Loving It Hot: Blaze

Okay, I'm still learning my way around the new boards.  But I love the look!!

I especially love the Tags--they're taking me to places I wouldn't have thought to check out before.  Fun!

Julie Miller 

I am hoping it is a little bit of both, Lori! LOL

Jeanette
eHarlequin.com Community Host
ehqnhost_jr@hotmail.com

Believe it or not I was just thinking this morning that I hadn't seen you here for awhile.  I'm sure you have been busy with the holidays, writing, life, etc.  Hope all is well with you.

I'm around. Have been up to my eyeballs with a new proposal, which hopefully is done tomorrow -- then my ed tells me line edits are in the mail, LOL. It never ends (thank goodness). But the holidays were busy... good, but busy, and I'm glad they're over...

I hope you had a good one! :) I love the new boards... too much fun.

 Sam

Just catching up on the latest post.

Sam glad to hear you had good holidays.  Very glad to hear that you are busy with writing.  I'm looking forward to your next book.  As always this board gives me more & more suggestions of books to read!

Each time I come to visit eHarlequin it gets easier & I learn more!

Later, I need to go read & get some thing accomplished here at home.

Just checking in to see what has been happening since I was here last.  Yesterday I stayed away from the boards in favor of getting some necessary things done & reading.  I was reading a non-Harlequin book!!  Now I've picked up another Blaze.  So far I've only read about 60 pages!  It is the first book in The Martini Dares!  I still have so many Blaze books stacked up to catch up on.  Four books a month instead of six would be better but I tried that & you are always missing something!!!  What to do, What to do!!

Everyone have a great weekend.

Please stop by and check out the new discussion hosted by Blaze author Tawny Weber.  Click on the link below to get join the discussion:

http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/simply-series/ultimate-man-plan

I hope to see you there!

Hi Everyone,

Did you love the cover Lori?  My Blaze shipment just came the other day with the February books!  There are some yummy looking books!!   Since they seem to be mostly Valentine oriented I'm not reading any of them yet.  Right now I'm reading the second book in The Martini Dares.    I'm looking forward to seeing the cover on your April Blaze, do you have it up on your website?

See you all later.

Love the cover for Putting it to the Test and I can't wait to buy it on March 1st!

I ordered At Your Command by Julie Miller yesterday and I am looking forward to reading this and checking out the cover too!

Thanks Jeanette and Julie!  Is it my imagination or is Blaze starting to blend in the more subtle covers again?  It seemed like for a while there, bare chested males were the norm.  Now in the last couple months, they're going back to a mix.

I like the variety, myself.  My first two covers were bare rippled abs, and though I won't look a gift horse in the mouth (I hear they sell well), I'm kind of pleased to see a different style of sensuality on the cover.

BTW, Julie, congrats on the success of "At Your Command".  It's getting a ton of buzz over on the blogs.

Lori

Covers seem to always be an interesting & diverse subject for most of us.  My biggest complaint is when the cover doesn't match the characters or the story.  For instance, the book I am reading now the h has short blond hair but on the cover is a blonde with long hair!  I hate that, it seems an insult to our intelligence though it is probably not meant that way.  I like the covers that do not show a face because most of the models used are to "pretty boy" and way to young!  When the H in a story is a rugged man & the cover is some smooth guy that looks young enough to be my grandson it just doesn't work for me!   Well, I guess I've done enough speaking from my soap box this morning, whoops it is afternoon!!!

Have a great weekend everyone.

on Pierce Brosnan and Clint Eastwood

Sean is still a sexy man

Paul Newman will always be good looking

can't think of any young fellas who can hold a candle to them

LOL Jeannette -- well, maybe by the time you finish the book there might be a little Rafe on the way? ;)  That would be cool.

He's one of my favorite heroes I've written, he was just such a pleasure. I've had more people email me about him because he's so normal. LOL Which is kind of funny when you think about it, but I guess we get used to heroes in romance who are larger than life, but Rafe is really just the guy next door. Literally, in this case.

So doubly happy that you like him, too. :)

Sam

I wouldn't mind living next door to Rafe.....or even across the street.

Mmmm - washing his car in shorts, no shirt

Sounds like a great line up!

I read Dead Sexy, but I didn't know that was part of a series, either... Cool! More Blaze vamps!

Sam

(PS: Absolutely, Ellen...I agree...)

I'm pretty excited about it, and the fact that it's a Blush.  This was sort of the first book I wrote where I felt like I knew what I was doing.  Of course, with the one I'm working on now, I'm back to feeling like I haven't a clue again, so go figure. *g*

I'm looking forward to reading "Getting Lucky" when it comes out.  I've got Jill Monroe's February Blush, "Primal Instincts", and am planning to crack it open tonight.  So far, I haven't read one and am curious to see what they're like.

Lori

Ha!  I'll trade your California for my Nebraska right now, Lori.

When I wake up and the temperature is below zero, and the wind chill is even lower than that, it really makes me want to snuggle up and stay in bed.

But I can understand about not being used to the cold.  Living in Nebraska definitely means my closet is full of coats, boots, mittens, gloves and long-johns!

I was surprised to see it was a few degrees colder in Atlanta, Georgia than in Alaska last Friday!  Wow.  Crazy weather all around.

Everyone stay warm!

Julie Miller 

Donna, I was cold just watching that game... I had to go grab myself a second throw and drink hot chocolate in empathy.  But really, I don't mind January because it's too cold here to go anywhere.  The cold is my month long excuse to sit tight at home.

Lori, I'm writing one of those books that makes me feel like I don't know what I'm doing as well.  It seems to be a back and forth phenom I can't escape-- two books in a row where I feel smart and the words fly, then a book or two that feel like pulling teeth. 

Thank heavens I'm not alone!  For me I sometimes think writing a book is like childbirth.  It's difficult at the time, but once it's over I "forget".  I only say that because I've been whining to my CPs over doubts about this new book.  They ease my fears then remind me that I had the same doubts about  the last book (the one I'm now recalling was a breeze to write).

Although I do know that with some stories I have a clearer vision than others.  With my April Blaze, I had very specific major plot points before I started writing.  With this new one, I'm kind of feeling my way through trying to trust in the fact that the story will work it's way out as I go. (Translate:  Agonize over every word).

I know some authors write all their books that way, but I'm learning I might be more comfortable having most of it figured out before I start putting chapters together.

How about you?  Do you find you usually have about the same amount of plot worked out with each book before you start writing (be it a lot or a little), or do you tend to come about each one in a different way?

Lori

It's funny how you think of extreme weather when reading.  I love to drink some hot chocolate and curl up in bed with a good book (a Blaze of course!) and in the summer, there is nothing like lying on a beach chair and reading in the sun.  Oh, I would love some sun right now!

Check out our Baby, it's Cold Outside! sale.

Hi Donna!

I had a good Saturday.  I went to see Juno and it was a funny, quirky movie - and fantastic.  I highly recommend seeing it.  I was finally able to squeeze in some "Daddy and Mommy" time! LOL

So, what is everyone reading?

How very intriguing, Julie!  If you don't mind me asking, how did you get selected to read the RITA books?

Happy Monday everyone! 

(Okay, that's probably a play on names you've heard a million times, huh?)

But hey, I've got a good excuse.  I just checked out the  Romantic Times BookClub reviews for March and saw you're the Top Pick! for "Getting Lucky". 

"Getting Lucky (4 1/2) by Joanne Rock has hot sex, a spooky mystery, an isolated island cut off by a storm, ghosts, danger, and romance--not to mention the perfect ending."

Wow.  I know I'll be placing my order the minute the March Blaze's go up!  I can't wait to read it, and congrats on the great review!

Lori

Thank you, Lori!  I was psyched to see the Top Pick, but until you posted the snippet I wasn't sure exactly what the review said.  Yay!  Isn't it cool when reviewers pull out the stuff you really enjoyed about the book too?  Sometimes, on the not so happy reviews, I want to jump up and down and say, but didn't you notice X and Y about my story?  And how could you not love this or that about it?  But yes... we can be a smidge defensive of our babies .  I picked the setting for this book almost before anything else, BTW.  I wanted to write a spooky island in some way or another and finally found a cool format.