A BRAVO CHRISTMAS WEDDING nominated for best Special Edition of 2014!

Wahoo!  Feeling proud and happy.  A BRAVO CHRISTMAS WEDDING has been nominated by Romantic Times BookReviews for best Harlequin Special Edition of 2014!

Happy Holiday, everyone!

Almost Like Fall...

It is!  Almost like fall around here.  The False Solomon Seal, at left, has bloomed, shed its petals and brought out the fall berries--which as you can see, are half-eaten already by local wildlife.

It's gorgeous here this time of year.  Brisk clear nights and days warming into the '80s.  The Northwest version of paradise.

My flame maple in back is looking pretty red.  It's a big sapling, still, so it's not that showy.  But it's definitely showing me its version of Autumn.

It's been one super-busy summer around here, rushing to meet deadlines, attending the big Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim.  Great fun.  Photos on my website, here.

I was up for the RITA award twice.  Didn't win.  But sure had a lovely gala night at the awards dessert party.  My younger son came to visit for a few days.  So good to see him.  We showed him the sites of Portland.

And now we're into our big master bath remodel.  (Pictures later) and I'm off soon to plot group to plan more books.

And speaking of books...

Two in a row comin' right up.  In November, The Prince She Had to Marry.  Here's the cover:

I love the look the two of them are sharing.  And her cute little baby bump.  She's about three months pregnant in this scene.

Back cover copy reads:

FOR HONOR.  AND FOR LOVE?

Cold, distant Alexander Bravo-Calabretti was the last man

Liliana of Alagonia had ever imagined marrying! After all,

even a princess longs for happily-ever-after. But when a

one-night fling with her nemesis led to a royal baby-on-the-

way, only a wedding would satisfy their disapproving

families. So with a fast, secret ceremony, they were joined

for life.

Alex had agreed to make an effort for the sake of the

baby, even though letting the lovely Lili close was a threat

to the barriers he’d long struggled to maintain. But the

future of the throne—and his royal honor—was at stake.

And when he and Lili posed as happy newlyweds for the

paparazzi, he found himself wishing that their marriage

could be for real after all….

Then in December, The Rancher's Christmas Princess.  I don't have the cover for that yet.  But here's the back cover copy:

A CHRISTMAS PRESENT. 

FROM THE PAST.

Arabella Bravo-Calabretti came to Elk Creek, Montana, with a secret to deliver and a job to do. Being a Bravo Royale, she was going to do it right. Before she handed her best friend's darling son, Ben, over to his unwitting father, they would all spend Christmas together. Only then could she be absolutely sure that rancher Preston McCade was ready to be a dad.

Or...was that really the reason Belle was hanging around?  She and Preston were practically from different planets, yet the attraction was undeniable.  Before long, someone was utterly in love with a rancher--and Christmas in Montana was presenting one suprise after another.

I do love the copy on both of these.  You can click on the titles to order from Amazon.

Happy Reading everyone...and now, to clean up this office a little....

I'm a RITA finalist! Twice!

That would be RITA, there on the left.  We romance writers all covet RITA.  She's the tops awards-wise in our industry.  She's our Oscar, our Emmy, our Golden Globe.  Only better.  Because she's RITA.  We all dream of someday winning at least one of these golden beauties.

I have yet to win a RITA.  But hope springs eternal and every year I enter every book I have published that year.   Before today, I've finaled three times: in 1992 for my Silhouette Desire, MIDSUMMER MADNESS, in 1999 for my Silhouette Single Title, THE TAMING OF BILLY JONES and then in 2007 for my Silhouette Special Edition, MARRIED IN HASTE. The calls go out in the last week of March and I'm telling you, it never gets old to get one of those calls.

This morning, I did get one of those calls.  From Series Romance Category coordinator, Tracy Garrett.  Tracy informed me that not one, but TWO of my 2011 books had made the finals this year!  I'm thrilled.  Excited.  Walking on air.  Maybe I'll win this year.  That would be fabulous.  I must say, though, being a finalist is pretty cool in itself!

DONOVAN'S CHILD is a 2012 RITA finalist



And so is....

A BRAVO HOMECOMING!