I’m so excited to have my first blog post here at the Blaze blog! I’m so fortunate to have been with the line since its inception and was honored to be chosen as part of the launch, I thought it might be fun (not to mention giving you a few hints about our great Blaze contest answers!) to reach back into the history books and tell you all about how Blaze happened…not just to me, but to the world!
In many ways, Blaze was an impetus for my entire career as a published author, even years before it officially launched. I’d written a few books (two historicals and a paranormal ahead of it’s time) but nothing had “clicked” with an editor or agent. I had moved to Georgia and wasn’t happy about it (you do NOT take the Florida girl out of Florida!) so when my Tampa RWA chapter hosted a workshop, I booked the first flight out of town.
The main speaker that weekend was an editorial assistant named Brenda Chin. She gave her speech and mentioned that she was working with an author named Lori Foster who had just turned in a Temptation so incredibly hot and sexy, they were giving it a series flash, “Blaze.” She was actively looking for new books to give that same flash to and in those few words, the direction of my career took a turn toward Toronto. I had an idea that I thought was simply too hot for any publisher at the time. Boy, was I ever wrong.
Lori Foster wrote the first Temptation Blaze, which was her second book, “Outrageous,” and was released in April 1997. The miniseries was sporadic at first, with books placed in the series when an editor ran across something that was edgier than normal Temptation fare. Authors like me got started in the miniseries, along with others like Janelle Denison, Carly Phillips, Julie Kenner and Tori Carrington. The miniseries totally took off and Harlequin decided to make it a series of its own.
I was really lucky to have received a call from Brenda, asking if the Temptation I was working on could be adapted to fit the new line. If I could make the changes (it needed a meatier plot in the longer line) then there was a chance I’d be in the launch in August, 2001. I made the necessary changes and my book, EXPOSED, became not only Blaze #4, but also the first book in the Sexy City Nights miniseries, which was the first for Blaze.
Vicki Lewis Thompson wrote Blaze #1, NOTORIOUS. Jo Leigh’s GOING FOR IT was #2 and Stephanie Bond’s TOO SEXY! was #3.
Since then, there have been a few firsts and I’ve been lucky to be involved. The first concurrent books ever released at Harlequin? Two Blazes–DOUBLE THE PLEASURE by me and DOUBLE THE THRILL by Susan Kearney. The books were released in the same month, featured identical timelines and featured heroes who were twins who switched places. The covers each had one half of a man’s face. The first paranormal Blaze? My book, UNDENIABLE, which had a reincarnation plot. I also wrote the first book to put the line in double digits, #100, UP TO NO GOOD. To say I love this line is an understatement!
But other writers have had some fabulous firsts, too. Stephanie Bond wrote the first first-person Blaze, MY FAVORITE MISTAKE. Susan Kearney wrote the first (and only, I believe) futuristic, BEYOND THE EDGE. Hope Tarr wrote the first historical, BOUND TO PLEASE. Chris Green introduced vampires to Blaze with her book, THE ULTIMATE BITE.
I know there are other firsts…I’m operating off the top of my head here! Blaze has always “blazed” trails, so this is the go-to line for something new.
So, that’s my little history lesson for the day. I wrote this not just to help our readers with the contest, but to share some of the ways Blaze has shaped my career. I’m so proud to be a part of this fantastic line up of authors and books. And I’m so thankful that readers have stayed with us! If it weren’t for the readers, none of us would be able to push the boundaries like we have at Blaze!
So here’s a question…what book was your first Blaze? What book turned you on to the line?
Entries (RSS)
Hi Julie! (waving)
The first Blaze I remember reading, not counting the Temptation Blazes, was a novella with 3 stories in it, and I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it. I remember one story was about two friends, and the heroine and hero hooked up without the hero knowing it was his friend. She wouldn’t let him see her face, so he thought she was new in town, yet here she was, living out her fantasy.
The 2nd story, which I LOVED, was about an uptight rich woman and a sexy cowboy. These two definitely had sparks. Wow. I hope I can find this book again.
My first Blaze was…well, the first “official” Blaze, Notorious. Though I didn’t realize that it was the first in the series until recently. It’s still one of my favorite Blazes!!! (*)
(C) My first Blaze was LONE STAR SURRENDER by Lisa Renee Jones! YUMMY doesn’t even begin to cover it. I was attracted by the cover with the ever so sexy lawman on the front with his shirt hanging open.
I don’t really know what brings me back other than they are a great series of books with a lot more depth in them. AND lets face it the guys are sexy and are just out there looking for THE RIGHT woman to come along! I know all HQN books are like that but there is just something different in a Blaze book. As I said before YUMMY! LOL :-P
My first Blaze was Notorious and Joe Leigh’s Going for It. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Cher
Jo Leigh. Sorry, haven’t had enough tea yet.
Cher
Great blog, Julie.
My first three, were Cara Summers GAME FOR ANYTHING (I know Cara in real life, and she mentored me through my first book, so I think this might have been my first one, but I’ve read them so many times over, it’s hard to recall) and Alison Kent’s THE SWEETEST TABOO and Janelle Denison’s THE ULTIMATE SEDUCTION. I still remember the shower from Alison’s book *G* and Janelle grabbed me with her amnesia plot, which inspired me to write my own, later. There were so many great Blazes, including yours — loved all of them. They were all so important to me as a budding Blaze writer back in the day.
I’m not 100% certain, so correct me if I’m wrong, but while the internet popped up in Blazes (such as in emails in the Men to Do series, one of my favorites) I was pretty sure Birgit told me that my VIRTUALLY PERFECT was the first Blaze that had a 100% online romance starting the book — so the couple met online and carried on love scenes virtually, etc before meeting in real life. Kind of cool. I think I might have also had the first superhero(ine) themed Blaze with UNTOUCHED?
Sam
My first Blaze was “Just Watch Me” by… oh. {{{google search later}}} Julie Elizabeth Leto. LOL. Who knew? I knew was hooked on the line after reading Lori Wilde’s “Touch of Silk.”
Julie
I was in the 1998 Temptation BLAZE anthology with “A Lark in the Dark.” tinyurl.com/cgcvdf But author copies for my first official Blaze arrived last night!
FIRE & ICE by Tori Carrington (aka Lori & Tony) from their “Legal Briefs” mini. Earlier, from their various TEMPTATIONS’ mini-series (especially, “The BadGirls Club”), I discovered Julie, Leslie Kelly, Carly Phillips & Janelle Denison, all of whose books I still read. Personally, I still prefer the Blazes that focus on the sexy, emotionally-based Contemps, but, now there’s stories for all tastes.
Hmm…
I believe my first Blaze was Talking About Sex… by Vicki Lewis Thompson. I remember I was so excited when I ordered that book, and it inspired me to order more. I agree with Patricia, I still love the contemps the most, but I’ve started branching out and seeing what else the genre has to offer.
<3 J
My first look at BLAZE was NOTORIOUS… I still have on my shelves and revisit every so often!
Oooh, my first? Just Watch Me (H) I was already a major Temptation fan and had read a few Temptation Blazes, so the slide over to read Blaze was an easy one.
I can’t remember! I must have read the blurb on the back of the book and decided it sounded like a good read. I still read them.
Eek – what a great post, Julie – but I’m feeling guilty because I can’t remember what my first Blaze book was :X. But the one that jumps out to me is “Anything For You” by Sarah Mayberry. I KNOW I’ve read other blaze books before it – Rhonda Nelson’s for example, but AFY may be one of my favorites.
The first Blaze I read was Private Confessions by Lori Borrill, I’ve been hooked ever since.
Like limecello, I feel bad because I can’t remember my first Blaze. But after the first one, I was hooked. Oh, I can probably find it…if I dig through several boxes of books!
Thanks for the Blaze history lesson!
Hi Jules, I really enjoy the Blaze line…I remember the first one I read…it was yours…Exposed…I loved it…it definitely pushed the envelope for me…I was so used to the typical harlequin books temptation, presents, etc, that when I picked up a Blaze for the first time, I was scared someone would see me…now, all that has changed…I am totally hooked on Blazes…I am also a serious “Blaze pusher.” I just introduced this line to my friend’s mom…she loves them…she has yours, Carly’s, Leslie’s, Kimberly Raye’s, Rhonda Nelson, Cara Summers, et al…thank you all for what you do…you definitely need something cool, be it another book, fan, cold shower, or a cold drink….haha…just so you know, Jules, you are the reason I even went this route in my reading material…thanks…ttyl…see you in the jungle…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
I was so thrilled to get copies of all 4 of the books from the Blaze launch. They’re on a shelf with my copies of the “final 4″ Temptations. Something about those milestone books just really appeals to me!
And YAY Heather on getting your Blazes!
I’m pretty new to Blaze, romance reading in general, having only been reading romance for around a year but in that time Blaze hasbecome my fav line. And so many of my most fav authors are Blaze authors.
I can’t recall my first Blaze, I think it may have been Putting it to The Test by Lori Borrill or Shaken Not Stirred by Kathleen O’Reilly.
Favourite Blaze ever. I have to agree with Limecello. It’s Sarah Mayberry’s Anything For You. With Nightcap by Kathleen O’Reilly a close second. Those books turned me into a lifelong Blaze fan, turned me in to an embarrassing fangirly.
Oops, did a whoopsie there, it’s Kathleen O’Reilly’s ‘Sex, Straight Up’, that a fav. Not Nightcap, althought Nightcap was verra good too.
Wow! I love reading all these firsts! My first Blaze was, of course, Notorious. I ate up that book! I’ve read so many fabulous ones, it’s no doubt in my mind why the line has been so successful.
Les, I have the last four Temptations, too. Definitely all worth keeping!
Paula, you are too sweet!
You know, JUST WATCH ME… is a book I’d like to go back and re-read. It’s the first book that I’d conceived for Blaze…I was actually planning on writing that as my first Blaze until Brenda asked me to adjust EXPOSED so that it fit. It’s been so long…I have never re-read one of my books before so maybe this will be a first.
Thanks to everyone for stopping by and sharing your memories and your “firsts.” I enjoyed giving the history lesson and will have to do a part two sometime. I had much more information that I didn’t have space to include unless I wanted to write a book…and I figured I better save that for the Blaze I’m writing and not the blog, LOL!
Hmmm…wondering why my little mojito isn’t showing as my gravatar. Let’s see if it does this time…THERE IT IS!
I had to check my keeper shelf to be sure, but it was Nancy Warren’s Indulge from the Booty Call series, set in San Francisco. I loved the book, but what stuck out in my mind was the subplot with Nathan and Camilla. Those characters were so richly drawn they held their own with the H/h, and I was hooked. I knew I wanted to write for Blaze after I read that book!
I’ve read a few older Blazes, including Hope Tarr’s It’s a Wonderfully Sexy Life. That might be the first in the Blaze line, by I read Nancy’s first.
Great post, Julie. As someone who’s come later to the line, I loved reading about all the cool “firsts.”
One of the things I love about Blaze is how the line is ever evolving. I’m happy to report that while my Scottish Medieval, BOUND TO PLEASE, was the first in the new Historical Miniseries, it is by no means the last. Great authors with historical books out or coming out include Jade Lee, Jacquie D’Alessandro, Betina Krahn, Pat Potter…
As they say, the list goes on…
I just typed THE END on the sequel to BOUND TO PLEASE. TWELVE NIGHTS will be out this December ’09 and as the title suggests, it’s a Christmas book. And because it’s “my” Christmas book, there will of course be a cat in it. (@)
I can’t remember my first Blaze book! But I know as soon as I started reading it I was hooked. I have not been able to stop reading them. I try and go back and get some of the older ones.
Looking at the list, my first was probably one of these four I read long ago:
Exposed
Uninhibited by Candace Schuler
Sleeping with the Enemy by Jamie Denton
The Pleasure Principle by Kimberly Raye
I was working two jobs at the time but always read before sleeping to unwind, so these shorter lengths were perfect for me.
My first Blaze was Nancy Warren By The Book. I picked it up because the cover was interesting. When I started reading it, they were already publishing the series at #80, and I had a lot of catching up to do. Fortunately the library I went to had most of them that I was able to check out 20 at a time and read through them all. I was so hooked, and the storylines were so engrossing I couldn’t put them down. I could read like 5 in a day, if I sat there all day! I’m not sure if I were to re-read the whole series all over again if I would have the same enjoyment. The original Blaze had humor, intrigue, realism, sexual tension that you could feel as if you were a character in the book! I am sad that the current ones don’t bring me the same thrill–as the plots are predictable and some of the storylines seem way out there. But my memory of the outstanding ones from the very beginning still stick in my mind. Why do things have to change?
vcki thomopson notorius what a nice name/ love it whoo (H)
I didn’t know any of this. How cool!
I read the books out of order since I begged a copy of the fabulous Julie Leto’s EXPOSED ahead of the print date.
I was so grateful to get an idea of what the line looked like since I was a brand new author. My first Blaze, SILK, LACE AND VIDEOTAPE was the first book I wrote as a contracted HQ author, even if it wasn’t my first on the shelves. So of course I was nervous. Seeing Julie’s book helped tremendously!! As soon as the series hit the shelves, I was first in line to start snatching them up.
Les, my first four Blazes are right next to those last four Temptations too… wouldn’t part with any one of them!!!