Jill Marie Landis | Welcoming Westerns Back

Aloha One and All:

A big Mahalo (thank you!) to Fresh Fiction for inviting me to blog today. This is such a fabulous site, one that makes promotion painless for those authors like me who somehow look up from the monitor only to discover a year has gone by and I've yet to let readers know what's been going on and when to expect my next novel.

I'm pleased as punch to announce that next year my first single title novel for Steeple Hill will be published in July '08. The title is now officially, HOMECOMING, and for those of you who have read my early Western Historical Romances and have been asking for more, this one is for you.

Written as a Western Inspirational Romance, HOMECOMING is the kind of story I love to tell about characters who find the strength to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It's a book that romance readers can pass along to their daughters and grandmothers as well. Whenever anyone asks how I was able to switch from secular romance novels that were on the sensual side to Inspirational Romance, I remind them that I've always tried to instill a sense of hope and triumph into every "heartwarming" tale I've written. HOMECOMING is that and more. It was a pleasure to add an element of faith to the novel.

In June of next year, Harlequin will publish the wedding anthology, DESTINATION: MARRIAGE, which will include my novella entitled "Trouble in Paradise." It's a lighthearted story set on Kauai about a heroine who has decided the island is sending her signs and omens not to go ahead with the wedding and a hero who is left with but a few hours to convince her not to cancel.

I'm actually proofing the final draft today and then I'll be emailing it off to NYC, clearing the desk so that I can finish up my second Steeple Hill single title--which is due in February! (There's no rest for the weary, but I wouldn't have it any other way.)

Lately I've been thrilled by the fact that Westerns seem to be making a comeback, not only in the romance genre, but on film as well. Day before yesterday there was an article on USA Today online about the return of the Western (Westerns Shoot Their Way Back) with none other than Brad Pitt starring in "The Assassination of Jesse James." The article claims Westerns never really died, they were just gut shot. Here's to more romance novels set in the West.

Unfortunately, I suppose my novella isn't going to proof itself no matter how long I let it sit on the desk, so I'll close for now. Please do check my website at http://www.jillmarielandis.com/ where I try to keep readers up with last minute news (perhaps it's months old by now!) and there is a blog there as well at http://www.jillmarielandis.com/blog

So for now, aloha hui hou (aloha until we meet again)...Jill Marie Landis

Gemma Halliday | High Heels Mysteries

Yay, I get to be on the Fresh Fiction blog! (squee!) Hi all! I’m Gemma Halliday and I write the High Heels Mysteries about L.A. shoe designer turned crime fighter, Maddie Springer, and the sexy yet stubborn LAPD detective, Jack Ramirez. So far I’ve had a blast writing about Maddie’s many adventures. In Spying in High Heels she navigates the L.A. freeways (no small task!) to track down a missing boyfriend, $20 million in embezzled funds, and ultimately, a cold blooded killer - despite the interference of one sexy detective, trying to derail her ‘girly’ investigation at every turn. The second book, Killer in High Heels, begins with a mysterious phone message that leads Maddie to Las Vegas were she encounters a group of Prada smuggling shoe counterfeiters, a handful of aging drag queens, and once very scary mobster. Not to mention the likes of Ramirez, hot and bothered to see her interfering in one of his investigations. Again.

The third Heels installment just hit bookstores and, not to play favorites, but I think I had more fun writing this one than any of the others! Undercover in High Heels finds Maddie back in L.A., Hollywood to be exact, where she goes undercover as the new wardrobe assistant on the set of TV’s hottest prime time soap, Magnolia Lane. Which sounds like a dream job until a beautiful young starlet winds up dead on the set. Now it’s up to Maddie to catch a killer as she sifts through a leading lady with a secret, an actor on the verge of a nervous breakdown, a sexy cyber scandal, and one tabloid reporter who'll stop at nothing to get the story of the century. Not to mention the case's familiar lead detective, Jack Ramirez, whose patience with Maddie is wearing thin, maybe for good this time.

While book number three hits the shelves, I’m also crossing my fingers that Maddie and her gang may be expanding into other mediums soon. Spying in High Heels is currently in development with the USA Network for a TV show in the upcoming 2007/2008 season! This is completely thrilling news to me not only as a writer, but also as a huge TV watcher. Okay, maybe watcher isn’t exactly an accurate description. I’m a total addict. Take away my TV and I go into withdrawals, trolling the Internet for updates on all my favorite shows. The ones I can’t live without: Grey’s Anatomy (man, did I cry during the season finale! Burke, how could you?), House (why am I always attracted to the bad boys?), Law and Order: CI (moving to the USA Network in the fall!), and of course the show that Maddie’s fictional Magnolia Lane is modeled after, Desperate Housewives (OMG – did Edie really kill herself?! Over Carlos?! No. Freakin. Way.).

So, if any of you are willing to come out an publicly admit to being TV junkies too, tell me what your can’t-live-without shows are and I’ll send one lucky commenter a signed copy of Undercover in High Heels.

Until then, happy reading (and watching!)!
Gemma Halliday

www.gemmahalliday.com

Here is my group blog (it's brand new – we're very excited!):http://killerfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/highheelsmysteries

http://www.killerfiction.net/

Jess Michaels | “What’s in a Name?”

Well, I’m back! But this time it’s under my other name. Yes, that’s right, I’m one of those schizophrenic authors who has two names (actually three if you count my real name, which I really should since if I don’t that’s kind of scary). You already met and talked to me as Jenna Petersen earlier this month.

Jenna writes historical romances for Avon. They are Regency-set and sensual. I hope they are also highly emotional and dark. That’s what I strive for, anyway, so if you like that sort of thing… well, look me up!

But Jess… ah, Jess. She’s a whole other beast. Yes, she still writes highly emotional and dark stories, but she crosses over that sensual line and into the erotic. So if you like your love scenes a bit more adventurous and detailed, but you still want a story in there, too, Jess might be your girl. Luckily, both my names have books out in the next two months (Seduction Is Forever in October from Jenna, Everything Forbidden in November from Jess).

It’s kind of weird being two (or three) people all at once. First off, there’s the name calling. Not that kind of name calling. I mean, remembering to answer to all my names at booksignings or conferences. Sometimes I start to get so turned around that I’ll answer to anything that sounds remotely like my name (Julie, Jenny, Bess, etc). There’s also the name signing. A few weeks ago I panicked because I realized I had signed an ARC of Everything Forbidden as Jenna Petersen instead of Jess Michaels. Does that make it a collectors item?

There are advantages to having different names, though. For one thing, you get to pick your name. Which you hardly ever get to do in real life. No one waits to name their child until they have a free will. Funny how that works. Also, there is the ‘putting on’ of a name. I think my “Jenna” personality is pretty much all the best things about my real personality, but I leave the not so nice things behind. So when you meet Jenna, you get the very best of me.

The process of picking a pen name can be quite arduous. I picked Jess Michaels because it combines a portion of my real name and my husband’s name. Jenna Petersen was harder. I actually spent quite a few days sending potential names back and forth with my agent, trying to find the one that fit best. Some of the rejects were Lanie Hayes (variations of my maternal grandmothers’ maiden names), Jess Petersen (too masculine) and about twenty more that I’ve blocked out entirely. But we settled on Jenna and I have grown accustomed to it over the past few years.

So what about you? If you could pick a new name for yourself, would you do it? How would you pick it? I’ll pick one commenter to win an Advanced Reader Copy of Everything Forbidden (and I’ll try to sign it with the RIGHT name this time).

http://www.jennapetersen.com/jess.htm

Sabina Jeffries | Why Write Series?

Why NOT write them? The connected series is a staple of most genre fiction. Mystery series have abounded for decades, as have fantasy and science fiction series, but only in the last fifteen years has the romance series become popular. At the beginning, they were rare. When an author did write them, as with Johanna Lindsey’s Malory series, they weren’t necessarily planned out ahead, the way they are now, with publishers announcing the series connections from the beginning. More often, authors wrote isolated connected books here and there, like Jayne Ann Krentz's Gift of Gold and Gift of Fire (two of my all-time favorites).

Eventually the romantic series came into its own, and now authors write them more often than not. My own School for Heiresses series, Regency-set historicals featuring the spirited graduates of Mrs. Harris’s School for Young Ladies, is the fourth series I’ve written. These unconventional heiresses who prove a match for society’s most irresistible rogues are connected only by their association with the school, but I’ve also written series where the characters were friends, royal half-brothers, and sisters. Here’s why I like writing them:

1. The over-arching themes—in this particular series I include a running thread in the epigrams, of letters between Mrs. Harris and her anonymous benefactor, “Cousin” Michael. It’s such fun to play around with those two characters without actually revealing who Cousin Michael is.
   
   
2. Seeing the same world through the eyes of more than just one book’s hero and heroine gives me a broadened perspective of the milieu.
   
   
3. For faithful readers of the whole series, I can include inside jokes that only they would get. It enhances the experience, for me AND for them, while hopefully not alienating readers who pick up only one book.
   


4. If I fall in love with a secondary character, I can have a second go at him or her. That’s what happened with Eliza, a minor character in ONLY A DUKE WILL DO. She just sprang off the page, so I had to include her in a future story, which turned out to be the novella in the SCHOOL FOR HEIRESSES anthology.
   


5. I can explore a character outside his/her relationship to the heroine/hero. That’s hard to do in one book. I can also explore a character’s growth over a longer period than one book.

So what about you? Do you read series? Do you like them? If so, why? If not, why not?

Sabrina Jeffries

http://www.sabrinajeffries.com/

Book Club Rewind - Robyn Carr

Well once again, I forgot to bring my notepad and pen with me to the book club dinner table. I did have it with me....just not at the table when we first started chatting with Robyn Carr (this month's Plano book club author). Luckily one of the other ladies was able to run to the other room to get it for me. Thank goodness especially since I am getting to this so late. My evil day job is keeping me from everything lately. My apologies.

As I said, Robyn Carr was the Plano book club's author for our August get together. Anyone who has read her Virgin River series will be pleased to know she did spill the beans about characters in upcoming Virgin River books. The series could go on and on with the current area residents and Jack's five unmarried marine buddies.

Book 4, likely to be released in late 2008/early 2009, will center around Paul & Vanessa. Book 5 will center around a retired Army blackhawk helicopter pilot who owns several cabins in the area and a young caregiver named Shelby who was briefly mentioned one of the existing Virgin River books. Book 6 is Ricky's book and the mysterious pot grower will also have a storyline in this book. Books 4, 5 and 6 are already written and will likely be released close together similar to how books 1 - 3 were released. She also has a 7th Virgin River book in outline, but no word on if the publisher has bought a 7th book.


Robyn says she tries to balance both the romance and women's issues instead of having an either or situation. She likes watching women get through their daily lives with the natural drama and humor that occurs. When she was writing Virgin River, she to demonstrate that Mel would not recognize herself at the end of the book because of Mel's experiences in the book from start to finish.

Robyn thinks adjustment subjects are not covered as much because there is no big drama like that associated with say a character having an affair. In Robyn's Grace Valley series, the series was complete and she did not want to just create a melodrama in it for it to continue.

Who does Robyn Carr like to read when she is not writing:
- JR Ward. She read the whole series twice.
- Susan Elizabeth Phillips
- Jennifer Crusie

Some of Robyn's notable quotes from the evening with our book club:
- "...somebody got me hooked on these damn vampires."
- "They have their spouses to dump their own emotional crisises on."

Lori Wilde | A New Series, Martini Dares

I have a book coming out in September, called My Secret Life from Harlequin Blaze. But it’s not just any book. It’s the first book in a series I’m with my writers pals, Carrie Alexander, Isabel Sharpe and Jamie Denton.

This series is particularly special because about the time we conceived of the idea, Jamie was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. We’d sent the project to our editors, but because Jamie was going through chemotherapy, we all decided it was better to back burner the project. Jamie gracefully volunteered to back out and let someone else take her place, but we wanted Jamie and we wanted her to know we believed in her recovery.

I’m happy to report Jamie came through chemotherapy with flying colors and we went on to write the stories. Her bravery, optimism and all around darn good storytelling abilities make this a fabulous success story.

So to give you a sneak peak into the Martini Dares, here’s the series proposal we sent to the editors.

SERIES SET-UP
The Premise

Desperate Housewives meets Sex in the City in this series featuring four desperate career women, four dark secrets, four steamy dares and four very sexy men.

THE BACK STORY

Once upon a time, in a stately brick house on Hawthorn Lane, in an affluent suburb of Boston, resided the three Winfield sisters, who lived a fairytale life with their homemaker mother and strict Naval Commander father. Brooke, Joey and Katie were schooled in the proper rules of conduct set by their father’s traditional Brahmin family. Even after their father passed away, the sisters never questioned the status quo. That is until their mother’s deathbed confession dropped a bomb on their perfect little world.

A MYSTERIOUS INVITATION

The sisters receive an intriguing invitation to join Martinis and Bikinis, a club that encourages female empowerment through raucous good times and sexy dares. As part of the program, members draw slips of paper that make up a challenge they must complete (such as wearing a bikini to the beach or dancing on the bar). Mysteriously, the Winfield sisters’ supposedly “random” dares pinpoint their most intimate fears.

DEATHBED CONFESSION

Each book begins in Desperate Housewives fashion with a brief prologue from the deceased mother’s point-of-view, as she narrates the situation each daughter finds herself in. Her words of wisdom prove her deep love and understanding of her children.

To my daughters:

I always did what I believed was best for each of you. Maybe this will be difficult to understand now that my many secrets have been discovered. After the shock has lessened, you must find a way to understand and go on as the loving sisters you are and the happy, fulfilled women I know you can become.

Darling Katie, you are the youthful me. Accept yourself, overcome your impetuous mistakes, and love will be yours.

Sweet Brooke, my quiet child. Step out of place and learn to be brave and bold. Be your own shining star.

Dearest Joey, always living by the rules like your father. Risking your heart will lead to your greatest success.

My own Lindsay, daughter of darkness and secrets. Come out of hiding and believe that you are well and truly loved.

Love, Mother

If you want to have some fun, read the books and then compare them to the series outline and see how far we strayed or stayed true to our original vision.

I hope you enjoy the Martini Dares. It was truly a labor of love.

Lori Wilde
2008 RWA Conference Workshop Chair
MY SECRET LIFE Sept 2007 Blaze
http://www.loriwilde.com/
http://myspace.com/loriwilde
Instructor: http://www.ed2go.com/