Wait…it is your birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRENDA CHIN!

You got it folks, the Queen Bee of Blaze is…wait…I haven’t totally lost my mind. I’m not about to divulge an actual number. Just suffice it to say that Brenda isn’t another year older…simply another year better!

So, please join me in wishing Brenda a Happy Birthday…and many more!!

I’ve been playing with my new toy this week…Barnes and Noble’s Nook. It’s their answer to Amazon’s Kindle. So far, I LOVE it.

It might be small and lightweight but the screen is still big enough to resemble a paperback page. I’ve had other ereaders before but the problem was that the screen was tiny and the content I wanted to read wasn’t readily available at the time. That has certainly changed! The best thing I’ve found so far? I can buy all the Blaze books for my Nook every month. I’ve been buying and downloading other books too. I’m sure B&N is very happy with the heat being generated on my credit card. At the moment I’m like a kid in a candy store.

One of the things that sets the Nook apart is the 2nd color touch screen. It’s easy to use and allows me to sort and search my downloaded book by cover instead of just by title and author. Along with that nifty feature, I can upload my own pictures to use for backgrounds and screen savers. I love taking photos of my family with me everywhere!

The screen is very easy on the eyes. And while it isn’t back lit – which can be a problem – I bought an attachable reading light which allows me some late night indulgence.

About the only problem I’ve discovered is that I can’t take it into the bathtub. I do like to relax with a drink, a book and lots of hot water. Unfortunately, I’m not willing to risk dropping my expensive new toy into that water. I realize in theory this makes no sense since I have no problems taking my alphie in there to write…but I’m not holding alphie over the water and the Nook is too small to read from the side of the tub.

All in all, I’m very pleased. Ask me again in a few months and lets see if I’m still using it or if I’ve reverted to the stone age and good old-fashioned paperbacks. I have a feeling that I might end up with a combination of the two. While comfortable to hold, there’s just something about the feel of a book in my hands that I don’t get from the Nook.

Do you have an ereader? Have you ever thought about purchasing one? Do you read on your phone or your computer or are you a die hard book in hand kinda person?

Kira

Super Bowl Sunday? My blog day is Super Bowl Sunday? No one is going to be surfing the Internet on Super Bowl Sunday–not even me. It’s my turn to have the gang over so I’ll be busy making snacks featuring the all-important fat and salt food groups. But forget about the game. Let’s talk commercials. With advertising time during the Super Bowl going for about $2.5 million for 30 seconds this year, companies want stellar commercials and the ad firms that deliver get almost as much attention as the products.

Sometimes they get it right. Some of my favorites have been the E*Trade Baby, who’ll return this year, the Hulu ad with Alec Baldwin, the Budweiser lizards taking out a hit on the frogs, and the dog coaching a Clydesdale so he can make the team next year. There have been some incredibly bad ones, too. I’m lookin’ at you, MacGruber. SoBe? Football players as ballerinas? Mutant lizards? And you want us to drink your product?

This year’s advertisements are listed here, along with videos if you miss any. Come back after the game and tell me your hits and misses. Tomorrow is okay, too. As a bribe reward, I’ll give away a copy of HIS LITTLE BLACK BOOK, my March Blaze. It’s an Encounters and the first story features a hero deciding on a Super Bowl commercial. How’s that for a coincidence?

Hello, my name is Rhonda Nelson and I am addicted to Netflix. *hangs head in shame*

I currently have no less than one hundred items in my queue and I log in and manage it daily. It’s a sickness. A compulsion. I have to know what’s arriving next, have to make sure that the discs for various series are in order. (I’ve already bungled Foyle’s War by getting the first 2 discs of Series 2 before I’d watched the 3rd and 4th discs of Series 1.) A huge lover of British comedies, I’ve been watching THE VICAR OF DIBLEY, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, ARE YOU BEING SERVED?, KEEPING UP APPEARANCES and WAITING FOR GOD for years. Through Netflix, I have discovered ALL THINGS GREAT AND SMALL, ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES, TO THE MANOR BORN, A FINE ROMANCE and many, many more. And the “play instantly on computer” feature? I wish I’d never found it. I watched the entire first series of THE DUCHESS OF DUKE STREET on it, as well as the entire collection of MONARCH OF THE GLEN. Do you know how many HOURS of television that is? I’m too ashamed to say, but it’s a lot. Too much. And yet I can’t help myself. There’s a whole world of television out there that I have yet to discover and thanks to Netflix, I’m doing my dead-level best to wade through it. When you factor in that I also watch LOST!, THE TUDORS, TRUE BLOOD and SURVIVOR, I’ve got more than my share of television to watch. Anything by Masterpiece Theatre instantly goes in the queue too. (Have adored the new Emma my local PBS station just aired. Next up is Northhanger Abbey. Yay!)

So what about you? Do you Netflix? What are your can’t miss programs?

Okay, we have two winners for my February post. They are : Ellen Too and Jane, posts 7 and 13. Ladies, please contact me via the Contact page on my website (www.sarahmayberry.com) and I will grab your snail mail addresses and get the books to you ASAP.

Thanks for chatting, everyone, and see you next month!

Original Post:
I’m going to write about a subject close to my heart this month – personal space. The reason it’s close to my heart is because I’ve just moved countries (New Zealand to Australia) and am currently ensconced in my mother’s spare bedroom. Me and my man (my six foot plus man) are sharing a tiny double bed in this room, and our five suitcases worth of shoes, clothes and books are shoved into the wardrobe, under the bed, beside the bed, around the bed… You get the drift.

Compacting your life down to a small 3 metre by 2.5 metre room is not easy, believe me. And it’s made me realise how much I take for granted the joy of having my own home – my own kitchen, my own bathroom, my own boudoir, and most of all my own writing space.

Now, I have never considered myself a particularly demanding person when it comes to what I need to write – having worked for years as a journalist and a script writer I don’t need special music playing or to wait on my muse to come calling to get down to work. For years, it’s pretty much been about putting my bum on the seat and my fingers on the keyboard. In fact, I’ve kind of prided myself on my ability to just zone out and get down to it. But living in my mum’s house, staying in her spare room, I’ve been finding it…difficult to settle down to write. Apparently I need my own space to let my imagination off the leash – who knew?

Fortunately we’re about to move into a rental property while we continue our search to find a new home of our own. But’s all of this has got me thinking about what I want my new writing space and I can’t wait to make a little nest for myself.

I’d love to give away two copies of my latest Blaze Her Secret Fling this month, and I’d love to hear your own stories about your favourite space or place for reading, writing, thinking, or just daydreaming. Share with us, and I’ll draw two winners in the next few days.

Over to you!

Yes, you read that right. Ten books bearing the Tori Carrington name will become available in various formats this year. From BLAZING BEDTIME STORIES, Vol III last month, the connecting three Blaze titles PRIVATE SESSIONS, PRIVATE AFFAIRS and PRIVATE PARTS later in the year, to the paperback edition of WORKING STIFF – Sofie Metropolis #4 in March, and a brand spanking new Sofie Metropolis hardcover later this year, we would have been thrilled with these six titles alone. But we’re happy to report that Harlequin is also reissuing our RT Award-Winning Silhouette Special Edition THE WOMAN FOR DUSTY CONRAD in their Special 50-Book Men in Uniform Collection, and our 3-Book Blaze miniseries SLEEPING WITH SECRETS, with the first title Forbidden available as a fee e-Book download this summer, followed by a two-in-one paperback of Indecent and Wicked the following month. These four reissues are particularly special to us because they’re all set here in NW Ohio, with the miniseries set exclusively in Toledo, Ohio. For more information on all ten, go to www.toricarrington.net.

Unfortunately, I finally succumbed to the nasty virus making the rounds, so I don’t know how much I’ll be able to respond today. But I did want to give you a nice incentive to post! How about one of our books, any of our books, to one lucky poster by day’s end, up to and including any from our Sofie Metropolis series or our January BLAZING BEDTIME STORIES that includes fellow TrailBlazer Tawny Weber? No special requirements. A ‘hello’ is all that’s necessary…although we hope you’ll say more. ;D

Post now for a chance at one of our titles. Good luck!

Today is mine! I love birthdays — how can anyone not? Gifts, cake. . .and more cake. And sharing it with you all on the blog is just more added fun. I had my birthday party last Saturday, and dear hubby outdid himself — a home made spaghetti and meatballs dinner with bread and a cake, all made from scratch. I received some lovely gifts from family and friends, and a Wii Fit ahead of time from hubby (much fun, after you get past the trauma of the chubby Mii, LOL), who also says he has some extra surprises in store. But as much as I enjoy the goodies, I am just so thankful for all the wonderful people and things in my life as I enter this new year. Those are the real gifts.

Anyhoo, I was doing some research on birthday lore for a book a while ago, and found out some really interesting things about our own personal holidays. Such as that ancient people used to celebrate death days more than birthdays, as your death signified your return to God. (I’m really glad we turned this one around!) Birthdays as we know them are pagan in origin, as are so many of our holidays and traditions. (And as everyone knows, pagans know how to par-tay).Greek celebrations, specifically, were tributes to Artemis. The Greeks would make honey cakes for her each month, lighting them with candles to make them look like the moon. Traditionally only men were celebrated on their birthdays, until in Germany they started doing so for children, and the tradition grew. In many countries, birthdays are still considered mainly a religious ceremony. Hindus don’t celebrate their birthdays until they are sixteen years old, but on their first birthdays, however, Hindu babies have their heads shaved to rid them of any evil spirits, which is also the idea behind singing, spanking, or making of loud noises. Wishing someone Happy Birthday is a wish for bad luck to stay away from them in the year coming.

So, that’s a little folklore lesson on b’days. Kind of neat, I think.

As a gift to YOU, if you will tell a b’day story or share a tradition or go out and find a piece of birthday folklore and share it in the comments, I will choose a winner at the end of the day to receive a copy of my March Blazing Bedtime Stories w/Kimberly Raye (mine is “I Wish He Might” a story about a tabloid reporter who meets a sexy genie), AND a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate (US Residents Only). Three other winners (everyone eligible) will receive signed copies of the Bedtime Stories book.

I hope a lot of you will come by to celebrate my special day with me. I may be out and about, but I will pop in to comment as I can…

Sam

Take Me If You Dare was officially released yesterday. I’m so friggin’ excited I can barely stand it. In the publishing world the book came out pretty fast, but it still feels like I’ve been waiting forever. I can’t wait for you guys to read it.

Funny how these things come about. It began at a breakfast meeting in Summer 2008 with long-time friend Kathryn Lye, who also happens to be one of the editors of the Harlequin Blaze line. I met Kathryn years ago at local event where I was forced into teaching line dancing for an RWA outing. It’s a long funny story that maybe I’ll share some time. But the important thing for you to know about that night was that I became friends with Kathryn.

We bonded over television and movies. She was curious about what was coming up for the fall season, and of course I had all the scoop. Each year we tried to get together to say hello, have a meal or watch pilots during RWA. Then that summer in 2008 we had breakfast in San Francisco. As usual we talked about everything from our families to TV to books. She always was kind about asking what I was working on, and I told her that I wanted to try my hand at writing something like the Woman’s Murder Club meets Burn Notice. Sexy detectives and spies coming together and solving cases.

She said that sounded like something that would work for Blaze. I was shocked. She told me to put together a proposal. My agent thought it was an awesome idea, and that, my friends is how the Stonegate Investigative Agency came to be. My idea was that these very strong women who ran the agency would have to deal with cases all over the world. Of course, they’d also fall in love.

Mariska, my heroine in Take Me if You Dare owns the agency that was bequeathed to her by her mother. But it was the hero, who really brought this book to life for me. Jackson is a burned CIA agent and all he wants to do is get out of Bangkok. It was kind of my ode to “Burn Notice” and that sexy Michael Westin (Jeffrey Donovan). Jackson needed a heroine who could hold her own, and that is how Mariska was born. Of course, you “Law & Order” fans know where I stole that name from and it fits this character.

What I like, and yes I know I wrote it, is that even though there are mob guys and intrigue, there is also a lot of humor. Jackson and Mariska are fun, sexy couple, who always seem to find themselves in trouble. I had a blast writing their adventure and I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

I’m celebrating all month and have lots of ways for you to win cool prizes, so be sure to check out www.candacehavens.com. Oh and you can check out the first episode of RAW CANDY where I talk about books, television, movies and celebs at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6B3slnuGVk

I’d like to hear about your all-time favorite romantic couples. Do you have one couple that stands out above all the rest? Tell me, I want to know!

Happy Valentine’s Day in advance! For those of you who aren’t aware of it, Valentine’s Day is Harlequin’s national holiday. Not only does every series offer readers incredibly romantic books this month, but we also put out the Harlequin Romance Report, which looks at the state of romance in the world today. The report gets thousands of media impressions and is just another way we’re working to put–and keep–Harlequin on the map.

However, loyal Blaze readers don’t need a report to tell them that this February is HOT! Look what those talented Blaze authors have in store for you this month…

First up is our Valentine Collection, MANHUNTING, by NYT bestseller Betina Krahn, Joanne Rock and Lori Borrill. The three heroines in this delightful anthology make a pact that they won’t spend another Valentine’s day alone. And while it’s touch and go for a while, they manage to get their man. A big thanks to Joanne Rock for the idea behind this collection.

Next up is THE CHARMER, the first book in Kate Hoffmann’s new minseries, Smooth Operators. All three guys featured in this trilogy end up labeled serial bachelors on a dating/dishing website, SmoothOperators.com. But even though the general female population thinks these guys are a lost cause, one special woman uncovers the diamond underneath. Personally, I loved this book. The heroine is wonderfully different. Romantic Times Magazine agreed with me, giving THE CHARMER a 4 1/2 Top Pick. Look for THE DRIFTER in April and THE SEXY DEVIL in June.

For those of you who have a naughtier Valentine’s Day in mind, Leslie Kelly offers up a Forbidden Fantasy that will definitely heat up these cold winter nights. In PLAY WITH ME, the hero and heroine have a secret fling, meeting up all over the country to play sexual games. But for both of them, secrecy is a must. And so, you can guess what happens when one of their escapades ends up on YouTube…

Stephanie Bond finishes up her Red Tote Book Club (code for Erotic Book Club) stories with HER SEXY VALENTINE. Carol Snow, the cynical member of the group finally finds her true love…but not until she relives Valentine’s Day over and over again until she gets it right. This book is linked to October’s Book 500, SEDUCTION BY THE BOOK, as well as a special ebook we put out last month, entitled TOO HOT TO PRINT, because, well, it was.

Candace Havens makes her Blaze debut with TAKE ME IF YOU DARE. I had trouble figuring out what I loved best about this book – the strong, yet insecure heroine, the bad boy hero…or the incredible setting. After reading this book, you’ll be wishing you’d booked that tropical getaway…complete with hunky pool boy.

And then Wendy Etherington finishes up the month with TEMPT ME AGAIN, a light-hearted story about a cop and the woman who drives him crazy, and makes him love every minute of it.

Wonderful month, isn’t it? But wait, there’s more! In order to tempt readers who don’t make it to the Series Romance shelves, we’ve put together THE BLAZE COLLECTION, a trade-sized anthology featuring the February books of Stephanie Bond, Leslie Kelly and Kate Hoffmann. You’ll find THE BLAZE COLLECTION in the warehouse type stores – Costco and Sam’s Club–places where Harlequin books are not usually sold.

So, in honor of Harlequin’s national holiday (honestly – we even get chocolate treats left at our desks!), I’m offering two prizes this month – one set of the February books, and THE BLAZE COLLECTION. All you have to do is leave the comment, ‘I want those Blaze books to Be Mine’.

I hope Cupid’s good to you,

Brenda Chin
Senior Editor, Harlequin Blaze

When it comes to watching sports, I was always pretty much a “take-it-or-leave-it” kind of gal–I didn’t mind tuning in to the big game, but hey, if you’d rather go out to dinner, no problem.  But then I discovered tennis. Or, more to the point, tennis players.  MEN tennis players.  BLAZING HOT MEN tennis players.  Have you ever seen the men’s Spanish tennis team?  Holy game, set, match!  They’re a biological miracle.  I’m not sure what they’re feeding these guys, but whatever it is, it definitely does a body good.  So today I’m going to share with you some of my favorites (you’re welcome!).

First up is Rafael Nadal.  He’s from Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain.  I think we should all go there.  Immediately. 

 

Next is Feliciano Lopez.  He is RIDICULOUSLY handsome.  Seriously, if the tennis gig doesn’t work out for him, he can become a model. Or my pool boy (note to self:  must get pool).

 

Last, but not least, is Fernando Verdasco. Dios mio, that is one fine looking man. AND he’s talented.  He can be my pool boy on Feliciano’s days off.  (note to self: put a rush order on that pool).

 

Okay, as if that isn’t enough, here’s one of my future pool boys, Feliciano and Fernando, together.

 

And last but not least, for your viewing pleasure, the perfect storm of tennis hotness–Rafael, Feliciano, and Fernando.

So—do you like any sports?  If so, which ones, and who are your favorite athletes?  Have I managed to convert you into a tennis fan? (just keep in mind that Rafael, Feliciano, and Fernando are MINE!!)

xox Jacquie–tennis fan for LIFE!!