BBQ Party -- NNN Style!

What says Summer Party better than BBQ? As your hosts, we're serving up hot Books, hot Babes and we're grilling each other with some hot Questions. So sit back, enjoy and don't forget to comment to win your choice of one of these great prizes:

From Kelly Jamieson: winner's choice of any book from her backlist. 

From Meg Benjamin: a print copy of either Venus in Blue Jeans or Wedding Bell Blues. 

From Erin Nicholas: download of Just Like That. 

From Skylar Kade: a print copy of Binding Ties.

And now, to get the party started, here's the first of our chefs. It looks like he's getting the veggies started for us. 'Cause we're all about the health.

Meanwhile, here's Skylar's answers to today's questions:

1. If I had the time, the three books I would love to read by the end of the summer are... I've just gotten into George RR Martin's series "A Song of Ice and Fire" and I'd love to finish the first three books. I've needed a change from romance (been throwing more and more books against the wall) and my lovely Thor was kind enough to suggest these.


2. I'll be so disappointed if I never get to... Go to Disneyland. I've lived in SoCal for five years and have never been. Its just so pricey, and requires more walking than my joints can usually handle, but I'm such a Disney movie fan--the classics, and new ones like WALL-E, not their crazy real-actor movies.


3. If I had the afternoon off to do whatever I wanted, I would... Cuddle with Thor and fall asleep. Oh, glorious sleep. For us, the summer vacation has turned into "work all the time," and downtime together has become a precious commodity.


4. Something I've always wanted to try is... A book signing. But luckily (or unfortunately, depending on the outcome) I'll be having one on the 18th at Barnes and Noble(16461 Ventura Blvd. Encino, CA 91436) with one of the other Binding Ties anthology authors, Jenna Ives. I'm terrified and excited, even though I know it will be a small event.


5. I'd love to have lunch with...  Eliza Dushku. I *love* Buffy and Dollhouse, and she just seems like such a down-to-earth person. Not to mention, she's a fabulous actress.

Chef # 2 is warming things up for us...I'm talking about the oven, obviously.

Erin had this to say in response to our questions:

1. If I had the time, the three books I would love to read by the end of the summer are... Well, I can't not read, no matter what else I have going on and I have a to-read list at all times. Upcoming right now include Erin McCarthy's new release, Meg Benjamin's new release and a re-read of Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.


2. I'll be so disappointed if I never get to... see Italy


3. If I had the afternoon off to do whatever I wanted, I would... have coffee with a set of girlfriends, shop, read, have lunch with another set of girlfriends, go to a movie, have dinner with another set of girlfriends... well, you see the pattern.

4. Something I've always wanted to try is... a cruise. I'm a little freaked out by the idea of being out on the ocean with no where else to go but want to try it.


5. I'd love to have lunch with... God. Seriously, I have some questions for that guy.

 I guess Chef #3 never got the memo telling him that the veggies were already under control. It's a vegetarian conspiracy, I'm tellin' ya!

And that's something I'm sure Meg Benjamin can relate to:

1. If I had the time, the three books I would love to read by the end of
the summer are...
Jane Haddam’s annual Gregor Demarkian, Wanting Sheila Dead; Loretta Chase’s Last Night’s Scandal; Kerry Greenwood’s latest Corinna Chapman, Forbidden Fruit.


2. I'll be so disappointed if I never get to...visit England, Ireland, and Scotland.



3. If I had the afternoon off to do whatever I wanted, I would...head for the hills! I’d love to spend the afternoon on a deck in Steamboat Springs, sipping wine and watching the hummingbirds.


4. Something I've always wanted to try is...scuba diving. I used to be a copyeditor for an underwater photography magazine and it always sounded great. Also really expensive!



5. I'd love to have lunch with...all of the Nine Naughty Novelists. But since we’re spread around North America, I’ll settle for lunch with Erin during RomCon!


Chef #4--wait, what's this I see? More veggies? You just can't get good help these days.

While we sort things out in the kitchen, here's Kelly's answers:

1. If I had the time, the three books I would love to read by the end of the summer are...Are you kidding me? Even when I don't have time to read, I'd get through more than 3 books this summer! My TBR list is too long to list here.

2. I'll be so disappointed if I never get to...Make the NY Times bestseller list. (I know, I know. Not holding my

breath, believe me.)

3. If I had the afternoon off to do whatever I wanted, I would...Write. Or else read. Preferably poolside with someone serving me umbrella drinks.

 4. Something I've always wanted to try is...Suntanning naked.

5. I'd love to have lunch with...My mom and dad. My dad died when I was 18 and my mom a few years ago. I know they are together now and I would like to touch base and find out whether my dad still grabs my mom's butt every chance he gets and whether she rolls her eyes every time. And I would like to tell them about my writing.

I guess Chef #5 is a pastry chef. Whaddaya think he's making for us? Buns for our mysteriously missing  burgers and hot dogs? Or dessert?

I lost you at "Chef # 5" didn't I? Well, while you're thinking, here's Kate's answers:

1. If I had the time, the three books I would love to read by the end of the summer are...Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann, His at Night by Sherry Thomas, and False Dawn by Maia Strong.


2. I'll be so disappointed if I never get to...take my kids to Europe. I haven't been overseas in twenty-plus years, and I would love to experience that with them at some point.

3. If I had the afternoon off to do whatever I wanted, I would...Find a comfortable spot, curl up with a good book and a glass of wine, and read the afternoon away without worrying about anything.

4. Something I've always wanted to try is...Gourmet cooking. I can make some serviceable meals, but I'd love to play with interesting ingredients and recipes.

5. I'd love to have lunch with...The rest of the NNN! (Though we'd probably need more than one meal to get all of our conversation in!)

Chef # 6...oh, wait. I guess this is part of our wait staff with the answer to the question: what's Chef 5 whipping up.

So now you know.

And here's Sydney's answers:

1. If I had the time, the three books I would love to read by the end of the summer are...Just three? LOL The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs and Hot Finish by Erin McCarthy and the list goes on and on...

2. I'll be so disappointed if I never get to...Take my kids to Disney World. Having never been there, I think it will be awesome it experience it for the first time with my family. 

3. If I had the afternoon off to do whatever I wanted, I would...Curl up in a hammock with a cold beer and a great book.

4. Something I've always wanted to try is...Bungee jumping. I just have to get over my fear of heights first. ;)

5. I'd love to have lunch with...My fabulous editor. So envious that Meg and Erin get to sit down with her this weekend. 

Then there's this guy...I don't think he's come to cook. However, let's not hold that against him. "Here, honey, have some more veggies...we've got lots!"

PG's answers:

1. If I had the time, the three books I would love to read by the end of the summer are...the next three new releases by the NNN--duh! 

2. I'll be so disappointed if I never get to...own another Jaguar. Love those cars.

3. If I had the afternoon off to do whatever I wanted, I would...take the Jag out for a spin along the Central Coast, visit a few wineries...or write. Writing's good too!

 4. Something I've always wanted to try is...hot air ballooning.  

  5. I'd love to have lunch with...the NNN. Gotta agree with the group on this one. And, Erin, we'll do it on a cruise. You'll be so busy laughing, you won't have time to be freaked out by all that water!