Sep 17, 2012 | Books, Writing
Hey, y'all! I'm so excited to be able to say that REVELATIONS OF THE NIGHT BEFORE is not only available at the Mills & Boon website a whole month early, but that's it's also the NUMBER ONE selling book on the site for the second week in a row. Yay! Thank you all for buying Niccolo and Valentina's story, and for all the wonderful things you've said about them. 🙂 They were a fun couple to write, and they took me places I didn't expect when I started (Gibraltar!).
I've just turned in the latest Presents, I'm working on another idea, and I've been working on that military romance I told you about. Much going on in Chez Harris as I work to keep the stories coming your way. But it's fun and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm going to leave you with a quote from Stephen Pressfield's DO THE WORK. This is so appropriate for writers, but also for anyone who wants to start a new project or venture: On the field of the Self stand a knight and a dragon. You are the knight. Resistance is the dragon.
Go forth and slay the dragon, friends. It's the only way the work gets done! You can do it. 🙂
Sep 7, 2012 | Books, Contests, Reading |
Thanks to everyone for commenting! The winner of the D'Angeli Duo is Alexia Evans! Yay and congrats!
I love books. I think that's probably something all of us (me and those of you visiting this site) have in common. We're readers. Some of us are writers too. We all love a good tale well told. Our tastes may vary, but we all have our comfort reads, those books that you would willingly reread again and again.
I'm picky, I'll say. I don't have many rereads. And it may surprise you to know that the ones I do have aren't romance novels. (Though I will reread Susan Elizabeth Phillips all day long!) My favorite rereads are these: J.R.R. Tolkien's THE LORD OF THE RINGS and David Eddings' THE BELGARIAD and THE MALLOREON series. Not what you expected, is it? 😉
I am currently rereading LOTR for the fifth time in my life. It goes without saying that I've seen the movies — I've lost count of how many times, though I saw the first one in the theater four times in two weeks. Yes, FOUR times. Other ladies line up for the Twilight movies. I lined up for LOTR. 🙂 It, along with THE HOBBIT, was the first fantasy series I ever read. So it holds a special place in my heart.
Recently, while trying to go to sleep after a long day of slaving on the current WIP, I had the bright idea to see if I could get LOTR on Kindle. I still have the original box set I got many years ago, but the print is so small. Imagine my delight to get the whole saga (excluding THE HOBBIT, which is a separate though related tale) for $9.99! I am once more immersed in the delightful world of the Shire and the perilous journey toward Mordor.
It's an older style of writing, to be sure, and yet I have no problem getting into it. I think because I first read it when I was young and impressionable; therefore, getting back into it is like slipping back in time. Maybe that's what it is about rereads. They take us back to a certain time in our lives, kind of like songs do. Unfortunately, there's so much new stuff to read that rereading isn't high on my list. But I just couldn't help myself with one of my favorite stories of all time.
Do you reread? What are your favorites? One lucky commenter will get a copy of my D'Angeli Family duo!
Sep 4, 2012 | Books |
Hello, dear readers! I hope you had a great holiday weekend if you are in the U.S.! And it you aren't, I hope you had a great weekend nevertheless! It was fine here, except that I am on deadline and we had tornado warnings on Sunday. Aside from that, it was enjoyable! Friday night, we had a friend over for dinner and a movie, and then Saturday we went to my parents' house for dinner. Sunday was our bad weather day, and Monday I worked all day long while Mr. Harris read a book.
But, I am here to tell you that Revelations of the Night Before is available in the UK right now! It's only available from Mills & Boon at the moment, but it will be for sale in shops there quite soon. This is book 2 in my D'Angeli Family series! Check out my Connected Books page for more information.
Want to read the first chapter? Click on the Browse this Book button! There are already a couple of nice reviews there. 🙂
And now I am back to work on the latest story! It's due to my editor quite soon and I need to get these characters to their happy ending….
Jul 22, 2012 | Books, Conference, General |
It's been a very hectic few weeks here, friends! First, we had a crisis with our beloved kitty, Miss Pitty Pat. I'll talk more about it when I get home, but she had a blood clot and lost a leg. She's still with us, though every day is a gift because it's her heart that is the issue. Other than the lost leg, you wouldn't know anything had happened to her. She's happy, and we are grateful.
Of course I had a book due during that time, and revisions, and more revisions (even published authors don't always get it right the first — or even second — time!). And then there was all the prep for the Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim. Since I've had such a successful Weight Watchers run thus far, I had to go buy new clothes. But now I'm all packed and ready to board that plane! I'm looking forward to seeing friends again, to sitting and chatting over drinks and meals, and to just having a great time recharging the creative drive. There are so many workshops I want to attend! And one I'm giving on Saturday morning at 9:45 with Crystal Jordan and Kate Pearce! World Building Made Easy should be lots of fun, so come and see us if you're there.
Also, I'll be participating in the Literacy Signing on Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 8:00 in the Anaheim Convention Center. You can find me at table #807, so stop by and say hi!
I've got a few things left to do, so this is a short post. But before I leave, how about a peek at my upcoming book in the Santina Crown series? This is book seven, THE GIRL NOBODY WANTED, and you are seeing the cover first! I find it highly amusing that the hero is dressed in slacks and a white shirt when for a big portion of the book, he's marooned on an island with the heroine. 😉 But I still think it's a great cover — and obviously they aren't marooned yet since there's a city in the background.
Stop the Press: Jilted Bride Stranded with a Notorious Playboy!
Anna Constantinides, publicly humiliated when her long-time fiancé announced his engagement to someone else, might have thought things couldn’t get any worse…. Until her private jet crash-landed on an uninhabited island, leaving her stranded with billionaire hotel magnate Leo Jackson.
Renowned playboy Leo’s reputation is legendary, and if the smoldering looks they were fighting to contain when rescued are anything to go by, there can only be one question on everybody’s lips: just how long did it take wickedly sexy Leo to undress buttoned-up heiress Anna?
Jun 18, 2012 | Books, Life, Writing |
I was minding my own business, working on revisions to my latest Harlequin, when Mr. Harris called. “You need to update your blog,” he said.
I blinked. I might have nearly choked on the sip of water I'd just taken. “Huh?” I said.
“You haven't said anything in a few days. You need to update it. It's just sitting there.”
Well, I know that. But since when does he care about my blog?
“People want to know what you're up to,” he told me.
I think he has a much higher opinion of me than I do of myself, as I'm not sure anyone really wants to know what I'm up to.
“What should I blog about?” I asked, eyeballing the calendar and the blog posts I have due for other people. And the revisions. Let's not forget those.
“Your new office,” he said. “Or something.”
Something. Yes indeed, something. So here I am.
It's true I got a new office. I finally decided that I may have a career going, so it was time to move off of the old dining room table I'd been using as a desk and get something nicer. Plus I needed new bookshelves as well, so I got an entire matching office suite with a desk, bookshelves, hutches, and all sorts of fun stuff. This entailed moving my desk to another part of the office. Today is my first day sitting at my new desk. And, well, it's taking some getting used to. I used to sit on the other side of the room, desk against the same wall the door was on, but now my desk is floating in the room, unanchored by a wall.
This is a new thing for me. I'm facing the door, which is good, and there's a window beside me — but I have to lean forward to see out of it, which is probably a good thing because now I'm not observing whatever asinine thing the neighbors are doing.
Still, my order has been upset, at least for a little while. And I think it's seeped into other areas of my life. Today, as I was trying to put on mascara, I not only got a big blob between my eyes, I somehow flipped the wand into the air and let go of it. It landed in my hair. :/ That was fun.
But here I sit, hair and skin de-mascaraed, desk floating, writing a blog post because Mr. Harris told me to. Strange times indeed.
Anything new in your life? Anything you're still getting used to? Is it more exciting than a desk in a new place? (Though I AM excited about my new office. Very. I feel all professional now.)
Another exciting thing in my life is the release of my 9th book in North America tomorrow!
Captive But Forbidden features a hunky security tycoon who agrees to bodyguard for my heroine for a little while. Things happen. Sparks fly. It's all very exciting, I promise!
The news that wild socialite Veronica St. Germaine has cleaned up her act and stepped into her father’s shoes as ruler of a Mediterranean principality creates a tabloid frenzy! But it’s not just the paparazzi that are out for blood…
Duty demands that bodyguard Rajesh Vala must protect Veronica—whatever the cost… But Veronica has always rebelled against commands, and she isn’t making Raj’s job easy!
He calls it ‘safeguarding’. She calls it being held captive at his beach house. Both realise that the attraction between them is inconvenient…
Veronica is forbidden, not for bedding!
May 23, 2012 | Books, Contests, Promotion, Reading |
We have a winner! Shelley Bagby, it's your lucky day! The random number generator has chosen you, so please send me your details to claim your prize! Thanks everyone for stopping by, and keep checking back for more blog contests.
I finished a book last week and sent it to my editor. I always feel a little bit like a dog that's been straining against a chain and suddenly finds the chain has broken and she's free to run. I don't know where to run or what to do, so I zigzag a bit. I clean my office, make notes for other stories, open up old manuscripts and wonder if they can be saved. I go to the grocery store, do some laundry, and meet friends for lunch. I lollygag a bit, but I always have it in the back of my head that I have more work to do. The work is never, ever done when you write for a living.
One of the things I love to do, however, is read. I always buy way too many books with the hope that I'll read them all on my short break. I never do, but the nice thing about books is they don't expire. Happy sigh. Lately, I've been thinking back to the wonderful days I spent at the beach reading books. When I lived in Hawaii, every day was a beach day if you wanted it to be. Mr. Harris and I would load up the Jeep with chairs, towels, cooler, umbrella, sunscreen, and books. For me, lots of books.
I once spent about a week reading T. H. Lawrence's The Seven Pillars of Wisdom at the beach. There's still sand in the book when I open it now. I love that. Of course I didn't always read giant tomes like Lawrence. I also read plenty of romances and other literature. One of my best memories of Hawaii is all that beach reading. I sat in the shade whenever possible and read book after book. It was glorious, with the sparkling ocean, the green Ko'olau Mountains in the background, the sound of the surf, the white clouds scudding overhead, and the company of friends who also sat and read.
In fact, little aside, but the beach in Hawaii is where I reconnected with the Presents line after not having read it for a few years. I'd just met Jane Porter and thought she was so smart and articulate that I had to read her books. I bought her latest Harlequin and dived in. And then I went and bought more. Presents are great beach reads!
This summer, I have my own beach read for you. Captive But Forbidden is a July release from Harlequin Presents. It's full of all the passion and emotion you've come to expect from the line, but there's also a bit of a twist. The heroine is the newly-elected president of her tiny nation. When there are threats against Veronica St. Germaine's life, she needs a better bodyguard than the official ones she has already. That's where Raj Vala comes in. He's tall, dark, handsome, rich, and just as arrogant and powerful as you want a Presents hero to be. And he's not about to take any crap from Veronica.
The sparks are sparky. The sex is hot. Stuff happens.
I loved writing this book, with my half-Indian ex-Special Forces hero and a heroine who used to be a very, very bad girl. I keep hearing from readers that it's different, that it's not what they were expecting. I like that! I call this book my special snowflake book, and it is. I hope you'll give it a try! Read it on the beach. Or by the pool. Or even in the comfort of your home. If you've already read and enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble (or both!).
And now, to help at least one of you have a nice beachy time, I'll give away one copy of Captive But Forbidden today, along with a beach towel, a tote, a pair of flip flops, some goodies from me, and a $5 Starbucks card (so you can get an icy latte on the way to the beach/pool!). Leave a comment to be entered to win. I'll announce a winner on Friday. 🙂
