodshed. Not this one. It was very, very good, with lots of romance & sexual tension. I didn't start to suspect whodunit until the very end, either, when everyone else was starting to figure it out, too. That's always a plus. :-) Now I'd like to also finish Sleeping with Fear by Kay Hooper. Only a couple chapters left, & it's really, really good, too, so I'm chomping at the bit to get to the end. Don't know how soon I'll actually get the chance, though, because I'm knee-deep in the first love scene of my beach novella. Things are definitely happening faster between my hero & heroine than they are for me. LOL I'm also trying to balance the fine line between "make it hot" & "keep it like your Desires." The one thing I can definitely say is that I'm not going anywhere near as hot as with my last novella. Don't worry, it will still be plenty sexy, just not verging on erotica. :-)
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Writing Tip #3
It's been a while since I've posted a writing tip (mostly because I have very few brain cells firing this deep into deadline) so I thought I'd toss out another one. Ever get stuck on a word or draw a blank in the middle of a sentence? This happens to me all the time. I used to waste a lot of time staring at the computer screen, waiting for that perfect word that was balanced on the tip of my tongue (or tip of my brain pan, as the case may be) to come to me. Now, I barely pause when I can't think of the word I mean to use while writing. Instead, I make a grab for whatever word does come to mind & means roughly the same thing as the word I know I really want to use but can't think of. Or even make a little note of what I'm trying to say. I stick it in brackets & move on. For example, this is a sentence from the beach novella I'm working on right now: "That's all right," she murmured, surprised she could manage to form words, let alone coherent thoughts.Of course, the first time through, the word "coherent" definitely wasn't making itself known. So as I was writing, the sentence came out, "That's all right," she murmured, surprised she could manage to form words, let alone [lucid] thoughts. I knew "lucid" wasn't the word I wanted, but it was close. I do this all the time, then when I go back through my chapters, I keep an eye out for anything in brackets so I can find a thesaurus & look up the word I really want to use. You can also use brackets for other information...like if you want to use the name of a town, but haven't figure out what it will be yet (i.e. [name of town]) . I sometimes even highlight it so I'll notice it right away during the revision process. This way, I don't have to stop writing or stop the flow of creativity just for a simple word or point of research that can be taken care of later. Give this a try the next time the right word seems to be giving you the slip & see how it works. Then let me know if it helps. :-) Currently watching Arrested Development
Currently reading Sleeping with Fear by Kay Hooper
Monday, October 16, 2006
NJRW...better late than never!
I am once again waiting for the Sear repairman to come & fix my exercise bike. Sigh. I love my bike, but it really is a pain in the butt. This time, it's been broken for nearly a month. What was wrong with it before got fixed, but then only three or four days later, as I was using it, one of the petals snapped & flew right off. So someone had to come out to look at it, then parts had to be ordered, & now they're supposed to come replace those parts. By the end of the day--God willing--I may have my bike back & in actual working order. :-P Also today, I promised myself that I would finally get around to recapping the NJRW conference I attended more than a week ago. The good news is that nothing I have to say is really timely or educational. I was basically lazy the whole weekend. LOL Last year, I left on Friday morning, the same day the conference was set to start, but never made it. So this year, I decided to leave on Thursday. That way, I figured I could take my time, not worry about traffic or weather or getting there before the first workshop started. Let me tell you, that's definitely the way to go. The trip was great &, thankfully, uneventful. No rain this time, no accidents... A little construction, but nothing that stopped traffic. Whew. Upon checking into the hotel, I discovered that they had both a workout room & indoor pool on the same floor as my room. Oh my goodness, I was in heaven! As soon as I unpacked & changed clothes, I was down there. And the second delightful thing was that no one else was around! Gotta love that. Now, we all know that I wasn't 100% excited about going to the conference this year because of my deadlines & such, but as soon as I hit the pool, I decided it was totally worth it, no matter what the rest of the weekend brought. LOL The next morning, the conference-related events didn't start until about noon, so I hit the gym & pool again before starting to get ready. (Did I mention I was in heaven?!? What I wouldn't give for the exact same set-up at home! :-D) When I did head out for the PAN workshops, almost immediately I ran into friend & fellow Desire author Katherine Garbera. We found a seat in one of the sessions & chatted until it began. I didn't take notes, of course, but from what I remember...hey, I told you I was lazy that weekend!...the first was a roundtable discussion with two great, romance-friendly booksellers, & the second was a roundtable with Anne Stuart. Both were fun, & I even think I learned a few things. :-) After that, my memory gets a little sketchier. I forget what I did the rest of the day... I know I dropped off some bookmarks & coasters in the Goody Room, & I even think Kathy & I found seat somewhere & talked for a while longer. I believe I also ran into another friend who writes Regency historicals, Diane Perkins/Diane Gaston. Did dinner at Red Lobster, which was only about a block from the hotel, & ended up being a real treat because a couple of the hostesses love romance, so I ran out to the car & got them books. :-) There was also a mall across the street from the hotel, so I ran over there, too. Hit the Disney store, Bath & Body, & a little shop that carried all things Irish & Scottish. So that was fun, too. Saturday morning, the conference started early. Really early; we're talking 7am. Ugh. Not my idea of a good time, since that meant getting up at, like 5:30am to start getting ready. And I wasn't able to get to the gym or pool that morning becaus of it. ^%$@! But that's okay because they fed us breakfast & Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer spoke afterwards. As you can probably imagine, that was a fun talk. Through no fault of either Jenny or Bob, though, I started to nod off several times. Serves me right for grabbing a decaffeinated teabag when the server came around with hot water. :-p After breakfast, I sat in on a special presentation given by Victoria Alexander, & once again grew very sleepy. (Also once again, it was not her fault.) That's when I realized I had to get some caffeine in me if I wanted to be conscious the rest of the day. So after her talk, I went to the little refreshment area the hotel had set up for us & got another cup of hot tea--Lipton Brisk with full caffeine this time!--& found a seat to sit & sip. And that is pretty much how I spent the rest of my day. LOL Yep, sitting around drinking--that's my idea of a good time. As I was sitting there, Sally McKenzie wandered by & joined me, so we sat talking for a while. Then I went to refresh my cup & run into Kathy again. Together, we ran into Virginia Kantra & then Sharon Schulze. And we all just sat around talking for the longest time. It was so much fun! I did not attend any workshops, but that's okay; I think I probably learned more chatting with Virginia & Kathy than I would have in an official session, anyway. Now, you know how observant I am... not!...so imagine my surprise & excitement when I realized Andrea Kane was the luncheon speaker that day. I just thought it was very cool that she was there & I'd brought one of her books-- Scent of Danger--with me for the weekend. It's really good, too! And that afternoon, to wrap up the conference, NJRW held a big book fair where all the attending authors could sign. I was signing, but before I took my seat, I ran around getting other authors to sign books for me. Andrea Kane was one of them. Victoria Alexander was another. (Stay tuned to my blog, & soon you'll find out why. *vbg*) I was somewhat hidden behind a giant pillar for the entire signing, but that's okay. People still seemed to find me, & I was blessed to be signing beside another friend & frighteningly talented wench, Annette Blair. In between talking with readers, we chatted, & when Terri Brisbin sold out of her books on the other side of Annette, she sidled up & joined us. It was a great time! Also at the signing, I met a reader who gushed about the cover of CALLIE'S CONVICT. She believes it's the best cover ever, & far be it for me to argue. *g* I actually happen to agree that it's a pretty great cover. She also nearly went into convultions when I pulled out a few postcards for the book that I happened to have with me...& offered to mail her some cover flats & fliers, too. (Haven't actually gotten around to that yet because I haven't managed to find the darn things, but I will.) And I met another dedicated reader--who happens to also be Jennifer's friend :-)--who showed up last year to meet me when I wasn't there. So we finally got to see each other in person. And her daughter snapped a picture that I want to post here, but of course I'm having nothing but trouble getting that done. I'll keep working on it & post it later, if I can. :-p So that's the recap of the NJRW conference. Not terribly exciting, huh? It actually is my idea of a good time, but I know it probably sounds boring to everyone else. Just remember, there was a pool. An indoor, heated-to-exactly-80-degrees, ten-doors-down-from-my-room pool on the premises. I'm thinking about moving in there permanently. :-D
Sunday, October 15, 2006
anybody interested?
This has nothing to do with anything, but I got two $50 DISH Network gift cards in the mail this week & don't know what to do with them. Can't think of anyone I know who's interested in switching over from cable, or who hasn't already, but I hate to see them go to waste. If anyone is interested, let me know & I'll happily mail them to you. You use the card to subscribe to DISH Network (new customers only, of course), then you get free activation, a $49.99 credit on your first bill, & free optional DVR receiver upgrade. It also mentions programming packages starting at $19.99, & a special promotion of $100 off America's Top 60 programming or higher (after a mail-in redemption) & the choice of one premium movie package (like HBO, Cinemax, or whatever) free for three months. The offer expires 1/31/07. I'm not making any promises or claims or anything like that. Once I stick these babies in the mail, you're on your own. LOL But I will say that I love my DISH Network. It's fabulous. The picture quality, the options, the features I never even dreamed of... So, you know...let me know. If no one wants them, I'll see if I can find somebody around here. :-) Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
and the winner is...
 It's Saturday morning & all is well. It's freaking freezing outside, & they say it may even snow, but all is well. :-p As promised, I drew a name for the advance copy of my November Silhouette Desire, BEDDED THEN WED. Yay! And the winner is...
Sybil!!!
Congratulations, Sybil! If you e-mail me (heidi@heidibetts.com) with your mailing address, I'll get the book in the mail to you as soon as possible. Then, of course, you're required to read it immediately, gush about it all over this blog & everywhere else romance readers gather, post 5-star reviews to Amazon & BN.com... Okay, just kidding. LOL Of course, if you'd like to do any of those things, I certainly won't try to stop you. *vbg* I also have to admit that I occasionally skim through the copy of BEDDED THEN WED that I still have on my desk & have discovered a couple typos. Darn it! Nothing awful, thank goodness. I spotted one place where "see" should be "seen" & where "fiance" should be "fiancee." But I'm so careful about going through the copy edits & galleys for those types of things that it really annoys me when they still make their way into the book. Or, it's entirely possible that they ended up there after I'd gone through the manuscript for the last time. These things happen. But apologies, everyone. You may not even have noticed them while reading, but I know they're there, & it bothers me. All right, time to get back to my beach novella. It ain't easy to write about having hot fun in the summer sun when I'm dressed in layers & still shivering, but I guess I don't have much choice. :-P Currently watching The Hills Have Eyes
Currently reading Scent of Danger by Andrea Kane
Friday, October 13, 2006
do you have paraskavedekatriaphobia?
I certainly hope not, or you must be having a very rough day. Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. I definitely do not have this. I love Friday the 13th when it rolls around...& it doesn't do so often enough for my tastes. :-) I also like the number 13. Don't think it's unlucky at all. BLACKMAILED INTO BED will be my 13th book, & I think it's a good one...I'd have no problem staying on the 13th floor of a hotel or apartment building...if I were a contestant on Deal or No Deal, I'd probably pick case #13 as holding the million dollars... And black cats--I like those, too, both when they cross my path & any other time. I have an adorable black cat, for heaven's sake, & he not only crosses my path on a daily basis, but hunkers down on my lap for a nice, long nap most days, too. LOL (My mother says the only black cat you need to be afraid of is a panther, especially if he's hungry. *vbg*) So does are you afraid of Friday the 13th, the number 13, or black cats? How about other phobias or superstitions? With Halloween coming up, this is the perfect season to talk about things that spook us & go bump in the night. :-)
Thursday, October 12, 2006
it is not a tumor
Isn't smelling odd things at odd times one of the signs of a brain tumor? Cuz I think I've got one! I swear to God, I have been smelling the strangest things lately. Yesterday, it was dirt. Walking through my house, in a certain spot, I could have sworn I smelled soil. Then today, I thought I smelled lasagna. With that one, I'd say it was wishful thinking--LOL--but I don't know what the explanation could be for the dirt smell. If it keeps up, I would definitely say an MRI or CAT scan (or whatever) is in order. :-P I got my Romance $ells ad done & paid for--twice, actually. (Don't ask.) But I still have half a dozen other things to take care of. Right now I'm working on that Art Fact Sheet for FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN so I don't get an angry phone call tomorrow, with the folks at Harlequin wondering where it is. I'm supposed to be describing scenes from the story that I think would lend themselves to cover art, but I darn well can't think of a single one. LOL  I also got the nifty surprise of new foreign copies of one of my Desires today. This time it's the Dutch version of WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN, which has been retitled Wild en ongeremd... Wild and Unrestrained. How cute is that? It certainly sums up Ethan's & Gwen's relationship, I think. *g* Oh! I also realized today that BEDDED THEN WED is my sixth Silhouette Desire & my twelfth published novel. Can you believe it?!? I'm having a little trouble wrapping my mind around that myself. I realize it's no two hundred novels like Nora Roberts or whatnot, but I still find it amazing. I have a copy of each of my books between two bookends above the TV, but I'm starting to feel overwhelmed whenever I look at them. LOL Don't tell anyone I said this, but I barely remember writing them all. I think I'd have to skim through to really remember details for each story. It's also overwhelming to realize that even though BEDDED THEN WED is my twelfth book, I'm actually two books & a novella & a half ahead of that. Yikes! This would be the point at which I remind myself that I'm a writer & do not have to do math. (Thank goodness.) So I stop counting, take a deep breath, & go back to my latest story, already in progress. *vbg*
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
and the winner is...
All right, first things first. The winner of "Looking for Mr. Right" is... Minna!!!
Congratulations, Minna! If you e-mail me (heidi@heidibetts.com) with your address, I'll get the book in the mail to you. I'm running behind, as usual, but only because there's so much to get done. I'm working on a Romance $ells ad...the new bookmark design...a few things connected to the website redesign...an e-card for BEDDED THEN WED...the art fact sheet for FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN... Oy. And, of course, everything has to be done at the same time. But I'm working on it. I'm also almost completely unpacked, so I'll start with a conference report soon. Yes, I'm slow. You should know that by now & mark your calendars accordingly. LOL Currently watching The Waterboy
Currently reading Sleeping with Fear by Kay Hooper
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
my author copies are finally here!!!
It finally happened! I was sitting at my computer this morning, when the UPS truck pulled to a halt in front of my house. Yippee! I was out of my chair in a shot & racing for the door. Sure enough, when the driver walked up to the porch, he was carrying a box with the Harlequin logo on it. I said, "Thank God! I've been waiting for these forever." (Two weeks can certainly seem like forever when you're expecting something. :-p) And let me tell you, they are beautiful! Really & truly gorgeous. As most of you know, I was a little undecided on whether or not I liked the cover of this book. I'm a fan of the really sexy clinch covers, where the characters are half- (or wholly *g*) naked & maybe rolling around on satin sheets. But seeing the final version of this book, in all its glory, I take back all my previous concerns about what it would look like & throw myself 100% behind the fact that it's gorgeous. This is my first Desire to come out with the new cover design, too, so it's got a bit of novelty attached to it. The front doesn't look all that different, except for the red ribbon down the left side that says "Happy Holidays." (Hey, it's a November title, which is just in time for the holidays. Buy a stack today...or, you know, when they're actually in stores...& stuff them in the stockings of all your loved ones. If you don't buy it for all your loved ones this holiday season, then I'm afraid it will be quite obvious you don't love them very much. LOL) The back & spine are what look different to me. On the back is a cream-colored block with the blurb in it: WHAT'S THE BRIDE WORTH?
Wealthy rancher Mitch Ramsey had never given much of a second look to his neighbor, Emma Davis, until an unexpected encounter led to a night of unbridled passion. Mitch figured their affair could be a discreet diversion, one they had both gone into with eyes wide open.
Then Emma's father made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Marry Emma and Mitch would inherit what he had always coveted--the entire Davis ranch. But Emma was never to know...Then below is a darker (maroon-ish) streak with a short tag line: She'd been sold into marriage...but her groom would be the one who would truly pay the price!And between the two, it says: Silhouette Desire. Always powerful, passionate, & provocative.Also on the back is a snippet of the wedding cake that you can barely see behind the hero & heroine on the front. It's really pretty. I mean, seriously, any bride would be lucky to have such a pretty cake for her wedding day. :-D Since I'm so very happy with my new books, it's only fair that I spread some of that happiness around. I'll pick a winner for the "Looking for Mr. Right" book tonight & post the name tomorrow, but from now until...let's say Friday or Saturday...anyone who leaves a comment will be entered to win an advance, autographed copy of BEDDED THEN WED. Whoo-hoo. Fun, fun. Good luck! :-)
Monday, October 09, 2006
home from the garden state
Hi, all! I'm back from the NJRW conference, & am so glad I decided to go. I had a great time! Of course, I'm very tired, & still have to unpack & catch up on a bunch of stuff I put on the back burner while I was gone. (Blah.) So you're going to have to wait for the big weekend recap. Sorry! :-P I will tell you this, tho... I brought back quite a few goodies for y'all that I think you're going to like. Stay tuned for details. :-D
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
au revoir, y'all
This is probably the last time I'll post until after the NJRW conference. Yes, it's a done deal--I'm going. :-D I'm packing now, & trying to get a bunch of last-minute things done. One of them is approving a new bookmark design that will promote my February & June 2007 releases--BLACKMAILED INTO BED & FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN, respectively. Now, keep in mind that this is just the first draft...I already see some things I need to tweak, & we're playing around with a couple of other options...but here's the URL to the sample page: http://www.earthlycharms.com/sample1.htmWhat do you think? There's no secret to how I feel about it-- I love it! It's going to match the home page of my new website design, & both will probably be ready to launch at about the same time. *g* I especially like the extra graphic on the back. Too cute. I've never done anything like that before, but I think it's going to look great--provided I go ahead with full color on both sides instead of one side color & one side black & white, the way I normally do. I've also been trying to get some pictures to post here for the past couple of days, with no luck. ( &^%@!) The cutest, most adorable pictures ever, too, but I'll just have to fight with them again once I get back. :-) Still no copies of BEDDED THEN WED, & I've seen that darn UPS truck go by about six times now. Grrr. I was actually hoping they'd show up in time for me to take a couple with me to the conference, but I guess that's not going to happen. Which probably means they'll arrive right after I get home. LOL Ah, well, what can you do? Have a great weekend, everyone, & I'll see you all when I get back!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
dilemma of the week
So today is the day X-Men 3: The Last Stand comes out on DVD. Do I buy it or not? Either way, I'm not racing out to get it, I can tell you that, but I really can't decide whether I want to add it to my collection or not. I saw X3 in the theatre, & I think we all remember how disappointed I was. The problem is, there were a couple of parts that were fun or interesting. And we are talking about Wolverine/Hugh Jackman, here. Even if I didn't like the role he was given this time around, I still enjoyed watching him. (Hubba, hubba.) I feel like I want to see it again...& those darn commercials for the DVD aren't helping...but I'm not sure I'd watch it over & over. Of course, I already have the first two, so maybe I should round out my collection. Maybe it's one of those movies that gets better each time you see it. (I may be reaching with that one, huh?) So what do you think? Should I add it to my list & plan to buy it? (Like I said, not rushing right out, but I may throw it in my cart the next time I go shopping.) Are you planning to buy it? Have you already bought, & even watched it, & think I'm crazy for saying X3 isn't as good as the first two? Come on, share. And help me decide. I'm on deadline...I don't have enough brain power left to make these decisions on my own. :-P Currently watching Sahara
Currently reading Scent of Danger by Andrea Kane
Monday, October 02, 2006
the secret to making fire
I have a hair appointment in a couple of hours, & once my hair is done, then I guess my decision about the NJRW conference will be made. Cuz I ain't gettin' my hair colored for nothing! :-p I don't even know what color it will turn out to be this time; I have no plans, no preconceived notions...I guess we'll decide once I get there & hope for the best. *g* I also have to keep an eye out for the gas guy this afternoon. When I tried to steam some broccoli yesterday for lunch, I couldn't get the stove to light. At first I thought something was wrong, & must have gone thru about six matches trying to get the burners to spark. Then I realized that I wasn't hearing the hiss of gas I normally do when I turn the burners on. Let me tell you, if it had been Thanksgiving or something, I would not have been happy. (Can you imagine?!? Needing the stove & oven for a big meal, but being out of gas...& on a Sunday, no less, when the chances are slim to none of getting someone to bring you more!) But since I don't cook all that much, it ended up not being a huge deal. I called the company this morning & they said they were actually waiting for the tank to empty so they could install a new one. This is probably not a bad idea, as the old one is very old & rusty & all that. But it would have been nice if someone had warned me that was the plan. LOL Maybe they did & I just don't remember, but running out of gas altogether certainly came as a surprise. Been writing this weekend, of course, & I'm happy to say I think the beach novella is coming along well. A little slow at times while I sort of find my footing & decide exactly how to this story should be told. As I've mentioned before, it's supposed to be a "sexy beach read," but my editor also asked me to keep it close to the tone & writing of my Desires. Her hope is that people who read the anthology, but have never read me before otherwise will then like my writing enough to seek out my Desires, & she doesn't want them to find those completely different than the novella. I get that & am all for it, but because the novella is a little different in set-up than my Desires, finding the right balance is tricky. :-) Still haven't gotten my author copies of BEDDED THEN WED, even though I found out through the Joyfully Reviewed chat that Silhouette Desire Book Club members are already starting to receive theirs. Curses! I'm watching for the UPS guy, waiting less & less patiently by the moment.
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