Today is the release day of Cowboy Come Home, the final book in the Lost Sons Trilogy.   This was the first time I’d written books that had a common thread throughout with an additional separate from the love story resolution in the final book.  It was a challenge to write each one, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.

 Here’s the series blurb.

 Three unlikely heroes…  Orphans nobody wanted… 

 As boys they believed nothing could shatter their bond.  As men they swore to  forge a new life in the West.  Then betrayal and distrust ripped their family  apart. 

 They never believed three independent ladies would show them a thing or two  about family…  About trust…  About love.

 Ideally I would have loved it if these books would have released closer together.    But that wasn’t in the publisher’s plans so each book released about a year apart.

Each book does stand on its own as well and the first two could be read out of order without giving away too much. Honestly I’m thrilled and saddened to see this series end because I really fell in love with this trio of misfit brothers.

But from its inception, Trey March, the hero of Cowboy Come Home was my favorite.  He  was the baby abandoned on the steps of the orphanage.  He was the unwanted boy with the  most internal pain.   He was the man with a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas.

He wanted no ties.   Nothing that could hurt him again.  Yet one woman sneaked past his  defenses.  One woman whose jaded history with him could destroy the one strong bond he’d cherished all his life.  Could a cowboy without a name and a woman who couldn’t remember hers forge a  future together?  Could love heal both their wounds?

Tell me what you like about connected books.  Do you read them as they are published or  wait until you have them all and do a reading marathon?

I’ll give away a couple of prizes to two commenters:  1) autographed copy of A Cowboy Christmas or In a Cowboy’s Arms, and 2) an I “heart” Cowboys cap or t-shirt.

Order Cowboy Come home from Amazon!

Contact Jan to request bookmarks or Romance Trading cards for individual books or the trilogy!

I love fairy tales.   Love the grandeur and the magic of it all.

There is nothing quite as riveting as the classic theme of good vs. evil, with good always prevailing.   They speak to our wildest dreams and scrape talons over our deepest fears.

They encompass a beautiful pallet filled with danger, passion, romance and of course, the happy ever after ending.  My love of fairy tales is one reason why I was so drawn to writing romantic fiction

As an author, I am the god of my own mythical world. I can dream up my characters, their setting, their clothes, their journey to find the one element missing from their lives while forcing them to face and triumph over the thing that terrifies them most.

Now I’m not a big TV watcher.  But when ABC came up with the idea to base a TV show on the Disney-esque fairy tales I love, well I could hardly wait to see the premier.

Once Upon a Time trailer.

Once Upon a Time takes the fairy tale characters most of us know from their enchanted world of happily ever afters and plops them into Storybrooke, Maine.    Oh, and they don’t remember their world or who they really are.

So tell me did you watch?   What show have you looked forward to seeing this year? Have you been pleased or disappointed?

Incentive shopping is everywhere.  Retailers are offering some sort of reward program for shopping with them, and who can blame them for wrestling each other for your shopping dollars.

The majority offer a key ring card and/or one similar to a credit/debit card that can be swiped at checkout.  A certain percentage of your purchase price is then added to your “reward card” for money off the next time you shop.

This new wave goes far beyond the cash back and mileage points offered by many major credit card companies.  It’s eons away from the old store bonus cards where the clerk literally punched a card for dollars spent.  So many punches would get you a free item from the store.

So if these incentive cards are so great for business, why aren’t they being applied to other things, like our monthly bills.  You know, if you pay your heating/cooling bill off before the due date, you get reward points.  So many points you get free electric or gas. Just saying it could work…

Yeah, yeah, I know. Save the giveaways for the good stuff like ice cream, jewelry, shoes and books. Oops, those are my weaknesses!

What incentive would draw you into a store? What are the come ons and gimmes that make you cringe?

The winner of Lavinia’s Kent’s first novella, and a T-shirt, is Catslady. Congrats! Thanks to all who entered.

Catslady, please contact Lavinia through the contact form on her website www.laviniakent.com/contact and she’ll get your prizes to you. If you have trouble getting through, email me at JanetteKenny@gmail.com and I’ll forward your information on to Lavinia.

First let me thank the Jaunty Quills for having me as part of my What a Duke Wants Blog tour.  It is great to be here.

As usual when I am going to write a blog, I spend some time reading through recent blogs on the site to see what people are talking about. The first thing I read was Kristin Higgin’s “Ten Things” post.  I was impressed by her ability to come up with all those things we didn’t know about her – but more than that I was impressed by her honesty in confronting a question she found difficult. (I personally am always happy to talk about what readers don’t know about me:  the only foods I truly don’t like are sea slugs and tripe; I’ve seen baby turtles hatch in Trinidad; I am trying to learn to walk in high heels after years of not wearing them.)

The question I always dread is, “Tell us about your book.”  This is not a good question for a writer to dread.  You get asked it at your first writing group, you are asked it by agents, by editors, on blogs – and of course by readers.  I know writers who have wonderful two-sentence answers that make me instantly want to read their books.

Me?  I stumble.  I ramble.  I wish I were doing anything but having to answer the blasted question.

Now, I love my books.  Each one is my baby and I want only the best for it.  So why can’t I talk about my books?

I want them to shine.  I want everyone to read them and love them as much as I do.

Originally, I thought the problem was that I didn’t have a high concept, a clever theme that would instantly draw editors and readers to my books.  And then this summer I had my concept, a set of novellas entitled The Real Duchess of London – a mixture of Bravo’s Real Housewives and the Regency.

Only, it still wasn’t easy to talk about.  I had a great first sentence and then I was stuck.  “Well, ummm, they’re Regency historicals mostly about well, ummm – they’re reconciliation stories.”

Even I know that is not going to grab anyone’s attention.  It really made me think.  I love my characters.  I spend time thinking about the plots and know they are well planned.  I work hard combining realistic relationships with the passion and heat that my readers want.

So why can’t I answer that simple question?

And then it hit me.  I don’t think about my books in words (although clearly that’s how I write them.)  They are always movies in my head, full of color and action.  I am so busy seeing them that it is hard to slow my thoughts down enough to describe them.  When I am writing them, I always feel that I am typing as fast as I can, trying to transcribe what I see in my head.

That still doesn’t help me answer the question.

And so I come to the answer to most difficulties in life – practice and preparation.  It may never be easy for me to describe my books, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do it.  I have to do it.

And so . . .

Lavinia, can you tell us about What a Duke Wants?

Sure, I’d love to.  What a Duke Wants is the story of a duke who doesn’t want be a duke and lady who ran away from society long ago.  It is a story of mistaken identity and true love. 

My hero, Mark Smythe, the new Duke of Strattington, is on his way to London for the king’s coronation.  He is preoccupied with learning how to be a duke, as he had never expected to inherit his uncle’s title.  When he meets a young baby nurse, Miss Isabella Smith, he is delighted that she does not recognize him, and enjoys the freedom her company offers him.  When he is with her, he can simply be himself – not the duke.

As they travel toward London, stopping at the same inns each night – with only slight planning on Mark’s part – they slowly form a deep attachment and the beginnings of a great passion.

But, of course, no romance can be that simple.  I am leaving out the blackmail, accusations of murder, Isabella running away for a second time, a masquerade ball, a disapproving older brother, a scandalous sister, a loyal best friend, two more dukes, hot, sensuous interludes, and dancing with a very cute kitten.  To learn more you’ll just have to read the book.  I have an excerpt posted on my website – http://www.laviniakent.com/excerpt_duke.html.  It has the best first line I’ve ever written, so I do hope you’ll take a peek and check it out.

I am offering a signed copy of my first novella (or a Kindle copy if you’d prefer) along with a What a Duke Wants t-shirt to one lucky commenter.  So please let me know what your favorite first line is.  (And no going with “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . . .  I can’t handle the competition.) 

Thank you all for having me.  I look forward to chatting.

Lavinia

Winner will be announced in a separate post.  Please check back to see if you’re the lucky winner!

Part of my day job revolves around scheduling appointments for patients. While a lot of them are done over the phone, there’s a steady stream everyday of patients making their next appointment while in the office.

A lot of people just schedule randomly, take an appointment card reminder, and call to reschedule if there’s a problem. Many note their appointments in their smart phones right then and there, while a good deal still use weekly or monthly appointment books to keep track of theirs and family members’ events and appointments.

I used to be in the last category until I bought an iPhone. It was so much simpler to note appointments electronically and have the added feature of an alarm that can be scheduled from two days to minutes beforehand.

It’s great. When it works. I’ve noticed lately that every time I “sync” my phone to my computer, something goes screwy.   Hmm, what’s with that?

So tell me, what is your surefire way to keep track of appointments and family schedules? If you use your phone, have you noticed any glitches with appointments staying put? Any problem with accidentally deleting scheduled stuff?

Soon, Kathryn Smith’s photo wll be replaced by a silhouette (we miss you, Kate!). Kathryn’s writing is taking her in exciting new directions, and her schedule coupled with blogging was just too much.  While we hated to see Kathryn go, we’re thrilled to bring another great author on board as the latest Jaunty Quill.

Her name is…

Well, I can’t tell you yet.

All of the Jaunties are excited about this author and we can’t wait for her debut blog.  But we’re not going to tell you who she is right away. We’re going to let you guess! And the best part is we’re going to reward you for guessing!

So Ta-Da!!!  The Guess the Jaunty contest begins September 1st and runs through the month of September.

Here’s how it’ll work.  Our secret Jaunty Quill will blog periodically in September, giving you hints as to who she is. Each time she blogs, we want our readers to post a comment guessing her identity.

Everyone who guesses will be entered to win a gift certificate for $50 to Amazon.com. Those who guess correctly will also be entered to win a signed copy of a book from each of us (that’s 12 signed books!). In the unlikely event that no one guesses correctly, the first person who is randomly chosen from our secret Jaunty Quill’s posts will win and get to choose her prize.

Fun, huh?  We’ll reveal the new Jaunty’s name, and the winners on Sunday, October 2nd. So visit us all through the month of September, and don’t forget to comment on all of those Guess the Jaunty blogs to enter the contest!

Oh, one last hint, but promise you won’t tell the other Jaunties I’m telling you this.  Are you one of Jaunty Quills’s Facebook friends? Jaunty, our resident porcupine mascot, has all the inside scoop. Friend him for additional hints and for the head’s up on when a Guess the Jaunty blog is coming.

Good luck everyone!

The winner of Jane Porter’s contest is Na. Please email me at JanetteKenny@gmail.com with your full name and mailing address so we can get your book and goodies mailed to you.

Thanks to all who entered and commented.

It’s my pleasure to welcome Jane Porter to the Jaunty Quills. Flirting With Forty aired as a Lifetime movie staring Heather Locklear.  Her latest modern lit is She’s Gone Country, and A Dark Sicilian Secret from Harlequin Presents is out now. 

I spent an amazing week in Sicily this past April and it was one of my favorite trips ever.  I went with my family and absolutely fell in love with Sicily’s history, architecture,  culture, and warmth.  We had perfect sunshine all week and each day began with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice…red orange juice from the blood orange.  I don’t think I’ve ever tasted juice so sweet and thinking back, that’s what I remember…

We also visited Mt. Etna, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, while in Sicily and just this past week, there was news that it had erupted.  That blows my mind because I was walking around on it  just a few months ago. 

There’s just so much to see and experience in Sicily.  The sun.  The blue sky.  The sparkling sea.  And sweet, ripe, juicy oranges.

I was raised in a farming community in Central California, with three different orange in our garden and I loved how Sicily was all about fresh produce and fish and the most delicious pasta.  Sicily has the same earthiness as my home town which made me feel right at home… and it’s the perfect romantic setting!

I’ve written two books set in Sicily, one set in the northeast near and around Palermo, and one on the west coast around Catania, and I will definitely write more now.  Sicily is magic!

Jane will giveaway a copy of The Sicilian’s Defiant Mistress, a $10 gift card from Starbucks and fun Jane Porter goodies to one lucky commenter.   The winner will be announced on Sunday in a separate post.

Visit Jane’s website for information about her current projects, her backlist and exciting news.

Carole is the winner of Caitln Crews novel, The Disgraced Playboy. Please send your full name and email address to me at JanetteKenny@gmail.com and I’ll forward on to Caitlin.