Thursday 13: Our Favorite Heroines

While we all love ourselves a good Alpha male, sometimes it's the heroine who makes the story. These 13 are some of our favorite ladies in fiction.

1. Kinsey Holley: Jessica, from Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels. She's resilient and humorous, she loves him even when he's an ass but doesn't let him get away with any shit; she's more anxious than he is to take in his illegitimate son, and she's really smart. (Juniper says, "I love Jessica too. Great character.")
2. Juniper Bell: Sugar Beth from Ain't She Sweet? by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She's a former spoiled Southern beauty who's taken a lot of hard knocks and learned humility and spunk.
3. Meg Benjamin: Christine Derrick in Mary Balogh's Slightly Dangerous. Resilient, charming, and determined to be unimpressed by the Duke of Bewcastle, who is, of course, very impressed with her.
4. Erin Nicholas: I've always loved Sugar Beth Carey from Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Ain't She Sweet? (When she and Juniper picked the same heroine, Erin said, "You have such great taste! I KNEW we were connected Juniper!")
5. Kate Davies: Alyssa Locke, from the Troubleshooters series by Suz Brockmann. Strong, competent, wounded, vulnerable, fiercely devoted.
6. Kelly Jamieson: Skeeter Bang from Tara Janzen's Steele Street series
7. Kinsey Holley: Merry, from Windflower - 17, kidnapped by a duke and his pirate half-brother, she befriends this wild child marquess' son and handles herself with aplomb throughout some very trying adventures.
8. Skylar Kade: Tilda Goodnight in Jennifer Crusie's Faking It. She's a little nerdy, a lot no-nonsense, and she falls for Davy Dempsey despite her best intentions.
9. PG Forte: Owl Tycho from Owl in Love. What's not to like about a 14 yr old owl-shifter experiencing her first crush?
10. Sydney Sommers: Mac from Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. She really grew each book from a superficial chick to kickass heroine.
11. Kinsey Holley: Abby Sinclair in Allison Pang's 1st book (it's a trilogy) A Brush of Darkness. She's survived a horrible car accident that killed her mom, she's stuck in this town because she's tied to a fae, but she's tough and loyal and resourceful. No crying or freaking out, and she's understanding of the hero's really substantial issues. It's not HEA or HFN, because it's ongoing, so I'm excited to start reading the next book to see what happens. Also - Abby lives with a miniature unicorn who likes to sleep in her underwear drawer. I think that's cool.
12. Meg Benjamin: Tilda Goodnight in Jennifer Crusie's Faking It. Funniest book ever.
13. Skylar Kade: Georgina Hathaway from Catherine Coulter's Aftershocks. She's the first romance heroine I ever read, and she's really stuck with me.

If we just added a few books to your TBR pile, don't be mad! It's the holiday season--indulge in an extra book or ten!

Want payback? Tell us your favorite heroine in the comments!

What I Learned about Sexy Firemen

Some books are more fun to promote than others. Any book about a sexy fireman is a blast to talk about because, well, Exhibit A:

and Exhibit B:

Now that we've established that, let me say that my new novella, ONE FINE FIREMAN, is the most fun to promote so far. That's because I can talk not only about the book, but about something that could save lives.

One of my characters is a cancer survivor, and while researching the book, I learned an astonishing fact. Firefighters have much higher risk of developing cancer, as much as 100% higher according to some sources. I had no idea about this! I knew it was a dangerous profession, but I didn't realize that cancer was one of the risks. As if running into burning buildings isn't enough! Thanks to the Fire Chief of the real San Gabriel (my books are set in a fictional San Gabriel, California), I also learned about a group that's trying to spread awareness and help firefighters who are facing a cancer diagnosis.

That's how I decided to donate a portion of my royalties from ONE FINE FIREMAN to Chief Nestor's group, the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. It's a wonderful group in which cancer survivors mentor newly diagnosed firefighters. Their biggest challenge is raising awareness, which is why it makes me very happy that I can talk about the group every time I talk about my novella.

If you'd like to see what Chief Nestor says about the group, I interviewed him here on my blog. Click on the banner below for even more information.

But let's not get too serious here. ONE FINE FIREMAN is a fun, sexy novella, after all. Here's a little more about it. 

Kirk, aka Thor, one of San Gabriel’s infamous Bachelor Firemen, certainly lives up to his nickname. He’s tall, handsome, and has a chiseled body worthy of any Viking god. But he’d give it all up for one glance from her.

Sweet, shy Maribel has no idea he’s been pining for her. There’s nothing he’d like better than to sweep her off her feet and show her just how exquisite their love could be. But Kirk has a secret and he won’t let anyone get close, least of all the sexiest woman he’s ever met.

Can a feisty little dog and an even feistier little boy help these star-crossed lovers to find the true love they both so richly deserve?

Click here to read an excerpt.

Kindle
Nook
Print (Amazon)

You can find out more about the Bachelor Firemen series on my website. And if you like hot firemen photos, stop by my Facebook page. Yeah, I have a few. You could say that. Here's one for the road.

Happy holidays!

Jennifer Bernard
JenniferBernard.net

Guest Blogger Leah Braemel - Present Planning

Thanks to Meg and the rest of the Nine for inviting me back to their blog! It’s December already – am I the only one saying “where has 2012 gone?” And just like that, the weather reports (in my neck of the woods) are now reporting temperatures based on the wind chill. Ugh. When I’m walking the dog, I’m now faced with donning gloves and winter coat instead of just stepping into a pair of sandals and saying “let’s go walkies.” (Yes, I do that dreaded high pitched voice but it works.)

When I was writing this, I’d not started decorating yet, though I imagine by the time you read it, my tree is up. I’ve not done any Christmas shopping yet either. Luckily I don’t have a lot of people to buy for, but from the looks of it, most of my shopping will be done in a hurry. Something I don’t like. I have always tried to make sure that when I give a present I’ve put lots of thought into and it tells the receiver that I was thinking specifically of them when I chose it.

So when I was writing I Need You for Christmas, I wanted my hero Ryan and heroine Meg to put the same type of thought into the presents they planned on giving each other. In their case, they were planning on giving themselves – at the cost of giving up their careers, their homes, to move 1500 miles to be with the other.

You can buy I Need You for Christmas from Carina Press, or from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple.

Here’s a peek into Meg as she struggles to keep her present a surprise.

“You spoil me.” She picked up her coffee and headed to the couch, but not before stopping off to admire the seven-foot live pine taking over the corner. Nestled among the original blown glass ornaments and metal pieces Ryan created were a dozen or more embroidered pieces. They’d been his mother’s creations—he’d told her that until his father remarried and his new wife moved in, his mother’s needlework adorned just about every surface in the house.

She stroked the long needles; the scent of pine brought memories flooding back. “Do you remember our first Christmas tree?”

He chuckled. “Not the tree itself, but I remember trying to impress you by driving you out to Shewchuk’s tree farm and getting stuck in the ditch. Not my finest moment.”

“I was remembering what happened after we brought it home.” How they’d made love after they’d decorated it.

“I’ll never forget that part of the day, babe.” His voice was soft.

While she’d always loved the spirit of Christmas, she’d seldom found it at her family’s home. For some reason her parents fought more over the holidays, and the Christmas carols she’d play seldom drowned out the shouting matches. Though she hadn’t told him, she suspected Ryan had when he had invited her to his family’s place for Christmas their first year together and included her on the tradition of picking out the family’s tree.

If she hadn’t already been falling in love with him, he’d sealed the deal when he’d said he loved her that afternoon.

Clutching her coffee cup, she faced him again. “I love you, you know, Ry.”

A questioning look in his eyes, he nodded. “I know.”

He tilted his head. “Is something wrong, babe?”

The urge to spill the news that she was staying permanently threatened to explode from her. Stop it, do not ruin the best Christmas present you’ve ever had to give him.



Have you got all your shopping done yet? Have you even started? Leave a comment for me for a chance to win your choice of one of my backlist. Then pop over to my website and leave a comment for a chance to win a Kindle in my “I Need A Kindle for Christmas” contest.

The only woman in a houseful of men (even the cat and dog are male), Leah Braemel loves hiding away from all the testosterone to let the dust bunnies fend for themselves. You can visit her website, follow her on Twitter, or on FaceBook and Goodreads. Don’t miss her upcoming print release of Private Deceptions, an anthology containing Private Property and Deliberate Deceptions from her Hauberk Protection series.

The blah, blah, blah

I tend to write books that happen over the course of three days.  That seems to be my favorite amount of time for a couple to meet, fall in love, have headboard rocking sex, realize they can’t live without one another, screw it up, fix it, and live happily ever after. 

But yes, after I write that first draft where everything happens in a whirlwind, I do go back in—usually—and add to the story, draw it out, make it more believable.  Because, okay, three days isn’t really enough time for all of that to happen.  Probably.

But that first draft often happens really fast because I leave out the blah, blah, blah.  The part I hate writing.  The extra stuff. 

You know what I’m talking about.  The “she crossed to the cupboard, took out two cups and poured them both coffee”.  But you have to have that stuff in there too or everyone’s just sitting around talking all the time.  Or pacing and shouting.  Or stroking and groaning  :)  See, those are the parts I like.  The action, the dialogue, the parts that move and change the story and characters. 

I don’t care if he pulled on a pair of blue jeans and made pancakes after rocking her world.  Or that she had to shower, do her hair and go to work before meeting him for lunch.  Why do I want to read about people doing their hair?  Or mulling over expense reports?  Or making sandwiches?  Sure, sometimes that matters.  If the expense reports are showing the villain is embezzling and the heroine’s life is now in danger because he found out she knows.  But even then…

 

As Elmore Leonard was quoted as saying, "I try to leave out the parts that people skip."

I skip the blah, blah, blah as a reader.  Okay, I skim it. 

As a writer I leave it out. Then have to put some of it back in. 

Because that’s the stuff that fills the days, the things that have to be done, and stuff that makes the story take a realistic amount of time to develop.

Yes, people have to drink coffee (come on, people have to drink coffee!  What kind of world am I creating here?!) and wine (see previous comment).  And they have to eat (another favorite of mine) and shower (I don’t want even my villains to stink!) and go to work, etc.  Part of storytelling is pulling the reader in and making them a part of the world.  So, you have to make these people real.  And real people eat, drink, sleep, work and shower.  And lots of other things.

And then, of course, there’s the good old “Three days later” or “By the time the weekend rolled around”. 

 

You can skip chunks of time pretty cleanly that way.  I like that.  It’s easy, for one thing.  We just assume those days in between were routine and boring.  No one had life-altering realizations, no one had a near-death experience, and while there was hopefully sex, it was pretty much like the times we did get to read about.  No new positions or toys or people involved.  We assume it was fabulous, everyone involved enjoyed it immensely and that everyone is still on the same page emotionally.  ‘Cuz when any of that changes, I want to see it!  Show don’t tell! :)

So, yeah, the blah, blah, blah has to be there but hopefully it’s just enough to get us from one important, life-altering, story-changing, better-man-making, omg-this-is-the-best-ever scene to the next.

 Am I the only one that skims, or outright skips, some parts in a book?  If you do it too, what’s the blah, blah, blah for you?

Monthly Round up for November

We have a lot of great reviews to brag about this month.

Kelly Jamieson's Rule of Three  was reviewed by  Romantic Times Magazine where it received 4 ½  STARS GOLD TOP PICK! 

"... seductive and bewitching from the very start — opening with a very steamy shower scene that just hints of the sizzling erotica to come. As the story is told from the points of view of all three main characters, readers will experience the passion and love that each member of the threesome feels for one another. In addition to the very well-written, hot and explicit sex scene that will leave readers blushing (at the very least), this novel tackles a contemporary subject matter that will have readers thinking about the topic for a long time afterwards. Softly romantic and wickedly provocative, erotica fans should not even consider passing on this one."

Kelly would also like everyone to know that..."THE IKEA STORE OPENS HERE ON WEDNESDAY!!"

Woo-hoo! Happy shopping, Kelly. Enjoy those Swedish meatballs!

Erin Nicholas has a nice review for Just A Kiss: 


4.75 stars and a "Purest Delight" from Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

"I often wonder how some authors manage to get it right time and time again, but Erin Nicholas has done it once again. Just A Kiss contains characters both old and new blending together seamlessly to create an outstanding cast, superior dialog that is both witty and at times heartbreaking, and a message that no matter what your faith; living it day in and day out will make the world a better place." --- Slick Reads

http://www.guiltypleasuresbookreviews.com/2012/10/arc-review-just-a-kiss-the-bradfords-5-by-erin-nicholas.html

Erin also has some Mysterious and Very Exciting news that she can't divulge just yet.  It's probably not as exciting as a Swedish furniture superstore, but we can hope.  ;)


And Meg Benjamin's latest release, Fearless Love, received five hearts at The Romance Studio and was nominated for Five-Heart Sweetheart Of the Week.  You can read about that here:

http://www.theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/fearlesslovebenjamin.htm 

In other news, we also have a couple of upcoming releases to announce:  Skylar Kade's short story "Edge" will be part of the January 2013 Cleis Press anthology "Only You", edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel.

And PG Forte has a new release to announce as well.  Finders Keepers will be available from Loose Id on December 11. Still, no cover, but here's the blurb: 

Sometimes finding what you want is the easy part.

Caleb is a bionic soldier with little-to-no memory of his past. He's seeking the truth about himself and those missing memories.

Aldo's an undercover cop who just might have the answers to Caleb's questions. But if Caleb's the man Aldo thinks he is, how can he let him get away a second time?

Then there's Sally; she's an ER physician who used to be married to Aldo's late partner, Davis. Sally's not dealing with widowhood very well. In fact, it's getting harder, every day, just to find a reason to keep getting out of bed. If the truth about the men's shared past comes to light, she could lose them both. Along with her last, best reason to go on living.

This holiday season, chance will bring them together and give them an opportunity to help one another find what they each want most. But every gift comes with a price. And keeping what they've found once they've found it? Yeah, that's gonna be the hard part. 

PG also has a new cover to reveal. Unfortunately, it's NOT for her December release, it's for one of TWO Children of Night books being released in 2013. But it's pretty anyway.

Children of the Night, Book 3

 Vampire-born twins Julie and Marc Fischer face complicated new challenges. Marc must decide whether to stay with the only family he’s ever known, or embrace his destiny and a completely new family. Julie is forced to realize that who she wants and who’s best for her are two different men.

For Conrad and Damian, the holiday season is stirring up bittersweet memories, and neither can keep from revisiting past passion and pain. It’s no wonder the Fischer-Quintano vampires long for the good old days—when food was food and family was all that mattered. 

Guest Blogger Annabeth Albert - Got Naughty Mail?

Thanks so much to the Naughty Novelists! This is one of my favorite weeks of the whole year—Thanksgiving is done, but the memory of pie lingers, and the holiday rush hasn’t quite descended. And it’s one of the best weeks for online shopping and deal hunting.

Before I had toddlers, I used to love bargain hunting and stalking clearance racks. And then I discovered exactly what sticky fingers can do to a perfectly good rack of sweaters. These days I get my retail kicks online. We use the heck out of our Amazon prime membership, and I’m an easy mark for “free shipping” codes elsewhere.

I like the steady stream of diapers, coffee, computer parts, office supplies, and playmobile people that arrive on our doorstep. I avoid dragging kids to big box stores and I save money. And this time of year, I love finding gifts while wearing my pajamas and having them arrive in boxes that are easy to wrap. WIN! And if you’re doing #NaNoWriMo or on deadline for a book, online shopping means more time to write. My favorite bargain sites this time of year:

· Think Geek. Check out their stocking stuffers section for cheap gifts for your favorite nerd boy (or girl!) And watch for their t-shirt and mug sales as easy, crowd pleasing gifts.

· Vista Print. Have cute kids or family pictures? You can accomplish all the grandma, aunt, uncle, and extended family gifts in minutes. I’m a big fan of the magnets as stocking stuffers and the desk calendars as universally pleasing relative gifts. Need gifts for your writer friends? Turn your RWA chapter logo or blog header into unique gifts. Their emails can get annoying, but it’s worth being on their mailing list for the amazing freebies and offers.

· Scholastic Book Club. If you have school-aged kids, your school most likely participates in this program. The website is far easier to navigate than the zillions of flyers and is a great way to give books on the cheap AND help your school. At our school, book orders are put in brown paper bags for pick-up and stapled shut. I use the $1 books as good friend/cousin presents.

· Zulily If you want to give kids’ gifts that look like they came from an expensive boutique without boutique prices or parking and hassles, this upscale kids’ bargain site is fabulous. I use this to stockpile emergency birthday presents for kids with hard-to-please parents or show-stopping shower gifts.

· Overstock. I get my mom’s gift here each year because they’ve got the best prices on things like bedding and house wares, and the reviews are usually accurate and helpful and the shipping is often free or super cheap even on huge items.

For the most part, though, my purchases are fairly tame. Boring even. However, the heroine of my recent release RETURN TO SENDER buys something online she doesn’t want anyone to know about. When her naughty mail gets discovered, the games begin:

Jack Donovan and Bree Hendricks have been in hot competition since their school days, whether it’s tussling over the best apartment or bickering over local leash laws. Bree never turns down a challenge, so when her new toy in its brown paper packaging is delivered to Jack’s doorstep by mistake, he seizes this perfect opportunity to make her act on the long-simmering attraction between them.

Bree is determined to set a good example for her teenage daughter, and that means no flirting, no flings and definitely no one-night stands. But a bout of saucy cybersex demonstrating her new dildo? There’s no danger in that. Unless Bree allows her heart to become involved…

You can read an excerpt here.

Do you like to shop online or do you prefer brick and mortar stores? Any favorite online retailers? What’s the craziest thing you’ve bought online?

Annabeth Albert has been hooked on romance ever since Laura gave Almanzo permission to kiss her goodnight. It wasn’t too long after that Annabeth started sneaking romances where a whole lot more than kissing happens. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer in a variety of subgenres. A long-time member of Romance Writers of America, she is also active in the Rainbow Romance Writers chapter.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.

She often tweets about her latest online bargain finds, newest keeper shelf books, and other random tidbits and loves chatting. @AnnabethAlbert

You can also find her at http://www.annabethalbert.com and http://www.facebook.com/annabethalbert.com

Buy RETURN TO SENDER from your favorite e-retailer—out now with Amazon, Nook, and other sellers. Buy links here: http://annabethalbert.com/books/return-to-sender/

Guest Blogger Rhonda Carver - Bad-Ass Heroes

First, I’d like to say thank you to the Naughty Nine for allowing me to stop by. The reason why I’m here is because I love to write. Of course, I’m an author, right? However, do you know what I love to write? Nothing makes my heart skip a beat more than bad-ass men that take a little polishing to shine their kindness. In Dreaming Ivy, there’s not just one bad-ass, but there’s double the trouble. Max and Marcus, both need refining. Max is the hero of present. He is a ghost hunter who carries enough emotional baggage that only the “dead” want anything to do with him…until Ivy comes along. Then there’s Marcus. A hero of the past, about one-hundred years to be exact…who also has a soft spot for Ivy, uhh, Elizabeth . Sound confusing? Here’s the quick sum of it. Max is a descendant of Marcus. He is drawn to the Thornton’s Mansion, known for being haunted. Ivy is a feisty journalist who is curious why a well-known ghost hunter like Max is in her small town. Together, they stay in the house. While there, Ivy begins to have dreams of Marcus, a man who lived in the house years before. The dreams begin to transform and Ivy is traveled back to a time when Marcus was falling in love with Elizabeth, or rather Ivy from a past life. Ivy must find her way either in the past or the future. She must choose…and it’s never easy. If you like a book that is a mixture of spook, bad-ass men and naughty sex, Dreaming Ivy is your pick.

Book Blurb:

Can a past love become their future?

The Thorntons' mansion is full of timeless secrets waiting to be unraveled. When small-town journalist Ivy and ghost hunter Max are stuck in the forgotten, dilapidated house, they find more than just a haunting. Ivy finds herself dreaming of the former owners, Marcus Thornton and his lovely wife, Elizabeth. Their profound love was once the talk of the town, and the cause their mysterious, untimely deaths never found. When Ivy's dreams begin to become reality, the mystery starts to unravel and sheds truth on more than just the past.

WARNING: Graphic language, naughty ghosts, a non-committal male, and a love that endures beyond time and death.

Excerpt: 

Ivy stepped into the corridor. She stopped and listened. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a shadow sweep across the wall. She turned as it disappeared. “Hello?” No answer. She stomped down the hall and burst into the room. “Hello--” 

The room was empty.

Ivy swallowed the taste of fright. A shiver raced across her skin. She had seen someone, or had she? She rubbed her eyes. Maybe the shadows were playing tricks on her.

A loud crack in the floor behind her sent Ivy twisting. The sun from the window blinded her. She acted on impulse. She drew her fist back and punched--landing on something solid. The force behind her connection with skin and bone sent her off balance, flailing backward. A hand on her wrist pulled her hard against a steely frame.

She met a dark stare, just as she felt wobbling. The impact of her body had sent him a step back. He lost his balance. Together they fell. The air whooshed from his chest as Ivy landed on top of the stranger.

She closed her eyes and remained still. She wanted nothing more than for the floor to swallow her. Several long seconds floated by. Neither of them said a word. She finally opened her eyes.

Embarrassed and confused, Ivy laid her palms against his shoulders, pushing herself up. She looked directly into his not-so-pleased expression and gulped. Enchanting green eyes, prominent cheekbones, midnight hair...and a pissed-off set to his jaw. She’d made a mistake--a huge one. “Max Shepard.” It wasn’t a question.

He narrowed his eyes. “Ivy Kennedy, journalist and amateur boxer?”

The deep, rich tone of his voice did funny things to the pit of her stomach. His voice wasn’t the only toned part of him. Pressed together gave her an up close and personal testimonial of his physical assets. Broad chest, tight abs to long legs, she could feel tight muscles and a curious bulge. She scooted her hip around the swelling in his jeans. Heat and realization spread through her body.

One corner of his mouth lifted. “It’s my cell.” Could he see straight through her?

“Cell?”

He reached into his pocket and held up his phone. Ivy was certain her skin changed into the perfect color of mortification. She wondered just how bad this could get. Pasting a smile on her face, she said, “Nice to meet you.” The temperature rose between them into the triple digits. Their bodies seemed to melt together. He didn’t look like the pictures she’d seen on the internet. He looked more distinguished in person. “You’re older than I thought,” she blurted.

“Older?”

“Older, in a good way.” She licked her bottom lip and nervously pushed her hair behind her ear. “My mother said I have a bad habit of saying the most awkward things and rambling--” She swallowed. “--like I am now.” She moved slightly.

His zipper started to swell again. Was that another cell phone in his pocket, or… Before her mind could complete the thought, he wrapped his large hands around her waist and lifted her off him. He set her on her feet as he came to stand in front of her. “That’s better,” he said as he backed up. “Damn.” He kicked rug that must have been the reason behind their fall.

He stood there, silent. This was a complete disaster. She’d managed to give him a black eye to match the dark scowl on his face. She needed to start searching for a new job. Marshall would have her head for this.

Rhonda Lee Carver is a hopeless romantic. Whether you like sweet romance or erotica, she has written a story for you. Rhonda read her first novel at thirteen and that was the open window into her destiny. She began writing ghost stories as a teen, and as years passed, her stories bloomed into steamy, passionate tales. She likes creating intelligent, saucy heroines who can challenge a bad-ass hero. She believes in love, and everyone has a soulmate.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rhondalee.carver

Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rhonda-Lee-Carver-Author

Website: www.rhondaleecarver.com

Blogger: http://rhondaleecarver-author.blogspot.com

Buy link: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_31&products_id=521