Wild Card Weekend -- King Tut

Desire author Katherine Garbera is stopping by The Pink Heart Society today to talk about her latest weekend excursion -- The King Tut exhibit!


I have to admit I have a fascination with Egypt not the modern bustling Egypt but the exotic Egypt of myths and legends. So when I heard that the King Tut exhibit was coming to Dallas I let out a primal scream of excitement, grabbed my Visa card and ordered tickets.

Today as you are reading this blog and enjoying it I am at the King Tut exhibit getting a glimpse into the world of Pharaohs--a world that to me has previously only been available in books and through movies.

"Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" explores the figures who guided ancient Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. The exhibition focuses on the 18th Dynasty, a 100-year period when Egypt was at the height of its power and the "golden age" of Egyptian artistry. This was the era when Tutankhamun and his ancestors reigned. The extensive array of more than 130 extraordinary artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun and other ancient Egyptian sites features 50 of Tutankhamun's burial objects, including his royal diadem and one of the four gold and precious stone inlaid canopic coffinettes that contained his mummified internal organs.
I can't wait!!!

I have to admit I wouldn't be disappointed to see Brendan Fraser at the exhibit perhaps battle the spirit of a long dead Egyptian baddie!

I doubt that will happen but I think that I will have a fun time exploring the past.

I ask this because a few summers ago I visited Stonehenge and while it was cool to see in person I was disappointed by how touristy the entire thing was. Not at all what I expected!!

Happy reading!

For more on Katherine and her latest Desire release, The Moretti Heir, check out her website.

Must Watch Friday - Nights in Rodanthe

Modern Heat/Presents author Heidi Rice takes a look at the latest romantic weepie from the pen of bestseller Nicholas Sparks.

Okay, I've got to kick this blog off by saying calling Nights in Rodanthe a 'Must Watch' experience is probably over-selling it a touch. But as a girls' night in flick with a nice bottle of Pouilly Fume, a large bar of Green and Black's almond chocolate and a small box of kleenex on hand you could do a lot worse (and I frequently have!).

So let's get the gripes out the way first. Why is calling it Must Watch, over-selling it?

Well, for starters, this isn't exactly feel-good viewing. I don't want to give away the big twist ending, but if you remember this is based on a Nicholas Sparks bestseller, and if you also remember what he did to poor old Kevin Costner in Message in a Bottle, I think you can guess what's not gonna happen.

That's right, if you're waiting for a nice big gift-wrapped Happy Ever After at the end of this baby. Forget it. For that you'll have to rely on your Green and Blacks.

And after watching this film, I did have one other little gripe. If you're going to set a romantic drama in a beautiful clapboard house on a glorious Carolina beach, why the heck would you shoot almost the entire movie on a set? And a pretty obvious set at that? I thought that was a shame and a great big missed opportunity. But maybe that's just me being picky?

So let's put the moaning and groaning aside — and talk about what is to like here?

First off, Mr Sparks knows how to tell a story and the filmmakers here have made a pretty good fist of doing the same (at least I think they have, because I haven't read this book). And they've been helped in no small part by their leads.

Richard Gere - looking even more steely haired and steely eyed than in Pretty Woman - as a surgeon who ends up in Diane Lane's out-of-season boarding house.

And the redoubtable Ms Lane herself - who I've always liked ever since she appeared in The Outsiders. What's not to like about an actress who's grown older with us gracefully and can still command lead parts after the age of forty (no small feat in Hollywood these days if you're not Meryl Streep)?

The story is simple and poignant and dramatic in all the right places and only slips into melodrama in the final reel - and that's only because people sending letters to each other never works as well on film as it does on the page. After all, how many shots can you have of a woman mooning over a love letter with the voice-over narration in the background before you start to nod off? Oops, I'm slipping into gripe mode again and I didn't mean to.

So, what's the story?

First up we have Richard Gere's divorced, ruggedly handsome and self-contained surgeon (what we'll call a subtle, ever so slightly tortured alpha) who's busy struggling with his God complex after a woman has died on his operating table. He's in Diane's neck of the woods, and is the only guest staying at her boarding house because he's been asked to meet with the woman's grief-stricken husband and he's hoping to fend off a lawsuit.

And then there's Diane who's actually only minding the house for her best friend so she can get away for a while and consider her manipulative ex-husband's request that she take him back (the suspicion being that his bit on the side has kicked him out).

A few quiet dinners, too much wine, a local barbeque, a hurricane and a game of can-tossing in the pantry later and Dick and Diane are busy discovering that maybe their love lives don't suck quite as much as they thought.

Really, it's all very sweet and fairly undemanding (until they go home and start writing too many letters to each other) and it's played with considerable skill by these two seasoned vets. And if you're a Richard Gere fan you'll want to add a couple of extra marks.

Warm and fuzzy rating: A very respectable 6 out of 10.

Heidi's busy doing a happy dance at the moment, because her March Presents, Pleasure, Pregnancy And A Proposition, has just hit the Waldies top spot two weeks on the trot!

Her next M&B Modern Heat, Hot-Shot Tycoon, Indecent Proposal is due out in June and will become a Presents in September.

And she's currently tearing her hair out (while also doing her happy dance, who says she can't multi-task) over her next book, which was due in a month ago and still isn't finished! Arghhh.

Check out all her book news on her website and her blog.

Soundtrack Thursday

Fiona Harper came around slowly to the idea of soundtracks for her books, but after hearing about other authors assembling soundtracks for their stories, she decided to give it a go, and now she’s a total addict.

When choosing songs for my soundtracks, I normally go for mood first and words later. However, as I listen to the songs over and over,I often find a snippet of the lyrics from each of the songs on the list that fit my characters or the mood of the book perfectly. Sometimes there is one song that grabs me and becomes the theme song for the whole book, normally because it matches a key scene and I end up playing these songs again and again as I write and edit that part of the book. Here are three of my favourites:

English Lord, Ordinary Lady (Feb 08)

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?
…All that I am, all that I ever was is here in your perfect eyes; they’re all I can see.

This song was the inspiration for one of my favourite scenes in English Lord, Ordinary Lady. Josie and Will steal away from the wedding they’ve been attending on a moonlit evening and spend a magical moment together in the gardens of his stately home:

"She started to turn her head towards him, hesitated, and carried on. He must have heard the movement because, a fraction of a second later, he did the same thing and then they were joined, not just at the fingertips, but soul to soul as she stared deep into his eyes.
The air around them crackled with static, so strong she was sure her hair must be fluffed up and standing on end.
The way he was looking at her…
He didn’t care. He knew all the logical objections and he didn’t care. He knew her past, that she’d been labelled a rebel, a failure and a troublemaker, and still he was looking at her like he wanted to disappear inside her."



Christmas Wishes, Mistletoe Kisses (Nov 08)

Private Emotion by Ricky Martin feat. Meja
Every endless night has a dawning day.
Every darkest sky has a shining ray.
It takes a lot to love as your tears go by,
but you can find me here till your tears run dry.

This song went perfectly with the evening Louise and Ben spend together in her creaky old boathouse one Christmas Eve. Louise is a wounded heroine who has been betrayed too many times in the past. She meets Ben, a wonderful caring man, who could be the answers to her prayers – if only she’s brave enough to let him.

"She was lost in a daydream, staring at the rain lashing against the windows. There was a wistful expression on her face, as if she was remembering something or wishing for something she couldn’t have.
Maybe it was time Louise did something for herself, got something for herself. Not out of selfishness, but because she deserved it. He rubbed his chin with his thumb. Now all he had to do was to discover what she wanted.
Pulled out of her daydream by some unknown thought, she turned her head, and the look she gave him sent a shiver up his spine.
Surely not.
Her pupils were large and dark, and there was such a heat in her eyes. He'd received that kind of look before from women, but he'd never expected to receive it from her. Surely, she didn't want... him?
His heart rate tripled.
Uh-oh. That put Being What Louise Needed on a whole new level."


Blind-Date Baby (May 09)

This Kiss by Faith Hill

You can kiss me with the windows open while the rain comes pouring inside. Kiss me in sweet slow motion. Let’s let everything slide…

Flirty-at-forty Grace is an empty-nester who has been signed up to an internet dating agency by her mischievous daughter. She meets successful crime novelist, Noah, but decides he’s too “grown up” for her – she’s still a teenager at heart, and now her daughter is away on a gap year, she’s ready to experience some fun. She missed out on having a life of her own when she was widowed in her early twenties and had to bring up a baby on her own. But life has a few surprises left for Grace – pretty soon she finds herself back at square one: pregnant! The empty-nester has another chick is on the way…

After a slightly disastrous first-date, and knowing they are all wrong for each other, the chemistry between Grace and Noah finally takes over:

"Before he crossed the threshold into the damp night he turned to look at her. ‘It was lovely to meet you, Grace.’

‘So you already said.’
He took a step backwards beyond the shelter of the doorway and the rain hit him in multiple wet stabs. He shuddered. For an instant, rational thought hadn’t come into it—he was only aware of his body’s physical response to the drop in temperature, the cold water running down his skin.
Grace stood in the doorway, in front of one of the angled panes of glass, her eyes large and round. All the laughter had left them now, but they were focused intently on him.
‘Bye, Noah,’ she said, and looked down at the floor.
Suddenly he was moving. He took two long steps until he was standing in front of her and, without stopping to explain or analyse, he placed a hand either side of her head on the window and leaned in close.
And then he kissed Grace the way he’d wanted to all evening.

Fiona's next release is Blind-Date Baby, part 2 in the Blinddatebrides.com trilogy from Harlequin romance

From first date to wedding date!

Meet three very different women from around the world and follow their stories as they find friendship, love and their happily-ever-afters with a little help from the world of online dating!

Watch the stories unfold @ Blinddatebrides.com !

Writer's Wednesday - Write What You Know

This week Jen Lewis joins us again with Write what you know—or not!

New writers are deluged with well-meant advice. One popular aphorism is “write what you know,” presumably because you’ll be less likely to make humiliating mistakes by wading into uncharted territory. Personally, I think it’s exciting to wander into uncharted territory, and to explore it and share it with readers.

Romance novels, especially category ones, are filled with wealthy tycoons, princes, sheikhs and ranchers. Do we, the authors personally know people like this? Why, of course we do. We all grew up as the daughters of millionaires and spent our teenage years jet-setting around the world mingling with the mega wealthy. That’s why we can write about it so easily.

Okay, stop laughing. No doubt many of us do have aspects of our background that help with the books—I did grow up in London and travel quite a bit, and I’ve spent my adult life in the glitzy New York city area—but most of us turn to research and imagination to make our books more exciting than our normal surroundings. After all, if we were out partying with royalty every night, we wouldn’t have time to get the books written.

My current book In the Argentine’s Bed is set in…. Argentina. Have I ever been to Argentina? I have not. In fact, the closest I have been to Argentina is Cozumel, Mexico, which isn’t at all close. I’d always wanted to write a book set in Argentina, mostly because I find the tango so sexy and enticing, and such a perfect metaphor for what we do with our books: take the characters on a tantalizing journey where they edge closer—then pull apart—all to a pulsing beat of sensuality and emotion.

The seed for this story was planted one morning while I was out walking with my friend and neighbor Ana, and she told me her family was looking into buying a small vineyard in Argentina’s wine country. Just the words “Argentina’s wine country” got my blood flowing. Tango, hot Latin hunks, and wine? I like.

It turned out that Ana’s family was originally from Mendoza, the primary wine growing region in Argentina. A little research revealed this to be an area of stunning beauty, set in the foothills of the majestic Andes mountains. The town of Mendoza itself has wide, formal streets, planned after the entire city was destroyed in a devastating Nineteenth century earthquake. The streets are also lined with aquecias. These open channels of water were invented by the ancient Indian inhabitants of the area. They still bring fresh meltwater down from the Andes to irrigate the arid plain into lush meadow and vineyard, and they burst up into fountains around the city.

To me this all sounded like perfect setting for a tale of family intrigue, drama, and smoking hot sex!

Online research revealed that the Mendoza region has become a chic new locus of cutting-edge viniculture, with top European producers and Hollywood directors buying up parcels of Andean hillside to experiment with the unique high-altitude terroir, or territory, that gives each wine its flavor. You can see some of the results at the wonderful website www.vinesofmendoza.com, which I visited frequently for inspiration and information. I had fun building my hero into one of these bold and ambitious vintners.

Blogs—like this one!—are a fantastic research tool. I visited many blogs, mostly by foreigners living in Argentina, and learned intriguing tidbits about the culture. When I start to research a book I soak up information from all directions, regardless of whether it’s directly relevant to my story. I never know what will turn out to be a nugget of inspiration for a scene or character.

Of course there is the possibility that I got something wrong. This doesn’t keep me awake at nights. I had a wonderful time writing a story that I hope will entertain readers. If someone wants to write and correct me, I’m all ears. Maybe I’ll learn something to take with me next time I set out into uncharted territory.

What do you think of the advice to “write what you know”? If you’re a writer, are you nervous about writing locales you’ve never been to? If you’re a reader, do you like exotic and unusual locations, or would you prefer to read something set in the author’s own backyard.

One person who leaves a comment will win a signed copy of In the Argentine’s Bed!

Jen
www.jenlewis.com

Travel Tuesday - Je ne sais quoi

A huge PHS welcome back to Vivi Anna, with a little insight into the latest setting for her brand-new Nocturne!

I love when a book is set in Europe. I don’t know what it is about European settings and in essence the people that draws me in. It has that…je ne sais quoi type of sensation. The thing I can’t put my finger on.

I’ve been to Germany and Austria and the Netherlands. I loved it there. I could wax poetic about the way I felt when roaming the cobblestone streets or touring the spectacular cathedrals and castles. But no one wants to hear my poetry…trust me. I long for the day that I can go back to those places, and add more to my touring schedule…places like France. I really want to travel through France. My sister lived there in a tiny village for a few months and I envy all the stories she has about her time there and the pictures of all the quaint towns and people she met along the way.

I long to see Paris, and Marseille, and Nice, and Lyon, and Nouveau Monde. Say what? Nouveau Monde? Yes, that’s right. It’s that picturesque city where the Otherworlder community has congregated. Vampires and lycans and witches, and even humans live in relative peace and harmony in the beautiful progressive city. It has much of the same look and feel of Lyon, with a long and wide river winding its way through the bustle of the city. You should go there. It’s gorgeous. Just watch out for the nightlife…they just might bite.


Nouveau Monde is the city in France that I constructed for my new book THE VAMPIRE’S QUEST. In this book, my hero Kellen Falcon, travels from the secret city of Necropolis in Texas to the much loved and known Nouveau Monde. He’s searching for a cure for the rare vampiric blood disease Sangcerritus that he’s just happened to contract. But there in the enthralling city of Nouveau Monde he finds so much more. Like fiery red-headed Sophie St. Clair, a spit-fire of a woman and a fierce lycan. He faces the toughest battle of his life there, both for his life and for his heart.

Romantic Times magazine says “This is a fantastic supernatural thriller from start to finish. Anna takes two supernatural beings and makes us believe the romance and attraction between them are real.” And they gave it a TOP PICK for April.

What kind of settings do you love? Europe? Asia? Good old America? What kind of settings do you long for?

Vivi's latest is The Vampire's Quest - available this month on eharlequin and everywhere else Nocturnes are sold in April.

She's got a copy for a random commenter today!!!!!!!!!

Male On Monday - Hugh Dancy

This Monday Donna Alward chats about someone she's surprised hasn't been featured yet...Hugh Dancy!

When I thought about doing a post for Male On Monday, I thought about blogging some recent casting. Then I realized that I'm not the only one who has liked my casting - those blokes had already been done. So I tapped my finger and thought and I did a search for Hugh Dancy which only brought up a previous post for the Jane Austen Book Club (which I have yet to see).

Hugh Dancy is vastly underestimated in my opinion, and for two reasons: he's got ridiculously boyish good looks, and because of Ella Enchanted, which was charming but fluffy. But while I was researching him I learned a whole lot to make me - and hopefully a few others - take him a bit more seriously.

Hugh Dancy was born on June 19th, 1975 in Stoke-on-Trent, England to mother, Sarah (a publisher), and father, Jonathan (a writer and a philosophy professor). He has a younger sister, Kate, and a younger brother, Jack. Hugh became attracted to acting by sheer chance. At thirteen years old, as punishment for a bad deed, he was sent off to the theatre. He has also been quoted as saying that it was a good way to meet girls while attending a full-time school where there weren't any. He hasn't looked back since.

Hugh attended the all-boy Winchester School at the age of 13 before going on to Oxford University at the age of 18. Hugh had every intention on becoming an actor. However, because of his family's strong academic tradition, Hugh chose instead to pursue a degree in English at university rather than attend acting school. He surely made his parents very proud with the 2:1 degree he received from the prestigious school (which makes us NOT believe his quote of saying while his family is academic, he's a bit thick). Within the six month window Hugh gave himself after graduating, he worked as a bartender (and apparently, not a very good one) and continued with theatre, appearing in several small theatre productions in London such as The Tempest, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Measure for Measure, Twelth Night, and Much Ado About Nothing.

After a lucky series of circumstances, Hugh landed himself an agent (Dallas Smith of PFD, agent to Sienna Miller, Michael Sheen, Kate Winslet, and more). He got his first television role in "Trial & Retribution II" and also appeared in episodes of TV shows such as "Cold Feet," "Dangerfield," "The New Adventures of Robin Hood," and others. Later he went on to star in the television drama "David Copperfield." During that time, he also had the opportunity to perform on stage in productions of Billy and the Crab Lady and Sam Mendes' ("American Beauty") play, To the Green Fields Beyond.


His first movie role was in Young Blades in which he played the musketeer D'Artagnan. His big break was in Ridley Scott's ("Gladiator") Black Hawk Down as medic Kurt Schmid. Afterward, he starred in successful BBC Drama, "Daniel Deronda", portraying the title role. I loved him in this role and I loved the adaptation - one of my favourites ever and beautifully shot. Dancy WAS Daniel.

Later, Hugh appeared in several films such as The Sleeping Dictionary and Tempo. In 2004, he starred in the Miramax fairy tale Ella Enchanted alongside Anne Hathaway (Princess Diaries, Brokeback Mountain), playing the role of Prince Char. And he looked so pretty!

But it helped to dirty him up a bit and I loved him as Galahad in the ensemble epic King Arthur. (Come to think of it, you could populate several Male on Monday slots with the King Arthur cast alone).

In fall 2004, Hugh also starred in the one-night only play The Soldier's Tale alongside Jeremy Irons (Kingdom of Heaven, Eragon). During that time, Hugh became the Face of Burberry Brit for Men and modeled in the fashion line's Fall 2004, Spring/Summer 2005 and Fall 2005 campaigns, putting him back in the pretty department.

In the year 2006, you could find Hugh in all three categories of movies, stage and TV. Shooting Dogs (Beyond the Gates in the USA), a film based on the 1994 Rwandan genocide, premiered at the 2005 British Film Festival. Showered with excellent reviews, it was also nominated for a 2005 BAFTA. Hugh also starred alongside Saffron Burrows at the one-time only play The Silence of the Sea, a production apart of the Hay Festival in Wales.

He also starred as the charming yet twisted Earl of Essex in Channel 4/HBO's two-episodes TV Drama "Elizabeth I." For his performance, he garnered Emmy and Satellite Award nominations for "Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries" and "Best Actor in a Miniseries." I watched Elizabeth I and I thought his portrayal was simply brilliant. BRILLIANT. If you see him in that role, you won't consider him fluff ever again.

In 2007 Hugh starred in movies such as The Jane Austen Book Club, Evening, Blood and Chocolate, and Savage Grace. Hugh also appeared on stage in the Broadway revival of Journey's End, a critically acclaimed show but a commercial failure. The night it closed, it took home "Best Revival of a Play" at the 2007 Tony Awards. His current film? Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella's blockbuster romance hit.

Interesting bits...Hugh has eyes of blue, which surprised me as in Daniel Deronda they are a deep, soulful brown (aren't tinted contacts fabulous?). I don't know which I prefer to be honest.

Knowing what I do now, in addition to those great eyes and GORGEOUS curls, I'm completely sold.

How about you?

Donna's next release is Hired: The Italian's Bride, coming in June. She loves the fact that this time she has a hot Italian hero, an opulent setting at a Rocky Mountain Resort, and an office romance!

Wild Card Weekend with Michelle Monkou

Magical Ingredients of the Perfect Romance Story

The other day I spent hours watching the Food Channel and America’s Test Kitchen on PBS. Show after show, the featured chef prepared meals that ranged from the simple, home-cooked fare to an elaborate, advanced-degree required menu. But most notably at the end the segment, the chef grabbed the plate with fork or spoon in hand, and sampled her masterpiece. Some chefs showed restraint with patting themselves on a job well-done. Others, slurped and gushed over the fantastic taste, plowing through the food in wild abandon.

And I had to sit there inspired…motivated…envious? I’m not sure. Because watching them feast not only made my mouth water, but I wanted in on the party. I wanted to taste that perfect recipe.

In similar fashion, I invite you to my world where we will talk about the magical ingredients to making that perfect romance story. We’ll end up with my creation – Only In Paradise. Feel free to use Julia Child’s, Rachel Ray’s, or the Barefoot Contessa’s voice in your mind to set the tone.

Magical Ingredients

Setting: Fictitious island in the Caribbean. Turquoise water, white sands, lush rainforest, moderate temperatures, a hurricane to add a touch of drama.

Characters: A heroine inspired to follow her dream to be a teacher like her recently deceased grandmother and mother. A risk taker who leaves the comfort of home, family and friends to teach on the island.

A hero who could be mistaken for a young Sidney Poitier, full of gallantry, intelligence, and sexy disposition. A born leader who wants to give back to his childhood community with a school.

Story: La Isla del Azur is a piece of heaven, laced with miles of white-sand beaches lapped by crystal clear turquoise water. For teacher Athena Crawford, the lush Caribbean island offers the career opportunity of a lifetime. But there's trouble in paradise: Collin Winslow, the education project's difficult, drop-dead-gorgeous administrator. When they're not locking horns over teaching methods, they're sharing mind-blowing kisses that leave her confused—and craving more.

Collin was ready to dismiss Athena as an empty-headed beauty. Instead he discovers that she's smart, sexy and dedicated to helping his people. Passion erupts as the island works its sultry magic, but can their delicate relationship weather the storms about to break?

Read slowly or read quickly, but enjoy the sensual, contemporary romance – Only In Paradise – in paperback from Harlequin’s Kimani Romance.



Now you share the magical ingredients of a romance story. I’ll pick a lucky winner to receive a copy of Only In Paradise.


Michelle Monkou
Only In Paradise – March ‘09