Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

I live in Houston, so it’s hot much of the year. Really hot. But what I’ve found is heat can be relative. When I was in New York a few months ago, people were talking about how hot it was (and then it got Houston hot a few days later), but the weather felt mild and comfortable to me. Living in oppressive heat for much of the year has made me inured to it. In fact, what people in the North might think is comfortable, I probably think is cold. Heat works this way in relationships too. After a few years married couples get used to each other’s “moves,” and start looking for ways to spice things up. That’s why there are so many magazine articles on “Rekindling the Romance.” I Googled that phrase and found 414,000 entries. I've always wondered why most novels aren’t about married couples. I think the perception is all the excitement is in the meet and the getting to know one another. But if that were true, then we wouldn’t have such wonderful stories of people who have been married for

Cinnamon rolls with gooey melted frosting. Chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven. A hot fudge sundae with rich, hot fudge sauce dripping into swirls of melted ice cream. All these things can be hot and sweet at the same time. So why are "sweet" and "hot" opposites when it comes to romance? When the term "sweet" is applied to a romance novel, it means the book has heart and emotion. But it can also be a code word for "no explicit sex." I've had this label applied to my books, and one one level it makes sense. I admit that my worldview is a little on the sweet side. I believe people are basically good, that neighbors care about each other, and that love is a risk worth taking. So it's understandable that reviewers call my Western romances "sweet." But my cowboys and cowgirls resent the label. They might be nice people with big hearts, but they know how to burn up a bedroom. And I don't believ

I'm scheduling this to post ahead of time, because my house is right in the path of Hurricane Irene. In fact, maps have the eye going right over us. If I don't get to comment--you'll know why! Entertainment Every year, the power goes out here in snowy, rainy, windy New England. Hundreds of thousands of homes lose electricity, ours being one of them. I learned something during the ice storm that crippled our area for over a week. My mother-in-law lives a couple of towns away...alone. So we had her come over right away. My daughter and her boyfriend called to say they were at his mother's house, so they were safe! But as soon as they heard that we had ENTERTAINMENT, they came right over. It was fun to have everyone "camping" in our home. I have a gas stove, so I was able to cook. We have a gas fireplace, so there was ambiance and some heat to one room. The generator provided heat and hot water to the rest of the house. It's funny what you dec

by Judi Fennell I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon to post on Sunday because I'm in the Northeast and it's definitely NOT hot here as we wait for Irene. It's been raining since about 1 (5 hours ago) and I'm keeping an ear focused on the basement where our battery back-up sump pump will squeal when it's services are called upon. I'm hoping that doesn't happen. As long as we don't lose power, we should be fine. So, what IS hot here in the Northeast? Let's say, first of all, generators. They're hot. How hot? Well, when I went to Home Depot on Tuesday to get a generator, I got the second-to-last "affordable" one in stock. The guy who helped me said they'd had a run on them. I know this is the first time I've ever bought a generator for a storm. What else is hot? Flashlights, apparently. Here's my local Walmart on Friday: Water, too, is apparently, one of the hottest items around. My sister took this pictur

I was listening to an audio book where the contemporary romance characters have just met and are ready to jump each others' bones. And then the comments made in their heads: "I shouldn't think this way. I'm crazy." Sex, sex, sex. No, not doing it. Just thinking it. They have no past, no history. And I didn't "feel" the reason for the urgency that they needed to have sex with one another no matter what, right this very minute. So what's wrong? There's absolutely no sexual tension. Nothing to make this feel like it could reasonably happen. Sure, I've read books where the sexual tension is right up front and it feels right, and it seems reasonable, and hot, oh, yeah. But in this one, it's more of I see (and there's nothing to see that makes me feel like jumping his bones) and I want (same scenario.) And there's a small child involved. Maybe that's what is giving me such a hard time with the adults desiring to hav

by Olivia Cunning I could talk about the hot weather, but that would be boring. So I'll try to come up with a more exciting hot topic. I could discuss this hot guy here on my left (I wish he was on my left), but I don't know him, so what can I say, other than I think he's hot. I will admit that he is the inspiration for a new rock star character of mine. Maybe his ink doesn't do it for you, but it definitely does it for me. RAWR! And those abs/pecs/guns... And the fact that I can't see his face clearly... And those jeans he "forgot" to fasten...  And those narrow hips... And... Oh my! Yep, hot. I could talk about all the "hottest sex scene" awards that Backstage Pass won from bloggers last year (*cough* 13 of them *cough*), but someone might misconstrue that as bragging and I'm a humble Midwestern gal. We don't brag. We "mention". I could write about the lovely Reader's Crown Awards I picked up in sweltering hot

  By Deb Werksman  Editorial Manager Sourcebooks Casablanca Sales conference is our twice a year event, where each season’s list is presented to the sales department with great excitement. Coming out of this meeting, our sales force gets ready to present each book to the buyers. It used to be that the editors were the ones presenting, but now everyone participates. Anyone who particularly loves a book they heard about at launch can be the person to present it. Our managing editor presented a parenting title, and I presented a college guide for parents, since I had just dropped my son at college and had been using the book all summer. This makes for a lively exchange of ideas and fresh points of view. As part of our presentations, we use charts, graphs, photos, author videos and book trailers. It’s a great idea for all authors to create a short (2-3 minutes) video, talking about why you wrote the book, what was the inspiration for the idea for the book, your writ

by Amanda Forester I recently completed the final round of edits for my next book, The Highlander's Heart, due to hit the shelves November 1. After a long writing process, I am excited to see it finally in print. Since the topic this month is about heat, I thought I'd share an excerpt about a time when my heroine is feeling a little too hot for comfort. In this scene, Lady Isabelle Tynsdale has woken up in bed next to the man she loves, Laird David Campbell. Trouble is, they are not supposed to be together, and she can't remember exactly what happened. “Lady Tynsdale, I would speak to ye,” said Campbell, gathering his courage. “Yes, I would like to speak with you too,” said Isabelle. “Ye would? Aye, well, I feel I need to apologize for the other night. I dinna intend to… that is to say I did intend, but I…” Campbell rubbed his forehead with one hand and gestured in the air with the other. “It just happened.” “It?” Isabelle’s eyes grew wide. “It? How could

By Robin Kaye Available for preorder, coming December, 2011! Whitewater-rafting guide Hunter Kincaid lands his dream job–guiding sportswear models through Idaho's rugged wilderness for a photo shoot. When he meets Toni Russo, the goth New York manager of Action Models, there are enough sparks to set the forest ablaze. When Hunter finds Toni's book on how to marry the man of your choice, he studies it as a joke. Before long Hunter realizes he's never cared enough for a woman to bother working this hard to get her. But the last man in the world this city girl wants is a Survivor Man wannabe... Here's a little teaser, if you want to read the rest of chapter one, stop by my website Wild Thing - Book one of Domestic Gods Gone Wild... Toni Russo stood on the porch of the Sawtooth Inn ignoring the mountains cutting the bright blue sky, concentrating instead on Hunter Kincaid’s very confused, very green ey

Get out of Hell's Kitchen! When I heard that August's theme was about the heat, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. While I was schmoozing with readers, my fellow authors, and esteemed members of the publishing industry at the AAD conference in Philadelphia, I received the author review copy of my December release, Demons Like It Hot . I'm totally geeked! Not only is the cover gorgeous, the back blurb is the total awesomesauce. The second book in the Demons Unleashed series stars Serah SanGermano, a successful caterer who tries to hide her magical nature and Matthias Ambrose, a mercenary sent to Earth to protect her. Matthias has some pretty dark secrets that could threaten their trust. Here's the lovely cover: And here's the blurb that was sent to me the day I left for AAD. I was pretty darned stoked . Oh, another heat reference! A Recipe For Disaster... Matthias Ambrose is a demon mercenary who never took sides, until his attraction to th

from Mia Marlowe ... At one of my first booksignings, a lady I knew asked me, "Why do you write those kind of books?" The subtext of the question was "Why do you write explicit sex scenes?" My answer is that I write about life and I don't want to put any aspect of my character's experiences off limits if it advances the story or deepens my reader's insight into the secret life of my characters. It's been noted that having sex is the most intimate thing you can do with someone while not really knowing what's going on in the other person's mind. Sometimes, you're not even sure what's tumbling around in your own. My heroine Rosalinde experienced that in A Knack for Trouble , my novella in the new anthology IMPROPER GENTLEMEN . In the following excerpt, Rosalinde is having a bit of an argument with herself while she allows Aidan to take more and more liberties: If we only kiss, we’ve been a bit improper, but no worse than if we w

Until this week, I had no idea what I’d discuss for this month’s theme. I thought about sharing how much I adore the heat. I love feeling warm. Just ask my co-workers. They call me a lizard (Not a pretty image, is it?) and have threatened to buy me a heating rock to perch my constantly cold body on. But that little bit of trivia seemed too boring and wouldn’t hold up for a 500-word blog. So I racked my brain for another heat-appropriate subject. The racking didn’t help, and a mild panic set in as I watched my blog date edge closer and closer. I finally got my break a few days ago while listening to my friend’s audiobook ( Adrienne Giordano ’s MAN LAW ) on my way to work. At one point in the story, Adrienne had captured her hero’s intimate appraisal of the heroine so thoroughly that I felt like Vic Andrews was giving ME the once over with those admiring green eyes. Before I knew it, a heated, tingling flush spread across my body. So caught off-guard by my reaction, I actual

There is something about a wounded hero that is just so darn HOT, don't you think? Think about the Wolverine movie -- after he lost the woman he loved, he was wounded -- and he lived for revenge. Wouldn't you love to be the woman who healed wolverine aka Hugh Jackman's heart? Sigh....just thinking about that character played by THAT man -- is drool worthy! In November, THE STORM THAT IS STERLING releases. Sterling is one of my favorite heroes I've written because he has a lot of that Mel Gibson LETHAL WEAPON character in him back when Mel Gibson still made wounded look good instead of bad lol! Sterling lives on the edge, inviting death, because he has some deep wounds. And he, like Wolverine, needs a good woman to heal those wounds! From the front of the book He was created, molded, formed from life, love, and misery… Lethally daring and ruthlessly passionate. He invites death to his door, welcomes it with each breath he draws, each step he t

By: Leah Hultenschmidt, Senior Editor So what exactly do Eric Northman (True Blood), Tim Riggins (Friday Night Lights) and Don Draper (Mad Men) have in common? Besides being hot? They're all bad boys. We all know there's just something about that bad boy. The best heroes in romance novels all have a bit of bad-boy in them. Why the enduring appeal? 1. The element of danger. With a bad boy, you never quite know what you're going to get. He's unpredictable. There's a risk in placing your trust with him because you're not totally sure he's worthy of it. I mean, deep down you know he is...right? He doesn't conform to society and makes no apologies about it. He's exciting and adventurous and he ups the thrill for whoever he's with. 2. For the right woman, he is redeemable. Everyone else sees him as a rogue, a danger, someone to beware. But for just the right heroine who can see the good at heart, he is loyal and

I’m on deadline with book three of my series: The Secret Life of Cowboys and Deb just emailed the cover to me a few days ago…isn’t he hot???   Don’t you just love the pickup truck? But then again...Dylan's cover is pretty hot, too! But to be fair...I really loved Tyler's too. So many hot cowboys...so little time! Since the second book, Dylan, comes out in January, I wanted to share an excerpt. (it's G-rated):        Dylan Garahan narrowed his gaze trying to focus in the glare of the spotlight, searching the crowd for her face. It was time for the big move in his act—the show-stopper.        Where was she?        Jolene would kill him if he messed this up, but he’d made it through the last two nights and would make it through tonight. The redheaded owner of the club should have no complaints about the middle Garahan brother not keeping his word or holding up his end of the bargain. Damn the woman and her tests!        Controlling the urge to turn on his heel