I heart eHarlequin. Not only do they have excellent writing guides and fabulous online sales, but they keep giving away free eBooks like it’s going out of style. It’s Christmas time again!!! If you missed the Harlequin free book a day over the holidays, or you’re like me and just want moooore, check out the Harlequin Celebrates site to download 16 free ebooks. That’s right SIXTEEN FREE EBOOKS. I am in heaven!

I’d like to draw your attention to two of the 16 offerings:

SNOWBOUND by Janice Kay Johnson
2008 RITA® Award for Contemporary Series Romance!!!
How can you go wrong with a Seattle RWA member and a RITA-winning book???

When a blizzard strands Fiona MacPherson and her students in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, their only hope of survival is to seek shelter at Thunder Mountain Lodge. Their host is John Fallon, a handsome, enigmatic war veteran haunted by secrets and scars that may never heal.

John Fallon never imagined he’d be playing host to this captivating teacher and her eight teenage charges. But when his solitude is shattered by their arrival, his world shifts on its axis. He needs Fiona—but does she need him? There’s only one way to find out. The ex-soldier must find the courage to reach out to the remarkable woman who has transformed his life…

SLOW HANDS by Leslie Kelly
I recently discovered author Leslie Kelly when her hubby friended me on Twitter. (Let the record show that Twitter is useful for promotion!) Ms. Kelly’s Harlequin Blaze book DON’T OPEN TILL CHRISTMAS was fabulously hot, witty and delightfully romantic. I was swept off my feet by the story and laughed out loud at the sharp dialog. Ms. Kelly has won a fan and I can’t wait to read her free offering from Harlequin. (I would have bought Slow Hands along with her other eBooks yesterday if the eharlequin site hadn’t failed on me. Free is better!)

This is Maddy Turner’s lucky day. The civilized society girl just bid on sexy rogue Jake Wallace at a charity bachelor auction—and won! But Maddy knows Jake’s dirty little secret. And it should keep her from trying out her new boy toy. Too bad she can’t stop herself from indulging in raw, quite uncivilized sex all the same….

Jake Wallace is utterly bewitched by Maddy—and utterly bewildered. How can this tantalizing woman melt so rapturously under his ministrations one moment, then turn into a haughty queen the next? He’s determined to get to the bottom of Maddy’s agenda. One slow, delicious inch at a time…

Let’s Celebrate!

Smart Women Read eBooks

I took the survey and you should too. The results will be used for the “Smart Women Read eBooks” panel being presented at the Tools of Change Conference in New York, February 9 through 11, 2009. The presenters (including Kassia from Booksquare, Sarah from SBTB, and Harlequin’s Malle Vallik) would like to get a sense of how women read ebooks, what you like/dislike about digital text, and what you want from ebook publishers.

Title: Strangers in the Night
Author: Kerry Connor
Publication Info: Harlequin Intrigue 1067, June 2008
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3

I was having some book apathy, not finding anything that cought my attentions, reading a few pages and tossing them aside, when I picked up (er…opened up the ebook file) Strangers in the Night by new author Kerry Connor. From the first page I was hooked. Pulled directly into a riveting plot with engaging characters, I didn’t put it down until the last world entered my enchanted brain. Ms. Connor’s deft writing style whipped me along in a way none of the other books I’d tried was able to do – making me forget that I was reading and instead making me lose myself in the story. Best of all: I never saw that twist coming. I am delighted to be surprised!

Gideon Ross is a cynical, world-weary bounty hunter called out of retirement to catch the man who killed his mentor–the one that got away. After years of escaping the rap for murders and illegal dealings, business mogul Price Chatlain is finally on trial for a murder with evidence enough to stick. His right hand man–who killed Ross’s mentor–has skipped bail and fled. Ross tracks him to Chicago, only to find that Taylor is hunting someone of his own. Allie Freedman is on the run for her life. She’s learned the hard way she can’t trust anyone after anyone who tried to help her has ended up dead. When Ross catches her she knows he’s either in league with her pursuers or about to become expendable. Ross doesn’t know if the woman is in league with Chatlain or not, but he knows he can’t let her go and he can’t help her if she refuses to tell him the truth. He’s set on bringing her back to New York despite her constant escape attempts, and he’ll do everything in his power to bring her back alive despite the two hired killers on their tail.

Ten aspiring authors are battling it out for a coveting publishing contract with Dorchester Publishing and need your help to determine the winner. Two have been voted off the island. Six have survived.

The 3rd Round of the American Title V Contest judges the Story Summaries. Please stop by the website to read the summaries and see the judges comments, then vote for your favorite.

If you vote you can enter to win one of five prizes from aspiring author Marie-Claude Bourque. Tell her you voted and you can win either a silver Celtic star pendant or one of 4 Amazon gifts-cards (10$).

Kate Diamond, aspiring author and fellow Greater Seattle RWA member, is blogging and playing tag over at her blog.

The Rules:

Link to the person who tagged you. (Check, double linkage!)
Write down six things that make you happy. (Check see the list below, in mostly no particular order.)
Post these rules. (Check)
Tag six others. (Check! x6)
Notify me that you’ve tagged six others–or not. (comments on all of your blogs, check!)
AND please check out the websites of the folks I TAGGED — see the links below

Six Things That Make Me Happy:

1. Cuddling with my sweetie and my cat
2. Listening to my sweetie laugh in his sleep
3. Hiking in the great outdoors
4. Browsing bookstores and buying book
5. Sharing my love of reading (aka pimping books)
6. Knee-high stripped socks

Here are the folks I’ve TAGGED, in no particular order!

1. Christine at The Happily Ever After
2. Tracy at Tracy’s Place
3. Katiebabs at Babbling About Books
4. Nicola at Alpha Heroes
5. Little Alys at For Peaceful Days and Dreamy Nights
6. Bridget at Good and Bad Books

On Wednesday I leave for my first foray to Asia and a tantalizing taste of Japan. After two days in Tokyo, Mr. Wonderful and I will board a train into the mountains to the town of Minakami in Gunma-ken. We are staying in a traditional Japanese bed and breakfast (Ryokan) at a hot springs. No internet for four days! Returning to Tokyo, I will explore solo for a few days while Mr. Wonderful presents at a conference.

I would love suggestions on what to see and do and am looking for recommendations of romance novels set in Japan.

I enjoy reading romance novels set in the country to which I’m traveling, but in this instance I can hardly find any. Help! Yes, I’ve read Memoirs of a Geisha. Google has suggested the following. Has anyone read any of these?

Ice Blue by Anne Stuart

The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer

(From The Guardian, book nominated for Romantic Novel of the Year) The Last Concubine has been described as “Gone with the Wind set in Japan”. Through the tale of a concubine chosen by a young shogun who is rescued by a rebel warrior, Downer chronicles Japan’s extraordinary change from a medieval to a modern country over just a few years in the 19th century. It is Downer’s first novel although she has written a number of books about Japan and its culture.

According to Downer, “I grew up with Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice and hugely enjoyed creating a romantic world of my own. I found it utterly gripping to write about a society which has no concept of romantic love. It made it all the clearer what a powerful and primeval force love is.”

Anna and the King of Dragons by Karen Harbaugh

(from All About Romance) Fantasy Romance (1650s Japan): Anna Vanderzee is a Dutch woman, trained in the healing arts, who has been living in Japan for several years with her scholar parents. When they are suddenly killed in an accident, she finds herself almost penniless and alone in a country that doesn’t trust foreigners. Deep in the forest where she has gone to privately grieve, she meets a scholarly dragon who gives her gold coins in exchange for some of her father’s books. Leaving the forest, she is set upon by bandits and saved by a samurai, Nakagawa-sama, who becomes her friend and protector. As her relationship with both samurai and dragon deepens, she becomes more reluctant to return to the Netherlands, but is there a future for her in Japan?

Pure Silk by Susan Johnson

(from Barnes & Noble review) Disguise, intrigue, danger, and pleasure mingle dangerously in this sexy romance set in 19th-century Japan by New York Times–bestselling author Susan Johnson. The story begins as Tama, the princess of Otari, is forced to flee after her father is killed and his forces defeated. Disguised as a peasant boy, Tama hides in the city’s pleasure quarter, where she finds Captain Hugh Drummond, who agrees tol take her to Paris. In return for his assistance, Tama will pay him with the only currency she has — pleasure — but those sensual hours are eclipsed by Tama’s desperate need to escape her enemies. The developing romance between this most unlikely and spirited couple will delight Johnson’s many fans, and the exotic historical setting is a wonderful bonus.

This is for all you romance bloggers out there who are also aspiring authors. You know who you are. There is ONE WEEK LEFT to enter for a chance to get the first three chapters of your manuscript read by Avon author Jenna Petersen’s agent:

Each month in 2009, The Passionate Pen will be hosting another huge contest with another huge prize as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the website. Be sure to read the rules FULLY before you enter:

January Contest:

The Prize: A first three chapter read of a manuscript from this month’s industry interviewee, Miriam Kriss of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. **Please read the rules BEFORE you enter*

Miriam Kriss joined the Irene Goodman Literary Agency just as she was finishing her master’s degree in Fine Arts at New York University, and quickly became one of the hottest young agents in town. Going from Michelangelo to Nora Roberts was not as great a leap as it might seem, as Miriam had been obsessively reading commercial fiction since she found a copy of Judith McNaught’s classic Whitney, My Love in a rented lakeside cabin when she was thirteen. A few pages in, not only were some gaps in her Catholic school education filled, but she was hooked. She reads fast: one hundred pages an hour, a novel a day, and well, that adds up to a lot of books a year. Miriam likes to say Irene knows the market because she’s been doing this for over twenty-five years and is savvy as all get out, but Miriam herself knows the market because she is the market. And that knowledge has paid off for both her and her clients in a big way.

Sales to major publishers include several six-figure deals for first-time authors, and her client list continues to grow. Her first solo sale, also from a first-time author, hit several bestseller lists in its first week out. She has since had numerous clients appear on the USA Today list, as well as two clients who have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, at one point during the same memorable week. What’s more, now that reading is legitimately “work”, she devours two or three novels and manuscripts a day.

How to Enter: Email an answer the following question about The Passionate Pen website:

In what year did Jenna add a diary to The Passionate Pen? (hint, check out the diary page)

Other Rules:

• One answer per email. Extras will be thrown out.

• You must be able to send your manuscript chapters for review by February 2 (one week after the contest closes and the winner is notified). Don’t make the agent wait. It’s bad form.

• By answering the email question you are agreeing to be invited to the Jenna/Jess newsletter. You don’t have to accept the invite, but you will receive an invitation if you are not already a member.

• Winner will be drawn Monday, January 26 and notified that same day. If a winner does not reply to the email by January 30, another winner will be drawn.

Good luck!

Title: Raintree: Inferno
Author: Linda Howard
Series: Raintree book 1
Publication Info: Silhouette Nocturne, May 07
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The chemistry is burning between these two strong protagonists in Linda Howard’s first book of the Raintree Trilogy. Their quick repartee is strongly reminiscent of Ms. Howard’s MR. PERFECT (another highly recommended read), complete with short, feisty, sharp-tongued heroine and tall, totally Alpha, arrogant, domineering hero. I often find “Alpha” is short for “A$$hole,” but Dante’s intelligence, protectiveness and humor helped balance his domineering tendencies. Besides, I’m a sucker for a man who says those three little words: “Have my baby.”

There are two groups of magical beings that live among the humans: the Raintree, who use their powers for good, and the Anasara, who use their powers for evil. These powers range from psychic abilities to control over the elements, similar to the paranormal protagonists in Jacquelyn Frank’s Nightwalker series. Dante, the king of the Raintree, controls fire, so when his casino bursts into flames he can’t control, he immediately suspects the strange woman who has been cheating him out of money. She must be an Anasara in disguise. Lorna Clay doesn’t know anything about magic or psychic abilities. All she knows is that she’s always been uncommonly lucky with numbers and that this powerful man poses an extraordinary danger to her. Unfortunately, she seems to have been hypnotized to obey his every command. Don’t move. Don’t talk. Follow me. How can she trust a man who would force his will on her? She may have to, because someone is trying to kill them. Risking her life is terrifying, but it’s a walk in the park compared to risking her heart.

The writing in this book is, as typical of Ms. Howard’s work, flawless. Her prose is quite plain, but it gets the job done with a fast plot and engaging, well-rounded characters. The dialogue between the hero and heroine is excellent. My favorite passage:

That was a dirty game of pool he was playing, saying Have my baby as if he meant it. He couldn’t mean it. They had known each other two days. That was something men said to seduce women, because hundreds of centuries ago some cunning bastard had figured out most women were pushovers for babies, (p238).

Yeah, I know it isn’t true for all women, but, boy!, is it true for me. *grin*

Can’t wait to read the next two in the trilogy!

Book 1: Linda Howard Raintree: Inferno – May 07
Book 2: Linda Winstead Jones Raintree: Haunted – June 07
Book 3: Beverly Barton Raintree: Sanctuary – July 07

How long would it take you to write a creative, compelling short story? Could you do it in a week? How about 24 hours? There are three days left to register for the Short Story Challenge 2009, an international writing competition where writers race the clock and each other to compose magic. Writers are assigned the same genre–here’s hoping it’s romance!

HOW IT WORKS:

• Anyone may compete from anywhere in the world
• There are 2 rounds
• 1st Round (January 16-24, 2009) : Writers are placed randomly in heats. Each heat is assigned a genre and a subject (ex. comedy : competing lemonade stands or horror : a family reunion).
• Writers have 1 week to write an original short story (2,500 words max).
• Winners are chosen from the 1st Round to advance to the 2nd round and compete for thousands in cash and prizes.
• 2nd Round (March 13-14, 2009) : All of the writers receive the same genre and subject at midnight (EST time) and have just 24 hours to write an original short story.
• A panel of judges review the final round stories and winners are chosen!

I don’t think I’ll participate this year, but good luck to all who do!

More Romance Laughs from the Fail Blog!