Saturday, September 27, 2008

Association of Mills and Boon Authors - Fiona Harper


People think being an author is glamorous. Believe me, if you saw the way I look most of the time I’m writing (trackies, no make-up, hair in a frizz), you’d change your mind. But once in a while, we get to go out, eat nice food, drink nice wine and, best of all, talk! September 18th was one of those days as it was the Association of Mills & Boon Authors lunch, followed by a ‘Toast to the Authors’ by HM&B.

I arrived at Brown’s restaurant near Leicester Square in London a little early to find a few authors already chatting and, before long, the place was buzzing with romance novelists. Harlequin Romance authors were thin on the ground this year, with only Lucy Gordon, Natasha Oakley, brand-new signing Nina Harrington (and me!) in attendance. I really missed meeting up with some of my other ‘Romance’ friends, but there was plenty of laughter and gossip anyway.

I listened in on an interesting discussion between some Presents authors who were competing as to who had the hottest covers. You realise the difference between the cover art in their line and ours when their heroes get to have bare chests and wear nothing but sheets. My latest hero is wearing a cable-knit sweater. Lovely cover, but I don’t think I can compete in the ‘hotness’ stakes. No, siree. But I could definitely triumph in a cover contest based on the ‘Awwwww’ factor.

Dinner was served in one of the old courtrooms above the main restaurant, complete with judge’s bench and chair. On the menu was:

Warm Goat’s Cheese with mixed salad, fig relish and basil oil

Chicken Breast served with mixed roasted pepper tomato Provencal

Rich Chocolate Truffle with raspberry coulis (and yes, it was as good as it sounds!)

After coffee we had speeches from some of the senior staff at Harlequin Mills & Boon. Karin Stoecker, editorial director of M&B, filled us in on how the various series had been doing in the previous twelve months and outlined exciting future plans and projects. Harlequin Romance seems to have been doing well, and ever since the ‘Brides of Bella Lucia’ series, continuities are still proving popular. The current ‘Wedding Planners’ series is doing well and the wonderful blog the authors have created to go along with it was mentioned.

The launch of the Sony Reader in the UK and the rise of the popularity of ebooks was mentioned by Tim Cooper, Director of Direct Marketing/Digital. I’m very exciteda about the whole thing, because my English Lord, Ordinary Lady is pre-loaded on every device sold in the UK at the moment. Way to go, Harlequin Romance!

There wasn’t much time between the end of the lunch and the start of M&B’s party to toast the authors. Time whizzed by so quickly and I can hardly remember all the people I talked to. Harlequin Romance had some some great achievements to toast:

Caroline Anderson
Caroline Anderson’s 75th book.

Liz Fielding’s 50th book.

Jessica Hart’s 50th book.

A RITA nomination in the tough short contemporary category for Natasha Oakley.

Bookseller’s Best win in the traditional category for Donna Alward.

Here’s to Harlequin Romance going from strength to strength in the next 12 months and I hope we have even more successes to toast next year!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Good news for Romance!

This week we're bringing you some fab reviews of this month's releases - as well as another big announcement!

From our Spotlighter Trish's book The Millionaire's Proposal: "Kerry and Ronan are perfect for each other and I fell in love with these two characters right from the beginning of the story. Bravo to Ms. Wylie for writing a romance that not only has two wonderful characters but also beautiful settings and an ending that will leave you breathless. I truly enjoyed this book and I know that it is one that I can read again and again. The Millionaire’s Proposal is a romance to treasure! " Simply Romance Reviews



From The Bridegroom's Secret by Melissa James: "A well-developed heroine, dynamic conflict and a satisfying ending." Romantic Times



Crazy About Her Spanish Boss by Rebecca Winters: "features a spectacular setting and very appealing lovers." Romantic Times



Texas Ranger Takes a Bride by Patricia Thayer: "One of my favorite kinds of books....western, Texas Rangers, cowboys, ranches....Pat definitely knows how to write my kind of novel." E-harlequin reader review



And now for our other big news....



There's a new addition to the Harlequin Romance family!



Mega congrats to Nina Harrington! Nina's debut book with Romance will be out next summer - for right now she's becoming used to that lovely new term: published author! Be on the look out for more news about Nina's debut release in the months to come.


Welcome to the family, Nina!



TIME IS RUNNING OUT! You only have a few more days to enter Trish's contest to win a copy of THE MILLIONAIRE'S PROPOSAL. Just send e-mail to hrablog@hotmail.com with the subject line TRISH to be entered! The draw is on Monday Sept 30!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Oooh la la! Foreign Releases for September!

Here is a small sample of what translations have been put out recently!

And don't forget to enter our contest to win a copy of Trish Wylie's THE MILLIONAIRE'S PROPOSAL by sending an e-mail to hrablog@hotmail.com with the subject line TRISH. This is Trish's "out of the box" book - Simply Romance Reviews said "Bravo to Ms. Wylie for writing a romance that not only has two wonderful characters but also beautiful settings and an ending that will leave you breathless." You're not going to want to miss this one!

Now on to Romance around the world...


NOZZE ALL'INGLESE di FIELDING LIZ (Italy)

Quando si è messa a organizzare un evento speciale come un matrimonio fiabesco non credeva che la sposa sarebbe stata lei!

Allestire eventi è la specialità di Sylvie Smith e inscenare un matrimonio da sogno le pare una buona idea per raccogliere fondi per una causa benefica. Certo, impersonare la parte della sposa lo rende un po' più personale, anche perché Longbourne Court, la dimora ancestrale teatro dell'avvenimento, un tempo apparteneva proprio a lei. Prima di diventare appannaggio di Tom McFarlane.

Bello, affascinante e ricchissimo Tom ha più di una cosa in comune con Sylvie. Entrambi amano la campagna inglese ed entrambi credono nella chimica immediata tra uomo e donna. Come è successo a loro due, cinque mesi prima...


Utan förpliktelser av Jessica Hart (2 in 1, Sweden)

Ekonomisk trygghet och lugn och ro …

Det är vad Lou drömmer om och anledningen till att hon hasplar ur sig frågan ”vill du gifta dig med mig” till sin förmögne chef efter några glas champagne för mycket.

Spetskantade strumpor och snäva kjolar …

Det är vad Patrick börjar fantisera om när han får en kväll på tu man hand med sin vanligtvis så korrekta assistent. Men hennes fråga överrumplar honom. Visst, med Lou vid sin sida skulle han få en värdinna att visa upp i affärssammanhang, samtidigt som deras överenskommelse skulle ge honom möjlighet att fortsätta träffa andra. Men efter några dagar i Lous sällskap börjar Patrick undra om det verkligen är vad han vill …



Coração de mãe por Melissa James (Portugal)

Amava-a realmente… ou só procurava uma mãe para os seus filhos?

Jennifer sentia uma enorme compaixão pelo seu vizinho Noah e pelos seus três filhos. A mãe dos meninos desaparecera há já alguns anos e para o jovem pai cada dia era uma dura batalha. A única coisa que Jennifer podia fazer era tentar encher de amor e de gargalhadas a vida complicada de Noah e, quando finalmente se soubesse a verdade, ajudá-los a superar a terrível perda.Jennifer e Noah negavam há muito tempo a atracção que sentiam um pelo outro, porém de repente Noah pediu-lhe que se casasse com ele…




LINDA GOODNIGHT - TAJEMNICZY KSIĄŻĘ (Poland)

Carly marzy o karierze detektywa i dziennikarki śledczej, jednak jest zbyt niecierpliwa, by sprawdzać wiarygodność "dobrze poinformowanych źródeł". Gdy kolejna rewelacja okazuje się wyssaną z palca bujdą, załamana Carly postanawia zrobić sobie długie wakacje. Wkrótce poznaje równie atrakcyjnego, co tajemniczego mężczyznę. W ramionach Luca zapomina o całym świecie. Wszystko się zmienia, gdy odkrywa prawdziwą tożsamość ukochanego. Wie, że natrafiła na temat, który wyniesie ją na szczyty, ale jeśli ujawni prawdę, straci szansę na wielką miłość...





Le playboy amoureux / Un choix douloureux de Shirley JUMP, Carolyn ZANE (France)


Le playboy amoureux


En découvrant qu’avant de mourir, son oncle lui a légué sa fabrique de jouets, Carter Matthews ne sait comment réagir : l’entreprise est au bord de la faillite, et va l’obliger à abandonner la vie de playboy qu’il se plaisait à mener… Néanmoins poussé par un fort sentiment familial, il accepte de reprendre les rênes de la société. Et tente par tous les moyens de convaincre Daphné Williams, sa voisine, de venir travailler pour lui. Car non seulement Daphné possède toutes les compétences pour l’aider à remettre l’usine à flots, mais avec son caractère simple et spontané, elle provoque également en lui un trouble incontrôlable, contrairement aux femmes sophistiquées avec lesquelles il a l’habitude de s’afficher…


+ 1 roman réédité gratuit : Un choix douloureuxLorsqu’Adeline découvre qu’elle est enceinte, elle estime qu’il est de son devoir de prévenir le père de son futur bébé… Même si elle se doute déjà de sa réaction…



JULIA HOCHZEITSBAND BAND (3 in 1, Germany)

DEIN HERZ KENNT DIE ANTWORTvon: KATE WELSH

"Möchtest du meine Frau werden?"" Caroline ist hin- und hergerissen: Sie weiß, dass Trey nur eine Vernunftehe sucht, sie hingegen will viel mehr von ihm. Caroline fragt sich: Wird der faszinierende Arzt ihr jemals das geben, wonach sie sich so sehr sehnt?"

HAUPTROLLE: LIEBEvon: TRISH WYLIE
Verliebt, verlobt, verheiratet - so steht es im Drehbuch. Caitlin und Aiden sind die Hauptdarsteller der Realityshow. Kein Zuschauer weiß: Sie haben sich nie zuvor gesehen. Gespannt fragt Caitlin sich: Wie wird der Kuss des gut aussehenden Fremden sein?

AFFÄRE VERBOTEN - HOCHZEIT ERLAUBT!von: MICHELE DUNAWAY

Schmetterlinge im Bauch, weiche Knie und das Gefühl, die Welt versinkt um sie herum: Cecile genießt die zärtliche Nacht mit Luke, den sie gerade auf einer Hochzeit kennengelernt hat. Doch am nächsten Morgen erlebt sie eine aufregende Überraschung: Luke ist ihr neuer Boss ...

Monday, September 08, 2008

Spotlight in Six - Trish Wylie



Please welcome Trish Wylie to the Spotlight in Six this month!

A reader favourite, Trish is here to talk about writing in general and her latest Romance release, The Millionaire's Proposal, in particular.


This book is the "Fall Brides" contribution to the "Bride for All Seasons" series...Welcome, Trish!

Where do you find new and fresh ideas?

In the most random of random places frankly. Magazine articles, line from a song, a scene in a movie, a conversation with a friend. It starts with that small random thing and then has a tendency to snowball…


Writers often use photos of celebrities as 'casting'. Do you do this, and who has inspired some of your characters?


Yup. I do. And I even have a theory all my own to go with it. I call it Backwards Casting and you can learn all about it on the Tips Page of my website. These days I even make up story boards with pics of each scene to help me along. In The Millionaire’s Proposal we had the very lovely Hugh Jackman as my inspiration for Ronan and the gorgeous Emily Deschanel of Bones fame as Kerry’s inspiration… I’m a bit of a fan of the tall,dark and handsome hero so a lot of my heroes have had that combo; Kyle Chandler, David Boreanaz, Eric Bana… go Google them. You know you want to ;)
What are your favourite and least favourite parts of writing a novel? Is there a particular section that you struggle with?

My favorite part is the creative stage.The part where your imagination can let loose and run wild and free. My least favorite is of course that horrific middle section of the story when all you want to do is get to the good stuff but your word count says a big fat NO. It’s probably because it involves discipline – and I parted the ways with discipline the second I could afford to buy chocolate on my own…

When you are not writing, what do you do? How do you pamper yourself?

I’m an outdoors kinda gal so I like to go play with my horses or go for walks with the family’s gazillion dogs by the lakes or take trips abroad and go sight-seeing. It helps to balance out the many, many months I spend locked indoors tied to a computer and immobile barring the hand to mouth problem most writers suffer from. I also LOVE a day doing hair and nails followed by an afternoons shopping and dinner out somewhere with the gals. BLISS.

Imagine you're stranded - where are you and who are you with?
Oooohhh. Anywhere??? Can I be stranded on a Fiji island like the one out of this month’s book? I based it on Turtle Island. Doesn’t it look like heaven on earth??? And I think for conversation, mental stimulation and erm… well… you can fill in the blank here yourself… I’d quite like to be stranded with a cross between Nathan Fillion, David Boreanaz and Tom Welling.

Not asking much, am I? And now we can ALL SEE why I’m still single, can’t we?!

Finally,Trish, please tell us what's up and coming for you in the months ahead!

The Millionaire’s Proposal is the last Romance of 2008 for me, (but I do have a Presents out in the States in December). In 2009 I have a February book for the Romance line titled Manhattan Boss, Diamond Proposal. With a hint of Breakfast at Tiffany’s running through it, the book is one of several Diamond Themed books in celebration of Harlequin’s 60th Anniversary in 2009!
NOW COMES THE FUN PART! For your chance to win a signed copy of The Millionaire's Proposal, send an e-mail to hrablog@hotmail.com with the subject line TRISH! You have until the 30th, and then we'll be drawing! Good luck!

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

September Releases


The Millionaire's Proposal by Trish Wylie

Ronan O'Keefe has everything money can buy. He'd give it all up in an instant to keep the one thing he's losing.

The jet-setting playboy is slowly being robbed of his sight. Alone in New York, Kerry Doyle isn't feeling quite so brave about her trip around the world. Luckily, a millionaire has come to her rescue….

By the time they get to Paris, Ronan doesn't want to let beautiful, bubbly Kerry go. His secret is casting its shadow, but Kerry has lit up his life….



The Bridegroom's Secret by Melissa James
The Wedding Planners

With a glittering wedding to plan, Julie Montgomery is the happiest girl in town. Their engagement party is the talk of Boston—but then Julie discovers everyone seems to know more about her groom-to-be than she does….

Matt McLachlan wants to protect his beautiful fiancée from the complications in his life—he only wants good things for her. But Matt has to learn that marriage is about sharing everything, for better and for worse. Before he says "I do," he has to tell Julie a secret….




Crazy about her Spanish Boss by Rebecca Winters
Count Remi is a Spaniard who is as proud as he's passionate. He works the land of his ancestors and lives for the Soleado Goyo olive estate.

Jillian Gray has gone to Spain to make a fresh start. She's not sure why Remi hires her; it's clear he's a man used to doing things alone.

Amid the silvery olive groves Jillian brings new ideas and a zest for life into Remi's estate. More importantly, she's awakening her brooding boss's guarded heart….

Abby and the Playboy Prince by Raye Morgan

Prince Mychale has come to his mountain château to get away from the world. Instead, the royal bachelor finds himself playing host to runaway Abby and her adorable baby!

Mychale's duty-bound to marry someone of the royal family's choosing. Abby's far from suitable, but to his surprise she makes him feel happy for the first time in years. Abby Donair has taken her sister's baby to her heart with no hesitation, but can she expect a royal prince to do the same…?



Wedding at Wangaree Valley by Margaret Way

Master of Wangaree Homestead Guy Radcliffe is from one of the most revered families in the Outback. Now he wants a wife, and a queue of society beauties are at his door! Alana Callaghan is from the wrong side of town and doesn't fit the glamorous, pampered world of the other girls. But that hasn't stopped her from secretly being in love with Guy for years—even though she knows he'll never view her as wife material. A wedding at Wangaree will take place—but can Alana be Guy's bride?




Texas Ranger Takes a Bride by Patricia Thayer

Mallory was heartbroken when Chase left. She knew his duty was to save those in need, but he didn't ever realize that Mallory needed him most. Now she can only watch as her boy bonds with the man who once stole her heart. Mallory's bright emerald eyes have long invaded Chase's dreams, but now they hold sadness and fear. It's as though she doesn't realize that he's back to claim his bride as well as his son….

Monday, September 01, 2008

August's Winner!

Congratulations to MICHELE PAYNE who has won a copy of FALLING FOR MR. DARK AND DANGEROUS!

Michele your prize will go in the mail later this week!

Come back soon as the September releases will be blogged this week as well.