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.

I’m a sucker for family dramas with all the angst and heartache and family secrets just waiting to be revealed.  Though there have been several noted TV dramas with continuing episodes (anyone remember Dallas, Dynasty?) that give you the same sense of urgency, nothing compares to the lush detail found in books.

Harlequin has been awesome about fulfilling this need with various continuity series, but for me none are as dramatic as the ones done by Harlequin Presents.  So I was thrilled to be asked to participate in their latest series, The Notorious Wolfes (or Bad Blood as it was known in the UK.)

Here’s the trailer to wet your reading appetite.

Wealth.  Privilege. Beauty.   Having that handed to you should open doors. Make life easier.  But it rarely does for a variety of reasons.

In the Trophy Wife, Rafael was born into a rich, powerful dynasty  yet cruelly denied his paternity from birth.  Instead of the wealth due him, he was forced to dwell in poverty.  Instead of having doors instantly open for him, they were slammed in his face.

Rafael de Souza is a Wolfe by blood, yet carries his mother’s name.  Her shame of succumbing to one night with her rich powerful employer is his own cross to bear.

As a boy, Rafael only wanted to be accepted.  To be loved.  He didn’t know what went on behind the closed doors of Wolfe Manor.  He only knew he was horribly lonely, the unwanted one.

Thanks to the largess of one brother, Rafael used his wits and clawed his way to the top.  He became a rich powerful man in his own right.

Rafael earned and commanded respect.  But inside he was still the boy at the back of the fence, aching with loneliness.  Until he met beautiful super model Leila Santiago.

They say money can’t by happiness, and it was true for Rafael and Leila.  They had everything at their fingertips.  Fame, wealth and a glorious future ahead of them.

So how could something so perfect as marrying the love of his life ever be shaken?  How could he suddenly find himself on the brink of losing the one person he loved beyond reason?  How could he reclaim the passion, and the love to last an eternity?

I hope you enjoy reading Rafael’s and Leila’s turbulent journey to love and happiness as much as I enjoyed writing it.

What about you?  Do you like family dramas or continuing series?  What are your favorite family drama series?  I’ll give away the winner’s choice of one of my Harlequin Presents back titles to one commenter.

The winner of the giveaway by Lynn Raye Harris is Rebe! Congrats. Rebe please send your full name and mailing address to Lynne Ray Harris.

Everyone, I’m sneaking this in on top of Emily’s blog today, so please scroll down to the next blog and read about the other Emily.

It’s thrilling and a little intimidating to be invited to blog at the Jaunty Quills! The women here are some of the most exciting names in romance fiction, and I’m honored to be here today. Hope I don’t mess it up!

First, I’ll wow you with a fab book video (and it is fab because Harlequin made it and I had nothing to do with it).

I hope you found that sufficiently intriguing to want to know more about those Notorious Wolfes! What happened to tear their family apart? What are the scandals and secrets of the past?

My book (fifth in the series) is out this month. THE MAN WITH THE MONEY tells the story of Jack Wolfe. Jack is a loner, a renegade, a financial whiz. Whether it’s cards or the markets, Jack takes risks – and wins. When he finds himself in a high stakes card game in the south of France, he hardly expects that he’ll soon be racing across Europe with the lovely dealer whose job it was to throw the game.

Cara Taylor is tough, independent, and determined. She has family obligations, and she works hard to send money back home to New Orleans. But when her boss asks her to cheat, that’s the one thing she cannot do. Instead, she ends up fleeing Nice with Jack Wolfe.

Jack is a card shark, a gambler, not at all the sort of man she should get involved with. He’s a risk taker, a daredevil—and she can’t quite resist him. From a casino in the Cote d’Azur to the glittering streets of London, the sultry heat of New Orleans, and the bright neon lights of Las Vegas, Cara and Jack sizzle across the pages as they grapple with the Wolfe legacy and their own demons.

Back cover:

Jack…Red-Hot. Renegade. Restless.
Notorious gambler Jack no longer gets a buzz from the risks he takes at the card table. In fact it bores him. Until one night he wins more than he ever bargained for…

His prize is stunning Cara Taylor – she might be down on her luck but she certainly doesn’t need rescuing by a card-shark like Jack! Now she’s stuck with him she doesn’t know whether to love him or loathe him.

I hope you enjoy reading about Jack and Cara! For a red-hot excerpt, click here. RT Book Reviews magazine gave this story 4 Stars and said it has, “intense emotional turmoil, a tortured hero and toe-curling intimate encounters.” Rawr!

Today, I’ll give away a signed copy of the book to one lucky commenter!

Lynn Raye Harris is a USA Today bestselling author who writes glamorous, sexy romance for Harlequin Presents. You can learn more about Lynn and her books at http://www.lynnrayeharris.com/. You can also follow Lynn on Twitter @LynnRayeHarris or visit her author page on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLynnRayeHarris

My trusty random number generator picked two winners. Molly gets her choice of an authographed copy of A Cowboy Christmas or In a Cowboy’s Arms. Jan S wins either an I “heart” Cowboys cap or T-shirt.

Please send your choice of prize along with your full name and mailing address to me at JanetteKenny@gmail.com

Thanks everyone for celebrating today with me!

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?

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?