I’ve been both dreading and anticipating December 1st this year. Dreading, because I am just finishing a book that my editor is expecting tomorrow, and I got a late start on it. Anticipating the date, because Brazen is out today!

The hero in Brazen appeared in my last book, Seducing the Governess. He is Captain Gavin Briggs, the man who was promised a fortune if he tracked down and found the two long lost granddaughters of the Duke of Windermere. The year is 1817, and Briggs is a former marksman and assassin in the British army. All he wants to do is find the granddaughters, collect his money, and settle down on a small estate he’s already picked out. He wants peace. He wants quiet. He wants to forget the ugliness of war.

But then he tracks down Lady Christina Fairhaven, the second of Windermere’s granddaughters, whose husband died in the arms of his mistress the year before. It was an appalling situation for everyone – especially Christina. But she cannot dwell on her late husband’s peccadilloes – not when she’s being blackmailed for outrageous sums of money. A nasty, deviant character has already demanded one payment to keep some horrible secret about Christina’s supposedly deceased brother, and now he wants more. Christina wants to believe her brother is alive, even though all evidence points to the contrary. She intends to confront the blackmailer on her own and demand that he tell her what he knows.

Enter Gavin Briggs. Christina recognizes he is a man with some savvy of the world and she coerces him into helping her deal with the blackmailer. Gavin knows you cannot deal with this sort of criminal, but what choice does he have? He can either toss Lady Christina over his shoulder and drag her back to Windermere against her will… or he can help her.

Here’s what Romance Reviews Today says: BRAZEN is a mix of romance and adventure with an added dash of humor. About three quarters of the way into the story the suspense is tremendous. The characterization is excellent as well. Gavin served in the war with distinction, but not without some misgivings as to whether his ordered actions were truly honorable. He’s also more soft-hearted and worthy than he believes himself to be. Christina discovers she thrives on independence after the disaster of her short marriage. Watch her grow in confidence!

To read an excerpt of this book, visit my website.

For a little sneak peak at what happened to Christina’s brother on the night he disappeared - Brash is a short story that gives some clues. It’s available for electronic download only.

Tell me what your favorite hero-heroine scenario is. Marriage of convenience? Strangers stuck together on a common quest? They meet again after a long separation? Something else?

I’ll pick two names from today’s comments and send each one a copy of Seducing the Governess.

Hello avid quillers!

Remember I mentioned that young adult project I worked on under the name Ivy Adams? (Ivy Adams is Tracy Wolff, Shellee Roberts and I.) Well, yesterday Ivy launched her Around the World in 80 Kisses blog tour. I’m posting the info below in case any of you are fans of YA or have a young adult in your life who loves to read. Or just wants to enter for a chance to win the Kindle Fire.

So what do you think of blog tours? Do you love ‘em, hate ‘em, or couldn’t care less?

As a special treat, I’ll send a free Emily McKay book to everyone who posts here and on the Ivy Adams smooch stop today!

Also, be sure to check our super cute book trailer (which I could not figure out how to put directly into this blog. Sorry!).

One of the shows I watch from time to time as part of my Trash TV diet is Millionaire Matchmaker. (I know, I know.) One of the things that strikes me is how bad people can be at making a first impression. Bad conversationalists, badly dressed, bad makeup, too much drinking. It’s astonishing to me that these people, who pay a lot of money to meet that special someone, are so TERRIBLE at interacting with a potential mate. This is, of course, what makes the show so much fun.

I often say to McIrish, my sainted husband, “I would be great on this show,” at which point he sighs in a martyrish way and doesn’t contradict me. See, I’m a romance writer. I think about relationships all day long! And so, I feel that I have a few pearls of wisdom to offer men and women who are out there looking for love.

DRESS CODE

Yes: Neat, clean, gender-appropriate clothing that fits both the occasion and your body.

No: The white dress that fit you twenty pounds ago and those shoes that sent you to the ER with a broken ankle. And save the stripper outfits for later! Say you are, to use a word I believe I invented, boobalicious. Congratulations! Boobies are great. But less is more, especially on Date One with a Potential Spouse. (Men may disagree, but I’m sticking with this). Do you want your future husband to tell your kids, “One look at Mommy’s ta-tas, and I was a goner.” No. You don’t.

CONVERSATION

Yes: Generic questions that everyone can answer. For example: What kind of books do you like to read? Do you have any siblings? Where did you grow up? Have you been to the movies lately? Do you like animals?

No: How many children do you want? Can we start naming them now? What’s your favorite position? If you could do any celebrity, who would it be? Do you think I should get a nose job so I can look more like Brad Pitt? No. We’re not going there. Not on the first date, oh, no.

Very Important Note: Listen to answers, then ask more questions related to said answers! You don’t want to interrogate this person with rapid-fire inquiries that makes it seem like you’re checking off a list. Neither do you want to respond with the vacuous stare accompanied by the bobble-head nod. You want to have a conversation! “Oh, you read thrillers? Who are some of your favorite authors?” or “You like baseball? Me, too! Don’t you think Jeter has the best butt in the game?” Wasn’t the Cardinals’ victory this year just the best Cinderella story?” But Kristan, you might say, what if I don’t know anything about the topic? S’okay. Be honest. “I can’t say I’ve ever watched an entire game. What is that you like about the sport?”

Another Very Important Note: Avoid one-word answers. If I ask, “Do you like animals?” and your answer is “Yes” and that’s it, I suspect you have emotional problems. Likewise, I don’t want you to prove to me that you love animals more than animals have ever been loved. “Yes! Yes, I love dogs, oh, my Lord of the Rings, there goes the cutest Yorkie, let’s chase it and see if we can lick it!” This makes you a nut-job, even in my dog-loving perspective. The best answer gives some but not all information: “I do like animals. I have a cute little mutt named Willow.” The fact Willow expressed her anal glands on the vet’s shoes… I’m gonna keep that to myself for a while.

MODERATION:

Yes: “I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay and the fettuccini.”

No: “I want a double vodka martini, straight-up, the 40-piece Lava Fire buffalo wings, a side of baby back ribs, extra fries and a triple dipper combo for starters.”

Down, big fella. Sure, sure, we all love people who love food. In moderation. You are not Attila the Hun, after all. Order food that’s not a challenge to fit into your mouth. That’s what private time is for.

CHEMISTRY

No: “Oh, my dear Lord in heaven, I don’t even have to TALK to this person, I just KNOW he’s THE ONE!!! Quick! Get me a book on baby names.”

Yes: “I find this person quite physically attractive! Yay! Now I shall engage in conversation to see if the personality matches what my pheromones are telling me.”

The big kablammy is great. All it means, however, is that you find this person physically attractive. But kablammies can be sneaky, too. Sometimes, you have to wait for the kablammy. Give this person a chance. He or she might grow on you.

What do you think, gang? Any other tried and true advice of the first date? Leave a comment, and I’ll give away a copy of TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, in which Grace has more than her fair share of doozies.

I’ve got a couple of fun things happening these days.

First – I’ve got a contest going  on here  http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=3775a at Fresh Fiction. The prize is a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.

Second – I just released a novella that’s connected to my newest book, Brazen. It’s called Brash, and it’s available here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006AXT1VA and also  through Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords for only $0.99. It’s a bonus story – only very loosely related to Brazen.

Last, but not least – my newest book from Avon – Brazen – will be out this Tuesday. I’m pretty excited about it because it follows up Seducing the Governess. Each book stands alone, but Brazen tells the story of Mercy’s sister – the second child disowned by her grandfather, the Duke of Windermere. This heroine is Lady Christina Fairhaven and hers is a completely different situation, because she was adopted by a people who were quite unlike Mercy’s adoptive parents. When Captain Gavin Briggs locates her and tells her he’s going to take her to her grandfather (so that he can collect a very generous reward) she has another plan, a totally different agenda. He is in for the adventure of his life!

I hope you’ll give it a try!

I have to admit it–Thanksgiving is a tiny blip on my radar. It’s not that I’m not thankful, really, it’s just that to me the holiday season doesn’t truly start until the day after Thanksgiving. You know, when I don’t have to sing Christmas songs under my breath anymore because my husband might become the ol’ “it’s-not-even-Thanksgiving-yet!” Scrooge. The truth is that I’ve been ready for Christmas ever since Halloween was over. I have my Michael Buble, Straight No Chaser, Harry Connick Jr., and Louis Armstrong Christmas CDs, and I’m ready! We already took out all of our Christmas decorations yesterday, and in the next couple of weeks we’ll venture out on the new family tradition of taking SuperGirl and WonderGirl to get their Santa picture taken together. The most fun? Guessing who will be crying and who will be smiling (or–as SuperGirl did last year–who will be showing their diaper as they try to escape from Santa’s lap).

But as we get into the holiday season here in the March household, one of the things I’m really looking forward to this year is making our gifts meaningful. When I was growing up, I was blessed to always have something underneath the tree come Christmas morning. In fact, my parents went wild–it seemed that the more presents spread out and piled up on the tree skirt, the better. And my husband’s family seems to be that way, too. As they say, giving is better than receiving, and our families have certainly held to that tradition. But I’ve decided (and am trying to convince Mr. March) that we need to change this tradition in our household. Instead of our children receiving a quantity of presents, I’d like them to receive meaningful gifts. Last year I stumbled across this in relation to Christmas gifts, one family’s chosen “rule” of gift-giving:

“Something you want

Something you need

Something to do

Something to read”

Each person in the family only received four presents for Christmas (and I know that might still seem a lot to those less fortunate), and I like this because to me it doesn’t teach children that Christmas is about extravagance. There’s the “something you want” category–maybe this would be a dollhouse. “Something you need”–the ever celebrated package of socks? “Something to do”–I love this one. I’m thinking maybe a board game, that the whole family could play together. And my favorite? Of course, the last one: “Something to read.” If every family at least had this requirement for a gift, it seems to me that we’d have a lot more readers in our society than we do now.

What about you? Does your family do anything special in terms of gift-giving during the holiday season? Do you have family traditions (such as giving each person a pair of pajamas)? What do you think of the 4-gift saying above?

At this time of year, we’re all thinking about how thankful we are for good health, family, friends, financial security, good food, and more. I am thankful for all of those things, but most of all, I am thankful my parents instilled in me a love of learning.

The other day Baby Galen and I were looking at a book and talking about the different shapes. By which I mean, she was pointing to a picture of a shape, and I was telling her the name. She would get so excited to learn a new shape. When she learned oval, she ran around the house looking for anything oval she could point to an practice her new word.

I know Baby Galen is not the only kid like this. I see toddlers and pre-schoolers act like this all the time. They are so excited to learn and incredibly enthusiastic about gaining new knowledge. Their brains really do seem to be endless sponges that just soak and soak and soak up everything they see and hear.

But, as a former teacher of middle and high school, I can tell you this love of learning does not last. Most seventh graders do not rush into class excited to learn about pronouns. Most high schoolers do not pick up The Taming of the Shrew and exclaim joyfully.

So what happens? When does learning become something to be dreaded instead of something fun? I know teachers try to make it fun. I know I did, and I often succeeded. And I know I also had to say, “School isn’t always fun. Sometimes it’s work.” But I didn’t do anything to make learning shapes fun for Baby Galen besides introduce the book and spend time looking at it with her.

I won’t say I always enjoyed every class. I certainly never found the Pythagorean Theorem or the laws of physics exciting. But I did have a basic love of learning all through school, and I still do. The other day I was writing a new proposal and used the word castrati. I needed to look it up to make sure I was being historically accurate, and of course, that meant I had to read lots of articles unrelated to my tiny mention of the word and even listen to a castrati sing.

I didn’t need to do any of this research. One click would have answered my question. But I love learning. I wanted to know more. And I want to thank my parents for spending time teaching me new things, answering all my questions, and helping me find the answers when they couldn’t. I know the subjects dear to my heart weren’t always the ones they would have chosen for me, but they always supported them.

And for that I’m thankful.

This might be a little heavy for the day after Thanksgiving, but what are your thoughts on learning? Why do kids start to dislike it? Why do those who retain their love of learning keep it?

The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills would like to wish everyone a warm, happy Thanksgiving with all of your favorite people and dishes. Jaunty wishes pine nuts for everyone!

The winner of my giveaway is Laurie G. Laurie, email me at JanetteKenny@gmail.com and let me know which book you’d like in my Presents backlist. You can view the list on my website.

As many of you who follow this blog or read mine during this time of year, November is a very strange month for me — filled with the very best AND worst of things.

The bad things? My dad died on Thanksgiving in 1976. I was diagnosed with kidney cancer in November. I broke my back (for the second time!) in November. The good things? My third son was born in November. My first book was published in November. I was cured of cancer in November.

It’s a real up-and-down time of year for me. But, with Thanksgiving right in the middle of it, I do find myself trying to focus on the good things and to take time to be thankful for them.  And this year is no different so I thought I’d share a couple of them with you:

1) I’m thankful for my health — I just hit my five-year-cancer-free date so WOOOOHOOOO!

2) I’m thankful for all those writers who continue to inspire me and whose work keeps me happily reading for hours and hours.

3) I’m thankful for my writing colleagues who cheer me on when I need it, support me when I’m down and point me in different directions when I need to turn or move. I’m thankful for their creativity and their constant friendship.

4) I’m thankful that I’ve had the chance to share my stories and my characters with readers.

5) I’m thankful for my readers who give me their time and attention and let me know how my stories have affected them.

and 6) I’m thankful that I found the Jaunty Quills, or that they found me, and invited me to be part of this wonderful community!

As you gather with family or friends this week to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, what will you be thankful for? Share it with me. . . .

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!   

Terri

   Terri is also thankful for those people who have won blog or chat prizes and have waited patiently to receive them — she hopes everything will be on its way in the next couple of weeks! In the meantime, she’s also working on her next Harlequin Historical novel (a return to the MacLerie Clan and the Highlands of Scotland!) which will be part of a 2012-13 trilogy. Visit her website for more info about her and her latest releases!

The winner of Nicola Cornick’s book, Desired, is Alie. Congrats! Check your email inbox.