First of all, thank you for letting me guest blog at this fabulous and fun site.  I was honored when Terri Brisbin  asked me if I’d like to blog here. Let’s hope I don’t goof this up too bad.

My latest release with Samhain Publishing, Wolf, was a fun venture in so many ways. Primarily, it was an opportunity to put my own spin on one of the fairy tales I loved as a child–Little Red Riding Hood.

Fairy tales. No matter the story there’s always a few commonalities–a woman in trouble, some nefarious individual, a handsome prince and a happily ever after.  What more could you ask for?

From an early age I was always fascinated with the hero of these tales. And I must confess, I always tweaked the handsome man on the white horse just a bit. After all, who in their right mind would want a man that flawless?

But who would make a great hero?

Well, if I had a hero blender and could concoct my ideal hero from traits, characteristics or pieces of celebrities and characters, I can easily identify a few people I’d add.

The first was easy–a decision I had to make in my formative years. Ken versus G.I. Joe. I know Ken was Barbie’s ideal. But he was metro before we even knew what metro was, and I always thought she deserved more than that. So sorry Ken, but G.I. Joe is getting tossed into my concoction for his ability to take charge and overcome adversity.  Go Joe!

With him in my blender rather early in my life, I’d have to say a few years passed without many possibilities.  A woman cannot be satisfied with G.I. Joe solely. She needs more than massive amounts of testosterone and brawn.  Brains were the next necessity to satisfy.

MacGyver was tossed into my hero blender the moment he appeared. The things that man can do with a roll of duct tape and a chocolate bar are scary imaginative.  Knowing my ideal hero could use ingenuity to get the heroine out of any circumstance provided a new level of comfort.  And anyone whose name becomes a brand new verb deserves to be in my blender. After all, how many of us have MacGyvered our way out of a situation?

Comfort can only get you so far, though. Sometimes you need the darkness, the primal instincts only a real bad boy would have.  Fortunately for me, there were quite a few bad boys during my rebellious teen years. Hair metal was all the rage and pretty boy Jon Bon Jovi was an easy conclusion. But he wasn’t the one who made my insides quiver like a swarm of drunken butterflies.  Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue, on the other hand, opened my innocent mind to all sorts of hedonistic lifestyles I couldn’t fathom–much less fully understand.  Ah, the things that bad boy could do if given half the chance. He had to be added.

Heroes need to be larger than life, stronger than feasible–the stuff of those mighty fairy tales forged from centuries of tradition and imagination. For this feat, I had to turn to two characters — Duncan MacCleod and Hercules.

Why? Do I really need reasons to add Adrian Paul and Kevin Sorbo? Okay, I didn’t think so either. But I’ll give them, just in case. J Who wouldn’t want an immortal hero with superhuman strength and a deep-seeded need to right injustice? And of course, they both provided a tender side rarely exhibited, but certainly appreciated when shared.

So, writers and READERS, that’s my hero concoction. Who’s in yours?

Cara Carnes is celebrating the release of WOLF over on her website www.caracarnes.com and will give one lucky commenter here at Jaunty Quills a copy of the book in the format of their choice and a little survival gift pack for when/if they get lost in the woods! (Oh my!)

Stretch!!!!

Have you ever taken yoga? If you have, you’ve probably found yourself in some pretty awkward positions as you stre…ee…ttttch. We do this in an attempt to bring balance into our world, to ease the tension in our bodies and basically to become more well-rounded and a healthier individuals.

Stretching is, well, it’s good for us. But let’s face it. Stretching isn’t always easy. i.e. They want me to put my leg where? It requires us to push our limits, to extend ourselves just a little bit beyond where we’ve gone before. We often tell ourselves that stretching can be dangerous. We could pull a muscle. Or as in yoga class, there’s plenty of times I felt I made an idiot out of myself. Heck, a few times in yoga, I found myself seeing parts of my own body I’d never seen before. Believe me, it wasn’t pretty.

Ahh, but I’m not really talking about yoga or physically stretching. I’m talking about stretching ourselves in other ways. Stretching ourselves mentally, or maybe just getting out of our comfort zones, trying something new, something different, and opening our minds to other possible paths. And I guess yoga could even be part of your new path.

The thing is, it’s so easy for us women to get to some place in our lives. Be it a new job, a new title as: wife, mother, AARP member, published author, or maybe it’s just reaching an ideal weight. And generally we got to the new place by stretching, by challenging ourselves. Yet once we arrive, what do we do? We master the new challenges and then we build ourselves another comfort zone.

We tell ourselves that we’ve earned this reprieve and it’s true we did earn it. We worked hard. The problem is that some of us, myself included, get too comfortable and we simply aren’t stretching anymore. We aren’t growing. Or, we’re only growing in one way. And is that enough?

A little over a year ago, I had an editor from a big publishing house call my agent and ask if I would consider writing a paranormal young adult series. When my agent first told me, I laughed. “Me? Write a young adult? Are you joking?”

Thankfully, I was smart enough to ask for thinking time. Then I called my good friends and asked for advice. The answers I got all sounded pretty much the same, “Are you an idiot? Of course you’ll do it.” Or “Hang up right now, and start writing. Now!”

But I still held back. The thoughts running though my mind were: But I know how to write a contemporary romance. I’m actually getting pretty good at it, climbing the latter of success. Shouldn’t I just stick with what I know I can do and work on that? I’d have to really study up on what makes a young adult novel work if I expect to make this happen. I’d have to put in a few more hours. And then there were my two biggest fears: What if I embarrass myself? What if I try . . . and fail? And then of course, What if they want me to put my leg somewhere that I can’t put it?

I had forgotten how good it felt to stretch. You know, when you’re just a little sore because you had to work just a bit harder? I forgot that learning can be fun. I forgot that like an athlete, cross-training in most anything in life is beneficial. That studying, and building skills in any genre could help me write better, no matter what I’m writing. I forgot what it feels like to come face to face with a challenge. I forgot that every now and then we all need to try something new, to mix things up, to push the fear aside, and just go for it. I forgot that taking a risk is sometimes a risk worth taking.

So how did it turn out for me? In April of 2011, the first book, Born at Midnight, in my Shadow Falls series will hit the bookstores. I’ve completed the second novel, and am busy plotting the third. Already, the foreign market sales tell me I made a wise decision. My friends like to rub it in, too.

Oh, I’m still writing my humorous romantic suspenses. That was another stretch I made. Because after I sold my YA series to St. Martin’s Press, my agent suggested I come up with a new adult romance series to shop around. But to do so, we would have to turn down the offer from the house I was already publishing with. No stranger to rejection, turning down a contract didn’t calm my nerves. I’m happy to say that my next romance series, Don’t Mess With Texas, will be released by Grand Central in late 2011.

For me, stretching was writing in a new genre and writing that new proposal, turning down one offer, without knowing if I’d get another. For non-writers, stretching might mean taking a class, learning to speak French, or going for that promotion at work. It could mean trying for a second child, deciding to date after your divorce, or going on a new diet. Maybe it even means taking a yoga class. My point is, change is scary, but if we want to grow as humans, we gotta learn to stretch and we gotta keep stretching. We can’t let ourselves live in only our comfort zones.

When opportunity knocks, you can’t run to the bathroom and claim you ate bad chicken. You have to answer that door, you have to spit fear in the face; you have to be willing to take risks. And if you open your eyes and see one of your own body parts that’s less than pretty, well, just shut those eyes and keep on stretching. Sooner or later, you might even get that leg where you didn’t think it would go. Remember that to try and fail is better than never trying at all. We can’t win them all, but when we do win … Wow!

Thanks for stopping by. And today, what I’d like to hear from you is: how are you stretching? How do you face the fear of change? What steps are you going to take that will help you grow into a more well-rounded and healthier person?

I’ll be giving away a copy of Shut Up and Kiss Me to one commenter. So make sure you leave a post.

(And the Jaunty Quills are offering two additional posters signed copies of Christie’s Divorced Desperate and Deceived and Divorced Desperate and Dating! Three lucky people will win books.)

Irrevocability

Ah, the thing that can’t be undone. Ringing the bell that can’t be unrung. Saying the thing that makes people stare. Doing the thing that makes you scared. (Hmm, I didn’t mean for that to rhyme. I’ve been reading too many kids’ books.)

There is nothing like doing something people will remember. Because that means you can’t take back. It means you’re committed. In for the long haul. The act, however unconsidered, is now binding.

For good or ill, that’s one of the most exciting parts of reading—and writing–fiction.

It’s part of the reason why the character’s in our novels don’t do mundane tasks in their lives on stage. It’s because things like cleaning the house don’t matter, in terms of Story. (Did you hear that?? Just tell your family it doesn’t have a fundamental turning point within it, so you’re giving it up entirely.) Cleaning and most of the other mundane tasks of daily life, are revocable. Nothing ‘turns’ on them. You could take them back, and no one would know or care. Nothing is fundamentally different as a result. They’re forgettable. Cleaning is almost the antithesis of irrevocable.

They never made a difference.

You can walk away from a clean OR a dirty toilet. That is . . . unless you found a diamond ring resting there, after you’d pushed back the hair from your sweaty forehead with a forearm and knelt to scrub your 20th toilet of the week. And then you saw it. Sparkling. A diamond ring. Which means someone lost it. Or tossed it. And your rent is due.

NOW you have a story. Now you have a protagonist. Someone with a choice to make.

Make the right ones and you have a hero. And a heroine.

In all our ‘keeper’ books, I think one of the things we’ll find is characters actively getting themselves deeper and deeper into worse and worse trouble, particularly with the hero/heroine, and there’s simply no backing out. Nothing they do can be reversed.

Sometimes this is hard for us as authors. We actually like our heroes and heroines. We discover their histories, and fall deeply in love with them. They’re part of our family. We want them to have a happy life.

But we also like you, the reader. We know you want a good story. Happy, easy things happening to nice, good people is not terribly dramatic.

And, in the end, we’re storytellers at heart. We know true heroes and heroines have to walk through the fire first. Sure, they can have their Happily-Ever-After, but the old-fashioned way: they have to earn it. The happy endings in our stories are earned, they are not handed out.

Check out the books on your ‘keeper’ shelves. I’ll bet you can find at least three or four places the storyteller had the characters make irrevocable, un-take-back-able choices. Decisions that—even if done in the spur of the moment, especially if done in the spur of the moment–pushed them closer to the dark edge of What They Known, then straight off the cliff, into peril and danger and their worst fears, right in the hero’s arms.

My sophomore release, The Irish Warrior, came out this week. Winner of RWA’s 2008 Golden Heart® Award for Best Historical Romance, it’s a super sexy, adventurous medieval romance. You can check out an excerpt here (http://kriskennedy.net/143), and I’m giving away a copy to one commentor.

My debut, The Conqueror, came out last May, and I am currently at work on two more historical romances for Pocket. Please stop by the website (http://www.kriskennedy.net/), check out excerpts (http://kriskennedy.net/143), sign up for the newsletter ( http://kriskennedy.net/subscribe-to-newsletter), and I’d love to hear from you ( http://kriskennedy.net/contact-me)

Welcome back, Anne Mallory, who left me a year ago for a life of crime! I even promised to be Bonnie Porcupine to her Clyde! Wait…Clyde Porcupine to her Bonnie! But she said my quills made me too much of a deadly killing machine.

Anne:  I still have those outfits! I mean… *looks around suspiciously* I still remember you “talking” about those outfits.

*waggles brows* They were good, weren’t they?

*Robyn disappears to look for photographic evidence*

So, Anne. I notice the lack of porcupines in your current release.

Anne:  Er…

And it’s a book about SEDUCTION. And SECRETS. True porcupine stuff! The tales I could tell…

Anne:  Which is why I would not rob you of the telling, Jaunty! Truly. I know you said you’d split the profits with me 10/90 if I wrote your memoirs, and 10% would totally be worth it, but I’m just not sure I’m qualified.

There, there. *pats head* I’ve come up with my own list in order to help you! Behold! The Seven Secrets of Porcupines!

#1: They have quills.
#2: They have tails.
#3: They like bark.
#4: They enjoy a good salt-lick.
#5: They are awesome.
#6: They like romance.
#7: They can move time and space.

Anne:  That last one must really come in handy.

You have no idea. I told you that you should take the 10%. *meaningful look* Hey, did I ever tell you about the Seven Secrets of Porcupine Seduction?

Anne:  *blinks* No. What IS involved in Porcupine Seduction?

Well, first you rub-

*Margo Maguire hastily grabs the microphone from Jaunty*

Margo: Um, Anne, why don’t you tell us something about your book.

Anne:  Sure! It’s about a bookshop clerk whose writings draw a viscount to her store. For you Jaunty, think of a quiet porcu-lass with big dreams and a brooding porcu-rake who is desperate to believe in something.

Here is the back cover blurb:

Scandalous and provocative, The Seven Secrets of Seduction is an intoxicating insight into the mind of men and the desires of women – and the book has all the ton talking.

Secret #1: Every good seduction begins with a baited hook…

Well-educated, but not part of society, Miranda Chase is just as captivated by the erotic pages as everyone else in London. Intrigued by the layers she sees beneath the book’s surface, she writes an editorial about it, never realizing that her passionate words will draw an actual viscount to her uncle’s bookshop.

Maximilian, Viscount Downing, has very particular ideas about passion and sees truth only in desire. He freely flaunts his sensual power and seeks nothing more than another conquest – the one that could justify his entire debauched existence. But Miranda’s blend of innocence, trust, and love cause a strange thing to happen on the way to this seduction. Something that just might threaten the very fabric of his jaded heart…

That reminds me EXACTLY of the fifth secret of porcupine seduction, Anne! You take your baited quill hook and stick-

*Shana Galen hastily puts hand over the microphone*
*Jaunty is disgruntled*

Fine, fine. I still think it would have been better with porcupines, but we always have my memoirs. Now, let’s go rob some banks!

Have a comment for Anne? One commenter will win a $5 gift certificate to Amazon!

Anne:  Thanks for having me, ladies and Jaunty!  I’ve missed you all!

Barbara Gerwien you are the lucky winner of Jessica Anderson’s contest. You’ve won a copy of Demon Keepers! Please contact Jessica for details of how to claim your prize. Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone here at Jaunty Quills for inviting me along to guest blog here today. And special thanks to Janette who organised this and has helped me get my post up on the blog in time for today. It’s great to be here. ~ Kate

 Long ago –  far too long ago!  - I was a Girl Scout – or  Girl Guide  as we call them here in the UK. And when I was a ‘Guide’  I remember that February 22^nd had a very special meaning. It was what was known as ‘Thinking Day’.  ‘Thinking Day’ was a special date on which all Guides were  supposed to think about  Scouts and Guides all over the world.  I used to wear my uniform to school and wonder if other girls in other countries and cultures were doing the same. It was a lovely feeling,  linking in with all those others even though I would never see them or meet them.

Flash forward all these years later and here it is February 22^nd again. And this time I’m linking up with people all over the world but in a very different way. Now I’m connecting with people in so many different countries, people of so many different ages,  so many different languages, so many different cultures – but this time I’m doing it through my books.

Every few weeks, the postman arrives at my house with bundles of books in so many different languages. These are the international translations of my books that are now sold all over the world.  I think the last time I checked there were over twenty  different ones on my shelves – French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Polish  - even Japanese. (Especially Japanese. My books are really popular in  Japan it seems.)   And every time a new bundle arrives, I open the package and look at the foreign editions in amazement and delight. It’s an astonishing, wonderful thing to think that  the stories I write here in a small English town in Lincolnshire UK, reach out to all these other women in all these far-flung places.

But that’s the wonder of romance. These love stories are universal. They speak to readers of all ages, colours, cultures. They cross borders, break down barriers, unite women in their enjoyment of the story they tell.  And it’s specially wonderful to  me because  when I was growing up – and going to school wearing that rather unflattering uniform – I had a very special dream that one day I wanted to be a writer.   One day I hoped that I would see my name on a book that I had written and that was on sale in a published form. But back then so many people – teachers, parents,  sensible adults, told  me that my dream was just that – a fantasy that would never come true. I would do better to forget about it and concentrate on doing something ‘sensible’ with my life instead of wasting my energies longing for something that was never going to happen.

Hmmm . .  .How wrong can you be? Not only did I stick to my dreams, keep on trying to write, get a book published . . . and another . . . an another  . . .but this year is a very special one for me as I’m celebrating  something very important in my writing life. I’m celebrating my ‘silver anniversary’ as a published author. It’s 25 years since my very first book The Chalk Line was published in 1984 and after that I’ve  published over 55 more novels in the Harlequin Presents line, together with two ‘How To Write’ guides including the award winning 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance. And I have all these wonderful international editions on my bookshelves to prove it.

But best of all,  I have so many fabulous readers all over the world who buy my books, read them and, very often, write to tell me how much they love them. My novels go to countries I’ve never visited, into the hands of people I’ll never meet, in a way that I never ever dreamed of when  I was imagining that one day I might write a book.  And as well as celebrating  having lasted 25 years in this business, I’m also celebrating all those wonderful readers without whom I could never have done it. Because if they hadn’t bought my books then I wouldn’t still be here, still writing  - and chatting with you all on this blog.

But the other thing I’m really celebrating is never giving up on your dreams, whatever they are. I know that the people who gave my advice all those years ago thought they were doing it for the best, but I’m so so glad that I didn’t take that advice and abandon my hopes of becoming a writer. Because my 25 years as a published author has brought me so much more than I could ever have imagined back in those days when I was just ‘thinking’ about all those other Guides all around the world. It’s brought me friendship with other wonderful writers and the knowledge that with my books I’ve touched the lives of so many others and brought enjoyment and pleasure into them just for a little while.  And that’s really worth celebrating.

So I was wondering  - are you celebrating anything special this year? An anniversary, a ‘milestone’ birthday ( I have one of those coming up too – but I’m not going to admit to exactly which one!). Or are you perhaps celebrating success in exams, a new job, a new baby, a new home?  Or just the simple things in life  like having family round you – and maybe your pets?  I’d love to know.

My latest novel The Konstantos Marriage Demand will be out next month – it’s published in Presents EXTRA on March 16^th. And I’m thrilled to say that I’ve just discovered that this book has been given 4.5 stars by Romantic Times and has been chosen as one of their Top Picks for March 2010.  I have an advance copy to give away  to someone who leaves a  comment on this post.

(For those of you who don’t know – I don’t pick the winners of my prizes, my cat Sid  does. I put all the names of the entries on pieces of paper and then I put a cat treat on top of each one. The first one that Sid eats is the winner.  And the more entries there are, the more treats Sid gets to eat. So come on, make my cat very happy – post a comment!)

All my life, I’ve loved cooking. My mother taught me to bake when I was a little girl, and I grew up experimenting with recipes– sometimes with success, and other times with disastrous results. Part of my joy in cooking was because I felt like I was serving up a dish of love to my family and friends. Seeing their enjoyment of luscious chocolate, hearty fruit pies, and sweet frosting, gave me a sense of accomplishment. (We won’t talk about the burned cookies or the banana bread experiment when I forgot the baking soda).

I’d always wanted to write a romance novel where the heroine adored cooking, because love and food, for me, are intertwined. It was more challenging in the era I selected, because ladies of the nobility in the Victorian era did not cook for the household. They hired servants to prepare and serve the food. The only way my heroine could do her own cooking was to make her completely destitute. And thus, the Cinderella figure of Emily Barrow was born.

I used two resources to inspire Emily’s recipes. One, the Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Mrs. D.A. Lincoln, gave me insights as to the types of recipes that might have been present in Victorian London. Though the cook book was a reprint of the 1884 edition, I chose recipes that could have been used 30 years earlier. The second resource was Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management (http://www.mrsbeeton.com/), originally published in 1861. Both provided fun details about the household and cooking tips such as “a cook’s first duty should be to set her dough for the breakfast rolls, provided this has not been done on the previous night.” The cook must then “after having lighted her kitchen fire, carefully brushed the range, and cleaned the hearth, proceed to prepare for breakfast. She will thoroughly rinse the kettle, and, filling it with fresh water, will put it on the fire to boil. She will then go to the breakfast-room, or parlour, and there make all things ready for the breakfast of the family.”

I’ll confess that, although I love baking, more often than not my weekends begin with a toddler prying my eyelids open at 6:30 in the morning, demanding, “Mommy, food? Mommy, Cheerios?” The child is lucky if I pop open a can of store-bought cinnamon rolls. Getting up to knead homemade bread dough? Not happening. I tend to do more of my own cooking later in the afternoon or when I get a craving for something sweet. But if I had a scullery maid who wanted to get up at the crack of dawn and make the family breakfast? I would be all over that.

My Victorian series begins when Emily Barrow elopes with the Earl of Whitmore after he rescues her from intense poverty in the novella “An Accidental Seduction.” Their story continues in my February book The Accidental Countess where Emily learns that being a Countess isn’t as easy as it looks. To make matters worse, her husband was the victim of a violent accident and doesn’t remember anything about their marriage. Frustrated and worried about her future, Emily finds sanctuary in her cooking, which scandalizes the family butler.

But despite being an unsuitable Countess, Emily fights to win back the love of her husband. And along the way, I found some perfect recipes to go along with the story. They’re included at the beginning of several chapters, and my favorite recipe is one for Molasses Cookies. The recipe can be found on my website at http://www.michellewillingham.com/books/the-accidental-countess/recipes/molasses-cookies . Originally, I modified the recipe because I thought it had few enough ingredients that my heroine might be able to make them for the Earl. But in the end, it became one of my favorite family recipes! I now make it every year at Christmas, because the basic recipe has enough ginger that it strongly resembles a delicious gingerbread cookie.

Today I’d like to celebrate historic recipes by giving away a signed copy of The Accidental Countess and a free download of “An Accidental Seduction” to two lucky winners. Just tell me the name of one of your favorite family recipes. Is there a recipe that’s been passed down over the generations in your family? Tell us about it!

Michelle Willingham is the author of eight novels for Harlequin Historical and three novellas with Harlequin Historical Undone. When she’s not reading, avoiding exercise, or chasing after her three children, she enjoys baking any and all products made with sugar. Look for her next book in the Accidental Series, The Accidental Princess, coming in March 2010. For more information about her books, visit her website at: www.michellewillingham.com .

Before I break into my featured ramble, I want to thank Terri Brisbin and all of the ladies at Jaunty Quills   for inviting me to guest blog.  It’s always a treat to interact with readers and writers in a new-to-me venue. I must admit though, after my initial glee I experienced a blip of anxiety.  What should I blog about?

Just when I was starting to break into a sweat, I flashed on a time when Terri and I participated in a panel discussion at a local library. It was a long time ago, but I’ll never forget one specific question launched our way (although I confess I’m paraphrasing).

“Is there ever any part of you in your heroines?”

I was surprised when a couple of the authors answered, no. Their heroines were nothing like them—complete creations of their imagination and research. I wondered suddenly if I was guilty of some major writerly faux pas, because, well, there’s a little bit of me in all of my heroines.

Sometimes it’s something in my background—a past hobby or occupation, a relationship with a family member, an experience with a friend or beau. Sometimes it’s a talent or a skill . . . a belief or a fear. . . a desire or a dream. Having something in common with my heroine enables me to bond with her on an emotional level. I feel her. Even if she’s fiercely different from me in all ways but one. That one thing fuels my passion and pen.

In Out of Eden, my upcoming release from HQN, I have two things in common with my heroine, Kylie McGraw. We both grew up in a small town in Indiana. We both dreamed of ‘getting out’ and traveling to an exotic land. Those two things gave me an awful lot of material to work with. That said, in many ways, Kylie is nothing like me. Those portions aren’t the easiest to write, but they’re almost always the most fun. There’s a lot to be said for living vicariously through one’s heroine!

So here’s my question(s) to you.

1)    As a writer, do you incorporate any of ‘yourself’ into your heroines?
2)    As a reader, do you ever read a passage and wonder if the author is writing from personal experience?
3)    And lastly, for the fun of it…. Kylie’s dream is to tour China and Japan. Mine was to visit England and to see Paris at least once. (Mission accomplished!) What about you. What’s your dream destination?

Beth lives in New Jersey with her husband, two zany dogs, and one crazy cat. In addition to writing, she also works at her local library and travels to exciting lands whenever possible. To learn more about her chaotic life visit her website at www.bethciotta.com

I thought it would be fun to talk about the Bad Boy hero. We love ‘em, right? But how bad is too bad?

The hero of my January Superromance,The Father For Her Son, just spent seven years in prison. And yes, he was guilty. He didn’t kill anyone, but he did rob a liquor store. I hope I show that he really has learned from his mistakes, but still, writing a hero like this was a risk.

What do you, as readers, think? Is there anything in a hero’s past that would be a deal breaker for you? Does it take you longer to trust a hero with a dark past?

Do you think this kind of thing makes for a stronger conflict? After all, the heroine has to overcome her misgivings and mistrust of the hero in order for a romance to happen. Certainly our heroine, Marlee, has to struggle with this. Does she want her young son exposed to this fact about the hero, Troy,’s life?

What are some of your favorite Bad Boy heroes? And what do you think of a hero who’s served time in prison?

******************************************************************
THE FATHER FOR HER SON, Harlequin Superromance, January 2010
Life hasn’t been easy for single mom Marlee Britton, but she’s proud of her ability to look after herself and her son. Then old flame Troy Denton shows up after seven years, wanting to be a father to his son. and to rekindle his relationship with Marlee. While Troy struggles to prove himself trustworthy, Marlee wonders how she can ever give her heart to the man who broke it so long ago.
MELTING POINT” in BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE, with Jennifer Greene and Merline Lovelace, Harlequin Anthology, January 2010
Kristjan Gunnarson is Iceland’s first ever Olympic medalist. Coloradoan Stacy Bristol thinks he’ll be the perfect model for her new advertising campaign, but she isn’t prepared for the impact handsome Kristjan has on her. As she supervises filming around Iceland, Stacy fights her attraction to Kristjan. Can a down-to-business American and a footloose Icelander find love in the land of ice and fire?

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Cindi Myers became one of the most popular people in eighth grade when she and her best friend wrote and illustrated their own historical romance novel. The manuscript was eventually confiscated by her English teacher, who told her she should spend her time learning to properly conjugate a sentence. Since then, Cindi has gone on to write more than three dozen novels, both historical and contemporary. She also teaches writing and is a popular speaker and workshop presenter. She produces a weekly market newsletter or you can visit her website.

Hello all! I’m thrilled to be here today on the Jaunty Quills. Why am I so thrilled, so tickled, so pumped??? Because today is the official release day for my second book, HIGHLAND DRAGON, from Zebra books. Can I get a WHOOT?!

So I wanted to talk to you about fiction vs. truth…

As a reader, do you ever read a passage in a book and go huh? They didn’t eat corn on the cob in 1502. Does it immediately turn you away from the author? You swear you will never pick up another book by this author again because she didn’t do her research. Well, sometimes we authors have to bend that truth. We wrap it around something that is real to enhance the story. For example, in HIGHLAND DRAGON I have my heroine, Akira, being sold at auction in the Highlands. Of course, slaves were bought and sold. I researched it! But at this particular auction, the women being bought and sold were valued based on their virginity.

I’ve already had a reader email me in utter astonishment wanting to know if that scene in my book was real. I was flattered, but I also didn’t want her to think this type of outrageous horror actually happened.
So, my question for you today is: What bits have you stumbled upon hat left you gasping at the inaccuracy? Don’t give the author’s name just the bit.

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EXCERPT from HIGHLAND DRAGON

What if she’d already been sold? What if she’d never even been brought here?

Just as the questions entered his mind, the untamed hiss of the next captive pierced through the drone of bidders. Hair black as midnight framed her porcelain face—a face twisted into a ferocious expression of revulsion. Oaths spewed from her mouth in English, French, Gaelic, and another language Calin didn’t recognize. Two sentries in black hooded robes restrained her, and unlike the other women, her hands were bound tightly behind her.

“Christ, that’s Akira,” Kendrick announced in a loud whisper then started for the dais.

“Nay.” Calin placed a firm hand on Kendrick’s chest. “Dinnae draw attention to us or our interest in her.” Calin spoke calmly enough, but his insides were erupting. If the guards dared to strike her, he was fully prepared to start a war.

She lunged at the men confining her to the platform. The woman certainly didn’t lack for spit and fire. She was a fighter. Though relieved he’d found her safe, Calin worried over their initial meeting. Introducing himself to his bride under these circumstances might prove to be an awkward task.

When she drove a knee into the groin of one of her guards, Calin recoiled and instinctively cupped his bollocks. The injured sentry grabbed a mass of her hair, twisted her sideways, and forced her to her knees. Her eyes bled desperation just as she hollered out. The high-pitch note of pain bounced off the canvas walls.

Calin’s hands fisted into tight knots. Had he been permitted to keep a weapon, these men would be skewered over the end of his broadsword. He gestured to his clansmen dispersed amongst the crowd. With the silent order, the three men exited posthaste. “Remove your hood,” he commanded Kendrick. “If possible, I want her to see ye. Mayhap ’twill calm her spirits.”

“Did I happen to mention Akira has a bit of a temper?”

“A bit?” Calin eyed him warily, but he had no time for banter now. “We will retrieve Akira by any means necessary. When we leave, she will ride with me, and I will deal with her temper.”