Linnea Sinclair Mug Winner

 

We have a winner! The little Diva helped choose a name and the winner is…..

 

 

David G!!!

 

 

Congrats David!

 

Please email me your snail mail addy at
mad @ romancereaderatheart.com. (without the spaces)

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The Power of Three

When I sold my first manuscript back in July 2004, I never expected that single book to morph overnight into a trilogy—and not just a trilogy, but a back-to-back trilogy! Not only did my editor love the original story, she loved the secondary characters as well—wisely knowing my readers would want more than one serving of the Brantford twins and Adrian’s irrepressible brother, Kit. It was with excited pleasure that I wrote those first three books. It was with grateful delight that I watched The Husband Trap go on to win the RITA® for Best First Book—the highest writing award granted by The Romance Writers’ of America.

 

When it came time to negotiate my next contract, my editor said she wanted another back-to-back trilogy. I was thrilled to comply, penning my new Mistress Trilogy, which revolves around three women of the Ton who find themselves lead astray by the conviction of their own independent spirits and their passion for the rakish men they cannot resist.

 

Released last month on October 30^th, My Fair Mistress is set in 1812 London and tells the story of young, aristocratic widow, Julianna Hawthorne, and darkly handsome Rafe Pendragon, the financier to whom her brother is deeply in debt. Julianna seeks out Rafe, intending to ask the dangerous, sexy businessman, known as ‘The Dragon,’ to accept an alternate form of payment, hoping he will be satisfied with jewelry and paintings. Instead, he tells her the only thing of value he wants is her as his mistress for six months! One of the things I loved about writing this book was the elemental conflicts of power and sacrifice as well the chance to explore the lengths to which people will go to protect and cherish those they love.

 

Similar themes and lots of good, sexy fun continue in the second two novels. In The Accidental Mistress (available November 27) Lily Bainbridge stages her own death in order to flee an arranged marriage, then assumes the guise of an independent London widow. But when dangerously attractive rake, Ethan Andarton, Marquis of Vessey, decides to make her his mistress, her passion for him just may prove impossible to resist. And in His Favorite Mistress (available December 26) debonair bachelor Tony Black, Duke of Wyvern, finds himself entangled in a sensual battle of wills with vivacious Gabriella St. George, the daughter of Rafe’s most hated enemy. Soon Gabriella wants Tony’s love, but will passion be enough to melt his icy heart or will he make the biggest mistake of his life and let her go?

 

 

Having written two back-to-back trilogies–back-to-back as it were–I find myself contemplating my next books and wondering what it is that makes trilogies so special and so accessible. In art and life, there is a mystique to the triad, to the three, that resonates with artists and writers and those who appreciate their work. And while trilogies can be self-contained, they can also evolve into the first three installments of a continuing series.

 

What do you like best? Self-contained trilogies or a continuing series that can presumably go on and on so long as the author keeps writing new, exciting tales? Do you like to stay in the same fictional world for a long time? Or branch out and try continually new and different groups of characters?

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The Down Home Author News

Bahia Vista homicide detective Theo Petrakos shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and rocked back on his heels as he studied the small, cluttered office. Bookshelves crammed with books of all sizes, colors and titles. Two caught his eye: The Science of Star Wars (a shiny silver spine) and right next to it, The Joy of Writing Sex.

 

Hmm.

 

Lining the shelves were clusters of knickknacks—an overabundance of cat statues, for sure—and then some very spacey sci fi kind of prints on the wall. Lots of tough looking babes with guns. Not bad.

 

Below the prints, an overstuffed beige and black chair was flanked by a definitely retro floor lamp with a green silk shade and little crystals dangling around the edge. Two stuffed toy cats perched on the arms.

 

He glanced to his left. More sci fi prints and a collection of Hess tanker trucks with a notable exception—a tiny Zamboni. Another shelf held Sherlock Holmes titles, a mixture of recent looking paperbacks and a few books that looked, old, dusty and possibly expensively original.

 

On top of that was a shelf containing a large bright red book titled The Guide To Background Investigations.

 

Theo knew his detective experience could probably have a field day with the dichotomy represented here. Except there was nothing to figure out. He knew. This was the office of the author who told his story. Well, his and Jorie’s, to be exact.

 

So he knew a fair amount already about the woman called Linnea Sinclair.

 

Frighteningly, she knew far more about him.

 

And for a cop with fifteen years under his belt, that wasn’t a comfortable notion.

 

“Theo! Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to feed the ducks.”

 

His author had arrived wearing faded jeans, a pink t-shirt that proclaimed MY NAME’S NO, NO BAD CAPTAIN, WHAT’S YOURS? and a pair of lime-green crocs. Just behind her loped the largest black and white cat he’d ever seen.  He wondered if she’d fed the ducks to the cat. The thing looked as if he could easily inhale a few.

 

“So.” His author sat in the high-backed office chair and swiveled around. She motioned to an identical chair. “Sit and tell me what’s on your mind.”

 

Like you don’t know? he thought but didn’t say that. He’d been a cop for too long. Volunteer nothing. Wait, watch, learn. He shrugged. “Just wondering when the book will be out.” It was an innocuous comment. And he didn’t sit.

 

“Today. November 27th.” Green eyes narrowed behind rimless glasses. “You know that. Why are you really here? Not that I mind,” she added quickly. “I just wasn’t expecting you to show up.”

 

During this short conversation, the long-furred cat had climbed onto the ottoman, then the beige and black chair, then the desk top and now sat behind his author, large yellow eyes slowly closing to slits.

 

“I’m not sure your cat likes me,” Theo said, suddenly aware of more noise behind him. Heavy footsteps, a woman’s soft laugh. He jerked around, one hand instinctively coming to rest on the grip of the gun at his waist.

 

The guy standing in the doorway behind him was big—Theo’s size at least—and dark-haired with strangely light eyes. The woman was much smaller, a short-haired blonde and had an eerie resemblance to one of those sci fi prints…

 

The man spoke first. “The furzel—”

 

“Cat,” Theo’s author interjected.

 

“—is simply annoyed at not being the center of attention.”

 

“Great shirt,” the short woman quipped, pointing to the author.

 

“Out, out, both of you! I’m supposed to be talking to Theo about his role in The Down Home Zombie Blues.”

 

“Tank needed a translator,” the man said.

 

“His name’s Daq,” the author replied. “Now, shoo. You were all over my blog at Alien Romances the past couple of months. It’s Theo’s turn.”

 

A shimmer of the air and the couple disappeared. Had Theo not been through the very same thing himself with Jorie, he’d have been a lot more perturbed.

 

“Where’d they beam back to?” he asked.

 

“It’s not beaming. It’s called—”

 

“Peemat transfers. P-m-a-t,” he said, spelling out the acronym. “I know all about that. You made sure I knew all about that. Do you have any idea what a horrible experience that is?” The first time Jorie beamed him up to her ship he wasn’t sure if he was going to puke, faint, piss in his pants, explode, implode or all of the above.

 

“It’s not a PMaT where the admiral is from, but that’s not important.” She waved one hand. “What did you want to see me about? And will you please sit?”

 

He sat, then leaned back, elbow on the arm of the chair. He’d done dozens of interrogations. Body language, Petrakos, he reminded himself. You’re in charge here.

 

“I just want to make sure everything goes okay for the launch of The Down Home Zombie Blues. I mean, it’s not like you’ve written a science fiction-police procedural-romance novel before. You usually just do that sci fi stuff. And pretty well, I’ve heard,” he added hastily, with a small motion of his hand.

 

“Sci fi romance,” his author explained.  “I write to an HEA. That’s a writer’s term for a Happily Ever After. It means the hero and heroine have a happy ending.”

 

“There were times I really doubted that’s what you wanted, you know.”

 

She laughed. “Yeah, I did put you and Jorie though a bit of trouble.”

 

“A bit?” The comment slipped out before he could stop it, and a lot more forcefully that he wanted it to be, too. “Getting flattened by those butt-ugly towering things, driving like a lunatic all over St. Pete—”

 

“Bahia Vista,” she corrected.

 

He shot her a narrow-eyed glance. She shot him one back.

 

“Whatever. Then you stick me with Rordan.” Commander Kip Rordan,  to be exact. Now that guy was what Theo thought a romance novel hero should look like. Tall, hair in a pony tail, small silver earring and a pirate’s swagger. “He wanted Jorie, you know.”

 

“Of course I knew.” His author made an unladylike snort. “I wrote your book. And I couldn’t make it easy for you, Theo. You had to earn Jorie’s respect and love.”

 

Theo clasped both hands to his chest. “I’m a very lovable guy,” he protested. “Jorie and I would have done just fine…in fact we were doing really well without Rordan. But no. You dump him on us right when things were starting to heat up.”

 

            And damn, did they heat up. Jorie was, Jorie is incredible. Damn. It wasn’t that she was beautiful. Honestly, he’d met more beautiful women than Commander Jorie Mikkalah. Her eyes were a golden yellow, like a cat’s. Her skin had a honeyed café-au-lait hue. Her hair had to be ten different shades of gold, orange, and brown—punk-streaked, he thought, but not as garish. It was just short of shoulder length, more chin length in front, with bangs that looked like she’d hacked at them with a knife. She wasn’t that beautiful.

 

     Oh, yeah, she was. And tough and capable. She’d faced down that towering monster without flinching. He wasn’t used to being protected; he was the one usually doing that job. So when someone else did it, and did it well, he recognized that. Appreciated it, as a cop. As much as he appreciated her face and form, as a man.

 

Theo realized his attention had wandered. He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter.

 

“You really love her, don’t you, Theo?” His author’s voice was soft and she had that misty-eyed look women get sometimes.

 

He ducked his head, nodding. “Yeah. She’s my whole life. I don’t care that she’s from another planet. I can’t image living without her.  So, see, that’s why I’m really here. I just need to make sure if there’s a second book, a sequel or something, that you won’t split us apart. “

 

“Never.” She placed her hand over her heart. “Promise. I told you. My books have science fiction, they have action and adventure. And with you, they even have a hunky cop—oh, don’t look so embarrassed. Learn to accept praise, will you?”

 

His Aunt Tootie harped on that all the time.

 

“But I write to an HEA,” she continued. “A happy ending. Aren’t you and Jorie happy?”

 

He couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “You have no idea.”

 

Linnea Sinclair leaned  back in her office chair and tickled the enormous cat under the chin. “Trust me, I think I do, Theo. I think I do.”

 

 

The Down Home Zombie Blues, coming Nov. 2007 from RITA award winning author Linnea Sinclair:

 

http://www.linneasinclair.com/DHZBCOVER.htm

 

It’s Men In Black meets CSI:Miami in this steamy, suspenseful new novel from RITA award-winning author Linnea Sinclair.  He’s a Florida cop. She’s an intergalactic zombie hunter. Saving Earth is the least of their problems.

 

4-1/2 Stars—Top Pick! From Romantic Times BOOKreviews: “Quirky, offbeat and packed with gritty action, this blistering novel explodes out of the gate and never looks back. Counting on Sinclair to provide top-notch science fiction elaborately spiced with romance and adventure is a given, but she really aces this one! A must-read, by an author who never disappoints.”

 

Make sure to leave a comment…one random reader will win this mug for Linnea. 🙂

 

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Schedule of the Week

Make sure you check out our guests for the next week!

November 27: Linnea Sinclair Guest Blogging

November 28: Tracy Anne Warren Guest Blogging

As always, prizes will be offered to a random reader who leaves a comment. 🙂

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I’ve created monsters

I have three sisters. Of the three, I’ve converted two into readers. My oldest sister and my youngest sister. The sister that is a year younger than me is still stalling about coming over to the “readers” side. *G* I’m still working on her but the other night, my youngest sister was visiting at our uncle’s with my mom. So I knew I probably wouldn’t hear from her that day…we tend to talk every day, several times a day. Anyway, she IM’s me to let me know that she’s down to four books in the last book box I sent her and that she needs more. Fine, not a problem, I said. What does she want in the box? Contemporary? Historical? Paranormal? She said she wanted a little of each. Then two of my cousins got on and asked why I only sent books to my sis, they read too, don’t I love them also? why didn’t I share my books with them? LOL By the end of the conversation, I had three different lists of books for three different book boxes. One mostly had paranormals in it, the second had a mix of paranormals and contemporaries and the last had all historicals. I gave my cousins the same rules I give my sisters.

“Mar my books, and that’ll be the last book box you get from me…but I still love ya! So you better take care of my babies.” 🙂

They laughed, thinking I was kidding, until my sister set them straight and told them that I don’t kid when it comes to my books. Damn, I’m so proud…I’ve trained her good. She knows a good thing when she has it. 😉

So, do any of you share your books with family?

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Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all have a fantastic day! 🙂

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Just call me fickle…

After rereading my post and comments here about the Sony Reader, and seeing I had more cons than pros listed about it, I decided to send it back for a refund. At the website they ask for a reason for the return. I told them the main problem, about having trouble at first converting the books and how only half the book would transfer at first. but I also made a point of telling them their Customer Service help was the worst I’ve ever experienced which is sad considering the money I had shelled out for it.

I’m going to check into eBookwise next….not right now but maybe in a few days.

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Yes, it’s me! :)

So sorry I’ve been MIA. I’ve been a bad bad blogger, I know…so sorry I went MIA! I got myself a new toy last week….minds outta the gutter please, this is a family blog! 🙂

I got myself this. It arrived by FedEx on Wednesday afternoon and I’ve been fighting with the thing since then. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve uploaded my e-books to it, only to delete them because the font comes up so tiny…even hitting the zoom button did nothing for the font size. Sony Techies have been worthless when I’ve called them so I’ve been emailing with several ladies, trying to get around Sony saying that some pdf files are not compatible with the Reader and that only books bought from them will work on the Reader. Bull.

First I tried this program. But something in the conversion was making the books come out like this…

Which, needless to say, looks very annoying. Who the heck could read a book like that? Then I realized I had another problem. Most of the books I uploaded were each missing the last half of the book! Which meant deleting everything and starting again. At this point, I was very tempted to send the Reader back to Sony with a “You suck!” note. I wanted my books and I wanted them intact, not messed up like they were coming out.

Then I emailed Chantal about her eBookwise and we got to talking. She offered another solution and I figured I had nothing to lose since nothing else was working and tried her method. Let me just say I *heart* Chantal!! With her help I finally got the books to come out looking normal and without all that yuckiness of how it was coming out before. I’ve been working since then on all my ebooks. I’ve done 38 so far and still have about 200 left to go but I’m just thrilled that I finally got it working right. Thanks again, Chantal!

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Heidi Betts Book Winner

 

Fedora was nice enough to pass up her win of Heidi’s book since she has most of her books so I had the little Diva pick another name.

 

New winner is……….

 

Stefanie D!! 

 

 

Congrats Stefanie!

 

Please email me your snail mail addy at

mad @ romancereaderatheart.com. (without the spaces)

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Jenna Petersen/Jess Michaels Book Winner

 

We have a winner! 🙂 The little Diva picked out a name from those who commented on Jenna’s post and the winner is…..

 

Michele G!!! 

 

 

Congrats Michele!

 

Please email me your snail mail addy at

mad @ romancereaderatheart.com. (without the spaces)

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