Sara Reyes | Author + Books + Video = Excitement?

I always tell people -- find something to do that connects with your passion in life and you'll be successful! And the rule has proved itself over and over again. My passion is books and reading. My talent, if it can labeled, is remembering what I've read and making connections. I connect readers with books. If I know someone likes a certain type of book: say historical with lots of sexual tension but with emotion, I'll say try Mary Balogh or Mary Jo Putney or Loretta Chase. Because those authors will make you weep, laugh and sigh. If someone likes gritty urban fantasy I point them to Kim Harrison or Kelley Armstrong because you'll find a fast paced action packed adventure in a world that is familiar and yet, not. Well, you get my drift. I'm fortunate as I read fast and I've read steadily for a loooong time!

Fun Books You Should Get!

But I've also been able to meet authors, and authors are wonderful people, especially after you get them to open up about their work. Then you can see the passion in their eyes and the emotion in their voice as they tell me about the twists and turns of their plots but usually and most importantly about the characters. It's a fascinating conversation and I never get bored listening.

This has been a week for authors and their passions. Last Saturday we had a signing with three funny and talented ladies -- Dakota Cassidy, Michele Bardsley and Candace Havens. Now, one-on-one they are all entertaining but you put them in the same room and they light up the place! They played off each other and engaged the audience in their back stories, their characters and the varied worlds they create. In the end we all spent more money than anticipated, but that's the fun of meeting authors.

But wait, we're not done ... read the rest and see how YOU can win some prizes this weekend!

Erin Quinn | What If You Could Undo The Past?

Time is something I never have enough of. Like most people, I work a full time job, have a family, and claim some semblance of a life . . . and then there’s that little thing I like to call a writing career . . . .

I often feel like I’m meeting myself coming and going—like life is a revolving door and I’m just spinning round and round in it. Thinking about the crazy way time seems to evaporate led me to writing HAUNTING BEAUTY, a novel that explores my personal fascination with time and the idea that the past is not set in stone.

Read the rest of Erin's post by clicking here. There are prizes!

Loucinda McGary | ANNIVERSARIES

First I want to thank all the wonderful folks a
Fresh Fiction for inviting me here today
and I want to extend SUPER CONGRATS on your anniversary! I’m doubly pleased to be part of your celebration.

My second romantic suspense from Sourcebooks
Casablanca, The Treasures of Venice has an ‘official’ release date of September 1st, but I’m excited to say that copies are already popping up online and in bookstores. This was truly the book of my heart! It not only has a few paranormal elements, but also a dual storyline set in both contemporary Venice and the Renaissance Venice of 1485. This book was a finalist in the 2006 Golden Heart contest and gave me a tremendous boost down the long and winding path to my first sale and many other wonderful writing-related opportunities.

Clicke here to read the rest of the article and to comment today and you could be one of two lucky winners! Each winner will
receive a copy of The Treasures Of Venice and The Wild Sight

Tawny Weber | Your Inner Self...Costume Fun

In my upcoming Blaze, FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME, my heroine is attending a class reunion costume party. The rule? To wear a costume that represents her career--without being obvious (ie: no police uniform for a cop). Zoe had a cute costume in mind. One that would show her sense of humor and prove that she was sexy yet fun. Sounds great, right? Just how I’d like to handle going back to see people after a decade. Except there was a little mix-up with Zoe’s costume. Instead of cute and clever, she ended up with black leather and a riding crop. A studded dominatrix costume is hardly the impression she’s looking to make on her old schoolmates. Even if it does bring out her strong-willed inner self.

And somehow, by wearing the dominatrix costume and being pushed out of her comfort-zone, Zoe digs a little deeper and faces her own strength--to say nothing of facing all the wildly sexy times her costume inspires with a gorgeous costumed hunk from her past.

How about you? What’s your favorite costume idea? And what costume would you wear to represent yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments section by clicking here and we’ll randomly choose one person to win a book of their choice from my backlist!

Hank Phillippi Ryan | HOW DO YOU TELL THE REAL THING

This time of year, my thoughts turn to love. Why? Because just this time of year, 14 years ago, I met Jonathan.

I had been invited to share a house with a group of friends in Nantucket. I was six months (or more?) out of a dead-end relationship (another story) and said--no thanks. And then I reconsidered. Why not take a fun trip? So I packed up my books and my bike and my tennis racket, and headed to Nantucket on the ferry. I was so--unready to meet someone, I didn't even bring any makeup. (I will pause while you howl with laughter. I’ve been a television reporter for thirty years. I live in make-up.)

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, another person sharing the house had invited Jonathan. And the other person didn't know I was coming.

To read more about Hank Phillipi Ryan's impromptu love match and learn about her character, Charlotte McNally click here.

One thing you do know for sure--it’s contest time! Three commenters will be chosen at random to win their choice of an ARC of PRIME TIME,
FACE TIME(book one and two in the series) or the just-released-today AIR TIME! And three more winners will get limited edition Charlotte McNally Lip balms and an authentic reporters’ notebook.

Blythe Gifford | Back To School---EXCITEMENT OR RELIEF

Back to school. Don’t the very words evoke an emotion?
For me, the phrase summons crisp, new beginnings. This year, the feeling of anticipation is even more special. My September release, IN THE MASTER’S BED, is a medieval "back to school" story.

She's disguised as a man in a place where women are forbidden. Now, she's met a man who, for the first time, makes her want to be a woman. What will happen when he discovers her secret and she's discovered IN THE MASTER'S BED?

To tell a back to school story and have a chance to win a copy of IN THE MASTER'S BED click here.

SANDI SHILHANEK | THE GREAT LITERARY DEBATE

This week I’m listening to The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews, and while listening one term really struck me. The term was empty literary calories. It was used in reference to tabloids such as The National Enquirer. but I got to wondering if some people might not use it when thinking about romance or other genres which they don’t wish to read themselves.

I’m confident that there are people out there who look down upon those people who read anything that is not necessarily thought of as the GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. It’s my personal belief that reading is wonderful regardless of what the reader is reading. My family is not compromised of readers, but when my son asks for a strategy guide for a video game I’m eager to comply, because after all doesn’t he have to read it to get the information he is after?

To weigh in on the discussion click here.