Does This Sound Familiar?

I've added Scottsdale, Arizona to my Travelocity farewatcher list. Why? Longtime visitors will not be surprised to hear that it's related to a book signing. Charlaine Harris will be in Scottdale in May for a book tour. Arizona is the closest stop she's making, and I think the trip will be quite affordable. I'll keep you posted.

Alyssa

Oh, a Challenge!

While talking with the new writer in the publications department, he says that he tends to associate romances with Fabio-cover stuff. He is willing to try reading one if I recommend a "tame" one. I'm thinking of suggesting a book like Meg Cabot's Boy Meets Girl or Carla Kelly's Summer Campaign. Anyone else have a good suggestion?

Alyssa

Tiger Eye

I picked up Marjorie M. Liu's Tiger Eye at the bookstore after reading a review that intrigued me. I'm pleased to report that this book is very good: 4.5 out of 5.

Delilah (Dela) Reece is shopping in a Chinese market when she has a strange encounter with a woman who insists on selling Dela a small box. It's a good bargain, so Dela buys the box and takes it back to her hotel. Before she gets there, however, an ominous man confronts and tries to abduct her.

When she escapes and returns to the hotel, Dela examines the box more closely. It's a puzzle box, and when she maneuvers the lid, a seven-foot man appears. He is shape-shifter Hari, who has been cursed to remain in the box until he is summoned; then, he must obey the commands of the one who releases him.

I love paranormal stories, but Tiger Eye is especially good. While there are a few suspense subplots, the story focuses primarily on Hari and Dela's growing relationship. After two thousand years of bad treatment at the hands of previous masters, Hari is understandably reluctant to trust Dela. I loved Dela's patience with him, and I loved Hari's wonder as he comes to trust and care for her. Both characters are multidimensional and real.

I believe Tiger Eye is Liu's first book, but she has two more coming out later this year. I will buy them, too. Liu is a wonderful, engaging storyteller with a unique voice.

Alyssa

Interesting Pattern

I've almost finished my next entry for Romancing the Blog, and for the second time in a row I discarded my initial idea (even though I had written several paragraphs) and went with a different topic. I won't say what it is (aren't I mean?), but I will say that I think it will spark considerable discussion. I wonder if this pattern will continue?

I do plan to come back to my original topic, however. It still interests me, and I like the title I came up with. Anyway, it is a relief to have it almost finished well before the deadline.

Alyssa

Reading Funk

I'm experiencing a bit of a reading funk. I have been reading Leslie Kelly's The One That Got Away, but haven't been able to get into it. Perhaps because it's part of a larger continuity series, none of which I've read, and there are several characters who simply appear in this story without much explanation. I'm thinking I will set it aside and come back to it later.

I've been rereading in the past few days. I tend to skim as I reread and stop at the places that interest me. I skimmed Mary Balogh's Slightly Dangerous today. That's such a great story.

I may move on to Tiger Eye, by Marjorie M. Liu. I've been hearing good things about it, and I love kick-ass heroines.

Alyssa

One Thing about Reviewers

I'm working on a review of The Naked Duke by Sally MacKenzie, and thought people might be curious about what reviewers do when they come across a review of a book they haven't written about yet. I can't speak for all reviewers, of course, but here's what I do.

Occasionally I will read a review, then get the book in a review package. In this case, there's nothing I can do. I don't have a photographic memory, so usually I remember that I've read a review about it, but not much more. After I write my review, I go back and look at the other review to make sure I didn't unconsciously copy anything. So far, my written reviews have been pretty different even when the rating of the book is the same.

If I see a review and know that I am reviewing the same book, as is the case with The Naked Duke, I don't read it until I've finished my review. It just makes things easier. Once I've finished the review, I will read the other one. In this case, I'm not concerned with whether I've unconsciously copied any part of the review--you can't copy it if you haven't read it, after all--but if a reviewer uses an example that I want to use, I might change mine. It depends on whether I can make my point with a different example.

Alyssa

Trial Update

I am following the trial of Tom Murray quite closely and will continue to do so. I plan to limit my blog entries on the subject to one a week, but I have to write about it. The topic is very much on my mind.

As I mentioned before, he is on trial for the murder of his ex-wife. Based on the articles I've read, it doesn't look good for him. There is a lot of incriminating circumstantial evidence, including the infamous nosebleed excuse. I can't tell you how often I've seen defendants try to explain away blood as being from a nosebleed.

Today's trial talk is about Murray's interview with police. Some of his comments during the interview seem odd, though it's hard to arrive at a conclusion based on a short article about a 9-1/2 hour interview. Still, "I'm having fun with it from a CSI perspective" seems like a strange comment to make about an investigation into the death of someone you were married to for almost 20 years.

Alyssa

"Wicked" Women Whodunit

Brava anthology "Wicked" Women Whodunit is a bit of a mixed bag. One story is excellent, one is very good, one is good, and one is not as good. However, I won't complain; I've added two people to my authors-to-watch list.

MaryJanice Davidson's "Ten Little Idiots" is the good story. It's fast-paced and humorous, but there isn't a whole lot of room for character development. With apologies to Wendy (who likes the shorter contemporary story), I have to say that I prefer Davidson's paranormal books.

"Single White Dead Guy," by Amy Garvey, is the excellent story. I think it's difficult to create a credible scenario in which the hero and heroine meet and head for the bedroom shortly thereafter. I'm always impressed when a writer uses this plot and makes me believe that the relationship is about more than just hormones. That was the case for this book. The mystery was interesting, the characters multidimensional, and the sex spicy. I will make it a point to pick up Murder in the Hamptons, a full-length book from Garvey coming out in May.

Jennifer Apodaca's "Fast Boys" is the very good story. I was initially put off by the e-mail-ends-up-in-wrong-hands plot, but the main characters quickly came to life, which helped immensely. I will look for Apodaca's future stories, too.

"Three Men and a Body," by Nancy J. Cohen, is my least favorite story in the anthology. I'm having a difficult time getting into the reality-show plots that seem so popular right now. On another note, I wasn't convinced that the hero and heroine really connected. Their relationship seemed only physical to me.

So, the results:

"Ten Little Idiots": 3.5
"Single White Dead Guy": 4.5
"Fast Boys": 4
"Three Men and a Body": 3

That puts this anthology at 3.5 out of 5.

Spring is coming. I say this not because I want to comment on the weather, but because I want to warn you that this is my busiest time of year at work. Last year, there were times I would work, then come home and collapse. I'm hoping that won't be the case this year. The good news is that two new people joined the publications department last week, so I won't be the only one working on the annual website updates. But I do want to give you a heads up. I'm not expecting to drop off the face of the earth, but if it happens, I'll be back eventually. I promise. :)

Alyssa

My Guilty Pleasures

I've seen a few people--Lynn M is the most recent--write about guilty pleasures. I've been giving this some thought, and I'm ready to make a few confessions.

Books
When it comes to guilty pleasure reading, the first author that comes to mind is Diana Palmer. I started reading her books in the early 1990s, and I discovered that many of her characters are interchangeable. There's always a young, innocent heroine and an older alpha hero. Often there is some kind of misunderstanding that makes the hero think the heroine is not innocent. The hero usually makes obvious comments about the fact that he is attracted to the heroine, but these comments go right over her head.

Now, I consider myself a feminist, and Palmer's books are far from politically correct. The characters seem like they are stuck in the past. Yet I find myself going back and rereading selected ones every few years. Go figure. The ones I've read several times are The Patient Nurse, Soldier of Fortune, and Coltrain's Proposal.

Movies and TV
I know there is something wrong with me, because I love Original Sin with Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas. The plot is overdramatic, full of passion, betrayal, and deception, yet I watch it a few times a year.

I don't actually watch a lot of TV. I have taped several episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, but that's a guilt-free pleasure. I do have some old miniseries taped, like Deceptions (with Stefani Powers) and Harem (with Nancy Travis). These shows are from the 1980s, and they look it. Ha! They're histrionic and cheesy, but I still love them.

Anyone else brave enough to share their guilty pleasures? ;)

Alyssa

No Words

I was taking a break from writing an article for work, and I decided to visit Crime News 2000. It's been a while since I visited. I saw an article that completely shocked me:

Popular Kansas Professor on Trial for Wife's Murder

I went to Kansas State to get my master's degree in English. I knew Tom Murray, though I never had a class from him. My best friend did, though. I simply can't get my mind around this.

There are no words.

Alyssa

Weekend Report

My three-day weekend is gone, and I'm not sure where it went.

On Saturday, I read a lot. Yesterday I read and scrapbooked. Today I read and scrapbooked. I started my March Romancing the Blog column. I didn't do the two articles for work I hoped I'd get to. I didn't write either of my book reviews. I'm not turning off my computer or going to bed until I finish one of them. I don't feel like I really had a vacation, either. Sigh.

I went scrapbook supply shopping today. My reason for going was my need for another sticker binder. I can't believe how many stickers I have, and I already have three binders. I'm stopping with four. I'm absolutely stopping at four. Since buying my house, I haven't bought a lot of scrapbooking supplies. I still have a ton of stuff from when I was a carefree renter. But they had a 40% off sale on stickers and 20% off all other scrapbooking supplies, and I just couldn't resist. I had to buy things like fingerprint vellum (see crime pages below), after all.

Like buying books, buying scrapbooking supplies is an addiction.

Here are the scrapbook pages. I made four about my nephew's 13th birthday. Birthday pages can be challenging for any scrapbooker, because there are so many birthdays each year (especially in a large family), and they occur every year. Sometimes you just run out of birthday creativity. Two of the pages are about my interest in true crime. (I'll add the apostrophe to the page in "it's"--I just have to find my black marker.) And the last page is from a basketball camp I attended before high school.

Happy Birthday to You, Page 1
Happy Birthday to You, Page 2
Happy Birthday to You, Page 3
Happy Birthday to You, Page 4

It's a Crime, Page 1
It's a Crime, Page 2

Nothing but Net

As for my weekend reading, I read Men of Courage II and The McKenzie Artifact. Both receive 4 out of 5.

Men of Courage II is an anthology with stories by Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman, and Jill Shalvis. It's been a while since I read the first Men of Courage anthology, but the stories are by the same authors, though I don't believe they are related. Kauffman's story about stormchasers is my favorite of the three and receives a 4.5, but Foster's and Shalvis's stories are also strong. Both receive 4 out of 5. I think I'll add Jill Shalvis to my authors-to-look-for-at-the-library list. I really enjoyed her installment but haven't read anything else by her (that I can recall).

This morning I read The McKenzie Artifact by Alison Kent. I confess that I was a little disappointed in The Beach Alibi. I had high hopes for it, since I enjoy the one-person-has-a-crush scenario. I didn't quite connect to the characters in that book. I think a longer story would have been better. The McKenzie Artifact was stronger. I like Stella and Eli. I connected with them both and thought their story was a nice combination of passion, emotion, and adventure.

Now that I've written a long blog entry, I must return to my book review.

Alyssa

Reading Too Much?

For two nights in a row I've dreamed about books. On Friday night, I dreamed about Alison Kent's The McKenzie Artifact. Keep in mind that I haven't read the book yet. I dreamed that the heroine of the book was LDS (Mormon), and I was curious about how Kent would portray this. As I said, I haven't read the book, but I know the general storyline, and I suspect that the heroine isn't Mormon. Anyway, the dream story ended up being nothing like the back cover blurb, and I woke up feeling confused.

Last night, I dreamed that Eric, from Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series, ended up falling in love with a character who looked like Charisma Carpenter. And she was a really dorky character, too. I kept thinking, "No, he's supposed to be with Sookie." I was truly upset about this new development when I woke up this morning.

I think I know why I had these dreams. I think I read something (can't find it now) about Kent's upcoming book, Larger Than Life, having a plot element about helping young girls escape from evil polygamists. When I read this, I remember hoping that the story wouldn't say that the evil polygamists are Mormon. Mormons who practice polygamy these days will be excommunicated. (Can you guess my religion?) Anyway, I don't want to start a religious debate, but I think that's where my dream is coming from.

As for the second dream, I found a review of Harris's upcoming Dead As a Doornail. It confirmed what I already suspected, that Eric won't be Sookie's love interest in this book. I clearly have a strong opinion about that. LOL! Well, if Sookie doesn't get him, that means he's available for me, right?

Or maybe all of this just means I read too much.

Alyssa

Top Five Love Scenes

In the tradition of my blog entry about my top five sweetest moments in romance, I now present my top five love scenes. Here they are, in no particular order:

Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann

If you're a longtime reader of my blog, this scene will come as no surprise to you. It's easily one of the most memorable love scenes I've ever read. It starts when Alyssa goes to Sam's hotel room hours after she's just told him, "I don't even like you." Sam, however, has realized that he's in love with her. Most of the scene is told from Sam's perspective as he wrestles with his conflicting emotions: hurt and anger that Alyssa won't come to him unless she's had a few drinks first; overwhelming desire for her; fear of telling her how he feels; and love. All of Sam's feelings result in a scene that takes my breath away.

What I enjoy most about this scene is Brockmann's ability to get into a character's head and take readers with her. This quote illustrates what I mean. As Sam and Alyssa make love, he struggles to put aside all of his feelings and focus on "pure sex." Eventually, though, the emotions break through:

He couldn't stop himself from thinking anymore. She was what he'd been missing all those months. It wasn't just great sex that he'd been longing for, as much as he'd tried to tell himself otherwise. It was Alyssa. Her voice in his ear. Her smile lighting up his world. Her take no shit, take no prisoners attitude. Her ability to take what he dished out and give it back to him in large quantities. He didn't just want her, he loved her. And he didn't just love her, he liked her. The world was fifty-two thousand times a better, more interesting, more exciting place to be when he was with her. And that was when they weren't having sex.

The entire scene is simply wonderful--it's packed with emotion, and that's what makes it great.

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

This book is not a conventional romance. It's the story of Betsy Taylor, who is fired from her job one day, then killed the next. Then she wakes up to discover that she is a vampire. She's an unusual vampire, however; she's unaffected by crosses, holy water, and sunlight. This makes her interesting to two other vampires who are vying for power: Nostro and Eric Sinclair.

Undead and Unwed includes lots of humor, fun, and action. It also includes an amazing love scene between Betsy and Eric. Betsy has been resisting Eric all along, and she finally decides to stop resisting. She discovers that she can read Eric's mind, which adds emotion to the scene. A short excerpt doesn't do it justice, but here it is:

Can't stop can't stop can't can't Elizabeth oh Elizabeth you feel alive to me you feel like no one else to me Elizabeth . . .

I started to pull away--float away, actually--but he grabbed me back and held me for a long moment while we drifted toward the surface. I couldn't hear him in my head anymore, which made me sad. Love? I had no idea. But it had sure been something.

Betsy and Eric's story continues in Undead and Unemployed. The third book in the series, Undead and Unappreciated, will be out in July.

Her Secret Thrill by Donna Kauffman

Jake and Natalie meet at a party, and after spending a few hours talking, they decide to go to a hotel and have sex. They have so much chemistry that they end up agreeing to hook up when their travels allow it. At first, the relationship is simply physical, but it deepens as they get to know each other. One day, Natalie takes Jake to a museum to see an exhibit that made her think of him. It leads to another passionate encounter that changes them both.

He didn't even have to look down at her to know just how much trouble he was in. He'd never wanted anyone so desperately as he'd wanted Natalie today. It should scare him how badly he'd needed to make love to her. And it did. Just not enough to make him get up, get dressed and get the hell out of there before he did anything even more stupid. Like tell her he was beginning to get serious about her.

Her Secret Thrill is a Harlequin Blaze title that lives up to the name and avoids use of cliches and contrived situations. It's also hot enough to make smoke come out of my ears. The story is terrific.

Purity in Death by J.D. Robb

With at least 18 books in the In Death series, there's no way to select a favorite Eve and Roarke love scene. However, Purity in Death includes two love scenes that I'll use here to represent the series.

The first one is from chapter 13, after Roarke and Eve have worked on the unregistered computer for a while. Passions ignite. ;) Robb certainly knows her way around a love scene. The second one is a sweet one from chapter 22:

She sighed into him. He heard something wistful in the sound, and as she lay over him, he traced his hands up and down her back, that long, lean line, as much for comfort as seduction. His cop, he thought. So troubled. So torn. But here, they were safe and sure. Here, they were right.

He knew, she realized, and turned her face into his throat. He always knew. And the gift of having someone who did, who could, was overwhelming. "I love you. Roarke. I love you." He mouth met his again, hotter now, with the first taste of urgency. "I love you. For all the times I forget to say it."

There's something beautiful about tender love scenes like this one.

"The Nekkid Truth" by Nicole Camden

Camden writes hot love scenes--there's just no better word for them. The scene where Debbie decides to satisfy one of Marshall's fantasies is wonderful. She waits for him to enter the kitchen.

I hoped he didn't drop the chickens.

He did, but they mostly stayed on the baking sheet that he'd used to carry them. I heard the clatter as the pan hit the floor, and I took a quick peek over my shoulder. "Holy shit," he said, and I turned back to the sink, biting my tongue.

The rest you can read for yourself. :) All I can say is if all of Camden's stories are like this one, someone needs to get her a writing contract.

That's the rundown for now. Feel free to talk about these or your favorite love scenes in the comments.

Alyssa

Bookstore Trip

After working late several days this week, I treated myself to a bookstore trip last night. I usually shop at Media Play; on triple points days, I can get a $5 coupon with each $30 (or so) I spend, so I do my best to make purchases on those days. I discovered that they are now offering 25% off romances every day. This seems like too good a deal to last forever, but I'll enjoy it while it does. Here's what I bought:

"Wicked" Women Whodunit: Brava anthology
Better Than Chocolate . . .: Jennifer LeBrecque (had to buy a copy for myself)
Wedding Belles: Regency anthology
The McKenzie Artifact: Alison Kent
Three Brides for Three Bad Boys: Lucy Monroe
Men of Courage II: Lori Foster, Donna Kauffman, Jill Shavis
High Stakes: Barbara Dunlop

Three of these books were special orders, so I got an extra 10% off those. Between the discounts, my coupons, and a gift certificate, I ended up paying less than $10. I wish that happened all the time!

Alyssa

Guarding Laura

I just finished Susan Vaughan's Guarding Laura, and it was an average read: 3 out of 5.

Laura Stanton is in danger. When it's clear that the man who has been chasing her for months has found her again, Cole Stratton is sent to protect her. Now an agent with the government, Cole has previous ties with Laura. He was her high-school lover. Their breakup was acrimonious, but they still have chemistry.

I like Cole and Laura but never felt more than a mild curiosity about them. Cole is easier to like; Laura's propensity to keep secrets is frustrating. The plot is a bit too predicable: Cole gets distracted, Laura ends up in danger, she's saved, repeat. Some dangers include a leaking boat that almost drowns her and a piano that almost crushes her. It's not a good sign when you start to say to yourself, "Oh, there she goes again. I wonder what will happen this time?" I enjoyed Guarding Laura much more when it focused on the characters than the plot.

As a side note, why do so many romance novel couples reunite after 10 years? Why not 2? Or 6? Or 9?

Alyssa

New Templates and Other Things

As you can see, I've changed my blog template. I seem to get bored with my template every few months, so I've switched to a blue one. We'll see how long it lasts. :) I like the image marking each section of the sidebar (the three squares), and I like the font for the blog entries. I'm having a bit of trouble getting block quotes to work correctly, and my title doesn't link back to the home page (though that's just quibbling). And is it just me or does the text in the headings look a bit squashed? I wonder if it's possible to adjust the kerning. Hmmm. I know just enough HTML to be dangerous, so I may tinker with things a bit.

I worked a few extra hours yesterday. It was worth it; I'm slowly getting caught up. My hope is that by working extra hours through Friday, I won't have to work on the weekend. I have Monday off, and it would be so nice to have a real three-day weekend. Then I can work on the two reviews I have in the works as well as my next Romancing the Blog entry, which I need to start soon.

When I arrived home last night, there was a key in my mail slot, which indicates that I have a package. Unfortunately the key wouldn't work. Between last night and this morning, I spent 20 minutes trying to open the stupid package bin with no success. I'm going to the post office at lunchtime to see what they can do for me. I have a feeling that after all the trouble it takes to open the bin, the package will be from a book club. I belong to three, and I've probably neglected to send in one of the reply cards saying that I don't want a shipment. Oh well. Life, and mail delivery, is always an adventure.

Alyssa

Got Blogging on the Mind

I'm still at work, trying to finish one of my bigger projects. I'm writing text for a catalog, and here's what I ended up with:

Clean stamp on one side, blog dry on the other.

Um, make that blot.

Back to work.

Alyssa

The Trouble with Valentine's Day

I couldn't let Valentine's Day pass without a romance review, could I? And Rachel Gibson's The Trouble with Valentine's Day is so appropriate. It's a great book, too: 4 out of 5.

On Valentine's Day, Kate Hamilton is on her way to Gospel, Idaho to stay with her grandfather, when she spots a man at a bar. He's attractive, interesting to talk to, and Kate decides to take a risk by inviting him to bed. He turns her down.

Weeks later, Kate is working in her grandfather's grocery store when sports-store owner Rob Sutter walks in, and Kate finds herself face to face with the man who rejected her.

That's just the beginning. Rob and Kate are both starting over after some painful experiences. Their backstories are revealed early in the book, but I won't describe them here. Some things are simply more enjoyable when you read them for yourself. Kate and Rob are both intriguing characters.

The Trouble with Valentine's Day is loosely connected to See Jane Score (Rob used to be with Luc's hockey team) and True Confessions (which is also set in Gospel, Idaho). It stands alone well, though. The references to people in the previous books won't confuse someone who hasn't read Gibson before, but they will enrich the book for someone who has.

I was somewhat surprised by Kate, who kept saying she wouldn't let Rob into her life because he would hurt her, then kept doing it anyway. On the other hand, that's very human, and luckily it worked out for her in the end. Rob's turnaround was quick--I wish there had been another 10 pages to make it seem less abrupt. The story is still enjoyable, though. Kate and Rob both deserved a happy ending.

As for my Valentine's Day, I "celebrated" by going home early. I was feeling exhausted, so I went home and took a nap. (Of course, that means I had to bring work home with me, which isn't fun. Oh well.) I also had my pictures developed, so you can see a picture of me with Rachel Gibson at the signing.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Alyssa

Car Update

I don't usually call any money spent on car maintenance "good news," but I was glad to learn that I simply needed a new battery for the car. With my luck, I was expecting something much worse. Since I haven't had a new battery since I got the car more than five years ago, it wasn't a huge surprise. Anyway, it's ready to go, so I will pick it up at lunchtime.

Alyssa

Contest Winner

Time to announce the winner of the first contest! I put the names of all commenters into a box and had a coworker draw a name. The winner:

Wendy!

Please e-mail me with your address (I'll put my e-mail address in the comment section), and let me know which book you want:

Jacquie D'Alessandro: We've Got Tonight
Vicki Lewis Thompson: Old Enough to Know Better
Vicki Lewis Thompson: Pure Temptation
Nancy Warren: Underneath It All

I've decided to do the contest once a month instead of each week in February. So watch for next month's contest!

Alyssa

Rachel Gibson Book Signing

Last night I attended Rachel Gibson's book signing at Borders bookstore. It was scheduled to start at 7:00 PM, so I made plans to leave my scrapbooking party for a while. I wanted to be there right on time, because I wasn't sure if there would be a Q&A session or anything else planned.

I arrived at Borders right at 7:00 with my bag of her books. She had a table and display just inside the door. I think I was the first person there, which made me a little shy, but I walked in and said I was there for the signing. I grabbed copies of The Trouble with Valentine's Day and Simply Irresistible (my used bookstore copy is well loved), and she signed them for me. I asked if she would sign books I brought from home, and she said she would be happy to do so.

We talked for a few minutes. I told her that See Jane Score was the first book of hers I read and that it's still my favorite. (Do authors really want to know such things, I wonder?)

She asked if I read historical romances as well as contemporaries. I said I did, but that contemporaries are my favorite subgenre. She asked what historical writers I enjoyed, and my mind went blank. I felt really silly, but after I few seconds I said I really enjoyed Julia Quinn.

By this time, there was a woman behind me. She mentioned that this was her first book signing. Rachel asked if authors came to Salt Lake City for signings, and I said it didn't happen too often. We have occasional signings, and local authors who sign, but when authors stop here on their book tours, it's the exception rather than the rule.

Rachel told me that she is working on a series of books about four friends. The first book will not come out for more than a year (a year is typical for her), but there will be less time between the connected books. I said that her books are well worth the wait. :)

Before I left, I asked if I could get my picture taken with her, and she said sure. So we had someone take two pictures with my camera, then the woman behind me stood next to us and there were two pictures taken with Rachel's camera. She said if they turned out well, she would post them at her website. That would be fun! We'll see.



I did some browsing around the store. They were having a buy-two-get-one-free sale, but it was only on selected books. The Trouble with Valentine's Day was a selected item, but I couldn't find two others I wanted. Pretty strange. Anyway, I noticed while I was browsing that there were always a few people at Rachel Gibson's table. I was glad to see that, because if I were an author, I'd hate to be at a signing when no one was there. I bought my books and left the store about 25 minutes after I arrived.

I went back to the scrapbooking party and did some birthday pages about my nephew:

He's Twelve, Page 1
He's Twelve, Page 2
He's Twelve, Page 3
He's Twelve, Page 4

This morning I put my Rachel Gibson books back on my shelf and realized that I hadn't brought Truly Madly Yours with me for her to sign because it was on my TBR bookcase, and I didn't even bother to look there. :( Well, maybe next time. Also, her website indicates that she is willing to sign books that you send her through the mail, so maybe I'll get it signed that way.

In an odd piece of news, I'm having a bit of car trouble. My car seemed to work just fine yesterday. I'm having a video party tonight, and I tried to start the car just to move it forward so there would be more room for people to park. It made a strange whirring, clicking sound when I tried to start the engine, and it won't turn over. This is not a good thing, although I am grateful that I got home before the problem started. It would not have been fun to be stranded at the bookstore or at my coworker's house. Send healthy car thoughts my way.

Alyssa

Not What I Had in Mind

When I said that I planned to work on balancing things in my life, having my work projects quadruple in number was not what I had in mind. It's gotten to the point where I have set up my e-mail with an out of office reply even though I am not out of the office. It basically explains that unless an urgent web posting is required, I will not get to the project until next week. I brought work home with me tonight, but I ended up taking a 20 minute cat nap that lasted 3-1/2 hours. Oops. And I still feel exhausted. I'm hoping to get some of these projects out of the way tomorrow.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the comments my Romancing the Blog entry has received. It seemed to spark a lot of interest, which is all I could hope for. Now I just have to decide which of my four ideas to write next . . .

Tomorrow after work I am getting together with my publications coworkers. We're going to have dinner, watch a video, and scrapbook. I will be leaving partway through the video to attend Rachel Gibson's book signing, which I'm very excited about. I'm hoping my mom will let me borrow her camera, since both of mine are giving me trouble at the moment.

Over the weekend, you can expect to see a book signing report and hopefully a book review or two. If I end up not posting a review, it will be because I'm too busy trying to catch up on work. :(

Alyssa

My Romancing the Blog Debut

In a few hours, my first blog entry at Romancing the Blog will be posted. Of course, that's assuming I set the time of the posting correctly. :) In any case, take a look. It will be interesting to see what kinds of comments it generates.

[Update: The good news is that it's posted, so I must have set the posting time correctly. The bad news is that no one has commented. Oh dear.]

[Another update: There are some comments there now, so I will try to stop obsessing about this. I'm thinking of renaming this blog entry "A post in which I demonstrate my insecurity." What do you think? It has a nice ring to it. ;)]

Alyssa

Finding Hope

It's been a while since I read an inspirational romance. I am a spiritual and religious person, but these qualities are so personal for everyone, even people who don't consider themselves to be spiritual or religious. It must be challenging to write a story that doesn't sound preachy.

The inspirational romances I read several years ago had much the same theme: one person (often a woman) converts another (often a man). This is one reason I stopped reading inspirationals; in many of them the settings changed, but several other aspects seemed similar. Perhaps I chose the wrong books.

I finished Brenda Coulter's Finding Hope. It was interesting and very readable, but the heroine was almost too perfect: 3 out of 5.

Hope is a 22-year-old woman with strong faith in God. She runs into Charles's car--literally--on the way to the hospital. She's going to visit a man who has been like a grandfather to her. Charles is a trauma doctor at the hospital, and he was having a difficult day even before Hope hit his car.

Charles sees himself as unfeeling and cynical. He and Hope begin to spend time together, and he finds himself enjoying her company and attending Bible study classes. But he doesn't believe that he can love anyone.

I like Hope at times, but she often seems too perfect. She has a wonderful background. Her family is devout; in fact, her parents are missionaries in Africa. Hope herself is bubbly, persistant, and endlessly optimistic. She also speaks five languages. This makes her an interesting character to read about, but not one I really relate to.

The section I most enjoyed is one where Charles goes to Pastor Bill to talk about his spiritual struggle. Their conversation is moving, but I would like to have seen more of Charles's thoughts to make his conversion more believable. His decision to marry Hope happens very quickly, too.

In any case, Finding Hope was interesting but not much different from others I've read. The next time I read an inspirational, I'll look for one with a different plot. I'd love to find a story about someone regaining faith, for example. Any suggestions?

Alyssa

Contest Extended

I'm extending my commenting contest until this Sunday; read the details here. If there are at least 10 people who have commented, I'll go forward with the drawing. Otherwise, I'll hold off on contests for a few months.

Surprise! The repairs on my car are finished. It looks wonderful! I have enjoyed driving a rental car, but it's really nice to have my car back.

I also just finished the most difficult review I've ever written. Watch for it at The Romance Reader in the next week or so.

Alyssa

Survivor in Death

I've lost track of how many books are in J.D. Robb's In Death series--I think it's somewhere around 20. Survivor in Death is a strong installment: 4 out of 5.

Eve Dallas faces an unique challenge in Nixie Swisher, a nine-year-old girl who escapes an attack that kills the rest of her family. As a witness, Nixie is clearly in danger, and she develops a bond with Eve. Therefore, Eve brings her home and begins the search for the killers of Nixie's family.

I was intrigued by the mystery. I won't say much about it to avoid spoilers, but these are not the crazed serial killers we've seen in some of the past books. This aspect of the plot comes together nicely.

People who read the In Death series often enjoy the mystery more than the personal relationships or vice versa. I read it for the personal interaction; I love seeing Roarke and Eve's relationship develop, and there's more of that here. I don't recommend starting with this book, though, if you haven't read the series before. Instead, start with Naked in Death and move forward, or you'll miss wonderful dynamics of Eve and Roarke's developing relationship.

In Survivor in Death, it's not surprising that Nixie's presence leads to interesting interaction. Nixie is just a little too close in age to how old Eve was when she became an orphan. (Trying to be cryptic here, just in case.) This brings numerous emotions to the surface. Furthermore, Eve isn't particularly maternal. Like Eve, Roarke is reminded of his painful childhood because of Nixie. In general, however, he tends to be more at ease with the girl.

Many of the standard secondary characters make appearances. I also enjoyed seeing a few characters from past books. Survivor in Death was worth the wait.

Alyssa

Once Again, the Subject of Reviews

During my weekend blog hopping, I ran across this opinion of reviews and reviewers. I've been thinking about it, and I want to offer another perspective. My response, from a reviewer's point of view:

I don't write books, but I am a writer. In addition to my blog and my reviews, I work full-time as a writer and editor. I've written articles, ads, catalog and brochure text, website copy, and more. I know writing isn't easy. I know how much time it involves and how much energy it requires. I know what it's like to work on deadline, to write when you don't feel like writing, to want to bash your head against a computer monitor. Do I know what it is to write a book? No, but I'm still a writer.

There's something else, however, that makes me even more qualified to be a reviewer: I'm a reader. I've been one for more than 30 years. I've read books that impressed me, books that bored me, books that inspired me, and books that frustrated me.

I'm not saying writers should read reviews of their books--that's an individual choice and I definitely respect a writer's right to do what she wants and what is best for her. But I don't think any well-explained opinion should be automatically dismissed because the person with that opinion hasn't written scores of books. That's the case for 99% of a writer's audience. Does that invalidate their opinions? I hope that any writer would say no. The writer of the blog entry linked above indicates that she does consider reader opinion. That's great. But not every reader will contact an author. For every one who does, I'm guessing there are dozens or hundreds who don't.

Are all reviews worthwhile? No. Anyone who has spent any time at Amazon.com or the like knows that there are plenty of reviews out there like these:

This book sucked. It was the worst thing I've ever read . . . blah blah: 1 star.

This book was really great and the characters were interesting and the plot was different: 2 stars.

Reviews like these aren't well-explained and ultimately aren't instructive either to writers who may want to consider the feedback in future or to readers who want to know why a book is recommended (or not). I want people who read my reviews to know why I liked or didn't like a book. I'm a bit more informal here at my blog, but I still try to offer some explanation for my opinion. And good reviewers take time to write and craft their reviews.

As for whether a review can take money out of a writer's pocket, I'm not dismissing that possibility. But here's the flip side: In the past two years since I started reading online reviews, I have found a huge number of books and writers that I wouldn't have read otherwise. Some of these finds were the result of a stellar review. Others came from less favorable reviews that offered enough explanation for me to try the book. Still others came from books I've been sent to review. I suspect that writers such as Sherrilyn Kenyon, Nora Roberts, MaryJanice Davidson, Suzanne Brockmann, Angela Knight, and Rachel Gibson (I could keep going, but you get the idea)--all authors I discovered by reading or writing reviews--don't care how I found their books. They're just pleased I buy them now. :) In addition, readers who like a book they read will spread the word, even if the book received a negative review.

I don't expect that my opinion about reviewing will change anyone's mind, and that's not my goal. But I've never implied that a writer will burn in hell, even in cases when I really disliked the book. I don't believe this writer will burn, but she won't receive a penny of my money.

Alyssa

Blogs and Buying Choices

I read a debate on someone's blog (and I can't find it now, ugh!) about whether an author's blog influences a reader's book purchases. My latest used bookstore trip resulted in a purchase of 19 books. Three are written by authors whose blogs I've visited in the past month:

Finding Hope: Brenda Coulter
Every Breath You Take: Suzanne McMinn
Just Kiss Me: Kathleen O'Reilly

As for whether I would have bought the books new? It's a moot question, since all three are out of print (I think), so you can't get them any other way. Just for the sake of argument, though, maybe I wouldn't have bought them new. But if I discover that I like these authors, I'd certainly buy their books in the future.

Alyssa

Seize the Night

Since reviewing Night Play for The Romance Reader last year, I've been working my way through Sherrilyn Kenyon's books. This week I read Seize the Night. It has a different tone from the other books in the series, but I still liked it: 4 out of 5.

When vampire hunter Tabitha fights off an attack, she ends up injuring the wrong man. Valerius is an immortal dark-hunter, but his injury is serious enough that Tabitha brings him home to recover. Although Valerius seems cold and aloof, she's attracted to him in spite of the fact that he is her brother-in-law's enemy.

Valerius and Tabitha are a classic case of opposites attract. He's reserved, she's gregarious. He's conservative, she's not. This, along with their similarities, makes them a good match for each other. I liked seeing a less-aggressive dark-hunter; Valerius is a beta hero with some alpha traits.

Acheron plays a big role in Seize the Night, and readers learn more about him and meet a possible love interest.

I mentioned that the tone of this book is different from the tone of her other books. It's darker, with a bit less humor. There's a bit too much going on, too. I think this would be a difficult book for a new reader to start with.

On another subject: After seeing several posts about blog templates, I've been exploring the possibility of a new template for this site. I downloaded a free one and then decided I didn't like it as much as I thought. I found another one I really like, but it looks like the Blogger version may no longer be available. In the meantime, I've spent so much time seeing what's out there that my eyes may fall out. So, you may see a new template soon, or you may not. You'll be the first to know.

In other news, I'm making a few final changes to my Romancing the Blog entry. I'm a little concerned that it will sound prissy. I hope not; I'm probably just being paranoid. In any case, you'll see it there on February 10. I have a few ideas for my March entry that I think will be fun. I'm not having writer's block at RTB (yet, knock on wood), which was one of my fears before agreeing to be a columnist.

Alyssa

Tempting Contest

I haven't been to a used bookstore since my trip in December, which resulted in my car looking like this:

Wrecked Car [I changed the picture to a link--it's just too painful to see this photo on the main page.]

Today at lunch, I decided I wanted to make a bookstore stop. While I was looking at the Harlequin Temptations, I saw a number of Temptations I've enjoyed, and thought, "These are great books--I hope someone tries them and likes them."

And that's when I had an idea. I bought the books, and I'm going to have a contest each week in February. To enter, just go through my blog, find an entry that interests you, and add a comment. That will enter you into the contest. Are you tempted? I hope so!

I'm adding some caveats. While you can comment on as many posts as you like, you are limited to one entry in the contest. I reserve the right to disregard irrelevant comments. I also reserve the right to reevaluate at the end of each contest.

Comments made through Sunday, February 6, 2005 will be entered in the first contest. I will draw and announce a winner on Monday, February 7, 2005. That winner can choose a book from the four listed below:

Jacquie D'Alessandro: We've Got Tonight
Vicki Lewis Thompson: Old Enough to Know Better
Vicki Lewis Thompson: Pure Temptation
Nancy Warren: Underneath It All

Note to non-US readers: Leave a comment to this message listing your country. I will weigh a package and get back to you about whether I can mail it for a reasonable amount.

Go forth and comment!

Alyssa

P.S. As a side note, I'm pleased to say that I made the bookstore trip without injury to myself or my car. I should say my rental car. I'm still in the rental; my car is taking an incredibly long time to repair. I was supposed to get it last week, then this week, now it's looking like maybe next week . . .

I've Got It

Survivor in Death was waiting for me when I got home from work today. Thank goodness--I was really starting to wonder about it. So that's what I'm reading now.

Here is the scrapbook page I did a few days ago. It's from college several years ago. I'm the one on the right. Sadly, I can't remember the names of the other women in the picture. Geez! Maybe I'll have some luck looking through my journals. It's a good lesson to me about how important it is to write down names while I remember them.

College Job

Tomorrow is Friday. I think I've finally conquered whatever cold or flu bug I had, but I'm still ready for the weekend. Rest is a good thing.

Alyssa

Where Is It?

I'm still waiting for my copy of Survivor in Death to arrive. I usually get it on the release date if not a day sooner. Two days have gone by, and there's no sign of it. I'm really, really hoping to get it today. The business of waiting is just killing me.

Alyssa

Finding Balance

Yesterday I created a scrapbook page while watching TV, and I realized that (gasp!) I've been reading too much. I didn't think that was possible, but now I see that I need to work in more scrapbooking time. I have plenty of pictures I can use, after all.

But don't worry. I imagine I'll still read frequently and post here several times a week. You'll just see a few more scrapbook pages, too. (I'll scan the one I did yesterday and post it here later.)

I'm still waiting to receive Survivor in Death. Hopefully it will be waiting for me today when I get home from work. If not, I'm still 100 pages or so from finishing Sherrilyn Kenyon's Seize the Night. I will not be without reading material. :)

Back to work.

Alyssa