Carly Phillips's Blog: Carly's Web Blogs, page 100

Happy Anniversary to US!

We're so excited that Plotmonkeys is celebrating it's 5th Anniversary. Wow. Time really does fly. Since we know we wouldn't be here 5 years later without all of you, of course we've included you all in the celebration! By now you know every day this week, someone will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card and on Friday, we're giving away (in my humble opinion) the best gift ever – a WiFi Kindle! – I LOVE mine and one of you will too!



And now for my answers to the questions we wrote up for each other!

1. What's your earliest memory of writing a story?

I remember being about 17 and thinking I was in love with this guy … and I started writing. "I'll never love anyone the way I love X." Yeah, that X = he who shall never be named out loud. Anyway, that was as far as that story got! I never thought about writing again until I was married, reading a gazillion books a week to escape my baby's colic and thanks to "doing what my mom did" I was buying hardcover only. One book a day. Could we afford that? NO! Hubby got angry, I cried that he was taking away the one thing I loved, he said, "what? you never heard of paperback?" Which led me to look up authors' backlists – led me to LaVyrle Spencer and Catherine Coulter's paperbacks, taught me there was a ROMANCE section of the bookstore – OMG I could always have a happy ending!? And at some point I realized I had stories I wanted to try to tell too. The rest is probably documented history. LOL! But as I think back, like Julie, I told stories in my head. When I came down with Mono, I used to lay in bed as a teenager and just dream up these fantastical tales with me as the heroine (didn't know the word heroine at that time). And like Julie, I thought everyone did that – come to find out later, only WRITERS do that – and thanks to this great career of mine, I'm friends with tons of crazy people just like me! And now I get paid to write those crazy fantastical stories! Lucky me.

2. Do you remember your first kiss?

Yes. Another "he who shall remain nameless". Different "He". He tasted like Doritos, it was ick, I seriously questioned why I didn't like it, broke up with him … and learned my first lesson in that elusive thing called CHEMISTRY!

3. Have you ever fictionalized a real person or a real memory in one of your books?

Yep. So many times. Little throwaways in books that only a family member would recognize. KISS ME IF YOU CAN had the most in one book. For me it's usually a comedic moment or something light that I use. Sometimes it's more serious, like I read an article on Tom Cruise in People Mag. and used dyslexia for a sports hero.

4. If you could sit down and have an hour long conversation with any writer, living or dead, who would it be?

I hate these kind of questions. I just don't think like this … I love talking to all writer friends. I guess I'd love to talk to LaVyrle Spencer and see what kind of publishing experiences she had – since I've idolized her for so long.

5. Who is your favorite hero in one of your own books, and why?

I try not to pick favorites. It used to be my Hot Zone heroes – I loved Riley Nash in Hot Item – but now I'd say my Barron brothers in the upcoming Serendipity series. They are so hot and sexy, so internally wounded and yet so impossible not to love. Just ask my heroines, LOL. I really can't wait for you all to read these stories!

6. If you were stranded on a deserted island with only the clothes you were wearing, what 5 items would you want to have with you? (No other humans or electronics allowed!)

Oh Janelle, you bad girl, laughing at me! I'd like Buddy to come back to me, then I would bring him. He's all I'd need. But since I've been given four more items I can't help thinking practical – an umbrella for shade, headache medication since I get them almost daily, a book I could read and reread, and I'd copy Janelle's paper and pencil! I betcha I'm the most practical of everyone. And I'd still want sunscreen, lipgloss/aquaphor, bottled water, and my electronics! LOL.

7. Do you believe in love at first sight, or do you think it's a romantic fictional construct?

Hmm. I do believe you have to get to know someone inside and out before you can call it LOVE. That said, I'm a diehard romantic and I'd love to believe that yes, it can exist!

8. If you weren't a writer and the entire world was open to you, what would you want to do?

I want to learn about makeup, how to choose colors, how to mix, apply, etc. So makeup artist!

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Don't forget to comment for a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card and come back tomorrow for the big KINDLE giveaway!

Coming Soon

Many of you know publishing is undergoing drastic changes in a very short amount of time. E-Readers are changing the way people read and buy books. Not for everyone, I understand that, but I'm talking in general. Authors, who have older books that have been out of print for ages, have been able to ask the publisher for their rights back if that book meets the out of print clause in the author's contract. Usually that out of print clause includes the book not being available in any format for a certain period of time. The publisher then has their certain period of time to either republish the book or grant the author's request.

Most of my books, even the ones out of regular print, are available in eBook format. This frustrates so many readers who choose to buy BOOKS. Authors really do understand even if they have no control. Remember, not only are we readers too, but we WANT you to be able to get your hands on our older books that you may have missed. In my case, Harlequin reissues one or two older books of mine a year, so that puts them back into stores. The problem is that it doesn't always help readers who want a series of books available to them. Again, authors understand. They just have no control.

Back to the changing publishing industry – when we, as authors, get our rights back, the easiest thing for us to do is to have them made available to the reader in eBook format. Again, we understand the frustration of those who want these books in … well BOOK format. Unfortunately, we aren't distributors and it just isn't possible for the majority of us. Which brings me to my news. I'm very excited to be able to offer books that readers have told me they wanted for years, but haven't been able to read – in ANY format.

Many of you know that when I first got published, I had 3 books out under my real (not pseudonym) name, KAREN DROGIN. These 3 books are stand alone books, not connected in any way. PERFECT PARTNERS, SOLITARY MAN, and THE RIGHT CHOICE. The links on the titles will take you to the book information page on my website – note the website isn't yet updated with any information on my news -I'm breaking it here and on my Facebook Fan Page first.

The covers are, in my humble opinion, spectacular! I smile every time I look at them! You can click on each to see them larger. I'll do it again, just to smile some more! They were designed by Julie Ortolon (yes, that Julie Ortolon, the author – multi-talented, isn't she?).

To be clear – these are OLDER titles – published AS WRITTEN/PUBLISHED in 1999 and 2000 respectively. As a writer, I know I have grown and changed, but these books hold a very special place in my heart. They are more emotional, deeper than many of my more recent Carly books. But as FATE or SERENDIPITY would have it, they are quite similar in tone to the series I will be putting out this year with Berkley, SERENDIPITY (9/2011), DESTINY (1/12) and KARMA 4/12. Maybe they'll get you in the mood!

To answer some questions ahead of time: I don't have release details yet but I will soon. I do know due to how the formatting occurred, the Kindle version will be ready first, the other eBook versions to come very shortly thereafter. You'll know as soon as I do, I promise!

I hope you are all as excited as I am about these books.

So today we can talk about these books, if you've read them, if you even remember them or knew they existed, how you feel about all these new ebooks coming out from authors … floor's open!

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And speaking of older books: Chatting about THE BACHELOR today! Visit here, ask questions, I'll answer!



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A NOTE FROM JANELLE DENISON: Moonlight, Lace, and Mayhem has posted a fun blog interviewing Nicole and Nathan from INTO THE NIGHT. You can read from their points of view how they felt about their first meeting, if Nicole believes in love at first sight, and what the future holds for these two. You can check out the interview at: Moonlight, Lace, and Mayhem

Puppiness

So I forgot how much work a puppy is … luckily this time around I think I have a good one! Yes, we were going to name him Fenway after the Red Sox Stadium but at the last minute my husband begged for a name change and now he is BRADY after Tom Brady, New England Patriots Quarterback. Brady settled in quickly. The first day was hard, he was scared and he definitely likes to whine like a baby. I asked the vet what that noise meant and she said he's saying "I'm the baby." So cute.

The first night I woke him for walks. The second night he slept 10 PM to 4 AM and the third night he slept 10 PM to 5 AM. This is excellent! A few crate accidents but not too many. He seems to get the idea of going outside, which is awesome. Tonight he planned his escape from his crate (maybe someone didn't shut it right?) and peed and pooped on the kitchen floor. Better than IN the crate. Made us laugh and remember when Bailey did the same and let Buddy out too!

Speaking of Bailey, she's not too happy. She's scared of the little guy. Not convinced? Check it out but make sure you watch to the end to see Bailey's reaction!

For more puppy videos – check out my YOUTUBE CHANNEL, CARLY'S CORNER - you can click on my book videos, Bailey and Buddy videos, and the newest, Brady and Bailey videos!

A cool piece of news – very soon I will be reissuing my KAREN DROGIN books in eBook – first on Amazon, followed by the other formats as soon as the work on them is complete! That's PERFECT PARTNERS, SOLITARY MAN and THE RIGHT CHOICE!

Reading, Writing, Publishing & Puppy News!

So where to begin? Yes, that's Bailey and we'll get to her later!

READING:

While waiting impatiently for some April authors, I went in search of new books. Last year I ventured into Paranormal as I've mentioned here and this opened a whole new world (or is that set of worlds?) for me. This year I unexpectedly fell into the hotter romances. As Janelle mentioned the other day, she read (and introduced me to) Jasmine Haynes – very which led Amazon to give me some other recommendations based on previous reads. Next up for me was Bella Andre, then Shayla Black and most recently Lauren Dane. I have to say that some things in these erotica stories were surprising to me – but I continued to read more than one book by each author, which obviously means I was enjoying what I was reading. I'm sure not all storylines are for everyone but I can honestly say each author has touched me on some emotional level – and so I've continued in this genre. So that's my READING section!

WRITING:

Going into the downhill slide of book 2 in my SERENDIPITY series. I now have two titles:

SERENDIPITY – Sept. 2011

DESTINY - January 2012

Book 3 - April 2012 (book needs a title, so if you can think of anything in this vein, please share!)

The good news is once we reach September, the books aren't all that far apart!

PUBLISHING:

MORE THAN WORDS, Vol. 7 is in stores now – and I'm so proud of this short story and the charity my story highlights:

The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation – Within 24 hours, the Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation helps with urgent expenses to allow single parents to stay at their child's bedside during catastrophic illness. Can't think of a more worthy organization! MORE THAN WORDS, VOLUME 7.



For an excerpt, BUY links, (or visit your local brick and mortar store!) – please click HERE! I hope this charity touches you as much as it did me.

PUPPY NEWS!

And lastly, in case you missed the news, we're bringing a new puppy home on SUNDAY! We are naming him FENWAY after the Boston Red Sox Stadium and he's a male Havanese. Bailey's in for a shock, so wish me luck!





So that's it for today! We can talk books, I can answer questions about More Than Words, or SERENDIPITY, or my favorite conversation, dogs!

My Splurge

A lot of people have asked if I've bought the new Ipad 2. I understand why. I'm a Mac addict and everyone knows it! The surprising answer is no! I did buy the first one, thinking, hoping I finally had an Apple based portable product to do work on but I couldn't get used to it. Even with the separate full keyboard, I hated that there was no mouse or track pad, that I had to click in and out of things, hit buttons on the screen, etc. Two weeks ago, I realized that I was traveling often and my 15″ laptop was killing me. I bought the Macbook AIR and can I just say … LOVE? I mean I am in LOVE. It's a small portable laptop with a full size keyboard.



Height:

1.08 inches (2.74 cm)

Width:

13.00 inches (33.03 cm)

Depth:

9.12 inches (23.17 cm)

Weight:

4.7 pounds (2.13 kg)1

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely every penny. I've written so much in so many different places since I bought it. It makes me VERY happy.

Have you ever treated yourself to anything that made you SO happy you never regretted it for a second?

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!

Sunday Winner

The winner of Carly's $25 Amazon Gift Card is:

# 68 – Jerriann Graff

Please email me at: carly phillips @ mac . com (no spaces) and confirm your email to receive your prize!

And the winner of One Thing author Pamela Stone's book is:

# 20 – Molly McLain

Pleaes email Julie at: julie at julie let dot com and she'll arrange for your prize!

Congratulations to the winners!

*****

No Funny Today - the world is too serious a place right now. But I am going to match the $25 Friday Gift and donate $25 to the Red Cross to aid the relief efforts in Japan in honor of the Plotmonkeys wonderful readers who come here every day and especially those who offered their prayers and thoughts on Friday!

Happy Sunday, hug your loved ones and stay safe!

Carly's Jungle Madness Friday

Sorry we're late this morning! Carly's stepping in for Leslie who will take Carly's Friday in a few weeks.

First, can we extend our thoughts and best wishes to everyone in Japan – we'll be thinking and praying for you all.

And to those on the West Coast and Hawaii – STAY SAFE – and check in when you can. We're thinking of you too.

OK! TODAY'S CONTEST!

$25 AMAZON GIFT CARD up for grabs so you can order yourselves books! (Hopefully MORE THAN WORDS and HOT ITEM but really who's telling you what to do? Not ME!

There's plenty to discuss today, so post a comment for a chance to win!

Hair Junky

If you've been visiting the jungle long enough, you know I'm a hair junky. I've talked to you about the color of my hair, the cut, the texture, whether I like curly or straight hair, and the new Brazilian Keratin technique that makes hair silky smooth.

Remember these blogs?

June 2006 – My Hair Fetish (sadly pics don't pull up)

August 2008 – Carly's Hair Obsession Revisited

June 2010 – Help Me

There are probably even more blogs. I couldn't find them!

In my recent craziness, I felt that my hair was over straightened after a long period of doing what's known as Brazilian Blow Out – and my last treatment was back in October 2010. So right now and with Spring around the corner (I hope) and humidity creeping in, I'm feeling pretty poodle-like. So. I want to do the straightening again but I don't want to ruin my hair. I like some body in my hair too and height on top. What's a girl to do?

GOOGLE, that's what! And in my Googling, I found a website (that I love and will be visiting all the time so be sure to check it out) – A Mom In Red High Heels . And when I saw how Tammy (the blogger mom) sounded similar to me, I knew I had to write to her. Maybe she'd help me with my problem. Hey, if someone writes to me, I answer, so I figured why not give it a shot. I wrote Tammy and explained my dilemma (complete with before, during and after pictures).



For a few hours after I obsessed about how I sent photos to a perfect stranger, but within 12 hours, not only did she answer but she asked if she could turn my email into a blog (with pics!) and ask her professional associate who is a Keratin specialist to answer my questions. WOW. More than I'd hoped for!

So now meet Jordana Lorraine, a Keratin specialist in Santa Monica, CA (who has me wishing I lived closer and not on the other side of the country!). Jordana answered my questions and has me considering what to do with my hair next.

Am I sharing all this so you can all know how crazy I am? Of course not. You knew that already! I'm sharing because as usual, I'm amazed by the power of the Internet in making the world smaller, in solving our problems, in bringing similar people with similar issues together (Hello, Jungle visitors who love to read!). And on the off chance that you are a mom who likes to take care of yourself as well as your family, or if you're a busy person who deserves to take time to pamper themselves, I'd like to introduce you to a great new Blog site! And of course if you're near Santa Monica, California, you can check out Jordana Lorraine yourself!

Which brings me to the blog they posted last week. Carly and her crazy hair woes. CHECK IT OUT HERE!

As of today, I'm on a quick getaway with my husband, but I'll be checking in. I had my color done on Tuesday … so now I have to decide when/if/what to do about the Keratin!

I have NO idea what to suggest we talk about today. But you guys go ahead and comment … and we'll all have some fun!

Weekend Winners!!!

So sorry for the delay. Here is the winner of Friday's contest for a $25.00 Amazon online gift certificate:

Katie (Comment #34)

Congrats, Katie! Email me at janelledenison @ sbcglobal.net with the email address you'd like me to send your gift certificate to, and I'll get it out to you right away!

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The winner of Saturday's $10.00 Amazon gift certificate is:

Vanessa (Comment #22)

Congrats, Vanessa! To claim your prize, please contact Julie at julie @ julie leto . com (no spaces)

Meet Fenway!

Carly here – I'm blogging for Julie today. She'll be here tomorrow!

Yes, we took the plunge and put a deposit on a 5 week old Havanese puppy. Bailey is going to be a big sister.

We can bring him home the end of March and you can expect many puppy training blogs to follow!

Soooo … ? Have I lost my mind, LOL?