Pamela Clare's Blog, page 30

NAKED EDGE earns a few honors -- UPDATED

Gosh, that's pretty! It's the logo I'm allowed to use because Naked Edge is a finalist for Best Romantic Suspense in the Australian Romance Readers Awards. I was completely blown away. It was early and I hadn't had my coffee, so I sort of stared at the e-mail for a while.

Here's a full list of finalists, and you can see that I'm in very good company.

This news was followed in the evening by word that Naked Edge had won in several categories in RBL Romantica's 13th annual HUGHIE Awards. The categories include:

FAVORITE CONTEMPORARY ROMANTIC SUSPENSE/MYSTERY — Hell-to-the yeah! That feels wonderful!

FAVORITE TITLE — Well, I can't really take credit for that. It's the name of a climbing route in Eldorado Canyon State Park that I simply stole because Gabe was climbing there when he saw Kat.

FAVORITE HEROINE — I managed to unseat Eve Dallas, who has long held this category, by a single vote. (I have on good authority that Gabe came close to unseating Roarke, as well.) I can't tell you what it means to me to know that others love Kat as much as I do. Writing a Navajo character and making her real, and not an "apple" wasn't easy, and it was so important to me to do it right. At the same time, she needed to be a character readers could relate to, somehow, despite her different culture. So this tells me I succeeded at that. *sniff*

MOST TOUCHING BOOK — Not to sound silly, but this really touched me. I try to write emotional stories that rip reader's hearts out and then give them back again. Yes, it is something of a goal of mine to make you cry, I confess.

UPDATE: For some reason, I forgot to list that Naked Edge tied with Guilty Pleasure by Lora Leigh for HOTTEST BOOK. That's pretty amazing, because I don't write erotica.

And I know for a fact now that Gabe came within TWO VOTES of unseating long-time RBL Favorite Hero Roarke. (Yes, the Roarke.) And that's almost as good as actually doing it.

So today a big thank you goes to the Australian Romance Readers Awards, and a HUGH thank you goes out to all the wonderful woman at RBL Romantica.

I hope to catch up on yesterday's posts shortly. I came home from the paper yesterday feeling almost unnaturally exhausted and just went to bed.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday!

COMING NEXT: A chat about Hard Evidence (Okay, so it will really be about Julian Darcangelo. I know that. I understand. I get it, really. You'll give me no choice.)

NAKED EDGE earns a few honors

Gosh, that's pretty! It's the logo I'm allowed to use because Naked Edge is a finalist for Best Romantic Suspense in the Australian Romance Readers Awards. I was completely blown away. It was early and I hadn't had my coffee, so I sort of stared at the e-mail for a while.

Here's a full list of finalists, and you can see that I'm in very good company.

This news was followed in the evening by word that Naked Edge had won in several categories in RBL Romantica's 13th annual HUGHIE Awards. The categories include:

FAVORITE CONTEMPORARY ROMANTIC SUSPENSE/MYSTERY — Hell-to-the yeah! That feels wonderful!

FAVORITE TITLE — Well, I can't really take credit for that. It's the name of a climbing route in Eldorado Canyon State Park that I simply stole because Gabe was climbing there when he saw Kat.

FAVORITE HEROINE — I managed to unseat Eve Dallas, who has long held this category, by a single vote. (I have on good authority that Gabe came close to unseating Roarke, as well.) I can't tell you what it means to me to know that others love Kat as much as I do. Writing a Navajo character and making her real, and not an "apple" wasn't easy, and it was so important to me to do it right. At the same time, she needed to be a character readers could relate to, somehow, despite her different culture. So this tells me I succeeded at that. *sniff*

MOST TOUCHING BOOK — Not to sound silly, but this really touched me. I try to write emotional stories that rip reader's hearts out and then give them back again. Yes, it is something of a goal of mine to make you cry, I confess.

So today a big thank you goes to the Australian Romance Readers Awards, and a HUGH thank you goes out to all the wonderful woman at RBL Romantica.

I hope to catch up on yesterday's posts shortly. I came home from the paper yesterday feeling almost unnaturally exhausted and just went to bed.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday!

COMING NEXT: A chat about Hard Evidence (Okay, so it will really be about Julian Darcangelo. I know that. I understand. I get it, really. You'll give me no choice.)

MTM — Hot Men with Tats Redux (trés classy)

Welcome to Monday!

This week's theme is another take on hot men with tats.

I was told not long ago that having tattoos is not a classy thing, even for men. (I'm not sure what the "even for men" bit was supposed to mean. It sounded like a phrase one might use to establish some kind of double standard.)

But, hey, we're not about being classy around here. If we were, would we host an event called "Man-Titty Monday"? I think not. So being classy doesn't matter.

What does matter is sexy. And on the right man, tattoos are scorchingly sexy. There's something about designs cut into satiny skin and stretched over taut muscle...

And there's no doubt that the young gentleman above is sexy. The silky oiled skin. The pecs and abs. The biceps, one of which is tatted up for our viewing pleasure. And you know what? I like the armpit hair. Honestly, I do.


Boxing is one of the best ways to build arms and abs because of the intense workout it provides. I have no idea whether this guy is a boxer or whether the gloves are just props, and I don't care. He looks like a boxer — and I'd love to go a couple of rounds with him. He can get me up against the ropes any time.

He's got a lot of ink on his body. You know that had to hurt. I love how the tat ends at his nipple and sort of rims it. Kind of draws my eyes... right... there...

Study his tattoos closely — I know you will — and see if you can figure out what they represent.



I'm not sure what this gentleman is looking at. Is he expecting something to happen down below his waistband? Should we watch in case something does happen?

Okay, so while we wait to see if his junk gets jiggy, let's take time to appreciate his symmetry and to admire his build — ripped without being too bulky. And, yeah, he has a tat on his right bicep. You can admire that, too, if you want.



And we end this week's MTM with a photo of Alex O, also in boxing gloves. (What is the connection between boxing gloves and tats, anyway? Alex is indisputably snaxy, smexy and hot. I wish I knew which of those tattoos were real and which I could lick off.

This is another time when I wished I'd chosen another profession. Just think what it would be like to spend your days drawing on hot men's bodies, watching their muscles tense in pain, hearing them make little gasps as your needle moves over them...

It would beat sitting at a desk, wouldn't it?

Thanks to Ronlyn for the link to these hotties. I hope you've enjoyed another MTM. Happy Monday!

And thanks for all of you who participated in our chat about Extreme Exposure.

Up this week... Hard Evidence and Julian Darcangelo.

I-Team Reading Challenge — Checking in

Happy Friday, everyone!

So, how is your read through the I-Team stories going?

Some of you have checked in via Facebook or on the original blog post to tell me how you're doing, and I know a number of you are already done. That amazes me. I sat down to "re-read" Surrender right before Christmas — for research purposes for Defiant — and I haven't made it 50 pages into the book yet.

I thought it might be fun to start with Extreme Exposure and have an informal chat about the story. I can answer questions — for example, "I heard that the scene in the Rio really happened. Do you really talk like that when you're hammered?" — and you can share favorite scenes and quotes.

I'll start...

So, as some of you already know, the stories in the I-Team series are fictionalized versions of investigations I really did. Extreme Exposure is close to me — and Kara, the heroine — because I am a single mom just like she is. Trying to balance work and motherhood when you have a high-impact job isn't easy. My kids spent a portion of their lives coming to the newspaper after work, doing homework and eating TV dinners in a special kids room (complete with VCR), while I finished putting the paper to bed. I'm sure I'll be able to make up for it by paying their therapy bills later...

Particularly precious in this novel for me are the scenes with Kara's son, some of which grew out of my own experience of being a mother to two boys and being asked silly-sweet questions like, "Mommy, what does frog poop smell like?"

One of my favorite scenes is when Reece talks Connor into coming out from under the bed. I think it shows the kind of man Reece is. The woman he loves is in bad shape in the next room, but he's focusing on her son, showing Connor strength and offering him security and comfort.

And I'll just confess right now... "Jiggle stick" is a word my older son made up.

Yes, that really happened. More than being embarrassed, I found it funny and shared it with everyone in the newsroom. It became part of a running joke that lasted for years.

Now I'll get on with writing the other Connor's book and leave the conversation to you. Is there anything you want to ask? What are your favorite scenes? And, for those of you re-reading the book, did anything strike you differently in Extreme Exposure this time around?

I-Team Reading Challenge — Talking about EXTREME EXPOSURE

Happy Friday, everyone!

So, how is your read through the I-Team stories going?

Some of you have checked in via Facebook or on the original blog post to tell me how you're doing, and I know a number of you are already done. That amazes me. I sat down to "re-read" Surrender right before Christmas — for research purposes for Defiant — and I haven't made it 50 pages into the book yet.

I thought it might be fun to start with Extreme Exposure and have an informal chat about the story. I can answer questions — for example, "I heard that the scene in the Rio really happened. Do you really talk like that when you're hammered?" — and you can share favorite scenes and quotes.

I'll start...

So, as some of you already know, the stories in the I-Team series are fictionalized versions of investigations I really did. Extreme Exposure is close to me — and Kara, the heroine — because I am a single mom just like she is. Trying to balance work and motherhood when you have a high-impact job isn't easy. My kids spent a portion of their lives coming to the newspaper after work, doing homework and eating TV dinners in a special kids room (complete with VCR), while I finished putting the paper to bed. I'm sure I'll be able to make up for it by paying their therapy bills later...

Particularly precious in this novel for me are the scenes with Kara's son, some of which grew out of my own experience of being a mother to two boys and being asked silly-sweet questions like, "Mommy, what does frog poop smell like?"

One of my favorite scenes is when Reece talks Connor into coming out from under the bed. I think it shows the kind of man Reece is. The woman he loves is in bad shape in the next room, but he's focusing on her son, showing Connor strength and offering him security and comfort.

And I'll just confess right now... "Jiggle stick" is a word my older son made up.

Yes, that really happened. More than being embarrassed, I found it funny and shared it with everyone in the newsroom. It became part of a running joke that lasted for years.

Now I'll get on with writing the other Connor's book and leave the conversation to you. Is there anything you want to ask? What are your favorite scenes? And, for those of you re-reading the book, did anything strike you differently in Extreme Exposure this time around?

I-Team Reading Challenge — Chatting about EXTREME EXPOSURE

Happy Friday, everyone!

So, how is your read through the I-Team stories going?

Some of you have checked in via Facebook or on the original blog post to tell me how you're doing, and I know a number of you are already done. That amazes me. I sat down to "re-read" Surrender right before Christmas — for research purposes for Defiant — and I haven't made it 50 pages into the book yet.

I thought it might be fun to start with Extreme Exposure and have an informal chat about the story. I can answer questions — for example, "I heard that the scene in the Rio really happened. Do you really talk like that when you're hammered?" — and you can share favorite scenes and quotes.

I'll start...

So, as some of you already know, the stories in the I-Team series are fictionalized versions of investigations I really did. Extreme Exposure is close to me — and Kara, the heroine — because I am a single mom just like she is. Trying to balance work and motherhood when you have a high-impact job isn't easy. My kids spent a portion of their lives coming to the newspaper after work, doing homework and eating TV dinners in a special kids room (complete with VCR), while I finished putting the paper to bed. I'm sure I'll be able to make up for it by paying their therapy bills later...

Particularly precious in this novel for me are the scenes with Kara's son, some of which grew out of my own experience of being a mother to two boys and being asked silly-sweet questions like, "Mommy, what does frog poop smell like?"

One of my favorite scenes is when Reece talks Connor into coming out from under the bed. I think it shows the kind of man Reece is. The woman he loves is in bad shape in the next room, but he's focusing on her son, showing Connor strength and offering him security and comfort.

And I'll just confess right now... "Jiggle stick" is a word my older son made up.

Yes, that really happened. More than being embarrassed, I found it funny and shared it with everyone in the newsroom. It became part of a running joke that lasted for years.

Now I'll get on with writing the other Connor's book and leave the conversation to you. Is there anything you want to ask? What are your favorite scenes? And, for those of you re-reading the book, did anything strike you differently in Extreme Exposure this time around?

MTM — Warm up, cuz it's nipply outside

Did everyone get snowed on this weekend? I don't think there were many parts of the country that didn't. It's been a cold winter, so let's warm things up.

I spent my weekend doing what I always do — working on my latest book and dreaming of man chest. I even went out on a foray for sexy chesticles to share with you and found some worthy of inclusion in MTM.

The fellow above has a lot going for him — a sexy chest, luscious, lickable abs and amazing arms. Can you just imagine what those biceps fee like? All that hard muscle and soft man-skin.

Are we getting warmer yet?

I know that some of you prefer a more slender physique on a man and don't really go for the big muscles. Well, here's one for you. Lean, muscular, with natural chest hair. I do love a bit of hair on a man's chest. For one thing, it tells me he doesn't spend all his time in salons preening and getting waxed.


This gentleman caught my eye because he's got gorgeous muscles — and they're nicely oiled. Plus, if you look closely — and I know you will — you can see just a hint of veins. Yes, I said it. Veins.

Are we hot yet?

Some veins here, too, as well as a body to die for. This photo just might be my favorite this week. I'll have to look at them all closely again, study them, consider the variables and make up my mind.

What I like about this gentleman is the balance in his body. Not too ripped, not too thin. He's got fantastic pecs (of course, even my boobs look big if I hold my arms like that), nice chest hair, sweet obliques — but I don't get the impression that he spends every waking hour in the gym. He looks like a man we might have seen on the street — and then pulled into a nice, private alley.




I have a friend who likes to say, "It's nipply outside" whenever it's really cold. And that's part of what made this gentleman stand out. He's nipply. Man-nipples don't get a lot of attention, but I like them. I once read a post on a message board in which a woman went to great lengths to describe what she thought were the perfect man-nipples. I'm not sure what she would think of these, but I'm pretty happy with them.

I hope you're all warmed up and ready to face the day.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Stay tuned for some I-Team Reading Challenge fun!

So many things to tell you!

I have so much to share with you all — some of it very exciting news — and to remember it all I'm going to divide it up into categories, starting with...

Breaking Point

I got home to find a box of bound galleys, also known as ARCs, or advance review copies, on my porch. They don't have the sexy cover, but they do have the words. I won't get my author copies until a few weeks before the book's release. Some of these are for prizes, the rest go to reviewers.

The "Get Out of My TBR, Get Into My Bed" I-Team Reading Challenge seems to be moving along. Thanks to all of you who've signed up. I hope you're having fun with it.

There are two other events of which you should be aware.



The first is a contest that's running on Fresh Fiction. To introduce readers to the I-Team, I'm giving away Extreme Exposure and Hard Evidence in February, Unlawful Contact and Naked Edge in March and two copies of Breaking Point in April. To sign up, click here.

The second is the After the Epilogue Spoiler Chat. I held one of these after Naked Edge was released, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. The event is only for people who've already read the story. It's my way of saying thank you to anyone wild enough about the I-Team to run out, get the book and read it right away. The chat will be held on May 20 at 7 p.m. Mountain Time in a chatroom on Chatzy.com. I'll post the URL immediately prior to the chat. It's your chance to ask me about the plot and to discuss the story with others who've already read it. There will be prizes. So mark your calender!

And now some news about...

MacKinnon's Rangers & Ride the Fire

Someone go get Kristie J, MelissaB and KarLynP...



First things first — The title of Connor's story is going to be Defiant. My editor and I had a long telephone call yesterday evening about the title, the plot (which I changed entirely from what she'd read in the synopsis), and the re-releases of Surrender, Untamed, and Ride the Fire.

Secondly, I've seen the art from the photo shoot for the series — they shot a gazillion photos in a gazillion poses in order to do it while they had all the props in hand — and I'm thrilled. It was only raw art, but they took great pains to be historically accurate and to depict the heroes as Scotsmen who grew up among Indians. They even had the model holding a long rifle and wearing a powder horn.

When the books were first released, they had the exact covers I didn't want with tipis and mountains that you don't even find in Colorado. And what was with that plaid across the model's bare chest? Was that a chastity plaid or something?

The wonderful people at Penguin, most especially my terrific editor, seem genuinely driven to please me with the covers — and to get them right. So that's exciting, too.

And, now for the news that Kristie J, MelissaB and KarLynP will want to read... Surrender, Untamed and Ride the Fire will be re-released with cut scenes restored. And — wait for it — Ride the Fire will absolutely, positively have its epilogue.

Balloons and cake for everyone!

The only downer is this: Connor's book will be the last book in the series. I won't be working on Lord William's story for some time, and only if Defiant does really well and I can talk someone into letting me write it. That's a bit hard for me, because I don't want to say good-bye to the French & Indian War setting or to my Rangers. I really wanted to write Lord William's book. We'll have to see how things go.

I will probably have to plan an extended vacation for after I finish Defiant, because finishing Ride the Fire and having to say good-bye to the Kenleigh/Blakewell clan had me in tears — for six weeks. You think I'm exaggerating. Ha!

That's a lot of news. I hope you got it all — and I hope it excites you almost as much as it excites me.

Now I have a million things to do!

Coming soon:
I-Team Trivia
Breaking Point trailer

P.S. The images above are all lovely creations of Jennifer Johnson. The Breaking Point cover (with an image of Natalie added to it) and the Ride the Fire image are available as downloadable wallpaper on my website under Fun Stuff & Extras, together with other images. Feel free to download and share!

MTM — Straight-up Sexy

Happy Monday!

Today we celebrate men who are just straight-up sexy. I didn't choose them for abs or pecs or biceps or glutes or anything but sexiness. What is sexiness? It's that quality of maleness that makes your belly flutter.

Now, to be honest, I should include a photo of Jed Hill here, but I was afraid maybe you're tired of him. So I went for other images. But he is No. 1 when it comes to belly-flutter here at MTM HQ.

The struck me as very sensual — chiaroscuro, nice definition, and, as the French say, "a certain 'I don't know what.'" Okay, I do know what it is. It's his sexy body, okay? And those nicely filled briefs. It gets the ovaries and the imagination going.


I have no idea what this gentleman is doing, but I want to join in, maybe help him out a bit. He can lie back and think of England while I... Well, I'll keep the details to myself. Feel free to imagine your own scenarios.



When I saw this, I didn't know whether to moan or laugh out loud. The visual metaphor is interesting. I suppose you could take it in a variety of ways. There's the "erection" metaphor. Certainly, one could read "ejaculation" into this image. Then again, he's hot and naked, and water is gushing forth from the wet hole at the core of that vessel.

Um... So, lots of levels of interpretation here. But here's my most pressing thought about the above photo: Someone needs to turn the water off!

This is Eduardo Verastegui, who's name is synonymous with "straight-up sexy." The sensuality of this photo is undeniable. Yes, there's his face with its dark brows, full lips and slightly brooding expression. And there's his smooth, dark skin, the muscular curve of his shoulder. But, hey, there's also just a bit of his fine ass.


MTM will conclude this week's celebration of male sexiness with a photo I meant to include last week but somehow forgot. This is Alex O'Laughlin. Many of us fell in love with him when he was on Moonlight. Now, he plays a ripped Navy SEAL on Hawaii Five-O. His female fans are legion. He's one Aussie who makes me want to go down. Down Under, of course. Get your minds out of the gutter!

So how is everyone progressing with the I-Team "Get Out of My TBR, Get Into My Bed" Challenge?

We're getting snow and sub–zero temps in Boulder today. Tomorrow it will be -19F/-28 C. Brrr!

Stay warm and have a great week!

Vote for NAKED EDGE in AAR's annual reader poll

It's that time of year again — the time of year when All About Romance hosts it's annual readers poll, asking readers to sound off on the prior year's best books.

Participating is easy. Just follow click here to view the ballot, and have fun voting for your favorites. If one of them just happens to be Naked Edge, I would be most grateful. I don't think they have a "Most Surprise-iest Ending" or "Best Use of Limbs" category, but I know of at least one person who voted for it as the best tear-jerker of 2010.

The poll usually has a couple of phases — one in which books are nominated and then the second round when those with the most votes are put up as finalists for readers to choose from. So stay tuned, and I'll do my best to keep you up to date.

Thank you!

This weekend I'm up to my eyeballs in Zach. I have until Monday to get the typeset pages proofread and back to New York. Oh, I wish this book were coming out tomorrow! But it isn't and it won't — until I get the work done.

I'll see you all again when I'm done. In the meantime, head over to All About Romance.

And have a great weekend!