Boy, have I got some good news to share today!

Just found out that my novella in the REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT anthology—”Wanted: A Real Man“—is a finalist for Southern Magic RWA’s “Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence” in the Novella Category.

Can you say Happy, Happy, Happy Dance?

Can you say super hot & sexy Happy Dance? 

As usual when I’m on deadline (which is pretty much always ) & nearing the end of a book (which isn’t nearly often enough ), I have been a bit scattered lately. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say I’ve been completely multi-ball, but I have felt a bit like the inner workings of a pinball game.

However, I am very happy to report that INHERITING HIS SECRET CHRISTMAS BABY (Book 6 of “Dynasties:  The Jarrods” for Silhouette Desire, December 2010) is finished & polished & turned in to the appropriate authorities.

Which means that I’ve got about six seconds of freedom to breathe easy & attempt to catch up.  And one of the things I just realized I really dropped the ball on is announcing winners for some of our recent Dungeon giveaways.  So let’s rectify that, shall we?

Starting with the most fun stuff first…

Our March guest blogger, Addison Fox, is generously giving away an autographed copy of her debut paranormal romance, Warrior Ascended, each week that she’s here with us in The Dungeon.  (And the third week she’s tossing in a $25 Barnes & Noble gift certificate—how cool is that? )

Well, she’s been here twice already, which means we’ve got two books to give away today.

Raelena!!! & Maisey!!!

Congratulations, ladies!  Please contact me with your full names & mailing information, & I’ll pass it along to Addison so she can get your books signed & send out!

Next up, we have last month’s Monday Monthly Giveaway prize, this gift set consisting of an autographed copy of LOVES ME, LOVES ME KNOT…a bright red boa hand-knit by Yours Truly…a copy of Love’s Little Instruction Book…& a yummy fruit & nut dark chocolate bar…all tucked inside a cute little heart tote.

Tina S.!!!

Congratulations, Tina!  Please contact me with your full name & mailing address & I’ll get your prizes out to you as soon as I can.

And finally, we have this month’s Monday Monthly Giveaway prize, this cute & stylish address book for you to keep all your best Dungeon buddies’ contact information in.

Tigmode!!!

Congratulations, Tigmode! Please contact me with your full name & mailing address & I’ll get your prize out to you.

Whew!  Well, that was fun, & I feel much better now knowing I’m pretty much caught up.

Stay tuned for more giveaways, of course, & for Addison’s final guest blog post next Tuesday, March 16th, which will also include another giveaway.  Whoo-hoo!  You know it’s nothing but good times when you hang out with Mistress Heidi.

What is your favorite color? Green—it has been since I could pick out colors. According to my mother, I threw exactly two tantrums as a child (angel that I’ve always been….) One of them was because I wanted a pair of green sneakers at the mall.

Favorite song? Being a child of the 80’s, that’s easy—“Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds

Favorite movie? To the point above, The Breakfast Club is my hands down favorite.

And of course, favorite book? Paradise by Judith McNaught is my absolute favorite book—ever. I’m also a sucker for Are You There God?  It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume and the entire “In Death” series by J.D. Robb. Of course, this really is only the tip of the iceberg because I have a ton of favorite authors and books and series, but these are the comfort books that I’ll re-read over and over.

What are you currently reading, & how are you enjoying it? Not just because she’s an oh-so-awesome hostess (and she really, really is!!), but I’m currently reading Knock Me For a Loop by our darling Mistress Heidi. I’ve been waiting for this one, having already devoured Tangled Up in Love and Loves Me, Loves Me Knot last year. I’ve been anxious to get my hands on this one!  (Note from Heidi:  Ooh, triple brownie points for Addison!  Not only did she mention one of my books, but she managed to slip in all three “Chicks with Sticks” titles. )

Name three books on your TBR pile that you can’t wait to read. Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb, Succubi Like it Hot by Jill Myles, & Take Me for a Ride by Karen Kendall

What was the first book in your chosen genre that you remember reading, or that made you want to write the same? For me, it’s been less about a specific paranormal romance and more about reading romance overall. In the late 80s/early 90s, I read all the “Js” as I’ve lovingly come to think of them—Jayne Ann Krentz, Judith McNaught, Julie Garwood, Jude Deveraux. These amazing ladies were the first romances I absolutely devoured and it was the first time I began to catch the “bug” of writing. I loved what I was reading and I hoped to write the same someday. I’m pleased to say the love of the genre their stories inspired continues to drive me every day (these women are also all auto-buys for me!).

I actually met Jayne Ann Krentz at this past year’s RWA National conference and it took EVERY SINGLE THING INSIDE OF ME to try and be cool. Inside—oh my gosh, I was so fan-girling it I wanted to scream!

What do you think of Heidi?  She’s great, right? Absolutely! Heidi is truly fantastic. I’ve been reading her for a while, having discovered her through the Silhouette Desire line and have had a chance to get to know her through a dear friend, Katherine Garbera. I’m very anxious to buy her a drink at the RWA conference in Nashville and thank her in person for all her wonderful support!  (Another note from Heidi:  More brownie points to Addison for reading my Desires.  I can’t wait to get together in Nashville!  We should probably invite Kathy to join us…you know, just to be polite…but don’t worry, we’ll still have a good time! )

How did you get started writing? I’ve always had an interest in writing, playing on and off with story ideas throughout college. Then, thirteen years ago, I moved to a new city for a job and was in a period of transition and just decided I was going to try my hand at writing a book. It took me five years to write two books and then, in fall 2002, I joined the Romance Writers of America and my local chapter and that was it for me—I was well and truly hooked.

It took me six more years to sell, but during that time I wrote eight more books. I learned a lot about perseverance and the business of writing and, while it felt endless at the time, I wouldn’t change anything about the journey now looking back at it.

WARRIOR ASCENDED is your first book. Tell us a little bit about your first sale. This one’s always fun to tell! I actually got the call at work. The book was on submission with NAL and my agent let me know that morning that things were looking good and she was hoping for news that day. Of course, my productivity was absolutely shot at that point, so I began calling/texting/emailing with my sister pretty much all morning.

Lunch came and went and no news, and then I had to go into a meeting around two. Of course….the call came during the meeting (where, I’m not ashamed to say, I was frantically clutching my cell phone willing it to ring…) I excused myself from the room, went and hid behind a row of cubicles and tried very hard not to scream out loud!!

Fill in the blank—If you like [blank], you’ll love Addison Fox! If you’re reading and enjoying hero-driven series, I think you’ll enjoy the Sons of the Zodiac.

Tell us about WARRIOR ASCENDED, and why we’ll love every word. It’s all about the Brody….. Brody Talbot, my Leo Warrior, is yummy. Dreamy. HAWT! He’s also a fierce protector of all mankind and is about to get the wind completely knocked out of him by a sweet, demure little museum curator named Ava Harrison who has a heck of a lot of power inside of her just waiting to be unleashed.

I absolutely love Brody and Ava and I had a blast spending time with them.

WARRIOR ASCENDED is also the first book in your “Sons of the Zodiac” series. Can you give us a little background, like who the Zodiac Warriors are…how many books you’re planning (all twelve?)…how you came up with the idea… The Sons are a band of immortal warriors, created by the Greek goddess of justice, Themis. Each are imbued with a variety of traits (supreme sexiness being one of them!) and carry the protection of their sign. The warriors are tasked by Themis to protect humanity from the chaos of the world and—specifically—from the goddess of war, Enyo.

As to the idea…..I was sitting there one night watching TV and it just sort of popped into my head (I wasn’t even thinking about plotting.) But there it was—Zodiac. Warriors. Those two thoughts grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I started Googling everything I could about the Zodiac and quickly realized how much of modern Western Astrology is tied to Greek Mythology—especially in the naming of stars and the legends behind them. Once I had that piece, the rest of the world my warriors were a part of quickly fell into place.

There are actually 156 warriors—12 bands of 13 warriors (Gemini has his twin)—who millennia ago were chosen and tasked to fight across the globe. Through the millennia, some of been killed (although they are immortal, there are a few ways they can die) and some have turned. The focus of the series is the North American contingent of 13.

It would be an absolute dream to do books for all thirteen warriors. Right now, I’m under contract for the first two and am working on the proposal for Book 3. Kane Montague, my Scorpio Warrior, is the hero of WARRIOR AVENGED, coming in September.

In case you hadn’t guessed, Mistress Heidi is a Scorpio. She has both claws and a stinger, and she is not afraid to use them. What’s your sign? And what are some of the best and worst personality traits of your place in the zodiac? Then you’re going to love Kane’s book!

I’m a Gemini and I definitely have two personalities. I can be the life of the party and the wallflower all in the same evening. I’m interested in everything from art to music to sports to politics and know just enough about each to be dangerous. And, chief trait of my sign—I’m a communicator.

Of course, there’s a flip side to all those traits, including the fact that I get easily bored and often tired of my own voice!

Are you really into astrology, or did you research just enough to plot your way through this series? It’s really a bit of both. I’ve always had a fascination with astrology and love to read my horoscope. I’ve also read about astrology on and off through the years, fascinated by the idea of what in our natural world has an influence on us. That said, what’s been fun in the series is to use astrology as the unique part of each character but to then leverage Greek mythology as the backdrop of their world.

If your plane crashed in the Andes, would you convince the other survivors to eat Heidi first or last? Seeing as how you’d convince the others to sacrifice themselves at the altar of your fabulousness, I will only hope we can keep the fires burning long enough to get rescued by the two hot bush pilots who see our fire signals!  (Even more intrusiveness from Heidi:  I’m running out of brownie points here.  May have to switch to gold stars. )

If you could write anything—whether in the same genre/sub-genre as you’re writing now or another—what would it be? I’m definitely working on something that I love and that I hope will be a part of my life for quite a few years to come. That said, I’m also interested in other genres and have proposals for both a YA and a contemporary adult series with my agent that we’re hoping to sell.

What are you currently working on? I’m working on the third book in the “Sons of the Zodiac” series, title TBD. As I said, I’m hoping to go back to contract soon and want to be prepared for that!

Well, I’m just going to say it.  I think that may be my favorite guest author interview evah! What fun, Addison, thanks!

Don’t forget that Addison has generously offered to give away autographed copies of WARRIOR ASCENDED during her visits this month.  And after her third visit, she’s also going to toss in a $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble!   (U.S. residents only for the prizes, please, but everyone is welcome to chat!)

And remember that Addison will be back with us again next TUESDAY, MARCH 16TH.  You definitely don’t want to miss it, so mark your calendars now!

P.S.  Not to steal Addison’s thunder, but Susan Lyons is our guest knitter today at Must Love Yarn, & I know she’d love it if you dropped by to say hello.

This month’s giveaway is a cute little address book that any Darling of the Dungeon worth her leather bustier would love to keep her friend’s contact information in.

So if you’re interested, all you have to do is be a U.S. resident, visit us here in The Dungeon, & toss your name into the Pit of Despair…I mean, hat.  Or leather mask, or whatever it is we use for that sort of thing.

(P.S. Just noticed the funky formatting because the picture is too big, so I’m gonna do this…

X

X

X

X

(Sadly, in this case, X does not mark the spot. )

Well, as you may have noticed, I forgot to get a post ready for today.  This is what happens when I’m up to my eyeballs in taxes & deadlines & everything else.  So it may take me a little while to get back on the ball & catch up with stuff I know I’ve left hanging.  (Can you say “giveaways”? )

But for today, just to fill up space & keep you entertained, I give you these other “oops” moments in history:

]]> http://www.heidibetts.com/wipsandchains/2010/03/04/oops/feed/ 9 http://www.heidibetts.com/wipsandchains/2010/03/03/hockey-humor-then-some/ http://www.heidibetts.com/wipsandchains/2010/03/03/hockey-humor-then-some/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:00:35 +0000 Heidi http://www.heidibetts.com/wipsandchains/?p=10729 Word of the Week: Mutually Assured Distraction — The practice of distracting others in a manner assuring that neither party gets any work done.

Not that we would know anything about that around here, right?

Okay, I admit it, today’s post is a bit of Spring cleaning here in The Dungeon.  Darling Laura has sent me so many great hockey & KNOCK ME FOR A LOOP-related funnies that I just have not had a chance to post, so I gathered them up & have decided to share them all today in one fell swoop.

Enjoy!