Nine Years and Counting - - Kandy Shepherd (2009)

Nine years ago, today, The Romance Dish opened its cyber doors for business and the rest, as they say, is history. I've had a wonderful time chatting with you about books - and life - throughout these past nine years. We've had some great times, lots of laughter, some sad times, and a few tears. It's been a wonderful journey, with wonderful people, and I thank you all for sharing it with us.

I thought it would be fun to celebrate the blog's anniversary today with some throw-back posts from the past nine years. Hopefully, they will bring you a smile, tickle your memory, or perhaps introduce you to an unfamiliar author or book. Of course, being an anniversary, there have to be presents, right? Posts and Giveaways will be popping up all day so check back often!  

One of the first authors to visit with us was Australian Kandy Shepherd. Here's her post from December 7, 2009.

Guest Author - Kandy Shepherd

I swapped a fast-paced career as a magazine editor for a life writing fun, feel-good fiction, says romantic comedy author Kandy Shepherd. She also states, Animals have always been a special part of my life and keep sneaking into everything I write. Her debut with Berkley Sensation, Love is a Four-Legged Word garnered great reviews. Please help us give a warm Romance Dishwelcome to Kandy Shepherd!



Thank you Andrea for inviting me to The Romance Dish – and I’m waving to PJ too!

I adore animals and they seem to sneak into everything I write. In my debut romantic comedy, LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD from Berkley Sensation, my doggy characters are as important as the human ones. Brutus, the ugly little mutt who inherits a multi-million dollar fortune, has such a strong personality I had to be careful he didn’t overshadow the heroine Maddy and the hero Tom!

My second book for Berkley HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS (out in June 2010) takes up the story of Serena, Maddy’s best friend from my first book. Brutus appears,
as well as a cast of new doggy characters. The “hero” dog is a very big, very sad rescue dog named Mack.

How do I research my canine characters? My best research is a lifelong love of animals. I’ve had dogs and cats in my life since I was a small child. There was a parrot, rabbits and even a white mouse (not a great pet to cohabit with cats…) My daughter has horses and I’ve learned to love them too. Then there are our two miniature Dexter bulls, Squirt and Thimble, who are nothing short of adorable! Thinking of animals as characters with their own special personalities and quirks is second nature to me.

Is Brutus based on a real dog? Yes and no. Brutus is a purely fictional creation, an amalgamation, I guess, of many dogs I have known. The naughtier aspects of him probably come from a childhood dog named Copper. He was half bassett hound and half golden cocker spaniel and had a truly larger-than-life personality. Copper was utterly devoted to my brother and I have certainly drawn on that devotion in the character of Brutus. Their loyalty is one of the characteristics I love about dogs in general.

Brutus’s greed comes from my Miss Molly who is always looking for opportunities to snuffle up snacks. There’s a scene in LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD where Tom is kept awake by Brutus’s scratching and noisy dog tags and that definitely comes from real-life experience of dogs sleeping in my bedroom!

Brutus’s name, however, was inspired by a real dog, my former next-door neighbor. The “real” Brutus is not a scruffy Heinz 57 varieties kind of dog like my fictional Brutus, rather a silky terrier of impeccable pedigree. He has such a sweet little face that his tough-dog name makes me laugh. He’s getting old now but still sprightly and raring to go at the mention of the word “walk”.

They say writers are “people watchers”. I’m that, of course. But I’m also an animal watcher. Yesterday I noticed how a little dachshund, walking unleashed on a busy sidewalk just ahead of her owner, kept looking back over her shoulder just to check he was there. I found that endearing and will probably write it in somewhere. Connie, the border collie whose work ethic was so strong she left her tiny puppies to herd sheep; Snowball and Snowden the sweetest bull terriers; Lily the discerning miniature poodle; Tiza the one-eyed shih-tzu; Fella the enormous mutt who thinks he’s still a pup; Benny the naughtiest-ever beagle; and all the dogs I’ve known, even for a chat over the fence, thank you for loaning me aspects of your unique personalities to help create my fictional dogs.

Like my human characters, at some stage in the writing my canine characters take on their own personalities and become as real to me as any flesh-and-blood-and-fur dogs. In my mind’s eye Brutus is a very real individual!

Important as my doggy characters are, I never lose sight of the fact that they are secondary characters in my stories. I’m careful that they don’t distract from the developing romance between the hero and the heroine. But the reactions of the human characters to the animals can give great insight into the human’s personality—I have a lot of fun with that! And vice versa. In LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD, Brutus sniffs out the truth about handsome Jerome long before Maddy does.

I’m grateful to the animals in my life, not only for their companionship and love, but also for their help on my journey to publication. Could I have written LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD without the inspiration of my animal friends? I don’t think so. If I didn’t genuinely love animals and know their habits so well I couldn’t write about them convincingly.

 

Kandy Shepherd now writes emotional contemporary romances set in exotic locations for Harlequin Romance. For a Kindle copy of her latest release, Best Man and the Runaway Bride, tell me about the animals that share your life or, if you don't have animals, tell me what exotic location you'd like to visit. Winner will be chosen from all comments posted before 11:00 PM, November 3.

Can he resist the runaway bride?

After helping Nikki Lucas flee her high-society wedding, privacy-loving best man Max Conway never expected to be accused of having an affair with the bride! As the media scandal dies down, he escapes to a remote island—and comes face-to-face with Nikki! Their connection is undeniable but she’s completely off-limits. Yet as the sun sets in paradise, both are struggling to resist…

Harlequin Highlights

I've been catching up on some new Harlequin category books by a few of my favorite authors this month. Here are my thoughts on the first two.  


Stranded with Her Greek Tycoon
By Kandy Shepherd
Publisher: Harlequin Romance
Release Date: February 1, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

Hayley and Cristos were probably too young when, after a whirlwind courtship, they married against both of their families' wishes but they were deeply in love and determined to be together. Two and a half years into the marriage, a crisis tore them apart and, with the help of her family, Hayley disappeared from his life without a word. Two and a half years after that, while Cristos is attending a family celebration on a Greek island, she reappears just as abruptly...with divorce papers in hand. Desire and deeper feelings still simmer between them but Hayley has buried the past and has no desire to face the emotions that are sure to arise from revisiting it with Cristos. She's made a new life far away to which she plans to return as soon as she gets Cristos' signature on the papers. Will a freak storm give Cristos the time he needs to convince her to give them a second chance? 

Shepherd brings a lot of emotion to this second-chance love story, touching on sensitive topics such as depression, self-worth, and cross-cultural marriage. She makes her characters work for their happy ending in a satisfying romance that is sometimes heartwarming, sometimes heart-wrenching, and carries enough humor, sexual tension, and uncertainty to keep me engaged from beginning to end.


Note: If you like your covers to match your characters, check out the UK cover for this book. It's exactly how I pictured Cristos! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rodeo Sheriff
by Mary Sullivan
Publisher: Harlequin Western
Release Date: February 1, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

Sheriff Cole Payette has had a crush on bar owner Honey Armstrong since arriving in Rodeo, Montana several years ago but has never acted on it. In fact, he barely talks to the beautiful, free-spirited woman. But when he suddenly leaves town then returns, grief-stricken, with two grieving young children in tow, it's to Honey that he turns for help. After the death of her deputy fiance, Honey has vowed to never become involved with another lawman but the more time she spends with Cole and his young niece and nephew, the more that vow is tested. Both Cole and Honey have their reasons for avoiding relationships but when two of Cole's reasons, his estranged parents, show up in town with unreasonable demands, working together may be their only hope of protecting his niece and nephew. Will it also be what opens their eyes to the joy to be found in a life together? 

I've thoroughly enjoyed the first four books in Sullivan's Rodeo, Montana series and have become invested in the lives of these characters and the future of their small town. Her characters are fully developed and relatable, leaving me with the sense of having made new friends with each story I read. Children have had key roles in many of these books, including Rodeo Sheriff, and Sullivan has a particularly deft hand in creating these young characters who bring an endearing, sometimes humorous - but always realistic - quality to the pages.  The sense of community, depth of emotion, and complexity that she brings to these characters and their stories has made Rodeo Sheriff another addition to my keeper shelf and Mary Sullivan one of my auto-buy authors. 


Do you read Harlequin category romances? Do you have a favorite line?  I'm so disappointed that the Harlequin Western line has been cancelled. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all of my favorite Western authors will find a new home for their wonderful stories. 

Kandy Shepherd Winner

The winner of a print copy of

A Diamond in Her Stocking by Kandy Shepherd is

peggy

Congratulations!

Please send your full name and mailing address to us at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Today's Special - - Kandy Shepherd

It's always a delight to host Kandy Shepherd, especially when she has a new book out. I've been thoroughly charmed by her Dolphin Bay series for Harlequin Romance. The stories are more sweet than spicy but packed with emotion as characters are given second chances, life-changing opportunities and, if the stars align, a deep enduring love. Her stories never fail to leave me with a sigh and a smile. 

You can read about Kandy and her books at her website and connect with her online at facebook and twitter. 

Welcome back, Kandy!

Sunshine for Christmas

Kandy Shepherd

For many years I worked as a magazine editor and one of the biggest challenges for us was making an Australian Christmas feature look, well, Australian! Even Down Under many of the holiday decorating themes reference the northern hemisphere winter—snow covered landscapes, cozy log fires, red robins, glowing lanterns showing the way home through the dark, and tables groaning with rich dishes just right for the cold weather.

Trouble is, Christmas Down Under is in summer—and it’s usually darn hot. Where I live in Australia, Christmas (for those who celebrate it) is about blue skies, sunshine, sunburn, the incessant thrum of cicadas and evenings so long it’s not dark enough to see the Christmas lights until bedtime. We’ve just had the hottest spring on record so predictions for December 25 see the mercury soaring.

The climate suits not heavy roasts and dense fruit cakes but a barbecue with turkey and ham recipes adapted for outdoor cooking. Or seafood and salads.  And something cool and icy for dessert.  Christmas at the beach is a tradition for many, with families and friends arriving early to stake out their spot on the sand. No chance of kids getting bored when they can frolic in the waves!

Alternatively, at my house, you swelter in the kitchen and prepare a full-on traditional English style Christmas feast. My English-born husband insists on it. I have to admit Christmas wouldn’t seem Christmas to me without that festive meal with all the trimmings. Family favorites are demanded and provided—and appreciated by family and friends!

I’ve enjoyed a winter Christmas in both the UK and the US and it is a totally different experience to an Aussie-style festive celebration. Do I prefer one over the other? Deep down, I have to admit I love the frosty festivities. My ideal would be a cold Christmas and then a flight back to Australia to enjoy the New Year’s Eve celebration in Sydney—where the entire city becomes party central and millions of dollars worth of fireworks explode in the summer sky. But that’s another story!

My heroine, Lizzie Dumont, in my December Harlequin Romance A Diamond in Her Stocking didn’t grow up with happy memories of Christmas: “Her family Christmas had always seen the sad cliché of every bitterness and conflict getting a good airing over the roast turkey and plum pudding.” But as an adult, she embraces Christmas as a joyous celebration and (like me!) has enjoyed the festive season in both the Australian summer and the European winter.

But for Lizzie, the ultimate festive celebration is when she becomes a Christmas bride. The cover might give you a clue as to where the wedding takes place!

What’s your favorite thing about the holiday season?  Do you dream about a hot Christmas or a cold one? Have you ever broken with tradition? I’d love to hear your festive season stories!

One  randomly chosen person leaving a comment will receive a print copy of A Diamond in Her Stocking. (open internationally)

Joanne Lockyer - Kandy Shepherd Winners

The winner of a kindle copy of 

The Last Light of Dusk by Joanne Lockyer is:

Mary Preston

The winner of a signed copy of 

The Tycoon and the Wedding Planner by Kandy Shepherd is:

Cathy P

Mary, please send your email address to us at theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com.

Cathy, please send your full name and mailing address to us at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Today's Special - - Joanne Lockyer and Kandy Shepherd

Kandy Shepherd & Joanne Lockyer

What's better than welcoming an awesome Aussie author (say that three times) to The Romance Dish? Welcoming two! That's right, readers. Today we have two of my favorite people from Down Under visiting us. I've been reading Kandy Shepherd's books since discovering her at the Romance Bandits blog in 2009 and have enjoyed getting to know the woman behind the books since our first "in person" meeting at the 2010 RWA national conference in Florida.  She's upbeat, friendly, a fellow animal lover and a talented author, currently writing for Harlequin Romance.  Her new book, The Tycoon and the Wedding Planner is the second entry in her wonderfully emotional Dolphin Bay series.

I can't remember where I first met Joanne online but I have a vivid memory of our first face-to-face meet at the 2009 RWA national conference in Washington, DC.  She was photographing people at the post-RITA® reception which created an immediate common bond between us but it was her infectiously friendly personality and ability to put people at ease and make them feel as if you'd been friends with her forever that convinced me this was someone I'd like to know. For the next several years, I followed her writing journey through Golden Heart® finals and world-wide travels, catching up at conferences, exploring new horizons vicariously through the lens of her camera and waiting patiently for the debut that I knew in my heart would be amazing. (It is.)

When I met Kandy for lunch at this year's RWA conference in Texas, I had just finished reading Joanne's debut, The Last Light of Dusk and couldn't stop talking about it. Turns out Kandy had been following Joanne's journey as well and planned to read the book as soon as she got home.  The idea light blub flared and voilá!  I'm delighted to welcome Kandy Shepherd and Joanne Lockyer for an author-on-author interview - Australian style!

Kandy: I first met Joanne Lockyer when she was an aspiring writer at a Romance Writers of Australia conference way back in 2006. It was her first writer’s conference, though I was to catch up with her at several Romance Writers of America conferences in the years to come—the most recent being in San Antonio, Texas in July 2014.
 
At that 2006 Australian conference, this beautiful, smart young woman sat next to me in a workshop. She was bubbling with enthusiasm and passion, determined to soak up as much knowledge as she could about the craft of writing romance.
 
After the workshop, we chatted and I asked her what she wrote. As she drew me into an enthralling tale of romance set in the time of the Napoleonic Peninsular War, I knew I was listening to a natural born storyteller.
 
I followed Jo’s career with interest, confident such talent would be recognized. When she finaled in the Romance Writer’s of America prestigious Golden Heart contest for an unpublished manuscript in both 2012 and 2013, I knew she was on her way.
 
Joanne’s debut novel The Last Light of Dusk was released on July 8. It’s a passionate, Regency-set historical romance between an unconventional hero and heroine: the rugged sea captain and adventurer, Jonathon Lecky, and the spirited shipping heiress Rachel Cavanagh, granddaughter of an infamous privateer. The story is beautifully written, rich in historical detail and lush with romance and intrigue. It was well worth waiting for!
 
I spoke to Jo about her journey as a writer.
 
Kandy: Jo, you have an interesting background. You have a Masters of Applied Law specializing in environmental law. Your “day job” has involved donning a hard hat and working on major resource and energy projects.
 
Joanne: Hi Kandy, yes! For many years I’ve worked in environmental and social impact assessment for major projects in Australia; from mines to power stations, gas fields and liquefied natural gas plants. In the midst of it all, when I finished my Masters—wow, yes, back in 2006!—I knew it was time to write.

Kandy: So why write historical romance? The historical detail in The Last

Light of Dusk, which opens in 1816, seems very authentic, yet you weave it through the story so it doesn’t overwhelm.
 
Joanne: Thank you, Kandy! Growing up, the very first romances I ever read were historical. Next (by a roundabout route) I completed an undergraduate degree in history, which had a strong emphasis on 19th century social history. I love that “the past is a foreign land” and feel that events of the past add such incredible texture and depth to characters’ experiences. I love using historical events to add depth and authenticity to both the plot and the characters’ emotional experiences.
 
Kandy: You live in Australia but you’ve travelled a lot, has that influenced your writing?
 
Joanne: Oh, absolutely! In obvious ways—my imagination triggers when I visit historic places and I start asking myself that writer’s question: “What if?” But my love of roaming creeps into my characters too. They’re adventurers; people who have sailed from England’s shores either out of duty, such as going to war, or to explore. Their worlds and awareness stretch far beyond English shores.

Kandy: If a movie was to be made of The Last Light of Dusk, who would you cast as Lecky and Rachel?

Joanne: As Jonathon Lecky I’d cast Jake Gyllenhaal, as he played Prince Dastan in Prince of Persia. (PJ here, jumping in to say I think this is perfect casting! Click to see Joanne's vision of Jonathon Lecky.) As Rachel Cavanagh I’d cast a grown-up Emma Watson.

Kandy: I could definitely see those actors in the roles! There are some interesting secondary characters in your novel including the Marquess of Rossum. The memoir extracts of Rachel’s grandfather, the infamous privateer Rhys Cavanagh, also bring him to life. Will be seeing these characters in future books? What’s next for Joanne Lockyer?
 
Joanne: Haha! I already have requests for Rossum’s story, so that is definitely on the cards. (And will be an interesting challenge, as readers of the Last Light of Dusk will understand.) First however, I’m intending to release Before Come Light of Dawn in early 2015, which will introduce some new characters into the world of The Last Light of Dusk. In other words, it’s linked, but readers haven’t met the hero and heroine yet!

Kandy: Joanne, thank you for chatting with me. I’ll look forward to reading more of your books—keep writing!

PJ: Joanne and Kandy, thank you so much for that wonderful interview! Joanne, would you like to ask our readers a question?

What Hollywood coupling would you like to imagine as hero and heroine of a novel?

The past is a foreign land: what aspect of the Regency era would you most like to experience and why?

PJ, again. I'm giving away two books today: a Kindle e-book copy of The Last Light of Dusk (open to everyone) and a signed print copy of The Tycoon and the Wedding Planner (U.S. addresses only).  

She’s the brilliant granddaughter of England’s most infamous privateer 

When Rachel Cavanagh is rescued from drowning by English seafarer Jonathon Lecky, her life is irreparably changed. Despite the briefness of their meeting amidst the chaos of the wreck, a bond of trust is formed between her and the rugged, unconventional boat captain. Lauded for her survival, her family and indeed all of England would have her marry Britain's most eligible bachelor. Still, her dreams of exploring far away places and the storm-gray eyes of a handsome seafarer call to her soul…. 

He’s the adventure she’s been longing for 

Returning to England’s shores with wrongs to redress after eight years in North Africa, the shadows that have chased Jonathon Lecky across continents allow no place in his life for romance. Yet when he again meets the woman he rescued but can’t forget, he knows someone has to show the captivating shipping heiress that it’s right to want something different….

Joanne's website is under construction. Readers can connect with her online at Facebook and Twitter. 

The Last Light of Dusk is currently available at:

Amazon
Kobobooks

Readers can find more information about Kandy and her books at her website and connect with her online at Facebook and Twitter.

Kandy's current book, The Tycoon and the Wedding Planner (Harlequin Romance) is available at most book-buying locations.

Amazon
Barnes and Noble 
Kobobooks

Something Sweet

by Anna Campbell

As everyone who frequents this lovely blog is very sweet - I sure know I am (snerk!) - I thought today I'd talk about some sweet category romances that I've recently enjoyed.

I've got nothing against a bit of passion. I've got even less against a LOT of passion.

But now and again, I seem to want something a little gentler than rampant desire and wild rapture. Some of my favorite romances are sweet, often they don't even include a love scene, but still they manage to pack a huge emotional punch and they sizzle with sexual tension.

When I think of top-notch sweet romances, I think of wonderful stories like Eva Ibbotson's A COUNTESS BELOW STAIRS or Liz Fielding's A WEDDING AT LEOPARD TREE LODGE. Both unforgettable stories for all that kisses are about as hot and heavy as these characters get.

By the way, while these books aren't current releases, they're all available as e-reads (and some still in print). And I've read other books by the authors so even if you check out another story by one of these writers, you won't be disappointed.

LAST-MINUTE PROPOSAL (2008) by Jessica Hart is a real charmer. When cuddly wedding cake designer Tilly is paired with hard-jawed, hard-eyed, hard-bodied tycoon Campbell in a reality show to raise money for charity, they're both convinced that they have nothing in common. And they'd both be wrong!

I love stories of opposites attracting and finding rich depths in their own characters as a result. Definitely worth picking up.

THE LONER'S GUARDED HEART (2008) by Michelle Douglas is another charmer. Oh, no, I think that particular version of the 'c' word might be getting a workout in this review. It's another opposites attract story and features another hard-jawed, hard-eyed, hard-bodied hero in 'loner' Kent. When winsome Josie moves into a cabin on Kent's remote property in Australia's Hunter Valley, his days as a loner are numbered! It's a case of when an irresistible force meets an old immovable object, and something's gotta give! This one just gets better and better as you read it and the ending brought a happy tear to my eye. Again, well worth a look. 

THE CORPORATE BRIDEGROOM (2002) by Liz Fielding is the oldest book I'm reviewing today but it's still available digitally and it's a great read, with one of the most perfect, heartbreaking ends to a love scene EVER.

The plot is a staple of category romance - the hero's hostile takeover of the heroine's family business. But once Liz Fielding focuses her wit, wisdom and warmth on these wonderful characters, she turns this into an unforgettable story. The Claibournes and the Farradays have feuded for years over control of London's most glamorous department store Claibourne and Farraday. So Niall Farraday Macaulay definitely counts as the enemy for Romana Claibourne, the store's public relations whizz. But sometimes it can be fun sleeping with the enemy! Love enemy into lovers stories and this one is a great one.

My last in this roundup of excellent sweeter romances only came out in February this year so it's still very much available. THE SUMMER THEY NEVER FORGOT by Kandy Shepherd is an absolutely lovely story about reunited childhood sweethearts, Ben and Sandy. But will they be able to make a go of it as adults dealing with tragedy, the demands of career, and the years apart? It has a beautiful ending which will leave you misty eyed and smiling. This book also offers the added bonus of lovingly observed descriptions of the gorgeous seaside setting of Dolphin Bay on the New South Wales South Coast in Australia. I was all keen to move to Dolphin Bay, and then realized it was fiction. Sob! Great disappointments in modern fiction! LOL!

So do you like sweet romances or it is steamy all the way for you? Do you have any favorite authors who write on the sweeter side? Have you read any of these authors? What did you think?

Kandy Shepherd Winners

The winners of a copy of The Summer They Never Forgot by Kandy Shepherd are:

Pam Westfall

and

Kim in Baltimore

Congratulations!  To claim your book, please send your full name and mailing address to us at:

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Today's Special - - Kandy Shepherd

It's my pleasure to welcome Kandy Shepherd to the blog today. A former magazine editor, Kandy left that life behind to join her family (both two and four legged) on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia and write heartwarming romance novels.  When I picked up a copy of Kandy's debut novel, Love is a Four-Legged Word, in 2009 it quickly became evident that we shared a common love of two things:  dogs and romance. Kandy joins us today to chat about another debut of sorts; her first book for the Harlequin Romance line.  I've just finished The Summer They Never Forgot and enjoyed it immensely.  It's a heartwarming, deeply romantic story of second chances written with the expertise that I've come to expect from Kandy Shepherd.  

Thanks for joining us today, Kandy.  Take it away!


 

In love with the beach 

Kandy Shepherd

I don’t know why I find the beachside such an ideal setting for romance. Is it because the rhythm of the waves is meant to echo the human heartbeat? Or because people are often scantily clothed at the beach? Maybe we’re simply more relaxed in close proximity to golden sands and blue water?

Courtesy of Tourisme Tahiti

Whatever, ask me where I’d like to go for a romantic getaway and the answer will always be somewhere near the water. (One day, maybe, I’ll get to visit one of those amazing over-the-ocean hotels in Tahiti!)

Who can forget that classic scene in From Here to Eternity where Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr make passionate love in the breaking waves on a secluded Hawaiian beach? Sigh! However, according to a small survey I conducted (where the respondents shall remain nameless!) the soggy reality of making love on the beach doesn’t always meet the fantasy. Sand in uncomfortable places. The sting of saltwater. Sunburn. Fear of discovery, etcetera, etcetera. Maybe such scenes are better kept as fantasy!

It’s not surprising that I like to set books near water. My first book for Harlequin Romance The Summer They Never Forgot is set in the fictional small coastal town of Dolphin Bay on the beautiful south coast of New South Wales, Australia, about four hours south of Sydney.

I have spent many happy vacations in that part of the world and love the quaint towns, unspoiled bushland and, most of all, the pristine beaches with their white sand and aquamarine waters. In true Aussie style, kangaroos abound in that area—they even come down to the beach to play in the waves. There are dolphins, too. It’s on one of those beaches that I first saw dolphins surfing. The fun they were having was nothing on my delight in watching them frolic!

So you can imagine what fun I had creating the town of Dolphin Bay, putting all the things I loved best about that area into the one fictional place. One early review of the book says the setting “is described so beautifully, readers will almost feel the sand between their toes”.

It’s in this setting that my hero and heroine Ben and Sandy fall in love as teenagers. To them, it’s more than a vacation romance and they never quite forget that first love. Twelve years pass by until Ben and Sandy meet again and, in the interim, they’ve both been wounded by life. Old hurts, betrayals and misunderstandings stand in the way of their reunion. But they’re so perfect for each other! Again that beachside setting starts to weave its magic on them as they find their way back to each other’s hearts. (Though, because this is a sweet romance, there aren’t any torrid encounters in the surf, From Here to Eternity style!)

I’m glad this deeply romantic and emotional story was released in February. This month of romance is also a month of extreme weather in both hemispheres. Readers in chilly winter and those in steamy summer might enjoy the chance to escape to perfect beach weather in the pages of my book!

What’s your dream vacation—beach, lake, mountain, or somewhere quite different? Have you found romance on vacation? I’d leave to hear about it!

Kandy is giving a mass market paperback copy of The Summer they Never Forgot to two randomly chosen people who leave a comment on today's blog. (open internationally)  You must post a comment before 11:00pm EST, February 12, 2014 to be eligible for the giveaway.

Guest Author - Kandy Shepherd

I swapped a fast-paced career as a magazine editor for a life writing fun, feel-good fiction, says romantic comedy author Kandy Shepherd. She also states, Animals have always been a special part of my life and keep sneaking into everything I write. Her debut with Berkley Sensation, Love is a Four-Legged Word garnered great reviews. Please help us give a warm Romance Dish welcome to Kandy Shepherd!



Thank you Andrea for inviting me to The Romance Dish – and I’m waving to PJ too!

I adore animals and they seem to sneak into everything I write. In my debut romantic comedy, LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD from Berkley Sensation, my doggy characters are as important as the human ones. Brutus, the ugly little mutt who inherits a multi-million dollar fortune, has such a strong personality I had to be careful he didn’t overshadow the heroine Maddy and the hero Tom!

My second book for Berkley HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS (out in June 2010) takes up the story of Serena, Maddy’s best friend from my first book. Brutus appears,
as well as a cast of new doggy characters. The “hero” dog is a very big, very sad rescue dog named Mack.

How do I research my canine characters? My best research is a lifelong love of animals. I’ve had dogs and cats in my life since I was a small child. There was a parrot, rabbits and even a white mouse (not a great pet to cohabit with cats…) My daughter has horses and I’ve learned to love them too. Then there are our two miniature Dexter bulls, Squirt and Thimble, who are nothing short of adorable! Thinking of animals as characters with their own special personalities and quirks is second nature to me.

Is Brutus based on a real dog? Yes and no. Brutus is a purely fictional creation, an amalgamation, I guess, of many dogs I have known. The naughtier aspects of him probably come from a childhood dog named Copper. He was half bassett hound and half golden cocker spaniel and had a truly larger-than-life personality. Copper was utterly devoted to my brother and I have certainly drawn on that devotion in the character of Brutus. Their loyalty is one of the characteristics I love about dogs in general.

Brutus’s greed comes from my Miss Molly who is always looking for opportunities to snuffle up snacks. There’s a scene in LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD where Tom is kept awake by Brutus’s scratching and noisy dog tags and that definitely comes from real-life experience of dogs sleeping in my bedroom!

Brutus’s name, however, was inspired by a real dog, my former next-door neighbor. The “real” Brutus is not a scruffy Heinz 57 varieties kind of dog like my fictional Brutus, rather a silky terrier of impeccable pedigree. He has such a sweet little face that his tough-dog name makes me laugh. He’s getting old now but still sprightly and raring to go at the mention of the word “walk”.

They say writers are “people watchers”. I’m that, of course. But I’m also an animal watcher. Yesterday I noticed how a little dachshund, walking unleashed on a busy sidewalk just ahead of her owner, kept looking back over her shoulder just to check he was there. I found that endearing and will probably write it in somewhere. Connie, the border collie whose work ethic was so strong she left her tiny puppies to herd sheep; Snowball and Snowden the sweetest bull terriers; Lily the discerning miniature poodle; Tiza the one-eyed shih-tzu; Fella the enormous mutt who thinks he’s still a pup; Benny the naughtiest-ever beagle; and all the dogs I’ve known, even for a chat over the fence, thank you for loaning me aspects of your unique personalities to help create my fictional dogs.

Like my human characters, at some stage in the writing my canine characters take on their own personalities and become as real to me as any flesh-and-blood-and-fur dogs. In my mind’s eye Brutus is a very real individual!

Important as my doggy characters are, I never lose sight of the fact that they are secondary characters in my stories. I’m careful that they don’t distract from the developing romance between the hero and the heroine. But the reactions of the human characters to the animals can give great insight into the human’s personality—I have a lot of fun with that! And vice versa. In LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD, Brutus sniffs out the truth about handsome Jerome long before Maddy does.

I’m grateful to the animals in my life, not only for their companionship and love, but also for their help on my journey to publication. Could I have written LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD without the inspiration of my animal friends? I don’t think so. If I didn’t genuinely love animals and know their habits so well I couldn’t write about them convincingly.

Do you have a favorite fictional animal character in a book, movie or TV show? For a chance to win a copy of LOVE IS A FOUR-LEGGED WORD, please leave your comment.

Title: Love is a Four-Legged Word
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Trade Paperback, 328 pages
ISBN: 978-0-425-22784-8