Monday, August 30, 2010

Foreign Releases for August

Ecos del desierto/Mar de arena por Barbara McMahon


Desierto, diamantes… y el destino Para Bethanne Sanders, estar cerca del apuesto jeque Rashid al Harum bastaba para transportarla al séptimo cielo de la felicidad. Pero no podía olvidar que su relación sólo era una fachada, porque todo el mundo sabía que los jeques árabes no se enamoraban de las chicas normales y corrientes de Texas.

Las perfectas facciones del jeque Khalid al Harum quedaron marcadas para siempre por un fuego incontrolable. Atormentado, buscó refugio en la idílica costa de Quishari donde, una medianoche, conoció a la hermosa Ella Ponti. Pero, ¿cómo podría conquistarla cuando los implacables rayos de sol revelaran las cicatrices de su rostro?
 
EXOTISCHE ONTMOETING / PARADIJS AAN DE KUST



NICOLA MARSH, CAROLINE ANDERSON


Exotische ontmoeting


India, met zijn verrukkelijke keuken en exotische kruiden, heeft kookboekenschrijfster Tamara altijd al gelokt. Na een nare ervaring in de liefde besluit ze de Taj Mahal eindelijk eens te gaan bekijken. In de trein erheen wacht haar een verrassing. Uitgerekend de beste vriend van de man die haar bedrogen heeft, blijkt aan boord te zijn. Hij wil haar graag troosten, maar zit ze wel te wachten op de aandacht van deze playboy?

Paradijs aan de kust

Na een lange afwezigheid komt David, succesvol hotelmagnaat, terug naar Engeland. Op zoek naar een onderkomen, ontmoet hij alleenstaand moeder Molly, die een bed and breakfast wil openen. Het huis moet alleen nog opgeknapt worden. Gewapend met verf en plamuurmes stort David zich op de renovatie. Wordt hij misschien haar eerste gast?

Un père pour son bébé - Claire Baxter

Abandonnée par son petit ami, dont elle porte l'enfant, Lyssa part quelques jours en Italie pour faire le point. Un séjour qui prend bientôt des allures inattendues de parenthèse enchantée. Car son guide, le ténébreux Ricardo Rossetti, est loin de la laisser insensible. Tandis qu'il lui fait découvrir les splendeurs de son pays, il lui révèle aussi et surtout la femme qu'elle est. La femme épanouie qu'elle pourrait devenir. Déjà, Lyssa ose rêver d'un grand amour. Mais peut-elle croire à l'impossible, alors qu'elle est enceinte de l'enfant d'un autre ?




UN PARTY PER SOGNARE - UN ROMANTICO FUTURO



di HARPER FIONA, MORGAN RAYE

UN PARTY PER SOGNARE di Fiona Harper

Finalmente un nuovo lavoro! Ecco cosa pensa Ellie quando conosce Mark, manager musicale di successo. Lui non è affatto male, e questo non guasta e, soprattutto, è una miniera di idee. Come quella di incaricare Ellie dell'organizzazione di un party per lanciare l'idolo musicale del momento. Se poi ci mettiamo un'isola favolosa, il chiaro di luna e un'irrestitibile attrazione tra i due, la coppia in questione è pronta per un amore a lunga scadenza.

UN ROMANTICO FUTURO di Raye Morgan

Strana cosa quella successa a Marco: un vero e proprio black out mentale. Le sue ultime due settimane di vita sono avvolte nelle nebbia. Ma non è così per Shayna che ricorda perfettamente i quindici giorni d'amore vissuti con lui. Pochissimo il tempo per rimettere insieme i pezzi della sua vita, ma alla fine Marco ritroverà Shayna, il bambino che aspetta da lui e una meravigliosa vita che li attende dietro l'angolo.


Mãe por acaso por Jackie Braun


Notícia: revelado o segredo do menino!

As instruções que a jornalista Mallory Stevens recebera eram muito claras: expor os segredos do desconfiado apresentador de rádio e solteiro mais cobiçado de Chicago, Logan Bartholomew, e não se apaixonar loucamente por ele.

Todavia, quando a sua relação passou do aspecto estritamente profissional ao pessoal, Mallory descobriu, atónita, que ela também tinha um pequeno segredo…

Friday, August 20, 2010

Romance Writers of Australia Conference

Romance author Nikki Logan gives us the low-down on the conference Down-Under!

Romance Writers of Australia celebrated their 19th annual conference at Coogee Beach, Sydney, over the weekend of 13-15 August.


Like the US, conference is a big date on the Australian calendar and anticipation starts building from new year. So the first day of conference was thrumming with energy.

I've cherry-picked a few of my favourite workshops to highlight.

Well known Australian radio/television presenter, standup comedian and now author, Wendy Harmer, gave an inspiring presentation for the published author group about writing romance/rom elements within Australia's east-coast literature scene in which her work has been simultaneously derided and applauded and the extra scrutiny of her as a popular, public figure. Funny, fast-paced and entirely irreverent.

Wendy was preceeded by Dr John Barletta, an amazing and engaging psych professional who analysed the state we all aim for with our writing. We call it being in 'the zone' but in psych terms it's called 'flow' - that place on an aptitude continuum where skill and challenge and engagement hover in perfect harmonic suspension and allow us to fully immerse in our work and be uber-productive. The good news? You can
train yourself to get there.

The screenwriter of Australia's massively successful television drama series 'UnderBelly' chatted to us about her scriptwriting process but more particularly about the challenges of fictionalising 'true crime' - not the least managing the expectations of research subjects who come from Australias leading violent crime families.

Debora Dixon held a full house of pubb'd and unpubbd writers enthraled with all things GMC with a Heroes Journey chaser. Deb is a fantastic presenter and her talk was informal and comfortable.

Vicky Lewis-Thompson spoke on the virtues of 'feeling fear but doing it anyway' and forcing yourself out of your comfortzone with an hilarious range of OMG bad-dream moments in publishing. It was a wonderful equaliser for everyone in the room who'd ever said something dopey in a lift or walked into a pitch session with their dress bundled into their knickers.

We enjoyed a ten strong panel of US and Australian publishing reps and agents and compared their opinions of the status of the international industry, then split down into individual workshops.

I'm always a particular fan of specialist sessions at conference - where you can see and hear things that you normally wouldn't have access to. One of my favourite sessions was by a forensic specialist from the New South Wales' coroner's office; while graphic, it was very honest and open and took participants through some of the most familiar and shocking parts of being a coroner.

Right afterwards we had a fantastic session by a weapons and defence specialist and his team of 'meat-men' who came along to teach us everthing we wanted to know about staging fight-scenes. He showed us how you can make a weapon from nothing, what kinds of blades work best for different situations, how to strangle, buckle, take down an assailant. Amazingly eye-opening (I may never go outside again) but wonderful for our stories.

Every year RWAus runs a charity fundraiser lunch on the final day of conference. This year it was a Silver theme for ovarian cancer. 250 women (and one man) managed to raise over $10,000 for development of an early detection system for Ovarian Cancer thanks to an amazing $5K donation from Harlequin Australia.

All in all a fabulous conference with a high level of new participants. RWAus conferences just go from strength to strength. All speakers acknowledged the very high level of support, comraderie and positivity at Australian conference and this year was no exception.

Roll on 2011...

And a big congrats from the PHS to all the R*BY award winners:

Short Sweet:
Sharon Archer 'Marriage Reunited: Baby On The Way'

Short Sexy:
Amy Andrews 'A Doctor, A Nurse: A Christmas Baby'

Long Romance:
Sophia James 'Mistletoe Magic'

Romantic Elements:
Tracey O'Hara 'Night's Cold Kiss'



*this post appeared on the Pink Heart Society on Aug. 18

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Pop out the Champagne for Jessica Hart!

Major congrats to Romance author JESSICA HART!  Cinderella's Wedding Wish took top honours in the Traditional Romance category of the National Reader's Choice Award.  The winners were announced at a special ceremony at the Romance Writers of America National Conference held in Orlando, Florida.

Way to go Jessica!

Sunday, August 01, 2010

August Releases

Maid for the Single Dad by Susan Meier


To: LizHarper@HappyMaids.com

From: EllieSwanson@HappyMaids.com

As my boss and best friend, could we have a chat when you're next in the office? I've got a dilemma….

My newest client is single dad Mac Carmichael, and he's really hot, but very difficult to figure out. I think I'm falling for him!

That's not all. He's asked me to be a live-in nanny as well as a maid! I don't know much about family life—especially the ultrawealthy type. Help!

Ellie x

Read Excerpt


The Cowboy's Adopted Daughter by Patricia Thayer

Alex Casali cut ties with his roots long ago. Now he's a Texas cowboy. But even a Stetson can't disguise the Italian fire in his eyes.

Hired to run a quilting course at the A Bar A ranch, Allie is appalled when a brooding cowboy accuses her of trespassing. Manners make a man, and strong single mom Allie wants nothing to do with arrogant Mr. Casali.

But when her little daughter utters her first words in a year to Alex, Allie begins to wonder whether there's more behind his smoldering gray eyes than she first thought.

Read Excerpt


Doorstep Twins by Rebecca Winters

Gabi Turner is on the Greek island of Milos to find Andreas Simonides—the father of her late sister's baby twins.

CEO Andreas is more comfortable chartering his yacht than pushing a pram. But he knows who the real daddy is—his brother!

Waiting for his brother to arrive, Andreas is soon changing nappies and singing nursery rhymes. Andreas thinks he and Gabi make a good team, but what will keep them together when the twins are reunited with their father?

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Cinderella: Hired by the Prince by Marion Lennox

Struggling cook Jenny works hard hiding her painful past behind fresh-baked muffins. Until a handsome stranger offers her a way out of her drudgery: a job on his yacht.

Jenny is drawn in by Ramón, and together they sail into the sunset. It could almost be perfect…. Until Ramón reveals he's not a humble yachtsman but a secret prince—next in line for the throne.

What future could a simple small-town Cinderella have with a crown prince?

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Inconveniently Wed! by Jackie Braun

Waking up in Vegas with a hunky man by her side and a gold band on her finger, impulsive Serena thinks this might be one snap decision too far! She sneaks out of the honeymoon suite and back to her single life….

Politician Jonas must have been bewitched by Serena's beauty and passion to propose after just one date. It could spell disaster for his campaign—unless he can convince her to make their hasty marriage last a lifetime!

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The Sheikh's Destiny by Melissa James

With his war-torn kingdom in tatters, Sheikh Alim El-Kanar is injured, alone and believes he has no future. Until beautiful nurse Hana saves his life and gives him hope.

Hana thought her duty would be over once Alim recovered, but then he asks her to pose as his wife! Hana knows it can only be for show—she can never truly be the sheikh's wife. But destiny has other ideas….

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