Desire Authors - www.desireauthors.com

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

What do you read?

Last Saturday I was at a book signing with three other authors (Shelley Bradley, Kate Lyon and Lorraine Heath) and we were talking to readers in the store. Several of them said they don't read romance and of course didn't stop at our table. It made me wonder what do these women read.

I love romance and always pick up one of my old favorite titles when I'm need a comfort read. But I do also read outside the genre--Nelson Demille, Nick Hornby, Margaret Atwood.

If you are reading here at the Desire Authors site, I'm guessing you already read romance. Do you also read outside the genre? If so, what do you read?

Kathy :)

posted by Katherine Garbera at 7:30 AM 7 comments

Monday, February 27, 2006

All About Me

Okay so it's my favorite subject!!! You can tell by this photo that I LOVE writing! Seriously Charlene Sands suggested we answer a few questions on our first day blogging so here it goes:

Q: What prompted you to put pen to paper initially and take the writing plunge?
A: I hated my job as a secretary and really wanted to be able to read at work. This was in the days before ebooks and online publishers so I started writing a book at my desk that I figured I'd read when I finished it. When I finally finished my book--it was full of touristy stops around Orlando, hot sex and a bad guy who kept showing up at the wrong time and for absolutely no reason except to make the hero and heroine run! Needless to say it wasn't the greatest thing ever written but I was hooked on writing!

Q: What or who continues to inspire you to write?
A: I just love writing. I'm not one of those authors who struggles each day to sit down at the computer and write. I love to go in my office and work on my book. I love seeing where the story and characters are going to lead.

Q: What are some of your favorite writing/craft books and why?
A: My favorite writing book is Stephen King's On Writing because it was honest and I liked his writing style.

Q: What kind of heroes and heroines do you most enjoy writing about?
A: I love alpha heroes who are too sexy for their own good and think they know it all until they meet a sassy heroine who shows them they still have a few things to learn!

Q: If you were stranded on a desert island what 10 books would you like to have along with you?
A: Wow, only ten books that would be hard. I'd probably be happy with whatever I had.

Q: Tell us what your writing day is like?
A: I start writing at 8:30 after having checked my email. I work on one scene at a time, usually finishing up the first one around 10:00, then I take a shower. I love to work in pjs but sometimes the school calls and I have to run up to check on one of my kids and you can't do that in your pjs! I write a second scene before lunch. Then take my lunch break and watch either Malto Mario or CourtTV. I come back into my office and hopefully finish up one more scene before the kids get home from school!

Q: Why do you write romance?
A: I'm one of those people with a sunny personality who really just loves a happy ending. I'm married to the man I met in Fantasyland and we have two adorable children...so I write what I know!

Okay now that you know all there is to know about me, I'd like to know what affects you as a romance writer or reader? What are your favorite hero/heroine types?

Kathy :)

posted by Katherine Garbera at 6:00 AM 5 comments

Thursday, February 23, 2006

What do the Illegitimate Heirs and the Wizard of Oz have in common?

One of the questions I'm frequently asked by readers is where I get ideas for the books I write. Normally, I'd have to answer that I'm something of a daydreamer and while I'm off in LaLa Land, my imagination takes over and before I know it, I have a hero, a heroine and a situation that not only brings them together, but also puts them at odds with each other. But the Illegitimate Heirs series is just a bit different.

During a late-night phone conversation with my good friend and fellow Desire author, Kristi Gold, I jokingly mentioned that my next series was going to be based on the Wizard of Oz. We had a good laugh and continued talking about the anthology we were working on, when she suddenly stopped and said, "You know, you really should write that Wizard of Oz series." At that point, I had to admit that from the moment I mentioned it, I'd been thinking less about the anthology we were brainstorming and more about what I could do with the idea. With her encouragement and a little brainstorming, viola, the Heirs were born. :-)

The man without a brain, Caleb Walker, the hero in last month's ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN ENEMIES, is a Tennessee farmer with nothing more than a high school education, who takes over running a financial consulting firm. The man without courage, Nick Daniels, in this month's REUNION OF REVENGE, left Wyoming one hot August night thirteen years ago, one step ahead of the law and a guaranteed prison sentence. And the man without a heart, Hunter O'Banyon in next month's BETROTHED FOR THE BABY is a med-evac helicopter pilot who has vowed never to risk loving again. But how could I tie them together and who was going to be the all-seeing, all-knowing Wizard?

Enter Emerald Larson, owner and CEO of Emerald, Inc., one of the richest, most successful, self-made women in the country. When Emerald discovered that her irresponsible son had made at least three women pregnant, she realized that she'd done a less than stellar job of raising her only child by giving him everything his heart desired, instead of what he really needed--her time, attention and guidance. Hoping that her grandsons would have a better chance of turning out differently than their hedonistic father, she secretly contacted the women through a very discreet private investigator and arranged modest monthly support payments. The women's silence about the identity of their babies' father--not even telling their sons when they came of age--was required in order for the men to inherit any part of Emerald, Inc. Then, at the time of her choosing, Emerald would reveal the identity of her grandsons' father, as well as give each of them one of her companies. Imagine what a shock it was for the men to finally learn that they not only had siblings, but that they were heirs to one of the largest, privately owned corporations in the nation. Sort of like going over the rainbow and landing smack dab in the middle of Oz, wouldn't you agree?

But the story of this series doesn't end there. If you noticed above, I mentioned that Emerald knew that her son had gotten "at least" three women pregnant. Hmm. Could Emerald find more of her Illegitimate Heirs in the future?

I, for one, wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that she did. ;-)

Kathie

posted by Kathie at 5:34 AM 7 comments

Monday, February 20, 2006

Q&A with Kathie DeNosky

What prompted you to put pen to paper and take the writing plunge?

I've always loved to read and write. In fact, I think I was the only one in school who looked forward to writing term papers. And yes, my friends and classmates thought I had to be from another planet. My favorite stories, even as a child were the ones with a "happily ever after" ending, so it was only natural that when my children started school and I decided to try to write a book that I wrote a romance. I think it took about six months to write that first book and by the time I typed the last line, I was thoroughly and completely hooked.

What continues to inspire you to write?

Good question. I think I continue to write because the voices in my head won't let me stop. I always have another set of characters--usually before the book I'm working on is finished--telling me they want their story told. And if that's not reason enough to continue writing, I've discovered that I'm a control freak. I can make my characters do and say what I want them to, when I want them to and react how I want them to. That's not alway the case in real life. :-)

What kind of heroes and heroines do you most enjoy writing about?

That's easy to answer. All kinds. I love making characters unique, giving them quirky little flaws and traits. For example, in my first book DID YOU SAY MARRIED?!, Chance Warren, the hero, was superstitious. He was Alpha through and through, but he carried a small agate in his pocket everywhere he went, just to be on the safe side and he had an unwavering belief in fate. Rather than think that his unexpected marriage to the heroine was an accident, he believed that fate had brought them together and they should stay that way. Of course, it took him a while to convince the heroine of that fact, but it made the story interesting and tons of fun.

Tell us what your writing day is like?

In a word, crazy. My writing "day" usually starts around ten or eleven at night and goes until I drag myself to bed around four or five in the morning. After a few hours of sleep, I'm up by eight or nine to start my other career as a chauffeur, cook, and housekeeper--aka, wife and mother. I do take an late afternoon nap for a couple of hours, then get up to spend the evening watching TV with my husband. And somewhere in between the naps, driving, cooking, cleaning and laundry (okay, I'll admit that the last three slide more times than I care to admit), I even get some reading done. Then it's time to start my "day" all over again. But as crazy as life gets sometimes, I wouldn't have it any other way. I get to be at home with my family and I get to work in my jammies. I don't have to pay for the latest hairstyle because I have a perpetual case of "bed head" (I'm sunk if the messy/spiked look ever goes out of style), and because I'm always working on a deadline, I have the perfect excuse not to cook, clean or do laundry. Color me happy.

What is the most fun you've had while writing or researching a book?

The most fun I've ever had while writing and researching a book is when I worked on my series THE LONETREE RANCHERS. I used the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) as a backdrop for the series and was thrilled when they asked me to attend one of their events. They gave me total access to all the riders, bull fighters and medical staff, as well as everything behind the scenes. I call it the weekend I got to play with the cowboys. And we all know how much I like my cowboys. :-)

posted by Kathie at 9:02 AM 3 comments

Friday, February 17, 2006

What's A Continuity and Why Read One?

The Continuity question is one I get often when I speak of my current work in progress. Dedicated series readers know all about continuities and they enjoy them, but for others, let me explain exactly what they are and why they are appealing. A continuity is usually written by the editor of that line, or a group of editors. The two I've done to date were written expressly by Desire's Senior Editor, Melissa Jelinski. What I mean is that she writes a bible complete with storylines, characters and their descriptions, locales and conflicts. We also get the continuity flow as to how each story connects to the next one to bring up major plot points. In the two I've done, the continuity revolved around high-powered wealthy families.

While I think I'm quite creative, I simply marvel at MJ's ability to weave 6 or 12 stories (one book per month) around a family and have all of them interact and connect to lead each individual book to a satisfying ending. Each author gets a month, the title, conflict and plot line with one specific character from the family and then the editor gives us free reign to write the story as we see fit. The six month continuity usually starts in January and ends in June. The longer continuities might flow through with 12 books, one for each month in the year.

My Heiress Beware continuity is a June book, number 6 of the 12 month series. I'm smack dab in the middle of the storyline. But make no mistake, all stories are stand alone as well. Anyone can pick up a continuity and if the author has done their job, the reader will grasp the story without having to read the ones that came before it. Although, it's our hope that our readers start with the first or launch book and continue to read all in the series. It's more fun that way!

It's challenging and a great deal of fun to work with the other authors. While our books revolve around only one of the main characters, timelines are worked out, character flaws, speech and certain scenes are shared amongst the authors involved to make sure our stories are true to each others.

Why do readers enjoy them? Frankly, I love the concept of a series or saga about a family as seen from, not one, but as many as twelve different author's eyes. You get a chance to read about the family, but as a reader, you also get exposed to various writing styles. You're introduced to an author whom you might have never read before. And you get a huge variety of storylines. Each locale, situation and character is different, but they are all linked in one certain way -- the family.

In Heiress Beware, my heroine, born and bred in a exclusive New York locale and working in the family's magazine empire, treks to Colorado on a mission. After an accident she becomes an amnesia victim. A hunky small town sheriff finds her and well ... you'll have to wait to find out the rest. The idea of the story is about the path her life takes from then on and how her experiences in my book will influence the characters in the other books.

Presently, I'm working on Fortune's Vengeful Groom for the Dakota Fortune's Continuity Series that will be released in March 2007. But don't miss out. It's not too late to try the Elliot continuity that started with LeAnne Banks', Billionaire Proposition this January and will continue on throughout the year, with my story, Heiress Beware, book #6 being released this June.

Feel free to post a question or comment about continuities and I hope you'll pick one up next time you're in the bookstore!

Keep your entries coming in for the Valentine's Day contest!
We'll pick a winner tomorrow.

posted by Charlene Sands at 7:38 AM 2 comments

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

What Makes A Hero or ... He Put Air in My Tires!

What better day to reflect on what truly makes a hero than the day after a Valentine celebration where your man is put to the test for his ingenuity, creativity and imagination? Today on the radio, a DJ asked callers (men) to own up to their worst Valentine mistake. What did they do wrong? What did they do right? Did they simply forget? Did they blow it completely? And as the calls were taken, I smiled to myself thinking that romance doesn't boil down to one day, where roses are sent, chocolate is consumed, champagne is sipped and love is made.

No, romance is often weaved in everyday living where small details in life often measure larger than any one elaborate gesture on a given day. And when we write our stories of bigger than life heroes, yes, maybe they do send roses and sip champagne, and heavens, we all know they make incredible love, but as a writer I try to put a real and believable slant on my heroes. It's in the small gestures that when all tolled, spell romance better than any candy hearts ever could.

I guess I'm living proof of this because I have a great guy. He's a hero, who tries really hard and has done some wonderfully sentimental things for me, like making a music video with pics of our life together to the tune of You Are so Beautiful to Me. Yes, that was romantic. But then there was the time when he gave me a leather briefcase for Valentine's Day because I really needed it. Sometimes he hits and sometimes he misses.

But he never misses in our everyday life. He's always there for me, with little gestures of love. A kiss before he leaves for work, a kiss hello when he returns and a sweet, "Good dinner" kiss after I've cooked a meal. He does things for me that sometimes I don't realize until much later. On one occasion, right before I was to make the hour long drive to my RWA chapter meeting, while I was dressing he got out of bed (it was Saturday) to check my tires. He'd noticed they were low and without me knowing it, drove the car to the gas station to put air in my tires.

I never felt more loved than at that moment.

He does these things for me so often that I can't even begin to name them all. So when I write a hero now, I see a man capable of giving stunning roses and buying beautiful diamonds for my heroine, but when push comes to shove, I'd rather have him put air in her tires.

Just like my hero did for me.

Be sure to enter my Valentine's Day Contest to win pretty silver jewelry!
See February 14th post for details.
Happy Reading!

posted by Charlene Sands at 7:01 PM 2 comments

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Valentine's Day Contest and Fun Facts!

Happy Valentine's Day to all! And to celebrate this very special day of romance be sure to enter today's contest for this beautiful set of delicate sterling silver heart jewelry, appropriately named Peaceful Fortunes (I'm writing the Desire Dakota Fortunes's Continuity as we speak!)

And now for some fun Valentine's Day facts. Did you know:

Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was: Good morning to you, valentine; Curl your locks as I do mine---Two before and three behind. Good morning to you, valentine.

In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have. If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

And now to enter the contest:

http://www.desireauthors.com/contest.html

We'll draw the winner on Friday and notify you by email.
Good luck everyone!

posted by Charlene Sands at 8:23 AM 2 comments

Monday, February 13, 2006

Greetings from Charlene, a transplanted Valley Girl! Here's a Q and A straight from the heart of Southern California.

What prompted you to put pen to paper and take the writing plunge?

As a young girl I would ask my father to tell me a story and being a master storyteller, he always put me right into story -- the heroine who saved the day, a sheriff named Charlene who always caught the villian, a pirate who would uncover hidden treasures (ususally coins spilled from my father's pockets!) How thrilling it was to gather up those gems but more so, his storytelling sparked a passion and compelled me to read romance. After reading hundreds and hundreds of romances, from contemporary to medieval to westerns and beyond, the need to write my own stories became too strong to deny any longer. From day one, I fell in love with creating characters and stories and now write both Western Historicals (Renegade Wife is on sale now - pardon the plug} and Silhouette Desires. I have never regretted taking the writing plunge and realized that I've always been a writer at heart - it's who I am.

Why do you write romance? Why Desire?

For me, there's nothing more exciting, emotional or compelling as the relationships between men and women. Love truly does make the world go around. And I've always loved the Desire Line. The men are alpha and great heroes. The women are strong and determined to make their way in the world. The stories are packed with emotion and tension as well as tenderness. Who could ask for anything more?

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 10 books would take along?

First, I think I'd want to take few scripts from a favorite televison show of mine - Lost. Those people are making their way just fine on that island! Then, for my reading pleasure I'd take along my Susan Elizabeth Phillips' books. She's great when you need a laugh to go along with the romance. I'd pack a duffel of Janet Evanovich too - Stephanie Plum has some great survival techniques and she's good at juggling two sexy heroes! If there was room left in my pack, I'd want some classic Sandra Browns and LaVryle Spencers AND I'd take my favorite Desire authors, Barbara McCauley, Maureen Child and Bron Jameson - friends as well as great writers.

Charlene's Trivia and Fun Facts

I married my high school sweetheart - decades ago!
I can hardly work my cell phone AS a phone, much less a camera and mini computer.
I have taught childbirth, baby care and pediatric CPR in a hospital for more than 20 years.
I'm a devoted Tim McGraw fan, fan club member and never miss his concerts.
My father's name appears in all my stories, concealed in unique ways.
I love all things chocolate. (big surprise there)
I can't blow a bubble.
I can bowl a 200 game.
It took me nearly a year to figure out exactly WHAT a blog really was.
I've watched Days of our Lives for most of my adult life. (Hope and Bo can't break up!)
I don't do Math.
I have written 4 books in one year (but would rather not)
And I have 4 books being released this year (that's more fun)

To find out more about Charlene visit: www.charlenesands.com

Click back tomorrow to enter my Valentine's Day Contest!
(Sterling silver heart jewelry) Don't miss out!

posted by Charlene Sands at 7:55 AM 2 comments

Friday, February 10, 2006

Connor Riordan's scrambled eggs

(as eaten on pages 56 & 57 of SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION, Silhouette Desire #1709 -- available February 2006)

For each serving, break 2 eggs into a bowl.
Add about 2 tablespoons of milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, & a dash of pepper.
Mix with a fork.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in skillet over medium heat until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water.
Pour egg mixture into skillet.

Add:
1/2 cup chopped ham
1/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar recommended)
1/2 of a small onion, grated or finely chopped
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 green pepper, chopped

Cover.

As mixture begins to set, vegetables begin to soften, & cheese begins to melt--about 3 minutes--gently lift cooked portions from sides of skillet with spatula and turn to center of pan so uncooked portion can flow to bottom & sides.

Cook until eggs are thickened throughout. (About 5 more minutes.)

Serve to the houseguest of your choice, even if she's supposed to be a vegetarian or part of the raw food movement. She'll like it, trust me. :-)

posted by Heidi Betts at 11:32 AM 0 comments

Thursday, February 09, 2006

why I love Silhouette Desire

As some of you may know--& others of you may not :-)--I started my publishing career in historical romance. I wrote six western-set historicals for Leisure Books before making the jump to Silhouette Desire. And very often, I get questions about that from readers. When are you going to write another historical? (Not anytime soon, I don't think, even tho I enjoyed them.) Why did you switch to contemporaries? (Because the historical market wasn't doing very well & if I wanted to keep writing, I needed to make a deliberate & educated change.)

But it was more than that, to be completely honest. It had a lot more to do with the fact that I'd always wanted to write contemporary romance & I'd always absolutely loved the Silhouette Desire line. I remember reading them way back when Jayne Ann Krentz (writing as Stephanie James) & Elizabeth Lowell were writing them. The ones that come most quickly to my mind are Jayne/Stephanie's The Bodyguard & Elizabeth's Too Hot to Handle. These were sensual, passionate, emotional novels that pulled me right in. And thru the years, I continued to read Desires, discovering authors like Leanne Banks, Barbara McCauley, Maureen Child, Ryanne Corey... I could give you titles for each of these authors, too, but then we'd be here all day. :-) I would read them every chance I got...& for what it's worth, Desires are absolutely perfect for reading on the treadmill or the plane. :-D

So when it came time for me to take the plunge & try my hand at a contemporary romance, Desire seemed the perfect--& most obvious--choice. And what I discovered, almost by accident, was that writing for Desire felt like coming home. I love the focus on the hero & heroine & the romance, without too much secondary plot or too many secondary characters to muddy the waters. I love the level of sensuality & the sexual tension I'm allowed to build on every page. I love the quick pace of the stories & the short length of the books...which is why I say they're absolutely perfect for reading on the treadmill & plane; the Desire line's motto should be "Everyone has time to read a Desire!" :-)

But what I'd like to know is why you read Desires. Do you remember the feeling you had when you first discovered the line, fell in love, & realized you had to have more? Or the first Desire title or author you picked up that got you hooked?

I do. And I'm getting this overwhelming urge to dig it out of my Keeper Box & read it again! :-)

posted by Heidi Betts at 11:23 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

a beary kissable Valentine's contest

In honor of Valentine's Day & the release of my February Silhouette Desire, SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION, I'll be giving away this pair of adorable (& very huggable, if I do say so myself ;-)) "Smoochin' Teddies" stuffed bears.

Visit http://www.heidibetts.com/contest.html for details.

posted by Heidi Betts at 11:39 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

a word from Beth Curtis of SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION

Heidi couldn't make it today, so she asked me to hop on over here & blog for her. Hope you don't mind.

Anyway, my name is Beth Curtis and I'm a founding partner in the law firm of Vincent and Curtis. We're based in Los Angeles and specialize in entertainment law.

But next week, I'll be going home to Crystal Springs, Ohio. I don't particularly want to go, but it wouldn't do for me to miss my own brother's wedding--especially since I happen to be the maid of honor.

It's been a while since I've been back east. As much as I love my parents and brother, going home is just too hard because I might see him.

Might? Try definitely will. Connor is my brother's best friend. They grew up together--we all did, really--and now they own a construction company together. He's over for dinner at Nicholas's or my parents' places probably three nights a week. There's no way I could go home for a visit and be lucky enough not to run into him.

And now I'm not only going to see him, I have to walk down the aisle with him, since he just happens to be Nick's best man.

Boy, I am really not looking forward to this. Anyone have a rare tropical disease or massive case of food poisoning they'd be willing to share for a few days? Just long enough that I have a terrific excuse for missing the wedding altogether.

BC

(For more posts by the characters of SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION, visit Heidi's personal blog at www.heidibetts.com/blog. Remember to check both current posts & the archives!)

posted by Heidi Betts at 11:25 AM 0 comments

Monday, February 06, 2006

a quick Q&A with Heidi Betts

How long have you been writing for Silhouette Desire?

Not very long, actually. I started my publishing career by writing six historical romances for Leisure Books before making the leap to contemporary. My first Desire, Bought by a Millionaire, came out just last year, in February of 2005. This February, my fourth Desire will be released (SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION, #1709), & thankfully I have several more scheduled over the next two years. I just love writing for Silhouette Desire & look forward to each passionate, sexy new story I get to create for them!

What prompted you to put pen to paper initially and take the writing plunge?

I've always loved to read & I've always loved to write. Growing up the daughter of a librarian, there was never a shortage of books around, as you can probably imagine. In fact, there was a little unwritten rule in our house that if you were reading, you were "working" & my mother never made us stop to do other chores like clean our room or wash the dishes. (How cool is that?!? :-)) I'm not sure where the writing part came from, but it seems I was always writing something. In my journal, poems, short stories, even re-writing television shows the way I wished they'd played out. So when it came time to pick a career & really focus on what I wanted to do with my life, being an author was at the very top of the list.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 10 books would you like to have along with you?

If I knew I was going to be stranded on a desert island, I'd take along a lot more than just 10 books, but I'm pretty sure the first choices would be just about anything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Rachel Gibson, Maureen Child...The Outlaw Hearts by Rebecca Brandewyne...a stack of Silhouette Desires, of course...a couple of good romantic suspenses by authors like Dinah McCall & Linda Howard...the "Tall, Dark, & Dangerous" series of Silhouette Intimate Moments by Suzanne Brockmann...& then I'd just start stuffing my bags with anything I was eager to read from my To Be Read pile.

Tell us what your writing day is like?

I like to write at night & actually feel like I get better work done then, so I sometimes wake up a little later than normal people & spend my daylight hours on other things. Often those "other things" are writing-related, tho. Research, revisions, line edits, etc. And, yes, I admit it--e-mail. But around dinner time, I get down to business & write until at least midnight, usually later. I've even been known to go to bed about the same time everyone else in town is just waking up to get ready for work. :-)

Why do you write romance?

You mean there are other things I could be writing? Really? Huh, never even thought about it. I love romance. It's what I've always read & what I hope I'll always be able to write. There's just something about romance that calls to me, whether it's in a book, a movie, a television show... I love the focus on the hero & heroine, the sexual tension, & the happily-ever-afters that make you sigh. I love that the couples in romance novels may be at odds in the beginning, may have seemingly insurmountable obstacles to overcome, & yet still stay together & come out stronger for it in the end.

Where can we read more about you and your books?

That one's easy. At my website, of course: www.HeidiBetts.com. You can always find the latest information about upcoming books, chat on the message board, enter a contest, & even keep up with my blog, where I post the day-to-day happenings in my life. I'm not saying they're always fun or exciting, but I rattle on about them all the same. :-)

posted by Heidi Betts at 11:45 AM 102 comments

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Continuity Series

Hi everyone--

I just received a couple of notes today from readers asking about the new continuity series that I'm launching for Silhouette Desire in May--Secret Lives of Society Wives. As I mentioned in an earlier post, it's a fun series that is a must-read for Desperate Housewives' fans. I've been given the honor of writing the first book--"The Rags-To-Riches Wife"--which is a May 2006 release.

Each of the notes I received asked about the other authors in the series. The other authors are: Jennifer Greene, Pat Kay, Maureen Child, Katherine Garbera and Bronwyn Jameson. Each of these ladies is a terrific writer and I've definitely been a fan of their work for years. So I'll be eagerly awaiting to read their books in this series.

But I'm not the only one. It turns out that three of the readers who wrote to me, asking about the other authors in the series, did so because they said they wanted to order all of the books in the series. It turns out they intend to wait until they have all of the books in hand before they begin reading the series. So I was wondering what ya'll do when you're reading a series. Are you like me, read each book as it hits the shelves and then wait impatiently for the next one? Or do you wait until you have all the books in hand before starting to read?

Hugs........Metsy

posted by Metsy Hingle at 7:17 PM 2 comments

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Does the setting of a book make a difference?

During and after Hurricane Katrina, I was astounded by the number of emails and letters I received from friends and fans across the nation, offering their support and prayers. What also amazed me were the number of notes I received from fans telling me that during and after the storm as they listened to the news reports of what was happening down here that they pulled out lots of my books that were set in New Orleans. They said they wanted to read them again and remember New Orleans as it was--a fun, magical city--and erase the horrors of what was happening here. Others told me that they loved New Orleans and that the fact that my books were set in New Orleans made them try me as an author in the first place.

So, I've been wondering... Does where a book is set make a difference in your decision to buy it? Do you have any favorite settings? Do you prefer big cities, small towns, northern or southern states? How about fictitious towns and countries?

posted by Metsy Hingle at 6:12 PM 0 comments

Previous Posts

Archives

Site Feed

Silhouette Desire Authors website featuring current releases, upcoming books, blog, links, author biographies, contests and more