Contest

My author website should go live this week. However, I have a dilemma. I'm trying to come up with some FAQ, but I haven't come up with many questions. What questions would you want answered on a FAQ page for an unpublished author?

Here's where your help comes in. All you have to do is post a question in the comments. If I use it on the site, you'll be entered in a drawing. Three people will receive a set of three votive candles and a candle holder.

Update: I'm extending this contest through March 7. I'll draw three winners then. Until then, ask away!

One Last Look

One Last Look is the final book in a trilogy by Linda Lael Miller. I liked the first two books, but I think this one is my favorite: 4.5 out of 5.

Clare Westbrook is a survivor who built her new law practice from sheer determination--and an unexpected inheritance. Now Clare, carrying her lover Tony Sonterra's child, has taken the biggest risk of all: saying "yes" to his marriage proposal and finally burying her lifelong commitment phobia. So why is fear running through her veins and haunting her dreams? Sonterra is fired up to leave Pheonix for small-town Arizona, to replace the town's missing police chief and target a lethal desert crime ring. Clare's willing to stand by her man, but her fiance won't be the only one flirting with danger on the job: as a special investigator for the D.A.'s office, Clare is plunged into a race to find a missing child whose mother was murdered--a hot case that puts Clare's safety, and that of her unborn child, on the edge. For in a place where secrets have nowhere to hide, the promise of Clare's bright future could vanish in the blink of an eye . . .

Tony and Clare were the focus of the previous two in the series: Don't Look Now and Never Look Back. One Last Look puts Clare in danger once again. This time, though, her relationship with Tony is solid. Yes, Clare has commitment issues, but her love for Tony is never in question, nor is his for her.

I fell in love with Tony in the first book, and I still think he's a wonderful hero. He and Clare butt heads just enough to keep him from slipping into too-good-to-be-true territory. I like that he is both protective and sensible. For example, he knows that Clare needs her own car, so after hers is totalled, he buys her a Hummer. I couldn't help but smile at the image of Clare driving a red Hummer.

As in the other books, Clare finds herself in dangerous situations. There were a couple of times when I wanted her to contact Tony sooner than she did, but in general I enjoyed the suspense aspect of the story.

One Last Look was an even better conclusion to the trilogy than I hoped it would be. I'm going to miss Clare and Tony.

Quick Blog

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I've been working on my Romancing the Blog column, reviews for The Romance Reader, and my fiction. I've also been reading, though, so when I have a minute in the next few days, I'll post a blog entry or two.

Worth of a Blog

From Laurie's blog.

My blog is worth $19,194.36.
How much is your blog worth?

A Fine Work of Art

It looks like I've discovered another auto-buy author. I read and enjoyed Shelby Reed's A Fine Work of Art over the weekend: 4.5 out of 5.

At thirty-six, university art professor Elizabeth Gilstrom finds herself facing a bleak, lonely future when her husband leaves her for his young medical assistant. After giving up her own career as an artist a decade before, Elizabeth has nothing to show for their ten-year marriage . . . only the faded memory of a paintbrush's weight in her hand, an empty bed, and an empty heart.

She's still reeling from shock and devastation when graduate student Boone McCrea walks into her office . . . and into her bed. Boone might only be twenty-four, but he is, quite simply, one of the most attractive men Elizabeth has ever seen, a work of art that stirs wild sensations she has long repressed.

I love the older woman/younger man scenario, and the fact that they are teacher/student adds an interesting dynamic to the plot. It did cause some niggling in the back of my head--I kept thinking that Elizabeth was headed for trouble by getting involved with a student. Still, I liked both Boone and Elizabeth enough that I kept reading. I think Reed resolves the issue in a way that makes sense for the characters.

A Fine Work of Art is very much Elizabeth's story. It's told in third person strictly from her point of view. I usually prefer books that include both the hero and heroine's point of view, but in this case, I felt like I got to know Boone quite well through Elizabeth's perspective. In fact, I think it made the story more interesting to learn about Boone this way.

Elizabeth's journey from grief to moving on seems very realistic. She makes progress, backslides, and doubts herself much like anyone else would in her situation. Although Boone is part of her journey, I never felt like he was the sole reason for it. Their scenes together were very hot, though. :)

Reed is just a terrific writer. I love the vivid characters she creates as well as the unique stories she tells.

A side note: the cover of this e-book is rather startling, partly because it's different from the one shown on the Ellora's Cave website. Don't open this one at work or with kids around.

Playing Easy to Get

I was in a chat room, minding my own business, when Nicole cornered me and said I needed to read the anthology Playing Hard to Get. (OK, she didn't really corner me; she just mentioned it.) So I read the book this week and would describe it as pretty average: 3.5 out of 5.

From New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon comes "Turn Up the Heat,'' the story of an average woman who wins the vacation of a lifetime--a trip to Sex Camp. But what Allison George gets is a race for her life with none other than an ex-Mafia hit man who is now being sought by his prior employer. Vince Cappelleti knew the island was a risky proposition, but he'd run out of options. Now the only thing he wants in his sights is Allison, but in order to have a future with her, he must first deal with his past.

Jaid Black's sizzling hot "Hunter's Oath" sends grief-striken Sofia Rowley to the Arctic Circle, where her brother, a U.S. Army officer, was lost in a deadly helicopter crash. She's about to take a shocking journey into a secret underground world where Viking bride-hunters auction off their bounty . . . and where a strapping warrior vows to make this beautiful Outsider his.

Possession and passion entwine in Kresley Cole's sultry story, "The Warlord Wants Forever." Nikolai Wroth, a ruthless vampire warlord, searches for his Bride--the one woman who can render him truly alive. When his fevered chase leads to Myst the Coveted, a Valkyrie seductress who craves only freedom, a battle of domination and desire begins. Will the power of her seductive wiles overcome his strength? Or will she surrender and experience the deliciously agonizing lust that Nikolai has endured waiting for his one and only Bride?

"Turn Up the Heat" starts with an appealing fantasy--leaving an oppressive place of work to have your fantasies fulfilled on a private island. But the characters don't quite engage me. The story is just too short to create a solid connection with Allison and Vince. The pacing was good, and I wanted to know what would happen, but the story didn't quite cross the line from good to great: 3 out of 5.

I had a similar issue with the length of "Hunter's Oath." I was definitely intrigued by the story, although the Viking society is ruled by a bit too much testosterone. There's also a woman I wanted to bash over the head. (You'll know the part I mean when you read it.) There is a clash of ideologies as well. I thought it was resolved a bit too easily with only one conversation. Again, this is where another 20 pages would have helped: 3 out of 5.

It probably won't surprise you to know that the longest story is the one I enjoyed most. This is the first time I've read anything by Kresley Cole, and the world she creates in "The Warlord Wants Forever" is a compelling one. Neither Myst nor Nikolai are perfect characters, which is something I appreciate. In this case, I found my sympathy going back and forth between them: 4 out of 5.

AAR Reader Survey

I finally sent my choices to AAR's 2005 poll. I tried to vary my responses so that I did not list the same thing every time.

Best Romance
Origin in Death, J.D. Robb

Favorite Funny
The Pregnancy Test, Erin McCarthy

Most Hanky Read
Hot Rod Heaven, Melani Blazer

Most Lucious Love Story
Passion, Lisa Valdez

Most Tortured Hero
Hari, Tiger Eye, Marjorie M. Liu

Strongest Heroine
Faith, Contact, Evelyn Vaughn

Best Hero
Roarke, Origin in Death, J.D. Robb

Best Heroine
Eve Dallas, Origin in Death, J.D. Robb

Best Couple
Nick and Steph, "Wish List," Sylvia Day

Best Villain
Tiger Eye, Marjorie M. Liu

Best Author Who Debuted in 2005
Marjorie M. Liu

Best Buried Treasure
Through a Crimson Veil, Patti O'Shea

Guiltiest Pleasure
Pregnant by the Greek Tycoon, Kim Lawrence

Author Most Glommed in 2005
Jill Shalvis

Best Cabin Romance
Murder in the Hamptons, Amy Garvey

Best Medieval/Renaissance
My Shadow Warrior, Jen Holling

Best European Historical
The Veil of Night, Lydia Joyce

Best Traditional Regency
A Singular Lady, Megan Frampton

Best American Historical
Ride the Fire, Pamela Clare

Best Contemporary
Get a Clue, Jill Shalvis

Best Series
Contact, Evelyn Vaughn

Best Romantic Suspense
To Die For, Linda Howard

Best Alternate Reality
Awaken Me Darkly, Gena Showalter

Best Chick Lit
The Givenchy Code, Julie Kenner

Best Short Story
"Fuzzy Logic," Erin McCarthy, Bad Bays Over Easy

Authors Others Love That You Don't
Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Most Disappointing
Only for a Knight, Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Worst
X-treme Dating, Cathy McDavid

I didn't answer the Author I Gave Up On in 2005 or the Most Annoying Lead Character categories. I scrolled through the list of books I read, but nothing jumped out at me.

There were a few categories that were extremely difficult to answer. For Best Debut Author, I could easily have gone with Marjorie M. Liu, Amy Garvey, or Lydia Joyce. They are all quite good. I decided to put Sylvia Day in the running for Debut Author in 2006, since her first print book has a 2006 copyright.

There were a number of options for Best Short Story. I ultimately went with "Fuzzy Logic," but Angela Knight's "Galahad" and Meljean Brook's "Falling for Anthony" were also excellent.

Then there was the series category. Contact ultimately got it because it was the one that received a 5. But I also enjoyed Marie Donovan's Her Body of Work and Can't Get Enough by Sarah Mayberry.

So there were definitely some tough decisions. But I'm just glad I managed to put my ballot together before the deadline.

December and January Reviews

It's been a weird week, but I think it might be returning to normal. I will post a review or two in the next few days. I know Nicole wants me to review Playing Easy to Get, and I might decide to accomodate her.

I'm still reading She Wanted It All, and I've got some books I'm reading for The Romance Reader. Speaking of which, here are links to my December and January reviews.

Bride Needs Groom
The Dark Horse
The Pregnancy Test
Surrender to a Wicked Spy
Temperature's Rising

The Root of All Evil

On Saturday, the hot water quit working. So today, I called a plumber to have him take a look. I figured it was frozen water pipes, but it turns out that a water heater from 1979 is destined to give up the ghost at some point. In addition to replacing the water heater, I had them fix the garbage disposal and take care of a few other things. Here I am with water that will be hot within half an hour (they tell me). I'm also $900 poorer. Ouch.

I'm debating about whether I am going to remain a Northern Lights at Home presenter. They've raised the minimum to $300/quarter, so I have to decide if I would sell that many candles. Six months ago, I wouldn't have hesitated, but time demands are at the breaking point as it is, let alone trying to add a part-time business.

On a related-to-money note, I've invested in an author website. Just got the first spec, and I have to decide if I like it. And do I want my picture to be a key element of the design?

OK, here's the truth. I'm feeling very, very discouraged about writing at the moment and that's affecting everything. I got some feedback on a chapter today. The good news is that I know what I need to work on, as she's the second reader to make this comment. The bad news is that it's not an issue that comes naturally, and now I'm overanalyzing. I think it's an occupational hazard. So I'm taking the night off when it comes to writing and will come back fresh tomorrow.

I think I'll be a lot better after a good night's sleep.



P.S. I'm now reading She Wanted It All by Kathryn Casey. My mood demanded true crime.

Eerily Accurate

BLUES are motivated by INTIMACY, seek opportunities
to genuinely connect with others, and need to
be appreciated. They do everything with
quality and are devoted and loyal friends and
employers/employees. Whatever or whomever
they commit to are their sole (and soul)
focus. They love to serve and will give
freely of themselves in order to nurture
others lives.

BLUES, however, do need to be understood. They have
distinct preferences and occasionally the
somewhat controlling (but always fair)
personality of a confident leader. Their code
of ethics is remarkably strong and they
expect others to live honest, committed lives
as well. They enjoy sharing meaningful
moments in conversation as well as
remembering special life events (i.e.,
birthdays and anniversaries). BLUES are
dependable, thoughtful, nurturing, and can
also be self-righteous, a bit worry-prone,
and emotionally intense. They are like
sainted pit-bulls who never let go of
something once they are committed. When you
deal with a BLUE, be sincere, make an effort
to truly understand them, and truly
appreciate them.


What Color Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

TBR Challenge: Enchanted, Inc.

This month's TBR challenge is to read a book by an author you haven't read before. I decided to pick up a book I bought at last year's RWA signing.

Title
Enchanted, Inc.

Katie Chandler had always heard that New York is a weird and wonderful place, but this small-town Texas gal had no idea how weird until she moved there. Everywhere she goes, she sees something worth gawking at, and Katie is afraid she's a little too normal to make a spash in the big city. Working for an ogre of a boss doesn't help either.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Katie gets a job offer from Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., a company that sells tricks of the trade to the magic community. For MSI, Katie's ordinariness is an asset. Lacking any bit of magic, she can easily spot a fake spell, catch hidden clauses in competitor's contracts, and detect magically disguised intruders. Suddenly, average Katie is very special indeed.

She quickly learns that office politics are even more complicated when your new boss is a real ogre, and you have a crush on the sexy, shy, ultrapowerful head of the R&D department, who is so busy fighting an evil competitor threatening to sell black magic on the street that he seems barely to notice Katie. Now it's up to Katie to pull
off the impossible: save the world and--hopefully--live happily ever after.

Author
Shanna Swendson

Year Published
2005

Why did you get this book?
I read a blog entry about it by Nicole, who recommended it. I thought the premise sounded interesting, so I put it on my list to try. When I met Swendson at RWA, I bought the book.

Do you like the cover?
For the most part, yes. It conveys a mood that's similar to the one in the book. But the woman's hair is a little weird, even for a cartoon cover.

Did you enjoy the book?
Yes, and I rate it 4 out of 5. It's told in first-person from Katie's point of view, and I like Katie. She's kind of an everywoman, so it was easy to relate to her. I like the New York Swendson creates, too. I got a kick out of the strange things Katie sees and dismisses as too strange.

Owen is the "sexy, shy, ultrapowerful" R&D man mentioned in the blurb. I like the dichotomy in the shy and ultrapowerful--and he's definitely both--although the man does blush an awful lot. You don't see that very often in a man. It would have been interesting to get into his head, but the POV prevents that.

Would you read something by this author again?
Yes. I will probably buy the next book in the series at next year's RWA.

Are you keeping it or passing it on?
Keeping it.

Anything else?
Just that I add my recommendation to Nicole's. It's a light, fun read.

Heart of the West Book Signing

I attended a book signing yesterday in conjunction with a writers' conference. The conference was great, and the signing was fun, too. There were between 15-20 authors there, and there was already a line when I arrived. The line moved rather slowly at first, so I asked people in front of me if they were waiting for Sherrilyn Kenyon. Their response? Yes. So I squeezed in the door so I could get to the other authors. She wasn't the only one there, after all.

I basically made my way down the row of authors. I'm probably the best kind of person to go to book signings (from an author's point of view, at least) because when I see a row of authors who are just sitting there, I walk down the row and buy books. So here's what I ended up with:

• Big Girls Don't Cry: Brenda Novak


• Stupid Cupid: Liz Hunter, Rayka Mennen, and Phyllis Campbell


• The Jewel and the Sword: Marjorie Jones


• Outside Time: Cathy Miller


• Minute by Minute: Jo Leigh


• The Interpreter: Raeanne Thayne


• Unleash the Night: Sherrilyn Kenyon


• Love Came Just in Time: Lynn Kurland


• Reign of the Favored Women: Ann Chamberlin


• Sins of the Night: Sherrilyn Kenyon


• Tales from the Temple I: Sahara Kelly, Ravyn Wilde, Doreen DeSalvo, Kate Douglas, Lani Aames, and Lora Leigh


• Diamond Affair: Mary Martinez


• Mine for Keeps: Sara Fitzgerald

I might be missing one or two; I'm surrounded by books and need to organize them.

Anyway, I had a nice chat with Jo Leigh and Brenda Novak. I didn't take pictures with them because I thought I would do that at the restaurant later. This was before the evil headache hit.

I talked to Ravyn Wilde as well and had my picture taken with her.



I also found out that she lives about five minutes away from me. :) Kind of fun. Now I need to read one of her books. LOL!

After I went down the row, I got in Kenyon's line. It was . . . long, but I enjoyed talking to the person in line in front of me. I ended up waiting only (ha!) about 20 minutes before I got to the front of the line.



No matter what you think of her fans, I have to say that she is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Admittedly, I don't know her well, but she seems truly grateful for her readers.



After that, I learned that I had won a contest! I entered when I bought a couple of books, and I won an address book, notebook, and dinner for two. Yippee! It almost makes up for the fact that I will never, ever have a manageable to-be-read pile. Honestly, does it look like I need more books for my TBR shelves?



Didn't think so.

Concluded

I'm back from the writing conference and book signing. I'll provide a report in the next few days, but the conference was pretty helpful and interesting. The only bad thing was I didn't join people at dinner tonight because I was hit with a headache. It might have been because I got very little sleep last night, and my adrenaline lasted only through the book signing. Or it might have been caused by shock over the amount I spent at the signing. *Sigh.* I'll report on that too.

It turned out to be OK, though. It started to sleet, and the roads were just terrible. I was glad I left when I did. I don't even want to think what the roads would have been like now.

Poor Splendid Wings

I have long been a fan of Patricia Veryan. It began when I read The Tyrant, and I've collected every book of hers I could get my hands on. She's got a rather extensive backlist, and I have most of them. Poor Splendid Wings is one I hadn't been able to find--not without spending a great deal of money, anyway.

So Kristie, bless her heart, came to my rescue. She has a copy and sent it to me late last year so I could read it. Then, I was a bit intimidated by the length; it's 512 pages. This week, I finally vowed to finish it.

The American born son of European parents, Michael Owens' love for Britain and his detestation of the Hitler regime drove him to enlist in the Eagle Squadrom long before the United States enters World War II. He transfers to the U.S.A.A.F. and heavy bombers when the first Flying Fortresses arrive in Enlgland. Engaged to a beautiful American actress, Owens' life is complicated by an encounter with a charming English widow.

The war has brought tragedy to Victoria Craig-Bell but with quiet courage she copes with the many challenges that come her way, and tries to keep what is left of her family together. Victoria falls deeply in love with Owens, and he soon reciprocates her feelings, but he is a lead pilot during the darkest days of the war, and he knows his chances of survival are slim. The responsibility for bringing his crews safely home from missions dogged by staggeringly heavy losses is crushing. He is accustomed to the risks on the ground--the blackout, the sirens, the enemy air attacks, but now he must deal with his fears for Victoria's safety.

When the ambitious and ruthless Cynthia Stuart refuses to free him from their engagement, Owens faces a different kind of battle. He thinks he has all the burdens he can carry, but gradually it becomes apparent that a new danger is looming: a danger that threatens not only his life but his honour, and appears to involve the woman he loves. His crew and friends support him loyally, but the web that closes around him is so cunningly contrived that there seems little hope of proving his innocence, even if he survives the second strike at a target dreaded by all combat flyers.

For the first 100 or so pages, I was a little worried that my taste had changed and that I wouldn't enjoy the story. I think in many cases, I've grown tired of subplots and prefer the focus of the story to be on the main couple. In this case, though, I shouldn't have worried: 4 out of 5.

There are a number of subplots, but I had forgotten how well Veryan ties various plot threads together. Reading the story is very much like putting together a puzzle where even the smallest piece is a vital part of the whole.

Victoria and Michael fall in love fairly quickly--their feelings are engaged and expressed by page 150. That doesn't mean that their relationship is without conflict, however. There's Cynthia, who isn't as much an impediment as the book blurb makes it sound. There are several other challenges as well.

There's a secondary romance between Victoria's sister and another flyer, and I thought it was quite sweet.

This is a very unique time period--in fact, I can't remember reading another romance set during this time. As far as I know, it's the only book Veryan wrote that's set in this period. Kristie told me the air battle scenes were very suspenseful, and she was right. The more I read, the more I worried that something terrible was going to happen. This is, after all, the same writer who wrote The Dedicated Villain, a book in which the hero is tortured for some time. I won't give anything away, but I'll just say that the ending is not achieved without cost.

There is a villain, a face to the evil. There's another character (Washburn) I wanted to strangle by the end of the book. But the main antagonist is the war itself, which takes a dramatic toll on everyone--those who are left behind as well as those who enter combat.

The book could have been tightened a little. I think it was a little too long, although I didn't want to stop by the time I hit page 200. I'll leave it on my wish list in hopes of getting a copy of my own, although I don't hold out much hope in that regard.

Now I can finally return the book to Kristie. I'd like to send it back along with a few other books, but she needs to (ahem!) update her wish list.

FYI: I'm attending a conference beginning tomorrow night, so I probably won't post again until after the weekend.