Guest Author: Ellen Hartman

Helen here. I can't remember when I first met fellow Superromance author Ellen Hartmen, but I should. She is truly one of the funniest people I've ever met and writes wonderful romances. She has a new one out this month, so I'll let her tell you a little about it. Please welcome Ellen ...

I told Helen I was going to blog about enriched eBooks. But then I got a better idea. So, briefly: my May Superromance, The Boyfriend’s Back, includes extras with the eBook edition. (Like the extras on a DVD.) Some enriched eBooks include character sketches, maps, links to websites, or historical facts. Mine includes a short story about the main characters when they were in high school. I expect we’re going to see more enriched content, in more variations, as eBooks grow.

Enriched eBooks are interesting, especially for a person like me who’s part geek and part writer. I didn’t think it would make a great blog post, though. I imagined that I would post the info as I did above and then I’d say (imagine me talking in an announcer voice), “What enriched content would you like to see?” and then there’d be some polite comments and pffft. Nothing. Or at least nothing fun.

So instead we will discuss Lessons Learned from Old Boyfriends. In The Boyfriend’s Back, Hailey Maddox and JT McNulty dated during their senior year of high school and then JT left town. Fifteen years later, he comes back. They have to face up to their unresolved feelings and figure out if they can make something together after all that time. (There’s also the small complication that Hailey’s daughter thinks JT is her dad…but he’s not.)

Obviously this is a romance novel so the things that happen are both fictitious and romanticized. In real life, old boyfriends are rarely the source of new love; they’re mostly the source of Life Lessons. Here are some things I learned from my old boyfriends.

1. If you think he’s cheating, he’s probably cheating even if it is your birthday and no one could be that mean.

2.You can not teach a man to dress better through suggestion. You must buy the new wardrobe for him and then order him to wear it.

3. If the woman who raised him is nuts, there’s a good chance she passed some of that along. They don’t call them the formative years for nothing.

4. If a voice inside tells you you’ve just met the perfect guy for you, it’s telling the truth. (Okay, I learned that one from meeting my husband. But he was a boyfriend at the time.)

So what about you? Any lessons you learned from old boyfriends that you’d like to share? I have a signed copy of The Boyfriend’s Back to send to one randomly chosen commenter. I’m can’t wait to learn some lessons! (I’m also up for discussing enriched eBooks so ask questions or share your wish list of content you’d like to see. Anything you want to share!)

Information about my books including excerpts, deleted scenes, and more are available on my website at: http://www.ellenhartman.com. The enriched eBook edition of The Boyfriend’s Back is for sale at eHarlequin.com. (Link: http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/A02AEA65-814E-4A26-A9E8-B1ABB9EEF226/10/126/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=BF9F6486-FB37-4AD5-B8C3-25A590F8B8D8)

Guest Author: Julie Leto

Hey guys. I "met" Julie Leto online when I guested with Plotmonkeys. So happy to have her here with us today, so please give her a warm, Rider welcome!!

Wow, that’s cool...what is it?

One of the key tenets of marketing in the book business is that an author should be able to “sum up” their “hook” in a few words or less. Some people borrow from the film industry, which famous uses comparisons like “Star Wars meets Gone With the Wind” to pitch new ideas to producers who can only think in terms of what’s been done before.

I’d love to be able to do that. I did, actually, when I wrote my Marisela Morales action-adventure series for Pocket, which was pitched as “Dirty Harry meets the Dirty Girls Social Club.” (If you don’t get that reference...well, the editors got it, bought it, then promptly replaced my clever hook with “Love her, love her handcuffs.”Probably better.

But my new series is really hard for me to classify. Is a romance? Absolutely, first and foremost, both books are romances. PHANTOM PLEASURES, which was released in April, featured a hotel heiress and a British nobleman from the 18th century. I suppose “Ivanka Trump meets Mr. Darcy” is the best I can do. The second book stars an action-hero heroine named Lauren Cole with an 18th century soldier. “Xena meets Colonel Brandon,” perhaps? But that doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The books are romances. Contemporary romances in that they are set in the contemporary world, though my heroes, who have been cursed into historical artifacts by a dark and mysterious Gypsy curse, are from the past. So, I suppose that sort of makes them Time Travels, with the characters coming forward instead of going backward to the past.

The books are also paranormal. Each hero, by nature of the curse, possesses the magic that ensnares him. In PHANTOM’S TOUCH, Aiden can use the cursed magic to read Lauren’s mind, to appear and disappear at will and to make love to her while invisible, which is a whole heck of a lot of fun. But the magic comes with a price. As the magic is evil, every time the hero uses it, he is overcome with lust. Luckily for my heroines, they’re around to take care of things.

The upside of writing a series that contains so many different elements is that I can answer, “Yes!” to so many questions.

“Is it a sexy romance?”

Oh, yes...super hot. That’s the most important aspect of the entire series. Hot, sexy sex with hot, sexy men.

“Is it a paranormal?”

There are these phantoms who are cursed by Gypsy magic and who must fight a cult who wants the power for themselves.

“Is it a historical?”

In a manner of speaking, yes! I certainly had to do a lot of research to make my heroes, their experiences and their thought processes authentic.

“Is it a contemporary?”

Very much so. My heroines, in particular, are modern women who can hold their own and then some in the 21^st century.

“Is there suspense?”

Definitely a suspense threads through each of the books, with a pair of intelligent, ruthless villains in both book that will stop at nothing to get their hands on the power.

“Are the men Alpha and hot?”

How could they not be? They’re from a time when men were men and sex was decadent and delicious (though I’d personally like to think that hasn’t changed over the centuries!)

So the Phantom series, staring with PHANTOM PLEASURES and now PHANTOM’S TOUCH (in stores now!) and continuing with KISS OF THE PHANTOM (out next June) has a little something for everyone. Or at least, that’s what I hope!

Are there any elements in this series that appeal to you? What are your favorite “mix” kind of books? Do you like the straight forward or the blended books like these?

Guest - Marilee Brothers LATE BLOOMERS STAY FRESH LONGER

NEWS FLASH!  --  Bell Bridge Books is giving away a free copy of MOONSTONE to one lucky commenter.  And Marilee is giving away a free copy of her medieval romance CASTLE LADYSLIPPER !

Hi, I’m Marilee Brothers…I think. I’m feeling a bit schizoid after writing three books in three different genres with two different names. My first, Castle Ladyslipper is a medieval romance written under the pseudonym Lee Grantier, my long departed grandmother’s name. My second—but actually my third—is a humorous mystery with romantic elements. The Rock and Roll Queen of Bedlam will be published in October, 2009. My third, Moonstone, a YA fantasy, is available RIGHT NOW from the the lovely ladies of Bell Bridge Books and my second book published under my real name. Confused yet?

Happily, I believe I’ve found my niche in the YA genre and I owe it all to the miserable creature I was at age fourteen. Taller than every boy in my class (they caught up in high school), I was painfully shy and convinced I was unlovely and unlovable. Allie Emerson, the teenage girl in Moonstone has the character traits I longed for at that age. Despite her difficult home situation, she’s strong minded, rarely at a loss for words, stands up to bullies and, best of all, has telekinetic power and a magic moonstone pendant!

I could have used a little magic back then. The memory is still vivid. A group of us playing a kissing game, probably spin the bottle. I found myself in a closet with a freckle-faced, earnest young man a head shorter than me. I dropped into a half-crouch. He stood on his tiptoes. Our knees banged together. Somehow, against all odds, we exchanged an chaste peck on the lips, our faces hot with embarrassment.

As adults, we speak of “teenage angst” as if we’ve forgotten how painful those years can be. But, deep down, we don’t forget. It becomes part of our personal journeys. Writing about Allie helped me look back at myself—that gangly, vulnerable girl of fourteen—put my arms around her and murmur, “It’s okay to be a late bloomer. I wish I could tell you…the best is yet to come.”

Allie’s journey is just beginning. As a result of writing her story, I now look into my rear-view mirror and smile. Did I just hear the sound of a young girl giggling? Swear to God, Alfrieda Carlotta Emerson! You helped me grow up!

What about you? Do you consider your teen years “the best time of your life?” Any embarrassing moments you’d like to share?

Guest Author: Kay Stockham

I first met Superromance author, Kay Stockham, at last year's RWA conference. She was a RITA finalist for her second book, Man with a Past, and I was a total newbie geek. The Harlequin party was my first as a published author and Kay made me feel so welcome. Oh, and I'll never forget her shoes. LOL She wore theeeee most stunning black sandals I think I've ever seen. Spike heels, black satin ribbons ... I think she even danced in them.

Anyway, she's a truly lovely lady who writes wonderful books and knows her dress sandals! Here's Kay ...

Christmas Carols

First off I want to say a big thank you to Helen for inviting me on the cyber road trip in the convertible. I've always wanted a convertible. Give me hat, though. You don't want to see my naturally curly hair get the windblown look, trust me! I'd scare small children.

I actually took a short road trip not long ago and discovered some of my favorite music on the radio. Can you believe XM is already playing Christmas carols on their Holly station? I'm in heaven! I loooove Christmas carols. The cheeriness, the joy. The happy times. No matter the mood I'm in, certain carols can come on the radio and I'm humming along. Jingle Bells, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Winter Wonderland, Santa Baby. You're humming them now, too, aren't you?

No, it's not even Thanksgiving yet---but I'll make a confession. As of Sunday evening we have our twelve-foot Christmas tree up in our great room. Yes, I'm one of those people. Forget Halloween and Thanksgiving (well, no, not really, but you know what I mean). For me, it's Christmas all the way, baby! LOL You can't get those ornaments and decorations out early enough for me because I LOVE Christmas and all its meaning.

Christmas is about hope and forgiveness and love. Who can't use more of that this time of year? That's part of the reason why I think A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER, my current release, means so much to me. It's a redemption story with an amnesia twist and I hope you'll check it out. For a sneak peek at the book video, go to www.kaystockham.com. It's on shelves now and if you pick it up, please drop me an email and let me know what you think.

But before you go check out the video, answer this:What are YOUR favorite Christmas carols? What gets you humming to beat at 3 AM when you hit the Black Friday sales? Share your favorites with us. I'll choose a name from those who post and they'll win a copy of A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER!

Thanks for letting me come play today. I soooo loved riding in the convertible!

Kay

Guest Author: Syrie James

Hey All,

I’m so excited to have Syrie James with us in the convertible. I first met Syrie at a mystery writers’ convention out east. She was, at the time, a successful screenplay writer but was hoping to break into the literary field. And now, just about eighteen months later, here she is, bursting onto the scene with a fabulous debut novel the world’s just dying to read.

So please help me welcome Syrie…and Jane Austen. :) Lois

Have you ever had to make a giant left turn on the road of life, only to discover that fate has led you to the best possible destination? They say that fate has a way of leading us in the direction we are meant to go; that when you fall off a horse, you have to pick yourself up and get right back in the saddle again. These maxims have certainly proved true for me in the story of how I came to write and sell my new book, “The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen”!

(Very cool note - this picture of Syrie was taken in front of Jane Austen's House/Museum (Chawton Cottage) in Hampshire, England!)

When I first decided to make a change and write books after a long career as a screenwriter, I thought I was supposed to be a thriller writer. I loved page-turning suspense and romance, and had what I hoped was a great idea for a medical thriller. Two years later, after an incredible amount of research, I had a completed novel and an agent in Manhattan who loved it. Despite her most ardent efforts, however, she was unable to sell it.

The rejection was heart-breaking … but I knew I couldn’t quit. When I wrote that novel, I felt as if I’d been starving for years, and had suddenly sat down to a feast. It was a joy to be set free from the restrictive format of a screenplay, to be able to describe thoughts and feelings, and people and places, and to write a scene that lasts longer than 2.5 minutes. I had a wonderful new literary agent who believed in me; I just had to pick a new genre and start all over again.

So I decided to write about Jane Austen.

I had majored in English in college, and traveled extensively throughout England. I’d read and loved all of Jane Austen’s novels, and I’d seen every Jane Austen movie or mini-series ever made, some many times over. But her life story was filled with gaps, and left me unsatisfied. I found it hard to believe that this brilliant woman, who gave the world such wonderful and romantic stories, never fell in love herself. I decided to write the book that I wanted to read: to give Jane Austen a deep and loving connection with the man who was her soul mate, even if, in the end (as in history), they were unable to marry.

I knew that Jane must tell the tale herself. We would meet Jane’s large and loving family, and her circle of friends; we would experience her thoughts and feelings, see her wrestle with her inner demons, and come to understand her writing process. The novel would be her private, recently discovered memoirs.

Once committed to this project, I realized that I had chosen, without a doubt, one of the most difficult possible stories to tell. Not only did I need to learn every single thing there was to know about Jane Austen’s life in England two hundred years ago—and become on intimate terms with everything she ever wrote—but I needed to find my way inside her head, read the secrets of her mind and heart, and (most daunting of all) write in her own, specific style. I had to sound exactly like her!

What on earth, you might ask, was I thinking? In terms of writing skill and enduring popularity, Jane Austen has been compared by many scholars and critics to Shakespeare. How could I dare to presume that I—a mere mortal, and a Californian, at that—could (if you will) channel her spirit? Couldn’t I pick something easier to write about, like maybe a contemporary soccer mom in Los Angeles?! But no, that would never do. I must write about Jane.

I decided that I had a few things going for me: an obsessive love of and familiarity with all things English; a love affair with Jane Austen; experience wrestling with my own writing demons and ambitions (which allowed me to feel an empathetic kinship with Jane); experience writing romance; and, apparently, a knack for reproducing the cadence, tone and language of a British author from a previous century.

Researching and writing the novel was a true labor of love. While I was writing, I only read works by or about Jane Austen, to keep her voice in my head. My husband and I went back to England on a self-guided “Jane Austen tour,” where we walked in Jane's footsteps. We visited all the places Jane lived, including Chawton Cottage, were she wrote or re-wrote all of her novels, and the major sites in her life and books—including the beautiful city of Bath, and charming Lyme Regis—where I walked on the Cobb (a location made famous in “Persuasion,” and of great importance in my novel.) We were even treated to a private tour of Godmersham Park, the huge estate which belonged to her wealthy brother Edward, which Jane loved and often visited. (See photo above/left.) An incredible experience!

Many moons later, “The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen” sold at auction, after a two-day bidding war between three major publishing houses. It has been exciting to go through the pre-production process, and to share in the evolution of the book’s cover and interior design. It’s a thrill to now see the book at bookstores and online, and to read the reviews from critics and messages on my website, www.syriejames.com. Apparently I’m not the only person who was dying to see Jane Austen have a romance of her own!

The other exciting news is that I just sold my next novel to Avon A/HarperCollins, “The Lost Memoirs of Charlotte Brontë,” (about one of my other favorite writers) which I’m busily engrossed in writing. I have learned, through this process, that the true secrets to success are the three P’s: passion, patience, and perseverance. And one more thing: there really is truth to that old adage, “dreams can and do come true for those who wait!”

Readers and Riders with the top down: have you ever had to make a giant left turn on the road of life, and ended up in a fabulous new direction? If so, share your stories! And if you have any questions for Syrie James, let her rip!

Bonus: Syrie is giving away free books to two lucky commenters; one book in a random drawing, the other to a blogger who agrees to review "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen" on her website with a link back to her site. So if you have a website and would like to be included in the reviewer group, please put "reviewer" or something like at the end of your comment.

Mark Your Calendar!

Best-selling, award-winning author, Anne Stuart, is coming to visit on Wednesday, 11/7. We can only guess what's she's going to chat about!!







And new author Syrie James, debuting her book, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, will be visiting on Monday, 11/12, to talk about her amazing journey toward publication.



Don't forget to stop by and chat with Anne and Syrie!

Guest Author: Tara Janzen

Hey guys.

Cindy here. I’m so jazzed about having my buddy, Tara Janzen, with us in the rag top today – especially since she’s a classic car aficionado! Tara and I go way back to the Loveswept days when she wrote as Glenna McReynolds. Anyone remember Loveswepts? I loved that line! I was a huge fan of hers and when I found out we had a mutual editor, I begged for an introduction. We’ve been friends and supported each other through thick and thin ever since.

For those of you who are already fans of her CRAZY books that have taken action adventure romance to new levels, you’ll be thrilled to know her new book, ON THE LOOSE, features more of those Steele Street hunks! Yea!!

So without further delay, please welcome Tara Janzen.

One of the great things about writing the Crazy books, and now ON THE LOOSE and CUTTING LOOSE, was learning about and falling in love with American muscle cars from the late sixties and early seventies. There is a beautiful, hot, fast car in every book – Jeanette the Jet, Roxanne, Angelina, Charlotte the Harlot, Mercy (because she has none), Babycakes, Trina, Nadine, Betty, Corinna and Coralie - the automotive machines of our dreams, girls! A 1969 Camaro, a 1968 Shelby Cobra Mustang, a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 – all of them with strokers and headers, plenty of torque, more cubic inches than the insurance companies wanted to cover, and quarter miles under fourteen seconds right off the dealer’s floor. Be still my beating heart!

But when I go out to my driveway every morning, there it is, my car, a mini-van on steroids. There aren’t any headers on it, and no sexy Camaro curves. It ain’t no pony car. It’s a draft horse. It’s a ski bus, a Dodge Durango in the nearly invisible color called silver. There are no racing stripes, no cowl induction, no spoiler, no hood pins. It rolls on Michelins, not slicks. It holds a driver, six sound-asleep, drooling teenagers, skis, snowboards, poles, boots, countless bags and boxes of food to power those kids up, and a decent (okay, more than decent) 5.7L Hemi V-8 under the hood. But it’s still a tank, not a 1970 LS6 Chevelle.

How did this happen? What’s feeding my inner NASCAR? I don’t need a jet-fuel dragster, but gosh, is it too much to ask for a Shelby?

Okay, maybe that is a bit much. Carroll Shelby didn’t make that many “snakes,” but goodness, a girl should be able to break out of mom-mode a little and get something that rumbles and roars a bit when she turns the key. I’ve gotten letters from women who have done it. They’ve sent me photos of their “babies,” Malibus, Mustangs, and Chargers, oh my! I’ve heard their stories of street racing (I never did that!), and doing a quarter mile across the Susquehanna Bridge.

So tell me, ladies, how many of you are driving the car of your dreams? How many of us are stuck driving a “bus?” And for those of us still in the bus, what are we dreaming of owning some day, when the kids are gone, and the keys only belong to us? For me – I’ll be turning over those four hundred and fifty four cubic inches of raw power and rumble under the hood of a Black Cherry 1970 LS6 Chevelle with black racing stripes. What about you?

Guest Author: Tate Hallaway

Keeping the Romance Alive -- or At Least Undead

What do you do AFTER boy meets girl – or, in my case, after vampire meets witch? The classic set-up of the romance is the first blush, the excitement of falling in love -- so what do you do for a sequel?

That was the question that faced me – and, well, continues to haunt me as I write subsequent books – when starting Dead Sexy (Berkley, May 2007) the follow-up to Tall, Dark & Dead (Berkley, May 2006).

I’ve been in a relationship with the same person for twenty odd years, so, intuitively, I think I sense the romance in the long-term, but how do you write about it – so that it’s interesting? I mean getting him to learn to pick up his dirty socks can be a real challenge, but it doesn’t necessarily make for scintillating reading, you know?

Luckily, the guy in my novels is a thousand year-old vampire, so nothing having to do with Sebastian is typical. Plus, Garnet, our heroine, has a lot of, shall we say, baggage. In other words, before she can even consider settling in with Sebastian, Garnet has to deal with her own crap. In the first book, Garnet had witch-hunters after her, and in Dead Sexy, she’s got an FBI agent hot on her trail. Plus, there’s all that unfinished business with her ex-….

…you get the idea. Even though all these events keep my hero and heroine nearly too occupied to deal with each other, I snuck into the book some of what I consider “real-life” milestones for any relationship. In Dead Sexy, for instance, Garnet and Sebastian have their first fight. It breaks them up a little – hopefully, enough to keep the reader in suspense – and it gives Garnet some time to finally figure out if Sebastian is the one for her.

Garnet is a modern woman, in that she’s in no particular hurry to commit. I think, in some ways, this makes her slightly more difficult for some readers to identify with, but I chose to make Garnet a touch leery about jumping headfirst into a relationship because, well, Sebastian’s not exactly human. And, as odd as this might sound, I wanted my paranormal romance to have a touch of realism, in that the heroine has to consider and weigh all the consequences of a serious, long-term relationship with someone who drinks blood to survive.

For me, that’s one of the appeals of reading and writing urban fantasy. I like to puzzle out the real-life problems of dealing with a fantasy lover. What would it really be like to be married to someone who never ages? If your boyfriend is thirty times older than you are, does he get your references to the Brady Bunch or Schoolhouse Rock? Can people from two fundamentally different eras really breech that gap to fall in love – and, more importantly, stay together?

What about you? How has your favorite author dealt with the question of how to keep a continuing romance hot and spicy and interesting?

Check out Tate's website.

Guest Author: Leanne Banks

Hi. Cindy here. It's my very great pleasure to welcome my buddy and author extraordinare, Leanne Banks to the convertible.

Leanne and I go way back to the Bantam Loveswept days - anyone out there remember Loveswept? Big sigh. Loved writing those books.

But I digress. We've both moved on - first to Silhouette Desire and then to single title. With over 40 titles to her credit, Leanne is now a USA Today and New York Times bestseller. Woo Woo, Leanne!! I'm so proud of you. Give her a big welcome and make her feel at home, okay?
And without further ado ... heeeeerrrrrreeeee's Leanne...........

Hello, everyone. Virgin Rider...

Okay, well sorta.:) You’ll understand more in a minute. But first, RIDERS, thank you so much for letting me join your fab party! I’m so honored!

And when I thought about your blog title, riding with the top down, I thought of a few different things -

Girls Gone Wild – topless, top down, get it?

Writing my first book - more of that naked feeling..

The times I’ve ridden with the top down.

The first time, I did it on a motorcycle. Get your mind out of the gutter. Not that it! The first time I rode with the top down was on a motorcycle, which isn’t a convertible, but it was daring and the wind was blowing in my face and hair and it was so cool. I loved it and rushed home to tell my mother how wonderful it was. She told me, “I’m glad you enjoyed it, because you’re not doing it again. No more motorcycle rides.” See, she knew that the ER calls motorcycles “donor-mobiles."

The next time, I was fifteen and I rode in Steve Key’s red/orange MG Midget. To me, he was so good-looking and my first real boyfriend. It only lasted three months, but ohhh, it was nice. Until the angsty break-up because not only did he have killer eyes and dark hair, but there was that cute car. In retrospect, though, that angst served a useful purpose because I’ve used it in my books.

Since then, I remember taking a convertible for a spin when we considered buying one. A different experience as an adult. I was shocked when the sales guy turned on the heat at the same time he put the top down. And there were rides in jeeps. I was tempted to buy a convertible for myself when I finally had some choice (and credit). I think that was about five years ago. I chose a modified convertible – a car with a moonroof. So, now I can ride with part of the top down any time I want...

What about you? When was your first time riding with the top down? And how do you ride with the top down now?

Xo,

Leanne Banks

www.leannebanks.com

Susan McBride Guest Blogs!

Finding Mr. Right-for-Me

I see it as a tabloid headline: St. Louis Magazine “Top Single” Gets Engaged! It seems so amazing to think that, before I was picked by St. Louis Magazine to be one of their top 20 singles in 2005, I was, well, very, very single. And I had been for a long time. I was 40 years old and had spent most of my adult life working my tush off, trying to get published. I wanted to be a successful novelist more than anything, and so I ignored my social life. Even after I had two books out with a small press and then signed with HarperCollins to write a mystery series about a Dallas debutante, I focused on my books and not my heart. I hadn’t realized how much effort it took to travel and do promotion. I got so busy that I almost didn’t notice that a part of my life was missing.

Though my mother noticed. Big-time.

I know she worried about me, wondering if she’d ever get to plan my wedding or if I’d turn into one of those nutty cat ladies, writing books in my bathrobe and cleaning litter boxes in my spare time.

She submitted my name to the St. Louis Magazine folks when they were looking for their crop of 2005 “top singles”…and, lo and behold, I was selected! I remember meeting such nice folks at the photo shoot for the November issue of the magazine, including a software applications engineer named Jeremy Nolle (who ended up on the cover of the magazine). Turns out Jeremy worked with a guy named Ed Spitznagel at Exegy, and Jeremy encouraged Ed to attend the very first “top singles” party held at the Contemporary Art Museum on November 3. I happened to be chatting with Jeremy when Ed showed up. We were introduced, tried to converse over the music, and he gave me his card. Which I promptly lost. But Ed was no dummy. He emailed me through the magazine, and he asked me out…to my first-ever hockey game. He showed up, too, at the bachelor/bachelorette auction that I participated in the next week to raise money for charity. Ed ended up “buying” me on the auction block, something he likes to tell people even now (“yeah, I bought Susan at an auction”).

Somehow, a hockey game snowballed into more hockey games and dinner and movies and just spending as much time together as we could. By Valentine’s Day of 2006, I knew I was in love, and he was, too (thank goodness!). By June of 2006, we were looking at houses and closed on one in late July.

He proposed to me on Christmas Eve. Got down on bended knee and said, “Susan McBride, will you marry me?” It was the stuff of dreams, and it all happened because of my mother writing a letter to St. Louis Magazine, saying, “Please, help my daughter find a good man”…and the magazine putting me on its pages. Ed’s about the best man out there, by the way, sticking by me like glue as I’ve gone through a breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. What a lucky girl I am.

We’re planning the wedding for February 2008. I think my mother’s saving the front pew for the whole staff at St. Louis Magazine to thank them for saving me from a life as a crazy cat lady.

P.S. A little bit of trivia regarding NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEB, which I was writing while Ed and I were first dating. The haiku that Andy Kendricks, my deb dropout, finds in her boyfriend's journal was actually written by Ed and sent to me as a joke. It was too funny not to use somewhere! Also, I was nearly two months late with the manuscript because I was so besotted and couldn't concentrate. I wonder how often an author tells her editor, "I need more time 'cuz I'm in loooove"? Oh, boy.

P.S.S. Anyone have any suggestions on staying sane while planning a wedding!

You can visit Susan at http://SusanMcBride.com

Jenny Crusie- Frank talk about a cover up

Hi, I’m Jenny Crusie, your guest blogger. This is what happens when you’re e-mailing about nothing in particular with Deb Dixon, and she slips in a “Hey want to guest blog some time?” and since I adore Deb Dixon and never say no to her, I said, “Sure,” and then it snuck up on me (which isn’t true, Deb kept reminding me, but for some reason I had it confused with a chat, and then at the last minute realized, “BLOGGING, not chat.” Poor Deb.) I do feel better about waiting until the last minute after reading the two posts before this, though. Clearly this is a very spontaneous place.

So in the interests of gossip, did you hear about the big book cover scandal? Okay, it’s not a scandal but that sounds better than kerfluffle or snit fit or whatever, although basically I’m on the guy’s side. What guy? The guy who hated his bookcover so much, he had cover-sized stickers made to put over it. This guy:

\http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/book_jackets/debut_novelist_revolts_against_book_cover_53252.asp?c=rss

Of course there are drawbacks to this. He’s probably not the favorite author at St. Martin’s right now. On the other hand, his cover really is better, I think. And the thing is, covers are so crucial to sales, I think it’s one place where you can’t be Cheerful and Cooperative because the success of your book depends on it. I’m trying to find the statistic on the percentage of book sales based on the cover (I’ve tried Google and Dixon) but it’s huge, well over half. I mean, I know you can’t judge a book by its cover, and I still buy books by the cover all the time. A great cover is irresistible.

So if you’ve got one you hate (you got a minute? Because I have a list of mine) and you know the success of your book rides on it, what do you do? The giant cover sticker works for me. Of course he’s probably going to get arrested sticking them on books in the book store, but . . .

I wish I’d had stickers for some of my HQ covers. The couple on the cover of the original Charlie All Night looked like two people who’d gone to their family reunion to get dates. Then there were the little blue mudflap girls they put all over the first reissue of Manhunting. They looked like little anorexic Smurf hookers. And don’t get me started on Jennifer Love Hewitt molesting Sam Spade on the first reissue of What the Lady Wants. The covers they’re putting on the reissues now are great, though (love those heart-patterned shorts on the cover of the new Manhunting). And I think the cover on Bet Me was dead on perfect, and that was done by SMP, the same people who did the Sticker Guy’s cover (although not the same person, that was Ann Twomey who is now at Warner. I miss you, Ann!).

So here’s what I’m wondering: How many of you buy by cover? And even more to the point, what makes you buy, what makes you go, “Ooooooh, shiny,” and pick up the book?

You know, just in case I ever have to make stickers.

Nancy Warren Guest Blogs!

Hello again. Sorry for the late entry today but we had a disaster yesterday. Woke up to find water all over the basement. Our water tank had burst in the night. It’s astonishing how fast water can wreck things. Floors — we had laminate flooring down there — all gone. Walls wet up to six inches from the floor, some furniture gone.

Most everything, of course, is just stuff and can be replaced, but my boxes of Christmas ornaments got wet and I cried when I had to throw away some of the home made ones that my children had done through the years. But, as always when something disastrous happens, it’s hard to get too worked up when your family is safe! No one was hurt. So, for the next three months, they warn us, our lives will be intruded upon by restoration and trades people. What can you do?

However, I’m supposed to be here talking about Daytona and the launch of Speed Dating, which was the first of the Harlequin/NASCAR series of romances. There are four out this month. Mine, Gina Wilkins, Roxanne St. Clair and Debra Webb’s.

I thought the PR and marketing folks did a fabulous job. They decided to do an actual speed dating event right at the track at Daytona. Carl Edwards (superstar NASCAR driver who makes an appearance in my book) was on hand for the event. He’s just a sweetheart and really likes being aligned with Harlequin, so that was great.

He and I had a few minutes to talk about how he’s going to appear in my second NASCAR novel coming out in November. It will be called, appropriately, Turn Two. Carl gives dating advice to my heroine in Speed Dating, but I think in Turn Two he’s going to give driving advice to a rookie. Hah, should be fun getting the inside scoop!

The jewel in my crown was when Charles McGrath of the New York Times came down for the speed dating event. I was terrified that he’d use the obvious opportunity to mock romance, but he was actually genuinely interested in what we do.

When his article appeared on the front page of the NYT Monday, well, it was one of the coolest moments of my life. On my way home I bought out all the copies at the Orlando airport and showed all my seatmates on the plane ride home. Whether they wanted to see it or not. I definitely felt like I was riding with the top down!!! You can see the full article on my website http://www.nancywarren.net. When I get dried off, I’ll get organized and post some photos. Waving to all.

Nancy

Jay Gilbertson (part 2): Place-how does it shape you?

Something that’s become more and more important for me as a writer is place. When I write, I have such a clear vision of where my story is taking place. I can see it, smell it, practically touch it.

Is that important to you?

When you write, are you there? I often feel that my characters are in the other room, about to come in and join me. Much of my series takes place out on the dock. A favorite thing of mine is to sit on the end of the dock, dangle my bare feet off the edge and splash around a bit. Connects me to the earth.

Have you a favorite thing to do that connects you?

Here’s some pictures, a few are of our farm…we live on an eighty-acre piece of heaven. There’s a pond, several springs and tons of woods to knock around in. My office window looks out to the fields and beyond. It’s truly inspires me.

Jay Gilbertson (part 1): Water--Bottles. Why?

First of all, a big ‘Thank You’ to Lois Greiman for inviting me along for a road-trip with all this talent. Congratulations to every one of you—this is one tough business and I’m just so darn happy to be in it.

I have no idea where to sit though? Maybe every so often we could just pull over, stretch a bit, consider the risks of having a smoke; not lighting up and then I could move about the car a bit?

One thing I’m bringing along is my trusty water bottle, oh, it’ not the fancy schmancy fresh-from-the-store kind. This thing has been with me a l-o-n-g time. Why you ask? Turn down MPR and let’s chat a bit…

First off, I’m happy to say (puffed up chest and all) that I’ve just finished the third novel in my ‘Madeline Island Series,’ now we just have to sell it! What this series has allowed me to do, is express a lot of the things that I personally believe in.

One issue my characters are constantly fussing with, seeing as they live on an island and all, is just where does all the things we ‘throw away’ go? Where is ‘away?’ Which brings me to the water bottle issue.

The Midwest has some of the best drinking water anywhere—why do so few folks actually drink it? I do, been drinking it for years. So, I propose a contest-like-question. The winner will receive an autographed copy of my second novel, “Back to Madeline Island” as well as their very own re-useable water bottle.

What could be more useful on the road? Hmmm?

Here’s the question:

• How many million barrels of oil are used a year to keep Americans in bottled water? That’s millions!

Speaking of water - when’s the next rest stop anyway? And would anyone care to share a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup with me? I brought along enough to share and who doesn’t need a little protein on the road, eh?

C’mon—let’s go!