My Most Recent Blog Posts

I’m a technical writer. That means I write Frequently Asked Question pages (FAQs) at work. It’s become a bit of a tradition for me to post an FAQ when I have a new book out. (Previous FAQs for The Boyfriend's Back and His Secret Past. The comments are a lot of fun.)

For the past two years, I've been posting this challenge in my blog (originally stolen from my friend, Diana Holquist's blog). I've thoroughly enjoyed the fantastic book recommendations and conversation so I'm going to post a new round!

How does it work? You post 12 books you're planning to read in 2010. Doesn't have to be all romance--it's tons of fun to see the range of reading we all do. Then we all sit back and enjoy the conversation.

Here are my 12.

I had a book signing this weekend in my hometown, Scranton, PA. Here are a few photos from the day. I wish I took more pictures, but I was too busy chatting!

The signing was at Borders.

Hi,

I pulled HSheryl's name from the comments on the Design Your Perfect Room blog. Please send your postal address to ellen (at) ellenhartman (dot) com.

Thanks again to everyone who shared a room with us!

Cheers,

Ellen

I really need an office. For a long time, I wrote in bed. My husband, Rick, would sleep next to me and I’d stay up half the night typing on my laptop. The trouble is that I ain’t as young as I used to be and my back can’t take this situation anymore.

I recently moved my laptop to the living room. I sit in the recliner which Rick insists we keep even though it’s from his long ago bachelor apartment and doesn’t match anything we own. (A very good thing. I’d be appalled if my taste matched this recliner.) Once I’m settled in the recliner, I put my headphones on and attempt to be productive while all around me the children pester each other, practice the viola and the cello (with varying skill levels), and are generally delighted that Mom is Right. There. This isn’t working for me either.

I dream about my office. Here's my current wish list:

I had my son pull the names of two winners for the drawing from the Life: Not What I Expected blog. When he was finished he asked me what the drawing was for and I said a book. He got all depressed and started unfolding the other names and saying how sad it was that I couldn't give a book to everyone.

That made me sad.

Life doesn’t always go the way we plan. Sometimes the unplanned elements turn out to be the best parts. Here are a few of mine:

One of the very best perks of being a Harlequin author is that whenever I have a book released, Harlequin sends me boxes of free books to use for giveaways and as review copies, etc.. Granted, the books are all the same...but for a dyed-in-the-wool book lover, there's nothing like opening up those boxes and seeing all the fresh, lovely books! I look forward to this delivery like a seven-year-old kid looks forward to Santa.

You all understand that, right?

So here's what happened this weekend.

My newest Superromance, Plan B: Boyfriend is coming out in December. (That means November in eHarlequin time!). It's the first book I sold with less than a complete proposal--my first two book deal. (In my mind, a complete proposal is 3 chapters plus a full synopsis. The proposal for this book was ten pages and a short synopsis.)

I put up an annual blog post here at eHarlequin where we post 12 books we’re planning to read during the year. I have to admit that my reasons for doing the blog post are partially selfish. Readers at eHQ are so widely read and so knowledgeable about the next great book that I scour the responses for recommendations. Sometimes we come back and post our impressions of the books in that thread, but it’s mostly a great way to find books people are anticipating.

So now I’m approaching the question from the other side: What’s the best book you’ve read this year? (Or any time recently. Don’t feel you need to confine yourself to one calendar year!) Doesn’t have to be romance. Doesn’t have to be anything except a really great read you want to share with us!