Now That The Book Is Done…

January 5th, 2009

I tend to dive into a stack of books as soon as I turn in a book. Now that my novella is safely in the hands of my editor..or at least in her email inbox…it’s time to race through some books. Here’s what my first few look like:

The Lost Receipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal

It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for–the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is–and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is worth the risk.

Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz

Ex-cop Luther Malone, lifelong member of the secretive paranormal organization known as the Arcane Society, is waiting to meet Grace Renquist. Hired as an aura-reading consultant in the quest for a murder suspect, she’s got zero field experience. She’s from tiny Eclipse Bay, Oregon. She’s a librarian, for heaven’s sake.

As for Grace, she’s not expecting much either from Malone, who walks with a cane and isn’t so good with a gun. Nice résumé for a bodyguard . . .

But even before they reach their hotel in Maui-where they’ll be posing as honeymooners-Grace and Luther feel the electric charge between them. Problem is, they need to remain vigilant day and night, because it soon becomes clear there’s more going on here. Rogue sensitives-operatives for the underground group Nightshade-are pouring into the luxury resort like there’s a convention. Grace recognizes those dark spikes in their auras. She saw the same pattern in someone else in another life-a life she hasn’t revealed to Luther or anyone else. And she understands how dangerous these people can be . . . especially with those para-hunters at their sides.

While the pair’s employers at Jones & Jones scramble to get them backup, Luther and Grace have to think on their feet. The criminals in their midst aren’t just high-level sensitives: They’ve enhanced their talents with a potent-and unpredictable- drug. And as Grace knows all too well, if you don’t control your powers, your powers will control you. . . .

Super In The City by Daphne Uviller

In this off-the-beaten-sidewalk debut, native New Yorker Daphne Uviller reveals the secrets of a sexy, story-filled Big Apple, where a mystery lurks behind every apartment door—and a savvy but slightly lost young woman unexpectedly finds herself holding the keys.

In a city brimming with opportunities for heroism, twenty-seven-year-old Zephyr Zuckerman has often fantasized about committing acts of bravery that would make front-page news. Now she may get her big break—though it may require plunging a few toilets. When the superintendent of her parents’ Greenwich Village brownstone is led away in handcuffs, unemployed Zephyr takes over his post and unleashes her inner sleuth: discovering titillating secrets about her tenants—from a smoky-voiced Frenchwoman who entertains throngs of unsavory visitors to a moody musician who just has to be hiding something—and realizing that her new reality is far more intriguing than her imagination.

Soon Zephyr has sussed out wrongs that stretch from losers on the Internet to art fraud and an international crime ring. The mob thinks she’s in the FBI, and the FBI thinks she’s in the mob—a predicament she needs to clear up fast. But perhaps not before the cute, surly exterminator helps her solve the mystery of what to do with the rest of her life….

Crash Into Me by Jill Sorenson

Though he’d gone into virtual seclusion, Ben Fortune was still the world’s most famous surfer, known as much for his good looks as for his skill. He’s also a suspect in a series of brutal murders that may have begun with his late wife. Now FBI Special Agent Sonora “Sonny” Vasquez has been sent undercover to the elite beach community of La Jolla to make friends with Fortune. With her fierce beauty and take-no-prisoners attitude, she’s more than equipped for the job, and soon she and Ben have collided in an affair that is both intense and irresistible. But for the first—and worst—time in Sonny’s career, her emotions are threatening to get the better of her. Could this sensual, wounded man, who is genuinely anguished over his troubled daughter, really be a killer? And could falling in love blind Sonny to the greatest danger of all?

What’s on the top of everyone else’s TBR stack?

Really Bad Boys

January 4th, 2009

There is an article on AOL based on the new book HE’S JUST NO GOOD FOR YOU. The article lists 12 kinds of bad boys who can lead you into destructive relationships. And when they say bad boys, they don’t mean the sexy WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD BOYS type. They mean really bad for you type.

As a public service announcement, here are the 12 types. Remember, you are supposed to stay away from these guys:

1. The Corrector - Your job is to think like he does.
2. The Charmer - This one is dangerous because he fools everyone.
3. The Nice Guy - This guy is really just a loser who pretends to be nice.
4. The Pillar Of The Community - These guys only look good from the outside.
5. The Control Freak - I really don’t have to explain why he’s bad, right?
6. The Abuser - Ah, yes. If only we could put these guys on a ship and set them off…forever.
7. The Passive-Aggressive - This is bad whether it’s a boyfriend, female friend or relative.
8. The Self-Righteous Progressive - This dude finds faults in others and none in himself.
9. The New Age Man - Apparently this guy also has new-age problems like substance abuse and OCD.
10. The Narcissist - He’ll tell you how awesome he is.
11. The Predator - Serial killer, anyone?
12. The Addict - Again, self-explanatory.

And now I have an idea for my next bad guy…

New Year, Old Thoughts

January 3rd, 2009

Today seemed as good a time as any to look back on 2008. I spent the year writing for a living and loved it. I am hugely grateful to my husband, my editor, my agent and everyone else who makes it possible for me to concentrate on writing as a full-time job, especially my readers. Thank you.

Some 2008 statistics:

-Number of books written: 3 single titles and a novella
-Number of books written that did not take place in Hawaii: only 1
-Number of books released: 2 single titles, 1 single author antho (containing 3 novellas) and 1 novella
-Number of books read: now that’s a damn fine question because I have no idea
-Strangest copyediting issue: (tie) all references to the Air Force in IT’S HOTTER IN HAWAII were changed to air force (lower case) & every second space after a period was edited out after every single sentence in the Can You Hand Me The Tape? novella in TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT
-Biggest annoyance: how B&N keeps changing my name to Helen Kay instead of using the correct spelling of HelenKay on all my book listings, thereby making them disappear
-Biggest realization: this career never feels “safe”
-Thing about which I am even more convinced at the end of 2008 than I was at the beginning of 2008: authors should never - ever - post a comment on a blog or website in response to review that tries to explain what the reviewer got wrong (I am dedicating a post to this theory later this week)

I’m sure there’s more relevant stuff, but those are the biggies.

Happy New Year!!!

December 31st, 2008

The ARCs Have Landed

December 30th, 2008

I love writing books. This career allows me to work from home, set my own schedule and deduct expenses from my trips to Hawaii. Yeah, that last one is a biggie. This is what happens when you set a series of books in a favorite place like Kauai. Hell, I should set them all there. Hmmm….

My first Hawaii-set book, YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY, came out in 2007 and will be re-released in mass market (ie, less expensive) in March ‘09. The next, IT’S HOTTER IN HAWAII, comes out right after in April ‘09.

And why am I reminding you of this? That’s right. I have ARCs for IT’S HOTTER IN HAWAII. Leave a comment here about the series and/or our favorite setting for a romance novel and you’ll be entered to win one. I’ll pick the winner on New Year’s Day. You have until then to enter. Good luck!

UPDATE: Very sorry for being so tardy in announcing the winner. The winner is…NICOLE (comment #4). Congratulations!!! Email me with your address and I’ll get that ARC out to you next week.

Busy, Busy, Busy

December 29th, 2008

Have company. Have a January 1st deadline. Still fighting a sinus infection. Basically, I’m swamped. To take us through the end of the year, I’ll launch a contest tomorrow. That might be it for a few days. Depends on how much work I can get done at night when the house is winding down, and how productive I am in non-internet activities during that time. We’ll see.

Check back tomorrow…

Holiday Giveaway Winners

December 28th, 2008

Thanks to all who stopped by for the daily giveaways. Today is winner announcement day.

[imagine a drumroll here]

The winner of PRE-NUP is… Naomi

The winner of VEIL OF MIDNIGHT is… Michelle (MG)

The winner of THE CLUB is… Margay

The winner of THE DEVIL’S DUE… Zara

Congratulations to all the winners!!! Please email me with your address information and I’ll get those books out to you soon.

Holiday Giveaway Day 4

December 27th, 2008

I’ve admitted before that I’m totally lured in by covers. Every time I see a Jenna Black cover I do a doubletake. There’s something compelling about them. I’m not even sure they’re all that unique. It’s just that they work for me. Today we have more than the cover. The giveaway book is THE DEVIL’S DUE by Jenna Black. It goes like this:

Trust me or die…That’s the choice Morgan Kingsley, exorcist, is given by the gorgeous rogue demon who’s gotten inside her. The truth is, Morgan has dozens of reasons not to trust anyone, from the violence that torched her house and killed her father to a love life that’s left her questioning her relationship with her erstwhile boyfriend, Brian. But Lugh, a king among demons, won’t take no for an answer. He’s prying into her body, her mind, even her sex life. And he’s just pulled Morgan into a power struggle that could have devastating consequences for both the human and demon worlds.

But Morgan still has a job to do: investigating the highly bizarre possession of the son of a wealthy Philadelphia couple. That hunt leads Morgan into a realm of sexual depravity, then a terrifying kidnapping.… Now a woman who makes her living prying demons from their hosts finds her day job colliding with the night: a darkness that is attracting demons of the damnedest sort, including the one who’s about to demand his ultimate due.…
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Want to win it? Leave a comment telling me why you want it and you’ll be entered to win. I’ll pick a winner Sunday and will post the name in a separate post listing all the week’s winners. It’s up to you to come back and check. You can enter as many contests this week as you want but don’t do that thing where you use 14 different names because it drives me nuts.

Good luck!!

Holiday Giveaway Day 3

December 26th, 2008

How about a super sexy Regency read? That is exactly what we have today. The book is THE CLUB by Sharon Page. I think this is Sharon’s first book for a new publisher. The cover is lush and the copy sounds good. But don’t believe me, see for yourself…

Enter a world of sin, scandal, and the most forbidden pleasures. Enter the seductive world of award-winning author Sharon Page, whose new novel will take your breath away with a tantalizing blend of Regency romance and erotic thrills.

It is London’s most secretive gentlemen’s club—a place where no well-bred lady would dare to be seen. But Lady Jane Beaumont has no choice. Her friend Del has vanished, and Jane must enter into a dangerous charade to find her. Now, within the gilded walls of this erotic lair, Jane awaits the lover she has procured for the evening. But the man who enters her bedchamber is no stranger. He is Del’s brother and London’s most notorious rake—a man on a rescue mission of his own. Christian is intrigued by the innocent beauty who clearly does not belong in the notorious brothel. And as the two seek out the damning secrets of the club . . . as Christian initiates Jane into the ways of true sensual pleasure, she knows she has entered the most dangerous place of all—where the price of temptation could be her heart. . . .
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This one doesn’t come out for another two months, but you can snag it early. Want to win it? Leave a comment telling me why you want it and you’ll be entered to win. I’ll pick a winner on Sunday and will post the name in a separate post listing all the week’s winners. It’s up to you to come back and check. You can enter as many contests this week as you want but don’t do that thing where you use 14 different names because it drives me nuts.

Good luck!!

Merry Christmas!

December 25th, 2008

Happy Holidays to all!