Kathryn Shay | Be My Babies

I’m delighted to be part of the Fresh Fiction family and appreciate the opportunity to blog today. I write for Harlequin Superromance and The Berkley Publishing Group and have published 32 books, including the two coming this spring. My work is known for its emotional depth and complex plots, usually based in research.

My next release, BE MY BABIES, out in March from Superromance, fits into those categories. It’s the story of Lily Wakefield, pregnant with twins, who’s escaping an abusive husband, and comes to Fairview, NY where her grandfather lives. There are so many twists and turns in this storyline that you’ll constantly be wondering what will happen next. I was. Yes, that’s right, most of the time as I wrote this book, the characters didn’t behave as I expected them to and I was left thinking, “Now what do I do?”

Research is always fun for me. I’ve ridden fire trucks and ambulances, followed around a federal public defender for a day, interviewed the FBI, used my extensive teaching experiences, and talked to police officers and fire chiefs about my next story. For BE MY BABIES, I borrowed a baby from a former student of mine. At the time, little Patrick was eight months old, the age of my twins when they appear in the second half of the book. My own babies are grown, so I’d forgotten many things about how babies behave. But Patrick taught me everything I needed to know: that he could hold his bottle, that he pulled off his socks, that he pumped his arms and made an adorable sound when he ate. I truly enjoyed my time with this child, and have had him back just for fun.

I’ve also based Lily and Simon’s relationship on what I know about how men and women relate to each other. Lily’s dealt a bad hand in life and when she tries to cope with it, she runs into obstacles, not the least of which is Simon McCarthy. He immediately resents her coming to town. Mostly he fears she’ll hurt her grandfather, but also that she’ll lay claim his newspaper, which Simon has been saving to buy. When he falls in love with Lily, Simon is fearful of the people in her old life coming back to claim her. I’ve found that often our worst fears come true, and in this case, it happens to Simon. How people behave when that happens is an underlying theme of this book. How people forgive the worst kind of hurt is also an undercurrent.

I hope you enjoy Lily and Simon’s rocky road to happily-ever-after and the part my babies play in it.

View my new trailer for BE MY BABIES on my Fresh Fiction page, or on my website, http://www.kathrynshay.com/ . Also, take a look there at my backlist and upcoming works, as well as my own personal blog.

Kathryn Shay

Cynthia Eden | Why write romance?

Have you ever gotten this question before? Have you been asked just why you decided to write in the romance genre? There are so many different areas out there…why romance?

Well, for me, the answer is simple: I love romance.

I’ve been addicted to romance novels since I read my first story almost twenty years ago. (I was twelve, for anyone curious about the math!)

I love romances because I like to escape from the real world—I like to sink myself into a story that I know will give me thrills…and a happy ending.

I love romances because the romance genre—it’s huge! I can read historicals, futuristics, romantic suspenses, or contemporaries. With romance, cross-over is welcome.

My upcoming Kensington Brava release, HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT, is probably best described as a paranormal romantic suspense. My heroine, Dr. Emily Drake, is a psychologist who only treats paranormal patients. She gets pulled into a murder investigation as a profiler—and teamed up with sexy wolf shifter, Detective Colin Gyth. I loved being able to add darker elements to this tale. Romance, a serial killer, wolf shifters and psychics—lucky for me, the romance genre is so broad and so wonderfully accepting.

I feel like writers have been pushing the boundaries of romance for years and that push has allowed our genre to just grow stronger.

But what about you? Why do you write (or read) romance?

(And a big thank you to Fresh Fiction for having me here today! I’m thrilled to be guest blogging!)

Cynthia Eden

www.cynthiaeden.com/

HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT—April 29, 2008, Kensington Brava

“Wicked Ways” in WHEN HE WAS BAD—May 27, 2008, Kensington Brava

Believe in monsters. They believe in you.

Rachelle Chase | A Life Full of Hot Men, Wild Sex, and Romance-Drenched Days

Since I write erotic romance, the question I’m asked most often is “Do you write about real-life experiences?” And, if it’s a guy doing the asking, this question is often followed by “If you need any help with research...” then, a wink and a sly smile. Initially, I found these questions annoying, thinking them unfair. I mean, would these same people go up to my literary hero, Dean Koontz, and ask him if he was really a schizophrenic psychotic with paranormal endencies? And if they really thought so, I doubt they’d offer to assist him with research. So why, then, do people assume that just because I write about sex, I live a life overflowing with it?

I think it’s because sex is such a personal experience. And since it’s nearly impossible to write about it convincingly without having experienced it, it’s natural for people to assume that erotic romance authors live the life we write about. And since the majority of folks who read erotic romance have most likely had sex, they can tell in a heartbeat if an author is writing nonsense. But, while they’ve had sex, odds are, they’ve never knowingly met a schizophrenic psychotic with paranormal tendencies. So, having no basis for comparison, they give Mr. Koontz the
benefit of the doubt, assuming that he’s merely a master storyteller (which he is!).

So, I no longer consider these assumptions unfair. For if, after reading my work, they refuse to believe that I didn’t really experience what I wrote about, isn’t that the highest form of flattery? Now, let me ask you – have you ever read a book or a scene that was so real you thought the author must’ve experienced it? What was it?

P.S. I just realized that though I implied an answer, I didn’t really answer the question. So, nope, I don’t write about real life, but real life oftentimes triggers what I write about. For example, I host a live talk show called "Chatting with Chase" and I’ve been interviewed on the radio, both of which prompted Dr. Love’s talk show in SIN CLUB. Additionally, I was standing outside of a club one night and a guy drove by and shouted out his phone number. I certainly didn’t call him, but jaded, world-weary, Sharice did in SIN CLUB – with interesting results. And The Dirty Minnie, Sharice’s drink, was created for me by a bartender in Atlanta when I was looking for Derek (http://www.findingderek.com/), the hero of my first book, SEX LOUNGE.

Rachelle Chase

Delilah Devlin | Today's the day!

All right it's in big letters on MY calendar, but likely you're scratching your head wondering if you've missed a national holiday or if I'm excited about watching the next round of American Idol.

Well, it's not a national holiday, but I'm embarrassed to say I am TIVOing Idol so I don't miss a thing. But that's still not why I'm so excited. SEDUCED BY DARKNESS will be shipping to readers and bookstores today!

So, now that my book will be arriving at bookstores and in the mail to my more modest readers, I can start the next round of "Will they like it?" Writers are notoriously insecure. We live and die by reviews and readers letters, because the actual measure of our success - SALES - won't be available for months and sometimes years.

For those of you who don't know me, it might be because my books are shelved with the "naughty" romances--sometimes with the romance books, but in a restrictive shelf high out of reach and sight of little ones; sometimes in the erotica section with the tantric sex and Kama Sutra books; and sometimes, strangely, in the zoology section. Which makes it tough for readers who would like to browse on their own rather than approach the help desk with red cheeks to ask where it's shelved.

I'm hoping they are already hooked on the series and dying for the second book. Yes, it's another vampire book--BUT, it's not the same-O, same-O--it's hotter, scarier, and full of twists and turns. Yes, it's set in New Orleans--BUT in the aftermath of a “great storm,” which will remain unnamed.

My Dark Realm series began in my mind long before Hurricane Katrina hit. I'd read a newspaper article about some minor flooding around New Orleans that lifted coffins in graveyards and left them and their occupants strewn along river banks. A very creepy concept, but so tantalizing to my devious mind, I filed it away.

When I decided to write the series, I pulled out that article, and a stack of books covering subjects like demonology, Sumerian mythology, and Templar Knight lore and constructed a history for my otherworld that is still unfolding in book #2, Seduced by Darkness. I'm really not very methodical about how I plot or write, but I let my research spark ideas, then pluck what I want from the source material, and twist it up a bit. I started submitting the book to agents, but oddly didn't get any bites until Katrina. I guess it really is all in the timing.

The second Dark Realm book is tightly interconnected with the first, INTO THE DARKNESS. I've written several series and don't know any other way to write in my other worlds without having the characters interact and work together toward a common goal. Writing series gives me chance to flesh out those intriguing secondary characters, uncover new layers in events that unfold, and give another perspective on “the battle.” That's not saying, you couldn't read one of the books on its own and be fully satisfied. I'm very careful to plant previous plot threads throughout. Of course, again, not in a methodical way. It just happens.

Delilah Devlin




http://www.delilahdevlin.com/

Amanda McIntyre | Perceptions

As I step ever so lightly toward another birthday this week, the one that comes "after" the milestone one we all remember our parents getting to. I am reminded again of how very different perceptions of youth, not to mention birthdays can be.

I honestly don’t think about growing older. I don’t think I would trade all that I have learned, for the chance to go back and relive it. Besides, I’ve far too many adventures ahead of me yet to want to return to the blossom of my youth.

Nevertheless, to each his/her own; though we joke about it, I have a dear friend (who looks much younger than I look, but is, only by a month and killer genes, I’m guessing) who has made me swear I must never allow her to be placed in a nursing home. She claims *GASP-those are for old people. She isn’t going to get old. Given that, I should never have to worry seeing her in a home for the aged, since she never plans to be old. Her humor and attitude though, is what I admire and emulate. We see ourselves as an aging Thelma and Louise, making our spur of the moment road trips, creating havoc wherever we go, and enjoying the ride. (Our husbands, btw, just shake their heads and offer wry smiles.)

Old to me is more of a 'state of mind', than candles on a cake, (which btw, I prefer not to have anymore after the last one where the fire department accidentally showed up at my door. Hysterical, not.)

It’s less about how others see my age and more how I see myself. The gifts that are unique to me, the experiences that have given me every laugh line (or every gray hair.)

And no, btw, I’m not yet ready for silvery doos just yet. Look at George Clooney, Richard Gere, or how about Sean Connery and Harrison Ford? These guys make growing old a pleasure!

Perceptions are an integral part of the reason I chose to write DIARY OF COZETTE, (HQ-SPICE 10/08) a story about a young English girl, orphaned by poverty and caught in the dark side of Victorian England. To survive, she must face and deal with the prejudices and perceptions of a very constricted society with a great many double standards. In young womanhood, fate takes her hand and walks her across the line into the lives of the affluent of London. Yet, even here, she encounters the stilted perceptions and prejudices on all levels of the household. As the year’s progress and her experiences serve to give her greater insight, she soon realizes that no matter what your social rank, people will always believe what they want about you, but what is most important, is how you feel about yourself.

And me? I plan to have a wonderful birthday, surrounded by my family and the many memories of experiences, places and people that have shaped me into the person I am, with one open as I jostle up the next hill of this great roller coaster ride called life!

Visit Amanda and sign up for her newsletter at http://www.amandamcintyre.net/ or www.myspace.com/amandamcintyre For fun, and a chance to win great prizes, come name our rakish Lord at Lust in Time-my new blog launched this week with buddies Kristina Cook and Charlotte Featherstone. http://www.lustintime.blogspot.com/