Who says lights go on the tree?

I stole this from the Playground Monitor, for obvious reasons.

And...because we all know how much I love free online reads, especially romance or chick lit, I have to tell you about these two things...which morph into 14 things, but I digress ::

12 Days of Chica Lit!! Plus an extra bonus day - 13 free stories from the likes of Mary Castillo, Caridad Pineiro, Caridad Ferrer, Misa Ramirez, and Tracy Montoya...plus others whose books I haven't read, but these ladies are wonderful, so I am sure the others are just as fab!

A Dead Guy in a Pear Tree by Leslie Kelly - it's on eHarlequin, with daily installments...

Go on...read up!

Is a hit a hit, or just a blip?

The little program that tracks who comes to my website has gone crazy! I mean CRAZY! And why do you think that is? Because I am an uberfamous best selling author? Hey, be nice. It's gonna happen and some reporter will pull this post as proof I am full of myself. No, no. It's not me...it's my addiction to reality television!!

Seriously...google Girls Next Door...click on images...and who is first on that list? Moi!

If only the GND fans would buy a book, I could get BigBoy the big box of K'Nex, instead of the small one. Hey, it is worth a shot!!

Until I can afford the expensive toys at holiday time...I'll just be content knowing The Hills is extending the season so I get to see Lauren and Whitney in Paris, and Girls Next Door season starts on Sunday!

They must have been done with filming before the writers strike ;)

Oops!

This is just so funny. I don't keep kosher, but I don't have ham either :) I cheat and do turkey ham...veggie sausage... but not right now. Baby does not like spice.

Ah well, let's all laugh at the mistake. Happy Hanukkah people. Go have a jelly doughnut.

The new look of Her Cinderella Complex

I just got the cover for Her Cinderella Complex. The book isn't available in ebook until February, print until December...but this is the first cover I've been able to banter with. At Mills & Boon it's all handled for you. But with Samhain, I had a choice of cover shots. I got to have an opinion about tweaking things. So much fun, I tell you.

And...when y'all read the book, you'll agree that dreamy look on the heroine's face, leaning on the distant hero, is spot on. Pure perfection.

INSTANT SEDUCTION

A brand new writing competition from the world’s best-selling romance series is about to hit the blogosphere!

It’s an exciting time for Harlequin Presents: from January 2008, there will be 12 of our intensely passionate romances available every month (some of them from the line I write for, Modern Heat!). And with this increase of titles comes a great opportunity for aspiring authors – we will be looking to buy more books for publication!

The old saying goes that first impressions are lasting impressions – and when it comes to reading a Harlequin Presents, that certainly holds true. If the first chapter doesn’t immediately grip the reader with its pace, passion and intensity, then she won’t continue to turn the pages.

So Presents is inviting unpublished writers to show us how they can grab the attention of our readership with first chapters that really sizzle. The INSTANT SEDUCTION competition offers prizes that are chances of a lifetime for the lucky winner and runners-up:

*First prize – win yourself an editor for a year!

*Two runners-up will be given editorial critiques of their first chapter entries and also a personal telephone consultation about their writing!

Visit the I ♥ Presents blogsite for full details of the competition – and the chance to prepare for publication with an exclusive series of writing tutorials prepared by the editorial team at Harlequin Presents, including advice on First Chapters, How to Write a Synopsis, Loving the Alpha Male and Generating Emotional Conflict.

Entries for the competition will be accepted as on-line submissions only from 1st January until 14th February 2008. Entries should comprise of the first chapter and a synopsis of a previously unpublished/unsubmitted novel aimed at Harlequin Presents. Address for entries: instantseduction@hmb.co.uk

**Even if Presents/Modern Heat is not your ideal line, the information offered as a build up to the contest is a wonderful education for anyone who wants to write for any of the Mills & Boon lines. Everything is cooperative in the London office, so the basics of what they are looking for in Presents, Romance, Medicals, and Historicals doesn't waver. A solid chapter one, focused conflict, and knowing your characters will make your submission a winner for any line.

Review Thoughts...

I got the most flattering review today for Found...I've been lucky to have the same reviewer for most of my short stories over at ecataromance...so in this review she spoke to that which really made my day. OK, so it made me misty. Pregnancy hormones? Maybe, but it is still fabulous.

Regardless of the storyline or genre, Jenna Bayley-Burke makes readers care about her characters and what eventually happens to them... Through clever wording and vivid descriptions, this gifted author lets readers experience every instance of the story, as desires and sincerity abound. Each story I have read by Jenna Bayley-Burke has been moving and profound, and this notable story is a wonderful example. FOUND will touch readers by stirring their own emotions with its heartwarming impact.

Who wouldn't want to find THAT on the web, hmmm?

Cooking Up A Storm is out in Germany!

MITTERNACHTSDINNER FÜR ZWEI
The translated title means Dinner for Two, which I like more than Cooking Up A Storm, so that has to be a good sign. No clue who this couple on the front is, though.

And of course, the first thing I do is run the blurb through a web translator to find...

A dream man to the Vernaschen! refined are prescriptions Laurens passion! With her party service, she wants to conquer the business world of Seattle in the storm. When she meets at an organization the overturning attractive finance adviser Cameron Price, tremors it between them immediately. He makes a delicate proposal: Warmer friends should play on official occasions! In return she becomes acquainted with new customers. Yet the spicy arrangement wakes Laurens appetite... Can she have her dream man in a dinner for two with culinary delicacies and be named kissing to an erotic dessert - and more? Do - tempt?

OK...so I need to find better software...but I love that they focus on the dinner for two that they have because it is such a playful and provocative scene