One for me...One for you. Questions, that is!

BREAKING NEWS: 
Between Molly's computer virus and human virus and my crazy work schedule and leaky senior memory, neither of us said anything about possible giveaways when we were planning this interview. So.... Sorry this is late but Molly has very generously offered an ARC of her first single-title book, CAN'T BUY ME LOVE to one randomly selected person who leaves a comment on today's blog. The book is a July release so ARCs won't be available for a few months yet but, as soon as Molly receives them, a copy will be winging its way to today's winner! Thanks, Molly!
~PJ

Janga and I met online several years ago and quickly discovered that we share a similar taste in the romances we enjoy reading.   When I find a new author (or book) to love, she's one of the first people I share the news with and she's placed more than a few authors on my "must buy" list with her enthusiastic recommendations over the years.  One of those authors is Molly O'Keefe.  I had the pleasure of meeting Molly this past summer at the RWA National Conference in New York City.  We struck up a conversation in the bar (you meet the most amazing people in the bars at RWA conferences!) and while we were chatting, I had one of those "lightbulb" moments.  Wouldn't it be great, I thought, if Janga (a dedicated fan of Molly's writing) could interview her for The Romance Dish?  I pitched the idea to Molly and she was on board immediately...but with a delicious twist.  Turns out Molly is a fan of Janga's and, while she was enthusiastic about the idea of being interviewed, she also wanted the opportunity to pose some questions of her own.  What a great idea!  I loved it!  Now, I just had to sell the idea of being interviewed to Janga.  Happily, she agreed - with only minimal begging on my part - and what follows is the wonderful end result of one reader interviewing -and being interview by - one of her favorite authors.  Enjoy! 

JANGA:   I started reading your books with the Notorious O’Neills and then eagerly glommed your backlist. I noted that the sense of family that I found appealing in the O’Neill books is characteristic of your work generally. Is this something you’re consciously creating or has it just happened?

MOLLY:  I cut my romance reading teeth on Elizabeth Lowell and Judith McNaught historicals and I LOVED the family connections. As a reader that family relationship was a very close second to the romance. So, when I started writing I didn't even think about it - the family dynamic was just there. The more books I write the more conscious I am of it because I don't want to over do it, or repeat myself. My mother - who is lovely - gets a little frustrated with all the bad moms in my books, but bad moms are fun reading, aren't they? They certainly are fun writing.

JANGA:  Writing bad moms must be fun. They seem to be popular with romance writers. For me, reading is foremost about the characters, and I fell in love with yours. Who is your favorite of your characters? Who was the hardest to write? The most fun?

MOLLY:  I was just having this conversation with another writer. Sometimes I can just slip into a character's skin and it's effortless and joyful. Some characters resist and fight and are a mystery all the way through. The good characters have been: Sam and JD from The Son Between Them Savannah from The Temptation of Savannah O'Neill Mia from His Wife For One Night Tara Jean from Can't Buy Me Love Eli from Can't Hurry Love and in the Superromance I'm writing right now, Jeremiah Stone, the hero of Unexpected Family The worst have been Ian and Jennifer from The Story Between Them - they did not get a long - AT ALL. Carter from The Scandal and Carter O'Neill Lucy from Unexpected Family.

JANGA:    Oh, I loved Sam and JD—theirs is a really different romance. And Savannah is a great character! From the beginning of your career, you have written series. I’m a series addict and understand the appeal from a reader’s perspective. What is the appeal of writing a series?

MOLLY:  I think I like writing series because I love to read them. Getting that overarching plot that ties the three books together is such a fun puzzle that when it works out - it's exhilarating. When it doesn't...uh oh. But I also like seeing little glimpses of couples after their HEA. It creates a real sense of the author's world - I always dreamed I could step into those Judith McNaught historicals and meet all of those characters. I think readers like that. I know I do.

JANGA:    So do I. There was a lively discussion about this at Heroes and Heartbreakers last week. To quote Shakespeare out of context, “what’s past is prologue,” and the Dishes and dishettes are always interested in the prologues of our favorite authors. When did you start writing? What is your “call story”?

MOLLY:  I've always wanted to write Romance novels. And I started right out of college - not that I ever finished any of those books. But once I did start finishing and submitting I actually sold my second book. I was living in California and working as a substitute teacher. When the editor called she wasn't aware of the time change and it was six am. I thought she was a principal asking me to come sub at her school and I kept saying "I have a job today, sorry." Finally, after about the third time the penny dropped and freaking out ensued.

JANGA:   LOL I can sympathize with that 6:00 a. m. response. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

MOLLY:  Those little moments I never see coming. Writing the Mitchells Of Riverview Inn series, it was only supposed to be two books. But then I had this lightning bolt about a secret third brother. One of the best moment of my writing life.

JANGA:    I love those moments too—“the given lines,” as a French Symboliste poet called them. What authors have influenced your writing? What authors do you like to read?

MOLLY:  My three favorite romances are Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, The Shadow and The Star by Laura Kinsale and Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward. I have those books in my head every time I sit down to write - it's maddening.

JANGA:    Dream a Little Dream is my favourite SEP too. Can’t Buy Me Love (June 26, 2012) will be your first single-title romance. How was writing it different from writing category romance? Will you continue to write categories? (I hope so. I’m a big Super fan.)

MOLLY:  Can't Buy Me Love and its sequel Can't Hurry Love were total dreams to write. They're longer and a bit more complicated - way way way hotter, which is a total surprise. It was fun figuring out which envelopes I could push and which needed to stay the same. Sometimes it felt like I was learning a whole new skill set and other times it felt like I'd been writing single title all along. I loved it.

JANGA:   Is there anything you can share with us about Can’t Buy Me Love? What's sure to make us fall in love with the newest Molly O'Keefe book?

MOLLY:  Did I mention it's hot? Because it is. It's also very emotional. Lots of secrets and drama. Family angst and it's hot. Oh, and the hero plays hockey.

JANGA:  Secrets, family angst, hotness—I love it already. Can you tell us what comes next after Can’t Buy Me Love?

MOLLY:  Can't Hurry Love comes out in July and the third book in the Crooked Creek Series comes out in November - This Can't Be Love.

JANGA:  Is there a genre other than romance or a subgenre within romance that you still dream of writing in?

MOLLY:  Actually, no. I love to read historical romance, and paranormal romance and YA is very exciting right now. But my heart belongs to Contemporary.

JANGA:  Good to know! I’m in favour of more contemporary romance. Did your recent trip to New Zealand give you ideas for new books?

MOLLY:  What a trip! We were there in part for the World Cup of Rugby - and those guys are total hero material... I fell in love many many times. I think I'll be doing more sports heros.




JANGA:   A quick five is always a fun way to end.

Are you a lark or an owl?
I used to be an owl but children put an end to that!!

Coffee or tea?
Coffee and far too much of it.

Mountains or beach?
Mountains - I really love to hike. Though we had some amazing moments on beaches in New Zealand...ah...too hard...can't choose.

City slicker or country mouse?
I grew up in the country and moved to the city - so a little bit of both. But it would be very hard to give up the excitement and convenience of my city. I can get Sushi delivered! How do you give that up?

Last minute holiday shopper or finished by September?
Last minute - my dad and I used to do all our shopping on Christmas Eve. We gave a lot of very bad gifts!

Now it's Molly's turn to ask the questions!


MOLLY:  When did you start reading romance? Do you remember the ones that first got you hooked? Do you still read any of the authors you started with?

JANGA:  I started reading romance the summer I turned ten when my mother turned me loose with her books. I read Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and stacks of Agatha Christie mysteries and Emilie Loring and Grace Livingston Hill romances that summer. I’ve been reading a mix of literary fiction and popular romance, and mystery ever since. But I think I was already hooked on romance from reading Louisa May Alcott, L. M. Montgomery, Maud Hart Lovelace, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I’ve certainly reread Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice many times. The Loring books seem a bit dated now, although I occasionally reread one. I find the Hill books too preachy. But there are authors like Mary Balogh, Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney, and Nora Roberts whom I started reading later but early in their careers and still read today—more than twenty years after I first read them. I love the lasting impression those first romance novels have.


MOLLY:  Have you always been a romance advocate?

JANGA:  I’ve always read romance, but my advocacy is fairly recent. From college on, I was a closet reader. Romance fiction was mocked by my English professors and most of my English major friends. One friend in grad school, upon finding out I read romance novels, declared “They’ll rot your brain.” Reading romance was also viewed as a betrayal of feminism. The wider acceptance of romance fiction within academia has developed since Pam Regis’s A Natural History of Romance.

MOLLY:  The snobbery is wide-spread, particularly among people who have never even read a romance novel. And on the feminism note: one thing I love about your reviews is how thoughtful they are - how they seem to tie into a part of womanhood, or community or family that is larger than the book - is that why you read romance? To feel in touch with those things - or to think about those things?

JANGA:  I don’t think I read consciously for those things, at least not on a first reading when it’s the characters who make or break the book for me. But I do like making connections—part of my INFP (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving) personality—and my training encourages me to be analytical when I write about books. At the analytical stage, considering contexts is one of the delights of reading.

MOLLY:  It is a delight! I love trying to pull apart the books that really work for me and figuring out the magic. Usually I just end up sucked into the story again. How has the explosion of the romance reading on line community impacted the way you read?

JANGA:  It’s increased my TBR stack a hundred fold. I do significantly less rereading now than I used to because I never catch up with the new books awaiting me. It’s also made me a more adventurous reader. I’ve read subgenres that I would never have tried when I was reading in isolation. Most significantly, it has given me an awareness of being part of a community that values reading romance. Some of my closest friends now are people who were first reading buddies whom I met because we read the same writers and joined in conversations about their books.

MOLLY:  Has it changed the way you review or present yourself on social networking sites (good reads, facebook etc…) or how you view other authors, reviewers etc???

JANGA:  Hmm. I’m not sure. It was the intelligence and camaraderie of the online romance community that gave me the courage to identify myself openly as a romance reader. Without that honesty, I’d never have become a reviewer, a blogger, a tweeter; I’d never have seen myself as a reader with things to say about romance fiction that were worthy of an audience. Squawk Radio and the Eloisa James/Julia Quinn bulletin board (both now defunct) are where I developed an online identity.

MOLLY:  How has your career as a teacher impacted the way you look at books and review them?

JANGA:  There’s a scene in Eloisa James’s soon-to-be-released novel, The Duke Is Mine, where the heroine explains the meaning of a poem to the hero and then explains what would be lost if the poem were different. I connected with that scene so strongly because it was such a teacherly moment. That desire to say, “Oh, look at this! How wonderful! This is what it means. This is why it has to be exactly this” is certainly something that shaped me as a teacher and shapes me as a reviewer. Maybe that’s why I prefer reviewing books I love and keeping silent about those I dislike.


MOLLY:  "This is why it has to be exactly this" - I love that! I prefer telling the world about books I love, too. Spreading the joy is so much more fun than spreading the pain. What is your favorite thing about romance novels?

JANGA:  The happy endings. Life is messy and often filled with pain and disillusionment. I love spending time in a world where love always redeems the rogues, heals the broken, and finds “the we of me” for the lonely—and one where women deserve and attain happiness and self-fulfillment.

MOLLY:  What is your least favorite thing?

JANGA:  The covers. I am not a fan of clinch covers. I dislike having to hide them from the younger grands. I’m also not crazy about buzzword titles.

MOLLY:  The covers are a double-edged sword that's for sure. Are you also writing romance? If so what genre?

JANGA:  I am. I’ve written one book and have partial mss. of two others in a contemporary trilogy with a Southern setting. And I’m excited about a new idea that surfaced just this week inspired by a picture on a web site.

MOLLY:  Oh! New inspiration - one of the best parts of writing. Enjoy it! If you could step inside one romance novel, or one world created by an author - whose would it be???

JANGA:  That’s a toughie. If I were strictly a short-term observer, I think I’d choose Jo Beverley’s Malloren world. I’d love to see Rothgar. If I were visiting the world of the book as Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next does, I’d go with a contemporary. I have to have my mod cons. Maybe Kathleen Gilles Seidel’s Till the Stars Fall or Ruth Wind’s (Barbara Samuel) In the Midnight Rain or Mary Jo Putney’s The Spiral Path. I’d love to have dinner and a long conversation with any of those characters.

MOLLY:  It would be hard to forgo showering to see Rothgar! You say one of your favorite books is Anne of Green Gables (I'm an Emily of New Moon girl myself) - what do you love about that book?  As a book for girls and about girls what do you think its lasting influence is on girls?

JANGA:  This question is a timely one since I’m working on a blog post on Anne. She is such a flawed endearing mix of insecurity, intelligence, imagination, honesty, and a huge, loving heart. Mark Twain called her “the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice.” I’d cut the comparison from Twain’s comment. I find her far dearer and more lovable than Alice. Without getting bogged down in the terminology of literary criticism, I think Anne’s continued appeal can be attributed to her combination of femininity and feminism. She’s a girly girl who has a BFF, longs for puffed sleeves, wishes her hair were a different color, and imagines herself “an enchanted princess shut up in a lonely tower with a handsome knight riding to [her] rescue on a coal-black steed." She’s also independent, assertive, and a usurper of the power of naming, a power usually reserved for males. She signals girls that it’s good, even empowering, to be all those things.

MOLLY:  I can't wait to read that post! I worry sometimes that the books I loved as a girl will disappear under the new wave of modern YA fiction - which is amazing stuff. But still I hope there is room for Laura Ingalls and Anne and Emily. Describe your perfect reader day…

JANGA:  The sound of rain against the window, my favorite chair and a cozy throw, hot chocolate with marshmallows, a stack of historical and contemporary romances (a mix of new books and comfort rereads), no phones or doorbells ringing, and a long stretch of hours to do nothing but read. Or substitute lazy day on a bench by the river with wild azaleas blooming, a spring breeze stirring the pine trees, a thermos of sweet iced tea, and a bag of the same books.



MOLLY:  I like your lightening round - so I'm going to copy yours.

Lark or night owl?
Night owl. I wake up as late as possible, an eyelash at a time.

Coffee or tea?
Tea. I’m Southern. We’re given sweet tea in our baby bottles.

Mountains or beach?
Mountains, every time. With a big lake to add the water element.

City slicker or country mouse?
Country mouse who likes visiting the city—but briefly.

Last minute holiday shopper or finished by September?
I finish my shopping on Christmas Eve.

**********

Molly and Janga, thank you both for giving us this fascinating "behind the scenes" glimpse into your lives.  We truly appreciate all the time and effort that went into these interviews!

Readers, if you could interview, and be interviewed by, the person of your choice, who would you choose and why?  Do you have any questions for Molly or Janga?  Post them in the comments.  They'll be dropping by throughout the day!

Molly O'Keefe is the RITA© Award Winning author of more than fifteen category romances.  Her first single-title romance, CAN'T BUY ME LOVE will be released June 2012 and will be followed by CAN'T HURRY LOVE in July 2012.  For more information about Molly, visit her website  like her Facebook page, visit the Harlequin Superromance blog and like the Harlequin Superromance Facebook page. 

Many of you know Janga as a guest reviewer here at The Romance Dish and proprietor of her blog, Just Janga.  She's a retired literature (emphasis on Southern Literature) teacher who, in addition to being a freelance writer, is also an occasional guest blogger at Heroes and Heartbreakers and hard at work on a contemporary romance manuscript of her own.  Follow her on Twitter @janga724. 






~PJ

New Releases for November

Wow, our Second Anniversary Celebration was a huge success—thanks in large part to YOU! PJ, Gannon, Buffie and I are truly thankful that each and every one of you took the time to join us and leave a comment. We couldn’t do it without you! And since Thanksgiving is this month (for those of us in the US), I thought we could all talk about things we’re thankful for. So, what are you thankful for today?

I’m thankful that we have so many great books to choose from in November (and every other month)! Which November releases have you read? Of those, which ones do you recommend? Which ones are you most looking forward to reading? Tell us and one lucky commenter will win a random book from my prize stash!

Until December, happy reading!



Historical

Never Love a Highlander – Maya Banks

To Pleasure a Duke – Sara Bennett
The Black Hawk – Joanna Bourne
The Virtuoso – Grace Burrowes
A Winter Scandal – Candace Camp
Desired – Nicola Cornick
Prince of Ravenscar – Catherine Coulter
The Marshal and Miss Merritt – Debra Cowan
Too Wicked to Wed – Cara Elliott
Pride & Passion – Charlotte Featherstone
Gentleman’s Master – Jo Ann Ferguson
The Lone Rancher – Carol Finch *
The Highlander’s Heart – Amanda Forester
A Most Dangerous Profession – Karen Hawkins *
Scandalous Desires – Elizabeth Hoyt *
Night Hawk – Beverly Jenkins

A Lone Star Christmas – William W. Johnstone & J.A. Johnstone (Historical Fiction)
Coming Home for Christmas – Carla Kelly
Cowboy Come Home – Janette Kenny
If You Give a Girl a Viscount – Kieran Kramer
Fortune’s Son – Emery Lee
The Pleasure of Bedding a Baroness – Tamara Lejeune
All About Seduction – Katy Madison
The Sinner – Margaret Mallory
The Viper – Monica McCarty *
Unmasking the Duke’s Mistress – Margaret McPhee
A Regency Christmas Carol – Christine Merrill *
The Lady Forfeits – Carole Mortimer *
The Lady Forfeits – Carole Mortimer
Engaged in Sin – Sharon Page
Gift-Wrapped Governess – Sophia James, Annie Burrows, Marguerite Kaye *

Contemporary

Capital Wives – Rochelle Alers (Women’s Fiction) *

Say You’ll Be Mine – Julia Amante (Women’s Fiction)
Holly Lane – Toni Blake
King’s Pleasure – Adrianne Byrd
Bring Me Home for Christmas – Robyn Carr
Highlander for the Holidays – Janet Chapman
The Wedding Quilt – Jennifer Chiaverini (Women’s Fiction)
A Love Built to Last – L.S. Childers
A Novel Seduction – Gwyn Cready
Real Men Will – Victoria Dahl
Sunrise on Cedar Key – Terri DuLong (Women’s Fiction)
Temporary Rancher – Ann Evans
Lost December – Richard Paul Evans (Women’s Fiction)
A Compromising Affair – Gwynne Forster
Baby It’s Cold Outside – Addison Fox
The Christmas Gift – Darlene Gardner
The Son He Never Knew – Kristi Gold
Proof of Heaven – Mary Curran Hackett (Women’s Fiction)
Until There Was You – Kristan Higgins
Promises, Promises – Erica James (Women’s Fiction)
Tall, Dark and Cowboy – Joanne Kennedy

Under the Skin – Vicki Lane (Women’s Fiction) *
All They Need – Sarah Mayberry
The Last Cowboy – Lindsay McKenna
The Daughter She Used to Be – Rosalind Noonan (Women’s Fiction)
Love’s Paradise – Celeste O. Norfleet *
Should Have Known Better – Grace Octavia (Women’s Fiction)
Love and Shame and Love – Peter Orner (Women’s Fiction)
Wyoming Tough – Diana Palmer
The Next Always – Nora Roberts
All Caught Up – Sophia Shaw
A Home by the Sea – Christina Skye *
Christmas in Montana – Kay Stockham
These Ties That Bind – Mary Sullivan
The Comforts of Home – Jodi Thomas
The Strangers on Montagu Street – Karen White (Women’s Fiction)
Intoxicating – Lori Wilde
Small Town Christmas – Jill Shalvis, Hope Ramsay, Katie Lane (e-book)
Holiday Hideout – Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, Julie Kenner
Making Spirits Bright – Fern Michaels, Elizabeth Bass, Rosalind Noonan, Nan Rossiter

YA/Teen

Destined – P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Crossed – Ally Condie (Futuristic)
How to Rock Braces and Glasses – Meg Haston *
Darker Still – Leanna Renee Hieber (Paranormal)
Tiger’s Voyage – Colleen Houck (Paranormal)
Amplified – Tara Kelly
Mastiff – Tamara Pierce (Fantasy)
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick – Joe Schreiber
The Space Between – Brenna Yovanoff (Paranormal)
Beautiful Chaos – Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (Paranormal) *

Romantic Suspense

Hide from Evil – Jami Alden
High-Risk Reunion – Gail Barrett

The Heart of a Killer – Jaci Burton *
Razor’s Edge – Shannon K. Butcher
Cowboy’s Triplet Trouble – Carla Cassidy
Caress – Grayson Cole
Grayson – Delores Fossen
Camouflage Cowboy – Jan Hambright
Missing Mother-To-Be – Elle Kennedy
Against the Storm – Kat Martin
In Close – Brenda Novak
Secret Protector – Ann Voss Peterson
The Spy Who Left Me – Gina Robinson
Westin Family Ties – Alice Sharpe
Winter Haw’s Legend – Aimee Thurlo
If You Hear Her – Shiloh Walker
Decoded – Debra Webb
Risky Christmas – Jill Sorenson & Jennifer Morey

Paranormal

Lord of the Wolfyn – Jessica Andersen
Body Thief – C.J. Barry

Heart of Steel – Meljean Brook (Steampunk)
Embrace the Highland Warrior – Anita Clenney
Heart of Darkness – Lauren Dane
Dark Sins and Desert Sands – Stephanie Draven
Genie Knows Best – Judi Fennell
Adam – Jacquelyn Frank
The Storm that is Sterling – Lisa Renee Jones
The Guardian – Sherrilyn Kenyon
Avenger’s Angel – Heather Killough-Walden
Devilishly Hot – Kathy Love
The Hunter – Theresa Meyers (Steampunk)
Ecstasy Untamed – Pamela Palmer
Beauty Dates the Beast – Jessica Sims
Nightshine – Lynn Viehl
Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale – Christine Warren
Claimed – Rebecca Zanetti
The Bite Before Christmas – Lynsay Sands & Jeaniene Frost
Tied with a Bow – Lora Leigh, Virginia Kantra, Eileen Wilkes, Kimberly Frost
The Real Werewives of Vampire County – Alexandra Ivy, Angie Fox, Jess Haines, Tami Dane

Urban Fantasy

Darkness Rising – Keri Arthur
Last Breath – Rachel Caine
Courting Darness – Yasmine Galernorn
Tricks of the Trade – Laura Anne Gilman
Under Attack – Hannah Jayne
Fire Works in the Hamptons – Celia Jerome
Trance – Kelly Meding
Magic on the Line – Devon Monk
Drink Deep – Chloe Neill
Flesh and Blood – Kristen Painter
Angel Town – Lilith Saintcrow
Death Magic – Eileen Wilks
The Shadow Reader – Sandy Williams

Erotica/Erotic Romance

Tempt Me – R.G. Alexander
Temptation at Twilight – Jo Carlisle (Paranormal)
What Happens After Dark – Jasmine Haynes
Wrangled and Tangled – Lorelei James
Pleasure Bound – Anne Rainey
Dangerous Master – Tawny Taylor (Paranormal)


* Released October 24th

What's New in the News?

It's Sunday morning and I've been catching up on all those messages that have been lingering in my various email accounts while we celebrated our anniversary over the past week.  Guess what I found out?  There are a lot of cool things going on in the world of romance!  Here are a few of the things I discovered while cleaning out ye ole inbox.

Have you discovered the romantic suspense world of Roxanne St. Claire's Guardian Angelinos?  The first book in the Guardian Angelinos trilogy, EDGE OF SIGHT (2011 RITA finalist), is available during the month of November for digital download at the very affordable price of $1.99.  Order for your Kindle here or your Nook here.  Want to know what I thought of the book?  Read my review here.


Roxanne is also participating in a very special project, SEAL OF MY DREAMS (Nov. 11th), a collection of 18 short stories, each with a Navy SEAL hero.  The proceeds of sales of this book have been pledged to the Veterans Research Corporation, a non-profit foundation that supports veterans' medical research.



Fall into Love with Christina Dodd, Lisa Kleypas and Susan Mallery.  These three authors are joining forces to give away a brand new Kindle Fire and 18 of their bestselling e-books to jump start your digital reading pleasure.  (There's an alternate prize if you live outside the U.S.)  Visit each of their Facebook pages (by clicking on their names above) to find their secret word then once you have all three words, click on the contest entry link (at any of the three Facebook pages) to enter! (The winner will be notified by email on November 15th.)


The first round of voting is underway for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2011.  Cast your vote for favorites in a variety of categories, including Romance, Mystery & Thriller, Paranormal Fantasy and many more.  Let your romance reading voices be heard!

Lila diPasqua has been sharing photos of her recent journey through Italy at her blog and giving away beautiful Venetian glass necklaces to random people who leave comments.  Tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 7th), she'll be blogging about her trip to Pompeii (I've been there.  It's incredible!) and giving away another necklace.  Click here to visit Lila's blog and while you're there, check out her husband's interviews with other romance husbands.  They're fantastic!

Wendy Wax is hosting a Fiction Bonanza Giveaway!  For six weeks (beginning last week), Wendy will be giving away a contemporary or women's fiction book to one weekly winner.  Winners will receive books from authors such as Carly Phillips, Jill Shalvis, K.J. Steele, Carol Snow, Marie Skinner and Wendy.  To enter, go to http://www.authorwendywax.com, click on Contest News: Enter Wendy’s Latest Giveaway Now, enter your email address as directed and you're entered.  Each Saturday begins a new giveaway and offers another chance to enter.

Have you fallen in love with two-time RITA finalist, Tessa Dare's writing yet? (I have!)  Here's an excellent opportunity to give one of her stories a try.  Dare's new e-novella, Once Upon a Winter's Eve, is available for pre-order at an unbelievable price of only $0.69 from the Samhain store and $0.99 from the rest of the usual suspects.  Release date is November 15th.  It only took this blurb to have me excited for a return trip to Spindle Cove! 

Some wallflowers bloom at night...
A Spindle Cove Novella

Violet Winterbottom is a quiet girl. She speaks six languages, but seldom raises her voice. She endured bitter heartbreak in perfect silence. The gentlemen aren't beating down her door.

Until the night of the Spindle Cove Christmas ball, when a mysterious stranger crashes into the ballroom and collapses at Violet's feet. His coarse attire and near-criminal good looks would put any sensible young lady on her guard. He's wet, chilled, bleeding, and speaking in an unfamiliar tongue.

Only Violet understands him. And she knows he's not what he seems.

She has one night to draw forth the secrets of this dangerously handsome rogue. Is he a smuggler? A fugitive? An enemy spy? She needs answers by sunrise, but her captive would rather seduce than confess. To learn his secrets, Violet must reveal hers—and open herself to adventure, passion, and the unthinkable... Love.

---

Product Warnings

The heroine packs a pistol, the hero curses in multiple languages, and together they steam up a cold winter’s night.

November 22nd brings us the debut of Amazon's new publishing division, Montlake Romance and the release of THE OTHER GUY'S BRIDE, the long-awaited sequel to Connie Brockway's popular 1997 novel, AS YOU DESIRE.  It's an exciting new chapter in the life of this NY Times bestselling, two-time RITA (and eight-time finalist!) award winning author.  Click here to read more about this new venture. 

Our own Anna Campbell is having a spectacular Romance Bandits contest at her website to celebrate the Bandits' move into a spiffy new Lair.  Click here for details and click here to check out the Romance Bandits new home!









That's my news.  What's yours?  Have recent reads to recommend?  Blogs you think we should check out?  Contests we need to know about?  Let's share!

~PJ

Anniversary Week Winners

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to help us celebrate our second anniversary.  We had a wonderful time and we hope you did too!  We appreciate all of the input you gave us and will do our best to continue to make The Romance Dish a great place to visit.  We have a lot of prizes to give away today so, without further ado, here are the Anniversary Week Winners, randomly selected by random.org.

MONDAY PRIZE PACKAGE

TJ

TUESDAY PRIZE PACKAGE

LIBRARYPAT

WEDNESDAY PRIZE PACKAGE

CATHY P

WEDNESDAY:  VANESSA KELLY - VANESSA'S BOOKS & SWEETS PRIZE

Na

THURSDAY PRIZE PACKAGE

MARIEE

FRIDAY PRIZE PACKAGE

Di

Each of our three international winners will receive the books of their choice from bookdepository.com (not to exceed a total value of $25 for each winner).  Our three international winners are:

MAY

BEEBS

ELI YANTI

 

Congratulations to all of our winners!  Please send your full name and mailing address to us at theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com to claim your prize. 

Goodbye Two, Hello Three!

Wow, did that year go fast for you?  It sure did for me!  I hope you've all had as much fun over the past year here at The Romance Dish as Andrea, Buffie, Gannon and I have. We can't thank you enough for your on-going support and participation at TRD!

Today, we're going to take a look back at some of the things we've done over the past year and get your input on where you'd like to see us go in the future.  Last November, our readers told us they wanted the primary focus of The Romance Dish to remain on reviews and author visits with the occasional non-book blog.  They also told us they preferred historical and contemporary romance over other sub-genres. We listened and tried to take reader preferences into account when scheduling reviews, author blogs and interviews while still offering authors and books that stretch the boundaries of our reading comfort zones.  You never know which book might turn you on to a new favorite author, trope or genre. 

We reviewed a total of 167 books in our second year.  Here's a breakdown by sub-genre:

Historical:  69
Contemporary:  51
Paranormal:  20
Western:  9
Urban Fantasy:  5
Erotica:  2
Young Adult:  1 (does not include YA reviewed in Trish Milburn's monthly Teen Menu)
Romantic Suspense:  10

We also implemented our new Top Dish rating for those extra-special books we review.  The first two books to receive this honor were The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne and Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt.

Janga wrote twenty-seven guest reviews for us this year.  She writes some of the best reviews around (in my totally unbiased opinion) and has introduced me to many authors who are now on my auto-buy list.  I hope you have been enjoying her thoughtful, and often thought-provoking, reviews.  We are honored, and thankful, to have her on our team!  (Be sure to stop by next Tuesday when Janga and Molly O'Keefe offer up a unique twist on an author interview!)





Sixty-five authors guest blogged with us during our second year and sixteen more were interviewed by the Dishes.  They covered a broad range of experience, from debut authors (including our own Karyn Gerrard!) to multiple Rita winners, and brought us blogs that were informative, entertaining and frequently inspiring. 

We brought you twenty Dish blogs this year covering a range of topics from Andrea's visits to Washington, DC and the WizardingWorld of Harry Potter to my Bronchial Blues (where you all excelled at turning my whines into giggles) and my Second Chances (where you inspired me with your own second chance stories).  Our Dish blogs also included on-the-spot reports and photos from two conferences and a three-day Birthday Bash that I won't soon forget!



This year, the Dishes gave back by donating baskets to two important online auctions connected to the romance community.  In March, we participated in Operation Auction to raise money for a fellow romance blogger whose husband was murdered and in May, we again participated in Brenda Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes Research.  We've said it before and it remains true.  The romance community is one of the most supportive and generous groups around and we are honored to be able to participate in these worthy events.

Have you noticed the News & Notes section on our sidebar?  We added that this year to keep you up to date on announcements and breaking news within the romance industry.  We hope you've found it useful!

The 24th has become one of my favorite days of the month because that's when Anna Campbell comes to play!  With her deep well of knowledge, irrepressible joie de vivre, and insightful reviews, she continues to enlighten, enchant and entertain all of us here at The Romance Dish.  Thank you, Anna for brightening the place up every month and giving us all something to look forward to.

I'm buying books for two teen girls now so Trish Milburn's Teen Menu is my first stop on the 10th of every month.  As an award-winning YA author (she just won the Georgia Romance Writers' Maggie Award of Excellence for her YA book, Winter Longing, written as Tricia Mills), Trish has her finger on the pulse of YA fiction and brings us all the latest and greatest news in that world.  Thinking of dipping your reading fingers in Young Adult waters?  If so, you won't want to miss Trish's column!

I'm happy to announce that both Anna and Trish will be returning for another year of monthly blogs here at The Romance Dish!

This is a good time to once more say "Thank You!" to you, our readers, who make us a regular stop on your personal cyber-browsing highway.  Whether you visit daily, weekly or just every now and then; whether you leave a comment or lurk behind the scenes, we appreciate you and hope that we help to make your day a little brighter.

Last, but certainly not least, we had 177 prize winners during our second year!  Part of sharing our love of romance is sharing books and we Dishes love doing that through our giveaways.  Some of the books we send out come from the stash we bring home from conferences while others are donated by visiting authors as well as their publishers.  We thank the authors who offer their time to sign books for our giveaways and greatly appreciate the generosity of both the authors and publishers who provide books for giveaways.

So, that's a look back at our second year.  Now it's time to turn our attention to the future and to do that, we want to know what you think.  Don't be shy.  Tell us what you'd like to see in the year ahead.  More author blogs?  Interviews?   Do we have a good mix of sub-genres in our reviews?  Would you like to see more books in any of the sub-genres?  Are there any particular authors you'd like us to host here at TRD?  We can't make any promises but tell us who you want and we'll do our very best to get them here. 

**NOTE:  Today is the last day to leave a comment for a chance to win one of our Anniversary Celebration prizes.  Please put U.S. (if your mailing address is in the United States) or INT (if you live in another country) at the end of each of your comments so we can put your name in the right draw.  The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!**

Don't forget to check back on Saturday to find out if you're one of our Anniversary Week winners!

~PJ

First Impressions...Guess That Book!

Today our 2nd anniversary celebration continues with another game that we love to play: Guess that first line! We all know how important a good “first impression” is, especially while reading. Well, PJ, Gannon, Buffie, and I have searched far and wide to come up with the most unique, attention-grabbing first lines from some of our favorite romance novels. Test your skills and see if you can guess which book these first lines are from!





1. "So, Grimsborough, this is your little bastard."


2. The decapitated, plastic pink flamingo, standing ass-feathers deep in what looked like poison ivy, was _____ ______'s first clue that doom had followed her from New York.


3. If she didn't have sex with something soon, she would burst out of her skin.


4. She was willing to die, of course, but she had not planned to do it so soon, or in such a prolonged and uncomfortable fashion, or at the hands of her own countrymen.


5. Each summer in the village of Hadley Green, the residents looked forward with eager anticipation to two significant events: the first was the week in June in which the vicar put his gout-ridden body into a borrowed coach and took leave of his flock to call upon his aging sister in Shropshire.


6. _____ ______'s ideal Saturday was pretty simple—sleep in, be woken by a hot, naked woman for sex, followed by a breakfast that he didn't have to cook.


7. This story begins with a carriage that was never a pumpkin, though it fled at midnight; a godmother who lost track of her charge, though she had no magic wand; and several so-called rats who secretly would have enjoyed wearing livery.


8. It wasn’t every day a guy saw a headless beaver marching down the side of a road, not even in ____ ________’s larger than life world.


9. On Monday, ______ ____ _________ ______ bleached her hair blonde, had her navel pierced, and got a tattoo on her right ass cheek.


10. ______ ________, the Countess of _________, was staring at the man like a three-penny whore.


11. Thirty thousand hotel rooms in the city of Chicago, and _______ ______ managed to find one next door to a couple having a sex marathon.


12. Four plus six plus eight plus seven plus one plus one plus one, mark down eight, carry the two...


**Note—hero/heroine names have been removed to make it a bit more of a challenge**


Post your guesses in the comments section and one random commenter (living within the United States) will win a prize pack full of books and goodies! International readers, don’t feel left out as you will be entered in one of three drawings especially for our International readers! Please be sure to include U.S. or International at the end of your comment so we know which prize drawings to enter you in. Winners will be posted Saturday! Good luck!


~Andrea

Today's Special - - Vanessa Kelly

Vanessa's here!  We're excited to welcome Dish favorite, Vanessa Kelly back to the blog today.  The Dishes had the pleasure of being present at this year's Georgia Romance Writers Moonlight & Magnolias Conference when Vanessa was awarded the prestigious Maggie for Best Historical Romance for Sex And The Single Earl.  Believe me, there weren't many dry eyes at our table when her name was announced!  Vanessa is here today to blog about her journey from beginning writer to Maggie winner.  Please give her a warm welcome!

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Writing a book is by its nature a solitary act. The writer approaches the blank screen or blank page by herself, either facing down the demons of doubt or, when the muse complies, skimming along on a lovely torrent of words. When I wrote my first book, Mastering The Marquess, I knew little about the publishing industry and even less about the romance writing community. What I did have was my love of romance novels, writing skills honed by several years in academia, and a husband who was—and still is—a grammar fanatic. That was about it. I wrote quietly and carefully, picking my way through the paragraphs and pages until I reached The End.

But once I wrote the final words to that manuscript, my peaceable little kingdom of one began to expand. I gave it to my husband to read and I sent it to a friend, a romance-loving English prof and book critic, who provided me with editorial feedback. Then I happily stumbled upon the local chapter of the Romance Writers of America, found critique partners, began entering contests, found an agent, and finally found an editor.

Then I encountered the most important element in the writing equation—readers, including the incredible community of romance bloggers and reviewers who do so much to support the genre.

My sophomore effort was a book called Sex And The Single Earl. It quickly dawned on me that writing a book didn’t have to be such a solitary process. This time around I had critique partners and beta readers from the get-go. They critiqued various iterations of the manuscript, and prevented me from making truly stupid mistakes that might have sunk the book.  I had the support of my publisher, the gift of a phenomenally beautiful cover (with a wonderful quote from the fab Anna Campbell), and support from the romance blogging community and other authors who let me appear on their blogs to natter on about my book, my research, hot guys, and just about anything else I could think of to interest readers.

Vanessa & Kim Castillo

I had the support of my husband and my wonderful assistant, Kim Castillo. Because they did so much heavy lifting, I was able to let go and enjoy the actual process of writing the book.

And there were the readers who bought Sex And The Single Earl and took the time to write and tell me they loved it. I also appreciated the readers and reviewers who didn’t like the book, because more than once their feedback clarified something for me about my writing, something I could use when I next faced that lonely blank page.

Still, I hadn’t yet fully realized how much I was now part of a community, one that made a real difference to the quality of my life. But then I got an unexpected and very welcome call informing me that I had finaled in the Maggie Awards, the contest sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers. In fairly short order, I decided hubby and I should attend the Moonlight & Magnolias Conference, where the Maggies finalists would be honored and the winners announced.

Vanessa & the Dishes

Truthfully, I didn’t expect to win. The reason I really wanted to go—besides attending a very good conference—was to see my friends. The keynote speaker was Eloisa James, so the conference turned into something of a reunion for the Bon-Bons, the lovely group of women who came together several years ago on Eloisa’s bulletin board. I mostly lurked on that board, but it’s where I met some wonderful folks in the romance community, including Manda Collins (a fabulous debut author with St. Martin’s Press), and Kim, my assistant. The four ladies of The Romance Dish were going to the M&M, too. Throw in the wild and wonderful J. Perry Stone and I was hooked. Come hell or high water I was going, and I used all my arts of persuasion on my husband.

Vanessa wearing her Maggie medallion

Long story short, against all my expectations I won the award for best historical romance. When I was announced as the winner, my husband and I looked at each other and burst into laughter. We couldn’t believe it. Then my husband started to tear up, which made me tear up. When I got to the stage I looked out at the audience and saw the faces of some of my favorite people. A few, like Kim and Manda, had worked on Sex And The Single Earl.  
Others, like P.J., Gannon, Andrea, and Buffie had  blogged about the book and given me encouragement and support.   It was an incredible moment for me, not just because I had won, but because I could share the win with my husband and so many good friends. In that moment, I truly realized I was part of a vibrant community—one that in its generosity had welcomed me with open arms. And how cool is that?

Vanessa and her wonderful husband

My writing process has changed since my first book. I now also write books with my husband under the pen name of V.K. Sykes, which brings its own joys and challenges. I have critique partners, and I’m also attentive to feedback from readers and reviewers, although it’s not always the kind of feedback I enjoy hearing. Do I sometimes miss my solitary kingdom of one? A bit, since I love peace and quiet and, frankly, solitude. But there are some things I love even more—my husband, my friends, and all the wonderful people in the romance community I’ve met over the last several years. I wouldn’t give them up for anything. They’re my village, and a village beats a lonely, quiet kingdom any day.

Who is in your village?  How do they make your life better?

Vanessa's newest book, My Favorite Countess, was published in May 2011 and was just nominated for a RT Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Regency-set Historical Romance.

Find out more about Vanessa and her books at her website, like her at Facebook and follow her at Twitter and Goodreads.

In addition to the daily Anniversary prize from the Dishes, Vanessa is also giving away a Books & Sweets prize package - some delicious chocolates and all four of Vanessa's books - to one randomly chosen person leaving a comment on today's blog.  (U.S. & Canadian addresses only)

**NOTE: We are giving away prizes all week and want everyone to be included. Please put U.S. (if your mailing address is in the United States) or INT (if you live in a country other than the United States.) at the end of each of your comments, so we know which prize drawings to enter you in. The more comments you leave this week, the more chances you'll have to win!**

For today only, please indicate CAN if you live in Canada so we can put your name in the draw for Vanessa's prize.

Don't forget to come back this Saturday when we'll list all the prize winners from our Anniversary Celebration!

~PJ

Baby Matching Game

GUESS WHO???

(answers revealed below)

I bet you know your favorite romance author by her written word and maybe even by the mental picture she paints, but can you match the baby picture with the author? Today we are going to test your skill (or guessing luck). Below are 12 baby pictures and all you have to do is match the baby picture with the correct author or Dish. Have fun and enjoy the game!

Here is a list of those appearing in the baby pictures:

Andrea (#4)
Buffie (#12)
Gannon (#10)
PJ (#6)
Lila DiPasqua (#11)
Christina Dodd (#7)
Alexandra Hawkins (#9)
Karen Hawkins (#2)
Julie James (#1)
Ashley March (#5)
Jenna Petersen (#3)
Vicki Lewis Thompson (#8)


1. Julie James 2. Karen Hawkins

3. Jenna Petersen 4. Andrea

5. Ashley March 6. PJ



7.Christina Dodd

8.Vicki Lewis Thompson

9. Alexandra Hawkins 10. Gannon

11. Lila DiPasqua 12. Buffie


Post your guess in the comments section and one random commenter (living within the United States) will win a prize pack full of books and goodies! International readers, don’t feel left out as you will be entered in one of three drawings especially for our International readers! Please be sure to include U.S. or International at the end of your comment so we know which prize drawings to enter you in. Winners will be posted Saturday!


~ Buffie