Silhouette Desire Author Blog

A few months ago my daughter joined the Girl Scouts - the Daisies to be exact - and it's been lots of fun, fairly smooth sailing, crafts and games and sweet songs.

Then the COOKIE DRIVE began.

Thank you, all of you, for chiming in on my snowy story blog.  The winner for the drawing is MoodyLady!  Please send your snail mail address to me at leannebbb @ aol.com  (with no spaces) so I can send you your free book!!!!!:)

xo,

Leanne 

 

Emmanuelle, congratulations!  Please email me at anna@annadepalo.com to let me know whether you'd like the certificate emailed or mailed to you!  Also, you have a choice of either an Amazon or a Barnes & Noble gift card. 

Snow Stories/Bonus Blog!

HERE WE GO AGAIN!  In central Virginia, we got hit with another snowstorm.  This one
isn’t as bad as last week (over a foot of snow last week!), but it’s bad enough.  
We’re not used to so much snow and the plows don’t even make it into my neighborhood.
Oog!  Even the dogs are tired of it!  I’m including a pic of my Pom Bijou in the
white stuff for your viewing pleasure along with a little background on the opening
scene of my February Silhouette Desire THE PLAYBOY’S PROPOSITION!  

For me February is the start of the year. Not because I'm perpetually running a month behind (true as that may be!) but because January is, for me and many Australians, summer holiday month. The new school year starts in the last days of January and that signals back-to-work time.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard my father call my mother by her given name.  Not in all their 53 years of marriage. My mom, Carol was Honey Doll to my dad. Maybe that’s why I never call my husband, Don.  He’s Sweetie, Honey or Babe.  And he never calls me Char – I’m Babe on most days and when he wants to make a point, I’m Sweetheart, emphasis on the Sweet (that’s when I know I’m in trouble!). I don’t even call my one and only sister by her given name. She’s “Sissy” to me and vice versa.

 

Okay, it’s not a Desire, not yet (that happens this July, yay!). But I’m still very excited to announce that IF BOOKS COULD KILL, my second bibliophile mystery, is out this week! This time, my protagonist bookbinder, Brooklyn Wainwright, travels to Edinburgh where, along with murder and mayhem, she runs into a friend who asks her to authenticate a book so rare, it makes her heart race … almost as fast as it does after a kiss from secret agent Derek Stone.

And the winner of Maureen's signed book, is Tammy!

Congratulations and thanks to everyone else for playing!

Congrats Mme Kathy!  You won the drawing for one of my books.  Please send your snail mail address to leannebbb @ aol.com (no spaces). 

Thanks to all the responders! I loved reading about your hobbies and thoughts about hobbies.  Such talented people you are! 

xo,

Leanne

Oops, missed posting this last weekend, but congratulations Linda Henderson! You've won my latest release, The Magnate's Pregnancy Proposal. Email me your snail mail address at sandra at sandrahyatt dot com and I'll post a book out to you.

Do you have a hobby?  Do you wish you had a hobby?  

I think hobbies grow from passions and curiosity.

I’ve noticed several books have started to include hobbies such as knitting or scrap
booking.  I do neither of those.  However, I visited a scrapbooking store to put
together a memory book for my daughter’s wedding.

I have a fantasy of becoming more crafty and artistic, but it will take some work.
I’m pretty sure I would swear a lot if I took up knitting.  

Are you in the mood for a guessing game?  I still have a few Desire books to give away from other authors. You could win Dakota Daddy from Sara Orwig or The Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress from Maya Banks and or a book from my own backlist.

Just got back yesterday from a 3 day trip to Laughlin, NV. (For those of you who don't know, Laughlin is like Las Vegas' baby sister)...

A hot and balmy 26th has just crawled by Down Under (happy Australia Day!) and I've returned from The Entrance, a popular beach holiday destination on Sydney's Central Coast (the picture shows the local pelican population, waiting for their daily 3.30pm feed).  As with every driving trip, I like to read the roadside signs, signs that tell me I'm leaving my bustling suburban city and making my way

I was skimming through the copyedits of my first Desire release, THE SECRETARY’S BOSSMAN BARGAIN, releasing July 2010 (yay!), when I read something that made smile. Something outrageous. And I thought I would share, not just that, but some of my favorite lines of my books!

The winner is c082436. 

Congratulations!

Email me at Emily at EmilyMcKay dot com with your snail mail address and I'll get your book in the mail for you.

Thanks for playing! 

I have a new blog of photos today on my Heroes and Hunks page.  Take a look and see if you agree on my latest batch of heroes.  And let's all keep positive thoughts for the Haitians and those there to help. 

http://letstalkheroesandhunks.blogspot.com/

Joanne 86!

 

Please contact me at jen @ jenlewis.com to give me your address so I can send you a copy of "The Desert Prince". Thanks to everyone who commented and have a great weekend!

Jen 

As I was running my zoo today, I had an epiphany...there needs to be a resort especially for mothers! Now, I know there are hard-working fathers as well, but they have golf courses and their recliners.

Our move last year and the decisions about what to bring awakened me to an interesting phenomenon. I have a "keeper shelf" of books I've read and enjoyed. I've had some of them for many years, including complete or almost-complete collections of books by favorite authors that I went to great lengths to obtain.

This past weekend my husband and I made a rare trip to the movie theater to see Avatar. The movie was great. Visually stunning, a masterpiece, yada, yada, yada. The story was good (though perhaps not as nuanced or subtle as I would have liked).

One of the things about writing romance is that each of the heroes a writer creates are unique. But a writer will often—sometimes unconsciously—incorporate personality and physical traits in most of her heroes that she is drawn to. I know I do.

Change always comes bearing gifts. Price Pritchett

I certainly hope so because as I look at the year ahead (the week, in fact) I know that at least one significant change is in store for me. My daughter is off to live overseas for a year as an exchange student.

The winner of my frock post is:

 

April!

 

April, you've won a copy of The Blackmailed Bride's Secret Child. Email me at rachel at rachelbailey dot com and send me your postal address.

Thanks, everyone else, for all the great comments about frocks!

Congratulations, abbi_cantrell. I’ve drawn your name as the winner of my giveaway, which is a copy of the HM&B UK Spotlight collection titled IRRESISTIBLE ATTRACTION.  Yay!

 

And the winner is.....CherylS22

 

We live in such a fast-paced society that we are all multi-taskers.  You have to be these days in order to survive. There is always sooo much going on. You know what they say, if you want something done, ask a busy person.

 

So I thought it’d be fun and enlightening to share with you my DAY IN THE LIFE OF A WRITER.

Whenever I enter into a New Year, I can't help but think of my successes and failures in the year I've just left behind.  And my regrets.  It got me to thinking about regrets in the love department; men I've dated, relationships that probably weren't worth entering into.

I love watching the red carpet before the Oscars to see the pretty dresses. I imagine wearing some of those gorgeous creations would sometimes be uncomfortable, but other times would make a woman feel glamorous.

 

I don’t wear a lot of frocks, but I do notice the effect on my mood when I wear one versus another, and also with other clothes. And I wonder about dresses I’ve never worn and how they would make me feel… I think layers of floaty, filmy fabric would probably make me feel different to wearing a red satin sheath, for example. A princess versus a sexy siren, maybe?

 

My post is inspired by Kate's fun Reading Game last week (thanks, Kate!) and by the Bloggers Bundles released in the Harlequin eBook store earlier this month. I looked at those packs, thought what a cool idea, and wondered which theme and books I'd bundle together if given that chance.

Naturally, I chose Desires. And when I considered my very favourite Desires from days gone by, three featured sexy (and honourable and protective and sometimes out of their depth) single dads. Hence, my bundle is titled Desireable Dads.

Jessiecue, congratulations!!  Please contact me at anna@annadepalo.com and let me know where I can email or mail your Amazon certificate to you.  Hope you and everyone else had a great weekend!!

on my BRAND NEW WEBSITE!  COME SEE WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS.

I'M HAVING A HOUSEWARMING PARTY ... COMPLETE WITH NEW CONTESTS, NEWLY REMODELED ROOMS AND A WHOLE NEW LOOK.   WHILE YOU'RE THERE, SEE IF YOU AGREE WITH MY CHOICE FOR THE HERO IN MY FIRST NAPA VALLEY VOWS BOOK, MILLION-DOLLAR MARRIAGE MERGER. 

Thank God It's Friday!    Besides being the end of the work week, Fridays are associated with kicking back and beginning to relax.  (Though in college, naturally, all this often starts a wee bit early with Thursday night keg parties.  )

Of course, Fridays are the perfect date nights.   I met my husband at a bar on a Friday night (it was also St. Patrick's Day), when I fought the urge to just toss in the towel, head home, put my feet up and weep into a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream while viewing the latest [Meg Ryan--Julia Roberts--Sandra Bullock--filling in the blank!] chick flick. 

Can you guess what inspired my new series The Medici Men for Silhouette Desire?  Lots of things, but one of the biggest sources of inspiration for this new series was my trip to Italy!  No denying the fact that Italian men are GORGEOUS, Italian food is DELICIOUS, and Italian art will take your breath away.

My husband and I joined two other couples and visited Milan, Bellagio, Venice, Florence and Rome.  My fave?  Florence!  There's so much amazing art and history there.  Seeing Michaelangelo's famous sculpture of David was a thrilling experience.  Having the opportunity to learn about some of those famous Renaissance men where they lived, created and competed was fascinating.  When we were in Florence, we took a tour and learned a bit about the famous Medici family.  Known as one of the big banking families, the Medicis became a powerful political and creative force.  They encouraged the arts and even managed to produce two Popes.  Despite centuries of power, however, the Medicis, eventually died out.

Happy New Year, everyone!

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to play the Reading Game. I’ll go first!  

 

What book is on your nightstand now?: TO TEMPT THE DEVIL, by Anna Campbell. Yum! I've just read the first three pages and I'm hooked!

Just finished: WHAT I DID FOR LOVE, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I love her. This one was fabulous!

I watched the movie MISERY last night. Yep, I'm a little behind the 8 ball when it comes to movie watching, certainly not first there on release day, that's for sure. Anyway, in the many years since Stephen King's novel has been retold in film I've heard much about this screen treatment and now I'm intrigued enough to want to read the book. Things often happen that way with me and at least this way around I'm not disappointed with the film because I've already read the book.

I’m happy to announce that the random winner of my pre-Christmas BAH HUMBUG blog is ……. Tammy Y!!!

 

Congratulations, Tammy!

Sorry, late!  Well, okay, not so late if you count the whole US/Aussie time difference   Congrats, willworkforbooks!  Email me and I'll send off your cool Aussie calendar for your immediate use!

So here we are, welcoming a brand new year! 2010 is upon us, and as with every new year, my mind is buzzing with goals and ideas, wishes and dreams. Forgotten are the dreams I didn't accomplish last year, forgotten are the disappointments and fears - a brand new year looms ahead, full of possibilities, opportunities, and chance.

I do hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas this year!

Mr. Red, my little young ones, and I are spending time with family and having a marvelous time. Hot cocoa, cookies, pie, and books have been the order of the day, and now we're all gearing up for a posh celebratory dinner for the last day of 2009!

Here's a photo of my favorite Christmas ornament. I bought this little guy during a trip to Rothenburg, Germany about a decade ago in a shop that sold Christmas stuff to tourists. I still just love it.

Christmas presents have been opened.

December 2009 is almost gone. The Next Decade is nearly here. I'm thinking about 2010. About my hopes, my goals, my dreams. Okay, that's easy to do beside the sea...holidays always have that renewing effect on me--the picture shows the view from our cabin window.  The Christmas Tree has been replaced by a seaside palm!

And yes, it's still up! We didn't really have a white christmas here in England, but sometimes the frost on the fields is so thick that it looks like it just snowed. You can see a glimpse of them through the windows behind the tree. I hope everyone is recovering well from the festivities and finding some time to dive into a good book.

Jen 

 

Merry Christmas from Leanne Banks and her daughter!

 

I hope you all had a merry, merry! We sure did! Here's a pic of my family after we got back to my in-laws after our churches candlelight ceremony...beautiful as always!

Time to start looking to 2010! Happy New Year!

I was going to post a pic that included me on Christmas morning, but since they were taken early I was in my pj's for ALL of them. So you have Mr Fletcher instead who likes to stake a claim to anything new that appears in the house. Naturally when the tree arrived and presents started to follow, he needed to check them out.