I’m on the road this week, checking out some colleges for my son who will be a senior this year. We’ve taken on a part-time job, apparently, researching scholarships and financial aid, cross comparing the caliber of programs in his major and trying to match up a city that will appeal to him. What a big undertaking! On the other hand, it’s a time of tremendous possibility. He turned to me yesterday and said, “It’s funny to think about all the different paths I could take. And how one path could take me somewhere so much different than the one I might choose.” That comment really crystallized the experience for me.

Do you remember that time of life and that feeling where the decisions you made would have a huge and lasting impact? I remember thinking it was way too much pressure. And ultimately, I was somewhat ill-equipped at 17 to make those calls. But life seems to have a way of bringing you around to the right path sooner or later. Sometimes I don’t get The Message until the universe has sent me repeated, noisy signs, but I do think we get where we were meant to be when we follow our hopes and dreams.

So I think tomorrow, as we visit the next college on the list, I’m going to tell my son that there’s no real wrong path (okay, beyond a life of crime). Sometimes the paths are crooked and winding, taking you to strange new places you didn’t think you’d go. And other times, they are surprisingly circular, bringing you back to where you started. I kind of think there’s an arc to our lives that’s in place, and though we veer around it, we’re called back to that main arc over and over again. Resistance is futile!

I like to think that’s a lesson my Blaze characters are all dealing with in some way or another. They often can’t see their lives intersecting with someone else’s. They’ve usually got a clear-cut path and destination in mind, and a significant other would only complicate and distract them from the main goal. Little do they know their story arc. The path to true love is even more convoluted than the journey to a good college and a rewarding career.

What Blaze characters need to remember – along with my son – is that the destination isn’t always as important as the journey. Enjoy the path you’re on. Explore a few options. Feel free to wander. But don’t ignore the big, wide open road in front of you.

***My son is anxious to check out life in a big city! If you had it to do over and could choose a college to attend in a fun, exciting part of the country, where would you go? Has Denver or Philly always called to you? From Dallas to D.C., pretend cost isn’t an issue… where would you like to head? I’m going to send one random poster an advance copy of my September Blaze, MAKING A SPLASH. I might have to wait until Thursday to pick a winner since I’m out of town, but I promise I won’t forget!

I can calculate my life in terms of books.  Give me a year, and I’ll tell you what I was reading.  1978? Nancy Drew.  At least the first sixty.  1986?  Wuthering Heights and every Austen and Bronte book I could find.  Then?  On to the highly risqué Lady Chatterley’s Lover.  1991 was the Romantic poets and all the Arthurian literature, spurred by a second reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.  But 1993 was the era of romance ushered in by Johanna Lindsey and Elizabeth Lowell.  I was reading dense critical theory too, but it’s the Lowell and the Lindsey that’s most memorable for me.

Anyhow, I can track my reading through the years because it’s an important part of my life- the pastime that’s so much more than a pastime.  When I think of Nancy Drew, I still picture myself in my bedroom, reading with the book way to close to my nose.  I hear the lawn mower outside and smell the cut grass too, because half that summer passed by while I solved intriguing mysteries with Bess, George and my favorite titian-haired heroine.

In fact, summer reading in general is always really memorable for me.  Perhaps it’s because I associate summer with long lazy days where I have more say in how my time is spent.  And most of the time, when I have to pick, I pick a good book.  Also, I think summer reads are memorable because they’re often consumed in big gulps instead of divvied up into chapter-bites over the course of a few nights.  Devouring stories whole is always more fun for me.  I never leave the characters’ world.  Instead, I am along for the ride on page one and by page 500 and The End, it’s almost disconcerting to return to my real life.

I read Harry Potter like this, saving the last few books of the series until a time I could read uninterrupted for days.  They were my treat for one stolen week of the summer where I read day and night.  While Nancy Drew is forever associated with the lawn mower and fresh cut grass, Harry Potter makes me think of my porch swing , my personal Portkey to Hogwarts. 

As of now, I haven’t made any firm plans for what I want to read this summer.   The season remains open, just waiting for the right books between baseball games and picnics. 

***Do you have a memorable summer read?  The summer you read Black Beauty or first discovered a beloved author?  And how about a favorite reading spot?  Did you have a special spot you retreated with your books as a kid?  A spot you hide away with books today?  Chat with me on the boards about your books of summer and I’ll give one random poster a $10. eGift  Card to the bookseller of their choice.

I love miniseries. As a reader, I never get tired of reading them. Whether they are author generated (from Alison Kent’s classic gIRL gEAR to Isabel Sharpe’s fun new Checking E-Males) or Blaze staples (Wrong Bed, Forbidden Fantasies), I like seeing the carry-over of character or theme, savoring a little more from a well-loved set of characters or concept.

As a writer, I have a blast writing miniseries stories. When I generate my own series , I like revisiting a world I’ve built and the people I’ve created. Back when I wrote the Single in South Beach series, I was so sad to leave my Miami girlfriends! I felt like the secret heroine among that group of South Beach divas. I could attend their club bashes in my pajama pants from the safety of my living room, and I savored each stolen margarita sip vicariously.

When I write stories in the Blaze-originated series like Encounters or the Wrong Bed, I’m most excited to have a fun framework to write in. I know that I’ve either got to write short connected pieces, or a story that pits the hero and heroine in a very awkward meet. And that gives me a lot to work with before I even sit down to brainstorm. It’s like having a little bit of my workday done for me.

With the series I’m writing now, I’m getting to blend those two ideas. I’ve got an author generated series going in that I’ve created a fictional family of hot, wealthy brothers who are the sons of a resort mogul. They share a world that’s unique to them, growing up on Cape Cod in a hyper competitive environment that – perhaps- bears a small resemblance to the sports-minded ambiance that my three sons have lived and breathed since birth. So in that sense, I’ve come up with a lot of characters and a rich sense of place to return to over the course of five books. Awesome!

But even better, the stories are threading through some tried and true miniseries that I hope will draw you all in to read them. And I didn’t plot that in any kind of marketing genius, believe me. The connections just arose naturally out of the storylines. The first two books are Wrong Bed stories, and they’ll be out in September and October of this year. The next two books will be connected, but not under a formal Blaze miniseries banner, and they’ll come out next spring. The fifth book will take me to the Uniformly Hot! miniseries when I write one of stories of a brother who went into the Navy. That book will be out in September 2012.

So there’s a lot to love on my end. It’s fun to get to know these guys and watch the different brotherly dynamics between them. But most of all, I’ll be eager to start sharing them with you this coming summer.

In the meantime, I’ve been thinking a lot about my favorite Blaze miniseries and am working on a list of all the miniseries we’ve seen in our line. Care to help me flesh it out? Can you tell me some of your favorites or the most memorable ones you’ve read over the years? I blogged about connected stories a couple of years ago, but we talked about miniseries all over the lap, not just Blaze. As we gear up to celebrate Blaze’s tenth birthday this summer, I think it will be a fun way to toast a long tradition of sexy series!

Thanks in advance, and I’ve got a backlist Blaze of your choice for one random poster…

Ever have a friend who seemed to be born knowing exactly who she was and what she wanted out of life? The one with her head screwed on straight and a firm sense of where she wanted to go?

That was never me. Don’t get me wrong, I could fake it sometimes. I got great grades. Pursued the degree I set out to earn and dove straight into the career field I envisioned for myself. But all along, I wondered, what if I’d chosen a different path?

That’s still me to this day. Not that I second guess writing. That was a career I found later in life and I’ve never thought for a second that writing books was a bad idea. I love this job and I’m so grateful to have the chance to do something I enjoy. But I still can’t choose a favorite genre, favorite sub genre or favorite anything else associated with writing. And sometimes, as I look back at the wide and varied assortment of stories I’ve written over the years – dark, angsty cop stories, frothy fun sexy stories, time travel, medieval, suspense, a few heartwarming tales – I wonder if I’ve shot myself in the foot being one of those people who likes to take the wide-angle lens view of life.

I mean, would it have made more sense to choose one thing and learned to do it really well? Some authors have such a great vision for their voice and their careers, and they deliver just what their readers want each time out of the gate. For me, that’s kind of like choosing the chocolate cake every time at the desert counter. I’m more of a “I’ll have one of everything” desert eater. Or, at very least, I need to try something new each time until I’ve savored each and every offering.

So I keep writing a little something different each time and hope my readers will forgive me for the story leap frog. This month, I’m really excited to revisit the Uniformly Hot! Miniseries, something that was new for me back when I wrote Always Ready. It was so much fun I thought I’d delve back into the military world for Highly Charged. And, I’ve already got the follow up in mind for 2012, so I’ll be sure to return to that miniseries next year. But, being me, I can’t wait to share with you a couple of fun and sexy Wrong Bed stories first. Maybe a hot medieval. Definitely a sports hero or two.

Perhaps it’s a failing of mine. But I prefer to look at my varied story offerings as the cottage garden approach to writing. There are less boundaries and more overlap, colors of every kind. To the untrained eye, maybe it’s a hodgepodge. But the marigolds protect the tomatoes from the deer and the first round of spring blooms help ready the soil for the summer flowers, so that it all works together. One thing strengthens the other. My fun Wrong Beds are more deeply emotional in the end for having written those angsty cops. My military guys have greater depth because I’ve allowed creative time to percolate in between their stories.

It all works together. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

***Were you one of those people born knowing exactly where you wanted to go? Have you meandered a bit on the way or circled around a few times before you felt sure of your direction? Or heck, tell me if you order your favorite desert every time or if you feel the need to try new things! There’s no right answer on my boards because I think variety is the spice of life. Just chat with me today and one random poster will win my new Uniformly Hot!, Highly Charged.

You’ll notice my blog this month is a variation on a famous back-to-school essay theme. While I can’t personally recall every being asked to pen a “What I did on my Summer Vacation” essay during my school career, I hear it’s a common academic request. And I would have loved this topic! No one enjoys a bit of self-reflection and light musing as much as yours truly.

So this month, I’m giving myself the chance to reflect on another sort of vacation entirely—the elusive time that author’s spend recharging between books.

I thought it would be good to track this time since it seems to evaporate so easily. The time I spend actively writing is carefully tracked and recorded, with vigilant attention paid to each day’s progress, whereas the time spend not writing passes in a speedy blur. Afterward, I often ask myself what I did during that blink of time between writing books. Read the rest of this entry »

I came across a great quote the other day. It’s from Carl G. Jung, the ground breaking psychiatrist who plowed the field of analytic psychology. He’s a personal hero for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he developed so many psychological tools to understand characters. For writers looking to create authentic, 3D characters that are relatable for readers, Jung’s insights are really helpful.

But onto the latest bit of Jung wisdom I stumbled across. He said, “In each of us, there is another whom we do not know.” It’s a simple, straight-forward tidbit, really. Yet how freaking profound. And true! Upon hearing this bit of wisdom, don’t you immediately look to yourself and question what “other” lurks inside you?

We’ve all had those moments where we encounter this other. Moments when we act entirely out of character. We become the life of the party when our usual social position tends toward a wallflower. We leap into a relationship whereas we used to be so cautious with new people. Or you suddenly discover a love for mountain climbing when you were formerly afraid of heights. It’s a shock to see this other “you” in the mirror, a person you didn’t know existed.

I think that experience is something a lot of Blaze heroines identify with. How many Blazes have you read where the heroine pushes herself outside her comfort zone or makes a choice to behave in a very different way? I know once- for an old Temptation story- I created a heroine who decided that she needed to actively make decisions that were the opposite of how she’s usually behaved since her life was in a really boring rut. For a writer, it can be really tough to write that experience authentically and believably. After all, why should a reader believe that the career driven heroine suddenly walks away from the high pressure job she loves to spend a sexy weekend with a man she just met? Or why would a reader buy into the photographer heroine who hides from the world behind a camera lens and then, upon meeting the hero, decides to let him take a few scandalous photos of her?

Well, maybe it’s not all that tough to buy since we’re all secretly familiar with this “other” inside of us. Who among us hasn’t made the decision to do something completely different? And who knew that to behave “out of character” was something completely “in” character, for all of us? But there you have it. Jung said it himself. We all have the potential inside us, the wild and crazy woman just waiting for her moment to break free. Shakira sang about it recently when she referenced the She-Wolf in the closet. I think Blaze women are on a journey to find that inner She-Wolf, to find the Other, to a far greater degree than they are seeking a romantic experience.

Maybe that’s how romance happens sometimes. On a journey to find out who we are- to test the limits of who we want to be and what kind of life we want to lead- we attract people who sense that dynamic spirit within.

***Have you ever encountered your Other? Been surprised by a new discovery about yourself or a part of your personality that didn’t seem to fit with all the rest? Maybe you discovered a love of classical music after being a die-hard bluegrass fan, or a Share it with me today on the boards and I’ll give one random poster a copy of their choice of any backlist book assuming I have it in stock.

I’ve had fun thinking about the Blaze Authors Pet Project over the last couple of months. I’m looking forward to highlighting some animal characters in upcoming books and cheering on the good works of the shelters we’ll be featuring on the Blaze Blog.

But for now, while I’m in pet mode, I thought I’d share with you some of my personal favorite pet moments. Because I grew up on a farm, with room for animals to run, I usually had some four-legged friends in residence. German Shepherds have been a lifelong favorite—I just like their sweet natured side juxtaposed with the ability to work hard and be fearsome protectors when the need arises. These dogs chase off the deer—and lest you empathize with the deer, let me remind you what havoc they can wreak on a farm if you don’t keep them away. They don’t even like pumpkins, at least not the ones we grew, but without dogs to keep them away from the fields, the deer can ruin plenty of would-be jack-o-lanterns just by sauntering through the fields, mindless of where their hooves step.

Unfortunately, my pics of my favorite German Shepherds were grainy affairs that don’t do their cute mugs justice. Instead, I’m showing off a dog we had when I was a teenager, Yukon, a Samoyed Husky. Oh, did I love him! He couldn’t show off his working dog skills since I’m not much of a musher, but I think I trimmed a few dress sizes taking him for walks. He loved the snow and shunned his dog house to sit outside in our most frigid temps. He was completely happy and at home in the winter weather, dragging me all over the hills and orchards behind our house in a quest to run off his boundless energy. When I finally collapsed in a heap, he was usually kind enough to give me a break for a few minutes. If he spotted a rabbit while we were out though, all bets were off. Wild horses couldn’t have held him back.

Back home, I liked putting my feet up with a cat when I returned from the dog walking.

While Yukon retreated to his corner of the yard to chase snowflakes, I liked to hang out with the felines and read a good book. Sebastian was one of many cats I had over the years, sometimes two or three at a time. You can trace my interests and time of life by the names of the cats from Tigger (I was obsessed with all things Winnie the Pooh) to Smokey and Bandit (it was the era!). Later in life, I had Kiki (named by my sons) as well as Whiskers (also named by the kids) to Duchess (doesn’t she sound like she was named by a romance writer?). But the name Sebastian surely came from my teenage interest in romance heroes.

And while I was hunting for pics of past pets, I came across Teddy, the unimaginatively named Teddy Bear Hamster. I was probably eight or nine when I had him, and I still had a Teddy Bear named Teddy, his stuffed bear wife named Mrs. T, and then I christened the hamster along the same lines. Maybe that’s why I never got around to naming a hero Theodore… I must have burned out on that one early on. But I had to share my picture of the hamster since I took his photo next to something else that shared great significance in my young life—my books! I still show off those Nancy Drews prominently in my home.

I’m looking forward to sharing the Blaze Author Pet Project with you in upcoming years. Romance and pets are such a natural connection, after all. We know how much our readers adore their pets. One rule of writing we learn early on is that you can kill off whoever you want in your books, but don’t even think about hurting the dog!

** Have any fun names from pets past or present? Did you name your poodle after a favorite cartoon character or your cat after a soap opera star? Do share! I’m giving away a copy of my latest Scots historical, IN THE LAIRD’S BED to one random poster.

I had a fun visit with a friend last night. She’s single and I always enjoy hearing about her dating experiences. They’re not always as much fun for her as they are for me, of course. You remember what dating is like, right? There are far more “hits” than “misses.” So plenty of her anecdotes involve awkward moments, wild mis-matches, and dates that wear out their welcome.

But- as amusing as those stories are—I don’t listen to them simply for a laugh. No, I’m listening and hoping all the time that one of these days I’ll hear about a date with The One. Can you remember hearing that thrill in a friend’s voice when they’ve met The One? You might see it in their eyes or detect it in a dreamy sigh that’s never issued forth from a cynical friend’s mouth before. But you know. You can just tell when they’ve met that right one. And it’s in the hope of hearing that thrill in a friend’s voice that we wade through all the other stories—the misses.

It occurred to me that’s why we read romance, too. Don’t we love the near misses on the way to the happily ever after? That’s what makes it fun when a heroine stumbles across an old boyfriend. Or if we meet the heroine on a date with Mr. Wrong. We hang in there, waiting. Knowing the right one is around the corner, eager to see her find the romance she deserves.

I’m not sure if my friend had found The One yet. But I know the right guy is just around the corner. Romance has a way of finding us, usually when we’re not looking for it. And hearing all about how it happened is a story that we- as romance readers- never tire of.

**Have you had a conversation with a friend where you could tell she’d met The One? Do you remember vividly a moment when you knew a friend, sister, daughter, widowed mom had found a great romantic prospect? Or do you have a near miss dating story to share where you knew you were on a mis-match date within moments of your evening getting underway? Share some dating fun with me on the boards today and I’ve got a fun holiday haul for one random poster including my December book, Under Wraps, Sam Hunter’s fantastic I’ll Be Yours for Christmas, and a holiday ornament for your tree!

As the keeper of the 11th on the Blaze Blog, it’s my welcome duty to remember and thank our veterans today. I have a few who are close to my heart to remember and I’m sure you do too. To all our veterans, we appreciate you!

My sons had the opportunity to meet a WWII vet a few years ago and have never forgotten his stories. A B-17 pilot who flew daylight missions over Germany, this brave, amazing man was on his seventeenth combat mission when his plane was shot down. He was a POW for six months before he was liberated by Patton’s troops in 1945, but he counted himself fortunate as one of the crew who made it out of his plane before it blew.

Today, I’m thankful for more than this captain’s service. I’m also thankful he took the time to share his story with my boys. Maybe it’s the storyteller in me that values the tale so much, but I have to think the vision of this grizzled vet acting out the plight of his plane before it went down—B-17 model in hand—will be a picture that stays with them forever. No history book could have captivated them the way a man who lived through it could. And, more importantly, no history book could have underscored so well why our veterans deserve our gratitude.

In honor of Veterans Day, I’m giving away a three-pack of books for one random poster, including Silk Confessions, an advance copy of Under Wraps and a sexy Desire from my critique partner (and military romance author!) Catherine Mann. Just post your salute to the service member of your choice in the comments section. With how much we enjoy our military heroes in the romance community, I’ll bet we can rack up quite a few cheers for their real life counterparts!

The appeal of Blaze interests me, and not just because I write them and read them. As an observer of culture, I think it’s neat to see what brings us back a romance line again and again. Obviously, if we were just wild about the romance part, we could find that in any one of the Harlequin series each month. But you and I return to Blaze. Not just for romance, but apparently for the steam factor too. The covers and titles in Blaze make the “red-hot” component a prime selling point and it’s one readers have really responded to.

But I think there’s more to the unique appeal of Blaze tales than just steam. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certain we all enjoy the sizzle factor. Today, however, we’re going to dig deeper to see what it is that sends us to the shelves for a sexy story.

Sense of possibility – I like the idea that a sexy story has the “will she, won’t she” dynamic at work. By that, I kind of mean sexual tension, but in a more general way, there is a sensation of standing at the edge of a big ravine for our heroines. Will they cross that line and take a risk? When? We know they will sooner or later… the books promise that they’ll take that gamble. And it’s not just a gamble on romance. There is a bit of physical speculation that goes on, too. I think we enjoy this sense of “when anything is possible” for our heroines. But perhaps because it ties in to my next thought for why we love Blaze….

Sense of power – We like the adrenaline rush of that first love scene and the empowerment it gives the heroine. Now, I know that the sex is going to complicate her life in a big way. But side by side with the conflict is the realization that sex is a heady brew that gives the heroine a rush of “hoo-yah,” so to speak. Let’s set aside being P.C. for a minute and just admit that the headrush that comes with amazing sex is intoxicating. The idea that it can happen again is potent. And while sex makes us vulnerable on the one hand, it also makes us feel powerful on the other because we’re not the only ones feeling the heat.

Remember when? – We’re not just getting caught up in the hero and heroine’s romance when we read a Blaze. I believe there’s also a healthy dose of comingling our own memories of falling in love every time we pick up a romance. Is it just me, or isn’t all that heart pounding anticipation a fun cue to bring back your days of falling in love (or pre-love lust)? I think we savor those reminds of what it felt like to lose your heart completely to someone. And for readers who haven’t found “The One” yet, I think the books create a great vision of what the right partner could be like.

***So tell me this… as I try to think about the Blaze reader, I’d be curious to know what you’re reading when you’re not reading Blaze? Are you enjoying another series line? Reading sexy romance from other authors? Knee deep in non -fiction? Share with me on the boards today and I’ll give away a copy of my new 2-in-1 with Rhonda Nelson, 1-900-LOVER and Silk Confessions, to one random poster.