A benefit of living in tornado alley is the pretty brick mailboxes. I’ve posted a picture of mine on the right. This baby has come through 2 BIG tornadoes with winds exceeding 300 plus miles per hour.

You’d think the tornado is what scares me. Nope, what makes me nervous are the birds who like to make their home between the bricks and the bottom part of the actual box. If you look closely, you’ll see twigs, and what looks like a straw wrapper poking out as these industrious birds build their nest.

I’m not ashamed to admit it, my big fear is that when I open the mailbox, I’ll startle what birds are living there and they’ll fly into me.

So, for years now, I’ve been making A LOT of noise as I approach the mailbox. Clapping, clearing my throat. Your basic idiot stuff – but it all worked. No bird attack!

Then it happened.

The bird got me. I felt the flutter of its feathery wings on my bare arm. But I had the kids with me, and I have a strong commitment to not giving them my phobias. So I sucked it up. But I shuddered and screamed inside. And as I am while writing this.

Of course in the big scheme of things, this isn’t a big thing to get over. That’s not always the case with our favorite Blaze heroines. Our brave ladies seem to fall into two categories – those who get over “something” in the book or those who’ve just gotten over “something” and are ready to hit life all over again. That’s what makes them special. (Okay, and there could be another type – feel free to add.)

What’s your favorite kind of Blaze Heroine?

I did not need to see this movie. I lived it. I counted, and in my younger days, I was a bridesmaid 7 times. Luckily for me, only one of those dresses was hideous…and it really wasn’t all that bad. It was just very plain and totally not my style or color, meaning I’d never wear it again in a thousand years, but luckily, it hadn’t been expensive and it did look good in the pictures.

But I love weddings. Even when I’m not a bridesmaid, I’ve often been involved in the wedding. I sang at two weddings and did the reading at one. I have given more showers than Mother Nature in April and I watch shows like SAY YES TO THE DRESS and MY FAIR WEDDING all the time.

Why is it then that I’ve never once written a wedding book before now?

It’s a popular enough trope in the romance genre and yet, because I write for Blaze, rarely do my characters end up with a proposal, much less a whole wedding. I’m lucky if I can get those randy so-and-sos (those would be my main characters) to commit to each other in the end. They’re so fiercely independent, it’s hard to wrangle. But I love weddings, so I jumped all over the chance to write a 3-in-1 Encounters for Blaze called 3 SEDUCTIONS AND A WEDDING that will be out in June.

The premise is thus: A wonderful couple, Bianca and Coop, have been together for over ten years. They started dating in college, fell madly in love and got engaged. The trouble is, they’ve never gotten around to getting married. They’re too busy going on adventures around the globe for their jobs (she’s a translator and he’s a software designer) to stand still long enough to say, “I do.”

Well, Coop’s best friend, Leo Sharpe, has had enough. He also has a secret agenda. He’s been pining for Bianca’s bff, Jessie Martinez, for just as long as Bianca and Coop have been engaged. They, too, were once madly in love–until Leo screwed up and Jessie told him to take a hike. Now, he’s planning on using the excuse of throwing a surprise wedding for Bianca and Coop as a reason to work his way back into Jessie’s good graces.

There are two other couples in the book, too. Coop’s older sister, Annie, and Bianca’s younger brother, Drew as well as Coop’s boss, Ajay, and Bianca’s boss, Mallory. Everyone gets into the wedding spirit! In a most Blaze-like way.

In fact, next week (beginning on April 26th), eHarlequin will begin publishing a free online read (short story length) about Bianca and Coop and what is happening between them on the eve of their return home. They have no idea their friends are planning a wedding…and they might not even make it down the aisle if they do. It’s a rough couple of days in the Costa Rican jungle for these two…and did I mention it’s free?

But I also have author’s copies! If you’d like a chance to win an early copy of this book, just answer the following questions:

Do you like weddings?
Were you ever a bridesmaid?
Tell us about either your prettiest bridesmaid dress or your worst…(and if you weren’t ever a bridesmaid, feel free to tell us about the worst dress you ever saw at a wedding…)

This should be fun!

Have you ever had that moment when you just won’t do it.?  It doesn’t matter what it is, you just aren’t going to do it.  In fact, it is probably more than one thing, and you’re not going to do any of them.  I’m in a refusal stage right now.  I’m just not going to go over my revisions again.  I’m just not going to clean the fracking house.  I’m just not not not going to do anything but play www.pogo.com.  So there.

So…my question to you…what time waster do you look to when you’re just not going to do anything? 

Currently, I’m playing computer monopoly.  I’m not even going to post this blog, I’m sending it to my assistant to post it.   I have also watched an entire weekend of Xena, Warrior Princess.  (And, I’m not going to look up the exact punctuation of that title either!) 

 

Note from Jade’s devoted assistant: Jade will be returning to her revisions shortly. Just as soon as I disable her pogo account. Again.

Good morning, Isabel Sharpe here, from Wi(ll-it-ever-be-spring?)sconsin. On the 15th of each month I’ll be providing a Blaze-appropriate recipe for your enjoyment, everything from mood-brightening cocktails to tantalizing appetizers to hot main dishes and happy-after sweet endings, because as a devoted foodie, I believe when it comes to pleasures of the body, eating and drinking are right up there with . . . you know.

Today’s recipe is about celebration: of our Blaze blog’s first month, of Harlequin’s 60th anniversary, and of course, of love and everything wonderful about it, especially the naughty bits. What better way to celebrate than with champagne, my very favorite indulgence? I’m one of those people who sees athletes spraying the stuff around the locker room and thinks, “God, I hope that’s cheap Asti.”

On my refrigerator I have a comic strip: Man comes up to the bar and says, “A bottle of your very best champagne!” The bartender asks, “What’s the occasion?” and the man says, “Thirst.” That’s my kind of thinking. When I grow up I want to be able to have a bottle of the “good stuff” in my refrigerator at all times for when the mood strikes. Until then I have to be content with a bottle of the “okay stuff” in my basement.

In this recipe, the champagne is mixed with pomegranate juice flavored with orange and ginger. Don’t bother buying expensive champagne when you’re mixing, but don’t buy garbage either. Domaine Ste. Michelle, made in Washington State, is my current favorite lower-priced sparkling wine (if it doesn’t come from the Champagne region in France, it can’t be called champagne.).

Epicurious.com will allow me to post the link, but not reproduce the recipe

Isabel’s tips: Mix the non-champagne ingredients together rather than measuring them individually in each glass, and try using only a tablespoon of the mixture first, unless you like your drinks sweet (I don’t) in which case use a couple.

Enjoy!

Isabel

P.S. I’m sending this for posting early because I’ll be on a road trip with my kids on the 15th. I will do everything possible to find wireless Internet so I can check in during the day, but can’t promise. So apologies ahead of time if I don’t respond to comments right away!

Wow! What a thrill to be the first person to christen this great new site!

As many of you know, the Blaze series is very special to me. I’ve been involved in the line since the beginning, (for those of you doing the quiz, I’m not going to give anything away – sorry), and have personally worked on a good number of the books we’ve published so far. In that time, the editors have discovered some incredible new voices, and have been routinely amazed at just how talented an author base we have. Many Blaze Babes are now considered Harlequin Stars! Personally, I’m always blown away by the ingenuity, the imagination and the determination our authors show. On more than one occasion, I’ve seen one of them pull off the near-impossible, then reach for another challenge. To say I’m proud to be working with such a fantastic group of women (and Tony, of course) would be an understatement.

So, what does this mean for Blaze readers? Simply that you’re reading the very best of series romance! Okay, I’m biased…but I’m also very sincere. In Blaze, you’ll find every kind of book – historical, adventure, suspense, forbidden fantasies, romantic comedies, paranormal, short stories, erotic bedtime stories, westerns and even time travel. The only elements tying the books together are the high level of sensuality and a lot of sizzling sexual tension. And really, what good is a romance novel without those?

So, now it’s your turn. Tell me what you love about Blaze (everything, I’m sure) and what you think we could improve on (don’t get carried away now…).

In the meantime, don’t forget to download Triple Threat by Jennifer LaBrecque, a free Blaze e-book that’s linked to the Uniformly Hot! miniseries. After all, we could all use a man in uniform to heat up those cool spring evenings. And, if you haven’t already, check out HarlequinCelebrates.com to download Leslie Kelly’s Blaze book, Slow Hands, absolutely free! There are other offerings there too…but I can vouch for Leslie’s. You’ll love it!

Finally, I’d like to thank our dedicated Blaze readers. Without you, we couldn’t do what we love best. And I think all the authors and editors will agree – we do love it!