Last night and this morning were the best times to watch the annual Perseid Meteor shower. Sadly I didn’t know this until about forty-five minutes after the sun came up and I’m not telling you until … well, even later than that. But the meteor showers last for a couple of weeks and even if we miss the “best viewing” it’s good to know just so we can keep our eyes peeled at night or even–God forbid–get up early and watch before dawn when there’ll be the most falling stars per hour.

At night, instead of the traditional falling star meteor, you can see what astronomers call “earthgrazers” which come in low on the horizon and streak across the sky in a blaze of colored light. Earthgrazers are rare, but if you’re lucky enough to see one, you’ll remember it all your life.

I’ve seen them twice. The first time was about fifteen years ago when the Geek and I were in New Mexico. The Geek was there on business and the hostess of the tiny B&B where we were staying had driven me into town for something. About ten o’clock, out in the middle of nowhere, this bright green light streaks across the sky and vanished just the other side of the hill. I looked at her. She looked at me. “What was that???” we both said at once. Personally, I thinking, “Holy crap, that had to be a alien space ship landing. Everything I’ve heard about New Mexico is true!”

When we made it back to the B&B, I fully expected to flip on the news and hear all about the immient invasion. But no, the Geek explained that what I saw was probably just a meteor. But let me tell you, there was nothing “just” about this. It was spectacular, even if it didn’t result in a battle for the fate of the planet.

This past spring on a family vacation on Grand Cayman, the Geek and I saw another earthgrazer on the drive back to the hotel late at night. The people in the car behind us, missed it completely. It was pure luck that we saw it, but I’m so glad we did. The world we live in today is replete with engineering wonders, technological advances and medical miracles. All that stuff is great, but as world becomes more complex, we seem detached from the miracles of nature.

So take a moment this week to look out at the stars. And even if you miss the meteor shower completely and never see an earthgrazer, just enjoy the beautiful night sky.

Have you ever seen an earthgrazer? What’s the coolest think you’ve ever seen in nature? I’ll pick one poster to win a copy of my September release In the Tycoon’s Debt.

I ran a search on IMDB.com to look for movie quotes about villains and came across the following. “One man’s villain is another man’s hero.” It’s from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and admittedly my experience with Star Trek is bleak at best, but whichever character said these words was oh-so-wise. You could take that one step forward and say that every villain believes himself (or herself) to be the hero in their own story.

I have far more experience with creating swoon-worthy heroes and heroines you’d love to be friends with, but I do know some things about villains. First, they should be as strong as your hero (or heroine, if they case may be). This doesn’t have to mean brute strength, it could be a battle of the wits, but they must be evenly matched or else when the hero wins the reader won’t be too impressed.

Secondly, they need the same elements your hero and heroine need minus one thing. This means they need a believable GMC – they need to be after something for a specific reason and they need conflict. The only think they’re missing is that character arc. They have no growth. That’s the main difference between heroes and villains when you boil it down to the basics. Heroes need to grow and change and villains don’t. (Obviously if you want to turn them into heroes at some point, then this “rule” won’t apply.) I’d add here that you really should focus on the villain’s motivation and make it as strong as possible. If you don’t understand why they do the crazy things they do, then your reader won’t either. Keep in mind that being totally bad, doesn’t mean they’re totally evil. They can have normal, functioning relationships with other people, for example, it’s just when it comes down to what they want and your hero or heroine getting in their way – they just won’t allow that. So they might be protective over their sister, but try to kill the heroine. The same action can co-exist in the same character if you properly motivate them.

There are plenty of wonderful books out there without any villains at all and that’s perfectly okay. But if there is a bad guy, personally I want him to be really bad. Think of John Doe in the movie Seven. He’s methodical and brilliant and so creepy my critique partner actually wishes the movie had never been made. Or consider Cruella Deville, yes, she’s a villainess for a children’s movie, yet still she’s firmly on the disturbing side. What about Voldemort, any redeeming qualities there? Nope, not even a glimmer. Those are the best baddies, in my opinion.

So while some authors will take a baddie from a previous book and then redeem them as a hero in another, that hasn’t been an option for my bad guys. Nope, no reformed villain turned heroes for me. At least not yet.

But I will admit that my latest villain, David Grey, aka “The Raven” truly tempted me in that direction. He’s so deliciously nasty, so compelling, I almost want to redeem him, discover the sort of woman that could soften that black heart of his. Almost, but not quite. For the time being I’ll let him stay within the pages of Seduce Me causing mayhem and all sorts of dangers for Fielding and Esme on their quest for Pandora’s Box. (that’s the inspiration picture for the Raven that I used because how can you go wrong with Alan Rickman?)

How about you? What do you look for in villains? And do you like it when authors redeem their baddies and give them their own happy endings?

**this content originally posted on http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/ on my blog tour.

No matter what kind of work you do, it seems like funny little sidetracks can take you places you never knew you would be going…

About a year ago, I was busy writing a really fun story, my October release from Avon, the cover of which debuts here, today! The story is about Brianna Munro, a runaway bride, who escapes a dreaded marriage and flees to the east coast of Scotland. She hides in what should have been a deserted castle, but -oh no!- its laird, Hugh Christie, is in residence, and he’s in the midst of trying to figure out why his smuggling operation has gone awry.  Obviously, he’s got to get Brianna out of there, because if they’re found together, there will be hell to pay! And Brianna wants out because the east coast of Scotland will be the first place her bridegroom goes looking for her. Unfortunately for them – and luckily for us! – they get caught in a blizzard and can’t go anywhere. I’ll tell you more about the story in a future blog, as well as some of the details that played into writing this book, including why the heroine is wearing a plaid blanket on the cover you see above!

I turned in this story, then started on my next book, The Rogue Prince  (Avon Books, May 2010). I had to do a lot of reading to prepare for this one, because the hero is a young man who was wrongly convicted of a crime in London, and transported to Australia. The story does not revolve around his prison term in the penal colony, but I had to know what kind experiences he would have had, because they would have shaped his personality and played into the story I was about to write.

I actually got a little behind schedule with all my reading and research, but I was finally getting into the writing when an editor from Running Press in England contacted me and asked me to contribute a short story to an extremely popular series of anthologies. They are The Mammoth Books of [blank], and I decided it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, even though it would tighten my schedule even more than it was.

My contribution would go into The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance and will be released in December. Not that I’m a major time travel writer – but I’ve been known to dabble. And it was quite an intriguing proposition, since the editor gave me very few guidelines for this story… only that it had to be a romance, somewhere around 35-40 pages long, and incorporate a time travel element.

Wow. I could do anything I wanted! I used this as an opportunity to flex my creativity, and wrote a sexy little tale with a hero from the year 2743 AD, where sex is nearly non-existent, who returns to modern day Chicago to work out some problems that will influence his time. Of course he encounters our lovely heroine … an exotic dancer! 

I am just putting the finishing touches into The Rogue Prince for Avon, and The Mammoth editor has contacted me again. She’d like me to contribute a story for The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance. This anthology will have tales of Irish gods and Celtic heroes, of faeries and little people, dream lovers, and who knows what else? It’ll be out in January 2010.

As I said… A funny thing happened on the way to getting my regular work done! I yet haven’t figured out what my Irish story will be… but I need to get cracking. My deadline is early next month!

I would love to know what unplanned little sidetracks you’ve taken - at work or personally. I’ll draw one person’s name and send them something really cool: the tote bag I received when I attended the RWA national conference in Washington DC, and an autographed copy of Wild, my January book. 

… is Rainy!

Now, Rainy, aren’t you glad you responded, even though it was late? Hey, it’s always better late than never.

Email me at emilybmckay at gmail.com with your snail mail address and I’ll get the book out to you.

Today’s question is “What have you done for your favorite author today?”

I’ve received several fan letters this week from readers that have recently read–and thankfully liked–my book “Your Ranch or Mine?” that was out in July. I can’t tell you how good it feels to get these letters. Or to go to amazon.com and see that someone has posted a nice review on a book of mine.

For the past year when I read a book I like I either send the author an email from his/her website and tell them I enjoyed the book. Or, I go to Amazon and give the book a good review. It’s my way of spreading joy.

I have a challenge for you this week. Are you up to it? I want you to either send an email to an author and compliment them on a book they’ve written or post a review for a book you enjoyed on amazon.

Then I’d like you to come back here and post a comment telling me how many of these you’ve done. For each review/email you do you’ll get one entry into a drawing for THREE books of your choice out of the group I recently obtained at the RWA national conference. So if you do eight emails, your name will be put into the hat eight times. What a deal! Then I’ll draw one winner from all the entries.

Not only will you have a chance to win some new books, but you’ll bring a smile to someone’s lips!

Recently I read an article in my favorite newsletter, Nutrition Action, about a scientist trying to figure out the whys and how of eating. What it boils down to (in my very un-scientific lingo) is that our bodies have very specific chemical reactions to the foods we eat. No big surprise there. Anyone who took ninth grade biology probably remembers that. But the article made two really interesting points.

1) Snacking releases dopamine, which increases our ability to concentrate. Huh. So when I’m on deadline and I can’t stop eating junk food, there’s a reason for that? FYI, my deadline snack food of choice is Ghirardelli 72% Cacao baking chips. They’re rich dark chocolate, smaller than a Hershey’s Kiss and somehow infinitely more satisfying.

2) The foods that we are most like to crave are those that combine sugar, fat and salt. Those ‘cravable” foods are the ones we fantasize about when we’re not even hungry, even when we’re eating something else. Boy, that sounds familiar to me. I have an obsession with chocolate chip cookie dough. I keep it in the freezer and eat them straight from the freezer. My other big cravable food is something my sister makes over the holidays called White Trash. It’s like Chex Mix on steroids. (Nuts, pretzels, Chex cereal, and mini marshmallows coated in white chocolate mixed with peanut butter. It’s completely yummy and … well, cravable.

Is there a point to all of this? Not really. It’s just interesting to me. I prefer to know why I do the things I do and understanding that maybe gives me more control over it. In my family, we jokingly call my sister’s White Trash heroin. Turns out, we’re not far from wrong. It truly is an addictive substance.

Here’s the funny thing. I feel the same way about romance novels. I think that those of us who are Romance readers have a biologically reaction to reading a romance. Those authors we love are the ones who deliver the most satisfying hit. And when a bunch of readers get together and talk about books …  well, haven’t you ever noticed what we’re like when we get together? We get all excited and over-stimulated. It’s a little like a bunch of addicts getting high together.

Do you agree? Which foods do you crave? Which writers do you crave?

If you respond I’ll put your name in for a drawing for an advanced copy of my September book, In the Tycoon’s Debt.

    I am so happy to be back and, even more, to be staying! I visited in June as a Jaunty Guest blogger and have now been invited back to join the Sisterhood.  So, I’ll be posting a couple times a month and sharing news, info, ideas and opinions about life, love and romance writing with all of you. You are so very lucky! LOL!

    Now, while I wait to get the key to the Ladies’ Room and to learn the secret handshake of the Sisterhood, I thought I’d introduce myself officially to everyone.

    As my bio says, I am the wife of one, mother of three boys (and m-i-l of one daughter) and the dental hygienist to hundreds in the southern NJ suburbs. I’ve lived in small towns outside of Philly my whole life and after am still there. I began writing in high school, but tried my hand at short stories and poetry. That all went by the wayside until about fifteen years ago when I got the first inkling of a story for something that would turn into my first romance novel.

    It was at the same time that I also discovered the online romance writing-reading community and jumped in with both feet — gushing like a fan-girl when my favorite authors posted and learning everything I could from the various boards and workshops — until I had the first draft of my first romance novel completed and ready to submit. And, I met other romance writers and began learning the market and the industry.  I attended my first romance writers conference and met others who heard voices and saw things that weren’t there – a true revelation to me! (I still feel sorry for those people who don’t….)

    That first book was ‘well’ rejected and remains under the bed, but my second book caught the eye of an editor and was published — woohooo – I was a published romance author! Now, I’ve had 20 romance novels, novellas and short stories published with 6 more projects under contract…it’s all beginning to feel real now!

    Now for the nitty gritty info you really need to know — Aquarious, purple or teal(depending on the day), Gerard Butler(always), English Breakfast Tea, s**t, Keeper of the Dream by Penelope Williamson and Isle of Skye.

     If you can guess what all those are and post a comment with the correct questions (ala Jeopardy), I have a couple of books to give away along with an advanced reading copy of my first BRAVA historical romance, A Storm of Passion, coming out in December.

      Thanks to the other Jaunty Quills for inviting me and I hope I’ll get to know all of those who frequent the blog/site much better in the coming months!

Terri’s latest Harlequin Historical, The Conqueror’s Lady, is still available in stores and online, and it launches her ‘Knights of Brittany’ series. Her next release, A Storm of Passion, is a tradesized paperback and will hit the shelves in early December 2009. It is the first of a trilogy set in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Visit her website – www.terribrisbin.com – for more info about her books and events.

I really love the English language. I know it’s kind of an amalgam of lots of languages, and some of the rules and pronunciations don’t make sense. Still, I love it. I love finding just the right word or phrase. I love the sound of it and the rhythm. I love the way people who aren’t native speakers sound when they speak it. I just love language.

What I don’t love are some of those quaint old phrases people use. I guess they’re called idioms. I don’t love some of those.

These are my three least favorite.
3) “Beating a dead horse.”
I understand what it means, don’t belabor a point or don’t go on about something that is already resolved, but it just sounds so horrible. And I’m sure it comes from the days when people used horses a lot more, got frustrated with them, and beat them to death. Why are we keeping idioms about animal cruelty around?
2) “Kill two birds with one stone.”
Again, I understand what it means—to solve two problems at once, but can’t we say it in a nicer way? I’m sure killing two birds with one stone is very difficult and impressive, but why are we killing birds?
1) “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
What? Why would anyone skin a cat? Now, maybe I just like cats more than your average person (I have two), but this seems really cruel. I researched the idiom a bit, and some people say cat is short for catfish in this idiom. Still, what’s with all the killing of animals?

So what about you? Any idioms you think are kind of weird or that you really like?

Ah, the marvelous, Ms. Marvelle. *ensnares her into the nesting lair* Lord of Pleasure, on shelves today, is your second book in your School of Gallantry series. What is it about the school that you love?

What I love about the school and its headmistress, Madame de Maitenon (and her granddaughhter, Maybelle), is how every man is forced to face who he really is and what he really wants not just out of a woman, but out of himself. Although there’s a lot of humor and banter that goes on between the headmistress and the students, there is am underlying question that hovers between all of them. Is it really ridiculous to want more out of life?

Tell us more about this Lord of Pleasure. Is he a porcupine in disguise?

LOL, no Jaunty. The Lord of Pleasure isn’t a porcupine in disguise. And though every man would LOVE to be you, Jaunty, the Lord of Pleasure is just that. A man. An earl, more specifically, who was once a party boy but when his father dies has to take on responsibilities that include the entire estate, his five sisters and his mother (who is like a teenager gone wild….at least from his POV). When he meets the heroine, he is torn between wanting to return to his party boy days and what is expected of him and ends up making not only himself miserable but everyone around him. He learns rather quickly, however, that one must ALWAYS be true to one’s self. No matter what.

And your heroine, Lady Chartwell, Conductor of Admissions…would she admit a poor pining porcupine who could use a few pointers?

Lady Chartwell is a tough cookie and would put you through quite the test to see if you have what it takes to get into the school first. Once she thinks you’re not someone who plans on goofing off, and that you’re serious, she will graciously admit you into the school. From there, you’ll meet other pining individuals who need a few pointers themselves. I’m sure you’d fit right in and have a lot of fun!

I’m speaking of a porcupine friend, of course. One who could use a few pointers. Not me.

Of course there are other porcupines needing a few pointers!!! I would have NEVER thought you needed pointer, Jaunty. You tell them if and when they decide to enroll discretion is completely in place. So they don’t have to worry about the porcupine ladies ever finding out.

No, really.

I TOTALLY believe you Jaunty. Really.

I am a philandering porcupine with mad porcupine skillz.

*pets Jaunty* You have me TOTALLY convinced. Totally.

Ahem. Moving on. What attributes bring Hawksford and Lady Chartwell together even as they push against the attraction?

The bottom line is that both Lady Chartwell and Hawksford, though they try not to admit it, they are both very lonely individuals who have experienced a different side of life that most people would never understand considering the strictures of society. They learn to appreciate and love one another for who they really are and not what society expects them to be.

Sounds porcupinelicious! It was a lordly pleasure interviewing you, Ms. Marvelle. I can’t wait to continue to read all about how this school works. So I can tell my friend. Oh, and give this to Lady Chartwell, if you please. *slips Delilah his card* For my friend, of course.

Jaunty, I will take *his* calling card and put in a good word for him. Grin. Thank you for the fantastic interview! (Grabs both sides of his face and kisses him soundly on the lips….because that’s the sort of girl, Ms. Marvelle is…)

I just turned in a new book to my editor today. It’s the second book in a six-book Silhouette Special Edition continuity called “The Baby Chase” that will kick off in January 2010 with author Marie Ferrarella. My book, “The Family They Chose,” will follow Marie’s in February.

Right after my editor invited me to contribute to “The Baby Chase” series I learned that Pyro Boy’s conference was in Boston — the same city in which my book takes place. So the Boston leg of our vacation was part research trip – especially since I’d never been there before and wasn’t familiar with the city Silhouette had asked me to write about.

The “Bean Town Trolley,” (which I mentioned in my post last Friday) turned down a street with some incredible inner-city mansions (which the tour guide mentioned ranged in price from $10 million to $26 million) The moment I saw the house in the photo above, I knew I’d found my hero and heroine’s home. Knowing where they lived, gave me a good sense of the city and how they lived.

“The Family They Chose” is about a married couple struggling with infertility issues. The hero comes from a wealthy, powerful family, but when he and his wife realize they can’t have a baby and the emotional fallout threatens their marriage, it soon becomes clear that money can’t buy the most important things in life.

More on “The Family They Chose,” and “The Baby Chase” series as release dates draw closer.

In the meantime, have you ever wanted something desperately, but it remained just out of your grasp? How did you cope? Did you give up or did you find a way to get it?