Harlequin Intrigue Group Author blog

You can tell when summer is officially over here in Montana. The tennis nets come down and I start cooking comfort food. It doesn't even have to snow for me to pull out the dutch oven and throw a pork roast into it.

I have this great cornbread recipe that calls for both regular corn and creamed corn along with a large tub of sour cream, butter and jalepenos. I've got to find my recipe because it is time to make it!

It isn't just me. My husband is going to want meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans soaked in butter and sprinkled with brown sugar. Even our desserts change. I'm thinking about pineapple upside down cake, bread pudding, warm fruit pies.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from the Intrigue Authors!

Don't let the spookables give you Shivers, and may you have a hunky hero and your own cleverness to keep the bad guys away...

The Harlequin Intrigue Authors

For years I've been on the prowl for the world's best coffee. Many
years ago my preference was Yuban. Did you know they used to put malt
in their coffee? I've researched coffees and found that there are only

That's a photo of me standing in front of The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, where parts of The Shining was filmed. What a hotel!

My poor husband is married to a writer.

In all fairness, he had no idea what he was getting into when he married me. He was actually excited when I sold my first book. He had no idea what was to follow.

It's the question that almost immediately comes up whenever we meet new people for the first time, an easy way to get an idea who this person is (and to fill any uncomfortable silences <g>).  After all, what we do for a living often says something about who we are as people.  That’s definitely as true for fictional people as for real ones, and one of the most interesting parts of a book can be reading about what the hero and heroine—and even secondary characters—do for a living.

Names are important, don't you think?  Especially in fiction, where a character's name can come to be a synonym for their primary character traits.  From Casanova to Pygmalion, Lolita to Jezebel, names matter.

Recently, someone asked me where my weird ideas come from. I guess she meant, why are you so into paranormal? Why do you write about werewolves and demons and monsters from another time continuum?

When I was in elementary school, the D.C. Public Library sent a “book basket” to every classroom every month. In fifth grade, when the teacher put RED PLANET, by Robert Heinlein, up on the eraser ledge, the cover illustration made me want to read the book. So I rushed up to get it before anyone else could.
 
Thus began a lifelong interest in science fiction and fantasy. They were a big part of my recreational reading for years, with adventure and mystery thrown in.
 

While I was writing Bravo Tango Cowboy, I kept thinking of Hawk as the ultimate hero. Imagine how pleased I was that it got the tag Ultimate Hero and was named a TOP PICK by Romantic Times.  When former Navy SEAL, Hawk Taylor,  found out that the daughter of the mysterious, sensual woman had been missing for two years, he know what he had to do. He said, "I'll find her." Not I'll try. A four-year-old girl had been abducted from the zoo. He wouldn't give up until the girl's mother had her daugther or at least had closure.  His only concern was that he would find the girl dead and destroy the woman he was fast falling in love with. A woman he knew he could never have

But failure was never an option!

(I’m posting Tuesday’s blog late tonight since I’ll be away from my computer tomorrow morning)

Without further delay, I've got a cool announcement! You know that proposal I was talking about writing? I sold it! Woo-hoo! I'm doing the happy dance.

I'm also giving a big whew! When I first started this writing process blog series, I was determined to share whatever happened with the story, from conception to seeing it on the bookshelves. Thank goodness I don't have to write a blog about rejection woes. Don't get me wrong, I can certainly talk about rejection--it's a rare writer who sells the first or every story s/he ever writes. But now I'll have a story that you, the readers and aspiring writers, can follow from start to finish.

About two years after I graduated from college, I applied for a job with the CIA—but they didn’t hire me.  Funny thing is, I was very close to getting the job and, in fact, thought I had the job.  My experience with the CIA smacked of covert operations and under-handed maneuvering.

Most writers are avid readers. I know I am. So today I thought I'd list my five favorite things about reading Harlequin Intrigues. And I hope you'll share yours.

# 5 - I love the suspense. I like my danger vicariously, but there is nothing I like more than having the hairs on the back of my neck stand up while engrossed a fearful scene.

One of the things I had to force myself to do as a career writer is to take vacations—not necessarily going to some exotic place, but to take time off from writing.

My favorite city in the entire world is New Orleans. The reasons are limitless. Here are a few.

I'm posting this here for Rae since I know some of you are interested in the Intrigue Pitch Contest.  Remember, the deadline to submit your entry to Rae is November 4th.  The winners do the actual pitch with Denise Zaza on November 18th.

Here are the details...

If you write or read Intrigue, you're a little different, don't you think? Special, absolutely. But I was thinking, it's the suspense part that makes this type of romance unique. So I made a list off the top of my head of what might make you unique. Please add yours and win the latest book in the Whitehorse, Montana series, One Hot Forty-Five that won't hit the shelves until Oct. 13.

My journal continues as I talk about my writing process from beginning to end...

Last time I talked about getting my ideas for a story (and related stories) and putting them together in a proposal, which I sent to my editor.  Now, as many of you may know, there is very little that happens quickly in the publishing industry.  (Frustrating, isn't it?  When you're anxious to get the next book by a favorite author? ) 

Christmas Guardian hits the shelves in two weeks, and it'll be my 30th published book. Since it's set in San Antonio, I didn't have to do much research because San Antonio is home for me. I know the streets, the people and the food. Yum. However, I'm working on a new miniseries idea about ranching and cowboys, and even though I spent the first eight years of my life on a ranch, I need a refresher course. So, as part of my fall trip back home, I'm heading to the YO Ranch in Kerrville, Texas.

When I was trying to think of something to blog about, I started to make a list of possible topics, which then led me to think about lists in general. I love lists.  I love to make them, love to categorize and organize things, whether it's to-do lists or Christmas lists or lists of places I want to visit before I'm too old and tired to travel.

I just got back from my son's wedding in Memphis, Tennessee. The wedding was as close to perfect as you can get, and now I have an incredible daughter-in-law who's beautiful, smart and funny. Here are some pictures my daughter snapped of the couple as they were waiting for the photographer to take some "real" pictures. Those won't be ready for a while, but we have these little glimpses of just how awesome they'll be.

I just got back from the beach. And I brought the most exciting thing
back with me! No, not a beautiful photo of me walking
on the beach at sunset. Not a rare seashell that washed up

For the last few weeks I’ve been involved in something really fun here at eHarlequin.

It’s called Pass the Plot.

Yep, that’s one of the most asked questions authors get. When I was new to this author thing, I used to say from everywhere. Not so anymore. I don’t know if it’s ‘maturity’ or if I’m running out of stories or if I’m just getting too picky. I like to think it’s the last one.

Over Labor Day weekend, I binged on one of my favorite film adaptations of JANE EYRE.  Multiple viewings (I mentioned it was a binge, right?)  Why that story and not PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, or the delightful EMMA?

I really didn't give it a lot of thought at the time, but I think I focused on JANE EYRE because it features one of my favorite romance "hooks."

Below are six questions. For each, choose an answer for Rita and one for Ann. Two winners will be drawn from those with the highest quiz score. If only one person holds the highest score, both books will go to her/him. If you need a hint, look back at the last three "Blogging Double" posts for clues (Sept. 3, Sept. 1 and Aug. 29). Good luck!

We went on vacation at the end of summer to Yellowstone National Park.  I had never been to Yellowstone before, but my husband had gone with his family many, many, many (OK, you get the picture) years ago.  When my husband went to Yellowstone, bears were a big problem.  Or rather, the humans were the problem.  He said the bears would approach the cars on the roads through Yellowstone and people would actually feed the bears out their car windows!  The rangers have done a great job educating the public about the dangers of bears, and the garbage dumps have been removed from the park.  So the bears no longer expect food from people and generally keep their distance.  We didn’t see one wild bear.  We had to visit them in the Grizzly and Wolf Center just outside the park.

As my book An Unexpected Clue hits the shelves, I'm neck deep in a big remodeling job of a fixer-upper. I think I've bitten off more than I can financially choose, but in the end, it'll be worth it. My husband and I are doing some of the work ourselves and hiring out the rest. Just too much for us to accomplish and we want to move in by my daughter's birthday in October!

It's Labor Day. I was thinking. If you have to labor at all today, it
should be to make something sweet. You deserve it.

So here is my favorite chocolate cookie recipe. I got it from a friend and
it is always a hit. My friend said it makes what she considers a small
batch so you might want to double the recipe. :) I always do.

I have added another name to the winners list! Wayne, our delightful host, has graciously requested that his winning book be given to a Harlequin reader.

So we drew another name and the winner is....

P.R.

P.R. you probably know the drill. Send me your snail mail address to bjdaniels@mtintouch.net

Wow, after I read the interview by Rita and Ann, I thought there is no way I want to follow that.

Pairing up to write connected books with Ann Voss Peterson was a challenge (because they were out the same month) but also totally fun! Putting two devious minds together was like having twins -- double trouble. And yes, we learned a lot about each other, but I want to know more.

Welcome to September!

Rita Herron and I are "blogging double" the next few weeks to celebrate the release of our series, Seeing Double. That’s right, a two-book series where both books are released in the same month! So we thought it might be fun to interview each other a bit. I get to start. Hope you’re ready, Rita! ;)

Intrigue Wedding Cake Topper--LOL

At the RWA conference in Washington DC, I was lucky enough to receive my pin for having 25 published books. This was the icing on the cake to what's been an incredible year. I've traveled more this year than I have in ages, and I even got to take a month-long dream vacation to Ireland, England and Scotland. But that's not all. My son is getting married. Squeal!!!

I’ve heard it over and over. It seems most readers enjoy multi-book series. I mean, what’s not to like? You get to revisit favorite characters and settings. You get to delve into an overall story that’s bigger than just one book. You get to see minor characters in one book get what they deserve (good or bad) in the next. But if there’s anything that people don’t like about reading a series, it’s waiting for the next book to come out. Some readers have even told me they wait until they get all the books in hand before reading the first one.

But what if you didn’t have to wait at all? What if all the books in a series came out the same month? That’s the idea the Intrigue editors presented to Rita Herron and me . The result is the SEEING DOUBLE Series: PEEK-A-BOO PROTECTOR by Rita Herron and COVERT COOTCHIE-COOTCHIE-COO by me (Ann Voss Peterson). Today and several days in September, you’ll be "seeing double" here as Rita and I blog together to celebrate!

The winner of one of my Intrigues is - Cheryl Hill.  Please email me your address at carol@carolericson.com  I'll be on vacation next week, but I'll send out the book as soon as I return.

The winners for Rebecca are - Laney4 and JV.  Please email your addresses to Rebecca at rebecca@rebeccayork.com

Congratulations Cheryl, Laney4, and JV!

I have books coming out in September, October and November of 2009, called The Black Hills Brotherhood. In writing
these books, I wrote about three things I've never experienced. An
avalanche, an abandoned underground mine, and the mountainous regions
of Afghanistan. Why did I choose to write three books about three
things I knew nothing about? I don't have a definitive answer for that.

A few years back, I was driving a Yugo (if you want a Yugo to go sixty, push it off a cliff), and the dear little beast died half-way across a busy intersection.  On-coming traffic in both directions was bearing down.  The fatal crash was imminent.  Was I terrified?  You bet.  Did my life flash before my eyes?  Not really.  All I could think was that my tombstone was going to read: Died in a Yugo.  By the time I got the car to the curb, I was chuckling.  Nervously.

In Intrigues, when the passion and danger are running high, I like to see humor used as a release.  Nutty secondary characters.  Macho heroes who always have a witty retort.  Heroines who aren't afraid to laugh at themselves.  The ratio of giggles to gasps is a tricky balancing act, but I'm looking for at least one laugh-out-loud moment in every book. 

I promised I would blog about something light and frivolous this month after my serial killer post last month.  And what could be frothier than Dancing with the Stars?

I have to admit DWTS turned into a guilty pleasure for me this past season.  Watching TV usually falls into the guilty pleasure category because frankly it’s a bit of time waster. But man-oh-MAN, did I enjoy wasting my time for those 2 ½ months watching Dancing with the Stars!

I had never watched an entire season of DWTS before, although I had watched a few episodes and loved the dances and the costumes. Last season, however, I started watching the series from the first episode for an unlikely reason – Steve-O. I have pre-teen boys, and they love Jackass and Wild Boyz, and Steve-O’s crazy stunts on those shows, which usually involve stuffing live animals in his Speedo. My boys lost interest after about the second week (no live animals in Speedos), but I was hooked! I set the DVR to tape the whole series, so even when I was helping the boys with their homework or doing things around the house or writing, I’d get to settle in and watch the shows later.

Of course, like lots of women around America (dare I guess, the world?), I was hooked because of Gilles Marini – you know, Samantha’s oh-so-sexy Malibu neighbor who showed it ALL in the Sex in the City movie. He even danced shirtless on a few occasions (whew!).  Really, the man could grace a romance novel cover.  But it was fun watching All the dancers. I loved the cowboy, Ty Murray, and watching him improve every week. Lil’ Kim was fabulous and had such personality on the dance floor, and Melissa Rycroft (recently of The Bachelor fame) was an elegant and beautiful dancer. I enjoyed Shawn Johnson, the gymnast too, but no way did she deserve to win that mirrored ball. That belonged to Gilles!

I went back to Shreveport, Louisiana for my high school reunion this weekend. I had a marvelous time renewing old friendships. It was super sharing the old memories and catching up on everyone's lives.

It seems like just a few days ago I was blogging about the arrival of summer.  Hard to believe that was actually almost two months ago and the season's winding to a close, at least in terms of vacation time for most people if not in the calendar sense.

A strange thing happened this morning. I was on my way to my office. I had gotten up late, hadn't even had breakfast or taken a shower. I had too much to do and I was feeling stressed.

That's when it happened. I looked up at the blue sky and realized what a beautiful day it was. I put down the window on my car and took a deep breath and realized that even though I had way too much to do today I was going to turn around, go home, get my husband and go play tennis.

And that's what I did. Later in the shower I remembered I was supposed to blog today -- and realized I knew exactly what I needed to blog about.

As a writer, I often venture into unfamiliar territory to make a story ring true. It’s part of my job. There are times when the Internet is invaluable for research. There are times when interviewing a source can give me what I need. But the best times are when I get out of my comfort zone to do personal research and nail the details I can’t get any other way.

Since this is Harlequin Intrigue’s 25th Anniversary, I’ve been doing a series of blogs, memories of books I’ve written over the years. Ten years ago, I sold a ranch trilogy to Intrigue. The Sons of Silver Springs was set in New Mexico, one of my favorite places to visit. Rather, I had visited Albuquerque, Santa Fe and the small towns and pueblos in the area several times before. What I hadn’t done was spend any time on a ranch.

Readers often ask me about 43 Light Street, my long-running romantic thriller series from Harlequin Intrigue. 

Many of my Light Street characters are larger than life.  Others are ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances.