BookCover Trends... AND unique characters I love!

Two things from me today, because I couldn't decide between them! I'm curious about both, I guess.

So first...
I've noticed that a lot of my covers, for new and reissued books, are dark.





I'm wondering, is this a trend, do you think?
Do you like dark covers? (I like all of those above, but feel free to share your opinion!)
Do they evoke a mood for you?
Have you noticed any other trends in covers, past or present?

When "Hard to Handle" was first released, I noticed a lot of purplish covers. I felt like that was the "color of choice" during that cycle.
Now it seems that dark is in!
(I LOVE My My Man Michael cover!)

Not all of my upcoming covers are dark.
Here are 2 very bright (and sexy) reissue covers.



But out of 12 releases in 09, these are the only ones (that I've seen so far) that aren't dark.

What do you think?
Do you like the darker covers, or the really bright ones?


And now I have to venture off to my OTHER topic - something I've been dying to discuss.

Omar.

Omar is one of my new favorite characters ever, just because he's so unique and unexpected.

He's part of the HBO series, THE WIRE.

Please note: I'm watching the series with DVDs and I'm only up to the 3rd season, so don't spoil anything for me!

This show keeps me glued to my seat.
Tons of action and plenty of depth. But the main characters (not the actors, but the roles they play) are hideous.
EVERYONE is crooked, mean, vile and crude.

The cops are all drunks, cheats, and suffering from a sad lack of legal ethics.
The Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner for Administration, and the mayor are all just plain foul in how they use others.
The Deputy Commissioner for Operations - Rauls - is so bad that I'm still hoping a bus runs over him or something. THAT will be a good show!

The criminals (mostly drug dealers/murderers/gangsters) are really not a lot worse than the cops and politicians! Sure, they do a lot of drugs - but the cops are always driving drunk.
Sure the drug dealers treat women terribly - but the cops are always cheating on their wives without remorse.

During a show, a dealer stole the drug money stash from the main guy, and his "soldiers" beat this guy half to death.
One cop says to another, "We f-- up, and we get a pension. They f-- up, and they're beat to a pulp. It's no wonder we're losing this war."

Oh yeah, for the drug dealers, the repercussions for unacceptable behavoir is MUCH worse.

The show is sort of a fascinating blend of lawful evil vs unlawful evil, if you ask me.
Big ego pitted against big ego. You keep wondering which person is cunning enough to get ahead - cop or drug lord.

And yet I'm riveted.

Mostly because of Omar.

"Indeed." That's something Omar says a lot. Cracks me up every time!

"Did you shoot that man?"
"Indeed."

So who is Omar?

He's a scarred black man who was raised among the worst conditions, with shoot outs and muggins common-place. Omar makes his living by robbing the drug dealers. In Omar's own words, "I ain't never shot a citizen." (Meaning someone NOT of the drug trade in the streets.)

And Omar is gay.
He's a badass, duck-and-run-if-you-see-him-coming, rifle toting, brazen, brave to the level of foolhardy, extremely cunning, openly gay street thug.

In a world (his world) of narrow-minded prejudice against anyone not like them, Omar flaunts - in the manliest way imaginable - his gay preferences.
Go Omar!

I LOVE how the other street thugs, who often talk in the crudest terms about women, (you can imagine, right?) defer to Omar and sort of overlook his sexuality without murmuring a word or daring a funny look.

I LOVE how, even when the rival drug lord has every street soldier available looking to kill Omar in the most gruesome way, (to set an example, you see) Omar just walks down the street, whistling, looking for the guy who is looking for him.
And everyone screams, "ACK! It's Omar!"
...and they run like crazy with their big ole guns tucked in their pockets and their eyes real wide...

How fun is that?

Omar is the coolest. (Especially since he "ain't killin' no citizens.")

I'm not a big TV fan. I almost always prefer movies. But the really unique characters will get me every time.

Deadwood was loaded with fabulous, unique characters. I still miss that show!

Firefly was the same. (Why is all the best shows go away!?)

And I can't forget Dexter. Who doesn't love a serial killer who only kills serial killers, and works for the Miami Metro Police Department as a blood spatter analyst?

So what gets you in a show/movie/book? Do you like really super-unique characters of any kind (like me) or do you have a favorite, a preference on traits?
And what are your fave shows/movies with the stand-out character?

BTW, I'm talking shows right now instead of books because I'm down to the last scene on my current book. When I'm writing, reading doesn't relax me, because it doesn't help me to turn off the plotter.

But TV or movies... I leave the book behind while I'm watching and it gives me a chance to recharge so I can tackle the next scene fresh.

Have a fabulous, wonderful weekend everyone!
Stay warm, safe, and keep smiling!

LORI
aka
L.L. FOSTER

ELIZABETH VENTS

I know I should be calm, mature, understanding, unflappable — it’s just a small thing, really. Nothing to get unset about.

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

* ahem *

* clears throat *

* repeats mantra of calm, mature, understanding, unflappable *

* repeats again *

And I won’t—WILL NOT—get frustrated when my helpful Word software insists on making bold face and bullet points out of the above, and I have to redo each one of the suckers. Each time.

It’s a small thing, right?

Like the blog I wrote yesterday celebrating the pub date of a “new” book—actually a mystery that has been out of print for a decade. I was feeling quite pleased with myself.

Not only are the first four books in the Fiddler and Fiora mystery series being reprinted in the next twelve months, I wrote a blog about the first one and finished it a day ahead of time!

Ah, bliss. Another blog deadline behind me.

Except I just found out that the pub date for JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE has been delayed for three weeks.

And I have no blog.

AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Like I said, a small thing.

Mosquitoes are small, too, but they irritate the hell out of me.

What irritates you?

Book taboos... what are yours!?

I have a new book out - Jan 27th release date - and I'm not sure how it'll be received.
Some readers are already letting me know that it is very TABOO to change paths in a series.

Now, I didn't change much, I promise!
I have my SBC series...



...that each features a fighter.

Again, let me stress that the books are NOT about fighting, but rather about a fighter in a romantic relationship, how he balances the grueling workouts, the dieting, the travel and promotion schedule - with love.

So anyhoo... the first three were straight contemporary. No problem, right?
But my 4th book, MY MAN MICHAEL, which features Michael "Mallet" Manchester, takes a wee trip.

See, the book opens with Michael in a hospital. He's been in a wreck, his legs are badly damaged, and it's going to be a struggle for him to walk. Never will he be able to fight again.
Tragic huh?

Unless I get to play! And I like to play.
Or rather, my muse likes to play.
I honestly just trust my muse and go wherever it takes me.

This time it took me to 2220.

BOOK OPENING...

Morning brought the sounds of muted footsteps, soft chatter, and the rattling of trays and machines. Life disturbed the quiet that had settled over the hospital during the long night. Unshaven, sullen, bordering on depressed - though he’d never admit it - Mallet shifted, and winced in pain.

All that had happened still seemed surreal – except for that awful pain. It was real. Very real. Dawning sunlight flickered through the frozen layer of lacy frost that climbed the bottom of the window, blocking a dull view of the parking lot. Mallet stared at it, brooding, wishing for a change.

For uplifting news.

It was futile, and he knew it – but he wouldn’t accept it. He couldn’t.

Tomorrow they would release him from the hospital – and a few days later, he’d be expected to start therapy to learn to walk with only one good leg.

Closing his bloodshot eyes and swallowing around the pain left in his throat from the resuscitation tube, he considered his destroyed future. How could everything change so drastically in such a short time?

In the last four years, he’d made a strong name for himself in the SBC. At twenty-six, he was considered a major contender in two weight classes, and one of the most feared competitors in the sport. In another month, he would have fought – and won – the title belt.

His hands fisted. His jaw flexed and tightened.

Thinking of the wreck brought an invisible weight to his chest, crushing his lungs.

Crushing his legs.

Through closed eyelids, he saw it all, felt it and smelled it and relived it again and again. Flashing lights, metal grinding against metal, the acrid stench of burnt rubber as tires squealed and brakes ground without success; the lash of the seatbelt cutting across his body, trying in vane to pin him in place.

The impact of the wreck sent his brand spanking-new, shiny black sport’s car turning and tumbling like a snowball going downhill. Each flip had compressed it more, disfigured it, destroyed it.

Only when it slammed into a concrete wall did it finally stop.
With Mallet trapped inside.

Oh man! POOR Mallet.
Heartbreaking, huh? Well, at least I thought so.

BUT THEN...

“I’ve never seen anyone sulk so much.”

Startled, because he’d thought himself alone, Mallet looked toward that deep, melodic voice and found a slight woman sitting in front of the frost covered window. Or more like... she perched, butt and feet both on the window shelf, bare arms crossed over her knees.

At either side of her, colorful flower arrangements, sent by fighters’ wives, made a bizarre frame.

How had she gotten in without him noticing?

Palest blonde hair in a deep side part hung straight and baby-fine to her shoulders. Large, heavily lashed hazel eyes studied him.

Bemused, Mallet looked her over from her odd positioning against the window to her long, lithe limbs, to a mouth that defied description.

Only in a fantasy, his fantasies, had he seen a mouth like that.

“How’d you get in here?”

I'm not giving anything away to tell you that she came to fetch Mallet, to take him to 2220 where he'll be whole in body, and very much needed - to train the fighters. Female fighters.
And Mallet being a big old macho guy and all, well yeah, he wants to protect women, not teach them to protect themselves.

But it's important to Kayli, so he tries to adjust - because she's quickly become important to him. Let me tell you, each of them has one wing-ding of a time adjusting!

I don't think I've ever had so much fun with a book!

Researching the future was a blast.
Writing women who can kick ass because that's what they're expected to do was a blast. I personally love this book.

To me, it reads with the same voice I inject into all my books. It's still a story of a sexy romance, still about family and community, still about Alpha guys and strong women, but... yeah, with a few twists.

So here are my questions:

The fact that I left contemporary for somewhat futuristic... does that irk you?

Will it keep you from reading? (You can tell me! Promise!)

Do you consider changing "paths" in the middle of a series, even a loose series like this one, to be a no-no?

What are some of YOUR taboos?

I had readers who were "WTF" about it. (You should know what that stands for, but if not, let me know.) There was a whole blog thing about it, with several readers sounding plenty irate.

Now understand, readers are important to me! They don't direct my muse, which does it own thing, thank-you-very-much. But I do care about their feelings. I wanted to reassure folks at the "WTF" board, AND let them know that it's okay to complain, at least it's okay with me.

Readers get very invested in stories and they care. If they didn't, a lot of authors would be out of business. But I really, REALLY hoped to reassure them that what they usually liked about my books was still there.

Some readers wrote to me to say, "What's wrong with two humans having sex?"
--- I wrote back that they were definitely BOTH human! LOL

Another angry reader emailed that she wouldn't read about robots "getting it on."
--- Um, yeah, no robots boffing, I promise.

And yet another reader was really, REALLY peeved that I went paranormal with this book.
--- Is time travel paranormal? Not sure. I just apologized for letting her down.

Do you consider TT paranormal? Or just... TT? I always thought the two were very different, distinct sub genres.

That's it about that topic. I don't want to anghst over it when the results will be in soon enough. :::Gulp:::

I have a very love/hate relationship with new releases. LOL. I LOVE having a book finally hit the shelf, but hate the pressure of it doing well.

Lastly, just for fun, I want to share some cool promo stuff.

BILLBOARDS:



The guy standing up there is hanging the billboard vinyl. My husband took the pictures, and I chose this one to give a perspective on how big the thing is.

MAGAZINE STUFF:



That gold emblem says, "MMA Book of the Year," awarded by TapOut magazine.
LOVE TapOut magazine - obviously.
They also mentioned me on the cover, which was cool, and did an "exclusive" interview inside the magazine.

The book will also be in OK and Star magazines.
What kind of promo do you notice about books? What grabs your attention?

Yeah, I'll shut up now! And here I thought this would be a super-short blog. LOL
HUGS to all of you!

Hunches? Oh, Yeah! I believe!

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about writing paranormal and reading it, and how an author makes something so totally impossible sound believable. I realized then that, to me, nothing really is impossible. It’s not that I believe in all the woo-woo stuff or think that demons walk the earth or people can shift into animals, but who’s to say it “couldn’t” happen?

Okay, I accept the fact that there’s a line between the real world and the fantasy worlds we create, but I know there’s also a little part of my brain that says, “What if?” Maybe it’s the fact my father died thirty-five years ago this week that‘s got me thinking along those lines, but Dad, while a very pragmatic sort, also used to tell me, “Don’t ever say you don’t believe something you don’t understand.”

Be open to things, try to understand things, but if they’re beyond your ability to understand them, don’t just write them off. Ya never know. So, Dad, just so you know I really was paying attention, here’s a “for instance” that may or may not segue into what I’m talking about (and for those of you who haven’t met me in person, I should explain that my verbal conversations tend to be even more twisted and convoluted than my written ones, so if I’ve lost you, be thankful we’re not standing toe to toe and talking about this!)

Anyway, thinking about Dad got me to thinking about hunches. All of us have them, some stronger than others, but what exactly IS a hunch, and how does it happen that we sometimes feel or think things we shouldn’t have an inkling about? Things that then come true—maybe in ways we never expected. I’ve got two examples that come to mind...

Almost thirty-eight years ago I was a college senior and had just told my husband I was leaving him. It was one of those “never shoulda done it” marriages and I realized I’d made a huge mistake, so I told him it was over and we actually parted quite civilly. When there’s no love lost on either side...well, I digress. Shortly after I filed for divorce, I was at my job in a sporting goods/bicycle store when a young man walked in. Shall we say, when I write about love at first sight, I do it from experience? I waited on this tall, lean, sexy cowboy with shoulder-length hair (this was, after all, 1971) and had such an overwhelming sense of precognition that I remember grabbing the counter for balance. After he left, I turned to my coworker and said, very bluntly, “I’m going to marry him.” There was no doubt in my mind.

Her reply? “What about the one you’re married to now?” I laughed and told her I was working on that. Months later, the week after my divorce was final, that tall cowboy and I were married. We still are, and as I very readily admit, I would still pick him out of a crowd and take him home. A good hunch or just lust at first sight? Hard to say, but something, somehow, told me he was mine.

Example #2...our teen-aged son worked after school in a bicycle shop. (yes, there is a bicycle theme here, isn’t there?) The business was sold, a new owner took over and kept Jon on as an employee. Overprotective mom that I am, I went to the store to check out Jon’s new boss. I had a camera in my purse for whatever reason, but I remember walking into the bike shop and thinking the new owner was one of the handsomest young men I’d ever seen in my life. Tall, slim, dark hair, dark eyes and very Italian, with a quick smile and ready sense of humor. He was pleasant and very understanding when I grilled him (one of those times when my newspaper reporter background came in handy) and he answered every question I asked. For some reason, I took his picture, and when the film was developed, I wrote a note on the back of it, the first thought I’d had when I saw him: He will have an effect on our family. The picture is in an old photo album, and the note’s still there.

A couple of years later he took a trip to Italy in search of his roots. I gave him our daughter’s address, since she lived north of Venice and had a two-bedroom apartment. I figured that if he needed a place to crash, she wouldn’t mind a friend of the family. They’d never met before since she’d been in Europe in the Air Force for almost six years, but he went, they met, he stayed much longer than planned. They’ve now been married almost ten years with three lovely children. Hunches? You bet—strong enough to rock my world, and both of them were true.

I’ve got a family photo, taken at Christmas, if you’re curious about the crew —
http://www.katedouglas.com/id50.htm — and no, there really is no logical explanation for a hunch, not one that comes out of the blue, but I know they happen. Mine don’t occur all that often, but they’re so strong and so noticeable that I’ve learned not to ignore them—and they’ve most certainly affected my life!

What about you? Any hunches you’ve had that rocked your world and then came true? I’d love to hear!

Organized? Only in my dreams.

I'm a reasonably neat woman. Not as neat as my late sister-in-law Linda, maybe, but pfffffft, few people are. Linda was on dialysis for 16 years and one of my last memories of her was near the end when she was so played-out she could barely stand upright, yet still she insisted on sweeping the deck of the family beach cabin. So, I consider myself merely reasonably tidy. Still, neat's neat. What I am not is organized.

I used to be. Once upon a time, I was uber organized--and quite smug about it, too. My writer friends would talk about what their offices looked like by the end of a book and I'd secretly think, "Hey, how hard can it be to put things away as they crop up?"

I'm here to tell you, my sistahs, it just doesn't pay to brag or think you're better at something than someone else. Because sure as shootin' that Famous Last Words fairy or the Smug Police or whoever will come along and kick your teeth down your throat for it. I don't know what the heck happened to me or why things suddenly changed. But in the wake of completing a book nowadays it takes me three days and a shovel just to find the top of my desk. The bookshelves in my office, which used to be artfully arranged (well, kinda), now have stacks of to-be shelved books--and it's not as if I alphabetize the things or anything, so I have no idea why it's so difficult to get off the dime and shove em into a slot instead of tossing them on the nearest stack. My kitchen counter gets piled up with stuff the soul mate and I intend to take care of but never quite get around to. Oh, every couple of weeks or so we clear things off. But I swear the minute we do, it's immediately replaced with new crap.

How do you deal with the constant bombardment of stuff? Do you immediately file it, shelve it or dispense with it? Do you tidily arranged your cupboards and shelves? Please don't tell me you alphabetize your spices. That would be too depressing. But if you have tips on taking care of things as they land on your desk/doorstop/whatever, I'm all ears!

JAYNE BRINGS YOU CATHIE LINZ

Jayne, here, to introduce CATHIE LINZ. She is not only a good friend of mine, she is the absolute mistress of romantic comedy. Her stories are filled with clever charactes, sparkling romance and the importance of family. Her new book, SMART GIRLS THINK TWICE, is in stores now. Don't miss it!



---------------------------------------------------



Thank you, Jayne, for inviting me here to Running with Quills to talk about my new book SMART GIRLS THINK TWICE, in stores now. Good news - I just got two wonderful reviews. Library Journal says, “With her typical sense of humor, Linz has given readers another joyful, laughter-filled story to savor.” And Booklist gave my book a highly coveted starred review, saying, “Readers will be captivated as they watch the introverted academic get in touch with her inner warrior and realize her true potential. Funny and poignant by turns, Linz’s latest is sure to charm.”


I wrote SMART GIRLS THINK TWICE because I love stories with Plain-Jane heroines and wild bad boy heroes. Talk about opposites attracting! Emma Riley is an academic content to study life from the sidelines. Jake Slayter is a total risk-taker, always on the move. Both have come to Rock Creek with questions. The answers they find there will change their lives forever. Because when it comes to dangerously sexy men, smart girls think twice.



In my previous 3 books I included a secondary story, But this book was different. There was so much going on with Emma and Jake that their stories were enough to fill the pages…and then some.



I write a character driven book. I’ve often said that if I could teach my characters to type, I’d be in great shape. This book in particular had large sections where I had no idea what was going to come next but thankfully my characters did and I just kept typing to keep up with them and their dialogue.



Emma and Jake and the other characters often cracked me up and sometimes even made me cry. This is one of the joys of being a writer. At least for me it’s one of the joys. Things happen that I don’t expect. It’s what keeps things fresh for me even after writing 50 books.



There were at least half a dozen twists I didn’t expect in this book, but if I tell you all of them, then I’ll be giving too much away. Here’s an example of one thing I didn’t expect to happen in the book. This is from chapter 1 where my sociologist heroine Emma has walked into a bar looking for Jake, the new hot bartender in town. She’s trying to convince him to help her in her academic study when she’s approached by the town drunk



“Forget about him. Try me instead,” a man drunkenly slurred in her ear as he grabbed her derriere and squeezed hard. “Or better yet, I’ll try you.”



Her gasp of outrage was instantly followed by a sinister glare from Jake. “Back off, Roy,” he growled.



“Or what pretty boy?” Roy taunted. “What ya gonna do about it? You think you can claim every woman in this town, even the ugly ones?”



Emma saw red. For once in her life, she didn’t think, she just acted. A moment later, Roy ended up on the floor, his hands protectively cupping his family jewels.



“No one touches me without my permission and no one calls me ugly.” She sent a warning glance to the remaining handful of patrons in the bar. “You got that?”



They all nodded.Emma could tell Jake was impressed. That certainly hadn’t been her intention. He now eyed her with newfound respect along with a dose of masculine curiosity.



“Who are you?”



-----------------------------------------
Another example, this time from chapter 5 --



Jake knew the drill by now. He wasn’t the man he’d been before. He was scarred…inside and out. The nightmares were proof of that. There was no escaping them, no matter how fast he ran, one mile, then two…



Woof.



Jake slowed down at the nearby sound of a dog barking.



Woof.



Jake stared into the darkness, trying to figure out where the noise came from.



Woof.



The bark was louder this time and sounded like it was coming from behind him. He turned in time to see a row of sharp glistening teeth coming right at him.



He backpedaled and fell on his ass in the grass along the road. A half-second later the dog was on him, licking his face and drooling all over him.



“Yuck.” Jake turned his head to avoid the doggy spit. “Get off me.”



Woof.



“Whoa.” Almost overcome by the bad doggy breath, Jake waved his hand in front of his face. “You need some mouthwash, mutt. Get off.” He shoved but the mutt ignored him. So he tried something else. “Sit.”The mutt sat. Right on Jake’s privates.



---------------------------------------------------------------


As the author, you’d think I’d know from the beginning of the book that the hero, Jake, would have a dog come into his life. But no. I was as surprised as Jake when Mutt showed up. But Mutt did end up revealing a lot about Jake’s character because that’s what animals do. They have a way of getting to you.



I had both cats and dogs when I was growing up. What about the rest of you? Do you have any pets? Here’s a photo of my cat Whiskers who was on the cover of Romantic Times Magazine (he’s such a cover model )
All the best,

Cathie Linz


PS: Please stop by my website to enter my contest cathielinz.com to win a copy of my previous book BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY which was selected by Booklist (American Library Association) as one of the Top Ten Romances of the Year.


Also, I'll be doing a chat at writerspace.com this Wed Jan 21st at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT

Getting TANGLED UP with Heidi Betts

Hello! Thank you so much to Lori & all of her fellow Runners for inviting me to blog today.

I’ve always said that if I ever got the chance to chat here, I would clutch tight to my quill and run as fast as my little feet can carry me. Well, I’m still willing to do that, but---with permission from the Ladies, of course---since my whole life seems to revolve around knitting these days, I may have to temporarily trade in my quill for a set of nice, metallic, size eight needles. (They’re just as sharp, so there’s still a chance for hilarity when I trip & fall & stab myself. *vbg*)

So I’m here to talk about my sexy, funny single title contemporary debut & the first book in the “Chicks with Sticks” knitting trilogy, TANGLED UP IN LOVE, which will be in stores on February 3rd.

And Fate, because I truly believe that without it, this series would not exist.

Have you ever read the adorable children’s book FORTUNATELY by Remy Charlip? It’s wonderful, & if you haven’t, you definitely, definitely should. The path that led me to write TANGLED UP IN LOVE was so littered with Fortunately/Unfortunately situations that the book jumps immediately to mind every time I think of it. I can’t tell you the number of times my agent began phone conversations with “Well, I have some good news & some bad news.” Oh, how I came to loathe those words! And when all was said & done, he got a copy of FORTUNATELY to add to his personal bookshelf, as well as stern orders never to use that phrase with me again. :-P


You see, I’ve always wanted to write romantic comedy, but the timing never seemed to work out for me. (Unfortunately.) Then I came up with this idea. A brilliant idea, if I do say so myself. An idea I loved, & just knew was going to be a big hit. I showed it to my agent. He thought it was rather impressive, as well, & sent it immediately over to St. Martin’s Press, where an editor loved it. (Fortunately!) Unfortunately, they had another author already writing for them who was doing something similar (&^%#!), so she couldn’t make an offer. Fortunately, she loved my writing & wanted to see something else.


It took me all of about two seconds to tell my agent that, yes, I would definitely be willing to work up a few more ideas…well, okay, ideas I had, it was proposals that would take a bit of time to flesh out. He suggested I call the editor & talk to her about what she might be looking for. Smart man. Because, you see, it was during that conversation that she happened to mention how much she enjoys knitting, how popular knitting has becoming thanks to books like Kate Jacobs’s FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB, & how much she’d love to find a hot & sexy knitting romance unlike anything that had been done already. (Hey, I write hot! I write sexy!) And then she uttered the eight words that changed my life: “I don’t suppose you know anything about knitting.”


I do! I do know something about knitting! As a matter of fact, when I first came home from college & announced to my parents that I wanted to write romance novels instead of becoming a teacher the way they’d expected, my mother taught me to knit so that I could sell dishcloths & bath mitts to local craft stores. (It wasn’t much, but it satisfied my parents’ demand that I work while also allowing me time to stay home & write.) Imagine my amusement when I realized that my knowledge of what I’d always considered simply a hobby might now open a wonderful new door in my writing career!


This was on a Friday, & I spent the entire weekend wracking my brain for hot, sexy knitting ideas. By Monday morning, I had a one-page proposal ready that I thought did a pretty good job of fitting the bill. It didn’t take long to hear back, & the news was all good this time. (Fortunately!) She---& everyone else at St. Martin’s---loved it. In fact, they wanted me to turn that single idea into a trilogy. The only instructions they gave me were to make it as sexy & funny as I possibly could.


So, you see, it was definitely Fate that led me down the knitting romance trail…& reminded me that sometimes what we want to happen isn’t necessarily as great as what’s meant to happen. And I’m so very grateful that things worked out the way they did, because now I get to write three books about three amazingly fun couples I never would have met otherwise. I finally get to spread my wings & write the hot, sexy, funny contemporary romance I’ve always wanted to write.



And I get to meet wonderful authors like Lori Foster, who gave me a fabulous quote for TANGLED: “A delicious, fun, sexy treat from start to finish! I LOVED it!” That’s what she said, oh, yes, she did. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist. :-P)


Now that I’ve had my chance to share, tell me what you think… Do you believe in Fate---or as my agent would call it bashert (which is Yiddish for “it is as it should be”)? Or are you more of a mind that life is just a series of random events dotted with coincidence, & no one is up there leading us to anything?


I can’t wait to hear your responses. Thank you so much for spending the day with me, & for letting me voice my enthusiasm over TANGLED UP IN LOVE. I’d love to invite everyone to visit my website where you can read an excerpt for TANGLED to tide you over until the book hits shelves on February 3rd!
Or my WIPs and Chains blog (a.k.a. The Dungeon)
Or my Must Love Yarn blog to read more about TANGLED…or to simply chat & have fun!


Also, if the Quill Runners will be kind enough to allow me, I’d love to give away three autographed books from my backlist to three commentors to today’s post.

Love & stitches,

Heidi Betts
http://www.heidibetts.com/
www.HeidiBetts.com/WIPSandChains
www.HeidiBetts.com/MustLoveYarn

ELIZABETH IS BACK ON THE BLOG AGAIN

Back on the blog again. Hmmmm. That sounds kind of weird—like being back on the wagon or something.

Ah well, life is weird.

Lots of changes since I last blogged regularly. Some of them good. Some of them bad. Most of them simply hours, days, weeks, months slipping by.

Among the biggest changes this January is that my year “off” is over. I’m back in the saddle again, shoulder to the wheel, nose to the grindstone.

*wonders if that odd position explains persistent back pain*

The good news is that I genuinely love what I do.

The book in progress, which I call DEATH ECHO, involves a man, a woman, danger, St. Kilda Consulting, and international flashpoints. Discovering new characters, revisiting old friends, weaving myriad threads into something that is (I hope) coherent and exciting…all stuff I enjoy.

The bad news is that what I do genuinely tires me out.

At the end of a day I’m pretty well space cadet material. At the end of a week, my picture is in the dictionary beside “train wreck.”

My mind loves writing.

My body doesn’t.

The very things that make writing exciting for me are the ones that tire me out. It’s a case of the vice at the center of virtue and virtue at the center of vice.


What about you? Do you have a love-hate relationship with your work?

(And, yes, simply staying alive qualifies as work!)

THE BEAUTY OF BOTTOMS AND OTHER EXPANSIVE NEWS

Good morning, my flowers:


Bottoms of the world unite!


We are beautiful and we are important--we may even be life-saving.


As we slither into 2009 with presidential warnings that we're all going to have to have "skin in the game" I'm ready to offer not only my share of skin, but valuable bottom to boot (oh, dear).


An aside, I am looking forward the the Inauguration of President Elect Obama. What a fabulous country this is where we can play the game of election fury almost to the death, then gather up our marbles, grin, and get behind the winner. We'd better, or we'll all lose! Perhaps "grin" is overkill, but you know what I mean. Regardless of our political leanings, we really, really, really, want the new administration to do well for all of us.


Back to bottoms. Did you know that bottom fat (excuse me if this seems a somewhat base term), female bottom fat is full of important stuff? For a start, unlike belly fat, bottom fat (extend that to thigh fat if you want to be all inclusive) has amazing positive health implications? There is now conclusive evidence that the hormones involved are useful in helping to control diabetes. I think that's one of the most positive things I've heard in years.


Now, I do want each of us to refer to scholarly work for the exact details, so we can get specifics on what hormones, how much fat, proportions of bottoms to thighs and the rest of the data that has undoubtedly been graphed to help us quantify our assets. (We live in an age when assets have a way of being a bit saggy and disappointing, so any potentially positive ones are to be seized and celebrated."


Happy New Year to each of you,


Stella


Q. Please help us celebrate moving forward into new territory by sharing your positive discoveries, thoughts and wisdom for the New Year. Or just write anything you feel like writing:)

New Year, New Quill. Meet Kate Douglas

Jayne, here, to introduce you to our new sister Quill, KATE DOUGLAS. We are excited to announce that she is joining us at RWQ on a permanent basis. Starting now, Kate will be blogging on a regular schedule, just like the other Quills. Please join us in welcoming her.


And now, here's Kate to tell you a little about herself....

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First of all, I really want to thank the Quills for inviting me to join such a fantastic group of talented authors. I was absolutely thrilled when I was asked if I’d like to become a regular blogger—and then, of course, I was completely terrified. What can I, a relative newcomer to the world of published authors, have to say of any interest to readers?


Lord only knows...so I guess it’s time to find out. When I say I’m “newly published,” I’m using it in a rather figurative sense. I’ve been writing professionally for almost forty years. I started out producing radio copy for KCEY—a little country/western radio station in Turlock, California. From an illustrious career writing commercials about boot sales at the local feed store and the cattle auction coming up on Tuesday, I moved up a step and began writing public information spots for mosquito control districts nationwide. They actually hired me as a cartoonist to draw a weekly educational strip on mosquito control (Anyone remember Skeeter Mosquito?) and then discovered I could pack a whole lot of information into a thirty second commercial.


A new career was born, one I pursued for well over a dozen years. I have multiple sclerosis (now in full remission) but when my hands got too messed up to hold a pen and draw, I took a job as a reporter for a little country newspaper, where I covered everything from drug busts to high school football to forest fires—which required flying over the burning forest in a helicopter, hanging out of the open door with a gunner’s belt strapped around my waist, with my camera gear—and hair—blowing in the wind. Definitely a move up—literally—from drawing mosquitoes, but it wasn’t enough.


I first discovered romances in 1976 when a friend loaned me a copy of Anne Mather’s Leopard in the Snow. I loved that book and the proverbial light bulb blinked on. “I want to write these...NOW!” But, our kids were small and we were at that point where life so often gets in the way of dreams. I didn’t actually write my first romance until 1984, and it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I have rejection letters dating from 1985 and can honestly say I probably have one from every editor in the business through 1998. That’s when I discovered epublishing and sold my first manuscript. After building a fairly successful career as an epubbed author, I made the move to New York when my Wolf Tales series launched Kensington’s Aphrodisia imprint of erotic romance in January 2006.


It took me a while longer than most, but I don’t think I’d change a thing about the journey. Here I am, almost sixty years old with a really patient husband and five grandkids, and I’m the new kid on the block. My books are doing well, I’ve got big plans for the upcoming year, and at an age where a lot of women (probably the smart ones!) are thinking about retiring, I’m looking at a new and growing career with the enthusiasm of a kid just out of school. It really doesn’t get any better than this—well, it can, I guess, but that’s what I love about this business. It’s full of surprises—it’s allowed me to step out of my own mundane world into one of fantasy, and it’s given me the chance to meet readers and fellow authors from all around the globe. So, thank you, fellow Quills, and thank you, who visit this blog, for making me feel so welcome in a profession that’s proving to be full of wonderful surprises.


--Kate Douglas

This has gotta be done NOW!

Ordinarily, I'm a reasonably laid-back woman. But every now and then I get a bug up my... er, that is to say, have a fire lit under me. Usually it's decorating related. I'll get something new that just gives me a severe case of the gotta-make-changes-now. Once, years and years ago, I was given my grandmother's dresser. I promptly redid my entire bedroom around it.

This time, it was the shawl my cousin Colleen sent me for Christmas and the boring white paint on the walls that line my stairs and the landing.

I'm not a white paint kinda woman and the landing has been bugging me for several years now. But not enough to actually do something about it, because, one: the walls are rough textured and a giant pain in the patootie to paint and, two: there is beaucoup woodwork, both natural and painted, to work around and, three: it is sooooo hard to reach the top of the walls from the bottom of the stairs.

But mostly I just hadn't come across that one item that made it imperative.

Until now.
My cousin Colleen is the closest thing I've got to a sister. We bickered a lot as girls. As adults, we pick up conversations as if we've been apart five minutes instead of the huge chunk of time it's actually been. And Colleen gives the greatest presents ever--she just has this knack for finding unique, beautiful things she knows I'll love. This year it was the most gorgeous shawl I've ever seen. None of my pictures do it justice because the thing just sparkles.

Now, I know she intended for me to wear it to conferences and such, and I fully intend to do so. But I couldn't bear the thought of putting it away in a drawer the other 355 days of the year. So I draped it over my old hope chest. (Yes, I'm that old). But those white walls did not do it justice.

So I tore the entire upstairs apart. And I painted the walls what I call clay and the manufacturer calls tawny gray. I painted an ancient bookcase that used to be pink and the equally pink woodwork surrounding the attic door and the windows black, then sanded off the edges so a bit of the pink shows through. And I know I'm pleased with the results way beyond what it merits, because, for heaven's sake, it's only paint. But is there anything that can update a look as fast and as cheaply as a couple of cans of latex? Unfortunately, my flash makes the walls look almost as white as they were before I spent three days changing the situation--and the ceiling is still ugly as sin acoustical tiles. I think there's bead board under them, but there is no insulation under that, so we can't do anything about maybe shooting some in until spring or summer.

But I'm still a happy girl just to have affected some change.

So what tends to light a fire under you?

JAYNE Announces RUNNING HOT

I'm delighted to tell you that RUNNING HOT, the newest novel in my Arcane Society series, is in stores now. Those of you who enjoyed my Eclipse Bay trilogy might like to know that the heroine, Grace Renquist, is from Eclipse Bay. (This is your chance to discover some of Arizona Snow's deepest, darkest secrets).

I also wanted to let you know that I've got some more events planned this week. First, for all you collectors (you know who you are!) there's still time to order a personally inscribed copy of RUNNING HOT from Seattle Mystery Bookshop. But you'll have to move fast to contact the store if you want to reserve a copy. I'll be signing there at noon on Tuesday (January 6) and I'd be delighted to sign a book for you. The friendly staff will then mail it to you. Makes a great gift.

On Wednesday, January 7, I'll be chatting with readers in the chatroom at writerspace.com at 9p Eastern. I hope you can join us.

And then, on Saturday, January 10, I'll be doing a workshop on writing the romance novel in Bellevue, Washington at the University Bookstore. Please call the store to reserve a seat (see below for details).

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Jayne

RUNNING HOT EVENTS:

Tuesday, January 6, 2009
12:00 noon
SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP
117 Cherry St.Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 587-5737
Email: staff@seattlemystery.com
(Call or email the store to reserve a copy if you can't make the signing)

Saturday, January 10, 2009
Writing Workshop and Book Signing 1:00 p.m.
UNIVERSITY BOOK STORE
990 102nd Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98004
Phone: (425) 462-4500
(Contact the store to reserve a seat)

Moving in to 2009

Posting the first blog of the New Year isn't easy this time around.
I'm sure you all know why.

But I'm giving it a shot, and I hope you bear with me.
I'm an empty nester now. My middle son, who had been the last one still with us while transitioning from graduating college, has moved to South Korea.
Through a school program, Jake will be there for a year to teach English to 1st and 2nd graders. It's a fabulous opportunity, with his apartment, cell phone, and travel expenses all paid for, and then a generous salary.

I have iChat, which means I can LOOK at Jake while talking to him in real time, and that makes it easier. I'm very proud of him, and happy that he has this opportunity to see more of our world (He's already been to Canada and Australia, and he hopes to visit Japan while in South Korea) before he settles down into a career with his major in criminal justice.

Having one of my boys so far away - out of my reach - is very new for me. But life is all about changes.

I'm going to share some wonderful quotes about time:

Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time. - Margaret Bonnano

Time is the substance from which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire. - Jorge Louis Borges

Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them. - Dion Boucicault

Oh Time! the beautifier of the dead, adorer of the ruin, comforter and only healer when the heart hath bled... Time, the avenger! - Lord Byron

One life - a little gleam of Time between two Eternities. - Thomas Carlyle

Take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves. - Lord Chesterf

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. - Hector Berlioz

2008 is now in the past.

We, the Quill authors, have shared with you many of our successes, both with our books and our personal lives.
You let us laugh with you, and sadly, with the loss of a wonderful friend, we cried with you.

It is impossible to thank you enough for being here with us, sharing yourself, and allowing us to share.

Here's to 2009. May it be filled with many blessings, few sorrows, and plenty of time for laughter.

I'd love to hear some of the changes you've experienced from 08 to 09, or the changes you anticipate/want/hope for.
What are you New Year resolutions?

My best to all of you!