Free Online Read: REMEMBER ME, COWBOY

For three weeks Harlequin Romance Author Donna Alward has a free online read happening at Eharlequin! Beginning on February 14, a new chapter will be posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until March 4.

Remember Me, Cowboy

For one shining moment at her friends' wedding, Carrie Walsh was that girl. The one who was radiantly beautiful, confident in the spotlight and at home in the arms of sexy cowboy Logan Creed. So at home that it felt right to follow him outside and kiss him as the snow fell around them.



But Carrie was too practical to believe her fairy-tale moment could lead to a real happily ever after. That girl wasn't really her. And so when Logan asked to see her again, she said no.


Only Carrie did see Logan again—as he was being wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher. He'd fallen from a horse and now couldn't remember the accident or anything that had happened in the past week…including their kiss. Now the only thing worse than his remembering that beautiful night, is if he never remembers it at all.



The story coincides with Donna's current release, PROUD RANCHER, PRECIOUS BUNDLE.

Double the Great Reading!

One of the great things the Romance line is doing is offering 2-in-1 books now and again.  It adds a little variety to the line up I think.  There are a few 2-in-1's coming up over the next few months, and the first one is out this month - MONTANA, MISTLETOE, MARRIAGE* - written by me, Donna Alward, and Patricia Thayer.

The books are made up of 2 novellas, linked by a commonality.  In our case, the stories are about two sisters, set on a ranch in Montana, and at Christmas.  I don't know about you, but Christmas stories make me feel all warm and fuzzy, and this is my first ever Christmas release so it's quite exciting.

The first story, Snowbound Cowboy, is the story of Amelia Hughes, hero Boone Gifford, and Amelia's son Jesse, who is cute as a bug's ear.  It's Jesse's Christmas wish that really kicks things off, but Boone is holding a secret that could ruin it all.  Amelia's the nurturer of the family and she does a darned good job.

My story, A Bride For Rocking H Ranch, is about Kelley Hughes, the sister who hasn't got a domestic bone in her body but is great at running the Rocking H.  She's volunteered to make Christmas dinner though, since Amelia has her hands full with Jesse and looking after their ailing Grandmother.  Mack Dennison is a bit of an unlikely hero for a tough cowgirl, but he's exactly what she needs. 

Of course it all winds up with two happy endings and hopefully a happy sigh for the reader.

If nothing else, writing this book made me hungry.  Mack is a chef and I spent a lot of time looking for recipes, cooking, talking about cooking...I just added a few of those recipes to my website at www.donnaalward.com/recipecorner.htm.

We hope you enjoy our stories in this special 2 in 1 volume!

Winter wishes for two sisters at Rocking H Ranch...

Snowbound Cowboy by Patricia Thayer

Lone wolf Boone Gifford has spent years standing on the outside.  now he's looking at Christmas - through the window of beautiful Amelia Hughes' home.  As the snow falls harder, and the stranded family needs help, it's time for the cowboy to step inside.

A Bride for Rocking H Ranch by Donna Alward

Kelley Hughes is rancher, housekeeper, doting sister to Amelia, granddaughter and aunt - and the stress of preparing the perfect Christmas at Rocking H Ranch is getting to her.  But distraction soon arrives in the form of delectable chef Mack Dennison...




*Titled Mistletoe and Marriage in the UK

RWA National Conference, Washington DC

Last week, hundreds of authors, yet-to-be-published writers and industry professionals took Washington DC by storm when they attended the Romance Writers of America national conference. Seriously- Tuesday and Wednesday the Marriott staff had this glazed, shell-shocked look at the volume of enthusiastic women (and a few men) that had taken their hotel hostage.


It was my first National Conference and boy am I hooked now. What a fabulous time. A lot of that time was spent with fellow Romance authors.
I met Fiona Harper in 2007 at the Association of Mills and Boon Author day, and we were both arriving on the Tuesday so we planned to meet for dinner. What a great idea - from that moment on Fiona and I met for several meals, down time - even sightseeing at the end of the trip.


Over the course of the next few days, I met several Romance authors I had before only known in cyberspace - Shirley Jump, Teresa Carpenter, Susan Meier, and debut author Barbara Wallace. On Wednesday, we all joined our Senior Editor Kim Young and met up with Editorial Director Karin Stoecker, Sharon Kendrick and Lynn Rae Harris for a trip to the Washington Post.


We had a guided tour, and got to sit in on their story conference where the editors of each section meet to finalize what will run on the front page etc. of the following day's edition. I expected a longer, more detailed meeting, but these people are fast, efficient and thorough. One story was swapped out in favour of another...and carry on. Here we all are in the foyer, photo taken courtesy of Sharon Kendrick - who cracked me up every time I met up with her. From left to right: Presents author Lynn Rae Harris, me, Shirley Jump, Barb Wallace, Kim Young, Teresa Carpenter, Susan Meier, Fiona Harper.

Shirley, Fiona and I had dinner together one evening as well, at a cute Thai place with gorgeous summer rolls and soup. Shirley is the QUEEN of shoes, by the way. Pop by her blog for her version of conference....and to Fiona's as well. Fiona had a brand new camera that took wonderful pictures.


One of the nice things was spending time with Kim and Joanne Grant, another UK editor. On Wednesday, several of the UK authors met for a trip to the Smithsonian. Put a group of Romance authors in the same room as the Hope Diamond - AND all those lovely gemstones and we all were finding lovely accessory pieces for our Rita and Harlequin Party ensembles. From there we saw the collection of inaugural gowns of the First Ladies. The lighting made pictures difficult, but lookie here - Fi got a great picture of Mary Todd Lincoln's.








What is Nationals without the famed Harlequin Party? Shirley posted a picture of the two of us by the 60th Birthday screen...and we danced...and danced...and danced... What a fantastic time. I forgot to be self-conscious and totally got my groove on!





Kim and Joanne looked fresh and lovely the next morning when they gave their workshop on "Don't Let The Plot Get In The Way of Your Story". I attended and had several lightbulbs about my own writing that will hopefully strengthen future stories. I didn't get a pic in the workshop, but here are Kim and Jo at the Bookseller's Best Awards ceremony. Congrats to Romance's Myrna MacKenzie for winning the Traditional Category!

On Saturday, I was honoured to fill in for our own Jessica Hart, who was nominated for a Rita for her 50th Romance, Last Minute Proposal. Oh, the glam dresses! The shoes! The list of best selling authors in attendance (I tried not to stare, I promise). There was a lovely reception afterwards.


And then it was over, and Fiona and I kicked back for some sightseeing. We took a trolley tour and had a fabulous time. We explored the Lincoln Memorial, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Memorials, as well as the Capitol, and had a hotdog and lemonade before crossing the Potomac to Arlington. At this point, we had to say goodbye - Fi had a flight to catch and I explored Arlington Cemetery solo. Here is a pic of Fiona and I at the Capitol. As you can see, after several days of "business casual" I went for comfort and sneakers for sight seeing. My feet thanked me.


I came home so tired but with so many great memories of a fantastic first conference!

June Author Post - Donna Alward

This month marks the release of my sixth book with Harlequin Romance, Hired: The Italian's Bride. I loved writing it, I was thrilled when it was accepted and when I received my author copies and read it (I always read them in book form, because somehow they read differently in print), I fell in love with Mari and Luca all over again.

Mariella Ross is beautiful, efficient, and a bit reserved. It's not much wonder - she's got a dark past that makes her wary of most people. But she loves her job - working at a high class hotel in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. She does a fantastic job of catering to others' needs without having to get too personally involved with anyone.

But when the hotel changes hands and becomes the Fiori Cascade, it comes complete with new owner, Luca Fiori. Italian, young, energetic and oh-so-sexy, Luca is determined to break Mari out of her shell.

Along the way, Mari somehow regains her confidence and Luca realizes what he really wants out of life, and it was a wonderful thing, seeing them fall in love. I'll admit, there is a pivotal scene where Mari just GETS it, and writing it I shed a few tears even as I felt really proud of her.

Ok, so I know it sounds silly to talk about her like she is a real person, but as I'm writing, my characters DO become real and most of the time they end up guiding me through the book, telling me what they want most, what they are afraid of, and hopefully in the end, gathering the strength to go after it.

Here's a small excerpt:

“I can’t sleep with you Luca.” It came out on a rush of breath.

A smile teased his mouth. “Perhaps a kiss.”

He was close enough now that she had to tip her chin up to meet his eyes. It was a struggle to keep them open as his fingertips moved through her hair. “Kiss.”

“Surely you’ve kissed before?”

Mari’s insides trembled. She had, but not for a very long time. Not without utter fear.

“A time or two.”

His face was so close his breath warmed her cheeks. Her fingers tightened around the edges of his jacket. Surely, if she could make it through a first kiss, it would all be fine. “Kiss me, Mariella.”

Their gazes held for a second. He was waiting for her, she realized. He understood she’d been hurt and he was letting her make the first move. It was unexpected. She was used to him bossing her around. Now he was giving her the power and it made him even more difficult to resist.

She leaned into his hand, tilted up her face, and with her heart in her throat, touched her lips to his.

For a split second she let them rest there, testing. Their eyes were open, and the connection between them was so strong it rocked her core. His lips were warm, soft, waiting. She let go of the jacket and rested a hand against his heart and she felt the thunder beneath her palm.
The simple movement changed everything. Her breath came out in a rush as Luca’s hand commanded her head, tilting it gently to the side and he opened his lips. Her lashes fluttered shut. The kiss was deliberate but soft, easing into the passion slowly, building the fire with teasing nips.

For the first time since leaving her old life behind, she threw caution to the wind, wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him closer.

The moment she did it, everything changed. His hand swept from beneath her hair and dragged her close. His tongue swept into her mouth and she wilted against him. The jacket fell from her shoulders to the floor of the terrace and his hands warmed her skin as they roamed over the bare flesh of her arms.

Glory.

Hired: The Italian's Bride is out in stores on June 9 and available online from booksellers including eharlequin and Mills and Boon.

Cataromance Reviewer's Choice Awards

Brilliant news!

Three Harlequin Romance titles have been chosen for a 2008 Reviewer's Choice Award at Cataromance. They are:

Last Minute Proposal - Jessica Hart

Falling For Mr. Dark and Dangerous - Donna Alward

The Single Dad's Patchwork Family - Claire Baxter

Congratulations ladies! And check out the full list of winners!

A word about holiday contests....

A quick post today about a few contests going on by your Romance authors during this holiday season....

Over at Myrna MacKenzie's website she's holding several "Countdown to Christmas" contests where you get the chance to win books and grab bags!

And on Donna Alward's blog, join in The 12 Days of Christmas - 12 Days, 12 Authors, and one big grand prize box of books and goodies to be won! (The count is currently at 17 books!)

Spotlight in Six - Donna Alward

This month Romance author Jackie Braun takes the reins and turns the Spotlight on Donna Alward, whose current release is FALLING FOR MR. DARK AND DANGEROUS.

Where do you get the ideas for your books?

Ideas are everywhere. Sometimes I’ll get the idea from a headline or another person and an experience they are going through. For this book, I had introduced the heroine (or at least the idea of her) in earlier books. I wanted to find someone for Maggie that was the exact opposite of what she’d want. And then my husband was talking to a couple of buddies that are Marshals and I asked if they’d give me information, and it all kind of generated from there. I know for my next book I got the idea from watching The Princess Diaries (One and Two, I have girls,lol). My editor called and asked if I could write a cowboy story. Then it was a matter of “marrying” the two worlds together – Alberta Ranch and Mediterranean Royalty!

When you find time to read, who are your favorite authors?

My favourite author of all time is LaVyrle Spencer. There are times I just NEED her so I pull out my very worn copies. I also recently discovered Julianne MacLean. I love her historicals, and I also like a lot of Judith McNaught’s regencies. If I’m reading category romance, Liz Fielding and Lucy Gordon are two of my absolute faves.

Do you ever use real situations or experiences from your own life in your books?

Of course I do! A shocking number of my recipes end up in my books. My characters are always eating. LOL. And little things that happen often morph their way in. I had a lot of people who know me say they saw a lot of me in The Soldier’s Homecoming, especially in the way Shannyn spoke to her daughter. And a scene in The Rancher’s Runaway Princess is straight from an experience with my husband. Only more angsty and pretty, LOL.

When you're not writing what fills up your time?

Motherhood, wifedom, and I tend to enjoy a lot of things and have trouble with the word “no”, so lord only knows where you’ll find me. I stay pretty musical, and unless I’m severely deadlined, I don’t work at night. After 8 p.m. I’m either reading or watching dvd’s. Something completely relaxing.

Okay, Donna, you've asked other spotlighted authors to imagine they are stranded and then to share where that might be and with whom. Turnabout is fair play. So, do tell.

The politically correct answer is my husband. However in the interest of fantasy, if I’m stranded I’m going to be snuggled up in a cottage in the English Countryside. Jamie Bamber will be there. I will be fifty pounds lighter and we will drink wine and talk about very interesting subjects in foreign languages. Of course I probably wouldn't understand him, but would that really matter? LOL

What are you working on now and what other books of yours can we look forward to reading in the months ahead?

January sees the release of THE RANCHER'S RUNAWAY PRINCESS, which was so much fun to write and I cried writing the last third – my husband was working in Hawaii and I was stuck in Canadian winter and typing with a cast on my arm. I absolutely loved how it all came together and wrote the last 17000 words of it in one weekend. Then in June of 09 we have HIRED: THE ITALIAN'S BRIDE which filled my desire to write an Italian hero – only I transplanted him to beautiful Banff and the Rocky Mountains and gave him a damaged heroine who is reclaiming her life.



Right now I’m working on a Christmas novella that is scheduled for the holiday season in 2009, and which will lead into a couple of linked books that I'm really excited about.





Now here's the part that's fun....for your chance to win a copy of Donna's August release, FALLING FOR MR. DARK AND DANGEROUS, just drop a line to hrablog@hotmail.com with the subject line DONNA and we'll draw at the end of the month!

The Annual AMBA lunch

September marks the time of year for the annual AMBA lunch held in London, and since it's a rare occasion that so many authors get together, we at the blog though it might be interesting to our readers to catch a rare glimpse into the one day a year we get to be glamourous. Jessica Hart, one of this year's organizers, has provided a bit of background into what this particular day means, and Donna Alward, who attended from Canada, is supplying the pictures!

Every year in late September a very special lunch is held in London. To attend, you have to be a member of AMBA, which stands for the Association of Mills & Boon Authors. This makes is sound a lot more formal than in fact it is – there are no rules or regulations or membership fees. All you need to join is to have written a book published by Harlequin Mills & Boon. You’d be surprised at how many of us there are around the world! This picture shows us all lunching at the RAF club in Picadilly.

Writing can be very solitary, and the lunch is a great opportunity to meet up with fellow authors who really understand the highs and lows of writing romance. It doesn’t matter whether we’ve written one book or twenty or a hundred, we all know what it’s like!
Inevitably, most of us converge on London from different parts of the UK, but we’re always delighted when overseas authors can join us. This year, for instance, we welcomed Donna Alward from Canada and Carol Marinelli from Australia. (Picture: Romance Authors Trish Wylie, Fiona Harper and Donna Alward)


It’s primarily a social occasion, but we do also invite guests from Harlequin, who earn their lunch by taking part in a Question and Answer session about some aspect of the publishing business, marketing this year. And in the evening, Harlequin Mills & Boon host a champagne reception, a celebratory toast to their authors, which is usually held in one of London’s old gentlemen’s clubs and which rounds off the day in suitable style! This year it was held at the Oriental Club in Stratford House. Gorgeous, isn't it!

All in all it's a day to celebrate who we are and what we do - and we do it in grand style!



Jessica's Outback Boss, City Bride is out NOW... "Jessica Hart brings the Outback vividly to life in this captivating romance that will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone. ... RITA award-winning author Jessica Hart never disappoints her readers with her spellbinding and sophisticated stories brimming with warmth, wit, drama and romance" - Cataromance





Donna's September release is Marriage at Circle M - the follow up to Hired By The Cowboy and "A poignant, heartrending story about romancing and healing. You’ll love strong, protective Mike and cheerful, independent Grace — and wonder how these two can ever reach a happy ending. An emotional read, that belongs on your must-buy list for September." - The Pink Heart Society Reviews

Stupendous September Releases!

It's that time again - when the new month's releases become available!

Check out what ROMANCE has to offer this month...and just save yourself the time and buy ALL of them, they all look SO good....in fact, if you click on the exclusive offer button to the right, you can even enjoy free shipping!


Needed: Her Mr. Right
by Barbara Hannay
Returning from a charity cycle ride through the Himalayas, Simone is determined to finally deal with the dreadful secret she's kept and move on with her life. Until the diary into which she poured her troubled heart is lost…and found by billionaire journalist Ryan Tanner.

Simone's never been able to open up, to get close, and she's immediately suspicious of Ryan. But there's something about him that invites trust. Maybe this beautiful, loving man can help her find the real her. He just might be her Mr. Right in a million.…

Read Excerpt



Outback Boss, City Bride
by Jessica Hart
Meredith West
Likes: coffee shops, nice shoes, London
Dislikes: spiders, the Outback, Hal Granger!

Hal Granger
Dislikes: cool, unflappable, distracting city girls
Likes: one city girl in particular…

Meredith's been forced to take a job on a remote cattle station, with a boss she can't stand! It should be easy to keep things professional—except their office is under the blistering Outback sun, and Hal's work attire is a bare chest and thigh-hugging jeans! Although they're worlds apart, it's getting harder to keep things strictly business…

Read Excerpt



Marriage at Circle M
by Donna Alward
Secrets are hard to keep in a small town…

But Grace Lundquist is determined to hide her pain. Hardworking and always cheerful, she's the town's sweetheart. Everybody loves her.…

Grace knows that one man isn't fooled. When Mike Gardner looks at her, she feels he can see right into her soul. But, try as she might to keep the strong, gorgeous cowboy out of her business, Grace can't douse the spark between them.…

Read Excerpt


Promoted: Nanny to Wife
by Margaret Way
Marissa Devlin has vowed to protect her orphaned half brother—even if it means becoming governess to the daughter of dark, brooding Holt McMaster. Marissa soon feels like a mother to Holt's little girl, but the magnificent cattle baron's guarded heart isn't so easily won!

Holt has battled with trust in the past, so he's surprised to find that having Marissa in his home seems like the most natural thing in the world.

Is it possible that the new nanny may be the perfect wife…?

Read Excerpt


The Bridal Contract
by Susan Fox
Fay Sheridan is facing the bleakest moment of her life. As a fierce storm surges around her, one man plucks her from despair and into safety: Chase Rafferty.

Rugged rancher Chase knows there is a fun-loving young woman hiding inside Fay, and he'll do anything to see her start living again—even propose!

Fay thinks Chase is joking—a convenient business marriage would never work. But as the idea sinks in, the sparks slowly begin to ignite inside her. Maybe now is the time to embrace life and say yes!

Read Excerpt


The Italian Single Dad
by Jennie Adams
An Italian single father, a motherless child…

Bella Gable never wanted to see rich, handsome Luchino Montichelli ever again! They had a brief romance in Italy when she was young and naive, but when Bella discovered Luc had betrayed her, it broke her heart.

Her first love, their chance for happiness…

Now, years on, Luc has come to Australia with his young daughter in tow. This Luc, who looks at his daughter with such tenderness, seems like the man Bella once fell in love with. But can she trust him enough to take another chance on this Italian single dad?

Read Excerpt

Available in bookshops, at www.eharlequin.com, www.millsandboon.com, and of course, the amazons!