Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

from Mia Marlowe Sometimes, a character takes control of a story and won't let go. That happened to me in One Night with a Rake with Lord Nathaniel Colton. So when I realized I was scheduled to blog here today, it didn't surprise me that Nate wanted to take over. Here's our conversation: Mia: Ok, smart guy, describe yourself in five words or less. Nathaniel: Incorrigible. That says it all. Mia: Can you share a typical day in the life of Nathaniel Colton? Nathaniel: Dawn finds me in search of my bed, not that I may not have found someone else’s before that. I rise when I’m rested and head for White’s for a game of poque. Don’t make that tsking noise! It’s not gambling when one consistently wins. My evenings are spent in riotous living. The charm of wearing myself out with mindless hedonism is that it leaves no opportunity for thoughts of Anne’s death to creep in. I despise maudlin people and what could be more maudlin than a man who cannot...

Christmas came in July this year...seriously! I received ARCs for my December book--WELCOME BACK TO APPLE GROVE--the other day and couldn't wait to post the pic of the book sitting on my kitchen table, propped up by my favorite clear, green glass coffee mug. I guess the little girl in me still loves Christmas morning and giving gifts. :)   Soooo...my gift to one lucky reader will be a signed ARC of book 3 in my contemporary small town series --WELCOME BACK TO APPLE GROVE. Here's the back cover blurb: Grace Mulcahy thought she'd finally gotten Apple Grove, Ohio out of her system. Until she's lured back for a family barbeque and spies a broad-shouldered hottie hanging out at the grill. He somehow seems utterly at ease, whether flipping burgers or horsing around with her hellion nephews. Why didn't her brother-in-law tell her he had such gorgeous friends? Suddenly her mouth is watering for more than her best friend's famous pie. When firefighter ...

I love a good party. I adore gathering people together for great conversation, a few laughs and lots of fun. The only thing I don't love about throwing a party is the mess. Ugh. You know how it is...you spend two days cleaning the house for the party and then you spend two days afterward cleaning it up. Unless it's an online party...then there's no mess...only fun! When I was mulling over different ways to celebrate the release of Tall, Dark, and Vampire ,  I came to the conclusion that I wanted to try something new. I've done the FB parties and the blog tours--which I'm embarking on again for TDV--but I really wanted to go outside my comfort zone. One thing came to mind. Twitter. I’ve been a sporadic tweeter at best but I’m on a mission to improve my tweeting talents. I’ve seen several authors host these twitter parties and thought it was about time that I give it a shot. Apparently these twitter parties can generate thousands of tweets in just ...

What's Your Helmet?   By Grace Burrowes I'm fortunate that my sister Gail lives about an hour east of Atlanta, so when RWA 2013 wrapped up, I could spend a day at her house decompressing and call it a sibling visit. We had great fun comparing our Works in Progress--Gail is about to submit a PhD thesis on the use of certain metaphors in Virgil's "Aeneid,"and I'm wrapping up a third book in a Regency trilogy for next year. Plenty of overlap there--and what do you know, Virgil hid Easter eggs in his 9000 line epics, and Easter hadn't even been invented! This is what happens after I've been at a conference of romance writers for a week. So there I was at the breakfast table, scarfing up hot blueberry shortcake with ice cream for breakfast (the rule is, your post-conference penitential fast doesn't start until you're home), when the topic of music and exercise comes up. Gail notes what a bummer it is when the iPod dies mid-work out, or mid-run. ...

Posted by Samantha Grace I've never left an RWA National Conference uninspired or hungry, and this year in Atlanta was no exception. While amazing speakers like Cathy Maxwell and Kristin Higgins fed my writer soul, the Marriott waitstaff was feeding my face. Best conference food evah!   Not that conference hotels usually set the bar high. Ironically, the only thing that doesn't taste like chicken is rubber chicken. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter , you might have guessed I'm a bit of a foodie. I prefer eating food to cooking it, and I photograph my meals more than I should admit. In fact, I've unintentionally passed my obsession for pretty food to my daughter who recently told me to take a picture of her dessert before she ate it.  A dessert tree! What's not to love? With my love of gourmet food, is it any wonder my favorite part of RWA is attending the Sourcebooks Author Dinner? Not only do I get to hang with some of the coolest,...

RWA Conference in Atlanta! Now it's over and we're all on our way home or we've already landed and staring at a blank screen. For me, it means I'm driving home, in a nice quiet car reliving the memories and looking forward to next year in San Antonio! Here are some fabulous authors arriving at the hotel!   Cheryl stole my thunder on Saturday with her wonderful post and pictures. But hey, one can never have too many memories of four wonderful days spent in the company of awesome authors. I'll will say they wouldn't let me and Cheryl sit together at the Sourcebooks dinner and now I'm banned from sitting beside Jade Lee. In a few years they will put a chair outside the door with a lap tray for me! But they did let us sit together at conference. There is a non-disclosure thing that we have to sign in blood saying we will not reveal what we were talking about! The wonderful Cathy Genna from New Jersey was awarded Bookseller of the Year and meeting her...

Greetings from Atlanta! What can I say about RWA Nationals? Think it's all about sitting through endless, useless workshops? NOT TRUE! Even if you get only a tiny grain of information from that one hour you spent in that chair, it will still help you. Cathy Maxwell's keynote speech inspired us. Kristin Higgins's Awards Luncheon speech made us laugh, cry, and feel worthwhile. But then there's the fun aspect. Want to guess how many margaritas are made and consumed? Granted, we don't make it out of the hotel much, but the view from the walkway is pretty inspiring. I'm thinking big and hard.... The sushi was AWESOME!!!! Yes, the Literacy signing is crowded and loud, but whenever I get to sit next to Carolyn Brown, I know I'm in for a good time. Sharon Lathan wowed us with her dress for the Beau Monde soiree. Sara Humphreys MADE us order the chocolate nachos. This is supposed to serve 4, but a table of eight didn't finish all ...

Is this summer flying by, or is it just me? Please tell me it isn't just me. How could it possibly be mid-July? Yet, here I am at RWA in Atlanta, having a wonderful time, so the calendar must be telling the truth. This summer is halfway over, and in about three weeks on August 6, 2013, Sourcebooks will be releasing my first digital novella,  The Spy Wore Blue .  The Spy Wore Blue  features Agent Blue, a supporting character from my Lord and Lady Spy novel and his estranged wife, Helena. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to write this novella, because Agent Blue was one of those special secondary characters that my readers connected with. So many readers have asked me if Agent Blue was going to get his own story, and now he has. I hope you enjoy the excerpt below, where Helena finds that absence does not always make the heart grow fonder.  She had not left the door unlocked. She might have been in a rush. She might ha...