Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

By Robin Kaye Heat—Lord knows we’ve had enough of it in Maryland lately. When I found out the topic for the month was heat, I wasn’t thrilled. I really not a person who like temperatures to rise above seventy-five degrees unless there’s fifteen percent humidity, and if you’ve ever been to Maryland, you’d know that it’s not known for low humidity. It’s been well over a hundred here for several days and I’ve had just about all the heat I can stand. Then I thought about my characters and how they feel about heat. Now that’s an entirely different story. They love the heat—and no, I’m not talking about the weather. Heat is the one ingredient that every romance must have. Yes, even the Amish ones. There has to be that attraction, that spark, that threat of internal combustion for two characters to even want to get to know more about each other. So how do we put that on the page? I haven’t a clue. I just start writing and it happens. Honest. I know, that’s not hel...

By Robin Kaye Summer is always an exciting time of year. This summer especially because I just sold a new series to Sourcebooks – The Domestic Gods Gone Wild! Series. You’ll get to meet the heroes and heroines in my next book, Yours For the Taking . It will be released in January. If signing my new contract wasn’t exciting enough, the same day I signed on the dotted line, I received a phone call telling me that my book Too Hot to Handle won the Holt Medallion for Best Romantic Comedy! The thing I love most about the Holt Medallion is that it is judged by readers, the very people I write for, not the publishing elite. I’m completely over-the-top because Romeo, Romeo won last year too, so this year’s win completely shatters my concern that it was all a big fluke. Well, almost. The Romance Writers of America’s National Conference takes place every July. This is something I look forward to all year. For those who don’t know me, I’m a bit of an extrovert. (okay, you in the peanut gallery...

By Robin Kaye For those of you who haven’t been following the blog long, you probably don’t know that my husband is not the most romantic guy. Actually, I usually say he’s about as romantic as a stump, and really, what’s romantic about a stump? Nothing. Now don’t get me wrong, he has other great qualities—he’s a Domestic God after all, which in my book, counts for a lot. However, when it comes to the cards, flowers, chocolate, and gifts thing he’s so not into it. For Valentine’s Day this year, I received a kiss and an “I love you.” Although nice, it’s no big whoop since I get those the other 364 days of the year too. Still, there was one day in our twenty + years of marriage that he actually did something romantic. In fact six years later, I’m still pinching myself. Really. Though after such a huge success, I think he’s under the misconception that he’s still on the positive side of the romance-meter, and according to his calculations, is good for the next nine years. At the time, our ...

By Robin Kaye It’s a virtual party, but in my humble opinion, those are the best kind. You can come in your jammies if you want and no one will snicker at you. There’s no need to dress up or do your hair, and there’s no need to diet for a week before hand. No one will count how many drinks you have, or how many times you visit the dessert bar. We’re all just happy you’re here. We’re so happy in fact that we’re giving away a copy of Breakfast in Bed to a lucky commenter. So come on in, make yourself comfortable, and be sure to make some small-talk to be entered. Here’s an excerpt of Breakfast in Bed : Rich followed her to the kitchen and leaned against the breakfast bar, staring at her as if he could see beneath her clothes. It was unnerving, and she reminded herself of all the reasons she didn't like him. "I know you don't like me much." Becca took a cup from the cabinet. Ah, and he was a mind reader too. "I don't know why, but it doesn't matter." ...

By Robin Kaye Actually, since this blog is posting November 2nd, it began yesterday but it’s not too late to join in the fun. NaNoWriMo is for all of you who have said, “I’ve always wanted to write a book.” Here is the perfect opportunity to cross off another item on your bucket list! Go right to NaNoWriMo.org and enter. NaNoWriMo is easy. The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month. I know it sounds daunting but it’s very achievable. The trick is to turn off your internal editor and just write. It’s amazing what happens when you do just that. Sure, you’ll write a lot of crap, but once you get into the groove, you’ll find diamonds among the less than sparkling words. Let’s face it, so many people say they want to write but in my humble opinion, they over think it. Sometimes you just have to sit down and do it. You can think a book to death, but unless you actually write it, it will never come to fruition. Write the book of your heart. There will be plenty of time in the future to do...

By Robin Kaye Have you ever stopped and wondered how the heck you got where you are? I had a moment today when I did exactly that. I had just gotten out of the shower after eating lunch--I know, I should have taken my shower at a respectable time, but I began work, as usual, after making my first pot of coffee at 6:30 this morning, wearing my pajamas and ended up working in them until it was almost time for me to leave. Before my shower, I made lunch for myself and my home-schooled daughter, the 13-year-old ballerina, and left her with instructions to do the dishes. After getting myself back together, I investigated strange noises coming from the direction of the kitchen and found my 120 lb. yellow lab with his front paws on the kitchen counter slurping up the last of what was almost a quart of my homemade spaghetti sauce. Twinkle-Toes had neither done the dishes nor put away the leftovers. Sambuca, my dog, looked at me with a guilty sauce-laden face and I wondered how I got there. I n...

By Robin Kaye My friend Kate Duffy, the Editorial Director for Kensington, died Sunday and I spent Monday and Tuesday before writing this, laughing and crying (sometimes simultaneously) thinking about our time together. Kate was only 56 when she died, but she’d been referring to herself as a crusty old broad since I met her. Kate was wise beyond her years. She had a wicked sense of humor, and was the biggest proponent of the romance genre. In my opinion, she was the most outstanding author advocate God put on this earth. Kate was blunt—she never sugarcoated anything, but she was also one of the most giving and insightful women I ever met. Kate Duffy was a living legend in the world of Romance publishing. But to me, she’ll forever be my favorite crusty old broad. I met Kate at my first writer’s conference five or six years ago on the patio of Hilltop House, the old hotel that used to house the Washington Romance Writers Retreat. She invited me to sit with her and asked me about my work....

By Robin Kaye My youngest daughter was born with a very rare genetic disorder (she’s one in a million in more ways than just one.) It took us over a month for her to be diagnosed. My husband and I spent the first three years of Isabelle’s life trying desperately to keep her alive. During that time, it seemed as if there wasn’t a week that went by when we weren’t rushing her to the hospital with pneumonia, 106 degree fever, or seizures. She had five operations between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. Between Isabelle and my other two children (a 4-year-old and 18 month-old), I don’t think I slept a full night in all that time. Before Isabelle was born, I read everything I could get my hands on and I admit to being somewhat of a literary snob. I had eclectic tastes, but I always made it a point to read all of the Oprah books. After I had Izzy, I realized that the Oprah books were, more often than not, depressing. My life was depressing enough. I didn’t need to read about the nasty reali...

By Robin Kaye I was reading a blog recently and the author mentioned finding a box of his cassette tapes, most of which were mix-tapes. My mind immediately went back to my teenage days when conversations revolved around who liked who, how lame Barry Manilow was, and how hot Jim Morrison looked before he died. Now, he died well before I was into him and the Doors, but still, you have to admit he sure looked hot before he died…well, maybe not just before he died, but you know what I mean. Back then, if I was not making mix-tapes, I was listening to the tapes my boyfriend dejour, best friend, or I made. What about you? Do you remember the hours you spent picking the favorite songs? Wondering what the guy you were crushing on, or a guy you were dating—would think of your hard work. If a guy made me a mix-tape, I knew he was hooked. Why I didn’t think the same rule pertained to me is still a mystery. Making a mix-tape for someone was a big deal. It wasn’t something you made for a casual da...

By Robin Kaye Last week I went to Niagara Falls with my family--my husband, his mother, sister, aunt, niece, and my three teenagers. Okay, two teenagers and one very moody preteen. The nine of us climbed into two cars and headed up to the Falls from my husband’s family home outside of Buffalo, NY in search of the honeymoon capital of the world and one of the world’s seven natural wonders. The natural wonder worked for me. The sheer size of the Falls just on the American side was spectacular, and if you take into account the Canadian Falls as well, it was truly awe inspiring. The force of the water threw up mist that covered everything for what seemed like miles. The raw power is tangible as it swirls through the air and stings the skin when it hits you. Growing up, I always imagined Niagara Falls to be the most romantic place on earth; probably because my grandparents honeymooned there in the 1930’s. I remember this picture in an elaborate frame setting on my grandmother’s dresser unti...

By Robin Kaye Beginning a book is always difficult, especially when you don’t have that beginning scene to build the book around. I think it’s because I’m slowly changing from a seat-of-the-pants writer to a plotter in the hope that if I have the entire plot, I’ll be able to see if there are holes in it before I write the entire book. This is especially helpful since I am now writing on deadline. Back when I was a card-carrying pantser, a scene would pop into my head and like magic, I’d have a fabulous opening scene and from there the plot would flow. Now that I’m a quasi-plotter, I have the whole story line and at the very least, the hero and heroine in my mind. I know what’s going to happen in the beginning, the middle and the end. I have the conflict, the black moment and even the happy ending but where do I begin the book? Every character has a back-story whether it’s written in the text or not. His or her entire life story is in the author’s mind. That’s how an author crafts three...

By Robin Kaye When people ask why I write romance, I tell them that it’s because I love to read it. It wasn’t always that way. I don’t think I read a romance until eight or nine years ago. I grew up reading all my father’s books, Harold Robbins, Robert Ludlum, Sidney Sheldon and the like. My mother was never a big reader, thank God because if she’d known what I was reading in the third grade, she probably would have had a conniption fit. It wasn’t until a few months after I moved to Maryland from Boise, Idaho in October of 2000, that I picked up my first romance. I fell in love with the smart heroines, great dialogue and to die for heroes--what’s not to love? Once I got one in my hot little hands, I couldn’t put them down. I’m a book a day reader, and believe me; if I don’t get my book fix I go through romance withdrawal. I’ve been on a reading ‘diet’ due to a crazy family life and writing deadlines. You should see me now—It’s not a pretty picture. But going on a reading diet has shown...

By Robin Kaye My hero in Too Hot to Handle is named Dr. Mike Flynn and I have to tell you, I’ve taken quite a lot of ribbing because of it. It all started because I’m terrible with names. I have a hard time remembering my own name, no less those of my secondary characters. When I wrote Romeo, Romeo, I needed a doctor. Since I had no plans to make this doctor a central character in the book, I called him Mike after my personal doctor so that I’d remember his name. That seems harmless, doesn’t it? After all, it wasn’t as if I used his last name, too. Well, was I ever wrong about the fictional Dr. Mike being just a walk on character. After writing the scene – a conversation between Nick, the hero in Romeo, Romeo and Dr. Mike Flynn, I fell in love and not just with my hero. I’m fickle that way. I was head over tongue depressors in love with Mike. Who knew? At one of my appointments with Dr. Mike, he asked how my writing was going. Since I eventually had to tell him that Too Hot to Handle w...

By Robin Kaye Everyone wants to know how I come up with my characters, and honestly, I wish I knew. For the most part, scenes pop into my head and the characters are already there. I know them and they’re almost real to me. I know, it sounds as if I need therapy. When I’m deep into writing a book, I find myself talking about the characters to friends, and it takes them an embarrassingly long while to figure out that I’m not talking about real people. These are fictional characters. I’ll never forget when Dr. Mike Flynn, the hero of Too Hot To Handle popped into my head. I was writing a scene in Romeo, Romeo—it was a phone call between the hero Nick and his Mike, his best friend, who was supposed to be a little secondary character. By the end of that conversation, I’d fallen head over heels in love with Mike, and I knew I had the hero for my second book. I knew everything there was to know about him. I knew which deodorant he wore, that he didn’t have time to date, that he worked his wa...

Remember The Fallen In the long weekend, take some time to remember all of those who have given their lives to make our freedom possible, and all those who put their lives on the line every day guarding it. Hi, I’m Robin Kaye, the author of Too Hot to Handle. Today I was looking through the clip art for a Memorial Day picture to post and I saw this one. It's a photo of a Wild Quaker Parrot rising up above the markers of Civil War Graves in Brooklyn's Green Wood Cemetery. For those of you who have read my books, you'll know that I was brought up a block away from the Green Wood Cemetery. The Brooklyn Parrots and are a wonderful part of Brooklyn and Green Wood Cemetery. For more information about the Brooklyn Parrots, you can visit the Brooklyn Parrot Website . Annabelle Ronaldi is the one of the heroines of the Domestic Gods series and I thought it would be fun to talk with Rose, her nosy, slightly zany, and possibly psychic aunt. I made an appointment to meet Aunt Rose at h...

By Robin Kaye Last weekend I spoke at my local library about writing, my path to publication, my books, and the general state of publishing. I’m told I had a great crowd, which amazed me because there were only about 10 people in attendance, all of whom I knew. Still, it was a lot of fun to have the opportunity to speak to crowd who was actually interested in what I had to say. The best part was when my favorite librarian got off from work early to join the group. She regaled everyone with the story of how I would come into the library a few days a week, check out a gazillion books and tell her about the book I was writing. I remembered how much fun I had writing my first book. I had three small children at home and had moved across the country to a place where I had no friends or family. I came to writing through a back door, or so I like to think. I felt as if I needed to write. I needed the creative outlet that writing gave me. It never occurred to me that anyone else would be inter...

By Robin Kaye The Romantic Times Convention was the perfect time to launch Too Hot To Handle ! Since not everyone was able to attend RT, I’m hosting a virtual launch party. Join the fun and have a cyber-toast with me. Everyone who comments today and tomorrow will be entered into a drawing for two signed copies of Too Hot To Handle. Two winners will be picked from those who comment. The contest ends at 11:59 PM EST May 2, 2009. Dr. Mike Flynn sure would LOVE to have a woman to take care of…To Dr. Mike, there’s nothing like vacuuming or doing a few dishes to help a guy relax. Annabelle Ronaldi would never cook if she could order takeout. When they meet at her sister’s wedding, Mike is sure this is the woman he wants to take care of forever. While Mike sets to work wooing Annabelle, she becomes determined to sniff out the truth of the convoluted family secret that’s going to turn both their lives upside down… Too Hot to Handle is the second of my Domestic Gods series. I thought the thril...