HelenKay Dimon

Brenda Novak’s 2008 Online Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research is almost over. Have you checked it out yet? There are some amazing items listed. Brenda also just added some raffles items.

As a reminder of some fabulous opportunities…

There are two groups of Brava books up for auction. The authors donated these. Almost all are Autographed (I think Shannon McKenna’s books are the only ones not signed and that’s only because she lives in Italy). Each grouping includes about 22 books. You bid, do something great and get a bookshelf worth of books at a great price. Go here or here to bid on these. You’ll notice that some of the books are the same but not all.

Also, I have a few items up for bid, including a never-used Ferragamo purse (I got it at a special event in the Honolulu store, btu it’s not really me), a beach totebag filled with my books (including every book that will come out this year, so you get early copies of three books!!!) and a copy of RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW in a mystery book tote bag from Poe’s Deadly Daughters.

Great cause. Great stuff. Go do a final check and bid.

My upcoming release, HARD AS NAILS, received a few fabulous reviews this week. Some aren’t up on their sites yet since the book doesn’t officially release until June 24th, but here’s one I can tell you about. This is part of a 4 Star review from Romantic Times:

In this one-author anthology each story fits neatly with its predecessor. All use the same under-construction home as a pivotal plot and setting point — and not a room in it is left unchristened by these lusty couples. Dimon’s characters are written with the usual wit, flaws and entertaining dialogue. All the loose ends tie up neatly into one pleasing package.

Also, I now can officially report that HOT AS HELL is up for pre-order on Amazon.

Wahoo!!

Honestly, how cute is this guy on the cover? It’s awesome on the internet. That’s nothing compared to the coverflat I stare at almost every day.

Go forth and order with abandon.

No, really. Go…

Dear folks in charge of Amazon (the bookstore not the geographic region):

We’ve had a long and prosperous relationship. While I don’t buy tools, shampoo and many of the other things you sell, I do buy books and DVDs from you. Check my account history. You’ll see. It is because of this mutual and mostly satsifying history that I have ignored that thing you do where you provide a link to used copies of my books right there in the same area where you sell new copies of my books. Don’t like it, but I got over it. Well, I’m trying.

We seem to be having a new problem. This one is driving me batshit crazy. I apologize if the language is offensive but, really, wouldn’t you be upset if I kept calling you Amaz or Amazo instead of your full name? I think you can see where that might get a tad annoying. Which brings me to my point… Stop listing my books under Helen Kay Dimon. [I'm using italics just in case you aren't clear how incensed I am about this since everyone know italics mean business.] See, that isn’t my name. My name is HelenKay Dimon. All one word. No space in between. Yeah, I know. Blame my parents. In fact, I’ll give you their phone number so you can verify this, but I swear it’s my name. Not Helen. Not Helen Kay. Certainly not Yelenkay like the folks at the Eddie Bauer catalog think.

Here’s the part I don’t get. My name is listed correctly in the Kensington catalog, on all my books and on my website. Why you insist on making this harder than it needs to be is not clear. While this may sound picky to you, it’s been a lifetime of hearing and seeing my name twisted and tortured that’s brought me to this point. You just took this issue to a new level by listing all of my new releases under this wrong name.

Why does this matter, you ask? Well, when you spell my name wrong – the correct way is HelenKay, in case you’re still not clear – a new release is not then listed with my other books. This allows us to answer the age old question: if a book is listed for pre-order and no one can find it, will it sell? Clearly the answer is no.

I tought we fixed this mess with RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW when I went through my usual procedure and asked that my name be corrected. Do you remember your response? Don’t go look. I’ll tell you. Frankly, it was not one of your finest moments. You said, and this is a quote from your email: “We have been unable to confirm the accuracy of the change you requested and, therefore, cannot make the change at this time.” I reacted as anyone would, with a near spastic response about me knowing my own name. I think I mentioned something about trained monkeys as well. I apologize again for that loss of control and the namecalling.

At the end of that rather unpleasant email exchange, you corrected my name. Despite that, you used the wrong name – again – on the pre-order for HARD AS NAILS. And for TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT. I fixed both without complaint. Do you see where I’m going with this? Yeah. This morning I went looking for HOT AS HELL, wondering if it was out there on Amazon somewhere even though it did not show up on a search for my name. There it was, all by itself, listed – again – under the wrong name. You even have the cover up which, I would point out, has my name spelled correctly. The poor book has been up for pre-order and I didn’t know. This makes me very unhappy.

So, let’s come to an agreement, shall we? I will refrain from sending you scathing emails pointing out the irony of having someone who is unable to read input the author and title information for books. In exchange, you must stop this nonsense. Fix my name on HOT AS HELL. Don’t mess up my name on my 2009 releases. Really, I’m not asking much.

Truly yours,

HelenKay

Look what I got over the weekend:

Oh, yeah…

I was thinking back to the authors I read when I first started reading romance. I was one of those folks who found an author and glommed on, reading everything the author ever wrote. Still do that, actually. Now that I write for a living, I can see that I learned certain writing truths (can’t think of another word, so I’m going with that one) from these romance authors.

Here’s my sample list:

-From Julie Garwood - That romance novels could tackle tough subjects and never lose their sense of humor.

-From Nora Roberts - That romance heroines could be strong, complicated and real. While 19 year-old virgins were fabulous and all, the heroines I read in Nora’s books were much more relatable and real-life.

-From Lori Foster - That romance novels could be sexy and family-oriented. Her use of related characters reeled me in and kept me reading.

-From Jayne Ann Krentz - That romance heroines did not have to be model beautiful. Krentz’s heroines tend to be practical librarians and not buxom beauties who focus on external stuff. While some authors played up the whole she’s-stunning-and-doesn’t-even-know-it crap, Krentz was writing about women who were beautiful from the inside out, even if they did not meet the objective criteria used by society in judging these things.

-From Susan Elizabeth Phillips - That humor can be smart and does not have to rely on slapstick.

-From Linda Howard - That alpha heroes are the best.

I’ve learned more from other authors over the years, but these are the romance authors I read first. I’m grateful for what they showed me and the enjoyment they gave me…and continue to give me.

I’m blogging at Poe’s Deadly Daughters today. The topic is romantic suspense and how that differs from romance in general. Come over and say hi. And there’s a giveaway…

Special thanks to Darlene Ryan for inviting me to play on her blog.

There are rumors flying around about Borders getting bought out. Borders issued this statement yesterday in response:

Borders Group today reported that the company is in the midst of the strategic alternatives process and has not engaged in substantive discussions regarding any specific transaction to date. The company does not intend to make any further comment while the process is ongoing.

I wonder how many lawyers it took to come up with that nonsense. So many words to say so little…

In happier news, I am guest blogging today at Kelley Nyrae’s blog. Come say hi. There’s something cool going on there…

I’m finally home. Had weather delays getting there and mechanical difficulties getting back, but I’m at my house (at last!) and very happy about that fact. And I have some winners to announce…

-Liza is the winner of Mercy Street by Mariah Stewart
-limecello is the winner of The Brass Bed by Jennifer Stevenson
-I also came home to find two copies of The Velvet Chair by Jennifer Stevenson waiting for me, so I’m sending that to Robin to review

Congrats ladies! Email me with your addresses and I’ll get those books out to you by next week.

Also, two fabulous ladies have posted early reviews for my upcoming release, HARD AS NAILS. Yay! Robin says (you can read the entire review by clicking on the link):

HelenKay writes some of the best dialogue I’ve ever read. Besides revealing the personality of each character with deft one-liners and heartfelt confessions, the nuances she includes with their actions makes them leap off the page. They are real people, with spot-on conflicts that had me smiling, laughing, cheering and hoping.

Laurie says:

Ms. Dimon always provides readers with characters who seem like warm-blooded acquaintances rather than simply characters written in ink on paper. HARD AS NAILS has my highest recommendation for all contemporary romance fans.

Thank you!

I head home today. New York City has been great. Spent a few hours with my editor (fabulous!), had drinks with my agent (very reassuring and great advice), partied with Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith from Cheers and Frasier) and Michael Feintein (I’m not kidding), visted with friends and ate too much.

I’ll fill you in as soon as I get back.

I don’t remember where I first saw Jennifer Stevenson’s covers. Somewhere… Well, now I have one of her books. The Brass Bed arrived at my house the other day. Since I already had a copy, I now have two copies. I haven’t read the book yet, but I was struck by two things. First, the cover quote by Vicki Lewis Thompson that goes like this: “More fun than pillow fighting naked.” Really, how great is that.

Second, I’m impressed with how well the publisher (Ballantine) has branded the author’s covers. Here they are:

The covers are not complicated. In fact, they’re kind of simple (not bad simple – more like clean and uncluttered). For whatever reason, they work for me. Maybe it’s because they’re different from the usual naked male torso. Dunno.

Anyone want to give The Brass Bed a shot? Comment here and you’ll be entered to win. Here are the rules: (1) one entry per person; (2) you need to read the book and either post a review by mid-June here on my blog or on your own; and (3) you don’t have to love the book but your comments do need to be respectful (ie, not personal and nasty). I’ll post a winner on Thursday.