Header Promotion
Hey, gang! Welcome to the first day of the Harlequin
Intrigue Authors Blog! I just started work on my 35th book for Harlequin
(whew-ee!) and I’m honored to be asked to launch our new Intrigue blog right
here on eHarlequin! 
We’re really excited to be here and have we got a lineup for you. Just look at the top of the blog for a list of all the contributing authors! And more will be added soon. Three times each week—generally Monday, Wednesday and Friday—one of our authors will be here blogging. Of course, we hope you’ll check back Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends, as well, for some extra treats. Guest bloggers, extra posts and who knows what may pop up unexpectedly! After all, we are the most mysterious and suspenseful of all of Harlequin’s lines. We love to keep readers guessing. 
We want this Intrigue Authors Blog to be a spot where all of us who love Harlequin Intrigue can gather and talk books. We’ll be talking about the line itself, our books and ourselves. Some days, we’ll post about upcoming releases; other days we’ll reminisce about series that are reader favorites. We might talk about favorite movies or that garden we’ve been planting. Citizen Police Academies we’ve attended for research. Great trips. Family adventures. Thrilling, real life inspirations for our intriguing stories. Lists. Surveys. Who knows? We’ll also have theme threads of special interest to aspiring Intrigue authors (Have you heard that Senior Editor Denise Zaza is hosting an Intrigue Pitch Contest here on eHarlequin in October?) where we’ll discuss different aspects of writing Intrigues. If you have questions, comments—or something, in particular you’d like to discuss—we’d love to know what you think!
I thought, for our first post, I’d talk a little bit about the history of Harlequin Intrigue. Did you know we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year? That’s right, the very first Intrigue, THE KEY, by Rebecca Flanders, was released in 1984. Here is what that first Intrigue looked like:
I bought that very first Intrigue back when I was in college at the University of Missouri, and knew I’d discovered a home—as a reader, and later, as an author. Back then, I’d wanted a break from writing papers and reading classics and student teaching—because I was so busy, I needed something I could get through fairly quickly. Still, I wanted a complete story, with a protective hero to fall in love with, a heroine I could identify with, a taste of danger, and a good mystery to solve. I got all those things in THE KEY. And more. I was hooked! I’ve been an Intrigue lover ever since.
Later in life, after having moved to a brand new state, with the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom with my toddler son for a year, I decided I wanted to try my hand at writing. Raised on Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, transported into romantic suspense by the likes of Rebecca Flanders, Patricia Rosemoor and Rebecca York, it seemed like romantic suspense would be a great fit for me. I’d been reading Harlequin Intrigue for (ahem, mumble-mumble) a few years, and figured that would be the line I’d target. After a few forays into the paranormal world with another publisher, I finally sold the first manuscript I targeted for Intrigue in 2000. That first book was called ONE GOOD MAN. It launched The Taylor Clan, The Precinct, and my career with Intrigue. I’m proud to say I’m still an Intrigue lover. I read ‘em, I write ‘em, and I love them.
Now, in 2009, as the line turns 25, we’ve published well over a thousand Intrigues in countries across 6 continents. Many of our authors have made the bestseller lists. We’ve won RITA’s and National Readers Choice Awards, as well as Daphne du Mauriers and Romantic Times Book Reviews and Career Achievement Awards. We have new authors who’ve joined the family as recently as last month, and veterans who have published more than 50 books for the line. In June, Intrigue’s Ultimate Heroes covers return, highlighting our to-die-for heroes, and in August we’ll be the featured line as Harlequin celebrates its 60th anniversary.
That’s my history with Harlequin Intrigue. What’s yours? Do you remember your first Intrigue? The story that hooked you as an Intrigue fan? What would you like to see more of in the future? Or something new? Please share.
And, as a special bonus to help us celebrate the new Intrigue Authors Blog here on eHarlequin… I’ll give away a copy of one of my Harlequin Intrigues to a lucky community member who posts a question or comment here today. Check back tomorrow to find out the winner.
Welcome, everyone.
And Happy Anniversary, Intrigue!
Happy Reading,
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Julie
I do not remember the first Intrigue I read but I have been reading them since around the middle of 1995 and have always enjoyed them. I am a mystery/suspense fan beginning with Nancy Drew. Glad to see the Intrigue Blog is up and running.
December 2008 MEMBER of the MONTH!
A true teacher is a person who, at the end of the school day, still likes children!
Congrats, Julie!
Book 35 is an awesome accomplishment! WTG, gal!
I enjoy Intrigues. I must admit I'm waiting until I get ALL of the Kenner County Crime Unit books before I start reading them.
As for the first Intrigue I read? I have no idea, but I love a good mystery and seeing if I guess the 'baddie' correctly!
Congratulations again, Julie! Here's to MANY more books with all the success your heart desires!
Hugs,
April
I do not remember the name of the first Intrigue I read
but I know that I have enjoyed this series for a long time.
I do remember reading One Good Man and starting to enjoy all the Taylor Clan and Precinct books. Glad to say that I am caught up on all of them as of today and still looking forward to the next book in this series.
I am reading the Kenner County series and I have the June book out but have not started it yet as I need to concentrate on these books and I have not been in that mood for the last few days. Hopefully I will get it read this week. This series has a mystery in each book but the total mystery is still ongoing and has not been solved yet.
Elaine
Great to see this blog!
I'm thrilled to see this blog on the go now, because I do have a few favourite authors in this line that are "auto buys" for me.
I confess that I don't read Intrigues all the time -- depends on the author. I like a good balance of chemistry/romance with the mystery and I've not always found that with this line. Oh, and like others, I did grow up devouring Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books, plus loved Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers.
BTW, I've just ordered "Pulling the Trigger," which will be the first book of yours, Julie, that I will have read. I'm looking forward to it!
-Kim
Fuzzy Tales: http://keas-fur-family.blogspot.com/
Woo hoo Intrigue!
I can't remember the first Intrigue I read, but I've been reading them for a while. I was messing around with writing Victorian romantic suspense but after I read an Intrigue, I knew I'd found a home for what I wanted to write.
Welcome all, to our new blog!
Carol Ericson
Where Romance Flirts With Danger
www.carolericson.com
I'm not a writer
but I do read a lot. My first Intrigue happens to be the first of the Kenner County Crime series. I like books by Debra Webb so I decided to try this series. Now I am looking for the old books in the Fear Familiar and the Colby Agency series as well. Glad to find the authors of these series letting us know what goes on behind the books..
Welcome!
Hey, everybody--welcome to the Intrigue Authors blog.
Ellen--Good to see you here. We appreciate what a good friend you are to Intrigue!
Kea--I hope you'll enjoy PULLING THE TRIGGER. Thanks for trying it out--it's always cool to find new readers. And it sounds like your reading tastes have been similar to mine. One of my lifetime goals is to read all of Agatha Christie's books. I've made a good dent in the list, but she was so prolific that I still have more to go. Hence, the lifetime goal (I once thought it was going to be a by-the-time-I-graduate-from-college goal
).
Elaine--I'm pleased to hear you're enjoy the KCCU miniseries. Have you figured out the overall mystery yet? Who killed Agent Julie Grainger? Where's the missing fifty million?
I have to say that series was fun to put together--the authors formed a loop during the research/brainstorming stage. There were so many different expertises to draw from. Anytime anyone had a question, we'd post it--and there was always one of us who knew the answer!
meapey--Thanks for the kudos! Actually, I didn't realize how many books I'd written for Harlequin until my hubby suggested I count them up. Whew! (And I know there are others who've written many more) I sure have typed a lot of words over the years.
But the great thing is that the ideas still keep coming, and writing for Intrigue still feels fresh. Each project I start seems to have something new about it that I enjoy.
Hey, Carol! See, folks? I told you many Intrigue authors would be stopping by. Carol Ericson is one of our relatively newer authors. Did you read her debut Intrigue, THE STRANGER AND i? Now that was a fast-paced thrill ride! And, of course, she's written more for the line since then.
Come back and see us soon,
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Readers are certainly most
Readers are certainly most welcome to join us here, tigermobil! In fact, we hope lots of you do.
I'm a big Debra Webb fan, too. (She's a good buddy of mine, but I'd love her books, regardless) Did you know she has a new Colby Agency trilogy coming out in July/August/September of this year? If you can get your hands on it, one of my favorite Intrigues ever is her Colby Agency book, SOLITARY SOLDIER. It's an older one, though, so you'd have to hunt around for it.
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Happy Anniversary, Intrigue!
Hey, Julie!
The first Intrigue I read was Rebecca York's Hopscotch, and it hooked me. Intrigue has such a great and intense blend of suspense and romance. It's the best of both worlds.
I'm looking forward to hanging out here at the Intrigue blog!
--Ann
Ann Voss Peterson
Covert Cootchie-Cootchie-Coo - Harlequin Intrigue, September 2009
http://www.annvosspeterson.com
Hey, Ann! I agree.
Hey, Ann! I agree. Rebecca York's 43 Light Street books were probably what solidified my love for Intrigue. IN THE LINE OF FIRE was a special favorite of mine.
Did everyone see the adorable cover for Ann's PRICELESS NEWBORN PRINCE?
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
My first Intrigue
That would be Gayle Wilson's Heart of Darkness. LOVED it!
Great post, Julie. It's so much fun to see how Intrigue covers have changed over the past 25 years.
Delores
http://www.dfossen.com/
Christmas Guardian, Romantic Times Top Pick, on shelves now
Shotgun Sheriff, Feb. 2010, SIlver Star of Texas Trilogy
Texas Maternity Hostages 6-book miniseries, May, Jun, Jul, Oct, Nov, Dec 2010
first intrigue
I just started reading Intrigues. I know Carol Ericson on another loop and when she published an Intrigue I read it, loved it, and started buying the other authors as well each month.
Amanda Murphy
w/a Jill James
www.jilljameswrites.com
Congrats on your 35th!
I can't begin to remember what my first Intrigue was. It has only been in the last couple of years that I've made specific note of the line that books belong to. Prior to that, I just looked at the summaries for books and bought what sounded good. So, I've had more than a few Intrigues in there.
Adopt a shelter pet. Save a life; gain a best friend for life.
View my DD's very public video acting debut at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E-v05kMucw.
July 2009 Member of the Month
Intrigue Blog
My first Intrigue was by Rebecca York, but to be honest, I can't remember the name! I've read alot of hers, and enjoy Debra Webb, B.J. Daniels, and Ann Voss Petersen. I haven't read many of the continuities except Rebeccas, but Intrigues were the first Harlequins I read. I love them, as well as the Silhouette Suspense line. I do think I read your first Precinct Intrigue, Julie, but again, my memory for titles is shameful!
Congratulations on writing 35 books in 9 years! That's quite an achievement. 
Laurie Wood
I can't possibly remember
I can't possibly remember which book it was, but either way, I was hooked. I'm soo glad I can read them in English, as they don't publish them in Finnish.
Hi Julie, My first
Hi Julie,
My first Intrigue was one of your Intrigues and I still love picking up your books when I see them.
Chris Roberts
Chris Roberts
Hey, Chris--good to see you
Hey, Chris--good to see you here! I do appreciate all your kind reviews and loyal support over the years.
minna--I don't speak or read Finnish, but I do know that many Intrigues are reprinted in Scandanavian countries--Sweden, Norway, Denmark. I'll admit my ignorance here--is Finnish a lot different from other Scandinavian languages? At any rate, I'm glad you can read them in English, too. I get emails from readers in England and Australia sometimes, impatient about having to wait about the books being released in their countries. I'd be frustrated, too, to know there's a book out there I want, but that I have to wait until it comes to my country--or pay to have the North American version shipped overseas.
I'm glad you joined us here.
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Hey, Laurie-- My first
Hey, Laurie--
My first Precinct book was PARTNER-PROTECTOR. The Precinct was spun off from my Taylor Clan books. All are set in the fictional Fourth Precinct of Kansas City, Missouri. Glad you tried them!
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Yes, Finnish is very different.
Yes, Finnish is very different. Finnish is one of Finno-Ugric languages. For instance Estonian is related to Finnish. And actually, Swedish, Danish and Norweigian are all related to English. Intrigues are reprinted in Sweden? I guess I should try to find some of those, too.
I don't remember my first
I don't remember my first Intrigue either. But my favorite genre is romantic suspense/suspense/mystery, so Intrigue is right up my alley. I have even found some great authors in this line that have become auto-buy authors for me now (including Julie!). I love the protective and HOT heroes, I can typically connect on a real level with the heroines, and a great story line that keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Julie, congrats on book #35! What a great accomplishment. And congrats to Harlequin for 25 years of great Intrigues!
I cannot remember the name
I cannot remember the name of my first Intrigue, but I have been reading them since the late 80"s.
My Favorite Intrigue
I, too, cannot remember my first Intrigue but I certainly know that my favorite Intrigue author is Julie Miller!!
The storylines from the Intrigues are always right down my line of interest and I would LOVE to read "The Key" someday. Will have to start hunting garage sales, eBay and Amazone for it.
Fantastic post, Ms. Miller...You do us proud every time!
~V~
I just love this line
ive been a fan of the Intrigue for a long time. I love the fact that they combine mystery, adventure and romance all into one even some humour too.
I think my first one was 43rd light street by Rebecca York.
I have to admit then me got hooked on the Colby Agency by Debra Webb. I have that entire series. I loved the fact that she took two of them and wrote them for American Romance. Great Series. Cant wait to read the newest addition to it come this summer.
Plus I enjoy all the other authors too. Ive got some placed on ordered at the local library. My june list has jus about all the title from this line.lol.
Julie will there by anymore
Precinct : Brotherhood of the Badge? I just loved that series..
Id love to see you all go back and visit some of the Montana, Texas, Chicago and Miami and Denver Confidential series.
patsy
Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says...
'Oh hell! She's awake!!' thank you for letting me use it Nini
Patsy--There's one more
Patsy--There's one more Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge story, coming this December. It's called BEAUTY AND THE BADGE, and features Detective Kevin Grove, the detective who officially worked the murder of the Kincaid brother's father in the other Brotherhood of the Badge books. In early 2010, Jillian Masterson will have her story, tentatively called RELUCTANT BODYGUARD (I'm guessing the title will change). Even though she's a Brotherhood character, I believe Intrigue is just calling it a Precinct book.
I loved the Confidential mini-series books, too! I don't know of any current plans to have more Confidential books. Though, I'm sure there'll be more Intrigue miniseries that will catch your fancy. Is it the government agent angle you like? The connected books? The fact that they're multi-author series?
Thanks for stopping by, everyone! B.J. Daniels will be blogging here tomorrow. Then Carol Ericson on Wednesday. And Dana Marton on Friday. Please join us!
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Ooooo Found my Peops!
Hello! I'm thrilled to have stumpled on this blog...this group... Julie Miller. I'm an unpublished author struggling in the middle of my first romance novel. Finding it nearly impossible to write anything, slogging through this second draft, quilt ridden about not having finished it months ago and sent it off. And this a.m. I'm looking for my nearest rwa chapter to join...and I find it and at the same time Julie. Me and my novel were wondering where we fit.
My first Intrigue is "Cowboy Pi," by Jean Barrett. I'm reading it tonight because it's been in my "to read" stack for a year. My second will be Julie Miller's "Pulling the Trigger," then "Out of Control," and then "At Your Command." See you all around. I've got to go to the ordering page. I'm a new Harlequin Intrigue reader!
And the winner is...
Valerie O !!!
My hubby picked your name out of the figurative hat and you're the winner of my book. Congratulations!
Valerie--if you email me through eHQ or my website, we'll work out the details about getting you one of my Intrigues--current or backlist--to celebrate the launch of the Intrigue Authors Group Blog.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to leave a question or comment, or just to say hi. And please stop by again often--the Intrigue Authors will here!
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Peops
Ok, yep. I realize nobody will ever read this post, because it's at the end. But I'm inspired and can't quit now. "Out of Control" is a Blaze. I enjoy Blaze. And "At Your Command" is a Miller backlist - I'll get. So here's what I ordered just now: "Pulling the Trigger," and "Out of Control," by Miller, "Royal Protocol," by Dana Marton, and "Big Sky Dynasty," by B.J. Daniels. My summer reading list is looking hot. How do I add the Intrigue Authors blog to my favorites?
Hey, Cheryl--I'm here,
Hey, Cheryl--I'm here, checking in--so you're not alone.
Wow! I appreciate your order, and hope you enjoy the books. I'm always curious about how many of my readers read both my Blazes and my Intrigues. Thanks for putting both on your list!
If you want to add the Intrigue blog to your favourites--there's a button just at the end of my original blog post (between the blog and the comments) that says "Add To Favourites". Just click on that button, and it'll be added to your list.
Glad you joined us!
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Cheryl
If you like the book Pulling the Trigger you may want to get the rest of that series. I haven't gotten it yet but I have read the rest of the series and liked it.
The series is only 7 or 8 books total
Oops, Cheryl--sorry, I
Oops, Cheryl--sorry, I steered you wrong. I thought the "Add Favourites" button connected you to the whole blog. Looks like it only connects to a specific blog post.
Anyone else know how to do that? I'd like to add the Intrigue Blog to my Favorites, too.
Thanks,
Julie Miller
BEAUTY & THE BADGE-The Precinct, Dec. 2009--an RT Top Pick!
TAKEDOWN--The Precinct, April 2010
The Precinct: SWAT TEAM 1--coming in 2010
RT Career Achievement Award Winner in Series Romantic Suspense!
www.juliemiller.org
Blogs
I don't think you can but you can go here -- http://community.eharlequin.com/blogs/groups -- and find a list of all of them (you'll need to scroll down a little and find a heading labeled Group Blogs) and if you click on the name of the blog you want to read you should get the whole thing. (Does that make sense???)
December 2008 MEMBER of the MONTH!
A true teacher is a person who, at the end of the school day, still likes children!
Congrats to all the
Congrats to all the wonderful Intrigue. The line just keeps getting better and better.
My first Intrigue would have been THE KEY and then Beverly Sommers' MISTAKEN IDENTITY followed by CATSPAW by Anne Stuart.
I loved those first boosk and am sure I have a few of the original ones hanging around somewhere on my bookshelf. I wonder if anyone remembers that Nora Roberts wrote NIGHT MOVES and Barbara Delinsky wrote THREATS AND PROMISES for Intrigue. Even Catherine Andersen wrote a few.
Congrats to Valerie O!
Also, on adding the whole blog to favorites, you have to click on the link to the Intrigue Authors Blog at the top of this post and then add it to your Internet Explorer (IE) favorites or your Firefox favorites or whatever browser you use. If you have a Google toolbar, you can add it to your Google Bookmarks. Unfortunately, I know of no way to add the whole Intrigue author blog to favorites on eHarlequin.
If someone else does know a way, please let me know. I would add several of the blogs for the various lines because I hate having to navigate through various menus to get to it!
Adopt a shelter pet. Save a life; gain a best friend for life.
View my DD's very public video acting debut at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E-v05kMucw.
July 2009 Member of the Month
Add blog to favs
Thanks for all the sugs. So it does seem that you can click the button "Add to Favourites" at the bottom of any individual comment. I've done it successfully to several. It sends that single comment to my harlequin profile account thingy.
And this blog's head page is definately on my browser's fav/bookmark drop down! Oh Yea!