Special Valentine's Offers from Harlequin and Mills & Boon

Three lovely boks to download for cents/pennies this Valentine month!


The Billionaires are for readers in thr US -

The Bride is for readers in the UK.

I'n sure there's a deal for those of you in Ausrralia/New Zealand, too, Check the Mills and Boon Aus website to make sure you don/t miss out.

When an immovable object meets a girl on a mission...

This is just such a lovely surprise!

I had no idea that A Wedding at Leopard Tree Lodge was going to be republished in Australia in April.

I was looking for a link to the  March ebook release of His Personal Agenda and saw this gorgeous cover. Wow... just wow. Thank you Mills and Boon Australia!

This is the follow up to the best-selling The Bride's Baby. Josie was Sylvie's assistant and had a very small part in that book but some characters just leap off the page and the minute she threw her feet over the arm of the office sofa I knew she would have a book of her own.

Now promoted to partner and running the business while Sylvie is on maternity leave she's struggling but when,  out of the blue ishe's given the chance of a lifetime, she is determined to repay Sylvie's faith in her. Unfortunately, in Gideon McGrath, she meets the immovable object. And he's in the bridal suite...

Here's the blurb -

Events planner Josie Fowler has scooped the wildest celebrity wedding of the year in a luxury lodge hotel in Botswana! She’s surrounded by prowling leopards and crocodile-filled rivers, but more dangerous to her sanity is the resort owner — enigmatic entrepreneur Gideon McGrath.

As Josie wrestles with taffeta and table plans, Gideon’s take-charge approach is getting in her way — and his sexy smile is getting under her skin...

You'll find all the buy links HERE

PURPLE HAIR AND STEPFORD WIVES...

Do you remember when I posted a picture of Josie, the heroine of the ESCAPE AROUND THE WORLD book I was writing last year -- the girl with purple hair who first appeared in The Bride's Baby which you can still download for free at here if you haven't already read it.

Here's a reminder in case you missed that post.

I posted it, you might recall, because I knew -- I've had a lot of covers -- that Josie would end up looking like a Stepford Wife on the cover artwork of the book. It's sad, but apparently a fact that readers are put off by anything remotely different, but I wanted you all to know how I saw her. Purple boots, Zandra Rhodes punk clothes - we had a lively discussion about bags if you remember - and that hair.

Black and purple. They were her trademark colours and she wore nothing else.

Anyway, just in case any of you thought I was being a little bit negative about it, the cover of A WEDDING A LEOPARD'S TREE LODGE was posted on Amazon today and here it is.

Actually, I think the model is the same woman who appeared on the cover of The Baby Plan -- a very elegant and dynamic business woman with a personal fortune, a world away from Josie in just about every way.

That said, it's a really lovely cover. No really. The nicest one I've had in a while.

And obviously the heroine's neat little green shirt couldn't possibly have been purple -- it would have clashed with that sunset.

Of course if they'd used a slightly different palette for the sky, mauves, pinks... They could even have made it reflect on her hair a little.

No. Not another word. Lips zipped.

HOOK HEAVEN!

According to Horace Bent of The Bookseller on Twitter, this morning, 13 books with “Angel” in the title have made the Sunday Times best-seller list in recent months. With my own “angel” book on the shelves in November, you can imagine how happy this made me. Not that I’m anticipating the Sunday Times best-seller list, you understand, but a girl can dream of being a "Heat Seeker"!

CHRISTMAS ANGEL FOR THE BILLIONAIRE is part of the “Changing Places” duet being published by Harlequin Romance next November and December, in which Lady Rose and her look-alike, Lydia Young, change places for a week.

The second book is HER DESERT DREAM in which another of the Khatib cousins, Kalil al Zaki (the first two are in The Sheikh’s Guarded Heart and The Sheikh’s Unsuitable Bride) from Ramal Hamrah, gets himself into all kinds of bother when he falls for the “people’s angel”.

Here he is -- just for a treat :)





An angel and a sheikh in the same duet. Hook heaven!

Just now, I’m writing a book for the exciting new ESCAPE AROUND THE WORLD mini series. Josie – who first made an appearance in The Bride’s Baby (still available free at here – is in Botswana, attempting to bring order out of the chaos of a “celebrity” wedding at the fabulous tree-top Leopard’s Lodge on the bank of the Chobe River.

Fortunately, Gideon McCloud, hors d’combat and flat on his back in the next door tree, is there to lend her a sympathetic ear, his shoulder when the bridesmaids get stroppy, half of his super king size bed when the sleeping arrangements prove inadequate. He’s exactly what a girl needs when she’s thousands of miles from the comfort of her office and without a mobile phone connection. Maybe.

The only question now is, how can I get “angel” into the title?

CONGRATULATIONS, HARLEQUIN!

It's the 60th Anniversary of the first appearance of Harlequin romances and today the celebration begin in earnest with the launch of HARLEQUIN CELEBRATES where, although it's their birthday, Harlequin are the ones giving the presents. Click on the link and from today you, your mother, your sister, everyone you know, can down load a free eBook from every single series.

With authors like Merline Lovelace, Elizabeth Rolls, Linda Goodnight and Susan Napier in the line-up, Harlequin are offering a rare treat and if I sound a little excited, it's because my own book, THE BRIDE'S BABY, is representing Harlequin Romance and you cannot imagine how proud that makes me.

Here is the complete list --

Harlequin American Romance, Once a Cowboy by Linda Warren

Harlequin Blaze, Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly

Harlequin Historical, His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls

Harlequin Intrigue, Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels

Harlequin Presents, Price of Passion by Susan Napier

Harlequin Romance, The Bride’s Baby by Liz Fielding

Harlequin Superromance, Snowbound by Janice Kay Johnson

Silhouette Desire, Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child

Silhouette Nocturne, Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf

Silhouette Romantic Suspense, Stranded with a Spy by Merline Lovelace

Silhouette Special Edition, Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne

Love Inspired, A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight

Love Inspired Historical, Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart

Love Inspired Suspense, Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry

Kimani Romance, Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson

Nascar, Speed Dating by Nancy Warren

You can download the books as a PDF or as an eBook. Or, if you prefer to download a version to your iPhone, that will be available in a couple of weeks.


Don't rush off yet! That's not all!

In February, the North American spotlight is on Harlequin Romance with "Diamond Brides" and there's a competition for readers to win a diamond necklace so visit Diamond Brides Proposals -- it could be you!

WEDDED IN A WHIRLWIND

I'm delighted to announce that Trish from Australia is the winner of my website competition for an advance, hardback edition of WEDDED IN A WHIRLWIND, which isn't published in paperback until November in the US and UK and December in Australia. Many thanks to everyone else who took part.


TRANSLATIONS...

It's always fun to have the books translated into another language. Last September, when I was in Italy, it was The Secret Life of Lady Gabriella that was on sale and I was able to stop by the kiosks and say hello.

This year The Bride's Baby will be published in Italy in September. I'll be in Guernsey, doing my mother of the bride bit this year, so if you're lucky enough to be in Bella Italia, look out for it at those little green kiosks and say hello.

NOZZE ALL'INGLESE

Quando si è messa a organizzare un evento speciale come un matrimonio fiabesco non credeva che la sposa sarebbe stata lei!

Allestire eventi è la specialità di Sylvie Smith e inscenare un matrimonio da sogno le pare una buona idea per raccogliere fondi per una causa benefica. Certo, impersonare la parte della sposa lo rende un po' più personale, anche perché Longbourne Court, la dimora ancestrale teatro dell'avvenimento, un tempo apparteneva proprio a lei. Prima di diventare appannaggio di Tom McFarlane.

Bello, affascinante e ricchissimo Tom ha più di una cosa in comune con Sylvie. Entrambi amano la campagna inglese ed entrambi credono nella chimica immediata tra uomo e donna. Come è successo a loro due, cinque mesi prima...

For more, click here

And on Wednesday, Trish Wylie will be here to talk about her latest book -- don't miss it!

Oh, and it's ...

HUGH JACKMAN DAY!

ROMANTIC TIMES CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

For the last month I’ve been sitting on the most exciting piece of news, barely about to contain myself. Now I can share that on Saturday, at their Convention in Pittsburgh, ROMANTIC TIMES awarded me a Career Achievement Award for Love & Laughter in romantic fiction.

This award is self-explanatory. It’s not for just one book, but for a body of work. All those books that made someone laugh out loud at the same time as they reached for the handkerchief.

If it had been planned it couldn’t have coincided more perfectly with the celebrations for my 50th Harlequin Romance, THE BRIDE’S BABY.

I was also nominated for Best Harlequin Romance again, but this year had to concede the honour to Trish Wylie, to whom very many congratulations. You’ll find a complete list of winners here.

Another champagne moment for someone else, too – Jan Jones, who guested here last week has just sold her Regency romance with a bit of adventure, Fair Deception to Robert Hale Ltd!

Her prize went to Natasha, by the way. We need a snail mail addy, Natasha, when you have a moment!

What else?

Oh, yes, this week’s guest is artist Larry Roibal, who has produced the covers for a number of my books, including two award winners. I’ll be giving away five books with Larry’s special covers this weekend (The Marriage Miracle, The Secret Life of Lady Gabriella, Reunited: Marriage in a Million, A Family of His Own and The Valentine Bride), so do drop by and talk about that most fascinating of subjects – The Cover. Get a little insight into how Larry goes about the production of the perfect cover and ask him those question burning a hole in your brain.

MORE 50th ANNIVERSARY WINNERS...

Kate Hardy has picked her winner! She's had the ankle-biters shuffle the names and pick one out and Dena -- again -- has emerged the winner. Can you get in touch, Dena? I now have two authors with books for you!

And very generously, Kate is also going to send a copy of the Penhally book to Penn.

It was lovely having you as a guest, Kate. I can't wait to read His Royal Love-Child myself.

I'm off to London for a jolly today, to catch up with Elizabeth and Marieteresa from the Matera Literary Festival -- they're over for the London Book Fair, but don't go away. The always delightful Jan Jones will be here later in the week to tell you about the Romantic Novelists' Association, and give away a copy of Stage by Stage (which is wonderful). And later in the month I have a cover artist -- the lovely man who produced the cover for The Marriage Miracle, A Family of His Own, Reuntied: Marriage in a Million and The Secret Life of Lady Gabriella. He's going to tell us how he does it!

Oh, and if you're wondering about the picture -- that the entrance hall to Longbourne Court, Sylvie's ancestral home in THE BRIDE'S BABY. The staircase...

IT'S SPRING!

How brilliant is that. April is here and instantly we have the kind of warm, balmy days that make me want to forget about work and rush into the garden and start clearing out the pots, cutting back the stuff that's out of control and flinging weedkiller on the lawn. I dare not actually do the last of those. It's only the moss and weeds that's holding the thing together!

Okay, competition winners. Lois has won last week's guest blogger, Julie Cohen's book, ONE NIGHT STAND. And Christy has won the jigsaw puzzle. I just loved a Scribble of Romantic Novelists.

I still can't tell you my lovely piece of news, but I can direct you to the A Bride for All Seasons blog where you can see all the pictures, the background, and some extra snips from The Bride's Baby, my 50th Harlequin Romance which is OUT NOW!

You'll also find all the latest Harlequin Romance news here as well as a chance to win Claire Baxter's latest book.

But now to this week's guest. Michelle Douglas is one of Harlequin Romance's newest authors. She burst on the scene at the end of last year with a 4.5 stars from Romantic Times for her delightful debut novel HIS CHRISTMAS ANGEL. It's always wonderful to welcome a new author into the series and I know that Michelle is going to steal hearts wherever fine books are read.

Michelle...

It is such an honour to be asked by Liz to help her celebrate her 50th book. 50 books! Yay, Liz! I’m blowing up balloons and throwing streamers and pouring champagne as we speak. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be here. Ever since I picked up my first Liz Fielding romance, I was hooked. I mean, seriously, can you imagine a nicer fate than being a Liz Fielding heroine?

Thanks for having me here, Liz!

The “What If...” Game

As I was sitting in my armchair, staring aimlessly out the glass sliding door at my jungle of a garden, I idly wondered (as you do) – what if I saw a tiger? I’m talking Bengal, orange with black stripes here, not a snarly little Tasmanian number. Maybe it’s because my garden IS a jungle that led me to thoughts of tigers. But... What if I was outside in my backyard when I saw that tiger? What would I do? How could I get away from it with life and limb intact?

Aha! My eyes lit on the big, old-fashioned rotary clothesline that every Australian backyard is equipped with, and knew I had found my solution – I’d shinny up the clothesline.

Oh my, thought I. What an interesting thing to do in a story – strand a character in a clothesline – and the beginnings of THE LONER’S GUARDED HEART were born. I had to dispense with the tiger, of course. I couldn’t see how I’d get away with a tiger prowling the Australian landscape. And if I could, mightn’t it prove just a tad too distracting? Okay dispense with said tiger.

So... how to get my heroine up a clothesline? And c’mon, Michelle, why is this such a good idea anyway? Isn’t it a bit... gimmicky? But the image kept pestering me, nagging away at me, and wouldn’t let go. Somehow I had to get my heroine up a clothesline. [By the way, it had to be the heroine. No matter which way I looked at it, I couldn’t find myself even remotely attracted to a hero stuck in a clothesline.]

This is where the “What If...” game becomes useful rather than plain, idle fun.

What if my heroine is a city girl and she’s forced to spend a month on a remote property? I do like a good fish-out-of-water story. I love watching characters pushed outside their comfort zones.

What if – like me, my sister, my mother and most of my girlfriends – my heroine is a bit wary, or downright scared for that matter, of dogs that growl, and not too keen on goannas, ticks and spiders?

Don’t forget you have a hero to create, Michelle...

What if my hero is tall, dark and reclusive? (Ooh, I love a tortured hero)

What if it’s his clothesline the heroine takes refuge in? (Of course it’s his clothesline!)

Time to start thinking conflict...

What if the hero is the heroine’s only neighbour for miles around?

What if the last thing my heroine needs is time to brood and endless solitude?

What if solitude is the only thing my hero seeks?

I think the stage is set for plenty of conflict there. This is my heroine’s reaction when she finds herself alone, at a seemingly deserted farmhouse, miles from anywhere.

In her hunger to clap eyes on a friendly face, Josie rushed around the side of the house to open the gate. Her fingers fumbled with the latch. Need ballooned inside her, a need for companionship, a need to connect with someone. The gate finally swung back to reveal a neat yard. Again, no garden beds or flower pots broke the austerity, but the lawn here too was clipped and short, the edges so precise they looked as if they’d been trimmed using a set square.

The fence was painted white to match the house and the obligatory rotary clothes-line sat smack-bang in the middle of it all. An old fashioned steel one like the one Josie had at home. Its prosaic familiarity reassured her. She stared at the faded jeans, blue chambray shirt and navy boxer shorts hanging from it and figured her landlord must be male.

Why hadn’t she found out his name from Marty or Frank? Though, everything had moved so fast. They’d popped this surprise on her last night and had insisted on seeing her off at the crack of dawn this morning. Mrs Pengilly’s bad turn, though, had put paid to any early start. Josie bit her lip. Maybe she should’ve stayed and–

A low vicious growl halted her in her tracks. Icy fingers shot down her back and across her scalp. No.

Please God, no.

There hadn’t been a ‘Beware of the Dog’ sign on the gate. She’d have seen it. She paid attention to those things. Close attention.

The growl came again followed by the owner of the growl and Josie’s heart slugged so hard against her ribs she thought it might dash itself to pieces before the dog got anywhere near her. Her knees started to shake.

‘Nice doggy,’ she tried, but her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth slurring her words and making them unintelligible.

The dog growled in answer. Nuh-uh, it wasn’t a nice doggy and, although it wasn’t as large as a Rottweiler or a Dobermann, it was heavy-set and its teeth, when bared, looked just as vicious. She could imagine how easily those teeth would tear flesh.

She took a step back. The dog took a step forward.

She stopped. It stopped.

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. She wanted to buckle over but she refused to drop her eyes from the dog’s glare. It lowered its head and showed its teeth. All the hackles on its back lifted.

Ooh. Not a good sign. Everything inside Josie strained towards the gate and freedom, but she knew she wouldn’t make it. The dog would be on her before she was halfway there. And those teeth...

Swallowing, she took another step back. The dog stayed put.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Another step. The dog didn’t move. Its hackles didn’t lower.

With a half-sob, Josie flung herself sideways and somehow managed to half climb, half pull her way up until she was sitting on top of the rotary clothes-line.

‘Help!’ she hollered at the top of her voice.

Something tickled her face. She lifted a hand to brush it away. Spider web! She tried to claw it off but it stuck with clammy tentacles to her face and neck. It was the last straw. Josie burst into tears.

The dog took up position directly beneath her. Lifting its head, it howled. It made Josie cry harder.

‘What in the devil–’

A person. ‘Thank you, God.’ Finally, a friendly face. She swung towards the voice, almost falling out of the clothesline in relief.

She stared.

Her heart all but stopped.

Then it dropped clean out of her chest to lie gasping and flailing on the ground like a dying fish. This was her friendly face?

No!

Fresh sobs shook her. The dog started up its mournful howl again.

‘For the love of–’

The man glared at her, shifted his feet, hands on hips. Nice lean hips she couldn’t help noticing.

‘Why in the dickens are you crying?’

She’d give up the sight of those lean hips and taut male thighs for a single smile.

He didn’t smile. She stared at the hard, rocky crags of his face and doubted this man could do friendly. He didn’t have a single friendly feature in his face. Not one. Not even a tiny little one. The flint of his eyes didn’t hold a speck of softness or warmth. She bet dickens wasn’t the term he wanted to use either.


I love playing the “What If...” game. I also love blowing my too-confident heroes’ expectations out of the water. Kent, the hero of THE LONER’S GUARDED HEART, is convinced Josie is a mouse who can’t look after herself, someone he continually has to rescue. But when they find themselves on Josie’s home turf... What if it’s her turn to rescue him?

Josie finds herself stranded on this remote property because her brothers have sent her there for a holiday. She’s been dreaming of poolside cocktails. She gets a rustic cabin in the wilderness instead. A copy of THE LONER’S GUARDED HEART is up for grabs. All you have to do is leave a comment sharing with us your idea of the holiday from hell.

Once again, thanks for having me here, Liz. Congratulations on 50 books! Glass of champagne anyone?

ST PATRICK’S DAY...

To those of you of the emerald persuasion,
have a brilliant day!




THE LOVELY DONNA...

What a great guest Donna has been this weekend. It was such fun hearing which of my characters were most memorable. And useful, too. Clearly chocolate and burgers make a great heroine – something to be for the future.

Right now I’m writing another slightly larger than life heroine who has a little cottage industry making home made sweets. Fudge, coconut ice, something close to tootsie rolls. I discovered tootsie rolls on the web and my dd sighed with remembered pleasure – apparently she ate them by the bucket load when she was working in the States. There is something about that name that is slightly naughty that is just perfect for a romantic comedy don’t you think?.

A BRIDE FOR ALL SEASONS...

Spring is just about here and my spring bride’s book, The Bride’s Baby is already on sale online – and as a eBook. Now the wonderfully talented and incredibly kind Trish Wylie has put together a special blog for this four books series (the other three are by Fiona Harper, Trish Wylie and Shirley Jump) so if you want excerpts, links and all things wedding related (plus the chance to win all four books), go to here to check it out.

THE LAPTOP AND I...

The laptop saga continues. This morning it was returned by courier. I hugged it to my bosom, crooned over it like a baby.
The work note from the “tech guys” said “No error found”. That had to be good, didn’t it? Nothing lost. I would have all those emails I hadn’t had time to answer. Get all my addresses back. Retrieve my lost chapter...

Elation remained until I plugged it in and switched it on.
Nothing. It was, in fact, worse than when I’d sent it away. Then it was only the screen that was dead. Now nothing works. So it’s being picked up again tomorrow.

Another week...

GUESTS, CHOCOLATE AND # 50…

Wow, didn’t we all have fun naming Ally Blake’s moppet? Thanks so much to you for joining in and telling us all your favourite names. As soon as I hear from Ally (we're on opposite sides of the world so the time difference is a factor) I’ll post the name of her winner.

Okay, you all know I have a serious chocolate weakness so it will come as no surprise to any of you that I’ve been watching Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory on the box.

Willie is a touch manic, totally infuriating – occasionally we get a glimpse of his wife’s expression that says it all – and gorgeously sexy. I tried to talk the dh into making Willie's cloud forest chocolate cake with his shirt off yesterday, like Willie, but he thought he’d rather not.

Probably very wise (the cake, not the shirt); it looked fabulous, and not only impressed the buyer at Selfridges but had the punters at Cullompton Farmers’ Market drooling. High sugar/high calorie nosh is, however, out of the question at the moment. Diabetes in the dh’s case – avoirdupois in mine! And I’m not quite sure what the local food hygiene officers would have made of the kids joining in the cooking, or the dog in the kitchen. It's your own concern if you’re eating it yourself but when you’re selling to the public I believe the regulations are a little stricter than that! Great telly, though. And I’m definitely up for the “choc-shock” diet. One hundred per cent chocolate drunk like espresso. Oh, yes…

I’m beginning to get really excited about the publication of my 50th Harlequin/Mills & Boon Romance, THE BRIDE’S BABY.

The other “A Bride for All Seasons” authors (Fiona Harper, Trish Wylie and Shirley Jump have Summer, Autumn and Winter) and I are in the middle of setting up a special blog for this four-book series – I’ll set up a link as soon as it’s live. In the meantime, to counteract that dress on the cover (which I’m sorry, just doesn’t compute), here’s a glimpse of the dress that was my inspiration. It evolved, as these things do. The jacket got longer, the appliqué more important. I don’t often get caught up with clothes, but I could really see Sylvie’s dress. Well, here is Sylvie, looking at it for the first time: --

“The dress, a simple A-line shift in rich cream silk, had been appliquéd to the knees in swirling blocks of lavender, purple, and green. And instead of a veil, Geena had created a stunningly beautiful loose thigh-length jacket on which the appliqué was repeated around the edge and on wide fold-back cuffs. Embroidery trailed over the silk and tiny beads caught the light as she moved, beads that matched the small, Russian style tiara that had been made to go with the gown.”

And of course, you all remember the shoes!

The book is already available online at eHarlequin (with the eBook option for immediate satisfaction!) and Mills & Boon, and to order at Amazon. As for reviews, well it’s already received a TOP PICK from Romantic Times and a new review is online at the Pink Heart Society.

Don't forget that Donna Alward will be here later this week to tell us all about her book and offer a prize, so do drop by to join in the fun.

And this week I heard a really thrilling piece of news – but I can’t share it just at the moment. Such a tease!

HERE COME THE GROOMS

Hi, my name’s Tom McFarlane and Liz has asked me to drop by her blog and remind you that the HERE COME THE GROOMS competition she’s running with Anne Mcallister and Kate Walker this month. In case you hadn’t already worked it out for yourself, I’m one of the grooms.

Finally.

I don’t – didn’t – have much time for all that love-in-a-mist nonsense. I knew exactly what kind of a nightmare “love” could become and wanted none of it. I started life with nothing except the ability to work hard and the determination to be someone and having succeeded in that ambition the final gloss was going to be a wife who would provide me with a touch of class in return for the freedom of my credit cards. I thought I’d found her, but there’s the thing about hubris. It will come back and bite you.

I thought I’d found my perfect woman. Flynn knew he had, but it was the wrong time, the wrong place and life (in the form of a letter from Sara) took five years to catch up with him. Raul, well, he’s Spanish so arrogance goes with the territory. He chose his bride, but Alannah turned him down flat. Didn’t someone once say that the path of true love never did run smooth? Fortunately, like Flynn, like me, he gets a second chance to do it right.

If you’d like to read our stories, find out how we woo’d and won our lovely brides, then you’ve three chances to win all three books this month. Each of us has asked a question and you’ve until 29th February to send all three answers to Anne, Kate and Liz.

Here’s Raul’s question: What are the full names of the hero and heroine of Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife (Note from Raul - his real name, not the one mistakenly given him on the back of the book!)

Here’s Flynn’s question:

Flynn's Question: What story did he come to Montana to cover when he met Sara in the first place?

And finally mine:

What colour silk did I become intimately acquaint with?

Don’t forget, all three answers to Anne, Kate and Liz will give you three chances to win all three books. Answers are on websites, along with email links. Closing date 29 February.

Okay, here's Liz...

Thanks, Tom! I know you’ve got a lot to do if this wedding is going to happen, so I really appreciate you dropping by. The good news is that Romantic Times loved your story. Here’s what they have to say:

“Liz Fielding begins A Bride for all Seasons with THE BRIDE’S BABY. This story has everything – sparkling dialogue, multifaceted characterizations, sizzling chemistry and a powerful emotional core. A keeper.” ****½

And here’s a little excerpt, just to be going on with.

Sylvie fought it, fought the need for his touch, her yearning for the soft whisper of words that she heard only in her dreams, knowing just how easy it would be to give in to the moment. Easy to say, but he was as close now as he had been then. Close enough so that the scent of his wind-blown hair, newly laundered clothes, the faint musk of warm skin overrode the smell of camphor and hot dust.

Much too close.

Even in this dim light she knew her face would betray her thoughts, everything she was feeling and he needed no more than the tiny betraying whimper of remembered joy, shatteringly loud, in the silence -- an open invitation to repeat the experience, just in case his memory needed jogging -- for his expression to change from thoughtful to something very different.

‘Is that right?’ Tom tightened his hold, bringing her round to face him so that his mouth was just inches from her own. ‘Maybe we should try that again. So that you can explain it to me.’

Not in this world, she thought, but there was no time to object before his lips touched hers, sending a thrill of pleasure – the heat that haunted her dreams -- spiralling through her.

‘Step...' he said, his hand sliding beneath her long, loose top, cool against her warm skin as he leaned into her, deepening the kiss and she shivered, but not with cold.

No...

This was wrong.

Stupid.

Inevitable.

Inevitable from the first moment he’d walked into her office. She’d known it. He’d known it. Like iron filings to a magnet. Why else would he, would she, have gone to such lengths to avoid each other? It was the only wedding she’d ever co-ordinated where the groom had been totally absent.

But inevitable didn’t make it --

His tongue stroked her lower lip and every cell in her body responded as if to some unheard command, as if standing on tiptoe, reaching out for more.

‘By...'

-- right.

‘Step...’

Oh... Confetti...

Her knees were water. Another minute and she’d be sprawled over one of the trunks in a re-run of that moment when that instant attraction had overcome every particle of common sense, every lesson that she'd ever learned about the fickleness of the human heart. When the heat had overcome the ice and turned it to steam.

To be overwhelmed, to forget yourself so completely might be excusable once.

Twice...

Her head felt like lead, she didn’t have the strength to move it, break contact, but then his hand slid forward on its inevitable journey towards her breast and instead encountered the mound of her belly and, as if drawn to him, her baby girl turned as if reaching out to him. And he was the one whose head went back as if struck.

HERE COME THE GROOMS...

I've already introduced you to Tom McFarlane, the hero of THE BRIDE'S BABY, so now I'm introducing you to his bride, Sylvie Smith.

Sylvie was born to privilege, but that is all long gone and she's had to build her life from the bottom up. But although the "noblesse" is no longer part of her life, she can't escape the "oblige" and, as the Hon Pres of a charity founded by her mother -- and the favoured wedding planner to the rich and famous -- she has been cornered into providing a gossip magazine Wedding Fayre feature laying out her own "fantasy" wedding at her old ancestral home.

Six months pregnant, this is no joke. And things are about to get worse. Longbourne Court's new owner is Tom McFarlane, the father of her baby.

A man who doesn't want to know her or her baby...

Next up, is Anne McAllister's groom, the hero of ONE-NIGHT LOVE CHILD, released in March.

Six years ago Flynn Murray turned Sara McMaster's life upside down. He swept her off her feet and into his bed. Then he left -- and sane, sensible Sara had never been the same.

Flynn, former footloose Irish journalist, is now the Earl of Dunmorey met and fell for Sara in Montana but the timing was not right. Now he gets a letter out of the blue that has been chasing him around the world for five years -- with the news that he has a son. But Sara is in for a shock. Her carefree Irishman is now the scarily powerful Earl of Dunmorey -- and he wants his son.

The third groom is Raul, hero of Kate Walker's Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife.

Two years ago, Alannah turned down Raul's cold-blooded proposal of marriage and walked away without one word of regret. Now tragedy has thrown them together once more, and this time the proud Spanish aristocrat will see that she doesn't get away from him again.

He had always wanted Alannah from the first moment he saw her. Her unique combination of purity and passion intrigued, then intoxicated him. And Raul is a man used to getting everything he wants. She got away from him once - This time, he intends to keep her.

Okay, here are all three questions -- and you need to send all three answers to each of us in order to be put in the draw for one of three prizes of all three books.

My addy is liz @ lizfielding.com (no gaps); you'll find the answers and contact details of Kate and Anne's logs.


Flynn's Question: What story did he come to Montana to cover when he met Sara in the first place?

Raul's Question: What are the full names of the hero and heroine of Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife

Tom's Question: What colour silk did he become intimately acquainted with?

CATCHING UP...

Before I do anything else I want to thank Annie West for being such an amazing guest. Thank you for being so generous with your time in discussing all aspects of writing, Annie. And thanks to all of you for making her so welcome.

Annie is going to choose the winner of THE GREEK TYCOON'S UNEXPECTED WIFE sometime in the next couple of days and I'll announce it on Thursday when our next guest, Harlequin Romance author Melissa James drops by to party.

Those those of you who miss out, the book is available in May and you can reserve a copy at Amazon

I've had a busy few days guest blogging myself over at the Pink Heart Society and My Tote Bag, but we've managed to finish the decorating. The hall, looking much lighter with its new wallpaper, is now back to normal and fully functioning, although I still have to decide what to do with the two bookshelves we decided it could without. And I've had my reading glasses fixed (dropped them, stood on them, bent them out of shape). I need the hypo-allergnic frames and wearing my old ones brought out spectacle shaped patched of eczema. One day back in the new ones and I'm nearly back to normal. Magic.

Today I have to start a new book, a time of excitement, terror (off all the plots in all the world did I choose the right one?) and, well, yes fun. meanwhile, I've just had the artwork for the cover of my next book, THE BRIDE'S BABY, my 50th "Harlequin Romance" and couldn't wait to share it with you. If you wondered why I needed a whole year to celebrate, the fact is that I have a double 50 -- 50th book and 50th HR!

See you all on Thursday when you'll have a chance to win Melissa's latest book, A MOTHER IN A MILLION!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As the bells ring out, the fireworks explode worldwide, to welcome in the New Year, may I wish you all health, happiness and the fulfilment of all your dreams.

Thank you all for your friendship, kindness and support in the year we're leaving behind. It's a joy to wake up each morning to read my email, check my blog, chat to readers and writers -- published or not -- whose lives intersect with mine through the pages of books and in this amazing world of cyberspace.


As you know, this is something of a Red Letter year for me. Not just the publication of my 50th book in January, with THE SHEIKH'S UNSUITABLE BRIDE, but then in April, my 50th "Harlequin Romance" with THE BRIDE'S BABY.

To help me celebrate fifty friends, writers all, will be "guest blogging" throughout the year, telling us about their own books, giving away signed copies, starting next week.

Let the celebrations begin!

THE GREAT ADVENT CALENDAR GIVEAWAY

DAY EIGHTEEN

December 18th

It's getting closer isn't it? Can you feel the excitement building?

I spent the weekend cleaning the house, putting up the decorations, including giving the pigs that guard our gateposts (I know most people go for eagles or lions or pineapples, but we're a "pig" family) their festive scarves. This one is Duchess.
Thank you all for the beautiful "heroine" names you sent. I'll put them all into my name database and next time I'm struggling I'll enjoy picking and choosing from among them.

Naming characters is such a big deal, although on occasion I have been caught out when writing the story of a minor character, wishing I'd given her a different name. I'm very careful these what I call all my characters these days because you just never know!

Like so many of you, I prefer simple, proper names. Ones that are easy to pronounce, easy to read (don't want the eye stumbling every time it encounters a difficult word). Coming up this year, there's Sylvie in THE BRIDE'S BABY, Violet in CHOSEN AS THE SHEIKH'S WIFE and Miranda, in the as yet unnamed followed up to Reunited: Marriage in a Million (always assuming it gets editorial approval).

I'm also supposed to write a short story within the next couple of weeks and I'd love it to be Sadie's (Diana's boss) story. Her name is actually Mercedes and she originally appeared in THE BABY PLAN as a stroppy teen.

We'll see.

Anyway I put all the lovely names in a hat and the best-beloved drew out Eva from Finland (whose name was "Whitney" by the way). The book is in the post, Eva, but it's the busiest week of the year for the Royal Mail so it's unlikely to arrive in time for the festivities.

Today, behind the door is GENTLEMEN PREFER ... BRUNETTES. Nick, a playboy tycoon with an eye for tall blondes, bribes Cassie, a dark-haired pocket venus of a cook, into preparing a seduction dinner for a glamorous colleague. (He told the glamorous blonde that he could cook -- he lied.) Actually, by the time he's getting to the good part, his heart just isn't in it. And as for the blonde, well, that's another story (I refer you to my previous statement about minor characters!)

If you'd like the chance to win this book, email me at liz @lizfielding.com, Day Eighteen in the subject line, your name and address in the body of the text and the colour of the ribbons on the gift that Sheikh Zahir is carrying when Diana picks him up from the airport. It's in the excerpt on the website.

COVER ART

I'm waiting for cover art. Waiting to see how my lovely Sheikh Zahir and Diana have been portrayed on the cover of The Sheikh's Unsuitable Bride. I'm just being impatient. It won't be on sale retail until January, but an author worries about these things.

I did check on the art sheet details filled in by my editor and it seems likely that Diana will be in her chauffeur uniform. This could be fun, or it could be disastrous. Chewing my nails to the quick here, especially as while checking out the sheikh I looked over the cover "vision" for The Bride's Baby, my "spring bride" book.

Do you remember the purple shoes? Satin, embroidered, beaded, sparkly purple shoes that the lovely Anne McAllister spent valuable distraction time hunting down on the 'net for me?

Well, maybe my sweet ed was in a hurry because in the cover art form she wrote that the "bride is wearing purple...." Not the exquisitely described heavy cream silk dress and coat, appliqued and beaded and embroided to match to the shoes.

Gulp.

That would be The Bride of Dracula's Baby, then...

HEROES

I’m not exactly enthusiastic about the honours system but once in a while someone gets a gong that makes me want to stand up and cheer to the rafters and this weekend the news that Ian Botham has finally been honoured, put the biggest smile on my face.

The man was always a do-or-die school-boy sporting hero, but he’s a lot more than that. He visited a hospital, saw children suffering with leukaemia and decided to do something to help and since then he's raised more than £10 million for research with his "walks".

Sir Ian Botham is a hero to his backbone and I wish there were more like him.


THE PURPLE SHOE BOOK

The “purple shoe” book revisions are in and I can exclusively reveal that it’s going to be called THE BRIDE’S BABY and will be in a store near you sometime next spring.


KATE’S 50TH BOOK

Kate Walker is celebrating her 50th book with a blog party. There are guest bloggers galore – I’ll be turning up there sooner or later – and each visitor is offering a chance to win a book. All you have to do is drop by, answer a question – nothing to tax the brain, honestly -- and who knows, it could be you.