Lucy Monroe's Blog, page 70

November Events - Be Sure to check them out!

Hey everyone - Promo Gal here. I wanted to take a moment and remind you of two amazing events that Lucy is participating in this month! Stop by and join in the fun and maybe even win a prize or two.

Click here November 19-22 to join the party.

Click here throughout the month of November.

Contest Winners!

I hope everyone had a great week! The winner of this weeks blog contest is.....
Gail
Thanks for visiting my blog this week! Please email me with your name and address so I can get your copy of Take Me in the mail. Happy Reading.

Guest Author Interview and Excerpt - Serena Zane

Welcome Serena! I'm excited to learn more about your newest release Moonlight in a Pickup Truck. Sounds like a great book that I need to get in my TBR pile.

Moonlight in a Pickup Truck by Serena ZaneOne more night… is it worth the risk to lose everything for a chance at love? Placing your heart on the line is hard to do, especially when there is doubt that the love is returned in the same way. Her best friend is leaving for the Navy and this is her last opportunity to reveal her true feelings, but will she have the courage?
Excerpt from the novel:Anticipation. Wasn't there a saying somewhere, anticipation only makes things better? I could only wish. And what was it anyways?My stomach felt tied in knots. I tried to dim down the feeling of apprehension that threatened to overwhelm and make me toss my cute little outfit back in the closet never to be seen again. Three years was an eternity for anyone to wait when there was no end in sight. With a quick look in the mirror, I adjusted the green silk corset I wore pulling the strings tighter. My breasts plumped up and I smiled at the result. I actually looked like a girl. Not that he'd notice. I groaned. If he hadn't noticed in three years, then he wasn't about to notice now. Slipping the jade necklace I borrowed from Mom over my head, I couldn't help but feel good as the heavy brooch fell right at the top of my cleavage. Not anything to write home about, but I'd made my best effort to impress. One more night, one more night to catch the attention of the man I'd dreamt about almost every time I closed my eyes for the last three years.

Serena, Let me ask you a few questions before you leave....
1. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing?
When I am not writing my favorite thing to do is participate in the Society of Creative Anachronism, Inc. We research and recreate the Middle Ages. I specifically study the lat 16th century and play a lady-in-waiting in Queen Elizabeth's court. It has taught me how to sew elaborate costumes, I get to play my violin with other musicians with English Country Dances, and I sing songs by 16th Century composers. I also fight in armor and learn rapier fighting like the cavilers from late period England. I have been participating in the SCA for 17 years.
2. Please, share something you found most interesting or fun that you did to research for a book.
The most intriguing thing that I have done since beginning my writing career, was my research for my second book, Crystal Clear. The book is based in Bend, Oregon and my husband and I decided when we got married that we would honeymoon there. We investigated the lava caves where my heroine gets kidnapped, hiked through the same forest, and went white water rafting just like she did. Also, since Cindy Hawke the heroine was a small aircraft pilot, so to experience what she did, my friend Annie took me up in a Cessna. She had me take off, fly, and land. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had, and would love to do again sometime.
3. How did you come up with setting for Moonlight in a Pickup Truck?
Moonlight in a Pickup Truck is pulled from a very personal experience that I had as a young woman. The setting is real, which was the cab of an old truck on the boat ramp up at Waha Lake in Lewiston, Idaho late one night and created my story around that night. Each of my settings is based in a place I have either been, or researched carefully so I can create a visceral place for my readers.
Thanks Serena for sharing your newest release with us and giving a great interview! I want to remind my readers that Moonlight in a Pickup Truck is available now on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Outblast, and Bookstogonow.com

Guest Author Interview - Heidi Rice

Heidi Rice has stopped by today for an interview. She is the author of some amazing books such as Bedded by a Bad Boy, The Mile-High Club, Pleasure Pregnancy and a Proposition and Public Affair, Secretly Expecting she is about ready to release her latest book, On the First Night of Christmas this November 30th.
Welcome Heidi, we look forward to the opportunity to know you better.
1. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing? Probably researching about my next American Road Trip with my best mate Catri. We take a two-week break every couple of years, leaving our husbands and kids behind, get a cheap flight to the US, hire a car and hit the road. We met in college on an American Studies course when we bonded over our love of James Dean, Jack Kerouac and western movies, and we spend a huge amount of time surfing the internet and coming up with places off and on the beaten track to visit for our next trip. Over the years a few of our top spots have included Monument Valley, Shoshone Death Valley, Nantahala National Forest in the Smokies, St Michaels in Maryland, Big Sur and Marfa Texas, but we're always on the lookout for somewhere new that will blow our minds. Thelma and Louise eat your hearts out!

2. What books are sitting in your TBR pile right now? What book are you currently reading? Very soon to be sitting in my TBR pile (once I persuade her to send me a copy) will be Kimberly Lang's The Power and the Glory, the second in her Marshalls trilogy for HP. I'm currently reading JD Robb's New York to Dallas. I've devoured all Nora's Eve Dallas books and me and Roarke have a bit of a thing going now. (But don't mention it to Eve or I'm liable to get my butt kicked!)
3. Please, share something you found most interesting or fun that you did to research for a book. By far my favourite research for books is interviewing people with interesting occupations. People can be so fascinating, especially if they're doing something they love. I interviewed a gorgeous Italian-Argentine architect for Unfinished Business with the Duke and a female lifeguard for the opening scene in Surf, Sea and a Sexy Stranger — who pointed out that if my heroine strapped my hero to a rescue board before she got him ashore (as I'd originally written the scene) she'd probably break his back. Good to know!
4. How did you come up with the setting for On the First Night of Christmas? London is my home town. I was born and bred here and I really feel the city comes into its own at Christmas time, so as a setting for this book it was a no-brainer really. And I couldn't resist having Jace and Cassidy do a lot of the things my family and I now consider Christmas traditions – going to the funfair in Hyde Park, window--shopping along Oxford Street, watching the fireworks on the Thames for New Year, ice-skating at Somerset House, to name but a few.
5. Action adventure or romantic comedy? What is your favorite movie lately? Being a hopeless romantic I lean more towards rom-com than action movies but my favourite movie lately has to be a wonderfully random (and rather rude) little indie comedy called Cedar Rapids about a convention of insurance salesmen in Iowa. It has a lovely message about the value of true friendships, was laugh out loud hilarious in places and has a great in-joke for devotees of the HBO show The Wire, of which I am one, so it ticked all my boxes.
Thanks Heidi, this was a fun interview! I wanted to let readers know that Heidi has agreed to come back after Thanksgiving to give us an excerpt of her newest release, On the First Night of Christmas.

Humpday Hottie!

Care to go for a ride...?

Weekly Prize Giveaway!

Be sure to enter November's contest each week for your chance to win a title from Lucy's backlist. Just leave a comment on any post that is open to comments and you are entered in the drawing. We are bringing back some oldies but goodies. This weeks title is....


TAKE MEOriginally published October 2006by Lucy MonroeBook 3 in Historical Trilogy Touch Me, Tempt Me & Take MeBerkley Sensation ISBN 0425212211
"Ever since Lucy Monroe started this series I have been waiting for Jared's story, and TAKE ME more then makes up for the wait. Ms Monroe is one of the few authors who I will read no matter what she writes and TAKE ME is a good reason why. You do not have to read the first two books in this series in order to read TAKE ME, but after you finish you will be running to the store to get the other two." —Barb Hicks, The Best Reviews
This book is still available for purchase.

Weekly Contest Winner!

It has been a fun week on the blog with two great authors guest blogging with us. Thank you Kate Hardy and Lori Foster for your interviews.
The winner of this weeks blog contest is.....
Melissa
Thanks for visiting my blog this week! Please email me with your name and address so I can get your copy of The Greek's Innocent Virgin in the mail. Happy Reading.

Guest Author Interview - Lori Foster

Happy Friday everyone! We have a special guest with us today - Lori Foster! Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin's, Harlequin, Silhouette and Samhain. She is currently with Berkley/Jove.
Let's dive into some questions!
1. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing?[Lori said:] I'm very involved with my family, so anything fun with them is perfect. Every Sunday is dedicated to "family day" and the kids come by with their significant others, and my grandson... it's always enjoyable. But other than Sunday, I love to be near water. I love to boat and water ski and swim... You can probably tell by the number of lakes I write into my books that I love life near a lake. J Coffee tastes better while watching the sun rise over the water. Evenings are more peaceful seeing the moon reflect on the lake. Water is such a calming influence.
2. What books are sitting in your TBR pile right now? What book are you currently reading?[Lori said:] I recently located some oldies by some of my favorite authors, so I'm re-reading a bunch of those! Linda Howard, Catherine Coulter, Jayne Ann Krentz, Elizabeth Lowell... I love revisiting characters. But I also keep up with Kresley Cole. LOVE her work.

3. Please, share something you found most interesting or fun that you did to research for a book.

[Lori said:] I've taken police seminars to learn about current threats, procedures, etc... I also did a ride-along (more than one, actually) with police to see the happenings, to sort of soak up their routines and how they react to things. I'm very, very nervous around guns – and especially nervous around tasers! But I love talking with police officers and fire fighters and getting their take on things.

4. How did you come up with names - or - setting - or - character occupations - or - plot, etc. for Buckhorn Beginnings?

[Lori said:] Buckhorn Beginnings is a reissue of two older books (part of a 5 book series – others will be reissued soon) and back when I first wrote those books, coming up with original but "normal" names was easier. Sawyer, Morgan, Gabe, Jordan, and Casey... those were the original titles – just names, and I LOVE those names still. They were probably favorites left over from back when I chose names for my sons. These days, after 80 some books, it is MUCH harder to find names I love.

The setting... well, see question #1. I LOVE lakes. Growing up, I spent every summer on a lake in Williamstown, Kentucky. When we woke in the morning we put on our swimsuits and left them on until we changed into our PJs at night. It wasn't really a summer house, more like a tiny fishing cabin – one bedroom (Mom and Dad slept on a fold-out couch) with a small, L-shaped kitchen, dining, sitting area. We lived on the deck and the dock. LOL.

Now I have my own lake house and I STILL love it. So often, when I'm plotting, the characters just somehow end up near lakes. My muse must like lake-life as much as I do!

Occupations for the Buckhorn Brothers (original series name for Sawyer, Morgan, Gabe, Jordan and Casey) was easy too, because they were influential to their small town. That meant doctor, sheriff, vet... and then a handyman. J All vital to the denizens, all "go to" guys.

5. Action adventure or romantic comedy? What is your favorite movie lately?

[Lori said:] Horror! Always my #1 pick. The scarier the better. A cheesy scary movie is better than an okay adventure or comedy.

But after horror, I'd go with action adventure, and then comedy, and then romantic comedy. Dramas are out – I have no patience for them. Anything that I KNOW will make me cry? Forget it.
But hubby and I are huge movie buffs and we go at least once a week, often more if there are movies we want to see. Twice a week is the norm for us. About the only time I'm not plotting on a book is when I'm sitting in a theater watching a GOOD movie. (If the movie isn't good, odds are I'll be plotting again. LOL)

Thanks for the great questions! I have one for readers: Which of my secondary characters would they like to see have a book? It's not uncommon for characters to resonate with readers in a way that they don't with me. I see them strictly as supporting characters, and readers will see them as a lead.

Along the same lines, which of my series would they like to see continued with other characters? Seems every time I end a series, readers ask me for more – when I don't have more. So I'm curious, if you could see me continue a series, which one would it be?

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Lori

Guest Author Interview - Kate Hardy

As many of my readers know, I love getting to know new people and learning about their stories. I'm excited that Kate has dropped by today for an interview. Welcome Kate Hardy.

1. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing?

If it's a weekend, my favourite thing is to go for a walk on the beach with my husband and children. (It usually involves ice cream – and it doesn't matter if it's winter, either!) We've had a real Indian summer this year; normally, paddling in the North Sea in October would be unthinkable, but this year it was fun! I also love cooking, and I'm having a great time teaching my littlest to bake at the moment.

2. What books are sitting in your TBR pile right now? What book are you currently reading?

I have to confess that I own TBR bookcase rather than a TBR pile! They include the newest releases by Susanna Kearsley and Rachel Hore, and I'm also waiting for the new Kristan Higgins to arrive. I'm currently reading one of Julie Cohen's backlist that I've been meaning to read for a while but managed to mislay it – Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom. I love Julie's books and they make me laugh out loud for the right reasons.

3. Please, share something you found most interesting or fun that you did to research for a book.

One of my very favourite research experiences was when I was writing Champagne With a Celebrity – which is actually about a perfume house (and I so regret that I couldn't talk my ed into keeping my working title of 'Scents and Sensibility'). The way I saw it, I couldn't write about a man who makes perfume without having any idea how it was done. So I went on a course to make perfume; best of all, it was a one-to-one, so I could grill my teacher about all the bits I wanted to know. There were eighteen different 'notes' (card strips dipped into the perfume) and I had to sort them into 'love', 'hate' and 'maybe' piles. Then it was a matter of blending the ones I liked – and I ended up making something quite similar to own favourite perfume (Dior's Addict – I just LOVE the vanilla and amber notes). And I had great fun imagining my hero and heroine in that situation, and taking it much further!

4. How did you come up with the setting for A Moment on the Lips?

This is my gelati book (mainly because I bought an ice-cream maker last summer and thoroughly enjoyed experimenting, and the kids worked out immediately that I was planning to write an ice-cream book). Originally I was going to set it in my part of the world; there's an amazing shop that does over 50 flavours, and I had plans to combine my favourite relaxation with a bit of research, i.e. a walk on the beach and then visit the shop. Several visits, in fact, so we could work our way through all the flavours. (The lavender one was really unusual!) Then my ed said she wanted it set in Italy, not England. We'd recently visited Sorrento, so I jumped at the chance to set the book in Naples (we climbed Vesuvius, which is one of the most awesome places ever, so when I finally saw the UK cover and realized Vesuvius was on it, I was so thrilled).

The only thing was, I was planning the book during half term - when we were on the train to Paris. (We had a bit of a mad travel year, last year!) So I couldn't resist whisking my hero and heroine off to Paris and making them do some of the things we did in Paris – including standing under the pyramid in the Louvre to get rainbows in our hair, and climbing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling on the hour. (It was bitterly cold when we did it, and I insisted we stayed up until the hour but refused to tell my husband and children why, only that it would be worth it. And it was!)

5. Action adventure or romantic comedy? What is your favorite movie lately?

I love the cinema, but most of the time we go it's as a treat for the children during school holidays – which means most of the time it's going to be a comedy (though I did manage to talk my daughter into seeing Inception last year – she hated it, whereas her brother and I thought it was great). We do still enjoy animated films, but it's getting harder to find films that both of them like; my littlest prefers musicals (she's just a little too young to enjoy romcoms), whereas my eldest likes sci-fi and action movies.

My favourite film this year, by a very long way, is 'The King's Speech' – beautifully acted, beautifully scripted, and a wonderful score.

BOOK GIVEAWAY

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Kate is giving away a signed copy of A Moment on the Lips. Just leave her a comment below and she will contact the winner. Good luck!

Humpday Hottie!

A little midweek inspiration from a hottie. Just a minute longer and then I'll be ready for the rest of the day....sigh!