Eloisa James update

Eloisa James sent out one of her "Newsflash" emails; some of the contents are reposted below or you can read the full thing at her website.

* Reminder to read the reprints of her first two books, Potent Pleasures (what a name! LOL) and Midnight Pleasures.

* She now has a Facebook fan page and is on Twitter, on which she sends out about 2-3 tweets a day right now since she's in Paris.

* First paragraph (don't think that qualifies as either a teaser or an excerpt really ... who ever heard of only putting up one paragraph???) of her next book, A Kiss at Midnight (described as a "fractured fairy tale), is now available online. Release date is unknown; we've only been told sometime in 2010.

* Read her most recent Barnes & Noble column, the subject of which is "heroes who aren't particularly hairy or rakish - but truly decent." ... At first I thought she meant "hairy" as in, well, hairy, but it's basically about those decent heroes that aren't rakish skirt-chasers and completely irresponsible, irreverent, a man's man, etc.

Sidenote: I've never really been a James fan from the few books of hers I read; it was awhile ago, but I remember her characters don't always sit right with me and there are too many secondary/tertiary romances and stories going on with other characters besides for the main ones (or at least that was true for those books of hers I read).

Mary Jo Putney update

You can access the complete version of Mary Jo Putney's latest newsletter online; below is a summary of pertinent/interesting information.

* She gives thanks to readers for buying Loving a Lost Lord, since it made it to the New York Times bestsellers list. My sidenote: I technically helped put her there, since I rushed out to buy the book ... but if the list were based on what people thought of the book, she definitely wouldn't be on it with that one, IMHO. Harsh sounding, I know, but that was one of the worst books I've read all year - maybe even in two years. You can read my review here. Compared to wonderful works of hers like The Rake and The Wild Child, it was almost hard to believe they were all written by the same author!

* Book 2 of the Lost Lords Series, Never Less Than a Lady will be coming out in May 2010 (though Amazon has it listed as being released on April 27, 2010) and two more Lost Lords contracts have been signed with the publisher.

* Two reissued books coming out: The Rake (which as I said, is absolutely great and a must-read) and The Bargain. One Perfect Rose will also be reissued, out in April 2010.

Jenna Petersen update

Got an email update from Jenna Petersen, though she says there isn't much new to report. Her next book, What the Duke Desires, comes out on October 27 and is the kickoff to her new series, "Billingham Bastards." A preview/excerpt is available on her website and from what I've read I think it looks good! (My first post about What the Duke Desires is available here and includes the book summary).

Petersen also talks about the rest of the series:

1. The second book in the Billingham Bastards series is called The Unclaimed Duchess and due out September 2010 ... which, less face it, seems eons away! Oh well, hopefully What the Duke Desires will be good enough to tide us over until the sequel comes out.
2. The third one features Caleb Talbot who was a character in Petersen's Lessons From a Courtesan, which I haven't read and don't plan to since the plot sounds sketchy and unappealing and the reviews only reinforced this impression.

PETERSEN BOOKS I'VE READ
The only book that I've read by her was Her Notorious Viscount, but it was very good and put her on my "watch-for" list. I gave it four stars and found it highly enjoyable; both the hero and heroine were wonderful and were they types I loved - outcast and loner hero (bad-boy type all the way) with the prim and proper, down-on-her-luck heroine. You can read my review here.

Sabrina Jeffries update, comic, and video

I received the latest Sabrina Jeffries newsletter and it was full of goodies!

First ... Just my own personal reminder - if you still haven't read Jeffries' Wed Him Before You Bed Him (Book 6) you're missing out and I highly recommend it (I reviewed it in a past blog entry). It is the last book in the School for Heiresses series and though reading other books in the series will enhance the experience, you don't have to have read any (or all - like me) of them. I had only read two other books in the series previously and I enjoyed Don't Bargain With the Devil (Book 5) (also reviewed), but was disappointed with Never Seduce a Scoundrel (Book 1). The series leads up to the grand finale of Wed Him, since snippets of letters between the hero and heroine of the last book begin each chapter of the first five, with the hero remaining a mystery until his final unveiling in Book 6.

Second ... News about Jeffries' next project!! The much-adored (because he's such a scandalous and outrageous rake/rogue) Lord Stoneville is the star of her next series. There will be five books featuring him, his two brothers, his two sisters, and "one cranky grandmother." Stoneville's book will kick off the series (out March 2010) and the premise is that the siblings' rich grandmother has issued an ultimatum that they must all marry - or be cut off permanently. The second book will be out October 2010 and apparently many Heiress series characters will be reapparing throughout this new series - as yet unnamed.

Third ... Check out this cute and funny comic series, "Will + Jane's Excellent Adventure," that I had no idea she had. The latest comic is posted for your viewing pleasure below.

Fourth ... Also check out this "backseat interview" with Sabrina Jeffries from July 2009. It was done the day before Wed Him Before You Bed Him came out and explains Charlotte's backstory and the book's premise.

Romance Writers of America, 2009 Conference

This Wednesday, July 15 from 5:30-7:30pm in Washington, D.C. there will be an autographing session during the Romance Writers of America conference. It's called the 2009 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing and will be taking place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, in the Exhibit Hall. The event is open to the public and free! Proceeds from the event go to charity, so they're asking that people buy books there instead of bringing their own.

A lot of great authors are going to be there: Jacquie D'Alessandro, Gayle Callen, Julia Quinn, Jenna Petersen, Mary Jo Putney, Jayne Ann Krentz (aka Amanda Quick), Lorraine Heath, Sabrina Jeffries, Suzanne Enoch, Gaelen Foley, and more!

New information about Jenna Petersen's October 2009 book, What the Duke Desires

Jenna Petersen has posted new information about her latest book that is due out October 27, 2009. It's entitled What the Duke Desires and is Book 1 in her new series, The Billingham Bastards. A summary (repasted below) and excerpt are provided and from that the book seems very promising!!

I hadn't heard of Petersen before stumbling onto her book Her Notorious Viscount (which I reviewed in a past blog entry and gave four stars to), but she has now been added to my watch-for authors list and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she comes out with in the future.

SUMMARY FOR What the Duke Desires (from Petersen's website)

Simon Crathorne has never felt quite "right" in his own life. Even with his own friends, he never fit. But now his father is dead and he has inherited the Dukedom, and all the responsibility that goes with it. And since his father was always known as a highly moral, upstanding man, Simon has big shoes to fill.

Lillian Mayhew doesn't buy the late Duke's exalted reputation one bit. A lifetime of hearing her father talk about the man's sins and seeing the torment her family endured at his hands has made her bitter and a final secret she discovered as her father lay dying has turned her bitterness to a drive to destroy the good name of the man she feels wronged her. No matter the price.

But when Simon and Lillian meet, sparks fly and passion erupts, leaving Lillian with an ugly choice. Can she abandon her quest for revenge, just as she is on the cusp of fulfilling her duty? Or will she betray a man whose past turns out to be a murky sea of lies and betrayals netiher one could have ever anticipated? A man whose kiss could change her life forever.

Eloisa James B&N article, "Foreign Affairs"

Barnes & Noble Review features an article entitled "Foreign Affairs" by Eloisa James. Basically, it talks about the clash of cultures that can occur when a couple comes from two very different cultures and backgrounds. She uses her own life as an example - James is married to an Italian man whom she met while he was in the US for graduate school.

James highlights four historical romance books (new and old) that deal with this issue. The first one, Mary Jo Putney's Loving a Lost Lord, I hated (my review can be found on this blog); the second, Samantha James's One Moonlit Night, was absolutely fantastic and I gave five stars; the third and fourth I hadn't heard of before - Jade Lee's The Dragon Earl and Beverly Jenkins's Night Song.

Gaelen Foley guest blogs to celebrate new release

I found the blog Love Romances & More Reviews and on June 30 Gaelen Foley was a guest blogger, advertising the new release of her book My Wicked Marquess. The entry can be accessed here. She recently switched publishers, from Ballantine to Avon, and I wonder if that may also be a reason for a noted change in the tone of her books. I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but while Foley's books are usually *very* dark - full of rape, murder, pedophilia, incest, basically everything imaginable - the first book in her Inferno series didn't have such pronounced dark overtones. ... Guess we'll see when her second book of the series comes, My Dangerous Duke.

Medeiros and Enoch on Star Trek vs. Star Wars

I found this posted on Suzanne Enoch's website and found it really cute and funny, so thought I would share. They both seem so friendly!