Today is my two year blogging anniversary, when I finally decided “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” and started my own blog. My sweetie started his world-traveling evangelist job for Adobe three years ago this month–thanks to blogging non stop, usually all night long, coming to bed at 4 in the morning because he just had to write one last blog post. Eek! In the last two years I’ve tagged along with him to New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Switzerland, Ireland, Japan, and New Zealand. I’m still hoping for Scotland, one of these days, but we’ll see.

My favorite part of blogging is meeting the awesome community of book lovers on the internet. To celebrate my 2 year anniversary, I’m going to give away a fabulous book to 2 lucky commenters. Bound By Your Touch is the second novel by brilliant Meredith Duran. No sophomore slump here, Duran’s book is even more captivating than the first. If you want a superbly written romance with complex characters and witty dialogue, look no further. I predict great things from this rising star–a shelf full of RITAs and NYT Best Seller status.

Please leave a comment describing your favorite book by, oh, Sunday June 7. 2 comments will be selected at random to win a copy of this outstanding novel.

BOUND BY YOUR TOUCH by Meredith Duran (June 2009 – so you have to wait a few weeks to get it)

Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London’s favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous. But Sanburne’s golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath . . . and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within—in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.

I’m inspired by Susan Wiggs’s blog post about pre-teen crushes on characters from books later made into movies. (Local author alert!) I know what you’re thinking: Peter Pan, right? But no. My feelings for the fairy in green tights are completely platonic. (Tiger Lily, on the other hand, is hawt.) I also never liked Gilbert or the guy from Little Women.

What characters captured your heart growing up?

The rules: the books don’t have to be made into movies, but the movies do have to be based on a book. Your crush occurred between birth and age 18.

Here are mine:

1. Rufio! Rufio! from the movie Hook, loosely based on Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. BIG crush.
2. Prince Philip from the movie Sleeping Beauty, based on the fairy tale by the same name. (david kawena’s gallery on deviantart is even better!)
3. Mendanbar, King of the Enchanted Forest, from Searching for Dragons (sequel to Dealing with Dragons) by Patricia C. Wrede.
4. Wesley, from The Princess Bride. I doubt there’s a woman my age who didn’t have a crush on him. AS YOU WISH!!!!
5. Calvin O’Keefe (notably not from whatever movie has been made) from the book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle. I recreated his science experiment with the plants when I was in middle school.
   
   
6. Haakon Haakonsen (the kid) from the movie Shipwrecked, based on the book “Haakon Haakonsen. A Norwegian Robinson Crusoe” by author O. V. Falck-Ytter’s, published in 1873.
7. Robert Roy MacGreggor, from the movie Rob Roy, based on the book by Sir Walter Scott
8. Shang from Disney’s Mulan, loosely based on a poem. Look at those pecs! I confess to pausing this movie so that I could draw his rippling abs. yum
9. Connor from the book Trinity by Leon Uris. (Irish guys are hot!)
10. Ari Ben Canaan from the movie/book Exodus by Leon Uris.
11. Will from His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (introduced in book 2, The Subtle Knife). A man who likes cats!
12. Aragorn, who is so much hotter than Legolas, from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein. (I’m reaching. I read the books, but didn’t have a crush until the movie, which came out after I was 18. so sue me.)
13. Vidanric from Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, which I didn’t read until after 18, but it’s a YA and I should have. He’s hot.

Yesterday the Romance Writers of America announced the finalists of the coveted RITA award. Winners of the awards will be announced July 18th at the RITA and Golden Heart Awards Ceremony to be held at RWA’s 29th Annual National Conference in Washington, D.C. (Photo is of Regency romance author Julia Quinn with her RITA win last year for THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS MIRANDA CHEEVER.)

There are 12 categories and multiple Seattle finalists. The full list of GSRWA member finalists in both the RITA and Golden Heart should be up on the website soon. Congrats to Yasmine Galenorn, Susan Mallery, Anthea Lawson, Vivi Andrews, Cherry Adair, Julia Quinn, Susan Wiggs, Janice Kay Johnson, Debbie Malcomer and Lisa Kleypas (unsubstantiated rumor says she moved to Bellingham). Seatown represent!

So many books, so little time. How will you decide which finalists to read? Here are the 13 you should choose first (in order as they appear on the RITA finalist list):

1. Passionate by Anthea Lawson
   Kensington Publishing Corp., Zebra Debut
   Finalist: Best First Book
   
2. Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas
   Bantam Dell Publishing Group
   Finalist: Best First Book, Historical Romance
   
3. Strangers in the Night by Kerry Connor
   Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Intrigue
   Finalist: Best First Book, Contemp. series suspense/adventure
4. The Man Behind the Cop by Janice Kay Johnson
   Harlequin Enterprises, Superromance
   Finalist: Contemp. series suspense/adventure
5. Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
   St. Martin’s Press
   Finalist: Historical Romance
6. The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne
   Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation
   Finalist: Historical Romance
7. Dragon Wytch by Yasmine Galenorn
   Penguin Group USA, Berkley
   Finalist: Paranormal Romance
8. Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
   Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation
   Finalist: Paranormal Romance
9. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
   HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books
   Finalist: Regency Historical Romance
10. My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne
    Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation
    Finalist: Regency Historical Romance
11. “Only You” by Jacquie D’Alessandro in It Happened One Night
    HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books
    Finalist: Romance Novella
12. “Thicker Than Blood” by Meljean Brook in First Blood
    Penguin Group USA, Berkley
    Finalist: Romance Novella
13. “The Fall of Rogue Gerard” by Stephanie Laurens in It Happened One Night
    HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books
    Finalist: Romance Novella

This weekend the Seattle Public Library is hosting a debate on Harry Potter vs Twilight as part of a teen reading program. Hot damn, I wanna go! Anything that gets people reading is a success, even if it’s a novel with only moderate literary eloquence. *ducks flying tomatoes*

Teens debate “Harry Potter” vs. “Twilight,” 4 p.m. Saturday, The Seattle Public Library, Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Microsoft Auditorium, Level 1; free (206-615-1410 or www.spl.org).

FYI: I’ve read the entire Harry Potter series (twice) and the entire Twilight Saga. We are discussing the BOOKS, not the movies.

There is, of course, no real debate. Harry Potter is leagues more advanced than Twilight. One teen interviewed in the Seattle Times article hit the nail on the head with this observation: “One major reason I prefer “Harry Potter” is the character development: “Twilight” characters develop minimally or not at all, whereas in “Harry Potter” characters grow and mature along with the reader, bringing him/her deeper into the story.”

Jacob is the only character who changes in the Twilight Saga. Bella never saves herself. Edward to the rescue! Bo-ring. Harry, on the other hand, has realistic growth from an 11 year old boy to a man. He follows the hero’s journey, forged in the fires of his trials to emerge stronger, smarter, and braver. That said, if we were comparing only HP books 5-7 with Twilight, we wouldn’t have as much character growth to share.

The same teen makes another great point on the stylistic triumphs of HP over Twilight: “Stephenie Meyer’s style is very straightforward; the vocabulary is basic, there are almost no hidden clues concealed in the writing to foreshadow future events.”

Foreshadowing? I don’t think Meyer knows the meaning of the word. Twilight, book 1, is filled with mundane details: Bella wakes up, gets dressed, brushes her teeth, goes to school. Nothing much happens until the very end. The style in book 2 is noticeably tighter and more interesting, but once again the events in the climax are almost completely separate from earlier events in the book. Same in book 3. Where’s the buildup?

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the Twilight Saga. I liked reading a book set near me in settings I’ve been to (Forks, Port Angelus, the Olympic Peninsula). I love being able to chat about books with other people. I love passing people wearing tee-shirts that say “I ONLY DATE VAMPIRES” when I’m out around town. I love how many people have read Twilight, because of the buzz, and love being able to connect over something so important to me – reading!

IMHO, teens love Twilight for the romance. As a voracious romance reader I completely understand the lure of eternal love. However, Twilight isn’t the best paranormal romance I’ve ever read. Not even close. I can recommend a ton of books you’ll like even better. I’m truly appreciative of Ms Meyer for giving me the opportunity to do so.

Let the debate rage on! Who do you think will win? Who do you think should win? You don’t have to agree with me, but please construct a logical argument. Swearing, insults and unintelligible comments will not be approved.

Steampunk books:

1. The Demon’s Daughter by Emma Holly (Tales of the Demon book 1)
2. Prince of Ice by Emma Holly (Tales of the Demon book 2)
3. Demon’s Fire by Emma Holly (Tales of the Demon book 3)
4. Hot Spell anthology story by Emma Holly (Tales of the Demon short story)
5. Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti
6. The Diamond Age by Neil Stevenson
7. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
8. The Difference Engine by William Gibson
9. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
10. Steampunk by Ann VanderMeer
11. Whitechapel Gods by S.M. Peters
12. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
13. Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology by Nick Gevers

It’s been a busy few weeks and it’s bound to get busier as Mr. Wonderful and I leave tomorrow for the Rocky Mountains for some holiday cheer with family. We’ll be stopping in Denver briefly, then driving eight hours to Farmington, New Mexico, where my in-laws recently moved. Farmington is a bigger coal mining town than the last one. It actually has an airport! Speaking of coal mining – does anyone have recommendations on good coal mining romance novels? (accident-free ones please!)

Photo left: Mr. Wonderful and I showing off the Pike Place Market to visiting family. We heart Seattle!

All I want for Christmas…
I’ve been reading a lot of romantic suspense in November and December, gobbling up most of Suzanne Brockmann’s backlist and enjoying Roxanne St. Claire’s Bullet Catcher series. My suitcase is packed for the holidays with the last few CDs of Brockmann’s INTO THE FIRE and the DEATH ANGEL audiobook by Linda Howard (good for long car rides!). Additionally, I’ve stuffed a number of Harlequin Romantic Suspense and Silhouette Nocturne books in my bag, because I think I might want to target the Nocturne line with my latest paranormal manuscript. I’m also bringing NETHERWOOD by Michele Lang and a victorian paranormal by Emma Holly. Oh! There’s nothing like books for the holidays! Fa-la-la!!

Everyday Heroes
The best contestant in the Seattle Gingerbread Village was a multistory house featuring firefighters, policemen, medics and other professions that save lives every day. The Village raises money for Juvenile Diabetes and is on display at the Seattle Sheraton from now until January 4, 2009. Entries are designed and built by local architecture firms, though this year “Everyday Heroes” was the only entry displaying architectural creativity. We visited the village last weekend when Mr. Wonderful’s brother was in town visiting.

SNOPACALYPSE!
Though every holiday season in Sea-town is packed with festive events, this one’s been exceptionally eventful due to the Seattle Snopacalypse. With a few inches of winter white that would be laughed at anywhere else, the city has closed down. It would be fun, except the holiday race my running buddy and I had been training for was cancelled the morning of the event (after repeated emails stating “don’t worry about the snow – the race is still on!”). Psych! We looked cute in our costumes anyway, and spread Christmas cheer around Greenlake that morning in lieu of running 12Ks through downtown Kirkland. Next year we’ll probably sign up for the Jingle Bell Run instead, which did not fall victim to the weather.

Presents for Me?
For Christmas Mr. Wonderful gave me a gift certificate for a professionally designed website by Will Design for Chocolate, a designer that specializes in author sites (including Brenda Novak’s site). Stay tuned for a new look sometime after February. Ideas?

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday. May you find peace and joy in the coming year!

Urban Fantasy author Mark Henry shares the six books he would bring if stranded on a desert island.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssx9MDsuwAg]

Seattle. One minute you’re drinking a vanilla breve, the next, some creepy old dude is breathing on you, turning you into a zombie. And that’s just for starters. Now, the recently deceased Amanda Feral is trying to make her way through Seattle’s undead scene with style (mortuary-grade makeup, six-inch stilettos, Balenciaga handbag on sale) while satisfying her craving for human flesh (Don’t judge. And no, not like chicken.) and decent vodkatinis.

Making her way through a dangerous world of cloud-doped bloodsuckers, reapers, horny and horned devils, werewolves, celebrities, and PR-obsessed shapeshifters—not to mention an extremely hot bartender named Ricardo—isn’t easy. And the minute one of Amanda’s undead friends disappears after texting the word, “help” (The undead—so dramatic!) she knows the afterlife is about to get really ugly.

Something sinister is at hand. Someone or something is hellbent on turning Seattle’s undead underworld into a place of true terror. And this time, Amanda may meet a fate a lot worse than death…

Mark, who is a comedian, warns strangers “prepare to be insulted” about his debut novel, Happy Hour of the Damned. I picked up an autographed copy at the 2008 Emerald City Writers Conference Book Fair and will let you know if his prediction comes true. To tide you over, here are some other blogger reviews of Happy Hour of the Damned:

• Anna’s Book Blog
• Urban Fantasyland
• ParanormalRomance.org
• *headdesk*
• Graeme’s Fantasy Book Reviews
• Fantasy Book Critic

In a news day rife with anxiety and dire predictions, here is a light in the darkness: One woman making a difference. Author Joni Rodgers knocked my socks off with her completely inspiring story about spreading her beloved books throughout her neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Witty and moving, you simply have to read it. Dooooo iiiit. Snippet:

About an hour later there was a knock at my front door. Two teenage boys with too big pants and too small bicycles.

“Are you the book lady?”

I thought about it, liked how that sounded, and said, “Yup.”

They requested and rode off with “the scariest books you got”, which turned out to be Stephen King’s The Shining and Helter Skelter, the seriously chilling story of the Manson murders co-authored by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry.

I am reminded of Miss Rumphius, the title character of my favorite picture book by Barbara Cooney. Miss Rumphius has three goals in life: 1) travel to far off places 2) come home to live by the sea and 3) do something to make the world more beautiful. In pursuit of the third, she fills her pockets with lupine seeds and bicycles through the countryside and towns planting flowers. The town people start calling her “the Lupine Lady.” Ms. Rodgers has done the same thing with books – her favorite books no less – and is now known as “the book lady.” Seriously, both stories make me tear up!

Thanks to Jenna Black for the heads up on Twitter.

Edited to add:

This is a perfect opportunity to sing from the musical Mame:

Haul out the holly;
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stocking,
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now.
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute.
It hasn’t snowed a single flurry,
But Santa, dear, we’re in a hurry;
So climb down the chimney;
Put up the brightest string of lights I’ve ever seen.
Slice up the fruitcake;
It’s time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough.

Edited again to add:

I mean that in a completely non-denominational way. Mame sings the song in November right after the stock market crashes and she loses everything. Cheers!

NaNoWriMo is in one month. (That’s National Novel Writing Month to the uninitiated.) Are you ready? Jump start your process by reading up on the craft of writing in October. Here are 13 recommended books by the editors, agents, and workshop presenters at the 2007 and 2008 Pacific Northwest Writers Conferences. Stay tuned for a list of 13 recommended books on editing, publishing, and the writing life at the end of NaNo.

1. NO PLOT? NO PROBLEM!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty (the official NaNoWriMo writing book)
2. GOALS, MOTIVATION AND CONFLICT by Debra Dixon
   
3. WRITING THE BREAK OUT NOVEL by Donald Maass
4. SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder
5. THE WRITER’S JOURNEY: MYTHIC STRUCTURE FOR WRITERS by Christopher Vogle
6. THE WEEKEND NOVELIST by Robert J. Ray
7. COMPLETE WRITER’S GUIDE TO HEROES AND HEROINES: SIXTEEN MASTER ARCHETYPES by Tami D. Cowden, Sue Viders, and Carolyn Lafever
8. CHARACTERS AND VIEWPOINT by Orsen Scott Card
9. SCENE AND STRUCTURE by Jack Bickham
10. HOW TO WRITE SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY by Orsen Scott Card
11. ON WRITING WELL by Will Zinsser
12. ON WRITING by Stephen King
13. ZEN AND THE ART OF WRITING: RELEASING THE CREATIVE GENIUS WITHIN YOU by Ray Bradbury

What books have you found useful in learning the craft? Good luck!

Books. How I dream about them. How I lust after them. How I rant and squee passionately over them.  At first, I thought I must be crazy, but then I found the internet and the beautiful women who are just as mad as I am about the heart-wrenching, adrenaline-spiking, mind-bending advenures to be found between the pages of a novel. Hundreds of book lovers are only a click away.

Hello, my name is Ciara, and I’m a bookaholic.

Hello, Ciara!

No longer am I reduced to a solitary existance in a world unfriendly to romance novels. Thanks to book bloggers I am connected to an entire community of obsessed bookaholics. *swoon*

Book Blogger Appreciation Week
My Friend Amy, recognizing the tireless work of book bloggers to connect readers and authors, has put together an entire week to celebrate the book pimp. Check out her site for book givaways and free marketing!

Here at ciaralira, we will be celebrating this week with a book givaway every day. My goal is to introduce readers to new authors that I lurve. If you would like to enter, please leave a comment telling me your favorite book (of all time, any genre) and WHY it is your favorite. Plot? Characters? Style? Theme? I want to know.

Monday: NIGHTKEEPERS by Jessica Andersen
(paranormal romance. Mayan doomsday prophesy. if you like the Black Daggar Brotherhood, this is a great one to try next)
Tuesday: DUKE OF SHADOWS by Meredith Duran
(regency romance, this debut novel is simply smashing, da’ling)
Wednesday: DARK NEEDS AT NIGHTS EDGE by Kresley Cole
(another must-read series for paranormal romance fans. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, oh my!)
Thursday: SUGAR DADDY by Lisa Kleypas
(contemporary novel with romantic elements, 2008 RITA finalist. emotionally-charged heroine’s journey. Transformative process? Heck yeah!)
Friday: DEMON NIGHT by Meljean Brook
(oh how I heart meljean, let me count the ways. Paranormal romance with fabulous world building. Truly a masterful craft of character. Just remember, Ethan is MINE.)

You are Appreciated

And now for a few shout-outs:

Thank you to Sarai of Thoughts of an Aspiring Writer, the first book blogger to introduce me a whole new world of book pimps. Until she started commenting on my blog, I was just a lonely little book lover blogging for myself. Thank you to Sarai and Tracy for organizing the Desert Island Keeper blog, which has been a fabulously fun experience. We have author interviews galore and book givaways, so check back often. (see sidebar for links to the DIK blog and the DIK ladies personal blogs. Wheee!)

Thank you to KatieBabs (who debuted a wonderful new blog this week!) for taking me under her wing at the RWA National Conference. I was truely shaking in my boots, overwhelmed by all the authors at my very first conference. Kate was a pro. She guided me through the madness and introduced me to all the authors and bloggers she knows.

Me: *pulls on Katiebabs’ sleeve* OMG. Look over there. I think that’s Meredith Duran!!!
Katiebabs: Cool. Let’s go over and talk to her.
Me: *jaw drop* I can’t do that! It’s, like, Meredith Duran.
Katiebabs: *rolls eyes* Follow me.

Me: OMG. OMG. It’s, like, Smart Bitch Sarah.
Katiebabs: Oh, hey Sarah!
Me: OMG. OMG. OMG. She’s coming over here! What do I do? What do I say? AAAAAA!!!!
Katiebabs: Chill biyatch.

So anyways… I’ve met a ton of wonderful women bloggers over the last year and have had the very great pleasure of meeting a few of them face-to-face. I may be a lurker (cuz commenting would be evidence that I’m surfing the internet, not technically writing, doncha know), but I really do love reading the book reviews and author interviews of my fellow book pimps. Which ones do I check? See the links in the sidebar.

COMMENT TODAY TO WIN A COPY OF NIGHTKEEPERS BY JESSICA ANDERSEN