Lucy Monroe and her Traditional Greek Husbands Duo - International Contest

Lucy Monroe is one of my favorite romance authors.  I just happen to have these two books I would like to offer for an International Contest, ending February 28th.  Please leave your email address, follow this blog, follow Lucy on Facebook or her blog.  Winner will be announced March 1st.  Did I mention these books are both authographed?

What I loved about these two connected books were the strong, handsome, rich and tortured two Greek heroes who met in the streets of Athens and were like brothers. 

At an early age, they boarded a freighter and ended up in my hometown of Seattle, Washington.  They built a business together and lived in the same penthouse.

THE SHY BRIDE





Untouched — and bought for $100,000!
 
Thrust into the limelight, child star Cassandra timidly enchanted audiences night after night...But when her parents died, Cass retreated into her own world — too shy to leave her home. Once a year she shares her musical passion by offering lessons in a charity auction... This year, money talks...the winning bid: $100,000!
 
Enter: Neo Stamos, arrogant Greek tycoon.

He wants Cass with a burning desire, though he knows that, shy and sweet, she will need a gentle awakening... But Neo’s the master of seduction!

Review


THE GREEK'S PREGNANT LOVER

No-strings fling...to wedding ring?
 
Self-made billionaire Zephyr Nikos has come a long way from the streets of Athens, but his heart is stone-cold — like marble. He can’t offer Piper Madison his love; instead he offers her his world: fine dining, private jet, rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful...
 
As their desire heats up and finally reaches boiling point, Zephyr and Piper must end their affair before one of them gets hurt. There’s just one small complication...Piper’s pregnancy test just came back positive!

Review

About Lucy Monroe:

Award winning author Lucy Monroe published her first book in the Fall of 2003. Since then she has sold more than 50 books to four publishers and hit national bestsellers lists in the US and England. She's a passionate devotee to the romance genre and loves chatting about writing and books. Her highly charged, sensual stories touch on the realities of life while giving the reader a fantasy story not easily forgotten. Whether it's a passionate Harlequin Presents, a sexy single title for Kensington or a steamy historical or paranormal for Berkley or Samhain, Lucy's books transport her readers to a special place where the heart rules and love conquers all.

Lucy's Call Story:

The Call from Harlequin Presents came at 7:20 in the morning on September 27th, 2002...but that's not when it all began.  Some authors write a selling book their first try.  My friend and mentor Theresa Scott is such an author...I'm not.  I wrote twelve manuscripts before the one I sold to Mills & Boon.  I'd been seriously pursuing a career as a romance author for almost five years (and writing longer than that).  That equals three hanging file folders of contest judge comments, a rather full file of editor rejections and a matching one for agents.  It also means I've attended many conferences, both regional and national, numerous workshops, listened to dozens of tapes and experienced the best and the worst the world of critique has to offer.

There were times over the years I wondered if I would ever sell...if I were capable of writing a selling novel.  Those times of doubt would have devastated me if I hadn't had my "file of good thoughts" to fall back on.  That file is a compilation of some very special mementos to mentorship that kept me believing in myself.  My mom's email saying, "You will publish one day.  Believe it."  A pen from my critique partner with my pseudonym engraved on it, with the belief I would one day publish and use it to sign my first contract.  An email from Sandra Marton saying she believed I would make it.  A card from my mentor, Debbie Macomber that affirmed who I was as a person as well as a writer.  A drawing my husband did that affirmed his belief in my vision.

If you are where I was, I urge you to make a memorial to future success...small and big mementos that remind you that others believe in your dream and so must you.
I met my editor at the RWA National Conference in Denver and pitched my manuscript "The Greek Tycoon's Ultimatum" (October 2003 Harlequin Presents) to her.  She was excited by the story idea and my knowledge of the line.  She asked for a partial, which I sent to her on my birthday a couple of weeks later.  A week after receiving the partial, she emailed, requesting the full.  I sent it to her immediately.  A week after she received it, I got another email saying she wanted revisions and would call to talk them over.

That phone call was one of the most exciting moments of my life...it wasn't just about possibly selling a book.  It was about becoming the best author I could be, getting concrete editorial input to improve my story.  I was ecstatic and did the revisions over the next two days.  I sent them back and ... Kim called to buy the book that beautiful September morning.

A little over a year later, I got another Call from Kate Duffy at Kensington Publishing and believe me when I tell you that this call was no less exciting than the first.  A lot of people believed I could sell a book, but almost everyone I told my dream of writing for more than one publisher right away warned me off of it.  My dear friend, Lori Foster was one of the exceptions.  She passed on my first published book, The Greek Tycoon's Ultimatum, to her editor, Kate Duffy,  to read.  Kate read it and emailed me to say she planned to read everything I published from there on out.  I emailed back to ask if that might possibly include what I hadn't published...I had a single title for her to look at.  Incredibly in November 2003, Kensington bought that single title in multi-book contract along with four novellas for the Brava imprint.  A month later they bought two more single titles for the Zebra imprint.

And in early 2004, I got the call from Berkley for my first historical.   I have a Regency era trilogy coming out with them and then a Regency werewolf story.  There are no words to express my joy in selling to the subgenres of romance I dreamed of writing in...I love my job! :)

I have no idea what the future holds, but I do know that the story doesn't end here.  I've just started on this incredible journey and I hope you'll share it with me.  Take care, Lucy

Lucy's website

Lucy on Facebook

Lucy's Blog

What It's Like to Write for Mills and Boon - Natalia Anderson

Natalie Anderson writes for Mills and Boon Modern and Harlequin Presents and recently made it on the USA Today Best Seller List.  She writes "steamy" romances.

Here is her interview on a morning talk show.

Penny Jordan Stops By UK Guest House

Mills and Boon author pops into a guest house near Knutsford

She explained how she got into the business. She said she never thought she’d be a writer.

“As a child, she said she spent a lot of time alone with her thoughts and telling stories so the seeds of it were there from a young age.”

Here’s the article.

Trish Wylie and Not Going to Nationals

Trish is an amazing author, mentor to aspring authors and one of the founders of The Pink Heart Society She's not able to attend the Washington DC Romance Writers of America Conference so she has taken it upon herself to generously post on her blog all sorts inspiring posts for writers and readers. Please join me in thanking Trish for her labor lf love.

All About Alphas on Kate Walker's Blog

Whether you're a reader, author or an aspiring author, there are some incredible posts by Harlequin authors here.

India Grey Wins the RNA Romance Prize

Photo Credit: Marc Byram - Photoman Creative Photography



As posted all over the internet today, especially on I(heart)presents by Amy and on the Harlequin Presents Forum, the lovely India Grey:

Major congratulations go out to India Grey, who has just been awarded the RNA Romance Prize for her book Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire’s Pleasure! Way to go India!

Readers in North America are in luck, too — Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire’s Pleasure just happens to be on sale this month from Harlequin Presents Extra......Amy ((Heart)Presents

You can read my review here.

Kimberly Lang - Mills and Boon Modern Heat/Presents Author

I recently had the pleasure of reading Kimberly Lang’s debut book, The Secret Mistress Arrangement which is out in the UK as a Mills and Boon Modern Heat and will be available in the US in April. You can see my review on my review blog:

Kim’s Bio from her website:

Kimberly Lang hid romance novels behind her textbooks starting in junior high, and even a master’s program in English couldn’t break the obsession with dashing heroes and Happily Ever After. A ballet dancer turned English teacher, Kimberly married an electrical engineer and turned her life into an ongoing episode of “When Dilbert Met Frasier.” She and her Darling Geek live in beautiful North Alabama with their one Amazing Child—who, unfortunately, shows an aptitude to sports.

Kimberly is a founding member of The Writing Playground, a website for aspiring authors, and she blogs with her Playfriends there every Tuesday.

You can find Kimberly on The Writing Playground as “The Problem Child, here
or on I(Heart) Presents here where she talked about her call. Kimberly also posts from time to time on The Pink Heart Society, here.


Here website is: Kimberly Writes Books and she’s running a contest, giving away her debut book plus is also running a contest on The Writing Playground.

Sandra Marton TV Interview

Sandra Marton Interview

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MChzU_guYzw
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EmG9hBzsIE
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOzxGlmOPRU

MEET AUTHOR CHANTELLE SHAW

I've followed Chantelle's career from the very beginning she began writing for Harlequin Presents. Her September release AT THE SHEIKH'S BIDDING is an extremely powerful read!

From Chantelle's website:

I grew up without a TV, let alone DVD’s, computer games etc that my kids spend so much time engrossed in, but I learned to read at an early age and from then on I was always entertained – so much so that my friends used to hide their books when I visited them because all I wanted to do was read!

When I was a teenager I discovered Mills & Boon romances in my local library, and so began a lifelong love affair. I still remember that feeling of anticipation when I settled down with a pile of books - all bearing the famous rose logo - knowing that I would be drawn into a world of love, passion and emotional intensity that I have never found in any other books. I enjoy reading a wide range of books, especially historical novels, and I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, mainly I think because her characters seem so real, but I love romances and unashamedly admit that I only want to read books with a guaranteed happy ending. Reading is my joy and pleasure and I don’t want to cry buckets at the end of a book or have my sleep disturbed by its gruesome content.


For me, the characters in Harlequin Mills & Boon romances are the key. I love reading and writing about strong, alpha heroes and feisty, independent heroines who find that they can’t fight the blazing attraction between them.

When I married my own tall, dark, but sadly not wealthy hero, we moved out of London to the Kent coast and started a family that grew and grew. I adore my six children, and when they were small I loved being a stay-at-home mum, but there can be days, as I’m sure many of you know, when you feel isolated and – dare I say it – bored of conversing with three-year-olds. Harlequin Mills & Boon romances were my life-line and my sanity and I read them whenever I had a spare five minutes (in the bath, pacing the floor at three am with colicky baby on one shoulder and a book in the other hand!)


My imagination soared and I decided to try and write a book myself. My first attempt was typed up on a manual type-writer with the full-stop key and the letter p missing. Luckily my hero and heroine were not called Paul and Poppy, but it still meant going over my manuscript with a pen to fill in the gaps!

That first book was duly rejected as were my next two. I suppose I was disheartened and by now I had four small children and very little spare time, so although I continued to read romances, I gave up writing. It wasn’t until my youngest son started school that I tried writing again. I was struggling to come to terms with the death of my darling mum Gabrielle and writing became my therapy. Mum had always nagged me to get on and write a book and had an unshakeable belief that I would one day be published – I’m so glad that she was proved right and my biggest regret is that she isn’t here to share my success with me.


I wrote two more books which were both rejected by HM&B, but I was given some advice on my writing from the editorial team that encouraged me to try again. Third time lucky certainly applied to me – the day I received ‘the call’ was exactly four years after Mum had died. It was one of the most exciting moments of my life - but instead of chatting to the editor about contracts I had to dash off and pick my sick daughter up from school. Reality is never far away in my house!

Since that day I have had seven books published, number eight Di Cesare’s Pregnant Mistress came out in May 2008, number nine has been accepted, I have just submitted number ten and am about to start number eleven. Now that my children are growing up I am able to write every day between 9 and 3, but often I become so involved in my characters that I sneak off and write again in the evenings.

I feel I must be one of the luckiest people in the world to be doing something that I love, but I work hard at my luck and I believe that writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon is a serious commitment which I will do for as long as people want to read my books – hopefully a very long time!

I really believe that aspiring authors should keep on trying. Sure there may be rejections and disappointments, but tenacity is just as important as talent and the highs far outweigh the lows. I can honestly say that if I hadn’t been published I would still be trying because I love writing and creating my own world in my head, and only the sound of the smoke alarm and the cry of ‘mum’s burnt the dinner again’, brings me temporarily back to earth!