Please welcome my guest today, author Kylie Brant.

It all began so innocently last summer.  See, there was this photo circulating via Twitter and Facebook–a hot photo of the tattooed bare back of a Navy SEAL.  Being enthusiastic connoisseurs of half naked patriotic heroes, talented authors Alison Kent and Christie Ridgway tweeted away, generously sharing the photo. ;-) But then they got to talking about doing something more.  Something meaningful.  Something that would give back to those brave men and women putting their lives on the line to keep us all safe.  And the idea for SEAL of My Dreams was born.

They set about lining up authors to participate in the charity project and looked into military charities as recipients of the profits.  We eventually settled on the Veterans Research Corporation, a non-profit foundation supporting veterans medical research.

SEAL of My Dreams is a romance anthology that includes stories by a whopping eighteen authors.  Robyn Carr contributed the foreword.  And Belle Bridge Books kicked in the editing and publishing.  It was amazing being part of the project.  It sort of snowballed and the more we got going the more others stepped forward to help out with it.  Can you imagine eighteen authors meeting the same deadline at the same time?  But we did.  Edits and proofs are done.  And the anthology is due for release on Veteran’s Day, 11/11/11.  How perfect is that?

I had a personal reason for wanting to be part of this anthology.  My 87-year-old dad is a World War II vet, retired from the Air Force.  Another reason presented itself last August.  We lost thirty-one Navy SEALs when their Chinook was shot down inAfghanistan.  One of them came from a small town sixteen miles from me.  The project, already well underway, took on a bittersweet aspect.

Oh, and the participating authors?  We’ve got Jami Alden, Stephanie Bond, moi, Helen Brenna, Helen Kay Dimon, Cindy Gerard, Tara Janzen, Leslie Kelly, Elle Kennedy, Alison Kent, Gennita Low, Jo Leigh, Marliss Melton, Christie Ridgway, Barbara Samuel, Roxanne St. Claire, Stephanie Tyler and Loreth Anne White.  So not only are the profits going to a fantastic cause, the stories are top-notch.  I know, I peeked during page proofs, LOL. 

Readers can get a sneak peek at the stories by checking out our website at http://sealofmydreams.com/wordpress .  The anthology is already available for presale on Amazon.  I’m still amazed at how quickly and perfectly the entire thing came together.

And it all started with a photo!

Well, not really a galaxy, although it feels like it’s been lightyears since I was a kid. I was going through some old pictures and found a few that reminded me of some really fun times during my childhood. My great-grandfather on my mother’s side was James Lannen, a first generation Irishman. His family came over during the Irish potato famine in the 1840s and he built this farmhouse on the right in the 1890s. It was the only house on the road at the time, so it was named after him: Lannen Road. My grandmother, Marguerite, and her sister, Julia, kept the house in good shape after he died, going “out home” as often as possible. And it truly was like going home for them, because – not only had they grown up there - they had a lot of relatives and old friends out in the country, all living in the surrounding farms.

My grandmother and aunt were teachers, so the only time they were really free to get out there was just in the summertime. Which was fortunate, because there was no central heat in the house, and all the old heat stoves had been disposed of (they were old and rusty). Life out there was pretty much the same as it was when they were growing up. Besides not having a furnace, we had no phone, either. There were only a few electrical outlets in the house (none upstairs) so we used kerosene lamps. The stove was an old wood cookstove and that’s what we cooked on and what kept us warm when it was chilly. We had a pump for water in the back kitchen – but no running water (yes, we had an outhouse). We also had an old crank Victrola to play records on when we wanted music.

When I was about 10,  Aunt Julia decided to modernize. She put in a lavatory (HOORAY!!), running water, and some more electrical outlets. She added an electric stove and a sink. But we had to heat water on the stove if we wanted it hot.

Marguerite and Julia kept to the old ways – visiting the neighbors bearing baked goods or fresh fruit; going to the old country church on Sunday mornings and walking through the little cemetery where their parents and Marguerite’s husband were buried; making a huge, traditional Sunday dinner (including homemade pies) and inviting everyone for miles to come out to the house for the meal.

And then there were the kids – myself and my cousins. I have about 20 first cousins, and there were times when we all happened to be at the farm at the same time. We never failed to make the most of that when it happened. We climbed trees, took long hikes through the fields, played hide and seek in the cornfields, and climbed around inside the neighboring farmers’ barns (most of them were related, however distantly). We searched for snakes, played in the creek and got more than our fair share of bee stings. We explored the dark attic and all the weird old farm tools and old pictures up there, and we played dress-up with my great-grandmother’s old clothes.

It was great.

I remember a few occasions when there were more than 10 or 12 of my cousins staying over, along with various aunts and uncles, and those times were perhaps the most fun ever. The house has five bedrooms, but the adults always got those. The kids would dig up blankets and pillows from everywhere possible and sleep on the couches in the parlor and living room. Still that wasn’t enough. Some of us ended up sleeping on the floor of the screened-in side porch, pictured here. And when we all woke up in the morning, the fun started all over again.

I’m pretty sure it was my love of those days at the farm that fueled my imagination and gave me the impetus to write hitorical novels. I know first-hand what it’s like to take a bath in a wash tub. I remember having to wait until the wood was burning in the stove before the morning chill left the kitchen. I clearly recall the huge, scary shadows cast onto the walls by the kerosene lamps. And I remember putting on a gray and pink print floor-length dress of my great-grandmother’s and pretending I was a grand lady from a bygone era.

My walks  through the old cemetery holding my grandmother’s hand were fodder for my imagination when I listened to her tell about her lost loved ones. I’d think about all those long-gone immigrants who had come to Michigan hoping for better land and better lives than they’d had back in Ireland.

We’ve still got the old farmhouse – I took these pictures just last spring, and the poor old house is showing its neglect. How about you? Have you still got nostalgic ties to your past?

I’ve recently updated my website, so if you’d like to read an excerpt from Brazen, my November 29, 2011 release, click on over to Margo’s website and check it out. And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter!

As most of you know, my most recent book was Seducing the Governess. It’s the tale of a young woman who, as a toddler, was orphaned and given to a minister and his wife to be raised. Her own grandfather – a duke – had disowned her mother for marrying without his approval. He also disowned her offspring and has no idea where they are. Years later, the duke is dying and decides he wants to see his granddaughter. He wants to include her in his will, which will make her a very wealthy young woman.

Ah, but this is only the beginning. My intrepid heroine, Mercy Franklin, is orphaned once again (by the minister and his wife) and must make her own way in the world. So she takes the position of governess to the niece of a man who becomes earl in his brother’s stead. This man was seriously wounded at Waterloo, his household is a wreck, his lands wasted. The niece is a shy little girl who has already had too many losses in her life. Yikes. Not a good situation for the poor, inexperienced governess. But she triumphs! Yay! She and the earl fall in love.

During the course of the story, as Mercy and her earl are getting to know each other, the grandfather hires a former army sharpshooter (and assassin who works in secret during the war for the crown) to find her. It is Captain Gavin Briggs  who takes on the somewhat perilous task of searching for the granddaughter. The old duke never wanted to know anything about her – not even the names of the people who adopted her - so the duke needs Briggs so scour the country for her.

And while the love story between Mercy and the earl is taking place, it turns out my readers (and my editor) were busy falling in love with Gavin Briggs. So I am pleased to announce that Captain Briggs is the hero of my next book, Brazen – which will be released at the end of next month. In it, Gavin must find Mercy’s sister – who was also abandoned at the same time - and take her to the old duke. But the sister, Lady Christina Fairhaven, has something else in mind. She takes Gavin on the adventure of his life – one that he isn’t likely to escape.

With some series, you really need to read all the books. I recently read The Hunger Games trilogy, which was that kind of series. You couldn’t just stop at #1 or #2. You have to read all three. My Governess book and Brazen stand alone, so it’s not necessary to read both, although I hope you will!  I would love to know what series pulled you in as a reader. Any genre – Lord of the Rings? The Bridgertons? Tell me!

Monikarw is the winner of my drawing from Friday – about the new TV season. Congrats, Monika! Send me your snail mail address (margomaguire@yahoo.com) and I’ll get your book out to you next week!

Doesn’t the new TV season start in September?  With cable shows and reruns and Netflix, I can hardly keep track of what’s coming up. But that’s just an excuse. I admit to being a TV dolt. I never know what any of the shows are or who stars in them. I’m still trying to figure out who the characters are on Grey’s Anatomy. (Pathetic, I know!). There are a couple of shows I try to watch, although it’s rare that I remember to sit down at show time. (Thank heavens for On Demand!) I still have to catch up with True Blood – I think I’m 2 episodes behind because I just got back from 2 weeks in Europe. And I have hopes that Walking Dead will pick up the pace a little bit this season, too. It’s funny that I enjoy watching this kind of show because my writing doesn’t reflect it. I might write in a castle ghost, but that’s as far into the occult as I get! (But I’m not ruling it out for the future ).

Occasionally, I’ll have a little free time and I’ll sit down and surf channels. Usually, I stop at something like NCIS or Criminal Minds. I’ve seen the last half hour of most of those and Law & Order. One of these days, I’m going to figure out when Antique Road Show is on, and maybe record it for when it’s convenient.

My husband and I have been watching a few BBC series via Netflix, and loving them. We saw all of Doc Martin last winter and are waiting for them to film another season. Monarch of the Glen was another one – set on a financially troubled estate in Scotland. In this series, the ‘hipster’ son of the laird has to come home and figure out a way to save it – very entertaining. If you like historical drama, Larkrise to Candleford was wonderful! So was Foyle’s War, a WWII police drama. Who doesn’t love Michael Kitchen??

Best of all for the fall (for me, anyway) is Red Wing hockey. My sons played travel hockey when they were younger, and I was a director of their league, which was owned by the owners of the Red Wings. So I’m a chump for the game now.

 What are you looking forward to on TV this fall? Anything new and interesting coming up? Let me know what you think for a chance to win Seducing the Governess, my latest book.

Please welcome my guest, Kylie Brandt!

Maybe the phrase doesn’t really fit for the first part of August.  You’ll have to excuse my pessimism…being a teacher I can literally hear the minutes of summer ticking away in my head!  We’re like that.   All giddy in June when the summer stretches endlessly before us.  But get a bunch of teachers together on the Fourth of July and you’ll hear us all gloomily pontificating how summer is basically over after the Fourth.  The rest of it speeds by.

 Which of course just makes me more committed to jamming the days with all my favorite things:  sleeping late, long leisurely walks, lunches with friends, boating and traveling. I think the hardest thing about summer winding down is that I just don’t deal well with endings.  And it doesn’t make it easier having to deal with another sort of ending this week.

DEADLY SINS, the sixth and final book in The Mindhunters series comes out today.  Although it’s the concluding installment in the series, reviewers are agreeing that it stands well alone.  (Which is a relief.  I mean authors try for that but we’re not exactly objective!)  The series are dark romantic thrillers, forensics and police/procedural-based.  Each features a different couple that works for Raiker Forensics, a private forensics consulting firm that partners with local law enforcement on high-profile crimes.  But Adam Raiker is a recurring character in each book and this final novel tells his story.

I never set out to writer Raiker’s story.  He was to remain this shadowy enigmatic character remaining in the background.  But I hadn’t anticipated reader response to him. I hadn’t counted on my editor’s insistence that his story be told.

And, quite frankly, I hadn’t figured on Raiker himself, whispering insistently in my ear until his story—all of it—found a home.

Eight years ago Raiker was the FBI’s premiere profiler until his last case for the bureau changed everything.  After saving the victim of a child killer he was tracking, he was captured by the criminal and tortured for three days before finally killing the man and escaping.  His injuries meant his career at the bureau was over.  And so was his relationship with FBI agent, Jaid Marlowe.

But now they are paired together on an investigation that turns out to be the most shocking of their careers.  High-profile human targets are being executed citywide.  The only clues are cards left near the bodies, with one of the deadly sins written on it.  The suspect list is a sensitive one:  an Iranian diplomat, a U.S. senator and a vengeful priest. Their proximity on the case forces Jaid and Adam to admit that the love between them has never died.  But once the killer turns his sights on them, they may never have the chance to explore their feelings.

Do you like second-chance couples?  If so, do you have a favorite?  What about series?  Is there a series that you never ever want to see end?  I’m giving away an autographed copy of DEADLY SINS to one commenter today!

Please welcome my guest, Helen Brenna, a winner of this year’s RITA award for The Moon and the Nightin the category of contemporary adventure-suspense series romance. Congratulations on your win and welcome, Helen!

Ever Googled yourself?  You can admit it.  You’re amongst friends.

I’ll step out on a limb … I have.  Several times, in fact.  The first time was shortly after my first book came out and I was curious if there’d been any reviews.  I was stunned to see a couple of sites actually pop up on the search.  Of course, several of the urls came from my own website, but, heck, I had an Internet presence!  I was someone! Yeehaw!

Then I discovered you could set up a Google Alert and that took all the fun out of it. Until I recently discovered searching on Google Images.  I know.  I’m weird.  But there was reason for this.  I’m not merely obsessive.  Promise.

I got home from the RWA conference in NYC with a ton of emails in my inbox and several were from friends who’d tagged me in photos they’d uploaded to Facebook.  Me being me started to wonder what other pictures were out there tied to my name.  The results still make me laugh.

Oh, sure there were tons of book covers, pictures with friends at recent conferences and even some pictures off my website of photosI’ve used as inspiration for my fictional Mirabelle Island on the real Lake Superior.  But there were some definite surprises.

There’s a Helen Kaminski Brenna who makes hats.  Who knew? And a Lynn Helen Brenna who lives a much more interesting life than me.
 Then there were more Helens:

 And the Brennas:

I have a book out in France?  Cool!!! 

A DNF?  Not so cool.

And who took a picture of me in bed and posted it on the Internet?  Yikes! 

Wait a minute. That’s not me. Oh, yeah. I did a short little post of my favorite thing in the world – sleeping — for a friend’s blog.  In fact a lot of the images were from blogs I’ve posted.

Angelina Jolie and Antonia Banderas in a bathtub?   Huh? 

Again, from a blog I posted for a friend.  Well, at least I didn’t discover someone had taken a picture of me tugging down my undies at the RWA RITA awards ceremony!

So check it out. Google Image yourself and then let us know what crazy things you find.

And in case you’re interested, I have back to back releases in July, August and September.  THE PURSUIT OF JESSE, HER SURE THING and REDEMPTION AT MIRABELLE are all set on Mirabelle Island.  They’re all stories with a lot of heart all set within the backdrop of quaint cobblestone streets, Victorian B & Bs, and horse drawn carriages.

To celebrate my three new releases, I’d like to give away three copies from my backlist today, so check out my website at helenbrenna.com to see which title you’d like.  And many thanks to Margo and all the jaunty ladies for having me here today!

Cheers,

Helen

It’s Mairee! Thanks to all who gave me input on my new Scottish series – I really appreciate it! Mariee – just email me with your contact info and I’ll get your book out to you asap. Margomaguire@yahoo.com.

Margo Maguire has agreed to write two more historical romances for Avon Books. The first one – set in the Scottish Highlands - will be released in September, 2012.

I have an announcement to make. I’ve just agreed to write two more books for Avon, and I’m switching settings and time period. These books will be set in the Scottish Highlands, a year or two after the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. The books will be full of adventure and fiery characters (hey, they’re Scottish, right?) and the first one will be out in September 2012. Which means I need to stop researching and get to the writing part!

But it’s so hard to stop doing the background work. Though I’ve been to Scotland (and loved it!), I’ve never read extensively on Scottish history – just a few bits and pieces here and there when I’ve needed peripheral information for a book I was working on. But now I’m fully immersed.

The evolution of Scotland is a complicated story, with Highland clans and feuds, raids, troubles with England and the borders, as well as friction between the highlands and Scottish lowlands. It’s a fascinating history, one that I hope to bring to life with these two books.

The hero of the first book is going to be a child survivor of the Glencoe Massacre (a nasty piece of work perpetrated by none other than King William of England and his Scottish henchmen to give the Highlanders a brutal lesson). The story takes place years later as he tries to find a secret cache of gold sent by the French to help “The Old Pretender” regain the Scottish crown. The heroine is going to be working at cross-purposes, of course – I think maybe she wants the gold for her own clan.

I’ll let you in on more of the details when I finalize them. For now, I’m learning about my characters – what makes them tick (and what ticks them off, lol). And need to ask you a couple of questions: Should I use a brogue in the dialogue? My thought is that it’s off-putting and difficult to read, but maybe I’m wrong. What do you think? Brogue or no? My second question is for anyone who reads Scottish romances: What draws you to them? The adventure? The colorful characters? The culture? Sean Connery?

I’m going to send a copy of Seducing the Governess (or something else from my backlist) to someone who comments on this question, so let your answers  fly!

Also, just to let you know — one of my earlier books for Avon – The Bride Hunt - is available for a limited time in e-format for $2.99. It’s got a bit of Scotland in it, as a matter of fact! 

I would love it if you would come on over to my website  and sign up for my newsletter to keep up to date on my next release - Brazen – which will be out at the end of November!