If you’ve been reading my books for any length of time (especially my most recent titles) you probably know that I love my historical romance with a little bit of mystery, adventure and suspense thrown in. I don’t think I started out intending to write books like that, per se, I think it just kind of happened. Partly because I like to read books that have a lot going on in the background. I think it’s probably because I cut my teeth on Amanda Quick and Johanna Lindsey and they have lots of adventure/mystery type subplots going on while the hero and heroine fall in love. Amanda Quick’s step back covers even made it perfectly clear you were in for more than a “simple” romance as they had pictures of several scenes from the book, sword fights, embraces, etc. I loved them.

That being said I also really love just a good solid romance where you’ve mostly got the hero and heroine, maybe some secondary characters, but mostly it’s just them falling in love. There’s something so comforting about settling in with a book and falling in love right along with the characters.

The book I finished not too long ago (that I’m currently shopping) is the first in a trilogy that’s an historical romantic suspense series. It’s dark and gritty and packed full of danger and passion. It was exhausting to write and a huge challenge, but I’m really hoping it finds a home because I think it’s quite likely the best thing I’ve ever written. BUT two weeks ago I started working on a new book. It’s still a historical, but it’s a little shorter than my other books and there aren’t any dangerous subplots, no adventures, no mysteries, no quests, its just the hero and heroine, characters around them, but mostly just them. And you know what, I’m having a ball. Literally, at times, because there are ball scenes with dancing and loads of snappy dialogue. It’s so refreshing to write something without worrying where the villain is and whether or not I need to be setting a booby trap.

So how about you? How do you like your romance? Straight up or with a side of mystery or suspense or even some paranormal woo-woo?

*side note* I’m on round 2 of antibiotics with some steroids and my brain is really fuzzy so if this blog doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, I blame it on the drugs.

I heard it said once that once a book is out in the world, the characters no longer belong to the author, but instead the reader. I didn’t pay much attention to this tidbit at the time and frankly, as an author, I wasn’t quite so certain I believed it. I rarely think about my readers, all of you out there sitting down with a copy of one of my books and diving in. I have a hard time thinking about someone getting lost in the characters that I create as I do on occasion when I’m reading a particularly great book. Reading becomes harder when you’re a writer, I’m sure many of you have heard a writer say that before. It’s not so much that we’re constantly critiquing the works, it’s just harder to lose yourself in a story.

So back to that statement… I don’t know that I tend to feel particularly possessive about other people’s characters very often. But it has happened. Most recently it happened when I finally succumbed to Hunger Game mania and I dove in. Within a week I had downed all three books and I felt quite thankful that I had waited as long as I did so that I could gorge on all the books instead of waiting for their release as I had done with the Harry Potter books.

But it was after I had read the books and I was sitting in the theatre with my niece watching the movie. She hadn’t seen it and I had taken the advantage of my sister being in town to watch my kids so I could take her daughter to see it since she is also a lover of the books. I became agitated in the movie, annoyed at some of the younger audience members who giggled and snickered during some particularly tender moments. And I realized in that instant why, it was because I was offended that they weren’t getting it, they were making these moments cheap and belittling them. Because those were MY characters. That was MY Katniss and MY Peeta and they could just leave if they couldn’t appreciate what was going on on the screen. Now granted much of the emotional progression of the characters was missing from the movie for the sake of time, but still the movie does a lot very right.

Every now and then you read books. Magical books that dig inside you and burrow deep into your soul. Characters that hang on and refuse to let go. Lots of books are great, wonderful even, but some books go beyond just a good story. Their worlds become so real, so engrossing that to leave them is nearly painful, as if you’re grieving a dear friend. I don’t want to leave the world of the Panem, of Katniss and Peeta and Gale and Haymitch. I don’t want to walk away from them. I felt this when the Harry Potter series ended. Satisfied with the way the story was told, but also a great sadness that the tale was over, that my journey with the characters had come to an end. Of course I can re-read them, but nothing ever feels the same as that first time turning the pages as fast you can (or clicking the kindle button as was my case) and grabbing on to every word so as to not miss one morsel of story.

I don’t know if I ever accomplish that as a writer. I don’t know if I have any readers out there who have been that engrossed in the worlds I create. Mine aren’t as unique and original as those you find in books with a more fantasy bent. But when I read books like these, they make me want to be a better writer, make me want to strive to create characters that haunt readers all the way into their dreams, that make readers clutch the book to their chest and sigh heavily when its all said and done because they’re sad to leave the characters and the world in which they dwell.

So how about you? Can you easily lose yourself in the world of books? What are some of your favorites that have totally captured you and made it hard to leave the characters?

This month, Rita-winning author Karen Templeton kicks of the latest Harlequin Special Edition series: THE FORTUNES OF TEXAS…WHIRLWIND ROMANCE. Her book, FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA, is the first of six books in the continuing saga of one of the compelling Fortune family.

* So glad you could join us today, Karen, where did you get the idea for FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA?

From Harlequin’s editorial department, actually. <g> Since FC is part of the ongoing Fortunes of Texas continuity series for Special Edition, I was given a brief overview of the storyline, as well as the character types, which I then expanded on to make them “mine.” Kind of like an actor getting a script (only I then had to write the script, too!).

* Tell us about the hero of the book? Why will we fall in love with him?

Interestingly, I tend to write mostly blue-collar or “everyday” heroes, so writing a rich dude is a stretch. A fun stretch, but a stretch. Scott Fortune was originally supposed to be on the alpha side, too…but that’s even more of a stretch for me than the wealthy thing! It’s the betas that make my knees weak! However, there’s a lot to be said for the alpha protective streak, too…and boy, is Scott protective. To the point where he’s willing to put his posterior on the line with his family in order to take care of the heroine – and how can you not fall in love with someone who does that? But what makes him even more swoon-worthy is that, for all he’s used to manipulating people and events to make things go his way, he quickly learns that the business of love doesn’t work that way…and that sometimes you have to let things unfold however they’re going to. You know, let the other person call the shots some times? A good man, that Scott.

* Tell us about the heroine? Why is she the perfect woman for the hero?

Christina Hastings really is a modern-day Cinderella, a snack bar waitress living in a seedy apartment complex (with her trusty sidekick, Gumbo, a hound who lives to love) while she’s struggling to finish up her college degree before she turns eighty. But although she has little in the way of material things, she’s got enough spirit for ten people…as well as an unshakeable conviction that if you don’t go after what you really want in life, what’s the point of living? Which makes Scott – who’s spent way too many years doing what’s been expected of him, not necessarily what’s best for him – reassess a thing or six. And fall in love in the process.

* What life lessons do your H/H have to learn before they can find their happily-ever-after?

This story is all about letting go of preconceived notions, of who we are and what we think we deserve…or not. That you can’t talk the talk about life being too short to go after your dreams, and then be afraid to take a chance on what could be the biggest blessing you’ll ever know.

* Is there any particular significance in the setting?

Since the entire series has been set in and around fictional Red Rock, Texas, I didn’t get to make up that part. J However, I did find a whole lot of symbolism in those wide open spaces, especially for big-city boy Scott – who decides to trade all those imposed expectations for what, in comparison, feels like infinite possibilities.

* If this is part of a continuity, tell us about your experience working on connected stories with other authors.

In my case, working with the other authors – Marie Ferrarella, Judy Duarte, Nancy Robards Thompson, Susan Crosby and Allison Leigh – was an absolute delight. We have a great time brainstorming plot points and character details with each other, and in my mind at least, this is going to be the Best. Series. Ever. LOL!

* What was the most difficult scene for you to write?

Oh, man – the first three chapters? Take an entire family, add a huge supporting cast, toss in a tornado and an aftermath hospital scene with literally three dozen speaking parts…oy. I *never* write opening scenes with that many people, but in this case, because I was setting up the whole series, I had no choice. All I could do was try to visualize it from a cinematic standpoint, then write it all out as succinctly as possible. Early feedback has been very positive, but shoot me if I ever willing do something like that again! <g>

* Can you share if there were any real-life inspirations for a particular scene or character in the book?

Gumbo! We have our own little hound mix – named Petey – who looks like somebody stuck a beagle head on a corgi body. And he’s every bit as nuts – and as lovestruck – as Gumbo. And the Art Department even put a dog who looks like him on the back cover. Score!

* What do you feel are some of your strengths as a writer and how did those show up in this particular book?

I realized early on I have a pretty good ear for speech patterns/syntax, which make it easier to “hear” my characters – and once I do, they pretty much tell their own stories. It took no time at all to hear Christina, although Scott took a bit more work. But once I did, their dialogue – especially in their first big scene together, when they’re trapped in the rubble after the tornado – just flowed. Very fun scene to write.

* Any interesting tidbits of information you discovered while researching this book?

Yeah. That San Antonio – the general area where the book is set – rarely gets tornadoes. Oops. So we all had to work that fact into the overall storyline to make it plausible!

* Why will readers enjoy this book?

Because Scott is yummy and Christina is adorable and Gumbo is a hoot and a half. <g>

Please leave a comment or ask Karen a question for a chance to win a copy of FORTUNE’S CINDERELLA!

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Since 1998, two-time RITA award winner Karen Templeton has written more than 35 heart-tugging, family-centric romances for Harlequin. An east coast native, she’s called New Mexico home for more than 25 years, where she lives with an ever-changing number of her five sons, two dogs, two cats, and the world’s oldest Beta fish.

I have four Special Editions coming out in 2012. All of them are set in Texas: three are in a
fictional town outside of Dallas (I’m calling it Celebration, Texas). The other one is part of the popular Fortunes of Texas series and it’s set in the fictional town of Red Rock,Texas, which is supposedly 20 miles east of San Antonio.

It’s the first time I’m writing about Texas. I’m excited to be spending so much virtual time there because a have quite a bit of family in the Dallas area. I’m vaguely familiar with the state – enough to know it’s flavor, and, of course, I can call on my family with any questions.

In the past, I’ve set books in Orlando and Paris because I’m familiar with those cities.  The only real place I’ve written about that I’m not familiar with is Boston. It was part of a Special Edition continuity (I was one of six authors writing books for this series).  I actually visited before I finished the book so I could make sure I captured the essence of the city.

I’ve heard of authors writing on a wing and prayer, setting books in regions they’ve never visited. But I shy away from doing that because I strive to get everything exactly right. So, if I make up the city – it might even be a fictitious city based on an actual city – I feel better about taking artistic license and not being bound by maps and facts.

I have two questions for you: do you like reading books set in fictional places or imaginary worlds?   If you prefer actual cities, how much leeway to you give an author to fictionalize neighborhoods and the texture of the area?

One of the things about writing that I didn’t realize when I first started was how profoundly personal it would be. Perhaps that makes me an idiot, but that aspect kind of took me by surprise. But I suspect that writers, genre fiction and romance writers, in particular, are very much in tune with their own personal issues – the things that make us tick, that big bag of crud we drag around filled with our greatest fears and insecurities. I suppose song writers probably are equally as aware, but I digress. The point of all of this is if you pay close attention you start to notice things about you – not all of them are the icky things either.

Recently I was reading a book and I had a big epiphany that doesn’t really surprise me, as I can clearly see the pattern in my reading tastes and several of the books I’ve written myself, frankly I’m surprised it took me quite so long to notice. Especially when I look back on a post I wrote here four years ago. So here it goes….when it comes to guys, those romantic hero types, I really am drawn to the pursuer. I suppose this might be why I don’t gravitate toward the more traditional alpha hero because they aren’t always pursuers.

The book I was reading recently that brought all this to my attention was Suzanne Enoch’s The Care and Taming of a Rogue. Now Suzanne is one of my very favorite authors, she’s definitely my go-to gal whenever I need a good pick-me-up because her books are just delightful and perfect in all the right ways. And I love, love, love her heroes. And her heroes are always pursuers, even if they don’t quite understand it themselves, they are completely captivated by the heroine, just can’t get enough and go after her full-throttle. Their unwavering pursuit just makes me feel all gooey on the inside. This is what romance novels are about for me.

Now there are plenty of great ways to put together a romance novel, but at their core, it’s either boy pursues girl or girl pursues boy and both work. But for me that one that makes me come back again and again is the former. It even happened in my own love story. When I met The Professor I wasn’t so sure about him. He was really smart, an intellectual and frankly I felt a smidge intimidated and wondered what we’d ever talk about. And he was so very different from any man I’d ever dated or been attracted to. But he pursued me deftly and it worked.

So how about you? What kind of hero do you gravitate to? Do you notice when you’re reading which character is the pursuer?

Well, it’s been in stores for a couple of weeks and hopefully those of you who’ve been looking for it have been able to get your hands on Treasure Me. So far it’s reviewed very well, which is always nice, and the blog tour went great, perhaps some of you followed and have had a chance to win some books. But as I always do here on the Jaunty Quills, I like to give our loyal readers the first behind the scenes look at my new release.

Treasure Me is the third and final installment of my Legend Hunters trilogy and I must admit leaving these men behind makes me a little sad. I’ve had such great fun weaving these stories, coming up with the danger and adventure and spinning my own version of myths we all love. In Treasure Me we head to Loch Ness in search of a few treasures, one of which hidden in the caves beneath Urquhart Castle and the other the famed biblical relic, the Stone of Destiny (which coincidentally can be seen in The King’s Speech). It pairs up Graeme whom readers met in Seduce Me, he’s the scottie-hottie and Vanessa, a scholar in her own right, she’s an amateur paleontologist. Oh and there’s another familiar face from Seduce Me, The Raven returns which I think readers will like, I certainly heard from plenty of you that you loved his nastiness.

So here are my inspirations for my characters. And some of the reviews that have come in…“4 ½ star TOP PICK! The Legend Hunters, those seekers of treasures and myths, return for their last enthralling adventure/romance … fast-paced, thrilling, roller-coaster tale … Not only does DeHart satisfy readers craving adventure, she adds three-dimensional characters and a passionate love story that will delight.” RT BookReviews

“We have a winner! A perfect 10. [DeHart] weaves a story like a fine tapestry – rich, colorful and compelling but so tightly bound there are never any holes… hooked me from page one and left me ravenous for more at the end.” The Season

“… a fabulous tale that grips the audience from start to finish as if Indiana Jones was working Victorian Scotland.” Harriet Klausner

“Robyn DeHart has become one of my favorite authors…where she shines is in creating character…continued her series with a book chock full of fun and adventure, not neglecting steamy, tender (and sometimes hilarious) love scenes. DeHart’s romances are tender and adventurous, and funny enough you may laugh your nethers off.” FreshFiction

“I was hooked on the first page and could not put this book down, I fell asleep with it in my hand lol. I rated this book a HIGH 5 out of 5. Fantastic read.” NightOwlReviews

“DeHart delivers plenty of adventure and suspense along with the romance: secret passages, ancient encoded texts, and a double helping of theft, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder.” Publishers Weekly

Okay so you can thank me now for the lovely picture of Gerard Butler cause yummy! Yes, I got to look at that while I was writing this book. How awesome is my job?! The best part is casting my hero because I have to look at tons of pictures of hot men, it’s all purely research, I just want to make you readers happy. But I digress, so back to Treasure Me. It’s in stores, it’s great and you can look at that picture of Gerard while you read it, you have my permission, tell your husbands, it’s part of your job as a reader to get the appropriate image in your mind of my character. Now go forth and buy.

And tell me what’s in your to-be-read pile right now?

Its Oscar season and I can’t wait to hear who the winners are on Sunday night. I’ll be tuned in hoping to see a few of my favorites walk away with the golden statuette. Watching the award shows always makes me want to dress up in something impossibly inappropriate for my suburban home and give a speech to thank the people in my life who’ve helped me out.

I’d thank my parents and sisters for the noisy household I grew up and especially my mom for sending me outside all the time when I was growing up and teaching me to use my imagination to entertain myself. I’d thank my husband for making the little moments in life count and showing me that loving someone goes way beyond romantic gestures. I’d thank my children who show me nuances in creativity that I didn’t realize I’d missed. And I’d thank my friends for all the laughter.

Your turn! Who would you thank?

I’m giving away an autographed copy of TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY to three lucky blog participants today.

Most of my life has been sort of charmed. I don’t mean in the way that I’m beautiful or have everything that I desire; I mean that I’ve been happy. Really happy. The older I get the more I realize how

lucky I am to have been born to my parents who are truly great people. They are incapable of saying no. I don’t mean in the spoiling your kids rotten way, I heard no often enough growing up and we didn’t have a lot of material things, but as I got older I needed someone when times got tough I knew I could always just call my mom or dad and say I need you and they’d be there.

A few years ago my really good friend Beverly Brandt had been nominated for a RITA for her book the TIARA CLUB and she couldn’t find the exact dress she wanted. My mom (and all the women in my family) sews. So I said to B that my mom could do it. I said to this to her as we were talking on the phone so she knew I had no time to call my mom and ask her, I just knew that mom would never say no to something like this. But what I realized after Beverly and I finished talking was that my mom wouldn’t say no to me.

I’ve tried to be that way with my kids. I don’t say yes to everything only the really important things. The things that can change their lives and make a difference, the things that will show and remind them that the world should be a nicer place.

My heroine in TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY has this same kind of charmed upbringing (to be honest I based her loosely on my youngest sister). She was a very talented dancer from a young age and her parents and her older sister sacrificed to make sure that Jen was taken to dance rehearsals and eventually to competitions. They did this not because they had to but because they realized that Jen lived to dance and that she needed their support. She needed to safety net of her family to fall back on.

And in the book Jen is falling from some really tough breaks. For the first time in her life, she’s not feeling very charmed. This happened to me almost four years ago and I had no idea who to turn to, but instinctively went first to my parents and then my closest friends for support. In TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY Jen’s parents are dead and she has only her older sister and young nephew to turn to, which she does. And they offer her a safety net that she uses to rebuild her life and to some extent herself.

I’m not sure what kind of family you have. My wise friend Beverly says we build the families we didn’t have from the friends we choose and I feel very lucky that I have both a great family to start with and one that I’ve built from friends.

I hope you all will check out TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY its in stores today. And for one lucky blog participant I will send an autographed copy of the book.

Tell me in what ways are you charmed? Is it by your family or maybe you have an incredible talent? What is it that makes you special?

One of the questions writers are asked the most is where we get our ideas. Now I suppose there are as many answers to that question as there are writers. Even for me, I can’t say that there’s one certain place or exercise or thing that always generates an idea. And for every book we write and publisher there are probably three other ideas that sit unwritten/half-written or just unsold on our computers.

Ideas come from everywhere, every direction. When I’m in a particularly creative place then ideas come hard and fast, one after another and I have to jot down tidbits just to remember them. Sometimes those little tidbits grow into a fully fleshed idea that then becomes a book. But sometimes those little morsels just languish on the computer never to be expanded into anything useable.

Lately, I’ve been working on some ideas. Several of them. I currently have a proposal with my agent for a new trilogy. But as she’s reading that, I’m developing yet another series idea. I’m toying with switching time periods and I’m working on putting together a workable series idea for this new era. In doing so I’ve come up with one idea that’s now on it’s 4th incarnation. I’m not quite sure, but I think I’ve struck gold with the latest version. I’m excited. I can’t stop thinking about it. The idea is growing, characters are talking, scenes are taking shape in my mind – this is usually how I can tell that I’ve got something good.

Still I don’t know. Maybe these ideas will grow into books and they’ll be the next Robyn DeHart books you read. Or maybe they’ll simply sit, undeveloped in my mind and on my laptop indefinitely.

For you writers out there, how do you know when an idea is worth developing into a book? And for you readers, what’s your favorite Robyn DeHart book? If you’re not one of my readers, what’s your favorite Quill book? One commenter will win a signed copy of Treasure Me.

I’m pretty excited about my February release from Silhouette Desire because it has one of my guilty pleasures in it. I think I’ve blogged about Dancing With The Stars before but I couldn’t resist doing it again. You see the show was the impetus for this new series. I don’t know what it is exactly about my personality that makes me feel guilty about just watching television but I always do unless I can find something usual to use it for. Normally I watch cooking or history stuff that I can learn from, but at my age the chances of me becoming either a star or a professional dancer are getting slimmer so I needed a reason to watch Dancing With The Stars guilt free and I found it in Jen Miller.

Jen is the heroine of Taming The VIP Playboy and she is a professional ballroom dancer. In my original version of the story Jen and Nate were participating in a fictional version of the show but that idea didn’t have enough conflict so we ended up with Jen being a professional dancer in the hottest Miami nightclub…Luna Azul owned by none other than Nate.

But back to guilty pleasures–having found a real reason to watch it I gobbled up everything I could on Dancing With The Stars including going on the Internet and reading blogs by the stars and the dancers. It was so much fun and it had a purpose!

I have three copies of Taming the VIP Playboy to give away today and I’m going to choose from one of you! Tell me what your guilty pleasure is and like me do you find a way to indulge in it without feeling too guilty?

Kathy