Sara Reyes | OMG I Hurt A Book!!!!

Yes, people, friends, acquaintances and the casual visitor, I did a VERY VERY BAD thing this week! I committed an offense beyond all reckoning...well, not as bad as burning a book...but close in my estimation. Let me tell you the sad tale.

I love books and have trained -- it took YEARS of patience, discipline and punishment in some cases -- my family to treat books with respect and dignity.

• No dog-earing


• No chewing on the pages (even small children were NOT exempt)


• No folding down pages


• No eating while reading. Especially not Cheetos or any other snack that
  leaves a funny color to the pages.


• No using the book as a drink coaster. I mean seriously, do you want to have
  a cover with a wet ring on it?


• No using the flat surface of a table as a bookmark! Use a bookmark, a
  receipt, or a dollar bill if you're desperate! Yes, the kids have known to find
  lunch money in "morn's last book!"


• And for goodness sake, never, ever, CRACK THE SPINE!

These rules have worked for years without a single hitch...until I discovered
SUDUKO. Sigh. Yes, I was sitting on the couch, enjoying a little television
watching when getting to the middle of the book, I couldn't get comfortable. I
tried opening judiciously, I tried holding it with the left hand, then the right
hand until in a sudden flash of stress...it was a tough one in the last 3/4s of
the book, I lost it. Completely. Utterly. I cracked that sucker open all the
way. Bent back the covers till they touched and heard the spine give up!

Ah, the guilt. It stays with me to this day. And the looks on my family's faces!
You'd think I committed a major felony and was asking them for bond money!
Sheesh. Okay, Okay. Yes, I was guilty. Yes, I was doing what I've never ever
condoned in others. But seriously, I got that sucker open and won the game.


So, taking this to the masses, what is the worst thing you've ever done with a book?

Get out there and READ a book...

Sara Reyes

DFW Tea Readers Group

Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas in 2009!

BTW -- I'll be on the road this weekend visiting the authors at the NOLA Stars Conference in Shreveport! If you're at the signing on Saturday, please say hi! And follow the FreshFiction tweets on our grand adventure to Shreveport!

Carolyn Jewel | Confessions of a Historical Romance Junkie

Will you Join Me in my Affliction?

Thanks, Fresh Fiction, for inviting me to blog here today!

It’s no accident Romance is such a popular genre. As a species, Homo Sapiens care deeply about relationships. Our survival depends upon forming them. No one should be surprised, therefore (are you listening ET?) that our stories are so often about relationships. Likewise, the popularity of the various sub-genres can tell us a great deal about what concerns us today, even when, and I would argue, especially when, the stories are not “realistic.” Vampires and shapeshifters don’t exist, after all, and 1815 was so long ago, isn’t it irrelevant by now?

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Shakespeare set a great many of his stories in his historical past, foreign countries or fanciful realms because the displacement of location and time allowed him to comment on present day issues that wouldn’t otherwise have made it past the censors and might even have gotten him in thrown in jail. Modern stories set in the past serve a similar function; they allow commentary about our lives today, whether the result is something along the lines of Thank goodness we have antibiotics! or a reflection, however brief, that perhaps having a day job isn’t so bad. At one time, there were whole classes of people who needed income yet were forbidden many of the means by which one could obtain one. In fact, fifty-one percent of the population falls into this category.

Hooked? Read the rest... and comment to be eligible for today's blog prize!!!

Linda Conrad | What Do You Love to Hate?

A witch appears in my newest trilogy, The Safekeepers, for Silhouette Romantic Suspense.  In fact, she’s a black witch who curses the Ryan family. Several white witches who do good deeds are in all three books too, but the witches don’t take up the entire plot.  I’ve also written about psychics, mediums, and Native American supernatural beliefs.  My editor and I call that light paranormal elements.

Not long ago I was wondering if light paranormal was as popular with readers as dark.  Oh, I already knew about the popularity of those sensual dark vampire and werewolf stories.  Or at least I thought I did.  I happened to ask a readers group and my own newsletter subscribers what they thought.  Boy, did I get an earful!

Buy SAFE BY HIS SIDE

Buy IN SAFE HANDS

“…straight paranormal is currently being overdone.”  “Vamps are sooo over.”  “I don’t care for vampire and the like in books.” “I’m a big paranormal fan who is tired of the vampires.”  And these are the nice replies!

But at the same time as people complain about vampire books, one of the best-selling series currently is the Twilight series by Stephanie Myer.  And please don’t tell Sherilyn Kenyon that vampires are out.  She’ll laugh all the way to the bank.   So is this a case of people secretly loving what they claim to hate?

Hooked? Read the rest and comment to be entered in Linda's one day blog contest to win signed copies of these books PLUS some Godiva chocolate to enjoy!

Caridad Pineiro | Creating Characters

First I’d like to thank Fresh Fiction for giving me an opportunity to chat with you! I’m Caridad Pineiro, a USA Today and NY Times Bestseller who has written of over twenty novels. My current releases are HONOR CALLS and FURY CALLS from the popular THE CALLING Vampire series from Silhouette Nocturne. In November 2009 I will have my first paranormal romantic suspense single title release – SINS OF THE FLESH – from Grand Central Publishing.

I love writing and creating characters that stay with readers long after the book is on the shelf.

The plot for FURY CALLS, my March 2009 release from Silhouette Nocturne, definitely has two of my most interesting characters and the plot of the story is driven by the conflicts of the two heroes – Blake and Meghan. Blake, in particular, helped define the nature of the villain and also, forged the redemption of one of THE CALLING’s more interesting Big Bads – Foley, the owner of the Blood Bank.

Blake has actually become one of my favorite characters of all time. Since he popped onto the scene in TEMPTATION CALLS in October 2005, he has been hanging out in the world of THE CALLING, always on the fringe of what’s happening and never really respected. Always screaming for me as a writer to give him a story that was worthy of his unique personality.

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Alisa Sheckley/Alisa Kwitney | Fresh Fiction Guest Blog

Back in the days when I was an assistant editor working on Neil Gaiman’s comic book series, The Sandman, romance and comic books were two very separate worlds. This always struck me as pretty strange, because I write romance, and despite my MFA from Columbia, most of what I know about writing, I’ve learned from comics. Show the hero/heroine using his/her power in a different way each time, for example. Don’t underestimate the reader’s intelligence by spelling everything out; the more intelligent you assume the reader is, the more intelligent the reader assumes you are. And, of course, the unwritten rule of fight scenes: The stronger one going in should be the weaker one going out.

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Linda Winstead Jones | BRIDE BY COMMAND

First, thanks to Fresh Fiction for inviting me to be here to blog about Bride by Command, which will be officially released tomorrow. It’s always great to get out and “talk” to readers and other writers.

Bride by Command is the final book in “The Emperor’s Brides” trilogy, which has sent Emperor Jahn of Columbyana on a reluctant quest for an empress. There are two potential brides per book, and naturally, by the third book in the series many of the brides are spoken for by other heroes. At one point I joked with a friend, as we walked around the neighborhood and talked plots, that I should title this one Empress by Default. :-) At the time, the working title was Unbreakable, and as you can see I ended up with a title somewhere in between.

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Shayla Black | BOUND AND DETERMINED

I’m thrilled that on Tuesday, March 3, one of my favorite books will re-release in trade paperback: BOUND AND DETERMINED. Let me give you the 411…then a little story to go along with it.

Berkley HEAT
ISBN-10: 0425226905
ISBN-13: 978-0425226902
Genre: Sexy Contemporary Romance
Re-release Date: March 3, 2009

WANTED FOR KIDNAPPING: A bubbly blonde with a penchant for trouble. May be armed (with good intentions) and dangerously seductive…
Kerry Sullivan is running out of time-and patience. With her brother wrongfully accused of embezzling millions, she can’t face one more humiliating hang-up from the man she’s begging for help. Rafael Dawson may be one of the top electronic security experts in the country — and the only man who can prove her brother’s innocence — but his phone manners are appalling. Damn Yankee. Too bad kidnapping the man isn’t an option. Or is it?

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Sandi Shilhanek | Typical Reading Choices

This week I somewhat succumbed to peer pressure. I have decided to request two books from the library that are outside my typical reading choices. Since I’m not sure I will enjoy the books I’ve selected I’ve also decided to do them on audio, as I tend to use my audio selections for those books I deem outside my comfort zone.

Now, I’m sure you’re interested in knowing what books I’ve requested. I’m going to listen to Water For Elephants by Sara Greun and The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. Have you read either of these?

Is there a book that you’ve heard a lot about and thought I would never read it, but finally the hype has you so intrigued that you decide to find a copy either in print, electronic, or audio, and read it for yourself? What is it about the hype you’ve heard that makes you reach for the book? After you’ve read that book outside your comfort zone do you find yourself more willing to read more by the author, or is one enough?

Happy reading and listening to all, I look forward to your comments.