Weekend Book Club: Fallen

I first picked up this book when it was released but my To Be Read pile was staggering at the time (hmm...isn't it always?) so I didn't buy it.

Luckily, I changed all that this week and boy, am I glad I did.

Lauren Kate has woven a darkly romantic tale of fallen angels and the mortals they move amongst.

I can't say much here without giving away major plot points so all I'll say is the attraction between Luce and Daniel is fated. And watching them draw together over the course of the book is oh so delicious...

The interaction between the secondary characters makes for interesting reading too.

Roll on September 2010 when Torment, the next in the Fallen series, is released!

A keeper review

Check out this latest review for my upcoming release, OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED.

Fresh, funny, flirty and feel-good who can resist one of Nicola Marsh's delectable category romances? Written with plenty of style and brimming with sassiness and sensuality, if you like Rachel Gibson, you'll adore Nicola Marsh and her latest Harlequin Presents novel Overtime in the Boss's Bed!

A fabulous tale which you will devour in a single sitting, Overtime in the Boss's Bed is a wonderful category romance by a writer who never lets her readers down! With a fabulously fun heroine, a sexy hero and lashings of witty dialogue, sizzling sex scenes, laugh out loud lines and moving pathos, Overtime in the Boss's Bed is another keeper from the stellar pen of Nicola Marsh!

Rachel Gibson is fab so to be compared to her...fan girl moment!

Thanks PHS reviews.

If you want to read the entire review, visit here.

Check this out!

Discovering new covers for upcoming books is always a thrill, so I was pretty excited last night when google alert popped up a link for my September 2010 release, DESERTED ISLAND, DREAMY EX!

And when I checked it out...oh wow! Not just a cover but those fabulous words above my name...

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR!

Beyond cool! Made me so starry-eyed I almost forgot to check out the cover itself, which I love, by the way!

Slave to the keyboard

Worked like a maniac all day yesterday to get my soldier Harlequin Romance, Coming Home, back to my editor.

The book is now gone!

For the next fortnight, I'll be frantically revising 'Holly and Joss' for my lovely agent, whose insight is phenomenal.

Slave to the keyboard, that's me.

Weekend Book Club: Burned

Yes, I'm hooked on the 'House of Night' series, written by P.C. Cast and her daughter Kristin.

The first 6 books flew by and considering the cliffhanger at the end of book 6, I was really hanging out to read 'Burned', book 7. This week, I got that chance.

In the early books, I love how we really get to know the heroine, Zoey Redbird. Then as the books progress, we get more POVs with some of the important characters like Stevie Rae and Aphrodite.

In 'Burned', there are a LOT of POVs. Every chapter changes from one character to another and must admit, I found it a little disconcerting, especially when Zoey, the star attraction of the series, has limited page time.

And the supernatural stuff takes a leap into the unknown, bringing in a whole range of new stuff not mentioned in earlier books.
Writing a series this long is hard work and I respect the authors for carrying it through. I'm really interested in seeing where the new stuff heads in book 8, Awakened.

What are you reading this week?

French for a month

I'm still coughing up a lung.
Toddler now stricken down with nasty ear infection.

So going to keep this short and sweet.

THE BILLIONAIRE'S BABY out now in France.

'The Miracle of Love'...nice!

6 years after The Call

It has been 6 years since I first got The Call.

How can that be, when it feels like I only just sold my first book?

So what have I learned in that time?

The publishing industry is fluent and ever-changing. Learn to roll with it.

You're only as good as your last book.

Revisions are a good thing. A great thing, in fact.

You can create a great plot, you can't create a great voice. Use yours wisely. Hone it.

Reviews are the subjective viewpoint of one reader. Focus on the positive, ignore the negative.

Give back to the industry that gives you so much.

Surround yourself with positive people. Negativity/jealousy is a major energy sap.

Be grateful, very grateful, when the cover fairies wave their magic wand for you.

Social networking is fun and a productive promotional tool, but the book comes first.

Stray out of your comfort zone, explore your creativity, write something different. You never know what the result will be.

I'm sure I've learned loads more than that but that'll do for starters.

Pineapple book

All you writers out there, ever had a pineapple book?

Trish Wylie coined the phrase a few years back when she likened writing a difficult book to giving birth to a pineapple-excrutiating!

While my current Harlequin Romance isn't quite that bad, it's nudging into pineapple territory.

Because I write a clean first draft in one continuous go, leaving COMING HOME after starting it last year (for a variety of reasons) and returning to writing it now is causing problems.

The characters aren't as fun and flirty as my usual ones.
The book is too angsty.
And there's a kid.

I haven't written a kid for 15 books. And he's only serving to complicate matters...

So while I'm determined to make fruit salad out of this half-pineapple, this is one book I can't wait to reach the end of.
Revisions, here I come!

OZ cover revamp

Some of the Harlequin series have had cover revamps in Australia lately, with Sweet being one of them.
With more of a mainstream feel, I love them.

Here's my first in the new covers.

THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...hits OZ shelves in June, but can be bought right now online!

Speaking of online, OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED hit the eHarlequin Top 10 Bestsellers last week, and did the same over the weekend for ebooks. Yay!

Weekend Book Club: The Secret of Everything

If there is one book you read this year, Barbara O'Neal's THE SECRET OF EVERYTHING is it.

Devoured in a day and a half (no mean feat for a busy mum and writer!) I fell into the richness of the story-the food, the scenery, Barbara's evocative way with words and the lush characters.

And they are lush. Lush with reality and life experience and heart-ache, so poignant in parts I cried (and I rarely cry when reading.)

While Tessa is troubled, I wanted to be her, for the simple fact she got to be with Vince.
As a hero, he is magnificent.
Single dad of 3 girls, he is beyond sexy. Thanks to Barbara's amazing way with words.

Read this book.
You'll thank me.

What are you reading this week?

Lovely postman

I love it when the postman delivers fun stuff like books (the bills I could do without!)

So imagine my delight when the other day, author copies of both these books arrive at the same time!

My action-packed story TAG TEAM is in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF SPECIAL OPS ROMANCE, something I'm really looking forward to reading considering the other authors in the book.

And the same applies to DESTINATION: SUMMER WEDDINGS. I'm itching to read Lucy Gordon's and Jessica Hart's fab stories.

But first, I'm wallowing in the luxury of Barbara O'Neal's THE SECRET OF EVERYTHING. So hard when you're loving a book so much you don't want it to end, yet you have fab stuff waiting on your TBR pile!

More travels

This month, TWO WEEKS IN THE MAGNATE'S BED is out in Italy.

And A TRIP WITH THE TYCOON is out in Germany.

Don't you love the foreign covers?

Armchair travels

This month in the UK, I'm thrilled to be partnered with Liz Fielding in our Harlequin Romance duo.

Liz's story, A WEDDING AT LEOPARD TREE LODGE, is fabulous!

Part of the HR 'Escape Around the World' miniseries, Gideon and Josie meet in Botswana, while Josie is overseeing the celebrity wedding of the year.

The sparks flying between these two delightful characters kept me rapidly turning pages, and left me wanting to know more about them at the end (a sure sign of a great book!)

As for Gideon...he is truly droolworthy!

The setting, the characters and the snappy plot make this story a definite winner.

Go check out more on Liz's blog.

Critique up for auction.

Brenda Novak's auction to raise funds for kids' diabetes has started.
It runs all month so please check it out and bid!

I'm donating a critique so for all you writers targetting Harlequin Romance or Harlequin Modern Heat/Presents Extra, snaffle it!

It's a worthy cause so please give generously.

Weekend Book Club: Last Chance

While I'm on my YA kick, I've heard several fans of the genre rave about Sarah Dessen, so this week my copy of 'Last Chance' arrived and I quickly became absorbed.

Sarah's characterisation is superb. Real people to make me smile.

And when the book ended, I was left wanting more: more of their lives, more of their future, just more.

Always a sign of a good book, when the characters stay with you after you've closed the final page.

What are you reading this week?

Book 24

I now have full details of book 24 I recently sold.

WILD NIGHTS WITH THE WICKED BOSS (Harlequin Modern Heat) will be released in December this year!

Set in Alaska, Rhys and Jade do have some interesting nights together...and Rhys does look wicked in this pic...Will confirm USA release date when I get it.

And don't forget, Rhys appears in his brother Callum's story, OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED, out in June!

Another RT verdict

You heard what ROMANTIC TIMES had to say about my other June release, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID... earlier this week.

Here's what they say about OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED.

OVERTIME IN THE BOSS’S BED (4 stars) by Nicola Marsh: Dancer Starr Merriday is jobless, homeless and penniless, and willing to do anything, including work for the man with whom she shared a wild night of passion. CEO Callum Cartwright doesn’t think Starr will take him up on his job offer, but he wants to atone for past sins. Though he’s trying to focus on his company, having the sexy dancer underfoot at work plays havoc with his concentration.
The saucy heroine is well matched to the driven alpha hero. Marsh does an admirable job of challenging her characters to confront their innermost fears and find love in the process.

Love Starr being described as saucy! And to think, I had to tone her down!

Readers at Home

The READER AT HOME conference is up and running.

Come play!

I'm appearing later today.

Three Times a Bridesmaid...

Here's what ROMANTIC TIMES magazine had to say about my upcoming release (out in the UK next week!)

THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID … (4 stars) by Nicola Marsh: Successful events coordinator Eve Pemberton doesn’t have time for a personal life, and with the wedding of her last single friend fast approaching, she scrambles to find a date. She asks her old friend, ad exec Bryce Gibson, for help. Playing at love leads to the real thing, but can they find a way to overcome their issues and give each other a real chance? The plot’s a familiar one, but it works well here because the characters are nicely rounded and the hero in particular is very charming.

Weekend Book Club: Evernight

Another YA novel I just had to read so this week I picked up Evernight, the first in a series.

I love trying new authors: the various voices, pacing, style.

Claudia Gray's Evernight is a surprising book. For the absolute out of the blue plot twist smack bang in the middle of the book.

I didn't see it coming. And it changed the second half of the book totally!

If you think this is another predictable vampire boarding school story, think again.

What are you reading this week?

Two in a week

Hot on the heels of my Modern Heat release OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED in the UK this week, I have another release hitting the shelves, TAG TEAM, in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF SPECIAL OPS ROMANCE.

I really, really loved creating these two fiery characters and think they deserve their own full story...one day...

Here's a snippet of Lee and Fox.

The woman had balls.
Big, brass cojones according to rumour circulating the ADF, though the technical terms in Coralee Keaton’s Australian Defence Force file read “brave, brilliant, resourceful.”
Garcia Diaz—Fox to anyone who wanted to walk out of his office without a permanent limp—had witnessed her demonstrate those admirable qualities first hand.
Now she was back.
To muscle in on his operation.
Again.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut, pressing the pads of his thumbs into them, wishing he could obliterate the memory of this woman and what he knew about her.
It didn’t work.
Her file was embedded in his brain: Coralee Keaton, Lee if you didn’t want a Remington 870 shotgun aimed at your head, thirty-four, joined the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) after six years Army service, became part of the embedded Tactical Assault Group after 9/11.
An integral part of TAG if her results were anything to go by; this, on top of her leadership in 4 RAR (Cdo).
Was there anything the ball-breaking wonder woman couldn’t do?
A brief pounding on the door had his eyes snapping open in time to see her stride into his office, her expression a study in polite professionalism, her eyes eerily blank, as if she didn’t know him. Intimately.
“You cut your hair,” he said, throwing his pen on the stack of monotonous paperwork in front of him, peed at her intrusion yet glad for the distraction.
Coralee Keaton might be a pain in the ass to work with but her taut body, long legs and impressive D cup more than compensated for the grief.
“You cut your surveillance on the Ebola job.”
She slammed her palms on his desk, loomed over him. “It nearly botched the whole operation.”
“But it didn’t.”
Leaning back in his chair, he locked hands behind his head, thrust his chin up, his smug smile guaranteed to grate.
She reared back, her blue eyes frigid as the Yarra River on a winter’s day as she stared him down.
“You better not make the same mistake on the Ricin job.”
He’d had enough of this crap. Balling his hands into fists, he stood so fast his chair slammed into the filing cabinet behind him.
“I don’t make mistakes, Coralee.”
He deliberately used her full first name, hoping to get a rise.
It worked.
“Then what the hell am I doing here?”
“Wasting tax payers’ money?”
Stalking around the desk, he stopped a foot in front of her, invading her personal space, daring her to make an issue of it.
With a toss of her glorious shoulder length black bob, she met his taunting gaze head on.
“I’m the best there is.”
Jabbing his chest for good measure, she smirked. “And don’t you forget it.”
Like he ever could.
He’d tried to forget, dammit, tried with every rebellious cell in his body, but the memory of the last time they’d hooked up on a job was burned into his brain.

Some serious overtime

If you're in the UK, OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED is out on shelves right now!

Here's a snippet from Chapter 2 to tempt you:

“Cal?”
“Yeah?”
He heard the faintest hiss of breath, before Rhys said, “It wasn’t your fault.”
Callum disconnected in a hurry, the gut-wrenching twist of sorrow deep in his gut telling him otherwise.
It was his fault, every shocking, mind-numbing moment of that night fourteen years ago.
He could forget most days, chase away his demons by submerging himself in business until the figures blurred before his eyes but it was nights like this when it all came rushing back in an agonising avalanche of horrific memories.
Rubbing a weary hand across his eyes, he shoved the phone back in his pocket, turned, scanned the crowd for the blonde.
She’d vanished.
He wanted to pick up where they’d left off, to continue their flirtation. She’d been a firecracker, he could tell. All sass and mouth. Just the type of distraction he needed right now.
Tonight, he wanted to forget.
Everything.
He’d thrown the job offer out there as a challenge, though a small part of him hoped she’d take him up on it. He needed a fill-in PA desperately, the only temp agency he trusted had no one available for eight weeks and he was seriously floundering.
Even a beautiful dancer with a smart mouth, a movie star name and a body built for ballroom rather than clerical would be better than his current predicament.
He scanned the crowd, the entrance, finally spotting her beneath a towering indoor plant near the lobby.
He should leave, head back to his hotel, find solace in pricey single malt Scotch. Instead, he found his feet veering towards her and at that moment she glanced up, tossed her dirty-blonde hair and pinned him with a curious stare.
The impact of those large blue eyes slugged him all the way to his toes.
She glowed with vitality, from the tips of her silver painted toe nails to the top of her mussed, just-out-of-bed hair.
She wasn’t his type, far from it. But there was something about her, something about her boldness that reached to him on an instinctual level.
“Is it too much to hope you’re waiting for me?”
“Way too much.”
“I asked you to hang around for me back there.”
Shrugging, she flicked a less-than-impressed stare his way. “Guess I don’t always do as I’m told, so sue me.”
Oh yeah, she was a firecracker all right, exactly what he needed tonight: hot, feisty, a world away from wallowing in memories he’d rather forget.
“Yet you’re still here?”
She cocked her head to one side, studying him. “I was waiting to say goodbye to a friend but I think she ditched me for one of those hunky waiters.”
“What? Those fake-tanned, muscle-bound Neanderthals?”
Her glossed lips curved into a smile and he couldn’t tear his gaze away.
She had the most beautiful mouth he’d ever seen: full lips, even white teeth, a smile that could make a man forget where he was and why.
“Naked himbos not your thing?”
“Himbos?”
“Male equivalent of bimbo.”
She rolled her eyes, her tolerant expression reading ‘don’t you know anything?’ as he chuckled.
“Looks like she’s a no-show.”
She pushed off from the monstrous terracotta pot where she’d propped, partially hidden amid the lush foliage of a palm, and it hit him all over again how utterly beguiling this woman was.
It had little to do with the sexily mussed blonde hair hanging half way down her back, the wide shimmering blue eyes or the saucy smile curving her lips, more to do with the aura of vibrancy that shimmered and danced around her, intriguing for a guy like him who focussed on business all the time.
He’d never met anyone like her, only dated well-dressed, well-heeled, well-put-together socialites who played things cool.
Starr Merriday was hot, the antithesis of every woman he’d ever been with and he couldn’t walk away.

Succinct

Nobody says it better than Jenny Crusie.

I adore her books, her humour and her succinct way of putting things.

Read this.

Interesting words as always.

Weekend Book Club: Looking for Alaska

I'm on a real YA kick at the moment, reading across the range so when I heard several recommendations for this book, I had to snap it up.

The title itself intrigued me. At first, I thought it referred to the place I honeymooned and hence holds a special place in my heart, Alaska.

But no, John Green's Alaska is a teenage girl, a wild one at that.

I can sum up the story in 4 words.

Real.

Gritty.

Raw.

Powerful.

Published in 2005, it won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult literature, was a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize, and received many other accolades.

After reading it, I'm not surprised.

What are you reading this week?

Please give generously

Click HERE to donate!

It's almost that time of year, when the amazing Brenda Novak runs her charity auction to raise money for kids with diabetes.

I've participated the last few years, with one lovely writer bidding an amazing sum of money to have me critique her partial last year.

This year, I'm offering a critique of a Romance or Modern Heat first chapter. Any takers?

Once again, Brenda has a truly mind-boggling array of auction items for writers, readers and everyone interested in supporting this worthwhile charity.

So make a note in your diary and may the best bids win!

Deseo

My Navy SEAL gets another outing this month!

Are those pecs for real?

Roll over and one fell out

Changes afoot in our household last night.

Toddler moved from cot to his 'big' bed. And it is a big bed, a queen futon.

He loved it, very excited and fell asleep in a heart beat while mum? More than a little sad my 'baby' is growing up way too quick!

Despite lining both sides of the floor with cushions just in case he rolled off, I still didn't get much sleep worrying about him. And yep, 5am this morning, found him lying on the cushions.

Today, I need to go buy some of those side railings so I can get some much needed sleep!

Weekend Book Club: The Lost Symbol

I've had Dan Brown's THE LOST SYMBOL on my TBR pile for a while so decided to delve into it this week.

The good thing? I'd heard absolutely NO reviews about this book. Not that I pay much attention to reviews (except those lovely reviewers who adore my books!) as reading is so subjective, but a huge author like Dan? There are bound to be loads of opinions.

Once again, the book is entirely plot driven. We don't get much of a feel for the characters at all, which would usually bother me but with a cracking plot, it didn't.

I enjoyed it.

(Though guessing the identity of the bad guy early on in the book kinda spoiled all the fun at the end but hey, maybe that's the writer in me, spotting the clues!)

I'm in awe of how the author weaves so much fact into the story, weaving it seamlessly with fiction until you're left wondering what's real and what isn't.
Seriously, if I was living in Washington, I'd be heading to all the hot spots in the book, checking them out!
And the insight into Masonic culture is fascinating.

Can see this being another blockbuster movie too. (Whoever plays Mal'akh? Going to be one seriously spooky dude!)

What are you reading this week?

Speed freak

Regular readers to this blog know I'm a huge fan of the Alphasmart and post raves at intervals.

Warning.
Here comes another.

School holidays the last 2 weeks, super busy, could seriously affect word count, yeah?

Not with super portable Alphie!

I've been writing in snatched 15 minute bursts here and there, with kids usually playing at my feet or asking me to be DNAlien to their Ben 10 or building towering block constructions.

The result? The word count is flying.
Only having that tiny screen where you can't read or edit, and that clunky keyboard, somehow makes my fingers fly. 14000 words the last week. 16 pages daily the last 2 days, all on Alphasmart.

If you're a writer and you want to up your speed, invest in one.
You won't regret it.

For those who can't wait...

For those who can't wait until my double release hits the shelves May in the UK and June in North America, both my upcoming releases are available NOW!

For Harlequin Romance, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID, here.

For Harlequin Modern Heat, OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED, here.

I'm waiting rather impatiently myself for my UK copies to arrive because I can't wait to gobble up Liz Fielding's latest. I adore Liz's books so to be paired with her is beyond exciting!

Boo boo?

Okay, so here's the thing.

I'm a tad overworked at the moment, juggling several projects at once, school holidays, hubby's business stuff so I totally missed this.

In yesterday's post, I was super excited about my new cover for my May release OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED. The fact it was different from my USA cover didn't matter, as sometimes covers change. Didn't even register that this hasn't happened for a while...

So this morning the lovely Mira Lyn Kelly, my shelf buddy in May with her first book, points out our covers have been swapped.

I took a look. Duh! They sure have.

I do have part of my book set in the Whitsundays when the boss and his PA take a little 'business' trip so the beach scene on the UK cover of mine seemed to fit. I'm hoping my cover fits into Mira's story too.

Lucky I love both covers!

Hot stuff

UK copies of OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED haven't arrived yet so imagine my delight when I stumbled across the UK cover last night (Google Alerts is a wonderful thing!)

How hot is this?

Definitely my hottest Mod Heat cover yet.

I love it.

The cover fairies have waved their magic wands again!

While Callum's story is soon to hit shelves, I've heard back on his brother Rhys' story. My editor absolutely loved the revisions, going as far as to say it's one of my strongest Mod Heats yet. Emotional depth, sexual chemistry, strength, all there (why is it the books we find the toughest to write as authors and don't like as much as others always seem to grab attention?)

Just a few tiny tweaks and I should have a release date for you.

Stay tuned!

Working through the process

This man has left the building for a second time (and as much as I love my rebel ranger Rhys, I hope I don't see him back until GETTING WILD WITH THE BOSS is in print!)

Yep, finished revisions late last night, always satisfying.
During the last fortnight I added over 5000 words in new scenes: tightening conflict, layering more emotion, getting inside Rhys and Jade's heads more.

I love how editors can pick up on key points from a scene, make a suggestion or two to get a writer's imagination ticking over and off we go.

This happened with my glacier.

It became a pivotal part of the book after just being a scene before. Good one.

Writers revise in many different way, using different processes.

How do you revise?

Rich writing

I've been so caught up with life and writing and business stuff, all while trying to get over throat infection, that last week passed in a bit of a blur.

So I know some Aussie mates finalled in the RITAs but I hadn't seen the whole list. Yesterday I took a squiz and was absolutely delighted to see one of my all time favourite authors there, Barbara O'Neal, with this book.If you haven't read any of Barbara's books, do yourself a favour (her original women's fiction novels are written under Barbara Samuel.)

Her favourite of mine is No Place Like Home but this book would be a close second. Read it. Indulge. Wallow in the richness of her characters, which are truly awe-inspiring for another writer.

I was lucky enough to meet Barbara when she come to Melbourne several years ago and she's a gorgeous lady too. Told me to take time out to care for the 'girls in the basement' (my muse) and what she said and the way she said it really resonated.

As for her current release, The Secret of Everything? Ordered a few weeks back, waiting anxiously for it to arrive. That one will definitely feature in my Weekend Book Club!

Weekend Book Club

This week, I read my first Jeffery Deaver novel, THE BROKEN WINDOW.

I love a good suspense/thriller novel and this one had me riveted.

Many of you have probably seen THE BONE COLLECTOR, with Denzil Washington and Angelina Jolie? Well, this book features Lincoln Rhyme again, the quadraplegic criminalist who's an absolute whiz at solving crimes.

Loved the characterisation, the plot and the suspense in this book, though my eyes glazed over at the computer/data/technical side of things at times (but that's more to do with me and my complete 'denseness' when it comes to PCs!)

Will definitely be reading more of his books.

So what are you reading this week?

THE WRITE WHISPER: Playlists

Many authors write to music.

I'm not one of them.

After a day filled with noisy-traffic during busy school runs, exuberant toddler, chatty hubby-my sanctuary at night is my office, where I sit in blissful silence and start writing.

Not that I haven't tried.

I've played around with 'hot' music for sex scenes, Bollywood music while writing my RT award nominee set in India and general chill out stuff.

Don't like it.

The music ends up being an annoyance and a distraction from my characters.

Maybe it's because I'm an auditory writer (hear my characters' dialogue) and music interferes with that.

Though something I would like to try is making a playlist for a particular novel.

ie. gathering various songs together to set the ambiance for that particular novel and maybe playing it before I start writing. To get me in the mood, so to speak!

So all you writers out there...do you use playlists?

Popular artists for specific genres?

Song recommendations for subgenres?

Readers at Home conference

What do tons of authors, tons of prizes, tons of hotties and tons of readers have in common?

They’re attending the first ever Readers at Home Conference!

During the week of April 26-30, authors and readers will converge on Lucy Monroe’s blog to celebrate their favorite genre – romance!

We are giving away Swag Bags to the first 50 readers who register for the conference. To register, all you have to do is send an email to Lucy Monroe with your name and mailing address (for the Swag Bag) stating your intention to attend the RAH Conference.

The Swag Bags are for conference attendees only and we are trusting that you truly intend to attend the conference and interact with the authors and other readers on the blog. Lucy is shipping the Swag Bags at her own expense, but many authors have donated loot for you all, and each Swag Bag will have a free book inside.

Yes, that's right - the conference is FREE. How cool is that?

Every day there will be multiple authors visiting and guest blogging, with new posts going live every 3 hours between 6 AM and 6 PM. Lucy will post a hottie who is definitely hunky enough to be a cover model and there will be daily drawings for multiple prizes (more than 50 over the week!!!), including dozens of signed books, a B&N gift card, a t-shirt, 3 prize tote bags filled with books and goodies (from Sue G at BTRB and Becke Davis), free online subscriptions to Affaire de Couer magazine and 2 more Swag Bags given away each day. What could be better?
Hope to see YOU there!

(I'm blogging on the 28th, going to be fun!)

Weekend Book Club

I'm an avid reader.

And I know for a fact many of you are too.

So how about we start our very own Weekend Book Club?

Chat about what you're reading this week, any recommendations, whatever! Let's just have fun.

For me this week, it's one of my favourite authors, Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

'What I Did for Love' is another stellar book, filled with snappy dialogue, richly drawn characters and a plot that keeps you turning pages.

The highlight for me was Bram, the hero, who totally played up his cad image with a guaranteed heart of gold beneath. He made the book for me, and had me smiling throughout.

So over to you. What are you reading this week?

A day for odd bods

Yesterday, I ended up spending lots of time in my car, driving from one appointment to another, school runs, errands, etc...

In the past, bumper stickers have sparked ideas in my buzzing head and yesterday, several oddities made me wonder...

1) White car parked at traffic lights. Hot guy takes off his shirt. Extremely buff. Checks himself out in rear vision mirror. Then puts the exact same shirt back on.

2) Lady in car in front of me, down a major 3 lane road in bumper to bumper peak hour traffic, plucking her eyebrows. Car weaving all over the place. And continued to pluck for a good few kilometres.

3) Guy in yellow anorak (in 30 degrees plus) walking a large dog, with a lead attached to large dog's collar, attached to a small dog leading the way. Like a procession. Little, medium, biggest.

First one made me smile, second made me shake my head, third made me want to muck up the order.

The oddities of human nature that tickle a writer's imagination...

(Almost forgot, if you have a moment, pop into IHeartPresents today where I'm blogging about what makes a great heroine.)

When opportunity knocks

When revisions on GETTING WILD WITH THE BOSS arrived late last week, I dived straight in.

Currently, I sit at around 60 pages with the meaty stuff (new scenes to write and a stronger conflict to layer) coming up.

Once that book is done, I'll probably only have 5 weeks until my next Romance is due. That book currently stands at 20000 words.

Could've all been done at a pinch.

Now we get to the interesting part.

Saturday morning, I received an email from editor inviting me to be part of an exciting project. And it is exciting. Hugely exciting!

Opportunity knocked and I was more than ready to open the door...

Can't wait to tell you all the news but for now, I need a Modern Heat heroine in a hurry (for a synopsis due ASAP.)

Suggestions please?

A happy award

Thanks to the lovely Kerrin for awarding my blog the Happy Cupcake Award as a blog that makes her happy.

Apparently, I have to list 10 things that make me happy so here goes:

1. My kids.
They bring joy to my life daily. Incredible, gorgeous, affectionate...I could go on forever.

2. My hubby.
He makes me laugh like no one else.

3. Writing.
Can't imagine my life without it. Took me a while to get here but now not a day goes past I'm not thinking or writing about my characters.

4. Reading.
My love of books started young and hasn't abated. I'm a voracious reader and could happily sit all day curled up with a book.

5. Eating.
I love food. I love sharing brunches with my boys. I love dinner parties. I love cooking.

6. Friends.
Love long chats with my friends. They make me smile.

7. North Melbourne Football Club
But only when they're winning!

8. Michael Buble.
I could listen to him singing all day. Hilarious to hear toddler singing lyrics to his latest songs. Indoctrination.

9. Hearing from satisfied readers.
Lovely to receive mail/emails from readers who've taken the time to let me know they enjoy my books. It's always a thrill!

10. Pool.
Splashing around as a family over summer has been lovely. We all have a ball.

I'm supposed to choose 10 other bloggers but how about I leave it up to you?
Go on, share with us what makes you happy.

The postman knocks twice

I was out Monday when the delivery service came knocking, so came home to a note saying I'd missed them.

I know the service means US copies of my books so was annoyed. I still love grabbing the box off the delivery guy, rushing inside and ripping it open to cradle my latest book in my hands. The excitement never dulls!

Yesterday, I wasn't taking any chances. I signed the note and left it for them so when I got home...yay! Author copies of this book.Rather timely, as I'm going to re-read and see if I can get more of a handle on Rhys...before the revisions come in.
And they will.
I have no doubt.

Somewhere along the way he lost his sparkle...am hoping to recapture it before the book hits your hands!!!

Destination: Summer Weddings!

Here's the cover for the reprint of A TRIP WITH THE TYCOON in a story anthology with the fabulous Lucy Gordon and Jesssica Hart out in June.

Gorgeous, huh?

The bedroom

You all remember how much you loved Rhys' house?

Well, I just realised I never got around to showing you the bedroom.

Technically, I made this Jade's bedroom in the book.

What do you think?

Fan girl moments

Occasionally on Twitter, I have giggly fan girl moments when my Tweet appears above or below Nathan Fillion or Harlan Coben or Hugh Jackman.

(I know, small things amuse me!)

Now I'm having another fan girl moment.


The moment I knew my upcoming Romance THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID... was appearing in the same volume as Liz Fielding's latest, A WEDDING AT LEOPARD TREE LODGE, I shot off an email to Liz in great excitement!

I love Liz's books and to be paired with her...yep, having another distinct fan girl moment!!!

THE WRITE WHISPER: When characters shout

Writers know the feeling.

When some characters shout out to you more than others.

Those characters that strut onto our pages and refuse to be ignored. They grab hold of a story and give it a decent shake.

They make the pages fly, both as a writer and a reader.

If a secondary character, they can even take over the story and overshadow your protagonists.

Over the last few weeks, I've had an interesting experience so that I'd share with you.

I've been writing 2 books at once, something I never do.

I much prefer to concentrate on one book at a time, bury myself in the 'feel' of that book and the characters.

But I have a story that won't be denied, something really outside the box for me, something I have that constant 'excited churning in the belly' feeling for...

This story is giving me a buzz so I've been 'playing' with this story over the weekends while concentrating on my deadline Mod Heat during the weeks.

The words have been flowing in both but after sending off my 'outside the box' story mid-week and diving back into my Mod Heat, something happened.

The gloss of my MH characters wore off.

Annoying, because I was already struggling with this book from the start, in so much as the hero, Rhys Cartwright, featured so heavily in my next Presents release, OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED, that my editor asked me to tone him down completely and remove him from several scenes. He was overshadowing the hero and far too sexy!

So of course he demanded his own story but when this guy got it...he's nothing like how I remember!

Sadly, this hasn't changed all book.

I know I'm in for loads of editing/polishing with this one.

Why is it some characters shout louder to us than others?

Is it the plot? The conflict? The characters themselves?

I think it all comes back to that old adage, 'write the book of your heart'.

If something is calling to you, write it.

No matter how many books you've written in a particular genre, no matter how many books you've published or unpublished, those characters 'shouting' at you are doing so for a reason.

Let them run free.

Flex your creative muscle.

You'll be fresher for it.

And who knows, that book may just be 'the one'.

In her shoes...

As promised, here's the US cover for THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...

So wonderfully romantic!

Though the hero looks nothing like that semi-naked pic of Daniel MacPherson I've posted here many times, the guy who inspired my hero Bryce Gibson.

But hey, I'm happy. And any time we need to check out the inspiration behind Bryce, we can always trawl the archives...

In the meantime, I don't think any of you want to be in my shoes today.
I'm off to the vascular surgeon, in the hope something can be done.
Wish me luck!

Seduction in the City

As promised, here's my cover for OVERTIME IN THE BOSS'S BED.

Love the 'Seduction in the City' tag!

I also have UK & USA covers for my other May release, THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID...

It's gorgeous! Really romantic!

Once I crop it I'll post here.

Thank you, cover fairies, for being so nice to me yet again :)

Resuming normal transmission

Phew!

I don't know about all of you but I'm exhausted after the fortnight of hotties. Well, maybe my eyes are exhausted...all that eye candy, a girl doesn't know where to look first!

A huge thanks to all the lovely authors who came to play here and shared their favourite hot heroes with us. For the writers among us, lots of food for thought and future heroes to come.

While we've all been drooling, here's my fortnight in recap:

MARRIAGE: FOR BUSINESS OR PLEASURE? hits the USA TODAY bestseller list and makes me a USA TODAY bestselling author (yep, I'm going to keep screaming this for a long time!)

It also hit the Bookscan bestseller list, debuting at 67, hitting 62 last week.

I wrote a grand total of 17500 words on current Mod Heat due next week & 40 pages on something else I'm working on

Had an emergency dash to clinic for ultrasound for a deep vein thrombosis, followed by another dash to doc the next day to clear another nasty.

Toddler's head connected with pavement, now sporting massive egg.

Lovely Valentine's Day BBQ with old uni friends down near the beach, with 9 kids running riot.

There, now we're all caught up on the news, time to announce the winner of Kelly's fabulous books...

Peggy, congrats! Please email me your details.