From Click To Commitment/Kate Carlisle

We are soooo lucky to have Kate Carlisle today with the Riders!  She was a NYT bestseller with her first hardcover mystery and she also writes Silhouette Desires.  Let’s give her a big welcome!

Recently, I began reading a nonfiction book titled Click, which explores that magical moment when we instantly and inexplicably connect with certain people. That “Wow, I like you!” moment.
Like at first sight.
During this serendipitous moment, say authors Ori and Rom Brafman, dopamine hypercharges the brain in a reaction very much like getting high on drugs. Most of us have experienced this euphoria at least once in our lives, whether romantically or with someone destined to be a friend. Right from the start, we feel energized in each other’s company. We laugh more, and we do our best to make the other person laugh because it’s just so fun.
We are, to put it simply, on.
We’re in the zone. We truly like this new person in our lives, and we feel thrilled and excited because it seems as though he or she likes us, too.
But here’s the coolest part: Unlike with narcotics, the high that comes with “quick-set intimacy” with another human being can last for years. For life.
The Brafmans cite a Dutch study of a thousand random couples who had been married an average of 25 years. The couples whose relationship started with that immediate click and a headlong fall into love were more likely to agree with deeply romantic statements such as “I cannot imagine another person making me as happy as [my spouse]” and “I melt when I look deeply into [my spouse’s] eyes” than were couples who married after a long, traditional courtship. Remember, they agreed with these deeply romantic statements after 25 years of marriage.
In other words, the magic can last.
Love can and does last.
Romance novels such as The Millionaire Meets His Match, my first release with Silhouette Desire, take readers on the journey from this Click to the moment when the characters embrace the truth of it. We follow the characters from click to commitment.

 
Cynics claim that our novels are unrealistic, but we know the truth. Sure, there may be an element of fantasy in romance novels. Adam Duke, the hero of The Millionaire Meets His Match, is rich enough to own a private jet and a luxurious mountain resort. Not the typical man you might meet every day. But what readers respond to is a core, emotional truth. They respond to that click of connection between Adam and Trish and between the heroes and heroines of other romance novels.
These two people are meant for each other. When we finish the last page, we believe that in 25 years, Adam and Trish will still melt when they look into each other’s eyes. From the plush leather seats of their private jet, of course.
So the next time someone says something snarky about romance novels being unrealistic, tell them that science is on our side. And tell them that Kate Carlisle says, “So there!”
Have you ever instantly clicked with another person? A significant other, friend, or co-worker? Tell me what you remember about that moment. Does your relationship still exist today? And is your connection as strong as it was at the beginning? I’d love to hear from your friend, too, so feel free to forward the link to this blog!

Kate grew up in a big family near the beach in Southern California. She spent over twenty years working in television production. She also studied acting and singing, toiled in vineyards, collected books, joined a commune, sold fried chicken, modeled spring fashions and worked for a cruise ship line, but it was the year she spent in law school that finally drove her to begin writing fiction. The Millionaire Meets His Match is her first release with Silhouette Desire. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mysteries series, featuring rare book expert Brooklyn Wainwright, whose bookbinding and restoration skills invariably uncover old secrets, treachery and murder.  www.katecarlisle.com 

First or Third?

As you may have noticed yesterday, one of the prizes was a digital download of "After The Kiss" my latest release, which is sort of a companion short story to Moon Kissed. It revisits the hero and heroine six months after they fell happily ever after. [Click on links to read first chapters from both books.]

I did something a little different with this short story. Actually, I didn't purposefully set out to do it, it just sort of happened. I wrote it in first person, from both the hero and heroine's POV. I've written one other story (Getaway Girl) where the heroine was in first and the villain/hero was in third. In this new story, both characters wanted to be heard from, in their own particular manner.

On another loop we've been discussing the readers' likes and dislikes for first person. The majority, it seems, don't really care for first. They like the immediacy, the being inside the person's head, but they want to see more than just that one person's POV. I can understand that. Especially in romance, it is important we get inside both the hero and heroine's head. We may identify with the heroine (if we are girls; boyz, you can identify with the hero) but we can handle being inside a man's head, and want to know what he's thinking as he's falling in love.

So let's chat Point Of View today. Do you absolutely abhor first for romances? What if both characters were given a POV in first, would that be cool? What about mixing POVs? One person in first, another in third. Or how about the all-seeing omniscient?

What are some examples of great first POV you've read lately?

Michele

Debra – The Essential Kindle Romance Collection or “Build A Blog” (You help.)

I have one. I love and adore it. Once I finish my TBR stack, I won’t buy paper books unless I can’t get the title for the Kindle. And then…I’ll probably think twice. I thought this feeling might wear off, but it’s been a couple of months now. I’m still rabidly pro-Kindle.

Harsh, huh? I’m part of an ownership group for a small publisher. We publish paper books and we’ll keep publishing in that format as long as readers want them. We also publish in Kindle, other ebook formats and audio. Not to mention most of our books are in large print from Thorndike or Centerpoint.

But my reading experience is now electronic. I need to build my romance library for the Kindle. Why? Because I looked today and my Kindle is all fantasy. Partly because I’ve been acquiring fantasy lately and partly because a beloved author is going to have a new book in a series coming out and I have to “reread” the old books so I can jump right in.

Still, I love romance. So…my Kindle is sad.

I need you. What is the “essential Kindle library” for a romance reader? I’m heading to a desert island and I need a list. (Not really, but play along.) I’m going to update this list from the comments. Tell your friends to come give me their recommendations. Let these books be the MOST beloved. Let’s try and limit to four. (Yeah. Aaannd right.)

Remember! The list will grow through0ut the day. Published authors have to add ONE book from their backlist. Which book is special? It’s hard to choose, but choose you must.

ESSENTIAL ROMANCE BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE ON EVERY KINDLE: (multiple votes are in bold)

A Place to call Home – Deborah Smith
A Rose For Maggie – Kathleen Korbel
Agnes and the Hitman – Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer
Ain't She Sweet – Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Bad To The Bone – Debra Dixon
Blue-Eyed Devil – Lisa Kleypas
Charming the Prince - Teresa Medeiros
Codename: Princess – Christina Skye
"Crazy" series – Tara Janzen
Crazy For You – Jennifer Crusie
Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
Devil’s Cub – Georgette Heyer
Duncan's Bride – Linda Howard
Flowers From the Storm – Laura Kinsale
French Twist – Roxanne St. Claire
From This Day Forward and Tryst – Elswyth Thane
Good Time Girl – Candace Schuler
Heaven Texas – Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Highland Warrior - Monica McCarty
Hot Target – Suzanne Brockmann
How To Knit A Wild Bikini - Christie Ridgway
Hummingbird – LaVyrle Spencer
Into Danger – Gennita Low
Kill Me Twice-Roxanne St. Clair
Kiss Me Deadly – Michele Hauf (it's free at Amazon!)
Lord of Scoundrels – Loretta Chase
Lord of Ice – Gaelen Foley
Lord Perfect - Loretta Chase
Mackenzie's Mountain – Linda Howard
Masquerade – Susan Carroll
Miracle on I-40 – Curtiss Matlock
Mr. Irresistible – Loretta Chase
Mr. Perfect – Linda Howard
My Lady Notorious – Jo Beverley
No Place Like Home – Barbara Samuels
Nobody's Baby But Mine – Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Now You Die – Roxanne St. Claire
Once & Always – Judith McNaught
One Perfect Rose – Mary Jo Putney
"Only" series - Elizabeth Lowell
Outlander – Diana Gabaldon
Over the Edge- Suzanne Brockmann
Pleasure for Pleasure – Eloisa James
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austin
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton – Julia Quinn
Romeo & Juliet - Shakespeare
Saving Grace - Julie Garwood
Shelter Mountain – Robyn Carr
Show No Mercy – Cindy Gerard
Sugar Daddy – Lisa Kleypas
The Bad Baron's Daughter – Laura London
The Crossroads Cafe – Deborah Smith
The Duke - Gaelen Foley
The Grand Sophy – Georgette Heyer
The Last Bachelor – Betina Krahn
The Last True Cowboy – Kathleen Eagle
The Rake and the Reformer - Mary Jo Putney
The Tiger Prince – Sandra Brown
The Wicked Lover - Julia RossThese Old Shades – Georgette Heyer
Till the Stars Fall – Kathleen Gilles Seidel
To Sir Phillip With Love – Julia Quinn
To The Edge- Cindy Gerard
Too Much Temptation- Lori Foster
Venetia – Georgette Heyer
Walking After Midnight – Karen Robards
Welcome To Temptation – Jennifer Crusie
White Lies – Linda Howard

So…what are you waiting for?? I need your help. Which books should I buy for my Kindle Romance Collection?

Sending our Children out into the World

We have another wonderful guest in the convertible today. Please join me in welcoming the amazing Carly Phillips! Carly is generously offering up a copy of HOT PROPERTY as a prize to one lucky blogger. How cool is that??

Recently, without going into details, my oldest teenage daughter had a harrowing experience. Thank goodness she is OK. We are very grateful and hope lessons were learned. I’ve blogged on this theme before and forgive me if you’ve heard it, but it seems so relevant now, in part because we, as a family, are still dealing with the fallout of teenage experiences. Children are constantly learning and growing, as are parents.

This all led me to think about how children don’t come with instruction manuals and as a parent, all any of us can do is our very best. The same can be said of my other children – my books.

Unlike my real children, who I hopefully can continue to teach and grow and mold into healthy safe and happy adults, there reaches a point in the birth of a book, when we must send them out into the world with no further say in who they are and what they become. We put them out to there and expose them to the world, virtues, vices and all. Just like our kids, only they never change.

HOT PROPERTY is my current book out now. It’s the last book in the Hot Zone Series of books (Hot Stuff, Hot Number, Hot Item and now Hot Property) and it forces me to say goodbye to this set of children and begin the process of raising/creating new ones.

Unlike some authors, I am able to move on to a new book fairly easily because I get a rush of excitement each time I start something new. That is, until the hard part of actually developing the characters begins!

And as a reader, when my favorite author finishes a series or a book, I’m sad – but I’m already excited for the next one – regardless of what they’re writing. (Unless it’s a complete genre switch but that’s for another blog!)

So I’m wondering …

Authors out there – do you move from ending one book or series easily and jump into the next? Or do you angst?

And Readers (the people we, as authors, count on) – as much as you know you will miss the end of a series of books, do you get excited by the start of a new one by your favorite author? Or do you need to read it and see if it will strike you before the excitement kicks in?

Welcome: That Wilde Woman!

Hey Riders. We're so happy to have Janelle Denison join us in the convertible today to help us with our two weeks of celebrating our 2nd anniversary. Make sure you stop in and say hello. Janelle has generously offered a copy of WILD FOR HIM to some lucky blogger. Now, here's that WILDE woman, Janelle Denison...

At some point over the past few years, I’ve become “That Wilde Woman”. Not wild as in “wild and crazy”, but Wilde as in the one who writes that “Wilde Series”. Next week, my 8^th Wilde book, WILD FOR HIM, is out at bookstores and I couldn’t be more excited.

When I first started writing my Wilde series years ago, it started out as three brothers, and my purpose for choosing their last name of Wilde was to use it as a play on words in the title of each of their books. Something to connect each story and make readers aware that it was all part of the same series. During the course of writing those Wilde brother’s books, four Wilde cousins were introduced, and readers started asking for those stories, as well. All in all, the Wilde family has spanned seven books . . . and now a spin-off series of four more “Wild” stories will be written, starting with Ben Cabrera in WILD FOR HIM.

For those of you who have been following my series, the change from “Wilde” to “Wild” is a result of these new stories not being directly related to the Wilde family, but connected by being ex-Marine buddies of Joel Wilde (BORN TO BE WILDE), as well as being partners of the same security firm where they all work together. These new characters where all introduced in Joel’s story, and it didn’t take long for readers to write in demanding their stories, too. How could I resist? Obviously, I couldn’t, and so the Wild series continues with fresh, new heroes awaiting their own stories.

Thinking back to the initial creation of the Wilde series, little did I know just how much the word “Wilde” would become such a huge part of my author branding and recognition. I used the word “Wilde” on all my promotional material and on my website using the slogan “Wilde & Sexy Romances”, because I thought it was fun and catchy. And somewhere along the way, I also incorporated leopard print to certain parts of my website (my previous website, not my current one!). I gave away leopard print items for contests and giveaway prizes, to tie into that Wilde & Sexy slogan. Because of how much I tied in the word “Wilde” and leopard print to everything I did, those two things somehow became synonymous with Janelle Denison’s Wilde series.

How do I know this? Well, over the years I’ve had both readers and writers tell me that when they see the word “Wild”, or when they come across something with leopard print, they think of me and my Wilde series. Both give them a sense of recognition, and that’s how I’ve become “That Wild Woman”. All in all, it’s not a bad phrase to be linked to!

Ultimately, that recognition with a key word (Wilde) and something visual (leopard print) is a good thing, because most authors strive to create some kind of branding, something that makes them stand out from the pack and all the other books that are released right along with theirs. I think I’ve achieved that with my Wilde series. When my readers see the word “Wilde” on a book among all the other stories on a bookstore shelf, they know it’s connected to the Wilde series.

So, my question is, as a reader do you recognize an author’s branding? Something that the author does that makes you recognize their books right away? A play on words, or even a unique cover look that tells you without even looking at the author’s name that it’s a new book in a series?

If you’re an author, how important do you think branding is to building your name recognition? Do you consciously brand yourself? And if so, how?

You can read more about Janelle’s Wild & Sexy romances at the following places:

www.janelledenison.com

www.plotmonkeys.com

http://www.myspace.com/janelledenison

Dating 101

How long has it been since you were on a date? A real, honest-to-goodness, Do-I or don't-I, does-he or doesn't-he. . . will-we or won't-we DATE?

Being thrown back into the "dating pool" at this stage of life was a real eye-opener. Not, however, the refresher course in Romance that I had hoped it would be. Dating at 45 (Okay, 50!) was pretty much the same as it was at 18-- until I learned to relax and be myself-- all over again. The big difference here is that at 50, all of the guys are losers. That is, if they're dating again it's because they've lost someone. . . whether due to divorce or to death. Interestingly, so had I. You'd think that would put us on an even footing and somewhat on the same page, relationship-wise.

Not so. It seems that everybody handles loss and the changes it brings in a different way. Some men carry around a huge gaping wound and are more than happy to share it and how they got it at the lightest hint of sympathy. Some embrace the freedom that being spouseless brings and go buy a Harley and some leathers and live out their alternative dream-- expecting that this will make them seem virile and dangerous and "cool" at last. Some settle into fusty middle age and indulge way too much in food and drink, drowning their sorrows and waiting to be rescued by a "good" woman. Some make finding a new relationship a project, sort of like remodeling the basement; make a plan, screen applicants, put in the required time and effort, and voila-- relationship. Some read a whole book and become relationship experts: start administering personality tests and testing truthfulness by whether you look to the left or the right when answering a question. Some just use the "new car" approach: "hey, that baby looks fast-- I'll take 'er!"

But almost all of them have one thing in common with the "new car" guys: they want a "test drive" ASAP. And if the test drive is successful, they're done; they've found the next "One." Instant relationship. All comfy once again.

If all that sounds vaguely like the guys in high school, it's probably because these ARE the guys from high school. . . with a few miles and a few pounds and a lot less hair. Oh, and varying amounts of baggage. Imagine Motorhead Bob or Stretch Kelly from the 11th grade. . . grown up and with 35 years of marriage and kids and bills and at least one big disappointment. . .

For a person with an earnestly compassionate side, it's not easy sorting through all the needs, wants and desires and hopes and negotiating all the pitfalls of second(or third)-time around love. You have to learn to say "no". . . sometimes graciously, sometimes not. You have to think about what is good for you, what meets your needs, and not be too tempted to rescue men from their own idiocy.

Interestingly, there are some real jewels out there, too. Men who have taken the time to put their losses and triumphs in perspective, men who have taken time to understand themselves and know their needs and their desires aren't necessarily the same thing, men who don't feel the need to retrieve or re-live a youth-that-never-was, men who have mature and compassionate natures and think about the world at large. Men who know how to laugh and how to cry and how to hold you as you do both.

You might have already guessed: I'm not very good at dating. Never have been. The whole "choosing" and "rejecting" thing just hurts me, no matter which end of it I'm on. But I'm pretty good at relationships. . . and getting better all the time. . . more honest, more open, more lucid and realistic. And part of that learning and growing comes from finding someone I really do "fit" with, flaws and all. My suspicion is that at this age and stage, it's all about finding someone whose flaws and faults you can live with. . . as much as finding someone whose strengths and character compliment yours. And I have to say, finding the right person to compliment your life and your heart gives Romance an entirely different glow at this age. Has it affected my writing? Undoubtedly.

No, I'm not going to tell the story of the Harley guys or the "new car" guys or the bleeding-heart guys. . . well, at least not in this post. Someday at a conference. . . in a bar. . . after a couple of margaritas, maybe. . .

What about you? Does the prospect of dating "mid-life" give you the willies? Care to share your worst date-- then or now? Want to give your opinion of middle aged men on Harleys? LOL!