Christine Rimmer's News

Back Cover Copy--The Prince's Secret Baby

2012-01-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

I so wish Blogger would let me upload a PDF file, so I could show you the whole cover flat on this book. Really nice, with the heroine in her white dress and veil, carrying a bouquet of yellow roses on their wedding day.

I like the back cover copy a lot, too:

“BE MY BRIDE.”

Only a matter of urgent Bravo family business could bring

Prince Rule to America. And he wasn’t leaving until he met

Sydney O’Shea…

…who happened to be the mother of Rule’s toddler son.

Rule didn’t expect the firestorm of desire the regal Texas

attorney stirred in him. With Montedoran law decreeing that

he wed or lose everything, the captivated prince came up

with the perfect solution. Propose marriage, now. There

would be time enough later to tell all…

wouldn’t there?

The Bravo Royales: When it comes to love, Bravos rule!

New Book Cover

2012-01-09T15:51:00.000-08:00

So this is the first cover in the Bravo Royale series. It's an April 2012 release. The kid is really cute, I think. The guy is not how I pictured Rule, the hero, at all. But hey. It happens sometimes....

I showed it to my husband. He said, "Well, what do you want? He looks like a prince." So maybe I should listen to my husband. You think?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

Blogging about the New Year and my passion for calendars (!?) at our Special Edtion Authors blog on eHarlequin today. Drop in. Say hi for a chance to win a signed book.

Happy reading in the New Year, everyone!

And please note: If you went there and the site wouldn't let you comment, leave a comment here, to this post. I'll choose a winner here over the weekend, too!

And the winnner is...Chrisbails! Congrats, Chris! I sent you a message via facebook so you can claim your signed book.

Between Christmas and New Years, I...

2011-12-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

Ate out. Twice. Finished a proposal that had previously not been cooperating. Plan to take down the tree. Plan to watch THE HELP and MARGIN CALL. Tonight, as a matter of fact.

And am so looking forward to the release of The Return of Bowie Bravo. I have five books out in 2012. The Return of Bowie Bravo in February, The Prince's Secret Baby in April, The Last Single Maverick in July, The Prince She Had to Marry in November and The Rancher's Secret Baby (working title only on that one) in December. Wahoo!

The April, November and December books are all in the new Bravo series, Bravo Royale, about the nine children of Evan Bravo, the Bravo-Calabretti family. I need to get busy on some updates for my website, more info about the princely family of Montedoro.

The July book is a launch of the next series of multi-author Montana Mavericks stories. I turned that one in at the first of this month. It's all about Jason Traub and his wonderful runaway bride, Jocelyn. And no, Jocelyn didn't run away from Jace. She ran from her cheating fiance, Kenny. I had great fun with Joss and Jace!

Hope you're all enjoying the the holidays. I certainly am! The picture? Of my favorite little one on the day before Christmas Eve. He's listening to the Bing Crosby doll. You push the button on Bing's base, and he sings White Christmas...or It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...or any of five or six other Bing Crosby hits.

Our Christmas Tree

2011-12-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

This tree came with us across the country last year. Over a bunch of slick, frozen roads in late December. All the lights still work, in spite of the jostling it got. Last year, we didn't put it up. We arrived here in our new home on Christmas Eve. Boxes stacked everywhere. No room--or time--to spend decorating for the season.

But this year, we're on it. Merry Christmas. And as Tiny Tim would say, God Bless us, every one!

Blogging today SE Authors Blog! And check out ROMANCE MAVENS!

2011-12-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging today at the SE Authors blog. Click the link to drop and and say hi.

I'll be giving away a signed book to one commenter. Hope to see you there....

Oh, and the subject is greeting cards. My mom loved to send them. At left are just a few of her stash of cards.

Also, the terrific Romance Maven's blog has a book club discussion on A BRAVO HOMECOMING today. Drop in if you have a moment.

Back Cover Copy--and home stretch!

2011-11-29T11:12:00.000-08:00

Got the back cover copy for Bowie's book:

WELL, TIMING NEVER HAD BEEN HIS STRONG SUIT...

And the fact that Bowie Bravo walked in the door, after seven years away, just when Glory Rossi was about to go into labor with another man’s child certainly proved the point. Because the last time Glory had seen Bowie was when she was delivering his child—a little boy who’d never known his real father. But according to Bowie, that was about to change.

Bowie was now a respectable businessman, and he was more than ready to be a father—to both of Glory’s children. He was also ready to be a husband to the woman he’d never been able to live without. And when he saw that their feelings for each other still burned bright, he

didn’t see any reason why he’d have to….

***

And I'm in the home stretch on the writing of my July 2012 Montana Maverick book, THE LAST SINGLE MAVERICK. Such fun. And I do love when everything comes together and I'm racing to the finish.

Cover for February 2012 release

2011-11-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, I love it! Bowie returns to New Bethlehem Flat, California, his tiny hometown in the Sierras. After six and a half years away. He left town and the great love of his life, Glory Dellazola, to try and make something of himself--after Glory repeatedly refused his proposals of marriage. She wasn't marrying a guy with all his problems. Even if she was pregnant with his son.

So now he's back and determined to make things right at last. That would be Glory on the porch, with the son he's never seen since the little boy was a baby. Yep. She's pregnant. She married someone else. A good man, who died recently.

Bowie has a lot to make up for. A lot!

Thanks to reader, Patsy Adkins, who suggested this image for the cover. And thanks to the art department and my editor at Harlequin, who went for it!

Childhood Memories

2011-09-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

Blogging today at the Special Edition Authors Blog. Topic: Directing the Neighborhood. All about my childhood, wherein I kept busy enlisting all the neighborhood kids in any number of plays, dances, reenactments...you name it.

Click the link about and drop in if you have a moment. Leave a comment to win a signed book.

Back Cover Copy--and Finished....

2011-09-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

What did I finish? The first of the Bravo Royale series. Very fun. Different. But still plenty of Bravo family goings-on. The first book will be called THE PRINCE'S SECRET BABY. It was especially fun because in this secret baby story, it's the hero, Rule Bravo-Calabretti, who knows that the little boy is his. The heroine--the boy's mother--has no clue. Figure that one out. ;)

And got my back cover copy for the November book, A BRAVO HOMECOMING:

THE BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT OF ALL TIME?

Travis Bravo was sick of his meddling mother and her matchmaking ways. So what better way to stop her than to bring a fiancée home for the holidays? One catch—

he wasn’t even dating anyone. But that was where his rough-and-tumble oil-rig friend, Samantha Jaworski, came in.

An unpolished tomboy, Sam was game for anything for a good friend. But after her girlfriend-ready makeover, she fell easily into the role of Travis’s loving partner—

and into his arms. Would she be standing under his mistletoe…for keeps?

***

This one will be out in Mid-October. And now you can pre-order it for your kindle on Amazon, just like you can preorder a paperback copy. I like it when readers can get the book they want in the format they prefer!

New Cover November Release!

2011-08-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

Found this on Amazon today. Great surprise. I so love it. The heroine, Sam Jaworski, is a tool pusher on an oil rig who gets a Cinderella Makeover and Travis Bravo!

Had such fun writing this one--well, okay. I have such fun writing every one of my books!

My New Romantic Mystery is Available in Ebook Now!

2011-06-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

So excited.

You can buy it here for Nook: Never Kiss Me Again

And here for Kindle: Never Kiss Me Again

And go to http://www.christinerimmer.com/excerpt_neverkiss.html to read the first chapter!

And in other news, I'm getting a slow start on my first book about the royal Bravos, Bravo Royale. But I'm working on it. It's always a bit slow at the start of a book for me, as I get to know the characters and get a feel for how they tick.

Hope all is well where you are and that you're getting a lot of summer reading time!

Check out my free online read at eHarlequin....

2011-06-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Title: THE TYCOON'S RUNAWAY BRIDE

You get a free chapter a week for eight weeks. It's a Montana Mavericks story, in honor of the launch for the new series coming out in Harlequin Special Edition starting with my July release, RESISTING MR TALL, DARK & TEXAN.

Here's what it's about:

Department store tycoon Jack McKay had no idea what had made his fiancée run out on their wedding and escape to Thunder Canyon, Montana. But he was going to find out. And then he'd bring Melody Kilkalen home, no matter what it took.

Melody knew exactly why Jack wanted her to return to Texas with him—and it wasn't because he loved her. And yet…he seemed so sincere about his feelings for her. She had to know for sure whether Jack truly cared for her. Only this time she would call the shots, this time she was in control…and this time she was the one with the secret.

Hope you enjoy....

Final result Ebook cover

2011-05-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

I think it turned out great!

Rough Draft of my Ebook cover

2011-05-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

I love it.

Remember, it's a rough. I think we'll remove the Susan Mallery quote and move my name down a bit. I hate to remove the quote, but I can put it in the product descriptions and there's a bit too much wordage on the cover as it is now. Plus, the guy has an amazing, muscular arm. Readers always want to see a goodlookin' arm. And the Shutterstock TM will be gone, of course, once we pay for the rights to the couple image.

So...going to try epubbing...

2011-05-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

See, I have this book, this mainstream book, a romance with mystery elements that never really fit in any traditional publishing venue. I love this book. So I'm going to publish it in ebook myself.

Just hired a great cover designer--and also a wonderful author in her own right, Kimberly Van Meter, to do the cover for me.

Soooo excited!

The book is called NEVER KISS ME AGAIN.

Here's what it's about:

Never Say Never Again….

The first familiar face Annie Dolan sees after four years away from home just happens to be the one person she’d hoped never to set eyes on again: her dangerously charming ex, Devlin Tenhawk.

And it gets worse.
Much worse.
In no time there's a distinctly suspicious death in the family and Annie finds herself trapped in her hometown, unwilling heir to her grandmother's millions, stuck taking care of her thoroughly dysfunctional family, stalked by a mystery man who haunts her room at night—and way, way too tempted to jump back in bed with her ex.

Can't wait to see what Kimberly comes up with....

Just so you can see how good she is, here's a cover she designed for one of her own books:

Yeah. Really good!

Something About a Man in a Cowboy Hat...

2011-05-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

Notice the hat on the hero? Big sigh. Notice the red hat and the words, A Cowboy for Every Mood???

There is definitely something about a cowboy.

And the good folks at Harlequin know it. The theme for July across all Harlequin lines will be...you guessed it: A Cowboy for Every Mood.

Had a lovely chat with my editor the other day. We discussed recipes. I'll be contributing a recipe for Rib Crib Secret Sauce to help promote all things Cowboy and all things Montana Maverick this summer.

Those of you who follow the Montana Mavericks will remember the chain of restaurants owned by DJ Traub and called The Rib Crib. There's a Rib Crib in Thunder Canyon, Montana. In fact, it's inside the famous and often beleaguered Thunder Canyon Resort. DJ attributes his success to his special Secret Sauce.

And in the new series this summer, Here Come the Texans, DJ's getting some competition in Thunder Canyon from a new rib place, Lip Smackin' Ribs. Some unfair competition. No spoilers here, but I can say that there will be skulduggery involved.

In the meantime, I'm experimenting with creating my own secret sauce. Wish me luck. Recipe coming soon...

Bowie's Return

2011-04-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Making good progress with Bowie Bravo's book--that's Jason Lewis on the left there; he's my working image for Bowie.

This one's turning out to be a really...tender kind of story. I guess I knew it would be, since it's a second-chance story. Bowie has a lot to make up for. Sometimes he wants to give up--and leave again.

But he knows he can't. He knows that this is his big chance, and no matter how hard it gets, he is not going to blow it. Glory, his heroine, is having a tough time of it, too. She's still attracted to him and doesn't want to be. She also knows it's her job to help him forge a relationship with the son he left behind. So she's totally conflicted. And that makes for fun writing.

In the end, it's all about the conflict when you're writing fiction. This book has plenty.

Also, I find myself using a whole lot of Kleenex. I'm almost halfway through with the manuscript, and already it's a two-box-of-Kleenex job. I'm telling myself that means I'm getting the emotion on the page. And that's a very good thing!

New Book Cover

2011-04-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

And may I just said, Yum! Love this one. It's for my July release, the launch book for a new Thunder Canyon Montana Mavericks series. Lizzie, the heroine, is actually a little taller than you see above. But I am so not complaining. Love it!

Map of New Bethlehem Flat

2011-03-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

Bowie Bravo, whose book I'm writing now, lives in a small Northern California town up in the Sierras. As so many of my small Northern California towns tend to be, the Flat is modeled after Downieville, California, where I spent long, lazy summers in my very excellent childhood.

Both of my parents grew up in Downieville. On my dad's side, the roots in that Sierra soil go back five generations.

Anyway, as to the imaginary New Bethlehem Flat, to which Bowie has just returned in a snowstorm after more than six years away, above is my working map. It's hardly high art. And it scanned a bit faded. (double click to get a larger, clearer view) But I don't care that it's far from gorgeous. I always love to get out the maps I draw of the towns I make up and add the new settings that will appear in whatever book I'm writing now.

Yesterday, I added the Rossi house, where Glory Dellazola Rossi (now a widow) went to live when she married good-hearted Matteo Rossi.

So great to return to New Bethlehem Flat. Like checking in with old and dear friends I haven't seen in a while.

Proposal Done!

2011-03-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

Had such fun writing it. Working title is MARRIAGE BY DECEPTION. A whole new branch of the Bravo family. Spent a lot of time, as I always do with the first book, figuring out the names of the siblings who will be the heroes and heroines. This time I'm writing four brothers and five sisters.

Starting the manuscript for THE RETURN OF BOWIE BRAVO tomorrow. A lot of readers have waited a long time for that one. Pleased to finally be getting it written. Oh, and I turned in the manuscript for the Montana Mavericks e-read, which will be FREE on eHarlequin for eight chapters, one a week, starting June 13th. It's called THE TEXAS TYCOON'S RUNAWAY BRIDE.

So...lots in the works and lots coming up.

I'm also going to try to fit in a proposal for a possible Women's Fiction story. I need more hours in every day! Can someone arrange that for me???

Cool and rainy and gorgeous here in the Northwest. Hope it's beautiful where you are....

Transcribing...

2011-03-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Currently transcribing a recorded session from a previous plot group. Once I transcribe the session, I'll create a synopsis. From that, with my editor's approval, I'll start writing the book, which will be the first story in my new Bravo series, Bravo Royale. This royal branch of the family consists of four princes and five princesses. Or at least, that's how I see this group of books at this point.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Right now: transcribing.

And you know, while I'm transcribing, it would be so nice to look like the pretty Victorian lady above. However, I don't have long, dark hair. Or skin like the inside of a delicate china teacup. Or a cool lacy nightgown. As a matter of fact, I make it a point never to work in my nightgown. I don't even have a nightgown. I'm more the pajama type.

Plus, well, the lady in the picture (who looks suspiciously like Ann Hathaway to me) is writing by hand. I doubt she's listening to a plot group session.

Too bad for her.

So fun to listen to the voices of my plot buddies. I get to share the laughter and the hard work all over again. This session is about an hour in length and so far we are not down to the actual story. We're kind of nipping around the edges of the thing, seeking the center.

When I listen to a brainstorming session from plot group, I always find myself wondering how I got along without plot group for so many years. I always change a lot of things. It never ends up the same as the session. But I start so much farther ahead with a story this way than my old method of trying to make a story from scratch with just my own ideas to make it work.

Seriously. Nothing like a few extra brilliant brains concentrated on your story to make it achieve liftoff in a swift and satisfying fashion.

Back to work....

Home from Plot Group...

2011-03-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

Back from plot group. It was a good one, but they're always demanding and exhausting. There are five of us in the group--all professional writers, all totally brilliant. I get so many fresh ideas during those four days and four nights in Vegas.

We each bring material to brainstorm two books. This time, I worked on a new Bravo story for Special Edition--and a Women's Fiction idea I've been considering developing. Sometimes you just never know when an idea will take off and you'll get some really amazing ideas and approaches. That happened with my Women's Fiction story this time. My plot buddies were so good! I'm in awe. Seriously.

Then home mid-week. To do laundry and play catch-up. Finished my short e-story for eHarlquin. And Travis's book, A BRAVO HOMECOMING, the last of the San Antonio Bravo stories. Now I'm on to write Bowie's story, THE RETURN OF BOWIE BRAVO.

Here in the Pacific Northwest it's...wet and rainy. Duh. Hope the sun's out where you are.

Bad Bloggers Anonymous...

2011-02-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

I think I'm a lifetime member. See, we moved. Halfway across the country. This past Christmas. We got into our new house on...wait for it. Christmas Eve!

Didn't even try and put up the the tree. So sad. But the good news is, there's always going to be Christmas again. So here's to this coming holiday season.

But the house is coming together and I'm slowly digging out from under my current deadline. Soon, I should be back here to visit more often.

Life is good. The daffodils are poking their heads up through the snow. I'm looking forward to a fabulous spring..

Right now, I'm writing the last fifty pages of Travis Bravo's story. That's the final installment in the San Antonio Bravo series. It's called A BRAVO HOMECOMING, and will be on stands in November. A holiday love story. Always fun. This is a makeover story and a story about coming home.

And then I'm on to an online short story for eHarlequin. A Montana Mavericks tale to promote RESISTING MR TALL, DARK AND TEXAN, the launch book for a new Montana Mavericks series, which will be available in July. And the online read will start on June 13th, I believe. A chapter a week for eight weeks. I'll keep you posted on that.

So...hope your Valentine's Day was fabulous and romantic and that there was chocolate.

And now, back to that deadline....

March Cover

2011-01-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

So beautiful! I love this one.

And the back cover copy reads:

You are cordially invited to

the…shotgun…wedding of

Elena Cabrera Bravo

and

Rogan Murdoch

Date: As soon as labor is over.

Time: Just enough for the bride to fit into something

other than a hospital gown.

Hosted by: The brothers of the bride. In fact,

they insisted on it!

Reason for Union: The bride and groom love each other…

even if they’re both too stubborn to admit it!

RSVP to the Bravo Family.

Gifts (wedding and baby) optional...

February release cover and blurb

2010-11-12T05:53:00.000-08:00

I do like the pose. Very tender.

And the back cover blurb reads:

BOTH TIMES, IT WAS A FALL

THAT NEARLY DID HIM IN

The first time, it was a tumble down a mountain that

threatened Donovan McRae’s very survival. And though he

had once been the Man Who Had Everything, at that point

he thought he had nothing left to lose.

Until Abilene Bravo walked into his life—and he realized he

was wrong. Because though he thought he’d lost his heart

years ago, he found himself losing it again as he fell fast…

for the feisty woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

That Amazing Moment...

2010-11-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

...when I write the last line of my current Work in Progress. It just happened. About 21 minutes ago.
I got to the end. And it was so good for me. Better than chocolate, I promise you. I feel really, really good about this book right now.

But then, I always do about now. Tomorrow will probably be terrible, as I return to page one and start editing. I will no doubt have moments of despair. I will wonder what in the world ever gave me the idea that I could write for a living. It's all so predictable, really.

But hey, it's the writing life and I love it.

Random News: Got a nice review of EXPECTING THE BOSS'S BABY from Jane at Dear Author You can check it out here.

And on the home front, I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year. It could be just yours truly, the DH and younger son. Or maybe more. However many visitors we have, I'm looking forward to it. Haven't done the bird in a while.

General Updates.....

2010-10-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Getting lots of lovely feedback on EXPECTING THE BOSS'S BABY. And it's #5 on the Borders Bestseller list. Yippee!

As to the current work in progress, a Thunder Canyon Montana Mavericks story that will come out next July, I'm on the last 50 pages. Big Yay on that--and only slightly procrastinating by dropping in here to babble a bit.

Here in the heartland, it's a cool fall day and there are crunchy leaves on my front porch welcome mat. I'm not going to sweep them up right away because they make me think that Autumn is here--and the holidays are coming.

Happy almost-November, everyone!

At the Midpoint...

2010-10-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

No going back and about halfway there. As we say in my plot group, the midpoint is where we realize the problem is bigger than we thought. That is definitely happening here, so I'm feeling pretty good--today, anyway. But that's the thing about writing. One day you feel you can do anything. The next day you know that everything is crap. Hate the crap days. Love the others. Yeah, sort of a roller-coaster ride. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Got my Kindle. Love it. And have been reading all over the Web that ebook sales are soaring. I have to admit, I can see why. You can read a thousand-page doorstopper of a book and it takes up virtually no space. You can enlarge the print for easy reading. The Kindle always finds your place in any book you're reading--no dropping your bookmark and spending five minutes searching for where you stopped last time. And did I mention if you want it, you got it, in seconds? Just a couple of clicks and the book is yours.

I know I will still love my books on paper. And for some types of books--nonfiction, with pictures and graphs and the like, and my research books--I think I'll prefer a physical copy. But time will tell on that.

Musings On...Paper

2010-09-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

...And by that I mean, musings about paper. Because as you know, this ain't paper. Far from it. Paper, in the sense of blogging, has become merely a metaphor for writing stuff down.

What has me musing on paper is that last week, I broke down and bought a Kindle. It hasn't arrived yet. And I'm really looking forward to having it, reading on it, NOT carrying around 800-page hardcover tomes ever again. Or at least, not if I can possibly help it.

I have resisted buying an e-reader for...oh, as long as there have been e-readers. I was waiting. For the ultimate do-everything device. For the price to come down. For...I don't know, exactly. To be sure that e-readers were here to stay, I guess.

I'm not waiting anymore. Because I truly do believe that e-readers are here to stay. And that got me thinking about way back years and years ago when I bought my first computer. It was a DOS computer. If there was Internet then, I sure hadn't heard of it.

It was a big step for me, to leave my IBM Selectric behind. I thought it would be so difficult. But you know what? It was beyond easy. And it made my writing life so much smoother. So much less about Wite-out and carbon copies and having two weeks to type up a clean copy of my completed manuscript once I was through with the first, second, third--and beyond--drafts.

Many other authors I know do a lot of editing on paper. Not me. From that first computer, I never print it out until it's ready to slip down the chute to New York--and the last few years, I don't print it out at all. I email it in attachment. Slowly, the paper phases of the editing process are disappearing. The work goes back and forth between me and my publisher mostly electronically.

And it's great. Since novels are not about the medium but about the content, I look forward to the day when there will be no paper involved in this process at all. I used to find it scary--books without paper.

But more and more, I find it exciting. Good. Right.

Experiments in Back Cover Copy

2010-09-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Soo....

Between the usual nervous breakdowns, I decided to try and write my own back cover copy to put up on my website for my December book, EXPECTING THE BOSS'S BABY. No, I did not do this just for fun. I did it because for various reasons, I did not have access to the back cover copy as of yet, though I had copied an image of the front from B&N.com that was usable for my website. And I already had the first chapter up in the Excerpts area of my site.

I wanted to put up the cover and I didn't want to wait any longer and it just seemed wrong to put up a cover without some kind of book summary, which the back cover copy pretty much is--along with being a teaser designed to tempt readers to put down their hard-earned cash.

Solution: Write my own. I did. This is the result:

MARRIAGE AND A BABY?
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Billionaire adventurer Dax Girard needs a capable assistant, not another girlfriend. So he’s made himself a promise to keep his relationship with Zoe Bravo strictly business.

Former free spirit Zoe Bravo loves her new job. And she plans to keep it. And that means there’ll be no office romance between her and her hunky boss.

Too bad she can’t stop thinking about him in a way that is so much more than only professional. And Dax is having the same problem. He can’t get his new assistant off his mind. Something’s gotta give. And when it does, Zoe and Dax will end up dealing with much more than they bargained for….

***

Okay, not brilliant. But workmanlike. I put it up on the "read more" page for this book on my website.

Then I got a PDF back-and-front version of the cover from my publisher. Here is the actual back cover copy:

“SEX IS ABSOLUTELY
OFF THE TABLE.”

So this was Dax Girard’s hiring policy. Well, it might not be conventional—but then again, all admin-assist-wannabe Zoe Bravo wanted was a job. And her prospective boss, Dax Girard, was so gorgeous that he’d clearly had to beat them off with a stick before. So she calmly agreed to the mogul’s terms—even throwing in a fake fiancé for good measure! A strictly hands-off policy was fine with her.…

But was it fine with him? Because the more no-strings-attached Dax swore he was as immune to Zoe as he was to your average beautiful woman, the more he started envisioning a future that had her in it. And, in nine months, a little someone else, as well.
***

I totally love it. And am completely humbled. I think from now on, when possible, I'll stick to just writing the books.

Help! Everything's Changing--and Not in a Good Way!

2010-09-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

First off, I do have some good news: I did get that proposal finished--the one I mentioned in my last post? I not only got it finished. The lovely editor on the project has already approved it. I even started the book that will grow out of that proposal.

Started. That's the operative word. Because I can't seen to get all that far along, and the reason is that this book is part of what we call in the romance biz, a continuity. A continuity book is one where the publishing house provides what we call a "bible." That's the basic info about what the story will be like and who the characters are. The author then takes the basic info and makes her own story from it. A continuity is always a series of books. As a rule, each of these books in the series is written by a different author.

Issue here: basic info. It keeps changing. There are many really good reasons that it does, because my hero is the brother of two other heroes from other books written in 2009 by two other authors. Those authors changed their "bible" to make better stories. They even agreed together on the changes they would make. And then, as so often happens in life, agreements were either forgotten or math errors were made as to ages of characters and what happened when. All this, I must tell you, was done in good faith by everyone.

Then we add in the fact that we're kind of pushing it scheduling-wise on this particular branch of the continuity. The books are very successful and the publisher wants more so we're going ahead with another six books by another six authors before the past six books are all on the stands. This creates no end of trouble for the editor writing the new "bible" and also for the first book in the new series--written by moi.

All that to say, the new "bible" is not ready yet, though my book is due way too soon. I have trouble writing my book without stats and backstories to agree on. I'm just funny that way.

Yes, I realize that this is my opportunity to relax and go with the flow instead of being such an anal control freak. And I am relaxing. I am. I really, really, am...

What's that screaming sound? Do you hear screaming....??!!

Displacement Activities

2010-09-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

I LOVE to fool around. As in whiling away the hours when I should be...oh, you know. Working?

Today, instead of finishing my proposal, I...

Did my workout (I know I'm into serious work avoidance when I would rather exercise than work.)

Called England to beg a lovely woman who edits Harlequin Historicals to judge the final round of my OKRWA chapter's Finally a Bride contest. She said yes. As I mentioned, she was lovely.

Watched a tree trimmer and his crew trim the big oak in my front yard. It looks fabulous, that tree.

Tried a new recipe for cooking skinless, boneless chicken breasts prior to trying a new recipe for chicken chilaquiles, which is a chicken, salsa verde and corn tortilla casserole.

Wrote many emails.

Posted here. Fooled around on facebook.

Worked on my schedule for updating my website and turning in content for my e-newsletters for the next year and a half.

Considered learning how to play solitaire. I feel I won't truly excel at displacement activities until I learn to play a few computer and online games.

Looked on Amazon to see if any new covers have come up for books I wrote. Sometimes the foreign edition covers really amuse me. Like this one...

Because the heroine is blond in the book and maybe two months pregnant at the end of the book. And, well, it's a Christmas book. Not so much as a festive swag in evidence here. I do like a happy pregnant woman, however, and the woman here certainly appears to be beyond ecstatic. And don't get me wrong. I love that I get a lot of foreign editions and am grateful for every single one!

Okay, back to work. Really. Seriously....

Cover for My November Release...

2010-08-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas--very early!

Quite festive, no?

Book Done. And Now I'm on to...

2010-08-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

...figuring out the next series of Bravo books. Not going to write anything about that here, yet. I want to have a better idea what I'm doing first. Now, it's like shooting alligators in a swamp. Blindfolded. Help!

Also, I just agreed to launch another six-book Montana Mavericks series. It will be a continuation of the Thunder Canyon Montana Mavericks. My book will be out in July of 2011. So I will be writing that book very soon...

Right after plot group in Las Vegas, which is coming up starting Saturday, August 21st.

Yep. The days are just packed!

Forging on the the End...

2010-08-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

I'm on the final pages of Elena's story. This book flew by--well, there were a few bumps in the road writing-wise, but overall, it was a great writing experience. Some books are like that. Some...not so much.

We're in triple digits weather-wise around here. But mostly, I'm here, in my office, writing away. So it's all good.

Shelf Talkin' 'bout McFarlane's Perfect Bride

2010-07-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Neat. McFarlane's Perfect Bride is a Recommended Read this month from Harlequin. You'll see this cool little shelf talker wherever Silhouette Special Editions are sold.

Pretty cool, huh?

Oh, and special thanks to Kayla for the good words!

Wrapping Up the San Antonio Bravos

2010-07-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

There are nine SA Bravo stories in all. Six are out on bookstands. Three more are yet to be released.

And in terms of the writing...I'm on the second-to-last book. It seems like only yesterday I sat down to write the story outline for The Stranger and Tessa Jones. And now I'm almost finished telling all those stories.

Yesterday, I hit the midpoint in the writing of Marriage Bravo Style, which is Elena Cabrera's story. Elena, BTW, is the illegitimate daughter of Davis Bravo, hardheaded patriarch of this branch of the family. Elena first appeared in A Bravo's Honor, back in July of last year, when a big family secret blew wide open, with Elena's paternity in the center of the storm.

In the books that have followed, I've charted the arc of the Bravo/Cabrera connection. It's been quite an arc and I have loved writing it.

So strange that half the books are still to come out, and I'm already thinking ahead to the next branch of the family.

My Characters Take Over...

2010-07-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

Finally my characters are running this book. So it's going a lot faster, which is very, very nice. Tom the cat is quite happy for me. Okay, he doesn't look that happy in the picture. But he's smiling inside. Take my word for it.

My page goal is ten a day and I'm hitting it and even going on to twelve or thirteen. Life is good!

Summer heat, frizzy hair....

2010-06-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

We got it! The summer heat,I mean. Seriously.

Yeah, it's only in the nineties. But the heat and UV index is high. Translation: feels hotter than it is. And it's sticky. I go outside and my hair is instantly a mass of fuzzy bedheadedness. The DH loves my hair this way. Cracks me up. I think he likes it when I look like I spend so much time in bed, I don't have the energy to comb my hair when I get up.

I so wish! My life is just too busy to spend it all in bed. And with all the products and devices I use on my hair, well, it so shouldn't frizz like this.

But I remember the up side. The loving smile on the DH's face because I just look so sexy with my hair in a frizzy mass around my face.

And speaking of bedhead, Zac Ephron has a tip for totally sex bedhead hair:
"I’ve never told anyone this before. This is a hair scoop. Shower before you go to bed, and then sleep on your wet hair. Towel-dry it. In the morning, it’s all messed up naturally. If you have that messed-up thing going when you wake up, it’s more willing to stay that way."

Here's Zac fixing his hair:

WTG, Zac!

So how's the weather where you are?

Starting Over. Again.

2010-06-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yep. That time again. Starting a new book. This is Elena's story. Elena Cabrera, who is the illegitimate daughter of my current Bravo patriarch, Davis Bravo. Elena's story is second-to-last in this ten-book cycle about the San Antonio branch of the family.

After Elena, I'll write Travis's story--he's seventh-born of the seven sons in this group. And then I'm going back to give a past Bravo--Bowie--his Happily Ever After, at last.

And then I'll start exploring a whole new branch of the family.

But more on that later. Now, it's Elena's turn. Elena's and Rogan Murdoch's. Elena just happens to look like a really good actress named Sarah Shahi and Rogan strongly resembles an actor named Channing Tatum.

Great Time at Summer Heat!

2010-06-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Summer Heat Mini Conference, I mean. Put on by my Romance Writers of America Chapter, the OKRWA Outlaws. We welcomed Charles Griemsman, editor at Silhouette Desire and agent Lucienne Diver with the Knight Agency. A party at the glorious Merline Lovelace's Friday night. And the conference Saturday at the OKC Marriott. Always so good to get with my writer friends. And I have a special fondness for Charles, with whom I used to work when he was starting out as an assistant editor. He is the best! And Lucienne was so gracious and knowledgeable. Just a fine conference, all the way around.

In the picture, Charles with the Harlequin and Silhouette authors in attendance. That would be Merline, moi, Julia Mozingo, Margaret Daley and Laura Marie Altom.

More of My Backlist in ebook!

2010-06-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

Harlequin has done a wonderful thing and released 20 or so of my out-of-print books in digital format. You can get them at eHarlequin in their ebook area. Or on Amazon or B&N.com. Many are out-of-print Bravo stories. So if you were looking for those and you read books in ebook format....

Enjoy!

Here's a list of the just-released in ebook stories. Titles in Bold, series name following. Remember, Conveniently Yours, Sons of Caitlin Bravo and Bravo Family Ties are all Bravo family stories:

A Doctor's Vow Prescription: Marriage
The Millionaire She Married Conveniently Yours
The M.D. She Had To Marry Conveniently Yours
The Tycoon's Instant Daughter The Stockwells of Texas
The Marriage Agreement Conveniently Yours
The Marriage Conspiracy Conveniently Yours
His Executive Sweetheart The Sons of Caitlin Bravo
Mercury Rising The Sons of Caitlin Bravon
Scrooge and the Single Girl The Sons of Caitlin Bravon
The Reluctant Princess Viking Brides
Prince And Future… Dad? Viking Brides
The Marriage Medallion Viking Brides
Fifty Ways To Say I'm Pregnant Bravo Family Ties
Marrying Molly Bravo Family Ties
Stranded With The Groom Montana Mavericks: Gold Rush Grooms
Lori's Little Secret Bravo Family Ties
The Bravo Family Way Bravo Family Ties
The Reluctant Cinderella Talk of the Neighbor
Married in Haste Bravo Family Ties

Social Networking...

2010-05-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

So I got on Facebook. I've been meaning to for months now. I got a personal page. I also have a Fan page. That's like for me as a public figure. Not there yet, so I haven't brought that one public. I think at this point, I'll just be a person.

I even put my badge up here. So click through and friend me. I love more friends! Not doing Twitter. Well, okay. Not yet. But I'll never say never. Because as soon as I say that...I'll be Tweeting.

The thing with social networking is...I love it. But there really should be more hours in a day. I don't have enough time for my networking, my writing, and my actual real life as a wife and mom and friend to people in person.

So. Inquiring minds want to know. Are you on facebook? Do you enjoy it?

Whew! That one's almost done....

2010-05-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Yep. That would be me. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Wait. Scratch that. I mean, IN the light at the end of the tunnel.

This one was a tough one. But I think it will be finished tomorrow. I'm brimming with glee at the prospect of zipping it off to New York.

A very tough one. The hero uses a wheelchair and it was so challenging for me--to try to get it right and still tell a good story. I hope I did okay.

In any case, I've done the best I can and now I will send it in. And move on to the next one.

I do love the writing process. No matter how challenging and tough a book might be, there's always that moment when I know it's as finished as it's gonna get right now. And it's time to send that baby on its way.

New Cover...

2010-04-16T06:23:00.001-07:00

This one's for my upcoming July release. I think she's adorable. Though I do worry about her shoes--not so appropriate for trooping through an open pasture.

As for him...hm. A little too Beta for my taste. And Connor McFarlane, the hero of this one, is anything but Beta. And the shirt hanging out...well, not my thing. Maybe they should have just put him in more of a Western look, since in the book he goes Western more than once to fit in with his, er, attempts to make nice with the locals so he can buy out the Thunder Canyon Resort.

But anyway, I do think she's cute. So is he, just not Alpha-looking enough.

Here's the Back Cover Copy--warning SPOILER ALERT! Don't read it if you hate to know what's going to happen a ways into the book; just skip on down to where it says spoiler concluded in all caps:

THUNDER CANYON NUGGET
Wait Until You Hear…

Word on the street is that hotshot hotel magnate Connor McFarlane is in
Thunder Canyon this summer to buy out the local resort!
At first Tori Jones was furious, but now she seems to think Connor isn’t the corporate shark everyone says he is. And when he asked her to pose as his fiancée to help him win custody of his son, she promptly said I do!
Her fake husband-to-be is so irresistible—how can Tori help but wish it were the real thing?

And my spies tell me the sassy small-town teacher captivated Connor from day one. He came to town to heal old wounds, but now all he seems to want is to claim Tori’s heart. Stay tuned, faithful readers, to see if a
summer romance can become a love affair for all seasons!

***
See, the fake engagement is more than halfway through the book. I get that it's a great hook, but still...

OKAY, SPOILER CONCLUDED.

This one will be the first in a six-book series, MONTANA MAVERICKS, THUNDER CANYON COWBOYS. And it will be the third book I've done about Thunder Canyon. I'm getting to know the folks of Thunder Canyon almost as well as the Bravos by this point.

So...think she's cute? Think he's too Beta???

Blogalicious...

2010-03-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

Today, the amazing RaeAnne Thayne , a fellow Special Edition author, interviews me about A BRIDE FOR JERICHO BRAVO at our Special Edition Author Blog on eHarlequn. Drop by if you get the chance, to say hi and/or get more information on this book.

Tomorrow, I'm blogging about Bad Boys and Big Bikes at the Pink Heart Society blog. Hope you'll drop in there if you have a moment.

Happy Friday to all!

Harlequin Expands into Turkey...

2010-02-27T12:47:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this link to the Harlequin Blog

Istanbul. Exotic and romantic. How cool is that?

And THE STRANGER AND TESSA JONES is there, too!

Come see me at Romance in the Stacks!

2010-02-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

EVENT: ROMANCE IN THE STACKS, A Celebration of Oklahoma Romance Authors

WIN: Two iPod Touches will be given away as door prizes.

FREE: Admission for the public and chocolate, lots of it!

WHEN: Friday, Feb. 12th, 2010 (Schedule below--everyone is invited, free, for the booksigning and chats with authors, which occur between 10:30 am and noon)

WHERE: The event will be held at the Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum
at 13th and N. Shartel in Oklahoma City.

NOTE: Although primarily for librarians, the 10:30-NOON portion of the program is open to
the public, with book sales and autograph opportunities.

Authors scheduled to appear:

Laura Marie Altom

Margaret Daley

Alicia Dean

Peggy Fielding

Georgina Gentry

Myra Johnson

Jackie King

Malena Lott

Vickie McDonough

Christine Rimmer

Sharon Sala

General agenda for the day will be:

10:00 a.m. Registration begins for librarians

10:30 a.m. Booksignings and visits with authors (public invited)

11:00 to 12:00 Public program (introduction of authors, anecdotes, Q&A)

12:00 to 1:00 Booksignings continue, and lunch with librarians

1:00 to 2:00 Session with librarians

If you're in the area, please stop by and say hello!

Holidays Over, Deadline Looming...

2010-01-11T06:59:00.000-08:00

...Not that I'm stressed or anything.

Really, it's always like that. At the first of the year, I have to settle in and get those words on the page. Hope all is well with everyone and all your dreams for 2010 are busy coming true!

In the meantime, I think what I really needs is a hot rock massage. Oh, yeah!

Back Cover Copy...

2009-12-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

Here's the back cover copy for Jericho's book:

“I’M NOT THE MARRYING KIND.”

After being jilted by her longtime boyfriend, Marnie Jones was on the move. But from the moment she rolled into Texas and clashed with sexy rebel Jericho Bravo, she was finding all sorts of reasons to stay put. Too bad the rugged loner couldn’t say the same....

Or could he? Because Jericho was making Marnie believe in second chances—that he
was the man she wanted to settle down with…forever. Was the proud, wary loner
willing to risk his heart? Because he already owned hers....

...And yes, I put the cover up again. Click on it to see a nice, big image that I got from the wonderful Maureen Stead who handles cover art for authors at Harlequin.

I really love this cover. So romantic. And he's a really big guy and she's--well, not petite. Petite makes her sound delicate. Marnie Jones is so not delicate. But she's a small woman, small and strong. And I think you get the sense of that in this cover. She looks like she's on tiptoe for the kiss.

Cover for A BRIDE FOR JERICHO BRAVO

2009-12-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, the covers seem to be coming fast and furious lately.

Found this on Amazon this morning. I love it! This book is my March 2010 release. It's a Hill Country wedding scene. Jericho designs and builds custom choppers. And the heroine is Marnie Jones, who first appeared as a child in the third Jones Gang book, SWEETBRIAR SUMMIT.

What do you think?

The Annual Tree Photo...

2009-12-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

So every year, after I put up the tree, I try to get a nice picture of it. The pictures are never as good as it actually looks.

Honest!

But this year, I tried again...

These three are...no flash, slow flash and full flash. I think I like the slow flash best.

And yet, somehow the fabulousness of my tree is not quite captured. Could it be the fabulousness is all in my head? If so, I have to tell you, wish you could see what I see.

First Chapters and a Back Cover Blurb...

2009-12-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

Here's that back cover copy I promised for VALENTINE BRIDE:

FROM HOUSEKEEPER TO BLUSHING BRIDE?

Regal, reserved Irina Lukovic was the perfect live-in housekeeper. Until she found out she was being sent back to her war-torn homeland. So Caleb Bravo came up with the ideal solution…one where they’d still be living together on a more permanent basis.…The handsome bachelor proposed!

Irina couldn’t believe that the footloose mogul was giving up his freedom for her. But now that they were officially husband and wife, she suddenly yearned to belong to Caleb in more than name only. To be his wife...in every sense of the word...

And the first chapter is up on my website. Go here to have a look.

I also put up the first chapter for my March 2010 release, A BRIDE FOR JERICHO BRAVO. You can read that here.

My plan is to get up first chapters way ahead, so check my excerpt page now and then to see what's new!

And Happy Holidays!

New Cover...

2009-11-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

Here's the cover for my February 2010 release, VALENTINE BRIDE. Hero in this one is Caleb Bravo. Heroine is his housekeeper, Irina Lukovic. It's a green card marriage story.

I like the romantic feel of this one, the way she's cuddled in close to him. Should get the back cover copy in the next couple of days and will add it to this post.

Finished!

2009-11-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

Just an hour ago. The latest is all clean and pretty and emailed off to the editor in charge. Yay! I do love technology. Once I had to print and mail. Took at least a couple of hours, total. I had to get it printed, write the cover letter, pack it up, schlepp to the P.O.--and hope the line at the counter wasn't too long.

Now I open an email, write a quick note, attach the manuscript--and hit send. Ta-Da!

And the old days of print and mail weren't half as bad as the very old days. For my first three books--way back before the dawn of time--I actually gave myself two weeks to retype the manuscript after it was finished and all crossed out and written on with my various rewrites. I would retype on my IBM Selectric. With a carbon.

Yes, I confess, I was a little late to computers. Everybody had one by the time I got my first. They used to mock me. Tell me that typing my book was like "plowing the south forty with a teaspoon." I finally got smart and took their advice.

How right they were!

I need to celebrate the joy of shipping yet another masterpiece off via email. Something yummy....

Ah, yes. Jon Hamm. Perfect. Even with his shirt on--or in this case, a cool suit. The guy looks amazing in a suit. And he was the image I had in mind for my hero in the book I just finished. A corporate shark. And such a sexy one!

Today I Reach The End...

2009-11-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

...and not in a scary, ominous way. In a good way. Today I get to the end of my current work in progress.

I don't mind beginnings. I like getting to know my characters, writing that first scene where I do my best to make it pop.

I enjoy writing dialog. To me, a lot of the action is in what people say and how they say it.

I kind of hate middles. I do. That's the most dangerous place, where everything can lose focus--and if I'm not careful, I can lose my reader.

But I love endings. I love that final scene after I've put my hero and heroine through hell, after they've broken up and are sure they are not going to make it. But then, gathering the truths they've learned in the course of their story, unwilling to let their love die--they reunite.

Yeah. That. I love to write the reunited scene. And I'm going to that right now!

Browse CHRISTMAS AT BRAVO RIDGE

2009-11-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a cool feature. Click the "Browse this book" link and you can read several pages of the story.

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

New Website Goes Live!

2009-11-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

It's up, it's up! Have a look, please. I love the colors, the layout, the easy access to Bravo info and to excerpts. Hope you like it, too.

New Website Update...

2009-10-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Having my website revamped by my amazing web people, WebCrafters . Things are really moving along now and the whole new look should be up by next week sometime--or at least, in the week after that.

I so cannot wait. Of course, I'll discuss how much I love it when it's finally up and running...

Did I mention I can't wait?

But while we do, here's a little Rusty Joiner. His name always cracks me up. But the way he looks always brings a happy sigh...

Cover for My December Book!

2009-09-30T07:02:00.001-07:00

I like it. I've never like kids on covers or smiley people, but this has both. And still...I like it. I think it's that the kid really has something going on in her expression. That slightly smug, this-is-working-out-just fine look is perfect.

And the way the hero looks at the heroine? Priceless. Plus there's the pose, which is, as my dear friend Susan Crosby describes it, "a circle of touching," with each character touching the next.

Anyway, it's a good one, I think.

Back cover copy reads...

OOPS, SHE DID IT AGAIN!

Well, if lightning didn’t strike twice, then
how could a night of passion with her former
lover, Matt Bravo, leave Connie Lonnigan
pregnant with his child…for the second time?
They already had a beautiful little girl, and
they’d finally come to terms with their
can’t-live-with-can’t-live-without-each-other
relationship. And now this!

Texas tycoon Matt Bravo had let Connie slip
through his fingers five years ago, and he was
not about to make the same mistake again.
He had to convince her that he was the man
for her, now and forever. To make this a
Christmas to remember—for all four
of them…

Sadly, there is an error in this great copy. Heroine's name is Corrie, not Connie. It was too late to fix it when I caught it. And they have a new program they're working with on cover image and copy at Harlequin. Apparently, there are still issues with it.

But other than that...

Day Tripping...

2009-08-28T08:04:00.001-07:00

You know, as in that old Beatles song. "She was a daaaayyy tripper. Sunday driver, yes..."

But then actually, we went on Saturday. Last Saturday. To Arcadia and Luther, Oklahoma. First, in Arcadia, we visite Pops. As in soda pop. From all over the world. Soaring glass walls with glass shelves lined with varicolored varieties of...pop.

Next, on to the Round Barn, which was, not surprisingly, round. And a barn. Here's one from outside.

And here's me inside on the ground floor. The M on my tank top? For Mensa. We went with the DH's Mensa group.
And upstairs, where they hold barn dances and even the occasional wedding.

Then on to Luther and the Tres Suenos winery. We sat out under the trees drinking wine, eating cheese and crackers. It was lovely. Sadly none of my pictures do the scenery at Tres Suenos justice.

It's nice to have a little break, get away. If just for the day...

Time Flies When You're...

2009-08-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

...on a deadline. Finishing a book. Thinking about washing the windows.

Notice I said thinking. Hah.

Worried about the healthcare debate. Wishing you were in Vegas at plot group with your friends. Wishing the weather would change. Strange how when it's hot, I wish it were cooler--and when it's cooler...well, you get the picture.

News at Chez Christine is that I finished the Jericho Bravo book mentioned in my last post back in June. And it has a new title: A BRIDE FOR JERICHO BRAVO. Yeah, I loved the original THE REBEL AND MARNIE JONES. But the word Bride and the name Bravo both sell books. And well, you know, I like to eat.

Now I'm on to a new Montana Mavericks story with a sexy single dad hero--and a schoolteacher heroine. I'm thinking it will be fun. And so far, so good on the fun thing.

Also, recently signed a contract for six more Special Editions. Lots more Bravos coming your way. And somehow, 2010 is stacking up to be the Year of the Bride--title-wise, I mean. Four books coming out and three have "bride" in the title. Don't know how that happened, but it did!

Hoping to get a cover image for the upcoming December release soon. That one's called CHRISTMAS AT BRAVO RIDGE.

And that's my news for the third week of August. Keep cool, everyone!

Oh, and and here's a little hotness in a very good way....

Tom Jane. I really love Tom Jane.

Bad Boys and Big Bikes....

2009-06-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

Motorcycles, I mean. Harleys. Choppers, particularly.

The book I'm writing now is about the bad boy of the San Antonio Bravos, sixth-born Jericho. Jericho has had a rocky past. He is also a genius. He designs and builds custom choppers of great coolness and beauty. Like the one at left, built by Thunderstruck Custom Bikes and named Paranoid. Totally fitting name, IMO. And what, specifically, is a chopper? Well, according to the Motorcyle Biker's Dictionary, it's "A style of motorcycle that appears deceptively light, has a greater angle on the front end than usually seen, and radical styling." The term is derived from former GI's back right after WWII "chopping" factory bikes to make them faster, removing all "superfluous" parts.

I'm using Gerard Butler as my hero image. Kind of handsome and thuggish at once. But I also kind of imagine Jesse James of West Coast Chopper fame in the mix, also.

Heroine is Marnie Jones. If you've been reading my books for a while, you first met Marnie when she was a tough, angry nine-year-old who swore like a sailor in SweetBriar Summit. Since then, Marnie has been tamed. She needs to rediscover her wild side.

I think Jericho is the one to help her with that...

I haven't done a biker guy (literarilly speaking, of course!) since The Midnight Rider Takes a Bride. That came out back in 1997. So I'm thinking it's about time...

The Passing of Icons...

2009-06-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

How sad is this? Both of them gone on the same day.

Whatever one has to say about Michael Jackson in recent years, well, he remains one of the great musical geniuses of our time.

And Farrah, well, she had that hair before extensions. She was a totally luminous presence. I remember back in the '70s, when I went to New York to be on the stage and ended up mostly waiting tables, I would ride the F train back and forth from our railroad flat in Cobble Hill and sometimes it seemed like every woman on the train had hair done to immitate Fawcett, and was reading Sweet Savage Love. Ah, those were the days.

You will be missed.

A Correction...

2009-06-13T08:08:00.001-07:00

Well, the sex thing didn't work out--the blog on writing sex, I mean.

Instead, on Saturday, June 20 at the Prairie Chicks Write Romance blog, I'll be talking about plot group, about how it works and how great it is. Hope you'll drop in.

Come and Visit Me...

2009-06-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

...on three other blogs this month.

Thursday, June 4: NovelThoughts. This is the lovely Fatin's blog, featuring author interviews and commentaries. The wonderful AztecLady is temporary host this month. Post a comment to my blog there to win a signed copy of The Bravo Bachelor.

Saturday, June 20: Prairie Chicks Write Romance. This is an excellent writers' blog. I'll be talking about sex--well, about writing sex, I mean.

Hope you'll drop by...to one or to both!

And also, as every month, you can catch me the first and fourth Tuesdays at my group blog, the Silhouette Special Edition Authors Blog.

Happy Blogging to all!

List-o-Maniac--and proud of it

2009-05-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

Did you ever see that old movie, MY DINNER WITH ANDRE? In it, two artsy types share a meal. That's what the movie is--the whole movie: a dinner with Andre. Andre, tall, skinny and intense, talks about how hopeless life is, how there's nothing to look forward to.

The other guy--plump and goodnatured--Wally, I think was his name, argued that he got a certain everyday satisfaction from making lists and doing the tasks on the list and then checking the tasks off the list.

I'm so Wally. I keep a clipboad on my desk. It holds a stack of lined sheets of paper. I love to fill a lined sheet with "things to do." You know...

--Renew Drivers License
--Wash towels
--update website
--shred
--organize book closet
--file
--J&M info 2 M&D
--wash windows

I love crossing out the tasks when I accomplish them. I cross out with yellow hilighter. A life coach I once had years ago called that "giving yourself the sunshine." Corny? Oh yes! Satisfying? Even more so.

While I was writing the most recent book, the list kept getting longer and longer. But last week, I finished that book and sent it off to my publisher. I've been giving myself the sunshine ever since. My list could almost be all sunshined up.

But then, there's always something more to add. Plus, I hate washing windows. I'm avoiding that one. Even getting the sunshine isn't enough to tempt me to get to work with my rags and Windex. Thus, my list is forever incomplete. I rather like that.

Do you make lists? Do you find them satisfying...?

Great Review and Today Show Does Romance

2009-04-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my Newsblog, so here's a little news!

Jane at Dear Author really liked The Bravo Bachelor. You can read her lovely review here. Jane doesn't fool around--or pull her punches--so I'm really pleased that she enjoyed this book.

Also, the Today Show did a nice little piece about how Romance is booming during the current recession. For those of us who have been around since the dawn of time, this is no surprise. Romance sales went through the roof back in the '80s, too, when times were rough. Because, after all, Romance is a great escape. For under ten dollars, you, too can be swept away! Coolest thing to me about the Today piece was that they interviewed the wonderful Margaret Marbury,Executive Editor of Mira, Red Dress Ink and Spice, three of Harlequin's mainstream imprints. Margaret stood in front of an amazing cover image as she spoke. Yes, that would be the cover of The Stranger and Tessa Jones. You can check that out here.

Hope you all had a lovely Easter. Ours was rainy, but cozy. We cooked and read and watched the Masters golf tournament.

And Yet Another New Cover...

2009-03-13T11:02:00.001-07:00

Got this off Amazon. No back cover blurb available yet. This one comes out in June.

No, it's not terribly...imaginative. But the truth is, it's a scene I proposed for the art work, so the lack of imagination is totally my fault. Good news is they both look almost exactly as I picture them. And it's beautiful, I think. And, well, I really like it.

Can't wait to see this book in print. It's a sort of modern-day Romeo and Juliet story. The Bravos (him) and the Cabreras (her) have been feuding since the 1950's, when James Bravo won the family ranch from the Cabrera patriarch. So, of course, a Bravo and a Cabrera must fall in love!

What do you think?

Finished...

2009-02-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

I do love to finish. Especially a book. Finishing, for me, is so much more satisfying than, say, starting.

There are times I really hate starting. It's always like "Who are these people and why are they doing these things?" I just don't know them when I start. Even if they already appeared in another book, somehow, when they get their own book, I have to start all over again to know them.

But when I'm finished, well, I know them probably as well as I ever will. I don't have to worry I'll never figure out who the heck they really are, because if I finished, at some point, I did figure that out.

And there's just something about a finished book. A feeling of accomplishment, I guess. It's finished. It's done. And, you know-I did that! I wrote a(nother) whole book.

This time I'm just finishing a book that will come out in December. Yes, a Christmas book. Thus, you get an image of a singing Christmas cat. So festive! Plus the whole "Joy to the World!" attitude fits right in with the way I feel now. I started this book in January. I've written a bunch of Christmas books. Somehow, I never write them during the Christmas season. Doesn't bother me at all. I can get in the spirit in January. Hey, I just did!

So happy holidays, everyone!

Just finished. Ready to start all over again...

New Cover!

2009-01-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

The lovely Maureen Stead at Harlequin just sent me this--and my request. it's for my April release. I swear he looks just like Jake Gyllenhaal. It's not the way I described him in the art information I sent them.

But hey. Worse mistakes have been made. And she looks just right.

Overall, I'd call this a good one. The setting is lovely and reasonably close to what I asked for. And the whole effect is very romantic.

Back cover copy reads...

ONE VISIT TO HER RANCH HAD LANDED HIM IN THE DELIVERY ROOM!

All Gabe Bravo wanted was to convince Mary Hofstetter to sell him her land. But the young widow had barely told him to hightail it off her property before going into labor. Being an honorable Bravo bachelor, he stayed by her side, even after her little bundle of joy appeared.

There was no denying Gabe had declared himself permanently single—and proud of
it. But with his feelings for Mary growing deeper, he was suddenly torn: walk away
from mother and child, or do what he’d sworn he’d never do—get hitched!

This is a little too much information, actually. It totally gives away the first few chapters. Not that readers wouldn't figure out what was going on--but still, some things you want to discover for yourself as you read, right?

Then again, marketing has this wild need to actually sell books, so I totally forgive them.

Is It 2009 Yet???

2008-12-30T06:52:00.000-08:00

This is Ed. Yes, in this picture he looks marginally alienlike. But he's a sweetie, truly.

And he wishes you all the very best in 2009. May all your dreams comes true. May you find joy and love, contentment and excitement. And, always, a whole bunch of great books.

I got some fine ones for Christmas this year. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, Daughter of the Blood, the first in Anne Bishop's Black Jewels trilogy, and Mad Dash by Patricia Gaffney. Plenty of good reading to do around here.

Then again, I'm always taking recommendations. Any good books I shouldn't miss?

Outlaw Partay!

2008-12-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

Finally made it to my Oklahoma Romance Writers of America chapter's Christmas party--we are otherwise known as the Outlaws, in case you were wondering. Here you see, clockwise from left, Rinda Elliot, Merline Lovelace, me--and Jill Monroe, halfway in the frame. That Jill. She tried to sneak into all the pictures. Pretty much succeeded, too.

Great fun. We played a merciless game of Dirty Santa--with books this time.

A True Christmas Treasure...

2008-12-17T08:13:00.000-08:00

My friend, Hazel, sent me this.

Some of you may remember Bowie Bravo, who has yet to have his own book due to problems with alcohol and anger management issues. Hazel calls him "Tarzan" Bravo--because, as she told me, "he lives in the woods and is anti social."

So...above you have Tarzan's Christmas. So festive!

I especially like the cow skull tree topper! And, of course, the so-attractive monkey tattoo in the exact perfect place. Thank you, Hazel!

Merry Christmas, everyone...

I Love Me a Little Dirty Santa...

2008-12-09T07:02:00.000-08:00

The game, I mean.

We play it every year at the Christmas party put on at the local country club by the DH's real estate firm. The DH thinks it's dumb. He's always with the, "Why can't we just go and eat, drink and be merry like grownups."

And to that I say, "Bah, humbug! I want my Dirty Santa."

Of course, every year he somehow ends up choosing the gift we will contribute to the game. How does that happen? Wish I knew. This year we brought a couple of interesting drink mixers--both for "tinis," one for crantinis one for chocolate. All attractively packaged with this cool stainless steel shot glass thingy and snowflake-adorned stir sticks. The winner of that one gets to provide her own liqour. I say "her" because a woman won it. The room was dark, lit with candles and little white Christmas lights. Even through the candlelit shadows, I could see she was pleased with it. When the MC of the game tried to get her to hold it up so everyone could get a good look and be ready to steal it, she put it to her chest and said, "Oh, it's just some drink mixers." Clever girl. She went home with it, unchallenged. Personally, I wouldn't want a pair of sweet mixers--not even with the snowflake stirsticks and stainless shot glass thrown in. But the DH said his colleagues love sweet drinks, so that's what we brought.

The rules, in case you're totally lost at this point: Bring a wrapped gift that cost you under fifteen bucks. Yeah, most go over a little. Some don't. Either's okay with me. It's the bright wrapping and the stealing other peoples stuff that draws me to this game. I was probably a small furry creature who stole shiny objects my last life...

Back to the Rules... You draw numbers for your turn. If someone before you opens a gift you admire, you get to steal it. But. No gift can be stolen more than three times. If yours is stolen, you go back to the tree and choose another wrapped gift. Every year everyone argues over how the rules have changed. I don't know. I personally think they stay the same but what's a Dirty Santa game without griping over the rules? This year I wanted the small bottle of Bailey's Irish Creme that came up early. So I stole it. Then someone stole it from me. I forget who ended up with it. But I got a scent burner thingy. You put squares of scented wax in it, plug it in and you have candle scent wafting on the air. Hmm. Maybe not for me...

So I let the DH trade it for a book by the political commentator, George Will. I mean, hello. The DH is a total left-winger and George Will is a conservative. But the MC, also a left-winger, looked so crushed, he just had to come to her rescue. I don't really mind. He's a hero, what can I say? And if I want scented wax wafting around my head, I'll light a candle.

So that's it. Another year's worth of Dirty Santa, another evening of fun!

Know any great holiday games? I have a few more parties to attend...

The Tree

2008-12-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

We put it up last weekend--which I guess I mentioned in my last post. Every year, I try to get a good picture. Never satisfied. Here are this year's...
I don't know why it always looks better "in person" than in any of the pictures I take.
And yet, I keep trying...
And trying...
and trying...

Yes, It's Me...

2008-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Again. At last.

I know, I know. I haven't been around here much. But I have been blogging regularly--first and fourth Tuesdays of every month--over at the Special Edition Authors blog on the eHarlequin site. Click the link to the blog on the right of the page if you want to drop in there and see what I've been yakking about.

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. I did. I put on two pounds just to prove it. ;) I cooked, too. A lot. The pies, the turkey, the creamed onions, and on and on... it was fun and very satisfying. Both the cooking and the eating.

Saturday, we did the tree and the house decorating for the holidays. Even got a nice dusting of snow last night. I feel so festive! If only my pants weren't so tight...

Now, it's back to work after the long, lazy holiday weekend. I'm getting my filing and other stuff in order to day and then digging into my latest proposal starting tomorrow.

How about you? Did you have a great Thanksgiving...?

Cover for my January book...

2008-10-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

And may I just say I love it! I do.

So gorgeous. The art department hit it right out of the park with this one. I am so fond of this "epic" style of cover--with the couple above and an inviting landscape below.

I love that he is both killer handsome and grownup looking--not to mention very macho in a smooth, sophisticated way, which is exactly this hero. And the feeling of the scene is totally sexy in a romantic, emotion-charged way.

This is just what I look for in a great cover. It has tastiness--would make me want to pick it up and read the back copy.

Anyway, just thought I would share...

New Special Edition Blog at eHarlequin!

2008-09-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

New blog for Special Edition authors up at eHarlequin.

Check us out here . You can read my blog from yesterday, Color Me Excited. And why am I excited? Because we have have our own blog, of course!

Most of the authors involved will be posting twice a month, so you can learn all there is to know about what each of us Special Edition authors is working on for your future reading pleasure. From now on, I'll have the first and fourth Tuesdays. That means I'll be blogging next on Tuesday, the 23rd. Hope to see you there!

Win a Free Book!

2008-09-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well, that was easy. Barb and kimmy, send me an email through my website or the "email me privately" link to the right and I'll get your books out to you! Congrats!

Scratch that. Win two free books.

In honor of my October release, Having Tanner Bravo's Baby, I'm giving away the stories of Tanner's two sisters, Hayley and Kelly, so the lucky winners will be all caught up on that branch of the family when Tanner's book comes out next month.

So... for a chance to win signed copies of A Bravo Christmas Reunion and Valentine's Secret Child, leave a comment to this post between Wednesday, September 3 and Friday, September 12.

I'll randomly draw two winners on Saturday, September 13.

Good luck, everyone!

Oh, and please note that this is a separate contest from my regular contest. Enter both. Please! You can sign up for the One Bravo, One Jones contest here.

The End of the Month Already?

2008-08-27T07:32:00.001-07:00

How is that possible? I have so much to do this month and it's quickly ending. Help! Need to finish my proposal. And then on to the next book. And plot group in Vegas 9/7-9/10. I so cannot wait!

About the speech I was supposed to be planning. Fuggetaboutit. Haven't even gotten to it yet. But I will. Probably on the day before I have to give it. Now that's wingin' it! I think what's needed is a hot-looking wet guy. A little bit of Raoul. Smiling with a cute dog--and his zipper halfway down.

There. I feel so much better.

Younger son is back in school. Just got his tuition bill. Eeek! But the nice thing is his girlfriend is a freshman this year. When he has to get his car fixed--which he does way too often--she can take him there and drive him around while the car's in the shop. I am grateful for small favors.

Oh, and you should see our lawn. A lush carpet of moist green. The DH took over lawncare this year with younger son moving on into his own life. The lawn really loves the DH's loving care.

So...School started where you are? Any signs of fall?

The End...

2008-08-08T06:34:00.001-07:00

Finishing up a book today. What a great feeling. This one will go in by next Tuesday or so--some polishing required. And then I have to write a speech.

Scratch that. I've decided to loosely outline a speech. Because, ya know, I'm too anal for this world and normally I literally write them and read them straight off the page--with a lot of expression and enthusiasm, of course. But I've decided this time I'm going to wing it. I may have a nervous breakdown over it, but that's my plan.

I'll let you know if I survived the process after it's over.

Now, back to that final scene...

The Kids' First House

2008-08-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

Matt, older son, and my favorite DIL, Jenny, married a few years' back. Pictures posted on my website in the pictures area.

They were in California for a while. But a year or so ago, they moved to Oregon. And on July 23, they closed on their first house.
Jenny sent pictures. I couldn't resist sharing them...

Love the one of Matt in his...Has-Matt suit. I think these are mostly of their basement. Can't wait to see more of the interior. They're having such fun.

Makes me totally miss them!

The Ongoing Cover Rag

2008-07-17T06:44:00.001-07:00

Well, this isn't actually a rag. I like this cover, on the whole. My first reaction was that I couldn't decide whether he looked like Jon Stewart--or a homeless person. And what is with her dress? It's too big and it kind of looks like a cheap evening dress. In the middle of the afternoon in a tree-shaded park? Maybe they're both homeless...

But then, well, I sent it to my dear friend Susan Crosby She liked it and told me why. That the heroine looks adorable and the hero actually kind of looks like Harry Connick, Jr.--whom Susan really likes a lot. And then I realized she is adorable. And she looks a little like Kate Hudson, who was my image of her. And he's...not so bad. I mean, he looks like a grown man instead of somebody's shaved-chest boy toy. And he has amazing, big hands.

I really like big hands on a man.

So now, I'm good with it. I even like it. And I think it's perfectly targeted for the SSE reader--meaning it's romantic and sweetly emotional.

You think?

So Here I Am...

2008-07-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

...Starting a book again. I think there's a pattern here. But I know, I know. I've mentioned that before.

I've got my character images up on my inspiration board. I've got the calendar up that shows when important story events take place. I've ordered a book about raising barnyard animals--because, you know. My heroine keeps goats. A book on barnyard animals could come in handy.

Like the two tour books I already got for Austin and San Antonio. Yep. Books on the setting. So important.

I also bought a gorgeous cofee-table book on modern ranching in Texas. Great black and white photos of craggy-looking people who really should moisturize more often. Oh, and a book on raising beef cattle. If you're writing about Texas, you never know when you might need one of those. There's a huge section on calving, with pictures. Really. You don't want to see what it looks like when a cow gives birth. Or to help. People have probably lost hands and arms doing that.

I doubt I'll have any calves delivered in this series of books I'm doing set in South Texas. The book with the rancher hero and the large-animal vet heroine takes place in August and the fall. Not a lot calving in South Texas in the fall.

But I do feel...prepared, you know? Or at least, as prepared as I ever am to start.

Now I get to just do it. Start. Very scary. But starting leads to the grand adventure of writing the whole book. Not complaining.

Oh, and about that ice storm damaged tree in the front yard. Here she is.

I'm thinking in a couple of years she'll be lookin' good. Or at least better...

And back to books, I'm reading Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, an amazing loooonng and complex fantasy novel. There's a four-page list of characters in the front. I have to keep referring to it to know who they're talking about. And the plot is...intricate, to say the least. But I'm in love with the heroine, Phedre, so I keep plugging. I highly recommend it if you like fantasy and don't mind working hard for your entertainment reading. Oh, and also, Phedre is a an anguisette. Sort of a prostitute into Bondage and Discipline. But not a prostitute, really. In this world, sex is an art and the ones who provide it are true artists called adepts. But if this element is a turnoff, heads up.

Any good books to recommend?

Visit me at Tote Bags Today...

2008-06-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging on the subject of continuities--meaning what are they and how do they work?--over at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs today. Come say hi--and get the scoop on my latest, In Bed with the Boss.

Hope everyone is having a terrific summer. It's gorgeous here in the heartland. Gotta take a picture of my formerly fabulous front-yard oak that was hit so hard by the ice storm last winter. it's so weird looking now. Like a eucalyptus, I swear. I'll try to do that tomorrow....

I'm Thinking That Guy from Supernatural...

2008-06-18T06:28:00.001-07:00

For the hero of my latest, I mean. He's Jensen Ackles. I'm picturing him as Luke Bravo. Oh, yes!

Here's another. The one on the right--as if you couldn't guess. Great mouth. And he's even got the Bravo cleft in his so-manly chin.

Okay, enough with the hunkiness. Back to work!

Have I told you about...

2008-06-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

...my latest project?

Or should I say, projects? I think I should. Because this particular project will be ten books long. I've already written the first one, The Stranger and Tessa Jones, which will be out in January of '09. Nine to go.

I'm just going to be starting on the second, The Bravo Bachelor, after I finish the proposal for the one after that, the third in the series, tentatively titled Having Mercy. Yep. You guessed it. The heroine's name is Mercy--short for Mercedes. Mercy Cabrera, proud adopted daughter of Luz and Javier Cabrera. She is fiercely loyal to her adoptive family, who took her and her dying single mom into their lives and then adopted her after her mom was gone.

Yes, these are Bravo stories. You probably guessed that, too, I'll bet. There will be ten siblings in this subseries of the Bravo series. Seven brothers, three daughters--and another daughter, illegitimate. They don't know about her. Yet.

These are the children of James Bravo--actually, his grandchildren. Check out the Bravo family tree at my website to see where James fits in. James left the first Bravo homestead in Wyoming decades ago and settled in the San Antonio area. This branch is wealthy (okay, it's my fantasy and in my fantasy they get to be rich), has made most of their money in land and real estate development. But there is a family ranch, Bravo's Pride, their own Texas homestead.

Can you tell I'm excited to be delving into this branch of the Bravo clan? I am! And yes, the gorgeous Latina you see above is my image of Mercy, exactly. In real life, her name is Natalie Martinez. So beautiful! As to the hero of this one, the rancher Luke Bravo, I don't have a picture in mind for him yet. I've considered using pictures of Gerard Butler and James Purefoy...but no. Both are great. Just not quite right... I'll find the image I'm looking for eventually.

In the meantime, back to the proposal...

It's beautiful here in the heartland today, sunny. Getting hot. Everything green and glorious.

How's the weather where you are?

Tastes Like Summer to Me...

2008-06-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

Blackberries. Oh, yeah! They do taste like summer to me.

When I was kid, I lived for weeks or months of the summer in the Sierras. Wild blackberries grew everywhere up there, in green, tangled patches down by the river. And lining the dirt roads, each dark, lovely berry muted with its own film of dust. I couldn't be bothered to wash them. I'd wipe them on my swimsuit or my t-shirt, leaving purple streaks my mom could never quite get out in the wash. And then I'd pop them in my mouth.

Oh, my. They were the taste of summer, those ripe dark dusty berries.

Sometimes, in those hot, lazy days, we'd all go out together--my granny, my mom, my Aunt Emma, my sister BJ, my cousins Jimmy and Johnny, and my baby brother, Paul, who loved to fish and always wore the same fishy-smelling orange shirt no matter how often my sister and I shrieked and moaned at his stinkyness. Each of us carried a pail or a pan stolen from the kitchen cupboard. We'd pick those ripe, purple berries for hours, heedless of the thorns, and come home with scratches all over our tanned, bare arms, smiling, pails full of berries.

Granny, Mom and Aunt Emma would make blackberry pie or maybe a cobbler. And jam to give us a sweet taste of summer all through the next winter.

Yesterday, I bought blackberries at the supermarket. No, they're not as sweet and heavy and amazing as the ones in my childhood. But they'll do. Each one brings a faint taste of memory, and a smile.

I'm curious. What tastes most like summer to you?

Break Time

2008-05-05T06:52:00.001-07:00

Yes, my life does have a rhythm to it: Write a book, take a break, write a book, take a break. Repeat. Ad infinitum.

Not that I'm complaining. I love my life's rhythm. And during my breaks from actually writing a book, I have plenty to do beyond cat napping. I have line edits and final proofs to go over. Proposals to write. My website to update. Contests to judge. Windows to clean.

I really do need to get to the windows...

Soon.

Mwahaha.

But what I love best about break time is its very...unstructured-ness. It's not so much about discipline and focus as it is about relaxing, enjoying, getting all those loose ends tidied up a bit.

When I'm writing a book, I tend to get lost in it. Getting lost in the book is the only way to make it really come alive for me. When I'm writing a book, the real world recedes. It's just me and all my imaginary friends, my characters. And their journey.

Break time is about coming back to the real world. It's snoozing at odd times. And more careful attention to the universe around me when I'm awake. It's a break from the demanding focus of writing, and at the same time, it's the chance to be fully engaged in real life.

So what do you do in your break time?

Finalist in the NRCA!

2008-04-27T07:42:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's true. The Man Who Had Everything is a finalist in the Short Contemporary category of the National Readers Choice Awards. I'm pumped. This contest is judged by readers from all over the country. Where the RITA is judged by other authors, the NRCA is all about which books readers like best. And well, you know, without readers, where would we authors be?

And there's more cool news here. There are five members in my plot group and four of us are published. All four of our published members made the finals in the NRCA this year--all in different categories. Susan Mallery's up for Tempting, Maureen Child is up for More Than Fiends and Teresa Southwick has finaled with The Sheikh's Contract Bride . I find this simply beyond cool.

For a list of all finalists, go to the NRCA homepage at the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America site.

Yay!

Tagged!

2008-04-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow-author and a RITA nominee this year, Linda Goodnight, tagged me.

Sooo...

Here we go.

Tagging Rules:
a. Link to the person who tagged you: Linda Goodnight (done)

b. Post the rules on your blog. (done)

c. Write six random things about yourself. (doing. In a sec)

d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. (Breaking this rule. Gena Showalter did, too, so there!)

e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog. (well, I would, if I hadn't *not* done D )

f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up. (Will do as soon as I post this)

Okay, now for 6 Random Things...

Stay awake, everyone. ;)

1. I love to play games like Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Charades. And any and all card games. I'm one of the few people who goes "Oh, Goody!" when the hostess at a party says we're going to play a game.

2. I love all seasons when they start and can't wait for them to go when they leave.

3. I love books about the Tudor period in England. Novels, I mean. The Other Boleyn Girl
is an all-time fave. When I was a child, I fantasized about going back in time and warning all of Henry's wives. "Oh, you will be sorry. Don't lose your head over that guy..." Okay, I know. *Groan*

4. I love oregano. Fresh oregano in a vinegar and oil salad dressing. Oh, my! Nothing like it.

5. I love the Sierra mountains in Northern California. Love the sound of wind through the pines. Or cedars. Or both. Is that more than one thing?

6. I love strong, smart, loving men. It doesn't hurt if they're good to look at.

And that's six. Done it!

So, at least one random thing about you???

Home Stretch and New Cover

2008-04-18T06:12:00.001-07:00

I'm in the last thirty or so pages of this book and loving it now. It's my fave time, when I'm racing to the finish, crying and sighing with my characters, feeling I have to pack way too much good stuff into a small number of pages. Perfect! This is what I love most about my job.

To the left, the cover for my July book. What do you think? It's way more sexy than most Special Edition covers. But I have to say, it does fit the title. That girl is most def...in bed with the boss. Or at least she has been and probably will be again. I'm kind of wondering about his fly, though. I think he needs to have it mended. Or something. But I always love a bare, sculpted chest. And she does appear to like him a lot. She was supposed to resemble Jennifer Garner. Hmm. Not so much. And he was to look like...okay, I have pictures of him. He's not Patrick Dempsey, but close. Just can't remember his name. Anyway, the guy on the cover looks like a hotter version of Andrew McCarthy. No, not complaining. Just saying...

Here's some more Roaul for you.

And now...back to work!

Things are Going Great Around Here!

2008-04-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I know. The picture hardly suits a bouyant mood. I am far from feeling blindfolded on a balcony in...what's that...Miami? Venice Beach? Somewhere in the South of France?

It's only...

The guy. It's a about the guy. Yeah. That one, the gorgeous one, in the blindfold? Raoul again. Oh, my! I loved this picture so much, I just wrote a love scene involving a blindfold. Nothing like the proper inspiration, I always say.

So I read this article by the amazing Barbara Samuel in the Romance Writers Report. Taming the Internet Monster, it was called. All about the ways writers--or anyone who regularly uses the Web--can be sucked in to spending more time here than is really good for getting things done.

I mean, there's a lot to like about the Internet. Scratch "like." There's a lot to love: instant connection, answers to just about any question, fabulous eye candy (see picture above), cyber-friends galore. The benefits of life on the Web go on and on.

But the Web can be a monster, taking up precious time we should be using to, oh, say, write better books. Or even more books. Barbara had several suggestions for getting control of the monster. Among them, don't check email until noon. That one really struck me. I mean, Don't check email til noon. Simple huh? I thought, I can do that. How hard can it be?

Well, pretty dang hard if you're an email junkie like moi. So I took the suggestion and modified it a tad. I check email first thing, but only to see if there's something urgent that requires a reply right now. If not, I turn it off. And go to work. And don't check it again until noon.

Good googly moogly! Amazing. I've been writing like the wind and having lots of time to go on the Internet later. Or to do other things that suit my fancy. Shop. Cook. Read.

So as of now, I know who my characters are and I love my story and it is flowing so fast, it astonishes me daily.

Thank you, Barbara Samuel.

And how are things going in your world?

Who the #$%^&* Are These People?

2008-03-13T08:01:00.001-07:00

Yes, well....

Those of you who know me may have guessed by the title of this post that I'm starting a new book. To the left? The eye-candy inspiration for my hero. His name is Raoul Bova--the guy in the picture, not my hero--and he's always been a fave of mine. Here, as you see, he is wet. Wet is good--and yes, I know. I've said that before.

By the way, Raoul played the Italian younger-guy hunk in Under the Tuscan Sun . He had wild sex with Diane Lane and then married someone else. But in the book I'm writing now, the hero, who does look like Raoul, is neither Italian nor a cheater. Which is good. Not that he's not Italian. I love Italians. But that he's not a cheater. I don't love cheaters...

At this point, he (meaning my hero) has no idea who he is. Seriously. Somehow, he's received a blow to the head and he's wandering the snowy Sierras in search of he knows not what.

What he'll find is the heroine, one Tessa Jones (Don't you dare call her Tessy!) who lives in North Magdalene, California and is the daughter of Patrick Jones, who, as some may recall, was the hero of one of my first Jones Gang books, Sweetbriair Summit, back in the day.

I love it when the kids of my heroes and heroines get old enough to be heroes and heroines themselves. Or I would love it--if I could only figure out who the #$%^&* these people are!

Hope this post finds you all well and happy and getting lots of good reading done!

Author Secrets Revealed...

2008-02-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

...Or, what I did when I finished my most recent book.

As you can see from the picture of me at left, finishing a book is really workin' for me. Better, even, than plastic surgery. As of now,I'm a ringer for Charlize Theron.

I tended my lucky bamboo. The poor thing needs tending. That baby has been repeatedly chewed almost to death by my lucky-bamboo eating cats, Tom and Ed. I mean really. My cats ate my lucky bamboo? That's just pathetic.
So I got this bitter spray-on stuff at the pet store. Every other day, I spray it on my lucky bamboo. The cats taste it, throw up--and leave the bamboo alone for at least a couple of weeks. Until they forget how gross it tastes and try again. And hurl again. On my desk. Oh, yes. So the bitter yucky spray is enough to keep my luck alive--yet not really thriving, and definitely scarred. There's a life lesson in here somewhere....

I spent more time on MYSPACE than usual. There I learned that Meg Cabot is really funny. She's got three or four videos on her page. The one on neck creping is especially meaningful and deep.

And what about that Jill Monroe? Her AuthorTalk interviews--with Gena Showalter and with herself--yes. That's what I said. Herself. Are amazing and also make you want to spray your morning coffee all over your keyboard. Here's a link to the incredible Ms. Jill's blog where she put up both interviews on the same post. Now, that is talent, ladies and gents.

Oh, and I'm like, cooking. As a rule, I don't cook much. Who has time for that when they're chained to a keyboard? Not I.

But during my brief days of freedom from page goals, I've roasted a chicken, made beef stew and goulash. Okay, not exactly gourmet delights. But you know, I've always wanted to make goulash. Try to find a hambone these days, folks. We need an actual real-life butcher around here. Not just a chi-chi meat counter at the local supermarket. So I settled for hamhocks. Story of my life.

What else? Oh, I sent my website updates to my webmistress. And I'm writing a proposal. The proposal is actual writing, so it's a little bit of being responsible within these few wild days of freedom.

Okay, gotta check on the goulash....

Podcast anyone?

2008-02-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

My first podcast is up at eHarlequin. Click here to go the eHarlequin podcasts page. You'll see my interview with the splendid, knowledgable and charming Malle Vallik is episode 8. Click to download it to iTunes and hope you enjoy...

And now, back to Tanner's book. I'm almost finished. Should have it in the mail for NYC by Friday. Yay! Though, as always, I feel kind of sad to think of letting these characters go. It's so fortunate for me I like to write connected stories, so I get to check in with past heroes and heroines and see how they're doing in future books.

And Valentine's Day is comin' right up. We'll be staying home and I'll be cooking because I actually love to cook on my new cooktop and in my gorgeous new oven. I hope I get truffles from the DH. Yum.

And what will you and yours be doing on Valentine's Day?

However you spend your day of romance, enjoy!

Back from Plot Group...

2008-01-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

As you may remember, I go twice a year. It's moi and four other faboo authors and friends. Want more info? I blogged about it a couple of days ago on Tote Bags 'n' Blogs.

And in case you're wondering why I opened this post with a picture of a cake, it's because Susan Mallery treated us to this amazing cake--no, not exactly like the one above, but similar--in honor of her making the New York Times Bestseller list three weeks in a row! Yay, Susan! And great cake! It was fondant on the outside, guanache (However you spell that. Paz?) beneath the fondant and layers of this amazing fudge cake and this chocolate-chip icing. Indescribable. Yummo.

But now I'm back home and the cake is only a delicious memory.

Today, I've been cleaning up my office and going through my emails--so fun to touch base with everyone. Had a lot of emails on my return, as my brilliant webmistress, Miss Shelley, had sent out an epostcard to my mailing list about Valentine's Secret Child, which is hitting stands as I write this. And that reminds me, if you're not on my list and want to get epostcards when I have a new book out, go to my website, click on the Mailing List link...and sign up!

And tomorrow, it's back to Tanner's book, which I will be finishing by mid-February as my totally wonderful editor gave me a much-needed two-week extension. Yay! Fangirl, at left, is as always, totally thrilled for me.

I do love fangirl. She's never less than utterly enthusiastic. So...back to my emails. Just wanted to let y'all know I'm thinkin' of you.

Two Hunks...

2008-01-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

...to amuse you while I'm screaming here in deadline hell. And I know, I know, it's not as if I wasn't perfectly aware that this would happen. See my post of 12/18....

Yes. It's truly sad to be so predictable.

But on to more interesting subjects.

Okay, maybe JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE. But not Jesse Metcalf. Please.

And about Matthew McConnaughey. Edgy, oh yes. But still a total hottie.

Hope you've all recovered from all that holiday fun. We've taken our tree down and de-holidayed the house. It's nice and...spare.

How about you? All the decorations put away yet, or do you prefer to extend the cheer well into the New Year?

And yes. I know. Back to work...

Christine Rimmer's News

Back Cover Copy--The Prince's Secret Baby

New Book Cover

Happy New Year!

Between Christmas and New Years, I...

Our Christmas Tree

Blogging today SE Authors Blog! And check out ROMANCE MAVENS!

Back Cover Copy--and home stretch!

Cover for February 2012 release

Childhood Memories

Back Cover Copy--and Finished....

New Cover November Release!

My New Romantic Mystery is Available in Ebook Now!

Check out my free online read at eHarlequin....

Final result Ebook cover

Rough Draft of my Ebook cover

So...going to try epubbing...

Something About a Man in a Cowboy Hat...

Bowie's Return

New Book Cover

Map of New Bethlehem Flat

Proposal Done!

Transcribing...

Home from Plot Group...

Bad Bloggers Anonymous...

March Cover

February release cover and blurb

That Amazing Moment...

General Updates.....

At the Midpoint...

Musings On...Paper

Experiments in Back Cover Copy

MARRIAGE AND A BABY?NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Help! Everything's Changing--and Not in a Good Way!

Displacement Activities

Cover for My November Release...

Book Done. And Now I'm on to...

Forging on the the End...

Shelf Talkin' 'bout McFarlane's Perfect Bride

Wrapping Up the San Antonio Bravos

My Characters Take Over...

Summer heat, frizzy hair....

Starting Over. Again.

Great Time at Summer Heat!

More of My Backlist in ebook!

Social Networking...

Whew! That one's almost done....

New Cover...

Blogalicious...

Harlequin Expands into Turkey...

Come see me at Romance in the Stacks!

Holidays Over, Deadline Looming...

Back Cover Copy...

Cover for A BRIDE FOR JERICHO BRAVO

The Annual Tree Photo...

First Chapters and a Back Cover Blurb...

New Cover...

Finished!

Today I Reach The End...

Browse CHRISTMAS AT BRAVO RIDGE

New Website Goes Live!

New Website Update...

Cover for My December Book!

Day Tripping...

Time Flies When You're...

Bad Boys and Big Bikes....

The Passing of Icons...

A Correction...

Come and Visit Me...

List-o-Maniac--and proud of it

Great Review and Today Show Does Romance

And Yet Another New Cover...

Finished...

New Cover!

Is It 2009 Yet???

Outlaw Partay!

A True Christmas Treasure...

I Love Me a Little Dirty Santa...

The Tree

Yes, It's Me...

MARRIAGE AND A BABY?
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.