I was so happy to see everyone’s recommendations for contemporary romance releases in February. Looks like it’ll be a very romantic month!
The winner of a $10 book gift certificate is…Suz Glo!
And since Suz Glo said she loves Jill Shalvis’s novels, I’m also sending a $10 gift certificate to Jill on Suz’s behalf.
Thanks for commenting, everyone!
Filed under Contemporaries to covet
Thanks so much to Shana for the fascinating post on pirates, and for giving away two copies of her upcoming novel The Rogue Pirate’s Bride.
The very lucky winners are…Filia Oktarina and Linda McFarland!
Filia and Linda, I’ve emailed you asking for your address. Congratulations! I think you’ll love the book.
Everyone, if you’re a fan of contemporary romance, check out my contemporaries to covet in February post – you could win a gift certificate for yourself and a contemporary romance author!
Filed under Thoughtfulness
Every month, I’m giving you the chance to win a $10 book gift certificate for yourself AND one of your favorite contemporary romance authors.
How? Easy. Just let me know which contemporary romance novel being published this month you’re looking forward to reading. You can even mention one of the ones I recommend below. I’ll choose one winner and send that person a gift certificate. I’ll also send a gift certificate to the author they mention in their comment, on their behalf.
Giveaway details are at the bottom of this post. But first, there are a couple of contemporary romance novels I’ve read advanced copies of and can totally recommend. They’re both really fun, funny and entertaining books, so I hope you get a chance to read them!
(Read an excerpt on Jill’s blog)
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Class: How to Drive Him Crazy
Instructional program for women unexpectedly facing the totally dishy guy from their past. Everyone Welcome!
NHL coach Mark Diego’s plan to spend his off-season volunteering in his hometown goes awry when he learns that not only is he coaching teenage girls, but that the program is coordinated by energetic (and five feet two inches of trouble) coordinator Rainey Saunders, his childhood friend–and the woman he could never stand to see dating any other guy…
When their tempers flare, Mark and Rainey discover their fireworks don’t just burn angry–they burn very, very, hot! But that’ll just sweeten the victory. Because Mark always plays to win. And with Rainey, he’s planning on playing very dirty too…
224 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Publication date: 21 Feb 2012
My opinion:
4 out of 5 stars!
Not only is this novel super hot, but it has all of Jill Shalvis’s trademark snort-out-loud humor and gut-twisting emotion. I absolutely LOVE Jill Shalvis and am convinced she couldn’t write a bad book.
This is her first Blaze for a while, and it’s wonderful to see how much conflict and energy she can pack into even this shorter format.
Recently divorced kindergarten teacher Jazz Shepherd is starting a new life in the quaint lakeside town of Bluegill. After taking a summer job at the local marina to help make ends meet, she’s stunned when the chief of police enlists her help in solving a crime.
Money has been disappearing from the city coffers, and a trail leads from Bluegill’s mayor to Damien Cerberus, a rich boat owner—and possible killer. The police chief is short-staffed and in need of someone to keep tabs on the suspect. Jazz’s job at the marina puts her in the perfect position to help—and puts her in the path of Kurt Reynolds, the hottie who mans the fireboat.
When things with Kurt start heating up, how can Jazz keep her investigation undercover while enjoying time under the covers with her summer flame?
67,000 words
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication date: 27 Feb 2012
My opinion:
4 out of 5 stars!
Told in the first person by a heroine with a wonderfully quirky voice, this novel is a highly entertaining read. Amie Denman manages to keep it hot and exciting without being overly descriptive in sex scenes, making this a wonderful book for those of you who get uncomfortable reading about detailed sexual encounters.
Fans of Kristan Higgins will really enjoy Her Lucky Catch. I read it while traveling from Denmark to the Netherlands, and it had me laughing out loud instead of pissing myself with fear on the flight or throttling a conductor when my train home was delayed by an hour. Seriously, it takes a lot to keep me in a good mood through a journey like that, and Amie Denman accomplished it.
Answer one of the questions in bold below. By “contemporary romance” I mean romance between human beings set in the present day. It can be romantic suspense, inspirational, erotic, category-length or whatever.
I’ll choose one winner on Tuesday February 7th. That person will get a $10 gift certificate to the online book retailer of their choice, AND I’ll send the same to the author they mention.
If the winner mentions more than one author, I’ll ask her to choose which one gets the gift certificate.
This is open internationally.
Questions:
What contemporary romance novel(s) are you looking forward to in February? Have you read anything by the authors I mentioned? Which of their books do you like best?
Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my interview with Lisa Dale, and to Lisa for giving away a copy of Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier.
The very lucky winner is…Maureen!
Maureen, send me your mailing address to romancingkatrina (at) gmail (dot) com.
Everyone, this week you have the chance to win Shana Galen’s upcoming historical romance, The Rogue Pirate’s Bride (and learn some cool facts about pirates, too!).
Filed under Author interviews
I’m so happy to have historical romance/adventure author Shana Galen here today talking about some of the fascinating research she’s done on pirates. She’s giving away two copies of her upcoming release, The Rogue Pirate’s Bride. I’ve read and LOVED it, so make sure you leave a comment by Tuesday January 31st!
Take it away, Shana!
Hello! I’m thrilled to be on Reader, I Created Him today. This is the first stop on my tour for The Rogue Pirate’s Bride. What a great way to begin! I want to thank Kat for inviting me. I met her in New York over the summer, and if you don’t know her, be assured she is really as nice and smart and talented as this blog would indicate.
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This is my second paragraph, and I already have a confession. My book isn’t actually about Caribbean pirates. The Rogue Pirate’s Bride is set in 1802, which is a little past the heyday of the Carribean pirate. But there were still Barbary pirates operating in the Mediterranean, and they were based primarily in the ports of Tunis, Tripoli, and Algier (aka the Barbary Coast). But that wouldn’t have worked as a title, and the Barbary Corsairs had a lot in common with their Caribbean counterparts.
My pirate hero, actually he prefers to be called a privateer, is Sebastien Harcourt. He’s captain of a ship named Shadow and frequently takes on the British Navy. His men are loyal and tough. They have to be. Pirates slept in the smelly lower deck, all packed together in hammocks along with the extra supplies. Bastien, of course, has his own cabin, but his ship is small (and subsequently fast), and he’s the only one with the luxury of privacy.
I read quite a few books about pirates when I was researching for this book, and I learned some interesting facts. Bastien’s enemy, Jourdain, has a shaved head. Pirates often shaved their heads to keep their hair free of lice and bugs. Jourdain also wears gold earrings as does Ridley, Bastien’s bosun, shorthand for boatswain. A bosun is sort of like the deck supervisor. But the interesting thing about Ridley and the other pirates who wear gold earrings is that they wore the earrings so that if they were thrown from a ship during a battle or storm, and their bodies washed up on shore, the earrings would be valuable enough to provide them with a burial. Some pirates wore earrings to symbolize survival from a shipwreck. If I were a hiring captain, I might be wary of hiring any pirate with more than one earring. He could be bad luck, and pirates are very superstitious.
Filed under Writer's toolbox
Thanks to everyone to commented on Kaki Warner’s guest post, One woman’s tips on writing in the male point of view. What a fun post!
The winner of a brand-spanking-new copy of Colorado Dawn is…Amel Armeliana!
Congratulations, Amel! I’ve sent you an email asking for your address.
U.S. readers, this week you have the chance to win Lisa Dale’s contemporary novel Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier.
Have a great week!
Filed under Writer's toolbox
Photo by Eric Rank
A couple of years ago, I began hearing about an author who wrote very smart contemporary romantic novels. I picked up Lisa Dale’s It Happened One Night and fell in love with her style.
Lisa’s intelligence and curiosity about a wide array of subjects shine through her stories. She’s here today talking about her latest release, A Promise of Safekeeping, and giving away a copy of her previous novel, Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier.
Welcome, Lisa!
Thank you tons for having me!
1. Your novels always feature characters who have really interesting careers – or maybe it’s the way you include fascinating bits of your research into your novels that makes their careers seem so interesting. From astronomy to flowers to the history of coffee, you cover a wide range of topics. What’s been your most interesting subject to research, and what can we look forward to reading more about in A Promise of Safekeeping?
I love all of it! I’m as nerdy as it gets…so I’ve always got my nose in a book and am trying to learn new things. Part of that comes from being a writer: we have to know things like, what certain flowers are called, what certain trees are, what are the architectural parts of a building and what period are they from…etc. Knowing those kinds of things aids in writing good descriptions.
My characters’ careers are often just an excuse for me to dig into a subject. Lauren, in A Promise of Safekeeping, is a body language expert—which is SOOOOOO fascinating. Lauren’s great at her job, but not so good at reading body language in her personal life. She can tell if a criminal is lying…but her love life is a different story. What kind of person would you be if you could read the words beneath the words?
The hero, Will, is an antiques dealer, and I think that’s because I’m starting to realize that I’m infatuated by the concept of history, by the notion of so many lives and experiences happening in the same space, by history being all around us, right now, in the present.
Will collects antique keys, which reflects the themes of “keeping” and “locking away” that run through the book. Old keys embody what I love about antiques: the mystery of the past. The inherent opaqueness of it. What did this key secret away? Or, who did it imprison? Who was it meant to keep out? I think this idea of the layers of history has been a latent theme of my writing that is just starting to come out in A Promise of Safekeeping, and more in my W-I-P.
2. Your characters face enormous challenges that many readers will recognize from their own lives. To me, this makes their happily-ever-after all the more satisfying. Do you get many emails from readers who’ve experienced the challenges your characters have?
Filed under Author interviews
It’s so good to see so many recommendations for new contemporary romance. Thanks to everyone who told me what they’re looking forward to reading this month!
The winner of a $10 gift certificate to the book retailer of their choice is…Tracy Simpson!
Tracy said she’s looking forward to reading A Promise of Safekeeping by Lisa Dale, so Lisa also wins a $10 gift certificate on Tracy’s behalf. Congrats, Lisa!
Everyone, I’ll be doing this again in February; make sure you subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out.
Also, this week you might win Kaki Warner’s latest historical Western romance, Colorado Dawn, by leaving a comment on her guest post, One woman’s tips for writing the male point of view.
Filed under Contemporary romance spotlight
One of the things I love about Kaki Warner‘s historical Western romance novels is how she writes men. They’re authentically tough and often befuddled by women. I personally find writing a hero’s point of view very difficult, mostly because the men I know in real life are chatty, sensitive charity workers. My critique partner Moriah once commented on a scene I wrote: “Does he watch a lot of Dr Phil?”
So I asked Kaki for some advice, and she’s been kind enough to share her tips.
Leave a comment below and you could win her latest novel, Colorado Dawn.
DISCLAIMER: In no way is anything I write here meant to be insulting to men. I speak in gross generalities (and mostly about American men). I am fully aware there are MANY men who are sensitive, fully in touch with their feminine side, and the total opposite of what I am about to say. OK? OK.
Let’s start with the obvious: Men are pretty basic. That’s not to say they aren’t complicated, thoughtful, or fully aware of what’s going on. Most of the time they just don’t care. Certainly not the way women do. Ask a woman how she feels, and you’ll get a complete rundown of how she slept the night before, how bloated she feels, how upset she is because of what her BFF said, how mean her boss was, if she’s starting her period, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Ask a man how he feels, and after a quick mental check: Am I hungry? Sleepy? Thirsty? Horny? He’ll usually answer fine. And that’s that.
The same holds true in dialogue. Example:
Filed under Writer's toolbox
Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my interview with Catherine Mann, and to Cathy herself for giving away a copy of Hot Zone.
The lucky winner is…Kathryn Anne Merkel!
Kathryn, I’ve emailed asking you for your mailing address.
Everyone, this week you can win a $10 gift certificate to the book retailer of your choice AND win a gift certificate for a contemporary romance novelist who has a book coming out this month. Just leave a comment on my Contemporaries to Covet in January post telling me which contemporary romance you’re looking forward to this month, and I’ll choose a winner next week!
Filed under Author interviews
Reader, I created him 