Sara Reyes | Escape the Economic Downturn .... Surprising Answers

Hey, guess what? Something you'll never believe about the economy! Romance book sales are up. Way UP! And I say, DUH!!! Sheesh, where has everyone been? Of course they are! As the uncertainty about jobs and income stays with us so does the need to find escapes and one of the best "bangs for the buck" is a good old-fashioned romance novel. Seriously, you get a couple of hours of entertainment with a guaranteed happy ending for about eight dollars. Of course the romance publishers doing the best are the ones with the less expensive books, but even so, $8 is generally still affordable. It's even better than buying a tube of lipstick which was supposed to be the other big recession commodity not given up by women.

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And the other little splurge? Movies. But not the big dramas, the so-called chick flicks, children movies, comedies and as my son calls them, "light-hearted action flicks" are all making box office profits and it's hard to find a good seat on Fridays and Saturdays. Even worse on half-price Tuesdays! People find it reasonable to go out for a movie, maybe skip the candy and popcorn, for a couple of hours of entertainment.

So, my friends and fellow readers, what's YOUR choice of diversion now? What are the books (or movies) you'd prefer? I find that I'm reading more light-hearted books whether they are romances or mysteries. If I read a tissue-box romance, I have to follow it up with at least two laugh-out-louds! For example, Robyn Carr's PARADISE VALLEY was followed immediately by Tracy Madison's A TASTE OF MAGIC with its unusual wacky birthday present and Julia Harper's FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, a screw-ball adventure comedy set in the fields and by-ways of Southern Illinois.

For movies, I've enjoyed going to a couple of film festivals recently and I really enjoyed the comedies. I saw THE 2 BOBS or what happens when two game designers forget about the big picture and have to learn to enjoy life and Rock Slyde a mash-up of a comedic film noir private eye and a Scientology-inspired cult who worships early morning exercise and magic cookies! I highly recommend both if they come to a town or screen near you! They'll definitely make you smile!

Now it's your turn...what are you reading or watching? Tell us [click here] and I'll make sure you're entered into our little contest to pull something out of the old Fresh Fiction grab bag. Definitely a good book and maybe a little surprise!

Well, until next time...
Get out there and READ a book...

Sara Reyes

DFW Tea Readers Group

Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas November 13-15, 2009!

Nancy Bush | Best Experiences An Author Can Have...

Well, I'm kind of excited. My newest book, UNSEEN, a thriller, debuted on March 31st. UNSEEN is my first solo effort as a romantic-suspense writer and it's definitely a wild and twisted tale. A real departure from the mystery novels I've been writing. (And to those loyal fans who've contacted me in fear that I've abandoned Jane, Dwayne, The Binkster and the rest of the gang from the Jane Kelly mystery series: They'll be back, I swear! )

So, how did UNSEEN come to be?

Well, a long time ago, in a galaxy far,far away, I read an article in Time Magazine about how young mothers were making money writing romance novels. I told my sister, fellow writer Lisa Jackson, about the article and, as young mothers ourselves, we both sat down and started writing, writing, writing. It's how both of our careers began.

Now, I'm a grandmother. A grandmother! Yikes, rewind. That happened fast! I may need to digress a moment. . . .

Get the rest of the story, click here

Carla Cassidy | In The Good Old Summer Time

I love romantic suspense. I love writing it and reading it. As I was working on my latest release, LAST GASP, I remembered something from my childhood. The setting for this book is a small farm town in western Kansas, much like the place where my grandparents lived.

Every summer my brother and I would spend a week on the farm with my grandparents. The house was relatively isolated, surrounded by fields on either side. During the days we’d help feed the chicken, pick vegetables from the garden and ride on the back of the tractor. It was at night when the terror began.

Now we've got you hooked, click here to find the "terrors" Carla suffered as a child

Stephanie Bond | What P.I.’s and Novelists Have in Common

After the attacks of 9-11, the Department of Defense gathered top novelists and screenwriters and asked them to put their heads together to come up with worst-case scenarios, trying to stay one step ahead of what terrorists might be planning. I think that speaks volumes for the value of imagination.

A few years ago I took the coursework to become a private investigator in the state of Georgia, strictly for research. I was the thorn in all the instructors’ sides because they would explain how something was done and I would raise my hand and ask, “How could a person get around that?” or “How could that go wrong?” I was always trying to figure out how a criminal might try to get away with something or how a situation could be made worse by a loophole in the law. When one of my instructors found out I was a novelist, he remarked that, like writers, the best private investigators and detectives have a fertile imagination.

That got me thinking about how many skills overlap the two occupations.

Now, you've got to find out how they overlap, so click here to finish!

Jodi Thomas | The Birth of a Book...

Today is the day REWRITING MONDAY hits the stands. For a writer it's kind of like the birth of a child, without all the pain of course. This is my 28th book and still I love going into the bookstores and just holding a copy in my hands. For my first ten books my husband and I made a habit of driving all over town and seeing the books on the shelves in every store.

Sometimes I'll buy three or four of my own book that first day. One kid checking me out late one night asked, "Are you aware all three of these are the same book?" I laughed and said, "Yes, but I just love to read it over and over." This one will make you laugh and hopefully, you'll fall in love with the characters.

Now finish the blog by clicking here and comment to win your own copy...

Jade Lee | TORTURED PRO NEEDS HELP. A lot of help…

Some book are written from inspiration. Some books are written because there is a contract. And then there are books that simply won't shut up!!!!!

I write historical romance. That is the core of my career. Historicals set in the Regency era. Historicals set in China. Historicals set wherever my muse and the market wander. And then, because it's fun, I'll write contemporary sexy (as with my Blaze books) or paranormal (as with Crimson City or These Boots were Made for Stomping!). But those are just fun books and come along when someone offers the possibility to me, not because I go out searching for them. Don't get me wrong, they're good books, but they are written because the opportunity found me, not the other way around.

As you may imagine, the above keeps me very busy. So the last thing I needed was a fantasy romance series. Sure, I grew up reading Tolkien like everybody else, loved the Thomas Covenant chronicles (talk about an anti-hero!), and wrote my undergraduate thesis on Narnia. I have adored fantasy for years and mourned the absence of a decent love story in all those coming-of-age-with-magic books.

But...and I'm going to put this in bold here...I am a professional writer. Here's what professional writer means to me: I get up every morning, I drink my coffee, and I write to my core audience. It is my job, and as such, it needs to have a clear career focus and goal. No other worker would decide to be a welder one day, a plumber the next, and then a month down the line say, hey, how about carpentry? That's not a professional, that's a hobbyist or a kid looking for a career path. Well, I've got a hobby (racquetball) and I'm well past the kid stage. I am! (she says stomping her foot.)

So what the frick was I doing writing a Fantasy Romance???? Dragonborn was this cool idea I played with in my spare time. It started when I was a kid. I thought of a girl (my age–whatever age that was) who carried a dragon egg in her belly, bound mind to mind with the unborn dragon, and eventually hatched the egg and deposed the evil baddy. Woo hoo! Coming of age at its finest (but notice the girl-centered plot). Then one day–as an adult–I realized that she had a boyfriend. Not just a boyfriend, but a dragon killer boyfriend who was using her to find the egg. They fall in love, but then he discovers that she's got the egg. Oops! What a tortured love story!


Wow, did I love that! So...eventually, I wrote Dragonborn. Why? Because it was such a cool idea and I didn't have a contract at the time. Why not? I wrote it...hmmmm...five years ago? Yes, it took that long for Dorchester to finally read it, buy it, and publish it. Great. It was a fun lark, but it's over. Good book. They've deposed the evil baddy, fallen in love, and are going to live happily ever after...probably. Because it's always “probably” in fantasy.

Then I realized that I had a problem. ....

Find out what Jade's problem is by clicking here... and possibly win a prize by commenting on today's blog!

Sandi Shilhanek | Favorite Reading Place

This week my friend Yvonne is visiting. We’ve of course done some tourist like things and we’ve hit the bookstores looking for some of the recommendations that everyone was so kind to have supplied last week.

We went to see the King Tut exhibit that is in my area, and Yvonne bought several souvenirs. I was however a bad hostess, and when we made a pit stop for a quickie snack I promptly forgot I was in charge of them, and lost them! I felt awful when I realized it.

The day however turned out to not be a total bust because when we arrived home sitting in my living room was a brand new hand made rocking chair. My 16-year-old son, Brian made it for me. Here is a picture of my new favorite reading place.

Do you have a favorite reading place? Is it something special and likely to be handed down for generations like my rocker or is it special just because it happens to be in a great spot and is super comfy? Perhaps even your favorite reading place changes depending on either your mood or the genre of book you’re reading at the moment. Inquiring minds need to know so spill it all!

Happy page turning until next week!