Friday Film Night - The Princess Bride

Pulling up to the Pink Heart Society Drive-In this week is none other than country-hopper and Romance author Melissa James. Watch her books to take on new, exciting locales in the next year as she and her family just moved three countries in three weeks. Well, four, if you count that run in with German border patrol.



I adore The Princess Bride. Comedy, adventure, romance, fantasy - this movie has it all. Framed as a story a grandfather is reading to his sick grandson, it has the happily ever after promise. You know she gets kidnapped and he gets killed, but also that everything ends up okay.

Once the story begins, I literally fell in love with Cary Elwes...what a hero! The beautiful locations and shots, the quirky humour, the fighting scene the best ever, funny and skilled.

I love the Pit of Despair....the way Count Rugen runs from Inigo - the giant is adorable. But the romance...ah. Who wouldn't love a man who said "As you wish" like that, with all that love?

Who fights skilled Spaniards, giants and murderers for her? Who comes back from being "mostly dead" (got to love that scene! "Humperdinck!") to save you from marrying the wrong man?

Oh, heart and soul I love that film...and the closing song is so romantic! To be loved that way....one day I'll do a hero that well.

It's my aim in life to write a Westley!

Thanks Melissa! I doubt you'll find anyone to disagree :)


For more on Melissa check out her website or Pink Heart Society Spotlight. If you are a writer, PHS reccomends her Emotional Depth Article Series.


Stop by the Coffee Time Romance blog to win Books and get a look in a Day in the Life...

Thursday Talk Time with Annie West

Australian Presents Author Annie West is talking...about the ultimate guilty pleasure hero. Remember, all this month The Pink Heart Society and Coffee Time Romance are doing a cross promotion. Check out their blog today for a chance to see a day in the life of this author and a chance to win her latest title.

THE MYSTIQUE OF THE SHEIKH

OK, so it may be a cliché, sheer escapist fantasy, the idea of being swept into the arms of a mysterious, handsome stranger and carried off to his lair, away from everyday concerns like earning a living and paying the electricity bill.

Years ago I couldn’t see the appeal myself and snickered at the idea of a sheikh hero. I’d seen those stills of Valentino and they left me cold. But then I began wondering why these stories appeal to so many women. They obviously have something going for them.

The sheikh is the quintessential male, won over despite himself by a good woman. Initially he holds all the power in their relationship and he may be ruthless in using it, which can put her in a terrible situation – something we romance readers adore.

He’s so intrigued by the heroine’s beauty/character/defiance/intelligence/stupidity in venturing into this domain that he has to have her for himself. He rules his world with absolute power. He has utter dominion over the woman he’s lured/seduced/kidnapped/rescued/found and yet we wonder, will he use that power for his own ends, or will he refrain, and meet her on her own terms? Will he relinquish that power for love?

The heroine is by definition vulnerable, even if she’s usually self sufficient and even if her sheikh isn’t the rampaging, ride-across-the-desert-to-kidnap-her sort. Whether he wears Armani and runs a multi-national company, or lives the life of a nomad, he’s a threat, the most powerful man she’s ever met.

For centuries sheikhs, sultans and pashas have intrigued audiences, perhaps in part because of Western perceptions of the sexual power play associated with harems. Think of Mozart’s ‘Escape from the Seraglio’, Edith Maude Hull’s ‘The Sheikh’ (the film version of which made Rudolph Valentino a pin up boy for so many thousands of women), Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. Which reminds me – did I mention the clothes and the terrific horses?

The sheikh conjures ideas of untamed power, wild places, extreme wealth, independence of spirit, a warrior, sexual prowess (let’s not forget those fabled harems), old traditions of honour and exotic locations. For a backdrop think of the mysterious allure of the east, silk carpets, Arabian palaces, desert oases or even the glittering locales favoured by the ultra rich. The world is his oyster.

And so, after much research, I succumbed. By the time I’d investigated the sheikh story, read plenty, watched a few, I just had to try my hand at one.

One became two because I had such a wonderful time writing them. Now I’m contemplating another one or two further down the track. For inspiration I have photos of desert dunes, gorgeous middle eastern courtyards, a jewelled dagger, sinuously shaped coffee pots, men in flowing robes and pristine beaches. (My sheikhs live on islands and why not? It’s my fantasy after all!)

Have you read a sheikh story? What drew you to it? And if you don’t read them, why not? I’d be fascinated to hear.

Annie

Annie’s first two sheikh stories are The Sheikh's Ransomed Bride (US July 2007) and For The Sheikh's Pleasure (UK and US August, Aus September 2007). Check out the Pink Heart Society review of Ransomed. If you want to see a couple of the pictures that inspired her as she wrote, go to her website at http://www.annie-west.com/ and check out the book pages for those two stories. She also has a contest running if you want to try winning some free sheikh reading!

Stop by the Coffee Time Romance blog to win Books and get a look in a Day in the Life...

Writers Wednesday with Christina Hollis

Join the Pink Heart Society in welcoming newbie author Christina Hollis to this Writers Wednesday. You'll want to read on...she's talking Italy!

THE LURE OF THE UNKNOWN…

Until I began writing for Mills and Boon Modern Romance, all my books were set in the English countryside in which I grew up. Then we travelled to Italy for a holiday. From my first glimpse of that clear blue sky I fell in love – with the place, the people and the food. We stayed at a recently renovated palazzo in the Tuscan hills. As we were their first guests since the place reopened, we had everyone’s devoted care and attention. Feasting on those fantasies makes working for a living worthwhile!

It was the ideal spot for getting away from it all. Birds sang, insects chirruped, and the combination of endless sun and a luxurious pool was heavenly. It was the perfect setting for romance. What else could I want? Heaven on the opposite hill, that’s what! The palazzo’s terrace overlooked an ancient ruin that had once belonged to a rival warlord. How lovely it would be, I thought, to buy that derelict palazzo and do it up. I could have my very own castle in the sun. It would be like being on holiday every day…

It could only ever be a dream, of course. We all know how slowly the wheels of house buying, not to mention building bureaucracy, can grind. But hey, this was my new fantasy! It made creating the setting of The Italian Billionaire’s Virgin great fun. Even now, I can sit at my computer screen, close my eyes and dream that the place (minus all the horrors of its price, upkeep and reality) is mine. That’s the beauty of an imaginary life. In my castle on the hill, dry rot, rising damp and crumbling masonry are banned. Everything is a soft focus symphony of billowing roses and vines, draped artistically from pillar to post. Cheery builders wave hello as they arrive very early for work each and every morning. They are as quiet as the mice my dream palazzo definitely doesn’t have. Sun on my skin, warm breeze in my hair, and I’m lulled by the sound of my best guy relaxing in the imaginary pool. This is where a fictional setting really comes into its own. If I fantasize about real places, I find that real people with everyday concerns keep creeping in. But I’m not after that sort of reality. I like to take details from here and there, mixing and matching so that nobody can recognise any particular place, or specific person. It’s much more fun that way. That’s why I disguised a gorgeous local hunk with completely different hair and eyes, to turn him into the hero of my latest book, Count Giovanni’s Virgin.

Sorry, must dash. I’ve got a beautiful fantasy palace to redecorate, and a new hunk to design. I wonder how long it will take me to get them both as far as my computer keyboard?

Want to know more about Christina? Check out her website or blog. Stop by the Coffee Time Romance blog to win Books and get a look in a Day in the Life...

Travelling Tuesday - with Trish!

At least that was the plan!

Trish may live in a very beautiful part of the world but there are certain disadvantages and tonight she's experiencing one of them - she's got no internet connection. At all.

Picture the frustration ...

She has her blog all beautifully written and illustrated. She's ready to push 'post' and .... zilch.

So, I'm here to report that 'normal service will shortly be restored' (as soon as Trish makes the 35 mile drive to find an alternative connection). I knew there was a reason why I stay living an hour from central London. :)

Come back soon!!

With love
Natasha

Male on Monday...David Wenham

We don't do this for just anyone. The Pink Heart Society editors consider the Male On Monday slots the dessert for a job well done the rest of the time. But on occasion we make an exception. Like when our author or reader friends come up with a man so spectacular we curtsey to their choice.



And with no further blathering...here is Romance author Claire Baxter to show us the lovely David Wenham...

David Wenham is an actor who improves a movie just by being in it. He’s a gorgeous sandy-haired Australian, often described by interviewers as warm and personable. In my opinion, he’s the perfect hero. He’s honourable, understated and modest in manner but undeniably successful, and best of all, he has a sense of humour.

After honing his craft on stage, he moved into films earning several prizes including an Australian Film Institute Award, and then became a reluctant sex symbol in 1998 when he was cast in the Australian weekly series SeaChange. Playing the scruffy Diver Dan, he made female viewers of all ages swoon. I can vouch for his incredible appeal - I didn’t miss an episode. As a result of the series, he was voted Australia’s “sexiest man alive”.

Until 2001, he was largely unknown outside Australia but with a small role in Moulin Rouge and several art-house movies, he impressed critics and moviegoers who praised his charismatic screen presence and solid acting skills. By the time he appeared as Faramir in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2002, international stardom was assured.

Since then, he’s been in movies Van Helsing, The Proposition and 300, Australian crime comedy, Getting’ Square, for which he won another AFI Award, and TV mini-series Answered By Fire in which he gave a gut-wrenching, emotionally-charged performance.

He is one of those rare actors with a chameleon-like ability to disappear into his characters and he’s brilliant in everything from comedy and intimate domestic dramas to large-scale epics.

Trivia ::

He’s 6 ft (1.83m) and was born in 1965 in Sydney.

He has a daughter, Eliza Jane, with long-term girlfriend Kate Agnew.

Adam Cullen’s portrait of David Wenham won the 2000 Archibald Art Prize.

In 2001, on stage at Adelaide’s Festival Theatre, he narrated historical Australian texts accompanied by the city’s symphony orchestra.

In 2002, he signed up as an Ancient Forest Guardian in Sydney.

His nickname, “Daisy”, was given to him by his five older sisters. He also has one older brother.

He read a poem called “The Crocodiles Are Crying” at the Steve Irwin Memorial Service.

He was cast in Lord of the Rings because of his resemblance to on-screen brother, Sean Bean.

Now that you know Claire has fantastic taste in men, I'm sure you'll want to check out her latest release, Best Friend...Future Wife. For more about Claire check out her website, reading group We Call It Research, or her Road to Publication story here on the Pink Heart Society. Stop by the Coffee Time Romance blog to win Books and get a look in a Day in the Life...

July at The Pink Heart Society

Welcome everyone to an extra-special, JAM-PACKED month here on The Pink Heart Society. We're all fantabulously excited about the

programme we have lined up for you - so make sure to pop by EVERY DAY to join in the fun!!! So what are we up to? Well... just have a read of all this...

This July you'll get to meet more amazing authors than ever as they join us here on the PHS, and share a day in their life with Coffee Time Romance. After reading their blogs here, make sure to check over there to learn more about our guests. Having so many authors joining us is creating one of our biggest Hampers ever, so make sure you keep checking back for more!!!

Oh but there's more!

The Pink Heart Society's own Trish Wylie will be off on her travels this month, taking in the USA for the first time and sharing it all with you every Tuesday in our Where's Wylie? slot! And she has a very special travelling companion to introduce us to so make sure to check in this Tuesday for the first of her Blogs as she packs for the trip she's waited a couple of decades to take...

And there's more!

There will be Reports From The RWA National Conference in Dallas - complete with photos and all the info you always wanted to know about a first time visit to the massive yearly event - thanks to Trish and Jenna Bayley-Burke (that's me) - you can learn all about the chaos, the excitement, the book buzz, the industry talks and the fantabulous wardrobes! Fiona Harper will tell us what it's like for a first time RITA Finalist (in TWO categories with her FIRST BOOK) and we'll bring you any gossip we can twist out of anyone else we happen to corner while the computer is on. It's as good as being there yourself gang!!! Watch out for the reports in the second week of July...

And to kick start the month!

July marks a special month for one of the PHS's most distinguished members and soon-to-be-Columnist: Kate Walker. as her 50th book hit's the USA & Canada. Isn't that fantastic?

And as Kate has been having a fantabulous Blog Party with tonnes of giveaway's we thought we'd help her to celebrate by asking some of our authors to tell us their FAVORITE Kate Walker title. Here's what they had to say ::

Asking me to choose my favourite Kate Walker book is almost impossible. Too cruel. My first thought was the Alcolar series, until I remembered some of Kate's earlier books and vacillated. Then my mind turned to the most recent book of Kate's that I've read: 'Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride'. I was hooked as soon as I read the opening. Such energy and power. And what a situation to place a poor heroine in! A great read. It's my current favourite but I'm about to go back through my store of books and investigate a bit further. It's going to be fun rereading... Annie West

The Italian's Forced Bride is my fave because Kate Walker captures the emotion so well. It made me cry. - Michelle Styles

Wow, that's a tough question as I've always enjoyed her books so much. I've finally chosen The Antonakos Marriage, because of Theo. He's so self assured. He turns his back on inheritance and arranged marriage, resolute to the end - but love still overwhelms him! - Christina Hollis

My fave Kate Walker book - The Sicilian's Wife - Hard to choose a favourite but Kate kindly signed this one for me in New York in 2003 as a brand new Presents author, and apart from being a gorgeous romance read, it will always be special to me for that reason alone. - Trish Morey

It’s tough to pick a favourite from Kate Walker’s fifty Modern Romances, but I’m going for The Twelve Month Mistress. There’s something so heartbreaking about a man who’d put a time limit on a relationship in an attempt to protect himself from heartbreak. You just know it’s all going to end in tears. His tears. - Liz Fielding

Of all time? I don't know about that. Lately it was Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride. I like that all of her books are human as well as dramatic! - Melissa James

Okay, I'm going to go for The Twelve Month Mistress, mainly because Joaquin Alcolar is a 'keeper'. At least he is by the end. When we first meet him he's a man who refuses to keep a mistress more than a year and a man who truly 'walks alone'. Lovely! - Natasha Oakley

I'm going to place my vote firmly on the 50th title itself, The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge just simply because Vito did it for me! From the minute he carried her up that beach I was in drool mode and by the time Kate had added those two simple words in Italian at the end I was in BITS. Anyone who can make me weep when it's not the time of the month for weeping (if you get my drift) has their book earn a place on my keeper shelf! - Trish Wylie

WE SAY CONGRATULATIONS KATE - and THANKS FOR KICKING OFF A BUMPER MONTH here at THE PINK HEART SOCIETY!!!

So now it's your turn to cast your vote. What is YOUR FAVORITE Kate Walker title?

June Hamper... What a Load of Free Books!

Now as you know, we here at the Pink Heart Society ... LOVE giving you lots of free books!!!

This month, in order to be in to win, we would love you to leave a comment below and tell us:

What season do you most like to read about? Couples snuggled together in winter, or half-naked on a beach in the height of summer? Or somewehre in between?

Our favourite answer will win you this hamper Prize:

The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge by Kate Walker (Presents)

The Return Of The Rebel by Trish Wylie (Modern Extra)

The Stranger by Elizabeth Lane (Harlequin Historical) ~ out in stores in July! ~

Crusader's Lady by Lynna Banning (Historical)

Memo: Marry Me by Jennie Adams ~ Winter Warmer Collection with three other books!!! ~

Bride Of The Emerald Isle by Trish Wylie (Romance)

And the lovely Lee Hyatt of the Tote Bag blog is giving away:

MARRIAGE BY NECESSITY – Marisa Carroll (Superromance)
THE COMEBACK GIRL – Debra Salonen (Superromance)
BEDDED BY THE DESERT KING – Susan Stephens (Presents)
THE ULTIMATE MILLIONAIRE – Susan Mallery (Desire)

Hugs and kisses,

Ally, Jenna, Natasha, Nicola and Trish

x x x