Lisa Plumley | Isn't it funny?

I have a confession to make: Most of my friends don't read romances. For one reason or another, they simply...don't read romances. Period. Either they're worried about being judged by the racy covers, or they think all that romance stuff is "a fairy tale," or they prefer to read exclusively about serial killers, or they've tried one (just one!) romance--possibly a decade ago, or more--and have decided the whole genre just isn't for them.

That's okay with me. I mean, there are occasionally awkward moments between us, I'll admit that. Because I'm passionate about reading and writing romances! I think they're awesome. I like to celebrate the power of love, the thrill of attraction, and all the wonderful differences between men and women. At the same time, I'm a live-and-let-live kind of person. I don't think it's up to me to try to "convert" anyone to my favorite genre. I wouldn't like it if someone tried to force me to take up lawn bowling or sushi eating or PlayStation playing (it would be futile; I'm a Nintendo Wii gal). Our dissimilarities make us uniquely interesting, and the world would be a boring place if everyone liked the same things.

That said, two friends recently read copies of my books--contemporary romantic comedies that I wrote a few years ago. Afterward, the first friend seemed a little concerned. "I laughed! Is it okay that I laughed when I read your book?" Now, I get this reaction occasionally, and it puzzles me. There are tons of incredibly enjoyable funny books out there. Are people really missing them? Do they not realize that, with the right book in hand, reading can be hilarious? (Not just romances either--see P.G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, or David Sedaris for examples.) The second friend also laughed...but then said, "And it was time well spent, reading your
book, just because I laughed so much."

You know what? That's the way I feel about reading romances. It *is* time well spent. After I've read a good book, the world feels like a better place. My faith in the positive qualities of human nature is reaffirmed. And if I'm lucky...I've done a little laughing too.

What about you? Are you the only romance reader among nonromance reading family and friends? Do you like to laugh when you're reading, or do you only crack a smile when Borat is involved? Let's chat!Lisa Plumley

Shirley Hailstock | Weddings!

The word brings up images of a blushing bride, a nervous, tuxedo-clad groom and joyful tears in the eyes of family and friends. Months, maybe years, of planning have gone into the single most important day in the lives of two happy people.

I love weddings. At one time I thought I wanted to spend my life in the arena of gowns and people with smiles and happy tears. But, as life would have it, it didn’t work out and I went on to other pursuits – writing. When I look back, I don’t regret it. I have been able to be many people. Like Charlton Heston once said, "I've been president of the United States three times, and chancellor of England, and I ran the French government. And I led the Jews out of Egypt. What more could I want?”

What more could I want except to be a writer, to live the lives of presidents, first ladies, cops, models, lawyers, doctors, architects, and everyone in between. I have flown planes and helicopters, worked with FBI and CIA agents, owned a ranch and held a secret baby. I’ve saved the lives of a presidential candidate, been the granddaughter of a supreme court justice and that’s just the tune up. I have miles to go and many other lives to live.

This is how the story in Wrong Dress, Right Guy came to me. Actually Cinnamon’s and her sister, Samara’s, names came to me first. Samara has her own book and it will be out in June 2009. Wrong Dress, Right Guy is Cinnamon’s story (released June 2008). I used to work in a bridal shop. We didn’t deliver so there was no chance of mixing up the gowns. But there was a woman who came in and she chose what I considered the wrong gown for her size and height. When I thought of writing a wedding book, that woman came back to me and I thought what fun it would be to write about a woman who got a wedding gown when she expected a ball gown. Of course, Cinnamon and the real life bride have nothing in common, except the idea of a dress.

Cinnamon is a woman with a sense of humor, about everything except her brain. That she takes seriously. She’s beautiful and being the butt of “weather girl” jokes was not her idea of a life’s profession. So she chucked her job in Boston and moved into her grandmother’s house in Northern Virginia, a stone’s throw from the nation’s capital.

Of course, there is a stone she can’t throw and that’s MacKenzie Grier. Mac is all business and anger, especially when he discovered Cinnamon wearing his sister’s wedding gown. From their first meeting the errors just keep coming. The town gets into the act, offering Cinnamon all the trappings for her wedding; from the cake to invitations to her own wedding gown. All she needs is a groom and the town has chosen Mac for the job.

It’s June, the perfect month for a wedding. For all the brides out there, I hope your wedding day is beautiful – whatever the month. While Cinnamon got the wrong dress, she got the right guy. And your right guy is waiting nervously for you in his tuxedo.

Susanna Carr | Readers and Writers Getting Together

Last weekend I went to the Reader & Writer Get Together Lori Foster and Dianne Castell host every year in Cincinnati, Ohio. To read more about this event, visit my blog.

This was my first time visiting the event and I think any die-hard romance reader should attend. Why? Here are five reasons:

1. It's great to meet the romance readers you only talk to online.
   
2. It's a rare opportunity to spend hours chatting about books with readers who love romance as much as you do.
   
3. Chances are you will have more in common with these readers than favorite books and authors.
   
4. It's fun to meet your favorite authors in a casual environment. (For some reason it's not that nerve-wracking when everyone is wearing jeans and T-shirts!)
   
5. Every woman should set aside at least one weekend that is just for her. You spend every other weekend for family, work and chores. A weekend at the Get Together is relaxing and giving you the "me time" you deserve!

Susanna Carr
www.susannacarr.com/

Cherie Feather | The Freedom of Erotica

I’ve been reading romance novels for over twenty years and writing them for over ten years. They are a significant part of my life. I’ve watched trends come and go, and I’ve been part of some of those trends.

But one thing remains constant: The heroes and heroines fall in fall. Romance novels are about romance.

The Art of Desire is an erotic romance. It’s a wildly passionate book where the characters fall crazy in love while having crazy, heart-thrilling sex.

I was accurately quoted in Candy’s June Inside Books column (thanks, Candy!) about how my books used to get censored, and I’d like to expound on that quote, posting it in its entirety.

In the old days, I used to get censored by my editors because my love scenes were too graphic, so when the erotica subgenre exploded on the scene, it seemed inevitable that I become part of it. Even my readers kept asking, “When are you going to write an erotica?”

So I did it! The Art of Desire is my first really, really sexy book. No censorship. No holds barred. But in spite of the sensuality, I wanted it to be highly romantic and deeply emotional, too. I created a contemporary story with a historical twist, with a hundred-year-old journal as an integral part of the plot. The historical portions gave me the opportunity to write a classic romance with tragic elements. The contemporary portions gave me the chance to spread my naughty wings and write in my most erotic voice.

The result has been rewarded. So far, The Art of Desire has garnered exceptional reviews, including a Top Pick from Romantic Times. I couldn’t be more thrilled.

While I was writing The Art of Desire, I debated if I should keep my name (Sheri WhiteFeather) or change it. Yes, lots of my readers wanted me to pen an erotica, but what about the rest of them? Would they prefer that I keep my identities separate, so they would know what to expect? Would writing naughty books under my Harlequin name confuse them?

I decided to become Cherie Feather, which flowed naturally from Sheri WhiteFeather. I let readers know that Cherie is Sheri, but that my Cheri’s books are much, much, edgier.

If you’re curious about The Art of Desire, here’s the back cover blurb:

Museum director Mandy Cooper has always been obsessed with nineteenth-century artist Catherine Burke—and the artist’s erotically charged relationship with Atacar, her enthralling American Indian lover. But Mandy’s link to the legendary couple runs deeper than she knows. She’s having a heated affair herself—with Jared Cabrillo, Atacar’s perilously handsome great-great nephew. And the consuming passion Atacar once used to seduce Catherine is now being engaged by Jared. He knows precisely what it takes to move a woman…

He’s in possession of Catherine’s wildly explicit journal. He knows every intimate detail of what she wanted and needed. But he also knows how desperately Catherine had loved Atacar and how dangerously he’d loved her. The journal is timeless and tragic, and the secrets contained within its pages can bring Mandy and Jared together, or just as surely destroy them both—desire by shocking desire.

If that piqued your interest, watch the book trailer.



If you’d like to read an excerpt, click here.

In July, I have a WhiteFeather release called Killer Passion. It’s part of a Silhouette Romantic Suspense miniseries called Seduction Summer with authors Nina Bruhns and Cindy Dees. Nina, Cindy and I were asked to write hot, suspenseful stories, and we had a blast creating romances set in Fiji with a serial killer stalking lovers on the beach.

Enter my ONE DAY ONLY blog contest for a chance to win One of SIX books I am giving away today.

For more contests, read my blog and see pictures of my gorgeous grown kids, visits my websites at www.cheriefeather.com/ and www.sheriwhitefeather.com/

Hugs and Happy Reading!

Cherie Feather (aka Sheri WhiteFeather)