Everyone is different when it comes to romance. So I thought it would be fun if we tested our inner romantic this week.

Yes, I have been doing a little cleaning and came across my Harlequin Romance report for 2007. This survey comes from that report.

1) An ideal date with a significant other consists of…
A. Staying home, renting videos and ordering pizza
B. Staying up all night talking to one another
C. Twenty-four long-stemmed roses to accompany a candle-lit dinner, ending with a horse-drawn carriage ride through the park.

My choice: B
I remember when my husband and I were dating…it was so much fun to talk and get to know each other better

2) The perfect gift from your partner is…
A. A DVD player
B. Something made by your partner, whether it’s a card or cookies
C. A love letter read to you by your partner on a bed covred with roses in a room lit with a thousand candles.

My choice B
I’ve always loved impromptu gifts from the heart.

3) You show your partner you love them by
A. Doing his/her tax return
B. Leaving little notes or sending text messages
C. Tattooing his/her name on your arm

My choice: B
Although I prefer short “I’m thinking of you” phone calls to notes or text messages.

4) A song about your relationship would be…
A. A song? No way–that’s too corny!
B. “You Make Loving Fun”
C. “Die without You”

My Choice: ??
I like the idea of having a song…but we don’t. How about you? Do you and your S.O. have a song that’s “yours?”

5) It’s a special anniversary; your plans are to…
A. Do nothing. Why make a fuss, it’s just another night.
B. Take them to their favorite restaurant, followed by a concert by their favorite band
C. Have flowers sent to their house and work, have a limo take them to the best restaurant in town, followed by a private serenade by an opera singer.

My choice: B
But it our case it’d probably just end up being dinner at a favorite restaurant

6) Your partner suggests a romantic weekend getaway; your ideal would be…
A. Cleaning out the basement or garage. “There are too many things that need to get done to waste a weekend going away.”
B. A road trip, driving until you find a quaint little bed and breakfast
C. Taking a couple of extra days and flying to Paris

My choice: B
I’d love a trip to Paris but B seems more relaxing. My husband would probably pick A. lol. If you can’t guess, he’s not much of a travelin’ man.

Please calculate your score

Mostly A…Where’s the Love?
We’ve taken the liberty of calling a doctor because you’ve got no romantic pulse

Mostly B…Professor of Romance…You could write a book on what you know
You do make “Loving Fun.”

Mostly C…Romance Overload
We applaud you for embracing your inner romantic so wholeheartedly but are convinced you’re going to drop from exhaustion.

C’mon, take the survey….there are no right or wrong answers….how did you score….and if you have a favorite song, I’d really like to know what it is!

Congratulations! You won a hardcover copy of Debbie Macomber’s Twenty Wishes.

Please email me from my website and give me your address and I’ll put the book in the mail!

Cindy

Jaunty: I’m back again – and in less than a week! Aren’t you all lucky? Well, we’re all lucky because Margaret Moore is with us today and willing to answer any question I ask. Right, Margaret?
Margaret: Fire away, oh prickly one.
Jaunty: I am so excited about A Lover’s Kiss – it’s a story about a porcupine spy in Regency London, right? We look so dashing in our disguises, don’t we? And I meet a sweet girl porcu–
Margaret: Oh, Jaunty, Jaunty, where were you when I was writing the prequels, KISS ME QUICK and KISS ME AGAIN, and first introduced Sir Douglas Drury? If only I had thought of the brilliant idea of porcupine love! But alas, I didn’t, and went instead with a baronet who’s also a barrister and a lowly French seamstress who saves his life one dark night. On the other hand, my man Drury certainly has his prickly moments … especially when he realizes the woman who helped him is French. So if there are any sweet girl porcupines looking for a romance to read, they might consider A LOVER’S KISS and they can imagine you as Sir Douglas. I’m sure you look dashing in Regency evening clothes.

Jaunty: You bet I do! I have an appropriate costume for every occasion. But back to Drury. What’s he got against the French? I have plenty of French friends. Have you never heard of my dear friend, Monsieur Jean-Pierre Cannette? They are goo, solid porcup … er, people!
Margaret: Being Canadian, I have great respect for the French. However, none of them have ever taken me prisoner and assumed I had information they wanted, so did what they felt necessary to make me reveal it. He has other enemies who aren’t French, though. Equally well known for his prowess in the courtroom and in the bedroom, he’s upset a few people over the years.

But he has good friends, too – the famous naturalist, Lord Justinian “Buggy” Bromwell, author of The Spider’s Web, Lady Diana Westover, author of The Castle of Count Korlovsky and her equally literary husband, Viscount Adderley, as well as the Honorable Brixton Smythe-Medway and his charming wife, Lady Francesca (aka Fanny).

Jaunty: He has a friend named Buggy? I can’t wait to meet this guy. But more about you … You say you’re Canadian? Canada is my home town! What do you do up there in the Great White North?

Margaret: When I’m not writing books, I’m trying to meet fascinating porcupines like yourself. When that doesn’t happen, I pretty much seek solace from the family, read, travel, watch TV and converse with the cats.

Jaunty: Are you an Idol fan? Or Lost? Do you get into those Bachelor shows? I personally do not understand why there is nothing on TV about my breed. Something about rodents not being popular. I can’t believe it!

Margaret: I watch The Amazing Race, Survivor, Chuck, The Office, Battlestar Galactica and reruns of Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. Oh, and America’s Next Top Model and Project: Runway, although I don’t think I’d be watching those if I didn’t watch with my daughter.

Speaking of my daughter, we’ve been ”Philiminated” by the host of the Amazing Race himself (at a TARCon – a gathering of TAR fans in NYC watching the last episode of a season). I don’t know what aftershave the man wears, but let me just say … it’s nice!

Margaret’s daughter and Margaret “Philiminated”

I liked the first season of Lost, but then it got too weird for me, and not even the scruffy Sawyer was enough to keep me watching. I can’t watch medical shows because I start worying I’m coming down with some dread disease. And the forensics shows kinda squick me out. I’ve seen an episode or two of the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows, but I think they focus too much on what I call the props of romance – candles, rose petals, walks on the beach. Show me the couples wallpapering a room or dealing with other stress (other than elimination and competition for a person’s attention) and I’d be way more interested.

Jaunty: The Jaunties tell me you’ve written many books. I was thinking about asking you to name them, but Anne pinched me and said I couldn’t. So maybe you can tell us if you have a favorite kind of hero. Someone prickly, no doubt, with a wardrobe to die for. Right?

Margaret: I hate to disappoint you, Jaunty, but most of my heroes are not snappy dressers. Generally, they couldn’t care less what they have on, as long as it’s appropriate. Of course, they look good in whatever they do wear. Or … ahem … nothing at all.

My heroes generally fall into two categories (and no – not dressed or undressed): the strong, silent type, or the merry gadabout who hides deeper issues. Drury’s definitely the former. And you sure don’t want him cross-examining you in the courtroom.

My next medieval hero, Madoc ap Gruffydd, is a bit of both, depending on the circumstances. When he first meets the heroine, she would say a porcupine would probably be a lot more cuddly.

Jaunty: Darned right.

Margaret: Then Buggy gets his own book, and he doesn’t fit either category, really. He’s a sort of Regency geek who thinks spiders are the most fascinating creatures (until he meets his heroine, of course). I should have had him admire porcupines, but I first wrote about him six years ago when I had no idea how interesting porcupines could be.

Jaunty: I’m not really that fond of spiders, Margaret. [Gulp]. But tell us where we can find you on the web  (nice segue, eh?).

Margaret: If people want to know more about my previous books (and yes, there have been many!), or my upcoming books, they can visit my website at http://www.margaretmoore.com.  I also blog about writing and life in general at http://margaretmoore.blogspot.com. 

Thanks so much, Jaunty.  You’re one heck of a porcupine!

Jaunty: Tell that to the Jaunties, please! I am SO under-appreciated! They are always making me keep my mouth shut!

Because the puppies out there deserve some lolz too.

see more dog pictures

see more dog pictures

see more dog pictures

see more dog pictures

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see more dog pictures

Well, I just finished revising the manuscript I sent to my editor in April (for WILD, my January book). The revisions turned out to be a major piece of work … There was one character my editor didn’t like. He was the heroine’s former suitor, who jilted her a couple of years before. He turns up again, and the heroine (Grace Hawthorne) is open to reviving their relationship. My editor thought that didn’t work well and actually made Grace appear lame, even though it’s the hero who really takes up all of Grace’s attention.

And you know … my editor was right. Sometimes you can’t really see a particular detail as you’re writing, but a fresh set of eyes does. And that’s why I love my editor. (Even though it meant a major re-write). In the new version, Grace gives the old suitor the heave-ho, which makes her look a lot more feisty and independent than she did before. This action sets the stage for all her following assertive acts.

I’ve mentioned WILD before. It’s the book about the earl’s son (Anthony Maddox) who was lost in Africa twenty years before, and returns to England against his will. For all those years, he believed his father abandoned him, so he has trust issues. As a result, he doesn’t really want anything to do with society or claiming his title. He just wants to go back to Africa where he has no responsibilities beyond taking care of himself.

Grace is his grandmother’s companion. And since Anthony is a “wild man” who has been away from society for so long, the grandmother doesn’t want him exposed to society until he’s ready. She ignores his obvious desire to leave England (he is injured and can’t leave right away), and gives Grace the task of “civilizing” him. Grace is not happy about it. She has had a number of disappointments in her life, and has learned to protect herself behind a cloak of complete propriety and impersonality. Anthony throws a wrench into this, especially when they are forced into intimate quarters with one another for the tutoring.

This was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever written. And I’ve seen the cover … it is probably the sexiest one I’ve ever seen, too! I’ll share it with you as soon as I get the OK from my editor. In the meantime, enjoy the beginning of summer – for those of you in the northern hemisphere. And for everyone Down Under, I’m jealous … I love the fall!

I never liked scary movies as a kid. My brother and I hid behind the sofa when the Wizard in the “Wizard of Oz” came on the TV. So how did I end up writing about things that go bump in the night? When I started out in this business, I wrote short contemporaries and sold two to Kensington. They had spunky heroines, alpha heroes and a suspense plot. Then, since I’d always loved the world of Georgette Heyer, I wrote and sold a Regency historical to Dorchester. Once again, spunky heroine, alpha hero and suspense plot. I thought I had this writing game figured out. But my career stalled. The Kensington line I wrote for folded. My editor at Dorchester left and the new one didn’t look at my next submission for over two years. In the meantime, historicals weren’t in great demand and my contemporary plots seemed same old, same old. I was getting discouraged to say the least.

Now I’ve had some luck along the way. And done a few smart things, purely by accident. First smart thing: I joined Romance Writers of America and went to a local chapter meeting. Second smart thing: When an author stood up and announced that she was forming a critique group and interested parties could meet on a Sunday afternoon and bring a few pages, I swallowed my fear and went. This second thing was huge. I hadn’t shown my stuff to anyone before. Well, except to my doting father who thought I was a genius but who had never read any fiction other than Louis L’Amour. This group started as a bunch of totally novice, unpublished writers. Most of them didn’t stick with it. Today, over fifteen years later, only three of the original writers are together. Maybe you’ll recognize the names: Nina Bangs, Kimberly Raye and me.

Here’s where Lady Luck stepped in. Okay, and some plain stubbornness. Because, believe me, Nina, Kim and I had to develop thick hides and shed tears to work our way through some pretty tough critiques to get where we are now. Kim has passed the forty-five book mark now and has a TV series starting on the ABCFamily Channel next fall for her Dead End Dating vampire series. Nina hit the New York Times list and is working on her twentieth book. So when either of these two ladies speak, Gerry listens, usually.

A few years ago, when I was in my slump, Nina began one of her nags. She’s really good at that. She’s made an excellent career by studying the market and deciding that paranormals were the next big thing. Didn’t hurt that she loves strong alpha heroes and vampires are the ultimate bad boys. So she started in on me. “Write a vampire book. I know it will sell.” I resisted. It’s what I do when people start telling me what I should do. I kept sending submissions to editors and agents. Different historicals, another contemporary proposal. Nothing. Zip.

Nina wouldn’t quit. “Vampires are sexy. Women love vampires. Vampire stories are hot right now.” She wouldn’t shut up and kept getting her own contracts for big bucks. Hey, I’m stubborn, but not stupid. Finally, I caved, but was determined to do it my way. I decided I wanted to try it first person. And make it contemporary. Funny. And set in Austin, because that’s where I went to college and there’s a saying—“Keep Austin weird.” It spoke to me. I wrote a first chapter. My critique group, that now included Donna Maloy, liked it but Kim thought it needed something else. She said, “Try making your vampire full figured. You know, like she was bloating on the day she was turned.” That’s when the light bulb went on for me. I wrote like the wind, turning out a proposal and synopsis faster than I thought possible.

Enter Lady Luck again. I belong to more than one Houston area RWA chapter and attended a workshop given by author Julie Kenner. She writes funny paranormals and spoke glowingly of her agent who accepted email submissions. Okay, this wouldn’t even cost me a stamp. I screwed up my courage and emailed what I had to that agent. A week later I had my first agent, a dream agent. The agent who quickly sold my vampire series to Berkley. And the Glory St. Clair series was born. Whew! One writing career resurrected. It wasn’t easy. It’s still not easy. I love writing this series. I get fan mail almost daily. Book 3, REAL VAMPIRES GET LUCKY, hits shelves today and I just finished writing book 4. REAL VAMPIRES DON’T DIET comes out next January.

Some people call what I write “light” paranormal. I don’t. There’s nothing light about what I do. It’s heavy lifting balancing humor, sensuality and suspense. And in a series you have a cast of characters that you have to keep track of from book to book. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had. My next project? I’m thinking of trying my hand at a vampire series set in Regency England. Humorous, of course. I’ll leave the dark stuff to those who are into the scary things that go bump in the night. Me? I’m in it for the laughs.

Gerry is giving away signed copies of the first two books in her series, REAL VAMPIRES HAVE CURVES and REAL VAMPIRES LIVE LARGE. To win autographed copies of the mass market editions along with a Barnes and Noble gift card for $20 so you can buy REAL VAMPIRES GET LUCKY, which hits shelves June 3 in trade paperback size, email Gerry at gerrybartlett@verizon.net. She’ll hold a drawing and pick the first lucky winner by June 5. A second chance winner will be picked on June 10. Put JauntyQuills Contest in the subject line to enter. One entry per person. Good luck!

Jaunty: I’d like all of you in Jaunty land to meet someone special. My new girlfriend…er…I mean the newest Quill to join the Sisterhood: Emily McKay. Welcome, Emily.

Emily: Hi, Jaunty. Thanks for the warm welcome. So … your new girlfriend, huh? I didn’t know that was part of the deal. My husband may have a problem with that. On the other hand, if you wanted to take me on dates to go see chick-flicks without him, we might could get him on board.

Jaunty: Chick-flicks? With adventure and swashbucklers? You know with one small pluck here or there, I can have a rapier in hand any time. Is that what you had in mind?

Emily: Actually my hubby will watch movies with adventure and swashbuckling. You’d be relegated to movies with (gasp!) singing. However I’m sure your, um … sword skills are legendary.

Jaunty: Singing? Porcupines do not sing. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Emily: I suppose I could tell you about my life as a stay-at-home mom and romance writer. However, if I’m going to be a true Quill, then I need to be honest, right? Because the truth is, that’s just a cover. I’m really an undercover operative for the CIA. You remember the Bourne trilogy by Robert Ludlum? Yeah, those were based on my life.

Jaunty: Really? CIA? I don’t know what you’ve been told about the other ladies here in Quillville, but you’re by far the most interesting. *grabs bag of popcorn* Tell us more.

Emily: International intrigue, political coups, espionage. I do it all. I spend most of my non-writing time abroad playing baccarat in Monte Carlo and hunting down spies (and seducing them only when absolutely necessary.) If my critique partner, Robyn, has ever complained that I’m constantly late, this is why.

Jaunty: Oh, you’re Robyn’s critique partner. Hmm…interesting. So what dirt can you give us on her?

Emily: Oh, man, can I dish on Robyn. We’ve been friends for over ten years now, so I know a lot of dirt! Let me tell you about the time … Hmm. Okay, it’s just occurred to me that she probably has more dirt on me than I have on her.

Jaunty: Mental note, ply Emily and Robyn with drinks to divulge said secrets. Okay, let’s move on. How about you just tell us about your latest books.

Emily: My two latest books at Baby on the Billionaire’s Doorstep, April ’08, and Baby Benefits, October ’08. The books are about two brothers, Dex and Derek Messina, who own a diamond mining company. One night they return home to find a baby girl on their doorstep. There’s an ambiguous note pinned to her chest saying she belongs to one of them. But the note isn’t signed, so they don’t know which one of them she belongs to.

Jaunty: Secret babies, now that sounds intriguing. Tell me do you have any woodland creatures in any of these books? What about a secret porcupine?

Emily: If there was a secret porcupine, it was so secret even I didn’t know about it. And no woodland creatures either. Not even any woodlands. But there is a very cute baby girl, some seriously sexy men and a lot of pretty rocks. Both books are set in Texas, where I live. It’s hard to resist a charming, handsome man, but tell me, what woman can resist a man like that who happens to own one of the most lucrative diamond mines in the world?

Jaunty: Billionaires and diamonds. Sounds as if you could get your hands on some money. Oh, which would mean a lifetime supply of pinenuts. Do you like pinenuts too?

Emily: Oh, man, do I! And I can guarantee that if I did come into billions, a fair bit would be spent on pinenuts. Pesto is one of my all time favorite foods–as Robyn can attest–and pinenuts are a major ingredient.

Jaunty: Mmmmm…pesto. I think we might be soul mates. Er….tell us about what else you like to cook.

Emily: It depends on whether or not I’m on deadline. If I’m not on deadline I’ve been known to roast lambs, grill chickens and whip up key lime pies. If I am on deadline, my family is lucky if I scrap the mold off the cheese before making a grilled cheese sandwich. I’m on deadline now, but thankfully hubby has dinner duty tonight, so he’s out grilling steaks, asparagus and fresh peaches.

Jaunty: I myself believe there is not enough praise for the moldy grilled cheese. But roast lamb and key lime pie, while not my favorite fare, does seem to be fancy. Are you always such an elaborate cook?

Emily: Sadly, yes. The more complicated the better. I recently tried to bake a ginger lemon cake from scratch for my daughter’s third birthday party. Yep. Ginger lemon. For a three year old girl. But that disaster is a whole ‘nother story. In fact, that’s many stories. Over time I’ll share them. If I spilled them all now, people would think I’m crazy.

Jaunty: I heard through the grapevine that you are an animal lover. There seems to be a lot of that here with the Quills. But they all have either dogs or cats. Boring pets, if you ask me. So do you have any more interesting critters at your house? Perhaps an armadillo or another small loveable creature?

Emily: I have two dogs and a cat just now. But we live out in the sticks, so there are deer aplenty and yes, even the occasional armadillo. I think one lives in our front yard. But he, um, doesn’t let us pet him or anything. I had a pet snake in college, back when I thought that kind of thing was super cool.

Jaunty: Yeah, armadillos are stingy with their affection, not like us porcupines. So what can we expect from Emily McKay in the future? Any up coming books?

Emily: Baby Benefits, Derek’s story, will be out in October. And then in February I’ve got the second book in the Hudsons of Beverly Hills series from Silhouette Desire. The series should be wonderful and has some great authors involved, including Leanne Banks and Maureen Child. Right now I’m finishing up my book, Wedded into the Billionaire’s Dynasty.

Jaunty: Well, I for one, am glad you’re joining us here to be a full-time Quill. Oh, and Emily, (leans in close to whisper) don’t listen to what the girls tell you about me. It’s all lies.

Emily: Lies? That’s disappointing, because I’ve heard some pretty impressive things about your many charms.

Jaunty: Oh, well, in that case, it’s all true.