Wild Card Weekend - Julie Leto

Thanks so much to the Pink Heart Society for allowing me to guest blog on the Wildcard Weekend!

And since it’s so aptly named, I thought I’d trot out a real wildcard of a guy...Danny Burnett, the sexy hero of my latest Blaze, TOO WICKED TO KEEP.

Admit it.  He’s cute...in a Keanu Reeves with a smirk kind of way.  Honestly, when I first conceived of Danny, I saw a young George Clooney.  In fact, his name came from the plotting session I did with the Plotmonkeys .  I likened him to Danny Ocean from Ocean’s Eleven and so the name Danny kind of stuck.  And it fits.

He’s a scoundrel.  He’s a thief.  He’s spent the majority of his life conning and scamming people.  It’s not just an art or a profession—it’s a way of life.  So he has no regrets when he gets a job to steal a painting that has been out of circulation since the 30s...even if it means seducing a rather naïve heiress named Abigail Albertini.  In fact, seducing her is the best part!  Never mind that she’s no match for his skills.  Never mind that she’s engaged.  Never mind that breaking her heart will be the ultimate outcome of his scam.

Never mind...until he does the deed and realizes that in all the scheming and scamming, he’s fallen in love.

This is a book about redemption.  This is a book about revenge.  This is a book about ripping off the masks you’ve worn your whole life and discovering the real person within.  Actually, this became a theme of the entire Legendary Lovers series, of which TOO WICKED TO KEEP is the third and final book.

I never intended it to be a theme, though I maybe should have been since the series surrounded three male descendants of the real California bandit who inspired the fictional character of Zorro.  Whether portrayed by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Guy XX or Antonio Banderas ::swoon::, this character has embodied the idea of the double life and of facing the reality of who you are and what you really want.

And of course, it all happens because of a woman.  Isn’t that always the way?  (It should be!)

So what do you think of scoundrel heroes, men who have done wrong in the past and now have to reform...or not.  Who are you favorites in books, television or film?

If you comment, you will be entered to win a copy of the first two books in the  Legendary Lover series, TOO HOT TO TOUCH and TOO WICKED TO KEEP.  If in the US, I will sign the copies.  Outside the US, I need to be able to ship via Amazon.com.

Film on Friday: Friends with Benefits

Harlequin Desire Author Cat Schield  gives a thumbs up to the new romantic comedy Friends with Benefits

I go to a lot of movies.  In fact, I’m on a first name basis with the manager of my neighborhood theater.  I prefer action-packed thrill rides where the hero and/or heroine is in danger.  My daughter thinks its funny that my taste in movies and television leans toward the darker side of life.  One day we cataloged what I’d recently watched and nine out of ten involved guns or dead bodies.  What can I say, my everyday life is pretty tame.

But every now and then I break out of my routine and go see a romantic something.  One of my recent favorites was Friends With Benefits, staring Mila Kunis—That 70’s Show and Black Swan as headhunter, Jamie, and Justin Timberlake as Dylan, the brilliant advertising executive she recruits.

Their friendship is fun and quirky.  You can’t help but smile at their chemistry.  They’re the kind of people it would be fun to hang out with.

Another reason the movie appealed to me because it starts out showing scenes about what so often happens between real-life couples—which we’re not really supposed to write into our books.   They break up because it’s just not working.  Either there’s no passion or one person takes the other for granted and the relationship just falls flat.

It’s about two people not really sure how the whole romance thing works in their busy lives.  Friendship is easier.  Of course, there’s that pesky missing sex thing.  How great to be able to combine the simplicity of a solid friendship with great sex.  Of course, it helps that they’re attracted to each other and that they can laugh together.

If you read the reviews, the movie got pounded for not showing us anything new.  That’s probably true.  It’s a romantic comedy about a couple of friends who decide they can have sex without strings only to find out that’s not the case. 

But like any number of romance novels with plots that have been done to death, the movie has some great characters.  For my money, Jamie has a longer, more difficult journey to self-awareness than Dylan, and Mila does a nice job showing both strength and vulnerability in the midst of Jamie’s heartache.

The movie is set in New York City and I was feeling pretty nostalgic about my four days in the Big Apple as I watched them go to Times Square and stumble into a flash mob.  Jamie and Dylan become part of the group and yet they are isolated because they don’t know anyone, a foreshadowing for how they become such good friends.

If you haven’t seen Friends With Benefits, I’d encourage you to give it a try. 

I’d love to hear about a movie you’ve seen recently that you’d recommend.
Cat Schield lives in Minnesota with her daughter and their Burmese cats.  Winner of the Romance Writers of America 2010 Golden Heart® for series contemporary romance, when she’s not writing sexy, romantic stories for Harlequin Desire, she can be found sailing with friends on the St. Croix River or more exotic locales like the Caribbean and Europe.
You can learn more about Cat by visiting her on her

Website, Twitter or Facebook

Her latest book is A WIN-WIN PROPOSITION

Winner takes all

Sebastian Case relies on his irreplaceable assistant for everything.  But since arriving in Vegas for a conference, mousy Missy has transformed herself.  From ordinary to ravishing.  From modest and reserved to bold and sensual.  And Sebastian, who’d barely noticed she was a woman, finds himself dazzled by her allure.
Now she’s quitting and Sebastian will do anything to keep her.  Including accepting her outrageous bet.  One spin of the wheel--black and she’ll stay...red and Sebastian owes her one night of passion.  What can he lose, except maybe his heart?
It is available now wherever Harlequins are sold both as a print book and an e-book, including on Amazon.

Pink Heart Picks: The Heart of a Hero

This month the Pink Heart Pick book club selection was THE HEART OF A HERO by Harlequin Romance author Barbara Wallace. I was particularly intrigued by this book because it deals with PTSD - a topic I've tackled before and struggled with as well in The Soldier's Homecoming. I wanted to see how Barb dealt with it because I know for me it was a difficult book to write but it was also intensely rewarding.

The book starts with a short scene from the hero's POV. This worked so well, because Jake is not particularly nice in the first part of the book. He's grouchy and brusque and really quite rude. But by showing us Jake first, the reader instantly knows he's dealing with trauma of some sort and so his grouchiness is put into instant context. Moreover, in a very few pages, Barb sets the scene beautifully. I know from the  Dear Reader letter that this island doesn't exactly exist, but that it's modeled on any small island off of Cape Cod really. I want to visit there. I really, really do. She really evoked the senses in those first few pages.

I loved Jake. He damn near broke my heart in a few places, and God bless Zoe for being so very sunshiney and persistent. When Jake finally opened up, it made my heart hurt. And there is a scene where he is in his uniform and Barb built up to it perfectly. It totally suited his arc and also rewarded the reader in such a swoonworthy way.

I also loved Zoe. I could really relate to her. Sometimes I thought that if it were me I'd tell Jake to take a hike and take his attitude with him, but she stuck it out because she saw something deeper. All the while though, there's that little bit of doubt about whether or not she's simply taking on another fixer-upper since she has a history of that. And we can't leave out Reynaldo - Zoe's daschund. I laughed at the choice of name for such a small package and his nickname of Tube of Terror made me giggle.

Zoe, by the way, is an advice columnist. What I particularly loved about it was that it was a career that suited her personality and her past. She is a helper. And it got personal for me too, because I could see a lot of Zoe in myself. Zoe lost her father to illness as a child. She has memories of when her father was healthy and the good things they did together. But then things changed when he got ill and Zoe felt pushed aside and in the way. There's a page I bookmarked ( love my e-reader!) and I'm going to quote it: Sick of investing her heart and soul only to get hurt time and time again. Stay out of the way, Zoe. Don't be a bother, Zoe. Help me, Zoe. That really got me right where I live, you know?

The problem with tackling such a difficult topic in 50,000 words is making a HEA believable - it can make for a really dramatic character arc. I also liked how Barb handled this. Jake isn't a fast mover - he's too damaged. So for the story to end at that moment with "oh great now everything's all better because I love you", would have probably made a good number of readers go "really?" I know I would have. Jake needs time. Heck, Zoe needs time too after her disastrous relationship. Barb cuts to a year later for the final scene which is far more believable and realistic.  It lets the reader know that yeah, they're in it for the long haul. Yeah, people are healing. And they are doing it together.

I also want to mention that they don't even kiss until the end, but there are still times that the tension really sizzles between them! It was really great how Barb did that.

It was a fantastic read...emotional, romantic, and incredibly evocative. I said on my blog earlier this summer that Susan Meier's The Baby Project was my fave HR read of this year, but Barb's book might just have bumped her into 2nd place. Barb's still relatively new to the Romance line, but I think she's destined to be a star.

Ok...on to next month's read!

I'm getting into the holiday mood. I know. It's only end of September, but it's comfort food weather, and I like spending fall evenings working on holiday projects etc. So I've picked a Christmas book from last year as the October read: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Sarah Mayberry.

Jayne, the community manager at Eharlequin, told me she cried buckets reading this one so I'm looking forward to it. I love Sarah's writing and it's time I got this one off the TBR - I've been holding on to it until I was in the mood for a holiday story!

We'll meet back here on October 27 to chat about it!

Donna's latest book is HOW A COWBOY STOLE HER HEART, releasing next week from Harlequin Romance.  October is also a dual release month for Donna as her novella OFF THE CLOCK hits cybershelves on October 4. You can find out more about the books at her website, www.donnaalward.com.

And don't forget to visit www.tryharlequin.com and download her debut Romance, HIRED BY THE COWBOY, for FREE!

Call Story: Sarah M Anderson

Debut Harlequin Desire Author Sarah M Anderson recounts her Path to Publication!

The path to publication is rarely a straight line between Point A and Point B, and I am no exception to that rule. After several false starts, I finally sold to Harlequin Desire in November, 2010.

I started writing in 2007. I had a long car ride with my 2 ½ year old son and 92 ½ grandmother, and on the way home, both of them fell asleep (or, in my Gram’s case, ‘rested her eyes’). I didn’t want to disturb them—I didn’t even turn on the radio. But I had to do something to stay awake beyond the caffeinated soda. So I let my mind wander, and it landed upon two people standing in the rain and having an argument. Then they kissed. Who were they? Why were they fighting and making up? Trying to figure this out kept me alert for the whole three-hour drive.

I had imagined situations like this before, chalking it up to an over-active imagination. Usually, I forgot all about it by the next morning. But not this time. Those two people argued and kissed all night; in the morning, there was more to the story. A whole week of this went by, and they were driving me nuts. I had to do something to get them out of my head. I thought if I wrote their story down, they would leave me alone.

That scene spawned 520 pages of the first book of a family saga. I’d love to tell you that that book sold to the highest bidder and will be on best-seller lists soon, but that’s not what happened. My path to publication was not a straight line. I finished that book, wrote two more, and then another, all while I queried that first book. The rejections came in almost as fast as I could send them out. But the whole time, I kept writing.

The fourth book I wrote was signed by an agent. While she shopped that book around, I wrote some more. The sad truth that a lot of new authors don’t want to believe is that even if an agent likes something, that doesn’t mean it will sell. After a year and a half of trying, that agent and I parted ways. Another big curve along the path.

I was stuck in a problem a lot of unpublished authors have—they need a sales record to get an editor interested, and to get a sales record, they need an editor to buy a book. I decided to try my hand at a category novel for Harlequin. I called that book Indian Princess. It took second place in the Golden Rose contest and was the Grand Prize Winner for the Hot Prospect contest. Then it sold to Harlequin Desire.

Again, the path was not straight. While my editor, Stacy Boyd, loved the book, we had to go through extensive revisions. The end result now renamed A Man of His Word, will debut this December, and I couldn’t be more excited. Yes, the path to publication was long and winding. But I never turned around and I never exited, and I got to where I was going—my name of the cover of my book. That’s my Point B. Where has your path taken you?

Sarah’s debut novel, A Man of His Word, will be out on December 6^th, 2011 and is available for pre-order now from whereever books are sold including Amazon. Visit www.sarahmanderson.com for more information and an excerpt of the book.

Deadline Recipes - Spaghetti Squash Marinara

Paula Graves joins The Pink Heart Society with three fresh, easy, and delicious alternatives to traditional pasta...

My family decided to get takeout from Ruby Tuesday the other day, and as I was trying to watch my calories, I took a look at their "Fit and Trim" selections. I spotted "Spaghetti Squash Marinara" and boy, did that take me back in time.

When I was a teenager, I first went on the Weight Watchers plan, and one of the tricks the counselor suggested was trying spaghetti squash, that odd, noodly little gourd, in the place of pasta in favorite dishes. I liked it quite well, but life and bad habits took me away from healthy eating for far too long, so I hadn't had spaghetti squash in quite a while.

I decided to give the Spaghetti Squash Marinara a try, and boy am I glad I did. The spaghetti squash was firm and delicious, with a hint of nutty flavor that went well with the marinara and grilled zucchini medallions. And at 406 calories for the whole meal (which was large enough to split into two servings), it made a smart, healthy alternative to other dishes I could have chosen. The only real drawback was the price of the meal.

But who says you can't make your own Spaghetti Squash Marinara at home?

Spaghetti squash is readily available at most bigger grocery stores, especially in larger cities. And an average-sized squash will yield several cups of squash noodles. We cook ours in the microwave, about 8-10 minutes. (Punch holes in the squash first!). Cut the squash in half longways, scoop out the seeds and pulp in the center, and then use a fork to scrape out the flesh of the spaghetti squash. It will form noodle-shaped strands about the size of spaghettini. You can put the spaghetti squash "noodles" in a large storage bowl and use them in recipes for up to a week. You can get several meals out of one spaghetti squash.

Granted, spaghetti squash doesn't taste like pasta. It has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor like winter squash. But the flavor seems to work very well with pasta sauces like pesto and marinara, so don't be afraid to play around with the flavors.

I have three recipes I've tried so far, and I'll share them with you, in case you want to give spaghetti squash a try.

EASY MICROWAVE SPAGHETTI SQUASH MARINARA FOR TWO

2 cups cooked and shredded spaghetti squash
1/4 cup roasted red pepper
1/2 cup marinara (homemade or in the jar, your choice)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder or other spices to taste
Parmesan cheese

Combine the first four ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, thoroughly, then top with the Parmesan cheese. (Mozarella or other cheeses of your choice can be substituted, although it adds to the calories).

Microwave about 2 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly.

Serves 2


STOVETOP SHRIMP, SPINACH AND SPAGHETTI SQUASH MARINARA

4 cups cooked and shredded spaghetti squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup sliced or chopped onions
2/3 cup canned spinach, 1/2 package frozen spinach or 2 cups fresh spinach (if fresh, plan to sautee a while before adding other ingredients)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper (or fresh, but sautee until it's soft)
2 or 3 cups cooked, peeled shrimp
2/3 cup marinara (homemade or in the jar, your choice)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, other spices to taste
Parmesan cheese

Sautee onions in olive oil in a large sautee pan until they're soft. Add red peppers and cooked spinach (add spinach while sauteeing onions if the spinach is fresh). Fold in the four cups of spaghetti squash until thoroughly blended. Season to taste and add marinara sauce and shrimp. Top with parmesan cheese and let simmer until heated through.

Serves 4

EASY MICROWAVE PESTO SPAGHETTI SQUASH

1 cup cooked and shredded spaghetti squash
2 tbsp pesto sauce (I used storebought in a jar)
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder to taste
2 tbsp. chopped roasted red peppers
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Blend all ingredients thoroughly. Heat in microwave for about 2 minutes or until bubbly hot.

Serves 1

All three of these recipes were yummy, and all three had substantially fewer calories than if I'd made them with pasta.

Do you have any low-calorie, healthy go-to favorites that are quick and easy to make? Tell us all about them in the comments!

Paula’s latest, MAJOR NANNY, is out in October from Harlequin Intrigue. In 2012, look for a brand new series, Cooper Security, starting in March 2012 with SECRET IDENTITY.

As a child, Paula Graves's favorite books were Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries and Harlequin Romances. When she realized there were books that featured both romance and mystery, she knew she'd found her calling. Now Paula writes romantic suspense novels and novellas, where she gets to play both matchmaker and murderer and has a blast doing it. She loves to hear from her readers, who can reach her by clicking the contact button on her website, www.paulagraves.com.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHS!

Happy Birthday to our L'il Pink Dancing Guy! It's hard to believe the Pink Heart Society has been around so long and still going strong!

Won't you join us in a piece of cake and some pink champagne?