“Is it time yet? Is it, is it time yet?”

Those words from last year’s holiday hit “Toy Jackpot” sum up the excitement of the next 10 days, don’t they?  I remember the way my kids would whisper those words throughout the days leading up to that wonderful moment on Christmas morning when they would charge down the steps to see what Santa had left them under the tree.

And then those minutes of wrapping paper hysteria and screams of joy, empty boxes and packages flying all over were followed by hours of trying out all the new games, toys, Legos, racing cars, or whichever was the toy-of-the-year present. The anticipation of the days and weeks before melted away in such a short time.

So, here we are, in that time of build-up and preparation when our hopes are high and our wish-lists are still growing. There’s still a chance that the one thing we want the most will show up on that magical morning under the tree. Or that the one person we most want to see at this special time of year will return home or visit.

What am I looking forward to? Well, I’m still trying to pull off a few Christmas surprises. I’m very good at “Christmas lying” – which is the only time I condone lying — and have managed to surprise my family with various presents that were in short-supply or hard-to-arrange. My habit began years ago during the Cabbage Patch kids phenomenon and continued until the last few years and I’ve arranged a secret Christmas cruise and found a Wii when no one had them. (That Wii involved LOTS of Christmas lies, but my son forgave me for those when he opened his present!)

My most enjoyable moment on Christmas is just having my kids home, opening presents and eating a BIG breakfast that includes a couple of their favorite foods and hot tea. Sounds simple but it usually is the simple things that bring joy.

And how about you? What are you looking forward to on Christmas? Any favorite family traditions or gatherings? Or something new? Do you use an Advent calendar? Do you have a favorite meal? Post and let me what builds your level of anticipation!

  Terri is taking part in the Harlequin Historical Authors’ Holiday calendar and will be featured author on Thursday, December 15th — but anyone reading this can enter a bit earlier than everyone else using this link!  And Terri is thrilled that the first two books in her MacKendimen Clan trilogy are now available in digital formats – A LOVE THROUGH TIME and ONCE FORBIDDEN can be found on the major online booksellers.

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!

When my first book came out, well, even before that–probably when I began my journey into the world of writing and publishing, I had an idea of what REAL authors did in their lives. I’m sure it’s close to what anyone outside the world of publishing thinks….

The glamorous author rises in the morning to a freshly-steeped cup of tea and fresh croissant, made by her cook, and takes a few hours to read her piles of fan letters (hey, this was before everyone did email!), freshen her appearance into something glamorous, sort through her personal things and then she would approach her typewriter, word processor, secretary, etc. to begin creating the wonderful stories she writes.

An hour or so later, she would break for lunch (something glamorous made by her cook – and cleaned up by the housekeeper/maid/someone other than herself) before returning calls to her publicist, hardworking agent and her adoring publisher. In the afternoon, she would go shopping, to the spa, hair/nail stylist, work with her personal trainer, etc. before returning to write a bit more before calling it a day–creatively speaking.

In the evening, a car would arrive and whisk her off to some glamorous dinner before she attended a sumptuous event or theater or signing attended by throngs of adoring fans who would clamor for her autograph. After that, she would be driven home (which had been cleaned by someone else) and go to bed, resting after such an exhausting day. . . .

Are you laughing yet? Yeah, I believed in the fairytale and thought that every author with published books MUST live that way. . . and I kind of wanted it, too.

And then my first book was published and I learned the truth — especially about women authors — very, very, very few of us ever live that glamorous life! Instead, we do what most all women do — we ADD writing and being published into our already-full lives. We ADD the hours at the keyboard, the hours of self-promotion, the hours of editing and revising, the hours of researching and all of it into schedules filled with outside-or-inside-the-house jobs, family, husbands, partners, children, extend family obligations, other commitments and on and on.

We multi-task endlessly. Each day is far from glamorous.

BUT. . .

I wouldn’t change it for the world!

And every so often, I get to do something that definitely was part of my idea of glamorous-author-life. Like going on a Levy bus tour of New England and having people arrange everything. Or signing at BEA (Book Expo America in NYC).  Or being interviewed for a newspaper or magazine article. Or meeting fans — maybe not throngs but each one is great!

Or, like coming to the Isle of Palms, staying in a sumptuous beach house and surrounding myself with writers doing writerly stuff.

No one to take care of — other than myself. No one to ask me to run to the store. . . or do laundry. . . or make copies. . . or anything. I may not have the personal assistant yet. . . or the private secretary or cook, but sitting here, watching the sun move across the sky and the waves roll gently onto shore, I can pretend those things! LOL!

  Of course, the biggest thrill for an author is seeing her books on sale and I guess I’ve been thinking back to that first book — A LOVE THROUGH TIME — which was released THIS WEEK in 1998. Coincidentally, I’ve republished it in digital formats just this past week! So now, 13 years later, it’s available to a new audience of readers — something every author dreams about.

So, what’s the one thing you would do if you were living the glamorous life? what would be your guilty pleasure — if you could afford it? Travel? Help around the house? Weekly massages?  Add a comment here and I’ll pick out someone to receive something special…!

Terri is thrilled to see her first time travel and historical romances coming back ‘on the shelves’ for a whole new audience of readers. A LOVE THROUGH TIME was released in digital formats on November 1 and the second of the MacKendimen trilogy ONCE FORBIDDEN will be released soon! Visit Terri’s website for more info about all her books and upcoming events — of the glamorous and un-glamorous type!

I attended the New Jersey Romance Writers Conference last weekend and had a wonderful time. Inevitably, published authors chat about what’s going on in the publishing industry and talk comes around to effective methods of promoting ourselves and our work/books to readers and potential readers (AKA you!).  Over the last couple of years social media like Facebook and Twitter have been increasingly growing and authors are being told to be there and to have a presence so that we can meet and ‘friend’ readers, fans and potential readers. Some publishers even give tutorials about how to use these social media for those authors among us who just are not comfortable being in the public eye and at interacting with the public at the fast pace of the internet.

   Interestingly, a tidbit of information shared in one of the discussions was that social media and an author’s presence there does not bring about sales of books.

Apparently, posting and following and tweeting doesn’t seem to sell books or cause readers to run out and buy them — for other than the very biggest of the big-name authors. The rest of us get lost in the mix. Although readers like to chat with us on FB and Twitter, and follow us through our days and share our posts and photos with others of their friends, they don’t go out and buy our books due to seeing us there.

As a reader and a fan,  it was interesting to me. I do follow some of my favorite authors, but those are authors whose books are already on my auto-buy list. I don’t read anything on FB that makes me buy those authors, I follow them because I already enjoy them and their work. But surely, not all readers do this too? LOL!

So……that brings me to my question of the day — do you follow authors you already enjoy or do you begin to try new authors through their FB or Twitter postings? Do an author’s posts make you try out their work? Or are the authors you follow your auto-buys? Let me know what you think and I’ll pick two posters and give them each a $10 giftcard to Amazon or iTunes for sharing!

   Terri is working hard to get her time travel romances (previously published by Berkley/Jove’s Time Passages line) ready for republishing. She hopes to have them re-released in the next few months with the first one, A LOVE THROUGH TIME, coming out in early November! Visit her website for more info about those and about her upcoming new releases! 

Well, maybe not the ODDEST but I just love it when romance novels turn up unexpectedly!

   I was watching the movie RED and loved it when Bruce Willis’ character clearly was reading the romance novels his love interest was reading so he could talk with her about them! LOVED IT – even if they were a fictional version of Harlequins.

   And I remember the opening of KATE AND LEOPOLD with Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman — when Kate’s secretary is reading and weeping over a romance novel ! I think that it was one by Christine Feehan – though completely different from the one she described to Kate. And though Kate needed her to do something, she insisted on finishing the last few pages before she could. A true romance reader!

And then, who could forget the wonderfully, campy episode of HIGHLANDER with Adrian Paul, when one of the wives of another Immortal decides to get revenge on him by writing stories based on Duncan MacLeod’s amorous adventures! DRAMATIC LICENSE featured a glamorous romance author doing readings of her work in huge bookstores and having glamorous launch parties thrown by her publisher. For a long time, I thought that must be how a romance author’s life really was! LOL! The fictitious romance novel in the episode was called The Blade of the MacLeod….

So, I just thought I’d ask all of you — where else have romance novels turned up that made you smile? In which movie or tv show? Or mentioned in other types of books?

    When not catching up on movies missed, Terri is busy working on some new projects and a few old ones, too, as she prepares her first four romances for re-release in digit formats. Watch here on the Jaunty Quills and on Terri’s website for updates on the progress!  And, Terri will be signing her latest releases at the upcoming NJRW conference on Saturday, October 22 between 4:00 and 5:30pm. She hopes you’ll stop in and say hello!

……….. Hellion!

Congrats! and thanks to everyone who visited and commented on Tina’s FIRST EVER blog!

Terri B

I’m very excited to welcome my friend and co-Kensington author Tina Gabrielle to the Jaunty Quills blog today. It’s even more special because this is Tina’s VERY FIRST EVER BLOG! Wooohooo! So, please give a warm HUZZAH to Tina as she tells us about writing her wonderful Regency historical romances.

  First let me thank the Jaunty Quills and Terri Brisbin for inviting me to blog. It’s wonderful to be here!

I was a late bloomer. My transition from middle school to high school was…how politely can I phrase it?—awkward. A combination of genetic factors were against me—braces, a stature of five foot zip, and yes, there was that scoliosis brace. I hid beneath baggy clothes and often had my nose buried in a book. It didn’t help that I had two older sisters who were both very pretty and who never had to wear any type of brace, orthodontic or orthopedic. Boys called the house all the time, just not for me.

To my great relief, sophomore year brought change. Both braces came off, for the teeth and the back, and I had a perfect pearly white smile and straight posture. As for being petite, I reached the great height of five foot two inches, but I soon learned that being a petite female has its advantages. Self-esteem came in the form of sports, friends, and academics. Boys called, and this time for me!

Years later, I credited my difficult adolescence in making me not just stronger, but more compassionate toward others. My love of academics remained, and I went on to obtain a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a law degree. I used both my legal background and my life experience when writing IN THE BARRISTER’S CHAMBERS.

My heroine, Lady Evelyn Darlington is the daughter of a barrister and an Oxford professor. She goes through her own awkward adolescence, with her nose buried in legal treatises, pining away for her father’s charming student, Jack Harding. She is a funny-looking girl who follows Jack around like a lost puppy.

Years pass, and Jack is now the top criminal barrister in London. Evelyn has grown into a lovely, mature woman who has a passion for the law. She believes she has found the perfect husband in Randolph, one of her father’s University fellows. But things go terribly awry when Randolph is accused of murdering a Drury Lane actress, and Evelyn finds herself on the hunt for the best barrister to aid him.

When Evelyn shows up in Jack’s chambers, he is stunned to learn the beautiful woman standing before him is little Evie, the professor’s daughter. At first Jack is reluctant to take on Randolph’s case. Jack’s a smooth talking barrister, a jury master, who never mixes business with pleasure. His career is of the utmost importance to him, and although he enjoys the ladies, he has no desire to marry. But Evelyn is persistent, and Jack eventually takes on the case.

Our reluctant hero soon has his hands full trying to handle a murder case and battle his desire for Evelyn. As they travel throughout London investigating the murder, Jack grows to admire Evelyn’s intelligence and tenacity, along with her beauty. Eventually he realizes he wants Evelyn’s heart, not just her body. And for the first time in Jack’s life, he has to convince a woman that he’s the right man for her.

It was a pleasure to write the first book in my Regency Barrister Series about four sexy barristers and the women who wreak havoc in their chambers and steal their hearts. And yes, I loved writing about the ugly duckling that turns into the beautiful swan.

So tell me: What was your most awkward adolescent experience?

To celebrate my Jaunty Quills blog, I’m giving away a signed copy of the first book in my Scandal Series, LADY OF SCANDAL, to one commenter. Contest limited to US/Canada. Good luck!

Tina Gabrielle, an award-winning author, is an attorney and former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. After multi-publishing for a prestigious Law Journal, she fulfilled her dream of writing fiction. She is the author of In The Barrister’s Chambers, Lady Of Scandal, and A Perfect Scandal from Kensington Books. The second book in her Regency Barrister Series is scheduled for release by Kensington in 2012. Visit her website at www.tinagabrielle.com

Back at Christmastime, I posted a blog (somewhere!) about the really funny holiday tv commercials. . . I gave Target two thumbs up for their holiday efforts, especially the music in them! Very snappy — and they made the music available for free, too.

So, they’ve really applied their efforts to this season — the Back to School Season — and given Staples a run for their advertising money this summer.

That’s a high standard to beat, too, because every August I run in to hear and see the most wonderful commercial for the most wonderful time of the year:

Staples – classic!

And the updated version –

Staples – updated

And they even go around the world –

Staples Back to School – UK

Or how about this one — featuring one of the stars of GLEE?

Staples – Glee theme

And listen to the music in the background to learn the identity of this not-so-typical dad:

Staples – surprise   (He lives in my area-southern NJ!)

As August approached, I waited to see what the new seasonal commercials would be, but I was a bit detached since my youngest is now in college and the excitement of school supply lists that are needed immediately is over.  And Target came through in a big way — my two favorite ones:

Target – Glitter       The way that teacher says ‘glitter, so much glitter’ gave me the creeps!

And my new favorite that has me singing about denim and Shaun White hoodies:

Target – Denim

Did any of them make you laugh? Is this a happy-happy-joy-joy time of the year in your household or are you sad to see the school year begin? How did opening day(s) go for you? Post a comment and I’ll pick two winners — one will get a Target gift card and one will get a Staples gift card (and a book to each, of course!)

Oh! An extra prize to the person who can tell me who the heck Shaun White is and why I should wear his hoodies? LOL!

      Terri is home and writing again and will have some exciting news in October about her time-travel romances and a new Harlequin series, too! Stop back or stop over at her website to keep up-to-date on her books, events and news. . .

I arrived back from Disney, survived an earthquake (we don’t do those here in NJ!), did the presentation about covers (went REALLY well!) and then survived a hurricane (we REALLY don’t do those very often in NJ!). So, now I can announce the two winners from my blog last week.

The winners – who will each receive a wee Disney giftie and a signed book of mine — are:

“JV”

and

Kay!!

Please email your mailing/shipping info to me at terri@terribrisbin.com and I’ll get the prizes out to you ASAP. Thanks to everyone for posting………….

Terri B

Yes, it appears that romance readers really do give lots of their attention to romance novel covers — even now with digital only releases, the cover remains one of the most important pieces of the marketing puzzle.

So, when I was invited to speak at the Monmouth Museum in NJ tonight and they have an exhibit featuring local artist’ James Avati’s classic cover art from the 50s and 60s, I thought I would talk about romance novel covers. In researching for the presentation, I found some really old covers, some new ones, some good ones and some. . . not-so-good (or ones that don’t hit their mark).

Now let’s step in the time machine and go back, way back to some early romance novel covers –

Ahhhh – The Flame and The Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss — considered the FIRST modern romance novel by most and it was quite hot for its time. The cover includes both imagery and people but it’s not too suggestive – though the tagline under Kathleen’s name is rather provocative!

This Johanna Lindsey title (one of my favorites) is actually Fabio’s first romance cover! Featuring both the classic clinch and the classic heaving bosoms, it is a classic! (BTW – I’ve been told that the heaving bosom covers were originally designed to. . ahem. . . tempt the all-male sales forces who sold these to all-male distributors!! Could it be true?)

And who could forget these step-backs of Fabio? This first one was quite scandalous and a sign that covers were finally being designed to appeal to the true romance reader – the women! Did you get any of these?

Man of My Dreams?           Surrender My Love?               The Conqueror?

Moving forward, we see that women also like men in uniforms from these more recent covers — all kinds of uniforms!

Of course the main focus of the cover is to tell the reader about the type of story they will get — to set up an expectation for readers. These recent covers give some indication of their type and tone, don’t you think?

Urban Fantasy? Paranormal Romance? Funny Contemporary? And of course what discussion of romance covers would be complete without a big-sword-carrying-Highland-warrior cover, right?

Some covers have errors or don’t really hit their target audience or tone. My favorite is the famous Christina Dodd cover. I’d just read the book when I met her for the first time at the first RT convention I attended — while ‘just’ a reader. She was on the elevator carrying a very-large version of the cover under her arm. Since there was nothing she could do about it — she used it as a promotional tool and it worked. As Suzanne Brockmann did when her buffest, sexiest hero’s book showed him looking like the Pillsbury dough boy! Take a look at both of them:

So – what is your favorite type of cover? Do you like clinches, half-naked men, cartoon-characters or stepbacks? Do you expect the cover to match the story? What is wrong with the Christina Dodd cover anyway? Post a comment and I’ll choose two people to get a signed book and a wee Disney souvenir. (And yes, I am still waaaay behind in sending out prizes but you will get them! LOL!)

   Terri is recuperating from her vacation to Disney World and working hard on her requested revisions so she can move onto the next project! After surviving tropical heat and showers, she is now also recovering from her fit of the vapors at the earthquake that shook her in southern NJ yesterday. It’s always an exciting day in south Jersey – LOL! Visit her website for more info about Terri and her books and upcoming events!